In honor of Drake releasing his highly-anitcipated album, ‘Views From The 6’, in less than 24-hours, I chose his song “City Is Mine” off his first mixtape, ‘Room For Improvement’.
On “City Is Mine,” Drake represents his hometown of Toronto and calls out fellow rappers from his city, while making a statement that he runs the city.
Drizzy summoned his OVO Sound producer, Boi1da, for the Production on the track. Boi1da also has production credits on Champagne Papi’s forthcoming album, ‘Views’.
Fresh off Coachella, DJ Mustard is ready to get back on the road and has announced he will be going on a two month tour with Travis $cott on what they will call the Whole Lotta Lovin’ tour.
We all know how much energy both DJ Mustard and Travis $cott bring to their live shows and the large crowds they attract, so naturally the energy figures to be crazy at every show.
The tour will kick off in the U.K. on May 6th and culminate in Vegas in July. Get your tickets now HERE.
Kobe Bryant has teamed up with brilliant Nike designer, Tinker Hatfield for his next Kobe 11 colorway, inspired by the Black Mamba’s favorite sneaker, the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement.”
Hatfield is the mastermind behind several Nike Air Jordan sneaker designs, which Kobe says he grew up idolizing.
The detail-oriented Kobe 11 “Tinker Muse” feature a black and white flyknit upper, with a red Nike swoosh across the side. On the inner part of the tongue you will find autographs from both Kobe and Tinker.
The Kobe Bryant x Tinker Hatfield collab look crazy! Signature inside the tongue tho! 🔥🔥🔥🐍 pic.twitter.com/4JYxgUGl6d
When Drake and Future said they were “up to something,” they weren’t kidding.
The “Jumpman” duo announced today they are hitting the road this summer for the Summer Sixteen tour.
This is not the first time the two have been on tour together. Drake has taken Future on the road before for both his Jungle tour and Would You Like a Tour.
Tickets for the Summer Sixteen tour go on sale this Friday on Ticketmaster. Get more info here.
Beyonce released her newest album, “Lemonade,” in a very personal, deep and unprecedented way.
Her HBO special Saturday night also turned out to be a visual album for “Lemonade,” where she shared intimate details about her life and every woman’s journey of self-healing. The message of the conceptual project was clear, she is not the one to be trifled with.
The series of formalized videos displayed what she does best: spread woman self-empowerment, shed light on civil issues and slay of course.
Yonce set a new precedent with the visual album being released in a way the music industry had never seen. It shows the innovative thinking by the people at Roc Nation.
It’s really refreshing just like a cold glass of “Lemonade” on a warm summer day.
Listen to the full 12-track “Lemonade” album available on TIDAL now.
PRINCE DEAD AT 57
It was a sad week for fans of music with the news of Prince’s death after reports circulated that his body was found inside his Minnesota compound Thursday.
As of now it is unclear if his death is related to the same illness that required an emergency landing in Illinois while he was touring in April.
One thing that is for certain is the “Purple Rain” singer left behind an amazing catalog that few artists past or present could match.
In the hip-hop world his presence was heavy and many shared reactions to the icon’s death via Twitter:
Listen to tangerine by Prince or his cover of A case of you
— “DROGAS WAVE” & “BeatNPath” NOW PLAYING (@LupeFiasco) April 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/joeyBADASS/status/723196498238795776
We know Prince was a music genius, check out a few songs that featured Prince samples:
’03 Bonnie & Clyde – Jay-Z & Beyonce
2 Live & Die In LA – 2-Pac
Heartz of Men – 2-Pac
Big Brother – Kanye West
Diamonds & Girls – Lil Wayne & Curren$y
Rest easy.
CHYNA PASSES AWAY
Former pro-wrestler Joan Laurer also known as Chyna, was found dead at her Redondo Beach apartment Wednesday. She was 45.
Chyna graduated from the University of Tampa before joining the WWF (World Wrestling Federation), where she became the only undefeated female fighter in WWF history.
Growing up watching the WWF I remember watching her go heads up with anybody that stepped to her.
R.I.P.
NICKI MINAJ COVERS TIME MAGAZINE
This past week TIME magazine rolled out their yearly 100 most influential people covers. Nicki Minaj was honored with being on one of the covers.
Lil Weezy wrote the introduction for Nicki’s cover with reflections of all her accomplishments and recounted his first impression of the diva.
Read what he said below:
You know, in New York they used to have these street DVDs. It just so happened that I appeared in one, and when I looked at the finished product, Nicki Minaj was on a part of the DVD. I was like, “Woooooow!” She was just being Nicki without the glitz and glamour. When I heard the first two and four bars, it wasn’t even about her rapping better than any female rapper. It was about, man, she’s rapping better than other rappers—period.
I always wanted more for my artists and saw Nicki’s potential from the first moment I laid eyes on her. She’s reached far beyond everything I would have imagined. Man, she’s so influential and doing all the right things. She’s an icon, a boss and a role model to all these young girls out here on how to do it the right way. Her work ethic speaks volumes and has yielded these results. The scary thing is she’s still going. Ha! Nicki Minaj will go down as one of the best to do it in the history of music.
Congrats, Ms. Minaj.
KHALED JOINS FORMATION WORLD TOUR
Major tour ALERT! The SnapChat Don Dada, Dj Khaled, announced that he is going on tour with Beyonce for her Formation world tour this summer as the opening act.
We already know how BIG Beyonce is worldwide! Going on the biggest tour of the summer will give Khaled a major boost, as he is getting ready to release his ninth studio album titled ‘Major Key.’
He took to his Instagram to show his appreciation and gratitude:
Today I proudly announce a major milestone in my career. Today’s announcement is a major accomplishment in my life. In other words it’s a major achievement alert!!!! I am proud to announce that I, DJ Khaled will be on tour with the icon, Beyoncé!!!!! Fan luv, when I tell you that prayer is the so powerful, please believe me. I want to thank the incomparable icon Beyoncé for this tremendous opportunity of a lifetime. Your music is the soundtrack to so many people’s lives across the globe. Your legacy is a blueprint for the young generation to follow and strive to be. You are the true definition of a superstar. Thank you so much for inviting me on your stage. I promise you this! I’m gonna rip it down so legendary!!!!!! When I was a kid THEY told me no when I wanted to DJ and perform in the club! So guess what, I did!!! OPEN FOR BEYONCÉ!!!!!! Fan luv we did it! We made on the stage with the Queen. Get ready to feel passion pain success and tears of joy in a STADIUM NEAR YOU!!!!! Miami, see you soon!!! I’ll be on stage with Beyoncé on April 27th and then I’ll be on the road to more success. Thank you again Beyoncé for making this dream come true for me. I will never stop fan luv. Bless up!! @wethebestmusic @epicrecords @rocnation #djkhaled #MAJOR-My album soon come!
It was on Fox’s ‘X Factor’ in front of high-profile judges: Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Brittany Spears and Demi Lovato where this week’s Indie Pick, Johnny Maxwell, first received high praise for his musical artistry.
A couple of words the judges used to describe the young 16-year-old Maxwell were; “passionate”, “energetic”, “driven” and “fun.” That was back in 2012 during the inception of Johnny’s musical career.
Today, a more developed Johnny Maxwell can still be described with those words, although he credits the whole experience of being on the show as a very humbling one, that served as an eye opener and set the bar for the things he could accomplish.
“That kinda showed me I had a little bit of talent, being I was blessed enough to be able to be aired on the show,” he said. “From there I was like I wonder what I can do if I just keep this going.”
His curiosity kept him focused and motivated him to continue working on perfecting his art. The ambition he carries can be heard in every note he hits as the energy he brings thunders over the 808 drum-lines.
Being from Castro Valley in the Bay Area, 808s were instilled in his head at a young age, with his father taking him to watch shows of local artists during the Hyphy-era.
The added bass on his songs stimulate his vocals on tracks that make his music enticing. That sound is what he considers to be the bridge between R&B coupled with Pop music and what he describes as “RnBass.”
“RnBass isn’t only a genre it’s like it’s own culture,” he explained. “It’s like modern day R&B, this is essentially the evolution of R&B that ties our generation together and gives us something to look forward to in the future.”
His close friend J. Maine, who he met through his manager introduced him to the “RnBass” genre of music.
Johnny credits his manager, Anthony Lovaglia with introducing him to many musical individuals as well as teaching him about the music industry and how it works.
The two met at Lovaglia’s Redwall Studio in San Jose, CA. where Johnny was working on a video for one of his songs.
“I was just a customer at first,” he jokingly said. “He liked what I was doing, he liked what he saw.”
Lovaglia took notice of the hustle and talent Johnny possessed and kept in contact with him as a mentor. Over time their bond grew so strong, that the relationship became deeper than just music.
“I just started hitting him up for a lot of advice and stuff for things I was going through that left me in a rough spot and he helped me get through it,” he said. “From there something amazing started to form and it’s been working ever since.”
Working doesn’t stop at the Redwall Studio, where Johnny has composed many of his hits, including his most recent “Got It.” Listen to the single below:
“Got It” is slated to be featured on his upcoming album dropping May 6th.
“The music will be different and it will be more of that RnBass,” he exclaimed. “Essentially it’s gonna be sending a message out to people about what you can expect in the time to come with Johnny Maxwell.”
The future for Johnny is shaping up to be very bright. I’m excited to see the direction his career will take him.
His following is already pretty potent in the Bay Area, but he won’t stop there. He also feels he can add to the current talent in his region.
The one major influencer and motivator for making music and somebody he hopes to one day work with is, Marc E. Bassy, who like Maxwell has a Bay Area background.
Follow this kid on the socials @JohnnyMaxwell and as always, don’t forget who put you on!
Major tour ALERT! The SnapChat Don Dada, Dj Khaled, announced that he is going on tour with Beyonce for her Formation world tour this summer as the opening act.
We already know how BIG Beyonce is worldwide! Going on the biggest tour of the summer will give Khaled a major boost, as he is getting ready to release his ninth studio album titled ‘Major Key.’
He took to his Instagram to show his appreciation and gratitude:
Today I proudly announce a major milestone in my career. Today’s announcement is a major accomplishment in my life. In other words it’s a major achievement alert!!!! I am proud to announce that I, DJ Khaled will be on tour with the icon, Beyoncé!!!!! Fan luv, when I tell you that prayer is the so powerful, please believe me. I want to thank the incomparable icon Beyoncé for this tremendous opportunity of a lifetime. Your music is the soundtrack to so many people’s lives across the globe. Your legacy is a blueprint for the young generation to follow and strive to be. You are the true definition of a superstar. Thank you so much for inviting me on your stage. I promise you this! I’m gonna rip it down so legendary!!!!!! When I was a kid THEY told me no when I wanted to DJ and perform in the club! So guess what, I did!!! OPEN FOR BEYONCÉ!!!!!! Fan luv we did it! We made on the stage with the Queen. Get ready to feel passion pain success and tears of joy in a STADIUM NEAR YOU!!!!! Miami, see you soon!!! I’ll be on stage with Beyoncé on April 27th and then I’ll be on the road to more success. Thank you again Beyoncé for making this dream come true for me. I will never stop fan luv. Bless up!! @wethebestmusic @epicrecords @rocnation #djkhaled #MAJOR-My album soon come!
The Formation world tour will kick off in Khaled’s hometown of Miami on April 27.
MAMBA OUT!
Kobe went out with a bang in his last game! The Black Mamba ended his illustrious career in the best way he possibly could by scoring 60 points with four boards and four dimes.
His 60 point performance made it the most exciting game the Lakers played all season and brought an electrifying energy to the Staples Center, which wasn’t there all year long.
Of course the stars were in attendance to catch the ending of an era in LA. Everybody from Kanye West to Jay-Z to Kendrick Lamar to G-Eazy to George Lopez, the list goes on.
Ticket prices for the once-in-lifetime event were outrageous but anybody that experienced the moment can tell you every dollar was worth it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzpsyFvz7W0
Genuine basketball fans anticipated Kobe’s final game would be a very special one. However, nobody expected it to be as epic as the 60 point performance the Black Mamba had. Mamba out!
Last night was the final chapter to an incredible story. I walk away at peace knowing my love for the game & this city will never be broken.
WARRIORS SURPASS BULLS
The Golden State Warriors entered the season with one goal, that goal was simply to repeat as champions. As the season progressed, they continued to consistently win games and on Wednesday night they got their biggest win of the year, 73.
Their 73rd win of the season broke the ’95-’96 Chicago Bulls’ record for most wins in a single-season.
That Bulls team is viewed today as one of the best teams in history, so that is saying something about this year’s Warriors.
Although it’s been a record-breaking season for the Warriors, they have a long road in the playoffs and will focus on the goal they came into the season with, to repeat.
N.W.A. INDUCTED TO ROCK & ROLL HOF
One of the biggest outlaw groups in the history of hip-hop and also the pioneers of gangsta rap, N.W.A., were one of the biggest names in this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class.
Although there have been other hip-hop names notably Run DMC, Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys, N.W.A. are the first west coasters to get such honors.
It’s been long overdue for N.W.A. to get such honors as they were insturmental in inflating very controversial subjects and became villains for doing so.
Thru time the vindication they faced made them in some ways heroic figures and a voice for the “hood.”
Of course when you’re winning there’s always somebody trying to hate on your victory. Gene Simmons came out to say the rap group shouldn’t have been inducted because they aren’t “rock & roll.”
One thing is for certain, they did live like rock stars.
KHALED SIGNS ANOTHER ONE
DJ Khaled has had a very good year to say the least and it’s not even summer yet.
From signing to Roc Nation to getting a deal with Apple Music and earning a show, it’s been a very successful year.
The DJ goes on snap everyday and emphasizes that he is “up to something” on the daily. Those words have proved to be very factual as he has signed yet another contract, this time with L.A. Reid’s Epic Music.
April 13th is officially #MambaDay with Kobe playing his final NBA game of his storied 20-year career.
All his accolades have made him a supreme international megastar. Whether it’s the five rings, the countless 40-point games or the notorious 81-point game, his fearless attitude has made him one of the most hated outside of LA. The hate has only fueled him to go even harder on the court, shut his critics up and gained him fans.
Kobe has always put on for the culture and has been referenced by rappers in plenty of songs. Kanye, Lil Weezy and Jay-Z are only a few of the rappers to show him love on a track.
To celebrate Kobe’s career and show appreciation for the Black Mamba, I’ve gathered 10 of the best references in my opinion.
10) “Went by any means, who said it best?/Kobe Bryant mind state, I’m shootin’ til I’m accurate” —Jay Rock on “Numbers on the Board (Freestyle)”
9) “My mansion sittin’ on 40 acres/Who da neighbors?/Kobe Bryant from the Lakers/Now that’s paper” —Juicy J on “Who Da Neighbors”
8) “I’m tryin’ to see a hundred of ’em/Kobe Bryant money, nigga you ain’t gotta love him” —Rick Ross on “Numb”
RETRO 8) “I might be in a Lex watching the game tonight/I got a hundred on Kobe, hope he playing it right” —Lil Wayne on “Young Playa”
7) “Come around my way boy, you’d never last it, Kobe Bryant of the rap game, nigga never pass” —Lil B on “The Best”
6) “Tryna get that Kobe number, one over Jordan” —Kanye West on “Swagga Like Us”
5) “And when it comes down to the recording/I must be LeBron James if he’s Jordan/No, I won rings for my performance/I’m more Kobe Bryant of an artist” —Lil Wayne on “Dough Is What I Got”
4) “Hundred thousand in one pocket, I get paid like I’m Kobe/When these fuck boys play games, man I just play like I’m Kobe” —Chief Keef on “Kobe”
3) “We hit the spot to chill with the Fuji Grill/She ordered the Kobe beef like Shaquille O’Neal” —Kanye West on “Back Like That (Remix)”
2) “Where my ring and my confetti, I’m Kobe Bryant ready/Pink Rose and chronic smelly while I’m stumbling out the telly” —Lloyd Banks on “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley”
1) “MVP, MVP/Kobe Bryant AKA Envy Me/In knee deep, smash any D/Whoever he is, he can’t guard me” —Lil Wayne on “Kobe Bryant”
Thank you for all the memories, Kobe. We’ll miss you!
It’s no secret how much Kobe Bryant means to the people of L.A. and all Laker aficionados.
In case you don’t know of Kobe’s legacy, Kendrick Lamar teamed up with ESPN’s Scoop Jackson to perform a special tribute for the Laker legend called, “Kobe Bryant: Fade to Black.”
The tribute is mixed with K. Dot’s Untitled 07 better known as “Levitate” off of his ‘Untitled Unmastered.’
Kendrick poetically highlights some of the Mamba’s biggest moments in the video, as he paces around the Forum in Inglewood, where the Lakers played until the ’99-’00 season.
Kobe will play his final game at home against the Utah Jazz Wednesday and will be aired on ESPN2.
DESIIGNER RISES OVER FUTURE
Freshman rapper Desiigner’s price has really gone up in the past couple weeks. From signing onto Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music to being featured on Ye’s TLOP.
This week his hit single “Panda” peaked at number 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts, topping any Future song. The highest Future has placed on the charts is 28th.
That’s a slap in the face for Future being that Desiigner is compared to him and is often confused for being him—something Future doesn’t like.
To add insult to injury the song “Panda” has been getting major looks not only in the clubs but also on the national stage. Watch Shaq come out to the song at WWE’s Wrestlemania 32:
Let’s see what else Desiigner has to come with the announcement of a mixtape dropping soon.
Hopefully he doesn’t turn out to be a Milli Vanilli a.k.a. one-hit wonder.
T. SWIFT GIVES ‘JUMPMAN’ A JUMP
Taylor, Taylor, Taylor just boosted “Jumpman!” It’s crazy how much impact and reach one Taylor Swift can have on something.
She does boast a crazy fanbase that is international, but to think a commercial of her listening to Drake and Future’s “Jumpman” while she works out boosting the single’s sale by a staggering 431 percent is insane!
Many reports have came out stating that globally the highly popular commercial of Taylor on the treadmill has had that kind of impact.
Aside from Drake and Future benefitting from the commercial, Apple of course had major rises with their #GymFlow playlist climbing to No. 5 playlist of the week, a 325 percent rise.
If you’ve been living under a rock watch the commercial below:
DRAKE AND MEEK MILL PUT OUT NEW MUSIC
It’s no secret Drake will be releasing his highly anticipated album ‘Views From The 6’ this month.
He added a little hype this week with the release of two songs, one which feature Kanye West and Jay-Z, also known as The Throne.
Champagne Papi’s nemesis, Meek Mill also dropped two songs of his own to add to the beef in which he took some shots at Drizzy. This is becoming a trend for Meek who also did the same thing when Drake dropped “Summer Sixteen.”
Don’t be surprised if Meek Milly releases a surprise album or mixtape whenever Drake decides to release VIEWS.
NICKI ON ELLEN
Nicki Minaj went on The Ellen Show and talked about “a boy that likes her” referring to her bae, Meek Mill. She also said, “she doesn’t want to say she’s in a relationship anymore.”
While the Internet went in on the comments and misconstrued them, if you watch the video you will see she didn’t actually mean her and Meek are no longer together.
The next day she went on her IG to profess her love for the “boy” that likes her, Meek. Let’s see how long these two will last.
“I don’t wanna hear about this ever again, not even when she tell ’em that they better as friends.”
CHRIS BROWN VS. TINASHE
Chris Brown is no stranger to throwing shade on social media and he is quick to spill out his feelings about anything he doesn’t agree with.
Breezy went in on the whole Kehlani situation by slamming the bay area R&B singer for her “attempted suicide” and told her to “stop flexing for the gram,” while showing support for Kyrie Irving.
Girls be mad at a nigga for fucking around wit bitches but her DMs got more names then the Declaration of Independence. #YEAHIMTHROWINGSHADE
He then commented on a Baller Alert picture and went all the way in on Tinashe or as he calls her “WHOISHAE.”
“I hope she talked about ‘HER’ career for most of this interview ‘WHOISHAE’ TINASHAE,” he wrote. “I hope they rehearsing for those performance (power 106 charity basketball game halftime show) give her credit though, 30 16 year old hobbit face ass. WE WANT MUSIC, WE WANT MUSIC, WE WANT MUSIC!! TEACH ME HOW TO JERK FACE ASS.”
It’s clear Chris has no chill and no filter. He’s a real standup guy.
L.A. CHASE LIKE NO OTHER
L.A. is notorious for crazy police chases. This week we got a show when two suspects cruised the streets of L.A. weaving thru traffic and even doing donuts in the middle of Sunset Boulevard.
Watch it below:
Here are a couple other crazy chases:
Throwing money out the window:
OJ the juice on the loose:
The Lexus that never made it to Texas:
Let me know the craziest one in the comments below.
