New Hip Hop News

One of the busiest teams in NBA free agency this year was the Los Angeles Lakers. The team came into the offseason needing an overhaul and that’s exactly what they did as they traded for Russell Westbrook and signed various skilled free agents that will serve as solid role players for the entire season. With that being said, the Lakers have been looking for their 15th roster spot as they still need to fill out the team.

Finding the player to take on this role is always a challenge, especially if you are dealing with cap issues. The Lakers are already teetering at the edge and they needed someone who could come at a small cost.

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According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers have found that guy as they have signed Cam Oliver to an exhibit 10 contract. The undrafted 25-year-old got to play four games with the Houston Rockets last season and he has been looking for NBA work ever since. While he might not be guaranteed a spot on the Lakers, there is no doubt that he’s a player who could find himself a bench role if he impresses in training camp and preseason.

The Lakers and the rest of the league will be engaging in preseason matchups in just a couple of weeks, which is great news for basketball fans who have been yearning for some competition.

Stay tuned to HNHH for more updates from the world of sneakers.

Nikita Dragun, a YouTuber and rapper who identifies as a trans woman, has been causing a lot of uproar on social media over the past 24 hours with her teaser video for her new song, titled “D.I.C.K.” Her use of other celebrities’ likenesses — like Asian Doll’s, for example — has led to heated back-and-forths online and scrutiny on Twitter.

One of the most sensational and heavily criticized moments in Nikita Dragun’s video, however, was when the rising artist appeared to out Tyga, who Blac Chyna recently claimed, “loves trans.” Hours later, Tyga has decided to publicly address the situation.

In response to the clip from Nikita Dragun’s video, Tyga calmly and respectfully addressed her allegations, revealing that they have previously worked together.

“My company shot and directed a music video for her a while back that never dropped .Not sure why she added my likeness to this,” Tyga explained before offering a token of wisdom to his followers. “Ladies and gentlemen clout kills.”

In response to Tyga’s tweets and Nikita Dragun’s decision to include those screenshots in her promotional video, many fans have been extremely critical of her actions. One fan argued that she should have made a better song instead of stooping down to this level, and Jacen Bowman, a makeup artist on HBO Max’s Legendary, also called her out for insinuating Tyga’s sexual preferences.

Check out some of the fan reactions to Nikita Dragun’s questionable promotion of her new song and video “D.I.C.K.”

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Pascal Siakam had himself an incredible campaign with the Toronto Raptors back in 2019 as he helped the team win its first-ever NBA title. The following season, Siakam became a bonafide star although his postseason production took a very obvious dive. After another disappointing season in 2021, there have been various rumors surrounding Siakam’s standing with the Raptors and whether or not the team is going to move forward and trade him.

In a new interview with The New York Times, Siakam got to speak at length about his time with the Raptors and how he feels about the rumors. As you will see, Siakam is keeping a cool head throughout all of it as the Raptors have yet to give him any indication that they want to get rid of him.

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“It didn’t bother me really, because I never really heard anything from the Raptors,” Siakam said. “Even all the news I was seeing it was never like: ‘Oh. The Raptors wanted to give up Siakam for this.’ It was always like, ‘The Warriors like Pascal,’ or it was always, ‘The Kings like Pascal,’ or this. There was never nothing where it was like, ‘The Raptors wanted to give away Pascal.’”

After a season in Tampa Bay, the Raptors will finally be going back to Toronto and the team couldn’t be happier about it. Perhaps with the newfound motivation of being back home, Siakam and the Raptors can get back to their winning ways this season.

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A couple of months ago, following Kim Kardashian filing for divorce from Kanye West, the Donda rapper was allegedly spotted spending his 44th birthday in France with supermodel Irina Shayk.

Naturally, the rumor mill started spinning and didn’t stop spinning until the story was that West and Shayk were interested in each other, started dating until Shayk shut down the romance and the two broke it off. Two relatively mysterious and private people, it was difficult to discern what had actually happened between the two but it was clear that whatever was going on had stopped. 

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Recently, in an interview with Highsnobiety, Shayk avoided giving any details about her relationship or not-relationship with West. 

“Tomorrow there is going to be a rumor that I’m dating my doorman, okay,” Shayk said. Then after tomorrow, it’s going to be someone else. Look, there’s always something there, and I’m just keeping it to myself.” 

Shayk, who shares a four-year-old daughter with A Star Is Born actor Bradley Cooper, left it at that, leaving fans and all intrigued parties no more clarity on the reality of the situation. 

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What we do know, however, is that West seems to be back in the mix with Kim Kardashian after the two allegedly re-wed at West’s third-and-final Donda listening party at Chicago’s Soldier Field and also made an appearance at the 2021 Met Gala wearing all black from head-to-toe, including full face masks.

It’s up in the air whether or not we will ever learn the details of what happened between West and Shayk but as of now we know just as much as we did before Shayk’s Highsnobiety interview — not a whole lot. 

Do you think Kanye and Irina Shayk were a legit item? Are we ever going to know what went down for those handful of months? Let us know in the comments. 

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The Fat Joe vs. Ja Rule Verzuz battle that happened Tuesday night is the gift that keeps on giving. From the more-than three hour back-and-forth between the two New York rappers, to the Nelly/Ashanti hug and huge reaction that followed to that last performance of “New York” by Ja, Joe and the Verzuz king Jadakiss, there has been no shortage of buzz and conversation since the battle ended. 

Last night, on a joint IG Live, Joe and Ja got back together to chop it up and break down their performances from the night before. Somewhere along the line, however, Fat Joe had some bold claims to make in praise of Ja Rule. 

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Comparing the “Down 4 U” rapper to the biggest artist of the current generation, Joe went off.

“I always tell everybody,” Joe started. “You was the Drake before Drake. You had hit after hit after hit after hit.” 

Ja Rule, a criminally underrated player in rap history, went out of his way to clarify that “Drizzy’s the GOAT,” but Joe made sure to give him his flowers while he can still smell them. 

“What I’m saying is for the youth who’s tuned in they don’t realize … they don’t realize that this guy Ja Rule had a run like Drake for years. Just hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit.”

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Fans in the comments both agreed and disagreed and let their side be known but one thing was clear, despite going head-to-head just one night before, Joe wasn’t going to let Ja out of there without paying him the proper respects. Even though Joe showed a ton of love while they rapped at each other and traded guest features like chess moves during their Verzuz, he took it a step further here and let all the kids know that this man Ja was the Drizzy of his time. 

Do you agree with Fat Joe? Was Ja the Drake of his generation? Let us know in the comments. 

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In what can only be described as a match made in bar-heaven, Benny The Butcher has officially confirmed that he’ll be playing a pivotal role on Grafh’s upcoming album. 

Today, the elite Black Soprano Family lyricist took to Twitter to announce the news, revealing that the project will be produced in its entirety by the late Griselda mentor DJ Shay. 

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“OCT.15th @grafh dropping some crazy shit,” reveals Benny, sharing a behind-the-scenes studio picture of himself and Grafh linking up. “Whole tape pro by my mentor @djshaybsf and executive pro by me. Yall kno what this ni*ga pen capable of and a lot of rappers scared of tht type of lyrical ability but I love to tap in with the REAL spitters OCT 15th mark it on ya calendar.”

Those already familiar with Grafh already know that The Oracle emcee is an absolute monster when it comes to the bars — and perhaps even more notably — when it comes to flow. Ever since he first emerged with a slew of mixtapes (and a song over Kanye West production, if you didn’t know) back in the early millennium, it was evident that Grafh was simply flowing differently from the rest of the game. 

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Though he never quite caught on in the mainstream, his technical prowess was deeply appreciated by his peers — and it appears to have remained that way, given Benny The Butcher’s involvement in his upcoming album. Speaking of which, you’ll be able to catch Grafh’s next body of work when it drops on October 15th, produced by DJ Shay and executive-produced by Benny The Butcher.

Are you excited to see The Butcher stepping into a new role? And might we be looking at the album that finally gives Grafh the credit he deserves in the mainstream eye?

On September 4, Cardi B gave birth to her first son with Offset, and it already looks like the mother of two has a big project ahead of her. In addition to the new album that she promised when clapping back at Joe Budden earlier this summer, reports reveal that Cardi B also has a non-music-related business venture in the works.

According to The Neighborhood Talk, Cardi B has teamed up with Starco Brands as a partner and creative director, and together, they will be launching an alcohol-infused whipped cream called WhipShots, which is described as “a playful shot of sophistication, indulgence, and luxury.”

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For those questioning the makeup of Cardi B’s unique take on whipped cream, WhipShots is reportedly a non-dairy, vodka-infused product, so it will be able to be safely stored on shelves or behind bars. An official release date has not yet been revealed, but WhipShots is currently scheduled for a release this December.

“I’m so excited to join Starco Brands with this incredible opportunity,” Cardi B announced in a statement. “Whipshots matches my style—over the top, sexy and unique. Together we’re completely innovating whipped cream and giving it an extra pop. Whipshots is Cardi in a can.”

Will you be sampling Cardi B’s WhipShots when it drops this holiday season?