New Hip Hop News

TikTok is arguably one of the most influential tools in modern technology. While everyone has hopped on the platform, it’s certainly gaining popularity among Gen. Z, similar to how millennials propped up Instagram to becoming one of the biggest social media platforms out there. For artists, it’s undoubtedly helped get a lot of music out there while also celebrating older records and re-introducing them to a new audience.

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Kid Cudi has found himself at the center of a new TikTok trend after kids found his hit record, “Day N Nite.” Initially included on A Kid Named Cudi, the song remains one of Cudi’s biggest songs to date. TikTokers have been using the song where they mouth the line, “Now look at this” and cutting out the following line.

Cudi took to Twitter to make it clear that he isn’t a fan of these. “I dont fuck w what they did to my song on tik tok takin out the lyrics. We live in a strange time. Im not flattered,” he tweeted. When a fan tweeted at him “whack,” he simply replied, “very.” A few of his fans seemed to think that he was taking the trend too seriously. “I dont think im makin it ‘deep’ by tweetin how I feel. Now if I was ranting thats another thing. Nothing wrong w me stating I dont approve, plus if u are such a fan, u know my lyrics are most important to me. Im passionate about my shit so idc who has a problem w that,” he added. 

Check the tweets below. 

The lack of black and brown representation in Hollywood is obvious. In the last few years, there has been a huge push to get more black talent both behind and in front of the camera. The push seems to be working, but one study has found that it may not be enough.

The movie and TV industries rack up $148 billion a year. However, consulting firm McKinsey & Company has found that a lack of black-led projects costs the industry $10 billion yearly. The study finds that getting rid of racial inequities in Hollywood could boost overall revenues by 7%. Currently, movies with a black main character or co-star receive production budgets 24% lower than budgets for films with a white lead.

The study also found that 87% of TV executives and 92% of movie executives are white. The top three talent agencies for film and movie are 90% white. The study went even deeper to find that within the first 10 years of work for the average actor, black actors get an average of six leading roles while white actors land 10.

The study drew on numbers from 2015 – 2019. The research was completed at the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and Nielsen. The BlackLight Collective, a powerful group of black executives and talent, worked with McKinsey researchers to get this study completed.

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Jeremy Lin’s journey throughout the NBA has been a difficult one and at every single turn, he has had to deal with discrimination and those who are insensitive to his plight. Recently, Lin has dealt with some anti-Asian racism, especially in light of COVID-19. Following rhetoric from former President Donald Trump, many Asian people were blamed for the virus and it has led to an uptick in hate crimes. In fact, during a G League game, Lin claimed that he was called “Coronavirus” by an opposing player.

Since this accusation surfaced, the league has been looking to identify the player and usher in a punishment. In the end, that is exactly what has happened as according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the NBA has found the responsible party. 

The player has not been named and it seems like it will probably stay this way. Lin was adamant that he didn’t want to give away any names as he felt like that wouldn’t actually fix the situation. For now, it remains to be seen what the punishment will be for these racist actions.

Lin has been very vocal about his struggle and it has led to an outpouring of support on social media. Hopefully, the player learns from their mistake and makes amends with Lin.

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Today, Boston Celtics player Tristan Thompson turns 30. While many people are celebrating this big milestone, his partner Khloe Kardashian seems to be the one celebrating it the most. On Saturday morning, she posted a series of photos of her, Tristan, and daughter True to her Instagram, alongside a caption in which she called Tristan her “best friend.”

“The ones that are meant to be are the ones who go through everything that is designed to tear them apart and they come out even stronger than they were before,” Khloe wrote. “Thank you for showing me everything you said you would. For the father you are. For the best friend I have in you. I’m thankful that I can do absolutely nothing with you and it feels like everything. I hope you know today and everyday how loved you are by me and so many. Happy birthday TT! Welcome to 30! I can’t wait for all of the memories. This is when life just starts getting good!” 

It looks like the couple are in a pretty good place right now, despite some recent bumps in the overall rollercoaster that is their relationship. In early February, rumors flew around that Tristan Thompson had slept with Sabrina Parr, Lamar Odom’s ex-fiancé, which Khloe said she was already aware of. By the end of last month, however, engagement rumors were circulating about Khloe and Tristan once again. 

Happy 30th, Tristan!

Rich The Kid has his strengths and he plays to them quite well. Over the course of his career, he’s had a strong hand in dictating the culture and influencing the sound of rap, even if he doesn’t necessarily get the credit he deserves. However, he’s still receiving praise from many of the titans of hip-hop, collaborating with Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Future, and plenty of others.

The rapper has maintained a close relationship with Lil Wayne over the years. Aside from music, their mutual love for skateboarding has brought them together over the years. Rich The Kid took to Instagram earlier today where he posed with Lil Wayne in Kobe Bryant’s Lakers jersey. Wayne, of course, has always expressed his appreciation for Kobe over the years, even recording a song named after the late Lakers legend. The caption, however, had many people scratching their heads. “The goat says im a GOAT,” he wrote along with GOAT emojis. 

Rich The Kid was immediately flamed for the caption. A few people suggested that Wayne was likely very stoned when he said that and it seems that RTK took notice. He has since changed the caption to simply include the hush emoji, and then to include two GOAT emojis side by side. 

The two have previously worked together on “End Of Discussion” and “Body Bag” from Rich The Kid and NBA Youngboy’s collaborative project.

Check out OG caption below. 

Wendy Williams decided to come for Dionne Warwick in one of the strangest ways last year. Williams stated on her show that Warwick was not writing her own tweets. Celebrities not writing their own tweets is nothing new, but Warwick has been a comical and loveable personality on Twitter. The legendary singer did not take kindly to being called out though.

“You know they’re gonna say what they wanna say regardless,” Warwick recently told Page Six when asked about Williams. “You know, so I just don’t bother to dignify it, you know what? Why waste my time and theirs by continuing to say, ‘Hey, it’s me?’ It’s me is all I can tell you.” Of course, Warwick has already addressed Wiliams via a tweet as well.

“A friend alerted me that Wendy Williams was spending a lot of not nice time speaking on me,” Warwick tweeted at the time. “I tuned in to her show to catch the last few minutes of her speaking about me and as in the past, she seems not to be able to speak without maliciously made comments.”

“There’s an old saying you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar! Try it Wendy you might like it,” she added.

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After pretty much destroying the movie rental industry, Netflix is releasing a documentary about the last Blockbuster. The film is called The Last Blockbuster and it shows never-before-seen footage of employees, fans, and more. The trailer is filled with nostalgic moments that capture the magic the once filled the air when adults and kids would flock to rent their favorite films. 

The Last Blockbuster Official Trailer from PopMotion Pictures on Vimeo.

The last Blockbuster in the world is located in Bend, Oregon. The documentary’s official Facebook page states, “A lot of people know that Blockbuster had the chance to buy Netflix early on and they passed on the opportunity. In an ironic twist of fate, our movie The Last Blockbuster is coming to Netflix one week from today. We are beyond excited for people to get to see this tribute to era of home video on the world’s largest streaming service. Just don’t forget to rewind it when you’re done watching it and bring it back by noon on Wednesday.” Streaming in general looks like it will kill many more industries in the next decade, with more and more people switching from cable to apps like Hulu or Disney+. The Last Blockbuster premieres on Netflix on March 15.

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