Lil Baby just sidestepped a gun charge, but he has some other social media narratives to handle now. This relates to his alleged new flame, a nurse by the name of Kiya K, and how his previous partner Jayda Cheaves (with whom he shares a child) allegedly shaded her. Here’s how the story went: on September 26, Kiya posted some birthday snaps. She showed off Chanel bags, Hermes sandals, and more gifts amid a lot of decorations, and many of Baby’s fans were in her comments section to further fuel speculation around their alleged link. Before Kiya turned comments off, though, she did like the following comment: “Oh Lil Baby done up the scoreeeee okayyy!!! Baby fine & she’s an RN. Oh u deserve everything Ms. mamas.”
Then, fans unearthed a picture of Lil Baby’s ex Jayda Cheaves from 2022 in which she shares practically the same outfit that Kiya K wore in a March Instagram post from this year. In addition, fans speculated that Cheaves shaded Kiya online by posting a picture of her designer handbags after Kiya posted her birthday haul. But on the Act Normal podcast, her cohost and friend Dess Dior asked Cheaves the following: “In your new recent post about Chanel, were you being shady towards that other girl?” “No,” she answered, and the lie detector determined that she wasn’t lying.
“Did you make the post because of her set-up?” Dess Dior followed up. “I made that post for me and me only because I now like Hermes. That’s my go-to brand. That’s all I’ve been buying. You see the f***ing material,” Lil Baby’s ex girlfriend answered. Also, in an October 5 IG post, Jayda Cheaves also denied that she ever followed Kiya K on social media. “I never followed her,” she replied to a fan. “She wore and supported my brand. I love all my customers.”
As such, it looks like there’s not much to go off of here when it comes to any confirmed tension. We’ll see what the “Roll Da Dice” says about this, if anything at all. Maybe it’ll just stay as social media gossip.
McDonald’s brought Kai Cenat on board to help launch its Chicken Big Mac, which will be available at select locations for a limited time. On Thursday (Oct. 10), the internet personality starred in a commercial to promote the new menu addition.
At around 11 minutes into the interview, host Sean Evans made note of Pharrell’s apparent ability to make accurate predictions about the future. So, on that note, he asked Pharrell for his take on some future predictions. He began by asking if Pharrell thinks there will be a human colony on Mars “in our lifetime.” Pharrell responded, “Yes, because I think that it’s possible to terraform that planet. I think the conditions aren’t too far off for them to do the work that they would need to do to make it happen.”
Evans also asked if there’s anything that excites or scares Pharrell about the future of music and he responded, “You know, creativity bifurcates, and if you were to ask somebody 15 years ago about what music is right now, what is OK to say now, they’d be surprised. What it’s not OK to say right now, they’d be surprised. That’s just an effect of, like, the evolution in humanity.”
Pharrell also discussed his relationship with luxury, saying, “I’m not a materials person in terms of wanting those things as much. I mean, I’m grateful for what I have and I’m cool. I’m not looking for too much more than just experience and the ability to design and do partnerships. I’m enjoying that, I’m enjoying just designing and artistically iterating.”
Sexyy Red never fails to make headlines for her raunchy lyrics, wild antics, and more. Now, however, she’s garnered fans’ attention for another reason. Recently, the “Pound Town” rapper took to social media to share some sweet clips featuring her mother, Andrea Jenkins. In one of the clips, Jenkins is seen backstage during her recent appearance on WWE Raw. She’s even rocking a t-shirt with her daughter’s face on it that says “Sexyy Girl SmackDown.”
Sexyy Red went on to share another clip of her mother, this time celebrating at a restaurant. While fans are certainly happy to see that the St. Louis femcee has a solid support system behind her, that’s far from the only thing they’ve noticed. They responded to the clips by flooding Sexyy Red’s mom with compliments.
“Oh she’s a baddie,” one supporter says of Jenkins on Twitter/X. “Damn how old is sexyy red mom?” someone else wonders. “Lol she look my age [laughing emoji].” Clearly, social media users can’t get enough of Andrea Jenkins. She’s not the only celebrity parent to catch fans’ eyes in the past few months, however. In April of this year, Latto hopped online to give her mother a shoutout. Almost immediately, she was also hit with a wave of thirsty comments.
As for what else Sexyy Red has been up to these days, she recently caught some heat over a livestream she did with a few friends. Some viewers accused one of her female friends of looking like Finesse2tymes, which she seemingly laughed at. This prompted some critics to accuse her of being a bad friend, but according to her, they all have “thick skin.” What do you think of Sexyy Red’s mother Andrea Jenkins going viral? What about fans flooding her with compliments? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Kanye West has faced no shortage of legal issues in the past, and now, he’s been hit with yet another lawsuit. This time, an anonymous man claiming to be his former “Director of Intelligence” is suing him for allegedly failing to pay him and allegedly inflicting emotional distress. The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, alleges that the man was initially hired to be Ye’s campaign manager for his presidential run. Eventually, however, his role allegedly changed.
He alleges that he was responsible for handling NDAs, and even investigating his wife Bianca Censori and the Kardashians. Allegedly, he’d have the man “tail” Censori without her knowledge during solo trips. This allegedly included the times she’d visit her family in Australia. The man did not specify why he was allegedly ordered to follow Censori.
Kanye West Gets Sued By Former Director Of Intelligence
(L-R) Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, Kris Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Caitlin Jenner and Kylie Jenner attend Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 on February 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3)
As for Ye’s former in-laws, however, he had a pretty shocking reason for allegedly having them investigated. The man accuses Ye of having him look into the Kardashians’ alleged “criminal links,” and of believing they took part in alleged “sex trafficking.” He claims their relationship took a turn for the worse when he shared alleged complaints from a former Donda Academy staff member. According to him, the staff member had alleged that students were being abused at the school.
Allegedly, when he shared this with Ye, he was yelled at, cursed at, and threatened with “great bodily harm.” After the alleged confrontation, the man even accused members of Ye’s team of sending him threats. Allegedly, this triggered PTSD he has from serving in the military. The man is reportedly seeking unspecified damages, and Ye has yet to respond to the suit. What do you think of Kanye West getting hit with a new lawsuit from his former Director of Intelligence? What about the man accusing Ye of having him investigate Bianca Censori and the Kardashians? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Thursday (Oct. 10) marked World Mental Health Day, and Megan Thee Stallion used the occasion to speak up for today’s generation. Teaming up with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Houston rapper participated in the Never a Bother campaign, which focuses on youth suicide prevention.
If you’ve graduated from a HBCU or visited a campus during its annual homecoming celebrations, it’s apparent that music is a significant part of HBCU culture, specifically the football game’s halftime marching band performance. A seemingly endless catalog of genres — including hip-hop, gospel, R&B, pop, and soul — is transformed into a melodic mashup that captivates the crowd almost more than the game itself.
The camaraderie among other dedicated fans in the audience is the best part of the game, from listening to the commentator’s playful remarks, to watching the majorettes perform their thoroughly practiced choreography, to enjoying the band’s funky routine that complements their euphoric sound. It’s an unmatched tradition that you can’t experience anywhere but at an HBCU football stadium.
For the marching band members, these pivotal moments inspire them to mingle music into their lives after graduation.
Raised in a family of musicians, Morgan State University graduate Malik Freeman already had the influence and willful determination to pursue the marching band at Morgan State. While Freeman and I discussed Drumline, the 2002 coming-of-age dramedy starring Nick Cannon, he mentioned that this film was a pivotal inspiration for joining a collegiate marching band.
According to Freeman, the culture of an all-Black school and competitive nature between the rival bands were accurately portrayed in the movie and led him to “wanting to be a part of that,” and it happened throughout his journey as a tenor drummer.
“It wasn’t really that dramatized, but it was like the closest thing you can get when it comes to HBCUs –- the [fraternity] organizations, the band, and the music organizations that they represented in that movie,” he said.
After graduating in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in music education, Freeman’s connection with an old friend led to an opportunity to advance his talent in a different setting.
“[Marching band] is embedded into my DNA and my life at this point, because this year, I’m running my elementary school’s bucket drumming club,” he said. “I got this plan to put on performances and really work with these kids. I’m gonna create some cool stuff.”
In addition to teaching, Freeman is also DJing, consuming more music history, and playing in a heavy alternative band.
The former-marching-band-member-to-teacher pipeline is more common than you’d think. For example, Spelman College graduate Dianna Sanders cherishes her time as a trombone player with the members of Morehouse College’s House Of Funk, and it influences her today as a teaching assistant at Florida Atlantic University.
Sanders frequently “refers back to [her] roots from marching band at Morehouse College,” so she acknowledges that there are some clear differences between the musical style at HBCUs in comparison to her current work environment.
“[Florida Atlantic University] plays similar music because we’re a South Florida school, they’re very cultured down there,” she said. “We do play HBCU-style music in the stands, but there’s just some things I simply cannot teach them. I’m always making comparisons in my head, like there’s just something each band does better than each other, but that’s the beauty of music overall.”
During my junior year at Florida A&M University –- one of the state’s two historically Black colleges -– I enrolled in a jazz history course taught by Professor Lindsey Sarjeant. The syllabus for the semester-long class detailed the development of jazz music throughout the 19th century, and it indirectly revealed the thorough preservation of Black music that occurs at HBCUs.
Beyond this course, Sarjeant’s notability in Tallahassee arises from his work as the chief band arranger for the incomparable Marching 100, FAMU’s collegiate marching band that has accrued global praise for performances like the 2007 Super Bowl Halftime Show and the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fashion Show in Paris.
The incomparable high-energy sound that separates HBCUs and predominantly white institutions is a result of the late Dr. William P. Foster. In 1946, he was hired as the director of bands at Florida A&M University and founded the Marching 100, and his innovative contributions revolutionized all marching bands. Any viral performance that includes a modern hip-hop or R&B song is more than likely a result of Foster’s advocacy.
Interacting with a professor like Sarjeant or Foster is a testament to investing in blossoming students and historically Black music programs. Whether it’s their intention or not, a syllabus with a history of jazz, ranging from the Harlem Renaissance to the evolution of modern music, is a key factor in preserving Black history.
Like Sanders and Freeman, Alabama State University alum Ayana Cummings pursued a career in music education after marching band. Even though her mother and high school band director piqued her interest in attending Alabama State University, her musical influences derived from a drum set that her six-year-old self received for Christmas, as well as middle school and high school band.
In college, her degree focused on percussion and music composition, and her hard work in the band led to an achievement as her alma mater’s first female percussion section leader.
“All the knowledge that I have about music came through my degree in performance, as well as actually performing, and I’m able to use that to navigate through the education world,” she said. “I was percussion section leader [in college] — you’re doing a lot of teaching and a lot of explaining, and you’re responsible for a lot of people and your peers, so all of that really helped me to be comfortable in the education world.”
But what happens after graduation, when a background in marching band isn’t paired with an interest in teaching? As Freeman mentioned, it’s a disservice to not fully immerse yourself in music history, at least one post-graduate visit to homecoming, and a casual jam session with fellow musicians. My own involvement in college radio led to my interest in DJing, and the graduates I spoke to shared their future plans for film scoring, music supervision, and production.
For Edwin Mompremier, a fellow graduate from Florida A&M University, his participation in the university’s jazz band and symphonic band opened up different opportunities to perform live music in Tallahassee.
“While I was marching, I was still doing other gigs,” he said. “It ranged from being at church to playing at shows, but my first real break came when I started playing with Tallahassee Nights Live [a local jazz ensemble], and that’s when I got more exposure, met some more people, and got involved in the music scene a little bit more.”
These are just a few of the stories that demonstrate how the longstanding marching band tradition at HBCUs doesn’t just set Black college bands apart: It also keeps history alive and prepares students for greater opportunities when they graduate.
Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s collab album will supposedly arrive sometime this fall, or at least, that’s what fans think based on previous teases. However, now that hype continues to build in pretty grand and confident ways, as the 6ix God recently proclaimed that the upcoming full-length will be a “classic.” Here’s the specific quote, via an Instagram comment on PND’s recent IG post that features a picture of him with the caption “Loading…”: “LOADED IN MY PHONE CLA$$$IC.” It’s unclear whether or not Drizzy referenced a specific track, a general phrase, or the entire album. Nevertheless, OVO fans can’t wait to hear what they cooked up.
Elsewhere, though, die-hards are keeping their eyes peeled and staying on their toes as the Kendrick Lamar battle’s discourse continues to evolve. For example, J. Cole recently threw his hat back into the ring by addressing the battle and his exit from it in the new song “Port Antonio.” In it, he dismissed rumors that he switched sides on Drake and seems to accuse both beef opponents of clout chasing for people’s approval. It obviously resulted in a lot of debate and discussion online.
On the other hand, Drake doesn’t just promote his own music, but he also shouts out others on the rise. “The Drake thing was crazy, man,” KSI told Official Charts of how the Toronto superstar cosigned his new song with Trippie Redd. “For him to even put the song on his Reel, that’s huge. I just couldn’t believe it, I was like, ‘What the hell?’ To be honest, I didn’t actually know. I had several people message me. Like, ‘Bro, Drake’s used your song!’ I’d just woken up like, ‘Yo, what?’ Then I saw it, and I was like ‘Mad!’ I messaged him saying ‘Big up, thank you for using it,’ and he was like, ‘Yo, I had to, it gets the people going!’ That’s sick, he’s legit. I appreciate it.”
Meanwhile, PARTYNEXTDOOR gave some interesting details on the Drake collab album back in August. He suggested that there would be 15 new tracks, and that all of them rank as his favorite collabs that they’ve ever done. There’s a lot of promise behind this release, but also plenty of potential for them to exceed expectations.
