HotNewHipHop had a lot of controversies and debates to get into for its latest livestream yesterday (Friday, September 25). Aron and I discussed fresh Chris Brown debates, the Macklemore/Ed Sheeran controversy, Jay-Z and Roc Nation's alleged struggles to book a Super Bowl halftime show, and Colin Kaepernick's book tour going at Hov for the NFL/Roc Nation deal. We also discussed our dream joint tours in light of the Cash Money and No Limit trek, discussed new releases of the week, and highlighted some artists "On The Come-Up."
First, we spoke on Chris Brown facing fresh re-litigations of his allegations in the public eye, thanks to a journalist falsely claiming he's actively abusing women and a state representative walking back a Congressional honor. Aron and I emphasized the importance of taking allegations seriously, but also stressed the need to not conflate those with actual convictions. With a huge fanbase and a "no friends in the industry" mentality, Breezy continues to find success and downplay narratives against him, whether you like it or not.
Concerning Macklemore and Ed Sheeran's controversy over the former's advocacy for Palestine, we discussed how the rapper's "Free Palestine" tour is keeping the focus on humanitarian efforts that his removal sought to quell. Aron and I also commented on the irony of Ed's Gillette Stadium shows being canceled due to weather. Stadium owner Robert Kraft had allegedly threatened Sheeran to cancel his shows there if opener Macklemore remained.
HNHH Live
Speaking of live performance controversies, Aron and I also spoke on the rumors that Jay-Z's struggling to book a halftime show. While these rumors could be completely false, they do speak to logistical and cultural challenges of this booking that don't even account for more sociopolitical controversies. In addition, we talked about Colin Kaepernick's book tour for his memoir The Perilous Fight and how his desire to play in the NFL represents a cognitive dissonance for some.
On a lighter note, Aron and I made some dream label/collective joint tour pairings inspired by Cash Money and No Limit's tour. These aren't all realistic, but we can dream. Among out picks were Odd Future and A$AP Mob, Quality Control and Cactus Jack, G.O.O.D. Music and Young Money or Roc-A-Fella, and the Dungeon Family and Native Tongues.
For our First Listen segment, Aron and I specifically discussed Remy Ma's new EP Alimony, DDG's new stream-emergent album HIT-A-THON, Che and Tezzus' new two-pack, and the new 2Dead Boyz single. As for artists "On The Come-Up," I encourage you all to check out Rockitneedspace, and Aron points you to the Guatemalan-Canadian MC Romeo Don't Die.
Let us know what you think about all these topics in the comments below. Make sure to stay updated on HNHH to rate new songs and albums and check out our news and feature coverage. We'll see you again next week with more of hip-hop's buzzing developments.
