The Vibe Check — George Foreman Edition

Listen, George Foreman’s story? That’s perseverance in motion. Olympic gold medalist. Heavyweight champion. Lost it all. Then came back at 45 years old—forty-five!—to reclaim the title. Most people would’ve hung it up. But Foreman? He said, “Nah, I’m not done yet.”

And here’s the real gem—after the gloves, he flipped the script and built an empire with that grill. From knockout punches to knockin’ out burgers on countertops worldwide. That’s reinvention. That’s hustle. That’s believing in yourself even when the world counts you out.

‘Like That,’ One Year Later: How Kendrick Lamar’s Verse Changed Hip Hop Forever

On March 22, 2024, Kendrick Lamar detonated the culture. What started as a surprise feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You became a seismic shift in Hip Hop. “Like That” was more than a diss track—it was a line drawn in the sand. In just one verse, Kendrick exposed Drake’s insecurities, called out J. Cole’s safe-playing, and made it clear: peace was no longer an option.

Over the following months, the game crumbled. Longtime alliances turned into cold wars. Drake, once the genre’s undisputed chart god, found himself floundering. His diss tracks landed like feathers, while Kendrick’s “Not Like Us” won five Grammys and lit up the Super Bowl stage.

One year later, Kendrick’s dominance is unshaken. He’s at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Luther,” proving his reign is no fluke. Meanwhile, Drake’s latest project flopped, and Hip Hop crowned a new king. “Like That” didn’t just rattle cages—it changed the locks.

#KendrickLamar #LikeThat #HipHopNews #DrakeVsKendrick #RapBeef #NotLikeUs

Too $hort Returns to Film With ‘Freaky Tales’—A Star-Studded, Bay Area Explosion

Rapper and cultural icon Too $hort is back on the big screen with a gritty new film, Freaky Tales, executive produced alongside his manager David Weintraub. The movie, which premiered at Sundance and hits theaters April 4, is a wild trip through 1980s Oakland, showcasing the city’s hip hop roots and basketball scene with a raw and unapologetic tone.

Featuring an all-star cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Tom Hanks, Jay Ellis, Normani, and Symba, Freaky Tales is a genre-defying dive into the Bay Area’s cultural legends. $hort takes on the role of a crooked cop, while Symba plays his younger self—mirroring the legacy and real-life roots of the film. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck teamed with $hort and Weintraub to make sure the story didn’t just entertain—it told the truth.

Dedicated to late actor Angus Cloud and $hort’s brother Wayne “Loc” Shaw, Freaky Tales brings the heat, the heart, and the history of the Bay.

#TooShort #FreakyTales #BayAreaCulture #HipHopFilms #PedroPascal #OaklandLegends

Cordae’s Tiny Desk Moment With His Mom Is the Emotional Reset We All Needed

Cordae just redefined what it means to make it—and who you bring with you. During his Tiny Desk Concert, the rising rap star invited his mother, Jennifer Dunston, to join him for a deeply personal duet of “06 Dreamin’.” The track, pulled from his 2024 album The Crossroads, was originally built around a sample of Dunston’s vocals—born from her own dream of becoming a singer.

But Cordae decided to give her the spotlight for real. In front of NPR’s cameras and a captivated audience, mother and son performed together, delivering an emotional, soul-stirring version that brought more than a few tears. “She never got her big break,” Cordae told the crowd. “So I wanted to share this moment with her.”

Dunston once auditioned for American Idol. Now she’s a Tiny Desk star.

Cordae’s set also included tracks like “RNP,” “Have Mercy,” and “C Carter,” proving his lyrical weight—but nothing hit harder than the love on display between generations.

#Cordae #TinyDesk #06Dreamin #TheCrossroads #JenniferDunston #HipHopWithHeart