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Wiz Khalifa emerged as one of the brightest stars of the so-called Blog Era and now he’s a seasoned veteran with two dozen mixtape projects, seven studio albums, and a handful of EPs. Fans of the Pittsburgh stoner can rejoice after Wiz Khalifa teased a release for his highly anticipated Kush & Orange Juice mixtape.
Released in 2010, Wiz Khalifa made a huge splash with the Kush & Orange Juice mixtape, introducing the masses to his laidback delivery, bombastic hooks, and overall cool image. His last project, Wiz Owens, was framed as a mixtape project and reunited him with “Black & Yellow” producer Sledgren along with features from Sosamann, Young Deji, and 24hrs.
Young Khalifa has already dropped a quartet of tracks from Kush & Orange Juice 2, including the tracks, “Hit It Once,” “Bring Your Lungs” featuring fellow chiefing rapper Smoke DZA, Hide It featuring Don Tolliver, and “Khalifa’s Home.”
Although it’s been rumored online that Wiz Khalifa will drop Kush & Orange Juice 2 ahead on the weekend of 420, we scoured his social media pages for confirmation and came up empty. That said, we’re hoping that it does come soon as it’s been 15 years since that last drop.
The industrious rapper and businessman also just released his branded line of rolling papers via his Khalifa Kush brand. Learn more about the rolling papers here.
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Drake, he of bullet-ridden hoodies and manufactured smoke, is currently on tour in Australia and New Zealand but is still taking notice of all the chatter around his name. In the wake of Kendrick Lamar‘s Super Bowl LIX appearance and Serena Williams showing up to C-walk, Drake took what appears to be a cheap shot at his ex via an alleged Instagram burner account.
The streets are still abuzz with discussion focused on Kendrick Lamar performing his scathing Grammy Award-winning diss track “Not Like Us” amid all the legal moves made by the Compton native’s Canadian rival. Further, K.Dot invited his fellow Compton native Serena Williams onstage to dance which some felt added extra insult.
As some know, Drake and Serena Williams dated a decade ago and he allegedly reached into his images folder and shared a photo of himself and Williams’ former agent, Jill Smoller. The message is unclear, much like many of the moves the OVO honcho has made after explosively underestimating his opponent and losing perhaps the largest battle of his career. No matter Drizzy’s aim or reason for the photo, some online are seeing through the antics and are wondering why he hasn’t moved on from the stack of Ls he’s taken so far.
We’re sharing the burner account post below for the sheer purposes of visibility and clarity. Keep scrolling to see reactions from fans on X to the perceived jab.
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Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show performance will be dissected and discussed for weeks if not months on end, due to the easter eggs and cultural references throughout. Ahead of the rapper dropping the “Not Like Us” diss track, Kendrick Lamar opened up with a verse referencing “40 Acres and a Mule” to introduce the song as it built to its epic opening.
Kendrick Lamar rapped the lines, “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music. They tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence,” each stanza punctuated by the keyboard stabs from DJ Mustard’s production. The line has many wondering what “40 acres and a mule” means and with this being Black History Month, we’re offering our brief explainer of the line.
The “40 acres and a mule” is a phrase that refers to a section of Special Field Orders, No. 15 issued by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1865 after slavery was officially abolished via the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. With the Union Army poised to vanquish the Confederate soldiers in the U.S. Civil War, Gen. Sherman’s declaration to divvy up land owned by the Confederacy to formerly enslaved Black people was a promise that became upended by the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
With Andrew Johnson taking control of the White House in succession, the promise was dismissed with the land going back to the original owners. Historians note that this takeback began a long and systemically planned series of maneuvers to keep Black people from ascending to the same level as their white counterparts, even during the largely fruitful yet brief period of Reconstruction. Today, proponents of reparation for the descendants of Black slaves in America point to this broken promise as grounds to advance their cause.
A small handful of individuals did receive land under the special field order, especially in southeastern Virginia, and parts of South Carolina including coastal lands, but those efforts were met with roadblocks eventually held up by President Johnson rescinding the offer.
Kendrick Lamar employed deeply symbolic messages throughout his performance, with many believing his American Flag-influenced backdrop, the including of Samuel L. Jackson as a brash and outspoken Uncle Sam, and the Compton native’s unrelenting focus on platforming Black music and culture was an indictment of recent political happenings.
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Naturally, many pundits, including those in right-wing media circles and even in the mainstream, have little understanding of why Jackson as Uncle Sam was pivotal to the performance and harkened back to Lamar’s loving ode and dire warning to Black America via his acclaimed third studio album, To Pimp A Butterfly.
Given the themes of some of his past releases, it could be assumed that Lamar is a champion of reparations or, further, a champion of Black excellence and perseverance despite the broken promises of 40 Acres and a Mule. Regardless of where the intent truly lay, America, especially those who have endured despite being mostly frozen out from the dream of having our own, definitely took notice.
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Kendrick Lamar and his current status in the industry is no longer a mystery after taking home several Grammy Awards trophies on the back of his smash “Not Like Us” single. While performing the hit at the halftime show during Super Bowl LIX, Kendrick Lamar’s grin and stare during the “Say Drake” line is currently getting the meme treatment on X.
The grand spectacle of the Super Bowl LIX halftime show is still front of mind for many some two days later. Featuring Samuel L. Jackson in the role of Uncle Sam, a C-walking Serena Williams, and vocal features from SZA, the production was amazing and Kendrick Lamar sounded in tip-top shape. During the set, Lamar teased “Not Like Us” and even mentioned Drake’s reported legal moves in getting the song shut down alleging baked numbers and other unfavorable maneuvers by UMG.
The next to last song in his set, “Not Like Us” got the requisite reaction from the crowd after it appeared it wouldn’t happen. With the crowd rapping almost in unison, Lamar rapped into the camera the lyrics that started the latest meme trend on X.
From “Not Like Us”:
Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young
You better not ever go to cell block one
To any b*tch that talk to him and they in love
Just make sure you hide your lil sister from him
With the moment now frozen in time, fans on X are sharing gifs and memes captioned “Say Drake” along with taking other shots at the Canadian superstar, who is currently on his Anita Max tour in Australia and New Zealand.
During the tour, Drizzy seemingly acknowledged the aftermath of the beef, donning a hoodie riddled with bullet holes and engineered smoke coming from said holes to signify all the damage he took during the battle with Kendrick Lamar.
On X, Drake’s name is trending mentioning Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl jab and more. Check out those reactions below.
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Irv Gotti, the longtime record label executive, and mogul, passed away from stroke complications on Feb. 5. The family of Irv Gotti has announced details of the funeral service for the Murder Inc. Records founder, which will take place in his native Queens.
As spotted in Vibe, Irv Gotti, real name Irving Lorenzo, suffered a stroke on Feb. 5, the second major stroke in under a year after revealing his struggles in handling his diabetes condition. Late last year, Gotti suffered a stroke with music insider Wack 100 sharing the news and claiming that Gotti needed walking assistance after the episode, although that account was never officially confirmed.
The funeral service for Gotti will take place in Jamaica, Queens at Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral and is expected to be a highly attended event considering Gotti’s music industry and entertainment connections.
Irv Gotti was instrumental in boosting the careers of DMX, Ja-Rule, Ashanti, Jay-Z, and fellow Queens native Mic Geronimo among others. He is survived by his children Angie, Sonny, and Jonathan Wilson, his brother Chris Gotti, sisters Tina and Angie, and mother Nee Nee Lorenzo.
Via Instagram, Gotti’s children shared a statement in honor of their father. We’ll share a portion of the statement below:
Our dad was an incredible man, a true visionary who transformed the hip-hop industry and changed the game for artists and fans alike. His passion for music and dedication to his craft inspired many, and his contributions will continue to influence future generations.
Irv Gotti was 54.
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LiAngelo Ball is enjoying plenty of success from his “Tweaker” single but it appears that the hooper-turned-rapper has been tweaking for another woman after he got exposed by his ex-girlfriend. Taking to social media, LiAngelo Balls’s ex and mother of his children claimed that GELO left her and their family while sharing he got another woman pregnant.
Nikki Mudarris, 34, also known as MissNikkiBaby on social media, took to her Instagram page in a now-deleted post and put LiAngelo Ball, 26, on complete blast.
“I see everyone has been sending me @gelo cheating on me. I want to clear this up and speak my truth. I am just as surprised as you are. We spent 3 ½ years together, and last week he decided to walk out on his kids and tell me he got someone else pregnant (allegedly) and now is creating a new life with her,” Mudarris wrote on her page last Saturday (Feb. 8).
She added, “The ultimate betrayal is not even the word. My daughter is not even 2 months old, and dealing with this and postpartum is very hard. Please pray for me and my healing because I will get through this. I have to be strong for my kids, but I have absolutely no words.”
Via her Instagram Story feed, Mudarris showed off a new fit and a hairdo, along with messages that make it clear she’s only focused on herself and the former couple’s young children, both of whom are under the age of 2. According to social media, Ball’s new girlfriend, Rashida Nicole, is all over social media addressing Mudarris while GELO has reportedly posted images of the pair online in a show of apparent defiance.
So far LiAngelo Ball, who is slated to perform at NBA All-Star Weekend, has yet to respond to Nikki Mudarris or her missives.
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Lil Wayne became a trending topic on social media in the wake of Kendrick Lamar’s grand Super Bowl LIX halftime show performance in New Orleans. Lil Wayne saw his name trending on X just mere moments after Kendrick Lamar concluded his set, with fans wondering how he would’ve fared in his hometown.
Much has been made of Lil Wayne’s public expressions of disappointment for not being selected as the chief act for the Super Bowl LIX halftime set considering its location. Naturally, the expectation that a hometown act should grace the world’s biggest stage makes sense and, to the planning committee’s credit, the inclusion of Grammy Award-winning native son Jon Batiste and his rendition of the National Anthem satisfied some of those concerns.
Still, Weezy F. Baby believed that the halftime show should have been his moment, expressing hurt for being passed over. That said, Kendrick Lamar’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show set was full of dazzling imagery, choreography, and surprises such as Samuel L. Jackson playing a very tongue-in-cheek version of Uncle Sam with some veiled messages as the state of the nation. Also, Serena Williams showed up and hit her steps during Lamar’s “Not Like Us” performance, and SZA provided some support by way of “Luther” and the crowd-pleasing “All The Stars.”
In an alarming bit of backlash, some fans are criticizing Lamar’s performance, with one X user calling the performance “Black Panther Raps” and other digs. Some other fans thought that Wayne’s big hits would’ve played well at the Caesars Superdome while plenty of others didn’t believe he would’ve had what it took to deliver.
On X, folks are taking shots at Lil Wayne and dressing down the Young Money honcho by speculating that he may not have measured up to what Lamar delivered. Weezy’s homeboy Skip Bayless, however, defended his friend on X. With the show in the rearview, there is no way to know how well Wayne would’ve done but fans on X have their strong opinions out front and center.
Check out the reactions below.
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Snoop Dogg might have lost some favor with fans of his for his alignment with Donald Trump, but that hasn’t stopped the hardworking rapper and entertained from grabbing gigs. At a Thursday (Feb. 6) NFL Honors of event, Snoop Dogg roasted Bill Belichick over the huge age difference between the NFL coach and his girlfriend.
The good homies over at TMZ Sports report that Snoop Dogg was the emcee for the NFL Honors event at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans, which was also televised. Per usual, Snoop’s unmeasurable coolness was on display and also a bit of humor, including the joke at the expense of the former New England Patriots coach.
Uncle Snoop opened the joke up by saying, “I’ve been a football fan for a long, long time. I mean, I remember back when the Cowboys was good. I remember back when the Chiefs was bad.”
He added, “And I remember, what was it? Bill Belichick’s girlfriend wasn’t even born yet!” sparking laughter from Belichick, and his cheerleader girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, 24. It appeared to be all in good fun, however, despite a delayed reaction to the joke by Hudson.
These days, Bill Belichick is no longer in the NFL and instead coaching in the collegiate ranks as the head coach for the University of North Carolina’s football team after years of success at the professional level.
Check out the joke below.
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Fonzworth Bentley has some explaining to do. Chopper from Da Band says he stole a $70,000 chain from him and was known to be a thief.
As per HipHopDX, the former Bad Boy Entertainment talent conducted another interview with The Art Of Dialogue podcast. On this episode, Chopper revisited his time being a recording artist on the famed Hip-Hop label. He discussed his experiences about being around Fonzworth Bentley and revealed that Diddy’s former assistant finessed him out of his jewelry.
“In the beginning. I thought Mr. Bentley was the coolest person in the world. I’m talking about THE coolest person in the world,” Chopper explained. “And then eventually Bentley started stealing. And one time we got our advance check and I went and got this [$72,000] chain. I asked him could he hold my chain [because] we had a show and he was like, ‘Yeah, I got you.’ And then he never quite gave me back my chain.”
Chopper went on allege that Fonzworth never returned the diamond piece. “And then every time I’d ask him, he always came up with beaucoup excuses of why I can’t get my chain. And ever since then, I knew right then and there what kind of dude Mr. Bentley was. A f***ing thief. Mr. Bentley is a f***ing thief. Period. And that was his reputation too around there. Everybody knew Mr. Bentley was a thief. He used to steal sh*t.
Chopper also disclosed that Fonzworth was not financially compensated for assisting Diddy. “Maybe he was stealing sh*t because Diddy probably wasn’t compensating him – embarrassing the man on national TV and not really paying him what he needed to pay him. I don’t think Diddy had no respect for Mr. Bentley. None.”
Fonzworth Bentley has yet to address the allegations. You can see Chopper’s interview below.
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DJ Khaled is currently preparing to release his 14th studio album, Aalam Of God, which fans can expect will be packed with features from the We The Best honcho’s high-profile friends. Drake, a frequent collaborator of DJ Khaled’s, looked to be a part of the album’s plans but it appears that things are on hold for now.
On Wednesday (Feb. 6), DJ Khaled shared a trailer to announce the coming of Aalam Of God with actor Mark Wahlberg. The trailer was framed as fans trying to take the project for themselves because of a pair of Drake features. Taking to Instagram, Drizzy shot down his appearance on Aalam Of God, writing, “Must be @drakebell,” referencing former Nickelodeon actor Drake Bell.
After that missive, Khaled took down the trailer and all signs are pointing to the OVO Sound honcho pulling the plug and no longer featuring on the project. Of course, this could all be part of the album’s rollout but the “I’m On One” rapper has been clear in recent social media posts and freestyle leaks that his circle is no longer as wide as it was before.
Do you think Drake is firing shots at DJ Khaled and pulling his features from Aalam Of God? Let us know via our social media pages or in the comments section.
[h/t @Kurrco]
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