Two Elderly Songwriters Sue Snoop, Diddy, and Sony Over a 1980 Funk Sample
Songwriters Robert “Robby” White and Michael “Mike” Bravo filed a lawsuit claiming a four-bar backing track they co-created was used without authorization in songs tied to Snoop Dogg and the Notorious B.I.G.’s estate, including “Nasty Girl,” and accusing Sony Music Publishing of breach of contract and fiduciary duty for allegedly overlooking the clearance because it conflicted with existing relationships. [AllHipHop] Their attorney notes White is in his seventies and living on limited income while Bravo fronts legal and expert costs, and that the alleged use was only discovered in 2024, long after the records earned their money. [AllHipHop]
→ Follow the funk-sample lawsuit against Snoop and Sony →
Maryland’s PACE Act Pushes Back on “Rap on Trial”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed the PACE Act, making his state one of only three in the country to restrict prosecutors from using rap lyrics as evidence unless they are literal, fact-specific, and relevant to a disputed issue at trial. [AllHipHop] Moore cited data showing hip-hop lyrics have been used more than 840 times to prosecute people compared with four instances across all other genres combined, calling the disparity clear bias, and spoke about how central the music has been to his own life. [AllHipHop]
→ Learn what Maryland’s PACE Act actually does →
Yella Beezy Fights to Keep Unreleased Diss Tracks Out of His Murder Trial
Dallas prosecutors are moving to introduce two unreleased Yella Beezy songs, “Take 3” and “Gas’d Up,” as evidence in his murder case, claiming one was texted to a co-defendant the day of Mo3’s killing and the other was composed days after. [AllHipHop] Beezy’s defense argues that using his lyrics and unreleased music violates his First Amendment rights and would unfairly prejudice jurors, a fight that lands in direct contrast with Maryland’s new restrictions. [AllHipHop]
→ Track the Yella Beezy lyrics-as-evidence fight →
Jay-Z’s Coronation Week Draws a Public Letter From Mysonne
Rolling Out’s look at where Jay-Z stands after his Yankee Stadium run notes the delayed finale still became an era-defining night, with Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Usher joining him, while the album at the center of the residency climbed back up multiple Billboard charts three decades after release. [Rolling Out] Bronx activist and rapper Mysonne complicated the victory lap with an a cappella “Letter to Hov,” saluting Jay’s achievements while criticizing the Target vinyl partnership during the ongoing boycott and arguing targeted boycotts were a lesson he took from Jay’s own catalog. [HotNewHipHop] Rap Industry is pushing the video alongside a new Locksmith and Mysonne collaboration, “Culture Part 2.” [Rap Industry]
→ Hear Mysonne’s letter to Hov →
Rick Ross Preaches “Bet on Yourself” as Set In Stone Sales Stall
In part two of an AllHipHop sit-down, Rick Ross laid out a formula he says has never changed: take as much money as possible and flip it into bigger moves, from Wingstop franchises to his car show, framing business as the same mindset as the music rather than an accessory to it. [AllHipHop] The commercial picture is harsher: early projections for Set In Stone point to disappointing first-week numbers, with coverage citing skepticism after his recent run and a tracklist where nearly every song carries a feature. [HotNewHipHop]
→ See how Set In Stone is actually performing →
Memphis Bleek’s ROC Solid Trades Bait for Actual Conversation
A new profile frames Memphis Bleek’s ROC Solid show as a counter to the quantity-over-quality podcast era, where recycled beefs and short provocation clips dominate. [HipHopSince1987] Rather than baiting guests for old drama, Bleek leans on his Roc-A-Fella-era credibility to talk ownership, publishing, and survival, with an Albee Al episode on perseverance and legal struggles and a live Roots Picnic edition showing the format travels. [HipHopSince1987]
→ Get into Memphis Bleek’s ROC Solid →
Offset’s LAX Dispensary Case Ends With Probation, Not Prison
Offset’s assault case stemming from a March 2025 altercation at a cannabis shop near LAX has concluded with a sentence that avoids incarceration, including probation, anger management, and community service. [Rolling Out] A security guard alleged Offset turned hostile after being asked for ID and struck him, while Offset’s camp maintained the guard spat on him first and any contact was reactive; the outcome mirrors a common pattern in low-level celebrity assault cases. [Rolling Out]
→ Get the outcome of Offset’s assault case →
JT Says She’s Done With Female Rap Beef After the Jacki-O Fallout
Rolling Out reports the JT and Jacki-O rift began with a private DM asking for a collaboration, which Jacki-O posted publicly along with her explanation that she declined over a JT film role involving themes that conflicted with her Christian values. [Rolling Out] JT pushed back online, calling the public post a line crossed while saying she still respects Jacki-O’s music, all as she has recently declared she’s stepping away from female rap beef entirely. [Rolling Out]
→ Get the latest in the JT and Jacki-O fallout →
XXL Freshmen 2026: A Cappella Freestyles as Brand Statements
XXL released the 2026 Freshman Class a cappella freestyles, continuing a franchise that has now featured 206 artists rapping with no beat and no rules over more than two decades. [XXL] This year’s crop spans the spectrum, from Chris Patrick wrestling with stardom and Slayr’s punchline flurries to YKNiece’s luxe talk, Hurricane Wisdom’s melodic rap-singing, Skrilla’s realism, and Sosocamo’s rockstar harmonies. [XXL]
→ Meet the 2026 XXL Freshman Class →
Buju Banton on Dancehall and Hip-Hop’s Old Marriage and New Distance
On The Breakfast Club, Buju Banton reflected on the deep 1990s synergy between hip-hop and Jamaican dancehall, when U.S. rappers routinely sought out a Jamaican artist for a record, citing Shabba Ranks and Super Cat collaborations with Heavy D. [YouTube] He said today’s artists and producers don’t feel that same energy even though audiences want it, and pushed back on attempts to rebrand dancehall as “trap dance,” arguing the original form has to stay represented. [YouTube]
→ Hear Buju Banton on dancehall and hip-hop →
Global Hip-Hop: Serbia’s San Derven Festival Hits Volume 7
Blackout Hip Hop profiled San Derven vol. 7, a humanitarian hip-hop festival in the Serbian town of Svrljig launched in 2019 by the local Youth Office and municipal culture center. [Blackout Hip Hop] The program bundles graffiti showcases, DJ sets, breakdance, 3-on-3 basketball, and skating alongside rap performances, having previously hosted regional names like Who See and Kendi, echoing how early U.S. park jams gathered all the elements in one place. [Blackout Hip Hop]
→ Explore Serbia’s San Derven festival →
Company Flow’s Funcrusher Plus Still Sounds Like the Future It Predicted
A Blackout Hip Hop deep dive revisits Company Flow’s Funcrusher Plus, focusing on how tracks like “Bad Touch Example” and “8 Steps to Perfection” twisted boom-bap into something paranoid and experimental. [Blackout Hip Hop] The piece traces how grimy vibraphone loops, early 8-bit synths, and eerie guitar textures built a dystopian palette that presaged later underground and alternative rap, arguing the ’90s indie movement was about new emotional territory as much as distribution. [Blackout Hip Hop]
→ Revisit Company Flow’s Funcrusher Plus →
Presidential Clemency Keeps Turning Up in Hip-Hop’s Business Backstory
HotNewHipHop published an overview of Donald Trump’s pardons and commutations involving hip-hop figures, noting how those decisions have become part of the genre’s modern history. [HotNewHipHop] One standout is Michael “Harry-O” Harris, an early Death Row Records funder who served roughly 32 years on federal charges before receiving a commutation in Trump’s final hours of his first term, a reminder that presidential power has materially shaped rap’s business history. [HotNewHipHop]
