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Lil Wayne is gearing up to make waves ahead of Super Bowl LIX, teasing fans with a mysterious announcement set for Thursday, Feb. 6—just days before the big game in New Orleans.
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While speculation runs wild, the rap legend is keeping details under wraps, fueling anticipation with a cryptic Instagram Story video.
“Y’all know I’m not going to be there this week, which means I guess there’s a seat to fill,” Wayne said. “Shout out to New Orleans, but I’ve been working on something very special. I got something exciting coming for you Thursday, the 6th. Until then… I’m chillin’.”
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Though he hasn’t revealed specifics, fans are already theorizing what Tunechi has in store. Some are hoping for a surprise single or project announcement, while others are speculating about a Super Bowl-related activation.
With his long-teased album Tha Carter VI expected to drop this year, the timing aligns with what could be a major musical moment.
Back in December, Wayne recently publicly addressed his absence from the Super Bowl Halftime Show, where Kendrick Lamar will headline. Some fans initially expected Weezy to join Lamar on stage, given their past collaborations and mutual respect.
However, Wayne confirmed in a recent interview that he wouldn’t be attending the game and had spoken directly with Kendrick to clear up any misunderstandings.
“I’ve spoken to him, and I wish him all the best and I told him he better kill it,” Wayne told Skip Bayless on his show in December, during which the host revealed that he remains “baffled and angry” that his guest was not tapped to perform on the biggest stage there is in his own backyard.
“For whatever reason I believe it’s over my head,” Wayne said as part of what he described as the “general” reason why he thinks he was passed over for the gig during what is traditionally the most-viewed TV program of the year. “I don’t know why, period. Obviously I believe that it’s perfect… I do not know why.”
Wayne’s Carter series has been a dominant force on the Billboard 200, with Tha Carter V debuting at No. 1 in 2018 with 480,000 equivalent album units—his fourth chart-topping album. His most recent project, Tha Fix Before Tha VI, was released in 2023, serving as a precursor to the highly anticipated Tha Carter VI.
In 2023, the New Orleans rapper dropped the mixtape Tha Fix Before That VI (Bonus) featuring Jon Batiste, Euro, Cool & Dre, Fousheé, TheNightAftr, and DMX and he and 2 Chainz released Welcome 2 Collegrove, the follow-up to their 2016 collab album ColleGrove.
While he hasn’t released a full-length project yet this year, the Young Money boss has been active feature-wise. He appeared on French Montana‘s “Splash Brothers” alongside Rick Ross, Flau’jae‘s “Came Out A Beast,” DJ Premier‘s “Ya Don’t Stop” with Ross again and Big Sean, and he was featured on Ye and Ty Dolla $ign‘s Vultures 2 song “Lifestyle.”
When the news broke of Lamar’s upcoming performance in September last year, Weezy was very candid about being passed over. “First of all, I want to say forgive me for the delay. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking,” said a somber Wayne in an Instagram post at the time.
“I’mma say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all love and support out there. Your words turned into arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.”
At the time, he said the news “Hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot. I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. And for automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that. But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot.”
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Killer Mike has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the security firm that executed his arrest at the 2024 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
Per Rolling Stone, Killer Mike — born Michael Render — claimed that S & S Labor Force attempted to “degrade, embarrass and physically hurt” him during the arrest, which saw the Run The Jewels rapper escorted out of Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 4, 2024.
Filed on Monday (Feb. 3) in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Mike made claims of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false arrest and imprisonment.
“Defendants wrongly caused plaintiff to be falsely arrested and had him placed in jail during the remainder of the Grammy Awards Ceremony,” the suit reportedly states. “Plaintiff was therefore deprived of the valuable opportunity to be present at the awards ceremony where he was scheduled to appear on primetime television in front of a huge international audience to appear and speak and be recognized on the telecast for his historic achievements.”
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S & S Labor Force called Mike’s legal allegations “unfounded” in a statement to Rolling Stone. The security company did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.
Shortly after the arrest, sources close to Billboard relayed that the altercation stemmed from an issue with a Grammy Awards security guard over media access credentials outside the Peacock Theater where the pre-show was taking place.
The confrontation took place about an hour after Killer Mike won best rap album for Michael and best rap song for the track “Scientists & Engineers” with André 3000. During the scuffle, Mike allegedly shoved a female security worker, after which LAPD officers reported to the scene and handcuffed the rapper.
Killer Mike was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery and released without bail. However, the Los Angeles City Attorney decided not to pursue the charges.
“Even though plaintiff sought to explain the situation in a respectful way, defendants used physical force to invade plaintiff’s bodily autonomy, using hands to touch plaintiff’s person in a manner both offensive and harmful without any justification or provocation from plaintiff, and to restrain him against his will,” the suit continues.
Killer Mike is seeking damages for the incident.
In an appearance on V103’s Big Tigger Morning Show shortly after the 2024 arrest, Killer Mike downplayed the situation, which he called a “speed bump.” “I won a Grammy,” he said. “We party all night. Shout out to my record label. Ain’t nothing had happened, man. But we winners. That’s it.”
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It’s an event anytime DJ Khaled is in album mode. The We the Best mogul brought out all of the stops to reveal the title of his upcoming 14th studio album, Aalam of God, which translates to “the word of God” in Arabic.
DJ Khaled released a blockbuster seven-minute album trailer — directed by Eif Rivera — on Tuesday (Feb. 4), which finds the Miami native in the middle of an intense heist scene. In it, Khaled is doing everything he can to protect the files for his upcoming album — which features a pair of Drake songs — as assailants attempt to extract the project from his briefcase throughout the cinematic clip.
The 49-year-old does his own stunts as he makes a great escape from Mark Wahlberg’s team of robbers. “Did you get it?” Wahlberg asks. “This guy’s two Drake songs on there. What if he’s got another 100-bar from Jay-Z and that thing gets out on the f–king street?”
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Khaled hops into the car with Anthony Ramos, who he believes is his friend, but Ramos ends up double-crossing the musician after lunch at a Jamaican spot while holding him at gunpoint and demanding he cough up the album.
“Look how far we came and you f–king worried about what they saying? You know our saying, ‘Win with us or watch us win,’” Khaled says to Ramos, who’s playing Tone. “One more thing, Tone, you a piece of s–t!”
An unreleased snippet soundtracks the final scene with a track seemingly titled “God Is on Our Side.” “Make sure you listen in order too — from the intro to the outro,” Khaled says as he walks off scot-free. He heads to the private jet and hints at a collaboration with Rihanna on the way. “Send Rihanna the record,” he adds. “Aalam of God.”
In announcing the project on social media, Khaled also told fans in his Instagram caption, “”DRAKES BACK TO WORK… SO AM I! THIS THE ONE WITH✌🏽DRAKES.” He also tagged producer Ayo Juan while teasing a potential Ri collab, saying, “matter of fact..send that record over to @badgalriri .. u know…I JUST WANNA BREATHE – THE AIR THAT RIHANNA BREATHES – yo RIH everyTING locked.”
Aalam of God is set to arrive later in 2025, and will serve as Khaled’s 14th studio album. “This is not my last album, it’s my Black album,” Khaled said in a press release while channeling his inner Jay-Z.
Watch the cinematic trailer below.
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