It is certainly rare that someone is able to sign two future legends at the exact same time. However, Wayne was able to make it happen. He even got them to be frequent collaborators as they went on to make a plethora of hits together.

On an episode of Friends Keep Secrets with Benny Blanco and Lil Dicky, Wayne was asked about how he signed Drake and Nicki. When it came to Drake, he knew he had to sign the artist when he heard him singing on hooks. In fact, if Wayne had it his way, Drake would have been doing a lot more singing back in the day.

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Lil Wayne On Drake & Nicki Minaj

“When I heard [Drake], it was all rap. Then, one of those hooks came in and I was like, ‘Who’s on the hook?’ And they was like, ‘That’s him.’ And I was like, ‘That’s the guy? That’s him singing? Why he ain’t do more of this?,'” Wayne asked. “It was instant. Like, come on, man.”

As for Nicki, he signed her during a trip to New York. At the time, he wanted to sign New York artists to Young Money, and that is where he got introduced to Nicki Minaj. The rest was history after that.

Drake and Nicki signing to Wayne is one of the great butterfly effect moments in rap. You have to wonder what would have happened had Wayne not been able to make it work.

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The filmmaker and longtime investigator RJ Bond argued that the prosecution has relied heavily on Keefe D’s statements rather than physical evidence surrounding the 1996 murder. According to reporting from AllHipHop, Bond believes that raises significant questions about the strength of the state’s case.

“You have a man being charged and potentially convicted for something he said,” Bond explained. “Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s not the kind of country I want to live in.”

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RJ Bond Questions Prosecution

That’s a key issue here: there’s no physical evidence that directly ties Keefe D to the murder, such as a weapon or forensics. Bond also scrutinized Keefe D’s previous accounts of the night, including claims that he armed himself before heading to Club 662, the nightclub associated with Death Row Records. He questioned whether that version of events is believable, noting the heavy police presence and armed security surrounding the venue.

He also revisited Keefe D’s 2008 cooperation agreement with law enforcement, arguing the statements were made while he faced serious drug charges and was seeking favorable treatment. Bond contends those circumstances could affect the credibility of the admissions now being used against him.

Keefe D has consistently pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled to begin on August 17 and is expected to last six weeks.

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The post Tupac Investigator Pokes Holes In Keefe D Case appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Now, Ice Spice doesn’t make music as often as she used to. Quite frankly, she doesn’t need to. Her SpongeBob SquarePants song “Big Guy” was an internet sensation, which put her in a lot of fans’ good graces. Meanwhile, there are various brand deals that she has acquired, which have kept her sustained.

For instance, she has a deal with Fortnite, which has culminated in another skin, which should be released fairly soon. Meanwhile, taking to Instagram today, Ice Spice unveiled her latest brand deal with Ulta Beauty.

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Ice Spice Promotes Ulta

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A post shared by Ice Spice (@icespice)

Tomorrow, Ice Spice will be doing a TikTok live stream with Ulta Beauty at 4:30 PM EST. To promote this live stream, Ice Spice left fans in complete awe by donning a pink outfit, which consisted of lace pants as well as a pink corset.

Simply, Ice Spice had to remind people of what they have been missing as of late. Of course, she has remained prevalent in the public eye, although her social media appearances have been few and far between.

As it turns out, Ice Spice was even at Michael Rubin’s White Party a few weeks ago. This subsequently led to rumors that she was kissing Tobey Maguire. However, these rumors were eventually debunked.

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The most recent friction between the two occurred back in 2024 during the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud. In fact, Future was the catalyst for the conditions that led to the beef. He allowed Kendrick to diss Drake and J. Cole on the song “Like That.” As the beef went on, Future had more of Drake’s biggest haters on his album, We Still Don’t Trust You. Meanwhile, Drake had some words for Future on “Family Matters.”

However, the two were on much better terms a couple of months ago. After all, Future was featured on “Ran To Atlanta” on Drake’s album ICEMAN. It led fans to believe the two are on good terms again.

This weekend, that was put into question thanks to Future’s appearance at the World Cup Final. He was in a box with Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, and even Pharrell. All three of these artists are in opposition with Drake right now.

During a live stream, DJ Akademiks couldn’t help but ask what Future’s deal is.

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DJ Akademiks Calls Out Future

Akademiks went so far as to suggest that in many ways, Future is kind of like DJ Khaled. Many have argued that Khaled is a pretty egregious fence sitter, especially as it pertains to the artists he works with, and the beefs they find themselves in. Although in Ak’s mind, Future might actually be a worse version of this phenomenon.

Whatever the case may be, there are eyes on Future and Drake right now. Still, the question remains: what is the deal between these two? At this point, we may never know.

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The post Future’s Loyalty To Drake Questioned After World Cup Outing With Pharrell, A$AP Rocky, & Rihanna appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

On Monday, it was revealed that a plethora of ESPN stars would be let go from the network. One of those stars was none other than Ryan Clark. The former Pittsburgh Steelers star has been a mainstay on ESPN for years and was a highlight of NFL Live. However, he was fired in the middle of a broadcast, which led to strong reactions on social media.

One of those reactions came from Stephen A. Smith, who spoke about the firing on Straight Shooter this afternoon. As you will hear below, Smith is not happy with ESPN executives. While he understands cuts happen, he absolutely despises the decision.

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Stephen A. Smith Talks Ryan Clark

“I am not happy about this decision one bit. The bosses know I’m not happy with this decision, but also it’s important to know that layoffs happen as grown-ups,” Smith explained. “I just wish I could’ve been in enough of a powerful or influential position to prevent his exit from happening”

Smith’s alleged rival at ESPN, Pat McAfee, is rumored to be behind these cuts. ESPN needs some money to afford his $60 million per year deal, which will see him remain a mainstay on the network.

Meanwhile, it is also believed that Clark was let go, specifically, due to an on-air spat with Peter Schrager, in which he questioned the NFL insider’s credibility as someone who never played professional football.

Clark is a respected yet controversial voice in NFL commentary, and there is no doubt that there is still a place for him at another network.

Cam Newton was also let go earlier today.

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The post Stephen A. Smith Slams ESPN Bosses After Ryan Clark Firing appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Recently, the legendary artist was a guest on Friends Keep Secrets, where he got to speak with the likes of Benny Blanco and Lil Dicky. During their conversation, Wayne was asked about who his favorite rappers are.

If you are a fan of Lil Wayne, you probably already know his answer. After all, he has been incredibly consistent on the matter for years. Below, he reveals that the answer is none other than Jay-Z, as well as Missy Elliott. The room immediately responds positively, with Benny and Dicky proclaiming Hov as part of their favorites, as well.

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Lil Wayne Is Consistent

Lil Wayne’s admiration for Missy and Hov has been prevalent for years, which makes these answers not particularly surprising. However, it is still always cool to hear Wayne talk about his inspirations. It is just further proof that Jay-Z and Missy are timeless artists.

Jay-Z certainly proved that a couple of weekends ago when he performed at Yankee Stadium, three nights in a row. During these shows, he got to show the fans his incredible discography and a chamber of classics that is unmatched. He also brought out some truly incredible guests, which made the concerts that much more fun.

We would love to hear a collaboration between Hov and Wayne in the near future. Perhaps Wayne could be invited to one of Hov’s upcoming shows. It would certainly be a moment to behold for everyone in attendance.

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The post Lil Wayne Reveals Who His Two Favorite Rappers Are appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

For many, he was an unofficial replacement for Shannon Sharpe, who was let go following a scandal. Newton was a bit of a polarizing figure on the network, although it was clear that he knew his stuff. After all, he is a former NFL MVP who even played in a Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, Newton’s time at ESPN has already come to an unceremonious end. According to Yahoo Sports, it was confirmed today that Newton would not be returning to the network. He has been laid off as part of the network’s most recent round of cuts.

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Cam Newton The Latest To Lose ESPN Gig

Newton should find solace in the fact that he isn’t the only prominent figure to have lost his job. Ryan Clark and Bart Scott have also lost their roles at ESPN. Clark’s situation was worse, as he found out about the cuts while he was on air for NFL Live.

His situation is one that has earned lots of scrutiny. Some feel as though ESPN did him dirty following an on-air argument with NFL insider Peter Schrager. As for Newton, it is unclear why he was subjected to this decision. Perhaps the network felt his contributions to First Take weren’t giving them a return on investment.

Ultimately, ESPN does this every few years. They make cuts to pay their big stars more money. Usually, this is done in service of Stephen A. Now, it is being done to appease Pat McAfee, who is about to receive $60 million per year.

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The post Cam Newton Out At ESPN Following Major Budget Cuts appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

He is credited as being one of the forefathers of the manosphere. An online community dedicated to “red-pilling” young men and making them inherently distrustful of the opposite sex. Tate’s popularity has crumbled in recent years, although he remains a prominent figure online.

Back in 2023, he was arrested by Romanian authorities on sex trafficking charges. He was accused of running an illegal OnlyFans operation, in which he was accused of “pimping” women, and using the Romeo technique online to do so. Since that time, he and his brother have been granted release from Romanian prison, although their case remains active.

Over the weekend, the two were arrested again, this time in Miami. This week, they appeared in court as they face extradition to the United Kingdom on a plethora of charges.

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Andrew Tate New Charges

According to The Telegraph, Andrew Tate faces charges related to alleged rape, sex trafficking, pornography, and even child abuse materials. These are all disturbing allegations, and it will be an uphill battle for his legal team to avoid extradition.

The Tates only started going back to the United States recently. Clearly, the United Kingdom is fed up with them, and they want to get this legal battle started and finished, once and for all.

At this time, it is unclear what a potential sentence would look like. The first step will be extradition. From there, a trial would need to be held. It’s a situation with numerous moving parts, although the arrest is proof that the UK judicial system means business.

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The post Andrew Tate Faces Charges Related To Possession Of Child Abuse Images appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Mysonne, rapper and community activist, recently shared a letter to Hov on his Instagram page in the form of an a capella freestyle. As much as it is an example of his exceptional penmanship, it also provided an interesting perspective that acknowledges all of the good things Hov’s done throughout his career. However, he doesn’t withhold the criticism.

“When you frontlining for your people and these suckas talk about you in such a manner/ That sh*t be mind-blowing,” he raps. “You trying to not even responding but you a man with pride so you decide to bust back like f*ck that/ And I love that but this time you shot your own allies, Hov/ ‘Cause we was the ones boycotting.”

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Mysonne’s Freestyle 

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A post shared by Mysonne Linen (@mysonnenygeneral)

The freestyle goes on to address some Hov’s talking points from his Yankee Stadium freestyle, including the attempt to call out a lack of boycott toward Meta and Google. Mysonne ultimately breaks down exactly why the boycotts matter and why the boycotts itself are a reflection of the lessons JAŸ-Z imparted throughout his catalog. 

Check out the freestyle above and sound off with your thoughts and your favorite bars in the comment section below. Do you agree with Mysonne or do you think JAŸ’s freestyle at Yankee Stadium made more sense? 

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The post Mysonne Shares Letter To JAY-Z Over Target Boycott appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

That said, fans still had questions. It is well documented that Khaled’s album rollout went into a freefall following Drake’s revelation that he did not, in fact, have two features on the record. Even without Drake, there was still a sense that Khaled was ready to drop.

On Monday, Khaled was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. It was here that he was asked about the album and what happened to it. As Khaled explains, he is still working on the project. After watching Jay-Z perform at Yankee Stadium, he wants to make his album bigger.

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DJ Khaled On Album Delay

“This next album, Aalam Of God, it’s like, why am I gonna rush?” Khaled asked. “Every time I make some new music, I get another opportunity to make something even bigger. Like, I just left the JAŸ-Z shows. The Roots Picnic the other day, The JAŸ-Z shows. I got inspired even more… So, the album’s getting bigger.”

This statement was met with some skepticism, and it is easy to understand why. The release of the project was in question well before Hov’s performances. One could say that this is simply a convenient answer given the circumstances.

Of course, this is the cynical way to take it. At the end of the day, Khaled is well within his rights to delay his album and attempt to perfect it. Hopefully soon, that means we will have a feature list, and perhaps even a couple more singles.

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