Dr. Dre’s Compton Causes Controversy Less Than 24 Hours After Release
Happy Dre Day! It’s been nearly 16 years since Dr. Dre has released his own studio album, yet alas, the day has come—Compton: A Soundtrack has arrived for your listening pleasure. But not without its share of lyrical controversy. Which… duh. Just look at the Good Doctor’s track record, as well as that of his protégés, many of whom appear on Compton.
The barbs that initially raised antennae come from Kendrick Lamar, who plays target practice by throwing subliminal darts at Drake on the song “Darkside/Gone.” “But still I got enemies giving me energy I wanna fight now/Subliminally sent to me all of this hate/I thought I was holding the mic down,” he rhymes, likely alluding to Drizzy’s song “Energy.” Elsewhere, on “Deep Water,” he references “Started From the Bottom” with some more competitive bars.
Elsewhere, misogyny comes under fire. On “Medicine Man,” Eminem makes a rape joke (“Ain’t no one safe from, non-believers there ain’t none/I even make the bitches I rape cum,” while the song “Loose Cannons” closes with a skit that depicts Dre murdering and burying a woman. Stay classy, Compton.
Empire Gets Its Own Spinoff Show!
The creators of Empire might be digging in the Cookie jar for a spinoff of the hit show. During the Television Critics Association summer meeting, show creator Lee Daniels confirmed that “without question, there will be a spinoff of Empire,” citing backstories of Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) and Lucious (Terrence Howard) as opportune material. “There’s so much ripe story that we’ve talked about already,” Daniels said, “about Cookie’s family, what makes her her. That in itself is fascinating to me.”
As for the proper second season of Empire, the 55-year-old director says he’s being cautious about going overboard with guest stars. “The more stars I put on this show, the more it takes away from the [Lyon] family,” he said. Chris Rock, Kelly Rowland, Zendaya and Alicia Keys are among the announced cameos. But still, he insists, “The family is the most important thing.”
Read it at The Root.
Lil Wayne Tour Bus Shooter Fingers Birdman As Conspirator
Last month, evidence popped up pointing to Birdman and Young Thug as conspirators in Lil Wayne’s tour bus shooting in April. Now, there are fingers being pointed in Baby’s direction, too. According to TMZ, the shooter, Jimmy Winfrey, said in court documents that “[Birdman’s] financial dispute with [Lil Wayne] is what ultimately led to the shooting” and therefore “[Birdman] should be held liable as a party to the crime.” Stunna has denied any involvement in the shooting, and even 50 Cent has commented that it’d be hard to believe that Baby wants Weezy dead, but this is pretty damning testimony. Winfrey, rumored to be Young Thug’s road manager, is facing charges of aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of a firearm by a felon and criminal gang activity.
