Somehow this crazy chick manage to sneak back into the rumor section! How does she do it? She is not even relevant or interesting anymore! So blame me for putting her back in the section that you love so much!
So, here it is: Azealia Banks has a sex tape. That in and of itself is cause for getting a mention in the rumor section, but there is more. Not only does Azealia Banks have a sex tape, she has a fiancé. I cannot imagine somebody going so far as to marry Azealia Banks, but there is someone that has put a ring on it. Amazing!
But wait, there’s EVEN more!
According to reports, Azealia Banks has a sex tape with her fiancé AND said tape sold for $17 thousand on the block chain! NFT for the win! Are you serious though? Somebody literally paid the amount of a VW Jetta to get a “tape” of one of the ugliest people in the music game having sex? No, I will say I was referring to what’s going on inside of her as representative of attractiveness but make no mistake about it the face of her having intercourse is not something I want to see. At any rate I find this to be fascinating because maybe there’s a world ‘nother out there that I am unaware of that actually thinks that this chick has value. I know I am going hard at Bank-less right now, but some of you may not know that she dissed me in her social media a few years ago and I’ve never gotten over it. In fact, I’m still p##### off about it. She went off on the site as well when we were nothing but nice to her. In addition to reporting the facts about her crazy life! Anyway, let’s move on to the next rumor because this one has dried up quickly.
WAIT…STOP THE PRESSES!!
I just found out that the “tape” is just audio. Back to the beginning: why is this news?
At any rate, this is got to be one of the most perfect storms in the history of room because I just can’t believe so many seemingly all right things happened in succession to result in one massive un-ignorable rumor!
“They see this as a (film) 48 Hours for real, or a ‘Lethal Weapon’ for real,” he told the publication. “It comes from my mouth.”
“Every day was a new adventure. There are a ton of stories I haven’t told.”
Stanulis reveals he has recruited other bodyguards who worked for West, including one who lasted just five minutes with the star, for the tell-all, in which he will also discuss the lawsuits his former boss has thrown at him over the years.
“They threatened to sue me two separate times – once back in the day, and then on a podcast this year,” he said, referring to his appearance on the Hollywood Raw podcast when he called Kanye the “neediest, moodiest” person he’d worked for.
“They threatened to sue me again for $10 million, and my attorney countered and it just went away.”
Last year, the bodyguard threatened to file his own legal action if West and his now-estranged wife Kim Kardashian kept filing suits in a bid to try and shut him up.
“Our client is being bullied here, and we will not stand for that,” Stanulis’ lawyer, Dmitriy Shakhnevich told Page Six, insisting his client had never signed a confidentiality contract.
Producer, rapper, and all-around multi-hyphenate, Sean “Diddy” Combs, is committed to scholastic excellence.
Known for making hit records, stunting crazy as a businessman, and always up for a good time (his IG rocks with his aspirational and inspirational messages), few people are familiar with his outstanding work in education— on the 6 through 12-grade levels.
However, with the same care that he made his empire, he is one of the founders of the Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter Schools and the Capital Preparatory Bronx Charter Schools (both of which have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic).
Diddy shared, “Our students and teachers have done a great job adjusting to remote learning. I’m proud of their resilience and strength, and I’m excited for them to be back in the classroom.”
His partner-in-elevation Dr. Steve Perry, the man that starts the Capital Prep community, shared, “Getting our children back in brick and mortar has always been our number one priority.”
“Our children need to be in school, safely, to mitigate the learning loss COVID-19 has had on our communities,” Perry continued. “Our class schedule replicates the full-time schedule scholars would have experienced pre-closure, including all core subjects, as well as advisory, student all-school assembly, office hours, and access to sports.”
Amy Steele is a London based futuristic soul singer who at 24, has already developed into a talented singer/songwriter. For the last five years Amy has pursued music in tandem with studying for a degree in medicine. Having recently completed her degree, now being Dr Steele, she has fully set her sights on her music. Amy has been working with a wealth of international producers, from Alex Wells (Rizzle Kicks, Paloma Faith), Draper (Lapsley, All Saints) and Babel to create a record that reflects her artistry and who she is musically.
This March, Amy releases the next in a series of covers she has been working on during lockdown. Throughout lockdown Amy has chosen records that move her, and which she feels hold important messages for us this year. Next up is the beautiful ‘Slow Up’ originally by the seminal London Soul singer Jacob Banks. Amy wanted to honor the original, whilst reiterating the powerful message of the song to her growing fan base.
Amy says ‘Slow Up’ is a track to remind us to stay positive and not to let the perception of the world change us or harden us with its prejudice. We’ve had a difficult year of social injustice and seen the way the world can corrupt innocence, but ‘Slow Up’ is a reminder to stay strong and true to who we are. Amy makes ‘Slow Up’ her own, offering a beautifully mournful and emotional interpretation of the well-known classic from Jacob Banks.
When Swizz Beatz and Timbaland sold their coveted company Verzus, most of the world celebrated universally. The pair created a massive success within the confines of a pandemic. They didn’t even see each other at the time of the creation. It was one of the big wins of 2020, one of the worst years in human history. So, you would think that there would be a mass celebration of those that wish them well. And there was, but there was one LONE voice that stood out among all the adulation.
Tariq St. Patrick (aka actor Michael Rainey Jr.) is back! The Power actor that played Tariq spoke out against Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s business move, calling them “sellouts.” DAMN! Now I’m gonna be real! I know what he saying because I had a similar feeling when it all went down. In the Black community, we have almost no assets and we always sell our companies to white people. The thing is, this is just business. It’s capitalism at its finest and there is not a lot of ways around it. But, part of me understands what he saying because Black owned businesses create Black wealth and Black jobs. If somebody else owns it, we know what happens after that.
Here are his exact words:
“Cool move but these n****s still sellouts. Cant ever jus have something of our own it’s always bout the money.”
Why did Michael Rainey Jr. have to go and say that? On top of it, he called out Jay-Z for the same reason because Jigga-Z recently sold Tidal to Square, which is the company that owns Twitter. So, Jay-Z is raising his personal valuation, but are the artists benefiting as well? Yes! Both of these ventures helped other people too. So all of the artists that made Verzus what it is, got a piece of the new company Triller. And the same for Tidal.
“N I feel the same way about Jay Z selling Tidal so don’t come to me with that argument.”
He said it with his CHEST. Gotta respect it.
Symbolically, however we know now that white man owns two assets that felt like they were Black, even if they really were not! They were owned by individuals that were Black, not the community.
When black people say of other Black people “they’re selling the culture out” or “they are pimping out the culture” for establishing substantial monetary partnerships with businesses hailed by other races, what exactly do they mean?
By now, we’ve all heard about or have at least read an IG caption or a headline (not the entire story) of the sale of VERZUZ, Ace of Spades and TIDAL. Though many people have expressed their opinions about the moves by Timbaland, Swizz and Jay as being phenomenal business moves; there have been many in the rafters screaming “sellout.” Pardon my ignorance everyone, but the latter statement is thee most absurd nonsense I’ve heard in recent time. Besides the fact that it’s been reported that several hundreds of millions of dollars have been made by black Hip Hop artists and entrepreneurs, but in addition they maintained some ownership and gained influential positions in the companies that they partnered with. How is that not a win for the culture?
As I stated, I was so confused after reading all of the negativity attributed to these business decisions, that I had to look up Black culture. I thought I understood it. As a matter of fact, I thought I was well versed in it. S###, I’ve only lived it for damn near fifty years and have been studying it practically my entire life. I’m an expert in it, let me tell it. But if I graded myself by what I read on social media and the internet, I’m the most ignorant person on the planet when it comes to Black culture. How in the hell are we not applauding the business acumen of Jay Z, Timbaland and Swizz Beats? How could we associate them with being piranhas of the culture that they’ve spent damn near the last 25 years of their life building? Some things are just beyond my intelligence, I guess.
Black Culture, what is it? Whose is it? What should be done with it? For those sitting in the rafters yelling “sellout,” you do know that Black culture consist of so much more than the business of Hip Hop? A term I use loosely because the business of Hip Hop stretches well beyond Hip Hop. It shouldn’t even be called the business of Hip Hop. It’s just business. Now before I go into explaining all that I believe Black culture to be, I need to know that those sitting in the nosebleed seats screaming “sellout” feel just as adamantly about all things Black and not just that as it relates to Hip Hop and its artists. Black culture consists of politics, social issues, education, religion, family, morals, values, principles, community, language, history, business, art, fashion, cuisine and tradition. And a host of many other important tenets to my people. Black culture is multi-tiered and diverse. And for the most part, we know that, but somehow, we’ve subconsciously relegated Black culture solely to Hip Hop. Which causes us to respond emotionally to anything we deem invasive to it.
Are your feelings just as strong regarding Black politics? Do you support Shaun King and his GrassRoots Law Project? Do you vote on the local, state and federal level? Are you even a registered voter? Have you helped someone else get registered to vote? Have you financially supported any HBCU’s? Did you attend an HBCU? Are you an active participant in the community you live in? Community activist? Do you attend your local school districts board meetings? Do you support Black museums? Have you vowed support to the Universal Hip Hop Museum? Do you support Black institutions? Do you bank black? Do you get just as outraged when Black businesses, institutions and organizations are derailed, defunded, demolished and disbanded, benefitting no one? You don’t still watch Vlad, do you?
The term culture vulture is applicable in Hip Hop. But what we’re witnessing by Jay, Tim and Swizz isn’t that, in my most humble opinion. Nor by any means is it selling out. Once again, in my most humble opinion. Instead, what we’re witnessing from these brothers is big business. That’s Black excellence! Black culture extends far beyond Hip Hop. Our culture has impregnated the world using Hip Hop as a vehicle. But we’re so much more. Allow us to grow. Allow us to enter into buildings that we’ve been historically banned from. Don’t you think we have the ability to takeover those buildings as well? Get it? Takeover (Hov’s voice).
Black culture is us. It’s wherever we go. And we don’t allow anyone to change that about us. Nor do we conform. Instead, people conform to us. That’s not selling out. That is truly Black excellence. Them brothers don’t deserve our hate. They deserve our love and support. As a matter of fact, entering into those new domains, they need our love and support now more than ever before.
A Hennepin County judge, Judge Peter Cahill seated in a Minneapolis court, has reinstated a third-degree murder charge against former MPD officer Derek Chauvin after the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled on March 5th that a lower court should in fact considered the intent in the crime that took George Floyd’s life.
Originally prosecution asked for the murder in the third degree, but in October 2020 the same judge dismissed the count believing that the charge was not applicable to this case.
The judge said that the third-degree charge can “be sustained only in situations in which the defendant’s actions were ’eminently dangerous to other persons’ and were not specifically directed at the particular person whose death occurred.”
The city hit Chauvin with second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter to which he continues to plead not guilty. His plea seems audacious as a whole video of the merciless act was captured and has gone viral for the world to see.
In February, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed the motion for the charge to be reinstated. And in a statement that noted his hopes for the case, “We believe the Court of Appeals decided this matter correctly. We believe the charge of 3rd-degree murder, in addition to manslaughter and felony murder, reflects the gravity of the allegations against Mr. Chauvin.”
Another Appellate court judge, Michelle Larkin, wrote regarding the case, “[the court] erred by concluding that it was not bound by the principles of law set forth in Noor and by denying the state’s motion to reinstate the charge of third-degree murder on that basis.”
“We, therefore, reverse the district court’s order,” Larkin continued. “And remand for the district court to reconsider the state’s motion to reinstate the third-degree murder charge in light of this court’s precedential opinion in Noor.”
There has been speculation for over two decades that Hip Hop’s leading ladies Lil Kim and Foxy Brown were set to unite for a joint project. Veteran producer Rashad “Ringo” Smith seemed to confirm it was almost a reality at some point.
Smith appeared on The Fat Joe Show this week to commemorate the life of the late The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls). During their conversation, the member of Bad Boy Records’ famed The Hitmen production team played a snippet of an unreleased song by the Queen Bee and the Ill Na Na.
Instagram viewers were only able to hear Foxy’s supposed verse from the collaborative track, but Ringo teased that Kim’s contribution may see the light of day in the future. He told Joe, “Not yet. Soon come… Just put it that way.”
The rumored Lil Kim/Foxy Brown album was suspected to be titled Thelma & Louise which borrowed the name from the 1991 Academy Award-winning film. For years, Kim and Foxy were involved in a heated feud that ignited various disses on wax and allegedly led to a shooting outside the Hot 97 radio station in 2001.
It all started when Soulja randomly tweeted, “Rap game faker than WWE.” That statement triggered Orton which led to an extensive back-and-forth between the two men on Twitter. The digs included the “Crank That” performer challenging the 14-time world champion.
Fake. Right @souljaboy ? Btw, which one of yo baby’s mommas do I send the bill to for making you relevant again? I assume they all own yo ass so whose cuttin those checks. https://t.co/EvZUOcJ3Hx
The beef seemed to die down until Orton returned to Twitter on March 9 to throw another shot. The master of the RKO finishing move wrote, “Fake. Right @souljaboy? Btw, which one of yo baby’s mommas do I send the bill to for making you relevant again? I assume they all own yo ass so whose cuttin those checks.”
Soulja Boy responded by tweeting, “Yeah that s### is fake homeboy. And I don’t got no baby mommas fool. Looks like your the one looking for relevancy. Enough talking set it up so I can slide on u for the gang, u think s### sweet huh.”
Yeah that s### is fake homeboy. And I don’t got no baby mommas fool. Looks like your the one looking for relevancy. Enough talking set it up so I can slide on u for the gang, u think s### sweet huh 🤔 https://t.co/ETJbsiCz0p
The former star of Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood also addressed Orton during a live-streamed video game session. Soulja Boy went on an extended rant about the 40-year-old sports entertainer, including making fun of his ring attire and the recent content on Monday Night Raw.
“The real wrestlers [are] The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Brock Lesnar. All you other n#####, shut the f### up,” declared Soulja. “I f### with The Dudley Boyz, Matt Hardy, and Jeff Hardy, the Swanton Bomb. All you other n##### shut the f### up.”
Soulja Boy continued, “I looked at the WWE the other day to see what it looked like. Y’all on there spitting fire and spitting acid out your mouth and doing cutscenes. That s### look like a soap opera TV show. That s### was fake as hell. Y’all n##### can’t even act. I ain’t watch wrestling in like 15 years… I can’t wrestle with a n#### that wears leather thongs.”
Randy Orton’s “baby’s momma” jab was not just questioned by Soulja Boy. Other social media users also gave the wrestler the side-eye for what could be perceived as perpetuating racial stereotypes about Black men having a lot of children by different women, especially since Soulja Boy does not have any kids.
Some people also pointed out that Randy Orton is actually the one in this situation that has children with more than one woman. He has been married twice. His current wife is named Kimberly Kessler. They reportedly have one daughter together.
In 2019, Orton faced backlash after he was heard on a live Twitch stream saying the word “n####.” The Viper’s on-screen WWE character has also been accused in the past of using racial dog whistles to demean Black wrestlers as part of the promotion’s scripted storyline.
Hey Randy, I understand working an angle and heat and all that, but maybe not so much with the babymomma stuff? Racial angles BEEN played out since @TripleH told @BookerT5x he's supposed to dance…
Stacey Dash was one of the most vocal celebrity backers of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Make America Great Again movement. Two years after Trump was elected to the White House, Dash even tried a failed attempt to run for Congress in California as a conservative Republican.
Apparently, the Clueless actor and former Fox News pundit is no longer standing with Trump and MAGA. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Dash insisted she is moving away from discussing politics and hopes for the best for President Joe Biden.
‘As far as he’s concerned, [Trump] is not the president. We have a new president,” Dash told the Daily Mail. “Being a supporter of Trump has put me in some kind of box that I don’t belong in. But he’s not the president. I’m going to give the president that we have right now a chance.”
The former star of television shows such as The Game and Single Ladies claimed the “appalling and stupid” January 6 domestic attack at the U.S. Capitol was the final straw. Five people died as a result of the unsuccessful insurrection incited by Trump and other Republican officials.
“I’ve lived my life being angry, which is what I was on Fox News. I was the angry, conservative, Black woman. And at that time in my life it was who I was,” said Dash. “I realized in 2016 that anger is unsustainable and it will destroy you. I made a lot of mistakes because of that anger.”
She added, “There are things that I am sorry for. Things that I did say, that I should not have said them the way I said them. They were very arrogant and prideful and angry. And that’s who Stacey was, but that’s not who Stacey is now. Stacey’s someone who has compassion, empathy.”
Throughout her career, Dash was heavily criticized for some of her comments about race relations in America. She suggested that BET – a network she once worked for – was an example of racial segregation and the cable channel should not exist.
Dash also called for the end of Black History Month and defended Trump’s “very fine people on both sides” response to the Charlottesville terror attack where a white supremacist killed anti-racism protestor, Heather Heyer.
After claiming that she was “blacklisted” in Hollywood for her conservative views, Dash is now hoping to reignite her acting career. The 54-year-old New York native told the Daily Mail she wants to play a superhero character in an action movie.
Composer/arranger/music producer Adrian Younge will release his debut short film T.A.N. on March 24 via the Amazon Music app and Amazon Prime Video. Younge wrote, directed, edited, filmed, and scored the movie.
“T.A.N. represents the racial friction that exists between Black and White society,” says Younge. “As a Black American, it’s my way of synthesizing our discarded history with a new vision for survival.”
A description for T.A.N. reads:
T.A.N. is a narrative film that sees five fragile souls, confused and in a haze of consciousness and intolerance, enter an eerie dimension. Piece-by-piece, each person realizes their destiny, and the darkness they’ve left behind.
Younge’s T.A.N. is a companion piece to the creator’s recent The American Negro album. He also launched an Amazon Original podcast titled Invisible Blackness with Adrian Younge as a way to further explain the message of the project.
The podcast also features conversations with Black musicians, filmmakers, actors, and scholars. Some of the guests have included Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, Digable Planets member LadyBug Mecca, Jazz musician Keyon Harrold, and Black Dynamite actor Michael Jai White.
Besides working on his own music and films, Adrian Younge crafted the soundscape for motion pictures like Black Dynamite and Boogie as well as television programs like Marvel’s Luke Cage and The Equalizer. The Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist also produced songs by Kendrick Lamar, Ghostface Killah, and more.
Louisville’s Jack Harlow included a song named after former Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Herro on his 2020 album Thats What They All Say. A music video for the single was published on YouTube last October.
For the latest installment of Vevo Footnotes, Harlow takes viewers behind the scenes for the creation of his visuals. The real-life Herro also offered commentary for “The Making of ‘Tyler Herro.'”
“Tyler didn’t remember, but we had met in Kentucky at a club called 8UP during Derby 2019. A-Trak was DJing and my crew actually almost got into it with Tyler’s crew over something petty,” recalled Harlow. “Fast forward a year later and he DM’d me and gave me some props. We started texting and getting to know each other, and then I recorded the song and sent it to him.”
Harlow’s Gold-certified song was created at the beginning of the COVID-19 quarantine. According to Herro, the Miami Heat player did not know that the tribute would come out until he was in the NBA bubble isolation zone during the pandemic.
“I think the song was originally named N’Sync when I had first listened to it. For me, it was cool to hear the name drop in the song,” states Herro in VevoFootnotes.
The 21-year-old athlete added, “Jack told me he was thinking about releasing the song as his single and also renaming it ‘Tyler Herro.’ That’s how I ended up doing the video with him, and then getting the chance to watch it all roll out – it was great to be a part of.”
Spotify partnered with several of this year’s Best New Artist contenders for the Grammy Awards. Inglewood-raised emcee D Smoke is the latest nominee to take part in the Best New Artist X Spotify Singles series.
The Rhythm & Flow season 1 winner paid tribute to legendary Soul singer Sade with a new song named after the 1986 Best New Artist winner. Plus, D Smoke created a remix of the Snoop-Dogg-featuring song “Gaspar Yanga” off his Black Habits album.
“I’m proud to put out two songs on the same day that represent both sides of me. ‘Gaspar Yanga (Remix)’ with its warrior-chant sound and aggressive language, pays homage to the Afro- Latino liberator by the same name, who successfully led a revolution, while ‘Sade’ speaks to the complexities of love and artistry. These songs together serve as a 1-2 punch from the heart of Inglewood,” states D Smoke.
Best New Artist X Spotify Singles also includes reimagined songs by Chika and Phoebe Bridgers. Fellow BNA nominees Noah Cyrus and Ingrid Andress are set to participate in the celebration as well. The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards will air live on March 14 on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The world of Hip-Hop has lost another treasure. This time it is famed and beloved producer, Darrol “Shamello” Durant, who most notably co-produced Busta Rhymes massive hit “Put Ya Hands Where My Eyes Can See.” The song was the lead single from from Busta Rhymes’ 1997 album When Disaster Strikes.
Shamello died on March 7, according to sources with AllHipHop, but a cause of death was not disclosed at the time of this writing.
The New York native, first put on by Chuck D and the Bomb Squad, produced for other notables like New Edition, Mobb Deep, Petey Pablo and BBD, among others. He would go on to amass a history in music that lasted over 20 years, yielding a Grammy nomination and multi-platinum sales. He co-founded the Producers Coalition of America and made strides in film, TV and live events. He was the production manager for Kevin Smith’s “Comic Book Men” for over six seasons on the AMC channel.
Condolences have poured in from a who’s who of Hip-Hop, including Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, RockWilder, DJ Premier, Pharaoh Monche, Benny Boom and numerous others in the music and entertainment business.
Busta Rhymes said, “From the inception of LONS you were there bro, and have been there and gifted me with “Put your hands where my eyes can see”, all the way to now you loved us like the Big bro you’ve always been. Words can’t describe this pain. @shamellod I love you Big bro and I’m still not ready to except (accept) this. I can’t. Rest well King.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMLp1khLx7L/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMHojFOLbVJ/
His words live on in his autobiography, “Ghetto To Greater,” which he called an “audio biography,” chronicled his life and times in a most creative way.
Who am I? A multiplatinum music producer Who went to school to study biology. So what! That makes no difference. Not true! To you and you and you and you, Well, my story it has significance. It shows the rise and fall, and rise and fall, and rise and fall And the tough struggles of life we go through, that’s the stuff That binds us all. See me, I’m just like you . . . ’cause I too have big dreams.
I want the finer things; I want my life to be pristine. At the end of the day, I want good kids and a bad wife. I want to get out of the hood. I just want to live a good life, Yes! So if you’re struggling to succeed, Even if you’ve seen success, This book should give you what you need. Take a look; take a read. In my quest to entertain you Poured my life out on the paper. And I’ve given you my plain truth From the streets to the booth From gutter to God From ghetto to greater. The Fun-Authorized Audio Biography of Shamello Durant
Lastly, Shamello Durant will be laid to rest on Friday, March 12 in his hometown of Hempstead Long Island with a virtual service to accommodate those unable to make it physically. He is remembered fondly and with great admiration by a host of friends and family.
Rapper and businessman T.I. Harris’s personal life may be up in trouble, but his professional life is thriving. One of his businesses, The Trap Museum, has just unveiled a new exhibition entitled “Trapper of the Year,” featuring chart-topper Lil Baby.
The massive display features an art installation of the Atlantan with his “4PF” chain and a commissioned painting of the “Real As It Gets” rapper by artist Ahmed Klink.
According to its website, “Trap Music Museum is an interactive experience that uses art to showcase the rich culture of trap music, one of the most popular genres of music today. By paying homage to the inspiring trials and triumphs of today’s biggest trap stars and providing a platform for emerging artists.” Since its opening, they have created some interesting exhibitions in celebration of the various aspects of “trapping” through rap music.
In fact, last year they celebrated the “Women of Trap” and also the late great Nipsey Hussle.
“I’ve always had a love for women who were able to spit bars over a dope beat. The first time I heard Nicki Minaj’s ‘Itty Bitty Piggy’ and Cardi B’s ‘On Fleek’ they were automatically placed on my ‘Best of the Best’ list,” says Krystal Garner, general manager of the Trap Music Museum.
T.I. shared about the decision to honor Nip, “It goes without saying how prolific and just how significant of a legacy, little bro left behind so we knew for us to put together a collection of art to exhibit what this artist meant to the culture there’s no way we couldn’t do it.”
Lil Baby with his two GRAMMY nominations for his song, “The Bigger Picture” is in good company and is well-deserving of this shout-out.
Gritty Lex is exactly what her name embodies: a bold, unapologetic female who’s ready to take over the rap game. Hailing from Sacramento, California, the rising star is gritty, authentic, and raw, and she’s doing all the work necessary to make it to the top. With the tagline “Gritty In My City,” the former soccer player turned recording artist creates straight vibes for the masses to vibe out to.
When it comes to her sound, style, and personality, the half-Japanese, half-Black is in her own lane — even though her persona and vibe are reminiscent of the lovely Zendaya on Euphoria.
Inspired greatly by the late great Juice WRLD as well as XXXTentacion, Lex carries the same sentiments in pouring her soul into her music, touching on real-life experiences we all can relate and go through.
Most recently, the 21-year-old unleashed the official music video for “Say You Do,” following the momentum of last year’s Mackramento EP.
AllHipHop: What is the definition of Gritty?
Gritty Lex: For me, it’s imperfect. Edgy, raw, authentic, gritty from the dirt.
AllHipHop: When did you come up with Gritty?
Gritty Lex: About 3 years ago. I actually started off as “Gikochinai,” which is gritty in Japanese. Everybody was confused so I’m like “lemme make it easy.”
AllHipHop: I’ve been interviewing a lot of artists out of Sac, some people claim it’s the Bay and some people don’t.
Gritty Lex: Hell nah, it’s not the Bay to me. We’re the valley, but we f### with the Bay tough. Ya know, Mac Dre came young to Sacramento, I think that’s where a lot of misconceptions come [from]. Then we got Nef [the Pharaoh] who’s huge right now in the Bay Area, he was in Sacramento.
AllHipHop: What was your household like coming up there?
Gritty Lex: It was crazy, my mom had me at 16 .We grew up together, moving house to house. She was a single parent basically all my life. It wasn’t as bad, she sacrificed a lot to make sure I was good so I greatly appreciate that.
AllHipHop: Do you remember the moment you fell in love with music?
Gritty Lex: Juice WRLD inspired me to make music. I fell in love my first time ever in the studio. My first song, I thought “yo, I could do this!” It’s crazy.
AllHipHop: I know you used to play soccer, how good were you?
Gritty Lex: Man if it wasn’t music, I would’ve been a superstar in soccer. My mom was actually in a coma so a lot of people were telling me I shouldn’t. I had to teach her how to walk and talk again, all that.
AllHipHop: Crazy, what happened?
Gritty Lex: She had seizures that they couldn’t explain. Her heart stopped 3 times, they had to keep bringing her back to life. She’s in the ICU, she couldn’t breathe on her own. She was hooked to machines, unconscious for months. That’s right after I graduated so I didn’t go play soccer, then there was music. I took off with that.
AllHipHop: How did Juice WRLD’s music help you?
Gritty Lex: A lot of drug abuse. I’d be high and listening to him, it opened up a different realm. I don’t know, it’s Juice!
AllHipHop: Favorite Juice WRLD song?
Gritty Lex: “All Girls Are the Same.”
AllHipHop: What do you like about XXXTentacion? I know he’s a big inspo too.
Gritty Lex: Love X. The edgy, just the rawness. So authentic and not giving a f###, the stuff he be preaching too. If you listen to the podcasts and his interviews, he be talking about some stuff that people don’t normally talk about. I like his message: your whole mental and thinking outside the box thing. When you listen to him, you take a lot from it. It’s inspiring.
AllHipHop: What does it mean to be Gritty in your City?
Gritty Lex: Gritty in my City is tough. It’s raw, authentic. It’s real.
AllHipHop: Are you still residing in Sac?
Gritty Lex: Yeah, I live in Sacramento. I live in Orangevale which is the country of Sacramento, but I’m always moving around.
AllHipHop: What does it mean to have the “Juice”?
Gritty Lex: You got the juice, you got the sauce. You got the flavor. You got everything. You got whatever. Whatever you need, I got it. I got the juice. [laughs]
AllHipHop: Bring us back to that recording session, it’s a vibe.
Gritty Lex: We were hella high. Honestly, I was on shrooms when I made that in my friend’s Airbnb in LA a couple months ago. We made it in the living room. It was a freestyle basically.
AllHipHop: Do you freestyle all your music?
Gritty Lex: Mostly, for the most part.
AllHipHop: What inspired “Say You Do?” Was it a special someone?
Gritty Lex: When I’m saying “you,” I’m talking to myself or I’m talking to God. Other times, you can relate to it in any aspect of your life. “Love me like you say you do” was to my peoples, love me. Show me.
AllHipHop: What do you want fans to get from that song?
Gritty Lex: To always show love to your people. On the verse, I switched it up. “Taking risks, we all putting in and I put in my all.” Make sure you put in and do all the work you got to do, make sure your peoples are straight. It’s not a you thing, it’s a team effort. We all gon’ eat and love each other, positive vibes.
AllHipHop: Talk about your own struggle with substances.
Gritty Lex: I think it started with my mom being in the hospital. ‘Cause my dad is a heavy drug addict, like heavy. I always stayed away from it. I was around people that did it but it wasn’t that cool to me, because that s###’s not that cool sometimes. When you see somebody that’s supposed to take care of you… crazy. I stayed away but when my mom got sick, I started experimenting. I got tough on that. I ended up in the hospital a couple times.
AllHipHop: Wow, OD?
Gritty Lex: Off mixing hella stuff. I don’t like liquor like that but I’m starting to just f### with alcohol , because I can handle it and watch myself. And it’s nasty, so I don’t even want to drink it like that anyways.
AllHipHop: How is music a coping mechanism for you?
Gritty Lex: Music’s everything to me right now. It’s like, I really don’t even like talking but in my music, I can share however I feel in that moment or whatever I’m going through in that moment. Or even my friends, whatever they’re feeling. The voice of other people who don’t really have a voice. It’s very therapeutic. I Iove the work. When you love it, it’s not even a job. This is my life, I love my life right now. I’ve never been happier.
AllHipHop: Where was the video shot that?
Gritty Lex: That was shot at my house in Orangevale. There’s some driving scenes, where we shot driving I actually flipped my Porsche over down a hill. My Porsche flipped, I was in a car accident right where the video’s shot right outside my house.
AllHipHop: Were you good?
Gritty Lex: Yeah, it was 4 in the morning, my phone was dead. I was upside down, it was dark and we’re down in the hills. There’s no cars, it’s raining. I just walked 2 miles to my house. My head, I was leaking everywhere. I felt like a trooper. Yeah, I’m not going out today! [laughs]
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
Gritty Lex: Good vibes, my phone, and some snacks. Some drugs, some candy. Some party favors. Party favors, good vibes, and my phone.
AllHipHop: Got you, and you freestyle everything or…?
Gritty Lex: Not everything but even when I’m writing, I’m freestyling. I pick whatever was the best and I tweak it later. But I do have a couple freestyles, a couple of my songs are freestyles. I’ll have a hook then I need to do a verse, I’ll freestyle it real quick.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLknInSlkdq/
AllHipHop: Talk about having your own ski masks.
Gritty Lex: I love it. Everything that happens to them comes back to me ‘cause the G is solidified in Sacramento. The street art, we do the tagging. I don’t do it but it comes back to me. So the police, it’s a constant battle for me. The police love me. I’m not even doing nothing but they love me.
AllHipHop: Really?
Gritty Lex: Yes. There’s pictures of people on the Sacramento Police Department page, they’re wearing my merch. It falls back on me ‘cause they think I know something to do with or who the person is, but I don’t. I have a website, so I don’t be knowing. People get stuff from however they get it, I don’t know. It’s crazy, damn.
AllHipHop: Talk about your drip, I see you got some ice on you.
Gritty Lex: These are my custom sweats. I have hoodies and stuff too.
AllHipHop: You make that all yourself?
Gritty Lex: Yes I do. These are rhinestones I do. I sell them. I sell hoodies for $150 with this. If you got it on, you solidified. You paid a little bit, just a little bit.
AllHipHop: One thing you want people to get from Mackramento?
Gritty Lex: A new insight of the city and just a new perspective. New sound, it doesn’t sound like any… I couldn’t compare myself to anybody. I can see some of the comparisons but really, I don’t sound like anybody but myself.
AllHipHop: Any goals for yourself as an artist?
Gritty Lex: To take over the world.
AllHipHop: What’re you most excited for in the new year?
Gritty Lex: Festivals, and concerts, and shows. I’m excited to see what happens, I love the growth.
AllHipHop: Who’s hot right now on your playlist?
Gritty Lex: BLXST. We’re gonna get a song probably.
AllHipHop: What can we expect next music-wise?
Gritty Lex: This year, we’re going crazy. New project on the way,couple projects. Lotta singles, lotta videos. We’re dropping “Blue & Red” the visual next. The blue and red lights, they’re behind us.
AllHipHop: Anything else that you want to let us know?
Gritty Lex: Mmm, it’s gritty in my city. We out here!
Funnyman Tracy Morgan is set to play jazz legend Louis Armstrong in an upcoming biopic he is financing.
Morgan’s “Coming 2 America” co-star Jermaine Fowler let the news slip in a recent interview, admitting he can’t wait to see the comic in a serious role.
“He showed us a clip of a movie he’s financing that’s really, really dope,” the actor says. “He wants to play Louis Armstrong in a biopic and I believe he can do it. He sounds exactly like him and looks exactly like him, and I was blown away by it.
“If he can truly pull that off I think it’ll put Tracy on another level altogether.
“I’ve been a fan of everything Tracy’s done since Martin. I love small cameos, and when you can turn them into a big cameo it’s even better – like Kevin Hart in 40 Year Old Virgin and Craig Robinson in Knocked Up. With Tracy, his cameo in Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back always made me laugh so much.”
Khalil “Saint Cassius” Walton is a Harlem-based rap artist making waves with his quick witted yet smooth approach to hip hop. His rich, soulful delivery is coupled with thoughtful lyrics set to an authentically classic rap beat. The art of his gift can be heard loud and clear on his new single, “Brown Skin Girls,” paired with an equally dope visual.
His sound is unique but his undertones evince a musicality that’s been matured and crafted by those who’ve come before him. He’s no stranger to music. “I had so many great experiences with music when I was young. My grandfather was a singer with an incredible double basso voice like James Earl Jones. My dad played piano & saxophone. He also had an incredible voice so it was in my blood,” he said.
And while Saint Cassius has the swagger of Rod Wave, the flow-structure of Common, and the song’s cool chorus give vibes like Musiq Soulchild, his sound still has its own newness. Black women have been around since the beginning of time, but there’s something dope about a rapper who can make brown skin girls still sound like the flavor of the week.
Brown Skin Girls is a tribute to the rapper’s first born: a girl,” as well as a nod to the Notorious B.I.G. After his daughter was born on Biggie’s birthday, May 21st, he reached out to the rap legend’s mother, Mrs. Wallace on social media. “She was elated,” he explained. Saint Cassius says he thought about the contribution her son made with songs like “Juicy,” “Sky’s the Limit,” and the inspired legacy he left his children. “I wanted to create something for her. A capsule to let her know what I contributed to this era, where women of color are leading us,” he explained.
The song is a work of art. The beat is concise and classic. The focus is on the lyrics and the infectious hook with its soulful harmonies. “I always feel like art communicates the spirit of the time, so both the song and video are an ode to women of color in and around the arts.”
The visual treatment is sexy, cultural and curated. He said, “the video was completely shot on 16mm film and includes so many of my friends and examples of women I want my daughter to look up to.”
“‘The Equalizer’ has proven more than equal to the task of engaging viewers and racking up wins on Sunday night,” Kelly Kahl, CBS Entertainment president says. “We’re extremely proud to see this outstanding broadcast drama, led by Queen Latifah, punch through the competitive landscape and return for a second season.”
Queen Latifah takes on a former CIA operative-turned-vigilante character in the series, which is based on Edward Woodward’s TV classic. Denzel Washington also revisited the TV show’s concept in two “The Equalizer” films.
Chris Noth, Lorraine Toussaint, and Adam Goldberg are among the rapper-turned-actress’ co-stars.
Silk Sonic will perform at the Grammy Awards this Sunday (March 14th) after bosses took heed of their pleas.
The band, newly formed by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, had been campaigning to land a slot at the telecast all week, with the Recording Academy confirming on Tuesday (March 9th) that the group will make their live debut at the ceremony.
Bruno Mars’ pleas began with a letter to Grammy bosses, which read: “Dear Grammys. If you can see it in your hearts to allow two out of work musicians to perform at your show, we would really appreciate it.
“We just released a song and could really use the promotion right now. We have a lot riding on this record (and the Pelicans game next week, but that’s another story).”
Insisting that Silk Sonic would follow all the Covid-19 protocols in place for the event, Bruno Mars continued: “We haven’t been able to perform for a while and we just want to sing. We’ll send in an audition tape and take as many covid tests as we need to. I promise we won’t be extra. We just really want a gig again. I hope you’ll consider this request and give us the opportunity to shine.”
Bruno Mars’ letter to the Recording Academy came after Anderson urged his bandmate to “call me back” and address their absence from the performer’s list.
You’re right. I got excited we were trending for a while today. I’m sorry I let you down. I hope you & BTS go on to do great things. 😞 https://t.co/kjpiGQdylP
“YO @BrunoMars WHAT THE F###?!? Did you see this?!?! Call me back!!” he wrote, before adding: “Nah f### that!” .Paak said in another tweet. “I haven’t seen my family in months!! I need this to work, You promised me!! Everybody join in!!! I need all of Twitter to help make this trend!! Come on @RecordingAcad #LetSilkSonicThrive.”
The Recording Academy then responded to the social media activity, tweeting Mars and Anderson: “We’ve been trying to call you all week. Have you changed your numbers?”
They then told the pair they would “See you on the #Grammys stage!”
