Hip-Hop
De La Soul’s Catalog Coming to Streaming Services For the First Time
De La Soul’s entire catalog will be available on all streaming platforms and digital retailers for the first time beginning March 3rd, 2023. Due to sample clearance issues and label disputes with Warner Bros. Records and Tommy Boy Records, none of De La Soul’s music before 2004 had ever made it to streaming services. In February 2019, Tommy Boy acquired the group’s master recordings from Warner, but plans to bring their first six albums to streaming services were scrapped when De La Soul pushed back on the move and revealed they would only be receiving 10% of the profits. Subsequent negotiations with Tommy Boy broke down, and no further progress was made until music rights company Reservoir acquired the label for $100 million in June 2021. Advertisement Related Video At the time, a re...
Rapper Gangsta Boo, Former Member of Three 6 Mafia, Dies at 43
Gangsta Boo, a pioneering Southern female rapper and former member of hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, has died, according to Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and other reports. She was 43. Boo, born Lola Mitchell, was reportedly found dead on Sunday (Jan. 1) at approximately 4 p.m. at a home in Memphis, Tennessee. The cause of her death had not been released at press time. Shortly after the news of her passing, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J shared tributes to their former bandmate on Instagram. DJ Paul shared an captionless photo of the late rapper, while Juicy J posted a snapshot of the pair accompanied by a broken heart emoji. “Man we was jus together three weeks ago,” Lil Jon commented in DJ Paul’s post. “Rest well quenn.” The Three 6 Mafia members’ tribute posts also garnered co...
Drake, Missy Elliott, Ty Dolla $ign & More Pay Tribute to Gangsta Boo
The hip-hop community is mourning the death of pioneering Southern female rapper and former Three 6 Mafia member Gangsta Boo, who has died at the age of 43. Drake, Missy Elliott, Ty Dolla $ign and Freddie Gibbs are among the many musicians remembering Boo, who was found dead on Sunday (Jan. 1) at a home in Memphis, Tennessee, according to Fox 13 in Memphis, Commercial Appeal and other reports. The cause of her death had not been released at press time. “Rest in heaven Gangsta Boo,” Drake captioned a throwback photo of the late pioneering rapper in his Instagram Story. Elliott shared a similar sentiment, tweeting, “Rest Peacefully @GangstaBooQOM.” Ty Dolla $ign also took to Twitter to remember the late artist. “Long live my home girl Gangsta Boo Queen of the M,” he wrote...
Gangsta Boo, Pioneering Figure in Southern Rap, Dead at 43
Gangsta Boo has died at the age of 43, according to Fox 13 Memphis. A pioneering figure in the Southern Rap scene and one-time member of Three 6 Mafia, Gangsta Boo was found dead in her hometown of Memphis at around 4:00 p.m. local time on January 1st. Her cause of death was not immediately known as of press time. Gangsta Boo was born Lola Mitchell in Memphis, Tennessee. She began rapping at the age of 14, and within two years she became a member of Memphis horrorcore rap group Three 6 Mafia. During her six-year tenure, Three 6 Mafia crossed into the mainstream with albums like Chapter 2: World Domination and When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1. The latter release — featuring hit singles “Sippin’ on Some Syrup” and “Who Run It” — peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and was certified p...
Hip-Hop Wired Presents: The Best Hip-Hop LPs Of 2022
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: miracsaglam / Getty The end of the year is here and once more, we take on the task of attempting to list out our favorite Hip-Hop albums of 2022. Just as we do with our CRT FRSH playlist, our year-end wrap-up covers the entirety of Hip-Hop as we don’t believe in segmenting the music that represents the culture. The list of Hip-Hop albums listed out below is not ranked. Instead, we put the projects in alphabetical order. As a note to readers, we didn’t hear everything that was released this year but what we liked, we kept in the rotation. To be very clear, any project that had less than 10 songs did not get included. If so, artists like Planet Asia, J Scienide, Backwood Sweetie (please do the knowledge), R.A.P. Ferreira, and a handful of others would very ...
Judge Upholds Cardi B’s Win in Back Tattoo “Misappropriation” Trial
A California judge has upheld Cardi B’s win at a recent trial where jurors found her not liable for using a portion of plaintiff Kevin Brophy’s back tattoo on the cover of her 2016 mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1, Rolling Stone reports. Brophy, a model, sued Cardi for $5 million in 2017, claiming the cover of the mixtape — which depicts a man apparently performing oral sex on the rapper — misappropriated his likeness by using an image of his tattoo, and that he was suffering “distress and humiliation” because of it. Brophy asked the court to toss their October 21st, 2022 verdict, which found Cardi not liable. U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney ruled Wednesday that Brophy’s request to toss that ruling had come too late and lacked merit, and subsequently ordered him to pay Cardi’s legal...
5 Things to Know About Tobe Nwigwe, Best New Artist Nominee at 2023 Grammys
With an already-extensive catalog under his belt since starting out in 2016, rapper and singer Tobe Nwigwe is one of the more established entries in the Best New Artist category at the 2023 Grammy Awards. Also up for the Big Four award are Anitta, Domi & JD Beck, Latto, Omar Apollo, Samara Joy, Muni Long, Tobe Måneskin, Molly Tuttle, and Wet Leg. Hailing from Houston, Nwigwe has released a series of acclaimed projects over the years. 2022 saw the artist drop a live album, numerous singles, and his latest full-length, moMINTs. Nwigwe has also collaborated with artists like Duckwrth, Big K.R.I.T., Black Thought, and Royce Da 5’9″, and counts Erykah Badu, Beyoncé, and Michelle Obama as fans. Here are five things to know about Tobe Nwigwe ahead of Music’s Biggest Night on February 5th, 202...
Theophilus London Reported Missing
The family of Theophilus London has filed a missing persons report with the Los Angeles Police Department, saying the 35-year-old rapper and singer hasn’t been seen since July 2022. “Over the last few weeks, friends and family of Theophilus London have been working together to piece together his whereabouts,” his representatives wrote in a statement, noting that he was last reported in Los Angeles. “On December 27th, family members of Theophilus London traveled to Los Angeles to file a missing persons report with the LAPD. They are now seeking the public’s help with any information as to London’s whereabouts.” Lary Moses London, the artist’s father, wrote, “Theo, your Dad loves you, son. We miss you. And all your friends and relatives are searching for you. Wherever you are send ...
Tory Lanez Found Guilty of Shooting Megan Thee Stallion
Tory Lanez has been found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, the New York Times reports. The jury found him guilty on all three counts: assault with a semiautomatic handgun, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Lanez, who was born in Canada, may face deportation and up to 23 years in prison. During their opening statements, prosecutors alleged Lanez shot Megan in the foot while shouting, “Dance, bitch, dance!” in the midst of an argument after a pool party they attended in the Hollywood Hills during the early morning hours of July 12th, 2020. Lanez was initially charged with one count of assault with a firearm and another gun possession charge in October 2020. Just before the trial began on December ...
Barack Obama Reveals His Favorite Songs of 2022
Barack Obama is getting in on the fun of list season by sharing his favorite songs of 2022. Some one may have taken a peak at our own top songs list (hi, Obama!), as the former president included five of our favorites: SZA’s “Shirt,” Ethel Cain’s “American Teenager,” Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s “Belize” featuring MF DOOM, Plains’ “Problem With It,” and Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange.” Sadly, our favorite song of the year — Paramore’s “This Is Why” — did not make Obama’s list. #JusticeForParamore. Obama’s list also includes songs like Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” Rosalía’s “SAOKO,” Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Bad Bunny’s “Tití Me Preguntó,” Maggie Rogers’ “That’s Where I Am,” Burna Boy’s “Last Last,” NxWorries’ “Where I Go” featuring H.E.R., and Kendrick Lamar’s non-album hype trac...
Megan Thee Stallion’s Boyfriend Pardison Fontaine Shares Message in Support of Women Amid Tory Lanez Trial
As jurors decide whether Tory Lanez shot Megan Thee Stallion in the foot two years ago, Megan’s boyfriend, Pardison Fontaine, is publicly sharing some thoughts on social media. “To any woman especially ones of color that has suffered an injustice I feel for you.. when you do find the courage to speak up.. it seems you will be ridiculed.. your credibility will [be] questioned.. your entire past will be held under a magnifying glass.. in an instant you can go from victim to defendant in the eyes of the public,” Pardi wrote in an Instagram Story Thursday evening (Dec. 22). He continued, “To any one with a daughter sister mother niece or aunt.. I pray for their protection.. I pray for their covering.. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.” Megan and Pardi celebrated their second anniversary in Octob...
Afroman Running for President to Be “Pot Head of State”
The artist behind “Because I Got High” is now seeking a higher office: Afroman has announced that he’s running for president in the 2024 US election. “There comes a time in the course of human events when change must be affected,” his campaign manager Jason Savage wrote on Instagram. “That time is now. Americans are suffering, and the status quo is no longer acceptable.” The 48-year-old Afroman, born Jason Foreman, broke out in 2001 with The Good Times, which included the hit songs “Because I Got High,” and “Crazy Rap,” also known as “Colt 45 and 2 Zig-Zags.” He has now released 18 studio albums, most recently 2022’s Lemon Pound Cake. Advertisement Related Video Alongside the announcement, Afroman outlined eight key platforms of his presidential campaign. These include norma...
