New Hip Hop News

After months of exciting teasers and nearly one full year following its official announcement, DJ Khaled’s 12th studio album Khaled Khaled is finally on the horizon. Set to release this Friday on April 30, DJ Khaled’s new project is already looking like it will be another hit and chart-topper for the veteran record producer. Yesterday, Khaled shared the tracklist, and although the tracklist is surprisingly brief for contemporary rap standards, it is absolutely stacked.

Artists such as Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Lil Wayne, Big Sean, 21 Savage, Post Malone, Roddy Ricch, Megan Thee Stallion, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, H.E.R., DaBaby, and Justin Timberlake, among several others, are set to appear on Khaled Khaled, but one track, in particular, has really caught the Hip-Hop community’s attention: “Sorry Not Sorry” with Nas, Jay-Z, James Fauntleroy, and Harmonies By The Hive. In addition to the game-changing team-up between Nas and Jay-Z, however, many fans have started to ponder about the identity of Harmonies By The Hive.

When posting the album cover for Khaled Khaled, the We The Best DJ notably stated, “I couldn’t post any pictures of this gift I have for u I had to sign an NDA.” That strange revelation made many people automatically assume that Beyoncé was involved in DJ Khaled’s new album, so when her name wasn’t listed on the tracklist, many fans were surprised. Still, some fans are still holding out hope that the Lemonade artist is secretly appearing on “Sorry Not Sorry” under the guise of “Harmonies by the Hive.”

Check out some of the Twitter reactions below.

 Judging from the tracklist, are you convinced that Harmonies by the Hive is a secret Beyoncé-led outfit or are fans simply looking to deep into it?

Having emerged onto the scene in the early nineties as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah came of age as an emcee in the midst of the golden era. Surrounded by some of hip-hop’s best lyricists — not only those present within his crew, but Nas, Biggie, Mobb Deep, and Jay-Z were all actively rising — the art of crafting a consistently strong album was among the most important artistic goals.

There’s a reason our hip-hop legends remain admired to this day, and much of it comes down to the longevity of their classic bodies of work. Yet with the music of today arriving at a breakneck pace, it’s become difficult to keep a project in steady rotation long enough to develop any real attachment. Between that, and the argument that the music itself has been designed for short-term gain, it’s not uncommon to see many of the game’s OG’s speak of the “album” with fondness often reserved for the deceased.

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In a new interview with Vulture, Ghostface opened up about one of his issues with rap’s “new generation,” a topic on which he often feels misunderstood.  “I’m all for these young Black kids getting money and doing what they do,” he prefaces. “But musically, I think that becoming a rapper now, you should know the history. Know now who the Spoonie Gees and Sugarhill Gangs was, the Wu-Tangs and the Biggies, all that. Grand Puba, all these guys. You need to know these people. You gotta add to that. We got bodies of work. Mobb Deep, Nas, Wu-Tang, Jay-Z, we got bodies of work. These days, you might hear one record and don’t even care about the rest of the album.”

“Some of them really got talent,” he acknowledges. “You might not be able to understand that talent because that’s not the era you come from, but being an artist, you gotta be willing to listen to everything. It took me a while to start to understand these kids and their sound.”

For more on that topic and more from Ghostface Killah, check out our own exclusive interview with the Wu-Tang legend right here. 

There is presently tons of speculation regarding two of hip-hop’s greatest wordsmiths, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, who could be planning to release their latest musical offerings within the next few weeks. The online chatter started after TDE’s head posted a teaser clip, claiming that “the wait is ovah!” as fans rushed to wonder about who could be dropping. Given the fact that it’s been four years since Kendrick’s last album, fans of the Compton-based icon shared their hopeful thoughts on the teaser, hoping that it could signal their favorite’s return.

While the TDE hints could also be for SZA, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad, or anybody else on the stacked label’s roster, people are optimistic that we might finally be getting another project from Kung Fu Kenny. On the same day, Dreamville’s Bas came through with more of a certain statement, teasing J. Cole’s long-awaited The Off-Season and claiming that it’s arriving within two weeks. 

With the possibility that we could be receiving new music from Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, hip-hop fans seem to be ready for the tide to finally turn this year. So far in 2021, we have had a lack of high-profile releases. While there have been a few, some of the rap game’s mainstays have been quiet for far too long. Kendrick and J. Cole have had their fans hungry for any sort of hints that they could be dropping, so this week’s speculation may finally mean something is on the horizon.

What do you think? Are we about to get back-to-back drops from Kendrick and Cole?

Now that the COVID-19 vaccinations have been made readily available to the general public in the U.S., businesses and institutions of education are trying to piece together how to move forward. Americans have been easing into their new normal as quarantine has ended, but there have been warring opinions regarding the school system.

Some districts have given concerned parents the option of continuing an at-home, Zoom education while other students return to classrooms. There have been debates about if vaccines should be required for in-person learning experiences, but the Centner Academy in Miami has received backlash for stating that they refuse to employ anyone who received the “experimental drug.”

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“Until further notice, we ask any employee who has not yet taken the experimental COVID-19 injection, to wait until the end of the school year,” the school wrote in an email to parents. “We also recommended that all faculty and staff hold off on taking the injection until there is further research available on whether this experimental drug is impacting unvaccinated individuals. It is our policy, to the extent possible, not to employ anyone who has taken the experimental COVID-19 injection until further information is known.”

Leila and David Centner run the private school that CBS 4 News reportedly stated costs $30,000 per year. It’s also reported that because they operate as a private employer, they can make certain restrictions to their staff.

“Tens of thousands of women all over the world have recently been reporting adverse reproductive issues from being in close proximity with those who have received any one of the COVID-19 injections,” the school wrote in their email to parents. They also stated, “No one knows exactly what may be causing these irregularities, but it appears that those who have received the injections may be transmitting something from their bodies to those with whom they come in contact.”

Medical officials have debunked these claims and in its letter, the Centner Academy didn’t cite where they received their information. CBS 4 Miami attempted to obtain a statement from someone at Centner, but the outlet received the same email that the parents were given along with an addition.

“We’re doing what we think is in the best interest of the children because children shouldn’t be around teachers who are vaccinated,” the school added. Do you agree with the academy’s decision? 

[via]