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Eminem’s come a long way over the course of his career but, of course, that’s just a part of growth. There’s no doubt that he was once the most scrutinized celebrity in the world due to how far he was willing to go to offend people. His raps often took aim at everyone and anyone, and the use of homophobic slurs certainly didn’t help his cause. That’s largely why Gen. Z made an attempt on his career this week. 

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That’s why his performance at the 2001 Grammys remains one of the most memorable moments of the award show. Former Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich recently spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about the iconic performance between Elton John and Eminem when they closed the show with a rendition of “Stan” and hugged each other on stage by the end of the show. Ehrlich explained there was no hesitation to include him, even though he’s been controversial and critical of the award show. 

Ehrlich has a differing perspective on who may have thought to bring out Elton John but he said there were a few calls made. “We were looking for a duet partner because they had expressed to us that he was interested in performing with another artist,” he said, even though in an interview with MTV News, the rapper said that it was his idea. However, the relationship he already had with Elton John made the request easy to make. “As soon as we got the message to Elton that we were interested, he sparked to it,” Ehrlich added. “He said, ‘This is exactly the kind of thing that I want to do. I want to break down these barriers. If [Eminem’s] OK with it and he wants to do it. I’d love to do it.” John took a risk since the LGBTQ+ community was already protesting against Em’s inclusion. A spokesperson for GLAAD said, “We were all flabbergasted that [John] would do this.”

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Eminem found a way to incorporate Elton John into the performance. Ehrlich said that everyone was already aware of how big this would be, so they saved it as the show closer. Ultimately, neither of them wanted to seem “exploitative” of the situation and Ehrlich said they accomplished that. “Both of them were very careful about what we could do because they didn’t want it to feel too exploitative, which I don’t think it did,” Ehrlich said. “We honored what we said we would do.”

Ehrlich couldn’t confirm whether they had rehearsed the hug at the end of their performance but he did confirm that Eminem flipped the bird without hesitation or warning. “I just kind of shrugged my shoulders and said, ‘That’s Marshall,'” he said.

On more Eminem-related content, check out, “Eminem And Cancel Culture: An Incomplete History.”

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Well, it was a nice run forAvengers: Endgame. The Marvel Cinematic Universe film that concluded the Infinity Saga was the highest-grossing movie of all time for almost two years, but Avatar is back in the top spot. James Cameron’s alien adventure flick, which is just a retooling of Pocahontas, was revolutionary when it dropped. Fans got to experience 3D movies that were immersive and lifelike for the first time in regular theaters. 

Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, so Avatar is another one of their franchises now. So, it’s really just two Disney titles battling it out for the top spot. 

Avatar was able to take back the top spot because of China. The country re-released the film this weekend, giving it the little push it needed to edge past Endgame. However, many fans of the MCU are mad at this switch. They believe Avatar is “gaming” the system by re-releasing the film just to get some extra bucks. However, if the demand is there, why not give the people the supply?

However, one can note that Endgame stayed in theaters for months and months (about a year and a half) just to try and beat Avatar in the first place. 

Playboi Carti is one of those artists that fans either love or hate and there really is no in-between. This was especially true after his album Whole Lotta Red came out. There were various people on the internet who were quick to hate on it, however, if you really delved into the project, you would quickly realize how unique and forward-thinking it is. The punk influence is all over the album and there is no denying that it does a lot of things really well.

In the midst of all of this, some fans have theorized that Carti is gay due to his mannerisms and his fashion sense. During a recent cover story with Highsnobiety, Carti spoke on these rumors and said that he is simply being himself. Needless to say, Carti doesn’t care what you think.

“If your cross is straight, then I’m gonna put my shit upside down,” Carti said. “If you hate cigarettes, then I’m gonna smoke as many as I can. I’m anti-everything. I’m not going out my way to have people like, ‘Oh, what the fuck’s Carti on? Is he gay, or is he trolling?’ No, bro—I don’t give a fuck. I’m being myself. I wish I came in like this. But if you look at my career you see little signs of that shit. Even if I wasn’t wearing all black and all that shit, I always had a glimpse of this. ‘Oh yeah, bro out here, he on some whole other shit’—it’s always been me. From the moment I came into this game.”

At this point, Carti seems to be pretty comfortable in his own skin, and that won’t be changing anytime soon, even if some fans are trying to take his individualism to a negative place.

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On Friday, Alabama-based artist Clever dropped his new album Crazy. The tracklist is absolutely star-studded, sporting features from Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Post Malone, and Lil Baby. Clever told HNHH that all of these features were incredibly special to him, even putting the voice of his son on his track “Call Me Nobody” with Lil Wayne. Perhaps the most important feature, though, is his version of “Life’s A Mess” with Juice WRLD, which he calls the “original version” of the song. 

“To me, this is the original version,” Clever told HNHH in a recent interview. “I had a verse on this song before Halsey did, way before Halsey ever did. And I felt like I just kind of got plucked out of it. For Spotify streams and other reasons, you know what I’m saying? For me, it was about making the song that Juice wanted it to be… in my opinion, it’s the version, you know. It’s the one that he wanted.” 

Clever goes on to say that he doesn’t mean Halsey any disrespect, but that he was cut deep by the fact that he was taken off of the original track, which is on Legends Never Die. “No disrespect to Halsey, I just– I was a little hurt by the fact that I was taken off the record and replaced. I felt like I still had the rights to that song and was still very much a part of that song,” Clever said. 

What do you think, is the version with Halsey or Clever the better track? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and read the full HNHH interview with Clever here. 

WandaVision is all wrapped up which means the MCU is about ready to debut their next duo-centric superhero show: Falcon & The Winter Soldier. The series will follow Falcon and Bucky Barnes as they wrestle with the legacy of Captain America and also fight Baron Zemo. The latter was also the main villain in Captain America: Civil War, so it’s nice to see him return. 

Trailers for the series have been getting the hype up among MCU fans, and critics who have seen the previews are giving positive reviews. Many fans were disappointed that WandaVision didn’t feature a much bigger cameo, like Dr. Strange, however, it doesn’t look like Falcon & The Winter Soldier will have that same issue. The series is already rumored to feature Florence Pugh’s new Black Widow Yelena Belova and William Hurt’s Thaddeus Ross. This would make sense and create a bridge between Falcon & The Winter Soldier and the upcoming Black Widow film. 

A new report is claiming that Don Cheadle’s War Machine may also make an appearance as early as the first episode. War Machine also has a Disney+ show coming called Armor Wars. It would make sense for Marvel to start interconnecting some shows, while others lead directly to movies (like WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multi-Verse of Madness).

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As of Friday, sources close to the couple reported that iconic celebrity duo Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez had decided to call it quits. They had reportedly called off their 2-year engagement and 4-year relationship entirely, leaving an army of lawyers, business managers, and aides to help fairly divide the couple’s assets. Alex Rodriguez is a known entrepreneur, and he and Jennifer Lopez often did business together throughout their relationship. 

According to statements from both Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, the reports about them having broken up were extremely exaggerated, and they are still fighting to stay together. According to what the couple told TMZ, “All the reports are inaccurate,” and they “are working through some things.” The couple also told TMZ that the things they’re working through have nothing to do with a third party. 

The couple aren’t actually together at the moment, which could be some of the cause for confusion. Alex is in Miami and Jennifer is shooting a movie in the Dominican Republic, so they likely won’t be back together in person for a bit. It seems to be a relief for many that the couple are not splitting up, as it would be somewhat of a nightmare to divide their business and real estate assets, as well as their blended family of 4 combined kids. 

Hopefully, we’ll have more updates on the status of J-Rod’s relationship soon. 

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One year ago today, Breonna Taylor was killed by police in Louisville. Her story went under the radar for a few months although that all changed following the death of George Floyd in May. When people began to catch wind of what happened to her, Breonna Taylor’s name captured National headlines and her death ultimately sparked a social justice movement that eventually went International. Many are still seeking justice for Taylor, and over a year later, activists are still looking for ways to honor her and change the justice system to make cops more accountable.

LeBron James was one of the biggest voices when it came to those demanding justice, and on the one-year anniversary of her death, LeBron is making sure that Breonna Taylor is remembered.

“Continue to Rest In Paradise Queen Breonna,” James wrote. This tweet was in response to another post by James’ own More Than A Vote organization, which was instrumental in giving voting rights to those who are the most marginalized. LeBron has increased his stake in the political world over the years, and he certainly has a voice to make a difference.

Taylor’s story is one that continues to be jarring although the activism that spawned from it all has already made a huge difference. Hopefully, activists continue to pressure elected officials and create a better world that is safer and more inclusive for all.

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March got off to a great start if I do say so myself. Though the past few months have seen several solid releases, it seems like a few of the major names decided to pop out all at once at the top of the month. Of course, the release of Drake’s Scary Hours II remains the talk of the town, especially as we anticipate the release of CLB. 

This week’s Fire Emoji playlist highlights some of the latest from this week and the week prior. Lil Baby dominates with two appearances including his stand-out feature on “Wants & Needs” as well as his collaboration with EST Gee on “Real As It Gets” both earned their rightful positions on this week’s playlist. We’ve also included the latest offering from Rod Wave to began trending immediately after dropping his latest single, “Street Runner.” We’re excited to hear what he has up his sleeve for the remainder of the year.

Durk’s OTF compilation tape, Loyal Bros produced some major bangers. Memo600, particularly, had a few solid moments across the tape including his collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert on “Let It Blow.” He also appears alongside Durk, the late King Von, and Booka600 on “JUMP.” Both tracks were necessary inclusions this week.

Our Fire Emoji playlist also includes Juice WRLD’s “Life’s A Mess II” ft. Clever and Post Malone and new music from Jazz Cartier.

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