Teyana Taylor stopped by HOT 97 to talk with Nessa about her highly anticipated new album Escape Room, dropping August 22nd. She opened up about why she returned from her brief retirement and the meaning behind the album title. They talked about the new single “Bed of Roses” and the steamy visual with Aaron Pierre. Teyana gushed about how safe, loved, and understood Aaron makes her feel—and shared where their relationship stands today. She also explained why it was important for her to clear the air during her public breakup and make sure the narrative didn’t paint Iman as a villain. Teyana also shared how she chose Taraji P. Henson to narrate the powerful opening monologue in her song “Long Time,” which dives into heartbreak beyond just relationships—covering family, career, and friendship too. Teyana reflected on the hardest and most personal songs on the project, what moved her to tears while making the album, and how she uses narration to carry emotion throughout. She also spoke about her work as a creative director and her new film One Battle After Another with Leonardo DiCaprio, out September 26th, and how people describe her energy on set. From her music industry journey—including her return to Def Jam—to co-parenting, career pivots, and culinary school, Teyana shared insight into the many chapters of her life right now. Stream “Bed of Roses” now and get her album Escape Room on August 22nd!

Drake is once again in rollout mode—or at least that’s what fans are betting on. A recent Instagram post, packed with fan edits, TikTok jokes, and a cameo from soccer phenom Erling Haaland, has ignited buzz around his upcoming project Iceman and the tour he’s calling “$ome $pecial $hows 4 U,” with longtime collaborator PARTYNEXTDOOR. Alongside the images, Drake captioned the post, “Tired…too many bangers,” a nod, perhaps, to the project’s creative pace. Whether it’s a cryptic update or a playful brush-off, the sentiment has only sharpened curiosity. Tracks like “What Did I Miss?” and “Which One,” featuring Central Cee, suggest a stylistic range that could stretch from tightly wound bars to festival-stage anthems. With no official date yet, the rollout appears to be unfolding in real time, one post at a time. The bigger question is whether Iceman is days away or still getting polished in the studio. Either way, the breadcrumbs are multiplying. What once felt like distant hype now reads more like a calculated warm-up act. Legal drama brews, but Drake stays locked in Offstage, though, Drake is juggling more than music. His name has surfaced in a defamation lawsuit tied to “Not Like Us,” the viral diss record from Kendrick Lamar. The case targets Universal Music Group but intersects with Drake’s feud, dragging the narrative into legal territory. He was recently cleared to subpoena Kojo Menne Asamoah, a figure alleged to hold relevant details surrounding the case and UMG’s role in the matter. It’s the kind of legal entanglement that could rattle a less seasoned artist. But for Drake, who’s long operated at the center of pop culture crossfire, the balance of public spectacle and private litigation is familiar terrain. And if the rollout of Iceman is any indication, he’s not backing off—he’s doubling down. As fans wait, refresh, and speculate, the Toronto native remains locked in: teasing bangers, navigating lawsuits, and fine-tuning the next chapter of his catalog. View this post on Instagram A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi)

Kid Cudi is revealing the details of his near-fatal overdose. In his upcoming memoir, Cudi,  described the fateful night when he was alone at his New York apartment in Tribeca, where he indulged in copious amounts of cocaine and that he “cryedg for hours.” “I was at peace with dying,” Cudi writes, according to  GQ, before he collapsed to the floor, almost comatose. “‘You made great music that people loved,’ I thought. ‘But this is the end.’” He also shared that he was doing cocaine lines as wide as his pinky finger “I couldn’t make sense of what was plaguing me. It was all happening so fast. The first Man on the Moon had been out for about a year and I was on a rocket ship,” Cudi continued. “Grappling with fame pushed me toward cocaine, which I only ever did alone. I was drawn to it in isolation, and my time by myself was increasing.” “I was feeling shut-in and I could barely even leave my house. The coke felt like a necessary countermeasure for my celebrity, but it was wreaking havoc on my life, creatively and personally. I had become super volatile emotionally,” he added. “My relationships were in shambles, and I couldn’t get songs out like I wanted. The anger was boiling in me. My rage came from my reality not aligning with my dream.” “My rage came from my reality not aligning with my dream,” he confessed. “I thought being set financially was going to save me and make everything all right. I thought being Kid Cudi would transform my life in all the best ways. It didn’t.” Cudi also acknowledged that his suicidal ideation returned during recording sessions for Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven. “After we’d finished a session, I’d be alone Googling exit bags,” he wrote. “I was thinking about a way I could actually do it. I was plotting it. There’s a song at the end of Speedin’ Bullet where I say good-bye, and that was meant to be my final album. I was going to kill myself at the end of that album, or before it came out, or during that cycle. I was not planning to live that year. Not many people around me expected me to either.” Cudi: The Memoir hits stores on Aug. 12.

LL Cool J and Simone I. Smith have achieved a significant milestone as they celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. In an Instagram post, Simone shared a vintage photo, and she reflected on her more than three-decade journey with LL “30 years of marriage today. All glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ,” her caption read. “Marriage isn’t for the weak, it’s for the faithful. It takes work, love, listening, picking your battles, being a friend, a prayer warrior, a cheerleader, and a safe place,” Simone continued. She went on to explain that “every marriage has its own DNA” and that there is no “blueprint” for how to create a successful marriage. But “grace, commitment and two people willing to grow through every season together.” “We’ve laughed, cried, prayed, forgiven, and grown—together,” she said. “We did the work, and God did the rest. ” “30 years. Countless memories. One God who kept us. LORD I THANK YOU,” she added.  For meeting through a mutual friend n 1987 in New York City, the couple were an item for eight years before getting married. The union has produced four children: son Najee and daughters Italia, Samaria, and Nina. The Smiths are grandparents, as Italia has two children of her own. One of the Smiths’ biggest challenges was Simone’s health issues. In 2004, she was diagnosed with stage III chondrosarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer that was discovered in her right leg. “I was training downstairs in my house and doing leg presses, and as I was doing the leg press, I had the weirdest feeling in my leg,” Simone told First For Women..” I stopped and said to my trainer, ‘Naomi, I feel like my leg wants to break right here.’ And she said, What? Okay, we’re done.” “That’s what sent me to the doctor and how I found out,” she continued. “Eventually, my leg would have broken if I ignored my body and kept training or running.”

Our very own, DJ and hip-hop pioneer Funk Flex is set to receive one of the city’s highest honors—the Key to the City of New York. The iconic Bronx native, known for his explosive radio sets, exclusive freestyle sessions, and long-standing influence on the culture, will be recognized for his decades of contributions to music, broadcasting, and New York City’s identity. The ceremony is scheduled to take place today on August 7th, and will celebrate Funk Flex’s legacy as a trailblazer in hip-hop and a champion of NYC talent. As one of the most recognizable voices in radio, Flex has played a pivotal role in breaking new artists and preserving the authenticity of the genre. Funk Flex took to social media to share the news, expressing his gratitude and reflecting on his journey to becoming a national figure in radio. “YALL READY FOR THE CELEBRATION EVENT AT ORCHARD BEACH AUGUST 7TH? I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING!” Flex wrote. “THANK YOU ERIC ADAMS, DAN, JOE JAXSON, TOMAS, ALBERT, KUDJO!” Congratulations to Funk Flex on this well-deserved honor! View this post on Instagram A post shared by FunkFlex (@funkflex)

Of the success that’s he’s achieved, Tyler, the Creator counts appearing on Clipse acclaimed reunion album Let God Sort em Out as one of his career highlights. During a recent interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Tyler detailed what it took for him to drop his memorable guest verse on “P.O.V.” “Just pressing play and hearing your voice on a Clipse album. I don’t think folks know the weight that sh*t really got. I got Grammys, I got whips, I done did it all. That might be top eight moments of my life,” Tyler said. “So thank you to Pusha, Malice, [Pharrell]. For real, love y’all down.” Tyler previously told Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning, Tyler admitted that it took him several attempts to get his verse just right. In frustration, he almost gave up and told Pusha T to erase his contribution. “It’s been a few times I’ve gotten nervous and trying to nail that verse with two of my Mount Rushmores, produced by Mount Rushmore, was like I can’t f*ck this up for me,” he said. “It took me so long to write that and just trying to perfect it … Was really in that b*tch sweating. That n***a Pusha sent me that before I went on tour, probably in April and I ain’t get him that sh*t until end of May, early June.” In July, Pusha T revealed to Ebro Darden how the collaboration went down. “Tyler was in out through the process of creating the album,” he explained. “He was always calling me, asking to hear certain records or [asking] ‘man did y’all finish this?’ or ‘let me hear it.’” “‘P.O.V.’ was a particular record that was new, and he hadn’t heard it,” Pusha T continued. “He said something about getting on the album. I said, ‘oh man, we got a good record for you to get on the album’ […] He was on the road, and he had a setup on the road, so I said, ‘alright, I’m gonna shoot it to you man, just shoot it back though.”

Claressa Shields addresses Papoose breakup rumors. Shields shared a video seemingly eating food that Papoose’s mother cooked with the caption, “all I see is lies [laughing emojis],” she captioned it. “Stop lying! Me and my man at his mama house eating victory dinner that she cooked for me! I see I gotta start checking y’all lies! We great over here!” View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Neighborhood Talk (@theneighborhoodtalk) As previously reported, while appearing on The Pivot Podcast, the 30-year-old boxer revealed that she and Papoose plans to start a family soon. “I’m gonna have a baby next year,” she said. “We already had it planned out. I’m gonna have baby next year.” “And then after I go through my stuff, then I’ll come back and fight and fight some more, and then probably have another one and then do the same thing again.” Shields made clear that age is a factor in her decision. She stated, “Like, I don’t want to wait till I’m 40, 43, or whatever, after my career, to have my kids. I want to be able to run at the park with my kids and stuff like that. I want to be too old.”

Beyoncé is facing unexpected criticism after her latest campaign with Levi’s, with conservative commentator Megyn Kelly calling out her appearance and comparing it to Sydney Sweeney’s recent American Eagle ad. Kelly took to social media to weigh in on a new photo of Beyoncé, claiming the superstar looked overly polished and unnatural. “This is the opposite of the Sydney Sweeney ad,” she wrote. “Quite clearly there is nothing natural about Beyoncé. Everything from her image to her fame to her success to her look below is bought and paid for. Screams artificial, fake, enhanced, trying too hard.” This is the opposite of the Sydney Sweeney ad. Quite clearly there is nothing natural about Beyonce. Everything – from her image to her fame to her success to her look below – is bought and paid for. Screams artificial, fake, enhanced, trying too hard. https://t.co/sQXijTgrJn — Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) August 5, 2025 Kelly’s post quickly sparked backlash. Jon Favreau of Pod Save America responded to her tweet, saying, “I’d bet most normal people think both ads are just companies trying to sell products by featuring famous, beautiful women. But there are also these people.” Kelly fired back by accusing him of twisting the narrative and claimed it was not conservatives who started the debate. “Typical leftist dishonesty. Acting like conservatives started this fight and how petty we are to be commenting on a woman in a jeans ad. Now what got us here again?” Meanwhile, the American Eagle ad featuring Sydney Sweeney has already stirred controversy of its own. Some critics have accused the campaign of using coded language and imagery that promotes outdated ideologies. The slogan “great genes” paired with her blonde hair and blue eyes led to backlash online. The drama even reached political circles when former President Donald Trump praised the ad on Truth Social, calling it the “HOTTEST” out there and applauding Sweeney as a registered Republican. American Eagle responded in a statement saying, “’Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story,” while reinforcing its message of confidence and inclusivity.

T-Pain and Ne-Yo will battle it out to see who has the most gaming skills. The Global Gaming League announced today its first season of year-round competitions titled SZN Zero. Teams compete in popular game titles ranging from Call of Duty and Rocket League to Tetris and Street Fighter. On August 23rd will feature T-Pain’s team Nappy Boy Grizzlies against Ne-Yo and his Gentleman’s Gaming Team – finally facing off after months of social media trash talk and rivalry about who’s better at Tekken.   In a statement, T-Pain, GGL’s Director of Strategy, spoke about how the gaming industry is taking off. “Gaming is just as important as music or any other sport, to me,” said T-Pain. “Ne-Yo had some words for me on socials, I heard enough of what he had to say and felt it was time to show him that I actually do this. But honestly, I’m just ready to have some fun with my friend, because, bottom line, that’s what gaming is all about. Now, folks will just have to see what happens on Aug 23rd when we face off in Las Vegas at the GGL SZN Zero launch.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Global Gaming League (@globalgamingleague) “Honestly, I was trying to connect with T-Pain to maybe be part of his team but when he kept blowing me off, and then I saw that video of him talking about my lips, I decided the only way to get his attention would be to call him out. Now, we’ll see just how good he really is – or isn’t – when we go head to head,” Ne-Yo added. Ne-Yo joins previously announced owners Flavor Flav andBryce Hall, along with Gillie Da Kid and Wallo. “We wanted to build something that brought gamers from different backgrounds and cultures together in a unique way that was equally fun and competitive,” said Clinton Sparks, Founder and CEO of the Global Gaming League.”With SZN Zero, we will introduce an authentic and relatable form of entertaining competition that will converge music, fashion, celebrity, and culture, bringing the biggest form of entertainment in the world – video gaming – to the masses.”  The SZN Zero launch event will take place in Las Vegas on Aug. 23.

Keke Palmer will never forget the first time she met Eddie Murphy, who left a major impression on her. Speaking with PEOPLE, Palmer revealed that she had been close with Murphy’s daughters but never met the comedy legend. “I had never met their dad, so they were like, ‘Yo, you want to come to our dad’s for dinner?’ ” Palmer said. “And I’m like, ‘I forgot for five seconds that your daddy is Eddie freaking Murphy. What the hell?’ ”  “He was coming downstairs in his pajamas, and he was just playing a guitar, which is the sickest thing that he could play,” she says. “I remember thinking to myself like, ‘Damn, he really is about that life.’ “ View this post on Instagram A post shared by Prime Video (@primevideo) A decade and a half later, Palmer is now a colleague of Murphy as the two are starring in the Prime Video film The Pickup. During filming, Palmer kept her initial meeting with Murphy in her mind. “Working with him, I had that in the back of my mind, and I was like, he probably doesn’t remember that,” Palmer explained. “But I just want to make sure I’m professional and enjoy this moment, because this is a dream come true for me — to get to this point in my career, where I get to share the screen with Eddie freaking Murphy.” Also starring Pete Davidson, The Pickup was released on August 6 on Prime Video. According the the synopsis, “A routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when two mismatched armored truck drivers get ambushed by ruthless criminals. As chaos unfolds around them, the unlikely duo must navigate high-risk danger, clashing personalities, and one very bad day that keeps getting worse.”