In the latest season of his popular podcast “Let’s Be Clear,” Pastor Jamal Bryant encourages listeners to engage in honest conversations with a formidable group of influential figures, from politics to popular culture.

Known for his daring and direct approach, Bryant recently took part in the second season of his show with some heavy hitters, including former BET host Jeff Johnson, hip-hop mogul Master P and political icon Stacey Abrams. However, his upcoming interview with singer-turned-entrepreneur Ray J could have caused more confusion than he expected and may not see the light of day.

The “One Wish” singer appears to be upset about a few of the issues discussed during the recording and posted a heated message to Bryant and his team on social media.

Claiming that he was treated unfairly and even describing his experiences as “dirty” and “illegal,” Ray J said in an Instagram video, warning the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church against airing footage of their interview.

“I have nothing but love for Pastor Bryant,” said Ray J. “Shout out to Jamal Bryant, shout out to (columnist) Vaughn Alvarez. But in the event you play this interview, someone shall be kidnapped from the pulpit.

He continued: “Don’t replay the interview; it’s not clear, it was out of bounds. Me and Pastor Bryant need to talk because the way I was treated was dirty and illegal and I don’t like it.”

“I do not care in the event you’re from the church or not. Show respect and do right by people.

Brandy’s brother went on to explain his frustrations, suggesting that he felt unsafe and treated unfairly during the conversation. The outspoken star made it clear there could be a “problem” if his demands weren’t met, emphasizing his desire for respect and fair treatment.

“I do not care in the event you’re from the church or not. Show respect and do right by people. Don’t call people by name and don’t make people feel that they usually are not protected in a spot where they thought they were protected,” he added, emphasizing his disappointment with the experience.

Ray J threatened Pastor Jamal Bryant over the publication of an interview he doesn’t want made public. He warned that if the interview was aired, he would seem on stage at Bryant’s church. pic.twitter.com/ux2BRYQQo2

— What is Da Bizness (@whatsdabizness) November 12, 2024

Ray J, who grew up in the church along with his family, ended his message with a direct warning: “I’m telling you now that we have to solve this because if we don’t, it’s going to be a problem.”

Shortly after the stern warning, one other video featuring the “Wait a Minute” singer went viral wherein he stated: “N-ggas just tried to shoot me and tried to kill me, n-gga, and you want me to apologize, n-ggas?” Fuck you.

It’s unclear whether the two videos are related, but fans of Bryant and Ray J.’s podcast have mixed feelings about the daring threat.

“@brandy come and get your little brother,” one follower joked on The Shade Room comment section.

“Well, you just accused yourself! The press accuses Jamal!” one person wrote, while one other felt it was all a part of an overall plan to get more views: “Great interview ad. A marketing stunt by Ray J.”

The “Love & Hip Hop: Miami” star is understood for attracting media attention along with his viral antics, whether it’s the publicity surrounding his sex tape with Kim Kardashian, promoting his brand’s product, or his recent public skirmish with Diddy’s sons. Ray J knows how to develop into popular, but this will not be what fans expected.

“That’s not how it works,” one other fan wrote. “You don’t have any control over whether your interview is published or not, you conducted the interview! Now he’s here and he’s physically threatening someone?

One of Pastor Bryant’s supporters declared, “We would jump on him lol in the name of the Lord.”

Celebrity life coach and “Houseparty” star AJ Johnson also jumped into the comments section and said, “Oh @rayj call me. I’m stuck on how to conduct an interview you do not need to see, where are you threatening??? You are higher than this.

Many people on X were shocked that the former “Moesha” star would publicly come after the good pastor.

“Ray J is literally a spoiled brat turned adult, he’s an insufferable man who refuses to grow up” – one tweet To read.

Another used a meme of Bryant’s ex-wife, Giselle Bryant from “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” adding: “Ray J threatened to kidnap Jamal Bryant from the pulpit if he aired their podcast… I do know the Holy Whore pastor higher not let Brandy’s brother punk him #RHOP“

Ray J threatened to kidnap Jamal Bryant from the pulpit if he aired their podcast…

I do know Pastor Holy Whore higher not let Brother Brandy beat him #RHOP pic.twitter.com/WuCeYzQY6l

— Bravo, Obsessive Bestie💎🍑🌸❄️🍎 (@SomeonesWife86) November 13, 2024

Many were eagerly waiting to see if Bryant and his team would respond or explain the situation. Hours after the post went viral, the Morehouse alum posted a response on his Instagram page.

“I used to be very grateful to have recently interviewed one in all the few mavericks of this generation, @rayj who has made greater than an impact in many alternative fields. It was each surprising and disheartening to get up to baseless threats and baseless accusations directed at me,” Pastor Bryant wrote in the caption, adding: “As a part of our commitment to honest dialogue, now we have made sure that specific comments that will have “The legal consequences have been drafted to withdraw from the job interview to protect the interests of your beloved brother.”

Bryant went on to explain that his podcast’s mission “is to foster authentic and constructive conversations with thought leaders, and this episode was no exception.”

“We are a live-to-tape production company that normally doesn’t make any changes, nevertheless in the spirit of brotherhood this has been resolved by an agreement that no other changes shall be made as The Jamal Bryant Podcast: Let’s Be Clear strives to be serious and transparent in every episode,” he added.

The Atlanta preacher went on to say that “private agreements between him and Ray J. have now been brought to light,” but he will not be “embroiled in a battle that demeans our community and everything it represents.”

He concluded his message by expressing unconditional love for the former “Moesha” star, offering “Grace and peace.”

Many of Bryant’s 748,000 followers chimed in, praising his handling of the situation. Although he refused to crumple to the self-proclaimed Blood, he made an effort to deescalate the tense exchange.

“He has too much soprano in his voice to be threatening,” one follower commented on Ray J., while one other wrote: “Well said, Pastor! We support you!”

One fan added: “You’re nice too, Pastor! He must have hit his head between the washer and dryer.

“We will work for our pastor! Just like the Beyhive steps for Beyoncé…saints walk for the Pastor,” the New Birth member shared.

“So you’re publishing a podcast?” – several followers asked why Bryant revealed that the episode would air on Thursday, November 14 at noon.

One thing is obvious: Bryant’s congregation strongly supports him and is prepared to defend him, even when it means difficult a star like Ray J.

However, Jones had no intention of repeating his previous business glories, 75 million albums sold and 13 of the 28 Grammy Awards he won within the Eighties. Jones envisioned an idea album that might mix black musical expression, from Zulu choral songs, jazz and gospel to R&B, funk and the latest member of the family, hip-hop.

Just just a few years earlier, Jones had planned an unlikely collaboration in 1987 between Jackson, nicknamed the King of Pop, and Queens, New York hip-hop group Run-DMC on an anti-drug song called “Crack Kills” that was never realized. above the bottom. Jones believed that rap, a young and controversial art form, deserved a seat on the table. So in the summertime of 1989, he invited hip-hop artists Melle Mel, Ice-T, Kool Moe Dee and Big Daddy Kane to a recording session in Los Angeles. Eyebrows rose.

The uncompromising rappers were actually out of line An excellent American songbook luminaries reminiscent of Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. – What are we going to do with this s…? The 4 MCs wondered aloud after Jones played them the New Jack Swing title track, Melle Mel recalled in a 2001 book. The Master calmed them down. “Stretch,” Jones said. “It’s about solving the mind, not polluting the mind, about staying authentic on the streets and true to yourself.”

For Ice-T, the godfather of West Coast gangsta rap, Jones’ signature was powerful. “As rappers, we don’t get as much respect from the music community.” Ice-T said in the course of the premiere of the documentary in 1990. “But now when someone of Quincy’s caliber says, ‘Yo, rap is hot… all you losers need to leave it alone now.’ “

Jones saw hip-hop as a full-fledged, legitimate movement. In 1986, he threw his son, rap fanatic Quincy Jones III, a surprise party at Canastel’s restaurant in Manhattan. Everyone from Run-DMC, LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys to The Fat Boys, Roxanne Shante, Whodini and Kurtis Blow were in the home.

“It was clear then – at least to some of us – that rap had made its mark on our culture,” Jones said, looking back. “This was our newest baby and she was here to stay.”

For Jones, this wasn’t a cheeky attempt at being a cool dad. When he saw his son’s wide-eyed meeting of tight-knit MCs, he was reminded of the primary time he met his bebop jazz heroes 35 years earlier, who, just like the burgeoning hip-hop scene, faced opposition from social activists, politicians and law enforcement.

This was the golden age of hip-hop, producing artists reminiscent of Eric B. & Rakim, Too $hort, Salt-N-Pepa, Public Enemy, NWA, De La Soul and Queen Latifah. Rappers went platinum and sold out arenas. Critics and fans praised the youthful genre for its dynamic wordplay, unfiltered urban social commentary, and groundbreaking use of a production technique called sampling. Critics of rap have described it as the perfect noise for youth and, at worst, a threat to the community.

But Jones saw the longer term of hip-hop. And it went beyond music. Impressed by the witty comedic rhymes and Middle American charm of 21-yr-old rapper Will Smith, one half of the double-platinum Philadelphia duo Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Jones asked Smith to check out for a starring role in a brand new comedy series he was executive producing for NBC.

“Rap is not the main thing,” Jones told the magazine in 1990. “If you eliminated rap, the premise wouldn’t fall apart. But rap gives you the purest street consciousness.” became a rankings hit and launched Smith on the trail to becoming one in all Hollywood’s most profitable movie stars.

Jones wasn’t done. In 1993, he co-founded the magazine, a glossy hip-hop publication that gave rappers like Snoop Doggy Dogg, TLC, OutKast, Master P, The Notorious BIG and Lil’ Kim the identical serious, long-read gravitas as ’70s white rockers. Jones along with his magazine’s biggest cover star, Tupac Shakur, nevertheless, was more complex.

When Shakur was interviewed by the magazine in 1993, – he rushed at Jones regarding his relationships with white women and having “f**ked up children.” “I wasn’t happy at first,” Jones said in 2012. “He attacked me for having all these white wives. And my daughter Rashida, who went to Harvard, wrote a letter to separate him.

Things eventually took a positive turn when Shakur met Jones’ daughter, Kidada (the couple later became engaged). “I remember dropping Rashida off at Jerry’s deli one night, and Tupac was talking to Kidada because he had fallen in love with her,” Jones recalled in an interview. “Like an idiot, I walked up to him, put my hands on his shoulders and said, ‘Pac, we need to sit down and talk, man.’ If he had a gun, I would be finished. But we talked. He apologized. We became very close after that.”

Jones remained one in all hip-hop’s strongest defenders even after the deaths of two of hip-hop’s brightest stars. In 1997, he wrote an impassioned editorial condemning the murders of Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. as “senseless” and calling the East Coast-West Coast rap war a “sad farce”. But when a reporter asked Jones about negative criticism of hip-hop, he responded.

“Condemning hip-hop is tantamount to condemning two generations of our youth, and it is a far-reaching indictment that we cannot allow.” he said. “It hurts the situation more than it helps.”

Over the years, Jones’ relationship with hip-hop has remained close. He appeared within the music video for Wu-Tang Clan’s 1997 song “Triumph” and wrote the music for 50 Cent’s 2005 film. After his death, tributes poured in from hip-hop artists praising the person who embraced the culture.

“,” Jones rapped within the prologue to the song, which sold 3 million copies and won seven Grammy Awards, including album of the yr in 1991. Melle Mel, Ice-T, Kool Moe Dee and Big Daddy Kane won a Grammy for best rap performance performed by a duo or group.

Mission achieved.

Two of jazz’s most enduring pioneers have died after incredibly prolific and influential careers. Acclaimed saxophonist Lou Donaldson died on Saturday, November 9 on the age of 98. Donaldson’s friend and one other jazz great, drummer Roy Haynes, died on Tuesday on the age of 99. No reason for death for any of the musicians was given.

Born in Badin, North Carolina in 1926, Donaldson attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and served in World War II before becoming a part of the post-war bebop scene within the late Forties and early Fifties. Inspired by Charlie Parker to desert the clarinet in favor of the alto saxophone, Donaldson became considered considered one of the best within the genre, although he also reportedly suffered from severe asthma. Over the course of his decades-long profession, he has performed and recorded with jazz icons Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith, Horace Silver, George Benson and more. He also released dozens of albums because the band’s leader, including the favored LPs “Alligator Bogaloo,” “Lou Donaldson at His Best” and “Wailing With Lou.” His last release was 1992’s “Birdseed” on the Lou Donaldson Quintet.

According to “Jazz has to hit a certain point,” Donaldson explained in his autobiography New York Times. “There’s a rhythm you have to hit, and if you play enough music around musicians and play enough in front of people, you’ll figure out where that is.”

Donaldson’s “warm, fluid style,” as he describes Related presscombining elements of blues, pop and soul. His musical influences prolonged beyond the world of jazz, and his compositions and performances were sampled by hip-hop artists similar to Kanye West, Pete Rock, Nas and De La Soul. In 2022, the boulevard in his hometown of Badin was renamed after the saxophonist. Donaldson died in Daytona Beach, Florida; although he was known to have fathered two daughters, further details about his survivors was not immediately available.

In 2013 Donaldson has been named a “Jazz Master” by the National Endowment of the Artsand renowned drummer Roy Haynes was available to support and have fun one other jazz great. Just over a decade later, Haynes died just days after his friend on Tuesday in Long Island, New York, after a transient illness, his daughter, Leslie Haynes-Gilmore, confirmed to The Times and Washington Post..

Haynes, a first-generation Barbadian American born in Boston in 1925, reportedly began playing drums in local nightclubs as an adolescent. After moving to New York in 1945, Haynes’s style “was characterized by clarity and finesse,” becoming known by the nickname “Snap Crackle,” in accordance with Percussion Arts Society (PAS).

As he noticed USA todayHaynes’ distinctive style made him a sought-after drummer by such talents as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Max Roach, Charles Mingus and Lester Young, amongst others. Despite his common associations with the bebop sound, Haynes eschewed categorization, linking his work to other musical styles and told PAS in a 1998 interview: “I don’t always feel comfortable with these labels that people use. I’m just an old drummer who tries to play by feel.”

In his nearly seventy-year profession, Haynes has won two Grammy Awards; first prize within the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group in 1989 for the album “Blues for Coltrane – A Tribute to John Coltrane” and in 2000 within the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group for the album “Like Minds”. Like Donaldson, Haynes has had an in depth recording profession, releasing his last album, “Roy-Alty,” in 2011.

In addition to his daughter, Haynes is survived by sons, fellow drummer Craig Holiday Haynes and cornetist Graham Haynes, eight grandchildren, including drummer Marcus Gilmore, and seven great-grandchildren.