New Hip Hop News

She’s taking a break from her “ooh baby, ahh baby” ad-libs and heading to the silver screen. It was recently announced that Ashanti snagged herself a role in Honey Girls, a film produced by Build-A-Bear about their popular, brightly colored line of plushies. The film is reportedly a live-action film about the line of toys and will also star YouTube sensation Tessa Brooks, singer Ava Grace, Broadway actress Aliyah Mastin, and actress Frankie McNellis in her first major movie role.

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Over on Buil-A-Bear’s website, they shared the synopsis of the film and revealed Ashanti’s role in the kids-centered film. “Three young musicians participate in a talent competition to discover the next great solo artist, hosted by global pop-star Fancy G (Ashanti),” it reads. “The competitors quickly discover that they are ‘better together’ and form a secret band called HONEY GIRLS that has an immediate viral mega hit! Performing in disguise to avoid detection and elimination by Fancy G, these three competitors must ultimately decide what is more important – fame or friendship.”

Honey Girls will be tacked on to the growing list of television and film roles Ashanti has amassed during her career. Swipe below to check out a few still from the Honey Girls set.

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The world is learning much more about Demi Lovato now that she’s been sharing intimate details of her life in her documentary. In Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil, viewers find the singer candidly discussing some of her most infamous moments throughout her career, but fans weren’t expecting the 28-year-old to share that she was raped at 15-years-old and sexually assaulted by her drug dealer the evening she overdosed.

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“I lost my virginity in a rape,” Lovato revealed. “I called that person back a month later and tried to make it right by being in control and all it did was make me feel worse.” She said she “beat [herself] up” for years. “We were hooking up but I said — hey, this is not going any farther, I’m a virgin, and I don’t want to lose it this way. And that didn’t matter to them, they did it anyways. And I internalized it and I told myself it was my fault because I still went in the room with him. I still hooked up with him.”

Lovato decided to come forward because she wanted to encourage others to share their truths and learn that these experiences aren’t their faults. “You know what, f*ck it, I’m just going to say it: My MeToo story is me telling somebody that someone did this to me and they never got in trouble for it,” Lovato said, without naming her assailant. “They never got taken out of the movie they were in. But I’ve just kept it quiet because I’ve always had something to say, and I’m tired of opening my mouth, so there’s the tea.”

That wasn’t all; in 2018, Demi Lovato made headlines after suffering a drug overdose. She now says that what people didn’t know at the time was that she was sexually assaulted by her dealer. “I didn’t just overdose. I was taken advantage of,” he revealed. “When they found me, I was naked, blue. I was literally left for dead after he took advantage of me.”

Following the documentary, Lovato plans to release her forthcoming album Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over. 

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He’s mended many of the professional relationships that were left up in the air following his anti-Semitic remarks during his Cannon’s Class broadcast, but Nick Cannon isn’t looking to be forgiven. The media mogul faced off with Cancel Culture recently, and the consequences were swift. The future of Wild ‘N Out remained uncertain and his longstanding partnership with ViacomCBS ended. After doing a bit of soul searching, as well as conversing with Jewish leaders, Cannon returned with an apology. He declared his comments “reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed and naive place that these words came from.”

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In a preview of Soul of a Nation, Cannon sits down and details his experience and how he grew from the scandal. In the clip, he’s asked if he’s looking for people to forgive him for his comments. “I’m not seeking forgiveness, I’m seeking for growth,” said the actor. “I’m going through the process of atonement for growth and if someone during that process forgives me, then we have then grown together.”

He also addressed reports that he was pressured to come forward and apologize. “I can answer this wholeheartedly. Who pressured me?” Cannon asked. “Ultimately I’ve always said that apologies are empty, apologies are weightless.” We aren’t able to see or hear where Cannon was going with his next thought because the clip cuts out, but you can catch the preview below.

The Grammys may be over, but Megan Thee Stallion is still riding high from her big night. The Houston rapper took home three awards at Sunday’s (March 14) ceremony, including Best New Artist, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance. She, along with the rest of the world, was surprised to see Beyoncé at the show and expressed her shock during her acceptance speech. Later, Megan and boyfriend Pardison Fontaine shared photos of how they enjoyed each other’s company, and while the Good News rapper is loving her time in the sun, she had a message for her critics.

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“Ok I just finished shooting for the day now we abt to upload the new ‘Road to thee Grammys’ hottie world [hearts emoji][world emoji],” Megan tweeted this evening. Soon, her mentions were flooded by fans and detractors alike, especially considering how her controversial “WAP” performance with Cardi B has been trending all day. So, she popped back in with a message. “Don’t mention me if you not a hottie thanks.”

“Before I go… y’all be acting like people force y’all to look at sh*t you don’t like,” she quickly added. “If you like puppies follow puppy pages , if you like food follow food pages, if you like bad b*tches follow me [woman hair flip emoji] SIMPLE K BYE.” Check out her posts below, including a little back and forth flirting between Meg and Pardi.

HBO Max is teaming up with Offset for a new streetwear competition serious called The Hype. Offset will serve as a producer and a judge on the series. The streaming service is trying to lock down every imaginable type of talent so they can compete with Netflix and Disney +.

The network describes the show as “set in the colliding worlds of streetwear, business, and culture where fashion visionaries must elevate their designs and entrepreneurial sense to avoid elimination while remaining authentic to their style.” The series will also be produced by Scout Productions, famous for the HBO Max ballroom competition series Legendary, and Emmy award-winning series Queer Eye.

Speedy Morman is set to host the eight-episode season. Ten streetwear professionals will compete in a number of challenges to test their design and fashion skills. “I feel like the show Hype was created with creatives like myself in mind. I’m happy to not only be a co-signer for the show but a producer,” stated Offset. “We are giving opportunities to the culture.”

“We see the ubiquitous influence of streetwear culture all around us – from high fashion and popular culture, to a form of individual self-expression and identity,” stated Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content at HBO Max. “We are excited to embark on this journey to find the next great streetwear designer with our partners at Scout, Jay Brown and Ty Ty Smith.”

“We understand the importance of providing a platform to allow others to tell their stories. We are thrilled to have another opportunity to partner with HBO Max and showcase this unique part of the fashion world via The Hype. Along with Ty Ty and Jay, we’ll step beyond traditional fashion trends and bring viewers into the nuanced world of style and self-expression that is also a full-time business,” added Rob Eric, executive producer and CCO of Scout.

Chrissy Teigen has never been shy when it comes to talking about and showing off her body. She laid out a carefully cute thirst trap on social media recently, and it led to some obvious internet reactions. “Please move, mommy is trying to be thirsty,” the 35-year-old model captioned the photo. In the pic, Chrissy is holding her boobs as they pop from behind her hands. Her 2-year-old son Miles is caught in between his mother’s leg, sporting a huge grin. 

Some followers did not approve. “Wtf … Am I the only one cringing,” read one comment that received more than 700 likes. Teigen responded, “Wait til the [sic] find out we take baths together.” But there was also lots of support for the shot.  “Shahs of Sunset” star Golnesa Gharachedaghi replied, “This is so perfect lol!!!!”  “My poor kids have seen me get ready while running around the house topless more than once,” said another follower. 

Teigen also recently stood up for Meghan Markle, gaining the same amount of hate and love from people online. “This Meghan Markle shit is hitting too close to home for me. these people won’t stop until she miscarries,” Teigen tweeted, Friday. “Fucking stop it.”

A recent Instagram post made by Lil Mama caused a divide as people began discussing if it is appropriate to allow children to dictate their gender preferences. The rapper was accused of transphobia after she reposted a message about transgender children and added, “DEPOPULATION AT ANY COST CAT FIGHTS SWORD FIGHTS Used be a cat now ima dog WHATEVER TO STOP NEW LIFE REPRODUCTION.” The subject has been a hot topic after Dwyane Wade’s 13-year-old transgender daughter Zaya Wade interviewed, and was praised by, Michelle Obama.

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Lil Mama has returned to explain her viewpoints during a chat on Instagram Live where she used her niece as an example. She claimed that if her niece expressed that she wanted to be a boy prior to puberty, she would talk her through what she’s feeling. “Children feel like they can make a choice of changing their genitals before they even go through puberty,” said the rapper. “You don’t even know who you are or what you like.”

“Young women are talking about BBLs and things like that before their breasts and their buttocks are even fully developed,” she continued. “We have to be very sensitive and mindful when we’re dealing with our children. We are not talking about grown people who can make the choice to do and be whatever they choose to do and be. We’re talking about children who may even look at us later on and say, ‘Well, why did you let me do that?'”

She also commented on how parents need to be mindful of their health and intake during pregnancy, as well. Check out more from the discussion below as the rapper’s co-host speaks on people who transition in their youth only to change their minds as adults.

Deshaun Watson has been sued for sexual assault, however, details of the situation are still unfolding. Watson got ahead of the drama by releasing a statement before the allegations went completely viral.

“As a result of a social media post by a publicity-seeking plaintiff’s lawyer I recently became aware of a lawsuit that has apparently been filed against me,” Watson stated. “I have not yet seen the complaint but I know this: I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect.” “The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected,” he continued.

“Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”

Watson is currently trying to force his way out of Houston, where the Texans have slowly dismantled the team that was built around him. However, this recent allegation may cause a disturbance in his plans to exit the Lone Star State. Tony Buzbee, who is representing the allegedly sexually assaulted female masseuse, also released a statement on Tuesday night. 

“Today we filed suit against Deshaun Watson,” he wrote. “Too many times women have put up with behavior that we all know no one should put up with. Should we make excuses for the famous? Or those who hold special positions, or quarterbacks on a local professional football team? I don’t think so!”

Suspect Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, Ga., was captured after a manhunt on Tuesday. The suspect was pursued after allegedly murdering eight people, shooting them to death. He targeted people at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area. Seven of the slain were women, and six of them were of Asian descent while two were white. Authorities are investigating whether the killings were part of a robbery in progress.

The first shooting took place at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth, a northwest suburb of Atlanta. Four people were killed there before the suspect moved on. At 5:47 PM, the Atlanta police claim that officers responded to a robbery at Gold Spa in the same area. It was there they found the bodies of three women with gunshot wounds. Soon after, the police on the scene were called to respond to shots fired at the Aromatherapy Spa across the street. There they found another victim.

Although the suspect in custody is white, police have not confirmed any racial motivation for the shootings. Still, Stop AAPI Hate, created to stop anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic, called the shootings “an unspeakable tragedy” for both the victims’ families and an Asian-American community that has “been reeling from high levels of racist attacks.”

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It was the pop culture moment heard around the world back in 2015 during an episode of E!’s Fashion Police when host Giuliana Rancic made a comment about Zendaya’s hair on the Academy Awards red carpet. The then-18-year-old actress decided to wear her hair in locs to celebrate diversity on the red carpet, but Rancic remarked that Zendaya looks as if “she smells like patchouli oil or weed.” Zendaya and her Malcolm and Marie co-star John david Washington recently posed for W Magazine‘s cover feature, and inside, the actress revisited the incident.

Soon after Rancic’s remarks went viral, Mattel created a Barbie doll for Zendaya, sporting the same locs that were criticized. “That’s how change happens,” Zendaya shared with W. “And it made me think, How could I always have a lasting impact on what people saw and associated with people of color?”

It’s a sentiment that echos Zendaya’s initial response back in 2015 when she took to Instagram to say, “There is already a harsh criticism of African-American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair… To say that an 18-year-old young woman with locs must smell of patchouli oil or ‘weed’ is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive. I don’t usually feel the need to respond to negative things but certain remarks cannot go unchecked.”

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Rancic exited her Fashion Police position following the remarks but later spoke out about it, claiming that it was edited incorrectly. “You know, I made a reference to the hippie culture,” Rancic told Today back in 2015. “I talked about patchouli oil, which is a hippie perfume. And in the editing process, some of the gestures I made, some of the things I said were taken out for time. I made peace signs, I said ‘bohemian’ twice — those were taken out for time. So when the joke aired, some people were offended by it.”

Rancic was later rehired by E!. Check out photos from Zendaya and John David Malcolm’s cover feature with W Magazine below.

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