As we start to wrap up another year, it’s time to take a look back at the stories that kept us on our toes throughout the entire year. With this year being the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, there were many history making events in the genre that kept its legacy alive, for better or for worse.
Rihanna At The Superbowl
Strating off with the performance that rung in our new year with a blast. Rihanna performed at the halftime show of Superbowl LVII. Her performance broke records as it became the most watched halftime show in history. During the performance, she also announced that her and her partner, A$AP Rocky were expecting their second child, only a few months after giving birth to their first son, RZA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjBo–1n8lI
Beyoncé’s Renaissance
Beyoncé held down the year with her Renaissance tour. After announcing the tour just in February, the singer embarked on a 56-show tour beginning in May and ending in October. The tour grossed over $579 million, making it the highest-grossing tour by a Black artist. She then released her Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé in November which became one of the top five highest grossing concert films ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByV3XWl8zWU
Chrisean and Blueface
Throughtout the entirety of 2023, social media saw the ups and downs of infamous couple, Chrisean Rock and Blueface. On top of the ongoing drama that ranged from abuse to cheating and everything in between, Rock revealed that she was pregnant with the rapper’s child. To which, Blueface claimed was not his. After giving birth and the two taking a paternity test, the two went their separate ways. Blueface began dating his ex, Jaidyn Alexis and eventually proposed to her.
Diddy
In November, after was seemed to have been a successful year for Diddy, he was met with a lawsuit from his former partner, Cassie. She accused him of sex trafficking, human trafficking, sexual battery, sexual assault, and gender-motivated violence throughout their relationship whcih spanned over a decade. Just one day after Cassie filed the lawsuit, she settled with Diddy out of court. Quickly after that, several women who have worked alongside the Bad Boy exec, spoke out in support of Cassie. Then, other women came forward to share their experiences, two of which have also filed lawsuits. The most recent one, filed by Jane Doe, accused Diddy and fromer business parter Harve Pierre of raping her at a young age of 17.
Nicki Minaj’s Road To Pink Friday 2
Nicki Minaj gave fans the album they have waited over a decade for. Pink Friday 2 released on December 8th and has had the Barbz on the edges of their seats since. The week following the release, she dropped extra songs from the album, one including a verse from 50 Cent. Pink Friday 2 also helped Nicki break the record for the most No. 1 albums by a female rapper in hip-hop history.