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Earlier this month, JAY-Z appeared alongside Pharrell Williams on Pusha-Ts latest single, Neck & Wrist. While the G.O.O.D Music/Def Jam Records single initially prompted discourse regarding Jays lyrics regarding his late friend and collaborator Biggie Smalls, the song also contains diss bars that some may have missed.

Jays guest verse opens: The phase Im on, love, I wouldnt believe it either / Id be like, JAY-Zs a cheater, I wouldnt listen to reason either / All I know is hes a felon, how is he sellin? The wordplay references Friday actor Faizon Love, who had made some disparaging remarks about Shawn Carter. In 2020, the actor told the Hip-Hop Uncensored Podcast, I like JAY-Z. I like him as a guy, and the whole thing he created about this fake dope-dealing. Thats when I stopped liking him. This ni**a aint sold no cocaine in his lifeI dont think hes ever won a fight. The comments prompted former foe, Camron to publicly defend JAY-Z and his street rep. Expounding on the point later that year to Vlad TV, JAY-Z creates this drug dealing drug lord, Ima drug dealer, Ima drug lord. These kids are like, We gotta do it, too, not knowing that this isall made up sh*t. Love also used the term puppet to describe Jay.

Drake Dissed Kanye West Throughout Their Concert

Jays response is the latest in a career that rarely has minced words towards critics, opponents, and peers. While Jay is recognized for his high-profile lyrics aimed at Nas, Prodigy, Camron, 50 Cent, Jayo Felony, Lance Un Rivera, and othersJay has made a massive impact by not even saying his targets nameor in the case of Faizon Love, having some fun with it.

On episode #80 of Ambrosia For Heads Whats The Headline podcast (video and audio embedded below), we dive deep into JAY-Zs last five years. While looking at bars from pre-2017 that many speculate were aimed at Ma$e, The Game, LL Cool J, and others, Hovs last half-decade includes a long list of jabs. Kanye West, Eric Benet, Drake, Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Funkmaster Flex, Roger Goodell, George Zimmerman, and the IRS are just some targets. The podcast examines and unpacks these lines, with admiration for how they are presented. Whats more, Jay can diss somebody (Drake, Kanye, Goodell, and Lil Wayne) and then share a song or break bread with them afterward. The hosts agree that no Hip-Hop artist has dissed more people than Jay. The episode #80 conversation also examines new music from Pusha-T and JAY-Z, ScHoolboy Q, and more.

Eminem Names His Top 12 Rap Diss Songs Of All-Time (Audio)

The time codes for episode #80 of the Whats The Headline podcast:

0:00 Intro2:56 Will Smith is banned from the Oscars for 10 years. Does it matter?10:15 Black Star are releasing their new Madlib-produced album in a few weeks. What to expect19:24 Black Star are releasing their new album through an alternative distribution platform28:14 Pusha T and JAY-Z have released their latest collaboration32:37 Both JAY-Z and Pusha-T are using new flows on Neck & Wrist35:55 JAY-Z raps about what his position in Hip-Hop would be if Biggie was still alive38:18 JAY-Z dissed Faizon Love on Neck & Wrist40:00 JAY-Z is the king of sneak disses. Decoding some of his subliminal lines and listing his many targets1:20:39 ScHoolboy Q shows his growth as a man on his new Soccer Dad song1:30:20 Kidd Creole from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five is convicted of manslaughter1:32:05 New music of the week from Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA, Wiz Khalifa & Girl Talk, Vince Staples, Quelle Chris, Termanology & Paul Wall, Method Man, Redman & KRS-One, and more.

AFH readers can catch regular discussions about the culture on our Whats The Headline. The podcast also has interviews with Joell Ortiz, AZ, Blu & Mickey Factz, Kurupt, Evidence, Skyzoo, Pharoahe Monch, Prince Paul & Don Newkirk, Statik Selektah, Lyric Jones, The LOX, MC Eiht, Havoc, Duckwrth, photographer T. Eric Monroe, and Lord Finesse. All episodes of the show are available to view or for listening wherever you stream your pods.

Mickey Factz Details The Strategy He Used In His Battle With Royce 59 (Video)

#BonusBeat: An Ambrosia For Heads original video that examines what if JAY-Z had stuck to his plan of retiring after Reasonable Doubt:

More here:
JAY-Z Has Dissed More People Than Any Other MC - Ambrosia For Heads

By The Associated Press

Todays Highlight in History:

On April 9, 1865, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

On this date:

In 1413, the coronation of Englands King Henry V took place in Westminster Abbey.

In 1939, Marian Anderson performed a concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after the Black singer was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

In 1940, during World War II, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway.

In 1942, during World War II, some 75,000 Philippine and American defenders on Bataan surrendered to Japanese troops, who forced the prisoners into what became known as the Bataan Death March; thousands died or were killed en route.

In 1959, NASA presented its first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, 91, died in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1968, funeral services, private and public, were held for Martin Luther King Jr. at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and Morehouse College in Atlanta, five days after the civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1979, officials declared an end to the crisis involving the Three Mile Island Unit 2 nuclear reactor in Pennsylvania, 12 days after a partial core meltdown.

In 1996, in a dramatic shift of purse-string power, President Bill Clinton signed a line-item veto bill into law. (However, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the veto in 1998.)

In 2003, jubilant Iraqis celebrated the collapse of Saddam Husseins regime, beheading a toppled statue of their longtime ruler in downtown Baghdad and embracing American troops as liberators.

In 2005, Britains Prince Charles married longtime love Camilla Parker Bowles, who took the title Duchess of Cornwall.

In 2009, Mockumentary Parks and Recreation starring Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman and Aziz Ansari debuts on NBC in the US.

In 2010, Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement. (His vacancy was filled by Elena Kagan.)

In 2020, the government reported that 6.6 million people had sought unemployment benefits in the preceding week, bringing the total to 16.8 million in the three weeks since the coronavirus outbreak took hold. The Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones, telling him to stop pitching bogus remedies for the coronavirus.

Ten years ago: A Florida special prosecutor said a grand jury would not look into the Trayvon Martin case, leaving the decision of whether to charge the teens shooter in her hands alone. (Prosecutor Angela Corey ended up filing second-degree murder charges against George Zimmerman, who pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defense; Zimmerman was acquitted at trial.)

Five years ago: Suicide bombers struck hours apart at two Coptic churches in northern Egypt, killing 43 people and turning Palm Sunday services into scenes of horror and outrage. Dr. David Dao, a passenger on a United Express flight about to take off for Louisville, Kentucky, was dragged off the plane by security officers at Chicagos OHare International Airport to make room for four airline employees; the incident was captured on video that went viral. (United reached a settlement with Dao.) Sergio Garcia beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at the Masters for his first major.

One year ago: Britains Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 99; he was Britains longest-serving consort. Hip-hop icon DMX died at a hospital in White Plains, New York, days after suffering what officials called a catastrophic cardiac arrest; the Grammy-nominated rapper and actor was 50. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark died in New York at age 93. A trio of Russian and American space travelers launched successfully from Kazakhstan and reached the International Space Station. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a partial ban on no-knock warrants a year after the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. The National Labor Relations Board said workers at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama had voted against forming a union. San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove pitched the first no-hitter in the teams history, a 3-0 win over the Texas Rangers.

Todays Birthdays: Satirical songwriter and mathematician Tom Lehrer is 94. Actor Michael Learned is 83. Country singer Margo Smith is 80. Actor Dennis Quaid is 68. Comedian Jimmy Tingle is 67. Country musician Dave Innis (Restless Heart) is 63. Talk show host Joe Scarborough is 59. Actor-sports reporter Lisa Guerrero is 58. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is 58. Actor Mark Pellegrino is 57. Actor-model Paulina Porizkova is 57. Actor Cynthia Nixon is 56. Rock singer Kevin Martin (Candlebox) is 53. TV personality Sunny Anderson is 47.

Rock singer Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) is 45. Actor Keshia Knight Pulliam is 43. Rock musician Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes) is 42. Actor Charlie Hunnam is 42. Actor Ryan Northcott is 42. Actor Arlen Escarpeta is 41. Actor Jay Baruchel is 40. Actor Annie Funke is 37. Actor Jordan Masterson is 36. Actor Leighton Meester is 36. Actor-singer Jesse McCartney is 35. R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan is 35. Actor Kristen Stewart is 32. Actor Elle Fanning is 24. Rapper Lil Nas X is 23. Actor Isaac Hempstead Wright is 23. Classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho (ee-VAYN-koh) is 22.

Read the original here:
Today in History: Today is Saturday, April 9, the 99th day of 2022. - wausaupilotandreview.com

We scored an exclusive interview with the cast and creators of Woke at WonderCon 2022, and they share when and what got them woke.

Woke Season 2 is currently streaming on Hulu. The series was created by cartoonist and activist Keith Knight and Marshall Todd. The series follows Keef Knight (Lamorne Morris) who is an African-American cartoonist on the verge of mainstream success when an unexpected incident changes his life. Season 2 follows up after he processes the events of Season 1 and pursues his new life direction. But like in the first season, Keef comes to realize he was really unaware of all the problems and issues there are even when you intend to do right.

SPOILERS: Morbius Post-Credits Scen...x

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The show is great and is an unexpectedly light-hearted watch despite the heavy and painfully real issues it covers. A feat achieved, I believe, because everyone involved with the series got woke. Because of their deep understanding of the issues, the systems, and people had to come from a deeply personal understanding. The story and the characters, though played for comedy a lot of times, come off as genuine. So I asked the cast and creatives of Woke

The Illuminerdi: What was your woke moment?

Keith Knight: I would say one of my woke moments was when I was a junior in college. I had a teacher and it was my first black teacher ever. He was an American Literature teacher and he gave us for assignments to read: Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin.

And when someone said, Why are you giving us all Black writers?

He said, Im giving you all American writers.

That was the moment where my comics went from being about keg parties to being about something more.

RELATED: Woke Season 2 Review Doing Right and Doing Good is Messy AF

Lamorne Morris: When McDonalds stopped serving ice cream at 10 oclock DAMN! We got to do something about this! *Everyone Laughs*

No. I used to perform at Second City in Chicago. Sometimes I wore a suit. Then I would park someplace and walk [to the theater]. At the time I was dating a Jewish girl, and my best friend was a Black dude. [We were] walking back to my car, and the police stopped us while walking. As we were walking toward the car they stopped us before we could get to the car and accuse me of stealing the car. And Im wearing a suit. They put my girlfriend to the side because shes screaming and yelling. Its a whole thing. They moved her to the side and asked her, if this was my car.

I was like, I just told you it was my car. These are my keys!

It was a whole situation. And my boy was chilling. My boy was just like this, Thats how it is.

And hes in cuffs, like down, but hes just like, Just chill. G, just chill.

And Im so confused. I was like, How are you? If you just saw the audience I just performed in front of.

Second City is notoriously white.

I was like, Man, I cant believe this. This is one of the weirdest moments of my life.

So, that was an eye-opener for me

Youre still Black!

T. Murph: For me, I think Ive had run-ins with the police in my younger teenage years. Adult years. All that

Lamorne Morris: Thats because youre a criminal. Lamorne Morris

T. Murph: No, no, no! Absolutely correct! No, but for me, I think the one, the straw that broke the camels back was what happened to Trayvon Martin. Just seeing that happen to a child. Also Tamir Rice. And nothing was done. Then to watch somebody like George Zimmerman go on to become a cult favorite. Be invited to conventions and sell a gun that killed a kid for millions of dollars. This is insane!

Then you have people who are like, All you guys talk about is race!

Then its like, Are you not paying attention to whats happening? Or are you pretending to be blind?

So that was definitely my eye-opener.

Everyone had an incredibly profound and personal answer. It didnt matter age or race, everyone got woke to the world at some point or another. Though the experiences vary greatly, everyone was on the same page and I believe it is why the series is so relatable and apt. Also why it can approach the issues without being preachy or biased. Im sure watching everyone share their experiences is more impactful so watch the interview below. Like the show, its surprisingly light-hearted and fun for hitting such serious topics.

Created by:Keith Knight; Marshall ToddProduction Companies:Cloud Nine Productions; Olive Bridge Entertainment; ABC Studios; Sony Pictures TelevisionGenre:ComedyOriginal network:HuluCast: Keef (Lamorne Morris), Gunther (Blake Anderson), Ayana (Sasheer Zamata) and Clovis (T. Murph), shownSynopsisCartoonist Keef Knight is now a popular activist on the rise, but hes facing a world where woke has become big business. Can Keef and his friends bring about real change, or is it just about the dollar$? And can Keef navigate this new world without destroying what hes become? Inspired by the life and work of artist Keith Knight,Wokecontinues to upend Black nerd and activist culture, deftly satirizing with a wink and a smile. (Courtesy of Hulu)

When did you get woke? What was your reaction when you realized you didnt immediately think of that list as American authors? Do you need a link to start watching Woke? Let us know in the comments below and let us know when you start your binge onTwitter.

KEEP READING: How I Met Your Father Review: Charming, Hilarious, Apt, and Almost Legendary

Related

See the original post:
Woke Exclusive: The Cast and Creatives Reveal When They Got Woke at WonderCon 2022 - The Illuminerdi

MIAMI More than four years after he gunned down 17 people at a Parkland high school, Nikolas Cruz is finally set to face judgment in a Broward County courtroom.

On Monday, barring any unexpected delays, prosecutors and defense attorneys will begin the process of selecting 12 jurors to decide one remaining question about the confessed and convicted mass murderer. Should he live or die?

Under Florida law, a decision to execute Cruz will have to be a unanimous one. Finding a dozen people to make it plus alternates is expected to take weeks.

Given the immense publicity, the brutal details of the murders of innocent school children and the difficult prospect of potentially sentencing someone to die, legal experts say finding willing jurors who say they also can be impartial will be a challenge.

It will be a long and arduous process. It will be difficult to find jurors without an opinion, said retired Miami-Dade senior prosecutor Gail Levine, who is not involved in the case. Remember, its OK to know about the case. But a juror cannot serve if they have already formulated an opinion about the penalty before the case is presented.

Jury selection is expected to last throughout April. Once a jury is seated, the trial could last between four and up to six months, lawyers said in court this week, further complicating the selection process.

We all acknowledge this is going to be an inconvenience for whoever sits on this case. Our goal should not be focused on how quickly we get this done but that we get it done right, Broward Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill told the judge on Wednesday.

The jury wont be deciding on Cruzs guilt. Back in November, Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder, and 17 counts of attempted murder, setting the stage for what is known as the penalty phase, or a trial solely to decide whether Cruz gets life in prison, or will be executed.

The trial will nonetheless be extensive prosecutors must still present scores of witnesses and introduce hundreds of pieces of evidence to show that, among other reasons, Cruz acted in such a cruel and calculated way that he deserves to be put to death.

There were 17 people killed. And so there is, in essence, a story about the deaths of 17 different people, Broward prosecutor Jeffrey Marcus said in court on Wednesday.

As for Cruzs defense, jurors will be asked to consider mitigating factors, such as his tumultuous family life, a long history of mental-health disorders, brain damage caused by his mothers drug and alcohol use, and claims that he was bullied and sexually abused by a trusted peer.

The defense will introduce a battery of experts and may also use controversial brain mapping technology to show Cruzs brain is abnormal.

An unprecedented trial

The trial will be unlike any other ever held in Broward County.

Proceedings will be broadcast live online, Court TV, from a cavernous courtroom in the new wing of Browards justice center. Members from 25 news companies have been credentialed to cover the trial in person. Sheriffs deputies will provide tight security inside and outside the building.

Relatives of the dead, still grappling with the senseless murders, will watch in court and online.

Testimony will be gut-wrenching, detailing the morning of Feb 18, 2018, when Cruz took an Uber ride to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, his former school, and methodically stalked the halls, gunning down people with an AR-15 assault-style rifle.

The trial could even feature the rare jury site visit prosecutors say its important to show jurors the interior of the freshman building, which has been locked up and sealed since the massacre.

There is no one video, photograph, poster, film, anything, that captures what the ... building is, prosecutor Carolyn McCann told the judge. The jury has to know the footsteps, the distance, the perspective, the visual acuity the defendant had to have.

Defense lawyers argue the scene visit still stained with blood, marked by bullet holes will only serve to inflame the emotions of the jury. Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer is still weighing the decision.

But before witnesses are sworn in to tell their stories, lawyers must settle on a jury qualified to serve in a death-penalty case no easy task, even in a less-visible capital case.

Earlier trial an indicator?

If Cruzs earlier trial is any indication, itll be a slow haul.

Last October, Cruz started trial for attacking a jail officer nine months following the Parkland massacre. During jury selection, many prospective jurors, including teachers or Parkland residents, were dismissed after saying they couldnt judge Cruz fairly.

On the first day, two women burst out crying at simply seeing Cruz. Ultimately, Cruz pleaded guilty to battery before testimony began.

The visceral emotional response of potential jurors to the case is to be expected, given Parklands place in the nations long and terrible history of mass shootings at schools, said University of Miami law professor Craig Trocino, who is the director of the schools Innocence Clinic.

Theres a lot of emotions wrapped up in this, from the amazing advocacy some of the surviving students have engaged in over the years, to the other side which is dark and ugly, said Trocino. Thats why, in this case, all of Cruzs constitutional safeguard have to be scrupulously honored.

Over the weeks, Judge Scherer and attorneys could question thousands of prospective jurors, first culling out those who cant serve because of scheduling and others hardships. Then, theyll be grilled about how theyve consumed publicity surrounding the massacre and how it has shaped their ability to follow the law and serve impartially.

In Broward, unless were at nuclear war with Russia, its going to be on the front page every day, all day, said Abe Laeser, a retired Miami-Dade homicide prosecutor. Thats one of the reasons its going to be so hard.

Despite the rise in digital and social media, its rare for courts to move a trial because of pervasive publicity.

In 2008, a Miami-Dade judge ordered the trial of Southwood Middle killer Michael Hernandez moved to Orlando, after lawyers found that a great number of prospective jurors had already formed opinions about the infamous murder of a teenage boy. Hernandez was convicted in Orlando and sentenced to life in prison.

But attorneys in plenty of high-profile Florida murder cases have succeeded in picking juries.

Among the defendants who had trials in their original jurisdiction: George Zimmerman, who killed teenager Trayvon Martin, Casey Anthony, who was accused of murdering her daughter, and Eric Rivera, the teen who shot and killed NFL star Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman and Anthony won their cases.

So far, attorneys in Cruzs case have not suggested a change of venue.

And just as challenging, attorneys will need to probe juror candidates views on the death penalty, and whether they could consider imposing the ultimate sentence on Cruz.

Anyone who walks in and says, Im not sure how I feel about death penalty is on their way to getting excused, Laeser said. Unfortunately for the defense, youre going to be left with a lot of people whose inherit belief is, Why not trade one life for the 17 he took.

Must be a unanimous decision on death

Cruzs case will be the most closely watched capital case to unfold since Florida, forced by U.S. Supreme Court decisions, in 2017 required jurors to be unanimous when deciding to sent someone to Death Row. For decades before, Florida jurors only needed a majority vote to recommend the death penalty, with the judge imposing the actual sentence.

Now, Cruzs defense team can hope to get at least one holdout for life a deadlocked jury, under Florida law, results in an automatic life sentence.

The Broward Public Defenders Office has long offered to allow Cruz to be sentenced to life in prison, in exchange for a waiver of the death penalty. Broward prosecutors, faced with some victims families who want to see Cruz die at the hands of the state, have declined.

This case will really decide whether the death penalty is an option in Florida, said Levine, the former Miami-Dade prosecutor. Remember, its a one juror veto. People will say if Cruz doesnt get it, who should? I think the penalty is on trial here.

2022 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Parkland mass shooter finally faces judgment. Jury selection to begin on Monday - Norman Transcript

Can you believe some schools in the south actually taught that the masters (owners of slaves) were kind to slaves.

Really, chains around their necks and being chased by dogs was more like what slaves encountered.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton says that slavery was a necessary evil, and this guy wants to run for president. Slavery was evil, not necessary. Most of the lynchings in this country took place in the Bible-belt states. Maybe thats why the religious right and white officials are opposed to critical race theory being taught in secondary education.

Sometimes the truth hurts.

The 1619 Project by Nikole-Hanna Jones should be required reading. I cant believe books such as To Kill a Mockingbird are being banned in some school libraries.

According to the Southern PovertyLaw Center, there are 940 hate groupsin the United States of which 23 are

in Pennsylvania. The worst of these isthe Proud Boys, which infiltrated theBlack Lives Matter protest in Seattle,

Portland, and Kenosha, along withthe Atom-Waffen neo-Nazi group,which started fires and caused mayhem.

Instead of distressing over brown-skin refugees on our southern border, maybe we should be concerned about vigilantes such as George Zimmerman, Kyle Rittenhouse, Dylan Roof and other racist people.

In conclusion, lets welcome all refugees to our country and our city and maybe some of our abandoned churches would become houses of worship again rather than entertainment venues.

Remember, not all immigrants are gypsies, tramps and thieves and lets tell the truth about race in America in elementary, middle and high school.

John R. Aubrey

Johnstown

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Letter to the editor | Welcome all refugees into our country - TribDem.com