Hip-Hop Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Smino last released an album in 2022 (the very good Luv 4 Rent), but luckily for the St. Louis rapper, he’s got a level of charisma that serves as its own form of momentum, keeping him in the conversation even if he’s not dropping an album.

Rap Blog is a weekly showcase of a standout rap song written by Vivian Medithi and Nadine Smith.

Every Friday, The FADER's writers dive into the most exciting new projects released that week.

Digga D has been remanded and charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis after a police raid on his house was streamed live online. On Wednesday (February 21), the rapper’s home was entered by police while he was in the middle of a broadcast on Instagram Live. In the now-deleted video, the 23-year-old London artist – real name Rhys Angelo Emile Herbert – could be heard shouting at his property in Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln.

Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay, with the defence attorney citing Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak in her argument.Jam Master Jay – real name Jason Mizell – was shot in the head and killed at his New York recording studio in October 2002. In 2020, Karl Jordan Jr, who was Mizell’s godson, and Ronald Washington, who was his childhood friend, were charged with murder.The murder trial began on January 30, with the court hearing that the Run-DMC legend’s killing was motivated by greed and revenge related to a drug deal row.An eyewitness who was at the scene of the shooting also appeared in court during the trial, identifying a suspect and recalling the Run-DMC star’s last moments.Jordan and Washington have pleaded not guilty.

It’s already been more than eight months since the premiere of The Idol, The Weeknd‘s widely (and overly!) loathed HBO series, co-created with Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson. Bad reviews and middling ratings led to the show’s cancellation, and like most trending topics, the show has faded from our collective cultural memory.

On March 7, Tony Shhnow will share Out The Woods, the Atlanta rapper's first full-length album of 2024. Ahead of that release, he's shared a brand new single called "Watch." Fans of Shhnow already know of his ability to shift effortlessly between different styles of rap, from the floaty bliss of pluggnb to every color of trap music.

Jelly Roll defied all odds and won “Best New Artist” at the Country Music Awards.One year later, the country/Hip-Hop icon is taking off on his nationwide ‘The Beautifully Broken Tour’ with special guests Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay that will send them to arenas all over North America from August through October.That includes huge gigs at Albany’s MVP Arena on Sept. 24, New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Sept.

Machine Gun Kelly has addressed his fiancée Megan Fox’s pregnancy loss in his new single ‘Don’t Let Me Go’.The rapper’s new song, his first new music since last May, arrived yesterday (February 21), with the artist now appearing to go by the name mgk.In the song, Kelly raps: “This psychiatrist keeps evaluating / How can I live with the fact / That my hand wasn’t on her stomach when we lost the baby”.Kelly and Transformers star Fox have been in an on-and-off relationship since 2020 and are currently engaged.‘Don’t Let Me Go’ also sees Kelly wrestling with his mental health, rapping, “Lately my thoughts eating me alive / Laid in the bed thinking maybe the hate’ll finally go away if I’m not alive / Wish I didn’t listen just like I wish they would understand me one time / I had a breakdown and tatted my entire body except one line”.Kelly took to social media earlier in the week to show the new tattoo, which sees a black block covering up his previous inkings, with a blank cross on his chest. In the post, he said he made the decision “for spiritual purposes only”.The tattoo artist Roxx explained that the rapper spent 13 six-hour sessions in her studio to get the tattoo completed.A post shared by colson xx blonde don (@machinegunkelly)He also received a negative backlash last month about his new signature guitar, which is designed to resemble a razor blade.

Snoop Dogg‘s younger half-brother Bing Worthington has died, the rapper has confirmed online.Worthington, 44, was a music executive and had worked on projects at Snoop’s label Dogg Records, as well as previously serving as his tour manager. He briefly made music as part of the hip-hop group Lifestyle, whose sole album ‘Liquid Cocaine’ was released in 2003.Snoop recently shared the news of Worthington’s passing on Instagram, where he has posted numerous tributes.

Questlove has defended Sexyy Red appearing on the Roots Picnic 2024 line-up, saying “I’m still shocked yall got energy for ‘”oh hell no isms’.”The line-up for the annual Philadelphia music festival was revealed yesterday (February 20) and featured the likes of Lil Wayne, Jill Scott, Nas, André 3000 and more. The event will return to The Mann in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA on June 1-2.]The announcement of Sexyy Red’s appearance at this year’s edition of Roots Picnic was met with criticism due to her support for Trump as well as comments of her being “trashy”.The Roots drummer took the time to respond to one of the hateful comments about Sexyy Red’s inclusion on the lineup, saying that he was “shocked” at the reactions.“Damn…..hell hath frozen over when I like a Mel post.

Diddy – has denied the gang rape allegations made against him in new court papers.The American rapper faced several sexual assault allegations towards the end of last year, including an allegation that he took part in a “gang rape” of a girl who was aged 17 at the time.Along with Diddy, the allegation also targets Harve Pierre – the president of Combs’ company Bad Boy Entertainment – and a third unnamed person, claiming that they are responsible for sex trafficking and gang raping the unnamed teenager. Pierre has since denied the claims.The teenager is referred to as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, and it alleges that both the rapper and Pierre convinced her to take a private jet to Diddy’s New York City recording studio.

Digga D‘s home was visited by armed police while the rapper was in the middle of a broadcast on Instagram Live today (February 21).A 40-second clip of the live video recorded by a fan shows the 23-year-old London rapper – real name Rhys Angelo Emile Herbert – shouting at officers who are attempting to enter his property.It is reported that the incident occurred in the early hours of this morning.“What do you lot want?” the artist shouted ahead of a loud band and smash being heard in the background. “I’m here! I am here!” he added.

The Roots have announced the acts for this year’s edition of their annual Roots Picnic festival in Philadelphia.The two-day music festival will return to its usual home of The Mann in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA on June 1-2. Lil Wayne with The Roots, Jill Scott and Nas are set to headline the festival with André 3000 performing a special set in support of his recently released debut solo LP ‘New Blue Sun’.Other acts set to play include Gunna, Victoria Monét, Sexyy Red, Babyface, Wale, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Cam’ron, Funk Flex, and more.A post shared by The Roots (@theroots)The festival will also see various collaborations take place such as The Roots’ Black Thought performinf with Method Man and Redman, Fantasia and Muni Long teaming up with Adam Blackstone and Scarface and Amerie set to play with the Backyard Band.General ticket sale will commence on Friday, February 23 at 10am local time.

Drake has promised to gift a cancer survivor $50,000 while performing at the Pittsburgh stop of his “It’s All A Blur – Big As the What?” tour.While performing at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Friday, February 16, the rapper took the time to read a poster that an attendee was holding that shared how his music helped her through her cancer battle.“This beautiful young lady has a sign that says ‘Your music carried me through cancer’. Well that’s a strong statement coming from a survivor, coming from a “G” like yourself,” he said while on stage.He continued: “So, tonight, I don’t know what you want to do with it, it’s up to you, I hope you do whatever you want, do something nice for yourself, by the way, I’ll keep trying to make music you want to listen to, but tonight we are going to give you $50,000.

The 2024 Roots Picnic line-up has been announced with Lil Wayne and festival organizers The Roots teaming up for a celebration of New Orleans. They are joined by fellow headliners Jill Scott and Nas while André 3000 will present his 2023 album New Blue Sun live.

Even in the Das Racist days, when he was rhyming “Pizza Hut” with “pizza gut” and “pizza butt” for the comic relief of a largely white, largely online audience, it was obvious that Heems had something special. To drop a needle on any track in the Punjabi-American MC’s extended catalog is to be swept away by his preternatural cleverness.

Killer Mike has addressed the comments made by streamer Kai Cenat after the rapper won Best Rap Album at this year’s Grammy Awards.On February 4, the Atlantan took home three Grammys, including the aforementioned award for last year’s critically lauded ‘Michael’ album.

Rap Blog is a weekly showcase of a standout rap song written by Vivian Medithi and Nadine Smith.

As a rapper Vince Staples chronicles memories of life in Long Beach with the kind of granite-like coldness only possessed by those who have experienced true darkness. "No matter what we grow into, we never gon' escape our past," he stated matter-of-factly on "Like It Is," a song from his 2015 album Summertime '06.

There’s something in the water in New Jersey — a close-to-deadly concentration of wormwood, perhaps, or of fresh blood drained from an inexhaustible supply of sacrificial virgins. Whatever it is, Fatboi Sharif and Roper Williams are drinking from the tap.

Every Friday, The FADER's writers dive into the most exciting new projects released that week. Today, read our thoughts on Heems's LAFANDAR, Molly Lewis's On The Lips, Frances Chang's Psychedelic Anxiety, and more.

Yeat has released his new album, 2093. The Portland rapper's latest project is a blockbuster, arriving with 22 tracks and a feature-length 1hr 20m running time.

Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign have been announced as headliners for Rolling Loud California 2024.The two rappers will take to the stage for a special, bill-topping ‘Vultures’ set at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California on Thursday, March 14.As Rolling Stone reports, Ty was initially scheduled to perform in a solo slot at the event on the Saturday night (March 16). Organisers of Rolling Loud California said on social media that single-day ticketholders would receive an email with a link to upgrade.

Rap Column is a column about rap music by Vivian Medithi and Nadine Smith for The FADER.

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Eminem‘s 2000 song “Stan,” a fictionalized account of an obsessed fan that ends in tragedy, became one of the rapper’s definitive tracks, overwhelming the collective consciousness to such a degree that “stan” became shorthand for anyone with an unhealthy attachment to a celebrity. Fast forward to 2023, and standom has become an inescapable presence in modern culture.

On Halloween 2023, bbymutha announced her first-ever record deal following a decade of independence, a short-lived retirement, and 13 short-form releases in the past three-and-a-half years alone. Celebrating her signing with indie powerhouse True Panther, she shared a snappy track titled “gun kontrol.” Now, the Chatanooga MC is back with another song (“go!”) and news of her sophomore album, sleep paralysis.

Russell Simmons is facing claims of sexual harassment and battery, brought forward by a former executive at Def Jam Recordings.The rap and hip-hop heavyweight – who co-founded the label with producer Rick Rubin – is accused by a former employee of “derailing” her career after raping her in the 1990s, according to a new lawsuit.The plaintiff, going as “Jane Doe” filed the lawsuit in New York federal court on Tuesday (February 13), accusing the mogul of sexual assault and battery, as well as stalling her career.According to the court filing (via The Guardian), “Ms Doe’s career in the music industry was disrupted and derailed by a devastating experience at the hands of Mr Simmons.” It also states that she and Simmons had a professional working relationship at first, before he later “revealed his true colours” and “disabled Ms Doe’s career at Def Jam, a job she loved, at the height of her success and financial viability” through his “assaultive behaviour”.Simmons has not yet responded to requests for comment, however, is expected to deny all accusations raised against him. This comes as, following other accusations of sexual assault and rape in 2017, he shared a statement stating: “I completely and unequivocally deny the horrendous allegations of non-consensual sex against me with every fibre of my being.”In Tuesday’s filing, Doe outlined a specific incident.

Lil Yachty has teased a collaborative album with James Blake called ‘Bad Cameo’.In a new Instagram post, Yachty revealed the surprise album in a video clip, saying: “I think James has worked with a quite substantial amount of hip hop artists, but this project is so left for both of us.“Then, aside from the one picture that James posted, which he doesn’t have many followers actually, I don’t think people know that we know each other exist.”Blake also played a track off the unreleased album at his recent CYMK show – watch the footage below.A post shared by CONCRETE BOY BOAT^ (@lilyachty)Unreleased one from James Blake and Lil Yachty, debuted at CMYK last night