State Champ Radio Uncategorized
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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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So, we all know internet challenges can be fun. Some of them are relatively harmless, such as the ice bucket challenge, which, by the way, raised millions for The ALS Association as the challenge was meant to raise awareness and support for the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. But then there are internet challenges trending on social media that are dangerous as hell and even outright deadly.
This brings us to the “subway surfing” challenge.
Now, it shouldn’t have to be explained to anyone that riding on top of or outside a subway train can get you killed, but, apparently, that doesn’t need to be explained—to a lot of people. In fact, subway surfing became such a huge problem in New York City that Mayor Eric Adams and MTA officials said Tuesday that social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok have agreed to automatically remove any online videos that show people (mostly teenagers) engaging in the life-risking daredevil activity.
From the Gothamist:
MTA officials said 2,600 videos and photos of subway surfing have been stripped from the social media platforms in recent months.
“Young people are being subjected to massive doses of video and material that was glorifying this,” MTA Chair Janno Lieber said during a news conference. “They (tech companies) developed algorithms to weed it out and they’re working with us to take it down.”
The MTA is also launching an awareness campaign on the dangers of subway surfing, which includes public service announcements created by city school students as well as special MetroCards and posters with the slogan “Ride Inside, Stay Alive, Subway Surfing Kills.”
“It is about peer-to-peer communication, interaction to stop this horrific action that is taking lives and injuring individuals and that impact cascades out into their peer group,” Adams said during a news conference announcing the campaign.
NYPD data shows police have made 88 arrests related to subway surfing so far this year, up from 30 during the same period of 2022.
Last year, 17-year-old Kosse Laureano died while riding on top of a train. The video footage the teen collected of him performing the deadly stunt was used earlier this year in an exhibition displayed at the Oculus Transit Center to highlight the dangers of subway surfing.
Be safe out there, folks. All internet attention isn’t good internet attention, and none of it is worth your life.
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Blueface is apparently down but not for the count. The rapper was reportedly stabbed during an altercation at a boxing gym.
As spotted on Deadline the rapper has been training for an upcoming boxing match. On Wednesday, August 24 while practicing on the heavy bag at Kaminsky Boxing Gym in Reseda, California he was approached by a man unknown to him. The security camera at the facility captured the incident and showed the individual approaching the “Hello” rapper with combative energy. It seems Blueface was not taking him seriously until said man stayed in front of him prompting the self proclaimed Dirt Bag to throw hands.
After taking some punches the man reached into his pocket and pulls out what appears to be a knife. While the video does not show the stabbing, Blueface confirmed that he got cut on his Instagram. “I won’t be able to fight October 14th, I was stabbed today by some random guy. Won’t heal up in time.” His trainer David Kaminsky told TMZ that the suspect came into the gym yelling, “I’m gonna kill you.” The man is reported to have left the scene in a black Tesla Model S car with no license plates. Blueface was taken to a local medical facility for treatment.
You can watch the confrontation below.
Photo: Bernard Smalls
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Rudy Giuliani has been drowning in litigation ever since he took up the daunting task of representing ex-President Donald Trump in his demonstrably false propaganda campaign to steal an election by lying about it being stolen from him. And now, Trump, Giuliani and 17 other defendants have been indicted under Georgia’s RICO statute for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the Peach State illegally.
Well, according to Giuliani’s attorney Robert Costello, the former NYC Mayor and OG Trump stooge is too broke to cover all of his legal fees and he’s been begging Trump help the homie out and pony up some cash.
According to CNN, Giuliani and Costello traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to hold out their hands and beg the ex-president to bail Giuliani out of the situation he’s in because he hopped on board with Trump’s “big lie.” Apparently, Trump initially responded by telling Giuliani to pull himself up by his bootstraps, get a job and stop looking for a handout.
OK, that’s not what he actually said.
From CNN:
Giuliani and Costello traveled to Florida in late April where they had two meetings with Trump to discuss Giuliani’s seven-figure legal fees, making several pitches about how paying Giuliani’s bills was ultimately in Trump’s best interest.
But the former president, who is notoriously strict about dipping into his own coffers, didn’t seem very interested. After Costello made his pitch, Trump verbally agreed to help with some of Giuliani’s legal bills without committing to any specific amount or timeline.
Trump also agreed to stop by two fundraisers for Giuliani, a separate source said.
Another source told CNN that Trump only agreed to cover a small fee from a data vendor hosting Giuliani’s records. And months later, Trump’s Save America PAC paid $340,000 to that vendor, Trustpoint, federal campaign filings show. CNN has now confirmed the payment was intended to settle Giuliani’s outstanding bill with the company.
Giuliani recently admitted that he’s a penguin-faced liar (again, my words, not his) and that he made false statements about election workers he accused of committing election fraud that absolutely did not happen. It must be difficult for him having to use one hand to clean all that egg off his face while slipping his other hand into his former client’s pockets because Giuliani doesn’t even have Trump’s Mcdonald’s money, and it turns out there are financial consequences for jumping on Trump’s delusional bandwagon.
More from CNN:
CNN reported on Tuesday that Giuliani is staring down hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills and sanctions amid numerous lawsuits tied to his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
His attorneys have said in court that these legal quagmires have left him effectively out of cash and that he “cannot afford” a potentially $15,000 to $23,000 bill to pay for more discovery-related document searches. He even appears to have responded to some of the money crunch by listing for sale a three-bedroom Manhattan apartment he owns for $6.5 million.
At the Wednesday court hearing in the Smartmatic case, Giuliani attorney Adam Katz said, “These are a lot of bills that he’s not paying. I think this is very humbling for Mr. Giuliani.”
And for the rest of us, it’s just plain hilarious. Karma is a b*tch, ain’t it?
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Two cinema powerhouses are teaming up in name of the culture. Mimi Valdés and Nina Yang Bongiovi are launching a company that will focus on Hip-Hop in film.
As spotted on Variety, the two producers are joining forces to ensure the narrative that represents over 1.85 billion people worldwide is told correctly. Their venture Fly Green Socks; which is an homage to the classic line by Slick Rick on “La Di La Di”, will focus on telling “fun, bold stories inspired by the world of Hip-Hop”.
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The duo expressed their enthusiasm in a joint statement. “Hip-Hop is a culture defining superpower, influencing fashion, technology and even politics. But it’s severely underrepresented in Hollywood as its own film genre,” the ladies said about the partnership. “Our goal with Fly Green Socks is to create a new lane of films dedicated to uplifting the Hip-Hop ecosystem.” They went on to add further detail to their mission. “With Hip-Hop celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, there’s a goldmine of untapped stories for us to champion with innovative filmmakers. We look forward to using our combined experience and deep relationships in music and film to deliver high-quality storytelling that impacts culture.”
This is not the first time Valdés and Bongiovi have collaborated. They originally first met when producing Dope and then ran it up again with Roxanne Roxanne, a biopic about Roxanne Shanté.
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Welp, it happened. After an eight-month ban from the platform, Ye aka Kanye West has returned to Elon Musk’s Twitter (or X, or whatever the hell Elon has arbitrarily changed the name to). But, according to Hip Hop DX, Yeezy’s return to Twitter comes with a couple of stipulations.
First, Musk reinstated Ye on Saturday under the condition that he refrain from using the social media platform to express his antisemitic or otherwise bigoted views. The second stipulation appears to be that Ye won’t be able to make money directly from his Twitter account.
From Hip Hop DX:
However, Musk also made clear that West won’t be able to monetize his Twitter platform, nor will advertisements appear next to his Tweets.
Twitter’s Help Center stipulates: “Any organization that purchases a subscription to Verified Organizations will receive a gold checkmark and square avatar if they are a business or non-profit, or a grey checkmark and square avatar if they are a governmental or multilateral organization.”
Ryan Mac, a tech reporter for The New York Times, claimed that the company chose to give West a gold checkmark because “Ye” is the rapper’s company. “The company tells me that Kanye’s account has a gold check because it views “Ye” as Kanye West’s overall brand,” he tweeted on Saturday (July 29). “It’s unclear if he will run ads, but as a gold checkmark verified organization, he has the ability to do so.”
The move to bring Ye back to Twitter comes as Musk and his social media company are threatening litigation against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, an independent non-profit research organization that found hate, racism and disinformation had increased substantially on Twitter in recent months, which, if true, would be no surprise since it was widely reported that the use of racial slurs skyrocketed on the platform shortly after Musk acquired it.
Hopefully, Kanye can keep his Nazi love to himself from now on instead of advertising it on social media. Better yet, hopefully, he truly has learned a lot from the backlash and consequences his antisemitism caused him to face. Hopefully, Ye has grown up a little.
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For the fourth time, rapper Young Thug has been denied bond in the case in which he is charged with eight counts of conspiring to violate Georgia’s state Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, participating in criminal street gang activity, violating the state’s controlled substances act, possession of a firearm while committing a felony, and possession of a machine gun.
According to Digital Music News, on Friday, Judge Ural Glanville denied bond for Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. Glanville said in his ruling that he believes Williams would pose a threat to the community if he’s released based on his alleged history of witness intimidation.
Williams’ attorney, Brian Steel, filed his fourth motion for bond in April. At the time, he told ABC News that his client “is not a risk to commit a crime, and he’s not a risk to flee the jurisdiction, and that’s what bond is about.” He argued much of the same during the Friday hearing in Atlanta, but also added that Williams was dealing with health issues due to his stay in lockup.
From DMN:
In the recent motion, Steel claimed that his client gets limited exercise or exposure to sunlight, has been unable to eat nutritious food, and has been sleep deprived due to being required to wake up at 3:00 or 4:00 AM on the days he is to appear in court and is “fighting to pay attention to the goings on in his case.” Steel told reporters that these conditions have hindered his client’s ability to prepare for his trial.
But apparently, the judge wasn’t buying it, or at least Glanville believed the threat Young Thug poses to the public outweighs the threat life behind bars poses to his digestive system. Either way, it looks like the “Go Crazy” rapper is stuck in jail until his trial date.
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Queen of Da Souf rapper Latto sent a clear “I an’t the one” message to a concertgoer who thought it was OK to throw an object her way while she was on stage during the Rolling Loud Germany music festival.
“You want your ass beat? Throw it again. Throw it again. I’mma beat your ass. Throw it again,” Latto said after she was allegedly interrupted by a flying object from the crowd during her performance of her hit song “Put It On Da Floor.”
Yeeeah—that might not be the “Big Energy” the festival attendee was expecting. Latto was giving major Samuel L. Jackson from Pulp Fiction “Say ‘what’ again” vibes in response to being disrespected by the out of control fan.
And just in case anyone (wrongly) thinks Latto overreacted in this instance, there have enough recent incidents involving fans throwing things at performers on stage to justify the “Fast Lane” rapper going all the way off on the person she said threw something at her.
From HuffPost:
Harry Styles appeared to get hit in the face with an object during a concert in Vienna, Austria, last week while Drake got hit in the hand with a phone days before as he opened his “It’s All a Blur” tour in Chicago.
Bebe Rexha was struck by a phone last month and was checked into a hospital after the object hit her in the face and bruised her eye.
Nicholas Malvagna, who was charged with assault in connection to throwing the phone at the singer, said he “was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny,” according to a criminal complaint detailed in the New York Post.
Some people might also find it “funny” if a fan got their teeth kicked in for throwing things at an artist while they’re trying to work.
People who don’t know how to behave at live shows need to stay home and throw things at their TVs.
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So, yeah—we should probably all be really worried about Hip-Hop veteran Keith Murray.
Earlier this year Black Twitter was speculating that Murray was as high as the most beautifullest kite when he went full TMI (and that’s putting it mildly) during an appearance on The Art Of Dialogue.
But recently, a video has surfaced that shows the Enigma MCwandering in a circle while appearing to be on drugs and/or experiencing a serious mental health episode. The video was so unsettling that his fellow “Live Wires Connect” artist, Lord Jamar, posted it on Instagram with a message of concern for Murray, who he indicated he had past friction with.
“Our brother @keithmurrayrap obviously needs serious help,” the Brand Nubian rapper captioned the post. “I don’t have to see this man do drugs in front of me to know he’s on drugs. Dude crossed a line with me, that I believe if he wasn’t on drugs he wouldn’t have crossed, so I forgive him. We need to get our brother clean, cause this is a horrible look.”
This isn’t the first time notable artists in the Hip Hop world, including Jamar, have implored Murray to get help for whatever is harming him.
From Hip Hop DX:
Prior to his IG post, Lord Jamar implored Murray to get help on his podcast on Thursday (June 22). Jamar was addressing Murray’s prior appearance on another podcast, in which Murray allegedly threated to “slap the shit out of [Lord Jamar]” when he saw him again.
But rather than feed into the taunts, Jamar addressed the larger, underlying issue. “At the end of the day, I just want to say that addiction something that is serious,” he said. “You know, many of us had people in our families that have suffered from addiction, and although we may not like some of the things that they do … we still love them at the end of the day. So hey, Keith — still love you, brother.”
Murray’s precarious mental state is something that was also recently alluded to by N.O.R.E., who addressed why he reneged on having Murray on an episode of Drink Champs back in March.
“We love Keith Murray, but let’s also be upfront,” he said. “We’re concerned. His mental health doesn’t seem that we could put him in this environment and smoke and drink. Now, if he can we gon’ do it. If he can sit, he can smoke, he can drink, we gon’ do it.”
He continued: “Or he doesn’t have to smoke or drink. We don’t wanna — the thing is we have responsibilities. We know there’s a certain amount of people that watch us every week, every month, every muthafuckin’ year, but why would we put a rap legend in jeopardy? And that’s what it’s feeling like.”
Doodlebug of Digable Planets and legendary Hip Hop producers 9th Wonder and Immortal Technique were among those who commented in support of the Def Squad rapper Jamar’s IG post.
Worth noting is that Keith Murray performed during last night’s BET Awards and did a fine enough job.
We all hope Keith Murray is OK, and that he’s getting the help he clearly needs. Damn, this is getting scary.
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Father’s Day takes place this weekend and it will be replete with Dads getting gifts of all sorts and a much-needed day of appreciation. But while all the meals, drinks, and trinkets are nice, the Canna-Dads crew might need a little assistance and this guide does just the trick.
Similar to our Canna-Moms guide last month, this Father’s Day we’re focusing on the Canna-Dads who like to toke, ingest, or topically apply their cannabis. As most are aware, cannabis boasts a bevy of uses both therapeutic and recreational. Personally, we’re into the science of cannabis and how it can help with issues like ADHD (D.L. suffers greatly from this condition), and depression (Ditto for D.L.).
No matter your reasons for using cannabis, our Canna-Dads guide has a little something for everyone. Hopefully, you’ll find a new favorite below. We certainly have. Happy Father’s Day!
We’ve listed our featured brands in alphabetical order, not preference. Just FYI.
Alchemy Naturals
Alchemy Natural has a great tagline on its About Us page — “From Mother Nature’s Pharmacy” — and that is an apt descriptor for the brand. They specialize in an array of CBD and THC gummies that address issues regarding sleep, intimacy, stress, and more. Further, the gummies are vegan, gluten-free, and damn tasty. Learn more here.
Autumn Brands
Autumn Brands is based in Santa Barbara County, Calif., and their sprawling farm operation proudly touts the fact they do not spray down their flower with nasty chemicals. The end result is pure, unadulterated flower and tinctures for all to enjoy. Learn more here. (Only available in California)
Betty’s Eddies High Energy
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“Breaking the wall a bit here, I love Betty’s Eddies. They are among the tastiest edibles I’ve had in the cannabis space, if not the best. The fruit chews come in a nice variety but I think the High Energy and their amazing watermelon flavor is primo for a Sativa fan like myself.“- D.L. Learn more here.
Blazy Susan
The name Blazy Susan should explain itself. This is a one-stop shop for all the accessories a true cannabis smoker needs. Not only does the Denver, Colo. brand offer premium rolling papers but also some show-stopping rolling trays too. Learn more here.
Bubby’s Baked Brownie Bites
Bubby’s Baked is all about delivering full-spectrum infusions into their delicious sweet treats. To be clear, these bad boys are perfectly sized for the cannabis neophyte who wants to get into edibles and actually enjoy what they’re eating. We vouch for the Brownie Bites Learn more here.
Caps by Cookies
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Cannabis enthusiasts already know that the brand that Berner built, Cookies, is all about top-shelf flower but they’re also in the CBD game too. The Caps offshoot combines mushrooms (not those kinds), terpenes, and cannabinoids for either daytime or nighttime use. We can guarantee that the nighttime version works. Learn more here.
Elements
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Elements is a cleverly named brand as it incorporates the four elements of nature into its dazzling selection of rolling papers, pipes, and apparel. The rolling papers are especially nice as they’re made with rice paper (which actually isn’t made with rice), making for a smoother toke than most. Learn more here.
Escape Artists
Source: Various / Various
Escape Artists is all about their topical creams for pain relief, pre-rolls, tinctures, and innovative “flights,” which needs to be more of a thing in the industry. The brand is only available in Colorado, Michigan, and Nevada for now. Learn more here.
G Pen
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The great minds behind Grenco Science’s G Pen brand have all the tools for a cannabis gearhead’s dream stash. I’ve been using my G Pen Dash dry herb vaporizer for almost two years and it’s one of the best tools in my collection. Learn more here.
Higher Standards
Higher Standards is for cannabis connoisseurs who expect quality in the tools they use to deliver their medicine along with products to help keep them safe and operational. The brand’s flagship store also specializes in quality apparel. Learn more here.
Highsman
Highsman is the creation of former NFL great, Errick Miron, a longtime advocate of cannabis. After leaving the game of football, Miron leaned into the cannabis world offering premium, effects-based strains, apparel, and more. Learn more here. Only available in Washington State and Oregon.
High Variety
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High Variety is a rising brand in development that we believe is going to blow the lid off this thing in record time. For now, the brand is only available in Arizona and Utah but they take a lot of the guesswork out of shopping with curated strains for certain needs. Learn more here.
Mountaintop Extracts
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New Mexico is called “The Land of Enchantment” for good reason due to its sweeping landscapes and fantastic culture. Mountaintop Extracts, founded in 2012, takes inspiration from the land to deliver a variety of cannabis products from flower to concentrates and everything in between. Learn more here.
PuffCo
Founded in 2013, PuffCo was designed with the idea of delivering extracts not only with efficiency, but also with high style. Seriously, PuffCo’s products look like something out of the future. Learn more here.
Susan’s Own
Susan’s Own is one of our favorite CBD brands and the creams, bath bombs, tincture, and gummies are high quality, just as you would expect out of Colorado. Learn more here.
The Flower Shop
The Flower Shop is a dispensary overseen company Greta Brandt and has the aim of providing cannabis with women consumers in mind. The LadyLike lineup of vape cartridges and edibles in packaging stands out. Learn more here. Only available in Arizona and Utah.
Veritas
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Colorado once again has a winner in the cannabis space with Veritas, a brand that offers premium cuts of flower, potent pre-rolls, apparel, and an accessories line that shouldn’t be missed. Learn more here.
VESSEL
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We’ve never seen anything quite like VESSEL in a cannabis brand, and their premium dry herb and vaporizer products are stylish as they are effective. The brand also has an innovative Helix system that keeps the tokes cool and smooth. They also offer accessories that look and feel far more expensive than the asking price. Learn more here.
Vibations
Vibations is a cannabis and energy drink dry mix meant to be added to water and provide a boost of superfruit-charged energy. Sounds like it’s time to mix up a glass. Learn more here. Only available in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico.
Vibes
Berner’s sprawling Cookies empire extends into the world of rolling papers and apparel. With the focus on flower from the rapper and businessman’s powerhouse brand, it’s only natural for him to get papers to the people. Learn more here.
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