Deante’ Hitchcock Demands His Roses On “Roses x OutKast (Freestyle)”

by

Since the start of March, Atlanta rap upstart Deante’ Hitchcock has been unleashing freestyles of epic proportions on his YouTube channel every Tuesday. For the freestyle series, which is aptly titled #NewAtlantaTuesdays, Hitchcock has covered a mixture of classic Hip-Hop beats as well as production from some of the most popular songs out right now. To kick the series off, the Better artist jumped on Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III standout “Let The Beat Build,” and in the weeks following, he’s dropped freestyles to SpotemGottem’s viral TikTok hit “Beat Box” and Drake’s chart-topping single “What’s Next.” Now for the fourth installment of #NewAtlantaTuesdays, Deante’ Hitchcock returns with a two-minute take on a classic Atlanta beat from one of Hip-Hop’s most legendary duos.

On “Roses x OutKast (Freestyle),” Hitchcock bodies the beat to OutKast’s beloved Speakerboxxx/The Love Below cut “Roses.” Throughout the course of his freestyle, the ByStorm and RCA artist addresses his status as an “underrated” and “slept-on” artist while also discussing how those labels have affected him personally. Like the past three installments in the #NewAtlantaTuesdays series, “Roses x OutKast (Freestyle)” arrives in the form of a video, which shows Hitchcock sitting in a parking lot at an abandoned building. Throughout the video, he’s seen holding a sign that reads “WHILE I’M STILL HERE,” alluding to the fact that the Riverdale artist wants his roses now, rather than later.

If you haven’t been tuning in to Deante’ Hitchcock’s #NewAtlantaTuesdays freestyle series, be sure to do so, as many of them have been teasing his follow-up to his incredible debut album Better. 

Quotable Lyrics

How could I relate to n*ggas that’s thinkin’ I’m underrated
When my momma think I made it up off of these songs
How could I mistake a n*gga that’s sayin’ I’m underrated wit hate
Like they ain’t been playin my sh*t all along
Why would I debate wit n*ggas on Twitter
Bout how much realer my sh*t is than them other n*ggas lyin’ in songs

Melle Mel Explains Why He Thinks Jay-Z Is Overrated

by

Legendary artist Melle Mel has been on a tear this week, making comments that have been pretty controversial during his sit-down interview with VladTV. The strongly-opinionated 59-year-old icon previously declared that he would have no issue defeating Eminem in a rap battle, also speaking on why The Notorious B.I.G. would not have been successful in the earlier days of hip-hop. In the latest portion of his interview to be released, Melle Mel speaks about his comments that Jay-Z is “overrated”, giving the reason why he thinks that.


Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

“I think a lot of rappers are overrated. Yeah,” said Melle Mel before celebrating Jay-Z’s skills as a businessman. However, the legendary emcee says he wouldn’t put Hov at the top of his most skilled rappers list. “No, because the main problem I have with dudes like that, with a lot of these dudes, when you made it, you made it. Now you out. Forget the street guy act. You’re not street like that. I’m not even a street guy, I’m a hood n***a. I’m not a street n***a ’cause I know I’m not gon’ be out on the street like that. And then, to take it a step further, these guys live in the big houses, they live in the best neighborhoods, there ain’t no street dudes around, but you’re gonna have this street dude thinking that being on the street is the right thing to do and the right person to be? You gotta give the people that’s left in the hood something to hold onto to make it out of the hood.

A lot of this hip-hop sh*t made the ghetto permanent. You ain’t supposed to stay there like that. That’s why I say a lot of them is overrated because what they’re doing is they’re selling a product and then after the product is sold, now they’re still thinking they got product to sell. And they don’t. You live a nice life. Their kids are never going to see the inside of a jail or the inside of a public school, thank god.”

Melle Mel says the system “promotes” a culture that he wishes were no longer the norm where he says the hood “won’t win” if it continues on as it is. 

What do you think about Melle Mel’s comments about Jay-Z and other rappers that fit the mold?

Spotify Only Paid $1 Million+ To 870 of Its 7 Million Artists In 2020

by

Streaming giant Spotify has some serious explaining to do. New reports claim the iconic digital powerhouse is igniting a reputation for unfairly paying musicians on its platform despite being a billion dollar franchise. Spotify Only Paid $1 Million Or More According to reports, the platform has more than 7 million artists available to stream. However, […]

The post Spotify Only Paid $1 Million+ To 870 of Its 7 Million Artists In 2020 appeared first on SOHH.com.

Lucky Daye And Yebba’s ‘How Much Can A Heart Take’ Video Is A Hilarious Reversal Of Social Norms

by

As the months closed in on the two-year anniversary of his debut Grammy-nominated album, Painted, Lucky Daye returned to the music world with the third EP of his career, Table For Two. The project arrived with seven tracks and six duets with each featuring a vocal contribution from a female artist. Looking to bring some new life into the project, Lucky returns with a new visual for “How Much Can A Heart Take” with Yebba. It doubles as a lyric video for the song, but in it, viewers see the two singers switch roles as Lucky sings Yebba’s part on the song and attempts to sing and act like she would while Yebba flips the script to play the “Roll Some Mo” singer’s role.

Lucky’s return began with his “On Read” single alongside Tiana Major9. The song was his first single since 2020’s “Shoulda” with Babyface, which landed on the deluxe reissue of Painted. As for Table For Two, the project also saw contributions from Ari Lennox, Mahalia, Joyce Wrice, and Queen Naija. Prior the EP’s release, Lucky could be found working alongside Buddy, Kaytranada, Leon Bridges, Kiana Lede, Spillage Village, Kehlani, and others in what was a feature-heavy 2020 for him.

Press play on the “How Much Can A Heart Take” video above.

Table For Two is out now via Keep Cool/RCA. Get it here.

Nick Cannon’s ‘Wild ‘N Out’ Is Set To Return To VH1 In April

by

Nick Cannon has more lives than a cat — and just about as many jobs as that. One of those jobs seemed threatened last year when the multihyphenate rapper-actor-tv-host made some comments on his podcast that were perceived as anti-Semitic, prompting ViacomCBS to sever ties with him. That left the future of his trademark show, Wild ‘N Out, in doubt as not was he on the outs with the owners of MTV and VH1, but production on the show was also shut down due to the pandemic.

However, it appears that his efforts to make amends have not gone unnoticed as a new promo teases the show’s return in April. According to Deadline, the new episodes were filmed before the coronavirus outbreak here in the States and will constitute the second half of the 15th (!) season of the popular improv comedy show. Guests set to appear include rappers 24kGolden, Ambjaay, Cuban Doll, Da Brat, MC Lyte, OMB Peezy, and Rapsody, along with Cannon’s show-hosting brethren Big Tigger, Donnell Rawlings, and Trinidad James. The Black Ink Crew: Compton cast will also appear, as will YouTuber-turned-R&B star Queen Najia.

The show will return on VH1 after Diddy hoped to bring Nick and his most popular creation to Revolt TV. The new episodes will air April 6 at 8 pm ET. You can watch the promo above.

Lil Tjay Announces New Album “Destined 2 Win”

by

Lil Tjay has been warming up for a minute now, having recently delivered a pair of stylistically diverse singles — the 6LACK-assisted “Calling My Phone,” and the Polo G and Fivio Foreign-assisted “Headshot.” As such, many assumed that a new album was on the way, and Tjay himself has officially confirmed as much.

Brad Barket/Getty Images

“My second album Destined 2 Win is dropping on 4/2!!” reveals Tjay, sharing a glimpse at the minimalist cover and twenty-one-song tracklist on his Instagram page. “I just wanna say thank ya for being patient with me. I wanted to give ya the best body of work I can.” Alas, Tjay did opt to keep the guest appearances secret, and since both “Calling My Phone” and “Headshot” are included, we can expect a few more prominent features where that came from. “Pre-save now and run it up and I’ll drop the features.” 

With the big release date only a few weeks away, it won’t be long before Destined 2 Win arrives in full. It’s certainly a lengthy effort from the New York rapper, though three of the final tracks are technically “bonus” cuts. It should be interesting to see how he continues to evolve on his second project, which has already yielded the highest-charting single of his career so far. Be sure to check out the complete tracklist, minus feature, below. 

Swizz Beatz Reveals What Drove Dr. Dre Away From Verzuz

by

Swizz Beatz and Timbaland recently hit up The Breakfast Club to discuss a variety of topics, including whether or not Usher could soundly defeat Chris Brown in a Verzuz battle. As it happens, Swizzy actually revealed an interesting tidbit about a Verzuz battle that almost came to be, only to be derailed in the eleventh hour. And unfortunately, it would have been a hell of a battle, were it to have manifested.

Dr. Dre

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

According to Swizz, Dr. Dre was looking to try his hand at the Verzuz format, only to change his mind following an unfortunate technical limitation. “When Dr. Dre wasn’t feeling the sound from Teddy Riley and Babyface, that hurt our heart,” admits Swizz, an admission that sparks a hearty laugh from Charlamagne and Envy. “If you go back, Dre was at the Teddy Riley one, he came at the end. He was supposed to announce that he was going to do Verzuz that night!”

“I don’t think he was going to announce who he was battling,” continues Swizz, after Envy asks whether or not he was slated to battle Diddy. “He was going to announce ‘I’m ready, I’m coming.’ Then he got on the phone like ‘man, I can’t be a part of nothing that sound like that. My legacy is quality.’ I was like ‘we just lost Dre over the sound? That one felt pretty crazy. But since then, the energy has been pretty good.”

While disappointing to be sure, it’s not entirely surprising given Dre’s reputation as an ardent perfectionist — especially when it comes to the audio. There’s a reason why he’s considered to be one of the greatest engineers in hip-hop. Check out Swizzy’s reflection on the battle that might have been below, roughly transpiring around the fourteen-minute mark. 

Druski Jokes About G Herbo’s Government Name

by

Druski has been on fire as one of the best Instagram comedians since the start of the pandemic, and throughout his rise, he has become close with Hip-Hop artists such as Lil Yachty, Jack Harlow, and Drake. Now, it appears that the comedian has also befriended Chicago rapper G Herbo. Taking to Instagram for a lighthearted story post, Druski started the video by roasting Herbo’s “real” name, saying, “I don’t know if anybody knows this, but G Herbo’s real name is Herbert Winslow.” Immediately afterward, the comedian tried to fight back laughter, making fun of the classic nature of Herb’s legal name.

Funny enough, Herbert Winslow isn’t even G Herbo‘s government name. The veteran Chicago rapper’s first name is in fact Herbert; however, his full legal name is actually Herbert Randall Wright III. Druski may have been calling him “Herbert Winslow” a part of a bigger inside joke, but his antics definitely caught G Herbo’s attention.

 Screenshot of G Herbo's Instagram story March 24, 2021
Instagram

In an Instagram story post of his own, the PTSD artist reposted the video and wrote, “Lol F*ck outta here dude.” Judging from the lighthearted exchange between the two public figures, it’s clear that they have built some type of report, so perhaps fans can expect Druski to be apart of G Herbo’s next release, similar to how the comedian was featured in Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later” music video.

Are you a fan of Druski or are you feeling another Instagram comedian more at the moment?

The Guy Who Found Shrimp In His Cinnamon Toast Crunch Was Once A Rapper Named Hot Karl

by
Getty Image

Whenever the internet latches onto a strange moment, it tends to get even stranger as more details emerge (and more racist, i.e. the “milkshake duck” effect, but thankfully, this isn’t about that). Case in point, the man who kidnapped the internet’s attention yesterday by tweeting about a bizarre discovery in his breakfast cereal turned out to have a truly fascinating past as a battle rapper — one that resulted in plenty of success outside of the music industry.

Jensen Karp, aka Hot Karl, may not be a household name to most, but in the LA battle rap scene — and in certain Hollywood television production circles — he’s kind of an underground legend. As Hot Karl, he was signed to Ice-T’s Rhyme Syndicate at just 11 years old, he entered Power 106’s Roll Call freestyle competition and held the title for 45 weeks while in college, and he signed to Interscope Records in the early 2000s, recording a debut with features from DJ Quik, Kanye West, Redman, and more which was never released. He wrote a memoir about it and shares his hip-hop knowledge as part of a trivia game. Oh, and he paid Chance The Rapper $5,000 to shoot a music video back in 2013.

Those experiences served him well in Hollywood, where after several gigs writing for WWE and VH1 and a truly fated radio hosting gig, he became executive producer of the short-lived celebrity rap battle show Drop The Mic, which famously featured battles between The Muppets’ Kermit and Miss Piggy, Randall Park and James Van Der Beek, and more, and helped launch the career of the white half of Blimes And Gab.

Users on Twitter were delighted to learn this info, but the “Hot Karl” trend was quickly taken over by teen fans of a gaming YouTuber named Karl Jacobs, who is apparently bad at taking selfies. I kid, teen girls, please do not murder me or perform witchcraft at me.

Karl Marx, the famed German philosopher who laid the groundwork for the modern conception of socialism, also got roped into the fun.

Knowing Karp, he’s likely enjoying all the shenanigans his tweets have caused because he’s a pretty funny guy, but hopefully, this thing doesn’t flatten his hard-won legacy down to just being “Cinnamon Toast Crunch Shrimp Guy” or “Danielle Fishel’s husband.” Oh yeah, that’s right: He’s also married to Boy Meets World‘s Topanga. I guess you could say he’s the real winner here.

Check out the reactions to “Hot Karl”‘s unlikely comeback above.