Legislation in California that would limit the use of hip-hop lyrics as criminal evidence in court proceedings has cleared the state’s legislature. Senate Bill AB 2799 passed unanimously in a 76-0 vote on Tuesday, August 23rd. The bill is now headed to the governor's desk, where it should be signed into law in the coming days. This would be the first such measure to become law in history. The legislation, first introduced by state Sen. Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D), is looking to make sure “an accused person’s creative expression will not be used to introduce stereotypes or activate bias against the defendant, nor as character or propensity evidence.” The bill will also require courts to determine the admissibility of the song lyrics as evidence in the case, and whether the content should be linked to the alleged crime. “And to recognize that the use of rap lyrics and other creative expression as circumstantial evidence of motive or intent is not a sufficient justification to overcome substantial evidence that the introduction of rap lyrics creates a substantial risk of unfair prejudice,” the text of the bill reads. The proposition comes just four months after the high-profile arrests of Atlanta rap stars Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens. The two were among more than two dozen individuals arrested by authorities on felony racketeering charges.

The year has been turbulent for rising New York star Lil TJay. At the beginning of 2022, he started rolling out multiple singles in preparation for his follow up project to 'Destined 2 Win' that released last year. Then plans got derailed when a shooting that almost took his life put everything on hold. There has been few updates after he got stable, but the fans have definitely been showing support for his full recovery. After a wondering what's going on with him for awhile, it finally seems like he's ready to take the spotlight again. Supporters in the Bronx spotted a new billboard and could be unleashing some new heat on fans soon. Hopefully this can be an indication of his full recovery as well. There's nothing on the billboard except the words, "I'm Back -- Lil Tjay". The summer might've missed out on some new music from Tjay but it seems like we could expect some new music from him this fall. It was announced last month that he was awake from his coma. Doctors had taken out his breathing tubes and said his voice had gotten nearly back to normal, even back then. So there's no telling when he got back in the studio, but fans are excited to find out what he's been cooking up.

New York native Bobby Shmurda has made sure to seperate himself from drill music for good. In recent interviews, he stated he’ll never make songs in that genre of rap. The Brooklyn star had posted on IG claiming he won’t make drill because he doesn’t want to follow the crowd. After Bobby shared a video of popular Youtuber Bashworld showing love to his music video to 'Hoochie Daddy', fans started to praise him, but he had to correct a few fans. “Don’t ever try to put me in a category or in a box you gonna hurt your head,” he wrote. “I do what Yall haters cant #Nahimsaying. i don’t do drill. I won’t ever be A minion Rrrrr and they can’t clone me really one of a kind.” In an interview with AllHipHop, Bobby Shmurda doubled down on his claims that his music isn’t drill, and even shouted out Chicago legend Chief Keef as the pioneer. “I’m not drill, I’m Shmurda music,” he said. “It’s never drill. Shmurda music. Because the thing is, I feel drill is like the Chief Keef. When I say Chief, anything that came up under him. Because a lot of these n-ggas came up on Chief, the whole thing.” He continued: “My shit is dancing music. All my shit is going to be dancy. Everything you want to do is going to dance to, I think drill music is more like… [dark music] that’s it. My shit is more music to dance but it’s real warrior music. It’s warrior music, champion music, alpha music. It’s Shmurda music. I’m saying that’s all Shmurda. It’s domination.” A lot of us have been wondering what direction he'll take after his release from a six year prison stint. I'm glad that he's finally showing a solid direction, and it's uniquely him.

A Tribe Called Quest co founder, Q-Tip, has been on the receiving end of many requests for collabs throughout his legendary career but none as unique as the one he just got via a hand-written letter. Recently, the iconic artist took to Instagram to post in reply to a request he received from a 12-year-old aspiring rapper by the name of Liam Elmore. “Hi! My name is Liam Elmore. I’m 12 years old. I am a rapper + my rapper name is M.C. Fresh,” the youngster’s letter began. “You are one of my favorite rappers. I was wondering if you wanna be in one of my songs. I only have three songs out, but I’m going to release more.” He went on to ask Q-Tip if he wanted to come over to his house to record his verse. Q-Tip responded on social media like this: “I just received your note,” Tip wrote back. “So im writing you back. Thank you for wanting me to be in one of your songs. I remember when i was 11/12 years old how i wanted people to listen to my jams too so Ill search online to find your songs. “How are your grades in school? Are you being a good son and taking care of mom? I hope so because you gonna need to be sharp so you can read these contracts because record company people are shady. I promise ill listen and if i like it ill be in one of your songs.” A really classy reply from the OG himself. Hopefully MC Fresh has some bars that impress Q-Tip so he can get his feature.

Pittsburgh superstar Wiz Khalifa has always been open about his views. He's not been known for too much controversy, but he never shies away when it comes to his opinion. In a recent interview, he speaks his mind on how he sees the state of rap now a days. After dropping his recent pop/funk inspired album entitled Multiverse, the Taylor Gang leader spoke with XXL Magazine in an interview where he speaks on the musicians and instruments that made the vibe of his new album. Wiz said he made the decision to do this because he wanted to show the younger generation a different “musical experience” than they’re used to. “It just reminds people of different musical experiences,” he told the outlet. “Right now, we’re kind of in a box just because the younger generation, they haven’t really experienced the things that we went through, you know what I mean? So, it’s like, to give them that option so they can feel it and know what it feels like.” He continued: “That’s not to say that anything is right or wrong or better or worse, but it’s just to give you that experience and involve you into it, and to give you a chance to get that on a heightened level.” Check the full interview below.

Small festivals come and go, but consistency is key. Consistency is also synonymous perfect to describe the work ethic of San Antonio's Loud City Society. Owned and operated by Aurora Ramirez, AKA DJ Ayye R, the city has another rising powerhouse on the hip hop scene. They came back this year with their 2nd installment of their 420 friendly festival, and it came back better than ever. From the music, to the vendors, the whole scene was one to remember. The people were friendly (hopefully because you shouldn't be angry smoking herb) and the DJ was on point. The lineup was filled with talent from all over Texas. The stage lights hitting the artists face while the smoke machine flooded the room made the performances stand out even more. With San Antonio powerhouses like Stilo Jordan and Toshiyo Ghoul killing the stage, to Austin/St.Croix's Khilla Keys, every artist left their all on the stage to a cheering crowd. Don't believe us? We recorded it. Check it out down below

Projectbabyjv is easily one of the most impressive independent artists we've come into contact with. Originally hailing from New Orleans, he's now been expanding his brand further since moving to Houston. His new album 'Faceoff' has been garnering attention throughout TX and has been building steadily. With his blend of trap melodic vocals and story telling that can make you feel as if you were there in the moment, you can hear that his sound has been carefully crafted. The versatility show from song to song is dynamic. If you try to put this artist in a box, or label him one thing, it would be hard to. With stand out songs like 'Young Gunnas' and 'Hardaway', it's easy to hear Projectbabyjv having a breakout record on the radio. Throughout the project, you get many different types of moods, which shows the extent of his pen game. One of the most important parts of being an artist is staying current while being yourself, and the young Louisiana native has all the elements of a star. Check out his new album below

Levvel Media, owned by music manager and entrepreneur Mahlon White, is one of the hidden gems in the city when it comes to events. All of their events are well organized and promoted. With their Hip Hop Hall of Fame showcase, they recently brought out some of the hottest artists in Central Texas to Empire Control Room downtown. From the red carpet entrance, to the artist selection, the event definitely wasn't one you wanted to miss. The lineup was absolutely full of star power. Every performance had their unique sound mastered, nobody sounded the same. Artists like rap duo Tribe Mafia brought out a live band to accompany their already high energy tracks. While other artists like rap duo Global Chaos brought out smooth dance moves over their versatile styles of music. A standout artist to us was ProjectBabyJV. His control over the crowd was absolutely impeccable as he fed off of their energy his whole performance. With radio ready music, he hit the stage with the energy of a superstar. One of the best things about the show was the facts that it was packed from start to finish. People were there to have a good time and enjoy good music, not just to watch their friends and leave. This was the 2nd installment to the Hip Hop Hall Of Fame showcase series. Can't wait to see what the next one has in store.

The hip hop world was on fire a few years ago when the Drake and Pusha T beef first initiated. The two stars went back and forth in a heated exchange of personal attacks disguised as bars. Drake recorded multiple tracks while Pusha T ended up recording a whole album with so many lines aimed at Drake that Aubrey should've got some writers credit. Pusha recently went in an interview stating that his beef with Drake was over. Well, it seems that either Drake doesn't agree, or nobody gave Drizzy the message. In his recent feature on Jack Harlow's new song 'Have A Turn' it seems that he sent shots directly at Push in his verse. In the verse, Drake states: "My urges for revenge are uncontrollable/I know we're getting older though, yeah/But I gotta get a n*gga back for that/It's non-negotiable, it's not even debatable," Drake raps. "All I hear is plug talk commin' from middleman/All I hear is tall tales comin' from little man" "If I see ya I spit in ya' faces, ha-tu/Daytonas with the green faces. We wonder why after so long, Drake is coming back to old business. After some time, the beef had died down, seemingly calmed down by Houston rap icon and business mogul, J Prince. Allegedly, when Drake had showed him the next diss track he was about to drop, Prince called up Kanye and got them to stop releasing. According to Prince, the content of the unreleased diss track was so intense, that it would have been no coming back from it. Well, now that we're here again, lets see how this plays out. Will Pusha T respond? Will little Adonis eventually throw bars back at the man who revealed him? It looks like its going to be a wild 2022 in the world of hip hop.

Who would've thought that we would be getting a new Ab-Soul album before Kendrick Lamar's. Its been a long time since we've gotten new music from the Black Hippy/TDE member. His last project, entitled 'Do What Thou Wilt' , dropped in 2016 and the Carson lyricist has been pretty silent ever since. Anthony Tiffith, better known as Top Dawg, took to Instagram to share the revelation of Soulo in the studio, working on his project. “@souloho3 in the Stu getting ready… #TDE on the way,” Top captioned. You can also clearly hear Ab rapping and working on some heat. The Black Lipped Pastor has been silent for some time, but the fact that he's releasing new music shouldn't be a surprise. Back in December, he made an update on his new music, simply writing “80%” in one of his Instagram Story clips. Even though Ab-Soul and Kendrick haven't been releasing music, Schoolboy Q recently released his new single entitled 'Soccer Dad' and it definitely bangs. All of these things have got fans speculating; is TDE planning another big year before Kendrick Lamar leaves to pursue PG Lang?

Da Baby is definitely no stranger to controversy. One could even argue his career has been fueled by it. Once again, the 'Bop' rapper finds himself in the spotlight due to extreme circumstances. The Troutman Police Department responded to a call on the Troutman property around 7:45pm on Wednesday April 13th. Upon arrival and assessment of the situation, they found one victim with a non life-threatening gun wound. He was then transported to the hospital for treatment. "Due to the ongoing and continuing nature of this investigation, no information as to the names of those involved or the circumstances can be released at this time," the police statement reads. "This is an isolated incident and there is no threat to the community at large." Seeing as this is not Da Baby's first involvement in a shooting, or with the law, let's hope that this plays out in his favor. More details as the story updates.

Fivio Foreign has risen in the ranks of the rap world over the years with his consistent and unique flow over colorful yet grimy drill beats. As one of the pioneers of the NY drill sound reaching the masses, its almost surpring when you realize he didn't drop an actual album before this. Now the young rapper just released his highly anticipated debut album, B.I.B.L.E., which was executive produced by Kanye West. The album is jam-packed with big name features, such as Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Coi Leray, Polo G, Lil Yachty, Chloe and so much more. With 17 tracks, he brought more than enough to keep you entertained. Even the album was expected to arrive in March, but was delayed due to inside issues, it has been receiving rave reviews since its release, from fans and stars alike. The queen of rap, Nicki Minaj, has even expressed her love for the project. She recently took to instagram to show love to the project, stating “This fivio foreign album rlly hittin the mthafkn spot,” Minaj wrote. “Sooooo SOLID. Sonically authentic & well thought out. Cohesive body of work with a signature sound that is very true to where he’s from.” She went on to list her favorite songs before shouting out her favorite features on the album. She added, “Kayccy is [fire] on both of his songs. chloe bodied her verse. Loved coi too @fivioforeign_8fs.” Fivio is gearing up to go on tour for the album in the U.S this upcoming month, before finishing the last leg of his tour in Europw during the summer time. The 32 year old is taking the world over slowly, check out his most recent release below.