Kanye West continues to push the envelope when it comes to his sneaker releases. One of the shoes that have gotten people up in arms over the last year or so has been the Adidas Yeezy Foam Runner, which has been getting an abundance of new colorways. This is a sneaker that remains quite polarizing that’s to its design, and while some people hate it, there are even more people out there who love it. In fact, some fans have even done push-ups just to acquire a pair.
Recently, Kim Kardashian went on Instagram and previewed a bunch of new Yeezy colorways and silhouettes. As many noticed, there was a brand new pair of Foam Runner’s here. This model contained a tan upper with some brown thrown into the mix to create a unique painted look. According to @influencevisions_ on Instagram, this new Foam Runner currently has the nickname MXCRCL, and this is because it features what is called “MX” pattern, which was also found on the “MX Moon” colorway.
For now, there is no word yet on the release date for these, so keep it locked to HNHH for more updates on these. Also, let us know what you think of the shoe, in the comments below.
Rise & Grind is a new editorial series, meant to introduce and dissect new, buzzing, or underground artists.
Baton Rouge’s Fredo Bang is from the same fabric of the Boosie’s and Kevin Gates’ of the world, whose pain and passion are worn on their sleeves through every bar. Bang’s journey is just beginning, though. The soulful croons in his music speak volumes to the trauma he’s endured in his lifetime. His experiences reflect a larger picture of the community he comes from, but his positivity is equally inspiring.
In the past year and a half, projects like Most Hated and In The Name Of Gee have transformed his underground buzz into a nationwide success. “Top” featuring Lil Durk was released in 2020, but continues to rack up plays on streaming services and satellite radio stations as Bang prepares for the release of his forthcoming album.
For this week’s Rise & Grind, Fredo Bang discusses the success of “Top,” his unexpected relationship with Dee-1, and his strange encounter with Kanye West.
Stay tuned for a new installment of Rise & Grind every Monday.
I’m from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. South Baton Rouge, Uptown, to be exact. Then I moved to Baker, LA when I was like 7 or 8 years old. My favorite thing about the city is the food. That’s about the best thing. I feel like Louisiana we got the best food that you can get in the WORLD, you heard me? Growing up I played baseball and I was in the band, but other than that I was into guns a lot. I had a gun fetish.
[My favorite meal in Baton Rouge is] Red beans, potato salad, fried chicken, cornbread, and a piece of cake from this little spot out here. My favorite spot.
I’m an Aries. I think they say we emotional. I don’t really know horoscopes like that. I think they say we emotional though. But I don’t know if it’s from that or ‘cause my daddy is bipolar, so I think I’m kinda bipolar. Other than that, I’m nonchalant to a lot of stuff.
I don’t really know too much about horoscopes. I have always been that person who used to just be annoyed with people who just be into horoscopes. I swear. You know, some people just feel like they just completely know you of this piece of paper.
Man, it’s really like 70% of the time, [women I meet ask me], “What sign are you?” I be like, “Aries.” [They’ll say] “Oh my god, y’all so crazy. I don’t think we’re gonna work” [laughs].
Yeah, rappers and artists two different things. I’ll say artists. My top five artists dead or alive, Micheal Jackson, Kanye West, Young Thug, Kevin Gates, and Drake.
My biggest accomplishment would probably be me and just the growth of my mind and my patience. Just being able to control my emotions, putting my pride to the side. I feel like with the music, I ain’t nowhere where I want to be, so I don’t really bask in the things that I achieve in music. ‘Cause I ain’t where I wanna be at yet and I don’t want to get content. So I feel like those things are little baby steps to where I want to get to.
In the studio, I gotta have cool, Avian water? Evian, I forgot how you say it. Airheads, I gotta have hot tea, with honey, and I don’t like color lights. Color lights in the studio make me feel pretty awkward. Like, give me freaky vibes. And I can’t stand them headphones that be like big cups. I don’t like that.
I wear headphones but I don’t wear them big ones. Like regular-sized ones cause the big ones be giving a lot of feedback. You don’t get the full depth of the song.
The first time we ever spoke was through YNW Melly on Facetime. I forgot what I was calling Melly about, but he had put me on Facetime with him. And we was talking about working then. And then back in August of last year, I seen him in the studio in Atlanta when I was working with Bagg and we exchanged numbers. We was just working in the studio. We ain’t get to get in that time ‘cause I was leaving and it was too many people in the studio. I hate being loud. That’s another thing, I can’t work with a lot of people in the room. I’m self-conscious about my music and how I record.
But I got his number. He ended up doing a show in Miami told me to pull up. I pulled up, after that, we went to the studio and he was like pull something up. Out of all of the songs — I really ain’t wanna put nobody on “Top” but I felt like he had something to talk about and I ain’t want to take away the message of “Top,” you know what I’m sayin’? I feel like he’ll deliver a message.
I don’t be having any control over edits. I ain’t know that [clip of me and Lil Durk at the club] was getting recorded. But the place where we shot most of the video at, in Ft. Lauderdale — I forgot the hood but it’s in Ft Lauderdale — had a bunch of people out that showed major love. Durk had hopped on top of the car, and was like, ‘Man, y’all gotta turn up for Von one time and they put Von on.’
I remember naming my first song. It was called “Fire.” It was me, Joe Scott, Krazy Trey, and this dude named Trel. We used to be rapping in the closet. I think I said, “Bitch, I’m hot like Icy Hot.” I don’t remember that was like my first bar. I can’t remember nothing after that. I don’t wanna remember [laughs].
My first show ever? I remember. I think it was in one of our hoods. It was actually a Sweet 16 birthday party and we got boo’d off stage. I swear, we got boo’d off stage [laughs]. Listen, we ain’t get like boo’d but they had dudes in the crowd that was on some hating stuff. The females was just standing there. So, I seen one dude throwing his hand up then I stopped the music and I was like, “Fool, when I get off stage I’m gonna come holla’ at ya.” So when we got off stage, I went up to him and I was trying to fight him then all these people jumped in between, it was crazy. It was like 2012 or something like that. 2012, 2011, something like that. It was a long time ago. I was like 14.
Besides work, all I do is play “Call Of Duty” and watch movies. I’m real big into movies. Other than that Pornhub, I think all of us watch that.
Yeah, I don’t understand [why PornHub took down videos]. I didn’t understand that, I still don’t understand it. That’s probably why I ain’t been watching porn as much. It’s just bull****. I ain’t really into the professional stuff all the time. I like homemade. I don’t know. Actually, I think I wrote to their Instagram or something. I know I ended my account with them when that happened. I wasn’t about to pay for that bull****.
Next three months, you can expect an album. This project, “Still Most Hated,” that I just dropped is just a filler. Just something to give them something to listen to ‘til I finish. I really been done with my album, I’m really just picking songs. I got so many songs. It’s like this: do I put the rice on my plate first or do I put the corn on my plate? All this need to be ate and it’s all good, but which one do I put on my plate first?
What I like to do is ride in the car, listen to all my songs, try to get a playlist. Then when I got most of the playlist, that’s when I go to eliminate songs that don’t fit in the complete vibe. So I be needing a couple of days for that.
Did you have a relationship with King Von before his death?
I actually met Von and Quando Rondo way before I ever met Durk. I met him at Hit Factory studio. Him and Melly was about to shoot a video and he had introduced us. After that, I think we did a session that whole night. I always be with Melly so whoever Melly be with, I’m gonna end up seeing. He was always with Melly and they’ll just pull up to the studio and we’ll just be sitting there running about life, going to jail, what happened, you know what I’m sayin’? Chicago a whole different world than Louisana, so we was just swapping minds on some sh**. We always stayed in contact.
He actually supposed to be on my song. I think he did the verse already I just never heard it, the song with Melly, “Air It Out” that I got. I don’t know if you heard it, but he was actually supposed to be on that song.
A bit of a sidenote but is YNW Melly an unofficial A&R to the game? Because I spoke to Tee Grizzley, and he said he met Kanye through Melly.
I met Kanye the same night with Melly! I met Tee through Melly! But look, he just one of those people that people, I feel like they orbit around him. He just a good person to be around, he a real good dude. A lot of people I done met and shook hands with was through him. I was calling him to congratulate him for working with Kanye he like, “Yeah, I just talked to Kanye about the s***. He messing with the music.” I’m like, “Yeah?”
So, I see Kanye, I’m walking up in Hit Factory and you know me, I ain’t really no type of person to get fanned out, but this is Kanye. I walk up to Kanye to shake his hand and Kanye tell me, “Congratulations.” I’m like, “For what?” And he never said what. So, I stopped shaking his hand and then I reached back out to shake his hand again, just on some in the moment type sh**, ‘cause I’m not even thinking.
Did he ever tell you why he congratulated you?
He never told me why he congratulated me. I was very shaken by that. I ain’t know whether to be happy or sad or something [laughs]. He told me congratulations.
Tell me something about your new album. Can you give the readers an exclusive?
It’s gonna be called Murder Made Me. So, that’s all I can tell you. I can’t tell you who gonna be on there. It might be nobody on there. It might be, you never know.
Producer-wise, can you give us a hint?
I got a song with Hitmaka that’s gonna be on there. Hitmaka good people to work with. Very talented.
The next question I wanted to ask you was about Mr. Augustine, who the rest of us know as Dee-1. I know he was your teacher in high school —
Nah, he was my teacher in middle school.
Were you and Gee Money in the same class with Dee-1?
Not in the same classroom, but we took that same class. Our classes used to rotate, and that class for instance — No, that class we ain’t take together.
Do you remember what class that was?
Something called social something. I’m trying to remember. Basically, it was about why you shouldn’t do drugs, the causes, and effects, unprotected sex. It was about life stuff.
How did your relationship with Dee-1 develop over the years?
That’s my dog, man. I talked to him all through jail. When I was in jail, I was calling him. Actually, I think I talked to him a couple of weeks ago, I need to hit him back. That’s my dog. He done showed me basically anything’s possible. And he ain’t never turn his back on me. Any of his students, we holla at him, he’ll always holler back. So, I got that same energy with him.
What are the 10 Commandments of Bang-ism?
See, that’s the thing, it ain’t even about that. You basically just putting aside relationships, putting aside sex. And anything on that type of level that could refrain from getting your goal done. Like a goal got for two or three weeks, two or three months, you know what I’m saying? It ain’t like I’m going a year without it, cause I done went two and a half years without it so I don’t feel I don’t punish myself like that. It’s basically just being focused. I want to be in the studio all night. I ain’t got no reason to stop unless I got an emergency. If I ain’t got no late shift, I don’t got to get on the phone, argue with nobody and all that. So, I can get my job done.
I mean it’s working good. I just pushed out three projects in 12-13 months and I’m about to drop another one. I got two actually. It’s doing something for me.
Last night, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz used the Verzuz platform they created to stage an epic rematch, effectively bringing things full circle following their first match in March of 2020. Since they first went head-to-head, Verzuz has grown in scale considerably, to the point where last night’s tilt took place in front of a packed crowd at the LIV Nightclub in Miami.
Given that Swizz Beatz and Timbaland are widely considered to be two of hip-hop’s greatest producers of all, boasting incredible catalogs with no shortage of hits and deep cuts, many tuned in to watch the celebratory — and of course competitive — occasion. And with so many people tuning in, it’s no wonder that the reactions were flying on social media. With many immediately noting a disparity between Swizzy and Timbo’s fashion choices, focus eventually shifted the music, with several people concluding that Timbo’s versatility was a tough mountain to overcome for any competitor.
That’s not to say Swizzy lost the crowd vote entirely, as the wily legend has more than a few tricks up his sleeve — especially when he came through with an unreleased J. Cole verse on the DMX “Bath Salts” posse cut. Still, he did find himself subjected to one comedic throughline, as many noted his aversion to Timbo’s unrelenting stream of Justin Timberlake classics.
Be sure to check out some of the reactions to Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s Verzuz battle, a hip-hop celebration during which the CIRCO was absolutely flowing. “Tonight was a good night blessings,” reflects Swizz, with a day-after IG post. “Thx @timbaland for celebrating with me King we did it. Humbled.”
Drake teased fans with Certified Lover Boy news this weekend, posting a photo of his son Adonis standing in the studio with some whiteboard artwork, which seemingly started as a tracklist for the album. Drake’s baby boy proudly stood behind his work-in-progress, smiling and showing off the abstract design but fans in the comments started to tease the three-year-old’s creative skills in a pretty deplorable fashion.
A viral post comparing the toddler’s art piece to seven-year-old North West’s recent painting has been circulating with people comparing the skills of Drake and Kanye’s children. The strange and shameful posts were so popular that “Adonis” started trending this weekend as fans picked on a three-year-old’s art skills. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this, it’s that there was an obvious reason why Drake didn’t want to share his family with the world— to prevent situations like this one.
“This the exact kinda shit drake wanted to keep adonis away from,” wrote one person on Twitter, responding to the viral thread comparing Adonis to North West. You’ll recall that Drake didn’t reveal to his fans that he was a first-time father until months after his son was born. He was pushed by Pusha-T to drop the bombshell after the rapper called him out in a diss record.
As Drake said on “Emotionless,” he wasn’t hiding his kid from the world, he was hiding the world from his kid. The internet can be an ugly place. Check out some reactions below.
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Still D.R.E.” is an all-time hip-hop classic, and last year, Snoop dropped a major knowledge bomb about it: Jay-Z wrote the whole song. It was known previously that he had worked on the track, but it was a surprise to learn that Jay was behind all the lyrics. Now, Jay has spoken about the song and the reference track he made for it, on which he raps both Dre and Snoop’s parts.
Chatting on an episode of HBO’s The Shop, Jay said, “On that reference track, I’m doing Dre and Snoop, both of them. […] The reference track, it sounds like them.” He added with laughter, “I’m glad nobody can find that one.”
He continued, “But yeah, you gotta have like somewhat of a reverence for them. The music they were making and The Chronic and all of that. In order for me to really nail the essence of Dre and Snoop, it had to be like a studied reverence of what they were doing.”
Snoop previously said of Jay’s work on the song, “Jay-Z is a great writer to begin with for himself, so imagine him striking it for someone he truly loves and appreciates,” Snoop said. “He loves Dr. Dre and that’s what his pen showed you, that I can’t write for you if I don’t love you.”
Watch Jay talk about the song above.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis have proven themselves to be one of the best duos in the NBA. After winning the championship last season, they were immediately compared to the likes of Shaq and Kobe, which are comparisons that tend to get some fans upset. Regardless, they were expected to do some big things this year and after taking a 2-1 series lead against the second-place Suns, many were ready to call their first-round series “over.”
Unfortunately for the Lakers, things have taken a turn for the worse. During yesterday’s eight-point loss to the Suns, Davis went down with a groin injury, which is similar to what LeBron went through back in 2019. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Davis is now day-to-day with the injury, which means there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding his availability.
With Game 5 going down on Tuesday night, there is no guarantee that Davis will play, which means LeBron could be tasked with putting the entire team on his back. While LeBron has done this before, he is getting up there in age, which certainly makes things a lot more difficult.
Hopefully, Davis will be able to return soon, otherwise, the Lakers could be looking at a first-round exit.
The world is finally getting a good glimpse at Nicki Minaj’s family after the superstar rapper took some personal time off after the birth of her first child. Despite Nicki having dozens of sons in the rap game, this is the first time she’s welcomed an actual son into the world. The last few weeks have brought tons of noteworthy moments from the Queen, which we outlined over the weekend, and while the Barbs still don’t know her baby boy’s name (all they have is his nickname, Papa Bear), they’ve gotten a decent glimpse at the adorable toddler on social media.
Always decked out in the latest designer clothing, Papa Bear is seemingly learning how to walk with his mommy Nicki and daddy Kenny. Draped in Burberry from head to toe, Nicki’s son rocked a diamond-clad chain in a new video and tried to put one foot in front of the other– however, as Nicki narrated, the little boy was pretty fed up at the end of his attempt.
“You ain’t trying to do all of that today?” asked Nicki, sharing a video of her son learning how to walk. “Hm? You’re not trying to do all of that today? Everyone bothering you? You had it? ‘Mom, I had it! Leave me alone already, please! Ain’t nobody got time for all of that, mama.'”
In the video, Kenneth Petty holds their baby, who seems restless as he taps his foot on the floor, trying to take a step towards his mother.
Are you happy that Nicki Minaj has finally been sharing more of her personal life with fans?
Luka Doncic has been phenomenal for the Dallas Mavericks throughout the playoffs. In the early stages of the team’s series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Doncic led his teammates to a 2-0 series lead and many pundits believed that the Clippers could very well get swept. In Game 3, the Clippers turned the tides and with Doncic suffering from a neck injury, they took advantage in Game 4 thanks to a blowout win.
Doncic scored 19 points last night and it’s clear that unless he scores over 30, his team simply isn’t going to win. In fact, Doncic was so frustrated throughout the game, he could be seen hitting himself over the head with a bottle, as his team continued to be pummeled by a motivated Clippers squad.
Now, the Clippers will get to head back to Los Angeles for Game 5, and it seems clear that they have all of the momentum right now. They are playing like a team that was projected to win it all, and the Mavs are finding it hard to keep up. However, if Luka can get back to where he was in the first couple of games, then the Mavs could be well on their way to retaking the series lead.
Keep it locked to HNHH as we will be sure to bring you all of the latest information from around the NBA.
For a man who penned a song called “Oceans,” JAY-Z has harbored a notorious relationship with water — especially when it comes to water-based sports. Memes of his fateful dive into a pool have been immortalized within the internet hall of fame, and his old rival 50 Cent found himself getting in on the fun when Hov attempted to brave a jetski. Suffice it to say, the rap mogul has always appeared uncomfortable around water, and his fans have been quick to poke fun at his expense.
As many know, becoming a parent can change one’s perspective on life. For Hov, the birth of Blue Ivy Carter in January of 2012 drove him to face his fears, take the proverbial plunge, and learn how to swim once and for all. He explained as much during his appearance on LeBron James’ interview series The Shop.
“I didn’t learn how to swim until Blue was born,” he revealed. “There goes everything you need to know. This is a metaphor for our relationship. If she ever fell in the water and I couldn’t get her, I couldn’t even fathom that thought. I gotta learn how to swim. That’s it. That was the beginning of our relationship.”
It’s a candid admission from Hov, who isn’t entirely known for revealing much about his private life in interviews. And while it’s clear that his aquatic abilities are a work in progress, JAY’s dedication to bettering himself late in the game is an undeniably admirable trait. Perhaps the next time he’s captured in-and-around a body of water, he’ll manage to avoid the meme treatment altogether, instead wowing viewers with a dazzling display of the front crawl.
[via]
