Moments of Clarity Episode 10: Spotify Vs. XXXTentacion

Hip-hop continues to be America's biggest music genre, dominating pop culture and the entertainment news feed. Last week was no different, as some of hip-hop’s most notable names made headlines—some for the wrong reasons. Regardless, any news involving hip-hop's most intriguing figures is certain to get clicks on XXL's site, but instead of clicks, XXL is taking news to the podcast game with Hip-Hop Moments of Clarity.

Starring XXL Editor-in-Chief Vanessa Satten, Executive Editor John Kennedy (a.k.a JFK) and Associate Editor Roger Krastz, Hip-Hop Moments of Clarity finds the staff joined by Triangle Offense Management founder Wayne “Wayno” Clark in 60-minute episodes (he's got another off-week this episode). Touching base on all things rap, the podcast provides a more opinionated and in-depth look at the topics covered by the XXL site.

In the latest episode of XXL’s Hip-Hop Moments of Clarity podcast, the crew discusses the implications of Spotify's newly unveiled hate content and hateful conduct policy, which eliminates artists like Tay-K, R. Kelly and XXXTentacion from Spotify's playlists—including the immensely popular Rap Caviar, which is a huge music discovery tool and source of streaming. Was Spotify right to take a stand, considering that none of the removed artists have been convicted of the crime being held against them? Will Spotify continue to remove other problematic figures from playlists? And how will the streaming service monitor and ensure fairness in its choice of omissions?

In other news: Childish Gambino broke the internet with his provocative "This is America" video, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj seem to have hashed out their issues (real or imagined) at the Met Gala, Kevin Gates has made his return to Instagram following his January release from prison. Oh, and Kanye actually hasn't been wreaking havoc on Twitter. Peep the rundown on another wild week in hip-hop.

Check out the 10th episode of XXL's Hip-Hop Moments of Clarity podcast here and subscribe to follow every episode.

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