Azealia Banks is verbally attacking SZAonce more, and this may be her most scathing set of comments yet. According to HipHopDX, the New York singer and rapper appears to be going after the R&B phenom for no reason whatsoever over a past RZA team-up. As per usual, she took to X (Twitter) and kicked things off by saying, “Sza is really such an ugly person for having rza on her album after asking me to be on it, Me politely and honestly declining, after news of him trying to pimp me out to Russell Crowe broke. That was really a huge slap in the face and truest sign of a b**** who will always be ugly”.
Then, after attacking her character, Banks insulted SZA’s looks. “Sis can get all the procedures in the world. She’ll always be that insecure fat Muslim girl from New Jersey with the big chin and the gay husband”. Then, she kicked dirt in the SOS creator’s face by placing a crude “curse” on her. “Cursed with a lifetime supply of fresh out the bootyhole d**k in her mouth for eternity… Lmfao b**** ya p**sy HARAM FOH”. This all appears to be in relation to Ctrl, as SZA did have the Wu-Tang affiliate assist her in rolling out the 2017 project.
Sza is really such an ugly person for having rza on her album after asking me to be on it, Me politely and honestly declining, after news of him trying to pimp me out to Russell Crowe broke. That was really a huge slap in the face and truest sign of a bitch who will always be…
But this appears to have cut even deeper for Banks, as she references the Russell Crowe incident in her first tweet. If you remember back in 2016, Azealia was on pace to sign a record deal with RZA. However, that all came to a crashing end after the two MC’s attended a party at the actor’s home. Banks claimed to be physically removed and that she was also verbally and physically attacked by Crowe. RZA defended his friend, saying that Banks was “erratic” and “obnoxious” and that she was instigating things first. Since then, she has had beef with both males and SZA seems to be collateral in a sense with this rant.
More Tweets From Banks
Cursed with a lifetime supply of fresh out the bootyhole dick in her mouth for eternity. pic.twitter.com/qarX1EvAq7
What are your thoughts on Azealia Banks unleashing on SZA for her past work with RZA? Do you think this is all stemming from the rapper’s past issues with the R&B star? Could you see the latter responding, or even RZA? Whose side are you taking? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Azealia Banks, SZA, and RZA. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
Kendrick Lamar isn’t the only current or former member of the Top Dawg Entertainment family with a movie coming out next year.
An R-rated buddy comedy starring SZA and Keke Palmer will release in theaters on January 24, 2025. There’s no official title or even plot details yet, but Variety reports that the cast also includes Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Maude Apatow, Katt Williams, Joshua Neal, Aziza Scott, Patrick Cage, and Amin Joseph. Lawrence Lamont is attached as director, while Rap Sh!t showrunner Syreeta Singleton wrote the screenplay.
Palmer and SZA previously teamed up in 2022 when the Nope actress hosted SNL with the “Kill Bill” singer as her musical guest.
SZA is currently working on her third studio album, Lana, and first since 2022’s SOS broke records.
“You know, this round, I actually don’t want to say anything,” she told The Hollywood Reporter when asked about the album earlier this year. “Just because I feel like I do myself a disservice because you can shift the energy of the album. You got to let it form itself. Because I’m not really forming anything. I’m just kind of here while energy is forming and I’m just trying to allow it to do what it needs to do, and my voice just follows whatever the frequency is. So I feel like I want to allow it to finish shaping itself and form itself before I speak on it and possibly change the trajectory of what it could be. But I will say I’m in a beautiful space creatively and I feel just very new.”
Latto’s social media team must be scrambling right now, because she’s currently subjected to a Twitter hack as of last night (Saturday, September 8). Moreover, these posts on the account include some shade towards SZA and Nicki Minaj and leaked personal information. From what we can gather from a lot of these tweets (most of which don’t have anything to do with the Atlanta femcee herself), it looks like this is someone trying to get back at their ex-partner, who’s a fan of her music. It’s all a pretty complicated situation and still a very unclear one, so we’ll see if the near future holds any updates.
Furthermore, Latto indicated via her Instagram Story that she was aware of the hack, and is probably trying her best to regain access. This adds to a pretty turbulent but nonetheless successful year for the Trapper of the Year. Between a new album, some combative bar trades with Ice Spice, and a whole lot of fan discussions, there was a lot to take in for 2024. She’s handled it all pretty well so far, as evidenced by a recent and hilarious interaction.
Latto appeared on 2 Chainz and his son Halo’s podcast, where the little one asked a pretty out-of-pocket question. “Um, is it true you got beef with Ice Spice?” “Oh my God, here we go,” the 25-year-old responded. “Halo, what in the world?!” his father asked comically. “Let me tell you something, Halo,” she elaborated. “I don’t got a problem with nobody ’cause beef is a different thing, you feel me? That’s a whole different type of conversation. I ain’t got no beef with nobody, I don’t got a problem with nobody for real. *laughs* I ain’t got no problem with nobody for real, for real, it ain’t like that.”
Meanwhile, even though Sugar Honey Iced Tea‘s commercial performance wasn’t the best, it’s still getting plenty of spins from fans. It’s momentum that Latto will likely maintain as the year closes out, whether she faces another hack or not. Let’s just hope that some password, IP, and VPN solutions are in the words for her and her team. And that whatever toxic relationship in the background of all this clears up.
SZA performed her “last show for a while” earlier this month, which frees her up to spend her time like non-chart-topping citizens: Perusing the internet.
On Wednesday, August 28, SZA posted a screenshot of an interaction she had with someone in her Instagram DMs. The person’s username isn’t visible, but God bless them, whoever they are.
“SZA I’m failing geometry can you give me math tips,” they wrote. SZA replied in four messages, “Lmaooo ma’am I’m a math dummy. I’m not sure what u expected [laugh-crying emoji]. Tell me about the shapes chile. How can I help[?]”
The person replied with a photo of their (alleged) geometry homework along with, “I just can’t do this [three crying emojis, three heartbroken emojis].” SZA wrote, “Oh b*tch ur cooked.” And a new meme was born.
Atop the screenshot in her Instagram Story, SZA wrote, I appreciate the faith in me.”
Luckily, math is not required to pump out bangers like “Kill Bill” and “Snooze.”
While SZA won’t be performing in the immediate future, she might be preparing to officially release Lana after the album was delayed due to leaks. SZA last dropped SOS in December 2022, and her sophomore LP spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Phillip Leeds, a mainstay within the music and fashion industries compiles eights years of original photography in BIG SHOTS!! Volume 2. Over 500 color Polaroid pictures of household names are archived in this new edition, out today courtesy of Blurring Books, the Brooklyn-based publisher.
Over the weekend, Phillip Leeds hosted the a BIG SHOTS!! launch party in Los Angeles in partnership with lifestyle brand Pleasures. The collaboration between Leeds & Pleasures was a continuation of events from earlier this year’s preview at Paris Fashion Week. The author brings BIG SHOTS!! to his hometown of New York City on September 11th with Awake NY. Other dates to be announced soon via @BigShotsBook.
In 2017, Phillip Leeds released the critically-acclaimed & wildly popular book BIG SHOTS! (Rizzoli) Described at the time as capturing a generation of artists and celebrities just as Andy Warhol: Red Books defined a previous era. Shot by Phillip with a unique vintage Polaroid camera called The Big Shot, the book offered a visual who’s who from the worlds of art, music, fashion and popular culture from 2004 through 2016. Volume 1 featured Rita Ora on the cover and contained over 400 portraits including global icons such as Lewis Hamilton, JAY-Z, Beck, Pharrell Williams, Andre Leon Tally, A$AP Rocky, Black Thought, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, David Byrne, Jeff Koons, Justin Timberlake and Snoop Dogg.
Now, published by Blurring Books, Leeds is set to release BIG SHOTS!! Volume 2: More Shots from the Worlds of Music, Fashion and Beyond, a new collection of photographs that captures the faces from the epicenter of culture. A compilation of previously unpublished work, Phillip has continued documenting some of the biggest names in popular culture as well as behind-the-scenes tastemakers and influencers. The book features GRAMMY award winner SZA on the cover, plus foreword by global music and fashion icon, and multi GRAMMY winner Pharrell Williams. This volume includes portraits of Chris Rock, Lee “Scratch” Perry, James Lipton, Brian “KAWS” Donnelly, Dave Grohl, George Clinton, Sister Nancy, Q-Tip, Snoop Dogg, Ari Melber, John David Washington, Mike Ness, Ndaba Mandela, Megan Thee Stallion, Swizz Beatz & Alicia Keys, plus countless others.
SZA is absolutely losing her marbles over discovering some fan-made Bjork mashups. According to Uproxx, the Icelandic singer was actually the one to unearth this frankly impressive concoctions. She sent them out on her X account and the St. Louis, Missouri product was in shock, but in a good way. ““I’M SORRY WHAATT?? I BEG UR F***ING PARDON !???”, and “DAAAAAAHHHH”, were her animated responses to learning about these two tracks. “PAGAN BARRYMORE” and “Hunter”/ ”Seek & Destroy” have both been on YouTube for several months to a year. However, its pretty cool that these two respective superstars are reacting to their fans in this manner.
It’s worth noting that SZA is a massive fan of Bjork’s. About two years ago, the SOS hitmaker went onto label her as the G.O.A.T. in her eyes. “I’ve always loved Björk. She’s the GOAT to me. From the way she was beating up reporters to the way she emotes in her music, she’s just the realest b**** alive”.
In that same interview with EW, SZA recalled where her fandom started. “[An] iPod I found had a bunch of music, and [Bjork’s] music was on there. But I had already been listening to it because we did dances to it in high school. I was part of a company called Special Dance, and we did a dance to ‘Jóga’”. Additionally, around the release of her future SOS track “I Hate U”, she tweeted out in 2021 about talking with Bjork and how surreal it was. “Day 6 at number one and I’m texting Bjork rn . Life is as it should be .. sensational… I love you all so much . Please have a fire day”.
What are your thoughts on these SZA and Bjork fan-made mashups? Which one is your favorite of the bunch? Did you know that she is a huge fan of the Icelandic singer? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding SZA. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
In December 2021, SZA posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Day 6 at number one and I’m texting Björk rn. Life is as it should be.. sensational. I love you all so much. Please have a fire day.” Fast forward nearly three years to Wednesday, August 21, and SZA’s day was made by the Icelandic multi-hyphenate again.
Out of seemingly nowhere, Björk posted links to three separate fan-made YouTube mashups of SZA and Björk’s songs: “Hunter”/”Seek & Destroy,” “Pagan”/”Drew Barrymore,” and “All Is Full Of Love”/”Saturn.”
“I’M SORRY WHAATT?? I BEG UR F*CKING PARDON !???” SZA wrote while reposting Björk’s repost of “PAGAN BARRYMORE.” In response to Björk’s post of “Hunter”/”Seek & Destroy,” SZA wrote, “DAAAAAAHHHH.”
Of course, fans immediately took this as an excuse to hypothesize about a hypothetical Björk and SZA collaboration, which would be welcomed with open arms. SZA is about to have more downtime to orchestrate a brainstorming session with Björk, considering SZA posted on X (formerly Twitter) on August 5, “Yesterday was my last show for a while. Finally bout to get my life together thank u God.”
More or less, SZA has been going nonstop since the December 2022 release of SOS, her sophomore LP that dominated multiple Billboard charts, including 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Listen to the fan-made Björk and SZA mashups here, here, and here.
The vigorous demands of the industry only increase as an artist’s popularity rises, leading many of our favorites to back away from the limelight. This can come in many forms—retirement announcements, disappearing from social media, or simply letting the world know that they need time off. The most recent Hip-Hop-Affiliated artist to announce a break was SZA. The Top Dawg Entertainment songbird took to Xitter to share the news, which didn’t bode over well with her diehard fanbase.
“Yesterday was my last show for a while,” said SZA. “Finally bout to get my life together thank u God.” She didn’t specify what that meant, but SZA has been going almost nonstop since she took over the charts with her hit 2017 debut album, Ctrl. It would take over five years for SOS, her equally successful sophomore effort, to arrive—and there were plenty of frustrated updates from the singer about its execution. Her sold-out tours and packed festival performances have kept her busy, and it seems like SZA is ready for some “me” time.
Yesterday was my last show for a while . Finally bout to get my life together thank u God .
Many of SZA’s peers have also felt the pressure of successful careers, opting for a hiatus. Many of these rappers returned to their professions to earn greater accolades, solidifying themselves as legends. Others remained in the industry in different capacities, while some chose new vocations altogether. Which rapper on hiatus do you want to make a triumphant return?
TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 27: Jay Z performs on stage at Air Canada Centre during his Magna Carter World Tour on January 27, 2014 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)
Sure, the Roc Nation mogul has appeared on a few tracks here and there in recent years, but Jay-Z has taken a step back from releasing albums to focus on other billionaire ventures. There was that time in 2003 when Hov shared he was officially retiring, but that only lasted a few years before he dropped Kingdom Come. “I was really burnt out that time. I was releasing an album every year — ’96, ’97, ’98. And then in between that, soundtracks, other people’s albums, Roc-A-Fella, touring back-to-back,” he recalled, according to PEOPLE. “And you know, I just looked up one day and I was like, ‘I’m tired.’ I had never been on a vacation until like, I want to say 2000. Like my whole life. And I was just really burnt out at that moment.”
Nicki Minaj
I was in full quarantine/hiatus mode. No social media. Had no clue what was going on in the music world.
She is hailed as a Rap GOAT and has a slew of hits under her belt, but after releasing Queen in 2018, Nicki Minaj went silent. Fans begged her for a follow-up, but the Head Barb-in-Charge was taking time to nurture and grow her family. She and her husband, Kenneth Petty, married in 2019, and in 2020, they welcomed their son, affectionately and publicly known as “Papa Bear.” In 2021, Minaj was back on Xitter answering fans’ questions, and someone wanted to know if the time off benefited her mental health.
“Great question. Yes. It was soooo needed for me,” the rapper responded. “I appreciate u guys so much for waiting. But yea, very much needed that zen for important bonding time w|my son, getting back fluid w|writing & smthn else I don’t want to discuss yet. If u know u know. .”
Eminem
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 05: Inductee Eminem performs on stage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Microsoft Theater on November 05, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
An artist who has been transparent about his personal life struggles has been Eminem. Whether he’s opening up old wounds on wax or sitting down for compelling interviews, the Detroit icon has long shared how drug addiction curtailed his life plans for short periods. However, even during his sober journey, Em retreated from releasing music on several occasions. There was a five-year gap between Encore and Relapse, and three years between Recovery and The Marshall Mathers LP 2. It would be another four years before he arrived with Revival, and after dropping Music to Be Murdered By, Eminem waited another four years to give us The Death of Slim Shady, which hit streaming services last month. Some speculate that this most recent album may be his last.
She is currently taking over stages on her Out of This World Tour, continuing to amaze fans after successful decades in the industry. Missy Elliott is celebrated as a top-tier Hip Hop innovator, even being recognized with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She hasn’t necessarily taken a hiatus from music altogether, as her hotmaking production skills have remained essential for many of today’s top-selling artists. However, the last time she dropped a full-length album was 2005’s The Cookbook, and fans may have to wait a tad bit longer for her next arrival.
“When I create something, it’s gotta be special and it can’t just be to throw something out there because I feel like I’m Missy,” Elliott revealed while on The Yo Show. “I gotta feel like what I’m giving fans is 100 percent and that it’s game-changing. I don’t just throw out microwave records.” Nevertheless, Missy promised that new music is on the way. “I just ain’t telling nobody when.”
A beloved, yet controversial figure in Hip Hop is music maven Ms. Lauryn Hill. Emerging as the only woman emcee in The Fugees alongside Pras and Wyclef Jean, Hill would reach greater heights when she went solo. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, her debut and only full-length release, continues to be hailed as the greatest Hip Hop album of all time. That title has been argued for decades, but Hill’s talents stay unmatched. While she has continued to perform worldwide, Hill’s reputation for canceling shows or showing up hours late has permeated the music industry. Most recently, The Fugees announced the cancelation of their tour just days before it was to begin. It’s unclear if Hill will deliver another record anytime soon, but with all that has transpired, some fans aren’t holding their breaths.
Mase
Former Bad Boy rapper Ma$e was at the top of his game in the late 1990s. His debut album, Harlem World, included some of his most memorable hits. Mase’s follow-up record, Double Up, didn’t reach the same success, but it was instrumental in his discography. Only two months before the sophomore album’s arrival, Mase announced his retirement from Rap. He would turn to religion, becoming a pastor and leading a congregation. However, Mase couldn’t stay away and returned to the mic in 2004 with his last album, Welcome Back. Rifts with Sean “Diddy” Combs about music rights would spill over for years, and it looks as if that tension has been settled. These days, Mase continues to enjoy his life outside of music, hosting a sports-centered podcast with former Hip Hop rival, Cam’ron.
Further, in an interview with Complex in March 2024, Mase reflected on his decision to escape the Rap game. Immediately, he said it was the best choice for his life. “Everything now that we see playing out was all the things I escaped. The car, the shine, the Loon, Puff Daddy… The Craig Mack, the Biggie Smalls. So even though I made those decisions and it cost me money, that’s why I got with Killer [Cam] and they gave me the money back. I didn’t lose no money. Destiny.”
Drake
To say that 2024 thus far has been rough for Drake is an understatement. The Pop-Rap icon has dominated the charts from the moment he stepped on the scene with co-signs from Lil Wayne, and he’s developed a career as one of the best in the game. Yet, his beef with Kendrick Lamar became an international moment, resulting in the Pulitzer Prize winner towering with his hit diss track single, “Not Like Us.” Prior to the K.Dot vs. Drizzy Drake whirlwind, the latter had expressed wanting to take a break.
“I probably won’t make music for a little bit,” Drake said while visiting Table for One in October 2023, per Forbes. “I’m going to be real with you. I need to focus on my health, first and foremost, and I’ll talk about that soon enough.” He added, “I’ve been having the craziest problems for years with my stomach,” and shared he will “focus on my health, and I need to get [that] right… I’ma lock the door in the studio for a little bit.”
Beyoncé
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 01: (Editorial Use Only) Beyoncé performs onstage during the “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR” at SoFi Stadium on September 01, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood)
As one of the biggest stars in the world, it’s only natural that Beyoncé would retreat every so often. The superstar releases a new project every two to three years, working diligently to maintain her reputation as one of the hardest-working entertainers in the business. Her schedule keeps her moving around the world with her entourage in tow—but the mother of three admitted balancing her career and parenthood has been a struggle. The mother of three and her husband, Jay-Z, are billionaires with several other money-making efforts. In 2019, Beyoncé explained to Elle why she needed a year to regroup.
“After having a difficult pregnancy, I took a year to focus on my health,” she revealed. “I have researched information on homeopathic medicines. I don’t just put any prescription in my body. My diet is important, and I use tools like acupuncture, meditation, visualization, and breathing exercises.” Beyoncé added, “The more I mature, the more I understand my value. I realized I had to take control of my work and my legacy because I wanted to be able to speak directly to my fans in an honest way. I wanted my words and my art to come directly from me. There were things in my career that I did because I didn’t understand that I could say no. We all have more power than we realize.”
Logic
Another rapper to pull a pump fake on his retirement is Logic, who elaborately shared with the world in 2020 that he was withdrawing. However, like many of his peers, this retirement was short-lived. Less than a year later, Logic was back to making music. Then, he finished his contract with Def Jam with the release of Vinyl Days. “I really just wanted to be off Def Jam, to be frank,” he told Variety in 2022.
“I did retire, for a little bit, at least in my mind, from the bullsh*t of the music industry. Then, I came to realize that none of this sh*t matters, that I can make music on my terms. So, let’s do that. That’s when I decided to come back from retirement. Last year, I released Bobby Tarantino III, just to get together songs I had, and put them out, then released this new album because I needed to fulfill my deal with Def Jam. With Vinyl Days, I did it in 12 days, and just wanted to have fun.”
SZA took to social media to post about how she fell in love with an “opp.” The singer, whose music often details her relationship woes and self-esteem issues, made a post on X (formerly Twitter) to briefly vent. “Being in love w your opp is crazy.. that sh*t really happened to me. So embarrassing,” the post reads.
In this context, SZA falling in love with an “opp” means that she fell in love with someone who didn’t have her best interests at heart. It could also refer to someone who did not genuinely like her. The post elicited a variety of responses. Some remarked on their own failed relationships, with one of the top comments recalling their marriage to someone they now consider an “opp.” She echoed SZA’s sentiments of such a situation being “embarrassing.” Some fans joked that she was referring to Drake. The pair briefly dated in 2009, but according to SZA, it was casual and they quickly moved on. The two are still friends and, more recently, musical collaborators. Of course, we’ll never know who SZA is actually referring to, but that won’t stop fans from speculating.
SZA’s been very active over the last two years. She had a lengthy run of performances earlier this year. In June and July, she played sets at Lollapalooza, Osheaga, and Glastonbury, some of the biggest yearly music festivals in the world. Prior to her festival run, she played 63 shows on her SOS World Tour between February 2023 and May 2024. The acclaimed follow-up to CTRL had spots on both Apple Music’s 100 Best Albums list and Rolling Stone’s most recent update to their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
SZA has reiterated plans for new music over the last year. Lana, originally meant to be the deluxe version of SOS, has turned into its own album. The deluxe version of SOS, featuring leaks and outtakes from the recording period, is still on the way, though there is no set release date yet. Lana is also on the way, though, like the SOS deluxe album, there is not currently an answer as to when.
With SZA being such a global success, she’s going to be hitting stages quite often. According to Uproxx, 2024 has been one of the busy years for the St. Louis, Missouri native. Festivals have been the name of the game for the hitmaker, lending her talents to venues such as Sol Blume, Primavera Sound Barcelona, and the Governors Ball. On top of that, this past weekend, SZA was onstage for Lollapalooza Chicago and Osheaga. With such a torrent run, it looks like the SOS creator is going to give the microphone a rest for a bit. Yesterday evening, she had this to say regarding what’s in store for her after traveling all over the place, “Yesterday was my last show for a while. Finally bout to get my life together thank u God.”
This could mean an absolute host of things. This could be a loose allusion to her current dating life. In a past interview on the Chicken Shop Date, she told the host, Amanda Dimoldenberg, that she can never seem to keep men around. “I feel like I can catch ’em, but I cannot keep ’em. They get with me and they realize I’m f***ing weird, and then it’s just like, ‘Aight’”. More realistically, it could be a reference to her getting some new music out.
With Lana still in limbo thanks to leaks, the now full-fleshed project could start to be rolled out here in these ensuing months. If that’s the case, then she has roughly three months or so to get that going. Her website says that her next live performance will be on November 20 at the Al Dana Ampitheatre in Aş Şakhīr, Bahrain. Whatever the scenario is for SZA, we hope she gets whatever she needs to get in order sorted out.
What are your thoughts on SZA claiming to be done with performing for a bit? Do you think she’s going to be focusing on releasing some new music during this break? If yes, what would you want her to drop first? Or is she referring to fixing some things mentally speaking? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding SZA. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.
.”
