New Hip Hop News

Following months of outrageous accusations of cannabilism, emotional abuse, sexual battery, and rape, it is reported that Armie Hammer is receiving professional help. Before becoming an actor, Hammer grew up as the wealthy great-grandson of an oil tycoon and the son of a successful businessman. He made a name for himself in Hollywood but at the turn of the year, rumors regarding his alleged involvement in cannibalism took over social media.

Soon, Hammer was accused of several incidents of sexual assault, and later, he was reportedly dropped by his publicist and his agent before being “forced to resign” from a movie starring Jennifer Lopez. On Tuesday (June 8), Vanity Fair reported that Hammer has now checked himself into a rehabilitation facility to address his addiction issues.

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Hammer reportedly reached out to his estranged wife last month to ask her for help. He is allegedly seeking treatment at a facility outside of Orlando and has been there for approximately one week. 

“Everyone looks at Armie thinking that he’s had some sort of privileged life—and that must mean there were no problems in his youth and everything was peachy keen,” a close friend of Hammer told Vanity Fair. “But that’s not necessarily the way things go. Just because you come from an upbringing where financial resources are plentiful doesn’t mean life isn’t without problems.”

“This is a clear sign that he is taking back control [of] his life and knows that this [is] a step towards his overall well-being.” Vanity Fair reports that they’ve spoken to various sources close to Hammer for the better part of four months and they have all told the publication that he struggles with alcoholism as well as substance and drug abuse.

Hammer has only addressed the allegations against him one time back in January after stepping away from the movie with Lopez. “I’m not responding to these bullsh*t claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for 4 months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic,” he said.

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Despite the ongoing back and forth regarding FBG Duck being mentioned in Lil Durk’s songs, the slain rapper’s mother has stepped forward with an olive branch. It was back in August 2020 when Duck, real name Carlton Weekly, was shot and killed in a brazen daytime attack in his hometown of Chicago. Duck and Durk were said to be foes and Durk has reportedly mentioned the late rapper on his tracks, but after news broke that Durk’s brother Dontay “DThang” Banks was murdered over the weekend, Sheena Weekly, Duck’s mother, took to social media to call out people in her camp who are stirring the pot.

“[I told] my people not to get on the f*cking internet and make fun of that boy and say this and say that,” she said in a video. She lamented over the recent losses and wanted to know, “When is it gon’ stop?” She added, “My babies are dead, they’re not coming back, but the ones that are here, I want them to stay.”

Elsewhere, she shared a screenshot that showed she sent a message to Lil Durk’s father, Dontay Banks Sr., in the wake of tragically losing his son. “Gm DURK hope god is mendin your heart as I type this u have my deepest condolences on the lost of your son,” she texted with a series of sad emojis and broken-hearted emojis. 

“I swear I’m tryin brother just hold your head as I KNO I can do much love FRM Sheena aka Momma Duck [wink kissy-face emojis][100 emoji][red heart emoji].” He responded, “Thank you and truly appreciate that.” People have reshared the exchange and have commended Weekly for reaching out.

Check it out below.

If there is one thing that the Kardashian-Jenners will do, it’s stand together in unity. The close-knit family has always stood in solidarity throughout the craziest of circumstances, from legal troubles to breakups to scandals, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to the public that for Kanye West’s birthday, they would collectively show love to the Rap mogul.

Even amid their divorce, Kim poste a photo of the West family, kids included, while sharing a sweet message. “Happy Birthday
Love U for Life! [balloon emoji],” the caption read to a post that pulled in over 3.5 million likes. Over on Khloé Kardashian’s Instagram, she also sent her “brother for life” well wishes with a photo that showed Kanye, Kim, Tristan Thompson, and Khloé. A “fan” thought Khloé was taking a dig at her sister’s pain.

“The whole ‘brother for life’ this is too petty for me,” commented the Instagram user before addressing Kim. “You divorce was so hard on you even the picture is just uncalled for. There is so many other pictures.” Khloé had the time and slid right in the comments to respond.

“Why are you even commenting on something you know nothing about?” she questioned. “You don’t think me and my sisters talk about one another’s feelings? We are with one another everyday. This is MY FAMILY. Not yours! Don’t comment as if you in the know unless you are actually in the know.”

Khloé closed out her response by calling the user a “Weirdo!!!!!” Check out the exchange in full below.

The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards worked around the guidelines presented by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, there was no live audience, and the performances were almost all pre-recorded. Nonetheless, even with the show being scaled down because of the pandemic, it was still held in New York with restrictions in place. 

The 2021 edition of the popular awards show will take in NYC once again, at the Barclay’s Center– however this year, it will be returning to the favored live format.

On Tuesday, June 8th, MTV officially announced that the 2021 broadcast will air on September 12th. To coincide with the anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, MTV has partnered with the non-profit organization 9/11 Day. Together, 9/11 Day and MTV will lead a series of activities and programs to honor the lives that were lost and those lives that were affected by the attacks. 

More details, along with performers, presenters, and the evening’s host, will be announced within the coming months leading up to this year’s ceremony. Barclay’s Center and MTV will also make sure to co-operate closely with health and safety protocols as the COVID-19 pandemic is not over just yet.

What’s the most memorable MTV VMA’s performance you can recall? Sound off in the comments below.

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Back in 2000, comedy fans were thrilled when the Kings of Comedy hit theaters. Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac, D.L. Hughley, and Cedric The Entertainer all joined together for a stand-up routine that has gone down in comedy history, but Katt Williams recently revealed that he had a bone to pick with one of his fellow comedians.

During the film, Cedric closes out his routine with a joke about having to park a large spaceship Cadillac. In an interview with The Morning Hustle, Williams revealed that the joke was originally his and he was “crushed” when he saw Cedric perform it on the big screen.

“Well, when it initially happened to me, it crushed me just because the comedian was already bigger and more famous than me and he took my closing joke and made it his closing joke on Kings of Comedy,” said Williams. “The reason it hit so bad was that I was in the theater. I paid my money to go see Kings of Comedy and to see my joke being there and not me was about as disrespectful as it gets in our craft and I took it really personally with Cedric The Entertainer at that time.”

“Now, since then, I’ve done enough work with ten comedy specials. You either have to write your own jokes or you’re telling a variation of my joke, whether you acknowledge it or not.” Katt Williams added that as artists, you’re either “originally creating or you are borrowing bits and pieces.” When asking if he ever confronted Cedric about the incident, Williams said he hadn’t addressed it.

“I’m not that type of comedian. I’m going in your mouth where the joke is when you steal my jokes, and I have a reputation in this industry that if you steal my joke, you’re gonna be missing a tooth or two… I don’t play like that.”

Check out Williams’s interview below and the joke in question from Kings of Comedy above.

Ellie Kemper has a long few weeks of apologizing and accountability ahead of her, after it was revealed she was crowned the winner of the historically racist St. Louis Prophet Ball in 1999. She responded to the controversy in a lengthy Instagram post where she detailed how she was unaware of the prejudice surrounding the ball and condemned white supremacy, and now her dear friend Tituss Burgess is stepping up alongside her. Burgess told Page Six that he has been in communication with the Office star, who has largely been silent on social media aside from her apology, and said briefly that the actress was doing well in the midst of all the drama. 

“My Ellie is doing wonderful. Ellie’s great,” the 42-year-old Broadway and TV actor told Page Six, offering that that’s all he would say about her. The duo co-starred in Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for four seasons, which was nominated for twenty Emmy Awards. Many have now claimed similarities between the show’s plot, which finds Kemper’s character readjusting to society after escaping a cult, and Kemper’s own life, after the story broke that she took part in the Prophet Ball. 

Burgess reposted the actress’s apology when it was posted, adding on the side of it: “I love my Ellie, Oh, & P.S. Next time, just ask me, I’ll tell ya what to do.” The actor, who changed his image over quarantine with the hiring of a personal trainer and a plastic surgeon, is now focused on the gradual reopening of Broadway venues and shows. He recently performed at the Roundabout Theater Company’s 2021 gala in Central Park.

Check out the Instagram apology below.

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They came into the Rap game as close friends but now the YBN crew is falling apart. The most popular of the bunch are YBN Almighty, YBN Nahmir, and Cordae, the latter of who announced that he was dropping “YBN” from his stage name in August 2020. There have been rumors about what has led to the disbanding of sorts from the group that consists of several other members, but these three have contended that regardless of any name changes, they’re still like brothers.

However, as Cordae continues to work on his next release, Nahmir and Jay have been trading insults online. Following the Floyd Mayweather-Logan Paul fight, Jay appeared on social media, challenging Nahmir to a fight. In a video that has gone viral, it didn’t look as if this was a playful invitation, and after Nahmir answered the call, it was clear that there is some real animosity between these former friends.

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The two even shared a screen in an Instagram Livestream where they yelled at one another about an altercation they were apparently involved in. “I beat yo ass while I was sittin’ down!” said Nahmir. Jay told him to “put that on yo mama” and Nahmir did just that. “I been put you down,” Nahmir added. “I’m deadass. What I gotta lie for?”

In another video, Jay attempted to explain his “almost two-year” beef with his friend. “An incident end up like, occurring with some n*ggas I used to be cool with. They end up doing something and Nahmir end up gettin’ caught up in it somehow,” said Jay. Whatever went down, Jay claimed that he paid out $30K and Nahmir paid $10K. Months later, said Jay, a mutual friend allegedly told him that Nahmir believed Jay owed him that $10K.

Jay wasn’t quite finished and in another clip shared that he’s been at odds with his label over removing “YBN” from his name, especially on social media. He declared that his name is “Almighty Jay” from this point forward. Look through the videos below to catch Jay and Nahmir’s beef.