Hoping to recreate pop culture history, Diddy and crew are on the hunt for the world’s most promising singers. The Bad Boy Records executive issued a global casting call through Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. But the fiercest competition will be using Smule.

For the first time ever, Smule has partnered with MTV. Offering their users a list of curated songs to choose from, wide-eyed prospects can use the app to create video auditions shareable on every social media platform. While anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to compete, contestants must also be able to comply with the rules and eligibility requirements. Looks like someone better be ready to get that Junior’s Cheesecake!

Making the Band has not aired since 2009, but fans spammed the hashtag #IWantMyMTB, prompting MTV and Diddy to come to the table. Using the hashtag #MTBCASTING, singers now have a new chance at getting discovered. However, the details of their talent search have yet to be revealed. Through a rabbit hole of links, you can view the Terms of Use and User Content Submission Agreement. Just be sure to read the agreements before submitting your videos as the contracts are effective once your clips are posted. There’s a lengthy segment titled “Rights Granted to MTV”, which gives them, in so many words, the right to use and otherwise exploit any ideas, concepts, or content displayed in your submission without any credit or compensation. So stay sharp!

Hopefuls are already posting their talents across social media. Will you be joining them?

During an interview, Jermaine Dupri was asked by two hosts to name his favorite female rapper. Believing he’d list Megan Thee Stallion or Cardi B, Dupri’s response caught both the hosts and music aficionados off guard. Comparing the current roster of popular femcees to “strippers”, Dupri’s glaring act of misogyny has gotten him checked by the artists themselves.

#CardiB responds to #JermaineDupri’s comments calling out “stripping rappers”, saying female rappers sound the same…..🗣ARE THESE FACTS OR NAH⁉️📠 👀 pic.twitter.com/MTfIcsNKiZ

— Power 106 (@Power106LA) July 11, 2019

For decades, airwaves have been flooded with male artists rapping about their sexual prowess, bevy of hos, material expenditures, and sale of drugs. But Jermaine Dupri doesn’t find fault with the repetitive, and occasionally elementary, lyrics of his peers. His ire was directed toward women whose bars are about celebrating their bodies, turning up in the club, and dominating men. Failing to note the similarities in what content is released by both men and women in the rap game, Dupri posed a weak argument that female rap lacks lyrical diversity.

#PressPlay: WELLLL #DojaCat has stepped into the “stripping rappers” chat and got some things off her chest about #JermaineDupri 👀👀🥴 THOUGHTS⁉️ pic.twitter.com/kIc36hpY8W

— Power 106 (@Power106LA) July 12, 2019

As pointed out in Cardi’s response video, there are plenty of female rappers that don’t write about their bodies at all, they simply don’t receive equal support. And as the acting CEO of So So Def, you’d think Jermaine Dupri would take the initiative to seek out talent that raises what he believes is the bar. But no, the “Grammy award winning songwriter and producer” has no female rapper signed to his label aside from Da Brat and Tyeler Reign. Tyeler is the winner of the fifth season of The Rap Game who unsurprisingly still raps about money and designer labels, the very things Dupri would find unimpressive.

Female rappers have been vocal in their disagreement of Dupri’s piss-poor analysis. Both Doja Cat and Cardi B made statements disagreeing with his comments. Ari Lennox even dropped a diss track as a response to his ignorance. But the best rebuttals have been references of Dupri’s track record. Twitter users have been quick to remind us that JD has a history of dismissing the career trajectories of women with potential to be powerhouses in the industry. Perhaps after this wake up call, Jermaine Dupri will take a bit of Doja Cat’s advice and look for the artists he wants to uplift.

After bashing a fast-fashion company’s appropriation of a design commissioned by Kanye, Kim Kardashian West has come out ahead. The aspiring attorney has won $2.7 million in a suit against Missguided, a UK-based retailer.

In February 2019, Kim Kardashian waged war against fast-fashion companies like FashionNova over their lack of integrity. Targeting online retailers that quickly duplicate the designs of luxury fashion houses, Kim expressed her disappointment. She was furious her image was being used to promote the knock-off goods, an act she believed would weaken her business relationships with more esteemed brands. The sultry, black number designed by Thierry Mugler and gold ensemble commissioned by her husband led to a lawsuit which claimed to violate KKW’s trademark.

The Instagram post in question featured Kim Kardashian in the custom gold creation and an unnamed model in the replica. Captioned “The devil works hard but Missguided works harder”, the brand taunted KKW, stating the look would be available in just a few days. But by tagging Mrs. West attorneys alleged Missguided used her “persona and trademarks” to sell duplicates despite the absence of a business relationship.

The lawsuit stated Missguided’s use of Kim’s marks were likely to cause consumers to mistakenly believe that she was associated, sponsored, or endorsed the company and its websites. The lawsuit continued that consumers already voiced such concerns, citing social media posts and articles that mistakenly referred to the content as collaborations. However, Missguided refused to respond to the lawsuit which resulted in a default judgment.

Demanding the company cease and desist, a California judge ruled in Kim’s favor, ordering Missguided to pay $2.7 million in damages and attorney fees. But Kim’s history of being accused of co-opting the designs of indie creatives has complicated the public’s reception of her win. Twitter users are noting that Kim has repeatedly appropriated the culture of others under the guise of “paying homage.” Though the basis of the win is important, fighting larger entities or public figures over original content may prove harder for indie brands. Having only been established in 2015, the language of fashion design copyrights leaves them easily exploitable and smaller designers may be unable to afford the exorbitant fees to protect their content.

Do you think Kim deserved to win the lawsuit? Should smaller designers seek restitution for creations that have been pilfered by public figures?