EDITORIAL
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Donald Trump’s comments on the campaign trail have raised alarms from those noting his “unwell” behavior and media’s reluctance to call it out.
The mounting collection of bizarre remarks by Donald Trump on the presidential campaign trail has caused observers to note how “deeply unwell” he is and to question why more media outlets and figures aren’t calling for an examination of his mental faculties. “(But) Trump is obviously unfit—and something is profoundly wrong with a political environment in which he can now say almost anything, no matter how weird,” writes Tom Nichols for The Atlantic in a column, pointing to Trump’s most recent rally this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, which left many observers aghast.
At that campaign rally, Trump went into a rambling rant about electric batteries and sharks: “So I said, let me ask you a question, and he said, nobody ever asked this question and it must be because of MIT, my relationship to MIT. Very smart. He goes, I say, what would happen if the boat sank from its weight? And you’re in the boat and you have this tremendously powerful battery and the battery is now underwater and there’s a shark that’s approximately 10 yards over there, by the way, a lot of shark attacks lately, do you notice that?”
“I am not a psychiatrist, and I am not diagnosing Trump with anything. I am, however, a man who has lived on this Earth for more than 60 years, and I know someone who has severe emotional problems when I see them played out in front of me over and over,” Nichols wrote, adding: “The 45th president is deeply unwell. It is long past time for Americans, including those in public life, to recognize his inability to serve as the 47th.” EJ Montini of the Arizona Republic has also called out the media’s reluctance in a column, writing: “Too many respectable journalists and respectable journalistic institutions have allowed the fear of appearing biased to prevent them from being honest.” He cited the Las Vegas remarks as “the kind of thing that would be worrisome if done by an elderly member of your family.”
As the presumptive Republican nominee continues to campaign, there seems to be no end to the comments. In a meeting with Republicans at Capitol Hill on Thursday, Trump stated that “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” while also declaring – again – an affinity for fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
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Stephen A. Smith promised us that he would have more commentary regarding his insistence that Will Smith still owes “the Black community” an “explanation” for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022. Now that he has heard the response of the Black community, most of whom told him to speak for himself and that Will doesn’t owe us anything, he is sharing those thoughts, but it really isn’t helping his case.
Seriously, maybe he should have kept this in the drafts.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over what Will Smith did to Chris Rock,” Smith began. “But that doesn’t mean I have to, and it doesn’t give me a license to negatively impact Will Smith.”
Now, Smith could have stopped right there, and all would have been fine. After all, it’s OK that he still hasn’t gotten over it, and it’s nice that he acknowledged that his personal inability to get over it doesn’t give him “license to negatively impact” Will, whose latest Bad Boys film has proven to be massively successful despite the controversy surrounding the Fresh Prince of Belair actor. (Although, really, Strephen does have every right to say what he has to say about Will regardless of whether or not it “negatively impacts” him, as we all have a right to our opinions.) But Where the sports analyst loses me is when he implies that Will owes Black people a special apology due to the impact of white racism.
“It was a blemish on all of us because I know how much white America reveres Will Smith and the thinking along the lines in my mind was, ‘Hell, if he did that, what would the rest of us do?’” Smith went on to to say after suggesting that the slap may have prevented Black director Antoine Fuqua from receiving an Oscar for Emancipation. “There are certain things that happen in the lives of an individual where those incidences are used as a license to castigate the rest of us.”
So, it appears that Stephen A. Smith isn’t so much bothered by what Will did to another Black man as much as he is afraid of the optics of it, which is to say he’s in fear of the white gaze. In Smith’s initial remarks, he speculated that Will “wouldn’t have smacked Ricky Gervais, Bill Maher, Bill Burr or a host of others.” While that may or may not be true, it’s definitely true that if Ricky Gervais had slapped Bill Maher on the Oscars stage, we wouldn’t be having a conversation about how it might negatively affect the careers of other white actors, comedians and directors. That’s not even a thought that would come up because that logic simply doesn’t apply to white people of any profession.
But Smith isn’t lecturing white people for allowing this glaring double standard to persist, and he certainly isn’t lecturing the myriad of white comedians and media personalities who went full fire and brimstone on Will after the slap but never have that same energy in response to the hideous anti-social behavior displayed by their fellow Caucasian celebrities. Instead, Stephen A. Smith is lecturing Will Smith about what he owes Black people for exacerbating the anti-Black racism of white people—much like Chris Rock did when he declared at the end of his “Selective Outrage” comedy special: “I got parents, and you know what my parents taught me: Don’t fight in front of white people.”
Besides the fact that Stephen (and probably Rock as well) is mad at the wrong thing and possibly the wrong person, maybe he should be dealing with his feelings about Will, the slap and his fear of the white gaze by working them out with a therapist instead of on national television.
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Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) is having a terrible week when it comes to his tryouts to be the running mate of convicted felon and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. On two separate networks, CNN and MSNBC, Donalds saw his hypocrisy get called out to his face.
In case you’re unaware, recently while in Philadelphia, Donalds went full Uncle Tom and infamously said that Black people were better off under Jim Crow. That would be the same Jim Crow era where Blacks in Southern states were disenfranchised (read: they couldn’t even vote), routinely lynched for the most minor of offenses and pretty much lived in terror for simply trying to live.
“You see, during Jim Crow, the Black family was together. During Jim Crow, more Black people were not just conservative — Black people have always been conservative-minded — but more Black people voted conservatively,” Donalds said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
As expected, and after a rebuke from Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Donalds insisted his words were taken out of context.
Considering his documented tomfoolery, booking Donalds already gets you the side eye, but at least the Black women asking the questions, in this case Joy Reid and Abby Phillip, held his tap dancing feet to the fire.
Let’s start on CNN, where Phillip was first to make Donalds a spokesman for Team Ya Played Yourself. While appearing on CNN’s Newsnight on Wednesday evening (June 5), he conceded that Black people are better off now but insisted that marriage rates were higher for Blacks during Jim Crow, so there’s that. “All I was doing is referring to the time periods when you talk about the historical timelines in America and coinciding with Black families and what their marriage rate in Black families are,” he said.
Yeah, okay, that’s what he meant—#sarcasm. Then Donalds went into suspect GOP talking point mode by claiming Donald Trump’s policies have served Black Americans better than Biden’s, adding, “If you’re actually going to compare economic policies and public policies between the 45th president and 46 president, it’s without question, they were better under the 45th.”
To this, Phillip had to retort. “I’m going to interrupt you on the facts, Congressmen,” she said. “The Black unemployment rate was the lowest in American history under Joe Biden…. The poverty rate for Black people is the lowest under Joe Biden’s [administration]. So you cannot say empirically for Black people that from a financial level things were better under Trump.”
Donalds then started flapping his gums about inflation and wealth that amounted to copping pleas. But the real burn came courtesy of Joy Reid. On Thursday evening (June 6), while on MSNBC’s The Reid Out, Donalds again insisted he was initially misquoted about the Jim Crow comments.
“The stuff that comes up about Jim Crow, and twisting my words saying I was being nostalgic or Jim Crow was good for Black people, that’s all political spin. It’s a lie,” said Donalds. “It’s gaslighting and that’s truly unfortunate.”
Reid then replied with receipts. “Here’s the challenge, Congressman,” she said. “You started out talking about your family, talking about your mom, talking about being raised. And you on your own brought up Jim Crow. In fact, you said Jim Crow three times for emphasis. It wasn’t the media or the Democrats or gaslighters who brought up Jim Crow. It was you. You brought up Jim Crow. So why did you use Jim Crow specifically as your reference? You did that, no one else did that, you did it.”
The conversation continued with Reid pointing out this controversy was Donalds’ own doing, but she saved the real burn for the end of their chat. “Last question, and then I’m going to let you go. One more question,” said Reid. “During Jim Crow, could your family have existed? You are in an interracial marriage. Your wife, and a white conservative activist. Could your family have existed at all during Jim Crow?”
Got ’em.
“No, it could not, and we all know that,” said Donalds. “That’s why I’m blessed to live in America today, as opposed to America during that time. But we cannot ignore the realities of not having fathers in homes. That is important to our Black people today and all people today as we move forward toward a better America.”
Donalds has been getting cooked on social media ever since. You can see for yourself in the gallery. below Be careful, the MAGA cult is foaming at the mouth defending their latest Op of color, respectfully.
15. Also, let’s never forget.
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It’s natural for most men to take pride in the beauty that their wives radiate out to the world. And while some of them would prefer they didn’t show their stuff off, Kanye West is not one of those men and actually seems to encourage his significant other to leave little to the imagination when out in public.
According to the Daily Mail, Bianca Censori once again put her goodies on display while out with her hubby, Yeezy, while the two were out in Italy this past weekend. This time around, the 29-year-old stunner was seen rocking a one-piece bodysuit of sorts, which seemed like a swimsuit nightgown or something. Naturally, Kanye didn’t seem to mind the outfit as he’s known for flaunting his trophy wife any chance he gets, but as long as she’s good with the life she’s living, we guess that’s all that matters, right?
Per the Daily Mail:
Large cutouts could be seen on both the left and right portions of the outfit, exposing her bare sides for a sultry flare.
Her dark locks were pulled back and styled into a sleek up do, preventing any loose strands from falling onto her face.
The Australian-born designer additionally slipped into a pair of open-toed, nude-colored heels.
Bianca opted to not add any flashy pieces of jewelry to allow the outfit to be the main focal point during the outing.
As she climbed out of a taxi, Censori easily held a notebook in her hand that had various designs sketched out on the pages.
The Heartless rapper notably oversees the production of his Yeezy clothing brand in the Italian city.
We mean, she did kill it. She looked amazing while he looked, well, basic (no shots).
Still, many of her close friends and family fear for her well-being as Kanye’s known for his off the wall antics and outbursts. Not to mention that little incident in Venice that shocked the world just last year.
With Kanye now apparently making a move into the porn industry, Censori’s circle fears what Kanye may have her do in the name of capitalism.
‘The fact that he is dragging her into the adult film world with him and using her as a billboard already to promote sexual indecency is absolutely appalling and very worrying.
‘They feel he has convinced her that this is a good idea because it will make them wealthier.’
The source continued, ‘Her family and friends are aware of Kanye’s history with pornography which makes it even more concerning. What is it going to do to his marriage with Bianca? He is already using her as a walking billboard for indecency.’
This has the potential to end very badly. Just sayin’.
What do y’all think of Kanye and Bianca Censori’s relationship? Let us know in the comments section below.
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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.
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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.
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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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Photo: Lexie Moreland / Getty