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Cam’ron Suggests LiAngelo Ball Must Have ‘CTE’ After Basketball Player Says He’s the Better Rapper

Cam’ron and LiAngelo Ball are still going at it.

The rapper-turned-sports commentator recently shot back at the basketball player-turned-rapper after Ball told Complex‘s Speedy Morman that he’s a better rapper and basketball player than Cam’ron.

“I think I rap colder than him. Basketball? Colder than them n—as,” Ball boasted. “I’m not over here like, ‘Dang, he said I can’t do this.’ I knew this sh– was coming. I just be keeping it cool.”

He then tried to soften the slight, saying, “Other people gonna [disagree], that’s their legend. I’m not disrespecting him. … I’m feeling like I’m up there with my music.”

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“I’ve never seen a basketball player-slash-rapper whatever with CTE,” Cam’ron said on his sports show It Is What It Is. When asked by his co-host Ma$e to “elaborate,” Cam answered, “There’s no other way to explain his comments. I’ve never seen it before. I thought it was a boxing or football thing, but obviously rappers-slash-basketball players can get it too.”

Cam continued to reference Ball’s sitdown with Morman as he tried to explain that he and Ma$e never mentioned anything about his rapping ability when talking about his professional basketball career during an earlier episode around the time his song “Tweaker” was going viral.

“In the interview he said, ‘N—as be talking about me’ — I guess he’s referring to us. He was like, ‘I knew I had this coming down the pipeline,” Killa began to clarify. “First of all, We didn’t know you rapped like that. Whatever. Why do n—as keep moving the goalpost? We said you’re not a professional basketball player. I don’t understand how n—as keep switching. I never said he couldn’t rap. I didn’t even know he did rap. And we can tell how quickly he switched his occupation.”

He then brought up Gelo saying that he’s a better basketball player than Cam, who played varsity ball in high school alongside Ma$e at Manhattan Center back in the early ’90s. “N—as be forgetting how old [we are],” he said. “I look good, I’m in shape, I’m fly [but] I’m older than Tim Duncan, I’m older than Kevin Garnett. This is how old I am. I just look good, man. F— I look like running a full?”

Adding, “Now, if you want me to put some money up on some n—a that I think could beat you that didn’t even go to college, I got a bunch of them n—as. N—as talking ’bout, ‘Killa, take the one-on-one with Gelo.’ N—a, I’m 48 years old! What the f— do I look like playing a n—a one-one-one?”

You can watch the clip below.

DJ Khaled Deletes Album Announcement Video After Drake Denies Involvement

DJ Khaled‘s album rollout appears to have hit a bit of a snag.

On Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 4), the Miami producer took to social media to drop a seven-minute action flick starring Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Ramos. In the caption, he mentions that Drake is back to work and that the Toronto rapper contributed two songs to his 14th studio album Aalam of God.

However, Drake seems to think that there’s been some sort of misunderstanding, because he commented on the now-deleted Instagram post that Khaled has him confused with former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell. “Must be @drakebell,” Drake wrote in the comment.

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While the Instagram post has been deleted, Khaled still has a tweet up on X with the same caption, which also has Drake tagged.

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Drake commented on that post just as he’s starting his Anita Max Win Tour in Australia and New Zealand, where he’s already been making headlines. During one stop, he walked to the stage with a bullethole-riddled black hoodie and a trail of smoke behind him and declared “Drizzy Drake is very much still alive” in reference to the hits he’s taken publicly over his perceived loss to Kendrick Lamar and his subsequent lawsuit against his label Universal Music Group.

He also changed lyrics to his song “Nonstop” in order to take a swipe at LeBron James due to the Lakers star’s public support of Lamar. And he finally announced the title and the release date of his collab album with PartyNextDoor. Maybe he’ll talk about this Khaled situation to the crowd during his next stop at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Feb. 9, which also happens to be the same day as Lamar’s halftime show at the 2025 Super Bowl.

Billboard has reached out to both Khaled’s and Drake’s camps for comment.

Travis Scott Is Looking for HBCU Marching Band to Join Him at Coachella for ‘4×4’: ‘Show Me Something’

Travis Scott is looking to bring a unique live performance to his Coachella set in April. With “4×4” debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 this week, Scott wants to have a marching band from a historically Black university join him in Indio, California.

La Flame took to X in search of the best HBCU band, and he’s even down to pay off a semester’s tuition tab for the lucky college students that join him.

“Any hbcu or really any college with a band,” he wrote. “Big or small. That stand to take on that horn arrangement from 4×4. I’m down to bring u with me to Coachella to do it with me. And posssibly figuring out a way to take care a semester cause college is hard. But music is fun. :)). Show me something.”

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There was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to Trav’s latest proposition in his replies. It remains to be seen who will ultimately perform with him at Coachella.

La Flame experimented with a live marching band when he performed “4×4” as part of the College Football Playoff National Championship Halftime Show in January atop Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“4×4” debuted atop this week’s Billboard Hot 100 to give him a fifth chart leader and first since 2020. “Franchise,” “Highest in the Room,” “The Scotts” and “Sicko Mode” are among Scott’s previous No. 1 hits.

The Tay Keith-produced song compiled 16.2 million streams along with 167,000 digital and physical copies sold during its first tracking week. Merch proceeds and CD sales all went toward benefitting Los Angeles fire relief.

Scott is set to take over Coachella for his first performance since 2017 in what’s being teased as the start of a “new chapter” as La Flame heads into his post-UTOPIA era.

Beyoncé famously paid tribute to HBCUs during her 2018 Coachella headlining set, performing with an all-Black marching band that included musicians from HBCUs.

Pop Smoke Murder Suspect Reaches Plea Deal, Will Serve 29 Years in Prison: Report

It’s been nearly five years since Pop Smoke (Bashar Jackson) was killed in California’s Hidden Hills — and now, the only adult defendant in the murder trial has reached a plea deal.

According to Rolling Stone, Corey Walker, 24, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery charges in Los Angeles court on Wednesday (Feb. 5).

Walker will serve 29 years behind bars in prison on the charges of home invasion robbery with gun and gang enhancements. The voluntary manslaughter count was added this week, while the murder charge was dropped as part of the deal offered by prosecutors.

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A jury was gearing up to be seated in Los Angeles if the trial proceeded into next week. Walker will ultimately be sentenced by a judge at a Feb. 21 hearing.

Per Rolling Stone‘s Nancy Dillon, Walker told the judge he armed a juvenile with a 9mm pistol before executing the armed robbery, which resulted in Pop Smoke being shot at a California Airbnb he had rented. Walker also admitted to selling the Rolex watch stolen from Pop for $2,000. Walker’s grandmother and four-year-old daughter were present in court.

Along with three juveniles, Walker invaded Pop Smoke’s Airbnb during the wee hours of Feb. 19, 2020. Smoke was fatally shot multiple times following a tense exchange while he was with a woman in one of the mansion’s bedrooms.

Walker also pleaded guilty to the robbery of the unidentified woman with Smoke. The manslaughter and robbery charges carry a two-year sentence that will reportedly run concurrently with the 29-year sentencing.

Walker and the juvenile defendants found Pop Smoke’s Airbnb address after the rapper posted a gift that had been sent to him on his Instagram Story that featured the address.

Feb. 19 will mark five years since Pop Smoke was tragically murdered at 20 years old. The burgeoning rap star was one of the pioneers of the Brooklyn drill movement that began sweeping the music industry at the turn of the decade.

Central Cee’s ‘Can’t Rush Greatness’ Conquers U.K.’s Albums Chart

Central Cee has secured this week’s No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart with his debut LP Can’t Rush Greatness (Jan. 31). The west London rapper outsold the rest of the top five combined to reach the summit; this album gives him his second chart-topper following 2023’s mixtape 23.

There’s been a flurry of activity in Cench’s world over the past week. That includes nominations at The BRITs in three categories (song of the year, artist of the year, hip-hop/grime/rap artist), the announcement of his upcoming 39-date arena tour and a short-lived beef with Manchester rapper Aitch. Three of the rapper’s singles appear in this week’s Official Singles Charts, with his Dave collaboration “CRG” the highest at No. 6.

Earlier this week, he discussed if a feature from Drake was considered for Can’t Rush Greatness. “It seemed, like, predictable,” he said in an interview with Dutch radio. “I think everybody was thinking there’s gonna be a Drake record on there. So I like the fact that there wasn’t.”

Central Cee beat competition from Teddy Swims, whose second studio album I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2) finishes the week at No. 2. The first installment of the series, which includes hit single “Lose Control,” initially peaked at No. 12 on the Official Albums Chart back in December. Swims will perform at The BRIT Awards at The O2 in London on March 1.

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet falls two places to No. 4, while alt-pop hero FKA twigs lands her best-ever placing on the charts with Eusexua (No. 3), besting her previous high with 2014’s LP (No. 16).

Scottish post-rockers Mogwai return to the charts with their 11th studio album, The Bad Fire, and complete the week at No. 5. The group earned their first-ever chart topper in 2021 with As The Love Continues.

See the full Official Albums Charts here.

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