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Lil Baby Releases New Song “Dark Mode” About Ja Morant In New Beats Campaign

May 8, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Beats by Dre (Beats) teams up with Grammy Award-winning artist Lil Baby and NBA All-Star Ja Morant in its latest campaign. The 90-second video will air in Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs, during which Morant will be playing.

The campaign is centered around Lil Baby and Ja Morant’s friendship and mutual admiration, which ultimately led to Lil Baby writing “Dark Mode” about the player. Both the track and the campaign play off Morant’s ethos around basketball, which can be summed up with the phrase, “welcome to the dark.” While many want to bask in the spotlight, one’s work ultimately illuminates itself as a result of relentlessly honing their craft in the darkness.

Lil Baby’s track focuses on “going into dark mode,” a behavior which has ultimately made Morant one of the most exciting players to watch in the league. The spot also visually reflects darkness, with both superstars appearing solely in monochromatic black and white throughout the entirety of the video.

“Ja has been one of my favorite players to watch. We’ve been locked in,” said Lil Baby. “This is not my first time partnering with Beats, but we took it up a notch with this original song. The world gets to experience ‘Dark Mode’ for the first time in a way that’s crazy!”

Beats first partnered with Lil Baby on its 2020 award-winning campaign titled “You Love Me,” while Ja Morant was recently signed as an ambassador to the brand. In the new spot, Lil Baby sports Beats Studio Buds in Moon Gray and Morant wears Beats Studio Buds in Sunset Pink, available exclusively at Target.

The post Lil Baby Releases New Song “Dark Mode” About Ja Morant In New Beats Campaign appeared first on The Source.

The Source Magazine Remembers Chris Lighty Nine Years Later On His Birthday

May 8, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Even though Baby Chris didn’t recognize his own born day, we do by celebrating his works even after his untimely death.

Today would’ve been Chris Lighty’s 54th birthday, but he was raised in a very structured Jehovah’s Witness household so he never celebrated birthdays or holidays. Chris became the most influential hip hop manager through his management and marketing imprint, Violator. Violator was the real Empire before Lee Daniels hit series. The impressive roster included Missy Elliot, P. Diddy, 5O Cent, Foxy Brown, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Mariah Carey, Mobb Deep, and more.

To the outside world, Chris Lighty was an alluring powerful executive who negotiated unprecedented deals with his partner, Mona Scott-Young. Outside of his insane work ethic he had layers about him that made him a remarkable human being, friend, mentor and support system to many people.

Through Violator management, Chris and Mona became the cerebrum of hip hop, developing and sustaining careers while structuring lucrative marketing and branding deals that helped grow hip hop into becoming a viable entity- cementing its place in popular culture.

“Hip Hop was everything to Chris,” says Mona.

“I’m so proud of what Chris has done for our culture. I’m proud that the young guy that I sat next to on a stoop in the Bronx was able to conceptualize a dream and really make it happen. Everything we sat out to do we did. We stayed focused and accomplished it all. So much of who I am today has everything to do with the fact that Chris had a dream. My relationships, my ability to leverage the success of hip hop into mainstream culture and our ability to provide opportunities to others came from Chris. We locked arms, came together and his dream became my dream.“

Sadly, those dreams were cut short when Chris Lighty was found shot to death in an apartment in NYC on August 30, 2012, from an apparent suicide. He will continue to be missed by the Hip Hop community.

The post The Source Magazine Remembers Chris Lighty Nine Years Later On His Birthday appeared first on The Source.

Relationship Advisor And YouTube Star Kevin Samuels Dead At 56

May 6, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Though it has yet to be confirmed by his family, it has been widely reported that self-proclaimed relationship guru and image consultant Kevin Samuels has died. He was 56 years old.

Several reports revealed that Melanie King, a friend of Samuels, said she received “family confirmation” that the creator of Modern Women was dead. King, who has been described as his female counterpart, says “This is 100%.”

A close friend of Kevin Samuels Melanie King has just confirmed he has passed away. May he Rest In Peace. #RIPKevinSamuels #kevinsamuels pic.twitter.com/tO506Vkv9S

— Anyways (@Danielrachel124) May 6, 2022

Albeit no one from Samuel’s family or reps from his team has confirmed or posted any statement, the unconfirmed reports have stated that Samuels passed away from a heart attack. The Instagram account for Plug Talk claimed Samuels died from “cardiac arrest,” but the post offered no verification. Other Instagram accounts have touted that same narrative, but have no confirmation.

Samuels took social media by storm, unapologetically handing out lifestyle and relationship advice through his Youtube channel. Known for what is viewed as misogynistic and insulting commentary about Black women, many people strongly disagreed with his opinion, while others, including some women, followed Samuels and his unconventional advice faithfully. His channel, which has 1.42million subscribers, feature videos such as ‘”modern women are average at best” and “women should let men use them.”

Samuels’ controversy is unparalleled. In a recent episode of his podcast just last month, Samuels said, “If you have made it to 35 and you are unmarried, you are a leftover woman, You are what is left. Men know that there is likely something wrong with you. Whether you want to hear it or not, I’m going to go there with you. I’m telling you the truth that you don’t want to hear. Men know that there is likely something wrong with you—that you can not be an adjustable six or higher—something is wrong with you. That’s where men automatically come with it. And here’s the thing—when you were between the ages of 22 and 25 and you didn’t want to settle—you were trying to get the CEO, the pilot, the investment banker, you were trying to get flewed out…”

The post Relationship Advisor And YouTube Star Kevin Samuels Dead At 56 appeared first on The Source.

Quavo Drops “Birkin Bagz” Cannabis Strain And Streetwear

May 6, 2022 by newhiphopnews

With the demand for the coveted Birkin bag among women being almost a prerequisite for relationships, Quavo of the Migos, who may know a thing or two about relationships himself, decided that it was time for the guys to smoke the Birkin instead of giving it away to women.

The Huncho has created his own unique marijuana strain called Birkin because the guys have spent too much money tickling the women’s handbag fancy. “We got tired of buying the girls Birkins, so we started smoking it, that’s all.” says Quavo.

Just as Hermès’ Birkin bags can range from $40K to as high as almost $300K, Quavo’s weed is going to be a high-end strain of bud, meaning a super high cost exactly like the Hip Hop name-dropped handbag. When asked if Birkin Bagz would be affordable for regular smokers and he vehemently replied, “No, sir. No broke smoke. This will be the highest weed you ever smoked.”

To add even more flavor to the release of the “most expensivest” weed strain, Quavo teamed up with established streetwear brand Awful Lot of Cough Syrup and dropped a “Birkin Bagz” clothing collab to accompany the new 420.

The post Quavo Drops “Birkin Bagz” Cannabis Strain And Streetwear appeared first on The Source.

Drake DMs Internet Troll’s Wife After Defending Tee Morant’s Father

May 5, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Drake pulled off the smoothest response to someone trolling him on the internet; he DMed his wife.

While defending NBA star Tee Morant’s dad for being an ultra-supportive sideline father, which some online have deemed “annoying”, someone wanted to poke fun at Drizzy over the rumor he doesn’t write his own rhymes.

Drake made a comment about the critics of Morant’s father, saying, “Imagine your son makes the league and he’s Ja Or Melo (Ball) or Lonzo (Ball) all you can do is be elated and competitive and over supportive and it’s a right of passage to that the OG’s talk s*** .”

“I know I’mma be this way even if my son is in a rubix cube competition .”

Once the troll took a shot at Drake and the ghostwriting rumors, that’s when it happened.

It wasn’t just a threat. Drake actually DMed the troll’s wife, which he posted to the Gram.

Was it Drake for the win with the comment or the troll even having access to his wife’s DMs?

The post Drake DMs Internet Troll’s Wife After Defending Tee Morant’s Father appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: Gang Starr’s Third LP ‘Daily Operation’ Turns 30 Years Old!

May 5, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Nothing beats a classic rap record and a few MCs were dropping them on the regular quite like legendary ’90s rap duo Gang Starr. The group, consisting of Guru holding things down on the mic and DJ Premier handling the head-bumping production, dropped six albums in their career before calling it quits in 2003.

While a reunion album was reportedly planned, unfortunately, Guru passed away on April 19, 2010, before the project could be completed or properly executed overall. While the Hip-Hop community definitely took a blow due to the loss, the work they did create while recording together influenced the genre in ways that we’re still seeing today. One LP that specifically represents Gang Starr’s influential legacy is their third album Daily Operation, which celebrates its 30th anniversary today.

Comprised of jazz-tinged samples and lyrics that illustrated life in the streets of New York City during the early ’90s, Daily Operation saw Gang Starr striding smoothly towards the legendary status that we now place the group in today. The project is East Coast-inspired through and through, from recording the LP entirely at the dearly missed D&D Studios on West 37th Street in Midtown Manhattan all the way to lamenting about Brooklyn on the opening track “The Place We Dwell.” Other standout cuts include “I’m The Man,” featuring the solely credited cameos by Group Home member Lil Dap and Jeru the Damaja, “B.Y.S.” — cleverly abbreviated for “Bust Yo’ Shit” — and the lead single “Ex Girl to Next Girl” that gave us one of the most 90s-looking music videos ever created.

The key to Gang Starr is that, while none of their albums ever crossed Top 5 status on the Billboard 200 — their highest placement happened in 1998 when Moment of Truth hit #6 — sales were never the thing that represented their effect on the game; the music always came first and foremost. Daily Operation received all sorts of critical acclaim nonetheless, and we even included it on our “100 Best Rap Albums” list for The Source’s 100th issue (January 1998). So, while it only reached #65 on the Billboard 200 and faired slightly better on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at #14, those numbers mean nothing when compared to the slick verses, smooth-yet-rugged instrumentals, and thought-provoking bars that still makes this album a certified classic almost three decades after its original release.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Gang Starr’s Third LP ‘Daily Operation’ Turns 30 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.

‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ Star Kailia Posey Passes Away at 16

May 4, 2022 by newhiphopnews

According to a report from TMZ, Toddlers & Tiaras contestant Kailia Posey has passed away. She was only 16 years old.

The cause of death has not been released, but her mother , Marcy Posey Gatterman, recently took to Facebook in order to acknowledge the public and commemorate her child.

“I don’t have words or any thoughts,” Gatterman said. “A beautiful baby girl is gone. Please give us privacy as we mourn the loss of Kailia. My baby forever.”

Posey first appeared on national television on TLC’s California Tropic Arizona. Posey’s smile on that show led to a timeless GIF that will live on the internet for years to come.

Posey attended Lynden High School where she made the dean’s list in 2020-2021 and had dreams of becoming a pilot when she graduated, but those dreams were cut short.

The post ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ Star Kailia Posey Passes Away at 16 appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Dave Chappelle Attacked, Gun Pulled Out On Comedian At Hollywood Bowl

May 4, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Dave Chappelle Tests Positive for COVID-19

Last night, Dave Chappelle’s onstage appearance last night (May 3) came to an immediate stop when someone rushed the stage and attacked Chappelle. Now, it’s been reported tht the individual had a gun and pulled it out on Chappelle during the performance.

During Dave’s “Netflix Is A Joke” Festival, a man managed to get onstage and tackle Chappelle, slamming him onto the stage. Authorities also say that the man had a gun in his hand as he rushed the comedian in stage, but the gun was not real.

A crowd of people ran after the assailant, who eventually caught up to him “and beat the crap out of him, stomping on him.” Eyewitnesses say Busta Rhymes and Jamie Foxx even got in a couple of blows on the assailant.

The attacker was taken away on a stretcher and charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Dave continued with his act, telling the audience, “I don’t know if that was part of the show. I grabbed the back of that n***** head, his hair was spongy, absorbent.”

Chris Rock ironically was one of Chappelle’s guests, who after the attack, came on stage, hugged Chappelle and said, “Was that Will Smith?”

The post [WATCH] Dave Chappelle Attacked, Gun Pulled Out On Comedian At Hollywood Bowl appeared first on The Source.

Blac Chyna Loses $100M Defamation Case Against The Kardashian-Jenners

May 3, 2022 by newhiphopnews

Rolling Stone reports that after ten hours of deliberations, Blac Chyna lost her $100 million defamation case against the Kardashian clan just days after her case against Kim Kardashian was dropped.

Chyna filed her case against the Kardashians back in 2017 when she claimed the family made defamatory remarks about her and conspired to get her and Rob Kardashian’s reality show canceled. The trial lasted several weeks, with Kylie Jenner taking the stand and testifying about Chyna’s violent tendencies towards her brother.

Chyna denied the accusations, even alleged she was playing when a situation was brought up about her wrapping a phone cord around Rob’s neck and pointing a gun at his head. Tokyo Toni, Blac Chyna’s mother, was thrown out of the courtroom for her statements about the Kardashian family. Kris, Khloe, Kim, Kylie, Rob, and Kris’s boyfriend, Corey Gamble, testified during the trial.

Ultimately, the jury decided to rule in favor of the Kardashian-Jenners, and Blac Chyna will not receive any damages due to the case.

The post Blac Chyna Loses $100M Defamation Case Against The Kardashian-Jenners appeared first on The Source.