Month: June 2021

Peter Rosenberg is fresh off of the release of his debut album, Real Late. Whether you like the guy or not, he’s cemented himself in hip-hop over the years, and his latest project is an homage to the underground hip-hop he champions so much. In his years at Hot 97, he’s interviewed the biggest artists in the world; some before they even blow up.

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In 2009, before Drake became an internationally renowned artist, he was rocking SOBs in New York City as part of Hot 97’s Who’s Next series? Rosenberg was behind the scenes capturing footage as part of his YouTube channel which resulted in an impromptu interview with Drake, as well as Kanye West. This might actually be the only time Drake and Kanye West have ever done media together but ‘Ye’s appearance was cut short once he made it clear he wasn’t there for an interview.

During our recent interview with Rosenberg, he reflected on some of those early moments of his career. While monumental for the sake of having two now-sworn enemies in each other’s proximity, Rosenberg said that it’s simply a cringe moment for him to look back on.

“When I watch that moment, all I feel is awkward for myself. I’m just like ‘what the?’ I was so awkward. I was so new. I was so green. And, me and Kanye just have weird energy,” he explained, adding that he’s still a huge fan of ‘Ye’s music, despite the recent string of controversial statements and antics. “Him and I, our energies, it just doesn’t work. We had one interview with him, the Juan Ep interview, that was good. Any other time we’ve interacted, he’s either dissing me or it’s awkward. He thinks I’m dissing him — and I’m not saying he’s ever had any thought of me whatsoever. I’m not saying it’s something he consciously thinks about. Our energies just don’t gel.”

That’s what comes with the game, though. He’s had several awkward interviews since then but perhaps, it’s the one with Wale that takes the cake. Rosenberg explained that people just get weird when the mics go on, hence the odd interaction with Wale on Hot 97 in 2018. “I consider Wale a friend and he once showed up in a weird mood,” he said. “It’s the most awkward s*** in the world. And, I didn’t do anything. We never really talked about it. He showed up in a weird fucking mood to do press. He’s doing press and he’s doing my show and it was just fucking weird, even though we are legit good friends and I care for him. It was just a weird f***ing day.”

Despite these awkward moments, Rosenberg said that it’s the wildcard in interviews that keep him on his toes. 

Check out our whole interview with Peter Rosenberg here. 

Cancel Culture has been a hot button issue over the last few years as numerous comedians now feel as though they can’t make the jokes they used to say regularly. In 2021, sensibilities have changed and with numerous communities becoming more visible, it only makes sense that there would be more sensitivity when it comes to saying certain words and telling specific jokes. While many feel like this is a more inclusive way of going about things, some are worried that they will be canceled if they step over the line.

Every week, it feels as though a new celebrity is going through the cancelation process although eventually, they are forgiven and they make their way back to public discourse. As a result of this forgiveness, many have argued that cancel culture simply doesn’t exist, and is mainly a deflection tactic.

During a recent episode of the “Joe Budden Podcast,” comedian Katt Williams spoke about Cancel Culture and whether or not it really exists. Williams gave an interesting answer to the question, noting that language is constantly evolving and that at the end of the day, if you can’t be funny without using slurs and offensive language, then you were probably never that funny to begin with.

“Nobody likes the out of bounds, but the out of bounds gotta be there or you’ll run up in the stands,” Katt said. “Some of these things are for the benefit of everything. Nobody likes the speed limit but it’s necessary. Nobody likes the shoulder of the road but it’s there for a reason. My point is, people weren’t all that extremely funny when they could say whatever they wanted to say. […] Cancellation doesn’t have its own culture. That was people of color. That was us policing our own culture. That was people without a voice being trashed by people just because they had a bigger name than them and more money than them and a better office than them, they could sweep them up under the rug like they didn’t matter. I don’t know what people we think got canceled that we wish we had back.”

Many have taken to Twitter to praise Williams for this take, and as you can see in the clip above, Budden found himself agreeing with everything that Williams was saying. After all, Williams is a comedian himself and if anyone is an authority on this, it would have to be him.

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In the middle of last month, Lil Reese was alleged to be in “fair” condition after a bullet grazed his eye. He and two other men were shot while in Chicago in a situation allegedly involving a stolen car. Although the rapper appeared unconscious in a surfaced graphic video from the scene, he made a very speedy recovery. 

He was spotted appearing much healthier two weeks after the alleged incident. It wasn’t long before he ran into trouble again, with TMZ reporting Reese was arrested for domestic violence just two weeks after getting shot. Accused of striking his girlfriend, the rapper took to social media to deny the rumors. 

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“Don’t believe half sh*t you see on internet all imma say like they said I was blind and got beat up,” penned Reese on Twitter Saturday (June 5). He added, “I was in car crash and a shout-out only thing that happen new interview otw…”

In a second tweet in response to a fan asking whether or not the domestic violence allegations were true, he responded, “False information stop believing these blogs.” 

As explained briefly, TMZ reported on Saturday (June 5) that the rapper was allegedly arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery on May 29 after officers were called to his home. There, the alleged victim claims Reese pulled her hair and struck her in the face. 

Logan Paul made a name for himself on Vine and on YouTube although on Sunday, he will be going up against boxing royalty in the ring. Floyd Mayweather will be staring him down from across the ring and it is going to be one of the most bizarre spectacles in the history of boxing. Many fans are skeptical about what they are going to see, especially when you consider how there isn’t going to be a winner in this fight. The only way one of these men can win is by knockout, which is easier said than done.

Regardless, Paul is extremely confident heading into the fight, and he’s almost certain that he can deliver a knockout punch. While speaking to Adin Ross, Paul noted that he has some solid punching power and that during sparring sections, he has been known to do some serious damage.

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“I hit hard, I hit hard on big dudes,” Paul said. ” No head gear…granted, you got to catch him. That’s the hard part.” Paul went on to say that he is blessed to be in this position right now and that he wants to make the most of his opportunity.

Heading into the Sunday, the internet is waiting on Paul to fail, although if he puts up a solid performance, perhaps we could see a shift in public opinion. No matter what, it’s going to be a fun night on social media, and we can’t wait for every second of it.

After months of teasing, Lil Baby and Lil Durk pulled through on their promise and delivered their brand new collaborative effort, The Voice Of The Heroes. The project finds the two rappers merging their chemistry for undeniable bangers with a few guest appearances on the way. Overall, the project didn’t disappoint, so it was only right that we included a few cuts off of the project on this week’s Fire Emoji playlist on Spotify. “Medical” and “Hats Off” ft. Travis Scott make their way onto this week’s Fire Emoji update.

It has been a while since Belly emerged with new music. Last year, he revealed that he was dealing with his own issues that came in the way of dropping another body of work. However, he kicked off the campaign for his next album with the release of “Zero Love” ft. Moneybagg Yo. It’s an excellent offering from Belly that proves that his pen is still as sharp as ever.

Other additions on this week’s playlist include the latest from Pressa who has been dominating streaming platforms with the success of “Attachments.” We also have some brand new music from 21 Savage off of the Gully soundtrack, Yo Gotti and DaBaby, as well as new heat from Jasiah.

Check out this week’s Fire Emoji update below. 

Michael Che and Dave Chappelle have certainly made the past year of pandemic life more enjoyable. The duo have been friends for a while, but with Chappelle’s Midnight Miracle podcast premiering last month along with Che’s new HBO Max sketch show That Damn Michael Che, their respective talents have been keeping comedy fans satisfied. However, now on tour with the older comedian, Che can’t seems to stop Chappelle’s energy — even during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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Che, who went on Kimmel’s show to promote his new show and stand-up bout, was immediately interrupted by Chappelle. Joking that he is “staying at a friend’s house,” the SNL star laughed as Chappelle held up a vinyl of his new podcast and entered the screen to applause. The duo then poked fun at the hotel Che stays at while in Ohio, an old “haunted” hotel where Chappelle jokes he once “saw Colonel Sander’s ghost.”

In advance of the Chappelle’s new documentary, which will detail how the comedian provided relief to his Ohio community with aid and comedy during the pandemic, the comedy duo spoke on how the socially distanced, outside shows help boost the spirits of those struggling. “We love doing it, it’s something that the whole community looks forward to, Michael’s been destroying it… some of the best jokes that I think anyone would ever hear and at a time when people really needed to hear ’em,” Chappelle offered, “I think timing meant everything and it means a lot.” Che made headlines recently doing similar community work by paying families’ rents in the apartment building his late grandmother used to live in. 

The interview continues both with and without Chappelle’s help, where the duo speak on everything from birthday gifts to Che’s thoughts on making his own podcast. Watch the full video below:

While Kanye West is now making billions of dollars with Adidas, there was a time where he was making bank with Nike. Unfortunately, his time with Nike came to an abrupt end after disputes with the company in regards to creativity. Kanye wanted full control over designing his own shoe and this is something that Nike just wouldn’t allow. However, Adidas was fully on board with Kanye’s vision and the rest was history.

Despite this, Kanye can still be wearing Nike shoes from time-to-time. For instance, Kanye was recently spotted in Los Angeles where he was seen sporting the Nike Vandal High “Terminator” which was released back in 2015. Pairs currently go for hundreds of dollars, and in some sizes, they go for thousands.

Aside from the Nike shoes, Kanye’s outfit was certainly an eye-catcher thanks to his loud blue jacket and silver head covering which had an illustration of Black Jesus on it. From there, Kanye had on a black top and a black pair of pants, which was easily the tamest part of the outfit.

While Kanye may have been seen wearing Nikes, Adidas fans should rest assured that Ye won’t be leaving the company anytime soon. At this point, Yeezy and Adidas are a juggernaut that can’t be stopped.

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