Release Date: April 28, 2026

Genre: Hip-Hop

Album: N/A

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With JAY-Z, The New York Times begins by describing his iconic first studio album, Reasonable Doubt, as “one of the greatest debut albums in any genre,” adding that it’s “a testament to dazzling skills as a stylist and storyteller.” They go on to praise the “intricate configurations” of the rhyme schemes in his verses, describing the writing as “dense, full of puns and double and triple entendres.”

They also note how his style has evolved over the years. With 4:44, the legendary rapper released a candid project, “far blunter and more bruised than anything he had ever recorded.” The album tackled struggles in JAY’s marriage to Beyonce as well as his own personal turmoils.

Read More: Meek Mill Can’t Escape His Own Digital Footprint 

As for Young Thug, the publication describes him as a “poststructural dissenter” who has been “dismantling” the norms of the genre with “his fully improvisational approach to song construction.” Additionally, Kendrick Lamar earns praise for his ability to blend genres. The New York Times highlights his To Pimp A Butterfly single, “i,” in particular for its use of “pop, rock, soul, funk, crunk, street-corner church, bounce, and quiet storm.” Other artists to earn nods include OutKast, Missy Elliott, Babyface, Bad Bunny, and The-Dream.

Did Drake Make The List?

When Kurrco shared the full list on X (formerly Twitter), many fans felt there were several noteworthy snubs. Despite him being Canadian, many brought up Drake. “No Drake, no pnd, no Bryson tiller, no swae lee, no future, no Jcole. We live in a era of media where if you can’t tell the difference between paid media propaganda & real journalism than your cooked,” one user argued. Another wrote: “No eminem no drake?? Top 5 rappers of all time not in the list that babyface and missy elliot are in.”

Read More: Drake Dominated 2016 Ten Years Ago & Hasn’t Let Up

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The doc centers on YB’s “Make America Slime Again (MASA)” tour. It grossed almost $70 million in 2025, marking one of the most successful solo rap tours ever.

In addition to NBA YoungBoy, Patrick Hughes, Kyle Claiborne, and Antoine Banks are producers. It was directed by Nico Ballesteros, the same mind behind the controversial 2025 Kanye West documentary, In Whose Name?

Read More: Meek Mill Can’t Escape His Own Digital Footprint

NBA YoungBoy Documentary Screening Shut Down

The film features concert footage, plus gives viewers a look at the rapper’s family life, home, and more. While it’s been a massive success so far, the screenings haven’t exactly gone off without a hitch. Over the weekend, one movie theater tried to shut down a screening because staff thought fans were being a bit too rowdy.

A clip from the evening eventually surfaced online, showing a movie theater employee addressing the disgruntled crowd. The crowd made it clear that they weren’t happy with what they were hearing, even calling the employee a “b***h.”

Other clips from screenings around the country show audience members dancing, rapping along to the YB’s lyrics, and overall having a blast. Some people ended up getting kicked out, and police were even called to one theater. Seven teenagers were also arrested near a movie theater in North Hills, North Carolina, this weekend. Police had received several calls about an alleged brawl at both the cinema and a local Chick-Fil-A.

Read More: Drake Dominated 2016 Ten Years Ago & Hasn’t Let Up

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In addition to politics, he is also someone who comments on matters pertaining to pop culture. He doesn’t mind rolling up his sleeves and getting into the gossip world. In fact, it sometimes feels as though he enjoys it. We could imagine Smith someday being the host of Entertainment Tonight or perhaps some sort of similar show on E!

On Monday, Smith decided to talk about the Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson situation on his show, Straight Shooter. Meg took to Instagram over the weekend to reveal that the two had broken up. She subsequently accused Thompson of infidelity. She also claimed that Thompson had wild mood swings and took his frustrations out on her.

Smith decided that this was a worthy story to comment on, and he did not hide his feelings. In the clip below, he went off on Megan Thee Stallion, claiming that her public comments were completely unnecessary.

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Stephen A. Smith Gives His Take

Smith argues that because the two were not married, she shouldn’t be online complaining about cheating. While Thompson’s actions aren’t honorable, Stephen A. doesn’t believe they needed to be broadcasted to the internet in such a dramatic fashion.

Smith feels as though many of these private matters need to be left behind closed doors. Otherwise, it can get completely out of hand. It’s a take that isn’t out of the ordinary for Smith. In fact, it is pretty consistent with his worldview.

The Megan Thee Stallion and Klay Thompson situation has garnered quite a few reactions over the past few days. Online discourse has ramped up, with some saying that no one knew who Klay was prior to them dating. Of course, these kinds of hot takes are silly and should probably disregarded.

Read More: Drake Dominated 2016 Ten Years Ago & Hasn’t Let Up

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Reigns unboxed the pair on video and his reaction was immediate. The shoe fits his persona so naturally that the connection feels official even without a formal announcement. Jordan Brand made no official statement tying the “Bloodline” colorway to Reigns. Regardless, the gift made the connection feel real.

The “Bloodline” colorway has had a winding road to release, with Jordan Brand originally shelving it in favor of the “Flu Game” 12 retro back in 2025. Furthermore, the shoe went through extended silence with no leaks or updates for over a year before a May 23rd release date was confirmed.

The Air Jordan 12 “Bloodline” is scheduled to release May 23rd via Nike SNKRS and other retailers for $205. Expect pairs to land at the usual Jordan Brand retailers like Foot Locker and Champs.

The combination of the on-foot preview, the WrestleMania timing, and Reigns’ personal connection to the name makes this one of the more culturally layered Jordan drops of the year. Black and red retros historically do not sit at retail.

Read More: Video Claiming To Show Alleged Counterfeit Louis Vuitton Sneaker Factory Goes Viral

Roman Reigns Air Jordan 12 “Bloodline”

The Air Jordan 12 “Bloodline” is one of the cleanest executions of the black-and-red formula the silhouette has ever seen. The shoe features rising-sun stitching, a reptile-textured mudguard, metallic red eyelets, and a red Jumpman plate throughout.

The blacked-out base creates a commanding, almost all-conditions aesthetic that works across any outfit. Red bleeds through on the pull tab, midsole details, and eyelets with just enough to keep the look sharp rather than loud.

The Air Jordan 12 silhouette itself debuted in 1996 and carries the legacy of Michael Jordan’s 5th championship run. That heritage, combined with the WWE crossover narrative around Reigns, gives this colorway a dual identity that makes it one of 2026’s most compelling retro releases.

Read More: Nigel Sylvester Spotted Recovering In The Hyperice x Nike Hyperboot

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His ICEMAN sculpture in downtown Toronto was the perfect example of this. Fans gathered around the sculpture with mallets and blow torches so that they could get to the release date faster. It was an impressive showing, and it proves that despite everything that has happened, Drake remains someone who is adored.

With that being said, the man’s mere presence can apparently drive a grown man to tears. Case in point, a video hit social media on Monday evening, depicting a man driving his car down the street where Drake lives in Toronto.

In the clip, Drake’s envoy of black SUVs can be seen driving past at unusually fast speeds. From there, the man begins to cry, noting that Drake was in one of the vans. The artist’s presence makes him emotional, and it almost feels like some sort of parody.

Read More: Drake Dominated 2016 Ten Years Ago & Hasn’t Let Up

Drake Fans Are Something Else

Whether or not Drake ends up disappointing fans like the man above remains to be seen. There is still a lot that needs to be figured out about ICEMAN. We don’t have a lead single, and we don’t even have the cover art. At this point, the album is still shrouded in mystery despite all of the promotion we’ve seen over the past few months.

Whatever the case may be, this is going to be a fascinating rollout. Drake has not dropped a solo project since the release of For All The Dogs back in 2023. Fans are expecting him to drop something that showcases his hunger to be the best. The last few albums have shown artistic stagnation. Now, they want something a bit more creative and daring.

Read More: Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” Is 10 Years Old & Still Feels Like A Cultural Reset

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“It looks like Nicki Minaj dumped her husband, Kenneth Petty,” DJ Vlad captioned a screenshot of the sex offender registry. “According ot the sex offender registry, he’s now living in a tiny 800-square-foot house in Jamaica, Queens, instead of the $20M Hidden Hills mansion Nicki owns. The rumor is that he got another girl pregnant, but that’s not confirmed. Is this the greatest bag fumble of all time?”

In turn, fans online have been sharing plenty of jokes about the situation. “How she get cheated on by a man that wasn’t even allowed to leave his home, is she that bad??” one fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote in response to the account, Red Media. Another asked: “Is that why she hasn’t commented on megan’s cheating man.” That remark refers to Megan Thee Stallion accusing Klay Thompson of cheating on her over the weekend.

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Other fans of Minaj have come to the couple’s defense. When one argued that Petty could be stretching the truth about his current address to help hide the rapper’s home, Vlad fired back: “That’s not how the sex offender registry works, idiot. It’s where you’re physically located. You think Nicki and their son are living with him in that tiny house? Barbs are really the stupidest people on earth.” As of Tuesday morning, Vlad has deleted his posts.

Why Is Kenneth Petty On The Sex Offender Registry?

Kenneth Petty has been on the sex offender registry since 1995, when he was convicted of first-degree attempted rape. In 2021, authorities accused him of failing to update his most recent address with the registry.

Read More: Drake Dominated 2016 Ten Years Ago & Hasn’t Let Up

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“I knew a gun was going to be used to shoot Jason Mizell,” he told a federal magistrate, per NBC News. “I knew that what I was doing was wrong and a crime.”

Bryant’s role in the murder was first revealed in 2023 when he was charged in a superseding indictment. “More than two decades after the coldblooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant’s role,” US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement.

Bryant did not name the other people he claims to have helped. In 2024, however, two other men were convicted in Jam Master Jay’s death: Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. Jordan’s conviction was overturned in December.

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Who Killed Jam Master Jay?

“After a review of the trial record, the court finds that the government’s theories of Jordan’s drug-related motive to kill [Jay] or drug offense-related motive to use a firearm are impermissibly speculative and just conjecture,” Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall stated at the time. “Jordan has met the heavy burden [under federal rules] to be granted a judgment of acquittal.”

Earlier this month, Judge DeArcy Hall granted him a $1 million bond. For now, however, he remains behind bars on separate drug charges. “There’s a real chance, Mr. Jordan, that you may be released in the very near term,” U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall told him in court. “I wish you luck. And you will stay out of trouble.”

Jordan could have been released shortly after that, but prosecutors ended up appealing his acquittal of two federal murder counts. As for Washington, his guilty ruling still stands.

Read More: Drake Dominated 2016 Ten Years Ago & Hasn’t Let Up

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Her father is one of the most talented producers of all-time, so it just makes sense that she would have some chops as well. With that being said, many have wondered whether or not North would ever drop a project.

Well, we now have our answer. On Friday, May 1, North West will be coming through with her debut EP N0rth4evr. This EP is going to come with six tracks, and it also comes with some black metal-inspired cover art. Clearly, North has a very distinct aesthetic in mind going into this.

Read More: Drake Dominated 2016 Ten Years Ago & Hasn’t Let Up

North West Set To Drop New EP

One has to wonder what kind of features North West will have on this album. Of course, there is always the possibility that she handles this album completely solo. After all, it is her debut, and there are only six tracks here. However, if she does decide to put some features on the album, then we will likely see some interesting names.

For instance, there is Lil Novi, Lil Wayne’s son, who is tapped into the underground scene. He has used North’s beats in the past, and these two would be natural collaborators. Meanwhile, there is always the possibility that North is able to get her father on the album.

Either way, the anticipation for this new project is mounting, and we are excited to see and hear what North comes up with. She is still young and has a long career ahead of her. No matter what, this is a big step for her, and there is no doubt that her debut is highly anticipated.

Read More: Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” Is 10 Years Old & Still Feels Like A Cultural Reset

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This isn’t just another bad Meek Mill tweet. It epitomizes why he can’t outrun this image of who he is. What’s worse is that it only reinforces Charlamagne’s recent comments about Meek Mill, how the Philadelphia rapper never managed to outlive the “Twitter fingers” allegations that Drake threw in his direction on “Back To Back.” But for Meek, one crash out shaped a public identity that he couldn’t shake, not because of Drake or their beef, but because of a consistent behavioral pattern that’s taken shape over the past decade. That one night didn’t define his reputation indefinitely, especially since people became aware of his substance abuse issues during that time. Fans have been forgiving of that moment, yet Meek has constantly proven, intentionally or otherwise, that social media is his biggest enemy.

The tweet about D4vd is emblematic of this issue. As many conspiracy theories have floated on the internet since the discovery of Celeste’s body, someone with Meek’s influence shouldn’t be amplifying those narratives. This habit of tweeting before thinking often leaves even his most loyal defenders cringing with second-hand embarrassment.

Meek’s only leaned further into this persona online, which makes Charlamagne’s criticism far more valid. According to the Breakfast Club host, Meek never recovered from that beef. Meek tends to use social media like someone twice his age. His response to Charlamagne reinforced it. He offered a long, incoherent rant built on deflection and conspiracy.

The Philly spitter urged his followers to validate what he framed as a grand conspiracy working against him while suggesting Charlamagne Tha God is an agent for these supposed forces, while also veering into homophobia.

With Diddy, a lot of what has been explored has showcased an alleged pattern of someone with power continuously using it to exploit others. That’s not to say he exploited Meek, but the dynamic they shared has undoubtedly raised a few eyebrows. His proximity to the rich and powerful has drawn an equal amount of criticism, too. He’s developed close relationships with people like Jay-Z, who was not only by his side during the #FreeMeek campaign but also helped establish the REFORM Alliance. In his efforts to bring justice and help others who’ve faced injustices within the incarceration system, it’s also brought him into close proximity with people like Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Obviously, you have to reach across the aisle sometimes to get things done, especially as it relates to government and policy. 

That makes Meek Mill’s online tirades since linking up with people like Robert Kraft or Michael Rubin far more questionable. How does one end up a regular at Rubin’s 4th of July White Party and tweet like an unsigned artist hoping to find a record deal? His proximity to power doesn’t stabilize his image. It exposes how unstable it is. It’s apparent when he declares his intention to use LinkedIn more than X to expand his networking or trying to crowdsource funding for his next album. After leaving the major label system, Meek hasn’t necessarily figured out the type of business strategy to become self-sufficient. For those who look up to him, it almost feels helpless watching a beacon of hope express himself like someone who hasn’t figured out a way out, while simultaneously sharing aspirations to go corporate.

That’s a big part of the disconnect between Meek Mill and the rest of the world. He wants us to take him seriously as a voice for the streets and the impoverished while aligning himself with the country’s most powerful figures. He’s trying to represent one world while visibly operating in another. That detachment from reality is what made someone like Jay-Z and Kanye West as successful as they are today. And it’s important to acknowledge that dichotomy, if that’s what you’re aiming for in the first place. He wants power, but his most uncanny thoughts sound insecure. His proximity to power is closer than the majority of his peers, yet he acts as though he’s as powerless as the rest of us.

Ultimately, that’s the issue: like most rappers trying to stay afloat in the 2020s, Meek, regardless of his talent and status, comes across as an internet personality whenever his Twitter fingers start to itch. But the way it comes out often works against him. Perhaps, there’s no better example of this than when his relationship with Diddy was placed under a microscope following Lil Rod’s lawsuit against the Bad Boy mogul. In the suit, it was suggested that “a Philadelphia rapper who dated Nicki Minaj” and Diddy were involved in a physical relationship. His attempts to dispel the rumors quickly backfired. 

“When I got a girl around me I’m f#%king her twice a day lol ask some of ya favorites … pussy don’t control me but it’s like a high… one love to the gay people but that juicy p#%sy do it for meeeeee  I done ran red lights to get that feeling yall weird on here like devils lol,” he tweeted. 

It quickly became part of Andrew Schulz’s comedy bit, one that even Meek found hilarious. However, the ineffective attempts to address it quickly turned on him. By September 2025, he was declaring his willingness to put six figures behind an investigation into the matter. Maybe there is a higher power trying to destroy Meek’s influence, but so far, he’s only managed to reinforce the negativity and rumors every time he tries to respond to it. His denial ultimately turns into content, and the cycle from jokes to memes to allegations to perceived reality sustains itself.

And that’s really the issue here, too. The internet doesn’t forget, and Meek’s relationship with the internet isn’t great, either. Whenever he releases new music, he proves to be an undeniable force of an MC, whose skillset from street corners never disappeared. At the same time, there’s this constant attempt to try to remove accountability from the type of perception and narrative that, in part, he created. Most recently, he suggested some larger power of trying to kill his reputation after he went independent, partially based on an audit of his own streaming numbers. 

“They Let these companies put campaigns on me over money while I got reform uplifting my people  …. I did that because it was real not for a image or for money … it kinda killed my spirit from being around that stuff!   All my shit sold out they tried me tho!” He wrote.

Outside of Meek’s words, there has been little to prove that there’s a malicious campaign against him. Every time he logs on, he fuels this theory more than the accounts in his own comment section. Meek Mill’s online presence often feels chaotic, lacking the clarity and purpose that has existed in his music. Those flashes of brilliance have become increasingly sporadic. Meek has put himself in an awkward position in his hopes of following the footsteps of people like Jay-Z and Rick Ross, and even people like Michael Rubin. The difference is that they’ve exhibited elite levels of self-control on the internet. Meek isn’t being undone by scandal or failure. We’ve watched Meek Mill define a version of himself in real time and then publish it for the world to remember.

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