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Days ago it was reported that The Fugees had suddenly canceled their U.S. tour dates just days before they were set to hit the road. Now, it seems like one of their members has something to say to his fellow Fugees bandmate.
According to TMZ, Pras has just released a new record in which he takes direct aim at Lauryn Hill for who he feels is the reason The Fugees continue to be dysfunctional in the eyes of their fans. Dubbed “Bar Mitzfa,” the new song finds Pras immediately airing out his grievances about The Fugees situation spitting, “Still waiting for me to lose, don’t hold ya breath/They took a bite out of his ambizzy, I control the rest/Don’t blame me, blame her she made the mess/Not another f*ckin’ penny is what I told Clef [Wyclef Jean]…”
With word that the cancellation of the tour was due to lack of ticket sales, it seems like Pras isn’t too happy with the reputation that Lauryn Hill built for herself over the years such as arriving hours late to her own shows and canceling performances out of the blue.
TMZ reports:
We’re told the song was recorded sometime last week, when Pras needed to blow off steam … on the heels of low ticket sales shutting down the legendary hip hop trio’s reunion plans.
Remember, Pras agreed with fed-up fans that Lauryn’s reputation for being late and missing shows justified them boycotting the concerts.
You gotta think, Lauryn’s lateness also jams up his and the band’s schedule … not to mention any invited celebrity guests at the shows!!! After a while, everyone starts to treat the tour like a big joke.
As much as we love The Fugees, we know that copping a ticket to their shows is basically a 50/50 gamble on whether or not it will start on time or even happen at all. And we all know why that is (no shots).
That being said, Pras has skipped his own share of Fugees performances, but with all the legal setbacks he’s faced over the years, y’all know he might’ve needed this tour paper more than his fellow “Fugee-La” members. Just sayin’.
How or even if Lauryn Hill (or Wyclef) will respond to this cut is anyone’s guess, but had this been 1999, it would’ve been the talk of the town. Now, in 2024? Meh.
What do y’all think of Pras taking shots at Lauryn Hill? Sound off in the comments section below.
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Jay-Z and Drake ended their intense dispute in the 2010s with the help of Elliott Wilson, as he revealed in a recent interview.
The back-and-forth between Jay-Z and Drake was one of Hip-Hop’s most notable scenarios for close to a decade, and veteran journalist Elliott Wilson revealed he helped squash their beef. “I got them back together, I got them to talk,” Wilson said during a recent appearance on The Bigger Picture podcast. “Around the time when Drake was doing the tour with Lil Wayne and they had a show in Queens, Drake came backstage and hugged me and was like, ‘I spoke to Hov. We’re figuring it out.’ He was excited that they had finally talked.”
The two superstar rappers had collaborated to great appeal, with Jay-Z appearing on “Light Up” on Drake’s 2010 album Thank Me Later after Drake teamed up with Jay-Z on “Off That” from The Blueprint 3, a year before. But on DJ Khaled’s “I’m On One” a year later, Drake threw out the line “I’m just feeling like the throne is for the taking / Watch me take it,” which many saw as a challenge to both Jay-Z and Kanye West.
The Canadian rapper quickly dismissed that idea, and the two would team up for the 2013 hit “Pound Cake.” But comments that Drake made about Jay-Z’s foray into the art world in a Rolling Stone interview (which Wilson stated Drake felt were off the record when he made them) rubbed Jay-Z the wrong way, causing the Roc Nation founder to deliver some heated bars directed at Drake on Jay Electronica’s “We Made It” remix. Drake would fire back on “Draft Day,” which led to the Reasonable Doubt MC delivering his own barbs on DJ Khaled’s “They Don’t Love You No’ More”: “N-ggas talking down on the crown / Watch them n-ggas you ‘round got you wound / Haters wanna ball, let me tighten up my drawstring / Wrong sport, boy, you know you’re as soft as a lacrosse team.”
The two would eventually settle their differences, reuniting on 2018’s “Talk Up.” When asked how he was able to help mend the dispute, with co-host Jeremy Hecht joking that he created a text messaging thread, Wilson replied, “No, just encouraging them to talk to each other, that’s all. I’m not Farrakhan. I didn’t put the play together [laughs].”
Check out the entire episode above.
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The fanfare and hysteria surrounding the beyond-viral feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake have finally wound down since the former’s smash hit “Not Like Us” became the cultural phenomenon that ended any lingering doubts about who “won” this rap beef, but one veteran emcee who is somewhat of a cultural phenomenon all by himself, André 3000, is weighing in on the spectacle and what it meant for Hip-Hop.
“I got a little sad, at a certain point,” the Outkast member said in a recent interview with Crack Magazine. “In early rap battles, you had kids in the park rapping against each other. But it’s not just people rapping now. You got people with 100 employees. You have livelihoods, empires, companies, deals — all of it can be jeopardized. If you don’t have anything to lose, sure, go for it. But if I already made it, I’m not sure it’s even worth it anymore.”
Yeah—the beef between Drizzy and K-Dot certainly didn’t have the feel of pure Hip Hop competition that the culture felt during the rivalry between Boodie Down Productions and Juice Crew. This beef was more reminiscent of the post-NWA split-up, when Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E really seemed to be out to destroy each other. Drake vs. Kendrick got really ugly, and it’s undoubtedly the reason it had the whole internet in a chokehold for multiple months.
Still, the Dungeon Family alumnus acknowledged that Hip Hop has always been a competitive sport and that rap beefs are part of the game. He also didn’t seem to mind his name being dropped in Lamar’s verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” the very verse that catalyzed the feud.
“If he walk around with that stick, it ain’t André 3K,” Lamar rapped in the song.
“As a 49-year-old rapper, you’re just happy to get a shoutout,” André told Crack Magazine. “But as a rapper, I’ve noticed myself walking around with this stick. So It was a line for me, too, and I was trying to find a way to use it. But Kendrick used it, so I had to say ‘Yeah, he got it.’”
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Recently, it was reported that a court-ordered Dame Dash‘s share of Roc-A-Fella records to be auctioned off to satisfy his mounting debt. Now, Jay-Z is hitting potential bidders with a “Buyer Beware” notice as his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, is the crown jewel of Dash’s stake in the record label.
According to TMZ, Jay-Z is taking legal action regarding the auction of Dame Dash’s 33.3% ownership of Roc-A-Fella Records, which will begin with a starting bid of $1.2 million. While we assumed Jay-Z would just participate in the auction and put up whatever amount of money is needed to get back the majority of his old record label, it seems like he’s going a different route and letting potential buyers know that Reasonable Doubt will be his in just a few years regardless of who ends up with Dame Dash’s share of the label.
Per TMZ:
While Roc-A-Fella currently holds the copyright on the record and all its tracks … Jay’s attorneys have now filed notice that those rights will revert to one Shawn Carter/”Jay-Z” in 2031.
Even though Jay and Dame ain’t exactly vibing these days, this legal move isn’t about revenge, it’s just biz — the rights would have gone back to Jay 35 years after the record was released, anyway. His lawyers have just filed the paperwork to make it official.
So, what does this mean for the August 29 auction? Whoever ends up winning Dame’s shares — minimum bid is $1.2 million — will enjoy one-third of all “Reasonable Doubt” revenues … but only for about the next 6 years and change. Then it’s all Jay’s.
Well, that certainly won’t sit well with anyone bidding on Roc-A-Fella’s illustrious catalog.
How will this affect the auction remains to be seen but putting down more than $1.2 million on something that’s going to have its biggest asset removed in six years doesn’t seem like a sound investment. Just saying.
What do y’all think? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Maryland Heights Police / Maryland Heights Police PD
Nelly thought he was up at the casino but that wasn’t the case. It is being reported that he cashed his winnings right before his recent arrest.
As spotted on TMZ, the St. Louis native seemingly got the surprise of life earlier this week. On Wednesday (Aug. 7), he was booked by local police at the Hollywood Casino in St. Charles, Missouri. His lawyer has provided additional, and at this point much needed, context in an exclusive statement to the celebrity gossip website. Scott Rosenblum says that the “Lil Bit” rapper was gambling at the establishment and hit big on the slots to the tune of $50,000 dollars. Prior to the establishment paying him out they ran a background check on him. Unfortunately for him, that’s when the open warrant for a prior traffic stop was spotted.
In turn, the local police were called and he was arrested at the casino. TMZ says that he had one hand cuffed to a chair while they waited for law enforcement and was paid out his winnings with his free hand. Nelly was then searched, and that’s when the badges allegedly found ecstasy on his person. The St. Lunatic is said to have complained that he has won bigger than this at the same casino in the past without having a background search run on him.
Nevertheless, his lawyer says his client has yet to be charged with drug possession and claims he was searched without probable cause. Nelly has yet to comment on the matter.
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With Kamala Harris and Tim Walz’s popularity surging and the Donald Trump and “JV” Vance campaign collapsing, MAGA supporters are panicking that they won’t get another four years of Cheeto Jesus at the helm. Lil Pump isn’t happy about that one bit.
According to TMZ, the “Gucci Gang” rapper sees the writing on the wall and with his preferred presidential candidate seemingly on the ropes at the moment, he’s threatening to actually leave the U.S. if Kamala Harris TKOs Trump and claims the presidency come November. Taking to his official Instagram page Thursday (Aug. 8), Pump (who Donald Trump once called “Lil Pimp” at one of his 2020 rallies) called Kamala Harris a “stupid a** b*tch” and swore on his father’s grave he’d leave America if the Harris/Walz ticket wins the presidential election.
Per TMZ:
He didn’t specify exactly where his immigration plans would land him, but his parents hail from Colombia … maybe they’ll accept him with open arms?!?
Pump recently made false claims against KH regarding her Black heritage, but revealed he’s going the distance to help Trump get elected.
The proud Kamala hater is turning 24 August 17 and says he has a gift-wrapped package for the Vice President … in the form of a diss song he’s releasing on that day.
He will not be missed. Just sayin’.
While we’re not surprised celebrity Trump supporters are standing behind their orange messiah, we’re disappointed in culture representatives who go to such lengths to show their MAGA alliance knowing damn well that particular cult 45 wouldn’t welcome them into the fold if it wasn’t for their celebrity status.
But hey, to each his/her own, right?
What do y’all think of “Lil Pimp’s” threat? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Just weeks after Travis Scott found himself in a pickle over disorderly intoxication on a yacht, the Hip-Hop superstar is once again in hot water as he was arrested in Paris for fighting with his own bodyguard.
People is reporting that the “Highest In The Room” rapper was taken into custody by the “oui oui” police at a five-star hotel in the capital of France after he got into it with his bodyguard in the wee hours of Friday (Aug. 9). Scott was in town to see Team U.S.A. participate in the 2024 Olympics. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to see them compete for the gold in tomorrow’s game (Aug. 10) as authorities were waiting for him to sober up before questioning him about the incident.
Per People:
“I can confirm that on August 9, 2024, shortly after 5 a.m., the police were called to the Georges V Hotel and arrested the man nicknamed Travis Scott for assaulting a security guard,” the Paris prosecutor’s officer said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“The latter had himself intervened to separate the rapper from his bodyguard. The 1st judicial police district was seized of the investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office,” the statement added.
On Thursday, Aug. 8, Scott, real name Jacques Bermon Webster II, was photographed attending Team USA’s basketball semifinal win against Serbia at the Bercy Arena at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Damn, Travis Scott’s really been wilding out as of late. The man might have to take a break from his recreational activities if he continues to fly off the handle whenever he feels a little saucy. This kind of behavior isn’t beneficial to him whatsoever.
Aside from the incident on the yacht, Travis Scott also got into some fisticuffs with Cher’s boyfriend, Alexander “A.E.” Edwards at a Cannes afterparty back in May for reasons still unknown.
Seems like Travis Scott has been dealing with some anger issues as of late.
As for this most recent incident, Scott’s team did not reply to requests for comment for People.
What’s your thoughts on Travis Scott’s temperament as of late? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Noah Lyles has emerged as one of the standout athletes among Team USA’s men’s track and field team, often for reasons that some observers find unsavory. The legend of Noah Lyles will continue to grow after he managed to snag a bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter event while testing positive for COVID-19 before the race
Noah Lyles, 27, finished third overall in the Thursday 200-meter final and as the race concluded, the controversial athlete shared with a throng of reporters that he took on the race while suffering from COVID-19.
“I tested positive around 5 AM Tuesday morning,” Lyles said at a postrace media event while donning a mask. “I woke up in the middle of the night just feeling really chills, aching, sore throat. And those were kind of a lot of the symptoms I’ve always had right before getting COVID, and I was just like, ‘I need to test this one.’”
Lyles said he quarantined away from Olympic Village at a nearby Paris hotel and took whatever allowable medications he could.
“I still wanted to run; they said it was still possible,” Lyles shared. “So we just stayed away from everybody and just tried to take it round by round. And to be honest, I knew if I wanted to come out here and win, I had to give everything I had from the get-go. I didn’t have any time to save energy.”
Lyles added, “One, we didn’t want everybody to go into a panic; we wanted them to be able to compete,” Lyles said. “And then two, we wanted to be able to make it as discreet as possible. And you never want to tell your competitors you’re sick. Why would you give them an edge over you?”
At the event, Lyles wasn’t certain if he would show up to be a part of the 4X100-meter relay event but it appears that he’s shutting down his Summer Olympics appearances after a reply shared on the X platform pointed to that fact.
“First I want to thank God for getting me through this entire Olympics! Second I want to congratulate @LetsileTebogo3 @kenny_bednarek and everyone else on an amazing Olympic 200m final. Finally I want to thank everyone for the supportive messages. I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics. It is not the Olympics I dreamed of but it has left me with so much Joy in my heart. I hope everyone enjoyed the show. Whether you were rooting for me or against me, you have to admit you watched, didn’t you? See you next time Sincerely, Your world’s fastest man for the next 4 years!” Lyles wrote on X.
Letsile Tebogo of Botswana went on to capture his country’s first gold medal ever in the Olympics, while American runner Kenny Bednarek earned his second silver medal of the Summer Games. In a postrace presser, Tebogo mentioned Lyles after he was asked if he was positioning himself to become a star in the track and field world.
“I can’t be the face of athletics because I’m not an arrogant or a loud person like Noah [Lyles],” with Bednarek looking on.
[h/t ESPN]
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Charles Barkley shocked the sports media world after announcing that he would retire from broadcasting at the conclusion of the 2024-25 NBA season much to the dismay of many. The Hall of Fame hooper has since walked back those comments, saying that he intends to stick around in the booth for the foreseeable future.
Charles Barkley, 61, shocked viewers during this year’s NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, citing the current shakeup in the media landscape regarding the NBA rights going to other networks and reportedly ending the deal with TNT and Warner Bros. Discovery.
“There’s been a lot of noise around our network the last few months and I just want to say I’ve talked to all the other networks, but I ain’t going nowhere other than TNT,” Barkley said during a postgame chat during the Finals.
The comments from “The Chuckster” were fueled by the NBA’s expiring deals with ABC/ESPN and Turner Sports, the latter of which Inside The NBA airs on its TNT network. As has been widely reported, the NBA reached agreements with NBC, ESPN, and Amazon, effectively ending the Turner Sports connection although the company says it will continue to try and retain some rights beyond next season.
Via a statement, Barkley stated his intentions to work beyond the following season while giving praise to his current network:
“I love my TNT Sports family. My (number one) 1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible. We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me, Barkley said. “I have to say — I’ve been impressed by the leadership team who is fighting hard and have been aggressive in adding new properties to TNT Sports, which I am very excited about. I appreciate them and all of my colleagues for their continued support, and most importantly our fans. I’m going to give my all as we keep them entertained for years to come.”
Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT Sports, has filed a lawsuit against the NBA, as reported by the Sports Business Journal. In the suit, Warner says that the league neglected the company’s matching offer, which Warner belives forcibly denied them the opportunity to obtain a package from the NBA.
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Hip-Hop has lost another contributor to the culture. M.O.P. affiliate Foxx has passed, and her peers are honoring her legacy.
As reported by HipHopDX the Bronx, New York, native has transitioned. Known for her work as the group’s road manager and her contributions to records like “It’s Hard To Tell,” she became synonymous with with the M.O.P. brand. Last weekend, DJ Kid Capri announced her passing on social media via a very touching Instagram post. “I went to the hospital to see you last night, what I saw had me walking out the room crying, a week ago or so you requested that people come see you before aug 2, that’s when you wanted to be taking off of the respirator, yesterday was aug 2nd, I would have had so much regret if I didn’t make it there,” he wrote.
He went on to also reveal the two grew up together and she was a member of a rap girl group he formed. “I had fun making you, Kim, Georgia and @qtpepsi rehearse the routines I was writing, after that, you was influenced by music for real, then years after that, you linked up with @famem.o.p @billydanzem.o.p the great hip hop group M.O.P.” Soon news of her passing spread, prompting her peers to celebrate her life.
Longtime collaborator DJ Premier also shared sorrow as well. “I’m hurt in more ways than one but your pain is gone now. Even tho I saw you in the hospital Tuesday, it sucks to get that call. We all are gonna miss you so much but the fun times are documented in our souls. You were HardCore and Sweet at the same time,” his caption read with accompanying behind-the-scenes footage of M.O.P. and Gangstarr on tour in 1997.
The likes of Fat Joe, Chuck D, Alchemist, Royce Da 5’9″ and Cam’ron also shared their condolences online. Foxx had been battling scleroderma, an autoimmune disease for the last 15 years. She was 55. You can see Foxx get busy during an M.O.P. performance with Busta Rhymes in 2004 below.