The pair leans into warm, earthy tones. Gold and tan cover the molded upper, with matching laces finishing the look. It’s a much softer take compared to the bold “Valor Blue” colorway that marked his first official Nike collab back in December.

Wale has deep ties to both the Commanders and Nike Basketball. He’s a longtime DMV native and has worked with the team on past community events. His connection to Nike also runs back years, long before this current GT Future rollout began.

The GT Future itself has become one of Nike’s more experimental basketball releases. Its sculpted design draws clear inspiration from the Foamposite line, while the ankle collar borrows from the classic Zoom Hyperflight.

Training camp sightings like this have become a reliable way for Nike to test reactions before a wider release. Getting a well-known face like Wale on the field keeps the shoe seen, building anticipation without an official announcement.

Read More: Former Yeezy GM Jon Wexler Sparks Reunion Speculation

Wale’s Nike GT Future “Wheat”

Wale’s connection to Nike Basketball goes back further than most fans realize. He’s been vocal about his love for classic models like the Foamposite for years, even referencing the Air Max Goadome in one of his own songs.

The history is part of why his GT Future involvement feels earned rather than random. Nike gifted him early Foamposite pairs long before any formal partnership existed between them. This new “Wheat” pair hasn’t received an official release date yet. Given how often Wale has been spotted testing new colorways, another public drop wouldn’t be surprising.

For now, this latest sighting keeps the buzz going around one of Nike Basketball’s most talked- about recent releases. Stay tuned for more details on this pair. Usually, when celebs start giving early looks like this the pair could be set for a retail release soon.

Read More: Action Bronson Says His New Balance 2811 Pairs Were Stolen

The post Wale Spotted In Unreleased Nike GT Future “Wheat” At NFL Training Camp appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

It was recently reported that Desiree Perez had a frightening encounter with a stalker. We reported on the situation Wednesday. Akademiks spoke about the situation during his stream on Wednesday. However, as he explains in the clip below, he was swatted mid-stream.

Someone had allegedly called the police, claiming Akademiks had shot and killed 10 people inside of his home. This led to a visit from the police, who investigated the premises, only to come to the conclusion that the call was some sort of sick prank.

When he got back to his computer, Ak suggested that he was swatted because he was talking about Perez. He said “dirty games” were being played, all while explaining how the police were understanding of his situation.

Read More: Is The Game Looking For Beef With Kendrick Lamar?

DJ Akademiks Says He Got Swatted

Akademiks then asked his chat who they think made the call, implying that the swatting came from someone over at Roc Nation. It’s a baseless insinuation, and one that can be easily dismissed when you consider how streamers are being swatted all the time. Any troll could have done this at any time, regardless of the topic being discussed. Regardless, Akademiks was looking to rally his chat, and that is exactly what happened.

The streamer also noted that a woman was staying in his house at the time, and that she was traumatized by the swatting experience. She was put in handcuffs as police investigated her reasoning for being at the house.

When the police left the scene, Akademiks continued his stream, where it appears as though he was able to move forward without incident.

Read More: Inside The Tupac Murder Trial: 11 Key Players To Know

The post DJ Akademiks Suggests He Was Swatted While Talking About Desiree Perez & Roc Nation appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Ahead of the launch, former Yeezy general manager Jon Wexler shared a post touching on the release. He caught the attention of longtime followers of the brand.

Wexler spent nearly two decades at adidas, eventually rising to lead the Yeezy business unit before departing the company back in 2020. He was one of the most recognizable names behind the brand’s early growth, playing a key role in building out the partnership between Kanye West and adidas from the ground up.

Fans quickly picked up on more than just the post itself. Wexler also engaged with a comment suggesting he could potentially return to work alongside Yeezy again. Of course, this began sparking speculation about what his involvement might look like going forward.

Nothing official has been confirmed about any renewed role. Still, seeing Wexler engage publicly around this moment has fans wondering whether his connection to the brand runs deeper than a simple show of support.

Read More: Action Bronson Says His New Balance 2811 Pairs Were Stolen

Yeezy GM Jon Wexler

The launch brings Yeezy into a major retail chain for the first time since the Adidas split, giving the brand its widest distribution network in years. JD Sports will carry several models at launch, led by the Yeezy Slide in multiple colorways alongside a handful of newer silhouettes.

Since going independent, Ye has continued building out the Yeezy name on his own terms, mostly through direct-to-consumer sales. This partnership changes that, putting the footwear back on shelves fans can walk into and shop in person.

Wexler’s history with the brand makes any renewed connection notable. He wasn’t just an executive, he was one of the public faces most associated with Yeezy’s rise during the Adidas years.

Whether this amounts to anything official remains to be seen. For now, it’s just another storyline adding intrigue to an already big moment for the brand.

Read More: Diddy Released From Solitary Confinement After Alleged Prison Fight

The post Former Yeezy GM Jon Wexler Sparks Reunion Speculation appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“If you got those sneakers, you’re buying stolen product,” Bronson said in the clip. He went on to make clear that any pairs already out in the wild weren’t authorized, verified, or authenticated through him in any way. He pointed to what he called an obvious robbery. Details on the actual heist remain unknown for now.

There’s no word yet on how many pairs were taken, where the theft happened, or which retailer or warehouse may have been involved. Bronson didn’t elaborate further in the video beyond warning fans away from buying secondhand pairs early.

This marks the second known incident of its kind tied to a New Balance collab this year. Also, Joe Freshgoods dealt with a similar situation ahead of his Performance Art 993 pack. Stolen pairs also surfaced on the resale market before the official release that time.

Read More: Why Some Fans Are Upset Over Eminem x Air Jordan 4 “Encore” Release

Action Bronson’s New Balance 2811

The timing stings given how much buildup has gone into the 2811 rollout. It marks Bronson’s first original silhouette with New Balance. Also he’s moving past the usual format of reworking an existing model into something built entirely from scratch under his BAKLAVA imprint.

The “White/Blue” colorway hasn’t received an official release date yet, and it’s unclear how this incident might affect the rollout. Bronson has typically released his 2811 colorways through his own site, Specializinginlife.com, rather than through New Balance or other major retailers.

Sneaker theft ahead of release has become more common as hype around limited collabs keeps growing. It puts collaborators in an awkward spot. They’re forced to publicly distance themselves from pairs that technically exist but were never meant to hit the market.

For now, Bronson’s message is simple. If a pair shows up for sale before any official launch, it didn’t come from him.

Read More: Shareef O’Neal Reveals New SHAQ Brand Silhouettes

The post Action Bronson Says His New Balance 2811 Pairs Were Stolen appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The incident reportedly began after another prisoner insulted Combs. Sources previously told TMZ that the exchange escalated into pushing and punches before correctional officers stepped in and separated the men. Combs was then moved into disciplinary segregation, commonly referred to as “the hole.” The Federal Bureau of Prisons has declined to confirm details of the altercation, citing its policy against discussing individual inmates or disciplinary matters.

TMZ now reports that Combs has been returned from solitary confinement, although it remains unclear whether the alleged fight will result in any additional punishment. Prison disciplinary action can extend beyond time spent in segregation, but federal officials have not publicly disclosed whether Combs received another sanction.

Read More: Diddy’s Prison Release Date Pushed Back Following Fight That Landed Him In Solitary

A Change Up In Diddy’s Release Date

The episode interrupted a relatively public stretch of his incarceration at the low-security New Jersey facility. Footage obtained by TMZ in July showed Combs walking the prison grounds during his regular outdoor routine. He has been housed at Fort Dix since October 2025 after requesting a transfer from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Combs is serving a 50-month federal sentence after a jury convicted him in 2025 on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges brought against him at trial. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian imposed the sentence in October 2025, with credit for time Combs had already spent in custody following his September 2024 arrest.

Read More: Diddy’s Life In Solitary Confinement Revealed After Prison Fight

Moreover, his projected release date has changed several times during his incarceration. Federal Bureau of Prisons records cited by multiple outlets in June listed February 23, 2028, while more recent reporting has placed the date at February 20, 2028.

The post Diddy Released From Solitary Confinement After Alleged Prison Fight appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The book is significant because Davis did more than discuss the mythology surrounding Tupac’s death. He placed himself inside the white Cadillac that prosecutors say pulled alongside Tupac and Suge Knight on September 7, 1996. Davis wrote that he obtained a gun before it was passed into the back seat, where Orlando Anderson and Deandrae Smith were allegedly sitting. He stopped short of identifying which man fired.

That distinction does not necessarily help him. Prosecutors are not required to prove that Davis personally pulled the trigger. Their case is that he was the “shot caller” who helped arrange retaliation after Tupac and members of the Death Row entourage attacked Anderson, Davis’ nephew, inside the MGM Grand earlier that night. Davis has pleaded not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang.

Read More: Inside The Tupac Murder Trial: 11 Key Players To Know

The Memoir That Changed The Investigation

Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo has previously made clear how consequential the memoir became to the case. “Had he decided to never write the book, he would not, probably, have ever been prosecuted for the crime,” DiGiacomo said, according to NewsNation.

Compton Street Legend also gives Davis’ version of what happened immediately before the shooting. He claimed Tupac suddenly reached beneath his seat as the Cadillac approached. “Tupac made an erratic move and began to reach down beneath his seat,” Davis wrote. He then described someone in the back seat taking the gun and opening fire. Authorities have said no weapon was recovered from the BMW carrying Tupac and Knight.

Read More: Suge Knight Among Witnesses Listed In Keefe D’s Tupac Murder Trial

The defense now faces the unusual task of asking jurors not to place too much faith in a story Davis once helped sell as his own. Attorney Michael Sanft argued before trial that the memoir had been fictionalized for profit and questioned which portions could actually be attributed to Davis rather than the book’s co-writer. The judge was not persuaded. In allowing the memoir into evidence, she found that Davis had adopted its statements as his own, including by publicly encouraging people to buy the book to learn what he described as the “real truth.”

The book will not stand alone. Prosecutors can also use a recorded 2008 interview in which Davis discussed the shooting with investigators. His attorneys argued that he believed those statements were protected by an agreement connected to his cooperation with law enforcement. Davis even addressed the arrangement in Compton Street Legend, writing, “I sang because they promised I would not be prosecuted.” Kierny ultimately ruled in late July that the interview could be heard at trial.

Nearly 30 years after Tupac was fatally shot, jury selection in Davis’ trial began August 10. Prosecutors say the cold case was reinvigorated after Davis began publicly discussing his involvement, including through interviews and his memoir. He was arrested in 2023 and remains the only person ever charged in connection with Tupac’s murder.

The post Keefe D’s Tupac Memoir Is Now Evidence In His Murder Trial appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Starr has remained in custody since her August 2 arrest. According to documents obtained by TMZ, she points to her lack of a criminal history and says she has lived in Chicago her entire life. She also identifies her work in television as another indication that she has established ties outside Georgia and would have reason to appear for future court proceedings.

Money is also part of the request. Starr describes herself as “indigent” in the filing and says she cannot afford anything beyond a “nominal bond.” She is asking the court to set an amount she can reasonably pay rather than leave her jailed because of her financial circumstances.

Read More: Sidney Starr’s Arrest Revives One Of Hip Hop’s Most Damaging Rumors

A Look Into The Allegations Against Starr

The request comes as Starr faces serious allegations stemming from an encounter at an Embassy Suites in Hapeville. Authorities arrested her after police were called to the hotel over an alleged sexual encounter involving a minor. Court records previously cited by PEOPLE list charges that include aggravated child molestation and sexual battery against a child under 16. She is also charged with sodomy.

The police account reported by TMZ states Starr told officers that the person she met at the hotel had represented himself as 18. Police later spoke with his parents, who said their son was younger than 16. Starr has denied the allegations against her and indicated that she intends to fight the case through the legal process.

TMZ’s report did not indicate that the judge had ruled on Starr’s latest request. For now, she remains focused on getting out of jail as the criminal case continues.

The post Sidney Starr Asks Judge For Bond After Remaining Jailed Since Arrest appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Jones had already let the news slip before the official rollout. While backstage at the Wine & Slow Jams Festival in Maryland, he revealed that a matchup with Joe was coming and made it clear he was not approaching the night like a grudge match. “For me, it’s not really a Verzuz. It’s a celebration,” he said. He also suggested there would be none of the tension that has occasionally taken over previous Verzuz events.

Read More: Donell Jones & Left Eye’s “U Know What’s Up” Was No. 1 When Y2K Hit

That tone fits a matchup built less around rivalry than two different lanes of the same R&B era. Jones broke through after signing with LaFace Records and released his debut, My Heart, in 1996. His second album, Where I Wanna Be, became his defining project, led by the title track and “U Know What’s Up,” which featured TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. The latter reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B chart.

Moreover, his résumé extends beyond the songs he recorded himself. Jones co-wrote Usher’s early single “Think of You” and later contributed to 702’s “Get It Together.” He also found an audience with his rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Knocks Me Off My Feet,” giving him enough material to move between recognizable singles and records that became fixtures for R&B listeners without relying entirely on crossover hits.

Joe arrives with the broader commercial catalog. “All the Things (Your Man Won’t Do)” and “Don’t Wanna Be a Player” established him during the 1990s, while My Name Is Joe pushed him further into the mainstream at the turn of the century. “I Wanna Know” became one of his signature records, and “Stutter” with Mystikal gave him another major hit. His voice also became familiar to Hip Hop audiences through Big Pun’s “Still Not a Player,” while his appearance alongside Mariah Carey and 98 Degrees on “Thank God I Found You” expanded his reach into pop.

Read More: Too Short Pitches 2-On-2 Verzuz With E-40 Against Another Duo

The Recording Academy has nominated Joe seven times, including recognition for My Name Is Joe, “I Wanna Know,” and the later album Better Days. That history gives him plenty of obvious records to reach for, but Verzuz has rarely been decided by chart numbers alone. Song placement matters, and so does knowing when a deep album cut carries more nostalgia in the room than the bigger single sitting beside it.

Joe and Jones are also stepping into a Verzuz season that has been moving steadily across both R&B and Hip Hop. Tank and Tyrese faced off in March before Rick Ross and French Montana took over in May. B2K met Pretty Ricky in June, while YG and The Game brought the series back to West Coast Rap in July.

The post Joe & Donell Jones Set For Next Verzuz R&B Matchup appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

TMZ reports that Hirose Enterprises LLC sued over the spoken-word introduction taken from “Moon-Raker (Main Mix),” a 1998 recording by John Holiday, better known as Foremost Poets. The sample is immediately recognizable on Beyoncé’s Renaissance cut, beginning the song before its beat fully arrives. Hirose claimed it held rights to both the recording and composition and argued that Parkwood obtained permission from the wrong person.

According to Yahoo! Entertainment, Parkwood did license the material directly from Holiday. Court filings show that a written agreement executed on September 6, 2022, granted Parkwood nonexclusive permission to use “Moonraker” in “Alien Superstar.” That agreement came after Renaissance was released on July 29. Hirose’s position was that Holiday no longer had the authority to grant that license because he had transferred his rights years earlier.

Read More: Beyonce Breaks Her Silence On “Renaissance” Visuals

The Dispute Over Who Owns The Rights

That is where the dispute gets more complicated than a typical claim that an artist simply failed to clear a sample. Hirose alleged that Holiday transferred rights to Soundmen on Wax in 1998 and that those rights were later assigned again. Parkwood challenged whether Hirose could actually document that chain of ownership. In an earlier ruling, the court found that Hirose had not sufficiently alleged the written transfers required under federal copyright law.

The case ultimately never made it far enough for a judge to decide which side had the better claim to “Moonraker.” Hirose Enterprises filed the lawsuit on July 29, 2025, but its own amended complaint stated that the Florida company was not formed until August 6. U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi ruled that an entity that did not legally exist when the case began could not establish standing. On June 26, he dismissed the entire action.

Read More: Beyoncé Reminds Us She’s 1 Of 1 On “ALIEN SUPERSTAR”

Hirose reportedly tried to argue that a similarly named Delaware company held the copyright interest when the lawsuit was filed and could be substituted into the case. However, according to Scarsi’s ruling, no proper motion was filed to make that substitution. Once the court determined it lacked jurisdiction from the start, it did not reach the competing arguments over whether Parkwood’s license from Holiday was valid.

The dismissal was jurisdictional and therefore generally without prejudice, meaning the ruling itself did not settle the underlying ownership fight forever. As the case currently stands, Parkwood has reportedly defeated the lawsuit, and “Alien Superstar” has not been ordered off the market. Still, Hirose wants an injunction to halt distribution of the track. They’re also seeking damages tied to the song’s earnings.

The post Beyoncé’s “Alien Superstar” Faces New Legal Threat Over Sample appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Trippie Redd and Coi Leray broke up during the pregnancy. Since that time, Coi Leray has posted about her daughter on social media. As for Trippie Redd, he hasn’t made very many public comments. Instead, he has been focused on the rollout of his new album, NDA.

However, that all changed today when Trippie Redd took to social media to reveal that Coi Leray is allegedly keeping him from seeing his child. He apparently made these comments after Leray suggested she was parenting all by herself.

“Tell that bitch to tell yall she won’t let me see my baby,” he wrote.

Read More: Inside The Tupac Murder Trial: 11 Key Players To Know

Trippie Redd Has A Message for Coi Leray

Trippie Redd continued to tweet about the situation, as he explained how the internet is telling him to keep quiet about all of this. He feels it is unfair, especially as people criticize him for not seeing his kid, all while refusing to hear his side.

“So it’s I don’t wanna see my kid…then when I say I’m kept from seeing my kid it’s y u telling us,” Trippie Redd said. “Leave me tf alone and yes I’ve been going to court.”

These are strong comments, and they hint at some of the artist’s frustrations over the last little while. At this time, Coi Leray has not responded to Trippie Redd, and it is unclear whether or not she will do so.

Stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates on this developing situation.

Read More: Is The Game Looking For Beef With Kendrick Lamar?

The post Trippie Redd Says Coi Leray Won’t Let Him See Their Kid appeared first on HotNewHipHop.