I never had the likelihood to fulfill Rico Wade. Hell, I’ve never even seen this man in person. Yet by some means it made an enormous impression on much of my early hip-hop education and sound that defined the way I saw myself in the world. For this reason, I even have at all times felt a certain debt of gratitude to Organized Noize – the production team of Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown and Ray Murray – who were chargeable for this sound. If you were a fan of Outkast and Goodie Mob (and other Dungeon Family projects), HE probably held a special place in your heart as well.

I even have news of Rico Wade’s death once I was at a soccer game for one in all my kids. I ended taking note of the game almost immediately. Even though every article said the same thing, I read every article I could find that mentioned his death. I wanted it to be unfaithful, like he was a member of the family taken too soon. This is what happens when art lets you remember beneficial parts of your life. The reason he (and Organized Noize) took this spot is due to Outkast’s debut album, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, a 17-track album that took 14-year-old me on a tour of the Atlanta I knew, giving me (and others like me) a hip-hop identity to cling to. Although the sounds of New York and Los Angeles dominated my music collection and movie viewing, I had never been to either city. The identity I gathered from these places is cosplay without context; I attempted various things, but I never felt prefer it really connected to what I used to be seeing. Outkast modified that with “Southern…”

“Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” turns 30 on April 26 the same day Rico Wade was buried in Atlanta, the place where the record was born. What a wild ride.

It’s fascinating to take into consideration art that has been an element of your life for 3 a long time. Most of the hip-hop from the classic era, not from the west coast, was present in my life, but in bits and pieces. I knew the artists and the songs, but can I say I used to be there on the first day? Not really. Outkast, nevertheless, was probably the first group that I could really say I used to be fully invested in from the very starting. From the moment I first saw the music video for “Player’s Ball” until the album was released and I received my copy on release day. I could not wait to dive into the world of Big Boi and Dre (now André 3000). I desired to experience their version of Atlanta, one that did not seem far-off. “Southern…” threw me straight into SWATS (an acronym for “Southwest Atlanta, Too Strong”) and gave me knowledge about life from people barely older than me. That education stuck in my ribs and stayed there. I still take heed to “Southern…” quite frequently because the “Player’s Ball” remix is, in my view, one in all the best songs in Southern rap history. The piano riff that opens the remix gets me each time. I feel it in my sha-na-na.

That’s what Rico Wade and Outkast gave me and probably others. They gave us a soulful version of the hip-hop we were listening to, with lingo that appeared like a stop at grandma’s house. I take Outkast…personally, as if their success is tied to my love for what they’ve given us culturally and musically. When I read that Rico Wade had died, I wasn’t just excited about one other artist/music performer; it was Rico Wade. He was one in all the architects of Atlanta’s future.

Featured Stories

Atlanta as we comprehend it today wouldn’t exist in the cultural zeitgeist without Rico, Organized Noize and Outkast. In the intro to “Player’s Ball,” the first voice you hear is Rico, who talks about “here in black heaven…” That statement itself has grow to be a part of Atlanta lore. While Atlanta had a hip-hop culture and scene before Outkast, the whole lot modified with “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” – we had a bunch, a sound, a purpose, and an aesthetic that was reaching the masses.

I suppose I’m at that time in my life where nostalgia is beginning to bring back a few of the romanticism I felt in my youth. I’m probably creating more albums and artists than I ever really felt discovering their music. But Outkast is a bunch that has remained constant in my identity and my relationship to hip-hop; Even though Big Boi and André 3000 are a number of years older than me, I principally grew up with them too. The respect and nostalgia I feel are rooted in something tangible. That’s why Rico Wade’s passing at the age of 52, which seems extremely young for an almost 45-year-old, hits in another way.

Rico was and is the epicenter of the cultural renaissance that Atlanta has experienced and sustained over the last 30 years. Freaknik kicked in the door, but Outkast made it last endlessly. They made me who I’m today and I am unable to thank them enough.

Rest in strength Rico Wade. Hootie hoo.

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ A photographer working for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired shortly thereafter and was harassed as her worker.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Emilio Garcia said that after an evening in Ibiza, Spain, in 2022, he was riding in an SUV with the hip-hop star when she began having sex with one other woman right next to him. He was unable to get out of the moving automotive, and even when he had been able to, he would have found himself stranded in a distant country. The lawsuit says Garcia was “embarrassed, humiliated and insulted throughout this entire ordeal.”

Alex Spiro, Megan’s lawyer, said he would fight it in court.

“This is a claim for money in the course of employment – ​​no claim of sexual harassment was made and lewd accusations were made to embarrass her,” Spiro said.

The next day, Megan told Garcia never to speak about what he saw, then slammed him and shamed him, according to the lawsuit. The criticism also alleged that Garcia, who was already considering leaving his job due to overwork and underpayment in a hostile work environment made worse by Megan’s possessiveness and aggression, was misclassified as an independent contractor but treated as an exclusive worker.

Featured Stories

Garcia raised the problem with Megan and was fired the subsequent day after 4 years of working for her, the lawsuit said. He has since filed a job discrimination criticism with the California Department of Civil Rights.

The lawsuit, first reported by NBC News, names Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, as a defendant; her firms Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment and Hot Girl Touring; and her label Roc Nation. A defense response has not yet been filed. An email in search of comment from a Roc Nation representative didn’t immediately receive a response.

Garcia is in search of financial damages, which might be determined at trial, alleging that he has suffered severely each emotionally and physically due to his treatment at work, being fired and having to witness the scene within the SUV.

Megan, 29, was previously embroiled in major legal drama – and was the victim of online violence – because the victim of the 2020 shooting death of rapper Tory Lanez, who in 2020 was found by a jury shot dead at her feet on a Hollywood Hills street. he testified on the trial where jurors convicted Lanez of three felonies and the judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

At the time of filming, Megan was already an emerging artist and has since turn into considered one of hip-hop’s biggest stars. She won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and her single “Savage” featuring Beyoncé topped the charts, and she also featured on Cardi B’s “WAP.”

It looks like everyone in America was arguing with someone straight away. America is a beef nation. Of course it exists Trump vs. Biden AND Trump vs. Alvin Bragg, Fans Willis and Letitia James. Sometimes it’s hard to inform the difference between their political or legal battle and the promotion of an upcoming MMA fight. There’s also Drake vs. Kendrick (plus a complete host of characters). Is Taylor Swift vs. Kim Kardashian, which is weird because Kim isn’t a recording artist. We might find yourself with Megan Thee Stallion vs. Nicki Minaj, who knows? And now we have now it Chris Brown vs. Quavo. America is a multitude.

I think the prevalence of so many alternative beefs shows that we’re a tense, offended nation. We are on edge, divided and stressed. The blood pressure within the American collective consciousness may be very high, which is why we attack one another.

Social media makes us wish to fight. It’s a cesspool. Trump makes us wish to fight. He liberates. America’s dark future makes us wish to fight. Is this the tip of the empire? There are many sources of tension and lots of reasons to wish to attack someone.

I understand Drake vs. Kendrick. This is the results of several alpha males arguing over who’s the perfect rapper in the sport. I remember the origins of Swift vs. Kardashian, but I don’t understand why Swift is now using her weapon against Kim, but pass the popcorn. But I’m stunned by the audacity of Chris Brown to run afoul of a song like “The weakest link” It’s wild.

Featured Stories

Everyone remembers the worst thing Brown ever did – in 2009, he beat his then-girlfriend Rihanna. Very bad. It was a extremely unpleasant moment. It was terrifying to see him use mass violence against her. This led to discussions about how he attacked multiple women. It’s shocking to me that he was in a position to go on to have a profession within the entertainment industry, but I’ve seen tweets from young black women saying: Chris could beat me. So here we’re.

Brown realizes the impact this moment had on his life. He said he’s bored with people talking about it, who’s wealthy. He knows it’ll be higher for him if people don’t speak about it. He actually hopes people will ignore it. He also knows that in battle, the very first thing your opponent does is say all the things bad he can say about you. So every time he starts arguing with Quavo, he knows plenty of people might be discussing what he did to Rihanna again.

Of course on “Over hoes and bitches” Quavo immediately mentioned Rihanna – he referenced the attack in the third line of the song. Brown tendency to violence against women fuels some of the song’s sharpest lines. “You tried to beat up Teyana,” Quavo rhymes Teyana Taylor incident. “But Usher wouldn’t let you do that / Cocaine got him, Your Honor / Bipolar, no wonder.” He then calls Brown a junkie.

An vital a part of hip-hop battle is saying real things that embarrass your opponent. You bring up things he doesn’t wish to bring up. I guess if you’ve got something this big and ugly in your past, you haven’t got to fight. Is insulting Quavo value getting everyone talking about Rihanna’s moment again? It actually doesn’t appear to be it.

But this whole fight is a multitude. Quavo reminded us of Brown’s moment with Rihanna, which was irritating. But we even have Brown talking about Quavo he is caught on camera brutalizing his then-girlfriend Saweetiewhich can also be annoying.

Drake vs. Kendrick is basically fun to observe. No one really hurts one another’s feelings. Meanwhile, Brown says that when Takeoff died, people wished it had been Quavo as a substitute. I don’t remember anyone ever saying something like that, but it surely is what it’s. Their beef is disgusting, heavy and truly vile.

Their beef isn’t funny. It’s liberating as hell.