The first posthumous album from rapper DMX will be released on Friday, May 28th, 2021. The record, which is both musically and executive produced by X‘s long time friend and colleague Swizz Beatz, will be shared via the Def Jam label.

The following is a brief statement from Swizz Beatz regarding the project: “My brother X was one of the most pure and rare souls I’ve ever met. He lived his life dedicated to his family and music. Most of all, he was generous with his giving and loved his fans beyond measure. This album, X couldn’t wait for his fans all around the world to hear and show just how much he valued each and every single person that has supported him unconditionally.”

This coming Saturday, May 8th, BoldMindz Art Distributors Inc. and Forever Dope Management Inc. will present a mother’s day edition of the Ori Fest. It will be held at the Omega World Center – 3951 Snapfinger Parkway – in Decatur, Georgia.

Conscious hip-hop artist Sa-Roc has been confirmed as the headlining act. She will be supported by emerging talents Noelle Kay and Sheriese Nicole. For additional information and links to tickets click here.

On Tuesday, North Carolinian lyricist J Cole took to social media to announce that his new album, titled Off-Season, will be coming out on Friday, May 14th.

In the post, he shared what appears to be the album artwork along with the caption: “Just know this was years in the making.” According to our calculation Off-Season will be Cole‘s 10th album.

I have to start by saying that this is what they call an opinion piece. In other words, everything that I write in this article is mainly reflecting my opinion based on my history of listening to both Jay Z and Nas, especially during the period when they were engaged in their clash.

Knowing how passionate I am about what happened between them, I will force myself to keep this short (only a few lines) because if I don’t, this could become a book.

So basically what I want to say about Nas and Jay doing a collaboration on DJ Khaled‘s new album is that it is really great for the genre. These are two of the most respected lyricists in the hip-hop industry and they had a fierce battle, which resulted in a lot of hip-hop lovers (myself included) taking sides. So it is really good to see them coming together to show unity and maturity.

That being said, I have never personally gotten over the way Jay attacked Nas (lyrically), while Nas was focused on his mother’s illness. To me that was so low and wrong, and it was then that I lost a lot of respect for Jay Z. Additionally, I have always felt that Nas crushed him in those back and forth clashes. To me Nas is the more superior lyricist.

However, both men have moved on and I guess I should too, but it’s hard. Click here or on the image above to check out the official video for “Sorry Not Sorry,” performed by Nas and Jay Z.

The American hip-hop trio Digable Planets have announced that they will be doing a virtual performance via Sessions Live on Saturday, May 15th.

The group, which is composed of rappers Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, Mariana “Ladybug Mecca” Vieira and Craig “Doodlebug” Irving was formed in the late 80s but came to prominence in the early 90s with their jazz rap style, an alternative to traditional hip-hop.

Underground hip-hop lovers are in a frenzy after hearing Redman‘s new single, “80 Barz.” The veteran MC, who was raised in New Jersey, used approximately three-minutes to show these up and coming rappers how it’s done.

Click here or on the image above to check out the video, which was uploaded a few days after the song was published.