Credit: WENN

Hit a man in his pockets and he’s sure to start seeing the light. Maybe…

That might just be the situation with Rick Ross, who after sparking major controversy with his lyrics from the Rocko track “U.O.E.N.O.” lost out on a multi-million dollar endorsement with Reebok. He was looking far from the “BAWSE” he likes to claim he is in his rhymes. But a few months after all of the debates and drama, Ross says it was something he’s learned from and hopes his “little homeys” will learn from as well. Including his Maybach Music Group artists, Meek Mill and Rockie Fresh, who have partnerships with Puma and other shoe companies. But no matter what, financially, he’s good. Here’s what he had to say to MTV News:

“It most definitely was a learning situation and just for the little homeys, just something for them to take away. That’s what’s important to me, what they take away from it. I’m in a position where if I never sold another shoe, Rozay good. So it’s really about what the little homeys who coming next gonna take away from it. Keep handling your business, because that’s what it’s about. Just stay tuned, we gon’ do it big.”

When the question came up about where he stands with Reebok , he made it seem like there is room to work together in the future and that despite him getting the boot from the shoe company, he still has a business relationship with those within the company, and doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings towards them for their decision:

“At the end of the day, once the dust settles we’ll just readdress the situation — once the time is right. As far as myself and Reebok, we got a healthy situation.”

Well, all right. Check out his interview with MTV on the next page and let us know what you think…

While participating in discussions at the Footwear News CEO Summit in Miami yesterday (who knew of such a thing?), a question was directed to Reebok CEO Uli Becker, in which he was asked about having to part ways with spokesperson Rick Ross for his irresponsible lyrics on the Rocko song, “U.O.E.N.O.” As a reminder for the umpteenth time, the lyrics went a little something like this:

“Put Molly all in the champagne/ She ain’t even know it/ I took her home and I enjoyed that/ She ain’t even know it.”

When women’s rights groups protested against the song and started a petition for Reebok to drop the plus-size rapper, he gave a half a**ed apology, claiming that he never used the word “rape” in the song, and that he doesn’t condone it. When that proved not to be enough, Reebok CEO Uli Becker heard the call of the people and decided it was in his company’s best interest to separate itself from Ross. So when asked about going their separate ways, Becker kept it really real, and said the following according to Footwear News:

“It’s unfortunate because he’s a great guy, he just has stupid advisors around him.”

Well, dang. While Ross has been tight-lipped about the whole situation since issuing a long, drawn-out apology a little too late, we know his MMG signee, Meek Mill, has been very outspoken about the way he felt Ross was treated by Becker and Reebok. In a recent interview with Civil TV, he compared the company’s axing of Ross and their continued profit from the controversy to a pimp and a prostitute. Yeah…

“F**k Reebok. We wear Puma’s. That’s what we do. We wear Puma’s. As far as the Rick Ross situation with Reebok, I just don’t approve of none of that. I don’t approve of no companies trying to dip and dab in our culture and then when you make a mistake they dip out on you. So, it’s like they still making money off of our brand.”

“I’m very against that. Ross is off of Reebok now, Reebok still gonna make money off of Ross. You know what I’m saying? Before Rick Ross and Swizz and Tyga, it was no Reebok. These companies they actually follow our culture and make money off of our culture and pay us like a pimp…And me, I’m against that. Any way you fire me, we gonna tear your Isht back down. Ain’t nobody wearing Reebok.”

Hmm, what do you think of Meek Mill’s comments, as well as the comments of Reebok CEO Uli Becker? Let us know if they’re talking nonsense or making interesting points to you below!

When artists have beef with each other, the easiest way to let the other person know what’s up is to put it in a song. Many of the rappers and singers who made this list have been known to cause controversy and have no problem speaking their mind. Let’s take a look at some of the most memorable and funny beefs in hip hop.

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In another installment of “Get Your Life Please,” this week’s winner is Slim Thug, taking the coveted spot from last week’s winner, Ray J.

We told you just yesterday that Reebok decided to part ways with Rick Ross as a spokesperson for their company after the fallout from his pro-date rape lyrics in the remix to the Rocko song, “U.O.E.N.O.” They put out a pretty straight-to-the-point statement that was also stern at the same time:

“While we do not believe that Rick Ross condones sexual assault, we are very disappointed he has yet to display an understanding of the seriousness of this issue or an appropriate level of remorse.”

Well, we haven’t received a response yet from Rick Ross, but his MMG partner-in-crime, Meek Mill, basically tried to take a shot at the credibility of Reebok shoes to express his support for the Bawse. “Reeboks right next 2 FILA when it come 2 sneaks that s**t corny… I was only was feeling swizz & tyga projects… #boom”

Riiiight. I love how these type of comments come up after somebody gets dumped, but we know if Ross was still getting that check everybody in that MMG camp would be trying get a free pair of sneakers. But the most “interesting” response to the Ross backlash and firing from Reebok came from Houston rapper Slim Thug, who basically snapped on Reebok last night for using Ross for publicity (especially they didn’t care that he was rapping about drugs for so long), and snapped back at critics for taking the lyrics so seriously. A big problem with his argument, however, is that he couldn’t get his opinions out without calling women the B-word damn near immediately:

Damn haters won

…I never seen a b***h pass out on a Molly they stay up all night so how is that rape? U.O.E.N.O

[Reebok] ain’t care about all the dope he was rapping bout selling when they signed him but now they tripping after all that promo

All I’m saying is its a rap song and he didn’t say he bout to rape a b***h so he shouldn’t have lost a deal over it

Before we know it rappers are not going to be able to curse no mo on their albums cause somebody whose not a rap fan was offended f**k that

It’s always somebody tryna take down someone who is successful stop hating and get u some money

He would continue to comment about the whole situation on his Twitter, going back and forth with folks who disagreed with him saying things like, “I respect your opinion respect mine I don’t condone rape either but why was losing a Reebox deal his punishment he apologized.” But interestingly enough, he deleted some of the more reckless tweets, which included a few more B-words. But I’m not surprised that Slim Thug wouldn’t understand why people are up in arms about Ross’s lyrics. I mean, just read his comments, he can barely get his opinion out without referring to women as b***hes. And just a few days ago he put up a tweet that said, “B***hes in #2013 are still stupid and evil as Eve.”

But what Slim Thug, Rick Ross, Meek Mill and all these rappers need to realize is that people are a lot more outspoken in 2013 than they were back when B.I.G. was running hip-hop. You can’t romanticize the idea of date raping women on Molly and then expect everybody to play deaf and dumb. Watch your mouth or watch your money go, because we don’t have to support it. Simple as that.

What did you think of his comments?

Johnny Louis/wenn

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Rick Ross, and rightfully so. Many have been very vocal about their disgust over his lyrics in the remix to the Rocko song “U.O.E.N.O” (“Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it”). As a result of those lines and his clear confusion about why it’s wrong (saying you would never say the word rape in a song and implying it just because you think you sound witty makes no sense) has led to a lot of uproar and calls for Ross to lose his endorsements with Reebok.

Now people in his camp are having to answer for their boss’s lyrics, including Meek Mill, who had a radio interview in DC with 93.9 where he talked about that controversy, along with the heat he has been getting on his own for allegedly charging fans at his shows to be able take pictures with him. His answers were interesting to say the least, and can be kind of difficult to read…good luck.

Necole Bitchie got word from numerous people, fans of the rapper, who were pissed about him asking them to pay more than $100 for a chance to cheese it up with him in pictures. When asked about the rumors that he was doing this, he says it wasn’t him, but his people (“homies”) who were making folks pay to take a pic with him. But with R&B divas like Beyoncé and others charging hundreds of dollars for meet and greets, he doesn’t see the problem at all:

“Actually, I was not charging to take pictures ya know? My homies be in the crowd and if my homie trying to make some money and you trying to get backstage, he might charge you. That’s your fault. I don’t even see nothing actually wrong. Beyoncé and Rihanna, they charge $500 for a meet and greet. I’m bout to do a meet and greet right now free. I been doing this for years, you know what I’m saying? I take pictures everyday. I just took 20 pictures. I hang in the neighborhood, you know what I’m saying. I hang in the hood. So you know it’s average to me. I come outside everyday, pictures is average to me.”

Adriana M. Barraza/FavesVision/WENN.com

Somebody come get Chris. He literally needs to take a vacation and just cool out, because he’s been popping off on people all week, including Drake (even if homeboy wasn’t there to hear it).

So the song “5 a.m. in Toronto” was released this week by Drake, and in it, according to reports, is a shot at the whole Rihanna-Drake-Chris Brown love triangle that we all thought was defunct. Spitting over a pretty sick beat, Drake said “I’m just being frank with you/I mean, where you think she at when she ain’t with you?” That, along with a reference to the whole summer bottle throwing brawl between Drizzy and Breezy (and Meek Mill) had music reporters and bloggers coming to the conclusion that the rapper was throwing shots. So just yesterday, the singer (who low-key wants to be an R&B thug with the whole side rapping he does) was in Emerson Theatre in Hollywood, posted up near the DJ booth. And when the DJ decided to play Drake’s “Started From the Bottom,” Brown wasn’t feeling it. The singer proceeded to get on the DJ’s mic, and her stop the music for a moment to say the following:

“The DJ can play this s–t, but I want you all to know, F–k Drake!”

Hmmm, allegedly, Brown threw a middle finger in the air to the rapper and kept it moving, capping another messy moment in an extremely messy week for the singer. I’m sure you’ve heard about him having loud words with a valet at PINZ bowling alley in Studio City that was caught on video by TMZ. Word on the street is that the valet tried to stick the singer for his papers by making him pay $10 to get his car back while other patrons had to pay $5. Another report says that Drake’s friend claims the valet said Brown could park his car for a minute with no problem or fee, but then when he came to get his keys, was asking for $10. Not wanting to pay ANYTHING after that, Breezy got tough with the little guy and said that if he didn’t give him his keys, he promised to “turn the whole spot up.”

Aaaand there is word that Brown also had an argument with his bodyguard Big Pat on a private plane earlier in the week while it was stopping for a refuel, but it’s not clear why the argument took place. However, he did end up leaving said bodyguard, who had to fly home from Bermuda on a plane without his peeps and without all the perks of a private jet.

We’ve said it before…we really want Chris Brown to win but he has to get his anger in check for real. Folks are out here just trying to push him because they know he’ll snap, and he shouldn’t feed into that negativity. But at the same time, he has to chill and stop flying off the handle at the drop of a hat. It’s getting tired. And is it weird that when I heard about all this ranting I thought about Rihanna? I don’t know what she was talking about saying things are “different this time” for them, because from what can be seen, Brown’s temperament is a loooot worse than before. But here’s to hoping someone in his camp will step up ONE DAY and pull him to the side, because while some people unfairly label him (especially in mainstream media), he definitely makes it easy for folks to do so.

HRC-WENN

Despite her innocent looks and child-like performances, Taylor Swift seems like the girlfriend from hell. When it’s over, she writes songs about her exes, picks on them and drags their names through the dirt. Here is a list of 15 famous musicians that would give Taylor a taste of her own medicine if they ever dated.

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We love star gazing! And we know you do too. Check out these photos of our favorite black celebrities out and about!

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Usually wives, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, and baby mamas are the ones using Social Media to out the sorry men in their lives but this weekend rapper Meek Mill had a “moment” shall we say, and took to Twitter to air his grievances with how he feels the mother of his son is playing him financially.

Peep the grammatically incorrect tweetgrams:

Anyone else feeling the ghost of Lil Scrappy upon us?

I can’t help but feel like Meek tried to pull one of those non-legal agreements we saw Scrappy and Erica had going on on “Love & Hip-Hop” with his own baby mama. He gives her enough cash, she won’t hit him with child support papers — theoretically at least. On the surface, $11,000 in one month is a lot of money. If that’s all the money she’s seen in a year or so? Not so much, especially considering what he’s bringing in as a signed artist on Maybach Music Group. But then again, child support is just that, support for the child. When you just hand over cash like that, you can’t be sure where it’s going.

Bottom line, if people are going to agree to have these types of under-the-table child support agreements to keep the court system out of their pockets, they need to at least start getting some things in writing. Otherwise, as Meek pointed out, they will in fact have their lives effed up.

What do you think about what the Philly rapper had to say on Instagram?

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A little while back there were rumors that Rihanna and Meek Mill might be more than just two friends in the biz if you know what I mean. At the same time, Chris Brown was reportedly angry that Meek might be tapping his old thing and reportedly took Meek off a song. The Philly rapper quickly shut the noise down by telling everyone he had a girl at home and there was nothing going on with him and Rih, which made most people think the song story was just a rumor too but for some reason Meek decided to reignite the drama over Twitter. A few days ago, he Tweeted:

“U took me off ya song cause she let me watch da throne!”

Oh really? We know the throne is Jay and Kanye’s thing but we’re pretty sure Meek hasn’t gotten anywhere near Beyonce or that other girl whose name begins with a K, so this is probably a Breezy-Rihanna reference.

Chris’s supposed response to the shade was: “She’s a dream chaser! There are a lot of dreamers so she’ll be running forever!” But that really could reference just about anyone or anything.

What’s funny is Rihanna seems to be playing the Twitter game too and sent out these tweets the same day:

“Cupid stay away from my ho’s!!!!”

“The best part is that EYE get to choose!”

From my point of view, both of these men are already taken, but that probably wouldn’t stop Rih from pursuing, hence her beef with Karrueche. Either way, this all seems like a disastrous PR stunt for more attention than they already need. If these two men are really trying to beef over her they need to get their priorities straight—especially since there’s word Drake wants in on this too. SMH

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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