YNW Melly’s Defense Rebuttals Gang Narrative & Bans Shiesty

Ignoring Nardwuar, the legendary rap interviewer, has to be a crime against humanity but Playboi Carti wasn’t feeling it while leaving the Summer Smash festival. In other news today:

• Billboard Hot 100 & album chart 📈 

• Why Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape could benefit from their BET argument with JT 💗 

• YNW Melly’s defense rebuttals gang narrative & bans shiesty 🥷 

• Kanye’s trademark application and Tokyo food event reveals YZY plans 🏠️ 

• Discover new music with The Rap Index 🎵 

Hot 100 Chart & Streams

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking, as of today, and the corresponding song streams for the week of June 16th to 22nd as reported by Hits Double Daily. Hot 100 ranks songs based on a combination of streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

Gunna’s “fukumean” debuts at #16 with 14M streams—the highest number of streams for any song on the above chart. Lil Durk and Toosii hold steady at #5 and #6 respectively. There’s yet to be a #1 hip-hop song for 2023 but Young Thug and Lil Uzi Vert’s releases could change that in the coming weeks.

Album Sales

Gunna’s a Gift & a Curse debuted at #3 on Billboard’s 200 chart with 83K units for first-week sales—higher than the 78K prediction. Young Thug’s Business Is Business is projected to debut between 95K and 110K in sales, challenging Morgan Wallen’s hold on the #1 album spot for next week.

Why ‘Pink Tape’ Could Benefit From Lil Uzi Vert & JT’s Argument at BET Awards

At long last, Lil Uzi Vert confirms their upcoming album Pink Tape will be released this Friday, June 30th. The announcement comes after they had a heated argument with their partner JT at the BET Awards on Sunday, which could be beneficial to Pink Tape, but more on that below.

The cover art features Uzi standing in the middle of a pink-toned post-apocalyptic landscape layered with the American flag (image on the left above). But shortly after the debut, the album cover on Uzi’s website was changed to a simpler American flag visual (image on the right above)

They also released an album trailer that features a Kaneda slide from the 1988 Anime movie Akira. The visuals are giving Uzi maxed out their video budget for an Anime meets Tomb Raider short film. They battle stone figures with the ease of John Wick to retrieve their $24M pink diamond forehead implant.

JT throws her phone at Uzi during BET Awards

A day before the Pink Tape announcement, Uzi played “Just Wanna Rock” and an unreleased song at the BET Awards but it’s what happened after that stole the show. Caught in a public dispute with their partner JT, the couple brought the Love & Hip Hop aspect to the televised date night.

Audience members turned reality TV producers recorded JT throwing her phone at Uzi and calling them a “bitch ass n***a” and a “groupie” before storming out of the audience. They later left the awards show together and appeared to have smoothed things over but that didn’t stop Twitter from speculating on what happened.

The rumor mill suggested that Uzi’s mention of Ice Spice in their unreleased song is what sparked the argument. “I’m f*cking the dogshit out of this bitch, her wig came off twice / She had a lil’ fro, she look like Ice Spice,” they rapped on stage.

Twitter u/chantelbabbbyy provided more context, claiming to have been seated next to the couple. After Uzi’s performance, people switched seats, and Uzi ended up sitting next to Ice Spice while JT was further down in the same row. They were conversing until JT got up and popped off. This is all speculation, JT’s team denied to TMZ that Ice Spice sparked the argument, the full thread can be read below.

Context for those of you out touching grass

In 2021, Uzi had a $24M pink diamond by Elliante implanted in the middle of their forehead. Months later, fans noticed the diamond was no longer a facial accessory and Uzi told TMZ that a fan had tried to rip it out during a performance at Rolling Loud. The dramatized version of that story is the “art imitates life” narrative for the Pink Tape trailer

Why this matters

Other than normalizing couple fights over Ice Spice (celebs they’re just like us!), JT and Uzi’s public dispute is a good example of the saying “all publicity is good publicity.” While unplanned, Uzi only stands to benefit from press coverage before their album release—this is why.

Psychologically, people have a tendency to pay attention to controversial info and share it with others. The human brain is more likely to remember stories that are emotionally arousing and negative publicity triggers stronger emotional responses—also known as information processing biases.

The BET argument amplified Uzi’s media exposure this week. The album announcement alone is relevant to existing Uzi fans but a couple fight has wider pop culture interest and can attract new audiences—expanding the reach of his Pink Tape rollout. Uzi’s last album, Eternal Atake, sold 288,000 units in its first week and debuted at #1—let’s see if Pink Tape will beat that.

YNW Melly’s Defense Rebuttals Gang Affiliations & Bans Shiesty Mask

The 3rd week of YNW Melly’s trial picks up where week 2 left off with an undercover detective testifying to the validity of Melly’s alleged gang affiliations. After successful arguments from the defense, the judge ruled on Monday that the Shiesty mask worn by Detective Danny Polo had to be removed for the rest of his testimony.

Polo pointed out “B for Blood” gang signs in photos of Melly and gang codes in text messages on Melly’s alleged phone that, in his expert opinion, confirm membership in the G-Shine Bloods gang. He also said that Melly was with 1 or more alleged gang members on 4 separate occasions—based on the photos shown in court.

Polo identified Juelz Santana, Trippie Redd, and Fredo Bang as fellow Bloods based on nicknames and references shown in texts. French Montana and Young Thug were also mentioned but not directly tied to the Bloods.

Melly’s We All Shine album cover was allowed as evidence and Polo testified that the phrase “U Shine, I Shine, We All Shine” on the cover is a known Blood prayer. For the finale, Polo testified that gang members kill other members to move up in rank.

The defense’s rebuttal

The defense hit back strong during the cross-examination, as usual, to try and debunk the narrative that Melly is a Blood member. Lead defense counsel, David Howard referenced a scene from an HBO show that uses gang words to disprove Polo’s testimony that Blood language is not part of regular slang.

Howard also showed a YouTube tutorial on how to make the 5-Star Blood signs—showing anyone can learn the hand signs that supposedly prove Melly’s Blood membership.

Context for those of you out touching grass

The prosecution’s opening statement hinged on the narrative that Melly is a Blood member and that the murders of his two friends occurred as an act of loyalty to the gang. There was no murder weapon found and no other narrative to support the theory that Melly committed the murders. Detective Polo specializes in organized crime and was chosen by the prosecution as an expert witness due to his training and experience with gangs.

Why this matters

As mentioned last week, the gang membership narrative carries a lot of weight for the use of the death penalty if Melly is convicted. Now that Polo’s expert testimony on gangs has concluded, you have a better idea of the information the jury has to consider when deciding if Melly was a Blood beyond a reasonable doubt.

There is still no smoking gun to directly tie Melly to the murders and his defense effectively poked holes in the gang narrative. Everything that’s happened thus far can be used as a precedent for future criminal trials involving rappers but the final outcome will determine if it’s a precedent in favor of the defense or the prosecution.

Kanye’s Trademark Application & Tokyo Food Event Reveals YZY Plans

In trademark-watching news, Kanye filed a new application that suggests his Yeezy brand is expanding into shelters. The YZY SHLTR brand encompasses a wide range of services including recipe advice, facilitating hotel and restaurant reservations, animal boarding, cake decorating, youth hostel, and more.

The plans are within Kanye’s known realm of interests—Donda Academy and the Wyoming horse ranch come to mind—but with a twist. The application also listed “rental robots for cooking” and “preparing beverages” suggesting he’s looking to modernize the existing shelter model by incorporating AI.

Kanye hosts first YZY Food event in Tokyo

The wheels may already be in motion for YZY SHLTR. Last weekend, Kanye held a surprise tasting event in Tokyo to formally introduce his YZY Food Division. As Kanye’s first public food initiative, the gathering represented Yeezy’s outlook on “food, clothing, and shelter” held at LA COLLEZIONE in Tokyo.

Focusing on sustainability, there was no menu, cutlery, or paper napkins and food was placed on stainless steel tables for guests to walk around and taste. AI was not incorporated in the event, the YZY kitchen team gathered 80 samples of proteins, vegetables, fruits, and beverages from local markets days before the event. They presented Kanye with options cooked over fire and seasoned only with salt and pepper. He sampled and curated the final selection.

YZY Food Division expressed the event’s purpose as “our image of the future” sharing that Kanye believes the way humans relied solely on fire and water to eat 1,000 years ago will be replicated 1,000 years from now.

Context for those of you out touching grass

Kanye’s always had a “more is more” approach to trademarks, he filed over 60 applications through his Mascotte holding company during a single day in 2022 alone. In May, he filed a new application for “YZY SOCK SHOES” detailing clothing, footwear, headgear, games, toys, and sporting goods. He also had $75M worth of Yeezy assets recently unfrozen which would facilitate any upcoming plans to launch new Yeezy products.

Why this matters

Known for his creative endeavors, Kanye’s multidisciplinary approach—when successful—disrupts culture and convention. A Yeezy shelter on its own is interesting but not original. The food event was innovative but not revolutionary to the culinary industry.

However, the potential inclusion of AI in YZY food or shelter would be game-changing. His trademarked ideas don’t always make it to market but they do provide an idea of his creative process before he debuts an innovative product that’s usually the first of its kind.

The Rap Index ft. Young Thug, King Von, Juice WRLD, Cordae & More

The Rap Index is a way to follow and discover new music. Divided into 4 categories, describing subgenres of rap, songs are placed according to their style and sound—giving you a better idea of what songs will appeal to your musical taste. Only releases from the previous New Music Friday are included to help keep you up to date.

1. “Last Man Standing” by Key Glock (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

2. “Wit Da Racks” by Young Thug ft. 21 Savage, Travis Scott (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

3. “Posture” by Rowdy Rebel ft. Fetty Luciano, Fivio Foreign (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

4. “Robberies” by King Von (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

5. “Flordia Water” by Danny Towers, DJ Scheme, Ski Mask The Slump God, Luh Tyler (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

6. “Toxic Trait” by Stormzy & Fredo (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

7. “June 22nd” by Lil Tjay (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

8. “Doomsday” by Lyrical Lemonade, Juice WRLD, Cordae (Listen on Apple Music & Spotify)

• Kendrick Lamar wins the Best Male Hip Hop Artist at the BET Awards. It’s his 6th time winning and he now holds the most wins for this category.

• Offset & Quavo reunite onstage at the BET Awards paying tribute to the late Takeoff. The performance marked their 2nd reunion after being spotted celebrating Takeoff’s honorary 29th birthday.

• Drake announces poetry book, Titles Ruin Everything: A Stream of Consciousness, and accompanying album. Titled For All The Dogs, the album has yet to be given a release date.

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