But according to Michael Blackshire, Steel also revealed some behind-the-scenes drama involving OTF Jam, real name Kacey Hester, and OTF Vonnie, real name Kavon Grant. Steel reportedly revealed that the two have been communicating through third parties in 2025. Jam, of course, already testified, but OTF Vonnie is also expected to testify as a cooperating witness.

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OTF Vonnie & OTF Jam’s Alleged Communication

Blackshire said Vonnie and Jam have been talking to each other through a woman named Ashley Jones and another woman who has yet to be named. Apparently, these conversations have gone on since July 2025. 

“At one point, there was a social media post that called Vonnie a rat, and Jam said, ‘Be careful.’ And then, Steel asked, ‘were you worried about him?’ and Jam says, ‘Yes,’” Blackshire said. Jam also corroborated that Ashley told him that someone recorded Vonnie on the phone and he tried to tell him to be careful. 

Elsewhere, Jam reportedly said that he communicated with Vonnie at a federal building. “When I came to this facility (federal building). I seen him in passing. Me being curious. I wanted to know if he was going to the facility I was at. I didn’t know he was corroborating,” he said. 

Brian Steel is expected to complete his cross-examination of OTF Jam today. We’ll keep you posted on any further updates surrounding the case. 

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The St. Petersburg rapper said he was a big fan of Badazz and felt like he was just showing love, expressing heartbreak over the lawsuit threat. He also spoke on the disappointment that can happen by meeting idols and addressed a disconnect of help, loyalty, and acknowledgement between older and younger generations in hip-hop.

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Boosie was not very fond of this assessment, claiming Rod Wave is a “serial stealer” who takes material from a lot of artists. Rod claimed he properly cleared the sample and even offered Badazz $100K for the use, which Boosie claims was actually a $150K agreement. There was a lot of back and forth here, and things are probably not done yet. Elsewhere, Rod spoke on the importance of owning your masters, securing a good record deal with labels, and working smarter in order to avoid situations like these and jumping to false conclusions or interpretations.

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Boosie Badazz & Rod Wave Beef

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In fact, Wave took to his Instagram Story to show how the Baton Rouge icon interpolated or sampled a lot of work in his own material, pointing out a double standard. We will see if there’s another chapter here or if both parties resolve this behind closed doors.

This long-running feud between Boosie Badazz and Rod Wave represents a lot of music industry issues. But the most salient one may be how homage can easily become theft if interpreted in a certain way, and if artists don’t understand label and clearance processes that get in the way.

Sadly, this turns artists against each other rather than leading them to question the label systems and agreements that define their situations. Maybe they will eventually land on this point after hashing this out some more. But this has been going on since 2023, so any chance of reconciliation seems unlikely.

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It doesn’t seem like the network or event organizers have officially confirmed when this fight will take place at press time. However, there is a bubbling narrative between them involving challenges, call-outs, and disrespect that is building plenty of hype for the match-up.

For those unaware, Lex defeated Rock’s sister Tesehki in their boxing match earlier this month on the Zeus Network by unanimous decision. Chrisean went viral online for her reaction to the match, with her saying watching her sister lose felt like she herself had lost. She then called Lex out and challenged her, which she responded to affirmatively.

This is pretty ironic considering Chrisean Rock and Tesehki’s public clashes. But the enemy of Chrisean’s sister is still her enemy in her eyes.

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Chrisean Rock’s Boxing Match With Big Lex

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Elsewhere, Chrisean Rock is still dealing with family drama. While her antics with Blueface are a big part of this, she recently responded to other narratives about their son, Chrisean Jr., that sit a bit outside of that orbit.

Some folks feel like Chrisean’s parenting of Chrisean Jesus has been less than praiseworthy, even speculating on his development and possible health conditions. She recently addressed these narratives during an interview with Jason Lee. Rock said her child will “outgrow” health issues and claimed he has no illnesses or diagnosis, which some fans alleged is only because she doesn’t take him to the doctor, per their accusations.

Beyond this drama, she just wants to focus on her family and her boxing moves. But Chrisean Rock fights are not exclusive to the ring, as a recent street tussle went viral. With that in mind, there’s a lot going into this match with Big Lex that could play out in a big way. We will just have to wait for a date.

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The outlet obtained security camera footage from the property last week, showing three men in hoodies allegedly breaking into the home, raiding it, and leaving out the back door with bags full of valuable items. The “Not Like Us” producer’s ex-wife told TMZ she wasn’t at home when the alleged burglary occurred, which allegedly involved the perpetrators breaking a window to get in the home and macing her dog.

Thierry also claimed she saw the alleged burglars via her security system and rushed home to stop them. They allegedly tried to escape when she got there but crashed into her Mercedes, forcing them to hit the road on foot. Chanel claimed she followed them in her car until police arrived at her location and arrested the alleged burglars.

What’s more is that Chanel Thierry also took to social media to speak about this on Instagram and other social media pages, reposting some coverage and speaking out about the situation. She said the “traumatic” and “heartbreaking” experience affected her kids as well, claiming the perpetrators had been stalking her.

Also, Thierry said this was the third instance of this she faced over the past year and the fourth over four years, expressing fear of being targeted. She also said all three 18-year-old suspects (Jaydan Faulkner, George Richmond, and Jaymere Laushaul) posted bail and will face court soon.

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Chanel Thierry’s Home Invasion

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Hopefully Chanel Thierry doesn’t face any more scary situations like these in the future.

Elsewhere, Mustard is still the subject of beef thanks to some fresh ICEMAN disses from Drake, adding to the saga of the 2024 rap war. Beyond that, though, the producer remains pretty low-key overall, and it doesn’t seem like he responded to this story about his ex-wife at press time. We’ll see if that changes at some point soon.

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The post Mustard’s Ex-Wife Allegedly Chased Burglars Down After Home Intrusion appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

This week, the Canadian rapper was spotted at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto dressed up as one of Marvel’s most recognizable heroes: Iron Man. And it looks like he was shooting a new music video. Naturally, this raised questions about what he’s shooting exactly. Some people suspect it could be for something from the ICEMAN trilogy, which hasn’t received many other visual treatments outside of those that debuted in his final livestream episode.

However, this also fuels theories that Drake has a fourth project that he’s readying to release before the year ends. Considering that he already released three, one of which remained at the top of the Billboard 200 for a few weeks, it seems like it could be a bit of overkill for most. But his fans evidently will eat up anything that he serves, so it should be interesting to see what direction this supposed project might head in.

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Is Drake Dropping A New Album Before 2026 Ends?

Over the past few weeks, Drake has been teasing something titled FOMO. What began as an Instagram post ultimately fueled theories online, and Drake recently liked a post that suggested that it was a new project, which comes across as a confirmation of sorts. 

In addition, he also had recent appearances on projects from Karol G and The Game that have gained plenty of traction. Despite his minimal contributions to The Game’s “No Brakes,” it’s sparked plenty of dialogue online.

We will keep you posted on any further updates surrounding the project and anything else Drake is up to. 

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The post Drake Seemingly Films New Music Video As Iron Man At Toronto Festival appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

As caught by Victor Baez on Twitter, Stove God couldn’t confirm or deny if the Roc’s boss was dropping soon, or even making a new album at all. But it looks like we might get a collaboration between them at some point in the near future, as Stove God Cooks has plenty of album demand himself.

“I sent Hov a hook. Don’t let me get on this album,” he remarked, which set Joe Budden and his cohosts off. They immediately buzzed about the claim and prepared to get more info. “Now we gon’ talk,” Cooks added with a laugh.

“I’m not confirming that big home got an album coming out,” he expressed. “But big home, if you got an album coming out, use that hook I sent you. You know I was talking on that verse. Let’s do that. And I don’t want nothing. And keep everything. Just send a Roc chain. I don’t want no percentage. Just send a Roc chain.”

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Is Jay-Z’s New Album Done?

Other Jay-Z album rumors included direct responses from Roc Nation. When Ray Daniels claimed the album was done and was just looking for a partnership to drop it through, the Roc denied this claim outright. But Daniels doubled down later, suggesting the response confirms he wasn’t that far off in the first place.

As for Stove God Cooks’ album conversations, he has even asked Hov in the past to help him with his label and recording situations. Fans have been asking for a project from him for a very long time, and maybe this will all resolve itself soon.

As such, we will just have to wait and see if any of these album rumors in either direction will manifest. Concerning Hov, 2026 has been a massisve year for him, so the timing feels right.

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The post Stove God Cooks’ Hook For Jay-Z Suggests A New Hov Album Is Imminent appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

On a number of occasions, Steel poked holes in OTF Jam’s testimony and claims against Lil Durk and the other co-conspirators. According to Michael Blackshire, Steel, at one point, played a recording of Jam telling the FBI that Durk never actually said he was going to put up money for a hit on Quando Rondo and Lul Timm. When Jam said “it’s more to it than that,” Steel quickly fired back that “there’s always more to it than that with you.” However, Steel ultimately made Jam admit that his statements to him were contrary to what he told the jury.

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OTF Jam & Brian Steel Face Off In Lil Durk Trial

OTF Jam’s testimony shed some significant light on the alleged dynamics between himself and Lil Durk. He reportedly claimed that he never actually got paid for any of the alleged hits. But what was probably the most telling part of Jam’s testimony came just before the court went to lunch on August 27th, when he said, “This may be hard to believe because of what I’m doing… I still have love for him, I just don’t have no respect for him.”

Durk’s murder-for-hire trial continues today as Brian Steel completes the remainder of his cross-examination of OTF Jam, which will surely reveal much more. We’ll keep you posted on any further updates on the case. 

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The post Brian Steel’s Contentious Cross-Examination Of OTF Jam Raises Stakes In Lil Durk Trial appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

It all has the vibe of a big block party and just a typically bustling day in New York City, and it fits with the rambunctious vibe of Cardi B’s newest single. It was her first solo release since the release of her long-awaited sophomore album AM I THE DRAMA? last year, and she clearly wants to give it more legs.

While there aren’t any wild or super striking elements in this video beyond the skillful craft, it’s nice to see the Bronx superstar work well with simple concepts. The video goes by quick and it feels much more at home than other, more dramatic treatments.

We’ll see if she has even more material on the way. After all, following up a long-awaited studio album return by keeping the foot on the gas seems like a great way to maintain hype.

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Cardi B’s New Music Video

“AH HA” is taking the Bardi Gang beyond the AM I THE DRAMA? era, but Cardi B’s still dealing with fallout from that project. That’s mostly due to the BIA diss track “Pretty & Petty,” the big explosive point of a long-running feud.

There are still some emotions to deal with despite the back-and-forth dying down in the booth. Earlier this month, BIA apologized for being shady to Doja Cat, which led Cardi fans to call her out for not having similar energy for her. Clearly, the Massachusetts femcee is not going to forgive her anytime soon, and she sees the situations as very different.

We’ll see if there’s anything about this of consequence beyond social media responses and shade. While another diss track doesn’t seem in the cards, it wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary.

Meanwhile, Cardi B’s collaborative efforts this year have also made a splash, such as her appearance on the posthumous Nipsey Hussle album. Perhaps there are even more releases and visuals in store before 2026 is out.

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The post Cardi B Is All The Way Outside In New “AH HA” Music Video appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Of course, Kodak’s inclusion should come as no surprise as one of the biggest rappers out of Florida in the past decade, Grand Theft Auto‘s new-ish setting. There will probably be some more MCs out of Miami in the game, maybe through the alleged “Dirty South Classics” radio station.

Cash Money would certainly fit into that wide categorization, which makes “Pop Bottles” another no-brainer. But beyond classics, there might be some newer names that make appearances, which brings us to “Pound Town.” Sexy and the late Keith’s strong chemistry yielded a lot of hits, and this firmly situates the game in the 2020s in ways players will be excited to explore.

Beyond hip-hop, though, there will also be some crossovers and explorations of the genre from other parts of the world. For example, the GTA VI extended look also included “Se Me Nota (Agarrame),” a dembow banger from Chimbala, Omega, and B One El Productor De Oro. Hopefully there are even more hip-hop-adjacent genres that speak to Florida and its communities.

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GTA VI‘s Rap Songs

Elsewhere, Rockstar Games has been dealing with GTA VI leaks, which they responded to recently. “Having videos of Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay leak in this way has been heartbreaking for our team, and this is obviously not how we intended for you to see the game after all this time,” they stated. “We are very sorry that everything has taken as long as it has — from getting the game finished (nearly there!) to sharing more details and official gameplay, and providing the community with everything you want to know.”

Finally, the “we got [blank] before GTA VI” will end soon. These hip-hop inclusions are just one part of a more widely exciting rollout, and we’ll see what else soundtracks this experience.

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The post Every Hip-Hop Song In GTA VI’s Extended Look appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Release Date: August 28, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

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