Over the weekend, “Heatstroke” singer Khalid was outed by an ex-boyfriend, aspiring singer Hugo D Almonte. But having his sexuality forcibly revealed online was the least upsetting thing in Khalid’s eyes.
Around the same time, Khalid faced several damning accusations including illicit drug use, domestic abuse, and seeking about sex workers to pose as his romantic interest. Today (November 25), Khalid posted a video (viewable here) to X (formerly Twitter) to address the allegations.
“I just wanted to come on and address some things so we can leave it in the past,” he said. “I know I don’t have to, but I feel like it is important for me to speak my side of the situation.”
Khalid first tackled the allegations that he used “pink cocaine,” saying: “I’ve never done cocaine a day in my life. I don’t place myself in those scenarios. I’m not in those surroundings. I [do] smoke week and I drink [alcohol] a little bit. But I’ve never done cocaine a day in my life. For real.”
He then quickly shut down rumors that he hired sex workers or paid people to date him after users online discovered his ex’s OnlyFans account.
Khalid said he ultimately decided to response to the claims because it is “a little triggering seeing the few comments” that “paint him as a manipulative abuser.”
Before the video ended, Khalid addressed the domestic abuse allegations, saying: “It’s triggering because it was the other way around and that’s what hurts the most.”
Hugo D Almonte has not yet replied to Khalid’s statement.
My favorite annual holiday tradition is watching The Last Waltz during the Thanksgiving season. Martin Scorsese’s 1978 concert film is so ingrained in my late November routine that I have come to view the musicians as family members. A motley crew of lovable uncles resplendent in snappy suits and majestic hats. That’s my Last Waltz experience.
Like all great films, there is nothing you would possibly change about The Last Waltz. Even its apparent faults feel like strengths. Neil Young’s digitally removed cocaine booger? Beautiful! Eric Clapton’s broken guitar strap? Elegant! Van Morrison’s satin purple back side? A work of art!
However, I am going to attempt the impossible anyway. Consider it a thought experiment: What if you could invite more musicians to The Band’s final concert at Winterland in San Francisco in 1976? It’s this very thought experiment that I am executing in this column. Before you watch The Last Waltz this year, let’s ponder an alternate-dimension version of The Last Waltz. After all, it makes no difference, right? Let’s go up on cripple creek to a different timeline! We shall be released from current reality!
Here are 20 artists who should have been invited to The Last Waltz.
20. Todd Rundgren
The bar for clearance on this list is what I’ll call “The Neil Diamond ‘Mendoza’ Line.” By which I mean this: Does this person make more or less sense than Neil Diamond appearing at The Last Waltz? If you’ll recall, Robbie Robertson insisted on including Neil — who otherwise had zero connection to the other performers on the bill — because he represented the classic Tin Pan Alley songwriting tradition. And Robbie felt that was part of The Band’s musical tapestry. At least that was the official justification, which didn’t convince people like Levon Helm. (“Why don’t we just get Doc Pomus?” was his reply.) The actual reason was likely related to Robbie producing Neil’s album Beautiful Noise, which came out five months before The Last Waltz concert in June 1976. (Garth Hudson also plays organ on the record.) The song Neil performed at TLW, “Dry Your Eyes,” was also co-written by Robertson, who no doubt appreciated those sweet Diamond-encrusted royalties upon the release of the album and film.
(To be clear: I am not saying Neil Diamond shouldn’t be in The Last Waltz. Like all right-thinking Americans I greatly enjoy Hot August Night and Neil’s fit at The Last Waltz — red shirt, power blue suit, tinted shades — is objectively suave and electric.)
At first glance, Todd Rundgren might make even less sense that Neil Diamond. In the late seventies, he was recording and touring a lot with his band Utopia, and he was about to put out his 1977 prog-rock opus Ra supported by an elaborate stage show centered on a 22-foot-tall pyramid and golden sphinx. Not exactly “rootsy” music.
Todd, however, had two important connections to The Band: 1) He was the recording engineer and sort-of producer for their third album, 1970’s Stage Fright; 2) He recorded a faithful cover of the mid-sixties Bob Dylan deep cut “Most Likely You Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine” for his appropriately titled 1976 LP, Faithful.
The setlist writes itself: Todd and The Band would have killed that one at The Last Waltz, with or without the 22-foot-tall pyramid.
19. Roger Waters
Forget what I said about “The Neil Diamond ‘Mendoza’ Line.” I’m suspending that rule for this entry. Roger Waters obviously makes no sense at The Last Waltz, particularly the circa-1976, pre-Animals Waters marinating in extreme misanthropy and even more extreme Dark Side Of The Moon-related riches. Roger Waters in this era makes Van Morrison look like Bobby McFerrin.
NEVERTHELESS, there is a different era of Roger Waters who executed the least likely reunion of Last Waltz luminaries. I refer to the 1990 concert album The Wall – Live In Berlin, which is remembered for the version of “Comfortably Numb” featuring Van Morrison and (if you listen very closely) Levon Helm and Rick Danko. This rendition was made famous by Martin Scorsese after he put it in The Departed, and then subsequently used again (via Christopher Moltisanti’s CD copy The Departed soundtrack) in a Sopranos episode.
I understand that to justify this entry I am essentially asking to invite a version of Roger Waters who exists 14 years after the concert takes place. But at least we’re only at No. 19. I promise my logic will be more, ahem, logical moving forward.
18. Allen Toussaint
You know you’re talking to a Band snob when you bring up The Last Waltz and the person scoffs and says snottily, “Yeah, but Rock Of Ages is better.” This person isn’t necessarily wrong, by the way. The 1972 double record documents their year-ending run of shows at New York City’s Academy Of Music in December 1971, when they were much closer to their musical peak than they were in 1976. A highlight of the album are the horn parts composed by the great New Orleans songwriter, musician and arranger Allen Toussaint. Inviting him to The Last Waltz would have finally settled the Rock Of Ages debate once and for all.
17. Bonnie Raitt
Her connection to The Band is nebulous. The most tangible evidence I could find is this photo of Bonnie hanging out backstage with Rick Danko the year after The Last Waltz. (Richard Manuel also appeared on Raitt’s 1982 album Green Light.) However, as a blues-loving slide guitarist who partied at The Roxy with the cream of L.A. musicians in the 1970s, she at least feels Band-adjacent. Also: It’s fair to say that the female representation at The Last Waltz was scant at best, and Bonnie would have lent a nice feminine touch to, say, “Ophelia.”
16. Gordon Lightfoot
His connection to The Band? He’s Canadian. The Band is (mostly) Canadian, Neil Young is Canadian, Joni Mitchell is Canadian, and then there’s Gordon Lightfoot, the only face on Canada’s folk-rock Mt. Rushmore not at The Last Waltz. Forget about the “Tin Pan Alley tradition” — what about hockey and maple syrup, you hosers?!
Besides, can you imagine how epic a Lightfoot + The Band version of “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” would be? That’s worth replacing at least one Eric Clapton song, no?
15. John Hammond
When I was brainstorming artists for this list, my mind briefly flashed on Bobby Charles, the great singer-songwriter who left New Orleans for Woodstock in the early seventies and collaborated with four-fifths of The Band (sans Robertson) on his cult classic 1972 self-titled debut. Then I remembered that Charles actually was at The Last Waltz, it’s just that the cameras were literally turned off when he performed “Down South In New Orleans.”
Then I started thinking about equally non-famous friends of The Band, and I remembered John Hammond, the folk-bluesman whose 1965 LP So Many Roads features Robertson, Helm, and Hudson along with hot-shot guitarist Michael Bloomfield, who actually volunteered to play piano after hearing Robertson play. While the album isn’t widely known today, it was a precursor to Dylan’s pioneering rock LP Highway 61 Revisited as well as The Band’s own albums.
Give Hammond his flowers! He also does a cool version of “Who Do You Love”!
14. Marvin Gaye
One month before The Last Waltz concert was staged, Marvin was the London Palladium recording the shows that later became 1977’s Live At The London Palladium, one of the horniest concert albums ever made. Am I saying that The Last Waltz could stand to be a little hornier? Yes, I am saying that. The sexual allure of Dr. John can only take you so far.
Also: He popularized “Don’t Do It” — originally known as “Baby Don’t You Do It” — back in 1964. Marvin Gaye + The Band on “Don’t Do It” is something that could cure most diseases.
13. Roger McGuinn
Not long before The Last Waltz, he was riding shotgun with Bob Dylan on The Rolling Thunder Revue. I’m sure he was crashing hard when this concert was taking place. I think he could have brought some of the wild-eyed and shout-y Rolling Thunder energy to The Last Waltz. Including McGuinn would also recognize that The Band usurped The Byrds as the top Dylan-adjacent rock group, though Bob clearly still had love for both bands.
12. Joan Baez
Again: The female representation at The Last Waltz was scant at best. Joan also recorded a hit version of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” in 1971. Not that we would let her sing it instead of Levon, who did the best ever version of the song at The Last Waltz and then never sang it again.
11. Mickey Jones
He’s the least famous person I’ve mentioned so far. And yet he is possibly the closest to The Band in terms of iconic moments in their history. This is the guy who filled in for Levon Helm after he temporarily quit The Hawks during Bob Dylan’s 1965-66 world tour, aka “the tour where everybody booed the electric set.” That’s Mickey you hear punch a hole in his kick drum (metaphorically) after Bob says “Play fucking loud!” on the famous “Royal Albert Hall” bootleg version of “Like A Rolling Stone.” He truly clobbered his kit with style and grace under very trying circumstances. He fought and survived the war. For that, he should have been at The Last Waltz.
10. Dolly Parton
I have ulterior motives for this one. Obviously, Dolly is a legend and she was in her creative prime in the mid-seventies, and The Last Waltz generally (along with more women) could use more country music representation. But I also want to get Emmylou Harris into the proper concert, and not just in the ancillary (though admittedly great) “Evangeline” sequence. On her 1976 album All I Can Do, Dolly covered “Boulder To Birmingham,” from Emmylou’s 1975 LP, Pieces Of The Sky. On that record, her major label debut after the death of Gram Parsons, Emmylou covered one of Dolly’s most famous tunes, “Coat Of Many Colors.”
Clearly, we need to get Dolly and Emmylou together at The Last Waltz, a full 11 years before their collaboration with Linda Ronstadt on 1987’s Trio. (Actually, let’s get Linda on stage here as well.)
9. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings
More country music! In 1976, Willie and Waylon ascended to new heights of fame and prominence upon the release of Wanted! The Outlaws, the record that codified and popularized the burgeoning outlaw movement. Nearly 50 years later, the connection between these guys and The Band seems more obvious than perhaps it was in the seventies. Together, they form the foundation of what is now known as Americana. But Dylan already invited Willie to perform on the Rolling Thunder Revue earlier in ’76. And Willie and Waylon certainly sail over the Neil Diamond “Mendoza” Line, musically and philosophically.
8. Bruce Springsteen
This is a tricky one. If The Last Waltz had taken place four years later, inviting Bruce might have been a no brainer. But he was still the new kid in 1976. Born To Run had been a media phenomenon the previous year, but there was still a possible “flavor of the month” fate in store for the young Boss. (I had a similar thought regarding Warren Zevon, whose debut album dropped six months before the concert. In spite of his “it guy” status in L.A., he seems a little too new for The Last Waltz.) For Bruce, the leading “New Dylan” of ’76, I think they could have justified an invite. (Even though this would have definitely annoyed Van Morrison.)
I’m thrilled by the possibility of The Band mustering up some long-lost juice from The Hawks’ days for “Backstreets,” but I suspect they would be safer ground with the “Detroit Medley.”
7. Curtis Mayfield
A common reference point for Robertson regarding his own guitar playing with The Band, which evolved from the super-charged blues leads he played on the mid-sixties Dylan tour to the more subtle and soulful asides he sprinkled throughout Music From Big Pink and The Band. Their arrangement of Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” from Big Pink is the most obvious nod to Mayfield’s work with The Impressions, and it would have been nice to acknowledge the debt by inviting Curtis to grace the stage with one of his signature songs, “People Get Ready.”
6. Crosby & Nash
Prior to The Last Waltz, the most famous all-star rock concert was The Concert For Bangladesh, a 1971 benefit staged at Madison Square Garden by George Harrison along with Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar and Badfinger. One person who was not invited was Stephen Stills, though he was an essential part of the show — he donated his stage, sound and lighting system and production manager after performing at MSG just two days prior. And Harrison thanked him by not thanking him at the concert or inviting him to perform. Stills instead hung out backstage and got drunk.
At The Last Waltz, Stills actually was invited on stage, though because he showed up late it was only for one of the late night jams included on the expanded version of the album. (Who shows up late to The Last Waltz? Get your shit together, Stills!) Since Stills and Young are already on the bill, we might as well get Crosby and Nash in the mix as well. Imagine how big Neil’s cocaine booger would have been if he had access to Croz’s supply!
5. Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts
Another big-time superstar seventies concert eventually overshadowed by The Last Waltz is Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, a 1973 concert featuring a triple bill of the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers Band, and The Band. About 600,000 people showed up, four times the number of ticket buyers. It was an iconic moment that forever locked the three bands in the same context. Therefore, it seems fitting for two of the ABB brothers to show up at The Last Waltz.
Granted, 1976 was a terrible year for Gregg — his road manager Scooter Herring was busted on federal drug charges, and he was compelled to testify against him, leading to his former friend’s 75-year prison sentence. The scandal temporarily ripped the band apart, so in our timeline The Last Waltzcould have also applied to ABB. At worst, Dickey Betts — who at the time promised that “there was no way we can work with Gregg Allman, ever” — might have shanked Gregg on stage during the climactic “I Shall Be Released” group sing-along. Which would have been a pretty amazing end to the movie, to be honest.
4. Johnny Cash
Come on: Johnny and Rick Danko trading verses on “The Long Black Veil”? I am fundamentally against A.I. music but I am almost tempted to commit digital necrophilia in order to hear that.
3. George Harrison
He hung out with The Band at Woodstock in the late sixties, and the vibes were so sweet it made him realize that being in The Beatles kind of sucked. The week before The Last Waltz, he put out one of his worst solo albums, 33 1/3. He ultimately decided not to tour in support of it. He clearly had nothing better to do. Would it have killed him to jam on some All Things Must Pass tunes with his good pals one last time? Clearly not!
2. Elvis Presley
If he had been asked, he probably would have said no. (Or Colonel Tom Parker would have intercepted the message and made sure Elvis didn’t see it.) But it’s amazing to ponder in retrospect that the time all these legends were on the same stage, Elvis was still alive. He wasn’t thriving, perhaps — he was going to die in nine months — but he was still around. And he was on the road, doing his Elvis thing in arenas all over the country.
Something I did not realize until this very second when I Googled Elvis’ tour schedule in 1976: He performed a two-night run of shows in San Francisco that began just three days after The Last Waltz. Elvis was almost, literally, in the building! He could have been the new “most out-of-shape guy in a flamboyant suit” rock star at The Last Waltz, usurping Van!
It was possible, theoretically at least, for Elvis Presley to sing “Mystery Train” with The Band at The Last Waltz. This shouldn’t blow my mind, but it does.
1. Jerry Garcia
I mean, seriously: You stage an all-star concert in San Francisco and you don’t invite Jerry? That’s just not right. And there’s no excuse: Jerry was not on the road on November 25, 1976 — not with the Dead, not with the Jerry Garcia Band — so the man was available. And he covered “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” regularly with JBB, so you had an obvious “in” there. (Put him on second guitar while Levon sings it, for crying out loud!)
I know you could make the argument in 1976 that The Dead and The Band were opposites in terms of economy, i.e. “focus on the song” vs. “jam your balls off.” I guess you could do that? But not inviting Jerry is still inexplicable to me. Who doesn’t invite Jerry in Jerry’s backyard?? Was Bill Graham just being a dick to Jerry that week?
I think I need to step out for a minute and calm down.
Documents obtained by the outlet show that Cyrus’ legal team have filed to get the suit dismissed focusing on a technicality. Although Cyrus’ denies the accusation, her lawyers have sited that because the suit wasn’t filed by Mars or any of the song’s co-writers (Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt) it has no standing.
“Only owners of exclusive rights may sue for copyright infringement,” reads the response. “An assignee of only one co-author lacks exclusive rights and, therefore, also lacks standing to sue for infringement.”
For clarity, Mars, Lawrence, Levine, nor Wyatt are plaintiffs in the matter. The copyright lawsuit was actually filed by Tempo Music Investments. Tempo Music Investments is only a partial copyright holder after acquiring Lawrence’s catalog.
The presiding judge in the matter has not yet issued a decision regarding Cyrus’ motion.
Yesterday (November 24) during an Instagram livestream (viewable here), Cardi B declared that she is hitting the “reset button” for 2025.
“I’m letting you know right motherf*ckers now—every n**** or b*tch that motherf*cker that played with me in 2024, I’m letting you know right now y’all better apologize to me today,” she said. “Everybody always say this, every New Years, but this time I’m standing on it that sh*t. Next year as soon as 12:00 a.m. hit, I’m hitting the reset button.”
She continued her speech, doubling down with more enthusiasm, saying: “You hear me? I’m hitting the f*cking reset button. I’m whipping everybody’s ass with a wet belt. I’m sick of f*cking everybody.”
Cardi B didn’t outline her plans. But that’s probably for the best considering she was able to deliver on many promises. Still, fans hope that in addition to Cardi B’s overdue full-length album, she will travel the world for a headlining tour. As not to jink it, Bardi gang should keep their expectation low.
To be specific, Drake’s lawsuit claimed UMG paid streaming platform Spotify to “employed bots and payola schemes to inflate the numbers” of Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping diss “Not Like Us.” Now, UMG is clapping back. According to Variety, a representative for the label giant provided a statement to the outlet slamming the accusation.
“The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” said the rep. “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
However, Drake’s initial compliment suggested that paying streaming platforms is a common practice at UMG. “UMG appears to have used similar tactics with other streaming services,” read Drake’s lawsuit. “On information and belief, UMG paid, or approved payments to, Apple Inc. to have its voice-activated digital assistant ‘Siri’ purposely misdirect users to ‘Not Like Us.’ UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices. It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”
Spotify has not released a public statement regarding the accusations.
According to Wiz, he get his chill demeanor from his mother. Over the weekend, one fan managed to from Wiz from his cloud of zen. While performing at a Rolling Loud Thailand after party held at Club 808 in Pattaya, an attendee ticked Wiz off by throwing money on stage. Although he is a fan of exotic clubs, he didn’t appreciate the gesture and was sure to verbalize it.
In a video captured by an attendee (viewable here), Wiz Khalifa reprimanded the assailant. “Stop throwing money on the stage,” he said. “I’m not a stripper, dog. Quit throwing money on the stage.”
The attendee can be heard apologizing for his actions. But it seems he had already been warned based on Wiz’s follow-up statement. “I’ve already told you once,” he said. “I’m not a dancer. If you don’t know I’m Wiz Khalifa.”
Others chimed in to cheer Wiz Khalifa on for taking a stand against the distributor. It appears the performance continued without any further interference. Wiz Khalifa has not publicly addressed the matter.
Drake doesn’t think the success of “Not Like Us” was totally organic. Months after Kendrick Lamar’s Mustard-produced diss track dominated the charts and utterly derailed Drake’s plans for 2024 — which he was supposed to take off, anyway — Drake has filed a complaint in Manhattan court, claiming that the song’s streaming success was the result of collusion between Universal Music Group and Kendrick at his expense. The suit alleges UMG violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and New York state laws against deceptive business practices and false advertising in the process.
Frozen Moments LLC, Drake’s corporate entity filed the suit today, arguing that UMG — which represents both rappers through licensing agreements — employed bots and payola schemes to inflate the numbers for “Not Like Us.” According to Frozen Moments attorneys, UMG “paid” Spotify — by charging “30 percent less than its usual licensing rates” — to recommend “Not Like Us” to users who weren’t even searching for it (or even similar songs), and did the same with Apple, so listeners requesting Drake songs via Siri would instead hear “Not Like Us.” In order to hide these practices, UMG supposedly fired employees perceived as loyal to Drake.
While it’s unclear why UMG would favor Kendrick Lamar over Drake, the roots of Drake’s dispute appear to stem from legit consumer complaints about DSPs pushing popular songs to listeners who don’t even want them, such as Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” which received pushback for appearing on auto-generated Spotify playlists even after fans took steps to stop the app doing so. However, opening that particular can of worms might not be to Drake’s benefit, even if he thinks it’ll gain him some vindication after waving the white flag in his war of words against the Compton prophet.
Injuries: They’re not fun! For the first month or so of the season, fans have lamented that some of the biggest stars in the league have missed time due to knocks they suffered this season. Fortunately, we haven’t seen too many long-term injuries that are set to cost guys extended periods of time, and this week, a handful of former All-Star selections who have spent time on the sidelines are slated to return to action.
Arguably the biggest beneficiaries of this are the Phoenix Suns, which have spent the last seven games without Kevin Durant due to a calf strain and have looked awful with him sidelined. Over the last five games, Phoenix has also dealt with the absence of Bradley Beal due to his own calf strain. Fortunately for the Suns, both are expected to be back for Tuesday’s NBA Cup game against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
The Memphis Grizzlies, meanwhile, have seemingly been in a state of injury crisis for the last year, with Ja Morant getting caught up in that. After only appearing in nine games last year due to a suspension and a shoulder injury that he suffered in practice, Morant has only played in eight games this year due to a hip injury, but that is going to change on Monday night, according to Chris Haynes. Morant, who has not played since Nov. 6, is in line to return for the Grizzlies’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
In a good bit of news for the New Orleans Pelicans, Haynes also reported that their high-profile offseason acquisition, Dejounte Murray, is slated to return to action after suffering a hand fracture in the team’s season opener — although he won’t play in Monday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, Murray is expected to return on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. The team traded for Murray in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks, but he’s only been able to give them 30 minutes this year due to his injury, which is part of the reason why New Orleans is off to a Western Conference-worst 4-13 start to the year.
Lana Del Rey has announced the release date for her next album, The Right Person Will Stay, on social media. With 13 tracks featuring production from Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, and Luke Roberts, the album is due on May 21, 2025. Lana also plans to release some songs ahead of her headlining performance at next year’s Stagecoach Festival, starting with one called “Henry.”
The announcement comes a month after Del Rey told People that “I don’t want to turn it into something that’s half cooked.” She also promised a strong Americana influence in an interview with Vogue, noting, “The music business is going country. That’s why Jack [Antonoff] has followed me to Muscle Shoals, Nashville, Mississippi, over the last four years.” However, she also denied that it’d be a huge departure for her, saying, “All my albums are somewhat rooted in Americana, unless it’s an album like Honeymoon which has a jazz flair, so I don’t think it will be a heavy departure.”
While fans waited on tenterhooks for news of her next release, it appears that Del Rey went out and found love. In September, she reportedly got married to Louisiana tour guide Jeremy Dufrene, saying that they’re “very happy.”
The Right Person Will Stay is due on 5/21/25 via Interscope and Polydor.
Ever since Kendrick Lamar dropped his surprise album GNX on Friday, it’s all any rap fan can talk about online. He gave them more food for thought with the video for “Squabble Up,” the album standout which he previously teased in the “Not Like Us” video five months ago. Now, fans can’t stop dissecting the pop culture references sprinkled throughout the video. While we may not be able to fully explain some of them because you just had to be there — who really knows why all our aunties had those dang panther statues in the living room — here is a breakdown of the references to Black film, music, and California in the “Squabble Up” video.
The Freeway Exit Sign
The video opens with a reproduction of an exit sign from the 105 Freeway that cuts through South Los Angeles. Specifically, the three eastbound exits listed — Wilmington, Central, and Long Beach Blvd. — are the ones pertaining specifically to Compton.
Scrapers And African-American Flags
The next big cultural reference is to scraper bikes, a fixture of Oakland, California, which grew out of lowrider car culture. In 2006, Tyrone “Baybe Champ” Stevenson Jr., aka Scraper Bike King, began modifying bicycles with scrap, cardboard, tinfoil, and paint in an effort to create a new hobby to keep youth out of trouble. Dancers throughout this scene “go dumb,” an expression of the hyphy culture that grew out of the Bay Area in the early 2000s.
The African-American Flag was created by David Hammons in 1990, combining the colors of the Pan-African Flag, black, green, and red, with the flag of the United States to represent African diaspora identity in the US. Historically, enslaved Africans were banned from learning about their home cultures; as a result, the Black American identity has become a way for their descendants to create a culture of their own.
Ice-T’s Power Album Cover
That buxom young lady holding the shotgun in a revealing swimsuit is a reference to the back cover of Ice-T’s 1988 album Power — an album considered pivotal in the rise of both LA’s rap scene and gangsta rap overall. Ice’s then-girlfriend Darlene Ortiz posed on the cover, while the album, like GNX, found Ice taking on rap’s heartthrob LL Cool J — sound familiar?
Soul Train Scramble Board
This one’s a super deep cut. The dance variety show Soul Train — a fixture in certain households in the ’80s and ’90s — included a recurring segment in which two dancers would try to solve a word scramble forming the name of that week’s musical guest or another notable Black figure.
The Big Wheel
Right around the two-minute mark, you might notice a small child on a Big Wheel tricycle in the background. This is a reference to the film Menace II Society. Spoiler alert for a 30-year movie: It doesn’t end well for Caine — or the kid on the Big Wheel.
Isaac Hayes’ Black Moses Album Cover
Near the end of the video, we see a reproduction of the cover of Isaac Hayes’ fifth studio album, which included his interpretations of “Never Can Say Goodbye,” and “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” and went No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1972. Behind him, we see a box of Black Jesus prints, which ought to speak for themselves.
The Roots’ “The Next Movement”
This one’s admittedly a bit shaky, but as one fan on Twitter pointed out, the clip bears a striking resemblance to the one for The Roots’ 1999 Things Fall Apart single, “The Next Movement.” Like GNX, that album also saw its principles taking steps in bringing music previously only acknowledged as underground to mainstream consciousness, while making subtle references to progressive social movements.
Watch Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up” video above.
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