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On July 10, Kanye West shared a photo on Twitter portraying a Chicago Bulls jersey signed by Dennis Rodman. In the tweet, West proclaimed that Rodman is “one of my biggest inspirations…always breaking barriers with independent thought.” The NBA star expressed his gratitude to ‘Ye in a recent interview with US Weekly and also told the publication that he plans to invite the rapper to North Korea. “Kanye, he’s doing amazing work around the world so I respect him too,” he told Us Weekly. “So hopefully one day we’ll get together and collaborate on certain things. Guess what, I’ll take...

The rapper Prodigy, from the hip hop group Mobb Deep, died today at age 42 while on tour in Las Vegas, according to TMZ. Although his exact cause of death has not been confirmed, his publicist announced that Prodigy, whose reeal name is Albert Johnson, was hospitalized a few days ago for complications caused by sickle cell anemia. Here are some possible life-threatening complications caused by this blood condition. “Prodigy was hospitalized a few days ago in Vegas after a Mobb Deep performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis. As most of his fans know, Prodigy battled...

Two up-and-coming U.S. rappers, XXXTentacion and Jimmy Wopo, were killed on Monday in separate shootings near Miami and in Pittsburgh, police and local media reported. In Florida, the Broward County sheriff's office said that XXXTentacion, 20, was shot while leaving a motor sports dealership in Deerfield Beach, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Miami. The rapper, whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, was later pronounced dead, the sheriff's department said. "The adult male victim has been confirmed as 20 year old Jahseh Onfroy, aka rapper #XXXTentacion," the sheriff's department said in a posting on Twitter....

Meek Mill bailed on a visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Friday after a late-night call from Jay-Z ... TMZ has learned. TMZ broke the story ... Meek agreed to travel to the White House to discuss prison reform. President Trump is hosting a Prison Reform Summit. Participants include members of Congress, various activists and, clearly, people who have become victims of the system. We're told Jay called Meek Thursday night and made it clear ... meeting with Trump would be problematic for his image and for the cause. We're told other high-profile African-Americans also called Meek and voiced serious concern....

China Bans Hip-Hop And Other 'Sub-Cultures' From State Television China's media regulator has banned the country's top hip-hop artists from appearing on television, saying the music genre represents "non-mainstream culture" that is "decadent." A directive from the State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) published as "special content" on the entertainment pages of news portal Sina.com calls on state broadcasters to avoid hiring any performers who embody "hip-hop culture" or other sub-cultures. Performers with tattoos are also a no-no, along with anyone representing the emo-esque 'sang' culture popular with Chinese millennials, according to SAPPRFT spokesman Gao Changli....

Authenticity is quite marketable now, and for white pop stars that means shifting away from the hip-hop and R&B-influenced sounds that made them famous, and toward the sounds of Southern and country rock. For Timberlake, the pivot should be sonically natural: Originally hailing from Tennessee, Timberlake has never been shy about celebrating his Southern origins.

<p>The typical conservative case against the genre amounts not to music criticism, but to the charge that it promotes dangerous behaviors in the culture. Rap group N.W.A.’s 1988 album Straight Outta Compton is the representative example. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and MC Ren, got together in the titular L.A. suburb and wrote a violent and political collection of songs that included “F**k the Police.” The album met with outrage from conservatives, and since its release the conservative mind has identified hip-hop with a rhapsodic glorification of violence. Most rap, the critique goes, feeds the violent loop that mars inner cities, whose residents scorn the justice system and settle scores outside it.</p>

Late-night-host Seth Meyers followed in Eminem’s footsteps Wednesday night, giving his viewers an ultimatum to choose him or President Trump. “I was inspired by that, so tonight I say to any fans of this show who are also big fans of Donald Trump, it’s time to make a decision guys, get off the fence,” Meyers joked. “Do you support him? Or do you support this show, that constantly mocks and denigrates anything about him? I know it’s a tough call, but the time has come to make a decision.” Eminem, in a viral rap slamming the president, told his fans...

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick expressed his appreciation for Eminem's fiery four-and-a-half-minute freestyle takedown of President Trump. "I appreciate you," Kaepernick said in a tweet that also had the video, which aired at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards on Tuesday. Kaepernick led a movement beginning last season when he took a knee during the national anthem to protest the treatment of African Americans and other minorities in the U.S. Eminem dedicated a portion of his freestyle to supporting Kaepernick and other NFL players who have recently come under attack by the president for those demonstrations. "Now, if...

Las Vegas mass killer Stephen Paddock booked two hotel rooms overlooking the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago this summer, according to a report Thursday. Paddock specifically requested both rooms to have a sweeping view of Grant Park — about 500 yards away — but never showed up, sources told TMZ. Among the 400,000 people who packed the venue in the Windy City was Malia Obama, 19, the former president’s older daughter.

Rapper Eminem released a brand-new track ahead of the final presidential debate titled “Campaign Speech.” The seven-minute freestyle rap covers a wide range of controversial news events that have surfaced during this election season — from the killing of Trayvon Martin, to Charleston church gunman Dylann Roof, to 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his anti-cop demonstrations. Given the rap’s title, it’s no surprise that Donald Trump gets a mention. What is surprising, however, is the fact that Eminem of all people chose to bash Trump and his supporters, considering how much he and the Republican nominee have in common.

David Brooks took a brief break on Friday from politics and Bruce Springsteen idol worship today in his New York Times column to take on the role of rap reviewer. His subject was Chance the Rapper (authentic birth name Chancellor Johnathan Bennett) as he expounded at length on the subject of sincerity vs authenticity. In the process he slammed both Taylor Swift and, of course, the one who continues to inhabit his mind 24/7...President Donald Trump. Brooks starts off his rap review gig with a microanalysis of the recent debut of Chance the Rapper's unnamed song and quickly proceeds to talking...

What do the Las Vegas massacre, the Charleston church shooting and last weekend’s Islamist stabbing of two Frenchwomen have in common? The murderers’ sense of inadequate recognition, and the primal lure of the ecstasy of killing. Acts of deadly terror are in fashion, the default position for a wide range of frustrated egotists. From lone-wolf Islamists enabled by faith, through punk racists, to a high-stakes gambler who craved casino perks — slum-dweller, misfit or property owner — these terrorists shared a sense that their societies wouldn’t give them their due. Too much has been made of the measure of wealth...

50 Cent, who recently took XXL exclusively behind the scenes of his new variety show, 50 Central, is known for offering his forever-unfiltered commentary, even when it comes to certain controversial topics such as Donald Trump. During a conversation on The View, the music-mogul-turned-entertainer spoke as candidly as ever, explaining that if he got elected president “by accident,” he might be making similar mistakes. “I think if I was the president by accident, I would be doing things like that,” 50 Cent says with a smile when asked by co-host Whoopi Goldberg his thoughts on Trump’s recent “sons of bitches”...

President Donald Trump continues to prove that he might be one of the most petty politicians in history. After making controversial comments about the NFL, POTUS recently rescinded the offer for Steph Curry and the NBA champion, Golden State Warriors to visit the White House after Curry said he didn’t want to go in a recent interview. Going on one of his seemingly weekly Twitter tirades, Trump snapped, “Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!” LeBron James quickly came to the defense of his fellow NBA All-Star...

2017 has been a dynamic year for UK music scene. No matter where you are in the world it’s hard to ignore the vast progression and recognition that UK rap artists have been receiving globally, not only by music lovers but also by fellow musicians. One of the undeniably most progressive artists’ flourishing in the music scene is South London rapper, Dave, also known as Santandave, who has been acknowledged by the likes of acclaimed artists such as Drake and Hans Zimmer, alongside major brands such as Footlocker and Nike.

I wish I wasn’t the one to bring this tragedy to these vaulted pages amidst the litany of bad news we’ve huddled together against. I’m only the messenger of this giant’s downfall, who no doubt touched us all. Rapper Shawty Lo has died in a car accident in Atlanta. The 40-year-old rapper, born Carlos Walker, was ejected from his vehicle after he crashed into two trees on his way home from an Atlanta strip club. Walker leaves behind 11 children from 10 different mothers. He made headlines in 2013 when the television network Oxygen announced a special about the rapper...

The National Park Service staff in Washington, D.C., is bracing for a busy day Sept. 16. That’s when supporters of President Trump will be sharing space on the National Mall with fans of the hip hop act Insane Clown Posse. The Trump supporters plan to hold what they’re calling the “Mother of All Rallies,” while the music fans – known as Juggalos – plan a “Juggalo March on Washington” in response to the FBI labeling them a “loosely organized hybrid gang.” “This is the day that we are asking every single Juggalo to join us in our nation’s capital, Washington,...

On Sunday (03Sep17) TMZ.com editors reported that Legend had placed an advertisement with Los Angeles agency Casting Networks inviting extras who are white and overweight to audition for roles as pro-Trump protesters in a new promo. However, on Monday, John, 38, denied the casting call came from his camp, writing on Twitter, "There's a casting call out there claiming to represent me looking for 'out of shape' Trump supporters. This didn't come from me or my team" He did reiterate his opposition to America's controversial 71-year-old leader though, adding, "still (sic) think Trump is awful and whoever voted for him...

Singer John Legend has reportedly put out a casting call for “preferably out of shape” actors to play supporters of President Trump in a new music video. According to TMZ, the casting call was posted on Los Angeles’s Casting Networks website and uses a photograph of several people wearing Trump shirts as an example. The report notes that the call for actors portraying Trump supporters is the only listing with a specific body type. Legend has criticized Trump in the past and was also an outspoken backer of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign.