New Hip Hop News

Anderson .Paak is one of the most well-connected artists in the music industry. That much was solidified once again after he announced one of the most exciting collaborative projects in years, telling the world that he and Bruno Mars had formed a band named Silk Sonic and releasing their first single “Leave The Door Open”.

Throughout his career, Anderson .Paak has built strong relationships with Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, H.E.R., and many others. In a new interview with Esquire, the Ventura-based artist issued updates on some of his closest collaborators, including Dr. Dre and Kendrick, who the world rarely hears from.

“We talk just through texts and just off and on,” said Andy about Kendrick Lamar. “I always check on him and the family and make sure he’s good. He’s always responsive, and just like, just let me know he’s hanging in there just like everybody else.”

As for Dr. Dre, Paak says that the legend is doing pretty well right now, despite his personal life seemingly crumbling before our very eyes. “Dre’s having a good-ass time,” he said about his mentor. “That’s already his life—isolation, working all the time. I think he was probably used to it. But he’s having fun now because a lot of people have more time on their hands, so they can come visit him and make music with big Uncle Dre.”

Paak says that Dre is letting the artist go off and do his own thing, but he will always go to Dre for advice. “His ear is his ear, man, he be hearing sh*t and it’s like if he ain’t feeling it, he’ll let you know right away, man,” he said. “It hardly ever has to grow on him, he knows right away. I like that about him though, sometimes I’m a little indecisive, so it really helps me. It’s like, ‘Okay, well Dre ain’t feeling this, so maybe this ain’t the one, or I’m going to take a chance on this.'”

Anderson .Paak will perform this weekend at the GRAMMY Awards with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic. Read his full interview with Esquire at the link below and be sure to watch Silk Sonic’s TV debut this weekend.

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Israel Adesanya is highly-regarded in the UFC world as one of the most exciting fighters out there. While he is the Middleweight champion, Adesanya decided to go up to the Light Heavyweight class just this past weekend, where he lost to the likes of Jan Blachowicz. This means that Adesanya will probably have to go back down to his current class for a while, just to get warmed back up for the heavier weights again.

While his goal has always been to fight Jon Jones, it seems like Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman doesn’t think too highly of the legend. During a conversation with Submission Radio, Bareman dissed Jones for taking PEDs while also claiming that the fighter is irrelevant all while comparing him to TJ Dillashaw.

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“Once you cheat, Jon Jones is about as irrelevant as TJ Dillashaw,” Bareman said. “It’s like, to me they don’t exist. Like, yeah, is anything that TJ Dillashaw did in the past relevant now that he’s cheated? No. It’s not any different for Jon Jones. So, you can’t talk to me about Jon Jones. I have a particular opinion, and that isn’t shared by the rest of the world. So, at the moment the greatest 205-er is Jan Błachowicz. There’s no one else. There’s no one else as great as him.”

Bareman went on to say that Blachowicz is the best Light Heavyweight and that Jones shouldn’t even be in the discussion. These words are certainly harsh although they certainly help promote a potential matchup if such a thing were to ever happen.

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Throughout the start of 2021, Chloe Bailey has given a masterclass on how to manage one’s social media presence following the creation of her solo Instagram and Twitter accounts. The one-half of Chloe x Halle first caught the music industry’s attention with her assortment of Instagram thirst traps, which included a sensual dance to Jeremih’s “All The Time,” her take on the “Buss It” challenge, and several other steamy posts. Her social media content quickly evolved, however, as the Parkwood Entertainment singer-songwriter started giving fans behind-the-scenes looks at her artistry.

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A post shared by Chlöe (@chloebailey)

A few hours ago, Chloe Bailey took to social media to flex her talents once more by sharing an impressive cover of Yung Bleu‘s runaway hit “You’re Mines Still.” In her take on the Mobile, Alabama artist’s Drake-assisted track, Chloe flips the song’s chorus, warning a scorned lover that he needs to stop telling his friends that she’s still romantically involved with him. At one point, she also references Mooski’s TikTok sensation “Trackstar,” leaving her mark on two viral songs with a quick one-minute video.

Yung Bleu soon caught wind of Chloe’s “You’re Mines Still” cover and gave the Ungodly Hours singer her props. Using the opportunity to hopefully inspire an original collaboration between the two artists, Yung Bleu reposted Chloe’s cover and wrote, “Ok let’s do a song now.” Considering Chloe Bailey’s massive increase in popularity, several musicians are likely interested in working with the talented multi-hyphenate, so stay tuned to see whether Yung Bleu is successful in his quest for a song with Chloe.

Patrick Mahomes is the highest-paid player in the entire NFL and his contract will last the Kansas City Chiefs for a very long time. The only issue here is that Mahomes’ contract doesn’t give the Chiefs much room to sign other high-level players. Roster bonuses can go against the salary cap and in 2021, Mahomes was expected to make over $21 million in these types of bonuses alone. However, Mahomes understands just how important it is to have a great supporting cast, and now, he’s helping his team adjust.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Mahomes has agreed to turn his roster bonus into a signing bonus, which means the Chiefs will get an extra $17 million to spend on other players. This is great news for the Chiefs organization, as they will be able to give the team some depth heading into next season.

Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently restructured his contract in a similar fashion, so it’s no surprise the Chiefs would want to do this as well. These two teams will be vying for the Super Bowl this year, and they will need all the help they can get.

Meanwhile, with Mahomes making close to half a billion over the next 10 years, it’s clear that restructuring his contract won’t hurt him all that much.

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It seems as though the problems between estranged couple Malik Beasley and Montana Yao are heating up even more. In late January, Montana blasted Malik on social media for posting about their son, Makai, when she claimed he hasn’t “even tried to see or support.” Montana also claimed that since the two separated, Malik has only paid $800 in child support and hasn’t offered her any kind of apology. 

On Friday, Montana revealed on her Instagram story that Malik allegedly kicked her and Makai out of the house in the middle of the night last year, prior to their separation. Yao wrote that the Minnesota Timberwolves player kicked her out “at 4am with no where to go and nothing but 2 suit cases after asking me to be a stay at home mom and wife for the past 3 years of our relationship.” She goes on to say that the two had been bouncing around between hotels and Airbnb’s since then, until her parents stepped in to help. 

22-year-old Yao came under fire for claims that she cheated on Beasley during their marriage, which she vehemently denies. 24-year-old Beasley has already moved on and is seeing 46-year-old Larsa Pippen, who was the catalyst behind Yao and Beasley’s divorce. Pippen claims that she met Beasley after he and Yao were already separated, however, the timeline is a bit unclear.  

We’ll keep you posted on these on-going entanglements.

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On Thursday, Masika Kalysha posted a TikTok video to her profile that featured her and her 4-year-old daughter, shared with rapper Fetty Wap, Khari. In the video, Masika is sitting in the front seat of the car and she pans to her daughter in the back. “Mommy, what is a trap queen?” Khari asks. “Ask your father,” Masika replies. She posted the video alongside the hashtag #askyourfather, alluding to Fetty Wap’s most famous track. 

@kingmasikakalysha

#askyourfather#trapqueen#MasikaKalysha#kharibarbie @fettywap

♬ original sound – masikakalysha

People immediately jumped on the bandwagon of accusing Masika of staging the TikTok, alleging that she asked Khari to say that to get views. “She know she told this baby to say that (laughing emoji)” said one commenter. “Now. You know you made her say that,” said another. Others just thought the video was strange, one follower calling it, “tacky as hell.” 

Masika was definitely not a fan of people dragging her video, and she took to Twitter on Thursday night to air out her grievances.

“U gotta be a special typa musty ass miserable to be deeply bothered by a 4yr old asking her mom what somethin her daddy said means. MaSiKa MaDe HeR sAy ThAt goofy face ass. That song is 7 fking yrs old but TODAY is the day that I forced my 4yr to ask me what trap queen means,” she wrote. She also called the haters “bothered & pathetic… bums.”

Fans weren’t buying it, though.

What do you think, was the TikTok staged? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

LeBron James is 36 years old and in his 18th season in the NBA. Despite this, he is still one of the best players in the league and is competing for a championship virtually every single season. This year, LeBron is looking to win his fifth title and his second with the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s going to be a long road to get there although it is clear that LeBron is motivated to keep winning and he is always in the gym grinding.

Recently, LeBron took to Instagram where he showed off his massive home gym which has every machine you would ever need. James’ wife Savannah could be seen working out in the background, while Bronny and Bryce were also getting some work in. LeBron noted that he likes to work out as a family, and believes it helps him accomplish a lot more.

“A family who train together, challenges each other, motivates each other, inspires each other, pushes each other, picks each other up, CAN CONQUER ANYTHING TOGETHER!” LeBron wrote.

While LeBron looks to get back to work with the Lakers, Bronny is coming back from an injury, all while Bryce continues to make waves in youth basketball. LeBron has instilled a great work ethic with all of his kids and it seems to be paying off. Hopefully, we continue to see more from them in the future.

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On Thursday, President Joe Biden made a major address to the country regarding his COVID-19 response plan. This address came exactly one year after the coronavirus pandemic was announced in the United States, marking a truly harrowing year of more than 530,000 deaths from the virus.

During the address, Biden noted that he would be using the assistance of active duty troops to distribute vaccines and that he planned to increase vaccine shipments to community health centers and major pharmacies. Perhaps most important, however, was Biden’s announcement of a strategy to make all adults eligible for the vaccine by May 1st. 

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According to a statement from The White House, “Today, in the next phase of our vaccination effort, the President will announce that he will direct states, Tribes, and territories to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine no later than May 1st. According to The White House COVID-19 Response Team, prioritized vaccination efforts will be far enough along by the beginning of May that all eligibility restrictions should be lifted. 

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This is big news for those anxious to get the vaccine, especially as eligibility has varied by jurisdiction thus far. While this ambitious plan does not mean all adults will be vaccinated by May, it certainly means that the vaccination process will be much faster. President Biden also pointed to the Fourth of July as a target date for when we can resume small gatherings safely with friends and family. 

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