New Hip Hop News

The hate is real out West. According to a new report from California’s Attorney General, hate crimes in California have increased by over 30% in 2020, mainly fueled by a big jump in crimes targeting Black people following the racial tensions of the past year and death of George Floyd.

Black people only account for 6.5% of California’s population of an estimated 40 million people, but yet represent 30% of all hate crimes. “What we see from these reports is what we have seen and felt all year — we are in the midst of a racial justice reckoning in this country. It’s multi-faceted, and it cannot be solved overnight.” Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

California saw some of the largest protests following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. And it also saw a surge in attacks on people of Asian descent following the emergence of the coronavirus in China. “For too many, 2020 wasn’t just about a deadly virus, it was about an epidemic of hate as well,” Bonta said while speaking in Oakland’s Chinatown..

“There was a surge in anti-Asian violence correlated with the words of leaders who sought to divide us when we were at our most vulnerable,” Bonta, a Democrat, said in an apparent reference to former President Donald Trump.

California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, said he is seeking $300 million to address hate crimes, with one-third going to support victims and the remainder for community-based responses. We’ll see if he comes through though.

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American champion Sha’Carri Richardson has been suspended from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics because of a failed drug test for marijuana. It was revealed on Thursday night that the 21-year-old sprinter had failed a drug test and was at risk of being suspended for a month, which would force her to miss the Olympics. She revealed she was effectively banned from the event during an appearance on the Today Show on Friday morning.

Accepting a 30-day ban, Sha’Carri Richardson will be cleared to compete on July 27, which means she can realistically perform in the women’s relay race. However, she will miss the 100-meter race, which she qualified for by winning in trials with a time of 10.86 seconds. 

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Richardson recently revealed the death of her mother, claiming that she smoked marijuana as a method of coping with her loss. “I am human,” she tweeted last night before elaborating on television. “I was definitely triggered and blinded by emotions, blinded by badness, and hurting, and hiding hurt. I know I can’t hide myself, so in some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain.”

Because she completed a counseling program, her suspension was lessened from three months to one month. She hopes to be able to compete in the relay, saying, “I’m grateful, but if not, I’m just going to focus on myself.”

What do you think about this?

Stock trading app Robinhood has taken a number of L’s this year as they’ve found themselves in the midst of criticism from users– however, they came out on top this week after a lawsuit against them filed by rapper Ice Cube was dismissed. The lawsuit, which was filed in March, claimed that the company used the rapper/actor’s face and signature line- “Check Yo’ Self”- in an unauthorized promotion for the company’s news platform, Robinhood Snacks. A judge dismissed the lawsuit for lack of standing.

The suit was filed when, in a blog post, the company used an image of Ice Cube along with the caption “Correct Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself.” The actor argued that the caption was too similar to his “Check Yo’ Self” line, and that his likeness was used without consent. His team asserted that the unlawful endorsement was grounds for economic injury. 

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Robinhood denied any wrongdoing, instead clarifying that the Ice Cube reference wasn’t akin to an endorsement: “No, we didn’t use his image without permission. The image was licensed and used for non-commercial, editorial purposes in connection with a blog article,” according to Arent Fox. 

The Judge agreed with the trading company, finding that the Ice Cube reference was solely an “illustration of an article about market corrections…[and did] not suggest [Ice Cube] endorsed Robinhood.”

Ice Cube’s team responded strongly with: “Calling blatant propaganda for Robinhood’s trading app and online services merely ‘editorial use’ shows someone needs to send their lawyer back to school.”

Ice Cube himself said that Robinhood was the “antithesis of everything he stands for,” calling their services “terrible.”

Do you think ice Cube should’ve won? Let us know.

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It looks like Eminem has himself a new artist on Shady Records. According to HipHopDX and other outlets, Eminem has signed rising LA rapper, GRIP, to a deal with Shady Records. The news was first revealed by GRIP, who shared a photo on twitter yesterday of himself posted up in the studio with Eminem and added a handshake emoji indicating they’ve sealed the deal. Slim Shady promptly retweeted the photo on Thursday, reiterating the news himself.

“It was one of those full circle moments because I grew up on Eminem so to have him reach out and let me know how dope my shit is was so cool. Excited to partner with Shady/Interscope and get the music out on a larger platform” – Grip said of his new deal. 

Label President Paul Rosenberg says, “Grip is the type of artist that brings you into his world and expresses himself through a complete composed body of work. If true album artists in this era are a rare breed- then Grip is a unicorn! We’re excited for him to join the Shady Records family.”

Shady Records’ roster currently consists of artists such as Boogie, Bad Meets Evil, Conway The Machine and of course Eminem, according to its website. Conway’s fellow Griselda member Westside Gunn was previously signed to the label but announced he’d left during an episode of The Joe Budden Podcast last November. “Um, I’m off Shady,” he told Budden. “I’m off Shady. I’m actually a free agent. It feels great. Who Made The Sunshine was it. I already spoke to Paul [Rosenberg]. Everything’s good. Like, everything’s signed, sealed and delivered I have my paperwork, like I’m off Shady.

GRIP is currently working on his debut album for Shady, coming later this year. In the meantime, check out his new single “Gutter” right here.

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During an appearance on Kwame Brown’s podcast, Faizon Love claimed that years ago, he made out with actress Gabrielle Union inside of a nightclub. “Gabrielle Union and I had a nice kiss in the club,” said the comedian. “It was me, Gabby, and Vince Carter. Ask Vince Carter about that night. Everybody knows about the infamous Faizon-Gabby tongue down.”

His admission started to go viral on social media before Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union’s husband, responded with a funny video imagining what things could have been like in an alternate reality where Faizon ends up marrying Gabby.

Jeff Snyder/Getty Images

“What almost was [laughing emojis],” wrote DWade on Instagram, pasting Faizon’s face over his own wedding pictures. “@faizonlove thank you for this forever material I now have on my wife! #Wetsloppykisses #pettylevels.”

Gabby seemingly isn’t pleased about this information getting out there, commenting on her husband’s post, “[skull emojis] [laughing emojis] now you know damn well… [puking emoji].”

What do you think about Faizon Love and Gabrielle Union’s tongue down? And what about Dwyane Wade’s reaction to it all?

DWade doesn’t have much to worry about these days, living out his dreams and recently buying an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz. The retired NBA star has been making big moves in his post-playing career and he’s not worried about Faizon Love stealing his wife.

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