Atlanta-bred rapper Latto is known to fire off at her detractors on social media. Over the weekend, the “Big Energy” hitmaker responded to one Twitter user’s attempt to shame her over clothes.
“Can’t afford new panties?” wrote the @extraathique account. The derogatory tweet included two photos of Latto apparently wearing the same pair of leopard-print underwear.
Latto saw the tweet about her panties and clapped back at the online troll. The 777 album creator responded with a quote-tweet that read, “Oh no, it’s the panty police.”
That tweet picked up more than 5,000 retweets and 76,000 likes off 7.9 million impressions. In addition, over 1,000 people commented about the exchange under her post.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards takes place on February 5 from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Latto heads into the ceremony with two nominations – Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best New Artist.
Doting dad, Diddy returned to Instagram at the weekend to share a new series of photos of his adorable new arrival, Love, three months after her birth.
The proud father captured his seventh child smiling sweetly for the camera while sitting on a woman’s lap. In another photo, the baby girl can be seen wearing a patterned shirt and orange bib as she sits in a car seat.
The newest Coombs sibling is the apple of her father’s eye, with Diddy naming his daughter after himself. The Bad Boy Records mogul officially changed his middle name from “John” to “Love” in 2021. She also has Sean “Diddy” Combs’ first name as her middle name.
“IM BIG LOVE! She’s BABY LOVE!!!,” he captioned the post.
Diddy surprised his fans after he took to Twitter to announce baby Love’s arrival last month. The little girl was born in October, but Diddy didn’t publicly reveal her birth for another two months.
“I’m so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world,’ he tweeted on Dec. 10. “Mama Combs, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie and myself all love you so much! God is the Greatest!”
The mother was revealed to be a 28-year-old cybersecurity expert named Dana Tran.
Diddy treated fans to their first glimpse of Love last Christmas, unveiling his daughter in a family photo before showing her face days later.
While the public was surprised by the new arrival, Yung Miami – who is in a very public, open relationship with Diddy – admitted Diddy told her about baby Love before her birth in October.
“I think communication is the key,” she said during an episode of her show Caresha Please. “I feel like when you dealing with somebody, communication is the key. It wasn’t a surprise.”
The City Girls rapper opened up about their connection earlier this month. “He’s very honest,” Yung Miami told People. “He’s upfront about everything, ain’t no secrets with him. Nothing in my face, everything in one. I can talk to him about it.”
She also revealed her shared faith with Diddy strengthens their bond.
“He takes me to church,” Miami said before adding, “We pray together. We put God first, for real. We pray, talk to God, and go to church. I can talk to him about anything.”
Actor and comedian Rickey Smiley is mourning the loss of his son Brandon Smiley.
The star of “The Rickey Smiley Show” made the announcement in a video shared on social media Sunday (Jan. 29). He revealed he had some “bad news” to deliver to his followers before announcing the passing of his son, who was also an actor and comedian, at the age of 32.
“I just had bad news this morning,” Smiley began. “I’m on my way to the airport to get to Birmingham. I want everybody to pray for me, pray for our family. Our son Brandon Smiley has passed away this morning. Lord have mercy, Jesus.”
“I hate to announce this, but I just want to give it to you before you hear it in the streets,” he continued. “My son Brandon Smiley has passed away this morning.”
Smiley did not specify his son’s cause of death but asked people to pray for him and his loved ones.
“I just want all my cousins and different family members to pray, be strong, and I’m OK,” Smiley added. “Pray for my son’s mother and my son’s siblings, everybody that was raised with Brandon.”
He also reflected on the death of his own father as he spoke about his grief.
“Now I see what my granddaddy went through and why he felt the way he felt,” Smiley said. “My granddaddy went through this s### with my dad and somehow, here I am going through the same thing my grandparents went through. So just pray for our family.”
The tragedy comes nearly three years after Rickey Smiley’s daughter Aaryn was shot multiple times while celebrating her 19th birthday in Houston, Texas. She survived the random act of gun violence, saying, “I’m happy to be alive.”
Nearly 25 years after its release, Cam’ron and Ma$e performed their classic collaboration, “Horse & Carriage,” at the Apollo Theater in New York City at the weekend.
The multi-platinum-selling artists teamed up with fellow NYC icon Jadakiss for a one-night-only concert at the iconic Harlem venue on Saturday, Jan. 28.
Jada introduced “Horse & Carriage,” directing the crowd to take themselves back to 1998 when the song came out.
“Listen Harlem: when SNS drop this s###, act like wherever you was at when you first heard this s### when it came out,” he instructed.
“Don’t go over the balcony but f###### go crazy,” he added. “This has never been seen before. This s### right here is a NFT. Whatever a NFT is, when y’all do this song, it’s a NFT!”
However, Cam’ron needed a little help from the audience, admitting he might forget the words.
“Imma keep it a hundred: I ain’t do this song in so long,” Cam’ron said on stage. “So Imma just act like y’all know it and do a little bit of this [dance].”
Meanwhile, Ma$e revealed it would be the first time he and Cam’ron would perform the track together live.
“Yo, we never got to perform this song,” Ma$e explained. We never got to perform this.”
Last week, Drake welcomed Cam’ron and the entire Diplomats crew onstage at the historic Harlem theatre. Drizzy donned Cam’ron’s iconic pink mink jacket and matching headband while giving the legendary New York artists their flowers. “These guys right here from Harlem made us dress different, talk different, walk different, rap different — all the way in Canada,” he told the audience.
An ecstatic Meek Mill is celebrating after his beloved Philadelphia Eagles beat the San Francisco 49ers, 31-7, to win the N.F.C. championship and a trip to the Super Bowl.
Meek took in Sunday night’s (Jan. 29) game from the Eagles suite, hobnobbing with the likes of Lil Baby, James Harden, Kevin Hart, and Michael Rubin. Fellow Philly Native Lil Uzi Vert escorted the Eagles out onto Lincoln Financial Field and to eventual victory.
As the clock turned to zero and the green confetti rained down over the stadium, the speakers blared out Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares,” which has become an anthem for the city of Philadelphia.
After the Eagles earned their win and a trip to Glendale, Arizona for their fourth Super Bowl, Meek Mill dropped a few bars over Tupac’s “Hit Em UP,” flipping the lyrics and encouraging other Eagles fans to do the same.
The Kansas City Chiefs will go up against the Eagles for the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LVII, their third in four years, after a thrilling 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 2023 Super Bowl kickoffs at 6:30 P.M. ET on Sunday, Feb. 12 from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
I do not know what, but they are up to something big. So, you know a lot of people feel like Verzuz was dead or dying. In the pandemic, it was one of the biggest online events that we had. And we are still talking about their incredible battles like Dipset vs The Lox, KRS-1 and Big Daddy Kane, Three 6 Mafia vs Bone Thugs. Regardless, it was a great run. And then it seemed to slow down drastically…then Reggaeton-type battles and then…….NOW.
Again, I do not know what Verzuz is up to, but I can speculate confidently that it will have something to do with Hip-Hop turning 50. To me, that just seems to make sense and the timing is right. Battle were Hip-Hop and so is Verzuz. What do you think? Perhaps they have some classic match-ups for us.
And, on that note, I got nothing else to report.
Don’t ask why Tip is in the picture…he never did a Verzuz.
Chance The Rapper had a legitimate question for Ice Spice following the release of her new video, “In Ha Mood.” Arriving on Saturday (January 28), the visual finds the burgeoning Bronx artist spitting, “He a rapper/But don’t got a chance.”
Lil Chano responded with a Twitter post, asking “Is this a diss or a shoutout” along with a poll for fans to vote “Diss” or “Shoutout.” He also tagged Ice Spice in the post.
Ice Spice ultimately caught wind of Chance The Rapper’s poll and shared a screenshot of it on her own Instagram Story. She wrote, “Never” at the bottom alongside a crying emoji.
Chance The Rapper quickly replied to the Capitol/10K rapper with another Instagram Story, “Just double checking. LOL.”
Ice Spice—widely recognized by her short, curly fire orange hair, has been making waves in recent months. Her breakout single, “Munch (Feelin’ U),” arrived last August. The track peaked at No. 34 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 5 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.
“In Ha Mood” dropped earlier this month and is included on her Like…? EP along with “Munch,” “Gangsta Boo” featuring Lil Tjay and “Bikini Bottom.”
As for Chance The Rapper, his latest album The Big Day arrived in 2019. Since then, he’s appeared on a several singles, including 2022’s “Wraith” with Vic Mensa. The two Chi-Town natives later created the Black Star Line Festival in Ghana, which took place on January 6. Performers included Erykah Badu, Dave Chappelle, T-Pain, Jeremih, Sarkodie, Tobe Nwigwe, Asakaa Boys and M.anifest. Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa’s inaugural effort proved to be a success, drawing more than 52,000 people.
Memphis, TN—NLE Choppa has been on a mission to change the world. On Saturday (January 28), he earned a few karma points by hosting a peaceful protest in Memphis following the police killing of Tyre Nichols. The rapper announced the event in a Twitter video, saying, “Today, I felt it on my heart to turn a negative situation into a positive. I actually went to sleep dwelling on how I could wake up today and do that.”
At the same time, NLE Choppa launched a new hashtag for Nichols, who was an avid skateboarder. He continued, “So, I came up with a hashtag, #SkateForTyre. I came up with a location where I want everyone in Memphis that wants to be a part to meet me at for a peaceful march, a peaceful walk, and a peaceful skate through the streets […] I just want to skate for Tyre and respect to him and know that’s how he would’ve wanted everybody to act.”
Hours later, NLE Choppa shared another video thanking everyone who showed up for the event. He told the crowd, “We are standing for something and we are not falling for nothing.”
Tyre Nichols was pulled over on the evening of January 7 for suspected reckless driving. According to CNN, Nichols fled on foot following a “confrontation” with the officers. He was apprehended and promptly arrested following what is being described as “another confrontation.” But, as the video shows, the “confrontation” was a senseless beating that resulted in the Nichols’ death on January 10.
The Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into the incident. A funeral for Nichols is scheduled to take place on Wednesday (February 1). The officers involved in his death will be arraigned on February 17.
Lizzo and Sam Smith are among the artists set to perform at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Officials from the Recording Academy announced that the “About Damn Time” hitmaker, who is nominated for five awards this year, and Sam Smith, who garnered a nod for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Unholy” alongside Kim Petras, will take to the stage during the ceremony next week.
In addition, several other current nominees – including Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, and Steve Lacy – will also perform.
Additional performers will be announced in the coming days.
The 2023 Grammy Awards, to be hosted by Trevor Noah, will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February.5th.
Eddie Murphy has insisted he never “made fun” of Michael Jackson with his impersonations.
The comedian imitated the late King of Pop during his days on “Saturday Night Live” in the early ’80s.
But during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Eddie argued that his impersonation was always “funny.”
“If you look at the stuff I did on Michael, it was never mean-spirited. It was always funny stuff because I knew him. I never made fun of him,” he said. “But I wasn’t making fun of him. He was Michael, and I was doing funny, Michael.”
Eddie also claimed Michael’s real speaking voice was lower than what he used in public.
“His voice wasn’t high like that in person (it was lower),” the 61-year-old continued.
Elsewhere in the interview, Eddie revealed that he owns the real version of the painting The Sugar Shack by Ernie Barnes that was featured on the 1970s sitcom Good Times.
A replica painted by Ernie sold at auction in May 2022 for $15.2 million.
“I have that painting now. The duplicate of that painting Ernie Barnes, who painted the original, painted the duplicate, and the duplicate just sold at Christie’s for $16 million. I have the real one. I think I paid $50,00 for that. After Marvin Gaye passed away, I brought it from his estate,” he explained.
“So, you’re rich then?” Jimmy asked jokingly, to which Eddie quipped, “I got that painting.”
Todrick Hall has claimed his late friend Stephen “tWitch” Boss faced pressure for supporting Ellen DeGeneres during her TV show scandal.
In 2020, some former employees on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” came forward with allegations about working on the talk show, claiming it was a toxic workplace.
Boss, who served as the show’s longtime DJ, was criticized for standing by the host during the controversy. While speaking to Page Six for an interview, Hall claimed his late pal faced a lot of pressure during that time.
“People were looking at him like, ‘Why are you still supporting this woman,'” Hall recalled, “and I think he was under a lot of pressure.”
DeGeneres apologized over the scandal, and after an investigation, three top producers of the show were fired. The series came to an end in May 2022 after almost 19 years on air.
Addressing his friend’s death, Hall continued, “I don’t know what was going on in his life that may (have led) him to make that decision but I do understand. Right now, when I get online some days like right now, if I was in the wrong position of where this abuse would keep happening for years and years and years, there’s only so much a human being can take.”
Days before his death, the DJ and his 34-year-old wife, Allison Holker, celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary.
The pair, who met while filming the reality television dance competition ‘So You Think You Can Dance,” shared three children – Weslie, 14, Maddox, six, and Zaia, three.
The reaction to Todrick Hall’s comments about his friend’s passing was met with resistance on the internet.
Shame on #TodrickHall for blaming @EllenDeGeneres workplace drama for a suicide he knew nothing about just to get the heat off himself. What a narcissistic d#####.
Spike Lee is to be honored with the British Film Institute’s Fellowship.
The “Do the Right Thing” writer and director will receive the organization’s highest honor in recognition of his “pioneering” body of work.
“Lee has such a distinctive voice as an auteur, unafraid to challenge ideas of race, gender, and class throughout his career with his unique cinematic style,” said BFI chair Tim Richards in a statement. “A true renaissance man and pioneer, he has excelled in so many art forms, staying original, fresh, and as relevant to contemporary audiences as those who have enjoyed his work for over 30 years. I am delighted to be celebrating his enormous talent and individuality with a BFI Fellowship.”
Lee will be presented with the fellowship at a special celebration event on February 23rd at the BFI Southbank in London.
The event will feature a Q&A with Lee and a screening of his 1999 crime thriller “Summer of Sam.”
“I’m Blessed To Live Up To My Ancestors Credo ‘DEEDS, NOT WORDS’. I Thank The BFI For Helping Me in Continuing My Generations Of Family Legacy. Peace And Love. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF,” Lee added.
During his visit to the U.K., the “BlacKkKlansman” director will also meet the teams at the BFI National Archive, who he has been liaising with about a new 35mm print of his 1992 movie “Malcolm X.”
The print will premiere at the BFI’s inaugural Film on Film Festival in June.
The Republic National Committee has made its stance on Kanye West and known white supremacist Nick Fuentes crystal clear. According toUSA Today, the RNC approved a resolution opposing “all forms” of anti-Semitism on Friday (January 27).
The GOP’s blanket rebuke of prejudice against Jewish people condemns West and Fuentes, who’ve made anti-Semitic remarks in the past. Fuentes, in fact, denies the Holocaust ever took place, while West praised Hitler during an appearance on InfoWars.
DESPICABLE: Kanye West says I like Hitler
AJA obtained a copy of the infamous video
Kanye West (masked) on set with Alex Jones' Info Wars says:
– I like Hitler – I'm not trying to be shocking… the Holocaust is not what happened – Hitler has a lot of redeeming qualities pic.twitter.com/fKL5xeiAoI
The resolution reads: “Anti-Semitism has no place in our political party, American politics or any political discourse. Rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has repeatedly made statements that are antisemitic, shameful, wrong, offensive, bigoted, and contrary to American and Republican principles.
“Among these statements, ‘The Jewish media has made us feel like the Nazis and Hitler have never offered anything of value to the world. We’ve got to stop dissing the Nazis all of the time.”
It continues: “White supremacist Nicholas ‘Nick’ Fuentes has repeatedly made statements that are antisemitic, shameful, wrong, offensive, bigoted, and contrary to American and Republican principles. Among these, laughingly comparing Jews killed at concentration camps to baking cookies in an oven.”
Kanye West became public enemy number one in October 2022 after tweeting he planned to go “Defcon 3 on Jews.” Several other inflammatory comments followed, and companies started severing their ties with Ye at a dizzying rate. Since then, Kanye West has finalized his divorce from Kim Kardashian and “married” Yeezy employee Bianca Censori. He also announced he’s running in the 2024 presidential election in November 2022.
Kanye West and Drake had one of the most publicized rap beefs in recent memory, and West’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian often found herself at the center of it. In 2018, West was furious after he realized Drake followed her on Instagram.
“I never knew till this morning that Drake followed my wife on Instagram back in September,” he tweeted at the time. “I had to bring this up because it’s the most f##### up thing of all and I just saw it this morning. Imagine having a problem with somebody and they follow your wife on Instagram.”
Although Kanye West and Drake allegedly buried the hatchet in December 2021 with the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert in Los Angeles, they’re often still considered enemies. So last week when Kardashian shared an Instagram Story with Drake’s “More M’s” playing in the background, some people found it not only weird but also a little pathetic. The track features 21 Savage rapping: “Put her Skims on/now she actin’ like Kim,” which seems to be a favorite Kardashian flex.
Kardashian’s Instagram Story was later shared to Reddit, where she was promptly dragged.
“Very interesting that she’d repost a Drake track when she was actively trying to distance herself from him during the Ye years,” one person wrote. “I mean, it makes sense cuz your husband has beef with him but now it’s giving high school revengy vibes.”
Another wrote: “It’s giving s##### sister vibes. He literally had Tristan Trashcan in his music video pretty much putting polygamy or cheating on a pedestal. Misogynistic and disgusting. She should be ashamed promoting him AT ALL. She cares nothing about Khloe.”
And yet another added: “No matter how hard this family tries, they remind us they are from new money and insecure af. This is so low grade of her, but I expect nothing better.”
Kanye West has slammed Drake in the past for, well, just about everything. In 2018, West accused Drake of mistreating people with mental illnesses, showing fake love, texting his mother-in-law Kris Jenner and threatening him.
The rift seemed to grow following Pusha T’s scathing diss track, “The Story of Adidon,” in which King Push revealed Drake had a “secret son,” ultimately forcing the Toronto superstar to admit he’d fathered a child with former p### actress Sophie Brussaux. But West, who produced Pusha’s DAYTONA album, denied he gave Push any information about Drake’s personal life.
North West will make her voice acting debut in “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.”
Nickelodeon Movies, Paramount Pictures, and Spin Master Entertainment have announced that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s nine-year-old daughter North West will be joining the reality star on the cast of “PAW Patrol’s” second movie.
North will portray a new character, while Kim will reprise her role as sassy poodle Delores from 2021’s “PAW Patrol: The Movie.”
Her son Saint, seven, will also have a cameo voice role.
The animated children’s television series is a big hit with Kim’s family, and she signed up for a voice role in the first film in honor of her four kids.
According to the upcoming film’s logline, “The Mighty Movie” sees a magical meteor crash into Adventure City, transforming the PAW Patrol pups into superpowered beings while Humdinger and Victoria Vance become supervillains.
“This year marks the 10th anniversary of the ‘PAW Patrol’ franchise, and what better way to celebrate than the release of our second feature film,” producer Jennifer Dodge said in a statement obtained by Variety. “As we continue to expand the ‘PAW Patrol’ universe for fans, we’ll follow the pups on mightier missions and explore their backstories, this time with a heartwarming tale centered around our heroine Skye. With this cast of dynamic voice talent, we’re bringing a whole new level of excitement to the big screen.”
Kristen Bell, Serena Williams, Christian Convery, Mckenna Grace, James Marsden, Lil Rel Howery, Taraji P. Henson and Marsai Martin have also been confirmed for the voice cast.
Willow Smith hopes to honor the “beautiful lineage” of women in rock music with her new album.
The actress/singer dropped her fifth studio album Coping Mechanism late last year, with the record including singles “Maybe It’s My Fault” and “Curious/Furious,” and exploring the rock, punk, grunge, and metal genres.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the album during an interview with Vanity Fair, Willow acknowledged the women who have experimented with rock music before her.
“I would say that every woman of color who has picked up a guitar or picked up the drums or picked up the bass or started to sing or wanted to express herself through this genre of music is in a beautiful lineage,” she said. “We’ve been silenced for a long time, and that’s ending.”
Willow isn’t the only rockstar in her family – her mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, formed the metal band Wicked Wisdom in 2002.
Elsewhere in the conversation, the 22-year-old cautiously waded into the “nepo baby” debate and insisted that the children of celebrities have their own struggles too.
“Life is not easy for anyone. We all have our own stuff,” the star added.
OG DAYV is back at it with a new single plus a striking visual for his new track “Lazy Susan.” The Bay Area rising star teams up with The Dakota Wytefoxx for the multifaceted song, making it OG DAYV’s first release of the new year, and he’s coming in with a bang.
After basking in the success of his recent noteworthy collaboration with Future on “Limoncello” as part of the official soundtrack for BlackPanther: Wakanda Forever Marvel film, OG DAYV is stepping back into the limelight.
Produced by Ben 10K and Danes Blood, “Lazy Susan” is a track that quite literally revolves around the concept of doing things effortlessly. If you’re not familiar with what a “Lazy Susan” is, it’s a common household product that’s basically a turntable (rotating tray) placed on a table or countertop to aid in distributing food. OG Dayv took the meaning of this and turned it into a creative rendition of a song.
“To me ‘Lazy Susan’ means effortless and easy,” OG DAYV says in an interview. “Performing a task and making it look simple. The design idea behind a Lazy Susan is brilliant and I use one every day, so I said lemme take this inspiration and turn it into something clean. Dakota and I make this rap s### look exceptionally easy … lazy susan.”
Letting loose at the end of the video, the two rap stars reveal their goofy side by showcasing kooky dance moves, par for the course that ‘lazy Susan’s were once referred to as ‘dumbwaiters.’ OG DAYV emulates Thomas Jeffereson’s self-service gadget to ease his sloth of kitchen duties.
“I wanted some crazy visuals to accompany the crazy track,” OG DAYV says. “Mikey is an outstanding director and my team knew he could capture a crazy concept. We needed something visually stunning but also inspirational and in the pocket. Are you even a rapper if you don’t have the brand new Beamer with an 0 on the mileage? Kidding but only halfway, the video is crazy and it aligns with what I wanted to accomplish. Doing difficult s**t and making it look effortless.”
“…Dave delivers powerful bars,” – Variety
“Coogler is something of a renegade on the Richmond scene,” – SFWeekly
The visual and song itself is already gaining some traction and catching the attention of heavy hitters.
Pete Davidson has seemingly had his tattoos dedicated to Kim Kardashian removed.
While the comedian was dating the reality TV star between October 2021 and last August, Pete paid tribute to Kim with an Aladdin-themed tattoo on his collarbone in honor of their meeting as part of a “Saturday Night Live” spoof in which they played characters Aladdin and Jasmine.
In addition, Pete also had “KNSCP” inked underneath the body art, with fans speculating that the acronym represented Kim and her children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
Yet, eagle-eyed followers noted that the 29-year-old no longer had the inkings in photographs published online over the weekend showing him swimming in the ocean in Hawaii while on vacation along with rumored new love interest Chase Sui Wonders.
It remains unclear if “The King of Staten Island” star still has the “MY GIRL IS A LAWYER” tattoo that he got in recognition of Kim’s legal career in March 2022.
Pete has not yet commented on the decision to remove the tattoos.
Bay Area Hip-Hop artist Jahi, his company Microphone Mechanics and The African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO) have established the first Bay Area Hip Hop Archives at the AAMLO. The launch takes places on Friday (February 3) from noon to 2pm PST at 659 14th Street in Oakland.
The Bay Area Hip Hop Archives chronicles local artists, culture keepers, activists and educators who’ve made significant contributions Bay Area Hip-Hop. The collections will include previously unheard sound recordings, interviews, research notes, photographs and negatives, playbills, posters, maps, booking contracts, business records, tour routes and other memorabilia.
“This has been an idea brewing for the last few years after talking to so many Bay Area artists, activists and educators in the Bay who are often overlooked, minimized or unseen after the ‘headliners’ of the Bay are mentioned,” Jahi tells AllHipHop. “While on a Hip Hop Alliance call, Chuck D, KRS-One and Kurtis Blow posted the question: ‘What can we do for Hip Hop?’ This became my clear answer, as it speaks to community and legacy.”
Among the inaugural class are Bay Area legends Paris, Souls of Mischief’s Phesto, the late Pam The Funkstress, Digital Underground’s Mystic, DJ D Sharp, Davey D and Suga T.
“Jahi and AAMLO are doing the vital job of archiving culturally relevant Hip-Hop, work necessary to preserve our art’s history and legacy in our voices, while also giving a platform to underrepresented perspectives in the genre,” Paris says. “As a foundational Hip-Hop artist from Frisco who has consistently produced art germane to the Black condition, I’m honored to be a part of the archive’s inaugural class. I look forward to doing my part to amplify the archive’s footprint and awareness.”
The first Hip-Hop artifact is Pam The Funkstress’ original DJ set-up, which will be on display for Black History Month. Pam, who passed away in 2017 following surgery for an unknown medical condition, gained national recognition for her turntable techniques as a vital component of The Coup. But, as Jahi, explains, that’s just the beginning.
“I can tell you that many of our culture keepers in the Bay have done an excellent job preserving their artifacts,” he says. “So it will be a comprehensive and immersive experience that has never been done before at the African American Museum and Library at Oakland, the only Black museum we have in Oakland. I can also tell you that Davey D has some things that will surely blow folks minds, and we are working to acquire all the tapes to Home Turf, a Bay Area Hip-Hop show hosted by Dominique DiPrima in the last ’80s early ’90s. There’s some classic footage there.
“I’m working to archive all the great strutters, poppers, lockers and boogaloo dancers of the Bay who originated a style of dancing that’s used all over the world, I’m working with KQED and their ‘That’s My Word Series’ to archive some of the artists they feature as well. It will be a cross section of blue collar Hip-Hop practitioners with headliners, names everyone knows. And, we want to include the Hip-Hop activists who’ve helped to shape the movement of the Bay.”
The Bay Area Hip Hop Archives launch just happens to fall in the same year as the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, something not lost on Jahi.
“We are planting our flag in the Bay Area for the 50th Anniversary as a sign of unity and activity,” Jahi adds. “We are bringing the Hip-Hop community together, and from the origins of our culture until now, that has always been important. So we are saying here in the Bay to the global Hip-Hop community, this is one of our many contributions as we recognize the 50th Anniversary and salute Cindy Campbell and DJ Kool Herc while we lift up culture keepers and heroes and she-roes right here in Northern California.”
Each artist who does a special collection at the AAMLO will share their Hip-Hop timeline, influences, important moments of their legacy and then connect artifacts to their collection.
“It will stay forever fresh because most of the world has never seen collections of this nature,” Jahi concludes. “The stories, significance of Bay Area Hip Hop is multi-layered, complex and innovative at its roots.”
