Feb 27

Vic Mensa Bashes Idea Of Arming Teachers

Chicago MC Vic Mensa recently offered some thoughts on the gun debate, specifically addressing the idea of arming teachers that Donald Trump has been suggesting publicly since a mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school killed 17 people earlier this month.

Mensa was clear in his opposition to the idea, explaining that it’s in no way a logical solution to the gun problem facing the United States. Mensa added that the debate over whether or not to arm teachers is a distraction created to further line the pockets of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

“Giving guns to teachers, it’s absolutely asinine,” Vic Mensa said while speaking with TMZ. “It’s so backwards. Anybody saying that has clearly never been to a public school. And it’s all just a diversion from big money lobbyists with the NRA. It’s not a real logical solution. It’s not even an idea. It’s just a distraction, so that people can keep making money off of these kids getting killed.”

Later in his commentary, Mensa shared his belief that AR-15s should absoluted be banned.

“It’s the people they’re voting for that are making money off of them getting killed,” he said. “It’s a shame. Point blank you gotta ban AR-15s. You don’t need an AR-15 to kill a deer … It’s being made a much more complicated issue than it really is. It’s not complicated. America is built off of blood and greed. And that’s they way it’s always been. Does that mean that’s the way it always has to be? No.”

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46079/title.vic-mensa-bashes-idea-of-arming-teachers

Feb 27

YoungBoy Never Broke Again Reportedly Being Held Without Bail

Waycross, GA – Following YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s arrest in Tallahassee, Florida, the Baton Rouge-based rapper has been extradited to Georgia’s Ware County Jail, according to county records. TMZ reports the judge handling the case is holding him without bail.

YoungBoy was arrested on a fugitive warrant on Saturday (February 24) and is facing charges of assault, weapons violations and kidnapping after allegedly beating his girlfriend, Jania Jackson.

Video of the incident surfaced online and shows the two entangled in an altercation at a hotel. YoungBoy can been seen throwing Jackson to the ground outside of their room before he picks her up and drags her through the hall.

Jackson went live on social media after the footage emerged to say that the two of them were just “playing.”

Last year, YoungBoy was arrested on two charges of attempted murder but wound up pleading guilty to one count of aggravated assault with a firearm. The 19-year-old was released from prison last May.

YoungBoy’s debut album, Until Death Called My Name, is expected to arrive on Friday (March 2).

(The original version of this article was published on February 25, 2018 and can be found below.) 

YoungBoy Never Broke Again aka NBA YoungBoy found himself on the wrong side of the law once again. The up-and-coming Baton Rouge rapper was arrested for an outstanding felony warrant on Saturday (February 24) in Tallahassee, Florida.

YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, was in Tallahassee to perform at The Moon nightclub. Police pulled over his tour bus for an unknown reason and realized he was a fugitive after running his name through their records, according to TMZ.

Money taking over yo soul ?‍♂️? #3838

A post shared by 38BABY | DON DADA (@nba_youngboy) on Feb 23, 2018 at 2:07pm PST

According to Leon County Sheriff’s Department inmate database, YoungBoy’s warrant comes from pending charges in Georgia. He’s reportedly facing charges of assault, weapons violations and kidnapping. He is due in court on Monday (February 26).

YoungBoy’s latest arrest comes at an inopportune time in his career. He’s been preparing for the release of his debut album, Until Death Call My Name, which is scheduled to drop on Friday (March 2) via Atlantic Records.

UPDATE: Surveillance video of an alleged altercation between YoungBoy and his girlfriend at hotel in Georgia has emerged online. The footage reportedly was the source for the arrest warrant. In an Instagram Live stream, his girlfriend Jania confirmed she’s the woman in the video but contends the two were “playing.”

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46064/title.youngboy-never-broke-again-arrested-for-outstanding-warrant

Feb 27

DJ Khaled Teases Album Announcement & New Single

DJ Khaled is preparing to drop a major key this week. The Snapchat superstar alerted his social media followers to a special “Fan Luv Friday” happening on March 2 when he’ll drop a new single and announce his next album.

“#BEREADYALERT,” Khaled wrote “FAN LUV FRIDAY ! NEW SINGLE ALERT Feat ??? ALSO I WILL LET THE WORLD KNOW MY 11 studio ALBUM TITLE ! @wethebestmusic @rocnation @epicrecords GOD IS THE GREATEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

?#BEREADYALERT? FAN LUV FRIDAY ! NEW SINGLE ALERT ? Feat ??? ALSO I WILL LET THE WORLD KNOW MY 11 studio ALBUM TITLE ! @wethebestmusic @rocnation @epicrecords ????? GOD IS THE GREATEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A post shared by DJ KHALED (@djkhaled) on Feb 26, 2018 at 10:08am PST

Khaled’s upcoming album will be the follow-up to his wildly successful Grateful LP, which has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The project was highlighted by two smash hit singles, the star-studded “I’m The One” and the Rihanna-assisted “Wild Thoughts.”

Grateful featured Khaled’s son, Asahd, on its cover art and listed him as one of its executive producers. Asahd, who just landed a deal with the Jordan brand, is also involved in the rollout for his father’s next album — just check out his own announcement on Instagram.

???

A post shared by Asahd Tuck Khaled (@asahdkhaled) on Feb 26, 2018 at 2:01pm PST

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46075/title.dj-khaled-teases-album-announcement-new-single

Feb 27

Changing His Story: 50 Cent Claims He Never Made Millions In Bitcoin

50 Cent is denying recent media claims of him having a fortune in Bitcoin, according to new bankruptcy documents obtained by The Blast. In the midst of the cryptocurrency boom, it was reported that 50 made $8 million by accepting Bitcoin as payment for his 2014 Animal Ambition album.

When the story initially broke, the G-Unit leader bragged about the news on social media. One since-deleted post said, “I know I make you sick but excuse me I’m getting to the bag #denofthieves,” while another stated, “Not bad for a kid from South Side, I’m so proud of me.”

Now, 50 is facing accusations of failing to reveal his cryptocurrency assets in bankruptcy court. In response, 50 claims he “never owned, and does not own, a bitcoin account or any bitcoins, and to the best of his knowledge, none of his companies had a bitcoin account from 2014 to the present” in a statement to the court.

When questioned why he previously allowed the fake story to run, he explains, “So long as a press story is not irreparably damaging to my image or brand, I usually do not feel the need to publicly deny the reporting.”

50 has been in a long legal battle since filing for bankruptcy in 2015.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46076/title.changing-his-story-50-cent-claims-he-never-made-millions-in-bitcoin

Feb 27

Hip Hop Album Sales: “Black Panther The Album” Continues To Dominate Chart

The cultural phenomenon that is Marvel’s Black Panther has left its mark on the Billboard charts. While the hit film is setting all types of box office records, its soundtrack has locked down the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 for the second week in a row.

Elsewhere, Nipsey Hussle proved the long wait for his debut album was worth it by cracking the Top 5 with Victory Lap. Also, Migos’ Culture II jumped from #4 to #2, and Moneybagg Yo entered the Top 20 after spending last week outside the Top 30.

Black Panther’s Success Extends Beyond The Box Office

Grabbed you guys some #BlackPanther swag (kimoyo beads, figures, t-shirts, signed posters, and more) to help say thanks for all the support. Post YOUR salute photo or video to Instagram with the hashtag #WakandaSalute for a chance to win. ??‍♀️??‍♂️ #WakandaForever

A post shared by Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) on Feb 23, 2018 at 8:55am PST

The Kendrick Lamar-curated Black Panther: The Album remained atop the Billboard 200 chart following its debut at #1 last week. The project’s ability to hold down the top spot should come as no surprise considering how popular the Black Panther movie has been since it premiered earlier this month.

The soundtrack also boasts a star-studded list of contributors — K. Dot, Future, 2 Chainz, SZA, Travis Scott and The Weeknd, just to name a few — that can entice listeners who haven’t rushed to theaters to see the film.

Read DX’s review of Black Panther: The Album here.

Nipsey Hussle Scores Top 5 Debut

#VictoryLap Available now!! ?

A post shared by Nipsey Hussle (@nipseyhussle) on Feb 25, 2018 at 12:59am PST

Years of grinding on the mixtape circuit have paid off for Nipsey Hussle. The West Coast MC’s debut album, Victory Lap, debuted at #4 this week’s thanks to a tremendous amount of pure album sales. Over 30,000 of his 52,000-plus total album equivalent units came in pure album sales.

Nipsey’s fans have always shown him gratitude with their wallets dating back to his Proud 2 Pay campaign. Even on a bigger scale, his supporters showed up to help him secure a Top 5 debut.

Read DX’s review of Victory Lap here.

Moneybagg Yo Vaults Up The Chart

Next Time U Bring Me Up Just Make Sure U State #BiggFactz ?

A post shared by BreadGangBagg (@moneybaggyo) on Feb 25, 2018 at 2:12pm PST

Outside of the limelight, Moneybagg Yo has quietly developed into an impact player on the Billboard charts. The Yo Gotti protégé’s 2 Heartless project experienced a significant increase in sales, jumping from #31 to #16 on the chart.

Yo’s latest release moved 21,736 units, a 53% increase from the previous week. If the trend continues, he won’t be making moves so quietly anymore.

Listen to 2 Heartless here.

Top 10 Billboard 200 Rap RB Albums For The Week Ending 02/22/2018

Note: The first number below is this week’s “total album equivalent units” count, an intersection of album sales, single sales, and streams implemented by Billboard’s new rating system. A pure album sales figure is available in bold in parenthesis and information about each album’s streaming count is available in brackets.

1. Various Artists — Black Panther: The Album — #1 — 131,236 (40,354) [119,531,649]
2. Migos — Culture II — #2 — 63,928 (6,933) [79,595,877]
3. Nipsey Hussle — Victory Lap — #4 — 52,299 (30,102) [30,984,409]
4. Kendrick Lamar — DAMN. — #8 — 32,617 (9,742) [30,744,643]
5. Post Malone — Stoney — #9 — 31,562 (2,387) [39,466,496]
6. Bruno Mars — 24K Magic — #11 — 27,378 (8,849) [20,927,018]
7. Khalid — American Teen — #14 — 22,893 (2,633) [27,299,064]
8. Lil Uzi Vert — Luv Is Rage 2 — #15 — 22,685 (585) [31,907,343]
9. Moneybagg Yo — 2 Heartless — #16 — 21,736 (3,955) [25,345,374]
10. G-Eazy — The Beautiful Damned — #17 — 19,177 (1,656) [22,505,907]

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46077/title.hip-hop-album-sales-black-panther-the-album-continues-to-dominate-chart