Hip-Hop Lives Here
Hip-Hop Lives Here
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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It is difficult to believe that five years have passed since DMX died, yet his impact continues to be felt through his family, close friends, and devoted fans. Recently, supporters and relatives came together in Yonkers, New York, to pay tribute to the late rapper. On Friday, June 12, he was officially honored with a street co naming, Earl "DMX" Simmons Way, though the ceremony briefly turned tense due to visible family disagreements.
A video that has been spreading online shows DMX's loved ones gathered on stage sharing remarks in his memory. During the moment when his eldest son, Xavier Simmons, stepped up to speak, he expressed that his mother, DMX's former wife of 15 years, Tashera Simmons, should have been present alongside them. Reports suggest that Tashera, along with some of Xavier's siblings, were not included on stage with the rest of the family. Xavier also directed criticism toward DMX's former partner and mother of his son Exodus, Desiree Lindstrom, accusing her of distancing Tashera from the rest of the family.
In footage shared by AllHipHop, Xavier can be heard saying, “There is absolutely no way that you will close this ceremony, and we will not hear from his original entire family.” He then called for Tashera and his siblings to join him on stage, emphasizing that his mother played a major role in pushing for the street renaming in honor of DMX. The atmosphere changed when he brought up Desiree, accusing her of intentionally keeping certain relatives away and telling her she "behaved dishonorably." The microphone was reportedly cut shortly after his remarks.
Following the event, Tashera addressed the situation on social media and supported her son's comments. “Did my son expose these devils? They’ve been exposed. Y’all know DMX. Y’all know Tashera," she said. "We built the DMX legacy together. There is no X without Tashera. The fact that they came to my hometown and did not want us to be recognized. I’mma let y’all sit with that one.”
Check out AllHipHop's video of the tense moment below, along with Tashera's follow-up message.
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