By: Gabrielle Taite

Earlier this week on Monday, January 31, The View cohost, Whoopi Goldberg was suspended for remarks she made concerning the Holocaust. 

The show’s hosts were discussing the recent decision of a Tennessee school to ban the 1980 book Maus which is a graphic novel by cartoonist Art Spiegelman that depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. 

During the discussion, Goldberg made claims that the Holocaust “was not about race,”  but instead about “man’s inhumanity to man” and involved “two white groups of people. This sparked outrage amongst some viewers, causing Goldberg to be suspended from the show for two weeks on Tuesday, Feb. 1. 

ABC News President, Kim Godwin, said Goldberg was asked “to take time to reflect and learn about the impact of her comments” throughout her suspension. This comes after Goldberg served as a special guest on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and further explained the comments she made earlier in the day, where she eventually issued an apology on Twitter. 

During the next day’s showing of The View, Goldberg even apologized for her comments, stating that she had made a poor choice of words. However, her apologies were not enough for some causing her to be suspended from the show. 

Goldberg’s removal from the program has since drawn some critics who say the network’s decision to suspend the cohost was too rash and a missed learning opportunity for the network, as the Holocaust is a sensitive topic that is rarely discussed on air. This situation has sparked a “cancel culture” frenzy spurring strong emotions on both sides of the argument as to whether the liberal actor should be canceled or corrected about her comments. 

Previous public figures who have come under fire for their comments concerning Jewish people include actor Nick Cannon who was fired from his MTV show Wild ’N Out by the program’s parent company ViacomCBS for comments they said “promoted hateful speech.” 

In the episode of Cannon’s Class, the 41-year-old host interviewed former Public Enemy rapper Professor Griff who left the rap group in 1989 after claiming that Jewish people were “wicked.” Professor Griff then went on to state that he was talking about the Jewish people controlling the media and said “I’m hated now because I told the truth,” where Cannon agreed with him and even stated that “Semitic people are black people”, and that: “You can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people.” 

The question of the harshness of cancel culture quickly arises in Goldberg’s scenario as well as many others. 

Editor of Jewcy, and online platform for young Jews, Isaac de Castro, took to Twitter to say that Goldberg’s comments reflected the inability of many Americans to understand race and racism outside of their prism, but also added “putting a grown woman in a time-out” does little to advance a reckoning with Jewish identity.

In recent times it appears as though the rules seem to be more enforced when it comes to Black public figures versus their non Black counterparts. In 2015 Kelly Osbourne said on an episode of The View about then presidential candidate Donald Trump, “If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?” Osborne questioned. 

Other cohost of the show which included Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez, Michelle Collins and Raven-Symoné can be heard disagreeing with Osborne, where she later began to backtrack her comments. 

Perez even corrected Osbourne saying, “Latinos are not the only people that do that.” 

Osbourne later apologized, however no dramatic action was taken against her such as removing her from the show.

Giuliana Rancic was reprimanded back in 2015 for her stereotypical comments on the hit show Fashion Police where she stated that actor Zenday’s dreadlocked hair looked like it “smells like patchouli oil and weed.”

Rancic later apologized, however was not faced with removal from the show. Beauty moguls such as Jeffree Star have even made a multitude of racist remarks as well as had problematic instances and yet still seem to be mostly unaffected by cancel culture. 

However, stars like Roseanne Barr have faced the consequences of their ignorant, racist comments, by having their shows cancelled. The discussion of cancelling individuals rather than educating them becomes a problem when the person who made the offensive comments has apologized and is willing to learn from their mistake, just as Goldberg has done.

ABC has not made any further comment on whether or not they plan to keep the suspension in place as of late or what they will do once Goldberg returns to the show. Check out the link below to see some of the segment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhITfM4bqO8

Listen to the single and watch her interview with DJ Scream on Hoodrich Radio:

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“It’s about the nature of man. It’s about what we, as mankind, have done with knowledge that we probably shouldn’t have had.”

All We Need drops October 16th on Columbia Records. Peep the track now and tell us if this doesn’t sound like a reincarnated Dre and Big  (OutKast) for 2015.

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OutKast had Atlanta jumping last weekend with their historic return home with their ATLast concert performances. The Dungeon Family was all over the scene throughout the city and the party will keep rocking this month as Killer Mike will headline Dungeons & Dragons: The Real A-Town Experience on Friday, October at The Loft. Hosted by Fort Knox, the D.F. Reunion will also feature performances from Cool Breeze, Slim Calhoun, EJ Da Witchdoctor, Backbone, Blackowned C-Bone, Lil Will, Scotty ATL and more. Speaking of uniting with his day one crew, Killa Kill stated,

“Over the last few weeks, we’ve witnessed several great moments for Atlanta Hip-Hop. The ‘ATL: The Untold Story of Atlanta’s Rise in the Rap Game’ documentary took us back to where it all started. The Outkast #ATLast weekend was historic on so many levels. Not only did it remind us of where Outkast took the game, and the many artists that were ready to prove that “The South had something to say” when ‘Kast proclaimed; but also, with the inclusion of artists like K Camp, Childish Gambino, Raury, B.O.B. and Rae Sremmurd, showing us how many new voices are ready to keep our voice strong. So I figured, what better time to celebrate to celebrate the second wave of artists to come out of the Dungeon Family. Cool Breeze, Slim Calhoun, Blackowned C-Bone, EJ Da Witchdoctor, Backbone, Lil Will and myself have all contributed classic material to reinforce Atlanta’s place in Hip-Hop. And Scotty ATL has proven time and again that he is ready to carry that torch.”

Tickets are available for $20 in advance at TicketAlternative.com. Tickets will be $25 at the door.

Killer Mike was also in the building this past Saturday as Organized Noize hosted the ATLast official after party at 595 North produced by The Muddy Water Group.  With an abundance of Dungeon Family hits rocking the whole night, Big Rube also celebrated his birthday as Ray Murray, Mr. DJ, and Kawan “KP” Prathar manned the wheels of steel. Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown and Slim Calhoun were also in the building. Peep a few of the flicks now provided by  InspireMagAtl.com.

Outkast has recently been busy with what may be their final tour. The Atlanta duo reunited back in April at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Fest and since has been touring the world in celebration of their 20th anniversary as a musical group. It was recently announced that Outkast will be taking their victory lap where it all started.  This week Big Boi and Andre 3000 announced their plans for a homecoming concert back in Atlanta. The event will be held at Centennial Olympic Park on September 27th.

“It’s only right that we give the hometown what we’ve been giving the rest of the world, Atliens in ATL, homecoming! Festival Killers,” comments Big Boi in a statement made to Billboard.

“Coming from Atlanta gave us the freedom to be whatever we ever wanted to be because no one was paying attention. Now that everyone is, we want to say thank you,” added André 3000.

The duo definitely has a big place in their hearts for Atlanta and their appreciation for all that their hometown has done for their movement shows.  If you are in the Atlanta area, this is definitely a show that you don’t want to miss.  From the flyer you can see that some special guest will be in attendance as well.

Tickets are not on sale as of yet, but you can go to Outkastatllast.com for more information.

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Nas brought out fellow New York rappers Jay-Z and Puff Daddy to perform Dead Presidents, Where I’m From, and Hate Me Now during his set.

Outkast did their thing as hits like Hey Ya! received huge reactions from the crowd.  Outkast’s set also featured a guest appearance by Janelle Monae which ignited the crowd.

Another highlight of the Coachella event was Pharrell ‘s set that included an ensemble of dancers and special guests Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Busta Rhymes and Gwen Stefani.  Pharrell left the oversized crowd with something to be Happy about as he performed hits from his catalogue that included songs like Hot in Herre, Blurred Lines,  and Grammy winning song Get Lucky.

Beyonce surprised fans when she hopped on stage with sister Solange.  While not scheduled to perform, the crowd went crazy over her appearance as the two performed Losing You and then went into a choreographed dance routine.

Singer Jhene Aiko hit the Coachella stage and brought out a couple of her friends to join her.   Joining the Los Angeles singer was Childish Gambino and former tour mate Drake who was making his first Coachella appearance.

The two-weekend event will continue on this weekend and is sure to keep giving fans a memorable experience.

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Stat Quo releases visuals for his banger “OutKast” as he pays homage to the Atlanta duo.  Produced by Dueno, this is off of Stat Quo’s latest album, ATLA (All This Life Allows, Volume 1). 

Definitely worth the purchase, cop it now on iTunes.

Follow us on Twitter@HipHopEnquirer and Michael “Ice-Blue” Harris @IceBlueVA

Big Boi and Andre 3000 were definitely worth the wait as they performed for over an hour and a half but Coachella dropped the ball as they cut the lights out on Hip-Hop’s greatest duo and didn’t allow them to close out the show with a bang.

Coachella’s lack luster crowd also didn’t appear to know that they were standing in the presence of Hip-Hop royalty.

These festival performances are cool but the millions of fans who would’ve appreciated the show saw the iconic performance on the Internet.

Watch as The Kings  earn their crown now.

Follow us on Twitter@HipHopEnquirer and Michael “Ice-Blue” Harris @IceBlueVA

Hootie Hoo…It’s the Call Of Da Wild.  Enjoy the rest of the performances and set your clocks for 2:30 a.m. as the dynamic duo OutKast returns.

Andre 3000 has been speaking about playing his idol Jimi Hendrix for years and the culmination is finally here. Andre 3000 will play the late Rock & Roll legend in the biopic All Is By My Side.

The movie will premiere this month at SXSW.  Besides All Is By My Side being released this year, 3 Stacks will also reunite with his partner in rhyme Big Boi for 40 festival dates this year including  Coachella, Governors Ball and Drake’s OVO Fest.  The reunion coincides with the 20th anniversary release of Outkast’s classic debut SouthernPlayaListicCadillacMuzik.

Check out the thespian Andre Benjamin below.

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It’s the Hip Hop duo reunion we’ve all been waiting for. According to Revolt, Outkast members Big Boi and Andre 3000 plan on working on a new album together. Not before they release their own solo projects first. This news was announced shortly after Outkast released their plans to perform at over 40 festival dates this year. The festival tour is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of when their debut album, Southernplayalisticadillamuzik was released. Currently both Andre and Big Boi have been recording solo material at Stankonia Studios in Atlanta. Also for their performance at CounterPoint Festival in Georgia this April which will be their first hometown event since their reunion. We can also expect to see some Dungeon Family members including Big Gripp on some select dates.

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Finally fans of the innovative group Outkast can get ready for their return to the stage and end of their hiatus. Antwan “Big Boi” Patton and André “3000” Benjamin announced they are returning to the scene celebrating their 20th anniversary. The festival tour will be held throughout the Spring/Summer of 2014 at over 40 festivals around the world.

Big Boi and André spoke about the upcoming tour and returning to the stage: “It’s truly an honor to celebrate 20 years and still be free to do music the way we choose,” said Big Boi. “And imagine, all we wanted to do was rap! I am thankful to have been a part of a group that allowed me to explore anything that came to mind and have fun doing it. Returning to the stage together is the most exciting way for us to thank everyone for their 20 years of supporting Outkast,” said André 3000.

We’ll keep you posted on the festival tour dates.

Photo Credit: Big Boi

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The Cool Kids have announced that they will be ending their brief hiatus with the release of a new album called Shark Week. The last time we heard from the Cool Kids was with their debut studio album When Fish Ride Bicycles back in 2011 along with some mixtapes. Since then, both have been working as solo artists and building their own individual brands. Things began to shift in 2013 with the Cool Kids linking back up to release “Swervin”. Along with the release of Shark Week, Chuck Inglish also plans to release his solo debut album Convertibles. 2014 is shaping up to be a great year for rap with the Cool Kids joining Outkast and Clipse who are both scheduled for reunions this year.

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It’s been a while since we’ve had any new material from OutKast’s Andre 3000 and his Goodie M.O.b homeboys spoke with MTV and explained why Dre has been like a chameleon for over the past years.

Cee-Lo revealed,

“He just said he had a severe case of stage fright and just kind of been away from the game and didn’t know if he could truly live up — ah, I just feel like I’m talking to much personal stuff. I hope he don’t mind. But he said he was bothered by this bar that had been set and maybe he’d want to do something different. And he’ll always be his worst competition, worst critic. And maybe he don’t wanna live up to what people think he should do.”

On the rumor mill, Dre is alleged to be gearing to drop a new album sometime by early next year. Let’s hope but until then peep as the D.F. explain 3 stacks hiatus.

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While Big Boi was sitting on the sideline after suffering a knee injury and undergoing surgery a few weeks back, he didn’t use his down time idly.

Daddy Fat Sacks hooked up again with his homey Sleepy Brown and dropped the new video “The Thickets” from highly slept on but oh so venomous Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors.

Big Boi also had to cancel a few shows because of the injury. Check out the make-up dates below.

Fri-Sep-20 ATLANTA, GA MASQUERADE
Tue-Sep-24 CHATTANOOGA, TN TRACK 29
Wed-Sep-25 ASHEVILLE, NC ORANGE PEEL
Thu-Sep-26 WILMINGTON, NC BROOKLYN ARTS CTR
Sun-Sep-29 BOSTON, MA PARADISE
Tue-Oct-01 BROOKLYN, NY BROOKLYN BOWL
Wed-Oct-02 WASHINGTON, DC HOWARD THEATER
Thu-Oct-03 BUFFALO, NY TOWN BALLROOM

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Reported by Dennis Byron

Hip Hop Enquirer broke the story. Earlier today, Mrs. Sharon Benjamin Hodo, the mother of rap superstar Andre “3000” Benjamin passed away in her sleep according to a close family member. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

Mrs. Sharon Benjamin, affectionately known as “Ma Benjaman, Ms. B, and Nana,” died at the age of 58 and was a key player in the lives of OutKast during their formative teenage years as they grew into adulthood and served as one of the managers for “her boys” earlier in their career.

The wife of New Morning Light Baptist Church pastor Robert L Hodo of Conley, Georgia, Mrs. Hodo was also a successful real estate agent in the Atlanta area and was a life coach and game giver to many artists that came up in Tha A.

What makes this even sadder is Dre celebrated his 38th birthday yesterday.

Again our condolences go out to Dre, Big Boi, her grandson Seven and the entire Benjamin-Hodo family.

R.I.P. Mrs. Sharon Benjamin Hodo.

Hip-Hop Enquirer will keep you posted as the story develops.

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André 3000 and Beyoncé remake Amy Winehouse’s hit “Back To Black”. The track will be featured on the official soundtrack and score for The Great Gatsby.

The soundtrack, executive produced by Jay-Z, will be released on May 7. The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan, hits theatres on May 10th.

Peep the radio rip from DJ Mark Ronson, who premiered it on East Village Radio and also co-wrote Winehouse’s original version.

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Two of the hottest stars in hip-hop, B.o.B and Big Boi, have teamed up to produce a brand new track, “Double or Nothing,” the official theme song for Army of TWO The Devil’s Cartel.

The demo for the game is available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, complete with epic explosions, massive destruction, and plenty of dynamic co-operative action for you to enjoy with a friend!

Visit http://www.armyoftwo.com/demo for more information.

Preorder now to play as B.o.B and Big Boi! http://www.armyoftwo.com/special-offers

Big Boi continues to bring the funk from critically acclaimed album Vicious Lies & Dangerous Rumors.