Iggy Azalea has been criticized for her co-opting of “Dirty South” American hip-hop slang and affectations, when the Australian-born rapper obviously has a different cultural background.
Braxton’s had the singles and “Stacy Sippin'” with Raheem DeVaughn all over the Web, but she got a different kind of attention a couple of weeks ago after she performed at Howard University
Rah Digga had some choice words for Iggy Azalea. During a recent interview with ThisIs50, Rah criticized Azalea for not being herself on her records.
Speaking with VladTV, Tiny praised Iggy Azalea for her ability to appropriate a southern black accent when she raps–despite being a white girl from Australia.
Following rumors that surfaced of rapper Young Thug threatening to shoot a transgender in Atlanta and accusations that he was a notorious gay-basher, the hip-hop star posted a video on Instagram that has the public asking questions. More than the clip, the caption that was included is what has tongues wagging.
Rapper Snoop Dogg debuted a new alter-ego this weekend on Instagram, a white character named “Todd.” In a series of Instagram posts, Snoop–as “Todd”–promoted a site called WhitePeopleConnect.com and listed his hobbies as crocheting and paintball.
Iggy Azalea’s questionable lyrics and faux Dirty South accent have come under scrutiny from those who believe she’s a culture thief. But in speaking with Complex, T.I. made it clear that he has no tolerance for the Iggy hate.
This week, country(?) pop star Taylor Swift premiered the video for her new single “Shake It Off,” the leadoff for her latest album 1989. The video features Swift in a variety of aesthetics, including rocking a baseball cap and ghetto blaster boombox while b-boys (that look like Abercrombie models) breakdance around her.
Public Enemy frontman Chuck D has been vocal in his criticism of mainstream urban radio in the past, but over the last several days, the rapper/speaker has taken aim at New York City’s Hot 97 in the wake of last week’s Summer Jam concert.
Pastor Jamal H. Bryant, of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, kick-started a firestorm of controversy by quoting a Chris Brown hook during a sermon.
Hot 97’s music director, Karlie Hustle, explains why Hot 97 critics should check themselves
XXL has released its “20 Greatest Female Rappers of All Time’ list, and it doesn’t appear that the most popular publication in hip-hop takes its subject all that seriously. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a greatest female rappers list isn’t afforded the same attention to detail that other hip-hop lists seem to receive; but fans would probably at least hope that a publication with as lofty a reputation as XXL takes the time to put real effort and thought into compiling a showcase for all of the dope female emcees that have shaped the genre.
The Clippers players decided to wear armbands to cover the Clippers logo, then dumped their official team warm-up gear at half-court before they game. They wore inside-out warm-up jerseys instead.
Dr. James Peterson is an MSNBC contributor and Director of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of English at Lehigh University. While discussing the role of black intellectuals in public discourse, Peterson recently spoke about a February article in the New York Times, a piece by Dr. Eddie Glaude entitled “Black Intellectuals Have Sold Their Souls,” and addressed his own record as more than just a pundit for the 24-hr news cycle. He stated that his own status as on MSNBC should not obscure his work in the community.
Over the past several months, Dr. Cornel West has been vocal in his disapproval and outright disdain for President Barack Obama, and Dr. West’s fellow intellectuals and cultural commentators, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson and Rev. Al Sharpton. Dr. West’s criticisms were addressed yesterday by Dr. Dyson, as he spoke about the state of black intellectualism at Rev. Sharpton’s National Action Network Conference.
Drake lashed out at music publication Rolling Stone after the iconic magazine replaced its Drake cover at the last minute with a tribute cover to Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died of a heroin overdose on February 2nd. Drake criticized Rolling Stone in a series of tweets that were subsequently deleted, but Questlove voiced his support for Drizzy by taking Rolling Stone to task on his own Twitter page.
Kokane of Above the Law took Ice Cube to task for the way Cube has allegedly handled the production of the highly-anticipated upcoming N.W.A. biopic. According to Kokane, Cube and the film’s producers have failed to include the family of the late Eazy E, who founded N.W.A. and Ruthless Records in the late 1980s.
With the success of ABCs “Scandal,” and other shows like Tyler Perry’s “The Haves and Have Nots” and BETs “Being Mary Jane,” has brought an intense amount of scrutiny to shows that feature black actresses as leads. Cries of “negative portrayal” have become louder and louder, due to the fact that many of the female characters on these shows are involved in extra-marital affairs.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have generated much debate in hip-hop circles since the release of 2012s The Heist. The Seattle-based duo became indie rap poster boys after their single “Thrift Shop” became a mainstream smash, but not everyone celebrated the pair’s success.
Blue Ivy, the two year old daughter of superstar couple Jay Z and Beyonce, is arguably the most famous baby on the planet. While Prince William and Kate Middleton’s son, George, and North West, the baby daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are also vying for the title, there can be little debate that baby Blue gets the most scrutiny–and sadly, the most derision.
