R&B singer Ashanti is dealing with a huge blow to the entire music biz. The popular crooner has come forward to remember the life of late New York legend DMX. Ashanti Shares Super Deep DMX Story The Big Apple native went to her Instagram to discuss her past outing in Africa with X. Along with […]
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Azealia Banks is indisputably one of the most controversial figures in music. While her opinions can be somewhat jarring, there is truth and validity in some of her signature rants. In her most recent address, the New Yorker got serious as she discussed predatory labels and their lack of concern with the mental health and wellness of rappers.
In a lengthy upload to her Instagram page Friday (April 9) following the death of DMX, the rapper discussed in detail the carelessness of labels in regards to the mental health of rap artists, opening up about her experience before offering an example. “I’ve had times in my career when my fans were telling me to go get help Azealia. I couldn’t f*cking afford it,” she explained, going into details about her contract and all the additional people she had to pay that rendered her broke.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Firefly Music Festival
Continuing in another video, the “212” rapper then used the example of Travis Scott, who many believe to have substance dependence issues. “All I’m saying is this sh*t has to f*cking change. You look at these rap n*ggas right now like look at f*cking Travis Scott, okay,” began Azealia.
“Nobody’s stepping in to f*cking intervene with Travis Scott, you got enablers, you probably got f*cking, tour managers, going to get the f*cking lean and going to get the Percocet so this n*gga can sit in the studio and make more money for y’all crackers,” she added.
She continued, “and y’all don’t care what happens to him, nobody’s suggesting maybe we should have like an in-house therapist or in-house drug rehabilitation programs, no they’re gonna push you to the edge and push you to the f*cking limit so you can keep creating for them.”
“And then when you die of a drug overdose, then they wanna come in and cash in on it. This sh*t needs to stop,” she finished in the rant. Elsewhere, she discussed DMX and how he had been open about crying out for help while his label “f*cked him out of his money.”
If what Azealia is describing is, in fact, true, serious reform definitely needs to occur in the industry to prevent subsequent drug abuse from leaving another artist gone too soon.
What do you make of Azealia’s comments? Let us know down below.
An upcoming show featuring Machine Gun Kelly marks the beginning of a new normal for live music since the COVID-19 pandemic. Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida is one of the first places in the country to make a return to full-capacity live music with Machine Gun Kelly’s 5,500-seat show happening on April 23rd. The open-air venue will host the first full-capacity live show in more than a year in Jacksonville.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone greatly, but the live music scene especially has been completely squashed since last March. A slow, safe, and gradual return to live music could be the first step in recovering our old “normal” in a post-pandemic world. According to representatives from Daily’s Place, the venue is employing “a host” of health and safety measures before, during, and after the show, and they expect fans to “do their part by staying away if they’re feeling unwell.”
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry is ecstatic about the return of entertainment, and he believes Jacksonville will quickly become the new hub for sports and music. “Jacksonville is back!” Curry said. “As our community rebounds from the last year, I am excited to see live music return to Downtown Jacksonville.”
Are you excited to see the return of live music, or do you think we need a bit longer for things to be safe? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Kevin Durant is one of the biggest names in the NBA and when you have his level of superstardom, you are typically going to get rewarded with a signature shoe. In fact, KD has his very own model which gets updated every single year. In 2021, he is going to be releasing the Nike KD 14 and recently, he spoke about his new shoe and what he likes most about it.
“It’s been a while since we incorporated the strap, which excites me,” Durant said via Solecollector. “My other favorite part about the shoe is the cushioning, which helps me feel low to the ground and still helps give me some of that energy back.” As you can see, the sneaker has a similar look to his most iconic models which he wore during his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Vintage KD fans are going to love these and they won’t have to wait long to get them.
As for the release details of the shoe, some pairs are already on Nike.com, while retailers will begin to get the shoe on April 14th. Meanwhile, the “Cyber” colorway is set to come out in China tomorrow, so be prepared for that if you’re in the area.
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Russell Wilson and Ciara have no problem publicizing their love for each other out in the open. Their relationship has been well-documented in the public eye, with the couple recently being featured as the cover stars of GQ magazine’s Lover’s Edition. The Seattle Seahawks player has proven to be a super proud dad and husband, taking to his Instagram page Friday (April 10) to share a snap of the family’s children on Easter Day.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
The pro-athlete posted an adorable throwback photo of last weekend’s Easter holiday showing his three children shared with the R&B songstress posing with the Easter Bunny in their Sunday’s best.
In the photo, the youngest member of the family Win Harrison rocks a matching outfit with his big brother Future Jr., Ciara’s son shared with Atlanta rapper Future. The 6-year-old can be seen affectionately clutching 6-month old Win as they posed for the photo.
Image via Russell Wilson/Instagram
Sienna Princess, the first biological child of the couple, was all smiles as she sat next to her brother. “Our babies,” wrote Wilson in the caption of the photo. He tagged his wife in the snap, who also shared the photo on her respective Instagram story.
Ciara shared videos and photos from the holiday on her own social media. The family celebrated the holiday with Vanessa Bryant and her daughters Natalia, 18, Bianka, 4, and 20-month-old Capri. “What a Lovely Day,” she captioned the photoset of the families playing games together and hunting for Easter eggs.
Swipe through the photos above. The couple recently appeared together on Ciara’s Level Up Apple Music radio show where he confessed he fell in love with his wife years before ever meeting her.
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NFTs seem to be the thing that everyone is obsessed with these days, even if their practical application seems to be underwhelming. Regardless, people feel as though they can make money from them and as a result, plenty of artists are creating their very own NFTs as a way to generate some extra income. So far, it has worked out quite well with various NFTs selling for millions of dollars.
Now, Playboi Carti is teaming up with renowned artist RHYMEZLIKEDIMEZ for an NFT of an infamous animation from Carti’s Die Lit era. This animation features a colorful look at Carti in a car aiming a gun in the air all while Die Lit goes off in the background. On Instagram, RHYMEZLIKEDIMEZ announced the NFT and just how excited he is about it.
“I’m honored to announce that we’re dropping an official Rhymez X @playboicarti NFT featuring an official song from Die Lit THIS SUNDAY 1:30PM PST on @niftygateway,” he wrote. “A couple years ago, me and the legendary label @interscope created this animation. To this day I still have people reaching out to show me love. That’s why I wanted to offer a remastered version of the “Shoota” loop.”
While there is no price attached to the item just yet, we can imagine just how much some fans would be willing to pay for this. It’s a cool collectible and one that stands to make Carti and RHYMEZLIKEDIMEZ a lot of money.
DMX’s tragic death is still a fresh cut for many across the music and entertainment world. After a reported drug overdose last week, the rapper was admitted to a White Plains, NY hospital, where it was revealed that he also suffered a heart attack. On Friday morning, after nearly a week in the facility, DMX’s death was confirmed by his family. There were countless consolations, and now the mayor of Yonkers, where DMX was born, is reportedly looking to honor him with an undetermined memorial that will be a “lasting gesture,” which may take the form of a street name, a statue, or a mural.
But that’s not all. According to TMZ, Mayor Mike Spano is also recommending Yonkers Raceway as a potential venue for DMX’s family to hold a public funeral. The outdoor venue is the city’s largest event space, with a seating capacity of 7,500. Unfortunately, because of coronavirus restrictions, only 20% of the seats will be available for use. Spano believes the venue will be an appropriate setting for one of the city’s most famous residents to be remembered.
Today our city mourns the loss of a musical icon and someone who always gave back to Yonkers — the city he loved.
Earl Simmons, aka @DMX, was a man of exceptional talent. His spirit will live on in the power of his music and leave a lasting impact on his tremendous following. pic.twitter.com/WziTRWpTdz
— Mayor Mike Spano (@MayorMikeSpano) April 9, 2021
After hearing of DMX’s unfortunate passing, Mayor Spano shared a message on Twitter. “Today our city mourns the loss of a musical icon, someone who wore their heart on their sleeve and at every opportunity gave back to Yonkers — the city he loved,” he wrote. “Earl Simmons, or as we know him, DMX, was a man of exceptional talent. His spirit will live on in the power of his music and leave a lasting impact on his tremendous following.”
Rap music often gets “covered” by other artists but they don’t necessarily fall under hip-hop. It seems that IDK is changing that narrative through his own efforts. Between collaborating with groups like Spillage Village and sharing his own original records, the rapper’s takes on records like Brent Faiyaz’ “Gravity” ft. Tyler, The Creator and transforms it into something of his own. He’s also done the same with songs like “Back In Blood.”
This week, the rapper took on a classic Pharrell record for his latest cover. Flexing his falsetto delivery, IDK shares his own take on Skateboard P’s 2003 debut single “Frontin'” ft. Jay-Z. IDK enlists a live orchestra to bring his rendition of the record to life and it doesn’t disappoint.
Check out IDK’s cover of “Frontin” below.
Quotable Lyrics
You used to pitch me the idea of you on my dick
Whenever we split, like banana and empty the clip
‘Cause we be at war, then ome together like an eclipse
Ever since signing to Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack imprint, Don Toliver has quickly become one of the most prominent hitmakers in hip-hop. His Heaven Or Hell album was a massive success and it came with a ton of hits that fans are still bumping over a year later. Toliver is an artist who has a classic or two in him and with his next project, fans are expecting something incredible. Of course, with Travis’ direction, there is no doubt Toliver can surpass the expectations that are being thrust upon him.
While there is no telling when the project will be released, it seems to already be meeting the standards of La Flame, who took to Twitter last night with an update on the project. As he explained, the album “makes no sense” and that fans simply aren’t ready for how good this project is about to be.
Travis is in the midst of working on his very own project and we imagine Toliver will also be a part of the recording process for UTOPIA as well. Toliver and Scott have a ton of chemistry and we can’t wait to hear whatever they have in store.
Keep it locked to HNHH as we will be sure to bring you all of the latest updates on Travis and Don’s latest projects.
Racism is something that can be universally agreed upon as bad. People often discuss systemic racism as an abstract concept, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are cementing this idea with their new declaration of racism as a “serious public health threat” that needs to be attended to as soon as possible.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky made the statements on Thursday (April 8), citing racism as a titular cause for, “health inequities, health disparities, and disease.” She used racial disparities in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to illustrate this point, but noted that racism had an impact on public health long before coronavirus hit.
“Yet, the disparities seen over the past year were not a result of COVID-19,” Walensky wrote in an official CDC statement. “Instead, the pandemic illuminated inequities that have existed for generations and revealed for all of America have known, but often unaddressed, epidemic impacting public health: racism.
“What we know is this: racism is a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans. As a result, it affects the health of our entire nation. Racism is not just the discrimination against one group based on the color of their skin or their race or ethnicity, but the structural barriers that impact racial and ethnic groups differently to influence where a person lives, where they work, where their children play, and where they worship and gather in community. These social determinants of health have life-long negative effects on the mental and physical health of individuals in communities of color.”
This declaration accompanies the launch of CDC’s Racism and Health, which is an agency-wide initiative aimed to study and combat racial disparities in health. They also aim to develop “durable infrastructure” that will improve health equity in underserved communities.
