Editorial
Omarion Vs. Mario VERZUZ Still Trending Days After One-Sided Debacle #VERZUZ
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Scott Gries / Getty VERZUZ, the friendly music competition sparked at the height of the pandemic and later evolving into a performance format, found its once-formidable hold on viewers waning. However, it appears that the platform is all the rage once again in the wake of the one-sided Omarion vs. Mario debacle. We won’t get into an exhaustive recap but essentially, Omarion, the former B2K star, locked horns with fellow vocalist Mario in an entertaining display of the pair’s catalog. Ahead of that battle, Ray J and Bobby V took on Pleasure P and Sammie in a battle that inspired a host of jokes, memes, and the requisite slander on Twitter. While some observers believe that Ray, Bobby, Pleasure, and Sammie started out strong, it was clear that the pip...
TEMS’ Last Year Has Been Historic, The Afrobeat Star Is Just Getting Started
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Burak Cingi / Getty Black women have always stood at the center of all musical movements in this world. From as early as Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton, to Betty Davis and Donna Summer, they’ve created and contributed to the direction of Rock, Soul, Disco, Hip-Hop and R&B even when their impact wasn’t acknowledged or respected. The revival of Black music that’s coming from the United Kingdom and the continent of Africa with “Afrobeat” is a continuation of that culture, which began with Fela Kuti, but is now reaching its highest levels with artists like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, and now TEMS. Born Temilade Openiyi, the singer’s guest appearance on Wizkid’s song “Essence” in 2021 brought her international fame, and her guest appearances on Drak...
Reefer Madness: Laura Ingraham Attacks Marijuana Instead Of Focusing On Gun Violence
Source: Alex Wong / Getty Laura Ingraham previously demonstrated an ability to use her platform irresponsibly and did so again during a broadcast. During a segment of her show, Ingraham attacked marijuana legalization and attempted to link the action to the recent uptick in gun violence. During a The Ingraham Angle segment on Tuesday (May 31), the host made the fumbling attempt to connect marijuana with the rash of mass shootings cropping up across America. Instead of using the time to delve into the haphazard laws and regulations surrounding gun control, Ingraham took a lower road. Speaking with Dr. Russell Kamer, the medical director of Partners in Safety, a group that fashions drug testing initiatives for employers, was framed to demonize all things cannabis. “Why aren’t people i...
If Kendrick Lamar Is The Boogeyman Of Rap, Lil Baby Is Freddy Krueger
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Prince Williams / Getty In every generation, you have talents who can transcend the hurdles that separate good from great. Kendrick Lamar has elevated himself to a rare level in the years since he first hit the mainstream market, inducing the type of fan favor people like Nas and Jay-Z bring with their releases. Joe Budden’s recent declaration that Kendrick is the Boogeyman of rap is a comparison few would disagree with. However, there’s another generational talent, who’s made himself a force in his own right, haunting the rap game with his verses and terrorizing rappers with nightmares and that’s Lil Baby. Related Stories In the five years since Lil Baby has been out, he’s become the name people can say as their favorite, but only once out of fear they’l...
This Ain’t It Joe: Joe Budden Dragged To Oblivion For “Victim Bullying” Comment
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty Joe Budden is once again trending for yet another wayward comment, this time it was for calling out “victim bullies”. On a recent episode of “The Joe Budden Podcast,” the “Flex” rapper and unashamed Tory Lanez supporter decided to ruffle a few feathers at the expense of both Black women and domestic violence victims when he decided to compare Megan Thee Stallion’s recent Interview with CBS to the history of domestic violence reported between Evelyn Lozada and Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson; an issue he calls “victim bullying.” Related Stories Budden kicked things off by showing his disproval for Megan’s ability to speak her truth after the court had to place a gag order on the alleged shooter, Lanez, for talking too much. “He cannot sp...
The Guy Mike Tyson 2-Pieced Is A Whole Crook
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: TMZ / TMZ When word broke that Mike Tyson had blessed a fellow airline passenger with a 2-piece and a biscuit (for those unfamiliar, that’s slang for catching a beat down), the first thought from many was, “What did the other guy do?” Soon enough, it became clear that the allegedly drunken passenger had provoked the boxing legend, and now it’s come to light that he has a lengthy rap sheet, too. The man who got blessed by Iron Mike’s hands is a 36-year-old named Melvin Townsend, III, and buddy has committed all the crimes. According to TMZ, his rap sheet includes “fraud, grand theft, burglary, possession of controlled substances and trafficking in stolen property.” And these aren’t allegations because he has been convicted of all the aforementioned charges...
Wiz Khalifa, Smoke DZA & Big K.R.I.T. Restore The Blog Era Vibes With New Project
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Marcus Ingram / Getty Anytime we can get a joint project with Wiz Khalifa, Smoke DZA, and Big K.R.I.T., we are in luck. The ten-song project Full Court Press links three of the most influential blog era artists with one goal: Making melodic music for the spring. A decade and a half ago, rap blogs were king, introducing the world to some of the rap game’s biggest new talents. Wiz, KRIT, and Smoke DZA came on the scene, introduced the world to their sound and etched out their own lanes. Wiz’s 2010 mixtape, Kush and OJ, Krit’s KRIT WUZ Here, and DZA’s George Kush Da Bottom, were among the most praised. Their projects reintroduced the stoner aesthetic that groups like Cypress Hill and Luniz used before them and brought in a stylistic change of easygoing vibes...
Twitter Discusses The Hijacking Of AAVE, Debates Proper Usage
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Westend61 / Getty AAVE, also known as African-American Vernacular English, is an often controversial discussion not so much due to its usage but how AAVE is properly applied. As the English language in America is replete with regional influences, AAVE falls under that distinction and a discussion on the style of speaking is currently trending on Twitter. Twitter user @IvoryTheJunior posted an interesting thought regarding AAVE On Monday (April 11) and the discussion that was sparked from the tweet is still bubbling today (April 12). “Watching non-black people “adopt” (*kidnap) AAVE is so funny to me because there are legit some AAVE terms/phrases that I, a Black person, just don’t use because they don’t sound right coming from me. Y’all mouths be in...
Where To? Black People, Racism & The Metaverse
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: PixelsEffect / Getty For years, people of color have been fighting to be heard on Facebook (ahem, Meta)—beyond the ubiquitous hot takes on pop culture and viral video clips. According to groups like Color of Change, the social media site has been punishing users who inform, denounce and call out racism in their corner of Facebook. USA Today reports that the regulation goes as far as account suspension whenever the phrase “white people” appears in a status update—even when describing personal real-life prejudicial scenarios. So if our communities already feel as if they don’t have a place on Facebook, where would they fit in within the metaverse? The growing popularity of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have opened the floodgates for people to take their race-b...
Will Packer Addresses Will Smith Oscar Slap Controversy After Initially Joking About It
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Handout / Getty Will Packer was supposed to be basking in the glow of producing a lavish event in the 94th Academy Awards, which was marked by the smacking of host Chris Rock by Will Smith. Packer, who initially made what some took as a joke regarding the shocking incident, explained to critics who blasted him for the comment. In the aftermath of the slap seen around the world, Packer took to Twitter and joined in with the chatter that has persisted since the conclusion of the Oscars ceremony. Related Stories “Welp…I said it wouldn’t be boring #Oscars,” Packer tweeted shortly after the Oscars, prompting a flurry of responses both in agreement and anger at the moment. One user wrote, “Making jokes about an assault that happened during your show isn’t the c...
MAGA Stooge & Former Struggle Rapper Kid Rock Says He Can’t Be Canceled
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Tucker Carlson, he of punchable face, knows how to stir up dust when it’s time to go on air. In an upcoming interview, the Fox News host sits down with Kid Rock who boasts that no matter how hard folks try that he can’t and won’t ever be canceled. Carlson, who is really excited to have the MAGA rocker and former struggle rapper on his program, tweeted out a teaser that zeroes in on Kid Rock’s bold assertion. Related Stories “I am uncancelable,” Kid Rock says to Carlson in the clip. “I’m not in bed with any big corporate things. At the end of the day, there’s nobody I’m beholden to…no record companies, no corporate interests, no nothing. You can’t cancel me. I love it when they try.” As most know, those who lean on the conservative sid...
Edgeless Traitor: Candace Owens Shows Alleged Allegiance To Putin With “Russian Lives Matter” Quip
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Jason Davis / Getty Candace Owens, she of deficient edges and general good sense, makes it her business to a disruptive presence in media with hardline ideals and fealty to all things conservative. The wayward pundit used her massive Twitter platform to show support for Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine, willfully tweeting “Russian Lives Matter” at the end of her misguided missive. Back on March 9, Owens shared this doozy of a tweet that we won’t dignify with a direct link but will share in the body of this text: Absolutely appalling the way Russians are being treated in America and abroad. That our leaders and government institutions are allowing for—and at times calling for this discrimination following their global “black lives matter” hysteria...
