There was a lot of buzz around Kanye West and his headlining Budweiser Made in America Festival performance in Philadelphia on Saturday night (August 30). Throughout the day there was speculation about whether Yeezy would bring out his pal and festival curator Jay Z, or if ‘Ye would perform a new song off of his upcoming LP.

Well, neither of those things happened, instead West brought his superstar self, all of his hits and a couple of masks. He also brought some new perspective and spoke up about the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards where comedian Jay Pharaoh made a joke at Yeezy’s expense.

“I called Jay Pharaoh right after the MTV awards,” ‘Ye told the crowd, disapproving of the “Saturday Night Live” comedian’s impersonation of him at the August 24 award show.

Pharaoh told jokes about West’s wedding to Kim Kardashian, their “Bound 2″ video and their daughter North West. Yeezy says that he isn’t a joke and shouldn’t be spoofed, especially by a black comedian.

“I’m not making it a black or white thing right now, but I’m telling you if you see a black guy anywhere he had to work 12 times as hard, excuse me,” he continued. “So we ain’t gonna have no black comedians going up on stage spoofing the people that’s working hard to open doors, not only for black people, but any creatives.”

Yeezy wasn’t all talk, there was music too. Actually it ...

J. Cole came to the Budweiser Made in America Festival with a mission and a message.

Before the Roc Nation MC took the stage on Saturday night (August 30) his DJ played “Be Free,” Cole’s dedication to Mike Brown, the Ferguson, Missouri teen who was shot and killed by a police officer on August 9.

Cole’s emotional ode played, while he ran a montage of footage which showed various acts of police aggression and brutality. The crowd watched, mostly quiet, in a somber acknowledgement of the rapper’s sentiment.

When the Dreamville spitter final did emerge from backstage all he had to do was yell “Philly” for the crowd to erupt with applause and praise. First was “Enchanted” from his 2010 mixtape Friday Night Lights, then he moved into “Land of the Snakes” from his latest album Born Sinner.

From there Cole ran through a number of hit records and fan favorites. He did “Blow Up,” “Nobody’s Perfect” and the song that made Jay Z sign him, “Lights Please.” Jermaine, who was backed by a band, briefly shared the front stage with Bas, the first signee to his Dreamville record label and together they performed “Lit.”

Of course he did “Work Out,” “Can’t Get Enough” and “Nobody’s Perfect,” but by the time he closed with “Power Trip” the crowd was fully engaged in a good old fashioned sing along.

What you say Cole ain’t hot? What? Where you read that sh–?

Rob Markman

Mentally been ...

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There was a time when MTV’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award was simply known as the Video Vanguard Award. But in 1988, the King of Pop changed all that.

On Sunday, August 24 at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Beyoncé took home the Moonman that was once the Lifetime Achievement Award and a hallmark that stood for an almost peerless contribution to music — a standard set and upheld by Michael Jackson throughout his entire career, a standard that we continue to celebrate five years after Jackson’s death.

Related: Did You Ever Think You’d See Michael Jackson Shmoney Dance To Bobby Shmurda? Now You Can

Had Michael not passed away on June 25, 2009, he would’ve turned 56 on Friday, August 29. MJ has left us with so many unforgettable moments, but given it’s Michael’s birthday and given the unbreakable ties between the VMAs and Michael’s MTV history, we dug into the MTV vaults and pulled out one that felt appropriate: Michael Jackson’s 1988 Video Vanguard Award win.

Unforgettable.

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman

You can find a bit of everything on WorldStarHipHop.com, from rap videos and street fights to twerk sessions and sports highlights — it’s kind of like a one-stop shop for all things viral.

Lee “Q” O’Denat, likes to think of his site as a cable network, except on the web, where he shows “the good, the bad and the ugly,” as he’ll often remind you.

More often than not, WSHH is criticized for the bad and the ugly, but Q and his team have been working to change that perception with a series of documentaries they call “The Field.” The first “Field” doc focused on inner-city youth in Chicago and the violence that they face daily.

The second film, which was released last week focuses on Miami, a city that the media rarely shows in its totality. “With Miami, the city itself is known for South Beach and Ocean Drive and no one really gets to see outside of that,” Q explained to MTV News. “It’s a struggle going on and those locals are really passionate about their city… They’re ready to die for it.”

“The Field: Miami” takes viewers past the party strip into less affluent communities like Opa-Locka, Lil Haiti and Overtown and it speaks to those trapped in a cycle of street violence.

“I felt like it was our duty to step up to the plate and speak to these kids out there that thought the guns were the way out,” he said. “These kids ...

Now that G-Unit is back and reunited, 50 Cent’s squad is not looking back. On Monday, they released their first project in six years, The Beauty of Independence, and they say there’s more on the way. What fans won’t get, they promise, is another break-up.

“If you looking over here at G-Unit and looking for the downfall, then it’s hard on yourself, you’re making it hard on yourself,” Young Buck told MTV News on Thursday, just moments before the Unit recorded a special interview with SiriusXM’s Shade 45. “But if you’re looking over here at G-Unit and you’re looking for the success, yeah it’ll be easier on your eyes.”

Lloyd Banks says that the group only released a small portion of the music they’ve recorded since they came back together in June. He assures us that there are more EPs and albums on the way. “Right now we got like over 50 records recorded and the process for picking this EP was six records,” he said. “It reminds me of when we first started, because we didn’t have a lot of time to fall in love with a record like, Yo that’s my joint. Because by the time you lay that one down, we’re in the booth again. And then four or five records in one day.

“So they can expect the first six songs and then another EP following that and solo projects as well,” he confirmed.

The prospect of even more ...

The shooting death of Ferguson, Missouri teen Michael Brown at the hands of the police has ignited the nation and angered many. People have taken to the street in protest, while artists continue to make statements and use their voice in song. 50 Cent and G-Unit are the latest to take a stand with their video for “Ahhh Sh–,” an aggressive protest against police brutality.

The video starts with footage of the late Eric Garner, pleading with the New York City police officers who would eventually put him in the chokehold that the coroner ruled contributed to his death. The Unit continue to roll out a montage of protest videos and clips of police attacking citizens.

In fact, there is minimal performance footage in clip, which only features two Unit members: Young Buck and Kidd Kidd. Still, the lyrics are heard loud and clear. With his verse, Buck screams: “Ever since Mike Brown went down my whole city’s like f–k a cop,” while Kidd Kidd shouts out: “No justice, no peace.”

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman

There’s no doubt that Jennifer Lopez broke barriers with her iconic backside. Jenny from the block was representing for big-booty girls since the late 1990s, back before it really became a thing in the media, and she proves that she’s still down for the derriere with her new “Booty” remix.

The original track appeared on J.Lo’s recently released album, A.K.A., and featured culo connoisseur Pitbull. But for the remix released on Tuesday (August 26), La Lopez traded Mr. Worldwide for Iggy Azalea. And why wouldn’t she? Lopez teased the song when she introduced Iggy and Rita Ora’s “Black Widow” performance at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.

Jennifer’s portion of the song remains unchanged; she sings seductively, boasting about her sexy rump. “It’s his birthday, give him what he asked for,” she instructs.

Then by the time Iggy brings up the rear (pun intended), the remix works up a full sweat. “The last time the world seen a booty this good it was on Jenny from the block,” she raps, praising Lopez and herself at the same time.

Well done, ladies.

Rob Markman

Mentally been many places, but I'm Brooklyn's own. Hip-hop gives me life!

@RobMarkman

When Drake won his first MTV Video Music Award in 2012, he gave an unforgettable speech about being black and Jewish and then dedicated his award to all the kids who had to to take “a long walk home” by themselves.

We were so moved by the speech, we just couldn’t wait to hear what Drizzy would say after winning his second moonman in the Best Hip-Hop category on Sunday at the 2014 VMAs, but unfortunately he was out on tour and couldn’t make it to the Forum in Los Angeles.

Still, Aubrey made up for his absence on Monday night at the Mansfield, Massachusetts stop on his Drake Vs. Lil Wayne Tour. “First of all, uh, I wanna thank God,” Drake told the crowd before thanking his mother and Weezy, for making his rap dreams come true.

Drake’s romantic sing-along “Hold On, We’re Going Home” won Best Hip-Hop Video, beating out more traditional rap songs like Kanye West’s “New Slaves” and Eminem’s “Berzerk,” and the nuance wasn’t lost on him.

“I know this is a hip-hop award, and I know a lot of you out there are frustrated, like, ‘This is not a hip-hop song.’ And you know what? You’re right — I tricked you all,” he joked. “Rappers, better luck next year. Thank you.”