R&B/Hip-Hop

Gag City, it’s time reload. Nicki Minaj is preparing to paint the world another coat of pink as she gears up to head out on a second North American leg of the Pink Friday 2 World Tour in September.

Nicki took to social media on Friday (Aug. 16) to inform the Barbz that while the bar for greatness will remain the same on the second trek, she’s got plenty of surprises in store when it comes to set changes, different wardrobe choices and possibly even new music to perform.

Minaj has also recruited her Young Money brother Tyga as well as “Whole Lotta Money” collaborator BIA and Skillibeng as tour openers.

“Let’s just say you won’t wanna miss it,” she began. “Y’all know I’m an honest pink lady. #GagCityReloaded will be a beautiful, magical dream come true. Better than the 1st half & that wasn’t easy to do.”

Nicki continued: “New looks, set list changes, other secrets, ummmm new music? Lemme think about it. Thank you to the team doing this with me again. They’re simply the best. To the guest artists who will come out in their cities, thank you in advance; and to these 3 TALENTS (who I have so much love & respect for) for taking the G6 to #GAGCITY just for the Barbz & me. @tyga@bia@skillibeng. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!”

The Pink Friday 2 World Tour has already made history with Minaj holding the title of the highest grossing rap tour ever by a woman. It’s also in the top 10 for highest grossing rap tours of all-time. According to sums reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Pink Friday 2 World Tour grossed $67 million and sold 439,000 tickets for the first North American leg.

Minaj concluded: “Barbz, we’ve already made history prior to LEG 2. TOP 10 in HIPHOP TOURS OF ALL TIME already. To everyone who came out on the first leg to support: GOD BLESS YOU. I LOVE YOU. I DO. Come back. Love always, Harajuku Barbie

The Pink Friday 2 World Tour will start up leg two in Philadelphia on Sept. 4. There are also shows on deck for NYC’s Madison Square Garden, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Miami and wrapping up with a hometown show on Oct. 11 at Long Island’s UBS Arena, which borders Queens.

Find Nicki’s full post below.

When it’s hot, Jay-Z gets on his money spot, but he’s also apparently willing to pay up when it’s time. Retired boxer Oscar De La Hoya recently recalled the time Jay allegedly lost a six-figure bet to him on a fight, and quickly cleared his debt.

De La Hoya joined Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay earlier this week where they rehashed the Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez fight in November 2015, which saw Canelo come out the victor and reminded him of the bet he made with Hov.

“So we’re promoting Canelo at the time, Golden Boy, and [Jay-Z’s] promoting Cotto,” he said. “So I said, ‘You know what? Why don’t place a bet here of $250,000? But it goes to charity.”

The 51-year-old De La Hoya said Jay paid up on the spot and there were no issues with the money transfer following his loss with a portion going to charity.

“So Canelo wins, my charity wins the two-fifths, and sure enough he paid it on the spot,” De La Hoya continued. “I think the next day the cheque was in the bank. Jay-Z loves boxing, he knows his boxing. But he’s a guy who pays his bets.”

Now, there’s a discrepancy on the amount of the six-figure wager. De La Hoya remembers it as a quarter-million payout while TMZ reported in 2015 that it was just a $100,000 bet.

“Thanks to Jay-Z, thousands of patients at White Memorial Medical Center will also be winners,” Oscar said at the time. “I don’t imagine [Jay’s] excited about losing $100,000, but he can take some comfort in knowing that it’s going to a good cause.”

Canelo Alvarez walked away the unanimous winner after the 12-round bout came to close. The official judges’ scorecards gave Canelo the edge 119–109, 118–110 and 117–111.

Watch the clip below.

With Fanatics Fest NYC launching on Friday (Aug. 16), the digital sports platform has teamed up with Apple Music for a playlist to provide the soundtrack for fans attending the inaugural festival throughout the weekend.

The versatile playlist boasts 50 tracks in total with contributions from Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Usher, Eminem, 50 Cent, DJ Khaled, Tyla, Megan Thee Stallion, Shaboozey, Future and more.

There’s quite the mix of eras shown throughout with Michael Jackson and The Notorious B.I.G. making appearances as well as new school artists like Jordan Adetunji and Central Cee.

Tickets to the immersive sports-centric event — think Comic Con but for sports — are still available with fans having the opportunity to interact with some of their athletic heroes all weekend (Aug. 16-18) at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

There’s plenty of star power slated to be in the building with Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Quavo, Lil Wayne and more representing for hip-hop. On the athletic side of things, fans will have the chance to see Carmelo Anthony, Derek Jeter, Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Tom Brady, Cody Rhodes and more.

Jay-Z’s legendary 40/40 nightclub has also been reimagined as a pop-up activation for VIP guests attending Fanatics Fest NYC. 40/40’s curating the ambiance that the shuttered nightclub once held, with autographed jerseys and memorabilia showcased throughout the venue.

The 40/40 Club’s Flatiron location closed its doors in August 2023, but Jay and his team plan to reopen in a new NYC location come 2025.

Stream the playlist on Apple Music.