While the battle of the sexes isn’t a novel debate, the past few years have seen the long withstanding conflict take on a new form: the brawl and battle of City Girls Against City Boys.
Popularized by social media, the call for hot, city girls first rang thanks to Megan Thee Stallion, whose anthem “Hot Girl Summer”— paired with the rise of hip-hop duo City Girls—coined and emboldened the term with meaning. Simply put, to be a city girl is to be unapologetically aware of your worth and confidence. But to some, the term proved to be SO triggering that the concept of “city boys” just had to rise in reaction.
As social media users keep up with the latest celeb gossip, many comments underneath blog posts will declare whether or not the city girls or boys have taken a massive W or L depending on the news. If Drake finally drops his new album, the city boys will be so up. If Drake decides to drop another poetry book instead, well, the city boys will be down so, so bad.
With summer 2023 (aka the summer of mess) officially coming to an end, here’s a rundown of every major moment that had city girls and city boys screaming in every comment. Only one group, however, earns the gold-dusted medal for winner of the summer—which side do you think it is? Let’s dive in.
Zion Williamson's Baby Drama Following Moriah Mills Exposing Him
Date: May 2023
What happened: In May, NBA star Zion Williamson caught major heat after Moriah Mills exposed their relationship to the world. Prior to Mills' surprising reveal, the Pelican player announced that he was welcoming his first child with social media influencer Ahkeema via YouTube.
The adult film star disclosed the details of their three-year secret relationship in multiple Twitter posts. She noted that they intentionally linked when Williamson contacted Mills, referring to her as his "fantasy girl" when he was 19.
Mills said she signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) due to the love affair. She had receipts that Williamson provided her "livelihood" as he would send her money every month, in addition to messages regarding flying her out while he was on the road. Mills accused the basketball star of being "jealous" and "protective" over her, even spying and spiking her drinks to see if she would cheat.
She noted that once she started her Twitter storm, Zion had been messaging her to "delete that stuff," as she was on a rampage exposing him. Williamson has yet to publicly speak on the allegations.
Conclusion: City Boys Down Bad
Zendaya’s “I’m Taking Such Good Care of My Little White Boys” Line in Challengers’ Trailer
Date: June 2023
What happened: MGM released a new trailer for the upcoming Challengers film starring Golden Globe winner Zendaya. The trailer snippet gave a sneak preview of a possible threesome situation that sent Twitter into a frenzy as memes quickly went viral on the platform.
The trailer features Zendaya and her co-stars, Mike Faist (West Side Story) and Josh O'Connor (Emma), seductively initiate a threesome, and even includes several steamy scenes of the Dune star taking turns to kiss them while sitting in between them. Another clip from the trailer also sees Zendaya saying, "I'm taking such good care of my little white boys," as she mockingly comforts her onscreen boyfriends. The specific line quickly circulated on social media with users enjoying Zendaya finally getting to be a baddie onscreen.
Conclusion: City Girls Up
Lil Baby Saying Girls Are Running Rap on GOAT Talk
Date: July 2023
What happened: Lil Baby and Rylo Rodriguez appeared on Complex's GOAT Talk. In the episode, the two revealed their top pics for various categories. The "Emotionally Scarred" MC gave Nicki Minaj the throne for GOAT Female Rapper. He then applauded Minaj's influence on the rap game. "It's like crazy female artists right now. Fo'sho," he said. "Females are running the game right now," he admitted.
Conclusion: City Girls Up
Britney Spears Pays for Her Ex-husband’s Luxury Apartment
Date: July 2023
What happened: In August, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari filed for divorce after five years together. The singer was ordered to pay her soon-to-be ex-husband for housing expenses, according to TMZ. The two lived together throughout their relationship, but, following the split, Asghari moved into a $10,000-per-month apartment in L.A., which Spears has to pay for at the time being.
Conclusion: City Girls Down Bad
“SkeeYee” Is the Song of the Summer and Sexyy Redd Keeps Winning
Date: July 2023
What happened: Sexxy Red has taken over the summer with her hit songs "Pound Town" and "SkeeYee." The rising star blew up on TikTok with her honest yet risqué lyrics, undoubtedly leading fans to fall in love with her relatability and authenticity. In addition to rising chart success, the star has linked with Drake as she opened for the rapper on his It's All a Blur tour's remaining dates. She also was featured on a remix for DaBaby's "Shake Sumn Remix" and Young Nudy's remix for "Peaches and Eggplants." Along with Drizzy, the female MC has been seen with some of the hottest artists in the game, including Summer Walker, Lil Durk, Tyler the Creator, and Travis Scott.
The rapper is headlining her first tour, the Hood Hottest Princess Tour. The tickets for the tour sold out quickly in some cities, prompting Red to add more tour dates for her fans.
Conclusion: City Girls Up
Drake Fan With a 36G Bra Size Receives an Offer From Playboy
Date: July 2023
What happened: At the beginning of Drake’s tour, a fan with a 36G bust went viral after throwing her bra onstage. In a video, Drizzy is seen picking up the bra, saying, "Damn, 36G? Locate this woman immediately." The woman, who was later identified as Veronica Correia, made a video following up the musician's request.
In an interview with TMZ, Correia revealed that she received a deal from Playboy for an inquiry to work for them. "Playboy had actually reached out to me on my Instagram DM's and said, 'You know, if you wanna apply, we'll accept you right away.' So yeah, I did. I applied, and they did accept me, and they wanna speak with me very soon," she told the outlet.
Conclusion: City Girls Up
Ariana Grande Divorces Dalton Gomez, and Starts Fling With Married Co-star Ethan Slater
Date: July 2023
What happened: In July, Ariana Grande's divorce drama made headlines. TMZ broke the news that the "Ghostin" singer and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, were headed toward divorce. The star was also not seen wearing her wedding ring at Wimbledon, sparking separation rumors. The Voice host has not made a statement to the public, but seemingly confirmed the news after she deleted her wedding photos from her Instagram.
The plot thickened after news outlets revealed that the singer was seeing her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. Apparently, Slater is also in the process of divorcing his wife, Lilly Jay. The two are high school sweethearts and also share a 1-year-old son. Outlets reported that the divorce blindsided Jay. "My family is just collateral damage," Jay told Page Six.
Grande received major backlash for being an alleged "homewrecker" on social media. TMZ reported that Grande is giving Slater space to work things out with his estranged wife.
Conclusion: City Girls Down Bad
Darius Jackson's Unwarranted Comments on Keke Palmer and the Whole Usher Drama
Date: July 2023
What happened: At the beginning of July, Palmer's child's father, Darius Jackson, made a displeasing remark about Palmer's outfit when she attended the Usher My Way: The Las Vegas Residency concert. Jackson took to his Twitter account to comment on his girlfriend's revealing outfit and behavior at the show, penning, "It's the outfit tho… you a mom."
A viral video circulated on social media of the Hustlers actor joining Usher as he sang "There Goes My Baby." The recording showed Palmer enjoying herself as she wrapped her arms around the singer and had a fangirl moment.
Jackson's comment left a distaste in fans' mouths, as they came for him for policing women’s bodies.
Since then, rumors circulated that the two had broken up with Jackson allegedly "moving on"—this was later denied. As rumors continued to fuel, Palmer got to the bag as she was seen in Usher's "Boyfriend" music video.
Neither Palmer nor Jackson have spoken on their relationship status to the public.
Conclusion: City Boys Down Bad
Richard Lawson Deactivates Twitter After People Discover His NSFW Likes Amid Divorce From Tina Knowles
Date: July 2023
What happened: In the middle of July, news broke that Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, filed for divorce from Richard Lawson after eight years of marriage. In recent news, Lawson had social media in a frenzy after an embarrassing Twitter moment forced him to delete his account.
Users found out that Lawson was using the platform to view pornography thanks to his revealing Twitter likes. Knowles' soon-to-be ex-husband had liked multiple videos of porn, and upon the internet’s discovery, deactivated his account as Twitter trolled him.
Conclusion: City Boys Down Bad
Summer Walker Seemingly Announces Split From Lil Meech: “Can’t Do That Cheatin Stuff”
Date: July 2023
What Happened: Summer Walker and Demetrius "Lil Meech" Flenory Jr.'s relationship surprised many, but seemed doomed from the beginning as constant cheating allegations of the BMF star surfaced. One allegation even led Meech to confirm their relationship, saying "Summer is mine" under a post. Throughout their relationship, both showcased the good and the bad on Instagram.
The accusations still continued to pour in, however, even leading Walker to message a woman who posted a selfie of herself wearing Lil Meech's enormous "BMF" chain. Walker still stood by her man, even though many trolled her for sticking by his side.
Toward the end of July, a ring recording of Meech surfaced where he was seen walking into a woman’s apartment. Social media was not surprised when the video went viral. The two ultimately split, with Walker penning on her Instagram: "Tried my best to be Jayda Wayda, but I couldn't. It was cute, though. I wish him the best, [I] can't do that cheatin' stuff." Her choice of words later sparked drama with Jayda, who was accused of constantly taking Lil Baby back after cheating.
Meech later denied cheating on Walker in a video, saying, "Damn, I can't help my cousin bring the bag in the house? We went to the grocery store." The video went viral as Twitter and TikTokers trolled the actor since there were no groceries in sight in the video.
Conclusion: City Girls Down Bad
Tory Lanez Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
Date: July 2023
What happened: Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the foot. After a lengthy public trial, the singer was sentenced to six years for assault and four years for gun possession. The "Say It" vocalist is in the process of appealing his sentence. In legal documentation, the lawyer asks if Lanez could "halt" his sentence as he lives locally in L.A. with his new wife.
Lanez called upon many artists and close friends to write letters for leniency, such as Iggy Azalea, Mario, Melii, and his hair loss doctor.
Conclusion: City Girls Up
Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan’s Relationship
Date: August 2023
What happened: Throughout 2023, Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan have made headlines for their shocking pairing. The two went Instagram official in January, and continue to go strong despite the wishes of Marcus' father, Michael Jordan. Paparazzi heckled M.J. regarding his son's relationship, falsifying Larsa's prior statements saying she and Marcus had the Jordan family’s blessing. As of recently, the pair are rumored to be in talks to walk down the aisle. The two spoke on the matter on their joint podcast, Separation Anxiety, where Marcus revealed that the pair aren't quite there yet, but he did give Larsa a promise ring.
Larsa's motives have been questioned, since she was previously married to former Chicago Bulls player Scottie Pippen, M.J.'s star teammate. In an interview with Us Weekly, Pippen shared that she has no negative remarks to say about her relationship with Jordan. Despite criticism, there are no signs that the couple will split soon, as they seem like a strong unit.
Conclusion: Scottie Pippen (and the boys) Down Bad
Halle Berry Was Ordered to Pay Child Support Amid Divorce
Date: August 2023
What happened: Eight years after their split, Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez are officially over after finalizing their divorce. The two share a 9-year-old son, Maceo. TMZ obtained legal documents on the two's mutual agreement settlement that details their joint custody of their son, and Berry's arrangement to pay child support, per Complex. The judge ordered the movie star to cough up an extra $8,000 in child support in addition to paying Maceo's school tuition, extracurricular activities, health insurance, and other uninsured expenses.
Conclusion: City Girls Down Bad
Random Man in Atlanta Story
Date: August 2023
What happened: This summer, Morgan Bailey and her baby, Gianna, took over TikTok with Bailey’s story regarding her deadbeat baby daddy, whom she called "Random Man From Atlanta." Her story quickly became viral thanks to Bailey’s multiple "outfit of the day" videos.
She gained over 28 million views on TikTok for her comedic relief and relatable story as a single mother. Fans loved her content so much that many came to her defense when her child's father, who later was identified as JaQuan Sanka, bashed her on social media. The plot thickened after TikTok investigators later found that he not only was an absent father, but had seven children with seven different women—making Bailey baby mother number 8.
Bailey has gained over 800K followers on the video platform, leading to brand partnerships and new opportunities as she overcomes the adversity of her child's father abandoning her and baby Gigi just 30 days after she had a C-section.
Conclusion: City Girls Up
Drake Reveals Tour Bra Collection
Date: September 2023
What happened: Drake’s It’s All a Blur tour gained traction all over social media as viral videos surfaced of fans throwing bras at the star. In an Instagram post, the MC posted a selfie of himself with a collection of bras he received from his tour stops. “Remember when we both forgot who the fuck I was in unison…that wavelength was def a foolish one,” he captioned the Instagram post.
Conclusion: City Boys Up
Final Results
After careful, very quantitative research, the verdict stands: City girls have won the summer.
With a whopping six amazing up moments and four down bad moments (that weren’t really all that bad), the city girls may have had a tumultuous ride this summer, but their good and bad ultimately balance each other out to create a reigning win. Meanwhile, the city boys only really had one up moment (sad for some, expected for others), with four down bad moments, totalling a negative loss on all ends. Summer 2023 is officially for the girls, as was summer 2022 if we’re all being honest, and the city boys will just have to try again next year. Until then, SKEE YEE!
