Latest Hip hop and rap News

Trial winds down in shooting death of rapper Nipsey Hussle
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Both sides rested their cases Wednesday in the trial of a man charged with the killing of rapper Nipsey Hussle after a day's delay because of an assault on the defendant by fellow jail inmates. Closing arguments are set to begin Thursday in the trial of Eric...

Essence Fest is back in New Orleans after two-year hiatus
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Black culture, in all its glory, will be on display over the 4th of July holiday weekend in New Orleans as thousands converge on the city for the in-person return of the Essence Festival of Culture. The multiday event begins with a Thursday performance by...

Ludacris' manager and 2 others shot, 1 fatally, in Georgia
ATLANTA (AP) — A man was killed and two others were injured, including rap star Ludacris' manager, in a parking lot shooting in an upscale neighborhood north of downtown Atlanta on Sunday night. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the men were all taken to hospitals,...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 3-9
Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 3-9: July 3: Actor Michael Cole (“The Mod Squad”) is 82. Singer Judith Durham of The Seekers is 79. Actor Kurtwood Smith (“That 70s Show”) is 79. Country singer Johnny Lee is 76. Writer Dave Barry is 75. Actor Betty Buckley is 75....

Lamar closes Glastonbury with call for women's rights
LONDON (AP) — Rapper Kendrick Lamar has closed this year's Glastonbury Festival with a powerful headline set that saw him chant “Godspeed for women’s rights” as fake blood poured down his face from a crown of thorns. Lamar, 35, ended his new song “Savior” by chanting...

Sean 'Diddy' Combs receives lifetime honor at BET Awards
LOS ANGELES (AP) — With a speech about his own inspirational dream for the Black community, Sean “Diddy” Combs channeled the spirit of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. while accepting the BET Awards' highest honor Sunday night. After Combs received his Lifetime Achievement...

Dissident artist, rapper sentenced to prison in Cuba
HAVANA (AP) — Two members of a loose-knit group of dissident artists have been sentenced to prison in Cuba, the country's prosecutor's office said Friday. Maikel Castillo was sentenced to nine years for attacks and defamation against the country's institutions and Luis Manuel Otero...

Zelenskyy urges Glastonbury crowd to spread truth about war
PILTON, England (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged music fans at the Glastonbury Festival on Friday to “spread the truth about Russia’s war ” on his country. Zelenskyy spoke to the crowd in a video message played at the British music extravaganza before a...

Spirit of Virgil Abloh lives on at Louis Vuitton in Paris
PARIS (AP) — He may have died last November, but Virgil Abloh lived on at Paris Fashion Week Thursday in a high-energy runway spectacular for Louis Vuitton menswear. A Black marching band gave a rousing performance on a surreal yellow brick road installation inside the Louvre, while rapper...

Chaka Khan, Ukraine tribute highlight Boston Pops show
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on the July Fourth holiday this year will feature guest artist and 10-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan as well as a performance of the Ukrainian national anthem, the Boston Symphony Orchestra announced Wednesday. The show at the...
