T-Pain & Mahalia Lead This Week’s “R&B Season” Playlist

It is officially Spooky Season. With it being Halloween and all, there’s plenty of creepy tracks that are probably on rotation as people gear up for tonight’s festivities. However, for those who aren’t indulging in any Halloween fun, it’s a regular Sunday that certainly requires the right vibes before Monday hits. As usual, we’ve rounded up the best of the best in R&B this week for our weekly R&B Season playlist. Here’s your breakdown:

Mahalia hasn’t missed once this year. With the slew of singles she’s dropped over the past few months, it seems that a follow-up to Love And Compromise could be on its way. She teamed up with AJ Tracey earlier this year for her single, “Roadside.” Now, she’s enlisted Rema and Ayra Starr for the official (+234 Remix).

T-Pain’s dished out a handful of solid singles this year while also extending his talents to guest appearances for artists like Krizz Kaliko and AJ Tracey. This week, he blessed fans with his latest single, “I’m Cool With That.”

Other contributions on this week’s playlist include Asiahn’s “We Can,” Alina Baraz’s “Maze,” and Buju’s “For Here.”

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

Cardi B Serves Looks In Morticia Addams Costume

Halloween is finally here, and to celebrate, various people are showing off some pretty incredible costumes. All day today, HNHH has been bringing you some of the best looks from the world of hip-hop and sports, and as the day has gone on, these looks have only gotten better and better.

The world of sports has certainly had some of the best costumes so far, with LeBron James going as Freddy Krueger, all while Russell Westbrook was Chucky. These have been some pretty incredible get-ups although hip-hop isn’t taking its foot off the gas when it comes to elaborate outfits. In fact, Cardi B recently took to IG with her costume, and as you can imagine, it was quite amazing.

Cardi B

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In the image below, you can see that Cardi dressed as Morticia Addams who is the matriarch of the infamous Addams family. The outfit Cardi has on is quite spectacular while the makeup is on point as well. To add to the macabre nature of the costume, Cardi posed with herses which ultimately made the look that much more legit. Overall, she did the character justice and this is certainly a candidate for best costume of the weekend.

Let us know what you thought about Cardi’s costume, in the comments below, and stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates from the hip-hop world.

Infamous Drug Dealer Alpo Martinez Shot & Killed In Harlem: Report

The man who served as the inspiration behind Cam’ron’s role in Paid In Full reportedly passed away early Sunday morning.

According to multiple reports, including the Daily News and OnSmash, Alpo Martinez was shot and killed during a drive-by shooting in Harlem on Oct. 31st after being struck in the chest with bullets. Police said the shooting took place around 3:20 a.m. near W. 147th St. near Frederick Douglass Blvd. Reports said that Martinez was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. No suspects have been arrested.

Martinez rose to prominence as a notorious drug dealer during the mid-80s in New York City before expanding his operations to other cities. He, alongside Rich Porter and Azie Faison, had worked together to build the enterprise.

Martinez was later arrested for drugs and murder charges in 1991. Martinez was accused of being behind the murder of a drug dealer from D.C. named Michael Anthony Salters, and a Brooklyn drug dealer named Demencio Benson. 

The charges leveraged against Martinez led to the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty. Martinez turned into an informant which brought down the organization and he was later given 35 years in prison. Martinez was released in 2015. He was reportedly supposed to be in the federal witness protection program.

We’ll keep you posted on more information regarding Alpo Martinez’s death.

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Lil Nas X, Kendall Jenner, Ciara & More Compete For The Best Halloween Costume Of 2021

Halloween is here and the biggest names in pop culture have spent the weekend sharing their costumes on social media.

Many celebs dressed up as other pop culture icons such as Hailey Bieber who went as Britney Spears, or Latto who went as Mariah Carey.

Others went as their favorite movie characters such as Aaron Rodgers who dressed up as John Wick. Saweetie went as Catwoman and even got a cosign from Halle Berry.

Halloween, Costumes
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Other costumes include Megan Thee Stallion as Pinhead from Hellraiser, Ciara as Selena, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker as Sid and Nancy, Anderson .Paak as Stevie Wonder, and more.

Check out the best costumes from this Halloween below and let us know who you think had the best fit.

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Travis Scott Teases New Verse From “Escape Plan” Off Of “Utopia”

Travis Scott is one of the biggest artists in the world and as it stands, fans are waiting for him to drop his next album which is supposedly called Utopia. It’s been over three years since Travis dropped Astroworld and aside from features and side projects, he has yet to give us a full-length album.

So far, Travis has only teased one new song from the album which is called “Escape Plan.” Fans thought the song was supposed to be out by now, however, Scott is mostly using it as a teaser at his shows. With Astrofest coming soon, fans fully expect to hear some new music soon, and at Rolling Loud this weekend, Scott certainly came through for his supporters.

Travis Scott

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In the video clip posted below, you can hear an extended verse from “Escape Plan” which had yet to be played in public. Needless to say, Travis is getting closer and closer to wanting to release the song, which can only be good news for hip-hop fans. Of course, a release date has not yet been determined, however, something could be happening sooner rather than later.

Let us know what you think of the preview, in the comments below, and stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest details surrounding Scott’s next full-length project.

Barack Obama And Dave Chappelle Inducted Jay-Z Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last night, becoming one of the few solo rappers who has received the honor so far. LL Cool J and Tina Turner were other notable additions to the hall this year, though early nominations indicate other rappers and R&B legends might be added soon, too.

For Jay’s induction, hip-hop magnates like Eminem, Pharrell, Beyonce and Rihanna, and many more were all part of a tribute video acknowledging the vast impact of his words and rhymes on culture at large, and Black culture in particular. Appearances just kept pouring in, with cameos from LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Blue Ivy, John Legend, Questlove, P. Diddy and so many others. With induction speeches from both former President Barack Obama and comedian Dave Chappelle, it’s hard to understate the breadth of Jay’s influence.

Here’s some clips from the tribute video:

Barack Obama’s induction speech included references to how much Jay’s music has helped him personally over the years, and praised the way he’s brought up so many other people along with him. “I’ve turned to Jay Z’s words at different points in my life, whether I was brushing dirt off my shoulder on the campaign trail,” Obama said. “Or sampling his lyrics on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of the Selma march to Montgomery. Today Jay-Z is one of the most renowned artists in history and an embodiment of the American dream, a dream he has helped make real for other young people like him.”

And Dave Chappelle let the Rock Hall know that even though they’re honoring Jay, he’s still “ours,” referring to the Black community:

For his acceptance speech, Jay talked about the impact of hip-hop and the “heroes” in it:

And actually took to Twitter himself to thank everyone who was involved:

Hopefully full-length copies of these speeches and tributes will be available soon, for now enjoy the social media clips above.

Alicia Keys Shares Two Versions of New Track “Best of Me”

Alicia Keys has shared two versions of her new track, “Best of Me,” off of her upcoming album Keys.

She explained in an announcement on Instagram that her new project will be “one album. 2 versions. Originals & Unlocked. The Originals come from that classic side of me! It’s that AK that we WANT!! A homecoming.”

Alicia Keys, Best of Me
Michael Kovac / Getty Images

She continued: “The Unlocked side, I wanted to sample ‘The Originals’ to create a whole other sonic experience. So, [Mike Will Made It] and I connected and made magic. Together, they are a fusion of the worlds within me with the #KEYS as the main ingredient.”

Featured in the music video is Keys’ husband, Swizz Beats, who revealed that it was shot on their 11th anniversary.

“The fact that we shot this on our 11th anniversary is crazy,” he commented on a post of the video on Instagram.

Keys is due out Dec. 10. Check out the “Best of Me,” below.

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Nike Air Huarache Receives Icy Winter Colorway: Photos

One of the best Nike shoes of the 90s was the Air Huarache. It is a sneaker that offered immense comfort and it always seemed to have some dope colorways as well. This year, the shoe has seen a ton of retros makes their way to the market, and Nike is also doing a good job at creating some brand new colorways for fans to enjoy. With the Winter approaching fast, Nike is even making sure to offer up some new kicks that fit the cold aesthetic.

For instance, down below you can find some official images for an icy blue Nike Air Huarache that is quite stunning, to say the least. This shoe has a mixture of leather and mesh, with the upper mostly comprised of baby blue. From there, the back heel and tongue is white which provides that contrast that fans will appreciate. Overall, it’s a pretty solid colorway that won’t be difficult to enjoy if you already like the Huarache.

As for the release date, nothing has been announced just yet, so stay tuned to HNHH as we will be sure to bring you all of the latest updates. In the meantime, give us your thoughts in the comments below.

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Drake Seemingly Drunk At URL’s “Til Death Do Us Part” Event

The party continues for Drake who recently celebrated his 35th birthday. He held a party with his friends and family last week but he extended the celebration for URL’s Till Death Do Us Part event. The battle rap card included: Loaded Lux vs. Geechi Gotti, Tay Roc vs. Nu Jerzey Twork, Tsu Surf vs. Calicoe, T-Rex vs. Rum Nitty, Jaz The Rapper vs. Gattas and Pat Stay vs. Real Sikh.


Amy Sussman/Getty Images

During last night’s event, Drake took on hosting duties briefly while offering praise to all of the battle rappers that were in the building. “All these people, they deserve it. This shit takes, like, a high level of thinking. I have a lot of respect for everybody here,” he said before giving SMACK his kudos. “What inspired me is I just wanna see the best go against the best. You know, there’s a lot of people that aren’t on this card that deserve to be on this card but that’s why we got a lot more events in store.”

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Since it was Drake’s birthday, he made it clear that his intentions were not to command attention on stage but to watch the battles as a spectator. “They said there’s no bar in here so I’m ’bout to send some drivers out, get some bottles, pass ’em around. You know, we’re getting right,” he added.

The thing is that fans immediately noticed that the liquor got to Drizzy. During a few post-battle interviews, Drake appears to be slurring his words and acting a fool in the background, as seen in the video below. 

As for the other events, Drake called for all of his friends in music and sports to put real money up behind their favorite battle rapper for a high-stakes card in 2022.

Unfortunately, not everyone was enthusiastic about Drake’s presence including Murda Mook. You could hear what he had to say below. 

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Post Malone’s Manager, Dre London, Launches New Music Label

Dre London, who has made a name for himself as the longtime manager of Post Malone, is launching his own record label. London Music Group is being started in partnership with the tech company, Vydia.

The new label released their first single on Friday, a collaborative track from Mario and Chris Brown titled, “Get Back.”

“I’m thrilled to partner with Vydia for the creation of London Music Group,” London said in an announcement statement. “Vydia’s work to empower independent music labels opens doors for incredible new artists to emerge, a mission we both share. This new venture will allow established artists to evolve exponentially into the future, as well as introduce top of the line new talent to the world.”

Dre London, London Music Group
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The technology company will be handling supply chain, distribution, rights management, and analytics resources. London told Complex that the partnership “will help fuel the London Music Group label in the creatively-free way I always dreamt it, while we continue to evolve our established artists and create big records, as well as develop emerging acts.”

Vydia’s CEO and co-founder, Roy LaManna, added: “Dre has an innate ability to discover talent and create superstars on a global level. We’re excited to work with him and provide him the tools he needs across the board to run this new label.”

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