(AllHipHop News) The early reviews of SchoolBoy Q’s new album Blankface are overwhelmingly positive, but some are taking exception to some lyrics on a remix of “That Part.”
On the song, the rapper castigates the people that filmed the death of Alton Sterling, who was killed executioner-style by Baton Rogue police.
“THat Part (Remix)”:
“Gangbangin’ like we stand for somethin’
When Alton Sterling gettin’ k!lled for nothin’
Two cowards in the car, they’re just there to film
Sayin’ #BlackLivesMatter should’ve died with him
Wrong ngga in your hood, you gon’ ride on him
White ngga with a badge, you gon’ let that slide?
Tell me how they sent that footage off and slept that night”
The lyric offers another side that video taping brutality, which has been exposed through the advent of technology.
Aside, Q’s album is out and has and impressive roster of artists like Jadakiss, Kanye West, E-40, Tha Dogg Pound, Vince Staples and others like TDE’s SZA.
(AllHipHop News) Outspoken Chicago rapper and Roc Nation artist Vic Mensa canceled his show in Detroit due to racist tweets from the hosting Populux venue.
The rapper was set to perform July 29 with Joey Purp as part of his Back With a Vengeance Tour, before Populux posted the very inflammatory statements to their twitter account, prompting the artist to back out of the show.
The club would then issue an apology soon after the racist remarks were posted with claims of being hacked.
The controversial statements from the venue were in response to the murder of five police at a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas yesterday.
The tweets certainly didn’t go over too well with the MC, as the Black Lives Matter movement is a cause that Vic Mensa has shown much support for in the past.
Vic released his EP There’s Alot Going On last month and is currently working on his debut album Traffic.
Check out the controversial tweet from Detroit club Populux and the soon to follow apologies below.
(AllHipHop Features) At one time Saturday Night Live was the number one TV show at spawning the most successful mainstream comedic talent in the country, but The Daily Show has claimed that title over the last two decades.
The Comedy Central late night program served as a launching pad for showbiz heavyweights such as Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Larry Wilmore, Ed Helms, Samantha Bee, Olivia Munn, and Rob Corddry. It was also the outlet where many people around the world first became familiar with New York comedian Wyatt Cenac.
After helping pen scripts for King Of The Hill, Cenac joined The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as both an on-screen performer and member of the writing team. The gig earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 2012.
Since parting ways with the satirical news series, Cenac’s star continued to rise thanks to his own stand-up comedy productions Wyatt Cenac: Brooklyn and Furry Dumb Fighter. He recently transformed his live weekly series Night Train to a digital program on Seeso as well.
In the second part of my conversation with Wyatt Cenac, I asked the performer/producer if he has ever hit the stage while under the influence of marijuana, what other comedians he studies, and why The Daily Show has become the premiere incubator for comedians.
There was a bit on your Furry Dumb Fighter special about how people always think that you’re high just by looking at you. First off, do you smoke?
Every now and again. But I’m not the cat who’s gonna wake up every morning and get high. It’s one of those things where if I have access, I’ll smoke every now and again. But I don’t go out of my way to do it everyday.
I heard your story about the first time you got high at a baseball game. Have you ever had any experiences being high while performing?
Not really. I’ve performed a couple of times stoned. I know people who will perform stoned and they enjoy it. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it. It was just that I always wind up feeling a little guilty if I have too much to drink or I am a little too out of it. I feel guilty that I’m not giving the audience enough.
As it is, I’m a low energy dude. I’m not running around on stage or doing too many animated things. So I feel like if I’m inebriated and even more sluggish than I already am, I start to feel bad.
[I feel like,] “These people didn’t want to see me this out of it. Now I just seem like a DJ doing the ‘Quiet Storm’ on the radio, just ready to put them to sleep.” [laughs]
You said you’re a low energy performer. Is that just your natural personality?
To a certain degree. I’ve never really been a super-animated person. I think sometimes I’ll get there if I’m with friends and we’re having fun. I’ve been a person that lays in the cut a little bit.
I see people that are animated, and I’m always very awed by it. When you look at somebody like Kevin Hart on stage, see how much energy that dude expends, and how physical he is as a performer, there’s something about it where I’m just like, “Wow, that’s amazing.”
That physicality is another joke telling method that he has at his disposal. It’s watching somebody do something that I feel like I don’t know if I could pull that off.
I saw an interview with Kevin Hart where he talked about how he studies other comedians. Are there certain comedians that you study?
Sure. I also have the benefit of having my weekly show Night Train. With that show, every Monday six different comedians are presented to the audience. But I also get to sit in the wings and watch.
Whether it’s a more established comedian or a comedian doing the show for the first time, I get to see how they perform and what they draw out of the audience. For me, that’s been my biggest thing as far as being able to see other comedians.
If a comedian has a special out – like Ali Wong’s [Baby Cobra] special just came out – I’ll sit down and watch that. But having a show every week is a nice way to see a bunch of other comedians.
You’ve won awards as a writer for The Daily Show. Looking back at all the people that came from that show, you’re talking about a “who’s who” of comedians and actors in the business. Was there anything that you feel like was happening there that led it to be this incubator of all these amazing talents?
I think part of that is a credit that goes to Jon [Stewart] and the producers of the show for recognizing and giving a platform to talented people. I think a lot of that credit goes to those talented people for seeing that platform, taking advantage of it, and being hungry to want to not just do that job, but also want to do something after that job.
TV jobs are rare, especially in late night and especially jobs where you get to perform under your own name. You get the opportunity to create a character for yourself and develop your voice. It’s different from a sitcom where you’re playing someone else.
[On The Daily Show] you’re actually playing a version of yourself. Night after night, you get the opportunity to put that out there. If I play Joey on Friends and I told a joke that wasn’t funny, I could be like, “That wasn’t me. That was Joey.”
But if I tell a joke as me, Wyatt Cenac, and it’s not funny, that falls on me. Whether I wrote it or not, people are going to be like, “That joke you told wasn’t funny. That field piece you did was stupid.” So I think there’s a certain amount of investment – because your name is attached to it – that you want it to do well.
Do you have any interest in hosting your own late night show? You have a lot of experience with that.
It’s definitely something that’s crossed my mind, because I do enjoy the world of late night. As far as a place to do things on television, it’s one of the more freeing places because you don’t have the same oversight that you do as a drama or sitcom.
I’ve thought about it, but at the same time I feel like I don’t know what I would necessarily want to bring to it. I haven’t sat down and thought what that would be. We’re at a nice time right now where there are so many late night shows, but also if you’re going to enter that field you need to have something to say.
(AllHipHop News) Last year Drake joined forces with Future for What A Time To Be Alive. Could the Toronto native partner with another Atlanta rapper for a joint project in the coming months?
AllHipHop.com spoke with Zaytoven about some of his upcoming production credits, and the hit maker revealed there has been discussion about Drake and Gucci Mane possibly releasing a full body of work together.
“We were at the video shoot. We were working on Gucci’s album, and Drake just came through,” says Zaytoven. “We were talking a little bit about working on a project. We were thinking about working on a project with Gucci and Drake.”
The world got a taste of what a GuWop/Drizzy mixtape would sound like when the song “Back On Road” dropped last month. Zone 6 and The 6 came together on the Murda Beatz produced track.
Even if that potential Drake and Gucci mixtape does not actually materialized, followers of Champagne Papi can look for the OVO boss to reconnect with Future on at least one upcoming track.
“We got one, maybe two, [Drake features] for Beast Mode 16. One for sure,” offers Zay about the sequel to his critically acclaimed Beast Mode mixtape with Future.
Zaytoven also revealed the duo has already settled on about 95% of the songs that will appear on Beast Mode 16. Fans of the “Real Sisters” rhymer should expect more music that made the 2015 original mixtape part of Future’s “4peat” run of successful solo projects.
“When you listen to Beast Mode 1, to me it’s almost like a work of art. All the tracks we did were real piano driven, real melody driven,” Zaytoven states. “So we’re back at that again, but it’s almost times 10 on this one.”
In addition, Zay was heavily involved with Gucci’s Everybody Looking album which is due out July 22.
I woke up thankful to be alive and grateful to be with my daughter. I got up begrudgingly to traverse to New York’s Pix 11 news station to talk about a pair of dead Black man that were slain at the hands of police. “Do I really want to talk about this?” I had to do it. The reports are early, but it is pretty clear from the accounts and the videos that there was foul play. Sure, there will be an investigation. Sure, police are innocent until proven guilty. The only issue is these very American processes often yield decidedly un-American results if you are a person of color.
Alton Sterling was executed. Philando Castile’s girlfriend was so mistrustful of the police she Facebook-lived her man as he died. Did I mention a 4-year old child was in the car? Later in the day, South Carolina death was ruled a “suicide” when a young man died by hanging himself. The KKK was handing out flyers in the area the day before, according to reports. When I got to Pix 11, I saw friend and consummate activist Tamika D. Mallory – refreshing. Whenever she is around, I know something intelligent will come out of a conversation even when I am unnerved.
When we talked, however, it was like having Arctic water thrown on me – sobering. Tamika talked honestly about her teenage son and how she simply wanted him to be allowed to live in this 2016 America. I thought about my daughter and the world that lurks in the not-so-distant future. Its maddening in many ways. When I went on the air I spoke honestly, likening this toxic environment to “mental terrorism.” I believe to be a valid comparison. There have been studies that show that systemic racism and even the perception of racism in action cuts short the lives of Black people, especially Black men. When it was all said and done, Tamika was as sharp, resilient and powerful as ever. And then the the morning show jumped to Ciara’s wedding. New York’s Pix 11 with Chuck Creekmur and Tamika D. Mallory:
My heart dropped as the brief segment ended and we really didn’t get to drill how we felt home. Poor Alton and Philando. I look at my face on Pix 11 – worn and sad – and I thought of the people I know. We have migraines. We are afraid to leave our homes. We have sleepless nights interrupted by nightmares. Just Monday, my daughter and I were happy during an African Festival that celebrates the origins of life, culture, unity, music, food, fashion, clothing, positive vibes, family and, more importantly life. Life. What a precious thing.
We cannot leave fate up for those that have no respect for our lives, or those that dismiss our movements to take a smidgen of this American apple pie. So, now I am getting ready for the #AllLivesMatter rally in New York. Pardon my sarcasm.
I don’t know where to end this so I’m just going to end it with this: We will not lose.
#RIP to all victims of police brutality and misconduct.
(AllHipHop News) Texas rapper Z-Ro sat down with AllHipHop.com to talk about several topics. The Drankin’ & Drivin’ album creator discussed his career, being considered “underrated,” and the changes that have taken place in rap music since the 1990’s.
“Back then, you really had to be chosen to be a favorite. You really had to be saying something that somebody wanted to hear,” Z-Ro tells AllHipHop’s Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur. “Now it’s way different, because you don’t have to say nothing no more. You can just get on there and just recite the ABC’s in a cool type of way, and you’re number one.”
The 39-year-old rhymer released his first album in 1998. His debut LP Look What You Did to Me was followed by over a dozen other projects including Z-Ro vs. the World, Let the Truth Be Told, and Crack.
(AllHipHop News) The Game and Snoop Dogg have successfully organized a peaceful protest march that ended with them meeting with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck.
All parties made a unified plea for peace in the wake of violence involving civilians and police officers. The closed-door meeting took place at the LAPD’s headquarters.
“The mission is to reintroduce our community to the LAPD-just to get some understanding and dialogue. We’re the ones they’re going to be dealing with, we’re the ones that are going to be pulled over,” Snoop Dogg said. “We’re here on peace.”
Check out some of the images and video from the march, which was also attended by West Coast legend Kam.
Hip-Hop was always supposed to be the voice of the people. The art form developed out of struggle and never stopped talking about what it meant to be black in America and to struggle in a system created for oppression. Police brutality (or violence) has always been a present theme in hip-hop music and culture, because police violence has always existed in urban communities.
Released in 1988, “F**k tha Police” by NWA was the first song that directly, and confrontationally, addressed police brutality. Framed, ironically, as a trial of the Los Angeles Police Department for their history of brutality with Ice Cube, MC Ren, and Eazy-E acting as “prosecuting attorneys” and witnesses. In the now historic letter from the F.B.I., the U.S. Government accused NWA of “encouraging violence and disrespect” for law enforcement officers.
But, what’s changed in the last 30 years since this song was released? Very little. Former United States Congressman Joe Walsh in a now-deleted tweet blamed the sniper shooting of 11 Dallas police officers (5 fatally) on “Black lives matter punks,” as well as the President.
NWA’s “F**k tha Police” highlighted the police violence that was a direct result of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles. By the time the album was released, drug possession arrests had doubled in less than ten years. In addition, the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act changed the system of prosecuting drug crimes as a punitive one rather than one of rehabilitation. The act changed the mandatory minimum sentencing for possession of 5 grams of crack to 5 years, whereas possession of powder cocaine was 500 grams, a 100:1 disparity that disproportionately affected African Americans. Ironically, 30 years later after the decimation of an entire generation, government officials admit that the act was a ‘tremendous’ failure.
“F** tha Police” was also inspired by LAPD “crackdowns” on gang violence. Compton’s repressive anti-gang laws allowed police to detain any group of three or more young people, allowing for young kids to be treated like criminals. The California Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act (STEP Act) of 1988 made it possible for a youth convicted of “participating in a gang,” to receive a felony sentence of up to three years in prison. On the song Ice Cube explained, “Fu**ing with me ‘cause I’m a teenager/with a little bit of gold and a pager.” Oppressive youth laws fueled and still influences the sound of West Coast hip-hop.
Conversely, J. Dilla’s “Fk the Police,” was released over ten years later on September 18, 2001. The song was supposed to be released on MCA Records as part of Dilla’s first major debut. However, the single and album never saw major release. Instead, because he felt strongly about the song, “Fk the Police” was released just a week after the 911 attacks as a single on Up Above Records.
These two songs are just two examples of protest songs against police in hip-hop, in fact, over two dozen songs with “F**k the Police” as part or all of its title exist in the genre. As the voice of a people, and multiple generations, hip-hop will no doubt continue to write about police violence which is a consistent and daily fact of life in the urban communities where the music originates. However, even hip-hop empathizes with the loss of life that took place last night in Dallas with messages communicated by various artists via social media.
“F** the Police,” as Dilla states at the beginning of his song, is not a statement that advocates violence against police officers. It, instead, is an indictment of a corrupt system that tortures the people in the same communities it is sworn to protect.
(AllHipHop News) Kid Cudi is set to let loose his latest musical project in the coming weeks. The Cleveland born artist declared Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ will arrive before the end of the summer.
Cudi spoke with Pharrell Williams’ OTHERtone Beats 1 show. The conversation included the “Day ‘n’ Nite” performer discussing his battle with depression.
“I didn’t like that I had money, success, and I had made it, and everybody I had ever met in my life – good people – weren’t able to experience the same,” explained Cudi about dealing with wealth and fame. “I wasn’t able to truly enjoy my success. Even though I worked hard for it, it bothered me that I had so much and my friends didn’t.”
The rapper/actor born Scott Mescudi also chatted about his drug use, his rise in the music industry, and his first meeting with his frequent collaborator Kanye West.
“Plain Pat calls me up, and he’s like, ‘Kanye wants you to come to Hawaii,'” Cudi said. “I had already met him in passing, but this was like actual up close and personal.”
That studio session eventually produced “Already Home” off Jay Z’s Blueprint 3 and Kanye West’s “Welcome To Heartbreak” off 808s & Heartbreak.
The full Kid Cudi interview with OTHERtone airs July 10 on Apple Music.
(AllHipHop News) Schoolboy Q has dropped his highly anticipated fourth album Blank Face LP. The 17-track project features Kanye West, Jadakiss, Vince Staples, e-40, Tha Dogg Pound, and more.
Besides Q’s latest body of work hitting stores, the TDE representative announced a 24-hour short film installation in Los Angeles. Fans can experience the movie for free by showing proof of purchase for the Blank Face LP.
(AllHipHopNews) According to reports from The Fader, Outkast legend Andre 3000 will be featured in the new adult swim series Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio.
The MC, along with Minnesota rapper Lizzo and Father John Misty, are to be featured on the show as musical guests and will perform original songs composed by show creator Brad Neely.
In addition, the cast of the show will include Iliana Glazer, Gabourey Sidibe, and Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live.
The show’s creator Neely is also to credit for the Adult Swim series China, IL.
Rapper Andre 3000’s is certainly not new to the world of film, as he was previously featured as an actor on the ABC series American Crime.
As far as the music is concerned, the rapper was also recently rumored to be working on a new album.
Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio premieres July 10 on Adult Swim at 12:45 a.m.
(AllHipHop News) The Game is not sitting by as Black people and other minorities are being killed disproportionately than others. Snoop Dogg has also joined his Compton counterpart in solidarity with the overtly positive movement.
The Game apparently has issued a call for men to come out, peacefully and unarmed, to protest police brutality. In a statement in circulation, The Game stated the following:
Do not: bring any weapons or anything illegal. We will stand as we are, UNIFIED. Our numbers are all the weapons we need !!!
Mission: to walk to the LAPD headquarters a few blocks and stand UNIFIED as African American & minority men TOGETHER as one peacefully to demonstrate our unity as ONE with ONE VOICE to show them that tomorrow they DO NOT have to HUNT us down to kill us… In front of our women or our children.. If the end goal for them is to KILL OFF all of us then they will have to do it with us standing side by side in the thousands!!!!!!!!!!! There are many things that have to be done to rectify this situation that has plagued us for hundreds of years & UNIFICATION is the 1st step !!! I’m asking for ALL of my AFRICAN AMERICAN, MEXICAN AMERICAN & any other AMERICAN who has the heart to STAND WITH US to meet us at the above address & take the 1st step into altering our future for our children & our FAMILIES… WE CANNOT ALLOW THEM TO KEEP HUNTING & KILLING US LIKE ANIMALS OUT HERE !!!! I LOVE EVERY ONE OF YOU & CANT WAIT TO STAND SIDE BY SIDE WITH YOU EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES & OUR FAMILIES TO BE MEN & TAKE A STAND MY BROTHERS.. THE TIME IS NOW
– SINCERELY, THE GAME
The announcement comes after the murders of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and others that have been killed, seemingly unjustly, by the police. However, the Los Angeles Police have been caught immersed in some of the most heinous crimes of police brutality, which have been well documented.
The rally is to begin at Joe’s Auto park parking on 1221 west 3rd street Los Angeles California 90017 at 6am PST and head over to the Los Angeles Police Department. There has been no cancellation announced in the wake of of the shooting deaths of 5 Dallas police officers downtown.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHmkqnLgboz/
(AllHipHop News) Trayvon Lee, manager of slain Baltimore rapper Lor Scoota, was murdered himself near his home Wednesday evening in a second “targeted attack” according to police.
Lee was the CEO of YBS Records and managed the career of Tyriece “Lor Scoota” Watson, a buzzing Baltimore MC who was tragically murdered after attending a charity basketball game at Morgan State University.
Police Spokesman T.J. Smith says that Lor Scoota was murdered as retaliation for a non-fatal shooting one of his associates perpetrated.
Smith also says that although there’s currently not enough evidence to connect the murder of Lor Scoota and his manager Lee, it’s definitely an idea that’s not out of the question.
“Is it ironic? Is it a coincidence? We don’t know the answer to that yet. As investigators are we looking at that? Absolutely. We’re dealing with another young man taken away from his family.
“He has a child, and now there’s another fatherless child who will grow up in Baltimore because someone decided to use a gun to take him down,” T.J. Smith said. “This is a vicious cycle of violence that’s continuing.”
Lee’s brother Pachino “Chino” Braxton survived a drive-by shooting incident on the same block his sibling was murdered on this February.
He left the heartfelt message below on his Instagram. Braxton is a popular dirt biker and Dreamchasers affiliate.
Everybody that is in Hip-Hop hates Gerard Woodley, because he is the man that took Big L’s life. Well, Cam’ron is from Harlem and things are deeper than you know. The word on the street is that Cam’Ron attended the funeral of Woodley and there is Instagram proof. You all know, Cam and Big L used to rap together back in the day so one would assume that he’d hate Woodley. Not the case. On instagram, he said, “Me and Kev at G-LOVE funeral Rip #139st.“
So, everybody has already changed what they are talking about. Just a couple of days, the world was talking about the murder and execution of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. And now they aren’t. They are talking about the police that were shot and/or killed in Dallas. One suspect dead and there are supposedly three others in custody.
Supposedly. Anyway, ponder the unthinkable. Rumor has it the shooter[s] were white males. One of the early accounts from sources at the scene state that there was a white male in a police vehicle shooting. Before the shots rang out. Certainly there are a lot of ways thing could be taken in the midst of chaos.
The rally of thousands of protesters was peaceful. The actual protesters did nothing wrong. Could it be possible that clandestine (or not so clandestine) forces shot up the rally to create the calamity?
This assertion is nothing new and people are talking about it, even though nobody will publicly. Could these forces have shot up the rally? Sure. Nothing new. Remember how the cops shot up N.W.A. concerts to perpetuate the notion that those shows were inherently violent?
Remember COINTELPRO and how the government dismantled groups like the Black Panthers? If you don’t, look it up. The police were known to shoot up gangs drive-by style and cause gangs to fight each other. For example, they would arrest somebody and then drop him off in a rival hood and make it look like he was working with the cops. In places like Ferguson, it was KNOWN that police and others would cause drama at otherwise peaceful protests so that the peaceful protesters would seem animal-like and lawless. You know, stuff like that.
So, suddenly the narrative and focus has changed and people are mourning the police and not Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and people like that. Even the SCOUNDREL of police brutality is no longer the focus.
And then a commercial of Jason Bourne comes on as a sniper…
(AllHipHop News) Dallas Police Chief David Brown has announced the suspect involved in the shooting that took place in the city last night was purposely targeting white police officers. The unidentified man was killed by a robot bomb detonated by authorities.
Brown stated, “The suspect said he was upset about Black Lives Matter. He said he was upset about the recent police shootings. The suspect said he was upset at white people. The suspect stated he wanted to kill white people especially white officers. The suspect said [police] will eventually find the IEDs. The suspect stated he was not affiliated with any groups and he did this alone.”
As of now, five law enforcement officers are dead and another 7 were wounded. Two civilians were also injured.
AllHipHop.com will update this story as more details emerge. Watch the MSNBC report below.
(AllHipHop News) Kanye West fans have been given the opportunity to work with the rapper on his new Adidas collection.
The “Stronger” hitmaker first joined forces with designers at the German sportswear company in 2014 and he has since released apparel and the in-demand Yeezy Boost high end sneakers for the label.
Last week, the two parties revealed plans to expand their partnership to include new apparel lines, shoes, and accessories for men and women as part of the adidas + Kanye West brand, and the rapper is now assembling a dedicated team based at the company’s Portland, Oregon headquarters.
Advertisements for 17 new positions have been posted online, giving aspiring designers and other professionals the chance to work with Kanye on his new project. Among the jobs available include posts for Senior Designer Footwear and Senior Manager Public Relations, reports HypeBeast.com.
In a statement announcing the expansion news last week, Kanye said, “These past two years adidas and Yeezy have given a glimpse into our future. This partnership illustrates that anyone with a dream can dream without limitations.”
Outlining his hopes for the collection, the rapper-turned-designer admitted he wanted to see his products worn by top athletes.
Kanye’s designs have been a source of controversy, but the Hip-Hop star previously insisted his vision is supported by other fashion icons, including designer Alexander Wang and Givenchy’s menswear guru Riccardo Tisci.
“They support me one hundred per cent,” he said last year. “They sent flowers, emails, and just love. They know I’m in that design office. They know I’m there giving an opinion. They know the concept of celebrity designer is so far out the window…”
Young Thug certainly says and does some interesting things in regards to gender and sexuality. Thugger certainly plans on continuing to rock androgynous styles, and he refuses to let gender norms stop him from being who or what he wants to be. On the set of his Calvin Klein ad, he revealed that he doesn’t believe that gender exists. He says,
“In my world of course you could be a gangsta with a dress or you could be a gangsta with baggy pants. I feel like it’s no such thing as gender.”
We are sure Thug and Jaden Smith will be dropping a dress line soon. What are your thoughts?
(AllHipHop News) Last night (July 7), law enforcement officials were targeted in a gun attack in Dallas, Texas. As of press time, 5 cops have been killed and another 6 wounded.
One suspect involved in a standoff with police has reportedly taken his or her own life. Three other people are said to be in custody. None of the suspects have been identified yet.
The shooting took place during a protest against police violence. However, no motive for the onslaught has been reported.
Several figures connected to the Hip Hop community have reacted to the Dallas shooting.
While many celebrities addressed the growing tension in America, some of the social media messages were a response to former Republican House representative Joe Walsh’s tweet that appeared to be a threat against Black Lives Matter protesters and President Barack Obama.
(AllHipHop News) Jay Z’s on a roll and continues dropping joints with a new song, “Spiritual.”
The song, released on Tidal, talks about coming up from rag to rich.
“I am not poison, just a boy from the hood that got my hands in the air, don’t shoot, I just wanna do good, “Jay Z says on the song.
The mogul explained the reasoning for the song on Tidal:
I made this song awhile ago, I never got to finish it.
Punch (TDE) told me I should drop it when Mike Brown died, sadly I told him, “this issue will always be relevant.” I’m hurt that I knew his death wouldn’t be the last……
I’m saddened and disappointed in THIS America – we should be further along.
WE ARE NOT.
I trust God and know everything that happens is for our greatest good, but man…. it’s tough right now.
Blessings to all the families that have lost loved ones to police brutality.
– j
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
– Fredrick Douglas
Beyonce, Jay’s wife and pop star, also addressed the issue on Thursday. “It is up to us to take a stand and demand that they ‘stop killing us,” she said on her site with a link to contact local Congress people.