Happy Halloween from HotNewHipHop! We celebrated with a new livestream in which our features editor Aron and I talked about the Jay-Z Super Bowl halftime show, Nicki Minaj and her proximity to Donald Trump, the Drake "Janice STFU" lawsuit, J. Cole walking back his retirement, rappers' most wild Halloween costumes over the years, and our artists "On The Come-Up" while covering the week's new releases.
Starting off with the Jay-Z Super Bowl halftime show, Aron and I believe there's only one way for the unsurprising, safe, and precedent-heavy (thanks to Hov's 2026 run) slot to work. What is that way? To break away from expectations, lean into narratives against him, and treat this as a power move rather than a promo opportunity.
These are wild and unrealistic ideas rather than predictions, but Aron and I would love to see them. Or at least, it would spark some great conversation. I suggested Jay-Z only bring on and curate huge guests rather than perform a traditional set, do a full a cappella freestyle instead, or just cancel at the last minute as a power move. Aron would love for Hov to open with his "Pump It Up" freestyle, bring out Tia Kemp, or reunite all of Drake's opps to lean into that narrative.
Elsewhere, regarding Nicki Minaj's support of Donald Trump, Aron and I questioned why she's jumping on the MAGA bandwagon now rather than in previous years. We also disagreed over whether or not there are ulterior motives at play, and commented on how her past personal politics and citizenship status also cause questions around her endorsement and campaigning.
HNHH Live
Onto another Young Money alum, Drake recently had the "Janice STFU" lawsuit against him dismissed, which Aron and I noted could still be refiled later. However, amid other Drizzy legal battles like the UMG defamation appeal and stagnant botting and gambling-related lawsuits, we posited this is indicative of the 6ix God's scale rather than any coordinated conspiracies. This also brought up the larger ghostwriting and collaboration discourse around him, which Aron and I argued isn't as relevant anymore as it was in the Quentin Miller days.
As for Drake's "Big Three" companion, J. Cole walking back his retirement led to some mixed reactions from Aron and I. While we thought it's dope that Cole remains inspired, especially after the 2024 beef situation, we doubt he will challenge himself out of his comfort zone in his future musical releases, for better or for worse. This is something he's been talking about all throughout The Fall-Off's rollout, so the walk-back is unsurprising. The only rappers who really retire are the ones who never announce it.
Aron and I also reacted to some of hip-hop's wildest Halloween costumes. Among the picks were Drake as his father, Megan Thee Stallion's pumpkin-headed fits, Fat Joe as Ozempic, Offset as Jim Carrey's The Mask, and more.
Finally, Aron and I listed off some of the week's biggest releases and shouted out Bristol's Wish Master and Rochester's Rigs as our artists "On The Come-Up." They will be your healthy dose of killer lyricism for the week.
Let us know what you think about these topics in the comments below. Stay logged onto HNHH to rate new songs and albums and keep up with our news and feature coverage.
