The conversation started after Akademiks argued that Kendrick is “lazy” when it comes to dropping music, suggesting that the rapper waits for the right moments to capitalize rather than consistently releasing records. The comments come after Kendrick Lamar is reportedly on a feature run, appearing on upcoming music releases from people like Jhene Aiko and AZ Chike to name a few.

Akademiks specifically reacted to Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming AZ Chike collaboration and says Kendrick has “starved his fans” by barely releasing music. He said that he fails to understand why he’s so “absent,” from the music scene and withholding music. “I just feel the nigga lazy, bro.” He then jokingly commented that being a Kendrick fan must be rough: “If you a Kendrick fan, you still listening to DAMN, or some s**t.”

Hitta J3, who has worked closely with Kendrick and appeared on GNX, clearly didn’t agree with that assessment.

“Dot goes for his target & he ain’t gotta use another individual record to get his point across,” J3 wrote on X. “Yall must forget what he did last time somebody said Drop drop drop #NoFeatures.”

Hitta J3 took the opportunity to reference Kendrick’s 2024 highly publicized rap battle with Drake. The world and Drake eagerly waited to see if he would respond to any of Drake’s shots. Kendrick eventually answered with a run of diss tracks, including “Euphoria,” “6:16 in LA,” “Meet the Grahams,” and the massive “Not Like Us.”

Read More: Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria” One Year Later: How He Hijacked The Drake Narrative

Hitta J3 Responds To Defend Kendrick Lamar

J3 followed up with another message aimed directly at Akademiks. He argued that Kendrick simply isn’t interested in constantly responding to people who speak about him online.

“While @Akademiks steady speaking on Dot like it’s not clear already he don’t care to speak on nobody,” he wrote. “We don’t send subs we address the opponent.”

The exchange comes as Kendrick has remained relatively quiet following the massive run surrounding GNX, his feud with Drake, and his Super Bowl LIX halftime performance. However, he has appeared on various features since then, including including two appearances on Ca$ino album by Baby Keem and “Good Flirts” with Momo Boyd.

Additionally, as HotNewHipHop previously reported, Kendrick Lamar did also deliver a breezy and reserved verse on “How To Pray” — a song on the new Dahi album Black Boy (Alternative).

While Akademiks seems to view Kendrick’s selective approach as a lack of consistency, J3 sees it differently. From his perspective, Kendrick doesn’t need to respond to every conversation surrounding his name. When there is something he actually wants to address, he does it directly.

Read More: Look Like My Mama – Song by AZ Chike & Tyler, the Creator

The post Hitta J3 Pushes Back On Akademiks’ Criticism Of Kendrick Lamar appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The original SKU is 130209-103. It’s built with a white leather upper and black hits across the midsole, collar, and tongue. Royal blue fills in the tongue liner and outsole striping.

An orange Jumpman sits on the outsole, tying the whole New York theme together. That full colorway is titled White, Black, Royal Blue, and Orange Flame. A specific style code for the 2027 retro hasn’t been confirmed yet.

This colorway first released in 1995 as part of the Air Jordan 10 City Series. That collection also included Chicago, Sacramento, Seattle, and Orlando versions. Since Jordan was between his baseball detour and NBA return at the time, rising stars from each city wore the shoes instead.

With Sacramento’s version already set to retro this December, “Knicks” becomes the last City Series colorway still missing from the lineup. That gap makes this release feel like the final piece finally falling into place.

Read More: Vans And SZA Unveil The Full VANSZA Collection

Air Jordan 10 “Knicks”

This retro comes at a perfect moment for New York. The Knicks celebrated their first championship in over half a century. A colorway this tied to the franchise’s history landing right after that title run feels far from coincidental.

City Series colorways have carried a different kind of nostalgia compared to standard Air Jordan releases. They weren’t built around Jordan himself, but around connecting with individual fanbases directly. That regional focus has helped these colorways age into genuine cult favorites over time.

Jordan Brand has leaned hard into 2000s and 90s nostalgia across its release calendar this year. Bringing back a colorway that’s sat untouched since 1995 fits right into that pattern. For collectors who’ve tracked this one for years, the wait is finally close to ending.

Details could still change before an official announcement drops. Overall this is one of the more anticipated Jordan releases heading into 2027.

Read More: Lil Durk Jury Ends Second Day Of Deliberations Without A Verdict

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According to TheGrio, eTalk brought the old footage back online this week, prompting Palmer to repost it and laugh at how seriously she approached the assignment. “Whyyyy am I acting like I’m on 20/20 with these questions,” she joked on Instagram, adding that she sounded like an older woman discussing a soap opera. Drake replied to her comment, joking that she was “frying” him over plotlines that he didn’t have anything to do with.

Palmer appeared in the segment alongside fellow child actor Malcolm David Kelley, while Drake was still primarily known as Aubrey Graham, the actor who played Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian teen drama. Palmer clearly knew the show well. She pressed him about specific characters, including Manny Santos, whom she declared she was “very disappointed” in.

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Read More: Drake Stars In New Trailer For “Degrassi: Whatever It Takes” Documentary

Keke Palmer Eventually Made Her Own Degrassi Appearance

The clip is even better in hindsight because Palmer eventually got her own moment at Degrassi Community School. Six years later, she guest-starred as herself in the Season 11 premiere after previously telling Nickelodeon that she wanted a role on the series.

Palmer told TV Guide in 2011 that she had asked about appearing on Degrassi after beginning her Nickelodeon run. Her episode paired her with Sav Bhandari, played by Raymond Ablack, who meets Palmer without initially realizing she is the singer headlining a concert. She also performed during the episode.

The resurfaced interview catches Palmer before 2006’s Akeelah and the Bee pushed her career into another gear, while Drake was still years away from leaving Degrassi behind for Rap.

Read More: Drake Reflects On Days As Wheelchair Jimmy In New “Degrassi” Documentary

The post Keke Palmer Laughs At Throwback Interview With Drake On “Degrassi” Set appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The first drop reworks two familiar Vans models. A black and white Knu Skool Mule trades the shoe’s usual bulk for an easy slip-on build. The Authentic gets a worn-in finish paired with fish graphics across the upper.

That Authentic also has a functional twist built in. Its heel folds down entirely, based on SZA’s own habit of stepping on the backs of her sneakers. It’s a small detail that ties directly back to how she actually wears her shoes.

Drop 2 introduces a brand new silhouette called the LX Tabi Hiker. It features a split-toe shape, cable laces, and no traditional tongue. A rugged rubber sole climbs partway up the sides for added durability.

That second drop comes in 3 colorways so far. Options include blue and orange-green, brown and green-purple, and black with red and yellow accents. A RealTree-style camo version of the Knu Skool also joins that release.

Read More: Jay-Z Brings Out Justin Timberlake & Pharrell At Paris Show

SZA x Vans Collection

SZA has held a creative lead role at Vans since the partnership was first announced last year. This collection is the first real payoff from that arrangement. It’s the point where her actual input starts showing up on shelves.

Musicians taking on real creative positions inside brands has become a bigger trend across fashion and footwear. Pharrell Williams runs menswear at Louis Vuitton. A$AP Rocky has held a similar creative role with PUMA. Tyler, The Creator built Golf Wang from the ground up before ever touching a corporate partnership.

SZA’s role fits that same pattern of artists pushing past guest-collaborator status into something more permanent. She’s described wanting the collection to reflect how she actually lives, not just a themed capsule built around her image. That kind of direction usually only comes with a real seat at the table.

Vans clearly leaned into that approach here. Details like the Authentic’s folding heel came directly from SZA’s own habits, not a design team’s guess at her style. That specificity reflects the kind of access that comes with an ongoing creative role rather than a one-time licensing deal.

Read More: Boosie Warns Artists After Podcast Clips Surface In Major Rap Trials

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Deliberations began Wednesday after closing arguments wrapped the previous day. Prosecutors accuse Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, of helping organize a 2022 plot to kill Quando Rondo. Rondo survived the shooting near the Beverly Center, while his cousin Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson was killed. Durk has pleaded not guilty.

The jury is considering five federal counts, including conspiracy to commit stalking and murder-for-hire charges stemming from Robinson’s death. Co-defendants Deandre “OTF DeDe” Wilson and David “Browneyez” Lindsey have also pleaded not guilty.

Read More: Lil Durk Verdict: DJ Akademiks Gives His Prediction As Jury Deliberates

Lil Durk Jury Spends Another Day Reviewing The Case

Jurors signaled early that they intended to take another look at the evidence. On Wednesday, they asked for digital copies of materials admitted during the trial, delaying deliberations while the court prepared them for review. As we previously reported, the judge said the requested evidence would be available Thursday morning.

That request gave the jury access to a substantial record, including messages, photographs, and video evidence presented during the weeks-long trial. Prosecutors also relied on testimony from cooperating witnesses who claimed Durk was behind the alleged plan. His defense attacked their credibility and argued the government had failed to connect him to an agreement to kill Rondo.

The jury began its work after another dispute over Durk’s 2023 interview with DJ Akademiks. Prosecutors played part of the Off The Record conversation during closing arguments while discussing public calls for retaliation after King Von’s death. Durk’s attorneys later asked U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald to reopen the evidence so jurors could hear more of the interview, arguing that prosecutors had presented the clip without its proper context. Fitzgerald denied the request.

Deliberations are expected to continue Friday (Sept. 11), with Durk remaining in federal custody while the jury considers its verdict.

Read More: 6ix9ine Trolls Lil Durk With “Laugh Now Cry Later” Lyrics Ahead Of Jury Deliberations

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According to Variety, Timberlake emerged during the Magna Carta… Holy Grail single and stayed at the piano afterward for a performance of “Until the End of Time.” The appearance came as Jay continued his JAŸ-Z 30 shows, turning his anniversary celebration into a revolving door of guests from across his career. Moreover, Pharrell Williams made an appearance to perform his hit, “Frontin’.”

“Holy Grail” arrived in 2013 as the opening track on Magna Carta… Holy Grail, with Timberlake handling the record’s chorus and opening verse. The collaboration became one of Jay’s biggest songs from the album, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2014 Grammys.

The two were hardly strangers onstage during that period. Jay and Timberlake spent the summer of 2013 co-headlining their Legends of the Summer stadium tour, where “Holy Grail” was a centerpiece of the set. Timberlake also featured Jay on “Suit & Tie” from The 20/20 Experience, giving the pair two major records together during the same stretch.

Read More: Jay-Z Brings Out Dave & Sampha At Second London Show: Full Setlist

Jay-Z’s Anniversary Shows Keep Bringing Out Familiar Faces

Timberlake joins an increasingly long list of artists who have appeared during Jay’s 2026 concerts. His three-night Yankee Stadium run in July included Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem, Nas, Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Usher and several other collaborators from different eras of his catalog. The shows commemorated 30 years since Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. Variety reported that the final New York show stretched until roughly 3 a.m.

London got its own lineup of surprises when Jay brought the anniversary run to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last week. Both dates sold out, with guests including Giggs, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Dave, and Sampha across the two nights. The first show also fell on Beyoncé’s 45th birthday, prompting Jay to lead the stadium in singing “Happy Birthday” while she watched from a suite.

After Paris, Jay’s remaining announced shows are scheduled for Oct. 23 and 24 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

The post Jay-Z Brings Out Justin Timberlake & Pharrell At Paris Show appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“THESE LAST WELL KNOWN CASES THAT HAVE WENT TO TRIAL PODCAST INTERVIEWS HAVE BEEN USED AS CRITICAL EVIDENCE TO TRY N CONVICT THE DEFENDENTS,” Boosie wrote. “WATCH WHAT U SAY ON THESE PODCAST. DONT AWNSER A QUESTION THAT U KNOW CAN JEOPARDIZE YOUR FREEDOM.”

He ended with a comparison that has followed Rap through years of arguments over lyrics and criminal prosecutions. “I THINK ITS MORE DAMAGING THAN THE MUSIC.”

That warning arrives while jurors deliberate in Durk’s federal murder-for-hire trial in Los Angeles. Prosecutors allege that Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, helped finance and direct a 2022 plot targeting Quando Rondo. Saviay’a “Lul Pab” Robinson was killed in the shooting. Durk has pleaded not guilty.

Read More: Lil Durk & His Co-Defendants Make A Unified Statement With Courtroom Suits

Podcast Interviews Have Already Entered Two Major Rap Trials

Durk’s case gives Boosie a timely example. As we reported, prosecutors used a clip from Durk’s 2023 appearance on DJ Akademiks’ Off The Record during closing arguments. Akademiks had asked Durk about people telling him to “slide for Von,” referring to calls for retaliation after King Von was killed in 2020.

Durk said he no longer heard those comments. Prosecutors pointed not only to his response, but also to Akademiks’ reaction, arguing that the exchange supported their theory that something had changed after the public pressure. Akademiks later said his facial expressions were for entertainment and denied that they carried the meaning prosecutors assigned to them.

The defense objected to how the government used the interview and sought an emergency hearing after closing arguments. The judge denied that request, leaving the jury to consider the evidence already admitted as it weighs the charges.

Read More: DJ Akademiks & Chud The Builder Go At It Amid Lil Durk Trial

Boosie’s warning also lands less than two weeks after Duane “Keefe D” Davis was convicted of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 killing. Davis’s media appearances and memoir made up a substantial portion of the prosecution’s case, along with recorded conversations with investigators.

Durk’s jury continued deliberating Thursday without a publicly announced verdict as of publication.

The post Boosie Warns Artists After Podcast Clips Surface In Major Rap Trials appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Vlad recently argued that N.O.R.E.’s rhetoric about race did not square with being married to what he called a white woman. The remark followed weeks of increasingly personal exchanges between the two media figures. As we previously reported, N.O.R.E. has accused Vlad of profiting from “Black drama” while questioning whether he belongs within Hip Hop. Vlad has rejected those accusations and defended his work covering Black artists.

Santiago was not interested in becoming evidence for either side. In a comment responding to Vlad’s remarks, she accused him of making assumptions about her background based on her appearance. “Keep your conflict with my husband and stop involving me,” she wrote. “The fact that you’re a grown man who thinks light skin and blonde hair automatically means ‘white’ is beyond ignorant and uneducated.”

She continued by accusing Vlad of failing to understand the difference between race and ethnicity before warning him about making inaccurate statements about her publicly. “Keep my name out of your mouth,” Santiago said, adding, “and be very careful about making false statements about me publicly, because I have no problem handling defamation legally.”

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Read More: N.O.R.E. Accuses DJ Vlad Of Racism As Their Feud Gets Uglier

DJ Vlad Says He Will Respond To Neri Santiago

Vlad did not back away after seeing Santiago’s warning. He shared a screenshot of her comment on X and described it as a threat to sue him for defamation.

“Here is the post by Nore’s wife threatening to sue me for defamation,” he wrote. Vlad also said he planned to address Santiago in a forthcoming video alongside his thoughts on the sexual assault lawsuit Carmen Bryan filed against N.O.R.E.

Bringing Santiago into the dispute adds another personal turn to a feud that has already moved far beyond its original complaint. Vlad first criticized N.O.R.E. for allegedly failing to return the favor after Vlad appeared on Drink Champs, saying the rapper avoided sitting for a VladTV interview they had discussed. N.O.R.E. responded that he deliberately chose not to do the interview because he does not like Vlad and accused him of exploiting conflict within Black communities.

Their exchanges have since included arguments about race, VladTV’s role in Hip Hop, and the drinking culture surrounding Drink Champs. N.O.R.E. also publicly challenged Vlad to take a lie detector test over whether he has ever used the N-word. Meanwhile, the Carmen Bryan case Vlad referenced is separate from his dispute with Santiago. Bryan filed a civil lawsuit accusing N.O.R.E. of sexually assaulting her at a Manhattan nightclub in 1999. N.O.R.E. has denied knowing Bryan, according to Pitchfork. The allegations have not been proven in court.

For now, Santiago has not announced that she has actually filed a defamation lawsuit against Vlad. Her public comment warned that she was prepared to take legal action if he continued making what she described as false statements about her. Vlad, for his part, says a longer response is coming.

Read More: DJ Vlad Proclaims Himself “Hip-Hop Journalist Of The Decade” Following Keefe D Conviction

The post DJ Vlad Responds To N.O.R.E.’s Wife Threatening To Sue For Defamation appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Building his label now has become a ground-up operation, especially after falling out with other members of YSL who took the stand and under conditions that prevent him from being in contact with those who didn’t. Then there’s the fact that the most successful protégé under Thug copped an Alford Plea, admitting to a court that YSL is a gang. Thug is forbidden from promoting gang-related content as part of his conditions, so the very idea of having to rep YSL as a record label becomes quite dicey.

With Gunna gone and Lil Baby effectively a distant affiliate of the label, Young Thug had a few hurdles in his return to his music career. When your influence has also transformed a generation of rappers, it places your own artistry into an identity crisis: what can Young Thug rap about if not what he lives? And who does he align with when he can’t even be in contact with certain artists who were signed to YSL?

The version of YSL found on the third installment in the Slime Language series largely relies on ØWAY’s mass appeal, the momentum they’ve built over the course of the past year, and the state of youth culture today. The thing is that YSL, in its previous form, didn’t solely rely on artists that were exclusively signed to Young Thug—artists like Lil Gotit were never formally signed to Young Thug but became close affiliates of YSL. Even Slimelife Shawty, who took a plea deal in the RICO case, was never actually signed to the label. With that said, Slime Language 3 turned into the opportunity to reconstruct the label after the government accused it of doubling as an organized crime syndicate.

Slime Language 3 is ultimately driven by the current state of youth culture, and yet, its fault is that it’s an incredibly bloated two-disc project. There are highlights, sure, though very few moments that reflect what made Young Thug a groundbreaking cultural shaker when he first emerged. But his influence remains unshakeable among the new generation, almost mirroring the free-associative influence Lil Wayne had on him. It’s most evident when you view how the rage sound ties back to trap music.

Young Thug’s imprint has always been clear among the artists that he brought under his wing. And Gunna becomes the perfect case study of the structure of YSL’s functionality as a label. His ascent is perfectly documented in the Slime Language series. He featured on four of the 15 songs in the first installment. Slime Language 2 credits it as a joint venture between Young Thug and Gunna under the YSL umbrella. It became a sprawling effort that put Thugger’s tastemaking at the fore with Gunna riding shotgun.

But with the fallout from the YSL trial, Slime Language 3 tries to piece together what was left of the label. Gunna’s no longer around, nor are other signees or affiliates—some due to conditions, others because they folded. The outcome hasn’t been favorable among Thug’s die-hards, who themselves are trying to reconcile the version of him that they once fell in love with and the current version who’s still searching for his footing. UY SCUTI hardly helped in that regard, while Thug more or less acts like a host for the new artists he’s introducing on Slime Language 3.

Ultimately, the crux of Slime Language 3 is that it attempts to bridge the gap between the underground and mainstream audiences. Tezzus and diamond* already stamped their name with UY SCUTI BOYZ as their debut on YSL. YSL, the label, currently boasts Strick, T-Shyne, Yung Kayo, Tezzus, diamond*, 1300SAINT, and Iyrus as its official signees. It’s not like these artists are censoring themselves on Thugger’s behalf–there’s still some cartoonishly violent references across the project from various artists. But in the same breath, the appeal doesn’t necessarily need to emphasize gang references as outwardly. That’s crucial when aligning with creative, fashion-forward rappers.

Slime Language 3 is a compilation, after all, so it’s not necessarily fair to view it as something that required the utmost cohesion to pull off in the first place. There are plenty of stellar moments across the board—Quavo sounds rejuvenated and inspired, while Biggs Money’s husky voice commands any song that he’s on. “Eaters” ft. Travis Scott, Future, and Tezzus feels like the rage-forward banger that almost has a generational handoff quality to it. Tezzus and diamond*, specifically, sound primed on this project for this next chapter of their careers under Young Thug’s mentorship.

The new version of YSL seeks to abandon the mythology that established it from the jump. Street infamy met the art in a way that felt equally left-field to trap as it preserved its essence and pushed it forward for a new generation, only for that same mythology to eventually be used against Thug in a court of law. But Thug’s appeal from the jump was the off-beatness as a whole—the fact that he didn’t conform to the labels the world placed on him. It makes far more sense why the praise for him came from across the board, from Elton John to Gucci Mane. That ability to transcend became a blueprint for the generation that came after him. They cemented the punk ethos into hip-hop before eventually collapsing into the rage soundscape that has taken over the term “underground.”

Part of that ethos ultimately stems from the attitude that compelled Thug to conceal an assault rifle under an Alessandro Trincone-designed dress (allegedly) on the cover of Jeffrey. That remains in the past for Thug. Still, it’s part of a lore that can’t simply be scrubbed from our memory. YSL can’t continue operating on the mythology that made it famous, but Young Thug can’t escape the cultural legacy created by that mythology either. It’s what turned him into a cult icon, one who was equally dangerous and expressive, but also what embodied the carefree premise of his influence, which championed individuality, free expression, genre-bending, and unconventional aesthetics in its totality. That’s why the ØWAY alignment feels nothing short of appropriate. They encompass his principles without the liabilities, necessarily.

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Thug’s tastemaking has always been the most important part of his public persona. But it’s that same attribute that makes Slime Language 3 such a misguided yet fascinating entry, where he himself is more of an afterthought, while artists like Yume, Biggs Money, Tezzus, diamond*, and others prove that the gravitational pull he once had as a soloist has translated to those that he’s banking on becoming the next stars of his label.

Frankly, it’s hard not to see it becoming an effective pathway for this stage of his career when his grip on the youth remains firm. He aligned himself with one of the most promising and exciting underground collectives right now, pushed Sp5der as a go-to brand among Gen Z, and validated the timelessness of his creative philosophy as he embraces his role as an OG in his own right. Slime Language 3 ultimately becomes the imperfect evidence of this transition.

The post “Slime Language 3” Demands The Reconstruction Of YSL Post-RICO appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

U.S. District Judge John P. Cronan issued the decision Sept. 4 in Manhattan federal court. Mitchell argued that her statements were protected opinion or rhetorical hyperbole and that Combs had not adequately alleged actual malice. The judge found that some of the accusations were specific enough to be proven true or false.

Cronan did not rule that Mitchell defamed Combs. At this stage, the court was only deciding whether the lawsuit could proceed.

Read More: Diddy Scores Court Victory As Judge Permits Him To Serve Accuser Via Newspaper

NewsNation Gets Part Of Diddy’s Lawsuit Dismissed

Combs also sued Nexstar Media, which owns NewsNation, over broadcasts featuring Mitchell’s allegations. The judge dismissed several portions of that claim after finding Combs had not sufficiently alleged actual malice by the network. One claim against Nexstar survived. It centers on an October 2024 broadcast in which Mitchell discussed the alleged use of baby oil to administer drugs and tied the claim to one of her clients.

Combs filed the lawsuit in January 2025 against Mitchell, her former client Courtney Burgess, and Nexstar. Burgess had claimed he possessed videos showing Combs sexually assaulting celebrities and minors. Combs denied those allegations and accused Mitchell and NewsNation of helping spread them.

Mitchell previously called the lawsuit an effort to silence accusers and said she intended to countersue. The court also denied her request for attorney fees tied to the dismissal motion. The case will continue with Mitchell still facing Combs’ defamation claims and a narrower claim remaining against Nexstar. The parties are scheduled to return to court Sept. 17 to discuss the next phase of the lawsuit.

Read More: DJ Vlad Alleges That He Was Offered Diddy Tape Featuring Female Celebrity

The post Diddy Scores Partial Win In Defamation Lawsuit Against Ariel Mitchell appeared first on HotNewHipHop.