NEWS
Today, AzChike dropped off his new track "Whatx2," and already, it's managed to get fans talking. At the end of the video, he appears to hit back at Joey Badass in what seems to be a new snippet. Some speculate that the New York MC went after Kendrick Lamar and the West Coast as a whole on his song "The Ruler's Back" last month. “Too much West Coast dick lickin' / I'm hearin' n***as throwin' rocks, really ain't sh*t stickin' / 'Cause if we talkin' bar-for-bar, really it's slim pickings / I rap like I draw pentagrams and kill chickens, n***a,” he spits.
From the sound of things, AzChike took this personally, and fired back on behalf of the Compton performer. "Keep the coast out your mouth/You ain't as unique as you think in this house," he raps in the snippet. "You gon' respect the Duckworth once I'm done with this hunt." Of course, the apparent jab has earned a variety of reactions from listeners online.
"Man cold as hell," on Twitter user writes. "Clout chasing lol," another claims. It looks like AzChike isn't the only artist to have fired back at Joey Badass, as just days after he released "The Ruler's Back," Ray Vaughn appeared appeared to issue his own response. He dropped a freestyle over Kendrick's “The Heart Pt. 6" called “Crashout Heritage," seemingly taking aim at Badass. “What's with the sneak dissin'? Takin' shots at us, then hide the Uzi / 'Cause the only badass the world was recognizin' is Boosie / Please don't get confused with shootin' the movies, we really shootin' / Was on Soul album, so if you ask me, you look like a goofy," he rhymes.
Earlier this month, Ray Vaughn also appeared to take yet another shot at Badass on his song "Impossible Patty." He even taunted the artist on Instagram when sharing the song on the platform. “We tired of the impossible patties. @joeybadass," he captioned the post.
NEWS
JAŸ-Z has had a noteworthy 2026 so far. Later this year, he is set to take the stage in New York, Los Angeles, and Paris to mark the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt. On top of that, his recent appearance at Roots Picnic has sparked speculation that a new album could be in the works.
Any time JAŸ-Z makes a public appearance, it tends to be a win for hip hop. On Monday evening, he was among the high profile figures attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. Madison Square Garden was packed with excitement, with President Donald Trump and a host of well known celebrities occupying courtside seats.
In the images below, Hov can be seen as one of the many famous faces at the arena. He spent time on the court before tip off, attracting plenty of attention from fans. Given his status, it was hardly surprising that so many people wanted a closer look.
Before the game got underway, the rap icon was spotted outside the Roc Nation offices interacting with supporters. In a rare moment, Jay took time to autograph vinyl records for fans. It's not something that happens often. With the Knicks reaching the NBA Finals, however, the atmosphere around the city has been electric, and Hov appears to be embracing every minute of it.
As for the Finals themselves, New York entered Monday night's matchup holding a 2-0 advantage in the series. The Spurs responded with a victory behind a dominant performance from Victor Wembanyama. The result trimmed the Knicks' lead to 2-1 and introduced some real pressure into the series for the first time.
The championship battle looks increasingly likely to be a long one, but the Knicks still have a chance to return to San Antonio with a commanding 3-1 lead.
