D Smoke Announces His Second Album ‘War & Wonders’ And Reveals Its Release Date And Artwork

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It was just seven months ago that D Smoke released the deluxe edition of his debut album, Black Habits. The reissue added four songs and features from Snow Tha Product and E-40 to the already stellar project that showcased appearances from Ari Lennox, Snoop Dogg, Sir, Jill Scott, Davion Farris, Jackie Grouche, and Iguocho. Since then the Inglewood rapper has remained fairly active on the music scene by releasing a string of singles and it turns out that some of these outputs could appear on the rapper’s upcoming sophomore album which he announced on Tuesday.

D Smoke took to his Instagram to officially announce his upcoming album, War & Wonders. The rapper revealed the project would arrive on September 24 and even unveiled its artwork, a painting of D Smoke himself standing tall while a number of people are piled on top of each other around him. D Smoke’s most recent single that we can expect to appear on the project arrived last month with “Shame On You.” The track showed love to the rebels fighting for a righteous cause.

Elsewhere in 2021, D Smoke delivered a tribute track to Sade and remixed “Gasper Yanga” with Snoop Dogg after dropping “Basketball” for Last Chance U.

You can view the post from D Smoke above.

War & Wonders is out 9/24 via Woodworks Records/EMPIRE.

Nas Enjoys ‘Brunch On Sundays’ With LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Swizz Beatz, And More In A New Video

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It’s been just over a month since the release of Nas’ fourteenth album, King’s Disease II. The sequel to the rapper’s 2020 album that gifted him his long-awaited first Grammy award. King’s Disease II is executive produced by Hit-Boy and arrived with features from Eminem, Lauryn Hill, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Charlie Wilson, and more. Today Nas unveils a new star-studded visual for “Brunch On Sundays.” In it, the rapper enjoys a mid-day mealwith LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Swizz Beatz, Blxst, Hit-Boy, Cordae, and Lil Rel.

The video is the second we’ve received for King’s Disease II, the first being “Rare.” The 2021 album has received a similar, if not better, response when compared to its predecessor, with people commending he and Hit-Boy’s chemistry and asking for the possibility of third installment in the series.

“He’s like my Quincy [Jones], you know what I mean?” Nas said during an interview with Apple Music’s Ebro Darden last month. “So I feel like the next thing I do, if I was to work with Hit-Boy on the next thing I do, I think that we might do something that is going to be magical.” He added, “I think what we have is magic. I think if we do another one, I’m excited about that idea, but you know, we’re celebrating this one now.”

You can watch the video for “Brunch On Sundays” above.

King’s Disease II is out now via Mass Appeal. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Irv Gotti Shuts Down Trolls Bringing Up 50 Cent During Ja Rule & Fat Joe’s “Verzuz”

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This latest installment of Verzuz may be over, but fans are still buzzing about the show. Ja Rule and Fat Joe joined together in Madison Square Garden to deliver dozens of hits that fans worldwide enjoyed. Remy Ma assisted Joe and Lil Mo held things down for Ja, and of course, Ashanti ran back and forth between both artists as she is a known collaborator for the two rappers.

Prior to the Verzuz going down, there were rumors that 50 Cent was going to make some sort of appearance to set Ja off of his game. The two have been beefing for what seems like a lifetime, and fans were wondering if the hostility would be remedied with the help of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland.

The show went on without a hitch and Fif did not make an appearance, but Murder Inc. Records boss Irv Gotti was in the comment section shutting down trolls. While some were in there to celebrate Hip Hop with another Verzuz take, there were others spoiling the fun by dropping offensive remarks about Ja while egging on the Fif drama.

“All y’all talking that 50 sh*t. All good,” wrote Irv. “He got beat up stabbed up. Shot up. And sued us. That’s all I’m gonna say. Your hero ain’t what you think he is. Period. And Facts.”

We’re not sure what Fif is up to at the moment, but we can only imagine his response. Meanwhile, those weren’t the only words from Irv that caught the attention of fans, including an explanation of why he wasn’t at the show. Check it out below.

Fat Joe & Ja Rule “Verzuz” Featured Jadakiss, Ashanti, Remy Ma, Nelly, Dre, & Lil Mo

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It has been another glorious Verzuz. We watched two Hip Hop icons join together on stage and Fat Joe and Ja Rule did not disappoint with both the hits and entertaining banter. We knew that leading into the Verzuz these two would be trash-talking their way through the performance, and while it seemed as if they were digging a little too deep at times, fans knew that it was all in love and fun—something that both Ja and Joe made clear at the end.

There were some noteworthy moments throughout and surprise guests that lit up social media, and fans are still talking about which was their favorite.

Fat Joe delivered hits “All the Way Up,” “Flow Joe,” “All I Do Is Win (Remix),” “Sunshine (The Light),” “Get It Poppin’,” “YES,” “Make It Rain,” and Big Pun’s “Still Not A Player.” He brought out good friends and collaborators Remy Ma, Dre (of Cool & Dre), and Nelly, with the latter performing a snippet of his megahit “Hot in Herre” as he earned a bit of confusion.

Ja Rule made sure to counter back with his jams including “Holla Holla,” “Between Me & You,” “Livin’ It Up,” “Put It On Me,” “Down 4 U,” “I Cry,” “Mesmerize,” and Jennifer Lopez’s “I’m Real.” On his side, Ja brought out Lil Mo and Ashanti who both pulled double duty as they performed multiple times. Ashanti even joined Joe and Ja for the trio’s hit “What’s Luv?” a moment that made the audience go wild.

Near the end of the Verzuz, Joe surprised Remy and Ashanti with luxury bags that he wanted them to unbox on stage right before he eased his way into “Lean Back.” Jadakiss made a surprise appearance as they ended the show with “New York,” a track featuring The LOX rapper with Joe and Ja. The audience exploded at the sight of Jada and it was certainly a fine way to shout out the Big Apple. 

Check out a few highlights, as well as commentary from fans, below.

Tucker Carlson Wants To Talk To Nicki Minaj’s Cousin’s Friend

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FOX News

Monday evening saw the return of the Met Gala, which had to be cancelled last year due to the pandemic. There was a lot of talk about attendees’ outfits. But one person who wasn’t even there may have outshone them all. Nicki Minaj wound up stealing the spotlight thanks to a string of tweets that voiced her concern about the COVID-19 vaccine. One of her tweets concerned her cousin’s friend, who allegedly his fiancée call off their wedding his “testicles became swollen” following his COVID vaccination. (Of course, there could have been other things to cause that.) Rightwing commentators rushed to Minaj’s side, among them Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who had a special request for a recent news broadcast.

“We haven’t been able to figure whether this show is broadcast in Trinidad,” Carlson said on his show Tuesday, having already discussed the matter the night before. “But if Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend is watching, or his former fiancée is watching, we want to hear your story. We’ll come to Port Of Spain to see you.”

For the record, when asked if evidence exists for reproductive issues as a result of the Modera, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Dr. Anthony Fauci has replied with “a resounding no.” But Carlson is never one to listen to experts.

Amid all this, Minaj’s vaccine tweets also sparked a beef with Piers Morgan. This saga is most likely far from over, so we’ll be back to report on the next chapter whenever that arrives. Until then, please get vaccinated.

BIA Claps Back At Critics Downing Her VMAs Look: “Y’all Look The Same”

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It has been a busy few days and it is only Tuesday. Tonight (September 14), Fat Joe and Ja Rule have joined for Verzuz in Madison Square Garden, yesterday was the Met Gala, and the day prior was set aside for the MTV Video Music Awards. Chlöe gave her first performance of her new single “Have Mercy,” Normani and Teyana Taylor heated things up, and Jack Harlow joined Lil Nas X for a live rendition of their hit, “Industry Baby.”

Celebrities on the red carpet also were the talk of social media as they showed off their expensive looks, including “Whole Lotta Money” star BIA who strutted in a red dress. Critics jumped online to talk negatively about her looks, but she addressed them in a series of unbothered tweets.

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“Respectfully I don’t care who doesn’t like my style,” the rapper tweeted. “Most of you don’t even have a style and that’s why so many of yall look the same.” She added, “I don’t need my ass & t*tties out in everything I wear to feel sexy, I always feel sexy. Let the ppl that do that, do it well and let me do me!!”

“Confidence…we love that,” BIA concluded. Check out a few shots of the rapper heating up the red carpet below.

BIa
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BIA
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Diddy Slides In “Verzuz” Comments To Say He Wants Dr. Dre Battle

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We’re in the thick of Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s Verzuz, and while fans are enjoying hits and album favorites, we’re seeing celebrities storm the comment section. They’re sharing in the experience as they recall memories with the two rappers while reveling in this iconic moment of seeing Joe and Ja on a virtual world stage. The pair and their entourages have taken over Madison Square Garden, and there is much more to come—as promised by both New York City rappers.

As Irv Gotti battles it out against trolls who continuously bring up 50 Cent, Diddy slid himself in the comment section to state who he wants to go up against on Verzuz.

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As expected, Sean Combs wants to battle Dr. Dre, but it doesn’t seem as if the California icon is interested. There were rumors last year that there was a time when Dre was in communication with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz about a match-up, but after seeing Teddy Riley go through major sound hiccups during his Verzuz with Babyface, the Aftermath mogul allegedly decided not to participate.

“Only person I would do is dre,” Diddy commented, with many people agreeing with the match-up. It would make for a bicoastal battle that would need way more than 20 hits each. Check out a few posts below and let us know if you think Diddy and Dre should be the next big Verzuz appearance.

Yung Miami Shows That Her “Papi” Dropped $100K On A Shopping Spree

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She has been elusive about her dating life ever since she split with 808 Mafia producer Southside, but that has not stopped fans from speculating about who she may be dating. The on-against-off-again romance between the City Girls star Yung Miami and Southside has been played out on social media, but when they decided to split for good, the producer made it clear that he is not interested in bashing the mother of his daughter.

In recent months, there have been rumors about Yung Miami linking up with Diddy. While neither of them has confirmed reports about their canoodling, they have popped up on social media hanging out with one another, leaving room for gossip to spread.

City Girls
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The rumors came to a halt after Diddy was captured in Italy getting closer than close to Joie Chavis, the mother of Bow Wow and Future’s children. Apparently, Yung Miami has someone who has been treating her nicely, because she showed off a receipt totally almost $100K after doing a bit of luxury shopping. She thanked her “Papi,” and, of course, she didn’t name names so her fans could run wild with the information

Meanwhile, Southside surfaced to make it clear that he was not the person responsible for the purchases. Check it out below.

Keyshia Ka’oir Has A Day Out W/ Her Besties

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Vixen Keyshia Ka’oir knows how to find a delicious meal. The wife to rap star Gucci Mane goes to Instagram Story with a glimpse into how she spent her NFL Sunday. While it’s easy to imagine Gucci likely spent his time either in the recording studio or watching his Atlanta Falcons take on the Philadelphia […]