Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
Gucci Mane's business dealings have been called into question. The rapper's ex-girlfriend, and former label signee, Mac Bre-Z, had some harsh words for him on November 4. She claimed that she worked on several Gucci Mane albums over the years, and has yet to be financially compensated for said work. She claims that the work she did dates back two decades, and she wants her unpaid royalties. Mac Bre-Z has not been shy about her disdain for Gucci since they parted way. As such, she also leveled accusations of violence at the East Atlanta Santa.
Mac Bre-Z took to IG to make her gripes known. She detailed her in-depth connection to Gucci Mane in a lengthy post. Not only did Mac Bre-Z and Gucci date, but Mac was the first artist signed to Gucci's 1017 record label. She also alleged that she worked on Gucci's debut studio album, Trap House, and showed support for him during the rapper's 2015 murder trial. "You loved collaborating with me on your albums & mixtapes," Mac Bre-Z stated. "But I would love to get paid for my writing credits."
Mac Bre-Z pointed to Gucci Mane's post-prison rebrand as the reason why he should right this alleged wrong. "They say you changed for the better," she noted. "So why haven't you done the right thing & just compensate me for everything I'm entitled to? Everybody eating off these records but me." Mac asserted that she did not attempt to ruin Gucci Mane's career at any point, despite allegedly having the material to do so. The rapper claimed that she was physically abused by Gucci during their relationship, and kept it a secret to protect his freedom.
"When you punched me in the face I could've snitched & had you arrested while you was on bond for the murder case of Jeezy artist," Mac Bre-Z claimed. The rapper posited that she had given Gucci Mane the benefit of the doubt for long enough. "I never bad mouthed you in the media," she concluded. "Enough is enough." Mac Bre-Z recounted the incident in which Gucci Mane punched her during a 2022 interview. Footage of the altercation went viral, further bolstering the rapper's claims. Gucci has yet to respond to the new allegations regarding unpaid royalties, however.
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Livestreaming has quickly become an essential part of being an artist today. More rappers and singers are either teaming up with well-known streamers or hosting their own multi-hour sessions on personal channels. This past week, Justin Bieber joined in by launching his official Twitch channel and streaming several days in a row.
Between lighter moments of him shooting hoops or chatting with his circle of friends, the streams became most interesting when Bieber stepped into the studio. Whether he was alone in the vocal booth or sitting behind the mixing desk with his crew, he used those times to tease smooth, R&B-inspired songs—tracks that could easily belong on a potential third installment of Swag, if they ever get released.
The most fascinating moments came from the unfiltered footage of Bieber working through ideas, producing himself, and perfecting a lyric or melody. On the fourth day of streaming, he was seen testing out what could become a new hit, improvising melodies and playing around with different tones and lines until something clicked.
The behind-the-scenes studio moments offered a rare look into Bieber’s creative process, especially for someone once viewed as a pop star with little control over his music. In these streams, he appeared open and confident, freely exploring ideas in real time—even with thousands of fans silently tuning in.
Still, Bieber admitted the experience made him anxious. During one session with a few collaborators, he spoke candidly about what it feels like to create publicly.
“Going on Twitch is vulnerable as hell because people who just feel shitty about themselves project and then they write mean-ass things. It’s already hard enough to put yourself out there and then you gotta read all this,” he said.
He recalled reading a comment after coming home from playing basketball one night, when he was completely drained. “They were like, ‘Justin is not as exuberant. He will never be his exuberant self ever again. He’s lost his charisma.’ I was like, ‘What? I just played basketball last night, I’m just tired.’ And we’re talking about emotional things … And I start getting in my head, like ‘Ma, did I lose my charisma? My exuberance?’ I have a zest for life … It just sucks that you can have a million people say the nicest thing and then the one comment gets in there.”
In other parts of the stream, Bieber appeared more at ease, playing golf or practicing the drums—experimenting with the format as he figured out how he might continue sharing his world with fans in the future.
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