State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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Offset has found a moving way to pay tribute to his late cousin and Migos bandmate Takeoff during his live shows. The rapper posted a video of his homage on Sunday (Dec. 11) in which he kicks off a recent concert by projecting a giant image of Takeoff (born Kirshnik Khari Ball), 28, on the screen behind his DJ while the Jackson 5’s 1971 classic heartbreak ballad “Never Can Say Goodbye” blasts over the PA.
“Before every who I love you bra,” Offset wrote in the caption to the post, which elicited some additional words of support from Tyrese (“Praying for you bro everyday… So sorry this all happened I’m so sorry”), Rich The Kid (“I love you bro this beautiful”) and Ty Dolla Sign (Love king !!!!”), among others.
Takeoff was killed in Houston on Nov. 1 while attending an afterparty at a local pool/bowling alley also attended by his uncle and fellow Migos member Quavo. On Dec. 2 Houston Police announced that 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark was arrested on the east side of Houston and charged with murder, while another man, 22-year-old Cameron Joshua, was arrested and charged with the unlawful carrying of a weapon; Clark is being held on a $2 million bond.
Houston PD’s Sgt. Michael Burrow said during the news conference that Takeoff was an “innocent bystander” of the argument at the party that led to the shooting. “The event was a private party, there was a lucrative dice game that went on at the event, there was an argument that happened afterwards outside the bowling alley which led to the shooting,” he explained.
Last week, Clark’s attorney said the deadly shooting was a tragedy, but that his client says he’s innocent of the crime. Court records indicate Clark was arrested as he was preparing to leave the country for Mexico after getting an expedited passport and that he had a “large amount” of cash. TMZ reported on Tuesday (Dec. 13) that Clark asked a judge to reduce his bail to $100,000 so he can afford to be out as he awaits trial; Clark also reportedly wants to stay with his parents if his bond is reduced and has agreed to wear a GPS monitor and abide by any curfew imposed by the judge.
Check out the tribute below.
Cardi B offered fans an early Christmas present on Monday night (Dec. 12) when she dropped a seven-second snippet of a new song to slake the Bardi Gang’s thirst for her music as they await the follow-up to her Grammy-winning debut studio album, 2018’s Invasion of Privacy.
“HERE some scraps since yall STARVING,” Cardi wrote in a tweet featuring the scant bars from an unnamed song she never finished. “They be watchin’ every time that I post (that I post)/ Posted nothin’, always gotta do the most/ B—-es sound like you broke,” she raps over a hard-hitting beat. When a fan asked why the song was scrapped, Cardi responded, “I just don’t love it.”
“I have no choice, I have to put it out,” Cardi told The Breakfast Club earlier this month when asked about when fans can expect new music. “I have like a couple of songs that are like definite, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on with me. I need to just make up my mind and put it out.” She also revealed that even though it’s time for her to return to the radio, Cardi thinks the project is still “missing something,” even as she confirmed that the fresh tunes are coming in 2023.
As the wait continues, Cardi and her family are gearing up for Christmas, as evidenced by another post on the rapper’s socials in which she revealed the multiple glittery trees in her home. In a video featuring a cameo from one-year-old son Wave Set, Cardi showed off her children’s towering Disney-themed tree — as she yelled at the little ones to “stop running around the Christmas tree!! — as well as the impressive light array outside her house.
Check out the new song snippet and the Christmas display below.
For this year’s update of our ongoing Greatest Pop Star by Year project, Billboard is counting down our staff picks for the top 10 pop stars of 2022 all this week. At No. 10, we remember the year in Nicki Minaj — who topped the Hot 100, owned the VMAs, and generally reasserted her dominance in 2022.
The presence of women in hip-hop has surged over the last decade, but Nicki Minaj never lost her ‘Queen of Rap’ title. Throughout 2022, Billboard’s 2019 Game-Changer honoree skillfully demonstrated prestige in music, from occasional guest features to being lauded by MTV for her iconic evolution. Over a decade on from the release of her 2010 debut album Pink Friday, the 40-year-old remains a force to be reckoned with.
Four years after dropping her fourth LP Queen, 2022 kicked off the era of Minaj’s long-awaited comeback. Post-Queen, Minaj had spent the earlier part of the decade surprising her dedicated Barbz with standalone singles (“Megatron,” “Yikes”) and hit collaborations with Doja Cat, BIA, Ty Dolla $ign and others, while also re-releasing her fan favorite mixtape, 2009’s Beam Me Up Scotty, to DSPs. The Queens-raised artist – who continued her musical impact over the past three years without so much as a full-length solo project – powered into the new decade laser-focused on being a versatile rap mainstay.
In February of this year, Minaj and Atlanta rhymesayer Lil Baby teamed up for the ruthless trap anthem “Do We Have a Problem?” The track ruled Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while also debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. After the birth of her son in 2020, Minaj’s re-emergence was sealed as she followed that up a week later with second Lil Baby collaboration “Bussin,” also reaching the chart’s top 20.
The following month, Minaj went deep into her fashion bag, becoming the face of Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2022 “Heaven” collection, donning edgy couture and colorful wigs reminiscent of her early mainstream career. Also in March, Minaj passed the rap torch to Trendsetter artist Coi Leray, featuring on Leray’s fiery “Blick Blick,” which reached No. 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The “Blick Blick” rollout was slightly chaotic, as Leray’s father, rapper Benzino, prematurely revealed the collaboration on Clubhouse, sending Minaj to nearly pull her verse.
Keeping her appearance on “Blick” – even popping up in the technicolor music video – Minaj went full steam ahead, tapping Fivio Foreign for the one-off single “We Go Up.” The five-minute braggadocious drill rap cut would eventually receive a gritty music video filmed in Foreign and Minaj’s NYC hometown, and exclusively appeared on Minaj’s greatest hits compilation Queen Radio: Volume 1. “We Go Up,” which landed at No. 15 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, would be the fourth collaborative single under Minaj’s belt in 2022. The momentum she built on features resembled her 2010s phase, where the rapper could make any song her own with a knockout verse, and would later help her explode on her first solo Hot 100 chart-topper.
But before that, in May, Minaj appeared arm-in-arm with fashion designer and Burberry chief creative officer Ricardo Tisci at the 2022 MET Gala. After gracing the red carpet with a memorable all-black Burberry ensemble and body embellishments from British makeup artist Pat McGrath, Minaj would also embark on a new business deal that month, announcing her new role as creative director of Maxim. The venture would also place Minaj as MaximBet’s special advisor for licensed sports betting and iGaming. Burgeoning as a tastemaker in music and entrepreneurial moves, Minaj utilized 2022 as a year to flex her transcendent influence over the new generation of female rap.
By July, the summer music festival season saw a Minaj takeover, as the artist headlined New Orleans’ Essence Music Festival and London’s Wireless Festival. Her return to festivals since making a surprise guest appearance during Ariana Grande’s Coachella set in 2019, Minaj hit the New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome as a seasoned virtuoso. 75,000 fans clamored over Minaj’s extensive catalog during an hour-long set, rapping along to classics both of her own (“Beez In the Trap,” “Super Bass,” “Chun-Li”) and in a supporting role (Beyoncé’s “Flawless (Remix),” BIA’s “Whole Lotta Money (Remix)”, A$AP Ferg’s “Plain Jane (Remix)”).
Although Barbz were disappointed that Essence Fest opted not to livestream Minaj’s set at the last minute, more festival pandemonium ensued as the rapper went across the pond for Wireless Festival. Coordinating multiple outfit changes for the show at London’s Finsbury Park – which experienced a 30-minute delay. Minaj closed out her energetic Wireless Festival set as rap royalty. The Queen of Rap even attempted to hold a meet and greet with fans at Camden’s Cafe Koko following her Sunday performance, but police officials shut down the event as crowds flooded nearby roads.
In the weeks following Minaj’s festival sets, she promised a six-part docuseries and new music under a “Nick James” alter ego, teasing lustful single “Super Freaky Girl,” which sampled Rick James’ 1981 funk smash “Super Freak.” “Super Freaky Girl” played as a near-spinoff to Minaj’s 2014 “Baby Got Back- sampling hit “Anaconda,” which made the song a viral sensation on TikTok. In August, Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne held a triumphant Young Money reunion during the first “October World Weekend” of Toronto’s OVO Fest, where Minaj debuted “Super Freaky Girl” on the Budweiser Stage.
Contributing to the recent sample and interpolation trend in pop music, “Super Freaky Girl” made a massive debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 following its full August release , marking Minaj’s first No. 1 single as a solo artist. “Super Freaky Girl” was also just the second solo single by a female rap artist to top the chart since Ms. Lauryn Hill’s 1998 song “Doo Wop (That Thing).” Accompanied by a Barbie and Ken-inspired music video directed by Joseph Kahn, Minaj continued to support the chart-topper by reviving her zany alter ego Roman Zolanski on “Super Freaky Girl (Roman Remix).”
Minaj kept the heat scorching near summer’s end, releasing Queen Radio Volume 1 and delivering a career-spanning Video Vanguard Award performance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. The artist, who co-hosted the 2022 VMAs with fellow Queens native LL Cool J and Jack Harlow, made her telecast awards show comeback, offering a 10-minute set with self-referential easter egg nods for longtime Barbz. Minaj opened her set in a plastic box replica of her 2007 mixtape Playtime Is Over, while the Head Barb reimagined her dominatrix Roman Zolanski role in Kanye West’s 2010 “Monster” music video. The camera then panned out to reveal that Minaj was her own Barbie Dreamhouse, with one section resembling Queens nail salon Poly Nails, where Minaj filmed her 2007 music video for Playtime Is Over cut “Wuchoo Know.” Without missing a beat, Minaj ended her incandescent performance with “Super Freaky Girl” fun, turning the VMAs into a full-blown celebration of her legacy.
After accepting the Video Vanguard Award, Minaj was off to more “Super Freaky Girl” promotion, partnering with restaurant chain Chili’s in September for ‘Barbz Day’ and cranberry-flavored $5 Barbaritas. Minaj also curated a third “Super Freaky Girl” official remix, an all-star “Queen Mix” featuring JT of City Girls, BIA, Maliibu Miitch, Akbar V and Katie Got Bandz, where the femcees repped their respective cities. Also on the Queens Radio compilation was a remix to “Likkle Mix” by dancehall artist Skeng, and in late-September, Minaj would co-star in the song’s graffiti-music video. “Likkle Mix” would ultimately nab a “Fine Nine” remix to make the “Super Freaky Girl (Remix)” look modest by comparison. Minaj and Skeng recruited eight women from across dancehall and rap, including Spice, Lisa Mercedez, Lady Leshurr, London Hill, Patrice Roberts, Destra Garcia, Pamputtae, and Dovey Magnum.
Minaj continued to hop from one genre to the next, featuring on Yung Bleu’s “Love in the Way” and 2022 FIFA World Cup anthem “Tukoh Taka” with Colombian vocalist Maluma and Lebanese singer Myriam Fares. The rapper didn’t ease up on dominating festival stages, headlining New York’s Powerhouse and Rolling Loud New York at Queens stadium Citi Field. Minaj would also rack up additional awards, from MTV Europe Music Awards’ best hip hop artist and best song and the American Music Awards’ favorite female artist – rap/hip-hop. She would also later get into an all-out Twitter spat with Atlanta rapper Latto over the 2023 Grammy nominations – Minaj was upset that her own crossover hit was moved from the rap categories to the pop ones while Latto’s was allowed to stay. But it would be Latto’s Hot 100 top five hit “Big Energy” that scored a best melodic rap performance nomination, while “Super Freaky Girl” received none.
“Say So” collaborator Doja Cat protested the Grammy slight, but let 2022 show that Minaj can’t be phased. In separate features with Interview and i-D – conducted by actress Jada Pinkett Smith and City Girls’ JT, respectively – the year’s digital songs best-selling rap artist talked up her fifth solo album, teasing that her best work has yet to come. With her eyes on the future, Minaj’s year as a hip-hop luminary has positioned the artist back at the top of her game.
You really can go home again. And, sometimes when you do they give you an honorary degree for your impressive accomplishments. Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott was celebrated in her hometown of Norfolk, Virginia on Saturday (Dec. 10) during the fall 2022 commencement ceremony at Norfolk State University. The Virginia Pilot reported that Elliott encouraged the class of 400 students to keep chasing their dreams and be proud that they’ve come this far.
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“I am proud of y’all, and y’all should be proud of your self,” Elliott sold the students. “I want you to look at each other and say, ‘You already won.’ Let ’em know! Ain’t no winning, you already the one. ‘Cause y’all coulda been doing anything else the last few years, y’all coulda been wildin’ out, but y’all decided to finish the course. And that’s major.”
“I’m looking around and I see innovators, visionaries, leaders created in here,” the hip-hop icon said while rocking the school’s green and gold colors during the institution’s 109th graduation ceremony, during which she received the Presidential Commencement Medallion, the institution’s most prestigious award; Elliott also received an honorary doctorate in humane letters as a recognition of her “outstanding professional achievements and extraordinary contributions to public service.”
“I want to see these same faces years from now saying … ’I became famous, I became president, I became a lawyer.’ All of those things,” the rapper added, according to the Pilot.
As part of her support for the local community, Elliott also presented the university with a check for $20,000 to address its “area of greatest needs.”
“Two time Doctorate ‘Dr. Elliott’ I am so Humbly Grateful🙏🏾Thank you @norfolkstateuniversity for having me today & showing so much love 🙌🏾 To the Class Of 2022,” Elliott wrote on Instagram along with images of the ceremony and snaps of her with university officials, as well as a shot of a pair of special green and gold commemorative sneakers with her picture on the side. “May your Journey be Successful/ Fearless/ Determined to be the BEST! Behold The Green & Gold!!!!”
Elliott got her first honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2019.
Check out images from the graduation ceremony below.
You might have to wait a bit longer to get your early morning Snoop fix. Four months after Snoop Dogg announced that he was headed for the breakfast aisle with his “Snoop Loopz” cereal brand, the legendary MC claimed he’s being blocked by big cereal box.
“So they don’t want us to use Snoop Loopz on our cereal box even though that’s that’s my name. We’ve built a national brand and disrupted the cereal industry, we did it with hard work and integrity,” Snoop wrote in a message posted alongside a video in which he and partner Master P hold up boxes of the gluten-free Loopz that they promised would have “more corn, more flavor and more marshmallows” than other store brands.
“We’ve built a national brand and disrupted the cereal industry, we did it with hard work and integrity. I know they’re uncomfortable and scared. But our mission is to build diversity and economic empowerment. Times have changed. There’s enough room for all of us to be successful,” continued Snoop, who was offering the Loopz product through his Broadus Foods brand shingle.
“This is bigger than us, we are fighting for the next generation of entrepreneurs. We’re no longer just being consumers, we’re educating the culture building our own brands, and passing down generational wealth. Broadus Foods is all about helping the community. It’s official we’re taking over the breakfast foods industry. They can’t stop us. It’s David versus Goliath. @masterp and I got the slingshot. This is a minor setback for a major comeback. #GodsPlan What do YOU think we should name our new cereal?”
The statement was accompanied by a video in which Master P said the more boxes of Loopz they sell the more they’re helping out their local communities through charitable efforts. “Snoop, you know when you’re doing something good,” P said, “the devil gotta show up,” Snoop replied. “We did this for the people, we did this for the family. We did this to make sure people got something to eat.”
Snoop praised P for distributing the cereal to those in need, with both men explaining — without naming names — that they are trying to make the breakfast aisle “diverse” for the current moment. “Cuz a lot of those cereals are based off past… this is based on the future,” Snoop said, shaking a colorful box of his brand. “We make people products.” When they announced Loopz in August, the pair said each purchase would be accompanied by a charitable donation.
While the rap legends did not name the company that is seemingly blocking their path, Billboard reached out to Froot Loops parent company Kellogg’s for comment; the company had not responded by press time. In the meantime, Snoop and P asked fans for their suggestions for a new name for their product.
Check out Snoop’s Loopz video below.
“Yeah hoe!” It’s the infamous tagline from 90s rap star Gangsta Boo (born Lola Mitchell), member of the Oscar award-winning group, Three 6 Mafia. Gangsta Boo joined when she was just 15 years old in 1994 and that same year, recorded her first solo record with the group, “Cheefa Da Reefa.” The track set the tone for the Memphis femcee, who later unveiled the her most well-known hit, “Where Dem Dollas At?,” in 1998.
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Boo has gone through a number of transformations since then, renaming herself Lady Boo in 2001 and embraced Christianity, according to MTV. In 2013, Gangsta Boo joined Da Mafia 6ix before the passing of band member Lord Infamous in December of that year. In 2014, she and Da Mafia 6ix’s other femcee La Chat, recorded Witch together.
Fast forward to the present day, and you can hear Gangsta Boo on the adlibs and hook on Memphis rising star GloRilla and Atlanta’s very own Latto’s collaboration “F– The Club Up,” a play-off of Three 6 Mafia’s “Tear Da Club Up.”
The song helped Gangsta Boo become a hot topic yet again on social media, and Billboard caught up with her to discuss how she got on “FTCU,” her return to the music scene, participating in the Verzuz battle with Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Lord Infamous’ impact on her, female rap and more.
Let’s start with the present day. How did you end up collaborating with Latto and GloRilla?
Well, Latto has been showing me support for a while. I always see her mentioning my name when they ask her who were some of her inspirations, and when she talked about her dad, she told me that her dad used to support a lot of female rappers and I was one of them.
So, that’s kind of how it came about. We just started following each other on the Internet and supporting each other and s—. And yeah, she hit me up last minute. She was like, “Man, I smoked a blunt and had a genius idea.”
She’s like, “The song already done, we already did the video and s— but I want you to be on the outro, the intro or some sort of adlibs.” I was like, “Of course, Latto. I got you, man.” It was simple just like that. Of course, I would’ve wanted to spit and kill on that mother — but just anytime I can contribute and support any female rapper that I like, that like me back, I’m always down for it.
What are your thoughts on GloRilla Grammy nod seeing that she’s from the same stomping grounds?
She pretty much came out the gate kind of running. They use the quote a lot. They say, “Gangsta Boo walked so a lot of people can run.” If this is a moment to say that particular quote, I would f— say it because that b—- took off full speed. And she is pretty talented. I like the way she puts her bars and s—. She’s bumping. I’ve been watching GloRilla and listening to her for a couple of years now.
There’s so much going on nowadays, I want to know, do you think female rappers can coexist with each other?
You know what I think? Okay, for example. I like what Latto is doing. I thought that was dope how she is bridging the gap. She was like, “You know what? The song is already done but f— that. I still won’t Gangsta Boo on this motherf–er.” So, it’s like not only do I have fans, she does too.
Some of her fans probably don’t listen to me or know who I am and vice versa. I think bridging the gap is pretty much all we got to do, and there is a lot of female unity that supports each other and stuff. Everybody doesn’t have to sing “Kumbaya” at the dinner table. But as long as you just show respect and keep supporting each other, whether it’s from afar or up close, I think it’ll be cool. It’s only a handful that acts petty and s—.
Like when Nas and 21 Savage got together to do “One Mic, One Gun,” that was brilliant to me because it’s like, it’s okay to work with motherf—er that came out before you that still doing their s— and that’s still popping and that that’s not on the washed up looking s—.
I think that right there, that’s where we need to normalize it and not make it so awkward. But as far as female hip-hop and rap, I think it’s in a good space. I would like to see more MCs have different types of context, and subject matter to talk about other than the sexy stuff, which I love. Because I talk my sexy s— too. But I definitely would love to see more.
What other femcees would you like to work with?
I f– with Missy Elliot. I f– with Cardi. Rapsody, I vibe with her. But I would say out of all of them, Missy would be numero uno. If I had the opportunity to be in the studio with her and to see how she creates and to vibe off her energy and have her vibe off mine, I think it’d be dope. Because she was one of my influences, using my voice as an instrument.
Sometimes if I don’t use a DJ to scratch, I’ll just make up a sound scratching. And I got that from Missy and Timbaland and s—. So, I would just love to see where she would take me. I would let her produce some s— for me.
Since we were on the topic, where do you see the new sound of Memphis headed and where would you like it to be?
Man, I love where it is. I think the Memphis sound just needs to keep growing and we just keep it as Memphis as possible. I don’t want nobody coming out of my city that sounds like they’re from New York or that sound like they’re from L.A. or it sounds like they’re from Washington or sound like they’re from Houston.
I want Memphis to stay Memphis as f—. We got a slogan that says “Memphis as f—,” and I just think that Memphis should say Memphis as f— because Memphis is the home of a lot of great musicians from Al Green to 8 Ball & MJG. I think as long as we keep Memphis the way it is, I feel like s—, it’s only room for growth and opportunities.
Because right now, we never took off like Houston did or like Atlanta did or like L.A. did or even like New York or even in Miami because we are this small place. But out of that small place comes some big motherf—ing sound, some big noise, and some big music. That’s why we call it Big Memphis.
You know Atlanta got crunk and trap, and Texas is known for the chopped and screwed-sound. What is Memphis’ unique place in hip-hop?
Memphis is the originator of crunk. That’s obvious. Shout out to my boy Lil Jon, that’s my brother. But he knows that as well. Memphis is the originator of crunk. So, Memphis sound is crunk, get buck. The Memphis sound is 8 Ball & MJG. The Memphis sound is Young Dolph. Memphis sound is Three 6 Mafia. It’s laid back, it’s player, it’s rowdy, it’s pimpish, it’s smooth, it’s jazz, it’s rhythm, it’s blues. Memphis is the home of the blues. And it comes across in our music too with the dark baseline, with the heavy baselines, the high hats. Keeping this s— Memphis.
“Cheefa Da Reefa” was the first solo song you recorded with Three 6 Mafia. But, what was the defining moment for you that said, “I made it?”
Well, right now, just still getting my recognition and my newfound accolades and when other ladies pop out, it’s always like, “Wow, this person sound like Gangsta Boo,” or, “Why is Boo’s name not mentioned enough?”
But at the same time, I still have so much work to do. I haven’t had that yet other than that like, “Damn, I’m dope as f–. People are still talking about me.”
And I haven’t even dropped a lot of music and back-to-back or a lot of content. But people still, the fans, when I search my name on Twitter, every time somebody comes out, I always see them compared to me. And that’s a form of, in my mind like, “Damn, b–. You that b–, like the blueprint, so you did make it.” But at the same time, I still feel like it’s so much opportunity for me. I’m excited about that, to be honest.
You coined the adlib, “Yeah Hoe.” Legendary. How would you describe your legacy or impact on female rap and hip-hop in general?
I would honestly say that I have to admit, respectfully and humbly, that I am the blueprint. I hear my cadence in a lot of men and female rappers. It’s hard to f– lie to myself and says, “Oh wow, she’s from New York but she raps like she’s from Memphis. Oh wow, this person is from f– wherever, but they rap like they are from Memphis.” Because I’m not talking about anybody in particular, but my sound is a Memphis sound. It’s a Gangsta Boo sound, it’s a Three 6 Mafia sound. So, I am the blueprint and I wear that badge proudly as f–.
I used to run away from it. I used to didn’t want to even give myself flowers because I’ve been so low-key and humble, but I’m on some f– that s—. It’s time to claim what’s mine. I’m one of the main b–. And it feels fun to still be able to look good and be relevant in a place where I don’t have this million-dollar machine behind me and I have all my natural body parts, no shade to the ones that don’t. But it just feels great to stand in yourself and look in the mirror and be like, “Wow, you did that.” And not sell your soul and go to bed at night with a smile on your face. Because I don’t have any pressure.
Let’s talk about your late group member, Lord Infamous. What kind of impact did Lord Infamous have on you before his passing in 2013?
S—. Lord was my brother, man. Lord, he was one of the originators of Three 6 Mafia. If I’m not mistaken, he came up with the name Three 6 Mafia with Paul. You see, Paul is Lord Infamous’ uncle. He was a big influence on how I wrote my raps and my lyrics and s—. How he put his words and how intelligent he was, the books that he read, the things that he spoke about, it’s still influential to me because he wasn’t just rapping about simple s—.
You had to be knowledgeable to even pay attention to follow what he was saying. It’s kind of hard for me to even rap simple because I don’t even know how to do it. Lord wasn’t a simple rapper. And to me, that’s what kind of motivated me to not be a simple rapper and to just go hard with my pen.
What’s your fondest memory of him?
He was very short and soft-spoken but was a big old beast and he did not take no s—. I remember I used to rap on his answering machine, and his house phone when I was younger to get him to tell Paul how good I was.
So if it wasn’t for him, I probably would not even have been able to be in the group. And for two, he also was the one that helped put the group back together when we were able to tour as the Mafia 6. When Juicy wasn’t around, it was the Mafia 6. It was me, Paul, Lord Infamous, Koopsta Knicca, Crunchy Black, and Lord Infamous who made that happen. So that’s my fondest memory of him, being able to complete a Mafia 6 project with him on it and being able to shoot a couple of videos with him in it before his passing.
Three 6 Mafia repped Memphis so well on VERZUZ. How was your VERZUZ experience overall? How did the city react?
Man, we turned the city up. They were so proud of us because that was our first time on the stage altogether, minus the ones that we lost, which were Lord Infamous and Koopsta. And Bone Thugs a group that we used to have issues with back in the day, are legendary. So, when I walked out on that f– stage and I couldn’t turn my ass around, I was like, “Oh s—, I’m on the stage and Paul and Juicy.” And I was the only girl out there until they brought out La Chat.
So, in hindsight 2020, it was surreal as f–… I just feel so blessed and just so grateful to still be making moves like that and relevant like that because you can’t be irrelevant to be paid, for one. So I’m just really, really honored that our sound is still so relevant to the point that it makes people still intrigued at what we have to say.
What is the hardest lesson you had to learn about the music industry that other young ladies who want to follow in your footsteps should know?
Man, take your time, be different, and be original. Don’t burn yourself out and don’t let people play you. I’d say don’t get lost in the sauce. Money ain’t going to have me doing something that I can’t look in the mirror and be proud of. And you don’t have to be a porn star either. Be an MC. I like that different s—. Everybody doesn’t have to have a viral moment or be trendy. Because when that trend goes away when that viral moment goes away, then what?
I heard you got a new project in the works. What’s next for Gangsta Boo?
Right now I’m just working on a project, it’s called The BooPrint and hopefully, I’m dropping that first quarter next year I’m just happy to be dropping content now. I got a song called “Sucker Free” that’s available on all platforms produced by Drumma Boy. I got a song called “I’m Fresh,” that’s available.And to be honest, girl, I’m just excited to be working with the Lattos and I’m happy to see women like GloRilla represent Memphis, so just excited…that’s motivating me to want to keep doing my music.
There is nothing funny about Kanye West‘s repeated amplification of antisemitic tropes and hate speech over the past month. In a series of interviews and media appearances, the artist who now goes by Ye has made a series of comments denigrating the Jewish people, culminating last week with an appearance on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ show in which Ye stated “I like Hitler.”
But if there is one person who has the unique ability to transform hate into hilarity, it is Sacha Baron Cohen. The acclaimed comedian — who is Jewish — appeared at this weekend’s Kennedy Center Honors in the guise of his belovedly profane, offensive-to-everyone dopey journalist character Borat Sagdiyev to pay tribute to honorees U2.
Kazakhstan’s least reliable source of news took the stage and expressed genuine confusion that President Biden is the current White House resident. “I know the president of U.S. and A is here. Where are you, Mr. Trump?” Borat asked according to a transcript of the appearance from The Guardian.
“You don’t look so good,” Borat said to Biden. “Where has your glorious big belly gone? And your pretty orange skin has become pale… But I see you have a new wife. Wawa-woooah! She is very erotic. I must look away before I get a Bono.”
But the sharpest barbs from the comedian whose work skewers hate and intolerance with even more absurdly hateful, intolerant punchlines that shine a sharp satiric light on xenophobic and homophobic hate speech went all-in on Ye in the wake of the rapper’s latest exile from Twitter for posting an image of a swastika last week.
“Before I proceed, I will say I am very upset about the antisemitism in US and A. It not fair,” Borat said. “Kazakhstan is No 1 Jew-crushing nation. Stop stealing our hobby. Stop the steal! Stop the steal! Your Kanye, he tried to move to Kazakhstan and even changed his name to Kazakhstan-Ye West. But we said: ‘No, he too antisemitic, even for us.’”
In a classic Borat bit, Cohen then sang a brief parody of U2’s “Without or Without You,” with the lyrics switched up to “With or Without Jews,” as titters erupted in the crowd and he asked, “What’s the problem? They loved this at Mar-a-Lago. They chose Without Jews.”
West, who does not appear to be promoting any projects at the moment, has been on a month-long media tour of right-wing media outlets in which he has unashamedly denigrated the Jewish people while also praising the murderous Nazi regime. The disgraced MC whose once-massive music and fashion portfolio has gone into free-fall since he began spouting antisemitic and racist statements continued his bizarre hate tour on his Instagram feed on Sunday when he made what was couched as a joke about Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s ethnic heritage.
“Am I the only one who thinks Elon could be half-Chinese?,” West asked. “Have you ever seen his pics as a child?” Musk was born in South Africa to a Canadian mother and South African father and it was unclear what West was referring to in questioning the billionaire Space X/Tesla founder’s ethnicity.
Without mentioning Ye by name, President Biden issued a pointed statement on the dangers of antisemitism and the embrace of Nazis on Friday in the wake of West’s Hitler praise on Jones’ show. “I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure,” Biden tweeted in a statement. “And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity.”
The strongly worded statement from Biden starkly contrasted with the recent scene at Donald Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort, where the twice-impeached president hosted Ye as well as far right activist and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who is also known for spewing antisemitic rhetoric. Also present at the lunch that Trump hosted on the high-visibility patio at his golf club was Ye’s apparent 2024 presidential campaign manager — who has reportedly since been fired — professional right-wing troll Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been blocked from most major social media platforms for his slurs against Islam and feminism, and his embrace of antisemitic figures.
West’s doubling and tripling-down on hate speech comes just months after the Anti-Defamation League — which tracks anti-Semitic behavior nationwide — reported a 34% rise in anti-Semitic incidents in 2021 (to 2,717), which averaged out to more than seven such incidents per day.
After getting booted from Twitter again last week for posting an image of a swastika, Kanye West uploaded his latest bizarre, racially charged statement on Instagram on Sunday (Dec. 4), in which the embattled artist who now goes by Ye questioned Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s heritage while suggesting he’s possibly a “genetic hybrid.”
“Am I the only one who thinks Elon could be half-Chinese?,” West asked. “Have you ever seen his pics as a child?” Musk was born in South Africa to a Canadian mother and South African father and it was unclear what West was referring to in questioning the billionaire Space X/Tesla founder’s ethnicity. The racially charged comment from the disgraced MC whose once-massive music and fashion portfolio has gone into free-fall since he began a now month-long spree of spouting antisemitic and racist statements continued with another bizarre suggestion about Musk’s genetic makeup.
“Take a Chinese genius and mate them with a South African super model and we have an elon,” Ye added. “I say an Elon because they probably made 10 to 30 Elon’s and he’s the first genetic hybrid that stuck.” Musk, whose chaotic tenure atop the Twitter org chart has seen an exodus of some prominent users and his re-platforming of formerly banned one-term president Donald Trump and accounts that promote white nationalism and neo-nazi causes, treated the West post as the kind of edgelord provocation he relishes.
“I take that as a compliment!” Musk responded of the seeming accolade to the norm-busting billionaire who has long been obsessed with artificial intelligence and exploring the limits of the human form.
West also tacked on another provocative statement, adding, “Let’s not forget about Obama.” At press time it was unclear what the latter was referring to, though he did double-down on mentioning the former president by adding, “I’m sorry for using curse words in church but I don’t have another word for Obama yet.” The post ended with a promotion for Ye’s second presidential bid.
Alongside the Insta slide, West appeared to be mocking his race-baiting in the comment to his post, writing, “On Jay Zs birthday Future president of the United States Ye uses Mark Zuckerberg’s platform to incite a mass investigation of Elon Musk’s childhood photos in the midst of Balenciagagate. I call this The theory of everything Problem solved Praise God.”
West was booted off Musk’s Twitter again last week for posting the Nazi symbol inside a Jewish star, which capped a week in which he repeatedly stated “I like Nazis” on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ talk show while praising reviled Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. West — who does not appear to have any new music or fashion projects to promote in the wake of his business empire’s crash — has been on a month-long media tour in which he has sparked widespread condemnation for his endless stream of antisemitic comments.
Without mentioning Ye by name, President Joe Biden issued a pointed statement on the dangers of antisemitism and the embrace of Nazis on Friday. “I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure,” Biden tweeted in a statement. “And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity.”
The strongly worded statement from Biden starkly contrasted with the recent scene at Donald Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort, where the twice-impeached president hosted Ye as well as far right activist and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who is also known for spewing antisemitic rhetoric. Also present at the lunch that Trump hosted on the high-visibility patio at his golf club was Ye’s apparent 2024 presidential campaign manager — who has reportedly since been fired — professional right-wing troll Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been blocked from most major social media platforms for his slurs against Islam and feminism, and his embrace of antisemitic figures.
West’s repeated amplification of antisemitic tropes and insults comes amid a rising tide of such toxic rhetoric in the nation. In April, the Anti-Defamation League, which tracks anti-Semitic behavior nationwide, reported a 34% rise in anti-Semitic incidents in 2021 (to 2,717), which averaged out to more than seven such incidents per day.
Amid a historic uptick in antisemitism in the United States, Pres. Joe Biden tweeted an unequivocal rejection of hate speech and admiration for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on Friday morning (Dec. 2), less than a day after Kanye West repeatedly told conspiracist Alex Jones: “I like Hitler,” while praising the Nazi regime on Jones’ Infowars talk show.
“I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure,” Biden tweeted in the statement that did not mention West by name. “And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity.”
The strongly worded statement from Biden also starkly contrasted with the scene last week at Donald Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort, where the former one-term president hosted Ye (as Kanye West is now known) as well as far right activist and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who is known for spewing antisemitic rhetoric. Also present at the lunch that Trump hosted on the high-visibility patio at his golf club was Ye’s apparent 2024 presidential campaign manager and professional right-wing troll Milo Yiannopoulos, who has been blocked from most major social media platforms for his repeated slurs against Islam and feminism and his embrace of antisemitic figures.
In an attempt to tamp down the fierce backlash for the lunch from figures on both sides of the aisle, Trump released a series of statements on his right-wing Truth social platform claiming he “never met and knew nothing about” Fuentes before he was ushered into the club as part of Ye’s entourage despite reportedly not being on the guest list that day.
In contrast to Biden’s full-throated disavowal of antisemitic speech and Nazi fetishizing, Trump has repeatedly equivocated when it comes to condemning hate speech, including failing to denounce the Ku Klux Klan when he was endorsed by its former leader in 2016 and famously blaming “both sides” during the aftermath of a deadly white supremacist protest in Charlottesville in 2017. The lunch came a week after Trump launch his third bid for the White House.
West has been on a month-long media tour that has found the rapper repeatedly spewing hateful rhetoric aimed at the Jewish people that has led to rapid downfall of his once-formidable fashion and music empire, as well as yet another ban from Twitter on Thursday when he posted an image of a swastika.
Check out Biden’s tweet below.
I just want to make a few things clear:The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides. Silence is complicity.— President Biden (@POTUS) December 2, 2022
Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly have never shied away from a little PDA. But in their new ad campaign for the actress’ Play With Fire nail polish kit collab with her fianceé’s UN/DN LAQR nail brand, they get entangled to celebrate some vibrant colors inspired by Megan’s favorite crystals and gemstones.
In one of the snaps, Fox’s emerald green nails grip the back of MGK’s neck as he lays his hands — in a bright blue shade — over hers. In the second pic, she stares at the side of Colson’s neck while cradling his throat with her right hand.
“I know you. I have known you so many times, in so many different forms, in so many different lives,” reads a tagline for the collection which includes six hues, including: Past Life (bright Lapus Lazuli blue), Brutal Honesty (malachite green), Twin Flame (ruby red), Deep Breath (shattered “glass” iridescent effect), Third Eye (lilac purple) and Nothing Matt(er)s (matt top coat).
“The collection is themed around some of my favorite crystals and gemstones, I love wearing jewel tones as they play well against my natural coloring,” Fox told Allure about the range of colors that also reflect the natural world and changing seasons. “Winter is a time for all types of ‘hibernation’ or turning inward; we see this with animals as well as plants during this season. This is a waning (withdrawing) time, not a waxing (growing) time.”
In an accompanying video set to MGK’s “Sid & Nancy” Fox gets her nails done as she lays in bed and the couple hit a number of red carpets while the actress strikes a series of seductive poses while showing off some of her Fire colors.
Check out the images from the campaign below.
