New Hip Hop News

Ralo’s battle for freedom has made headlines since he was arrested for “conspiracy to commit felony” in 2018. The rapper was accused of carrying nearly $1M worth of cannabis on a private plane and was charged with two federal counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

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The rapper took to Instagram this weekend where he offered an update on his trial. He explained how his case will likely be over by December but he’s in need of a few people who can testify for him. “My judge scheduled my entire case to be over December. My lawyers asking for time served. I need letters an some good people that’s willing to come testify that they will help me stay on the right path while I’m on the 3 years probation. I also agreed to talk to the youth,” he captioned his Instagram post before encouraging his followers to tag “good people” that would be able to vouch for him.

At the tail end of the summer, it was reported that Drake, Meek Mill, Killer Mike, and more signed off on a letter sent to Joe Biden requesting that the president grant Ralo clemency.

“On behalf of Terrell Davis and his family, we strongly urge you to grant clemency for Mr. Davis, who is serving federal time for nonviolent marijuana offense,” reads the letter.

Check out Ralo’s post below. 

October 24th is a big day for Drake as it marks his birthday. This year, Drake is turning 35 years old which means he is only five years away from perhaps one of the biggest milestones in one’s life. Drake has been able to stay youthful throughout the years, and last night, he celebrated his birthday in style with a party that had a “Cocaine Cowboys” theme to it.

Some of Drake’s closest friends were there and it made for a fantastic evening in which the artist was dressed up like a literal cowboy. The festivities seemed pretty fun and afterward, Drake was presented with a ton of great gifts, including one that tugged on his heart strings.

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In the clip below, you can see Drake being presented with a diamond OVO chain. On the surface, it seemed to be like any other pendant, although the big catch here is the fact that when you turn it around, there is a photo of Drake and his son Adonis. As you can see, Drake was a tad emotional while looking at the chain, and is easy to see why.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Drake got to celebrate Adonis’ fourth birthday, and you can tell it was something that brought him a lot of joy. Drake has immense pride for his son, and we’re sure he’ll be wearing the chain to show that pride, very soon.

Fat Trel’s legal issues have certainly played a role in why he hasn’t released much music in the past few years. The rapper was convicted in 2020 for possession of a ghost gun — a firearm that lacks serial numbers. The rapper was hit with a two-and-a-half-year sentence and was ultimately released from prison earlier this month. 

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A video of the rapper emerging from prison surfaced last week as he walked outside of the facility, basking in his freedom. “You know what the fuck it is,” he’s heard saying in the clip. “The king of Northeast is back n***a, and you know what the fuck is up with me n***a.” He came through immediately afterward with a freestyle over “Voice Of The Heroes.”

It didn’t take long for him to be embraced by those in the hip-hop community including Rick Ross. Trel previously signed to MMG in 2013, though he has since departed the label. However, it seems like his relationship with Rozay is still solid. Ross took to Instagram with a photo of himself standing next to Trel. “Freedom is Priceless! Let’s all welcome back home FAT TREL,” he captioned the photo. “Back to da MONEY $$$…. The Real won’t Fail.”

It looks like Rick Ross and Fat Trel might have some heat on the way. Check out Rozay’s post below. 

The film industry has been mourning the loss of 42-year-old Halyna Hutchins this week. The mother of one was working as the director of photography on an upcoming Western film called Rust when she was fatally shot by Alec Baldwin, who was unaware that the gun given to him was loaded.

Since the incident occurred on Thursday, an investigation has been launched. Baldwin shared on Twitter that he is “fully cooperating” with authorities and that is “heart is broken” for all who knew and loved Halyna.

The late woman’s father, Anatoly Androsovych has also shared a statement, telling The Sun that he doesn’t “hold Alec Baldwin responsible – it is the responsibility of the props people who handle the guns.” He also shared that, “we still can’t believe Halyna is dead and her mother is going out of her mind with grief.”

Halyna leaves behind a son, 9-year-old Andros, who Anatoly said “has been very badly affected” by the death of his mother. “He is lost without [her],” The Sun interview revealed. The cinematographer’s sister, Svetlana, has also shared her thoughts on the tragic incident.

“How was this negligence allowed by such a team of professionals? This is just such an absolutely absurd coincidence,” she said, also sharing that she wants to be there next to her mom, Halyna’s husband, and their son to ensure that they feel supported.

The Androsovych family is reportedly seeking visas so that Halyna’s mother, Olga, and Svetlana can travel to the U.S. and stay with young Andros and his father, Matthew as they mourn the unexpected loss.

RIP Halyna.

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Vanessa Bryant is currently in the midst of suing the Los Angeles Country Sheriff’s Department for their role in passing around images of the crash shit where Kobe and Gianna Bryant died back in 2020. It was well-publicized that some officials had shown the photos to various acquaintances, and now, Vanessa is suing for invasion of privacy, as well as negligence.

As part of the proceedings, Bryant had to undergo a deposition, where she was asked various questions about the circumstances around Kobe’s death. That’s when Vanessa had to explain how she found out about the passing of her husband and child. As she explains, the original report claimed that five people had survived, and Vanessa was confident her family was part of those five. However, she quickly realized Kobe had died when social media messages started popping up everywhere with the words “RIP Kobe.”

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“I was holding onto my phone, because obviously I was trying to call my husband back, and all these notifications started popping up on my phone, saying ‘RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe. RIP Kobe’,” Vanessa said. “My life will never be the same without my husband and daughter.”

It was recently reported that L.A. Country wanted Vanessa to undergo a psychiatric exam to see if she really does have emotional and mental injuries from the incident. This is all meant to be part of the lawsuit, although some have described it as invasive.

This remains a developing story so stay tuned to HNHH for updates.

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The streets have been calling for NBA Youngboy’s freedom, just as the Baton Rouge rapper’s fans have been bombarding comment sections by writing, “YB Better.” The rapper has faced accusations that he’s been blackballed by the industry, which even 21 Savage corroborated in an interview with Akademiks. Still, there are plenty of artists who have still thrown their support behind him on social media and elsewhere.

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Childish Gambino is not necessarily the most active person on social media but when he does the slightest thing, whether liking a photo or clicking the favorite button on a tweet, a lot of people do take notice. So, it didn’t take long for people to notice that Donald Glover had changed his profile picture to a mugshot of NBA Youngboy with a beard.

On Friday, it was reported that NBA Youngboy had been granted bond with conditions including wearing an ankle monitor and practically being on house arrest in Utah. However, the rapper remains in custody over a pending firearm case in California. The rapper is expected to appear in court next week for the L.A. case. If he posts bond in L.A., then he will be able to be released on house arrest.

We’ll keep you posted on more information on NBA Youngboy’s case. 

Just a year after the tragic loss of his son, Jihad, Philadelphia rapper Freeway is mourning the death of his 21-year-old daughter, Harmony. The 42-year-old shared a sweet tribute to the deceased on Instagram early today, sharing that she had lost her battle with cancer.

“You know the saying sugar and spice and everything nice, well that’s my Harmony,” he told followers. “I promise y’all she was the sweetest most kind most caring generous loving adorable person I know. Allah really blessed me putting her in my life. I love her so much and this hurts so bad.”

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The “What We Do” artist then explained that the video he posted was from February of this year, when Harmony celebrated her 21st birthday. “Even though she was fighting cancer she was always happy and always smiling and always brightened up my day. The only think that’s giving me comfort is I know 100% that she believes in Allah and she was a good person.”

Harmony’s father shared that he thinks “she has every thing it takes to enter into heaven” before encouraging readers to cherish their loved ones and keep them close. “She truly was my best friend and I don’t know what I’m gonna do this pain is unimaginable.”

After Jihad died of complications of accidental drug overdose, Freeway felt a similar pain. While chatting with Jeezy on his podcast, Free shared that faith was the main thing that got him through some of his darkest days.

“They say God tests the ones he loves. He must love me because I’ve been getting hit with a lot of tests,” he told his friend.

RIP Harmony.

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We’re back with our weekly picks for this week’s R&B Season playlist where we highlight the best new drops in the genre. Friday was a particularly busy day for hip-hop but we received some solid new music from some of our favorites in R&B. For starters, The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia’s brand new collaboration finally came through. While the Toronto-based singer has been teasing a new album, Swedish House Mafia enlisted the Weeknd for their new single, “Moth To A Flame.” It would not be surprising if SHM helps shape The Weeknd’s next project.

OVO Sound is coming through with new heat this fall and Majid Jordan just blessed us with their latest body of work, Wildest Dreams. This week, they slid in two cuts off of the album for our R&B Season playlist including the previously released single, “Summer Rain” and the album’s titular track. Press play on both of those tunes and peep our latest interview with them here.

Other additions on this week’s playlist include the latest from Pink $weats, “Nothing Feels Better” and GENERA8ION’s new collab with 070 Shake, “Neo Surf.”

Check out our R&B Season playlist below and make sure you subscribe to HotNewHipHop on Spotify for more playlists. 

One of Michael Jordan’s most beloved sneakers is the Air Jordan 11. This is a shoe that dropped all the way back in 1996 and since that time, it has received a ton of great variations and colorways. One such model is the Air Jordan 11 Low, which is the perfect sneaker for the spring and summer months. Sneakerheads have always been keen on copping new offerings, and as a result, Jordan Brand continues to pump out new colorways. In fact, there have even been some teasers for 2022, making their way to the internet.

For example, @zsneakerheadz on Instagram just posted a photoshop rendering of a brand new colorway called “Pure Violet.” As you can see in the post below, the shoe has a mostly white base, although the patent leather overlay on top is a very light shade of purple. In fact, it almost looks silver but the hint of purple is definitely there. The shoe is expected to be a women’s exclusive, which is certainly not good news for all of the people out there with big feet.

These are expected to release in April of next year for $190 USD, although this has yet to be confirmed. Stay tuned to HNHH, as we will be sure to bring you all of the latest updates on these. Also, let us know what you think, in the comments below.