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The United States and being armed unfortunately go hand-in-hand. This directly reflects on the rate of crimes committed with guns, something that has been heightened in the months following the easing of COVID restrictions across the country. Despite this, the Texas legislature has recently passed a bill repealing any requirements for carrying a handgun. 

The proposed bill ultimately passed on Wednesday (May 5) in an 18-13 vote among party lines. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has already vocalized support for the bill and has declared he intends to sign it once it reaches his desk.

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The current law to open carry requires fingerprints, four hours of training, and the passing of a written exam and shooting proficiency test to be armed. The state notably does not require any sort of license to carry. Charles Schwertner, a Republican state senator, viewed the bill as “a restoration of the belief in and trust of our citizens.”

He continued, “We cannot allow another session to come and go where we pay lip service for the second amendment by failing to fully restore and protect the rights of citizens granted by the constitution.”

Data collected from polls suggest that most Texas residents do not support unlicensed carry, with 59% of those polled in a University of Texas poll saying they do not support the policy. Beverly Powell, a Democratic senator, voiced safety concerns from some law enforcement groups. 

“If I sit down at a restaurant with a gentleman or a woman who has a holster on their side and a gun in it, I want to know that person is well-trained in the use of that gun,” she said. Texas has notably seen a few mass shootings in the last several years, including two mass shootings in August 2019 that left a total of 30 people dead. 

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Ed Sheeran is no stranger to the rap game, having collaborated with a variety of artists like Eminem, 50 Cent, Young Thug, Travis Scott, Skepta, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Cardi B, and Chance The Rapper. He’s actually prone to spitting bars of his own from time to time, even stepping up to kick a freestyle on The Breakfast Club. As it happens, one of Ed’s earliest hip-hop collaborations was among the most unlikely: a pre-Shady Records Yelawolf, riding high off the release of his breakout mixtape Trunk Muzik. 

Following the conclusion of his April Onslaught, we actually had the chance to catch up with Yela for an extensive interview, in which a variety of topics were discussed. Between breaking down projects like his new studio album Mud Mouth and reflecting on the interesting musical history of Future (formerly known as Meathead), he took a moment to reflect on his collaborative EP with Ed Sheeran, The Slumdon Bridge. 

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Originally released in April of 2012, the four-track project has somehow managed to elude many fans, to the point where its existence can hardly be considered widespread knowledge. Boasting songs like “You Don’t Know (For Fuck’s Sake)” and “Faces,” there’s an interesting vibe found throughout Slumdon Bridge, and it’s evident that Ed and Yela were able to quickly find creative common ground despite their stylistic differences.

“I did an EP with Ed Sheeran back in the day,” he reflects, speaking on his ability to connect with his collaborators. “We just vibed one night, did the album in one night, and that was it. At the time no one knew who Ed Sheeran was — including me. I had no clue who he was, and my manager was just like, yo, there’s a new kid who signed and they really believe in this kid. He wants to meet you, he’s trying to do a record.”

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“The label offered him to do a song with a rapper, his favorite rapper or whatever, and it was me at the time,” he continues. “He was a big fan of Trunk Muzik. He loved that record, and he loved “Daddy’s Lambo” and “I Just Wanna Party” and “Pop The Trunk.” So he wanted to do a record with me. I think part of that at the time was to get some credibility in hip-hop because you know, there’s a part of Ed that’s a rapper. He’s really part rapper, and back then he would do bars. He would sing a little bit and he would spit bars — it was like atmosphere. He was like hippie hip-hop, you know, hippie-hop or whatever.”

“He was a super nice kid, man,” says Yela, speaking on his former collaborator’s character. “I couldn’t do anything but respect him. He’s super talented. He wrote quickly and could sing really well and we just vibed and made it happen. I’ll tell you, though, I didn’t hear from him for six years pretty much after that day. [Laughs] It was like, Oh, shit. And then next thing I knew, it was like, fuc*ing three nights at Wembley Stadium. He’s the man, though!”

For more from Yelawolf, be sure to check out our full interview with the Mud Mouth emcee right here. Are you still keeping Yela and Ed’s Slumdon Bridge project on steady rotation after all these years?

LISTEN: Ed Sheeran & Yelawolf – “You Don’t Know (for fucks sake)”

Billie Eilish is one of the biggest artists in the world and at the age of 19, she has already won various Grammy Awards and it doesn’t feel like she will be slowing down in the immediate future. In July, the artist will be delivering her highly-anticipated album Happier Than Ever and fans are excited to see what she has in store. 

More recently, Eilish was on the cover of British Vogue where she showed off a massive style change that took many by surprise. Eilish also got to talk about her love of Karaoke during her sitdown with the magazine and she even had a surprising admission. At first, she noted that she loves to sing H.E.R. songs although the big shock was when she revealed her love of Chief Keef.

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“I really love H.E.R., I feel empowered when I sing H.E.R. songs, or like, Chief Keef to be honest,” she said. “I don’t even know if they have Chief Keef at karaoke bars, but I would request some Chief Keef.”

Chief Keef has a lot of iconic songs under his belt although we’re unsure which track is Eilish’s favorite. However, we can’t help but picture what it would be like if she decided to sing something like “Faneto” at a Karaoke bar. That would truly be a sight to behold.

It’s been a little bit over a year since Pop Smoke was gunned down in a rented Hollywood Hills mansion. The Brooklyn rapper was shot and killed in what was understood to be a botched home invasion. Previously, scare details surrounding the specifics of the case were available. 

In the latest circumstances surrounding the case, however, the crime becomes much more heinous. As we reported yesterday, after being shot, Pop Smoke was then kicked as he lay on the ground. In addition, the “Welcome to the Party” artist was robbed of his diamond-studded Rolex before he was shot and killed by a 15-year-old. 

According to the New York Daily News, a 15-year-old suspect allegedly admitted to shooting Pop Smoke after he and his gang of other majority-teenaged assailants broke into the adored rapper’s rented LA home. Their goal of the heist was to rob Pop Smoke of his Rolex and his Cuban link gold chain. 

An officer got these details from a recording of a conversation that went down between the accused shooter and a cellmate at a juvenile detention center in May of last year. According to his testimony, the four defendants, who have all been charged with murder, sold the watch for $2,000.

“He admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Baretta 9 (mm,),” LAPD Det. Carlos Camacho reportedly testified on Friday (May 7), at a hearing for the only adult named in the case, Corey Walker, who is 20. 

Both Walker and the teen shooter are said to have snitched on themselves. Pop Smoke was reportedly confronted in the wee hours of February 19th, 2020 while he was naked in the shower. Initially complying and giving up his watch, a fight later broke out, eventually leading to Pop’s death. He was 20 years old at the time.

We’ll keep you updated as the case proceeds.

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