Hip Hop News

It has been two months since Will Smith and Chris Rock’s slapping incident at the Oscars took over pop culture, and comedians are still letting Smith have it. Immediately following the infamous Academy Awards moment, comedians came forward to express their disgust with Smith’s behavior, and while much of that conversation has dissipated within the last two months, Steve Harvey is reviving the topic.

According to reports, Harvey recently spoke at Georgia State University where he addressed several issues including Smith and Rock’s altercation. Harvey touched on being a religious man but struggled with whether or not he would have been as passive as Rock.

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“I’m a Christian, but I’m really undeveloped. I don’t have high-level Christianity,” said Harvey. “On a scale of one to 10, I’m like a two. That’s the level of Christianity I can work on. You slap T.D. Jakes, he’ll turn the other cheek. You slap me? If you sit back in your seat, Jada would have to move out of the way. That’s the type of Christian I am.”

Smith’s reputation has taken a hit since the incident and there have been several reports of delayed or canceled projects involving the actor. Harvey also told the GSU audience that Smith only executed his slap because it was Rock on the stage. He also reportedly said that Smith pulled a “punk move” before saying that he “lost a lot of respect” for the Oscar-winning actor.

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Those “before they were famous” stories often consist of tales connected to what random jobs celebrities held prior to becoming stars. However, for some, the way they made money was scamming, stealing, or engaging in some other nefarious activity, and such was the case for CeeLo Green. The famed musician recently discussed those days in his youth when he would rob people—and after he became famous, some of his victims approached him to remind him that he stole from them.

“I was robbing people by myself. You have to understand, I didn’t have any friends and I was not in school. My mom did not know. I dropped out of school, so I was fronting like I was [still] going,” the 46-year-old singer told Page Six. “So I would leave in the morning when school started at the same time every day. I used to ride the train all day. I was like 13, 14, 15 then. I was young.”

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According to Green, it was six years ago when a man approached him and said that many years ago, Green robbed him.

“I used to take people’s shoes and take people’s jackets and stuff like that. I would hang out at the train station and rob people. This was like ’87, ’88. I was the guy taking people’s Jordans, unfortunately,” Green added. “He basically said, ‘You took my shoes at Hightower station,’ which is a MARTA train station in Atlanta, Georgia. And I said, ‘Sir, I’m so sorry. That was so long ago. I was so young and ignorant. Please forgive me.’ Then he said, ‘I already forgive you. I forgive you 1,000 times.’ He said, ‘Your music let me know that it was an intervention in your life and healing. I was able to heal from your healing.’”

In another interaction, a woman messaged him on social media with a similar story.

“A young lady stopped in on Instagram and left a comment saying I had robbed her, too. I remember I robbed her at a bus stop for her jacket. I’m not proud of that stuff,” he shared. “All the good I proceeded to do has been intentional. My career has been intentional. It’s very concentrated for productivity’s sake because I actually love people. Music has a lot to do with being my love language.”

“If the music did not happen … that’s the thing, I think the music would have happened. I was not as received or welcomed as I would like to be, but maybe that was just negativity within me. People were seemingly negative toward me,” said Green. “I just acted out because I didn’t feel accepted. … I will keep my distance because I’m not one to be bullied. I’m not gonna be the victim, and I wasn’t. Life is a boot camp, and you have to make it through the basic training.”

Watch Green’s interview below.

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‘Tis the season for a Jack Harlow takeover as the rapper has become the talk of Hip Hop. Today (May 6), Harlow’s Come Home The Kids Miss You officially hit streaming services and the album has remained a trending topic since its release. We’ve also received several new interviews from Harlow and in many of them, he touched on adding his voice to Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby” hit.

The track arrived with controversy as Lil Nas X and Harlow joined together for an LGBTQIA+-friendly music video, but the homophobic reactions were something that didn’t sit well with the Kentucky rapper.

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“The totally inappropriate reaction to him lets you know that we still have some progress to be made,” Harlow told The Guardian. “And you hear it in passing; there’s still some homophobia going on. But he’s taking the hit that artists won’t have to take in the future. That’s what makes him a hero.”

In a separate interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, Harlow spoke about “Industry Baby” as a piece of his legacy that he would look back on fondly.

“I felt like as I was recording the verse, I felt like in 10 years, I’m going to be very proud of this,” he said. “I feel like my grandkids are going to see this, and once they understand the context of everything, they’re going to be like, ‘Wow. My grandpa did the right thing. It’s tough.’ Yeah, I definitely was like, ‘This is fun. This is progression.’ That’s one thing, the success I’m having, and people are coming around, and the music is working, but one thing I’m really looking forward to next is, I know I have to make contributions… and do new sh*t, push the sh*t forward.”

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“I’ve done some things, I’m having some success, but I haven’t fully added my branch to the tree of hip hop yet. I haven’t brought my branch where people can point and Jack Harlow and say, ‘Here’s what he added that no one was giving us before.”‘ I fully plan on doing that. And I’m not saying that’s what that was, but that decision to me felt like one of those steps of like, not everybody would take that step, but it made total sense to me. The song was good, he’s amazing. I loved making the decision. It felt really good.”

If you haven’t already, check out Harlow’s Come Home The Kids Miss You below.

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The death of Kevin Samuels has created a great divide on social media, but regardless of his controversial takes, the self-proclaimed “image consultant” had a slew of followers who loved his content. Samuels made several statements that would often go viral about relationships, “high-value men,” and what women needed to do to increase their chances of finding love.

Since it was confirmed that Samuels has indeed passed away in his apartment with a woman, only identified as a nurse, that he met at a nightclub the evening prior, there has been an ongoing debate about his legacy.

Several celebrities have come forward to share their condolences, including Marlon Wayans who questioned why people who disliked Samuels would “tune in” to watch his content.

“Love him or hate him… he spoke his truth,” said Wayans. “We can view truth as hate but sometimes his bold medicine didn’t taste so sweet. And if you hated why tune in? Why call in? Because healing comes in many forms… his was some nasty ass tasting medicine. There’s no right and wrong in this love sh*t, there’s just discovery. Thank u for those you healed and we forgive you if there were any damages because we know your intention was to heal… and honestly, F*CK, YOU WAS HILARIOUS!”

“In this moment i pray for you and your family and all those you’ve healed that can’t call in to your show. I hope you can heal more and reach more in heaven. Rest well. Appreciate you trying to hold on and express masculinity.” Check out Wayans’s post and a few reactions below.

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Gabby Petito has been laid to rest, but her family continues to mourn the loss of their daughter. The young woman’s tragic disappearance made headlines all over the world late last year, and when she eventually turned up dead, all eyes turned toward her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, who was also reported dead months later.

After taking some time to mourn, it’s been reported that Petito’s mother, Nichole Schmidt, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the curator of Brian Laundrie’s estate in Florida.

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The lawsuit was filed earlier today (May 6th), and states that Schmidt and Gabby’s father Joseph have “incurred funeral and burial expenses, and they have suffered a loss of care and comfort, and suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society and comfort.”

The parents are seeking $30K in damages; it’s also been noted that they’ve demanded a trial by jury as well as compensatory damages. 

Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino told TMZ in a statement that the Petito’s filing was to be expected. “The Petitos will have gained nothing more than a piece of paper that tells them what everyone already knows – which is that Brian was responsible for Gabby’s death as indicated by the FBI,” he said.

Elsewhere in the news, just last week Nicole and Joseph filed an amended civil suit against Laundrie’s parents, Christopher and Roberta, alleging that they were aware of their daughter’s body’s whereabouts as a massive missing person investigation was unfolding.

That lawsuit also seeks $30K in damages for “the mental anguish they suffered due to the alleged deceit of the Laundries.”

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Chet Hanks is the latest famous face to be placed in Ziwe Fumudoh’s hot seat. During an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight, the talk show host opened up about her conversation with the actor, which she teased on social media earlier today (May 6th).

“I asked Chet Hanks if he wanted to apologize to any marginalized communities,” she captioned a clip from the upcoming episode. In the footage, Ziwe even suggests, “I don’t know, maybe the Patois community?”

After a brief moment of hesitation, the 31-year-old shakes his head before saying, “Nah. I don’t feel like I’ve truly done anything offensive, so I don’t.

“You don’t see it as cultural appropriation,” Ziwe clarifies, “you see it as like a celebration of culture.” Hanks responds, “Mhm,” before the host continues, “And then, it’s like ‘Social justice warriors can like, go kick rocks.'”

Ultimately, Hanks stands with the interviewer’s statements, saying, “No, I 100% agree. Social justice warriors can kick rocks.”

Though the clip makes it seem as though the conversation will be an awkward one, Z told ET that her chat with Hanks will be one of this season’s most memorable. “I was so delighted. He had been someone who I thought would be an iconic guest for years and I think that interview was an iconic interview,” she shared.

Another episode from the second installment of her talk show finds Ziwe sitting down with Charlamagne, whom she asked about his troubled history with Black women. “What I love about that one is that Charlamagne has been in the public eye for decades,” the host explained.

Read what The Breakfast Club host had to say to Ziwe Fumoduh here, and tap back in with HNHH later for more pop culture news updates.

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Dave Chappelle is able to joke about the attack he faced at the Hollywood Bowl earlier this week, but his assailant – a young man named Isaiah Lee – can’t say the same. On Friday morning Lee appeared in court, and as TMZ notes, he looked to be in pretty rough shape.

The defendant’s right arm was bandaged in a sling; a public defender informed the judge that he had suffered a broken arm during the Hollywood Bowl beatdown. In case you missed it, cameras caught Lee being rolled out on a stretcher following his attack on the comedian.

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The judge set Lee’s bail at $30K. If he’s able to pay it off, he’ll be hit with a protective order that requires him to “stay at least 100 yards away from the Hollywood Bowl, Dave, and any other venue at which the comedian performs.”

Last night, Chappelle revealed that he asked security at Tuesday’s event to allow him to speak with his attacker before he was taken away so that he could get some answers. The young man reportedly told him that he was hoping to get “attention for his grandmother who he said had been forced out of her neighbourhood because of gentrification.”

L.A. County D.A. George Gascon refuted the felony charges for Lee and instead sent the case to the City Attorney, who have charged him with possession of a weapon with intent to assault and unauthorized access to the stage area during a performance.

If convicted, Lee will serve no more than 18 months in county jail, although it’s likely he’ll face less; check back in with HNHH later for any future updates from the courtroom.

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