Hip-Hop
R.I.P. Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, Longtime Bassist of The Roots Dead at 62
Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, the bass player known for his work in The Roots, has died at the age of 62. His wife, Stephanie, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he died of multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Hubbard was first diagnosed with the disease in 2007 and had been in remission until last month. “It happened quickly,” his wife told the local Action News station. “He didn’t suffer a lot.” Raised in West Philadelphia, Hubbard joined The Roots in 1992, back when they were called The Square Roots. Soon after, they dropped the “Square” from their name and released their first album, 1993’s Organix. Hubbard played on all of the band’s records, including 1995’s Do You Want More?!!!??!, 1999’s Things Fall Apart, and 2004’s The Tipping Point, until his departu...
All Ten Astroworld Victims Died of Compression Asphyxia, Says Medical Examiner
The ten people killed at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival all died as a result of “compression asphyxia,” the Harris County Medical Examiner announced in a report released on Thursday. Compression asphyxia is caused when respiration is prevented by external pressure on the body, limiting oxygen supply to the lungs. Such was the case when the densely packed crowd at Astroworld surged to the stage, causing numerous individuals to become crushed and trampled. Only one of the victims had drugs in their system at the time of their death, which the medical examiner listed as a “contributing factor.” Advertisement Related Video The ten victims ranged in age from nine to 27 years old. Last week, Scott sat down for his first interview since the incident. Speaking to Charlamagne Tha God, the rappe...
Freddie Gibbs Announces 2022 “Space Rabbit Tour”
If you can’t go to outer space, let Big Boss Rabbit bring outer space to you. Freddie Gibbs has announced the 2022 “Space Rabbit Tour,” which finds the Indiana MC hopping across North America. The 22-date tour launches in San Francisco on April 14th before trekking through the southwest and across the Rocky Mountains. By mid-May, Gibbs will take on New York and the northeast, and as the month ends he’ll return to his old stomping grounds in the midwest. “Space Rabbit” lands in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver in June. Throughout, Gibbs will be supported by various lineups featuring MIKE, Zack Fox, and Redveil. Tickets go on sale Friday, December 17th, with presale beginning on Thursday, December 16th (use code BELLS). You can book your seat here. Advertisement Related Video Gibbs is p...
Logic’s Anti-Suicide Anthem “1-800-273-8255” Saved Hundreds of Lives: Study
Its “I don’t wanna be alive” refrain may have become a jokey TikTok trend, but Logic’s anti-suicide anthem “1-800-273-8255” really did save lives. A new study from the BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical trade journal from the British Medical Association, ties performances of the song to a decrease in suicide rates among teenagers. In the days after Logic performed the song — which takes its name from the number of the US National Suicide Prevention Hotline — at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2017, the organization said calls to the lifeline increased by 50%. In addition to this, the BMJ studied suicide rates around this time frame, as well as around the song’s April 2017 release, and around a 2018 performance of the song at the Grammy Awards. In doing so, they found a 5.5% reduction in sui...
Tory Lanez Shouted, “Dance Bitch!” Before Shooting Megan Thee Stallion in Foot
According to testimony at a preliminary hearing for Tory Lanez’s assault trial, the controversial artist shouted, “Dance, bitch, dance!” before shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot. Via TMZ, the revelation came from LAPD Detective Ryan Stogner, who was relaying Meg’s version of events. According to Det. Stogner’s testimony, at approximately 4:30 a.m. on July 12th, 2020, Lanez was standing on the step board of an SUV while Meg stood outside of it. The two had been fighting, and Lanez was intoxicated when he yelled at her to “Dance!” As shots rang out, Meg “immediately felt pain to her feet, observed blood, fell to the ground, and then crawled to an adjacent driveway of a residence.” Det. Stogner’s testimony confirmed public knowledge of the event, including that Mega...
Lil Uzi Vert: “My Insurance Tried to Cut Me Off” over Diamond Forehead Piercing
To Lil Uzi Vert’s apparent surprise, having a $24 million diamond implanted in your forehead comes with some drawbacks. In an appearance on the Scuffed podcast, the rapper said that after he got the gaudy piercing, “My insurance tried to cut me off.” Speaking to a roundtable of Twitch streamers, the rapper motioned to his currently sparkle-free forehead, saying, “This is actually the back post of it.” He had once again removed the stone, explaining that, “It was pretty heavy, it was like ripping my forehead, so I had to let it re-heal.” Whether or not he decides to implant it once again, the process has already been draining. “I had to really get all my shit together,” he said. “My insurance tried to cut me off, they were like, ‘This kid’s trying to kill himself.’ ...
Kid Cudi Teases a Second New Album, Debuts Song ‘Freshie’ in Rolling Loud California Set
Kid Cudi had a few surprises up his sleeve for his set at Rolling Loud California on Friday (Dec. 10). During his headlining performance, the rapper revealed to the crowd that, ahead of the planned release of the forthcoming soundtrack to Netflix’s Entergalactic, he’s actually been hard at work on another project. “I have Entergalactic coming in the summer, and I wanna drop another album before that,” Cudi said. “I got some tasty surprises and I’m really excited about all this new s–t, this new music, to give to you guys. That’s why I’m teasing this s–t now because it’s coming out soon.” From there, the artist jumped into a brand-new song titled “Freshie,” which he described as “a lot of bars, a lot of rap.” Explore Explore Kid Cudi See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos...
Kanye West Makes Surprise Appearance During Future’s Set at Rolling Loud: Watch
Say what you will about Kanye West, but the man is full of surprises. During Future’s headlining set at Rolling Loud California on Sunday (December 12th), the Atlanta rapper welcomed Ye to the stage for a surprise five-song set. Kanye began his portion of the show with “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” a hit way back from his Graduation days. Next, he performed the Donda cuts “Hurricane” and “Praise God.” After running through the Life of Pablo highlight “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1,” Kanye then assisted Future with a freestyle verse on “Fuck Up Some Commas.” This is the second time Kanye has teamed up with a pal in just the past week. After a five-year hiatus from headlining performances, he reunited with his longtime frenemy Drake for a 34-song performance at the Los Angeles Coliseum...
Coldplay, Lil Nas X Drop Off UK Jingle Ball Show After Positive COVID Tests in Camps
Both Lil Nas X and Coldplay were forced to drop off the line-up of the UK’s annual Jingle Ball all-star concert after unspecified members of their teams tested positive for COVID-19. “Sadly we have to announce that Coldplay and Lil Nas X have had to pull out of performing at this weekend’s Jingle Bell Ball with Barlaycard,” read a statement from host Capital FM released on Saturday (Dec. 11). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Both acts have had members of their teams test positive for COVID-19 and therefore are not able to perform. We’d like to wish the very best and a speedy recovery to Coldplay, Lil Nas X and their teams. Of course, everyone at Capital is absolutely gutted, but the show must go on…” Their slots were filled by newly added acts ...
Travis Scott Offered to Play Coachella for Free Before Being Dropped by Festival: Report
Travis Scott will no longer headline next year’s Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival. Coachella’s producer, Goldenvoice, has reportedly chosen to cut ties with the embattled rapper in the wake of the tragic events at his own Astroworld festival in November, which saw ten people crushed to death and hundreds more injured when the crowd rushed the stage during Scott’s performance, causing a deadly human stampede. Despite the tragedy, Scott was still intent on playing Coachella next April. However, according to Variety, Goldenvoice recently informed the rapper’s booking agent, Cara Lewis, that he was being dropped from the bill. In a bid to hold on to the headlining slot, Scott reportedly went as far as to offer to perform at the festival for free, but Goldenvoice ultimately declined the...
Megan Thee Stallion Graduates from College
Call her Megan Thee Graduate. On Saturday, Megan Thee Stallion attended her college graduation ceremony, earning her bachelor’s degree in health administration from Texas Southern University. “Good morning hotties !!! It’s graduation dayyyy,” the “Thot Shit” rapper tweeted the morning of her big day, even getting a custom emoji on the social platform featuring her animated face wearing a graduation cap and tassle with her tongue sticking out. Later in the day, she shared the streaming link to her ceremony with her more than 34 million followers across Twitter and Instagram, as well as a number of photos from the milestone moment. Advertisement Related Video “Meg Thee Graduate…I know my parents are looking down on me so proud. Thank you everyone for all the love today,” Megan wrote on Insta...
Travis Scott’s Cacti Hard Seltzer Discontinued
Travis Scott’s Cacti hard seltzer has been discontinued by manufacturer Anheuser-Busch after less than a year on the market, Billboard reports. The seltzer hit stores in March. Cacti’s end comes after Scott gave his first interview since the Astroworld tragedy killed 10 people and injured hundreds of others. Speaking with Charlamagne tha God, the rapper said he wasn’t aware of the chaos that ensued while he was performing, and that he does not feel responsible for the tragedy. A spokesman for Scott told Pitchfork that the decision to cease production on Cacti was mutual, and that the deal was already set to expire on November 30th. “Travis was clear in his interview that he is not focused on business right now and his priority is helping his community and fans heal,” the representative sai...
