HotNewHipHop

D4vd’s Brother Denies Protecting Singer And Demands Justice For Celeste Rivas

Gabriel Bras Nevares — Sat, 09 May 2026 15:00:29 +0000

D4vd remains behind bars while facing first-degree murder charges in the Celeste Rivas Hernandez case. Authorities found the teenager’s dead body in a Tesla belonging to him last year, and there’s been a lot of chatter about the case since then. The singer’s younger brother Caleb Burke reportedly spoke out amid these discussions to clear the air and defend his name.

As caught by Bryson “Boom Paul” for Hot 97, Caleb reportedly posted a few Instagram Stories on Thursday (May 7) speaking on the matter. He said he wanted to say something for a long time, but didn’t want to disrupt the ongoing legal matter or take focus away from the Rivas Hernandez family’s pursuit of justice.

This follows Burke’s message against child sex offenders after D4vd’s arrest. Prosecutors claim the artist had an inappropriate sexual relationship with the underage Rivas and allegedly murdered her to prevent the relationship’s exposure.

“I’ve seen people say that I knew what was going on and was protecting my brother. This is not true at all,” Caleb Burke reportedly wrote. “I have not lived with my brother for years, and was not very close with him. We didn’t speak often other than when our family was brought on tour or he was visiting home. I was around Celeste a few times when I was 15, I did not know her well, and did not know her age.”

Caleb also denied presumptions from a video of him and Celeste backstage at a D4vd concert. He dismissed the notion that he snuck her backstage, explaining that they were instructed to get something from a fan after the show ended.

How Old Was Celeste Rivas When She Met D4vd?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 20: d4vd looks on from behind his defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski (R) during his arraignment for the murder of Celeste Rivas Hernandez at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on April 20, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ted Soqui – Pool/Getty Images)

Burke also slammed the notion that he’s using this buzz to boost his music career, as he’s been an artist for a long time and planned releases that coincided with case developments well before the coincidence happened. He even explained how he changed his online name to avoid association with his brother. Also, Caleb called out false reporting about his age. He turned 18 last November.

D4vd allegedly met Celeste Rivas when she was 11 years old. His next court date will reportedly take place later this month. A preliminary hearing for evidence and trial considerations will take place on May 26 if everything goes according to the current schedule at press time.

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All Four Suspects In Foolio Murder Trial Found Guilty

Gabriel Bras Nevares — Sat, 09 May 2026 14:30:04 +0000

Following a month of trial and almost two years after the death of Foolio, a jury finally reached a verdict concerning the four murder suspects. Yesterday (Friday, May 8), a Tampa jury convicted Isaiah Chance, Sean Gathright, Rashad Murphy, and Davion Murphy of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the jury deliberated for eight hours and also convicted Gathright and the Murphys of attempted second-degree murder. This is because they allegedly wounded other individuals during the shooting that took the Jacksonville rapper’s life. The jury also reportedly agreed with prosecutors’ accusations about Chance and the Murphys were in a gang, which contextualized the shooting’s relation to gang activity.

This follows the conviction a fifth Foolio murder suspect, Alicia Andrews, on manslaughter charges. Chance and Andrews, his girlfriend, provided his location to the other three perpetrators. Gathright and the Murphys reportedly appeared in a surveillance video that showed them shooting guns at a parked car the Florida MC was sitting in outside of a Holiday Inn. The shooting happened while he was celebrating his birthday.

First Coast News caught the live verdict on YouTube. DJ Akademiks and No Jumper also shared notable occurrences during the moment on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DJ Akademiks (@akademiks)

Foolio’s Killers’ Sentence

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by No Jumper (@nojumper)

Now, prosecutors in the Foolio murder trial are expected to request the jury to recommend the death penalty for all four suspects. We will see if this is actually the sentence or if it’s life in prison instead. The penalty phase of the trial reportedly begins on Monday (May 11). Alicia Andrews also awaits sentencing.

Other developments in the Foolio murder trial concerned some antics, expressions, and updates from the suspects themselves. These include laughing in court, trying to escape an interrogation room, seemingly admitting guilt, having an outburst in court that led to a handcuffed removal from the trial, and more.

After almost two full years, this case is finally starting to wrap up. Its connection to gang conflicts and hip-hop beefs also saw a lot of documentation, especially considering the Yungeen Ace beef. We will see what comes of sentencing and if there are any other updates about this case.

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Rick Ross Sends Drake A Peace Offering: “I Don’t Want To See You Lose”

Gabriel Bras Nevares — Sat, 09 May 2026 14:00:07 +0000

Rick Ross was the most recent guest on Apple Music’s Rap Life Review alongside his collaborator French Montana, with whom he just shared a big Verzuz battle. He also has some more endeavors to promote, such as his upcoming album Set In Stone. But during the interview, Rozay also addressed his former friend: Drake.

Ebro remarked how the Internet will make a big deal about Rick Ross requesting the removal of Drake’s vocals from his “Aston Martin Music” performance at the event. Ross then shared a message for the 6ix God.

“Drake, if you listening to this, homie, listen to me. My n***a, shine,” he expressed, as caught by Ahmed/The Ears on Twitter. “No real n***a want to see you lose. That ain’t what n***as about. This culture, this game, this rap s**t, this ain’t what it’s about… Real n***as just want to see real n***as shine together. Real n***as come up together. When I was the number one n***a in the rap game, I showed n***as love. When French was on fire, he showed n***as love… We hustled our way out of any situation. N***a don’t hate on no n***a…”

“Wherever homie at, Montana still f**k with you on 1,000…” Ross continued. “I’m not on no disrespectful s**t… It’s deeper than rap. This is the first time I said this… Montana like, ‘Call my n***a Drake.’ Cool. Before I knew him… I would love to throw in right now, that’s when you had the big nose. But we ain’t gon’ go there. This is the first time I’ma say this: Shoutout to homie. Montana riding for you… When you got real n***as riding for you, n***as gon’ respect it. I’m not gon’ disrespect it.”

Drake & Rick Ross Beef

Rick Ross sends a message to Drake and says he still loves him while reminiscing the days they worked together:

"Drake if you listening to this homie, listen to me my nigga.. shine I don't wanna see you lose, nobody wanna see you lose. That ain't what this Rap Shit is about,… pic.twitter.com/G6AR4LRqIf
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) May 9, 2026

For those unaware, Rick Ross’ Drake beef began back in 2024 amid the Kendrick Lamar battle. He dissed The Boy and claimed he sent a cease and desist to French Montana over a verse, along with other jabs at his background and character.

This even led to The Biggest Boss getting into an altercation with OVO fans at a Canada concert. But now, it seems like there’s not as much bad blood… We’ll see if the Toronto superstar feels the same way.

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Nike Reportedly Lays Off 90% Of Their SNKRS Team

Ben Atkinson — Sat, 09 May 2026 11:22:37 +0000

Nike reportedly just gutted its SNKRS team. According to sources familiar with the situation, the company laid off an estimated 90% of the teams connected to SNKRS launches and the reaction from people inside the org made it clear how significant the cut was.

A LinkedIn post from Stacy Devino, a Principal Engineer who worked on SNKRS, framed it bluntly: “The org and the people behind SNKRS were obliterated yesterday.” She went on to describe the scale of what the team had built, handling traffic events where up to 100 million users were competing for as few as 5,000 pairs at once. That’s a hard engineering problem, and by most accounts they solved it well.

This latest move is part of a broader wave of cuts at Nike. The company already laid off 775 employees in January and another 1,400 in April, primarily in technology and operations. The SNKRS layoffs appear to be part of that same tech reorganization under CEO Elliott Hill’s “Win Now” turnaround strategy.

The bigger question now is what happens to SNKRS itself. Speculation is already circulating that Nike could lean on third-party platforms like EQL and Shopify being the names most frequently mentioned to handle future drops. Whether that means SNKRS the app goes away or simply gets rebuilt with fewer people behind it remains unclear.

For sneakerheads, the app has been the center of the launch experience for nearly a decade. A lot could change.

Nike SNKRS Layoff

BREAKING: Nike has reportedly laid off an estimated 90% of teams connected to SNKRS launches, per sources familiar with the situation.

The news follows LinkedIn post claiming the SNKRS team had been “obliterated,” while speculation continues around AI, Shopify, and raffle… pic.twitter.com/Zhn6JTbee0
— House of Heat° (@houseofheat) May 8, 2026

SNKRS launched in 2015 and became the primary way Nike handled limited sneaker releases at scale. Also te app introduced draw-based raffles, digital queues, and location-based drops that fundamentally changed how sneaker culture interacts with product launches.

At its peak, Saturday morning drops were essentially a DDOS attack on Nike’s servers with millions of users, thousands of pairs, and a countdown clock. Further, the team behind it built infrastructure that no one else in the industry had attempted at that scale.

EQL is a raffle platform that already powers drops for Jordan Brand and other Nike partners globally. Shopify handles e-commerce infrastructure for major brands. Overall either could theoretically absorb parts of what SNKRS currently does.

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GEEKIN – Song by Nemzzz featuring Lil Yachty

Alexander Cole — Sat, 09 May 2026 08:30:00 +0000

With Nemzzz preparing his new project, LOCKED IN, he has decided to drop a new single. This track is called “GEEKIN” and it features Lil Yachty. Overall, the production on this song is skeletal yet hypnotic. It pulls you in, and Nemzzz does the rest as he brings forth confident flows. As for Lil Yachty, he continues to experiment with his flow and his voice. There is a unique synergy happening here between the two artists, and it is clear they both understood their respective assignments. Moving forward, we’re looking forward to what Nemzzz does next.

Release Date: May 8, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: LOCKED IN

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Changes – Song by Tommy Richman

Alexander Cole — Sat, 09 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Ever since his smash hit, “Million Dollar Baby,” Tommy Richman has mostly been changing up his sound. After saying he wasn’t a hip-hop artist, he has decided to venture into pop and alternative rock territory. That is especially true on his latest song, “Changes.” On this track, Richman pays tribute to his mother and some of the medical struggles she has gone through. At one point in the track, he even interpolates the song “Changes” by David Bowie. It is an interesting effort from the artist, although it remains to be seen if this sound will resonate.

Release Date: May 8, 2026

Genre: Pop

Album: N/A

Quotable Lyrics from Changes

Tell me what you’re missing, mama
And tell me all the things you hear (Hee-hee)
Tell me your suspicions, mama (Hee-hee-hee-hee)
Tell me all the things that you fear

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Body – Song by Lancey Foux

Alexander Cole — Sat, 09 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Lancey Foux is preparing his new album, The Time Of Our Lives, and with that has come a fresh new single, “Body.” This is the kind of song that fans will be thrilled to hear. It is yet another progression of Lancey’s sound. Overall, this is a track that could be heard at the club, with everyone dancing vigorously. The word “Body” is repeated over and over again throughout the song, all while the hypnotic production completely takes over. It’s a song that shows Lancey can operate within many different styles and subgenres. For fans, this will certainly be an enthralling listen.

Release Date: May 8, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: The Time Of Our Lives

Quotable Lyrics from Body

You know I stay on you like your clothes, I stay on your body
You know, you know, you know when you call, I’ll be on your body
Fuck you, I’ma wait, fuck out the door, fuck your way of standing
You know, when I get you, I’ma make you understand your body

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Switch Up – Song by Mike D

Alexander Cole — Sat, 09 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000

A member of the Beastie Boys has not made new music since 2011. That all changed on Friday as Mike D dropped off his debut single, “Switch Up.” A lot is going on here sonically. Elements of hip-hop, industrial, alternative rock, and electronic music can be found on this new song. Mike D’s iconic vocals adorn the track, and it is clear that he still has some sharp ideas. For some fans, the song might be a bit polarizing. However, the creativity is certainly still there. We imagine Mike D will be dropping some more new music soon, and we are curious to hear what direction he goes in.

Release Date: May 8, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop, Experimental

Album: N/A

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Aftertaste – Song by Anderson .Paak & DEAN

Alexander Cole — Sat, 09 May 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Anderson .Paak is helping to promote the movie K-POPS! with a strong selection of songs involving Korean artists. His latest effort in this vein is the new R&B-pop crossover “Aftertaste.” This new song features DEAN, a Korean R&B artist with a smooth voice. Overall, the two combine for a catchy and bubbly pop hit that will certainly turn a few heads. The song isn’t Paak’s typical sound, but that is what will help to draw in new audiences.

Release Date: May 8, 2026

Genre: R&B

Album: K-POPS! Soundtrack

Quotable Lyrics from Aftertaste

I feel the passion in here comin’ alive, strawberry wine
This turnin’ me on more than a fever
It’s more than I need, yeah (Come on)
Every time you leave a trace (Say that)

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Future Will Perform At 2026 FIFA World Cup For USA’s Opening Ceremony

Gabriel Bras Nevares — Fri, 08 May 2026 21:54:44 +0000

Future may be more of a college basketball fan to listeners thanks to “March Madness,” but he loves some soccer – sorry, football, too. According to The Athletic, FIFA announced him as one of the performers for the 2026’s World Cup’s opening ceremony in the United States.

This will reportedly be on June 12, when the U.S. men’s national team will face Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. FIFA plans to hold opening ceremonies for each host country’s first game, which also include Canada and Mexico. In addition, they will also host special ceremonies for the United States’ 250th birthday on July 4 at games in Houston and Philadelphia.

These opening ceremonies will reportedly take place 90 minutes prior to each game’s kick-off. The U.S. show will reportedly last around 13 minutes. As for the July 4 celebrations, it’s still unclear exactly how FIFA plans to celebrate, but we’ll probably get more details as we move closer to the date. Finally, FIFA will also host an opening ceremony and halftime show for the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, but we don’t know the performers yet.

In any case, fans of the “One Of Them” rapper are excited to see what he could bring to such a global stage. Future’s been dealing with relationship drama as of late, but this will definitely help him take a break and grow his career.

Who Is Performing At The 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Future is reportedly set to perform at the U.S. opening ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

(via The Athletic) pic.twitter.com/cR7LxqIldh
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) May 8, 2026

What’s more is that 2026 might be a very busy year for the Atlanta artist. In addition to this 2026 FIFA World Cup performance, Future teased a new album coming soon. We don’t know when it will drop, but die-hards can’t wait to hear what’s in store.

Other performers for these 2026 FIFA World Cup opening ceremonies include Michael Bublé, Kary Perry, Alanis Morissette, Sanjoy, Alessia Cara, LISA, Maná, Tyla, Belinda, and more. It’s going to be a star-studded affair.

Elsewhere, Future’s dynamics with hip-hop peers and alleged foes remains under scrutiny. After he was spotted wearing NOCTA in a studio teaser, many Drake fans wondered if they will bury the hatchet, or if they should in the first place.

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