Recording Artists
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Lil Nas X’s documentary Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero was supposed to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival at a certain time Saturday night but, unfortunately, it got delayed for about 20 minutes because, well, homophobic bigots ruin everything—or at least they try to.
According to Variety, the screening was scheduled to begin at 10:pm Saturday at Roy Thomson Hall, one of TIFF’s premier venues. Fans were lined up to see the documentary and the film’s co-directors, Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel, and editor, Andrew Morrow, were all on the red carpet taking photos. But just as Nas X was pulling up to have his moment with his fans and collaborators, organizers were informed that a bomb threat had been called in and everything was brought to a grinding halt.
From Variety:
The threat specifically targeted the rapper for being a Black queer artist, one source added.
Nas’ arrival was delayed 20 minutes while TIFF security conducted a sweep of the venue. After the threat was proved not credible, he joined Estrada and Manuel on the red carpet and the screening began at approximately 10:30pm.
A spokesperson for TIFF tells Variety: “Earlier this evening, we were made aware by the Toronto Police Service of an investigation in the vicinity of the red carpet for the ‘Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero’ screening. Our standard security measures remained in place during this time and the screening commenced with a slight delay. To our knowledge, this was a general threat and not directed at the film or the artist.”
The “Old Town Road” artist is, of course, no stranger to dealing with homophobic nonsense, but it’s still a shame that, in 2023, folks are still so full of hate that they would attempt to derail the premier of a documentary they don’t even have to watch with terroristic intimidation and threats of violence.
Fortunately, it was a failed attempt and the “Industry Baby” entertainer was still seen on the red carpet with family, fans and his team of documentarians.
So, basically, haters can hate, but the show will go on.
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First, let me just say Joseph Foreman aka Afroman is still HILARIOUS!
Last August, the “Because I Got High” rapper’s Adams County, Ohio, home was raided by deputies and other officers with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, who were armed when they executed a search warrant for drugs, drug paraphernalia and evidence of kidnapping and human trafficking, none of which they found.
From Fox 19:
The suspicions turned out to be unfounded. The Adams County Prosecutor’s Office said the raid failed to turn up probative criminal evidence, according to attorney Anna Castellini. No charges were ever filed.
In a bizarre turn of events unrelated to the civil suit, the sheriff’s office appeared to come up hundreds of dollars short returning cash seized from Foreman’s property. An independent investigation by Ohio BCI resolved the matter last month, concluding deputies had miscounted the money during the raid itself.
“They come up here with AR-15, traumatize my kids, destroyed my property, kick in my door, rip up and destroy my camera system,” Afroman said in August.
So, months after the officers of the law entered the gate to his property and battered down his front door while his family was apparently home in search of drugs and kidnapping victims that were not there, Afroman used video footage of the raid taken from his security cameras and his wife’s cell phone and turned it into a couple of music videos that are just damn excellent.
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One video titled “Will You Help Me Repair My Door” shows the damage the armed officers did to Afroman’s gate and front door as they forced their way into his home in search of imaginary contraband and stolen humans. In the video, Afroman asks comedically if the sheriff’s office will pay for the damage to his home, if it was really necessary for the officers to traumatize his children, and how many kidnapping victims and/or pounds of marijuana did they find in his suit pockets and CD cases, which they were seen searching on camera. He also asked why the oficers were stealing his money, which, again, they came up short on initially when it was time to return.
Anyway, seven of the deputies are suing Afroman because video footage used in the video caused them great harm and embarrassment by—*checks notes*—showing their exact behavior during the raid. The deputies who literally broke into a family’s private residence to find zero evidence of a crime also complained that showing the footage violated their right to privacy. (The cop-casity, I tell ya’.)
More from Fox 19:
Four deputies, two sergeants and a detective are claiming Foreman (a.k.a. “Afroman”) took footage of their faces obtained during the raid and used it in music videos and social media posts without their consent, a misdemeanor violation under Ohio Revised Code.
They’re also suing on civil grounds, saying Foreman’s use of their faces (i.e. personas) in the videos and social media posts resulted in their “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation and humiliation.”
The plaintiffs say they’re entitled to all of Foreman’s profits from his use of their personas. That includes, according to the complaint, proceeds from the songs, music videos and live event tickets as well as the promotion of Foreman’s “Afroman” brand, under which he sells beer, marijuana, t-shirts and other merchandise.
They’re also asking for an injunction to take down all videos and posts containing their personas.
Cincinnati attorney Robert Klingler filed the suit in Adams County Common Pleas Court on March 13 against Foreman, his recording firm and a Texas-based media distribution company. Not every law enforcement officer involved in the raid is named as a plaintiff.
But Foreman said in a lengthy Instagram post that he’s going to fight fire with fire by countersuing “for the undeniable damage this had on my clients, family, career and property.”
At the end of the day, cops shouldn’t be able to blindly break into homes where there are children present armed to the teeth so they can ransack the home based on a warrant that seems to have gotten signed based on a hunch and a prayer rather than tangible evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
Isn’t that how Breonna Taylor got killed?
Exactly.
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Apparently, there are folks on social media who, for whatever reason, believe openly gay recording artist Lil Nas X is basically the Rachel Dolezal of the LGBTQ community and is only pretending to be gay for the publicity.
But Nas X, being the internet clap-back-ologist that he is, had the perfect responses for men who had veered too far out of the lane of minding the business that pays them.
“Oh no guys, it’s the estrogen expert,” he replied to a Twitter user (emphasis on “twit”) who insisted that Nas X is “not really gay or not really that feminine” because, in his mind, “it’s so forced.”
Of course, commenters on the thread had a field day dragging the “estrogen expert” and coming up with alternative titles for the apparent testosterone tabulator.
But the orientation auditors were not done yet. Here’s another one who has predicted that “One day we will realise that Lil Nas X is not gay” and that “He just finessed the LGBT community and got to the bag.”
I mean, I can confidently say I’ve never spent any amount of time contemplating the sexuality of someone who has already openly said what they are. But this man has thought about Lil Nas X’s sexual orientation so deeply that he’s out here giving “one day we’ll get to the mountain top” speeches about it.
Nas X had just one question for the intimacy inspector.
“Do I have to give head at 3:45 am behind a McDonald’s in Chicago on a Friday night during the middle of pride month while streaming on twitch and IG live for y’all to realize I am really a fruitcake?” he asked.
Clearly, Lil Naz X is comfortable in his own skin and he knows who he is.
Some of these dudes on Twitter should be far more concerned with themselves.
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It’s been two months since Rolling Stone published its “200 Greatest Singers Of All Time” list. Soul legend Chaka Khan is still calling out all the shenanigans that resulted in her ranking at No. 29, while other singers who shouldn’t even be humming a tune while mowing her lawn were ranked higher.
OK, Chaka Khan didn’t say all that, but she is displeased, and she had some choice words for higher-ranked singers like Adele, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and others, as well as whoever is making the artist ranking decisions at Rolling Stone.
From HuffPost:
Appearing on Los Angeles Magazine’s “The Originals” podcast, Chaka Khan had some choice words about many of Rolling Stone’s selections. At one point, the 10-time Grammy winner argued that the publication’s editors “need hearing aids.”
“These are blind b*tches,” the “I’m Every Woman” singer, who is ranked No. 29 on the list, told host Andrew Goldman.
Khan took specific issue with Mariah Carey and Adele, who are ranked No. 5 and No. 22, respectively.
“That must be payola or some shit like that,” she said of Carey. Regarding Adele, she was perhaps even more dismissive, stating dryly: “OK, I quit.”
Still, Khan reserved her harshest critique for folk icon Joan Baez, who came in at No. 189. “Let’s be honest, the b*tch cannot sing,” she said of Baez. “Now, she was a good writer.”
Daaaayum, Chaka, it’s like that?
You can tell Khan is at that age where she just really doesn’t do the filter thing—if she ever did.
Notably, she acknowledged that Aretha Franklin reaching G.O.A.T. status on the list is as it “should be,” because even arguably the second greatest singer of all time won’t be offended by being listed under the Queen.
Anyway, Khan must have felt bad about going in the way she did, because on Sunday, she posted a lengthy apology to her Instagram account.
“Recently, I was asked about a list of the ‘greatest singers of all time’ and instead of questioning the need for such a list, I was pitted against other artists and I took the bait,” she wrote. “As artists, we are unfairly put into ‘boxes,’ ‘categories’ or on ‘lists.’ Being an artist or musician is not a competition. It’s a gift, for which I am truly grateful.”
“It was not my intention to cause pain or upset anyone. To anyone that felt this way, I sincerely apologize,” she added. “Empowering all artists is most important because we truly are the architects of change…and change begins within the heart.”
So, what do y’all think about Chaka Khan’s ranking on the Rolling Stone list? And is she wrong for shading the higher-ranked singers, or was she just keeping it real and calling out a great injustice? Was she right to apologize, or nah?