Once upon a time in a universe far, far away, HipHopDX used to host blogs. Through Meka, Brillyance, Aliya Ewing and others, readers got unfiltered opinions on the most current topics in and beyond Hip Hop. After a few years, a couple redesigns and the collective vision of three different Editors-In-Chief, blogs are back. Well, sort of. Since our blog section went the way of two-way pagers and physical mixtapes, Twitter, Instagram and Ustream have further accelerated the pace of current events in Hip Hop. Rappers beef with each other 140 characters at a time, entire mixtapes (and their associated artwork) can be released via Instagram, and sometimes these events require a rapid reaction.
As such, we’re reserving this space for a weekly reaction to Hip Hop’s current events. Or whatever else we deem worthy. And the “we” in question is me, Andre Grant and Ural Garrett. Collectively we serve as HipHopDX’s Features Staff. Aside from tackling stray topics, we may invite artists and other personalities in Hip Hop to join the conversation. Without further delay, here’s this week’s “Stray Shots.”
Stitches Get’s Crowned By Game’s Manager, Wack 100
Andre: Listen, if anyone had it coming it was Stitches. He’d been baiting Game for some time now, angling to antagonize him into a confrontation. Well, he got what he was looking for outside of Miami nightclub Story. After being denied entry, he reportedly stalked the club with his white Porsche, then approached The Game and his entourage soon afterward only to get punched square in the jaw. It’s 2015, so the word spread like wildfire, with videos of the account popping up all over the web. And, in a recent interview with DX, The Game spoke on the situation, “It never ceases to amaze me. Do niggas think that Game is some bitch-ass nigga or something like I won’t beat your ass or something? I’ve proved the shit time and time over again.” He’s right. Everyone remembers this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT29c_MeBjI And now, added to the lore of The Game is Stitches. A talented emcee, Stitches has chosen to stay on the fringes of rap game success with his blistering penchant for violence. His profile in the Miami Herald Viral Rapper Stitches: Some Truth, Many Questionsrevealed that Stitches is probably not the guy described in “Bricks To The Face.” Al Davidi, a New York Nightclub owner queried in the piece describes him as a straight up fraud. A video went viral last year of Stitches then girlfriend catching him doing coke at a show and storming out. In April of 2015, he went on Instagram to say he had cancer. A few days later, according to the aforementioned piece he Instagrammed again to claim the cancer was gone. The kid from Kendall, a suburb outside of Miami, went from being Phillip Katsabanis to “Lil Phill” to Stitches and his rise became a meteoric call to the glitz and glamor of drugs and sex and Miami. That place, especially, has represented reinvention in rap because of Rick Ross. It’s a city that is, apparently, transformative. A place where you can become anything you want to be.
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But now that he’s officially caught this fade is there really a coming back for Stitches? I’m not sure. In this world, any hit record at all on any level brings with it a certain amount of fame. The belly of the beast is deeper now than ever, with sub-basements to the sub-basements of what it means to any kind of notoriety at all. And music is redemptive, no doubt. But I’m not sure a public shaming of this kind can truly be shaken in Hip Hop without some kind of drastic action. An action I hope will never come.
Ural: Speaking with DX Editor-In-Chief Justin Hunte some months back as he made the promotional rounds for The Documentary 2 and The Documentary 2.5, The Game made an honest statement in regards to the next level trolling by Stitches. The Compton emcee didn’t want to fight because he was scared or ill-prepared, but because he was already facing charges for assaulting a police officer, not trying to add more legal troubles and simply attempting to take the higher road in life. This is what happens to mature individuals. Makes sense why his manager would take care of whatever problems Stitches represented. Many (including myself) waited patiently for the moment of his comeuppance this side of 40 Glock. And it happened last night after Stitches road around a Miami nightclub that he couldn’t get into looking for Jayceon Taylor. Strange because if he had as much clout as he claimed, getting into a club during the middle of Art Basel shouldn’t have been a challenge. It’s fairly interesting this week as well. First, Slim Jesus gets his mic snatched mid-performance and then Stitches gets knocked out. I spoke openly about these two becoming the new face of black genocide, but that was sheer paranoia. From the looks of things, both weren’t really about that action. Plus, they just make absolutely terrible music. Call Rick Ross a fraud and I’d wholesomely agree, but at least he has his share of legitimate bangers. This may be the most hilarious L taken in 2015. Yup, even bigger than Meek Mill’s horrible year. Too bad we dropped the Turkey Awards about a week ago.
The Ja Rule & 50 Cent Saga Continues
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Ural: The tides have really changed over the years in the almost comic book saga that’s become Ja Rule & 50 Cent. Ironically, when I did the interview with Ja some weeks back, he took the high road in regards to Fiddy’s current bankruptcy situation. There wasn’t a “kick him while he’s down” moment. At this point, the Murder Inc. artists is a husband and father in his 40s enjoying the privilege of reality television stardom this side of Run’s House and T.I.’s Family Hustle. Meanwhile, G-Unit’s fearless leader is watching holes be placed in his once impenetrable ship. Thankfully, the one thing going extremely well for him is Power and a recent deal for another television series slated to air on Fox. Ironic considering he spent the majority of the year taking shot after shot on the network’s most popular series Empire. Matter of fact, Ja and 50’s drama sounds like a great plot-line for a future season of the Terrence Howard vehicle.
Could this be a never ending feud like Professor X and Magneto? At this point, it’s almost been 15 years for heaven’s sake.
Andre: 50 Cent put this hilarious Instagram post out into the world today. And Ja Rule replied in kind by calling 50 #princess50. And it’s all childish and lives in a world of make believe but 50 Cent is, at this point, a master of this stuff. He’s Pai Mei to everyone else’s Mr. Miyagi. That’s no knock on the Karate Kid teacher at all, by the way. Still, Fif has been taking a series of losses that have clouded his impeccable record. The gaffe related to his own son allegedly applying to intern for MMG. His recent bankruptcy case. His being told to pay Ross’s ex for the trouble of 50 Cent trolling her. All of these put cracks into 50’s carefully curated visage. Friends and foes have come and gone. Ex’s are hinting that he’s not who he portrays himself to be. The alarm is blaring, and people who’d have cut themselves on the edges of his hard-won reputation are finding holes in his defense, assaulting him from all sides. Still, he manages to combat it with humor, proving at that any time he can rile up his enemies into keeping him squarely in the news cycle.
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That’s an important caveat to consider. It means he’s almost always moments away from being on everyone’s radar again. So when he says he’s always one hit away, you kind of have to believe him. Although just what that hit may be continues, unfortunately, to escape his grasp.
Andre Grant is an NYC native turned L.A. transplant that has contributed to a few different properties on the web and is now the Features Editor for HipHopDX. He’s also trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot. Follow him on Twitter @drejones.
Ural Garrett is a Los Angeles-based journalist and HipHopDX’s Senior Features Writer. When not covering music, video games, films and the community at large, he’s in the kitchen baking like Anita. Follow him on Twitter @Uralg.
