State Champ Radio Hip-Hop
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To paraphrase the immortal words of Jay-Z: 50 Cent is a business, man. The MC-turned-media mogul, celebrating 20 years since his classic debut, has grown his G-Unit empire into a sprawling array of TV and movie productions that, according to Fif’s new Billboard digital cover story written by Carl Lamarre, have made him a serious (and seriously rich) power player in Hollywood.
But even that cash flow can’t compare to the money truck the rapper says he’s backing up for touring these days. The MC — who is working on a new album with longtime friend and producer Dr. Dre while gearing up for his first extensive domestic tour in 13 years — shared how much things have changed since the pre-fame days when fellow rapper Master P was booking him.
“I think he [Master P] gave me like $80,000, and now I’m getting like $900,000, $1 million,” 50 claimed of his current per-show quote. “The coolest thing we create in America is celebrities. If you see LeBron [James’] fan base internationally, you’ll argue, ‘Why is he staying here?’ He’s that big internationally. For the most part, I can’t speak for everybody, but the international side of the game is different.”
And while he has tapped the brakes on new music lately, 50 said he hasn’t missed writing and recording as he’s built up his non-rapping resumé over the past decade. “I get the attention that I want from music when I want it. I just went out and toured 45 countries, and everywhere was sold out,” he said. “That made me want to offer new music that I could integrate into everything now. I’ve done what I wanted to do in the [sales] capacity. I’ve sold over 35 million records. Not singles — albums. With Em, it’s different because he’s never going to stop [recording]. It bugs him out that I can do TV production.”
The interview includes a rundown of the many lucrative business deals 50 has cut over the past two decades, including an investment in vitaminwater that earned him $100 million and his successful foray into TV crime dramas with the Starz Power empire, which earned him and TV writer Courtney Kemp Agbor a $150 million deal with the network for a three-series commitment.
That initial deal has allowed series executive producer 50 to oversee a sprawling Power kingdom that has spawned six seasons of the original, as well as hit spinoffs Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force, as well as his show BMF, which followed the rise of infamous Detroit drug dealers the Black Mafia Family; the latter is now in its second season on Starz.
In trying to list out everything that she’s been up to as of late, drag superstar Bob the Drag Queen finds herself at a loss.
Sitting out of drag in a small podcasting studio, the star quickly lists off her HBO series We’re Here, her podcast with Monét X Change Sibling Rivalry and her stand-up comedy career with ease — it’s only once she gets to her extensive touring history that she begins to falter.
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“I’ve done ‘Werq the World,’ ‘Drag Queen Christmas,’ ‘Christmas Queens,’ the [Drag Race] season 8 tour, ‘In the Dark,’” she tells Billboard via Zoom, before suddenly going quiet. “I know there’s more. You name a Drag Race tour, I’ve probably done it. A girl had to make a dollar.”
It would be unreasonable for Bob to remember everything she’s been up to — in the almost seven years since being crowned the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 8, the dexterous performer has been hard at work creating her own drag empire. Spreading her talents out through comedy, reality television, podcasting, touring and internet virality, Bob has made herself one of the most sought-after drag queens in the world.
Today, though, Bob’s focus is on her music career. After taking a five-year hiatus from releasing original tracks, Bob is returning with their long-awaited debut EP Gay Barz (out Friday, Feb. 10). The 6-track project sees the queen taking on sounds from hip-hop and house and infusing them with what Bob calls her own “campy” sensibilities.
“There’s always an innate sense of humor in what I do,” she explains. “Even on a song like ‘Black‘ [Bob’s fiery ode to Black excellence], I’m still using my sense of humor to make my point — like with the line ‘If Rosa Parks could see you now/ She’d be beatin’ that ass.’”
It certainly shows throughout the project. On the late-EP ode-to-backsides “Booty,” Bob spits that you ought to “put that ass on trial/ Burn the booty at the stake”; the hard-hitting titular cypher contains some of the queen’s hardest bars, including “I don’t speak spanish/ But I will top-a-tío.”
But Bob is not the only one to spit fire on “Gay Barz” — the title track served as something of a freestyle session between Bob and three other queer rappers; Kamera Tyme, Mikey Angelo and Ocean Kelly. On “Black,” Bob and Kelly are joined by nonbinary singer-songwriter BASIT who adds a delicious vocal hook to the fiery anthem. “I call us the GGT; the girls, gays and theys,” Bob quips, grinning.
It’s no accident that most of the four featured artists were discovered by Bob through TikTok, a platform she adopted just before the start of COVID and where she has since expanded her reign with a massive following of 2.8 million. “It kind of occurred to me when I saw people being made famous on TikTok that we don’t have to take the celebrities you hand us. We get to hand you celebrities,” Bob says. “So it was really important to bring these amazing artists on this journey with me. Hopefully this will lead people to going and checking out their stuff individually, because they are all so talented and prolific.”
While the project is focused on providing the laughs and featuring deserving, up-and-coming LGBTQ talent, Gay Barz also doesn’t shy away from the politics of it all. Even the cover art for the album, showing a younger Bob being escorted away by police, comes from the star’s political activism, where she was arrested in 2011 for protesting for marriage equality near New York’s Bryant Park.
“They would do these things called ‘field mugshots,’ where they take a picture of you right there in the streets with a Polaroid. When I was getting out of jail, I had the audacity to swing by the front door and say, ‘Can I have my picture please?’” Bob recalls. “It’s been one of my favorite pictures of myself since that day.”
On “Black,” for example, when Bob isn’t asking if you’re “ready to gagatron,” the star is calling out the inequity faced by Black and queer folks on a regular basis, underlining the point further saying “multiply by 10 if you’re black and trans.” The video takes the concept even further, showing Bob taking over a police cruiser and taking (literal) shots at Klan members.
Bob doesn’t fault any artist who’d rather focus on escapism in a time of political turmoil — “Not everyone needs to be political,” she says. But for her, not speaking on what she thinks is ultimately not an option. “I have a big, loud mouth, I’m an opinionated bitch,” she says. “That’s why I was in the streets shouting that ‘New York demands marriage equality now,’ because I had a voice and I wanted to make sure people heard it.”
It’s a quality Bob shares with one of her pop idols, Madonna. Now, Bob can call the star not only an inspiration, but a collaborator; for her highly-anticipated, career-spanning world tour later this year, Madonna tapped Bob as a special guest for every performance.
Their relationship started when Bob was asked to host Madonna’s New York Pride show in 2022 — upon rehearsing and meeting with the “Material Girl,” Bob says the pair instantly hit it off, with Madonna taking a keen interest in her career. Eventually, she asked Bob to join her on her world tour, to which the queen excitedly agreed.
Bob remains tight-lipped about what to expect for the tour, stating only that the show will be “a journey through four decades of the top-selling woman in the history of music,” and adding that “I’m there to help facilitate that journey.” But the drag star also makes clear that her inclusion on the tour feels like a genuine acknowledgement of her talent. “She respects me in a way that doesn’t feel like a novelty,” Bob explains. “She doesn’t tell me, ‘You need to show up in full drag at 8:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning.’ She says, ‘Show up however it feels best for you.’”
The star even got Madonna’s input on parts of her new EP — Bob sent the video for “Black” to Madonna for any advice, and the “Like a Prayer” singer let her know that the clip was “phenomenal.” “Obviously, what matters most is how I feel about myself, but still, a stamp of approval from Madonna is just like … ‘what?!’” Bob says.
Still, on the eve of her EP’s release, Bob can’t help but feel the butterflies in her stomach at work. “I feel like I’m supposed to say, ‘Bitch, I’m ready for the EP to f–king take over the world!’ But in all honesty, I’m nervous,” she says. “I want the world to like my music.”
Whether or not they do, Bob also acknowledges that she’s done all that she can and more to put her everything into the new project. “I’m really happy with the work,” Bob says. “It says a lot about who I am, it says a lot about my journey. It feels like I’m doing this in a way that feels very true to me.”
“That’s the only place where I can relax,” 50 Cent says, his pearly whites glistening as they’ve done all day. He’s not talking about the recording studio or the performance stage — he’s talking about his Hollywood work. “When I’m chilling,” he continues, “there will be some sort of film and TV involved.”
Once considered rap’s top villain during the days of promoting his explosive 2003 debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, 50, at 47, is now a consummate professional. He’s punctual, debunking the theory that hip-hop stars always arrive on “rapper time.” He’s well-mannered and respectful, saying, “Please,” and “Thank you,” after each request. He’s also a great listener, allowing the staff to complete their directives during the photo shoot without stiff-arming his way into the conversation. It’s all in keeping with Curtis Jackson III’s drive to achieve a loftier ambition no one could have predicted 20 years ago: to become the biggest mogul in the TV industry.
“50 is one of the smartest guys in the rap game,” says Tony Yayo, 50’s childhood friend and co-founder of their hip-hop group G-Unit. Yayo recalls that, as kids, the South Jamaica, Queens, artist was more interested in selling pills for profit than playing with G.I. Joes. “When you look at guys like Jay-Z, Diddy and 50, those guys are geniuses,” explains Yayo. “They come from the same place we come from and made something out of nothing.”
It’s that same hustler ethos that landed 50 his deal with Interscope Records in 2002, after surviving being shot nine times outside of his grandmother’s house in Queens just two years prior. By signing under two Interscope imprints — Eminem’s Shady Records and Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment — 50 became the final piece in what would become one of hip-hop’s strongest triumvirates.
From his first day in the spotlight, 50 was a brawny, gun-toting MC that imposed fear upon rivaling East Coast rappers. He decimated the mixtape scene by remixing popular hit records and peppering them with his street flair. No instrumental was safe, and once 50 got his hands on Dr. Dre’s bombastic production, his rise was imminent. He rocketed into mainstream acclaim with “Wanksta,” followed by the multiplatinum No. 1 smash “In Da Club.” His thunderous reign continued with 2003’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and 2005’s The Massacre, two gargantuan Billboard 200 chart-toppers that sold a combined 14 million records in the United States, according to Luminate. And his various feuds with hip-hop figures, from Murda Inc. to Kanye West, kept him in the news as he kept collecting hits.
Although 50 enjoyed the competition, his attention began to wander from music. He launched his own video game with 2005’s Bulletproof, got a sneaker deal with Reebok in 2004 and invested in vitaminwater, receiving a 10% stake in the company that same year. Within three years, vitaminwater sales grew to $700 million, and parent company Glaceau was sold to Coca-Cola, which earned 50 Cent a whopping $100 million in profits.
His wins on the business front crossed over to Hollywood. After revamping his production company G-Unit Films (now G-Unit Films and Television) in 2010, 50 began developing various network projects; his first success was Power, a crime drama intertwining the glamorous club scene with the murderous drug world. He and TV writer Courtney Kemp Agbor teamed up for the series’ pilot script, which was pitched to then-Starz CEO Chris Albrecht. Thanks to the pair’s authentic storytelling and creative chemistry, Power became a hit and later earned them a $150 million deal in 2018 that included a three-series commitment and allowed G-Unit Film & Television access to all the Starz and Lionsgate platforms.
“He was in this for real,” Albrecht says of 50. “This wasn’t something he was doing for amusement. This was something he was taking as seriously as he ever took his music.”
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Jai Lennard
As Power’s executive producer, 50 watched the show garner praise for six seasons and spawn multiple hit spinoffs such as Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force. His show BMF, which followed the rise of infamous Detroit drug dealers the Black Mafia Family, launched on Starz in 2021 and is now in its second season. He has tapped several of his peers for cameos: Kendrick Lamar on Power, Eminem and Snoop Dogg on BMF, Joey Bada$$ for Raising Kanan, Mary J. Blige for Ghost. “I’ve seen him act, produce, direct and write,” says Blige. “I’m so impressed by his transition from rapper to amazing producer.”
50 has also negotiated deals with other networks: In November, he partnered with WeTV to launch the investigative series Hip-Hop Homicides. Hosted by Van Lathan, it examines the shocking deaths of rising stars in the genre like XXXTentacion and King Von. Last fall, 50 also inked a three-project partnership with Lusid Media for an unscripted crime series slated to debut later this year on Peacock. Plus, he and mentor Eminem are working on a TV adaptation of the latter’s 2002 semi-autobiographical film, 8 Mile. “He’s got scripted and unscripted shows,” Albrecht says. “He’s a force.”
And just as he has remade himself as a TV mogul, 50’s love for music is resurfacing. Eight years after selling his radio income stream to Kobalt Music Group in 2015 (worth $6 million), he is now working on a studio album with Dr. Dre, Eminem has sent him new songs to collaborate on, and Nas has tapped him for a feature on his forthcoming King’s Disease 4. And after a string of one-off shows and a subsequent international run last year, 50 is also planning to tour domestically for the first time in 13 years. He is already set to perform at Las Vegas’ Lovers & Friends Festival in May. One recent performance, as a surprise guest during 2021’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, even earned him an Emmy.
“The guy’s a machine; he always been like that from the block to now,” says Yayo of 50’s work ethic. “That’s the meaning of Get Rich or Die Tryin’. We got rich — and we still tryin’ to get more money.”
In his first solo cover story for Billboard, 50 talks expansively about his legacy in hip-hop, his long-term relationships with Dr. Dre and Eminem, and his seemingly bulletproof climb up the TV industry ladder.
With hip-hop turning 50 this year, how do you view your legacy within it?
My run was so uncomfortable that everyone would like to forget that it happened. That’s just the way it is with the artist community. I didn’t come in being friendly because I had to find a way into it — not find a way to be good enough to work in the community. The biggest compliment in the early stages was that artists felt like they’d made it when they got the deal. You had to earn the right to have the deal.
Get Rich or Die Tryin’ came out 20 years ago. Now that you’re working with Dr. Dre again, is the creative process different?
I’ll go in and start to record the best music that I can come up with from everybody else. Then I’ll find some pieces, and when I accumulate stuff that I feel like is good enough, I’ll bring it to impress Dre and [his team] to get cooler stuff from [him]. At that point, they’ll go, “I see where you headed.” They already know musically what I’m thinking is the right direction at that point. When I start projects with Dre, I would write to the first song that came on. I don’t care what it was, even if the beat wasn’t finished. I would write the record to break the ice, and we’d have something playing like [Dre] just got here even if he’s been here two or three hours and we got a record playing. He will change the drums and everything that you got there until you got something that’s a hit record.
The difference now is, with a lot of the stuff I would send, I’m looking at the angles of it happening from different perspectives instead of putting myself in the middle of actually doing something to someone. I wrote a lot of the material like that [before], but there are a million other approaches to use. So I’ll do those other things so I can still capture what goes on in the environment now. But it’s through the lens of not being in the game — it’s the perception of the game, from my perspective.
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Jai Lennard
Eminem has been another longtime mentor. What has it been like working with him throughout your career?
Em’s not going to say the s–t the way I say it because it just is what it is. There’s his humble nature — he’d call me and ask to do him a favor and rap with him on a song. Like, “You know I’m on your label, right? Yeah, whatever you need me to do.” He would always ask me, “Could you do me a favor? I always thought it would be dope if we did this together.” I’m like, “All right.”
He’s never been part of any of the confusion, because there’s going to be confusion in your career. You’ve got to do maintenance on people. The imperfections of the music business are the people in it. You’ll see artists miss [with a project] and still stay in good graces because they’re still being prioritized and the system is working to keep them in place. Then you’ll see amazing artists [who are not prioritized]. You’ll listen and think, “What happened to them?” It’s because the business was done with them.
You’ve been a mentor yourself to artists like Pop Smoke and DaBaby. What are your thoughts on this generation’s rising hip-hop artists?
I only like the ones that I see myself in. A lot of the other s–t, I be like, “Yeah, what the f–k is this, man?” I’ve got to believe them and the s–t they’re saying to be into the artist.
They [also] have to want to be mentored. I’ll talk to them and touch base with them because I see that in them. You go, “Yo, you have to focus on what you came for and what’s important to you, and get those things together versus just riding it out.” The way I had competitive energy: Hip-hop culture makes you battle. I love Nicki Minaj, but the funny s–t is, I like watching her when she’s upset. I like that because she has something that comes from the experience of living in South Jamaica. I’m looking at it like, “Yo, I know they think she’s nuts, but they only think that because they don’t understand.” I get it. She thinks you’re trying to play her.
When Cardi B came, I thought she was dope. She’s from the bottom. She was in Club Lust in Brooklyn. [Going] from that and actually making a hit record and turning into who she did? I don’t know why anybody wouldn’t like to see that. It felt like she got everything — married, the baby — it came really fast. That’s the American dream right there.
When her and Nicki clash, I go, “Oh, s–t, it’s going to be interesting to watch how it plays out.” Lyrically, I won’t say anything competitively about the two of them, but I love Nicki. I don’t have anything against Cardi. I think anyone who comes now, she is going to check their temperature. Nicki is going to check if this b-tch is friendly or looking to take over the s–t.
In addition to your musical beefs, you were part of a notable TV feud, when Power was pitted against Fox’s series Empire. Do you have any regrets?
Nah. In regard to Empire, that was about Fox having more marketing dollars than Starz. Starz didn’t have the money. So when we hit the bull’s-eye with Power — it’s very rare to get an entire audience excited — I’m looking at Fox hitting the bull’s-eye behind us with Empire. On Fox, they were offering the PG-13 version of the story because it’s network television. Because I can be R-rated and portray a more graphic experience, I knew that Power would eventually prevail.
[Fox] stole my idea because they said in the [show’s promo tagline], “Empires are built on power.” That’s good marketing. Because I’m at a disadvantage in not being able to market at the same level, we’re going to have a problem. That’s where the beef comes from. [But] I love [Empire star] Taraji P. Henson. I think she’s amazing. Terrence Howard was my co-star in the first film I worked on. Of course I wanted to see their show be successful.
French Montana has called you a genius marketer. Some of your beefs were personal, but how many of them were strategic?
They were [all] strategic — [the industry set them up] in response to what I was doing. I kept saying, “They dead, get rid of them,” and [the industry] would come in and resuscitate them to bring them back. Now I just have to f–k you up a little bit so you don’t go near [that artist] again when I get him back into that position again. I tap the artist for doing that, like, “Move! Why you keep trying to do that?” They’re using their energy and fan base to resuscitate the artist I just put to bed. That was why I was doing that.
It’s the same mentality of the street. When you get into business, you can’t bring that with you. They’ll split the culture in half.
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Jai Lennard
Did you miss writing and recording music?
I get the attention that I want from music when I want it. I just went out and toured 45 countries, and everywhere was sold out. That made me want to offer new music that I could integrate into everything now. I’ve done what I wanted to do in the [sales] capacity. I’ve sold over 35 million records. Not singles — albums. With Em, it’s different because he’s never going to stop [recording]. It bugs him out that I can do TV production.
Before Get Rich made you huge, Master P was booking you for shows. What was your rate then versus how much you command internationally today?
I think he gave me like $80,000, and now I’m getting like $900,000, $1 million. The coolest thing we create in America is celebrities. If you see LeBron [James’] fan base internationally, you’ll argue, “Why is he staying here?” He’s that big internationally. For the most part, I can’t speak for everybody, but the international side of the game is different.
Do you feel like prime 50 Cent could break through and do the same commercial damage in today’s climate?
It would be a lot different. I look at the new artists that embody the streets like they’re the new 50 Cent. What’s going to be difficult and important for them to do is figure out how to navigate themselves. If you ask them if they’re afraid of anything, it’s going to be tough because they’ve been facing those obstacles the entire time, so they’re not scared. But they can f–k it up for themselves, like with whom they bring around them and the energy they carry. It can destroy a force.
That’s the obstacle they’ve got to get around themselves. I think if they get that information fast enough and can look at it the right way, they’ll be able to do [music] longer. If not, they’re going to crash right in front of you.
Lawyers for YNW Melly have launched an appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, asking the court to overturn a ruling last year that said the rapper could face the death penalty if convicted in his upcoming murder trial.
In an opening brief filed last month, Melly’s lawyers urged Florida’s top court to rule that prosecutors had forfeited the right to seek capital punishment. They say the government failed to give Melly and his attorneys proper notice that they planned to do so, violating strict procedural rules.
In making their argument to the state high court, the rapper’s lawyers said the justices should take the case because it raises issues of “great public importance” beyond Melly’s individual charges.
“Death penalty law is an area where it is in the clear interest of everyone — defendants, victims, lawyers, judges, etc. — to have precisely defined and easily understood rules,” Melly’s attorneys, Daniel Tibbitt and Philip R. Horowitz, wrote in the Jan. 27 brief.
Melly (real name Jamell Demons) has spent years awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges over accusations that he and another YNW rapper shot and killed Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr. in 2018.
A first-degree murder defendant in Florida would typically face the possibility of execution if convicted, but Melly’s attorneys argued in April that the state had failed to comply with strict laws on how they must warn defendants that they’ll seek the death penalty.
Florida requires prosecutors to give notice 45 days after arraignment if they plan to seek capital punishment. In Melly’s case, the state attorney filed such a notice when they originally indicted the rapper in 2019, but failed to do so when a so-called superseding indictment was handed down earlier this year.
In July, a trial judge sided with Melly’s attorneys and said prosecutors had forfeited the chance to seek death. But in November, an appeals court ruled the judge’s decision was incorrect. The court wrote that since prosecutors gave notice that they might seek death when they first charged Melly in 2019, they had complied with state rules: “Notice is notice.”
In taking the case to the Florida Supreme Court last month, Melly’s lawyers argued the state rules “plainly require” new notice be filed when a new indictment is handed down.
“The Petitioner was arraigned on a new indictment, and the State did not file the requisite notice within 45 days of that arraignment (or ever),” the rapper’s lawyers wrote. “The State relies on a notice that was filed as to an original indictment that is, and has been since the filing of the new indictment, a legal nullity.”
An attorney for the state of Florida did not immediately return a request for comment. The state can file a response to the brief in the months ahead.
A king deserves a royal court. Which is why on Tuesday night (Feb. 7), a galaxy of stars congratulated basketball legend LeBron James for becoming NBA’s all-time scoring leader when he broke Kareem-Abdul Jabbar’s three decade-long record. During a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Los Angeles Lakers’ home Crypto.com Arena, James passed Jabbar’s career total of 38,387 points after weeks of breathless anticipation of his crowning achievement and everyone from Rihanna to Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars gave him his props.
As soon as the dust settled — and Jabbar ceremonially handed over a basketball to the new scoring champ in a touching mid-court ceremony after LeBron scored his 36th point of the night on a step-back jumper — some of James’ biggest admirers took to social media to congratulate him on his epic feat.
In a compilation video from the NBA, Kendrick gave the new scoring sire high praise, saying, “From the time you went to the league when you had the doubters and the naysayers and people that think you wouldn’t take it this far you proved ’em wrong, dawg.” Upcoming Super Bowl LVII halftime performer Rihanna added, “I am so grateful to witness this moment in history… my favorite thing about being a LeBron James fan is just watching you prove yourself over and over again against all odds and all doubt. Thank you for repping for all of us. Keep striving for greatness always, and congratulations King James.”
Snoop Dogg modeled his Lakers jersey and said, “it’s always fun watching a Laker get it done.”
Drake called it a “legendary night in NBA history” in a video in which he appeared to be standing on a ball court in James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio. “To honor that I had to come back to the place that it all started… Every journey has its beginning,” Drizzy said as a green screen collapsed behind him, revealing that he was actually in a nightclub in Miami.
John Legend tweeted, “Congratulations @KingJames!!!! This man has been in the spotlight and burdened with the highest expectations since he was a teenager. And he’s done nothing but exceed those expectations and build a historic legacy. What an incredible accomplishment!,” while Bruno Mars offered up a champagne bottle emoji.
Timberlake tossed a GOAT emoji into a tweet in which he marveled, “on a step back too!,” while Wayne wrote, “Kongrats King!! Glad to say I’ve shaken your hand brudda. God bless you and the fam and the homies.”
Watch the video and check out some of the other congratulatory tweets below.
Congratulations @KingJames!!!! This man has been in the spotlight and burdened with the highest expectations since he was a teenager. And he’s done nothing but exceed those expectations and build a historic legacy. What an incredible accomplishment! https://t.co/ozsDBmQAPw— John Legend (@johnlegend) February 8, 2023
Kongrats King!! Glad to say I’ve shaken your hand brudda. God bless you and the fam and the homies.— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) February 8, 2023
Wow, never in my lifetime did I think I would see two NBA athletes score over 38,000 points! I still remember when my Showtime teammate, the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, broke the record. It was an honor to be the guy to pass it to him and cement his legacy!— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 8, 2023
A family friend of the rapper XXXTentacion broke down Tuesday (Feb. 7) as he told jurors how he and the rapper were ambushed by armed robbers as they drove away from a motorcycle shop, how he fled in fear and then heard the gunshots that killed the rising star.
Leonard Kerr’s testimony highlighted the opening day in the trial of three men accused of fatally shooting XXXTentacion on June 18, 2018, inside his BMW sports car, which had been blocked by an SUV as Kerr and the rapper pulled out of the Riva Motorsports’ parking lot near Fort Lauderdale.
Two men jumped out with guns, Kerr said. He said the taller man pointed his weapon at him and told him not to get out of the car, punctuating his command with a curse word. The other man was trying to pull the rapper’s gold chain from his neck. Kerr said he could hear XXXTentacion asking, “What’s this for?” At that point, Kerr said, he decided to escape, pushing the button that opened the passenger door.
“If I run, I can get shot, but I can live. If I sit….” Kerr said, his voicing trailing off until he stopped to regain his composure.
Kerr said when he looked back, the taller man was pointing his gun at XXXTentacion, and he said he heard at least two loud bangs. The men then got back into the SUV and sped off, taking with them the $50,000 the rapper had in his designer bag.
Michael Boatwright, 28, is accused of being the shooter, while his friend, Trayon Newsome, 24, is accused of being the other gunman. Dedrick Williams, 26, is accused of being the driver. They could all receive life sentences if convicted of first-degree murder. A fourth man who prosecutors say was in the SUV, 26-year-old Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder and is set to testify against his former friends.
During opening statements earlier Tuesday, the jurors heard divergent theories about the shooting. A robbery gone awry, according to prosecutors. According to the defense, it could have been a feud between XXXTentacion and the megastar Drake, but they say detectives refused to investigate that possibility.
Prosecutor Pascale Achille told jurors that Boatwright, Newsome, Williams and Allen, set out that day to commit armed robberies. Allen and Williams went inside the motorcycle shop to buy masks, she said.
There, they happened upon XXXTentacion, who, according to Kerr, had the $50,000 he had just gotten from the bank hanging out of his bag. The pair recognized him, and the group seized upon the opportunity, deciding to rob him as he left, Achille said. Boatwright shot him several times “without any provocation,” she said.
To varying degrees, the defendants are linked to the shooting by surveillance video and cellphone locations, and all are implicated through Allen’s expected testimony, Achille said. Then there are the social media photos of some of the men flashing the money posted that night, she said.
“They go on social media and start bragging that they have this influx of cash,” Achille said. “They flash it like it’s Christmas Day.”
To the men’s attorneys, the defendants are victims of Robert Allen’s lies and the failure of detectives to investigate XXXTentacion’s feud with Drake — XXXTentacion once said on social media that if he ever wound up dead, the Canadian rapper would be the cause. He later retracted that. Another rapper had also made threats against XXXTentacion.
They said that with the rapper’s slaying coming just four months after the slaying of 17 people at nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the Broward Sheriff’s Office was under extreme political pressure to solve the case quickly.
“For Broward County, for everyone involved, this was a nightmare,” said Mauricio Padilla, Williams’ attorney.
That’s why they wanted no part with investigating a celebrity, he said.
Prosecutors say there is no evidence linking Drake to the shooting, and Williams is clearly seen in the store’s surveillance video, recognizable through his distinctive facial tattoos. He was also identified by one of the clerks. Padilla conceded Williams was present in the store but didn’t say how he would explain that.
Joseph Kimok, Boatwright’s attorney, also pointed the finger at a third man as the possible shooter — a friend Williams was seen talking to inside the motorcycle store just before the shooting who has the same build as his client. He alluded that the friend could have gotten into the SUV Williams was driving outside the view of surveillance cameras. He said the evidence will show that Boatwright was asleep at the home he shared with his grandmother at the time of the shooting.
“At no point (in the surveillance videos) will you see Mr. Boatwright, because he wasn’t there,” Kimok said.
Yes, a cellphone linked to him was near the store — but that was a community phone used by several men, he said. And yes, he “very stupidly posed” with money that night — but that money was Allen’s, not Boatwright’s, Kimok said.
Newsome’s attorney also denied that his client was present.
The victim (born Jahseh Onfroy) was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs. He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.
If the all-star salute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop on the 65th annual Grammy Awards left you wanting more, the Grammys have more on the way. A two-hour, Grammy-branded special will tape on Aug. 11, which is the 50th anniversary (to the day!) of a back-to-school party in The Bronx that many point to as the beginning of hip-hop culture. CBS will broadcast the special later this year.
Questlove, who curated the 15-minute spot on Sunday’s Grammy telecast, will have a role in the special, though his exact title is to be determined. Jesse Collins, an executive producer of the Grammy telecast, will produce the special.
While many will assume that the success of the spot on the Grammy telecast led CBS to hurry a special into production, the special was in the works before anyone knew there would be a segment on the telecast, according to a source.
Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, hinted at the upcoming special in a statement announcing the telecast segment. “For five decades, Hip Hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” he said. “Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated. I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage. It is just the beginning of our year-long celebration of this essential genre of music.” Questlove has mentioned the upcoming special in his post-Grammy tweets. Talking about why certain artists were booked for the hip-hop tribute and others weren’t, he tweeted:
or we made a decision to wait for the 2 hour August taping— Dr. Love (@questlove) February 6, 2023
The hip-hop segment on the Grammy telecast, which featured three dozen rap acts, drew universal praise. Billboard’s Joe Lynch pegged it as the best performance on the telecast. “While it’s an impossible task to sum up 50 years of any genre (much less one that fought for decades to get a modicum of mainstream respect and eventually became the dominant genre in American music), this electrifying medley brought to vivid life the charged personalities, thumping grooves, deft deliveries and unpredictable flourishes that make hip-hop a global force.”
The segment was produced by Questlove, Collins, Patrick Menton of Fulwell 73, creative producer Fatima Robinson and Shawn Gee, Questlove’s manager and president of LNU. The segment is part of Paramount Global’s companywide initiative to honor the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
The Grammys have not always been hip-hop supporters. The Grammys didn’t have a dedicated category for rap or hip-hop until the 1988 awards, which were presented on Feb. 22, 1989. D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s genial pop hit “Parents Just Don’t Understand” was the first hip-hop recording to win a Grammy (best rap performance). But they weren’t invited to perform on the show that year.
A year later, on Feb. 21, 1990, the duo became the first hip-hop act to perform on the Grammys. “We’d like to dedicate this performance to all the rappers last year that stood with us and helped us to earn the right to be on this stage tonight,” Will Smith said before he and D.J. Jazzy Jeff launched into “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.”
Both Questlove and Collins are coming off major honors for their work. Questlove won both an Oscar (his first) and a Grammy (his sixth) in 2022 for directing the documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Collins won his first Primetime Emmy in 2022 as an executive producer of The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, which was voted outstanding variety special (live).
CBS, which has broadcast the Grammy telecast since 1973, will air a second Grammy-branded special this year – A Grammy Salute to The Beach Boys. The special, the latest in a series of “Grammy Salute” specials, will be taped on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The Beach Boys and hip-hop are in very different musical worlds, of course, but it’s worth noting that the Beach Boys had a sizable hit in 1987 (No. 12 hit on the Hot 100) with a collab with the Brooklyn rap trio Fat Boys. The two groups teamed for a remake of The Surfaris’ 1963 classic “Wipeout.”
The fact that a quintessential American vocal group teamed with a rap group 36 years ago is more evidence, as if any more were needed, of hip-hop’s reach and endurance.
Roots drummer and bandleader Questlove was given a nearly impossible assignment in pulling together Sunday night’s (Feb. 5) generation-spanning, all-star tribute to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary at the 2023 Grammy Awards. How do you represent a wholly American art form that has spread from coast-to-coast and around the globe without leaving out someone’s favorite MC?
Welll, according to a series of posts from Quest on the day after, he did his best, but there are some good reasons he couldn’t get everyone’s No. 1 in there. “general ?s answered about last night: (some are asking if we are playing erasure games so uh….yeah I don’t play that so—in answering the questions of “why wasn’t dada there?),” he tweeted.
The answer(s) were simple, he added, “1. already booked 2. declined our offer straight up 3. or a third option im not gonna get into.” A fourth reason, he noted, was that the team made the decision to wait for a two-hour taping of a special slated to take place in August that will give the team more space to fill in the blanks. “We decided to eschew those who passed away, & give flowers to the living — for starters I learned with VH1 Honors not all rappers are good MCs and bad karaoke is a danger slope,” he said. “And WAY too many legends passed so someone’s estate was gonna be heated.”
QuestloveThe Roots timekeeper said in an interview that his original cut for the special segment ran to nearly a half hour, something the Grammy brass said was obviously untenable. So he had to cut it down to around 12 minutes for the heart-racing final version. In the end, the impassioned, mind-bending medley roped in everyone from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Rakim and De La Soul’s Posdnous (Kelvin Mercer), to Scarface, Ice-T, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, Outkast’s Big Boi, Method Mad, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, Too Short, Swizz Beatz and the Lox, as well as new schoolers Lil Baby and Glorilla.
“This went through a crazy evolution. all my suggestions were 20 min presentations with Breakbeats/Graf Legends/Dancers/DJ/Beatboxers,” Quest continued. “You’ll be shocked how fast 25-40 secs goes by and you don’t even get the halfway mark of 1995l remember 1973 to 2023 was the goal… we were aware of playing our biases out (if it were me alone? idda just skewered to my teenyears). at one point I said ‘we should do ALL women!!’ —that idea didn’t get too …..far (we didnt have time to do a ‘Some Kind Of Monster’/Kumbya thing to make that a reality).”
The notoriously methodical drummer said he had some criteria he wanted to follow (“alive? harmonizing? turntablism? fighting shape? NYC? LA? BAY? ATL? NAWLINS? HOUSTON? MIDWEST [checkmark emoji] born before 1960? born after 1995? Superlyrical? Stylistic? Original? generally known by at least 2 generations?”). But if your pick wasn’t there there might be a reason.
One, he revealed, was that two “crucial” acts canceled 10 minutes before air. “Cancellations that mighta made it look like we were biased in our choices. but just understand we literally tried to SQUEEEEEEEZE everyone in,” he promised.
As for why there was not much representation from the new generation of 2010’s rappers, Quest explained that as well. “Because they said ‘no’, or they walked out… I’m sure there were all types of circumstances, but Ice-T as the Only L.A. representative, in Staples Center, in Los Angeles… is WILD!! Great performance otherwise.” Questlove answered, “welp: I asked like 10 legends so….sometimes you gotta go with the one who wants you. again might not be your preference but most of hip hop has side gigs. Acting was the main issue. lotta movies being shot.”
In a pre-show interview with the New York Times, Quest further detailed the crazed rush to get the set together, revealing that the two who dropped out at the last minute (Lil Wayne, Future) and the “damn near Jerry Maguire levels” of cajoling he needed to employ to get Missy Elliot — “world famous for the word ‘no’” — to perform. Plus, he noted, there are a number of major acts (Drake, Jay-Z, Public Enemy) who have for years accused the Recording Academy of not giving hip-hop its proper due at the awards.
See Questlove’s tweets and the full performance below.
general ?s answered about last night: (some are asking if we are playing erasure games so uh….yeah I don’t play that so—in answering the questions of “why wasn’t dada there?)1. already booked2. declined our offer straight up3. or a third option im not gonna get into— Dr. Love (@questlove) February 6, 2023
—we decided to eschew those who passed away, & give flowers to the living —for starters I learned with VH1 Honors not all rappers are good MCs and bad karaoke is a danger slope. And WAY too many legends passed so someone’s estate was gonna be heated.— Dr. Love (@questlove) February 6, 2023
this went through a crazy evolution. all my suggestions were 20 min presentations with Breakbeats/Graf Legends/Dancers/DJ/Beatboxers—-you’ll be shocked how fast 25-40 secs goes by and you don’t even get the halfway mark of 1995l remember 1973 to 2023 was the goal— Dr. Love (@questlove) February 6, 2023
we were aware of playing our biases out (if it were me alone? idda just skewered to my teenyears). at one point I said “we should do ALL women!!” —that idea didn’t get too …..far (we didnt have time to do a “Some Kind Of Monster”/Kumbya thing to make that a reality)— Dr. Love (@questlove) February 6, 2023
& this is NOT leading to a tired narrative that women don’t get along because there MORE concerns on the men side of things too (happiest moment seeing LL & Ice T just chillin—)—but yeah the most asked question was “who all gone be there?” which is understandable.— Dr. Love (@questlove) February 6, 2023
we had a criteria we wanted to follow: alive? harmonizing? turntablism? fighting shape? NYC? LA? BAY? ATL? NAWLINS? HOUSTON? MIDWEST☑️ born before 1960? born after 1995? Superlyrical? Stylistic? Original? generally known by at least 2 generations?— Dr. Love (@questlove) February 6, 2023
now granted they might not be your favorite (and there were 2 crucial 11th hour (more like 10 mins before taping) cancellations that mighta made it look like we were biased in our choices. but just understand we literally tried to SQUEEEEEEEZE everyone in.— Dr. Love (@questlove) February 6, 2023
Written By D.L. Chandler , Senior Editor Posted 45 mins ago @dlchandler123 D.L. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor […]
After attending the 2023 Grammy Awards with wife Cardi B on Sunday night (Feb. 5), Offset posted a no-holds-barred response to recent comments made by J. Prince in which the Rap-A-Lot CEO suggested that ‘Set was not there for his Migos bandmate and cousin Takeoff, 28, before Takeoff’s murder last year.
“N—as be throwing rocks and hiding they hand, and I don’t like them kind of individuals,” Prince said near the end of the latest episode of the Million Dollaz Worth of Game after noting that “nothing changed” in terms of his love for third Migos member Quavo, but that Offset was another situation.
“In reality, the truth of the matter is, n—a you wasn’t really right there with Takeoff when he was alive. So for you to be taking these positions that you taking,” Prince added, suggesting that he’s got people all around and he’s heard “all kinds of things” from unnamed sources about what happened on the night Takeoff was shot and killed during a night out with Quavo in Prince’s hometown of Houston. Prince also made what seemed like a direct warning to Offset, saying, “Don’t ever put me in a position where I have to defend myself. That wouldn’t be healthy for you.”
As you might imagine, Offset did not take kindly to the comments, posting a video in which he reacted to Prince’s latest provocative claims. “Y’all n—as speaking on my real brother… I don’t know what the f–k ya’ll n—as got going on, y’all n—as talkin’ about my real brother,” the Migos MC said in the minute-long black and white clip. “How dare one of y’all n—as even speak on me and Take relationship. I don’t know you n—as from a can of paint. Ya’ll n—as don’t know how me and my brother rock.”
At press time spokespeople for Offset and J. Prince had not returned re Billboard‘s request for comment.
A heated Offset went on to slam Prince for what he said was his “fifth interview” in which he’s discussed Takeoff’s death. “You ain’t think about his momma? You ain’t think about the family n—a?” ‘Set asked. “We ain’t said nothin’. Ain’t nobody said nothing but you n—as. Who y’all n—as think ya’ll n—as is? John Gotti n—a?… And if you heard something from me, I’mma tell you it’s gonna come from me, call my phone.
Speaking directly into camera, Offset derided the “he said, she said” narrative and again encouraged anyone with anything to say to call him directly and stop playing “internet games.”
Following Takeoff’s shooting, Prince posted condolences to the MC’s friends and family on Instagram. “The Prince family would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of a beautiful soul @yrntakeoff,” the statement read. “To Houstonians and families around the world, this one breaks my heart because Takeoff was a brother, a son, a role model, and a God loving human being. Grief is the price of love; a bill people from across the globe are paying right now as we mourn this loss. I’ve been knowing Takeoff, Quavo and Offset for many years and there has been nothing but mutual love for one another and that ain’t going to ever change where we are concerned.”
Lawyers for Patrick Xavier Clark, 33 — the man charged with the shooting of the rapper born Kirsnick Khari Ball — said in court in December that he’s innocent and that “there’s a lot of investigation that needs to be done.” Takeoff was shot in the head and back as more than 30 people were leaving a private party at a Houston bowling alley on Nov. 1. Houston police have said that gunfire followed a disagreement over a “lucrative” game of dice around 2:30 a.m. and that Takeoff was not involved and was “an innocent bystander.”
At Sunday’s Grammys, Quavo and Maverick City Music delivered a moving tribute to Takeoff during the In Memoriam segment when they performed Quavo’s recent single honoring his late nephew/bandmate, “Without You.”
Check out Offset’s video response and J Prince’s comments below.
