Celebrity

Mal Says J. Cole Comments May Have Created Tension With Dreamville

Jamil “Mal” Clay is discussing an uncomfortable encounter with members of J. Cole’s Dreamville camp after admitting some of his earlier comments about the rapper may have caused friction.

The discussion took place during a recent episode of New Rory & Mal, where the hosts were already dissecting a few relationship spats. After Rory broke down his run in with QueenzFlip and admitted he might have misread the room, Mal switched the topic to his experiences with folks he feels still have a problem with him.

Mal said he recently ran into members of the Dreamville crew and Ibrahim “Ib” Hamad, the collective’s president and cofounder, in Los Angeles. Mal says their meetings have been very different from this meeting. He said he and Ib saw each other but did not speak, which Mal called particularly uncomfortable because they had previously maintained a pleasant rapport.

Mal emphasized his past criticism of J. Cole to tie in the tension and said that while he still stood behind what he said publicly, he never intended his words to be taken as disrespectful to Cole or Hamad. He later apologized for criticizing Cole. More recently, he has also praised Cole’s The Fall Off tour after years of commentary surrounding the rapper, including discussion relating to the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle.

That history makes Mal’s latest comments noteworthy, because he seems to draw a line between criticizing an artist publicly and having private relationships. He said he stands by his earlier statements but also said he regretted that his encounter with Ib ended with neither man acknowledging the other.

Mal said he understands why Dreamville members may have taken issue with his comments. At the same time, he emphasized he never intended to disrespect Cole or Hamad. The comments add another layer to the ongoing conversation surrounding Mal’s relationship with Cole and the larger Dreamville camp. Instead of backing down from everything he has previously said, Mal appears to be acknowledging the personal effect his remarks may have had.

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Related Topics:DREAMVILLE IBRAHIM HAMAD J. COLE APOLOGY MAL NEW RORY AND MAL

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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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