Agents at America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have reportedly launched an investigation into the brutal hack attack targeting actress Leslie Jones.
On Wednesday (August 24), a cyber criminal took control of the Ghostbusters star’s website and used it to post photos of Leslie’s passport and driver’s license information and private images, including nude pictures of the comedienne, online.
The hacker appeared to have gained access to the 48-year-old’s iCloud virtual storage account, and now the seriousness of the cyber attack against the African-American star has prompted FBI officials to take charge of tracking down the culprit.
ELLE Hosts Women In Comedy Event With July Cover Stars Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon And Kristen Wiig – Arrivals
Featuring: Leslie Jones
Where: West Hollywood, California, United States
When: 07 Jun 2016
Credit: FayesVision/WENN.com
Los Angeles premiere of ‘Ghostbusters’ – Arrivals
Featuring: Leslie Jones
Where: Los Angeles, California, United States
When: 09 Jul 2016
Credit: Michael Boardman/WENN.com
Sources claim agents are developing a strategy to identify the person or people responsible for the vicious violation of Jones’ privacy.
The website hack occurred a month after Leslie briefly quit Twitter as a result of the online trolls who bombarded her with racist posts surrounding her involvement in the all-female remake of 1984 classic Ghostbusters, in which she co-starred with Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig.
After Wednesday’s hack, celebrity friends and fans, including Katy Perry, Alyssa Milano and Ghostbusters director Paul Feig, took to social media to show their support for Leslie.
Feig, who cast the Saturday Night Live star as one of the four female leads in the s####-hunting comedy, raged on Twitter, “What’s happening to @Lesdoggg is an absolute outrage. (All) right, haters, trolls, ‘comedians,’ whoever the f**k you all are, you’re just sad.”
Actresses Gabourey Sidibe, Octavia Spencer, and Patricia Heaton also expressed their outrage at the situation online.
(AllHipHop News) For anyone wondering, Maybach Music Group boss Rick Ross is in full support of Meek Mill as the artist’s feud with superstar rapper Drake.
During a recent appearance on Noreaga and DJ EFN’s Drink Champ’s podcast, Ross discussed the issue of his close relationship with Lil Wayne and Young Money, the label to which Drake is signed (although he refers to himself as a “J. Prince investment” on 2 Chainz’ “Big Amount”).
Rick Ross said nothing could break his relationship with Lil Wayne, despite that both of their biggest acts are engaged in a serious war of words.
“Just on some G-s##t, the ni##a [Meek] didn’t lose to nobody,” Rick Ross said as hosts N.O.R.E. and EFN noted Meek’s successes, his positive relationship with Nicki Minaj, and of course Meek’s bankroll, alluding to the fact Drake may have too many hands in his pockets.
Ross said he’s never had a conversation with Drake and has no plans to speak to the Toronto rapper on behalf of Meek about their issues.
“No, you gotta understand we are all rich ni##as. I know Meek is getting money,” Rozay said. “I don’t know about anybody else..”
Rick Ross said he tried to take a peaceful tone towards the matter when he addressed it during an interview on the Breakfast Club in an interview in 2015.
But the message must not have been received by the Canadian rapper, who lashed out at Meek during his “Summer Sixteen” tour stops in Washington D.C., and Philadelphia.
Drake skipped after parties in Philly, after Meek and his Dream Chaser’s artist/cousin Omelly locked down Vanity Grand and Onyx, the hottest strip clubs in the city all weekend.
Rick Ross backed Meek and his crew and said he would be sticking by them wherever the issues might go.
“It’s whatever, if it’s going to be whatever,” Rick Ross told Drink Champs. “If it’s gotta go there, Renzel’s going to jump off the porch on your ass. And that’s just the way I’ve always been. I’ma die that way.”
(AllHipHop News) Drake continued his practice of inviting other stars to join him on stage during his “Summer Sixteen Tour.”
Previously, the OVO leader allowed concertgoers to experience appearances by LeBron James, Kanye West, J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Eminem, and more.
The Atlanta show featured Drizzy bringing out hometown legend Gucci Mane. The “Back On Road” collaborators performed the Everybody Looking single.
With Drake and Gucci teaming up in ATL, the anticipation for the tandem’s possible joint mixtape – reportedly titled The 6ers – will surely rise.
“We were at the video shoot. We were working on Gucci’s album, and Drake just came through,” longtime Gucci producer Zaytoven told AllHipHop.com in July. “We were talking a little bit about working on a project. We were thinking about working on a project with Gucci and Drake.”
(AllHipHop News) It appears that R&B songstress Faith Evans will be able to make her performance at the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour after all.
Reps for the singer told AllHipHop.com that attempts by a promoter to block her September 8 appearance in Atlanta have been found null and void.
The decision was made by the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division.
Leron Rogers, partner, Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith LLP Attorneys, and Julian Petty, partner, Nixon Peabody, said he was satisfied with the decision.
“We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision not to restrict Ms. Evans from performing on the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour in Atlanta,” Rogers told AllHipHop.com. “The promoter’s attempts to prove that Ms. Evans’ participation in the tour date would cause irreparable harm fell grossly short. We expect to continue to be successful in these matters as they progress.”
(AllHipHop News) Rapper Vic Mensa was reportedly was kicked off a flight to Chicago, Illinois on Thursday (August 26) after a heated exchange with an airline employee.
The hip-hop star was stranded in California after arguing with an American Airlines employee at the gate.
Frustrated Vic took to social media to give his account in detail, explaining he got into trouble for initially reprimanding the staffer for disrespecting a female passenger.
“KICKED OFF THE FLIGHT ON @AmericanAir SMH (shaking my head),” Vic tweeted. “ALL FOR TELLING THE TICKET MAN TO WATCH HIS MOUTH SPEAKING TO A WOMAN IN LINE. I DONT TOLERATE THAT DISRESPECT S##T… F##K YOU @AmericanAir YOU’RE LOSING ALL MY BUSINESS I FLY AT LEAST 7 PEOPLE WITH YOU WEEKLY NOW”.
Vic elaborated in a lengthy video on Snapchat, saying, “He (employee) was disrespecting this woman so crazy, pointing all in her face like, ‘No, ma’am, you need to follow instructions. You need to go around the back and follow instructions.’ I don’t let that s##t slide in front of me. I don’t let people talk to women like that around me, so I told him, “You need to watch your attitude speaking to her because we’re the ones been waiting.'”
The rapper explained that he ignored the employee’s request to step to the side, and scanned his own ticket before walking on to the plane.
Staff members then called in security officers, who escorted Vic off the aircraft. A female employee refused to let him get back on the plane, and then offered him a refund.
Vic admitted that’s when he got angry, and “snatched the ticket out of her hand, stormed off, said, ‘F##k this airline,’ grabbed the metal banister (sic), threw it into the desk, and pimped off… I lowkey had a little breakdown.”
He later encouraged fans to send tweets to the official American Airlines account with the message, “F##k you from Vic Mensa”.
Thursday’s incident marked the second time he’s been kicked off a plane in three months – in June (16),
Vic said he was kicked off an United Airlines flight for talking to “a depressed fan who needed help on the phone” before take-off.
(AllHipHop News) Drake is moving up the charts once again, as the MC sees his track “Too Good” featuring Rihanna from latest album Views rise from No. 17 to No. 14 in the rankings.
The track has also climbed from the 14th spot to 12th on the Radio Songs chart with 66 million in all format audience in the tracking week( up 8 percent) according to Nielsen Music.
“Too Good” has also risen from the 30th position to 27th on the Digital Songs chart with 29,000 downloads sold, an 8 percent rise.
The 6 God is not done breaking records on the charts yet, as he has now had at least one song in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts for 49 consecutive weeks, with the single “One Danc,e” currently coming in at the 7th position.
The MC has now surpassed Ace of Base’s 48 week run on the charts from 1993-1994 and now only trails Katy Perry for most weeks in the top 10, with the singer placing in the top 10 on the charts for 69 consecutive weeks from 2010-2011.
(AllHipHop News) Young Thug has been called a lot of things during his current run in the industry.
Whatever someone may think of the Atlanta native, he has definitely mastered the law of courting attention at all cost.
Thugger did it again when he revealed the cover art to his No, My Name Is Jefferycommercial mixtape. After appearing nude on 2015’s Barter 6, the “Harambe” rhymer decided to don a dress for his latest image.
The collective internet reacted quickly. Young Thug became a trending topic on Twitter and memes of the Jeffery artwork spread across social media.
Check out some of the No, My Name Is Jeffery memes below.
Charlamagne!!! The Breakfast Club wasn’t even two minutes into their interview with Tory Lanez, and in good humor, Charlamagne Tha God reveals that he was calling Tory “Drake-Lite” and “Tory Tiller“.
Charlamagne also told Tory that he feels that he hasn’t completely developed his own sound as sometimes he sounds like Trey Songz, Fetty Wap, and a host of others.
In all fairness, all of these new-age singer-rappers sound just alike. Maybe this is why Charlamagne is challenging him to find his own identity.
Tory expressed that he is fine with being inspired by as well as biting off other artists.
It doesn’t seem like Tory would have to bite to get on or blow up, or maybe he feels he has to do anything that works to get heard. Today quality doesn’t always necessarily prevail, so some resort to antics to be heard.
(AllHipHop News) Vince Staples is close to sharing his next music project Prima Donna. The EP is scheduled to drop on Friday, August 26.
The Staples set will hit the internet a week after fellow Odd Future affiliate Frank Ocean released his long-delayed Blonde studio album. Beats 1 caught up with Vince, and the Long Beach native discussed the demand placed on Ocean by his ardent followers.
“I don’t know where we are to the point where we can demand things. Like, ‘Hey, Frank Ocean. Put out this album on Friday because you never said you were going to, but we need it now and we don’t like you anymore,” said Staples.
The “’06” spitter added, “I didn’t know when we started demanding rapid fire from those kind of people. That’s when it gets kind of weird.”
It took four years for Frank Ocean to release the follow-up to his Grammy-winning channel ORANGE. This year’s Endless and Blonde projectscame after numerous reports an album was scheduled to arrive during that four-year period.
(AllHipHop News) Chris Rock’s stand-up special “Kill The Messenger” has been removed from Delta Air Lines in-flight entertainment offerings due to the comedian’s use of a gay slur.
Bosses at the airline were responding to a complaint by Jeremy Foreshew, an employee at gay dating app Grindr, who watched the special on a flight from New York to Los Angeles earlier this month.
The 2008 special includes a lengthy segment in which Chris rants about the occasions when it’s acceptable to call a person a “f**got”.
In a statement to the website GayTravel.com Delta bosses said, “The Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger segment should not have been uploaded on flights based on our criteria for excluding onboard programming that includes content featuring explicit language, slurs, extreme violence, and explicit scenes.
“We apologize to any customers who were offended by the content or our airing of the segment, and we are working as quickly as possible to remove it from our aircraft.”
Jeremy, who previously worked selling in-flight entertainment packages to airlines told the website that knowing the stringent criteria many airlines use to determine material shown on their aircraft, he was shocked to see such offensive material available.
“I just came to a place where I couldn’t believe this was something happening in 2016,” he said. “When you think of the number of people who fly Delta every day and have access to that language…it just shocked me.”
The removal of Chris’ comedy special is the second time in recent weeks Delta has come under fire from the gay community for their in-flight entertainment choices.
Earlier this month Twitter users used the hashtag #FreeCarol to protest that the airline only offered a version of the 2015 drama Carol which censored out scenes lead actresses Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara kissing.
Them boys up to something! It looks like Nipsey Hussle and ScHoolBoy Q are about to deliver some new joint music.
A fan expressed that it was too bad that hood politics had gotten in the way of the two rappers joining forces for a legendary collaboration.
Nipsey cleared the air and revealed that he and Q are actually cooking up new heat.
We wonder if they will just collaborate for a song or do a joint project. Some are suggesting that this may raise eyebrows among sets. Are you here for the collaboration?
(AllHipHop Features) The term “groundbreaking” is often thrown around in music critiques. It is a phrase, however, that was accurately used to describe De La Soul when their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising was released in 1989. As gangster rap was taking streets and stereos by storm, the Long Island trio held out a daisy, a universal sign of peace, and ushered in a new era and sound that would influence hip-hop forever.
Groundbreaking is also appropriate to use in describing De La Soul’s ninth studio album, and the Anonymous Nobody.
An ultra-private event for just over 20 tastemakers was held at the Sonos store in trendy SoHo, New York City. The high-end speaker retailer was a perfect place to preview the album where the instrumental version wafted from overhead speakers and the full version played in soundproof private rooms. At one point, Pharoahe Monch and Consequence could be found in one of the rooms enjoying the album. After about an hour, emcee-kings Dave and Posdnuos took questions about the creation of and the Anonymous Nobody, the Kickstarter campaign that brought it to life and the many guest appearances that did and did not make the album. Laughingly, they told the crowd that country legend, Willie Nelson turned them down.
Each of the tracks are original creations (a major deviation from a group whose debut featured well over 50 samples) with 25 musicians contributing. The sampled sound that made De La Soul so magical so many years ago, is now an expensive source of pain as their former label, Warner Brothers, won’t make their early material available for download or streaming. Instead, and the Anonymous Nobody was produced entirely by the group using material gathered from more than 200 hours of recordings of live instrumentation by the Rhythm Roots Allstars.
The origin of and the Anonymous Nobody, crowdfunded through Kickstarter, is central to the album’s development. With a goal of raising $110,000, the group raised six times that amount supported by over 11,000 fans. The successful fundraising allowed for more collaboration, thus giving us all an instant vintage album with powerhouse appearances from Usher, Jill Scott, Little Dragon, Roc Marciano, Estelle and Pete Rock, Justin Hawkins, Snoop Dogg, Damon Albarn, legendary rocker David Byrne, and 2 Chainz.
For a group that is so central to the story of hip-hop purism and its “greatest era,” the idea of De La Soul doing a record with 2 Chainz is a major story. “Artists are always down to get together. Artists are willing to do art with another artist.” Posdnuos states, “It’s almost like we’ve lost the idea that this is an art form.”
And, Dave said and the Anonymous Nobody reiterated that point, “If you really love hip-hop then let it be what it is. Don’t have this mentality of what cannot happen. Aerosmith and Run-DMC was not supposed to do ‘Walk this Way.’ We have to take this mentality away from these purists, and I hate to say backpackers, who feel like it’s their way and their way only.”
Collaborations have always been important to De La Soul and present on every project. On and the Anonymous Nobody, the idea of very different artists coming together to collaborate and create art is front and center resulting in a beautiful, ethereal album. The album is innovative without being pushy. It is decidedly mature.
Dave said it best when describing his friend and collaborator J. Dilla, “You see it on so many shirts, ‘J. Dilla Changed My Life.’ But, he really did. J. Dilla changed the life of Hip-Hop. He is a person who changed the sound of Hip-Hop. That’s a big statement. We have to continue talking about him, and what he’s done and what he could have done. Dilla would also be the person to say we have to grow, we have to change.”
This situation is like “Who cares?,” but lets talk about this. Lil Yatchy apparently does not know 5 song from two of the best rappers ever – Biggie and Tupac. First of all, lets do the math. This is the 20th year anniversary of Tupac’s DEATH – and clearly longer with his musical legacy. Lil Yachty is 19 years old. In a new interview with Billboard, he speaks on his views on it
“If I’m doing this my way and making all this money, why should I do it how everybody says it’s supposed to be done?”
“It’s just fun, it’s not serious. I hate serious rap. It’s boring. Serious rap music puts me to sleep.”
“I just can’t wait until the point when everyone understands hip-hop isn’t the same anymore, just don’t like me because I’m not lyrical enough… If you ever read comments and click on their profile, they’re like super old.”
Man, I think people need to know their history. I don’t believe they need to be beholden to it. So, my thoughts are that Lil Yachty should do whatever he wants to do, because he’s gotta live with that.
Anyway, here is “Mase In 97” for dat ol’ a**. Pause for the cause.
But not not knowing certain classics…
Here’s a lob, lil brother. Both Pac and Biggie’s Greatest Hits (a lot of them at least).
(AllHipHop News) Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I. have kickstarted their appeal against the verdict handed down in their “Blurred Lines” copyright infringement case last year.
The trio was found guilty of copyright infringement after soul legend Marvin Gaye’s kids claimed their summer hit was a rip off of their father’s 1977 tune Got to Give It Up.
That verdict went down in March, 2015 at the end of a jury trial, and the Gaye heirs were awarded $5.3 million in actual damages and profits.
The “Blurred Lines” songwriters promised to appeal and on Wednesday, Williams, Thicke and rapper T.I. filed their opening brief at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
They are hoping to persuade lawmakers to overturn last year’s judgment.
In their legal response, the appellants claim the outcome of the trial could “chill musical creativity and inhibit the process by which later artists draw inspiration from earlier artists to create new popular music”.
If the Court of Appeals refuses to reverse the trial verdict, Thicke and his fellow songwriters are asking lawmakers to reduce the millions of dollars awarded in this case, contending actual damages and profits are not supported by “competent evidence”.
The Gaye family is expected to vigorously fight the appeal.
Vince Staples is known to troll quite a lot. So, here we go again. After some BS controversy a few years ago with all of the 90’s rappers, it seems Vince is ready to tangle again. This time, on his new album Prima Donna, his song “Pimp Hand” makes some raps that seem to poke fun at Biggie. The whole verse is below so there is no chance of it being taken out of context. This song is supposedly about telling old heads to stay out of young folks music. Not sure how he can do that, since the OGs like Nas are still spitting fire. I’m certain Vincie knows what he’s doing bigging up OGs like WC and Trey D. They are very alive and very official.
What you thought it was n~~~a I’m the man round here
Hands down man down by my grandma crib
On the east
Riding round don’t be slipping
Don’t Blood me cuz whole Long Beach Cripping
No cease Firing I’m fired up tripping In A NY fleece wasn’t playing no Biggie
WC and Trey D keep sh~t crippy
No boot camp clicking we was food stamp flipping
Tryna eat
1st of the month re’d up 15th
Quarter punch ice cream trucks police
Stay tryna lock ni~~as up
Foes wacking out the set then we shot ni~~as up
No peace
No love not not clicking up
Swap meet whites and a Glock in the trunk
OG’s tryna tell a ni~~a bout the game
But it don’t add up cause the Crippin’ not the same on me
What do you think? He’s saying a lot in the verse, but quite frankly, I don’t care enough to dig too much deeper.
(AllHipHop News) Atlanta rapper K. Camp is set to follow up his debut album Only Way Is Up with a new EP titled Lyrics Ave on September 2.
The six-track project is set to include a feature from Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd on the track “Free Money,” and is to be executive produced by K. Camp, along with Bobby Kritical, Musik Majors, and long time Atlanta trap producer Zaytoven.
“I recorded the whole EP in my house on Lyric Ave. This is the evolution of me, my career, and my music. We’ve been having the craziest parties on Lyric, and this is where I’m vibin’ right now so I wanted my fans to see it, hear it, and feel it,” says the rapper when discussing his motivation for the upcoming project.
K. Camp burst onto the scene last year with the highly anticipated mixtape One Way, featuring the top 10 urban radio single “Lil Bit.”
The artist would then follow this up with his debut album Only Way Is Up, which featured the two RIAA certified gold singles “Cut Her Off,” and “Comfortable.”
The release of the six-track EP will also be accompanied by six videos which will premier here. K Camp will embark on an international tour coinciding with the project’s release as well.
Killa Cam is certainly a character. He never seems to let us down as far as an entertaining statement on social media or a Cam’ron plot twist.
While putting his girlfriend Juju on blast inadvertently, Cam’ron seemed to want to tell women that it’s okay to have sex on the first night.
He seemed to want to dispel the notion that smashing on the first night is really a bad thing. After all, only those that have a negative perception of getting down on the first night would feel some kind of way about it.
Cam wants women to stop with all of the waiting and “fairy tales” and let their men get it in.
“Yo this a PSA real quick, ladies if you like a man and you go out with him and go to his crib… and don’t give him no p*ssy the first night and he a fly n*gga got swag getting a couple dollars….. When you call him next week don’t expect him to remember you. It’s bad b*tches everywhere. You ain’t do nothing to make him remember you. You ain’t make no gag noises, you ain’t stand on your head. It works,” said Cam’ron.
What are your thoughts? Should you smash on the first night? STDs are real Cam!
(AllHipHop News) A new prosecutor was assigned to a case involving rapper Kevin Gates in Lakeland, Florida, where he is accused of battery, after kicking a female fan during a performance.
According to the Lakeland Ledger, state prosecutors replaced Assistant State Attorney Brittany Shell, who was booted from the case after she asked Kevin Gates for an autograph following a motion to dismiss the trial.
Gates was performing at Rumors Niteclub, when a 19-year-old woman named Miranda Dixon tugged on the rapper’s shorts during a performance.
Kevin Gates wasn’t in the mood for being accosted by the fan, so he kicked the woman with such force, that it caused bruising to her stomach, according to reports.
Now, prosecutors are offering the rapper a plea deal that would require him to serve some time in jail and probation.
If he goes to trial over the incident, Kevin Gates could be sentenced to up to a year in jail for the battery charge, which is a misdemeanor.
Last month, Gates and his defense team lost an attempt to have the case thrown out under Florida’s “stand your ground” laws.
AllHipHop.com recently had the opportunity to speak with 8X Grammy winner and the second eldest son of Bob Marley, Stephen “Ragga” Marley.
Calling in from his studio in Miami, Florida, we chopped it up about, among other things, his new album, the connection between Reggae and Hip-Hop, Rakim, and the words of silent film actor, Charlie Chaplin.
The conversation not only served as a wonderful way to hear about his new album, Revelation II: The Fruit of Life, but also a platform for Mr. Marley to share his insight and appreciation for rap music a whole.
One idea that he mentioned throughout our discussion was “bringing people into the light,” and his spirit injects just as much of that bright positivity as his music.
Like Stephen’s legendary father, he is a man of the people who is determined help and heal the world with his message.
Whether on wax, on stage, or in print, Mr. Marley emits an uplifting vibe that enriches everyone it touches.
Bob would be proud. So without any further ado, check out our exclusive interview with Stephen Marley below!
AllHipHop: Hello, Mr. Marley. How are you?
Stephen Marley: Alright, brother.
First and foremost, thank you for taking time out of your schedule to speak with AllHipHop.com and congratulations on the new album. I really enjoy it.
Thank you.
The album is Revelation II: The Fruit of Life stemming from Revelation I: The Root of Life which was released four years ago. For as different as they are, why was it important to connect them as pieces of a two-part installment?
We were coming from a concept, two sides of the same coin. I’m all about that. As a producer, I’m fans of so many different genres of music so combing them becomes second nature to me as well. There are so many different aspects.
Was it challenging as a producer to bring that Hip-Hop aesthetic to it?
It was challenging, but the more challenging thing was staying in the concept. I’m more an inspiration and vibe type of person. I [usually] put the album together and then name the album. This one had a name before the album was even done. It’s really just staying in that concept that is was kind of a challenge to me, who is more of a free-spirited person making music.
With all the Hip-Hop collaborations, from Busta Rhymes to Waka Flocka Flame, that’s a wide range. Was that done intentionally? Or was it just whoever suited the track best?
To tell you the truth, it was a bit of both. My music overall is really all about enlightening people and uplifting one’s spirit and mind. Sometimes you have to go into the dark to shine light. You can’t wait for people to always see the light, and so I tried to cover as many boundaries and barriers as I could. Rakim is on the album and that is very important to me. He’s part of the roots of Hip-Hop and just paying respects there.
Yeah, the Rakim collaboration was one which I noticed quickly. He’s not one to do those very often. How did that come about?
I met him at this summit that Damien [Marley] and Nas did about the relationship between Reggae and Hip-Hop when they were getting ready to put out the Distant Relatives album. I met Rakim there and expressed how it was great to meet him just as a legend of Hip-Hop culture and he was just as into meeting me as the son of Bob and a keeper of the name. That’s when we formed a friendship and [talked about how] one day we’d find the opportunity to do something together.
“So Unjust” (the song with Rakim and Kardinal Offishall) is fantastic. It’s one of my favorites on the album.
Yeah man, thank you.
You’re welcome. It’s very clear that Reggae has played a role in Hip-Hop. In what ways has Hip-Hop played a role in Reggae?
The evolution of the music. It works as Hip-Hop is at the center of pop culture now. Hip-Hop transcends certain barriers. It has a big influence on the youth in Jamaica, and Hip-Hop is a seed of Jamaica’s culture. That’s our offspring, and so we pay attention. Hip-Hop music is ghetto music and struggling people music and to see that at the forefront of what’s going on musically is also great and we pay respect to that.
Have you faced difficulties breaking through? As far this being perceived as the musical fusion that it is, instead of just a Reggae album with rap on it?
[laughs] Well, people that know me know my music. They know I come from the soul and the project has integrity. I had said it before it came out that part II is going to be a venture, a cross-pollination of other genres combined with with our music and our vibe. People love it. If you give it a chance, you’ll love it. If you go in thinking, ‘it’s not a Reggae album,’ then you’re not.
Switching gears slightly, I really like that Great Dictator speech that you used for the bookends of the album. Is there a story as to how that was chosen and why you wanted to use that Charlie Chaplin stuff?
When I found the speech, it had no visuals and so I didn’t know who was speaking at first. I didn’t know it was Charlie Chaplin. I just heard the words and was like, ‘Wow, this is something I would want to have said myself.’
The great irony of it of course, with him being a silent film actor, when spoke it carried extra weight and then him saying something so profound.
Exactly. When I first did the research and found out it was him, I had the same reaction. It made it even more special.
The world is such a polarizing place right now with countless things dividing and separating people. This album though, like most of your music, is all about unity. Particularly, what message is it that you want listeners to walk away with after listening to Revelation II?
I was on tour just a few weeks ago and quite a few people came to me after different shows and said that it was their first Reggae concert because of this album. Because of this album, they came to the show. They’re not really fans of Reggae, but this introduced them to the music in a way where there’s a familiar feel, but the spirit and integrity is different. That’s what it’s about – shining the light and sometimes you have to go into these places to bring a vibration.
I think that’s great and believe you’ve been very successful with it. One of the things I’ve noticed, just as listener of Reggae and Rap, is that with Reggae things are very positive and uplifting, yet they still don’t hesitate to speak on poverty and the ghetto. Whereas with rap, some of these artists come from similarly tough circumstances, but they still seem to talk about flashy cars and money. So, with each genre’s artists coming from the same environment, why do you think they sometimes talk about the exact opposite things?
We (Jamaicans) come from a third world county. We come from an island. We come from a different breed. To me, some people say, ‘all rappers are talking about is money,’ but that’s progress. They’re connected to people brought over on slave ships, so you’ve got to look on the positive side of things. ‘Oh, he’s talking about money.’ He’s talking about progress. We can’t push them down for that.
That’s very well said. I think if more people expressed it that way, naysayers of Hip-Hop would embrace it more than they do. We’ve covered a lot of ground. Is there anything else you want to talk about or mention that we haven’t discussed?
No, you asked some pretty good questions.
Thank you.
I’m a fan of the site and thanks for tapping in and helping me cross these boundaries here as well.
II: The Fruit of Life, but also a platform for Mr. Marley to share his insight and appreciation for rap music a whole.