The rare appearance came on the heels of announcing his two (now three) headlining sold-out nights at Yankee Stadium to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt and the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. Outside of a few appearances here and there, Jay hasn’t really performed on stage like we’d hope he would. Naturally, when he said that he’s on the offense all of 2026, we could imagine that includes not only the upcoming Yankee Stadium shows but the Roots Picnic gig with The Roots in Philadelphia. Will there be more shows announced? Maybe, but considering that he opened up about the joys of fatherhood during this same GQ interview and how he enjoys taking his kids to school every morning, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll accept any task or schedule that requires him to be away from his kids for extended periods of time.

There’s certainly a mountain of questions that Jay-Z probably won’t answer in the near future, but over the course of the 35-minute video, Hov opened up about everything from his partnership with the NFL to how he dealt with the civil lawsuit that accused him of rape. Below is a breakdown of the five main takeaways from the Jay-Z interview with Frazier Tharpe.

Rape Case Aftermath

Perhaps the biggest scandal to hit Shawn Carter’s desk in the past decade was the civil lawsuit filed by Tony Buzbee alleging that Jay-Z was involved in the sexual assault of a minor alongside Diddy. Hov refused to go through with some sort of settlement to make it go away, and eventually, the case was dismissed.

“That whole [lawsuit thing], that shit took a lot out of me. I was angry. I haven’t been that angry in a long time, uncontrollable anger. You don’t put that on someone—that’s a thing that you better be super sure. It used to be like that,” he said. “Even when we were doing the worst things, we had those kind of rules. There was a line: no women, no kids. You hear those sayings, but those are the things that I took from the street. We lived and died by that… I took that really hard. I knew that we were going to walk through that because, first of all, it’s not true. And the truth, at the end of the day, still reigns supreme.”

In one way, he cited how it exposed the true feelings that people held for him, both those who may have already held animosity toward him and those who understand his character. “I can’t take a settlement—it ain’t in my DNA. First of all, first I had to tell my wife. Let’s back up. I know the weight that this is going to bring on our family. I can’t do it. I would die,” he said.

“If I settled—make that thing go away. And for me, it would’ve been cheaper? Yes. Cheaper, quicker, move on with your life. I knew what was coming. I wasn’t naive. I called—again, after my family—my partners. They were like, ‘What do you need to help? Don’t even worry.’ In a phone call. Not even a: ‘I got to go to the board with this.’ It was like a testament because people know me. Like: ‘I know who you are and that’s impossible. Not only are we standing by you, but what do you need?’”

Kendrick Lamar & The Super Bowl Conspiracies

If you ever doubted Drake’s fanbase, just look at how quickly negative narratives began turning on Jay-Z once he announced the Super Bowl Halftime Show performer for 2025. Coming off his feud with the Toronto rapper, Kendrick Lamar landed undoubtedly one of the biggest commercial looks of his career last year, leading the way for his stadium tour. However, it didn’t take long for people to feel as though Jay-Z’s alignment with Kendrick was out of malice toward Drake. During the recent interview with GQ, Jay-Z stated that it wasn’t the deciding factor.

“I chose the guy that was having a monster year. I think it was the right choice. What do I care about them two guys battling? What’s that got to do with me? Have at it. They drag everybody in it, like everyone’s part of this conspiracy to undermine Drake, I guess,” he explained. But it’s like, what the fuck? I’m fucking Jay-Z! [Laughs.] All due respect to him. I’m fucking Hov. Respectfully. It doesn’t make any sense.”

The Death Of Battle Rap?

On the topic of Kendrick and Drake, Jay-Z reflected on the overall impact that battle rap currently has in the landscape of hip-hop. Unfortunately, it’s not something that everyone would like to hear from an elder statesman. “We love the excitement and I love the sparring, but in this day and age there’s so much negative stuff that comes with it that you almost wish it didn’t happen,” he said. Hov explained that “people that like Kendrick hate Drake” and have practically turned it into an attack on his character. Add the layer of social media into the equation, and Hov explained that he doesn’t think battle rap is necessary these days, especially when people are going as far as bringing kids into it.

“We’ve just grown so much that—I guess I’m going to say it—I don’t know if battling needs to be part of the culture anymore,” he said.

Interestingly enough, he pointed to his feud with Nas as something he regrets since they actually have a strong relationship these days. But on that note, he also noted how some of his commentary on the current state of battle rap might seem contradictory. “I realize it’s a bit hypocritical because of how many battles I’ve been in, and given the nature of ‘Super Ugly.’ It takes growth to arrive at this place, because I’ve done the bullshit too!” he texted Frazier.

Relationship With J. Cole

Maybe what feels like the most interesting part about this interview is that Jay-Z addressed his relationship with J. Cole over the years. On The Fall-Off song “Old Dog,” Cole raps, “No more record deal, yeah, I’m fresh up out of slavery,” which many perceived as a slight toward Jay-Z and Roc Nation. Plus, the seemingly distant mentor-mentee relationship they developed early on appeared to vanish in recent years. Of course, this spurred plenty of fan theories online, none of which have necessarily been confirmed by either party.

“The narrative is that we didn’t love Cole. No, we believed in him enough to let him find his journey. It took him a minute, but he found his way,” Hov explained. When the story of trying to get the Fayetteville rapper to sit down with Stargate came up, Jay said that he was only trying to expand Cole’s audience.

“I was giving him a chance to take his talent and show it to the most people possible, but his way,” he said. Jay said that he never forced the collaboration on J. Cole in the way he forced Memphis Bleek to record “Memphis Is Like.”

“Bleek is my little brother, he has to listen to me. But for J. Cole, he has to find his own direction and I’m going to give him the tools,” he continued. “Stargate made humongous records with Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa ‘Black and Yellow.’ Biggest songs in the world. You don’t want to go sit with them? Fine.”

However, Jay said there are no harsh feelings between them right now. “I don’t have any negative feelings for him. I’m actually super proud of him and what he’s done,” he added.

New Jay-Z Album?

Beyond anything, all of this chatter surrounding Hov has fans wondering one key question: Is a new album on the way? The GQ interview sheds interesting light on where Hov is creatively these days. For one, he explained that he’s “fulfilled in that space.”

“I was just so heavy [last year] and when I write, I write from experiences. And that would have been a very angry offering,” he said. “I’m not sure with the amount of negativity in the world that people needed me to add to that with my feelings—because it would have been harsh, and it would have been harsh on everybody. I don’t know how to make music that’s not reflective of how I’m feeling at the moment.” He added, “I don’t know if it would have done more harm than good. I have a lot of scratch ideas and they’re all bad [laughs]. I got to be honest.”

When asked, “what are the hallmarks of a great Jay-Z album right now?,” Jay said that he isn’t entirely sure. “I don’t know what I need to create currently that’s going to fulfill me and make me happy because that’s most important. I know I just got to be honest about what I feel and where I am. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe I’m stopping myself from just creating,” he said. “Whatever it is, it just needs to be a true representation of how I feel. Trying to create something that people like is where I think a lot of artists get jammed up. And people can feel that because it’s not authentic. I just got to make something timeless that I really love and that’s really honest and true to who I am.”

The post Five Takeaways From Jay-Z’s New Interview With GQ appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Perhaps the best part about these sketches is how unexpected they are. Seldom does he ever let us know what he has in store for us. Instead, he just drops the videos on the timeline, only for them to explode within minutes of being posted.

Tonight, we got the perfect example of that. Druski came through with a sketch captioned, “How Conservative Women in America Act.” In the video, Druski walks onto the stage surrounded by sparklers. Meanwhile, he is in heavy prosthetics to make him look like a white woman.

As for the makeup, white jacket, and shirt, it is very clear that he is parodying Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk. When Charlie Kirk passed away, Erika Kirk was heavily criticized for her demeanor, her desire to be put in the spotlight, and the crass way in which her husband’s funeral was choreographed.

Read More: Druski & OnlyFans Model Sky Bri Ignite Dating Rumors At Knicks Game

Druski’s Take On Conservative White Women

Throughout Druski’s new video, he can be seen going through drive-thrus, taking part in pilates classes, and delivering speeches on why we need to protect white men. Interestingly, there are very few verbal jokes in the sketch. Instead, everything is meant to be one big visual gag. The genius of it all is that once you say Druski appears on screen, you know exactly who he is parodying.

Of course, this is going to open up the comedian to some reactionary criticism online. Conservatives are not going to like this. They have been very protective of Erika Kirk and have mostly tried to strike down criticism of her. We can only imagine the Fox News bloviations about how Druski is a racist doing “white face.” After all, this is the same criticism he faced following his NASCAR skit at Talladega.

Read More: Pastor Michael Todd Breaks Silence On Druski’s Controversial Mega Church Skit

Fans React

On social media, fans seem to be loving this sketch. In fact, most of the love has been going to the makeup crew, which continues to knock it out of the park for Druski. Clearly, he has hired the right people around him, and it is elevating his sketches to another level.

The post Druski Parodies Erika Kirk In New Sketch, And His Makeup Team Is Getting A Lot Of Love appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

West has been adamant that Scott is his “son” and that Travis steals all of his good ideas. These are pretty harsh comments, and it is easy to see why he might not want to be associated with Kanye. However, with all of the recent apologies West has been making, it is safe to say that Scott has been part of the apology tour.

In fact, just three months ago, Scott was in a Beats by Dre ad. At the end of the ad, there was a song called “Father.” It is a song that raised a few eyebrows, and some insiders claimed it was going to be part of Ye’s Bully album.

Well, thanks to Ye’s latest post on X, it would appear as though we have confirmation.

Read More: LaRussell’s “Heaven Sent” Controversy Isn’t Being Misunderstood

Kanye West & Travis Scott Are Back

Above, you can listen to the snippet of “Father,” which has resurfaced amid Ye’s announcement. Meanwhile, below, you can find the 18-song tracklist for Bully. Kanye West has “Father” pegged as the third song on the album.

Whether or not this new project is actually going to come out on time is something that still very much remains to be seen. At the end of the day, Ye is known for long delays, rewrites, and everything in between.

Regardless, the prospect of a new collaboration between Kanye West and Travis Scott is something that has fans extremely excited.

Read More: Afroman Beat The Case—So Where Are Free Speech Warriors When Hip-Hop’s On Trial?

Bully Tracklist

1. Sisters and Brothers
2. Whatever Works
3. Father
4. All the Love
5. I Can’t Wait
6. Bully
7. Mama’s Favorite
8. Punch Drunk
9. This a Must
10. Outside
11. Preacher Man
12. White Lines
13. Circles
14. This One Here
15. King
16. Beauty and the Beast
17. Damn
18. Last Breath

The post Kanye West & Travis Scott Snippet Resurfaces Online As Track Receives “Bully” Placement appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Unfortunately, leaks from the recent Bully vinyl release have suggested that this is going to be an AI album. Fans say the beats are terrible and the vocals are all very clearly AI-generated. There have been sources claiming that the album has been re-recorded for streaming, and that the vinyl pressings were done months ago.

Leading up to Bully, Ye has mostly stayed off social media. It is hard to get a sense of where his head space is, and whether or not he is feeling good about life and everything going on.

Well, tonight, the X shadowban was lifted, and Ye was able to make his grand return to the internet’s most chaotic social media platform.

Read More: Kanye West Adds Second Los Angeles Show After A Million People Queued Up

Kanye West Returns

Ye had one simple message for all of his fans, and it is one that is certainly going to resonate. “BULLY ON THE WAY NO AI,” he wrote. Fans are already jumping for joy about this. An album without any AI is certainly something to be excited about.

The artist also dropped off an 18-song tracklist. This tracklist is certainly subject to change. As we know, Kanye likes to change things around before he comes to a final conclusion on his albums. It is a tough pill to swallow, but the fans have gotten used to it.

Fans will be waiting with bated breath until Friday to see if this actually drops. However, we aren’t going to guarantee anything until we actually see it on streaming services.

Bully Tracklist

1. Sisters and Brothers
2. Whatever Works
3. Father
4. All the Love
5. I Can’t Wait
6. Bully
7. Mama’s Favorite
8. Punch Drunk
9. This a Must
10. Outside
11. Preacher Man
12. White Lines
13. Circles
14. This One Here
15. King
16. Beauty and the Beast
17. Damn
18. Last Breath

Read More: Kanye West’s “Bully” Drone Show Freaks Out Texas Farmers

The post Kanye West Is Back On X, And He Has A Special Promise For His Fans appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

As we reported earlier today, the album actually got leaked thanks to the recent Vinyl release. However, fans were very upset with what they were hearing. Why? Well, it all has to do with the fact that the album had AI vocals. Of course, vinyls are pressed well in advance. This led to discouse that Ye could still re-record his vocals for a streaming release.

Just moments ago, Ye confirme that this is the case. “BULLY ON THE WAY NO AI,” he wrote on X. Furthermore, he unveiled the tracklist for Bully, which appears to contain 18 songs.

Read More: LaRussell’s “Heaven Sent” Controversy Isn’t Being Misunderstood

Kanye West Teases Bully

There is no telling how this release is going to go. Ye has been telling people that this album will be released on Friday, March 27th, which is in two days from now. However, there is no telling whether or not that will be the case.

Ye is known for his wild rollouts. In fact, it would not be shocking if this tracklist ends up getting revised and cut down by the time the album reaches streaming services.

No matter what, this is going to be an interesting release for Ye, who knows how to get the fans excited. While most are still very skeptical of him and his art, there are still those out there who are curious about his next move.

Bully Tracklist

1. Sisters and Brothers
2. Whatever Works
3. Father
4. All the Love
5. I Can’t Wait
6. Bully
7. Mama’s Favorite
8. Punch Drunk
9. This a Must
10. Outside
11. Preacher Man
12. White Lines
13. Circles
14. This One Here
15. King
16. Beauty and the Beast
17. Damn
18. Last Breath

Read More: Afroman Beat The Case—So Where Are Free Speech Warriors When Hip-Hop’s On Trial?

The post Kanye West Unveils The Tracklist For “Bully” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

When TMZ posted the footage on Instagram, fans had mixed reactions in the comments section. “This is the outcome of social media on young girls,” one user wrote. Another added: “Swear that generation is doomed, especially some young women that they really think these things are flexes smh.”

Read More: Adult Film Star Sophie Rain Reveals Bhad Bhabie’s Condition Amid Cancer Battle

Sophie Rain & Bhad Bhabie’s OnlyFans Collab

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Sophie Rain recently discussed her excitement to meet with Bhad Bhabie during an interview with The Hollywood Fix. In doing so, she referenced Bhabie’s recent cancer diagnosis. “I think she’s doing great,” Rain told the outlet. “She’s honestly, her spirits are high regardless of everything going on, and I’m just really excited to meet her and get to know more about her because I’ve never met her before.”

Sophie Rain has been making tons of headlines in recent months. She has been feuding with far-right Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, who has run on wanting to implement a 50% “sin tax” on OnlyFans creators. He has been promoting the idea by attacking Rain directly.

Speaking with Eileen Cartter for an interview with GQ, Rain recently remarked that Fishback “only calls me out,” adding, “because yes, I’m a very big creator on the site. I’m very clear on what I do and how much I make. He only sees me, though. He doesn’t think about the family—you know, a mom could be doing this to support her family and she’s making $5,000 a month. You’re going to tax her 50% still? It’s just so messed up. It’s selective punishment.” Elsewhere during the interview, she discussed meeting Drake.

Read More: Celina Powell Unveils Her Astonishing OnlyFans Earnings

The post Sophie Rain & Bhad Bhabie Spotted Buying Condoms & Baby Oil appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Last week, the late rapper’s older brother Obasi Jackson announced on Instagram that their family is opening up a coffee shop. The coffee shop is called Pop’s Place, and it’s in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, New York. They’re currently searching for baristas who want “to be part of something special.” Needless to say, fans can’t wait to get a taste of what they have to offer.

“Omg congratulations!! long live woo ,” one Instagram commenter writes. “I seen the shop it looked beautiful,” another claims. Someone else simply says, “Love this.”

Read More: 50 Cent Compares Himself To Pop Smoke In Touching Tribute Post

Ex-NYPD Chief Discusses Pop Smoke

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News of the new coffee shop arrives just a few months after former New York Police Department chief John Chell appeared on The John Rondi Show. During his appearance, he revealed that authorities were building a case against Pop Smoke for his alleged gang ties and car theft before his tragic passing.

“The case I was personally involved in… 2019, 2020, Pop Smoke,” he explained. “[He] lived in Canarsie, Brooklyn, he was down with the G-Stone Crips, I believe. Big crew… He’s an up-and-coming star, and we were into that gang. He was part of it. But we didn’t have much on Pop. What Pop did was, he had stole a Rolls-Royce from… I think it was L.A., and brought it back to Canarsie. We made an arrest then, we tried to leverage that.”

“You might be running with the gang guys and they’re your friends, I mean, for better or for worse,” he continued. “But you got a lot more to lose. You got millions, you’re a rising star. So as we were cultivating this whole gang case, I believe he got murdered in a home invasion in L.A. He had a very distinct sound, didn’t he? Years after that, there was always a Pop Smoke Day in Canarsie. They would put a lot of cops there because a lot of gang members showed up.”

Read More: Former NYPD Chief Reveals They Were Building A Case Against Pop Smoke

The post Pop Smoke’s Family To Honor His Legacy With Brooklyn Coffee Shop appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Sneaker Bar Detroit reports that the Virgil Abloh Archive x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Alaska” is releasing on April 3rd, 2026.

The collection includes hoodies, tees, and crewnecks across multiple colorways. Black and navy dominate the apparel with blue graphic accents throughout. A black zip hoodie features the V.A.A. logo embroidered in blue on the chest. Several tee designs carry different graphics tied to the collaboration’s visual identity.

Fragment Design’s involvement adds significant weight to the collection. The FRGMT x V.A.A. tee features a polar bear graphic with lightning bolt detailing. That nod to Hiroshi Fujiwara’s iconic thunder motif is hard to miss. It is a detail that longtime Fragment fans will immediately appreciate.

Other pieces reference global cities including Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, and Chicago. A standout tee features a helicopter carrying the Jordan 1 Alaska above a cityscape. The phrase “modernism is not new” appears on another clean black tee. Each piece feels considered and connected to Virgil’s broader design philosophy.

Read More: Release Date Set For Travis Scott’s Air Jordan CJ1 T-REXX “Green Spark”

Virgil Abloh Archive x Fragment x Jordan Merch

The Jordan 1 Alaska is the centerpiece of this entire three-way collaboration. It brings together Virgil Abloh’s archive, Fragment Design, and Nike in a meaningful way.

The shoe features a pale icy blue and white colorway across the upper. Off-White’s signature deconstructed construction details are present throughout the design. An orange zip tie and bold lace dubrae carry Virgil’s familiar visual language.

The “AIR” text stamped on the midsole is clean and immediately recognizable. The shoe is reportedly limited to 25,000 pairs worldwide across all markets.

Fragment’s involvement adds a collector dimension that extends well beyond the sneaker community. Together the shoe and merch form one of the most complete tribute packages Virgil’s archive has produced.

Read More: Rio Da Yung OG Dropped Thousands On One Of Hip-Hop’s Rarest Sneakers

The post The Jordan 1 “Alaska” Drop Comes With A Full Merch Collection appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“THEY SENDIN YA MFS TO THE MEAT GRINDER SEND @Akademiks,” Mero wrote. “FIRST HES BIG AS A DUCK BLIND PROLLY ABSORB SOME ROUNDS AND SAVE THE GUYS BEHIND HIM. WHEN HE PISS ON HIMSELF THE ODOR WILL REPEL ENEMY COMBATANTS [brain emojis].”

Read More: Mero Unleashes On DJ Akademiks In Scathing Hot 97 Rant

Why Are Mero & DJ Akademiks Beefing?

The drama began on social media over the weekend. In one post on X, Akademiks described Mero as a “DEl hire” to replace Ebro Darden at Hot 97. “Objectively… I believe the whole hip hop thought ebum & rosendweeb were a failure,” he wrote. “But u even worse. U a DEI hire. With failing numbers . U getting fired as soon as that guaranteed period runs up. U never had talent it was the other ugly bald n***a w a beard that was the guy.”

Mero ended up addressing the situation on Monday’s episode of his Hot 97 show. “When I sit down and talk to somebody, it’s Denzel Washington, it’s Barack Obama, it’s Matt Damon. It’s the names that mean something in the culture of entertainment. When you sit down, you sit down with a diabetic Tekashi and a guy called Wack 100 and a guy who hangs out in project courtyards yelling at windows,” he said.

“You don’t want no smoke with anybody, especially me. If it wasn’t for them strip club bouncers that form a forcefield around you, you’d be food. You’re a 20-piece chicken nugget with sweet and sour sauce,” he concluded. “The last thing I’ll say about you, is that you are a one-trick pony. You know how to do one thing, and that’s exploit poverty, misery, and violence for your own monetary gain.”

Read More: Mero Alleges DJ Akademiks Is A Pedophile Amid Back & Forth Disses

The post Mero Volunteers DJ Akademiks To “Absorb Some Rounds” In The Army appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

“Taking Future to his first visit ever to see a school. Future, what do you think?” he asked the 11-year-old. “I love Texas,” he responded. “I love the stadium. It’s just yeah, everything’s bigger in Texas. Look at the stadium, pretty big.”

On Monday (March 23), Wilson attended the Fashion Scholarship Fund gala alongside Ciara, Future Zahir, and their daughter Sienna Princess. Future was asked about his college visit on the red carpet, prompting him to rave about the experience. “I really had a good time going there with my dad,” he said, as seen in a clip shared by The Shade Room.

Social media users couldn’t be happier for the child, though they can’t help but wonder how his biological father feels about his remark.

Read More: Russell Wilson Takes Future’s Son On A College Visit, And The Internet Had Some Thoughts

Russell Wilson Recalls Becoming A Stepfather

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Wilson was quick to embrace Ciara’s son when he started dating the songstress back in 2015. During an appearance on the I Am Athlete podcast in 2024, he opened up about becoming a stepfather, claiming that it was something God told him he had to do.

“When I walked in the room and I saw, you know, little Future — he’s nine months at the time or whatever — he crawls in my lap and it was like, you know, this is going to be my responsibility,” he recalled. “I remember leaving that night… and God said, saying to me, ‘Raising this child it’s going to be your responsibility.”

“I think [it was] scary just in the sense of — not scary — but it was more so of an opportunity,” Wilson continued. “Like, ‘Okay God, this is what you want me to do? This is, you know, stepping in to raise, you know, a child with C?’ And this and that and realizing that, okay God, like I know she’s the one for me but also, I’m going to take this responsibility.”

Read More: Russell Wilson Breaks Silence On Appearance In The Epstein Files

The post Future’s Son Raves About College Tour With “Dad” Russell Wilson appeared first on HotNewHipHop.