The official release date for Asap Rocky’s album Don’t Be Dumb is up in the air. But, there is a more certain project featuring the “Tailor Swif” rapper on the way.
According to Deadline, Asap Rocky’s return to film is approaching. During a sit down with outlet acclaimed director Spike Lee confirmed Asap Rocky’s involvement in his forthcoming film, Highest 2 Lowest.
Although Lee is remaining tight-lipped about the film’s production details, he wants to stress it is not a remake.
“This is not a remake,” he told the outlet. “This is a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s great film.”
Lee continue to detail the differences between the works, saying: “In Kurosawa’s film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker. In our film Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business. So, this is the fifth film with the dynamic duo.”
If Don’t Be Dumb isn’t out by then, maybe Asap Rocky can cook up a soundtrack for the picture.
ASAP Rocky is a talented performer. He rose to fame as a rapper, of course, but he has excelled in numerous mediums. He’s become a renowned fashion model courtesy of collabs with Calvin Klein and PUMA. Now, ASAP Rocky is going to take the plunge into acting. He’s dabbled in film before, but the upcoming crime drama Highest 2 Lowest will represent a huge step forward. Rocky, born Rakim Meyers, will play the lead in a new Spike Lee joint.
Highest 2 Lowest was announced in February 2024. The buzz surrounding the film stemmed from the reunion between director Spike Lee and actor Denzel Washington. The duo are responsible for several classics dating back to the 1990s, and they haven’t worked together in two decades. The assumption was that Washington was going to play the lead, but a new report from Billboard proves this to be untrue. Instead, ASAP Rocky will be taking center stage. “The main role … is ASAP Rocky,” Lee said during the 2024 Red Sea International Film Festival. “People will see when it comes out. It’s dynamite.”
Oscar-winning director Spike Lee, a Freedom Award honoree, answers questions on the red carpet ahead of the National Civil Rights Museum’s 33rd Freedom Award ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 in front of the Halloran Centre in Memphis, Tenn.
ASAP Rocky’s charisma has proven to be effective on the big screen. He made his feature film debut in Dope (2015), before turning in scene-stealing performances in Zoolander 2 (2016) and Monster (2018). Highest 2 Lowest will represent a huge leap in terms of collaborators and prestige. Rocky is also slated to appear in the upcoming dramedy If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. The A24 release will be produced by the Safdie brothers, proving that Rocky’s transition to movie star is in full effect.
Day one Rocky fans know there is a consequence to this new career path. The rapper has been teasing the release of his new album, Don’t Be Dumb, for years. He promised it would drop in 2024, and even released pre-order links. Unfortunately, ASAP Rocky confirmed that the album would be delayed, yet again, to 2025. Pre-order links were subsequently refunded. Don’t Be Dumb has yet to get a proper release date, despite. ASAP Rocky having dropped three well-received singles. The announcement coinciding with news of his role in Highest 2 Lowest does not feel like a coincidence. His mind is on seemingly everything but the music. On the bright side, Highest 2 Lowest sounds like it’ll be great.
Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has confirmed the induction of four new NBA SuperFans into the prestigious James F. Goldstein SuperFan Gallery. The 2024 class includes iconic filmmaker Spike Lee, actor Billy Crystal, legendary actor Jack Nicholson, and real estate developer Alan Horwitz, a fixture at Philadelphia 76ers games.
Named after businessman and renowned NBA fan Jimmy Goldstein, the SuperFan Gallery was established in 2021 to honor the league’s most dedicated and recognizable fans. These individuals have consistently shown their passion and support for their teams, becoming staples courtside at NBA games for decades.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for October 13, where Lee, Crystal, Nicholson, and Horwitz will be celebrated for their unwavering loyalty to the sport. Fans and basketball insiders are eager to see these four honored for their contributions to the NBA’s vibrant fan culture.
There is no bigger New York sports fan than Spike Lee. As the New York Liberty got their semifinal series underway with the Las Vegas Aces, a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals, Lee exchanged words with Kelsey Plum.
Cameras picked up Lee and Plum exchanging words while the Liberty were up 14. And boy, Plum looks HEATED. Liberty won game 1 87-77, and Plum scored 24 points. You can see the moment below.
Recently, Alfonso Ribeiro, famous for playing Carlton Banks in the ’90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, stirred controversy due to his tweet. Unlike his co-star Will Smith, Alfonso never really made it big on the big screen after his stint on the comedy TV series. He was mostly known for his dance moves on the show, which became dubbed “The Carlton” after his character. Alfonso took his dancing skills a level higher when he won the 19th season of Dancing With The Stars. He returned to the show as the co-host in Season 31 and continues in the role to this day. However, despite his success in DWTS, many feel he should have achieved much more.
During a recent chat with Closer Weekly, Alfonso spoke about his lack of roles on television. The actor revealed his career stalled after playing Carlton Banks. He revealed, “It was one of the greatest roles that I ever was fortunate enough to play, but it was also the role that stopped me from acting again because people couldn’t see me as anything else.” Following Alfonso’s revelations, a fan made a suggestion. The fan wrote, “@tylerperry needs to revamp @alfonso_ribeiro career, I just know he could.” However, the actor-dancer responded to the fan by writing, “I don’t need or ever want that man to do anything for me.”
Following the reaction, many fans wondered what could be going on between him and Tyler Perry. Some suggested there could be beef brewing between Alfonso and the mega-filmmaker, while others felt the producer had some skeletons in his cupboard, which the actor knew about. Hence, fans called on Alfonso to open up if he knew something about Tyler that the world doesn’t. Further, he is not the only person in the entertainment industry that has issues with Tyler. Many other celebrities have called the entertainment mogul out on different occasions. Here are five celebrities who have beef with Tyler Perry.
5. Tyler Perry Beef With Spike Lee
Despite being widely regarded as a significant figure in Black entertainment, Tyler Perry had his work called into question by legendary film director Spike Lee in 2009. During a discussion about Black art and entertainment, Lee emphasized the need for artists to have personal liberty. He went ahead to criticize creators like Perry for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Black Americans. He said producers like Tyler propagated racist ideas while exploiting the worst impulses of American audiences. Spike explained, “Each artist should be allowed to pursue their artistic endeavours, but I still think there is a lot of stuff out today that is ‘coonery buffoonery.’”
Tyler responded to Spike’s comments during an appearance on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace. He expressed that such comments weren’t new to him. The movie producer said elitism was to blame for the criticisms against his Madea character. He also said the stories he tells in his works originated from his experiences growing up, especially when he spent time with his mom and her friends. Tyler further said his brand of entertainment was motivated by love. He explained per People, “So when someone says, ‘You’re harkening back to a point of our life that we don’t want to talk about it or we don’t want the world to see,’ you’re dismissing the stories of millions and millions of Black people.”
Tyler Perry’s beef with Spike Lee cooled off years later. In June 2022, Tyler attended the Tribeca Film Festival, where he told Gayle King that he named one of the sound stages at his Studio in Atlanta after Lee. Spike celebrated the honor Tyler accorded him in an Instagram post. He thanked Tyler and urged him to continue doing God’s work.
Katt Williams went viral in January 2024 following a three-hour interview with Shannon Sharpe on his Club Shay Shay podcast. During the interview, Katt didn’t mince words as he called out some of Hollywood’s biggest entertainers. Some of the people Katt slammed in the interview included Steve Harvey, Cedric Entertainer, and Diddy. Tyler Perry didn’t escape Katt’s wrath. Katt mentioned Tyler’s name while discussing his beef with comedian Rickey Smiley. Apparently, Katt isn’t a fan of Tyler portraying a female character, Madea. Katt sees Tyler and Rickey’s portrayal of female characters negatively and feels they sacrificed their dignity to dress as women. Hence, while speaking about his fallout with Rickey, Katt said Rickey and “Tyler Perry can’t play a man to save they life.”
That wasn’t the first time Katt expressed disdain for Tyler’s Madea character. Per BET, the comedian shared his opinion about Tyler during a special interview with Rock Rants. Katt was asked to describe celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber, Anthony Anderson, and Drake. However, when Perry’s name came up, he referred to him as a “Drag Queen.” Meanwhile, Tyler has never responded to Katt’s remarks about him.
3. Dave Chappelle
Tyler Perry’s continued portrayal of Madea has earned him many critics. One person with longstanding issues with Tyler dressing like and playing a female character is comedian Dave Chappelle. Dave has never hidden his disdain for men playing women characters or dressing as women in movies. During a 2014 interview with GQ, the legendary comedian spoke about Tyler’s influence. He said, “I can’t see how my life is harder because Tyler Perry exists. You know? I mean, I can certainly debate the artistic merits of his movies or the lack thereof, but to me that’s almost an irrelevant conversation, because I’m more impressed with what he was able to achieve.” Despite not being a fan of Tyler’s work, Dave expressed that there was a place for him in Hollywood and commended him for reaching a different audience with his movies and TV shows.
Tyler responded to Dave’s criticism during an appearance on T.I.’s ExpediTIously podcast. He said, “Listen, Chappelle is one of the most brilliant people I have ever seen in my life. Not just in comedy, but the man is smart. A heavy, brilliant thinker.” Tyler went ahead to clarify that nobody forced him to play a woman character or wear a dress. He said, “Nobody makes me put it on. It was all on stage. Black man owned the whole show, it was my choice.” Tyler further expressed that he wasn’t a man who enjoyed wearing a dress. However, for him as an actor, it was a costume, and he was doing it to encourage people and make them laugh.
Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry have been friends for over a decade. However, rumors about a strain in their friendship emerged in March 2016. A source told the Daily Mail Oprah had difficulties working with Tyler. The source also claimed Oprah hated that Tyler couldn’t take constructive criticism. At the time of the reports, Tyler had three series running on Oprah’s OWNNetwork. The insider shared that Oprah suggested they hire more script writers to help develop Tyler’s shows, most especially The Have and the Have Nots. She went ahead to share with Tyler details of research from focus groups, whose general consensus was that the writing could improve significantly.
The source claimed that Tyler didn’t buy Oprah’s feedback and became defensive. Tyler reportedly told Oprah, “Aren’t the shows delivering ratings for the network? Well, then let me do what I do and you can keep your focus group research to yourself.” According to the insider, Oprah, who allowed Tyler to join her network after TBS didn’t renew his contract, reminded him of how important she was to him. The source revealed, “Oprah basically had to remind him, “You needed me as much as I needed you when we decided to do this partnership and don’t forget that.” The insider further shared that the disagreement led the Hollywood moguls to stop communicating as much as they did before.
However, after news of Winfrey and Perry’s beef made headlines, the former’s close friend, Gayle King, said it was false. Taking to Instagram, Gayle shared a screenshot of the Daily Mail article and captioned it, “Huh? Just reading @Oprah & @tylerperry are angry w/each other & not speaking if that’s true (it”ain’t”)must have just happened 10 min ago!” Tyler also slammed the rumors in a chat with Entertainment Tonight. He said, “It’s completely false. Nothing is accurate in the article except for my and Oprah’s names.”
1. Tyler Perry Beef With Mo’Nique
Tyler Perry’s beef with Mo’Nique began in 2009 after the film Precious was released in theaters. The movie was successful and earned Mo’Nique a Golden Globe and Academy Award. However, tensions existed between Mo’Nique and the movie’s producers, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, and director Lee Daniels. As part of efforts to promote the film, Mo’Nique was asked to appear at the Cannes Film Festival. However, being present at Cannes to promote Precious wasn’t part of Mo’Nique’s contract, and she wasn’t going to be paid for it. Hence, she refused to attend the film festival.
During a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Mo’Nique opened up about the situation. She revealed that she told Winfrey, “Oprah, I’m doing a talk show. I’m doing a comedy tour. I have a husband and I have babies. I have a little bit of downtime and I’m going to take advantage of it. So I’m not going anywhere because I’m not obligated to go anywhere. I’ve done my part.” Mo’Nique further claimed that she was blackballed from the entertainment industry after she refused to promote the film without pay. Hence, she demanded an apology from Oprah and Tyler for their roles in stifling her career. She also claimed that Lee Daniels personally expressed regret about the way she was treated by producers.
In 2022, Mo’Nique had an interview with TS Madison and claimed Tyler promised to admit his wrongdoings to the public. However, Tyler reportedly didn’t keep to that promise. Despite Tyler’s no-show, Mo’Nique claimed she had an audio recording of her conversation with him in which he made the promise. Mo’Nique reignited her beef with Tyler Perry when she appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast in February 2024.
During the podcast, Mo’Nique opened up about her audio recording of Tyler, in which he admitted to spreading the rumor that she was difficult to work with. She lamented how the rumor made her lose millions of dollars in opportunities. However, Tyler has reportedly strongly refuted Mo’Nique’s claims. In May, Mo’Nique joined Katt Williams on tour and had more to say about Tyler and Oprah, calling them “coon motherf*****s.” Tyler Perry’s beef with Mo’Nique is 15 years old, but it doesn’t look like it is ending soon.
Spike Lee and Denzel Washington‘s first four movies together are: Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. Pretty good track record! They will soon start working on their fifth collaboration with help from one of the most in-demand rappers out there: Ice Spice.
Variety reports that Ice Spice has joined the cast of High and Low, Lee’s English-language reinterpretation of the Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller of the same name. This will be the “Munch (Feelin’ U)” rapper’s acting debut, unless you count her recent appearance on Hot Ones, which you should. She suffered for her art.
“I didn’t ever really like see myself being a rapper,” Spice said on Hot97’s Ebro in the Morning in 2023. “I always wanted to be an actress. That was like, my first passion.”
Apple Original Films, which partnered with A24 on the “Spike Lee joint,” shared a photo of the filmmaker and Washington on X to announce that production has begun on the project. “No. 5 now in production,” it reads.
Lee’s High and Low does not currently have a release date, but it will be released theatrically by A24 before a global launch on AppleTV+. You can watch the original film on Max.
Ice Spice will be joining Denzel Washington in the cast for Spike Lee’s highly-anticipated reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s legendary thriller, High and Low. While it marks the Bronx rapper’s first time working with Lee, it will also be her feature film debut. It will be the fifth time Lee and Washington have collaborated over the years and their first time doing so since 2006’s Inside Man. The news comes after Spice and Lee previously posed for a photo together in Brooklyn, earlier this year.
Kurosawa released High and Low back in 1963 and it remains one of the Japanese filmmaker’s most iconic movies, along with Yojimbo, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Ran, and more. The story follows a businessman torn between gaining executive control and helping an employee by lending him the money to free his child from kidnappers.
Ice Spice at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 10, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)
Spice previously suggested she wanted to pursue a career in acting during an interview with Ebro Darden, Laura Stylez, and Peter Rosenburg on HOT 97 in January 2023. “I didn’t ever really like see myself being a rapper,” she admitted. “I always wanted to be an actress. That was my first passion.” A year later, she appeared in a Super Bowl ad for PepsiCo’s lemon-lime soda, Starry. Speaking on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, she described it as her acting debut. “For me, that will act as an introduction to acting,” she said. “Which is crazy, because that’s not a lot of people’s introduction. It’s a lot of pressure because it’s such a big platform. But regardless, I’m grateful I got to have that experience. It was definitely a challenge delivering the lines and stuff like that.”
As for the music side of her career, Spice is hard at work on her debut studio album, Y2K. The project is set to release at some point this year. Be on the lookout for further updates on Ice Spice on HotNewHipHop.
Donated items from Spike Lee, Tessa Thompson, Olivia Colman, and more have been added to the Cinema for Gaza auction, raising over $113,000.
Variety reports that the items, iconic to say the least, include a framed “Malcolm X” poster signed by Lee, an “Aftersun” poster signed by Mescal with a personalized video message from Colman are included in the auction lots that launched this past Monday, as well as additional items including a “beer on Zoom” with Tessa Thompson. Memorabilia from “The Marvels,” a “Worst Person in the World” poster signed by Joachim Trier, were also auctioned.
Foreseeably, this won’t be a forever thing, as the auction closes on April 12. All donations will go to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). Cinema for Gaza was set up by U.K.-based filmmakers and film journalists Hanna Flint, Julia Jackman, Leila Latif, Sophie Monks Kaufman, and Helen Simmons. It has been consistently growing since its inception on March 28. More celebrity donations are coming through daily, adding to the original lots from A-list names such as Tilda Swinton, Josh O’Connor, Ken Loach, and more.
MAP is currently responding to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, where the local health authority claims that more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed after Israel retaliated for Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, which killed more than 1,100 Israelis.
The stars keep adding on for Spike Lee’s newest film from A24 and Apple Studios. Award nominees Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera from Godfather of Harlem are set to star in High and Low alongside icon Denzel Washington. I mean, Wright and Washington, on-screen together, already seems like an amazing one-two punch. Hadera’s addition makes the top-line cast even more enjoyable.
Lee’s High and Low is being developed and produced by A24, best known for its slate of thought-provoking and award-worthy films. Escape Artists and Mandalay Pictures are also producing. Alan Fox and Lee wrote the film. Billed as a thriller and described as the “English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller,” it begins production this month.
Thankfully, A24 is releasing the film in theaters before launching at a later date on Apple TV+.
Todd Black for Escape Artists and Jason Michael Berman for Mandalay Pictures are producers.
Lee is serving as executive producer through his long-standing 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks. Mandalay’s Peter Guber is serving as executive producer, along with Juniper Productions’ Matthew Lindner, Chris Brigham, and Katia Washington. Mandalay’s Jordan Moldo is in as co-producer.
High and Low marks Washington’s second Apple Original Films project after his performance in The Tragedy of Macbeth. But get this: it’s the fifth Lee-Washington collaboration as director and actor following Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. I don’t know about you, but we’re excited for what’s to come with this one.
Spike Lee posed for a picture with Ice Spice in Brooklyn on Saturday. In response to the legendary filmmaker sharing the photo on Instagram, fans theorized that the two are in a relationship. Lee quickly shot down those rumors in response.
“Yesterday Da Boogie Down Bronx Made A Visit To CRKLYN. Peace To @IceSpice.” he captioned the post. Ice Spice dropped a goat emoji below. When one user commented, “now Spike,” with laughing emojis, he fired back: “Git Ya Mind Outta Da Gutter [surprised face emoji].”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 07: Spike Lee talks with David Remnick during The 2023 New Yorker Festival at Webster Hall on October 07, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The New Yorker)
Fans also shared plenty of praise for Ice Spice. “I love ice spice, anyone who doesn’t like it is my enemy,” one user wrote. Another added: “One of the most talented singers since Whitney Houston and Madonna. Every song that Ice Spice does is like a Michael Jackson Thriller video. The dancing and singing she does. SHES UNDERRATED!” Check out her picture with Spike Lee below.
Other fans asked Lee to cast her in one of his projects. “Please put ice spice in your kurosawa remake,” a fan wrote. Despite being known for her career in hip-hop, Ice Spice previously told Teen Vogue that she was originally planning to pursue a career in acting. “I love movies,” she said, last year. “I always wanted to be a part of that, whether it was [starring in] or helping direct it, I wasn’t allowed to, for some reason, I was mad salty about that for years.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Spike Lee and Ice Spice on HotNewHipHop.
KLYN. Peace To @IceSpice.” he captioned the post. Ice Spice dropped a goat emoji below. When one user commented, “now Spike,” with laughing emojis, he fired back: “Git Ya Mind Outta Da Gutter [surprised face emoji].”