Generation of Love - No Beef, No Criticism, and YOLO

I almost forgot I wanted to give my take on what happened with Nicki Minaj, Wayne, Rosenberg, and Hot 97 at the Summer Jam over this past weekend in New York. The reason why i really remembered and got irritated was because Angela Yee and DJ Envy of Power 105- possibly the best interview and morning show crew just because of Charlamagne the God who speaks his mind- decided to give their competitors the Donkey of the Day. Now I'm cool with it because that's their opinions, but as much as C calls people out about being bullshit or not coming correctly, it seemed very hypocritical they would be so overly eager to jump on that bandwagon and mischaracterize what was said about Nicki as taking a shot at her. So let me post the link to the breakfast Club's comments about it first:




Now let me say this, Funkmaster flex is a habitual line stepper but he should have his radio homies back. The reaction by an overly sensitive Wayne and Young Money was uncalled for, dissed the fans and reminded me of the NBA right now where there is no balance or shared power between owners, front office personnel, and players. Right now, artists have the power to do whatever they want without being truly held accountable by radio, television, or print/online media members. This is even more puzzling when you look back at Charlamagne who was fired for 'stirring up controversy' in Philly by trying to keep it real. Makes me wonder who the real donkeys are.


Now, on to what actually happened.



Much quicker I know, pretty much what Rosenberg did was while introducing Kendrick Lamar to the audience as real hip-hop, he called Nicki Minaj's song "Starships" bullshit, which it is. No one is really dying to hear that song or ready to defend it and I'm pretty sure thats not the first time someone has uttered that phrase in reference to it. As a result of those comments (with the actual audio included in that clip) Lil Wayne organized an entire Young Money boycott which included Nicki, Drake, DJ Khaled, Wayne himself, Baby I have to assume, Gudda Gudda maybe, Fat Joe, and T-pain who were both collateral damage as a result of Khaled (thankfully) canceled performance. Tyga did do his set because he didn't get the word in time. There are a couple of issues I have with this.

Number one - can T-pan ever win at Summer Jam? I mean damn dude is one of my favorite hook singers and he once again is collateral damage for no damn reason. But honestly, what was said wasn't even that harsh, for Wayne to spazz out and take his ball and go home was lame and he needs to be called out on it. He could have easily spoken to Peter about what was said, or just went on had the crew perform and then address the issue. This is pretty much what he did on Thursday when he attempted to get into the OKC Thunder's playoff game at the last minute and when no one was running to jump to accommodate him and his demands. He pouted and looked to deflect from his ideas of celebrity entitlement.

It's not just Weezy either, plenty of others have acted the same way, just look at the train wrecks of Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Jaoquin Phoenix. but it's odd to see it in rap to this extent back to back, especially from someone who proclaims to be such of a thug or gangster.

Some of the criticism from this incident is because Rosenberg isn't black. I've seen the posts where it's regardless of whether or not his is correct, people don't think he has the right to say it. Some just feel like an employee or a DJ shouldn't speak out and risk offending an artist. But where is the line for that, when does this person initially become untouchable? Someone should have grabbed Kanye before he went up on stage but they didn't and we all saw how he had to deal with it. You don't get passes because you're talented. Especially when you're not living up to said talent. But you know what, those are opinions and everyone is allowed to have them, even people whom pay you to perform, so obviously it wasn't that much of a problem for everyone. At the end of the day, he said one song wasn't hip-hop, and hell even Nicki would admit that that particular song isn't even though she has it in her repertoire.

Going back to DJ's for a second, I believe they do have a responsibility to be the gate keepers of what is good and direct, though not completely be the arbiters of opinions in music. They should be challenging artists and most of them won't ever step on artists toes even when they do something that is wack. That's one of the reasons I respect Charlamagne and support his ventures. It is a very thin line to walk and I'm not that aware of this guys leanings but what I have read is that he has been critical for a while of some of Nicki's pop music and is a true 'hip-hop' head so it shouldn't be a surprise what he said. Now there can be a point when a DJ becomes a Kay-Slay or a Flex and wants to be bigger than the music, but the system is built with checks and balances, there is a fine line and few can walk it but thats a huge reason we have so much cronyism and so much nonsense in the game right now. Dudes hold loyalty to those who kiss their ass instead of those who have the skills.

Let me wrap this up because it's running a little long, but at the end of the day, some people have to get over themselves. When you start believing the hype, you get caught up and the truth hurts. Ask OJ, Tiger, MJ, Mike Vick, Mike Tyson, hell Mel Gibson okay. You can't get into a pissy mood when someone says something that you don't like and it isn't even that serious of a remark for you to get your draws up in a bunch and screw up your and a bunch of other people's programs because you can't take the heat.

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