*By Conor White*
Kanye West has shocked people before, but his recent outbursts, including a bizarre TMZ interview in which he said slavery was a choice, have left even his closest friends wondering if he's O.K.
"A lot of it, yes, it is disturbing," said Kareem Burke, the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, adding: "I don't know what the intent is, which is crazy for me because I know his heart, and I know he has a great heart, so I'm hopeful things will change and Kanye will be the old Kanye."
Burke takes credit for giving West his start in music more than 15 years ago, when the rapper first signed to Roc-A-Fella. "I personally launched his career," Burke said in an interview with Cheddar at the Collision Conference in New Orleans.
He is now launching a media empire, including two movies which recently had their premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival: "O.G." and "It's A Hard Truth Ain't It". Jeffrey Wright won Best Actor at Tribeca for his performance in "O.G."
Both films deal with prison life in the United States, something Burke knows about. Before he was a media entrepreneur, he served five years for marijuana trafficking. Burke said he hopes the films help raise awareness of the problems with the country's prison system.
"Hopefully if these stories keep getting out, we're hoping that the dialogue starts, and hopefully change follows that," Burke said.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/roc-a-fella-co-founder-misses-the-old-kanye).
Actress Scarlett Johansson is opening up to Variety about her legal battle against Disney. The actress filed a lawsuit against the entertainment giant back in 2021 over the decision to release Black Widow in theaters and streaming at the same time, a move she says hurt the film's box office potential.
Actor Jonathan Majors was confronted Tuesday with a revised domestic violence charge stemming from a woman’s allegations that the Marvel star twisted her arm, struck her head and shoved her into a vehicle in New York City in March.
A petit basset griffon Vendéen named for Buddy Holly won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Tuesday night.
A woman's love of music and singing was passed down to a special member of her family - her dog. Now they're singing duets together.
The 147th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show kicked off Tuesday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Cheddar News went behind the scenes to see how dogs and their handlers have prepared for this moment.
The top entertainment headlines for May 9, 2023.
Singer and YouTube star Dani Apple taught her dog, Clarence, a special trick: singing along with her while she's rehearsing.
'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' brought in $114 million domestically in its box-office debut in North America.
The top entertainment headlines for May 8, 2023.
Cheddar's own Shannon LaNier went to a temple right here in New York City to learn more about the martial arts tradition known as Kung Fu from actual Shaolin warrior monks.
