Okay, people. We’ve only been moved to use the header Not Okay when something comes across our desk(top) that is so singularly, strikingly wrong that it needs to be addressed straight on (and that only once, really). But the internet is large the fuckery goes deep and there is only so much time in a day, so when 12 or 13 things come across your desk(top) that scream ‘Not Okay’ on the very same day–its time to throw SEO to the wind and have a roundup at the Not Okay corral:

- Danny Brown Gets Head On Stage: Over the weekend notoriously x-rated rapper Danny Brown apparently received oral attentions from a female fan in the front row mid-rap at a Minnesota concert, who pulled his pants down without permission. A blurry video appeared online, some questionable “firsthand” testimonials surfaced on Reddit (damn, between this and mis-identifying the Boston Marathon bomber, Reddit is like the new CNN and shit) but the entire incident only became real when Kendrick Lamar tweeted about it (and Danny replied):

Feel free to place your vote of Okay or #NotOkay now, but maybe not before reading:

- Kitty Pryde Gets Mad About Danny Brown’s Oral “Thing”: Today in an entertaining and thoughtful but also somewhat disturbing Noisey editorial, Danny’s tourmate Kitty Pryde got mad about the whole thing in a rather unexpected way:

“‘The Thing’ was not a thing that Danny facilitated—it was an actual sexual assault, and somehow nobody gives a fuck about that but me.”

Which seems ludicrous on the face of it, but raises some interesting points about our expectations and the way we read things (or play things off–gentlemen, I’m looking at you) differently based on gender and race. Along the way she says some smart things and some crazy things and also gives a hilarious glimpse into what being Danny Brown’s tourmate is actually like:

“Gropers…take everything Danny raps about 100% literally, and assume that before the show we’re all backstage licking molly off each other’s buttholes. They often wear tube tops, even in Michigan where it was cold as fuck. Sometimes they come back to our hotel with us, and I’ve even parked their cars for them when they’re too drunk to drive. “

-Tyler, The Creator’s Ad Pulled By Mountain Dew For Being Racist: The infamous “Felicia The Goat” Mountain Dew spot created by Odd Future’s Tyler, The Creator was called out in a scathing editorial on YourBlackWorld for its heavy-handed use of racial stereotypes, specifically “ratchety negroes” (<–YBW’s words, NOT MINE) who are assembled in a police line-up with said goat, voice-acted by Tyler himself. The editorial directly resulted in Mountain Dew pulling the ad. Now there’s no disputing that this ad is offensive and makes blatant use of racial stereotypes-but whether it reinforces them or spoofing through extreme exaggeration the way the very same messages are conveyed by cop dramas and other less-controversial media is a worthy subject of debate (watch above to get it from the goat’s mouth, so to speak). YBW also notes that Mountain Dew is under pressure for its sponsorship of Lil Wayne and his refusal to apologize for comparing his sex-partner’s vaginal parts to the face of murdered civil rights activist Emmett Till. Which brings us to:

-Lil Wayne Apologizes For His Offensive Emmett Till Bars: After standing firm for a minute Lil Wayne eventually caved to pressure, officially apologizing to the family of murdered civil rights activist Emmett Till for the line: “beat the p**sy up like Emmett Till” on Future’s song “Karate Chop.” From the outside at least, coming as it does within hours of Mountain Dew dropping Tyler’s ad spot, this appears to be a move from the Rick Ross playbook, standing on free speech and wordplay right up until the moment the corporate money gets fucked up (at least Lil Wayne’s apology is not completely after the fact). On the other hand it feels wrong to beat up on Wayne the same day he goes back in to the hospital with purp-related seizures. And as tempting as it to speculate that he wanted to get his conscience clean because he knew his health was shaky–or even cracked under the stress of the situation–the only human thing seems to be to wish Wayne a speedy recovery so that he can live to spit another day. Read the full text of his open letter below:

Dear Till Family:

As a recording artist, I have always been interested in word play. My lyrics often reference people, places and events in my music, as well as the music that I create for or alongside other artists.

It has come to my attention that lyrics from my contribution to a fellow artist’s song has deeply offended your family. As a father myself, I cannot imagine the pain that your family has had to endure. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge your hurt, as well as the letter you sent to me via your attorneys.

Moving forward, I will not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in my music, especially in an inappropriate manner. I fully support Epic Record’s decision to take down the unauthorized version of the song and to not include the reference in the version that went to retail. I will not be performing the lyrics that contain that reference live and have removed them from my catalogue.

I have tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy. As a business owner who employs several African-American employees and gives philanthropically to organizations that help youth to pursue their dreams my ultimate intention is to uplift rather than degrade our community.

Best,

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Lil Wayne

The post Not Okay: Danny Brown Gets Head On Stage, Kitty Pryde Gets Mad, Tyler Gets Dropped By Mountain Dew + More appeared first on Okayplayer.

Paul White has dropped the official music video for his Danny Brown featuring track “Street Lights.” The clip, animated by Plastic Horse, fits perfectly with the dopeness that is a Paul White production. Brown’s verses are  impressive too. Word on the street is his still-in-the-works OLD album will include many beats by White and this preview leaves me very excited. Check out the visual below.

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On April 9th, Detroit rapper Danny Brown and NYC-based producer Baauer split a bill at Fitzgerald’s in Houston, Texas on the first date of their Worst of Both Worlds Tour. Baauer got the crowd hype with heavy bass and a variety of reworkings of tracks by artists such as Chief Keef, Missy Elliot, and TNGHT. He ended his set with recent viral monster hit, “Harlem Shake.” Danny Brown went on next and brought energy through the roof, as he usually does. I could never get tired of seeing Brown jump around, rappin his brains out. Watch a performance of “Wit It” along with Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” below.

Spotted at NAHRIGHT

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Danny Brown got the crowd turnt up at a recent show in Grand Rapids, Michigan with a performance of “Wit It” – the ode to sex, drugs and rapping cold from his 2011 XXX mixtape. The performance played out like a slightly more subdued version of the official video for the track directed by Bijoux Altamirano – a psychedelic black and purple homage to the pen and pixel rap album cover which lives in infamy due in part to the art direction endemic to No Limit Records‘ releases during the 90s. The performance gets crazier as the remainder of the Bruiser Brigade take stage to perform their self-titled anthem “Bruiser Brigade” and “Lie4″ with Brown. Check the Detroit MC mashing out below.

In slightly related news Danny Brown has also surfaced as a model for the Tokyo-based clothing company Uniqlo. Their latest campaign to promote the Uniqlo redux TruckShop pop-up store features Brown getting buck in a Keith Haring inspired tee. Michael K. Williams, Curtis Kulig and Miss Info are also featured in the ads. Peep Danny Brown’s Life in a Minute segment for Uniqlo.

Spotted at NAHRIGHT

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UK producer Paul White is readying the official release of his single “Street Lights” featuring Danny Brown, that will include the Dabrye remix, as well as the instrumentals. Today we get the o.g. version of the track before it’s official release on April 15th. As you should remember, Paul and Danny have teamed up many times in the past, three times on Danny’s XXX, and once on Paul’s project, Rapping with Paul White. Check the track below, and look for the official video coming soon. Word is Paul produced a majority of Danny’s upcoming OLD LP. Annnd speaking of OLD, Danny got a little anxious yesterday and leaked an unfinished version of his Skywlkr produced track “Kush Coma” (the album version is said to feature A$AP Rocky). Wow, if there was a soundtrack to the apocalypse, this would be track #3.

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As the behemoth music/industry festival known as South by Southwest sets its sights on the city of Austin, Texas for the next two weeks, prepare for your favorite music sites and social media timelines to be flooded with news of the takeover. Not ones to stay home from the online party, we here at Okayplayer are throwing our proverbial hat in the ring just like last year to bring you our Top 13 SXSW Showcases & Events for 2013 (get it?) to check out if you’re lucky enough to face the monster in real life – sort of like a baker’s dozen of awesomeness. Things officially got into full swing a few days ago, but the music portion of the festival doesn’t begin until tomorrow, meaning you still have a few days to get your ish together and make a plan of action to conquer this beast. Posted in rough chronological order, consider this guide as one of your necessary survival tools over the next week of shenanigans. Let’s get started, and may the force be with you, friends.

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As is customary this time of year, rappers take issue with their placement on MTV’s Hottest MCs list or their complete exclusion from the list. In past years, snubs have led to some serious lyrical assaults from the likes of Lupe Fiasco, J. Cole, and others. And Kanye has already provided one of the best hip-hop sound bites of the year after his #7 placement. Danny Brown opts to go with the former method as far as responses go and unleashes this Harry Fraud produced joint “#HottestMC” with the caption: “Fuck a top 10 list… nigga Im the Greatest Rapper Ever“. Then more humbly states: “Kendrick is #1 make no mistake bout that or that list is complete fuckery.” – couldn’t agree more, though Danny went off on this one (and I’d rank him far higher than some of the dudes who made the list). Look for Danny’s OLD LP coming soon.

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Danny Brown and Baauer – still smelling of freshly-cut fame – have decided, in their infinite wisdom, to team up and hit the road together. Announcing their Worst Of Both Worlds Tour, the pair will head out across the south before hitting the west coast, including both dates at Coachella in support of Danny Brown’s upcoming album. They hit the road at the beginning of April and play through the end of the month. The tour will undoubtedly double as a celebration of Baauer’s firm grasp on Billboard’s #1 spot following the massive success of his Harlem Shake meme. An unexpected smash that spawned memes on memes on memes and has the world wondering what Baauer’s going to do next. Stop worrying about him and get your tickets. Anything with Danny Brown and Baauer in the same room is worth paying for.

Worst Of Both Worlds Tourdates:
Apr. 9: Houston, Tex. (Fitzgeralds)
Apr. 10: Dallas, Tex. (Tree’s)
Apr. 11: Austin, Tex. (Emo’s East)
Apr. 13: Indio, Calif. (Coachella)
Apr. 14: Tucson, Ariz. (Congress)
Apr. 15: Tempe, Ariz. (Club Red)
Apr. 17: San Francisco, Calif. (Independent)
Apr. 18: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Casa De La Raza)
Apr. 20: Indio, Calif. (Coachella)

Spotted at FDR

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In two separate but equally entertaining interviews, Scion AV caught up with the Flushing, Queens phenomenon Action Bronson and Motor City MVP Danny Brown with his Bruiser Brigade – a deep bench of Detroit players working as a collective to churn out the head crack crunk Brown has become known for. Featured as a part of the Scion AV Open Mic series, both rappers discuss their meteoric rise to fame as two cult figures with the types of personalities and quirks we haven’t really seen since the reign of ODB.

Equally adept as spitters, Brown and Bronson appreciate being in the position to do what they love and contribute to a shift toward preservationism in rap music that finds newer MCs reviving old traditions. But neither MC is really drinking the kool-aid when it comes to conversations about their popularity. In a similar show of humility and general disinterest both men brush their notoriety under the table – Bronson touting his omnipresence in Flushing, Queens where being surrounded by friends and family who will talk trash about him keeps him grounded. Brown seems a little confused by the whole thing, given that he has yet to release a retail album. With all of the people on Brown’s team at least one person in the Bruiser Brigade is sitting on the kind of heat that could change that. Stay on the look out!

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The 2013 Sasquatch! Music Festival will take place at the beautiful Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington during Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27. The festival has announced it’s initial lineup of artists and it should please music fans of all walks of life.  On the hip-hop front, we have Earl Sweatshirt, Death Grips, Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q & Ab-Soul, Solange, Killer Mike, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and P.O.S. Rock bands performing include The XX, Vampire Weekend, Dirty Projectors, Arctic Monkeys, Cake, Built to Spill, Primus, Tame Impala, and in the ‘impossible to categorize’ category Toro y Moi, and Grimes among others. There is really something for everyone. Tickets can be purchased starting on Saturday, via Live Nation and the full lineup can be viewed in poster form above.

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