New Hip Hop News

Love him or hate him, Lil Nas X’s marketing plan worked. On Friday, the rapper released his latest single, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” as well as its accompanying visuals. The song is an infectious, upbeat bop that arrived just in time for the spring but it’s the music video that raised hell, literally. Right-wing pundits and conservative talking heads were furious to see Lil Nas X slide down a pole into the depth of hell only to give Satan a lapdance, snapped his neck, then took his horns.

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images 

The entire rollout for this song and video is seemingly as effective as one would expect. Despite the blowback from the visuals, it seems like many have had the song on steady rotation over the past few days, especially as chart data predicts its debut on the Billboard Hot 100. It looks like Lil Nas X could score his second #1 hit record on the charts.

Fans who’ve been streaming the record could earn themselves a personal gift from Lil Nas X. The rapper took to Twitter to encourage his followers to keep supporting the song, writing, “if call me by your name goes number 1 i’m buying all my followers a 12 pack of hanes socks.”

With the success of his latest single, it looks like we should expect his debut album to arrive later this year. 

Fans often want to know all details of a celebrity’s personal life, but not everyone wants to share. Summer Walker is known in the industry as a reserved person and she’s previously told the public that she has social anxiety, but still, people steadily demand that she opens up to them. The singer has made it clear that her life is her business and she doubled down on that sentiment on Wednesday (March 31).

The new mom decided to close out the month of March with an announcement on her Instagram Story. “I legit hate this job,” she penned. “Lol why can’t I just put out music w out stalkers being obsessed with my private life. I need to start figuring out my next job.” She didn’t specify what career she’d tackle outside of performing, but considering she announced the launch of Ghetto Earth Records, an imprint of Interscope, back in December, Summer Walker has been making business moves behind the scenes.

Recently, Walker and producer London On Da Track welcomed their first child together, a daughter. Fans have asked for Walker to post photos of her newborn, but the singer said she doesn’t intend on sharing images of her child online. 

Instagram

Things got a little spicy for Skai Jackson after Jordyn Woods stepped forward in her sister’s defense. On Wednesday, a TikTok user named Mia J shared a video that suggested actress Skai Jackson was gaslighting and bullying Jodie Woods on Instagram by duplicating images that the younger Woods sister shared online. Later, Jordyn posted a video where she said she’s won’t stand for people “messing with my family” and noted that the person was way older than her 15-year-old sister.  Because Skai is only 18, some people speculated that Jordyn may have been speaking about someone else.

Robin L Marshall / Stringer / Getty Images

Skai repeatedly took to social media to deny that she has issues with Jodie and stated that the TikTok user was sharing fake images. “Please stop with this fake news.. Jodie and I have talked, we have never had any drama, and people are trying to make something out of nothing on both ends,” wrote Skai. “Y’all are very quick to believe something on the internet.” The actress added, “Again, that dm of ‘Jodie’ is not her.. it’s FAKE. people are trying to make something out of nothing. Stop believing everything you see on the internet.”

The Neighborhood Talk shared another series of screenshots that showed the TikToker Mia J telling Skai that she never said the information was factual. Mia suggested that she created the story because making money on TikTok is the only job she has. In response, Skai told her that this is false information and she asked for Mia J to take the video down. She refused and told Skai that she’d remove it if the actress could “match [the] price” that she’s making over on TikTok. How much? $3,000—or publicly promote Mia’s music.

Skai flatly refused because she didn’t want to pay to remove a video that wasn’t true and added that a minor was involved. Mia replied, “I didn’t know that it would even go viral but that’s how I make my money.” Check it all out below.

The case of Jeffrey Epstein’s nefarious acts alongside Ghislaine Maxwell has continued to unravel in the public eye, even after the convicted sex offender’s conspicuous death. Maxwell remains inside of prison as more accusations emerge surrounding the heinous acts that she and Epstein committed to their alleged victims. A new lawsuit filed against Epstein’s estate accuses him and Maxwell of raping a woman before threatening to throw her into a body of water filled with alligators that would “devour” her.” 

Florida Department of Law Enforcement via Getty Images

In a new piece published in the Miami Herald, a real estate broker identified as “Jane Doe” said that Maxwell and Epstein repeatedly raped her at the age of 26 in front of her eight-year-old son at a hotel. She also claims that they trafficked her to have sex with multiple men including a judge who allegedly threatened to have her arrested on prostitution charges if she reported the assaults to authorities.

The lawsuit she filed details her initial introductions to Epstein and Maxwell who attended an event that her employer was hosting. The lawsuit claims that Epstein was interested in having her work for him. Jane Doe claims that she went to the Epstein mansion to cut his hair in 2008 when Epstein was allegedly nude upon her arrival.

She claims that Epstein and Maxwell allegedly “brutally raped” before offering her $200. She said that Epstein and Maxwell forced her to drive with them in her car before he stopped the vehicle where he allegedly “ushered the plaintiff” to some sort of lake that had alligators and told her in detail that she’d be “devoured” by the animals if she ever speaks out.

[Via 1] [Via 2]

Today marks day 3 of Derek Chauvin’s murder trial for the death of George Floyd. Over the past two days, bystanders and witnesses took the stand including a young child and an 18-year-old girl, as well as an MMA fighter and a firefighter who both attempted to intervene as Chauvin’s knee pushed into Floyd’s neck. 

Mario Tama/Getty Images

61-year-old Charles McMillian was an onlooker at the time of Floyd’s death and was heard trying to tell him to comply with police orders, saying, “You can’t win.” McMillian’s also on the side telling the cops that they need to take their knee off of Floyd’s neck. 

Moments after the death of George Floyd, McMillian was spotted on CCTV camera and police bodycam speaking to Chauvin as he was getting into his squad car. The bodycam footage was shown in court, revealing that McMillian did approach Chauvin after Floyd’s death to tell him that he didn’t respect what he did. 

“That’s one person’s opinion,” Chauvin said as he got into his squad car. “We had to control this guy because he’s a sizable guy. It looks like he’s probably on something.”

The most powerful moment during McMillian’s testimony arrived as he broke down into tears on the stand watching the playback of the gruesome video. “I feel helpless. I don’t have a Momma either. I understand him. My mom died June 25th,” McMillian said as he recalled Floyd’s plea for his mom. 

[Via]

Ice Cube is among the many that aren’t feeling the free-trading app Robinhood, though his reason might be a bit different. According to TMZ, the legendary West Coast rapper filed a lawsuit against Robinhood who he accuses of using his image without authorization. The rapper claims that Robinhood used his image in an ad that was included in an advertisement in the Robinhood Snacks newsletter this past month and didn’t contact him to use the image. 

Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images

Cube said that the company used an image of him from a separate project that he was working on and put it in Robinhood Snacks, along with a blurb about stock corrections. The advertisement also played off of Ice Cube’s “Check Yourself” lyrics, reading, “Correct yourself before your wreck yourself.” 

The rapper said using his image and likeness created a false perception that he was associated with his brand and endorsed it. He said that nothing could be further from the truth. In the lawsuit, it says that the financial service company is the “antithesis of everything that Ice Cube stands for.” Additionally, the service is described as “horrible.” 

In the legal documents, Cube suggested that Robinhood only tried to drag him into their newsletter as payback for his business partner Jeff Kwatinetz harsh criticism for them that he’s expressed both publicly and in the lawsuit.

No word on how much Ice Cube is seeking. 

[Via]