So, y’all remember what former President Donald Trump was like during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, right? You might remember that, aside from dangerously downplaying the global pandemic, Trump, for the most part, refused to wear a face mask because COVID was being overblown by the liberal Democrats to make him look bad and… ... Continue Reading

Former world heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson talked honestly about aging, being an involved parent and other topics in an in-depth interview. He also spoke about being a cherished figure in Hip-Hop. ... Continue Reading

Deion Sanders has a large rolodex…ahem, contacts list of celebs he can surely count on when he needs a favor. So social media is collectively shaking its head that he would choose rapper DaBaby to speak to his Colorado team on “adversity.” On Friday (Sept. 29), Prime invited the “Suge” rapper to give his team… ... Continue Reading

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from That Rome Streetz featuring Joey Bada$$, Slim Thug, and more. ... Continue Reading

It seems Chandler Jones might need some support. The NFL defensive end recently implied that Aaron Hernandez did not commit suicide in a bizarre livestream.

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that the Las Vegas Raider had a bit of a moment earlier this week. The All-Pro defensive end used to be teammates with Hernandez while they were both playing with the New England Patriots. On Thursday (Sept. 28), Jones took to Instagram Live and shared some very interesting views on his former eammate.

“Oh, y’all didn’t know what Josh McDaniels (former Patriots offensive coordinator) really did to Aaron Hernandez?” Jones asked rhetorically. “If y’all don’t know what really happened with Aaron Hernandez … y’all thought Aaron Hernandez killed himself in jail?”

Things got even more weird when Chandler circled back to the topic of Aaron Hernandez, who he refers to as “Chico,” and started crying. “Y’all thought my n*gga Chico killed himself in jail?” he said. After the livestream Chandler took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and discussed the Illuminati, ISIS, government secrets, called bunk on CTE and alleged that the National Football League was injecting players with fluoride.

Later that evening Chandler Jones was arrested. According to Andrew Groover of AP News he violated two protection orders connected to his domestic life. He remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas. Jones has yet to play one game for the Raiders during the current 2023-2024 season as he has been placed on a non-football illness list.

Raiders DE Chandler Jones is currently in custody at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada for two violations of domestic temporary restraining order and is expected to be released later today. Jones was arrested at 11pm last night.

— Andrew Groover (@APGroover) September 29, 2023

The Las Vegas Raiders have yet to comment on the matter. You can see some of Chandler Jones’ rant below.

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Democrat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett went viral with her speech calling out Republicans for ignoring Donald Trump’s indictments while investigating President Joe Biden.
On Thursday, Republican members of the House of Representatives began their inquiry to impeach President Joe Biden over his support of his son, Hunter Biden. Representative Jasmine Crockett from Texas blasted her GOP colleagues in her speech for ignoring the legal troubles of former President Donald Trump in the hearing.

Omg wow this pic.twitter.com/fnYcAXzcNf

— Acyn (@Acyn) September 28, 2023

“But when we start talking about things that look like evidence, they want to act like they are blind,” Crockett said as she held up photos of classified government documents that were found at Mar-a-Lago. “They don’t know what this is. These are our national secrets, looks like in the s——-r to me,” she continued. “This looks like more evidence of our national secrets, say on a stage at Mar-a-Lago.”

Crockett (who is also a former public defender) was undeterred as she listed some of the indictments Trump is currently facing, including “conspiracy to defraud the United States, two counts related to efforts to obstruct the vote certification proceedings, one count of conspiracy to violate civil rights, 23 counts related to forgery or false document statements, eight counts related to soliciting,” before saying “And I could go on because he’s got 91 counts pending right now.”

“But I will tell you what the president has been guilty of,” she continued. “He has unfortunately been guilty of loving his child unconditionally. “And that is the only evidence that they have brought forward. And, honestly, I hope and pray that my parents love me half as much as he loves his child. Until they find some evidence, we need to get back to the people’s work, which means keeping this government open so that people don’t go hungry in the streets of the United States,” she concluded, referring to the impending government shutdown set to occur on October 1 if there is no budget agreement by the House.

The clip from the hearing has garnered heavy attention, compelling Star Wars actor Mark Hamill to share it with his five million-plus followers on X, formerly known as Twitter. Crockett responded by quoting the post with a clip of Hamill as Luke Skywalker and the caption, “I’m Jasmine Crockett. I’m here to rescue you…”

.@MarkHamill, I'm Jasmine Crockett.

I'm here to rescue you… https://t.co/vOmEo1rcAD pic.twitter.com/T3nk8So33d

— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@RepJasmine) September 28, 2023

 

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On Friday (Sept. 29), law enforcement confirmed that a man was arrested for the 1996 shooting death of rap superstar Tupac Shakur, but didn’t immediately confirm his identity. BREAKING: Las Vegas police have made an arrest in the 1996 drive-by shooting of hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, AP sources say. — The Associated Press (@AP) September… ... Continue Reading

Earlier this month social media was shocked to learn that Tremaine Emory suddenly departed from popular street brand Supreme after only a year and a half due to alleged “systemic racism.”

Emory explained that Supreme not wanting to drop some merchandise from Black artist that depicted a lynching was the straw that broke the camel’s back. But he recently went on the Toure Show podcast to further elaborate on the culture at Supreme that slowly but surely pushed him out that exit door.

TREMAINE EMORY On The TOURÉ SHOW Speaking On His Departure From SUPREME And Also Speaks On The Controversial Lynching Tee That SUPREME Cancelled pic.twitter.com/UU7Ag2WqCK

— HypeNeverDies (@HypeNeverDies) September 28, 2023

While Emory was named creative director of the brand, he contends Supreme founder James Jebbia continued to call the shots as if he were the creative director of the company. And Emory felt that he was being “racially charged” during his tenure at the global street brand. But it wasn’t until the Supreme collaboration with Arthur Jafa (who only accepted the offer as he would be working with Emory on the project), that the Deni Tears found experienced enough to make him walk away from Supreme. Explaining that Jafa wanted to use his LeRage avatar for the Supreme collaboration (that would’ve been dope as hell) along with other ideas, Tremaine got into how the collection would’ve looked had they gone forward with the original plan.

One of those images was of a lynching of Black people, which Jebbia originally agreed to as he felt it was very relevant. Still, the project was ultimately deaded as the controversial images on clothes never made it to shelves without Emory ever being told it was being canceled. “I want to create clothing that matters and sometimes for something to matter it creates tension,” Emory told Toure.

He did admit that there were two Black employees that had an issue with the imagery but blamed it on the higher-ups at Supreme being “thoughtless” for not speaking to the team and explaining to them what they were doing and why they were doing it. It’s worth noting that Emory is not getting universal support since many aren’t comfortable with the though of Supreme’s mainstream clientele putting on clothing with lynching imagery.

After Jebbia canceled the project, Tremaine felt it was time to go and felt that the “thoughtlessness and their lack of response when I was trying to garner discourse” pushed him out the door.

Check out the entire interview here, and let us know your thoughts on Emory’s time at Supreme and the collection that never was in the comments section below.

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A restaurant owned by 2 Chainz will be part of a new restaurant residency in Las Vegas sponsored by Pepsi, focusing on elevating Black chefs and restaurants.
On Thursday (Sept. 28), Pepi announced that Esco Restaurant & Tapas, the Atlanta restaurant owned and operated by 2 Chainz would be one of six Black chefs and restauranteurs to participate in the Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency in Las Vegas, Nevada. The program will feature signature dishes from each partner chef and restaurant at the Libertine Social at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Public House at the Luxor Hotel and Casino for four weeks until October 27.

Esco Restaurant & Tapas’ offerings will be their Blackened Salmon Alfredo Pasta, featuring Cajun-seasoned fish over classic alfredo. Fans will also be treated to 2 Chainz’s own tequila cocktail creation featuring STARRY throughout the residency, which will begin on September 30.

“No matter your background, building and running a restaurant is a constant grind but that’s what makes the rewards, like this residency, worth it. Opportunities for this kind of exposure in Vegas can be life-changing for businesses. It’s great to see brands like Pepsi Dig In and MGM put the power of their platforms behind these talented Black entrepreneurs, and it’s a privilege to be among them,” said 2 Chainz in the press announcement.

Other restaurants participating this year’s program include LoLo’s on The Water with Executive Chef Raymond Mohan and Co-Owner Leticia Skai Young out of New York City and Bridgetown Roti with Chef and Owner Rashida Holmes out of Los Angeles.

“Las Vegas provides a valuable culinary stage and unparalleled business opportunity for restaurateurs. In partnership with MGM Resorts International, the Pepsi Dig In Restaurant Royalty Residency Program is putting Black-owned restaurants and chefs in front of foodies from around the world,” said Scott Finlow, CMO of PepsiCo Global Foodservice in the same press release.

This is Pepsi Dig In’s second year of the program in collaboration with MGM Resorts International, which shines a light on Black-owned restaurants to gain greater visibility on a national level. The program was created by PepsiCo in 2020 as part of its Racial Equality Journey initiative, where it committed $50 million to support Black-owned businesses and $400 million to increase internal diversity. The launch of Pepsi Dig In in 2022 was highly received by the public with the award-winning Trill Burgers by Bun B being a participant before he opened his brick-and-mortar location in Houston, Texas.

 

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Healthcare is a very important subject when it comes to communities of color as we tend to deal with numerous physical and mental issues and while we tend to overlook the topic until we literally need it, a few of our Hip-Hop heroes have joined together to call for proper and affordable healthcare access.

Though Barack Obama tried to address the issue with the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (which Republicans have tried desperately to dismantle over the past 10+ years at the behest of their billion dollar donors), good and affordable healthcare is still out of reach for many people in our communities who struggle to make ends meet. Now Hip-Hop legends such as Chuck D, Fat Joe, Method Man and Busta Rhymes amongst a few others have joined together to create a PSA that calls for more transparency within the healthcare system which seems biased towards patients of color.

Joining forces with Power To The Patients, the Hip-Hop stars and icons are calling out healthcare providers for basically discriminating against lower-income customers with contracts that have hidden costs, fees, and stipulations. These roadblocks often leave their customers confused, broke and scared to even attempt to get health insurance. With Chuck D calling the issue a “humanitarian crisis,” Fat Joe, Method Man and Rick Ross address the fact that healthcare providers and hospitals “rig it” so that they can continue to make money hand over fist while their patients are left with bills that would sometimes take a lifetime to pay off.

The issue was so important to Fat Joe that he even took to Capitol Hill in April to advocate for Health Care prices to be more just and transparent. This was well before he started handing out his “Terror Squad” Air Force 1’s to everyone and they moms too, so y’all know he was strictly business that day.

“Our healthcare system needs comprehensive reform and I remain committed to using my platform to work alongside Power to the Patients and give a voice to the voiceless,” Fat Joe exclusively shared with The Hill in a statement. “We must demand accountability from hospitals and insurers, so people can get a transparent understanding of the cost of their medical bills and make more informed financial decisions on healthcare services.”

Check out the Hip-Hop PSA for Healthcare transparency below and let us know your thoughts on the subject in the comments section below.

 

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Bill Cosby has been hit with another lawsuit by a woman who alleges that he drugged and raped her decades ago.
According to reports, a new lawsuit has been filed against the comedian over an alleged assault that took place over 50 years ago. In the documents of the lawsuit that were obtained, Donna Motsinger, who now resides in New Mexico, alleges that Bill Cosby attacked her in 1972 when she was a server at the Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California. The restaurant was popular as a celebrity hangout at the time due to it being owned by the musical group The Kingston Trio.

The filing goes on to describe how Motsinger met Cosby who was dining at the restaurant, and she detailed how he would repeatedly come to the restaurant to see her. Cosby asked her to come see him perform at the Circle Star Theater nearby in San Carlos. Motsinger agreed, and they rode over in his limousine, with her having a glass of wine en route. Upon arrival at his dressing room, she felt sick and claimed that Cosby gave her what she believed at the time was an aspirin.

Motsinger then claims that she went in and out of consciousness, recalling one moment in the limo where he was groping her. She then says she woke up in her house clad only in her panties and “knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby.”

She is suing for mental, physical, and emotional distress.

The suit is the latest allegation to be directed towards the 86-year-old, who has declined to comment on them since his release from prison in 2021 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out his 2018 conviction on charges of drugging and sexually abusing Andrea Constand. When contacted by the press, Cosby’s lawyer Andrew Wyatt said, “No comment at this present time because this is utterly ridiculous and pointless.” Motsinger had previously been one of the 12 “Jane Does” in a previous lawsuit against the comedian back in 2005. That lawsuit was settled out of court with Cosby admitting no guilt.

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Puffco founder and CEO Roger Volodarsky spoke with Hip-Hop Wired about his journey into cannabis, the company, and more. ... Continue Reading

PuffCo, a leader in the evolving cannabis accessories space, offers premium products that deliver on their promise of next-level experiences that match the high-tech look. Roger Volodarsky, the founder of Puffco, took time out of his schedule to speak with Hip-Hop Wired about his company, the upcoming PuffCon gathering, and more.

Roger Volodarsky gave us a few moments of his time and his affable charm, deep knowledge of vaporizers, and enthusiasm for cannabis were all present in our all-too-brief chat. Volodarsky opened up the discussion to share how PuffCo got started.

“Well, first of all, I’m a New Yorker and I think it’s an important part of the story,” he began. “Around 2012, these new devices were hitting the scene that we called wax pens and wax, we now use terms like BHO (Butane Hash Oil), concentrates, it was completely new then.”

Volodarsky adds, “I remember my homie coming over and saying ‘Hey, bro, I’m smoking this in museums, nobody knows I’m consuming’ and this is before the big box mods and even e-cigs. I felt liberated. I’m someone who caught a few legal cases for just having weed and  now I can smoke anywhere and not look over my shoulder.”

The draconian drug laws that emerged in the ’80s and ’90s that Volodarsky references are far more relaxed now around cannabis, but this is still the early stages of his company and at a time when devices were just coming into their own.

“I kept running into the problem of suggesting these devices to friends who would then come up to me later and tell me they broke too easily,” Volodarsky explains. “I remember talking to a friend about the cheapness of these devices that I enjoyed and he suggested that I try to make that happen.”

This put Volodarsky on a journey to perfect the best delivery device for his beloved hash, admitting in the conversation that if he realized the difficulty in doing so before embarking on the task, he wouldn’t have begun the company.

However, his persistence paid off and the company rolled out the Pro pen and later the Peak. These devices came about as Volodarsky was still learning about concentrates, which literally translates into highly concentrated cannabis, and hadn’t yet gotten into the world of dabbing, which is one of the early high-powered methods of consuming BHO.

“This was how we came up with our first big device, the Peak. It’s really a New York love story. Getting these devices to mimic what a nail and torch can do during dabbing with just the push of a button,” Volodarsky said.

Volodarsky made an excellent point about the look of dabbing despite its many devotees. Watching someone do a dab or even using a glass bowl could remind one of the use of a certain type of narcotic that ravaged the nation in the ’80s.

He then shared that trying to get friends into dabbing was a harder sell despite the intense and cleaner effects of BHO. We later learned that a champion of dabbing, the late Phone Homie aka Rico Valderrama, was known to Volodarsky as the pair shared a love of BHO.

This weekend, Volodarsky is preparing for his third annual PuffCon event happening this weekend on, a celebration of cannabis culture in welcome spaces with the promise of safe consumption and safety. This year, 2 Chainz is the headling act with Dr. Bachlava (who we believe is an alter ego of the great Action Bronson), Zombie Juice of Flatbush Zombies fame, Curren$y, Fulcrum and more acts. We also learned that Volodarsky is a huge Hip-Hop fan, and we’re hoping to collaborate on a playlist in the future.

“PuffCon truly began because of how large cannabis events have routinely gone in Los Angeles,” Volodarsky said, regarding the reasons why the block party-styled event was created. “Usually these events were pushed way outside of the city and safety is an issue. We worked with the city and our event is held in an area where our company has a space and where big film and television studios shoot their content.”

The block party concept of PuffCon is an innovative one indeed, growing year to year, and it is exclusive to PuffCo product owners. What that means is, if you own one of the company’s flagship devices, you can purchase a general admission ticket and for a bit more, you can bring a guest. No cannabis is sold on site but as most know, recreational use of cannabis is allowed.

“What PuffCon is ultimately is a love letter dedicated to our scene and that’s why we made it a space where we can come together, gather safely, enjoy one another, and give a platform to music acts that help us in this community feel seen,” Volodarsky said. “And a lot of this wouldn’t happen without @kevin_puffco.

We’ve been using the Peak Pro and Proxy devices after featuring the company in a past post. We’re here to tell you that this is the top of the tops in the world of vaporizers and rigs. Further, as Volodarsky aimed to do, the ease of use for a newbie and the flexibility of options for experts means that everyone can enjoy the devices at their desired level.

To learn more about PuffCo, click here.

To learn more about PuffCon and to get more information, click here. The event takes place on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at Los Angeles Center Studios.

—

Photo: @jollyroger/Instagram

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Tyga and YG have been collaborating on quite a few cuts as of late and though the pairing might seem weird to many Hip-Hoppers, the two continue to grow their bromance and link up with a Hip-Hop legend to turn the duo into a trio for a minute.

In their visuals to “Brand New,” Tyga and YG link up with Lil Wayne to turn up in an empty factory where the three men are joined by a bevy of thick young women who bust it open as the rappers style and profile much to the women’s delight. Again, why are empty factories, garages and buildings the backdrops for so many music videos these days??

Back on the block, Moneybagg Yo, Sexyy Red and CMG The Label go dog walking and in their clip to “Big Dawg,” the trio show off blocks of ice, pitbull puppies and convinced a man to put on a dog leash and let a woman walk him like he was a K-9. Talk about keeping your man on a short leash.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from iCandy featuring Flo Milli, Tech N9ne featuring Head Da Don, and more.

TYGA, YG & LIL WAYNE – “BRAND NEW”

MONEYBAGG YO, SEXYY RED & CMG THE LABEL – “BIG DAWG”

ICANDY FT. FLO MILLI – “BIG MAD”

TECH N9NE FT. HEAD DA DON – “PULL OUT”

BOSTON RICHEY – “CUT OFF BOSTON RICHEY”

DOECHII – “PACER”

JAY FIZZLE – “FREE STR8DROPP”

DON TRIP – “SAY LESS”

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Nia Long has broken her silence regarding one of the toughest periods of her life. She has called out the Boston Celtics on how they handled the Ime Udoka scandal.

Huffington Post is reporting the actress, who usually is very reserved, has spoken out on the National Basketball League team. On Monday, September 25 she posted a video clip of activist Yaba Blay discussing how American media rushes to the aid of white women but does not show the same consideration for women of color. “The minute a white woman cries, the world has to stop. ‘Oh my God, what’s wrong with you, baby?’” she theorized in the clip. “A Black woman cries? We could be rolling around on the ground screaming, and you are unmoved because you’ve been socialized not to see us as human beings.”

It seems that the video inspired Nia to put the sports organization to task. “Where was this level of awareness a year ago @celtics???” the caption read. Naturally the post quickly picked up traction among her followers prompting several of her fans to offer her support including Jemele Hill (“Your caption”) and Snoop Dogg (“Accountability to my sis and nefews retribution is in order I stands with u”). Nia Long went on to salute Yaba in a separate comment saying “Thank you @yabablay for your fearlessness and speaking facts for all of us. This is such an important conversation that needs to be heard and understood.”

In 2010 Nia Long started a relationship with at the time NBA player Ime Udoka. In 2011 they had a son and got engaged in 2015. The couple split in 2022 after it was rumored that Ime, who at the time was the Boston Celtics coach, engaged in a romantic relationship with a Boston Celtics female employee who was married. The Boston Celtics have yet to respond to matter.

You can see Nia Long’s post below.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Nia Long (@iamnialong)

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