New Hip Hop News

At the end of September, it was reported that Derek Chauvin had filed a motion to appeal his conviction and 22.5 year sentence for the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis back in 2020. Now, the Associated Press have shared that the former police officer is expected to plead guilty to violating the late man’s civil rights.

If he does move forward with this decision, the 45-year-old will not have to go through the often gruelling process of a federal trial, although it could “significantly increase the amount of time he’ll spend behind bars.”

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Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 15th, a hearing will take place where Chauvin is expected to change his prior not-guilty plea. The news was revealed on Monday bu the court’s electronic filing system, and notifications of this manner generally mean that a defendant is planning to plead guilty, although nothing can be confirmed until it’s said and done in the courthouse.

As noted by the Associated Press, Chauvin’s decision could be a good thing for the other officers involved – Thomas Lane, J. Kueng, and Tou Thao – who had previously asked (and were denied) that the court to separate their trials from their colleagues, saying that “his presence would hurt them before a jury.”

If Chauvin pleads guilty, it’s possible that he could be compelled to testify, according to a local defense attorney named Mike Brandt. “[This] could benefit the others if he says he was the veteran officer who made the decision to do what he did.”

Monday’s notice from the electronic filing system has no information regarding the other officer’s plans for their pleas. Check back in with HNHH tomorrow for more updates.

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BUKU Music + Art Project always aims to celebrate the rich musical heritage and artistic aura that New Orleans boasts. In recent years, COVID-19 setbacks have prevented them from having their annual celebration, but they will be back and better than ever in 2022.

On Tuesday (Dec. 14), BUKU released the lineup for their 10-year anniversary festival. The stellar hip-hop/R&B/alternative acts include Tyler, The Creator, Vince Staples, Tame Impala, Baby Keem, Glass Animals, Kali Uchis, Baby Keem, Tierra Whack, Trippie Redd,, $UICIDEBOY$, Flo Milli, Maxo Kream and many more.

Photo via BUKU

The festival will take place on March 25 & 26, 2022 at the Market Street Power Plant along the banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans, LA. The pre-sale for tickets begins on Friday (Dec. 17) at 10 a.m. CT, but sign-up for an access code for pre-sale is open now at thebukuproject.com.

BUKU’s initial return was meant to come earlier this year in October with headliners like Pooh Shiesty, Megan Thee Stallion, Playboi Carti, Illenium and many more. However, due to rising COVID cases in NOLA at the time, they had to cancel the show. When announcing this cancellation, they ended their message to fans by alluding to the 2022 festival: “To end on a positive note, the lineup for the next BUKU on March 25-26 2022 is insane so far. Can’t wait.”

BUKU is now just over three months away of two years of disappointment, waiting and hard work coming to fruition. What do you think of the 2022 BUKU Music + Art Project lineup?

While last season was impressive for the New York Knicks, this season has gotten off to a slow start. The Knicks simply aren’t playing with the same grit right now, and it feels like they could very easily slide into their old ways if they don’t turn things around soon. As a result of their poor play, there have been rumors surrounding various trade scenarios which makes sense now that it’s clear that this team needs to improve.

A report yesterday suggested that the Knicks are actually looking at Ben Simmons, who is available right now. The Sixers have wanted to trade him for a while, and the Knicks could be a potential suitor. Now, however, another player appears to be on the Pacers ‘ radar. That player just so happens to be Myles Turner, according to Ian Begley of SNY.

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The Indiana Pacers center has been very vocal about the fact that he wants a trade from Indiana, especially given his lack of playing time. He feels like he is much more than just a role player, and as it stands, the Pacers are simply not giving him what he wants. Of course, the Pacers will want a lot for Turner, and a trade could prove costly for the Knicks, who only have so many pieces.

Stay tuned to HNHH, as we will be sure to bring you all of the latest news and updates from around the NBA.

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New York has one of the most celebrated hip-hop scenes across the country and it looks like three of the state’s finest emcees are teaming up to form a brand new rap supergroup. Lloyd Banks, Vado, and Dave East have apparently made a new supergroup called The Council, according to rap blog Blacklisted.

The popular page on Instagram shared the news that The Council would be coming through with new music soon, marking an exciting moment for New York-based hip-hop fans. New music is always welcome from Lloyd Banks, and his fanbase is definitely open to hearing Vado and Dave East rap their asses off alongside him.

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Of course, this is not the first hip-hop group that Lloyd Banks has been part of. He was most famously a member of G-Unit with 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and others. The Punchline King was one of the better-known rappers in the collective and he has continued to remain relevant in the last decade, delivering one of this year’s best albums in The Course of the Inevitable. 

The news has not been confirmed by the members of The Council, but we will keep you posted when they announce their arrival. What do you think? Are you excited for new music from Lloyd Banks, Vado, and Dave East?

Boosie Badazz trolled his followers on Twitter, Tuesday, by saying that he’s tested positive for COVID-19, throwing a wrench in any Christmas plans; however, he quickly took it back, claiming that it was just a joke.

“I GOT FUCKING CORONA #atchristmas LIKE WTF,” Boosie tweeted, Tuesday afternoon.

After quickly taking the post down, he tweeted: “JUST FUCKING WITH YALL I AINT GO NO CARONA lol HA HA.”

Boosie could yet again be trolling with his second post, but it remains unclear.

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Earlier this year, Boosie hosted a vaccination event at Southern University to help combat the coronavirus pandemic by getting his fans vaccinated.

“I got 10,000 folks coming out here, so I want everybody to be vaccinated. I’m pushing, I’m pushing and my influence is helping a lot of people. People like, if Boosie got vaccinated, I can get vaccinated,” Boosie said at the time.

He added: “I’m behind this and this is just positive. People are ready to come outside, but we have to be safe at the same time. But we are going to have fun.”

Check out Boosie’s tweets below.

Image Via Twitter

This season has been a difficult one for the NBA as many players have ended up testing positive for COVID-19. Even with the virus dampening the symptoms and long-term effects, it is still possible to catch the virus even if you’re protected. As a result, various teams have had COVID outbreaks, and this week, it has gotten especially worse. For instance, the Chicago Bulls have 10 players out with the virus, while the Brooklyn Nets have five.

Today, it was reported that the Lakers now have a bit of a COVID scare on their hands as young star Talen Horton-Tucker was placed in COVID protocols. With the team taking on Dallas tomorrow night, they are now taking some drastic measures to ensure the safety of the rest of the team.

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According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the Lakers decided to cancel practice today, and they even had every single player take an antigen and a PCR test in order to ensure they are negative for COVID-19. Only those who register a negative test will be allowed on the flight to Dallas. Needless to say, they are taking this very seriously as they don’t want to end up like the Bulls or the Nets.

While this might be a huge inconvenience for the team and its players, there is no denying that it’s a reality that will stay with the NBA until this pandemic draws to a close.

The latest update in Tory Lanez’s felony assault case from his 2020 incident with Megan Thee Stallion tells us that the “Freaky” rapper allegedly shouted “dance, bitch!” prior to shooting at the feet of the Houston native, who was subsequently injured.

Lanez’s preliminary hearing took place on Tuesday, December 14th in Los Angeles, Rolling Stone reports. The courtroom saw the recording artist, born Daystar Peterson, sit quietly while listening to testimony from LAPD Detective Ryan Stogner, who shared that, “[Megan] observed Mr. Peterson holding a firearm and then she observed him start to shoot.”

Based on Peterson’s interviews with Thee Stallion, he figured out that Lanez was “half in, half out on the step board of the vehicle” when he allegedly began shooting the semiautomatic firearm. “Megan immediately felt pain to her feet, observed blood, fell to the ground, and then crawled to an adjacent driveway of a residence…She described her injuries as bleeding profusely.”

“Megan stated the defendant apologized for doing it and offered her money and begged her to please not say anything and made a reference to the fact he was already on probation and he begged her not to say anything,” Stogner’s testimony continued.

Lanez’s defense lawyer, Shawn Holley is said to have questioned Stogner about whether he knew if it was the Canadian hitmaker who had invited Megan to the party at Kylie Jenner’s house that took place before the incident. “You never asked Megan how much she had to drink that day, did you?” Holley asked.

“Not specifically, no,” the detective responded. “But you are aware alcohol can impair a person’s perception and their ability to recall?” the lawyer retorted.

This story is being updated.

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