New Hip Hop News

What began as a meeting of creatives hoping to pass the time during quarantine has turned into a lucrative business for Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. Verzuz is shifting how veteran artists share their music, especially those who struggle to find footing in today’s everchanging culture. The series has become a celebration of innovators from Scott Storch to the Isley Brothers to the upcoming matchup with Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat this week, Verzuz is the place where artists want to showcase their talents, but Stephanie Mills claims they aren’t interested in her and Chaka Khan.

Mills is one of the most celebrated R&B singers in history who has acted on the Broadway stage, had several No. 1 hits, and has been making music since the 1960s. There were rumors that she and her equally-accomplished friend and fellow artist Chaka Khan would make an appearance on Verzuz, but Mills shut down the gossip.

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“We will not be doing Verzuz,” Mills said while on Cocktails With Queens. “We were in talks to do Verzuz and they decided to go another way. They were not interested in Chaka and I doing Verzuz.”

The hosts seemed surprised to hear that these two icons were allegedly snubbed by Verzuz officials and Vivica Fox insisted it would have been a “diva concert” unlike any other. The women suggested that maybe the powers that be wanted Mills to be paired with someone else, but the singer stated that Chaka Khan would be the only person she would share the stage with.

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Syleena Johnson chimed in, adding that both Mills and Chaka have catalogs filled with hits, and some people who have made appearances “don’t hold a candle” to them. “Today, people don’t really respect the R&B people from back in the day,” said Mills. “They really have no respect for that.”

After Fox Soul shared the clip of the interview, Swizz slid in their comments to refute Mills’s claims. “That’s not the truth with all due respect and Love[praying hands emoji] Why would we ever not be interested in 2 amazing Queens [praying hands emoji][shrug emoji] I have no idea who told them this info.” Maybe it will happen, after all.

Check out the clip from Cocktails with Queens below.

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His daughter Coi Leray may have been nominated for her first BET award this year, but Benzino still wasn’t impressed by what the network had to offer. There were many unforgettable moments during the ceremony including the Ruff Ryders honoring DMX, the ladies of Rap honoring Queen Latifah with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and who can forget that steamy, yet controversial kiss Lil Nas X had at the end of his performance.

Thousands of people took to social media to complain about Lil Nas X, including Benzino who called for the Source Awards to make a return. “That sh*t BET pulled yesterday was lame asf,” he wrote in a text image.

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“It was too uncomfortable, too irresponsible, too forced and too irrelevant to the awards,” he continued. “Homie ain’t even hot like that for music anymore anyway. It’s a shame what all this is comming too. I wish I has the backing to bring the Source Awards back.” He wasn’t quite finished and continued his thoughts in the caption.

“I bought ol town road for ZINO, he knows every word but all the satanic sh*t I’m just not with,” Benzino added. He questioned how parents were supposed to explain Lil Nas X’s performance to their children while insisting he has “respect and love for the gay community.”  He added, “I could see if he was pooping but it was unexpected and unnecessary. I didn’t care for the Madonna kiss either. I could see if they way dating.”

“Now I hope I don’t offend anyone because this post wasn’t meant for that.” Check out his post below and let us know if you agree with Benzino.

Last year, disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault, but that isn’t the end of his legal battle. Earlier this month, Weinstein learned that he would be moved from New York to California to face 11 new charges, all related to sexual assault, as well. There have reportedly been murmurs about his alleged inappropriate behaviors in the industry for years, and now that Weinstein has been called out and locked up, some creatives are coming forward with their firsthand stories—including Quentin Tarantino.

The famed filmmaker recently sat down with Joe Rogan and discussed a myriad of topics, including Weinstein’s alleged illicit affairs. Tarantino called Weinstein a “f*cked up father figure” and suggested that the producer had a reputation of being unprofessional in certain settings.

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“I wish I had done more. I wish I had talked to the guy,” said Tarantino. “I wish I had sat him down and had the uncomfortable conversation. I didn’t know about any rapes or anything like that… but I knew he was like, you know… I chalked it up to the boss chasing the secretary around the desk… you know, he was making unwanted advances. That’s how I looked at it.”

In April, there were reports that Weinstein was struggling behind bars, as it was said that he was going blind and losing his teeth. Listen to Rogan and Tarantino converse about Hollywood below.

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If Rap fans are looking for the next beef, Jackboy does not want to provide. Earlier today (June 29), there were hints that Kodak Black and his protegé had some sort of disagreement and Kodak went as far as to say that he would no longer be taking on new artists to his label. “These n*ggas ungrateful,” he tweeted mysteriously. Some believed that Jackboy bit back with lyrics pulled from Kevin Gates’s “Vouch,” but he claimed on Livestream that he won’t be addressing private matters with the public.

“I ain’t answering sh*t,” he told his viewers. “I ain’t got sh*t bad to say about people. You ain’t gon’ get that from me… You ain’t gon’ have no video of me on YouTube.”

“Nah, that’s my brother at the end of the day,” Jackboy continued. “Hey, see your number, unblock me off Instagram, see your number, and I can holla at you. All that other sh*t… Everybody know like, as far as Day Ones, Jackboy a real ass n*gga. So, I’m not gonna go in detail or explain sh*t to nobody. I don’t care. I do not care about Instagram that much.”

“I never wanted to be a rapper in my life. I started rapping probably like, three years ago, four years ago” he continued. “This sh*t don’t mean that much to me. I made millions off this sh*t. I already won. I bought my mom a house. I won. I bought my mom a car, paid off, I won. All my cars, I got three cars, paid off. I won. Like, I’m not finna come on here and talk bad about my brother.“

He added that he will only take his grievances to Kodak in a one-on-one conversation, not in a back and forth for public discourse. Check out Jackboy explaining himself below.

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They recently exchanged pleasantries on social media, leaving fans to believe that they were cooking something up musically, however, that may not be the case. Saweetie and Cher seem like an unlikely pair when thinking of collaborations on wax, but in an interview with Billboard on the BET Awards red carpet this past weekend, Saweetie brought some clarity to their recent connection.

“Me and Cher are working on a really big campaign,” said the “My Type” rapper. “I can’t share too much because of contracts.”

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Saweetie was all set to share her Pretty B*tch Music debut studio album last Friday (June 25), adding her name to the high profile releases of the day including Doja Cat’s Planet Her and Tyler, The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost. However, she shared that she decided to delay the project’s release after meeting Cher.

“I thought [the album] was done, but after I met her, I had an epiphany,” said Saweetie. “This album needs to have feelings, it needs to have soul, it needs to have spirit. And I have a lot of room for improvement, so I’m gonna work on that. And once it’s done, the album will be released.”

When asked what fans can expect from the record, Saweetie added, “I’mma take y’all to the island.” There has yet to be an updated release timeline, but we’re sure Saweetie will alert her fans as soon as she’s been given the green light.

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The ongoing legal dispute involving Future and the mother of his daughter, Eliza Reign, is reportedly set to go to trial. The pair have been engaged in a bitter child support case where the pair have exchanged a slew of accusations, and after Future was legally declared the father of two-year-old Reign, Eliza demanded that he shares financial responsibility.

According to Radar Online, they’ve viewed court documents that show the two parents will reconvene in Florida on August 26. In 2018, a pregnant Eliza surfaced with accusations that the rapper was the father of her child, but after giving birth in April 2019, Future still hadn’t publicly accepted that the little girl was his.

Eliza sued Future and reportedly stated in documents that she wanted $53K per month in child support, however, he didn’t agree. After Future allegedly stated that Eliza was using him and her child for a money-grab and later, he returned the favor and sued her, albeit for defamation. Future alleged that due to her public remarks about him, she was “ruining his reputation.” His case was reportedly tossed out after paternity results returned.

The rapper has agreed to pay $1K per month, but a judge increased that to $3,200. However, Eliza wasn’t satisfied with either number and her attorneys have been petitioning the court to receive an in-depth analysis of Future’s finances—including documentation showing his agreements with all of the mothers of his reported other seven children.

Around the time that Eliza was first making her claims about Future, a woman named Cindy Parker also stated that Future was the father of her young son, Legend Wilburn. She reportedly attempted to take Future to court, as well, but she mysteriously vanished and never said a word about him again. It is alleged that she, like many of the other mothers of the rapper’s children, made an agreement out of court that included not speaking publicly about Future.

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