EDITORIAL
Page: 5
HipHopWired Featured Video
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.
—
Photo: Lexie Moreland / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
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.
—
Photo: Getty
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.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty
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.
HipHopWired Featured Video
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.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
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.
[embedded content]
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.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: @fatjoe / Instagram
“I never had dinner with the president!” – Ice Cube (“No Vaseline”)
O’Shea Jackson’s jab at Eric Wright on the scathing diss track aimed at his former N.W.A family carried significant weight in 1991. At the time, the president represented the power that was oppressive to the Hip-Hop community. A group like N.W.A didn’t participate in a lunch benefiting the Republican Senatorial inner circle, which was hosted by then-President George H. W. Bush. And the idea that Eazy-E did just that painted him out to be a traitor to the community.
[embedded content]
We fought the power for change in our community, we didn’t fraternize with the power in an attempt to join their fraternity. And any individual in the Hip-Hop community who didn’t adhere to these unwritten laws was subject to being publicly tarred and feathered. No questions asked.
Fast forward to 2024 and, as The Notorious B.I.G. once said “Things Done Changed.”
The power that we were up against in the 80s and 90s has changed shape over the years. It’s a little more complicated to figure out who “The Power” is now when the economics and landscape have been modified, altered and remodeled. In some ways it has changed for the better but, as they always say—the more things change, the more they stay the same.
“Sharing our platforms and our audiences with individuals who have spent the majority of their careers in the spotlight disparaging the very communities we come from is a dangerous proposition.”
HipHopWired Featured Video
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.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
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]
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
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.
—
Photo: Pacific Press / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Lionel FLUSIN / Getty
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.