You guys don’t show him any respect, but Usher is one of the greatest artists of all time. His accomplishments kinda speak for themselves, but unfortunately, it always takes longer for the industry to recognize contemporary R&B artists — more specifically, black contemporary R&B artists — for their contributions. I already know that Justin Timberlake — a lesser artist with fewer years in the game — will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before Usher (who actually became eligible for induction a month ago). And if you doubt any of this, I’d like to call your attention to the fact that Janet Damito Jo Jackson (who has been eligible since 2007) still hasn’t been inducted. What a world.

Anyway, the Throwback Thursday selection this week is Usher’s breakthrough hit, “You Make Me Wanna,” released in August 1997. Co-written by Ursh, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, the mid-tempo jam was the lead single from the My Way album and, along with its video, became the new blueprint for young male artists who sang contemporary R&B and, dare I say, pop. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 100, but it was No.1 in our hearts. Watch the video below.

Charlamagne Tha God has made a career out of tearing famous people down, and while this isn’t necessarily unique to him, Charlamagne does it in a way that is often gratuitous and particularly mean — like calling Chingy’s albums “weed plates” to his face in a 2007 interview (back when he was still the Robin to Wendy William’s Batman). Like every skilled bully, Charlamagne is good at preying on people who are least likely to clap back (e.g. Chingy) or have few allies who would clap back for them (e.g. Monique).

While this behavior has won Charlamagne many fans, there is a growing number of people (like myself) who find it disgusting, and as his profile grew, I knew it was only a matter of time before people dug something up from his past. That finally happened this past week, where years-old statements about domestic violence and questionable sex encounters resurfaced.

In a 2013 interview with VladTV, Charlamagne recounts the assault of a girlfriend in his teenage years, and says every guy has “put hands” on a woman at some point — totally false. Also, a quote about his first sexual experience with his wife (back when they were teenagers) is raising eyebrows:

“I keep telling’ y’all. I’ve told y’all this over and over. It’s a lot of things guys did especially when we were young that were rape that we just didn’t consider rape. I’m married to my wife. Me and my wife dated for a whole year, she would not give me no pussy. Me and my wife hung out one Saturday night and she got sloppy drunk and passed out in my momma’s house and I got that pussy. She was f*cking me back and all that but she was really drunk. I asked her yesterday, ‘Yo, did I rape you the first time we ever had sex?’ And she goes, ‘I mean in hindsight, yeah…’”


Charlamagne has since gone into full crisis management mode, releasing a lengthy audio statement last night and then having his wife call into The Breakfast Club this morning to say that he never raped her. Watch the video below.

A few hours ago, 6ix9ine was pistol-whipped, kidnapped and robbed. The incident is said to have taken place in the driveway of his home, where three hooded gunmen ambushed him. They stole $750,000 in jewelry and over $15,000 in cash. He has since been admitted to the hospital; TMZ has a detailed account of what happened as well as a new pic of Tekashi at the hospital after the incident (see pic below).

The cynic in me wonders if this is a publicity stunt because Tekashi is good for the shenanigans, but if not, it brings us back to his reckless courting of danger these past few months. No one deserves what happened to him, but he has been kinda asking for it for a while now. I wish him a speedy recovery and I hope he cuts the bullshit out.

 

So…6ix9ine and Nicki Minaj dropped a collabo a few hours ago, and ummmm…it’s not bad, I guess. I made the grave mistake of reading reactions (or, shall I say, overreactions) on the internet, so I had high hopes. I’ll concede that I’m inclined to all things melodic, so on a “gully” track like this one, I need the bars to be A1, which they are not. Check it out for yourself.

Chance the Rapper just put out four new songs and we’re thankful because they’re all [fire emoji] [fire emoji] [fire emoji]. “I Might Need Security” might need a second listen, but the other three will hit you immediately. Also, I just realized Chano’s voice sounds very similar to Wyclef Jean’s. Check all four songs out below.


Chance the Rapper – “65th & Ingleside”


Chance the Rapper – “Wala Cam” (featuring Supa Bwe & Forever Band)


Chance the Rapper – “Work Out”


Chance the Rapper – “I Might Need Security”

Recently, I saw someone on Twitter mention that Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack” was the song of the summer for the 23rd year in a row, and while that may not be factual, few jams have stood the test of time quite like this one. The song samples Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love” and Chuckii Booker’s “Games,” borrowing just the right elements from both songs to produce an absolute classic.

Unfortunately, though he had a few more top 10 hits in the UK, he was never able to reproduce the transatlantic success of “Return of the Mack.” However, for this one song, his name shall live forever. Watch the video below.

Bebe Rexha sings about her anxieties on this Gaga-sounding track, which is the lead single from her upcoming album, Expectations. Upon the release the video earlier today, Bebe issued the following statement:

I have been very vocal and honest about my ongoing struggle with anxiety and depression. I wanted to create a video and song that expressed my truth. This video is a celebration of me finally being able to accept my imperfections. I’m okay with not being okay all the time. If you feel alone or lost please know you are not, and you are loved.


Well said. Check the video out below.