New Hip Hop News

Russell Westbrook has been through a lot over the course of his career. The Washington Wizards star is known for his ability when it comes to picking up triple-doubles although, despite his hustle, he tends to get disrespected by the media, and at times, even his own peers. Regardless, Westbrook continues to grind harder than anyone in the league and it is apparent that he is one of the game’s best players.

Last night, Westbrook picked up a massive triple-double in a win against the Lakers. He scored 18 points, 18 rebounds, and 14 assists, which is a performance that caught the eye of LeBron James, who took to Instagram with a tribute to Westbrook and everything he does on the court.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

“We know y’all HATE & don’t APPRECIATE but we just laugh it off! But 1 thing you will do is RESPECT IT/US,” LeBron wrote. That is is when Westbrook replied to LeBron, saying “Straight like that brodie.” It’s clear that these two have a ton of mutual respect for one another, and when each player is at the top of their game, it is always special to watch.

While this season was definitely a struggle for Westbrook and the Wizards, there is no denying that they have the potential to do some big things next year, if they make improvements to the roster. As for LeBron, he will be looking to win a championship, once he returns from injury.

Russ has proven himself to be a student of hip-hop history, consistently stepping up to give flowers to the legends who have moved the culture forward. After paying homage to some of the game’s great lyricists on his CHOMP EP, Russ has since hit the studio with two of his personal favorite producers, Scott Storch and Timbaland, whom he united under one roof in a recent session.

It’s not entirely new territory for the versatile emcee. Russ has worked with Storch on a variety of different occasions, having previously declared the producer to be “top 5” without a doubt, earning several gold and platinum plaques alongside the veteran beatmaker. He’s also connected with Timbaland in the studio before, though the fruits of their creative labor have yet to arrive. Now, he’s managed to bring both production OGs together, and fans are excited to see what style of music emerges as a result.

Scott Dudelson/Getty Images 

“What y’all think this sounds like,” captions Russ, sharing a few photos from the studio session — including one that features two distinctive mixing channels for both Scott and Timbo. “See y’all on the otherside.” 

On that note, look for Russ to keep working on his next body of work, which will presumably feature his new concoctions with Scott Storch and Timbaland. At this time, it’s not clear if the pair blessed him with a single or multiple beats, though the results should be exciting either way. Look for additional updates on Russ’ next endeavor as it surfaces. Are you excited to hear what he, Storch, and Timbo have been working on? 

If you are a big fan of sneakers, then you have probably owned a pair of Air Jordan 1s at some point in your life. It is one of those shoes that has stood the test of time and it will probably never go out of style. It continues to deliver new colorways and there are always old iterations of the sneaker that make their way to the market. One of those models is the KO which stands for “knockoff,” as it is clear that there is something a bit different about these kicks.

Due to the lack of certain details and alternate materials, this shoe is sometimes seen as something that Nike couldn’t have made. Of course, this is not true as it was, indeed, made by Nike as a way to deliver cost-effective shoes to the masses. The “Chicago” colorway of the Air Jordan 1 KO is set to be released soon, and you can see the official images, down below.

A release date has also been set for the shoe, as these are going to be dropping on May 12th for $140 USD, through the Nike SNKRS App. Let us know what you think of this release, in the comments below.

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

Image via Nike

The birthday girl has made it to Las Vegas and she’s looking absolutely stunning. Lizzo is celebrating another turn around the sun as she turns 33-years-old in style. After sharing a trio of nude pictures on Instagram with her girlfriends, the “Juice” rapper is back with more thirst traps, enjoying her time in Sin City with some poolside bikini shots.

Draping herself in an uncomfortable amount of gold chains and rocking an embroidered leopard-print two-piece swimsuit, Lizzo attached three birthday balloons to her braids and attracted all sorts of attention. Maybe even Chris Evans took notice? 

“Another year for the history books and anotha look for ya mood board B*TCH,” she wrote as her caption. She shared a few other pictures from the same set, sending everyone into a tizzy, especially with her braid balloons. At night, she spent time at the casino with friends, documenting her big-spender lifestyle by the slot machines and reminding us all that she’s one of the baddest women in music right now.

Recently, Lizzo sparked collaboration rumors after hanging out with Kehlani and SZA. They share a close friendship but fans are hoping that they also spent some time in the studio together. 

Happy birthday to the self-proclaimed Bop Star! Here’s to another successful year.

Just a couple of weekends ago, it was reported that Sterling Brown of the Houston Rockets went to a strip club in Miami during a team trip. Brown ended up going to the club with his teammate Kevin Porter Jr., however, things took a serious turn after Brown was attacked by a group of men outside the club. It was stated that Brown got hit in the head with a massive bottle which led to a huge gash on his head, causing a lot of bleeding.

In a report from The Athletic, it was believed that Brown could have died from his injuries, had he not been in good shape. Now, police body cam footage of the incident has been released to the public, albeit without any audio.

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

In the clip below, courtesy of TMZ, you can see Brown with a white t-shirt pressed against his head. The whole shirt is covered in a shocking amount of blood and throughout the video, Brown is speaking with police who are trying to figure out what happened. During all of this, Porter Jr could be seen acting in an animated manner as he tried to explain what went down.

For now, Brown continues to recover from what went down, all while Porter Jr has been fined $50K for going to the strip club and violating the league’s health protocols.

[Via]

It’s not uncommon to hear the term “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper” used to describe a certain breed of emcee. Evidently, Big Daddy Kane may very well epitomize it. Easily one of the most influential voices in hip-hop history, having inspired the likes of Eminem, Nas, Kendrick Lamar, and many more, Kane’s run in the late eighties and early nineties came to pave the way for lyricism as we know it. 

Having earned respect from his peers on such a universal level, Charlamagne inquires as to whether or not he feels as if he’s gotten the most out of hip-hop, especially upon seeing how the rap landscape has shifted. “I’m not getting these bags like Lil Uzi Vert and these young cats,” he reflects. “But from a cultural standpoint, yeah. I got a whole lot. I had the opportunity to dominate my era. From a cultural aspect, I got a whole lot of it. From the financial topic, nah.”

Al Pereira/Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives 

Despite the financial disparity that exists between hip-hop generations, Kane remains pleased to see young artists thriving. “I’m happy to see it,” he says. “You have to keep in mind that during our era, we weren’t even accepted a lot of places. I remember Prince had me do a rhyme on the Bat Dance song, for that Batman movie with Michael Keaton. Warner Bros. Records is happy, loving it. Warner Bros. Films said nah, and took me off. It was like that back then.”

Kane also opens up about the rappers he deemed to be lyrical equals during his era. “The top three at that time were me, [KRS], and Rakim,” he explains. “I hate leaving G Rap out, but by public opinion. Me personally, G Rap one of my favorites.” He laughs, reflecting on how Swizz Beatz has been trying to get him to do a Verzuz with Rakim. “I would love to do it, but I can’t make nobody battle me.” Charlamagne reflects on how the public has been wanting that battle for years, prompting Kane to dive deeper down memory lane.”

Prince Williams/Getty Images

“One night, Bobby Brown did a show at the Garden,” he recalls. “He had all of us on stage, letting everybody spit while the band playing. Kool Moe D trying to push it, cause me and Rakim on stage rhyming. It wasn’t a battle, we were just rhyming. But he wanted us to rhyme back to back. Just to show you how deep people wanted it to happen, when Rakim rhymed, Moe D gave me a microphone and was trying to edge me next to him so I can go after him. Just-Ice snatched the mic from Heavy D and said ‘I go after the God!'”

“As soon as Rakim finished, Just-Ice jumped in front of him and started rhyming,” he continues. “The whole crowd started booing. They never gave him a chance. They was just mad I didn’t go after Rakim. They just started booing. That’s how bad they wanted it.”

When Charlamagne asks whether he had any bars for Rakim tucked away in case of emergency, Kane lets out a knowing chuckle. “I might have.”

WATCH: Big Daddy Kane on The Breakfast Club