New Hip Hop News

Dr. Dre says that he has finished recording a new album with English singer and songwriter Marsha Ambrosius titled Casablanco. Dre revealed the project in a post on Instagram, Sunday, featuring himself in the studio. 

“I just finished recording an album with Marsha Ambrosius. ‘Casablanco’ I had a blast!!” Dre captioned the photo. “This is some of my best work!!”

Dre and Ambrosius have previously collaborated on the legendary west-coast rapper’s 2015 album, Compton, for several tracks including “Darkside/Gone,” “Satisfiction,” “All in a Day’s Work,” and “Genocide.”

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Ambrosius began her music career with the group Floetry, during which time she collaborated with Jill Scott, Queen Latifah, Michael Jackson, Common, The Roots, and many more. She’s released three solo studio albums during her career.

Earlier this week, Rockstar Games announced that Dre would be participating in new downloadable content for the online portion of their massively popular 2013 game, Grand Theft Auto V. Ahead of the update’s release on Wednesday, the game studio revealed that the new content will feature “a ton of new and unreleased exclusive tracks.”

For the project, Dre has shared snippets of collaborations with Anderson .Paak as well as Eminem.

Check out Dre’s newest post on Instagram below.

Bobby Shmurda recently discussed how he chased his dreams by releasing his breakout track, “Hot N***a,” back in 2014. In a tweet uploaded on Saturday, Shmurda encouraged his fans to chase their dreams and reflected on betting on himself by paying for studio time before he became a household name.

“Too many people got a DREAM that they never chased, then go through life and be angry they never tried let me remind y’all,” he began the post. “Hot N***a took 20$ for 1 hour of studio time in the hood to create and that 1 hour of FOCUS changed my life and everyone around me FORVER #shmurda.”

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“Hot N***a” peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and its music video kicked off the viral “Shmoney dance,” launching Shmurda into mainstream success.

Later that year, however, Shmurda and several other members of GS9 were arrested. Shmurda ended up serving over six years in prison before being released from Clinton Correctional Facility in February 2021.

He began releasing music again in September with “No Time For Sleep (Freestyle),” and recently revealed that an upcoming album is nearing completion.

Check out Shmurda’s newest post on Twitter below.

The Denver Broncos honored Demaryius Thomas during Sunday’s win against the Detroit Lions by bringing just ten men onto the field and taking a delay of game penalty. Thomas died, last week, at the age of 33.

The crowd chanted “DT” as the team left Thomas’ “X” receiver position vacant during the opening play. 

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The organization also included a No. 88 decal on Denver’s sideline and player helmets.

“We are devastated and completely heartbroken by the sudden, tragic passing of Demaryius Thomas,” the Broncos said in a statement following the former wide receiver’s death. “D.T. was beloved by our entire organization, his teammates and coaches, and our fans. Recently retiring as a Bronco, we were very much looking forward to celebrating Demaryius for years to come as one of the greatest players in franchise history.”

Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, who played with Thomas on the Broncos from 2012–2015, praised Thomas’ character after his passing: “DT was a better person than he was a player, and he was a Hall of Fame player. That tells you how good of a person he was. He treated my kids like they were his own. He was there for every teammate’s charity event. … Absolutely devastated.”

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Tina Knowles-Lawson recently discussed the recent trial regarding Jussie Smollett who has been found guilty of five felony counts of disorderly conduct for making false police reports after staging a fake hate crime against himself. Knowles-Lawson asked her followers on Instagram whether they believe Smollett will receive the same compassion as Amy Cooper.

Cooper, a white woman, infamously called the police on Christian Cooper, a Black man, in Central Park claiming that he threatened her life. She was later charged with filing a false police report; however, the charges were dropped in February 2021 after she completed an educational course.

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Knowles-Lawson posited the question on Instagram, Saturday, sharing an op-ed published in CNN by Issac Bailey: “The article goes on to say both were wrong but Jussie faces possible prison time and Amy Cooper The woman who called the police and lied about the black man that was Bird watching in Central Park was trying to attack her. Leading to the arrest of the man where in the history of black men In Custody could have led to his death!!”

She continued: “Amy Cooper got off with public service. We will see the outcome of this for this Black man. Will he get the same compassion as Amy Cooper? I am not condoning what Mr Smollet was found guilty of. I am just asking will he get the same compassion and understanding of knowingly lying to police. Kyle Rittenhouse walked free after killing two people because the jury had compassion?”

Check out the full post below.

Former NBA guard Delonte West has reportedly agreed on a plea deal to pay $100 to settle a criminal case regarding the drunken altercation with law enforcement in Boynton Beach, Florida, in October. The incident was caught on camera in a video that showed West yelling slurs and ranting about being better than LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

TMZ reports that court documents show prosecutors will stop pursuing the case now that West has agreed to put forward the $100.

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West had been charged with obstruction and non-violently resisting arrest as well as disorderly intoxication.

In the video from the incident, West yells, “N***, I was better than LeBron James. I’m better than Jordan. I was the best n**** to play every sport. Shut the f*** up!”

West played in the NBA from 2004 through 2012, having stints with the  Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dallas Mavericks. In the years after his retirement, several concerning photos and videos surfaced showing West in rough shape.

Last year, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban helped convince West to enter into a rehab facility.

“I can just confirm that I found him and helped him,” Cuban told the Post at the time. “The rest is up to Delonte and his family to tell.”

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Doja Cat has canceled her upcoming appearances for the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball shows, after testing positive for COVID-19. Doja had previously only removed herself from stops in Boston and New York City after “a few members” of her production crew tested positive earlier this weekend.

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“As most of you probably heard, a few members on my production team tested positive for Covid 19 and I had to cancel a couple of my upcoming performances as a safety precaution,” she wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Unfortunately, I’m sad to share that I just tested positive as well and will no longer be able to perform on the rest of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour. While my spirits are down since I can’t be there to celebrate the holiday with my fans in Philly, DC, Atlanta and Miami, I’m doing OK and look forward to recovering and getting back out there as soon as I can! The rest of the tour stops have some really great lineups, wish I could be there.”

This is the second time that Doja has tested positive for COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic. Her first positive diagnosis came in July of last year.

Check out Doja’s announcement below.

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Iggy Azalea called out people who have said they regret voting for President Joe Biden on Twitter, Saturday, warning that the sentiment could land former President Donald Trump back in office in 2024.

“I really hate to get political but can we shut the fuck up with the ‘I regret voting Biden’ commentary cause ya gonna blink and that orange will be back running for presidency,” Azalea tweeted. “It’s so fuckin disappointing to see y’all think it’s an edgy take.”

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In response to a fan agreeing with her and admitting she was an acquiescent Biden voter, Azalea added: “I thought we all collectively agreed that ‘please just don’t make it any worse’ was worth a vote and in that regard it’s been successful. can we please not forget how terrifying & stressful the last 4 years were for so many people because of that man.”

Trump has yet to officially announce a bid for 2024; however, he is expected to reveal his plans following next year’s midterm elections.

Azalea is currently taking a break from making music. Following the release of her August 2021 album, The End of an Era, she announced she’d be going on an extended hiatus.

Check out Azalea’s tweets below.

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Machine Gun Kelly discussed the current state of his mental health during a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, admitting that he’s “new to being vulnerable.” Kelly also discussed how his partner, Megan Fox, has pushed him to deal with his issues head-on.

“I don’t want to come off like I’m cold or shy but I’m just a little insular and I’m just having an odd day,” Kelly admitted.

Barrymore remarked that “This show was born in a time where we get to keep it really real and be honest.”

Kelly responded by explaining that he’s “new to being vulnerable outside of songs.”

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He added: “I see a lot of pictures of me and there’s smiles on them and it’s just weird though because I didn’t feel good at all that day. I kind of am sick of smiling on days when I don’t feel like smiling and I feel this odd pressure because I don’t want my fans to think that I’m taking something for granted.

“A lot of what I do is for other people and I haven’t given myself the time to just accept that it’s OK to not be OK.”

He also revealed how Megan Fox has been pushing him to face his problems: “My girl is really centered and kind of was like the one who encouraged me to face my past and stuff and pick out what it is that I’m running from and why I put on those smiles that I don’t want to wear and stuff like that. That was big for me.”

Check out Kelly’s interview with Barrymore below.

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