Mack Maine is mourning the heartbreaking loss of his 20-year-old son, Isaiah, who died unexpectedly on July 16th after suffering a seizure at his home in California. The New Orleans rapper, still reeling from the shock, says he’s been left with more questions than answers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mack Maine (@mackmaine4president) Sharing the news publicly on his birthday, a day already marked by grief, as it’s also the anniversary of his own father’s passing two years ago—Mack opened up about the unimaginable pain he’s experiencing. He described the loss as a crushing blow to his entire family, admitting, “It’s a pain I’ve never felt before.” In his emotional tribute, Mack reflected on the gift of fatherhood, thanking Isaiah, who he lovingly called Zeke, for changing his life. “You made me a father,” he wrote. “One of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received.” He went on to describe Zeke as his guiding light—the reason he found the strength to get out of bed each day. “Your soul was made of innocence and your heart was pure,” he added, remembering his son’s radiant smile and the joy it brought during his darkest moments. Though grappling with grief, Mack used his message to encourage others to appreciate their loved ones while they’re here. “Hug the ones you love, squeeze them tight and tell them they love them,” he urged. Zeke’s passing has left a deep void, and Mack Maine is still trying to process the unimaginable. The rapper’s tribute is not just a reflection of sorrow, but a celebration of a son who brought purpose, love, and light into his world—even if only for a short time.

Drake’s run in the UK hit a brief snag this week as he announced a change to his scheduled Manchester performance. The rapper was set to take the stage at the Co-Op Arena on July 28th, but fans will now have to wait until August 5 to see the show. The delay, according to venue officials, stems from unexpected transportation problems. “Due to unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics, tomorrow’s performance in Manchester on July 28th has been rescheduled,” read a message from the arena. “The good news is that Drake will now perform in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5th, and it’s set to be an unforgettable night.” Those who already purchased tickets can still use them for the new date. Despite the hiccup, Drake’s time in the UK has been anything but uneventful. While in Birmingham, the Canadian superstar paid homage to one of the city’s most iconic figures: Ozzy Osbourne. Walking out to Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” Drake saluted the late rock legend with a message to the crowd: “Hey Birmingham! Rest in peace to the legendary Ozzy Osbourne.” Earlier that day, he was spotted at a tribute site where he poured out a shot of tequila in Ozzy’s honor. “I just came out to pay respects to someone who lived it to the fullest,” he told The New York Times. The Manchester delay comes as Drake continues promoting his latest single “Which One,” a track that teams him up with UK rap star Central Cee. The song leans into afrobeats and dancehall influences, with Drake delivering his verses in a Caribbean-flavored cadence. With new music and more UK dates on the horizon, the delay is just a bump in the road for the 6 God’s international takeover.

On Saturday (July 27), Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform. He accused Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey, along with a few others, of being paid to endorse Kamala Harris’ presidential election campaign. The President revealed that he’s been examining the “large amount of money” owned by the Democratic Party. According to Trump, the Democrats “illegally” paid the singer nearly $11,000,000. However, he believes it wasn’t a good decision because Beyoncé “never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!” Regarding Oprah, Trump claims that the TV host and entrepreneur was paid at least $3,000,000 for “expenses.” Donald Trump/truthsocial.com ‘Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them?’ Trump Says Trump also called out activist and TV host Al Sharpton, referring to him as a “low-rated TV anchor,” alleging that he paid around $600,000 to get behind Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign. He continued, “These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them?” Trump added, “All hell would break out! Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted!” In other news, in a recent memo, the White House confirmed that Donald Trump was diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). “The President underwent a comprehensive examination. It included diagnostic vascular studies. Bilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI),” said White House physician Sean Barbabella. Not long ago, Donald Trump was spotted at the Club World Cup soccer final in New Jersey. He appeared to have very severely swollen legs and ankles. According to Barbabella, CVI is a “benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.” Per the National Institutes of Health, CVI is “a condition in which the flow of superficial or deep venous blood is impaired, causing venous hypertension. CVI encompasses several pathological changes (eg, lower extremity edema, skin trophic changes, and discomfort) that result secondary to venous hypertension.”

Earlier this month, Doechii sat down with British Vogue ahead of its August issue. In this interview, she gave insight into the theme for her next project. While she acknowledged it’ll have a similar feel to Alligator Bites Never Heal, she’s concentrating on expressing “deep vulnerability.” The Grammy winner said her next project will chronicle her journey with the “new lessons” she’s learned since her meteoric rise to fame. “It’s gonna be the new lessons that I’m learning, and that’s why I say it’s hard to talk about now,” she says. This is because she is still learning. ROSKILDE, DENMARK – JULY 04: Doechii performs on stage at Roskilde Festival 2025 on July 04, 2025 in Roskilde, Denmark. (Photo by Matt Jelonek/Getty Images) During the interview, the rapper also addressed her now-viral speech at the BET Awards. There, she called out Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policies. “Trump is using military forces to stop a protest. And I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us,” she said to the crowd back in June. “We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear, and I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate, and we protest against it.” Doechii tells tells British Vogue that it wasn’t a second thought because it “felt right.” She added, “I’m not that desensitised, and it felt right. I felt like I needed to use that moment, and they were live, so it wasn’t sh*t they could do about it.” In her opinion, balancing her beliefs and fame isn’t a challenge. This is because she was “born to do this.”

On Saturday (July 26), Beyonce took the Allegiant Stadium stage in Las Vegas for what would be her last show, after breaking several records along the way. As a gift (and surprise) to fans, the singer brought two of her close friends and former Destiny’s Child bandmates — Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland. The trio would go on to perform some of their iconic tracks like ” Lose My Breath” and “Bootylicious.” Despite the girl group officially disbanding in 2006 — following the release of their fourth studio album, Destiny’s Child Fulfilled — they’ve kept in touch over the years and performed with one another quite frequently. In 2018, Beyoncé brought the girls to her Homecoming tour as well as her Coachella performance the following year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) Even when they’re not on stage, Beyoncé, Michelle, and Kelly are often spotted supporting each other’s various business ventures. Last November, Michelle Williams debuted in the Broadway musical Death Becomes Her. As expected, Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland were in tow, showing their full support. Williams portrayed the character of Viola Van Horn. The musical was inspired by the 1992 film of the same name, which starred Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis. Around the same time, Tyler Perry premiered his 2024 film, Mea Culpa, in which Rowland starred, and Beyoncé was by her side. Tina Knowles and Jay-Z were also in attendance. The singer shared the moment on Instagram, with the caption, “Dats my best friend! Dats my best friend!!!!! So proud of you Kelly.” Back in February, the Renaissance singer and Michelle were spotted alongside Kelly for her 44th birthday. Beyoncé took to Instagram, sharing a carousel of pictures of the trio, as well as Rowland’s other friends and family. “Birthday bestie,” she wrote in the post’s caption.

Diddy is facing another lawsuit by another sex worker. According to AllHipHop, Michael Ejiawoko accused the Bad Boy Records founder of arranging sexual encounters at several luxury hotels in Los Angeles and Las Vegas “under false pretenses.” The lawsuit also names The Palazzo, Wynn Las Vegas and The London West Hollywood as defendants. Field it in Los Angeles County Superior Court, the suit allegesthat Diddy recruited him in 2018 under the false belief that he was solicited for consensual sex work with adult women. But when he arrived, Ejiawoko claims that the women were coerced, and “that Diddy orchestrated and observed the acts without participating.” The suit also accuses hotel staff of working with Diddy to hide his identity and “facilitate the encounters by booking rooms under aliases, including the name “Mr. Star.” “Hotel staff knowingly facilitated Mr. Combs’ illicit activities by reserving hotel rooms under aliases, including the name ‘Mr. Star,’ to shield Combs’ identity, granting access to private or secured areas to Combs and his JOHN DOE associates, escorting Ejiawoko and other participants in the encounters to and from rooms, cleaning and removing paraphernalia used in the encounters, including oils, substances, and drug-related items; Failing to report or investigate clear signs of illegal conduct,” said Ejiawoko’s attorney, Jonathan D. Evans,” the suit read. Ejiawoko said that Diddy instructed him to use oil during the sexual encounter, which he believes was laced with drugs. He also says that the sessions were recorded without his permission and he could not give consent because he was drugged. The allegations levied at Diddy and the hotels included sexual battery, civil conspiracy and violations of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act.  Ejiawoko is seeking more than $500,000 in damages “for emotional distress and mental anguish, along with punitive damages and attorney fees.” He also has requested a jury trial. On July 2, Diddy was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution after a federal criminal trial in New York City that lasted for several weeks He was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.  Diddy will be sentenced on October 3, 2025.

Live Nation Urban officially unveiled the Live Nation Urban Creator Network. Built in partnership with Breakr, “the creator marketing and payments platform behind some of the biggest creator-led campaigns in music and media, this national network brings together the infrastructure, creators, and cultural strategy to help brands authentically show up — whether on stage, online, or in real life.” The Creator Network boasts a collective of thousands of top Black creators and Breakr’s broader database of 75,000+ creators and 55 million data points. With the new partnership, Live Nation Urban can now offer “brands a new kind of media channel: culturally-embedded, locally relevant, and instantly scalable.” “Creators have long been an integral part of how we market our tours and festivals,” says Live Nation Urban President Shawn Gee. “But the demand from our brand partners pushed us to think bigger—to move beyond treating creator marketing as an internal tool and instead build a business model around it.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Live Nation Urban (@livenationurban) “As brands increasingly looked to us to help them connect authentically with Black audiences, even outside the context of our events, it became clear there was an opportunity to create something larger,” Gee continued. “With the Live Nation Urban Creator Network, we’re building the largest network of Black creators in the industry—powered by our platform, driven by culture.” “In just five years, creators have gone from supporting cast to the headliners of our growth story,” Live Nation Urban’s Vice President of Marketing Malcolm Gray added. “Today, we’re opening the doors to an exclusive creator network—pairing brands with unrivaled cultural capital and turning influence into record-breaking results.” To learn more or apply for the 2025 Creator Class, visit:https://creators.livenationurban.com.

Don Toliver has some new music coming. Taking to Instagram, the Houston native shares his big news with his followers with a concise message. “ALBUM INCOMING 2025 ,” his post read. He also shared that he was the featured artist on the new FAULT Magazine cover story.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by DON TOLIVER (@dontoliver) During the interview, Toliver revealed that he is looking forward to showing his “creative identity” with the new project. “The part I’m most excited to reveal is my next album, and really, just my future in general,” Toliver said. “It’s going to be a fun time, and I’m excited for it all.” With all the success that he’s experienced, Toliver said that he feels no pressure with the upcoming project. No, my current run of hits doesn’t make me feel pressured,” he responded. “And I don’t find it hard to keep experimenting or finding new winning formulas.” The forthcoming, untitled album follows his 2024 album Hardstone Psycho, and a collaborative project, Cactus Jack’s Jackboys 2, with Travis Scott. Since his debut in 2018 no his mixtape Donny Womack and a feature on Travis Scott’s song “Can’t Say” from the Astroworld album, Toliver has been a prolific artist. He’s dropped singles such as “No Idea,” “After Party,” and “Lemonade” (with Internet Money and Gunna featuring Nav), which have charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Toliver also released several other albums, including Heaven or Hell (2020), Life of a Don (2021), and Love Sick (2023).

Clipse and Travis Scott’s Jackboys took over the hip-hop scene last weekend, while established and emerging artists such as Awich, Abrina, Dorrough, and Fordo weathered the storm. As the “Song of the Summer” race heats up, more of hip hop’s biggest stars prepare to join the battle royal. Summer 2025 is quickly becoming the season of seasoned artists. The legends and established acts continually prove how to create impactful music, while new artists struggle to maintain their relevance or find their unique sound. However, there are numerous new artists establishing their cult followings with unique new music. As the debates begin, blockbuster tours continue, and anticipated albums arrive, there’s still a lot of amazing new music that has gone overlooked this week. From Awich’s continued takeover to Tay Money and Rob 49’s surprise collab to Fordo doubling up, here’s all the new music you might have missed this week. Awich Proves Her Skills With FERG & Lupe Fiasco In “Wax On Wax” The rising female rhymeslayer sharpens her skills against credible master craftsmen such as the Trap Lord and Fiasco. The song is a sensual, confident anthem blending Japanese and English lyrics to explore empowerment through intimacy. She asserts control in both romantic and artistic expression. Abrina & DCMBR Show Us That “Good Love Forever” Inspired by San Diego’s Sunset Cliffs, a place in her hometown for clarity, reflection, and personal growth, the “Actin Up” hitmaker transforms her favorite escape into a bold, musical state of mind. The collaboration delivers undeniable chemistry and sensual energy. It re-enters the singer and her amazing talent into today’s music, while reuniting her with loyal fans who have been supporting her through all the ups and downs. Tay Money & Rob49 On The Search For A “Snow Bunny” More “Baddie Music” from the popular Dallas rap star. Linking with Rob for the infectious new party anthem, Big Tay brands herself the baddest with obligations of being dripped with the finer things and nothing less. The single promises an exciting new album from the “Assignment” hitmaker later this year. Dorrough Music Takes Us On A Wild Night Through “Uptown” The Legendary Dallas rapper blends swagger and Southern charm, contrasting past struggle with hard-earned rewards. It’s not just a party track—it’s a reflection of perseverance, elevated living, and the triumph of Southern rap resilience. Fordo Makes Moves To The Top Like “Nobody’s Watching” From his debut album, 2001, the Milwaukee rap star addresses public appearances and how the world perceives you. It is an anthem for anyone ready to drop the masks and be unapologetically themselves. Young Dro & K Carbon On “I Go” Bonding the past with the present in a bold anthem of confidence, hustle, and Southern bravado. Over a hard-hitting beat, both artists trade verses packed with swagger, flexing street credibility and lyrical dominance. The track celebrates relentless ambition, fast living, and unshakable self-assurance in the face of doubt. Kaash Paige Got “2BadBitches” The bona fide hit takes fans into Kaash Paige’s life after-dark. Surrounded by a crew of alluring women, the Dallas recording artist embraces her “toxic alter ego” in full form. It marks her return with a big bounce back to the top of music on the way. Da’Ville Is Ready For “Sunshine Days” Making a triumphant return after over a decade’s absence, the Reggae superstar picks up where he left off with the high-energy single. “This is the most personal and spiritual chapter of my journey,” he said. “Sunshine Days is about gratitude, love, and walking through life with your head up. The world needs that energy right now, and I’m here to give it.” Da Deputy & Big A Show Off Their Wheelpower The Fort Worth, Texas rapper takes us on a ride in his vibrant, quick tape that connects his love for car culture with his love for hip-hop. The tricked-out wordplay blends perfectly with Big A’s bass-driven production. It’s a go-to soundtrack for those long rides or meet-ups.

Sean Kingston’s legal troubles are far from over, and his mother, Janice Turner, is already facing the consequences. After being convicted earlier this year on multiple fraud-related charges, Turner was sentenced this week to five years in federal prison. She’ll also serve three years under supervised release once her sentence is complete. Along with prison time, Turner has been ordered to pay restitution to her victims, though the exact amount is still being decided. The case stems from a large-scale fraud operation that allegedly involved defrauding over 20 individuals. Turner and Kingston were both accused of playing major roles in the scheme, which prosecutors say involved millions of dollars in stolen funds. Turner’s legal team fought for a reduced sentence, asking the judge to consider 30 months as a more reasonable punishment, arguing that sentencing guidelines of up to 78 months were excessive. But in the end, the court sided with prosecutors. Her attorney, Humberto Dominguez, reacted to the sentencing, stating: “It was a hard-fought sentence, so we have mixed feelings on it. We won on some points and obviously lost on some points. All of which will be handled on appeal… Overall, the judge tried to do what was right and what was fair.” Turner may also be deported to Jamaica following her prison term. Meanwhile, Kingston remains on house arrest after posting bond. His sentencing is set for August 28, and he could be looking at up to six and a half years behind bars. Prosecutors are pushing for a harsher sentence, saying the court didn’t fully account for the total financial damage or all the victims involved. They’re now asking that Kingston be ordered to repay roughly $1.17 million as part of his punishment. His final outcome will be determined in the coming weeks.