“Bank, when I do this, this is how I feed my family,” he said, as caught by No Jumper on Instagram. “It’s work, but it feels fun. If people didn’t know, I don’t know if you’re going to cut this out, I’m paying you to be here. I’m not saying what, [but] I’m paying you to be here. So this is my job… Let me be me… You’re trying to convince me I’m not happy.”

It seems like Tekashi is opening himself up to new opportunities and trying to turn short-term investments into long-term gain. How this actually works concerning the interview and its pay-out remains a mystery. But it was still notable to see them have this brief acknowledgement.

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Elsewhere, Big Bank and 6ix9ine had more debates, specifically around snitching scandals, the Young Thug case, and more. DJ Akademiks TV caught a clip of the rapper chastising Bank for his interviews with Thugger and 21 Savage.

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Also, Bank criticized Tekashi for snitching on Black men as a Mexican, which then led 6ix9ine to bring up Nipsey Hussle’s murder as a counterpoint. There was also a big debate around T.I. and his snitching allegations.

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All in all, it was quite the back-and-forth between these two. But it seems like they handled disagreements pretty gracefully, all things considered.

Read More: French Montana’s Confidence Finally Paid Off During “Verzuz”

6ix9ine’s Big Bank Interview

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Elsewhere, this interview’s publication followed a huge announcement for 6ix9ine. He and his girlfriend are expecting a baby boy, and they made the announcement via a massive gender reveal party. N3on, Adin Ross, Clavicular, Lil Pump, and other names attended.

It was about as antic-heavy as you would expect, with Tekashi even joking about aborting the child if it wasn’t the boy. Whether in his personal life or his hip-hop presence, he continues to turn controversy and rage bait into dollar signs… Even if he has to spend money to make money.

Read More: Chris Brown Can’t Be Canceled, Regardless Of Your Outrage

The post 6ix9ine Admits He Paid Big Bank To Interview Him During Sit-Down appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The remarks started with a general statement about Jay not liking other rappers because he saw them as competitors, “other than to get influenced by them.” However, that’s when he brought up that the Roc Nation mogul actually really liked Lupe.

“But again, he didn’t sign him,” Dash continued. “I don’t think he would ever help a rapper be bigger than him. Just human nature-wise. But I do remember, Lupe was supposed to be with us… Lupe ended up signing to Atlantic. But Lupe was supposed to be at Roc-A-Fella. So that’s the only rapper, I think – but I don’t think he saw him as a threat at the time. But he didn’t sign him for a reason. Again, it was a while ago, but as it relates to that question, that’s all I can remember.”

Read More: Trap Dickey Talks Upcoming Album “The Ville,” Teases TDE Compilation Project & Lil Wayne Vs. Jay-Z

Lupe Fiasco & Jay-Z’s History

Lupe Fiasco and Jay-Z’s connection has already come under scrutiny. Back in 2016, Lupe’s mentor Charles “Chilly” Patton recounted how Jay allegedly and likely unknowingly set up Fiasco’s contentious relationship with Atlantic Records.

“Jay-Z hit me like, ‘Yo, I’m coming to Atlantic Records. I’m going to to be the president of Atlantic Records,’” he shared. “L.A. Reid was my man. I introduced L.A. Reid to Jay-Z. That’s how they got tight. So Jay’s like, ‘I’m coming to Atlantic. I need you and Lupe over at Atlantic with me.’ I’m like, ‘Cool.’ I’m thinking Jay’s coming to Atlantic so I do the deal. When I get out [of jail], Jay hit me — I’ll never forget it — at two in the morning like, ‘Yo, L.A. [Reid] hit me [and offered me the presidency of Def Jam]. I’ll give you your masters, I’ll give you this, I’ll give you this.’ It was a courtesy call on some brother s**t, but really, he was telling me he wasn’t coming to Atlantic.”

There are also other recent crossovers that raised fan’s eyebrows. For example, Lupe Fiasco commented on Dame Dash’s share of Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt, urging via social media for none other than Drake to purchase it.

Read More: French Montana’s Confidence Finally Paid Off During “Verzuz”

The post Dame Dash Still Doesn’t Understand Why Jay-Z Didn’t Sign Lupe Fiasco appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

zSneakerHeadz reports that the Air Jordan 11 Low x JAIDE is dropping this summer, on June 27th. While official images haven’t surfaced yet, speculative mock-ups are already circulating showing a tonal “Windchill” colorway.

It’s an all-over icy mint tone that covers the upper, patent leather overlay, and outsole. It’s clean, soft, and decidedly feminine in its approach, which fits JAIDE’s identity as a women-focused brand.

This release carries real weight beyond just the colorway. The Whitaker Group is home to A Ma Maniére, Social Status, APB, and JAIDE. They have a longer collaborative history with Jordan Brand than just about any other retail group.

But landing a collaborative Air Jordan 11 is a different tier entirely. Jordan Brand has historically kept the 11 almost completely off-limits for outside partners.

JAIDE getting one is a statement about where the brand stands in the broader Jordan Brand ecosystem. It’s also a signal that the AJ11 collaboration era is just getting started.

Read More: Jalen Brunson Wore Unreleased Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Draft Day” PE In Game 3

Air Jordan 11 Low x JAIDE

JAIDE is The Whitaker Group’s women-focused retail concept, built around a more elevated and feminine approach to sneaker and streetwear culture. The brand also sits alongside A Ma Maniere, APB, and Social Status under James Whitner’s umbrella.

Further, all of those have strong collaborative histories with Jordan Brand. The Air Jordan 11 Low “Windchill” colorway, as shown in the speculative mock-ups, runs in a soft all-over mint tone.

The patent leather overlay carries the same tonal shade rather than the traditional black or clear finish. The laces, midsole, and outsole all follow the same palette keeping the look monochromatic and intentional throughout.

Overall, it’s a clean colorway that women will certainly appreciate. This is just the beginning for the Air Jordan 11 Low collabs.

Read More: This Drake x FC Barcelona ICEMAN Concept Kit Just Went Viral

The post The Air Jordan 11 Low Is Teaming Up With JAIDE This Summer appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Moreover, Drizzy had Lamar and A$AP Rocky open for him on the “Club Paradise” trek in 2012. This was after a Take Care placement for K.Dot and before his good kid, m.A.A.d city drop and slot on Kanye West’s Yeezus tour starting the following year.

More specifically, Budden and company asked Punch to comment on fans who are bringing “Club Paradise” up against Kendrick Lamar, arguing TDE should have been grateful to the 6ix God for giving Kendrick a boost and not gone against him. Joe said he wouldn’t diss Fabolous because of this very reason, but the TDE president doesn’t see it that way, as caught by CY Chels on Twitter.

“We not friends like that,” Punch remarked concerning Kendrick Lamar and Drake. “It’s just business. It was beneficial to take Kendrick and Rocky on the tour as well, just like it was beneficial for them to be brought on tour. He’s smart in picking the people that he move with. It’s not just like, ‘Oh, here you go, I’m helping you.'”

Read More: “Views” Was The Moment Drake Stopped Trying To Be The Greatest Rapper Alive

Drake & Kendrick Lamar’s Beef

Then, the executive commented on the notion that the Toronto superstar put the Compton lyricist on and made him popular. While “Club Paradise” certainly helped, Punch doesn’t see it as the most important factor. “On top of that, you got to think, he got a Dr. Dre cosign,” he expressed. “We went on tour with The Game, we went on tour with DJ Quik. That’s just business. […] We don’t view it as hatred, or it’s whatever. It’s for the love of the sport. Even if we cool, we can still go back and forth. We don’t hold that personal thing.”

“[The Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef] started as competitive, just going at each other… If a line gets crossed, okay, I’ma cross this line,” Punch continued. “That’s just how it happens in the battle… A lot of things was said on both sides. We never complained about what was said from the other side… What I’m focusing on is the actual battle… That’s the rules of battling… “

Read More: Ranking Every Drake Album From Worst To Best

The post “Joe Budden Podcast” Questions Punch About Drake & Kendrick Lamar’s Tour appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The “Draft Day” pack is one of the most compelling Kobe concepts Nike has put together in years. The full collection drops June 26th, the 30-year anniversary of the 1996 NBA Draft, and features 13 colorways representing every team that passed on Kobe Bryant before he went 13th overall.

The pair Brunson wore in Game 3 features a clean white leather base with blue Swoosh detailing and subtle team-coded accents. Every shoe in the pack shares the same white foundation, with each team’s colors applied to the branding. The left insole stamps the team’s draft position number, and tags behind both tongues read “1996 Draft” and “13: K. Bryant.”

The 76ers are one of the 13 teams featured in the pack and they held the first overall pick in 1996 and selected Allen Iverson. Brunson wearing a “Draft Day” Kobe against the 76ers adds another layer to an already loaded story.

Brunson has been wearing a different exclusive Kobe colorway in nearly every game this postseason. The “Draft Day” pair might be the most meaningful one yet.

Read More: This Drake x FC Barcelona ICEMAN Concept Kit Just Went Viral

Jalen Brunson’s Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Draft Day”

The Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Draft Day” pack includes 13 colorways covering every team that bypassed Bryant in the 1996 draft. That includes the Raptors, 76ers, Grizzlies, Bucks, Timberwolves, Celtics, Clippers, Mavericks, Nets, Pacers, Warriors, Cavaliers, and Hornets.

Each pair shares a white leather base with glacier blue base tones. Team-specific accent colors hit the Swoosh outline, signature branding, and insoles. The numbers 8 and 24 appear on the heels of every pair.

An additional Lakers gold colorway breaks from the white formula to represent Kobe’s actual team. The full collection drops June 26th on SNKRS and at select retailers for $190 per pair.

Read More: Nike Confirms SNKRS App Is Not Going Anywhere

The post Jalen Brunson Wore Unreleased Nike Kobe 4 Protro “Draft Day” PE In Game 3 appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

To be clear, this is a concept and nothing more. FC Barcelona has not produced this kit. Drake hasn’t officially collaborated with the club on anything. But the imagery spread fast anyway, and it’s not hard to see why.

Drake is photographed in the kit alongside Lamine Yamal, the teenage star who has become one of the most exciting players in world football. The two of them together in the Iceman-branded jersey made for a compelling image that was always going to travel.

The kit leans into the album’s icy theme. Blue and white horizontal stripes, “Iceman” replacing the usual chest sponsor, clean Nike branding throughout. It looks like something that could actually exist. Which is probably why it spread the way it did.

Drake’s Iceman rollout has been one of the more elaborate in recent memory. Frozen courtside seats at a Raptors game, concept art buried inside an ice block in Toronto, and now a viral concept kit five days before the drop. May 15th is almost here.

Read More: PJ Tucker Retires From Basketball But His Sneaker Legacy Lives Forever

Drake ICEMAN FC Barcelona

The FC Barcelona concept kit was designed by Asher Hyde and Jeff Cole as a creative exercise. It imagines what a Drake x Barca collaboration might actually look like. The design pulls from Barcelona’s classic blue and white stripe identity. “Iceman” replaces the Spotify chest sponsor in a matching font. Nike branding stays in place throughout.

Drake’s Iceman is his first solo album since For All the Dogs in 2023. The rollout has been intentionally theatrical from the start with ice installations, buried release dates, and now a viral concept kit. Whether any official merch or collaboration comes from this remains to be seen.

Overall the concept alone was enough to get people talking.

Read More: Nike Confirms SNKRS App Is Not Going Anywhere

The post This Drake x FC Barcelona ICEMAN Concept Kit Just Went Viral appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

A source at Nike confirmed to Complex that the company has combined its Nike App and SNKRS engineering teams into one unified group. The goal is straightforward: serve consumers better, reduce internal handoffs, and operate more efficiently. It’s a restructure, not a shutdown.

Nike also addressed the app’s future directly. “SNKRS remains a critical tool in our digital marketplace strategy,” the source said. Also that the platform will deliver curated launches alongside always-on assortments, rich storytelling, a seamless shopping experience, and deeper connections to in-person events going forward.

The statement closed with a firm commitment. “We remain deeply committed to SNKRS and to providing best in-class engineering support to create a seamless consumer experience.”

That’s about as clear as it gets. The layoffs that hit the SNKRS team last week were real and significant. Reports suggested up to 90% of the launch-connected teams were cut. But what Nike is saying now is that the people building the app are being folded into a larger combined team.

For sneakerheads who rely on SNKRS for every major drop, this is the news they needed to hear. The app has been the center of Nike’s launch ecosystem for nearly a decade, and it sounds like it’s staying exactly there.

Read More: PJ Tucker Retires From Basketball But His Sneaker Legacy Lives Forever

Nike SNKRS Statement

The confusion around SNKRS started last week when reports emerged that Nike had laid off an estimated 90% of the teams connected to SNKRS launches. A LinkedIn post from a former Principal Engineer described the org as “obliterated.” Of course this sent the sneaker community into a spiral of speculation about the app’s future.

Further, third-party platforms like EQL and Shopify were floated as potential replacements for Nike’s launch infrastructure. Nike’s response this week draws a clear line between the team restructure and the app itself.

While the engineering function still exists, it’s just been reorganized under a single roof with the Nike App team. SNKRS is staying. How it operates behind the scenes is just changing.

Read More: Tracy Morgan Reveals The Extreme Way He Buys Sneakers

The post Nike Confirms SNKRS App Is Not Going Anywhere appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Tucker played 886 regular season games across 14 NBA seasons, suiting up for eight different franchises and winning a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. But his legacy in sneaker culture runs just as deep as anything he accomplished on the court.

Tucker was one of the few NBA players who genuinely treated sneakers as a way of life not a brand obligation or a marketing play. He would show up to games in rare PEs that most collectors hadn’t seen in person.

He wore shoes that weren’t in rotation, weren’t on shelves, and weren’t easy to find. His locker room was essentially a rotating museum. At various points he wore everything from ultra-rare Jordan PEs to vintage Nikes that most people had only seen on eBay listings.

For the sneaker community, Tucker wasn’t just a player who wore good shoes. He was a legitimate collector who happened to also play in the NBA.

Read More: Nike Reportedly Lays Off 90% Of Their SNKRS Team

PJ Tucker Officially Retires

Tucker’s sneaker obsession was well documented throughout his career. He was known for wearing rare, often unreleased player exclusives during games… turning pregame warmups into a genuine sneaker event for anyone paying attention.

His collection spanned decades of Nike, Jordan Brand, and beyond, and he treated every game as an occasion to surface something most people hadn’t seen. Earlier he received an early pair of the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Low “Pink Pack” directly from Travis Scott as a birthday gift.

It’s a gesture that only makes sense if you understand what Tucker means to sneaker culture. He was the real thing, and the game will miss him for it.

Read More: Tracy Morgan Reveals The Extreme Way He Buys Sneakers

The post PJ Tucker Retires From Basketball But His Sneaker Legacy Lives Forever appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: May 8, 2026

Genre: R&B

Album: N/A

Quotable Lyrics from Better Days

Overthinking conversations that I’m having in my head
Wondering if I should just lay here and put it all to bed
My imagination, it runs away with my common sense
Every word unspoken is still something that I shoulda said

The post Better Days – Song by Naomi Sharon appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: May 8, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: N/A

Quotable Lyrics from Top Of The Hill

Rockin’ designer (Yeah)
Balenci’ and Louis, I’m not wearing Nautica (Yeah)
I get provocative (Huh)
I’m fuckin’ Brianna and two differеnt Monicas (Yeah)

The post Top Of The Hill – Song by DDG appeared first on HotNewHipHop.