This week in Hip Hop, Chuck D and Flavor Flav owned April Fool’s Day with their Public Enemy firing hoax and revealed to HipHopDX the important message behind the stunt. Also, Drake posted the first-ever photos of his two-year-old son, Adonis. Finally, Tekashi 6ix9ine was granted compassionate release amidst coronavirus concerns and will now serve the remainder of his prison sentence in the comfort of his home.
Public Enemy’s Chuck D & Flavor Flav Blast April Fool’s Day
Chuck D and Public Enemy left the Hip Hop world in shambles when they announced Flavor Flav’s firing after a public dispute over Bernie Sander’s campaign rally. However, on April Fool’s Day (April 1), Chuck revealed the whole stunt was a hoax — one that was meant to teach a lesson.
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“Going into 2020, this is the second decade where Hip Hop has skidded away to the point where the good look is never, ever considered and the bad look keeps getting elevated to the point where it’s just disrespectful,” he told DX.“The final straw for me was the young man Pop Smoke being murdered, and all of a sudden he becomes a name.
“It was reminiscent of the year before with Nipsy Hussle, somebody who I played and supported on our RAPstation networks. A few people knew his name but then he gets murdered and of all a sudden it’s this ground swell.”
Taking inspiration from Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds radio broadcast, Chuck decided to both illuminate the manipulation of the media and illustrate that rappers receive more fame from creating a “bad look.”
Read more about the future of Public Enemy, Enemy Radio‘s new album, Loud Is Not Enough, and the creation of “Food As A Machine Gun” here.
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Drake Shares First Photos Of His Son Adonis
Drake surprised fans with the first photos of his two-year-old son, Adonis, on Monday morning (March 30). In a lengthy Instagram post, Drizzy alluded to social distancing woes, writing, “I love and miss my beautiful family and friends and I can’t wait for the joyful day when we are all able to reunite.”
He also penned a few encouraging sentences amidst this time of uncertainty.
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“When the mind starts to move into overthinking or fear, shift your attention right away to something bright,” he wrote. “It doesn’t matter what has happened in the past or what is happening around us now, you can always make the choice to break free of the wheel of suffering and panic and open up to your own light.”
Along with the photos of his curly blonde-haired, blue-eyed son, Drizzy also posted a photo of his parents, Dennis and Sandi Graham, and Adonis’ mother, Sophie Brussaux.
While fans first learned about Adonis through Pusha T‘s 2018 diss track, “The Story Of Adidon,” it’s clear Drake isn’t keeping his son a secret any longer. See photos of the 6 God and Adonis here.
Tekashi 6ix9ine Granted Compassionate Release Amidst Pandemic
Tekashi 6ix9ine will spend the remaining four months of his prison sentence in the comfort of his home. The embattled rapper was granted “compassionate release” on Thursday (April 2) due to his fears of catching the novel coronavirus. According to his lawyer, 6ix9ine suffers from asthma, which could pose a heightened risk if he were to contract the virus.
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Judge Engelmayer’s decision came after he had initially denied 6ix9ine’s request, citing that he did not have the authority to release the rapper. However, after 6ix9ine’s lawyer requested release and was denied by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, the ball was back in Engelmayer’s court.
After reportedly feeling “inclined” to release 6ix9ine and already revealing his sympathies for the incarcerated rapper, Englemayer made his decision to offer supervised release after the U.S. Attorney’s Office posed no objections to his discharge.
Apparently, 6ix9ine will use his newfound — yet limited — freedom to record two new albums, one in English and the other in Spanish.
Read the whole story here.
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#DXCLUSIVES: Xzibit, MC Eiht & Twan Mack
Xzibit Says Up In Smoke Tour With Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg & Ice Cube Felt Like The Rap ‘Avengers’
Stopping by the HipHopDX headquarters, Xzibit reminisced on Dr. Dre’s 2000 Up In Smoke Tour. The tour’s epic lineup — consisting of Ice Cube, Eminem, Snoop Dogg and a handful of guest appearances — is what Xzibit called the Hip Hop Avengers.
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“Imagine reading The Avengers comic book and then being in The Avengers,” he told DX. “Look, I gotta contain myself because I’m used to reading the back of these covers. I’m used to seeing them on TV and now we’re praying together, walking out on stage and the crowd is considering me a part of this family.”
Watch Xzibit’s whole interview here.
MC Eiht Hospitalized With Pancreatitis — Not Coronavirus
A number of Hip Hop celebrities — including YNW Melly, Scarface, Slim Thug and more — have come down with cases of coronavirus. But one MC who was erroneously placed in this category was MC Eiht. According to both Eiht and Compton rap veteran’s longtime collaborator, Tha Chill, he was actually hospitalized for pancreatitis — not the ‘Rona.
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“My bro got stomach issues he be dealing with from time to time,” Tha Chill told DX. “People are in fear because of a pandemic I understand that clearly. But understand this, the not understanding of what’s going on in the world got muthafuckas in fear… The last thing you want to do is gossip and start spreading rumors because muthafuckas is scared.”
According to an Instagram post shared on Saturday (April 4), MC Eiht is still in the hospital and “down for the count.” Read more about his hospitalization here.
Twan Mack Honors Bob James’ “Nautilus” In New “Marvelous” Video
This week, Twan Mack premiered his “Marvelous” video on HipHopDX. A hilarious yet feel good clip, the song is a testimony to Twan’s love for Hip Hop culture and a nod toward jazz pianist Bob James’s 1974 classic, “Nautilus.”
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“The song was spawned from the feeling I’ve always gotten from the culture,” the Milwaukee rap veteran told DX. “I want to move the culture — not maintain it, because that means you are running in place.
“My music will hopefully inspire, educate, entertain, allow me to travel, perform abroad and leave a legacy of Adult Contemporary Hip Hop for generations to refer back to when I’m gone.”
Check out “Marvelous” and Twan’s exclusive interview here.
