New Hip Hop News

When Swizz Beatz and Timbaland teamed up to create Verzuz at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a way to pass the time when hip hop fans were stuck in their houses as part of what felt like a global quarantine. A pair of hip hop legends, Swizz and Timbaland set out to pit fellow hip hop legends against one another, and have them battle it out, song-by-song until the court of public opinion (Instagram’s comment section) decided who was the winner. 

Despite a couple of hiccups due to artists testing positive for the virus and faulty technology, Verzuz hit the ground running and within a couple of months, it felt like the entire hip hop community was always anticipating the next battle. And as the battles shifted from Instagram Live to real-life arenas, the Verzuz hype only grew stronger. 

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With battles between Dipset and The Lox, as well as Fat Joe and Ja Rule, New York City (and Jadakiss, specifically) dominated the Verzuz scene in 2021, but most recently, it was a Memphis, TN vs. Cleveland, OH that captured the rap game’s attention. 

On December 2, iconic rap groups Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony squared off at The Hollywood Palladium in L.A., and madness ensued. 

While Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Bizzy Bone demanded some respect, Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J wasn’t having it. The “Bandz a Make Her Dance” rapper cussed out Bizzy Bone and the two rappers nearly came to blows. Bone was removed from the stage, and despite his return shortly thereafter to continue the battle, the dominant narrative has been that he and Juicy J nearly started the first, and biggest brawl in Verzuz history. 

In a recent appearance on FOX Soul’s The Mix, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul addressed the heated encounter, and said he wouldn’t change anything about how it all went down. 

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“It was perfect. I love the way everything happened,” Paul told The Mix. “The beef with us and Bone was just a big misunderstanding for 26 years. I respect Bone.” 

While both groups have said all the right things following their fiery Verzuz battle, it remains to be seen if things are actually smoothed over. Before the battle, Bone called Three 6 Mafia “devil worshippers,” and has lamented that the joint concert was always going to be “Bone Verzuz the entire rap industry.”

Do you agree with DJ Paul? Was the Juicy J/Bizzy Bone Verzuz brawl “perfect?” Let us know down in the comments. 

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Tracking Ab-Soul’s movements since his 2016 studio album Do What Thou Wilt. isn’t a simple task because, for the most part, the California rapper has been one of TDE’s most elusive artists over the past five years. According to HipHopDX, the renowned emcee alerted fans that his untitled fifth studio album was about 70% done in 2019, and two years later, Ab-Soul has returned with a major update on the highly anticipated project.

To some fans’ amusement and to other fans’ vexation, the Control System and These Days… artist has now revealed that his long-awaited album is officially 80% done, but perhaps in an effort to reassure his listeners that the album is well worth the wait, Ab-Soul also shared a scorching 42-second snippet to his Instagram story.

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In the snippet, he raps, “Get up off my dick, let me talk my shit, let me show ’em how I feel for real/These n-ggas ain’t ill, they ain’t got no skill, they ain’t got no will for real/I was 10 and 2 on Cen-tral, trying to make my dream come true/Running from DeLamo trying to let y’all know just what we go through.“

“Stop going to church like what’s it all worth/What would Jesus do if he was in these shoes? If Johnny pull up I’m buck, I’m drunk, hair rest in the trunk, I was off that Jesus juice/Had the passion of Christ, I ain’t need a Jesus piece/Just needed the people to believe in me/I ain’t need an AP to put my city on the M-A-P/Was a fadeaway from banging that ECC/The OG told me stick to slinging those ABCs,” Ab-Soul continues.

Check the video out for yourself below.

According to HipHopDX, TDE’s head honcho, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, approves of Ab-Soul’s progression, as he reposted the clip seen above to his own Instagram alongside the caption, “The Black lip pastor back on his shit! I walked out of the Stu for 30mins and came 2 this [fire emoji x3].” 

Upon hearing Soulo’s bars, TDE artists like Reason and Zacari and Hip-Hop legends like Busta Rhymes all flocked to the comment section of Tiffith’s Instagram post, with Zacari saying that Ab-Soul is the “Best rapper alive” and Reason crowning him “King Soulo.” Busta kept things simple with a barrage of fire emojis, but it’s clear that several artists are excited for Ab-Soul’s upcoming album.

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Are you still excited about the possibility of a new Ab-Soul album or has the long wait caused you to lose interest?

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The Queen, Nicki Minaj is celebrating her birthday today. Known worldwide as one of the greatest rappers of all time, the Trinidad-born talent has been spitting quotable rhymes and breaking necks with show-stopping looks for over a decade. Despite her semi-retirement a few years ago, Nicki remains one of the most influential women in rap ever, and she will always hold that place.

Turning 39-years-old on Wednesday, December 8, Nicki Minaj is celebrating her born day with her millions of fans, known affectionately as the Barbz. As soon as the clock struck midnight, Nicki’s name became a trending topic on Twitter with her supporters sharing their favorite memories of the Queen throughout the years. Posting photos of her best looks, snippets of her hardest verses, and recalling her sassiest moments, the world looked back on everything that Minaj has offered us since she broke out as part of Young Money.

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As hip-hop fans celebrate the Sagittarius Queen’s birthday, Nicki will surely update her hundreds of millions of followers when she wakes up. Hopefully, she has a great day on her birthday.

Let us know your favorite Nicki Minaj moment, song, album, or look from over the years. And join us in wishing Nicki Minaj a very happy birthday!

T-Pain has many thoughts about many things. 

A true hip hop veteran, Pain has been a fixture in the game for the better part of two decades and while he’s not pumping out hits at the same clip he was in the mid-2000s, his voice still carries a whole lot of weight. 

Recently, Pain called the music industry’s current focus on overnight success “super disturbing,” and following Lil Nas X’s Montero release, the “Buy U A Drank” singer said rappers are too busy acting hard to make as much money as they could if they focused on being funny and personable. And despite getting his Rolls Royce repossessed on Instagram, Pain made a point to squash his beef with Usher and back in October, the 37-year-old entered into a partnership with Twitch to bolster his already-impressive streaming repertoire, and even created a song from scratch with the help of his followers on the platform. 

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However, where many of Pain’s musings involve music and its surrounding industry, he recently took aim at the world of fashion. 

Taking to Twitter with a couple of complaints about ill-fitting tee shirts, Pain said he’s going to start a clothing line that only offers half-sizes. 

“Bro I’m about to start a clothing line that’s all half sizes. This shit trash out here bro,” he wrote. “A large shirt look like I did a smash and grab at a pre school but a XL look like I’m in the background of a Master P video. Mans bout to be stepping out in a ‘large and a half’ head ass.”

While he was joking at first, fans were on board with the idea, and Pain said he might have to make it happen. 

“I was joking at first but all my fellow weird body ass ppl really want this so I’m gettin on the phone tomorrow and I’m doin this shit for real,” he tweeted. “Keep in mind “I’m in luv wit a stripper” started as a joke too lol we bout to go crazy … get ready for ‘Tee-Pain.'”

Do you agree with T-Pain? Do we need more half-sizes? Let us know down in the comments. 

DMX had the voice. The way that he said each word with unmatched energy and emotion facilitated the late rapper’s path to the top of the game. For decades, DMX was known to rap fans as one of the absolute best vocalists and storytellers of all time, with more classic records than we can count. He passed away earlier this year and while his passing was a massive blow to the hip-hop community, DMX received a whole lot of flowers while he was still here.

Many of today’s biggest artists have cited DMX as an inspiration and influence to their own sounds, and some have declared that they believe X was the greatest of all time. New York rapper Bobby Shmurda took that stance on Tuesday evening when he tweeted that because of the artist’s conviction and his vibe, he’s a definite GOAT.

“DMX was the GOAT! His Energy & His Vibe was DIFFERENT,” wrote Shmurda. “#RipTheDog.”

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He went on to ask his fans for their favorite DMX songs of all time, collecting multiple responses for “Slippin,” “Let Me Fly,” “Ruff Ryders Anthem,” and other joints. He didn’t go on to reveal his personal favorite though.

Let us know if you agree with Bobby Shmurda about DMX being a GOAT. And comment your favorite song from the legend down below.

His time with the NFL was fraught with controversy and it seems that Aldon Smith has once again found his name entangled in scandal. The current free agent was once a member of the San Fransisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders, and the Dallas Cowboys. However, had a series of legal troubles that jeopardized the future of his professional career. 

Since 2012, Smith has experienced his fair share of run-ins with the law. There have been arrests and charges related to incidents involving a stabbing, marijuana possession, a hit and run, a domestic violence dispute, violation of a court order, battery, and several DUIs.

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Smith’s most recent arrest was the second-degree battery charge back in April of this year, but just hours ago, TMZ reported that he was once again taken into custody, this time “on a felony charge of DUI causing injury.” What exactly happened remains a mystery at this time as details related to this most recent arrest have yet to be shared, but the outlet stated that Smith’s bail is set for $50K as he remains in custody in a Northern California jail.

Due to his ongoing legal issues, Smith had previously been cut from both the Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks. 

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