New Music: Wale – ‘Miracle on U Street’

By Nemmy Kim.

Fresh off his Festivus announcement, Wale pays homage to his hometown on “Miracle on U Street.” His MMG boss Rick Ross kicks things off before the D.C. spitter flows over the go-go track, which will not appear on his mixtape.
Festivus, the prequel to The Album About Nothing, drops December 23.

NEWS: Bobby Shmurda Pleads Not Guilty to Gun, Drug Charges

By Nemmy Kim.

The “Hot Boy” is in hot water. Bobby Shmurda pled not guilty to charges that he was a member of a gun-toting street gang responsible for drug trafficking and several shootings.

According to the AP, the 20-year-old rapper, born Ackquille Pollard, was arraigned and held on $2 million bail in Manhattan on Thursday.
Police arrested Shmurda on conspiracy, reckless endangerment, and gun possession on Wednesday after he left a recording studio near Radio City Music Hall. Two handguns and a small amount of crack cocaine were found in the vehicle he was riding in.
He is among 15 defendants, who were charged with crimes including murder, attempted murder, assault, and drug dealing that left one man dead, injured a bystander, and caused chaos outside a Miami nightclub.
According to the indictment, members of the gang used code words, referring to shootings as “sun tans,” firearms as “tone,” “socks,” or “CDs,” and narcotics as “crills.”
Shmurda, who scored a top 10 hit with “Hot Ni**a,” has been arrested twice before for gun and drug possession. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 8 to 25 years in prison. 
Wiz tweet.. ✔ @wizkhalifa   Follow

Don't judge Bobby. He has enough people to do that. Instead pray and send positive energy for him and his situation.

2:22 PM - 18 Dec 2014

NEWS: Azealia Banks Defends Black Culture, Slams Iggy Azalea and T.I.

By Nemmy Kim.

Azealia Banks has been very vocal on social media, but she has shied away from the media. The “212″ rapper had a lot to get off her chest when she finally sat down with Hot 97′s Ebro and Peter Rosenberg for an in-depth and emotional interview this week.

While she’s made headlines for her Twitter beefs with T.I. and Lil’ Kim, she feels misunderstood. “Everyone’s got it all wrong,” said the 23-year-old, who released her debut Broke With Expensive Taste last month. “I definitely have some really strong opinions and some really strong things to say about things, but I’m never trying to force my opinion.”
She called out white rappers for appropriating black culture, and being rewarded for it. “That Macklemore album wasn’t better than the Drake record,” she said. “That Iggy Azalea shit is not better than any fu**in’ black girl that’s rapping today.”
Iggy was nominated for four awards including Best Rap Album at the 57th Annual Grammys. “The Grammys are supposed to be awards for artistic excellence… Iggy Azalea’s not excellent,” she said. “I have a problem when you’re trying to say that it’s hip-hop and you’re trying to put it up against black culture.”

NEWS: Wale Announces ‘Festivus’ Mixtape

By Nemmy Kim.

Move over Christmas. It’s all about Festivus. Before he drops his new album next year, Wale will release his mixtape Festivus.

Inspired by the secular holiday, which was parodied on “Seinfeld,” the project will be released on December 23. It was produced in collaboration with A-Trak.
He made the surprise announcement in a video trailer. In the minute-long clip, the D.C. rapper flips through the channels as he watches J. Cole and Nicki Minaj on TV.
“I need these ni**as to see my influence before I give them that blueprint,” he says.
He eventually lands on the famous 1997 “Festivus” episode of “Seinfeld” before A-Trak walks in and says, “Yo, I got something for you,” and the “Seinfeld” theme song kicks in.
Wale is also readying The Album About Nothing for release in 2015.

Album Cover: Tyga – ‘The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty’

By Nemmy Kim.

All gold everything. A day after dropping his Fan of a Fan single with Chris Brown, Tyga has unveiled the artwork for his fourth LP The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty.
The cover, which is made of real gold, shows an Egyptian falcon with his wings spread. The design is the work of Kanye West and his creative team DONDA, who are also responsible for Nicki Minaj’s Pinkprint cover.
Kanye serves as executive producer of The Gold Album. “He hears certain melodies that I wouldn’t hear or even think about adding,” Tyga told Nylon Guys. “He taught me that 808 drums and bass aren’t enough. You have to have that warmth.”
The follow-up to 2013′s Hotel California is due early next year via Tyga’s independent label Last Kings. It has spawned the singles “Make It Work” and the Kanye-produced “40 Mill.”

NEWS: Nicki Minaj Is Flawless in Roberto Cavalli Campaign

By Nemmy Kim.

Va va voom. Not only is she dazzling critics and fans alike with her new album The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj is also turning heads as the face of Roberto Cavalli’s Spring/Summer 2015 advertising campaign.
The “Bed of Lies” rapper rocks vibrant floral and animal prints in hues of orange, blue, yellow, and green in the gorgeous photos, shot by Francesco Carrozzini.
“I chose Nicki Minaj because she embodies the exuberant and modern femininity of the Cavalli woman,” said Cavalli. “In recent years we have become accustomed to women castigated in clothes that hide their body shapes. With this campaign, I wanted to send a strong countertrend message. I wanted a sensual woman who is aware of her body, who is not afraid to show her curves, rather she make them as a strength.”
Nicki added, “I am so honored to be the face of the new #RobertoCavalliSS15 campaign.”

New Music: Maroon 5 f/ Big Boi – ‘Animals (Remix)’

By Nemmy Kim.

Following J. Cole’s remix in September, Maroon 5 taps Big Boi for another remix to “Animals,” the second single off their album V. The OutKast rapper, who played over 40 festivals with André 3000 this year, comes alive on his cold-blooded verse, rapping about Stevie Wonder (“You will never see this”) and his leading lady (“A house is not a home when she’s gone”).