New Hip Hop News

The public was already anticipating Saweetie’s debut album Pretty B*tch Music, but after her breakup with Quavo, things have kicked up a notch. Both Saweetie and the Migos are hyping their pending projects, and on Monday (March 29), Saweetie gave a lighting fast sneak peek into one of her collaborations. The Bay Area rapper appeared on Behind The Rhyme‘s The Walkthrough where she spoke about her forthcoming album and a track that includes a feature by Los Angeles artist Drakeo The Ruler.

“There’s a song called ‘Risky’ and it’s featuring Drakeo, he from L.A. and I like to celebrate,” she said. “It’s a great way to celebrate my independence and shout-out to all my single ladies ’cause this ‘Pretty B*tch Summer,’ we out here getting risky.” Then, the rapper shared a snippet of the track to her Instagram Story and soon, her fans were flooding social media with comments about having a “Risky Summer.”

Saweetie seems to be fully embracing her new single status—although, it is unclear when she and Quavo decided to call it quits. The Hip Hop couple were together since 2018 and publicly, the “My Type” rapper seems to be taking the split in stride. Check out a clip from her interview with Behind The Rhyme as well as the short snippet of “Risky” featuring Drakeo The Ruler below.

She’s put one lawsuit behind her but there’s another one on the horizon. A lawsuit was recently filed against Lizzo over her 2016 song “Coconut Oil,” and Detroit News claims that the Motown-born star stands accused of biting a gospel hymn for the track. According to the outlet, Orlandus Dunning alleges that Lizzo took audio from a “mutual relative’s funeral” and sampled it on “Coconut Oil” without obtaining permission. Dunning writes in the lawsuit that he has “suffered anguish, embarrassment and outrage” over the ordeal and he’s seeking $750K in damages.

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Both Lizzo and Atlantic Records are named in court documents along with “Nice Life Recording Co., an Atlantic subsidiary; and Warner Music Group Corp., which owns Atlantic.” Dunning, who is reportedly an elder at the church where the funeral was held, asserts that the clip that Lizzo sampled was of his singing performance at the event. He also says that he would have never approved of the sample because “Coconut Oil” and its message are “contradictory to his own brand and beliefs as an ordained elder.”

“When Plaintiff sang the devotional, it was at a funeral and done for the specific purpose of uplifting his family and friends during their time of bereavement,” states the lawsuit. “(Dunning) had a reasonable expectation of privacy and that his voice would not be heard publicly, as the funeral where he sang was held privately and open only to family and close friends.”

The Coconut Oil project was Lizzo’s debut EP that also hosted her hit single “Good as Hell,” a track that became popular two years after its release. Check out “Coconut Oil” below.

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All he did was express his support for his stepdaughter Charlie, but folks were quick to come after Waka Flocka. Recently, on an episode of their WEtv show Waka & Tammy: What The Flocka, viewers watched on as the Malphurs prepared for the teen’s quinceanera. Charlie revealed to Waka that she planned on bringing her girlfriend as her date and he didn’t have an issue with it. Later, in an interview, Waka shared that he stands by his daughter and fosters a home environment that nurtures her living in her truth, so she didn’t “come out” as some have put it.

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Social media influencer and comedian Zoie Fenty called out the rapper for his response by alleging that in the past, Waka hasn’t been as accepting of people in the LGBTQIA+ community. Waka Flocka’s wife Tammy Rivera clapped back and stated that people should be allowed to grow once they’ve become more educated on a particular subject.

Waka then came forward to speak up on his own behalf, as well. “Y’all n*ggas ain’t bullying nobody. And no, I’m not a phobic. I’m not none of that,” said the rapper. “What I’m gonna say is I’m gonna support my daughter. Y’all stop running with this narrative that she coming out ’cause she ain’t never hiding from nothing. She not no face, no spokesman, no nothing. She living her f*cking life, man.”

“That’s all it need to be,” he continued. “Cut it out.” Waka also had a few words for “2021 adults” who continuously speak about children on social media. “The way y’all talk about kids is crazy… Who raised y’all?” Watch his clip in full below.

In 2019, “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” singer Mike Posner re-entered the mainstream when he vowed to walk all the way across America after taking a multi-month sabbatical. The singer started in New Jersey and would make his way to Venice Beach, California entirely on foot. Unfortunately his trek was halted when he was bitten by a rattlesnake in Colorado, which caused him to be airlifted to the hospital. In a happy ending, Posner finished the walk across America in October 2019, celebrating on Venice Beach. 

This year, nearly two years after the near-fatal hike across the United States, Mike Posner has a new mission: to climb Mount Everest. Posner has been undergoing intense training to prepare for the climb for the last 18 months, and seemingly has been planning it since right after finishing his last major walk. 

“Coach, he has a really good quote, he says ‘train for climbing mountains by climbing mountains,” Posner told Metro Times. “But the important part of the snake story is that I kept going. I went back to the spot that the snake bit into my ankle, and I continued walking. And within a month, I had gone up over the Rocky Mountains. And it was getting over those mountains that I started to dream about Mount Everest. And I thought, you know, I could do that. It’s not gonna be easy. It’s actually gonna be really, really, really hard. But I’m proving to myself right now I do hard stuff.”

11 people died during 2019 attempting to climb Mount Everest, and even some of the fittest and most experienced climbers have not come out on the other side. Posner has accepted the risk and vowed to become as fit as he possibly can in order to survive the “death zone” that is the nearly 30,000 foot mountain. 

Posner isn’t just climbing for himself, though. He is raising $250,000 for the Detroit Justice Center, a nonprofit law firm looking to transform the criminal justice system. “But I came across this organization,Detroit Justice Center, and I was blown away by the work they’re doing,” Posner said. “And so I thought, I want to climb Mount Everest anyway, so if I can help raise money for them, I should do that. So I am.”

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Their romance may be over, but Kallee Brookes recently called out her ex, Raz B, on social media. The aspiring entertainer took to TikTok to share a few photos of injuries she claims she sustained at the hands of the B2K singer. Back in 2019, Raz was arrested for allegedly choking Kallee in a parking lot, and according to her, that wasn’t the only incident she endured. Kallee publicly accused Raz B of sexual assault and giving her a black eye, but he claims things aren’t what they seem.

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“Recently, it was brought to my attention that Kallee Brookes has made false accusations about a black eye and me forcing myself on her sexually,” said the singer in a social media post. “I’ve known Kallee for twenty years. This is my friend. This is my roll dog. We used to go to parties together and have a great, great, great time, and it’s sad to me that I opened up the door to these amazing opportunities from Love & Hip Hop to The Millennium Tour, that we, during the time that we were together, we had such a toxic relationship.”

Raz added that there are several people who can attest to how much he cared for Kallee. “There’s been numerous times when Kallee has been abusive to me. That led to the 2019 incident where we actually got into an altercation. It saddens me and I forgive her, and most importantly I hope she forgives me, but this is not the way to go, Kallee.”

The former B2K singer gave his well wishes to his ex-girlfriend before signing off. Watch Raz explain his side of the story below.

Things are shaking up over on The Joe Budden Podcast. Fans noticed that the familiar faces of co-hosts Rory Farrell and Mal Clay have been missing, and according to Budden, there’s no beef brewing. There are, however, problems going on behind the scenes that many hope will be reconciled due to the longstanding friendship between the trio. “Nobody has communicated a beef,” Budden shared on his podcast. “What they have communicated to me is something is wrong. Whether that be in our friendship, how we’re speaking to each other, the respect level.”

Budden once again addressed the controversy while on Instagram Live and suggested that he and Rory may have scheduled an appointment with a professional who will offer mediation. “I don’t think I’m supposed to divulge our therapy plans publicly, but we are going to therapy,” said Budden, according to All Hip Hop. “I am a therapy baby, man… Some of y’all know this. I know some of y’all only get your perception of me from the internet, but I’m a therapy baby. When something is wrong, we’re calling the therapist. Let’s get to the bottom of it.”

“I called my man [Rory] up and said, ‘You wanna go to therapy or nah?’ We out. That’s it. We’ll get to pod business later.” You can check out Joe Budden on Instagram Live below along with his explanation on his podcast.

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Last year, Bow Wow’s blended family grew by one more after he confirmed that a woman had given birth to their son. The rapper already shares a daughter, Shai, with Joie Chavis, and she has a young son, Hendrix, that she shares with rapper Future. Meanwhile, Future reportedly has six children with six different, making for an interesting family reunion. Bow Wow has previously shared that he’s in a new, more mature place in his life, and when he sat down with Hollywood Unlocked, the rapper stated that if it came down to it, he would include Future’s son with Joie with his plans involving Shai.

“Absolutely. Hell yeah, because you gotta think—and that was a question I asked Jermaine [Dupri] right, because Jermaine has the same exact situation,” said Bow. “I would always ask Jermaine for that type of advice because you know, I know it’s gon’ be a time I go to the house and maybe pick up Shai and little brother might wanna come to. How does that work?… You know, Jermaine’s my father figure so I go to him for that type of advice.”

“I look at it, if the kids are involved, it’s just a positive situation,” the rapper continued. “I think it’s all about the kids. It’s family orientated and, you know, I’m prepared for whatever it is in the future that I’m supposed to be prepared for. That’s my duty at being the best dad I can be. So, if that’s Shai is 17-years-old and her little brother’s nine, he wanna roll, he wanna go to Six Flags and we have no problem. Let’s pack it up and let’s move.”

Bow Wow said it’s all about family and making sure that the siblings spend time with one another. Check out the clip below.

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Verzuz, a music rivalry webseries created by Timbaland and Swizz Beats in March 2020, has undoubtedly kept many hip hop fans sane in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic– and indeed, was a direct response to it. People being forced to stay in their homes for the past year has caused performers to become more and more creative, and this past week saw the anticipated battle between Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. 

Peloton, an exercise equipment and media company specializing in stationary bicycles, has teamed up with Verzuz for a new collaboration. Both companies have been engineering new ways for people to stay healthy and entertained while cooped up in their homes, and this new partnership will see the virtual DJ battles occurring during Peloton Live exercise classes. 

According to Peloton’s announcement, the collaboration “is like nothing that Peloton has ever done before,” and will “come to life during Peloton’s motivational classes taught by its best-in-class instructors available via the Peloton Bike, Tread or App which offers a 30-day free trial to new members.”

“Music is the one thing to me that drives a workout,” says Timbaland. “The right song can make you go harder, the wrong song will make you not want to do it.” The first classes in the collaboration will be a Verzuz battle between Brandy and Monica, which will take place on Monday, March 29th at 7pm and Wednesday, March 31st at 7:30pm ET. 

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As authorities in Atlanta attempt to make sense of the traumatic losses of eight people, the public is calling for an end to violence again Asian Americans. Weeks ago, Robert Aaron Long took responsibility for the shooting deaths of several spa workers in the Atlanta area, six of whom were of Asian descent. There has been a global call for citizens to stand against hate toward Asian communities, and Megan Thee Stallion partnered with Fashion Nova to donate to the cause.

Megan announced the collaboration on Instagram with a post that states she and the brand have linked with journalist and activist May Lee to give a significant contribution of $50,000 to the Asian Americans Advancing Justice organization’s Atlanta chapter. “I am heartbroken by the loss of eight individuals taken from their families on March 16 in a senseless, violent attack against Asian Americans,” wrote the rapper.

“To honor the memory of these victims, @FashionNova and I have partnered with the journalist and Asian activist @mayleeshow on a $50,000 donation to @advancing_justice_atl who work tirelessly to protect the civil and human rights of Asian Americans in Georgia and the Southeast,” she continued. “We stand in solidarity with all Asian Americans in saying that enough is enough. #StopAsianHate #StandWithAANHPICommunity.”

Check out her post below.