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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in discrimination and racists attacks against Asian people worldwide. From the United States to England to Australia, people have been physically assaulted because of the racist “Wuhan Virus” narrative. The recent shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of whom were of Asian descent, has caused leaders to come forward with a “#StopAsianHate” campaign, and it seems it affected famed comedian Jay Leno to reflect on a few of his jokes from yesteryear.

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For over a decade, civil rights groups have called out Leno and asked him to apologize for his language. Variety reports that even when he a judge on America’s Got Talent, he offended several people when he made a joke about Koreans using dog meat in their meals. “At the time I did those jokes, I genuinely thought them to be harmless,” reads a statement released by Leno and Guy Aoki, the leader of Media Action Network for Asian Americans. “I was making fun of our enemy North Korea, and like most jokes, there was a ring of truth to them.”

“At the time, there was a prevailing attitude that some group is always complaining about something, so don’t worry about it. Whenever we received a complaint, there would be two sides to the discussion: Either ‘We need to deal with this’ or ‘Screw ‘em if they can’t take a joke.’ Too many times I sided with the latter even when in my heart I knew it was wrong.”

“I am issuing this apology. I do not consider this particular case to be another example of cancel culture but a legitimate wrong that was done on my part. MANAA has been very gracious in accepting my apology. I hope that the Asian American community will be able to accept it as well, and I hope I can live up to their expectations in the future.”

In 2019, reports surfaced that Gabrielle Union had been dismissed from America’s Got Talent after complaining about Leno’s racist jokes.

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The demand is still high for Rihanna’s R9 but we’ve yet to hear any promising update on when to expect it. One might think that the pandemic played a role in its delay but it seems that she’s continuing to work on the project. If not that, then she’s certainly keeping busy with her many business endeavors.

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Even if it’s been a few years since she’s dropped any solo music, she’s reached another milestone in her career on the Billboard 200. ANTI has spent five full years on the Billboard 200, making Rihanna the first Black female artist to reach this feat on the Billboard chart. “grateful to the most High for putting die hard supporters in my circle,” she wrote. “Congrats to everyone that contributed to this era, thank you team.”

It didn’t take long for fans to demand the release of R9 but one fan’s less abrasive approach proved successful. “Celebrate by releasing a song !!” the fan wrote. Rihanna replied, “I think I should.” However, she made it clear that it would be “just 1 tho.” 

Last year, Rihanna made her sole appearance on wax when she connected with Toronto’s PartyNextDoor for his single, “BELIEVE IT” off of PartyMobile. Prior to that, she appeared on N.E.R.D.’s “Lemon” in 2019.

We’ll keep you posted on if, and when, Rihanna decides to drop new music. Are you still waiting on R9?

It’s unclear where this rumor began or how it circulated but allegedly Tekashi 6ix9ine told Bobby Shmurda that he was paid half a million dollars for his appearance on the Breakfast Club and continues to earn residuals. Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee dispelled these rumors on their morning radio show today.

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As the trio discussed Bobby Shmurda’s parole conditions, Charlamagne brought up the rumor that an artist told Bobby Shmurda that they were still getting paid off of their interview. “Salute to Bobby Shmurda, too, man. Aye, Bobby, that artist lied to you. The Breakfast Club does not pay for interviews,” said Charlamagne before Envy told him that he had to explain the situation. “There’s an artist that told Bobby Shmurda that he got paid half a million dollars to do a Breakfast Club interview and that he gets residuals, royalties from the YouTube interview.” 

“He’s a god damn liar,” declared Envy while Angela Yee pressed them to ID the rapper. “Tekashi 6ix9ine allegedly told Bobby Shmurda we paid him $300 thousand.” Charlamagne clarified that it’s unclear if 6ix9ine told Bobby personally. “First of all, I was like Bobby Shmurda talks to Tekashi?” asked Yee.

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Charlamagne said that it was actually $500K and that never in the history of the Breakfast Club has an artist received payment for an interview, let alone residuals from YouTube views.

Check out the clip below with the 6ix9ine bit starting at the 19:45 min. mark.

Going into last weekend, the music industry practically erupted following the unfortunate news that Saweetie and Quavo had officially called it quits. Almost everyone had something to say about their split, from Hip-Hop fans to celebrities like NBA YoungBoy and Cyn Santana. Rumors that Quavo had her Bentley repossessed and has been subbing her in his new music have also gained steam, but despite all of the drama surrounding her breakup with the Migos rapper, Saweetie is still finding a way to let her light shine, thanks in part to her new cover for Cosmopolitan magazine.

In addition to flaunting her curves on the magazine’s cover, Saweetie also gave a lot of insight into her journey as an artist for Cosmopolitan’s cover story. The Icy artist revealed how her infamous freestyle during her trip to Hot 97 left her with a serious case of PTSD, claiming that specific incident was one of the lowest points of her career.

Saweetie also talked about her ability to maneuver and adapt throughout the music industry as well. Hpwver, some people have been critical of her rise as a rapper, as evident through the numerous think pieces published about how her good looks are what should actually be credited for her success as an artist. In the interview, she touches specifically on pretty privilege, saying, “I won’t act like there isn’t a certain type of power that comes with people admiring your face. But that’s not something that gets me off.”

Saweetie continued by listing off accomplishments that weren’t given to her simply because of her beauty, which she claims are the things that she’s really proud of. “I like being Female Athlete of the Year. I like getting 4.0s for a straight year. I like knowing that I write my own songs. I like knowing that I create my own treatments. I like knowing that I donated $150,000 to Black Lives Matter,” she says.

Still, the “My Type” artist recognizes that being pretty is a part of her brand, so it absolutely makes sense that she’s naming her forthcoming debut album Pretty B*tch Music. When speaking on the significance of the album’s title, she said, “It’s my way of taking back all those years where I feel I had to dim my light.”

Be on the lookout for more Saweetie-related news as her debut is set to drop sometime this spring.

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