‘State of the Culture’ is the show you turn on to hear unfiltered, unapologetic, gritty opinions in regards to topics within hip hop culture — whether you agree with what’s being said or not. Joe Budden, Remy Ma, Jinx, and Scottie Beam aren’t here to hold your hand in their debates and sugarcoat their words. They’re here to say what everyone else is afraid of saying, and do so with no hesitation. From talking about music, politics, sports and everything in between; the hosts are always with the shits. Welcome to ‘State of the Culture.’

Welcome back to “State Of The Culture.” This week, we’re going to address the huge Godzilla in the room that is Joe’s viral confrontation with Nicki Minaj. We also get into some polarizing issues regarding JAY-Z’s new deal with the NFL, A$AP Rocky’s guilty verdict and the potential for viral artists to make a lasting impact. Don’t get burned by all these hot takes coming at you.

See below for the nine gems from the season two, episode three of “State Of The Culture.”

‘State Of The Culture’ I “State of Confronting Beef” (Full Episode)

1. Jinx’s tracksuit did not get rave reviews

Jinx is the first to get his wardrobe roasted this week. The usually stylish panelist got put on blast about his red Adidas tracksuit and the jokes were epic.

2. One of our SOTC panelists feels that the Nicki Minaj verbal face off with Joe was more performative than passionate

When Joe went to Apple studios to be a guest on “Queen Radio,” he had a feeling that something didn’t seem quiet right. Joe soon found out that his instincts were correct. The verbal argument between the two began when Nicki questioned Joe about his “MotorSport” comments, which ended with the Queens rapper angrily cutting Joe’s mic off in the middle of the interview. That very same night, the two rehashed their beef on “The Joe Budden Podcast.” While Joe assures the audience that this isn’t the first time he has been pressed by the “Megatron” rapper, Jinx wasn’t here for confrontational Nicki. He says, “People love that energy… I was just like, ‘Damn, I can’t do this. I can’t sign up for this.’” Furthermore, Jinx doesn’t believe that Nicki’s antics were genuine. “On Nicki’s platform, it felt more performative,” he says. “It was just yelling for six minutes straight.” Remy feels like it was a lose-lose scenario from the jump. “You’re not winning an argument with a woman,” she says. “If you are winning the argument, you’re going to look stupid because that’s a woman. If you aren’t winning the argument, you still look stupid because you just got screamed on by a woman.”

3. SOTC dissects Nicki’s sensitivity as an artist

To some, Nicki may seem like she is bullying Joe in her response to his unfavorable reviews about her music. Others may see her as an over-critiqued hip hop artist fighting for her respect. Both sides of the argument are explored as “State Of The Culture” goes back and forth on the issue. Jinx states, “A lot of artists in general, but Nicki specifically, want PR. That’s not my job… A lot of artists and their teams want it, but you’ll never hear them say it…” Even though he was the target of her vitriol, Joe knows that Nicki is not the only artist to react this way, saying, “I speak to a whole bunch of these artists privately that tell me about how cyberbullying and what people say publicly affects them.” Remy, who has also had a history with Minaj, says, “[A lot of media personalities] say what they want and don’t fact-check. They say certain shit and it’s harmful. Sometimes, it harms your brand, as a whole, or your projects. Sometimes, it just personally harms you.”

4. We’re all trying to make sense of the terms and conditions that landed A$AP Rocky with the guilty verdict

A$AP Rocky has been ordered to pay restitution and court fees to the Swedish government after being found guilty of assault. We have so many questions. “They always throw in restitution, but why is [he] paying your jail fees?” Remy questions. “Isn’t that what the people of Sweden are for?” Jinx says, while still reeling from the sudden A$AP hate that came up around the time of his arrest, “There’s still a lot of wild energy from the culture.”

5. Jeezy’s impact is real

“The Snowman” himself announced that he is gearing up to retire from rap and will soon release his final album. Of course, this makes SOTC reminisce on the imprint he’s left in music. “I think about… when he dropped the Thug Motivation 101, and there was really nothing that sounded like that,” Jinx remembers. “He’s one of those people where, when they look back at trap music, they will really push him to the top.” Remy reveals that her sister is the biggest Jeezy fan and has flown out to see him perform. The panel also speaks on how they believe that Jeezy is amongst the top 50 MCs. Joe adds that what makes Jeezy so dope is that lists like that never mattered to him, saying, “The niggas with integrity don’t care.”

6. Drake’s tattoo was garnered some undeserved hype

Drake ruffled feathers when he celebrated a record breaking milestone by getting a tattoo of himself waving back at The Beatles on the iconic Abbey Road. Diehard fans of the legendary British band think it was an offensive move, while Joe doesn’t see it as a big deal. In fact, he framed it a bit more bluntly, stating, “Who gives a fuck about The Beatles?”

7. Is internet fame the key to mainstream success? Well, it’s complicated

Lil’ Nas X went viral thanks to the TikTok app. The viral rapper has now snagged the longest-running number one hit of all time. This makes us question, are we in a new era where all it takes is a viral hit to blow up? Well, it’s not that simple according to Jinx, saying, “I think about Lil’ Yachty two summers ago.” He continues to explain, “He was the media darling at the time hitting all of these marks with magazine covers, viral challenges, et cetera…” Remy Ma makes the distinction that viral success doesn’t not equal longevity by saying, “It’s for the moment. People think whoever is hot right now, that’s what it is. They’re bigger than me right now. What about five years from now, or next year?” Last but not least, Joe’s message to new artists on the come up is simple: “You could go viral 90 times in 90 days and it will not equate to mainstream success.”

8. There is one viral star that Joe is putting his money on

Lil’ Nas X, Blueface and Lizzo are all riding the waves of success that was founded on the internet. Joe feels that out of all the three artists, only one of them has the potential to be a fixture in music explaining, “Lizzo is probably the one that will stick because talent sticks.”

9. Before you get in your feelings about JAY-Z’s deal with the NFL, consider this:

This week, JAY-Z signed a deal with the NFL. Part of the contract includes Roc Nation overseeing talent for the halftime show. Remy Ma notes that while some may be taken aback by Hov’s decision to partner with the NFL in light of their treatment of Colin Kaepernick, she feels that there was no obligation there. She says, “Why was he supposed to include Kap on his deal with the NFL? Kap didn’t include anyone on his settlement with [them].” Though it has never been disclosed how much money Kap received or the terms of his agreement with the league, Remy does feel it left a lot of unanswered questions to Kaepernick supporters.

Watch “State of the Culture” on TV on Tuesday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and on digital on Mondays at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT! Check out where you can watch the REVOLT TV channel here.

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