I don’t generally give a crap about this but I’m gonna talk about it anyway. Joe Budden Podcast Crew has broken up. Allegedly that is, Joe Biden has dismissed Rory and Mal his two cohosts!! I don’t generally give a crap about this but I’m gonna talk about it anyway
I have to admit I am not an avid podcast listener, but it seem like these guys had a strong force and were able to captivate audiences. In a lot of ways, Joe Budden pioneered the space. But, what is to happen to the podcast without the other two guys. I am not sure to be honest, but I am positive that the show will go on. The question is, will it go on in a way that carries the audience with the show. Or will they splinter off?
The people that have been following this are really into it! They really want these guys to stay together and continue on to great success. However, people like Charlamagne, DJ AK and others have wedged in the middle of them at various periods. This video says a LOT.
I tried to listen to this and it was not for me.
The internets have said that the artwork on the podcast has changed too, but I am not vested in looking. I take ya’ll word for it.
Despite the former president referring to his family’s native country as a “ sh*thole” and sparking a civil war in this nation on January 6th, Haitian rapper Kodak Black says that Donald Trump is legit.
In the quick tease, he also talked about making music (having 200 songs including a jam for Beyoncé and Justin Bieber), talking about planning for his future and he that refers to his lawyer as “Pops.”
The Florida chart-topper, whose real name is Bill K. Kapri was sentenced to prison in 2019 for falsifying information while purchasing firearms. President Trump pardoned him on his last day in office.
While Kodak Black was doting over America’s scourge of an Executive, Haitians on the island are protesting in the streets — stopping another Trumpian leader, Président Jovenel Moïse, from violating their constitution.
The “Zeze“ rapper revealed that his birthday is on June 11th and Trump’s is June 14th, a few days apart — making them Gemini’s.
True Cardi B fans know that she is a hair-a-nista.
For years she has dipped into her Latin/Caribbean roots to make her own hair care remedies. Now, Cardi B is taking her love for hair care and making it into a business.
She took to social media and posted about the new venture.
“This year I will be coming out with a hairline that I been working on at home for my hair and my daughters.”
In addition to the new line announcement, she also dropped a little PSA about diversity within the Latinx culture.
“I think I’m going to a video of different Hispanic people or Latin people or w.e terms is the correct way to say it now a days cause people be thinking every Hispanic is Mexican or something & must have the same hair texture, color, and features.”
I think I’m going to a video of different Hispanic people or Latin people or w.e terms is the correct way to say it now a days cause people be thinking every Hispanic is Mexican or something & must have the same hair texture,color and features 😫
“Hair texture def don’t make you a race however I am Afro Latina. Being Afro Latina don’t mean you have to amara la Negra color My grandmother from my mom side is not Latina at all & her father is light @ss f### so my mommy is light but her sibling are dark.”
Hair texture def don’t make you a race however I am Afro Latina .Being Afro Latina don’t mean you have to amara la Negra color https://t.co/Y3ygkak7sW grandmother from my mom side is not Latina at all & her father is light a####### so my mommy is light but her sibling are dark https://t.co/kOROVPt2pO
Some YouTube employees are enraged at the company executives who have decided to allow YG’s song “Meet the Flockers “ to remain up, despite having language that can be perceived as anti-Asian rhetoric.
But is this a case of allowing race-based hate to thrive or are they protecting the artist’s right to free speech?
“’First, you find a house and scope it out. Find a Chinese neighborhood, cause they don’t believe in bank accounts. Second, you find a crew and a driver, someone ring the doorbell … And someone that ain’t scared to do what it do. Third, you pull up at the spot. Park, watch, ring the doorbell, and knock. Four, make sure nobody is home. They gone, okay it’s on.”
According to Bloomberg, the YouTube employees requested that the Trust & Safety team remove the video down, but to no avail.
The official statement given to them on March 22nd noted that the executives thought that YG’s song was “highly offensive and understand it is painful for many to watch, including many in Trust & Safety.”
“While we debated this decision at length amongst our policy experts, we made the difficult decision to leave the video up to enforce our policy consistently and avoid setting a precedent that may lead to us having to remove a lot of other music on YouTube.”
“In this case, this video receives an EDSA exception as a musical performance. While EDSA is not a free pass for any content, there are likely thousands of music videos that would otherwise violate policies including Sex & Nudity, Violent or Graphic Content, and Hate Speech were it not for these sorts of EDSA exception.”
The EDSA is the acronym for Educational, Documentary, Scientific, or Artistic and this particular category is allowed to rock.
“As a result, removing this video would have far-reaching implications for other musical content containing similarly violent or offensive lyrics, in genres ranging from rap to rock.”
The employees are outraged at the company’s decision not to stand with them as statistics regarding violent crimes against Asians and Pacific Americans are on a rise.
Nearly, 3,800 hate crimes have been reported between March 2020 and February 2021 to organizations like Stop AAPI Hate.
Kanye West is an artist. The world knows this … But collector Vinoda Basnayake knows this fact a little intimately than the rest of the world.
He knows this because he actually owns an original copy of four of Yeezy’s childhood renderings.
Basnayke purchased the pieces from the Jesus is King rapper’s cousin, Stephan Scoggins, and his husband Damien Dziepak.
The couple acquired the collection after the artist’s mother, Donda West, died in 2007. He researched and located them and begged them if they would sell them to him.
But the journey took some time for the DC native to get to ownership of art.
According to the Washingtonian, he saw the collection in 2020 on the hit of PBS series Antiques Roadshow.
Somehow, he linked up with the show’s appraiser Laura Woolley and ran into a brick wall. He says that she had a “policy not to take down the contact information of their guests.” So he did the next best thing and went to the private investigator, Sir Google, to locate the couple.
After finding them he said that “they had multiple offers after the show, but I was the most consistent and they appreciated my sincere interest in Kanye.”
He went to pick up the pieces in California personally, taking the cross-country trip himself. So how much did he pay?
That’s not being disclosed (Basnayake had to sign an NDA with the purchase) but when it was appraised on the show the four pieces of art ranged between $16,000 to $23,000 in value.
But we can guess that since Kim Kardashian posted the art on her social media in February, right after sharing her talented daughter North West’s art, that it cost a pretty penny.
He and an ex-girlfriend are at war! Chet is claiming that he was attacked violently by his gal Kiana Parker on January 8 at Chet Burger’s Texas home. Chet started to record at the tail end of a fight and she seemingly swiped at him as he holds a pot. He alleges she pulled a knife on him. She denies it. Kiana says he’s lying.
According to TMZ, she already secured a restraining order against Chet in January, where she claimed he put hands on her in October 2020 and January 2021. Now, here is the part you have been waiting for.
Chet Haze, his rapper name, was also a feature on “Your Honor,” a show I liked when it was running on Showtime. Kiana said he put his hands on her wrists and arms and tossed her around to stop her from leaving their hotel room for food. He denies it.
She alleges he tossed a bottle at her and chased her down the hallway in his boxers! He also alleges that he called her “just a ghetto Black b####” and that nobody would believe her because he is “Chet Hanks.” OH REALLY?
Chet has already filed a lawsuit against Kiana and they have broken up. He also says she stole from him, charging thousands on his card. Chetty is suing her for assault and battery, theft and return of the money. Chet says she pulled up on him with several dudes, one of which allegedly had a gun.
Kiana says her boys helped her move. How she gonna move her own stuff. And if she has a Chet The Alleged Threat in front of her, she is definitely going to have her tribe to hold her down. Now, remember Chet The Alleged Threat recently said that this is going to be a “white boy summer,” which is ridiculous. We own the summer, boy!
Suspect Chet The Alleged Threat fetishizes Black women! He has a baby with a Black woman ,Tiffany and says he loves them.
When are we going to learn? Some of these people can be in your home and hate you all the same.
For every Uzi Vert putting multi-million dollar diamonds in their forehead, you have at least 50 thugs on a mic — ready to show you why the City of Brotherly Love has a legion of Philadelphians ready to do someone dirty.
Proof positive is the most recent news surrounding Original Block Hustlaz AR-Ab’s case.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Dark Lo, whose real name is Charles Salley, pleaded guilty to witness intimidation in a 2018 drug conspiracy case linked to the “Goon Story” rapper.
He said what he said and stood on it.
The one count of witness intimidation was connected to threats the lyricist made once he found out who the “rat” was that snitched on his ole head.
He also made a song called “Allegations” where he said that he “can’t wait to see” whomever it was that ran their mouth to the police.
The Feds are watching … songs … social media … the streets … As a result, nine affiliates (including rappers on the Original Block Hustlaz roster) from the crew were charged ten days ago.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ashenfelter stated in a court filing in 2019 about Dark Lo, “His lyrics promote gun violence and his music videos depict images of drug dealing and weapons possession.”
“Plainly, he is a danger to the community and he enjoys that image, using it as a platform to sell his music.”
While the song is a lot, that’s not what got him popped.
Dark Lo, who also goes by Ron Harvey, wrote two letters to a witness named Dontez “Taz” Stewart on the day he was supposed to testify against his boul.
The letter that was sent under the alias, which was a name stolen from one of the founding members of the Philadelphia Black Mafia, was addressed to “Stewart Little.”
Get it … like the mouse/rat Stuart Little from the book turned movie?
The Feds got that clever joke too… hence why the charge stuck.
Dark Lo also shared with Taz what he would do to him if he snitched on the OG and told the Feds he thought that it was ok that he was straight with Taz because they were acquaintances.
“I don’t see how that’s threats. If I didn’t know him, that’s threats. … But he was under me, so I felt as though I could say that to him.”
He has since changed his mind. Dark Lo is facing up to 9 years in prison when he is sentenced. The rapper is currently free, after winning an appeal for compassionate release from prison due to his health status.
Coming off his debut single “Head Shoulders,” and smash collaboration with 6ix9ine
“Charlie,” the smiley-faced, platinum-grilled, yellow-haired rapper, SMILEZ, continues to bounce a#### off their seat with the highly-anticipated follow-up single “Simp Walk.”
SMILEZ is more than a persona, he’s an entire hip-hop movement.
His vibrant wave of hard beats crash like a 30-foot wave onto a lyrical gold sand beach, leaving everyone around him smiling and twerking til it hurts.
SMILEZ is making big noise across the country, and has already toured with the best of the best, Juice WRLD, Lil Pump, and Trippie Redd across North America and he opened for 6ix9ine in Europe.
“Simp Walk” is SMILEZ’ way to honor the end of Women’s History Month, as the single and video premieres today on AllHipHop.
Rapper Jeezy and actress Jeannie Mai are making wedding plans after applying for a marriage license in Georgia.
According to the Fulton County Court Clerk, Jeezy and Mai signed off on paperwork on Monday (March 29th) – and now they have six months to tie the knot before the license expires.
Jeezy became engaged to Jeannie Mai in in April of 2020, after dating for a little more than two years. The Atlanta trap star decided to pop the question in 2019 during a house party in Los Angeles.
This will be the second marriage for Jeannie, who divorced from her ex-husband Freddy Harteis before she met Jeezy on the set of “The Real,” where she served as a co-host.
However, their wedding plans were posted on due to Jeannie Mai’s health crisis.
Rapper Kevin Gates has escaped unharmed after he was involved in a scary traffic accident in Los Angeles on Monday (March 29th).
The “2 Phones” star was behind the wheel of his Lamborghini SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) at around 8 pm local time when a woman in a Toyota Prius allegedly ran a red light and smashed into Gates’ ride, sending it spinning across the road.
In TMZ video footage shot in the aftermath of the crash, the rapper can be seen talking to the female from a distance while standing in the center of the intersection.
Police were called to the scene, where they determined there were no injuries to report, and they subsequently helped the drivers exchange insurance information.
Gates has yet to comment on the incident. Take a look at the footage:
Hip-Hop legend LL Cool J is linking with Dr. Fauci and the chair of the COVID-19 equity force Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith to bring a town hall meeting on Rock The Bells radio.
The town hall meeting, which is virtual, will address the persistent issue “Is The Vaccine Safe For Us?“ and delve into a series of conversations surrounding vaccination.
Additionally, there will be numerous selected panelist that have been personally affected by the COVID-19 virus and how it is currently devastating communities of color. Some of the survivor stories will include demystifying certain types of information and directly addressing conspiracy theories.
The virtual town hall will have LL Cool J asking Dr. Fauci questions submitted by subscribers of the Sirius XM radio platform, where Rock The Bells resides. They will also share facts and research about COVID-19 to address peoples’ concerns in an intense, but certainly immersive Q&A session about COVID-19.
Below are some of the clips that will be played later today.
Why Should We Trust You? LL Cool J Speaks With Dr. Fauci About Trust And The COVID-19 Vaccine
LL Cool J Speaks With Dr. Fauci About The Safety of the COVID-19 Vaccine For Pregnant Women
LL Cool J Asks Dr. Anthony Fauci About The Production of Vaccines For Children
Should We Be Afraid? LL Cool J Addresses Dr. Anthony Fauci About The Concerns With The Covid-19 Vaccine
Wednesday, March 31 at 6:00pm ET on LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells Radio (SiriusXM Ch. 43)
Encore airings will be on Thursday, April 1 at 10:00am EST and Friday, April 3 at 8:00 am EST on Rock The Bells Radio (SiriusXM Ch. 43)
Back in 2018, Pusha T repeatedly told the world that Daytona was the best Hip Hop album of that year. King Push’s third studio LP earned him a Best Rap Album Grammy nomination and made numerous music outlet’s end-of-the-year lists.
The Virginia-raised emcee has been teasing the release of his next project for months. Mr. Biddy Barnes caught up with Pusha for the Behind The Velvet Rope Instagram Live show, and they discussed the G.O.O.D. Music president’s next collection of songs.
“I’m working on an album right now,” Pusha told Barnes. The currently untitled body of work is expected to host twelve tracks. The “Infrared” spitter added, “I gotta go sit in with [Kanye West] for a little bit, but other than that, it’s just these twelve. That’s what it’s gonna be.”
With his pending 2021 album following the critical success of Daytona, many Hip Hop fans’ expectations for Pusha are reasonably high. The veteran lyricist seems confident that his upcoming effort will live up to the anticipation.
“I’m gonna have the best album that drops in 2021. For sure,” declared Pusha T. His album discography already includes 2013’s My Name Is My Name, 2015’s King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, and 2018’s Daytona. Clipse also dropped 2002’s Lord Willin’, 2006’s Hell Hath No Fury, and 2009’s Til the Casket Drops.
New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton is taking his talents to BET. As the host of the Sip N’ Smoke digital series, Newton will sit down with some of the most recognizable celebrities living in Atlanta.
The 8-episode program premieres on Wednesday, March 31 at 1 pm ET on BET.com and BET’s YouTube channel. Comedian/businessman/television personality Steve Harvey will be the show’s first guest.
“As a sports figure, I don’t always get to shed layers and give people a glimpse of off-the-field Cam, so it’s cool to join the BET Digital family and host Sip N’ Smoke,” says Newton.
The Atlanta-born athlete adds, “This series gives me the opportunity to put on for ATL, celebrate some of the people and things that inspire me and to create with my production company Iconic Saga.”
Cam Newton + Steve Harvey for ‘Sip N’ Smoke’
Future installments of Sip N’ Smoke will feature interviews with singer-songwriter/actress Teyana Taylor, producer/activist David Banner, nightclub owner Mr. Magic, social media influencer Zoie, rapper/actress Da Brat, and others.
“We’re excited to partner with Cam Newton on Sip N’ Smoke and to continue serving our vast multi-platform audience with best-in-class topical coverage featuring our most popular personalities,” states Amy Barnett, Senior Vice President & General Manager of BET Digital.
Barnett continues, “BET Digital remains the leading African American entertainment and news brand by engaging millions of viewers every month with an award-winning slate of entertaining and informative content.”
Sip N’ Smoke is produced by Iconic Saga Productions and Liquid Light Productions. Iconic Saga, which is based in Atlanta, was founded by Cam Newton in 2012. Derrick Speight and Amber Mike serve as Sip N’ Smoke executive producers for BET.
Today (March 31), is the last day of Women’s History Month for 2021. One rising R&B performer is using the occasion to address what he sees as the denigration, devaluation, and domination of Black women in modern-day music.
RCA recording artist Xavier Omär penned an open letter sharing his views on “misogynistic” lyrics in Hip Hop and R&B. The San Antonio, Texas native released his own studio album, if You Feel, in October 2020.
Read Xavier Omär’s letter below.
The last year has brought many of us to a breaking point. We’ve gone into the streets to tell anyone who will listen that the lives of Black people matter in this country and in our world. Yet at the same time our most popular songs denigrate women, telling them they don’t matter. Those things do not reconcile.
R&B and hip-hop, where I typically participate as an artist, is now responsible for the majority of all streaming music consumption. However, much of it is littered with misogynistic lyrics that blatantly devalue women to make heroes of men, portraying women as a commodity to be shared sexually with friends or sometimes even promoting physical violence against women. We have to make a change.
Before anyone tries to make me out to be playing the hero, Black women have been speaking out about this. But no one has been listening.
Essence magazine launched a campaign called Take Back the Music lead by Michaela Angela Davis and which offered non-combative and non-cancel culture solutions. Davis commented, “We want to make clear what our initiative is not … It is not a boycott of any particular artists or venue for artistic expression. We all have one thing in common: We’re deeply concerned by the pervasiveness of negative images of Black women and its effect on our girls.” She first said this in 2005. And in 2015, filmmaker Ava DuVernay shared on Twitter, “To be a woman who loves hip-hop at times is to be in love with your abuser. Because the music was and is that. And yet the culture is ours.”
Nothing has changed since Davis or DuVernay spoke out. Since the 1970s the outright denigration of women in all other music genres has decreased, but it has remained the same for R&B and increased in rap according to a 2020 Wharton working study. The incriminating lyrics examined in the study range from explicit violence against women to more dangerous implicit misogyny with lyrics less likely to associate women with competence and intelligence.
Because men — particularly Black men — dominate R&B/hip-hop, we have a unique opportunity to change the way Black women are portrayed and spoken about with our lyrics. In fact, we have a responsibility to be co-conspirators in the fight to protect Black women in every manner and challenge the lyrics that have displayed women as less than men because it puts them in danger.
• 1 in 5 Black women in the United States has experienced rape.
• 40% will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
• And Black women are killed at a higher rate than any other group of women.
If Black women matter, they have to really matter. Not simply in theory or social media posts, but as a life practice. We can no longer claim to value and protect Black women while producing music that inspires the world to believe they are unimportant at best and deserving of violence at worst.
It’s not just a song. What we say into those microphones about women in our music impacts the lives of women who hear it and the men who are influenced by it. The same men who claim high respect for their mothers, sisters and friends somehow have little to no respect for mine by advancing these lyrics whether the man is a corporate worker in the music industry or an artist. If that mindset is reciprocated in our culture, then no woman is protected. We cannot afford to only have high respect for women who are related to us or that we know. We must extend that respect to women everywhere, including in our music because it has such a big impact on our communities.
For example, in Drake’s 2015 hit “Know Yourself,” he officially declared Toronto “The 6”: “I was runnin’ through the 6 with my woes!” And just like that, the Canadian city became commonly known as “The 6” and I, like many others, couldn’t wait to go. Forget the fact that the songwriter is from Zone 6 in Atlanta. Drake said that Toronto is now “The 6” and we all agreed. That was that.
We’ve seen this kind of power in music many times. What artists say matters and impacts culture. If this is true about nicknaming an entire city, wouldn’t it mean years of objectifying and shaming women has had an impact on our communities too?
I am not naive. I know this letter won’t change everything, but I hope it can add to the important conversation that’s already happening. I hope it will force me and my peers to think twice about the music we create. The lyrics we sing and rap, the images we display, have a much larger impact on the lives of women than we think.
The industry wants what sells, and in today’s society domination of women is the demand of R&B/hip-hop listeners as dictated by our streaming habits. So the way to introduce change is through all of us.
Tell your favorite artist to protect Black women with their lyrics.
Ask your streaming service to create playlists that value Black women.
Use your skip button to protect Black women.
Put your friends onto music that values Black women.
This may be the most difficult change of all, but enough is enough.
Michael Lamar White IV, known professionally as Trippie Redd, recently inked an exclusive global licensing deal. The business arrangement with Quantum PFS involves the musician’s merchandise.
“I’m excited to be working with Quantum to get my apparel to the masses and look forward to what’s to come,” says Trippie. The current Quantum PFS roster also includes Lil Durk, The Kid Laroi, Lil Tjay, JuiceWrld, G Herbo, Polo G, and more.
ID Supply co-owner and retail partner Brandon Ruddach will be in charge of leading distribution for Quantum PFS. The collaboration is expected to include 20 categories by the end of 2021.
“Trippie is a Hip Hop, Rock, and fashion icon,” states Ruddach. “It’s an honor to elevate his merchandise to the forefront of the marketplace as we maintain the artistic integrity he prides himself on.”
Quantum PFS is described as a merch design, manufacturing, and lifestyle hub. The company also closed an exclusive brick-and-mortar retail deal with the Spencer’s department store chain.
Eric Rellosa, Spencer’s Senior VP/GMM adds, “Trippie’s sales, like his music, are off the charts. We’re really on the same wavelength, and it’s incredible to partner with a groundbreaking visionary artist of his caliber and be the only mall destination for his merch in North America.”
The 2020 outdoor concert circuit was shut down in America as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it appears the festival season is finally back. San Bernardino’s NOS Event Center is set to host a major showcase later this year.
HARD Events has announced the 2021 return of its flagship event – the HARD Summer Music Festival. The lineup is filled with some of the top Hip Hop and electronic music acts at the moment.
Future, 2 Chainz, Don Toliver, Iann Dior, Lil Durk, Rubi Rose, and DJ Scheme are among the artists who have been announced as performers. Festivalgoers will get to see the stars across five different outdoor stages.
The 2021 HARD Summer Music Festival is scheduled for July 31 and August 1. HARD organizers are working closely with local officials to implement necessary safety precautions and will follow state and local health guidelines.
Passes for the HARD Summer Music Festival go on sale Friday, April 2 at 10 am PT at HardSummer.com. General admission: (1 day) $19.99 deposit, $89 full price – (2 day) $9.95 deposit, $159 full price.
The iconic Death Row Records is commemorating its 30th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, DeathRowOfficial.com is selling classic projects and limit-edition merchandise.
Cassette re-releases of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Snoop Doggy Dogg’s Doggystyle, 2Pac’s All Eyez on Me, and Makaveli’s The Don Killuminati (7 Day Theory) will be available on April 20. The tapes can be pre-ordered at tapeheadcity.com.
In addition, Death Row will offer blockchain-based non-fungible-tokens (NFTs). The Diamond Medallion & Necklace NFTs are priced at $30,030.30, the Gold Coin NFTs are priced at $1,030.30, and the Silver Coin NFTs are priced at $30.30.
30th Anniversary Merch Bundle [1 Very Best of Death Row vinyl, 1 Short sleeve t-shirt, 1 Long sleeve t-shirt, 1 Hoodie, 1 Beanie, 1 Mug, 1 Vinyl slipmat, and 2 Masks
The Deluxe Death Row 30th Anniversary Gold Coin NFT
Exclusive audio bed from the Nate Dogg classic “Nobody Does It Better
Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have swooped in to sign up one of the world’s youngest social media superstars.
Anastasia Radzinskaya, who was born in Russia and now lives in Florida, is only seven but boasts her own YouTube empire comprising 14 channels that collectively soared past 200 million subscribers in January.
The pint-sized celebrity also has more than four million TikTok followers and Forbes magazine named her the seventh highest-earning YouTuber of 2020, with earnings of $18.5 million.
Now she has teamed with the Hollywood stars’ Westbrook Studios company to produce a series of animated projects aimed at both pre-schoolers and adults.
The new deal will be overseen by the organization’s co-president and head of TV, Terence Carter, and senior vice president and head of scripted TV development, David Boorstein.
A hubcap from the vehicle Notorious B.I.G. had been riding in when he was killed in a drive-by shooting has gone up for sale.
The macabre piece of memorabilia was part of the GMC Suburban peppered with bullet holes on March 9th, 1997, as the tragic rap icon left Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
The hubcap features part of a promotional sticker designed to advertise Biggie’s second studio album, Life After Death, which was released just days after his slaying.
It read: “THINK B.I.G. MARCH 25 1997.”
The seller obtained the car part from a family friend, who owned the company from which the SUV had been rented, and the decorative wheel cover, which was documented in crime scene photos at the time, is now being sold by Moments In Time officials, with the asking price set at $150,000.
If you’re a fan of hip-hop, you’re a fan of the Detroit music scene.
Insert Tay B, who’s ready to make his mark in the rap game once and for all. When it comes to his work ethic, his grind, and his music, the rising star gives hope to all aspiring artists around the world that if he can do it, they can do.
Before signing his current deal with Columbia Records, Tay raked in over 5 million combined streams and 20 million views on Youtube independently.
The rising star decided music would be his end-be-all after seeing his own father locked up for 9 years of his life, someone who had a huge influence on his music dreams and aspirations. Tay fondly remembers a life-changing invitation to the studio by his dad, which resulted in him freestyling over Lil Wayne and Birdman’s “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy.” At age 12, he found himself in the studio and from that moment on, the rest was history.
Inspired by the likes of Big Sean, Drake, J. Cole, and Jay Z, Tay spits nothing but the real, telling his truth and his story through each release. Most recently, he released the official music video for “Stashbox” featuring LIl Durk, following his prior releases “Voila,” “Questions,” and “That Type of Time.”
Read below as we discuss his roots in Detroit, his dad’s influence on his music, establishing his name independently, the success of “Back To Back,” signing to Columbia Records, collaborating with Lil Durk on “STASHBOX,” shooting the visual, a forthcoming song with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, fatherhood, goals, and more!
AllHipHop: How was it recording your first song at age 12?
Tay B: It was cool. I was so young but it was fun. I rapped off the Lil Wayne “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” beat. I recorded it all by myself, I did it in one take. I knew from there on: “man I kinda like this.”
AllHipHop: Being from Detroit, what was the household like growing up?
Tay B: It was cool. It wasn’t bad. My dad always made sure everything was good. He went to jail when I was 13 so from 13 on up, then it was different. I had to figure everything out by myself for the most part. That’s really when stuff changed. From 13 on down, I didn’t have a care in the world. No worries. When you’re 13, that’s when you’re getting older so you need guidance. But I had to figure everything out by myself at that point.
AllHipHop: How did your dad influence you doing music?
Tay B: He always played music. He played rap, but he played a lot of old school music too. If I’m riding by myself, that’s what I listen to. He called me one day like, “you want to go to the studio?” I’m like “yeah.” I went to the studio, wrote a verse, put it on the internet. I had it on Myspace, that’s what it was. I used to put my music on Myspace back then.
AllHipHop: How much of a role did Myspace play in your career?
Tay B: That was the only thing at the time to put some music on [laughs], so it was cool. I was so young, then it was sweet to people my age. I got real music. People at school… one time, we stopped class to listen to my music. It was crazy.
AllHipHop: Did you think you’d be here today? Signed and all that?
Tay B: Yeah, I mean this was the goal. You never know if it’ll happen, but it’s always the goal. So I’ll always felt music was it, so you gotta keep going. That’s how I am. I keep the thought of me being there, then I gotta get to it.
AllHipHop: How did you get such high numbers as an independent artist? It’s pretty impressive.
Tay B: I really don’t know. Honestly me, I had won the girls over first. Once you win the girls, you really won. It’s nothing. The dudes, they gon’ have to accept it. That’s really how it went for me. I was putting stuff out, but it was only getting a couple hundred thousand views. When I put out this one song called “Back to Back,” it got 700K in a month, then it got a million the second month. It was going up from there, that was my first million.
AllHipHop: How did that happen though? You just put it out?
Tay B: I just put it out, yeah. It hit so hard, the song had hit so hard. It was a summer anthem, all on the radio. Playing on the radio every day, it was crazy. In my city, I always had a name for being me at the same time. They know I do music, but I went to 5 high schools so a lot of people already know me. A lot of people know me throughout the city, then it spread out to different states after that. When they see numbers in different states, different people pick it up.
AllHipHop: “Back to Back” was in 2017, what was Tay like then compared to now?
Tay B: I’m not different, but definitely a lot changed. I’m the same me, the material things and the mindset elevated. That’s basically really it, I’m still Tay. You grow up, you learn. You go through stuff, that all plays a part in becoming the man I am today. It’s going to be different 5 years later.
AllHipHop: How was it shooting the visual for “Can’t Make This Up”?
Tay B: I shot that in Atlanta. Me and my videographer Jerry, we’ll listen to some music and say “let’s shoot it.” It don’t really be too much to it. He’ll say “what’s a hard song?” Let’s shoot and put it out.” That’s how it goes. “Can’t Make This Up” was a remake from an old school group from Detroit called Rock Bottom. I re-did that, that’s why a lot of people in Detroit love it, especially older people. They love it ’cause it gives them a little feeling from back then, the early 2000’s.
AllHipHop: How’d you get your name Tay B?
Tay B: No, my real name is Demontay. I got Tay B because when I was younger, you know you’re thinking of a rap name. In school, they really gave me that name. I was going to name myself Young Boss back then, now I’m like “man, I don’t really like that.” I don’t want nothing to do with Young. I can make it Tay Boss, nah I’ll make it Tay B. I’ll make the B stand for whatever I want it to stand for. Tay Boss, anything. That’s how I did it though. I really got the name from Facebook ’cause that’s how my name was on Facebook. It was Tay Boss, I thought I’ma make it Tay B. Make it simple. I got that name from middle school though.
AllHipHop: “STASHBOX” with Lil Durk out now. What’re you most excited for?
Tay B: It’s exciting for sure. I’m really ready for the people to hear it. They’ve been on me about it ’cause I’ve been teasing them with it. They ready to hear it, ain’t gon’ lie. I’m ready to see the reactiosn.
AllHipHop: How did that collab come about? What does it mean to you?
Tay B: It means a lot, I definitely grew up listening to Durk. To do songs with him and be cool with him, it’s real big. It’s different coming from where I come from. Really, don’t too many people from the hood get a chance to do the stuff I’m doing. It’s real, it’s big, I ain’t gon’ lie. Collabing with Durk and people like that, he’s from the same type of place I’m from but in Chicago. Same type of life, that’s why I really liked that. I like that this is one of my first big collabs. Me becoming a bigger artist, I really like that I collabed with him first before I collabed with a lot of people.
AllHipHop: Was that in the studio? Was that sent?
Tay B: We was in the studio together. We locked in the studio in the A. We whipped it up from there. I linked with Durk through my pops, my pops had linked up with him through another friend. My camera man, he’d been shooting Durk’s videos for years on years. That’s the only person that shoots my videos. It was gonna happen, it had to happen.
AllHipHop: What was your vision with the visual?
Tay B: The visual crazy. The visual got a little dialogue in there. Not even a mini-movie, just some little acting in there. Acting with us in the video, with another guy in the video acting out as the cop. That s###’s fire. A stashbox is basically in the hood, when you riding around with stuff you ain’t supposed to be riding around with, your car got a stashbox in it. It came out from there.
AllHipHop: Highlight from shooting the video?
Tay B: Damn near the whole thing to me. I ain’t gon’ lie, I love the whole video. This is my first video as a signed artist, it’s only going to get better and better. It’s really the beginning for people to open their eyes a little more, they gon’ see.
AllHipHop: How did you find your way to Columbia?
Tay B: Bird Vision Entertainment, Roddy Rich signed with them. I know him through my uncle, then my uncle hooked me up with an A&R at Columbia and that was that. We had a listening session, they called me back like “hey, we want to sign you.” The rest is history.
AllHipHop: Damn. How’d that feel?
Tay B: It felt good. It felt real good ’cause it was unexpected. Columbia to me, it’s a label that doesn’t sign anybody. You know it be labels that’ll sign people just to sign, Columbia don’t really sign anybody. That’s really why I fit there. I look at it like a little secret society, there ain’t too many people on there.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
Tay B: Me, myself and I. I don’t like nobody in the studio with me. If I don’t record myself, it’s me, the mic right there, and the engineer. When people come to the studio with me, I don’t really get no work done. I get a 5-hour block, I might do one song. But if I get a 5-hour block by myself, I do 5 to 6 songs. I don’t really like people in there. I don’t want nobody’s opinion or nothing. I like doing me, that’s it.
AllHipHop: You got a record with A Boogie coming?
Tay B: Crazy. It’s fire, I ain’t gon’ lie. That’s really one of the ones. How I caught the girl’s attention first, I had to do that for the girls, for the ladies for that one. That’ll be crazy. We should be looking to release the song with me and Boogie in the next 2 months for sure.
AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself at this point in your career?
Tay B: I’m really focused on selling records, becoming a bigger artist. I’m trying to see some plaques around my house. That’s really my main focus, I’m working hard for that. I don’t really care about nothing else. When I sell records, I make myself proud, my family proud. I won.
AllHipHop: How’s fatherhood? Your son’s only two, does he know Daddy’s this rapper?
Tay B: I love it, he’s a little mini-me. He likes everything I used to like when I was younger. I love it. He’s spoiled, super spoiled. I think he knows: “my daddy give me whatever.” I think he be knowing that, he too spoiled.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
Tay B: Be looking out for more music. “STASHBOX” out now! After that, be ready for me to go all the way in. Nothing much to it, just straight all music. No play, all work.
