New Hip Hop News

As Barbados dropped Queen Elizabeth as its head of state to become the world’s newest republic, Prime Minister Mia Mottley bestowed the nation’s highest honors onto the nation’s most recognized citizen: Rihanna. 

During a ceremony recognizing Barbados new status as a republic, Mottley took a few moments to name Rihanna the National Hero of Barbados. Becoming the 11th National Hero of all time, and the nation’s first since 1998, Rihanna was recognized for her contributions to the creative community, and the assistance she has provided in times of need. 

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“May you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honor to your nation by your works, by your actions,” Mottley told the FENDI x Savage founder.

Upon being named National Hero, Rihanna said that she is immensely proud to be from Barbados, and assured that it is the only place she has ever called home. 

“The people. Y’all are the true heroes of Barbados and I take y’all with me wherever I go. I’m so proud to be a Bajan. I’m gonna be a Bajan ’til the day I die. This is still the only place I’ve ever called home,” she said, on stage alongside Mottley. “I love Barbados. I love you guys. And I pray that the youth continue to push Barbados forward. I’m so proud of you, Prime Minister Mia Mottley. Thank you so much for honoring me in this way. I have travelled the world and received several awards and recognitions, but nothing, nothing compares to being recognized in the soil in that you grew in. I thank you so much for this.” 

While fans continue to beg for a paltry hint at the potential for new music, Rihanna has been busy becoming a titan of industry, as well as a bonafide philanthropist, and it’s clear Mottley and the rest of Barbados recognnizes that. 

Drop your favorite Rihanna song in the comments to celebrate her status at National Hero of Barbados. 

PJ Tucker is the biggest sneakerhead in the entire NBA, and over the past few years, he has been able to wear some pretty impeccable shoes on the court. With his contract with Nike in mind, it should come as no surprise that Tucker has paid a lot of attention to Nike Basketball and Air Jordan models over the past couple of seasons, specifically. With that being said, it’s a given that he is also a fan of none other than Virgil Abloh, who sadly passed away this weekend after a battle with cancer.

Just one day prior to Abloh’s passing, Tucker took to Instagram with a photo of some Off-White Air Jordan 2 Lows that he had received. The kicks said “Air Tucker” on the midsole, and it’s clear that Tucker was excited to cop these.

Following Abloh’s death, Tucker found a way to pay tribute to the designer, as he took a pair of Off-White Air Jordan 5s, and wrote kind messages throughout. As you can see, “Will always be here” is written on the side of one shoe, while the other says “thanks for a lifetime of inspiration.”

Image via PJ Tucker

It’s clear that Virgil inspired many throughout his lifetime, and his legacy will continue to live on. From hip-hop to sports and to fashion, Abloh’s designs will forever be loved by those who make their style a priority.

Rappers have been citing Virgil Abloh as an inspiration for years. His combination of streetwear expertise and unmatched creativity led to artist wearing his clothes and sneakers regularly.

Young Thug was one of Virgil’s primary customers, and more importantly, good friends. After Abloh passed away on Sunday (Nov. 28), many rappers including Thug felt it necessary to tribute him.

While Kanye West dedicated his Sunday Service ceremony to Virgil, and guys like Lil Uzi Vert and Tyler, The Creator posted in-depth tributes to Abloh, Thugger decided to keep it short and simple. On Monday (Nov. 29), he posted a photo to Instagram of him and Virgil talking. The picture is close up, capturing a private, intimate conversation between the two. Young Thug captioned it with a broken heart emoji, certainly encapsulating his feelings about Virgil’s demise.

As many other rappers did, Thug had once before shouted out Virgil in a song of his. In the 2019 smash hit “Surf” featuring Gunna, on his No. 1 debut album So Much Fun, Thug explained how much Abloh respected his opinion with the bar: “Virgil was sending me drip just to see if I like it or rockin’ with it.”

It is evident in many of these artists’ stories of Virgil that he admired their vision as much as they admired his. The relationships he created with many prominent rappers were impactful, as they allowed for him design some of hip-hop’s most iconic album covers in the last 15 years.

Check out Young Thug’s Instagram post below.

Shocking news saddened football fans this morning, after learning that former University of Central Florida (UCF) Knights running back Otis Anderson Jr. was shot and killed by his father around 9:30 p.m on Monday night, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Anderson Jr.’s mother, Denise, was also shot in the unfortunate incident.

Anderson Jr. was rushed to the hospital, but eventually passed away as result of the injuries sustained. 

Otis, “Juice”, Anderson Jr.’s father has been identified as the primary suspect in this case. Otis Lee Anderson Senior was arrested at around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday morning following the shooting. 52-year-old Anderson Senior was charged with two counts of second degree murder upon his arrest.

Records pertaining to Anderson Sr.’s charge information lists a description of “Murder/ Dangerous act evincing a depraved mind w/o premed”. Meaning that currently, law enforcement does not believe the incident was premeditated. 

Court records and information show that a court hearing will take place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday and that Otis Anderson Sr. is not eligible for bond. 

Following the terrible news, teammates of “Juice” Anderson Jr. along with many UCF Knights’ fans, mourned the loss and expressed their individual condolences on social media.

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Here are some post reactions following the tragic news:

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Tyreek Hill is easily one of the fastest wide receivers in the entire NFL right now and as a result, he has been compared to some Olympic-level sprinters. At this point, Hill is under the impression that he could beat Usain Bolt in a race, which is certainly a take that he has received a ton of pushback on. Regardless, Hill is confident in his abilities, and over the past little while, he has been engaging in back and forths with Bolt, who is willing to wager his Olympic Gold Medal.

In fact, just a few months ago, Bolt suggested that Hill put his Super Bowl ring on the line. While speaking to TMZ, Hill revealed that he is totally willing to do that, and he just needs to know the time and place as he is ready to get this race started.

“Me and you can just meet at a local high school,” Hill said. “I can come to Jamaica. We can get it poppin’ on the YouTube. Huh!? Right now, it’s getting kind of personal. Right now, it’s about my ego right now. Because I feel like he just tried me. First of all, my momma always told me you never let nobody talk trash to you if they’re wearing a tight shirt like that. Like, his Puma shirt was choking him. I’m not fittin’ to allow that to happen.”

As you can see in the clip below, Bolt is very confident that he will win, as he should be. After all, Bolt is one of the best Olympians of all time, and it would be quite an upset if he lost to an NFL star like Hill.

Let us know who you think would win, in the comments below.

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Nicki Minaj moves the social media needle in a way other artists can’t. 

Almost certainly attributed to her avid Barb fanbase, every time Minaj posts on social media, a pocket of the internet is stirred into a frenzy.

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After a hiatus leading up to, and following the birth of her child, Minaj made her triumphant return to social media earlier this year, and was almost immediately found herself in the middle of a multi-front digital war after she claimed that her cousin’s friend in Trinidad & Tobago became impotent after receiving the COVID vaccine. Minaj’s claims led to responses from the Trinidadian government, Dr. Anthony Fauci and even The White House, and dominated the headlines for a multiple-day stretch. 

Since then, Minaj has remained active on social media, but is making an effort to block out all of the noise that comes with it. 

Recently hyping up her Real Housewives Of Potomac appearance, and showing off the new SKIMS x FENDI collection in a series of stunning IG photos, the “Super Bass” rapper has kept her Barbz fed with content, but took to Twitter to make it clear she is limiting her interaction with them. 

Responding to a fan asking for a teaser of new music, Minaj responded, “No. Never again will I tell you guys shit about shit chi. Y’all know. IYKYK. Sorry booski. Wish I could still do those things like the old days but too many frauds be in the mix just lookn for sum to beef bout chi. So nope. Just know tho.”

And when another fan requested that Minaj open her Instagram comments, she shut it down quickly. 

“Babe no,” she tweeted. “I see all the tweets asking me to. I see y’all telling me the benefits, etc. thanks guys.” 

While Minaj’s fanbase is one of the most dedicated in all of hip hop, it’s clear that Minaj has no interest in interacting with them as she did at previous points in her career. 

What do you think of Nicki Minaj shutting down a fan asking her to open her IG comments? Let us know down below.