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28 Apr 2023

You Still Mad?: 20 Years Later Cam’ron Recalls His Infamous Bill O’Reilly Interview

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It’s been two decades since Cam’ron and Dame Dash went on the Bill O’Reilly show, which ultimately led to Killa Cam creating one of the internets most popular memes with his “You maaaad!” assertion before memes on social media were even a thing.

Now twenty years later, Cam’ron reflects on what led up to the moment and explained how the famous 2003 interview came about when he sat down for an interview with KFC Radio and its hosts, John Feitelberg and Kevin Clancy. Taking us back in time when Roc-A-Fella Records reigned supreme in the rap game and Dip Set was a few years into their contract with the Hip-Hop powerhouse label, Cam recalls how his publicist let him know that Bill O’Reilly was interested on having him on the show.

Taking any opportunity he could to get his voice out there, Kill agreed not knowing Bill’s ultra-conservative views on Hip-Hop music and his particular venomous views towards the culture. “They was like, ‘You want to go on Bill O’Reilly?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know who Bill O’ Reilly is. Who is that? Not really.’” Still, Cam was ready for primetime cable news interviews even if he wasn’t ready to deal with the likes of someone like Bill O’Reilly.

After he was informed of Bill’s history in the journalism field, Cam felt a bit more comfortable saying, “And now I’m just extra like ‘Okay, he’s an a**hole, so whatever, I’m ready for this. So basically, we get up there and the first thing he says is, ‘Cam’ron who’s known for rhyming about pimps and h*es… So I’m like, ‘Bet, it’s on!’ From the jump! And that’s how it all came about. Soon as he said ‘Cam’ron rapping about pimping b*tches,’ I said ‘Yeah, we gonna have a good time.’”

A good time indeed. For the culture anyway.

Luckily, Dame Dash was all too familiar with Bill O’Reilly’s form of right-wing “gotcha journalism” and was all too ready to return on the show that he felt ambushed him when he himself appeared on the show.

“So, I remember being in the office and Dame comes in the office like, ‘Yo, you going on Bill O’Reilly tomorrow?’ And I said ‘Yeah, I’m going tomorrow.’ And Dame says, ‘I don’t know if you’re ready by yourself, I’m going with you. No, I’m definitely going with you because you don’t know this type of guy.’”



What ensued was an entertaining back-and-forth between an old white man, who hid his perverted and misogynistic history that ultimately got him fired from Fox News, and two Black entrepreneurs that are still ballin’ to this day. Just sayin’.

Interestingly enough, Cam did tell O’Reilly during the interview, “I got dirt on you, doggy.” Did Cam hear rumblings about Bill O’Reilly’s disturbing history with the women who worked at the Fox News office before it became public? Inquiring minds want to know.

Check out some of the classic Cam’ron and Bill O’Reilly interview below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.



28 Apr 2023

Charlamagne Tha God Details The Time He And Busta Rhymes Almost Fought

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SRC Records And Think Pink Rocks Present's Steve Rifkind's Pre-BET Awards Party Honoring Melanie Fiona

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While Charlamagne is now focused on spreading positivity, his former self was on a different type of time. He recently confirmed that he and Busta Rhymes almost got into it years ago.

As spotted on Complex, DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God paid a visit to the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. The duo discussed a variety of topics regarding their rise to fame as one of the premier Hip-Hop morning shows in the country. Gillie and Wallo eventually asked about some of their past run-ins with rappers, and Charlamagne confirmed the long standing rumors that he and Busta Rhymes almost got into it.

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“Who ran down on me? Busta. Yeah, Busta ran down on me,” he opened. “I was being disrespectful. But you know what it was, though, I’ll say this. I wanted to win so bad when we got The Breakfast Club, anybody could get it.” He went on to admit that he was in the wrong and purposely was calling out the rap legend over his freestyle with DMX over “Otis,” which was originally recorded by The Throne.

“It was that freezer sh*t, man. I used to put rappers in a freezer back in the day. I put Busta in the freezer ’cause Busta had did a freestyle over the ‘Otis’ beat,” he explained. “And the crazy sh*t is, the sh*t is actually hard, but I was just being an a**hole. So it was Busta Rhymes and DMX — God bless the dead — on the ‘Otis’ beat, but I gave him ‘Donkey of the Day’ for no reason. It really was for no reason.”

The Moncks Corner, South Carolina native went on to detail their exchange, which almost went left. “Busta said, ‘You know me?! I said, ‘Yeah, I know you. You a dude who used to be hot but your sh*t wack now.’ Busta said, ‘You better stop this tough guy sh*t before I f*** you up in here!’ I’m drunk as sh*t, I’m like, ‘I’m a f*** you up.’ I said, ‘We gonna fight in this muthaf***er or something.’ Then Busta’s people came, my people came, and they just broke us up.”

You can view the interview with DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God below.



Photo: Comedy Central

28 Apr 2023

Ice Cube To Produce, Star In New Documentary Series on BIG3

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Ice Cube and his BIG3 basketball league will be the subject of a newly announced documentary series produced by him and a veteran awards producer.

According to reports, the veteran rapper will be producing the not-yet-named documentary series through his Cube Vision production company along with Jesse Collins Entertainment. Described as “Welcome to Wrexham and Cheer meets basketball”, the series will follow one of the teams from the three-on-three basketball league in addition to giving viewers a look at Cube’s path in creating and running a sports league from the ground up.

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Dionne Harmon and Madison Merritt also will serve as executive producers on the project with Cube, Kwatinetz, and Collins. Collins is best known for his company’s work in producing awards shows and television specials which include the BET Awards and Black Girls Rock! Jesse Collins Entertainment has a multi-year agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks and a first-look film agreement with Paramount Players and Viacom’s other film entities.

The BIG3 first launched in the summer of 2017 after it was first announced by Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz in January of that year. The league would captivate audiences with innovations like the 4-point shot and the inclusion of former NBA stars and legends such as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, George “The Iceman” Gervin, Gary Payton, Stephen Jackson, Allen Iverson, and Clyde Drexler as players and coaches. The league also featured women greats such as Lisa Leslie and Nancy Lieberman as coaches. Drexler now serves as the league’s commissioner.

The series also promises to take a look at the league’s $1.2 billion lawsuit against Qatari investors that was filed in 2018. The suit turned into a rollercoaster situation that would see then-CEO Roger Mason Jr. fired and accused of bringing the aforementioned investors in to pay him and other executives while shortchanging the league. Mason would allege he was fired in retaliation for his own lawsuit against BIG3 claiming that Kwatinetz made racial remarks. Another wrinkle occurred when Ice Cube and the BIG3 took out a full-page ad in the New York Times asking then-President Donald Trump and his administration to side with them in their lawsuit. One investor, Ahmed al-Rumaihi, would eventually be given full diplomatic immunity that December.

28 Apr 2023

Dolly Parton Is Teaming Up With Amazon for a Pet Day Extravaganza: ‘We’re Gonna Celebrate the Pets We All Love’

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Dolly Parton has something special in store for Amazon Pet Day. The country legend is teaming with Amazon for the two-day sale event launching next Tuesday (May 2).

Parton and her god-dog, Billy the Kid, will join Amazon Live both days to share their Pet Day favorites with audiences. “We’re gonna celebrate the pets that we all love,” Parton told Billboard during a phone interview this week.

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Prime members will be able to shop “two wonderful days” of sales, which includes 20% off Parton’s pet products line, Doggy Parton.

“We’ve gotten such wonderful responses [from] people,” Parton said of the pet line, consisting of clothes, hats, scarves, toys, leashes, collars and harnesses. Parton plans to expand the pet line to feature clothes for larger dogs and eventually items for cats.

Amazon’s 48-hour sale, which coincides with National Pet Month, will feature deals on treats, toys and supplies, along with home, electronics and personal care products to pamper your beloved pets.

Pet Day kicks off at midnight PT on Tuesday (May 2) and ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday (May 3). Pet lovers can save 20% off select Purina pet food and treats, 20% off Blue Buffalo treats, 30% off Furbo dog cameras, 30% off all Frontline Plus Flea and Tick products, and other savings.

And it’s not just products: Save up to 50% on select pet movies and shows on Prime Video during Pet Day too.

Pet Day is open to all Amazon shoppers, but Prime members get fast and free shipping on pet supply orders over $25 (visit Amazon’s Pet Day page to shop early deals).

Parton has had several pets over the years, though she’s currently without a dog of her own. “I lost my last little dog just a few years back and I haven’t had time to pick another one and take it on the road with me. I’ve been so busy, but I love everybody’s animals, and Billy the Kid,” she said of the adorable French bulldog. “We’re together all the time! I got so attached to Billy we thought, ‘Well, we’re just gonna have to make a show out of him!’ So that’s kind of what we’ve done.”

Parton’s manager’s dog, Billy the Kid, inspired her new children’s book, Billy the Kid Makes It Big.

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Billy the Kid Makes It Big is about a dog who dreams of making it big in Nashville. “[Billy] meets up with some other friends with the same kind of dreams and they set out together to win the big contest in Nashville,” Parton explained. “Everybody [said] they couldn’t do it, but they kept on, kept the faith and stood up to bullies.”

In addition to Pet Day, and promoting her books and Duncan Hines cake mixes, Parton is gearing up to take the stage for the 2023 ACM Awards on Prime Video next month. Parton and Garth Brooks are set to host the awards show live from The Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Parton will also debut the lead single from her upcoming rock album during the show.

“I’m just looking so forward to working with Garth because he’s just a legend and he is one of the nicest people ever. He and Trisha [Yearwood] are two people I really love and admire,” said Parton, who hosted the show last year.

“I always get a little nervous because you want to do well and hit your marks, and hope everything goes good. The lighting, the sound, you hope your [microphone] works and all that.

“I’m not scared to death,” she joked. “But I’m always scared just enough to do well because it makes me try harder. It’s more like having butterflies until you get started and then you’re off and running.”

The 58th annual ACM Awards will stream live on Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch on May 11 at 8 p.m. ET.

28 Apr 2023

Sony Music Posts $10B in Annual Revenue as Profits Jump 25%

Sony Music Entertainment notched one of its most profitable years on record in 2022, as strong growth in streaming subscriptions and a favorable exchange rate propelled the company’s revenue from chart-topping artists like SZA, Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus.

SME’s reported revenue rose by nearly 24% to 1.38 trillion yen ($10.16 billion) and operating income rose nearly 25% to 263 billion yen ($1.94 billion) for the fiscal year 2022, making it the most profitable of the six companies under Sony’s umbrella.

“We have steadily improved our ability to continuously create hits,” Sony chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki said on a webcast, calling out Cyrus’ Flowers release in January. “In Recorded Music, an average of 43 songs ranked in the Spotify weekly global top 100 songs in FY22, increasing our market share significantly year-on-year.”

For the most recent quarter, Sony reported that overall revenues rose 19% to 341.89 million yen ($2.5 billion). Recorded music streaming revenue grew by 23% to 148.9 billion ($1.093 billion) from a year ago. Publishing income rose by 22% to 65.96 million yen ($485 million). SME’s revenues also benefitted from an exchange rate during that period that favored its Japanese parent company’s accounting in yen.

“In recorded music and music publishing, we aim to continue to grow faster than the market and maintain a higher growth rate and profit margin than our competitors by strengthening relationships with
influential artists, discovering and nurturing new talent, expanding our lineup through The Orchard and AWAL, and growing our business in emerging markets,” said Totoki, who also serves as Sony’s president and chief operating officer.

Executives said on Friday they expect revenues in Sony Music to grow by 2% overall to 1.41 trillion yen ($10.37 billion) for the fiscal year 2023.

28 Apr 2023

Post Malone Assured Fans He’s Not on Drugs, Just Living His Best Dad Life: ‘My Brain Is in a Super Dope Place’

If you’ve seen pictures of Post Malone lately you may have noticed that the rapper is sporting a slimmer profile these days. That apparently led to some fans fretting that the party-loving MC and new dad may be burning it too hard on the road in Europe on his Twelve Carat Tour.

Posty addressed those concerns in an Instagram post on Friday morning (April 28) from a stop in Antwerp, Belgium in which he posed shirtless alongside a pair of killer snakeskin/camo cowboy boots while staring intently into the camera. “I wanted to say that i’m not doing drugs, i’ve had a lot of people ask me about my weight loss and i’d suppose, performance on stage,” he said.

“I’m having a lot of fun performing, and have never felt healthier. i guess dad life kicked in and i decided to kick soda, and start eating better so i can be around for a long time for this little angel. next up is smokes and brews, but i like to consider myself a patient man… lol!,” said Malone, who announced the birth of his daughter in June.

Leaning into that new healthy big dad energy, Posty said the good news is that he’s spent some time in the studio lately working on songs for the follow-up to last year’s Twelve Carat Toothache album. “[I] am so excited to share it with you, thank you for your patience and support y’all. you make my heart beat… my brain is in a super dope place, and i’m the happiest i’ve been in a long time. if you’re having a hard time or need some love, i can say that you’re loved more than you know, and keep f–king crushing it.”

Malone got some support from his musical pals, with Cole Bennett commenting, “You’re a special guy Posty” and Billy Strings adding, “Hell yeah!! You’re the raddest dad ever [raising hands emoji] wuuvv yooou.” Orlando Bloom loved the love also, writing, “Gotta love [heart emoji] love and those boot [fire emoji.]”

See Malone’s post below.

28 Apr 2023

Dylan Mulvaney Breaks Silence on Right-Wing Bud Light Backlash: ‘Dehumanization Has Never Fixed Anything’

While musicians including Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich have been lashing out at Bud Light over their fury that the beer giant sent some one-off commemorative cans to Dylan Mulvaney, the transgender actor/activist has kept quiet about the tempest stoked by the right-wing media.

But on Thursday (April 27), Mulvaney broke her silence in a three-and-a-half minute TikTok video in which she said she had been content to “take the back seat and let them tucker themselves out,” in reference to the backlash against the March Madness promotional stunt that so angered rapper-turned-country-singer Rock that he attempted to obliterate cases of Bud Light with a semi-automatic rifle.

“I think it’s okay to be frustrated with someone or confused, but what I’m struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel. I just, I don’t think that’s right. Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history, ever,” said Mulvaney, 26, in the video to her 13 million followers. Describing growing up in a conservative family and in the church, Mulvaney said she still has her faith, but it’s been a struggle to hold on to it in the midst of attacks that reminded her of similar criticism she faced as a child for being “too feminine.”

“Now I’m being called all those same things, but this time it’s from other adults,” she said. “And if they’re going to accuse me of anything, it should be that I’m a theater person and that I’m camp. But this is just my personality and it always has been.”

The right’s Bud Light malt-down came after Mulvaney shared a video of herself on April 1 participating in Bud Light’s Easy Carry Contest for the end of the NCAAs March Madness, revealing that the company helped her celebrate her “365th day of womanhood” with “possibly the best gift ever” — a commemorative can of Bud Light with Mulvaney’s face emblazoned on the side; the cans, which are not commercially available, so angered Rock and country singers Tritt and Rich, among others, that they vowed to boycott the world’s biggest beer maker as a result.

“I’m embarrassed to even tell you this, but I was nervous that you were going to start believing those things that they were saying about me, since it is so loud,” she said. “But I’m just going to go ahead and trust that the people who know me and my heart won’t listen to that noise… and to those of you who support me and choose to see my humanity even if you don’t fully understand or relate to me: Thank you.”

Even as Rock and Rich’s Nashville bar/restaurants have made a show of removing Anheuser-Busch products from their shelves, other artists, including Jason Isbell and Zach Bryan, defended the brand against the online backlash, pointing out the importance of diversity. SiriusXM talker Howard Stern weighed in on the issue, as well, saying he was “dumbfounded by why someone would care so much” about a trans person acting as a spokesperson for the beer brand.

See Mulvaney’s video below.

28 Apr 2023

Morgan Wallen Earns First Australian Chart Double

He might be sidelined from his U.S. tour, citing doctor-ordered vocal rest, but Morgan Wallen is the talk of Australia right now.

For the very first time, Wallen has a chart double in the land Down Under.

The country star’s hit “Last Night” (Republic/Universal) holds at No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart for the third straight week, while its parent One Thing At A Time (Mercury/Universal) returns to the summit of the national albums survey for a second, non-consecutive week.

Wallen, who recently completed a tour of Australia, produced by Frontier Touring, becomes the first male American country singer to achieve the chart double in more than three decades, ARIA reports.

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The last was Billy Ray Cyrus, back in October 1992 when he ruled with his hit single “Achy Breaky Heart” and the album Some Gave All.

In his homeland, Wallen is facing a fair amount of backlash for scrapping a stadium show in Oxford, Mississippi at the last minute, then wiping a week of shows, citing those health issues. There were no such problems on his six-date run of arena and festival shows here last month.

Staying with the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, April 28, Metallica’s 72 Seasons (down 1-2 via Universal) and Taylor Swift’s Midnights (unchanged at No. 3 via Universal) complete the podium, respectively.

There’s a new arrival at No. 4 for D-DAY (BigHit Entertainment), the debut solo album from BTS’ Suga, released under his other stage name Agust D. Suga’s 2020 mixtape D-2 peaked at No. 2 in these parts.

Animated Aussie kid’s TV star Bluey fetches another No. 10 on the ARIA Albums Chart with Dance Mode! (Rkt/Orchard). It’s new at No. 7. The international phenomenon led the chart in 2021 with Bluey The Album and went on to win best children’s album at the ARIA Awards of that year.

After scooping a string of RIAA “Diamond” certifications, and releasing a greatest hits album to celebrate the achievement, Post Malone makes a sparkling chart appearance. The U.S. singer and rapper’s The Diamond Collection (Republic/Universal), which gathers eight of his most popular numbers, plus his new pop cut “Chemical,” starts at No. 16 on the ARIA Chart. It’s his fifth top 20 appearance on the tally, including two leaders with Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018) and Hollywood’s Bleeding (2019).

With Wallen reclaiming the top spot on the singles chart, TikTok star David Kushner makes his first appearance in the top five with viral number “Daylight” (Virgin/Universal), up 6-5, while ascendant K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty enjoys a fresh high with “The Beginning: Cupid” (Warner), up 9-6.

The highest entry on the latest chart belongs to The Weeknd and Future, with “Double Fantasy” (Universal). It’s new at No 9, giving The Weeknd two top 10 hits on the latest survey (“Die For You” is down 5-7), and his eighth top 10 hit in Australia across his career. “Double Fantasy” represents Future’s second ARIA top 10.

28 Apr 2023

The National Recruits Taylor Swift For ‘The Alcott’ and Parent LP ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’: Listen

The National unleash something of a monster with First Two Pages of Frankenstein, the alternative rock band’s collaboration-stacked ninth studio album, one that pulls star power from Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.

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Arriving at the stroke of midnight, Frankenstein stretches across 11 tracks and includes previously released cuts “Tropic Morning News,” “New Order T-Shirt,” “Eucalyptus” and “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend,” featuring Bridgers, a track which, according to reps, came to fruition when frontman Matt Berninger worked through a case of writer’s block with the help of “Frankenstein,” Mary Shelley’s classic novel which gives the album its name.

Swifties will no doubt show up for buzzy number “The Alcott,” which features Taylor Swift.

Guitarist, pianist and bass player and TayTay collaborator Aaron Dessner says “The Alcott” took its baby steps when Berninger wrote the main part to some music he’d already written. Swift heard it, she dug it, “so I thought it might be something she would really click with,” Dessner says.

“I sent it to her, and was a little nervous as I didn’t hear back for 20 minutes or so. By the time she responded, Taylor had written all her parts and recorded a voice memo with the lyrics she’d added in a dialogue with Matt,” he adds, “and everyone fell immediately in love with it.”

“The Alcott” is something a return of favor for Dessner, who worked closely with Swift on her pandemic-era 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore.

On it, Swift and Berninger duet on several verses. “I sit there silently waiting for you to look up/I see you smile when you see it’s me/ I had to do something to break into your golden thinking/ How many times will I do this and you’ll still believe?,” they sing.

First Two Pages of Frankenstein is the followup to I Am Easy to Find, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, and 2017’s Sleep Well Beast, which hit No. 2 on the national albums chart and won a Grammy Award for best alternative music album.

To give the new collection a nudge along, The National performed album track “Eucalyptus” late Thursday (April 27) on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The National will perform the new album live when they hit the road for a North American trek, starting May 18 at Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL.

Watch the late-night performance below.

28 Apr 2023

Kesha Drops ‘Acid,’ ‘Fine Line’ Cuts From New LP ‘Gag Order’: Stream

Almost a decade has passed since Kesha unlocked the next level to pop stardom with “Tik Tok.” It feels more like several lifetimes, during which the pop artist has dabbled in reality TV, reshaped her sound, style, image, and gone through the wringer with a high-profile court case.

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Now, she’s entering her next musical phase with the album Gag Order, set to drop May 19 via Kemosabe/RCA Records, which her reps say excavates “the deepest recesses of her soul to date.”

But first, the lead tracks from it, “Eat the Acid” and “Fine Line,” which arrived at the stroke of midnight, and are accompanied with the dark album artwork that depicts Kesha’s head in a plastic bag — a literal visualization to its “gag order” title.

“Fine Line,” an introspective ballad, and “Eat the Acid,” an experimental pop number, are notable for the absence of drums or a beat of any kind.

Rick Rubin produced the forthcomingalbum, which Kesha and her team describe as a “post-pop” “emotional exorcism” on which she finds empowerment in baptism-by-fire self-discovery and acceptance.

“Without the darkness there is no light. So I let my darkness have the light. I can’t fight the truth. Life is difficult and painful. It is for everyone,” she writes in an album manifesto. “An artist doesn’t exist to make others happy. I believe an artist gives voice, motion, color to the emotions we all have. The good emotions, and the unmanageably fucking miserable ones.”

Kesha has notably been in a legal battle with Dr. Luke since 2014, when the producer and Kemosabe Records founder filed a defamation suit against her for claiming that he drugged and raped her in 2005. Just a few months ago, a New York judge scheduled a new trial start date — July 19 — for the case after key issues made its prior February start date unworkable.

Kesha is credited as executive producer on Gag Order, her fifth solo studio album and the followup to 2020’s High Road, which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Stream “Fine Line” and “Eat the Acid” below.