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Mariah The Scientist can sing but apparently, she can also throw hands. She is alleged to put the beats on a woman in Atlanta.
As reported on TMZ a woman named Cleopatra Dues filed a police report at Zone 2 precinct that the “Stone Cold” performer assaulted her on Monday, April 29. She alleges Mariah The Scientist ran up on her, attacked her, dragged her on the floor and ripped her wig off in the process. The “female grabbed her by her wig and pulled the wig off her head,” then “proceeded to drag her on the table and floor” the police report read. Dues claims she suffered injuries at the hands of the singer; specifically “bruises and cuts” and “visible bodily harm.” The incident took place at Cavo Kitchen and Cocktail Lounge; a restaurant located in the Buckhead section of Atlanta.
Customers at the venue took video of a woman snatching someone’s wig off but it is unclear if it was indeed Mariah The Scientist. The singer songwriter was arrested on Wednesday, May 1 on misdemeanor battery and simple battery charges. According to Fulton County Sheriff’s Office she posted a $5,000 bond and has since been released. Mariah The Scientist has been ordered to have no contact with the victim and not patronize Cavo Kitchen and Cocktail Lounge.
Mariah The Scientist is believed to be the girlfriend of Young Thug. You can see footage of the alleged incident below.
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Source: handout / Rico Wade
It has been a little over a week since the untimely passing of Atlanta Hip-Hop luminary Rico Wade. The founder of the Dungeon Family will be laid to rest on Friday, April 26 at a private funeral.
The late Organized Noize members homegoing will be held at the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Per his press representative, Wade will be eulogized “privately and by invitation only” for close friends and family.
Although the services will be private, Clark Atlanta’s band is scheduled to perform hits produced by Organized Noize (Wade, Sleep Brown and Ray Murray) outside of Ebenezer Baptist, the same church where Martin Luther King, Jr. served as co-pastor and is currently lead by US Senator Raphael Warnock.
For those wanting to pay their respects along the funeral procession, details of the scheduled arrangements are below:
Event: Private Funeral Service for Rico Wade
Date: Friday, April 26, 2024
Time: 11 AM (arrivals typically happen 30 minutes prior)
Location: Ebenezer Baptist Church located @ 101 Jackson St NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Procession to Gravesite Route:
Start MLK @ Mercedes Benz
Left on Harlan Road SW – Flowers to be laid at 409 Harlon Road SW
Right on Peyton Road SW
Right on Hayne
Left on Lynhurst Drive SW
Left Cascade Road
Right on Adams Drive – Flowers to be laid at 1590 Adams Drive SW
Left on Childress Drive SW
Left on Campbellton Road
Right on Delowe Drive
Right on Headland Drive – Flowers to be laid at the corner of Delowe and Headliand
Rest in powerful peace Rico Wade.
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Source: Ben Rose / Getty
Big Boi wrote an extensive tribute to the late Rico Wade of the Dungeon Family, sharing it with fans on social media.
As the Hip-Hop world is still reeling from the sudden death of southern rap trailblazer Rico Wade, one-third of the Organized Noize production crew and Dungeon Family founder, Big Boi opened up about the loss of his dear friend and collaborator. In a post shared on Instagram on Monday (April 15), the veteran MC and one-half of OutKast displayed a collection of photos and videos from the breadth of their 30-year friendship.
“This is a different type of hurt …. Slick Ricky Wade .. I know you’re with us STILL … in a bigger role now… Big Angel Energy… the Highest of Vibrations … Praise Yah,” Big Boi wrote in the caption of the post, ending off with hashtags honoring Wade and the Dungeon Family. The video clip in the post was taken from The Art of Noize documentary chronicling the Atlanta, Georgia production team of Wade, Sleepy Brown, and Ray Murray which had previously been streaming on Netflix.
“Rico Wade is one-third of Organized Noize and he’s like the mouthpiece for that collective of producers. He was connected to LaFace Records through Pebbles ’cause he went to school with Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins from TLC. She connected him with Pebbles and through them, Pebbles introduced Rico to LA Reid,” Big Boi says before adding: “He was like the gateway to get to LA, as well as the producers who produced Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. They signed OutKast. Organized Noize were responsible for us signing to LaFace Records. So without Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown, and Ray Murray, there would [be no OutKast].”
The death of the 52-year-old Wade last Saturday (April 13) took everyone by surprise. Many others expressed their grief in posts shared on social media. Grammy Award-winning artist CeeLo Green offered up a heartfelt and lengthy tribute to Wade in his Instagram post. “I speak on behalf of all my brothers and all of your sons we #love you and I cannot thank you enough! I’m forever in your debt. and all of the goodness God has promised us for going forward I shall give you a token of gratitude.. wow my elder is a ancestor now that means you really put that work in… amazing! Job well done.”
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Source: Fulton County PD / Fulton County Sheriff’s Department
For years now Gunna has been fending off allegations that he went Tekashi 6ix9ine on Young Thug and his YSL family and though he isn’t going to be taking the stand against his former crew in their upcoming RICO trial, fans are still torn on whether or not the rapper did allegedly snitch when he took a plea deal.
Now the rapper is looking to clear up any misconceptions about how he was able to dodge a five-year prison stint and regain his freedom in 2022 and in a recent interview with XXL, Gunna tried to explain that the general public has been misled about his Alfred plea which caused a few of his rap peers such as 21 Savage, Lil Baby and others throw darts at him for allegedly dropping dime.
Per XXL:
“None of those rappers, they’re not on the case,” Gunna told XXL. “They don’t know legally what’s going on.”
He added that he has talked “peacefully” to about “three or four of those guys,” but wouldn’t elaborate further.
“I definitely feel like everybody’s been misled,” Gunna added. “And like, you know, when you’re being misled, you got a choice to follow or make your own decisions. And that’s what is being shown right now. You’re being a follower or you’re being neutral to be like, ‘I don’t know what their business is or what they really got goin’ on.’”
Regardless of how his fellow Hip-Hop peers and fans might feel about his current street status, Gunna went on to release his first post-prison album, A Gift & A Curse in 2023 which further divided fans as many loved the album while others refused to listen to it based off principal. Still, the album went on to debut at number 3 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart and garnered more than 100 million streams for records off the album.
Obviously he still has support out on these streets.
With that being the case, Gunna went on Instagram to announce that his next album One Of Wun is on the way and though he didn’t give a release date, the reception in the comments have been mostly positive as his day-ones will remain in his corner. At least until someone like Young Thug comes out and confirms that Gunna did indeed become a turncoat. Should something like that that happen, who knows how the Hip-Hop community would react.
What do y’all think about Gunna saying people have been “misled” about his plea deal? Let us know in the comments section below.
The annual Music Biz Conference will move from its current Nashville home to Atlanta in 2025.
Specific dates and venues for Music Biz 2025 will be announced later. The conference will continue in its usual May timeframe.
Music Biz, which attracts more than 2,300 music business professionals each year, has been held in Music City for nearly a decade, and returns this year, from May 13-16.
“We’ve had a wonderful 10 years in Nashville. We love Nashville,” Music Business Association president Portia Sabin tells Billboard. “It’s been such a great place for us to grow and we are so appreciative and are very much looking forward to this year’s conference in Nashville.”
The move was inspired by the September 2022 launch of the Music Biz Roadshow program, which has traveled to cities including Atlanta, Dallas and Miami.
“With the Music Biz Roadshow, we bring our members to different cities across the U.S. for free educational programs for artists and musicians,” Sabin says. “We got inspired by doing that because there are so many great music cities out there in the U.S.”
Atlanta felt like a natural evolution for Music Biz. “When we first brought the conference to Nashville, it was a smaller version of what it is now. We feel like Atlanta has that growth potential,” Sabin adds, noting that music industry professionals from more than 30 countries attend Music Biz each year. “Atlanta has that great international hub airport, which will make it easier for people from abroad to get to [the conference]. We are excited to showcase another great American music city.”
Trending on Billboard
In 2013, the organization formerly known as the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) rebranded as the Music Business Association. Following a four-year stint in Los Angeles from 2011-2014, the Music Biz conference has been in Nashville since 2015. The Music Business Association headquarters continues to be located in Nashville.
Beginning in 2025, the Music Biz event will revert to the way it was scheduled in its NARM days when the conference frequently moved to a new city.
“We will be on probably a two-year schedule, staying in a town for two years before going to another town,” Sabin says, noting the conference could potentially be hosted in cities such as Miami and San Diego in the coming years.
“And I’m sure we will be back in Nashville at some point,” Sabin adds. ‘Nashville’s a fabulous city and we are so grateful to have been here for 10 years. We’re looking forward to this year’s conference in Nashville. Atlanta has so much going on in terms of the music industry there, and I think it has somewhat been overlooked in general. It’s a great spot to have the conference and have this important group of people showing up to do business there.”
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Source: Rolling Stone / Getty
The RICO trial of Young Thug gained another wild moment as a witness admitted to being high while testifying.
On Tuesday (March 19), the racketeering trial of rap star Young Thug and the YSL (Young Slime Life) crew was underway in a Fulton County courtroom. The defense attorneys for Young Thug called Adrian Bean, a witness for the prosecution to the stand. As cross-examination began, Bean leaned forward with his eyes semi-closed. “Man, umm,” he began, “Can I get a water or something? I’m so high right now, y’all, I’m about to go to sleep on y’all now. I am. I ain’t gon’ tell a lie.”
The revelation prompted lead prosecutor and District Attorney Adriane Love to ask Fulton County Supreme Court Judge Ural Glanville for permission to approach the bench. Love brought Bean a bottle of water while Brian Steel, Young Thug’s attorney, asked if Bean was okay enough to continue. Despite expressing how his condition was, Bean replied, “Let’s keep the ball rolling.” The entire moment was captured in the Livestream of the trial.
Bean was called to the trial by the prosecution due to him being one of the witnesses they’re relying on to establish that Young Thug, aka Jeffrey Williams, was at the scene where Donovan Thomas Jr. was killed in a drive-by shooting Sept. 11, 2013. But further cross-examination by the defense of Bean seemed to support their argument that police were pressuring Bean to say Young Thug was at the scene. Bean also expressed that he couldn’t recall key facts during testimony he gave in February, citing his history of drug use.
The trial has seen multiple instances of outlandish behavior from one attorney joking that they would open an OnlyFans account to supplement their income to DA Love and a defense attorney getting into an argument so heated that Judge Glanville had to step in and ask them to “take it down a notch.” He also found himself admonishing the courtroom audience as a defense lawyer quipped about the exchange later that day. “I didn’t ask anyone to laugh in the gallery. This is a courtroom. Not some entertainment forum for you,” Judge Glanville stated.
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Cam Newton was recently involved in a brief scuffle during a 7-on-7 football tournament last weekend, and new details have emerged. While Newton still hasn’t made a public statement, it has come out that none of the people involved are moving forward with pressing charges.
TMZ Sports learned that Cam Newton, 34, and Top Shelf Performance’s TJ Brown and Steph Brown all are deciding to leave the authorities out of their dustup, which largely amounted to nothing considering Newtown seemingly held the pair at bay on his own without throwing one punch. An unnamed man ran into the frame and joined the fracas and attempted to throw a sucker punch but missed badly.
In subsequent interviews, which we’ll share from the TPS side below, they claim that Newton was talking trash and that it’s a common occurrence between Newtown’s football league and the team TPS oversees. However, there is a video of one of the Brown brothers talking trash about Newton and questioning his quarterback skills.
TJ Brown did apologize for what happened on the field last weekend and realized that the spectators should not have been witnesses to the incident.
That said, until Cam Newton decides to share his side of the story, the account from the Brown brothers is as much as we’ll get for now.
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Photo: Getty
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Cam Newton might not be slinging footballs on the gridiron these days but that doesn’t mean the 2015 NFL MVP hasn’t kept himself in good shape. A video surfaced of the free-agent quarterback getting into a bit of a brawl but what was most impressive is that his hat never left his head nor did he seem that bothered.
Cam Newtown, 34, was in Atlanta for a 7-on-7 football event over the weekend as reported by Deadline with the former Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots star in town with his C1N 7v7 squad. According to reports and accounts online, a group of individuals appear to shove the still-physically imposing Newton around. It hasn’t been confirmed but it appears the potential assailants were from Top Shelf Performance, a group that had teams playing in the inaugural We Ball Sports 7v7 tournament.
The video shows Newton, decked out in an elaborate hat, standing tall above the group as the fight moved from inside a pop-up tent to another area. Newtown and his hat held their own against the group before a security guard and other individuals came through and pushed the throng back as tempers settled.
Details are scant and Newton nor anyone from the We Ball Sports side has offered a public statement regarding the incident.
On X, formerly Twitter, the video of the incident has gone viral with many remarking on the sheer size of Cam Newton and noting with good humor that his hat was just as unbothered as he was. We’ve got the best of the reactions from X below.
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Photo: Christopher Polk / Getty
9. This joke got several repeats and it’s the last one I’m sharing.
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A church in Atlanta found itself the center of discussion online after videos from a New Year’s Eve service went viral. The dReam Center Church of Atlanta held service this past Sunday (December 31) and a moment showing attendees rocking out to “Swag Surfin’” has sparked an interesting debate.
As seen on local outlet 11 Alive, footage of the Sunday service from The dReam Center Church of Atlanta went wide and showed Pastor William Murphy leading his flock to dance to the song “Walk It Out” by Unk before opening the stage to play “Swag Surfin’” from Fast Life Yungstaz.
Pastor Murphy used the songs, most especially “Walk It Out,” to illustrate how he wants the flock to move into the new year, and this would seem to be a familiar bent for the churchgoers at dReam Center Church
From what we learned, dReam Center Church is known for its high-energy sermons and services, not unlike many churches nationwide that minister to a younger demographic. However, there are some of the faith who feel that the use of secular music in church is a clashing of worlds while others welcome the shift as a breath of fresh air.
On X, formerly Twitter, the debate seems split down the middle with some appreciating the moment and others blasting it. We’ve got those reactions listed below.
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Photo: @travismalloy/TikTok
Atlanta prosecutors accused chart-topping rapper Young Thug of running a criminal street gang that operated like a “pack” of wolves during opening statements of the artist’s high-profile racketeering trial on Monday (Nov. 27).
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Kicking off a complex trial that is expected to last as long as a year, Fulton County Chief Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love read a passage from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book about wolf packs — and said that Thug’s gang had similarly “operated as a pack.”
“For ten years and counting, the group calling itself ‘Young Slime Life’ dominated the Cleveland Avenue community,” Love told the jury. “They created a crater … that sucked in the youth and innocence and even the lives of some its youngest members.”
Love repeatedly referred to Thug as “King Slime” and portrayed him as the clear leader of the gang: “The evidence will show that the members of YSL knew who their leader was, and they knew the repercussions of not obeying him.”
In an indictment unveiled last year, Fulton County prosecutors alleged that Thug (Jeffery Williams) and his “YSL” were not really a popular music collective called “Young Stoner Life,” but a violent Atlanta gang called “Young Slime Life” that committed murders, carjackings, drug dealing and other crimes over the course of a decade.
Along with other charges, Thug is accused of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a law based on the more famous federal RICO statute that’s been used to target the mafia, drug cartels and other forms of organized crime. If convicted on all eight of his counts, Thug faces decades in prison.
Go read an explainer of the YSL case here, including a full breakdown of the legal charges and a deep-dive into the background of the accusations.
After months of slow-moving jury selection, Monday morning was set to finally mark the start of the trial for Thug and five remaining alleged members of his gang. But the start of the hearing was delayed for an hour over a missing juror; then, just minutes into Love’s statements, the case was bogged down in objections, forcing Judge Ural Glanville to clear the jury from the courtroom.
Defense attorneys first claimed that Love was “burden shifting” in her explanation of the case to jurors – meaning she was wrongly making it appear that the defendants would need to prove that they were innocent. Thug’s lawyer, Brian Steel, then moved for a mistrial after he claimed that Love had shown jurors evidence that had already been explicitly banned from the case. Glanville later denied that request but admonished the state for how it had prepared its opening statements.
Eventually, after a lunch break and extended disputes among counsel for both sides, jurors returned to the courtroom for opening statements to continue throughout the afternoon.
This is a developing story and will be updated later today with more information from Monday’s hearing.
