State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
Page: 114
Eminem’s manager is the first to acknowledge that the rapper is not exactly rock n’ roll by definition — but also that he deserves his upcoming spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“In the traditional sense does Marshall [Mathers] do rock n’ roll? Of course not,” says Paul Rosenberg of Goliath Artists, who met Eminem in 1995 at Detroit’s famed Hip Hop Shop and began managing him shortly thereafter. “But I think if you look at what rock n’ roll came from and what hip-hop was created from, they stem from the same musical roots, the same musical tree — but at the same time very different in style, form, culture. If you think about those aspects and just the emotion, and then you combine that with how many rappers there already are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I would say that he certainly fits.”
Eminem will be part of the Rock Hall’s class of 2022, inducted on Saturday (Nov. 5) at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. He’ll join the other performer inductees that night — Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Carly Simon — and he’ll become part of the Hall’s hip-hop corps that also includes Run-D.M.C. (whom Eminem inducted in 2009), LL Cool J (whom he performed with during last year’s ceremony), The Notorious B.I.G., N.W.A, Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur and Jay-Z.
In doing so, he also becomes part of the ongoing discussion about whether rappers belong in the Rock Hall.
“It’s an odd sort of thing, sure,” the New York-based Rosenberg, who partners with Eminem in the Shady Records label and clothing line and other endeavors, tells Billboard. “It’s something that I think a lot of people are struggling with, especially as time goes on because the face of music has changed a lot, and it continues to evolve. If it were just strictly rock n’ roll by traditional standards I think they would be hard-pressed to find enough people to induct 10, 15, 20 years from now. So I think they have to change with the times and not bend their beliefs but change their way of thinking a bit. I think the fact that they have inducted people like LL and Run-D.M.C. is great. I think (Eminem) would like to see a lot more rappers get recognized in the same fashion.”
Rosenberg — who is careful to state that he does not speak for Eminem — says the two of them first thought about the rapper getting into the Rock Hall back when he inducted Run-D.M.C. “We had thought about it – ‘Wait a minute, eventually this is maybe gonna be you…’,” recalls Rosenberg. But the thought quickly faded. “I didn’t even think about something like this for many years,” he says, “until at some point somebody mentioned to me, ‘Y’know, eligibility for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is 25 years after you release your first album.’ This is probably three, four years ago, and I was like, ‘Wait a minute…Oh boy, that’s not too far away.’”
Eminem’s credentials are certainly manifold – five No. 1 Hot 100 hits, 22 top 10 Hot 100 hits, 10 albums that have debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, 15 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and an Emmy (which means he’s just a Tony Award shy of an EGOT).
To Rosenberg, meanwhile, the Rock Hall induction is “not just one of the trophies in the case — it’s one of the big trophies in the case. It’s a significant milestone. It’s a big part of somebody’s legacy, I think, to get that recognition. And it was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is the first time on the ballot.’ That’s a big honor. When you look back at your resume it’s up there with saying you won an Oscar, that level of recognition.” And without putting words in the rapper’s mouth, Rosenberg does acknowledge that Eminem was not displeased.
“As you know Marshall is an extremely humble guy and he doesn’t love people fawning over him in that way,” explains Rosenberg, who was also CEO of Def Jam Recordings from January 2018 to early 2020 and now heads Goliath Records in joint venture with Universal Music Group. “But like anybody else who works hard at what they do, he appreciates being recognized for it. So he felt good about it. To say what it means to him, you have to hear him when he gets up on stage.”
The induction caps a busy 2022 for Eminem that’s included a Super Bowl LVI halftime performance (which brought him the aforementioned Emmy), collaborations with Snoop Dogg, DJ Khaled, Cordae and CeeLo Green (the latter a Dr. Dre-produced track for the Elvis film soundtrack), a second greatest hits album, Curtain Call 2, and a recently announced 20th anniversary edition of the 8 Mile film soundtrack. “It’s sort of a big, celebratory, legacy year,” Rosenberg notes, “but at the same time Marshall is continuing to be a frontline recording artist. You don’t want to look like you’re always looking back when at the same time you’re trying to create and move forward. It’s a little bit of a difficult balance, and for him it can get a little frustrating. He doesn’t want to seem like he’s done being a current recording music artist, because he very much is. It’s just about figuring out the right way to walk that line.
“If you look back in most recent years, his output has been pretty significant in terms of how many albums he’s released. I don’t think he needs a reason to continue to record. He’s very consumed with the process of creating, and he never really stops recording.”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be simulcast Saturday (Nov. 5) on SiriusXM’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Radio channel (310) and on Volume on the SXM App. HBO will film the event to air at 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 18.
The hip-hop world is reeling from the loss of Migos rapper Takeoff, who was killed during an early morning shooting on Tuesday in Houston. And while police are still on the hunt for the shooter in the incident, Drake took a few moments on the night of the album release for his 21 Savage collab album Her Loss to eulogize his fallen comrade.
“Before I get into the pleasantries, I’d just like to send our deepest condolences from the family to the entire QC, to our brother Quavo, to our brother Offset, to the friends and loved ones of the legendary, unprecedented Takeoff — a guy that I knew for a long, long time,” Drake said in the open of his Table For One show on Drizzy’s Sound42 SiriusXM channel on Thursday night.
The OVO boss nodded to the remix of the Migos 2013 debut single, “Versace,” that he was featured on as the origin story of their close connection before emotionally diving deeper into their bond. “And from there, you know, we formed a brotherhood. I always talk about the fact that this was one family. My friends in the music industry are not friends, they’re family,” he said. “So, our deepest condolences — tragic loss for all of us and, you know, a dark cloud over this business that we love so much.”
Takeoff (born Kirsnick Khari Ball), 28 was killed after suffering gunshot wounds to the head and torso early Tuesday at downtown Houston’s 810 Billiards & Bowling while hanging with uncle and Migos bandmate Quavo when investigators say shots rang out during an afterparty. Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene, and two other victims — a 23-year-old male and 24-year-old female — checked themselves into a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. At press time police had not yet announced a suspect in the case.
In his eulogy, Drake encouraged everyone to “lock into” a mindset of honoring life as he became the latest in a long list of fellow musicians paying homage to the man considered by many to be the musical heartbeat of the Atlanta-bred trio. “It’s a life that’s worth living, and everybody deserves that chance,” Drake said. “It’s unfortunate that one of our dear, dear brothers had to leave us this week. And it’s tough to even talk about, I don’t even know how to really — I don’t have the words, I feel like I’m rambling, but, yeah… Again, our deepest condolences from the family. We love you, and I appreciate the memories, appreciate the memories.”
The tribute came two days after Drake posted a picture of him on stage with Takeoff, writing, “I got the best memories of all of us seeing the world together and bringing light to every city we touch. That’s what I’ll focus on for now rest easy space man Take 🚀.”
Charlamagne Tha God also had thoughtful words for Takeoff during an episode of his Comedy Central talk show Hell of a Week, where he took a minute to give the MC his flowers while noting that he was much more than just a rapper. “He was a rapper but that man is a human, and a son, and a nephew, and a friend and we’re mourning the fact that we won’t ever get any more new music from Takeoff, but his family is mourning the fact they won’t see Takeoff at Thanksgiving this year,” Charlamagne said. “Rest in power, king.”
Listen to Drake and Charlamagne below.
Sean “P. Diddy” Combs never does anything halfway. On Friday (Nov. 4) the music/fashion/sprits/media mogul announced that he plans to make a major investment in the legal marijuana game with a $185 million deal to buy licensed weed operations in three states.
If approved, the deal would create the nation’s largest Black-owned and licensed cannabis company, a platform Diddy said he wants to use to increase Black participation in the field.
“It’s diabolical,” Combs, 53, told the Wall Street Journal about his desire to get into the pot business to help address long-running inequities that have seen Black people disproportionately arrested and jailed for marijuana crimes even as they make up a “tiny” percentage of the market for legal weed. “How do you lock up communities of people, break down their family structure, their futures, and then legalize it and make sure that those same people don’t get a chance to benefit or resurrect their lives from it?”
The Journal noted that in the quarter century since California first legalized medical marijuana cannabis has grown into a $27 billion legal business in the U.S. even as many Black entrepreneurs looking to get into the mix have said they’ve faced obstacles in finding financing, capital and banking services; Black cannabis entrepreneurs currently account for less than 2% of the nation’s marijuana businesses, which employs around 500,000 people.
“Two percent?” Diddy said. “All the years, all the pain, all the incarceration… To me, it was important to do a big deal like this.”
Diddy will dive in by purchasing the cannabis operations of Cresco Labs Inc. (valued at $1 billion) and Columbia Care Inc. (valued at $500 million), two of the biggest cannabis companies in the country. The buy-in — which includes a $110 million cash payment and $45 million in debt financing — will give the Bad Boy boss nine retail stores and three production facilities in New York, Massachusetts and Illinois, according to a release announcing the deal.
“My mission has always been to create opportunities for Black entrepreneurs in industries where we’ve traditionally been denied access, and this acquisition provides the immediate scale and impact needed to create a more equitable future in cannabis,” said Combs in a statement. “Owning the entire process — from growing and manufacturing to marketing, retail, and wholesale distribution — is a historic win for the culture that will allow us to empower diverse leaders throughout the ecosystem and be bold advocates for inclusion.”
The operations in the three states will give Combs the ability to grow and manufacture cannabis products and wholesale and distribute those branded products to licensed dispensaries in major metro areas including New York, Boston and Chicago, as well as operate retail stores in all three states.
“Today’s announcement is bigger than the Transaction – and it couldn’t come at a time of greater significance and momentum,” said Cresco Labs CEO Charles Bachtell in a statement. “We’ve seen executive power exercised to address matters of cannabis injustice, we’re seeing bi-partisan support for elements of federal reform, and we’re seeing some of the largest and most influential states in the country launch cannabis programs prioritizing social responsibility – this announcement adds to that momentum.”
Bachtell noted that the transaction is a major step toward closing his company’s previously announced acquisition of Columbia Care and their push for greater diversity of leadership and perspective in the market. “The substantial presence of a minority-owned operator in some of the most influential markets in the country being led by one of the most prolific and impactful entrepreneurs of our time is momentous… and incredibly exciting. We’re thrilled to welcome Sean and his team to the industry,” he said.
Columbia CEO Nicholas Vita added that, “These assets offer the Combs’ team significant market presence, enabling them to make the most impact on the industry as a whole. It’s been clear to us that Sean has the right team to carry on the strong legacy of these Columbia Care and Cresco Labs facilities, and we can’t wait to see how he helps shape the cannabis industry going forward through his entrepreneurial leadership and innovation.”
Though marijuana is legal in 19 states for recreational use by adults and in 39 states for medical use it is still illegal under federal law.
Megan Thee Stallion wasted no time Friday morning (Nov. 4) calling out Drake for a line from his new song “Circo Loco.” Shortly after Drizzy and 21 Savage‘s Her Loss joint album dropped, Meg took to Twitter to air out her feelings about the 6 God seemingly suggesting in a “Loco” lyric that the Houston rapper lied about allegedly getting shot by Tory Lanez.
“This b—h lie ’bout getting shots, but she still a stallion/ She don’t even get the joke/ But she still smiling,” Drake raps on the song, in which he doesn’t mention Meg by name. He then appears to double-down a short time later with the line, “Shorty say she graduated, she ain’t learn enough/ Play your album, track one, ‘kay, I heard enough.”
Megan graduated from Texas Southern University in 2021 and in a June interview she talked about the excruciating, lengthy recovery she went through from the physical and emotional injuries from the July 2020 incident in which Lanez allegedly shot her in the feet after an argument. During a CBS Mornings interview in April, Megan reaffirmed testimony she gave during a pre-trial hearing in December 2021 that Lanez yelled “Dance, bitch!” as he opened fire around her feet. Lanez was charged with one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic weapon and another count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; Lanez has pleaded not guilty and a trail is set to begin on Nov. 28.
“Stop using my shooting for clout b–h ass N—-s! Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot !,” she tweeted early Friday morning in a series of heated comments which did not call out Drake by name, but which appeared to be a reaction to the “Loco” lines, which The Daily Beast described as a “vile, misogynistic” attack. “You n—-s especially RAP N—-S ARE LAME! Ready to boycott bout shoes and clothes but dog pile on a black woman when she say one of y’all homeboys abused her.” At press time a spokesperson for Drake had not returned requests for comment.
Megan kept going, adding, “People attack me y’all go up for it , i defend myself now I’m doing too much … every time it never ends and this did NOT happen until I came out and said I got shot … y’all don’t fwm okay cool f–k it bye,” she wrote after opening the tweet spree with a hard shot at people who don’t believe women, noting that “a stallion is slang for a TALL THICK WOMAN.”
“I know I’m very popular but y’all gotta stop attaching weak ass conspiracy theories in bars to my name lol N—-s nor hoes EVER address me or @ me WITH a fact or receipts. I AM CLOUT B—H keep sucking my p–y.” She continued weighing in with another a few additional comments, including a warning that the truth will be revealed in court.
“And when the mf facts come out remember all y’all hoe ass favorite rappers that stood behind a N—a that SHOT A FEMALE,” she wrote. At press time it did not appear that Drake had responded to Megan’s tweets.
See Megan’s tweets below.
I know I’m very popular but y’all gotta stop attaching weak ass conspiracy theories in bars to my name lol Niggas nor hoes EVER address me or @ me WITH a fact or receipts. I AM CLOUT BITCH keep sucking my pussy— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) November 4, 2022
Stop using my shooting for clout bitch ass Niggas! Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot ! You niggas especially RAP NIGGAS ARE LAME! Ready to boycott bout shoes and clothes but dog pile on a black woman when she say one of y’all homeboys abused her— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) November 4, 2022
And when the mf facts come out remember all y’all hoe ass favorite rappers that stood behind a Nigga that SHOT A FEMALE— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) November 4, 2022
People attack me y’all go up for it , i defend myself now I’m doing too much … every time it never ends and this did NOT happen until I came out and said I got shot … y’all don’t fwm okay cool fuck it bye— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) November 4, 2022
People attack me y’all go up for it , i defend myself now I’m doing too much … every time it never ends and this did NOT happen until I came out and said I got shot … y’all don’t fwm okay cool fuck it bye— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) November 4, 2022
After getting locked out of Instagram again earlier this week for violating the site’s policies, Kanye West re-posted an image from his suspended IG on Twitter early Thursday morning (Nov. 3) of controversial Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving in what appears to be the embattled rapper’s latest provocation.
The timing of the tweet by West (who now goes by Ye) came after Irving released a joint statement with the Anti-Defamation League and his team in which the point guard and the Nets each pledged to donate $500,000 to “causes and organizations that work to eradicate hate and intolerance” after Irving was widely criticized last week for sharing a link to an antisemitic movie on his social feeds.
The since-deleted tweet linked to a video posted by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones which promoted the antisemitic 2018 movie Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. The post by Irving drew widespread condemnation at a time when Ye has been deplatformed and seen his once-formidable fashion and music empire greatly diminished after repeatedly spreading antisemitic hate speech.
Like Ye, Irving steadfastly defending his right to spread such rhetoric in a post-game press conference on Saturday at which he said, “In terms of the backlash, we’re in 2022, history is not supposed to be hidden from anybody and I’m not a divisive person when it comes to religion, I embrace all walks of life. So the claims of antisemitism and who are the original chosen people of God and we go into these religious conversations and it’s a big no, no, I don’t live my life that way.”
The NBA, Nets owner Joe Tsai and the ADL strongly condemned Irving for spreading antisemitic speech, with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeting, “The book and film he promotes trade in deeply #antisemitic themes, including those promoted by dangerous sects of the Black Hebrew Israelites movement. Irving should clarify now.”
After initially defending his right to post on his personal accounts and vowing now to “stand down on anything I believe,” Irving reversed course and said in the statement, “I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day. I am aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community, and I take responsibility.”
Before his latest Instagram suspension, West posted a smiling pic of Irving on Sunday with the caption, “There’s some real ones still here.” Ye posted a different snap of Irving on Twitter Thursday with no comment just hours after the athlete’s mea culpa. In the wake of the Irving controversy, the Ye post was the latest provocation in a month-long spree in which the rapper has repeatedly made antisemitic remarks that Forbes reported has resulted in him losing his billionaire status as most of his high-profile fashion, music and sports marketing clients have fled his now-radioactive brand.
West had his Twitter account temporarily restricted after posting in early October that he was going to go “Death Con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” The Irving post marked Ye’s return to the platform a week after self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk bought the site; a new study reported that homophobic, racist and antisemitic hate speech on Twitter dramatically spiked in the hours and days following Musk’s takeover.
The amplification of anti-Jewish tropes by such high-profile figures also 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.
Check out Ye’s tweet and the Nets and Irving’s statements below.
50 Cent honored late rapper Takeoff during a show on Tuesday in Finland, just hours after the Migos member was shot and killed in Houston in an as-yet-unsolved incident. “I paid tribute to Takeoff last night in Finland it was lit,” 50 wrote alongside a photo of the stage, which featured three giant images of the 28-year-old MC who was shot and killed early Tuesday morning while partying with uncle and bandmate Quavo at a bowling/billiards hall.
Fiddy also offered some advice to Quavo about how to properly preserve his nephew’s legacy by posting a clip from the most recent episode of Rich Kleinman’s Out of Office show in which Universal Music Group exec Steven Victor described 50’s role in Pop Smoke’s posthumous album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, released five months after Smoke’s killing during a home invasion robbery.
In the chat, Victor says that the album might never have been released if it wasn’t for 50’s encouragement to push through with the project. “So when [Pop Smoke] passed, 50 kept trying to get in touch with me. So I finally went to go see him. I couldn’t listen to [Pop Smoke’s] music, and 50 was like, ‘Yo. You’re being selfish. You can’t let your emotions or you being in this depressed state stop you from executing what plans you guys had,” Victor recalled. “‘Three weeks ago, you guys were in my office talkin’ about taking over the world. He passed away, but who’s going to keep his legacy goin’? Who’s gonna make sure his music comes out so he can take care of his family?’ He’s like, ‘That’s on you. I get you’re sad and all that s–t, but this ain’t the time for that.’”
In a post featuring the interview, 50 wrote. “This is really how it goes @QuavoStuntin you have to position this Album correctly for Take Offs Legacy, go make a couple changes and address everything all artist make the best music out of painful moments. R.I.P to Pop Smoke. R.I.P to TakeOff.”
50’s suggestion came nearly a month after Quavo and Takeoff’s Migos side project, Unc and Phew, dropped their debut album, Only Built for Infinity Links, with the G-Unit boss seemingly suggesting that Quavo go back and tweak the collection in the wake of Takeoff’s killing.
Takeoff (born Kirshnik Khari Ball) was at a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling in downtown Houston with Quavo around 2:35 a.m. on Tuesday when investigators say shots rang out during an afterparty attended by around 40 people. Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene, and two other victims — a 23-year-old male and 24-year-old female — checked themselves into a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
During a press conference this week, the city’s police chief, mayor and homicide investigation committee noted that much of the situation is currently under investigation, and urged witnesses to come forward with any information to help authorities solve the case. “Anyone who has information on the shooter, let us bring justice to this family,” Mayor Sylvester Turner added during the conference. “We will solve this case. We will find the shooter.” The Harris County coroner’s office confirmed to Billboard that the late star’s primary cause of death was “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm.”
Officials said many of those in attendance fled the scene, prompting Houston police chief Troy Finner to urge witnesses to come forward with any information to help authorities solve the case. “Anyone who has information on the shooter, let us bring justice to this family,” Mayor Sylvester Turner added during the conference. “We will solve this case. We will find the shooter.”
See 50’s tribute below.
J. Cole announced the return of his Dreamville Music Festival on Wednesday (Nov. 2), revealing that the event will return in spring 2023. In fact, after a two-year pandemic layoff and a reboot this spring, Dreamville is expanding to two days next year, with all the action slated to unfold in Raleigh, North Carolina’s Dorothea Dix Park on April 1-2.
The first edition of Dreamville took place at Dix Park on April 6, 2019; it was postponed from Sept. of 2018 due to the impact of that year’s Hurricane Florence. The first year lineup for the music, food, art and culture fest featured Cole, Big Sean, Nelly, SZA, 21 Savage, 6LACK, Teyana Taylor, Davido, Saba and more.
The planned second go-round of Dreamville was scheduled for April 2020, but postponed, then cancelled, due to the then-rampant COVID-19 pandemic. It finally returned in April of this year with sets from Lil Baby, Kehlani, Wizkid, Wale, Rico Nasty, Moneybagg Yo and the entire Dreamville roster, including Ari Lennox, EarthGang and J.I.D., among others. The fest drew more than 80,000 fans in 2022 and, according to organizers, created more than $6.7 million in economic impact on the local Raleigh and Wake County communities.
“Dreamville Festival wants to keep growing and building off the success of the expanded two-day event last year. Our team is excited to reunite with our Dreamville family from around the world next spring,” said Dreamville Festival President Adam Roy in a statement. “Day ones, JID fans, Ari fans, music fans, everyone is welcome. Consider this your personal invite. Come through, you won’t want to miss Dreamville 2023.”
Cole will once again curate next year’s lineup — which has not yet been released — with organizers promising “incredible music performances featuring Cole’s own favorite musical artists and collaborators who are traveling worldwide to perform in his home state of North Carolina.” A special ticket pre-sale will soon be available for Dreamville fans tho sign-up for the official festival email or text newsletter here.
Check out the announcement below.
James Corden got emotional on Tuesday night (Nov. 1) while remembering the Migos‘ Takeoff, telling viewers that he was “utterly devastated” to hear the news about the rapper’s killing on Monday morning. “It’s heartbreaking to anyone who knew him and to all of his fans around the world Takeoff was… oh man, he was funny and kind,” the Late Late Show host said of the 28-year-old MC who was gunned down at a Houston bowling alley by an as-yet-unknown assailant on Halloween night.
Corden said his most vivid memory of the time he spent with the rapper was “how much he loved music. He lived for it and it was that love of much that essentially willed Migos into existence,” he said of the drive that helped the Atlanta trio rise from cooking up early tracks on Windows Movie Maker video editing software to landing a string of Billboard Hot 100 hits with such indelible songs as “Stir Fry,” “Versace” and “Bad and Boujee.”
He noted that bandmate and uncle Quavo himself said that Takeoff was the strongest member of the group, which also includes Takeoff’s second cousin Offset. “They called him Takeoff because he’d record his verses often in just a single take,” Corden said, calling the trio one of the “most influential” rap groups of their generation. “Takeoff helped define trap music and he put it on a national stage.”
Counting himself lucky to have spent time with Takeoff over the past few years, Corden recalled that the “warm and generous” rapper even had a personal nickname for his late night pal: Big Drip. “We have lost someone incredibly special today,” Corden said. Migos made a number of appearances on the Late Late Show over the years, including a classic 2018 visit for a “Carpool Karaoke” segment (see below).
The trio’s label, Quality Control Music, took to Instagram on Tuesday to mourn the loss of the rapper. “It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother Kirsnick Khari Ball [Takeoff’s given name], known to the world as Takeoff,” a statement posted to the label’s social media read. “Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated.”
Takeoff was at a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling in downtown Houston with Quavo around 2:35 a.m. when investigators say shots rang out during an afterparty attended by around 40 people. Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene, and two other victims — a 23-year-old male and 24-year-old female — checked themselves into a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Houston police said the incident is still under investigation, encouraging anyone who was there or has any information to come forward to help authorities crack the case.
Check out Corden’s monologue and the Migos’ “Carpool Karaoke” episode below.
The fallout from Kanye West‘s recent spate of antisemitic remarks has once again impacted the students at the rapper’s private Christian K-12 Donda Academy school. Atlanta’s historic HBCU Morehouse College announced on Monday (Oct. 31) that it was canceling a basketball tournament slated for Nov. 6 at the city’s Forbes Arena between the Donda Doves and The Skill Factory due to Ye’s “divisive and unproductive” statements.
“Throughout its history, Morehouse College, perhaps more than any other institution, has stood for social discourse which advances equity and healing, particularly in areas involving race, culture, and socio-economic disparities,” the university said in a statement. “We therefore cannot condone, in perception or implication, the recent divisive and unproductive statements by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.”
This is the second event the Donda team has been kicked out of recently, coming on the heels of the squad being uninvited from the Dec. 11 Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics tourney in Louisville. West (who now goes by Ye) had his Instagram account restricted again on Monday following his latest reported violation of the platform’s policies. This 30-day lockdown comes after Instagram and Twitter both placed temporary restrictions on his social media accounts after he posted antisemitic comments earlier in October.
Billboard has not been able to reach a spokesperson for West. While Instagram parent company Meta did not specify what caused West to be locked out again, the move came as Ye continued to amplify hateful antisemitic tropes in a series of interviews and social media posts, actions that have resulted in many of the former partners in his once-sprawling fashion and music empire cutting ties with the rapper.
Ye appeared to react to the news that the Donda Academy has shut its doors on Sunday by sharing a graphic photo of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black teen who was tortured and lynched after being accused of offending a white woman in 1955. He also posted a series of photos of Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, who wrote in an op-ed for the Financial Times last week that West’s business partners, including companies that profit off his music — such as Apple, Spotify, Adidas and his touring partners — should stop working with the star.
“Can you find a place for the Donda Academy kids to go to school that’s properly zoned for a school? I got about 60 children that have no place to be as they look to transfer,” West wrote in an Instagram caption on Sunday before his account’s restriction. He also referenced the Donda basketball team’s freeze-out, writing, “They tried to dismantle our basketball team. Those boys are being penalized without reason. Even professional athletes were threatened by their owners to disassociate.”
See the Morehouse statement below.
The shocking death of Migos‘ Takeoff, 28, early Tuesday morning (Nov. 1) has elicited a flood of response from the hip-hop community. The youngest member of the rap trio was shot and killed at a Houston-area bowling alley according to the Houston Police Department.
A Houston PD spokesperson said the rapper (born Kirshnik Khari Ball) — who was one third of the Migos trio alongside his uncle, Quavo, and cousin, Offset — was at a private party at a bowling alley in downtown Houston with Quavo around 2:35 a.m. when investigators say shots rang out during an afterparty.
KHOU reported that police said someone started shooting at the gathering of around 40 people, sparking guests to flee the area with one victim, Takeoff, shot in the head or neck. Two other unidentified victims were reportedly transported to a local hospital in private vehicles.
Ja Rule echoed the thoughts of many commenters in his memorial for the slain rapper. “Rip Takeoff.. this s–t has to STOP… sending love to friends and family,” he tweeted, while producer London On Da Track said, “Long live Takeoff s–t krazy out here.” Lecrae was at a loss for words about Takeoff’s death, which came just hours after the rapper and his uncle, Quavo, released the Halloween-themed video for their Unc & Phew single “Messy.”
“No hot takes. No profound thoughts. Just sad that another rapper, son, brother, and friend has been killed. God be with all those who feel the loss,” Lecrae wrote, with producer Mike Will Made It writing, “RIP TAKE, DAM LIL BRO,” along with crying face, praying hands, broken heart, crown and flowers emoji. Gang Starr’s DJ Premier decried the senselessness of the death. “Condolences to Takeoff’s family,” he wrote. “This is beyond sad to be killed in a senseless situation with so much success.”
At press time a spokesperson for Offset had not returned requests for comment on the incident and a Houston PD spokesperson said there was no additional information on the injured and no suspects in custody or motive for the shooting; it also appeared that Quavo and Offset had not yet commented on Takeoff’s death.
See some of the reactions to Takeoff’s death below.
RIP TAKE , DAMN LIL BRO 😢🙏🏾💔👑💐— MADE-IT (@MikeWiLLMadeIt) November 1, 2022
Long live takeoff shit krazy out here— WeGotLondonOnDaTrack (@LondonOnDaTrack) November 1, 2022
Rip Takeoff… this shit has to STOP… sending love to friends and family 🕊🙏🏾— Ja Rule (@jarule) November 1, 2022
Sending our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Takeoff 🙏🏾— Def Jam Recordings (@defjam) November 1, 2022
No hot takes. No profound thoughts. Just sad that another rapper, son, brother, and friend has been killed. God be with all those who feel the loss. #TakeOff #MIGOS— Lecrae (@lecrae) November 1, 2022
Condolences to Takeoff’s Family. This is beyond sad to be killed in a senseless situation with so much success.— DJ Premier (@REALDJPREMIER) November 1, 2022
We send our condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of artist Kirshnik Khari Ball, also known as Takeoff from the successful rap group, Migos. pic.twitter.com/vgq1L322U9— NAACP (@NAACP) November 1, 2022
