Hip Hop News
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Joe Budden’s recent comments about being at Summer Jam apparently rubbed some the wrong way, prompting Ebro Darden to call him out online.
The rapper and media personality spoke about being at the recent HOT97 Summer Jam concert at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast. Attending as a guest, Budden spoke about meeting an “older lady” as part of the event staff at the arena.
While making good-natured jokes about the vibe, he recalls: “But anyway, I get there, the girl says, ‘Are you a seat filler?’” He continued: “So I said, ‘No, I am not a seat filler.’ And she said, ‘Alright, who are you with?’ And I said, ‘Me.’ And then she said, ‘No, what I’m saying is what organization are you with?’ And then I said, ‘Ma’am, I don’t think you understand what I’m saying to you. I’m the organization. Please direct me to my f*cking tickets.’”
Ebro Darden found out about Budden’s comments through a fan’s now-deleted tweet, responding: “U think a concert that only makes $$ on sponsors would pay people to be in seats? Ya’ll a wild bunch,” which was accompanied by crying face emojis. The former program director for HOT97 then alerted the team overseeing Summer Jam – which includes Funkmaster Flex and TT Torrez – about the Slaughterhouse MC’s remarks via Twitter and shared screenshots of their responses.
Budden was perplexed in his response, asking, “what’s this about?” Ebro replied, “Tweets. Play along. Say something controversial.” In a separate tweet, he responded to someone who told him that the furor was in response to his podcast comments. “That lady didn’t even work for Hot… non story here,” he replied, taking the time to clarify that his “seat filler” reference wasn’t meant as a shot towards the radio network.
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Lawmakers in New York have introduced a new bill that will prohibit the use of rap lyrics in criminal trials as evidence by prosecutors – an issue recently highlighted across the nation.
In January of this year, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz brought forth S1738, known as the “Rap Music on Trial” bill. The goal of the bill is to prevent prosecutors in criminal trials from using lyrics from songs by the defendant in those trials as proof of guilt for the crimes they’re charged with. “Protecting artistic freedom and expression is paramount for our country, but in particular New York City, where we are the cultural capital of the world,” Hoylman-Sigal said to the press. “Rap music has been targeted by prosecutors, mainly because it would seem that there’s racial bias.”
The bill wouldn’t be isolated to only rap music, but the music genre has been the most targeted by prosecutors in cases across the country as social media has made sharing rap videos easier with a farther reach. An essay in the New York Times last year detailed the timeline for the increase of rap lyrics being used since 2005. The RICO case brought against Young Thug in Georgia is currently the most prominent example as lyrics from nine of his songs were cited in the indictment.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed the Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act into law last September. Congressman Jamaal Bowman of New York and Hank Johnson of Georgia re-introduced the Restoring Artistic Protection, or RAP Act to the House of Representatives in April. That bill has not gone beyond a referral to the House Judiciary Committee.
An earlier version of New York’s state bill was introduced in 2021 with heavy support from artists including Jay-Z, Big Sean, and Meek Mill among others. But it didn’t advance to being passed in the Assembly. The hope is that the current bill will pass this current session, which ends on Thursday (June 8th). The state Senate did approve S1738 on May 15th, which Hoylman-Sigal said gives a “boost of confidence and momentum” that it will make it to Governor Kathy Hochul to be signed into law.
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Over two decades after the murder of Run-D.M.C.’s Jam Master Jay, a third man has been charged for his role in the crime that shook up the Hip-Hop world.
On Tuesday (May 30), federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced charges against Jay Bryant of Queens, New York for the 2002 murder. Bryant is currently being detained on an unrelated separate indictment related to drugs. According to the court documents in the unsealed indictment, the charges include murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking.
When contacted for comment, Bryant’s lawyer César de Castro said that his client would plead not guilty to the new charges. “Securing an indictment in a secret grand jury, applying an extremely low burden of proof, is one thing,” Castro stated. “Proving it at trial is another matter.” Bryant’s arraignment for the new indictment has not been scheduled.
Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. are the two other men who’ve been charged with the death of Jam Master Jay, also known as Jason Mizell. Both had murder charges brought against them by prosecutors in August 2020, with authorities blaming the October 2002 shooting in the Hip-Hop icon’s studio on his apparent exclusion of the two from “a multi-kilogram, multistate narcotics transaction” after a dispute in July of that year. Both men are now expected to go to trial in January 2024.
Bryant was spotted entering the building after the shooting according to the indictment, and his DNA was also found at the scene of the crime. The documents go on to detail how the 49-year-old confessed to being there later on and claimed that he was the one who shot Jam Master Jay, a claim that prosecutors feel is false as they believe Jordan is the one who fired the two fatal shots.
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Big Freedia is set to retake the stage as she announces her first album in nine years, accompanied by a brand new single from the project.
The “Queen of Bounce” announced the new album Central City, last Friday (May 26), also releasing the latest single from the album, “Bigfoot”. “Bounce has been through many iterations—from Triggerman to Sissy to Cash Money Bounce—but my new album is something I call Bigga Bounce,” she said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “Welcome to Central City, y’all, where I pay homage to my city, my roots, hip-hop, and to the art of creating a new sound.” The album will be released on June 23rd.
“Bigfoot” comes in as the third single from what is now the New Orleans native’s first full-length album since Just Be Free which was released in 2014. She describes it as “a powerful anthem of empowerment and motivation,” with the opening lines booming forth. “Call me Bigfoot stepping on these b—–s necks,” Freedia declares in the first lines of the track in her signature cadence, “I got a big foot but I’m getting bigger checks/They don’t see what’s coming next.” The first two singles were “Central City Freestyle” and “$100 Bill”, featuring Ciara. Central City will have sixteen tracks in total, with Lil Wayne, Kelly Price, and Faith Evans in addition to other artists making guest appearances.
Big Freedia will also be hitting the road this summer on tour beginning in Stanford, California on June 2nd as part of the Re: Set Festival with LCD Soundsystem, Jamie XX, and other artists. The nationwide tour will have Big Freedia be a headline performer at Pride concert events in Denver, Colorado, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and conclude at the Wonderbus Music and Arts Festival on August 25th in Columbus, Ohio. Tickets for the festival are available here.
Check out the single “Bigfoot” below.
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As many on social media made light of the latest incident featuring Ja Morant and guns, one meme proved to be a haunting throwback for GloRilla.
The Memphis Grizzlies star guard is embroiled in another controversial incident involving a firearm, this time through a viral video that was uploaded online featuring him flashing a gun in a car with an unidentified friend. The reaction online sparked a wave of memes criticizing but mostly clowning Morant, with one meme of a young girl holding a large gun that read, “Ja Morant every month.” It turned out that the young lady in the photo was GloRilla. She got wind of the meme circulating and quote tweeted it with a couple of laughing emojis. “I was a menace in high school,” she wrote. “I’m so embarrassed.” The Memphis native didn’t offer anything further.
The new Morant video comes weeks after he was suspended for eight games towards the end of the regular season by the Grizzlies after a video of him flashing a firearm in a gentlemen’s club in Denver, Colorado captured from his Instagram Stories went viral. The latest situation has already seen possible heavy repercussions being floated, as National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about it on Tuesday at the NBA Draft Lottery. “Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this weekend — that video. Now, we’re in the process of investigating it,” he said.
Morant released a statement Tuesday (May 16), which was relayed by Adrian Wojnarowski via Twitter: “I know I’ve disappointed a lot of people who have supported me. This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I’m committed to continuing to work on myself.”
Wojnarowski has previously reported that the league could hand down a stiffer suspension.
As for GloRilla, she’s currently building off of the success of her Grammy Award-nominated track “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)” and being the headliner for the Anyways, Life’s Great tour this past spring. Signed to fellow Memphis artist Yo Gotti’s CMG label, the 23-year-old is also expected to perform at the Austin City Limits Festival later in the year.
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The late Tupac Shakur will now be a permanent part of Oakland, California as a street in the city is renamed after him.
On Tuesday (May 16th) the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to rename a stretch of MacArthur Boulevard in the Lake Merritt area where Shakur once after the iconic rapper. The street will keep its name but gain “Tupac Shakur Way” in addition, with commemorative signs and plaques. The Tupac Shakur Foundation will be responsible for paying for those signs and plaques.
A spokesperson for the City Council said that the Tupac Shakur Way of the boulevard will serve as a lasting reminder of his musical and cultural contributions and provide inspiration for more moments of societal change through art. “Tupac Shakur’s legacy will continue through his contributions in art and social outreach, through his family and fans, touching countless lives of children and elders over the years while alive and after his death, taken too young by gun violence,” the accompanying resolution said. There was no set timeline announced for the change.
The late rapper and actor, who was tragically killed in a drive-by shooting at the age of 25 in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1996, was born in Harlem, New York to Black Panther Party members Afeni Shakur & Billy Garland. He would later move with Afeni to Baltimore, Maryland, and then live in Marin City before settling in Oakland for a time. It was there where he claimed he got his “game” and further expanded his career, linking up with area Hip-Hop legends Digital Underground. “I give all my love to Oakland, if I’ma claim somewhere I’ma claim Oakland,” he once said.
Oakland is no stranger to honoring its heroes. Other notable figures whom the City Council has renamed streets for include Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton and rapper Too Short. The city also has had a history of celebrating Tupac annually since 2016 when they proclaimed June 16th as “Tupac Shakur Day”.
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In an exclusive interview, we got the chance to speak with Rocky Bucano, the director of the Universal Hip-Hop Museum about the institution’s plans this year for Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary.
This year, Hip-Hop has officially been in existence for 50 years, and there’s already been a few numerous events that are celebrating and amplifying the culture. At the center of these celebrations stands the Universal Hip Hop Museum, an institution that has been years in the making in the culture’s birthplace of the Bronx, New York. It has been a long journey that will culminate in the completion of the museum’s permanent home at Bronx Point, projected for the summer of 2024.
A respected music industry veteran with strong ties to Hip-Hop dating back to his founding of Strong City Records with DJ Jazzy Jay to working with LaFace Records before venturing into television and community initiatives, UHHM’s Executive Director Rocky Bucano has been hard at work collaborating with many individuals, artists, and companies to make the UHHM a reality. We recently had a chance to speak with him about the plans for the museum as Hip-Hop celebrates this landmark year and beyond.
Hip-Hop Wired: Hip-Hop is celebrating 50 years of existence, and many are paying rightful tribute and homage to the culture. For you, as someone who’s been such an integral part of this culture, how does it feel witnessing all of this taking place with the celebrations and the continued journey of UHHM, how does that make you feel?
Rocky Bucano: I’m deeply blessed and honored to be one of the few people who have seen Hip-Hop from before it was Hip-Hop to where Hip Hop is today. Being the executive director of the University Hip-Hop Museum, it becomes almost an obligation, because I’ve seen the entire journey of Hip-Hop, right? To make sure that we have one of the best museums in the world to celebrate and preserve the global history of the culture. I’m so excited and blessed to be in this position. And I look forward to the next 50 years, even after the museum is open. You know, Hip-Hop has done so much for so many people, including myself. So I’m just so excited to be in this position and to see this museum coming to the finish line.
HHW: With the current exhibition, The [R]Evolution of Hip Hop “Golden Era” 1986-1990 open now – which I feel everyone has to visit at least once – what further activations and events do you and UHHM have planned this year?
Bucano: So we are the official partner of Mayor Adams and his administration to produce and curate a variety of different programs and events to celebrate the 50th anniversary. We have a women’s empowerment program coming up later this month, which will be at the Billie Holiday Theater (in Brooklyn). We’re doing health and wellness programs, we’re doing social justice outreach programs, and small business workshops. But the big one we’re working on is a celebratory concert to celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop. Right now, the plan is to do it in Central Park, but it might be Yankee Stadium, so stay tuned for that.
And then we will be opening up a traveling museum that will start here in New York City. Later this year, so hopefully around August 10 of this year, we’ll be putting that up and that will stay open until the actual museum opens up at the Bronx Point. The traveling museum will debut in Manhattan, so we’re working on a location now.
HHW: That sounds amazing. And that ties into the final question that I have for you. In terms of further projects that have been completed, with the highly interactive components in the exhibits at your current space are we going to see further virtual collaborations like you’ve done in the past with Microsoft, like with Metaverse and Facebook under Meta as well?
Bucano: Great question. So you know, we have a Metaverse, a virtual museum that was accessed accessible through alt space. We were working with Microsoft, but they decided to sunset their alt-space division. So now we’re moving our Metaverse virtual museum over to Spatial, and we’re working with the team there on that. We’ll probably have some virtual projects and programs ready to go later this spring and early summer. Pretty excited about that. And we’re exploring how to use AI and all of the available tech experiences including ChatGPT. We’re right there trying to use the most advanced technology. We want to make sure that we’re curating and celebrating Hip-Hop history with new technology.
For more information on upcoming events at the Universal Hip-Hop Museum, visit their website.
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Janet Jackson received a lovely surprise from Busta Rhymes in the form of flowers and a heartfelt tribute during her New York concert.
On Tuesday night (May 9), the superstar was performing on her Together Again tour before the sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. As the opening notes of “What’s It Gonna Be?” began to play, the “Gimme Some More” rapper stepped onto the stage to perform the hit track from his Extinction Level Event album released in 1999.
The moment was even more special as Busta began a moving speech to Jackson while someone delivered a bouquet of flowers he brought for her. “I don’t want to disrupt the programming too much, but I brought some gifts for you, queen,” he said. “We’re going to give you your flowers. I’m going to give you your bouquet while you can smell them.”
He shared the story of how they got to collaborate with each other. “In 1998 … I’m on the Belt Parkway going from Long Island to Manhattan,” he said. “I’m listening to Janet Jackson do an interview … Angie Martinez asked her, ‘What rapper have you never worked with before that you would like to work with?’ She said, Busta Rhymes. Excuse my language,” he added, “but I almost crashed my fucking car.”
“What’s It Gonna Be” would earn a Grammy nomination and Busta told the crowd that it was “the most expensive hip-hop video ever made.” (The cost of the video, directed by Hype Williams, is estimated at $2 million.) “You finally made a dream come true for me, queen,” he told Jackson. “I waited 25 years to be able to share this stage with you and perform this song. And I am so grateful that I’m fighting tears of joy right now. I just want you to know that I love you so much.”
Busta Rhymes also had a cake brought onstage by a stagehand and directed the crowd to shout “Happy Birthday” to the singer, who turns 57 next week. He also paid homage to her as a mother. “This is one of the most beautiful, most gorgeous, one of the most incredible souls as a mother walking the face of the earth,” he told the exuberant audience. “Please make some noise in advance for the beautiful Janet Jackson for Mother’s Day.”
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The longest-running free performing arts Celebrate Brooklyn! festival unveiled its lineup of artists for the summer and a special celebration of Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary.
On Wednesday (May 3rd), BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn and the Prospect Park Alliance announced their full lineup for their 45th season of concerts. Each of the free shows (with a few benefit concerts) will be held at the historic Lena Horne Bandshell in the borough’s venerated park. Featured artists that will be performing at Celebrate Brooklyn! throughout this summer include Corinne Bailey Rae, Taj Mahal, Robert Glasper, NxWorries featuring Anderson .Paak and many more.
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In addition, there will be a special two-day concert held in conjunction with BRIC celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. The lineup for that event has yet to be announced. Those interested can RSVP early at the concert series website.
“BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park is a beloved flagship event and a clear sign of summer for our community,” said Morgan Monaco, President of Prospect Park Alliance in a press release. “Music and performing arts are what help keep us thriving in good times and in bad, and I’m grateful that the park serves as an important inspiration for artists of all kinds. The festival has brought a wide range of free music, performances, and family programming to Brooklyn’s Backyard and we look forward to coming together this season with the many diverse communities of Brooklyn.”
“BRIC is about community, art, and culture and there is no greater example of that than BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!,” said BRIC President Wes Jackson in the same press statement. “For 45 years our team has brought free and affordable programming to Prospect Park, and low-cost media education to the people of Brooklyn. We’re honored to serve our neighborhoods in this way every summer, and we look forward to 45 more years at the Bandshell and beyond. Thank you to our friends and partners at the Prospect Park Alliance and the Parks Department. I’ll see you out there.”
For those seeking to RSVP for the free shows and purchase tickets for the benefit concerts, the Celebrate Brooklyn! website is now up and running.
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The spirit of Heavy D lives on in striking fashion in his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York thanks to a new sculpture honoring him.
Last Thursday (April 27), the late rapper’s family was joined by artist Eto Otitigbe and Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard outside the newly completed high-rise building at 42 Broad Street, located near the Cross County Expressway. The sculpture, named “Peaceful Journey” after one of his renowned album releases, was unveiled to the waiting crowd. Standing over 18 feet tall, the work by Otigbe is made from stainless and Cor-Ten steel and marble.
The Brooklyn-based Otigbe was selected from a group competition organized by ArtsWestchester to create the work. “I wanted to pay homage to the Mount Vernon community that had such an important place in hip-hop with this work of art,” he said in an interview about the work through the art organization’s Instagram page.
“My son loved the arts and this sculpture and this sculpture depicts the love that he has especially for the city of Mount Vernon,” said Eulahlee Myers, Heavy D’s mother, at the ceremony. Heavy D tragically passed away in 2011 from complications of pneumonia. It was later learned he also suffered a blood clot in his lung as well.
“Mount Vernon has a rich history of arts and culture. With this being the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, nothing could be more appropriate than to honor this beautiful, beautiful sculpture of Heavy D,” said Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, acknowledging his ties to the Westchester enclave where he moved to as a child with his family at the unveiling. “Heavy D, for me, wasn’t just an artist. He was my classmate. He was my friend. He was my party partner.”
The 44-year-old, born Dwight Arrington Myers, was an iconic part of Hip-Hop’s “Golden Age,” parlaying his affable charm and skilled lyricism into a music and acting career that saw him break numerous barriers and paving the way for other artists from the area including Diddy and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. “He was the rapper your mother liked,” said Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival founder Wes Jackson.