Tag: J. Prince

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Damon Dash Sides With Kanye, Says Hip-Hop Doesn’t Need Grammys

Damon Dash Grammys Critique Comes After Kanye's Cancellation
Damon Dash Grammys Critique Comes After Kanye's Cancellation. Image source: Bennett Raglin/Bet/Getty.

Damon Dash disapproves of the Grammys yanking Kanye West from the performance lineup. The rap mogul doubled down on his position when speaking to TMZ on Tuesday, saying that the Recording Academy shouldn’t judge artists. 

“I’m not trying to fit into somebody else’s system,” Dame said. He even went as far as to suggest that artists should create their own version of the award show.

“So we just create our own so we ain’t gotta worry about nobody else’s rules… It’s not for them to judge who’s hot. It’s for us. They really shouldn’t be giving us the awards. We should be giving them the awards. They gotta respect our culture.”

Damon Dash also expressed his disregard for the award show, saying that he and Ye “don’t give a f*ck about the Grammys” before following up with “We make our own Grammys.”

Kanye was barred from performing at this year’s Grammys due to his online behavior against ex-wife Kim Kardashian. However, he can still attend. Other celebrities have come to Ye’s defense, even Grammys host Trevor Noah.

Kanye and Dame Dash go way back, with Dame being the one to sign Ye to Roc-A-Fella Records in 2002. Ever since the two have maintained a close relationship.

Damon Dash’s Idea Gets Traction

Damon Dash’s idea for an artists’ version of the Grammys has picked up some steam. On Tuesday, J. Prince called on artists such as Kanye, Drake, and Nicki Minaj to protest the award show and perform an anti-Grammys concert.

In an audio message posted Tuesday on Instagram, the Rap-A-Lot Records founder voiced his disapproval over the situation. He compared the organizers to “slave masters” and likened the decision to snubs of artists such as Drake and The Weeknd.

J. Prince also commented on the reluctance of artists to take a stand for hip-hop culture. The artist said that he watched the Grammys “dictate our culture to their benefit” for over 30 years. He also remarked that artists would “complain, but never have the nuts to come together to do anything about it.”

To conclude his audio message, J. Prince acknowledged that he’s ready to face the consequences of his actions for the love of Hip Hop. The date and location of the concert would be the same as the awards show, April 3 in Las Vegas.

The call to action didn’t go unnoticed. Nicki Minaj commented “Respect” with a prayer emoji in response to the post, seemingly cosigning the idea.

The 2022 Grammy Awards will take place at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, airing live on CBS and Paramount at 8 p.m EST.

Written by Olan Bryant

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J Prince Calls Out The Grammys & Suggests An Alternative

Image Source: Houstonia Magazine
Image Source: Houstonia Magazine

This past Tuesday, March 22, J Prince aired out the Grammys in an Instagram clip he posted. Additionally, he suggested that artists should get together & host a concert of their own during the Grammys. He started the audio clip he posted on his Instagram page by sharing his negative thoughts about Kanye West getting banned from the Grammys. In his disapproval of that specific decision, J Prince also mentioned previous conflicts the Grammys made with other stars like Drake, Nicki Minaj, etc. Read J Prince’s full Instagram post below for yourself:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by J Prince (@jprincerespect)

 

Hip-Hop Artists Starting An Anti-Grammy Concert

The Houston icon firmly believes that Hip-Hops stars & veterans should come together & host a concert on the same day as the Grammys. While the thought & sentiment is nice, it may be too short notice since the Grammys will be live on April 3. However, nothing is impossible & Hip-Hop as a whole makes up a decent chunk of their viewing audience. Drake, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj & The Weeknd were artists that he mentioned when sharing this idea with his followers. “I recommend that the artists I mentioned above—and more—come together in Las Vegas and perform at the same time as the Grammys on a special network and streaming platform to prove that ratings will change where the Grammys are concerned when the No. 1 selling genre in music—hip-hop—come together,” he expressed online.

Anti Grammy Concert, Image Source: Getty Images
Image Source: Getty Images

 

Which Would You Watch On April 3rd?

In reality, most of Hip-Hop’s biggest artists don’t care about or need the Grammys at all. Yet, they keep treating the genre & its artists like they need them in today’s age. I’m not confidently sure if it’d gain more viewers that night than the Grammys, but I also wouldn’t be surprised either. Read more of FM Hip-Hop’s featured articles today.

 

Written by: Oryah Brown | Instagram: @oryah.wav

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Freddie Gibbs Rocks with Joe Rogan “I don’t think you a racist!”

No matter the grievance, there is always someone who’s got your back, as is the case with Joe Rogan and Freddie Gibbs.

Rogan’s Perceived Missteps

After surfacing a video compilation of him for the banal use of the “N” word, Joe Rogan took an excessive amount of heat. He was implicated on the spot with no need for a judge, trial, or jury. The proof was in living color, and there was no way of walking away or hiding from this. 

Rogan Offers an Apology

Immediately Rogan went to work on his PR, making a video apologizing. No one outside of Rogan’s camp could assuredly understand Rogan’s intent. This made the reservation of judgment necessary, at least until hearing what Rogan had to say. 

Dissecting Rogan’s Video

In the video, Rogan acknowledges the compilation and the horror of the content. He speaks on how he was horrified by the footage. The footage compiled all the times it appeared Rogan blithely used the “N” word.

Now, In the beginning, it seems Rogan is not offering an apology, at least for using the “N” word. Instead, it seems Rogan is apologizing for the way the footage was compiled. Evidently, the footage was spliced together for a specific intent. In hindsight, the video did what it was intended to do. However, that is a topic for another article. Subsequently, in the video, Rogan apologizes for his assumptive behavior. Finally, he acknowledges his ignorance on the matter and his present growth. 

Context is King

The Rogan debacle makes an excellent point on context.

How something is perceived implicates you, no matter how inauthentic or authentic it might be. So, context is everything. The apology video provides an example. Undoubtedly, one would need to look at the video in its entirety with an open mind to make a sensible conclusion. 

Not Everyone’s Mind is Open like Gibbs’

After the compilation surfaced, a few artists withdrew their support from Rogan. Some removed their entire catalogs from Spotify. A few outright chastised Rogan. As a source notes, Trevor Noah, Samuel L. Jackson, and Fat Joe were a few to go in on Rogan. FM Hip Hop covered Fat Joe’s response and the ensuing backlash. However, this was not the case with Freddie Gibbs.

Gibbs is Not Everyone

Gibbs did not quickly turn his back on Rogan. Instead, Gibb’s used his experience with Rogan to make a character assessment. So, based on what he knows of Rogan, he’s refusing to label him as a racist. In Gibbs’ words,

“I never thought you were a racist. I just think you were saying some shit you shouldn’t have said and a lot of us n-ggas say stuff that we shouldn’t say sometimes. It is what it is.”

No one can deny Gibbs’ point.

People aren’t perfect. Almost every individual has said something inane or negative in their lives at some point. Assumedly, If what was said were plastered publicly, we would find ourselves on the defense like Rogan. 

Gibb’s is Not the Only One Standing in Rogan’s Corner

As the music executive,  J. Prince, points out in a post following the debacle, what’s important is what happens after the fact. According to Jprincerespect Rogan, acknowledged he didn’t know better at the time. He took responsibility.

And despite the inaccuracy of the portrait painted, Rogan did the big thing that deserves a show of humanity.

As J. Prince put it, 

“I forgive him because I never want to become one of those people that are filled with unforgiveness and hate that we complain about all the time.”

Judgment is always in the hands of the beholder as Gibbs and J. Prince are proving. However, it’s so easy to take things out of context and believe everything presented in the media. Such makes discernment a necessity in these times. 

So kudos to Gibbs and J. Prince for choosing a different path. It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon. Nevertheless, standing up for someone you know when they are under fire by refusing to take the position of less resistance says everything about one’s character. 

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Written by Renae Richardson

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Heard the news about Freddie Gibbs new album? If not then check out FM Hip Hop’s retrospective article.

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Megan Thee Stallion Reportedly Dismisses Lawsuit Against Former Label

Megan Thee Stallion
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 27: Megan Thee Stallion attends the BET Awards 2021 at Microsoft Theater on June 27, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)

Megan Thee Stallion has reportedly filed to dismiss her ongoing lawsuit against 1501 Certified Entertainment, her former label and Rap-A-Lot Records founder J. Prince. The Houston rapper filed the suit in March of 2020, accusing the label of blocking her from releasing new music. Possibly due to her wanting to renegotiate what she saw as an unfair contract.

Megan’s side of the story

“When I signed, I didn’t really know what was in my contract,” Meg said in an Instagram livestream. “I was young. I was like 20. I ain’t know everything that was in that contract. So when I got with Roc Nation, I got management-real management. I got real lawyers and they was like, ‘Did you know that this is in your contract?”

In spite of this, 1501’s CEO Carl Crawford dismissed the allegations at the time, saying, “It’s a whole lie. Nothing is true that she said. Me being greedy and taking money from her, that’s crazy. I never tried to take nothing from her. The only thing we ever did was give, give, give.”

Regardless, Megan was granted a restraining order against the label to prevent them from stopping any further release of new music. In August of 2021, Megan was also granted permission from a court to release her remix of BTS’ Butter after 1501 prevented her from doing so.

Though as time went on, Crawford became more optimistic that he and Megan could put their differences aside. In a December 2021 interview, he said, “Like really, things always went left. We still don’t have a real reason why things went left. Everything is cool with her, like I said we wish her the best. We’re just going to keep doing our thing, 1501.”

megan thee stallion
Megan Thee Stallion by Theo Wargo

A twist to the tale

The legal documents for the suit’s dismissal state, “Megan Pete hereby nonsuits all of the claims she has asserted in the above captioned lawsuit against 1501 Certified Entertainment, LLC, Carl Crawford and James Prince, without prejudice to the re-filing of the same.”

In response, Crawford reacted to the news on Tuesday with an Instagram post that included a caption saying, “Only the real [H] town can relate. Now tell ’em to run my bread dating all the way back from 2018.”

However, it seems the drama may not be over. Shortly after Crawford’s post, Megan had comments of her own in regards to the lawsuit’s status.

“This dude never know wtf is going on with his business,” she wrote. “The case that was dismissed against you was from when you wasn’t trying to let me drop music… you and 300 signed off and let me drop music so there is no case no more…we are most definitely STILL IN COURT and YOU STILL GETTING SUED BC YOU OWE ME MONEY!!!”

Megan has since deleted the post, but it seems  the legal troubles may not be over just yet.

Written by Olan Bryant

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J Prince defends Joe Rogan Against Racist Allegations “I Forgive Him”

J Prince
Image via Twitter @Missinfo

An unexpected alliance has formed between J Prince and Joe Rogan. Earlier this week (Feb. 7) Rap-a-Lot Records CEO J Prince sprung to his defense via Instagram. “Joe Rogan is not a racist” he typed. “I know this brother. It takes a sincere individual to admit when they are wrong and have fucked up about a situation. As you can hear he’s done that and I forgive him because I never want to become one of those people that are filled with unforgiveness and hate, that we complain about all the time.”

“Let this be an example to others of the sensitivity of the word ‘n-gga’ being said by anybody other than a n-gga lol.” He ended the message by emphasizing his disapproval of people outside the black community using the n-word. It should be noted J Prince has appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience previously, similarly to other black community figureheads like Dave Chapelle and Mike Tyson.

J Prince is a well-respected figure in the Houston community. Most recently, he’s worked with Kanye West and Drake to hold the Larry Hoover benefit concert to end their years-long beef. While many still hold Rogan in low regard for his past actions, J Prince’s word has shown to hold weight in the recording industry.

Without a doubt, Former Fear Factor host and podcaster Joe Rogan has had a rough week in the media. Recently, prolific celebrities like Neil Young, Mary Trump and Sharon Stone have taken a public stand against the 54-year old for his anti-vaccine comments. In addition, his beliefs surrounding race are magnified. This after a particularly explicit compilation took the internet by storm. Despite the disapproval from many black posters on social media, he now has an unexpected figure on his side.

India Arie Calls out Joe

Rogan has utilized his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, to drive others away from the Covid-19 vaccine. “If you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, ‘Should I get vaccinated?’ I’ll go no,” he said in an April episode. Moreover, he brought anti-vaccine figures like virologist Dr. Rover Malone, on his podcast to spout similar rhetoric. A “mass formation psychosis” is what Malone called the insistence from the public to get vaccinated.

Evidently, his most controversial content is surrounding the use of racial slurs. Last week(Feb. 4), R&B artist India Arie, took to her Instagram story to expound on why she was removing her music from Spotify. “I empathize with the people leaving for the COVID disinformation reasons and I think that they should,” Arie started. “I think that Joe Rogan has the right to say what he wants to say, I also think I have the right to say what I want to say[…] Spotify is built off the back of the music streaming. So they take the money that’s built from streaming and pay this guy 100 million dollars and they pay us .003% of a penny? Just take me off!” Intercut with the ‘Steady Love’ singers rant was a series of videos containing Rogan’s vast usage of the n-word. Take a look below:

Following the explicit video, she subsequently explained her reasoning on her story, condemning Spotify for their decision to uphold Rogan’s platform while underpaying artists. “Paying musicians a fraction of a penny? And HIM $100M? This shows the type of company they are and the company that they keep. “I’m tired” she typed. Clearly, Arie’s call to action has garnered a loud public response.

The internet turns against Joe Rogan

Several fans and political commentators met India with support. Many announced they planned to delete their Spotify accounts and never utilize the platform again in protest of Rogan.

https://twitter.com/writtenbyhanna/status/1488294980745576448?s=10

As of now, Spotify has reportedly lost 19% of its subscriber base according to a consumer poll from Forrester Research. Furthermore, that number is set to continue to rise as Spotify CEO Daniel Ek publicly defended Rogan Sunday, (Feb. 6) saying “I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.” Subsequently, Ek confirmed Rogan’s requests to remove episodes containing offensive language from the platform.

Joe says sorry

In the face of all the controversy, Joe Rogan has issued an official apology. He posted a brief video on his Instagram last week (Feb.5) addressing his regret and intentions to do better.

“Now, I haven’t said it in years. I certainly would never want to offend someone for entertainment with something as stupid as racism.” He says. In the apology, he references his use of racial slurs as “regretful and shameful”.

Public scrutiny has found him despite his staggering popularity. The question is, was Joe Rogan’s apology sincere? Or because of social media pressure?

RELATED STORIES:

India Arie Plans To Remove Music From Spotify Over Joe Rogan’s Podcast

Azealia Banks Speaks Out About Joe Rogan

 

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Dreema Carrington|IG @dr3amgirl79|Twitter @notdreema

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Kanye West Hits Studio With Legendary Scarface

kanye west
Kanye West helping homeless

Kanye West recently maximized his time in Houston, Texas, by hitting the studio with H-Town Hip Hop Legend Scarface.

Ye has been traveling the world in the past few months. He met up with Sauce Walka during his travels to hit the studio. December 28, the two rappers hit the keys in a video on Twitter.

There is no sound, but the rappers seemed to be enjoying themselves. The comments show that fans are excited for a new piece from the hardworking artist.

Kanye West’s Travels

Before hitting the studio, Ye attended a birthday party for J Mulan at James Harden’s Houston restaurant Thirteen. Also, he met up with media personality Justin LaBoy and model Yasmine Lopez. 

Photos of Ye and Yasmine got people starting rumors about the two, but TMZ confirmed that nothing is happening between them. Kanye’s ex-wife Kim Kardashian has moved on already. Many have seen her with Saturday Night Live actor Pete Davidson, and the couple seems happy.

Kanye has been outspoken about wanting Kim Kardashian back. He’s even purchased a $4.5 million Hidden Hills home right across from her. However, some reports say it’s all to be closer to his children, Saint, North, Psalm, and Chicago.

After stopping in Houston, Ye took a plane to Belize with Rap-A-Lot Records founder J Prince. The rapper stood in the water with the founder in some pictures on Twitter alongside fellow rapper Shyne.

He even spoke to the fans in a video and thanked them.

“Yo, I love Belize. I love Shyne. I’m so happy to be here. We’re gonna be back. Love y’all,” Ye said in a separate video.

It seems Kanye’s back and working with Prince and Shyne to make more music.

For more news on hip-hop, check us out at @FMHipHop: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.

Written by Anthony Jamal Bicy | Instagram | Twitter

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J. Prince: “Being Brutally Honest” with Kanye West Led to Peace With Drake

J. Prince has the title of “Houston boss” for a reason. The CEO of Rap-A-Lot records is not the kind of man to pull punches when it comes to business. That’s what you can expect from someone involved for more than thirty-five years in the Houston scene, the Mecca of Southern rap. The man makes things happen, simple.

The Convincing J. Prince

While the music executive helped Drake see “the bigger picture”, he also brought Kanye West to the light. Or helped him see the light. Or maybe forced him to see the light. While Prince denies this, Twitter certainly has its opinions.

To hear Prince tell it to Billboard, the words between himself and West were part of “an interesting conversation”. Prince says the alleged use of force is “the furthest thing from the truth.” Prince continues:

“To me, that moment was what I called an ‘anointing moment’ — because none of it was planned. It wasn’t planned where we had that meeting in that particular church, but me being a man of God, I couldn’t deny the invitation to actually meet him.”

“From there, I kept it real with him. I spoke some words that came from my heart — and Kanye, he acknowledged it. He said, ‘I ain’t ever had anyone ever talking to me like that.’ He was acknowledging me being brutally honest with him. I felt another level of bonding with him at that particular moment.”

https://twitter.com/HipHopDX/status/1457876246453391366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1457876246453391366%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhiphopdx.com%2Fnews%2Fid.66385%2Ftitle.j-prince-denies-applying-pressure-on-kanye-west

It must take great skill to get through to the enigmatic Ye, but it seems that Prince did just that. Regardless, the Houston executive brought the two superstars together for a massive event. The Free Larry Hoover benefit concert is set for 8:00 p.m. PT (11:00 p.m. ET) tonight, live from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With construction presumably completed, the even promises to be a real shock-and-awe performance from two of hip-hop’s paragons.

The event is free to watch live on Amazon Prime Video and Music Twitch services, as well as the Amazon Music App.

 

Garrett C. Owen

Twitter | Instagram

 

 

 

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Kanye Announces He Would Like To Do Show With Drake, Ending 12-Year Feud

kanye and drake beef
Source: Wire Image/Getty

Kanye West is finally ready to move past his differences with Drake. As he ends the feud, he asked the Certified Lover Boy to accompany him on stage for a show.

kanye drake feud
Kanye West ends beef with Drake/ via RevoltTV

On Monday November 8th, J. Prince shared a video of him with Kanye.

According to Hype Beast, The DONDA rapper met with J. Prince at the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas. There was a video posted by J Prince which revealed West standing side by side with Prince, as ‘Ye reflects on his past issues with the Toronto rapper. The caption reads,

“I met with @kanyewest [last] night in Htown at the Rothko Chapel… Movement thinkers dream of a better tomorrow, a bigger picture, longevity choices and humbling themselves to forgive… I met with Ye to pass on the message from my brother Larry Hoover… He would like to see peace between the two of them.”

“I’m making this video to address the ongoing back and forth between myself and Drake. Both me and Drake have taken shots at each other and it’s time to put it to rest. I’m asking Drake on Dec. 7 to join me on stage as a special guest to share the two biggest albums of the year live in Los Angeles with the ultimate purpose being to free Larry Hoover,” Ye said. “I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause, but prove to people – everywhere – how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride to the side and come together.”

drake kanye feud
Kanye West asks Drake to join stage with him in December.

The Champagne Papi – Ye Beef

The beef between the two started back in 2009 after Drake called Kanye “the most influential person on his sound”.  After Kanye cut Drake’s sample verse from the studio version of ‘All of the Lights’, the two have been butting heads.

While Kanye Drake have been at it for over a decade, the two most recently came for each other this summer during the releasing of their albums, Donda and Certified Lover Boy, after Ye leaked Drake’s address.

 

Stephanie Kinberg

Twitter: @Waviii_s

Instagram: @Waviii_s