The defense attorney for Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams argued multiple reasons why his client should be granted bail. A bond hearing was held on Wednesday for 7 additional felony charges surrounding conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Brian Steel, defense attorney argued that Young Thug has deep ties within the Atlanta community and would not pose a flight risk. Steel reminded the courts of his clients full cooperation to search his home and compliance as he was taken into custody on Monday.
He added that the “Ski” rapper has never been convicted of a felony and has notable worldwide popularity, calling him “the Babe Ruth of the musical industry.”
Fulton County Magistrate Court, Judge Robert Wolf said that he could only rule on bond in the case of the 7 new felony charges, as the initial indictment is under the review of Fulton County Superior Court.
Despite the strong plea from Thug’s defense, Judge Wolf sided with the state denying bond, while citing a possible flight risk. He added that Thugger would pose a risk of committing additional felonies if he were released.
Young Thug will remain in jail until further notice. Watch the full court hearing below.
Drake’s Grammy-award-winning producer Noah “40” Shebib releases a mini-documentary titled Toronto Rising. The 14-minute doc directed by Alim Sabir, is a collaborative partnership with Native Instruments and 40.
40 is a notoriously private person, so this doc is a rare and unique look into his private life, featuring archival footage of his come-up including never-before-seen home videos of him discovering his love for the piano as a child and the early days of his legendary partnership with Drake.
I’ve always considered myself a visitor in hip hop. When I was 21, I got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I learned a lesson in the hospital, which was that as long as I had like one finger that still worked, no matter what the world took from me, I could play the keyboard and I could make music. All the things in my life just kind of pointed me in one direction. I’m here to play my part and to leave my impact.
Toronto Rising serves as a backstory to the legacy 40 has built for himself . As well as inspire the next generation of producers who may be struggling to find their footing amid adversity. It’s also a love letter to Hip-Hop and the city which he and Drake played an integral role in putting on the map.
Share your thoughts on Toronto Rising with us on social media.
The Minneapolis City Planning Commission is moving forward with a proposal to rename part of First Avenue in honor of international icon, Prince.
The commission unanimously approved the Downtown Council’s request last night to add a commemorative street sign along First Avenue between 7th and 8th Street reading Prince Rogers Nelson Way.
The avenue runs along the front of First Avenue and Seventh Street Entry, the club Prince launched to fame with the iconic movie and album Purple Rain.
The city council must give final approval for the renaming of the street. It is expected to pass.
Prince died suddenly in April 2016 after an accidental opioid overdose at age 57. Throughout his career, Prince released over 40 albums.
Kendrick Lamar is hitting the road this Summer — in support of the release of his new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers — as he announced on Friday morning (May 13) dates for his upcoming Oklama Presents… The Big Steppers Tour featuring K.Dot’s proteges Baby Keem and Tanna Leone — brought to you by Amazon Music, Cash App and Rotation.
Kicking off in Oklahoma City July 19, the 65-city tour runs nationwide all summer long with its last U.S. stop in Los Angeles on September 15 before heading for international terrains from October to December with stops including Amsterdam, London and Sydney. General admission tickets go on sale worldwide May 20 at 12 PM local time via the Oklama website. The same website Kendrick used to announce Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers would be his “final” album with Top Dawg Entertainment.
For U.S. dates, the first tickets to the tour will be made available via an exclusive Cash App presale starting one day earlier at 10 AM local time.
See complete 2022 tour dates below.
Tue Jul 19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Thu Jul 21 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Fri Jul 22 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Sat Jul 23 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Sun Jul 24 – Miami, FL – Rolling Loud
Wed Jul 27 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
Fri Jul 29 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
Sat Jul 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Sun Jul 31 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Tue Aug 02 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Thu Aug 04 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Fri Aug 05 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sat Aug 06 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Sun Aug 07 – Long Island, NY – UBS Arena
Tue Aug 09 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Wed Aug 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Fri Aug 12 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Sat Aug 13 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
Sun Aug 14 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Tue Aug 16 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Thu Aug 18 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Fri Aug 19 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sat Aug 20 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Sun Aug 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Tue Aug 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Wed Aug 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
Fri Aug 26 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
Sat Aug 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sun Aug 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Tue Aug 30 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Wed Aug 31 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Thu Sep 01 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Tue Sep 06 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena at San Diego State University
A double album that also includes Baby Keem and Tanna Leone, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers features Kodak Black, Sampha, Blxst, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Sam Dew and actress Taylour Paige (“Zola”). The new album marks Lamar’s first album in five years since the release of his Pultizer Prize-winning DAMN. in 2017.
See the tour’s promotional flyer above that advertises “Come help Mr. Morale get out of the box.”
While his new single “That’s Just Tips” moves around hip hop, T-Pain, 37, joins the likes of J.Cole, Pharrell and Jay Z with the launch of his very own music festival, titled “Wiscansin Fest,” in Wisconsin this June.
WISCANSIN FEST 2022
The first of its kind @NappyBoyEnt presents a line up that I hand picked myself. This one means so much to me. Go get your tickets link in bio before they sell out. June 11 in the only place that felt right- Milwaukee, WISCANSIN #WiscansinFestpic.twitter.com/irvPy1D8wx
The award-winning recording artist and wife, Amber Najm, announced Wednesday (May 11) via social media that the inaugural Wiscansin Fest will debut June 11 in Milwaukee at Rave.
The “Buy U A Drank” creator, who has been building up anticipation for the first-ever festival with a 19-city “The Road to Wiscansin Tour,” names a 17 acts line-up with the announcement that includes chart-topping superstars and longtime collaborators of the Tallahassee native, featuring Lil Jon, O.T. Genasis, Bleu (Formerly Yung Bleu), K Camp, and Hannibal Buress with a DJ-set as the moniker Eshu Tune.
“The first of its kind @nappyboyentertainment presents a line up that I hand picked myself,” T-Pain wrote with celebration emojis in the Instagram caption with a photo of the Festival flyer. “This one means so much to me. Go get your tickets link in my bio before they sell out. See you on June 11th in the only place that felt right- Milwaukee, WISCANSIN.” “Wiscansin Fest!! @tpain’s first ever festival and I’m so proud of him. Y’all get your tickets now!!,” captions a proud Amber Najm in an Instagram post promoting the upcoming festival flyer.
The word “Wiscansin” originates from T-Pain’s verse on the 2008 classic “Can’t Believe It” featuring Lil Wayne from his gold-selling third album, Three Ringz (Jive). T-Pain changed the pronunciation of the state, Wisconsin, to “Wiscansin” to make a rhyme with “mansion. The success of “Can’t Believe It” spawned a remix with Justin Timberlake. In 2018, T-Pain launched a collegiate-themed apparel line, Wiscansin University, inspired by the word.
Headline by T-Pain-himself, see the complete line-up to the inaugural Wiscansin Fest below.
On this day in Hip Hop history, De La Soul released their second album De La Soul is Dead.
Being one of the first albums to earn the coveted ‘Five Mics’ from The Source magazine, De La Soul Is Dead marked a change in direction for De La Soul. Through this album, De La Soul began to separate themselves from their previous pseudo-1960 flower-child aesthetic set up by their popular debut. Although the title would suggest the end of the group as a whole, the meaning behind the album’s cryptic title is an allusion to the ‘death’ of this old style. The title also represents the group’s separation from mainstream Hip Hop.
Although the group stuck to their skit-heavy storytelling structure, critics and charts were all but kind to this album. Unlike their uber-successful debut, De La Soul is Dead did not appear on any charts and was not recognized as a good album until years after its release. In the late 90s, however, the album rose to critical acclaim when publications realized the impact the album had on the careers of De La Soul and Hip Hop as a whole. The album has been ranked by Rolling Stone, The Source, Pitchfork Media, and others as one of the greatest albums, regardless of genre, of the 1990s.
Following this album, De La Soul went on to be one of the most respected rap groups of their generation. The rebranding that came from De La Soul is dead allowed for De LA Soul to cross over as artists into the realm of respected artistry rather than continuing their career riding the wave set by their debut.
Post Malone told us how much he admired Roddy Ricch’s musical talent when he previewed new music with him. Now the entire song is out and Posty and Roddy is ready to get active in “Cooped Up.”
Malone spoke very highly of the Compton artists. “He’s just such an incredible man and just a natural performer and vocalist and lyricist,” said Post about Ricch. “And he just gets after it, and it’s so cool. Dude, and just to watch him grow. And he’s such a beautiful, beautiful man. And so talented, man. I’m so pumped.”
Pumped he is. On the track Post uses is vocals to express the fact that he’s been away for so long that he feels “Cooped Up,” and as he said “it’s time to resurface.”
“I’m about to pull up, hit switch, pull curtain (hit switch, pull curtain). And I’ve been waitin’ so long, now I gotta resurface (I gotta resurface). And yeah, we ’bout to toast up, all that bread that we burnin’ (Burnin’, burnin’, burnin’). ‘Cause I’ve been feelin’ cooped up (Yeah) I’ve been fuckin’ cooped up (Mm-mm-mm).”
In the lyrical video, the chemistry between the two artists is on full display. “Cooped Up” sounds like a fun relief song and that’s what’s happening in the video. It’s apparent that these two have fun making music together and you can see it in their respective performance scenes, with the lyrics captioned below. Roddy Ricch slide on verse two with his melodic rap, complimenting Post Malone perfectly.
“Cooped Up” is the second single from Post Malone’s Twelve Carat Toothache’s album, which is set to drop on set to be released on June 3. Check out the lyrical video below.
The wait for a new Kendrick Lamar album is over. King Kendrick’s fifth studio album, Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers is now available.
The new album, Lamar’s last on Top Dawg Entertainment, is the rapper’s first since 2017’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Damn. Mr. Morale was preceded by “The Heart Pt. 5,” which instantly trended on social media for the lyrical content and the face morphing of Lamar into Kanye West, Nipsey Hussle, Will Smith, and more.
Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers is a double album featuring Kodak Black, Blxst, Summer Walker, Taylour Paige, Sampha, Baby Keem, Ghostface Killah, Amanda Reifer, Sam Dew, Beth Gibbons, and Tanna Leone.
The cover for the album features Kendrick Lamar’s partner, Whitney Alford, and their two children. The first time Kendrick had provided an image of his family.
The album also features production from a crop of Hip-Hop elite, including Boi-1da, Soundwave, The Alchemist, Dahi, DJ Khalil, Cardo, Pharrell, and more.
You can hear the new album from the Hip-Hop legend below.
With the recent arrest two of Atlanta’s biggest artist, fans have been requesting new music from Rich Homie Quan. In no time, the “Type Of Way” rapper responded. Recently, Rich Homie linked up with Bow Wheezy for a studio session.
In the short black and white video posted on social media, Bow Wow introduces Quan, and as Quan rubs his hands together he states, “What’s going on, what’s going on… I know they didn’t expect this but this is what’s going on.” The video ends just as the beat drops.
In 2013 when Rich Homie broke on to the scene as one of the fresh new faces emerging from the South. He captivated fans with his Still Goin In: Reloaded project, which included, his hit single “Type Of Way,” which peaked at No.50 on the Billboards top 100.
He then went on to drop a collaborative Rich Gang project, which included Birdman and Young Thug. The Rich Gang project went on to become an historic tape and it’s still considered one of the best collabs ever with one of the hottest songs of this era, “Lifetime.”
Since then, the two ATLiens fell out and Rich Homie flew under the radar. Well now fans are calling for him with an urgency and it’s seem like he’s going to delver.
The wait is over! After a five-year hiatus, Kendrick Lamar has finally delivered the album. Overnight K.Dot dropped his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, and the Compton emcee delivered a double disc complied with a classic Kendrick.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is a 18-track album features, Kodack Black Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Thundercat, Baby Keem, Sampha, Sam Dew, Tanna Leone, Taylour Paige, Blxst, Amanda Reifer and the English singer and songwriter Beth Gibbons.
The production on his album is next level as well. Oklama, Sounwave, J.LBS, Duval Timothy, Beach Noise, Tim Maxey, Jaheen Sweet, Boi-1da, Baby Keem, Tae Beat, Dahi, FNZ, Bekon, Victor Ekpo, Frano, DJ Khalil, Cardo, Mario Luciano, Rascal, the Donuts, Craig Balmoris, Sergiu Gherman, Tyler Mehlenbacher, The Alchemist, and Pharrell all have production credits on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.
Even with the long time off from the rap game, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is still projected to be another successful body of work. If history repeats itself, this will be K.Dot’s fourth consecutive No.1 album. To Pimp a Butterfly, Untitled Unmastered and DAMN all reached No.1 the Billboard 200.
Since 2017, Lamar has appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart 50 times, with eight top 10 entries and two No. 1 hits. He also won seven Grammys and the Pulitzer Prize for music.
Kendrick’s peers respect his confidence and his competitive nature. Before the album even dropped, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers was in high demand from some notable names of the culture. His fellow Compton native Roddy Ricch called Kendrick the “Compton Jesus” for delivering this album.
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is Kendrick’s last album under Top Dawg Entertainment. Check it out below.
(@thewavecheckk) 