N.O.R.E. claims that Pusha T yelled at Pharrell Williams for remaining neutral at the height of his feud with Drake.  During an appearance on Bootleg Kev’s podcast, N.O.R.E. described the tense moment that he said he witnessed. “When we had Pharrell on the show [ Drink Champs], it was the first time I ever heard Pusha T raise his voice,” N.O.R.E. said. “I said to Pharrell, ‘Pusha T or Drake,’ and he said ‘both.’ I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this, Pusha. I’m sorry man, but I’m in the zone right now. Pusha called me like, ‘How the f**k is our boy doing this? How’s he doing that? How’s he saying both of us? ‘Drake wouldn’t have picked both of us, Drake would have picked him!’ And I’m like ‘Pusha, this is the one time I’m shutting the f**k up. I’mma let you vent.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Bootleg Kev Podcast (@thebootlegkevpodcast) “I say that to say that’s how much of a human Pharrell is. He told me for years, N.O.R.E., don’t do no crime in front of me.’ Who the f**k thinks like that? He said, ‘I’m going to tell…’ He literally told me that from the beginning.” When Pharrell visited Drink Champs in 2020, he revealed his dismay at Pusha T and Drake’s infamous rap battle. The Pusha T-Drake beef has come to light again now that Kendrick Lamar is appearing on the forthcoming Clipse album Let Got Sort Em Out.  The highly anticipated album is produced solely by Pharrell and will be released on Friday, July 11.

Keke Palmer is sharing the details of how she achieved her sculpted physique. At the Essence Fest on Sunday, July 6,  Palmer spoke to PEOPLE about giving birth to her 2-year-old son Leo and how she got back in tiptop shape “You have to get back to yourself after the baby. It’s really, really hard. Anybody with kids knows sometimes it can take 3, 4, 5 years,” Palmer said.“It really wears your ass out.” One component of Palmer’s regimen is waking up in the morning and getting active before she begins her day. “I’m a Pilates girl down, I don’t care. It’s the Pilates. And I need people to know it doesn’t matter what that scale says. It matters about the muscles,” she said. “That’s what I love about Pilates. It don’t matter what your size is, your body is going to be snatched with Pilates.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by BIG BOSS (@keke) Also,  finding a workout class was a game changer for Palmer because she didn’t want to spend time figuring everything out at the gym on her own is difficult and too much to deal with. “So if you could find a dance class, Pilates class, a yoga class, a cycling class, whatever class that you like that can happen at the top of your day before you go to work, it will do wonders. The consistency of that will do wonders,” she explained. “And then I’ll say, make your own food. I know, I know it’s a lot. Nobody wants to do the meal prep sh*t, but making your own food and knowing what you put in it, it does wonders.”  “Making your own meals, keeping it consistent with some type of activity. It really does transform your body,” Palmer continued. “And then fun stuff. Sometimes we forget that everything don’t have to be a serious workout. What if I just go play tennis or pickleball with my girl? What if we just go swimming for a day? You know what I’m saying? Let’s walk around an amusement park with the kids.”  According to Palmer, having the right mentality and consistency has been the key with helping her stay on track with her nutrion even when she falls off the wagon “It is a mentality and it’s really just about knowing what our goals are,” she says. “I think for me, I really wanted to be strong and active in whatever way that meant for me. And it came from consistency and knowing that I had time for myself.” 

Keyshia Cole is once again the topic of social media chatter after a resurfaced livestream clip started making the rounds online. The video, originally shared by Instagram user @livebitez on July 7th, shows the singer sitting back in what appears to be a tattoo studio. Celebrity tattoo artist Ryan Henry is briefly seen leaning over her, red marker in hand, before glancing at his phone. Cole gives the camera a soft smile and says a few words, though the audio isn’t clear. While the clip itself doesn’t confirm exactly what’s going on, it didn’t take long for fans to connect the dots—and the commentary came quick. Many believe the video could be tied to the chest tattoo Cole got last year, which read “Ibrahim,” the real name of rapper Hunxho, whom she was linked to at the time. The name choice raised eyebrows back then, and now that speculation is back in full force. Social media users quickly jumped in with opinions, many of them critical. Some questioned her decision altogether, suggesting she should have never gotten the tattoo in the first place. Others were more blunt, calling the move immature for her age. A few comments leaned into humor and disbelief, with people joking that she better not get another man’s name inked and poking fun at the fact that it was tied to someone named Ibrahim Muhammad Dodo. Despite the criticism, a few fans showed a bit more empathy. “She’s a Libra y’all they love hard,” one wrote, offering astrology as an explanation for her tattoo choices. Another added, “We too old for this, but I’m happy she did what was needed.” Whether Keyshia’s getting new ink, covering up the past, or simply making peace with it, the internet is clearly tuned in.

Muni Long is setting the record straight on her relationship status with Raysean Hairston, her partner of 9 years. Appearing with REVOLT at the 2025 ESSENCE Fest, Long explained how the “public perception” took away from the message she attempted to share. “One thing I find interesting in this day and age is how… I never said that. The truth doesn’t matter anymore,” Long said. “Public perception is everything, and once a narrative is decided upon, it’s really like [shrugs].” “What I said was, ‘I can’t wake up next to somebody every day that’s always in a bad mood, and I’m a have to move on.’ I’m paraphrasing, but the gist of it is, I only want to be around empowering, uplifting, positive, motivating, in-alignment people, places, and things,” she continued. “And if you’re not that, I feel like either I’m gonna walk away or you’re gonna fizzle out of the equation, because I just decided no more.” As the interview went on, Long expressed the importance of keeping her peach amid her Lupus diagnosis. You’re not gonna keep stressing me out. Not only because I have a physical reason, but it also affects me. It affects my health,” she said. She doubled down once again and concluded by saying she’s more focused on the positivity in her life. “But just mentally, I want to have fun. I want to enjoy these blessings. I have a beautiful baby boy. I never said that, guys. I don’t know where y’all got that from.” Last summer, many speculated Long ended her relationship with Hairston in an interview with The Cruz Show. “I always pull from real experiences because I’m writing from my unique perspective,” Long said. “ I can only talk about what I know. But this is the first time I’m putting my real life in it. It’s no secret…I’ve been married for nine years…it just didn’t work out, you know?”

A$AP Rocky may have a new album on the way, but right now, his main focus appears to be family. As he and Rihanna prepare to welcome their third child, a new report from PEOPLE highlights just how locked in the Harlem rapper is when it comes to parenting and supporting his partner. A source allegedly close to the couple shared that the bond between Rocky and Rihanna has only strengthened since becoming parents. The two already share sons RZA Athelston and Riot Rose, and reportedly always planned to have their children close in age so they could grow up with a strong sibling connection. “Rihanna and Rocky couldn’t be more thrilled to be growing their family again with baby number three,” the source said. “They’ve really embraced this chapter and their bond has only deepened since becoming parents.” Rocky is described as deeply involved and attentive—taking on everything from bedtime routines to household duties so Rihanna can get the rest she needs. “He’s so hands on with RZA and Riot,” the insider added. “He’ll run her baths, massage her feet, and take care of things around the house so she doesn’t have to lift a finger.” Beyond the physical support, he’s also been a consistent source of emotional comfort. “He always makes her laugh, he keeps things light and full of love.” While the two artists are clearly thriving in their personal lives, fans online are still keeping one eye on Rocky’s long-delayed album DON’T BE DUMB. With no official release date in sight—and Rihanna’s return to music still up in the air—some listeners are starting to grow restless. But from the looks of it, A$AP Rocky is putting fatherhood first, even if that means making fans wait a little longer.

While the verdict from Diddy’s trial left some scratching their heads, others were dousing themselves with baby oil outside the courthouse. One of those people was popular YouTuber Armon Wiggins, who recently issued an apology after the moment went viral. According to Armon Wiggins, he wasn’t “celebrating” the controversial mogul’s verdict, but sharing a moment with his fans. That said, he understands why it could’ve been misconstrued. “I’m learning, I’m listening, and I’m moving forward with even more care and clarity,” Wiggins begins in the post. “Yesterday, a clip of me outside the courthouse went viral and was taken out of context. What started as a lighthearted moment, part of a long-running joke with my audience, was misinterpreted as support for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. That was never my intention.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Armon Wiggins (@thearmonwigginsshow) “I fully understand how the timing and optics may have felt hurtful,” Armon Wiggins said Wiggins, originally from Los Angeles, had temporarily relocated to New York to cover the trial. His detailed coverage of the case garnered millions of views on YouTube, and he even made guest appearances on TMZ and Nancy Grace to discuss it further. He continued: “For the past 60 days, I’ve worked hard to cover this case with honesty and objectivity. That moment was about sharing a bit of levity with the community that’s been on this journey with me, nothing more.” Wiggins added, “Still, I fully understand how the timing and optics may have felt hurtful, especially to survivors of abuse. I sincerely apologize to anyone who was impacted or disappointed. This has been a reminder to move with greater care, and I remain committed to doing this work with integrity and heart.” Earlier this week, Sean “Diddy” Combs was acquitted of the most serious charges in his federal sex crimes trial, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, but convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The jury returned its mixed verdict after three days of deliberations, closing one of the most closely watched trials in recent memory.

The country music community has heavily criticised Beyoncé since the release of Cowboy Carter in March 2024. Most recently, a country music star called out the singer during a recent set, claiming that her country-inspired album was, in fact, “not country” by his standards. “There’s only three people in front of me on the Apple Music country charts, and one of them is Beyoncé,” Adcock said in a whiskey-filled speech. “You can tell her we’re coming for her f*cking a**.” The crowd, seemingly in agreement, cheered in approval as Adcock droned on. Adcock added, “That sh*t ain’t country music, it ain’t ever been country music and it ain’t gonna be country music.” Country artist Gavin Adcock slams Beyoncé after his album currently ranks below ‘COWBOY CARTER’ on the Apple Music Country chart: “That s*** ain’t country music and it ain’t ever been country music, and it ain’t gonna be country music.” pic.twitter.com/rKwaqymt5t — Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 30, 2025 “It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country,” Adcock says in an Instagram post following his rant Not long after Adcock’s rant, he received significant backlash from Beyoncé fans, who are often referred to as “the hive.” Adcock would later walk back some of his comments in an Instagram video post to his official account. “When I was a little kid, my mama was blasting some Beyoncé in the car. I’ve heard a ton of Beyoncé songs, and I actually remember her Super Bowl halftime show being pretty kick-ass back in the day, but I really don’t believe that her album should be labeled as country music,” Adcock said. “It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country, and I just don’t think that people who have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle should have to compete or watch that album just stay at the top just because she’s Beyoncé.” While some of country music’s old guard haven’t been the biggest supporters of Cowboy Carter, others, like Dolly Parton, felt “honored” by Beyoncé’s venture into country music. The legendary country performer tells the outlet that she’s a “huge fan” of the singer and refers to Beyoncé as a “magnificent artist.” Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene” is featured on her Cowboy Carter album. Parton revealed that she “loved” the album and called it “really, really good.”

Nearly eight years ago, Russell Wilson and Ciara tied the knot on July 6, 2016. In honor of their wedding anniversary, Wilson jumped online to profess his love for the “Goodies” singer. The NFL quarterback shared a compilation of touching moments between him, Ciara, and their children. “From the moment I met you, I knew God was showing me the way,” Wilson wrote. “Every day since has been a reflection of His grace—full of love, laughter, purpose, and the kind of partnership I used to pray for.” Wilson added, “Happy Anniversary, my queen @ciara, You light up my life in ways words can’t explain. Here’s to the journey we’ve walked…and the one we’re still writing together. I love you, endlessly. [heart emoji]” From the moment I met you, I knew God was showing me the way. Every day since has been a reflection of His grace—full of love, laughter, purpose, and the kind of partnership I used to pray for. Happy Anniversary, my queen @ciara. You light up my life in ways words can’t explain.… pic.twitter.com/1fgdYESx5j — Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) July 6, 2025 Earlier this year, Ciara stopped by Summer Walker’s “Over It” Radio and shared a few rules that have allowed her marriage to thrive with Russell Wilson. “I would say communication rules a nation. What I will give my husband a lot of credit for is that he can communicate really well. And I think maybe it’s the quarterback in him because he’s big on leadership, big on teamwork, big on being together,” Ciara said. While she admitted that she can be stubborn and “spicy and feisty sometimes, “communication is a top priority. Along with communication, Ciara stated that dating in her marriage is essential. “I really feel grateful for our ability to communicate with each other. Because I feel like there’s nothing I can’t go to him about,” she continued. “And even if we have to find our way through it in the conversation, I feel very confident we’re going to make it on the other side.” “We have our precious babies, and that’s a lot. And me, doing everything that I’m trying to do every day. Grinding and the hustle,” Ciara said. “Then he’s also doing his thing and grinding. I think sometimes you can get monotonous if you don’t look up and pay attention. And so we are very committed to date night.”

Bangladesh is the architect of hip-hop and R&B’s biggest songs. Hailing from Des Moines, Iowa, and making his name in Atlanta, Bangladesh emerged as a formidable force in music production, crafting signature sounds that became the blueprint for chart-topping hits for artists like He has produced chart-topping hits for Beyoncé, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, and many more. His innovative but minimalist production style has not only defined eras but also cemented his legacy as a true architect of modern urban music. HOT97 spoke to Bangladesh about his legendary career, his latest music project, and the launch of his clothing line. HOT97:How was it growing up in Des Moines, Iowa? Bangladesh: Growing up, I knew of two guys who made rap music. One was close to my family, and the other was older than me. His name was Corey D, and he made it on Rap City, and that was a big deal back then. But there wasn’t a rap scene because it wasn’t any outlets there. There wasn’t much going on as far as like culture, so we pulled from the West Coast and East Coast popping. We listened to E-40, Bone Thugs In Harmony, and anyone who was poppin at that time. HOT97: I read that you were discovered as a producer when you were a barber. Bangladesh: I had been cutting hair since I was 12, so by the time I was 15, I was making money doing it. In my senior year in high school, I was working in a barber I started saving up. Once I graduated from high school, I moved to Atlanta with my auntie, and she had a beautician license and her own shop. I saved my money up and bought myself an MPC 2000, and I just started making beats. HOT97: How did you come up with the name “Bangladesh?” Bangladesh: Bangladesh was a word that we used a couple of used. We used to use that word to describe cool stuff like “Oh, that’s Bangladesh. I named my company Bangladesh Records because I wanted to always be a record executive. I was working on a project with some of the artists that I had, and I started to do ad-libs on the songs, and I would say Bangladesh, Bangladesh, Bangladesh, a whole bunch of times, and I sampled it like my own voice. I started putting it in front of beats, and it became a producer tag. HOT97: Eventually, you relocated to Atlanta, where the rap scene was just about to take off in a major way. How was it to see so many artists become stars? Bangladesh: Rico Wade, who was 1/3 of organized noise, his sister went to school with me. All I wanted to do was move to Atlanta and be in the Dungeon Family, so imagine you going to high school with the leader’s sister. I just started meeting people at the school I went to, and my best friend is a cousin of Lil Fate, who is Ludacris’ right-hand man and his hype man even today. But back then, everybody was just rapping and had rap dreams. So knowing each other, and everybody being like-minded, we just came together, and it just organically happened for real. HOT97: Your work with Ludacris helped to launch him into superstardom. When did you first connect with Luda? Bangladesh: Me and Ludacris already knew each other. I was among a group of people that was doing music. So I think Chris was probably the last person that knew what I was doing, because he would come through, he would get his, you know, he had an afro, he would just get lineups. I took him to my car one day, and I played him, like four beats I had on a tape. The whole time, he was listening and looking through the front window. He never looked at me, never said a word. I could see him  thinking, like, ‘Man, this, this dude got it like this?’  ‘Where did he come from?’ From there, we started working on “You’s a Ho*”, which is one of my first beats. That was the beat tape I played him, and “What’s Your Fantasy” was the last song we recorded. HOT97: You also created “Diva” for Beyoncé. How was that creative process? Bangladesh: I had “A Milli” with Lil Wayne, and when you have a smash out, everybody is open to whatever you’re doing. Everybody wants to work with you. It was just the perfect time to work on her project, coming off that a Millie song. I was working with Sean Garrett, who wrote “Diva”, um, so I had the beat already, but I didn’t take the beat seriously. It was a duplicate of “A Milli,” and I never tried to not remake things, and that was a mixtape track that I was working on with my artist. I was playing a beat in the studio one day, and my peers were going crazy. I kind of downplayed it, but  I started looking at it different. When I got with Sean Garrett, he was always a fan of “A Milli.” He said, “If I had ‘A Milli, I would have killed it. When I was working on Beyoncé, I just pulled that beat out. She was the only top-tier female artist who could do a song like “Diva.” I already had the beat, and they put her voice on there. All we had to do was finish the job. HOT97: After all your success in music, you have entered the fashion world. What led you to this way? Bangladesh: I’ve always been into fashion. I guess it’s in the blood. All my peers always get ideas of what to wear for me. Ever since I was in elementary and middle school, I have always come back from Christmas break and dress like me. They would tell their parents to get them the shirts and the pants like mine.  I always knew that’s kind of how

Trippie Redd was arrested while attempting to board a flight leaving Miami International Airport on Friday (July 4), just a few weeks after celebrating the birth of his child with Coi Leray. WPLG News reported that Redd was arrested at 4:50 p.m. at MIA’s Terminal J after U.S. Customs and Border Protection discovered that he had an active Miami-Dade County bench warrant and was at Gate 17. According to the arrest report, the 26-year-old Ohio rapper, who resides in Southwest Ranches, had a pending 2023 arrest warrant due to an invalid driver’s license. Reportedly, Redd was headed to France and planned to board flight LH1378, Les Ardentes, a music festival in Belgium, listed him on Saturday’s lineup. Redd was booked by corrections deputies on Thursday (July 3) at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and released on a $150 bond, according to M-DCSO deputies. On New Year’s Day 2025, Leray revealed her pregnancy on New Year’s Day 2025, confirming that she was expecting Trippie Redd who first dated her back in 2019 and rekindled their relationship last year. But soon after the pregnancy, Leray hinted at personal struggles in a now-deleted Instagram Story:  “Nothing [worse] than being cheated on. I wouldn’t wish this pain on my worst enemy. God bless.” Things continued to get worse.  Around the time of the baby shower, which took place on May 3rd, Redd said he didn’t attend in a post on X (formerly Twitter).  “She doesn’t want me or my family there,” his post read. “She said hit the lawyer. But I’m paying 4 it.”