newhiphopnews

Criticisms and accusations of cultural appropriation were sparked following the latest episode of Real Housewives of Atlanta, during which Kenya Moore dressed as a “Warrior Princess” in a costume that included a Native American headdress. A nonprofit organization, IllumiNative, which aims to “increase the visibility of Natives in American society,” is calling on the reality TV personality, Bravo, and Andy Cohen to apologize “for the harm they have caused Native peoples.”

In a statement issued by IllumiNative Monday, shortly after the episode aired, the nonprofit said they “are deeply disturbed” by the most recent episode of the series. The organization explained that “costumes that mock Native peoples, defame our traditions and cultures, and perpetuate negative stereotypes are racist” and that “‘playing Indian’ is a form of mascotry that is not just offensive, it is part of a long history of how Native peoples have been dehumanized.” IllumiNative pointed to “countless research studies” that have shown “the harm these images, actions, and the normalization of these behaviors have on our youth.”

Bravo has since responded to the statement, writing that the company “aims to have the highest standards of respect and inclusivity” and stating that they “recognize that the recent episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta… did not uphold those values.” Bravo explained they “had hoped it would provide a teachable moment,” but in “retrospect it is clear that the network did not address this properly given the gravity of the situation.” The company ended its comment by apologizing “to both the Native American community and our audience as a whole.” 

Moore has also apologized on her own social media account. 

However, fans have been having mixed emotions about the appropriateness of Kenya’s costume since Kenya has previously identifies as Native American. See a few reactions below.

In the music industry, there has always been controversy surrounding the ownership of an artist’s masters. We’ve heard artists take to social media to air out their record labels or executives who have contractually taken ownership of the original recordings of their music. Kanye West made a plea last year, Taylor Swift has publicly made an enemy of Scooter Braun over much of her catalog, and many independent artists have come forward to brag that they have full ownership of their creations. However, Jim Jones recently shared a video to social media where he asks those independent artists if they even know how to capitalize off of their master’s flex.

Peter Kramer / Staff / Getty Images

“To be an independent artist is very dope,” said Jones. “That means you keeping the power within yourself. Dope. There are a lot of independent artists talking about, ‘I own my masters, I own my masters’… My question is to you artists who say ‘I own my masters’: Do you even know what to do with your masters once you own them? Do you know how to cash in on those masters? Or are you owning your masters like you own a chain? Get back to me if you know exactly what a master even is. If you understand the whole method.”

“And remember, this ain’t the seventies when the masters used to be big reels and stuff like that like Michael Jackson and them was doing it,” he added. “It’s a bit different. Masters are digital. There’s no physical thing that you can grab onto. But do you know how to cash in on them? Let me know and I’ll holla back.”

Check out his clip below and let us know if you agree with Jones that many artists boast about masters without knowing what they’re for.

After seeing the clip of how she almost lost her chain in the club, DreamDoll is thankful for trustworthy friends. People are excited to get back out to the new normal and we’ve seen how Spring Break has caused havoc in certain cities—Miami being the most talked about—and celebrities continue to make those club appearances. DreamDoll earned a few extra coins by recently showing face at a nightclub and a moment was caught on camera where she turned up a bit too much and almost lost her necklace.

Bennett Raglin / Stringer / Getty Images

In the video, the DJ is heard hyping up DreamDoll as her entourage stands in her section, dancing alongside her. The host is right in front of her balcony with the microphone and as she jumps up and down, DreamDoll’s chain slips from her neck and disappears on the ground. After the clip was shared, other celebrities commented that they would lose their minds if that happened to them, but DreamDoll chimed in that Tae, the famed hairstylist that Lil Durk named in “Laugh Now Cry Later” with Drake, came to her rescue.

After The Shade Room shared the video, DreamDoll read through the comments and slid in to share what happened next. “Tae peeped it wasn’t there and found it on the floor,” she wrote. “My jeweler kept telling me to get the lock tightened but I’m hardheaded but Thank god we found it.” Check out the clip below.

Rappers are often flexing flying private jets which makes you wonder how they’re able to keep up with those types of bills. Unless you’re bringing in Drake or Jay-Z type of money, it just doesn’t seem to make financial sense. Many rap acts continue to do so while they can afford to but after a while, it’s draining on the pockets.

Unfortunately, there’s an image to uphold for some. Lil Yachty learned this first hand after a fan attempted to humiliate him while he was sleeping on a commercial flight. “Caught lil yachty lacking,” the caption on the TikTok along with a video of Yachty snoozing away. “This is weird as fuck. Why do y’all do this?” Yachty exclaims in a video response. “Am I trippin’? I know y’all be thinkin’ I’m tripping right now… Is this not weird?”

In response to those criticizing his choice of transportation, he reminded them, “I was doing private jets since I was 18 or 19. Trust me, I can do a fuckin’ private jet. Why would I spend 10 times the money if I don’t have to? It’s crazy.” 

In related news, the rapper recently released a new freestyle called “No More Beatboxing,” tackling Coi LeRay’s recent hit and SpottemGottem’s viral record. You can check that out here and peep Yachty’s TikTok below. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HotNewHipHop® (@hotnewhiphop)

He’s already dominating in the music scene, and like many other top-selling artists, Bad Bunny is dipping his toes in wrestling. Snoop Dogg has made an appearance in the ring, Shaq has made his debut, and we certainly can’t forget Bow Wow’s announcement that he’s been training with professional wrestlers to have his time to shine. As the list of celebrity hopefuls grows, Bad Bunny expands his wrestling career with an appearance at WrestleMania 2021.

Sam Wasson / Stringer / Getty Images

Last night (March 22) on Monday Night Raw, Bad Bunny met with foe The Miz where he not only hit him with a guitar, but he accepted the challenge to face-off against the fighter on WrestleMania. The two-day event is reportedly scheduled to air on Peacock and fans can catch Bad Bunny and The Miz’s bout on the first night, April 10.

The rapper shared a clip of his Raw performance on his Instagram page and his fans are more than enthused to see his return to the ring. Bad Bunny’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view moment is still talked about as fans wonder how long he intends on continuing his wrestling career. Check out a few clips below and let us know if you’ll be tuning in to watch this one go down.

[via][via]