As two of the best Atlanta-based artists of the past 35 years or so, it’s hard to not know who Big Boi and Sleepy Brown are. They’re currently on tour with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, and a recent interaction in California had André 3000’s enduring partner feeling very confused. “We’re on the tour bus in Cali right…” he tweeted on Tuesday (September 3). “we stopped for breakfast… why this lady ask sleepy brown ‘Are ya’ll migrants being dropped off ‘ …Bish What ?” We can’t explain why this woman characterized these Dungeon Family members as that, but we can’t imagine that such a comment landed particularly well with either musician.
Elsewhere, Big Boi is reflecting on this Dungeon history by recently mourning the loss of one of its pillars: Rico Wade. “This is a different type of hurt ….” he wrote in an Instagram tribute post to the producer and curator that was so instrumental to the collective’s sound, success, and story. “Slick Ricky Wade .. I know you’re with us STILL … in a bigger role now… Big Angel Energy… the Highest of Vibrations … Praise Yah .#RicoWade #DungeonFamily #WeDF.”
As far as other Outkast news, André 3000 and Big Boi recently sued the EDM duo ATLiens for copyright infringement due to their name’s use of a term the rap duo coined on their 1996 album. “Defendant also advertises, offers for sale and sells products to consumers in this state and in this District though its interactive website, including merchandise bearing the ATLIENS mark,” the lawsuit reportedly reads. “The word ATLIENS was invented by Outkast. Before Outkast created it, it [did not exist] in the cultural lexicon.”
Meanwhile, if you were hoping for a reunion album… Well, you probably already know the answer. “People ask, ‘So, will there be another Outkast album?’” André 3000 recently posited. “I really can’t say, man. I do realize that our chemistries have changed. We’re different people. We’re totally different people. Not to say that we won’t be able to make any kind of music, but I think, yeah, people have to realize, like, even in relationships, man… chemistry should change after a while. And I think people think there’s this one thing that has to stay a way, but we are ever-changing, man. You know, people always ask about me and Big Boi. We cool, man. That’s my homie forever. We were friends before doing music.”
Cardi B is always responding to narratives around her online, whether it concerns her new album or an inappropriate setting for a maternity shoot. Regardless, she will always combat misconceptions and criticisms of her with the same fire, as well as with the will to improve and admit her wrongs when necessary. But in this case, the Bronx femcee doesn’t understand the hate. Moreover, a lot of fans started a debate around whether or not she has the right to call herself “light-skinned” as the daughter of a Dominican father and Trinidadian mother. Cardi quickly dismissed these assumptions, defending her self-identification and explaining why it’s valid.
“Who tf told Cardi B she’s light skin? That term is used for lighter complexion black folks but y’all got everybody claiming it now,” one fan posited. “Dominicans are so diverse when it comes to skin color,” she clapped back. “Dark ,brown ,tan,light ,white ….sooo what am I supposed to say when I’m describing my complexion…Im Dominican skin ?” “idk maybe y’all need to come up with yall own terms.. ‘light skinned’ is used to describe BLACK people. Not whites, Dominicans, Mexicans, Asians… BLACKS!! You can’t just use the word to mean whatever you want it to mean chica,” another fan suggested.
The term light skin is adjective to describe skin complexion …It is not exclusive to a single race …I guess Jamaicans and Haitians and West Indians can’t say they got brown skin ,light skin or dark skin because just like Dominicans they are also a nationality..now move JAWS pic.twitter.com/TCK47z2t4V
“what you saying is automatically invalid,” Cardi B responded. “The fact that you use whites … WHITES IS A COLOR AND A RACE ..DOMINICANS ARE A NATIONALITY WITH PEOPLE that are different COLORS AND SHADES ..NOT A RACE … Get your glitter hole out of here wit this fake rule you just came up wit.” “The term light skin is adjective to describe skin complexion…” she shared in another tweet. “It is not exclusive to a single race …l guess Jamaicans and Haitians and West Indians can’t say they got brown skin ,light skin or dark skin because just like Dominicans they are also a nationality..now move JAWS.”
Meanwhile, Cardi B shared some exciting news with fans recently that has nothing to do with Twitter clap-backs. “Album still sellin like good quality p***y,” she responded to news of her selling over 500,000 album units in the United States. “….OKAY OKAY let me stop playing and drop this second album.”
It has been a rocky week for Ice Spice, whose latest scandal has her once again going back and forth online with a former friend. The New York rapper has embarked on her Y2K World Tour, where she will perform her viral hits until its conclusion in January 2025. Ice Spice has made considerable strides in her career, although she is still climbing the femcee Rap ranks. Hip Hop isn’t for the weak, and the orange-haired artist is learning that the court of public opinion can be unforgiving.
Days ago, the internet was set abuzz after rapper Cleotrapa released a series of videos to social media detailing a harrowing experience with her fairweather friend. This has garnered reactions from fans and critics, causing Spice’s behavior on the road and online to be scrutinized. As those conversations don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, we thought we’d revisit some controversies plaguing Ice Spice throughout her short mainstream career. It only makes sense to begin with her most recent clash with Cleotrapa.
1. The Feud With Cleotrapa
According to Cleotrapa, Ice Spice asked her friend to join her on the Y2K World Tour. However, Cleo claims Spice only gave her one day to get things together before setting out. Further, Ice Spice is accused of treating Cleotrapa poorly and refusing to allow her team to help her friend with anything, including simple tasks like carrying a suitcase. Cleo alleged she also had to pay for her own hotel rooms, was told she couldn’t eat with the tour budget, didn’t receive adequate compensation, and sometimes didn’t have a dressing room to change in at the concert. “She don’t want nobody to say nothing to her,” said Cleo. “She tried to lowkey torture me.”
Cleotrapa’s comments quickly went viral, forcing Ice Spice to come forward with a scathing reaction. She said Cleotrapa was “crashing out” and defended herself against the allegations. “The scary part of fame, honestly, is the moment that somebody feels like they can no longer use your platform or they’re not getting exactly what they want out of a situation the way that they want it. That’s when they decide to crash out every single time. I’m noticing a pattern.” Spice added, “You got less than 10,000 listeners and I’m sharing my stage with you, and you feeling so entitled. Like, you thinking that my peoples that are working for me are supposed to work for you too? That’s so crazy to me.” As far as Ice Spice is concerned, she was “only trying to help.”
2. The Copyright Lawsuit
The year started off shaky for Ice Spice after an artist named D.Chamberz took her and her producer and rumored boyfriend, Riot, to court. Spice’s “In Ha Mood” gained traction and ushered in new visibility for the rapper; however, D.Chamberz accused her of stealing his sound. He claimed he released his track, “In That Mood,” in January 2022 on DSPs. TMZ reported findings from the copyright infringement lawsuit, in which D.Chamberz also speculated that Riot may have heard the song in New York City clubs and radio stations.
“In Ha Mood” has accumulated tens of millions of views online, earning Ice Spice’s labels a pretty penny. D.Chamberz wants what he says to be his piece of that pie, including the song’s publishing, revenue streams generated from the track, and damages. However, a specific number was not shared. Meanwhile, Ice Spice’s attorney denied any wrongdoing. “The claim is baseless,” they told TMZ. “We will vigorously defend this case and look forward to our day in court when we will be fully vindicated.”
3. Matty Healy’s Racist Jokes
Last year, Ice Spice was at the center of controversy after The 1975 singer Matt Healy appeared on a podcast and disparaged the rapper. Ice Spice made friends with Healy’s ex, Taylor Swift, and even collaborated on a song, “Karma.” However, that wasn’t up for discussion while Healy visited The Adam Friedland Show. Instead, he spoke about DMing Spice, calling her “dumb,” a “chubby Chinese lady,” and an “Inuit Spice Girl.” Ice Spice has claimed she is Dominican and Nigerian. Still, Healy went on to mock Chinese and Hawaiian accents as everyone laughed.
Ice Spice would later say she was perplexed when she learned of the remarks. “When I had heard that little podcast or whatever, I was so confused,” she told Variety. “Because I heard ‘chubby Chinese lady’ or some sh*t like that, and I’m like, ‘Huh? What does that even mean?’ First of all, I’m thick. What do you mean Chinese? But then they apologized or whatever. And the whole time, I didn’t really care. But that’s funny because I saw him at the Jean Paul Gaultier party a couple days ago. He was like, ‘Hey, you OK?’ and I’m like, ‘Of course.’ He apologized to me a bunch of times. We’re good.”
When it was time for Ice Spice to get her looks together for her Y2K World Tour, a woman named Gia told the internet that the rapper’s team reached out to have custom wigs made. The owner of The Bella Brand stated she had worked with Ice Spice before, so gathering two dozen wigs didn’t seem to be a problem. However, things took a turn when Gia came knocking for her payment. She alleged that the team didn’t fork over the money, and just 24 hours prior to the delivery date of the items, the entire order was canceled. Still, she wanted some fee for her time, effort, and resources. Gia claimed that Ice Spice’s team promised to send her a service fee at least, but she hadn’t received any further contact about the cash.
“Things happen, but that is not how you handle someone that respects your business. AND ALWAYS comes through for you at the very last minute LITERALLY!!!!!!” Gia wrote. “Also, you still owe me my wig back because it’s not paid for what’s going on with that??” She added, “Thank you for making us make all of these Nicki Minaj wigs. I’m going to go ahead and not upload the rest of the screenshots since this is supposed to be ‘Princess Diana’ but it’s really always Queen Onika”.
5. The Drama With Baby Storme
Her claiming I was her “best friend,” (I never claimed that btw,) then becoming best friends with the racist white girl who made my childhood a living hell, just to spite me. After she used my connections & resources that I worked so hard for to make her way to the top, & tried… https://t.co/Tmk44gHjix
Oh I threatened to beat you up cause you was doing all that cause was mad at ice. It didn’t give you had any respect for me boo You really could’ve dm’d me from the jump with that whole situation if you was on some real bitch shit word but thank you
Cleotrapa isn’t the only one of Ice Spice’s friends to have a fallout with the “Munch” hitmaker. Earlier this year, Spice’s “good friend” Baby Storme emerged online with some harsh criticisms. The friendship had dissipated, and Storme was ready to expose Ice Spice’s secrets. “She forced everyone in her life to sign an NDA, including me,” Baby Storme penned on Xitter. “But the only person I’m signed to is God. So I will speak the truth.”
Storme then brought receipts through screenshots of conversations showing Ice Spice making disparaging remarks. In them, they show a purported Spice speaking ill of Nicki Minaj, making racist statements, exhibiting fatphobia, and making fun of Cleotrapa. Baby Storme was accused of having a meltdown at the time, but amid this ongoing rift with Cleo, Spice’s foes have united. “I tried to warn you & you just threatened to beat me up,” Storme said to Cleotrapa. “Nevertheless, I’m sorry that happened to you.”
Cleotrapa responded, “Oh I threatened to beat you up cause you was doing all that cause was mad at ice. It didn’t give you had any respect for me boo. You really could’ve dm’d me from the jump with that whole situation if you was on some real b*tch sh*t word but thank you.”
Ice Cube must be feeling pretty annoyed these days, as the Internet wants him to respond to four-year-old comments he made online. Moreover, folks recently resurfaced a September 2020 video of him explaining why the Black community should be skeptical of participating in electoral politics. “Be skeptical of anybody telling you to vote and not telling you to ask for anything or to tell you to just vote and not to get anything for your vote,” the Los Angeles rapper posited. “That’s not how it works. That’s not the process. You don’t vote just to vote. You vote because you’re getting something, or your community is getting something.
“A lot of people have been in that place for a long time and we ain’t got s**t,” Ice Cube continued. “That s**t is going to end. We are going to get what we are supposed to get, period. And anybody asking you not to ask, I wouldn’t listen to them because that’s the process. Every community asks for what they want.” Now, people are reposting and debating this clip, which eventually caught his attention.
“I truly will never listen to any idiot like yourself who is in bed with Steve Bannon,” one particularly disappointed Ice Cube fan wrote to him on Twitter. “You want to vote for trump? go right ahead a**hole.” “I’m not in bed with none of these clowns. So go get another booster shot and stfu….” the former N.W.A. MC clapped back. Of course, fans weren’t particularly receptive to this in the replies. Some blasted the anti-vaccine sentiment, whereas others think that his combativeness is making everyone misinterpret and misunderstand his main point. Voter skepticism and healthy bipartisan distrust is important, but perhaps not in the exact and particular way that Cube suggests.
Meanwhile, another hot take of Ice Cube’s these days concerns the Diddy scandal. “I believe he’s being targeted,” he claimed on the PBD podcast. “I believe someone has the power to pull the trigger to make this stuff, this domino effect, happen. He was cool up until a point, and this stuff started happening. So I believe somebody said, ‘Yo, he’s our new guy we’re on this year,’ or whatever.”
Kanye West is still rolling VULTURES out with Ty Dolla $ign, but he’s also dealing with a media firestorm that has raged on for years now. For example, one of the many consequences of his antisemitic rants was the end of his Yeezy parternship with Adidas in 2022, one that famous sneaker designer Steven Smith helped broker all the way back in 2016. But it seems like that ship has also sailed. Moreover, new reports emerged that Ye fired Smith in early August of this year, and Smith spoke to Fast Company about this development. They described him as “a sensitive defender of Ye and, in particular, the treatment of his mental health.”
“He’s lost his mind,” Steven Smith said of Kanye West, which definitely indicates that he’s no longer as sympathetic as the publication suggested. “The whole of Yeezy is circling the drain and this is just part of it. He has surrounded himself with toxic, C-grade losers. […] I’m in a very happy place with it all. I will certainly be a priceless asset to whoever I work with next. It’s all his loss and the result of his foolishness.”
Kanye West & Steven Smith At The Fast Company Innovation Festival In 2019
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 07: Steven Smith and Kanye West attend the Fast Company Innovation Festival – Day 3 Arrivals on November 07, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company)
Furthermore, Kanye West has apparently also blocked Steven Smith on Instagram, but Smith didn’t really elaborate on why Ye fired him, or if this is actually how things went down. After all, Fast Company claims that Smith “reached a breaking point” when the Chicago artist tried and failed to launch a porn company. But it’s difficult to identify exactly what caused the breakdown of their relationship, mostly because the heaps of controversy over the past few years leave a lot of options on the table.
Meanwhile, other Kanye West antics these days involve the arrest of a woman who claims he telepathically ordered her to steal a car. Whether it’s the zaniest of zany headlines or legitimately disturbing sexual harassment accusations, there’s a lot to unpack. Sadly, things haven’t really gotten any easier to deal with as of late. We just have to wait and see what happens next in the saga of Ye, and hope that there are brighter days to come.
DJ Hed might’ve played at “The Pop Out,” thus picking a firm side in the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, but he doesn’t only have negative things to say about the Toronto superstar. Moreover, he recently gave him some due flowers on HipHopDX‘s The Bigger Picture podcast with Elliott Wilson. As you can see in the clip below, the @djakademikstv caption for this clip is a pretty pro-Drizzy and anti-K.Dot one, which makes sense given Akademiks’ current beef with Hed. Nevertheless, the California native thinks that The Boy does deserve a lot of credit for his hip-hop contributions, despite the picture that Kendrick painted in his diss tracks.
“You know what?” DJ Hed’s remarks began on The Bigger Picture. “Thank you. Thank you, Drake, [for] what you’ve done to the ecosystem. We appreciate you. No, I’m not even throwing shade. Drake has done more for hip-hop than a lot of people give him credit for. ‘Cause he’s actively participated in the culture the whole time. There’s credit to be owed for that, you know what I’m saying? He also used his platform to benefit others outside of himself,” he concluded, with Jeremy Hecht asserting that “he has a family tree.”
This seems to be what Drake himself is trying to prove through his “100 GIGS” content drops, showing off his connection to the rap game over the past decade-plus. His combative new material hints at him wanting a “Game 2” with Kendrick Lamar, although we don’t know exactly what this “game” will look like. Will they have a sales battle for their next albums, or will it be another lyrical back-and-forth? Will they actually go at each other again or does Aubrey want to focus on winning “the long game” by staying as the top dog in the industry?
These are all big questions, and ones that DJ Hed himself doesn’t want to answer just yet. Furthermore, the whole reason why he clashed with DJ Akademiks is because he shut down Ak’s report that Kendrick Lamar will drop again soon. No matter what he or Drake choose to do next, it’s clear that this conversation is much less black-and-white than what many fans assume.
If you’re a big enough celebrity, then it’s almost guaranteed that Azealia Banks will either praise you or – as happens most often – drag you online. Moreover, she often goes on unprovoked rants about many superstars, which is completely fair and understandable when it’s just her unfiltered opinion. But the rapper can also puzzle her fans with her targets, and all this animosity for no reason hasn’t nurtured the healthiest online presence. Nevertheless, her latest target is JT, who faced a scathing rant from Banks on Twitter this week after she came across the Florida native’s remarks on Foxy Brown and her presence in fashion.
“[A TikTok about me] said, ‘We haven’t had a dark-skinned girl killing it in fashion since Foxy Brown,’” JT recalled during a recent interview with Essence. “It gave me the chills. It makes so much sense. It’s no shade to nobody else.” “JT… sis, you’re absolutely not killing it in fashion or music nor was foxy ever killing it in fashion,” Azealia Banks reacted. “Lil Kim is the alpha and the omega. And This boob job is the most unfashionable thing ever. Its f***ing horrible please undo it.
“Plus quit with the dark skin s**t,” Azealia Banks went on concerning the former City Girl. “Like what the hell does that even mean anymore. Just because some gays are taking ur money to put you in neon green lipstick and blonde wigs doesn’t mean youre fashionable sis. the real fashion girls actually don’t see it for you, like at all. They think you look ‘heavy.’ Lol.” Perhaps we will never know if something else provoked this rant behind the scenes, but the most likely scenario is that she just woke up on the combative side of the bed and JT happened to be the target this time around.
Meanwhile, Azealia Banks doesn’t always just bash other celebrities. She also gives out her own stamp of approval, as she recently did by making her own remix of Tinashe’s “Nasty.” Sometimes this homage can come across as backhanded, but we can’t always assume that someone is hating. Hopefully we get more examples of admirable tributes instead of unprompted attacks.
Uncle Luke dishes out hot takes on the current rap landscape every once in a while, but don’t forget that he’s one of hip-hop’s pioneers. Moreover, his work with 2 Live Crew influenced multiple generations of the art form with its lewd and explicit content, even setting legal precedents for lyrical standards and freedom of speech within the genre. Furthermore, it’s no wonder that the Miami artist sees his influence in the current brand of salacious and sexually liberated femcees (only one part of the wide spectrum of female rap). In fact, he recently name-dropped a few of them while asking for a check from multiple of them for paving the way for their superstar success, while dissing the boys in the process. A check is probably going too far, but is the 63-year-old that wrong in his assessment?
“Male rap is on some bulls**t right now,” Uncle Luke kicked his remarks off. “I’m sorry. The females are winning. They’re doing everything that I did. I’m still waiting for these girls to send me a f***ing check. I need a check from Ice Spice who turn her a** around. Dropping it like it’s hot and doo-doo browning. I need a check from her, I need a check from Sexyy Red. Nah, that Red’s my friend. My man Stan. Shouts out to Stan, Stan the man. I don’t need a check from him. That’s my dog, that’s his record company.
“All the f***ing girls,” Uncle Luke continued. “Megan Thee Stallion, anybody that’s running around shaking their a**es, talking about p***y and d**k on the record, y’all need to send me a check. Send me a check. Just stop by with the check and say, ‘Thank you, Uncle Luke, for fighting, going to the Supreme Court, allowing us to be able to say what we saying on the records, and we’re whooping these men’s a**es right now ’cause we doing our thing.’ That’s going to go viral.” At least he admitted this would be a nice little engagement farm.
Elsewhere, Uncle Luke recently spoke on his failed attempts to squash Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur’s fatal feud. “I remember when Tupac and Biggie had the beef going on,” he shared on Instagram Live. “Now, mind you, I tried to get in the middle of it and squash it. I kind of cooled it off, but it was a little too late. Outside people got involved. Man, I remember going to St. Louis doing a show with Biggie. I went on before him and by the time he got to the stage, them people were screaming ‘Tupac!’ They was singing Tupac songs. That is the most discouraging thing when you in a battle, when you in the heat of a battle on tour, that people would go to the stadium and don’t even wanna hear your songs.”
Jermaine Dupri recently issued a hot take via Twitter about Kamala Harris’ perceived inefficiency as a political figure in the White House, and the replies were quite scathing. “Real quick, I want to talk about the DNC,” he began. “I feel like the DNC has been going amazing. But I also feel like tonight, Kamala Harris has a pretty difficult job, right? And it’s interesting because the Republican correspondent that’s been doing the round-up after the DNC has ended [every night], he asked the question that I kind of asked Kamala when we had our second meeting. You know, the fact that she’s in office right now, she’s in the White House right now.
“And the guy, he said, ‘What makes y’all believe that she’s going to get this stuff done if she becomes President if she’s already in the [White] House?’” Jermaine Dupri pondered. “And it’s a tricky question because I asked Kamala basically the same thing, right? In so many words. I asked her, as the Vice President, why they don’t let her talk when Biden seems like he needed someone to speak up for him. I thought that’s what the role of the Vice President was: to help the President.” Check out the criticisms of this take, as well as his full statement, in the Instagram post below.
“Basically, she kind of let me know that her hands was tied,” Jermaine Dupri continued. “That they didn’t really allow her to be a voice like that in that space. And tonight, I want to see if she even touches on this. Because if she doesn’t touch on it, that’s the question that I feel like the people that have mixed decisions about voting for her, this is one of the questions.
“This is the top question that they have,” Jermaine Dupri concluded. “Like I said, this is what the Republicans are saying. They never heard the part about her hands being tied. If she says something about her hands being tied, it makes it look like the White House or the Democratic Party didn’t really want her to exceed. So she can’t really say her hands was tied. But she does have to step into that space. This is something I do believe.”
The Breonna Taylor case just got a massive update, as federal U.S. District Court Judge Charles Simpson reportedly dismissed charges against two former police officers involved in the raid on her house in which cops murdered her. Former detective Joshua Jaynes and former officer Kyle Meany were charged with “submitting a false affidavit” back in 2022, which is what prompted the raid in the first place. Also, they faced accusations of fabricating a “false cover story in an attempt to escape responsibility for their roles” in designing the search warrant with “false information.” These initial charges reportedly could’ve resulted in life sentences. According to TMZ, neither officer was there during the raid.
Furthermore, on Thursday (August 22), Judge Simpson reportedly claimed that this search warrant did not cause Breonna Taylor’s death. Rather, Simpson attributed her murder to her boyfriend Kenneth Walker and how he shot at officers, and characterized this as the “legal cause” of her death. “There is no direct link between the warrantless entry and Taylor’s death,” the ruling reportedly reads. “Taylor’s death was proximately caused by the manner in which the warrant was executed.
“[Kenneth Walker’s] decision to open fire, as alleged and argued, was the natural and probable consequence of executing the warrant at 12:45 a.m. on ‘an unsuspecting household,’” the ruling reportedly continued concerning Breonna Taylor. “That decision prompted the return fire, which hit and killed Taylor.” Per TMZ, former detective Jaynes still faces “two counts of falsification of records, conspiracy to falsify records, and witness tampering” charges in this case. On the other hand, Meany faces “one charge of [making a] false statement to federal investigators.” He and Jaynes could serve up to five and 40 years respectively if found guilty.
“Louisville police is different,” EST Gee shared last year. “You know how n***as teach them to not like the police? I don’t want to say his name. He was involved in the Breonna Taylor s**t, one of the police officers. When I was little, he walked [into] a group of us home at gunpoint, on my granny. She lived in Turtle Creek. One of the dudes from the Breonna Taylor [murder]. So I had my own experience early. The police, they ain’t never helped me.”
(@iamcleotrapa) 