politics
Page: 14
Donald Trump apparently wanted 50 Cent in da club. The Grammy-winning rapper appeared on The Breakfast Club on Tuesday (Oct. 29), and shared that he was offered $3 million to appear at Trump’s recent New York City rally held at Madison Square Garden.
During their chat, DJ Envy asked 50, “Is it true Donald Trump tried to give you money to endorse him one time?”
The rapper told his hosts that he got a call from the twice-impeached former president about “Sunday” (Oct. 27), with Jess Hilarious clarifying by asking whether he was talking about MSG, which 50 confirmed.
“They wanted you to perform ‘Many Men’ at the RNC too, right?” Charlamagne Tha God then asked. (The Get Rich or Die Tryin’ track soundtracked Trump’s entrance to Adin Ross’ stream in August.)
“Yeah. They offered me $3 million!” the “In Da Club” rapper shared. A surprised Charlamagne then asked if it was for the event at Madison Square Garden or the RNC, with 50 replying that it was indeed for the MSG rally. He also replied in the affirmative when Charlamagne asked whether he was offered payment as well for the Republican National Convention.
50 — who did not appear at the RNC in July nor at Trump’s NYC rally — went on to explain why he rejected the offers. “I didn’t even go far,” he told the three hosts of the offers. “I’m afraid of politics, you understand? I do not like it. … It’s because when you do get involved in it, no matter how you feel, somebody passionately disagrees with you. Look, if you say ‘I stay away from religion,’ I stay away from politics. Religion, that’s the formula for the confusion that it sent Kanye to Japan. He said something about both of those things and now he can only go to Japan. So you know I’m like I don’t want to get in that, man.”
Billboard has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment.
In recent years, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) has supported Trump, before declaring on July 4, 2020, that he was running for president as well. (He did not get far in his efforts, missing South Carolina’s July 20 deadline that year to get on the ballot.) Then beginning in October 2022, the rapper repeatedly made antisemitic hate speech, which resulted in him facing consequences that included losing brand deals, declines of airplay of his music catalog and more.
In 2020, 50 Cent supported Trump — who in May was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — before retracting his endorsement after former girlfriend Chelsea Handler called him out. “F–k Donald Trump, I never liked him,” the rapper later said when retweeting a video of the comedian — who preveriously referred the rapper as her favorite ex — on The Tonight Show in which she criticized her ex for his support of the business mogul.
Watch 50’s interview on The Breakfast Club below:
Bob Weir is voting for Kamala Harris and her vice presidential pick, Tim Walz, in the upcoming election. The Grateful Dead rocker took to Instagram on Monday (Oct. 28) to share a photo of himself wearing a Dead-inspired Harris-Walz 2024 shirt, alongside a snap of Walz holding the tee and another with his wife, Natascha […]
Swifties are speaking out against comedian Tony Hinchecliff after he gave a controversial speech at a Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In addition to a series of racist remarks about Puerto Rico, the Latin community, Black people, Jewish people, Palestinians and more, Hinchecliff’s speech also included several derogatory statements about music stars. “I don’t know about you, but I think that Travis Kelce might be the next O.J. Simpson,” he said in reference to the Super Bowl-winning boyfriend of Taylor Swift, whom Trump called out on X last month after the superstar endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
Simpson was a successful professional football player who was charged in June 1994 for murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, after the two were found stabbed to death in Los Angeles. The now-infamous eight-month murder trial led to his acquittal in October 1995. Three years later, in 1998, he was found liable for the murders in a civil suit from the victims’ families.
Following Hinchecliff’s speech, Swift’s fans flooded social media with criticism of the remark and the distasteful implication that Kelce might murder the “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” singer. “While you’re here, can you please explain in detail why calling Travis Kelce the ‘next OJ’ is funny?” one fan asked Hinchcliffe in response to his defense of his set, noting that people have “no sense of humor.”
“How utterly offensive,” another wrote, while a third expressed, “That racist comedian’s jokes were so disgustingly racist and vile that the #swifties haven’t caught wind about the fact that he made a joke about Travis Kelce being the next OJ Simpson, implying he will k*ll Taylor Swift, and everyone laughed.”
See more reactions below.
Are we going to talk about the Tony guy at Trumps rally saying Travis might be the next OJ Simpson?? Like is he implying Travis should kill Taylor Swift? Is there some context I’m missing here or something???— Black Queen💗 (@Melaninqueen202) October 28, 2024
The PR comments are getting a lot of attention as well they should.But also can we talk about: the guy literally joked about Taylor Swift. Being killed. By her boyfriend.Horrifying … and also I dunno maybe further motivates the swiftie vote because … what a joke (“joke”).— Danielle Kurtzleben (@titonka) October 28, 2024
The OJ reference is in really poor taste. The guy brutally murdered his wife and her friend.
To imply that Travis Kelce could become like that is just sick. Not funny.
— Flyover Zone Patriot 🇺🇸 (@SharkeyTim) October 27, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Eminem and Kid Rock are both from Detroit and both have been outspoken over the years when it comes to American politics. The two musicians stand on different ends of the political spectrum, but one thing they can agree on is that celebrities speaking their mind could be a good thing (depending on what’s said, […]
Following a Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend that included racist and derogatory comments about Latinos, Puerto Rico and others, a representative for the Manhattan arena distanced itself from highly publicized remarks but stopped short of condemning the comments.
“As a business we are neutral in political matters,” the rep says in a statement provided to Billboard. “We rent to either side. We don’t censor artists, performers or speakers.”
The statement follows an appearance at the rally by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose 12-minute address involved a series of disparaging remarks about Palestinians, Jewish people, Latinos, major musical stars and more.
“These Latinos, they love making babies, just know that. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country,” said Hinchcliffe, host of the popular live comedy podcast Kill Tony. He followed that statement by saying, “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
This latter statement garnered swift and widespread backlash, with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris quickly releasing a video pledging to do her best for the citizens of the island. Harris’ video was boosted by myriad Puerto Rican artists including Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Luis Fonsi.
On Monday (Oct. 28), Marc Anthony also responded, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that “[Trump] launched his campaign by calling Latinos criminals and rapists. He’s told us what he’ll do. He’ll separate children from their families and threatened to use the ARMY to do it This election goes way beyond political parties… And that’s why I support Kamala Harris for President.”
For the Sunday (Oct. 27) rally, the Trump campaign rented Madison Square Garden, which has been used for a number of political events over its long history, including both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. During the rally, the Democratic National Committee projected messages on the side of the venue, including one that read “Trump Praised Hitler.” (To wit, in 1939, Madison Square Garden hosted a rally for the American Nazi party that was billed as a “pro-Americanism” and attended by approximately 20,000 people. The American Nazi party was later outlawed following Adolf Hitler’s declaration of war against the U.S. following the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor at the end of 1941.)
In addition to his other remarks, Hinchecliff’s speech included several derogatory statements about major music stars. “I don’t know about you, but I think that Travis Kelce might be the next O.J. Simpson,” he said in reference to the boyfriend of Taylor Swift, whom Trump lashed out at on X (formerly Twitter) after the superstar endorsed Harris for president in September.
The comedian also referenced Harris supporters Leonardo DiCaprio, Eminem and Beyoncè, saying that “every day the Democratic party looks more like a P. Diddy party.”
During his speech, Trump himself called Madison Square Garden “incredible” and thanked MSG Entertainment CEO James Dolan, a registered Democrat who’s been friends with Trump for more three decades. “I want to thank Jim Dolan,” Trump said. “He’s been incredible. He’s been just incredible. The job they’ve done. The job they’ve done. Thank you.”
HipHopWired Featured Video
Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States, knows a bit about how media will dissect a political figure’s every move and she used that firsthand knowledge to great effect. During a rally in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama took shots at Harris’ opponent Donald Trump, and slammed the media’s nitpicking of the Democratic Party hopeful’s interviews in comparison to the former president.
Michelle Obama was in Kalamazoo, Mich. over the weekend at a rally for Harris and she was very clear in calling out Trump for what she framed as “gross incompetence” while Harris is expected to “dazzle” each time she’s made media appearances and during interviews.
From the speech:
So I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m a little frustrated that some of us are choosing to ignore Donald Trump’s gross incompetence while asking Kamala to dazzle us at every turn. I hope that you’ll forgive me if I’m a little angry that we are indifferent to his erratic behavior, his obvious mental decline, his history as a convicted felon, a known slumlord, a predator found liable for sexual abuse, all of this, while we pick apart Kamala’s answers from interviews that he doesn’t even have the courage to do, y’all.
To Obama’s point, Trump has elected to duck certain media appearances and debates in favor of rallies, such as the racially charged event in New York over the weekend that featured a parade of speakers spewing racist rhetoric against Puerto Ricans and Black Americans.
Harris has been under harsher lights and every gaffe is highlighted and magnified to a degree we haven’t truly seen with Trump’s campaign. No matter which side of the political aisle one stands, the difference in coverage is stark.
Watch Michelle Obama’s Michigan rally speech in full below.
—
Photo: Getty
GloRilla has endorsed Kamala Harris for president ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections taking place next week. The 25-year-old MC outlined four reasons why people should pick her for president in a video posted to her TikTok account Monday (Oct. 28): “A woman’s right to choose, Protect the LGBTQIA+ Community, Funding for Public Education and […]
By now, Mariah Carey‘s annual “It’s Time!” videos — in which she cheekily sings the phrase in her whistling register before the opening notes of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” come in to ring in the Christmas season — are a holiday hallmark as much as snowmen and gingerbread cookies. In an Instagram video shared Monday (Oct. 28), Carey teamed up with Emmy-winning actress and producer Kerry Washington for an election-themed spin on the popular meme.
“No, no, no! It’s not your season yet, Mariah. It’s voting season!” Washington quips as she interrupts Carey’s “All I Want” intro while clad in a white T-shirt and black cap, both emblazoned with “vote.”
After a playfully annoyed “What? OK,” the five-time Grammy winner then affirmatively responds to Washington’s queries about her voting plans for Election Day (Nov. 5). “Have you registered? Have you made a plan?” Washington asks, alluding to the myriad ways voters can make their voices heard at the ballot box next month. Carey, in a characteristically Christmas-y red top, plaid skirt, black tights and boots, replied that she already registered to vote and “executed” her voting plan.
“That’s amazing!” Washington exclaimed. “Because it’s my season before it’s her season. So, now all we need is you!” To drive home the final word of her sentence, Washington and Carey returned to singing as they harmonized the “you” riff from the beginning of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Carey even vocalized a bit of the instrumental before the pair sang the opening note of the first verse in unison. Given Washington’s musical background — she starred in Ryan Murphy’s Golden Globe-nominated film adaptation of the Tony-nominated Prom musical in 2020 — the actress proved to be a formidable duet partner for the singer.
Carey and Washington’s cheeky clip continues the Scandal actress’ involvement in getting out the vote for the 2024 election. She served as emcee for the final night of August’s Democratic National Convention and recently lent her voice to a historic radio ad campaign targeting Black voters. Last year, Carey visited the White House with her twins Moroccan and Monroe to ring in the Christmas season with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
This year, Carey is celebrating 30 years of her Merry Christmas album, which has spent two weeks atop Holiday Albums. The legendary set, which houses her Billboard Hot 100-topping “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” will receive a special anniversary release later this year. On Nov. 6, she will kick off her Christmas Time tour in Highland, Calif. The trek will visit major cities such as Houston and Nashville before concluding in Brooklyn on Dec. 17.
Watch Mariah Carey and Kerry Washington’s video encouraging fans to vote:
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Alex Wong / Getty
CNN commentator Van Jones brought up a good (albeit obvious AF) point regarding a glaring double standard applied to Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the race for the presidency. During CNN’s Town Hall with Harris, which aired Wednesday (Oct. 23) , Harris answered some tough questions from audience members, and she held her own. However, pundits, especially right-wing pundits, predictably picked her apart and scrutinized her performance in ways they don’t when Trump — arguably the most boorish, childish, bigoted, and idiotic blowhard in the history of modern politics — is in the spotlight.
From thegrio:
On the heels of major news that Donald Trump was quoted admiring Hitler’s generals and was called “fascist” by his longest-serving chief of staff, Harris found herself being criticized by some TV analysts after the town hall for sometimes having long, nuanced answers to policy questions. Trump declined to attend the debate altogether despite multiple debates being standard for a presidential campaign.
“Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are not taking the same exam. And I think it bothers people,” Jones said during a political panel. “He gets to lawless, she has to be flawless. That’s what’s unfair.
“That’s what’s unfair tonight. They’re not taking the same exam. Look she has policies. She may not articulate them perfectly every time. She may not put the stories in the right places. But she’s fighting for actual ideas that will help real people. And he’s talking about people’s penises … It’s pissing me off.”
Now, listen: Typically, Van Jones is a flip-flopping Aaron Burr-ass political analyst who straddles the line between progressive and conservative and can’t seem to decide whether he wants to denounce Trump or hump his leg a little — but this time, he’s pretty spot on.
Harris’ critics have balked about her not revealing any specific policy ideas, despite the fact that she has been far more candid regarding details of her plans than the guy who said on the debate stage that he merely has “concepts of a plan.”
We should have no interest in any political analyst who is complaining that Harris can have “long, nuanced answers to policy questions” while Trump is out here screaming like a tinfoil hat-wearing maniac about pet-eating Haitians, cancer-causing-windmills, medical Lysol-injections, military boat-sinking batteries that may cause shark attacks, and cops who need “one real rough, nasty day” where they can freely commit acts of police brutality.
I mean, look at what Trump said about late pro-golfer Arnold Palmer just this week. Imagine the media uproar if Kamala Harris stood on a nationally televised stage in front of a massive audience and said this:
“Arnold Palmer was all man and I say that in all due respect to women, and I love women, but this is a guy that was all man…When he took showers with the other pros they came out of there, they said, ‘Oh my God. That’s unbelievable.’”
So, yeah — Harris and Trump might be running in the same race, but they’re not being graded on the same curve. Not by a long shot.
The Harris campaign will continue to rock this week with another campaign event featuring prominent musical guests. According to an announcement for the When We Vote We Win event in Madison, WI on Wednesday (Oct. 30) evening, it will feature Democratic Presidential candidate current V.P. Kamala Harris, as well as appearances from Gracie Abrams, Remi […]