This time around, Akademiks finds himself commenting on the dating rumors involving Cardi B and Nigerian soccer goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. Okoye and Cardi were originally spotted together during Paris Fashion Week. More recently, they appeared to go on a dinner date together.

On his stream, Akademiks commented on the two, stating that Okoye has no chance with someone like Cardi. With a yearly salary of $975K in the Italian Serie A, Ak doesn’t believe Okoye has enough money for Cardi B’s lavish lifestyle.

“You might as well date me,” Akademiks said matter-of-factly.

Read More: Who Really Won YG Verzuz The Game?

DJ Akademiks Says Maduka Okoye Has No Chance

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Watch Live Bitez (@livebitez)

Akademiks went on to say that Cardi B has copped to spending $600K per month on her lifestyle. The hip-hop commentator believes Cardi is an expensive woman, and as a result, she needs someone who can keep up. He believes any man would need at least $1 million per year to be a viable suitor.

The streamer then went on to reveal a conversation he had with Cardi B about Pooh Shiesty. Back in the day, the artist shot his shot with Cardi. However, Cardi told Ak that Pooh Shiesty was simply too young for her. Furthermore, he wasn’t established enough for her to truly take him seriously as a suitor.

For now, Cardi B and Maduka Okoye are just enjoying each other’s company. Only time will tell if it truly blossoms into a relationship.

Read More: Inside DJ Khaled’s Sneaker Vault: 10 Of The Rarest Pairs On The Planet

The post DJ Akademiks On Cardi B And Maduka Okoye: “You Might As Well Date Me” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Now, Cenat is looking to be more consistent with his streams. On Sunday, he made a special announcement that proved this to be true. As you can see below, Cenat will be going to Disney World with Tyla. The stream is set to begin today at 5 PM EST, and can be watched on Twitch and YouTube.

The timing for this live stream makes a lot of sense, especially since Tyla just dropped her new album, A*POP. She is doing a media tour of sorts, and Cenat’s stream will be a part of that.

Read More: Who Really Won YG Verzuz The Game?

Kai Cenat x Tyla

What makes this stream interesting is the fact that it is a reunion. If you remember, Tyla very infamously curved Kai Cenat two years ago during a live stream. When Cenat tried to suggest a date, Tyla was quick to put a stop to it.

This is a clip that subsequently went viral and made the rounds everywhere. Even Kevin Hart couldn’t help but make fun of Kai when this happened. Needless to say, the fact that they are linking up again suggests they are on good terms despite what happened.

Fans are going to tune in to see what happens. Some wonder if the past will be rehashed, or if things will be awkward between the two. Ultimately, Kai is simply showing people that he knows what the fans want.

Read More: Inside DJ Khaled’s Sneaker Vault: 10 Of The Rarest Pairs On The Planet

The post Kai Cenat Announces Stream With Tyla Two Years Following Viral Rejection appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

In the midst of this, Usher decided to have Cheyenne removed from the stage. This led to an uproar on social media, with many criticizing Cheyenne for her on-stage etiquette.

On Facebook, the woman responded to the noise, stating that she was hand-picked to go on stage. Furthermore, she originally had floor seats, although a staff member asked if she wanted to be upgraded to VIP. She attributed this to “pretty privileges.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Watch Live Bitez (@livebitez)

Eventually, Gabrielle Cheyenne was interviewed, and it was here that she made the revelation about why she wasn’t feeling Usher’s performance. As it turns out, she was hoping she would be on stage for Chris Brown. Had it been Brown serenading her, it would have been a much different story.

Read More: Who Really Won YG Verzuz The Game?

Gabrielle Cheyenne Responds After Usher Show

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Watch Live Bitez (@livebitez)

“Yes I went on stage and no they don’t tell you who, what, when, where,” Cheyenne said. “Baby I wasn’t going up there for Usher. I was going up for CHRIS and CHRIS ONLY! Anywaysss anybody who wasn’t sitting VIP or has a face card that doesn’t qualify should hush.”

Overall, fans on LiveBitez aren’t buying her explanation. “She knew who was on stage before she walked up there,” one person wrote. “Let’s go head & wrap this up,” said another.

There was some obvious miscommunication here, which certainly could have been avoided. That said, there are certainly some Usher fans who wish Cheyenne’s opportunity could have gone to them instead.

Read More: Timberland vs Nike Air Force 1: Which Shoe Actually Won Hip-Hop?

The post Gabrielle Cheyenne Says She Wanted Chris Brown Following Usher Debacle appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The images displayed in court have left those watching completely disgusted. It has gotten to the point where some have completely abandoned the court entirely out of sheer queasiness.

This week, the court proceedings are set to continue. However, over the weekend, D4vd faced a whole different problem. As you will see below, the artist had his YouTube hacked, which led to the uploading of a song called “I DID IT.”

Read More: Who Really Won YG Verzuz The Game?

D4vd And Many Others Were Hacked

This track was a re-titled leaked song that was supposedly about Celeste. The song has since been deleted, although for a while, some on social media thought that this was actually real in some capacity.

The upload was part of a larger hack that affected some of the biggest artists in the hip-hop world. For instance, artists like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and even Playboi Carti were hit. We also saw something similar with underground artists like Slayr.

In the case of Drake, hackers uploaded Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” When it comes to Kendrick, he had some leaked songs uploaded. Clearly, there was a discrepancy in severity for some artists. For instance, one can make the argument that D4vd got hit the hardest, while Drake also got a pretty rough look from this.

If anything, this just goes to show that we should all be changing our passwords. “Password 123” is not going to cut it anymore.

Read More: Inside DJ Khaled’s Sneaker Vault: 10 Of The Rarest Pairs On The Planet

The post D4vd’s YouTube Uploads Song Titled “I Did It” During Hack appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“Not Like Us” is a song that has haunted Drake. Even with the success of ICEMAN in plain sight, there is still that looming presence of a song that could have ruined a smaller artist. That said, Drake probably wasn’t happy when he saw that his YouTube channel with 33 million subscribers uploaded “Not Like Us” on Sunday.

Thankfully, for the Canadian megastar, the video was taken down fairly fast. As it turns out, this was part of a large hack, targeting some of the biggest artists in the world.

Read More: Timberland vs Nike Air Force 1: Which Shoe Actually Won Hip-Hop?

Drake Gets Hacked

Drake shouldn’t feel too bad about all of this. Artists like D4vd, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Playboi Carti, and even Kendrick Lamar were also targeted by the hack. Leaked songs and demos were uploaded to these accounts, while artists like D4vd were trolled with songs related to his murder case.

Hacking is back in the public consciousness right now. Over the past few weeks, we have seen numerous iCloud leaks involving the likes of ilykimchi, Ari Fletcher, and Camryn LaVine. These situations involved sensitive photos and were a major breach of privacy.

While this YouTube hack is something else entirely, one must wonder what is going on with cybersecurity these days. It appears as though hackers are becoming more daring and sophisticated.

This is your warning to change your passwords.

Read More: Who Really Won YG Verzuz The Game?

The post Drake’s YouTube Channel Uploads “Not Like Us” During Apparent Hack appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“She did not post this, she didn’t leak this herself,” Tbvnks responded. “Don’t send no hate her way. She wouldn’t do this… If this was revenge something, it would be a whole different route that I would go. Somebody hacked into her s**t… Somebody leaked it. It wasn’t just me or her that was affected by it, it was other people… We do know where the source is from. Anybody else trying to take credit [are] just trying to gain followers.”

On Sunday evening, Camryn LaVine, the sister of NBA star Zach LaVine, took to her stream to explain. It was here that she revealed that she still does not know who hacked her account. She also was firm in saying that none of this is okay, and that exploiting people is an awful thing to do. Furthermore, LaVine apologized to her followers and by extension, Tbvnks for everything that has happened.

Read More: Timberland vs Nike Air Force 1: Which Shoe Actually Won Hip-Hop?

Camryn LaVine Responds

“I was debating if I really want to come on here and talk. I’m a little nervous to talk, I’m not gonna lie,” LaVine said. “It’s not ok to exploit people’s personal information and their private life… We were trolling a lot & joking around in certain videos that were exploited, but it’s not okay for y’all to try to change the narrative into something it wasn’t.”

This is certainly an awful situation for both sides. These kinds of leaks are a violation of privacy and can be filed under revenge porn laws. Perhaps authorities would need to be involved to figure out who did this.

For now, this remains a developing story.

Read More: Who Really Won YG Verzuz The Game?

The post Camryn LaVine Responds To Tbvnks Sex Tape Leaks appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The video starts with the box itself. A red laser-etched Nike logo covers the lid. Small graphics and text fill the swoosh shape. Once opened, the shoe sits on black tissue paper. The upper uses a dark grey and black colorway.

Laser-etched artwork covers most of the surface. Icons, phrases, and small details fill the design. A black swoosh sits on top of the busy pattern. White laces and a white midsole balance out the look. The outsole picks up a light grey tone to match.

This drop pairs with the Jordan 3 “Laser” releasing around the same time. Both use similar etched detailing across the upper. That shared design links the two releases together. Seeing the full unboxing gives fans more confidence before release.

Photos alone can’t always capture texture the same way. Video helps show how the etching looks in person. Reactions online have been positive so far. Fans appreciate seeing the packaging in full detail.

This kind of content builds anticipation before drop day and people can actually experience opening this pair up. August is shaping up to be a big month for etched Jordans.

Read More: Sean Wotherspoon’s Nike Air Max 1/97 Is Returning

Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Laser”

The packaging gets real attention early on. The laser-cut Nike logo on the box sets the tone. Small red details continue once the lid comes off.

Inside, the shoe reveals its full etched pattern up close. Basketball icons, text, and small symbols cover the toe box. The heel area carries similar detailing near the swoosh. White contrast pieces help break up the busy design.

Stitching around the swoosh looks clean throughout the shoe. The outsole tone stays consistent with the rest of the build. Nothing about the construction looks rushed or unfinished. This kind of detailed content matters ahead of a release. It gives buyers a clearer sense of what they’re getting.

Read More: The Air Jordan 9 “Space Jam” Just Got Pushed Back

The post This Unboxing Gives Fans Full Look At The Jordan 1 “Laser” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

That program lets young hospital patients help design real Nike releases, raising money each year for OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. This year’s collection includes several other models alongside it. An Air Jordan 11 Low IE, ACG Rufus, Air Force 1 Mid, and Structure Plus round out the confirmed group, with one more model still unrevealed.

Still, the Air Max 1/97 stands out as the biggest surprise. Fans have wanted this hybrid design back for years, since its original release became a favorite among sneaker collectors. Bringing it back through Doernbecher adds real meaning to the comeback, because each pair reflects a personal story from a young patient designer.

That approach makes these releases feel different from typical retros. The new colorway is set to drop Spring 2027, though exact designs haven’t been shown publicly yet. Even so, confirmation alone has fans paying close attention.

This marks the first Air Max 1/97 return in nearly a decade, and that timing makes the release feel more significant.

Read More: The Air Jordan 9 “Space Jam” Just Got Pushed Back

Nike Air Max 1/97

The Air Max 97 turns 30 years old around this same release window. That connection likely shaped when Nike chose to bring the hybrid back.

Doernbecher Freestyle has built a strong reputation since starting in 2004. Patients work directly with Nike designers to bring their ideas to life. That process gives each shoe a personal story behind it. It’s part of what makes these releases stand out from normal drops.

The Air Force 1 Mid’s inclusion also ties into a milestone. That silhouette is nearing its own 45th anniversary soon. Together, these picks suggest Nike is leaning into anniversaries this cycle. Spring 2027 gives fans a specific window to watch. More details should surface as the release gets closer.

Read More: First Look At Women’s-Exclusive Air Jordan 3 “Sports Renaissance”

The post Sean Wotherspoon’s Nike Air Max 1/97 Is Returning appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

This marks another delay for a Jordan release this year. A few other pairs have faced similar pushbacks recently. That pattern has some fans feeling uneasy. Delays can happen for several different reasons. Sometimes it comes down to production timing.

Other times it ties back to quality control checks. Jordan Brand hasn’t shared an official reason yet. Fans are left guessing at this point. Some hope the delay means extra care went into this pair. Others worry it signals ongoing supply issues.

The Air Jordan 9 “Space Jam” ties into a major anniversary. This release marks 30 years since the original film debuted. That makes the timing especially important to fans. A longer wait could test their patience. Still, most collectors will likely wait it out.

The colorway carries real nostalgia for longtime Jordan fans. September 19th is now the new date to watch. Whether more shifts happen remains to be seen. For now, fans just have to sit tight a little longer.

Read More: First Look At Women’s-Exclusive Air Jordan 3 “Sports Renaissance”

Air Jordan 9 OG “Space Jam”

Of course, delays happen. But this isn’t the first time this year. A handful of other Jordan releases have shifted dates too and that’s starting to catch people’s attention.

Some fans shrug it off as normal supply chain stuff. Others read into it a bit more. Maybe it means the team is taking extra time to get things right. Or possibly it just points to bigger production headaches behind the scenes.

Either way, “Space Jam” isn’t just another colorway. It’s tied to a moment a lot of sneakerheads grew up with. So a delay on this one lands differently. People have been waiting on this pair for a while now. September 19th is the new number everyone’s circling.

Read More: DJ Akademiks Explains Why Drake Is Really Outselling J. Cole & Future

The post The Air Jordan 9 “Space Jam” Just Got Pushed Back appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

One was a construction worker’s boot that New York’s streets claimed without permission. The other was a basketball shoe that Baltimore saved from being discontinued. Both have been worn by the genre’s greatest artists and name-dropped in some of its most iconic lyrics.

Both have been handed to collaborators who made them into something even bigger. This is the story of both shoes, and an attempt to settle the debate.

Read More: LeBron James Signs With The Philadelphia 76ers

Timberlands in Hip-Hop

The Timberland 6-Inch Waterproof Boot was introduced in 1973 as practical workwear, designed for construction workers in New England who needed something durable enough for long shifts. Nobody at Timberland was thinking about hip-hop.

The brand wasn’t thinking about New York City street culture. It was thinking about keeping feet dry on job sites. What happened next was entirely out of their hands.

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the boot had found its way onto very different feet. According to journalist Rob Walker, the first urban buyers of Timberland boots were New York drug dealers who needed tough, comfortable shoes to stay out on the streets all night. The rappers followed their lead. Once they did, the boot’s identity shifted permanently.

Boot Camp Clik emerged from Brownsville, Brooklyn in 1993 and were among the first artists to make the Timberland 6-Inch a deliberate part of their uniform. Finally, their East Coast contemporaries picked it up from there.

East Coast

Wu-Tang Clan wore them in their early videos and cemented the look in one of the most famous group photos in hip-hop history. Nas put it in writing on “The World Is Yours” in 1994 with the line “Suede Timbs on my feet makes my cipher complete,” one of the most quoted sneaker references in the genre’s catalog. Mobb Deep appeared wearing Timberlands on the cover of The Infamous in 1995, reinforcing the boot as a visual symbol of the era.

Nobody did more for the Timberland in hip-hop than Biggie. His look, built around oversized clothes, Coogi sweaters, denim, and wheat Timberland boots, created the defining image of 90s hip-hop style. He referenced them directly in “Hypnotize” with the line “Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn.” He wore them constantly throughout his career, making the wheat 6-inch boot synonymous with his persona.

Jay-Z picked up and carried the boot into the new millennium, reportedly buying a new pair every week at the height of his career. What started as a workwear brand with no interest in hip-hop had become one of the genre’s defining style pillars, entirely on the culture’s own terms.

Air Force 1s in Hip Hop

The Nike Air Force 1 launched in 1982 as a basketball shoe, the first Nike sneaker ever built around Air cushioning technology. It was designed by Bruce Kilgore and debuted in the NBA.

3 years later, Nike nearly discontinued it entirely. What saved the AF1 was 3 sneaker boutiques in Baltimore who convinced Nike to keep producing it for their stores. In a program dubbed the “Color of the Month Club,” Nike provided them with a selection of designs.

Collectors from around the United States made trips to Maryland just to get their hands on a pair. That decision laid the groundwork for the limited-release culture that defines sneaker collecting today.

Baltimore kept the shoe alive. New York made it mean something. Harlem adopted the AF1 early and gave it the nickname “Uptowns,” tying the shoe permanently to the neighborhood’s identity. It appeared on album covers as early as Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock’s It Takes Two, one of the earliest signs of the AF1 finding a home in hip-hop.

New York City

By the time the all-white low-top version dropped in the early 1990s, the shoe had become the default footwear of the Harlem streets. Mase wore them, Cam’ron wore them. The Dipset crew made them part of a broader Harlem aesthetic that would influence hip-hop style for decades.

Jay-Z is often credited with being the first rapper to specifically call out a pair of Triple-Whites on record. He rapped on “Can I Live II” in 1998: “For all my n****s with the all-white Air Force Ones and black guns.” That line turned a style observation into a cultural statement. It told an entire generation that the triple white AF1 wasn’t just a shoe. It was a signal of where you were from and how you moved.

Nelly took it further in 2002 with his song “Air Force Ones,” bringing the shoe to a national audience that stretched far beyond New York. Fat Joe reinforced it from the Bronx, eventually earning his own Terror Squad AF1 through his relationship with Nike. The AF1 had gone from a basketball shoe to a Harlem staple to a genre-wide institution in less than 20 years.

How Each Shoe Has Been Referenced In Hip-Hop Lyrics

The Air Force 1 is arguably the most referenced sneaker in hip-hop history, and the way rappers use it tells the whole story. On “Parking Lot Pimpin’,” Jay-Z places himself standing in the Azure nightclub in pristine white Air Forces, surrounded by luxury cars and VIP energy. The white AF1 in that context is shorthand for fresh, untouchable, and exactly where the money is.

The black AF1 carries a completely different meaning. A$AP Rocky leaned into that on “AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO)” this year, using the black colorway as shorthand for a kind of aggression the internet had spent years building into the shoe’s identity. Same silhouette, same shape, completely different message depending on who’s wearing them and why.

The Timberland boot’s most famous lyrical moments tend to be grounded and specific. Biggie’s “Timbs for my hooligans in Brooklyn” isn’t a flex. It’s a flag. It places the boot in a neighborhood context and ties it to a community rather than a status symbol.

Nas referencing his suede Timbs on “The World Is Yours” does the same thing. The boot functions as location, as identity, and as a piece of the street uniform that defined New York rap in the 1990s.

Timberland’s Collabs

Timberland was slow to embrace the hip-hop audience that had adopted its boot without invitation. That wariness kept the brand from fully capitalizing on the cultural equity the genre had built for it. Over time, things changed.

The most fitting collab came from RZA himself, who personally designed a Timberland x Wu-Tang boot as part of the 2007 Burroughs Project. Limited to around 100 pairs, it featured a black denim upper, neon yellow soles, and a Wu-Tang/Timberland hologram.

Pharrell followed with his Bee Line collection, bringing a high-fashion perspective to the brand’s core silhouettes. Even Drake brought the boot to a new generation through his own OVO collaborations.

More recently, Timberland worked with Biggie’s estate on a special edition tied to the 30th anniversary of Ready to Die. It directly acknowledges the role he played in building the boot’s legacy. The collab record is meaningful but selective, and the brand has never leaned into hip-hop the way Nike did.

Air Force 1 Collabs

Nike’s AF1 collaboration catalog is one of the deepest and most diverse in sneaker history. The hip-hop chapter started early. Roc-A-Fella Records received a promo-only white-on-white AF1 with a heel logo in 1999, setting the template for what a celebrity sneaker collab could look like.

Fat Joe’s Terror Squad AF1 followed in a similar mold. From there, the collab pipeline never slowed down. Supreme, Stussy, Off-White, Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Travis Scott, Dover Street Market, and dozens of others have all put their name on the AF1. Virgil Abloh used it as the canvas for some of his most important work, from “The Ten” to the MCA edition to his final project with Louis Vuitton.

The breadth and quality of the AF1’s collab history is unmatched by almost any other shoe in existence. Hip-hop’s fingerprints are on nearly all of it.

The Verdict: Timberland Vs. Air Force 1

Both shoes are genuine cultural institutions. Both earned their place in hip-hop entirely on their own terms rather than through anything their brands engineered. But they earned it differently, and that difference is what makes the comparison interesting.

The Timberland boot represents a specific chapter of hip-hop history. The New York 1990s, the Biggie and Nas and Wu-Tang era, the street uniform of a genre finding its identity. Its cultural moment is deep and real and still felt today, but its nostalgia is rooted in a particular time and place that’s carried over.

The Air Force 1 doesn’t have that limitation. It has moved through every era of hip-hop without losing relevance. From Harlem in the late 1980s to Nelly’s 2002 national crossover to Travis Scott’s newer collabs.

It has been worn by every kind of rap artist in every kind of context. It has adapted to every aesthetic the genre has gone through. Further, it’s maintained a collab list that keeps it connected to whoever is leading the culture.

The Timberland won a generation while the Air Force 1 won the genre. Both deserve their flowers, but overall the AF1 makes the stronger case.

Read More: YG References Detainment Over Drakeo The Ruler Murder During Verzuz

The post Timberland vs Nike Air Force 1: Which Shoe Actually Won Hip-Hop? appeared first on HotNewHipHop.