VIDEO DISCUSSION: Azealia Banks receives backlash from Lizzo's fans after making "insulting" comments about Lizzo, Cardi B, and Lil Nas X

In this episode of What's The 411, award-winning journalist, Kizzy Cox, and comedian Onika McLean, are discussing news items Malik Yoba, Azealia Banks, Lizzo, Cardi B, Lil Nas X, Kandi Burruss' daughter Riley crowdsourcing money for her birthday, parents making their children feel indebted for being born, and a white woman named LaKeisha.

What’s Poppin’ – CULTURE

Actor Malik Yoba, best known for his starring role as NYPD Detective J. C. Williams on the Fox police drama New York Undercover, and more recently in the television program, Empire, stepped into a hailstorm after making a comment in support of transgender women. Mariah Lopez Ebony, a former transgender prostitute turned activist, claims Yoba paid for sexual favors from child sex workers. The Sigma Beta Club program, which provides counseling and guidance for pre-teen boys and teenage males dropped Yoba as its spokesperson. The program is a service offered by Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Q. Have you ever heard any whispers about Malik Yoba and can he survive the allegations?

What’s Poppin’ - MUSIC

Azealia Banks, a rapper who hasn't had a hit record in several years, spewed a few words after the singer, Lizzo’s, record Truth Hurts, ascended to No.1 on the Billboard 100 list. Banks wrote a scorching post on Twitter going after Lizzo stating:

“The song is not good, nor is the dumpy fat girl spectacle live set she does. Saddest bit is that the girl is legit talented and truly only being allowed to shine so long as she allows herself to be this millennial mammy of sorts.”

And, Banks didn’t stop there, she went on to say:

“Like illiterate Cardi then fat Lizzo. They are really choosing the worst of the black womens crop to advertise America with. I guess they saw us moving too fast with it because if you realize, after Beyoncé became political in ways they didn’t like, the elite stopped giving her that top top spot and started cycling out these lessers like Cardi and Lizzo (even Lil Nas X trash ass buckbreak mountain anthem) giving them Beyoncé level accolades while both being nowhere near the level of black female excellence she is.”

Q. One could say, Azealia Banks, is at it again. Or, you could say, there is some truth in her statement. What do you think?

What's Poppin' - Real Housewives of Atlanta

Recently, Kandi Burruss’ daughter, Riley Burruss, landed in hot water for an Instagram post on her birthday asking her fans to send her money. Some RHOA fans asked her to stop because her mother’s a millionaire and she shouldn’t be online asking people for money, while others came to her defense.

Q. Do you think this was a wise move on Riley’s part? Were some of her fans right that she shouldn’t be asking for money online?

What's Poppin' - Family Matters

Recently, there was a great article in MadameNoire, titled, Stop Making Your Children Feel Indebted To You For Being Born.

Q. Do you think this is a thing? If so, why do you think most parents do this?

What’s Poppin’ –POP CULTURE

We have talked about cultural appropriation on this show quite often. What do you think it's like to be a white woman with the name LaKiesha?

Nobel Peace Prize in the spotlight, Pennsylvania school district officials go too far to shame parents, Blue Ivy Carter sends Twitterverse into a tailspin

The Lion King, starring Beyonce and Donald Glover, earned a whopping $185 million in its opening weekend. The Jon Favreau directed film is good for the eighth-best opening of all time and the best opening ever for a family-friendly PG film, narrowly edging out Incredibles 2. Moreover, the film has earned over $346 million overseas, priming The Lion King to be another $1 billion worldwide hit for Disney.

Blue Ivy Carter is on her way! The Twitterverse went crazy when it discovered Beyonce's 7-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, sings and has a writing credit on "Brown Skin Girl," one of the tracks released from The Lion King: The Gift, the album Beyonce curated for the film. Blue Ivy begins and ends the song, which features her mother, Beyonce, SAINt JHN, and Wizkid.

Donald Trump hosted in the Oval Office at the White House survivors of religious persecution from 17 countries around the world, including Nadia Murad, an Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. And, Trump is being roundly slammed because he was so focused on the fact that Murad has a Nobel Prize that he couldn’t focus on why she won or what happened to her family. Also, speaking of Trump, his friend, Jeffrey Epstein was denied bail in his sex trafficking case.

School Lunch Program Officials Running Amok. Roughly 1,000 letters were sent to parents whose kids are in school in the Wyoming Valley West School District in Pennsylvania. The letter said pay your lunch debt, or your kids will go into foster care. Joanne Van Saun, who runs the local child and youth services agency, is not happy and clapped back at the Wyoming Valley West School District, saying, 'To weaponize my agency was just outrageous'. 

Once the media made Ms. Van Saun's comments public, the West Wyoming School District pulled back its comment about putting kids in foster care.

Unfortunately, last week, there was so much national attention on Donald Trump’s outrageous use of Congressional Representative Ilhan Omar, as his poster child to get votes for 2020, that the American people did not know that Representative Omar had introduced legislation to end school lunch debt shaming.

VIDEO DISCUSSION: Cardi B. calls Jermaine Dupri on the carpet over comment about female rappers; American Airlines pays doctor because of mistreatment

In this week's Quick Takes from Episode 145, What's The 411 hosts Kizzy Cox, Onika McLean, and Keisha Wilson, are talking about the Queen of Pop and actress, Beyonce, and actor Donald Glover's star turn in Disney's new rendition of The Lion King; rapper Cardi B's clap back to music producer Jermaine Dupri regarding his comment about female rappers; American Airlines refunding the fare of Dr. Tisha Rowe, who was flying with her 8-year-old son from Jamaica to Florida after she posted on Twitter an incident she encountered with airline personnel; Dollar General's plans to change its products in search of wealthier customers, and; LaLa Anthony's comment to independent women at this year's Essence Festival.

Don't Call Me Auntie! Diva of Comedy Says After Beyhive Comes for Dionne Warwick’s Edges

Recently, the legendary Dionne Warwick had an interview with Essence and because Ms. Warwick did not bow down to Beyonce with her response to a question regarding Beyonce’s “iconic” status, the Beyhive came for her edges. Ms. Warwick stated the following:

‘It’s wonderful to see how she’s been able to create what and who she wanted to be and who she is.’

‘Now, sustaining and becoming an icon that Gladys Knight, or Patti LaBelle, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, or Sammy Davis Jr. is? I doubt that I really do. I love her to death, and I can really appreciate her talent. But that status I just mentioned, those four names? [She has] a long road [ahead].’

Was Ms. Warwick’s response a diss toward Beyonce?

Make sure you watch Onika’s response over the Auntie Twitter comment!

VIDEO DISCUSSION: The growing number of conservative abortion laws and why are men so quiet? The Beyhive stings Ms. Dionne Warwick

In Episode 144 of What's The 411 recorded on June 4, 2019, the hosts, award-winning journalist, Kizzy Cox, and comedian, Onika McLean, are talking about:

Abortion Rights and the Lack of Male participation

Where are the men who believe that women have the right to full agency over their bodies? Why are they so quiet?

Hollywood Needs Help in the Black Hair Department

The lack of black hairstylists in the entertainment industry has been an ongoing struggle for some of Hollywood’s biggest names gracing the big and small screen. Is it time for Hollywood’s non-Black hairstylists to learn how to style Black Hair? Viola Davis thinks so.

Dionne Warwick got entangled in the web of the Beyhive

Iconic songstress, Dionne Warwick, ran afoul of Beyonce’s most fervent fans, the Beyhive, because of a response she gave during an interview with Essence. The Beyhive thought Ms. Warwick was throwing shade at Beyonce when she stated the following when answering if Beyonce is an icon:

‘It’s wonderful to see how she’s been able to create what and who she wanted to be and who she is.’

‘Now, sustaining and becoming an icon that Gladys Knight, or Patti LaBelle, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, or Sammy Davis Jr. is? I doubt that, I really do. I love her to death, and I can really appreciate her talent. But that status I just mentioned, those four names? [She has] a long road [ahead].’

Is it all a misunderstanding on the part of the Beyhive or, did Ms. Warwick really throw shade at Beyonce?

The Mother of XXXTentacion’s Child Wins Right to DNA Sample

A judge ruled that XXXTentacion’s girlfriend, Jenesis Sanchez, can obtain a sample of the deceased rapper’s DNA. X's mother, Cleopatra Bernard, was a proud grandmother at the time of X’s baby’s birth. However, later she attempted to block Ms. Sanchez from receiving the DNA sample. In the end, the judge sided with Ms. Sanchez and granted the petition.

Reports state Ms. Bernard isn’t too happy. Can you write this script?

Children’s Sharing Etiquette

Most of us grew up with lessons from our parents and teachers about sharing our toys, books, and other childhood possessions with our friends and classmates. However, some psychologists are turning that life lesson upside down, saying that it’s okay for children to not share their possessions.

Is this generation of psychologists going off the rails, or, were we brought up the wrong way?

Porsha, Porsha, Porsha

The Internet is all abuzz over what appears to be a breakup between Real Housewives of Atlanta star, Porsha Williams, and her new beau, Dennis McKinley over what appears to be his cheating with another reality TV star, Sincerely Ward. 

It’s one thing to have a breakup in private, but a public breakup with someone who is the father of your newborn child, that’s rough. However, Porsha’s fans really got amped and seemingly have her back after learning that All About The Tea and Tasha K of Unwine with Tasha K seem to have receipts to prove that Dennis was cheating on Porsha while using her to climb the social ladder.

Stay tuned, after all, it’s reality TV.

The BeyGOOD scholarships will be a life-altering opportunity for these young scholars

While on the OTR II Tour, Beyoncé and Jay-Z (through BeyGOOD and the Shawn Carter Foundation) announced a new scholarship program to award one exceptional senior high school student with financial needs in the remaining US markets along the tour.

Each recipient will have $100K put toward their enrollment and the award will serve as a dedicated university-based fund for each selected student throughout the duration of their enrollment.

Working with the Boys and Girls Club of America, the power couple has brought the possibility of a brighter future for a scholar in each of these OTR II markets: Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Arlington, New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Seattle.

K. Michelle brings up her old flame, Idris Elba; sex dolls are back, and this time with artificial intelligence; Meghan Markle's husband wants to cash in on Ms. Markle's celebrity

In this episode of What's The 411, journalist Kizzy Cox, and comedian Onika McLean are talking about:

In Quick Takes, the duo is giving a rundown of the following news stories:

• It’s official. Television producer, Kenya Barris, is following in the footsteps of Shonda Rhimes. He is leaving his overall pact at ABC, which terminates in August. Sources state that Barris will remain an executive producer on all of his shows, Black-ish on ABC; Grown-ish and the upcoming Besties on Freeform. He will continue to work on the ABC Studios projects he has in development, and his Netflix deal is expected to be substantial.

• Tamron Hall is on her way back to daytime! She has inked a deal with Disney for a new Daytime talk show, and she stated in a press release:

“I’m so thrilled to partner with Disney ABC to create a daytime television show that’s unconventional, fun, intimate and sometimes even raw. My new partners appreciate and respect the relationship I’ve built with my audience and know that if we create television worth watching, they’ll join us for the ride. I’m so grateful and excited for this next chapter. The landing makes the leap of faith so worth it."

• Actor and rapper, Will Smith, announced in a video on Instagram that he is teaming up with self-help author Mark Manson to write a book. Smith said:

• “We’re going to be meeting with five publishers… we’re gonna pick one. And if I had to take a guess, I feel very confident that we’re gonna go with the highest bidder… I’m just saying.”

• We talked about Meghan Markle’s father and sister doing everything possible to cash in on the celebrity of the Duchess of Sussex. Now, Meghan Markle’s ex-husband, Trevor Engelson, wants in, too. He’s planning to put all of their business on Front Street.

• And, in case you missed it, Beyoncé will be on the all-important September issue of Vogue magazine. Beyoncé’s photos were shot by Tyler Mitchell, the first Black man to shoot a Vogue cover.

• Singer K. Michelle fondly remembers her romance with actor Idris Elba, she told Hollywood Unlocked that “they split up because he wasn’t ready to settle down. “He told me he would never be committed to one woman. He said I would be taken care of, I would be fine, but he would never commit to one woman.”

WHAT’S POPPIN' – RACE and CULTURE

KIZZY: There is a huge debate going on right now about the unequal treatment of Black people subjected to gun violence vs. White people. Recently, actress Anne Hathaway, who is white, shaken by the death of Nia Wilson at the hands of a white man, challenged white people to wake up and pay attention. Hathaway said in part, White people DO NOT have equivalence for this fear of violence.”

Even David Hogg one of the survivors of the Parkland H.S. massacre in Florida said he would use his “white privilege” to also address the often overlooked gun violence in black and brown communities.

Q. Now, granted, Black people are not monolithic, but the response to these overtures have been mixed, ranging from it’s about time that white people are recognizing the inequality to, no I am not afraid and only Black people can help Black people. Where do you stand on this issue?

WHAT’S POPPIN' – RELATIONSHIPS

ONIKA: Recently, Meagan Good’s husband, DeVon Franklin, in an effort to separate dating from marriage posted on Instagram:

“There’s a time to act like husband and wife, but if doesn’t come until you’re actually married—until you have that indelible commitment to each other.”

Q. Do you like this idea? What happens when people choose to live together minus the marriage nuptials?

WHAT’S POPPIN' – RELATIONSHIPS

ONIKA: Speaking of marriage, ‘The Daily’ host Michael Barbaro, splits from his husband and is now dating a female producer on another show at The New York Times.

Q. I know that we live in a fluid society, but would you date man who was married to a man?

WHAT’S POPPIN – FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

KIZZY: If you are a regular viewer of What’s The 411, you know we have talked about sex dolls at least twice before. Well, sex dolls are back in the news! And, this time because the manufacturers in China are now including artificial intelligence in the dolls. So they will be able to hold short conversations.

Q. Where are we headed with this? Is this good for society?

Digital Album Streaming: a beautiful boost or plummeting pitfall? Well it depends on how you use it

The first half of 2018 has seen album releases from the likes of J. Cole, Nipsey Hussle, Tory Lanez, Nas, Kanye West, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z; all with various rollout plans to the lack thereof. Nicki Minaj announced her album, Queen, in May for a June release. Beyoncé and Jay-Z released Everything is Love seemingly out of nowhere, and then there were albums that dropped under an executive producer who didn't seem to give much notification to the artists themselves, cough. (I'm talking about... yes, you guessed it! Kanye West.)

Digital streaming of music has given both the artist and consumer a one-stop shop. Artists no longer need to advertise on billboards, bus signs or conjure up elaborate marketing plans. Music executives no longer have to announce albums and songs months in advanced and retail stores are not stocked to capacity with copies of physical CDs needed to match shopper consumption. Depending on the caliber of artist that you are, you don't even need to bait your audience into wanting your album with pre-released singles. All you have to do is make sure it's available on all streaming platforms on the day that you say it will be. Or, you don't even need to say a day.

I'm guilty of crediting Queen Bey for bringing the art of the hasty release into the genre of R&B and Hip Hop. Many people, like me, forget that it was actually her husband, Sean Carter, who started the trend. Released on July 4, 2013, Magna Carta Holy Grail took to listeners ears after only being announced two weeks prior in a subtle commercial for Samsung that premiered during the NBA Finals.

VIDEO featuring Jay-Z promoting Magna Carta Holy Grail

"All these other things have been introduced to the world -- the internet and all this technology, and all these things. How do we operate within all that? We don't have any rules; everyone's trying to figure it out... that's why the internet's like the wild, Wild West. We need to write the new rules for what's going on right now... The one thing I wanted to do was have that fireplace or radio moment... I wanted everyone to hear the album at one time."

Unfortunately, Samsung lost out on the ordeal when the app they paid for to stream Jay's album crashed and the project was almost instantaneously available on other digital streaming platforms. Nonetheless, the attempt was seen.

What we'd call an L, Beyoncé followed suit with and turned into a W, a surprise release of her self-titled visual album that took the world by complete force. Beyoncé was exclusively available on iTunes for its first week, was accompanied by visuals for each track, earning Yonce' over 80,000 copies sold in the first three hours and ultimately a number one album debut. (Queen Bey also saw similar success with her release of Lemonade, accompanied by a full-length film where Hov's, iced tea, 4:44, debuted at number one with various short films to accompany each track. The most successful of which, "The Story of O.J.", reached over 70 million views.

But the ability of Beyonce and Jay-Z to make us look is due largely to the equity and caliber of artistry they've come to be known for, not just in the exclusivity of their work alone. As listeners and consumers, we have a solid expectation of the quality of work they'll deliver and therefore have no problem rushing to whatever medium they decide to release from.

However, many artists are not so privileged. Even prior to Beyonce's self-titled visual album release, Kanye West tested the waters with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's 34-minute film, Runaway, amassing over 22 million views to this date, and decided to take that same triumphant energy and innovation into his February 14, 2016, release of The Life of Pablo. The result was not so great. The rollout of the album was plagued by constant title changes, routine Kanye twitter rants, and revised track lists. The only thing that seemed to be happening right was that West had a Yeezy Season 3 fashion show planned at Madison Square Garden where he would premiere the project for all those in attendance, right? Wrong. The album premiered three days later on Tidal, with alterations unheard of by the crowd in attendance at Madison Square Garden. Even months after the release, the album was still undergoing changes with its finalized version coming on April 1, 2016.

And now here we are. The Carters’ surprise release, Everything is Love, and Kanye West announcing and embarking on his executive delivery of five albums in five weeks. The results have been everywhere from successful to... not so much. Pusha T's Daytona soared in the midst of rap beef between himself and Drake. Ye was welcomed by a lukewarm reception, but still managing to debut at number one, while Kids See Ghosts featuring Ye and Kid Cudi was quietly released and debuted at number two while NASIR featuring Nas peaked at number five.

However, the rockiest rollout yet was Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E. The singer took to Big Boy's Neighborhood on Power 106 to explain that the album will be re-released due to label miscommunication and samples not being cleared in time. Acknowledging that songs on the album were literally cut short, as well as the label's mistake in setting a release date and listening experience all before the album samples were even cleared.

VIDEO: Teyana Taylor on Big Boy’s Neighborhood

Teyana has taken the public misstep like a champ, acknowledging the helpful critiques she's received from those who have listened thus far. A similar attitude is now generally required of artists in the digital age of album streaming, its boundless limits should remind artists to propel themselves into a new realm of creativity and innovation. Ultimately instilling in them the ability to embrace the body of work that they have while remembering, it’s not fully what you do but how you do it.

- Jadriena "Jade" Solomon

@24Jaded