B. Simone has transformed into somewhat of a controversial person in the past few weeks. Her comments about the protesters caused a storm on Twitter. Last week, she made comments about how she can't date someone with a 9 to 5 job, only CEOs end entrepreneurs. This led to a whole Twitter spat with many clowning B. Simone for working a regular job before publishing her book. This week, it's her book that's at the center of controversy after allegations were made that parts of it were plagiarized.

Meek Mill quickly came to her defense on Twitter earlier today when he slammed the criticism by minimizing her actions. "B Simone canceled because she finessed a book and made her way from the bottom lol," he tweeted. "what major companies y’all cancel for ripping our culture off? finding ways to display hate towards our own when they start doing good is showing amongst us a lot!"

Though Conway has already confirmed that his retirement would mark a bittersweet run to his absolutely epic 2020 campaign, the music he’s set to leave behind may very well numb the pain — if only for a while. For now, we’re in the midst of awaiting his upcoming album From King To A God, the lead-up project before his long-anticipated Shady Records debut God Don’t Make Mistakes. 

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Today, Machine took to Instagram to unveil the official album artwork, appropriately spooky considering his preferred aesthetic. Not unlike his compatriot Westside Gunn’s Pray For Paris artwork, Conway’s captures that high-art feel, depicting an imposing diety with blue skin sitting aloft with crystal ball in hand. While there are many interpretations to glean from the LP’s cover, it does go a long way in setting a tone — at once luxurious and intimidating — the Griselda way.

If that wasn’t enough to entice you, remember that From King To A God also features a stacked cast of supporting players, including Drake, 2 Chainz, Havoc, Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, Freddie Gibbs, and Dej Loaf. On the production side, we’re looking at Havoc, Beat Butcha, Daringer, Rick Hyde, and several as-of-yet unidentified parties. While The Machine hasn’t given us a release date, his increasing post count seems to indicate we’ll be seeing this one soon. Check out the cover below, and sound off — is Conway sitting on an album of the year contender?

Celebrities are being called out, and yet another apology is making the rounds. Alia Shawkat is known for her roles on Arrested Development and Search Party, as well as rumors that she's been secretly dating Brad Pitt. However, the gossip mill took a break from digging into her personal life and instead shared a video from 2016 where the actress was attending the South By Southwest festival. Now, it's unclear who Alia Shawkat was speaking to or really what she was speaking about in the clip, but she says, “I mean, everyone was so excited when we all came back, like we were all in the penthouse together and everyone was looking around like, ’N*gga we made it.’ You know what I mean?”

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The "n*gga we made it" remark is a reference to Drake and Soulja Boy's collaboration "We Made It," and while she was quoting a repeated line from the song, people weren't happy. The backlash caused the actress, who is of white and Iraqi heritage, to take to her Instagram page to offer a lengthy apology. "I am writing this to address a video that was posted of me quoting a song with the n-word in it as part of an interview from 4 years ago," she said. "I am deeply sorry and I take full responsibility. It was a careless moment, one that I'm ashamed and embarrassed by, but vow to continue to learn from."

Over the last week, Alia Shawkat has posted a number of photos and information about Black Lives Matter as she considers herself an ally to the cause. Swipe through below to read Shawkat's apology and explanation in full and check out the brief clip where she says the n-word.

YK Osiris has been asking for the smoke with all of your favorite rappers. He’s gone the distance with Lil Tjay, Blueface, and others. He’s also challenged Trippie Redd to a duel. He even slid into Drake‘s DMs with a request to get in the makeshift ring, quickly stepping back his offer and earning a response all the same.

The self-proclaimed King of R&B asked Drake to come through for a battle to see who has the toughest hands. YK Osiris has been displaying his questionable boxing skills on social media for weeks and this was his biggest ask to date. Considering the fact that Drake has shouted out Osiris in the past, it’s not too surprising to see that he responded to the 21-year-old.

“I’m trynna box u now,” wrote the Young King to Drake. He quickly went back on the offer though.

“I’m jp u gonna beat df out of me,” joked the upstart. 

Drake came through with his official response, agreeing that YK Osiris would have no chance against him.

“Least u know your limits,” said Drake with multiple laughing faces.

Drake has been training his skills in the ring, showing off some ferocious punches in his workout videos. YK Osiris may think that he’s got a shot against the rapper but Drake is probably right in thinking he’d get knocked out.

Drake and 40 have proven themselves to be one of hip-hop’s trusted musical partnerships, with the pair having shaped the signature OVO sound as we’ve come to know it. And while many have attempted to downplay the extent of their creativity, what with ghostwriting accusations frequently lingering over the 6ix God’s head, 40 has done his part to quell those unfortunate narratives. In an extensive interview with Rolling Stone, 40 opened up about one in particular, clarifying the extent of The Weeknd‘s involvement on Take Care. 

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 “There’s, like, 22 songs on Take Care. He contributed on four of them,” confirms 40, alluding to Weeknd’s writing credits on “Crew Love,”  “Shot For Me,” “Cameras / Good Ones Go Interlude,” “Practice,” and “The Ride. “There are 18 other songs on there where that guy was nowhere to be found, right?” he continues. “So it’s like, ‘Yeah, cool and you contribute to a few records on Take Care. Significant records, sure, but it was a few. It wasn’t a lot.’ It’s a common misconception. I made that whole album. I saw Abel maybe two days. I was in there for like a year.” 

Clearly, 40 isn’t down for those attempting to downplay his camps’ creativity and vision. Especially seeing how deep the whole Weeknd rumor seemed to cut, sowing discord between the once-cordial collaborators. In any case, it’s water under the bridge, and while it’s unlikely that the pair will ever work together like they once did, it can be understood that Take Care is Drake’s album regardless of those who aim to diminish its value. For more from 40, including his response to Pusha T‘s MS bar, check out the full interview at Rolling Stone.

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We don’t expect Drake to be the most politically-minded or politically-outspoken artist, however, the Toronto-bred artist has been coming through with a few remarks and reactions to the death of George Floyd, and the social upheaval that has followed.

When we waited to find out if the other three officers, all of whom stood around Derek Chauvin as he kneeled on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, would be charged, Drake shared an image in his IG Story revealing he too was anxious for the outcome. Today, he’s done similarly, sharing his view of the T.V. as he watched an interview between Thomas Lane’s lawyer and Chris Cuomo on CNN. Lane is one of the three officers charged in aiding and abetting Derek Chauvin in the murder of Floyd.

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Drake wrote in reaction to the interview: “Thomas Lane lawyer struggling through an ATTEMPT to justify this situation live on television…can’t even decide how to defend his client, this shit is foul to watch.”

And now, there’s a report circulating that Lane is actually seeking the public’s help to fund his defense in this whole situation. Lane appears to be saying he did everything that the chain of command would allow, in the situation. 

We’ll keep you posted.

You already know how things get when people start ranking rappers’ albums, so buckle up for the ride. Drake is one of the most celebrated artists of our generation, and when his discography becomes the topic of music conversations, debates ensure. People can be quite passionate about ranking the rapper’s catalog, and now OVO Sound’s Noah Shebib, also known as 40, is out here stirring the pot after he shared his list, ranking Drake’s albums.

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Here’s how Noah Shebib placed Drake’s records, from best to worst, in a recnet interview: “So Far Gone, Take Care, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Scorpion, Nothing Was The Same, Views, Thank Me Later.” The producer has worked on all of Drake’s projects, but Carl Chery, Creative Director and Head of Urban Music over at Spotify, later told him that he needed to put more respect on Nothing Was the Same in a comment on DJ Akademiks’s Instagram post.

Shebib explained why he placed each record in their spots and agreed that he would’ve switched things up under different circumstances.. “Yo @carlchery I was driving when he asked that question? I would never have NWTS that low. Some days that’s my favourite project we did but it’s whatever lol I have different reasons for why I’m attached to different projects then everyone else and that’s understandable but that list ain’t right I don’t stand by that. And also I ain’t giving a list cause as I said I have a different perspective ???.” How would you rank Drake’s records?

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Perhaps one of the most eventful feuds of the 2010s was Drake vs. Pusha T. For a few days, it became this grandiose feud that even mainstream media was keeping their eyes on. However, it has been two years and even though neither party have plans to squash their feud, it remains a topic of discussion. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Noah “40” Shebib recently spoke about the MS line that Push aimed at him.

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“I guess all I’ll say is that was just a different thing for me,” 40 said. “Different than a bar that he gets off. No real comment. I made my comment. It was National MS Awareness day,” he added in reference to his initial response to “The Story Of Adidon.”

40 added that he felt like “shit” when he heard the line for the first time.

“Like shit, for sure. Like shit,” he said. “Ultimately, I like turning things into positive situations or brighter sides. And if that brings awareness to my disease on a bigger level, I was happy about that. That’s what I used it for. That ultimately is a good thing for me. I like that transaction we had from that perspective. I’m very vocal about it.”

He added, “Of course. That was something different than a bar in a song. That’s cool, I barely know that guy.”

Check the whole interview here. 

Drake is easily the biggest artist in the world right now and not surprisingly, he has his very own deal with Nike. This partnership has led to some interesting collaborations over the years, even if there was a point in which Drake was about to leave the brand for Adidas. There are always rumors surrounding new Drake-OVO collaborations and today, we got a pretty interesting one courtesy of @sneakerfiles and @zsneakerheadz.

According to the Instagram post below, Drake is rumored to be dropping an OVO x Nike Air Force 1 Low collab in 2021. There is no official word yet from Nike on this matter although it is believed that the shoe will be a basic white Air Force 1 with a gold OVO owl near the back heel. The post below features a photoshop rendering that gives us an idea of what the sneaker could potentially look like.

Most Drake collaborations have been in conjunction with Jordan Brand although a basic Nike design would certainly fit the OVO brand well. Air Force 1s are classic and the OVO owl fits perfectly on the basic silhouette. If these were to drop, the demand would be through the roof.

Stay tuned for updates on this potential collab as we will be sure to bring them to you.

This morning, Fat Joe has been in the news in response to something he shared on Peter Rosenberg’s Open Late podcast. The report has quickly circulated across music sites, resulting in a response from Fat Joe himself, who seems to think things have been misrepresented.

The original story, which we’ve also shared, finds Fat Joe explaining that Drake could have been on the remix to “All the Way Up.” Joe explained that Jay-Z said to him in response to a remix: “[Jay-Z] said ‘Look, Joe. It means so much to the history between us, let’s not put no one else on the song,'” said Joe. He added in the clip “It definitely could have been Jay-Z and Drake.” But alas, it wasn’t, and that’s not because of Jay-Z’s ill will or directive necessarily, it was simply that Hov didn’t know who wanted to get on the remix in the first place.

It sounds like perhaps there was just a disconnect between the collaborators– Drake reached out to Hov to be on the remix and asked for the instrumental, but ultimately Joe decided to follow Hov’s heed and keep it between the two.

Joe responded quickly on twitter to the news story: “Fake news jay z did not keep drake off atwu he never knew who would be on the remix he wanted just me him and remy.”

We’ll keep you posted if any other details come to light.