Lauren LaRosa (25:48)
Next on the list is DJ Head and Gina Views. I am so proud of Gina Views. The Head is my bro. Always looking out, always a phone call away. But Gina Views and not but. Because it's not a but. These two come together in a package deal, period. Gina Views. However, me and her kind of left our roles at our last situations. She was at no Jumper, I was at TMZ around the same time. And I feel like we've undirectly, like, you know, I wasn't calling her when I was going through things, she wasn't calling me. But as we were getting through it and, like, you know, hitting different notches on the belt and being able to, like, put different, you know, points on the board, we were cheering each other on. Because I think we just really understood what each other were going through. And I think, number one, we're just really good at what we do, if I do say so myself. And y' all know, I don't really. I don't even get into all of the talking too much about myself, but when I think about us, I think about what kind of helped us and is still helping us as we navigate this space is that we're really good at what we do, but we also really care. Like, we're really passionate. We really live and breathe what our genres are. Gina is a hip hop girly. She is going to talk you through lyrics and, you know, all of the things I can get into it, but that is not my ministry. And she is so good at what she does. For real. For real. But I'm really proud of her too, because I think that there are not a lot of women in the space who are as brutally honest as she is while also being able to have such adult personality that people want to come and talk to you. They want to hang out with you. Like, she's fun, she's the homegirl, she's sexy, she's sassy, but, like, she's not with the bullshit and she's not afraid to tell you and she's not afraid to be honest. And I think that disruptor that we see in her is what I want to see in a lot of the other younger girls in that space doing because it is a very male dominated talk space. DJ Head who sits next to her is, you know, amazing at just being supportive, but also made amazing. And it's. And it's very obvious in like, her rise was very amazing at, like, being a supportive. He's like, he's supportive and he's chill, but he's a force, very well connected. Not afraid to put his people on, not afraid to put her on. But I think he understood that, like, they were better together. And a lot of the opportunities that we saw him get over this last, like, year or two is all he's always centered the two of them and not just himself, but he's also really good at what he does too. His understanding of music especially, you know, being ingrained in a lot of west coast culture which people were paying so much attention to at one point. I think he used that in a really smart way to build something that lasts beyond the Kendrick drink beef moment. So shout out to them. Effective immediately. Available everywhere. Go watch them. It's one of my favorite shows to watch as well. When I'm Preparing, you know, for my artist interviews because they really get into the shits. Jim Jones on the list. Jim Jones, I want to mention he's number 26 on the list and was not on last year's list. But I want to mention him because I think with the let's Rap about it podcast and artist to artist with the platforms that he has and what he's doing, people like to drag him and like to troll him and like to, you know, come for him and dispute his takes when he talks about how relevant he is and who he thinks he's bigger than the music. But one thing that I will say is that quietly, he's building an empire in the media world off of that. He got tired of just being on someone else's platform responding to things, or on Instagram responding to things, and he made it something like the rest. The Less Rapid Body podcast, they're carving out their own lane, still very much growing, but it's working for them. They have an audience over there. Artist to artist. He has an audience over there and he's building out more. And I think he. One of the things I respect is that he took what he watched a lot of people do and he didn't say, oh, everybody's doing this, or because I'm not the first to do it, I don't want to do it. He would probably argue he was first in the space some way somehow, because that's just what Jim do. But he wasn't afraid to say, I'm going to do it now. I don't care who's already doing it, and I'm going to do it my way because if I build it, they will come. And I think that that's what this genre of, like, that's what you see a common thread in a lot of the people on this new list. It's like new media, like things are changing. You then got Nori Noriega, drink champs, number 25. I love Nori. He's such a sweet person. Every time I run into him, he always talks about how he gets his news from me, which is a lot of pressure when people tell me that. But I I with it because I know Nori has experienced so many generations of like, personality, media talent, journalists, hip hop, music culture. He's also dominating in the space and another person who's building business, very smart in the space. He just launched Rock Solid, which is Memphis Bleaks podcast under his Drink Champs like Network Flap flagship that he's building as well, too. And I love to see people who are in hip hop, understand the business and build the business because it sustains you longer than anything else. And he's been able to be relevant. Like, think about it. Nori the the rapper Nori Drink Champs now Nori the rapper, Drink Champs and businessman in podcast flagship. Up next, we have Gillian Wallow at number 18. And I think you just put Gillian Waller on this list. Not like, just like it's. It's nothing. But they're consistent. Like, you. You know what you're getting from them. People love them. People love to sit down and talk about them. I will say, though, this year I feel like I haven't seen their stuff circulate as much online. And I don't know why. I don't know if it's because they're quiet, quietly building other things. So, like, they're still dropping. They're still doing interviews. I know they did Pooh Shici's first interview when he came home, but I don't know. They've just been very, like. It's been like they're dropping and they're consistent and then they, like, they out the way. And normally with people as ambitious as them, we've seen their rise to, you know, everything that they're doing. Million dollars worth of game. That means that they're working on something. So I'm excited to see what is going to come next from them. But you got. If you got a list of people in the space that are impactful, it actually means something. Gillian Wallow have to be on the list because first of all, their focus and what they actually care about and their why of why they're doing it. Like, really wanting to help people who are coming behind them understand who they are so they're not throwing their lives away. That's always gonna get them placed on any list, in my opinion. And actually, I mean, it's Gillion Wallet or entertaining as. As well. Like, let's just get that to them. Bootleg Kev also on the list. Another outlet I watch a lot when I'm preparing for interviews. The guys from the popcast podcast, the New York Times podcast. I don't know how to say their name, so I'm probably gonna get this wrong. John Carmonica and Joe Casa Crelley. I like their interviews. I like their interviews because I feel like they're always very well researched. They have a very good rapport with a lot of the artists that they report on because they've been working in a space for so long. So this is not their first time meeting or reporting on or talking to the artist, but they're just, they're very well researched a lot and they're not afraid to ask questions. Like, and to be honest with y', all, a lot of people that are white in the hip hop space that are doing these interviews and all those things, a lot of times I feel like they're like either trying very hard, super disconnected, or they're. Their type of content is like, it might be good to watch, but it's not something I'm using to research because I don't know, like, it's a lot that's just going over their head. They're really good at what they do and it's very calm. There's no gotcha moments. It's not an attack. It's like an easy conversation to watch, but it's very well researched. Frasier Tharp, writer, journalist. For real, for real, like, actually a still a writer. So big up to him, especially for the Jay Z interview that he did, which was everywhere. It was a very well put together interview. Again, very well researched. This is what I mean when I say, like, hip hop journalists, like, there's like a specialty, like, that's like an art or a gift because you have to, like, remember so much information, different years, different drops, different releases, lyrics, like, and be able to like, effortlessly recite it and, you know, turn it into questions. Like, I don't think people understand that. That ain't for everybody. Everybody can't do that. But he does it very well, as we saw on display this year with that Jay Z Inter. Kai Sanat is on the list. And I saw some people arguing when the list dropped that Kaisanat hasn't turned on his camera all year. So why is he on the list? I don't ever want y' all to mistake his power and his impact with the fact that he has chosen to not play around with it and take. And take a break and focus and figure out how he really wants to impact. Kazana not reached a pinnacle that a lot of streamers are still fighting to get to today to the point where he was able to do what he's doing now. He's taking a break. He stepped away. And when he chooses to come back and turn that camera on in whatever way he chooses to, y', all, we will listen. We will listen. And. And I think the beauty of it is, is that he actually cares for something deeper. Like, it's not just about the streams, the W's in the chat, the subscribers, the money. Like, it's actually something Deeper for him. And he's out right now trying to discover what that is so that he doesn't miss that. And I think people who have purpose in their journey, the impact is that's legacy. He's out of here. And then they, you know, we get to the top five. On the top five, of course, Joe Budden, Charlemagne, this little man that works on the show called the Breakfast Club. Jadakiss, Fat Joe. Yeah, like, it's. I. I think it's a. There's a lot of people on this list. I ain't even gonna hold you that. I don't even know who they are whatsoever. Academics is number one on the list. I don't think that academics should be number one on the list. And no, it's not because we had our little scruffle on Twitter. I really could care less about that at this point in my life. Have nothing against him. I always say I respect them out of what he's built. I just don't agree on how he goes about things a lot of the times. But I don't think he should be number one. I think, and this is not because I work with him. I think Charlamagne is. Is number one. They have DJ Academics as number one, Joe Budden as number two, Vlad is number three, Fat Joe and Jadakiss is number four, and Charlamagne as number five. I will put Charlamagne as number one just because not only is his voice impactful and it impacts inside and outside of hip hop, and that's important for hip hop, but that might go over some people's heads, but the business that he's built and the way that he's been able to hire and employ and just change the lives of so many other people through hip hop and through a microphone, that's like there. Nobody in the top five of this list is doing that the way that he's doing it. I would then put Joe Budden at number two just because I think when you talk about elder statesman and impact, voice wise, that is him as well. And he's able to do a lot of the, you know, the callbacks to the lyrics and the conversation. Like, he really does this for real as well. I would put. If I'm choosing just from the top top five, I would probably. Yeah, I would probably put Academics as number three only because I. I feel like. I feel like he. I' ma hate that I'm saying this. He's louder. Like, I would put Joe and Jada there, but I feel like their stuff isn't it's. Not at the forefront as much. And I think that that matters with the people that I'm like, how I think about things like the disruptor, like their things don't disrupt as much. They did have the moment where they revealed that we were gonna get the. The J. Cole birthday mixtape. And when they did it, you see how crazy it went. But they don't do that often and. But we love them because you get. You get a piece of hip hop history in real time and a look back on things in a way that you just don't get it from other people because. Because of who you're talking about. Like, Fat Joe is one of the best storytellers ever. And Jadakiss is just so well respected and has experienced so much that you put them two together and it's cold. But yeah, I think I would. I would flop that. And honestly, the only reason why I wish that there was another option for top five, like, is there somebody else I would actually take out to put? I honestly might. I don't know. I would put the Popcast guys a little higher, if I'm being honest. I put myself a little higher too. Not top five, though. Cameron is on this list. I don't know if I'll put him top five, though. But I do respect the way that he's been able to build a business model for himself as well, too. I think once he settles in, all of the business that he's building, it's going to be up there like top five. But I see what he's doing with Revolt and I know how much they respect him because I dealt with them so much during all that. Dane Dash, Is he chairman of Revolt? Is he not? Conversation. But yeah, I don't know. I'm not mad at me putting academics at number three. I just feel like a lot of times he's loud but it's for the wrong reasons. And I think that there's. I think anybody in the top five of a hip hop list like this where you're balancing out impact, virality, substance. But also like, who do people care to listen to? People do care to listen to him. But I feel like Impact also, it impact matters as far as, like, what you're choosing a platform. And I feel like sometimes the things that he chooses a platform is still not like, I think that he could be. It could be he could be doing so much more with the platform that he's built, but he's built the platform and he did it early on before a lot of the streamers and things like that were being respected. And that's why I'm not mad at him. In the top five whatsoever. Take a look at the list. It's on complex.com. let me know what you guys think about it. I am honored to be on the list. I know people be like, I don't care about lists. I don't care about awards. It feels good to be recognized by your peers and to know that, you know, your work is not going overlooked. I'm Lauren LaRosa. This has been another episode of the Latest with Lauren LaRosa. And I tell you guys every single episode. Y' all could be anywhere with any open body, but y' all choose to be right here with me, my lowriders. I appreciate you guys. I'll catch you in my next episode. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
