New Hip Hop News

At the top of the year, Kodak Black was able to forgo the remainder of his federal prison sentence after former POTUS Trump granted him, Lil Wayne, and more members of the hip-hop community clemency as one of his last acts in office. Since then, Kodak has already received lavish gifts from his famous friends, allegedly gotten engaged, and has also become the subject of some interesting clone rumors that have been circulating the internet.

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Fans have been speculating that the Pompano Beach native currently on social media is actually a clone, while the real Kodak remains in prison. While seemingly just harmless internet banter at first, Kodak took a moment to set the record straight while making a statement about how he cannot “be duplicated.”

“What you say? Why this don’t sound like Kodak? What the hell? So who I sound like? All this clone sh*t starting to make me mad now, know what I’m saying? See, back then, I was riding my other lil Benz whenever this lil clone sh*t came out, I wasn’t really tripping on it but yall blowing me now,” he addressed on Instagram live in response to a comment suggesting he was a clone and not the “real” Kodak. 

“How the f*ck it cant me be? A n*gga can’t motherf*cking duplicate this sh*t. All kinds of n*ggas be trying to imitate this sh*t, but they can’t duplicate this sh*t, I know these f*ck n*ggas ain’t saying that. They know that, that’s why they was mad when I came home all these n*ggas was scared!” Kodak explained to viewers during the Instagram live as many left laughing-emojis in the comment stream. 

“Scared for me to come home man gon’ try to pick up all the money, trying to visit everybody. Everybody could make money, everybody could do this sh*t I don’t give a f*ck bout you n*ggas. You know what I’m saying? Everybody can pop their lil sh*t,” he concluded before changing the subject. 

With the record now set straight, what did you make of the Kodak Black-clone rumors before? Drop a comment letting us know what you think. 

Nostalgia has been the driving force behind much of the pop culture content we’ve consumed during the pandemic, and Paramount finally hopped on the trend with a Rugrats revival featuring the original voice cast. 

Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, Angelica Pickles, Susie Carmichael, and Phil and Lil DeVille are returning to the small screen on a CG-animated series set to premiere on Paramount Plus, through CBS All Access, sometime this year, as announced by Nickelodeon at ViacomCBS’ investor day.

Nancy Cartwright (Chuckie), E.G. Daily (Tommy), Cheryl Chase (Angelica), Cree Summer (Susie), and Kath Soucie (Phil and Lil) are set to reprise their roles with entirely new adventures. 

Ramsey Naito, president of Nickelodeon Animation, said of the classic kids’ show revival, “Rugrats is one of the most iconic cartoons recognized by fans around the globe, and this original version is one we are taking great care and pride in creating for a brand-new audience.” Naito also said having the original cast behind the voices again is one of the most essential pieces in making the show what it is. 

In 1991, we were first introduced to the troublesome toddlers and their misadventures on Nickelodeon. The four-time Daytime Emmy award-winning show ran for 13 years and even inspired a spin-off Rugrats: All Grown Up that ran for five seasons. However, the series is set to follow the toddlers as “they explore the world and beyond from their pint-sized and wildly imaginative point-of-view,” according to Nickelodeon Animation Studios. 

Are you excited about the Rugrats revival? Let us know in the comments.

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El Chapo’s wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, might be the textbook definition of a ride-or-die but she’s facing some scrutiny after reports came out saying that she’s being offered a “new life” in exchange for information on the cartel. If you’ve been paying attention to hip hop for the past year, cooperating with authorities is a big no-no in the streets. 

Alexandria Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images

These rumors have been heating up the Internet in the past 24 hours after she was arrested on conspiracy and drug trafficking charges in Virginia. However, in the midst of these rumors circulating the web, Young Thug paid homage to Aispuro by changing his profile picture to her mugshot. Of course, the Internet had plenty to say when he did this. Not because of the rumors of snitching but because many believed that Thug could be in danger as this could be regarded as a move of “disrespect.” Some suggested that the cartel would even come for Young Thug.

Ultimately, Thug took to the ‘Gram where he made it clear that he has no intention to disrespect Chapo or Aispuro but rather, pay homage to her for remaining solid. It was the emphasis on loyalty that Thug appreciates the most. “El Chapo wife the most solid woman I ever in my life ran into, man. That’s why I posted her on my page,” he explained. “I ain’t with none of that meme shit. Loyalty.”

People didn’t really ride with Thug’s explanation. Some viewed it as clout chasing while others found it incredibly hard to believe that Young Thug and Aispuro have ever crossed paths. Check out a few responses below. 

When RJ Barrett was drafted third overall by the New York Knicks back in 2019, the expectations were high. Of course, no one knew if Barrett was going to pan out, especially since he was going to a team known for their dysfunction. While his rookie season was full of highs and lows, Barrett has been coming into his own in 2021, and fans are starting to love what he brings to the table.

Last night, the Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers to improve to 17-17 on the season, and in the effort, Barrett was able to notch 24 points and seven rebounds, in what proved to be a massive win that has the Knicks tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.

One thing that fans immediately noticed last night was his effort on both sides of the floor and how he always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. Not to mention, his chemistry with Julius Randle and Derrick Rose has been phenomenal, making this Knicks team one of the grittier teams in the NBA.

Barrett certainly has a bright future ahead and now that he is becoming a fan-favorite, he will definitely be filled with confidence.

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Saturday Night Live is known for providing timely comedic-relief during live broadcasts of the comedy sketch series. As the US government continues to struggle to roll-out its vaccination efforts as smoothly as intended, last night’s episode, hosted by Nick Jonas, poked fun of the shortcomings in a hilarious cold open before transitioning to Jonas’ opening monologue. The “Jealous” crooner also appeared as the musical guest in addition to hosting, giving audiences an exclusive first listen of two brand new singles, “Spaceman” and “This is Heaven.” 

In the show’s vaccine game show-themed cold-open hosted by Dr. Anthony Fauci (played by Kate McKinnon) “So You Think You Can Get The Vaccine,” three governors decide whether hopeful contestants will be granted a coronavirus vaccination. The judges for the show were Pete Davidson as New York governor Andrew Cuomo, Alex Moffat as California governor Gavin Newsom and Cecily Strong as Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer. 

Following the cold-open, Nick Jonas then stepped forward as the host in his introductory monologue, featuring a guest appearance from his brother and oldest Jo Bro Kevin Jonas. Later on in the show, the 28-year-old singer performed his brand new singles “Spaceman” and “This Is Heaven” for the first time ever.

The singles arrive ahead of Jonas’ forthcoming album Spacemen, which is set to be released on March 12, and explore the emotional impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the anxiety Jonas felt during the 2020 presidential election. Check out the performance above.

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Kobe Bryant merch and memorabilia have skyrocketed in price over the last year. Following his death, many collectors began to hoard as much Kobe-related material as possible, which has led to some pretty wild auctions. For instance, some floor from the Staples Center sold for $600K as it was from his very last game in the NBA. Since that time, other Kobe pieces have sold in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, including his childhood home which went for $800K.

Now, another item from Kobe’s childhood has been sold. According to TMZ, Heritage Auctions recently sold the basketball hoop that was attached to Kobe’s home for $37,200. When the house was sold last year, the buyer had the hoop removed as it increased the price of the home by too much. This allowed one lucky collector to swoop in and take the legendary piece of equipment.

Image via Kim Glynn

Kobe jerseys and cards have continued to do big numbers over the last few months and with things like NFTs and NBA Top-Shot going bonkers right now, you can expect even more Kobe-related items to increase in price. 

Let us know in the comments below how much you would have spent on a piece of memorabilia like this? Is $37K too much?

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

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