Hip-Hop: Celebs Rumors

“Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy,” which premieres on Peacock Tuesday, addresses rumors that the disgraced hip-hop mogul might have been involved in the drive-by shooting of his prize rap protégé on March 9, 1997.“So did he directly have something to do with it? He could have,” says former Diddy bodyguard Gene Deal, who is one of the members of his inner circle interviewed in the doc that arrives as the jailed star — born Sean Combs — awaits his May trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.Deal, who worked for Diddy from 1991 to 2005, was with his then boss and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rapper the night of his murder after Vibe magazine’s post-Soul Train Awards party in Los Angeles.In “Making of a Bad Boy,” he claims that Diddy was allegedly acting suspiciously in the days before the murder.“The week [in] which Biggie was murdered he was just acting real anxious and trying to get Big at this party,” says Deal. “And [what] was crazy was, Big was telling people he had to be in London.

Drake name-checking him in his most recent lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG).Last spring, Drake and Kendrick Lamar went back and forth in a historic rap feud. Across various diss tracks aimed at one another, the duo send scathing shots at one another.

Black Eyed Peas have cancelled their 2025 Las Vegas residency due to “current circumstances”.The trio – comprising Will.I.Am, Apl.De.Ap and Taboo – shared the update in a recent post on their Instagram Stories feed, according to Billboard.“To our dearest Peabodies,” they wrote. “It is with a heavy heart that, in light of current circumstances, our Las Vegas shows will not be moving forward as planned.”The statement continued: “Ticket providers will issue full refunds automatically.

Krept & Konan and Bashy are among those set to perform at the 2025 MOBO Awards. Find further information below.The 27th edition of the annual ceremony, which celebrates music of Black origin, is due to take place in Newcastle for the first time.

Busta Rhymes has been charged with assault after allegedly punching a man in the face in New York City.TMZ and the New York Post first reported that the rapper turned himself into a police station in Brooklyn on Tuesday (January 14) and has since been charged with misdemeanour assault, attempted assault and harassment.Rhymes – real name Trevor Smith Jr. – is now due to appear in a criminal court on February 3, with the New York Police Department stating that the case is “ongoing”.According to New York state law, a misdemeanour assault means a person intentionally inflicts physical injury, “recklessly causes physical injury” or “causes physical injury to another person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument”.The incident is thought to have occurred on January 10, with a 50-year-old man being punched in the face multiple times in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighbourhood.The rap legend was recently awarded with the Global Icon Award at the MTV Europe Music Awards, with UK hip-hop star Little Simz presenting him with the prize.In November, he also applauded GloRilla for her “unfiltered” authenticity, describing the 25-year-old as “a different type of beautiful”.“What I love about GloRilla – and I hope that we can hold on to this GloRilla as long as possible before she evolves to her Beyoncé level – but the GloRilla that we love is the GloRilla that we see ourselves in,” he continued.

Rap Blog is a showcase of a standout rap song. Lelo doesn’t seem like someone who’s ever found himself at a loss for words. Whether rapping over frantically clattering instrumentals or ambient puffs of cloud rap, the Michigan lyricist is uncannily agile, high-stepping over beats with preternatural ease.

January 2025 kicked off with a major ice storm across the U.S. and Canada dumping more than a foot of snow across multiple states and provinces.

The Game has been providing help and supplies to firefighters while they work to keep the LA wildfires at bay.Since January 7, wildfires have erupted and spread across the Los Angeles metropolitan area – causing widespread damage, particularly in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Many have been forced to evacuate while various fire departments and volunteers try to keep the blaze under control.At the time of writing, the notorious LA Fires have taken at least 24 lives, damaged over 12,401 structures, and forced nearly 180,000 people to evacuate their homes.Born and raised in LA, rapper The Game – real name Jayceon Taylor – shared photos and videos of him with the Pasadena Fire Department, explaining in a Instagram video that he was giving out “blankets, pillows, coffees, bananas, waters – just anything we can give out to help these firemen out here.”A post shared by The Game (@losangelesconfidential)A post shared by The Game (@losangelesconfidential)In a later video post, Taylor declared: “It’s just a time where everybody needs everybody.

BRIT Awards 2025.The comedian, actor and writer will return to present the ceremony for the fifth time, having previously hosted in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.Mo Gilligan took on the job in 2022 and 2023, with Clara Amfo, Maya Jama and Roman Kemp co-presenting the BRITs 2024.This year’s awards are due to take place at The O2 in London on Saturday March 1, broadcast exclusively on ITV1 and ITVX.Whitehall said: “They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that is absolutely the case with the BRIT Awards – it is my favourite night of the year, and I am delighted to be invited back to host in 2025.”Damian Christian, Managing Director and President Of Promotions at Atlantic Records (part of Warner Music UK) and Chair of the BRIT Committee for 2025, added: “I’m excited that we’ve been able to bring Jack back to host for a fifth time.A post shared by The BRIT Awards (@brits)“Jack is a true professional who makes one of the toughest gigs on TV look effortless. His cutting wit will keep everyone on their toes, while his charm and humour will make the audience at home feel closer to the awards.”Check out the announcement video above.The BRITs has also confirmed today (January 16) that presenter and DJ Harriet Rose and satirist, presenter and producer Munya Chawawa will be co-presenting a pre-party programme on ITV2 and ITVX, The BRITs 2025: The Warm-Up.This is scheduled to air at 9pm GMT on Thursday February 27, with further details to follow at a later date.Rose explained: “The BRITs is easily one of the highlights of my year! I love every minute of chatting with the amazing artists, so being back for 2025 is an absolute dream.

Drake is suing Universal Music Group (UMG) for releasing Kendrick Lamar‘s diss track ‘Not Like Us‘ last year – where Drake and his peers were described as “certified paedophiles” who should “be registered and placed on neighbourhood watch”.The lawsuit, filed in a New York federal court today (January 15), called the release and promotion of the track, where Lamar alleged Drake “likes ‘em young”, an example of valuing “corporate greed over the safety and wellbeing of its artists”.As The Guardian reports, the lawsuit alleges that UMG “approved, published and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” that was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response”.The suit also draws attention to the artwork for ‘Not Like Us’, which features a picture of Drake’s Toronto house with markers used to identify the homes of registered sex offenders. It then mentions a shooting which occurred outside the rapper’s house two days after the track was released, calling it “the 2024 equivalent of ‘Pizzagate'”.Lawyer Michael J Gottlieb is representing Drake in this case.

For The FADER's Mini Tapes series, we typically ask artists to come-up with short playlists for things like soundtracking a spa day, eating your lunch, or texting your crush. Today, Sharon Van Etten participates in the series with an especially timely one: a playlist dedicated to three artists that have been affected by the on-going Los Angeles wildfires.

De La Soul biography has said the group “literally judged a book by its cover” when they publicly criticised it.Music journalist Marcus J. Moore published High And Rising in November, a book that explores the history of the iconic New York City rap trio.

Al B. Sure! watched Sean “Puffy” Combs go from an intern at the label in 1990 to the A&R exec behind hit acts such as Mary J. Blige and Jodeci.And he also saw the man who would become known as Diddy set his sights on Uptown Records‘ receptionist Kim Porter after she already had a son, Quincy, with the R&B crooner.“He walked into the studio, and he looked over and he saw this really beautiful girl, and she was holding this really beautiful baby, and he said ‘Hey, man, I wish I had a beautiful girl like that,’ ” recalls Al B.

Mac Miller‘s upcoming new album ‘Balloonerism’ will be accompanied by a short film. Find all the details below.The late rapper’s second posthumous record is due for release this Friday (January 17), following on from 2020’s ‘Circles’.

Madlib has lost his Los Angeles home to the wildfires ravaging the county. News of the producer's situation was shared on Monday, with a link to a Donorbox page explaining that he and his family need help rebuilding after "losing their home, decades of music, and equipment" to the fires.

De La Soul have announced that they will soon be officially releasing their rare 1994 EP ‘Clear Lake Audiotorium’, which features A Tribe Called Quest – find out more below.Over the weekend, the legendary rap group took to social media to announce the upcoming release, which has been confirmed for March 7. ‘Clear Lake Audiotorium’ will be available on digital platforms, with limited-edition CD and vinyl now available for pre-order – you can get your copy here.The group wrote of the rare recording: “Originally pressed in 1994 as an exclusive promotional release for select DJs, ‘Clear Lake Audiotorium’ has achieved near-mythical status among collectors.

The regional rap sounds of Florida and Michigan have found some overlap in recent years, and while OT7 Quanny is from Philly, it's not hard to hear the Great Lakes State in his grim musical output. Bossman Dlow, one of Florida's breakout stars of 2024, joins Quanny on his new video single "Bout That Money." Dlow brings more of the trademark vehicular recklessness he's known for ("Jumped out at the corner store / Left the Wraith running") while Quanny's verse takes a looser, more freestyled atmosphere.

A judge in Los Angeles has granted Megan Thee Stallion a restraining order against Tory Lanez after she alleged the musician has been harassing her while he serves a 10 year sentence for shooting her multiple times in 2020. At a court hearing on Thursday, Judge Richard Bloom officially granted the request, per Rolling Stone.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs documentary The Fall of Diddy has been revealed – you can watch it below.The ID- and Rolling Stone–produced documentary will premiere as a two-part series later this month on ID, and will also be broadcast on HBO Max. The series includes interviews with the disgraced rap mogul’s accuser Thalia Graves, Danity Kane’s D.

Chuck D has hit out at those using Public Enemy‘s ‘Burn Hollywood Burn’ incorrectly to celebrate the ongoing disastrous LA wildfires.A series of wildfires engulfed Los Angeles earlier this week (January 7) and are still burning strong. The ongoing fires have forced over 170,000 residents out of their homes, with thousands of houses, vehicles and more being destroyed.The hip-hop icon took to his official Instagram page to share a photo of a fire engulfing a Los Angeles corner with the caption “PRAYERS UP.

New Jersey Devils have found their footing this year and currently sit at second place in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division.And while we can’t wait to see how the rest of their campaign shakes out for Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, we’re equally excited about all the major events coming to the Prudential Center these next few months.Just a few of the biggest names set to entertain off the Newark Penn stop on the Northeast Corridor NJT line include Linkin Park (Aug. 3), Blake Shelton (March 6), Sebastian Maniscalco (March 8), Deftones (April 9) and Tyler, The Creator (July 27-28).Other biggies swooping in include Cody Johnson (Jan. 17), Mary J.

Tupac Shakur’s murder, has filed a motion to dismiss the case.As reported by the Associated Press, Davis’ attorney Carl Arnold filed the motion and claimed that his client’s rights were being violated by a 27-year delay in prosecution and a failure to honour prior immunity agreements that both federal and local authorities granted Davis after confessing to playing a role in the homicide back in 2008.In a news release, Arnold said: “The prosecution has failed to justify a decades-long delay that has irreversibly prejudiced my client. Moreover, the failure to honor immunity agreements undermines the criminal justice system’s integrity and seriously questions this prosecution.”At the time of writing, Davis’ trial is still set to go ahead on March 17.

Jay-Z has filed a new motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13-year-old girl.Filed on Wednesday (January 8), the rapper – whose real name is Shawn Carter – and his legal team highlighted what they called inconsistencies in the woman’s account.The lawsuit against Carter was first filed back in December by a woman who alleges that Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sexually assaulted her at a VMAs party in 2000, when she was 13-years-old.Carter issued a statement via Roc Nation, denying all accusations and calling them “heinous in nature”.

Over a decade ago, Mac Miller was creating Watching Movies With the Sound Off, the 2013 album that would elevate the California MC and producer from frat-rapper to respected hip-hop artist. Around the same time, he worked on another project called Balloonerism — that collection of songs has long since leaked online, but on January 17, it'll see an official release.

Rap Blog is a weekly showcase of a standout rap song. Connecticut producer ivvys has an ear for stuttering earworms that’ll skip across your mind days later.

Rylo Rodriguez and former FADER cover star Veeze displayed a rare creative chemistry on 2024's "F***ed a Fan," one of the year's standout rap tracks. EST Gee clocked it too, and has enlisted both rappers on "My Love," the Louisville rapper's first new single of 2025.

@PiersUncensored said during… pic.twitter.com/EtoReCNHsd— Tommy Robinson

Tyler, The Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, Hozier, Luke Combs and more have been announced as headliners for this year’s edition of Bonnaroo.The festival will return to its usual home of Bonnaroo Farm in Manchester, Tennessee between June 12 and 15. In addition to the headliners, the likes of John Summit, Dom Dolla, Avril Lavigne, Glass Animals, Vampire Weekend, Justice, Queens of the Stone Age and more will perform over the weekend.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are set to perform at the inaugural Roo Residency and will play three sets over three days.

Record Store Day 2025 has been confirmed.The annual event will return for its 18th edition later this year, with the 2025 event set to take place on April 12.For the upcoming edition, over 270 independent record shops across the UK – as well as thousands more globally – will prepare to welcome a new wave of vinyl releases. As is the standard, there will also be a series of in-store parties and a celebration of independent record store culture.To celebrate the forthcoming 18th instalment, the organisers of Record Store Day have also announced a new partner for the 2025 edition.

The full lineup for Bonnaroo 2025 has been revealed. The four day festival, taking place June 12-15 at The Farm in Manchester, Tennessee, will be headlined by Luke Combs (June 12), Tyler, the Creator (June 13), Olivia Rodrigo (June 14), and Hozier (June 15).

Azealia Banks has launched a scathing attack on Doechii, saying that her success is “giving DEI hire”.The New York rapper and singer shared her thoughts on the rising artist and BBC Sound Of 2025 nominee in a post on X/Twitter last week (January 2). Banks was responding to a follower who had hailed Doechii as “one of the hardest rappers out there” currently.“Absolutely not. Lmao.

Rolling Loud California 2025 has been revealed and is being led by A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti and Peso Pluma – check out the full line-up below.Last night (January 7), rap and hip-hop music festival Rolling Loud took to social media to announce the line-up for its upcoming return to California in March. The two-day festival will take place at the Hollywood Park Grounds adjacent to SoFi Stadium on March 15 and 16.

Lil Baby's fans have grown restless. He's aware: "I'm nowhere near falling off [but] if I was, I wouldn't be mad," he told Lil Yachty in an interview last month, a curiously circumspect statement for a rapper whose last album cover depicted his face four times a la Mt.

Will Smith shared an unsual post online on Monday, one that led many of his followers to believe he had been cast in a new movie in The Matrix franchise. “In 1997, the Wachowskis offered Will Smith the role of Neo in The Matrix.

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

Kanye West has reportedly ended his feud with Kai Cenat after privately messaging the award-winning streamer.Fans speculated whether West and Cenat had reconciled after an edited photo surfaced online showing a horse wearing a black coat emblazoned with the word “Bully” – the name of Ye’s highly-anticipated 11th solo album – in Cenat’s bedroom. The Twitch star addressed the confusion in a recent stream, stating that he himself doesn’t “even know what this shit means.”He told his chat: “Listen, I know he’s got an album coming out and – I’m not gon’ lie – I think I’m officially a part of the rollout. I don’t know though.