DJ Premier is undoubtedly a legend in hip-hop who rose to fame as one-half of the rap duo Gang Starr in the early ’90s. Since then, Premier has worked with a plethora of artists that include The Game, J. Cole, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Joey Badass, Kanye West, The LOX, Ludacris, Mac Miller, Eminem, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., and many many more. Another artist that Premier has worked with is 50 Cent, but that 2011 collaboration, “Shut Ur Bloodclot Mouth,” came years after 50’s peak in rap. During a recent interview on The Breakfast Club, Premier revealed that Dr. Dre is to blame for the collaboration with 50 taking so long to happen.
“This was when everybody wasn’t really messing with 50 to the fullest because he was having too much drama after doing ‘How To Rob,’ and me and Fif hit it off right away and clicked when I got on the phone with him,” Premier said after explaining plans to drop a solo album with 50 on its lead single. “He said he would do the record, and right when it’s about time to do the record, we get a call that Fif can’t do it.”
Premier continued, “I’m like, ‘Why not?’ and they like he’s about to sign to Eminem and Dr. Dre, and I’m like, ‘Noooo,’ because we already committed to us and I talked to Dre and Dre was like ‘Preem, I love you, but he’s not doing any more recording until he does his debut album.” While Premier and 50 eventually got together for 2011’s “Shut Ur Bloodclot Mouth,” Premier still hasn’t forgotten about that initial denial. “I always tell 50, you still owe me that track,” Premier added.
You can check out Premier’s full interview on The Breakfast Club in the video above.
Drew Barrymore’s enthusiasm for the simple things is adorable, but it’s even more delightful when you know what she’s experienced in her life.
The actress got her start as a young child actor in the 1980s in films such as “E.T.” and “Firestarter” and has had quite an extraordinary journey. Her struggles with drug addiction started at a startlingly young age, getting her blacklisted in Hollywood at the age of 12 due to her marijuana and cocaine habits. Her issues with her mother, who institutionalized Barrymore at 13 and from whom Barrymore emancipated herself at age 14, have also been well documented.
Barrymore, now 47, has come a long way since then. She has managed to repair her relationship with her mother, free herself from drug addiction and give up alcohol completely as well. She has two children of her own, a successful production company, a cruelty-free makeup line, a few books under belt and her own talk show.
Considering the intense personal struggles she had to overcome, she’s doing extremely well.
But what people most appreciate about Drew Barrymore isn’t so much her professional success as it is her love of, well, everything. She exudes a sense of joy and contentment about the smallest things, and her joie de vivre is infectious.
Seriously, who could not appreciate this kind of reaction to being outside in the rain?
u201cI want to love anything as much as Drew Barrymore loves everything. Perfection.u201d
When a handful of people started in with comments like, “Yeah, it’s easy to be happy when you benefit from generational wealth,” they were quickly shushed. This world doesn’t do Drew Barrymore slander. Not when she’s been through the hell of a very publicly traumatic childhood and come out gloriously glowing and grateful on the other side.
u201cIu2019m not even trying to be dramatic but you can tell Drew Barrymore thought she was going to die young and now my good sis is just living life the way she was meant to.u201d
Those of us who grew up alongside her remember. The assumption was that there would be a terrible ending to the tragic road she was headed down. The fact that she is here, not just surviving but thriving, is a sign of hope we can all appreciate.
u201cYou will not find even the most cynical Gen Xer who has anything other than sincere love for and zero judgment on Drew Barrymore because we saw it allu201d
May we all find as much joy in simple things as Drew Barrymore. Just imagine how much better the world would be if we all followed in her rain-soaked footsteps.
u201cthere are some people in this world who have infectious energy… drew barrymore is one of them.nnher life could’ve continued as it was & been absolutely tragic. the fact that she’s such a bubbly, positive, happy, healthy person who takes joy in damn near everything is beautiful.u201d
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to get a bunch of introverted dogs together, let me put your mind at ease. It’s as awkward as you might think. Surprisingly, introverted dogs are just as uncomfortable in social situations as introverted people, as evidenced in this pet owner’s video of this excruciating event.
A group of pet owners in Sweden decided to bring their introverted pups together for a meetup to see what would happen. Turns out it looks a lot like everyone’s first middle school dance where kids stand around attempting to appear normal while avoiding eye contact with people they don’t know. Sofia Rosten told CNN that a dog psychologist put the group together in an effort to alleviate the concerns of owners of shy dogs.
Imagine putting a lot of introverts in one room 😅 #funnydogvideos #funnytiktok #funnytiktokvideos #funnypetvideos #funnydoggo
Rosten shared the video of the last few minutes of the dog party on the TikTok page she has for her rescue dog Qila, who attended the meetup. Qila was the life of the soiree as she attempted to catch flies with her back facing the other canines. The party wasn’t all awkward moments and avoidance of doggy contact, according to Rosten. The shindig started off well apparently, but after a bit of overstimulation, the attendees were ready to go home to their favorite blankies and glasses of puppy noir to recuperate for several weeks.
The adorably awkward encounter has racked up more than 4 million likes since it was posted. All I can say to sweet Qila is same, girl. Same. These dogs deserve a lengthy social battery recharge after all of that socializing.
“Jarabi,” meaning “beloved,” is a popular West African song that was written after the country of Mali gained independence from the French in 1960. Rich in metaphors symbolizing the people’s love for their country and culture, the song was meant to instill a sense of “hope and resolve,” according to World Music in Education.
The essential sound of “Jarabi” comes from the kora, a 12-stringed harp dating back to the 18th century. In Mande tradition—meaning that of the Mande speaking peoples of western Africa, which includes the country of Mali—playing the kora professionally was an exclusive sacred right reserved for males in families of tribal storytellers known as griots.
That’s what makes this recently resurfaced viral video from May 2022 so unique.
In it you’ll find Sona Jobarteh, the first ever female virtuoso player of the kora. Born into a griot family, Jobarteh first began learning the instrument from her brother at 3 years old. Her passion grew as she got older. Eventually she decided to make a career out of it, and history along the way.
“I really wanted to study with my father because he is very much an expert in that style of playing,” she shared in an interview with French radio station RFI. She added that her father was very adamant that she earn recognition for her talent, and talent alone.
“He told me that he will teach me as his child, not as his daughter, not as his son but as his child which is no gender. And also he told me that the one thing he wanted in return for teaching me is that I aim to be just a good kora player not a good female kora player.”
Jobarteh has certainly fulfilled her father’s wishes. Her skills have reached wide acclaim, gaining the reputation of a top-level performer for not only playing the kora, but for her melodic voice and strong stage presence as well. She’s performed all over the world, been featured in award-winning films and has released two albums.
Coincidentally, Jobarteh is also the cousin of Toumani Diabeté, a world-renowned kora player and the writer of “Jarabi.” Her beautiful rendition of his song below pays homage to history while breaking barriers all at the same time. It also stands as a powerful reminder that music transcends all limits to connect us with our joy.
Usually, seeing “Florida” and “man” in a headline makes me take a deep breath in preparation for some sort of shenanigans. The short phrase has become synonymous with outlandish antics, but this is a Florida man story everyone can get behind. Kevin Cate, a former campaign spokesperson for President Barack Obama and owner of CATECOMM, a media consulting company, caught a random act of kindness by a Florida man while dining at a Waffle House in Midway, in the northern part of the state.
Cate watched as an anonymous man attached money to small handmade notes. Eventually, curiosity got the better of Cate and he asked the man what he was up to. Turns out the elderly gentleman had been spending his time passing out $1 and $5 to strangers at the restaurant and other places. According to Cate, who documented the interaction on Twitter, each note said “Love Every Body,” in bold text. Turns out those words were the last thing the generous stranger’s mother said to him before she passed away.
“She didn’t say ‘I love you.’ She said ‘Love everybody.’ So that’s what I’m doing,” the man said, according to Cate. That’s one powerful moment that clearly stuck with the man. Cate wrote that since 2014, the mysterious donor has given away more than $13,000 to strangers and preps to give away his money by printing and cutting out the notes every few days.
What a sweet way for the man to honor his mother’s memory. Surely there are people who receive his gift just when they need it the most, and for the others it likely brings a smile to their faces. Since Cate shared the encounter with his Twitter followers, the man spreading kindness is spreading hope on social media.
One commenter, Tiffany wrote, “I just needed to tell you thank you for posting this. Ever since my sister was killed in the Boise mall shooting, it feels as though a snow ball effect has taken all of the light from the world. This thread helped me remember the lights still there.”
Another commenter, Doug, pointed out, “While we might not know this from Twitter or the news, trust me when I say there are far more good people out there than bad. They just don’t make the news. It’s really nice to be reminded.”
I’m pretty sure Doug is onto something. Media rarely focuses on the good in the world, and the constant barrage of bad news can make you forget that good still happens. And not just occasionally. Good things happen daily, multiple times a day in large and small ways. It’s unfortunate that we don’t bolster all the kindness around us to balance things out, but it’s clear this Florida man’s acts of kindness are restoring some of our faith in humanity.
Hopefully being a witness to or reading about someone else’s kind deeds will inspire others to follow suit in their own ways.
Joe Rogan is once again stirring up controversy. During the latest episode of his podcast, Rogan and his guest, comedian Tom Segura, discussed homelessness in Los Angeles, which took a dark turn as Rogan floated a particularly not great solution to the problem: Shooting them. After the potentially dangerous remarks were recently shared on Twitter, unhoused advocates have been publicly denouncing Rogan’s comments, and you can see why below:
Nothing like a couple of rich fucks setting around smoking cigars and criticizing people at their rock bottom. And that last line? “Maybe you should just go S**T the homeless people” pic.twitter.com/eCp1HSkJj4
Tom Segura: When you see stuff like that on the streets, at least in Los Angeles or California, that’s protected property. Like by law. That’s that’s person’s property by law.
Joe Rogan: Oh, a homeless person’s property is protected?
Segura: Absolutely. If you were to try to move that or take that—
Rogan: You’d get arrested. Hilarious. But they wouldn’t arrest you if you shot somebody. Maybe you should just go shoot the homeless people.
Segura: I like your ideas.
Rogan: And if nobody claims it. I mean nobody does anything about violent crime in LA anymore.
Considering Rogan’s podcast reaches an audience of millions who swallowed his controversial opinions on the COVID vaccine, there’s a legitimate potential for violence following his remarks.
“It’s repulsive,” unhoused advocate Theo Henderson told Variety. “It’s infuriating because it’s not only out of touch, but the reality is that unhoused people are targeted by housed people. To advocate trying to shoot at unhoused people or just giving these dog whistles to people that do not see unhoused people as human beings — I can’t believe you’d advocate for it.”
Andy Bales, who runs the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, voiced similar concerns.
“I’m surprised and saddened,” Bales said. “The comments about beginning to kill homeless people hits too close to reality for any comfort, because murders of homeless people in Los Angeles went up 47% last year over the previous year…. There is a bit of an unfortunate vigilantism already in Los Angeles towards people devastated by homelessness and they don’t need any encouragement.”
In a recent episode of Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion, Method Man sat down in a barbershop, where he dropped tidbits of knowledge. When he got into label politics, he shared his thoughts on artists signing to labels owned by other artists.
“I always felt like you can’t sign to somebody who still trying to be an artist,” He said. “It’s hard. They can’t give you the time or attention that you probably need and deserve unless you are your own machine.”
By “machine,” he clarified that he was referring to artists like Drake, Lil Wayne, and Rick Ross.
Also in the episode, Method mentioned that he hated being seen as a sex symbol following the release of his 1995 hit single, “I’ll Be There For You / You’re All I Need,” which featured Mary J. Blige.
“I fought that ‘All I Need’ sh*t,” he recalled. “I didn’t wanna put it out ’cause it was at a point now where, when we were doing these shows [with] Wu-Tang, I would come out and it’d be girls screaming. Now, for me, it’s like, I’m grimy, same-clothes-for-three-days-in-a-row; who wants to go the sex symbol route at this point?”
A parking enforcement officer who was working on the set of NBC’s Law & Order: Organized Crimewas fatally shot in the earlier hours of Tuesday morning, according to multiple reports.
The New York Post reports that the man, who was reserving spots for the production, was shot in Brooklyn around 5:15 am. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead around 6 am. The victim was shot multiple times in the face and neck. Law enforcement have yet to catch the shooter.
The victim’s co-worker said that this was the same job they had been doing for nearly six years. “We put up the fliers, cones and park the trucks. We come 24 hours in advance to start clearing out the parking. We park in our trucks, and we wait for the stars to come out,” he explained. “He was a great guy, always laughing or making somebody laugh, you know?”
NBC shut down production for the day, and released the following statement, as per the New York Post: “We were terribly saddened and shocked to hear that one of our crew members was the victim of a crime early this morning and has died as a result. We are working with local law enforcement as they continue to investigate. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, and we ask that you respect their privacy during this time.”
Johnny Carson. David Letterman. Jay Leno. Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Kimmel. Stephen Colbert. What do all those television personalities have in common? Sure, they’re all late-night television hosts… but what else do they have in common? You see it. Even if you don’t want to admit it just yet, you do. Let’s face it: Late night is a very white occupation. And sure, there have been some exceptions; Arsenio Hall, Joan Rivers, and Chris Rock spring to mind. But for the most part, the space has been dominated largely by older, white, straight, male, former stand-up comics. And before you scroll down to the comments to write “nuh-uh,” just hear me out.
Until very, very recently, there was one huge exception to this trend: Showtime’s Desus & Mero. However, last night, the show’s creators announced on Twitter that after four seasons, the show is coming to an end. Even worse, its two hosts, Daniel Baker aka Desus Nice and Joel Martinez aka The Kid Mero, were splitting up to pursue separate creative endeavors after nearly a decade of collaborations which included the Desus vs. Mero and Bodega Boys podcasts, the Desus & Mero talk show, and even an anime, Neo Yokio. The show’s cancellation isn’t just a loss of a beloved, underrated comedic pairing — it’s a loss for hip-hop as a whole.
Bodega Hive: The illustrious @desusnice and @THEKIDMERO will be pursuing separate creative endeavors moving forward. #DESUSandMERO will not be returning to SHOWTIME. It’s been a good run, fam.
— DESUS & MERO on SHOWTIME (@SHODesusAndMero) July 18, 2022
Before Desus & Mero, it’s hard to find too many examples of hip-hop culture in the late-night TV space. Sure there was Arsenio Hall, doing his best to bring the fashion, music, and voice of the streets to America’s living rooms in the early ’90s. But while The Arsenio Hall Show was a landmark in bringing hip-hop to mainstream audiences, it was also watered-down, polished, and presented in a way that the whole thing slicker and more palatable to those audiences. It also largely avoided political topics, although the show did come under fire for booking — or not booking — some guests that audiences found controversial.
And certainly, hip-hop music remains a draw on late-night, with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon employing a house band that comes from the rap world in The Roots. Rappers with new projects to promote are often booked as musical guests, performing their viral hits on shows like The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel Live! But more broadly, the Desus & Mero show was a chance to see hip-hop as a culture on TV, in a space that not many of us get to touch. They were not buttoned up. They didn’t wear suits. Their set was modeled after a New York bodega, the type of place where you’d actually find rappers hanging out.
Decked out in fitted caps and Timberland boots, they spoke in the sometimes coded slang of the streets, with all the swagger born of growing up in The Bronx. They interviewed the rappers that the bigger shows wouldn’t; in the past year, they’ve had guests like Baby Keem, Bobby Shmurda, Cordae, and Nas — both the Queens legend who made Illmatic, and the Fox News frustrating Lil Nas X. They debuted underground crooner RMR’s “I’m Not Over You” video. And they got their non-rapper guests to open up about not just their favorite rappers (watch Yo-Yo Ma play DMX!), but all sorts of down-to-earth topics. They interviewed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in their shared borough, taking the format beyond the confines of the studio.
And, in perhaps the biggest coup for the show to date, the duo interviewed former President Barack Obama, who roasted them as naturally as if they were having the conversation on a neighborhood stoop, rather than an empty rented auditorium undoubtedly surrounded by Secret Service agents. Whatever your feelings on the man’s politics, you have to admit that the moment lent legitimacy to hip-hop (and vice versa) in a way that, whether we want to admit it or not, is nice to see after three decades of politicians and pundits blaming rap culture for everything from school shootings to the overall decline of polite society.
So, pour one out for Desus And Mero. They showed that hip-hop could belong in yet another space that wasn’t made for it, that didn’t make provisions for it, and that mostly overlooked it. They brought us — our voices, our faces, our fashion, our outlook, our language, our interests, our culture — to millions of American homes. Late-night might have gotten a little less colorful without them, but those two guys from the Bronx undoubtedly opened a door — and the next Desus and Mero are likely right around the corner.
After two weeks, it’s probably safe to say that Saucy Santana’s Beyonce-sampling new single “Booty” is a hit. The girls love to throw it back, and alongside Latto (whose own anatomy-based single “P*ssy” is shaking up social media now as well), Santana gives them the perfect motivational anthem to do so. Today, the dynamic duo shared the twerk-tastic video for the single and yes, it is everything you should have expected, with teams of colorfully dressed men and women gyrating their derrieres to an interpolation of “Crazy In Love.” Santana even pays a visual homage to the “Crazy In Love” video, donning the same tank top and cutoff jean shorts Beyonce rocked in her “official” solo debut — and yes, that includes the cherry red high heels.
Saucy Santana timed the release of the song and the video perfectly, putting out the song just days before he was announced as one of XXL‘s 2022 Freshman Class. The video arrives on the tail of Saucy’s standout performance in the XXL Freshman Cypher, where he stole the show after running the anchor leg of the installment featuring Doechii, KayCyy, and SoFaygo. Santana is also proving to be pretty much bulletproof, shrugging off a fan backlash for sampling Beyonce after dissing her in old tweets when he was “miserable and broke.” He certainly isn’t either of those things anymore, and with “Booty” taking off, it might not be long until he has a chance to thank Beyonce for clearing the sample in person.
Watch Saucy Santana’s “Booty” video featuring Latto above.
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