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Source: Jason Koerner / Getty
If we’ve learned anything about Knicks owner James Dolan over the past few years it’s that he has no problem banning people from his playground known as Madison Square Garden for the pettiest of reasons, and now, rapper Lil Tjay has found himself embargoed from the Mecca of basketball.
According to TMZ, the “Pop Out” rapper is no longer welcome at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” after he was caught spitting in the face of a security guard during the WBO lightweight champion bout between Keyshawn Davis and Denys Berinchyk last Friday night (Feb. 14). In a video making the social media rounds following the incident, we see a security guard going back-and-forth with Tjay at the event before someone intervenes and separates the two men only for Lil Tjay to approach the guard one more time letting one fly right out of his mouth and into the guard’s face.
That’ll do it every time.
Needless to say, once upper management caught wind of the incident and saw the video, it wasn’t a hard choice for them to ban the rapper from ever setting foot back in Madison Square Garden.
Per TMZ:
Madison Square Garden tells TMZ … “Our policy is that patrons that engage in confrontational and disruptive behavior will be escorted out and banned from all MSG properties.”
Our sources inside the building tell us Tjay and his crew were pushing to get ringside without having the proper clearance to be in the VIP area.
We’re told when Tjay was informed they weren’t allowed, the “Trench Baby” rapper got physical and spit in the guard’s face — with multiple angles of the slimy skirmish caught on camera.
While Lil Tjay might be a well-known artist in the Hip-Hop culture, he found out he doesn’t hold enough weight to just walk into the VIP section of a huge event without getting pushback from hired security. That’s only reserved for the likes of Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Hip-Hop moguls of that caliber… maybe.
What do y’all think about Lil Tjay getting banned from Madison Square Garden? Too harsh for his actions or a proper punishment? Peep another angle of the incident and let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Jason Koerner / Getty
If we’ve learned anything about Knicks owner James Dolan over the past few years it’s that he has no problem banning people from his playground known as Madison Square Garden for the pettiest of reasons, and now, rapper Lil Tjay has found himself embargoed from the Mecca of basketball.
According to TMZ, the “Pop Out” rapper is no longer welcome at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” after he was caught spitting in the face of a security guard during the WBO lightweight champion bout between Keyshawn Davis and Denys Berinchyk last Friday night (Feb. 14). In a video making the social media rounds following the incident, we see a security guard going back-and-forth with Tjay at the event before someone intervenes and separates the two men only for Lil Tjay to approach the guard one more time letting one fly right out of his mouth and into the guard’s face.
That’ll do it every time.
Needless to say, once upper management caught wind of the incident and saw the video, it wasn’t a hard choice for them to ban the rapper from ever setting foot back in Madison Square Garden.
Per TMZ:
Madison Square Garden tells TMZ … “Our policy is that patrons that engage in confrontational and disruptive behavior will be escorted out and banned from all MSG properties.”
Our sources inside the building tell us Tjay and his crew were pushing to get ringside without having the proper clearance to be in the VIP area.
We’re told when Tjay was informed they weren’t allowed, the “Trench Baby” rapper got physical and spit in the guard’s face — with multiple angles of the slimy skirmish caught on camera.
While Lil Tjay might be a well-known artist in the Hip-Hop culture, he found out he doesn’t hold enough weight to just walk into the VIP section of a huge event without getting pushback from hired security. That’s only reserved for the likes of Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Hip-Hop moguls of that caliber… maybe.
What do y’all think about Lil Tjay getting banned from Madison Square Garden? Too harsh for his actions or a proper punishment? Peep another angle of the incident and let us know in the comments section below.
Imagine Dragons scored their fifth billion-view YouTube video this week when their 2017 single “Whatever It Takes” crossed the 10-digit rubicon. The beat-inflected rock anthem that topped-out at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of that year is spotlighted in the water-logged visual co-directed by the band’s frequent collaborator, Matt Eastin (“On Top Of the World,” “Believer,” “Roots”).
It opens with singer Dan Reynolds swimming through a flooded room past curios from the Overlook Hotel, the infamous site of the murderous action in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. It then smash-cuts to Reynolds launching into the song’s rapid-fire first verse in the same, now bone-dry, room, singing, “Falling too fast to prepare for this/ Tripping in the world could be dangerous/ Everybody circling, it’s vulturous/ Negative, nepotist.”
As the rest of the band joins him and the lights come up, things appear to be progressing toward a typical performance-style video. Then, all hell breaks loose. The ceiling begins to cave in and debris rains down all around, even as the group soldiers on and Reynolds leans into the chorus: “Whatever it takes/ ‘Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins/ I do whatever it takes/ ‘Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains.”
Trending on Billboard
Cue the rain. As a downpour drenches the men mid-song, the gentle shower turns into a torrent, with the water slowly rising to their knees, then their chests, as a pair of spooky sirens dive into the now chin-high flood. Struggling to hold their instruments high enough to avoid the deluge, the men finally submit, slipping under the waves, with Reynolds continuing to sing, fully submerged while the women pull at his sleeves.
After a silent scene of the rockers floating listlessly in the water, Eastin (and co-director Aaron Hymes) switch up the elements and transport the guys to a desert scene in which the contents of the room are aflame, including Reynolds’ mic stand, as well as the drum kit and Dan Sermon’s guitar. The clip from the group’s third album, Evolve, went on to win the best rock video award at the 2018 MTV VMAs.
Watch the “Whatever It Takes” video below.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
President Donald Trump has sat just over a month in his second term. but already has transformed the fabric of the White House rapidly via several controversial moves and alignments with unelected officials. Taking to his Truth Social platform, President Donald Trump celebrated his move to end congestion pricing in New York and ended his salvo by framing himself a king which sparked some responses on X.
On Wednesday (Feb. 20), President Donald Trump wrote, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” via Truth Social, sparking immediate backlash on the X platform and other social media spaces. Adding to this, the official Instagram account for the White House shared an AI-generated image of President Trump with a crown affixed to his head.
Trump continued to praise his plans to end the pricing hike for commuters while aboard Air Force 1.
“Congestion pricing is not a good situation. They’re treating the people of New York very badly,” Trump said. “Supposing you worked at a shoe shop or you worked in a restaurant as a waiter, and you have to come into Manhattan and they’re taking, you know, many, many dollars out of your pocket. You can’t afford to do it.”
Congestion pricing, also known as the Central Business District Tolling Program or CBDTP, was approved early last month ahead of Trump’s inauguration and was approved to slow the crush of traffic that slammed the Manhattan business district while promising an impressive influx of cash for the city and state. Further, it incentivized drivers to find alternate and often environmentally safer routes into the city.
New York’s Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Authority (MTA) dug their heels in with a pair of responses decrying Trump’s plans to end congestion pricing.
From Gov. Hochul:
“Since this first-in-the-nation program took effect last month, congestion has dropped dramatically and commuters are getting to work faster than ever. Broadway shows are selling out and foot traffic to local businesses is spiking. School buses are getting kids to class on time, and yellow cab trips increased by 10 percent. Transit ridership is up, drivers are having a better experience, and support for this program is growing every day.
“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We’ll see you in court.”
On X, many are reacting to President Donald Trump declaring himself a king for the move. We’ve got reactions to the moment below.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
President Donald Trump has sat just over a month in his second term. but already has transformed the fabric of the White House rapidly via several controversial moves and alignments with unelected officials. Taking to his Truth Social platform, President Donald Trump celebrated his move to end congestion pricing in New York and ended his salvo by framing himself a king which sparked some responses on X.
On Wednesday (Feb. 20), President Donald Trump wrote, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” via Truth Social, sparking immediate backlash on the X platform and other social media spaces. Adding to this, the official Instagram account for the White House shared an AI-generated image of President Trump with a crown affixed to his head.
Trump continued to praise his plans to end the pricing hike for commuters while aboard Air Force 1.
“Congestion pricing is not a good situation. They’re treating the people of New York very badly,” Trump said. “Supposing you worked at a shoe shop or you worked in a restaurant as a waiter, and you have to come into Manhattan and they’re taking, you know, many, many dollars out of your pocket. You can’t afford to do it.”
Congestion pricing, also known as the Central Business District Tolling Program or CBDTP, was approved early last month ahead of Trump’s inauguration and was approved to slow the crush of traffic that slammed the Manhattan business district while promising an impressive influx of cash for the city and state. Further, it incentivized drivers to find alternate and often environmentally safer routes into the city.
New York’s Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Authority (MTA) dug their heels in with a pair of responses decrying Trump’s plans to end congestion pricing.
From Gov. Hochul:
“Since this first-in-the-nation program took effect last month, congestion has dropped dramatically and commuters are getting to work faster than ever. Broadway shows are selling out and foot traffic to local businesses is spiking. School buses are getting kids to class on time, and yellow cab trips increased by 10 percent. Transit ridership is up, drivers are having a better experience, and support for this program is growing every day.
“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We’ll see you in court.”
On X, many are reacting to President Donald Trump declaring himself a king for the move. We’ve got reactions to the moment below.
—
Photo: Getty
Cloud Music’s revenue from subscriptions grew 22.2% year over year, helping the Chinese music streaming company post a 113% increase in profit, to 1.7 billion RMB ($233.4 million), as revenue increased by only 1%, to 7.95 billion RMB ($1.09 billion), the company announced Thursday (Feb. 20). Revenue from online music services increased 23.1% to 5.35 […]
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty / 50 Cent / Lil Meech
Lil Meech is finding out the hard way that his boss, 50 Cent, has pettiness levels through the roof.
50 Cent is taking his foot off BMF star Lil Meech and his father Big Meech’s necks. The Southside Jamaica Queens rapper shared on social media that the actor has a drug addiction that required him to send him to rehab.
On his favorite tool for antagonizing those he feels have wronged him, 50 Cent accused Big Meech of being jealous of the relationship he developed with his son while filming the hit Starz series BMF, which the rapper, born Curtis Jackson, serves as an executive producer on.
Lil Meech Was Allegedly “High As F*** On Set” According To 50 Cent
He also claimed in the eye-opening post that “MeMe,” that’s what he was calling Lil Meech, had a drug problem while adding that Big Meech did not like the fact that the “Wanksta” rapper helped his son.
“I thought about it I think he was uncomfortable with me and MeMe’s relationship,” 50 Cent wrote. “I’m telling MeMe I don’t want him doing drugs. He telling him he use to do X like it’s cool. I tell meme chill stop spending all ya money, he telling him how much money he blew. people don’t know I had to send MeMe to rehab.”
He continued, “Russell Hornsby peeped he was high as fuck on set he started throwing up at a weapons test then Ian told me the little [ninja] had whippets in his truck.I said what the fvck is whippets I look it’s the shit that be in Bebe guns.”
The post, which is hilariously still up, features a video clip of Gene Deal talking about Big Meech, born Demetrius Flenory Jr., being a snitch and working with “officers,” referring to Rick Ross.
How Did This All Begin?
50 Cent’s continued attacks on Big Meech and Lil Meech stem from his disgust for Big Meech taking a flick with longtime nemesis Rick Ross ahead of the now-canceled Welcome Home Concert and Lil Meech standing up for his dad.
We hope this doesn’t affect the show in any way. We still need our entertainment, Fif.
Social media has been reaction to the ongoing drama between the rapper and the Flenory family, you can see those reactions in the gallery below.
2. Points were made here
3. We guess
Billboard Unfiltered returned with a new episode on Wednesday (Feb. 19), and instead of the traditional Friday taped release, the crew elected to go with a raw, live version of this week’s show.
Deputy director of R&B/hip-hop Carl Lamarre was back in the saddle after a few weeks off, and he was flanked by staff writer Kyle Denis and senior charts analyst Trevor Anderson.
A$AP Rocky was found not guilty on both counts in the 2021 felony shooting case involving his former friend A$AP Relli (born Terrell Ephron). When the verdict was read, Rocky exhaled and jumped over the railing into the gallery to embrace Rihanna, a moment that quickly went viral on social media.
“Only Rocky and God know the truth here. The way that man was breathing heavy, the way he crowd-surfed over to Ri, he was shaking his boots a little bit,” Denis said. “He got off. I love seeing a brother beat the system.”
Anderson harkened back to right before the trial began, when Rocky shrewdly declined a final plea deal offer, which would have seen him spend 180 days behind bars. “They gambling in that situation and came up big,” he said. “The system played out how it does … Glad they could put this behind them.”
$ome $exy $ongs 4 U arrived on Valentine’s Day, and Denis believes the Drake and PartyNextDoor album didn’t live up to the hype. “I think my biggest issue with the album is it’s really not sexy at all,” he suggested. “Drake using women, love, sex, relationships to get back in the good graces of men whose approval he really wants the most. There’s not much warmth in these songs. Nothing about this makes me want to link with my special somebody and have a night to this album.”
Denis continued: “As a fan, I’ve wanted a Drake-Party album for such a long time, but none of these songs live up to ‘Come and See Me’ or ‘Wednesday Night Interlude.’ … But I don’t think it’s a disaster either.”
Lamarre, a noted OVO fan, thought the album “OK.” “I do wish there was more Party involved,” he said. “Overall, it was OK. There’s probably a good seven or eight songs I will go back. Does this put Drake back in the driver’s seat, culturally speaking? No, it’s still Kendrick.”
Watch the full episode above.
Puerto Rican salsa singer Christian Alicea has signed a record deal with Rimas Entertainment, Billboard can announce. The announcement comes ahead of the release of Alicea’s upcoming single “Hello, What’s Up?,” which is set to drop Thursday (Feb. 20) at 7 p.m. ET. “I’m feeling a lot of emotions but mainly I feel proud,” Alicea […]
Over its 50-plus years in existence, hip-hop has long been underestimated. And in a new interview, Doechii calls it for exactly what it is: racism.
In her new cover story with The Cut published Wednesday (Feb. 19), the Florida native was introspective about her place in a long lineage of rap legends, noting that the ingenuity of her predecessors — shouting out Lauryn Hill, specifically — has historically gone unappreciated. “Old-school hip-hop is vulnerability,” Doechii began.
“I’m gravitating towards the pure skill that was incorporated,” she continued. “Anyone who doesn’t think that hip-hop is an intellectual genre, I think that assumption is rooted in racism.”
Now that she’s taken the baton from the “Ex-Factor” hitmaker, Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott and more game-changing women in rap, the “Denial Is a River” artist says she strives to inspire the next generation of young Back girls who love the genre. “The first album I ever purchased and ever remember listening to in full length was The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” she told the publication. “The feeling that I have when I listen to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the same feeling I want some other Black little girl to have when she listens to me. And in order for her to have that feeling, I have to talk about my feelings.”
The interview arrives just a few weeks after Doechii made history as the third woman to ever win best rap album at the Grammys with Alligator Bites Never Heal, following none other than Ms. Hill and Cardi B. During her acceptance speech, she echoed, “I know there is some Black girl out there [watching], and I want to tell you that you can do it … you are exactly who you need to be.”
Elsewhere in her Cut feature, Doechii recalled her own struggles as a young girl with dreams of being an artist someday. Before she had a spiritual experience in the sixth grade during which her stage name suddenly came to her as if through divine intervention, pulling her out of a dark place. The musician says she “was getting bullied so bad,” she considered suicide.
“[Then] I realized, ‘Oh, f–k, I’m gonna kill myself and then I’m gonna be the only one dead,’” she added. “The bullies aren’t gonna be with me, and everything they said is not coming with me either. I would just be gone. And then I was like, ‘F–k that!’”
If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts and/or distress, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 for confidential help and support. You can also call or text 988 to get connected to a trained counselor.
See Doechii on the cover of The Cut below.