Beats, rhymes and life are three of the corners where hip hop intersects. Few other TV shows have been able to cover all of these angles in-depth and authentically quite like REVOLT TV’s “Drink Champs,” which thrives on its candid conversations with the biggest and most influential figures in the game. In honor of such a one-of-a-kind show, REVOLT will be recapping each weekly “Drink Champs” episode, so you can always catch the gems that are dropped in each lit interview.
In the latest episode of “Drink Champs,” N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN check in with the people from their remote locations, as they continue to shelter in place in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the second episode of Quarantine Champs, the crew is joined by friend of the show Fat Joe, who gives his takes on the Verzuz platform and who he feels should toss their hat in the ring. He also proposes a few match-ups between some of the most legendary artists in hip hop, as well as shares a few untold stories. In addition to Joey Crack, Roc Nation’s resident utility man Lenny S. joins in to chop it up about his various relationships within the industry, the exact roles he plays, and what he’s been cooking up during this quarantine. Just when you thought it couldn’t get even more star-studded, The L.O.X. members Jadakiss and Styles P. both hop on the stream.
To help give fans a recap of the conversation, REVOLT compiled a list of nine things we learned from the second Quarantine Champs edition of “Drink Champs.” Take a look at them below.
1. Fat Joe On Why He Won’t Participate In Verzuz
Fat Joe has a catalog of hits that stretches back nearly three decades. But, according to him, you won’t see him partaking in a Verzuz battle anytime soon. “Nah, I don’t wanna battle,” he admits. “I’m a bad loser and even a worse winner. I don’t think I can be nobody’s friend after I battle them. I’m being honest with you… If I battle [DJ] Khaled or you, we won’t be friends no more. I’m terrible.”
2. Lenny S. On Wanting To See Fabolous Participate In Verzuz
Rap industry extraordinaire Lenny S. was asked which one of the artists he’s worked with would he like to see in a battle, and the answer may surprise you. “I would love to see Fab in a battle because he’s obviously tested the time [in] the hip hop s**t,” he says. “And he’s broken all the barriers of five, ten years in the game…”
3. Fat Joe On Moving Past His Issues With JAY-Z
One historic rap rivalry that flew under the radar was the rift between JAY-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records and Fat Joe’s Terror Squad, which has since been squashed. “The past [is] the past, it makes us who we are,” Fat Joe says of his previous issues with Hov. “We gotta go through certain paths in life to get to where we at. Every time anybody tells a story or asks me about the Jay-Z [versus] Fat Joe thing, I tell ‘em all the time: ‘[It was] my fault. I was an a**hole. I was wrong, it’s completely my fault. I was fresh off the streets.’”
4. Fat Joe On The Possibility Of A Verzuz Battle Between DMX And Eminem
On the first episode of Quarantine Champs, DMX issued a challenge to JAY-Z to go head-to-head in a Verzuz match-up. However, Joe threw out another megastar that he feels may give the Ruff Ryder a run for his money. “DMX got the biggest hits in the world,” the “Lean Back” rapper explains. “One of the greatest rappers of all time. Legendary, iconic superhero and everything I’m saying is understating him, he’s bigger than that. But, there’s something about that white boy and his fans… nah, bro. You wanna see some cracking the internet? Nah. That n**ga David Koresh, Wacho. That n**ga different, bro.”
5. Lenny S. On The Times JAY-Z and Eminem Performed “Renegade” Together
Having been in JAY-Z’s inner-circle dating back to the early aughts, Lenny S. has been present for a number of legendary moments involving The God MC, including a few rare performances of “Renegade” alongside Eminem. “I got the picture of JAY and Em performing that record in a little whole in the wall club in Detroit,” Lenny reveals. “We just stopped there on tour, then called Em, Em came to the show…and they did that record. I got those pictures. That record hasn’t been performed except there, and when they did it for the Yankee Stadium show, and the Detroit show.”
6. Fat Joe On His Relationship With Fred the Godson
Bronx rapper Fred the Godson’s death from complications related to COVID-19 was a huge blow to the hip hop community. Joe, who had a personal relationship with him, shared his memories between them. “Let me tell you something N.O.R.E., I love you so much,” the “All The Way Up” spitter explains. “And I need to tell you that cause, in no bad vibes, my brother Fred the Godson passed away and I was looking at so many pictures. Of my birthdays, my this, my that, anything we ever did. Grand opening store, like, anything we ever did and Fred was there. And the fact that he was there was like… it was so normal that I didn’t even notice he was there. So, when I’m looking at pictures, I’m like, ‘Damn, Fred was everywhere with us.’ And then BET played his first video and I didn’t even remember, I’m standing behind him the whole video.”
7. Lenny S. On His Role Within Roc Nation
Many are unaware of the man known as Kodaklens on IG’s exact roles and the parts he plays in the industry, which he takes the time to explain during his conversation with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. “I get that often, especially with social media,” he says of mystery that surrounds his name. “It’s all perception, you don’t really know what the person does. People think I’m a photographer, people think I’m a manager, people think I’m an assistant, people think I’m an intern. I am the dopest, most ongoing, consistent intern at Roc Nation. I’m a music executive, you know what I’m saying? I like to say that ‘cause I kinda have different roles. I guess the main role is management and I guess that’s what I would describe in a whole what I do. I’m just, personally though, I’m a dot connector. I just make sure the right people are connected, I make sure the right ideas come to fruition, I make sure to try to turn nothing into something. At the same time, I do hold the camera. At the same time, I like catching the moment for the culture. At the same time, I like documenting the culture, and the camera just been a way for me to document the culture. But, I’m a music lover/executive first, photographer second.”
8. Lenny S. On His Forthcoming Book
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been sheltering at home to help curve the spread of Coronavirus, which has allowed a number of people to use the added time for productivity. Lenny S. is among those people, as he reveals that the past few months have given him the opportunity to focus his time on completing his forthcoming book of his personal photography. “By the way, the best thing that happened on the quarantine is working on my book,” he shares. “‘Cause I needed the time just to do nothing else, so it’s perfect. It’s a coffee table [book] coming on Random House/Penguin. Roc Nation has a publishing company called ROC LIT 101, so I’m on there. So, the book will be coming top of 2021. N.O.R.E.’s in there, a lot of people is in there.”
9. Jadakiss Announces A New L.O.X. Album And Documentary
Among the various friends of the “Drink Champs” family that checked in to chop it up with DJ EFN and N.O.R.E. was Jadakiss, who broke some major news. “To wait ‘til this s**t is over, so I can go on a vacation, man,” he says of his first plan of action once the at-home orders are lifted. “And then I’ll figure out my next move under some palm trees somewhere, a nice expensive accommodation. But, The L.O.X. album is coming out. The LOX and the documentary… That’s next in line, ‘L.O.X., Living Off Experience.’ Self-titled.”