At around the 1:22:18 mark of the YouTube video below, the Organized Rhyme MC brought up how hip-hop is a “s**t-show” right now in reference to those cases. It was part of Joey Crack’s larger point about warped media discourse and how volatile the space is right now.

“Sometimes it’s a real s**t-show out here, in hip-hop?” he remarked. “Holy Christ. It’s a s**t-show going on out here with everything. One minute, we love Lil Durk. The next minute, we think he’s snitching. The Tupac trial got me sick. ‘Cause everybody’s a rat. So I’m sitting here, like… I’m too old-school, I’m too based off morals and all that. I’m looking at this trial. The guy on trial’s a rat. He flew to New York with a wire and the feds to get Von Zip. The guys telling on them, they’re all OGs… I can’t believe what’s going on in all these situations and trials.

Read More: How Hip-Hop Media Is Dividing Over The Lil Durk Trial

Fat Joe On The Breakfast Club

“[There was a code] all the way,” Joe continued. “Snitches got stitches. There was a huge code. I know crews that went to jail together 40, 50 deep in the ’80s that nobody told. They did their time, they came home. Legends of the street… Did I live by the right morals and codes? […] This guy was a gangster… Seems like he deliberately got himself locked up to take credit for killing Tupac… He’s forcing himself in jail for Tupac. They found a shrine in his house. Who’s killing somebody and keeping the articles? […] But he told on everybody… I might be confused on this game of life.”

We will see if other folks in hip-hop agree with this assessment or if they point out more nuance.

Read More: Who Is Trim? Charleston’s New Rap Wild Card

The post Fat Joe Thinks Lil Durk Trial & Keefe D’s Tupac Case Are “Sh*t-Shows” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

As caught by No Jumper on Instagram, Lo took to social media to share a message allegedly straight from Durk himself. It concerns his supporters’ criticisms of Ross, who has accused defense lawyer Brian Steel of lying amid the snitching debate.

“Aye, this is the word from Smurk,” Doodie Lo remarked. “Leave Trap Lore Ross alone. Let him do him. Everything’s in a good space right now. Don’t mess it up. Please don’t mess it up. We need a peaceful, nonviolent movement. I will be back out there with shirts. Y’all come support. We need a peaceful, nonviolent movement. Please don’t mess this up. Leave that man alone. Let him do his job. We love y’all.”

Read More: How Hip-Hop Media Is Dividing Over The Lil Durk Trial

Trap Lore Ross & Lil Durk

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Doodie Lo’s remarks come after Lil Durk supporters confronted Trap Lore Ross at trial. A lot of these interactions have been outside the courthouse, with fans walking up to him and chastising him. Ross has also claimed folks went up to him in the courtroom to criticize him.

Trap Lore Ross’ coverage of hip-hop crime stories has always been controversial, as many folks have called him exploitative or insensitive. Now that he’s on the ground covering a criminal proceeding, the nature of his YouTube coverage and his direct updates on trial proceedings are clashing in public and divisive ways, regardless of whether or not you agree or disagree with his perspective.

Meanwhile, Lil Durk’s trial has more important updates in court, where OTF Jam recently testified. Jurors saw search results for “Slide for [King] Von” tweets tagging Durk, allegedly adding to prosecutors’ claims that the murder-for-hire here was due to revenge. The Chicago MC denies all charges against him.

Read More: Who Is Trim? Charleston’s New Rap Wild Card

The post Doodie Lo Claims Lil Durk Wants Fans To Leave Trap Lore Ross Alone appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“RIP TO THE BADDEST EVER! LOVE U FOREVER MOMMY. this one’s gonna hurt,” the artist wrote as his caption, sharing a picture of her, a more recent picture of the two, and an older one with family. Our condolences go out to him and Hill’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.

At press time, there is no information publicly available about Hill’s cause of death. We will see if the DREAMBOY creative has anything else to say about this development or if he keeps it private.

In the past, Lil Nas X hasn’t talked too much about his mother and his family life, but what he has said gave fans a view of a complex dynamic. As covered by Hot 97 back in 2021, he had spoken about Tameka Hill’s struggles with addiction and substance abuse.

“But y’all n***as don’t know how many nights I’ve cried myself to sleep feeling guilty because nothing I tried would help my mom,” Nas had expressed. “Paint me as the bad guy all you want, but at the end of the day, you don’t know me outside of this internet s**t.” “She’s an addict, so we don’t have the closest relationship. Even trying to get her better, things didn’t quite work out. But there’s still love…” he had said the previous year.

Read More: How Hip-Hop Media Is Dividing Over The Lil Durk Trial

Lil Nas X’s Mother

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Elsewhere, Lil Nas X is moving on from legal trouble amid his lived experience with bipolar disorder. For those unaware, authorities in Los Angeles had arrested him last year for the alleged assault of a police officer after a naked stroll through Ventura Boulevard. In April of this year, Nas X’s motion to enter a mental health diversion program saw approval from a judge.

Fans and regular social media users alike are sending him their best wishes and support with his mother’s passing in mind. Hopefully there will be brighter days ahead.

Read More: Who Is Trim? Charleston’s New Rap Wild Card

The post Lil Nas X Reveals His Mother Has Passed Away appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Then, we talked about the Lil Durk trial, although not from the perspective of the case itself and the technical legal details. Rather, Aron and I debated about the media representation of the trial, how it shows differences between hip-hop media circles, how labels benefit from criminal visibility, and the snitching debates that reemerged. It’s sad to see folks mistake commentary for factual reporting or vice versa, and the disconnect between a lot of types of coverage has made the Durk situation complex beyond its legal parameters.

Elsewhere, Aron and I also spoke about Drake potentially dropping a new album, although we think “FOMO” is a really dope tour name. So maybe it’s a concert series, a documentary, more music videos, or something else beyond an album. In any case, we praised the OVO mogul’s ability to stay relevant and spoke on the company finding a new majority owner.

Read More: Who Is Trim? Charleston’s New Rap Wild Card

HNHH Live

Then, we talked about Hit-Boy’s surprising comments about Nas, as he said he doesn’t see them working together again. Aron and I did not speculate much about what the root of that decision may be, but we found it to be promising overall, as it confirms they won’t chase an old feeling in their next moves. We also compared Esco’s dynamic with Hit to the legendary rapper’s other bonds with producers.

Aron and I also had a few updates on the situation between The Game and Kendrick Lamar, as we went over the former’s newest statements. We weren’t big fans of Rod Wave’s new album, but we praised his ability to be so successful without straying away from his niche audience, earning Jay-Z comparisons business-wise.

Finally, we went over the new music of the week, with Before The World Blows by Erykah Badu and The Alchemist impressing us in particular. Praise is also due for Dahi and his debut album Black Boy (Alternative), among other releases. To wrap the livestream up, Aron and I went over hip-hop anniversaries to end the month of August, such as Outkast’s ATLiens turning 30 years old and the iconic Drizzy, Ye, Lil Wayne, and Eminem posse cut “Forever” turning 17.

Be sure to stay tuned into HNHH for more livestreams, discussions, news coverage, and feature pieces. Also, make sure to rate new songs and albums on the website and let us know what you think of all these releases, topics, and more.

Read More: Aaliyah’s Final Days Revisited 25 Years After Her Death

The post How Hip-Hop Media Is Dividing Over The Lil Durk Trial appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Last night (Friday, August 28), as caught by Complex Music on Twitter, Travis reposted a clip from @archives.magazine on IG that featured him, Dean, and fellow close producer Anthony Kilhoffer, who discovered Trav and managed him at one point. Kilhoffer rose to fame as a close collaborator of Kanye West’s.

In the clip, the trio was working on the Owl Pharoah track “Uptown,” specifically reacting to Ferg’s feature. La Flame caught this on social media and had some very interesting words about it.

“You had to be there to understand,” the “Eaters” MC wrote. “Album Otw. @therealmikedean @kilhoffer. We will see them On the other side e. I’m Otw back to crib meet me.”

Read More: Who Is Trim? Charleston’s New Rap Wild Card

Travis Scott’s New Album

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Of course, this could mean a whole bunch of things. One big interpretation some fans have is that Dean and Kilhoffer will be more formal and structured collaborators on this project from a creative standpoint, not just as producers, engineers, etc. On the other hand, though, this could just be a simple moment of reminiscing that’s just generally feeding into album hype.

In any case, Travis Scott’s new album will be quite grand, if his own previews are anything to go by. He recently cited some of the following influences during an interview with Variety: Parliament-Funkadelic, Oasis, Van Halen, Don Toliver, Raphael Saadiq, and Daft Punk.

Elsewhere, Travis Scott and Mike Dean’s working relationship is something fans learned the hard way not to take for granted. Rumors of a beef between them surfaced due to Dean’s absence on JACKBOYS 2 and some allegedly shady social media comments. But this didn’t turn out to be the case at all. As such, hopefully they bring us heat on whatever’s next.

Read More: Aaliyah’s Final Days Revisited 25 Years After Her Death

The post Travis Scott Suggests Mike Dean Will Be Heavily Involved With His New Album appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

As reported by @youvegtMEL on Twitter, day five of the murder-for-hire trial ended with a robbery and homicide detective for the Los Angeles Police Department showing all the results for “Slide for Von” on Twitter. He claimed users consistently tagged Durk in these posts over a two-year period and beyon. This adds to prosecutors’ allegations that Lil Durk was mad about the King Von situation.

For those unaware, prosecutors are accusing him of ordering a hit on Quando Rondo in retaliation for Von’s murder. A 2022 shooting in L.A. injured Rondo and took the life of his cousin, Lul Pab. Durk has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and claimed OTF Vonni organized the hit on his own, whereas OTF Jam claimed Vonni was following Durk’s orders. “[Durk] had nothing to do with it,” the Chicago rapper’s defense lawyer claimed, per Rolling Stone‘s Nancy Dillon. “This is a murder-for-hire allegation where nobody gets paid.”

Read More: Who Is Trim? Charleston’s New Rap Wild Card

Lil Durk Trial Update

Elsewhere, other updates on the Lil Durk trial include defense lawyer Brian Steel’s contentious interactions with OTF Jam. According to LA Mag and reporter Taylor Parise, Steel asked him about his relationships and dynamics with various women, including his mother, his wife, his sister, and the deceased mother of his child. The lawyer even accused him of being “abusive” toward his mother at one point.

Also, Michael Blackshire reported on Jam’s 2023-to-present claims about a music video shoot by Memo600 allegedly preventing a hit on Quando Rondo. However, many folks responded to this by questioning the timeline.

We will see what happens on Monday when it comes to more witnesses, evidence, and debates between prosecutors and defense lawyers. This situation continues to complicate itself with each new day, but such is the legal process. Now, more alleged evidence will face court scrutiny.

Read More: Aaliyah’s Final Days Revisited 25 Years After Her Death

The post Jury In Lil Durk Trial Shown “Slide For King Von” Messages On Social Media appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: August 28, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: DC FRIDAYS 3

Quotable Lyrics from Yellow

Call me when you drunk, pick the phone up, ain’t gotta say much
We can small talk, at least say, “Hello”
In the backseat of your friend’s car, cherry High Noon (Yeah)
We smoked it out, the backseats turned yellow

The post Yellow – Song by DC The Don featuring Sajkeena & midwxst appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: August 28, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: N/A

The post Spend Dat (International Remix) – Song by Yung Miami featuring David, Shenseea, & Vybz Kartel appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

The case was barely two months old. Dupri, So So Def Recordings and So So Def Productions sued Sony in Manhattan federal court on July 6, accusing the music company of failing to properly account for money generated through a business relationship dating to the early 1990s. AllHipHop reports that the complaint alleged that royalty problems involving some of So So Def’s most successful records did not become apparent until Sony began issuing new or amended statements in 2023. An outside audit followed, according to the lawsuit.

Some of the largest disputed amounts were connected to records that helped establish Dupri and So So Def decades ago. His companies alleged that Sony had not previously reported certain producer and override royalties from Kris Kross’ first two albums and claimed at least $2.2 million remained unpaid. The lawsuit also claimed substantial shortfalls involving Xscape’s Hummin’ Comin’ at ’Cha and Da Brat’s Funkdafied. Other portions of the complaint concerned music involving Jagged Edge and artists Dupri produced outside the label.

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Read More: Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony Over $18M Over Alleged Unpaid So So Def Royalties

A Quick Resolution

Dupri’s complaint went beyond alleging ordinary accounting mistakes. His companies accused Sony of systematically underreporting royalties and claimed some earnings had gone unreported for years. Sony never filed a formal response to those accusations. When the lawsuit became public in July, however, the company said the disagreement involved royalty accounting that both sides had already been attempting to resolve and expressed disappointment that So So Def chose litigation rather than continuing those discussions.

Those discussions apparently continued after the complaint was filed. In an August 28 notice, Dupri’s attorney told the court that the matter had been resolved before Sony filed an answer in the case. The action was dismissed without prejudice, meaning the court did not rule on the substance of Dupri’s allegations, and the dismissal itself does not constitute a finding against either side.

What the resolution does not reveal is nearly as significant as what it does. The filing contains no settlement figure and does not explain whether Sony agreed to additional royalty payments or changes in its accounting. Dupri had originally sought at least $18 million, plus interest and legal fees.

The post Jermaine Dupri Resolves $18M Sony Royalty Lawsuit appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“To me, he is America,” Steel told XXL when asked how he views Young Thug outside the courtroom. The attorney pointed to the rapper’s childhood hardships and the enormous career he eventually built, arguing that Williams came from circumstances where few people expected much from him and ultimately performed before audiences numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Steel’s relationship with Thug predates the YSL RICO case that made the attorney recognizable far beyond legal circles. He told the outlet the two have known each other for roughly 15 years after Williams’ manager first contacted him about an earlier criminal case. Steel said that case was resolved through a pretrial program, beginning a professional relationship that continued as Thug’s career grew.

Read More: Brian Steel’s Contentious Cross-Examination Of OTF Jam Raises Stakes In Lil Durk Trial

That history shaped the way Steel approached the sprawling Fulton County prosecution years later. Williams was among more than two dozen people charged in Georgia’s YSL indictment, with prosecutors arguing that YSL operated as a criminal street gang. Steel maintained that authorities were attempting to turn his client’s music and public image into evidence of criminality. In the XXL interview, he accused prosecutors and law enforcement across the country of unfairly targeting Hip Hop artists through their lyrics and appearance.

Williams ultimately brought his portion of the YSL case to an end in October 2024 with a non-negotiated plea. He pleaded guilty to several gang, drug, and gun charges and was released after receiving a sentence that included 15 years of probation, with additional prison time suspended as long as he complies with its conditions.

Read More: Young Thug Offered To Pay For Brian Steel To Help Lil Durk’s Case

Steel told XXL he was prepared for a very different outcome. He said losing Williams’ case would have made him consider leaving the profession altogether, describing the prosecution as an effort to destroy both his client’s freedom and reputation. His attachment to the case became so personal that, during the contempt dispute, Steel said he was willing to remain in jail rather than reveal his source.

His work with Hip Hop defendants has only expanded since then. Steel joined Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal defense team in 2025 and is currently representing Lil Durk in his federal murder-for-hire trial. In discussing those cases with XXL, Steel returned repeatedly to his belief that prominent Rap artists are treated differently once their music and celebrity enter a courtroom.

The post Brian Steel Explains Why He Believes Young Thug “Is America” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.