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SNOH AALEGRA GIVING FANS DOUBLE DOSE OF TYLER, THE CREATOR ON UPCOMING ALBUM

 Sweden-born, Los Angeles-based singer Snoh Aalegra has announced she’ll make a comeback with the release of her new album titled Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies on July 9, which will mark her first project on Roc Nation Records.

Taking to social media on Monday (June 7), she made known the title, cover art and tracklist for the LP, which shows 15 songs with two features from Tyler, The Creator and another appearance from James Fauntleroy.

Not only that, but she also hinted at other collaborators by tagging great minds like No. I.D., Pharrell, Chad Hugo, Terrace Martin, PJ Morton, Sevn Thomas and Christian Rich on Instagram.

ALBUM – 7/9 ☁️💜

TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES – Pre order now !! pic.twitter.com/gy7WPr3EPM

— Snoh Aalegra (@snohaalegra) June 7, 2021

Snoh Aalegra released her last album Ugh, Those Feels Again in August 2019, which peaked at No. 73 on the Billboard 200 chart. Since then, she’s signed a deal with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation and dropped the single “Dying 4 Your Love,” with its music video racking up 4.4 million YouTube views since it arrived in July 2020. 



In April 2020, Snoh Aalegra disclosed why she chose the label and her admiration for Hov’s tight-knit team when she spoke to NR Magazine.

“I’m very happy about it all,” she said at the time. “Me and my team, we’ve been working our asses off, doing everything ourselves for so many years. And I have a really small team of like three people, and at some point, we were like, ‘Okay, it’s time to expand.’ I mean, we work around the clock and we needed to delegate some of this insane workload. Talking to labels was a natural next step in my journey, and our journey as a team.

“I think choosing Roc Nation was just the most organic way to go; there’s a pre-existing relationship and respect there already, you know. No I.D. [Snoh’s producer] is close with JAY-Z, TY TY, Jay Brown and everybody, and I feel like no matter how big their company gets, they still operate like one big family. And I think that’s something that’s very important to have for me, in contrast to other cutthroat, hype-driven labels.”


She added, “I look at JAY-Z, his close circle of people and see the insane careers they’ve built for themselves and the help they’ve given so many other artists. And as far as my creative process goes, that will stay the same. I mean, I always strive to evolve and learn, but I definitely have a particular way of how I like things to be done and that will probably never change.”

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THE GAME TEASES KENDRICK LAMAR’S RETURN

 Kendrick Lamar’s comeback may be imminent, according to The Game.


The Compton rapper says he spoke with   “Top Dawg” CEO, who said that King Kendrick is about to drop new music “real soon.”

“He told me Kendrick about to hit ni**as with some shit real soon and shit, so who knows how real soon that is,” said Game. “But if Kendrick is working, that shit is always major. That’s my little ni**a. Love that ni**a to death. The whole TDE, all them ni**as, man, is family.”

The Game says he’s inspired to drop new music & says he heard Kendrick Lamar is dropping soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/Px6IY4RtAt

— 2Cool2Blog (@2Cool2BIog) May 31, 2021


Kendrick’s potential return has inspired Game to hit the studio. “I’m real inspired tonight,” said Game, who has also been listening to J. Cole’s new album The Off-Season. “Ni**as is rapping.”

There have been previous rumblings over Kendrick’s long-awaited return. Back in September, the pgLang founder was spotted shooting a music video in downtown Los Angeles. The following month, TDE President Terrence “Punch” Henderson hinted that the follow-up to 2017’s DAMN. would arrive “pretty soon.”

In late April, fans were hopeful for new music from Kung Fu Kenny when TDE announced the “wait is ovah.” But the mysterious drop ended up being Isaiah Rashad’s new single “Lay Wit Ya.”

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T-PAIN CLAIMS RAP FANS DON’T LIKE LYRICS …. JUST BEATS

Over the years, producers have become an essential factor in making a quality Hip Hop record. With the era of mumble rap causing fans to criticize the lyrics of some popular rappers, people gave praise to the producers who crafted the sounds coming from these artists.

On Tuesday (May 9), T-Pain took to Twitter to salute and show appreciation to the beatsmiths that continue to create the sound of Hip Hop.

“The producers are the ones that deserve all the clout because y’all really don’t be liking these songs, y’all really just like the beats,” T-Pain tweeted. “When you hear a certain producer’s tag you don’t give a fuck who’s on it because you know you gon like the beat give them they flowers fr.” 

While he’s giving praise to all the producers that are keeping fans tuned in to Hip Hop, T-Pain must still be going through the two years worth of unread Instagram DMs he discovered last month.

On April 28, The singer took to Instagram to share a video of him scrolling through all the DMs he’s accidentally left unread, with some big names showing up. Messages from Viola Davis, YBN Nahmir, Diplo, Fergie, NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, Keri Hilson, pornstar Nina Kayy, Princess Pia Mia and soccer player Daniel Sturridge were sitting in T-Pain’s inbox, and all he could do was shake his head in disbelief.

“I swear,” he wrote in the caption. “I’m just now seeing all these messages and mentions TODAY!!!! How do I super apologize? Press conference? Town hall meeting? I’m dumb.”

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Pop Smoke’s Alleged Teenage Killer Just Wanted His Iced-Out Rolex

 Pop Smoke (born Bashar Barakah Jackson) was shot and killed at a Hollywood Hills home in February 2020, just as his career was about to explode. Roughly five months later, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested multiple people for the murder, including two juveniles.



The New York Daily News reports a detective involved in the case testified in court on Friday (May 7) and revealed the group of teens believed to be responsible for the killing were desperate to steal Pop Smoke’s iced Rolex. The alleged triggerman was also just 15 years old.

The investigator said they had their eyes on Pop Smoke’s Cuban link chain but only managed to get the watch, which they then resold for a mere $2,000.



The 15-year-old alleged shooter is the youngest of the four defendants facing murder and robbery charges in the case. He allegedly confessed to his role in the murder during a recorded interview with a cellmate at a juvenile detention center in May 2020.

“He admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Baretta 9mm.,” LAPD Detective Carlos Camacho testified at a preliminary hearing for co-defendant Corey Walker, the only adult involved in the case.

The detective said the teen “admitted they asked for the jewelry” and then had “a confrontation” with Pop Smoke before ultimately killing him.

“They got into a fight, and he shot him three times,” Camacho said. “He said he shot him on the back.”

Walker confessed to his role during another secretly recorded jailhouse interview with a different informant placed in his cell after his July 2020 arrest. He allegedly admitted the group used ski masks, gloves and a police scanner to try to “evade detection.”

Camacho added, “He said that when the individuals got inside, the suspects confronted (Pop Smoke), who was in the shower naked.”

Walker’s defense attorney Christopher Darden asked Judge H. Clay Jacke II to reduce the charges but Jacke refused, ruling there was “sufficient cause” to send Walker to trial.

On Thursday (May 6), Detective Christian Carrasco took the stand and recounted testimony from a woman who was in the house when Pop Smoke was killed. She told him one of the men pressed a black semiautomatic firearm to her forehead and screamed, “Shut the fuck up. Do you want to die?”

Carrasco added, “She heard a struggle coming from the shower area and heard Mr. Jackson screaming. Mr. Jackson ran out of the bathroom and then she heard a loud pop and [heard] Mr. Jackson fall to the ground. Two other individuals began to kick him.”

Pop Smoke’s parents, who both attended the hearing, were audibly shocked by what they heard.

“I didn’t know any of this,” Audrey Jackson said. “It’s all new. I just knew my boy was gone. Now it really feels like he’s not coming back. I don’t know what I thought being here would do. I thought something would happen that would help me feel differently. But to hear they kicked him when he was down. It’s so disrespectful and dishonorable.

There was no honor in this. And the irony in this is that those same kids are the kids he said he made music for. There need to be consequences, sufficient consequences. But as a people, we have work to do. Our children are killing each other. This just makes absolutely no sense to me.”

Pop Smoke was only 20 years old at the time of his death.

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LIL NAS X RESPONDS TO SADA BABY’S DEATH WISH OVER DMX

 Not long after the satanic-themed “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video dropped and the news of  DMX been hospitalized following a reported drug overdose, Sada Baby decided to tweet and promptly delete an Instagram Story that read “Lord we said Nas X not DMX.” Unsurprisingly, homophobic accusations started flying his way on Twitter, but the openly gay rapper doesn’t really seem to be too bothered.

On Tuesday (April 6), Lil Nas X responded to a story about the post in true troll fashion, seizing the moment to promote his No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 single. 

“this is so fucked up omg,” he wrote. “everyone stream the number 1 smash hit Montero (Call Me By Your Name) out now on all platforms!”

Since dropping the “Montero” video on April 2 and doubling down with his customized “Satan Shoes,” Lil Nas X has been the subject of seemingly constant ridicule. Especially from Christian conservatives.

Pastor Mark Burns, who has appeared as a commentator on CNN and Fox News, tweeted, “This is evil and heresy and I pray that Christians rise up against this,” while Grammy Award-winning Christian singer Kaya Jones tweeted, “I told y’all what was up a long time ago! You are ready for what we are facing. Better start reading your Bible!”

Meanwhile, retired NBA Nick Young was incensed over the “Satan Shoes” and tweeted he’d enacted a Lil Nas X ban in his household while he contemplated boycotting Nike all together. He soon learned Nike wasn’t behind the shoe — a company called MSCHF has simply customized 666 pairs of Air Max ’97s and is being sued by the sneaker giant for copyright infringement as a result.

Nike was granted a temporary restraining order against the company last week, which blocked the sale of the shoes. Lil Nas X joked about the lawsuit on Twitter as well, suggesting he’ll be in the poor house if Nike wins.

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SNOOP DOGG ANNOUNCES WEED-FRIENDLY RELEASE DATE FOR ‘FROM THE STREETS 2 THA SUITES’ LP

 Snoop Dogg finally unveil a release date for his 18th studio album, From The Streets 2 Tha Suites. The West Coast gangsta rap pioneer made the announcement on Wednesday (April 7) via Instagram and revealed the project would arrive on the most weed-friendly date possible — April 20, the international weed smoker’s holiday.

The longtime cannabis connoisseur shared a photo of the album’s cover art, which features four different single blue shoes (including a Nike Cortez and Chuck Taylor high-top) and the Los Angeles skyline in the background. He wrote in the caption, “NEW ALBUM 4/20. ‘From Tha Streets 2 Tha Suites.’ pre-save link in bio.” No further details were included.


Snoop Dogg announced From The Streets To Tha Suites on March 29 and shared the first single, “Roaches In My Ashtray,” on April 2. 


The accompanying video, directed by Guap City Production, featured cameos from Wiz Khalifa, Xzibit and producer ProHoeZak (who appears on the song’s hook), numerous customized automobiles and a cloud of blunt smoke for good measure. 

 Snoop has got more music on the way with Too $hort, Ice Cube and E-40 as part of the Mt. Westmore project. Short Dog first announced the supergroup during an interview with 3rd Bass legend MC Serch for his Serch Says podcast. In an exclusive clip initially obtained by HipHopDX, the Bay Area rap luminary explained how the project came to fruition.

“During the quarantine, I got a call from Ice Cube and E-40,” Short begins around the 55-minute mark. “Over the years, probably more than the past five years, we’ve been doing kind of these old school concerts. It will be either Snoop Dogg or Ice Cube headlining, or it will be me, E-40, sometimes it’s Bone Thugs, DJ Quik. They usually call it like ‘How The West Was Won,’ ‘West Coast Kings’ or some shit like that and it’s always a big show and it always sells out. It’s like 20, 30,000 people — whatever the size of the arena is — it’s sold out.

“So I get a call during the early part of the quarantine from E-40 and Ice Cube going, ‘Man, we feel like we should do an album. Like me, you … it’s E-40, Cube, Too $hort and Snoop Dogg. And I’m like — E-40 and Too $hort from the Bay, Snoop Dogg and Cube are from L.A. and we like the West Coast foundation. We sat there and was like, ‘Fuck it, let’s do it.’ So, we start coming up with beats.”