The Generation of Infamous

Mac Miller passed away from an accidental drug overdose in September 2018, putting an abrupt and cruel end to his ever-evolving career. As the Miller family continues to grieve, the late artist’s brother Miller McCormick is speaking out about Machine Gun Kelly’s upcoming film, Good News, the same name as Miller’s first posthumous single.

Directed and written by Tim Sutton, the movie reportedly stars MGK as a struggling musician based on the lives of deceased rappers Pop Smoke, Lil Peep, Mac Miller and Juice WRLD, among others.

On Wednesday (June 30), McCormick lashed out at MGK and the creators of the film in one of his Instagram Stories, imploring them to at least change the title: “Fuck you, fuck your movie, at least change the title.”

 

According to Deadline, production on Good News kicks off on July 8 in Los Angeles. Jib Polhemus will produce alongside Rivulet Media’s film division President, Rob Paris and COO Mike Witherill.

“Colson Baker [Machine Gun Kelly] is that rare talent who is ascending at an incredible pace both in film and music,” Paris said of MGK. “He is exactly the kind of artist that Rivulet Media is looking to partner with and we couldn’t be more excited to support him on both fronts, especially with Tim Sutton’s powerful screenplay and vision, which are custom tailored to Colson’s formidable skills.”

MGK’s acting résumé just continues to grow. In 2019, he played Tommy Lee in Netflix’s The Dirt and had roles in two of Netflix’s newly released list of the Top 10 most watched films ever — Project Power with Jamie Foxx, CHIKA and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bird Box with Sandra Bullock.

Future projects include The Last Son starring opposite Sam Worthington and the lead role in Andrew Baird’s action thriller One Way with Kevin Bacon.

As far as music, Machine Gun Kelly dropped Tickets to My Downfall in 2020, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and earned multiple awards from MTV VMAs, the 2021 Billboard Music Awards and iHeart Radio Music Awards.

If Mac Miller’s brother has anything to do with it, Sutton will rename the project out of respect for the Miller family.

Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie’s relationship stretches back the 1980s when the Long Live The Kane legend was still getting his footing as an MC. As members of the Juice Crew, they rose to rap infamy together and evolved into Hip Hop icons along the way. On Wednesday (June 30), Biz became a trending Twitter topic after REVOLT falsely reported on his death.

HipHopDX quickly debunked the rumor after speaking to a source close to the situation, but the #RIP hashtag continued to fly. On Thursday (July 1), Big Daddy Kane decided to do some damage control of his own on Instagram and slammed those who erroneously jumped on the bandwagon, including Wikipedia.

“For those concerned, Biz Markie is still alive,” he begins. “Please keep my brother in your prayers. Yes, he has some serious health issues, but he’s still alive. And his wife would like y’all to respect his privacy. And remember, it’s better for you to get the news correct than get the news first. Check your facts, people. And Wikipedia, do better. Keep my brother Biz in your prayers.”

The comment section erupted with responses from former Beastie Boys’ DJ Hurricane, D-Nice, Hi-Tek, J.J. Fad, Snoop Dogg and more, who were all applauding Kane for the wise words.

 

The unsubstantiated rumor picked up steam on Twitter following the REVOLT story. A source close to Biz Markie told DX he was still alive as of a few hours ago but isn’t doing well. Sadly for Biz, his fans and family, his passing could be “eminent.” Following the chaos, Biz’s family issued a statement, further debunking the vicious rumor.

“The news of Biz Markie’s passing is not true,” the statement read. “Biz is still under medical care, surrounded by professionals who are working hard to provide the best health care possible. Biz’s wife and family are touched by the outpouring of love and admiration from his friends, peers and fans alike. At this time, we ask for your continued thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Biz was originally admitted into a Maryland-area hospital last year. After six months of radio silence, his friends began to worry something nefarious was going on behind the scenes; some even thought he could’ve quietly passed away. But after some digging, DX discovered he was still in a rehab facility for complications stemming from Type II diabetes.  Evidently, Biz suffered a stroke while in the hospital recovering from a diabetic episode.

“He’s not doing great, but it’s not as scandalous as it felt in the beginning,” a source close to Biz told DX at the time. “Short story is Biz is diabetic, he had slipped into a diabetic coma, but that has happened to him in the past and it would only last a little while. He would go to the hospital, get discharged and get his meds under control. This particular time, he had a stroke while he was in the middle of the coma.”

As Big Daddy Kane noted, prayers and positive energy are needed more than ever for the “Just A Friend” legend. HipHopDX sends our support to all those who love Biz.

The unexpected prison release of embattled comedian Bill Cosby earlier this week has stirred up some intense emotions. The 83-year-old, who was convicted in 2018 of drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand over 17 years ago, was released on Wednesday (June 30) after Pennsylvania’s highest court found an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case.

While Boosie Badazz celebrated Cosby’s newfound freedom and Timbaland made a poorly-received Instagram joke, Kid Cudi deemed anyone supporting the new development is lacking in intelligence.

Shortly after the news broke, Cudi tweeted, “People that are celebrating Bill Cosby being released are fuckin idiots.”

 

Timbaland wasn’t the only celebrity feeling the heat on social media. Comedian Lil Duval also appeared excited about Cosby’s return, tweeting, “Bill Cosby about to be free!” City boy win summer 2021!” While many of Duval’s fans laughed at the longstanding “City Boy” joke, J.I.D slammed Duval in a since-deleted tweet.

“I ain’t surprised u this lame [side eye angry face],” he wrote.

 

Bill Cosby had previously vowed to serve all 10 years rather than acknowledge any remorse over the alleged interaction with Constand. Cosby was charged in late 2015 when a prosecutor armed with newly unsealed evidence arrested him just days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired.

2021 marked the first year Cosby was eligible for parole under the three- to 10-year sentence handed down after his 2018 conviction. Cosby spokesperson Andrew Wyatt called the parole board decision “appalling.”

Prosecutors said Cosby repeatedly used his fame and “family man” persona to manipulate young women, holding himself out as a mentor before taking advantage of him.