It's The Boombap

The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly considering retiring Los Angeles Lakers’ late star Kobe Bryant’s jersey number. Bryant, famously known for wearing both numbers 8 and 24 throughout his illustrious 20-year career, would potentially have his Lower Merion High School No. 33 jersey retired by his hometown of Philadelphia. Lower Merion, located in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, was made famous by Bryant, who never attended college before being drafted in 1996. 
Podcaster Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson hinted at the possibility, tweeting the comments of former CEO of the 76ers, Scott O’Neil. O’Neil, who stepped down in June after eight years with the organization, reportedly told Bally Sports that it was an "interesting idea" and that, “That’s something that Daryl Morey and Doc Rivers and Elton [Brand] will weigh on for sure. That’s something Chris Heck, the President of 76ers, will weigh on.”

The Black Mamba concluded his legendary career with the Lakers in 2016, finishing with five NBA Championships, 18 All-Star appearances, and a league MVP trophy. His sudden, tragic passing in late January 2020, along with his daughter Gigi and seven others, permanently shocked the entire basketball world. Since then, many teams across the league have paid tribute to the late athlete.

Jason Miller/Getty ImagesAlmost immediately after his passing, the Sixers honored Bryant by warming up in custom Kobe jerseys, with variations of both his numbers 8 and 24 worn by their players-- a symbol that Bryant's impact on basketball stretched much wider than simply his career with the Lakers. 

There is no disputing the impact the Black Mamba has had on the game of basketball-- amongst his fans, peers, and the sport’s entire community. An impact not restricted to the cities of Philadelphia and Los Angeles, but in states and countries across the globe. The potential gesture would only further the legend that is Kobe Bryant.
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Kyrie Irving has always prided himself on being an "independent thinker." On numerous occasions, Irving has accused people of being sheep, pawns, or puppets for the way they conduct themselves. Throughout the years, he has offered up some conspiracy theories all while saying that the earth is flat. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that Kyrie might have some unique thoughts about the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the NBA starting up in October, many teams are heading back to the court where they will get to play in front of thousands of fans. Many cities have implemented vaccine mandates which means players will have to adapt, otherwise, they might not get to play. This is currently happening to Andrew Wiggins of the Warriors, and the same fate could be bestowed upon Kyrie, as well.

Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesAccording to Fox Sports, numerous sources have noted that Kyrie is not vaccinated and that he hasn't even received his first shot. Vaccines have been made widely available to the players, but Kyrie has yet to budge on his position. Nets GM wouldn't implicate Kyrie, although he did speak on his team's playing status, noting “Regarding if they could play today, I can’t comment on who could play and so forth. There would obviously be a couple people missing from that picture. I won’t get into who it is, but we feel confident in the following several days before camp everybody would be allowed to participate and so forth.”
There are some athletes who are trying to apply for various exemptions, which could prove to be what gets Kyrie on the court. Otherwise, it could be a very long and trying season for a Nets team who is looking to win the championship.

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Token, hailing from Boston, has long been known as a fast rapper. Like Busta Rhymes, Twista or Eminem on "Rap God," the Between Somewhere rapper seemingly rapped as fast as possible, as much as possible.
"High Heels", the rapper's new track with Rico Nasty, is a definite change in pace. 
Starting with a more-reserved hook and flowing into a pair of braggadocious verses, Token raps in a way few have heard him and tells the story of being under-21 trying to hide in the club and the perils of taking rap life and bringing it back to the big-city-with-small-town-tendencies capital of Massachusetts. 
Rico Nasty, fresh off her impressive and powerful NPR Tiny Desk Concert, slides in and immediately takes over the song with a zany verse bouncing over a bass-heavy instrumental and adds a dimension few Token records have ever seen.
Coupled with visuals featuring a near-orgy in a white-pillared room, Token and Nasty walking the grounds with a horse and a closing scene featuring radio static and the two rappers grimacing menacingly at the camera, "High Heels" is unlike the majority of the Boston rapper's music and is a positive sign of what's to come on his upcoming album Pink Is Better. 
Check out "High Heels" and its visuals below and let us know what you think in the comments.



via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/token-rico-nasty-team-up-on-high-heels-new-song.1992731.htm

"Murder On My Mind," the song that's often associated with YNW Melly's rise, may go down in Hip-Hop history as the song associated with his downfall as well. In 2019, the controversial Florida artist was arrested in his alleged connection to the murder of his two close friends, YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy, which many have theorized is what Melly was actually singing about in "Murder On My Mind." The rising artist has remained behind bars ever since while continuing to treat fans to new projects like We All Shine, Melly vs. Melvin, and Just A Matter Of Slime.
Now, YNW Melly's story is set to be the focus of the next installment of Infamous, the Complex and Spotify Studios original podcast that documented the rise and fall of Tekashi 6ix9ine. It has not yet been revealed whether YNW Melly contributed to the podcast or played any role in its production, but it has been confirmed that Ace Hood will serve as the host of Infamous: The YNW Melly Story.

Broward's Sheriff's Office via Getty ImagesAccording to Complex, Infamous: The Story of YNW Melly will officially debut with its first two episodes on September 27, and afterward, one new episode in the documentary podcast will release every week. You can read the full description of the Complex and Spotify Studios collab podcast below:
YNW Melly was a young rapper on his way to becoming a superstar. Then his two best friends were murdered, and he became the prime suspect. This season on 'Infamous,' we look at how this violent killing tore a group of best friends and a Florida town apart, and why YNW Melly was at the center of it. Hosted by Ace Hood.
Listen to the trailer for Infamous: The Story of YNW Melly podcast below.

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It isn't a secret that James Harden and Lil Baby have a strong friendship. The baller and rapper have been close for a while and this year, they appear to have taken their friendship to a new level.
They were spotted a few weeks ago at Paris Fashion Week, sitting next to Kanye West at the Balenciaga show. A few months earlier, James Harden had gifted Baby with a Richard Mille watch and $100,000 in cash. For Harden's birthday in August, Baby dedicated an entire post to his best friend, looking back on some of their best times together. 

On Thursday, the latest layer of their bromance hit the internet as Harden shared a photo of Baby rocking his old college jersey from Arizona State. This is one of the many times that the basketball star has posted the rapper, and at this point, fans are convinced that their friendship is more serious than it looks.
"Lil baby and jamesharden are my favorite couple," wrote one person, quote-tweeting Harden's post. "Jamesharden taking pics of lil baby like it’s his first day of school," added another fan. Others commented on Baby's blank stare in the picture, wondering if Harden told him he was taking a photo or not.

Pierre Suu/Getty Images Check out some reactions from the picture below, and let us know in the comments what you think of their friendship.



via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/james-harden-posts-lil-baby-again-fans-joke-about-them-being-in-love-news.139770.htm

Just days after announcing a reunion tour for the 25th anniversary of their beloved album The Score, The Fugees played New York City last night and Lauryn Hill had one message for fans excited for the tour, "respect the miracle." 
Last night's pop-up concert, which fans were supposed to leave their phones at the door for, originally supposed to start sometime in the early evening, got underway around 10 pm and despite the delay, fans were overjoyed as Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel came together to perform songs from The Score and kick off the beginning of their Diaspora Calling tour.
Theo Wargo/Getty ImagesThe Fugees, as only they could, shut down the venue with Hill telling the story of how the group met rather than freestyling and in the wake of appalling behavior by Texas border agents against against Haitian refugees stranded after a recent earthquake, Jean took to the mic to address president Joe Biden for not changing an executive order that blocked thousands of Haitians from entering the United States, despite his allowance of Afghan refugees into the country.

A mix of hip-hop and social justice, the pop-up show perfectly kicked off the Diaspora Calling tour which is set to span 12 cities in both the United States, France, London, Nigeria and Ghana. Find the full tour location list (not including last night in NYC) below and let us know in the comments what you thought of last night's pop-up and if you'll be trying to grab tickets to an upcoming show. 
Tues, Nov 2 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sun, Nov 7 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Fri, Nov 12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
Thurs, Nov 18 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Sun, Nov 21 – Miami, FL – FTX Arena
Fri, Nov 26 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Sun, Nov 28 – Washington D.C. – Capital One Arena
Sat, Dec 4 – Paris, France – La Defense Arena
Mon, Dec 6 – London, U.K. – The O2
??? – Nigeria – ???
Sat, Dec 18 – Ghana – ???
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via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/fugees-kick-off-reunion-tour-lauryn-hill-says-respect-the-miracle-news.139767.htm

This year, Freddie Gibbs is moving like a man hellbent on gaining the recognition he deserves. Not only is he in the midst of what may very well be the most consistent run of albums in the rap game, but he's also sitting on his upcoming Soul Sold Separately album.
On that note, based on what little we actually know about SSS, the project might be Freddie's most ambitious and jam-packed album to date. He's already locked in production from Madlib, Pharrell Williams, The Alchemist, Mike WiLL Made-It, Hit-Boy, and Metro Boomin among others. And that's only the beats -- you already know that Freddie fully intends on elevating the bars even further. 

Scott Dudelson/Getty ImagesShortly after warning Kendrick Lamar that he's not one to be "smoked" by any of his fellow lyricists, Gibbs hit Twitter to share a lay of the land. By his assessment, things aren't looking so hot -- especially where lyricism is concerned. "All these mid bars," he warns. "Imma have to drop again." By all means, Freddie -- please do.
Of course, it's entirely possible that his "drop" isn't SSS, but another tone-setting freestyle in the vein of "Vice Lord Poetry." Either way, the game is in a better place when Freddie Gibbs is delivering new music at a consistent rate. Keep an eye out for something new from the Grammy-nominated lyricist, as "mid bars" can only fester long before the remedy is needed. 
Are you excited to see what Freddie Gibbs has been cooking up for his next release? And if he's not the best lyricist in the game right now, who is?



via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/freddie-gibbs-vows-to-save-hip-hop-from-mid-bars-news.139764.htm

Given the recent success of his sixth studio album and the fact that "Way 2 Sexy," "Knife Talk," and "Girls Want Girls" are all hanging around within the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, Drake definitely has a lot to celebrate at the moment, and it appears that the Toronto rapper commemorated his recent accomplishments with a huge party in Miami on Wednesday.
According to TMZ, the rapper rented out the entire Dave & Buster's inside Dolphin Mall and had over 1,000 guests attending the party, including his close collaborator Future and other celebrities like Yella Beezy and Alexis Skyy.

Prince Williams/Wireimage/Getty ImagesAccording to TMZ, everything at the event was 100% free, and during the party, Drake also played Certified Lover Boy for his guests. TMZ's exclusive footage from the party shows people hanging out, and some women who attended were even caught on camera twerking atop video game cabinets to UGK's classic track "Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)."
The massive Dave & Buster's shindig marks yet another instance of Drake renting out a large and popular venue for his personal, as he did something similar earlier this summer when he had Dodger's Stadium all to himself for a romantic date with Johanna Leia.
See some of the clips from the party below.
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Coi Leray says that she officially has the best chain in the game after copping a new piece, which she says is slicker than Travis Scott's.
Over the years, we've seen many rappers show off their extravagant necklaces on social media, including the Migos, Cardi B, Lil Uzi Vert, Rick Ross, and more. While it feels like every single rapper has a signature chain, Coi Leray is willing to bet money that her brand new piece is cooler than the next rapper's because she's confidently stating that she has the best chain in the game.
"I thought Travis Scott had the best chain until I got mines," tweeted Coi. "I really have the best chain no cap."

Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesCoi got her new chain this week from Avianne & Co., and it's definitely pretty flashy. According to the rapper, it's the first chain with koi fish links, making it pretty original. But is it the hottest chain out right now? Not many people are agreeing.
"So the migos disappear or something?" asked one fan when she declared chain supremacy. "She is getting rlly fucking annoying," added another critic, which over 22,000 people agreed with. "Travis still got the best," declared somebody else.
Coi has plenty of opportunities to show off the chain while on tour with Lil Baby and Lil Durk. She also just released her latest single "TWINNEM," which has already gone viral on TikTok. 
Let us know what you think of her chain in the comments.



via: https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/coi-leray-says-she-has-the-best-chain-in-the-game-news.139766.htm

Kanye West has released some iconic shoes throughout his design career, with one of them being the Nike Air Yeezy 2 "Red October." This shoe is considered to be Kanye's best work regardless of whether you're talking about Nike or Adidas. The shoe goes for tens of thousands of dollars on the resale market and for many fans, these are an undeniable grail. Now, any shoe with a monochromatic red look is considered to be a "Red October" sneaker, and this nomenclature has followed Ye to his Yeezy brand.
Now, he will be releasing another all-red shoe, although this time, it will come in the form of the Adidas Yeezy Foam Runner. As Yeezy Mafia and @swooststy report, the sneaker will not be called "Red October" although it will be called "Vermillion" instead. As you can see from the images below, the bright red aesthetic works like a charm on this shoe, and there is no doubt that it will be a fan favorite once it gets released to the masses.
As for the release date itself, there is no information on that just yet, however, ironically enough, it is believed that these will drop in the month of October. Stay tuned to HNHH as we will bring you all of the latest news and updates on these.

Image via @swooststyImage via @swooststyImage via AdidasImage via AdidasImage via Adidas



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