Kanye West Praises Nicki Minaj In Resurfaced Clip From 2015

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Kanye West is a singular artist. No other rapper has been adamant about crediting others, then criticizing them later on. No rapper has revived so many careers, then went on derail his own. It’s a fascinating, very unpredictable story. West’s relationship with Nicki Minaj is a perfect encapsulation of these bizarre twists and turns. Minaj’s verse on West’s classic single “Monster” was a career-making turn, and West said as much during a resurfaced clip from 2015.

“One of the most memorable things about My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was Nicki Minaj,” he said during a lecture. “And the fact that she kicked my a*s on my song. On one of the best albums… the best album.” The latter comments drew laughter from the audience, but this is a stance West held for years. He repeatedly gave Minaj her flowers for penning the best verse on the song. The praise took on a more complicated strain in 2023, however. West and Minaj, who had seemingly been cool before then, got into an online beef over clearance issues. West wanted Minaj to clear her verse for the song “New Body,” and she refused.

Read More: Kanye West Is Now An “Enemy Of Ukraine” After Traveling To Moscow

Kanye West Claims He Made Minaj Rewrite Her Verse

Kanye West responded by bringing up the “Monster” verse. “I made that girl rewrite her verse 3 times for ‘Monster,’” he claimed. “I supported her career. So I don’t know what it is.” The rapper did not attempt to hide his frustration with Minaj, either. He posted a screenshot of their text conversation on social media for the world to see. Presumably, in the hopes of bullying Nicki Minaj into clearing her vocals. She did not bend, however. The Young Money icon stuck by her guns, and “New Body” never saw an official release.

Nicki Minaj, did, however, explain why she didn’t want “New Body” cleared. She addressed the matter on Instagram Live, and chalked the controversy over the song to it being multiple years old. “Now regarding Kanye, that train has left the station,” she asserted. “No disrespect in any way, I just put out a brand new album. Why would I put out a song that’s been out for three years?” The song remains a cult favorite in its unreleased form.

Read More: Kanye West Receives Unflattering Depiction In “The Boys”

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Eminem Digs Up Controversial Melle Mel Beef On New Single “Tobey”

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Eminem loves to poke fun at other people. He’s been doing it since his debut album, and he’s been praised and criticized in equal measure for keeping it up as a veteran. The first single for Em’s new album, “Houdini,” contained a dig at Megan Thee Stallion. His latest single, “Tobey,” has one aimed squarely at hip-hop legend Melle Mel. He may seem like a random target, but Em has actually been beefing with the Furious Five frontman for years.

The diss in question comes towards the end of “Tobey.” Eminem dedicates a whole couplet to Melle Mel and their past disagreements. “Get dissed though and by a pioneer. Who was one of the reasons why I am here,” Em raps. “They tell me I should just let that shit go and slide (Why?). ‘Melle Mel shouldn’t get no reply (Why?). ‘That man is a legend,’ b*tch, so am I (Haha, yeah).” Context is going to helpful here. So Melle Mel made headlines in 2023 when he dismissed Eminem’s contributions to rap. “If you were talking about rhyme style, okay he got a rhyme style,” Mel told DJ Vlad. “But he’s white. He’s white.” The rapper did not appreciate the racial bias, so he fired back on the song “Realest.”

Read More: Eminem Fans Praise His New Single “Tobey” With Big Sean & BabyTron & Their Fiery Bars

Eminem Feels He Matches Melle Mel’s Legend Status

It gets weirder and more complicated from there. Melle Mel decided to respond to Eminem’s diss with a song called “Kickback.” It was universally panned, and led to the Furious Five rapper issuing an apology to Eminem. “Regrettably, my response fell short in its execution,” Mel wrote. “I accept full responsibility for the misjudgment.” It seemed as though things between Eminem and Melle Mel had blown over, but the former still has some additional digs to get in.

The verse on “Tobey” isn’t so much a rehash of the beef as a reminder than Eminem is more important than Melle Mel gave him credit for. He has a point when he was derided to for dissing Mel, on the merits that he’s a genre pioneer. Eminem is the biggest-selling rapper of all time, and has influenced (for better or worse) generations of imitators. Hence the line “‘That man is a legend,’ b*tch, so am I.” Based on how poorly things went last time, we imagine Melle Mel is going to chill out on recording a response.

Read More: Eminem Fans Fire Back Amid Megan Thee Stallion “Houdini” Bar Backlash

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JT Shared The Official Cover Art For Her Solo Debut Mixtape ‘City Cinderella,’ And Fans Have Chills

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City Girls JT 2021 Revolt Summit
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With “Dade County Dreaming,” Camila Cabello seemingly treated fans to the last time we’ll hear the City Girls on a track (for now). While, the culture shaping duo is officially done, former member JT is just getting starting.

In March, the “Okay” rapper hinted at her debut solo project, City Cinderella. Yesterday (July 2), JT officially unveiled the forthcoming body of work’s cover art and release date.

“City Cinderella coming….7/19 👑🧊✨,” she wrote. “My hands shaking posting this. Juvies we here…..🥹.”

Users online were frozen with shock over the creative direction of the cover. Many quickly praised JT for taking an artistic risk.

“This one of the best covers I’ve seen from a rap girl this year ngl,” wrote one user.

“BEST COVER ART OF THE YEAR. YES JT!! 😍💎,” echoed another.

“The cover? WE READY, WTF,” chimed another.

Others pointed about the direct references subtly hidden in the photograph—specifically the incorporation of high fashion house, Margiela’s highly sought after Spring 2009 Cinderella Glass Heels.

“JT aligning her fashion interests with her solo music pursuits/positioning is so intentional,” penned another.

Although the official tracklist hasn’t been rolled out, JT has dropped several tracks including “Okay,” “Sideways,” and “No Bars,” all of which fans hope will make the final cut.

City Cinderella is out on 7/19 via Quality Control. Find more information here.

Beyonce Co-Signs Teyana Taylor And Victoria Monet’s BET Tribute

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Usher was the main focus of the BET Awards. He was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, and several of the musical performances throughout the ceremony were covers of his classic songs. Teyana Taylor and Victoria Monet teamed up for a cover of Usher’s “Bad Girl,” and promptly electrified the crowd. The performance was widely praised by fans online. But the biggest co-sign came from an unlikely source: Beyonce.

Queen Bey shared clips from the performance on her Instagram Story. It makes sense, once you consider the fact that Beyonce and Usher performed “Bad Girl” together on the Truth Tour in 2004. Taylor and Monet used the same exact choreography as their predecessor, turning in a stellar cover. However, neither artist could maintain their composure when they realized Beyonce reposted them. “Everything she saidddd,” Teyana Taylor wrote on her IG Story. “Bihhhhh I’m speechless. & DATS ON QUEEN BEYYYYYYYYYYYY, I’m GAGGGGINGGGGGGGI!!!!”

Read More: Teyana Taylor Responds To Fans Thirsting Over Her Cop Uniform Photos

Beyonce’s Posts Shocked Taylor And Monet

Victoria Monet was similarly blown away by the co-sign. She joined her collaborator Taylor in praising Beyonce for her shout-out. “OOOOH MYYYY GOD!!!!! na I AM SCREAMING!! WHATTTT,” she wrote in yet another IG Story. “CAN NOT GRASP AIR I AM UNWELL HOLY SH*T I did not expect to pass out today! GAGGEDD…completely. @beyonce WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!! THE ORIGINAL BAD GYAL I will forever honor you.” She even tagged Taylor add added: “WTFFFF PINCH ME.”

The performance by Taylor and Monet is even more impressive considering the time constraints they were under. In a separate post, Teyana Taylor revealed that she and Monet had less than 48 hours to get together and perfect the “Bad Girl” choreography. “We don’t regret one moment of it,” she asserted. “We had an assignment that needed to be OVERstood for one of the GOATS… We’d do it all over again and wouldn’t change a thing.” Taylor and Monet received praise from two GOATs that night. They have nothing to change.

Read More: Teyana Taylor & Iman Shumpert Finalize Divorce With Seven-Figure Settlement

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Rihanna Pulls A ‘Uno Reverse’ On GloRilla After Questioning The Rapper About Her Next Album

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Rihanna Paris Fashion Week AWGE 2024
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Rihanna has been on an eight-year side quest. As the public patiently awaits the “Work” singer’s highly anticipated follow-up to 2016’s Anti, Rihanna has grown her Fenty empire to include a beauty, intimates, and hair care line. She’s also expanded her family with Asap Rocky.

On multiple occasions, Rihanna has teased that she is working on new music. But the public is no longer holding their breath. Still, there is a small group of supporters that do have hopes for a new original body of work from her. Meanwhile, Rihanna pulled a Uno reverse card with GloRilla to question the rapper about her forthcoming project.

Today (July 2), the “Wanna Be” rapper took to her official Instagram page to share the shocking message she received from Rihanna.

“You got all summer sis,” she wrote. “I know dis wild hypocritical, but when the album drop?”

Users online hilariously called out Rihanna for having the nerve to flip the script onto GloRilla.

“The audacity,” wrote one user.

“We are never getting that album,” penned another.

This isn’t the first time Rihanna fanned out over GloRilla. Last month, while in Paris to support Asap Rocky’s Fashion Week show with American Sabotage by AWGE, Rihanna uploaded a video rapping along to GloRilla’s latest single, “TGIF.”

Could GloRilla finally get Rihanna to confirm the details of R9? Fans surely hope so.

Big Sean Gives Eminem His Flowers After Their Latest Collab Single

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Big Sean and Eminem don’t have a lot in common on the surface. Well, corny punchlines aside. Sean is a hitmaker, a lyricist who dedicates himself to making smooth, R&B-influenced music. Em is the definitive lyrical miracle, a wordsmith who can seemingly make anything rhyme (angrily). That said, these Detroit superstars get along. They have collaborated multiple times over the years, but their new single may be their best yet. It may be a hit, but for Big Sean, it means something much more.

Sean hopped on X (formerly Twitter) to reflect on the new single, “Tobey.” The former GOOD Music star took the opportunity to reveal some interesting details about his past. Namely, the first rap album he ever bought. “Not gon hold you,” he explained. “Slim Shady LP was the first CD I bought wit my own money at Costco.” He then broke down the ways in which this childhood purchase led him to this specific moment in time. “Me n Em bout 4 songs in now (DVE, No Favors, Detroit 2 Cypher),” he noted. “But being on The Death of Slim Shady is full circle. I ain’t know when I bought that, that I’d be one of the next 1’s out da city…”

Read More: Eminem, Big Sean, & More Celebrate Return Of Detroit’s Michigan Central Station With Massive Concert

Eminem Has Also Praised Big Sean In The Past

In a separate tweet, Big Sean praised Eminem for being “real” in his interactions. The praise has run both ways for quite some time, however. Em named Big Sean as one of the rappers who inspire him to work on his craft and not get lazy. “I don’t hyper-focus on numbers and being on charts,” he told XXL in 2022. “What I hyper-focus on is people like Kendrick Lamar, Joyner Lucas, J. Cole and Big Sean, and watching them and how the f*ck they’re doing their sh*t. Because they’re also focused on being the best rappers.”

If we let Sean tell it, Eminem considers him to be one of the most dangerous emcees alive. The rapper went on Big Boy Radio to relay Eminem’s high praise after the release of “No Favors.” “He was telling me how much he loved my verse,” Big Sean recalled. “He was like, ‘I respect you […] you’re one of the most dangerous emcees.” An unlikely pairing, but one that has seemingly stood the test of time. Especially for Detroit fans.

Read More: Proof’s Son Reveals He’s Playing An Important Role In Big Sean‘s Upcoming Album

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Druski Tried To Stop DJ From Playing “Not Like Us” At BET Awards Party

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Druski and Drake go way back. The comedian made an appearance in the music video for Drake’s 2021 smash “Laugh Now, Cry Later.” When Druski made jokes about Young Money boss Birdman in 2023, the 6 God stepped in and advised him to be careful. They appear to have each other’s back, as far as major celebrity figures go. Druski kept this streak of loyalty alive on June 30, when the comedian tried to get a DJ to stop playing a Drake diss during a BET Awards after party.

The IG footage sees Druski motion towards the DJ and give him a cut-off sign. Despite his efforts, though, Kendrick Lamar’s number one single, “Not Like Us,” continues to play. It might not have worked, but Druski was asking a DJ to stop playing Lamar in Los Angeles, so it was going to be an uphill battle. It was worth a shot, at least for him. Druski has maintained that he supports Drake throughout the K. Dot battle, but this is the first time fans have gotten to see his loyalty in action. Part of the reason Druski is indebted to the 6 God is because he game the comedian a huge look early on in his career.

Read More: LeBron James Shocks Kai Cenat And Druski By Calling During Live Stream

Druski Was Seen Trying To Cut The After Party DJ Off

Druski recounted the experience of meeting Drake during a 2022 interview with Billboard. He jokingly compared it to meeting the President. “I’m sitting in a room, and they’re like, ‘Drake will come and talk to you.’ People are coming in and checking on me and I’m like, ‘Alright. Where’s he at?’ He comes in with like a fleet of security,” Druski recalled. The comedian then went on a tangent about Drake’s scent. “You smell this dude before he even walks in the room,” he noted. “So I’m like, ‘What the hell is that smell? Like, the whole room has this heavenly smell to it. Cologne don’t even smell like that. I’m like, ‘What the hell? Did they spray something in this whole room?’”

Drake has given Druski his flowers in return. He hopped on Instagram Live with Druski shortly after the release of Certified Lover Boy to show off his Toronto mansion. He also joked about things going downhill after the album, despite it being certified platinum. “It’s really been downhill after the album dropped,” he quipped. “I’m not going to lie. It’s been slow motion. It’s been a bit of a downward spiral.” While these words appear more prophetic in light of recent events, the point stands: Druski and Drake are tight. It’s going to be a long summer of hearing “Not Like Us” for both of them.

Read More: Druski Breaks His Silence On Rubi Rose Split

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Rihanna DM’s GloRilla To Ask When Her New Album Is Dropping

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Rihanna loves GloRilla. The latter dropped off her new single, “TGIF,” in June, and Rihanna posted a video of herself dancing to it on Instagram. Evidently, the pop superstar wants more than a song, though. She slid into GloRilla’s DMs on July 2 and attempted to find out when the rapper would be dropping her full album. The irony, of course, being that Rihanna has kept fans waiting for new music since 2016. If there is any artist who should know about waiting, it’s her (and maybe Frank Ocean).

Rihanna’s DM made the rounds on social media, with many fans being humored by the singer’s fandom. She knows exactly what it’s like to wait for new music, without having any idea when it’ll come out. “You got all summer sis,” Rihanna wrote to GloRilla. “I know dis wild hypocritical, but when the album drop?” It’s absolutely wild to compare the release dates for Rihanna’s and GloRilla’s last projects. Rih dropped Anti in 2016, like we previously stated. GloRilla, meanwhile, dropped a mixtape in April of this year! She put out Ehhthang Ehhthang on streaming, which included the hit single “Wanna Be.”

Read More: Glorilla’s Mugshot Has Released Following Her DUI Arrest

Rihanna Joked About Being A Hypocrite

Every piece of music GloRilla has put out, actually, has come after the release of Rihanna’s last album. That being said, the rapper has discussed her rapidly evolving style. She told iHeartRadio that she has aimed to maintain her musical roots with Ehhthang Ehhthang, despite getting more popular. “The songs are just so raw,” she noted. “I was going back to my roots. I rebranded on it because last year I was just trying to go so big when I was in album mode.”

The upcoming GloRilla album, however, is going to be a little different. Since she already fed her mixtape audience, she will try to go bigger and broader. “[I wanted to] give em some raw gangsta music before I put my album out,” she explained. “Because I feel like I waited too long to drop last year so I went a whole year without a project.” GloRilla’s latest single, the one Rihanna has been bumping, definitely suggest an attempt at a radio smash. Hopefully fans (and RiRi) get to hear the new album soon.

Read More: GloRilla Surprises Fans By Pulling Off Her Wig While Playing Guitar To Close A Show

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