The Generation of Infamous

  • DRAKE PRODUCER NOAH ’40’ SHEBIB DROPS MINI-DOC ‘TORONTO RISING’

    Drake Producer Noah ’40’ Shebib Drops Mini-Doc ‘Toronto Rising’

    OVO’s legendary producer Noah “40” Shebib is now the face of a new mini-documentary titled Toronto Rising, which intimately examines the rise of the Canadian producer.

    The 14-minute doc examines 40’s childhood in Toronto, how he got involved in the Canadian rap scene and how he began his Grammy-award-winning relationship with Drake, creating their renowned record label OVO. The film is directed by Alim Sabir and is available to view on YouTube as of Monday (May 9). The doc will also feature never before seen archival footage of the producer’s come-up.

    “I’ve always considered myself a visitor in Hip Hop,” 40 said in a statement. “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 at least 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 have pointed me in one direction. I’m here to play my part and to leave my impact.”

    The film also heavily focuses on how they put together Drake’s debut mixtape So Far Gone. In a separate interview with Rolling Stone last June, the producer detailed how in the early days of making the project he was often mistaken as Drake’s assistant.

    “Nobody knew who I was or what I did or why I was there,” 40 said. “A lot of people really thought I was Drake’s assistant. I was Drake’s assistant, too. I’m a pretty selfless individual, so for me it was all about the greater goal. The greater goal was to turn Drake into a superstar and make music.

    “If that meant being his assistant that day and helping him and getting him food and cleaning up, I did everything, but gladly. Not because he asked me to, because that’s what I wanted to do. I was proud to do it.”

    Check out the documentary below.

     

  • LAUREN LONDON APPLAUDS KENDRICK LAMAR’S NIPSEY HUSSLE TRIBUTE ON ‘THE HEART PART 5′

    Lauren London Applauds Kendrick Lamar’s Nipsey Hussle Tribute On ‘The Heart Part 5'

    Kendrick Lamar made his comeback on Sunday (May 8) by dropping “The Heart Part 5” with a deepfake music video that morphed him into a number of public figures, including the late Nipsey Hussle. In his third and final verse, K. Dot raps from the perspective of Nipsey.

    “I wake up that morning with more heart to give you,” Kendrick raps. “As I bleed through the speakers, feel my presence/To my brother, to my kids, I’m in Heaven. To my mother, to my sis, I’m in Heaven/To my father, to my wife, I am serious, this is Heaven/To my friends, make sure you countin’ them blessings/To my fans, make sure you make them investments.”

    He continues, “I seen the pain in your pupil when that trigger had squeezed/And though you did me gruesome, I was surely relieved/I completed my mission, wasn’t ready to leave/But fulfilled my days, my Creator was pleased.”

    Nipsey Hussle’s longtime partner Lauren London, later took to her Instagram Stories to co-sign the tribute, describing it as “Powerful Art.”

     

    Following Nipsey Hussle’s passing in 2019, Kendrick Lamar reflected on touring together 10 years prior and how much he learned from him.

    “Casually I would go out to the crowd and listen to the substance he spewed on stage,” he wrote in the program for his memorial service. “Thinking to myself, this is the type of talent I want to be apart of. His charisma and way with words was powerful. But his integrity as a person, made me even more enthused. I watched a young, ambitious black male orchestrate fellowship amongst the men around him on that tour. Determined to execute one thing — and that was Greatness. Greatness in knowledge, greatness in wealth, and greatness in self.

    RELATED EDITORIAL

    EVERY VERSE KENDRICK LAMAR HAS DROPPED SINCE ‘DAMN.’

    APRIL 14, 2022

    “My curiosity about who he really was started to grow from that moment in time. Was he a product of Crenshaw and Slauson? Was he a radical? Or was he a thinker? That mystique kept me engaged throughout his life career. The years progressed, and my admiration grew from up close and from afar. Watching his interviews, his philosophies, and his work amongst the black community.

    “Time surely revealed itself. I realized Nipsey was all of those perspectives. But most importantly, he was a vessel from God.”

    Watch Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” video below, ahead of his new album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers set to drop on Friday (May 13).

     

  • TRAVIS SCOTT TO PERFORM AT 2022 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS – THANKS TO DIDDY ‘DEMAND’

    Travis Scott To Perform At 2022 Billboard Music Awards - Thanks To Diddy 'Demand'

    Travis Scott is set to perform at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards thanks to a special request from Diddy. With Diddy set to host the awards show on Sunday (May 15), he had a requirement the Houston-bred rapper would have to make an appearance at the show, which NBC apparently accepted.

    “I have some great breaking news just in,” Diddy said in an Instagram video posted on Monday (May 9). “For the Billboard Music Awards this Sunday, I made a request. I made a demand. I said, ‘My brother Travis Scott has to perform. Diddy’s hosting the show. I’m executive producing, he has to perform.’ And NBC said, ‘Yes.’ So, it’s going down. Sunday, Travis Scott will be performing.”

    He added, “Yes, let’s go. Now that’s love. Love, love, love. Have a beautiful week y’all. Let’s go. Six more days. Billboard Awards, May 15, yours truly. Now also performing – Travis Scott.”

    Diddy’s son King Combs also wrote in the comments, “Get in ya bag! Stay in ya bag!!”

     

    The performance is set to be Travis Scott’s first televised performance since the deadly Astroworld Festival last November in Houston where 10 people were killed and hundreds were injured in the crowd.

    While the show will be his first televised performance of the year, Scott did make an appearance on stage on Saturday (May 7) with a 45-minute set at Miami club E11EVEN. Quavo also joined him as a special guest to perform “Dubai Shit” from their collaborative album, Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho.

    RELATED NEWS

    TRAVIS SCOTT MAKES POST-ASTROWORLD COMEBACK IN MIAMI WITH QUAVO’S HELP

    MAY 9, 2022

    Diddy previously collaborated with Scott on “Workin” alongside Big Sean for 2015’s MMM mixtape. In August 2020, they also linked up in Malibu, taking a beach photo alongside Nas, Quavo and Swizz Beatz.

    The 2022 Billboard Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Other artists set to perform include Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Burna Boy, Maxwell and Ed Sheeran.

  • J. PRINCE TRASHES WACK 100: ‘A N-GGA THAT WILL KISS A RAT IN THE MOUTH IS CAPABLE OF ANYTHING’

    J. Prince Trashes Wack 100: 'A N-gga That Will Kiss A Rat In The Mouth Is Capable Of Anything'

    Wack 100 has essentially aligned himself with 6ix9ine,1 calling himself his new “manager” and constantly going to bat for the controversial rapper. But Rap-A-Lot Records founder J. Prince isn’t impressed. On Monday (May 9), Prince shared audio of himself explaining his issues with Wack 100 and didn’t hold back. Apparently, he feels the longtime music manager — whose clients include The Game and Blueface — is working against him when it comes to his fight for Larry Hoover’s freedom.

    “It’s no secret that I, along with the Hoover family, lawyers, and friends are fighting hard for Larry Hoover freedom,” he said in part. “Meanwhile, this dude Wack and Karen Chapman, has taken the position to work against the Hoover family by trying to monetize off his name and whole footage that could contribute to his freedom.”

     

    J. Prince then appeared to reference a Clubhouse conversation in which Wack 100 was allegedly lying about not stealing from the Hoover family.

    “If it’s one thing this Wack dude is telling the truth about is that I don’t fuck with him,” Prince continued. “When I was in L.A. talking to this lyin’ ass n-gga, never once did he take the position that he was partners in the theft of the Hoover family’s like he’s doing in that rehearsed conversation with them clowns.

    “Now, what he is not telling the truth about is why. So, listen up, there’s a woman by the name of Karen Chapman that was entrusted by the Hoover family to interview Larry Hoover with the understanding of bringing the interview back to the family.”

    He continued, “She decided to run off with the interview and a fake fraud contract claiming Larry Hoover signed all his rights away for nothing. Larry Hoover is far from being a dummy, so for Wack and Karen to be taking a position on disrespecting the Hoover family by attempting to sell Larry Hoover’s likeness without the family’s permission is a mistake — for whomever [is] considering buying it.”

    Prince ultimately concluded, “A n-gga that will kiss a rat in the mouth, for any amount of money, is capable of anything… Don’t follow this clown.”

    RELATED NEWS

    WACK 100 FIRES BACK AT JAY ELECTRONICA OVER NATION OF ISLAM REBUKE: ‘THE MAN OF NO HITS’

    MAY 6, 2022

    Wack 100 quickly responded to J. Prince’s allegations and fired back in an Instagram post. He included a text exchange in which Prince allegedly tried to negotiate the selling of Chapman’s interview.

    “@jprincerespect YOU CAN ARGUE WITH THAT,” he wrote. “ALL OF SUDDEN YOU DON’T KNOW NOTHING. ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE HAS NEVER BEEN ANY CONVERSATION. ALL OF A SUDDEN NONE OF THIS EVER HAPPENED. MY COAST IS MY COAST MY TEAM IS MY TEAM.” Read it below. 

  • JA RULE GIVES LIL KIM HER FLOWERS FOR INFLUENCING NICKI MINAJ, CARDI B & MEGAN THEE STALLION

    Ja Rule Gives Lil Kim Her Flowers For Influencing Nicki Minaj, Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion

    Ja Rule forged successful partnerships with the likes of Ashanti, Jennifer Lopez and Christina Milian during his early 2000s heyday, but it was another female artist he was mesmerized with during his appearance on The Breakfast Club on Monday (May 9).

    After arguing female rappers don’t get enough love when it comes to conversations about who belongs on Hip Hop’s Mount Rushmore, the Queens, New York native gave Lil Kim her flowers for setting the blueprint that many of today’s biggest stars — including Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion — have followed.

    “Let’s talk about Lil Kim,” Ja said. “When you look at the Cardis and the Nickis and the Megans — every female. And then go listen to the Hard Core album. I understand why she’s so revered like that. That album is crazy. And she’s spitting on that album. She’s going on that album! So I get it when these females are like, ‘Yo, Kim was it for me.’ I get it now.”

     

    Ja Rule’s sentiment echoes that of Mary J. Blige, who in a 2020 interview with Andy Cohen made a similar point about Lil Kim’s pioneering career.

    “My baby girl, my little sister,” she said. “I mean, one of the most incredible female rappers to open the door for so many women. She’s a trailblazer and one of the biggest rappers [and] most respected rappers in the business.”

    Despite her enduring influence, Lil Kim has yet to work with either Nicki Minaj, Cardi B or Megan Thee Stallion. While her interactions with Cardi and Megan have been nothing but respectful, the same can’t be said for her relationship with Nicki.

    The rap queens famously traded diss tracks and subliminal shots during a long-simmering feud that divided fanbases, although things seem to have cooled down in recent years. During her interview with Joe Budden in March, Nicki Minaj saluted Lil Kim’s “influence” and argued she should’ve been given the cover of American Vogue already.

    RELATED NEWS

    LIL KIM WANTS A VERZUZ CELEBRATION WITH OLD FOE NICKI MINAJ

    JUNE 28, 2021

    During his Breakfast Club visit, Ja Rule also revealed he’s trying to get Lil Kim to perform her 1996 debut album Hard Core as part of his cross-country Vibes concert series, which launched in April with Raekwon and Ghostface Killah bringing Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… to life at New York City’s Sony Hall.

    Watch Ja Rule’s full interview below.