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1995’s Friday kicked off a pop culture phenomenon that lives on more than 25 years later. Even people who’ve never seen the movie — which stars Ice Cube and Chris Tucker — know about classic lines such as “Bye, Felisha.” Although Friday led to two sequels and a short-lived animated series, the first movie holds a special place in the heart of fans. Tucker’s standout performance is undoubtedly a part of that. So some fans might be surprised to discover he wasn’t the first choice to play Smokey.

Ice Cube and DJ Pooh co-wrote 1995’s ‘Friday’

When Ice Cube and DJ Pooh co-wrote Friday, the 1995 movie was very much an underdog story. After all, director F. Gary Gray — who would go on to make hits like Straight Outta Compton and The Fate of the Furious — had never directed a movie before. His biggest claim to fame was as a director of music videos, including Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day.” And even the rapper/actor himself was far from the ubiquitous icon he would later become.

Prior to Friday, Ice Cube’s best-known movie role was as Doughboy in 1991’s Boyz n the Hood. But he and DJ Pooh — who later directed Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg comedy The Wash — hoped to counter the violent depiction of the urban environments of their youth. Friday presented a much different vision of the streets than Boyz n the Hood but one that was perhaps more relatable to the average moviegoer. Plus, the movie features standout performances.

How Chris Tucker ended up playing Smokey

Chief among the unforgettable characters is Smokey. As played by Tucker, he is the wild card foil to Ice Cube’s Craig. Looking at Friday now, it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing that role. But early on, as the movie’s writers told Complex, DJ Pooh was supposed to play Smokey. The character was in part based on his own life, giving the role some authenticity. But New Line Cinema — the company behind the movie — wasn’t on board.With the financing on the line, Ice Cube and DJ Pooh had to compromise on the casting. And after seeing Tucker on Def Comedy Jam, they knew he would be perfect as Smokey. After a wild audition process, Ice Cube, DJ Pooh, and Gray managed to convince New Line — who had already put Tucker in their own House Party 3 the previous year — to cast Tucker as Smokey. Meanwhile, DJ Pooh took on the smaller role as Red in Friday.

Ice Cube still wants Chris Tucker’s Smokey back

The chemistry between Tucker and Ice Cube came across as effortless in Friday. Alas, Tucker turned down a hefty payday to return for 2000’s Next Friday. Still, the franchise continued with Mike Epps’ Day-Day as Ice Cube’s right-hand man. The pair shared the screen in both that first sequel as well as 2004’s Friday After Next.

Over the years, Ice Cube has still expressed interest in getting Tucker back as Smokey. While that’s unlikely to happen, there’s still potential for the long-gestating Last Friday to get made. Fans will have to wait and see if that’s the case. In the meantime, they can revisit all three Friday movies, which are now streaming on HBO Max.

R.I.P. Jihad
Freeway is mourning the loss of his son.
On Thursday (October 29), the Philly rapper revealed that his son Jihad passed away at the age of 19 with a heart wrenching post and a photo from his graduation day. Jihad’s cause of death is unclear.
Jihad was an upcoming rapper who went by the name of SNOWHADD. The cause of death has not been reported. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Freeway and his family.

A Philly cop fired from the police force just lost part of her attempt to get some money out of Meek Mill and Jay-Z The former officer, Saqueta Williams, sued the pair in January, claiming she was defamed because her image was featured in the documentary “Free Meek.”
Williams filed her lawsuit against Meek and Jay for including her image in the documentary after she was placed on a list of problematic and corrupt police officers.
The list of questionable cops was featured in an episode of “Free Meek” titled “Filthadelphia,” which discussed the department’s do not call list to prevent the officers from testifying in cases due to their credibility issues.
Williams landed on the list for allegedly drawing a gun illegally during a dispute outside of a bar in North Philly.
She was acquitted of the charges and she took issue with her image being featured in the documentary which framed her as one of several corrupt cops on the police force.
Earlier this week, a judge dismissed two key parts of the lawsuit against Jay and Meek. The allegation of intentional infliction of emotional distress was tossed, as was Williams’ charge of civil conspiracy.
However, the superstar rappers will have to deal with two surviving claims in Williams’ lawsuit. The judge has agreed to hear her allegation of defamation and another claim of false light invasion of privacy.

The Australian rapper is clarifying comments she made about raising her son Onyx with, or without Playboi Carti.
Iggy Azalea has insisted that she and ex Playboi Carti are dedicated co-parents to son Onyx.
The 30-year-old rapper, real name Amethyst Kelly, confirmed on her Instagram page that she and Carti, real name Jordan Carter, had split, adding: “What I meant… was that I’m raising my son alone & I’m not in a relationship.”
However, the remark led to concern from fans, and prompted Iggy to clarify Carti’s role in Onyx life in a post on her Instagram Stories.
“Nothing I said was intended to make it seem like my sons father isn’t part of his life but I’ve noticed a lot of people took it that way so I wanted to clear the air,” she wrote. “Onyx is so so loved by his dad & always has had both parents in his life from day one.”
Iggy is believed to have welcomed Onyx in April after hiding her pregnancy from the public, before sharing the news in June. Carti has yet to comment on Iggy’s posts on his own social media pages.

Footwear News‘ 34th annual FN Achievement Awards are scheduled to air online on December 8. At this year’s ceremony, Hip Hop megastar Belcalis “Cardi B” Almánzar will be honored with a special achievement presented by the 75-year-old trade publication.
Cardi B was selected to receive the Style Influencer of the Year award at the first virtual FNAAs. She joins a list of past recipients of that accolade from the “Shoe Oscars” that includes J Balvin, Christie Brinkley, Hailey Baldwin, and Alexa Chung.
“I’ve always been into fashion. Back then, I couldn’t afford what I wanted, now I can. It’s easier and I have more connections with brands,” Cardi told
FN. “I could wear the most uncomfortable shoe and I’m just going to take it and love it because it’s fashion, it’s beauty, it’s amazing, it’s different. I get bored, so that’s when me and my stylist [Kollin Carter], we get creative and come up with something new and amazing.”
The Grammy winner has become one of the leading stars of the fashion industry over the last three years. With her breakout #1 single “Bodak Yellow” in 2017, she made the phrase “bloody shoes” synonymous with Christian Louboutin’s high-priced red bottom heels.
Cardi gained universal praise for her appearance at the 2019 Met Gala. She arrived at “Fashion’s Biggest Night Out” in a Thom Browne creation which included 44 carats worth of rubies valued at $250,000. Plus, the 28-year-old Bronx native was named the new face of the Balenciaga fashion house in September of this year, and she will release her new Reebok collection on November 13.
In addition, Cardi B became the first female rapper to ever appear on the front of American Vogue, the magazine widely considered the “Fashion Bible.” The January 2020 Vogue cover was shot by photography living legend Annie Leibovitz, and it featured Cardi’s then-1-year-old daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus.

One thing we know about Hov is that he always has a social justice component to his business initiatives, setting the example that commerce and compassion are not exclusive attributes on the road to generational wealth.
The billionaire’s new cannabis company Monogram is back in the news because of the social inequity in the marijuana industry and its impact the national descheduling dilemma has on the Black community.
The facts are simple: there are 11 states in the country where it is legal to recreationally smoke or ingest weed. Of these 11 states, 10 are connected. The one state that is not connected is Alaska and as the geography would have it, the Last Frontier is connected to Canada, the only country in North America where cannabis is federally legal.
Because Jay-Z sees this as a hindrance for those who do partake. According to AdAge, Monogram started a campaign using mobile billboards that say:
“Here Cannabis is legal. Enjoy responsibly” on the outskirts of legal states, this way people will know that this is real and they can puff in peace.
In the states that prohibit smoking, those signs say, “Here cannabis is illegal. Avoid the bookings.”
What’s a booking? Getting knocked because you are breaking the law getting high.
Last year, Jay-Z (whose real name is Shawn Carter) was named the chief brand strategist for Caliva, a cannabis company out in California that has partnered with the mogul to create the Monogram brand.
Clearly, his strategy is to help people get free from the inconsistency in the marijuana space for the poor and people of color.

In an incident, that is still investigated, Young Buck’s ex-girlfriend was shot at by his ex-girlfriend. The girlfriend was arrested promptly for busting the shots at Young Buck. Whether or not Young Buck was actually hit remains to be known. The police are looking for Bucky in an effort to get more information and perhaps even make sure he is alive.
His one-time girlfriend was booked at Sumner county jail and reckless endangerment charges with a deadly weapon. Lucresia Neil sits in a Sumner County jail and will likely be single for a long time.

Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz were putting on a great boxing showing, until in the 6th round when Davis landed the uppercut heard around the world.

COMMON DENIES JAGUAR WRIGHT’S SEXUAL ALLEGATIONS: ‘I DON’T KNOW WHAT SHE’S GOING THROUGH’
Common finally broke his silence on the sexual allegations Jaguar Wright made against him.
During a recent interview on Philly’s Rise and Grind Morning Show, the rapper turned actor reassures that he has no negative thoughts towards her and denied the allegations.

REFORM ALLIANCE APPOINTS LOON TO NEW FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
The REFORM Alliance has appointed Amir Junaid Mahadith, formerly known as Loon, to serve as the inaugural Fellow in the newly-established Fellowship Program. The fellowship is designed to provide practice and transferable job skills to formerly incarcerated individuals aiming to pursue a career in advocacy.
Muhadith will work alongside REFORM executives on the Advocacy and Communications team to receive hands-on experience in policy creation, policy writing, coalition-building, research, digital organizing, and more. The program will provide access to the training library, allowing for 9,000 courses to cover topics including business, creative pro, and technology.

Beyoncé graced the November cover of British Vogue and spoke about what spending 2020 in quarantine has taught her.
“[I’ve] absolutely changed [this year]. It would be difficult to experience life in a pandemic and the current social unrest and not be changed,” she told Enninful. “I have learnt that my voice is clearer when I am still. I truly cherish this time with my family, and my new goal is to slow down and shed stressful things from my life.”

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