The music industry has a longstanding history of shady business dealings that involve a lack of ownership rights for artists, and only in recent times have the artists begun to fight back. For both rap and hip hop culture, that period of reprioritizing came in the 80s and 90s.
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According to TK Kirkland, that movement was largely a result of the success that West Coast rappers, such as Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, were enjoying at the time. While sipping on cognac with Shannon Sharpe on the latest episode of Club Shay Shay, the actor-comedian surmised that,
“That’s why the Dr. Dres and Ice Cubes always won compared to the East Coast in hip hop, because they owned it. No one could tell them what to do. Ownership is everything.”
The two of them then decided to substitute their beverage of choice with a shot of Habush, a snake-extract induced sake that is just as potent as it is distinct.
While it is possible to order a bottle containing an actual pit viper at the bottom, Sharpe and Kirkland were relieved to see that this wasn’t the case with their bottle. The sake itself is believed to contain medicinal properties and is the result of a longstanding tradition in Okinawa.
Their co-host for the episode, Okinawan rapper Awich, was kind enough to provide the backstory as to why the drink is so significant to her and her culture.
“Habu is the name of the snake. He used to kill people. So, they have to kill the snake, but instead of throwing it away, they thought to put it in a drink and drink its strength into themselves… It never gives you a hangover and it is an aphrodisiac.”
“This might be our last drink, TK,” Sharpe joked after hearing the full rundown. The three of them also took the time to taste a sample of Sharpe’s 46-year-aged cognac, with the NFL hall of famer proudly informing Kirkland that his product had won the Sip Awards not once, but twice.
“We’ve won like the 13, 14 awards,” Sharpe noted. The former Denver Bronco has become a savant in the spirits since retiring from the league in 2003, so, naturally, he was surprised when Awich was able to down an entire shot of his product without giving so much as a grimace.
“It’s usually a sip drink,” Kirkland exclaimed, to which the self-described “Queen of Japanese Hip Hop” stated, “Oh, I didn’t know, but we do it like this.”
Still taken aback by the rapper’s ability to hold her own liquor, it’s safe to say Sharpe and Kirkland enjoyed their experience. However, given the size of the shots, they likely paid the price for it after waking up the next morning.
