SIGT HIP HOP STOP W/RON GRANT – T.I. cuts the Iggy Azalea cord, Def Jam Biopic, A$AP Rocky & Tyler, The Creator Touring, New Jay Electronica Track, Lil Wayne Loses Lawsuit

by Ron Grant • September 18, 2015

The week of September 13 was filled with more than a few interesting news stories to keep Hip Hop heads on their toes. Here are a few of the weeks’ biggest stories:

T.I. NO LONGER WORKING WITH IGGY AZALEA

It was all good just a week ago. Well, more like a year, but who’s counting? In a recent interview with Hot 97’s “Ebro In The Morning” show, the King of the South revealed that he no longer has business dealings with his former protégé and signee. Later in the week Iggy responded that this severing of business ties caught her and her team off guard. So what was it that caused the rift and eventual break up? How much time do you have? Between Iggy more than once not heading the sage advice of her Grand Hustle label head, having public social media spats with multiple rappers and her latest singles not taking off, it’s hard to say that the writing wasn’t on the wall for one Mr. Clifford Harris. Peep the exclusive interview.

DEF JAM BIOPIC POSSIBLY IN THE WORKS

The Hip Hop movie biography rumor mill just keeps on a-turning. The latest rumors are that Universal is interested in a music bio about the early days of Def Jam Recordings based on the 2002 book Life And Def by Russell Simmons. Nothing has been confirmed, but reportedly the film could feature Fantastic Four star Michael B. Jordan as Russell Simmons and Jonah Hill of The Wolf Of Wall Street fame as Rick Rubin, the two iconic figures that started Def Jam out of Rubin’s NYU dorm room in the 1980s. With as many stars in Hip Hop that Def Jam helped to create, all signs point to this potential project being a winner.

A$AP ROCKY AND TYLER, THE CREATOR ON TOUR

Two of Hip Hop’s brightest young stars are doing the opposite of beefing and going out on tour together. In a joint promo video, A$AP and Tyler revealed to the world that they will be hitting the road for the “Rocky and Tyler” tour, starting in Massachusetts on September 19. The tour will also feature Detroit’s Danny Brown and Cali’s Vince Staples. Looks like this one is shaping up to be an alternative Hip Hop heads’ wet dream of a tour. The story was reported on sites like Okayplayer.com and Pitchfork.com.

NEW JAY ELECTRONICA TRACK

There’s barely a snowballs’ chance in hell that we’ll ever get a full-length album from New Orleans rhyme spitter Jay Electronica. And that’s putting it as nicely as possible. That being the case, it’s best to enjoy the rare track that he gives to the world every few months…and in some cases, years. The latest came this week in the form of “Holladay”, an unreleased track of Jay spitting heavy and hearty over a sensuous soul sample. Barely lasting two minutes, it’s yet another example of just what we love an hate about the artistry of Jay Elec. You can find a link to the new track by clicking the image below.

LIL WAYNE LOSES $2 MILLION LAWSUIT

First world problems, indeed. It appears that Lil Wayne has an unpaid private jet tab that is owed to the jet company Signature Group, as reported on TMZ. The payments started at a reported $1 million in July 2014 and have since ballooned to closer to $2 million. Wayne was ordered earlier this week to pay the tab by a judge after Signature Group had brought the suit against him. Although, it’s still doubtful that Weezy F. Baby will be flying anywhere coach any time soon.

Weekly Hip Hop Stop by Ron Grant. Check out his Urban Music News Blog on Social and Cultural Affairs, http://urbanemurge.com/.