New Hip Hop News

Cardi B explained in an interview last month that she had aspirations to build a billion-dollar brand like fellow A-lister Rihanna. She’s been making pretty major strides to achieve this too, effectively becoming a full-fledged rap mogul with her newest ventures. The Bronx-bred rapper released her own line of dolls earlier in the year, launched her Facebook Watch Cardi Tries… series, and is set to star in her first major film role later this year.

Following the overwhelming success of her Club C sneaker in collaboration with Reebok, the sportswear giant announced earlier in the month that they were moving forward with launching an apparel line with the “Up” rapper. The Summertime Fine Collection is the Grammy winner’s first-ever apparel collection officially launched Friday (April 23), offering a vast collection of items all priced under $70. 

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Designed to  “snatch waists and attention,” fans have been eager for the collection to arrive since she announced it on her respective social media pages on April 12th. The nostalgic body-hugging outfits featured in the collection include a range of clothing inspired by the ’90s fashion and Cardi’s memories on the Coney Island boardwalk. 

The official description of the collection listed on Reebok’s official site notes, “The collection gives a nod to Cardi’s old stomping grounds, specifically 90s-era carnivals and amusement parks. From neon sweets to glitzy lights, the colours and materials reflect the transition from day to night. Every single hue and piece of fabric was hand-selected by Cardi.”

Her first sneakers’ collection with the company hit stands in October of last month, selling out of its first drop. Cardi also released a brand new Club C sneaker to coincide with the drop. Check out the BTS of the photoshoot and scroll through above for a peek at the collection. 

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When Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers about a decade ago, there was a lot of controversy due to the fact that he had just been a part of a vetoed trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. Commissioner David Stern was the one to reject the trade, which led to a lot of vitriol and confusion at the time. It was as if he was robbing us of an incredible partnership between Kobe Bryant and CP3, which as you can imagine, made fans upset.

During an episode of “All The Smoke” with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Jeanie Buss revealed that the situation was a bit more complex than some people remember. Stern did not veto the trade because it would be bad for the league. Instead, he vetoed it because he was in charge of the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) at the time, and he felt like he wasn’t properly consulted before the trade took place.

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“David Stern didn’t reject the trade as commissioner,” Buss explained. “He rejected the trade as governor of the New Orleans team because he wasn’t asked permission to OK the trade. It wasn’t the NBA trying to keep the Lakers from Chris Paul, it was David Stern had a responsibility to make sure that it was a trade that he would approve. So now he just calls off the trade and wants everybody to cool down because now you’ve got a lot of teams thinking there was some funny business going on, but it wasn’t.”

During those years, the league had ownership of the New Orleans franchise and Stern was tasked with looking after their best interests. The trade with the Lakers was seen as extremely lopsided and Stern felt like he simply couldn’t let the Hornets get the short end of the stick in such a blatant fashion.

While it’s a move that remains unpopular, there is no denying it ended up helping out the Hornets franchise for the better.

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While there is nothing that can bring George Floyd back, many individuals across the United States saw the prosecution of Derek Chauvin as the first step towards justice in anti-Black policing. The viral footage that displayed the fateful moment Chauvin rested his knee on Floyd’s windpipe outside a Minneapolis corner store sparked large-scale national outrage last summer and endless calls for justice.

Chauvin was ultimately convicted on all three charges he was facing: second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, in connection to Floyd’s death. According to CNN, the former police officer is scheduled to face his sentencing on June 16th, a little more than a year after Floyd was killed. The attempted arrest took place on May 25th of last year and the heartbreaking footage shows Floyd pleading that he could not breathe before losing consciousness. 

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He was eventually pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, igniting protests all across the world calling for Chauvin to be prosecuted for the heinous act. It also renewed and added fuel to the existing dialogue surrounding the reality of racialized policing and brutality from law enforcement against the Black community. 

CNN explains that Chauvin is possibly facing a combined sentence of 75 years behind bars: 40 years for his second-degree murder charge, while the maximum sentences for the charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter are 25 and 10 years, respectively. Experts note that it’s very likely that Chauvin will be hit with a 15-year prison sentence instead since he has no prior criminal record. 

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The landmark case is one of the first instances where a police officer involved in high-profile police brutality was actually prosecuted. The filmed police beating of Rodney King by LAPD famously resulted in the acquittal of all officers involved, sparking the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.

We’ll keep updated with developments in Derek Chauvin’s case. We also extend our hearts to George Floyd’s family and loved ones as the case comes to a close.   

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Former University of Kentucky standout Terrence Clarke tragically passed away in a car accident this past week as he was coming home from a workout. His teammate BJ Boston was following him on the way home and witness the crash from another car. It’s a truly heartbreaking accident that has come as a massive shock to those in the basketball community. Clarke has recently declared for the NBA draft and he had even signed to Klutch Sports just a day before the tragedy.

LeBron James and Rich Paul were extremely close to Clarke as they had been following his basketball career ever since his high school days. Following the sad news, LeBron took to Instagram where he posted a tribute to the young basketball star saying “REST IN PARADISE NEPHEW.”

Numerous other NBA stars such as JR Smith, Jaylen Brown, Trae Young, and a host of others also posted their own tributes to Clarke. He was a player with a ton of promise and it’s truly tragic that he was taken from us so soon.

This is an incredibly difficult time for his family and we send out condolences to everyone who has been affected by the tragedy.

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Saucy Santana is known for his charismatic social media persona that has earned recognition outside of just his music. It seems like he’s ready to capitalize on this more and could score what may be one of the biggest hits of the summer. The Love & Hip Hop: Miami star shared a preview of a high-energy exciting new remix of his viral hit “Walk” featuring none other than Fatman Scoop. 

In an Instagram post shared to his account on Friday (April 23), the 27-year-old Miami-bred artist shared a brand new remix of his single “Walk,” featuring Fatman Scoop. A staple in 00s hip-hop known for his distinct rough and raw voice, he lends his vocals to the remix of the viral hit. 

“It’s time to do the walk follow me! Walk like Naomi, walk like Beyonce, walk like Ms. Obama, walk like Rihanna,” says Scoop in the opening of the new remix. Sharing a clip of himself serving his best vogue catwalk, Santana penned in the caption, “Fenna WALK y’all ass right into summertime! S/O [Fatman Scoop]!! Let’s gooo.” 

The bounce-filled beat shines through as Scoop’s recognizable vocals can be heard layered in the chorus as well. Originally released back in 2020, the song has experienced a new wave of success due to TikTok virality via the “Walk Challenge.” 

His biggest hit to date, Saucy Santana’s other hits include the strip-club ready banger “Up & Down” featuring Mulatto and his playful track “Walk Em Like a Dog.” 

Let us know if you’ll be streaming the Fatman Scoop “Walk” remix down in the comments! 

Kyrie Irving has been having an incredible season with the Brooklyn Nets and as it stands, his team looks to be in contention for an NBA title. Irving is one of the most skilled players in the entire league and when he’s on the floor, you can pretty well guarantee that he’s going to pull out some impressive tricks.

This season, Irving has been a lot more open about his Muslim faith and how it has affected him on and off of the floor. In April, Irving is observing the Holy month of Ramadan which means during the day, he must fast. This means he cannot drink water and he cannot eat which is certainly a difficult task when you are looking to stay energized on the court. Despite this, he has remained at the top of his game and on Friday night, Irving explained what observing Ramadan means to him.

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“It’s just being committed to my service to God, Allah,” Irving said. “And then continuing on with whatever I’m guided with. I’m just happy to be part of my community and doing the right things. So, fasting is definitely is definitely part of it — if you know anything about the Muslim community. But yeah, just really blessed and grateful to be taking part of this.”

Irving’s commitment is extremely impressive and you can’t help but commend him for sticking true to himself and his faith throughout the season. It can be hard to slip-up, but Irving is showing tremendous courage.

Now, you might be wondering where J. Cole is and when he’s planning on releasing new music. It was a question that lingered throughout 2020 as fans anticipated the release of The Off-Season. Tracks like “Snow On The Bluff,” “Album Of The Year,” and the two-song pack, Lewis Street have had fans eager to hear some new music.

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Unfortunately, it seems like the release of The Fall Off and The Off-Season might not be arriving in the near future after the release of Call Of Duty: Warzone season 3 live-action trailer. The star-studded trailer for the video game included appearances from some of the biggest names in hip-hop, namely Young Thug and Gunna who open up the trailer. The dramatic sequence opens up with Thugger jumping out of a glass building while Gunna’s firing his gun at the opponents from a helicopter. “Slatt,” says Gunna after Thug safely makes his way on the chopper. “Long time no see, my brother,” responds Thug before he and Gunna detonate the building Thugger jumped out of.

Apparently, the trailer caused J. Cole’s adrenaline levels to start pumping. Ibraham Hamed, co-founder of Dreamville Records, took to Instagram where he revealed a text message from Cole who was ecstatic to start gaming after the new COD commercial. “Yo I’m bout to hit this call of duty for the first time with Tminus and mez,” Cole wrote to Ib. “Thug and Gunna really inspired me.”

Hopefully, Cole doesn’t get too carried away. 

Adrien Broner scared his fans on Friday as he posted a suicidal message to Instagram. Over the last few days, Broner has been feeling as though no one appreciates him and it led him down a pretty dark place. “Mfs don’t appreciate me on #GOD just take me away from this sh*t before I do it myself. I swear to god sometimes I wish I was dead,” AB wrote on his Instagram page.

This ended up prompting a response from 50 Cent who said “Damn AB must be hit right now. we love you boy, it’s just time to lace up call my phone.” 50 Cent ended up deleting the post although many remained fearful of what Broner might do to himself.

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Late last night, AB took to Instagram with a video of himself being held down on a bed by two of his closest friends. AB notes that they ultimately stopped him from hurting himself although the video itself is quite bizarre as the men can be heard smiling and laughing about the ordeal.

Of course, suicide is not something to be joked about, and we hope AB is doing okay. It’s always important to have a strong support system around you, and it’s clear that there are plenty of people out there who are looking out for AB’s best interests.