Days before Nipsey Hussle‘s untimely death he filmed a music video for the DJ Khaled song, ‘Higher’ (found aboard his new album ‘Father of Asahd’).

With John Legend on the hook, the now almost haunting visual – filmed in Inglewood, California – sees the trio show love to the ‘Golden State’ with classic hydraulic-bouncing cars and messages of peace and unity in the LA streets.

Taking to social media earlier this week, Khaled remembered Hussle fondly in a statement:

“The very title of the song reminds us that vibrating on a ‘Higher’ level was the essence of Nipsey’s soul,” Khaled wrote in his statement posted on social media. “It is in this spirit, of moving forward, of preserving his mission that I, my co-writers, producers and label partners are donating 100 percent of all our proceeds from ‘Higher’ to [Nipsey’s] children, Emani and Kross.”

Khaled also confirmed he received “full blessing” from the late rap star’s family.  See the finished product inside:

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As we reported here, DJ Khaled‘s finally unveiling a full listen to ‘Father of Asahd’ – the parent album of 2018 hits ‘Top Off’ featuring Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Future as well as ‘No Brainer’ with Justin Bieber, Quavo, and Chance The Rapper.

Having already birthed the aforementioned hits, there’s great expectations for ‘Father’ to follow suit with a family of follow-up chart-toppers as the set boasts a full house of features including the likes of Cardi B, the late Nipsey Hussle, John Legend, and many more.

Curious to find out if the LP was worth the wait?  Look inside for your first listen and find out:

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With the first three singles from her June 14th-due album, ‘Madame X,’ failing to make any serious dents on the Hot 100, Queen of Pop Madonna‘s summoned ‘Stir Fry’ star Quavo to help whip up a future hit.

Titled ‘Future,’ the reggae-flavored cut comes as the duo’s second collaboration, following the Cardi B-assisted ‘Champagne Rose‘ (featured on Migos member’s debut solo effort, ‘Quavo Huncho’).

Hear the tune in full below ahead of the two’s rumored duet performance at this weekend’s ‘Eurovision’ contest (as we reported here):

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With the first full sales tracking week of her latest album, ‘Beauty Marks,’ zooming toward its finish mark, R&B stage blazer Ciara is looking to give undecided music lovers one more incentive to purchase.

Taking to ‘Jimmy Kimmel’ on Thursday (May 16), the Grammy-winner rendered a jaw-dropping live rendition of the LP’s latest single, ‘Thinkin’ Bout You,‘ after kicking things off with a high-octane performance of ‘Set.’

Rounding the appearance out with new showings of her classic tunes ‘Goodies’ & ‘1,2 Step,‘ step inside to see just how she fared:

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It’s been over three months since Steve Harvey and Mo’nique rocked headlines for their on-air clash over the comedienne’s industry black-balling and documented ‘anti-‘ behavior (click here to watch again), but that hasn’t stopped critics from assuming the ‘Parkers’ star isn’t somewhere celebrating the wave of losses Harvey’s suffered in just this week alone.

As we reported here, the 62-year-old’s long-running daytime talk show – ‘Steve’ – was cancelled just days before reports rang out that he was being replaced on NBC’s ‘Little Big Shots.’  With the bad news building up, memes began surfacing (like that seen below) that suggested his highly publicized failures were karmic as forewarned by Mo in that now infamous interview.

Mo – fed up with the influx of GIFs and memes that depicted her as proud Harvey was experiencing the bevy of bad luck – took to her official Youtube account to offer her true feelings.  See it inside:

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Even at 60 Madonna still finds ways to court controversy – even inadvertently.

In news that comes as little surprise, officials have finally confirmed the longstanding rumor the Pop Queen is set to headline this weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel.  Reportedly giving some cuts from her June 14-due album, ‘Madame X,’ their first live treatments, photos have been surfacing over the past few weeks of the diva hard-at-work rehearsing for the gig.

But, while the official announcement (seen below) didn’t arrive until today, it was preceded by calls from the singer’s fans (among others) to boycott the show.  Look inside to read her response to the hoopla:

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Trey Songz plays up his playboy persona musically, but isn’t one to spill on his personal life.

That appears to have changed moments ago, if his new reveal is what many are interpreting it to be.

Full story below…

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B2K are back and haven’t missed a step, even if – as of last week – they’re missing a member.

The quad have been rocking US audiences on their sold-out ‘Millennium Tour’ and mark their second wind with a feature spread in the latest issue of Vibe Magazine.

Perhaps even better is how real Omarion, Lil Fizz, Raz-B, and J-Boog kept it when dishing on their regrouping.

Because, while some reunions are presented as being rooted in “kumbaya,” the B2K boys stress theirs in more about timing, their fans, and above all…business.

Peep pics and quotes below…

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Perhaps the biggest character to emerge from Nicki Minaj‘s creative universe? Roman Zolanski, the troubled alter-ego the rapper created to combat the lady lyricists who took aim at her (see Lil Kim & Keys) in the earlier stages of her career.

Born to a Cockney mother, the ferocious teen’s life is turned upside down when he is banished to a Catholic boarding school after he and his equally feral friend Slim Shady launched an attack on Minaj’s enemies (see Roman’s Revenge & Moment 4 Life) and because his religious family learns that he is gay.

Horrified, his mother Martha enlists the help of a priest (and mind-altering drugs) she hopes will “cure” her wayward son.

Take your medication, Roman
Take a short vacation, Roman, you’ll be okay
You need to know your station, Roman
Some alterations on your clothes and your brain

 

Alas, the opposite occurs… leading to the scenes which took place in Minaj’s performance of his theme tune ‘Roman Holiday‘ at the 2012 Grammy Awards.

 

My flows is sick and I’m a lunatic
And this can’t be cured with no Elixir.

Now, seven years after the performance took place, the track has enjoyed a sales resurgence on iTunes.


Full story below…

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Rita Ora is waxing honest about the challenges she’s faced on her musical journey.

Because, for all her success (which includes five UK #1’s),  it hasn’t been plane sailing for the multi-hyphenate star.

Indeed, for all her wins, she’s routinely found herself at the center of industry politics – a lot of which prohibited her from releasing music and, in one instance, actually led to a major legal showdown.

In a new interview with This Is How I Made It, she opens up about how some of those hurdles affected her and how she came out triumphant. As relates to the latter, she kept it 100 about her unapologetic penchant for doing “everything” and stresses that people now must be like “I guess this b*tch is staying.”

Check out the insightful feature below…

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Cable’s #1 sitcom, TBS’ ‘The Last O.G.,’ is far from delivering its last laugh.

Co-created and executive-produced by Oscar winner Jordan Peele, the series – led by comedians Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish – has been officially renewed for its third season. 

Details inside:

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Review of Billboard history books may already show there is certainly no scarcity of the name Eminem mentioned, but – as his newest achievement underscores – the future will undoubtedly see even more room made for Slim Shady accomplishments.

The latest feat comes courtesy of his appearance on fellow rapper Logic‘s hit, ‘Homicide.’  As the 29-year-old is reportedly well on his way to topping the Billboard 200 next week with his latest album, ‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,’ his feature from Em  (born Marshall Mathers) precedes the coronation by  debuting in the top 5 on this week’s Hot 100.

With the newest addition to his Hot 100 chart history (the 21st of his career), Mathers is now tied with Jay Z for the third most top 10 hits among rappers (only Drake and Lil Wayne have more).  Of his 21 top 10 placements, 5 of them topped the chart (‘Love the Way You Lie’ featuring Rihanna, ‘The Monster’ with Rihanna, ‘Not Afraid,’ ‘Lose Yourself,’ and ‘Crack a Bottle’ with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent).  As it relates to #1 hits among rappers, only Drake has more than Eminem (as of time reported).

As we extend our congratulations, look below to see who joins him in the top 25 on this week’s TGJ Chart Check:  Hot 100 edition:

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