Music

The devastation left behind by the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles has drawn an outpouring of support, especially from the music community. Between the FireAid concerts at Inglewood, California’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum (Jan. 30)  — featuring a rainbow of stars from Billie Eilish to Stevie Wonder —  and the Grammy telecast (Feb. 2), more than $100 million in relief funds has been raised.
Just as important, however, are the boots-on-the-ground efforts like that of local rap legend The Game, who recently visited Altadena, California, as Billboard News tagged along. Ravaged by the Hurst Fire that burned more than 500 acres, the generational community boasts a rich Black cultural legacy given that Altadena was one of the first L.A. areas that openly welcomed Black home ownership. Billboard News was there when The Game, a native of Compton, California, headed to Altadena to talk — and dole out hugs  — to first responders, local high school coaches, federal credit union members and more about their survival stories. 

“This is some serious … It’s serious business, man,” The Game says to a pair of firefighters while visiting their station house. “After this experience, now, when I hear a fire truck coming down the street, I’m pulling over and I’m not annoyed because usually it’s like ‘argh, I got to pull over.’ My hat’s on, but it’s off to you guys, man.”

The Game also spoke with coaches from several high schools — Maranatha, South Pasadena, Pasadena and John Muir — who shared moving stories about losses they suffered, as well as their students, while encouraging residents to rebuild and not leave. “This was a predominantly African-American neighborhood,” DeAnthony Langston tells The Game. “Just to see this is terrible, man; you coming out says a lot.”

Watch “Community Stories With The Game,” and to donate to Altadena’s wildfire relief fund, visit here.

Cam’ron and LiAngelo Ball are still going at it.
The rapper-turned-sports commentator recently shot back at the basketball player-turned-rapper after Ball told Complex‘s Speedy Morman that he’s a better rapper and basketball player than Cam’ron.

“I think I rap colder than him. Basketball? Colder than them n—as,” Ball boasted. “I’m not over here like, ‘Dang, he said I can’t do this.’ I knew this sh– was coming. I just be keeping it cool.”

He then tried to soften the slight, saying, “Other people gonna [disagree], that’s their legend. I’m not disrespecting him. … I’m feeling like I’m up there with my music.”

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“I’ve never seen a basketball player-slash-rapper whatever with CTE,” Cam’ron said on his sports show It Is What It Is. When asked by his co-host Ma$e to “elaborate,” Cam answered, “There’s no other way to explain his comments. I’ve never seen it before. I thought it was a boxing or football thing, but obviously rappers-slash-basketball players can get it too.”

Cam continued to reference Ball’s sitdown with Morman as he tried to explain that he and Ma$e never mentioned anything about his rapping ability when talking about his professional basketball career during an earlier episode around the time his song “Tweaker” was going viral.

“In the interview he said, ‘N—as be talking about me’ — I guess he’s referring to us. He was like, ‘I knew I had this coming down the pipeline,” Killa began to clarify. “First of all, We didn’t know you rapped like that. Whatever. Why do n—as keep moving the goalpost? We said you’re not a professional basketball player. I don’t understand how n—as keep switching. I never said he couldn’t rap. I didn’t even know he did rap. And we can tell how quickly he switched his occupation.”

He then brought up Gelo saying that he’s a better basketball player than Cam, who played varsity ball in high school alongside Ma$e at Manhattan Center back in the early ’90s. “N—as be forgetting how old [we are],” he said. “I look good, I’m in shape, I’m fly [but] I’m older than Tim Duncan, I’m older than Kevin Garnett. This is how old I am. I just look good, man. F— I look like running a full?”

Adding, “Now, if you want me to put some money up on some n—a that I think could beat you that didn’t even go to college, I got a bunch of them n—as. N—as talking ’bout, ‘Killa, take the one-on-one with Gelo.’ N—a, I’m 48 years old! What the f— do I look like playing a n—a one-one-one?”

You can watch the clip below.