New Hip Hop News

Nicki Minaj got a little spicy this week, telling the world of her COVID vaccination status and revealing that she’s hesitant to take the vaccine because of multiple factors. Telling her fans that she wants to do more research on the available jabs before deciding on one (despite the fact that thousands of scientists and world-leading health officials have already done all of that research), Nicki proceeded to warn her followers about potential side effects to the vaccine, claiming that one of her cousin’s friends in Trinidad experienced swollen testicles after getting the shot. As you can probably have predicted, her comments have caused a shift on social media, and now they’re being dissected by major news networks. Even Dr. Fauci is chiming in.

Appearing on CNN on Tuesday evening, Dr. Anthony Fauci denied that the COVID vaccine can cause any reproductive issues in men or women.

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When asked about Nicki’s comments and if they’re legitimate concerns, Fauci said, “The answer to that is a resounding no. There’s no evidence that it happens, nor is there any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen. So the answer to your question is no.”

Thousands of people have responded to Nicki’s tweet about her cousin’s friend’s problem down there, suggesting that he might have caught a sexually transmitted disease and incorrectly blamed the vaccine for his issue.

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While some of Nicki’s comments have been taken out of context, the one about her cousin’s friend was seriously perplexing, and it’s reassuring that Dr. Fauci came through to share his expert opinion on the matter.

It was only a matter of time before we heard from 50 Cent regarding the exciting Verzuz battle between Fat Joe and Ja Rule on Tuesday night. Given all of the differences that Fiddy has had with Joey Crack and Ja Rule, many expected the executive producer of Power to talk his shit last night, but he was rather silent… until Irv Gotti made some comments in the chat.

After everybody started talking about 50 Cent and whether he would make an appearance, Irv Gotti chimed in and said, “All y’all talking that 50 shit. All good. 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.”

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Instead of aiming for the higher ground and ignoring the taunts, Fif played into Irv’s hand and fought back, dedicating a couple of Instagram posts to him.

Sharing a triplet of images of him bossed up, wearing a designer suit, and smoking a cigar, Fif wrote, “Wtf am i trending for, I said i ain’t doing whatever that shit is they doing. I put they whole label out of business, f*ck with me if you want to. I would stay out of my way if i wasn’t me. LOL.”

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Thus far, Irv Gotti has not responded to 50’s latest posts. Neither has Ja Rule. We will keep you posted on how this progresses in the coming days.

Before all of the Verzuz hoopla took over timelines, Ashanti and Ja Rule made an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. The longtime friends and collaborators were making the rounds like many of the other celebrities on the scene in New York City, but Ashanti was especially touched by a surprise moment that she shared with SZA.

Fans were treated to a video of the brief exchange thanks to Entertainment Tonight. Ashanti and Ja were in the middle of an interview when SZA was walking by with her team, and the Top Dawg Entertainment songbird couldn’t help but interrupt to share a memory and sing Ashanti her praises.

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It seems, according to SZA, that when she was a young teen she waited in line for upwards of 10 hours to get Ashanti’s autograph. The “Good Days” singer revisited the memory in detail, ending her story by telling Ashanti that she would wait forever to see her. The singers embraced as Ja looked on and both he and Ashanti were touched by the heartwarming exchange.

Ashanti shared the clip to social media and added, “This was such an incredible moment last night. We don’t see enough women empowerment.. Women camaraderie… Women showing women love. The perception is that women are so ‘Catty’…. This genuinely made my heart smile and I can’t lie it made me a lil emotional.”

“@sza you are beautiful with a beautiful soul inside and out… and your Talent is Amazing. Love u too I’m a big fan as well [red heart emoji].” Check it out below.

There was reportedly a frightening scene at Ariana Grande’s home this week. The singer, like many celebrities, has been staving off her fair share of stalkers and obsessive fans. The newlywed got married back in May to real estate broker Dalton Gomez, and while she is trying to enjoy the first months of her new life, someone has been showing up at her home.

In May 2020, Ariana received a five-year restraining order against a stalker fan who snuck onto her property. On Tuesday (September 14), TMZ reported that someone else did the same, this time with a weapon.

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According to the outlet, a man identified as 23-year-old Aaron Brown was captured around 2:00 a.m. in the morning at the singer’s Hollywood Hills property. He showed up at Ariana’s residence and reportedly “demanded” to see her, but her security refused to let him in. When they told him to leave the area, Brown reportedly wielded a knife resulting in the Los Angeles Police Department being called to the scene.

Ariana seeming missed the incident altogether and most likely never knew what was happening. It is unknown if she was at the home when Brown arrived. He was arrested and is “facing a felony brandishing charge.” Ariana reportedly has already filed for a temporary restraining order against him.

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Diddy is feeling the heat tonight (September 14) and he wasn’t even the one on the Verzuz stage. We’ve been reporting on Fat Joe and Ja Rule’s match-up along with the aftermath that followed, and while fans are fiercely debating the night’s highlights, Diddy has been stirring the pot.

Hip Hops fans have been rallying for the Bad Boy mogul to take to the stage, but he has repeatedly stated—for over a year now—that he is only interested in pairing up with Dr. Dre. During the Verzuz this evening, fans stated that they wanted to see Diddy and Jermaine Dupri go toe-to-toe, a look that Dupri co-signed, but Sean Combs was clear that the Aftermath icon was his pick.

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Meanwhile, Diddy also spoke directly to Dupri, detailing why he believes he would wash the So So Def founder. “Beloved you my n*gga but your arms too short to box with God!!” he wrote. “You ain’t got enough hits. I’ll smash you with just biggie n Mary . But I do have the upmost respect on you as a musical legend  Dre the only one can get in the ring w me . -LOVE [black heart emoji]”

Those were some big words that elicited a huge response, including a comment from T.I. “I disagree. Side note: Why do I feel NY n*ggaz (Most of which I love,look up to, appreciate and respect)always feel like they so much above competition with their Atlanta (southern)constituents???? @50Cent ducking me the same way (@jermainedupri).”

You know the internet was quick to react to this one. Check it all out below.

Artists love hopping on one another’s tracks in the hopes of creating the next No. 1 charting hit or crafting a hit that the streets will love, but most of the time, we just have a series of rappers and singers jumping from one studio to the next. There have been some epic moments on wax as some of the industry’s favorites have come together, and tonight’s (September 4) Verzuz with Fat Joe and Ja Rule showed that the right link can prove to be a classic decades later.

Over the weekend, Doja Cat made her award show-hosting debut at the MTV Video Music Awards, and later, she caught up with Extra where she spoke with Rachel Lindsay about Planet Her. During the chat, Linsday asked the singer-rapper about her dream collaborations, and Doja revealed that she is planning on being a bit more selective with who she partners up with.

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Planet Her featured looks from artists like The Weeknd, Young Thug, and SZA, and Doja told Lindsay that she has noticed a collaboration trend that she doesn’t want to be a part of.

“I have been trying to be more careful about who I’m collaborating with,” she began. “Not to say that the people on my album are—they’re incredible. They are the perfect features only album, but I do want to be more choosy about what I’m doing because I feel like a lot of features are coming out and it feels like people are just getting on each other’s songs for the sake of having them on each other’s songs.”

“I want to be really careful about that. Sometimes it’s too much collabs and remixes and things like that.” Check out Doja Cat’s clip below and let us know if you think collaborations are getting out of hand.