State Champ Radio EDITORIAL
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Snoop Dogg joins a long list of Black celebrities and public figures who have given former Swindler-In-Chief Donald Trump a pass for reasons far beyond comprehension. In a new interview, Snoop Dogg claimed to have love and respect for Donald Trump despite a record of questionable actions and alleged abuses of power.
Snoop Dogg spoke with a London publication, The Sunday Times, sharing details of his long and storied career en route to becoming one of the world’s top pitchmen and recognizable stars.
“He ain’t done nothing wrong to me. He has done only great things for me. He pardoned Michael Harris,” the Long Beach, Calif. star said during the chat. “So I have nothing but love and respect for Donald Trump.”
Some may know that Harris was a co-founder of Death Row Records, which gave Snoop his first shot at stardom. Harris was pardoned for attempted murder and drug trafficking charges by Trump in 2021.
The pair were once at odds with one another once Donald Trump became president and Snoop Dogg took several shots at the beleaguered former business mogul and Republican Party frontrunner for this year’s general election.
However, it appears that Trump’s pardon was all it took for Snoop to have a change of heart, which is at least a more significant reason why some of his other Black supporters pledged their support.
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Photo: Getty
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Kid Rock, the former struggle rapper who pretended to be from the soil, led a vocal and violent charge against Bud Light after the beer company aligned with a trans influencer. Now, Kid Rock is back teaching a class in struggle-nomics after claiming that Bud Light is back in his can-crushing rotation although it never left if anyone cares.
Kid Rock sat down with right-wing talking head Tucker Carlson for an interview we didn’t view in full and won’t be doing at any time but clips have surfaced online of the pair talking, well, Bud Light, “wokeness,” and whatever MAGA mutts get up to these days.
In the conversation, Rock and Carlson discussed the controversy over trans influencer Dylan Mulvenay working on a collaboration with the popular light beer brand. Rock and others who claim that the beer brand “went woke” by working with Mulvaney walked back their support of the Anheuser-Busch company.
Rock said that the company has suffered enough and says that “they got the message” in keeping in its right-wing fanbase’s preferences when it comes to celebrities they have representing the brand.
Some might remember that Rock took his protest to the next level by shooting up a case of beer with a high-powered weapon during some weird tough-guy act that was supposed to scare folks away from drinking the suds or something.
Anyway, Kid Rock is drinking Bud Light again, even though he’s been caught on camera pounding a can since his little backyard carnival gun show.
Cheers.
[h/t WFLA]
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Photo: Getty
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Van Jones saw himself trending on X this Thursday (December 7) after an appearance on CNN in the wake of the fourth Republican Party presidential debate. Vivek Ramaswamy made mention of a fringe right-wing conspiracy angle known as “the great replacement theory” which Van Jones said left. him “shaking.”
Van Jones, 55, appeared last night on CNN as the network analyzed the GOP debate featuring Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Chris Christie. The presidential hopefuls all trail Donald Trump by a wide distance but that hasn’t stopped the quartet from doing their best to angle for the Republican Party’s nomination to take on President Joe Biden in 2024.
Ramaswamy, 38, said during his time at the podium that, “great replacement theory is not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory, but a basic statement of the Democratic Party’s platform.”
For those unaware, the great replacement theory has captured the feeble minds within the political sphere, which explains a plot to replace white people via illegal immigration and other related nonsense.
Naturally, Ramaswamy’s comment caught the eye of several right-wing pundits and media figures who embrace some of the zanier theories as they relate to politics in the post-Trump era. Ramaswamy is also an election denier and was openly critical of former Vice President Mike Pence for not certifying the election results in Trump’s favor and said he would have done so.
Jones said the following of Ramaswamy’s comments, courtesy of Mediaite:
[T]he smug, condescending way that [Ramaswamy] just spews his poison out is very, very dangerous, because he won’t stop Trump, but he’s gonna outlive Trump by about 50 years, and you’re watching the rise of an American demagogue that is a very, very despicable person.
Literally, I was shaking listening to him talk because a lot of people don’t know that is one step away from Nazi propaganda coming out of his mouth.
Naturally, the MAGA nuts are celebrating this as Ramaswamy “PWNING THE LIBS” and that the reaction from Jones should be a point of celebration.
We decided not to platform any of that chatter because while Van Jones has often played himself when it comes to political opinions, it isn’t hard to see where he’s going with this thought.
Check out the clip on Mediaite.
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Photo: Pacific Press / Getty
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Maybe there’s a reason fewer young Black people are identifying as Christian.
While Black Americans are still more religious than most other racial groups in the U.S., research shows the number of us who still faithfully attend church and praise Jesus as our Lord and Savior has done nothing but drop over the last two and a half decades. And if older members of the Black community who are still strong in their faiths are shaking their heads wondering why they’re losing the youth, maybe it’s time they looked inward.
They might find that young Black people (and youngsters in every other racial group in the Western world for that matter) are turned off by all of the respectability politics, the moral condemnation, and, of course, the queerphobia. Perhaps they’re also over all of the Christians who claim to be humble servants but also so arrogant they perpetually think they can speak for their God.
One thing is for sure, Lil Nas X isn’t having any of it.
The “Montero” singer recently got a number of Christ-lovers all in their holy feelings when he posted a short snippet of a new song accompanied by the caption, “Y’all mind if I enter my Christian era?”
It turns out that some so-called Christians—the people who are supposed to be tasked with bringing people to their faith—did, indeed, mind.
Notably, singer Tyrese ignored his own past as a sinful adulterer while casting the first stone at Nas X.
“Y’all gone learn to stop playing with God…God is not to be played with,” Tyrese wrote on Instagram. “From shoes with devil signs and devils blood in the [shoe] sole? We can all change I get it but I feel a way about people making a mockery of Jesus.”
Nas X responded by saying it’s “really crazy cuz all I did was post a song about asking god for hope when you feel hopeless and y’all acting like I posted a video of me burning a church down and peeing on a nativity scene.”
Here are the lyrics to the song that got the “Old Town Road” artist accused of “playing with God”:
“Free me from worry and wanting pity/ Free me from all this envy in me/ I don’t want these feelings/ I don’t want these feelings
I call on angels/ I’m trying hard to face my pain/ Give me hope when I feel/ Give me hope when I feel less.”
And somehow that was enough to get Tyrese crying his fake “I heart Jesus” tears, much like he cried over the ex-wife he cheated on. And he wasn’t alone.
Rapper Holy Gabbana also got holier than thou in a ridiculously homophobic response to the “Industry Baby” singer’s post.
“If Nas X wanna be gay cool, do u lil bra,” Gabbana said in what is essentially the equivalent of an “I’m not racist, but…” preface. “Jus don’t title yaself Christian and make others believe it’s okay for us to live in habitual/intentional sin. Ppl deserve TRUTH and I stand on da word of God.”
Yeah, if the only “sin” you’re concerned with as a so-called Christian is homosexuality, it’s not because you “stand” with God, it’s because you stand with bigotry.
Once again, Nas X responded saying it’s “really insane how y’all pretend some of our pastors aren’t getting piped down before the Sunday service. Y’all do not know Jesus personally stop trying to gatekeep him.”
Exactly.
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Boosie Badazz might be the first rapper to be told to “get over it” after someone blatantly stole his lyrics and hook for a song. After Rod Wave recorded and released the track “Long Journey” without giving Boosie any writing or publishing credit, the Lousiana rapper says he’s ready to get litigious with his younger peer.
In recent Instagram Live videos, Boosie Badazz explained that he and Rod Wave did try to work things out behind the scenes over the track “Long Journey,” which appears on Wave’s Nostalgia album. The track shares the same name as Boosie’s 2010 track and has the same chorus.
In one video, Boosie says he would’ve called off the suit for $200,000 and 25% in royalties going forward but Wave tried to talk Boosie down on the cost according to his account. Boosie also raised a fair point in saying that the use of the track and him speaking out from a legal standpoint made fans, quote, “choose sides.”
In another video, Boosie shares that he doesn’t own 100% of “Long Journey” but he does have songwriting and publishing credits on the track and just wants his fair share. The video below displays Boosie’s side of things.
The pushback from fans without law degrees is that they’re framing Boosie Badazz as trying to shake down Rod Wave for money he doesn’t deserve. Further, some are speculating that the label that put out Boosie’s “Long Journey” track might be pulling a fast one but that doesn’t explain if Wave and his producers actually cleared and paid for the use of the song and hook.
Check out some reactions from X, formerly known as Twitter, below.
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Source: Minnesota Department of Corrections / Minnesota Department of Corrections
George Floyd’s murderer, Derek Chauvin, is reportedly in the hospital after he was assaulted by a fellow inmate. Apparently, the disgraced ex-cop got shanked.
Reportedly, Chauvin, 47, got stabbed on Friday (Nov. 24) in Arizona.
Reports the Associated Press:
The attack happened at the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson, a medium-security prison that has been plagued by security lapses and staffing shortages. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the attack and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.
The Bureau of Prisons confirmed that an incarcerated person was assaulted at FCI Tucson at around 12:30 p.m. local time Friday. In a statement, the agency said responding employees contained the incident and performed “life-saving measures” before the inmate, who it did not name, was taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation.
Chauvin Chauvin is serving a 22-year sentence for second degree murder and a 21-year sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights.
News of Chauvin catching an L was met with what you should expect in the social media universe; from kudos to obliviousness to any suffering the convicted murderer may have to endure. We compiled some of the best in the gallery.
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It’s almost universally understood that Pardi fumbled the ball when he cheated on Meg Thee Stallion. Well, in order to up the struggle, he dropped a diss track aimed at his former flame, and he’s getting cooked for the tomfoolery.
Keeping it a been, we knew this inevitable after Meg dropped “Cobra” and made Pardi public enemy no. 1 when she rapped that he cheated on her in her own home. So there was Pardison Fontaine hopping on Al Gore’s Internet talking some ish about this is for Megan Thee Person and it only went downhill from there, respectfully.
Pardi’s suspect retort is getting slandered for a myriad of reasons including the audacity to say he actually didn’t cheat on her in his crib or his use of the usual “loose woman” rhetoric. X users clearly aren’t falling for the okey doke and are dragging Pardi for all the filth.
And if you’re saying Pardi ate, we’re just going to assume you think Tory Lanez is a political prisoner. Good luck with that.
We compiled some of the best bombs aimed at Pardi, for archival purposes.
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André 3000 caused a stir in the news this month after announcing a new solo project that leans into the Outkast rapper’s musical interests of late. I know that some of tired of the discourse around 3 Stacks and his current decision to move on from rapping, but he made an excellent point in explaining why he put down the microphone.
In a recent GQ profile, André 3000 mentioned that at the age of 48 along with his current state of being, rapping isn’t a priority for him as it once was. 3000 also added that the content he’s hearing doesn’t reflect the concerns of those approaching middle age, and he isn’t entirely wrong about that.
Although some took his words as a jab toward some of his veteran peers, the artist born André Lauren Benjamin believes that Hip-Hop artists near or around his age should rap about the reality of where they are and not the fanciful parts of life that most listeners will never obtain.
Sadly, the knee-jerk reaction to 3000’s statement will render some to think he’s dumping on older Hip-Hop acts or calling into question their maturity. Recently, Joe Budden caught the ire of Drake over his For All The Dogs album due to the content seeming to be aimed towards a younger demographic, certainly younger than the 37-year-old Canadian superstar.
Like most discussions around Hip-Hop, which I try to avoid because most people have the communication skills of an agitated wasp, people didn’t hear what 3000, or Budden, for that matter, tried to convey. Even stranger to witness was the entitlement of fans demanding Stacks get back to rapping, even with his Outkast brother Big Boi fully supporting his partner’s new direction.
In the same GQ conversation I referenced above, Stacks didn’t rule out rapping; he just wants to be inspired to do it on his terms. That said, if he never raps again, good for him. He doesn’t need to. And when he does, it’s going to be a body of work that won’t lack substance and will wow us like all the spare verses he’s done over the last decade.
People are saying online that André 3000 saying he has nothing to rap about at 48 seems like a cop-out and I get what some are saying considering how good of a lyricist he is. But if you’ve moved on from something that once served you, it was probably for the better good.
My only countering point to those disappointed in 3000 not rapping — even though he’d probably body the “Grown Man Rap” lane — is to go listen to Little Brother’s 2019 album, May The Lord Watch, or Phonte’s 2018 solo album, No News Is Good News, and Rapper Big Pooh’s 2022 solo album, To Dream In Color, which I named as one of my favorite albums of last year.
I recently caught wind of a rapper out of Detroit by the name of Paradime, an artist who was new to me but epitomized what I meant when it comes to the term “Grown Man Rap.” It’s a phrase I don’t really enjoy, hence the quotes, but it’s clear what I’m trying to convey. The rule that Hip-Hop is a young man’s game is changing as veterans are rapping longer and still great at their crafts.
Speaking of greats, Joell Ortiz, who shares the same Mello Music Group label as the aforementioned Paradime, routinely shows his writing range as a man in his early 40s. Ortiz, if anyone is unaware, will also bar your face off so it’s not just old man on the porch raps going on these days with the vets. Hip-Hop as a whole has so many artists making “mature” (again, lack of a better term here) music you can play in front of your friends and not be accused of trying to keep up with the youngsters.
Acts like Solemn Brigham, Oddisee, Atmosphere, Homeboy Sandman, Rapsody, Sa-Roc, McKinley Dixon, Che Noir, Skyzoo, Homeboy Sandman, J-Live, Open Mike Eagle, and even grittier rappers like Conway The Machine can reach into those chambers to deliver poignant bars to the people. And that was just off the top of my head because I’m sure there are dozens of other rappers who have this said ability.
Hip-Hop is what you make it and what you need from it. And, for what it’s worth, André 3000 doesn’t need to be seen as an elite rapper anymore. Like any of us, he is just a person trying to figure out his life and artistry without compromising his integrity or his purpose.
Check out André 3000’s solo project, New Blue Sun, at your preferred digital outlets.
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Photo: Emma McIntyre / Getty
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World Mental Health Day is celebrated annually on October 10 and was established to call attention to the need for awareness, education, and support for those contending with issues surrounding mental health. On X, formerly known as Twitter, several people are sharing their journey with mental health along with tips and tools for coping.
“To break the wall here a bit, I am someone who suffers from mental health issues and I am in constant search of tools and expert assistance to push me to a greater version of myself. I fail often, and sometimes to the point of despair. But with the help of great therapists, family, and friends, I’ve found ways to stay afloat even on my hardest days. I hope that all of you reading are doing your best because that’s all we can do. Just know that you’re not alone in climbing the mountain.” – D.L. Chandler, Senior Editor.
World Mental Health Day was first established in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health. Around the world, mental health professionals and those suffering from mental health issues come together in support of improving the station of those in flux.
On X, several individuals are sharing parts of themselves with amazing vulnerability and encouraging others to take charge of their mental health using the various avenues available. As some note, the ups and downs of mental illness are not easy to contend with but there are more ways to get help than ever before.
To learn more about the World Federation for Mental Health and the day itself, please follow this link. Keep scrolling to see the reactions from X and do remember to be kind to yourselves during this time,
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Source: Various / Various
For most music lovers, the cover art is the visual gateway to their sonic sojourn. Before the first beat drops or word is uttered, that first impression is often the packaging for the album or cassette. Album art in itself often tells a story and sets the tone for the auditory journey. While the cover art’s impact has been diminished a tad in the digital times, in the analog era of tapes and vinyl, music fans would spend as much time dissecting the cover as they did the music. And in Hip-Hop in particular, crate diggers have elevated cover art to near mythic status.
So, in celebration of HipHop’s 50th Anniversary, HipHopDX and HipHopWired have collaborated to present the 50 Greatest Hip Hop Album Covers Of All Time, spanning all five decades. There are some surefire fan favorites on the list, as well as some more recent installments they may stir some convo, but it’s all for the love of genre we hold dear and to recognize the efforts of art directors, photographers, artists and the musicians who inspire them.
J. Cole, KOD
Cover art: Kamau Haroon
Whether you go with “Kids On Drugs,” “King Overdosed” or “Kill our Demons” as the meaning behind J.Cole’s KOD title, there is no debate that artist Kamau Haroon nailed all three interpretations with his vibrant yet haunting portrait.
Known artistically as Sixmau, the artist was in the studio with J. Cole watching the NBA All-Star game when he created the cover. Evidently, the on-screen spectacle did little to distract him as the theme captured Cole’s vision: a monarch in the midst of a narcotic-induced daze shepherding equally dazed youth under his royalty capes.
“It was definitely a collaboration,” Kamau said of the creation. “It was a marriage of art and music. He told me what direction he was going in and then he gave me freedom to portray it how I wanted.”—Jerry Barrow
Tyler, The Creator, Flower Boy
Designer/Photographer: Eric Wright
Tyler, The Creator is always hands on so his Flower Boy album cover was no different. After peeping artist’s work in one of his books, the rapper commissioned Eric Wright to create the cover brought him his own sketches with ideas of what he wanted. “I was really impressed with his drawings and especially with his use of color. I think he has a much better innate capacity for working with color than I do,” White, who happened to be an Odd Future fan, told Complex in 2017. The final work is a jarring mix of color and weirdness, so it’s perfectly aligned with the Tyler, The Creator ethos. —Alvin aqua Blanco
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly
Photo: Denis Rouvre
Art Direction: Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free, Vlad Sepetov
Kendrick Lamar’s cover art for his third studio album encapsulates the inherent rebelliousness of simply surviving in America. Even with the achievement of having an actual Black man in the White House, K.dot and his people posted up at the gate relegating the President’s residence to a backdrop, taking the directive to “paint the white house black” a defiant remix.
“It’s me and my homeboys in front of the White House,” Kendrick explains. “It’s really taking people from around my neighborhood and taking them around the world to see things I’ve experienced. [the baby he’s holding] is one of the homey’s kids, people I grew up with since elementary school all the way up to now. A lot of the individuals I talk about on Good Kid, Mad City is on this cover. It all spins around full circle.”
As for the judge laying on the ground with his eyes crossed out: “The one person that represents their lives negatively is a judge. Only God can judge these individuals.”—Jerry Barrow
Lil’ Kim, Hardcore
Designer/Photographer: Michael Lavine
The cover for Lil’ Kim’s debut Hardcore album went viral before doing so was ever a thing. “When I did the Hard Core photo shoot, I was just posing to do them. It wasn’t like I’m just going to pose and squat and show my kitty cat; that was not on my mind at all. For me, it was just being a model and posing in a cute, sexy way,” the Queen Bee told XXL in 2016. The album is considered a proper classic and its art kept it a keepsake for fans; male, female or wherever on the spectrum you may land. That promo photos may have gotten more run than the actual music, though.—Alvin aqua Blanco
Outkast, Stankonia
Art direction and design by Mike Rush.
Photograph by Michael Lavine.
After adorning their previous offerings, Atliens and Aquemini with illustrious illustrations, the two dope boys took a more direct approach for their fourth album, posing in a white tee and black leather pants against an ebony and ivory symbiote of the American Flag.
“The flag cover, that came to me when I was on an airplane,” Andre 3000 tells veteran journalist Craig Seymour in an 2000 interview. “I was thinking of a fly way to use the flag…make it a black and white flag. No color. More than anything. Like America is a no color state and we bring splashes of color.” Andre composed a drawing as an alternate cover to be a collectors item, but considers this image the “official” Stankonia cover.
Art Director Mike Rush was hired by L.A. Reid to head the urban music art squad and calls the monochromatic flag with its stars titled drunkenly in an almost demonic salute as “one of the most iconic album images in hip hop history.”—Jerry Barrow
Notorious B.I.G., Ready To Die
Designer: Cey Adams
Photographer: Butch Belair
Before you even think it, Raekwon and Ghostface have admitted they went too far with their infamous “Shark Niggas (Biters)” skit where they accused the Notorious B.I.G. of “biting off of Nas sh*t!” Also, the baby with the afro was not a seed of Sean “Diddy” Combs or Christopher Wallace as an infant but actually Keithroy Yearwood, who is now about 30 years old. Apparently, the kid was found during a casting call, and his mother caught a cool $150 for two hours of the child’s cuteness to be forever imprinted on Hip-Hop.—Alvin aqua Blanco
Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
Album package photographer: Eric Johnson
Art Director, Sony Music: Erwin Gorostiza
Sampling and remixing is at Hip-Hop’s core, so it only makes sense that the debut album from one of the genre’s most revered artists, Ms. Lauryn Hill, would take inspiration from several places. The soulful center of The Fugees had her own visage carved into a desk because she knew she was about to school an entire industry.
“She already had some great ideas that were inspired by the album title. I don’t think I ever had an artist so involved with their imagery before this point. I insisted that the art direction credit be given to her along with myself,”Art Director Erwin Gorostiza, told Okayplayer.com.
A photograph of Ms Hill taken by Eric Johnson at her alma mater, Columbia High School in South Orange, New Jersey, was “carved” into the desk by retoucher Will Kennedy.
“In 1998, Photoshop was not anywhere near as powerful. Retouchers made up for it with all their skills and talent. Will had a knack for getting the art to look just right.”—Jerry Barrow
Nas, Illmatic
Designer/Photographer: Aimée Macauley
Illmatic’s cover was designed Aimée Macauley and a features a well-worn photograph of a 7-year-old Nas that was taken by his father, Jazz musician Olu Dara. The city photo young Nasty Nas’ face is superimposed over was taken by Danny Clinch. The legend goes that Nas originally intended for the album cover to be a picture of him holding Jesus Christ in a headlock. While the nod to his Live at the BBQ verse where rapped “When I was 12, I went to hell for snuffing Jesus” would have been welcomed by Hip-Hop diehards, the chosen cover option was for the best.—Alvin aqua Blanco
ODB, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version
Art Direction: Alli True
Photography: Danny Clinch
ODB draped himself in truth like a North Face Denali Fleece. “I came out my momma pussy, I’m on welfare. Twenty-six years old–still on welfare,” he growls on the quixotic confessional “Raw Hide” from his 1995 debut. So it’s no surprise that Dirty would use his own food stamp card to adorn said release, creating the most iconic Hip Hop album cover of all time.
“That album cover was completely his idea…he literally came to my office with his welfare card,” A&R Dante Ross confirms in an interview. Thanks to a color Xerox machine (an expensive favor in the pre-scanner days), the head of the art department, a Wu-Tang fan, was able to mock up a 10×12 cover long before the album was even finished. “He was like ‘I’m the realest…I grew up in poverty and I’m not ashamed of who I am’…he was making a conscious decision to be the polar opposite of the shiny suits and to do it in a way that was funny.”—Jerry Barrow
A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory
Designer/Photographer: Nick Gamma, Jean Kelly & Dave Skillken aka ZombArt
The legend goes that Q-Tip wanted a painted woman, akin to something you would find on an Ohio Players album cover [https://rockthebells.com/articles/low-end-theory-midnight-marauders-a-tribe-called-quest/] The live photos, taken by Joe Grant, were just a start and the proper artwork was created by Jean Kelly aka ZombArt JK while Nick Gamma aka ZombArt NG handled the lettering. Along with Dave Skillken they all worked in the art department of Tribe’s record label Jive’s parent company Zomba Recordings. Since Jive was on 4080-mode when it came to getting credit, they were known as the Zombart collective as a compromise. While the music spoke for itself, the classic cover with its afrocentric pallet of colors made the cipher complete.—Alvin aqua Blanco
Check out the full list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Album Covers of all time over at HipHopDX.
