New Hip Hop News

It’s been so long since Top Dawg Entertainment has released something from one of their longtime artists that it feels as if the fateful day will never arrive. What once amounted to delirious hype has since faded into a jaded sort of hopelessness, one that fans have essentially adopted as a defense mechanism. After all, one can not be disappointed about an album that one has already accepted will remain in a perpetual state of limbo. And yet every so often, the legendary label provides the slightest teaser, which inevitably provides a spark of life once more.

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Today, that spark comes by way of an intriguing TikTok post from the official Top Dawg Entertainment account, one that depicts a loading bar gradually climbing from zero to one-hundred. Of course, it’s entirely possible that TDE is simply welcoming themselves to TikTok in a stylistic fashion — but seeing as new music from Isaiah Rashad, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, and SZA are all due for release, the optimists among us have chosen to take this as a sign. 

More specifically, a sign that TDE is once again gearing up to reclaim their spot as the rap game’s dominant label. Should this mysterious post indeed herald the dawn of a new era, perhaps further news on TDE’s most anticipated releases will be soon to follow. After all, something has to give, does it not? Albums that are being worked on must come out eventually. If only TDE would follow the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s lead and outline a roadmap of their future plans…

Check out TDE’s inaugural TikTok post below, and allow your hopes to be adjusted accordingly. 

@topdawgent

Loading. #TDE

♬ original sound – Top Dawg Ent

Kevin Durant has been a stud since returning from his Achilles injury, although as a result of this prior setback, the Brooklyn Nets have been cautious with their star. They don’t want him to aggravate old injuries and put himself in a position where he could miss a significant amount of time. For instance, Durant recently suffered a hamstring injury and since that time, the Nets have kept him out of the lineup.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Durant will be missing even more time, as the Nets superstar will not be playing in the All-Star Game. In his place, the NBA will be placing Damontas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers on the Eastern Conference roster.

Sabonis will be part of the reserves, although when it comes to the starting lineup, that spot will be given to Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, who is someone that certainly deserves the opportunity.

This news might come as a disappointment to some Nets fans out there, who were hoping for some good news when it comes to their superstar. Regardless, it’s clear that Durant is taking his health seriously and when he does come back, he will be out on fresh legs.

Stay tuned for more details on Durant’s injury status, as we will make sure to keep you informed.

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Since Bobby Shmurda’s long-awaited release from prison earlier this week, the culture has been a joyous, celebratory state. The Brooklyn rapper spent the last six years of his life behind bars due to gang charges, and after years of speculation that he may be granted early parole, Bobby Shmurda was finally released from prison on Tuesday morning. Now, the “Hot N****” rapper is enjoying life as a free man and easing back into the public eye.

According to breaking news from today, it looks like Bobby has yet another reason to celebrate. As previously reported by Billboard, the recently freed rapper’s streams have experienced a massive spike following his release from prison. According to MRC Data, on-demand streams of Bobby Shmurda’s entire catalog, in the United States alone, are up 624% since his homecoming on February 23. 

Considering the hype and anticipation for the Shmurda She Wrote rapper’s release, it’s not at all surprising that the rapper’s streams have increased so drastically. With a surge of this magnitude, now definitely seems like the perfect opportunity for Bobby to drop new music.

As we’ve reported on time and time again, numbers don’t lie, so this streaming surge definitely proves that the Brooklyn artist is one of the most pressing rappers out right now. What Bobby Shmurda songs have you been bumping since his release on Tuesday?

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When people discuss notable hip-hop entrepreneurs, it’s not often that Nas’ name comes up in the early stages of the conversation. Yet in reality, he probably should, considering the fact that he remains one of the rap game’s shrewdest investors. Case in point, his Queensbridge Venture Partners company has made notable investments in Dropbox, Ring, Parachute, SeatGeek, General Assembly, Robinhood, Casper, Pillpack, and Pluto TV among others — many of which have paid out quite favorably for the legendary lyricist.

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Yesterday night, Nas’ manager Anthony Saleh, otherwise known by his Instagram handle Dudebro, took a moment to highlight the impressive nature of his partner’s investment portfolio. “Nas would beat any artist in a tech investment portfolio Verzuz,” he wrote, a message that went on to catch Nas’ attention. “I agree,” added the Queensbridge lyricist, who seems to recognize exactly how dominant he is in this particular field of business. 

Though many were rightfully impressed by Nas’ flex, others used the opportunity of seeing his name and Verzuz in the same sentence to fantasize about their own potential musical match-ups. Naturally, Nas has been a frequently-requested contender in Tim and Swizzy’s friendly competition, though only a select number of artists would stand a remote chance of keeping stride. Basically, Nas excels whether the hypothetical Verzuz battle criteria centers on music or investment portfolio — if that’s not the making of a true GOAT contender, what is? 

While rappers such as Asian Doll have spoken out against their hometowns, Travis Scott has been showing major love to Houston and ensuring that its residents aren’t suffering amidst the state’s harsh winter conditions. In a selfless move by the Astroworld artist, it appears that he is doing everything that he can to uplift his hometown as the city endures the brutal winter storm, which also perfectly coincides with his new 2021 goal of becoming a better person.

According to TMZ, Travis Scott and his Cactus Jack Foundation have teamed up with Houston’s municipal staff, local nonprofits, and operating restaurants to launch an emergency food program that will feed 50,000 residents who’ve been impacted by Texas’ historic freeze. As a result of several Houston residents enduring ridiculously low temperatures, not having access to water, and suffering from power outages, the Rodeo rapper‘s latest humanitarian effort is focused on delivering warm meals to thousands of the families that have been affected.

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Starting earlier this Friday, Travis Scott’s food deliveries have been taking place all over the city, and TMZ also reports that in addition to the warm meals being dispersed across Houston, residents have also been given clean water. Our thoughts are with all of the residents of Houston and Texas who are suffering through Texas’ historic freeze.

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