These live music and entertainment venues were created as part of a partnership between Drake and Live Nation. Overall, the goal is to create upscale venues that artists can be proud to perform in. Furthermore, these venues have a modest capacity of 2000 people, which allows smaller artists to experience a luxurious scene for their concerts.

On Wednesday evening, Drake spoke about HISTORY and just how much he loves this project. He also thanked Live Nation for their support amid this endeavor.

Read More: Rapsody’s Growth As An Emcee, Told Through 10 Songs

Drake Speaks On The Significance of HISTORY

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“A venue for outstanding artists and the incredible fan bases that seek that communal family experience. Thank you to Live Nation for giving me the continued trust on a journey that I hope is shared with every city and country worldwide,” Drake wrote. “These venues are where our stories are born, elevated, shared, and hopefully revisited. I will be there to drop off my personal touch to Ottawa soon. In creating this I think about every artist that had to play a venue and ask themselves, “is this what making it feels like?” because I know we respect all the heritage and all the years of inheritance but hope to create a better experience for our budding artists moving forward.”

In his post, Drake used the song “Ottawa” by Nine Vicious. It is an appropriate song to use, albeit a controversial choice in artist. Just a couple of days ago, Nine Vicious stormed off stage in Phoenix after ripping a security guard’s headset and hat off.

Meanwhile, Nine Vicious has been in multiple back-and-forths with Young Thug amid confusion over his status with YSL. Given this history, he is an interesting artist for Drake to co-sign. That said, the music has been undeniable.

Going forward, HISTORY has the potential to become one of the largest venue chains in Canada.

Read More: Is Drake Tarnishing His Legacy By Streaming On Kick?

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There are close to 200 witnesses that could end up on the stand. The prosecution and the defense still have a lot of work to do, and this week is just the beginning. In fact, it has been a chaotic week in court. Just a couple of days ago, a shooting occurred down the street from the Las Vegas courtroom. Meanwhile, James McDonald, AKA Mob James, turned out to be a hostile witness.

Interestingly enough, Keefe D wasn’t so sure what McDonald was going to do on the stand. So much so that it appears as though he called the man a “f*ckin rat” under his breath as he entered the courtroom. The moment was captured on camera.

Read More: Rapsody’s Growth As An Emcee, Told Through 10 Songs

Keefe D Looks On During Tupac Trial

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In the end, McDonald had very little interest in saying much of anything. Mob James is a former Piru member who used to work security for Death Row Records. Despite his rivalry with Keefe D, he made it clear to the court that he would not help Davis get convicted.

“I’m aware of a lot of things. Things that was going on. People ain’t talked about it in 30 years. Today ain’t one of them,” McDonald said. “I don’t want to send him to prison even though we don’t like each other.”

During Day 3 of the trial on Wednesday, the court heard audio of Keefe D telling law enforcement that Diddy had put money on the heads of Tupac and Suge Knight. An FBI investigation ensued, but nothing came of it.

Keefe D has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and faces life in prison if convicted.

Read More: Tupac Murder Trial: Everything You Need To Know About Keefe D’s Case

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Earlier this week, a person by the name of cyberleek started posting clips of the game to social media. Lots of AI slop was being passed off as leaks in the lead-up to Rockstar Games’ August 27 Netflix showcase. That said, the latest footage from cyberleek is 100 percent authentic.

It should be noted that this is not the final version of the game. Instead, it appears to be an Alpha build from a few years ago. This means there are still lots of things that could change. Graphics, lighting, gameplay physics, and even the UI are all things that are subject to refinements by Rockstar Games.

Regardless, fans are amazed at the sheer scale of the map, something that can be seen in a recent video showing off airplane mechanics. Other videos are showing off the weapons as well as the driving and carjacking elements.

Read More: Is Drake Tarnishing His Legacy By Streaming On Kick?

GTA 6 Leaks Hit The Timeline

The Netflix showcase on August 27 is supposed to be an “Extended Look” that will play out like some sort of television show. At this time, it is unclear what Rockstar Games plans on showing off.

Unfortunately, the entire game is at risk of being leaked before then. The leaker shot the words “leek” into a wall in one of the videos, which proves they have a playable build of the game.

Rockstar Games has yet to acknowledge the leaks, although they are becoming difficult to ignore.

Read More: Rapsody’s Growth As An Emcee, Told Through 10 Songs

The post Rockstar Plagued By In-Depth “GTA 6” Gameplay Leaks Ahead Of Netflix Showcase appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The sneaker mixes a slim, streamlined upper with a super chunky, stacked sole. Three thin racing stripes cut across the side in black and blue, set against an off white base. It’s a sharp contrast from the more maximalist look fans have come to expect from his recent Adidas work.

This isn’t the first sighting either. Pharrell first debuted the shoe just days earlier with Quavo at Disneyland. He was teasing it during their run of promo for an upcoming collab album. No release date or pricing has been confirmed yet, but appearances in suggest Adidas is building toward something official.

Pusha T and Pharrell have been closely linked for a while, most recently when Pusha presented Pharrell with the Shoe of the Year award at the Footwear News Achievement Awards. Seeing him get an early look at the next project fits that ongoing relationship.

Read More: Timbaland Sued By DJ Who Says Producer’s Son Took His Tour Spot

Pharrell Rocks New Adidas Shoe

This new silhouette lands right in the middle of a packed year for Pharrell’s Three Stripes output. The Adistar Jellyfish has dominated headlines with its oversized, maximalist build, while the Vario Flat Earther and Virginia Watermoc have pulled things in a more slimmed down direction.

This latest shoe seems to split the difference between those two lanes. The thin upper leans into the flatter, low profile trend, while the chunky sole keeps a foot in the bulkier shoes he’s known for lately.

It also lines up with a broader move across Adidas as a whole, with the brand leaning further into stacked, exaggerated soles on other recent releases. For Pharrell, it’s another sign that his design run with Adidas shows no signs of slowing down.

Pharrell’s partnership with Adidas has stretched back over a decade at this point. Few designers have stayed this active with one brand for this long, and this new silhouette shows he’s still finding fresh design.

Read More: Lil Durk Trial Evidence Includes 6ix9ine, Wack 100, & Akademiks Interviews

The post Pharrell’s Next Adidas Shoe Surfaces With Pusha T appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ, E Feezy had been brought aboard to DJ during Timbaland’s portion of the tour and says the arrangement called for $4,000 per performance, amounting to $120,000. He claims he began preparing accordingly, including rehearsing the planned set, securing authorization to work in Canada and paying related legal expenses. E Feezy also says he declined other work because he expected to spend July and August on the road.

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Read More: Timbaland Blasted For Appearing In A.I. Artist’s Music Video

Not Totally About Nepotism, But Breaking A Binding Agreement

That preparation became part of his damages claim after he was dismissed shortly before the tour’s launch. E Feezy alleges Timbaland’s son ultimately replaced him, leading the DJ to characterize the move as nepotism. The accusation may explain why he believes he was removed, but the larger legal dispute centers on whether E Feezy had a binding agreement and whether money became owed after his services were no longer needed.

The disagreement apparently did not end with the firing. E Feezy says the parties subsequently reached a settlement, only for Timbaland to fail to honor its terms. He is now claiming approximately $130,000 in damages, a figure TMZ reports includes the tour income he expected to receive along with expenses associated with obtaining his Canadian work authorization.

Read More: Bryson Tiller Says Timbaland Went Ghost After Telling Him To Quit His Job For Music

Timbaland is reportedly contesting that account from multiple angles. He has asked that the lawsuit be dismissed, arguing that there was no enforceable deal matching the arrangement described by E Feezy. He has also filed a complaint against his former manager, whom he says handled the negotiations with the DJ. Timbaland’s position is that if E Feezy is ultimately entitled to recover money over those dealings, responsibility should fall on the former manager rather than him.

E Feezy’s complaint now asks a court to determine whether his preparations for that run were backed by an agreement Timbaland and Mosley Touring were obligated to honor. Timbaland maintains they were not, leaving the existence and enforceability of the alleged deal at the center of the case.

The post Timbaland Sued By DJ Who Says Producer’s Son Took His Tour Spot appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The footage comes from a 2021 episode of Akademiks’ Off the Record. During the conversation, 6ix9ine criticized Durk over the lack of apparent retaliation for Von, who had been killed the previous November. Prosecutors have said a witness is prepared to testify that Durk saw the discussion and was upset by the perception that nothing had been done in response. Durk’s attorneys disputed that premise during pretrial arguments, maintaining that their client had never seen the interview and challenging its relevance to a shooting that occurred roughly a year later. Fitzgerald nevertheless ruled that the excerpt, identified in court as Exhibit 170, can be presented to the jury.

Read More: Lil Durk Allegedly Texted “We Got The Location” Weeks After King Von’s Death

A Stacked Case Against Lil Durk

Akademiks appears elsewhere among the material cleared for trial. According to XXL, jurors may also see portions of an interview he conducted with Durk, as well as clips from Million Dollaz Worth of Game. The approved exhibits extend well beyond podcasts. Prosecutors can introduce music videos, text messages, and photographs obtained from Durk’s iCloud account. A 911 call from a witness to the August 2022 shooting has also been admitted, as has footage showing Quando Rondo’s reaction after the attack.

Prosecutors have built their case around retaliation for Von’s November 2020 killing. Federal authorities allege Durk placed a bounty on Quando Rondo, whose associate Timothy “Lul Tim” Leeks reportedly shot Von during a confrontation outside an Atlanta nightclub. The murder charge against Leeks was ultimately dropped. Moreover, prosecutors contend Durk later financed an effort to kill Quando in Los Angeles, where members and associates of Only The Family allegedly tracked him before opening fire at a gas station near the Beverly Center in August 2022. Quando survived, but his cousin Saviay’a Robinson was killed.

Read More: Lil Durk Allegedly Faces Another Trial Setback Over 2021 Phone Evidence

Federal investigators say money connected to Durk and OTF paid for travel and accommodations associated with the alleged plot. The indictment further alleges that five men traveled from Chicago to California before the shooting and that a credit card bearing Durk’s name was used for a hotel room connected to the group. Prosecutors have also cited a message attributed to Durk instructing an associate not to book flights under names associated with him. Those allegations remain contested, and Durk has pleaded not guilty.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Thursday, August 20, in Los Angeles federal court. Durk and his co-defendants face a statutory maximum of life in federal prison if convicted in the murder-for-hire case.

The post Lil Durk Trial Evidence Includes 6ix9ine, Wack 100, & Akademiks Interviews appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Knight argued that McDonald’s supposed ties to Death Row would have left a visible trail. “If he did work for me, he would’ve had a Death Row chain. He would’ve had a ring,” Knight told TMZ, adding that photographs would show McDonald around the label’s circle if his account were accurate. The distinction between the jobs described in court, however, is important. McDonald testified that he was working as head of security for Knight’s Club 662 in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. Reggie Wright Jr., who followed him to the stand, identified himself as Death Row Records’ head of security.

Read More: Tupac Murder Trial: Everything You Need To Know About Keefe D’s Case

Differing Accounts Of One Of Hip Hop’s Greatest Msteries

McDonald’s value to the case comes from his position within the orbit surrounding Knight, Death Row, and the Mob Piru Bloods. He told jurors that he was at Club 662 on the night Shakur was shot and was not present at the shooting itself. His testimony instead dealt with the atmosphere surrounding the rival factions and what unfolded in Compton afterward. McDonald said violence escalated after Shakur’s death and testified that Orlando Anderson, Davis, and others became targets as tensions spread between neighborhoods.

Getting that testimony out of him was another matter. McDonald repeatedly made clear that he had appeared only because he was subpoenaed, at one point telling attorneys to treat him as a hostile witness. He also addressed Davis directly from the stand, saying, “I don’t want to send you to prison, even though we don’t like each other.” When questioning moved toward who he believed participated in Shakur’s killing, McDonald resisted giving names and complained that the attorneys were pushing him toward answers he did not want to provide.

The clash over McDonald’s history lands in a trial already centered heavily on credibility. Prosecutors allege Davis helped organize the September 1996 shooting as retaliation after Shakur and members of his entourage attacked Davis’ nephew, Orlando Anderson, at the MGM Grand. They say Davis later described his own role in interviews and his 2019 memoir, including handing a gun to men riding in the back of the white Cadillac involved in the attack. Davis’ defense has taken the opposite approach, arguing that his public accounts were exaggerated and cannot be sufficiently corroborated.

Read More: Witness Testifies ‘All Hell Broke Loose’ During Tupac Shooting

Davis has pleaded not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. Prosecutors are continuing to present their case in Clark County District Court, where a conviction could result in life in prison.

The post Suge Knight Calls Out Mob James’ Testimony In Tupac Murder Trial appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Evans’ family identified him as Lil Sheisty, an up-and-coming Milwaukee rapper and father of three. His twin sister, Jaquaisa Evans, told FOX6 that music had become one way she was keeping her brother close after his death. Family members said Evans was at the studio with his friend and mentor, Funny $Money, when both men were killed. They also said they did not know the circumstances that led to the shooting or recognize the suspect who was taken into custody.

Read More: Police Investigate Shooting Outside Of Tupac Shakur Murder Trial In Las Vegas

More About The Slain Artists

Funny $Money, whose real name was Quentene Williams, had built a much broader footprint across Milwaukee Rap. The 33-year-old regularly worked with artists including Sme Taxfree, Chicken P, and Superthrowed Fay Fay, making him a familiar presence across a scene that has drawn increasing national attention. His catalog included 2022’s Don’t Talk 2 Much and the 2024 project I Got the Hook Up Vol. 1: Big Bucks No Whammies. His output continued into 2026 with Paid But Not Full, Vol. 1, while his YouTube channel was still rolling out new material, including “Goldie/I Ain’t Lying,” shortly before his death.

That run followed a period when Williams decided to take music more seriously. During a December 2025 appearance on the Kid L Podcast, he discussed watching fellow Milwaukee artists gain traction while he was incarcerated and realizing he could pursue rap on his own terms. By then, Funny $Money had become part of Milwaukee’s current generation rather than simply building a catalog in isolation.

Read More: Keefe D On Trial For The Murder Of Tupac Shakur: How To Watch

The deaths have now left two families grieving musicians at different points in their careers. Evans’ relatives gathered for a vigil Tuesday, where they remembered the 21-year-old as devoted to his children and spoke about the toll repeated gun violence has taken on their family. Williams’ relatives have also publicly mourned the rapper, whose nephew recalled telling his uncle that he loved him and to stay safe during their final conversation.

Police have not announced what sparked the gunfire. The 28-year-old arrested after the double shooting has not been publicly identified, and FOX6 reports that the case has been referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office for possible charges.

The post Milwaukee Rappers Lil Shiesty, Funny $Money Murdered appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The lineup covers a wide range of eras and colorways. There’s the Air Jordan 8 “Bin 23” in a deep green suede, the Air Jordan 4 “Tour Yellow,” and the Air Jordan 5 “University Blue.” The Air Jordan 12 “Bucks” and Air Jordan 3 “True Blue” round out a strong run of retros mixed into the pile.

A few deeper pairs show up too. The Air Jordan 7 “Miro” and Air Jordan 8 “Chrome” bring in some less common colorways, while the Air Jordan 1 High “Love The Game” adds a bold, multicolor pop to the lineup.

The Air Jordan 13 “Wings” closes it out, arriving in Jordan Brand’s dedicated Wings packaging.
That mix of retros, colorways, and a Wings labeled pair points to a haul that goes beyond standard retail product.

Overall, Sylvester has built one of the closest relationships in sneakers with Jordan Brand, and shipments like this are a regular part of that partnership.

Read More: Tupac’s Sister Says Family Lacks Confidence In Finding Justice For Brother’s Murder

Nigel Sylvester’s Unreleased Jordans

Sylvester’s ties to Nike and Jordan Brand go back further than most people actually even realize. He joined Nike as a teenager back in 2005 through the brand’s action sports division. Obviously this was long before sneakers became his main focus.

That relationship grew steadily over the years, eventually leading to his first Jordan Brand sneaker in 2018. In 2021, he became the first BMX athlete to formally sign with Jordan Brand, cementing his place in the brand’s inner circle.

Since then, Sylvester has become one of Jumpman’s most trusted collaborators. His pairs regularly rank among the most talked about releases each year. Hauls like this one, packed with retros and Wings exclusives, are a reminder of just how deep that relationship runs behind the scenes.

Read More: Rapsody’s Growth As An Emcee, Told Through 10 Songs

The post Nigel Sylvester Shows Off His Latest Jordan Brand Shipment appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

During an interview with Law & Crime Network, Tupac’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, explained how the family’s history in the United States makes it difficult to feel as though justice will be served. ‘Pac’s family has deep ties to Black liberation movements, specifically the Black Panthers. That particular history is what shaped their perception of the justice system as it related to resolving Tupac’s murder. 

“Unfortunately, our family, because of the history in America, and our family’s history here, we have no expectations–or low expectations–of the criminal system ever. We never had any expectations for the criminal system to hunt down someone for my brother’s murder,” she said. “Just Black boys, young Black boys, and their lives or their deaths tend to be swept under the rug in America often. So we didn’t have high expectations in the beginning.”

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Tupac’s Sister Speaks Out

Tupac’s family haven’t shied away from interviews since jury selection started last week. His cousin, William Lesane, expressed how much pain his family has had to endure over the 30 years since his death.

“I’m just happy that I can be here, that I’m not dead, I’m not in jail, healthy and of sound mind,” he said. “And I can come here and witness and observe, not only what’s going to be historic, but a culmination of 30 years of my family dealing with grief and anger, depression, sadness.”

We will continue to keep you posted on any further updates on Tupac’s trial. 

Read More: Rapsody’s Growth As An Emcee, Told Through 10 Songs

The post Tupac’s Sister Says Family Lacks Confidence In Finding Justice For Brother’s Murder appeared first on HotNewHipHop.