New Hip Hop News

As the world prepares for Louis Vuitton to show Virgil Abloh’s final, Spring-Summer 2022 collection in a special Miami show intended to “pay tribute to the life and legacy of a creative genius,” social media posts dedicated to the late designer continue to pour in from all corners of the internet. 

When it was first reported that Abloh had passed away from a rare form of cancer at just 41-years-old, the world at the intersection of music, fashion and design was devastated. Abloh touched so many people in so many creative industries, and the Off-White founder has been celebrated for the impact he had, and the legacy he leaves behind. 

Craig Barritt/Getty Images

Artists like Drake, Frank Ocean and Lil Uzi Vert, all of whom were close with Abloh, have paid their respects via social media posts. Kanye West dedicated his weekly Sunday Service to Abloh, and Chicago rapper Vic Mensa released a beautiful musical tirbute to Virgil, titled “What You Taught Us.”

Fat Joe took to Instagram to celebrate Abloh, and along with a photo of his entire Off-White x Nike sneaker collection, the “Lean Back” rapper revealed he and Virgil had once discussed collaborating on what would have been a monumental Air Force One.

“FOR VIRGIL! Recently I was in conversation with Virgil and he expressed great interest in designing a TS Air Force One for the 40th anniversary of the AF1. My response was IT WOULD BE A HONOR FOR YOU TO MAKE THAT MAGIC HAPPEN!,” Joe wrote. “We miss you Virgil what you have done for our culture will never be forgotten you’re an icon a genius! My condolences to the Abloh family.” 

While it is unclear what exactly a Terror Squad 40th Anniversary AF1 would look like, Fat Joe is a New York City legend, and the AF1 is the most legendary New York City sneaker. It’s all-but-certain Virgil would have made magic combining the two. 

Rest in peace, Virgil. 

On Nov. 17, the hip-hop world was shocked to learn that beloved Memphis rapper Young Dolph was shot and killed. Ever since then, it has been a tough pill to swallow for all of his peers, family and any fan of rap.

Today (Nov. 30), 13 days after his death, Young Dolph was laid to rest at his private funeral. Born on July 27, 1985, Dolph passed at the age of 36, leaving behind his wife and children.

Pamphlets given out at the service showed several pics of Dolph as a youth, elegant photoshoots of him, pictures of his children and his family, lovely photos of him with his wife and a bold quote from him on the second page that reads: “Nothing in this world stays the same forever. Everything happens for a reason.”

Immediately after his death, many of his rap friends paid their respects in different ways, such as the Migos at a show of theirs, his best friend and cousin Key Glock in a powerful Instagram tribute and many others.

Dolph was gunned down while buying cookies at a local Memphis cookie shop he had frequented. He was not aware of anybody in the city that hoped for his demise, and had no reservations about stepping out without precaution.

The suspects have since been apprehended and charged, but there is nothing that can be done to reverse the tragedy that happened to Young Dolph.

Check out the booklet the funeral attendees were given below, which gives a beautiful perspective on the kind of man Adolph Thornton Jr., better known as Young Dolph, was.

JJ Redick has transitioned out of the NBA and is now a media personality who is constantly showing off his large knowledge base. Fans are extremely impressed with what he has brought to the table as an analyst, and over the past couple of weeks, he has been making some pretty amazing appearances on First Take. For instance, just last week, Redick had Stephen A. Smith flustered while talking about LeBron James, and today, Redick found himself asserting his dominance, yet again.

During today’s segment, Smith was trying to make the claim that the Suns’ championship window is over, despite making it to the NBA Finals last year. The Suns are also on a 16-game winning streak, but Smith still thinks they’re done. This had Redick seeing red as he laid down the facts on Smith, which had the host flustered, yet again. 

Redick made not of how Devin Booker has the best clutch stats of any superstar in the league right now and that in a playoff series, the Suns could absolutely win against the Warriors.

Smith was not having any of it, although just like last week, the fans were taking Redick’s side, as they felt his side was argued in a much more factual way. Since the departure of Max Kellerman, First Take has grown stagnant, however, Redick seems to have made the show worth watching.

You can see what fans had to say about the ordeal, down below.

Adele’s 30 album, which released on Nov. 19, has been the best selling album of the year. After six years without releasing music, fans were hoping to be able to see the pop music titan perform live.

A week before the album, though, Adele announced she would not be going on tour for 30, citing concerns over COVID risks. To showcase her album, she instead did a live broadcast on CBS of her performance at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles the week before the album came out.

Now that we have the project, the eagerness to see Adele live in concert is at its peak, and Adele has now revealed plans to satisfy her fans’ hunger. On Nov. 30, she announced a residency in Las Vegas, where she will do two shows every weekend starting on January 21, 2022 and ending April 16, 2022. Every Friday and Saturday, she will do a show in the Colosseum of Caesars Palace Hotel in Vegas.

Photo via Adele

Registration for a chance at pre-sale tickets began today (Nov. 30) at 8 a.m. ET and ends at 2:59 a.m. On Friday (Dec. 3). The official Verified Fan Presale for fans with an access code begins Tuesday (Dec. 7) at 1 p.m. ET. If the demand for tickets exceeds its limit in the pre-sale, there will be no available tickets for the general public. For more information, go to the event page on Ticketmaster’s website: https://verifiedfan.ticketmaster.com/adele

Fans will finally have the opportunity to see the most exciting pop star at the moment, fresh off of her intriguing comeback album 30.

The Verzuz stage has been graced with legendary figures, from Snoop Dogg & DMX, to Big Daddy Kane & KRS-One, and, of course, Gucci Mane vs. Jeezy. However, this summer, The LOX came out as the undisputed champions during their battle against Dipset. Styles P, Jadakiss, and Sheek Louch went bar-for-bar with Harlem’s finest, reminding everyone of their impact on hip-hop.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Ghostface Killah and Raekwon previously stepped into the Verzuz ring but it’s hard for two close collaborators to compete with each other when some of their best work is when they’re working together. However, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon explained how they wanted to step back into the ring against another formidable group, especially after seeing Jadakiss go in for round-2. “We have to go after the LOX,” Rae explained after both he and Ghost shared their praise for the Yonkers group’s penmanship.

 Theo Wargo/Getty Images 

We recently caught up with Styles P and Havoc following the release of the release of their first single off of their forthcoming joint project, Wreckage Manner. P exclusively offered HNHH his response to Ghost and Rae’s proposed battle against The LOX and it appears that he’s down. “We good with that. Those my brothers. I love Ghost and Rae, but this is what we do. This is what it’s supposed to be. This is what we’re built for, ain’t it? Right?” Styles said.

When asked whether he would prefer The LOX vs. Ghost & Rae or the entire Wu-Tang Clan, Styles P said that he’s ready for whatever. “It doesn’t matter to me, man. Y’all set it up and we just appear and go to work, man,” Styles added.

Keep your eyes peeled for our full interview with Styles P and Havoc. 

Jazmine Sullivan has had one hell of a year. 

Dropping Heaux Tales at the top of 2021, Sullivan landed yet another #1 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart, and earned her best Billboard 200 peak when the album debuted at #4.  

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

In the months since Heaux Tales was released, Sullivan turned in a powerful NPR Tiny Desk performance, appeared in Rihanna’s star-studded Savage x Fenty show back in September, and this past weekend, she hauled in two Soul Train Awards for Album of the Year and Best R&B/Soul Female Artist. (Sullivan was also nominated for three Grammys for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for “Pick Up Your Feelings.”)

Today Sullivan followed up her impressive Soul Train Awards performance by announcing the Heaux Tales North American tour.

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

In a press release, it was announced that the 25-stop tour produced by Live Nation is set to run from February 14, 2022 to March 30, 2022, and that tickets will be available at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 3 at LiveNation.com.

Check out the full list of Heaux Tales tour dates below and let us know if you’ll be grabbing tickets when Jazmine Sullivan comes to your city. 

THE HEAUX TALES TOUR DATES:
Mon Feb 14 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
Tue Feb 15 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Thu Feb 17 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
Sun Feb 20 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Tue Feb 22 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre-Oakland
Wed Feb 23 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Fri Feb 25 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
Sat Feb 26 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Mon Feb 28 – Denver, CO – Summit
Wed Mar 02 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Fri Mar 04 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
Sun Mar 06 – New Orleans, LA – Fillmore New Orleans
Tue Mar 08 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
Wed Mar 09 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
Sat Mar 12 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Sun Mar 13 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
Wed Mar 16 – Boston, MA – House of Blues Boston
Thu Mar 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre
Sun Mar 20 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Tue Mar 22 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
Wed Mar 23 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Cleveland
Fri Mar 25 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
Sun Mar 27 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
Tue Mar 29 – Minneapolis, MN – Fillmore Minneapolis
Wed Mar 30 – Chicago, IL –  House of Blues Chicago

It’s been nearly three years since YNW Melly was initially arrested. While he’s been locked up, fans have continued to show their support for him, as he awaits trial for the murder of YNW Sakchaser and YNW Bortlen. On Monday, the rapper filed a motion to court requesting the judge for a speedy trial. In the state of Florida, that means that Melly could make the request at any point and the trial would have to start within 50 days. 

On Tuesday, the defense withdrew their motion for a speedy trial. However, a tentative trial date has been set. Per the Sun Sentinal, Melly’s attorney began working out plans with the prosecutors to start jury selection in March. Broward County Circuit Judge Andrew Siegel set a tentative trial date for March 7th. If Melly was granted a speedy trial, his trial would’ve begun in mid-January.

Melly is currently facing murder charges for allegedly murdering YNW Sakchaser and YNW Bortlen and trying to make it appear as if it were a drive-by shooting. Though Melly wasn’t in the vehicle when it arrived at the hospital with Sakchaser and Bortlen, prosecutors accused the rapper of pulling the trigger.

Rumors floating around are that the prosecutors are currently requesting DNA and measurements to recreate the crime scene during trial. We’ll keep you posted when those rumors are confirmed. 

[Via]