Hip Hop News
DJ Akademiks Launches ‘Off The Record’ Video Podcast On Spotify
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Spotify / Spotify DJ Akademiks is back with his brand new podcast. Actually, a “vodcast.” Since the forever-controversial Hip-Hop commentator parted ways with Complex, Joe Budden and Everyday Struggle, most of his drama-infused content was brought to us via Twitch, but on Monday, the Jamaica-born, New York-raised media personality officially launched his new video podcast, Off the Record, which is available exclusively on Spotify. Off the Record will release three video episodes a week. Each episode will feature “two roundtable discussions and one interview featuring an artist or celebrity driving the culture forward,” according to a press release sent to Hip Hop Wired. The podcast will also feature special live episodes on Spotify Gre...
Little Brother Asks Fans Not to Buy or Stream Early Albums Over Unpaid Royalties
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Ray Tamarra / Getty The dynamic group Little Brother is in the midst of a controversy involving their first two albums and their former label ABB Records’ shady moves behind new reissues of both. The MCs are humbly asking fans not to purchase or stream a paif of their first albums. Rapper Big Pooh broke the news of the indie label’s behavior via Twitter on Tuesday (September 21), claiming that they re-issued their second album from 2005, The Minstrel Show, without the group’s permission. He also stated that the group hadn’t been paid appropriately for that album and for their 2003 debut project, The Listening. Pooh closed by asking fans to not buy or stream those album reissues. “I see ABB Records has decided to put up a repress of The Minstrel Show on vi...
Meek Mill Claims Karen Civil Trashed His Name, She Refutes Allegations
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Prince Williams / Getty Things got rougher this past weekend for influencer, publicist, and podcast host Karen Civil after Meek Mill joined the group of artists accusing her of theft with some hefty allegations of his own. Civil was catching major heat after Joyner Lucas put her on blast for supposedly scamming him out of $60,000 in a series of tweets Saturday morning (September 18), alleging that she ghosted him after he requested her help for a marketing campaign. The accusation was similar to one that Cam’ron had made against her in 2017 regarding fellow Diplomats rapper DukeDaGod. Cam even took to Instagram to rehash those allegations. The furor wound up compelling Jessie Woo and Jason Lee to come forward with their own accusations about Civil, with a...
“Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” Star Gets 17 Years For PPP Fraud
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Rapper and star of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Maurice “Mo” Fayne is now about to step into a new reality after being sentenced to federal prison for fraud involving government funds. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced on Wednesday (September 15th) that Fayne was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison for bank fraud by U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen in Atlanta, Georgia, and for operating a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme by stealing $2 million with a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan application. The reality TV star pled guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud charges in May. Fayne was also ordered by the court to pay $4,465,865.55 in restitution to his victims. “Fayne planned to use the PPP program as a cover ...
Afrika Bambaataa Hit With New Allegations of Sex Trafficking Minor In Lawsuit
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: WENN / WENN Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation are mired in controversy once again due to a new lawsuit levied against the Hip-Hop pioneer and the group with some disturbing allegations. According to records in the New York Supreme Court, a lawsuit against Bambaataa was filed on August 4 on behalf of the plaintiff referred to in the documents as John Doe, who is a separate individual from those who first alleged abuse by Bambaataa in 2016. The lawsuit was filed under New York’s Child Victims Act that came into effect in 2019, which allows for adult victims of childhood sexual abuse to sue within a limited window of time regardless of when the offense took place. The victim claims that he was “repeatedly sexually abused and sex trafficked” by Bambaataa w...
The BMW Tupac Was Shot In Is Now Up For Auction—For A Steep Price
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: CelebrityCars.com / CelebrityCars.com For those who want a lasting keepsake of Tupac Shakur, there’s one item that has just hit the market which might be of interest—but only if you’re not squeamish about the circumstances and the cost. On Tuesday (September 7), it was announced that the infamous BMW that Suge Knight was driving and that Tupac was riding in when he was shot four times on that fateful night twenty-five years ago in 1996 is now up for auction. The 1996 BMW 750IL is on display in the showroom at Celebrity Cars Las Vegas, which is a short distance away from the very intersection where the tragic shooting took place. The car was also featured on the reality TV show Pawn Stars in 2018. According to the dealership, while there have been other ow...
Jay-Z’s Made In America 2021 Coming Soon, Here Are 7 Of Our Favorite Moments Of MIA’s Past
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz83 In 2012, Hip-Hop legend and business mogul Jay-Z brought the Made In America music festival to Philadelphia, Pa., and every year since, the colossal musical extravaganza has brought us some of the biggest names across genres and has headlined artists who define the current culture. This month on Sept. 4 and 5 (aka Labor Day Weekend), the festival will be celebrating its 10th year with an exciting lineup of artists like Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Moneybagg Yo, Griselda, Roddy Ricch and, of course, the show’s headliners Justin Bieber and Lil Baby. So, in honor of 2021 being set to cap off a decade of breathtaking performances and cultural celebration, we have compiled 7 of the best Made In America moments that have take...
21 Savage Talks About The Financial Benefits of Owning His Masters
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Prince Williams / Getty Count 21 Savage as one of those music artists who knows the value behind owning their masters and being on top of their game, as he revealed in a recent interview. The “No Heart” Rapper broke down how much he benefits from the situation while appearing on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast hosted by Gillie Da Kid and Wallo. “I had a platinum album before I signed my deal, you see what I’m saying. So…I own my masters. I own my masters right now. Every song you ever heard, I own it,” he stated. “My split, I got a 70/30 split with my label; I get 70, they get 30. I own all my masters.” 21 Savage went to explain that being in this position made him more financially stable than going out on tour. “A lot of rappers, most of their m...
Drake Appears To Confirm ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Release Date During ESPN Ad
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Todd Williamson/NBC / Getty It appears the wait for the latest album from Drake may be over with a finalized release date and thanks to a random drop on ESPN. On Friday (August 27), the morning edition of ESPN’s SportsCenter broadcast was interrupted during a cutaway to commercial. The interruption was a glitchy and mysterious ad, featuring someone covered in darkness holding up a cardboard sign that carried a handwritten message reading: “CLB September 3rd.” Although Drake’s representatives haven’t confirmed press requests regarding this announcement , they did say to an inquiry from Rolling Stone that the video can be taken at “face value”. Drake has stated earlier that Certified Lover Boy was finished and ready while appearing on OVO Sounds’ radio show...
Lil Nas X Trolls Boosie’s Bitter Homophobic Rant on ‘The Breakfast Club’
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: The Breakfast Club / Power 105 At some point, people will learn that Lil Nas X is undefeated at giving his haters the business, especially if you say something homophobic. The latest example of that came after Boosie Badazz’s appearance on The Breakfast Club. In an interview on the popular morning talk show Monday morning (August 23), Boosie doubled down on his previous stance against the LGBTQ+ community and put Lil Nas X on blast as he was defending DaBaby for his controversial and homophobic remarks during his set at RollingLoud Miami. In an Instagram post, he said: “Lil Nas X said he wanna perform naked on stage for charity. You don’t f– with him like you f– with DaBaby. Be even-sided. You don’t feel that’s disrespect? Going dance naked. You don’t thi...
A Contest For Hip-Hop Tracks By Prisoners Launches With Lecrae As A Judge
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Paras Griffin / Getty A unique collaboration between an HBCU, Grammy Award-winning rapper Lecrae and a foundation dedicated to helping those in correctional facilities is now the basis for a contest to give an incarcerated individual a shot at releasing their own Hip-Hop track. The “Original Hip-Hop Track Contest” was announced in a press release this past Monday (August 16th). Contestants in the competition will write original lyrics and come up with a song title to one of three beats specifically crafted for the contest by renowned producer Zaytoven. The entries will be reviewed and judged by a committee of students at the Department of Music at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. After the group selects 25 finalists, Lecrae will then choose the w...
Lil Wayne Opens Up About His Suicide Attempt And Mental Health
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Rich Fury / Getty These days, mental health has gotten more attention in Hip-Hop culture and society overall leading to more rappers being forthright about their struggles. A recent revelation by Lil Wayne about his own journey and suicide attempt at the age of 12 has caught many by surprise and added to the conversation. As a guest on the web series Uncomfortable Conversations with Emmanuel Acho, the five-time Grammy Award winner got candid about his battles with mental health and bravely spoke about the pressures he was under at the time, saying he felt he couldn’t talk to his friends or even confide in his strict mom about what he was going through. After trying to hide his activities afterschool and being found out by a relative, his mother put her fo...
