James, 63, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance. Chico, 60, was booked on the same allegation and on an outstanding warrant, though police have not publicly detailed what the warrant involved. Both SUVs were towed from the scene. It was not immediately clear whether either brother had entered a plea or retained an attorney.

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Read More: R&B Singer Chico DeBarge Impersonates Brother, Charged With Drug Possession & DUI

Similar Incident Happened 5 Years Ago

The Burbank setting carries some unusual history for Chico. In January 2021, police pulled him over in the same city after they said he was driving at night without headlights or license plates. Chico allegedly identified himself as James when officers asked for his name. Police later said they found methamphetamine and heroin during the stop, and he was charged with drug possession, DUI, and false impersonation, according to TMZ. He had also been arrested on a drug allegation in Burbank in 2019.

Substance abuse and legal trouble have been publicly documented for both brothers well beyond those incidents. Chico served prison time after a 1988 federal cocaine-trafficking conviction and later spoke openly about becoming dependent on prescription painkillers after being stabbed in 2003. That experience informed his 2009 album Addiction. James has faced his own drug-related cases. The Los Angeles Times reported after his 2014 narcotics arrest that court records showed a 2011 drug-possession conviction and 2012 convictions for assault with a deadly weapon and drug possession.

Their names remain closely tied to the DeBarge musical dynasty, although their careers followed different paths. James performed with DeBarge during the group’s Motown run, which produced classics including “All This Love,” “I Like It” and “Rhythm of the Night.” Chico pursued a solo career and scored R&B hits including “Talk to Me” and “Give You What You Want (Fa Sure).” James’ history also became intertwined with another famous musical family through his brief 1984 marriage to Janet Jackson. In her 2022 documentary Janet, Jackson spoke about the difficulty of that relationship and said James’ drug use contributed to its collapse.

Read More: Chico DeBarge Grieving Loss Of Son Following Stabbing Death: Report

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One of those assets was his life rights. Dame Dash is an important person in the history of hip-hop, and there is money to be made on his story. Whether that be through a documentary, a biopic, or even a book.

Just last month, the trustee behind Dame Dash’s bankruptcy presented a plan in which his life rights would be auctioned off. On Tuesday, Judge Roberta A. Colton agreed to the plan, putting the auction in motion.

According to Complex, the auction will last until September 23, and creditors will be receiving the final payout. The opening bid is $37,000, with Everlasting Films, LLC getting the party started. The winner of the auction will go home with “100 hours of video content, photographs, and memorabilia.” Additionally, they get  “an unreleased, in-development documentary/film project.”

Read More: A Guilty Verdict Still Doesn’t Bring Closure To Tupac’s Murder

Dame Dash Life Rights Bidding Begins

All of the bids must go up in increments of $10,000. Therefore, if you want to become the current highest bidder, you will need to bid $47K. At this time, it is unclear what the interest will be in the life rights, although $37K is doubtful to be the final closing price.

Charlamagne Tha God had previously expressed interest in buying the rights to Dame Dash’s story, although there was certainly a bit of trolling being done with those comments.

Ultimately, the Dame Dash situation is a sad one and a cautionary tale at that. The fact that he cannot profit from the story of his own life is tragic in many respects.

Read More: Kanye’s Katrina, George Bush Criticism Hits Differently 21 Years Later

The post Dame Dash’s Life Rights Are Officially Going To Auction appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

This marks the first-ever retro for this colorway. The “Ginger” colorway was originally released back in 2001. It’s never gotten a proper rerelease since then, despite steady demand from collectors. Now that the pair is finally making a return, hype is building.

The style code is IX7269-700. Jordan Brand is keeping the Light Ginger, Dark Charcoal, and white color scheme intact. That’s the same buttery suede look fans have wanted back for years.

Michael Jordan actually wore this pair on court. He laced them during his time with the Washington Wizards and it’s that connection has only made the colorway more desirable as the years passed. Adding history like this to a sneaker is going to excite fans for sure.

Rumors about a “Ginger” retro have circulated on and off for over a decade. A sample pair even surfaced back in 2012, sparking hope that never panned out. This time, the date looks locked in for real.

Read More: Suge Knight Called Out By Lead Tupac Prosecutor: “Why Did You Have Biggie Killed?”

Air Jordan 16 “Ginger”

The Air Jordan 16 stood out from the moment it dropped in 2001. It introduced a removable shroud that covered the laces entirely. No Jordan model before it had really tried anything like that.

The “Ginger” colorway leaned into that unique design with an all-leather build. Some fans have compared its look to premium Timberland boots. That’s a big part of why it still feels fresh today.

Despite that reputation, the Air Jordan 16 rarely gets retro attention. Its first-ever rerelease didn’t come until 2008, years after launch. Collaborations have been just as rare, with only a couple ever happening.

That scarcity is exactly why this “Ginger” return feels significant. A colorway this overlooked finally getting its due says something. For longtime Jordan 16 fans, this one’s been a long time coming.

Read More: JAŸ-Z Announces Virtual Listening Party, Speculation Ensues

The post Air Jordan 16 “Ginger” Receives Confirmed Release Date appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Marc DiGiacomo, the lead prosecutor in the Tupac murder case, put the former Death Row owner on blast during a press conference. When asked why Suge wasn’t forced to take the stand during the trial, DiGiacomo said he was uncooperative from the jump.

“Ultimately, we do get a statement from him when he’s in prison in San Diego,” he said. “Mr. Knight would’ve had the same rights as any other human being on Earth, and my first question to Mr. Knight would’ve been asked: why did you have Biggie killed?”

He added, “Ultimately, we made the decision; one, he’s not credible, and two, he has a Fifth Amendment privilege so we’re just not bringing him.”

Read More: Kanye’s Katrina, George Bush Criticism Hits Differently 21 Years Later

Why Didn’t Suge Knight Testify?

A reporter then asked what statement Suge Knight provided. “I don’t want to go into the specifics off just the top of my head, but certainly, he confirms Mr. Davis was involved in the homicide.”

Though he never took the stand, he was particularly vocal throughout the trial. He called out Mob James’ testimony. He also alleged Keefe D’s legal team offered him $1 million to testify that Keefe D wasn’t in the Cadillac used in the shooting.

Keefe D is facing a life sentence for his involvement in the murder of Tupac Shakur. We’ll keep you posted on any further updates. 

Read More: A Guilty Verdict Still Doesn’t Bring Closure To Tupac’s Murder

The post Suge Knight Called Out By Lead Tupac Prosecutor: “Why Did You Have Biggie Killed?” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Just a couple of days ago, Roc Nation teased a special announcement on Instagram. Yesterday, it appeared as though the announcement was simply a pop-up that had already been established weeks in advance. However, it proved to be a special pop-up for Hov fans as the rapper made a surprise appearance and met with his supporters.

Today, another announcement was made, and this time, it’s one that is sparking tons of speculation. As you can see from the tweet below, JAŸ-Z will be hosting a virtual listening party on his website tomorrow at 2 PM EST.

Read More: A Guilty Verdict Still Doesn’t Bring Closure To Tupac’s Murder

JAŸ-Z To Host Virtual Listening Party On Thursday

The official date and time for the listening party is Thursday, September 3 at 2 PM EST/11 AM PST. There is also going to be a Vinyl Test Pressing Giveaway. All of this will go down over at the JAŸ-Z 30 website.

At this time, there is no information about what will be played during the listening party. As you can imagine, this has led to all sorts of rumblings about what it could be. Most fans are hoping for a new album.

Whatever this is, JAŸ-Z has fans intrigued. It goes without saying that we will be tuning in for the livestream. Therefore, stay tuned to HNHH as we bring you all of the latest news and updates from around the hip-hop world.

Read More: Kanye’s Katrina, George Bush Criticism Hits Differently 21 Years Later

The post JAŸ-Z Announces Virtual Listening Party, Speculation Ensues appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

In order to maintain some sort of relevancy, Pump has found himself latching on to the big stories of the day. Right now, that story is Lil Durk’s murder for hire trial. The rapper is facing life in prison as he stands accused of orchestrating a hit on Quando Rondo, leading to the killing of Lul Pab.

If you remember, Durk has actually dissed Lil Pump a couple of times on songs like “All These N****s” and “Hanging With Wolves.” Durk clearly does not take Pump’s art seriously.

With that in mind, Pump has decided to clap back while Durk is unable to respond. In a string of posts and videos, Pump called Durk a snitch, among other bad names.

Read More: A Guilty Verdict Still Doesn’t Bring Closure To Tupac’s Murder

Lil Pump Disses Lil Durk Out Of Nowhere

DJ Akademiks reacted to Lil Pump’s diss on his stream, and as you can imagine, he was pretty stunned that Pump was being this brazen. Additionally, he didn’t even know that these two were at war with one another.

You really can’t blame Ak for not knowing that. Quite frankly, this is one of those feuds that most probably memory-holed, as it never really made an impact beyond a bar here and there.

What is more consequential, however, is this current trial. Lil Durk is facing life in prison if convicted. The trial is supposed to wrap up at some point this week, which means a verdict could be coming in just a matter of days.

Read More: How Hip-Hop Media Is Dividing Over The Lil Durk Trial

The post Lil Pump Delivers Ridiculous Lil Durk Diss Amid Trial appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

According to TMZ, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson revealed that Diddy could potentially face charges related to Tupac’s death if they uncover new evidence. However, Wolfson also made it abundantly clear that they don’t have enough evidence to proceed with charging him.

“At this point, we don’t believe we have sufficient evidence to charge anyone else with the death of Tupac Shakur,” Wolfson said. “But, like any other case, if we come into more information, more evidence, we can always consider filing additional charges.”

Read More: A Guilty Verdict Still Doesn’t Bring Closure To Tupac’s Murder

Prosecutors Don’t Rule Out Going After Diddy

The theories about Diddy’s supposed involvement in the case popped up during the trial as well, when jurors heard police interview recordings where Keefe D claimed Diddy put up $1M for Tupac and Suge Knight’s murder. Keefe said that Diddy told him to “get rid of those dudes.”

But before the trial began, these allegations gained more prominence in Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which explored the claims of Diddy’s involvement. More recently, 50 Cent said he would put $1M bet on Keefe D testifying against Diddy in the future.

Sources close to Diddy have already shut down these allegations. “Diddy had absolutely nothing to do with the Tupac murder. He did not pull the trigger or set it up,” they told TMZ. 

Keefe D faces a possible life sentence and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13th. He has already announced plans to appeal his conviction. 

Read More: How Hip-Hop Media Is Dividing Over The Lil Durk Trial

The post Diddy Could Face Tupac Murder Probe If New Evidence Emerges, Prosecutor Says appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Twenty-one years later to the date, the clip is striking for reasons that stretch beyond its original controversy. This was Kanye using the unpredictability that had already become part of his public persona to challenge a sitting president over the treatment of Black Americans. He was confrontational and willing to make a nationally televised celebrity fundraiser uncomfortable. Those characteristics never disappeared. However, what eventually changed was where much of that defiance was directed and what many of the Black fans who first embraced him believed it represented.

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Read More: Mike Myers & SNL Recreate The Infamous Kanye West Hurricane Katrina Statement On 20th Anniversary

Katrina was not the first indication that race and inequality occupied a serious place in Kanye’s work. The College Dropout had already examined Black consumerism and the limits of education as protection against racism. A 2004 review in The Guardian called him an “intelligent social commentator” and specifically recognized the album’s interest in materialism and the obstacles facing Black graduates. Late Registration, released only days before the telethon, pushed further into government policy and the damage inflicted on Black communities.

That history makes the anniversary more complicated than a nostalgic look at an outrageous television moment. The Kanye who confronted George W. Bush did not suddenly discover politics because a camera was live. He was amplifying concerns already present in his music and, increasingly, in his public statements. Over the next two decades, the artist who once used his platform to challenge how America treated Black people would embrace Donald Trump, declare that 400 years of slavery “sounds like a choice,” and eventually alienate large portions of the same Black audience that once saw his refusal to stay quiet as one of his greatest strengths. Kanye never stopped disrupting the room. The meaning of that disruption changed.

The George Bush Moment Didn’t Come Out Of Nowhere

The records make Ye’s earlier politics easier to see. On “All Falls Down,” Kanye tied status and consumption to insecurity while questioning what success was supposed to look like for Black Americans. “Spaceship” turned his own retail experience into something less celebratory, focusing on low wages and racial discrimination in the workplace. In a review of The College Dropout in 2004, The Guardian recognized that social commentary as part of what separated him from many of his peers.

Late Registration sharpened some of those ideas. “Crack Music” reached directly into the political history of the crack epidemic, invoking Ronald Reagan while framing drugs as something that devastated Black communities rather than simply another piece of street mythology. Kanye later told XXL that after concerns that “Jesus Walks” was too Black for Pop radio, “Crack Music” was his answer. He described it as “real Black music.”

His willingness to push those conversations beyond the records was becoming visible, too. Weeks before Katrina, Kanye used an MTV interview to condemn homophobia in Hip Hop and urged rappers to stop discriminating against gay people. The Los Angeles Times reported on the comments at the time. What mattered was not only the position he took, but his growing willingness to use promotional spaces for arguments that had nothing to do with selling an album.

That was the version of Kanye who walked onto NBC’s Katrina telethon.

Katrina Turned Kanye’s Politics Into A National Moment

The reaction to Kanye’s accusation exposed a racial divide that spread far beyond one celebrity. In a survey conducted days after the telethon, the Pew Research Center found that two-thirds of Black respondents believed the government would have responded faster if most Katrina victims had been white. Seventy percent said they were angry about the aftermath. Kanye had given unusually blunt language to distrust that was already widespread.

Moreover, he did not retreat once the comment became national news. A week later, Kanye appeared during BET’s S.O.S. (Saving Ourselves) fundraiser and again criticized the coverage of Black survivors. He said the media had “really tried to make the Black people seem like animals” and told viewers that he felt “the world needed to hear what was going on,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Two days later, during an MTV-sponsored concert, he mocked suggestions that he should worry about professional retaliation while people in New Orleans had gone days without food or contact with their families.

The controversy pushed Kanye into a role larger than the socially conscious rapper critics had identified on his records. He had challenged the president during a humanitarian crisis, then continued pressing the racial argument after NBC cut his statement from later broadcasts. Many in the Black community understood that, as they operated under the same refusal to soften themselves for mainstream audiences, this now carried political weight.

The Politics Didn’t Disappear Overnight

That association between Kanye’s defiance and Black political critique survived well beyond the Bush years. On 2013’s Yeezus, “New Slaves” attacked the surveillance of Black shoppers and the private-prison system, while his interview with Zane Lowe that same year widened the argument to Black creative ownership. Kanye described repeatedly reaching a “glass ceiling” as he tried to move beyond music into fashion, telling Lowe that Black artists could achieve enormous visibility without gaining comparable power inside the industries profiting from their influence.

Read More: Kanye West Remains Loyal To Trump: “I Still Got A Red Hat On Today”

His framing of those barriers began to shift over the next few years. In a 2015 interview with Clique TV, Kanye called racism a “dated concept” and argued that class had become the more important dividing line. He was not denying that racial discrimination existed, but the emphasis had moved away from the structural language heard on records like “Crack Music” and “New Slaves.” Increasingly, his public complaints about exclusion also centered on his own battles for access to corporate power.

The first major political rupture arrived after Donald Trump won the 2016 election. During a Saint Pablo Tour stop in San Jose, Kanye told the crowd that he had not voted but would have supported Trump if he had. He praised Trump’s campaign style and told Black people to “stop focusing on racism,” even as he acknowledged that the country itself was racist, according to The Washington Post. The reaction inside the arena included boos.

Weeks later, Kanye met with Trump at Trump Tower. He said afterward that they discussed issues including education and violence in Chicago, but the image carried its own significance. The artist who had once become nationally famous for accusing a Republican president of indifference toward Black people was now publicly aligning himself with another. That tension would become much harder to explain away once MAGA became part of Kanye’s identity.

Read More: Nipsey Hussle On Kanye West Wearing The MAGA Hat: “It Was A Kick In The Gut”

When Kanye’s Politics Took A Different Turn

MAGA made the political shift inseparable from Kanye’s broader identity. In 2018, he posted a photo of himself wearing a hat signed by Trump and continued to defend the president even as longtime fans questioned the alliance. Months later, he wore the hat into the Oval Office. The Washington Post documented how firmly Trump support had become part of Kanye’s politics that year. The artist who once used national television to accuse a Republican president of failing Black Americans was now embracing another as a symbol of independent thought.

The break with much of his Black audience deepened during his appearance at TMZ that May. While discussing free thought, Kanye said 400 years of slavery “sounds like a choice,” prompting staffer Van Lathan to confront him in the newsroom. Kanye later explained that he was referring to mental imprisonment rather than suggesting enslaved people had willingly accepted bondage, but the damage was substantial. The distance from the artist who had once invoked the Black Panthers and the crack epidemic in his music was becoming difficult to overlook.

Read More: Rare Times Kanye West Said He Was Sorry

His public rhetoric eventually moved far beyond Trump. Antisemitic remarks beginning in 2022 cost Kanye major business relationships, and his later statements included praise for Hitler and the use of Nazi imagery. He created “White Lives Matter” merchandise to combat the BLM movement. The escalation pushed his politics into territory that could no longer be framed simply as conservative rebellion or a refusal to follow Black political expectations. In January 2026, Reuters reported that Ye took out a full-page Wall Street Journal advertisement apologizing for his antisemitic behavior and stating that he was neither a Nazi nor an antisemite.

He addressed Black people directly in that apology, saying, “To the Black community, I am sorry to have let you down. I love us.” Twenty-one years after Hurricane Katrina, that acknowledgment gives a new meaning to the footage of Kanye standing beside Mike Myers. The man on that stage was already confrontational and unwilling to follow a script. Those qualities never left him. That 2005 moment now makes the distance between Kanye’s early politics and where he eventually landed impossible to ignore.

Read More: Kanye West Doesn’t Need Redemption—He Needs To Be Held Accountable

The post Kanye’s Katrina, George Bush Criticism Hits Differently 21 Years Later appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Last week, Ye’s longtime employee, who just so happens to be an infamous white supremacist, Milo Yiannopoulos, was arrested by ICE. He has since been let go by ICE and has gone back to working for the artist.

In fact, this week, Ye announced three more concerts. After performing in New Orleans, West is planning to go on a small tour of the American Southwest. This tour includes a show in Houston on October 31, Dallas on November 7, and Phoenix on November 21.

Read More: A Guilty Verdict Still Doesn’t Bring Closure To Tupac’s Murder

Kanye West Continues To Tour

These shows have proven that Kanye West is still in high demand. There is still a portion of his fanbase that looks past the controversies. While the morality behind that is dubious, Ye is a big enough artist that there are going to be fans who love him, no matter what.

These concerts have also proven to be successful because of the setlist. Instead of forcing new material on the fans, he has been going back in his catalog and playing all of the hits. The setlist is nostalgic, and it certainly makes us yearn for a time when Ye was respected.

Will you be going to any of these shows, and if so, which one? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to HNHH for more news from around the music world.

Read More: How Hip-Hop Media Is Dividing Over The Lil Durk Trial

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Per TMZ, his father, Dawud Burke, reportedly sold a 1,819-square-foot home in Houston, Texas, for $229,000 at the top of July, marking the second real estate sale of the year. Months prior, he took out a $138K loan on another home in Houston. He currently resides in a home with an estimated value of $850K in Hampstead, TX–a 4,426-square-foot home equipped with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

Read More: A Guilty Verdict Still Doesn’t Bring Closure To Tupac’s Murder

D4vd Attorneys Withdraw

The sales of these assets are quite noticeable, especially after recent developments in D4vd’s case. His financial issues were brought to the attention of the court after his legal team withdrew. D4vd previously hired Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter to represent him. He’ll now be represented by a public defender. 

“This morning the court granted our request to withdraw as counsel and appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, after it was determined David qualified for appointed counsel,” they said in a statement. “We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges. We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has taken over the representation and that David has a highly capable and committed team of attorneys and investigators behind him.”

Los Angeles D.A. Nathan Hochman said that the death penalty remains on the table, though they haven’t reached a decision on whether they will explore that option. 

D4vd will be back in court on October 19th for his next pre-trial hearing. He has already pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Read More: How Hip-Hop Media Is Dividing Over The Lil Durk Trial

The post D4vd’s Dad Sold Home, Pulls Out $140K Loan Amid Financial Struggles appeared first on HotNewHipHop.