Apparently, this week, there were other things that happened besides Drake's dad's cameo in the "Worst Behavior" video. Hard to believe, right? Well, it's true. And though Drake's dad's cameo might have been the most influential news event of this decade week, there were some fairly confusing, provocative, and hilarious events that transpired while the world's population was mentally replaying Drake's dad's cameo.
Take, for example, Drake's dad's cameo in "Worst Behavior," for which he lip-synched the words "Motherfuckers never loved us," while at the very same time looking like the man/icon/god/dad that warrants the audacity of having a mustache like the one that he carries, at all times, on the front of his face.
In all seriousness, there were other things that happened this week other than Drake's dad's cameo in Drake's music video for "Worst Behavior." What the hell were they, though?
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Jay Z took Barney's by the throat.
Date: November 15
"In the wake of revelations that Barneys New York had engaged in racial profiling of black customers shopping at the store, Jay Z—who's releasing a holiday collection with the store on November 20—had previously issued a statement that basically amounted to "I'm looking into it." Later revelations found that the store had indeed changed their security policies, and as a result, disporportionately targeted black shoppers.
Well, Hov has now weighed in on the matter, in a post to Life + Times. Basically, he's keeping the collection with Barneys, and it will launch as planned.
But there are caveats. Jay brokered one hell of a deal:
- According to the press release, Jay's going to have a leadership role and a seat on a council "specifically convened to deal with the issue of racial profiling."
- As opposed to the 25% of the proceeds Jay's charity was going to get from the collection, Jay negotiated a deal with Barneys where, now, 100% of the proceeds from the collection will now go to Jay's charity, The Shawn Carter Foundation.
- The Shawn Carter Foundation will also recieve 10% of all sales from Barneys New York and Barneys.com on November 20, when his collection drops.
This sounds like the kind of deal one brokers when they have the opposing side in a sling. It's also savvy as hell. Jay wins on all sides of this—good press on one end, charity money on the other, and he gets a fashion line to go forward—but cynicism about Jay Z's motives aside, if all that money really is going to charity, and not, say, Barneys pockets, there are far worse outcomes." — Foster Kamer
TDE's CEO was not happy with GQ's Kendrick Lamar article, pulled Kendrick from their show.
Date: November 15
"The CEO of TDE—the label home of superstar rapper Kendrick Lamar—Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, has released a statement regarding the apparently indelicate matter of Kendrick Lamar's recent GQ Man of the Year issue cover story. Short version: He's not happy. At all.
While Tiffith noted that he and the Compton rapper are honored by the nod, he claims the Steve Marsh-penned article incorrectly displays who and what their company stands for. He even goes as far as to say that there are "racial overtones" within the story, and went so far as to have pulled Kendrick Lamar from performing at GQ's November 12 'Man of the Year' party." —Foster Kamer
Rap Genius received a take-down notice from the National Music Publishers Association, but then signed a licensing deal with Sony that points in the direction of legal safety. (That guy should be careful flashing those gang signs though.)
Date: November 12
"The law is coming, and it's coming down hard for Rap Genius and 49 other websites.
The National Music Publishers Association has sent out take-down notices to these 50 websites due to their use of copyrighted lyrics without a license. Thanks to a report by University of Georgia researcher David Lowery, the NMPA sent out these notices after he identified them as likely not having the proper licenses. The organizations demand that Rap Genius and the other sites obtain the licenses in question, or remove their site from the Internet. But the NMPA isn't going after fan sites: only the commercial sites that aim to make money off of the copyrighted content." —J. Duaine Hahn
"Earlier this week, the bros behind the lyric site Rap Genius, along with 49 others, were delievered take-down notices from the National Music Publishers Association. One of RG's co-founders, Ilan Zechory, was quick to legitimize the content on Rap Genius as more than just a despository for pilfered hip-hop verses. In an email to the New York Times, Zechory said that because of the crowd- and artist-sourced annotations, the site is an exception because its "layers of context and meaning transform a static, flat lyric page into an interactive, vibrantart experience created by a community of volunteer scholars." But it's been reported today that the guys no longer have to cop pleas, at least not for Sony/ATV artists. The label chairman and CEO Martin Bandier issued a statement to Billboard to announce the a licensing deal with Rap Genius, noting that the site uses a "new and exciting way" to bring musicians and their fans together. According Tom Lehman, another Rap Genius co-founder, the Sillicon Valley-funded startup is in other licensing conversations, aiming to expand their relationships with publishers and songwiters." —Claire Lobenfeld
Drake's dad and Drake's dad's mustache became two separate legends.
Date: November 11
Earlier this week, Drake released the video for 'Worst Behavior,' a track off his latest album Nothing Was The Same. Directed by Director X (formerly known as Little X) and shot in Memphis, the soul-extravaganza of a music video features cameos from MJG, Juicy J and Project Pat ('Patty Cakes') and Drake's OVO boys OB O'Brien and Ryan Silverstein in a long, long (too long? yeah, maybe a little) mid-song interlude.
But the video is great. And amidst all that's going on throughout its 10-minute span (and there is a lot going on!) the standout is undeniably Drake's father, Memphis native, Dennis Graham. Between his flawless white suit, his audacious dance moves and his performance at the mic, it's hard not to walk away from the 'Worst Behavior' video thinking you'd just witnessed the birth of a whole new (though much older) star." —Elva Aguilar
When people counted how many copies of Eminem's new album people bought during its first week in stores, it turned out to be a lot.
Date: November 12
"The first week sales are in for Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP 2, and the results are very positive overall. The Detroit native sold approximately 779,000 units in its initial sales. This number makes it the second highest-selling album in 2013, below Justin Timberlake's 968,000 sold for The 20/20 Experience. However, that number is enough to make it the highest selling rap album of the year, supplanting Drake's Nothing Was The Same. Drake's third album moved 658,000 units.
Eminem had close to no competition this week when it came to sales. Finishing in second place this week was Celine Dion with her newest album, Loved Me Back To Life, which sold only 77,000 in its first week of sales." —Dharmic X
Trinidad James reminded us all that Trinidad James still exists by (get this) taking shots at New York.
Date: November 13
"Trinidad James stirred up a little bit of controversy when he went off on a rant about the music industry and New York City in particular at a show in New York last night. But while he's got a few New Yorkers mad, Trinidad isn't backing away from his words. In fact, he's doubling down.
Tonight, he shared 'L.I.A.A.R.$,' which stands for 'Lame$ is Alway$ Acting Real.....$ure,' on Atlanta's Streetz 94.5, in which he defended his words and took a few additional shots.
...Look, Trinidad James may be a punchline in some quarters, but this is pretty fucking hip-hop/punk/etc. of him. He hasn't scared people this much since he first came in with gold all on his chain, and it's nice to see him continuing to ruffle some feathers, especially if he keeps doing it by making songs with hooks like 'They say I'm going crazy. I know I'm going crazy. But I don't give a fuck'." —Kyle Kramer
Justin Bieber continued his rampage through South America.
Date: November 13
"During a show in Buenos Aires this weekend, Justin Bieber was caught on video sweeping two Argentine flags off the stage with his foot and his microphone stand. While some singers might have taken the opportunity to hold the flag up and celebrate the country, Justin was unceremonious, prompting some concern from the local community, the AP reports:
Argentines are expressing outrage over the latest scandal to emerge from Justin Bieber's wild tour through Buenos Aires, saying the way he treated the Argentine flag shows he has no respect for his fans or the country. Videos from Saturday night's concert show how Bieber reacted when fans tossed two Argentine flags onto the stage.
The video, titled 'Justin Bieber barre el suelo con una bandera Argentina,' which translates to "Justin Bieber sweeps the floor with an Argentine flag," can be seen above. According to the AP, insulting the Argentine flag is a crime punishable by up to four years in prison.
Perhaps he's making a bold political statement about Argentina's Dirty War (or an even bolder one about the country's claim to the British-owned Falkland Islands). Perhaps he was just having a bad day (that food poisoning sounded rough after all). Whatever the reason, Justin could use some good news. –Kyle Kramer
Lily Allen appropriated hip-hop culture in an off-key effort to combat sexism.
Date: November 13
"Like most everything else on the Internet, Lily Allen's 'Hard Out Here' video has sparked CONTROVERSY!!! And of a relatively long-lasting sort, it seems, as more than twenty-four hours since the video for her comeback single debuted, people are still talking about it. Allen's attempt at poking fun at artists such as Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus was naturally intended to spark discussion, but it's a safe bet that the British pop star had not indended to start a conversation about race." –Dharmic X
