drake
Page: 23
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Cindy Ord / Getty
It seems like every month New York City Mayor Eric Adams finds a new way to frustrate and alienate his Big Apple constituents, and now he’s showing that he simply does not give a f*ck.
Over the weekend NYPD was criticized for taking videos of everyone attending Drake’s show at The Apollo Theater with fears that they’d be used for facial recognition. When asked about the practice, Mayor Eric Adams applauded the NYPD for the controversial tactic. Gothamist is reporting that Adams praised Police Captain Tarik Sheppard of the 28th Precinct saying “Thumbs up to that great captain,” before adding “And I encourage all of my commanding officers to be creative on how we engage with our residents,” he said, adding, “That was a safe event.”
That’s considered “engaging” with residents?! Feels more like a violation of our personal space. More and more it’s looking like Eric Adams is going to be a one-term Mayor.
A spokesperson for the 28th Precinct meanwhile said that the officer taking the videos of the people exiting the Drake concert is a part of their social media team and that “The officer was taking video for an upcoming twitter post that will highlight local community events. The video will not be utilized for any other reason.”
Yeah, ok.
Will Owen, of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, an anti-surveillance and privacy rights group, isn’t buying that explanation (neither are we) and feels that “This is yet another example of NYPD’s racist use of surveillance technology, following the department’s long legacy of targeting rap concerts. We’re deeply concerned facial recognition may have been involved, and demand the department destroy any footage it took. This is the latest proof that the city and state must ban its use at venues once and for all.”
We doubt that Eric Adams will hear the outcry from his constituents as he’s blatantly brushing off any criticism that’s come with this past weekend’s suspect practice.
“Those who are naysayers find reasons to complain about everything,” he said. “That’s not reality. Let them keep complaining.”
What’s the chances that Eric Adams is actually a MAGA Republican on the low? Just sayin.’
What do y’all think of the NYPD recording concertgoers this past weekend and Eric Adams response? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Drake
Drake has strengthened his OVO Sound label’s roster with the addition of Naomi Sharon, the first woman to rep his imprint.
The news comes as Drake shut down Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater for two nights that saw the Canadian Hip-Hop star perform a bevy of his records and share the stage with Dipset and 21 Savage.
Drake took to Instagram to announce the big news while formally introducing Naomi Sharon to not only his millions of followers but his fans all around the globe.
“@naomisharon I been waiting for this day for too long now where the world finally gets to digest the insane amount of work you have put in since we met. My dear friend just dropped her single Another Life on OVO SOUND,” the rapper wrote in a post on the gram that features a photo of the cover art for her new single and a clip from her new visual.
The Dutch-born singer returned the love in the comment section, writing, “I will be forever thankful for this insane opportunity you gave me. Finally, we can share this with the world. Big love.”
OVO Sounds’ leading producer Noah “40” Shebib also expressed his excitement for his label’s latest signee adding in a separate post, “I’m honoured to be a part of this journey. Im so proud of you and can’t wait for the world to hear the rest of what you’ve been working on.”
Sharon first hit the music scene in 2019 with “The Moon,” followed by her second single, “Breeze.” In 2021 she gave fans a taste of what’s to come with “1991.” before her latest singles, she released Hills” and “Daughter of the Sun on streaming platforms.
[embedded content]
—
Photo: Getty
Some audience members leaving a concert by Drake at the Apollo Theater in Harlem came outside to see a New York Police Department officer filming those filing out, raising concerns from privacy advocates over what would be done with the footage.
The NYPD said Monday (Jan. 23) the video would only be used for a social media post, but there were still calls for the material to be deleted.
Music writer Jon Caramanica of The New York Times tweeted on Saturday night that the NYPD was filming those leaving the show at the Apollo Theater, putting up a video showing an officer seemingly recording those coming out.
In a statement, the department said the officer was part of the social media team for the local precinct and was getting video for a social media post about local events.
“The video will not be utilized for any other reason,” the department said.
But the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, a New York City-based group that focuses on privacy and civil rights, called the videotaping “highly concerning” and that attendees were being surveilled without their consent. It demanded the video be destroyed.
See Caramanica’s video below:
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty
Over the weekend, the King of The North, Drake, galloped down to the city of dreams and had social media buzzing after putting on two historic shows at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
It all began Saturday night (Jan. 21) when Drake performed at the historic theater. Drizzy performed classic hit after classic hit such as “Best I Ever Had,” “Say Something” and “Marvin’s Room” much to the delight of the crowd. Looking to wow the crowd, Drizzy treated fans and celebrities in attendance to some surprise performances. He brought out special guests such as Dip Set and 21 Savage to join him on stage.
Decked out in baggy clothes, chunky ice and pink attire, you would’ve thought Drake was a part of the 2000’s Diplomats forreal forreal. They could’ve used a singer/rapper back then too. Aside from performing the music catalogue that helped propel him to superstardom, The Grio is reporting that new music is on the way just months after dropping his latest project with 21 Savage, Her Loss. Drake even revealed he’d be hitting the road for a new tour this year.
“I thought about a bunch of things in life, but at this moment in time, none of those things are stopping making music for you,” Drake told the doting crowd. “I hope I can strike up some more emotions for you, maybe this year — I might get bored and make another one.”
Noting this was his first show in about five years and later stating “I’ll be out and about on the road a lot this year,” Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the U.S. last year told his captivated audience the show was about gratefulness.
“I wanted to make this a show about gratitude,” Drake said. “This is a little story we put together: my deep love for my family, for my dear friends and each and every one of you that have been supporting me for a long time.”
With the way Drake had the internet talking with his weekend performances at The Apollo, you know Drizzy bout to clean up with that tour money in 2023.
Were you able to catch any of Drake’s shows at The Apollo Theater over the weekend? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Cindy Ord / Getty
Drake finally touched the stage at the Apollo Theater. On Saturday night (Jan. 21), the 6 God headlined his first of two shows at the famed Harlem venue, and he brought out 21 Savage and local rap stars Dipset, too.
The show was promoted by SiriusXM, and Drizzy performed to a packed audience of VIP’s and celebrities. Reportedly in the crowd were an eclectic mix of stats that included Justin and Hailey Bieber, A$AP Ferg, Kevin Durant, Ice Spice, Odell Beckham Jr. and Gayle King.
Being that he was performing Uptown, it was a foregone conclusion that Cam’ron, Juelz Santana and Jim Jones would make an appearance. And just so you know it’s real, Drake rolled up wearing Killa Cam’s famed pink fur coat. Like, the actual one out of his closet.
Throughout the evening, the stage was outfitted to look like his bedroom to a record label to a Harlem bodega and finally to the Apollo signage, tracing the rise of his career. Along the way, he performed hits and deep cuts like “Headlines,” “HYFR,” and “God’s Plan,” from his lengthy catalog. 21 Savage also popped in to perform some songs from their recently released collab album.
“I appreciate all of those people that stick by me.… but I deeply appreciate everybody for continuing to support us,” said Drake as the show came to a close, per SiriusXM. “I’ve thought about a bunch of things in life, but at this moment in time none of those things are stopping making music for you, so I’ll be here for you for a little bit at least. And I hope I can strike up more emotions for you, maybe this year. I might get bored and make another one, who knows!”
Source: Cindy Ord / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Drake / Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin
Drake borrows some of Pharrell’s old bling to stunt on all of us in his new visual for Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin. One item, in particular, is catching fans’ eyes.
While his boy 21 Savage is beefing on Clubhouse, the Six God is hard at work in 2023, delivering his second visual of the year with “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” off collaborative album Her Loss.
The Tristan C-M-directed 2:22 visual features Drake in the Caribbean on his braggadocious vibes driving a red Ferrari Enzo while stunting in his absurd jewelry collection, now comprised of Pharrell’s $2.2 million chain and gold PSP he seemingly acquired.
The classic gold PSP (PlayStation Portable) console Drake can be seen holding in his hand while letting off bars stand out more than the chain in the video.
Per The Verge, the PSP-1000 was sold on Pharrell’s auction site Joopiter in November for a modest $20,000. The listing for the iconic device says its case is made of 14-karat solid gold that weighs 659.7 grams, and Pharrell tasked Jacob The Jeweler to bling out the device to compliment his gold Blackberry.
Last year, Pharrell tweeted that he was parting with the jewelry and other items to free himself and “for the beginning of a new era.”
Does The PSP Still Work?
What’s old to Skateboard P is new to Drizzy, who couldn’t help but stunt on everyone with Pharrell’s massive multicolor chain featuring a medallion with the Star-Trak team on it.
As for the PSP also features a custom Goyard carry case, no word if it’s still functioning. Drake did not power on the portable console in the video, but who would spend $20,000 on a broken device?
You can watch Drake call us broke in his new “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” video below.
[embedded content]
—
Photo: Drake / Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
It’s been a few months since the release of Drake and 21 Savage’s hit album, Her Loss, and Drizzy is looking to keep that project’s popularity alive going into 2023 by dropping off a new visual for one of the album’s standout cuts.
Choosing to breath life into “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin,” Drake keeps the concept as simple as can be as he shows us what his life is like on any average day. From shopping for a new Rolex to dining out at fancy restaurants where they serves exquisite meals on smoke filled platters, the life of the King of The North is something to behold indeed.
With all the celebrity cameos in the video, we’re lowkey surprised 21 Savage wasn’t one of them as this track is off their duet album. Just sayin.’
Check out the visuals to “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin” below and let us know which is your favorite track off Her Loss in the comments section below.
[embedded content]
HipHopWired Featured Video
French Montana is currently promoting the latest release of his Coke Boys 6 mixtape series and making the interview rounds in the process. In a recent appearance, the Moroccan-American rapper shared that an autobiographical documentary produced by Drake is currently in the works.
French Montana was a recent guest on Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson and spoke with the former boxing champion and his co-host Angie Martinez about a number of topics, most especially his early upbringing in Morrocco and his rise in Hip-Hop.
Related Stories
Early in the interview, Montana shared that he returned to New York to complete his documentary, and dedicated the project to this mother.
“It’s called For Khadija, that’s for my mother,” Montana shared. “You know she came out here and sacrificed for us. My father had left and she stayed, and she helped me become who I became, so I dedicated it to her. Drake is executive producing it. It’s a real immigrant story.”
Montana shared with Tyson and Martinez that he experienced culture shock after arriving in the United States at 13. At the time, Montana didn’t speak English but he soon acclimated to life in New York and the rest is history. During the chat, Montana celebrates his track “Unforgettable” going diamond, his charity work in Uganda and across Africa, representing Morrocco and much more.
Check out the full French Montana video by clicking here.
—
Photo: Craig Barritt / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Quentin Miller has opened up more about his time assisting Drake and the OVO camp with songwriting duties over the past year, doing so again in a new interview. In the chat, the Atlanta native revealed that his publishing deal made it so that he never received any checks for his work on Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late project.
Quentin Miller sat down with VladTV to discuss the issue at hand and it appears to be just a portion of a more extended conversation. In one clip, Miller explains how OG Maco was the person who informed Meek Mill that Miller was the alleged ghostwriter in Drake’s camp, making for a number of uncomfortable situations for Miller going forward.
Beyond that, Miller shared that a lopsided publishing deal with Tricky Stewart didn’t work out in his favor and dropped the bombshell that he never received one bit of compensation for his work during his time with Drake.
“I had to feed my family off getting paid under the table in that situation,” Miller said. “Tricky wouldn’t let me go and it took me…I didn’t get out that deal until 2019, 2020 [and] I signed in 2011. I had to let go of a lot of sh*t just to get out.”
Last year, Miller sat down with the New Rory and Mal podcast sharing similar sentiments of his time in the music industry but maintained that he’s not at war with DJ Drama, Drake, OG Maco, and any of the aforementioned.
Check out Quentin Miller in the clip below.
[embedded content]
—
Photo: Theo Wargo / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
”Swedish jail cell, smellin’ like some Carby Musk.” These are lyrics that Drake rapped in “Middle of the Ocean” from his joint album with 21 Savage, Her Loss.
Well now, it appears that Drake is confirming rumors that he did get arrested on charges involving marijuana possession while performing at a club in Sweden—which his team has repeatedly denied, according to Complex—by posting footage of his alleged arrest on social media.
From Complex:
Back in July, Drake was rumored to be arrested on marijuana-related charges while partying in a Swedish club. However, his team has denied any news of him being arrested despite a hashtag #FreeDrake that went viral.
The ever-elusive Drake kind’ve confirmed his arrest (or detained) when he posted a series of photos documenting his Sweden trip. One of the photos was a handout you receive from Swedish authorities when you may committed a crime. “Information for Those Suspected of a Crime and Subsequently Detained” from Polisen.
The video shows Drake from behind while he’s being led away in handcuffs by police. Someone off-camera can be heard asking, “Who’s in charge here?”
It’s unclear how long Drake was detained in Sweden or if he ever faced any official charges, but it does appear Drizzy is showing us evidence that he’s not just in the booth making things up. At least not in this instance.