The Hip-Hop YouTube OG, Tory Lanez, & Rosenberg’s Obsession with Credit

What’s poppin y’all,

Tory Lanez is really into music. He co-signed Drake and PartyNextDoor’s most recent albums, saying they motivated him to drop his own tape in the next couple of weeks. And while I think Tory should keep dropping music, I don’t think a full tape is a good move, especially if the quality isn’t up to par.

Now, to be fair, Tory Lanez has put out surprisingly high-quality music for someone recording behind bars—though it’s a mix of songs recorded before and after he went in. Still, I don’t think it’ll be enough to make a solid impact. And with years ahead before he’s out, that’s a tough reality. But I respect the fact that he’s pushing forward.

As for his appeal? I don’t think we’re going to see anything change there. But his mindset seems solid, and that’s more than a lot of people could say in his position.

Rosenberg vs. Joe Budden – Why Does He Need Credit?

Another topic I want to cover—Rosenberg from Hot 97. This week, for some reason, he came at Joe Budden. And if you’re not familiar, Rosenberg is arguably the OG hip-hop podcaster—his Juan EP (or Juanep, whatever it’s called) podcast is often credited as the first hip-hop podcast.

But here’s the thing: Joe Budden ended up becoming one of the biggest hip-hop podcasts, and Rosenberg just can’t stand that nobody praises him for being first. The problem? Nobody mentions his podcast because it’s not entertaining, it’s not engaging, and it can’t compete.

I put out a long tweet about this—I might pin it in this newsletter—but I’ll say this here: I don’t dislike Rosenberg. I don’t have an opinion on him. But I definitely don’t respect him.

Why? The Levels of Glazing Are Insane.

For one, his obsession with Kendrick Lamar is next-level. It’s honestly disgusting. If you’ve seen the Lupe Fiasco interview at Hot 97, you’ll know what I mean. Lupe literally calls him a d* eater for how he talks about Kendrick.** And Lupe respects Kendrick, so this wasn’t hate—it was calling out blatant fanboy behavior.

Then there’s the way Rosenberg moves in the industry—like how he came at DJ Akademiks unprovoked. Now, I think Akademiks went too far in their back-and-forth, but Rosenberg started it, acting friendly in the DMs, and then turned around and attacked him publicly when it was convenient. That’s passive-aggressive, two-faced behavior, and it’s the same energy he brought in that tweet about Joe Budden.

The Difference Between Being First & Being the Best

This is the thing—being first doesn’t mean you deserve endless credit. Akademiks does something similar, saying he "paved the way" for hip-hop YouTubers. No, he didn’t.

If I had to name the first hip-hop YouTuber I ever saw, before Akademiks, it would be D Dot Respect. He was dropping commentary videos back in 2009—I specifically remember a VMAs video about Kanye and Taylor Swift. He was from Harlem, and his approach to hip-hop commentary was more in line with how I did my early scripted videos.

Now, Akademiks commercialized it and gets credit for taking it to the next level, but even though he wasn’t first, he’s still at the top. He competed in a changing landscape and stayed #1 despite people coming after him.

Meanwhile, Look at Rosenberg...

• Charlemagne isn’t complaining.

• Ebro isn’t complaining.

• Why? Because they kept evolving.

Ebro is out here interviewing Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl. Nadeska is doing the same. Meanwhile, Rosenberg is doing something with the WWE and a now canceled podcast that nobody talks about, while still demanding credit for something he did in the past.

It’s ridiculous.

• HY

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