Funnyman Chris Rock once tried to turn a then-unknown Cardi B into the comedy world’s next big star by suggesting she front her own show.
The “Grown Ups” actor reveals his children turned him on to rap sensation Cardi before she rose to fame on the reality show “Love and Hip Hop: New York,” after which she launched her music career with her breakout smash “Bodak Yellow” back in 2017.
However, when he first heard the hip-hop star crack jokes to fans online, he thought she had the talent to embark on a major comedy career – and even tried to shop the idea to TV bosses.
“Cardi B, I saw on some, like, YouTube thing or whatever. Again, my kids show me this Cardi B girl, and she didn’t have a record out or anything,” Rock explained on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” “And I was like, ‘OK, we should go show it (propose the idea for a show).’ I’m not even gonna say what network but… I went – me, Cardi B and her management, you know, to kind of like get a show going.”
TV chiefs passed on the project, and although the “WAP” hitmaker made it clear she was more interested in finding success in the music industry, Rock was adamant she was destined for the comedy stage.
He recalls hearing about her music dreams and dismissively responding, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s good. Anyway. You’re a comedy star.”
Even now, Chris Rock believes Cardi, who is known for her witty remarks and quips online, has what it takes to joke around with the best of the best.
“I think Cardi B’s the funniest woman, or one of the funniest people,” he said. “You know, it’s like (Dave) Chappelle, Cardi. Like, in the standings right now, like who are the funniest people in the world? Cardi’s right up there. She’s neck and neck with Bill Burr. Like, she’s good, man… Cardi can hang with anybody.”
Rapper GZA is inviting fans to join him online to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his classic album Liquid Swords with a livestream concert from New York City.
The Wu-Tang Clan star will hit the stage at famed music venue (Le) Poisson Rouge on November 6th, to revisit the iconic 1995 release, which featured tracks like “I Gotcha Back,” “Cold World,” “Shadowboxin’,” and the titular single.
GZA will be performing without an in-person audience, although the full production show will be streamed on LPR.tv, the venue’s subscription-based service.
Other artists set to stage livestream gigs exclusively on the platform in the coming weeks include Kimbra, !!!, Kevin Devine, and comedian Chris Gethard.
Pop Smoke posthumous album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon has topped the U.K. albums chart seven months after his tragic death.
Pop, real name Bashar Barakah Jackson, died in February after being shot twice during a home invasion in Hollywood Hills, California before he could release his debut studio collection in July.
After peaking at number two and spending months hovering around the top five of the U.K. Official Charts Company rundown, the album finally reached number one on Friday (September 25th).
Jade Bradshaw, Head Of Marketing at his label, Polydor Records, told Official Charts.com: “This number one cements Pop Smoke’s legacy in the UK and the promise he had to be one of the greats.
“Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon is a fantastic body of work, one which is so deserving of the number one.”
There’s also a new number one in the singles chart, with U.S. rappers 24kGoldn and Iann Dior’s collaboration “Mood” knocking Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” down to two.
24kGoldn says: “From the beginning the U.K. has shown nothing but love and support for what I do and now it’s all adding up, thank you to everyone out there listening and remember, your dreams can become your reality!”
Another rap collaboration, Headie One, Stormzy, and AJ Tracey’s “Ain’t It Different” is at three. “Looking for Me” by Paul Woolford and Diplo featuring Kareen Lomax is in fourth place. Pop Smoke and Lil Tjay’s “Mood Swings” rounds out the top five.
While he did not address the wreck, reports said he totaled that Ferrari after he hydroplaned and crashed into a barrier. At the time, Lil Yachty seemed to be thankful he walked away from the crash after he tweeted a message of gratitude.
So thankful for my life. Never take it for granted.
Sa-Roc is the second lady to be signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment, in their entire decade and a half-long lifespan. While female rappers have been slaying the numbers and taking over the charts, there’s still something so refreshing about a real, hard, gritty female MC who can drop bars and punchlines like the big dawgs.
Born Assata Perkins, the Washington D.C. native lets her rhymes speak for themselves. For hip-hop lovers as well as the socially conscious generation, Sa-Roc exudes positive energy, articulate punchlines, elevated lyricism, confident delivery. Growing up in the peak of the crack era back home surrounded by poverty and violence, Sa-Roc takes her experiences and channels them into the music — spitting nothing but the truth and the real.
While many artists have only recently started making music about systemic racism and the current state of the world, Sa-Roc’s been doing this the majority of her lifetime.
Twelve years in the game, she first got her start rhyming in the independent hip-hop community in Atlanta, which she calls the “home of the greats.” Working with DJ/producer Sol Messiah, she fell in love with that musicality, instrumentation, and sound.
With her forthcoming project, The Sharecropper’s Daughter, she pays homage to her father who grew up sharecropping tobacco. With this being her debut album, the “Forever” artist continues to push the narrative for change and heal people with her bars.
AllHipHop caught up with Sa-Roc, who was posted in Atlanta.
Read below as we discuss her journey into Rhymesayers, her new visual for “Deliverance,” the inspo behind her new project, and her own brand Goddess Gang.
AllHipHop: I love that your IG handle says @saroctheMC, talk about being a real spitter in today’s age of ever-changing music.
Sa-Roc: It’s always been super important to me to emphasize that because my influences are lyrical. From 3000 to Black Thought from the Roots to even I’m inspired now by Kendrick Lamar. So many people who create music and have substance in their music. Bar for bar, their delivery and their cadence is unmatched. That’s the school I came up in so it’s real important for me to be real dope with the pen.
AllHipHop: Being from Washington D.C., what was the household like growing up?
Sa-Roc: It was interesting. I grew up on the south side, southeast Washington D.C. The part of D.C. that hasn’t been gentrified yet, the part of D.C. that cabs wouldn’t go to. I came up during the crack era, my family didn’t have much so there was a lot to navigate as a young person. I grew up in D.C. when it was called the murder capital, you can imagine how bad the environment was. It informed a lot of who I am and how I think about the world, the importance of being able to use my voice and my platform to being able to change the social inequity I saw growing up.
AllHipHop: Which lyricists were you studying growing up?
Sa-Roc: Black Thought for sure. [Andre] 3000. I loved Jay Electronica in the early part of my career. He was a big influence on me, and still is.
AllHipHop: He came back two decades later and dropped an album.
Sa-Roc: Right, but he’s so dope people are still listening to his mixtapes. Lauryn Hill of course.
AllHipHop: When did you realize you could do music for a living?
Sa-Roc: Twelve years ago, I met my producer. It was really unexpected for me. I’ve always been a real left brain person, really into science. I dabbled in the creative arts. I’d done some poetry back in the day, was playing around with some beats. You know how everybody wants to get on the track when they’re at the studio?
I ended up asking him if I could lay down one of my poems to his tracks, he heard my potential. I’m not doing nothing else, why not try this again? We ended up recording 5 songs. I released my first EP, and got thrust on stage. Somebody put me on the spot, called me on the stage when I wasn’t prepared to rap, and I spit. People responded to me! People were hyped. Hmm, we got something here.
AllHipHop: Were you nervous?
Sa-Roc: Hell yeah! I was super duper nervous but I came up listening to MCs so I knew enough about the culture that if somebody calls you on stage, there’s no time for you to freeze. You got to go out there and do it. It took me years to overcome that initial stage fright, but I did it. The rest is history.
AllHipHop: Do you feel real hip-hop is hard to be seen nowadays?
Sa-Roc: On the mainstream, yeah. There are tons of brilliant MCs doing their thing on the independent level, but they don’t necessarily get that platform all the time. People want a bop, they want that fun music these days. I believe if we give these MCs the shine and the platform, people will respond to it. The industry latches onto things that are going to make quick money. [snaps] We know that sells.
AllHipHop: How’s it feel to have the “Forever” visual hit over 4.3 million views?
Sa-Roc: It’s amazing! When it hit the first million, I was floored. I’m an independent artist, I didn’t conceive of what numbers it might do. When you’re putting out something so personal, you never know. You release it with fear, anxiety, and hope that people will receive it with the amount of love you poured into it. Most amazing to me was the feedback from the song. People were hitting me up saying “thank you for talking about this. My daughter or I experienced those moments of not loving myself, not knowing how much I was worth, self-harm. Thank you for creating this song.” That feels incredible, it’s inspiration to keep doing work like that.
AllHipHop: You just released the “Deliverance” visual, who or what inspired this record?
Sa-Roc: Evidence produced this one, that’s the homie. He’s my labelmate as well. Since I’ve been signed to Rhymesayers, we’ve been chatting and running into each other all around the world at different shows. We were in his studio one time in Cal listening to some music, we said “let’s do a track together.” He sent beats after we left, I immediately responded to that one. I liked the grime of it, the texture of that beat. I knew I could do some real fly s##t so I ended up vibing.
I wanted to talk about being with your real ones, your real family, outside of the world where you have hanger-oners and people gassing you up or tearing you down, stressing you out. Having those moments with people who you want to break bread with, tat’s the real deliverance. That stress-free zone. We shot the video in Venice Beach, California. It was dope.
AllHipHop: Was the sun out?
Sa-Roc: It was actually real cold. California be buggin’. [laughs] I had on a coat in California, we shot it in January.
AllHipHop: “It’s a stress-free zone, I’m just trying to elevate.” What inspires you to remain positive during these hard times?
Sa-Roc: It’s a matter of remaining focused. It’s important for me, I have to have a daily schedule of pouring into myself. We hear that all the time: self-care, self-care, self-care. It should be as part of our schedule like brushing our teeth. We don’t realize until it’s too late when we’re low energy or sad. It takes a moment for that to register. I make sure I’m doing my yoga and my meditation. Even if it’s not as disciplined, doing things I like. Taking a moment to read a book. Call my friend, call a loved one. Keep ourselves level, balanced, and focused on the future, because this will pass.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from The Sharecropper’s Daughter arriving in October?
Sa-Roc: I’m super proud of this album. It’s really personal, talks a lot about my experience growing up in D.C. Talks about my journey from a place of not really knowing who I am, not knowing my potential, my power to coming to a place of acceptance and grounding. It’s all the emotions of that. It’s reflective, I’m taking s##t.
Every song is barred up. I got really dope features I’m really excited about: Black Thought, Styles P, Chronixx, Saul Williams. I’m excited about the content of it. It’s especially timely because it talks about the cycle of injustice we experience in this country, the cycle of emotional baggage in genetic transfer of that emotion, how it’s important for us to analyze that and make sure we’re addressing that to understand how it affects the way we view the world.
How it frames our perspective and what we can do to reshape a legacy and future for ourselves outside of that trauma and pain we inherit from history, our ancestors, our elders. It’s reflective, it’s substance, it’s spitting. The track with me and Black Thought, we’re going back and forth bar for bar. I’m excited for y’all to hear it.
AllHipHop: What’s your relationship with your father?
Sa-Roc: I love my father. It was inspired by my father, but it takes a while for you to sometimes come to that place of understanding with your parents. We’re very different. He’s a visual artist but he never really got to realize his dream. Thinking back to myself and reflecting on the fact that I was blessed to be able to do this full-time. I talk about how much of a subconscious influence his history and his background as a person who was born on a sharecropper farm in Jim Crow America, it weighed on me. Even though our experiences were so different, me growing up in the crack era, it still talks about these black experiences in America. That’s a plus for me to address the reconciliation of those 2 things.
AllHipHop: What books do you read because you’re so lyrical?
Sa-Roc: I read a little bit of everything. I’m a huge fan of the classic Black authors. Toni Morrison. I love James Baldwin. I love Maya Angelou. Octavia Butler. I’m a huge sci-fi fan so anybody who knows about Dune that’s coming out soon. Frank Herbert’s my dude. I love reading metaphysical, spiritual stuff to Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life, The Alchemist. I love to read about everything.
AllHipHop: What does it mean to be the second lady signed to label Rhymesayers Entertainment?
Sa-Roc: It’s a good partnership. If I were going to reach out to another entity that’d be responsible for furthering this career, I needed it to be a contract that understood what my thing was. What attracted me to them is they respect the individuality of artists. They allow artists to lead and shape promotion, the art, the branding. It’s not this team that’s removed from it and they have this pre-fab idea of what it takes to promote an artist, it’s very individual to the artist. They’re really supportive of what I do, it’s a really beautiful thing. There’s Nikki Jean on the label too, she’s another dope artist. She sings.
AllHipHop: What’s it like being labelmates with legends like Atmosphere & Brother Ali?
Sa-Roc: Now, everybody feels like fam. It’s funny because before I signed to them, I went to their festival Soundset. They ended up asking me to perform, I’m looking around seeing all these players in the game. It was crazy to share the stage with them and potentially be added to that roster. It’s dope, I get to call a lot of them personally and get feedback from them. Evidence actually directed the video for “Deliverance,” Him and this dude Stephen Vanasco. Relationships are real dope. You get the ear of someone who’s been in the game forever, still dropping dope music.
AllHipHop: When did you create Goddess Gang?
Sa-Roc: I wrote “Goddess Gang” in 2018, but the concept was formulated 2014. I wanted to have a movement in direct opposition to this idea that there can only be one woman in hip-hop. There can only be one fly dope woman, this idea that we’re jealous of each other. We have to compete with one another because there’s limited resources, there can only be one queen of hip-hop. I wanted to promote this idea we can all shine together. We can grow together, we can pull each other up together. We’re so powerful, we’re more fly as a collective.
AllHipHop: Goals for yourself at this point of your career?
Sa-Roc: I want my music to reach as many ears as possible. Hopefully my music won’t only entertain, but also inspire people to change this landscape we’re in. Inspire people to feel empowered to speak up, to make change not only their personal lives but in the world. I want to tour next year when things open back up, I want to tour South Africa super bad.
The New York Times released a report on Donald Trump’s taxes and to the nation’s surprise, over the last 15 years, President Donald Trump has paid his annual federal income taxes only five times. Making the report even more absurd, documents obtained by the news outlet says that when he paid, he sent in only $750.
The average American pays about $12,000 in federal income taxes — which is leaving most people in the Hip-Hop world with the Conceited meme face.
But it is not only the rap community baffled by this, so are your basic white bread middle Americans, who are freaking out.
“I’m telling you there are people out there, and I know, I come from blue-collar, hard-working, these folks are scraping to make a living,” says Former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich. “They’re going to wake up and find this incredible mogul paid $750.”
The New York Times says that it will not release the taxes to the public, but notes the following:
Because the president’s businesses were doing soooo bad 10 out of the 15 years since 2000, he paid no federal income taxes — instead of playing a big wig tycoon on The Apprentice reality show, he should have been fired for not increasing the bottom line of his economically fledgling corporations.
The earnings he received from the aforementioned hit TV show totaled to about $427.4 million and he used them to fund his other businesses.
In the years 2016 and 2017, while in office, it was reported that he paid only $750, included steep deductions like $70,000 for his hair care, and claimed his daughter, Ivanka Trump as a consultant for the Trump Organization writing off hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Since becoming the President, he has engaged in business dealings that seem like a conflict of interest like receiving $397,000 from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to stay in his Trump Hotel in Washington D.C. during his first year as president.
And despite paying less than $800 in federal income taxes, Trump paid Asian governments like India $145,400 and the Philippines $156,824 in 2017.
He still refuses to share his taxes to the public.
Donald Trump is the 45th president of the United States of America, exalted in over 300 rap songs because of his assumed “business acumen.”
But he has been given at least $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire, starting at the age of 3.
Now it is clear that maybe he is not the master of the Art of the Deal, and America has been duped. According to Newsweek, “as of August 31, 2020, federal debt held by the public was $20.83 trillion and intragovernmental holdings were $5.88 trillion, for a total national debt of $26.70 trillion.”
Doesn’t look like he is the guy, despite what Kanye says, to economically Make America Great Again.
Sons of Funk is an American R&B group from Richmond, California, that were formerly artists on No Limit Records. They had great success in the late 1990’s and are best known for their hit singles “Pushin Inside of You” and “I Got the Hook Up.”On April 21, 1998 Sons of Funk released their debut album “The Game of Funk” on No Limit Records and Priority Records. “Pushing Inside of You” sold 1.2 million copies and made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. They followed that with another smash hit called “I Got the Hook Up,” which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart. Moreover, the group also produced songs on Master P’s “Ghetto Dope” album and Silk the Shocker “Made Man.”Sons of Funk toured the continental United States in 1998. In the last few years they have performed at Essence Fest in New Orleans, at Heal the City in Baton Rouge, and on spot dates during the No Limit Tour.Additionally, Sons Of Funk wrote songs for the Fox Network, the NBC Network, and for the hit movie “The Perfect Gentleman.” The group has been very busy providing radio drops, news promos, etc.Sons of Funk currently has three members with two original members: Rico Crowder “AKA Ric-Angel, Joshua Chew “AKA” Zotronic and Rico’s son Richard Scofield “AKA” Ar’jay. Rico is passing his legacy down to his children.Sons of Funk’s latest release is entitled “Stupid” featuring rapper NoSay Da Plug. “Stupid” is heating up the airwaves from coast to coast.
Cardi B is beaming with pride after spotting one of her Apple Music promotional posters in her old New York neighborhood.
The “WAP” hitmaker hails from the Bronx and on Saturday, she took to Instagram to share a photo of her black-and-white advertisement on the side of a bus stop, which was located right by the subway station she used to frequent.
In the accompanying caption, Cardi admitted seeing her face on the poster made her realize just how far she had come in her life and career.
“Ok so if you from Highbridge you either take the train in 167 (Street) or 170 w.e (wherever) the f##k you feeling that day,” she began. “I be posted in time square all the time but it really feels good seeing my face in the hood I used to walk to everyday…”
The Apple Music ad encourages fans to check out the streaming platform’s Rap Life playlist, which features songs by artists like Cardi.
Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs raised a toast to his late friend and mentor Andre Harrell over the weekend, to mark what would have been his 60th birthday.
The legendary music executive responsible for discovering the likes of Diddy and Mary J. Blige died in May, but both of his former proteges made sure to take a moment to salute his legacy on September 26th.
Diddy shared a series of old photos and videos of the Uptown Records founder on social media and wrote, “Andre The Great!!!!! Today we will honor and celebrate your 60th birthday like the legend you are!!!!! Love you and miss you forever King!”
“Still hard to believe. Wish i could talk to ya” he wrote. “Keep guiding us Andre Harrell.”
Check out some flicks of Andre Harrell throughout the years
LL Cool and son with Andre Harrell VH1 Hip Hop Honors 2007 at Hammerstein Ballroom – Arrivals Featuring: LL Cool and son with Andre Harrell Where: New York City, NY, United States When: 04 Oct 2007 Credit: PNP/WENN
ANDRE HARRELL, SEAN ‘P DIDDY’ COMBS and JAY-Z at the Zac Posen Fall 2005 runway show as part of Olympus Fashion Week held at The Tent, Bryant Park Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 10 Feb 2005 Credit: POPWENN
Blasting away rap music Sean Combs, better known as P. Diddy with music exec Andre Harrell, cruising West Broadway in his Ferrari, Sunday afternoon in Soho. New York August 12, 2002 Where: new york, United States When: 23 Mar 2007 Credit: WENN/Vallenilla
ANDRE HARRELL and TARAJI P. HENSON at the HIP-HOP Summit Action Network party held in the Beverley Hills Hotel Los Angeles, California 18.09.04 When: 19 Sep 2004 Credit: WENN
l to r: Dougie Fresh, Andre Harrell, Londell McMillian and Kangol Kid , Ne-Yo’s 30th Birthday Party held at Cipariani’s on 42 Street Where: New York City, New York City, United States When: 17 Oct 2009 Credit: WENN
Andre Harrell and Russell Simmons attend Heidi Klum’s 12th annual Halloween party at the PH-D Rooftop Lounge at Dream Downtown on October 31, 2011 in New York City When: 31 Oct 2011 Credit: WENN/Avalon **WENN/Avalon**
The image was taken from behind and featured Megan showing off her curvy figure in a pair of fitted jeans.
She went on to reveal she had designed the jeans with officials at clothing label Fashion Nova.
“Oh yeah and remember when I said I was collaborating with @fashionnova to make jeans for tall women. These are the first samples… coming soon,” she said.
In a lot of ways, Akon is a prototype for successful Black man to come up from nothing into mass success and wealth. However, Verse Simmonds is not playing with Akon or his brother Bu, both pretty cool guys. In fact, he has gone as far as to call them scammers. WOW. Such disrepect! How much of this is rooted in a long running relationship that Verse Simmons has had with them as a producer. So much of this is directed at Bu, not Akon, Kon isn’t exempt. He blasts them both. This is catastrophically damaging to both men who are doing some incredible things in the world. But it seems like Verse – respectfully – is just a guy trying to get his just money. And with his credentials to, he alleges he has not made a penny off his works.
So, we are in a day and age of social media and putting people on blast is the order of the day. So Akon attempted to reach out to Verse and Verse screenshotted it the text and put it on social media. This will not turn out good. Ijust hope that he can get his money and all parties can move forward.
What do the Doppler Effect, toenails, The Hindenburg, Cryptocurrency, tequila, Harry Potter and quantum physics have in common? Nothing unless you are a comedian and a part-time rapper that has managed to garner millions and millions of views on YouTube.
Chris Turner is a rapper and a comedian. But not the kind that says “aye” between words. He’s more like the sort that sprouted out after years of watching greats like KRS-One, SuperNatural and other greats that can rap off the top of the dome aka unrehearsed. So Turner, who does not have a rapper name, asks the audience to give him things to rap about in the middle of his comedy act.
The audience suggestions were: 🔥 The Hindenburg 🔥 🔥 The Doppler Effect 🔥 🔥 Harry Potter Tequila 🔥 🔥 Cyptocurrency and the Yuan 🔥 🔥 Toenails (and Quantum Mechanics)🔥
If you don’t know what these are, you may have to hit up google, but these topics are about as random as it gets. But, Turner isn’t some hack. The freestyle rapper might not be prominent on URL, but he’s got over a decade of sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Festival and even wrote for Epic Rap Battles of History. As a comedian, he’s performed at the Comedy Cellar in New York, and the Comedy and Magic Club in Los Angeles. Check out as he weaves this freestyle as a comic.
For the second time in a week, an event involving Demario “Moneybagg Yo” White Jr. was reportedly marred with violence. A shooting supposedly took place at the Memphis rapper’s afterparty in Dallas, Texas on September 26.
Moneybagg Yo’s scheduled appearance at the V Live Dallas strip club ended early when gunfire rang out, according to The Shade Room. The celebrity news blog claims attendees at the location were forced to run for cover and staff members had to lock themselves in a room in order to avoid being struck with bullets.
This alleged incident in Texas happened after multiple outlets reported that a shooting took place outside Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on September 23 following Moneybagg Yo‘s 29th birthday celebration at the venue. The Time Served album creator denied allegations that he was the target in the Vegas shooting.
“Shot at who? Ain’t no motherfckers shot at us. I’m in a Maybach right now man,” said Moneybagg in a video posted to social media. “As I speak my shoes off in this btch. Wassup? And I’m riding through this b*tch. I’m in Vegas. Waddup?”
Moneybagg Yo’s “Super Hot” collaborator, Blac Youngsta, also seemed to have something to say about the incident that took place in Nevada last week. Youngsta stated on Instagram, “Yeah, btch. We in Vegas with this sht, live in effect. We bored. Where you pssy-ass nggas at? Let’s have some fun. Let’s have a shootout. Let’s do something.”
For nearly two decades, recording artists have sought out DJ Drama to get the Gangsta Grillz stamp of approval. NBA champion Iman Shumpert (professionally known as IMAN.) is the latest rapper to connect with the Generation Now co-founder for a Gangsta Grillz project.
Shumpert released Joyride over the weekend. The 13-track mixtape features the voice of DJ Drama opening the body of work by telling listeners, “I think we been in the house too long. Anybody need a ride? I’m bout to take a joyride.”
Drama provides commentary throughout a tape that includes IMAN. flipping tracks such as The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Suicidal Thoughts,” Kendrick Lamar’s “HiiiPower,” and Pop Smoke’s “Dior.” Shumpert joins previous Gangsta Grillz creators like Lil Wayne, T.I., Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Meek Mill, Nipsey Hussle, Chris Brown, Freddie Gibbs, and many more.
This is not the first time the former Cleveland Cavaliers player showed off his rap skills. In 2018, Shumpert dropped the Substance Abuse EP. A year later he returned with Piece de la Foutu Pie. He also appeared on 2020’s The Album by his wife, Teyana Taylor. The celebrity couple recently welcomed their second daughter.
Hit-Boy is among the leading contenders for 2020’s Hip Hop Producer Of The Year. The man born Chauncey Hollis was behind the boards for King’s Disease by Nas and Detroit 2 by Big Sean. He also worked with Jay Electronica, Lil Baby, Conway The Machine, Kyle, Vic Mensa, and more.
Apple Music’s Ebro Darden caught up with Hit-Boy for a Rap Life Radio segment. The Grammy winner spoke about serving as an executive producer for King’s Disease and Detroit 2, a pair of well-received projects from two well-respected rap veterans.
“I knew I had a big responsibility to both of them. They’re two different eras but at the end of the day I just look at it as music, so let’s just make something that everybody can enjoy. I feel like we really captured that, so I feel good about both projects, ” said Hit-Boy.
Later in the interview, Hit-Boy was asked about his viral Instagram post that included him claiming Kanye West cut ties with him because he worked with Beyoncé. The IG caption also included the former G.O.O.D. Music affiliate defending West’s recent tweets about the alleged financial predatory practices of the music industry.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFM9QrgHSad/
“I can’t call it. A lot of people dissect it in different ways, that I’ve had conversations with. It’s really just a question for him. I don’t know what the real issue is. That’s honestly just the surface. We done had so many back and forths, but at the end of the day, I just respect him so highly on the music side that I’m gonna always have a certain respect for him,” stated Hit-Boy when asked to explain West’s motivations for supposedly ending their business relationship. “I guess two creatives… both Geminis… It was always something between us but I feel like we made a lot of great music in a short span.”
Hit-Boy is responsible for Kanye-related tracks such as “Christmas in Harlem,” “N*ggas in Paris,” “Cold,” and “Clique.” Other G.O.O.D. Music artists – like Pusha T, Kid Cudi, CyHi The Prynce, John Legend, and Teyana Taylor – performed over Hit-Boy beats throughout their respective careers as well. He also produced Beyoncé’s “XO,” “Jealous,” and “Flawless” off the superstar singer’s self-titled fifth studio album.
West responded to the Hit-Boy Instagram post on Twitter. He tweeted, in all caps, ” “Hi guys… Trust me we will not stop… Hit-Boy first to stand up… I didn’t have a problem with him producing for Beyoncé… I had a problem with the fact he was signed to me and I didn’t know but I knew Jay and Beyoncé and Hit-Boy… Just for clarity.”
The personal and professional saga involving Daystar “Tory Lanez” Peterson and Megan “Thee Stallion” Pete continues to play out in front of the entire world. The latest chapter of the fallout between the two rap stars came in the form of Lanez’s Daystar album which hit DSPs last Friday.
According to HitsDailyDouble, Lanez is on pace to have the fourth-largest debut sales numbers next week. Daystar is expected to move 40,000-50,000 first-week units. That total would currently put Lanez behind other new releases by Machine Gun Kelly (Tickets to My Downfall, 80-90k), SuperM (Super One, 70-80k), and Joji (Nectar, 65-75k). Those albums will also be competing against former Number Ones by Taylor Swift, Pop Smoke, Juice WRLD, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again.
In July, Megan suffered gunshot wounds after attending a party with Lanez at Kylie Jenner’s home. After first choosing not to publicly address the incident, the Suga EP creator went on to say Lanez was the person that fired at her feet in a Hollywood Hills neighborhood. Lanez kept mostly quiet until he told his side of the story on Daystar.
The Daystar album was met with mixed reactions. Some listeners acknowledged the musical content presented on the LP and the artist’s right to present his version of events. In contrast, critics took issue with Lanez attempting to monetize Megan’s traumatic experience without taking any personal responsibility for his actions. Detractors also called out the 28-year-old Canadian for dropping the project the day after news broke that the Louisville officers who killed Breonna Taylor were not charged with murder.
Lanez has yet to score a #1 album in America. He currently has four Top 5 entries on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2019, Chixtape 5 debuted at #2 with a career-best 83,000 first-week units. Daystar seems to be headed to a sales week slightly lower than 2016’s I Told You (52,000 units), 2018’s Memories Don’t Die (54,000 units), and 2018’s Love Me Now? (54,000 units).
TikTok has become one of the most vital platforms when it comes to promoting music to the masses. Hip Hop artists such as SAINt JHN (“Roses”), K Camp (“Lottery’), Megan Thee Stallion (“Savage”), and Cardi B (“WAP”) benefitted from people on the video-sharing network posting their songs and creating viral dances challenges.
While TikTok has upwards of 700 million global users, one of the most powerful individuals on the planet is not a fan. President Donald Trump called for a ban on the application in the United States, citing national security concerns. The Trump administration was set to force American app stores, like those run by Apple and Google, to remove TikTok on Sunday.
TikTok denied sending American citizens’ data back to the Chinese government, and the ByteDance-owned company challenged Trump’s ban as unconstitutional and a violation of due process. After an emergency court hearing on Sunday, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia Carl Nichols issued a temporary reprieve on the U.S. government’s restriction of TikTok.
ByteDance is said to be pursuing a sale to Oracle and Walmart that would provide partial ownership of TikTok to American companies and investors which would allow it to keep operating in the United States. Oracle and Walmart would reportedly get a 20% stake in a new U.S.-based company called TikTok Global, but negotiations are ongoing. Trump tentatively backed the potential deal.
“We’re pleased that the court agreed with our legal arguments and issued an injunction preventing the implementation of the TikTok app ban. We will continue defending our rights for the benefit of our community and employees,” said TikTok in a statement. “At the same time, we will also maintain our ongoing dialogue with the government to turn our proposal, which the President gave his preliminary approval to last weekend, into an agreement.”
Tory Lanez’s Daystar was one of the most discussed topics on the internet this weekend. The 17-track project centered around the Canadian citizen sharing his perspective on what happened the night of July 12 when Megan Thee Stallion suffered a gunshot wound in Hollywood Hills, California.
Megan publicly named Lanez as the person that shot her in the feet. Lanez insinuated that Megan is not telling the truth. Both rappers have yet to reveal everything they know about the incident, and the public is still waiting to hear the full story of what happened that night.
While Lanez used Daystar as a way to fuel his fans with new information they can use to defend him online, Megan offered a very simple message for her 15.6 million Instagram followers. On Sunday, the “Savage” and “WAP” hitmaker posted a photo of herself wearing rings that read, “F*CK YOU.” She wrote in the IG caption, “Mood.”
Back in July, news broke that Megan Thee Stallion was allegedly the victim of a violent incident after leaving a party at Kylie Jenner’s house. Tory Lanez was arrested at the scene and charged with carrying a concealed weapon. Conflicting reports about the matter led to Megan accusing Lanez’s team of planting stories in the media in an attempt to attack her credibility.
(AllHipHop News) Did you know that Donald Trump’s name has been featured in over 300 rap songs over the past 30 years?
His connection to Hip-Hop (before becoming the president) was extensive, far-reaching pass the Kanye West alliance that the world has come to see.
Evidence of this is seen in his relationship with rapper/ hit producer, Polow Da Don.
Consider President Trump’s Atlanta trip for his 2020 Election campaign, when he shouted Polow out. The world was shocked … after all who would expect the man that produced Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” or the Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons” to be homies with this president.
The Don say the other Don in the audience and made sure that all that were in the venue knew he was friends with the hitmaker.
45 also made a joke that he got his nickname “The Don” from another popular man with that name, Don King.
This is not the first time that Polow has stumped for Trizzy Ump and it will not be the last.
The self-proclaimed “King of the White Girls” could care less what people say… he is rolling with money (all puns intended) and is down with his Platinum Plan (just sounds mad racist right?).
The King of The Dot and Twitch’s Grand Prix started off with a bumpy start, but the promise of the Southern Region to redeem credibility to the tournament is great. And with battle rap veteran DRect as the hosting influencer, fans are in for a contest that will most certainly be top-notch.
AllHipHop.com caught up with DRect to breakdown his history in the sport, the tournament and so much more.
AllHipHop: So congrats on being selected as a judge for King of The Dot’s Grand Prix, South Division. What was that like for you?
DRect: We knew that judging would be a sensitive thing. Many people we called were on the fence about being in it because they were scared to be judged. So, we knew we had to get it right.
AllHipHop: And there is limited control about getting things right, correct?
DRect: Yeah, and you know, it’s four different people running four different divisions. So we’re all preparing our people in different ways. And we all pick different judges.
AllHipHop: Some concerns are that judges might hang out with the artists too much. How are you able to make sure that judges don’t have the same type of bias? Did you all contribute to the judges?
DRect: So, I will say one thing … like a piece of information behind the scenes … they greenlight this thing so late that we had to do so much work in a small amount of time. When it came to getting judges, all the things we wanted to implement that we couldn’t in time. And everybody was like, alright, let’s just pick the judges for our own regions, you know, what I’m saying? It would have been more of a group effort if it wasn’t for that. As far as mine, we wanted a judge to be a woman. But it’s going to be two judges from the battler community, someone retired, and we have two Atlanta judges that actually live in the city.
AllHipHop: They have to live in the city and not other places in the regions.
DRect: Yeah, well, I mean they would have to be in Atlanta to come to the battle. Not too many people want to want to drive all the way here or fly all the way here to be here in person.
AllHipHop: Are you doing COVID-19 testing?
DRect: Yeah, at the door. We have the temperature guns, but also there’s not that many people invited anyway.
AllHipHop: Congratulations on your first event. Despite the bumps … despite the Dizaster (pun intended).
DRect: It was a great first run.
AllHipHop: How did you guys go about selecting coming up with the idea for the tournament and working with Twitch and then selecting the battlers?
DRect: Organix contacted me and basically told me maybe a couple of weeks ago. He told me that there was an opportunity that they had with Twitch. Twitch wanted to sponsor a battle competition. And the thing with me is, I love competitions. Like, the promo battles are cool and are what the culture has become. But the tournaments make me really excited. And I feel like when there’s something on the line … it makes the artist go that much harder for like, they really have to perform. So when they told me it was a tournament, I was super down. And we have worked together on little stuff in the past. This was an opportunity for a lot of us, and we have been cool for years, to really put in some work together. So I was down immediately, called me back, let me know. Twitch doing a $50,000 tournament for rappers is insane. And each division would have a representative: myself doing the South, Poison Pen doing the East, and Organix doing the North, which is held in the Midwest. And a lot of people were kind of confused with the North thing. So they fused rappers that they had coming from Canada with those in the Midwest and kind of made it a nice meetup spot to where, you know, there wasn’t too far from anybody.
AllHipHop: How did you come up with the artists?
DRect: Yeah so, me, Poison Pen, Organix and Lush One and there are others that are behind the scenes. And between all of us, we sat down and put together a list of emcees. I came up with a group that I had worked within the past, and who might want to work with in the future. We also considered people who they believed deserve a shot on a bigger stage. The biggest part for the selection process was, you know, who deserves a shot. Who has been out here grinding that people have been overlooking, and needs to be put in position. And, you know, who somebody that would like to continue battling with KOTD in the future when everything is said and done. If they win, or if they don’t. That selection process was, you know, who’s popular with the fans, like who’s underrated and who deserves it, I would say was the criteria that when choosing those names. And of course, each of us had to stay in our respective areas.
AllHipHop: Did you guys have a say in the West Coast folk?
DRect: I didn’t. I believe the West was already selected by the time I came in.
AllHipHop: It’s hard to have an interview without talking about the West Coast card. Do you think that RX was prepared to go up against Saynt?
DRect: Yeah. You know, when we figured out that this thing was going to be a reality, it kind of gave us less time than normal and gave the rappers less time than normal to prepare. So, do I think she was prepared? Yeah, I think she was ready to go. But I also think another part of the preparation that a lot of people don’t think about is the performance, as well as the written aspect of it.
AllHipHop: She’s still relatively new. She just started rapping last year.
DRect: Sometimes you never know if someone is ready until you push somebody into a position like this. And people in the past that people may have thought were of a lower level rapper or whatever when we put them in these positions they rose to the occasion. So really you never know till you see it happen. So when you give somebody that’s fire, you’re very hopeful. I mean, and we all were very hopeful regarding RX. And I think it’s important to have females in this competition as well. That is something else we talked about. We tried to reach out to females who have been on King of The Dot in the past to see if they wanted to be any competition.
At the same time, it’s like, we’re also gatekeepers, and this is a new move. You want to make sure people from every corner of our culture, feel invited, they feel welcome, and they feel represented.
AllHipHop: Talk about being a gatekeeper. And talk about your particular position as a gatekeeper of some of your history and how you got to be such an icon really in battle rap culture.
DRect: In February of 2008, I was going to college. I had just been in the world rap championships competition that was thrown by Jump Off TV, out of England. And so what it was it was a competition and I believe this was $10,000 on the line. And Thesaurus and Illmac were like the favorites to win that. And there were people from all over in it like Organix was in it. There are people from all these regions all over the world, that was a part of it, as people from Australia, New York, and LA. That’s the first time a lot of people saw names like Dizaster. There were a lot of people wherein it who are now battle rap legends throughout that competition. Something happened that was some like foul play with the judges. Some of the battles went missing and they couldn’t put out the footage properly. When it kind of died down, I contacted everybody. And I was like, man, I want to start a league so that we all have the outlet to continue battling.
Drect
I stepped out in the battle rapper role and into an executive role. And at the time, I didn’t know it could blow up. We loved Hip-Hop so much. So with YouTube gaining popularity at the time, we knew there was a platform where we could put all this footage on.
So, I just contacted Lush One. We had a guy named Pumpkin Head, aka PH. (That’s like Bro. respect to him), and Poison Pen was helping PH. He later became the face of what we’re doing in Grindtime, New York. Me and my crew were doing a division based out of Florida. So at the time, we started getting all this talent that we saw from these grainy YouTube videos, putting them on high-quality cameras. And that was also when Avocado made his debut as a cameraman on Grindtime West. He had all these people who are now personalities and forces in the battle rap culture kind of joining together at that time just for love and battle rap.
AllHipHop: So Avocado was down with you in 2008 or 2009?
DRect: Avocado was already on the scene before the battle. He was a battle rap fan. And he knew some of the guys from out west. Like he has a history with Lush one and all them. So they were all cool before I started, and I know Avocado was working on some movies and stuff like that. And everyone knew he was a great cameraman. Avocado was filming the first West Coast Battle. He was there from day one. So we kind of had this film quality that we had to catch up to. And we also had this quality of emcee that the world was catching up to, you know, from like Hollywood, it was in the very first round from New York. Like The Saurus, Passwords, all those guys.
They were in the very first draft on the West Coast. Cats like Johnny Storm, who were legends of Florida, on the first battle cards. So that’s kind of where the blueprint was laid. Then everything just blew up. You got all these folk like Dumbfounded. People who went on to do other things with their lives and become stars that have these huge fan followings. It was dope to be in that position. And then around that time when I left grind time, I took a couple of years off, and then I made a new life as a media person.
AllHipHop: You started RapGrid?
DRect: Yes, in 2012 I want to say. I took the media side of things started interviewing people, creating content, and doing blogs. I kind of started that wave. And you see all the bloggers that came after that we’re all doing that thing right now. I’m at a point where I’m trying to get back into an executive position. So I think all this stuff is happening at the right time. So I come from being a rapper to running a league to being a blogger, and a facilitator running paid reviews, and the cameraman all the way back to you know, being executives on a battle rap staff once again.
AllHipHop: You brought up, Avocado. So how do you feel about the footage that came out … with him laughing and kind of instigating some of the conversations about the Black Smack rappers not taking care of the kids? Kind of racist, right?
DRect: First of all, there were some other people in that video. This one person, I would say, was good. He is not at fault. He was very uncomfortable. The other personality is, you know, he’s not a part of the battle rap community anymore.
I think it’s just the way Avocado reacted, and that made a lot of us feel uncomfortable in the battle rap community, you know, of all cultures background, and creed. Like, it was definitely unacceptable. But I think at the same time, the greatest thing Avocado did was get out in front of it.
AllHipHop: He didn’t get out in front of it. I mean, it was something from years ago.
DRect: Yeah, but what I’m saying is it got addressed before it came back up in the community. And a couple of people spoke to him back then. But I’m saying like, as far as its resurfacing, for some people putting it back out in front of him.
When I was approached to be a part of the Grand Prix, I was told Avocado was going to be a part of it. And this is something that was in the works before that video had resurfaced. So basically, I was asked if I wanted to speak to Avocado, which I will and I haven’t yet. But the main thing is so many people from our culture have already spoken with Avocado, some dissatisfied, some decided to move forward.
But personally, for me, I have had a relationship with Avocado in the past. Do I believe he’s a racist? No. Do I believe he was 100% wrong? For how he acted in that video? Yes. And I feel like a lot of his peers have let him know. Now, I feel like it was handled. I feel like the battle rap community handled it well. I’m glad everybody responded. Whatever way they responded, I’m glad that they were heard. Because, you know, in 2020, we’re in some rough times. And as Black people, you know, it’s important that we have a voice to the point that we stand up and it’s important that we are heard.
AllHipHop: The battlers, the bloggers, everybody says that your South card is fantastic. What was your mindset in selecting the artists for that? And then talk to me about each artist that you got out there. What do you think are their strengths? What do you think are some of their weaknesses?
DRect: We reached out to a lot of people. And but I think at the end of the day, this is a great opportunity for a couple of artists who’ve been grinding for a while that doesn’t always get a shine to get on. So I know there were a couple of fans that were kind of like damn, we wanted to see this artist and we want to see that artist. But I guarantee you that when you actually see the battles, there’ll be some of the most competitive battles ever. I made the call, and if I call someone and ask them if they want to be a part of the tournament, and they didn’t sound excited, that’s when the offer kind of got rescinded. Every single person in the tournament is hungry. I believe they’ll do some of the battle fantasies of their careers.
And that was like, the most important part to me … over names and everything else. If I were to roll down the roster: Chef Trez as somebody who’s known in battle rap, and I think he has a very unique skill set, as far as being able to freestyle, the time and you know, he’s known for his slogan, “Three of them thangs.” And also, he’s a fan favorite, which is cool. But that presents a very tough challenge for anyone really going against them. And I think, to be able to shine in this tournament you are going to have to shine in a different way. He started on some other platforms, I think he should be on a game. And he’s somebody who’s very excited and very professional,
He’s very humble too, which I like about him. He’s very easy to work with. So you know, what I did was call Chef, who sounded like, “Yeah, cool.” And I was like, “Hold on, you seem kind of relaxed. Are you excited?” He’s like, hold on, “Let me get excited about this thing” and comes back two days later, he was super hyped once he thought about it, which is really dope.
AllHipHop: He is going up against Lotta Zay.
DRect: I think Lotta Zay is one of the best pens in battle rap. And I think a lot of times in battle rap people have this popular opinion based on if somebody might win a battle or somebody might lose in a battle, and then you know, the public opinion changes. But as far as me being someone who has been evaluating talent for years, I know when I see it.
And I feel like Lotta Zay has it. He was a champion on 106 and Park and when he came to us in the Grindtime age. And after a couple of battles, he really got it. And he got popular around the time that he and John John had a battle. They did two battles, he was still waiting on that third. He won one and John John took one. That’s when he started getting popular. That was when the whole world really knew what they have to offer. I think he’s incredibly well rounded.
But I think sometimes there are so many battles, there are so many leaks, you know, these guys don’t always have the proper time to prepare. So some people fall victim to just not being 100% themselves in a single battle. There are all these little things behind the scenes that come into play that people like myself with know that the fans might not know. He’s somebody who I always felt, once that stage was presented, that he deserved the shot to really go hard.
Fans also really wanted to see Brixx. I think it was perfect timing for somebody like him in this tournament. You have to remember when we select the emcees from the south, other regions might not get it. But you know, I’ve lived in Atlanta for about five years. And I kind of understand who gets respect in the southern region of the US from the battle rap community. You know, embracing somebody that a lot of people want to get behind and see do well. So, I think he’s gonna do real good in this tournament. And his opponent— a lot of people are confused because they see Hays The Family Man and be like “Who the hell is that?” Hays The Family Man is formerly known as Syahboy.
AllHipHop: Why did he change his name?
DRect: Maybe he’ll say it on camera. I don’t really know.
AllHipHop: Maybe it’s a new marketing strategy. Maybe he’s a real family man.
DRect: He definitely is. I know that he is. Hayes is another person. He’s a veteran. Very funny. He’s creative. He’s somebody that they’ll like, because of his personality. And I think there’s a lot of people who are boring in battle rap, but personality is what has carried a lot of people and what separated people from the top. You can have bars and personality. I feel like there is a happy medium. Hayes has a lot of natural ways to market himself. And I think you’ll be good. I have no idea what type of stuff they kind of say to each other. And I know they don’t want to lose to each other even though they may call him the past. So I think that would be a good one.
AllHipHop: What about Scotty?
DRect: Now Scotty is from Houston and he has personality. I saw Scotty battle Phara Funeral if you’re on a bathrobe! He battled her with a different style and had jokes. When you are jokey, jokey, or just so funny it is hard for anybody to beat you.
AllHipHop: I saw him with Loso.
DRect: Oh, yeah, I love that one. It was one of my favorite battles of the past few years. They did that one in Houston. Yeah, I love the way that both of them attack each other with the angles. Scott is another person who’s been looked over. He is one of the artists that I believe deserves a shot. Like Scott has had battles on URL but hasn’t done it consistently. But he hasn’t been on King of the Dot yet. I think he’s somebody that could represent the whole Texas well on that platform. You don’t have that many battle rappers from Texas out here. He’s a strong competitor. He is easy to work with. He’s somebody that I’ve seen come up from day one personally. I thought it made a lot of sense to put him in his competition. Then his opponent, So Severe is out here in Atlanta. Have you heard of So Severe before?
AllHipHop: No, I haven’t.
DRect: He’s been grinding for a while out here. We’ve known him for years. We’ve never really got a shot until Chris Petty put out a battle with So Severe. It gave him a very strong push. That was a really dope battle. Both of them did their thing and then So Severe got picked up on King of the Dot. And he did a few battles, and their fanbase really likes him. So Severe is somebody that when he got the call he jumped through the roof and so excited to be in it. You know, he’s gonna give a lifetime performance out of him.
The Grand Prix (Southern Region) will air on Twitch live on September 27, 3 PM (EST), 12 PM (PST), and 8 PM (GMT).
