Month: May 2022

In a recent sitdown with Fort Worth, Texas legend Smooth Vega, Bun laid clear how people could adequately honor the legacy of Pimp C while admonishing bootleggers and people wanting to plaster the late rapper and producer’s name or image on a T-shirt to make a quick dollar.

“And I know a lot of people feel like they honor him with T-shirts and hats and candles and air freshers and all of that, but you’re really just trying to bleed and leach off his legacy,” Bun said. “If you’re not giving anything to his family, you’re trying to leach off his legacy and if the man was alive, he’d pull up on you and you know that shit.

“So everybody that’s out here thinking they’re showing love and they repping the city and all that shit, you can do that shit. Just don’t put that man face on no T-shirts. Don’t put that man face on nothing. You don’t see me out here doing that shit. You ain’t giving that man family no money, so don’t do that shit.”

Bun’s stance on the matter comes as Pimp C becomes more and more revered as a Hip Hop deity, a Marley-like folk hero where people make cartoons and characters of his likeness for decoration. The concept bothered Bun to the point of speaking out, and he’s not down with people attempting to bypass the family by giving him Pimp C adorned merchandise.

“Don’t call me talkin’ bout you wanna give me a T-shirt with Pimp on it. I don’t want no gotdamn T-shirt with Chad on it!” he said. “If I wanted a T-shirt with Chad, I can have it made. I don’t need you to give it to me cause you think I’ma post it so you can sell a bunch of it and keep all the money and act like you really did something for that man. You ain’t do shit for that man! Gon’ with that.”

Over time, Pimp’s voice has still permeated through Hip Hop even after his death in 2007, whether through unreleased verses for the likes ofDrake, repackaged soundbytes and more. His widow, Chinara Butler,promised an unreleased verse of his specifically for Megan Thee Stallionafter the Houston rapper signed amanagement deal with Roc Nation in 2019.

The 24-year-old passed away on Friday (May 13). No cause of death was revealed, but his brother Lil Gotit, friends and more took to social media early Saturday (May 14) to pay tribute to him.

“Can’t believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries,” Gotit wrote on Instagram. “I know what u want me to do and that’s go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy.”

Keed emerged as a fixture in Atlanta Hip Hop thanks to his Trapped In Cleveland series, his A-Teamcollaboration with Zaytoven, Lil Gotit and Lil Yachty and helping the rise of YSL as a label. He appeared on bothSlime Language and Slime Language 2compilation albums.

Last year, Thugger gifted Keed a brand new Mustang for his 23rd birthday out of love for the young rapper who looked up to him and his evolving success.

An 18-song double-disc effort, the project boasts guest appearances from Ghostface Killah, Kodak Black, Baby Keem, Sampha, Blxst, Summer Walker, Tanna Leone and Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, among others. Behind the boards, frequent collaborators such as Sounwave, Pharrell, The Alchemist, Boi-1da and DJ Dahi supply the eclectic sounds.

But it’s Kendrick who steals the show, and not simply because of his lyrical talents. Across the album, the Compton native addresses Kanye West and Drake’s reconciliation, Kyrie Irving’s COVID-19 stance and “cancel culture.” He also opens up about his “lust addiction” and infidelity, as well as transgender relatives and sexual abuse in the Black community.

While Mr. Morale & The Big Steppersopens yet another chapter in Kendrick’s illustrious career, it also marks the end of an era in another sense, serving as the 34-year-old rapper’s final release on Top Dawg Entertainment, the label he’s called home for well over a decade.

“As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years,” he wrote on his oklama.com website last August. “The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood. May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators.”

Given the fervent anticipation leading up to its release, it’s no surprise thatMr. Morale & The Big Steppers became one of the hottest topics on social media on Friday, with fans and artists alike flooding the internet with their reactions to Kendrick Lamar‘s latest, long-awaited effort.

From current rap stars such as Lil Durk,Tyler, The Creator and Kodak Black(who makes several appearances on the album) to OGs such as Lupe Fiasco,Questlove and JAY-Z‘s engineer Young Guru, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppershad the internet goin’ nuts — which is nothing new for King Kendrick.

Check out the reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s new album below.

On the penultimate song “Mother I Sober” featuring Beth Gibbons of Portishead, the Compton native opens up about battling with what he calls “lust addiction” and confesses to cheating on his longtime partner, Whitney Alford, with whom he shares two children.

Of course, K. Dot has famously avoided drugs and alcohol since his first blunt had him “foaming at the mouth,” but in his own 4:44 moment, he admits sex has been his vice of choice in his career.

“I was never high, I was never drunk, never out my mind/I need control, they handed me some smoke, but still I declined/I did it sober, sittin’ with myself, I went through all emotions/No dependents — except for one, let me bring you closer,” he raps over the somber piano instrumental.

“Intoxicated, there’s a lustful nature that I failed to mention/Insecurities that I project, sleepin’ with other women/Whitney’s hurt, the pure soul I know, I found her in the kitchen/Askin’ God, ‘Where did I lose myself? And can it be forgiven?'”

Later in his verse, Kendrick reveals Alford — who appears on the album cover along with their two young kids — urged him to seek professional help for his addiction.

“Broke me down, she looked me in my eyes, ‘Is there an addiction?’/I said ‘No,’ but this time I lied, I knew that I can’t fix it/Pure soul, even in her pain, know she cared for me/Gave me a number, said she recommended some therapy,” he says.

Delving deeper into the psychology behind his infidelity, K. Dot raps, “I made it home, seven years of tour, chasin’ manhood/But Whitney’s gone, by time you hear this song, she did all she could/All those women gave me superpowers, what I thought I lacked/I pray our children don’t inherit me and feelings I attract.”

“Mother I Sober” also finds Kendrick Lamar reflecting on watching his mother being beaten when he was 5 years old and harboring guilt that he didn’t “grab a gun.” The stirring song ends with a short spoken word interlude from his fiancée and theiryoung daughter, who was born in 2019.

“You did it, I’m proud of you. You broke a generational curse. Say, ‘Thank you dad,'” Alfred says, before their daughter adds, “Thank you, daddy. Thank you, mommy. Thank you, brother… Mr. Morale.”

According to the Atlanta rapper, a big part of what makes “WAIT FOR U” such a special song is Tems’ sultry voice. On Thursday (May 12), Future hopped on Twitter to show his appreciation for the Nigerian songstress’ harmonic addition to the track.

“Soon as I heard the @temsbaby sample over @atljacobbeatz Instantly connected to my soul,” he tweeted. “@temsbaby VOICE IS AMAZING.”

He added, “Even tho wait for u is a sample and not an original recording I still put Featuring @temsbaby if u wasn’t familiar with her work. Thank u Tems.”

Tems’ vocals originally appeared on “Higher” from her 2020 debut EP For Broken Ears. Even though she’s sampled on the song, the 26-year-old earned her first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to Future listing her as a feature on “WAIT FOR U.” It’s just her third Hot 100 hit following Wizkid’s “Essence” (No. 15) and Drake’s “Fountains” (No. 26).

With I NEVER LIKED YOU and “WAIT FOR U,” Future is just the second rapper in history to simultaneously debut atop the Billboard 200 and Hot 100. Drake achieved the feat last September when Certified Lover Boyand his Future and Young Thug-assisted “Way 2 Sexy” both went No. 1 on the respective charts