It's The Boombap

Meek Mill's latest project, CHAMPIONSHIPS was as anticipated as the rapper's major label debut. The project served as his first album since his release from prison earlier this year. The projections made for his first-week sales continuously increased as the week went by. Today, the rapper earns his second chart-topper on the Billboard 200 for CHAMPIONSHIPS.
First-week numbers are in and Meek Mill came on top, as many predicted. The rapper completely exceeded his first-week sales projections with 226K units moved. 42K out of 226K moved were from pure album sales. It marks Meek Mill's second number one album on the Billboard 200. Not only is this Meek's best streaming week in his career, but it's also the ninth-largest streaming week of the year for a project and the sixth-largest debut streaming frame of the year for an album.
If it wasn't for Meek Mill's monstrous debut, maybe Lil Baby would've scored his first number one album. The ATL rapper's new project Street Gossip debuted right behind Meek at #2 with 88K equivalent album units moved.
Tekashi 6ix9ine's DUMMY BOY made its official debut on the Billboard chart this week at #3. The rapper's new album should've debuted at #1 last week, but a mistake on Nielsen's end resulted in Travis Scott's Astroworld taking the top spot.
Ski Mask The Slump God made a major splash on the chart this week. His new album Stokeley debuted at #6 on the chart, making it his highest-charting album to date. Beware The Book Of Eli peaked at #50 upon its release. 

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/meek-mills-championships-debuts-atop-billboard-200-news.66497.htm

It's been over a week and we're still unsure who had the number one country in America for the week ending on Nov. 29th. A major mishap on the Billboard 200 resulted in Travis Scott's Astroworld topping the chart while 6ix9ine's DUMMY BOY sat at number two. After a deeper investigation was concluded, it turned out that the number one spot actually went to Tekashi 6ix9ine who beat out Travis Scott by less than 200 units. Billboard still hasn't updated the site and now, it looks legal action has been threatened against Nielsen.
According to HDD, the Billboard 200 mishap could lead to a big lawsuit in the future. In a series of meetings that took place last Friday between Sony, Billboard, and Create Music Group -- the distributor of 6ix9ine's DUMMY BOY -- lawsuits were threatened over Nielsen's failure to provide accurate numbers for all DSP's, specifically TIDAL and Soundcloud. The latter was reportedly late in providing the streaming numbers for 6ix9ine which disqualified those streams.
Once reports on Nielsen's inaccuracy began to surface, Billboard withdrew the initial chart which had Travis Scott at number one. Billboard has yet to release an updated version of the chart with 6ix9ine at the top. Since they haven't posted the current chart standings for week 48, Nielsen cannot publish the current chart-standings.
We'll keep you posted. 

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/6ix9ine-and-travis-scott-billboard-mix-up-result-in-legal-threats-report-news.66496.htm

Things aren't harmonious in the world of Cardi B and Offset. Hip-hop's former power couple confirmed their split last week which allegedly stemmed from Offset's attempt to organize a threesome with Cuban Doll and Summer Bunni. The latter issued a tearful apology to Cardi B and Offset last week, but now, it looks like she might have changed her feelings towards the "I Like It" rapper.
According to The Blast, Summer Bunni was locked out of her Instagram account and claims Bardi Gang is responsible for it. Sources close to the aspiring rapper said that she believes Cardi B's fans hacked her Instagram account before deleting it. Before it was deleted, she had 76K followers and 35 posts. 
While she hasn't confirmed it, she believes that her Instagram was shut down following an IG Live session where she defended her relationship with Offset which seemed to upset many of Cardi B's fans. After the broadcast, she realized that she was locked out of her account. She's currently working to gain control of it again. 
“You should be sending people to fight your husband,” she said in defense of herself. "I’m not the only girl, I’m the only girl the world wants to fuckin' focus on. Again, I'm sorry I made a mistake."
What may have also upset Bardi Gang is the fact that Bunni was bumping Nicki Minaj's music during the live broadcast. It's not too shocking since she appeared alongside 6ix9ine & Nicki in the "FEFE" video. 

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/offsets-alleged-mistress-summer-bunni-thinks-cardi-b-fans-hacked-her-ig-report-news.66495.htm

The cast and crew of Power have been hit with the loss of one of their teammates, Pedro Jimenez. The Starz network issued a statement following his death and 50 Cent addressed the issue via social media. Omari Hardwick has also penned a message honoring Jimenez, who he describes as "beautiful hardworking GRACIOUS Pedro"
He opens his message by contextualizing how he is experiencing the tragedy.
"I sit next to my family as i type this post of a day gone the worst. Started as a regular old workday for everyone of us. Ironically for me the night prior saw me as part of the special CNN Heroes annual gala honoring local yet worldwide heroes. I found myself presenting to 1 of those heroes. And nos, as the man who was given the challenge of quarterbacking this very formidable team into 6 successful seasons of play, I find myself presenting along with my colleagues & producers this tragic tragic news of one of our work family members losing his life on the job."

 Nicholas Hunt/Getty ImagesHe asks that his following send prayers to the mourning family and enjoy the presence of their own loved ones while they are still here.
"On behalf of ALL of us here at Power, we send out deepest condolences to the entire Jimenez family & God, we ask that you warmly receive our good ole Pedro. Please send up prayers for the Jimenez family while loving you own."

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/omari-hardwick-honors-power-crew-member-killed-on-set-with-heartfelt-message-news.66494.htm

Nike and Kyrie Irving have done a phenomenal job of story telling with his signature line, from the "Dream" Kyrie 1 to the recently released "Little Mountain" Nike Kyrie 5 PE.
Today, Nike divulged more information about the light blue "Little Mountain" Kyrie 5s, which Irving recently laced up during the Celtics' 56-point win over the Chicago Bulls.

The shoe's tongue features a Standing Rock Sioux Tribal seal decal, a nod to Irving's late mother, Elizabeth Ann Larson, who was an enrolled member. "Little Mountain" appears on the toe box, which refers to the Lakota name officially bestowed to Irving in August by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
As of now it doesn't appear that the Nike Kyrie 5 "Little Mountain" PE will release, though it wouldn't surprise us if Nike sprung a surprise drop in the future.

If you're unfamiliar with Kyrie Irving's latest Nike silhouette, the kicks are highlighted by a new Nike Air Zoom unit engineered to help Kyrie play quicker and sharper, as well as a new Flywire system and traction pattern on the sole.
Benjamin Nethongkome, designer of the KYRIE 5, breaks down its three critical elements:
1. An articulated forefoot zoom bag This is a huge technological unlock for supporting guard play. Why? Because of its unique properties (see sidebar for more on this), the Air Zoom Turbo unit curves to wrap the bottom and sides of the foot. "In the Kyrie 5, it is distributed across the entire forefoot footbed, working with his quick-change-of-direction style of play. When he's banking, cutting, or attacking in drastic degrees, his foot will engage the Air Zoom Turbo unit providing responsiveness at all directions," explains Nethongkome.
2. A new containment system Inspired by a Venus Flytrap, this feature creates optimal containment above the Air Zoom Turbo unit. “The Flywire is arranged so that it locks the foot into the Air Zoom Turbo unit, and this amplifies the responsiveness of Zoom in the forefoot,” says Nethongkome. “We wanted it to be both beautiful and improve on fit and feel.”
3. A new traction pattern This draws direct inspiration from Irving. “The traction system for the KYRIE 5 creates stability through discreet geometries,” says Nethongkome. “Have you seen the Hamsa hand tattoo on his left arm? It's a symbol of protection for him, it kind of shields him from all the bad juju, and so it became the jump-off point for the shaping of the outsole patterns. He wants to have more than just a basketball shoe. And this allows us to apply more of his spirit throughout the shoe.”

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/nike-kyrie-5-little-mountain-pe-honors-standing-rock-sioux-tribe-news.66491.htm

Earlier this year, Steve Harvey decided to go a different route, switching up a look that had become instantly recognizable. The comedian was famous for his signature humor but people often associated him with his bushy mustache. When Steve decided to grow out a beard and trim his upper lip, people were surprised to see that he had finally embraced a new look. While a man's facial hair is usually not newsworthy enough to create headlines, the TV host appears to have that sort of allure. He sat down with Ellen DeGeneres and one of the first topics that came up was his beard.

Ellen asked why he chose to switch things up, to which he joked that he was on vacation and had forgotten his Just For Men at home. Instead of buying new dye for his mustache, he chose to let the rest of his facial hair grow out. "This either gon' be sexy or I'm ugly as hell," said the actor. Ellen proceeded to praise him for the change, telling him that he "looks great." Steve was flattered but he did point out that some of his haters online have trashed him for growing out his beard. He revealed that somebody told him that he "looks old," to which he replied that he is, indeed, old.
How do you feel about Steve's new look?

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/steve-harvey-explains-why-he-changed-his-iconic-mustache-look-news.66492.htm

Today, Interview Magazine has revealed their Winter Issue, which features a cover story on Young Thug. The piece finds Young Thug talking art and life with Virgil Abloh in a conversation that ranges across a variety of topics. It's a fascinating read for fans of the rapper, and one of the most in-depth looks into Thugger's creative process in a minute. 
Off the bat, Thug confidently approximates that his overall tally of recorded songs currently stands at 15,000. Though the number may feel staggering, the explanation is actually rather logical. "I just stay in there," explains Thugger, referring to the studio. "I keep clothes in the studio. I slept there last night. To be honest, I hate traveling so much, because I’d rather be in the studio." Of course, such dedication to the craft might explain Thugger's prolific run, but it also speaks to a perfectionist side we take for granted; his vault must be a truly impressive sight to behold, with Terabytes worth of unreleased WAV files. 

As the conversation progresses, Thug explains why his music sounds so original, especially in a sea of perpetual copycats. "If you don’t like something, you kind of have to create your own look," explains Thugger, drawing parallels with Abloh's own mindset. "When I didn’t like what I was listening to, I just had to create a whole different album, or a whole different mixtape. It’s still like that for me."
Abloh proceeds to reflect on an era when he and Kanye were barely welcomed in the high fashion game. "When me and Kanye first went to fashion shows, they wouldn’t let us in. We’d have to get back in the car and drive around the block. Now this collective of us is the whole culture. How we wear clothes and how we make our art is what rock ’n’ roll was for previous generations." Thugger can't help but marvel at how the world has changed. "Now n***s are the brand ambassadors for this shit. It’s crazy as fuck."

While the conversation is a wide-ranging and insightful one, the most interesting moments arise when Thugger sheds light on his creative process. When asked about where he draws inspiration, Thugger explains "When I first started [writing lyrics] the topic was real-life situations. But I now spend maybe 16 hours a day in the studio—I spend almost all my life in the studio—so I try to turn everything I go through in those hours into something. Anything crazy, or iconic, or even a mistake—whatever it is, I feel like it’s precious. That’s my concept."
For more from Young Thug and Virgil Abloh, be sure to check out the entire cover story over at Interview Magazine. 

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/young-thug-talks-creative-process-i-spend-maybe-16-hours-a-day-in-studio-news.66488.htm

Nicki Minaj's DM is probably backed up now that she has officially confirmed her new romantic relationship. All of these messages might not be positive, however, since the lucky man has been accused of multiple crimes. He is also said to have served prison time for killing a man. Despite the criticism headed her way, Nicki is proud to show off Kenny Petty, a man who was convicted of attempted rape as a youngin'.
The Chun Li rapper posted a collection of pictures and video clips that show the fresh couple steeped in hood love vibes. She took time to address the rape situation in the comments section under one of the pictures of herself and Petty.
"He was 15, she was 16...in a relationship. But go awf, Internet. y'all can't run my life. Y'all can't even run you own life."

She then upped the ante with the following post, which she captioned while channeling her rebellious yet cheeky side: "Oh, they wanna talk? Let's give'm something to talk about. *Shania Twain voice*"

Looks like Minaj isn't taking any of the criticism seriously, laughing it off as she usually does when faced with haterade. The number of alleged rapists she hangs around remains on the rise.

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/nicki-minaj-responds-to-rape-claims-against-new-boyfriend-with-nsfw-pics-news.66489.htm

While his baby mama Tia Kemp continues to blast him online for failing to contact his children, Rick Ross is ready to be in his youngest son's life. This year saw Rozay land himself in the hospital after a major health scare. The rapper was placed on life support after a scary bout with pneumonia and it was unclear if he would make it through. Thankfully, he's back at full strength and made a speedy recovery. Last month, he welcomed his baby son into the world, revealing that he had named him Billion. The choice was critiqued by many but Rozay is rich as hell so the name is pretty suitable. Today, the iconic artist hit Instagram to share the first photo of his son.

While Cardi B and Offset waited months to reveal a photo of their daughter, Rick Ross couldn't wait for everybody to see the newest addition to his family. He snapped a photo of his son Billion as he slept, posting it to Instagram and uncovering the baby's own profile. The account @billion.heir has been reserved for Billion once he reaches an appropriate age to use social media. So far, the profile includes a congratulatory post on his birth and a photo of his tiny foot.
Rozay seems excited to raise his newborn child, writing, "Say wut up to my amazing son." Congratulations to Ross and his family!

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/rick-ross-shares-first-photo-of-his-newborn-son-news.66490.htm

He might be a Kid, but Cudi has no shortage of sons in this game. In some ways, the Man On The Moon rapper feels like one of the most influential artists of his generation. His melodic flow, lyrical content, and overall demeanor have been influenced by many young up-and-comers, including the platinum Juice WRLD, who recently secured a plaque for his single "Lucid Dreams." Now, with his fame rising faster than ever before, Juice took to Twitter to do the artist-equivalent of DM sliding.
"@KidCudi I need to work w you," writes Juice, tagging Cudi for good measure. "It’s a need." Remember, this is not a want, but an actual need. As of now, Juice has yet to receive an answer from Cudi, who is selective in his releases on the best days. Luckily, Kids See Ghosts was somewhat of a return for the elusive rapper, and he recently teased that there would be more music to come. Not to mention, Wiz Khalifa also happened to reference a potential Cudi collaboration, though a release date has yet to be unveiled.  
Let's see if Juice WRLD's attempt at "shooting his shot" is a success. Best of luck to the young man. 

via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/juice-wrld-implores-kid-cudi-to-collaborate-with-him-news.66482.htm