New Hip Hop News

We haven’t heard much directly from Kanye West since his divorce from Kim Kardashian was announced, but the former presidential hopeful has been quietly working on his next project. The talk of Hip Hop at the moment is Kanye’s album Donda, a project that was teased last year. Rumors circulated about Donda’s arrival in 2020 but after months passed with no further updates, fans believed that Donda was just another phantom project.

However, Justin Laboy reignited Donda discussions after he revealed Ye screened the project and let both him and Kevin Durant received a sneak preview. Then, photos surfaced at ChurchLV in Las Vegas, showing that West hosted a listening party over the weekend.

With all of this Kanye West news comes reports about what fans can expect, including a rumored track titled “Welcome to My Life.” The Sun reported that they spoke with a “source” who was allegedly at the church listening event and they claimed that on the track, West allegedly rapped, “Tell the assassins I escaped from Calabasas.”

The source also said, “It’s a very deep, sad song about Kanye, with him reflecting on his marriage with Kim… He talks about the kids and mentions her taking everything. After he played this song he paused for like, two minutes, and cried. It was really somber.”

On Thursday (July 22), another listening party will be held in Atlanta and it is expected for West to release Donda on Friday. However, he has yet to officially confirm the album’s release date.

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Just months after Cecil Ray Baker was taken into custody after allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home, another American Idol alum has been arrested. The long-running singing competition series has featured thousands of hopefuls looking for their big break, but with that many people comes the possibility of scandals to arise in and outside of the series.

On Monday (July 19), TMZ reported that Ron Bultongez, a singer that appeared during the 2018 season of American Idol, was arrested in Grapevine, Texas after turning himself in just days ago.

According to the outlet, there is little information known about Bultongez’s case, but it looks as if the Lone Star State native “is facing multiple counts of sex with a minor.” TMZ reportedly read through court documents and learned that the singer has been “charged with 4 counts of sexual penetration of a minor under the age of 17.” The alleged incidents are said to have occurred on four different occasions between December 2020 and February 2021.

Bultongez has reportedly posted his $50K bond and has been released from custody. He will return to court soon to answer to the charges against him. Details regarding the alleged victim or victims have not yet been shared. 

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A radio interview was hit with an awkward moment for Safaree Samuels. The Love & Hip Hop star has been stealing the public’s attention after he and estranged wife Erica Mena announced that they were divorcing. The news came just weeks before the former couple welcomed their second child together, and since that time, there have been rumors about the bitter split.

Concurrently, the dissolution of Samuels and Mena’s marriage is being played out on reality television as the latest season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta has recently premiered. As viewers watch the tense moments between the pair every week, this breakup has caused the public to once again bring up Safaree’s past relationship with Nicki Minaj.

Taylor Hill / Stringer / Getty Images

Samuels and Minaj were reportedly together for over a decade before deciding to split, and although it has been about eight years since their breakup, Safaree is still pegged with questions about his ex. He recently stopped by Streetz 94.5 Atlanta to chat with Yung Joc and took time to answer questions pulled out of a hat.

He struggled with one question that was obviously about Nicki, but he couldn’t make himself answer. Joc read the question aloud and it was asking Safaree if he ever listened to Minaj’s songs while having sex. The room erupted in laughter, but Samuels dodged it all together.

“No, that’s not a good question,” he said. “That woman is married with a brand new baby. God bless.” They quickly moved on, but people have still continued to attack the reality star over his past romance with the rapper. Check it out below.

We can’t imagine what the loved ones of Frankie Lons are experiencing today. Hours ago, we reported that the reality star mother to Keyshia Cole passed away, and the internet swarmed to send kind thoughts and words to the singer as well as Frankie’s family and friends. It has been reported that Lons died from an overdose on her birthday, marking a tragic ending on a celebratory day.

Frankie Lons had been outspoken about her recovery from substance abuse after struggling with addiction for decades. Back in January, Keyshia shared that her mom was checking into a rehabilitation center and by March, she was offering an update on Frankie’s recovery. Fans worldwide were hoping for a different outcome from this story as they shared messages of support.

Ray Tamarra / Contributor / Getty Images

Although they’re divorced and haven’t been together for years, former NBA star Daniel “Booby” Gibson shared a touching message about his ex-mother-in-law after receiving the news about her death.

“Frank the Bank [shout emoji] i love u forever. from day 1 you showed me love,” Gibson wrote on Instagram. “I mean after you roasted my big ass shoes lol it wasn’t never a day we saw each other we weren’t laughing bout sum’n. thankful i got to share some real time wit someone real as you.. legends never die & you deflee that in my eyes. [pleading emoji][praying hands emoji] #FlyHighFrankie.”

We continue to send our heartfelt condolences to Keyshia Cole and her loved ones. Check out Gibson’s post below.

Since withdrawing from both the French Open and Wimbledon, Naomi Osaka received support from sports fans and mental health advocates worldwide. The tennis champion is one of the most talked-about figures in the sports world as she’s been poised to take the titles for several major competitions, but the introverted, soft-spoken 23-year-old recently came forward to say that she would be taking a break to focus on her mental health, as bein in the spotlight can take its toll.

The response to the news, for the most part, has been positive as people understood the importance of not pushing oneself too hard, especially as we see more stories of entertainers and sports figures committing suicide, self-harming, or turning to drugs as a way to cope, often resulting in overdoses.

Recently, Osaka was featured on several magazine covers as she’s spoken more in-depth about her experiences, but two political commentators decided it was the perfect time to attack Osaka’s business moves. Clay Travis, a political and sports commentator, sparked the social media controversy after he denounced Osaka on Twitter.

“Since saying she’s too introverted to talk to the media after tennis matches, Naomi Osaka has launched a reality show, a Barbie, and now is on the cover of the SI swimsuit issues,” Travis wrote. Former Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly retweeted the post and chided, “Let’s not forget the cover of (& interview in) Vogue Japan and Time Mag!”

The posts didn’t go ignored by Osaka who defended herself. “Seeing as you’re a journalist I would’ve assumed you would take the time to research what the lead times are for magazines, if you did that you would’ve found out I shot all of my covers last year,” Osaka said. “Instead your first reaction is to hop on here and spew negativity, do better Megan.“

That was about all Osaka wanted to say to Kelly because she quickly blocked her, however, that didn’t stop Kelly from trolling the tennis champ about her social anxiety and mental health struggles. 

“[Osaka] blocked me while taking a shot at me (guess she’s only tough on the courts),” Kelly stated. “She is apparently arguing that she shot her many covers b/4 publicly claiming she was too socially anxious to deal w/press. Truth is she just doesn’t like Qs she can’t control. Admit it.” It didn’t take long for Kelly to become a public pariah as she was called insensitive—among other things. Kelly has continued to defend her remarks while calling out “Twitter trolls.”

Piers Morgan, who also harshly criticized Naomi Osaka when she first revealed her mental health struggles, jumped on the bandwagon to say he, too, was blocked by the sports star. Kelly was previously fired from NBC amid her Blackface controversy and most recently made controversial statements regarding the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol. Read through it all below.