On this day in Hip Hop history, the cult classic comedy Friday soundtrack was released by 550 Music and Epic Records. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, where it stood for two weeks, and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop chart, where it stood for six weeks. The album was just as commercially successful as the film and was certified double platinum only two months later.
During the 90s, it seemed that every soundtrack was a hit and the Friday soundtrack followed suit. With tracks from Ice Cube, Scarface, Dr. Dre, Cypress Hill, and 2 Live Crew, the album stacked up to be an amazing compilation of original tracks and poppin’ radio singles. At the same time, the addition of a few throwbacks from The Isley Brothers, Bootsy Collins, and Rick James gave the album surprising depth and a sense of nostalgia. Dr. Dre’s original single for the film, “Keep Their Head Ringing,” was able to see great success due to this soundtrack. It ranked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA in May 1995.
Singer/actress Halle Bailey has been having the best year ever. The Grown-ish star has been making her rounds in preparation for the role of a lifetime. Plugged in as Ariel in Disney’s live-action animated musical classic released nationwide in May, the trailer gave us a look into the certified blockbuster hit.
Disney’s The Little Mermaid star— Halle Bailey
Yesterday, the 2023 Disney Dreamer Academy ambassador appeared in Washington, D.C. to participate in the White House’s 2023 Easter Egg Roll. As part of the annual festivities, Bailey served as a guest reader and read two books: The Little Mermaid: Make a Splash by Ashley Franklin and Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry.
“The Little Mermaid” is the beloved story of Ariel, a beautiful and spirited young mermaid with a thirst for adventure. The youngest of King Triton’s daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. While mermaids are forbidden from interacting with humans, Ariel must follow her heart. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.
Halle Bailey at The 2023 White House Easter Egg Roll
Chlöe is the other half of the Chloe x Halle musical duo. In recent years, however, we’ve seen her do incredible things as an individual. These have finally culminated in a debut studio album. The original plan was to name the album after herself, but that changed as Chlöe continued to develop the record. In January, the “Treat Me” singer announced the album with a “Heart on My Sleeve” preview.
Chlöe closed out March with the release of her anticipated debut album, In Pieces. The singer has promised the project for some time, and upon delivery, Chlöe was praised for her official introduction. It was challenging, but she partnered with several noteworthy artists to help round out the record. Future, Chris Brown, and Missy Elliott added their voices to In Pieces. It seemed as if Chlöe wanted to stand alone for most of the tracklisting, proving she could create captivating music as a hitmaking solo artist. We’re taking an in-depth look at In Pieces and highlighting the album’s best moments.
Chlöe Without Halle
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Halle Bailey and Chloe Bailey attend the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman on February 04, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
It has become a default trend for collective stars to turn to desperate measures to seek balanced respect. It seems for Chloe x Halle, it is tempting to assume the venture into independence is perhaps each sister carving out their own lane. Halle landed a lead role in the 2023 live adaptation of The Little Mermaid, and the filming took place abroad. This would turn out to be their lengthiest period apart. Consequently, Chlöe found solace in exploring creativity on a personal plain.
The harmonies are not half as intact, and we miss that on InPieces without Halle. We should, however, not undermine the thrill that springs from some of these quality collaborations. For instance, Future in “Cheatback” was definitely the “Honest” rapper in his natural habitat. Chris Brown, on the other hand, equally in his comfort zone, gave rise to mixed feelings. A chosen few of their fans loved the collaboration, but Brown’s past was a hot topic. Halle’s absence conspicuously made Chlöe seem like a nuance of herself. This was foreseeable, considering they only created separate Instagram accounts a little over two years ago.
Chlöe’s In Pieces: Overall Appraisal
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 03: Chlöe performs onstage during MusiCares Persons of the Year Honoring Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 03, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
In aggregating In Pieces ratings, Metacritic arrived at a score of 64/100—not bad for a debut. Most tracks run under three minutes—talent and wit beget brevity. Chlöe is following the steps of her Industry Aunt, Beyoncé, in so many ways. Is it the religious allusions? The cheating trauma? The unapologetic female sensuality? The self-inclination? All these are precious stones to craftsmanship and even peculiarly more so to these two women. A lady who enjoys being called “baby Beyoncé” is outrightly one to watch out for in things of sexuality.
Chlöe knows how to make an entrance, and she did so on In Pieces‘s first track, “Someone’s Calling (Chlöe).” She sampled Louis Armstrong’s 1952 jazz classic, “Chloe (Song of the Swamp).” What a name play. It almost gave us this Tom-and-Jerry-Christmas-Edition-background-music-vibe. We loved it, but not as much as the sampler herself—it’s her granddaddy’s little souvenir lullaby. Breakups suck, and Chlöe is here to remind us with “Pray It Away.” Through the personal feel of the album, we figure out her 20s have not been entirely kind. Prayer aside, she also dances it away in “Body Do.” Tracks like “Told Ya” and “Cheatback” showcase the character arc. After mourning in prayer, she makes bold decisions in the later tracks.
Scrapped Singles & Forthcoming Tour
Chlöe purposefully released four singles between September 2021 and October 2022. She then had in mind Chlöe, or as we now know it, In Pieces. Fans were astonished to add “Have Mercy,” “Treat Me,” “Surprise,” and “For the Night” to their playlists. She eventually scrapped them, announcing the decision upon releasing “Pray It Away,” the new lead single. Every severe critic would flash an inquisitive eye at this forepassed development. Why did Chlöe change her mind? A theory about “Have Mercy” could be the avoidance of premature redundancy.
Another step Chlöe would take has everything to do with her much-anticipated In PiecesTour. Her tour will start at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on April 11. The run will conclude at The Novo in Los Angeles come May 3. Chlöe is just getting started.
Taj Zeigler, 22, was charged on Friday with attempting to shoot the man believed to be responsible for Nas Blixky’s death. Zeigler is currently being held in Brooklyn’s Federal Detention Center.
It has been reported that no one was injured in the shooting.
Zeigler was identified in video surveillance at the crime scene and was charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition.
Last month, Creed supporting actor Jonathan Majors was accused of domestic assault, but the estranged girlfriend has since retracted her accusations. Those allegations ran parallel with the promotion of the third installment of the boxing flick, with many people criticizing both Majors and Michael B. Jordan’s appearances at public events. Now, Dipset general Cam’Ron said that his sole reason for not watching the new Creed movie was because of a photo shoot featuring Jordan and Majors.
Cam took to IG to post an image from the shoot between the two actors, with the caption reading, “This was the reason I didn’t see ‘Creed.’”
Even Fabolous chimed in on the post, saying, “This was a funny promo shoot for a boxing movie.”
On the most recent episode of the AllHipHop podcast, Dipset Capo Jim Jones gave an account of being in the studio with Jay-Z and having so many Blood gang members with him that Hov himself had to address the situation.
Jones spoke to AHH owner Chuck Creekmur about a time in the legendary Baseline Studios with the old Roc-A-Fella team, saying, “We were right in Harlem, so we ain’t have to cross no bridges or nothing to get there. It was literally a seven-minute ride to get down there. We used to come in there all the time. Me piling in there with like 20 Bloods with me.”
Jones said, “[Jay-Z] looking at me like I’m crazy. One day I came in there with so many Bloods, Jay was like, ‘Come here, come here, come here.’ Like he was my uncle.” According to the Harlem rapper, Hov said, “I’m not worried about all the Bloods you bring here. I don’t care about none of that. But when you bring the gangsters in here, make sure the gangsters holler at me before anything else ’cause this is my house.”
A jury originally ordered Tesla to pay over $137 million in a racial discrimination case brought by a former employee of its assembly plant in Fremont, California. A judge deemed that amount too excessive and a jury cut it down to $3 million.
The case was brought by Owen Diaz, who worked as an elevator operator at the plant. He reported he regularly heard racial slurs, including the N-word, on the Fremont factory floor, and saw racist graffiti in bathrooms and a racially insensitive cartoon.
Diaz, who is Black, claimed that the electric carmaker cast a blind eye to harassment. His supervisors allegedly taunted him with racist imagery and used epithets against him. “[I] had supervisors telling me, ‘N—-r, hurry up and push the button’; ‘N—-r, push these batteries out of the elevator.’ And they were also telling me, ‘N—–s aren’t shit,’” he said.
In 2021, Diaz originally asked for $101 million dollars and was rewarded $137 Million dollars instead. US District Judge William Orrick said the amount was too high and offered Diaz $15 million in damages in the case instead, but Diaz rejected the offer. Instead he choose to gamble and have a new trial. On Monday, a San Francisco federal jury said the electric car company will now have to pay Diaz a total of $3,175,000.
The trial is separate from another case brought by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which said the agency had received “hundreds” of complaints from workers alleging racism and harassment at the Fremont factory.
Tesla has denied the charges that the situation was as bad as alleged in the two suits, but it has admitted there were problems which needed to be addressed at the plant.
In a blog post the company posted after the original 2021 verdict for $137 million, Valerie Capers Workman, then Tesla’s Vice President, People, wrote, “We do recognize that in 2015 and 2016 we were not perfect. We’re still not perfect. But we have come a long way from 5 years ago. We continue to grow and improve in how we address employee concerns.”
Capers Workman has since left Tesla and is now working as a bus driver. Watch the video below.
The road to Conway The Machine’s major label Shady/Interscope Records debut, God Don’t Make Mistakes, was undeniably impactful and incredibly redemptive. Universally hailed by critics and fans alike, the album was also his commercial breakthrough, as God Don’t Make Mistakes rose to the top of DSP charts and was also his highest-charting Billboard project to date.
While God Don’t Make Mistakes was Conway’s de-facto origin story, it will also serve as the bridge to the next phase of his already decorated career; which begins with his next album Won’t He Do It.
After sharing the album’s first single, “Super Bowl,” which featured Sauce Walka and Juicy J, Conway The Machine releases Won’t He Do It’s second single and first visual “Quarters/Brucifix” featuring Westside Gunn. Filmed on location in Paris, the dual single features production from Khrysis on “Quarters,” (which also includes a vocal clip from the late Combat Jack—RIP) along with the Westside Gunn assisted, and Daringer produced “Brucifix.”
In addition to the release of Won’t He Do It’s second single. Conway also announced the Won’t He Do It Spring Tour featuring Sauce Walka and his fellow Drumwork artist Jae Skeese, which will touch down in 18 cities starting on 5-26 in Chicago. You can visit Conway’s digital HQ for all corresponding tour dates.
“I wanted to tap back in with my bro, Khrysis, and give em that feel that my fans know me for providing” Conway commented to Complex. I also wanted to set the tone for my new album.”
Conway The Machine’s new solo album, Won’t He Do It, will be released this spring.
“Quarters”is now available at all DSP’s via Drumwork Music Group/EMPIRE
April 10, 1990 was the release date of a cornerstone in hip hop music: Public Enemy’sFear of a Black Planet. Still known as one of the most empowering albums of its time, the album was written during a pivotal era both in America and music: the Golden Age of Hip Hop.
Preceding the time where samples required clearance and approval to be used in sample-based music, the album is layered heavily with elements providing space and depth to levels of complexity previously unheard. Fear of a Black Planet‘s production team, The Bomb Squad, worked tirelessly to bring their signature sound to the album. As Rolling Stone’s Christopher Weingarten said in an interview late last year with leading Public Enemy MC Chuck D, it was one of the…
“most sonically adventurous and politically stirring records of all time.”
Examples of some of the known samples, these from the 20th track on the album “Fight The Power”. Bomb Squad producer Hank Shocklee claimed in an interview this year there are still many more samples he’s never spoken of.
Within the first week of release, the album sold more than a million copies, coming in at number 10 on Billboard’s Top Pop Albums chart. Commenting on several racially and politically engaging topics was the goal of the album, and the track that said it best was “Fight The Power.” The deep rhymes and intense verbage used by Chuck in revolutionary poetry made the track not only what the group became known for, but also their critically acclaimed anthem.
Used by director Spike Lee for his film Do The Right Thing, who also filmed this music video, this track alone could be used to describe this legendary album. Fear of a Black Planet was later listed as Rolling Stone’s 300th greatest record of all time.
Joe Budden and his former co-hosts are back at it again. Podcasters Rory and Mal recently called the New Jersey native a “thief” and “cat burglar” for the alleged financial issues they had host, which ultimately ended their relationship.
Budden has fired back and referred to them as the “bare minimum” boys — a reference to Drake’s track “BackOutsideBoyz” from his and 21 Savage’s Her Loss album. Although Budden appears to throw subliminals at Rory and Mal, he never says their names.
“To whom this may concern,” he began. “This is not even on page one of the manual, ’cause you n-ggas ain’t in the bookstore. Instead of critiquing people’s placement on this list, we need more critiquing on why you’re not on it. To everyone not on it, shut the fuck up. There’s some steps that you n-ggas have missed.
“To whom it may concern, stop holding a microphone. I’m just giving out podcast advice. It’s certain n-ggas, y’all can’t speak to me, y’all didn’t do the work yet. You didn’t go to the bookstore.”
“Hire the editors. Get people to help. Invest in the staff. Pay the staff. Get more staff. Stop check chasing. Stop doing the bare minimum and expecting that to yield results. You n-ggas are the bare minimum boys.”
Mal has previously said there’s no chance of reconciliation for the former friends. “I don’t respect him at all,” Mal stated. “Shake his hand? I’ll shake the room before I shake his hand. That’s just what it is. It’s not even about the business or the money. It’s a lot of money, it’s a lot of money, bro, that me and Rory walked away from. It’s a lot of money that was taken out of our pockets. It’s a lot of money that still to this day, we don’t have no lawyers going after it. Keep it. We got our own bag.”
He continued: “But, with that money that we walked away from, with that, what was owed to us that we walked away from, that was also me walking away from a relationship and a chapter of life that, once I walk away, you know, that door never opens again.”
Listen to Budden’s comments around the 1:27:33 mark below.
