Discussing the power of the pen in hip hop can turn into a great debate. Throughout hip hop history there have been artists who have impressed fans with their lyricism, but there are others who know how to become hitmakers without necessarily relying on lyrical abilities. The hosts of State of the Culture have continued to meet together through video chat, and recently they spoke about the differences between being a rapper with a great pen game and a rapper who navigates the industry as a business to top the charts.

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During the chat, Remy Ma threw her name into the mix. “The same way with me. I could be the…most of these females can’t mess with me,” she said. “But when it comes to the business across the scale, there’s certain things that I’m not going to do to make sure that I get there. I’m just not doing that. And there’s just certain things that are not going to get me there, just because I’m me.” She added that just because others may seem more successful than her doesn’t mean that they’re better lyrically; they’re just better at moving and shaking in the business side of things.

Elsewhere, Remy Ma discussed “female rappers not [being taken] seriously.” She added that there are a handful of women in rap whose “pen really moves and if they wanted to, they could stand toe-to-toe with the guys.” When asked what women she was referring to, Remy proceeded with caution and said that you have to be careful about complimenting other femcees in the game. Remy Ma did add that it doesn’t matter what she thinks of someone personally; if they have skills, she’ll keep it real and say that. Check out State of the Culture below and let us know what women in the rap game have the best pens.

A simple tweet from Young M.A about R&B kicked up some dust. “Music don’t feel the same because we barely have R&B,” the rapper tweeted last month. “R&B brung that balance to music.. now everything is leanin one way smh so it gets played out quick! We need R&B for the balance no kap!” As the tweet went viral, this generation’s R&B artists came forward to defend the genre and claimed that if someone thinks R&B is lacking, then they just aren’t searching hard enough.

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Young M.A talked about her recent controversy during a visit to State of the Culture and revealed that people took what she was saying the wrong way. “It was just a spontaneous tweet,” she said. “I didn’t even know how crazy it was gon’ get. It was just something I was feeling at the moment ’cause I am a very huge fan of R&B. Most of my playlist is R&B and I was just listening to music in the house and this idea just sprung in my head so I went to Twitter to kinda express that.”

The rapper explained that when she checks out playlists, R&B doesn’t seem to have a stronghold in today’s music culture the way it has in the past. Young M.A also clarified that she never said “R&B is dead” but adds “we don’t hear it as often on front street as we would years prior.” She added that she knows nowadays you have to “search for it” but that fact proves her point.

“I do search for R&B and that’s the problem, why I gotta go search for it?” the rapper asked. “Why ain’t it in our faces as much as it used to be?” Young M.A listens to both old and new R&B and recognizes that the vibe is different, but she questions what’s keeping the genre from taking over the airwaves like it did decades ago. Watch the full episode of State of the Culture below.

It would be an interesting sight to see Azealia Banks host a show on Revolt TV, and according to Joe Budden, it almost happened. The State of the Culture co-hosts Joe Budden, Remy Ma, Brandon "Jinx" Jenkins, and Eboni K. Williams made their way to The Breakfast Club where the packed room chatted about the hit Revolt series. Budden was asked about how he and Diddy came up with having four hosts and Budden shared that initially, the first idea was only to have two people.

"The original idea was two," Budden said. "Me and another person." Charlamagne challenged the podcast host to say the person's name, but eventually, the radio host just blurts out, "At one point it was Azealia Banks." The reaction in the room was surprise as everyone expressed that it was a visual that was hard for them to imagine.

"In theory, what an amazing idea," added Budden. Someone mumbled, "I wonder how long that would have lasted." Budden replied, "That's what I wanted to create. Something that you would say, 'How long is that gonna last?' That didn't pan out for whatever reason. So then we said, alright, we need three. And then when we were screen-testing the three..." Budden was interrupted but fellow State of the Culture host Brandon "Jinx" Jenkins who joked, "Was I really not supposed to be on this show, sh*t."

Budden continued by saying that during the screen-testing it was obvious that a fourth person needed to be added. Remy chimed in that during the screen-testing they learned that "Rem is just like Joe, she just has a wig on. So it was like, we need four." Check out Budden discussing how he and Diddy came up with the format for State of the Culture below.

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Worlds have collided as Joe Budden, Remy Ma, Jinx, and Eboni K. Williams of State Of The Culture go head to head with The Breakfast Club. Off the bat, Budden (on some RCMP-chic) breaks down the complicated dynamic between himself and Charlamagne Tha God. “Charlamagne hates everything that I do, but he loves me,” explains Joe. “We’re like the first cousins who’ve been raised in competition with each other. Professor X and–[Magneto]. I think Charlamagne and I are powerful enough to do a bunch of things…But in the grand scheme, I think a simple coffee date between him and I scares people.” 

Suffice it to say, Budden understands the power of his own voice — it’s part of the reason he’s become one of hip-hop media’s hardest working and influential media personalities. But State Of The Culture isn’t all about Joe; Remy Ma, Jinx, and Eboni K. Williams also hold it down as the show’s co-hosts, offering new perspectives and differing takes. For those unfamiliar with the dynamic, this Breakfast Club interview should make for an interesting start-off point.

While the gang covers a variety of topics, it doesn’t take long before the topic of Megan Thee Stallion‘s ongoing record label debacle is raised. As artists themselves (retired, in Budden’s case), Remy and Joe have an interesting insight into the business side of things. After Eboni raises the issue that some artists might sign contracts in a state of duress, Remy agrees wholeheartedly.

“Every artist is under duress,” she states. “Most of them come from impoverished neighborhoods. Most of them came from the bottom…I feel that argument could be made across the board. The issue is, we’re at a point where there’s too much information out there. This argument has been going on forever, bad deals, publishing, rights…She was twenty years when she signed it.” Jinx also chimes in on how many of the more vocal social media critics offering unsolicited takes and advice are the same people who blindly accept cookies. “But I do agree that what you sign is what you sign,” he says, as Charlamagne maintains she should have hired an entertainment lawyer. 

Check out the full conversation below, and show some love to the State Of The Culture team.