New Hip Hop News

The man accused of murdering Nipsey Hussle back in 2019 will finally face a judge and during trial. We previously reported on the multiple delays facing Eric Holder’s case, much of which was due to the COVID-19 quarantine, but the New York Daily News stated in a new report that Holder’s trial is tentatively set to begin this December.

On Tuesday (June 29), Holder’s public defender, Aaron Jansen, appeared in court on behalf of his client who didn’t show face in the courtroom. While he was at the courthouse, it’s reported that Holder didn’t appear because his lawyer didn’t want him filmed by television camera crews walking in handcuffs. “I did not want him portrayed in a way that would be prejudicial to him,” said Jansen.

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Holder is charged with one count of murder for the death of Nipsey Hussle and two counts of attempted murder for the other surviving victims who were shot during the incident. Authorities claimed two different guns were used in the crime, both allegedly by Holder. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

“He does have a significant mental health history,” Jansen reportedly said of his client. “One of the things affecting him [in March 2019] was that his mother had just passed away. He was pretty despondent.” However, Jansen claimed Holder is “in good spirits.” Jansen added, “He wants me to send him some books. He’s so isolated [in custody]. He doesn’t get out of his cell much, only one day a week for a few hours to play basketball alone.”

Holder is being held on a $6.5 million bond but Jansen doesn’t believe that his client is a flight risk. During the grand jury testimony, witnesses claimed Holder engaged in a four-minute conversation with Nipsey where the rapper allegedly said something about him “snitching.” Prosecutors claim Holder left the location, went and ate food, then returned to the Marathon Store and opened fire. 

Prior to being represented by Jansen, Holder’s attorney was Christopher Darden, the lawyer involved in the infamous O.J. Simpson trial back in the 1990s. Darden later recused himself following threats being made to his family and is reportedly now defending one of the suspects accused of killing Pop Smoke.

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Shooting your shot online has worked wonders in the industry as artists often take to social media to publicly ask their fellow creatives to collaborate. It certainly isn’t unfamiliar in the Rap game, and just days ago, we saw DaBaby ask how he can go about getting Jay-Z on a track. While he does his best to link up with Hov, Jazmine Sullivan followed suit and took a chance at asking Megan Thee Stallion if she’d be open to making magic in the studio.

Over on Instagram, Megan shared a photo of herself all dolled up with the caption, “Money meg [flying cash emoji].” Sullivan wasted no time.

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“MEG LETS DO A SONGGGG,” she said. However, she joking threw in some conditions. “I can’t dance, my knees are bad but I can sing sometimes! Lessgo where my old knee heauxs at?? [hands raised emoji].” Fans are debating the possibility of this collaboration, but the overwhelming majority have co-signed Sullivan’s request.

Both Megan and Jazmine took to the 2021 BET Awards sage last weekend, with Sullivan appearing alongside Ari Lennox. Thee Stallion made a splash with her track “Thot Sh*t” while also capturing attention during DJ Khaled’s stream of hitmakers sharing the stage with him. Check out Jazmine Sullivan’s plea to Megan Thee Stallion below along with her BET Awards performance.

The Weeknd has been a busy man as of late. The rapper is over a year removed from the release of After Hours but this year, he’s crushed the Super Bowl stage, won big at the award shows, and is currently preparing to hit finally hit the road in promotion of his latest album. Meanwhile, he’s also been doing humanitarian work and has already teased the release of new music. However, it seems like his calendar will be quickly filled up since he also has a TV show in the works.

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According to Variety, The Weeknd is currently developing a series at HBO alongside the creator of Euphoria, Sam Levinson. The Weeknd will not only star in the show but he’ll be hands-on in its creation, serving as a co-writer. The show, titled The Idol, follows the story of a budding female pop singer who gets romantically involved with a mysterious L.A. club owner who ends up being the leader of a secret cult on the low.

The Weeknd has been diving deeper into acting in recent years. Though he made a cameo in American Dad, he more prominently appeared in Uncut Gems alongside Adam Sandler. The new show will put a spotlight on acting which will certainly be an interesting change of pace for both The Weeknd and his fans.

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As we celebrate the Verzuz series for hosting dozens of our favorite artists from Soul to Hip Hop to R&B to Rap, fans still have lists of artists that they want to see take the stage. There has been a mysterious date looming with guests who had yet to be identified, and on Tuesday (June 29), it was announced that the next set of artists bringing their favorite hits to Verzuz will be two icons: Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat.

The catalogs of these two R&B legends speak for themselves and fans are excited to see what Brown and Sweat come up with this week.

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According to The Shade Room, this Verzuz will be presented via the Essence Festival of Culture, an event that will take place virtually on Thursday, July 1. This is a quick back-to-back Verzuz as we just watched Bow Wow and Soulja Boy rake in millions of views when they came together in Los Angeles last weekend in an entertaining performance that included a host of famous guests who stole the show.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Bobby Brown or Keith Sweat will bring out any special guests, as well, and fans are already predicting a New Edition or LSG reunion. At least, they’re crossing their fingers. Check out the announcement below and let us know if you’re looking forward to this one. 

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2021 was supposed to be the year when 1017 reclaimed their place in trap music. With Gucci Mane’s relaunch of the label, the latest line-up of artists was well on their way to carving out their space in the current landscape of trap music. Pooh Shiesty was leading the charge as “Back In Blood” remains in constant rotation but unfortunately, his legal matters have put a hold on his budding career. 

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According to Miami Herald, the rapper indictment has been handed down in relation to a shooting in October 2020 in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida. Photos taken from the rapper’s Instagram page were used as evidence in his indictment. Investigators said that one of the photos shows the rappers showing off “several long rifles and plethora of $100.00 bills.” One of the bills, investigators said, matched the serial numbers of a bill that was inside of a Louis Vuitton bag that fell out of the McLaren he’s accused of driving at the time of the shooting. 

The indictment charged Pooh Shiesty with discharging a firearm during a violent crime, conspiracy, and robbery. The rapper was taken into federal custody. 

Saam Zangeneh, the attorney for the Shiesty Season rapper, told reporters earlier this month that they expected charges would be laid. However, Shiesty maintains his innocence. “We have been in communication with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and we believe they have a federal detainer on him and are likely to file federal charges,” said Zangenah. “That doesn’t change our position as to his 100 percent innocence, in both state and federal matters.”

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