Few catalogs demonstrate that alchemy quite like Freddie Jackson’s. The R&B great died October 5 at 70, leaving behind the kind of music that already sounded luxurious before anyone reached for a sampler. His records were lush without being overcrowded, giving producers room to hear possibilities beneath the vocal performance.

Two songs in particular kept finding their way into Hip Hop’s hands. “Love Is Just a Touch Away” and “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” traveled through New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area, resurfacing beneath artists who had very different things to say than Jackson did in the 1980s. Sometimes his melodies remained recognizable. Elsewhere, producers grabbed the record’s bones and built something new.

That is part of what makes sampling such a fitting way to remember him. The original songs stayed intact, but Hip Hop kept refusing to leave them where it found them.

“Love Is Just A Touch Away” Becomes A Hip Hop Favorite

Buried on Jackson’s 1985 debut Rock Me Tonight, “Love Is Just a Touch Away” became one of those records that seemed to keep whispering ideas to producers long after its release. The song had enough polish for adult R&B radio, but underneath it sat a groove sturdy enough to survive being pulled into entirely different settings.

AZ – “Gimme Yours (Erick Sermon Remix)”

Erick Sermon heard exactly that. His remix of AZ’s “Gimme Yours” draws from Jackson’s “Love Is Just a Touch Away,” giving the record a warmer, smoother foundation than the original Pete Rock production.

It fits AZ almost suspiciously well. His delivery has always carried a certain ease, even when the subject matter gets grim, and Jackson’s music gives him even more room to glide. Nothing about the pairing feels forced. Instead, the sample turns an ’80s R&B groove into the kind of understated luxury that became part of AZ’s musical identity in the mid-’90s.

Foesum – “Whowouldofeveathought?”

Long Beach gave “Love Is Just a Touch Away” a completely different climate. On “Whowouldofeveathought?,” from Foesum’s 1996 debut Perfection, producers DJ Glaze and Tony G reworked Jackson’s bassline throughout the track, letting that polished R&B groove settle comfortably into the group’s G-funk world.

The connection works because nobody tries to force Freddie’s record to sound tougher than it is. Instead, the sample keeps its smoothness while the drums and low-end pull it west, giving the track that easy, sun-warmed glide associated with so much mid-’90s Long Beach Rap. A sophisticated Quiet Storm suddenly sounds perfectly at home cruising a different coastline.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – “Ain’t Nothin Changed (Everyday Thang Part 2)”

Melody was already part of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s bloodstream, which made Freddie Jackson less of an unexpected guest than a natural ancestor. “Ain’t Nothin Changed (Everyday Thang Part 2),” from 1997’s The Art of War, has hints of “Love Is Just a Touch Away,” but the connection lands less like a sample flip than a meeting of musical instincts.

Bone could make grief, paranoia, prayer, and street reportage live inside the same harmony. Jackson came from a different world, but his records understood how much emotion a melody could carry before the words even finished the job. On “Ain’t Nothin Changed,” that shared instinct matters more than genre lines ever could.

Mack 10 ft. Gerald Levert – “Money’s Just A Touch Away”

Sometimes the homage announces itself before the beat even drops. The title of “Money’s Just A Touch Away” openly flips Jackson’s “Love Is Just a Touch Away,” and the 1998 The Recipe cut credits Freddie Jackson and Barry Eastmond among its writers. Gerald Levert handles the hook, turning the record into a small bridge between two generations of R&B and West Coast Rap.

That lineage gives the track its charm. Mack 10 takes the romantic promise in Jackson’s original and redirects it toward hustle and proximity to success, while Levert keeps one foot planted in the soul tradition the song came from. Freddie’s melody is still recognizable, but the destination has changed completely.

J. Stalin ft. The Jacka – “Party Jumpin’”

The Bay Area found another use for Freddie’s polish. “Party Jumpin’,” released in 2006, samples “Love Is Just a Touch Away,” but there’s nothing especially delicate about the way the record moves. The sample gets folded into the loose, conversational energy of J. Stalin and The Jacka, where Jackson’s smoothness becomes part of the atmosphere rather than the centerpiece.

What makes this one more interesting in hindsight is that Freddie wasn’t a one-time pull from the crates. Years later, Stalin would deliberately return to his catalog for “Party Jumpin’ 2,” effectively making Jackson part of the DNA of the series. That kind of repeat visit says more than a single sample credit ever could.

Snoop Dogg ft. October London – “Touch Away”

Nearly four decades after “Love Is Just a Touch Away” first appeared, Snoop Dogg and October London brought it back into circulation on 2022’s “Touch Away.” The record draws from Jackson’s original, but by then, the source had already lived several Hip Hop lives across New York, Cleveland, Long Beach, and the Bay.

That history gives Snoop’s version a little extra weight. London handles the Soul side of the equation while Snoop keeps the record rooted in West Coast ease, making “Touch Away” feel less like a rediscovery and more like another handoff. Freddie’s music had been passed around Rap for years by then, and it still had enough life in it to sound current.

“Have You Ever Loved Somebody” Finds A Different Emotional Life

If “Love Is Just a Touch Away” proved how adaptable Freddie Jackson’s grooves could be, “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” gave rappers something else to work with. Released in 1986, the song was built around a question meant for romance, but Hip Hop kept finding heavier answers inside it.

Glasses Malone feat. Rick Ross, T-Pain & Birdman – “Sun Come Up”

By 2009, that question had traveled a long way from Quiet Storm radio. Glasses Malone’s “Sun Come Up” samples “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” placing Freddie’s romantic foundation beneath a record crowded with money talk and the larger-than-life energy that defined plenty of Rap at the end of the decade.

T-Pain helps keep the connection from feeling completely severed. His hook carries the melody while Malone, Rick Ross, and Birdman occupy a much different world than the one Jackson was singing from in 1986. The source remains recognizable, but whatever candlelight once surrounded it has been replaced by something considerably louder.

DMX – “Have You Eva”

The tenderness disappears almost immediately. On “Have You Eva,” from 2012’s Undisputed, “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” becomes the foundation for a record that has almost nothing to do with romance. X turns the familiar “have you ever” setup into a running inventory of hard lessons, asking questions shaped by the life he had been rapping about for years.

That is what makes Freddie Jackson such an effective source here. The original carries warmth and emotional openness, while DMX uses the same melodic memory to make listeners brace themselves for what comes next. The sample is recognizable enough to create familiarity, then the song immediately pulls that comfort out from under you.

E-40 ft. Ricco Barrino – “Somebody”

There’s something almost perfect about Freddie Jackson’s romantic longing getting repurposed into a song about trying to become somebody in the first place. On “Somebody,” E-40 and Ricco Barrino lean on “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” as an homage, but the ache has been redirected. The question is no longer who loved you, but whether you can turn your life into something worth recognizing.

E-40 described the record in those broader terms himself, framing it around ambition and the pressure to make something of your life. That makes Freddie’s presence feel less decorative and more foundational. The melody still carries yearning, but now it’s reaching for a future instead of a relationship.

J. Stalin ft. The Jacka & G-Eazy – “Party Jumpin’ 2”

Returning to Freddie Jackson for the sequel was deliberate. A decade after “Party Jumpin’” borrowed from “Love Is Just a Touch Away,” J. Stalin reached for a different Jackson record when he made “Party Jumpin’ 2,” this time sampling “Have You Ever Loved Somebody.”

That choice turns Jackson into more than a familiar source tucked somewhere in the production credits. His music becomes part of the connective tissue between both records, linking two different eras of Stalin’s catalog while The Jacka’s posthumous appearance adds its own weight. Revisiting Freddie wasn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It was continuity.

The Records Never Stayed In The ’80s

The beauty of sampling is that a record never has to remain where history first placed it. “Love Is Just a Touch Away” and “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” belonged unmistakably to Jackson’s world, but Hip Hop kept finding trapdoors inside them. A bassline could lead to Long Beach. A melody could wind up beneath DMX. Years later, the same catalog was still giving Snoop Dogg and J. Stalin something worth carrying forward.

That may be one of the quieter measures of Jackson’s legacy. Producers didn’t only reach for the giant hits everybody already knew. They dug deeper and found records flexible enough to survive being taken apart and rebuilt for another generation. The songs never stopped belonging to Freddie, but Hip Hop made sure they never belonged only to the past.

The post Hip Hop Gave Freddie Jackson’s Songs New Lives appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Dame pointed to a situation where LA Reid, the former Artista Records CEO, wanted to do a direct deal with him, rather than with JAŸ because Hov was an artist. “He wanted a businessman to be there,” Dame recalled, stating that Reid told him over a phone call that JAŸ wouldn’t move forward with the deal if Dash was involved. 

“And yeah, he was like, ‘I want to be known as a businessman.’ Like, flat-out said, ‘I want to be known as a businessman, and I can’t be known as a businessman with you next to me,’” Dame recalled JAŸ allegedly telling him. “And I was like, ‘I don’t even want to be next to you, n***a, but you’re not a businessman.’”

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Dame Dash On JAŸ-Z’s Business Image

Dame accused JAŸ of using people like Steve Stoute to make the business moves while he became hee face of the business. 

Elsewhere, Dame said that Hov asked for his portion of Reasonable Doubt in exchange for not taking the job. “Jay ain’t sh*t. We all know that. And I’ll say it. And y’all could tell me [I’m a] chatty patty when he fucks up $40 million of my own money,” Dame said. Check the clip above around the 55-minute mark and sound off with your thoughts in the comments below. 

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The pair keeps the look dark. The upper is black, with rugged leather overlays sitting over a softer nubuck base. Bright green accents break it up in small doses. The Jumpman on the tongue gets a spooky twist too.

The best detail is the stitching. “XXIII” is sewn into the upper in exposed thread, which gives the shoe a stitched-together look. It’s a clever nod to Michael Jordan’s number 23.

Flip it over and the Halloween theme really shows up. The outsole is green and glows in the dark, sitting below a black midsole. In daylight, it looks like a regular black Mid. After dark, it’s a different shoe.

Sizing is listed as men’s, and pairs are on Nike.com. Sizes tend to disappear once Halloween gets closer, so it’s worth grabbing a pair soon. It’s also the sibling to the Air Jordan 1 Low “Halloween,” which also dropped on Nike and is currently available here.

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Air Jordan 1 Mid “Halloween”

The Air Jordan 1 Mid is one of the easiest Jordans to wear. The mid-top shape works with just about anything. A black pair with glow details fits that formula perfectly.

Nike has been going big on Halloween this year. The Air Jordan 5 “Halloween” arrives October 17th, and the Air Jordan 14 “Forest Green” lands on Halloween itself.

Compared to those two, the Mid is the budget-friendly option. At $140, it’s well below the $215 price tag on both. And since it’s already out, there’s no raffle or early alarm to deal with.

The green glow is a fun detail, but it isn’t loud. Most days, this just looks like a clean black Jordan 1. That makes it an easy pair to keep wearing well after October ends.

If you want one Halloween Jordan that’s simple and easy to find, this is probably the one.

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Overall, this is not good news for the fans, who very clearly want to hear as much new music as possible. Some feel as though this was a rough year for mainstream hip-hop, and the decline in albums is not going to help matters.

That said, tonight, we are getting new songs from Gunna, Offset, Don Toliver, and even Rick Ross. On the albums side, we are getting Ovrkast. and Pitbull. As you can clearly tell, it’s a bit light.

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What’s Dropping Tonight

Albums & Songs Coming Tonight:

• Gunna — Pop It
• Rick Ross – Loaded
• Ovrkast. — STRIKING
• Offset & Don Toliver — Every Night
• Pitbull — Pitcoin
• Doe Boy — MR. WALK EM DOWN
• HXG — MADNESS (?)
• Jessie Reyez & Samara Cyn — FOR SIXXX IN THE MORNIN
• KA$HDAMI — BLUEPRINT
• Ray Vaughn — Set It Off
• Johnny Venus (of EARTHGANG) — THE 11TH HOUR
• Almighty Jay — when?
• Devstacks — Soul
• KaMillion — Wus Up
• ARDN, Devkota — SUPERNOVA
• Delivery Boys — Young Grasshopper
• Rexv2 — bowling (feat. slayr)
• sixzino — Monster
• Kura — No Parts
• LaRussell, Reecebeats, Tietta & Splash — It’s All Love

Let us know which of these albums and songs you will be listening to first. Are you excited for this Friday’s slate of releases or do you feel underwhelmed? Let us know in the comments below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world.

Read More: Ranking Every Sneaker We Saw At ComplexCon 2026

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Release Date: October 8, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: GMFU

The post Every Night – Song by Offset featuring Don Toliver appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“I have no political aspirations,” 50 said. “When your business gets big, it gets political because you’re creating so many jobs; it actually affects the economy there. So yeah, it starts to get political, but I don’t care about politics or want to be involved in politics at all because I’m an entertainer. So, are you red or blue? I’m purple. I’m with everybody.”

Fif said that there are things he sees with the Democratic Party that he doesn’t agree with, and the same thing goes for the Republican Party. 

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50 Cent Has No Interest In Politics

This isn’t the first time 50 Cent has rejected the idea of entering politics as an entertainer. At a film premiere earlier this year, he explained that he tries to stay away from both politics and religion, while citing Kanye West as an example. “They say stay away from religion and stay away from politics because no matter what you think, somebody passionately disagrees with you, alright? And I stay away from those things. That’s how Kanye f*cked up,” he said. 

Despite these claims, 50 Cent previously claimed that he would be voting for Trump during the 2024 election, though he later backtracked. He also found himself going back and forth with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the midst of his mayoral run. While we will never see 50 Cent run for office, he certainly has no issues chiming in on current affairs like anyone else. Check out the clip above. 

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While Rock has insisted that Chrisean Jr. does not have a disability, the internet disagrees. Meanwhile, Blue has just gone with the flow and has welcomed Rock back into his home.

During a recent interview with DJ Akademiks, Adam22 offered some criticism of Blueface. He said that while he hasn’t been the best father to his daughter with Lena The Plug, he is still better than Blueface. Overall, he believes that people like Blue couldn’t even be compared to him, and that the standard is on the floor.

This subsequently led to some harsh remarks from Blueface on his most recent livestream. He addressed Adam directly, stating that Adam is a terrible father because he prioritizes doing adult content over his child.

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Blueface Reacts To Adam22

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Blueface also made the point that the audience has seen his children, which demonstrates he cares about them. He thinks that Adam22 keeping his daughter private is somehow an indication of Adam’s abilities as a dad.

At the end of the day, this is all petty stuff that just racks up views for the livestreams. Blueface benefits over on Kick, and Adam benefits over on the No Jumper platform.

Blueface’s Kick livestreams have certainly been under scrutiny. He is constantly being swatted, and the authorities are mostly responding to calls about Chrisean Jr. Needless to say, there is a lot of chaos around the artist right now.

Read More: Ranking Every Sneaker We Saw At ComplexCon 2026

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A dispute between 42-2 District Court Judge William Hackel III and Mather’s attorney, Camilla Barkovic, reached a boiling point when Barkovic argued that a magistrate agreed to modify the conditions. The alleged modification allowed Mathers to leave court-mandated inpatient treatment after arrangements for a hearing in front of Hackel “on multiple occasions” fell through. 

Hackel said that the magistrate had “no authority to make that decision,” asserting that “the only person that could reverse it would be a circuit judge.” As a result, Mathers is being held in Macomb County Jail until next week, when she’ll have another hearing.

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Eminem’s Ex-Wife Has Bond Revoked

Mathers had surrendered to the 42-2 District Court in June after missing three separate court appearances related to DUI charges filed in February and May. She also has a separate OWI case pending in Chesterfield Township. 

In August, prosecutors asked the court to send Mathers to the county jail, citing her continued failure to comply with the terms of her release. Judge Hackel subsequently revoked her bond, but offered a path to release, stating that Mathers could leave custody if she agreed to enter an inpatient treatment program. However, after reporting for the inpatient treatment after the hearing, Mathers didn’t stay in the facility. Hackel said that leaving the facility should’ve led to a bench warrant. 

Ultimately, Hackel said that Barkovic could’ve used the many opportunities available to appear before him, while prosecutors said that a motion could’ve been filed on Mathers’ behalf during the 37 days when she seemingly disappeared. 

“You can’t just disappear,” Hackel told Mathers. “You don’t disappear and then wait a half a month, or a month, to come in and go ‘yeah now I want to address bond, I want to address it in front of whomever’—that’s my issue.”

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Recently, Young went on Club Shay Shay for a conversation with Shannon Sharpe. During the episode, Young was asked about his relation to Kendrick, and how he felt about the Drake beef.

This led to a very honest answer from Young, who simply stated that he has no interest in listening to Drake. He believes the 20v1 was a horrific look, and given all the subliminals on ICEMAN, Lamar should fire back soon.

“I don’t listen to no Drake. Who listens to Drake nowadays? … Drake did the 20v1 and start barking and sh*t. I was like, ‘You know what? Kendrick, you got to get him again!'” Young explained.

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Nick Young Talks Drake and Kendrick

Young’s comments are not surprising, and they align with how plenty of other Kendrick Lamar fans feel right about now. However, there is no telling whether or not Lamar is actually going to offer a response.

Kendrick has mostly been staying away from the spotlight. After a massive 2024 and early 2025, he has been taking it easy. 2026 has been a down year for him, and while some believe a new album is on the horizon, there is actually no confirmation that this will be the case.

You have to wonder if Lamar even cares to respond to Drake anymore. While the subliminals have been plentiful this past year, Lamar has already been declared the winner of the battle. For an MC like Lamar, that is probably more than enough.

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Nike dominated the floor with multiple Air Force 1 projects, Vans showed up through two strong collab stories, and Adidas and Reebok each had moments worth talking about. From surprise shock drops to live hand-painted customs and on-feet previews of shoes not dropping until 2027, the weekend had something for everyone.

Here are the 12 best sneakers we saw at ComplexCon 2026…

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12. Stash x LAAMS x Nike Air Force 1 Low

The most hands-on drop of the entire weekend. NYC-based label LAAMS teamed up with graffiti artist Stash for a live customization project at booth J19. Stash was on site spray-painting white Air Force 1 Lows by hand using old-school stencils and painting the Swoosh.

Every single pair was a true one-of-one. Only 50 pairs total were produced across the two days. The process was the point. Watching Stash work in real time made every pair feel earned. A collab that could only exist at an event like ComplexCon.

11. Badfriend x Nike Air Force 1 Low

Badfriend kept it simple and it worked. The clothing label brought two Air Force 1 Low colorways to ComplexCon, one white and one black. Both featured co-branded purple tags on the tongue and heel.

Rather than selling them outright, Badfriend made the shoes available as a gift with any purchase over $160 at their booth, paired with a matching t-shirt. It’s a smart activation that tied footwear to apparel sales. The black and white colorways gave collectors an easy choice. The purple branding added just enough identity to make them worth keeping.

10. Circulate x Nike Air Force 1 Low

Circulate founder Corey Populus made his first Nike collaboration count at ComplexCon. The shoe stayed close to the standard Triple White Air Force 1 but made its mark through smaller details.

A laser-etched Circulate logo sits on the lateral heel. The brand’s “Thinking Made Visual” graphic replaces the standard Nike Air tongue tag.

Also Populus was on-site for the release alongside a matching Circulate x Nike t-shirt. It’s the kind of first collab that earns respect because it doesn’t try too hard. Overall, it was clean execution on a clean canvas.

9. Taller de Rafa x Nike Air Max Goadome Low

The Taller de Rafa x Nike Air Max Goadome Low had already sold out before ComplexCon opened its doors. The booth E4 restock was one of the weekend’s most anticipated pickups for anyone who missed the original September drop.

Taller de Rafa’s approach blends the Goadome’s rugged outdoor style with a more refined aesthetic. It works as well off the trail as on it. A limited number of pairs came back for the convention. One of the more wearable and versatile collabs in the ComplexCon 2026 lineup.

8. Imran Potato x Vans Collection

Imran Potato brought energy to booth L12 with a multicolor cheetah print Vans collection. Both the Authentic and the Old Skool were part of the drop.

The cheetah pattern gave the classic Vans silhouettes a maximalist treatment that fit the ComplexCon floor perfectly. The Authentic in particular benefited from the bold print. It turned one of the most minimal shoes in skateboarding into something that demanded attention.

Imran Potato has built a reputation for taking familiar canvases in pretty wild and unexpected directions. The Vans collection delivered on that reputation.

7. BAPE STA “25th Anniversary” Collection

BAPE brought its 25th anniversary STA collection to ComplexCon as one of the weekend’s landmark moments. The STA has been one of streetwear’s most recognizable silhouettes since Nigo introduced it in the early 2000s.

The 25th anniversary gave the brand a reason to revisit the model’s roots with premium executions across multiple colorways. It’s a shoe that launched careers and defined an era of Japanese streetwear.

Real collector interest has followed it for so long. The anniversary collection landed at ComplexCon as a fitting tribute to one of the most influential footwear stories in streetwear history.

6. Sp5der x Adidas Originals F50 Formotion

Young Thug’s Sp5der brand continued building its Adidas portfolio at ComplexCon. The slime green F50 Formotion dropped at booth B43 with the brand’s signature hang tag on the upper.

The F50 is a soccer silhouette with a low-profile, performance-forward build. Adidas Originals has been repositioning it as a lifestyle shoe, and Sp5der’s slime green treatment fit pretty well in their aesthetic.

The collab showed that the Sp5der x Adidas relationship has real creative range. A shoe that worked better in person than most people expected from the preview images.

5. BBC Ice Cream x Reebok Board Flip “Beer”

BBC Ice Cream and Reebok brought a Japanese beer-inspired Board Flip to ComplexCon in two tiers. The silver “Beer” colorway was capped at 500 pairs at booth D20.

A gold version was limited to just 25 pairs, with 19 of those given away at the event. It was one of the scarcest drops of the entire weekend. The Board Flip has deep roots in the BBC/Ice Cream catalog going back to Pharrell’s original Reebok partnership in the mid-2000s.

The beer can-inspired color story gave it a playful, collectible identity. A shoe that fit both the silhouette’s history and the energy of the convention floor.

4. Satoshi Nakamoto x Vans Era “Lucky Charms”

Satoshi Nakamoto’s “Lucky Charms” series continued at ComplexCon with a navy blue Vans Era at booth E1. The shoe is covered in pearlescent charm detailing and was sold as a ComplexCon exclusive.

The series has built serious momentum since its debut. Each colorway adds a new layer to one of the more interesting ongoing Vans collaborations in recent memory.

The navy gave the concept a slightly more mature and wearable feel. It kept the signature charm details that made the series take off in the first place. Availability stayed tight across both days of the show.

3. Jae Tips x Nike Air Bakin Low

Jae Tips didn’t drop a shoe at ComplexCon, but he did preview one. The Harlem-based creator wore his upcoming Nike Air Bakin Low collaboration on-feet at the show.

It was attendees’ first real look at a release not expected to hit retail until 2027. The Air Bakin is a mid-1990s Nike hoops silhouette with growing collector attention. A low-top version gives Jae Tips a different canvas from the standard retro models that dominate collab culture.

The on-feet debut generated more conversation than most of the actual drops at the show. Worth watching when the release date gets confirmed.

2. Concrete Boys x Nike Air Force 1 Mid

Lil Yachty shock-dropped the Concrete Boys x Nike Air Force 1 Mid at ComplexCon without any prior announcement. It was one of the most chaotic and talked-about moments of the weekend.

Limited to 1,000 pairs, the mid-cut build gave the Concrete Boys collab a different profile from the standard AF1 Low. Yachty and the Concrete Boys crew have built one of the more authentic artist-to-Nike relationships in recent years.

The surprise format fit the project’s energy perfectly. It sold out fast and immediately became one of the most discussed drops from the entire two-day event.

1. Victor Victor x Nike Air Force 1 Low

Steven Victor’s Victor Victor x Nike Air Force 1 ’01 collection has been one of the most polarizing and consistently talked-about collab series of 2026. The blue colorway drop at ComplexCon kept that conversation going.

Limited quantities at the booth came in at a $150 retail price. The AF1 ’01 construction features slightly retooled proportions compared to a standard Air Force 1.

It gave collectors another reason to engage with one of the year’s most discussed Nike partnerships. Steven Victor’s eye for what makes a Nike collab actually mean something has been evident throughout the series. The blue pair at ComplexCon was definitely no different.

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