Punch of Top Dawg Entertainment discussed the state of hip-hop journalism on X (formerly Twitter), on Tuesday afternoon. The topic arose after Kendrick Lamar faced criticism for sitting down with his collaborator, SZA, during a cover story interview for the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar.
Across several posts, Punch wrote: “Is it ok to criticize the ‘critics’? Cause ultimately we’re just talking about opinions, right? Well my opinion (lol, I’m a critic) is we’re losing perspective on things. Something great or not so great happens, then we talk about it. And that’s fine. Again, this is just my opinion today. It might change later. So wait for something great to happen, sleep on it, study it, and find something insightful to say about it. I respect Hip Hop Journalism and feel it’s needed in its truest form. It help keep the culture alive. But it’s only a few real ones left. Most of you guys are trash. Just my opinion. That’s why artist don’t want to talk to you.”
Kendrick Lamar Speaks With SZA For Harper’s Bazaar
Users on the platform had plenty of mixed opinions on Punch’s post. “Eh…i dont think its that,” writer Andre Gee responded. “I feel like the ones who aren’t trash are the thorough journalists who followup & ask the tough questions, those are the reasons a lot of big stars evade real journalists. & in some cases real Black journalists.” HuffPost’s Philip Lewis also responded with an important clarification. “We should define our terms because I think people are conflating content creators, Instagram gossip pages and streamers with journalists and reporters. These are not all the same thing,” he wrote.
Punch Discusses The State Of Music Journalism
Check out Punch’s full take on X below. As for Lamar’s sit-down with SZA, the two discussed the success of “Not Like Us,” Katt Williams, having feminine energy, and much more. Be on the lookout for further updates on TDE Punch as well as Kendrick Lamar and SZA on HotNewHipHop.
About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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