New Hip Hop News

When Nicki Minaj revealed that she was dating somebody new a few years ago, the world was excited to learn who was occupying so much of her time. When she introduced Kenneth Petty, her now-husband, to her fans, there was once again a lot of excitement surrounding the news. Love was in the air. That was until details from Petty’s shocking criminal past were uncovered.

Kenneth Petty’s latest legal trouble arose when Nicki’s husband reportedly failed to register as a sex offender in California. Petty was convicted of first-degree attempted rape in 1994 and faces a 10-year maximum sentence for failing to properly identify as a sex offender. In a new report by Laura Bradley, an entertainment reporter with The Daily Beast, Petty’s alleged victim, who is going solely by her first name Jennifer, is speaking about the threats and harassment that she has allegedly received from Petty and Minaj, detailing the extent of their alleged silencing campaign.

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The feature article focuses mainly on the intimidation tactics that have allegedly been used by Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty’s side to control the narrative and protect Petty. She says that both she and Petty were sixteen-years-old at the time of the assault, accusing Petty and Minaj of trying to intimidate her into taking back her story. She claims that, on one occasion, she was offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to recant her allegations.

Jennifer also reveals that she was forced to move several times last year because of safety concerns. She says that, on one occasion after Petty’s arrest last year, a mutual high school friend of hers and Petty’s named Barry personally reached out to her on behalf of the couple, claiming that Nicki Minaj wanted to speak directly to her. Minaj allegedly offered her help with “whatever [she] needs”. She remembers telling Minaj that her husband really did attempt to rape her, not speaking with the superstar rapper again after that call. Soon after, her brother told her that their cousin was approached with a $500,000 offer to speak with Petty’s attorney. Barry also got involved again, visiting Jennifer with a $20,000 offer to recant her allegations.

Jennifer allegedly believes that Barry was trying to secure a Nicki Minaj performance at his daughter’s birthday party.

Read the full report at the link below. 

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Lil Nas X has always been an artist who isn’t afraid to make fun of himself, while also offering some hilarious commentary when it comes to his biggest haters. The artist typically does this on both Twitter and TikTok, and more recently, he used TikTok to dismantle a bizarre conspiracy theory about his music and how it was being marketed.

On Thursday, however, Lil Nas X found a new target in 6ix9ine. As you can see in the TikTok video below, 6ix9ine made a derogatory comment about Lil Nas X’s sexuality after DJ Akademiks shared a post about how China was giving anal swabs to outsiders. This prompted Lil Nas X to head over to Instagram, where he exposed 6ix9ine for allegedly sliding into his DMs, saying “Gonna be in yo city soon, what you doing?”

The TikTok immediately took off on social media as fans couldn’t believe that 6ix9ine was trying to slide through. Of course, 6ix9ine has always been a massive troll so there is a possibility the artist was sending the DM in just, knowing it could make him go viral. Regardless, Lil Nas X wasn’t afraid to expose the rainbow-haired rapper, and now here we are.

6ix9ine has yet to comment on the matter, although we’re sure some kind of statement will be coming soon.

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There hasn’t been too much happening as far as high-profile hip-hop releases this year but things are just getting started and, tonight, things are finally getting a little more interesting with the release of Drake’s Scary Hours. As we wait for some of rap’s heavy hitters to deliver on their promises to keep us stocked with good music, some of the game’s legends are commenting on the state of the genre. 

Nas isn’t dropping as frequently as he used to but he’s still coming through with gems every once in a while, releasing one of the best albums of last year in King’s Disease and coming through recently with “EPMD” from the Judas and the Black Messiah soundtrack. In a new interview with Financial Times, the successful businessman commented on the state of rap music and, from his remarks, you can see that he’s not really too fond of what’s been coming out recently.

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“I appreciate what’s out there, but there’s no one keeping me up at night,” said Nas when asked about his opinion on contemporary rap. “I hear a new rap record and think it’s great, but I don’t listen to it the next week.”

He did name one artist that impressed him, name-dropping Pop Smoke as somebody that was doing special things for the culture. “We were happy to see that young king come up,” said Nas about Pop. “He was a breath of fresh air. The drill movement in London, Chicago and New York is really exciting.”

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The current state of hip-hop has been criticized by many as commentators love to complain that everything nowadays sounds similar. Nas seemingly stands with those folks, enjoying the new music but agreeing that it doesn’t hold much weight in the grand scheme of things. What do you think?

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Kanye West has come out with some pretty wild sneakers over the last few years. One of his more polarizing creations is the Adidas Yeezy Foam Runner which was roasted for looking like a futuristic pair of crocs. Kanye is adamant that this sneaker is the future of footwear and at $80 USD, it is easily the most affordable of any other Yeezy shoe.

While there haven’t been a lot of colorways over the last few months, it appears as though two new offerings will be coming out during the month of March. These colorways are called “Sand” and “MXT Moon Gray.” The latter of these models was actually teased by the likes of Kim Kardashian and can be found in the post below via Yeezy Mafia.

This is a model that will continue to be polarizing to the masses although it is clear that big Yeezy fans will continue to cop these. The first time the silhouette dropped, it sold out almost immediately, which just goes to show how popular these are despite their aesthetics.

As for the release date, these will be coming out on March 26th for $80 a pop. If you want a pair, they will be available over at Adidas.com/Yeezy. Let us know what you think, in the comments below.

Image via Yeezy Mafia

Image via Yeezy Mafia

Pop Smoke’s early death continues to haunt his fans, and as a result, many have found consolation in the release of the posthumous album Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon. Released in July of 2020 and executive-produced by 50 Cent, the project has since set up camp in the number one spot on the Hip-Hop/R&B album charts and has yet to stray far from the lofty spot. So sturdy has its reign been that Shoot For The Stars has officially hit an impressive Billboard milestone, as reported by the publication. 

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Apparently, Pop Smoke’s Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon is officially the longest-running album atop the R&B/Hip Hop chart since 1990, having retained its position at the top for a total of seventeen weeks. Prior to Smoke hitting the impressive milestone, the original setter of the record was none other than MC Hammer, who spent twenty-nine weeks in the number one spot following the release of his 1990 album Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt Em. Eminem’s Recovery went on to secure sixteen weeks at number one, though it has now been surpassed by Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut.

According to Billboard’s statistics, this milestone puts Pop Smoke in some exclusive company. As they explain, only eleven albums have secured seventeen or more weeks at the top of the charts, with the only two rap projects being Shoot For The Stars and the aforementioned MC Hammer drop. Clearly, the people are determined to keep Pop’s legacy alive, and one has to wonder how far this one can go — though dethroning Hammer’s twenty-nine weeks is no easy feat, consider that the album’s very title does encourage setting major goals.

Congratulations to Pop Smoke’s team for making this happen.

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Over the course of the last two decades, Ben Roethlisberger has been instrumental to the success of the Pittsburgh Steelers. During his tenure as the starting quarterback, the Steelers have been able to win two Super Bowls while also making it to three championship games. For the last ten years, however, Roethlisberger and the Steelers have struggled at times as the QB continues to get older and slower in the pocket. Despite this, the team has remained loyal to him through thick and thin.

These last few weeks have contained some uncertainty for Big Ben and the Steelers as he has been discussing his future with the franchise. On Thursday, Roethlisberger and the Steelers made their intentions official as the two sides have inked a brand new deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Based on Schefter’s report, it would appear as though Roethlisberger has taken a $5 million pay cut for this year and some of that money will be redistributed throughout 2022. It’s evident that Roethlisberger wants to retire as a Steeler, and this contract is facilitating that wish.

Heading into this season, the Steelers will be competing against some great AFC North opponents, so it will be interesting to see how Big Ben adapts. As he enters this final phase of his career, results will become that much sweeter, and we’re sure it will be a huge motivator moving forward.

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