The beef between Masika Kalysha and Hazel-E has been brewing for years. The ladies have both starred in Love & Hip Hop and have etched themselves into reality television infamy due to their fiery personalities that often sets them at odds with their cast members. The tension between these two has often poured over to social media where they trade vicious insults to a captivated audience.
Masika and Hazel put their beef on display when they moved networks and were featured on Zeus’s The Conversation. The confrontational series follows people at odds who face off in heated arguments.
Back in 2020, Hazel and Masika squared off and their chat erupted into mayhem. According to a new lawsuit filed by Masika, “Hazel and a cosmetologist came into her dressing room and attacked her … resulting in scratches, bruises, and a broken finger,” reports TMZ.
It was also stated that Masika’s legal team told Zeus not to air the footage but the network moved forward. Although the physical altercation was halted by security on set, Masika further accuses one of them of groping her during the incident and making a remark about how “thick” she was.
In an update provided by The Shade Room, Masika reportedly added that her gripe is mostly with Zeus and how they handled the situation. Hazel-E was allegedly listed in the lawsuit against Zeus because she was a part of the altercation as a whole.
TMZ stated: “Masika is suing for sexual battery, fraud and wants $6 million in damages.”
Check out the confrontation below.
R&B fans are gearing up for the release of Ari Lennox’s next effort, Age/Sex/Location. The project is a long time coming for the songbird who has been carefully crafting the album for what seems like years. There have been setbacks and delays—something not uncommon in the industry—but finally, Lennox recently announced that Age/Sex/Locationwill arrive on September 9.
As the rollout has officially been set in motion, we eased into this Wednesday (August 31) afternoon with a new single from Ari, “Queen Space,” that arrives with a feature from Summer Walker.
Lennox previously stated that her new album would be a Soul record, and in a text shared by J. Cole, the singer explained what the project means to her.
“Transitional space. Very vulnerable codependent and validation seeking part of my life. I remember the countless times I was kicked out of dating apps because they didn’t think I was really myself, it reminded me of those age/sex/location days where I actually wasn’t being myself in those chat rooms.”
“No more tip toeing. No more docile. Providing grace and compassion to myself. Blocking those that no longer serve me or just literally not responding. Blocking the resistance to heal. Allowing accountability and maturing. Allowing growth to happen. Allowing self worth and self love and inner work to happen. Allowing therapy. Allowing dating me to happen. Doing things I like to do whenever I want.”
Stream “Queen Space” and let us know what you think.
Quotable Lyrics
I told you to be here (Ah)
Come correct or disappear
I said smooth when it go down like some Belvedere (Ooh)
Don’t let doubt interfere (Ooh, ooh)
Apparently, things aren’t moving too smoothly between Kanye West and GAP. The retail giant and the hip-hop mogul have been working closely together but it seems like they don’t want to let Ye be Ye. The rapper hit the ‘Gram last night where he revealed that GAP was holding a meeting without him. This morning, he accused the GAP of biting Yeezy x Balenciaga designs.
It seems like Kanye West finally got the attention of the GAP executives. The mogul hit the ‘Gram with a 6-minute video where he appears to be explaining to the executives why the collaboration “isn’t celebrity marketing.” “This is a life mission,” he added. The long-winded speech finds Kanye explaining his passion for fashion and how he intends to use it to transform the world through it. He explained his own desire to establish retail stores for his GAP line.
“You have to really give me the position to be Ye and do what I’m thinking or I’m going to have to do what I’m thinking somewhere else. Because if there’s one thing I learned from Virgil, if something’s killing you, it’s actually killing you,” he said. Kanye West then called out GAP for canceling the pre-orders for the blue jackets before calling them “insane” for only running an advertisement once, even though they saw a huge spike in sales.
“This is the moment. There will never be an opportunity with a guy like me that cares this much about specifically this brand and has done this until this point. We are like Tom Brady waking people up at 2 am during COVID but he went back and got that ring,” he said. “We are the football team. This is our football team. And I’m actually the Tom Brady because Demna charge $4000 for a shirt. I’m saying… how do we go Costco, how do we go Old Navy prices?”
Ye continued to explain that he’s hands-on at the factories before giving GAP an ultimatum. “This is bigger than us. We shouldn’t argue amongst ourselves. But I’m saying I have to go pull that sword out the stone,” he added. “You either believe me or I’m going to show you. I can either show you facing this way [back facing the executives] or facing this way [frontward],” he said.
At the tail end of the video, Kanye shuts down the laughter among the executives and swears on Virgil and his mom. Watch the video below.
Young Thug asked 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps for advice on swimming back to shore from 100 miles into the ocean on Twitter, Wednesday, prompting jokes about the rapper attempting to break out of prison. Thug is currently awaiting trial on a number of charges related to the recent 56-count RICO indictment of his Young Slime Life label.
“I’m talking with my roommate and we’re wondering if you could swim 100 miles from the middle of the ocean back to shore,” Thug tweeted, tagging Michael Phelps.
“U tryna escape,” one fan wrote in response to the post.
Another joked: “Oh nah they moved him to Alcatraz.”
Phelps has yet to respond to the tweet.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Thug had received a trial date of January 9, 2023. One major controversial factor in the trial will be the prosecution’s use of rap lyrics.
Fulton County District Attorney Fanni Willis recently defended the use of music in court, saying at a press conference, “If you decide to admit your crimes over a beat, I’m gon’ use it… People can continue to be angry about it, [but] I have some legal advice: Don’t confess to crimes on rap lyrics if you do not want them used — or, at least, get out of my county.”
Check out Thug’s recent tweet below.
Quando Rondo is back in action with the release of a brand new single. The Georgia rapper teams up with NBA Youngboy for their new single, “Give Me A Sign.” The two artists launch into bluesy production as they discuss trauma from the streets and the violence that they’ve witnessed over the years. Quando Rondo and NBA Youngboy’s honesty in their pen digs deep into their psyche. “Real lone, mom, I lost my soul, I like to be alone/ Keep a burner on me but you know just how it is if I don’t make it home,” Youngboy raps on the record. YB also appears to shout out Lul Timm, who is accused of fatally shooting King Von. “Blackball and wanna see us down ’cause Timm get dirty with that iron,” YB raps.
“Give Me A Sign” marks Quando’s first release since being involved in a deadly shooting earlier this month. The rapper was reportedly targeted by three gunmen at a gas station in California who fatally shot Quando’s friend.
Check the song out below.
Quotable Lyrics
Doin’ bad at times, I cry
Hit my knees, send prayers to the sky
I’m a soldier, that’s what I told ’em, knew I’d fold ’em from the jump, boy
But this nigga still wanted us to pull his whole card
Pain from the jail boys
Gang Of Youths have pulled next month’s North American tour dates, citing burnout as the reason for the last-minute cancellation.
The Australian indie rockers were due to play shows in the US and Canada, kicking off in Milwaukee’s The Rave II in Wisconsin on September 13 before wrapping at Las Vegas’ 24 Oxford in Nevada on October 1.
But singer and guitarist Dave Le’aupepe explained in a post announcing the cancellation that his own “ongoing health issues” and the “stress of travel, illness and feeling constantly hampered by injuries and physical shit sustained on the road” is taking “a significant toll on my wellbeing overall”.
Le’aupepe added that he won’t be “bullshitting” fans about the reasons, telling them that he is “absolutely fucken [sic] knackered” and needs to take time out to recuperate because he feels that it’s “unacceptable” to play shows when it “isn’t to the best of my ability”.
important news re north america. pic.twitter.com/qJ0VEvigCk
— gang of youths (@gangofyouths) August 31, 2022
He explained that it’s not just him that needs a break. “Similarly, it’s been a long year or so for the other fellas and me,” he wrote.
“Marriages, young children, personal stuff has to take some priority, and I feel like the next couple of months off are sorely needed for everybody.
“I want to keep doing this job for as long as humanly possible, however, for that to be the case, I need to unfuck my shit and get my body, voice and mind in better working order.”
You can read Le’aupepe’s statement in full above.
No information has been shared about rescheduled dates nor how ticketholders should proceed – check the band’s social media and website for more details in due course.
Gang Of Youths live at Mad Cool 2022. Credit: Jaime Massieu for NME
Gang Of Youths, Le’aupepe added, are especially sorry to fans in: Vancouver, Canada; Denver, Colorado, US; and “Aotearoa” (aka New Zealand).
“[You’ve] had to deal with a few cancellations due to issues like this before. We’re gonna do our best to get over there soon,” he wrote.
With regards to New Zealand, Le’aupepe was talking about the band’s recent August shows that were scrapped just hours before the band were due to take to the stage for the first gig in Wellington on August 16. The band also cited health reasons for those cancellations.
Gang Of Youths have been touring in support of their third album ‘Angel in Realtime’ and recently played a string of shows in Australia.
This autumn they’re due to head to Europe including shows in the UK and Ireland. Some of those dates were re-scheduled earlier this year due to issues surrounding COVID.
See those dates here. For any remaining tickets, visit here.
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FKA twigs, Years & Years‘ Olly Alexander and comedian Aisling Bea are among the new guest judges announced for the next season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
READ MORE: FKA twigs: “There are so many sides to me that the world hasn’t seen yet”
The fourth season of the UK edition of the long-running drag show will also welcome Spice Girls‘ Mel B, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, Boy George and more.
Announcements are expected on a release date for the new season of Drag Race UK “very soon” according to a post on the show’s official Twitter account, and ahead of the reveal of a premiere date, a teaser video has been shared with the tagline: “Bring it to the runway.”
Check that out below, along with the full list of season four celebrity judges.
Bring it to the runw4y! #DragRaceUK pic.twitter.com/Fguk5m5tbf
— RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (@dragraceukbbc) August 30, 2022
Category is… Celebrity guest realness! Here’s all the fabulous faces coming to #DragRaceUK 4⃣ pic.twitter.com/W5sWyDibRb
— RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (@dragraceukbbc) August 31, 2022
Last year, Charli XCX shared a special Halloween performance of her latest single ‘Good Ones’ featuring the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
The drag performance of the song sees Asttina Mandella lead an ensemble cast made up of her fellow Drag Race stars including A’Whora and Cherry Valentine from season two, along with season three’s Krystal Versace and Elektra Fence.
The group lip synced along to the track while delivering Halloween-inspired choreography in sparkly red and black costumes.
Elsewhere, last month RuPaul responded to his Emmy nominations with a statement about LGBTQ+ rights. The nominations for the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced in July, and RuPaul’s Drag Race earned eight nominations in total, including Outstanding Competition Program and Outstanding Host For A Reality or Competition Program.
In a post on Instagram following the nominations, RuPaul wrote: “As the basic human rights of LGBTQ+ people are being threatened once again, I want to thank our peers in the Television Academy for acknowledging the achievements of the beautiful and talented souls that work in front of and behind the cameras at RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“Through the miracle of drag, our spectacular season 14 queens have touched hearts and opened minds around the planet.”
He added: “We will never take for granted the platform we’ve been given to tell authentic queer stories, and pledge to do everything in our power to continue to spread light, love, and laughter.”
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