State Champ Radio Author: djfrosty
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Source: Cook County Department of Corrections / Cook County Department of Corrections
While Diddy continues to fight off all kinds of allegations and lawsuits centered around his disturbing predatory ways, the original pied piper of pedophilia, R. Kelly is back in the news as his victims have taken him back to court to get him to pay up for his crimes.
According to TMZ, six of R. Kelly’s victims have filed a lawsuit against the disgraced R&B singer claiming that the Chicago crooner has yet to pay them the millions of dollars they’re owed from a 2023 judgement against Kelly. In he lawsuit obtained by TMZ, the plaintiffs state that R. Kelly has only paid them a small portion of the $10.3 million that they’re owed and are demanding the “I Wish” singer cough up the rest as it’s already been two years since he was ordered to compensate them for his criminal abuse of them.
Per TMZ:
Lizette Martinez, Lisa Van Allen, Kelly Rogers, Faith Rogers, Roderick Gartrell and Gem Pratts claim they’ve received less than $500,000 … and they say Kelly is still on the hook for more than $9.9 million.
As you know, Kelly’s victims came forward in the Lifetime docuseries, “Surviving R. Kelly” … and they’re going after the disgraced singer and his former record label, Universal Music, for the money after claiming he shut down a screening of the doc in 2018.
TMZ broke the story … the judgment was leveled against Kelly in August 2023, but he pushed back and claimed he didn’t even know about the case and shouldn’t be held accountable.
R. Kelly is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence for his crimes against humanity and while most of the world is already familiar with the disturbing stories surrounding Kelly’s predatory ways, his lawyer feels that the man shouldn’t be on the hook for the $10.3 million that the victims are seeking.
R. Kelly’s current lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, tells TMZ … “This outrageous default judgment was entered contrary to court rules, legal precedent, and basic principles of fairness. A New York court conducted a hearing in Mr. Kelly’s absence and without his knowledge while he was incarcerated in Chicago, awarding a staggering $10,000,000 to plaintiffs for conduct committed by someone else.”
She adds, “A pattern has emerged from courts across the country deciding that Mr. Kelly is not entitled to the same Due Process rights as everyone else. It’s getting old. No court would have been that cavalier with the money of a white man. Our appeal is pending on this issue.”
Looks like Kelly’s going to fight this one tooth and nail as his finances continue to disappear while he’s behind bars.What do y’all think about R. Kelly’s latest legal issue? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Philadelphia Eagles had a lot to celebrate after notching the championship at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday night (Feb. 9), beating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome.However, the party in the Big Easy started days before the game, with some of today’s biggest stars attending and performing at parties and events throughout the city. To kick things off, FanDuel’s Super Bowl Party Powered by Spotify on Feb. 7 featured performances by DJ Pee.wee (a.k.a. Anderson .Paak), Megan Thee Stallion and Blink-182. A-list attendees included Kourtney Kardashian, Gabrielle Union, Saweetie, Offset, Karrueche Tran, Jessica Alba, Teyana Taylor, Rob Gronkowski, Brianna Chickenfry, Flavor Flav and many more.
The next evening, on Feb. 8, Sports Illustrated hosted their annual SI The Party at Mardi Gras World featured performances by Diplo and Dom Dolla and was attended by stars like Louis Tomlinson, gymnast Aly Raisman, Tucker Wetmore and more.
Meanwhile, Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party took place at The Sugar Mill and was headlined by performers Post Malone, Travis Scott, Latto and Ciara. Attendees included Angel Reese, Gayle King, Martha Stewart, Coi Leray, Russell Wilson, Alix Earle, Tinashe, Pete Davidson, Kevin Costner, GloRilla ad more.
More star-studded Super Bowl parties included Shaq’s Fun House, the GQ Bowl, and FRI&NDS Super Bowl Party, among others.
See below for some of the best photos from this year’s Super Bowl parties.
Post Malone
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Post Malone at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Travis Scott
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Travis Scott at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ciara
Image Credit: Rich Polk/Getty Images
Ciara performs during Michael Rubin’s 2025 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Meek Mill
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Meek Mill at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tucker Wetmore
Image Credit: Skip Bolen/Getty Images
Tucker Wetmore arrives at the Sports Illustrated’s SI The Party at Mardi Gras World on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Tinashe
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Tinashe at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Shaquille O’Neal
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Shaquille O’Neal performs onstage at Shaq’s Fun House held at Mardi Gras World on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Latto
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Latto at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Offset
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Offset at the GQ Bowl held at Hotel Peter and Paul on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Shaboozey
Image Credit: Kaitlyn Morris/Getty Images
Shaboozey performs on stage during FRI&NDS Super Bowl Party at Merchant Hall on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Saweetie & Gabrielle Union
Image Credit: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Saweetie and Gabrielle Union attend FanDuel’s Super Bowl Party Powered by Spotify on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sexyy Red
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Sexyy Red at the GQ Bowl held at Hotel Peter and Paul on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
blink-182
Image Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images
Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge of blink-182 perform onstage during FanDuel’s Super Bowl Party Powered by Spotify on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Quavo
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Quavo at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Angel Reese & Lil Baby
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Angel Reese and Lil Baby attend Michael Rubin’s 2025 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Megan Thee Stallion
Image Credit: Kaitlyn Morris/WireImage
Megan Thee Stallion attends 2025 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ludacris
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Ludacris performs onstage at Shaq’s Fun House held at Mardi Gras World on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Shaquille O’Neal
Image Credit: Anna Webber/Getty Images
Shaquille O’Neal attends the 2025 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
GloRilla
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
GloRilla at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
BigXThaPlug
Image Credit: Kaitlyn Morris/Getty Images
BigXThaPlug performs on stage during FRI&NDS Super Bowl Party at Merchant Hall on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Flavor Flav
Image Credit: Jeff Schear/Getty Images
Flavor Flav attends FanDuel’s Super Bowl Party Powered by Spotify on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Travis Scott
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Travis Scott performs onstage during Michael Rubin’s 2025 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Coi Leray
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Coi Leray at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Don Toliver
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Don Toliver at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Sugar Mill on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
DJ Pee .Wee
Image Credit: Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images
DJ Pee .Wee performs onstage during FanDuel’s Super Bowl Party Powered by Spotify on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
blink-182
Image Credit: Jeff Schear/Getty Images
Tom DeLonge, Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus of blink-182 attend FanDuel’s Super Bowl Party Powered by Spotify on Feb. 7, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Diplo
Image Credit: Skip Bolen/Getty Images
Diplo arrives at the Sports Illustrated’s SI The Party at Mardi Gras World on Feb. 8, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund celebrated the legacy of legendary folk singer Joan Baez on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. Performers included Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Morello, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal and Baez herself. There were also appearances by Jackson Browne and the Glide […]
Kendrick Lamar took over Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Sunday night (Feb. 9) for the Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show,
After SZA’s ethereal appearance during Lamar’s set, it could make sense for K.Dot to pass the baton to his upcoming tour mate and frequent collaborator. She’d have plenty of songs to choose from, as her 2017 album Ctrl peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and spawned standout tracks like “Love Galore,” “The Weeknd,” and “Broken Clocks,” while her Billboard 200 chart-topper SOS featured hits like “Kill Bill,” “Snooze,” “Good Days,” “I Hate U” and more.
Within R&B/hip-hop, a few more stars who come to mind for future Super Bowl headliners include Lil Wayne, who wanted to perform in his hometown of New Orleans, and Nicki Minaj, who dropped the long-awaited Pink Friday 2 in 2023 and expressed plans for the third installment of the Pink Friday series in September. Jay-Z is also likely to take the halftime slot, as he and his company Roc Nation have signed on since 2019 to help the NFL pick out talent to perform during the prestigious game. “I thought it would be selfish to pick myself too early,” he previously said of performing during a red carpet appearance for the premiere of The Book of Clarence. “Maybe one year.”
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Over in the pop world, Taylor Swift could take over for her Kansas City Chiefs boyfriend Travis Kelce and have her time in the Super Bowl spotlight, or Justin Bieber could take the stage, as he’s been teasing a return to music in recent months. BTS is also scheduled for a much-anticipated reunion after the group members complete their South Korean military service in mid-2025, so why not celebrate with a major Halftime Show takeover?
Trending on Billboard
Country has had a major year, and Post Malone could be a fun headliner following the release of his country-tinged F-1 Trillion project. Or perhaps his “I Had Some Help” collaborator Morgan Wallen should take center stage. There’s also a chance that the Super Bowl Halftime Show goes back to spotlighting rock acts, with Metallica and Linkin Park’s new lineup as great contenders.
Who do you think should do the honors and headline the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show? Let us know by voting here or below.
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Source: Patrick Smith / Getty / Kendrick Lamar / PlayStation
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime performance had more easter eggs than a Marvel Studios film. One in particular caught the attention of gamers who were tuned in.
You were absolutely correct if you thought Kendrick Lamar’s performance had a video gamey-feel. Super Bowl LIX halftime show art director Shelley Rodgers confirmed to Wired that Lamar uses PlayStation imagery, mainly the icons on the PlayStation controller.
In the interview, Rodgers revealed that K.Dot devised the video game-themed performance, adding that “each performance space was shaped like a button on a PlayStation-style controller, a performance intended to portray Lamar’s life as a video game.”
No one knows why Lamar chose PlayStation or decided to go that route while he bullied Drake again, but the art director did have some suggestions.
“I think the was symbolic, his way to reach young people,” Rodgers told Wired. “A lot of it is showing his journey, [showing him] traveling through the American dream.”
Creative Director Mike Carson added more insight, adding that Lamar and his production company, pgLang, are “really into keeping things clean and minimal.”
“We went with a monochromatic concrete look and allowed the video game motif to come alive through dialogue, lighting, choreography, and music.”
There is no word on whether PlayStation knew about Lamar’s vision, but if they did, do you think Drake would also be BIG MAD at the video company for being involved, or nah?
Fans Loved The PlayStation Inclusion
Fans also had plenty to say about the moment. “Kendrick Lamar brought out the PlayStation symbols and said,’ Game Over,’” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote following the performance.
Another user added, “Serena Williams, Samuel Jackson, PlayStation references, the GNX, the whole stadium yelling “AMINORR” ugh the dancers in red, white & blue, SZA?! Thank you Kendrick. The revolution will be televised.”
Kendrick Lamar did that! Debate your auntie.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
4. Still need an answer
6. So cool
Horst Weidenmueller, the founder of label and music company !K7, has died at age 60.
A statement from !K7 provided to Billboard says his death followed “a serious illness” but did not elaborate on the specifics.
Born in the Black Forest region of Germany, Weidenmueller moved to Berlin and founded !K7 in 1985, when he was 21 years old. !K7 began as a music-video production company, later launching the DJ-Kicks mix series that would go on to become an influential and globally known platform for a wide range of DJs and producers.
!K7 began releasing artist albums in 1996, putting forth music from across the wide electronic spectrum. The company now has offices in Berlin, London and New York, with its label group including the in-house labels !K7, AUS, 7K!, Soul Bank and Strut Records.
In 2024, Weidenmueller was recognized with the prestigious IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award for his influential work in the European independent music sector, an award that coincided with the 40th anniversary of !K7 Music.
The award acknowledged Weidenmüller’s advocacy for sustainability and inclusion in the music industry. As a long-time IMPALA board member and the founder of its Sustainability Task Force, he spearheaded the development of a bespoke carbon calculator for labels, in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle, Merlin and Murmur. He also helped establish IMPALA’s Business Case for Sustainability, emphasizing the financial benefits of environmentally conscious practices.
Trending on Billboard
The statement from !K7 continues that “beyond his role at !K7, Horst was a passionate advocate for the independent music community. As a long-standing board member of Merlin and IMPALA Independent Music Companies Association, he played a vital role in strengthening and championing the independent sector on a global scale. His contributions have left a lasting impact on the industry and will not be forgotten.“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and everyone whose lives he touched. We will honour his memory by carrying forward the work and values he instilled in us. !K7 remains committed to continuing his vision with the same passion and integrity that he embodied.”
The company’s statement adds, “We kindly ask to respect his family’s privacy at this time.”
Do you know what the initials “AWGE” stand for? Don’t feel too bad because only a few people know the answer to that, and apparently it’s a big secret. AWGE is the name of A$AP Rocky‘s creative agency and record label, and the meaning of what the letters stand for has never been made clear. […]
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Source: Kenstocker / Getty / FBI
Does anyone else feel phone scams have been out of control since Donald Trump got back into office? Anyway, the FBI, or what’s left of them, is now warning iPhone and Android users about a scam that could make your life hell if you fall for it.
The FBI warned about a scam involving text messages demanding recipients pay unpaid road tolls. According to Forbes, anyone who receives such messages should delete them immediately.
“Scammers are pretending to be tolling agencies from coast to coast and sending texts demanding money,” the FTC said, as reported by Forbes. “Not only is the scammer trying to steal your money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity.”
The devious texts contain a dollar amount and a link to pay the fake fine, which comes from an unknown individual pretending to be a local agency.
How Long Has This Been Going On?
According to Forbes, people from Massachusetts, California, North and South Carolina, Illinois, Colorado, Florida, and several other states have claimed they received the texts in January. The FBI claims reports about the scam started surfacing around March 2024, and thousands of people have since “reported smishing texts representing road toll collection services.”
Those texts “claim the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain almost identical language.”
“The ‘outstanding toll amount’ is similar… However, the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state’s toll service name, and phone numbers appear to change between states,” the FBI said.
The city of Great Falls, Montana, recently posted on X, formerly Twitter, to warn residents about the scam.
https://x.com/City_GreatFalls/status/1887648646348611829
We have a feeling things are only going to get worse as Trump continues to gut everything in the name of “government efficiency.”
It’s been a near-year-long road to the Big Game for Kendrick Lamar, whose 2024 crescendoed from March onward, to the point where the rapper — who had long seemed conflicted about the idea of crossover success — ended the year as our editorial staff’s pick for the year’s Greatest Pop Star. He’s picked up right […]
Kid Rock abruptly cut a recent performance short after expressing frustration at the audience’s energy. The “All Summer Long” singer took the stage at JBJ’s Nashville as a special guest during Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan’s birthday celebration on Saturday (Feb. 8). In a clip of the incident circulating the Internet, Kid Rock begins to […]
