Hip-Hop: Celebs Rumors

Will Smith has signed a new record deal a month after revealing that he has been working on his first album in nearly 20 years.The multi-award-winning rapper and actor has signed with the new independent label SLANG, led by esteemed music executive Rene McLean, a co-founder of Influence Media Partners. The label also brought on Big Sean, Mary J.

Snoop Dogg carried the Olympic torch through Paris ahead of the opening ceremony this evening (July 26).The ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ rapper – who is serving as a special correspondent for US TV network NBC throughout the Olympic games – strutted down the streets of Saint-Denis where the Stade de France Olympic stadium is located as the final torchbearer.French actress Laetitia Casta and French rapper MC Solaar also carried the torch in Saint-Denis alongside Snoop Dogg.

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Ice Spice has praised Taylor Swift for her ability to navigate fame and the music industry, along with commenting on the furore around Matty Healy‘s comments.The Bronx drill rapper appeared as the latest cover star for Rolling Stone magazine and in her interview, she opened up about working with the ‘Bejeweled’ singer and how her guest verse on the remix of Swift’s track ‘Karma’ came to fruition.Swift previously championed Ice Spice – real name Isis Gaston – telling Variety: “I relate to Ice in many ways, but I think her dedication and focus is what blew me away from the very start.”She continued: “She’s extremely professional without being cold. Playful and fun without ever taking her eye off the prize.

Ice Spice has hinted that fans can expect something “kind of crazy” from her following the release of debut album ‘Y2K’.The New York City rapper (real name Isis Naija Gaston) is due to drop her first full-length project tomorrow (Friday July 26). You can pre-order/pre-save it here.During an interview on Capital XTRA Breakfast this morning (July 25), the star was asked how she was feeling ahead of the full record dropping.“I think naturally I’ll have like good nerves if anything. I feel like it’s a good thing to be a little nervous, because it means you just care,” she responded.Ice Spice continued: “I’m so eager to put out the album, I’m really excited.

Mercury Prize 2024 have been revealed, with the list including Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and more.Announced today (July 25), the 12 albums up for the award were announced live by Tom Ravenscroft on BBC Radio 6 Music.As ever, they were chosen by an independent judging panel, which this year includes Jamie Cullum and Mistajam, and albums released between July 15, 2023 and July 12, 2024 were eligible.Among those featured on this year’s shortlist are ex-Portishead member Beth Gibbons, for her long-awaited debut solo album ‘Lives Outgrown’ – an LP made over the course of 10 years and finally released back in February. Also being nominated for a debut album are rising indie-rock band The Last Dinner Party, who shared ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’ at the start of the year to a glowing response from critics.Others who made the cut include Barry Can’t Swim (‘When Will We Land?’), BERWYN (‘Who Am I?’), Cat Burns (‘Early Twenties’), Corinne Bailey Rae (‘Black Rainbows’) and corto.alto (‘Bad With Names’).Additionally, Leeds band and NME cover stars English Teacher have been shortlisted for their landmark debut ‘This Could Be Texas’ – which was described by NME as seeing the group “already dealing in brilliance” – as has Charli XCX for ‘BRAT’, which has become the soundtrack of the summer and a pop culture phenomenon since its release last month.The list is rounded out by Nia Archives’ album ‘Silence Is Loud’, Ghetts’ ‘On Purpose, With Purpose’, and CMAT’s ‘Crazymad, For Me’.

Mercury Prize was announced earlier today (July 25), and fans have been quick to share their responses online.The 12 albums up for the award were announced live by Tom Ravenscroft on BBC Radio 6 Music, and chosen by an independent judging panel, which this year includes Jamie Cullum and MistaJam. Albums released between July 15, 2023 and July 12, 2024 were eligible.Among those listed were Portishead member Beth Gibbons, for her long-awaited debut solo album ‘Lives Outgrown’, The Last Dinner Party with ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’, and English Teacher with their landmark debut ‘This Could Be Texas’.Charli XCX also made the cut with ‘BRAT’, which has become the soundtrack of the summer and a pop culture phenomenon, as was Barry Can’t Swim (‘When Will We Land?’), BERWYN (‘Who Am I?’), Cat Burns (‘Early Twenties’), Corinne Bailey Rae (‘Black Rainbows’) and corto.alto (‘Bad With Names’).The list is rounded out by Nia Archives’ album ‘Silence Is Loud’, Ghetts’ ‘On Purpose, With Purpose’, and CMAT’s ‘Crazymad, For Me’.Following the announcement, many have been quick to take to social media to share their thoughts on the shortlist.“Guessed Charli would be nominated, also Last Dinner Party.

Loyle Carner has received an honorary degree from the University Of The Arts London (UAL).The South London artist earned the Honorary Doctor title at an awards ceremony in the capital last Friday (July 19).Sharing a series of images from the event on social media, Carner wrote: “10 years ago, in heavy times I dropped out of uni after my first year and promised my mum if I hadn’t made us any money after 6 months I’d try and go back. But I never did.“10 years later, I’m proud to say I’ve been awarded an honorary doctorate from @unioftheartslondon, and my kids were in the room to watch it happen.

Soulja Boy has filed a lawsuit against YouTuber Tasha K reality TV star William the Baddest, who claimed an “alleged intimate moment” happenied between the Atlanta rapper and a man.In a since-deleted podcast episode of UNWINEWITHTASHAK, filmed in May 2024, Latasha “Tasha K” Kebe interviewed William the Baddest who claimed to have had a brief physical relationship with Soulja Boy.These claims were swiftly denied by the rapper on social media and the lawsuit was filed against both Kebe and William the Baddest on Tuesday, July 16 in Los Angeles. The ‘Crank That’ rapper is seeking $16million in damages from the defendants, according to TMZ.Tasha K responded to Soulja Boy’s lawsuit by inviting process servers to hand-deliver legal documents to her upcoming live shows in New York and Boston.

Lupe Fiasco has addressed the rumours of him allegedly feuding with Kendrick Lamar, insisting that there is no bad blood between the two.While taking part in an X/Twitter Spaces event which was held over the weekend, the ‘Superstar’ singer was asked about his beef with the ‘Swimming Pools’ rapper. In response, Fiasco – real name Wasalu Jaco – clarified that there is no feud between the two.“I’m a Kendrick fan for more than his music,” he said. “I like his creativity and conceptualization.

Chris Brown has been sued for the alleged assault on a group of concertgoers.Four concertgoers have filed a lawsuit against the musician in Harris County District Court on Monday (July 22), alleging that the singer and his crew “brutally and severely beat” them “without justifiable provocation”.Brown and three other people – Sinko Seej, Omololu Akinlolu (AKA Hood Boss), and Markies Conway (AKA Yella Beezy) are named as defendants in the lawsuit. They are accused of assault and battery, along with negligence/gross negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.Larry Parker, Joseph Lewis, Charles Bush, and DaMarcus Powell claimed the assault took place after being invited into Brown’s VIP area at his concert in Fort Worth, Texas, along with 40 other women.After Bush allegedly went to shake Brown’s hand to congratulate him on the show, Seej apparently reminded Brown that he and Bush were “beefing”.

Snoop Dogg will carry the Olympic torch during the last hours of its journey across France.The ‘Gin and Juice’ rapper will serve as one of the final torchbearers of the Olympic flame ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris on Friday (July 26). Snoop will be carrying the torch throughout the streets of Saint-Denis, where the Stade de France Olympic stadium is located.French rapper MC Solaar, French actress Laetitia Casta and retired Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergey Bubka will also join Snoop as torchbearers for the ceremony.

André 3000 has shared his thoughts on the latest wave of rappers, arguing that a lot of them “sound the same”.The Atlanta hip-hop legend appeared on the latest episode of LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The Shop podcast alongside Sexyy Red and others. He was asked about his multi-decade-long career in music, including his recent debut jazz album ‘New Blue Sun’.In a clip uploaded to Instagram, 3000 spoke about OutKast‘s time in the Dungeon Family – led by the late Organized Noize legend Rico Wade who died this April from heart failure – leading him to say that today’s rap stars don’t “have time to cultivate themselves”.“If we were to come out as OutKast when we thought we were ready, we wouldn’t be around today ’cause we sounded like everybody else.

Big Sean has commented on the recent rumours that Kanye West supposedly leaked his upcoming album ‘Better Me Than You’.West discovered Sean back in 2007 and signed him to his record label, G.O.O.D Music. The latter dropped three Billboard Number One albums through the label: ‘Dark Sky Paradise’ (2015), ‘I Decided’ (2017), and ‘Detroit 2’ (2020).Last Thursday (July 18), a seemingly rough cut of Sean’s long-awaited sixth album – with features from Nas, The-Dream, Sean’s girlfriend and child’s mother Jhené Aiko, Brent Faiyaz and Charlie Wilson (per Variety) – was leaked online.

Travis Scott just announced he will headline at East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 9 as part of his ongoing ‘Utopia Presents Circus Maxximus Tour.’The one-off concert makes up for Scott’s gig that was supposed to take place at the Jets and Giants’ home stadium last year; he had to cancel due to scheduling issues.“New York I wanted to do this venue during the first leg,” the 33-year-old rapper shared on Instagram.“But football season had it tied up.

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA has announced his latest album ‘A Ballet Through Mud’ – an orchestral soundtrack for the ballet of the same name – for release on August 30 via Platoon.Last Friday (July 19), record label Platoon shared information about the release with a statement from RZA. Per Rolling Stone, the rapper rediscovered the project during the pandemic while revisiting lyrical songbooks from his teenage years.These were then transformed into the finalized ballet soundtrack, which scores a coming-of-age story about love and growth.

Drake is writing his next response to Kendrick Lamar.The internet personality made the claim on his Rumble channel on Thursday (July 18), where he has reportedly kept in close contact with the Canadian rapper throughout his feud with Lamar.Drake and Lamar’s feud reignited back in March this year, where Lamar dropped a guest verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s joint album ‘We Don’t Trust You’. Responding to a previous J.

Cardi B and Rob49 have teamed up for their boisterous new collaboration, ‘On Dat Money’.The New York rapper and the New Orleans musician have combined forces for their new hedonistic trap banger, which sees Rob49 request one to “Fuck me on that money, bitch / Bitch, fuck me on that money (Yeah)”.Speaking about his new video with the rap legend herself, Rob49 said: “I’ve been grinding hard all summer, and teaming up with Cardi B on ‘On Dat Money’ is something I’m very excited about.“Her talent and energy is unmatched, and this record is going to prove I’m not stopping any time soon.”Take a look at the video for ‘On Dat Money’ down below now:Cardi B has recently responded to the “obvious anticipation” around her upcoming new album, telling fans that it will be “coming this year”.The Bronx musician has not released music since her 2018 debut ‘Invasion Of Privacy’.On X/Twitter, Cardi wrote: “I wanna say this to Bardi gang or anybody who’s just a fan of my music or even my craziness… I have my good days and my bad days but you know what, whether it’s good or bad I couldn’t be happier with the obvious anticipation for my album…“Sometimes I get a little aggressive because yall know I don’t like to be told what to do but I promise you it’s coming THIS YEAR. Thank you for the love and anticipation and always holding me down.

Eminem has earned his 11th Number One album with the release of his latest LP ‘The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)‘.The iconic rapper released his 12th album last week and has now landed the top spot on the UK Albums Chart. He joins the likes of Taylor Swift, David Bowie, and U2, who also have 11 chart-topping albums within their current discography.Eminem’s other chart-topping albums include 2000’s ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’, 2002’s ‘The Eminem Show’, 2004’s ‘Encore’, 2005’s ‘Curtain Call: The Hits’, 2009’s ‘Relapse‘, 2010’s ‘Recovery’, 2013’s ‘The Marshall Mathers LP 2‘, 2017’s ‘Revival‘, 2018’s ‘Kamikaze‘ and 2020’s ‘Music To Be Murdered By‘.A post shared by Official Charts (@officialcharts)‘The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)’ sees Eminem kill off his alter ego Slim Shady and was described as a “conceptual album” by the rapper, who told fans that the LP should be listened to in order.In a three-star review of ‘The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)’, Jordan Bassett wrote for NME: “So, who killed Slim Shady? In bringing him back to the light and showing him up as irrelevant, perhaps Eminem’s done his old pal in for good.

Snoop Dogg has opened up about his relationship with Dr. Dre, sharing that the latter has “always been a big brother” to him.Both of the iconic hip-hop figures appeared as guests on Capital XTRA Breakfast with hosts Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie. During their chat, Bruce asked Snoop about what his friendship with Dre had taught him in life or in general.‘The Next Episode’ rapper shared that his friendship with the rapper and producer “taught me how to be professional.

Rap Blog is a weekly showcase of a standout rap song.

Childish Gambino is adulting.In May, the Grammy-winning 40-year-old rapper/actor/writer/director dropped his fourth official studio album “Atavista” and announced the sprawling ‘New World Tour’ that will take him to arenas all over North America including Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Monday, Aug. 26 and Tuesday, Aug.

Lupe Fiasco’s creative process is more studied than most. Now 42, the Chicago MC born Wusalu Jaco has been rapping professionally for most of his life.

The Weeknd has shared details of a “one-night-only” show in Brazil, which will see him introduce a “never-before-seen production” into the set.Announced today (July 18), the one-off gig is set to take place at the Estádio MorumBIS venue in São Paulo on Friday, September 7. It follows on from the singer – real name Abel Tesfaye – embarking on his ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’ over the past two years.Now, unlike his record-breaking tour, which saw him perform across North America, Europe, the UK and Latin America and draw over 3million visitors, the forthcoming show in Brazil will see a new performance put forward.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram has recused herself from the YSL RICO trial less than 48 hours after the trial’s previous Judge, Ural Granville, was recused by the state, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports and court documents confirm. In her Order of Recusal, Judge Ingram cites an ongoing criminal case against one of her deputies.

Stormzy and Maya Jama have confirmed their split in an Instagram story.The rapper and TV presenter originally started dating in 2014, but called it quits in 2019; they reunited in August last year.Taking to social media, the duo began: “Hey guys, we’ve been laughing whilst drafting this because we never, ever, in a million years thought we’d be the couple announcing a breakup, but for the sake of clarity and, more importantly, to allow us the space and grace that’s needed for us both to be able to navigate this next bit of our lives with peace, we thought it might be best to.”They then explained that they’ve spent “this past year trying our best to make it work; however, we recently decided to call it quits,” adding: “We were 21 and 20 when we first met – both at the beginning of our careers – and spent five years growing together and then five years growing separately, so this final attempt required a whole lot of figuring out, relearning, and unlearning. We tried, and it didn’t work, and that’s OK.”Stormzy and Maya Jama have just released a statement announcing their break-up pic.twitter.com/fmzRZzHdoO— UK Rap Daily (@UKRapDaily) July 17, 2024The pair clarified that “we still think the absolute world of each other, we still care and respect each other, we are still grateful for the time we’ve had together, and we are still friends and will always be friends (so if you see us having a lil catch-up at The BRITs or something, don’t cause a fuss, we are dawgs!).”“Announcing this feels so dramatic, but we’re doing it so that it kind of takes away the drama and avoids speculation and rumours,” they continued.

Young Thug‘s trial has been delayed after its judge has been removed over misconduct allegations.The removal was prompted by the rapper’s lawyer Brian Steel, who was arrested mid-trial for alleged contempt of court in June.Steel was reportedly held in contempt for suggesting an alleged conversation between Judge Ural Glanville, witness Kenneth Copeland and prosecutors led to Copeland being intimidated or coerced ahead of taking the stand.Copeland himself was held in contempt last Friday (June 7) for suddenly refusing to testify despite being granted immunity.Now, Steel has filed a motion accusing the judge of holding the “improper” meeting without including defendants and their attorneys. He has requested Glanville to be replaced with another judge to oversee the trial.Meanwhile, Glanville announced in a Monday hearing without jurors (on break until July 8) that he would provide the transcript of his meeting with Copeland, cancel the next hearing “indefinitely” and send the attorney’s motions to recuse to another judge.The Atlanta rapper was originally arrested in May 2022 on gang-related charges and was later charged with seven additional felonies.He was arrested alongside fellow rapper Gunna, who are both involved with the musical collective YSL (Young Stoner Life), which has been accused of being “a criminal street gang”.Both men have denied their charges, with Young Thug having his bail denied three times.Young Thug’s case has been significantly notable for the use of his rap lyrics to accuse him of his YSL gang affiliation in trial.

Drake has shared footage of his flooded mansion, following torrential rain hitting Toronto in recent days.The Grammy-winning rapper shared footage to his Instagram stories last night (July 16), showing brown rainwater flooding into his home – which he has dubbed ‘The Embassy’ – and damaging his possessions.“This better be Espresso Martini,” he joked in the caption.The flooding comes after heavy rains have hit the Canadian city in recent days, and flooded homes, highways and transport hubs, as well as causing power outages across Toronto.As per Evening Standard, police and firefighters in the area were called out to help various locals who were stranded due to the severe weather, including 14 people who were left trapped on a highway.The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority also confirmed that over 4 inches of rain had fallen in pockets across the city, and rivers and streams should be considered dangerous.

Travis Scott has broken a record at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after performing what was his biggest headline show to date.The rapper is currently halfway through his series of UK and European live shows, taking place as part of his ‘Utopia: Circus Maximus tour’. It kicked off with an opening night at the GelreDome venue in Arnhem on June 28, before continuing throughout July with stops in Krakow (2), Zurich (4), Nice (6) and Antwerk (9).From there, he headed over to the UK for two shows – performing at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 11 and Manchester’s Co-Op Live on July 13.Now, it has been confirmed that the London gig was his biggest show to date, and saw him draw in over 48,500 attendees and gross more than $6.6million (£5.1million) from that one night alone.

Childish Gambino has shared a new single with Jorja Smith and Amaarae called ‘In The Night’ – check it out below.Shared this morning (July 16), the new track is the latest from Donald Glover’s forthcoming album ‘Bando Stone & The New World’ – his sixth studio release, last under the Childish Gambino moniker and expected to be his most eclectic material yet.Initially, Glover dropped the lead single ‘Lithonia’ at the start of the month, which incorporated hints of punk and rock genres.Now, he has shared the second teaser of the new LP, an equally experimental song called ‘In The Night’ which is a glitchy dance track that incorporates hints of dancehall.“I’m just a country boy from Georgia / Your body’s made for California, my love / Your man does nothin’ but adore ya / But I wonder, what would he say?” Glover sings in the opening lines, as a smooth cadence and groove-dominated drum rhythm start to gather momentum. “You look so good, I can’t afford ya / He kissed your lips it looked like torture, for you / Just ’cause you’re sweet don’t make you loyal.”As it progresses, Jorja Smith delivers some hypnotic, reverb-soaked vocals, before Amaarae adds to the dance feel with her autotone-inspired lines.Check it out below.The ‘Bando Stone & The New World’ album will also serve as the official soundtrack for a new movie of the same name.

André 3000 has admitted that, when it comes to his new musical direction, he’s making it up as he goes along.The OutKast rapper dropped a surprise project in November last year, marking his first solo album in 17 years. But upon its release, fans were surprised to discover that rather than the rap album they had been anticipating, it was an 87-minute ambient flute record.Explaining the new creative direction of ‘New Blue Sun’, he admitted he felt he’d aged out of the genre that kick-started his career: “Sometimes it feels inauthentic for me to rap because I don’t have anything to talk about in that way. I’m 48 years old.

Wiz Khalifa has been arrested and charged after smoking weed on stage at a music festival in Romania.The rapper – real name Cameron Thomaz – served as a headliner for the Beach Please! Festival in Black Sea Coast, Romania over the weekend (July 13). During his performance, he took a moment to smoke a joint while Dr.

Don Toliver just announced he will tour all over the U.S. and Canada this fall as part of his ‘Psycho Tour’ with special guests Teezo Touchdown and Monaleo.They’re coming to New York, too.Midway through the 25-concert run, Toliver and co.

Bashy has spoken to NME about ‘Being Poor Is Expensive’ – his first studio album in 15 years.Last week, the Kensal Rise-raised star has made his return to music after taking a break to pursue an acting career. Bashy – real name Ashley Thomas – initially rose to fame by being an emerging star in the then-burgeoning grime scene back in the early 2000s.

MF DOOM’s widow has shared a message on what would have been his 53rd birthday, thanking him for “bringing so much joy and laughter to our lives”.The beloved underground rapper — whose real name was Daniel Dumile — died on October 31, 2020, aged 49. In July last year, his widow Jasmine Dumile confirmed that he passed away from a condition known as angioedema, a rare and severe reaction to his blood pressure medication.Now, Jasmine has shared a heartfelt tribute to him on social media to give thanks on his “bornday”.“Time has not gotten easier, we think of you and miss you tremendously every single day,” she wrote.

Diddy is the one who gets destroyed by the rapper here.On his first studio LP since 2020’s “Music to Be Murdered By,” the MC, 51, directs his vicious attack multiple times at the disgraced hip-hop mogul — who has faced allegations of rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and sex trafficking in a string of lawsuits. Diddy has vehemently denied all of the allegations.The first Diddy diss track is “Antichrist,” which references the horrifying hotel video of the former Puff Daddy, 54, beating his then-girlfriend Cassie.“Next idiot ask me is gettin’ his ass beat worse than Diddy did/But on the real, though/She prolly ran out the room with his f–kin’ dildo/He tried to field goal punt her, she said to chill/Now put it back in my ass and get the steel toe.”Next up in the Diddy dragging is “Fuel,” a collaboration with rapper JID that alludes to the sexual assault lawsuits.“I’m like a R-A-P-E-R/Got so many S-As, S-As/Wait, he didn’t just spell the word ‘rapper’ and leave out a P, did he?” he asks, seemingly referring to the former stage name P.