People have been talking about The Idol for months before its actual release date. But now that two episodes are out the buzz has continued. One scene in episode two in particular has generated quite a bit of attention. Many fans and critics have dubbed it the worst sex scene of all time. Series star and co-creator The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) takes part in the scene and dealt with a good bit of backlash from it. In a new interview with GQ, Tesfaye defended some of the scene’s artistic choices.
“There’s nothing sexy about it,” Tesfaye explained. “How ever you’re feeling watching that scene, whether it’s discomfort, or you feel gross, or you feel embarrassed for the characters. It’s all those emotions adding up to: This guy is in way over his head, this situation is one where he is not supposed to be here.” Even though the viewership reportedly dropped by 12% from episode one to episode two, plenty of fans still saw the scene. The Weeknd was trending on Twitter afterward as fans discussed the specific scene and the writing of the show in general.
The Weeknd’s Viral Sex Scene
This isn’t the first time Tesfaye has had to defend himself from fans watching “The Idol.” He defended his acting chops and the show’s controversial themes after negative reactions from critics. “We knew we were making something dark and controversial but true to what we want to say,” Tesfaye explains. He seemed mainly interested in starting a conversation, regardless of what that conversation is. “I just think discussion is healthy, no matter what. To me it’s like, I’m just happy that there’s conversation.”
On top of new episodes of the show every week, fans are also getting new music. Tesfaye has been dropping collaborative songs with various members of the cast alongside each new episode drop. Episode 3 of the 5-part series is set to air this Sunday on HBO. What do you think of the controversial sex scene in The Idol? Let us know in the comment section below.
Ice Spice is undoubtedly one of the most sought-after rappers right now. Ascending into the role of rap’s newly-crowned princess, she’s one of the few artists of her generation who can say they’ve landed co-signs from the biggest names in the industry – Drake, Nicki Minaj, and most recently, Taylor Swift. The latter enlisted the Bronx Baddie for the official remix of “Karma,” landing on the second deluxe edition of Midnights. As you could imagine, it’s a massive milestone for Ice Spice who didn’t even break out into mainstream consciousness less than a year ago. It affirmed her position in pop culture and the grip that she gained since “Munch” permeated online lingo.
Unfortunately, not all fans celebrated the collaboration as a win for Ice Spice. Instead, many regarded the collaboration as an attempt for much-needed good PR in Taylor Swift’s love life. Her rumored boyfriend, Matt Healy of The 1975 – a group Ice Spice once shouted out – found himself in hot water following a podcast appearance earlier this year. On The Adam Friedland Show in January, Healy, Friedland, and Nick Mullen chuckled over offensive jokes surrounding Ice Spice that many deemed both racist and misogynistic.
The song’s announcement led to an immediate backlash, particularly among the Swifties, who highlighted Matt Healy’s problematic behavior (including doing a N*zi salute at a concert). Sure, one could say that Taylor shouldn’t be held accountable for someone else’s actions but ultimately, many feel like she became complicit in her alleged boyfriend’s antics since she hasn’t condemned nor addressed Healy’s behavior. Many felt as if it were a calculated decision to include Ice Spice on the remix to help sweep Healy’s comments under the rug, hoping that people will forget.
The Adam Friedland Podcast & Matt Healy
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – MAY 12: EDITORIAL USE ONLY, Matthew Healy performs onstage with Phoebe Bridgers in the set opener during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lincoln Financial Field on May 12, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lisa Lake/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Healy’s no stranger to controversy but his appearance on The Adam Friedland Podcast alongside Nick Mullen was eye-opening, to say the least. The episode, which Spotify and Apple Music removed from their platforms (although still available on YouTube), included bits where The 1975 frontman fessed up about masturbating to videos of Black women being “brutalized” on hardcore abuse porn websites. Another bit that gained traction included Healy encouraging Mullen and Friedland to do impersonations of Japanese men working in concentration camps. Elsewhere in the episode, he admitted to DM’ing Ice Spice, leading to a highly offensive segment that joked about Ice Spice’s ancestry while Mullen and Friedland mocked the accents of Hawaiian, Inuit, and Chinese people. The hosts referred to the Bronx rapper as “one of the Inuit Spice Girls,” a “chubby Chinese lady,” and “a f*cking Es**mo,” while Healy giggled in the background.
Eventually, Healy addressed the matter during a concert where he sort-of apologized to Ice Spice. “I just feel a bit bad, and I’m kind of a bit sorry if I’ve offended you,” Healy said. “Ice Spice, I’m sorry. It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued. It’s because I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry.”
However, the apology didn’t necessarily stick, even after the release of “Karma (Remix).” During a recent interview with The New Yorker, Healy brushed off the criticism as well as those offended. “It doesn’t actually matter. Nobody is sitting there at night slumped at their computer, and their boyfriend comes over and goes, ‘What’s wrong, darling?’ and they go, ‘It’s just this thing with Matty Healy.’ That doesn’t happen,” he said.
“If it does, you’re either deluded or you are, sorry, a liar. You’re either lying that you are hurt, or you’re a bit mental for being hurt,” he continued. “It’s just people going, ‘Oh, there’s a bad thing over there, let me get as close to it as possible so you can see how good I am.’ And I kind of want them to do that, because they’re demonstrating something so base level.” Arguably, it’s a comment like this that reinforces the skepticism surrounding Taylor Swift’s decision to work with Ice Spice.
Taylor Swift Announces “Karma (Remix)” Ft. Ice Spice
Um. SO much to tell you. I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch. So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible @icespicee_ will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET as a part of the new Midnights… pic.twitter.com/OaRrHBWTUw
Anything Taylor Swift does becomes newsworthy in a matter of moments, and her commercial success is anything but a fluke. Taylor didn’t need to get Ice Spice on “Karma,” but in this instance, it certainly wouldn’t hurt – or so she thought. Last week, Taylor Swift shared a heartfelt message on Twitter to confirm the speculation surrounding the “Karma (Remix).” “I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch,” she tweeted, regurgitating a sentiment that rap circles have been preaching since last summer. “So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible @icespicee_ will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET.”
Without acknowledging her supposed relationship with Healy or his behavior, despite bringing him out on stage, the outrage began flowing through Twitter, understandably. In most cases, the Swifties are a loud enough group to drown out any negative commentary surrounding their Queen. Just not this time. For an artist who remained largely apolitical until 2018 (coincidentally, the same year Ye went full MAGA), many felt as though her decision to work with Ice Spice was rather disingenuous. The Twitter account @undercoverarmy4’s response to the matter captures the feelings of many surrounding the collab. “Taylor Swift failing to address the racist comments Matt Healy made towards Ice Spice and then finding a way to profit off of her with a new collab is a textbook example of white woman feminism. It’s convenient, manipulative and continues to shield and protect white men,” the tweet reads.
It was only months prior that her rumored boyfriend was involved in a widely inappropriate tirade targeting women and BIPOC groups. But a vocal minority have suggested that it’s on-brand for Taylor – an artist who has been accused of treating inclusivity as the same sort of commodity as billion-dollar corporations. Although she gained fans from Kendrick Lamar and many other Black artists, she arguably hasn’t proven to be a proponent of diversity until recent years. Meanwhile, fans quickly pointed out her own history of questionable behavior.
The Weeknd once alleged the pop singer, in a potential drunken stupor, began “kind of, like, petting my hair” – a demeaning act no matter how you try and spin it. Then in 2015, fans called her out for her purported victimhood in what seemed like an attempt to dismiss Nicki Minaj’s complaints about racism in the music industry. Rather than acknowledging and rooting for a Black woman who felt the VMAs sidelined her, Taylor responded, “Maybe one of the men took your slots” when Nicki wasn’t nominated for Best Video.
Moreover, Ice Spice appears to be one of the few (if not the only) Black women that Taylor Swift’s collaborated with in her career. So, is it a genuine appreciation for an up-and-coming rapper or an opportunistic venture? Because even when she faced backlash from pop culture pundits for her entirely white, modelesque friend group in the past, she never really addressed it. Instead, she embarked on the 1989 tour where she brought on Fetty Wap, Chris Rock, Serena Williams, Mary J. Blige, and other Black icons on stage, as the Daily Beast pointed out.
“Karma (Remix)” Is A Hit?
Shortly after the song dropped, Taylor Swift performed at New Jersey’s Met Life Stadium as part of The Eras tour. To the crowd’s surprise, Ice Spice appeared on stage to perform the single for the first time ever, while Taylor also debuted the music video for the song. Ice Spice appeared lost the whole time, and we can’t really blame her. She became accustomed to the uber-hype Rolling Loud crowds, not those of a pop singer. At least, not yet. Still, the Swifties ate it up – as they should, considering how much they spent on tickets. Regardless of Taylor’s intentions, the “Karma (Remix)” is already a success. While it wouldn’t be surprising if it tops the Billboard Hot 100 next week, it already helped Ice Spice break the record for the biggest streaming debut for a female rapper in Spotify history – a record previously held by Nicki Minaj.
Still, the “Karma (Remix)” is nothing that your average hip-hop head will be drooling over. Many feel that the bars are lackluster while calling Ice Spice’s flow sleep-inducing. It lacks the viral meme value that propelled the success of “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” and “Munch (Feelin’ U)” to the top of the charts. But generally speaking, Ice Spice sounds just as out of place on “Karma (Remix)” as she did on stage at the Met Life Stadium. It’s a crossover record that could very well open more doors for Ice Spice in the future, but in actuality, what does Taylor Swift actually benefit from it?
When Target unveiled its new line of harmless Pride Month products, right-wing bigots everywhere threw a hissy fit to no one’s surprise, as if the company was forcing everyone to buy them at gunpoint. Even more unsurprising, somehow, was Lil Nas X’s humorous satire of the whole ordeal. Moreover, the superstar took to Twitter to let out a parody tweet imitating the backlash to people complaining about “the rainbow agenda” and “the woke mob” and what have you. Unfortunately, right-wing threats actually prompted the store to pull back on its campaign. Maybe they should take a page out of Montero’s book and see it for the ridiculous bawling that it is.
“Can’t believe target is supporting this nonsense” Lil Nas X tweeted. “I’m never shopping there again, my son is not “too cool for school” these shirts are ridiculous. He is going to school and he WILL learn.” Of course, this is far from the first time that the Georgia native made fun of overblown LGBTQIA+ backlash. Recently, he clapped back at Woah Vicky claiming that he’s faking his sexuality by referring to her as Ja Rule.
Lil Nas X Trolls People Mad At Target’s Pride Month Campaign
can’t believe target is supporting this nonsense, im never shopping there again, my son is not “too cool for school” these shirts are ridiculous. he is going to school and he WILL learn.
However, that’s not to imply that the “STAR WALKIN’” rapper and singer never faced some pushback of his own for seemingly insensitive comments. Last March, he tweeted: “where do the gays be in africa i wanna come there.” It’s unclear what intent he had in relaying such message, considering that Uganda had just passed destructive anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation that poses a serious threat to the community. Perhaps Lil Nas X wanted to invite people to express themselves regardless rather than blindly wondering where he could find them. No matter how you look at it, the message certainly didn’t land.
Meanwhile, that’s just one instance among many others where the 24-year-old championed freedom of sexuality. As such, it’s much easier for fans to take tweets like his Target parody with a healthier and more inclusive light, unless you’re one of the ones offended by it. Hopefully in the future he can make that distinction as clearly as he made it with this tweet rather than potentially underplay the issues communities face across the globe. Regardless, check back in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on Lil Nas X.
Dricus Du Plessis has been fighting for a decade, but only recently made the jump to the UFC. 14-2 in the EFC Africa and KSW promotions, he is 5-0 since his UFC debut at Fight Night 178. While he is yet to get a title fight, it only feels like a matter of time.
However, Du Plessis has been making headlines for different reasons in recent days. At UFC 285 in March, where Du Plessis defeated Derek Brunson, the South African fighter made comments about how he and Cameron Saaiman were “African fighters” and that he would plans on taking a belt “back to the continent”. This earned the ire of the Nigerian-born, and current UFC title holder, Israel Adesanya. Adesanya, the reigning middleweight champion, expressed his desire to punish Du Plessis in the Octagon.
Du Plessis Responds to Adesanya, Fuels Fight Speculation
MIAMI, FLORIDA – APRIL 8: Israel Adesanya celebrates his victory over Alex Pereira in their middleweight fight during the UFC 287 event on April 8, 2023, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, FL. (Photo by Alejandro Salazar/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I never said it wasn’t my intention,” Du Plessis told Submission Radio. “It wasn’t my intention because that’s not what I said, there was no intention involved. It was look at the facts what I said. I’ve never said the words ‘more African’ in my life. I didn’t say they were not African. I stated facts asI am the only one in title contention ever born in Africa, live in Africa, reside in Africa, and train there every single day. That was my statement. Some people say I’m backpedaling, I never backpedaled. I’m sticking with that because that is the facts. I don’t care how it came across, I care about what the fact is and what I said and that’s what I said.”
He continued, directly addressing Adesanya. “It seems to have struck a nerve with Israel Adesanya,” he continued. “It seems like he likes to be whatever fits him best considering nationalities. He’s referred to himself as a Kiwi, he’s referred to himself as Chinese, he’s referred to himself as a Nigerian. At the end of the day, he’s born in Africa, he is African but he does not reside here and that is the fact. That is what makes me and him different.” The comments have fuelled the potential for a title fight between the two men at UFC 293 in September. However, that is somewhat in doubt, given Du Plessis’ current plan to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. This is a developing story and you’ll find any updates here at HotNewHipHop.
Lakers power forward Jarred Vanderbilt is having a decent series against the Warriors. While not a prolific shooter, Vanderbilt earned praise for his ability to lock down Steph Curry in Game 1. Overall, his tangible stats are 4-for-14 shooting, 14 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals in 46 minutes across the first two games of the series. However, it’s not Vanderbilt’s on-court performance that has him generating headlines.
Saks Fifth Avenue Employee Accuses Vanderbilt Of “Wearing To Return”
Vanderbilt’s tunnel fit for Tuesday’s Game 1 was a patterned overshirt and blue courtesy calf-length pants. However, there is now an allegation surrounding his outfit. According to the Instagram user “sfc.og”, who claims to be an employee at Saks Fifth Avenue, Vanderbilt bought the outfit on Monday, only to return it later in the week. “Nice guy but…bought 2k worth of clothes Monday. This outfit specially. Wore it to tunnel and post game Tuesday. Then returned it yesterday. I wasn’t at the store and someone took the return. Lord knows why. Obviously used clothing. Mayn if I didn’t have a reason to hate the Lakers and root for home turf now I have more reason. Boooooo @jvando. Ya bum.”
While there is a culture of wearing to return (consignment), that clearly isn’t what is being alleged here. According to this self-professed Warriors fan, Vanderbilt bought a fit for the tunnel for $2,000 and then returned it after he was done with it. Obviously, this is one side of the story and Vanderbilt has not commented on the allegations as of yet. The claim does need to be taken with a grain of salt given the source’s anti-Lakers bias, and the fact that they did not see the return themselves. Meanwhile, people are split in the comments of The Neighborhood Talk post that collated the information. Some people shared their own experiences of people trying to return worn clothing. Meanwhile, many others warned the source that they were likely about to get fired. But what do you think about the situation? Let us know in the comments below.
Tee Grizzley has been one of the best artists to come out of Detroit in the last few years. Overall, he has provided fans with a plethora of great projects and songs. His flow is something that you cannot dispute. Although there are plenty of people who have tried to steal it, Tee has remained a unique artist. Moreover, he is always working with other great artists from his home city. He loves to put on for Detroit, and that is certainly true whenever he works with Skilla Baby. In fact, the two have just teamed up on a new album.
Detroit rap fans have been waiting on this project for a minute. However, they have finally come through with it on Controversy. Overall, this is a project that had a considerable amount of hype around it. Now that it is out, fans finally have the opportunity to give all 12 tracks a listen. In fact, there are about 30 minutes’ worth of music here, which is definitely a solid amount. Not to mention, there are no features here, which means Tee Grizzley and Skilla Baby carry the whole tape.
Tee Grizzley Speaks On Skilla Baby
Throughout this project, Tee Grizzley and Skilla Baby trade bars and display a ton of amazing chemistry. Furthermore, they have some pretty hilarious bars. The first line of the album makes reference to their opps and Obamacare, which is too good not to at least chuckle at. The beats sound great here as well, and at the end of the day, it is a project that you can’t go wrong with.
Overall, this project is a lot of fun, and comes right in time for those warmer months. We’re sure we will be hearing from Tee Grizzley and Skilla Baby again, sometime soon. Let us know your favorite tracks from the project, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for more news and updates from around the music world.
