State Champ Radio Hip Hop News
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The cost of a sample from one of British singer Sting’s most popular hits is costing Diddy $5,000 a day, the mogul recently revealed online in response to a viral video.
A clip from the singer-songwriter’s appearance on The Breakfast Club in 2018 resurfaced and went viral, in which Charlemagne Tha God asked Sting if Diddy shells out $2,000 a day to him for sampling “Every Breath You Take” from The Police without permission. “Yeah,” Sting replied. “For the rest of his life.” The Bad Boy Records founder saw the clip on Wednesday (April 5th) and corrected the record by quote-tweeting it and saying: “Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother @OfficialSting!”
Diddy’s declaration surprised many online, but much of the background behind it is well-established. The sample was heavily used in “I’ll Be Missing You,” a tribute song for his friend and Bad Boy Records artist The Notorious B.I.G. who was shot and killed in Los Angeles in 1997. The song, which featured Biggie’s widow Faith Evans and 112, would go on to win a Grammy Award and be number one on Billboard’s Hot 100. Sting would even join Diddy, Fatih and 112
Diddy would be sued by Sting for not seeking clearance in 2002, and the singer would go on to win 100% of the royalties. In the interview with The Breakfast Club, Sting would say that Diddy eventually asked for permission “after the fact” and stated: “We’re very good friends now.” By some estimates, the daily amount would total a payment of $1,825,000 a year and $47,325,000 to date since the publication date of May 7th, 1997. Sting has since sold his songwriting catalog to the Universal Music Group in a deal estimated at $300 million which took place last February, which does include “Every Breath You Take,” meaning that the group would potentially receive most of the royalty payment going forward.
Sting had previously spoken about the situation in a Rolling Stone interview in 2003. “Those guys just take your s–t, put it on a record, and deal with the legality later,” he said. “Elton John told me, “You gotta hear [“I’ll Be Missing You”], you’re gonna be a millionaire!” I said, “I am a millionaire!” He said, “You’re gonna be a millionaire twice over!”
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A list of the top media figures in the Hip-Hop world was released, with Joe Budden being named number one—leading some on social media to applaud and others to question how that was possible.The power ranking of the top media personalities in Hip-Hop was released by Complex Media on Monday (April 3), with twenty-five notable figures on podcasting and radio being recognized. The host of The Joe Budden Podcast nabbed the top spot, edging out his former Everyday Struggle co-host DJ Akademiks. Budden’s pick as number one by his former platform surprised some but also delighted many other fans, given how he and Complex parted ways under stormy conditions after he spoke out about being undervalued by the media group. And there were also those who openly wondered how such a list could be created without bias and with some questionable placements (i.e. Sway Calloway coming in at 23rd on the 25-person list).
Before unveiling the list, the staff detailed their criteria for putting the list together which had them focus on individuals rather than shows or platforms. In an apparent nod to those who might complain about the placement of certain figures above others especially if veteran personalities were lower on the list, the staff stated: “We engineered the list to be a ranking of the right now—which means that current relevance and influence supersedes legacy and longevity.” They also addressed potential questions about including those who have been hit with allegations of abuse and misconduct by stating, “We ranked the personalities strictly based on their content, not their character.”
Responses to the Hip-Hop Media Power Ranking were predictably all over the place, as some praised Joe Budden for attaining the top position. Others trashed the list for various reasons. We highlighted some more notable reactions in the gallery.
1. ImeWrites
Nigerian journalist ImeWrites weighed in with perspective. “I am disappointed at the ranking for Sway. However, Sway is an actual journalist, while this list is for media personalities,” they wrote.
2. DeronIsDope
This Twitter user offered a sarcastic jab at Budden’s placement at the top, while voicing that it was “egregious” that Sway came in at 23rd on the list.
3. Lauren
A viral video clip summed up this Twitter user’s response to Budden getting the top spot.
4. CRU137
“What does Joe Budden do other than hate on people for clout?”, they asked.
5. Nicholas Price Sr
“This list don’t make no sense. @RealSway is not number one with the impact that he has on hip-hop media?”, they asked.
6. Lloyd Banks
The G-Unit artist sent out his salute to Joe upon hearing the news.
7. Preston Taylor
“I must be missing something. The word power is definitely being thrown around nowadays for no rhyme or reason,” Preston Taylor wrote.
8. TheFuture8606
This user offered up praise for Budden’s ranking and his reformatting of his current podcast for success.
9. Joshua
Joshua called out the list for placing Narduwar towards the bottom. “Nardwuar should not be so low this is actual blasphemous writing y’all should be ashamed,” they wrote.
10. Joezzy_ACH
This Twitter user who goes by the handle “Wins and Losses” gave “The Pod Father” his due.
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Lupe Fiasco is continuing his journey in higher academia. He announced that he will be taking part in a fellowship at Yale University.
The Drill Music In Zion rapper broke the news to fans last Thursday (March 30) through his Twitter account. “Proud to announce I’ve been chosen to be a Saybrook Fellow at my OTHER favorite school in the whole wide world outside of MIT…@Yale,” Lupe Fiasco wrote. “Shout [out] to Tom Near for nominating me to a place where against all odds two Chicagoans found a home in the Ivy League.”
Tom Near is Saybrook’s Head of College in addition to being a Professor and the Chair of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale, and Bingham Oceanographic Curator of Ichthyology at the Peabody Museum of Natural History.
The Saybrook College Research Fellowship at Yale was created to enable students and fellows to discuss and examine topics in informal spaces. “The Fellowship is intended also to provide students and Fellows with opportunities for discussion in an atmosphere less formal than the classroom,” their website states. “They represent a considerable potential for informal discussions of your interests, academic or otherwise, but you must seek them out and make your interests known. You will find that they are eager to meet you.”
This will be the second Ivy League teaching stint for the Chicago native, who recently completed teaching a course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) entitled “Rap Theory & Practice: An Introduction.” “[T]he MIT relationship was formally initiated through someone who had a connection to one of the professors at MIT, Dr. Nick Montfort. I mentioned my interest in studying computational poets and trying to look for somebody who worked in that space,” Lupe said in an interview last year.
He continued: “The connection was made, and all of a sudden, I was at MIT. At first, it was, ‘Come for a day.’ Then ‘Come see the school, get a tour.’ Then to, ‘Come speak at a class.’ Then it’s, ‘Oh, yo, come be part of a research group.’ Then it’s, ‘Oh, come be an artist-in-residence.’ Then it’s, ‘Oh, come be MLK Visiting Scholar for a year.’ It was just incrementally building over time, so it’s a result of a five-year engagement.”
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The young son of Flo Rida is in an intensive care unit in serious condition after suffering a fall from an apartment building in New Jersey.
According to reports, 6-year-old Zohar Dillard is in intensive care after falling five stories from his family’s apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey. The incident occurred three weeks ago, leaving the boy with multiple pelvis fractures, fractures in his left foot, a grade three liver laceration, internal bleeding, and collapsed lungs. This was disclosed in a civil lawsuit filed by his mother, Alexis Adams on Monday (March 27th).
“As a single mom to a special needs child, this feels like a nightmare,” Adams said in a statement according to local news reports. “My heart is broken into a million pieces. It is devastating to see my child go through such pain and trauma knowing that this could’ve been avoided.I am devastated, angry, and struggling to come to terms with the fact that my only child has suffered severe injuries due to willful negligence of our landlord and others involved In failing to take necessary safety measures.” Zohar suffers from hydrocephalus, a condition caused by an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain’s ventricles.
Adams is suing the owners of the apartment complex as well as its managers, a window installer, and others claiming that the building had “incorrect-sized guards,” creating a “hazardous condition.” She is seeking payment for Zohar’s medical bills, damages, and attorney’s fees.
The “Right Round” rapper has not offered any public comment to the press. Adams has gone on record of stating that the Grammy Award-nominated artist has not been heavily involved in his child’s life. “Flo Rida has only seen his son once during the paternity test [in December 2016] but kept his shades on and his back turned,” she said in an interview with the Daily Mail in 2018.
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A lawsuit against Childish Gambino alleging that his hit track “This Is America” contained elements of another previously released song has been dismissed in court.
According to reports, the case concerning the Grammy Award-winning song from 2018 came to an end after Judge Victor Marrero declared a dismissal in a Manhattan courtroom last Friday (March 24). The lawsuit was brought by rapper Kidd Wes (aka Emelike Nwosuocha) in 2021, alleging that Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) committed copyright infringement on his 2016 song “Made In America.” Wes said the hook was “unmistakably substantially similar, if not practically identical,” to his track.
“A cursory comparison with the challenged composition reveals that the content of the choruses is entirely different and not substantially similar,” Judge Marrero said, explaining Kidd Wes’ song was more of a “short, simple, aggrandizing proclamation” as opposed to Glover’s song detailing “what America means and how it is perceived.” The lawsuit also named Roc Nation, composer Ludwig Göransson and Young Thug as co-defendants.
Another factor in the decision made by Judge Marrero involved a discrepancy in how Kidd Wes registered the copyright for the song with the United States Library of Congress. The court ruled that his copyright claim isn’t valid because his registration certificate only covers the sound recording and doesn’t cover the music of the song.
“Even if Nwosuocha had a copyright registration for the composition of Plaintiff’s Composition, however, dismissal would be warranted here because the elements of Plaintiff’s Composition purportedly infringed upon are insufficiently original to warrant protection, or because they are not substantially similar to the Challenged Composition,” Marrero said.
The legal team for Kidd Wes issued a statement after the decision, saying that the artist is disappointed and is contemplating an appeal. “He stands by his music, creativity, and the independence of grassroots artists to create their own music, and receive credit where credit is due, without the fear of it being apportioned by another,” attorneys Imran H. Ansari and La’Shawn N. Thomas said.
A lawyer for Glover, Jonathan D. Davis, said in a statement: “We are very grateful for the court’s decision. No case existed here, as there was no infringement—let alone a copyright registration. That was obvious from a simple comparison of the two songs and a review of the U.S. Copyright Office records.”
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The long-running Lollapalooza music festival announced this year’s lineup with Kendrick Lamar as a top headliner along with Billie Eilish.
The organizers for Lollapalooza announced the lineup for their 2023 festival on Tuesday (March 21st), which will be held in the historic Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois. The Grammy Award-winning artist behind the recent album Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers was named as a featured headliner. Other artists who will be headline performers are Billie Eilish (in which it is rumored this could be her only U.S. concert performance this summer), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Odesza, Lana Del Rey, Karol G, The 1975, and Tomorrow X Together. It’s another major festival for Lamar, who’s slated to be a headliner at this year’s Outside Lands Festival as well.
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Lollapalooza 2023 will have over 170 artists and bands across its nine stages. They include Pusha T, Fred again, Lil Yachty, Noah Kahan, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, J.I.D., Maggie Rogers, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diplo, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Tems, the Rose, Rina Sawayama, Lil Yachty, Rema, Morgan Wade, Lainey Wilson, L’Impératrice, Ivan Cornejo, Sudan Archives among others.
The three-day festival will take place from August 3rd to August 6th. A pre-sale of festival tickets coordinated through SMS for fans will begin on Thursday (March 23rd) at 10 A.M. CST for those who sign up at the festival’s website. They’ll have access to the Tier 1 4-day passes priced at $365 along with general admission passes, VIP and Platinum passes. The public will get a chance to purchase the remaining tickets at a later date, along with one-day passes.
Lollapalooza 2023 will also see the continuation of its community initiatives, primarily through the Lollapalooza Arts Education Fund, which gives $2.2 million to bolster arts programs in the Chicago Public Schools system. “Brady”, an afternoon host and musical director with local radio station 103.5 Kiss FM, spoke about the glowing reaction the lineup has gotten. “My phone has not stopped. And let’s be honest, music fans can be a little cynical and opinionated. But the reaction I’ve seen all day has been nothing but positivity,” he said.
Sign-up for the presale and other information can be found on Lollapalooza’s website.
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Rapper Larry June’s latest project sees him teaming up with The Alchemist, with a large tour to take place after its release.
Larry June has been hard at work with the celebrated producer on his album The Great Escape. The Bay Area native posted teasers giving fans a look into his creative collaborative process with The Alchemist on social media, stoking the anticipation. “He’s been here watching the whole evolution of this shit and still in the game,” Larry said of the producer in a recent interview. “Al was somebody I looked up to musically, too. He’s done so much in hip-hop for him to be able to be relevant and jump on a new artist like myself and rap, make all the beats, and still got a crazy legacy.“
For the iconic producer, working with June was invigorating. “I find [that with] MCs that I could really mesh with, we got to find a way where we can find a sound that works,” he said. “I’ve discovered that he’s versatile. He can do a lot of shit, so when we got up it was easy. And he’s one of the easiest people that I’ve ever worked with and the most fun because his energy is positive and we going up every time. The album is set for release on March 31st.
On Tuesday (March 21st), he announced that there will be a tour for the new album as well, produced by Live Nation. The “Larry’s Market Run” Tour is a huge one, which will see him hit 47 cities across North America beginning on May 8th at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He’ll be hitting the road with Monroe Flow & DVME, stopping in major cities including Dallas, Chicago, and New York while making two stops in Canada when the tour hits Toronto and Vancouver. The tour will end at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California on July 23rd.
Tickets for the tour will be available on for presale audience purchase on Wednesday (March 22nd), and open to the general public on Friday (March 24th). There are already two singles that have been released, “60 Days” and “89 Earthquake” with more to follow in the days before the album’s release. In addition, the making of the album has been captured through a documentary produced by Miggs.
For more information on the tour dates (see below) and to purchase tickets, check out Larry June’s website. Check out The Great Escape documentary below.
LARRY’S MARKET RUN TOUR DATES
Mon May 08 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
Tue May 09 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
Wed May 10 – Columbia, MO – Blue Note
Fri May 12 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
Sun May 14 – St Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
Mon May 15 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
Tue May 16 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Thu May 18 – Little Rock, AR – The Hall
Fri May 19 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom
Sat May 20 – San Antonio, TX – The Aztec Theater
Mon May 22 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Tue May 23 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
Fri May 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
Sun May 28 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Mon May 29 – El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace
Tue May 30 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
Thu Jun 01 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Sat Jun 03 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theater
Sun Jun 04 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
Mon Jun 05 – Seattle, WA – Neptune
Tue Jun 06 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
Sat Jun 10 – Denver, CO – Summit
Tue Jun 13 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Thu Jun 15 – Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s
Sat Jun 17 – Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
Sun Jun 18 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
Mon Jun 19 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
Wed Jun 21 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
Thu Jun 22 – New Haven, CT – Toads
Sat Jun 24 – New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
Sun Jun 25 – Philadelphia, PA – TLA
Tue Jun 27 – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
Thu Jun 29 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Fri Jun 30 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
Sat Jul 01 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
Mon Jul 03 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm
Wed Jul 05 – Miami, FL – The Oasis
Thu Jul 06 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando
Sat Jul 08 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
Mon Jul 10 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore New Orleans
Wed Jul 12 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
Fri Jul 14 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
Sat Jul 15 – San Diego, CA – SOMA
Sun Jul 16 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Wed Jul 19 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
Fri Jul 21 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
Sun Jul 23 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
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Just Blaze reveals how he stumbled upon vocals that Michael Jackson had recorded for one of Jay-Z’s greatest songs, which had been regarded as an “urban myth”.
The Grammy-nominated producer recently appeared as a guest for the latest episode of the Idea Generation series hosted by journalist Noah Callahan-Bever. As they talked, the discussion turned to what has been considered an urban legend in Hip-Hop – the fact that the legendary Michael Jackson had recorded vocals for Jay-Z’s smash hit “Girls, Girls, Girls”. Just Blaze confirmed that the vocals exist and how finding them surprised him as well.
“So Michael Jackson is on the Girls, Girls, Girls remix. The A version. And I never knew that,” he began. “I don’t know if I didn’t go to the studio that day. I thought it was an urban legend or something that Jay said like in jest one day or just was some kind of a myth. So one day I was looking for something on the server and I find this straight folder that says MJ vocals.”
Just Blaze then detailed what he found as he looked through the files from the recording sessions for Jackson’s “You Rock My World” remix from 2001 that he did with Jay-Z. “And I’m like MJ- don’t that mean Michael Jackson- oh whatever. And I’m thinking it’s probably stuff from- remember Jay had or remember they had the Rock My World- so I’m thinking it’s like takes from that session.”
He continued: “And I’m like I don’t think they recorded this at Baseline but let me take a listen and see what it is. And I realize as I’m listening to it, it’s him singing on Girls, Girls, Girls. And I’m like… it’s true. Like I never- the last 20 years- I just found it during quarantine. So all these years I’ve never known it was actually a real thing. And turns out the files had been sitting downstairs this entire time.”
The conversation with Callahan-Bever also covered how the first moniker Just Blaze was ever tagged with was “Just Hot”…which he turned down. “It came about during the Mase sessions actually. Super Sam and, rest in peace, Huddy Combs. They were like yo you gotta come up with a name. I was just DJ Just. They were like you can’t just be Just. You gotta be something better than that. I think it was Sam who was like yo, your name should be Just Hot. And I was like I am not naming myself Just Hot.”
Check out the entire Idea Generation episode below.
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Two new shows set to premiere later this month on Amazon Music will focus on Hip-Hop and Latin music along with pop culture from the Latin perspective.
According to reports, the streaming music platform will be launching two new flagship music series. The first, “Rotation Roundtable,” will be presented in a hybrid format utilizing a podcast-style experience and a Twitch live stream inspired by the platform’s “Rap Rotation” and “R&B Rotation” playlists. The hour-long show will be hosted by Power 105.1 host/ producer Nyla Symone, journalist and executive producer Speedy Morman, “On the Radar” creator Gabe P and veteran journalist Rob Markman.
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In a press release about “Roundtable,” Symone expressed her delight about being a part of it. “I’m super excited to finally have a safe space to speak candidly amongst people who actually know the culture. My point of view is that culture isn’t about the clout or politics, it’s just about the music.” The show will debut March 15 at 9 p.m. and air each Wednesday on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel. Episodes will be available as audio podcasts on Amazon Music and all major services.
“La Semanal Live” will cover the biggest releases in Latin music and the most-discussed topics in Latin pop culture. Puerto Rican journalist and podcast host Gio Rosado will host the show from Miami, Florida. “The show will have a lot of energy, humor and debate. My goal is to create a show so captivating and engaging that you’ll regret not having tuned in,” he said.
“La Semanal Live” will debut March 24 on the Amazon Music on Vivo Channel on Twitch. Clips from the show will be available in the Amazon Music app. It will then air every Friday at 9 p.m. Platino DJ Mode radio host Grecia Lopez will also be a recurring guest on the show, which will feature artist interviews and spotlight segments. A special slate of programming for Women’s History Month is in the works for the show, with an in-depth spotlight on Karol G to be included.
Source: Amazon / Amazon Music
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Two of the biggest names in Hip-Hop, Drake and Lil Baby, might be teaming up on a future album according to a recent podcast appearance by a producer.
In a recent interview on the Podcast and Chill With Mac G which aired Monday (March 6), the producer Black Coffee was asked about the various celebrity encounters he’s had. The conversation soon turned to his linking up with Quality Control co-founder Keith “Coach K” Lee in Atlanta.
“We go to dinner. We got to the club. I play my sets,” Coffee added. “He’s like, ‘We’re going to my strip club.’ I have never been. And this is what Atlanta is known for. And he said to me, ‘Lil Baby and Drake are making an album. It’s possible that Drake is retiring.’” The interview concludes shortly after. Black Coffee recently worked with Drake on his last solo album, Honestly, Nevermind.
There has been no confirmation from representatives of Drake or Lil Baby. If it’s true that the two are collaborating on a new album, this would be the third joint musical venture the Canadian superstar has entered into with an Atlanta-based rapper. Drake is still enjoying the rave reviews from the Her Loss album he did with 21 Savage, which was released last November. And in 2015, he and Future teamed up to record and drop What a Time to be Alive.
The Certified Lover Boy has hinted at making an early exit from music, doing so in a recent interview with Lil Yachty. “I’m at the point now where I just want to, like, and I feel like maybe we talked about this the other day, but I feel like I’m kind of introducing the concept in my mind of a graceful exit,” he said at the time.
The interview with Black Coffee on the Podcast and Chill With Mac G can be seen in full below.
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