TM88 has been behind the boards for countless jams, lacing hit records like Lil Uzi Vert's "XO Tour Life," Future's "Codeine Crazy," Young Thug's "Future Swag," and many more. In fact, there are some who might even name him among this generation's most consistent producers, an influential mind responsible for some of today's musical trends and patterns. Unfortunately, it would appear that TM has been feeling slighted of late, taking to Twitter to offer some thoughts on a double standard between producers and rappers.

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"Is it me or Rappers don’t support producers like producers support rappers ?" he writes, and while he doesn't name names, it does feel as if the hitmaker is speaking from personal experience. Either way, it's interesting to hear his take on the dynamic between producers and rappers, a dynamic that has occasionally led to animosity in the past; issues can range from uncredited beats to improper distribution of royalties, but it's not exactly uncommon for producers to voice concerns with the way they've been treated in the past. 

Given how symbiotic the relationship between rapper and producer truly is -- I mean, think of your favorite rapper and you can bet there's an equally creative producer who played a role in shaping their sound. In the best-case scenarios, the creative relationship is explored and both parties benefit. Unfortunately, given that TM took the time to voice his annoyance, it would appear he's harboring some unresolved issues. Check out his take below, and sound off -- is he speaking facts? Do producers deserve more support from the rappers they help elevate?

Noname is putting the spotlight on all the "top selling rappers" who have yet to speak on the police killing of George Floyd. Ever since footage of George's death, which shows a police officer kneeling on the 46-year-old black man's neck until he stopped breathing, spread like wildfire this past week, many have been rightfully outraged. For the past several days, protests have been taking place both in Minneapolis where the murder occurred, and in other cities across the country in an effort to fight for justice against police brutality. Petitions and donation links have been circulating on social media, as well, allowing people who cannot protest to help the cause with their money and signatures.

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While tons of important work is being done, rapper Noname, who had already called on her "celebrity" followers to match her $1,000 donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, couldn't help but notice the radio silence coming from some of the voices one might expect would speak up on these injustices. On Friday (May 29th), she tweeted about who she feels is really showing up for the black community, and who isn't.

Black Thought compiled a list for us of his top ten rappers of all time, most of which are heavy-hitters who paved the way in the early days of hip hop. On Sunday (May 17th), the Roots frontman sat down with Hot 97’s Fatman Scoop for a virtual interview, where Scoop inquired about who would make Black Thought’s Top 10 Rappers Of All Time list. Immediately, he begins naming a ton of legendary MCs, resulting in a list that looks like this:

1. Rakim
2. Chuck D (of Public Enemy)
3. Kool G Rap
4. Big Daddy Kane
5. KRS-One
6. The D.O.C.
7. Rev Run (of Run-DMC)
8. Schoolly D
9. EST (of Three Times Dope)
10. LL Cool J

Consisting mostly of East Coast artists, Black Thought’s list appears to be heavily influenced by his own regional roots. D.O.C., who hails from Dallas, is the sole rapper that doesn’t come from East Coast backgrounds, while Schoolly D and EST are both fellow Philly natives alongside Black Thought.

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Thought also reflected on collaborating with some of the rappers listed in the past. “If I did a record with G Rap, the nuances of my style that come from G Rap will probably stand out more because that’s who I was paired with,” Thought explained later on during their conversation. “There’s certain artists that are one-fifth of who I feel makes me up, and Rakim is one of those dudes. I occupy a dope space where most of the MCs that I have a certain level of respect for, that respect is mutual. That’s all the validity, that’s all really the accolades, that’s all my flowers while I’m still here.” Watch the full interview below:

YK Osiris might be the self-proclaimed king of R&B but he’s taking a page from Kanye and trying to lead the people in the right direction. This time, it occurred during a recent visit to Ribault High School and Raines High School in his hometown of Jacksonville, FL. The singer spoke to students in an auditorium and then in his classroom. A snippet of one of his speeches surfaced online and exposed the alleged low IQs of members in the rap community.

“All your favorite rappers, they be dumb as fuck. They can’t hold a conversation for an hour. They don’t even know how to spell,” he stated. “I swear to God, my right hand on the bible.”

The Internet was quick to roast YK Osiris for passing judgment on his peers in the rap game. One person on Twitter quickly pointed out that it seemed like he looked at his right hand to make sure that it was his right hand. However, there were others that agreed with what he had to say to the students. And in all fairness, he didn’t actually point out an individual in particular. 

His recent appearance at the high schools seem to be part of some giving back initiative. He previously shared a video of himself praying with homeless people while sharing his wealth, so to speak. However, all of this conveniently came after he was arrested for allegedly beating and biting his girlfriend which he’s denied. 

Twitter account, Culture Central, shared a tweet on Sunday that features photos of "36 of your favorite rappers as kids." It appears as though nearly all of the photos are from yearbooks or school photoshoots, and the ages of the artists range from as young as toddlers to as old as high school seniors. Though it got a few details wrong—the photo claiming to be T-Pain is actually a young Lil Jon, A$AP Rocky's dollar sign is missing from his name, 50 Cent has a dollar sign in his name, for some reason—that were pointed out by Twitter users in the replies, the post is mostly accurate. Photos of plenty of the best (and some of the most mid) of the rap game are included, from OGs to newcomers, and some who are no longer with us.