Drake talks Dating Rihanna and Marrying Nicki Minaj

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

The year of 2009 was one of transition for hip hop. For the past five years, rappers relied less and less on lyrics. Socially, hip hop had grown used to several couples, many of which, broke up. Chris Brown and Rihanna, while R&B and Pop artists, respectively, are a part of the hip hop community.

For two years, they had been publicly dating and appeared to be the model teenage couple. However, the two actually had an abusive relationship, which the whole world learned of. A public fight on the day of the Grammys forced Chris Brown and Rihanna to break up.

Moving on from Chris Brown, Rihanna began dating mixtape rapper, Drake. At the time, Drake was probably best-known for his role on "Degrassi." Drake was being courted by several labels and close to signing with Young Money. While his career took off, his relationship with Rihanna did not.

Drake said he would never blame what happened between them on Rihanna, but he was hurt when he realized it was not a deep relationship. Rihanna was the first famous female to pay any attention to Drake and he was drawn by that. When he began to realize what their relationship actually was, a rebound, it hurt him, but he was able to move forward. Drake said he used to see her in magazines, when he was still new to the game, and they met during a birthday party.

After moving on from Rihanna, Drake rapped about his love for Nicki Minaj on "Miss Me." Last year, the two were married for a day. Their marriage, which was a publicity stunt, is something Drake thinks could last, if tried again. Drake said Nicki Minaj is probably the only woman who understands him and who could one day love him.

Read more...

Rihanna hits back at Royce da 5'9 over Name Drop

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

In recent months, rappers have been name-dropping more than usual and it has not always been just friendly. Game, the king of name-dropping, recently was called out by Jay Electronica for mentioning his baby's mother, Erykah Badu.

During the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards, Rihanna's name was mentioned and it was not by Chris Brown. During the Shady Records' cypher, Ri was mentioned by Royce da 5'9. In his cypher, he said "hi Rihanna, bye Rihanna."

Recently, Rihanna responded to Royce da 5'9's name drop on through her Twitter account.

Check out the photo below:

Read more...

J. Cole denies the Roc Nation rumors

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

With J. Cole finally gearing up to release his debut album, there were rumors of him being dropped from Roc Nation. Those rumors stemmed from rumors of the North Carolina rapper having a sextape out with Rihanna. For years, many have accused Jay-Z, the head of Roc Nation, of having an affair with Rihanna.

The rumors stated J. Cole had been dropped from the label, but his debut album would still be released, as planned. J. Cole ignored those rumors and continued pushing. J. Cole starred in the first episode of "Road to Release" on MTV2 last night. The rapper also released his "Mr. Nice Watch" song with Jay-Z.

Just the release of "Mr. Nice Watch" led many to believe the rumors of him being dropped were false. J. Cole stated he was happy to be in the headlines before the release of Cole World: The Sideline Story, but such rumors about him were annoying. Ignoring the haters, J. Cole will continue pushing his music, as his album drops in less than two weeks on Roc Nation, as Cole will not be leaving the label.

Read more...

Nicki Minaj ft. Rihanna - "Fly" [REPOST]

Read more...

J.R. Rotem speaks on producing Nicki Minaj's "Fly"

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Hitmaker, J.R. Rotem is known for crafting hits for Sean Kingston and many other big stars. His most-recent hit was Nicki Minaj's new single, "Fly." The song was a part of Nicki's Pink Friday debut, but was released during the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

J.R. Rotem explained how his relationship with Nicki Minaj formed, initially. Rotem admitted he was a fan, just like everyone else. One day, he reached out to Nicki Minaj and they began talking. Out of the gate, Rotem got her on a Jason Derulo track.

Explaining how he produced the track, J.R. Rotem said he laid the instrumental in a way that would display her vocals. He had her record the hook and left the verses blank. When he presented the track to Nicki, Rotem said it left her inspired to complete the track.

When thinking of a person to perform the hook, Nicki Minaj mentioned Rihanna and "Fly" was quickly recorded.

Read more...

Nicki Minaj ft. Rihanna - "Fly"

Read more...

Nicki Minaj fragrance line in the Works?

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Rapstress, Nicki Minaj, never takes a day off. While currently on the I Am Music II tour, with Lil Wayne, she is working on her second album. Not only is she working on new music, she also plans to do work with Rihanna and Britney Spears.

Nicki Minaj has already taken the rap game over. She does not intend to spend too much more time making music. Next year, she will prepare to make the transition into Hollywood. Nicki announced this last year.

Already branching out from hip hop, Nicki Minaj announced her plans to launch a fragrance line.

Read the original story at Fo' Sho.

Read more...

Kanye West ft. Rihanna - "All of the Lights"

Read more...

J. Cole joins Rihanna's 'LOUD' tour

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

While he is still working on his debut album, J. Cole will have plenty of publicity. He recently joined fellow Roc Nation artist, Rihanna on her 'LOUD' tour.

J. Cole will join Cee Lo as one of the artists featured on the tour, alongside Rihanna. Rihanna chose to add J. Cole after he remixed her S&M single and she liked it.

Rihanna will be accompanyed by J. Cole on her stops in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.

Read more...

Kanye West lands in More Hot Water

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Right when it seemed as if Kanye West had put his career back on track, he got knocked off again. The Chicago rapper was doing great until the release of the "All of the Lights" single. First, Rihanna lies to a cancer charity to perform with West at the All-Star Game and then the video is critically-panned.

Critics have accused Kanye West of stealing the theme of the video from a French film. Fans have accepted the video and it has become a favorite. Despite what the critics have said, West's latest video was getting plenty of hits on YouTube. But, that will not be the case for too much longer.

Recently, the "All of the Lights" video was pulled from YouTube because it has caused seizures. Epilesy Action, a UK-based organization that promotes epiletic seizure awareness recently protested the video, saying the rapidly flashing lights could cause seizures. Because of this, the video was removed from YouTube and reuploaded with a disclaimer.

Things have been rough on Kanye West, but he is still going forward. Next month, he plans to release a collaboration album with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne, and then he plans to release his sixth studio album.

Read more...

Kanye West comes Under Fire for "All of the Lights" video

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Once Kanye West released My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, he was back on top of the game. Late in the summer, he released the first single, "Power." A short video was released in promotion of the album and "Runaway" was promoted as the next single.

"Runaway" became a minor hit, but the album has sold very well over the past few months. Some credit Kanye West for saving the state of hip hop in 2010. Recently, he has been receiving heavy radio play for his "All of the Lights" single.

With Rihanna, Kanye West performed the song during halftime at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. Upon seeing the performance, Donald Trump was heated with Rihanna after she backed out of his gig for her, claiming to be sick. Now, the video has caused trouble.

Earlier this week, the official video for "All of the Lights" was released and now Kanye West is being accused of stealing the theme from a movie. Many video critics have panned the video for the popular single for that lone reason. He is being accused of biting the video for the French film, Enter the Void. The producers of the French film have not commented on the Kanye West video.

Read more...

Jay-Z wins Grammy for "Empire State of Mind"

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

By 2009, Jay-Z had accomplished almost everything a rapper would hope to when they enter the game. He had built two successful record labels, been the CEO of Def Jam, and had released ten number one albums. Still, Jay-Z had yet to release a number one single.

Many people considered The Blueprint 3 to be Jay-Z's most-creative album of his career. Some viewed the album as Jay-Z trying to stay in touch with the young hip hop fans. Jay-Z featured Rihanna, Drake, and J. Cole on the album.

When "Empire State of Mind" was recorded, everyone knew Jay-Z intended for it to become New York's anthem. Upon its release, the single did just that. Before long, Jay-Z had finally landed himself a number one single.

Now, the honor has risen with the song having won him a Grammy Award. Jay-Z has won a few Grammys before, but this one makes it clear "Empire State of Mind" is the most-popular single of his career. Jay-Z won the Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, as Alicia Keys provided the hook for the song.

Read more...

Drake solely focusing on "Take Care" album

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Over the past two years, Drake has been all over the radio in between his mixtapes, Thank Me Later, and his collaborations. In the midst of his popularity, Drake announced he was working on his second album. Not even a year since the release of his debut album and Drake is back in the lab.

Last fall, Drake announced he would be returning to the studio to record another album. While Lil Wayne was in prison, Drake was the focal point of Young Money. Now, with Wayne out, Drake has become a star in his own right. Because of his popularity, his label wants him to put another album out.

Currently, Drake is featured on several songs. His most notable guest verses are on Rihanna's "What's My Name?" and Jamie Foxx's hit single, "Fall For Your Type." More artists have been calling on Drake to record with them. After the success of the "Deuces (remix)," Chris Brown wants a formal collaboration with Drake for his next studio album.

While Drake is flattered by the support he has received from all of the new artists, he needs to take some time off. Last fall, Drake announced he was working on an R&B mixtape, It's Never Enough. But, because he was so focused on rapping, he had to push it back. In between time, Drake has been doing a little work on the mixtape. With his demand so high, Cash Money Records wants him working on his Take Care album and that is where Drake has decided to focus.

On this album, Drake said he wants to actually take the time to make the album the way he wants it to be, instead of rushed like Thank Me Later. Initially, the album was slated for a April release date, but will likely be released sometime during the summer of 2011.

Read more...

Eminem ft. Rihanna - "Love the Way You Lie"

Read more...

Will Jay-Z release a New Album in 2011?

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

In recent years, Jay-Z has been spending more time running his businesses than making music. Despite being considered one of the best rappers of all-time, Jay-Z said he was a businessman. Coming from the Brooklyn projects, Jay-Z had one of two ways to make a better life for himself.

Jay-Z spent most of his early adult years trying one way to build the life he always wanted. After spending eight years in the "crack game," he decided to enter the rap game. Lucky for Jay-Z, the fans fell in love with him. Many people looked towards Jay-Z for inspiration, as he pulled himself to the top.

From 1996 until 2003, Jay-Z released an album each year. Along the way, he made other stars through Roc-A-Fella Records. During this time, Jay-Z also branched out into clothing and film ventures. Even though he was the biggest face of the entire company, Jay-Z ran things behind the scenes the best that he knew how. But, following the release of his 2003 album, Jay-Z decided to hang the mic up for good.

In 2006, Jay-Z returned to the rap game and it was almost as if he had never left. His flow was a little different and he boasted more about his cash than usual. With the economy heading down in a fast motion, many fans were turned off by some of Jay-Z's lyrics. He would turn things around one year later with the release of American Gangster. After watching the Denzel Washington film, Jay-Z was inspired to record an album based upon his own life in the streets.

Following the release of his critically-acclaimed album, Jay-Z took some time off to reorganize his business ventures. In 2009, he returned with another critically-acclaimed album, The Blueprint 3. Last year, Jay-Z experienced all kinds of success. Jay-Z is mostly behind the scenes with most of his work. Roc Nation is his new company and the label manages and promotes some of the biggest names. Willow Smith, Rihanna, and J. Cole all released music for the label in 2010.

While Roc Nation has been doing well and Rocawear has been a steady brand for years, Jay-Z returns to check in on the rap game every now and again. This year, Jay-Z is already in the studio as he and Kanye West are recording Watch the Throne. Even after reaching the top of the mountain, Jay-Z still feels as if he has something to prove to the people who thinks he has nothing left in the tank.

Read more...

Eminem to perform at 53rd Annual Grammy Awards

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Last year, Eminem proved pulling off a successful comeback was possible. Even with high record sales with Relapse, many people said Eminem had fallen off. His 2009 album was not met with high reviews. The hit single, "We Made You," was panned by critics.

In the spring of 2010, Eminem returned with "Not Afraid." With one single, Eminem regained the respect of the entire rap community. The run would continue following the release of his album, Recovery. Following "Not Afraid," his Rihanna-assisted single, "Love The Way You Lie," also topped the charts.

Eminem's incredible year has not gone unnoticed by the awards ceremonies. The most important award show has invited Eminem to perform. The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards has added Em to their performance lineup. Not only is Eminem slated to perform, he is also nominated for three individual awards, Best Rap Song, Song of the Year, and Best Rap Album.

Read more...

Eminem ft. Rihanna - "Love The Way You Lie"

Read more...

Video of the Day: Eminem ft. Rihanna - "Love the way You Lie"

Read more...

Video of the Day: Eminem ft. Rihanna "Love The Way You Lie"

Read more...

HOT video of the week

Read more...