This week in hot topics:
by Khaaliq Crowder
Justin Bieber on Meltdown Avenue again
The Lowdown: Bieber is on his worldwide “Purpose Tour” and for the second time in one week he urged his fans to stop screaming during his performance and ended dropping the mic and walking off stage. He then took a moment to himself before back on stage.
The Tea: It is very evident to me that Bieber needs help. I’m personally not surprised that he experiencing many nervous breakdowns; he was put in the limelight when he was 13 or 14. When you start out in the industry of superstar status when you’re young, it is to be expected to lose their marbles having Lindsay-Lohan-legal-troubles and made-public-by-TMZ-meltdowns. I truly believe that Bieber is about to have his Britney Spears head shaving-attacking-a-car-with-an-umbrella-moment. Sure he has millions of dollars and worldwide notoriety, but he truly must feel lonely or in his head as his “handlers” as Wendy would say are always saying yes and not intervening. If I were him I would take maybe a 5 or 6-year hiatus from the industry and releasing music-he has enough money (reportedly $200 million of it). It may upset people of his team whose income rely on him but Bieber who loves music and entertaining should consider taking time off to relax, travel the world and gain some privacy.
Ciara Is Expecting
The Lowdown: R&B singer Ciara is expecting her second child and the first one with football player Russell Wilson.
The Tea: All I can say is congratulations, Ciara. I saw your post on Instagram of your son Future Zahir looking snazzy for his first day of school; so adorable! I’m also glad you dropped the defamation lawsuit against Future; now if only you can drop the one where you allege he’s portraying you in a false light. It is still good that you decided to be a better person and squash this tension between you and your baby’s father.
Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx Breakup
The Lowdown: Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx broke after three years of “unconfirmed” dating. Reportedly it was because Jamie Foxx didn’t want to go public with the relationship.
The Tea: I don’t have many thoughts about this. They were never a celebrity couple I admired. I do not pay that much attention to Katie Holmes, and I don’t think she is that pretty and Jamie Foxx is far from the cutest guy alive though I admire his resume. I guess Katie Holmes can now concentrate on her career. Her main claim to fame for those who don’t know was the 90s’ teen drama Dawson’s Creek and then got more attention when she married Tom Cruise. So she is in the same boat as Blake Lively. Can’t catch a break acting-wise since their breakthrough TV role, but still is a favorite among the Us Weekly’s and People’s spotted section.
Foxy Brown throws a little shade to Lil’ Kim
The Lowdown: Earlier this month, Nicki Minaj posted to Instagram her finally meeting her hip-hop idol Lauryn Hill. Nicki has given praise to other female MC, however, we know she doesn’t have the best relationship with Lil’ Kim which Foxy played on. She posted with the pic of Nicki and Lauryn saying “I laugh when they say she never gives it up the greats cause she’s humbly bowed to both L Boogie (my fave) and Fox boogie publicly,” Brown captioned. “Maybe y’all mad b**ches just aren’t who she considers “The Bar.”
The Tea: Foxy needs to stop this. Very childish! Foxy Brown is so irrelevant, even more than Lil’ Kim who still drops a mixtape and is part of the Bad Boy reunion tour. Foxy has not put out a proper album or music in general for a solid 15 years, and in that she’s been in and out of jail and looks like she’s put on a couple of pounds. However, she needs not to reignite her Lil’ Kim feud because no one cares, this isn’t 1999.
Lady Gaga Throws Shade at Madonna
The Lowdown: Lady Gaga has done many interviews and publicity as her fourth album (fifth if you count the Fame Monster album) Joanne is out. During an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, she was asked about Madonna and had this to say: “Madonna and I are very different, I wouldn’t make that comparison at all,” Gaga began. “I don’t mean to disrespect Madonna. She’s a nice lady and she’s had a fantastic huge career. She’s the biggest pop star of all time, but I play a lot of instruments. I write all my own music. I spend hours and hours a day in the studio. I’m a producer, I’m a writer. What I do is different. I’m not just rehearsing over and over again to put on a show.”
The Tea: I haven’t paid much attention to Madonna, who is logging in her 33rd year in the music industry. She has not responded to the shade being thrown. I don’t think she should! You’re Madonna! You’re the queen, and the queen doesn’t need to respond to peasants or copycats. I think for Lady Gaga to say she is different from Madonna is dumb. Sure, maybe now you’re distancing your music and style from the likings of Madonna, but everything about Gaga from the first four years of her career screamed Madonna. From the outfits, to the performances, to the music and then to the music videos. Also, I’m nowhere near a fan of Lady Gaga (I’m probably the first gay guy to say this) which is why I’m not defending her. Madonna does write her music and I’ve seen pics of her playing an instrument. Might want to check your facts next time Gaga.
Camila Cabello and Machine Gun Kelly
The Lowdown: Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello is back at it again with another collaboration outside Fifth Harmony. She and rapper Machine Gun Kelly duet on the bad boy/good girl song “Bad Things”. Camila’s other collaboration was the “I Know What you Did Last Summer” song with Shawn Mendes which went platinum.
The Tea: Here goes another fun fact. I absolutely love Fifth Harmony, and that includes all the members individually. Despite how Camilla gets a little bit too much attention than deserved (she’s the 5H member with the most Twitter/Instagram followers) and was included in Time Magazine’s influential teens of 2016 (what about 19-year old Dinah?) I enjoy her very much. She’s beautiful and can obviously sing and dance. I’m in love with the songs’ hook which is sampled by Fastball’s 1998 hit “Out of my Head” and I love most the yin yang effect. You have Camila’s soft voice crooning in the hook with MGK’s tough voice rapping very in an aggressive style. I think it’ll go platinum.
Emmett Till historic site Vandalized
The Lowdown: For those who may not know who Emmett Till is, I’m here to explain. Emmett was an African American teenager in 1955 who was lynched in Mississippi for supposedly gazing at a white woman. The memorial sign that sits at the historic site where Till’s body was dumped was vandalized with bullet holes all over it. Luckily $15,000 has been raised to help repair the sign
The Tea: Being an African-American myself, just hearing about the Emmett Till story alone and how his corpse was released to the media is already disgusting in itself, and will remain one of the biggest injustices in our history. What is even more disgusting, childish, and ignorant, is how it is almost 2017 and people took the time out of their day to do something as terrible as destroying this sign that means so much to people. In my mind, this action is very reflective of America and how we still so much work to do.
Trick Daddy has a message for black women
The Lowdown: In a nutshell, rapper Trick Daddy took to Instagram saying that black women need to “tighten up” before “Spanish and white women” make them “useless”.
The Tea: So Trick Daddy, who are these black women that are going to be “useless”? Judging from your appearance (please take a moment to google him) I don’t think any women regardless of color (unless they’re desperate) would want you, or even finds you remotely attractive. I’ve heard of your name, but I don’t know any of your music, and I’m sure that’s the same for a club promoter, bouncer or hopper. You sound uneducated, messy, sexist and misogynistic all in one. From someone like me who has sat around my fellow black men (heterosexual of course) and bash black women to justify dating white girls is annoying and ignorant. If you don’t want to date your own race, that is your prerogative, but you don’t need to put down your own race of women. It is wrong on so many levels saying black women are “ratchet, loud, crazy”. You don’t like black women; does that mean you don’t like your mother, aunt, sister, grandmother or family friend? Please tell me. To all black guys, I’m sure you don’t like it when generalizations are made about you, so what are you doing to the black women? They’re the ones who have held you down and struggled with you. So something is wrong with the Trick Daddies and basketball players of the world who feel the need to denigrate the race you belong to. That and possibly the idea that Trick Daddy’s irrelevance just wants to get a rise out of people.
Check back next week for more hot topics!
