The music industry is one of the most competitive industries across the globe. It is safe to say that getting a break in this space and making heads turn is a feat very few have been able to accomplish, and musical duo Buddiez has been the latest addition to the list. Here, members Justin Escalona and Gianni Taylor talk about creating their latest hit album.
Hailing from Illinois, Escalona and Taylor have a strong passion for music that led them to create ‘BUDDIEZ’. Justin says, “We were inspired by The Chainsmokers. Hence we kept the songs in the pop/EDM genre.” The tracklist features seven songs, and Escalona has sung all of them with the assistance of autotune, skillfully adapting it to their own unique style.
Founder of popular clothing brand ‘1340 Collective’, Escalona’s passion for music took a turn when personalities like Mac Miller and Chance The Rapper started flaunting their clothes. He met Taylor through a mutual connection, and the two of them thought of creating an album simply as a creative pursuit.
“The idea was born because we thought it would be a fun experience to work on something we were passionate about,” says Gianni. He wrote all seven songs, and they created the album in only two weeks. One week post-release, the album had gained 200K plays, and today both of them are a sought-after talent with full-blown music careers.
They have since started working on a second album, and the music industry is already speculating about their new music. With the success of the first, both are living proof that huge success can be achieved if one pursues their passion wholeheartedly. Read more…
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A 4-year-old girl has died days after an alleged assault — apparently punched & choked more than a week ago.
Nahla Miller, 4, died Wednesday at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Her death stems from an April 13 incident at a Springfield Township home.
Calls to dispatchers paint a chaotic scene. On the phone seems to be a frantic mother, calling for help for her daughter who's unresponsive.
According to Springfield Township police, the woman on the phone, 25-year-old Tianna Robinson, was the cause of her daughter not breathing.
Police responded to the home on Hudepohl Lane on April 13 where Nahla Miller, 4, her mother & her mother's boyfriend, Rensley Washington, 25, live.
The call was for a 4-year-old girl not breathing.
That girl was taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, where she was hospitalized for more than a week.
Nahla Miller was pronounced dead on Wednesday morning. The Hamilton County Coroner lists her death as an apparent homicide.
Documents say Robinson punched the 4-year-old child, before choking her until she stopped breathing.
Washington was one of the child's caretakers & observed prolonged physical abuse resulting in serious harm to the 4-year-old child, in addition to malnutrition.
Robinson & Washington were arrested.
The girl's mother was initially charged with two counts of felony assault. The mother's boyfriend was charged with endangering children and obstructing justice.
Messages from Nahla's father said she loved Disney movies & her dog, Cookie. He says she didn't deserve to die the way she did. Robinson & Washington are likely to face additional charges in wake of the 4-year-old's death. Robinson remains jailed on a $1 million bond.
DALLAS (AP) — A Texas court is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday on overturning the conviction of a former Dallas police officer who was sentenced to prison for fatally shooting her neighbor in his home.
An attorney for Amber Guyger and prosecutors are set to clash before an appeals court over whether the evidence was sufficient to prove that her 2018 shooting of Botham Jean was murder.
The hearing before a panel of judges will examine a Dallas County jury’s 2019 decision to sentence Guyger to 10 years in prison for murder. It comes as a jury’s finding that a former Minneapolis police office was guilty of murdering George Floyd has again focused national attention on police killing people of color.
More than two years before Floyd’s death set off protests across the country, Guyger’s killing of Jean drew national attention because of the strange circumstances and because it was one in a string of shootings of Black men by white police officers.
The basic facts of the case were not in dispute. Guyger, returning home from a long shift, mistook Jean’s apartment for her own, which was on the floor directly below his. Finding the door ajar, she entered and shot him, later testifying that she through he was a burglar.
Jean, a 26-year-old accountant, had been eating a bowl of ice cream before Guyger shot him. She was later fired from the Dallas Police Department.
The appeal from Guyger, now 32, hangs on the contention that her mistaking Jean’s apartment for her own was reasonable and, therefore, so too was the shooting. Her lawyers have asked the appeals court to acquit her of murder or to substitute in a conviction for criminally negligent homicide, which carries a lesser sentence.
In court filings, Dallas County prosecutors countered that Guyger’s error doesn’t negate “her culpable mental state.” They wrote, “murder is a result-oriented offense.”
This guy is “notorious” for something very different.
A Conor McGregor lookalike was sentenced to nearly three years behind bars — after impersonating the MMA fighter while dealing drugs in England, according to reports.
Mark Nye, 34, was pulled over last February in Surrey by officers who spotted him trying to dump a package of illegal narcotics & two cellphones.
He allegedly told cops his name was “Conor” & they discovered hundreds of business cards for “McGregor Enterprise” inside his car.
Police said Nye had been using the cards — which promised the “Best drops in Surrey” — as part of his drug-dealing business in suburban London.
Hundreds of text messages detailing Nye’s drug-dealing activities were uncovered on his phone.
Cops also found a large amount of boric acid, a chemical often used to cut narcotics, inside Nye’s home.
He pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to supply class A drugs and was sentenced on April 9 in Guildford Crown Court.
Stamp Brand Ent presents a new visual from Denver's own ATAK. "It Iz Wat It Iz" appears on ATAK's new album Villa Park, which is available now on all streaming platforms. The video was directed by Clearview Films and the track was produced by DJPlugg.
Read more…
Producer Icyuzumaki links up with Atlanta artist Sugie on Doubted. This melodic trap banger is only a snippet version of the full song set to release with Icyuzumaki’s anticipated full length project “Birthday Tapes”.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is opening a sweeping probe into policing in Louisville, Kentucky, over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death by police during a raid at her home, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday.
It’s the second such probe into a law enforcement agency by the Biden administration in a week; Garland also announced an investigation into the tactics of the police in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd. The attorney general has said there is not yet equal justice under the law and promised to bring a critical eye to racism and legal issues when he took the job. Few such investigations were opened during the Trump administration.
The 26-year-old Taylor, an emergency medical technician who had been studying to become a nurse, was roused from sleep by police who came through the door using a battering ram. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired once. A no-knock warrant was approved as part of a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found at her home.
The investigation announced Monday is into the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department. It is known as a “pattern or practice” — examining whether there is a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing — and will be a more sweeping review of the entire police department.
Sam Aguiar, an attorney for Breonna Taylor’s family, posted a celebratory message on social media shortly after the announcement.
“Boom. Thank you,” he wrote. Aguiar and other attorneys negotiated a $12 million settlement in September with the city of Louisville over Taylor’s death.
The investigation will specifically focus on whether the Louisville Metro Police Department engages in a pattern of unreasonable force, including against people engaging in peaceful activities, and will also examine whether the police department conducts unconstitutional stops, searches and seizures and whether the department illegally executes search warrants, Garland said.
The probe will also look at the training that officers receive, the system in place to hold officers accountable and “assess whether LMPD engages in discriminatory conduct on the basis of race,” among other things, he said.
Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving will regret choosing the Nets over the Knicks - Stephen A. | First Take Max Kellerman gets into a heated debate with Stephen A. Smith after claiming that no one cares about the Brooklyn Nets in New York. Stephen A. also goes on a major Knicks rant and says Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will regret not joining the Knicks. #FirstTake #NBA
0:00 Stephen A. Smith weighs in on the Nets’ win over the Suns. 1:50 Stephen A. says nobody cares about the Nets in New York. 2:30 Stephen A. says KD and Kyrie are going to regret not joining the Knicks.
Twista touches on how during the pandemic he became an official Concealed Gun Carry Instructor and being Pro 2nd Amendment. Twista has his own "Gun Camp" and teaches people everything you need to know about handling a gun.
Kanye West — a close friend of the late DMX — helped raise $1 million for the late rapper’s family through the sale of tribute T-shirts, sources said.
West, through his Yeezy brand, commissioned Balenciaga to design the T-shirt that, at $200 a piece, sold out within 24 hours over the weekend, according to sources.
The proceeds will be given to the family of DMX, who was remembered Sunday at a private funeral service at Brooklyn’s Christian Cultural Center.
A day earlier, DMX — whose real name is Earl Simmons — was honored at a Brooklyn Barclays Center memorial attended by Yeezy.
West, who kept a low profile at the ceremony, also lent a helping hand with Saturday’s stage set-up, sources said. He recruited esteemed visual artist Akeem Smith to help design the layout.
Saturday’s memorial featured performances by Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir, and words of grief and remembrance from New York hip-hop artists including Nas, Jadakiss, Eve and Swizz Beatz.
Chris Weidman suffered a horrific injury to his leg in the opening minute of his fight with Uriah Hall at UFC 261. He underwent surgery to repair the damage and says it will be 6-12 months before he can train again.
CHICAGO (ABC7) - A man charged in the shooting death of a 7-year-old girl outside a Chicago McDonald's drove up behind a car driven by the girl's father while two other men got out and opened fire, prosecutors said Sunday.
Marion Lewis, 18, is being held without bond on a charge of murder and 18 other charges, including three counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault of a police officer.
The two other suspects in the April 18 killing of Jaslyn Adams have been identified by police but have not been charged, prosecutors said. It was not immediately known if either suspect was in custody.
Jaslyn and her father were in a McDonald's drive-thru on Chicago's West Side when the men pulled up in a silver Audi, according to prosecutors. They say surveillance video shows two men get out of the car, fire weapons at the victims' car and get back into the Audi. When the victims' car started to move forward the two men got out of the Audi again and fired more shots into the vehicle before speeding away, prosecutors said. Twenty-eight shell casings were found at the scene.
The girl's father, Jontae Adams, 29, was shot in the upper body and remains hospitalized, authorities said.
Police tracked Lewis down at an apartment in the Chicago suburb of Lombard using information on his Facebook page, prosecutors said. He was arrested Thursday while trying to steal a family's car on the Eisenhower Expressway after crashing his own trying to elude police, authorities said. He was shot several times by an officer trying to arrest him but is expected to survive, police said.
In this episode of "People's Party With Talib Kweli," Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down producer, DJ and rapper:
HI-TEK
Hi-Tek's productions defined the Rawkus Records sound. Here's what was discussed among two legends who literally came into the game together:
• The difficulties of artists breaking through in his hometown of Cincinnati. • Receiving the demo tape of Talib after his group Mood came back from NY. • How rappers Vicious Lee and Big Del inspired Hi-Tek to keep at his craft. • Moving to New York and avoiding all the distractions the city had to offer. • Cincinnati's unique mix of influences from all over the map. • Getting put onto Rawkus and producing 6 songs for the Black Star album. • Why producers are naturals when they choose to pick up a mic. • Going on to produce Jonell's radio hit 'Round And Round'. • Meeting singer Dion Jenkins and bringing him to Dr. Dre at Aftermath. • The legacy of Snoop Dogg and working with him as well as Dr. Dre. • Crazy stories of Talib and Hi-Tek in a jail's drunk tank and almost beating up a cab driver. • Talk about the possibility of a 3rd Reflection Eternal album. • A breakdown of his production for Anderson .Paak's 'Come Down'. • 9th Wonder contacting Hi-Tek to get on his Soul Council collective. • Hi-Tek's and J Dilla's friendship resembling that of George Clinton and Bootsy Collins.
TIME STAMPS:
3:56 -- Hi-Tek speaks on his hometown of Cincinnati, gives his take on why it's been such a difficult city for artists to break through and he talks about his father Willie Cottrell. Hi-Tek and Talib also discuss their early collabs and how their creative mindsets combined so well and Hi-Tek tells about the demo tape of Talib he received from his group Mood after they visited New York.
9:46 -- Hi-Tek talks about his close friend, rapper Vicious Lee from the group Mood. He speaks on how Lee was the first to put Hi-Tek on and bring him into a studio, how instrumental he was in inspiring Hi-Tek to keep at his craft, them making money by selling studio time to other local artists as well as a blessing in disguise that led to Hi-Tek eventually linking up with Talib.
17:38 -- Talib gives a big shout out to Big Del, who was featured on 'Memories Live' from the album 'Train Of Thought'. Hi-Tek goes on to explain how him and Big Del always were on the same page about the end goal being to get off the streets, and him always being supportive of Tek while he was making his moves to do exactly that, as well as why it was so important that D get on 'Train of Thought'.
22:19 -- Hi-Tek is asked about his first impressions of New York when he first arrived there. He tells how Talib's being so laser focused on his mission helped keep Tek from getting caught up in all the distractions that NY had to offer. Tek and Talib also discuss the lessons learned from Mood's bad record deal with Blunt Recordings on the release of their album 'Doom'.
26:35 -- Talib asks Tek for his take on Cincinnati's shift from mostly being influenced by East Coast hip hop to the radio there almost exclusively playing Down South rap, all starting around the time Master P hit the airwaves. Tek details how everyone in his crew had their own individual mix of influences from all over the map, with himself being mainly East Coast driven.
30:08 -- Jasmin asks Tek about his production work on 6 tracks for the Black Star debut album, what he remembers most about those sessions and his take on the Talib Kweli and Mos Def dynamic. Hi-Tek reflects on the initial studio session where he first met Mos and realized that they really had something special and Talib also takes the time to thank Hi-Tek.
35:22 -- Hi-Tek is asked if he believes people sleep on his skills as an emcee and he talks about the things that come naturally to producers when they pick up a mic. Hi-Tek goes on to talk about his transition of leaving Rawkus Records and signing with Kevin Liles to produce Jonell's 'Round And Round' and takeaways from that opportunity of producing a mainstream R&B hit.
40:03 -- Hi-Tek speaks on when he met singer Dion Jenkins who is best known for frequently appearing on albums with Aftermath Entertainment. Hi-Tek speaks on how impressed he was with Dion's singing, but telling him that he would need to win a talent show that Hi-Tek had put on for Cincinnati at that time if he wanted to work together. He also notes the song that really sold Dre on Dion's talents and why he thinks his album never came to fruition.
45:35 -- Hi-Tek is asked about being an in-house producer at Aftermath Entertainment during the height of the 50 Cent/Game beef, producing for both at the time. Hi-Tek also talks about how much he respects Snoop Dogg for being one of the first rap stars to work with artists from different cities as well as underground producers like Hi-Tek. He reflects on the first time meeting Snoop when he layed down a verse for a song that was supposed to be featured on 'Hi-Teknology'.
52:09 -- Talib brings up his and Hi-Tek's reconciliation after years of not speaking to do 'Revolutions Per Minute.' He goes on to tell the story of them both getting arrested after a crazy night of celebrating and ending up in the drunk tank together at the county jail. Talib asks Hi-Tek what he learned about their friendship through that experience and similar episodes like the one where Hi-Tek almost beat up a cab driver for smoking crack in the car.
57:00 -- Hi-Tek gets asked about his feelings on a potential part 3 of the Reflection Eternal experience. Hi-Tek responds with "we're going to have to write some rules first" and they both share the things they appreciate most about the Hi-Tek/Talib Kweli creative dynamic. Jasmin goes on to ask Hi-Tek about his experience producing Anderson .Paak's 'Come Down' and how that ranks among his catalog of beats. He also explains why he changed his approach of how he offers his productions to artists.
1:09:12 -- Hi-Tek speaks on the time 9th Wonder called him up and asked him if he wanted to be a part of the Soul Council and outlines how supportive 9th has been since they met. Jasmin goes on to ask Hi-Tek if he could name his top 5 producers of all-time and they discuss Hi-Tek's close friendship with J Dilla, likening their relationship to that of George Clinton and Bootsy Collins. Talib also brings up how dope it was to see Hi-Tek and Madlib work together and lastly asks him what he has coming next.
Jedi Mind Tricks heavy spitter Vinnie Paz just released a new solo album titled "Burn Everything That Bears Your Name." One of the many fire tracks off of it is "Murder Takes Time" featuring Eto. Peep that.
1. Socrates Drinking the Hemlock 2. Machine Gun Etiquette featuring Billy Danze 3. Body Bag Philosopher 4. Papi Wardrobe 5. Witches Teeth featuring ILL BILL ; Lord Goat 6. Latka Gravas 7. Danger Is My Business 8. I'm Thinking of Ending Things 9. Guilty Remnant Cigarettes 10. Don Eladio 11. Warhead featuring Chino XL 12. Excuse All the Blood 13. White on White Crime featuring O.T. The Real ; DBoy Flowski 14. Battle of the Camel featuring Willie the Kid 15. Torchbearer 16. Affairs in Order featuring Jay Royale 17. Tell Gold to Hold the Boneyard featuring CRIMEAPPLE ; Lord Goat 18. Duppy or Gunman 19. Angels with Dirty Faces featuring Eamon 20. Murder Takes Time featuring Eto 21. Lloyd's of London featuring Boob Bronx ; Block McCloud 22. Digital Veil featuring M.A.V.
Cameron Devon Henegan, better known as North Carolina rapper Cam Coldheart, died unexpectedly on April 24. His aunt, who uses the handle @empresstia_majesticplus on Instagram, shared the news on social media.
Charlotte Alerts described Henegan as an “up and coming” rapper in the area. He had more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Henegan’s cause of death has not yet been released or confirmed by official sources. His aunt, who goes by the name “Empress Tia” on Instagram, shared a theory on social media.
In response to a question about how her nephew had died, she responded, “We won’t know for sure until the autopsy is done… But there is speculation that he was drugged at a club the night before…”
Henegan well-known in 2019 because of a physcical altercation with fellow rapper DaBaby. Cheatsheet reported in May 2019 that the two musicians had been engaged in a rivalry that came to a head in a Louis Vuitton store. Henegan was accused of instigating the fight. According to Hot New Hip Hop, DaBaby won the fight after knocking Henegan to the ground and leaving him with a bloody nose.
But Henegan also later claimed the Louis Vuitton altercation had been largely staged. Henegan insisted it had been a hoax intended to generate attention. “Some parts was real, but it was definitely heavily fabricated after the fact. That’s Hollywood for you. Everything I said after that sh*t happened, everything on the internet for the past year was for money, you feel me,” Henegan said. “In Hollywood you have to put on a show to make money, you hear? This rap sh*t is not street. It’s about money, period. We done got all the media money. So now back to reality. I don’t even know how you guys didn’t even know.”
}