Always thinking outside the box and giving listeners more than just the music, iconic HIp-Hop supervillain MFDOOM has launched a new collection of physical merch which includes four variations of collectible masks inspired by MFDOOM’s signature look, and a brand new line of t-shirts, hoodies, and sticker packs.
The collectible masks were designed by Beast Wreck and are limited to only 3,000 pieces each. The exclusive merch is packaged in unique gold foil stamped & numbered collector’s boxes.
Most recently DOOM entered the realm of digital collectibles as he teamed up with Rhymesayers Entertainment and Illust Space to drop a batch of augmented reality masks minted on the blockchain. This collection reached a full lot sellout last week at auction.
Following the success of the first auction, the teams have minted a second series of extremely rare monster-inspired MFDOOM masks, which will be available for auction starting October 29, 2020 on the Illust Space platform. This second auction will be for a total of three masks, available in two rare variants — a series of two “Mummy” masks and one “Sludge” mask. As with the first series, collectors will be able to buy, sell and trade, as well as project the augmented reality masks into the “real world” through Illust Space’s web application and participating partnerships. See below for more information on this cutting-edge collaboration.
“The first auction saw over 20,000 visitors to the site, 2.1 million views of the AR effects across social media, and all 8 items auctioned sold above listing price” says Rob McCarty, Co-Founder and CEO of Illust Space. “This second drop is going to be very special, tapping in to both the great heritage of MF DOOM and the Halloween spirit in a way only a super villain could.”
Born Daniel Dumile, MF DOOM emerged at the end of the ‘90s with a persona and logo patterned after the Marvel Comics super villain Dr. Doom. He reinforced his enigmatic persona by donning an elaborate iron mask during all of his public appearances, in addition to occasionally hiring stand-ins for his performances.
When you think about a gifted artist there are not too many as creative and talented as Solo LaMaze. Born in Chicago and raised in Louisville, KY he is a breath of fresh air for the growing music scene in the Midwest. As with all the greats, Solo LaMaze found his passion early picking up the mic at the tender age of 11.
His love for hip-hop and music started in battle rap but soon evolved when he begin his career as a recording artist at age 12. Experience is the best teacher, and his teenage years were spent perfecting his craft not only as an artist but also as a producer and engineer.
Little did he know that the countless hours spent in the studio would place him leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. Like Muhammad Ali, Solo knocked out all his competitors like the champ. He would open his own studio and production company “Organized Swagg,” before his 18th birthday. Solo was mentored by the late Grammy Award winning producer, Static Major. His first single “Eeeh” blazed Louisville’s #1 Hip-Hop station B96.5 in heavy rotation.
When his next single followed, “Lace me up,” he was basically a household name. Solo Lamaze has taken Hip-Hop to the next level due to his unique style. His next Ooshewanparty featuring super producer DJ Khaled. The song is a club hit and DJs across the country can’t stop playing it. Solo is making a huge impression worldwide.
Gates of the Garden has emerged as one of the premier mid-size battle rap leagues in the world. It produces premiere talent, most notably the Loud Boys who have no problem going over to URL and snatching up every trophy/victory they have to offer (Holmzie da God, Bill Collector, and Prep are examples of this platforms brimming-over talent).
All eyes have been on them as Dre Dennis and C Low have curated a roster of gifted emcees and a reputation for good business — even amidst the tragic loss of LB da Boss and with their most recent card, Open the Gates 4, they have pushed forward to create a show that is making waves throughout the industry.
Leading the charge was the return battle of Young Gattas and Lady Caution.
A one-rounder was just enough to remind us that Young Gattas ain’t nothing to play with. Forget the six years in the wind, she came back with bar flips and the sheer lyricism that she has been always been known for. What was missing is the raw cockiness that she always wore like a Jesus piece. Perhaps the reason is that she doesn’t need to beat her chest and convince crowds that she deserves their respect. One highlight of her round was her European flip, her play on words, and the swipe at an earlier LC battle. But there were other bars that were just top tier level of dynamics…
The energy in battle rap is different… people are no longer doubting that women can hang with the guys.
Also, the bias that used to follow AG femcees is not as flagrant, allowing you to focus on the complicated verse construction and not how “like a dude” Gattas might appear when she raps. Beasting with an overload of talent… she got folk about to fight on Twitter over her return.
Her talent is what has brought her back and made her formidable against the gatekeeper, Lady Caution.
Dressed as Cruella Deville, Lady Caution is the perfect reflection of her gun bar king boyfriend but by no means is she his replica. Her elite pen is her own voice … or in this case her own weapon. She blasted at the idol (who some have said could be on the female Mt. Rushmore) with every intention to re-introduce her to the sport trying to wound her by words.
But she did not stop at shooting at Young Gattas, in her one-rounder. Then she blasted at other females in the culture like Bonnie (who stole her Harley Quinn costume from the Nemisis battle for her KOTD Grand Prix contest vs. Showoff), O’fficial, and Ms. Fit. Punch after punch, the tiny lyricist danced through her round making this a classic.
Judge for yourself who you believe won — if you can.
“We’re the story of what happens when you don’t give up,” says rapper BMac. The 28-year-old San Bernardino County, California native has spent the last decade grinding towards his Hip-Hop dreams. 2020’s “Far From Home” single has proven that the artist who balances lyricism, melody, and motivation is right on track. The self-released song has surpassed 500,000 Spotify streams ahead of its music video. Ahead of several significant tracks and his first-ever project, BMac states with intensity, “Success only provoked me to work even harder.”
Before he was known as BMac, Kyle Randall was a gifted athlete living in Southern Cali’s Inland Empire. Raised by a Japanese mother and a stern father from Oklahoma, both of Kyle’s parents are of mixed race. With his diverse background, Kyle made a name for himself through football and wrestling. With scholarship offers on the table, a torn meniscus abruptly ended his athletic plans. However, as one opportunity ended, another opened. A dedicated fan of Eminem, Lil Wayne, and Drake, a rehabilitating Kyle thought to try his hand at rapping.
In those upper-teenage years, Kyle admits that music did not come as easy as sports. He laughs at countless freestyles, folders full of demo song files, and a lot of early experimentation. At parties, he would freely kick his lyrics to girls. Dubbed “Baby Mac Miller” after the emerging MC of the early 2010s, the teasing nickname stuck, only as BMac. However, the artist soon embraced the growth required to take Hip-Hop seriously.
“I got good at rapping by writing, spitting, and freestyling before every one of my gym sessions,” says the fitness buff, inspired by Kobe Bryant’s 100,000 practice-shot offseason regimen. Rapping 40 minutes a day, six days a week, showed tremendous results over the next eight years. BMac also studied the legends; he recalls viewing Ice-T’s The Art Of Rap documentary nearly 100 times. This education led him to work on cadence, delivery, rhythm, wordplay, and compound rhymes. “I finally felt ready.”
Trusting the process is much easier with a partner. Since the beginning, BMac worked elbow-to-elbow with his brother Camuncensored. Uncensored produces, mixes, and masters all of the songs they have released through their LTNT Records, an abbreviation for Like There’s No Tomorrow. “We always bet on ourselves,” BMac asserts, adding that he and Uncensored finance every aspect of their operation by each working multiple jobs. Throughout the last decade, the pair sacrificed their lifestyles to make the dream happen.
“We knew that if we could get this music to the people, they’d like it.” That was affirmed in early 2019 when BMac released “This Way,” featuring Arte. The music video crossed 10,000 views, reaching fans worldwide. “We really try to treat this globally,” the rapper says. It’s part of the reason why he shares his Japanese and South African heritage. “I want people to be aware of my makeup.”
As BMac’s fanbase is expanding, so is his sound. 2020’s “Far From Home” focuses on melodies, bridging the rapper’s lyricism with some pop-savvy sounds. “No matter the beat, when the verse starts, I’m coming with bars,” he insists. The single is relatable, based on a romantic partner whose insecurities sabotage the relationship.
This theme is emphasized by a music video shot along the cliffs of Malibu. Gearing towards a 2021 debut project, BMac is excited to share some songs that tie into the storyline of “Far From Home,” appeasing his listeners. BMac has plenty in store for the future, but he made it this far by living like there is no tomorrow.
I knew that was gonna put together an album [What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?]. Then I reached out to people like George Clinton. And I reached out to Run and DMC and also Mike (D), and Adam (King Ad-Rock of The Beastie Boys].
And to me, that was my present, paying homage to the guys that dragged me in for “Public Enemy #1.”
I don’t know how many rap artists actually were chased down for two years and kept saying no to anybody. People talk about bidding wars and all that but they wanted to do records.
Me, I’m like “no” and from starting from 1984, with that song. Rick [Rubin] called the crib, and I’m like, “Nah, man, I’m not home.” So I rejected a record for label and a guy who’s a fledgling producer and had already proven himself with Run-DMC.
I rejected it until later on it was sort of like a surrender. We wanted to get into syndicated radio. Once I saw that that dream wasn’t going to happen I mean, syndicated rap radio? What are you out of your mind? So I guess we make records, then you know?
The turning point was going to see Run and D at Garden when they had the adidas.
And Jay turned around and said “this ain’t bad is it? So that was the great surrender and you saw me late on that year signing the contract [with Def Jam]. But not too long after that concert is when we said “OK.” That was the tail end of the Raising Hell concert.
Scoon: Let me get to Dave Seabrooks first. Dave says that he saw he says something about me in a drug deal with Jay. Dave claimed he was a drug dealer too, but Dave lives off for white women. That’s what does.
AllHipHop: If I am not mistaken, wasn’t he married to Karen Gravano?
Scoon: I don’t know if he’s married, but he was with her. He was caught on a case with her father [Sammy “The Bull” Gravano] and her brother in Arizona. I’ll never forget when Dave first went to Arizona. He said to me, he called he said “Yo, I just want you to know, why I’m here. I’m about to meet The Bull. And he said, “Karen told her mother that I’m half Puerto Rican,” because Dave is light-skinned. My response to Dave was I said “Damn Dave, that’s sounds like all n#### to me man.”
But he got in with her because her and crew of little Italian girls was doing their thing with the ecstasy in the 90s. Dave is a pretty boy type you know? His hair gonna always be lined up and meticulous. I want to say metrosexual, but he doesn’t dress metrosexual. But he might as well be metrosexual. He’s with a white woman now down in Arizona.
AllHipHop: What was your relationship with him? In the documentary, he said that you guys were running the streets together.
Scoon: Dave was around but Dave is another one. He used to say Tinard was his cousin cause his mom and Tinard’s mom are really tight. What he needed to talk about the documentary. Dave is the connection between Flushing and Hollis, with Steve Lobel, Tony Rincon, because his father lived over there right. And his real cousin’s name is Unique. Dave introduced them to Tinard. They went down to Baltimore. Tinard was supposed to be his security. Somehow “wink wink” Unique gets shot in the back of his head and ends up paralyzed.
AllHipHop: It was over missing heroin. Unfortunately for Tinard, all these seem like the same modus operandi for the Jay murder.
Scoon: Tinard being your protection is almost like the fox guarding the chicken coop. I don’t know who shot Unique. But Dave made that introduction. You want to talk about something talking about that m###########. That’s s### that you know about because you don’t know nothing about me.
I don’t know what Dave was thinking. In that documentary, I had to turn it off man before, before I blew a fuse or something. He said Big D was like his brother. He gave everybody their props. That means nobody’s props is worth anything. He’s a dude that just wants to be liked by everybody. And Steve Lobel got him in there. And, he acted like the ghetto tour guide, trying to break down so intellectual about what Hollis was like, in the 70s and 80s. Dave that’s not who you are. That’s not how you talk. And these white folks are not going to call you back for the next documentary. Find another white woman, get a stable of them.
I just think that if any of Jay’s friends whether it be Hurricane, Big D, Randy, even Boe. They don’t need to be name-checking me. Y’all need to find out what really happened. If y’all don’t want to tell the police what happened, yall need to figure out what happened and go deal with it. Just stop gossiping.
AllHipHop: I’m worried that the Feds case is going to fall apart unless they have some of these people in the studio acting as cooperating witnesses saying, yes, this person did it.
Scoon: It doesn’t even make sense to me that Tinard would live in Jay’s house and go Little D to confront Jay about anything. Where you’re gonna live now? Your homeless, you ain’t got nowhere to go. You know, but again, that’s me thinking logically, these may not be logical thinkers, but I can’t make sense out of this stuff, man, because I would have to get in their head and think like they think and that is that’s beneath me, man. I can’t do it. I can’t level down like that.
AllHipHop: Let’s talk about the past 18 years. That is a long time to have something of this magnitude hanging over your head.
Scoon: It was tough.
AllHipHop: What was it like in the first two years? What did you have to do?
Scoon: The first thing I did was get out of New York.
AllHipHop: Did you leave New York for your safety?
Scoon: I don’t want to sound too cocky, but I really never been worried about no kind of issues in the streets. I feel like I’m capable enough, I could see things coming, I could position myself, or even get out of the way if I need. But what I was concerned with was the NYPD. Because I felt like as long as I was in New York, and they had me pegged as a person of interest, it would have been real easy for them to try to pick me up on another charge and put me on ice while they try to work this out. Because these are the type of things that cops do.
AllHipHop: In this time what were you doing for money and employment?
Scoon: I was in Atlanta.I’m very resourceful, that’s all I’m going to say. Real talk, man. I was selling cigarettes. It’s not legal but s###. I was selling cigarettes because the cigarette tax went up. And I don’t mean I was out there, I was getting them cheap down south, and sending them up to New York. And dudes was selling them and sending me my money back. Then my man he was selling Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys and I started going out the house with him.
AllHipHop: This was a case that drew worldwide attention. So you are down in Atlanta hustling cigarettes. How did you start transitioning into something more legal? When I met you, early on, I know that you were aspiring to be into films. How did that transition into anything legal start?
Scoon: To be honest with you, this is probably gonna be the best part of the interview. This is going to give inspiration and a blueprint to people who really want to do right. You know, the transition for me started before the Jay thing. I just knew the way that I was living in the 80s and early 90s, I knew that some days were numbered. Of course, like most people, the first thing I wanted to do was something in music, because that’s what we all do. We all just get into the music business. That didn’t work out. One day, I was sitting on the bench in the projects in Long Island City, and I looked at the sky. I said, “man, who the f### am I?” I was going through this thing in my life, where I wasn’t who I used to be. And I didn’t know how to be who I wanted to be. So I was, I was at this crossroads man.
AllHipHop: What was driving that insecurity?
Scoon: Things weren’t working out. I was a dude that always touched paper. And I’m in this transitionary phase, where I don’t have no money. It’s tough when you try to reinvent yourself, where your old network is useless because what they’re doing is what you’re trying to get away from, but you have no current network. So you got to build it from the ground up. And you got to build it from the start. The answer came. “You’re a salesman, and you don’t have no product.” Because I didn’t have nothing to sell. So I tapped into myself. And I wrote a screenplay called “Fall from Grace.” That was my life. I fell from grace. I wrote a dope ass script, man, everybody that read it loved it.
AllHipHop: How did you learn how to write scripts? Did you take courses? What got you into it on that level?
Scoon: I went down to The Village. Somebody told me, they sold scripts to movies down there. So I went out, picked up a script, and I looked through it. I didn’t even buy it. I said, “I can do this s###.” And I went to bought this software called Final Draft, and I still got it too. I just set out, I poured my heart and soul into it, and it just came out so dope. The word got around that I could write in the hood. And then people connected Fat Cat came to me, and they wanted me to write the Cat story. And I wrote it. And I finished it two weeks before Jay got killed. And so I went from writing the movie to being in a movie.
I made all the news. I can’t get rid of this s###. How can I make it work for me? So I emailed Playboy because I had learned they some kind of option agreement with Brian Grazer from Imagine Entertainment. He would option their articles. So I figured if I could get an article in Playboy, I could get some attention on my script.
I emailed Playboy because you could submit articles and I said, I don’t have an article, I got something better. This is my name. This is what I’m accused of. And I haven’t talked to anybody, but I’ll talk to you. Sort the features editor at the time was Christopher Napolitano. he emailed me back. Playboy signed the writer, [Frank Owen] and I also negotiated a 1000 words sidebar, so I could be a published journalist. I used the article to plug my script. Turns out that that article ended up being instrumental in Ethan Brown, securing his book deal.
Queens Reigns Supreme
AllHipHop: I want to talk a little bit about that book “Queen’s Reign Supreme.” At the beginning of that book, he thinks “The Snake Charmer,” which was your handle. What role did you have in that book, “Queen’s Reign Supreme?”
Scoon: I pitched the book to Ethan. Nobody would talk to Ethan. Ethan had tried to get several book deals and failed. That book was his first book deal. And, I guided him through that world. And s###. It worked out for me. It worked out for both of us in different ways. It started me on a TV production where I was working on “American Gangster.” We did the Fat Cat episode, of course, because of the book. I was a consultant on the Fat Cat episode, a co-producer on The Supreme episode. And then I fully produced the Jamaican Shower Posse episode by myself. And keep in mind, Greg, I’m a published journalist. With no journalism degree.
That is just what determination and discipline it gets you if you really want it, man, like, I found a way to make it all work for myself.
AllHipHop: So why did you decide to your latest documentary “Black White & Blue.”
Scoon: Well, what I tried to do was not give us give people the same one-sided view. I tried to provide contrasting views. So that there are Trump supporters in there is Black Lives Matter supporters, Black Lives Matter critics. I wanted an objective piece. I think what we get a lot of times are more like programming and propaganda, pretty predictable which way it’s going to go. I think it’s important if you’re a filmmaker, to get all sides of the story. One of the other things that I found startling is when you look at all these black trauma, documentaries, I don’t care if it’s Kalief Browder, Sandra Bland, Central Park Five, but look at who made them, it’s never us.
That’s the difference with my film. “Black White and Blue” is objective because I funded it. I didn’t get a check from nobody. But that’s also why it was tough to get distribution. I submitted it to so many film festivals, and not one accepted it. But if you go on Amazon, and you read the reviews, and those aren’t paid, people I know who did it. Those are actual real reviews, this film has been seen in 17 countries. But that kind of objectivity is not what anybody wants from black people. You either promote and talk about what “we” want you to talk about, or “we” don’t fund you.
AllHipHop: What projects do you have coming up next with your film production company?
Scoon: I’m working on a documentary called “The American Dream.” And what I’m doing is documenting every step of the way with my guy Coleman A. Young II. His father Coleman Young I was the first Black Mayor in Detroit for five consecutive terms. 20 years straight from 1973 to 1993. His son is a political prodigy. He’s already been an elected official for 12 years. He was a State Rep four years, and he was on state Senator for eight years.
In 2017, he announced he was going to run for Mayor. And I reached out and I was his number one backup. I donated the most money to his campaign. I got him up on The Breakfast Club. He lost, he didn’t have any money. He had about maybe $50,000. I raised most of it for him. And he got 29% of the vote. When you think about it, the incumbent mayor had $2.5 million. See if Coleman can get 30% of the vote with $50,000, imagine what he could do with half a million dollars.
So from there, the next thing we did was, we did the STEM Foundation, the organization, Coleman, Alexander Young II Educational Foundation, CAY2 Foundation.ORg. We started a STEM program for students in Detroit. And our pilot program is at Martin Luther King High School.
AllHipHop: Well, it’s good to see you have moved on with your life because I can imagine that the Jam Master Jay situation is still a chaotic and traumatic situation to be associated with.
Scoon: I just wanted to say to Jay’s people and to everybody who wants to make documentaries and YouTube clips. Just be mindful man that it has been 18 years. It’s clear that I didn’t have anything to do with this. And I’m doing so many good things. And every time people mentioned my name it makes it that much harder not only for me to do for myself, but to do for others. If nothing else at least respect that.
Curtis Scoon or “Scoon” is a hood legend from Hollis, Queens, who came up during the rough-and-tumble crack era of the 1980s. While he has never been convicted of a crime, his rep as someone who got busy in the streets during that time frame is well documented.
Scoon was already in the process of getting out of the streets after having a moral crisis on a park bench in the projects. He realized he had a passion for writing and filmmaking and jumped into the world of scriptwriting.
But his notorious past on the streets of Hollis would come back to bite him in the ass, when Jam Master Jay was gunned down in his 24/7 Studio in Jamaica, Queens on October 30th, 2002.
Shortly after the murder, Scoon was named as one of the gunmen who committed the murder. For 18 years Scoon denied his involvement in the case, as the NYPD wasted hundreds of hours of manpower investigating Scoon’s possible involvement.
The police eventually dismissed Scoon as a suspect. And over the last 18 years, he has been working to shake the stigma of being associated with the murder of Jam Master Jay, and ironically make it work for him.
Since Jay’s death, Scoon has become a published author in Playboy, helped author a critically acclaimed book (“Queens Reigns Supreme” with Ethan Brown), tangled with 50 Cent in court over Fif’s#### series “Power” and created, funded, and distributed his documentary “Black White & Blue.”
Scoon’s life took a big step to being normalized on August 18th, 2020, when Ronald “Tinard” Washington and Karl “Little D” Jordan was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for their alleged role as the gunman who burst into Jay’ studio to kill him over a drug deal gone bad.
Curtis Scoon checked in with AllHipHop on the 18th anniversary of Jay’s death to talk about his past, the allegations in the documentary “Who Killed Jam Master Jay,” and why he thinks the Feds may not have all of the suspects in custody.
AllHipHop: So I think the first thing I want to talk about is what are your thoughts on the August 2020 indictments of Ronald “Tinard” Washington and Karl “Little D” Jordan for the murder of Jam Master Jay.
Scoon: There’s a lot of thoughts there. If it really was those two guys. Why did it take so long? That’s the first thought. Karl “Little D” Jordan, he is the son of Jam Master Jay’s, I guess you could say best friend and protector in the neighborhood, Karl “Big D” Jordan.
Tinard Washington, he actually lived in Jay’s family house. At the time of Jay’s death. These are people that are really close to Jay. And again, I don’t have any inside knowledge. But you would think that the people in the studio knew who did it from the start.
AllHipHop: That leads me to an interesting question about Tinard. Prior to October 30th, 2002, he was on a robbery spree. That is well documented. And he went on a robbery spree after the murder. I read in court documents that he was frequently intoxicated out of his mind. And he had done so many robberies that at this point, he couldn’t remember what ones he had done and what ones he hadn’t done. The indictment is alleging that there was a drug deal gone bad and Tinard was mad that Jay had cut him out of that. And as a result of this a 17-year-old at the time, Karl, “Little D” Jordan came in and acted as the trigger man. What motive would they have to not come forward for 18 years over these two? Tinard had been in jail. Little D okay, if he’s close with Jam Master Jay through Big D. That’s one thing. Do you think the feds are on the right trail?
Scoon: I got no way of knowing, but this is what I know about the case. October 30th, 2002, was a Wednesday night. It was a rainy cold night. Run-DMC was scheduled to perform at an NBA game I believe in Cleveland or somewhere. They were doing the halftime shows and stuff like that, trying to make money. At the last minute, for whatever reason, the show was canceled.
And what that means to me is that Jay wasn’t even supposed to be in the studio that night, because he’s supposed to be doing a show. His studio was in a building that housed a company called Prime America that had weekly meetings on Wednesday nights. What that also means is that there was a lot of foot traffic in that building. And the importance of that is these people did not enter and leave without being seen. The studio also had a surveillance camera to identify people coming in that they were buzzing.
For one, I don’t think Jay’s death, whatever the reason was, was premeditated because he wasn’t supposed to be there. Number two, I don’t believe that the people in the studio let someone in who they didn’t know. And just for the record, I hate that I even have to say this, but not only have I never been to that studio, but I didn’t even know where it was. Because I wasn’t part of that circle.
AllHipHop: Let’s start with Tinard Washington. I know he was notorious as a stickup guy. I think almost from day one Tinard has always been fingered as suspect number one. Person number two has always had a question mark. Why would they associate you with Tinard? Were you friendly with him in the neighborhood growing up?
Scoon: Tinard was friends with Randy Allen and Jay. But ultimately, Tinard was really a friend to no one. Tinard is just one of them dudes, he’s just bad news, always has been. He spent most of his life in prison. As a matter of fact, when he’s on the street, he’s really doing time. That’s how much he’s institutionalized. I’ve never been to prison and I don’t have any convictions. We have nothing in common. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t even cross the street with Tinard because I might get a ticket for jaywalking. He can’t break any rules without getting caught. Nobody who’s trying to be out in the streets would associate with Tinard. You hang with Tinard, you are going to prison point-blank.
AllHipHop: According to the Feds, Tinard was an early member and a part of the Hollis Crew, which they labeled a gang.
Scoon: Dudes from the streets will understand what I’m about to say. It’s not like a gang or something. Your hood is your hood. So if you hang out on the boulevard or the avenue or whatever, you are repping your little neighborhood. And you got beef with other hoods. That goes on today. But inside every hood, you got cliques within the cliques. Everybody was together and if we was on the avenue and somebody came through, yeah, well, it’s our hood, because that’s what young boys do. I’m talking about late teens, early 20s, adolescence, indulging in adolescent s###, you know, even though today it seems like old people do it. But back then, that’s what kids did. You proved your manhood you, your honor, your courage, all that s###.
Tinard’s an interesting guy. The last conversation I had with Tinard might have been in 1997. And I’ll tell you the crux of that conversation. Because this is an open case, I’m pretty sure law enforcement are gonna go over this interview with a fine-tooth comb. And they can say a lot of things about me, but they can’t say I’m a f###### liar.
In about 1997 it had been brought to my attention that Tinard and some dudes were planning to, how should I say it, run-up in my mom’s house because they thought that something of value was there. I wasn’t living in New York. But I came back to New York because my brother got in a really bad accident in Baltimore. And he was in Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1995. So when he went in the hospital, I was trying to handle his stuff. And I was staying in New York a lot. My girl lived in Brooklyn, but I was keeping my cars at my mother’s house in Queens. Because they saw my cars at my mom’s house, they must have assumed that there was something of value in the house. But they all knew that if they was gonna rob me, the plan must have been to kill me. I’m not somebody you’re going to do something like that to, and then be like, ‘see you later’ and be like, ‘Hey, what’s up?’
I saw Tinard on the corner of my mom’s block one day, and I was on foot. He was on foot. It was early in the morning. And he said ‘yo Scoon can I talk to you?’ I said, ‘Yeah, what’s up Tinard?’ He said, ‘Yo, man, I know people running around talking, saying that I’m planning to do this that and the third. But none of that’s true.’ It’s just me and him on the corner man, it’s about 8 o’clock in the morning. I said ‘man, you do what you do. I ain’t got no problem with that, man. That’s who you are. I said, ‘but now that I know, if I’m looking out that window, and I see you anywhere in the vicinity, I’m not going to try to figure out if you’re walking to the bus stop or looking for your lost pet.’
Tinard looked at me, and he said, ‘yo I understand.’ And that’s my word. That’s the last time we ever talked. That might have been in 97. Taking has always been his thing and he’s not very good at it either. And ironically, when people said that it was me and Tinard who did that with Jay, that’s when the streets started understanding that it wasn’t me. It’s known that Tinard and me, we are like oil and water.
AllHipHop: In the “Who Killed Jam Master Jay” documentary on Netflix, they say that Randy Allen positively identified you as being one of the people involved. Why do you think Randy set off this conspiracy, involving you?
Scoon: I don’t know if Randy said that. You know after the funeral, Jay’s family was represented by Marvin [Jay’s brother], who is now deceased, and his cousin Fonzo. And they expressed some suspicions of Randy. The following week, Randy Allen went on Hot 97, and this is all recorded, anybody who wants to pull it up can pull it up.
Boe [Rodney “Boe Scagz” Jones JMJ’s nephew] was with Randy, he wasn’t with his uncle and his cousin. But he was with Randy, defending Randy. I don’t know, maybe Boe really believes that Randy is innocent. But the part that means something to me is: Randy made it clear in that interview that he didn’t think I had anything to do with. He said that on record. I take responsibility for even being the type of person that they would believe I could do something like that, because of the way I lived my life at a certain time. I believe the best defense is a good offense. When I was moving around as a young dude, I didn’t really show a whole lot of mercy. I put a lot of energy into developing an intimidating presence. And it came back to bite me in the ass.
AllHipHop: Let’s talk a little bit about your background in Hollis. They imply that you were a drug dealer in your early days. And they claim that you flew to California with Jay to arrange a cocaine deal. The coke deal supposedly went bad and that could have been a motive for the murder of Jay. I want to be clear to our viewers in the same documentary, the police state that they spent hundreds of hours of manpower, and they have cleared him as a suspect.
Scoon: It’s self-explanatory that I’m still walking around and I have never been hiding. And I had my lawyer Marvin Kornberg. And I was going in on November 4th, to get questioned and possibly get arrested. I wasn’t running from it.
From what I recall from what they say, that was something that supposedly happened in 1995? And in 1996, Jay set up a meeting for me with Lyor Cohen. I believe Nikki D was his assistant at the time the female rapper Nikki D. I had no problems with Jay in 96. Why would I have a problem with him in 2002?
Hypothetically, let’s just say that story is even real. In 1996. Jason Mizell set up a meeting with Lyor Cohen for me because I was trying to do a dedication album for Randy “Stretch” Walker. Myself, and my man Nichols. And at the time attorney Ed Woods, he was my entertainment attorney. We went and we met with Lyor. But the fact of the matter is, if I had any issues with Jay, he wouldn’t set that meeting up for me. Anything else that he talked about is irrelevant. If I had any issues with Jay, he wouldn’t have set that meeting up with me in 1996. And I damn sure wouldn’t wait till 2002 to be angry about something that allegedly happened in 1995. So none of it makes sense. That’s why I’m walking around, never been afraid of getting locked up or anything else. Because you cannot prove something that didn’t happen. They would have to legitimately go out and frame me.
AllHipHop: To be honest with you, that that’s what it seems like happened. Right after the murder, an anonymous source, a police officer let us know that Big D, possibly Little D could have been involved. Big D interviewed with us. And he said he was at home working on his boiler that had blown out.
Scoon: He’s a dusty m###########, he probably was.
AllHipHop: But he denied any involvement. And he immediately said, “I would be looking at Randy Allen” if I was looking at anybody. I’ve heard a number of things about Big D, including prior involvement with law enforcement.
Scoon: He’s been a confidential informant for a long time, got strong relationships with the Queen’s D.A.’s office. This is a fact.
AllHipHop: Do you think that relationship helped amplify the police looking at you as a suspect?
Scoon: Let’s be clear, the night Jay got killed Funkmaster Flex was on the radio, on Hot 97. He didn’t name any names, but he was alluding that people in the industry were responsible for Jay’s death. Flex took it hard. And he was talking heavy that night. The very next morning Ed Lover was on Power 105 doing the morning show, and he was crying, and he was saying the same thing. So the night Jay got killed, and the very next day people in the industry thought somebody in the industry was responsible. And to be clear, they thought it was Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff and Murder Inc. Now, why would Lyor all be concerned about that? That is evident. Murder Inc. was under Def Jam. Lyor was running Def Jam, and Def Jam was under Universal.
So Jay gets killed and there are all these unfounded rumors about Murder Inc and Supreme and you got Irv Gotti and Supreme McGriff connected to Fat Cat, in the killing of [police officer] Edward Byrne. This is some like real movie s###. And, again, we talked about the music industry. We are talking about a lot of gangster cosplay, so anything that remotely resembles some serious s### going on, they revel in this because it’s almost like ‘we really look like we in the middle of all of this.’ I can’t speak for this generation but for my generation, street dudes didn’t rap. That’s not what we did, we didn’t entertain or amuse people. I’m theorizing that it was in Lyor’s best best interest to find out who did it, or find a believable suspect.
And that brings us back to dusty Big D.
After Big D got exposed as being an informant – he took the stand and testified and did whatever he did – Jay got a job for Big D over at Rush Management. And he knew what Big Dig did. It didn’t matter. That was his childhood friend. And again, that’s why I don’t like to compare the music business to the streets. For this dude to rat, take the stand, send another dude from the same block to prison for 25 to life, and then Jay, gets him a job? That’s not gangster. And I’m not even mad at Jay. He was a DJ.
Jay wasn’t really, in the street. And when people start talking about him being a drug dealer, I don’t know nothing about that. The Jay I know didn’t sell drugs. And if he did, he wasn’t really good at it. Because at the time of his death, I believe he was in $400,000 in debt to the IRS. Behind on payments to his house. He was just drowning in debt. If he was selling drugs where was the money?
AllHipHop: They say that he was dribbling and dabbling because of the financial pressure that he was under. According to the indictment, they believe that Jay was running drugs down to Baltimore.
Scoon: I don’t know anything about that. What I do know is that he wasn’t in the best financial shape. I believe Big D worked for Lyor. I believe Big D gave Lyor my name. Now, who gave Big D my name? The recent revelations, it opened my eyes to certain things. I can’t understand like, why this dude Big D was pushing my name so hard. I’m thinking maybe it was he’s really trying to get justice for his boy [Jay] or something. But then when his son gets arrested. I’m like ‘could that have been why he was pushing my name?’
AllHipHop: I was reading through some court documents, and they referenced the fact that, aside from this indictment, I don’t think Little D had any charges as an adult. He did he have one charge when he was 17 for a shooting. I heard he shot Boe Scagz [Jay’s nephew]. It could have been due to anything, but to be a murder suspect [in his uncle’s death] 10 or 15 years later? Do you think this was enough to scare some of the people in the studio into their behavior of quite frankly, obstructing justice for 18 years?
Scoon: You want me to tell you God’s honest truth, man? I don’t like any of these people. I swear to you, man. It doesn’t even make sense for them to plan to kill Jay. In my mind it just had to have been something spontaneous, an accident.
AllHipHop: With Boe, you guys had a back and forth on Twitter, which resulted in his name-checking you in one of his freestyles I was listening to on Facebook. He’s a rapper and I liked what I heard, all of those Queens aesthetics were there.
Scoon: He’s been doing it for 20 some years. He better be pretty good at it. I remember Boe when he used to be outside with his t-shirt on, his hands up inside a T-shirt in the wintertime. Boe got a deal, because of who his uncle is, not because of his talent. I think Jay knew some guy at some label and he did Jay a favor and he signed Rusty Waters. Rusty Waters was Randy Allen and Boe. Randy was 38 at the time, and Boe was about 21. And they were pretending to be from down south, rapping about cornbread and collard greens. So they were essentially a gimmick group. The night Jay got killed, the very next day, Randy and Boe went on a promotional tour. That doesn’t sit right with me. I mean, your uncle gets killed. Your best friend and business partner gets killed. You got a trash ass rap group. I mean, the tour ain’t going to make a difference. You ain’t selling no records, you got a deal as a favor. Let’s not act like you got to get on here and push that s###. This ain’t 36 Chambers you talking about here.
AllHipHop: When we interviewed Jay’s mother after the murder she expressed real concern that Boe and Randy, had clicked up and had disappeared for two to three days. I compared our interview with Boe to what he said in the Jam Master Jay documentary. We talked to him 10 years ago, but his story is the same. He said he was outside on the block, went to get a haircut. Heard that they were shooting the studio. Now, in our interview, he said that he waited a little while, because he didn’t have a gun on him, and, he wasn’t sure what was happening. He didn’t want to put himself in harm’s way. Once inside, he said that he kicked Jay. He said he argued with the cops, and they let him leave. He told us that it was important for him to go on tour because this was his first deal. He wanted everything to work.
Scoon: I just gotta say it, man. If that’s your priority when your uncle is dead. This is your first tour, that was a priority and a man is dead in the studio something ain’t right with you. Make songs and name check me all you want, but nobody in their right mind would agree with that. That’s part of what I said to him when we had our exchange.
I said, ‘did you kick him when you came in off the street? Or did you kick him when he fell at your feet?’ l ain’t a rapper or nothing, but that’s how I felt. That kick s###, man you don’t see your loved one on the ground [and kick him]. Furthermore, if you come off the street up inside the studio, there’s some minutes that had to go by between the time Jay was shot and by the time he [Boe] got there, let’s say at the very least five minutes By that time the blood is already pulling from Jay’s head.
What you got to kick them for the thing you thought he was playing? That’s that Kool-Aid around his head bro that’s his blood. What are you kicking them for? I don’t want to theorized too much but the s### don’t be sounding right to me with nobody. The only thing I know is my name don’t belong nowhere in there. I didn’t associate with any of these people. And at the end of the day, the police are looking for a big drug deal. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just some typical n#### nonsense.
One of the two suspects accused of murdering Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell had been on the cops’ radar for years as a suspect in the murder according to documents obtained by AllHipHop.
Karl “Little D” Jordan and Ronald “Tinard” Washington were the first set of suspects to be charged with the October 30th, 2002 murder of JMJ, who was a founding member of the legendary group Run-DMC.
Both Jordan and Washington could face the death penalty for the killing, which took place with multiple witnesses present.
“The ATF New York Field Division never believed this case was unsolvable. Working tirelessly alongside the NYPD Cold Case Squad, we were determined to bring justice for the Mizell family and see these killers held accountable. For nearly eighteen years, one of these alleged perpetrators walked freely, thinking he’d gotten away with murder. ” – ATF Acting Special Agent-in-Charge McCormick.
The police didn’t move on Washington right away, but he had been on their radar for years, due to his infamy around Hollis, Queens, where he was born and raised. Washington was associated with the “Hollis Crew,” whom the Feds labeled a group of gangsters who participated in drug trafficking, burglaries, and robberies.
Washington was also linked to the “Hollis Juniors Crew.” The younger offshoot of the crew was involved in a feud with another gang known as the “Young Guns.” Investigators hypothesize Washington’s brother was killed by a person connected to the Young Guns gang.
In the 1990s, Washington bounced between Baltimore and Hollis. In 1992, a source explained how dangerous Washington was. He allegedly shot a relative named “Unique” in the back of the head because Unique supposedly stole 250 grams of heroin that disappeared.
Unique survived the shooting, but Washington’s next alleged victim would not be so lucky.
On November 30th, 1995, Washington and two accomplices allegedly were in a car chase in pursuit of Randy “Stretch” Walker, who was ultimately gunned down in a case of mistaken identity. According to sources, Washington was sitting in the back seat of a vehicle when he fired his gun through the window, striking and killing Walker.
Washington believed that he was firing at Young Guns member Christopher Walker, Randy’s brother.
Washington was never charged, and Stretch’s death is officially unsolved. But a cooperating witness from a previous case maintains he confessed to his participation in a variety of crimes, including the murders of Stretch Walker and Jam Master Jay.
Washington’s crime spree continued uninterrupted, until 1996 when he was busted for distributing narcotics and perpetrating various robberies and burglaries in Maryland.
He robbed a jewelry store at Reistertown Plaza, in Maryland and took jewelry and other valuables from a man named “Yakim,” who was also loosely connected to the Hollis Crew.
In the Spring of 2002, Washington was discharged from prison in Maryland. According to the Feds, he stayed around the DMV to buy multiple kilos of cocaine, but the deal never materialized. That summer, Washington made his way back to Hollis by spending over $1,000 high quality counterfeit $20 bills he gathered in Baltimore.
In the Fall, Washington went on a robbery spree.
On October 22nd, 2002, Washington robbed the Hollis Wine & Liquor, in Queens. On October 30th, 2002, the Feds accuse Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. of being the killers who entered Jay’s studio and took his life.
Prosecutors believe Washington pointed his gun at everyone in the studio while providing cover for Jordan, the teenaged triggerman, who is accused of shooting and killing Jam Master Jay.
From there, Washington went on to commit a string of robberies that culminated in his arrest by Long Island police after he robbed the Floral Park Motel in December 2002.
The Feds say Washington fled Queens with a cooperating witness. They went to Long Island to avoid being questioned by law enforcement officers in connection with a murder.
In 2006, Ronald “Tinard” Washington claimed the police were out to get him. Washington thought he has been targeted for retaliation over a February 1987 incident in New York, when he was arrested for trying to kill a member of the New York Police Department.
Washington was eventually sentenced to a 5 to 10-year prison sentence for that offense, but he claimed cops with 103 Precinct harbored an “extremely hostile attitude” towards him way before Jay’s murder, and unfairly targeted him for abuse.
In one incident in 1993, Washington said detectives threw him in the back of a squad car, drove a few blocks, and then punched and assaulted him with their walkie-talkies while threatening to kill him.
In another incident in that same year, five officers in a police van rolled up on Washington in broad-daylight. They forced him to strip in the middle of the street, took his clothes, and left him in his underwear.
Washington says a cop from the 103rd Precinct ramped up his threats against him in October of 2002, shortly after his name started to surface in the murder of Jam Master Jay.
Washington says a cop told him, his family and friends, if he ever caught him on the street, he would kill him. The cop never received an opportunity. In 2007, Washington was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison over the robbery spree.
He was scheduled to be released in April 2021, but he is being held without bail after a grand jury indicted him and Karl Jordan each with one count of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking.
Both men face a statutory mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a maximum of life, or the death penalty, although a determination has not been determined if the death penalty will be sought.
Both Karl “Little D” Jordan and Ronald “Tinard” Washington have pleaded not guilty to killing Jam Master Jay are innocent until proven guilty.
Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation told AllHipHop that the Feds are offering certain witnesses immunity in exchange for their testimony, and another claimed more arrests in Jay’s murder were imminent.
Following his single “Get It Right” featuring Florida artist Trap Beckham, Mr. Wilson On The Beat picks up another major placement with Phor titled “It’s On Site” The track features witty lyrics from Chicago artist Phor on a mesmerizing production by Mr. Wilson On The Beat & Casio Beats.
Phor recently premiered the official music video for the song on his YouTube channel, Filled with negative and inverse colors, Phor being depicted as bat in some scenes and posted in front of a Bentley in others, the video is a symbolism lovers dream. The production and vocal performance to be a perfect blend for what could be a long term working relationship between the two.
Producer, creator, orchestrator and overall visionary The ATG delivers a cinematic explosion with the release of the dynamic new ear-bender Paranoid courtesy of Kyyba Films/The Orchard (SONY). The lead single off of the highly anticipated TRAP CITY Soundtrack is an uncommon ground swell of slow strings and French horns, resulting in an Oceanic crescendo that crashes down upon the listener like a musical Tsunami.
Featuring the unique talents of up and coming vocalists Omar Gooding, SA-ROC and G.V Prakash Kumar (who also appears in the film), Paranoid is a 6 minute plus masterpiece that takes the listener on an emotional ride of trials, tribulations, losses and victories, all supplemented with a lyrical vulnerability wrapped in stoic boldness.
Built from the ground up, The ATG developed Paranoid with a clear musical and instrumental vision before vocals were even a consideration for inclusion. “I had been inspired by Hans Zimmer’s scores during time in which I created Paranoid” says The ATG, referencing the famed German film score composer and producer. Influenced by the vast soundscapes Zimmer is known for creating The ATG began creating Paranoid with the mindset of an “auditory filmmaker”—no words needed for the message to be heard.
Yet, the firm delivery of the 3 talented lyricists takes Paranoid to that all too hard to find next level, perfectly blending the carefully cultivated musical landscape conveyed by The ATG with a strong 2020 message—enough is enough. Gooding brings his obviously deep-rooted west-coast background while SA-ROC tackles the topic with her DC. “take no prisoners” approach—direct and insightful.
G.V Prakash envelopes the track with his emotionally laden chorus (with a composition assist from writer Ricky Burchell) —expressive and exasperated all at the same time. “I look at the world and all I see….is the label that they put on me…all I hear is a bunch of noise….and these voices get me paranoid.”
In a world currently dominated by headlines rooted in fear and anxiety, Paranoid is a perfect “sign of the times” musical mantra, while still delivering a message of hope and unity. Bringing together talents from various backgrounds and corners of the world, The ATG knew he had the perfect backdrop for the conveyance of a massive that has an audience clamoring for something to grasp.
About Kyyba Films
Founded by Tel K. Ganesan and G.B. Thimotheose, Kyyba Films is a major film production company based in Michigan. The company focuses on the production of original feature films and music videos. Kyyba Distributions, in partnership with Celebrity Films in India, will be distributing the Academy Award-nominated actor Liam Neeson starrer, “The Marksman,” (previously known as “The Minuteman”), the upcoming action-thriller from director Robert Lorenz for the territory of the Indian subcontinent. For more information, visit www.kyybafilms.com
Condolences go out to Leslie “Freeway” Pridgen and his family. On Thursday (October 29), the Philadelphia-bred rapper took to Instagram to let the world know he recently lost his 19-year-old son Jihad aka recording artist SnowHadd.
Freeway posted:
God knows I try my best to be strong, but this right here is a pain like I never felt. Please cherish your time and your love ones because we’re not promise the next breath. I Pray Allah forgives my son for all Of his sins and I pray that Allah grants him the highest level of paradise. Ameen[crying face emoji] Please make dua for him & my family.
As of press time, Jihad’s cause of death has not been publicized. The devastating news of his passing came after fellow former Roc-A-Fella Records rapper Oschino Vasquez also revealed his son recently died too.
Oshino wrote on IG:
I WOULDNT WISH THIS ON MY WORST ENEMY!! DEVASTATION AT ITS FINEST. MY LIFE WAS PERFECT LAST WEEK. MY MIND WAS CLEAR MY MONEY STRAIGHT MY KIDS COOL MY HOUSE IN MY NAME MY ART POPPING THEN BOOM 5 STEPS FORWARD 1000 STEPS BACK!! @phillyfreeway CAME TO MY SON JANAZAH THEN I GOT THE BAD NEWS WHAT IS THE CHANCES OF THAT BOTH LOSE OUR SONS . F### RAP BEEF THATS FAKE S### THIS REAL LIFE IVE NEVER BEEN DEPRESSED BEFORE BUT IM NOW. WHEN I FIRST WAKE UP I FORGET THAT IT HAPPENED THEN BOOM THAT S### HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICK.
Freeway and Oshino were both a part of the Hip Hop group known as State Property. The Philly collective released several projects such as 2003’s The Chain Gang Vol. 2. They also starred in the 2002 movie State Property which featured Roc-A-Fella co-founder Jay-Z in a cameo role.
Chauncey “Hit-Boy” Hollis refuses to slow down. The award-winning record producer was the man behind the boards for the well-received 2020 albums King’s Disease by Nas, Burden of Proof by Benny The Butcher, and Detroit 2 by Big Sean.
Hit-Boy reunited with Big Sean for another track that arrived this week. This time, they connected with Indiana-raised emcee Freddie Gibbs for his “4 Thangs” song.
Gibbs also presented a Nick Walker-directed music video for the collaboration. The visuals play on the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers winning the 2020 NBA Finals on October 11.
In addition, Gibbs commissioned Levi Ponce to create a championship mural in LA. He is also hosting a Halloween pop-up event from 1-5 pm on October 31 at 7767 Melrose Ave. Attendees will get to eat free tacos, take photos in front of the mural, and receive “4 Thangs” merchandise.
“4 Thangs” is Gibbs’ first single via ESGN/Warner Records. Prior to announcing his signing with the WMG-owned major label this past summer, Gibbs dropped numerous independent projects like 2017’s You Only Live 2wice and 2018’s Freddie as well as the joint efforts Piñata with Madlib and Alfredo with Alchemist.
“I’m really looking forward to partnering with Warner and working with [CEO of Warner Records Aaron Bay-Schuck]. He’s a young progressive label head I can openly share ideas with. It was love and respect from the first meeting and always felt right. We’re working together to take everything to another level for my day one fans as well as the people just now discovering me,” said Gibbs in June.
1501 Certified Entertainment currently lists both Megan Thee Stallion and Erica Banks as members of the label’s roster. After news broke earlier this year that Megan and 1501 have been in dispute over her contract, many fans started to pit the Houston Hot Girl against her Dallas-bred counterpart.
Carl Crawford, 1501 CEO, is also playing into the compare-and-contrast game. Overnight, Thee Stallion hopped on the remix to DJ Chose’s “Thick” single. As Megan was promoting the record online, Crawford encouraged more comparisons between her and Erica Banks who dropped her own version of “Thick” three days ago.
“Let the debates begin,” wrote Crawford on 1501’s verified Instagram page. That statement from the ex-Major League Baseball player served as the caption for footage of Banks performing her rendition of “Thick.” Banks then co-signed her boss by commenting under the post, “YUPPPPP.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG8ffjNgae5/
Since she started getting national attention in 2020, Erica Banks was branded by some Hip Hop fans as 1501 Certified Entertainment’s “replacement” for Megan. She also faced constant accusations of copying Thee Stallion’s flow and style.
“I take it as an honor,” said Banks in a July interview with the Dallas Observer. “It’s Megan. She’s one of the hottest females right now, and she’s from Texas. I’ve never seen anyone compared to her, so for me to be the first one, I feel really good about it.”
DJ Chose’s “Thick” featuring BeatKing became a viral sensation on social media. The track spread across TikTok as users began creating dance challenges and skits. Millions of videos on the platform include the song. DJ Chose showed public support for Megan’s remix.
O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson had the chance to speak with Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, but he chose not to take part in the Zoom discussion. He is now having to defend that decision.
Over the last several weeks, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s Contract With Black America was met with mixed reactions. In particular, some people questioned why his plan did not address issues that specifically affect African-American women.
Cube also faced backlash for meeting with the Donald Trump campaign just weeks before the 2020 general election on November 3. Critics accused the rapper-turned-mogul of being used as a political pawn by the Republican president and his supporters.
In response, Cube claimed he wanted to sit down with both parties, but he said the Biden-Harris campaign told him they would not be able to have that conversation until after the election. During an appearance on Fox Soul’s Cocktails with Queens, Ice Cube was asked about potentially chatting with Senator Harris.
“Kamala Harris’s folks reached out to you and wanted you to be on this Zoom call because they thought your voice was important. Why did you choose to not participate in that?” Cocktails host Claudia Jordan asked Ice Cube on the show.
He answered, “We had spent a lot of people’s time putting the Contract With Black America together, and I just thought that getting on a Zoom call with 12 other entertainers all shooting what they believe needs to be done, to me wasn’t going to be productive.”
Cube went on to talk about how his lawyer had a “connection” with Harris, and he never received a “promised” one-on-one call from her team. The 51-year-old Hip Hop legend also stated that he did not want to talk to people who “can’t make it happen.” Jordan responded to that statement by declaring, “She’s the vice-presidential candidate.”
The news that Ice Cube turned down a chance to speak with the possible next Vice President of the United States came in conjunction with reports of Congressman Cedric Richmond, the National Co-Chair of the Biden campaign, saying he did have a Zoom call with Cube. He disputed Cube’s claim that Democrats chose to wait until after November 3 to speak with the rapper.
Richmond told Joe Madison, “The offer to stay engaged was not, ‘We’ll talk to you after the election.’ It went like this: ‘Here’s my cell number. Anything else you want to talk about on this plan or anything you think we need to talk about further, just pick up the phone and call.’”
Ice Cube did not refute that he had a discussion with a representative from the Biden-Harris campaign. He also did not directly refute that Richmond offered to speak to him about the CWBA or other issues at any time. Cube did tweet, “Instead of going back and forth Congressman, please release the Zoom meeting so the world can see what was said by all.”
Instead of going back and forth Congressman, please release the Zoom meeting so the world can see what was said by all. https://t.co/xfKz4s4Wyf
It appears The Joe Budden Podcast will be put on hold for the time being. The show’s host revealed to his 1 million Twitter followers that he has tested positive for coronavirus.
“So I have [COVID-19]. I’m pretty sure this [affects] our pod schedule,” tweeted Joe Budden on Thursday evening.
So i have Covid. I’m pretty sure this effects our pod schedule.
The next installment of The Joe Budden Podcast was scheduled to hits DSPs on Saturday, October 31. Presumably, Budden, as well as anyone he came in contact with, will have to self-quarantine for at least 14 days.
Budden and the JBP crew recorded the “That Jigga Person” episode on Tuesday of this week before it was released the following day. That would mean his co-hosts – Jamil “Mal” Clay, Rory Farrell, and Parks Vallely – will likely have to isolate themselves as well.
As of Friday morning, more than 9 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in the United States. Over 228,000 Americans have died from the disease. Large sections of the country are currently experiencing spikes in coronavirus infections.
The addition of Wayne to Team Trump led to passionate reactions online. Political journalist Roland Martin did not hold back when expressing his thoughts about the Young Money head lending his celebrity to promote the Republican candidate’s Platinum Plan.
If @LilTunechi Lil Wayne wants to get educated about Trump's Platinum Plan, don't go on ESPN or Fox Sports. Come on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. Pick a day, Wayne. You clearly haven't read a damn thing in the ONE PAGE plan. https://t.co/QjjllADIkp
“If @LilTunechi Lil Wayne wants to get educated about Trump’s Platinum Plan, don’t go on ESPN or Fox Sports. Come on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. Pick a day, Wayne. You clearly haven’t read a damn thing in the ONE PAGE plan,” tweeted the Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America author.
Martin also posted, “Let me [be] as clear as possible: Lil Wayne @LilTunechi is STUPID AF for posting this. His analysis of Trump’s Platinum Plan is stuck on stupid. I would hope these other rappers like @KillerMike, @SnoopDogg, @Tip would cuss this fool out for being a dumb ass. If I had his [number] I would!”
Let me as clear as possible: Lil Wayne @LilTunechi is STUPID AF for posting this. His analysis of Trump's Platinum Plan is stuck on stupid. I would hope these other rappers like @KillerMike@SnoopDogg@Tip would cuss this fool out for being a dumb ass. If I had his # I would! https://t.co/QjjllADIkp
Additionally, the Houston native called out Lil Wayne on his Roland Martin Unfiltered program. Yesterday’s digital show had a segment that included Martin repeating his request for the Funeral album creator to appear on #RMU.
“Lil Wayne, if you want to endorse Donald Trump, go ‘head. But don’t sit and think we’re stupid by saying the Platinum Plan is gonna help Black people,” said Martin.
He added, “Bring you ass here and talk to Black people, and let’s go over it line-by-line. Here’s my challenge to you, Lil Wayne, since you sat down with Donald Trump, bring your ass here with no codeine, no purple drink, and I will go line-by-line… I want you to explain to Black people how Trump’s so-called Platinum Plan is going to help Black people.”
Rap star Lil Wayne is the latest rapper to officially endorse President Donald Trump. Lil Wayne posted a picture flanked by the POTUS, with both men giving the thumbs up.
Wheezy seemed to be impressed by Trump’s track record with criminal reform, as well as his “Platinum Plan.”
“Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership,” Lil Wayne said to his 34 million followers. “He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done.”
Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump@potus besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership. He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done. 🤙🏾 pic.twitter.com/Q9c5k1yMWf
Lil Wayne is the latest rapper to associate himself with President Trump. Ice Cube helped with parts of Trump’s Platinum Plan, while Lil Pump fully endorsed 45 for another four years.
50 Cent originally endorsed President Donald Trump over Biden, due to the former VP’s aggressive tax plan, but quickly backtracked.
50 Cent trashed Lil Wayne for taking a photo with President Donald Trump.
Kanye West is puzzled by a big drop in his Twitter followers in recent weeks.
The rapper is in the midst of running for President in the U.S. and, amid his controversial campaign – which has been plagued with setbacks and seen him only manage to secure spots on the ballots in 12 states – he’s noticed his social media fanbase has decreased.
In a post on the social media channel, the Gold Digger hitmaker insisted his number of followers has dropped by a full 100,000 accounts, hinting it was a glitch on his account.
Sharing a string of chin-stroking emojis, Kanye – who’s known for his outspoken tweets and social media rants – shared a screenshot of his account and wrote: “I was at 31 million followers 4 weeks ago and now I’ve been held at 30.9 million followers for the last 4 weeks.”
After launching his presidential bid on July 4th, the hitmaker held a rally in South Carolina where he touched on topics from abortion to race relations to space travel, and recalled how he and wife Kim Kardashian almost terminated their eldest daughter North.
In subsequent Twitter posts, he raged against Kim and his mother-in-law Kris Jenner, claiming they were trying to put him in the hospital and take his kids away from him. He also told fans he had been trying to divorce Kim for two years.
She later jumped on social media and suggested her husband was experiencing a bipolar episode and Kanye later publicly apologized to her.
Snoop Dogg, Bon Jovi, and Maren Morris are among the stars set to headline an ambitious new three-venue TV benefit.
“Play On: Celebrating the Power of Music to Make Change” will be broadcast from three fabled venues across America – The Troubadour in Los Angeles, New York City’s Apollo Theater, and the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee – with a host of stars performing at each.
Gary Clark Jr. and Ziggy Marley will join Andra Day and Snoop Dogg in Los Angeles, while Jon Batiste and Machine Gun Kelly are set to the play the Apollo and the Bluebird Cafe will host Morris, Sheryl Crow, Yola, and the Highwomen.
Bon Jovi will also appear from an as-yet-unknown location.
Kevin Bacon and Eve will host the TV special, which will raise money for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Legal Defense and Educational Fund and WhyHunger. The Play On Fund was created by Bacon’s organization, SixDegrees.
“2020 has been an immensely challenging year and many have turned to music as a great source of comfort, hope and strength,” Bacon said in a statement. “I am so thrilled to be teaming up my philanthropic organization SixDegrees with the respected producers and artists who have signed on for this remarkable night of music to help amplify these important issues and bring some much-needed joy through music.”
After dropping three acclaimed albums in 2019, Your Old Droog is back with the new single “Ukraine,” his first official release of 2020.
Once again, the National Treasure is putting his personal story at the forefront, going even further than the themes of his latest collection Jewelry.
“My last project was about unapologetically claiming my heritage as a
Jew,” explains Droog. “This song is about embracing my Ukrainian and Eastern European roots.”
With powerful production supplied by Ewonee, the track finds YOD reflecting on his days growing up in Brooklyn as a Russian-speaking immigrant from Ukraine.
