music – writer's BLOCK

Black Twitter Takes On: The 2015 BET Awards

Black Twitter can and will turn any event into a roast session, but the jokes told during the BET Awards are probably my favorite ones. Many people consider it to be a big family reunion but instead of exchanging food and stories, we get together and make comical observations of everything that happens during the show. Although it was hard narrowing them down, below are some of my favorite jokes.

The slander started early with Black Twitter claiming Bobby Valentino is the first victim of the night during the red carpet pre- show.

Classic man, classic jokes.

The Zendaya slander is proof that you’re never too cute to get joked on.

Every celebrity has that one questionable outfit, do we should just give August a pass.

I won’t even try to cape for Tamar; she sets herself up for stuff like this.

Same.

J.Cole: the Leonardo DiCaprio of the BET Awards

Diddy got a double dose of jokes that night when he not only fell down during the Bad Boy tribute but was stuck standing behind Smokey Robinson during his acceptance speech.

Thoughts on the Lil Wayne & Young Thug Dispute

I know Young Thug has changed the title to Barter 6 at the last minute, but I’m still going to reach and complain about it. I have to get this out of my system.

When Young Thug first burst on the scene, it was no secret that he modeled himself after his idol Lil Wayne, but the attempt to call his mixtape Carter 6 was a step too far. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but that was just disrespectful. The “Tha Carter” series is a major part of Wayne’s legacy and as one of his fans, I feel as though it is nothing to be tampered with. What bothers me the most is the fact that Tha Carter V isn’t even out yet. If Young Thug wanted to be controversial so bad, he could have at least done it in numerical order. But of course, I can’t put all of the blame on him; part of the blame goes to ever- so- wonderful Brian “Birdman” Williams for encouraging all of this foolishness just to capitalize off of it.

Now, from another perspective, this could just be karma finally catching up to Weezy for how he knocked Juvenile out of the Cash Money spotlight. For those who may not know or remember, Wayne also bit off of Juvie by titling his third album 500 Degreez four years after the release of Juvenile’s 400 Degreez. Either way, I’m hoping this beef will light a flame in Lil Wayne’s heart and he comes back in full effect with his newest album.

Favorite Artist Friday: Tyler, the Creator

I wasn’t sure who to choose as the first artist to feature in FAF, but seeing that today is Tyler, the Creator’s 24th birthday, it was only right to write about him.

I like to think that Tyler, the Creator is what would happen if you put RZA, Eminem, and Pharrell in a blender with some jazz playing in the background. His influence is not only immense, but ironic; his entire livelihood is based around not wanting to be like everyone else, but now, everyone wants to be like him. Well, at least dress like him. Have you seen the Odd Future clothing line? Among other things, it features tube socks and cat t- shirts. Honestly, anyone who can get black kids to dress like that deserves some kind of an award. Anyways, I’m glad that he blew up the way he did because hip- hop music became so binary(with few exceptions) in the sense that listeners had only been left with either “thugs- and drugs” rap or conscious rap. Mind you, artists from both of these subgenres only hail from the streets. Not much diversity there.

Thankfully, Tyler, and so many of the other new- wave rappers, has ushered more diversity and fluidity into hip- hop.

His music is not for the faint of heart, to say the least. I won’t deny the fact that he says some things that make me cringe (i.e., that line about Jesus in “Yonkers”). The fact that his lyrics can be quite insensitive and have the tendency to be comical hides the fact that Tyler is actually a great lyricist. He’s a great producer, as well. Nothing has, can, or will sound quite like a Tyler, the Creator beat. He creates a distinctive sound that’s about as haunting as his Wolf Haley voice. (Watch the video if you’re unfamiliar with it.)

Fans of Tyler, the Creator will never have to worry about getting bored with him, because he is unpredictable. He’s funny. Unfortunately, many people look over the fact that he’s passionate about his work. Most people only see him acting silly with his friends or somewhere out skating, but he has a lot on his plate. If he’s not working on his own music, he’s helping with other Odd Future member son their own projects. Or performing. Or designing clothes. Or working on Loiter Squad. Or putting together the Odd Future Carnival. Or involving himself in some other endeavor. Tyler is a wonderful example of how being yourself, your true self, will get you far in life. He’s out here making money off of the things people used to make fun of him for and he’s happy, word to Pharrell. Tell me that that isn’t inspiring.

Azealia Banks: Defending Black Culture One Slander at a Time

“At the very fucking least, you owe me the right to my fucking identity. And to not exploit that shit. That’s all we’re holding on to with hip-hop and rap.” – Azealia Banks, Hot 97 interview

Being somewhat of a fan of Azealia Banks may have caused me to be a tad bit biased towards her tweets. Reading her twitter rants entertain me in a way similar way to seeing my best friend drag somebody else after enduring days of insults from said person. But of course, not all people take interest in the way the ever- problematic Ms. Banks goes about addressing her issues with other artists. Her rants have given her a bad rep, and because of this, people tend to overlook the truth in her cathartic episodes. In her most notable rant to date, she complains about how Iggy Azaelea is playing a major role in the “cultural smudging” happening in hip- hop music. She was interviewed by Hot 97’s Ebro and Peter Rosenberg and broke down in tears twice when she explained why she was so upset by the current state of rap music. And you know what? She has every right to be angry, and anyone who has a genuine love for black music, and black culture as a whole, should feel the exact same way. Do I see why people are upset by the way she went about it? Yeah, I do, but the cursing and the slander worked in her favor; it drew attention to what she had to say. And if you think her rants are affecting her career in a negative way, and that she needs to take a break from the “bitter black woman” thing, you’re wrong. She has every right to be bothered. Exposing the white- washing of hip- hop culture is bigger to her than her career, honestly. She probably won’t even have a career if she just sits back and lets this misappropriation of culture continue without having a word or two about it. Long story short, Azealia Banks should not be hated for defending something that she truly loves, especially if there’s barely anybody else doing the same. Here’s a link to the interview: (Skip to 8:30 if you’re only interested in the part about black culture)

Christmas Songs Every Hip- Hop Fan Should Know

RUN DMC christmas After about 14 years on this earth, I had come to the conclusion that I was tired of hearing the same 10 Christmas songs every freaking year. Yuletide carols and songs about Bethlehem and snow became redundant, boring, and terribly corny to me. I needed to hear something new and something different, so with the power of curiosity and YouTube, I set out to find some Christmas music that matched the heart of the offbeat teenager I was becoming in 2010. With Christmas being my favorite holiday, I naturally paired it with my favorite genre of music: hip- hop. I came across many more Christmas- themed rap songs than I expected, but I decided to narrow them down to a list of essentials in no particular order. Hope you enjoy the list. Happy Holidays!