‘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 Eboni K. Williams 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.’
This week’s “State of the Culture” is black, white and everything in between. We talk about the Amber Guyger case and dissect the complicated history of black forgiveness. We delve into how Kanye West’s newfound holiness is also his cash cow. Then, there’s Stacey Dash’s switching races (rolls eyes around the universe) and Cardi B sounding off on “Access Hollywood” in defense of her daughter.
Watch “State of the Culture” season two, episode eight
Peep the nine best gems from this week’s “State of the Culture” below.
1. The Amber Guyger case questions the line between forgiveness and coddling white tears
The tender treatment of ex-police officer and convicted murderer Amber Guyger in the courtroom was a controversial topic this past week. Not only is it bad enough that she only received a 10-year sentence for killing Botham Jean in his own apartment, but the overexerted sympathy shown by the black judge presiding over the case had our panel feeling some type of way. “That looked disgusting to me,” says Joe. “I can’t imagine being a family member sitting in on that proceeding having to watch that. I thought everything about that was in very bad taste.” Eboni says the judge handing Guyger her bible was not only inappropriate, but unethical. “We have separation of church and state,” she says. Deeper than that, Jinx suggests that black peoples’ willingness to forgive racism is a deeply rooted pillar of our oppression. “It’s up to us to heal ourselves and, at the same time, heal them. Then, it happens again,” he says.
2. Kanye West’s is too saved for Joe’s liking
Kanye West recently performed at a Queens church in anticipation for his Jesus is King album. Joe reminds us that Kanye’s pandering is all a ploy to sell merch and clean up his image. “I am tired of fucking talking about Kanye and his tax breaks,” he gripes. Remy Ma argues that Ye isn’t doing anything new. “Religion has always been about business,” she says. “Whenever [the church] needed money, they would get it from churches. Whenever you can’t think of another way, [you say], God says to do it.” As someone who grew up in the church, Jinx feels Kanye’s relationship to religion appears to be only surface level. “Legitimate or not, my standpoint is what comes next after making this a commercial thing? This doesn’t even come with the word,” he adds.
3. Stacey Dash’s white identity is a TV show idea waiting to happen
Stacey Dash was recently arrested for physically assaulted her husband. When the police report and mugshot was made public, folks were amused by the fact that her race was marked “white” — notice I said amused, not surprised. While Eboni suspects the “Clueless” actress self-identified, Jinx is more interested by the inherent entertainment value of this. “This is a TV show in this,” he says.
4. Remy Ma defends Cardi B going off on the media
Cardi B is no stranger to calling out the media for giving her hell. This time, “Access Hollywood” was the reason for her ire. The outlet reportedly falsified a quote from Cardi, saying Kulture calls someone else “mom.” What the rapper was really describing is the fear of that happening, which is why she makes it a point to spend quality time with her daughter. Remy Ma says she’s had private conversations with Cardi, who openly admits that she’s easily angered by the media misquoting her. Furthermore, she says insulting a celebrity’s motherhood is the ultimate dig. “When you have a child, it makes you even more mad because they’re innocent,” she says. “I felt her pain.” Joe also caught some heat from Cardi for comments he made on his podcast, which he clarifies. “[I said] you haven’t had a song that resonated with the hood in a while. She took that as something different.”
5. Stephon Clark deserved better
Federal prosecutors will not be pursuing charges in the death of California resident Stephon Clark, who was shot and killed by police officers while unarmed. Eboni, like all of us, is shocked and appalled by the decision. “The only way these kinds of cases are going to change is if the law changes. [We need] more specific detail around when deadly force is permitted,” she says. “Until the laws change way better than this bullshit, the justice will not change around these particular killings.” Remy agrees, saying, “I see way more unarmed black men being killed than police officers.”
6. R. Kelly is trapped in the closet…and by closet, we mean jail
R. Kelly is petitioning to be released from jail because of his alleged medical ailments. According to Remy Ma, the singer has a snowball’s chance in hell of being taken seriously by the judge. “It’s always funny with people that never had any interaction with the prison system,” she says. “Bruh, they’re not letting you out. Lay that dick down.” Welp!
7. Chris Brown was kissed by a dancer and he liked it… we think
Chris Brown recently received an unplanned kiss from one of his dancers onstage. While Joe and Jinx don’t see the objection (because men), Remy thinks the incident points to a larger double standard. “If Chris would’ve kissed the dancer, we’d be having a whole different conversation, and this is the bag I be coming from,” she says. “Had it been the other way around and she felt some type of way, it would’ve been a totally different thing.” Eboni disagrees, highlighting a past instance where Michael Jackson was kissed by a dancer who was then fired. Jinx thinks the kiss was probably evidence of a behind-the-scenes relationship between them. “I think she got a little bit out of pocket,” he says.
8. DaBaby and Young M.A. are putting excitement back into new album releases
DaBaby and Young M.A. recently dropped new albums, KIRK and Herstory in the Making, respectively. Jinx says the traditional promotion and rollout of these albums were refreshing. “I’m excited to be excited [about these projects],” he says. “Young M.A. has been killing it and worked the rollout the way I’m used to. DaBaby had a lane and hit the gas. It’s nice on release day to actually be excited to listen to music instead of feeling assigned to listen.”
9. California college athletes can finally be paid and it’s about time
There’s no argument among SOTC that that decision for California college athletes to be eligible for endorsements and other money-generating ventures is long overdue. Remy points out that not only is college sports a billion dollar industry, but also “a lot of [college athletes] don’t make it to the NBA,” where the real money is. Joe feels that the support of athletes making money was far too delayed. “This is a reactionary thing. Either get down or lay down,” he says.