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In November, GoldLink had his ass handed to him by Anderson .Paak for speaking ill of the late Mac Miller. For some reason, GoldLink thought it would be a good idea to write a long-winded IG post about how Mac's The Divine Feminine was essentially a rip-off of his own album, And After That, We Didn't Talk. Obviously, this post did not land well with Mac's friends or fans. GoldLink was slandered online for disrespecting someone who is no longer here to defend himself. GoldLink did try to defend himself from the backlash, insisting that his post was "about love" and claiming Mac was still "one of the realest n***as [he] ever met." Despite this back-pedalling, he didn't appear to be too apologetic about his remarks. "So I don't give a fuck what nobody say. But if anybody got anything to say, suck my big black dick from behind my ass cheeks," he fumed during one of his concerts. Rich Fury/Getty Images While people may still hold GoldLink accountable for what he did, he still seems to be unfazed. On Tuesday, he shared two videos on Instagram of him performing at the Afropunk festival in Johannesburg last week. He interpreted the crowd turning up to his hit, "Crew", as evidence of the fact that many people are still rocking with him. "Cancelled feels nice," he boasted in the caption. View the full article

Hans Zimmer spent a year with Terrence Malick before "The Thin Red Line" score was done. James Newton Howard lost a shot at an Oscar because Malick used classical masterworks with Howard's score for "A Hidden Life." But Howard says working with the director was worth the Academy snub. Here's why. View the full article

DaBaby has requested that everybody stop focusing on his recent arrests but, upon Joe Budden's return to his regular podcasting duties, he did quite the opposite. Discussing the hottest topics in hip-hop from over the holidays with Rory and Mal, Joe Budden went in-depth on the rise of Griselda, Drake's interview on Rap Radar, and much more. The crew spent approximately fifteen minutes discussing what's been going on with DaBaby in recent weeks, arguing about his current status in the rap game and how he continually finds himself in trouble. From that incident years ago at Walmart to his most-recent robbery case against a concert promoter, the North Carolina native has found himself being tailed by the police. If he doesn't switch up his methods soon though, Budden believes the hip-hop community may suffer a major blow. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images If anything happened to DaBaby right now, the rap world would be devastated. He's currently one of the biggest artists in the world, contributing so much to the genre in such a short time. Budden drew a comparison between the KIRK artist and Bobby Shmurda, although the New York star had only truly delivered two hit records when he was shut down by the cops. Shmurda is expected to get out of prison this year but he spent the last five years of his life reflecting on how things could have been different had he not been involved in street life. Budden thinks that, unless DaBaby makes major changes in his composure, he may have a similar future. "We were all feeling this exact same way about Bobby Shmurda," says Budden in his latest podcast, likening the two stars. "[Bobby] was a young kid who came from a certain life and was having a whole lot of fun and making a wave for himself. And then he allegedly didn't stop certain behavior, [the police] came and snatched him and then hip-hop suffered. Boy, would hip-hop suffer if that same thing happened to DaBaby. And if he continues to allegedly beat people up at potato chip stands, airports and after the show, that is exactly what will happen and we as a whole will be sad about it." See what he had to say near the end of the video below. View the full article

In November, Lil Mosey came through with his new album Certified Hitmaker, which featured appearances from Gunna, Chris Brown, AJ Tracey, and Trippie Redd. A few months removed from its release, Mosey has delivered some clean new visuals for the Trippie-assisted "Never Scared." Directed by Michael Garcia, the crisp video finds our young heroes transported to a dystopian desert. Clearly, Mad Max: Fury Road was a chief influence here, with rugged vehicles looking geared up for war. In what we can only conclude to be a stroke of immense luck, Mosey and Trippie's desert wandering ultimately led them to a haven of scantily clad women, who appear willing to accept them into the group. As far as the premise goes, "Never Scared" is straightforward in its execution, leaving Mosey and Trippie to simply go through the motions while the cinematography shines. Should you be a fan of either party, give this one a watch and show some love in the comments. View the full article

The Portland Trail Blazers have gotten out to a slow start this season, currently sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference with a record of 15-22. Lest we forget, the Blazers are one year removed from a trip to the Western Conference Finals during a season in which they third in the West at 53-29. As a result of Portland's lackluster play thus far, Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reports that the team will "for sure" be making a move ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. During a discussion with NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh on the Habershow Podcast, Haynes said, "There will be a move made, for sure. It's hard for me to believe that Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore will still be there past the trade deadline." Haynes reports: "They just expire and that's why it's hard for me to believe that they'll be on the roster past that deadline. A move will be made. This is Dame's spot. He just signed his super max this past summer. He didn't sign up to be on a team like this. Nobody thought this was going to be the team. The front office, it's their call now. It's their play. I know Terry Stotts is going to get a lot of heat for what's been going on this season, and likely so. He's the coach. He's got to take some blame, but I think we all see flaws in this roster." It remains to be seen if the Blazers will make a run at a veteran forward like Kevin Love, but we'll find out soon enough as the February 6 deadline is quickly approaching. View the full article

The lineup for this year's Bonnaroo Music Festival is here and it's roodiculous. It features Lizzo, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, and more. View the full article

Lil Baby performed 'Woah' on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.' He brought along a large group of backup dancers for a show that looked like it was inspired by the 'Fast & Furious' franchise. View the full article

Lil Uzi Vert has finally released the official music video for 'Futsal Shuffle.' In it, he shows you how to do the dance. Can you learn how to pull it off? View the full article

Pharrell Williams's new performance of 'Letter To My Godfather' on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' is everything. He brought out a choir to pay tribute to legendary music industry executive Clarence Avant. View the full article

Tom Hanks became a meme last night at the Golden Globe awards with his facial expression resonating with many folks on social media. He saw his name hit trends last night after Ricky Gervais’ opening address but elsewhere, his son was off making headlines for a whole other reason. After previously being criticized for his blatant use of the n-word in resurfaced videos from years ago, Chet Hanks is back in the headlines for some more cringe-worthy reasons. As he walked the red carpet, Tom’s son filmed a video for his socials and, for some reason, he was speaking in a (very fake) Patois accent. It’s important to note that Chet was born in Los Angeles and has no ties that would support his use of an accent from the islands. Amy Sussman/Getty Images "Big up the whole island massive, it’s your boy Chet coming straight from the Golden Globes,” said Hanks, a white man, in his absurd accent. The post was captioned as such: "BIG UP FIMI WHOL FAMILY SOON COM AT DI AWARDS NA SEEN, CHUNE IN.” Yikes. Tom Hanks’ son is an aspiring rapper and he’s ruffled feathers before in the past. This time around, people are just cringing hard at how he butchered his Patois accent with one fan writing, "Tom Hanks is so damn unproblematic, and yet…dis child.” What do you think about Chet Hanks going viral last night at the Golden Globes? View the full article

DJ Ripdee might not be the most familiar name out there but it appears that he's revving up for a major year ahead. Teaming up with Freddie Gibbs and Cash Lansky, Ripdee drops off his latest banger, "Scooter." An airy, bass-heavy beat kicks off with Gibbs snapping on the first verse and the hook before Cash Lansky swings in for the final verse. Lansky might not be the most familiar name but he surely holds his own down on the record. Gibbs is coming off of a highly productive year including the release of his critically acclaimed joint project with Madlib, Bandana. The rapper-producer pairing are set to bring their Zebra-themed album all the way to Indio, CA this April for Coachella. Keep your eyes peeled. Quotable Lyrics N***a pushin' powder, another product of Reaganomics Sittin' at the livin' room table, we 'bout to weigh it, chop it Now all my n***as play with green like Isaiah Thomas 89, he back to back like Isaiah Thomas View the full article

The X-Men cinematic franchise has, depending on the era, been both beloved and maligned by fans. Films like X2 and Days Of Future Past remain some of the superhero genre's best offerings, while chapters like Wolverine Origins and the recent bomb Dark Phoenix have left elicited a largely negative response. With the water-treading series looking in dire need of reinvention, many were quick to deem the horror-inspired “X-Men: New Mutants” as a sign of life — that is, until it was hit with delay upon delay. Luckily, the ship’s course has been righted once again. New Mutants has secured a shiny new release date of April 3rd, 2020, announced in tandem with a new trailer. The extensive clip provides a thorough examination of its more horror-focused direction, which in itself makes The New Mutants one of the more original superhero movies in recent memory. Whether it's enough to revitalize the franchise remains to be seen, but a breath of fresh air is certainly welcome. With director Josh Boone at the helm, New Mutants looks to be an original and genre-bending take on the property, if nothing more. Whether that’s enough to breathe newfound life into the X-Men is another question entirely. Still, it should be interesting to see a more chilling take on Marvel source material — are you interested in this one? View the full article

What's worse than getting exposed as a filthy pedophile who used his billionaire position to abuse underaged girls? How about having your last moments posted all over primetime TV for the nation to see. That is currently the case for Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased and disgraced finance tycoon that just had his post-mortem photos unveiled on CBS News' 60 Minutes this past weekend. The graphic photos were revealed on the show's latest episode this past Sunday night (Jan 5), showing various flicks of Epstein lying on a hospital gurney, some even showing his naked body. One of the key photos also depicts what 60 Minutes is claiming to be a torn piece of prison linen that Epstein allegedly used to kill himself by hanging last August at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. However, this photo in particular conflicts with the theory that he was actually murdered, according to NYC medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden and Epstein's own brother, Mark Epstein. Sunday's news segment also features an interview with Baden, where he goes on record stating, "The forensic evidence released so far, including autopsy, point much more to murder and strangulation than the suicide and suicidal hanging,” adding that it was "not normal protocol" for Epstein to have been taken to an emergency room after being found non-responsive. According to The Toronto Sun, Baden also lists a number of problems with Epstein's death being ruled a suicide, including the crime scene disruption due to his body being moved and the fact that his hyoid bone at the base of his neck was broken in three spots — an injury like that is apparently virtually unheard of in cases of a suicide by hanging. Whatever the case is, see the images below provided by 60 Minutes. Please be advised that these may be disturbing for some people: Given the crimes Jeffrey Epstein has been accused of, including the sexual abuse and sex trafficking of minors, we don't expect too many people to be torn up over these sensitive photos being leaked. View the full article

Eternal Atake must officially be on the way. After a turbulent 2019, the rapper seems to be kicking off 2020 with his sights set on dropping his sophomore album. Before the end of 2019, the rapper returned with his latest single, "Futsal Shuffle 2020" which has taken the world by storm. Kids, teenagers, grandparents, and everyone in between have been trying to learn how to do the Futsal Shuffle but only an elite few have succeeded. It appears those that are capable of doing the dance move found their way in the music video for the song. Lil Uzi Vert came through with the official visuals for "Futsal Shuffle 2020" earlier today. Uzi continues to prove that he can probably out dance your favorite rapper on any given day, flexing not only his footwork but his b-boy skills as well as he hits the windmill at one point. Peep the visuals above. View the full article

Summer Walker indisputably ruled 2019. She released her debut album, Over It, in October and in its first week, broke the record for biggest streaming week ever for a female R&B artist. From that moment, it was clear that Summer Walker would continue to be a big deal in the next decade. She's ensuring this is the case by starting out 2020 with a new music video to promote "Come Thru". "Come Thru" is currently Summer's third highest charting song, peaking at #42 on Billboard's Hot 100. However, that could change with the right single treatment. Her fans clearly took a liking to the track and if it gets pushed into mainstream consciousness, it may be capable of topping the charts. "Come Thru" interpolates Usher's 1997 hit, "You Make Me Wanna..." and calls upon him for a new verse. It's impossibly smooth and feeds the pervasive nostalgia for late 90's-early 2000's R&B. Summer's label, LoveRenaissance (LVRN), shared a clip to tease the "Come Thru" music video with the message: "This video is something special, you guys are in for a treat." The video is directed by Lacey Duke - who also responsible for Skip Marley and H.E.R.'s new "Slow Down" video - and premieres tomorrow at 11 AM ET. Don't forget! View the full article

We suspected something was on the way for a minute now. For the past little while, 2 Chainz has been dropping off musical breadcrumbs for our enjoyment, including one last Friday with the brief banger "Falcons Hawks Braves." It felt as if Tity Boi was gearing up to make a major announcement, and now, those theories have been confirmed. The Atlanta rapper took to Instagram to announce a new album called NO FACE NO CASE, a collaborative effort with his T.R.U. University artists Sleepy Rose, Worl, Skooly, and Hott Locked N. Jesse Grant/Getty Images "I might have been quiet for the tail end of last year but really been workin!" writes 2 Chainz, sharing the stylish album cover. "My biggest goal this year is to change someone else’s life. I’m excited to present “NO FACE NO CASE” with my young Playa partners." He also confirms that the project will be dropping on February 7th, with another spot of new music coming later tonight. Check out the official announcement post below, and sound off - are you excited to see what the T.R.U. graduating class has been concocting? Check back tonight for the first single off NO FACE NO CASE. View the full article

For the last twelve months, 50 Cent has been harassing Teairra Mari with countless attempts to retrieve the money owed to him. While his methods have thus far proven ineffective, the rapper isn't holding back at all as he's continuing to push until he sees his bread. After winning a revenge porn lawsuit filed against him by the reality star, Fiddy has trolled Mari on-and-off for a full year. These days, he's primarily preoccupied with French Montana and their Bugatti-based beef but he's still finding time for Teairra Mari, asking the judge in their case to order the Love & Hip-Hop personality to come through on her payments. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images As reported by The Blast, 50 Cent is still trying to get ahold of Teairra Mari so that she can finally pay up the $30K+ that she owes him. Newly-obtained court documents detail Fif's latest request to have Mari comply with the judge's initial orders to cover his legal fees but, for some reason, she still has not paid him a dime. The papers read: "To date, Mari has failed to pay a single dime to Jackson in satisfaction of the Judgment despite earning over $100,000 this past year. Her previous claims under oath that she is 'broke' no longer ring true, and it is more clear than ever that she has no intention of paying her debts." Fiddy is reportedly asking Mari for an additional $5,295.50. Do you think he'll ever see his money? View the full article

Every single year, Nike comes through with an extensive collection that is supposed to celebrate Chinese New Year. This year is being pegged as the "Year of the Rat" and Nike will be tailoring their collection to this theme. So far, we have already seen some dope colorways of the Air Jordan 34, Air Jordan 13, Air Jordan 1 Low, and even the Nike Kyrie 6. Today, Nike came through by unveiling the entire collection which will come with shoes for both men, and women. The men will be getting the aforementioned models as well as the Air Max 1, Air Force 1 Low, Air Max 90, Air Max 720. Meanwhile, the ladies will be laced with the Air Max 90, Air Force 1 Shadow, Air Max 270 React, and Joyride Run 2. All of these shoes are incredibly colorful which is exactly what we've come to expect from the annual Chinese New Year collection. If you're hoping to cop any of these kicks, you can expect them to drop throughout the month of January. Chinese New Year officially takes place later this month on the 25th so be sure to be on the lookout for these. Let us know in the comments below what you think of the collection. Image via Nike Image via Nike Image via Nike Image via Nike Image via Nike Image via Nike View the full article

Brockhampton, MTV's PUSH artists for January, told us about the process for recording 'Sugar' and what it meant to them. 'It's nice to have a song that kind of speaks to that feeling of not really knowing what's up,' Kevin Abstract said. View the full article

Moses Sumney has one of the most entrancing voices in modern music. On his songs, he often weaves multiple vocal recordings into complex and haunting tapestries. Sumney's 2017 debut, Aromanticism, displayed his mastery in these sorts of arrangements. His new single, "Me In 20 Years", shows the 28-year-old singer using this method to produce an effect that is both piercing and consoling. Sumney co-produced the song with Daniel Lopatin, better known to most of us as Oneohtrix Point Never, and Matt Otto. Lopatin most recently composed the soundtrack for the critically-acclaimed Safdie Brothers film, Uncut Gems. "Me In 20 Years" will appear on Sumney's forthcoming double album, græ, to be released on Jagjaguwar. The first part of his album will arrive in February and the rest of it will be shared on May 15. Two other singles, "Virile" and "Polly", preceded today's offering. While the first two singles belong to part one, "Me In 20 Years" belongs to part two. Watch its lyric video below and also make sure to check out Sumney's fantastic self-directed video for "Virile". Quotable Lyrics Hey, after all these years I'm still here, fingers outstretched With your imprint in my bed A pit so big I lay on the edge View the full article

Tory Lanez might not be affected by the current threat of war looming between the United States and Iran because of his Canadian nationality but the superstar still decided to voice his opinion on the frightful situation. With all the WWIII memes being shared across TikTok, Twitter, and other social media platforms, Lanez offered his take on why President Donald Trump chose to attack his rivals with a drone airstrike, killing general Qasem Soleimani. In the artist's eyes, it all has to do with the threat of being booted from the White House in the upcoming election. After Donald Trump became the third President to ever be impeached, Tory Lanez believes that he may have stooped this low to heighten his chances of re-election in the fall. He noted that he would be keeping his nose out of this drama, but that came after he let off a potential conspiracy theory. "So basically America bout to go into war becuz it’s re-election time... and the chances of switching a president while a war is going on are slim," wrote the rapper on Twitter. "Just saying ... who the fuck am I ... but seems about right to me ... however I’m Canadian so ima stay outta this." The Chixtape 5 singer doesn't seem too offbase. This would be the wildest thing Trump has done as President and, let's be honest, would anybody be surprised if this was actually the case? Cindy Ord/Getty Images View the full article

In the rap game, even an offhand comment can be misconstrued as bonafide "fightin' words." Time and again, radio personalities have ruffled feathers over on-air opinions, even if their intention was hardly hostile. Not long ago, DJ Envy found himself on the receiving end of a Foxy Brown scorned, after a few comments made during an interview with her former manager Don Pooh. After Envy mentioned that she had "dwindled off," Foxy took to Instagram to unload on the Breakfast Club host, deeming him "FISH ASS Envy" among other dubious titles. "She called me Lil Clue," says a pursed-lipped Envy, during the BC's rumor report. "I ain't mad at that one, shout out to Clue. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images "The funny thing about Foxy Brown is she's a little delirious," explains Envy. I used to DJ for Foxy Brown. I used to be with her writing team that used to help write for her. I actually produced a couple of joints for her. One of them made it on my album, one of them on her album. I remember her last show, we were on the tour bus. She got paid $70 thousand to perform." He explains that Foxy proceeded to pull up in front of the Louis Vuitton store and allocate the funds to her team. "I grab my envelope, I open my up envelope, and it was three hundred dollars. I said what can I buy at Louis Vuitton for three hundred dollars? Maybe a keychain, maybe a sock. After that I said I ain't ever DJing for her again." Despite the bad blood, Envy did make sure to wish her the best and give her a shout-out. Perhaps this one will end right here, though given the high-frequency of pure unfiltered antics, does that really seem likely? View the full article

Bronny James Jr is only a freshman in high school yet he is still the most popular high school basketball player on the planet. The reason for this is quite simple: his dad is LeBron James. Bronny is currently playing for Sierra Canyon and has been making waves as a future top tier talent. While he isn't racking up stats, or playing at the level of some of his teammates, Bronny has been able to showcase some flashed of brilliance that bode well for him in the future. This past weekend, Bronny and company took on Minnehaha Academy at the Target Center in Minnesota. Fans came out in droves to watch Sierra Canyon play as 17,000 people packed the Timberwolves arena. What makes this so incredible is that, according to Bleacher Report, the T-Wolves average under 15,000 fans per game. Despite the crowd, Sierra Canyon lost by 20 as Bronny scored five points in 18 minutes of action. To be fair to the Timberwolves, it's not every day you have Bronny James roll into town for a high school basketball game. Not to mention, getting into these basketball games costs very little and in most instances are free which makes them a lot more accessible than NBA games. Regardless, if Bronny ever makes the NBA, his team can sleep easier knowing they'll always have a sold-out crowd. View the full article

Baton Rouge legend Boosie Badazz has no problem voicing his opinion on a myriad of topics relevant in our world today. He generally comes through with some social media street wisdom every time something pops off, going live or updating his fans on how he feels about a certain issue. In the past, Boosie has shared his controversial takes on the Jussie Smollett scandal, Lil Nas X's musical success, and the depiction of homosexual characters in children's media. In a multi-part interview with VladTV, the rapper revisited that very same topic and, this time, he was a little tamer in his response. Bennett Raglin/Getty Images When prompted to speak about rappers who identify within the LGBTQ+ community, Boosie said that he never would have predicted this twenty years ago. "That would have never happened," says Boosie about the current pop of rappers coming out. "Coming up under Tupac and Biggie and shit like that, that's just to show you how far it has gone. You never know, in twenty more years, it's gonna be a gay president probably. But I don't have no problem with the gays. I got gays in my family." Elsewhere in the interview, Boosie speaks about the craze behind the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich last year, detailing how much he hated it and passionately disclosing that it did not even come close to Chick-Fil-A's version. Watch below. View the full article

Royce Da 5'9" has been one of hip-hop's most astute lyricists. Whether looking inwardly at his own personal story or observing the antics of the game at large, few can rival the penmanship of the Detroit legend. In 2018, he dropped off Book Of Ryan, which he deemed his most important album yet during our last conversation. A highly personal and occasionally painful reflection of self, lined with detail and beautifully rendered memory fragments, Royce's opus felt like a breakthrough. Following Book Of Ryan's release, Royce returned to his traditional habitat: the studio. Only this time, he was in the process of developing a new craft. After over two decades of rapping, Nickle was ready to produce, following the tutelage of trusted collaborators Mr. Porter, Six July, and DJ Premier. Though I didn't know it at the time of this conversation, he was already putting in work on The Allegory, a project he'll be producing in entirety. At the time, however, the focus of our conversation remained on the past; specifically, his involvement in contributing Dr. Dre's 2001, for an extensive deep dive into that album's twentieth anniversary. Naturally, the conversation shifted to his own storied career, and we explored topics like Book Of Ryan's creation process, his relationship with Death Is Certain, and the potential for some new Bad Meets Evil music. Check it out below. This interview was conducted over the phone in early November 2019, prior to the announcement of Royce’s upcoming album The Allegory. Should you be interested in hearing more from Royce Da 5'9", including his a detailed insight into his experience working with Dr. Dre, click here. Image via Tremaine Edwards @ Kardiak Films You recently dropped a phenomenal album in Book Of Ryan. I’ve been listening to your music since the days you were working with Pharrell. Hearing this level of honesty and the fact that it came over a decade down the line...I felt that was very interesting. Did you ever consider writing an actual book? I had a lot of people ask me that after that album. I was talking to a couple of guys, I didn’t think about it before that. I’m pretty much open to anything as long as I feel it could be good, that it could be a great contribution. It’d have to be at a time I could really concentrate and put all my energy and effort into it. I’m definitely considering it for sure. I keep circling back to your song “Power.” That song is like a novel in the way it plays out. It must have been an intense one to write, especially with that darker instrumental. Were you nervous to make that track and show it with the people involved in the story itself? You know what, I put a lot of energy and effort into the whole album thinking about that. I changed things a bunch of times in a bunch of different ways. I didn’t look at it as finished until I felt in my heart-of-hearts that everybody was fairly portrayed. Nobody would take anything as disrespect. My family, we good, man. We all love each other. People had stuff to say [laughs] but that’s every black family. When you air out other people’s stuff, even though it’s your stuff you’re talking about, it’s going to affect them in some way. The good thing about it is that black people aren’t accustomed to therapy. We never grew up looking at it as an option for us. Horrible at communication. Suppressed feelings are a common thing in our community. This was a good opportunity to open up a narrative that was probably necessary. LISTEN: Royce Da 5'9" - "Power" Image via Artist's management Are you somebody who enjoys revisiting your older music at all? I’m actually the opposite. When I’m listening to it, it’s hard to enjoy it without busting it down, breaking it down. Damn, I could have done this better. I could have done this different. I’m analyzing all the time. My second time Death Is Certain, I can’t listen to that at all. It takes me back to a dark place and a dark time. I know a lot of people, myself included, would call that a classic album. Is it frustrating hearing something that came from a place of such pain and darkness become so revered? Nah, it’s not frustrating. It’s more telling than anything. I like the fact that album happened. It taught me a lot about the creative process. I had no choice but to be honest. I didn’t go into that album the way I go into albums now, where I know exactly what I need to be doing as an artist. I know not to reach for anything, to just be myself. To be honest and be transparent, that’s what I like to do. That’s what I feel will resonate the best. That’s what I did with Death Is Certain, but I didn’t plan to. It was like I was stuck in that mode. I was going through so much. We actually did that album, me and Six July, we did that album in like two weeks. Six of those songs I did within the first couple of days. That was the first batch of beats he played me. I remember they went to the titty bar, and I was just writing all of them. Knocking them down real quick. It was like, so much on my mind, I don’t even think I was focused on being super lyrical. [laughs] I was just spilling. Just spilling shit. And I was super drunk. For the album to have that type of reaction, to resonate with people like that...It just gave me an idea-- when we come in the game, everything is trial and error. It’s going to be from making mistakes. Death Is Certain was a situation where I learned from something that was successful. Most of the shit I know now, I learned from making mistakes. Most of my valuable lessons came from making mistakes. How do you follow up on an album like Book Of Ryan? You’ve opened up so much, told so many chapters of your story. Are there still untold stories? I never know how my memory is going to work. I’m the type of person to be sitting at a computer and have an odd, bizarre memory pop into my head that I haven’t had since I was a child. If there’s ever anything worthy of writing about or sharing with people, I don’t hesitate. I spend most of my time in the studio anyway. I try not to do too much of that type of thinking, like how do I try to follow up Book Of Ryan. I try not to get in my own head like that. Fair enough. I like to think I got everything out that I wanted to get out, in terms of myself. The way I was brought up, my whole personal story. You’d hope to nail that if you’re going to go there. Shit, hopefully I won’t even feel the need to get personal no more! Hopefully, you can get everything you need about me from that album if I hit my mark. That was the plan. I like to move away from the very personal stuff. It’s a good time for me to start being a little bit more informative. Start thinking about the next generation of artists. About things that bother me, things I’m happy about. Things going on in the world. Being a bit more responsible. It’s a time in music, and for anybody with a platform, to be cognisant about being responsible right now. Our culture-- black people-- we have an information problem. There’s a disconnect. There’s a lot of things we all don’t know, especially coming into the music business. People basically monetize off your ignorance, your lack of knowledge. The cycle will continue to repeat itself if the OGs and the people in the know don’t start sharing information. I feel that’s very important right now. That’s where I’ve been mentally. I’m looking forward to it. I’m always eager to hear new music from you! On that note, it’s safe to say the people are fiending for some new Bad Meets Evil, just going to throw that out there… [Laughs] Yeah, that’s always fun to do man. I love working with Marshall. He’s just funny. Cool as hell and we always have a great time. Marshall and Preem, those two dudes, I’ll drop whatever I’m doing within reason to get in there with them. It’s always a good time, and we always come up with something. Everybody can’t collaborate. When you genuinely like somebody, it’s way easier. Usually, we can come up with something that people really like. I’ve worked with a lot of producers but when I get with Primo, people really seem to like it when I link with him. There’s something about that dynamic. I think the reason why is because the music is a reflection of the vibe, and the vibe is always great. Especially with you and Em, there’s this mischevious energy. One of my favorite tracks from you guys is “All I Think About.” A great display of your chemistry, hilarious, so many bars. We was in there cracking up laughing doing that song. We challenge each other with the back and forth shit. He’ll go in, do a certain amount of bars, and stop. We try to finish connecting each other’s syllables to continue the scheme. You know Marshall -- not only is he rhyming the ending syllable of the sentences, he’s rhyming every syllable during the sentence too. Whole lines sound identical to each other. You’re just as nice though. You said “sit the fuck down and have some babies” on that track. [Laughs] Aw man, that’s funny. Yeah buddy! View the full article