As previously reported, Nicki Minaj dropped her highly anticipated album Queen and decided to spill some tea with the release. After previewing the song “Barbie Dreams” on her latest venture with Apple Music, Queen Radio, fans couldn’t wait to rewind and assess the victims of the verbal dragging on the Lil’ Kim inspired track.

“Reading the reactions to Barbie Dreams is fucking hilarious,” Nicki said as soon as the song was released. “Everyone is saying how disrespectful ‘Barbie Dreams’ is, and that’s why I fucking love it.”

The track which samples the Notorious B.I.G‘s original song “Dreams”, jokingly takes aim at the rappers who have tried to sleep with the “Bed” emcee. Tapping into her mixtape days, Nicki Minaj calls out a slew of rappers including Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Eminem, and Young Money labelmate Drake, who Nicki claims all wanted a piece of the Barbie cakes.

“Drake worth a hundred milli, always buying me shit/ But I don’t know if the pussy wet or if he’s crying and shit/ Em copped a Barbie dream house and you can play the part/ I ain’t tryin’ to bust it open in a trailer park/Used to fuck with Young Thug, I ain’t addressing this shit/ I caught him in my dressing rooms stealing dresses and shit”

Nicki even threw a few shots at her ex-boyfriend Meek Mill, claiming that the “Dreams and Nightmares” emcee has still been creeping in her DMs on the low shooting his shot.

“Meek still be in my DMs, I be having to dump him/ ‘I used to pray for times like this,’ Face ass when I fuck him”

With the release of the album, of course, the BARBZ went in on Twitter, adding hilarious reactions to the track.

Nicki wasn’t letting up on these rappers with Barbie Dreams #Queen #QueenRadio pic.twitter.com/BJuEUDK1Rc

— Bri (@LovelyOTPs) August 10, 2018

https://twitter.com/marie_brownsuga/status/1027958991895154688

https://twitter.com/sentravin/status/1027958006888194048

https://twitter.com/r3al__AJ/status/1027968023888637952

Although Nicki came with it on “Barbie Dreams”, many Hip-Hop fans were unimpressed at her shout out to Biggie, but ignoring of Lil Kim who came up with the original concept of the “Dreams” flip for her 1996 debut Hard Core.

You know Nicki Minaj spittin over Notorious B.I.G.’s “Dreams” has Lil Kim feeling a ways. You just know.

— A Phizer A (@Aqua174) August 10, 2018

https://twitter.com/MarkChang_/status/1027329219666305026

https://twitter.com/Sincerely_Tanya/status/1027960752425066496

Despite the seemingly purposeful jabs and clear influence she’s had on Nicki’s career, Lil Kim said she’s over the Nicki drama. During an interview with 92.3 The Real in Los Angeles, Lil Kim let her frustrations be heard with constantly being asked about Minaj while she’s promoting her own projects.

“Oh God. Let me ask you this. Do you f*ck with me for real?” Kim said. “Okay, so if you f*ck with me, right? Why isn’t this about Kim? Yeah, see if we’re gonna mention one female we’re gonna mention them all. We need to mention them all. We need to bring everybody in and we need to give everybody love. God bless her. What she did she did. But you know what? I wish her the best. I’m past that and over that. At the end of the day, stop asking me about that chick – she did what she did – y’all don’t do that to her. I don’t think you would [ask her about me?]”

Check out “Barbie Dreams” below.

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The post Nicki Minaj Channels B.I.G. & Lil Kim with “Barbie Dreams,” Takes Aim at Rappers appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

ATLiens Outkast was literally in the house as celebrities and actors alike showed up for the screening of USA Network’s Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G..

On February 20th as Big Boi hosted a private advanced screening in Atlanta, held at the mansion of retired NBA baller Theo Ratliff, other attendees at the intimate showing included singer/actor Luke James, Porsha Williams of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Upfront Entertainment’s Devyne Stephens, singer Alexis Branch and Praise 102.5 Radio personality K.D. Bowe.

Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. premieres on the USA Network features veteran actor Bokeem Woodbine while newcomers Marcc Rose and Wavyy Jonez make their intros portraying Tupac and Biggie.

UNSOLVED — “Pilot” — Pictured: (l-r) — (Photo by: James Minchin III/USA Network)

Fresh off of playing Johnny Gill last year in The New Edition Story, Luke James also stars in the series as Sean “Diddy” Combs. The 10-episode scripted true-crime limited series chronicles the dual investigations of Detective Greg Kading (Josh Duhamel) and Detective Russell Poole (Jimmi Simpson) and revisits the controversial murders of the Hip-Hop icons.

As for what to expect, here’s an excerpt from NY Times‘ review:

“So the most conspicuous aspect of “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.,” a lightly fictionalized 10-part limited series on USA that has its premiere on Tuesday, is its certainty. Here is a show that offers answers, a ticktock of the various investigations into the killings that have resulted in no arrests but not, if “Unsolved” is to be believed, in no answers. The series is inspired by “Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations,” a book by Greg Kading, who led a task force investigating the shootings in the late 2000s. (There is an accompanying documentary as well.) In that book, Mr. Kading lays out his theories about who pulled the triggers, and why.”

Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. EST on the USA Network.

Check out some of the photos and video of the Atlanta premiere below (All photos below by Marcus Ingram/USA Network).

A post shared by Big Boi (@therealbigboi) on Feb 20, 2018 at 5:43pm PST

Words by Michael Harris

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The post Outkast Spotted at the Atlanta Screening of ‘Unsolved’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

One of the best to ever play the game of basketball, NBA Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson is not shy about his love for hip music. He especially has love for Brooklyn’s own, the Notorious B.I.G.

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the death of the Notorious B.I.G., Christopher Wallace who was shot and killed at the age of 24 in Los Angeles, California on March 9, 1997. His murder still remains unsolved.

At Mitchell & Ness’ unveiling of their section at the NBA Store in midtown Manhattan on Thursday, The Answer gave his ruling on who the greatest was: He was the best,” Allen Iverson told me.

“He was the best ever! Simple as that, I don’t care what nobody say.”

You’ll never guess Bubba Chuck’s favorite Notorious B.I.G. song!

“One of his greatest verses is on the joint with Puff and Jay-Z,” he told me. “What is it? Ghetto Boys?”

While we were both scratching our heads to figure it out, I realize he’s talking about the song, Young G’s. The song, in fact did feature both Hov, Puff and Big and appeared on Puff Daddy’s No Way Out Album.

I yell to A.I.:  ‘Damn it feel good to see people up on it!’

Bubba Chuck took it from there:

“Flipped two ki’s in two weeks and didn’t flaunt it.

My brain is haunted, with mean dreams.

GS’s with BB’s on it, supreme schemes

To get richer than Richie, quickly.”

“He was crazy on that,” Iverson said with a sly grin.

Next to meeting Michael Jordan in the Bulls locker room, rapping a bar with The Answer was probably the coolest experience, ever.

But I digress.

Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last year, Allen Iverson is the gap between Michael Jordan who was business savvy and LeBron James; the balance between Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and the neighborhood corner store.

A pioneer of the arm sleeve and perfecting the crossover dribble, who better to weigh in on the late Biggie Smalls than The Answer? But he’s not just hip hop! “Just like I’m the number one fan of Michael Jackson, I’m the number one fan of Biggie Smalls,” he said.

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The post Allen Iverson On The Notorious B.I.G. “He was the best, he was the best ever!” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

It’s been 20 years since Hip-Hop lost an icon.

The Notorious B.I.G. was more than Brooklyn’s son, he was one of Hip-Hop’s reigning kings who was known for dominating any track he touched. Although his tenure was cut short on March 9, 1997, Biggie’s two before death album releases and one posthumous produced a slew of hits that can rock any party today, but for every record on his album was an even hotter collaboration that shined due to his infamous “uh” adlib and story-like flow.

In his three short years in the mainstream game, Biggie managed to cause the greatest debates on who the greatest rapper of all time is, but one thing everyone will agree on is that Biggie Smalls was the illest. In celebration of the life and legacy of the Notorious B.I.G., RESPECT. has curated a list of some of Biggie’s most dope collabs, honoring one of the most “unbelievable” lyricist that ever touched the mic.

“Flava In Your Ear” (Remix)- Craig Mack feat. Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Rampage, Busta Rhymes

“Can’t You See” (Remix) – Total feat. Notorious B.I.G.

“Brooklyn’s Finest”- Jay Z feat. Notorious B.I.G.

“Notorious Thugs”- Notorious B.I.G. feat. Bone Thugs in Harmony

“The What”- Notorious B.I.G. feat. Method Man

“Dead Wrong”- Notorious B.I.G. feat. Eminem

“All About the Benjamins”- Puff Daddy feat. Notorious B.I.G., The Lox, Lil Kim

“F*cking You Tonight”- Notorious B.I.G. feat. R. Kelly

“Mo Money, Mo Problem”- Notorious B.I.G. feat. Ma$e

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The post We’ll Always Love Big Poppa: 10 of Biggie’s Most Dope Collabs appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With intense and complex flows, Biggie delivered tales from the hood in a way that made you feel as if you were there with him every step of the way. The ultimate story teller, B.I.G.’s influence and lyrics have been sampled and quoted by a variety of hip-hop, R&B and pop artists including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Fat Joe, Nelly, Ja Rule, Eminem, Lil Wayne,  The Game, among many others. Although his career was cut short after 3 years in the game, hip-hop fans were laced with two dope albums and a myriad of features that have continued to compete on “Greatest of All Time” lists for more than a decade.

In celebration of the life and birthday of Biggie, RESPECT. is listing some of his top classic songs that not only have led to being quoted by other heavy hitters in the game, but also still keeps the party jumping.

“Juicy”

Notorious B.I.G officially arrived on the scene with the first single off of his major debut Ready to Die, literally kicking in the door with lyrics blazing. Utilizing the soulful sample of  “Juicy Fruit” by Mtume, Biggie told his life story in a way we all could relate, catapulting him to instant fame and being noted as the next to become one of the greats.

“Big Poppa”

The follow up to “Juicy,” Biggie once again changed the game introducing the player mafioso style to the masses in a way that only he could. Over a sample of “Between the Sheets” by the Isley Brothers, Biggie made the big guy with verbal skills sexy, as the self proclaimed “ugly as ever” emcee showed that you don’t have to be a model to get the ladies to show you love.

“Who Shot Ya”

Despite the rumors of this being a diss toward Tupac, “Who Shot Ya”( which Diddy explained was recorded prior to the infamous Quad City Studio shooting) burned up radio airwaves and DJ mixes. The track, which was considered an instant classic, is credited by Jay-Z as inspiring him to get serious about his career due to the lyrical gems dropped.

“Story to Tell”

“Story to Tell” is hands down one of the great examples of Biggie’s ability to tell a great story. His recollection (no matter how embellished it may or may not be) of a creep turned accidental robbery left hip-hop fans guessing for almost twenty years on who the NBA player was in the story. It wasn’t until recently when Fat Joe revealed the true identity of the player, as former New York Knicks Forward, Anthony Mason.

“Warning”

Another example of  Biggie’s story telling ability, “Warning” chops a sample of Isaac Hayes classic “Walk on By” and makes it a hip-hop classic and a track on everyone’s soundtrack for their haters. The story telling style coupled with mic passing rhyme style introduced fans to yet another side of the Notorious B.I.G’s talent and creativity.

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The post Happy Birthday Biggie! Check Out Some of His Greatest Songs appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

“Tattoo on titty saying B.I.G.”

For sometime now, Faith Evans has been talking about this music project she’s been working on and finally we’ve gotten some solid news.  The forthcoming project? Well its a duet album with her and late husband, The Notorious B.I.G. titled The King and I.

“Right now I’m recording this project. That’s something I’ve been thinking and talking about doing with Ms. Wallace for a long time. I’m kind of in the finishing stages,” said Evans on Dame Dash‘s radio show.

Through her Instagram page she has been documenting the studio process with a series of photos, using the hashtag #TKAI.  Her latest IG post is a photo of her holding a glass of champagne in front of the Warner Bros. signage, with the caption that reads “Celebrating BIG things! #TKAI coming soon.”  Evans has also updated fans that the LP’s release slated is for this upcoming September and a possible first single will debut this summer.  This project is something Notorious B.I.G. fans should look forward to because the album will include never heard before material from B.I.G.

“I had no idea how I was even going to go about it, but it’s been coming along pretty awesome,” Evans included. “If he was alive, I know ultimately we would have done something like this. But the way this stuff is coming together and the way I’m using his vocals, it’s giving this stuff new life. I think people are really going to enjoy it.”

It’s nice and exciting to see Wallace’s widow keeping his music legacy alive years later.  Evans and Wallace were both signed to Bad Boy Records and married on August 4th 1994, just after weeks of meeting at a Bad Boy photo shoot.

Are you anticipating this project?

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The post Faith Evans Readies Notorious B.I.G. Duet Album appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Known for his ability to morph multiple genres into one brilliant and colorful masterpiece (plastic soul), musical icon, David Bowie passed this morning (Monday, Jan. 11) after losing his battle with cancer.

The English legend was not afraid to be different; his music was tailored to those who were often alienated, but would later set the trend for others to follow. His ability to mix jazz, soul and rock accompanied his flamboyant appearance, literally allowing him to stand out from any other artist that tried to perfect his coined genre, glam-rock.

Bowie’s resilience and ability to teleport into multiple musical arenas has inspired a multitude of artists. Before paying their respects to Bowie’s family on social media, dozens of big name artists showed their appreciate by sampling his work.

Check out these five tracks that sampled the industry’s most admired chameleon.

1) Been Around the World by Puff Daddy, Mase & The Notorious B.I.G

Let’s Dance

2) Takeover by Jay-Z

Fame

3) Run and Hide by The Bullitts and Jay Electronica

Quicksand

4) Take Notice by J Dilla feat. Guilty Simpson

Soul Love

5) For Everything by Rapsody

Soul Love

The post Legends Never Die: 5 Hip-Hop Tracks That Praises Bowie’s Creativity appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.