debate

Timbaland Calls R. Kelly “The King Of R&B,” Fans Lash Back

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Timbaland just caught a lot of heat online for proclaiming that R. Kelly, convicted sex offender, is “the King of R&B.” Moreover, the producer made such comments during his conversation with Shannon Sharpe on the latter’s Club Shay Shay podcast, where they also broached Timbo’s struggles with addiction. However, his praise of the disgraced R&B star didn’t come without its caveats, as he acknowledged that it was a loaded subject that people quickly bash on. Still, he maintained the importance of separating the art from the artist when it comes to their greatness and impact, and Sharpe was actually the first to do so in the conversation. Many fans expressed disappointment and anger with this take, especially considering that the Virginia native produced for one of Kelly’s victims, Aaliyah.

“R. Kelly’s the king of R&B,” Timbaland stated. “We all know that, man. And it’s funny, I’m glad you talk about that, because I be having talks- everybody jump when you say R. Kelly. I’m like, ‘So we just gonna ignore his music that he gave us, that we all jam to?’ No, we can’t do that. His art is his art, I ain’t gonna bash the man’s art. Don’t mix music up with personal. Music is a feeling, it stands alone. Music is something that don’t have no race, it brings people together. It don’t have no drama with it. It is a place of enjoyment, a feeling, so don’t bring drama into music. Leave that outside.”

Read More: R. Kelly Victim Gets Priority Access To His Royalty Fund

Timbaland & Shannon Sharpe Speak On R. Kelly’s Legacy

Furthermore, the 56-year-old currently serves a 30-year prison sentence stemming from a New York conviction. In addition, authorities convicted him of sex trafficking, child pornography, and other federal and civil charges in Chicago this year. While the Chicago sentence is technically an additional twenty years, only one of those will be added to his total time, as the rest serve concurrently with his New York sentence. Undeniably, his legacy saw a massive and irreversible taint as a result that re-contextualized his entire work under a dark light. Check out reactions to Timbaland’s take below.

Twitter Reacts To The “King Of R&B” Take

Regardless of his thoughts on legacy and artistic separation, the case of R. Kelly precedes much of his work in today’s discussions. As such, many out there continue to make sure his crimes are not forgotten in probably the most extreme example of a tarnished musical legacy. Whether that persists for years to come remains to be seen, and whether others will face a similar fate is a mystery. For more news and the latest updates on R. Kelly and Timbaland, stick around on HNHH.

Read More: R. Kelly Files For Appeal In Federal Sex Crimes Case In NY

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Ice Cube Weighs In On Mike Epps Versus Chris Tucker

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Mike Epps versus Chris Tucker is a debate between two titans of the Black comedy in the 1990s. Epps got his big acting break in 2000’s Next Friday, playing Day-Day Jones, the sidekick to Ice Cube’s Craig Jones. Meanwhile, Tucker got his break in the first Friday film in 1995. Later in the decade, Tucker would become well-known for his starring role in the Rush Hour films alongside Jackie Chan.

Both men had a crucial role in the Friday franchise. Furthermore, both men had helped define comedy for a generation of people. But who was funnier? There are arguments for both but now Ice Cube has weighed in on the debate.

Ice Cube Backs Epps Over Tucker

Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, and Mike Epps
HOLLYWOOD – JUNE 8: (US TABS AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) (L-R) Actors Ice Cube, Cedric The Entertainer and Mike Epps attend the after party for the premiere of the Paramount Pictures’ film “The Honeymooners” on June 8, 2005 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

“Mike, to me, is funnier, just as a pure comic,” Cube said. Furthermore, he acknowledged that they wouldn’t have had Epps’ Day-Day if Tucker hadn’t left the Friday franchise after the first film. “Yeah, I’m glad he didn’t do it,” Cube said. “‘Cause we wouldn’t have Mike.” Furthermore, Tucker was reportedly offered $12 million to reprise his role as Smokey but declined over “religious reasons.” Cube elaborated on this, explaining that, “Yeah, we wanted him,” he said. “He turned it down. You’ll hear a thousand different stories, but we wanted to pay him $12 million to do that movie and he turned it down. He said it was for religious reasons…He didn’t wanna cuss and he didn’t wanna smoke weed on camera.”

Meanwhile, Tucker gave his own version of events in 2021. “I never really told people this ’cause I kinda forgot about it … I didn’t want to represent everybody smoking weed,” he said. “I kind of made it more personal than a movie … I wanted to move on because when I did something, I never wanted to do it again. Back then, I was all about going to the next level. I had a good sense of like, ‘OK, now it’s time to go do an action movie.’”

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TDE Punch Weighs In On Age Limit Debate In Hip-Hop

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TDE Punch has weighed in on the ongoing debate as to whether there should be an age limit to releasing hip-hop music. Punch argued that artists get wiser the older they become on Twitter, Tuesday.

“I just read a post about an age limit in hip hop music. Is this still a thing? I’ve always thought the older you get (for some) the wiser you become. Therefore the information you speak would be better,” he said. “Of course this apply to those sharp and keep updating the craft.”

Read More: 03 Greedo, Gillie & Wallo Debate Whether There’s An Old Age Limit In Rap

Punch On The Age Limit Debate

Many users debated the topic in the replies to Punch’s post. One wrote: “The limit increases as rappers age, some of the best in the world are in their 50’s and make music the world relates to. It’s not just a young mans game anymore, and older artists who have something to say should try to reach that audience would has aged with them.” Punch responded: “I 100% agree with this. We go as far as the oldest one with the most skills.”

Gillie Da Kid initially sparked the debate during an episode of the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, over the weekend. He argued that rappers who aren’t hitting it big by a certain age need to give up. “Fucking right there’s an age limit to rap… If you ain’t poppin’ by a certain age, let that shit go,” Gillie said on the show. “Motherfuckas be like all the time, ‘Yo Gil, your platform crazy this the perfect time drop something now.’ Shut the fuck up, man. Fuck is you talking about? Do I look like a n***a that’s holding onto yesterday, n***a? Or do I look like a n***a that’s elevating? And escalating, n***a. And glowing and growing. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Gillie Da Kid On Aging In Hip-Hop

Gille went on to say that continuing to drop music at his age is for those who only know how to rap. The 39-year-old remarked, “If you ain’t got no traction at all by a certain age and you still doing this shit. Loser.”

Read More: Charlamagne Tha God Says Gillie & Wallo Are The Highest-Paid Black Podcasters

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Rory & Mal Believe Ice Spice Wouldn’t Be As Successful If She Was Dark-Skinned

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Ice Spice slander these days warrants an eye-roll in the face of all her success, hits, and clear ability, whether you think she capitalizes on it or not. However, Rory and Mal recently opened up an important yet tough conversation on the circumstances surrounding her meteoric rise. Moreover, the podcast hosts debated whether or not she only got such success because she’s of a lighter skin complexion compared to other similarly talented artists. In fact, their producer Demaris argued that she’s not even talented enough to warrant all that attention.

“If we saying that colorism doesn’t exist, a dark-skinned girl could never soar the way that fucking Ice Spice did off having zero to no talent,” she stated. “Ice Spice has no talent?” Rory replied. “You think Ice Spice is a talented rapper?” Demaris clapped back. “I think she’s a talented person,” he said after a pause. “Rap wouldn’t be it, but there’s a talent there.” Further on, Demaris said that she’s not trying to hate on the “Princess Diana” hitmaker, just that she doesn’t like her music. “If she was dark-skinned she would not be as big as she is,” she maintained. “That’s what I said. That’s not taking anything away from her.”

Read More: Ice Spice Net Worth 2023: What Is The Rapper Worth?

Rory & Mal Discuss Colorism & Ice Spice’s Success

Regardless of your take, it was quite the interesting debate that nonetheless had people advocating for her talent and skill. However, this wasn’t something that just came out of the blue during their conversation in the podcast episode. They addressed comments made online speculating on Ice Spice’s invite to the Met Gala as Anna Wintour’s special guest. Also, they brought up her recently formed relationship with Kim Kardashian. While it’s tough to toe these lines, there’s certainly a way to talk earnestly of the social and cultural context of the Bronx star’s success (especially when compared to other female rappers) while also not taking away from her positive and musically talented traits.

Meanwhile, we’re sure that such comments won’t faze the 23-year-old. In fact, even if she “doesn’t have talent,” she certainly has the will and ability to fix that. “He definitely inspired me to want to record,” she told Paper of his father, who was an underground rapper. “I remember being in the studio with him. I was a toddler, probably. And I remember little flashes. Of course, not every detail, but small things like that being shown to you at such a young age make an impression on you. Subconsciously, I ended up becoming an artist because I saw my father be one first. He’s a music lover himself. He’s a true hip-hop head, beyond me, honestly. He knows everything. He’s always educating me on hip-hop and s**t like that.” For the latest on Ice Spice and Rory and Mal, come back to HNHH.

Read More: The Joe Budden and Rory & Mal Beef: A Breakdown

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Who Created Trap Soul? Twitter Debates Drake, Bryson Tiller, Or Kirko Bangz

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The latest Twitter debate in the rap and R&B world is in: who created trap soul? Moreover, three answers seemed to dominate discussion, those being Drake, Bryson Tiller, and of course Kirko Bangz. In fact, a repost of the latter’s 2011 hit “Drank in My Cup,” claiming that it “invented” trap soul, is what started this whole discussion in the first place. While many pointed to Bangz as an originator, some championed Drizzy for innovating in the style with So Far Gone and only making it more defined as his career went on. Still, a lot of people could easily claim the title, too. After all, Tiller did name his breakout album after the sub-genre, which if you’ve never heard of before, is pretty self-explanatory.

Despite those popular picks, many other names came up in conversation. One was, surprisingly, Tory Lanez, which is valid even if he’s more known for his legal troubles than his music nowadays. Another obvious contender for the crown is Future, who might just be one of the most influential artists across all genres. Since OVO was already on people’s minds, many pointed to PARTYNEXTDOOR as an important figure in the movement, as well.

The Tweet That Sparked Discussion

Regardless of your take on its originator, it’s clear that all of these artists either owe their sound to the movement or helped innovate it for even wider influence. Also, it creates an interesting debate on what elements of a career truly mark someone “creating” a genre. Kirko Bangz might have been the first to do it, from what many believe. Drake’s been probably the most popular to do so, but he’s played with so many other genres and influences, too. Is sticking to that sound and that sound only what makes you an innovator, or is it owed to pushing it to its highest commercial peaks?

With all these perspectives in mind, Twitter came through with some interesting takes on the matter. Since these artists all crafted significant careers in the 2010s that inspired millions, there’s no true wrong answer. That being said, check out some of those takes below and chime in with your own analysis in the comments. As always, log back into HNHH for the latest great music from these artists and the trap soul genre.

Twitter Debates On Who Created Trap Soul

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Young Guru Claims Lil Wayne Would “Wash” 50 Cent In A “Verzuz”

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Hip-hop culture’s been debating about who would win in a Verzuz battle between 50 Cent and Lil Wayne, and Young Guru is the latest legend to chime in. Moreover, this all started with multiple media personalities giving their thoughts on the subject, including Ebro, DJ Envy, and their respective radio crews. However, considering that he’s Jay-Z’s longtime engineer, his harsh assessment might just ring harder than any previous take. Furthermore, he took to his Instagram Story to try to set the record straight and speak authoritatively on the subject. Whether he’s right or not, perhaps we’ll never know, but it seems like a 50-50 split as to who would claim victory (or 50-Weezy, I guess).

“For the record y’all are crazy. Wayne would wash 50. Period,” the acclaimed audio technician wrote. Also, he said that To elaborate, here are some takes from other figures who recently debated the issue. First up is Ebro, who said that “what Jadakiss did to Dipset…Is what 50 will do to Wayne.” Eddie Francis disagreed on Rap Life Review, saying that a “wash” is impossible. To be fair, it is a tight race (consider this writer in Tunechi’s corner, with all due respect). Still, Lowkey argued on the program that he needs a carefully curated setlist to stand a chance against the G-Unit mogul.

Young Guru: Lil Wayne Would “Wash” 50 Cent

“Wayne don’t have a Get Rich or Die Tryin,‘” Low claimed, and blasphemously so for many (is Tha Carter III nothing to you?). “We’re not talking about what we like… We’re talking about in a crowd. [50 Cent] is a mainstream monster; Wayne is a cultural mainstream monster. But when we talk about these hits? When we talk about these bodies of work? When we talk about these smashes? I ain’t saying 50’s gonna wash Wayne, but if Wayne is not sequenced right and is not positioned correctly, that could be a very long f***ing night for Dwayne Carter.”

Meanwhile, DJ Envy agreed on The Breakfast Club, although he said it’s closer than many think. Regardless of all that, it’s still highly unlikely that we’ll ever get to answer this question. After all, 50’s dismissed the idea of doing a Verzuz, especially since it was more of a pandemic thing that hasn’t fully come back. On his end, the Young Money icon said that Roc-A-Fella would be the “best competition” against his label in a battle. As such, fans can only keep their fingers crossed and hope that the two incredible MCs look at all the buzz and say, “You know what, why not?” Come back to HNHH to see if that ever happens, and for the latest on 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and Young Guru.

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