R&B/Hip-Hop

Kodak Black has not forgotten the kindness showed to him by Donald Trump during the one-term president’s way out of office when he pardoned the “ZEZE” rapper (as well as Lil Wayne).

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In a preview of his upcoming appearance on the Drink Champs show on Tuesday (Oct. 24), the rapper born Bill Kahan Kapri said he had a lot in common with the quadruple-indicted Republican party figurehead. “I f–k with that boy,” Black said after N.O.R.E. brought up the 11th hour pardon for the MC who was in federal prison after pleading guilty to a firearms possession charge after getting detained at the Canadian border in March 2020.

“He a Gemini like me — his birthday two days after my s–t,” Black added of his similarity to the 77-year-old fellow Floridian. “And that boy, like, he be vibin’ out here too.” Self-professed billionaire Trump is currently in court in a civil fraud trial in New York over allegations that he arbitrarily inflated the prices of his family company’s properties in a suit that could dismantle his real estate empire. The Donald also recently dropped off Forbes’ list of the 400 richest Americans (for the second time), which led host N.O.R.E. to wonder if Kodak would slide Trump $1 million if he asked for it, not that he needs it.

“Of course, n—a,” Black, 26, said without hesitation. Trump’s pardon resulted in Black getting freed from prison after serving a year for falsifying information on federal forms to buy four guns from a Miami firearms shop. In one of his frequent efforts to convince Trump to pardon him before his last-minute reprieve, Black said he’d donate $1 million to charity. Last year, Black doubled-down on his endorsement of the twice-impeached former commander-in-chief, writing, “We need Trump in office forever, man. Just like how them Chinese and Russian and Korean motherf—ers have their president. Trump the best thing for America.”

In January 2021, Black released a new song called “Last Day In,” a week after the pardon, rapping, “Trump just freed me, but my favorite president is on the money/ All they hatin’ presidents has become evident to me.”

Kodak isn’t the only MC who is stumping for Trump, who currently holds a commanding lead over the rest of the Republican field in the 2024 presidential race. Sexxy Red recently said she is on Team Trump, too.

“I like Trump,” Red told comedian Theo Von on his This Past Weekend podcast. “Yeah, they support him in the hood. At first I don’t think people was f–king with him. They thought he was racist, saying little s–t against women. But once he started getting Black people out of jail and giving people that free money. Aww baby, we love Trump. We need him back in office. We need him back because, baby, them checks. Them stimulus checks. Trump, we miss you… I love Trump. He funny to me,” she continued. “I used to be watching him talking to people. He used to be calling people fat. He just bold. He funny. We need people like him.”

Watch the preview of the interview below.

Eminem is dropping a hot new joint on Thursday (Oct. 26). It is not, however, the one his fans were looking for. The MC revealed on Tuesday that he’s taking the “Lose Yourself” brand extension beyond the Mom’s Spaghetti restaurants he’s opened in his hometown of Detroit and New York.
“From the D 2 ur kitchen [spaghetti emoji] #momsspaghetti sauce is droppin 10/26,” he tweeted alongside a video cued to “Drop the Bomb On ‘Em” from his 2009 Relapse:Refill album. The clip featured jars of the spaghetti sauce falling through the sky and smashing on a traditional red-and-white checkered tablecloth accompanied by the message, “The sauce is dropping.”

Fans love anything Shady does, but the comments on the tweet said it all, with one writing, “DROP THE ALBUMMMMMMM,” with another seconding that emotion, “You drop album, I guy the sauce, deal” and a third lamenting, “This is not what we meant when we said drop the album.”

Mom’s Spaghetti is, of course, an homage to the iconic first verse of Em’s Oscar-winning 2002 song “Lose Yourself” from his film debut, 8 Mile, in which he raps, “His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy/ There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti.”

After opening the first Mom’s in D-Town in Sept. 2021, Em brought the chain to L.A. for a Super Bowl pop-up in Feb. 2022, then set down roots in New York in November of that year. The sauce news was sweet (or spicy, we don’t know the recipe yet), but what commenters really seemed to want was news on the follow up to 2020’s Music To Be Murdered By, which featured collabs with Ed Sheeran, Juice WRLD, Don Toliver, Q-Tip, Anderson .Paak, Young M.A. and many more.

Em’s sauce

Check out the Mom’s Spaghetti sauce ad below.

Nicki Minaj shared some good news/bad news with Barbz on Tuesday (Oct. 24). The good news is that her anticipated Pink Friday 2 album has a new release date that is super special to the rapper and her fans. The bad news is that instead of next month it’s now Dec. 8.
Minaj originally scheduled the album for Oct. 20, then re-scheduled it for Nov. 17, but in a message to fans she explained why she’s re-shuffled the deck again. “I have never in my life been so in love with something that I’m working on,” she said of the album that has been five years in the making, but which she explained had been delayed because she had writer’s block during her pregnancy and didn’t want to say “freaky” stuff.

“So this entire album will be the biggest gift I have ever given humanity thus far,” she promised of the LP that will make people “fall in love immediately.” First off, she said, the date change was because her longtime consigliere, Lil Wayne, is releasing a joint album with his pal 2 Chainz, Welcome 2 Collegrove, on Nov. 17, and just like he would never drop on the same day as Nicki, she is doing the same. “The new album date for this incredible body of work that I am so proud of is on a very special day to me and to the Barbz,” she said in a lengthy Instagram live video.

“It will come out on my birthday,” she added. “Pink Friday 2 I am so happy to announce will be out on my birthday, Dec 8th.” She had two other announcements as well, revealing that she has a new fragrance (also called Pink Friday 2) coming out on Dec. 13 and Dec. 26 through Amazon and J.C. Penny, respectively.

In September, while hosting the 2023 MTV VMAs, Nick previewed a new, untitled song from PF2 after previously teasing the sci-fi cover of the album.

The last time Minaj pushed the album she didn’t explain the reason, though at the time she promised on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the delay was because of “some really exciting news that I’ll share with you guys @ a later time.”

Pink Friday 2 is the follow-up to Minaj’s 2018 sophomore album, Queen.

See Minaj’s announcement below.

You already knew that Jay-Z doesn’t write down any of his rhymes. But in a preview of his upcoming two-part interview with Gayle King for CBS Mornings slated to air on Thursday and Friday (Oct. 26 and 27), the morning anchor takes a walk through the Brooklyn Public Library’s smash “Book of HOV” exhibit honoring […]

Megan Thee Stallion is ready for her next act. After recently reaching a settlement with her former label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, following three years of litigation over a record deal the rapper called “unconscionable,” the Houston MC teased “ACT ONE” of her new era in a social post on Monday night (Oct. 23).
The caption also featured a snake emoji, the latest in a recent string of teases that has employed slithery language and imagery. With the camera zeroed in on Meg’s lips floating in a black void, she says, “Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past, over and over again” with what sounds like bits of an ominous new track in the background.

As the focus pulls back to reveal Meg’s face — complete with vertical snake eyeballs — the short clip ends with a shot of a pair of dripping fangs. The title card reads: “A story by Megan Thee Stallion” and “Directed by Douglas Bernardt.” The Brazilian director is best known for his work on videos by Arlo Park, Masego and Gregory Porter, as well as the 2019 Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning short film Bluesman.

Though she hasn’t announced her new project, the “Bongos” MC has been leaning into snake imagery lately, including a tweet earlier this month with serious Hottieween vibes in which she appeared to bear her vampire fangs. The post featured a cryptic message, “Let’s begin…,” accompanied by a sliver of a picture with a slime green filter that animated into a 3-second video in which Meg bared her sharp teeth. The clip did not have any sound, but Megan followed it with a series of Instagram posts with additional scary scenes.

The trio of posts dubbed “Act One” featured an O made up of a red snake swallowing its own tail. The captions on the slides also spotlighted the snake emoji, accompanied by a video of a white snake coiled on someone’s hand, a close-up of Megan’s face and a third of her wrists covered in thorny bracelets. The second slide added the caption “Begin [snake emoji],” and a glimpse of a green-skinned Megan reclining on a dark red divan, her long nails sharpened to sharp points.

The tease also seemed to preview what looked like a music video, with a shot in which Meg bared her vamp fangs again, as well as an image of a bowl of fruit and other totems on an altar. At press time Megan had not officially announced any new music as she eases her way back into the game following the end of the trial of Tory Lanez, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August for shooting Megan in the feet in July 2020. Since then she’s released her hit Cardi B collab “Bongos” and “Out Alpha the Alpha,” the lead single from the A24 move Dicks: The Musical, in which she also co-stars.

Either way, it seems like she’s going to go it alone this time, after revealing in an Instagram Live earlier this month that she’s not signed to a label and will be funding her own music projects moving forward “This part of my album is very much so funded by Megan Thee Stallion because we’re trying to get off… Y’all know what’s the tea. But I have no label right now,” she said at the time. “We’re doing everything funded straight out of Megan Thee Stallion’s pockets. So, the budget is coming from me. Motherf—ing Hot Girl Productions! The next s— y’all about to see is all straight from Megan Thee Stallion’s brain and Megan Thee Stallion’s wallet. We are in my pockets, hotties, so let’s do our big one.”

Check out Megan’s latest snake-themed tease below.

With so many Hollywood movies on ice as the strike by actors drags on into the fall, Busta Rhymes is prepping his own blockbuster. Actually, make that Blockbusta, the MC’s 11th solo studio album, which is due out on Black Friday, Nov. 24.
Busta announced the project in a video posted on his socials on Monday (Oct. 23), in which he held a Zoom sit-down with the project’s four AAA-list super producers: Pharrell Williams, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. “This project right here is executive produced by the f—ing committee,” Swizz said in the clip. “Pharrell the Pharaoh, Timbo the King, Swizz Beatz the student.”

Timbaland gave thanks for the Transformers-like gathering of production legends, telling Busta that he is, “so grateful that you chose me to be a part of your legacy.” Pharrell also gave some insight into the project, whose track list has not yet been released.

“You really feel illuminated,” Skateboard P said of the collection that also lists Busta as an exec producer. “This illumination is good because I think people gonna be able to get and feel that.” Timbaland had a one-word description for the follow-up to Busta’s 2020 sequel album, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God, which featured guest spots from Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Mary J. Blige, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Anderson .Paak, Mariah Carey and more.

“Timeless,” Tim said, as Swizz scatted, “The Blockbusta, Busta Rhymes…zaa zaa za, zone, zone, zone.” The clip ends with a volcano erupting the album’s title into the sky.

In September, Busta dropped the “Luxury Life” single featuring Coi Leray and last week he teased a new single, “Chooky,” featuring Elesia Limura and O.T.; at press time it was unclear if either song will be featured on the new album.

Check out Busta’s Blockbusta announcement below.