Apr 17

J. Cole Risks Mass Hysteria With Free NYC Show

From 2014 Forest Hills Drive to 2016’s 4 Your Eyez Only, J. Cole has been known to be rather cryptic about his musical rollouts. (Not to mention seemingly favoring the number “4.”)

So when the Dreamville head honcho changed his Instagram and Twitter avatars to a lavender-ish purple backdrop, it raised eyebrows among millions of online fans who thought he was set to drop a new project.

As it turns out, Cole is occupying New York City’s famed Gramercy Theatre, located at 127 East 23rd Street in Manhattan.

Like the announcement says, no phones, cameras or bags will be allowed, nor is there a guest or press list.

Cole’s last release, the aforementioned 4 Your Eyez Only, was released at the tail end of December 2016 and certified platinum shortly after.

If new music is to be premiered at this upcoming show, it should be an interesting dynamic now that Drake has officially announced he’s releasing new music.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46515/title.j-cole-risks-mass-hysteria-with-free-nyc-show

Apr 17

T.I. Suggests Starbucks Boycott After Racist Incident

T.I. thinks coffee lovers should avoid Starbucks following the arrest of two black men who were reportedly waiting for a friend at a Philadelphia-area location of the mega-chain last Thursday (April 12). After a store manager called the police, the men were taken in under suspicion of trespassing but later released when Starbucks refused to press charges.

“We should reserve our right to stop spending money at places that don’t respect us equally,” T.I. told TMZ when asked his thoughts on the situation. “Until they have made some progressive steps to let us know how they plan on rectifying the situation, I don’t see no other answer.”

He continued, “If there’s one thing that America has shown us, there’s only two ways that you can get their attention: the loss of life and the loss of finance.”

While T.I. notes he has nothing against the company — or any of their respective shareholders — he states the greater good should be the priority.

“Just an apology ain’t gon get it,” he said. “There needs to be real action taken.”

Starbucks issued an apology on April 14. In a video on the company’s website, CEO Kevin Johnson said, “[This is] not who we are … and it’s not who we’re going to be.”

Johnson added, “These two gentlemen did not deserve what happened, and we are accountable … I am accountable. This is a management issue, and I am accountable to ensure we address the policy and the practice and the training that led to this outcome.”

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46516/title.t-i-suggests-starbucks-boycott-after-racist-incident

Apr 17

J. Cole’s "KOD" Album Is Dropping This Week

New York City, NY – J. Cole fans were right to be excited. After performing a surprise concert on Monday (April 16), the Dreamville founder upped the ante by announcing he’s dropping a new album titled KOD on Friday (April 20).

“New album. KOD 4/20,” he tweeted.

Rap Radar’s Brian “B.Dot” Miller, who was at the show, reports the album was recorded in just two weeks. The title, KOD, has three different meanings: Kidz On Drugz, King Overdose and Kill Our Demonz.

No phones were allowed at the concert but that didn’t stop snippets of the album from leaking. Listen to a brief clip below.

Here’s a snippet from the new album #jcole #kod #newalbum

A post shared by @ acxd.rap on Apr 16, 2018 at 6:38pm PDT

This will be Cole’s first full project since 2016’s 4 Your Eyez Only, although he’s kept busy working with artists on Dreamville and directing a recent Royce Da 5’9 video.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46520/title.j-coles-kod-album-is-dropping-this-week

Apr 17

Kendrick Lamar Makes History With Pulitzer Prize For "DAMN."

Kendrick Lamar has become the first Hip Hop artist to ever receive the Pulitzer Prize in Music. K. Dot earned the highly-sought after accolade for his Grammy Award-winning album, DAMN. 

The Pulitzer Prize in Music is typically awarded to classical artists and jazz musicians. The significance of Lamar’s critically-acclaimed album granted his work to be among the likes of MacArthur Fellow Julia Wolfe and last year’s winner, Chinese composer Du Yun.

Pulitzer describes DAMN. as a “virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.” In HipHopDX’s original review of the album, we noted that “In all, DAMN. makes baseless any claims that Kendrick Lamar isn’t an all-time great.”

The LP was awarded a 4.9 out of 5 rating.

DAMN. was released in April 2017 and closed out the year as the #1 album of the year on the Billboard charts. It was also named as DX’s Rap Album of the Year and helped Lamar secure Rapper of the Year in our 2017 Year-End Awards.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46517/title.kendrick-lamar-makes-history-with-pulitzer-prize-for-damn

Apr 17

Vince Staples Calls R. Kelly "A Piece Of Fucking Shit"

Indio, CA – During a conversation with Everyday Struggle’s Nadeska Alexis, Vince Staples didn’t mince words after bringing up R. Kelly’s sordid history. Staples ranted about Kelly when talking about how gangster rappers are the only black entertainers who get incarcerated.

“R. Kelly never went to jail and he’s a fucking child molester,” he said. “He’s a child molester. But I’m just saying, he’s a child molester, and he pees on people, and he can’t read and write, and he didn’t go to jail. I’m a good person. R. Kelly’s a piece of fucking shit. So, piece of fucking shit R. Kelly didn’t go to jail for being a child molester and peeing on people and having a human trafficking ring in Atlanta, then I’ll be all right.”

Alexis tried her best to get Staples off the topic, but he wouldn’t relent. When she referenced possibly getting fired over the discussion, the unapologetic MC took aim at Coachella.

“They shoulda booked R. Kelly if they like R. Kelly so much,” Staples retorted. “He would’ve pissed on somebody in the crowd because he pees on children.”

Kelly was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography in 2002 but was eventually found not guilty at trial in 2008. Last year, the controversial singer was accused of running a “sex cult” and holding women against their will.

More recently, he’s faced allegations of grooming a 14-year-old girl as a “sex pet” and been accused of sexually assaulting a Dallas woman, who says she was being groomed for his cult. The woman also claimed Kelly “knowingly and intentionally infected her with a sexually transmitted disease without her knowledge.”

Check out Staples’ entire interview for his thoughts on his infamous GoFundMe campaign and claims of Def Jam dropping Lil Durk, which contradicts Durk’s story about leaving the label on his own.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46518/title.vince-staples-calls-r-kelly-a-piece-of-fucking-shit