Rap Industry Recap: May

Business moves quick, and that's no exception for the rap world. From the hottest new signings, to movie deals, to album pushbacks, the industry is constantly in motion. It can be hard to keep up with at times, so we've consolidated all of the must-hear information from the past month, all in one place. Be on the look out for this monthly recap of news-worthy items you may have missed to stay afloat with the industry.

Killer Mike is one of most politfcally-minded figures in hip hop. Now he’s written an editorial about Freddie Gray's murder and the situation in Baltimore.

The people want their De La! The New York rap trio has raised over half a million dollars so that they can get to work on their next LP.

In 2008, Beyonce founded her own company Parkwood Entertainment. Since its creation, Parkwood has been involved in everything Beyonce, from her albums to her music videos. She welcomed a few young guns to the team this month.

Ice Cube, Eve, and now Nicki Minaj are amongst the stars slated to appear in the third Barbershop movie.

Bruno Mars will have to split some of his dough with Trinidad James. “Don’t believe me just watch” was a really great thing to say.

As Offset's bond was denied last month due to prior felony convictions, things already weren't looking good for the Migos member, and now they look even worse. The 23-year-old rapper has apparently been charged with inciting a riot and battery.

TIDAL might be the subject of much conversation, but Jay Z continues to move forward with his business. The hip hop mogul is set to launch a new interview series out of his 40/40 club in Manhattan.

But they squashed it…

Lani Tsunami has a major deal, plus a deal for her imprint Tsunami Mob

Lots of big moves on the horizon for Mr. Khalifa. We look forward to new music from the Taylor Gang kingpin.

This is a pretty bizarre story. There are worse things you can come home too though…

Birdman and Lil Wayne’s drama is affecting the entire label as a couple artists move on.

With Offset currently sitting in jail, it's unsurprising the trio delayed their debut album until July 31st.

We always knew Mr. West was a genius!

Raekwon and Ghostface will celebrate the 20^th anniversary of their very classic album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with a special tour around America.

In case you missed it, Young Thug is going to tie the knot with Jerrika Karlae. He’s going to make an album about her too, apparently. In more controversial Thug news, he alleged that the next mixtape he'll drop will be called Carter V...

On June 29 Diddy will release a new album. Called MMM, this follows 2010’s The Last Train To Paris.

You gotta be careful what you say on the track, Quan!

We wish him nothing but a long and prosperous career.

And it’s supposed to drop tomorrow.

Rapper Lionel "Chinx" Pickens was reportedly shot at 4am in the passenger's seat of his car. RIP.

Can Young Thug and Lil Wayne do the same?

The Wu-Tang Veteran can’t stop putting out solid music. After Sour Soul and 36 Seasons, Ghost still can’t slow down.

The 2015 Billboard Music Awards went down this month, and we have the list of winners-- although since, there's been a petition to take away Iggy Azalea's award for Best Rap Song.

You can view the trailer by clicking the headline above.

The two are looking to expand their bank accounts by performing on the wheels of steel. 

Cole, The Roots, and Kanye West are amongst those who made the list.

The R&B artist recently revealed he's taking a cue from his debut album (which housed the hit "Pony"), and titling his new album Bachelor Again But Wiser. Timbaland is also attached to this new album, so we're excited to see how this pans out.

Over the past couple months, Fabolous has been treating our Friday nights with vicious freestyles over some classic 90s instrumentals. Looking to capitalize off all its success, Fab has decided to compile all of his recent freestyles into a nice little package for us.

CEO Paul Rosenberg said, "We’ve assembled a great soundtrack to accompany what’s sure to be one of the finest boxing films ever.”

Wish him a speedy recovery!

What cities would you like to see OVO Fest in?

As we await the official numbers later this week, we get a look at the projections: 125-135,000 for Rocky's A.L.L.A. and 45-55,000 for Boosie's Touchdown 2 Cause Hell.

Teaming up with Taylor Swift might be the absolute safest way to get a number one on the Hot 100, and when it's paired with the hype for the "Bad Blood" video, it's pretty much a guarantee. Not so surprisingly, Kendrick Lamar and Swift's remix of "Bad Blood" hit #1. 

If you remember back in 2013, Kanye West was sued by former soul singer Ricky Spicer, of The Ponderosa Twins Plus One, for using vocals of his all throughout the Yeezus song “Bound 2.”

For his next album, Cudi will be handling all the vocals himself.

After months of anticipation, Jeremih's long awaited Late Nights: The Album may finally have a release date (July 17th).

The crew gave fans the album they'd been fiending for, for free and packed with features.

Reports say that undercover cops arrested five people during a French video shoot in Brooklyn at the end of May. Among the police discoveries: four pistols, cocaine, marijuana, and molly.

In a recent interview with BBC 1xtra, A$AP Rocky said that he's finishing the album A$AP Yams began.