This might be the biggest West Coast “beef” we’ve seen from that side’s new generation of emcees thus far….YG was on Hot 97, and — while spitting some bars and promoting his new album My Krazy Life — decided to send a few darts in Problem and Tyga’s direction. Grab your popcorn.
…of which there are only 3 4. Hopefully, you don’t live too far….check out the dates below and get your tickets here when they go on sale March 29th at 10am (Facebook and Live Nation users can purchase earlier, on the 22nd and 27th of March, respectively).
August 7 – Los Angeles, CA – Rose Bowl
August 16 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium
August 22 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
August 23 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
King Los makes a statement after the very recent split with Bad Boy entertainment. Talks about what to expect in 2014. – HNHH
Courtesy of BBC Radio:
Zane chats to Rick Ross about his Number 1 album Mastermind, the influence of his family on his music, the film he’s working on, his musical heroes and the key to success.
50 Cent recently released a new track, ‘Hold On’, from his upcoming album Animal Ambition…in the track, the below line was said:
On the phone I heard ‘Ya smacked the shit outta a kid…Now Jimmy got life/Gonna smack him again.”
That line referred to an incident when G-Unit affiliates (which originally included Tony Yayo) slapped Henchman’s son back in 2007 (by the way, the guy who actually did the smacking was murdered).
James Rosemond, Jr. has since responded to the line through AllHipHop:
“First and foremost, when is it cool for four grown men in their 30′s to surround and hit a 14 year-old middle school kid? The incident in 2007 was a bad situation I didn’t deserve, and seven years later it’s now being made fun of in a record? What real gangster condones grown men assaulting a minor or a young man who has no involvement in the beef? Plus, these guys have kids of their own, and they should know better!”
“Secondly, who gets credit for trying to diss a man who is currently down and in no position to defend himself at this moment? It’s so easy to try to kick a man when he is down. What “real” street person applauds when a person is fighting against the same corrupt and prejudice system that has incarcerated a lot of black men? I guess that’s how some “gangster rappers” build their credibility… At the end of the day we are not catering to any negativity on our side and we have much bigger things to put our energy into.”
From Radar Online:
Pharrell Williams has something new to be happy about! RadarOnline.com has learned that the Oscar-nominated singer recently settled his bitter lawsuit with fellow artist Will.i.am over the use of the phrase “I Am.”
It all began when the former Black Eyed Peas singer sent Williams a cease and desist letter last summer, demanding he stop using the name “I Am Other” for his newly launched YouTube channel. In response, Williams sued, and then Will.i.am fired back with a blistering lawsuit of his own.
Will.i.am even went so far as to accuse the “Blurred Lines” singer of being a serial thief because of the plagiarism lawsuit Marvin Gaye‘s family brought against that song.
But according to court documents obtained by Radar, it’s all water under the bridge. Court documents filed March 10 state that the two have come to a settlement that stipulates they drop their lawsuits against each other.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the case will be forever dismissed.
D Double E & Footsie go in for Tim Westwood’s Crib Sessions series.
I’m really disappointed in all the people that I personally watched Biggs help just acting like it’s just ok not to help Biggs …he’s a g so he’s not complaining but this shit is just not ok…you all know who you are…I have know respect for anybody Biggs looked out for that is not looking out him…you should be ashamed of yourself…if you not gonna send him something buy a shirt and I’ll send it to him #harlemstickstogetherddpoppington.com
The Smoking Section saw the above message (much like everyone else) and theorized that — amongst others, I’d imagine — Dame Dash’s Instagram picture and message may have been directed at JAY Z. During Roc-A-Fella’s heyday, it was JAY, Dame and Biggs that represented the empire (below).
Biggs is currently serving a five-year sentence for conspiring to distribute more than 100 kilos of marijuana.
Huh? From Uptown Magazine:
Former Bad Boy rapper Mase has dismissed his divorce petition against wife of 12 years, Twyla Betha.
The rapper turned pastor secretly filed for divorce on January 2, citing irreconcilable differences. Mase, real name Mason Betha, requested full custody of their two children and child support. The “Welcome Back” rapper stopped divorce proceedings a day before Valentine’s Day.
Def Jam artist Vince Staples drops off his latest project — Shyne Coldchain 2 — which boasts 10 tracks with features from Jhene Aiko and James Fauntleroy. The stream and tracklisting is above; you can find the download link below.
Some very quick (and somewhat low-quality, as far as the audio) footage of TDE rocking the iTunes Festival stage during SXSW.
Fresh off the recent release of his LLCOOLJ EP, J2K drops the brand new video to his single ‘Screw Your Life’ (out 28th April), featuring JME & Nicole Jackson.
Kevin Gates keeps it consistent with yet another music video, taken from his latest release By Any Means.
The track is from last year, but Hit-Boy releases some new visuals for the Nipsey Hussle-assisted ‘Alert’. Courtesy of Detail Films (and premiered through LIFE+TIMES).
From the forthcoming album White Women, out May 12th.
Lykke Li’s latest release actually serves as the theme song for the Swedish movie Tommy. Both are definitely worth checking out.
The Breakfast Club recently interviewed Keyshia Cole, who spoke on her relationship with Boobie Gibson (they are now separated), beefing with Charlamagne, not “hating” on Beyonce/Destiny’s Child, upcoming music and more.
Below is an official statement from the city of Seattle in the midst of growing rumors that Kurt Cobain’s case could be reopened. Above are a couple of photos that have been released from the 1994 crime scene.
In anticipation of the 20th anniversary of the suicide of Seattle icon Kurt Cobain, Seattle Police Department Cold Case Detective Mike Ciesynski reviewed the case file in anticipation of media inquiries about Cobain’s death, and the many conspiracy theories surrounding the case.
Ciesynski reviewed the case—including statements and evidence photos—but did not re-investigate or re-open what is considered a closed case.
“We knew with the 20th anniversary coming up and we knew there was going to be a lot of media interest,” Ciesynski says. “I’ve been a detective in homicide for 20 years and I’ve been in the cold case unit for 10 years. Most of the cases I work on, I look for something that wasn’t done [in the investigation] in the past.”
To prepare himself to take a fresh look at the case, Ciesynski says he watched several documentaries about conspiracies surrounding Cobain’s death, read articles and watched TV shows. “They’re all very interesting,” he says. “I can see why people have questions [about the case], but you can always point to something and say ‘what if.’”
After pulling the full case file out of storage at SPD’s Evidence Unit, Ciesynski did find something left undone in the 20 year old investigation—four rolls of crime scene photos, which were never developed by investigator as they “felt it was a suicide and already had polaroids and photos from the medical examiner,” Ciesynski says.
While it’s unusual for SPD to store evidence from a closed case for two decades, Ciesynski says that because of the high profile of the case, detectives put the Cobain file into storage. “There were so many conspiracy theories out there, it was good judgement on their behalf to hold to this,” he says.
While Ciesynski didn’t come up with any new theories about the case, he does have a theory about why questions about Cobain’s death have persisted after all these years. “Sometimes people believe what they read—some of the disinformation from some of the books, that this was a conspiracy. That’s completely inaccurate,” he says. “It’s a suicide. This is a closed case.”
From the Detroit Free Press:
A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of singer-songwriter Anita Baker in a lawsuit that alleges she failed to pay more than $15,000 for work done on her Grosse Pointe home, according to an attorney involved in the civil case.
The bench warrant stems from the Grammy Award-winning singer’s failure to appear at a creditor’s examination in Wayne County Circuit Court last September after she was subpoenaed, said attorney Dan Gerow, who is representing Ray A. Smith Painting & Decorating.
Gerow’s client alleges Baker did not pay for carpentry, plastering and painting work done at her home in 2009.
According to Wayne County Circuit Court records online, a bench warrant was signed and filed Wednesday.
Baker could not be reached for comment. Online court documents don’t give the name of her attorney in the case.
Gerow said a default judgment for $15,351.41 was entered against Baker in April 2011.
“I just want to collect the money,” Gerow said.
Baker, who grew up in Detroit, is best known for a series of hit songs in the mid-1980s and early ’90s, including “Sweet Love” and “Giving You the Best That I Got.”
Justin Timberlake releases the visual for his record “Not A Bad Thing” off The 20/20 Experience (2 Of 2) which is in stores now.
Kevin Gate releases a new visual in support of his record with the late Doe B off his mixtape By Any Means.
Nardwuar spent some time with TDE’s newest artist Isaiah Rashad. Nardwuar gave him a few records and discussed his hometown of Chattanooga.
Rick Ross releases the visual for his single “The Devil Is A Lie”. Sorry kids, there are no appearances from Jay Z…maybe Ross will shoot another video in the future. Mastermind is in stores now.
