New Hip Hop News

After nearly 15 years of not being in control of her own life, body, or finances, Britney Spears is celebrating the end of her conservatorship. It was 14 years ago when the courts ruled that Spears’s life needed help managing and the majority of the time, that responsibility was helmed by her father. There have been several complaints regarding Jamie Spears and how he handled his daughter’s conservatorship. In recent years, Spears’s fans have launched the grassroots #FreeBritney movement that was the catalyst for much of the hype surrounding her court battle.

Earlier this year, Britney broke her silence about what had been going on behind the scenes and her revelations came as a shock.

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The award-winning singer shared that she wanted to have more children but was unable to because she couldn’t get approval to remove her birth control. The singer spoke about alleged mental and emotional abuse, as well as wanting to reclaim control of her life. There have been rumors for years stating that Spears has refused to make music or perform because of the conservatorship, so today’s (November 12) court ruling could be the first step into relaunching her career.

As expected, there have been celebrations for Spears and congratulatory messages shared by many of her peers. Read through a few reactions below.

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This is a Verzuz that Hip Hop fans have been waiting for since the inception of the music series. We know that Verzuz launched to new heights during the 2020 quarantine and has since evolved into a sponsored live show unlike any other. Fans have been weighing in about who they want to see take to the Verzuz stage, and while many of our favorites have made appearances, two notable groups have not shown face.

For over a year and a half, there have been rumors about a Verzuz involving Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia. However, members of both groups have spoken out about being brushed off or canceled, so much so that there was a time when they planned on doing a similar performance independently.

It seems that they have been able to work things out with Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, and the Verzuz team because it has officially been announced that Bone and Three 6 Mafia will be facing off next month.

The December 2 event will take place in Los Angeles and there will apparently be more surprises revealed in the weeks to come because Verzuz promised: “And that’s not all.” The news of this Verzuz has already lit a fire under Hip Hop fans as they share which songs they want to hear from both collectives.

Check out the announcement below.

There was already mania surrounding Silk Sonic, but now that their album has finally been released, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are being hailed for their collaborative effort. As hits like “Leave the Door Open” and “Smokin’ Out the Window” have become favorites among fans, the singers’ peers are now boldly coming forward with requests to work with the pair and their band.

Prior to the release of An Evening with Silk Sonic, Ghostface Killah was already a fan. The Wu-Tang icon remixed “Leave the Door Open” earlier this year, and in an interview with HipHopDX, Ghostface revealed he wants to work with the duo.

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Ghost was able to laugh about some of the comments he received on his remix, including one from a fan who told him to “leave the door closed.” Jokes aside, he’s ready to hit the studio with Paak and Mars.

“Those are my beats right there,” he said. “Those are the beats they’re supposed to call me on and get on. You not supposed to leave me out of here. When I see Bruno, I’ma tell that n*gga that you can’t leave me out of that sh*t like that man.” Ghostface has also run into a few obstacles when trying to reach out to the singers.

“I never hit them up because, first of all, it’s hard to get in touch with these guys,” he added. “You can’t even DM them. They won’t see it unless they follow you. I wish I could get to them and talk to them and be like, ‘Yo let’s do sh*t. Let’s do a six-song project just for the f*ck of it.’ It’s music now. Let’s just do it. I’m ready for it.”

It would certainly make for an interesting album, indeed.

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It is common for artists to come forward with their frustrations, especially pertaining to the industry, their management, or their record labels. We’ve read several posts, tweets, and listened to interviews from rappers who have taken issue with how their careers are being handled, and recently, Wale came forward with a few grievances of his own.

Last month, Wale delivered Folarin II, a follow-up to his 2012 project, Folarin. As he prepares to announce his upcoming tour, it seems that he is running into a few obstacles with his team.

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“Not gon lie I been super quiet about things goin on behind the scenes .. but I’m at a wall,” he tweeted. “They just told me it’d take a ‘week to have different artwork to announce my tour’. [rolling crying laughing emoji] I’m at a dead end wit this ‘team’ … if it wasn’t for me fans , man .” He also added, “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.” In the summer of 2020, Wale said that he was being “blackballed” and his management was doing the “bare minimum.” Wale’s Folarin II was released through Warner Records and Maybach Music.

Next week, the world will see the musical return of Adele as the acclaimed singer will release her album, 30. The personal and intimate project has been a labor of love for the British superstar, and the album’s first single, “Easy On Me,” quickly broke streaming records. When 30 was first announced, the singer’s fans were excitedly looking forward to her next tour, but Adele burst their bubbles by sharing that she doesn’t plan on hitting the road for this record.

“If it wasn’t coming out now, I think I probably would never put it out,” she told Rolling Stone. “I know I would’ve changed my mind and been like, ‘It’s moved on. Let’s start the next album.’ And I couldn’t do that to this album. I feel like it deserves to come out.”

However, while we may no longer be under quarantine, the world remains in a pandemic and Adele is not taking any chances. “It’s too unpredictable, with all the rules and stuff,” she said. “I don’t want anyone coming to my show scared. And I don’t want to get COVID, either.”

“No one wants to remember this period of time,” she added. “Obviously, it’s way better than last year, but the day my album comes out, someone’s loved one will have died from COVID. For them, it’s going to be a reminder every time they hear ‘Easy on Me’ on the radio.” Adele does have two huge events in London planned for next year, but sadly, she won’t set off for a worldwide tour anytime soon.

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Ben Simmons is having a very hard time right now as he continues to fight with the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons is refusing to play and at this point, he just wants to be traded. For now, it doesn’t seem like a trade is going to happen anytime soon, and it has forced Simmons into a bad situation, that he ultimately created.

While many around the league believe Simmons is to blame for all of this, there are still some people out there who think he can be redeemed. One such person is NBA legend Isiah Thomas, who recently told Shaquille O’Neal that he believes Simmons can someday become MVP of the league. As Thomas explains, all Simmons has to learn how to do is shoot some free throws.

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“To me Ben Simmons is not a broken player. He was their best defender. He was an All-Star. And he led them in assists. Now what Ben Simmons’ problem is not that he can’t shoot the basketball, his problem is he can’t make free throws as a point guard,” Thomas said. “As a point guard, the leader of the team, if Ben Simmons became a better foul-shooter, Ben Simmons will be averaging 19 points a game, eight rebounds, eight assists, and nobody would have a problem with Ben Simmons. [He] needs to get in the gym and work on foul shooting.”

Thomas even likened Simmons to Magic Johnson, who ended up winning league MVP after working on his free throw ability. He then went on to say that if he were an NBA GM, he would trade for Simmons right now.

Needless to say, Thomas still sees a lot in the Sixers star.

Fans often believe that they know the ins and outs of a celebrity’s life due to the never-ending cycle of entertainment updates, interviews, and social media posts, but La La Anthony made a recent revelation that shocked the public. The actress has been sharing more of her journey throughout 2021, especially after it was announced that she and husband Carmelo Anthony were divorcing, and in an interview with Self, La La shared she also underwent life-threatening heart surgery.

Back in 2019 while filming the updated 90210 series, La La was diagnosed with premature ventricular contractions or PVCs. Back in June, she felt ill and was taken to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery.

La La was suffering from an irregular heartbeat and while doctors previously informed her that she would have to endure a cardiac ablation, she couldn’t delay the procedure any longer. 

“There were a lot of scary moments,” she told Self. “They would wake me up during the procedure and say, ‘We’re going to speed your heart up now…just take deep breaths.’… Those doctors were just so incredible. But it was a terrifying experience.” 

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“I felt my heart racing all the time, but because it’s all I ever really knew, I didn’t even know that it was necessarily something wrong,” she said. “I just thought, Oh, you just feel your heart racing sometimes because you’re working too much, you haven’t slept, you’re stressed. You know, we, especially Black people, like to self-diagnose. We got all the answers.”

La La added that it was her son, Kiyan, who convinced her to speak openly about her condition in an effort to help encourage others to pay attention to their bodies.  “Life is short. We’ve learned that from the pandemic. We learned that from being in quarantine. You want to be able to live it to the fullest, and you don’t want something that can easily be corrected to be a reason why you’re not able to enjoy life or be there for your family or your friends. Use me as an example of why not to wait.”

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KAWS is one of the biggest street artists in the world and when you see his two X’s, you can guess that he is involved somehow. KAWS has collaborated with brands like Nike and Jordan Brand in the past, so it should be no surprise that they would want to keep that relationship going. With Nike leaning more towards crossover collabs like the Travis Scott x Fragment Air Jordan 1, it should also be predicted that Nike would want to bring KAWS on board for a collab with Sacai.

Well, thanks to US_11, we have some new information on that front as down below, you can find some photos of the KAWS x Sacai x Nike Blazer Low. The shoe is exceptionally vibrant as a loud shade of blue is placed all throughout the upper. From there, we have yellows, pinks, and greens to liven things up. KAWS branding is placed on the midsole and the insole to let fans know that this shoe does, indeed, have KAWS’ footprint on it. Overall, it should prove to be a truly unique collectors item. 

As it stands, there is no release timeline for this particular shoe, so keep it locked to HNHH as we will be sure to bring you all of the latest details from around the sneaker world. In the meantime, let us know what you think of these, in the comments section below.

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Although there have been many calling for Dave Chappelle to suffer consequences over his The Closer comedy special, the famed comedian has reportedly been living the dream throughout his controversy. Chappelle has popped up in afterparties and events, and he continues to speak and perform to sold-out audiences.

Netflix staffers may have staged a walkout in protest, but Chappelle has been enjoying his time being “canceled” as it has only increased his fame and visibility while prompting conversations about the LGBTQIA+ community. However, students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. have planned a walk-out of their own.

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The school, where the comedian graduated from in 1991, is naming its theater after Chappelle and planned a fundraiser for November 23, and several students were not happy about the news. The actor was scheduled to make an appearance at the institution but threats of a walk-out curbed those plans. However, the school issued a lengthy statement about the protest, stating that the theater will move forward as planned with Chappelle’s name.

An excerpt of the statement reads:

The Closer — the most watched comedy special in Netflix’s history, which has garnered a 96% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes — has sparked a national debate around race, gender, sexuality and “cancel culture.” As a learning institution that champions inclusivity, diversity, equity, and belonging, we care deeply about protecting the well-being and dignity of every member of our student body, faculty, and community. We also believe moving forward with the event, originally scheduled for November 23, 2021, without first addressing questions and concerns from members of the Ellington community, would be a missed opportunity for a teachable moment.

We will lean into this moment as a community. We have engaged in listening sessions with our students and have allowed space for diverse viewpoints. We are committed to fostering a community where every individual feels both heard and supported. Those conversations are ongoing.

The fundraiser has been tentatively rescheduled for April 2022.

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