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Wiz Khalifa Pays Tribute To Fallen Friends During Festival Set

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The hip-hop world has lost a lot of great people in the last few years. While death is a part of life, that doesn’t make it any less impactful. That is especially the case when the stories are still parts of our lives. One of the men involved in XXXTentacion’s murder was sentenced this week. Furthermore, Pop Smoke’s killer finally confessed last weekend.

Wiz Khalifa has never been afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. That was no more clear than the touching gesture that he incorporated into his set at a recent music festival. He performed at the Sauce Boyz Festival in Puerto Rico last month.

Wiz Khalifa Plays In Memoriam Reel

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – APRIL 14: Rapper Wiz Khalifa performs onstage during day one of Tortuga Music Festival on April 14, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

Wiz Khalifa was performing at the Sauce Boyz Fest. As he began to perform “See You Again”, the screens behind him began to play a reel paying tribute to various stars of the industry that had been lost in recent years. Figures included Lil Peep, King Von, Young Dolph, Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle, XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD, Mac Miller, and Takeoff amongst many others. Many of the people mentioned by Khalifa’s presentation were tragically taken in homicides or other violent acts.

It was a touching and heartfelt moment that highlighted the losses that the industry has felt. “See You Again”, the song that Khalifa performed, was originally by Khalifa in the wake of Paul Walker’s death. Walker, an actor best known for his role in the Fast And Furious franchise, died in a car accident in 2013. Featuring Charlie Puth, the song peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100. While originally about Walker, it’s easy to apply the song to other deaths one may feel strongly about. Which artist’s death impacted you the most? Let us know in the comments below. Follow all the latest music news here at HotNewHipHop.

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Bad Bunny’s “WHERE SHE GOES” Single May Come With A Kendall Jenner Tribute

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Bad Bunny’s fans were expecting 2023 to be a big year for him as soon as he was announced as a headliner at Coachella. The Puerto Rican conquered the stage two weekends in a row there (even when faced with technical difficulties), and has since gone on to release two new singles. The first, “un x100to,” previously saw the rapper switching up his style to work with Grupo Frontera. On the latter, “WHERE SHE GOES,” Bunny operates solo. However, he did tap a handful of friends to join him for the music video while seemingly dropping hints about his relationship with Kendall Jenner.

Benito and the supermodel have been linked for some time now, with their joint public appearances obviously growing more frequent as of late. As Entertainment Tonight notes, the lyrics to “WHERE SHE GOES” focus on the Latin star’s romantic evening with a woman living rent-free in his mind. “I like your flow / Quietly you always steal the show,” his Spanish words read when translated to English. In the visual, an angel appears to Bad Bunny at one point, which some fans are speculating is a nod to Jenner’s history of walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Read More: Bad Bunny & Kendall Jenner Rock Coordinated Leather Outfits For Santa Monica Date Night

Frank Ocean and Lil Uzi Vert Appear in “WHERE SHE GOES” Visual

Elsewhere in the video, the 29-year-old crashes a bonfire party and meets up with friends like Dominic Fike, Lil Uzi Vert, Sabrina Zada, and Kanye West’s ex-girlfriend, Juliana Nalú. Viewers were also happy to see the return of BB’s fellow Coachella headliner, Frank Ocean, who’s been keeping a relatively low profile since cancelling his second-weekend set at the festival.

Which of the many celebrity cameos in Bad Bunny’s “WHERE SHE GOES” visual is your favourite? Let us know in the comments, and add the new song to your summer playlist on Spotify/Apple Music. For more HNHH release recommendations, tap back in to stream our weekly playlist updates later this weekend.

Read More: Kendall Jenner Gets Cheeky In IG Bikini Pics, Sources Say She Sees “Long-Term Potential” With Bad Bunny

Quotable Lyrics:

Uh, desde que nos vimo’ pienso en cómo nos comimo’, ey
Después dividimo’, cada cual por su camino
En la alfombra aún están las mancha’ de vino
¿Dónde está ese totito? Que lleva tiempo perdido

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Lil Kim Honors Michael Jackson During Tour

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Regardless of public controversy, the King of Pop’s legacy lives on, whether in people’s hearts or on massive stages. Moreover, Lil Kim made an impromptu appearance as a supporting act for Janet Jackson’s “Together Again” tour on Thursday (May 18) in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Specifically, the Brooklyn rap legend graced the stage as a replacement for Ludacris, another hip-hop icon, who was Janet’s supporting act save for that date. During her performance, she paid tribute to Michael Jackson with a dance and rendition of his classic track “Smooth Criminal.” Considering the gargantuan three-act set-up of the tour in massive venues, it must’ve been quite the show.

Of course, Lil Kim has gotten to that career point where she might receive similar tributes from other artists, or these artists speak on her profound influence on them. “My mom was a rapper, right?” Megan Thee Stallion expressed on the Hulu series RapCaviar Presents. “She was a female rapper, but I had never heard of women being rappers ever because my mom was listening to UGK, Three 6 Mafia. My daddy [listened to] Lil Wayne, like, we only listening to men in the house. But one day, my mom put on Lil Kim. Damn! She raps harder than a lot of these guys!”

Read More: Lil Kim’s Best Songs From Hip Hop’s Golden Era

Lil Kim’s Tribute To Michael Jackson On His Sister’s Tour

In addition, the 48-year-old recently treated fans to a fun and era-blending show at Usher’s Lovers & Friends Festival. Along with her backup dancers, Lil Kim gave her own spin on Lil Uzi Vert’s smash hit track and dance, “Just Wanna Rock.” However you felt about that performance, you can at least say that it was heartening and enjoyable to see the star pay tribute to the newer generation. In a time during which hip-hop seemed more divided than ever, it’s nice to see the old and new guards move past the SoundCloud rap mentality and move further into supportive coexistence.

Meanwhile, she will always honor one of rap’s most enduring and influential figures: Biggie Smalls. “It’s always important to honor the king,” she expressed on his 50th birthday. “He’s the king. The king lives on. He’s just an amazing person, amazing artist … his legacy. It’s just great. Like, I mean, look at the catalog. Look at everything that he’s accomplished, even at such a young age.” For more news and the latest updates on Lil Kim, log back into HNHH.

Read More: Lil Kim Then & Now: Her Transformation Into An Icon

Metro Boomin Shares Emotional Tribute To Late Mother On Mother’s Day

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On Mother’s Day this past Sunday (May 14), Metro Boomin wrote a powerful and heartbreaking tribute to his late mother, Leslie Wayne. Her passing was a terrible shock to her loved ones, and the wider hip-hop world reacted with mournful condolences. Via an Instagram post, the producer remembered last year’s Mother’s Day, which was tragically the last one they spent together. Through a profound testimony and his hard work, he keeps her spirit alive and shared his emotions with fans.

“I remember Mothers Day last year we rode together to go pick up some pizza and you really admired the inside of this truck,” Metro Boomin wrote. His post was a picture of Wayne in front of one of his cars. “I had told you I hadn’t really drove it in years and I felt your antennas go up. You went on about the truck some more. I told you that you could have it. You got real excited and wanted to take a picture with it when we got back.

Read More: Metro Boomin Invites Single Moms To NFL Game As He Launches New Non-Profit

Metro Boomin’s Tribute To His Mother

“You were the QUEEN of posing for pictures and I’m sure that’s where my youngest brother gets it from,” Metro Boomin continued. From there, his caption paid a heartfelt tribute to her character. “You had so much personality and charisma as well as hustle and drive as well as humility and compassion. I know that’s where I get all of that from. If I only knew You would be taken from me a few weeks later. I miss everything about You and it hurts so much as I cry so much typing this. Everyday I’ve woke up for the past year is like a nightmare that’s never gon end.

“I Love and miss You with all my heart and every piece of my being,” he concluded. “Gonna continue to do great things and dedicate it all back to You. I can’t stress enough for everybody to love your parents while they are here because they are the only ones we get. Happy Mothers Day to all the Queens out there and to everyone going through this day without their Queen just know you are not alone.” For more on Metro Boomin, return to HNHH. Rest In Peace Leslie Wayne, and all the mothers who watch their loved ones from afar.

Read More: Metro Boomin Posts Birthday Tribute For Late Mother, “I Love You Always And Forever”

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Ne-Yo Faces Backlash For His Mother’s Day Tribute

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Ne-Yo is facing backlash on Instagram for his Mother’s Day post, in which he celebrated all of the women in his life at once. The post features his mother, sister, and the three mothers of his children. With this being the case, fans took issue with Ne-Yo putting his ex-wife and the woman he allegedly cheated on her with next to each other.

“Happy Mother’s Day to my amazing mom, my nephew’s crazy mom (hey sis) and the beautiful mothers of my beautiful children. My love for you is endless,” Ne-Yo captioned the series of pictures,

Read More: Hip Hop Mother’s Day: 11 Rap Songs Dedicated To Moms

Ne-Yo With Crystal Renay

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 26: (L-R) Crystal Smith and Ne-Yo attend the 2022 BET. Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic)

He continued: “And to all of the wonderful and deserving mothers all over the world…YOU are the life breath of this very planet. I honor and salute you for your constant selflessness and the genuine love, encouragement, comfort and care you give on a daily basis. We should celebrate you everyday. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.”

“NeYo I know you have more common sense then this now!!! So disrespectful!!” one fan wrote. Another added: “It’s the audacity to post all the baby moms in one post that’s absolutely absurd.” One more commented: “This post would piss me off so bad smh cause ain’t no way you put me on the same slide with that woman you cheated and had a family on me with. Im sure his intentions were ok but aht aht.”

Ne-Yo’s Mother’s Day Post

Ne-Yo and Crystal Renay married back in 2016 and share three kids together. While they initially began the process of splitting up back in 2020, they reconciled during the coronavirus pandemic. “Before the quarantine happened, we were definitely talking divorce, and the quarantine forced us to sit still, block out the noise from the world – you know the world can get very, very loud, and we tend to let the world’s opinion mean more in certain situations than it should,” Ne-Yo told CBS’ The Talk at the time. Renay filed for divorce in 2022 amid allegations of Ne-Yo fathering a child outside of marriage.

Read More: Ne-Yo And Ex-Wife Finalize Divorce

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Cam’ron Says He’s Finishing A Song For His Late Mother

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Cam’ron says that he’s going to finish working on a song for his late mother, Fredericka Giles. He revealed that he’s spending Mother’s Day in the studio working on the tribute, Sunday, on Instagram. The New York rapper explained that he’s been working on the track for three months.

“I know i make this shit look easy…but it ain’t,” Cam captioned a photo of himself with his mother as well as a teary-eyed video from the studio. “I miss my mom man.. been tryna finish this song for 3 months and I just start crying before I can finish the first verse. Ima finish this shit today tho. Love and miss you mom.”

Cam’ron & His Mother In NYC

Camron with His Mom Ms. Giles during Camron’s Birthday Party – February 8, 2005 at Rhone in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Cam first announced that his mom passed away at the age of 67 back in February. “In 2007 my mom had a stroke leaving her partially paralyzed on her left side and a speech impediment, but if you followed her or was her friend on social media you would never know any of that,” Cam’ron wrote on social media at the time. “She was witty, funny, intelligent, sarcastic and out spoken. People would say ‘cam I know you’re writing ya moms captions’ and I wasn’t. I would see my moms captions and say ‘where are you learning this?’ (Lingo) she’s [sic] tell me ‘be easy lil homie’ lol. So I’m so sad to inform you guys of her passing.”

He continued: “I wasn’t going to share this because I’m in a lot of pain and Didn’t think it was anyones business. But thinking about it, I really wanted to thank you all for making my moms days and nights for the last decade or so. Social media was her go-to for, entertainment, news, general gossip etc. She would send me anything she thought I should know, about me or not, good or bad.”

Read More: Cam’ron Announces His Mother’s Death

Cam’ron’s Mother’s Day Post

The candid post from Cam’ron was met with support from Snoop Dogg. “I feel ya pain cam mama up in heaven with my mama looking down on us smiling,” Snoop commented. “Keep ya head up.”

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6ix9ine Honors XXXTentacion At Concert In Romania

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6ix9ine paid tribute to the late XXXTentacion on stage during a performance in Romania over the weekend. The late rapper was shot and killed near a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida back in 2018. He was just 20 years old.

“One of my friends died back in 2018. And at all my shows, I wanna keep his name alive,” 6ix9ine told the audience. “Do you guys know XXXTentacion?” He added: “Before he died, he messaged me and said, ‘don’t let your guard down and be safe and I love you.’” He went on to refer to X as his “best” competitor in the music industry.

6ix9ine Performing In Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – SEPTEMBER 19: Tekashi 6ix9ine performs in concert at Hovet on September 19, 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by MICHAEL CAMPANELLA/Redferns)

The performance comes after the release of 6ix9ine’s newest song, “Y Ahora,” which he dropped earlier this week. It isn’t the first time that 6ix9ine has taken an uncharacteristically serious tone while discussing the death of X. Back in 2018, he paused another show to praise the late artist. “Sometimes I feel like I do too much trolling. Sometimes I feel like I do too much,” 6ix9ine said at the time. “And tomorrow’s not promised, you know what I mean? I feel like someone might get the wrong image of me. You could be here today and be gone tomorrow. X spread nothing but positivity. Always called me on the phone, ‘Danny, are you okay?’ ‘Danny, you’re doing this the right way just try to do more of this. You could call me, talk to me like what’s going on.’… Knowing that he was nothing but positive and nobody wanted to harm him.”

Prior to his death, XXXTentacion had become one of the biggest rising hip-hop artists in the world. His breakout single, “Look at Me,” peaked at number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100 launching him into mainstream success. His debut album 17 is certified triple-platinum in the US and reached number two on the Billboard 200. Further, his second album ? debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and is certified quadruple-platinum in the US. Check out 6ix9ine’s comments on XXXTentacion below.

6ix9ine Pays Tribute To XXXTentacion

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Usher’s Harry Belafonte Tattoo Is A Heartfelt Tribute To The Late Icon

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Earlier this week, sad news of Harry Belafonte’s passing took the entertainment industry by storm. Granted, the multi-talent did live to be 96, but seeing someone who contributed so much to music, film/television, and the civil rights movement pass away is never easy. Heartfelt tributes to the fallen star have been coming in all across social media since word broke on Tuesday (April 25), including a more recent one from Usher, who previously had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Belafonte.

The Texas-born R&B star shared a photo dump to his Instagram on Thursday (April 27), recalling some of the time he spent with the New York native. “A world-renowned entertainer. A barrier-breaking actor. A tireless activist. A one-of-a-kind friend. Inspired is the word that comes to mind when I think about you Harry,” Usher wrote in his caption. “A man of great strength, courage, and sense of purpose. All things that I view as admirable. When I spent time with you…I was in awe of how your presence was so powerful,” he added before praising Belafonte’s “amazing spirit and incomparable gifts.”

Usher Remembers His Fallen Friend, Harry Belafonte

The father of four’s powerful message came to an end with, “Your passion awakened our souls. The impression you made on my heart is why I wear you on my skin.” In the accompanying photos, we see Usher and Belafonte sharing a laugh while sitting on a couch together, as well as a video of the elderly man cheering his friend on from the audience in his wheelchair. In the final slide, the “Banana Boat” singer examines a portrait of him inked on Usher’s bicep, which beautifully captures his younger image.

Others who have been reflecting on HB’s impact include Diddy, who dubbed him “a true king and revolutionary,” as well as Chuck D. The latter labelled the icon as “the father figure of our community,” proving just how undeniably powerful his legacy is, even decades after the peak of his career. Read more beautiful tributes to the late Harry Belafonte from both friends and fans here. Make sure to check back later for more pop culture news updates. RIP.

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Diddy Mourns Harry Belafonte: “A True King & Revolutionary”

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Diddy reflected on the life and legacy of Harry Belafonte on Instagram, Tuesday, after the legendary singer, actor, and activist passed away. Belafonte’s publicist, Ken Sunshine, confirmed to CNN that he died of congestive heart failure on Tuesday morning at the age of 96.

“I’m so blessed that I had the chance to get to know Mr.B,” Diddy captioned a photo of himself with the late Belafonte. “He taught me so much. The number 1 thing he taught me was to always have a rebel heart. Be fearless and do what others aren’t willing to do for the advancement of your people. ALL HAIL A TRUE KING AND REVOLUTIONARY! Thank you! Thank you!!”

Harry Belafonte At A Civil Rights Rally

A crowd of over 10,000 civil rights marchers gathers in the Manhattan Garment Center as Harry Belafonte sings at spiritual at a civil rights rally.

In addition to his work in the arts, Belafonte was a key voice in the civil rights movement, contributing his efforts as a strategist, fundraiser, and mediator. Over time, he even became a close friend of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Bernice King shared a statement in the wake of Belafonte’s passing. “When I was a child, #HarryBelafonte showed up for my family in very compassionate ways,” she wrote. “In fact, he paid for the babysitter for me and my siblings. Here he is mourning with my mother at the funeral service for my father at Morehouse College. I won’t forget…Rest well, sir.”

Later, Belafonte also led a campaign against apartheid in South Africa, and befriended Nelson Mandela. Additionally, he worked in the fight against HIV/AIDS and became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. “I’ve often responded to queries that ask, ‘When as an artist did you decide to become an activist?’ ” Belafonte once said, as noted by CNN. “My response to the question is that I was an activist long before I became an artist. They both service each other, but the activism is first.” His efforts blended with his music when he came up with the 1985 hit song, “We Are the World.”

Diddy On Harry Belafonte

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