New Hip Hop News

As Rap fans around the world await news about DMX’s recovery, Funkmaster Flex has a bone to pick with the industry. The famed DJ has known Dark Man X for years and was devastated by the news that DMX reportedly suffered a heart attack following a drug overdose. The rapper’s loved ones have gathered outside of the hospital where DMX is being treated and held a vigil in his honor while Funk Flex got a few things off of his chest during a recent chat with Page Six.

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“The music business is a gorilla. It’s a bottomless pit of happiness or depression,” said Flex. “I don’t wanna say people don’t help you but I do want to say there are people who actually know [when a star is struggling, but don’t help] sometimes… You don’t always get the best help when money is being made.”

“It’s rough for someone like a DMX who may be in a mental and emotional state of childhood trauma that has happened to him and then being thrown into the money and fame.” DMX has been candid about the struggles during his upbringing, the abuse he endured, and his life on the streets as a child.

“I know he shares his demons and we may have to amplify that demon and amplify his story and his feelings so that the next generation can kind of see a little better, a little clearer,” said Flex, before he called out X’s industry friends who haven’t kept in touch but were quick to through up photos of DMX on social media. “People can find the picture…that they had with the person that’s going through a tragedy in thirty seconds, but you haven’t called that person in ten years.”

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“Let me see the picture of you when you went afterwards to his house because you was so concerned,” Flex added. “I never see that picture where they go to the house. Nipsey Hussle passed away and every washed-up rapper made a pilgrimage to L.A. to go to the Marathon store to take a picture or to get their cards swiped. Bro, Nipsey needed that support when he was alive.”

Do you agree with Flex? Check out images from DMX’s vigil below.

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With the rising violence in the Rap community, Yung Bleu is calling for artists to keep their security tight. Most recently, reports stated that Kodak Black was shot at, shots were fired on set at 42 Dugg and Roddy Ricch’s music video shoot, and we can’t forget the scandal involving King Von’s death that allegedly occurred at the hands of Quando Rondo’s good friend. Some artists are being mocked for keeping themselves surrounded by security guards, but Yung Bleu offered a bit of advice for his fellow rappers.

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“If u a artist keep you security f*ck these folks,” he wrote. “U can’t watch everything .  even if u strapped yourself or not , you don’t got time to be catching cases and watching your back while u out here this money. Be smart the internet gone move on when u gone believe me.” He wasn’t quite finished and offered up a few more thoughts.

“Don’t let these people make u a meme,” he added. “Play smart  People not playing fair u may be tryna have a good time and n*ggas plottin. Ain’t nun wrong with a few extra pair of eyes while u providing for the fam. If you gotta buss your sh*t let that be the last resort these people play the police when sh*t get real anyways.” Check out his posts below.

With his controversy behind him, Nick Cannon is back into the swing of things. The media mogul’s Wild ‘N Out is set to return sometime this month and Cannon is back with his “Top 5” lists, this time about Hip Hop’s greatest diss tracks. He previously shared his Top 5 Rappers Who Can Fight, but this time around, Cannon is naming artists who have delivered some of the most vicious bars in the history of Hip Hop. We’re sure you already have a few in mind before you even check out Cannon’s choices, so compare your picks to his.

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“At number five it’s me versus Eminem! Nah, just joking,” Cannon began. Instead, he chose Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Dre Day.” Cannon added, “They was gettin’ at everybody.” Next came Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline,” a single that some believed should have been higher on the list. At No. 3 came Jay-Z’s Kanye West-produced Nas diss track “Takeover.” 

Drake held down the No. 2 spot with “Back to Back,” his Grammy-nominated diss track that was aimed at Meek Mill. Cannon believes the No. 1 diss track of all time belongs to Tupac and The Outlawz for their infamous single “Hit ‘Em Up,” a track that was poised against The Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy, and any Bad Boy friend or affiliate. 

Check out Cannon speaking about his choices below and let us know if you agree with his picks.

Plenty of R&B fans are excited about the upcoming collaboration between Queen Naija and Ari Lennox, but a select few continue to bring up Queen’s previous controversy. The singer and YouTube star hasn’t been able to shake her years-old video where she complained about the “lil’ Black nappy-headed” girls would bully her in school. “They be jealous of something,” she said in the old clip. “It seemed like always ugly people bullied me… It ain’t had nothin’ to do with color, but they were always the ones that bullied me. It was always some lil’ Black little girls bullying me with some terrible hairstyles.”

It’s the video that resurfaces every time Queen Naija has a new release on the horizon and her joint effort with Lennox has caused a stir. Because Ari Lennox is an artist who celebrates her skin tone, some of her fans took to social media to speak out against the collaboration. Queen Naija has been pelted with colorism accusations once again, prompting her to respond publicly.

“Lol the fact that people think they can get ‘rid’ of me or take me off my own song is ridiculous [crying laughing emoji],” Queen tweeted. “I don’t want nor need y’all’s validation to continue to win! whatever y’all say about or to me cannot stop my blessings. The ratio of people who love me outweighs the hate! [purple heart emoji].”

This isn’t the first time that Queen Naija has addressed the old YouTube clip; the singer has repeatedly apologized for her remarks. Check out her tweet below.

Renni Rucci is lighting up the South right now with singles like “Can’t Be” and the Kevin Gates-assisted “Hands On Ya Knees” but it’s her relationship with Foogiano that’s made them a fixture across Instagram pages. The couple hasn’t shied away from publicly claiming each other and in the wake of Foogiano’s arrest, Renni has made sure to keep his name alive while he’s away.

Renni sat down with HNHH earlier this year for our Rise & Grind series where she discussed her relationship with Foogiano, both personally and professionally. Apparently, fans can expect to hear a collaboration from them in the future, though she said she’s unclear whether it’ll make her forthcoming album, Real Bitch Radio.

The relationship began as most do in 2021: in the DMs. She said that she was the one who sent the first DM but it was strictly business-related. “Okay, so first, I DM’d him about getting on ‘Molly,'” she explained. “That was just me wanting to get on the song, like, I want to work with you. Then, we didn’t talk for a while and he started commenting under my pictures… He was lettin’ it be known, like, I’m trying to f*** with you.”

Eventually, her manager reached out to his management for a studio session. “He hit me, he’s like, ‘You don’t have to have nobody reach out to me,’ and we just started talking from there and we never stopped. We went from talking in the DM’s about a studio session to being on the phone every day,” she said. 

Check out the latest edition of HNHH’s Rise & Grind series.