New Hip Hop News

Despite his staggering popularity, DJ Khaled has been a divisive figure all the same, with some detractors continuously wondering what he actually does in a given studio session. And with his upcoming album Khaled Khaled currently in the works, questions about whether or not the Floridian DJ has a masterpiece project in him have begun to circulate at an increasingly active pace. So much so that the generally affable mogul actually took a moment to school some of his critics on Instagram, encouraging those negative types to dig deeper and do their homework.

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“Some boy Ah need to do history lesson unless you want lesson,” writes Khaled, echoing the same message in the accompanying video. “Some tings take time and some tings take along time can’t wait to share the KHALED KHALED journey on my new album I’m working on . when it’s coming? I don’t know. “Swipe for HISTORY LESSON or some boy might want lesson. THE LIGHT IS LOVE. YOU CAN NEVER SKIP THE GRIND ! DO NOT GIVE UP !!!!”

In addition to the message, Khaled lined up a veritable slew of throwback pictures, many of which harken back to his humble roots as a rising disc jockey. Though his bombastic personality can feel larger than life to the point of parody, it’s refreshing to see him in a more relatable state — a young creative simply looking to master his craft and make a living. There are even a few crates ripe for the digging. It’s no wonder he continues to preach a message of hard-work and relentless hustle, given how far he has come. Check out the old school pictures below, and sound off if you’re excited for Khaled Khaled. 

Charlamagne Tha God’s feud with Lakeith Stanfield goes back a few years but it was reignited last week after the radio host had some unflattering comments towards the actor. During an interview with Judas & The Black Messiah star Daniel Kaluuya, Charlamagne threw shade at Lakeith by comparing his personality to the character he plays in the film, FBI informant William O’Neal. This resulted in a back-and-forth of sorts with Lakeith issuing a warning to Charlamagne before sharing an odd video where he’s wielding a gun at an image of the Breakfast Club host.

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As you could imagine, Charlamagne took time during his radio show to fire back at Lakeith. According to Charlamagne, Lakeith is trying to play the victim in this scenario, claiming the Atlanta actor can dish it but can’t take it. “What Lakeith does is he gets online and he plays the victim and he makes it seem like I’m always coming at him,” Charlamagne said after explaining why he “owed” that little jab at Lakeith following the actor’s diss track towards him.

“But he does that all the time. When he made comments about Kamala’s hair last year and got backlash, he got online and said he can say what he wants and no one can force him into not saying what he wants. All good but if you gon’ have that energy of saying what you want, don’t play victim when people say something back,” he continued.

Check the clip below. 

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Draymond Green got himself into some trouble over the weekend as he was kicked out of a game against the Charlotte Hornets, with just nine seconds to go. His ejection was the catalyst for the Hornets’ comeback, and following the match, Green was promptly criticized for the actions that cost his team a valuable win. 

In the aftermath of the play, Steve Kerr has come out and said that Green crossed the line, and now, Draymond himself is coming out to denounce what he did on the court. As he explained, at the age of 30, he shouldn’t be engaging in such temper tantrums and that he feels more shame about this than he does for what happened in the 2016 NBA finals.

“I told my teammates I appreciate the support. But my action doesn’t warrant support,” Green told reporters.

As it stands, the Golden State Warriors are in a dog fight for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference and this predicament will most likely last all the way until the end of the regular season. With this in mind, every single game counts for the Warriors, and these outbursts could cost the team a crack at the postseason.

Moving forward, Green will certainly be looking to tone things down a little bit.

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Following his tragic passing on April 23rd, 2020, Fred The Godson’s legacy has been immortalized by way of a Bronx street named in his honor. Today, supportive fans gathered to watch the unveiling of Frederick “Fred the Godson” Thomas Way on the corner of Leggett Avenue and Kelly Street in The Bronx, Fred’s home borough. 

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The ceremony was attended by several artists and media personalities, including Fat Joe, Jim Jones, and Sway Calloway; in fact, Joe even shared a few words, deeming the occasion to be a bittersweet one. “The thing that’s so special about Fred,” explains Joe, in a clip captured by a fan in attendance, “is that he would have made you feel special. So even though he is who he is, every time he sees you, he wants to put a smile on your face. Fred was my friend. Really my brother, really my friend. If I was in New York and had nothing to do, I would call Fred, and we would go down to Heatmakerz studio, and we would just talk for hours.”

Sadly, Fred The Godson passed away due to complications from COVID-19. He was only 35 years old. Though he is no longer with us, his memory lives on through his music, as well as through the street that now bears his name. Check out the footage of the big unveiling, as well as Fat Joe’s speech, below. Rest in peace, Fred The Godson. 

Carmelo Anthony will go down as a legend when all is said and done. While he has bounced around the league over the last couple of years, his best years were with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, where he was very clearly in his prime. His trade to the New York Knicks back in 2011 was a massive moment for the NBA, as it brought a superstar player back to the Mecca of basketball. While he never had much playoff success in New York, Melo fans look back on those days fondly.

During an appearance on Adrian Wojnarowski’s “The Woj Pod,” Anthony went in-depth on the trade and how it all went down. As he explains, he was supposed to sit out the 2010-2011 season as he didn’t want to play for a Nuggets team that wanted to rebuild. At the time, the Nuggets wanted to send him to the Jazz or the Lakers, but during All-Star weekend, the Knicks came in and offered a much better deal. From there, the rest was history.

“New York comes in at the 25th hour and we have a meeting with New York,” Carmelo recounted. “The infamous meeting. 3 O’Clock in the morning. And it’s just like ‘what are we gonna do.'”

In the end, both the Knicks and the Nuggets lost out on the trade as neither team has been able to win a championship, much less make it to an NBA Finals. Either way, the story is quite interesting and it just goes to show how coveted Melo was at the time.

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At long last, Bobby Shmurda is set to be a free man once again. With his prison release date confirmed for Tuesday, February 23rd, many have been curious to see how the New York icon bounces back from such an extended absence. As his mother revealed, Bobby is initially planning to keep his first day out low-key by way of an intimate family dinner. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him quickly lured into a celebratory state by the leagues of artists and fans alike, many of whom have remained loyal for the duration of the rapper’s seven-year bid.

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With the big day only a few hours away, Shmurda took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message of gratitude to those who played a role in preserving his momentum and legacy. Though he was forced to use a second account after hackers hijacked his official page, Shmurda made sure to let his people know that they remain appreciated to the fullest. “My team created this Instagram page after my original page was hacked but thanks to my dedicated fans I manage to get my page verified,” he writes. “Also 1M followers without ever being active on this page.”

“Thank you for riding this six-year sentence out with me,” he continues. “I love you all and look forward to seeing you soon. Sincerely, Bod boy Bobby.” Those interested in keeping up to date with Bobby’s new page should follow “realbobbyshmurdags9” on Instagram; the account currently sits at 1.3 million followers. Look for that number to climb once the reality of his new situation sits in and the new music begins to surface. Are you excited to see Bobby Shmurda once again integrated into the hip-hop landscape?