2. Or, just buy the team, then brag about it to Jay Z

3. Create and host an actual awards show called the Hood Grammys — because “we need this”

4. Follow through with that battle rap that you challenged Murda Mook to

5. Become the mayor of Toronto. Elections are close, on October 27, but how tough can it be to win, if Rob Ford can do it?

6. Create an official compilation album of Drake GIFs — because you were made to be GIFed

7. Give Halle Berry a baby — because no one can stop you

8. Sign a female artist to OVO Sound because you’re the “king of the ladies”

9. Just propose to Rihanna and get it over with — doesn’t matter if she says no

10. Record the diss track to end all diss tracks and ether everyone who’s ever trash talked you

11. Give us a mixtape that includes “Side Pieces” “Honorable Mention” and other future hood classics before your 4th album drops

12. Release a love song with Young Thug

13. Figure out a way to actually profit from the sale of “Drake Tears”

14. Go Platinum in less than a week when Views From The 6ix drops

15. Then release the full album of R&B slow jams that you know you want to (with Birdman ad-libs)

16. Go bar-for-bar with Kanye West on a song

17. Start a chain of strip clubs where dancers can only shake it to OVO songs

18. Re-release a video for “Best I Ever Had” so ...

(Sean and Mustard break down the beat)

After being relatively quiet on the music front for a few months, Big Sean came back strong with four new tracks in September. One of the standouts was “IDFWU,” which boasts a monster beat, co-produced by Kanye West, DJ Mustard, DJ Dahi and Key Wayne. No big deal, right?

“I’m lucky, because all the producers on the song…it’s hard for some people to get one beat from them, and I got one beat with all of them on it,” Sean told MTV News on the song’s video set. “So I’m just blessed, man.”

The Detroit rapper explained that the beat started during a session with himself and DJ Mustard, before Kanye, DJ Dahi and Key Wayne added their own layers. “It was a process, but most importantly they all believed in the song,” he said. “It had time to get worked on, made proper and I think [that] made it special.”

Mustard was out on the road when the song was finally completed, so he actually heard it right when the rest of us did — and he wasn’t disappointed.

“My first time hearing it in full was when [Sean] dropped it,” Mustard told MTV News. “I was out on the tour so I hadn’t gotten a chance to come back to the studio and listen to the song. When it came out I was in shock just like everybody else. And for Kanye, Dahi and Key Wayne to ...

In a year that’s been relatively slow for hip-hop releases so far (compared to 2013, anyway), the fall is shaping up to be much more active. This week alone, we had two major releases, from recent Def Jam signee, Logic, and T.I.

And, surprisingly enough, the newcomer and veteran might be neck-and-neck with their first week sales.

According the HitsDailyDouble, Logic’s Under Pressure is projected to sell about 65,000 – 75,000 copies, which is the same estimate for Tip’s Paperwork.

Related: Pharrell Pushed T.I. To Record Doe B Tribute On The Day He Was Killed

If those numbers are accurate, that would be a pretty solid debut for Logic, while for T.I. this means a significant drop from his last album Trouble Man, which moved about 179,000 copies in week one.

We’ll be watching to see how this one pans out.

Check out MTV News’ Logic mini-doc “Under Pressure” above.

Nadeska Alexis

A native of Grenada, a product of Brooklyn, a student of hip-hop.

@neweryork

I can get used to this continuing trend of rappers collaborating with talented U.K. artists. After A$AP Ferg x SBTRKT and A$AP Rocky x Sam Smith, now we’ve got J. Cole x Jessie Ware.

The two apparently met in L.A. where they were both recording, and luckily for us, that resulted in a J. Cole feature on Jessie Ware’s “Kind Of… Sometimes… Maybe.” The original song is featured on her new album Tough Love (co-produced by Miguel), and for the remix, Cole drops a pretty explicit verse.

Listen below.

Jessie Ware’s fans certainly seemed to be feeling it.

Nadeska Alexis

A native of Grenada, a product of Brooklyn, a student of hip-hop.

@neweryork

On December 28, 2013, T.I.’s Grand Hustle artist Doe B died after being shot at a club in his hometown Montgomery, Alabama. The Hustle Gang family mourned the loss and promised to keep his memory alive — “U’ll never be forgotten & U WILL NOT DIE IN VAIN,” Tip tweeted at the time — and he meant it.

His latest album, Paperwork, includes a special tribute to him on the song “Light Em Up (RIP Doe B),” and T.I. explains that the 22-year-old was actually on his way to record with him and Pharrell before he was shot.

“That record was recorded the day he died, so the feeling was very surreal and it was extremely heavy on my heart,” T.I. told MTV News, adding that Pharrell encouraged him to do it while the pain was fresh.

Related:T.I. Again Shows His Two Sides On Paperwork

“The night we made ‘Paperwork,’ I was telling Pharrell about Doe and he immediately said, ‘Get him down here, let’s work.’”

T.I. says he called Doe B two days after Christmas to share that news. “I told him Pharrell wanted to work with him and he immediately said he was on the way,” he recalled. “He just had a stop to make at a club that some DJs were doing a party at and they was looking forward to him showing up. He felt obligated, he had to go do that.”

And unfortunately that was the last time he heard ...

If you were one of the naysayers panning Kendrick Lamar’s recent single “i,” then your criticism certainly hasn’t affected the success of his track. The NBA has given K. Dot a major co-sign by commissioning the song for their fall promotional videos.

A new clip for the 2014-2015 NBA season includes footage of Kendrick rapping the song, along with the usual basketball highlights. The Compton rapper is also set to perform “i” during an upcoming NBA/TNT concert on October 30.

The song is even featured in the new “Top Five” trailer, which stars Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson and Kevin Hart. Clearly you’ll be hearing it everywhere soon.

Watch Kendrick’s NBA ad here.

Related: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘i’ Producer Says The Rapper’s New Album Is ‘Incredible’

Nadeska Alexis

A native of Grenada, a product of Brooklyn, a student of hip-hop.

@neweryork

Fellas, Nicki Minaj might be a single woman now — although, she never confirmed that she was in a relationship to begin with.

According to TMZ, Nicki and her long-time man Safaree Samuels have split. The two have been dating for about 14 years, but Nicki would never publicly speak about the relationship.

They reportedly called it quits because Samuels (b.k.a. “Scaff Beezy”) wanted to pursue a rap career of his own, while Nicki wanted to keep their arrangement, with him as her hype man and personal assistant. Things apparently hit the wall when Safaree skipped one of her shows and left her without a hype man, which later caused a blow out fight.

Related: Is Nicki Minaj Showing Off An Engagement Ring In These Vacation Pictures?

TMZ points to Samuels’ tattoos as further proof that the two are no longer dating. He had several inked tributes to Nicki across his chest, which are now covered up with other tattoos.

While promoting her “Anaconda” single back in August, Nicki was asked whether she was a “size queen.” In response, she admitted that, “I don’t have a lot of people to compare it to.” When Hot 97 host Ebro joked that it’s because she’d been in a relationship for over a decade, she tried to deflect by commanding him to, “shut up Ebro and mind your business.”

Back in March, the couple sparked engagement and wedding rumors, when they were spotted on vacation wearing matching diamond bands.

Read More →

Dej Loaf has had the masses tuned into her breakout “Try Me” for a few months now, and although there have been several unofficial remixes to the track, it was only a matter of time until the official version arrived.

For the “Try Me (remix),” the Detroit native teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign and Remy Ma. A video for the song is coming soon (“We shot the video, but I’m not making any promises on when it’s coming out,” she told Vibe) and Loaf also dropped her new mixtape, Sell Sole, on Tuesday (October 21).

The tape will be followed by her debut album for Columbia Records, which she’s currently working on. Shortly before unleashing the new “Try Me (remix)”, the 22-year-old also dropped a video for single “Bird Call.” The clip was filmed in inside Eminem’s Shade45 Studios in New York.

Watch it below.

Nadeska Alexis

A native of Grenada, a product of Brooklyn, a student of hip-hop.

@neweryork

DJ Khaled was hospitalized in Miami on Monday night — and it looks like he might be Suffering From Success again.

Khaled took a selfie in a Miami hospital (that he later deleted) and in the caption he hinted that exhaustion, or some other form of overexertion, might’ve landed him there.

“I promise I’m going on vacation..I already booked my travel..Going rest and vibe and win more!” he wrote. “@wethebestmusic thank u to all my friends and fam checking in real talk thank u luv! Bless up!”

We’re wishing Khaled a speedy recovery.

If you’ll recall, he had a similar problem late in November, 2013, when he was hospitalized for dehydration. He shared a similar photo from the hospital, and advised his fellow hustlers to take care of themselves.

“I really didn’t want take this pic but this a message to all the hustlers I know we got hustle hard! But we have to take care of our self!” he wrote at the time. “We can’t let the hustle stress us. I told the [doctor] I have a family and team that rely on me that’s why I hustle so hard! He told me the only friend u have is your self so take care of your self!”

Listen to his advice. And hear him break down Suffering From Success below.

Nadeska Alexis

A native of Grenada, a product of Brooklyn, a student of hip-hop.

@neweryork

DJ Khaled was hospitalized in Miami on Monday night — and it looks like he might be Suffering From Success again.

Khaled took a selfie in a Miami hospital (that he later deleted) and in the caption he hinted that exhaustion, or some other form of overexertion, might’ve landed him there.

“I promise I’m going on vacation..I already booked my travel..Going rest and vibe and win more!” he wrote. “@wethebestmusic thank u to all my friends and fam checking in real talk thank u luv! Bless up!”

We’re wishing Khaled a speedy recovery.

If you’ll recall, he had a similar problem late in November, 2013, when he was hospitalized for dehydration. He shared a similar photo from the hospital, and advised his fellow hustlers to take care of themselves.

“I really didn’t want take this pic but this a message to all the hustlers I know we got hustle hard! But we have to take care of our self!” he wrote at the time. “We can’t let the hustle stress us. I told the [doctor] I have a family and team that rely on me that’s why I hustle so hard! He told me the only friend u have is your self so take care of your self!”

Listen to his advice. And hear him break down Suffering From Success below.

Nadeska Alexis

A native of Grenada, a product of Brooklyn, a student of hip-hop.

@neweryork