Category: Hip Hop

50 Cent admitted he missed a major opportunity when a young Chris Brown auditioned for a G-Unit campaign, revealing he didn’t know how to market a teenage talent at the time.

On Monday morning (November 10), the rapper-turned-mogul shared a throwback clip from the “R&B Money” podcast, where Brown recounted his early brush with 50 Cent during what would become a pivotal moment in his career.

“It was for a G-Unit campaign,” Brown said, recalling a major booking that gave him his first real shot. “So I was like you know what, ’50 Cent he gone be able to see us. He’s going to be at the shoot, we can give him our demo, we can sing.’ You know, the typical like I want to get signed s###.”

That led to a backstage hangout with 50 Cent during the shoot, where the then-teenage performer tried to make an impression.

“We were bad little kids,” Brown said. “We already had weed and s###, so we was trying to smoke our weed on the side. They like, ‘Man what y’all doing?’ So we like ‘Nah, we rap and we sing. So we started performing and then they was like, ‘You know what man y’all n##### is dope.’”

Despite being impressed, one person on 50’s team made it clear they weren’t ready to handle young talent.

“But we don’t know how to f###### market no damn kids, we some gangsters,” Brown recalled being told. “So I was like, ‘Damn.’ Like I understood it.”

Reflecting on that moment, 50 Cent posted the clip to Instagram with a caption that hinted at a tinge of regret:

“I knew CB had it back then, I just didn’t know how to market kids,” he explained. “I went to award shows to see him get busy now he is the best we got. Like it or not !”

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50 Cent Hails Chris Brown “Best Overall Artist”

Their relationship has since evolved. In May, 50 publicly supported Brown after his arrest in the UK, tied to an alleged nightclub assault. “CB out he made bond,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’m only saying s### about him because I think he is the best over all artist out. I watched his whole run!”

By June, Brown returned the love by bringing out 50 Cent as a surprise guest during his Breezy Bowl XX performance at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena.

​AllHipHop

Tim Westwood walked out of Westminster Magistrates’ Court a free man on Monday after securing bail on serious criminal charges that could derail the veteran DJ’s legacy forever.

The 68-year-old Hip-Hop pioneer faced his first court hearing since prosecutors hit him with a devastating 15-count indictment last month. The charges paint a disturbing picture spanning over three decades of alleged misconduct.

Authorities accuse the former BBC Radio 1 host of four rape counts, nine indecent assault charges, and two sexual assault allegations. The timeline stretches from 1983 to 2016, with victims reportedly as young as 17 years old when the alleged incidents occurred.

Magistrates released him on conditional bail with one strict requirement: zero contact with prosecution witnesses.

Particularly damaging are three indecent assault charges allegedly happening inside BBC studios during the 1990s – right when Westwood was building his reputation as Britain’s Hip-Hop ambassador.

Seven women have come forward with allegations against the longtime radio personality. The charges detail a pattern of alleged abuse across London locations, including Fulham, Vauxhall, central London, Stroud, and Finchley.

Westwood’s legal troubles represent a dramatic fall for someone who championed Hip-Hop culture in the UK since the early 1990s. He joined Radio 1 in 1994, hosting his influential rap show until departing in 2013. Capital Xtra then became his broadcasting home until 2022.

The case now moves to Southwark Crown Court for a hearing on December 8, where Westwood is expected to enter formal pleas to all charges. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing since the allegations first surfaced.

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Big U is seeking a temporary release from federal custody to attend the funeral of his son Jabari “Baby Uiie” Henley, who was fatally shot in South Los Angeles on Halloween night.

Prosecutors must respond to the motion by November 14 if they have any objections to Big U attending the services, while a judge will make the final decision on November 17, 2025.

His 34-year-old son Jabari was gunned down around 11 P.M. on October 31 at the corner of 69th and Figueroa streets, just outside a smoke shop.

According to police, Jabari approached a vehicle when someone inside opened fire. He died at the scene. Authorities have not identified a suspect and no arrests have been made.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. Investigators have not confirmed whether the killing was gang-related.

Jabari was the older brother of Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley.

“2025 has brought me more pain than joy and this one has been by far the biggest hit… my family gone stand through the storm because thats who we are I’m gone make sure we straight big bro!!!,” Daiyan Henley said. “I got nephew don’t even worry bout it Love you ALLAH BLESSED me with one more night with my big brother didn’t know you’d be gone the next day.”

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Big U is currently jailed on a sweeping federal indictment that accuses him of running a criminal organization dubbed the “Big U Enterprise.” The 43-count case includes charges of racketeering, murder, extortion, fraud and obstruction of justice.

Big U, who once ran a nonprofit called Developing Options aimed at steering youth away from gangs, is accused of misusing the organization’s funds for personal gain.

Federal prosecutors allege he and his associates used their influence in the music and entertainment industry to extort artists, athletes and celebrities who did business in Los Angeles.

The indictment also claims Big U killed aspiring rapper Rayshawn Williams in 20201, after Williams released a song that criticized him.

Authorities say the group submitted fraudulent applications for government grants and pandemic relief loans, including false claims about the profitability of Big U’s music company.

The case is part of a broader federal campaign to dismantle organized crime networks in Los Angeles. Big U has remained in custody since his arrest in March 2025.

​AllHipHop

The first glimpse of Michael, the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, has already rewritten the record books.

The trailer, which debuted last week, pulled in more than 116.2 million views worldwide in its first 24 hours, according to data from WaveMetrix. That figure not only makes it the most-watched music biopic trailer ever but also the most-viewed trailer in Lionsgate history.

The film stars Jaafar Jackson, the late pop icon’s nephew, in the lead role. Colman Domingo, fresh off an Oscar nomination, portrays the Jackson family patriarch, Joe Jackson.

Set to premiere on April 24, 2025, Michael aims to chronicle the highs and lows of the King of Pop’s life and career. The cast also includes Miles Teller as attorney John Branca, Kat Graham as Diana Ross, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, Laura Harrier as Suzanne de Passe, Kendrick Sampson as Quincy Jones and Juliano Krue Valdi playing a young Michael.

Speculation about the film being split into two parts resurfaced this week, though no official confirmation has been made. During a quarterly earnings call, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson addressed the chatter.

“While we’re not yet ready to confirm plans for a second film, I can tell you that the creative team is hard at work making sure that we’re in a position to deliver more Michael soon after we release the first film,” Fogelson said.

The record-breaking trailer was released on November 8.

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Max B marked his first full day of freedom with a diamond and a dinner, proposing to his longtime girlfriend just 24 hours after walking out of prison on Sunday (November 9) following a 16-year sentence.

The Harlem rapper popped the question during a private dinner on Monday night (November 10), capping off a whirlwind reunion that included linking with French Montana, reconnecting with family, and stepping back into the studio.

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The couple had reportedly tied the knot earlier this year while Max was still incarcerated, but this public proposal made it official in front of loved ones.

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A post shared by Max B (@thisisbiggavel)

The rapper, also known as the “Silver Surfer,” had been serving time for his alleged role in a deadly 2006 robbery in New Jersey.

Initially sentenced to 75 years in 2009, Max B’s conviction was later overturned. In 2016, he accepted a plea deal for aggravated manslaughter, which drastically shortened his sentence.

French Montana celebrated the moment on Instagram, posting, “CANT MAKE THIS UP! MY BROTHER REALLY CAME HOME ON MY B DAY ! HAMDULILLAH WALKED IT DOWN ! NO MORE FREE YOU.”

French also shared a video of the two back in the studio on Max’s first day out, teasing the return of their “Coke Wave” series.

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The rapper’s reentry into everyday life included catching the New York Jets‘ win over the Cleveland Browns, where he ran into Method Man and Ferg. In a lighthearted moment, Max even asked Method Man for a job.

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Tyrese Gibson and Mona Scott-Young Touch Down in Jamaica with Love and Relief for Hurricane Victims

Tyrese Gibson brought heart and purpose to the tarmac in Jamaica as he arrived with TV powerhouse Mona Scott-Young to deliver relief to communities devastated by the recent hurricane. The R&B singer and Fast & Furious star joined forces with the Love & Hip Hop creator to personally hand out supplies to residents struggling to rebuild.

Landing on the island Monday, Gibson and Scott-Young shared videos on social media showing private jets packed not with luxury goods, but essential relief items. The duo made it clear their mission was rooted in compassion, not celebrity.

“This is not a private jet just for the private jet of it all. This is a humanitarian mission,” Scott-Young said. “We were able to do what we could in a short time. Y’all know I’m empowered and so my thing will be providing power and I brought a lot of Starlink with me and I’m looking forward to you guys helping me to get as many Starlinks to Jamaica so people can speak to their families.”

Starlink is a satellite internet service provided by SpaceX that provides high-speed internet access globally, especially in rural and remote areas.

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Scott-Young, who has long expressed her love for the Caribbean, paused to appreciate the nation’s beauty despite the destruction. “It’s beautiful out here, as beautiful as I remember it. Y’all know I love Jamaica,” she added.

Tyrese echoed that energy, beaming as he stepped off the jet. “Jamaica, we here baby,” he said. “We loading up. I’ve always wanted to do this. We know there’s a lot of trauma and we’re not only here to give but to give with all of this love attached.”

On Instagram, Gibson reflected on the strength he witnessed on the ground, writing, “The resilience of the Jamaican people on full display…”

Both stars are part of a growing wave of global figures stepping up to support Jamaica in its time of need. Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation, Nicki Minaj, Denzel Washington, DJ Khaled and numerous others have also contributed aid and resources following the deadly storm.

Tyrese encouraged his followers to donate to Roww.Org, an organization founded by his late friend Paul Walker.

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50 Cent responded to Vivica A. Fox with a playful jab after the actress told a crowd she regretted dating him and warned others not to follow in her footsteps.

The G-Unit mogul posted an AI-generated image of himself holding a red and blue pill on Monday night (November 10).

“Either way I’m a have that ass in the matrix,” he captioned the post. ‘You know I love me some you girl, but Damn it’s been 22 years Vivica.”

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His post came just days after Fox opened up during a keynote speech at the New Jersey Ultimate Women’s Expo, where she reflected on their brief but headline-grabbing relationship from 2003.

When asked what advice she would give her 17-year-old self, the 61-year-old actress didn’t hesitate.

“Don’t date 50 Cent,” she said, drawing laughter from the audience. “Don’t date no damn rappers.”

But the moment turned serious as she revealed the emotional toll the relationship took on her. “Just so you know, it took me years to be able to laugh about it,” Fox said. “I had to learn to laugh not to cry no more. But I did it.”

Their romance began after 50 Cent publicly flirted with her at the 2003 BET Awards. The relationship lasted about eight months but has managed to stay in the public conversation for over two decades, often reigniting through interviews, social media posts or throwback clips.

In a 2024 interview, Fox described the “In Da Club” rapper as “the love of my life” and said he would “always have a very special place in my heart.” Her latest remarks, however, suggest a more complicated view of their history.

Their public exchanges have ranged from playful to petty, including disputes over TV ratings and Instagram posts.

Earlier this year, 50 Cent shared a clip from their 2003 BET Awards moment.

“I look back at some of the s### that I did,’ he wrote. “I gotta learn to shut the f### up. Look at that look at end that’s trouble. WTF.”

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After learning her local Publix deli was out of banana peppers for her sub, a South Carolina woman questions why the staff couldn’t simply walk over to the aisle and grab a replacement. Apparently, she’s not the only one with this question.

TikTok user Galina Mamontova (@galinamamontova) posted the video with her Publix deli question on Sep. 24. She starts the video with a simple question. “Can someone at Publix please tell me how y’all run out of things at the deli?” she asks.

Mamontova explained that she just went to Publix for a sub and asked the deli worker to add banana peppers to it. “She was like, ‘We’re out of banana peppers.’ I was like, ‘OK, no problem, I’ll just get jalapenos,’” she says. “But I thought about it and I was like, ‘I really want banana peppers.’”

She decided that she could just go to the banana pepper aisle on her way out of the store and add them to her sub at home. But then it occurred to her that the deli workers at Publix could easily do the same thing. “How am I willing to just go to the aisle, get banana peppers, and call it a day, but how are they not able to?” she asks.

Viewers React to South Carolina Woman’s Publix Sub Question

In the comments, former and current Publix employees weighed in on the question. One segment of the commenters said that the deli worker or the manager can actually pull product off of the shelves to serve customers.

“I guarantee if you ask the store manager, they will grab a bottle of them off the shelf and take it to the deli,” wrote one person. “Signed, a former store manager.”

A second viewer agreed. “The deli manager should have already done that.”

However, another segment of the commenters said it’s not as easy as it might sound. “The deli has to order the toppings from the supplier,” one viewer wrote. “Once we run out of those, we’re out. If a customer wants them and we’re out, we can pull them from the shelf to meet your needs. The banana peppers that are on the shelf are not the same ones the deli gets in for subs. It’s just a different process and not as cut and dry as you would think.”

Can the Publix Deli Take Toppings from the Grocery Section?

While it’s not common or particularly cost effective, sometimes restaurateurs use grocery store ingredients to supplement their inventories. So it doesn’t appear government regulation would bar this activity.

Furthermore, according to the Publix deli page, customers can choose from the selection of meats and cheeses at the deli counter, and they can also even look around the store and pick other brands that they’d like to try. The deli worker will slice those up to create a customized sandwich. 

Although the page doesn’t specifically mention banana peppers, it seems reasonable to assume that the policy extends to toppings. Either way, as Mamontova proved with her video, it never hurts to at least ask.

All Hip Hop contacted Mamontova via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. 

@galinamamontova #pubsub #delisandwich #mukbang #eatingshowasmr ♬ original sound – Galina Mamontova

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Lil Uzi Vert is being accused of ripping off one of his biggest hits, “I Just Wanna Rock,” in a new $110 million copyright lawsuit filed in federal court by a Rochester, New York artist who claims Uzi’s 2022 anthem borrows nearly all of its DNA from his earlier track “Pain and Pleasure.”

Sharrief K. Bouchet, known professionally as Rawyal or Rief Rawyal, alleges that “I Just Wanna Rock” — released October 17, 2022 — “copied the original hook, melody, and theme” of his record, particularly the signature chant “When I rock ah ah.”

A forensic musicologist’s report attached to the filing found a 93-97% derivation between the two songs. The analysis, conducted by Musicologize founder Brian McBrearty, cited shared tempo, structure, and rhythmic patterns — especially the identical “ah” vocal chants and the nearly indistinguishable lyrical phrasing around the word “rock.”

McBrearty’s report noted that both tracks “reside in the core band of ‘allegro,’between 130–150 beats per minute, and employ the same drum pattern and rhythmic syncopation, known as’ tresillo,’a hallmark of reggaeton and dance beats.”

He added that both songs feature “first-person, present-tense declarations that end with the identical word ‘rock,’forming a parallel lyrical structure.”

In “Pain and Pleasure,” Rawyal sings, “Pain and pleasure when I rock, ah, ah,” while Uzi’s version chants, “I just wanna rock, ah, ah, ah, ah.” McBrearty concluded these moments form “the hook, or the heart, of the respective works.”

Rief Rawyal says he released “Pain and Pleasure” on August 15, 2022, and later saw his version suppressed on Meta platforms after Uzi’s record dropped that October.

He claims that his uploads were repeatedly muted or removed from Instagram and Facebook as “Just Wanna Rock” gained popularity across TikTok, Fortnite, and in the trailer for the Blue Beetle movie.

The lawsuit claims Uzi and Atlantic Records had direct access to Rief Rawyal’s material. The rapper says he’d been in contact with Lanre Gaba, now president of Hip-Hop, R&B and Global Music at Atlantic Records, since 2012.

He provided the label executive with original songs, including music files and demos, during that period.

He argues that this established a “clear institutional pathway” for his unreleased material to circulate internally, potentially leading to Uzi or his producers obtaining and recreating elements of his beat and hook structure.

The suit names Lil Uzi Vert, Atlantic Records, Generation Now, Roc Nation, and Warner Music Group as defendants. Rief Rawyal argues that the companies used his creation to secure lucrative licensing deals with TikTok, Meta, and artificial intelligence firms.

He’s demanding more than $110 million in damages, citing lost streaming revenue, sync and licensing deals, and reputational harm. The filing also seeks retroactive publishing credit, an ownership share and an injunction to stop further use of the song.

Rief Rawyal, a former Jive Records artist and U.S. Marine veteran, says Pain and Pleasure was meant to mark his comeback after years away from music.

He insists that Atlantic had access to his work and that its subsequent reappearance in a global hit robbed him of the recognition and commercial opportunities he was poised to regain.

The lawsuit is the latest legal action the rapper is facing. He is currently being sued by a Jane Doe assistant who claims the rapper harassed her at work and created a toxic environment.

He is also being sued for beating a man on a Manhattan street, smashing the guy’s phone to pieces and then throwing hundred-dollar bills at him to humiliate him.

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Being laid off during this crisis isn’t easy, and the government hasn’t really backed up all those employees who lost their jobs. I’m pretty sure some of y’all in Houston have noticed what’s happening at the airport…whole sections are empty! The TSA workers didn’t show up and now flights are being delayed or canceled. The government pays these people weekly, so it’s strange to see so many of them gone. It makes me wonder if any of this makes sense. But wait…people are still paying taxes, SNAP benefits are being cut…and yet things keep getting worse. We need to come together, because at this point, none of the divisions really matter.

What do you all think about this?

There’s a viral video circulating across platforms like TikTok claiming the government might never open back up. The idea is that officials are testing how people will react to the absence of government — basically, seeing if we’ll accept living without it. It’s an interesting thought, because you wouldn’t expect that from a democratic society, but maybe that’s exactly what we’ve become. It’s starting to feel less like a democracy and more like an oligarchy.

There’s also this long-standing idea that Donald Trump won’t leave office after the next three years, that somehow, some way, he’ll find a way to stay in power. People have floated a few theories: one is that he’ll just refuse to go; another is that a new war could be “created,” forcing him to remain in charge; and a third theory says the government will simply cease to function, leaving no system in place to remove him. All of these are crazy and remind me of movies I once loved.

Anyway, the person in that TikTok video says this whole thing is a psyop — short for psychological operation. It’s defined as “an activity or activities that use information and other psychological methods to influence the emotions, motives, reasoning, and behavior of a target audience.”

And honestly, given how things are going — not even one year in — it doesn’t sound so crazy. It actually sounds spot on. Everything described in Project 2025 seems to be unfolding quickly. Why would we think it’d be any different now? They’re even trying to block people from getting their SNAP benefits, appealing rulings just to stop folks from receiving basic food assistance they’ve relied on for years.

I’ve never personally needed those benefits, but I also wouldn’t support policies that deprive children or the elderly of food. What’s frightening is that so many people are fine with it. The majority of those being denied help aren’t Black, and they’re not adults — they’re children.

So yeah, it’s wild out here. I don’t know if this is all connected, but I can’t ignore how much of it lines up. Let me know what you think — I’m really interested to hear other perspectives on this.

I would post the original vid, but I said it better here.

Click here to tell me your thoughts on the whole thing?

​AllHipHop