Entertainment

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Calls Out Anti-Semitism In Hollywood & Sports

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is questioning how celebrities are getting away with blatantly perpetuating anti-Semitism more and more these days, especially in light of the larger-than-ever exposure of the Black Lives Matter movement. In a new column for The Hollywood Reporter, the NBA legend points out the lack of outrage toward celebrities for spewing anti-Semitic views, despite the growing support for BLM and the fight against systemic racism. In the piece, which dropped just hours before Nick Cannon was fired by Viacom on Tuesday (July 14th) for allegedly expressing anti-Semitic remarks during his rant about white people, Kareem expresses his fear that the lack of explicit outrage towards this anti-Semitism “in the face of sustained prejudice” will cause what he calls an “Apatholypse”—”apathy to all forms of social justice.”

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He goes on to call out certain celebrities by name for their recent anti-Semitic tirades, including Ice Cube, who went on a bizarre Twitter spree last month in which he tweeted a number of “creepy symbols and images,” that “implied that Jews were responsible for the oppression of” Black people. Kareem also condemned NFL player DeSean Jackson for aligning himself with a quote incorrectly attributed to Hitler, that claimed that Jews had a plan to “extort America” and achieve “world domination.” Kareem mentions that former NBA player, Stephen Jackson, an activist and close friend of the late George Floyd, co-signed this horrific quote, although both he and DeSean have since apologized.

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“It’s so disheartening to see people from groups that have been violently marginalized do the same thing to others without realizing that perpetuating this kind of bad logic is what perpetuates racism,” Kareem notes. He also points out that comedian Chelsea Handler, a Jewish woman herself, joined in on the anti-Semitic sentiments—albeit seemingly by accident—by posting a video in support of “notorious homophobe and anti-Semite” Louis Farrakhan on Instagram.

“While it’s possible the words were wrong, celebrities have a responsibility to get the words right,” Kareem insists. “It’s not enough to have good intentions, because it’s the actual deeds — and words — which have the real impact.” He goes on to quote MLK as well as Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” before concluding with, “If we’re going to be outraged by injustice, let’s be outraged by injustice against anyone.”

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Meek Mill Draws Mixed Reactions With Drill Take on Nico & Vinz’s “Am I Wrong”

Meek Mill has released a couple of songs that leaked online recently, giving fans a proper way to hear the tracks after they popped up over the weekend. “Philly Heathens” has been praised for its attention to street culture and youth affected by violence, but his other new album, “Am I Wrong,” has received a much more divided response.

“Philly Heathens” has been praised for its lyrics about street culture and the young people who get caught up in violence. “Am I Wrong,” however, takes a vastly different approach, remixing the song of the same name by Nico & Vinz as a drill centric interpolation.

“Am I Wrong” is now 12 years old, and its connection to the EDM sound of the time makes it especially recognizable to those who grew up with it. So Meek’s take is built on a familiar musical reference, but the response has been far from universally complimentary. A lot of the criticism has been directed at the hook. The production has also been called dated, but the track was leaked, which may explain its sound. But the strongest reactions have focused on Meek’s chorus vocals.

Some of the responses have been good, though. Some listeners felt the track was a throwback to the blog era, while others thought the criticism targeted almost entirely the hook, not the song as a whole. One Reddit commenter wrote that the track was good, but the chorus was bad, suggesting that Meek’s performance on the rest of the song was better than the reception to the hook may suggest.

The different reactions demonstrate the contrast between Meek’s two new leaks. “Philly Heathens” has resonated with audiences for its subject matter, while “Am I Wrong” has sparked discussion due to its interpolation and vocal approach.

Both songs are now officially available on YouTube so that fans can decide for themselves. The response to “Am I Wrong” shows how difficult it is to reinterpret a well known song, especially when a recognizable hook becomes the centerpiece of the new version

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Drake Joins Karol G in Houston for First Live Performance of “Ahi”

Drake made a surprise appearance in Houston this weekend, joining Karol G on stage for the first-ever live performance of their collaboration, “Ahi.”
The surprise appearance took place during Karol G’s show in Houston, where Drake jumped out from the bottom of the stage to perform the song with her. “Ahi” is the latest from Karol G’s project No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, and the Houston show marked the first time the pair had performed the collaboration together on stage.

Drake made his entrance to a loud reception from the crowd. The rapper popped out from under the stage, bowed to Karol G, hugged her, and launched into their collaboration. With “Ahi,” the performance was not over. Drake stayed on stage and carried on with the set, performing “Janice STFU” and “One Dance” and giving the Houston crowd a long set from the Canadian rapper.

The collaboration also sparked speculation about Drake’s upcoming music. A rumor started that Karol G was one of the collaborators on the project, along with Molly Santana and Future, days before ICEMAN is expected to drop. Future and Molly Santana were among the names on the rumored list, and Future ended up on “Run To Atlanta.”

Drake’s Houston appearance comes as he continues to promote music outside the traditional album release cycle. He released FOMO, a visual YouTube project featuring visuals for several songs from Habibti and Maid Of Honor nearly two weeks ago. The project also featured a couple of unreleased songs, including new material with Yeat and new unreleased music with Don Toliver.

Drake and Don Toliver have also dropped a remix of Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas.” The remix has recently sparked speculation about the artists after re uploaded visuals allegedly erased all footage of Langley.

But the Houston show shifted the focus back to Drake and Karol G. The surprise appearance turned the stop into the first live showcase of “Ahi” for the audience, while Drake’s renditions of “Janice STFU” and “One Dance” extended his surprise time onstage. It also gave fans their first chance to see the two artists perform their collaboration together, adding a live chapter to the release of “Ahi. “

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