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Ice Cube Wasn’t Sidelined By Biden Over “Contract With Black America”: Report

The co-chair to former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign is calling foul on Ice Cube’s recent comments. The rapper has been embroiled in political controversy after he received a shout out from the Republican Party for working with the Trump administration for his “Contract With Black America,” however, Ice Cube cut the tomfoolery rather quickly when he let it be known he doesn’t endorse President Trump. Still, photoshopped images of him and 50 Cent wearing Make America Great Again” hats circulated on the internet, and no matter how many times the N.W.A. star tells the world that he doesn’t side with either political party, his name is still dragged into the election mess.

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A post shared by Ice Cube (@icecube) on Oct 11, 2020 at 9:17am PDT

According to Ice Cube, both Trump and Biden’s campaigns reached out to him about his “Contract With Black America.” However, Cube stated that Trump’s people wanted to speak about it immediately while Biden’s camp wanted to wait until after the election. Rep. Cedric Richmond, the co-chair of Biden’s campaign, bit back at that remark, stating that what Cube said wasn’t true.

“I like the fact that Ice Cube is getting engaged in policy. I think that is a good thing, however, once you embark on getting into it, one, you have to be truthful, but two, you have an obligation, I think, to see it through and to be thorough with it,” Richmond said while on SiriusXM’s The Joe Madison Show.

“Our plan is very thorough. I won’t say he has a skeleton plan, but he has an outline of things, he has an outline of things that should be done. It’s not as comprehensive as our plan. And so that’s what we told him, and the offer to stay engaged was not, ‘we’ll talk to you after the election.’ It went like this: ‘Here’s my cell number, anything else you want to talk about on this plan or anything you think, you know, we need to talk about further, just pick up the phone and call.’”

He went on to say that he doesn’t think that it’s a bad thing that Cube gave Trump’s camp his “Contract With Black America” and he doesn’t believe that the rapper is endorsing the President. Richmond did point out that Trump’s plan had changes and policies that were symbolic, like making Juneteenth a national holiday, but it didn’t answer the question of how America would dismantle systemic racism. You can listen to the discussion here.

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Kanye West Joins Chicago Ceremony Honoring His Mother With Dr. Donda West Way

Kanye West was in Chicago for a street naming ceremony honoring his late mother, Dr. Donda West, and celebrating her lasting contributions to the city, her impact on education and the arts, and her influence on her son’s life.

A portion of 78th Street bears the official designation of Dr. Donda West Way, an appropriate tribute to a woman whose legacy remains deeply entangled with Chicago. Local news covered the ceremony, attended by community leaders, and Ye could be seen clapping in the background, wearing shades, as the new street sign was unveiled.

The event celebrated Donda West’s accomplishments and her impact on the people in her life. It was also a moment of profound personal significance for Kanye. His mother played a large part in building his confidence and supporting his musical ambitions, leading him down the path that would ultimately make him one of the most recognizable artists in music.

West had already paid tribute to his mother in his 2021 album Donda. The project took 10 years to complete, the amount of time it took Ye to process her tragic passing. Donda’s voice is present throughout the album, adding another personal element to a project centered on her memory and legacy.

The Chicago ceremony falls during a busy time for West. The artist is on a world tour and played a couple of shows in Chicago just a few weeks ago. Despite the ongoing controversy about his recent past and public reception, his repeated returns to the stage have underscored the enduring size of his audience.

Currently, the unveiling of Dr. Donda West Way is not about music but about celebrating Donda West’s life and accomplishments and the impact she continues to have through the legacy she left behind.

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DJ Akademiks Opens the Door to Pusha T Amidst Drake Controversy

DJ Akademiks seems to be changing his tune on Pusha T after the leak of the rapper’s alleged album with Pharrell, though the project reportedly includes several direct shots at Drake.

The reaction is notable as Akademiks and Pusha T have been on completely unique sides of the long-running Drake-Pusha T divide. Pusha T’s infamous beef with Drake reached a major milestone in 2018 with the release of “The Story of Adidon.” Akademiks has an OVO chain and has been a big supporter of Drake, which makes his latest comments about Pusha T even more shocking.

The two have had their differences, though they have never gone back and forth publicly over the years. Akademiks, however, responded to the leaked project with a more sympathetic view of Pusha T’s position. Akademiks didn’t just point out the rapper’s continued Drake references; he also recognized that Drake has been beefing with Pusha T and Pharrell over the last few years.

Things got spicy when Akademiks reminded him that Pusha T has liked a couple of his posts before. That detail apparently has Akademiks considering reaching out directly to talk with Pusha T.

Does Pusha T even want that kind of conversation? Still, Akademiks’ comments imply that he believes there’s room for a more productive discourse between two personalities who have historically been on opposite sides of the Drake-Pusha T feud.

For now, the leaked album has provided an unexpected opening for dialogue. Akademiks’ openness to Pusha T’s side, even with his clear ties to Drake, shifts the conversation away from taking sides and toward whether a direct conversation could actually happen.

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