Josh Duhamel traded the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles for a quieter life with his family. Continue reading…
The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Day: August 11, 2025
The country star is a vocal Philadelphia Eagles fan. Continue reading…
The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Find out the real reason behind their absence from the spotlight. Continue reading…
The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Nicki Minaj opened her fourth studio album, Queen, in dramatic fashion: “Who you gettin’ at Nicki?” she asks, before responding, “Watch them c__ts learn.” From the jump, it’s clear that Minaj is not only coming for her rival female MCs, but also the men who have forsaken her legacy and self-worth. The album’s title speaks for itself, as Minaj sought to assert herself as the reigning Queen Of Rap nearly a decade after her triumphant debut, Pink Friday.
In the years following her 2014 release, The Pinkprint, the pop, and hip-hop climates had both dramatically changed – as had Minaj. The legendary MC had become tabloid fodder for her public beefs and subsequent relationship splits, and Queen documents the highs and lows of that journey in a majestic world that only Minaj could create.
‘All you bi__hes wanna look like me’
To kick off her Queen era, Nicki Minaj released two singles, “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li,” proving that the pop-crossover artist still had bars. “Barbie Tingz” demanded homage from hip-hop’s newcomers with the line “Let’s be real, all you bi__hes wanna look like me”. Reminiscent of Minaj’s early mixtape days, the boom-bap-centric single became an instant favorite for its more street-oriented vibes.
To cap that off, “Chun-Li” became Queen’s official first single, introducing a new persona that references an ass-kicking character from the Street Fighter video-game franchise. Over a bumping saxophone and sporadic gongs, Minaj reminds her detractors, “Ayo, I been on, bi__ch,” and embraces the notion that “They paintin’ me out to be the bad guy”. Her new visuals matched the provocative attitude of her music, with Minaj looking like the spitting image of Lil’ Kim on the single’s cover art. ‘Chun-Li’ peaked at No.10 on the Billboard Hot 100, an impressive comeback for an artist whose last proper release had been four years ago.
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Leading up to Queen’s release, Minaj teased out three singles, including “Rich Sex,” featuring her longtime collaborator and mentor, Lil Wayne; the pop-reggae collab track “Bed,” with frequent partner Ariana Grande; and the controversial Tekashi 6ix9ine smash “Fefe”. The latter garnered much attention due to Tekashi 6ix9ine’s legal troubles, but also for the undeniable show-stealing verse from Minaj, which saw her in rare lyrical form.
Queen, however, wasn’t the only outlet for Minaj to speak her mind. The singer/rapper also launched her own radio show on Beats 1, appropriately titled Queen Radio. Finding a new lane for her celebrity, Minaj used the platform to debut her album, on 10 August 2018, as well as dispel rumors surrounding her while airing her own grievances and talking shop with friends and collaborators.
Nothing’s off-limits
Making its debut at No.2 on the Billboard 200, Queen had to break through the near-impenetrable hold that male rappers had on the charts. To do so, the album saw Minaj venture into new sonic directions while bringing along the colorful alter egos that she introduced throughout her three Pink albums.
Following the hypnotic tribal rhythms of “Ganja Burn,” “Majesty” plays into the demonic rhyme schemes of her frequent partner in crime, Eminem. One of Queen’s finest moments is “Barbie Dreams,” which sees Minaj pay tribute to Biggie’s iconic 1994 track, “Just Playing (Dreams).” Instead of lusting after the R&B divas of the day, however, Minaj flips the script and skewers her male competitors and former romantic flames, questioning the sexual prowess of Meek Mill, 50 Cent, Quavo, and Young Thug in hypothetical sexual situations. The song kicked up a stir upon release, but Minaj made it clear that “Barbie Dreams” wasn’t a diss track, but meant all in good fun. After all, nothing’s off-limits in hip-hop.
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“Hard White” sees Minaj calling out her suspected imitators once again, claiming she has to “work hard just to get half back” and “I ain’t ever have to strip to get the pole position” – a not-so-subtle shot at fellow rapper Cardi B. On the clap-back track “LLC,” Minaj stakes more claims that she invented the blueprint for other female rappers in the game.
Showing a vulnerable side
A stretch of Queen sees Minaj applying R&B vocal stylings to pop melodies, a skill she’s never shied away from since her Pink Friday debut. She mourns being duped by a lover on “Thought I Knew You,” featuring The Weeknd, and assures “A true bad b__ch ain’t weak or bitter” on “Nip Tuck.” Though most of Queen brims over with bravado, Minaj lets her guard down and displays her vocal chops on the piano-tinged ballad ‘Come See About Me’, which deals with the toll that fame takes on her personal relationships.
It’s in these moments when Minaj isn’t single-mindedly focused on reasserting her relevance, that we see her authentic self. On “Run And Hide” she sings about her trust issues and how she maintains her self-preservation over a boom-bap beat. On “Chun Swae” she joins forces with Swae Lee to create cloud-rap magic, while the Future-assisted “Sir” advances Queen’s hazy, dream-like production.
A Nicki to rule them all
No Nicki Minaj record is complete without some floor-filling cuts and musical spontaneity. After tearing up dancefloors on her previous albums, critics noted how Queen struck a more serious, darker tone. That said, Minaj still delivers a twerk anthem with “Good Form.”
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To close the album, she pays homage to Foxy Brown’s 2001 opus, Broken Silence, on “Coco Chanel.” Just as Broken Silence merged dancehall and West Indies music with hip-hop, Brown jumps on the track with a patois verse, a nod to both her and Minaj’s Trinidadian roots. (Minaj, alongside Drake and Rihanna, have been leaders in bringing West Indian culture to mainstream pop since the 2010s.) The riddim of “Coco Chanel” continues into Queen’s closing track, ‘Inspirations Outro’, on which Minaj shouts out to other Caribbean musicians who have inspired her.
Queen is not only a declarative statement from one of the last great crossover hip-hop stars, but proves that Minaj is well equipped to stay top of the rap game. From R&B stylings to dance-pop and hard-hitting hip-hop, there’s a Nicki to rule them all.
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Kristina Khorram secured a major legal win in New York after six of seven plaintiffs dropped their claims against her in a sweeping sexual abuse lawsuit tied to her boss Diddy.
AllHipHop has confirmed that Latasha Forbes, Billie Cummings, Ian Fearon, Amad Jenkins, Laquay Applewhite and a Jane Doe voluntarily withdrew their allegations against the former Bad Boy Records executive.
The move followed Khorram’s legal team submitting evidence that she did not begin working for Diddy until 2013—long after most of the alleged incidents reportedly occurred.
In some of the allegations, Khorram could not have been working for Diddy when they took place, because she would have been less than 10 years old.
The original lawsuit accused Diddy of orchestrating decades of sexual misconduct, coercion and physical abuse under the guise of his Hip-Hop empire.
Several accusers detailed graphic claims spanning from the mid-1990s through the early 2010s.
Forbes alleged she was 17 in 1994 when Diddy drugged and raped her at Bad Boy’s Manhattan office. Cummings said she was between 14 and 15 in 1995 when she was assaulted during a video shoot for The Notorious B.I.G. Fearon claimed he was forced into a sex act at 19 inside Diddy’s New York residence in 2003.
Applewhite accused Diddy of groping and assaulting her at his Miami property in 2004. Jenkins said he was attacked at a Florida launch party for Bad Boy in the mid-2000s. Jane Doe alleged she was drugged and raped during a 2010 audition for Making the Band.
Khorram was named in the lawsuit for allegedly helping to cover up Diddy’s conduct. The complaint also targeted Sony, Universal and Warner Music, claiming the labels ignored red flags and enabled his wild behavior.
With six plaintiffs now out, only Matthews’ allegations remain. She claimed Combs assaulted her in Illinois in 2014 after a night of heavy drinking.
Khorram’s lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss Matthews’ complaint.
They argue the laws cited don’t apply retroactively, fall outside the statute of limitations and don’t cover incidents beyond New York City.
They also say the filing fails to meet the legal threshold for a sex trafficking claim.
If the court grants the motion, Khorram will be entirely removed from the case.
The six dismissals follow Diddy’s own courtroom victory on July 2, when a jury cleared him of federal sex trafficking and RICO charges but convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
His sentencing is slated for October 3.
AllHipHop
Benzino is coming for Fat Joe after the Bronx rapper blamed “gentrification” for BET canceling the Hip-Hop and Soul Train Awards—while conveniently ignoring his own role in the award show’s ratings nosedive.
Benzino didn’t hold back when he called out Joe for talking slick about BET’s moves, especially after hosting the BET Hip-Hop Awards in 2022.
According to Zino, Fat Joe’s time as host didn’t exactly help the brand—if anything, it dragged it down.
“Why Fat Joe said it’s gentrification, after they let his ass host the awards two years earlier?” he said. “And the ratings were the worst ever after he hosted it. Was it gentrification when you was hosting it, Joey? Stop, man. Joe, you’re putting out too much misinformation on the internet, bro. You gotta do better, man.”
Benzino was digging into Fat Joe’s recent claim that BET’s issues are tied to its shift away from Black ownership and culture, calling the cancellation of the shows “a form of gentrification.”
He also said the network’s been slashing budgets and quietly firing staff.
“Little by little over the years, quietly, they’ve been firing a lot of people behind the scenes in BET and everybody who has something to say, they’ve been firing them,” Joe said. “The budget, not for me, but the budget just kept getting chopped and chopped and chopped.”
According to U.S. TV data, the BET Hip-Hop Awards have seen a steady drop in viewership over the last three years.
In 2022, the show pulled in around 708,000 viewers. By 2023, that number slipped to 657,000. In 2024, just 333,000 people tuned in—less than half of what they had two years ago.
Benzino kept going at Fat Joe and made it crystal clear he thinks Fat Joe helped tank the show’s credibility and viewership.
“This was the Hip-Hop one of the worst award show ratings ever… it wasn’t gentrification when you was hosting it, right?” Benzino continued. “You gotta do better, bro. BET didn’t know how to put on the awards. Only the Source Hip-Hop Awards did it right for hip-hop. But when Fat Joe comes up here and says oh, it’s gentrification… Man, get the f### out of here.”
AllHipHop
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony postponed their highly anticipated joint tour with Three 6 Mafia, pushing the full launch of the Thuggish Ruggish Mafia Tour run to April 2026 while teasing new music and select performances this year.
The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony—Krayzie, Layzie, Bizzy, Flesh and Wish Bone—shared the update through Instagram, making it clear the tour isn’t off the table—just delayed.
“Our Thuggish Ruggish Mafia tour has been postponed NOT canceled. We will be kicking off the Thuggish Ruggish Mafia tour in April of 2026. We are coming to a city near you!!!!” the group wrote.
While the full tour is on hold, one show is still locked in for this year. “There will be 1 Thuggish Ruggish Mafia show this year in Arkansas on August 21st,” they added.
(@btnhlive)The Cleveland-bred group also revealed they’re working on a new album and plan to hit a few cities before the end of the year. “In the meantime, we will be hitting select cities for the remainder of the year while we are preparing this new album from them 5 True Thugs From The Double Glock!!!!!”
They then teased a fresh single dropping soon. “Are y’all ready for some new music????? We will be dropping a brand new single in the next few weeks. Be on the lookout!!!! As always, we appreciate your love and continued support for these 30+ years.”
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony earned their place in Hip-Hop history with their melodic flows, rapid-fire delivery and emotionally charged lyrics. Their 1995 album, E. 1999 Eternal, cemented their legacy, featuring hits like “Tha Crossroads” and “1st of tha Month.” The group’s ability to blend harmony with hardcore street narratives set them apart in the ’90s and influenced generations of artists that followed.
The Thuggish Ruggish Mafia Tour was expected to be a major moment in Hip-Hop nostalgia, uniting two of the genre’s most influential groups. While the delay may disappoint some, the promise of new music and a 2026 launch keeps the momentum alive.
The only confirmed show this year will take place in Arkansas on Wednesday (August 21).
AllHipHop
Salt-N-Pepa are accusing UMG of deliberately blocking access to their original master recordings and pulling their music from major U.S. streaming platforms in what they say is a calculated attempt to sabotage their upcoming Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
The Hip-Hop trailblazers filed a lawsuit claiming UMG has refused to return the physical two-inch master tapes that contain the highest-quality versions of their albums and singles.
The tapes, which are stored in a secure facility, remain in UMG’s possession despite several formal requests, according to the complaint.
“Plaintiffs’ Master Tapes hold significant value and are incredibly rare. They are the original, highest quality, physical source material of Plaintiffs’ sound recordings,” the lawsuit states.
The legal battle comes as Salt-N-Pepa prepare to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 8, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will stream live on Disney+, marking a significant milestone in their decades-long career.
The group alleges the conflict intensified after they attempted to reclaim their copyrights under Section 203 of the Copyright Act.
In response, UMG allegedly began removing their music from digital platforms in the United States, stripping them of streaming revenue and public exposure.
The complaint claims UMG “halted exploitation of the relevant sound recordings in the United States, thereby effectively demonetizing Plaintiffs’ catalogue—months before Plaintiffs are set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.”
Salt-N-Pepa believe the label’s actions are a pressure tactic to force them to abandon their legal pursuit of ownership rights.
“UMG appears to take the position that it can unilaterally decide when and/or if a recording artist is entitled to termination. This is not the law, and UMG does not have this power,” said their attorney Heidi G. Crikelair. “This is an effort by UMG to pressure Plaintiffs into giving up on their effort to recoup their rights to their sound recordings.”
Despite the legal standoff, Salt-N-Pepa say they have no plans to retreat.
The lawsuit also notes that the removal of their catalog has erased access to iconic tracks like “Push It,” which the group says is “ubiquitous at weddings and other celebrations.”
The timing of the takedown, they argue, threatens to diminish their visibility and cultural impact just as they receive one of the industry’s highest honors.
Salt-N-Pepa are seeking damages and the immediate return of their master recordings, accusing UMG of conversion and violating federal copyright law.
The duo, along with Spinderella, made history as the first female rap group to go platinum in the U.S. and are only the second female Hip-Hop act to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
AllHipHop
Pete Davidson admired Keke Palmer for seamlessly juggling motherhood and movie-making on the set of The Pickup, a heist comedy now streaming on Prime Video.
Davidson, who is preparing for fatherhood with model Elsie Hewitt, said watching Palmer care for her infant son while filming scenes left a lasting impression.
“What was cool is when we were doing The Pickup, Keke’s baby was just born and she had him on set the whole time, and she would go into a take and then run over, you know, play with the baby, and it made me realise it’s possible to co-exist in both worlds,” he told Extra. “You know? I was really impressed with her… the way she was parenting on set.”
Palmer gave birth to her son Leodis in February 2023 with her then-partner Darius Jackson. She joined Davidson and Eddie Murphy in the film, which blends crime and comedy.
Though Davidson didn’t receive direct parenting advice from his co-stars, he said Murphy offered a meaningful perspective.
“He actually, his advice was the best. He goes, ‘I have no advice.’ He goes, ‘Because you can’t really tell anybody how to raise their own kid. But it’s going to change your life and you’re going to love it, and I’ll know you’ll be good at it,’” Davidson recalled. “So, I mean, that’s a cool thing to get from your idol, you know?”
Murphy, who has ten children ranging in age from six to 36, has long balanced his career with family life. Davidson, 30, and Hewitt confirmed her pregnancy last month, marking a new chapter for the former Saturday Night Live star.
The Pickup became available for streaming on Prime Video in August 2025.
AllHipHop
Future is still knee-deep in a courtroom fight over that tricked-out “Limo-Jet” featured in his 2024 video “Arabi” and things aren’t cooling off anytime soon.
The Hip-Hop heavyweight, along with Egyptian star Mohammed Ramadan and Lebanese-Canadian singer Sari Abboud, is being dragged through legal hell by MIK Corporation, the Minnesota company that owns the flashy jet-turned-limo.
MIK’s beef?
They say the trio used the one-of-a-kind ride without permission, scratched up its paint job during filming and broke a deal that clearly said “don’t use footage without our okay.”
The “Arabi” video dropped in February 2024 and quickly racked up over 53 million views, but MIK says they never signed off on it and now they want damages.
The LimoJet, which literally looks like a private jet chopped onto wheels, is MIK’s pride and joy. The company claims it’s got full trademark rights and rents the thing out for events.
Back in April 2023, Ramadan’s people reached out about using it for shows and visited the vehicle in Des Plaines, Illinois. Everyone supposedly agreed not to shoot or scratch it. MIK says they did both.
The lawsuit accuses the artists of fraud, contract violations, negligence and jacking the LimoJet’s image for commercial gain. They’re also going after Future’s Wilburn Holding Co.
In a hearing on Friday (August 8), U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly shot down dismissal attempts from Abboud.
The judge told both sides to link up and work out a discovery and pretrial schedule, with another court date already in the works.
AllHipHop