New Hip Hop News

As a star who has lived her entire life as a celebrity, Willow is known for many things, from simply being Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s daughter to her work as a co-host on Red Table Talk, but it would be criminal to look past Willow’s musical efforts. Since her debut album ARDIPITHECUS in 2015, Willow has been growing as a singer and songwriter over projects like The 1st and WILLOW, and most recently, the young artist treated fans with the pop-punk tinged single “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l.” 

Now, following the arrival of “LIPSTICK” on Friday, Willow has finally revealed more information about her highly anticipated fourth studio album. Titled lately I feel EVERYTHING, Willow’s previously teased pop-punk and rock-focused album will arrive on Friday, July 16. Check out the album’s cover art below.

According to Complex, Willow is looking to explore a new sonic territory that’s inspired by artists such as My Chemical Romance and Paramore, and her highly anticipated collaboration with Avril Lavigne will also appear on the album. In a statement, she reveals, “I just wanted to let loose with this album. I wanted to have fun and be young and not be so existential and worrying all the time. I thought this was a really dope outlet for a new energy I wanted to bring to my music.”

Willow’s forthcoming album lately I feel EVERYTHING is set to hit streaming services in a matter of weeks, but in the meantime, you can check out her latest single “LIPSTICK” below.

[via]

More than five years have passed since the world lost the beloved music legend Prince, and to this day, his legacy lives on through new posthumous music, tribute performances, and unbelievable stories told by celebrities like Dave Chappelle. Now, it appears that Prince has once again made headlines after a rare copy of his handwritten lyrics were auctioned off at an insane price.

According to TMZ, Prince’s handwritten lyrics to “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was recently covered by H.E.R. at the Emmys In Memoriam ceremony last fall, hit the auction block at Boston-based RR Auction. One person walked away with some pretty amazing music memorabilia, and another walked away with nearly $151,000.

George De Sota/Liaison/Getty Images

After paying $150,986 for the sheet of notebook paper adorned with Prince’s cursive handwriting and the white console marking tape he used to use to attach his lyrics to his mic while recording, the fan who was able to secure the rare artifact also reportedly received a letter of provenance from Prince’s former assistant, Therese Stoulil. According to TMZ, Stoulil explained how she originally came to possess Prince’s handwritten lyrics to “Nothing Compares 2 U,” saying, “There was a knock on my door, and I looked out the bedroom window and saw a black BMW in my driveway and immediately recognized it as Duane’s, Prince’s half-brother.”

“I went downstairs opened the door, and he only said ‘this is from Prince’ then he got in his car and left,” Stoulil continued. “Once I realized what Duane delivered, I was both stunned and humbled.”

The song was originally written and recorded for Prince’s 80s outfit The Family, but it actually received global acclaim after Sinead O’Connor famously covered it 1990. 

Listen to Prince’s original studio version of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was surprisingly just released in 2018, below.

[via]

LaMelo Ball had himself a monstrous rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets that had many fans excited for the future of the franchise. Ball was easily one of the most exciting point guards in the league and every single night, he came through with a highlight reel pass. His efforts were good enough to win him the Rookie of the Year trophy and heading into next season, Ball is expected to elevate his game and become one of the best young players in the NBA.

As for his father LaVar, well, he is extremely excited about his son’s accomplishment. LaVar has always been boastful about his kids, and after this Rookie of the Year award, you can be sure that LaVar is looking to cash in. Recently, the Ball family patriarch took to the Big Baller Brand Instagram account where he unveiled a brand new commemorative hat for LaMelo’s ROTY award. As you can see, the hat says “I Told You So” and even has the ROTY acronym on the side.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

“That’s right, I don’t even got to say nothing,” LaVar said. “It went down the way I said it was going to go down.” The hats are now being sold for a limited time on the Big Baller Brand website, and we’re sure there are plenty of LaMelo fans who are ready and willing to cop.

Needless to say, it’s a good time to be LaVar Ball right now.

Draymond Green has consistently been one of the best defensive players in the entire NBA over the last decade although when it comes to his offensive game, he has received a ton of criticism. Despite this, Green plays on a team with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson which means he doesn’t really need to be good on offense. All he has to do is come up with big defensive stops and facilitate whenever it is asked of him. This strategy has gotten him four NBA titles and next year, the Warriors could find themselves as contenders again.

During a recent appearance on The Shop, Green spoke about the criticism he has faced over the years and how a lot of it is pointless. As he notes in the clip below, he doesn’t shoot the ball often because he would rather let Curry take the shot, given that Curry is one of the greatest shooters of all time. Given the circumstances, you can’t argue his logic.

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

“That’s why there’s a lot of unsuccessful people and a lot of fucking dumbass and you can tell by the criticism that comes to you,” Green said. “I found that solace in that in over the last couple of years and just like listening to people, and what they say, and the criticism, it actually shows you how f—ing stupid people are through their criticism. People would say, ‘Draymond, you should shoot!’ But if I can get Steph Curry the ball for a fucking shot, why would I shoot? You’re actually a fucking idiot for thinking I should shoot because I can get him the shot, and if he’s half-open it’s better than anyone else in the world.”

Green and the Warriors went to five straight finals and while they have had a lack of success over the last couple of years, there is no denying that their dynasty was one of the most impressive in the history of the league.

On Friday, Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, a heinous act caught on camera during the early days of the pandemic last year that sparked a nationwide call for justice. From Chauvin being found guilty in April to President Joe Biden making Juneteenth an official national holiday earlier this month, Floyd’s tragic passing has inspired the United States to take some crucial steps toward mending the historically tense race relations, but Chauvin’s sentence of 270 months has many divided as to whether the judge made the right call.

Naturally, people have been waiting to hear from Stephen Jackson, one of Floyd’s close friends, about his opinion on Chauvin’s sentencing, and finally the All The Smoke co-host has posted an official video statement to Instagram. At the start of the video, Jackson pleads people to stop calling his phone for his input on the sentencing, and to make his stance clear, he offers his definitive thoughts on the situation once and for all.

“Long Live Georgie,” Jackson writes in the video’s caption. “I done seen brothers get life for a slab of crack. Smdh.”

Stephen Jackson starts his video off by saying, “I’m sitting here trying to work. Please stop calling my phone, I don’t give a damn about no 22 years. It ain’t gonna bring my twin back. It ain’t gonna bring GiGi daddy back. It ain’t gonna stop nobody tears. It ain’t gonna stop GiGi for asking where her daddy at and how much she miss him. So I don’t give a damn about no 22 years — it ain’t never enough.”

“But I’mma continue to step in his name,” Jackson continues. “And I’mma continue to do my part. I miss you Georgie. GiGi miss you, and we gon’ continue to ride…I’mma mourn you ’til I join you…We ain’t gon’ stop. 22 years ain’t enough. Can’t bring you back. I miss you bro.”

Check out the All The Smoke co-host’s brief Instagram statement on Derek Chauvin’s 22.5-year sentence below.

How do you feel about Stephen Jackson’s position on the issue? Do you think that Chauvin’s sentencing was fair?

Since his introduction to the rap game, Lil Pump has always been about flexing his material wealth. Whenever he appears on video, you can expect him to talk about his jewelry, his cash, and his vehicles. He’s shameless when it comes to this kind of stuff and while he hasn’t released music in a very long time, he is still keen on letting fans know just how rich he is.

Unfortunately for Pump, it was revealed over the weekend that the IRS hit him with a $90K tax lien after allegedly not paying some of his taxes. This news came as a surprise to fans, and apparently, Pump as well. The rapper hit up social media and even called out DJ Akademiks as he claimed that the report was fake news.

“Listen, do not believe the internet,” Pump said. “That shit is all cap bruh. $90,000, that’s on my wrist right now. Another 90, that’s on my neck. Don’t play with my body.”

Needless to say, Pump doesn’t appreciate his wealth being questioned. However, it is important to note that one can still be wealthy and not pay taxes, as we have seen countless times over the years. Regardless, this is an issue between Pump and the IRS.

Stay tuned for updates on the situation as we will be sure to bring them to you.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images