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HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: YouTube / Club Shay Shay
The origin of the long-running feud between 50 Cent and Ja Rule was revealed by Steve Stoute in a recent chat with Shannon Sharpe.
The bad blood between 50 Cent and Ja Rule has been a constant source of news over the years, with no one truly understanding the reasons why. But industry music veteran and UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute shone a light on the roots of it during his appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast this past Wednesday (March 6) when the host asked. “That’s a good question,” Stoute said. “I think 50 knew that Ja was not who he was portraying as an image. Ja [was a] Jehovah’s Witness… I’m not saying they not supposed to rap, but Ja was coming up with this gangster image. It was like, ‘That’s a stretch for you…’ They had some very neighborhood beef.”
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Stoute continued as the two rode through the borough of Queens that both MCs hail from: “I remember when we signed 50 there was something going on. I think he snatched Ja’s chain, or somebody snatched somebody’s…And then they had a fight in Atlanta…and it was just like, I never understood it. I was like, ‘Why do you keep having problems with this guy?’ It was like he was always looking for problems…I think it was driven by this idea that this image he was portraying he didn’t think was authentic…It led to big issues. Ja and his guys ran up on 50 in the studio one day. They touched him up.”
Shannon then said, “Oh, so they’re never gonna be cool,” to which Stoute replied, “They’re never gonna be cool, and now, I’m happy that it’s all kind of over with,” he said. “What I don’t like at this point as older statesmen is…it makes the art form look bad. These guys are made men now…The leaders of the art form doin well, being positive, representing…the movement and the culture of Hip Hop well. For guys still to be beefing and still…dragging that back in…you in your 40s, bro. What are you talking about? You got kids at home.” Stoute also made headlines with his take on Dame Dash, which led to Dash replying via Instagram: “This is the reason I had to smack the shit out of @stevestoute a couple years ago…because he’s always speaking on other men’s business. good thing I’ve evolved.”
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: MEGA / Getty
The fashion choices of Ye aka Kanye West and his wife, Bianca Censori, are always good for setting the internet ablaze and getting the people talking. Well, that hasn’t changed as photos have been floating around social media that show Bianca letting it all hang out (uh…so to speak) while she and Ye were out on the town in Paris for fashion week, according to TMZ.
Censori was not living up to the “censor” part of her name when she walked the streets of Paris in furs, see-through stockings and—not much else. Obviously, Bianca is no stranger to being scantily clad, and to his credit, Ye doesn’t appear to be one of those insecure spouses who would throw a fit over what his wife is wearing in public while scouring the area to make sure Usher is nowhere in sight.
Still, Bianca must have been out there turning heads by basically going nude from the waist down.
One person who does appear to be bothered by Bianca’s attire choices is her father, who appears to blame Ye for letting his daughter come out of the house in clothes that could get you an indecent exposure charge in the States.
From TMZ:
Sources close to Bianca told Daily Mail that her dad, Leo, wants to sit down for a chat with Kanye West to discuss the outfits his daughter’s wearing … and these sources are saying he’s outright gonna go on a tirade if he does get face time with him.
According to the report, Leo wants to ask Ye point-blank how he could possibly march his wife around in barely-there clothes like some “trashy naked trophy pony” — not exactly the words anyone would wanna hear from their father-in-law.
Leo also apparently wants to ask Ye if he’d be cool with his daughters walking around wearing similarly sheer clothing when they grow up — ’cause quite frankly, he doubts it.
Yeah—it’s worth pointing out that Yeezus isn’t Bianca’s parent, and even if he was, she is a 29-year-old adult with the agency to dress herself.
So, what do y’all think about Bianca’s latest fit? Let us know in the comments below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty / King Harris
King Harris is still standing on business and had time for comedian and social media star Druski.
The son of Atlanta Hip-Hop star T.I. was BIG mad at Druski following some comments the comedian made about him during an interview on The Breakfast Club.
In a now-deleted post shared on Tuesday, Feb 27, King called out Druski, accusing him of being scared of him and saying what he did for clout.
Per XXL:
“Druski yo a$$ trimm,” he captioned the post below. “Let’s the games begin. N***a I just seen u ain’t u ain’t say nothing of that. Only thing you said was ‘Here go King standin on business.’ I tell ya the clout is a hell of a drug. And n***a what the hell is look like standing on my luxury a*s car. Not P.”
“Druski, you and your cholesterol need to calm the f**k down,” King snaps in the video below. “You and them wide-body Hellcat hips need to need to calm the f**k down. I can’t believe this n***a just tried to call me p***y in the interview. I just seen him a couple weeks ago.”
“We seen you run from a n***a,” King continues. “We seen you run from Birdman. I ain’t never ran from nobody. It look like you got a p***y and you walk with a strap.”
How Did This All Start?
King’s response comes after Druski was asked about the altercation with King, and the comedian immediately dismissed T.I.’s son when he was asked if he was more scared of Birdman or King.
“Come one, man. That n***a p***y,” Druski said King Harris? What we talking about, man?…He did pull up on me at the [‘Standin’ on Bihness’] video shoot. We had too much security, though. He tried to do a stare off. The n***a got out his car and just kinda stood on top of the car. And he ’bout to go right back to that nice-a*s house. He don’t know s**t about standing on business.”
Druski said he has no problem with King despite the tension between the two.
We can’t say the same for King.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: MEGA / Getty
It is clear Jennifer Lopez is still tapped into the streets. She had Redman join her during her Saturday Night Live set.
As spotted on GQ Magazine Newark and the South Bronx have come together for a memorable moment on one of the world’s most iconic stages. On Saturday, Feb 3 the “Love Don’t Cost A Thing” singer debuted the remix to her single “Can’t Get Enough” which reprises Redman’s 1998 hit “Da Goodness”. Wearing a suit, an untucked button-up shirt and a fedora to match the black and white theme, Reggie Noble flawlessly rapped his verse while interacting with the Grammy Award nominated singer with his own set of dance moves. Additionally, the bars were gritty but still made aligned with the track’s mainstream feel. “Take ’em to the limit / shut the place down in a New York minute / Look around the room, J.LO they all mad / Season veterans – check the dog tags”.
This is not the first time Funk Doctor Spock has lent his talents to a pop song. Back in 2003 Christina Aguilera redid his song “Dirty” which he featured on. The track was the lead single to her multi-platinum album Stripped. The duo performed the song at 2002 MTV Music Awards. You can see Jennifer Lopez rock with both Latto and Redman on Saturday Night Live below.
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HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: DJ Akademiks / DJ Akademiks
One of Rap’s most polarizing personalities will have to clear his name yet again. DJ Akademiks’ ex-girlfriend is making claims of domestic abuse and more.
Madame Noire is reporting that a former female friend of the content creator has made some very damning accusations. On Wednesday, January 31. a woman named Cheyenne took to social media seeking to expose the man born Livingston Allen. In screenshots posted by It’s Onsite the woman shared photographs of her covering up bruises under her eye with a combination of concealer and foundation.
“Never had to wear this much makeup until I met him” she wrote. Cheyenne went on to state that this supposed incident took place a day before they left for a trip to London.
But wait it gets worse; she also says that DJ Akademiks needs to get his hygiene in order. This fat lard keeps threatening me. “You smell like tartar sauce & don’t bathe for 5 days. Leave me alone please it’s over.” Cheyenne also shared screenshots of what seems to be a text conversation where the podcaster persisted on talking to her even though she makes it clear she “doesn’t want to talk anymore.”
DJ Akademiks has yet to comment on the matter. Back in 2022, he got into a physical altercation with a woman. In December of 2023 he was accused by a woman named Ziya Abashe of sexual assault and rape which he has since denied.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty
It has only been a month since comedian Jess Hilarious announced that she was set to be the new host of The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne The God and DJ Envy, and drama between Jess and the hosts has already ensued. Note: Charlamagne disputed the claim that she was selected as a permanent host, but we’ll get to that in a second.
On Tuesday (Jan. 23), Jess shared a post by The Shade Room that showed Envy and Charlamagne elevating songstress SZA to the level of Mary J. Blige. Jess was having none of it.
“These N-ggas trash,” the Wild ‘N Out comedian wrote. “Envy shut up! I know artists be pissed when old heads do this bc now everybody negatively comparing SZA to MJB and it ain’t even her fault! She has her own identity already.”
It’s arguable that Hilarious isn’t wrong here. Calling SZA the new Mary is basically opening the door for trolls and die-hard MBJ fans to lash out and cause the “Kill Bill” singer to catch strays when she was just minding her own business and being great.
Still, it’s also arguable that Jess was being a little harsh when she called Charlamagne and Envy “trash” just for making the comparison. Perhaps her hostility towards the two Breakfast Club hosts has something to do with whatever happened with her joining the team.
From Hip Hop DX:
In late December, the former Wild N’Out star announced that she would be replacing Angela Yee on The Breakfast Club after more than a year of the morning show being just a two-man operation.
“It’s official,” she said during an event in her hometown. “I’ma put the fuck on for my city. Specifically, West Baltimore.”
However, these plans seem to have fallen apart.
Just last week, Charlamagne Tha God said he was “not happy” about the confusion surrounding the show, which has been without a third host since Yee departed in December 2022 to front her own syndicated program.
The Breakfast Club has had a number of rotating guest hosts including Claudia Jordan, Jess Hilarious, Jason Lee, and Loren LoRosa over the last year and a half, but they have yet to announce a permanent replacement.
When asked by TMZ about the situation, CTG said: “I would really like to know. I just came from downstairs. It was just me and Envy doing the show again.
“Everybody saw us rotating guest hosts last year and we said we were gonna start 2024 off with a new host and that hasn’t happened yet.”
He added: “I am done with the rotating of the guest hosts.”
Welp, now that Jess Hillarious has fired off on the show’s only two current hosts, chances of her ever becoming a Breakfast Club host—if it’s even something she wants anymore—have likely gone from slim to nill.
So, what do y’all think? Is Jess right about the comparison of SZA to Mary, or did Envy and The God have a fair point? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Paul Natkin / Getty / Les McCann
The music world lost a giant before 2023 came to a close with the passing of soulful Jazz great Les McCann.
The Hollywood Reporter shared the sad news that Les McCann passed away at 88 in the Los Angeles area. McCann’s music is no stranger to the Hip-Hop community, as some of his songs were used as samples of the late Notorious B.I.G., legendary producer/rapper Dr. Dre, Mobb Deep, and more.
Per The Hollywood Reporter:
The musician, who released more than 60 albums over the course of his career, had been admitted to a hospital from the nursing care facility he’d lived in for the past four years and was diagnosed with pneumonia, his manager Alan Abrahams told The Hollywood Reporter.
In a prolific career, he was arguably best known for his 1969 Montreaux Jazz Festival performance of the protest song “Compared to What.”
Hip-Hop Songs That Sampled McCann’s Work
For those who don’t fancy the credits for their favorite albums, McCann’s song “Go On and Cry” was sampled in the original version of “The Next Episode,” which was supposed to be featured on Snoop Dogg’s classic album Doggystyle before it landed on Dr. Dre’s 2001.
Biggie’s “Ten Crack Commandments” off his double-disc Life After Death is heavily sampled from McCann’s “Vallarta.”
Mobb Deep went into the McCann duffy when they used his song “Benjamin” to craft their track “Right Back At You” off their a1995 album The Infamous.
Other artists who sampled McCann include stoner hip-hop pioneer Massive Attack, Cypress Hill, Slick Rick, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Naughty By Nature.
McCann was born in 1935 in Lexington, Kentucky, and was a self-taught pianist before picking up the sousaphone in high school and serving in the U.S. Navy at 17.
In a 2017 interview with the Oxford American, McCann said he wanted to “go to the Navy School of Music,” only to learn they did not have the sousaphone to play.
He would go on to win a talent contest in the Navy that landed him an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. After being discharged, he formed a band in Los Angeles, landing his first contract with Pacific Jazz in 1960 after Miles Davis heard him play in a nightclub.
McCann also signed with Atlantic Records after Roberta Flack discovered him.
After suffering a stroke in the 90s while on stage in Germany, he used a wheelchair, but that didn’t keep him from performing.
McCann’s life is the true definition of a life well lived.
May he rest in paradise.
—
Photo: Paul Natkin / Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Avery Kelley / Handout
Filmmaker Avery Kelley—who is 15—is adding her name to the list of creatives eager to present authentic and respectable images of Blackness to the world.
Raised on Chicago’s South Side, she witnessed successful, enterprising Black businesswomen who inspired her to pursue the arts. Originally a dancer, Avery found her talent in film, writing and producing content. In the four years since she started her production company, Inspired Melanin, she’s garnered award after award for her works, which include a historic documentary on the impact of the Soul Train television show, as well as a documentary on Chicago’s storied Studio One Dance Theater.
Critically acclaimed, her most recent work, The All-Aroundz, is touring film festivals stateside and internationally. More than just a worker, she’s equally known for her commitment to social causes, which includes her Give Love and Carry On fundraiser, which donates clothing to foster children.
Hip-Hop Wired: How are you? Recently, your organization hosted a clothing drive for foster children, called “Give Love and Carry On.” What inspired you to choose this as a fundraiser for you and yours?
Avery: I found out about the plight of children in the foster care system from my mother, and from there I began researching to learn more about the situation. I know that I can’t just solve every single problem that goes on within the foster care system, but I wanted to start somewhere, so I knew this was a way that I could start. I started by deciding to raise duffel bags and luggage tasks. That’s where the idea came from. I did research, saw a problem and wanted to fix it.
It’s a great idea! Who were some of the sponsors for your event?
Oh my gosh, we have an entire list of sponsors. So I’m so incredibly grateful for it. I’ve never had sponsors for anything in my life. So to be able to have it for this event, to be able to help us raise these bags just really warms my heart. I can name the main six. First, we have Riley’s Way Foundation. They were not only a sponsor, but are also the fiscal sponsor for the Give Love Carry On event as it’s not a nonprofit. Next, we have Over Time Elite, which is an Atlanta-based basketball league with teenagers. They are amazing. For the event, they donated bags for foster children. They also donated swag bags filled with game day tickets and merch to be able to give to the guests.
Then we have True Star Media, which is a Chicago-based youth media program. We have Project Osmosis, which is also Chicago-based but works nationally. They help students throughout the arts. Fifth, there’s Project I Am, which works to be able to create blessing bags for the homeless. And last, we have my production company, Inspired Melanin.
You were born and raised in Chicago and recently moved down to Atlanta. What was life like for you growing up in Chicago, particularly on the South Side?
Growing up in Chicago is amazing. It’s the best. It’s the best city in the world. And I know, I know there may be just a little bit of bias to that because I’m from there, but I’m serious. I grew up in a very family-based environment. I lived no more than like six minutes away from my grandmother my entire life. Of course, I know there’s always the serious type of Chicago that has violence and shootings, but there’s so much more to it than that. I grew up around so many powerful black women who inspired me to be able to go after what I wanted. I went to great schools with great teachers who helped shape people and helped shape me. I loved growing up there, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Was film your first dream? If not, how long did it take for you to recognize you had a talent behind the lens?
It’s not something that I knew originally. I’ve always known that I wanted to do something that has to do with the arts. I’ve been dancing since I was 2 years old, and at my dance studio, I was around so many entrepreneurial-based mindsets that I always knew it was something that I wanted to do. I just didn’t necessarily know which art field yet. I originally assumed, “oh, hey, I’m going to be the next Zendaya or Viola Davis.” So I kind of went after that dream, and I did different auditions.
During one audition, we had to write our monologue. I wrote a little monologue, and I performed it. And I was like, “OK, the self-tape was OK, but this monologue was pretty good!” I was only like 9 or 10 at the time though, and so after writing that monologue, I told my mom I like this. I was able to find my passion from that. And it was very unexpected, but I’m so grateful for it because film is like one of the best things ever. And I’m so glad I get to be able to tell different stories through this art form.
I think the world is grateful that you found it, too. So from this seed of screenwriting, you started a production company, named Inspired Melanin. What’s the inspiration behind the name?
It’s such a funny story to me. When I knew I wanted to start a production company at 11, I completed my very first short film called Backrow, which is about a group of seven kids that all sat in the back row of class. I didn’t want to just stop here. So I researched what a production company was and said “OK, but what am I going to call it?” I knew what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to be able to represent the underrepresented, which is a kind of umbrella. But I didn’t know the name. That same morning I was talking to my mom about tattoos I wanted. I was 11. Why am I over here thinking about tattoos, I don’t know! But I was telling my mom I wanted a tattoo on both arms, one saying inspired, and the other saying melanin.
Suddenly, I was like, “oh, wait, that kind of has a nice little ring to it.” My parents were like, “Why don’t you name the company that? It aligns with the mission that you want to be able to do.” It’s two tattoos that I wanted at the time and two tattoos that I still want, not just because of the name of the company, but because through the work that I do, I want to be able to inspire melanated people.
There’s a constant theme of representing teenagers and making art for teenagers. As you begin to grow, is your focus going to remain on inspiring teenagers?
I’m a teenager right now so I want to be able to write work that’s for teenagers in the future. When I’m an adult, I want to be able to do that as well and tell adult stories. I want to be able to explore a bunch of different avenues and use them to inspire this generation. For example, my favorite show is A Different World. It’s touched so many people and left a positive impact on the black community. It affected everything from music, style and television and just changed so many different things. A Different World made my dad go to college. And so when thinking about just the impact that film can have, that’s kind of similar to the impact that I want to be able to have.
You grew up around the type of Black excellence that people associate with Atlanta. Why did your family move to Atlanta?
I moved right before my freshman year. So it was the very end of my eighth grade. My family and I decided to move to Atlanta because it is such a huge film hub. There are so many more opportunities in the film space in Atlanta currently than there are in Chicago. Once I arrived here, my mom mentioned the Black Girls Film Camp to me in 2022 after scrolling on Instagram. When those applications opened at the end of 2022, I was like, “this is the time for me to apply.” I applied on the last day, made a pitch video and submitted it at almost 11:59 p.m.!
And when I got my interview and found out that I was accepted, I was like, “oh my gosh, this is God.” Because I almost missed this amazing opportunity, Black Girls Film Camp has changed my life. It changed the way that I see myself as a storyteller, the way that I see myself as a writer, a director and a creative. It’s opened so many doors for me to be able to explore different fields of the industry and meet so many Black women powerhouses, like those who are heavy hitters in the industry currently in the past.
Tell me about the films you’ve made. What was your first work and how did it come to be?
Back Row, which I touched on a little bit before, was the first script that I ever wrote. It was my very first short film that I ever did. I was able to have it in a film festival and it got a lot of amazing feedback. Next was the Teen Dom Talk Show, which originally started as Teen Dom. It was my project. It was a talk show for the kids, the teens and everyone in between that I began back in 2020. It was non-scripted, and we had two full seasons of the show, one of which was all livestream while the other was pre-recorded. Then I have the Soul Train Soul Change documentary. It originally started as a school project for the Chicago Metro History Fair, but it advanced to the National History Day Competition and won one of the best Illinois entries. It was also highlighted in a week-long exhibit in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
After that, I did a 10-minute documentary, called One Step at a Time, which is the first feature-length documentary I’ve done. It is one of the projects closest to my heart because it focuses on the story of my dance studio, Studio One Dance Theater in the Chicago area that highlights Black excellence, black love, black sisterhood and family. Due to the pandemic, it was unfortunately shut down. That brings me to my most recent work, The All Aroundz, which is a short film that I did as a part of the Black Girls Film Camp 2023 cohort. I’m so grateful and blessed and thankful to Black Girls Film Camp because thanks to them and thanks to this experience, I was able to enter into so many different festivals. Also, more projects are coming soon.
How have your parents helped you in your journey?
I’m so grateful because without my parents none of this would be happening. First, legally, I’m a minor. Beyond the legal aspect, they’re just my biggest supporters and they know that this is something that I genuinely want to do. They have done nothing but constantly support me throughout this entire process and helped me balance doing filmmaking, school, dance, and all of these other fantastic things; school, which is a top priority for them.
Do you have any final thoughts?
I do want to say that for the Love Carries On Drive, we still are accepting donations until the end of this year. We are looking for the goal to be able to raise 1000 duffel bags for foster children in need. My social media has a link labeled Love Carries On Drive, and you can learn all the information about the drive. From there you can click the Amazon wish list to donate and then just click the Love Carries On address and send a bag over. We are looking for as many bag donations as possible. Feel free to follow the Love Carries On Drive on Instagram. You can also follow my Instagram @askaveryk for Love Carries On Drive updates as well as for film updates and more. Last, check out the Inspired Melanin website. We’re updating it.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Avery Kelley / Handout
Filmmaker Avery Kelley—who is 15—is adding her name to the list of creatives eager to present authentic and respectable images of Blackness to the world.
Raised on Chicago’s South Side, she witnessed successful, enterprising Black businesswomen who inspired her to pursue the arts. Originally a dancer, Avery found her talent in film, writing and producing content. In the four years since she started her production company, Inspired Melanin, she’s garnered award after award for her works, which include a historic documentary on the impact of the Soul Train television show, as well as a documentary on Chicago’s storied Studio One Dance Theater.
Critically acclaimed, her most recent work, The All-Aroundz, is touring film festivals stateside and internationally. More than just a worker, she’s equally known for her commitment to social causes, which includes her Give Love and Carry On fundraiser, which donates clothing to foster children.
Hip-Hop Wired: How are you? Recently, your organization hosted a clothing drive for foster children, called “Give Love and Carry On.” What inspired you to choose this as a fundraiser for you and yours?
Avery: I found out about the plight of children in the foster care system from my mother, and from there I began researching to learn more about the situation. I know that I can’t just solve every single problem that goes on within the foster care system, but I wanted to start somewhere, so I knew this was a way that I could start. I started by deciding to raise duffel bags and luggage tasks. That’s where the idea came from. I did research, saw a problem and wanted to fix it.
It’s a great idea! Who were some of the sponsors for your event?
Oh my gosh, we have an entire list of sponsors. So I’m so incredibly grateful for it. I’ve never had sponsors for anything in my life. So to be able to have it for this event, to be able to help us raise these bags just really warms my heart. I can name the main six. First, we have Riley’s Way Foundation. They were not only a sponsor, but are also the fiscal sponsor for the Give Love Carry On event as it’s not a nonprofit. Next, we have Over Time Elite, which is an Atlanta-based basketball league with teenagers. They are amazing. For the event, they donated bags for foster children. They also donated swag bags filled with game day tickets and merch to be able to give to the guests.
Then we have True Star Media, which is a Chicago-based youth media program. We have Project Osmosis, which is also Chicago-based but works nationally. They help students throughout the arts. Fifth, there’s Project I Am, which works to be able to create blessing bags for the homeless. And last, we have my production company, Inspired Melanin.
You were born and raised in Chicago and recently moved down to Atlanta. What was life like for you growing up in Chicago, particularly on the South Side?
Growing up in Chicago is amazing. It’s the best. It’s the best city in the world. And I know, I know there may be just a little bit of bias to that because I’m from there, but I’m serious. I grew up in a very family-based environment. I lived no more than like six minutes away from my grandmother my entire life. Of course, I know there’s always the serious type of Chicago that has violence and shootings, but there’s so much more to it than that. I grew up around so many powerful black women who inspired me to be able to go after what I wanted. I went to great schools with great teachers who helped shape people and helped shape me. I loved growing up there, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Was film your first dream? If not, how long did it take for you to recognize you had a talent behind the lens?
It’s not something that I knew originally. I’ve always known that I wanted to do something that has to do with the arts. I’ve been dancing since I was 2 years old, and at my dance studio, I was around so many entrepreneurial-based mindsets that I always knew it was something that I wanted to do. I just didn’t necessarily know which art field yet. I originally assumed, “oh, hey, I’m going to be the next Zendaya or Viola Davis.” So I kind of went after that dream, and I did different auditions.
During one audition, we had to write our monologue. I wrote a little monologue, and I performed it. And I was like, “OK, the self-tape was OK, but this monologue was pretty good!” I was only like 9 or 10 at the time though, and so after writing that monologue, I told my mom I like this. I was able to find my passion from that. And it was very unexpected, but I’m so grateful for it because film is like one of the best things ever. And I’m so glad I get to be able to tell different stories through this art form.
I think the world is grateful that you found it, too. So from this seed of screenwriting, you started a production company, named Inspired Melanin. What’s the inspiration behind the name?
It’s such a funny story to me. When I knew I wanted to start a production company at 11, I completed my very first short film called Backrow, which is about a group of seven kids that all sat in the back row of class. I didn’t want to just stop here. So I researched what a production company was and said “OK, but what am I going to call it?” I knew what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to be able to represent the underrepresented, which is a kind of umbrella. But I didn’t know the name. That same morning I was talking to my mom about tattoos I wanted. I was 11. Why am I over here thinking about tattoos, I don’t know! But I was telling my mom I wanted a tattoo on both arms, one saying inspired, and the other saying melanin.
Suddenly, I was like, “oh, wait, that kind of has a nice little ring to it.” My parents were like, “Why don’t you name the company that? It aligns with the mission that you want to be able to do.” It’s two tattoos that I wanted at the time and two tattoos that I still want, not just because of the name of the company, but because through the work that I do, I want to be able to inspire melanated people.
There’s a constant theme of representing teenagers and making art for teenagers. As you begin to grow, is your focus going to remain on inspiring teenagers?
I’m a teenager right now so I want to be able to write work that’s for teenagers in the future. When I’m an adult, I want to be able to do that as well and tell adult stories. I want to be able to explore a bunch of different avenues and use them to inspire this generation. For example, my favorite show is A Different World. It’s touched so many people and left a positive impact on the black community. It affected everything from music, style and television and just changed so many different things. A Different World made my dad go to college. And so when thinking about just the impact that film can have, that’s kind of similar to the impact that I want to be able to have.
You grew up around the type of Black excellence that people associate with Atlanta. Why did your family move to Atlanta?
I moved right before my freshman year. So it was the very end of my eighth grade. My family and I decided to move to Atlanta because it is such a huge film hub. There are so many more opportunities in the film space in Atlanta currently than there are in Chicago. Once I arrived here, my mom mentioned the Black Girls Film Camp to me in 2022 after scrolling on Instagram. When those applications opened at the end of 2022, I was like, “this is the time for me to apply.” I applied on the last day, made a pitch video and submitted it at almost 11:59 p.m.!
And when I got my interview and found out that I was accepted, I was like, “oh my gosh, this is God.” Because I almost missed this amazing opportunity, Black Girls Film Camp has changed my life. It changed the way that I see myself as a storyteller, the way that I see myself as a writer, a director and a creative. It’s opened so many doors for me to be able to explore different fields of the industry and meet so many Black women powerhouses, like those who are heavy hitters in the industry currently in the past.
Tell me about the films you’ve made. What was your first work and how did it come to be?
Back Row, which I touched on a little bit before, was the first script that I ever wrote. It was my very first short film that I ever did. I was able to have it in a film festival and it got a lot of amazing feedback. Next was the Teen Dom Talk Show, which originally started as Teen Dom. It was my project. It was a talk show for the kids, the teens and everyone in between that I began back in 2020. It was non-scripted, and we had two full seasons of the show, one of which was all livestream while the other was pre-recorded. Then I have the Soul Train Soul Change documentary. It originally started as a school project for the Chicago Metro History Fair, but it advanced to the National History Day Competition and won one of the best Illinois entries. It was also highlighted in a week-long exhibit in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
After that, I did a 10-minute documentary, called One Step at a Time, which is the first feature-length documentary I’ve done. It is one of the projects closest to my heart because it focuses on the story of my dance studio, Studio One Dance Theater in the Chicago area that highlights Black excellence, black love, black sisterhood and family. Due to the pandemic, it was unfortunately shut down. That brings me to my most recent work, The All Aroundz, which is a short film that I did as a part of the Black Girls Film Camp 2023 cohort. I’m so grateful and blessed and thankful to Black Girls Film Camp because thanks to them and thanks to this experience, I was able to enter into so many different festivals. Also, more projects are coming soon.
How have your parents helped you in your journey?
I’m so grateful because without my parents none of this would be happening. First, legally, I’m a minor. Beyond the legal aspect, they’re just my biggest supporters and they know that this is something that I genuinely want to do. They have done nothing but constantly support me throughout this entire process and helped me balance doing filmmaking, school, dance, and all of these other fantastic things; school, which is a top priority for them.
Do you have any final thoughts?
I do want to say that for the Love Carries On Drive, we still are accepting donations until the end of this year. We are looking for the goal to be able to raise 1000 duffel bags for foster children in need. My social media has a link labeled Love Carries On Drive, and you can learn all the information about the drive. From there you can click the Amazon wish list to donate and then just click the Love Carries On address and send a bag over. We are looking for as many bag donations as possible. Feel free to follow the Love Carries On Drive on Instagram. You can also follow my Instagram @askaveryk for Love Carries On Drive updates as well as for film updates and more. Last, check out the Inspired Melanin website. We’re updating it.
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty / T.I.
One thing T.I. is going to do is stand on family business.
The self-proclaimed “King of da South” was not happy to see a photoshopped image of himself putting his son, King Harris, in a headlock to promote an upcoming R&B Night party on Wednesday (Nov. 29) the duo was set to host.
Footage of the Atlanta rapper/actor/aspiring comedian checking the Atlanta promoter went viral on social media, and the “Big Sh*t Poppin” crafter was BIG MAD.
The image resulted from the heated verbal altercation between TIP and his son, King Harris, while at the Atlanta Falcons game last weekend, which led to numerous memes and people wondering about T.I. and his wife’s parenting skills or lack thereof.
“N***a you can talk to me. Until then, ain’t nothing going. Ain’t nobody getting nothing going, nothing,” T.I. said in the video. “Call who you need to call, do what you need to do. Ain’t nothing happening, no money, no beers, no partying, no sections, nothing. You put me and mine on the muthaf**kin flyer, n***a get me everything. And if you can’t, don’t play with me. I don’t know if y’all from here, but n***a don’t play with me in this city. It’s my muthaf**kin city. Don’t play with me in this city,”
Cooler heads have prevailed, the flyer was updated, and T.I. hosted the party. He spoke on the altercation in a statement through a representative sent to XXL.
“Let’s not miss the point with all the entertainment,” Tip said through a representative. “It was the principle that was important here. S/O to the club owners for doing what’s right. Family is Forever & Business is Business…Long Live OG Clay.”
We’re glad to hear that it was all settled.
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Photo: Prince Williams / Getty