State Champ Radio Author: djfrosty
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On Friday (Jan. 31), two nights ahead of the 67th annual Grammy Awards, UPROXX and will.i.am will host “LA Check-In,” an event dedicated to supporting the LA music community and fire relief efforts. In partnership with the i.am Angel Foundation, the event will feature a performance by Coast Contra and special appearances by will.i.am, DJ […]
J. Cole is serious about this blogging thing. Last night, Cole blogged up a short post addressing fan speculation that his new The Algorithm blog means that his long-awaited album The Fall-Off is finally close to being released. “Ib told me some people was thinking this blog meant an album was about to drop,” he […]
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Source: YouTube / Fox 2 Detroit
A popular Detroit rapper sparked controversy online after she claimed that her Lyft driver refused to allow her into his car earlier this month.
Dank Demoss, whose real name is Dajua Blanding, was recording when the driver of a Mercedes-Benz sedan locked his door and refused to allow her entry.
“I can fit in this car,” Blanding said in a video that was shared to social media on January 19. “Believe me, you can’t,” the driver responded–adding that the tires would not be able to handle her weight. According to The New York Post, the rapper has previously shared her weight as more than 480 pounds.
In her post on Instagram where she shared video of the event, the rapper wrote, “AM I WRONG?,” Demoss wrote in the post. “(Lyft) what y’all got to say about this yall driver discriminated against me…I JUST FEEL LIKE YALL TREAT BIG PPLE LIKE SH*T LIKE WE DONT BELONG HERE.”
The original garnered more than 11,000 likes and thousands of comments.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, the driver apologized for the inconvenience and offered to refund her money and assist her with ordering a larger vehicle.
“I’ve been in cars smaller than that,” she told FOX 2. “I just want them to know that it hurt my feelings.”
In addressing the issue, Lyft issued a statement, saying, “Lyft unequivocally condemns all forms of discrimination—we believe in a community where everyone is treated with equal respect and mutual kindness. Our community guidelines and terms of service explicitly prohibit harassment or discrimination.”
However, Blanding’s attorneys, Jonathan Marko and Zach Runyan have filed a lawsuit against the rideshare company.
Marko explained that as weight is a protected characteristic, the actions of the Lyft driver is the same as discriminating against someone due to their religious beliefs.
However, numerous social media users on X, in particular, are disagreeing with Blanding.
https://x.com/tournesolnao/status/1884219477447041202
It is unclear if the Lyft driver has been named in the lawsuit or has been let go by the company.
Red-hot Latin upstart FloyyMenor has signed with Independent Artist Group for booking. The signing follows the huge success of the 19-year-old Chilean singer-songwriter’s reggaeton hit “Gata Only” with Cris MJ, which was named TikTok’s Global Song of the Summer and Global Song of the Year in 2024. According to a press release, the track saw 50 million creations on TikTok, […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Kendrick Lamar‘s highly anticipated Super Bowl 2025 halftime show is right around the corner, and now fans can celebrate with new […]
The 2025 Grammy Awards are just around the corner, which means a new hit will be crowned record of the year. This year’s star-studded nominees include The Beatles’ “Now And Then,” Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Charli xcx’s “360,” Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Chappell Roan’s “Good […]
Rihanna showed support for her boo A$AP Rocky as she pulled up to the rapper’s trial in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Jan. 29).
Per legal reporter Meghan Cuniff, Rih was seated between Rocky’s mother and sister as the trial in his 2021 felony shooting case continued. She has not been shown on the court’s livestream, but there are security guards on both sides of the row. According to Variety, Rih isn’t expected to testify in the case.
The Harlem rapper previously turned down a final plea deal last week, which would have seen him serve 180 days behind bars. LA County prosecutors recommended three years of probation and a seven-year suspended sentence. Rocky is facing a pair of felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. He can face a maximum of 24 years behind bars if convicted on all charges.
The charges stem from an alleged November 2021 altercation that accuses Rocky of firing a weapon at former A$AP affiliate A$AP Relli — born Terrell Ephron — following an argument near a Hollywood hotel.
Trending on Billboard
Rocky’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, has maintained that the weapon was a prop gun and not a real firearm, as the rapper shot off blanks to defuse the situation. There is video footage that allegedly shows Rocky holding some sort of a handgun from the night of the shooting.
Months after the heated confrontation, the “Fashion Killa” rapper was arrested in April 2022 at Los Angeles International Airport. Rocky posted a $550,000 bond shortly after the arrest and later pleaded not guilty to all of the charges in August 2022.
According to The Associated Press, Ephron took the stand to testify against Rocky on Tuesday (Jan. 28) where he recalled the shooting. “He turned around and then it was like boom,” Ephron explained to the jury. “The whole thing was like a movie, he kind of like pointed down and he shot the first shot.”
He emphatically declared that it was “a real gun” in Rocky’s hand. “I was hit. Or I was grazed,” Ephron said. “I didn’t have a hole or nothing.” Relli says his life’s “been a living hell” since the shooting.
Wednesday’s court session has concluded and the trial will continue on Thursday (Jan. 30), where the defense will have its chance to cross-examine Relli.
U.K. rapper Central Cee recently dropped his impressive debut album Can’t Rush Greatness, but fans noticed one thing missing: a track featuring Drake. While chatting with Dutch radio host Fernando Halman of FunX, Cench was asked if he had any songs with the Toronto rapper stashed away. “I’m sure there’s a Drake record in the […]
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Source: RICCARDO MILANI / Getty / Deepseek
The arrival of Deepseek, a Chinese AI app, rocked the tech world and currently has US tech bros shaking in their boots.
First things first: What the hell is Deepseek? Per CNN, Deepseek is a year-old Chinese start-up offering an open-source AI model, R1, that is close to or better than the advanced models from American tech giants. But get this: It was built for a fraction of the cost, runs on less advanced chips, and uses far less data center power.
This is a big deal because the common belief is that US tech companies would spend billions to stay ahead of the AI game, but with Deepseek, China is proving that to be not the case, and Wall Street is looking at them like, oh, word?
Deepseek’s arrival was so alarming that it scared big tech investors, with some of the biggest tech stocks taking a hit.
Per The New York Times:
The Chinese AI company DeepSeek has said it can match the abilities of cutting-edge chatbots while using a fraction of the specialized computer chips that leading AI companies rely on. That’s prompted investors to rethink the heady valuations of companies like Nvidia, whose equipment powers the most advanced AI systems, as well as the enormous investments that companies like Alphabet, Meta and OpenAI are making to build their businesses.
On Monday, the S&P 500 index fell 1.5 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 3.1 percent. Nvidia was hit hard, plunging 16.9 percent and losing roughly $600 billion in market value. Falling tech stocks also dented market indexes in Europe and Japan.
Hilariously, Donald Trump recently announced a $500 billion investment in AI infrastructure called the Stargate initiative, who thinks of these names?
OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle will lead it. No one put it together at the time, but it would seem this announcement could have been made in anticipation of Deepseek’s arrival. Trump’s buddy, Elon Musk, also slammed it.
Deepseek isn’t being warmly welcomed stateside; the US Navy has already banned its use due to ethical and security concerns.
Welp.
It will be interesting to see how Deepseek continues to shake things up. The gallery below shows social media reactions to the AI model’s arrival.
2. Pretty much
3. Pretty much
4. Another explainer
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Source: Chris Coduto / Getty
Snoop Dogg recently revealed that he lost over half a million followers on social media after performing at the Trump-affiliated Crypto Ball, an event tied to the former president’s supporters. The backlash was swift, with many fans upset by what they saw as Snoop indirectly endorsing Trump and his controversial political affiliations.
This move seemed to contradict Snoop’s past criticisms of Black artists who aligned themselves with Trump, often calling them “Uncle Toms” and “jiggaboos.” Given his outspoken views on politics and social justice, his appearance at the Crypto Ball left many questioning his stance and loyalty to the community. In response to the wave of hate and backlash, Snoop took to social media to address the criticism. Rather than engaging in negativity, he responded with his signature calmness and positivity, saying, “For all that hate, I’m going to answer with love. Y’all can’t hate enough on me. I love too much. Get your life right, stop worrying about mine. I’m cool, I’m together. Still a Black man, still 100 percent Black.”
His message seemed aimed at reminding fans that despite the controversy, he remained true to himself and his roots. While Snoop’s performance at the event was divisive, his response showed he was unbothered by the hate, reinforcing his commitment to his own beliefs and his legacy in the hip-hop world. It remains to be seen how this moment will affect his career, but Snoop’s message of love and self-confidence has continued to resonate.
