EDITORIAL
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Cardi B showed and proved that she’s a defender of the “real beaters” and “real bean flickers” massive and crew after taking to social media to defend the use of pornography. This comes as Candace Owens is on a public crusade to ban pornography and it appears that Owens has a lot of supporters according to what we witnessed on X.
On May 21, Candace Owens took to X and shared a tweet shooting down the usage of porn, claiming its use is deliberately weakening men.
“Ban pornography. It is a psychological weapon intended to weaken our men,” the political pundit wrote with several other users agreeing with her stance while others pushed back. As seen online, Cardi B caught wind of the tweet after it was posted on an Instagram account and replied under the post with a strong defense of the genre.
“Ommmggg why yall so against porn ? Is it that bad for yall ? I enjoy it but I don’t know I guess is like a 6 time a year thing. I personally don’t feel no connection or addiction to it just a little quick one two … NOTHING LIKE REAL INTIMACY!” read Cardi B’s response.
After someone challenged her stance, Cardi wrote, “How? It actually should teach men how to please a woman.”
On X, formerly Twitter, news of the exchange went wide and some folks are questioning Cardi B and essentially adopting the stance of Owens.
It should go without saying that pornography is for adult consumption and that like any other form of media, there should be some limits to what one exposes themselves too. Too much of anything can become an issue and Cardi clearly said it’s not a 24-7 thing but that part was skipped because people like to be emotional and loud online these days.
We’ve got replies with folks alarmingly siding with Candace Owens and unnecessarily name-calling Cardi B below.
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1. Maybe she saw something she liked and applied it to real life? *SHRUG*
6. This one could’ve stayed in the drafts because why?
7. She may have misspoke. Shoot her some bail.
8. Gotta get that insult in before making your point.
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DJ Vlad has long been seen as an unsavory sort among certain Hip-Hop circles despite his mysterious ability to snag interviews with notable figures within the genre. After attacking a Black woman who checked him over his opinion on the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, DJ Vlad attempted to weaponize his whiteness but the culture peeped game and is getting Vlad The Vulture out the paint.
Morgan Jenkins, a best-selling author and academic, caught wind of DJ Vlad speaking on Kendrick Lamar’s explosive “Not Like Us” track, stating that the song “needed a better mix.”
Jenkins, quoting Vlad’s comment, rightfully wrote, “You are WHITE. This is a BLACK FOLK AFFAIR,” prompting Vlad to respond and spiral like most Karens do.
“Wait, so a professor at @Princeton is telling me that a white person shouldn’t be allowed to voice their opinion about Hip-Hop? Is that how you interact with your students,” Vlad fired back.
Jenkins fired back with, “What I’m saying is that you put your opinion in a discussion that’s not needed. This conversation is and should center Black people, not you.”
Vlad then pulled the ultimate cornball move and threatened to contact Princeton University about Jenkins’ comments but found himself on the wrong side of history again after Jenkins laid down the law.
“Semester’s over and my contract has been completed. But thanks for trying to bully me out of a job for centering Black people because you got your feelings hurt. Very retaliatory, huh? Nice tactic,” Jenkins artfully countered.
Because Vlad has no shame, he attempted to throw his academic credentials around and referred to Jenkins as a bigot. He then foolishly demanded that Jenkins takes Princeton out of her X bio. This is when it gets even better.
“Sweetheart, before I was a professor at Princeton, I GRADUATED from Princeton. LOL So what is you REALLY saying,” Jenkins added.
Vlad, unable to take the L for what it was doubled down and the entirety of Black Xitter (yes, we’re calling it that) formed like the Avengers to shove Vlad The Vulture out the paint. Even typically neutral folks like comedian KevOnStage was smoking on the Vlad Pack and it is still continuing since the fracas began late Saturday night (May 4).
DJ Vlad has made a career of inviting pivotal figures in Hip-Hop culture to spill the beans about things that were both incriminating and largely damaging to the reputations of others. Further, Vlad’s propensity for digging into the affairs of Black people has never sat right with those who have had the misfortune of watching one of his interrogation videos, excuse us, interviews.
The saddest part in all of this are Black men are coming to the jiggin’ and booin’ (shoutout Vince Staples0 defense of Victim Vlad. But those dustballs are getting shots too, disrespectfully.
As it stands, Vlad The Vulture is getting baked, simmered, and sautéed and it’s an amazing thing to watch. Further, he deserves it because all he had to do was mind his business. Now, he’s upended his whole brand just because he couldn’t stand to be told he was out of pocket by an accomplished Black woman.
Check out the replies below.
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For decades, the official “Women in Hip-Hop” discussion focused on the scarcity of female MCs with record deals. As the story went, (straight) men didn’t want to hear women rap; at best, they wanted to f*ck them.
The added cost of their makeup and hair was a popular cop-out. And despite valiant displays of unity, such as Lil’ Kim’s “Not Tonight” video, the industry insisted that there was only room for one queen at a time.
But over the last four years or so, the emergence of a post-Nicki Minaj bumper crop of “rap girlies” has shifted the conversation. This class of young, fun, profane and pretty-in-the-face MCs includes Brooklyn’s Lola Brooke, Atlanta’s Latto, Memphis’ GloRilla and Hackensack, New Jersey’s, Coi Leray.
Their aesthetic fairy godmothers are Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown and Trina. Their best-selling big sister Nicki Minaj showed them how to fuse raw sex appeal and a pop sensibility with undeniable lyricism. Favorite cousins Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion taught them the value of sisterhood.
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As a Gen Xer who is almost as old as the maybe-official birthdate of Hip-Hop, I’m happy to see so many female rappers becoming stars. But I’m also conflicted about what they’re selling.
I’m all for girls getting the bag, but I’m concerned about the materialism that sometimes stands in for self-worth. I dig p*ssy-power anthems like “WAP,” but I’m doing so under the specter of white supremacist stereotypes of Black sexuality. I’m interested in the queering of Hip-Hop by artists like Young M.A, but I’m bored by the nameless femmes they visually deploy to compete with men.
So far, I’m not that auntie who once dropped it low to “My Neck, My Back” but now blames Sexyy Red for everything wrong in the culture. But I refuse to pretend that misogynoir in Hip-Hop no longer matters.
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If it didn’t, Megan Thee Stallion wouldn’t have endured years of low blows and harassment for being shot by a balding Canadian sadist. Oprah Winfrey wouldn’t have withdrawn her support of Off the Record, the HBO documentary about some of the women who Russell Simmons allegedly raped. Serial abuser Dr. Dre wouldn’t have a new Global Impact Grammy in his name. And people wouldn’t be more upset by the idea of Sean Combs having sex with men than allegedly raping, trafficking and beating women.
Despite the stubborn misogyny of Hip-Hop—and American culture in general—more female rappers have been able to break through thanks in part to visual platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
“We are living in an era, a time, a moment where, I don’t believe we’ve had so many women rappers simultaneously having success at the same time,” said Ebro Darden on Rap Life Review last March. “I don’t know if there’s been this many ever, and I think that’s phenomenal.”
Sexually explicit lyrics have been acceptable for decades, but girliness has been taboo. That’s why it was so wicked of Lil’ Kim to hop on Mobb Deep’s “Quiet Storm” remix and accuse her rival, Foxy Brown, of “comin’ in the game on some modeling shit.” Today, being model-pretty, hyper-femme and slim in the waist is damn near a prerequisite for making a hit song.
To better follow the current crop, I’ve been watching video mixes curated by a Chicago DJ named 3 Snapz. Since 2021, her Queens series has served as a compendium of bad-b*tch rap from around the country. For instance, the 2024 edition features mainstays like Meg and Cardi, pop stars like Doja Cat and Ice Spice, and a thrilling contingent of Big Apple bullies — Scarlip, Armani Ceasar, and Connie Diiamond with Remy Ma
But with a few exceptions, like Flyana Boss and the U.K.’s Cristale and Teezandos, the visuals draw from a finite set of cliches: The girlies are smacking a*s in the strip club! They’re twerking in the parking lot with their friends! They’re hanging out of luxury car windows in bikini tops! They’re bossing up in leather, fur and lingerie!
The irony of this NC-17-to-XXX fever dreamscape is that most of these women are decent rappers. They might not have the gravitas of a Ms. Lauryn Hill or the lyrical dexterity of Nicki Minaj, but they know how to ride a beat, talk their shit and make solid records. And they aren’t doing it to prove anything to men. They’re competing with one another. Latto illustrates this ethos in “Sunday Service.”
“These bitches corny, soon as monkey see, then you know monkey do/ Do you rap or do you tweet?/ ‘Cause I can’t tell, get in the booth, b*tch.”
In the video, she punctuates the line with a “Get in the booth b*tch” T-shirt.
To be sure, there have always been women MCs whose beauty, flyness and sex appeal are as important as their music. (Think Salt-N-Pepa, Eve and Trina.) But as Rapsody pointed out in her excellent Tiny Desk Concert, there used to be more variation among the top acts.
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“I try to do something different because nowadays you see one particular image of us [as] sexy. Everything is real sexed up,” the self-proclaimed “girl next door” said. “Like I grew up on Lauryn Hill, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, Jean Grae; all of them were different. They had different styles and showed you all sides of what sexy and beautiful is as a woman.”
On a 2022 episode of Caresha Please — an artifact of face-card Hip-Hop culture—Saweetie illustrated the limitations of prettiness as a brand.
“I feel like I blew up too quick, to the point where I was being booked for shows, for campaigns, for brands, and no one really cared about me going to the studio,” the Bay Area native said. “My love for music just got put on the back side.”
In an industry where it can be easier for artists to make more money doing brand partnerships, haircare lines and beauty ads than they do selling music, Saweetie’s commitment to getting in the studio is significant. Rappers like her stand on the shoulders of pioneers like MC Sha-Rock, friendly rivals like Roxanne Shante and Sparky D., and late-’80s glamor girls like Oaktown’s 3.5.7 and J.J. Fad. And then there are the more obvious lineages: La Chat and the late great Gangsta Boo birthed GloRilla, Latto and JT. Missy Eliott begot Tierra Whack, Leikeli47 and Flyana Boss. Ms. Lauryn Hill created a lane for Akua Naru, Sa Rock and Mumu Fresh. Queen Latifah and MC Lyte wrote the blueprint for Rapsody, Noname, Chika and Flau’Jae.
Superstar Megan Thee Stallion continues to expand what it means for a female rapper to be the total package. Yes, she is known for her body, twerk proficiency and raunchy lyrics. But she also fought her way out of an exploitative 360 record deal, linking a “groundbreaking” agreement with Universal Records that will allow her to own her masters and publishing while benefiting from the label’s distribution system.
And while so many of the current crop of female rap stars are proud to be pretty in the face, I like how grounded they are. As Brooklyn’s Lady London purrs on the remix of Ciara’s “Da Girls”:
“This is for the girls on the grind/This is for the girl that’ll work full-time./ This is for the self-made girls, yeah, the self-paid girls/ Better never let ’em change your mind./ Girls who fly, girls who thrive, livin’ out dreams that money just can’t buy.”
Akiba Solomon is an NABJ Award-winning writer and editor from West Philadelphia. The Howard University graduate has written about Hip-Hop culture and politics for The Source, XXL, Vibe, Vibe Vixen, Essence and Colorlines. Solomon is the co-author of two books: “Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts” and “How We Fight White Supremacy: A Field Guide to Black Resistance.”
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The single most sacred rule in MAGA world is to never go against “The King” so when Reacher star Alan Ritchson spit some hot facts about Cheeto Jesus, Trump’s cult 45 came right for him on social media.Earlier this month the man who’s been campaigning to be cast as the next Batman in James Gunn’s rebooted DCU made his feelings known about the current Republican nominee for President of The United States in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter calling him a “rapist and a con man” and wondered aloud how people of the Christian faith follow such an obvious charlatan saying “Christians today have become the most vitriolic tribe. It is so antithetical to what Jesus was calling us to be and to do,” he explains. It also upsets him that some Christians have so closely aligned with former President Donald Trump. “Trump is a rapist and a con man, and yet the entire Christian church seems to be treat him like he’s their poster child and it’s unreal. I don’t understand it.”
He’s not wrong. The man who faithfully follows his Christian beliefs is asking what we’ve all been asking these past few years: How do y’all follow a man who’s the literal embodiment of the seven deadly sins?? Didn’t the Bible say something about the antichrist pretending to be a man of God and fooling everyone into following him and committing an insurrection, etc.?
While many in MAGA nation didn’t take notice of the swipe that Ritchson took at both Donald Trump and his “Christian” followers, Trump sycophant, Sebastian Gorka addressed the issue during an interview on his radio show, America First and put a big orange target on his back. According to the Huffpost, listeners spread the word about Ritchson’s criticism and took to social media to air him out and call on their fellow Trumpians to join in on the campaign of hate against the Hollywood star but at the same time others have come to show support for his views and he might’ve made a few new fans along the way.
Per Huffpost:
During his five-minute-plus rant, Gorka told Ritchson to “shut your pie hole” when it comes to “political views” and “keep doing your play acting.”
Many conservatives seemed incensed by Ritchson’s remarks and vowed to boycott “Reacher,” which follows a brawny vagabond ex-Army police officer with a taste for vigilantism.
While the backlash from the MAGA sect was loud, there were also plenty of people who applauded the star for speaking his mind.
We want Alan Ritchson to be The Batman now. Just sayin.’
What do y’all think of Alan Rtichson calling out Donald Trump and his Christian followers? Let us know in the comments section below and peep reactions in the gallery.
8. Snowflakes gonna Snowflake.
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Hip-Hop music and culture have influenced so many musical genres and fashion trends that there is little question about its value to the world. However, the origins of Hip-Hop are currently under debate after a user on X suggested that it wasn’t born from competition.
Breaking the wall a bit here, Hip-Hop wasn’t always something I viewed as a competitive sport. I was too busy being fascinated by the concept of rhyming words over beats, scratching, breaking, and graffiti— the pillars of the culture itself. It wasn’t until much later that I saw value in competition when I began entering rap battles as a fledgling MC. During that time of my journey, I absolutely wanted nothing more than to tear another rapper’s head off in battle, all in the spirit of wanting to be the best.
Social media is currently in serious debate over the decision J. Cole made to withdraw from a battle with Kendrick Lamar after the Compton rapper seemingly took shots at his North Carolina counterpart on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” track. Oddly enough, many listeners feel that the Dreamville honcho let the culture down for not engaging in the battle further and saying that he intends to remove “7 Minute Drill” from his Might Delete Later project.
If you want my opinion, I don’t see a need to debate Cole’s choice to step aside because I don’t know these people well enough to question their motives. My real life has way more of my focus and concern than some battle of the super MCs debate that social media can’t seem to let go of. The fact people are calling each other names and coming to digital blows over this is cornier to me than what J. Cole did.
Twitter user @RonObasi posed a thought in the wake of these recent happenings that garnered some passionate and even disrespectful replies.
“[S]aying hip hop was born from competition is a crazy narrative and a lie. Lets do our homework please,” @RonObasi wrote on Tuesday (April 9). “Also saying hip hop is at its best & “healthy” when n*ggas using their platforms and influences to beef was/is crazy. Sound just like white men we claim to hate.”
Since putting up the reply, fans from all sides of the debate have chimed in and even blasted the assertion that Hip-Hop wasn’t meant to be a clash of talent. As I view it, every rapper, producer, DJ, and graffiti writer should feel like they’re the best, even if they feel they’re only in competition with themselves.
I do agree that the music and culture aren’t necessarily healthier when the top names are going at each other. I feel we as a culture could do more for all under the banner of unity and togetherness. It all seems like a pipe dream at this point, considering how folks are approaching J. Cole’s decision. And if you don’t like what I’m saying here, we can battle if you want.
Check out the replies below.
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Welp, Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter album has been released into the wilds, and, like all things Beyoncé-related, it has the internet streets buzzing, and opinions are all over the place.
Some think Bey’s latest studio album is a musical masterpiece, others aren’t into it as much, and many are still figuring out how they feel about it by giving the 27-track country-themed album a second or third listen.
Then there’s Azealia Banks, who didn’t like it…or doesn’t like Beyoncé…or both…or whatever.
It seemed like the Act II album had just dropped on streaming platforms Friday (March 29), when Banks decided to slip into her usual salty, attention-starved, aggressively negative character and level of criticism at Cowboy Carter that, unsurprisingly, appeared to be more indicative of her contempt for the “Formation” singer herself more so than Bey’s new project.
From HipHopDX:
“Absolutely not,” she declared after joking that she might have to “eat her words” when it comes to previous criticism of Bey’s turn into the Country curve. “Themes r redundant. The lyrics really are forced. Album is too long… Plus who is this imaginary adversary sis thinks still wants to hump on [JAY-Z] in 2024?
“She’s gotta find new content. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY thinks he’s even remotely attractive …. LOL,” she added before finding positive things to say about the non-vocal aspects the album. “Great work from the band/producers/engineers. Cool and interesting work on the sonics. Might be her first sonically cool attempt at being arty…”
So, Banks, who claimed Cowboy Carter was so boring she “dozed off again” while listening to it, didn’t hate everything about the album. There were things she quite enjoyed, apparently—just nothing that she’s willing to attribute to Beyoncé’s talent.
And even though Beyoncé featured and brought increased attention to six Black country artists with her new album, Banks felt the feature list lacked too many of country music’s biggest names, such as Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves.
“I personally would have jumped out of my seat for a KT Tunstall appearance,” she continued. “A strong dr. Luke power ballad was missing … like ‘Low’.”
Listen: neither Beyoncé nor her art is above criticism, but sometimes the critiques come off more personal than objective, and considering Banks’ past comments about the “Daddy’s Lessons” artist, and the fact that she’s made her entire existence in the public eye about mean-spirited attacks on, well, pretty much everybody she speaks on (you’d almost completely forget AB is a talented recording artist herself), there’s just no reason to see her criticism any differently.
More from HipHopDX:
Azealia Banks’ review echoes sentiments she shared earlier this week, when she suggested that the former Destiny’s Child leader is trying to behave like a white woman.
“Sis, I live for Whiteyonce Donatella Bianca Bardot DOWN, but I’m kind of ashamed at how [you] switch from Baobab trees and Black Parade to this literal pick me stuff,” she began.
Azealia then suggested that Beyoncé went above and beyond for the Dixie Chicks (with whom she performed at the CMAs in 2016) because they were white women.
“Like u do lame stuff like bring out some blacklisted white women (Dixie Chicks) at the Country Music Awards. and they would never, ever do the same for you. Ur always sharing ur platform with white women, who are so jealous of you but have such a long history of sabotaging other black careers,” she wrote. “You’re reinforcing the false rhetoric that country music is a post-civil war art form.”
I mean, referring to Beyoncé as “Whiteyonce” is kind of rich coming from someone who vehemently defended bleaching her skin, but OK.
Anyway, the fine folks on X had some thoughts on Banks, and, as usual, most of them weren’t very flattering. Here are some of the replies.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. Some remembered that time Banks collaborated with and defended Dr. Luke, who was accused of rape.
6. But some were on AB’s side.
7. Most weren’t, though.
8.
9.
10.
So, what did y’all think about Cowboy Carter? Did Banks make any good points, or should she have just sat there and ate her bitter food? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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Drake and Lil Wayne have been in the musical spotlight for years and have dozens of songs that few people could commit to memory with perfection. So it was baffling to see fans overreact to the revelation that Drake and Lil Wayne employed a teleprompter during a recent concert.
Drake and Lil Wayne joined together onstage during a weekend stop in Sunrise, Fla. for the Canadian superstar’s It’s All A Blur tour. The pair performed the track “Right Above It,” which was a single on Tunechi’s 2010 album, I Am Not A Human Being. It was also the theme song for the HBO sports drama Ballers featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Fans who either attended the show or saw footage noticed that a teleprompter was used to help the two keep pace with the song, and it doesn’t appear that Drizzy or Weezy skipped a beat during their set. That said, a passionate debate was sparked with many wondering if the use of teleprompters during a Hip-Hop concert was a new thing.
Of course, when you’re trying to deliver a perfect set for paying fans, you want to stick the landing and why wouldn’t an artist use every technical advantage to make sure attendees are getting their money’s worth? R&B singers do this all the time and given the bodies of work both of these major artists have produced, they’re certainly not going to remember a song they recorded more than 14 years ago.
We’ve got the reactions from fans on X, formerly Twitter, debating the finer points of using a teleprompter for some odd reason. It’s all pretty silly if you ask us but hey.
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1. Mans deleted the tweet but he was flabbergasted.
2. A person with some sense.
6. Faceless avis always with the bad takes.
8. People are delusional.
9. Mans whole brand is being salty.
10. Again, another person with sense.
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Protect young Black men.
Yes, I am going there, because for some reason women have been way too comfortable with championing other women doing deplorable things to young men that we have been crucifying our male counterparts for.
Let me explain. When Diddy, 54, confirmed he was dating Yung Miami, 29, the world was up in arms calling for the City Girl to be protected while pointing out that Diddy was even older than her parents, who were both satisfied with the relationship at the time. Even when it was announced that Cher, 77, was dating music producer and Amber Rose’s ex, Alexander “AE” Edwards,38, many women had words for Edwards dubbing him a “gold digger” despite Cher publicly stating the “two just get each other.”
Regardless of both of the relationships above being significant in age difference, another important fact that everyone missed in their outrage is both of the younger partners are at least 30 (or approaching) while Jalen Green is not. Let’s talk about why that is important. Under most laws, young people are recognized as adults at age 18. However, according to the National Library of Medicine, brain development is not complete until near the age of 25. This refers specifically to the development of the prefrontal cortex–the part of your brain responsible for making “executive decisions,” such as thinking and problem-solving–confirming that most people don’t reach full maturity until their mid-20s.
So the truth is, Draya Michele isn’t “goals,” she’s a predator who knowingly took advantage of a young man who doesn’t neither understand the true trap that he was being placed in, allegedly, nor did he have any wisdom from his male colleagues to protect him.
Of course with the number of men spilling the tea about their time with her growing daily, Draya took to her Instagram Story to share her feelings nearly a week after she announced she was allegedly expecting a baby with the 22-year-old Houston Rockets player, writing:
“I feel like I am at the bottom of a pile of heavy humans. Most hours of the day I feel like I am struggling to breathe.”
For the record, it’s unclear if the post was the Mint Swim CEO expressing discomfort due to symptoms of being seven months pregnant or a reaction to the internet dragging her for the 17-year age gap between her and her daughter’s rumored father. But the post resulted in women expressing sympathy and calling for the backlash from men to stop. Although the truth is, she should be shamed for her predatory behavior. The fact that her latest child’s father is one year older than her eldest son, Kniko Howard, born in 2002, should be a red flag for most and is extremely problematic.
For those who still want to argue that they are two equally consenting adults, despite science proving otherwise, let’s discuss the age gap rule of thumb.
If you subscribe to the “rule of seven,” the question of where the boundaries of a socially acceptable relationship lie isn’t a matter of opinion—they’re clearly defined. According to the rule, the age of the younger partner (regardless of gender) should be no less than seven more than half the older partner’s age. Summarizing the point that based on Draya’s age, she shouldn’t date anyone younger than 27, once again proving the relationship borders the line of predatorial.
It’s important to call out this type of behavior because outside of her being an influencer with a massive platform, publicly championing her inappropriate relationship not only sets an unhealthy trend in age-gap relationships but also excuses the abuse against young men as being part of “manhood,” which not only creates trauma for the individual but also further perpetuates the pattern of men feeling unheard when it comes to various forms of abuse.
Sexual abuse for underdeveloped men and boys has been on the rise with many teachers manipulating young men and having children with little to no consequences. According to a study funded by the U.S. Justice Department, about 10% of all students experience sexual misconduct by a school employee sometime between kindergarten and the time they graduate from high school. Male abusers outnumber females, the study said. But the number of reports of female educators charged with sexual abuse of students is rising — not necessarily because there are more women abusing children, but because they’re getting caught.
Sexual abuse also has long-term effects on male victims, making it difficult to understand the magnitude of its impact. For male survivors, the long-term effects can be devastating, leading to depression, low self-esteem and post-traumatic stress disorder; along with difficulties forming healthy relationships and engaging in healthy sexual behavior; then, we wonder why all of these broken men are grabbing a podcast mic.
The truth is we can’t “Me Too” and call for an end to toxic masculinity and patriarchy while trying to co-opt it. It’s time to stop championing toxic and predatory behavior knowing that it creates victims–regardless of gender, even if the behavior is legal.
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YesJulz is currently embroiled in a public back-and-forth with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, after being fired by the Chicago producer for reportedly violating an NDA agreement. YesJulz took to social media to share her side of the story along with sharing messages between her and YZY Chief of Staff Milo Yiannopoulos.
YesJulz, real name Julieanna Goddard, took to Twitter to share the story from her side after Ye announced her firing via Instagram with a post reading, “We have decided to no longer have YesJulz involved in the roll out of Vultures. All the activity on her page and with our fans in the past few days has been unauthorized.”
Adding to this, an email from Yiannopoulos announcing the firing and the issuance of a $7.7 million fine leaked to X, formerly Twitter, which sparked a flurry of comments from the popular influencer.
All of this seemingly stemmed from a Twitter Spaces chat Ms. Goddard held with fans of Ye and threw out some ideas that would operate under the YZY banner and further the brand’s reach. It appeared to be received well but things have changed in the days since the chat.
In a tweet responding to a tweet calling her firing unjust but also understandable considering the man behind the intellectual property, YesJulz made the first of many defenses of her actions.
From X:
Ye is up against the system
Having the discussion with fans
in an open forum setting was unconventional,
but it allowed for inclusivity
& open visibility
for an entire fan base to opt in,
give feedback, be heard, connect with one another to combine efforts
Which is what i feel is needed
For Ye to stay on top for these next two runs.
I was also given specific direction
to “rally” the fans, let them each lead their own chapters, activate within their locations- etc.
This was MY way of doing so.
I am not a conventional woman
& this is why i worked at the company i worked at in the first place.
I never wanted work done for free
I wanted to help the fans present
their work to Ye
So that he could hire them
Instead of stale ass losers who dont know the slightest thing about culture
like Ben Priest & Milo Pedofilist
To build his company for him
Anyone who has ever been in contact with me for as little as 5 minutes knows
The last thing id ever need to steal,
Is an idea.
I’d actually pay to have less as the amount of ideas i have overwhelm me daily.
Refer to my February tweets about hiring fans
Listen to the space.
Its very clear who i am
and what i stand for.
Goddard then went on a leaking spree, sharing internal messages from Yiannopoulos, who had some unsavory things to say. Check out the string of messages in the tweet below.
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Joe Budden, whose only hit single, “Pump It Up,” finally achieved Gold status in 2023, is weighing in on the current state of “girl Rap:—calling the fan-created sub-sector “over.”
During his most recent episode of the Joe Budden Podcast, the former Love & Hip Hop star called out “girl rappers” while sharing his disdain for the bars after Cardi B released her highly-anticipated song, “Like What.”
“Y’all ain’t gonna want to hear it from me, but the girl rapper wave is over. Just telling you what it is,” Budden said. “The cream rises to the top, so Latto shall remain; Flo Milli shall remain; Rapsody will always be there, but she wasn’t really a part of [that scene]. But all of that, ‘Go find a girl, send her to Columbia, get it done, put her in the studio with f*cking Mike WiLL [Made-It] or any one of them n-ggas’—all that planting the girl in the scene, getting the record and it taking off—that wave is over.”
Budden’s scorching hot take came on the heels of Cardi B’s “Like What (Freestyle),” in which during the show, he suggested that the Bronx-bred MC is “scared” to release her highly-anticipated album over fears of the potential backlash awaiting her.
“Cardi B is afraid, and I’m tired of just nobody saying it,” said Budden. “Cardi B is scared to come out, it don’t take this long to come out.”
While Budden made a few valid points regarding the carbon copy method currently being used by the industry across the board, asserting his opinion when women are dominating and their male counterparts are fighting for their lives and starving for mentors is disingenuous. The continued lack of true concern over the problematic messaging that pushes drug use, violence and misogyny toward women in music and male-only podcast spaces aimed at men is alarming.
It also has to be noted that as a former artist, to see Budden play into the attempt to divide women in Rap from their male counterparts is not only reductive but also divisive in a genre that women had a major hand in co-creating. Then to announce that female rappers are “done” as if you have authority in the space is not only asinine but also egregious because it’s not supported by any facts.
In 2021, Cardi B made history in early March, becoming the first female rapper to have five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Two years after she won Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammys. That same year, Megan Thee Stallion picked up three awards, including Best New Artist. Doja Cat and Chika each received Grammy nominations in different categories–during that time and since, the new school of male rappers were absent.
Even though she hasn’t released a full album since 2018, Cardi B has been consistently putting out music. Following the release of Invasion of Privacy, Cardi has dropped six Top 100 singles (“Please Me,” “Hot Sh-t,” “Up,” “Bongos,” “Tomorrow 2 (Remix)” and the highly-decorated single, “WAP”)—which is why Offset took to Instagram to post the caption: “Stop being scary and drop the album s–t goes crazy [fire emoji].”
Regardless of how you feel about the messaging of female artists, for the last five years, women have been leading the pack. When gun violence and drugs were taking out some of Rap’s biggest artists, women were stepping up and making a name for themselves by giving listeners an alternative to murder music. The emboldened sound, reminiscent of the glam girl rap Lil’ Kim created, ushered in a new wave of boss women who weren’t taking any mess—but that’s seemingly why Joey and his band of incels are upset.
To continue to use the “BBL” and “lipo” comments as a rule only for women when men are getting them too—we all saw Funk Flex live in action on the table bumping “CREAM.” Let’s not forget Kanye West and Drake (allegedly)—yet no public slander or mention of it while deducing women in the same genre are doing the same thing as gimmicks, doesn’t make sense. Especially when the gimmick being used on young men is to have “opps” or be drug kingpins and gang leaders.
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The truth is, most of these men with opinions on women in anything need to find a young man to mentor and coach to sub-par-dom, because the whole trying to get clicks off of hating on someone who made it further than you thing is over.