New Hip Hop News

2021 marks the final year in which Nike will be selling Kobe Bryant-related sneakers. With the contract running out at the end of the year, fans will have to make do with what they’ve got, and it has led to an increase in demand on the market. Nike was already in the midst of rolling out Nike Kobe 6 Protros and that trend is going to continue all throughout the rest of the year. New colorways continue to be shown off on social media, and recently, we got a first look at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League offering.

The first look comes from the likes of Josh Hart who was seemingly seeded a pair. From there, we have a fresh look from Instagram sneaker insider @zsneakerheadz. Overall, the shoe has a mostly purple upper while the midsole is black and the swoosh is white. These colors work great together and it’s definitely something that suits the “EYBL” look. 

There is no word yet on whether or not these will be released to the public, so keep it locked to HNHH for all of the latest updates pertaining to this model. In the interim, let us know what you think of these, in the comments section below.

He’s done his fair share of playful trolling so Lil Nas X isn’t as perturbed with his online critics as one may think. Ever since “Old Town Road” with Bill Ray Cyrus became a megahit, Lil Nas X has been on the receiving end of constructive as well as destructive criticism. The award-winning singer most recently ruffled feathers with his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” single and its accompanying, devil-pole-dancing music video, and it didn’t take long for his inboxes and timelines to be flooded with hateful messages. 

Still, Lil Nas X told PEOPLE that he’s unfazed by his critics who do their best at hitting below the belt. “The love outweighs the hate by like a hundred,” he told the publication.

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“I guess it’s because I kind of grew up on the internet and I’ve been through this before, and I know to take everything with a grain of salt,” the 22-year-old continued. “So it’s rare that it’ll actually get to me, where I’m like, ‘Oh, that hurts.‘” Not all of the responses to “Montero” were negative, as many people praised the singer for defying societal norms.

“I was happy that a lot of people seeing this growing up are going to remember it for the rest of their lives and they’re going to feel more confident in themselves,” he said, before also speaking about his “most vulnerable song” that comes in in the form of his upcoming single, “Sun Goes Down.”

“I definitely tell about some of my upbringing and it’s also just a really great song,” he said. “And the video goes back to my past, to 2017 Lil Nas X in his prime. Like he was at prom, working at Taco Bell, and what he did in his room, praying his sexuality away. Like all these things that I experienced that I wanted to share with my fans.”

“Sun goes Down” is slated for release tomorrow (May 21). 

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The last few years have been a whirlwind for Cassie. Her career catapulted after she released her classic hit “Me & U,” but she struggled to maintain that steam with her later releases. For the better part of a decade, Cassie was known more for her relationship with Diddy than her work in the studio, but in 2018, Cassie and Combs decided to end their romance after reportedly being together for 11 years. Soon, Cassie resurfaced online boasting about her relationship with Alex Fine, and in 2019, the couple got married and welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Frankie.

At the tail end of 2020, Cassie revealed that she was pregnant yet again, and in a recent interview with Ciara for Level Up Radio on Apple Music, the ladies talked about balancing their professional lives with their growing families. Cassie, who was once naturally a Bad Boy artist, also shared that not only has she parted ways with Diddy personally, but she was able to remove herself professionally, as well.

“I left Bad Boy. I was able to get out of my deal. So now I’m independent,” Cassie reportedly said according to Rap-Up. “So that’s just very different from the start.” She’s previously spoken about reigniting her music career but this is a new stage for Cassie. “It’s so different. And I mean, even now I’m just in a different place in my life.”

“It’s the place to be, just to own your stuff and just… You could do whatever you want. You could wake up tomorrow and be like, ‘Okay, I want to record four records. And then put them out and it’s mine. And what you going to say?’” That is something that Ciara identifies with because back in 2017, she launched her own brand, Beauty Marks Entertainment, and has been working for herself for some time.

It’s unclear if or when Cassie will return to the music scene and it will be interesting to see what sound she goes for after being out of the game for some time.

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Most fans will agree that Russell Westbrook is one of the most exciting players in the entire NBA. He can get triple-doubles at will and he always seems to be the hungriest player on the court. Unfortunately, there has been one area of his game that has always held him back and that’s shooting. Westbrook is a notoriously bad shot taker and it has led to a lot of slander and some early exits from the playoffs. Despite this, he is still regarded as a top-tier player in the league.

With these shortcomings, it’s hard to make the argument that Westbrook is undoubtedly the best player in the league. However, today on The Jump, former NBA Champion Rasheed Wallace tried to do it as he took Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson by surprise.

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“This man is right now. I gotta say, Russ is the best player in the NBA right now. There is no disrespect to KD, or Kyrie, or LeBron, but right now, no disrespect to Steph either. I know you scoring champion, but man what this kid is doing right now,” Wallace said. “Ain’t no disrespect to guys, Russell Westbrook right now is killing it man, if I am the pacer in the meetings, it will be how to stop Russ.”

The Washington Wizards have a massive opportunity tonight as they take on the Indiana Pacers in the final play-in game. If they win this, they will go to the first-round and play against the Philadelphia 76ers who are the first-seed. For the Wizards to have any shot, they’re certainly going to need Westbrook at his best.

Let us know if you agree with Wallace, in the comments below.

Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers are heading to the playoffs and it is all thanks to a huge win last night against the Golden State Warriors. While Davis struggled in the first half, he ended up turning things around as the Lakers blasted the jets in the second half. Davis is one of those key players for the Lakers and if they want to make it far in the postseason, they are going to need him to be playing at his best.

Last night, Davis made sure to throw some shade at the Warriors after the game, in light of a speech Warriors coach Steve Kerr made in the middle of the match. In the clip below, Kerr tells his team “They got a lot of doubt down there, we’ve got a lot of belief.” This amused Davis as he hit up the comments with five laughing emojis.

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The Lakers Vs. Warriors rivalry has been real over the last couple of years although it is mostly because of LeBron James’ previous rivalry with Steph Curry. Due to circumstances involving injuries, the Lakers have always gotten the best of the Warriors and last night, the status quo was maintained.

As for the playoffs, AD and his teammates will be facing the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

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One of the biggest shoes to see a resurgence over the last little while has been the Nike Dunk Low and by extension, the Nike Dunk High. These are shoes that had a huge moment a few decades ago, and now, everyone is rediscovering why this is such a dope sneaker. As a result of this resurgence, Nike has been bringing a ton of new colorways to the market, and it has led to some cool offerings that have certainly gotten all of our attention.

Now, one of the newer Nike Dunk Low colorways to be shown off to the masses is this “Michigan” offering which can be found below. The shoe has the Michigan Wolverines color scheme as the base of the sneaker is yellow all while the overlays are navy blue. These colors work perfectly in tandem with one another and if you are a big fan of the team, then these are a pair that you will have to consider getting.

If you want to get a pair of these, you will be able to do so through the Nike SNKRS app as of Thursday, June 3rd for $100 USD. Let us know if these are in your summer plans, in the comments below.

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike