JumpinJack AJ

I think the statement is fine for now. I have no doubts that he'll do a proper video or a Red Table Talk in the near future. A lot of what we're seeing reported right now is vague and recycled. This article is a little more informative of what is happening in the wake of things. https://blackamericaweb.com/2022/03/28/academy-condemns-will-smiths-actions-launches-review/?fbclid=IwAR1brAmpJRV_sBsG1ZhK9GoCEjQd4_PoWHKEw1aS41hi2Hryg3jxmPSW-QE Academy Condemns Will Smith’s Actions, Launches Review AP LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Monday condemned the actions of Will Smith during Sunday night’s Oscars and launched an inquiry into his slapping of presenter Chris Rock. In a statement Monday, the film academy said: “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.” The fallout from Smith’s onstage assault continued Monday, as Hollywood and the public continued to wrestle with a moment that stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home, and may have passed all others — even that gold-standard flub, EnvelopeGate — in Academy Awards infamy. Smith stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage during Rock’s remarks after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife. Rock said, “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.” The joke touched a nerve. Pinkett Smith, whose head is shaved, has spoken publicly about her alopecia diagnosis. Smith strode on stage and slapped Rock across the face. Back in his seat, Smith twice shouted for Rock to “get my wife’s name out your (expletive) mouth.” His words echoed clearly throughout the Dolby, though ABC cut the audio for about 15 seconds. Within an hour, Smith won best actor. During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the academy. After the show Sunday night, the academy posted a statement condemning violence. The Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday it was aware of the incident but not pursuing an investigation because the person involved declined to file a police report. Some academy members, like writer-producer Marshall Herskovitz, called for the academy to take disciplinary action against Smith. “He disgraced our entire community tonight,” wrote Herskovitz on Twitter. Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the Academy’s board of governors, said Monday on “The View”: “We’re not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences, I’m sure.” A sense of disbelief hung in the air at the Dolby Theatre after Smith’s assault, and it didn’t dissipate Monday. Not only was it a hard-to-fathom break with decorum on live national television — an incident so dramatic, even movie-like, that many initially assumed it was a staged bit — it seemed wildly out of character for one of Hollywood’s most relentlessly upbeat sta All of this less than an hour before Smith reached possibly the climactic moment of his career, winning his first Oscar, for best actor. “In a way, I feel bad for Will Smith, too, because I think he let his emotions get the better of him, and this should have been one of the great nights of his life,” said former Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel on Bill Simmons’ podcast. “And now it’s not. Was there anyone who didn’t like Will Smith an hour ago in the world? Like no one, right? Now he doesn’t have a single comedian friend — that’s for sure.” Some questioned whether Smith should have been allowed to continue to sit front and center after smacking Rock. Several stars rushed to counsel and calm Smith, including Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tyler Perry. But the timing was also awkward because the best actor category was due up soon after, and Smith had long been considered a lock for the award. “I know we’re all still processing, but the way casual violence was normalized tonight by a collective national audience will have consequences that we can’t even fathom in the moment,” wrote Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, on Twitter. Representatives for Smith didn’t immediately return messages Monday. The joke that provoked Smith was not part of Rock’s routine during the rehearsals leading up to the show, according to two sources close to production who was not authorized to speak publicly. Rock had joked about Pinkett Smith before. He hosted the 2016 Oscars, when some were boycotting the ceremony over the #OscarsSoWhite group of nominees, including the Smiths. Said Rock: “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.” In the press room backstage, where winners take a few questions from the media, the academy tried to stifle questions about the incident, at one point stopping Jessica Chastain from talking about it. But that didn’t prevent the moment from overwhelming talk at the Oscar afterparties and beyond. Some came to Smith’s defense, including Tiffany Haddish, who co-starred with Pinkett Smith in “Girls Trip. “Maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives,” Haddish told People magazine. Smith, meanwhile, merrily posed for photographs with his family outside the Vanity Fair party. Inside, cell phone videos captured him dancing to “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” while clutching his Oscar. Their son Jaden tweeted: “And That’s How We Do It.” On Instagram, Smith posted: “Me ’n Jada Pinkett Smith got all dressed up to choose chaos.” The drama overshadowed some historical wins at an Oscars. The deaf family drama “CODA” became the first film with a largely deaf cast to win best picture. For the first time, a streaming service, Apple TV+, took Hollywood’s top honor, signaling a profound shift in Hollywood and in moviegoing. Ariana DeBose of “West Side Story” became the first Afro-Latina and the first openly LGBTQ actor to win best supporting actress. But as stunning as Smith’s slap was, it wasn’t shocking that such a pivotal moment in the actor’s life would play out in the public eye. Particularly in recent years, Smith has been among the most candid of stars. While Pinkett Smith’s Facebook series “Red Table Talk” has been a platform for airing family drama, Smith has chronicled his own journey in the YouTube series “The Best Shape in My Life,” which included one episode documenting Smith discussing his regrets as a parent with his children. Smith also penned, with personal-growth author Mark Manson, the memoir “Will,” published earlier this year. (It rocketed up Amazon sales rankings Monday to No. 32.) In it, he described how he was molded by his loving but hard-drinking and militaristic father. In one chapter, he recalls as a 9-year-old seeing him hit his mother. Guilt at not protecting his mother, Smith wrote, left with complicated feelings that he connects with fueling his own rise in show business. When his father was elderly and confined to a wheelchair, Smith confessed feeling an impulse to push him down a staircase. “My personal journey into the depths of the joys and traumas of my past are definitely helping me to expand and build out a greater emotional toolbox that will allow me to portray more complex characters,” Smith said last fall in an interview with The Associated Press. For Smith, playing Richard Williams, father to Venus and Serena, in “King Richard” brought together all of these deep-rooted emotions — and it won him the Oscar. It also might have compelled his actions Sunday. “Art imitates life,” Smith said accepting the award. “I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams.”

A few hours ago Puffy made it seem like Will and Chris talked... https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/diddy-will-smith-chris-rock-oscars-slap Diddy Says Will Smith and Chris Rock Settled Their Issues After Oscars Slap BYJOE PRICE Image via Getty/Neilson Barnard Diddy says that Will Smith and Chris Rock sorted out their issues after the Best Actor winner walked on stage and slapped the comedian for a joke he told about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. In a comment provided to Page Six, Diddy said there’s nothing but “love” between the two stars. “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that,” Diddy said. “It’s all love. They’re brothers.” He didn’t offer up more than that, but Rock did decline to file a police report over the incident. During the ceremony, Diddy showed up on stage later and attempted to play peacemaker. “Will and Chris, we’re gonna solve that like family at the Gold Party,” he said. The incident occurred when Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock across the face after the comedian told a joke about Jada’s hair, suggesting that she should star in the sequel to G.I. Jane. Jada has previously opened up about her decision to shave her head last year, and said it was because she had been dealing with alopecia. “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the **** out of me,” Rock said after the slap, to which Smith responded, “Keep my wife’s name out your ****ing moment.” It took a moment for the comedian to collect himself, after which he added, “That was the greatest night in the history of television.” To add to the drama of the night, Smith walked home with Best Actor for his performance in King Richard, which he accepted just moments after he assaulted Rock. p.s. You know y'all can can contribute to this forum when things aren't crazy, right?

The lyrics from "I Wish I Made That" definitely haven't aged well as of last night. "Whoop somebody ass, taking my boot out right on TV, so all y'all can see me Just ignorant, attacking, acting rough..." A friend in the music industry made a since-deleted comment about how the movie industry pushes violence and explicit language in their projects. Movie goes eat it up. Now some want to be critical of a slap.

I don't condone violence. It tarnished the evening and his moment. Here's what has been swirling around my head for the past 12 hours. There's multiple ways to look at this. Multiple truths co-exist, and that's where things clash and people will take their sides. Chris Rock's joke wasn't brilliant, and at face value, wasn't the kind that you'd think would overly offend someone. Will and Chris have seemed cool, going back to the 90's. You can find pictures of them at various events greeting each other. At the same time, in 2016, he kind of went at Jada and Will when they choose not to go to the 2016 Oscars due to the lack of diversity in who was nominated. Is there an ongoing issue there? I doubt comics every really do this, but was it a situation where he should have checked with them about making the joke first. Chris definitely didn't seem to think it was going to be a deep dig. As Will was walking to the stage, Chris was giggling like some improv between them was about to jump off. It goes without saying that Will could have done worse. This was a warming slap. Chris handled it as well as you could expect, and better than most of us probably expected. I'm glad he's not pressing charges. Will and Jada. For years they were a power couple. People used them as the golden standard. In recent years, we've seen a change. We jump to conclusion on this, when a lot of time they've been cryptic about things. We know they were separated for awhile and what went down. From personal experience, that is hard to process, but it can be done. It's rare, but it can be done. Different relationships operate different ways, and in most cases, that's fine. Who are any of us to really judge? They seem really into each other lately. Let's hope that's true and that things get better. The other side of that is that maybe they aren't. Will has often said that his greatest failure was his first marriage ending. He grew up in a household where he watched his own parents have issue. That has clearly impacted his life. Will said he would have stayed in his first marriage, no matter how bad it got, just to keep it together, mostly for Trey. I think he's carried that to this marriage. If things are in fact bad, toxic, unhealthy, it seems that he'll stay with it. While I'm not for divorce on a general level, I'm certainly for it if it means you know that it simply will not work and one or both people are miserable. Is that the answer. Certainly none of us know or have the right to have an opinion that's relevant. I don't think that Chris' joke was intended to be malicious. I don't think it was specific to Jada dealing with alopecia. My thoughts are that Will and Jada should have recognized that. That being said, I could see where this could be a sensitive topic for her and something that bothers her on a daily basis. To be honest, I would have liked her to have gone up there and said something, if that's the case. But then what would the pathetic internet trolls say? Will actually appears to laugh at the joke at first. I can only assume that he saw that Jada took the joke deeper than it was intended to be, which triggered something in him. If he was going to react in a way for all to see, addressing him from his seat was a better idea. They've been in teh industry too long for something like that to REALLY get to them. Smacking Chris on life TV wasn't the answer. At the same time, you have many people who are like "don't talk about a man's wife/family...Chris had it coming" or women praising that he stood up for his wife. I think it goes without saying that Will tainted the evening. Those attending. Those watching it. It just wasn't a good look. He has spent the last 20 years trying to win an Oscar. He made it his goal, and while only a few of the movies he did were going to position him for that, he studied and worked toward it militantly. He achieved a high moment and a low moment all in the same evening. The two will forever be associated with each other, and he has to deal with that. He earned it and thank God he won it. Could you imagine if he hadn't? I think his thank you speech served as a somewhat redeemable moment. I don't judge people who isolated incidents. The Fresh Prince is my favorite emcee. Will Smith's movies and other content are generally things I love and enjoy over and over again. This isn't something that ruins that for me. There are many people who are not loyal fans who will abandon him over this, at least for a time, which is perfectly understandable. They aren't invested the way most of us are. For him to act like that and say the f-word goes against much of what he stands for, so I'm sure he's going to wrestle with that shame for a minute. Jeff recently said how Will is always the first one to admit when he was wrong, so I have no doubts that he'll be processing this moment. Denzel's words. Tyler Perry's support. Bradley Cooper's support. I think these things were important. That commercial break footage shows that Will was upset by the moment. One has to say to themselves... "You wanted to be in this position for so long. What the hell were you thinking when you got out of your seat and slapped a man on life television?" In recent years we talk about how men's mental health is overlooked and neglected. Will isn't Kanye West crazy with constant questionable behavior, but he must be wrestling with something to have been brought to this point. What's next? I don't think bungee jumping and jumping out of helicopters is strange behavior. He's getting older and wants to experience things in this life before he's "too old". He has the means to do it. I'd probably be doing a lot of the same things if my income allowed. His actions last night and the hallucinogenic drugs are very much against the Will we know and love. My hopes are that he feels the same an takes inventory of his life. I feel like he doesn't have the support system that he used to have. I think there are a lot things that he got right in his past that he seems distant from. And lets be real, virtually everyone who loves Will loves him for whatever they liked about him when they first were introduced to him. Will Smith doesn't really have "new fans". We're all old fans, whether is be from Hip-Hop, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, or his movies up through the mid-2000's. I think this moment serves a purpose and that he knows that. You need moments like this to have a real comeback, which feels funny to say since he just won the Oscar. In the end, it's okay to respect him more for standing up for his wife/marriage/family or respecting him less for smacking Chris. It's also okay to change your mind. It's also okay to let Will's future actions change your mind.

Nice remix. I just wish it had some bass to it. You might be reaching with the statement about it being better than the original though.

I found this article from 2019 when I went to find the article above... https://www.small-screen.co.uk/will-smith-deadshot-warner-bros-suicide-squad-dc-comics-dceu/ Warner Bros Wants Will Smith Back As Deadshot In The DCEU EDWARD LAUDER on 21 October 2019 at 11:27 PM When James Gunn was handed the keys to The Suicide Squad movie (which is a reboot of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad movie, by the way), it was revealed that Will Smith wouldn’t be returning as Deadshot. It was claimed that Warner Bros. may have recast Deadshot when it was revealed that Idris Elba was going to be in the movie, but that was later revealed not to be the case. Elba will be playing a different character, which means there is still scope for Will Smith to return as Deadshot in the DCEU at a later date. This is where We Got This Covered’s source comes into play. According to the website, a source told them that Warner Bros. is actually very keen on bringing Will Smith back to the DCEU as Deadshot. They went on to report that Smith’s return as Deadshot could take place in his own standalone movie, or a third Suicide Squad film, which would be rather fun. Smith’s portrayal of Deadshot was one of the highlights of the first Suicide Squad film. I genuinely enjoyed him in the role. WHY NOT BRING WILL SMITH’S DEADSHOT BACK INTO THE DCEU? Will Smith as Deadshot in Suicide Squad (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures) He and Margot Robbie were the two best things about that movie, and I wouldn’t be averse to seeing him get another crack at the character in another DCEU movie. Smith’s career has gone through something of a renaissance in the last few years. It all started with Suicide Squad, and he then went on to star as the Genie in Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake, which I actually really enjoyed. He most recently starred in Ang Lee’s Gemini Man, which wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either, and his performance in it is actually very good. I would never say no to more Will Smith in anything. You might say that I have a bit of a soft spot for the Fresh Prince, and I want more movies starring him. What do you think? Would you like to see Will Smith return as Deadshot in the DCEU?

https://www.small-screen.co.uk/will-smith-wants-to-play-deadshot-again/?fbclid=IwAR1eGYfrrhiLDCCAJzPXzcZt172YKgtFiIzHBwpl2rm5eP2DBHF2Qszz940 Will Smith Wants To Play Deadshot Again EDWARD LAUDER on 21 March 2022 at 4:05 PM It’s been revealed that Will Smith is still very interested in playing his Suicide Squad movie character, Deadshot again in the DCEU. Before I go into who’s been reporting that the Suicide Squad actor wants to return to play Deadshot, I have to mention what he actually said about playing the character again in the past. During an interview which was for King Richard back in 2021, Will Smith was asked about potentially returning to the DCEU to play Deadshot. At first, he seemed to think that Idris Elba was playing Deadshot in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. However, the interviewer explained that Elba wasn’t playing Deadshot in the movie (he was actually playing Bloodspot in the movie). Upon learning this news, Smith said: Smith was joking, of course. He must have already known that he could return as Deadshot – at least, I hope so. COULD WILL SMITH RETURN AS DEADSHOT IN THE DCEU? Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Read more: Warner Bros Wants Will Smith Back As Deadshot In The DCEU Anyway, it’s now being reported by Giant Freakin Robot that Will Smith wants to play Deadshot again in the DCEU. However, they are reporting that the actor has one condition for his return. According to the outlet, Smith wants Deadshot to become a member of the next Justice League. Now, this is a very strange demand, especially since Deadshot has never been a part of the Justice League in the comics. COULD WILL SMITH’S DEADSHOT WORK IN THE JUSTICE LEAGUE? That said, Smith’s interpretation of the character could fit in nicely with the DCEU’s Justice League. He’s more of an anti-hero and he could be brought onto the team at some point in the future to help out with a very specific mission. I cannot wait to see what happens with Smith and his Deadshot character in the DCEU. What do you make of this news? Would you like to see Smith return as Deadshot in the DCEU?

Check out this new interview! Audio only, starting at the 29 minute mark:

He dropped this low budget video recently, which is fun. Cameo from Doug E. Fresh.

I've been seeing this headline a lot recently. I'm torn between "there's plenty that can be explored with this story" and "why make another?"

This very much comes off like a personal blog. There's quite a bit of fluff in there. Where The Day Takes You was not a blockbuster at all. It's nice to see someone discuss this film, though.

I'm not sure how this info slipped by the forum (unless I missed it). While their careers aren't total parallels, I feel like they are the best fit for each other. It's something a lot of of us would like to see. It'd be a dream if they recorded a new song together to promote it.

Will Smith Says He and LL Cool J Have Discussed a Possible ‘Verzuz’ Battle BYJOSHUA ESPINOZA Nov 18, 2021 Image via Getty/Frank Micelotta Will Smith says he’s considered stepping onto the Verzuz stage with fellow rapper-turned-actor LL Cool J. But he isn’t too confident he’ll come out with a win. Smith spoke about the potential battle during a recent appearance on Sway in the Morning with his King Richard co-stars Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney. At one point during the interview, the titular host asked Will if he had ever considered doing a Verzuz. Smith then revealed he and LL had already discussed it. “Yeah, you know I was thinking about that. Me and L, we’re talking about doing one,” Smith said. “But I never had a chance to—I was writing my book … L is going to body me.” Sway’s co-host Heather B weighed in on the proposed showdown, suggesting Will may have a better chance if he is accompanied by DJ Jazzy Jeff. “What’s dope about Will, though, Will and L was out when the era when it was the DJ and the rapper,” she said. “It was Eric B. and Rakim, Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince. Everybody had their DJ so don’t let [DJ Jazzy] Jeff on the turn tables.” “That’s my secret weapon right there,” Smith responded. LL has reportedly expressed interest in doing a Verzuz against two hip-hop greats who aren’t from his era. During an interview with The Morning Hustle earlier this year, Fat Joe claimed LL wanted to take on Drake or Jay-Z.

We know the news. Snoop Dogg owns the Death Row brand. It looks like he's breathing fresh, positive air into it. Hopefully he gets the old music too. He could very well get all those unreleased albums released and get 2Pac's OG songs out (instead of those doctored songs). He just dropped a short film. Based on the songs in this video, I think this might be his best album. It could potentially be big enough to rest the commercial sound of Hip-Hop, or at least West Coast Hip-Hop.

Essence's article and pictures on the premier. https://www.essence.com/entertainment/sttar-gazing-will-smith-bel-air-premiere-event/#1148333

I just need to share this song I stumbled upon. Apparently it was supposed to be on an NBA complication album in 1998 that was shelved when there was a lockout. ICE CUBE, SHAQUILLE O'NEAL, & MICHAEL JACKSON - We Be Ballin' (1998)

There have been lots of allegations against Nas over the years. I'm starting to think this he's a pretty crappy person. https://blackamericaweb.com/2022/01/12/pete-rock-nas-illmatic-lawsuit/?fbclid=IwAR00xGs89t4x-694zVxzmczOY5xGiY42DZ6kFsOrgmJgd6_wbG0gVUqqudg Pete Rock To Sue Nas Over ‘Illmatic’ Royalties: Report Pete wants his dough. Alvin aqua Blanco Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% PausePauseUnmuteUnmute Current Time0:00 / Duration Time3:16 SETTINGSFullscreen Black America Web Featured Video Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty Money makes the world go ’round. Legendary producer Pete Rock is reportedly considering a lawsuit against Nas over allegedly unpaid royalties from the rapper’s classic debut album, Illmatic. Pete Rock reportedly told Page Six that he’s never received a dime in royalties from his work on Illmatic, which was released in 1994. The Mt. Vernon producer and rapper produced only one track on the project, but “The World Is Yours” proved to be one of the album’s standout joints and singles. However, Rock and his lawyers say they cut a deal with Nas that would net him millions in royalties, which he has yet to ever see. Despite alleged pleas to honor the deal, nothing has manifested, per Rock and his legal team. “Nas and his people have stonewalled me since 1994; My New Year’s resolution is to be compensated for my hard work on ‘Illmatic’,” rock told Page Six. To the iconic producer’s credit, not only is “The Worlds Is Yours” the only single to go gold on Illmatic but he also performs the tune’s hook. Rock is credited as a writer on the song, which liberally samples Ahmad Jamal Trio “I Love Music,” among other chops. Maybe the publicity will help these two legends work things out, behind the scenes, and get Pete Rock any dough he’s deservedly due. Or Columbia/Sony can do some explaining when it comes to the accounting?

AD keeps going strong. This album has ended up on many year-end "best of" lists in terms of indie albums. If you haven't peeped it, make a point to do so. They just dropped this new video.

I dig it, but the production underwhelms me. It sounds like something average that was slid to him on a CD-R from 2004-2006.

When I saw the news, I was so happy. He more than earned this and this kind of recognition is long overdue. I just hate that it didn't get the traditional televised treatment.

I can only imagine all of the outtakes.

The full trailer is here.

https://www.vibe.com/features/editorial/ode-to-biz-markie-by-cormega-1234623556/?fbclid=IwAR3M836-KSkzkxizF0FjiVtU0ZWQAEktPuf3AS9NjM7-02w5KEh1qEDQWCo Essay: Cormega Shares His Thoughts On The Wonderful Life Of Biz Markie "How does someone define Biz Markie? I define him as one of the coolest rappers you could ever meet..." BY CORMEGA JULY 21, 2021 4:00PM Biz Markie performs at Chene Park on September 3, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. Photo by Monica Morgan/WireImage One must weigh a person’s character, actions, and individual ways to truly define who they are. The things that define a person are the things that a person is remembered by. How does someone define Biz Markie? I define him as one of the coolest rappers you could ever meet, with a sense of humor and warmth that is hard to forget or replicate. My first encounter with Biz was one a true hip-hop fan would consider mythical. It was at a park jam in Queens Bridge Houses Park, with the Juice Crew performing and Marley Marl as the DJ and orchestrator of everything. At that moment, I was happy for Juice Crew member Craig-G, as he just released a song called “Shout Rap” and performed it as well as a song called “Transformer.” Roxanne Shante, as usual, commanded respect with her skills. The surprise that night was someone nobody knew. My initial reaction was, “Who is this?” And it was answered when Biz Markie told the crowd that he’s not the Human Beat Box from The Fat Boys and did a perfect impression of the group’s sonic supplier, Buffie The Human Beat Box. He then said he’s not Doug E. Fresh and did a perfect impression of Doug E. Finally, he said he’s “The Human Orchestra” Biz Markie and beat boxed while harmonizing a rhythm. I never saw anything like that at that time. I don’t think anyone in the audience had. Suffice to say, he caught the attention of everyone. After that set, MC Shan gave an electrifying performance that is still one of the greatest I’ve ever seen…and then the jam was over. On the way out of the park, those in attendance had a lot to talk about and Biz Markie was part of the conversation. The next day Biz was still in the projects, chilling and socializing and it got to a point where seeing him in Queens Bridge was not a surprise. RELATED STORY KRS-One And Big Daddy Kane's 'Verzuz' Battle Channeled Rap's Golden Era He once said on a song, “Wherever I lay my hat is my home.” He laid his hat in Queens Bridge, Long Island, Harlem, New Jersey, Brooklyn to name a few. In the late ’80s/early ’90s, people stayed in their native neighborhoods in New York City. It was dangerous in the streets, but Biz Markie was different. People who weren’t from Brooklyn didn’t necessarily want to go to Brooklyn, because Brooklyn was the stickup kid Mecca of the five boroughs. But on any given day at Albee Square Mall, you could see Biz Markie chillin’ like he’s from Brooklyn. On any given day you could go to Harlem and see Biz near Mart 125 chilling like he was from Harlem. And on any given day you could see Biz at the Coliseum in Jamaica, Queens (especially at Shirt Kings). He was down to earth in every sense of the word and had a personality people gravitated toward, which helped him transition into film as well. But what really impressed me about Biz was his knowledge of hip-hop and respect for the culture, and of course, his talent, which went beyond performing. Biz had a sharp ear for beats and production, which many people didn’t know. He was also a great DJ. When someone has a skill, sometimes the skill is greater than the person. This is not one of those cases. (Did I mention his sneaker collection would tame a hype beast?) Some aspire to be a great person in their field, but to aspire to be loved like he was outside of his field would be a true achievement. I’ve never heard any rapper have something bad to say about Biz Markie. Ever. That alone makes him rare. We will miss the stage presence, the wit, the precision, but we are blessed to be able to listen to music and see videos with him in it. His family and close friends are the ones I sympathize with the most because his presence in their lives will forever be missed, so to them, we must give sincere condolences and respect. Remember life is a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of time and inevitably all will turn to vapors, but nobody beats the Biz. Biz Markie attends the induction of Hip-Hop DJ Icons Grandwizzard Theodore, Grandmixer DXT and Grandmaster Flash into Guitar Center’s Hollywood RockWalk at Guitar Center on March 6, 2014 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage Cory “Cormega” McKay is an accomplished rapper and original member of Nas’ The Firm super group. Cormega helped blaze a trail for others in the independent production market after being signed to Def Jam Records in the ’90s.

Now that Barry Hankerson has finally gotten some things together with Blackground, all of the 90's/00's music from Aaliyah, Tank, JoJo, Ashley Parker Angel, etc is finally available to be streamed. It looks like he's moving forward with a new Aaliyah album. I think most Aaliyah supports will agree that it's great to hear unreleased music, but it's annoying that they are doctoring it. Here's the first single with the unnecessary doctored collaboration with The Weeknd. Here's an interview with Barry Hankerson... https://www.vibe.com/music/music-news/barry-hankerson-aaliyah-posthumous-album-unstoppable-details-1234641117/?fbclid=IwAR24MS_zeI-NIgZ-NsbrbaEOXWSWycgpzMtUxChJutaR5jQJT4PVPNgLHnk Barry Hankerson Details Aaliyah’s Posthumous Album, ‘Unstoppable’ The Blackground Records founder reveals he hasn't been in touch with the late singer's estate regarding her next LP. BY MYA ABRAHAM DECEMBER 17, 2021 4:04PM RJ Capak/WireImage On Friday (Dec. 17), the lead single to Aaliyah Haughton’s posthumous and fourth studio album, Unstoppable, was released. The late singer’s new song, “Poison,” featuring The Weeknd has some leery and others excited for the upcoming full-length LP. Haughton’s uncle, Barry Hankerson—Blackground Records founder and sole owner of her entire catalog—spoke with Billboard about the new Static Major-written song. “When you put a record out, you try to start off with something that gets everybody’s attention,” he said about the DANNYBOYSTYLES and Nick Lamb co-produced record. Hankerson shared how the Canadian singer wanted to obtain some unreleased Aaliyah vocals years ago, but that wasn’t able to come to fruition until now. He also explained what to expect from the Unstoppable album in 2022. The project is set to include a plethora of male artists including features from Drake, Future, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, and Snoop Dogg. “The body of work is pure hip-hop and R&B […] Some of the people that Aaliyah liked are on the album,” Hankerson explained. “She loved Snoop Dogg, who’s done a great record in collaboration with Future. Ne-Yo gave us an excellent song; also Drake. Timbaland produced the track that Chris Brown did. It’s vintage R&B with strong vocals.” Later in the interview, Hankerson admitted that he hasn’t been in contact with Aaliyah’s estate. “We hope they’re happy. Our door and our phone is always available if there are any comments they’d like to make about anything. We’re open to that. I don’t really know who runs that entity, but I’m not hostile at all. Anything that’s connected to Aaliyah in a positive way, we are open to be involved with and do whatever we can do.” He continued, “We hope it’s profitable for them. We hope that the public enjoys what we’ve done so that the estate can accomplish whatever their goals are. I just hope that out of the very terrible thing that happened to my niece that people can heal. That people can look at all the good things and not just the controversial things that may encompass their thinking. I’m not angry with anybody.” Another single is rumored to be released before the album’s arrival in 2022.

We lost another legend. The best smile in Hip-Hop. https://www.npr.org/2021/12/18/1065534280/kangol-kid-hip-hop-pioneer-has-died-at-55 Kangol Kid, hip-hop pioneer, has died at 55 December 18, 20216:47 PM ET Kangol Kid, pictured in 2017 in New York City, has died at age 55 after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET The influential rapper and UTFO member Shaun Shiller Fequiere, known by his stage name Kangol Kid, has died at the age of 55. "I just wanna hear you again, another hug, another embarrassing kiss," the rapper's son T.Shaun Fequiere wrote in a Dec. 18 Instagram post confirming his death. The rapper's death comes after he announced he had been diagnosed with colon cancer in February 2021. As a member of the hip-hop group UTFO, which stood for "UnTouchable Force Organization," Fequiere was part of a pioneering era of New York City rap in the early 1980s. Along with members Doctor Ice, Mix Master Ice, and Educated Rapper, who died in 2017, the Brooklyn group was best known for their 1984 hit song "Roxanne, Roxanne." The track ignited what was later known as the "Roxanne Wars" after rapper Roxanne Shante responded with her diss track "Roxanne's Revenge," which in turn led to dozens of other groups creating their own records responding to the song. "When you think of hip-hop, hip-hop is a sport," Fequiere told AllHipHopTV in 2017 of the infamous rap beef. "A lot of breakdance is battle, rap is battle, DJs battle, but we were the first to battle on wax." Before becoming a rapper, Fequiere began his career as a breakdancer working with fellow UTFO member Doctor Ice. The two performed as the Keystone Dancers and then danced for the hip-hop group Whodini before forming UTFO. "We don't want to be labeled as a rap group," Fequiere told The Washington Post in 1985. "We want to be labeled as a group that can rap. We want to do everything. We may come out with a country tune." UTFO even landed a performance on The Phil Donahue show in 1984, bringing breakdancing to a wider audience. The rapper earned his name for wearing Kangol hats, a defining accessory in 1980s hip-hop, and ended up earning an endorsement deal with the brand. "It was my thing," Fequiere said in an interview with Hot 97. "The name just stuck. ... It was the hat the cool kids wore, and I deemed myself a cool kid by crowning myself with such a hat." One of Fequiere's Kangol hats would later become part of the collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. In the months leading up to his death, Fequiere spoke openly about his experience with cancer, urging fans to get screened. He frequently shared updates about his health on Instagram and photos from his hospital bed with visitors from the hip-hop community, including rappers LL Cool J and fellow UTFO member Doctor Ice. In an interview earlier this year with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, he said: "The new look for hip-hop and cancer is to go get yourself checked out before it happens."