Last night Kanye West and Drake came together in an epic benefit show for Larry Hoover in Los Angeles. The show was dedicated to raising awareness about prison and sentencing reform, but Kanye took a moment to serenade his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian. Kanye Needs “Kimberly” To Run While performing his hit song “Runaway” Kanye […]
This week brought a chilling reminder that Trump’s election fraud claims weren’t just hot air — they had serious, harmful effects on real people. 62-year-old Georgia poll worker Ruby Freeman reportedly had to move out of her home of 20 years when an online conspiracy theory brought threatening calls and letters and vigilantes menacing her neighbors. As it turns out, one of those who traveled to her home to harass her over the fake voter fraud was on the staff of rapper Kanye West, who himself had just ended an ill-fated, slapdash Presidential campaign, which some believed was a ploy to siphon Black voters away from Joe Biden.
Reuters reports that Trevian Kutti, a publicist for Kanye, went to Freeman’s home, telling Ruby that she worked for an unidentified “high-profile individual” and telling her that she had 48 hours to confess to voter fraud or she would be arrested and sent to jail. Freeman says she called 911, requesting a police officer to come and keep an eye on things. By this time, she’d been harassed for weeks after Trump accused her publicly of what amounted to ballot stuffing, although authorities quickly refuted his unfounded claims.
Kutti and her companion, a male who called himself a “crisis manager,” told Freeman she was “in danger,” prompting them to move the conversation to the police station. On an officer’s body cam video, Kutti could reportedly be heard telling Freeman, “You are a loose end for a party that needs to tidy up.” After Kutti called an unknown person she said had “authoritative powers to get you protection,” Freeman said the two tried to get her to implicate herself.
Eventually, Freeman turned Kutti away and later looked her up, finding out that she was a Trump supporter. Prior to working with Kanye, which was confirmed by media reports and Kutti’s own website, she’d worked for R. Kelly. The next day after the visit, Freeman was advised by the FBI to vacate her home. On January 6, Freeman says, a mob of Trump supporters surrounded the home, shouting through bullhorns.
Kanye hadn’t responded to Reuters’ request for comment as of press time.
For the last few years, the feud between Drake and Kanye West — sorry, I mean Ye — has been the subject of endless fascination and speculation among fans. Every shot from either side was relentlessly pondered and debated, and fans took great delight in parsing each artist’s output for secret subliminal disses while goading the confrontation at every turn.
However, through it all, there was one artist among their peers who never bought into the hype. Rick Ross previously noted that he “loved” the back and forth between the two, reminding fans that the antics didn’t really put either artist at risk. “Kanye posted Drake’s address on the Instagram, but who didn’t have Drake address already?” he said.
He reiterated a similar sentiment on Wednesday night during a live interview with Billboard at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles which Uproxx attended. “This wasn’t something that I really took seriously,” he said of the so-called beef between Drake and Ye. “These are two icons, forward-thinkers, highly intelligent brothers. I didn’t really see them taking it too seriously.”
However, like many, he enjoyed seeing the two call a ceasefire for a benefit concert set to take place this week at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “The Free Larry Hoover campaign is a great reason to come together and get on the stage. That’s what I’m excited about and happy to see these brothers pulling it off, and let’s make sure we tune in.”
Elsewhere in the interview, he also addressed his own supposed friction with Meek Mill after fans spent the summer speculating about simmering tensions between the Philly rapper and his mentor. Those rumors intensified with a line on Ross’ new single, “Little Havana” from his upcoming album Richer Than I Ever Been dropping this week.
Damn…so was ross talking to Meek and Hov or just one of them? Let me chill
— Low (@LowKeyUHTN) December 9, 2021
“N****s soul being sold and still own a leash,” Ross raps on the track. “Roger Goodell boy, he ain’t a corniche / I was really throwin’ money, I really saw Meech / And I let them rappin’ n****s get closer to Meek.” However, at the Grammy Museum, Ross said there was no ill will behind the lyrics. “I feel like we’re both hustlers,” he said. “That’s one thing about life, you either grow together or grow apart. As a boss, you make that decision, because whatever it is you want to do, Ricky Rozay wants to see you do it. There’s a lot of people that didn’t last or was still down with me the way Meek is — so I want to see the homie shine regardless.”
Richer Than I Ever Been is out 12/10 via Epic Records.
When it comes to conversations about music, much of the discourse goes down on Twitter. That’s why it’s no surprise that the most talked-about artists on the platform were those who released an album this year or those that were surrounded by controversy (and if you’re Ye — both).
Twitter collected all their data from this year and shared who the most-tweeted-about musicians were. Drake came in at No. 1, Ye followed shortly after him, and Lil Nas X sat at No. 3. It comes as no surprise that BTS was the fourth most-tweeted-about musician thanks to their massive global fanbase. After BTS, who were the most-tweeted-about group in 2020, was Taylor Swift at No. 5, whose rerecorded Red (Taylor’s Version) gave the singer a fair amount of buzz on the platform. Nicki Minaj came in at No. 6, Beyonce was No. 7, Megan Thee Stallion was No. 8, DaBaby was No. 9, and Cardi B made it in at No. 10.
Though BTS fell down a few placements this year compared to last year, they were still big when it came to the most-liked tweets of the year. Joe Biden celebrating his inauguration in 2021 was the single most-liked tweet, but a selfie by BTS member Jungkook was the second-most-liked tweet of the year with 3.2 million likes.
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) January 25, 2021
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
With Ye and Drake’s Free Larry Hoover concert just hours away and scheduled to stream around the world live, TMZ reports that the crew at the LA Memorial Coliseum are working overtime to finish the stage ahead of the production. In addition, TMZ’s sources say that the show’s budget comes in at well over $10 million, covering the cost of the stage, space rental, staff, and security.
Of course, to the two rappers, who have spent the last several years sniping at each other on their records and social channels, the cause is worth the cost. According to J. Prince, who is the one who ultimately connected the two artists, Drake saw the bigger picture was worth setting aside their petty — and extremely funny, let’s be honest — feud.
Hoover, who helped co-found Chicagos’ notorious Gangsta Disciples organization, has been in prison since 1997, serving a life sentence (six of them, actually, which… how?) for an extended list of crimes committed in his capacity as the gang’s leader. However, since then, he says he’s seen the error of his ways and can do more good outside of prison keeping kids away from gangs with his knowledge, experience, and street credibility.
In addition, Larry Hoover Jr. has been advocating for his father’s release, as well as overall prison reform.
The Free Larry Hoover Concert is expected to begin tonight at 8 pm.
Aerial footage captured by a photojournalist has revealed that a massive stage is under construction for Kanye West and Drake‘s ‘Free Larry Hoover’ benefit show. Kanye West & Drake’s Larry Hoover Show Underway A clip shared by CBS LA‘s John Schreiber shows the huge stage which is being built for the Kanye West & Drake […]
Kim Kardashian and Ye may be ending their marriage (and already dating others), but that doesn’t mean they don’t recognize the influence they’ve had on each others’ lives. Kardashian apparently influenced some of Ye’s music on his My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album, acting as his muse on the track “Lost In The World.” But Ye has also influenced Kardashian in a number of ways, namely her style.
Kardashian was honored for her style at the 2021 People’s Choice Awards on Tuesday night. She took the stage in a Balenciaga skin-tight black jumpsuit and massively oversized sunglasses to accept the Fashion Icon award, which was presented by last year’s winner Tracee Ellis Ross. During her speech, Kardashian gave Ye a huge shout-out, saying he introduced her to the world of high fashion.
People’s Choice Award! The fashion Icon Award and Best Reality TV Show! I’m so humbled and honored and the people who voted!!! pic.twitter.com/0OJOufP4I5
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 8, 2021
Kardashian said:
“I started off as a closet organizer and a stylist, so the fact that I’m winning a fashion icon award it’s like a pinch-me moment. I have those every single day that designers are willing to work with me, there was a time when they weren’t. […] To Kanye, even to really introducing me to the fashion world. I fell in love with fashion and I’m so inspired by so many people.”
We’re gonna let you finish, but Kim Kardashian West had the best #PCAs Fashion Icon speech of all time.
https://t.co/eWqLLdlW9A pic.twitter.com/C4hEl80eka
— E! News (@enews) December 8, 2021
Watch Kardashian’s full acceptance speech above.
Late last month, Ye and Drake announced that their Larry Hoover benefit concert would be held live from the Los Angeles Coliseum on December 9. The news came after the rappers got back on good terms, having not seeing eye to eye for the past three years. Ye and Drake reconciled in the name of advocating for the release of Larry Hoover, a Chicago gang founder currently imprisoned for a 1973 murder. With two days until the concert goes down, additional info has been shared about it.
Ye and Drake are joining forces and we’ve got your exclusive access. The monumental #FreeLarryHoover show will be free to stream globally on Prime Video, on the @AmazonMusic app, and on the Amazon Music Twitch channel. pic.twitter.com/SPItOoRRG8
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) December 8, 2021
The Larry Hoover concert will be livestreamed on Amazon Music and Prime Video. Viewers will be able to watch the show starting at 11pm EST / 8pm PST on Prime Video, the Amazon Music app, and the Amazon Music Twitch channel. The concert will also be made available in select IMAX theaters across the country, according to Stereogum. The show’s main goal is to raise awareness for prison and sentencing reform while benefiting community advocate groups, like Ex-Cons For Community And Social Change, Hustle 2.0, and Uptown People’s Law Center.
“Kanye and Drake have spent their careers pushing boundaries and defining culture, and we’re excited to give fans around the world a front row seat to this concert,” Tim Hinshaw, Amazon Music’s head of hip-hop and R&B, said in a statement. “We have made Amazon Music and Prime Video destinations where artists can make their most ambitious ideas a reality—this concert is just the latest example.”
