genre hiphop

13 Jun 2025

Shannon Sharpe Apologies to Nicki Minaj After She Disses Him: ‘Hopefully We Can Move Forward’

Nicki Minaj has received a formal apology from Shannon Sharpe after the rapper dissed him on Lil Wayne‘s “Banned From NO (Remix).”

In the latest episode of Sharpe’s Nightcap podcast, the NFL legend said he was sorry to Minaj, and explained how their misunderstanding led to him being name dropped on Weezy’s new track.

“Bout to cop you slides, all you do is flip-flop / If I send a pic of Shannon, you ain’t that Sharpe,” Minaj rapped. The line appeared to be a jab about Sharpe commenting “Nicki who?” after a fan asked him on social media to get her on his Club Shay Shay program.

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“I used to go back and forth with people. I was talking about Nikki Haley,” Sharpe clarified on Nightcap. “Nikki Haley said it’s really great for everybody of Black America, and I was like … ‘When has it ever been great?’”

He went on to say: “Nicki, I was not trying to be disrespectful. Of course I know who you are. I would be remiss to say that I thought you knew who I was, or that you knew anything about Club Shay Shay. I’m not that arrogant. Nicki, I apologize. I meant no disrespect. You’ll always have an open invitation if you ever want to come sit down and have a conversation. Even if you just want to have a private conversation on the phone or something. It won’t go any further between you and I.”

Of the perceived slight, Sharpe concluded, “That was not my intent, but intent only matters to me because clearly you’re still offended. So I apologize sincerely and hopefully we can move forward.”

On “Banned From NO (Remix),” Minaj also spit some bars many believed were aimed at Jay-Z. “NFL, fire some n—s and then call us,” she spit. Minaj was one of the most vocal critics of the NFL’s decision to overlook Wayne in favor of Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl Halftime Show earlier this year.

Check out the full episode of Nightcap below.

13 Jun 2025

Kanye West Pulls Up to Diddy’s Sex-Trafficking Trial in New York City

Ye — the rapper formerly known as Kanye West — has shown up to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial in New York City, pulling up to the courthouse in an all-white outfit Friday (June 13).

In footage shared by TMZ, the Yeezy founder steps out of the backseat of a car and walks inside, shaking a couple hands and throwing up a small wave on his way. In addition to a matching white denim jacket-and-jeans set, he sports a pair of sunglasses.

According to Variety, Ye told one journalist that he had come to show support for the disgraced Bad Boy Records founder. The publication also reports that West’s name had been included in a questionnaire for potential jurors to test whether they were familiar with any of the “hundreds of celebrities and people in Combs’ orbit.”

Combs has been on trial since May on allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering, with federal prosecutors accusing him of running an elaborate criminal enterprise aimed at facilitating his so-called freak-offs — drug-fueled events wherein he allegedly forced people, including his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, to have sex with male escorts while he allegedly watched and masturbated. His legal team has denied all of the charges, with Combs’ attorney Teny Geragos telling the jury in opening statements a few weeks ago: “Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. We take full responsibility that there was domestic violence. Domestic violence is not sex trafficking.”

If convicted, Combs faces life in prison.

A few days prior to Ye’s appearance at the trial, Combs’ legal team’s motion for a mistrial was denied. The defense had tried to claim that the prosecution had knowingly introduced false testimony by Bryana Bongolan – a witness who last week alleged that Combs had dangled her from a 17-story balcony in 2016 — but Judge Arun Subramanian ultimately ruled: “This is not fodder for a mistrial. This is the adversarial process at work.”

Ye has previously shown support for Combs amid the latter’s legal issues, with the former asking President Donald Trump to “please free my brother Puff” on X in February. Combs had already spent months in custody at that point following his September arrest.

In March, Ye dropped a song titled “Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine” that appeared to feature Combs’ voice on a phone-call recording. “I just want to thank you so much for just taking care of my kids, man,” the voice seemingly belonging to Diddy said in the snippet. “Ain’t nobody reach out to them, ain’t nobody call them.”

Ye replies on the track: “Absolutely, I love you so much, man. You raised me. Even when I ain’t know you, know what I’m saying?”

The two hip-hop titans also worked together in the past, both appearing on Ty Dolla $ign’s “Guard Down” in 2015. In 2022, Ye presented Combs with the Lifetime Achievement honors at that year’s BET Awards.

13 Jun 2025

Kendrick Lamar Performs ‘Not Like Us’ In Toronto, Crowd Asks for Encore

This beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar may last forever like the beef between 50 Cent and Ja Rule has.

On Thursday night (Jun. 12), the Grand National Tour had its first of two back-to-back shows in Drake’s hometown of Toronto and it didn’t disappoint in the drama department. The Compton rapper performed his knockout punch “Not Like Us” as the crowd rapped along and even asked for an encore with footage surfacing of the audience screaming, “One more time, one more time!”

There was also talk of beefed up security with rumors flying around about a 25-police escort according to Akademiks and footage of a line of cops outside of the venue being shared on social media. There’s also video of fans breaking out into song while dining at New Ho King — the Chinese restaurant that found itself in the middle of the rap battle last year and has embraced the publicity, offering fans a first round of drinks on the house. For those who remember, New Ho King made an appearance in the “Family Matters” video where an employee was seen wearing all of Pharrell’s chains that Drake bought in an auction.

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The Toronto rapper was in the news yesterday when Kai Cenat announced that he and Drake would be doing a livestream and picking the winners of their “Somebody Loves Me” music video treatment on the same night as Lamar’s Toronto show. However, they decided to reschedule due to needing more time to go through the submissions with Kai posting on his Instagram Story that the stream will happen in a few more days.

Kendrick and SZA will perform in Toronto’s Rogers Centre once again on Friday (June 13).

13 Jun 2025

j-hope Heads to Memphis to Recruit GloRilla for ‘Killin’ It Girl’ Single: Listen

Love at first sight can be a dangerous thing. j-hope is back to heat up the summer with his lust-filled “Killin’ It Girl” single, which finds the BTS member joining forces with Memphis’ own GloRilla on Friday (June 13).

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j-hope delivers a fiery verse while crafting a seductive chorus and then Big Glo invades the minimalistic production with her gritty Memphis flow, making for a delectable clash.

“Killin It Girl” follows a busy year for j-hope, which saw him unleash singles like “Sweet Dreams” with Miguel and “Mona Lisa.”

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“Sweet Dreams” featuring Miguel — an artist I’ve long respected — has a smooth, soulful vibe that feels deeply personal. On the other hand, “Mona Lisa” brings a hip-hop-driven performance energy,” j-hope told Billboard in May.

He continued: “Both tracks are easy to connect with, yet they offer a glimpse into the broader, more evolved musical world I’m building. This is just the start — I have plenty more musical experiments in store.”

The BTS frontman rumbled through North America as part of his HOPE ON THE STAGE tour, which included a pair of sold-out shows at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in March. He’ll wrap up the global trek on Friday (June 13) with a performance at Goyang Stadium in South Korea.

“I was hands-on with everything — stage design, choreography, fashion and even the props — pouring my heart into every aspect,” j-hope said of the world tour. “I hope the audience left with a sense of genuine positivity and inspiration. Moving forward, I want to keep creating authentic performances that unite everyone through the power of music.”

As for GloRilla, she’s coming off performing at the BET Awards and her fiery “Typa” single, which arrived on June 6.

Listen to “Killin’ It Girl” below.

12 Jun 2025

Snoop Dogg Mourns Death of French Bulldog Juelz: ‘Miss My Dogg’

RIP Juelz. Snoop Dogg announced the sad news that his beloved French bulldog had died on Thursday (June 12).

“Miss my dogg @juelzbroadus,” the rapper wrote on Instagram alongside a slideshow of both sweet and funny memories with the pup. Set to the heartbreaking strains of Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s 2015 tearjerker “See You Again,” the post included numerous snaps of the Frenchie as a tiny puppy as well as pictures snuggled up to his famous owner, posing with a stack of $100 bills and even giving a serious case of side-eye next to Darth Vader.

Snoop’s inclusion of Khalifa’s hit song in the post is particularly tender considering that, according to reporting from TMZ, Juelz was a surprise birthday gift from Snoop’s close pal and “Young, Wild & Free” collaborator back in 2014.

Juelz also had his very own Instagram account, which had amassed more than 51,000 followers during his lifetime and featured plenty of heartwarming peeks at his lavish lifestyle as Snoop’s ever-trusty “guard dogg.”

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Even beyond his famous moniker, the Doggystyle hitmaker’s long history as a canine lover is well-documented, whether he was co-hosting the Puppy Bowl with BFF Martha Stewart in 2021 or dropping his Snoop Doggie Dogg line of pet accessories, clothes and toys for dogs like it was hot back in 2022. That same year, he made headlines Down Under by cleverly deploying a number of doggy-sized billboards to promote his Cali Rosé alcohol brand at dog-friendly parks around Sydney and Melbourne.

Grab the tissues and check out Snoop’s devastating tribute to Juelz below.

12 Jun 2025

Ananda Lewis Remembered by MTV Colleague Bill Bellamy as ‘The Black Barbara Walters’

Former MTV VJ Bill Bellamy is paying tribute to his former colleague Ananda Lewis, who died this week after a yearslong battle with breast cancer at age 52.

The comedian and actor talked to TMZ after the death of his beloved friend and influential television host, whom he referred to as his “little sister” and had nothing but heartwarming things to say about.

“Ananda had a really warm soul,” he told the outlet. “There was something about her that was very comforting and you could just sit there and kick it with her. And she wasn’t stiff or stuffy or anything — her beauty didn’t even matter, it was actually an introduction to who she was. I just feel very, very heartbroken to get that kinda news about her because she was such a good person and just gave us the best of her.”

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He then brought up the important work early in her career when she hosted BET’s Teen Summit for three seasons before she took a gig at MTV. Teen Summit talked about issues plaguing the youth during the ’90s, and Lewis played an important role in the show’s success during her time as host.

“Teen Summit was a big deal,” Bellamy said. “Her show was really, really, really pivotal at that time because it was a voice of the youth [where they] talked about social issues and cultural issues, and she was that beautiful sista, intelligent, talented, her smile would light up a room.”

He continued by saying that the two quickly became friends when she headed over to MTV because of their similar cultural background. “When she came over to MTV, it was kinda dope because it’s like now we got two African-American people on this channel representin’ and we both always felt that we had to represent the culture and that’s when I knew she was my girl, because we knew at an early age that the opportunity we had on television was monumental and that we were representing our culture in a positive way.”

He added that her versatility in who she was able to interview was unique, and he compared her to legendary journalist Barbara Walters. “She would do obviously the music as well, but then she would jump off and do her really dope interviews,” Bellamy said. “She was like to me the Black Barbara Walters, because Ananda could sit down and have a dope ass intelligent conversation with you where she could rock out, from Obama to Lil’ Kim to whatever. She was nice like that. And so, for me, I always rooted for her because I just thought that this is what we need to see.”

Lewis interviewed then-first lady Hillary Clinton on Teen Summit in 1996, during which they talked about topics like healthcare and abortion — which was a big deal, because folks of that stature rarely engaged with shows that focused on minorities and inner-city youth in that era. The former host remembered that important episode on her YouTube page in 2016. You can watch it below.

12 Jun 2025

Nelly & Ashanti Get Real About Their Relationship (‘It’s Not Perfect’) in ‘We Belong Together’ Reality Show: Watch the Trailer

Nelly and Ashanti rekindled their romance in 2023, about 10 years after originally breaking their relationship off. It’s been a busy two years since, with the couple tying the knot and welcoming their son, Kareem “KK” Haynes, in July 2024.

The “Body On Me” collaborators are set to pull back the curtain and give fans an authentic look into the highs and lows of their relationship with their upcoming Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together reality series, which comes to Peacock on June 26.

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It’s an eight-episode series that will go behind the scenes of Nelly and Ashanti’s lives as they “rekindle their love, navigate the ups and downs of being newlyweds and new parents, and juggle their careers,” per a synopsis of the show.

The first trailer for the series arrived on Thursday (June 12), featuring Nelly and Ashanti going back and forth about a myriad of topics surrounding their relationship and lifestyles. “With our lives moving so fast, we’re not perfect,” the St. Louis hitmaker admitted. “But we can work our way through it.”

Ashanti and Nelly began dating in 2003 and split for what they thought was the final time around 2013. Life is all about second chances, and they rekindled the flame in 2023. Kareem Haynes is the “Foolish” singer’s first child and Nelly’s fifth.

The music powerhouse couple is onboard as executive producers of We Belong Together alongside Jenny Daly, J Erving and Lauren Lazin with Critical Productions LLC.

“I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes being separate you understand one another more,” Nelly told Love and Hip Hop‘s Rasheeda and Kirk Frost last year. “You be like, ‘Yo, let me see exactly what they see.’ You know, because we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. We know we wrong but we going to stand on it. But we all a victim to that.”

Watch the trailer below. Look for We Belong Together on Peacock on June 26.

12 Jun 2025

Tyler, the Creator Says ‘Cherry Bomb’ Backlash Was One of ‘The Greatest Things’ to Happen to Him

Tyler, The Creator opened up about the backlash to his 2015 album Cherry Bomb, saying it was the greatest thing to ever happen to him.

In a sit down with Instagram for their new video series “Ask It Anyway,” Tyler opened up about the heavily criticized project. He said it was mostly a consequence of trying too hard.

“My goal was to prove to myself that I am the most diverse producer at the time,” Tyler said. “People were just s—tting on it… it made me say, oh s—t – these songs aren’t good. Because of [the backlash], I was like, I need to reteach myself how to write songs. What is a chorus, hook, structure? That happening to me was one of the greatest things that could happen, because it made me dive into my skill and craft more.”

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Tyler’s Cherry Bomb follow-up, Flower Boy, was quickly regarded as one of Tyler’s best albums. He said Flower Boy “was the first album I put on the cover to let people know: all songs written, produced and arranged by me.”

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“You have to tell people who you are,” Tyler continued. “And I remember, the conversation started changing a bit… Now people are subconsciously listening to the production in a different way now, because I let them know that.”

Tyler is currently on his Chromakopia World Tour, and specifically said before the tour started he wouldn’t be performing songs from Cherry Bomb. “Chant all you want,” he wrote on X in response to a fan who said they’d start a “Cherry Bomb” chant during the show. “(I hope you dont, its mad annoying during the show) I’m not gonna play it, chanting doesn’t make me magically wanna play it.”

Watch the episode of “Ask It Anyway” below.

12 Jun 2025

Jay-Z’s $1 Million NBA Finals Bet Goes Up In Flames After Indiana Pacers Game 3 Victory

Jay-Z’s pockets might be feeling a bit lighter after Wednesday night (June 11). Hov’s $1 million bet on the Oklahoma City Thunder to defeat the Indiana Pacers in exactly five games officially became a loss after the Pacers’ game three victory to take a 2-1 lead in the 2025 NBA Finals.

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The Brooklyn icon essentially bet that the Thunder would win the series 4-1, but with Indiana’s 116-107 victory on Wednesday night, that is no longer a possibility. It was an unlikely hero in game three, with Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin leading the way with 27 points off the bench in the win.

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OKC came into the series as heavy favorites and were 5.5-point favorites heading into game three. Even with the defeat, the Thunder remain the favorite to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy when the NBA Finals are set and done.

NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder’s backs are against the wall with game four slated for Friday night (June 13) in Indiana.

If the Thunder did win the Finals in five games, Jay would’ve profited $2.3 million with his bet, but that won’t be the case for the rap mogul. The wager was made with Fanatics Sportsbook, which Jay-Z co-founded with Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin in 2023.

Outside of sports betting, Jay is looking to become a force in the gambling sector. He’s part of Roc Nation’s bid to bring a casino to New York City. As part of the SL Green and Caesar Entertainment bid for a full-scale casino in Times Square, they’re also promising to invest $15 million into the NYC community.

“We are New Yorkers,” Jay-Z said in a statement in 2024. “Supporting and providing opportunities for our neighborhoods and community isn’t just a part of Roc Nation’s ethos; it’s our collective responsibility.”

Tune in to ABC for game four of the NBA Finals at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday night.

12 Jun 2025

Hayley Williams Celebrates Doechii’s ‘Bold, Unmistakable Talent’ in Heartfelt Tribute

Real recognizes real. According to Hayley Williams of Paramore, rising rap star Doechii is as real as it gets.

In a touching tribute penned for Them, the “Ain’t It Fun” singer offered plenty of praise for the “Denial Is a River” rapper, sharing that she’s been closely watching her career since her performance at the 2022 BET Awards. “Watching her on that stage, I had the same feeling I did the first time I saw Missy Elliott on MTV as a kid,” Williams said. “It was raw, bold, unmistakable talent — the kind that doesn’t wait for permission. She came out swinging, and I remember thinking, Oh, she’s taking it. This is hers.“

Prior to Williams’ discovery of Doechii, the rapper had already paid tribute to Paramore through a sample of the band’s hit ballad “The Only Exception” on her 2020 single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.” Williams pointed out in her tribute that she “hadn’t even caught” the interpolation when she first saw Doechii’s performance.

The singer went on to praise Doechii’s self-assured artistry, and even added that she still aspires to that level of confidence more than 20 years into her career as a performer. “People sometimes assume because of how I am onstage, that I carry that same confidence. But the truth is, that kind of boldness is something I still have to work to access,” she said. “With Doechii, though, that energy feels inherent. When I listen to her, I feel it — like it transfers through the speakers. And I think a lot of her listeners feel the same way.”

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Williams added that the rapper’s openness about her sexuality is just another example of how Doechii is doing music stardom on her own terms. “It’s powerful to watch an artist like her speak openly about identity in the public eye,” she said. “We need that. We need women who are unapologetic about who they are, who they love, what they believe.”

Closing her tribute, Williams thanked Doechii for giving performers everywhere — including herself — something to aspire to. “Watching someone emerge with that kind of confidence, that kind of clarity, is a gift,” she said. “She reminds me — and probably a lot of people — that moving through the world with certainty doesn’t mean you stop learning or growing. It just means you know your worth as you go. And that, to me, is something to look up to.”

Doechii is coming off yet another big win, this time at the 2025 BET Awards, where she took home the trophy for best female hip hop artist. During her speech at the ceremony, Doechii called out President Donald Trump activating the National Guard in response to the ongoing Los Angeles protests around ICE raids in the city.

“I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?” she asked the crowd. “People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it’s my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people.”