State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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Ms. Lauryn Hill has developed a reputation for hitting the stage after her appointed time. She was tardy again on Saturday night for her show in Los Angeles at the Kia Forum celebrating the 25th anniversary of her landmark The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill solo album and according to video by fans, she had something […]
“F— Kenny G!” Action Bronson playfully exclaimed halfway through his performance at New Balance‘s TCA New York City Marathon Kick-Off Party on Friday night (Nov. 3). The Queens rapper wasn’t really throwing shots at the Grammy-winning smooth jazz saxophonist, he was simply singing the praises of Matt Carrillo (aka Young Mexico), the incredibly impressive saxophonist and keyboardist that served as one of the main anchors of the band’s whimsical set.
At New Balance’s TCA New York City Marathon Kick-Off Party, sports and hip-hop continued their decades-long convergence as Action Bronson helped celebrate the imminent 26.2-mile race, as well as the latest evolution in his partnership with sports footwear giant New Balance.
After Adidas unexpectedly canceled his UltraBOOST collaboration back in 2019, Bronson teamed up with New Balance, officially announcing a new multi-item collaborative capsule with the brand back in March. Among the items in the capsule were the New Balance 990v6 “Baklava” sneaker. A few months later, a second 990v6 sneaker — named “Lapis Lazuli” — arrived exclusively on Bronson’s specializinginlife.com website (Jun. 22), receiving a global release on Jun. 30.
“I’m just enchanted by nature,” Bronson mused backstage before his performance. “Nature’s beauty. It’s natural beauty. It’s whimsical. It’s like stranger than fiction.”
Given the forest green hues and deep blues that appear across his different colorways, Bronson’s relationship with all of nature’s gifts truly inspired the design of his New Balance collaborations. Finding a home with New Balance was a special journey after the less-than-favorable way his Adidas partnership dissolved, but “I’ve been a New Balance guy for years, way before any of this other s—,” Bronson explains. “I’ve come from a family of f—ing chubby feet, flat feet, where you need a good walking shoe and something with stability and comfort as well as performance. This provides all three for my type.” To further explain, Bronson likened his foot type to “a triangle slice of pizza.”
During his set, Bronson tore through lively renditions of “Latin Grammys,” “DMTri,” and “Baby Blue,” allowing his five-member band to riff to both their heart’s desire and the audience’s pleasure. Embodying the whimsy he attributed to nature, Bronson delivered a characteristically charismatic stage show that even featured him literally touching his toes onstage and adding idiosyncratic percussion flourishes.
Cocodrillo Turbo, Bronson’s last studio effort, arrived last year, but the Billboard Hot 100 hitmaker is already formulating his next LP, although he’s purposely keeping his plans lowkey. “Lots of things [are] coming in the new year,” he teased. “Exciting things if you can’t tell how excited I am. I’m just stoned!”
The TCS NYC Marathon launches on Sunday (Nov. 5) at 8:00 a.m. EST.
A stretch of street in Oakland, California, was renamed Friday (Nov. 3) for Tupac Shakur, 27 years after the killing of the hip-hop luminary.
A section of MacArthur Boulevard near where he lived in the 1990s became Tupac Shakur Way, following a ceremony that included his family members and Oakland native MC Hammer.
“Let his spirit live on the rest of these years in these streets and in your hearts,” Shakur’s sister Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur told the crowd, wiping away tears at the end of a nearly two-hour ceremony. The sign for Tupac Shakur Way was unveiled moments later.
MC Hammer, the “U Can’t Touch This” rapper who spent many of Shakur’s final months with him before his 1996 shooting death at age 25, said in his remarks that Shakur was, “hands down, the greatest rapper ever, there’s not even a question of that.”
Shakur collaborator Money-B and Oakland hip-hop legend Too Short also spoke at the ceremony.
Tupac Shakur’s music career began in Oakland, Calif. with the group Digital Underground — and now the city has named a street after the rap star, who died in 1996. Sway Calloway led the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/PJlDrW2aHZ— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) November 3, 2023
Shakur was born in New York and was raised there and in Baltimore, but he moved with his mother to the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1980s. He would live in Oakland in the early 1990s and embraced it as an adopted hometown.
“He claimed Oakland,” said City Councilwoman Carroll Fife, who led the effort to rename the street. “He said Oakland gave him his game.”
The ceremony came the day after a former Southern California street gang leader pleaded not guilty to murder in the Las Vegas shooting death of Shakur.
Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis is charged with orchestrating the shooting. He is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which the fatal shots were fired and in September, 27 years after the killing, became the only person ever charged with a crime in the case.
Shakur’s relatives have kept their distance from the prosecution and made only passing reference to it Friday. Sekyiwa Shakur said her brother “died at 25 years old in gang violence, by the hands of another Black man, by the planning of another Black man, whoever that man may be.”
On Friday (Nov. 3), Megan Thee Stallion made her solo return to the music scene with “Cobra,” her first unaccompanied non-soundtrack single since Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting her in July 2020.
The new song and video are packed with serpentine imagery, with Megan literally “shedding” her skin in the track’s Douglas Bernardt-helmed clip. Over a beat punctuated by rock guitars, the H-Town Hottie spits, “At night, I’m sittin’ in a dark room thinkin’ / Probably why I always end up drinkin’ / Yes, I’m very depressed / How can somebody so blessed wanna slit they wrist?”
Since the song’s release, fans have latched onto Megan’s intensely vulnerable and revelatory lyrics, commending the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper for her honesty and bravery. “Megan is being extremely vulnerable with this record & I hope we give her, as a Black woman, a safe space that she deserves for sharing this with us through her art form,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter). Another user pointed out that “Cobra” follows a long line of emotional deep cuts from Megan, writing, “I’m crying at ppl acting like this Megan first vulnerable song ever made. This how I know yall not listening to her albums.”
“Cobra” boasts two particular revelations that have dominated the social media conversation. First, the “Savage” rapper reveals that she has recently been battling suicidal ideation and alcohol abuse, spitting, “Shit, I’d probably bleed out some Pinot / When they find me, I’m in Valentino / He pourin’ me shots, thinkin’ it’s lit / Hah, little did he know” and “Damn, I finally see it / I’m killin’ myself when b—es would die to be me.”
The other shocking revelation is her claim that one of her ex-partners cheated on her in her own house. “Pulled up, caught him cheatin’, gettin’ his d–k sucked in the same spot I’m sleepin’ / Lord, give me a break, I don’t know how much more of this s–t I can take,” she raps. With some simple calendar math and a bit of sleuthing, Meg’s Hotties seem to think that the cheating ex-partner in question is Pardison “Pardi” Fontaine, a Grammy-winning rapper and songwriter who dated Megan from 2020 to the top of 2023.
Pardi appeared to respond to the infidelity allegations via his Instagram Story, sharing a meme clip of Future saying “It’s an evil world we live in,” followed by an image of a laughing Tristan Thompson. He then limited the comments on his main feed.
See what fans had to say about Megan Thee Stallion, Pardison Fontaine and her new song below.
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24 hours, at 1-800-273-8255. Reach the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Hotline at
pardi cheating on megan in her own house while she was going through her lowest moments. y’all i’m about to get violent . like i need that nigga gone pic.twitter.com/lUvvJRP7tF— keke⁷ 🤍 (@stallseok) November 3, 2023
I actually respected Pardi and bought his whole feminist schtick. But, he’s dead to me.It’s obvious he cheated on her in her own house because Megan Thee Stallion has the rap career he wishes he had. That’s why he’s relegated to being a ghostwriter with flop albums. He knew…— Ola Ojewumi (@Olas_Truth) November 3, 2023
I knew Pardi didn’t stand on business when rappers half his height and weight was clowning Megan for being shot and not one swing was swung.— mina (@MinaLioness) November 3, 2023
I fell asleep before midnight so I’m a little late……but Pardi cheating on Megan in her own bed while the public was dragging her to hell and back because she was shot? And to then get with a supporter of the man who shot her? Pardison Fontaine, the bitch you are…. pic.twitter.com/N0TCP2OZn0— Dumpster Baby 👶🏽 (@makeupbyjoxlyn) November 3, 2023
Not Pardi cheating on our sister Megan. Men will go out of their way to hurt and embarrass us. Smh— 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚌𝚊 ⚡️ (@MJFINESSELOVER) November 3, 2023
Pardi was getting the gobble gobble by another woman in Megan’s BED?! On top of the cheating itself, she was shot by her former friend and torn down by the public for it during this time. Cut the fucking “FEMINIST” tattoo off his body.— Mo 🌹 (@flwrchldtweets) November 3, 2023
Missy Elliott still can’t quite believe that she will be the first female rap artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday night (Nov. 3). Speaking to Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts on Thursday morning (Nov. 2), Elliott said she always dreamed of being a “superstar… I never wavered. I never changed. I said it every time,” but after three decades in the music business the 52-year-old Grammy-winning rapper said her latest accolade is unfathomable.
Elliott said “words cannot describe” how honored she is to take the stage tomorrow night alongside fellow 2023 inductees Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners. She told Roberts that as an artist from the hip-hop world, Rock Hall enshrinement seemed “so far out of reach.” Plus, with this being the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop, Elliott said the Hall of Fame kudos is further proof that “no matter what people say the hip-hop world is something special and unique.”
Joking that as a kid her family once convinced her that she was related to another one of this year’s inductees, musical excellence honoree R&B legend Chaka Khan, Elliott said being ushered in alongside the likes of Nelson and Crow is indescribable. “To be even at a table with them is a blessing, past a blessing, there’s got to be a bigger word than that,” she said.
After tomorrow night, Elliott will be among just a handful of rappers whose plaques are on display at the RRHOF museum in Cleveland, joining such icons as Jay-Z, LL Cool J, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, N.W.A, Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. And though some critics might quibble at the elastic definition of rock and roll that has found artists who don’t play what is traditionally considered amplified, guitar-based rock music, Elliott said in her mind rock, like hip-hop, is a “gumbo of different styles of music.”
Elliott will be inducted by her friend of 20 years, Queen Latifah, who she praised as someone who, “come before me, open that door, left it open… And I owe so many flowers, bouquets. It’s not enough bouquets for those women that came before me. And she’s one of those women.” In addition, Elliott’s mother will be in the house at the 38th annual induction ceremony on Friday night (Nov. 3) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Believe it or not, Elliott’s mom has never seen her perform live before. “She’s never been to a show because, you know, I had some little words I didn’t ever want her to hear,” Elliott told GMA. “And so she’s comin’ for the first time.”
Tomorrow night’s event will feature presenters and performers Olivia Rodrigo, Stevie Nicks, Adam Levine, Carrie Underwood, Elton John, Brandie Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews, H.E.R., New Edition, St. Vincent, Common, Ice-T, LL Cool J, Miguel, Latifah and Sia. Other inductees this year include DJ Kool Herc and Link Wrap for musical influence, Khan, Al Kooper and Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin for musical excellence and Soul Train host Don Cornelius for the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The induction ceremony will be broadcast live coast-to-coast on Disney+ on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will be available to stream following the ceremony. ABC will air a three-hour prime-time special, 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, featuring performance highlights and standout moments on Jan. 1 (8-11 p.m. ET), available the next day on Hulu and Disney+.
Check out Elliott’s interview below.
Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis, the former street gang leader charged with masterminding the 1996 drive-by killing of Tupac Shakur, is slated to appear in court on Thursday (Nov. 2) for his arraignment in the case. According to the Associated Press, however, it’s unclear if Davis will have a lawyer representing him during the appearance after losing his bid to be represented in court by the lawyer who spoke out in public about his defense two weeks ago.
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Attorney Ross Goodman said on Oct. 19 that he saw “obvious defenses” in the murder case, pointing out that police and prosecutors do not have a murder weapon or the car used in the shooting, as well as “no witnesses from 27 years ago.” Prosecutors have said that Davis is the last person alive who was in the car that night.
Goodman told the AP on Wednesday (Nov. 1) that Davis, 60, could not meet terms of an agreement that the judge in the case gave two weeks to hash out on Oct. 19; Goodman did not specify what was holding up such an agreement. When Davis appears in court today, Clark County District Court Judge Tierra Jones could order a financial accounting of Davis’ assets to determine if he can afford a lawyer of if she needs to declare him indigent and name a public defender to handle the case.
A deputy in the Clark County public defender’s office told the AP that they are reviewing the case to determine if they can represent Davis or if they have a conflict of interest such as representing other people involved in the case in the past. The judge may also name a private practice defense attorney to represent Davis at taxpayers’ expense, or assign a public defender from the county.
“We’re just not sure at this point how this will play out and who will end up representing him,” said Jordan Savage, assistant special public defender. Davis’ longtime Los Angeles personal lawyer, Edi Faal, said he expected a public defender would be named to defend Davis; Faal previously said he was helping Davis find a defense attorney in Nevada and confirmed Goodman’s involvement two weeks ago. Davis is expected to plead not guilty to the murder charge, which could land him in prison for the rest of his life.
Davis was arrested outside his suburban Las Vegas home on Sept. 29 on the same day an indictment was filed against him accusing the self-proclaimed street gang leader of orchestrating the shooting that killed Shakur, 25, and wounded his label boss, imprisoned music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight.
Davis’ nephew, gang member Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, 23, was involved in a brawl with Shakur in a Las Vegas casino on the night of the shooting and denied being involved in the shooting; he was killed in a May 1998 shooting in Compton and the other two men in the car with Davis and Anderson are also dead. Davis, meanwhile, has discussed his alleged role Shakur’s death in interviews as well as in a 2019 tell-all memoir describing his time as a Crips gang leader in Compton, including claiming that he provided the gun, was in the car and was the “on-ground, on-site commander of the effort” to kill Skakur and Knight that night.
Offset and Quavo paid tribute to their late Migos bandmate TakeOff on Wednesday (Nov. 1) on the first anniversary of the rapper’s fatal shooting at a Houston bowling alley. “Can’t forget it won’t Forget it NEVER Forget it [rocket, infinity emoji] Remember!” Quavo wrote in an Instagram post featuring a photo of his nephew. Offset […]
While 50 Cent continues to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ with his mega world tour, on Wednesday (Nov. 1), he received some excellent news regarding his biggest hit to date: “In Da Club” is officially certified diamond by the RIAA. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and […]
D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince are set to reunite at A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop, which will tape on Nov. 8 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. It will mark one of Will Smith’s first major public events since his infamous slap of Chris Rock at the 94th annual Academy Awards in March 2022.
During the ceremony, Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock across the face after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, whose head was shaved due to alopecia areata. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences banned Smith from attending its events for a decade as punishment.
Here, the mood will be strictly celebratory, which could make it a safe space for Smith to begin his gradual re-emergence into the public eye. D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince joins a packed line-up of performers that includes: Arrested Development, Big Daddy Kane, Black Sheep, Cypress Hill, Digable Planets, DJ Quik, E-40, GloRilla, Gunna, Jeezy, Juvenile, Latto, Luniz, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, Spinderella, Three 6 Mafia, T.I., Too $hort, 2 Chainz, Warren G, YG, Black Thought, Bun B, Common, De La Soul, Jermaine Dupri, J.J. Fad, Talib Kweli, The Lady Of Rage, LL COOL J, MC Sha-Rock, Monie Love, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, Uncle Luke and Yo-Yo.
D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince made Grammy hip-hop history twice. The awards show didn’t have a dedicated category for rap or hip-hop until the 1988 awards, which were presented Feb. 22, 1989. The duo’s genial pop hit “Parents Just Don’t Understand” was the first hip-hop recording to win a Grammy (best rap performance). But they weren’t invited to perform on the show that year.
A year later, on Feb. 21, 1990, the duo became the first hip-hop act to perform on the Grammys. “We’d like to dedicate this performance to all the rappers last year that stood with us and helped us to earn the right to be on this stage tonight,” Smith said at the time before he and D.J. Jazzy Jeff launched into “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.”
The tribute special will air Dec. 10 from 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Collins, Shawn Gee, Dionne Harmon, Claudine Joseph, LL COOL J, Fatima Robinson, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson for Two One Five Entertainment will serve as executive producers and Marcelo Gama as director of the special.
An extended “50 Years of 50-Hop” segment was one of the highlights of the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5. That kicked off a year of hip-hop celebrations that has underscored the importance and dominance of the genre.
The segment drew universal praise. Billboard’s Joe Lynch pegged it as the best performance on the 2023 Grammys telecast. “While it’s an impossible task to sum up 50 years of any genre (much less one that fought for decades to get a modicum of mainstream respect and eventually became the dominant genre in American music), this electrifying medley brought to vivid life the charged personalities, thumping grooves, deft deliveries and unpredictable flourishes that make hip-hop a global force.”
Questlove curated the 15-minute spot on the Grammy telecast, which featured three dozen rap acts. Collins, Robinson and Gee (Questlove’s manager and president of LNU) were also among the producers of that segment.
While many will assume that the success of the spot on the Grammy telecast led CBS to hurry a special into production, the special was in the works before anyone knew there would be a segment on the telecast, according to a source.
Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, hinted at the upcoming special in a statement announcing the telecast segment. “For five decades, Hip Hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” he said. “Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated. I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage. It is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.”
The show was originally set to tape on Aug. 11, which was the 50th anniversary (to the day!) of a back-to-school party in The Bronx that many point to as the beginning of hip-hop culture. CBS, which has broadcast the Grammy telecast since 1973, aired another Grammy-branded special – A Grammy Salute to The Beach Boys – on April 9. That special was taped on Feb. 8 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Doors open for the Nov. 8 taping at 6 p.m. PT. The concert is set to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are available to the public now at Ticketmaster.com. The YouTube Theater is located at 1011 Stadium Dr., Inglewood, CA 90305.
There is no subtle way to say this: Lil Nas X managed to outdo himself, and just about everyone else with his Halloween costume this year. The “Industry Baby” rapper loves to push our buttons with outrageous stage outfits and sets, but on Tuesday (Oct. 31) Montero took things to a whole new level with […]
