New Hip Hop News

N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN’s podcast Drink Champs has been getting a ton of publicity as of late for their part 1 and 2 of their Kanye West interview. But, the show has been hosting candid interviews with rappers for years.

In Nov. 2018, Drink Champs hosted Young Dolph for an hour-and-a-half interview, where N.O.R.E. gave chilling advice to Dolph. Towards the end of the episode, at the 1 hour and 25 minute mark, he told Dolph that it is commonality among rappers to be murdered in their hometowns: “Due to the history of rappers, rappers are starting to die in their own city.”

Dolph didn’t seem concerned about this, as he has always cherished his Memphis roots: “That shit ain’t got nothing to do with me.”

N.O.R.E. rebutted just to get his message across so Dolph was mindful: “Be careful because most of the hate comes from people in the world that’s just like you so be careful. Love your city, respect it but also be aware that it’s good to be outside. It’s good to be other places, but you always check in.”

Young Dolph sadly ended up being the latest rapper to be killed in his own city this week. He was not aware of anybody that wanted to see his downfall, which may have caused him to let his guard down. The suspects of the murder were identified on Friday.

Many fellow rappers mourned Dolph’s loss, including his cousin, best friend and frequent collaborator Key Glock today.

The sad trend of rappers dying in their hometowns has become too predictable.

Check out Young Dolph on Drink Champs below.

Following the tragedy that took place at Astroworld Festival earlier this month, many seem to be divided on exactly whose to blame for the fatalities and injuries that took place during a crowd surge. Founder Travis Scott has been facing plenty of heat, and according to Yahoo! Finance, the lawsuit total has now risen to over 300, amassing a $3 million total.

A recent lawsuit from a group of attendees targeting the “ESCAPE PLAN” rapper, Live Nation, and Apple, looking to sue the parties for $2 billion says, “The resulting catastrophic incident and carnage were easily foreseeable and preventable had the Defendants acted in a reasonably prudent manner in planning a large-scale festival like Astroworld.” 

Despite this, lawyers still have their doubts as to whether or not Scott will be held financially liable for the 10 fatalities that occurred. “I think it’d be a stretch to put this on [Travis Scott],” Brutzkus Gunner Rozansky Seror Weber attorney, Nick Rozansky told Yahoo! Finance.

Another knowledgeable subject, Bryan Sullivan, also gave his take on the matter, sharing that “hypothetically an artist can be held potentially liable,” although that doesn’t seem to be the case here. “You can be a very violent person in an area where there was a fight, but not have thrown a punch,” he said, explaining that Scott would’ve had to incite violence through direct action – his reputation, lyrics, past behaviour, and legal troubles are “not enough to hold up in court.”

“The law requires him to engage in specific conduct that incited the incidents…What did he do at Astroworld that night? That’s the question the courts will be asking,” Sullivan told the outlet, adding that the rapper “likely will be dismissed from the case,” barring any damning allegations, of course.

According to Rozansky, the financial liabilities will probably become the responsibility of security companies and event promoters, although there could be more “finger pointing” in the case. “It’s not uncommon for all of the defendants to start suing each other for identity and contribution if they are found liable,” the attorney explained.

Do you think that Travis Scott being held financially liable is “a stretch,” or should the rapper have to pay at least some of the damages?

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Saturdays are reserved for turning up, so we always come through with the Fire Emoji playlist, but Sunday is always the calm before a new week begins. Ultimately, it’s the best time to kick back and listen to some relaxed, laidback vibes. Every Sunday, we slide through with our R&B Season playlist highlighting the best new releases in the genre every week. Without further delay, here’s your breakdown:

KAYTRANADA’s left an imprint on several songs this year, from Yebba’s Dawn to H.E.R.’s Back Of My Mind. This week, the producer unloaded a three-track EP titled, Intimidated. He reunited with H.E.R. for the title track of the project, which forms a beautiful fusion of her soothing R&B stylings and Kaytra’s upbeat, dance-friendly production. 

The second addition to this week’s playlist is the latest release from Fka Twigs. After teaming up with UK drill rapper Headie One at the top of the year with, “Don’t Judge Me,” she’s further cementing her connection to the London drill scene with her latest track. This time, she connects with Central Cee for their new track, “Measure Of A Man.”

Check out the latest R&B Season update below and make sure you subscribe to HNHH on Spotify. 

45-year-old Rick Ross may have only gotten his license a few months ago, but the “Hustlin’” rapper has an undeniably impressive collection of over 100 cars to play with.

Yesterday, the Biggest Boss took to Instagram to show off the latest addition to his garage – a stunning, baby blue 1955 Chevrolet Suburban. “The start of the SUV,” this Mississippi-born recording artist captioned his video. “1955 @chevrolet Suburban just added to boss collection.
This was a must-have. Stay tuned as I post this priceless piece of Art in detail once I arrive back to the promise land. 2022 RICK ROSS 1st annual CLASSIC CAR & BIKE SHOW coming live from the ‘PROMISE LAND’ dates coming soon…? @barrett_jackson @jaylenosgarage @57freddy.”

Following in the footsteps of DJ Envy with his annual Carchella automotive show, Rick Ross plans to host his first annual car show at his Atlanta estate, The Promise Land, in 2022. Speaking of Atlanta, did you know that the author also recently admitted to purchasing a $1,000,000 home in the city, simply for the purpose of driving by it and enjoying the view?

Earlier this year, the Rich Forever hitmaker linked up with Jay Leno to show off some of his favourite whips, including his 57 “Renzel built” Bel-Air. “We pulled some of the old schools out,” he said on IG, showing his followers a seemingly never-ending row of gorgeous vehicles.

“All of these in my collection. We pulled a few out. Shout out to Freddy. You know it couldn’t happen without my n*gga. Not all the ones in Miami not all the ones in — just a few of em. We gotta motivate the hustlas. That’s what we gone do. Just a few of em. That’s all we did,” he continued.

What do you think of Rick Ross’ newest edition to his ever-growing car collection?

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It’s been well over a decade since Janet Jackson’s career took a massive hit during the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime show when she was performing with “Summer Love” singer Justin Timberlake. According to Esquire, Jackson and her stylist were allegedly working on a unique costume stunt that was intended to reveal a red bustier, but instead, showed the recording artist’s nipple on national television.

The Hulu documentary is one hour long, and although it doesn’t provide much insight into how the fashion faux pas came to be, it does offer up a deep dive into the impact it had on both performer’s careers.

As reported by TMZ, the then-top dog at CBS, Les Moonves, “demanded a face-to-face apology from both Justin and Janet, implying if they didn’t, there’d be trouble.” The Social Network star reportedly stopped by the CBS office in L.A. at the time, offering up a metaphorical “kiss of the ring” to his superior.

Jackson, on the other hand, refused to apologize. Seeing as Moonves was “deeply embarrassed and furious” over what had happened on stage, the documentary seemingly points fingers at him having something to do with the downfall of “That’s the Way Love Goes” hitmaker’s career. While she was banned from the Grammys, Timberlake went on to perform, and win Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Following the incident, the Indiana-born starlet faced harsh headlines from the media, who seemingly made her the butt of a long-lasting joke that she wanted no part of. In the years since, Timberlake has apologized several times, including earlier this year when he addressed both Janet and his ex-girlfriend, Britney Spears.

“I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond. I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” the 40-year-old shared from his notes app in February. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”

He continued, “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these woman and I know I failed…The industry is flawed. It sets men, especially white men, up fo success. It’s designed this way. As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this.”

As for Moonves, he left CBS in disgrace some time ago. Jackson has still not recovered from the hit that her career took in 2004, but the new documentary helps shed light on some of the music industry’s pitfalls so that it can grow and get better in the future.

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In his 39 years on earth, Boosie Badazz has lived a full life, filled with as many ups as there have been downs. The rapper beat cancer and a murder charge a few years from each other; survived multiple attempts on his life; and still, he appears to be unfazed by it all. And while he’s collected numerous plaques and accomplished more than most throughout his career, it seems like his next step in life is to experience some sort of normalcy in his life, beginning with enrolling in college.

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Boosie Badazz was at Jackson State University this weekend where he announced plans to enroll in the coming semester. The Baton Rouge rapper, who is expected to drop two new albums at the end of the month, said that he’s frequented the Jackson State University campus since he was 14 years old. “I love y’all and y’all love my stanky drawers and I love y’all back,” he explained. “I just want to tell y’all, y’all always been supportive of me and it’s a big secret, I wasn’t gon’ let this out but I’m enrolling in Jackson State next semester.”

The rapper didn’t reveal what program or courses he will be taking. However, it seems that he’ll be taking courses on campus, so expect Boosie to be a familiar face at the pep rally. “I want to see how it feels to walk around campus, talk to girls with a book sack on,” he continued. “I want to feel normal. I miss that part of my life.”

“So I want to enroll and be able to walk down the thing and go to class and try my brain cause I still got matter up there that needs to be explored,” Boosie concluded.

What type of student do you think Boosie will be? Let us know in the comment section below.

The second half of 2021 has been eventful for Wale. Along with an album release and upcoming tour, Wale is now on the lookout for a new management team.

Wale took to Twitter yesterday (Nov. 20) to announce that he has split from his management team and is looking for a new one: “Ok . Finally time to find new management . With all due respect my time wit this team has officially come to and end . More information soon..”

He also decided to bite his tongue while explaining what people should look for in a management team: “Y’all got to find a team that believe in your ideas . People who will fight for your well being . So much I want to say but I’ll wait till I have the proper platform so we super clear on what’s been goin on THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF.”

Last week, Wale expressed frustration with this team because of how they handled his tour announcement: “I’m at a dead end wit this ‘team’ … if it wasn’t for my fans , man . The bar has been bare minimum and they daring me to speak on it cuz they know I be sick of the narratives. But anybody who has been paying attention knows things behind the scenes have been terrible for months . I can’t wait to fully explain everything.”

So, while he is still not fully able to be transparent about how his management team has wronged him, he still made is concerns known.

Wale is a legend in the hip-hop industry, and hopefully he can find a team that understands that going forward.