Drake Explains Blackface Photo Used For Pusha T’s Diss Track

By now, the Drake and Pusha T beef is in full swing. When the DAYTONA rapper responded to Drake’s “Duppy Freestyle” with “The Story Of Adidon,” it came with some controversial single art.

In the photo, Drake is donned in blackface and wearing a Jim Crow shirt, which left many people wondering, well, why?

On Wednesday night (May 30), the OVO Sound mastermind released a statement on his Instagram Story that explained where the photo originated.

“I know everyone is enjoying the circus but I want to clarify this image in question,” he wrote. “This was not from a clothing brand shoot or my music career. This picture is from 2007, a time in my life when I was an actor and I was working on a project that was about young black actors struggling to get roles, being stereotyped and type cast.”

Drizzy went on to say it was an attempt to “bring awareness” to the issues he and other black actors had to deal with during auditions.

#Drake releases a statement about the “black face” photo #PushaT released in his cover art for #TheStoryOfAdidon. ?: @champagnepapi ______ Does this clear up the photo questions for you?

A post shared by HipHopDX (@hiphopdx) on May 30, 2018 at 8:23pm PDT

The photographer who took the photo, David Leyes, asked Pusha’s manager Steven Victor to take it off Twitter shortly after the song’s release and Instagram pulled it from Pusha’s account.

Pusha kicked off the back-and-forth spectacle on Friday (May 25) with the release of “Infrared,” which was included on DAYTONA. The song took aim at both the 6 God and Cash Money CEO Bryan “Birdman” Williams.

As of now, the ball is in Drake’s court. 

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.47078/title.drake-explains-blackface-photo-used-for-pusha-ts-diss-track

Spotify CEO Admits Hateful Conduct Policy Was "Rolled Out Wrong"

At a keynote QA for this year’s Code Conference, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek spoke on a number of topics regarding the popular music streaming service. During the session, he took responsibility for the controversial and messy rollout for the company’s recently launched Hate Content and Hateful Conduct policy, according to Variety.

“We rolled this out wrong and could have done a much better job,” stated Ek. “The whole goal with this was to make sure that we didn’t have hate speech. It was never about punishing one individual artist or even naming one individual artist.”

Earlier this month, Spotify announced it wouldn’t be supporting artists whose content or behavior could be deemed “hateful” on editorial or algorithmic playlists. XXXTENTACION and R. Kelly became the most visible artists affected by the policy, although the company later rescinded its decision on XXXTENTACION.

While the policy still exists on Spotify’s website, Ek admits that it’s too ambiguous and will undergo revisions.

Ek also commented on Spotify’s strategy to move into the video content realm with, “In video, we went way too fast and way too early.”

Code Conference is an invite-only conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California for the global community in business to discuss the current and future impact of technology.

thCheck out DX’s take on Spotify’s Hateful Conduct policy here.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.47079/title.spotify-ceo-admits-hateful-conduct-policy-was-rolled-out-wrong

Future Praises Nicki Minaj’s "Queen" Album

Fans are still months away from the release of Nicki Minaj’s Queen album, but one artist in particular is giving the project high praise.

On Wednesday (May 30), Nicki uploaded video to Instagram of herself in the studio with Future. In the video, which appears to date back to Memorial Day weekend, Future offers some major compliments for the unreleased album.

“This shit fuckin’ amazing. The album is crazy … This shit is incredible,” Future said in the video.

#Queen 8|10|18 Future said this album is a classic. He never says shit like that. Yikes. ????????????????

A post shared by Barbie® (@nickiminaj) on May 30, 2018 at 6:11pm PDT

Although the Atlanta rapper can’t be heard calling the album a classic in the video, Nicki’s caption reveals that he did.

“Future said this album is a classic. He never says shit like that. Yikes,” Nicki wrote.

It’s unclear if Future has contributed to the album in any way. But Nicki did recently appear on Future’s HNDRXX track, “You Da Baddest,” so it’s possible he could return the favor for Queen.

Queen is currently scheduled for release on August 10.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.47080/title.future-praises-nicki-minajs-queen-album

Jamie Foxx To Play Spawn In Upcoming Feature Film

Los Angeles, CA – Comic fans who aren’t drooling over the upcoming release schedule for the Marvel Cinematic Universe have something else to debate ad nauseam on forums, online and in person. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new Spawn film will star Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx as the lead.

Foxx and Spawn’s creator, Todd McFarlane, reportedly had talks years ago about the pairing. Foxx recounts in a statement to various sites, “A few years back I flew out to Arizona to meet the man behind one of the most incredible comic book characters in the universe… Todd McFarlane. He was taken aback when I told him with the enthusiasm of a young child that more than anything I wanted to put my name in the hat to embody his beloved character Spawn…. I told him no one would work harder than me if given the opportunity… well… the opportunity is here!! I’m humbled and ready to transform… and to top things off the young Jason Blum is lending his brilliance to the project! Time to be great!!!! #Spawn.”

McFarlane is set to write the script and direct the film from Blumhouse Productions.

Foxx will be playing Al Simmons, a CIA black ops member, who is betrayed by his team in a fiery death as well as in hell. After being sent to hell for his evil deeds on earth, he is given a chance to see his wife again as a Hellspawn warrior. But once back on earth, he’s caught in a war between heaven and hell with angels hunting him down. His wife has also moved on and married his best friend.

The comic was part of McFarlane’s Image Comics in the 1990s. It turned into an animated series on HBO, a live-action film with Michael Jai White in 1997, and a series of toys and video games.

According to Deadline, McFarlane is considering a trilogy but doesn’t want to start with an origin story. Spawn will also have few talking lines. “The scariest movies, from Jaws to John Carpenter’s The Thing, or The Grudge and The Ring, the boogeyman doesn’t talk,” McFarlane told the publication.

No release or production date for the new Spawn has been made available as of press time.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.47075/title.jamie-foxx-to-play-spawn-in-upcoming-feature-film

Michael Jackson’s Estate Sues ABC & The Walt Disney Company Over TV Special

The Estate of Michael Jackson is suing ABC and The Walt Dinsey Company for copyright infringement. The lawsuit stems from ABC’s television special The Last Days of Michael Jackson, which aired on May 24.

“Disney and ABC committed willful and intentional copyright infringement when they used the Estate’s copyrighted materials without the Estate’s permission,” attorney Howard Weitzman said in a press release. “Disney’s conduct here was particularly surprising given that it has no tolerance for anyone using its copyrighted material in even the most trivial of manners. Disney and ABC’s conduct is also contrary to law and industry practice, and despite several cautionary letters from the Estate to Disney and ABC attorneys. Disney and ABC never sought the Jackson Estate’s permission to use any of the material owned by the Estate in the broadcast.”

Weitzman added, “Can you imagine using Disney’s intellectual property – like Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Star Wars, The Avengers, Toy Story, and so many other works – without asking Disney’s permission or getting a license? The Estate has no choice but to vigorously protect its intellectual property, which is the lifeblood of its business.”

The lawsuit lists multiple examples of copyright infringement in the TV special, including “significant and repeated excerpts” of Jackson’s songs and “substantial portions” of his most famous videos. The Estate also cites the unapproved use of footage it owns, such as performances from the Jacksons’ Triumph tour, plus clips from Estate-approved projects — specifically the 2009 feature film Michael Jackson’s This Is It and Spike Lee’s 2016 documentary Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall.

The Last Days of Michael Jackson was widely panned by fans, but the two-hour special helped ABC earned the best TV ratings for the night of May 24.

Article source: http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.47076/title.michael-jacksons-estate-sues-abc-the-walt-disney-company-over-tv-special