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After spending more than a decade behind bars, former Bad Boy recording artist, G-Dep has finally been released from prison, and the timing couldn’t be more ironic.
According to TMZ, G-Dep is officially a free man after doing a 13-year bid after he confessed to the unsolved murder of John Henkel that he says he committed in 1993. That man must’ve had a guilty conscious or really needed a good reason to get away from Diddy at the height of his Bad Boy career. Just sayin’.
G-Dep, born Trevell Coleman, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in May 2012.
Now that Dep has done his time and is prepared to join society, his former boss, Diddy is staring at the possibility of doing his own prison bid as authorities continue to investigate claims of sex trafficking that have been lobbied at the Bad Boy Records founder.
Per TMZ:
Per court docs, the “Special Delivery” rapper — who’s now 49 — will have to check in with his parole officer, refrain from possessing weapons and drugs without medical authorization, and will have to get permission to leave the State of New York … pretty standard stuff for a newly released ex-con.
G. Dep documented his release on IG Thursday where he was flocked by friends and family who were all overjoyed to see him.
He earned an associate’s degree during his lockup and it’s clear he studied hard. Just get a load of his massive book collection … the prison library may need to restock ASAP!!!
Good for Dep!
G-Dep was granted clemency by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December 2023, which was approved by the original prosecutor of the case and the judge who oversaw it.
Only questions are, when will G-Dep get back in the studio and how long before he’s bombarded with questions about Diddy’s ways and actions?
We shall see.
What do y’all think of G-Dep being a free man? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Madlib has been a part of several projects as both a rapper and producer that Hip-Hop aficionados praise heavily but few have reached the critical heights of Madvillainy. On the 20th anniversary of the collaborative project featuring Madlib and the late MF DOOM, the Beat Konducta gave a strong salute to the masked supervillain.
Taking to Instagram, Madlib shared a clip of a video for Madvillainy standout cut “All Caps” and captioned the post with, “20 years. RIP to the Villain.”
It was remarkable considering the Oxnard, Calif. native isn’t on social media much at all. As it stands, Madvillainy is considered a modern-era classic and influenced several rappers such as many members of the Pro Era collective (Joey BadA$$, Chuck Strangers, Kirk Knight, etc.) and Yasiin Bey among others.
Peanut Butter Wolf, the founder of Stones Throw Records which put out the album, also chimed in on Complex Music’s post about Madvillainy and shared that it is the only album on the label to achieve gold status.
From IG:
Here’s some more facts. This was an album where Madlib chose to record the beats in my basement that we called The Bomb Shelter (it was a literally a concrete bomb shelter). DOOM recorded his vocals in my bedroom down the hall where we also had @ecoleye do a photo shoot that became the album cover. The LA release party was at The Fonda (a modest sized venue) and we stacked the bill w/ me, J Rocc, Madlib, Dilla, and Common, besides (the headliner) DOOM because we were afraid it wouldn’t sell out. We did a few more shows that month with the same lineup in a few major markets to small but very excited crowds. That was it in terms of promotion, besides doing 3 LOW BUDGET music videos (2 in the same day) that I convinced DOOM into reluctantly doing. It’s the first (and only) album on my 28 year old label to go gold.
The dense poetics of Madvillainy have never been replicated as MF DOOM had a style so unique to his vocal tone that it wouldn’t sound right coming from another artist. Adding to the lore, the production from The Bad Kid was performed on what some might consider simple equipment.
The bulk of the beats were made on a Boss Dr. Sample Sp-303 sampler, a tape deck, and a portable turntable with records discovered in Brazil and other travels. The mixing and mastering were overseen by Dave Cooley, who previously worked on records with J Dilla, Adrian Younge, and remastering projects from the late Isaac Hayes and more.
Check out Madvillainy below along with Madlib’s tribute to DOOM.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty / Sexxy Red
Popular NBA 2K and GTA V streamer Adin Ross is out here lying on his nuts, allegedly.
Sexxy Red viciously shut down a claim on X, formerly Twitter, that she had sex with streamer Adin Ross. Speaking with DJ Akademiks on Kick, Ross spilled the beans about the alleged sexual encounter.
“I wanna announce something, but I dunno if I should say it. I did f*** Sexyy Red. It was good. It was really good. She was kinda being the dominant one,” Ross said.
For whatever reason, Ross shared too much information regarding a moment he had while watching the “Pound Town” rapper’s “leaked” sex tape, revealing, “I jerked off to it, and that’s what made me hit her up. I’m being for real.”
Ummmmm, okay.
Getting wind of his comments, Sexxy Red, at first hilariously, confirmed the encounter, writing in her X post, “You paid me to take yo virginity & I did just that… next.”
But she wasn’t done. She immediately followed up with adamant denial the two had sex with each other, writing in another post, “SIKE you couldn’t touch me wit ah stick.”
What’s even more funny is now people don’t believe her and have been in her comments telling her it’s too late to take back her initial response.
Whatever the case, we will take Sexxy Red’s word on this, just on the account that men love to lie about this topic.
Adin Ross’ History Headass Behavior
Ross has been in the news a lot lately. After making some comments about the couple, he’s had to apologize to Kanye West and his wife, Bianca Censori.
Per HipHopDX:
“I have to apologize. This message is straight to Ye’s wife Bianca because I just got an email about it,” he said.
“When I said that I had money for Ye to come on stream from Kick and Stake, I wasn’t saying, ‘Nobody is throwing money these days,’ as far as like, nobody is paying him. Obviously, he’s Ye, one of the biggest artists of all time.
“But I mean streaming platforms. Nobody is throwing money to anyone these days. Except for Kick. That’s all I meant.”
He continued: “I would love to have Ye come on stream. The offer still stands. Kick said it. I spoke to them a week ago about it. And, I’m sorry. I’m sorry publicly, all right, Bianca? Mrs. West and Mr. West, I’m sorry. We would love to have you on Kick.”
Adin Ross is also associated with alleged sex trafficker and f**kboi Andrew Tate and, per NBC News reporting, helped get Tate arrested after blabbing out his location.
Welp.
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Megan Thee Stallion
Start working out, strengthen your knees, and order your outfits. Megan Thee Stallion is coming to a city near you.
That’s right hotties, this summer will be a hot one, and we’re not just talking about the heat. Megan Thee Stallion is hitting the road for a national/international tour.
The summer tour announcement comes after the Houston rapper hinted that she was prepping for it. In a post on Instagram featuring a photo of Thee Stallion in a platinum thong bikini, the tour, which begins “mid May 2024,” will hit Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, and other US cities before heading across the pond to Glasgow, Manchester, Paris and more.
“HOTTIESSS GET READY TO COME HAVE SOME FUN WITH ME AT THEE HOT GIRL SUMMER TOUR.Get your outfits ready nowww! We getting started this MAY. I told you what cities today to get yall prepared! Check back in on thee 20th for official dates im so exciteddddd,” the caption for the IG post reads.
Megan Thee Stallion Is Booked & Busy
Megan Thee Stallion has been very busy. After reaching an agreement to part ways with 1501 Certified Entertainment, she secured a historic distribution deal with Warner Music Group and retained her masters.
She has also released two records: “Cobra,” in which she allegedly blasted her ex, Pardison Fontaine, for cheating, and “Hiss,” which caused Nicki Minaj and her extremely loyal fanbase to react epically.
Minaj responded with numerous rants on social media and her “Big Foot” diss record, which many considered a dud.
We’re just reporting here.
Megan Thee Stallion has also been a part of two major motion picture releases with Dicks and Mean Girls The All-New Movie.
Earlier this month, her blerd dreams came true when she went to Japan to host the Crunchyroll Anime Awards.
It will truly be the Hot Girl Summer the hotties have deserved for years, and we’re here for it.
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YesJulz is currently embroiled in a public back-and-forth with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after being fired by the Chicago producer for reportedly violating an NDA agreement. YesJulz took to social media to share her side of the story along with sharing messages between her and YZY Chief of Staff Milo Yiannopoulos.
YesJulz, real name Julieanna Goddard, took to Twitter to share the story from her side after Ye announced her firing via Instagram with a post reading, “We have decided to no longer have YesJulz involved in the roll out of Vultures. All the activity on her page and with our fans in the past few days has been unauthorized.”
Adding to this, an email from Yiannopoulos announcing the firing and the issuance of a $7.7 million fine leaked to X, formerly Twitter, which sparked a flurry of comments from the popular influencer.
All of this seemingly stemmed from a Twitter Spaces chat Ms. Goddard held with fans of Ye and threw out some ideas that would operate under the YZY banner and further the brand’s reach. It appeared to be received well but things have changed in the days since the chat.
In a tweet responding to a tweet calling her firing unjust but also understandable considering the man behind the intellectual property, YesJulz made the first of many defenses of her actions.
From X:
Ye is up against the system
Having the discussion with fans
in an open forum setting was unconventional,
but it allowed for inclusivity
& open visibility
for an entire fan base to opt in,
give feedback, be heard, connect with one another to combine efforts
Which is what i feel is needed
For Ye to stay on top for these next two runs.
I was also given specific direction
to “rally” the fans, let them each lead their own chapters, activate within their locations- etc.
This was MY way of doing so.
I am not a conventional woman
& this is why i worked at the company i worked at in the first place.
I never wanted work done for free
I wanted to help the fans present
their work to Ye
So that he could hire them
Instead of stale ass losers who dont know the slightest thing about culture
like Ben Priest & Milo Pedofilist
To build his company for him
Anyone who has ever been in contact with me for as little as 5 minutes knows
The last thing id ever need to steal,
Is an idea.
I’d actually pay to have less as the amount of ideas i have overwhelm me daily.
Refer to my February tweets about hiring fans
Listen to the space.
Its very clear who i am
and what i stand for.
Goddard then went on a leaking spree, sharing internal messages from Yiannopoulos, who had some unsavory things to say. Check out the string of messages in the tweet below.
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Photo: Getty
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OJ da Juiceman, a past member of the XXL Freshmen class, was arrested earlier month in his home state of Georgia and subsequently arrested. Police found drugs and a handgun after pulling over OJ da Juiceman for speeding.
TMZ reports that OJ da Juiceman, 42, was pulled over for speeding in Coweta County, Ga. After giving a brief chase in his 2024 Ford Expedition, OJ, real name Otis Williams Jr., pulled off to the side where the discovery of cocaine and a 9mm handgun was made.
Along with the cocaine and other drugs charges, OJ also faces charges of fleeing cops, firearm possession, and failure to maintain his lane.
OJ was part of the 2010 XXL Freshmen class along with Nipsey Hu$$le, Wiz Khalifa, Pill, J. Cole, Freddie Gibbs, Jay Rock, Fashawn, Donnis, and Big Sean. He was once linked with Gucci Mane and his 1017 Brick Squad imprint before creating his independent label situation.
A court date has yet to be announced.
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Source: Anadolu / Getty
The migrant crisis overtaking the streets of New York (thanks mostly to the Republican governors of Florida and Texas who are bussing their migrants to the Big Apple to make a political point) has a lot of New Yorkers on edge and things are continuing to get more hectic with each passing day.
Weeks after a gang of migrants jumped some police officers in Midtown Manhattan, a cop used a stun gun to subdue a migrant after being called to a migrant shelter in Queens, and the incident was captured on video. According to NYMag, Venezuelan migrant Yanny Cordero was tased and subdued by police this past Friday (March 7) after police were called to the scene in response to an altercation between Cordero and the staff at the migrant shelter.
After police confronted Cordero at the shelter, things escalated and one officer pulled out his stun gun and hit him while he was holding his 1-year-old son.
NYMag reports:
Additional officers intervene and pull him from the elevators, forcing him down on a nearby desk after removing Cordero’s 1-year-old son from his arms. His wife, Andrea Parra, can be heard screaming and attempts several times to put herself between her husband and the officers, only to be pulled away.
Andry Barreto, a Venezuelan migrant who recorded the video, can be heard yelling in Spanish, “This is abuse, brother!” and “Don’t hit him! Don’t hit him!” as officers hold Cordero down and strike him multiple times, after which he tumbles to the ground.
Cordero, who has been staying at the shelter since December, tells the Timesthat the incident began when he returned to the building Friday evening after buying food for his family. He claims employees at the shelter stopped him from taking food up to his room and that, as he struggled to use a translator on his phone, one of the employees suddenly hit him in the face. They later called the authorities.
Both Cordero and his wife were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Their 1-year-old son was taken in by the Administration for Children’s Services but returned to the couple when they were released the following Monday (March 11).
Naturally struggle Mayor Eric “Party Time” Adams defended the officer’s actions saying “This person was under the influence of alcohol, holding a child. Those officers had to get that child from him so that child was not going to be in danger.” Cordero for his part denies being drunk.
Don’t be surprised if more of these kinds of incidents continue to happen because after those migrants beat down those cops in Times Square a few weeks ago, y’all know the NYPD isn’t going to take anything lying down going forward.
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A new documentary series taking viewers inside the notable Magic City gentlemen’s club produced by Drake and Jermaine Dupri debuted at SXSW to rave reviews.
If you mention Magic City to anyone in and out of Atlanta, Georgia, you’re bound to get an approving response. The well-known strip club is the focus of a new documentary series, Magic City: An American Fantasy, which has Hip-Hop icon Jermaine Dupri and superstar Drake as producers. However, it is not currently attached to any distributor or platform. The series made its debut at the South By Southwest Festival Monday (March 11), with director Charles Todd and producer Cole Brown on hand to field questions from the audience along with fellow producer Jami Gertz after the first episode was screened at the Zach Theatre in Austin, Texas.
On the red carpet, Todd spoke of the influence that the strip club has. “Magic City is a purveyor of culture, and its an A&R – all the biggest hits that you hear on the radio, if it doesn’t break at Magic City, it doesn’t break, period.” Brown also spoke about the fine line everyone walked in bringing the series to the screen. “We wanted to walk a fine line with nudity, in particular — where you can’t make a documentary about a strip club and not have any nudity, it just isn’t true to form — and you’re trying to tell the true story,” he said. “At the same time, we didn’t want it to be salacious, gratuitous. We wanted to use it in such a way that you’re getting an image of what this place is. But if you go to Magic City, you see all the anatomy.”
That was underscored by Gigi McGuire, a former dancer at Magic City who appeared at the premiere and appears nude in the series. “I understood the vision of the artistic value of what they were trying to achieve, and I had no problem with agreeing to show these titties,” she told the audience, adding: “Strip is art, and the art is being celebrated, clearly.” In addition to Drake, the series also features appearances by Big Boi, Shaquille O’Neal, T.I., Killer Mike and Nelly.
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Gillie Da Kid went on social media to break his silence on the death of his son, who was shot and killed in Philadelphia last week.
On Saturday (July 29th), Gillie shared a photograph of YNG Cheese on his Instagram account. The rapper-turned-podcaster added a deeply stirring tribute to his son in the caption. “I Miss u like $hit Dev My heart will forever have a Black hole in it but u know ur father gotta be strong to hold the family up,” he wrote.
“Thanks 4 all the support from family, friends, and all of my followers y’all really helping me get thru these ruff times Me, and my family appreciate and love y’all.” He concluded: “Rest Well dev and watch over us u know I got chase, love u Cheese”, adding five crying emojis at the end.
YNG Cheese, aka Devin Spady, was killed in a triple shooting on July 20th in the Olney neighborhood in Philadelphia. According to reports, the aspiring 25-year-old rapper had been shot once in the back and was taken to the hospital, where he died shortly afterward. Two other men who were shot at the scene were in stable condition. YNG Cheese leaves behind a son, Chase.
Wallo, Gillie’s co-host of the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, composed his own tribute to YNG Cheese on Instagram on July 24th. “Lil Cuz usually when I talk to you, I got a lot to tell you,” he wrote next to a photo of the rapper, accompanied by a slew of broken heart emojis. “Tonight the pain in my heart & tears spoke to you. I love you beyond life Cheese. I got your father, Rest Well!”
In another Instagram post before the Gillie Fest event this past Saturday, Wallo acknowledged all of the support that Gillie Da Kid has gotten. “
All your supportive words / love was heard & felt,” he began. “We greatly appreciate you all. Major love to all the friends / family who came through yesterday & put love / laughter on Gillie’s heart & mind. Please know that our mission to lift & educate the youngins will continue and become stronger. No matter what, we’ll never stop believing that tomorrow will be better than yesterday.”
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The Rock The Bells Festival has announced a newly revamped food market and the addition of a “Hip-Hop Bar” to the event in August.
Organizers for the acclaimed Hip-Hop festival have announced a new path for their food court, a first-of-its-kind culinary experience that was a smashing success last year. This year, they’re introducing the Food That Slaps Market. In addition, this year’s festival will also see the debut of the Drinks That Slap Bar, billed as the first-ever Hip-Hop bar experience.
For the Food That Slaps Market, the Rock The Bells team partnered with the renowned James Beard Foundation to conduct a search for the best culinary innovators who are tapped into Hip-Hop culture. The winners of that search include Fly Private Social, Soul and Wheel, Made From Scratch, Backyard Barbeque, and Black Rican Vegan. These vendors also were awarded a 1-year membership to the foundation’s patron program. They will be joined by Juices For Life by Styles P, Simply Fried, Mikey Likes It, Bulldog Burgers, E-40’s Goon with the Spoon, and Nas’ Sweet Chick.
With the Drinks That Slap Bar, concert-goers can now sample the best alcoholic offerings from some of Hip-Hop’s beloved artists which include Juvenile’s Juvie Juice and E-40’s Earl Stevens wine brand among other cocktails taking their themes from the culture. The Earl Stevens wine brand was launched by the Bay Area legend in 2013 with “Function”, named after his hit at the time before expanding to include other releases made in Napa Valley, California. Juvie Juice was born out of a collaboration between the 400 Degreez rapper and Urban South Brewery based in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.
The new markets will definitely be a welcome complement to the star-studded festival, which will take place on Saturday, August 5th at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York. Tickets for the Rock The Bells Festival are still available on their website.
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