🔥 The Culture Report: Cardi Welcomes Baby, D’Angelo Album Incoming, Durk’s Court Fight
Fif trolls Starz, Cole’s rare blow-up, Drake climbs the songwriter ranks — your full cultural rundown is here.
🎧 The Culture Report
Courtrooms, comebacks, controversy — this week the culture stayed loud, layered, and alive.
Lil Durk Pushes to Remove Judge in Murder-for-Hire Case
Lil Durk wants Judge Patricia Donahue off his upcoming January trial, accusing prosecutors of hiding violent threats made against the court and a federal attorney. His team argues the secrecy undermines due process and compromised the judge’s neutrality. Durk faces conspiracy and firearm charges that could carry a life sentence.
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Cardi B Welcomes Fourth Child — Her First With Stefon Diggs
Cardi B announced the birth of her baby boy with NFL receiver Stefon Diggs, marking her first child outside her marriage to Offset. In an emotional Instagram post, she framed the new baby as the start of a new “season” in her life and teased major tour prep ahead of her Little Miss Drama run.
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Tory Lanez Loses Appeal in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Case
A California appellate panel upheld Tory Lanez’s conviction on all three felony counts tied to the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. Lanez is serving a 10-year sentence and is eligible for parole in 2029. His father claims new movements are happening “behind the scenes,” but no evidence supports that yet.
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Diddy’s Prison Release Date Pushed Back After Rule Violation Claims
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal release date has been pushed from May 8 to June 4, 2028. Reports say he was accused of holding homemade alcohol and making a banned three-person call, though his reps deny any wrongdoing, calling the rumors “false and reckless.”
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Jay-Z Hit With New Push to Reopen Long-Running Paternity Case
Lillie Coley — godmother of alleged son Rymir Satterthwaite — filed a new motion to revive her dismissed suit, arguing the original anti-SLAPP ruling relied on invalid New Jersey court records. The case had been dismissed with prejudice earlier this month. Hov has never publicly addressed the claim.
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Drake Cuts Ties With Agent Who Also Represents Kendrick Lamar
Drake ended his longtime relationship with booking agent Brent Smith, reportedly due to fallout from the Kendrick Lamar feud and the cultural shockwave of “Not Like Us.” Drake is now aligned with CAA as he gears up for a massive 2026 tour.
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Offset Calls Himself a Style King — Crowns Pharrell and Gunna Too
At LAX en route to GQ’s Big Men of the Year Party, Offset confidently ranked himself among hip-hop’s top fashion icons, naming Pharrell and Gunna right behind him. Despite arriving without an outfit, he shrugged it off with full Offset bravado.
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Papoose Announces New Album, Pushes Back on Ageism in Rap
Papoose revealed his new album is dropping this month and praised the creative synergy he’s built with Claressa Shields. He rejected the idea that rap has age limits: “Your skills and talent do.” Now leading Hip-Hop at Wynn Records, he’s balancing executive leadership with active artistry.
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DJ Vlad Fires Back at Joyner Lucas Over Copyright Lawsuit
Vlad responded to Joyner Lucas’ accusations of extortion, saying the lawsuit over a reposted VladTV clip is simply “protecting my content.” He criticized Lucas’ reactions as “not very smart,” pushing back after Lucas publicly blasted him.
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Prosecutors Push for Prison Time for 6ix9ine After Violations
6ix9ine faces a recommended 3–9 month sentence for repeated supervised release violations, including drug possession and a mall assault linked to taunts about his cooperation. Prosecutors say he’s acted like he’s “above the law” and want new supervised release terms with treatment requirements.
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Wale Says J. Cole Once Snapped on Blueprint 3 Tour
In a new Sound Check interview, Wale reminisced about a rare moment where J. Cole lost his cool with a tour manager during the Blueprint 3 run. “I’ve never seen him that mad,” he said. Wale drops his new album Everything Is a Lot this week.
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Questlove Confirms Posthumous D’Angelo Album Is Coming
Questlove says a new D’Angelo album — featuring unreleased, future-forward material — is on the way following the soul icon’s passing last month. Raphael Saadiq previously teased contributions from Q-Tip and himself on the project.
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Joe Budden Responds After Being Blamed for Rory’s Old Tweets Scandal
As controversy swirls around resurfaced alleged racist tweets from Rory Farrell, Joe Budden addressed listeners blaming him for Rory’s “introduction to the culture.” Budden called Rory’s initial response “smug” but said he doesn’t believe he’s racist, stressing accountability in Black spaces.
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50 Cent Clowns Starz After Reported $53M Loss
After Starz reported major financial losses, 50 Cent jumped online to mock the network he famously feuded with. “See what happens when I stop working?” he wrote, suggesting his exit tanked their numbers — even as broader industry issues may be at play.
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Drake Named Third Biggest Songwriter of the 21st Century (Billboard)
Billboard ranked Drake the third most successful Hot 100 songwriter of this century, behind only Dr. Luke and Max Martin. With 14 No. 1 hits, he leads all rappers on the list. The recognition reignited ghostwriting jokes online, but fans hailed his consistency.
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✌🏾 That’s a Wrap
This week showed how wide the culture stretches — legacy-building, legal battles, new life, old wounds, and posthumous magic. From Durk’s courtroom strategy to Questlove’s D’Angelo news to Cardi’s new blessing, hip-hop kept unfolding in real time.