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Just when it seemed like the “swatting celebrities” craze had died down, Nicki Minaj experienced what some of her superstar peers had to go through.
According to TMZ, Nicki Minaj became the latest target of a swatting incident after police swarmed her residence in Los Angeles following a 911 call from someone claiming that gunfire erupted on her property this past Wednesday night (April 9). While swatting had become a thing for politicians during the Trump era as MAGA fanatics loved to make life miserable for various anti-Trump congressmen and women, it soon became a trend amongst celebrity haters who wanted to interrupt the peaceful lives of a star they had animosity towards.
Naturally, we’ll probably never know who decided to sic the police on Nicki Minaj’s home, but we’re just glad no one was hurt as in instances like this things can go left and someone could lose their life. RIP Young Scooter.
Per TMZ:
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … shortly after 7 PM yesterday, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. received a call reporting an assault at a residence in Hidden Hills, where Nicki lives.
Deputies rushed to the scene … where they found no one at home, and no issues in the area.
The Los Angeles Times reports an unidentified person called the sheriff’s business line — not 911 — to report someone had shot a Black woman at Nicki’s address, and two people were still at the scene. The call was later classified as swatting.
Unfortunately for Nicki, this isn’t the first time she’s been a victim of swatting. Back in 2023, police also swarmed her LA home twice after receiving a call of her child being abused in July and one claiming that someone had been shot in her house in August.
Before anyone jumps to conclusions as to who may have made this call, no, it wasn’t her rival Cardi B… we think. Could’ve been Safaree though (we kid we kid).
What do y’all think about Nicki Minaj getting swatted again? Should police figure out how to track these kinds of callers down? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Right now, Nigel Sylvester is the hottest Air Jordan collaborative partner with his “Brick By Brick” Air Jordan 4, but Travis Scott may be looking to reclaim that title as he gave fans a sneak peak of his latest Air Jordan 1 remix.
Years after Fragment designer, Hiroshi Fujiwara, was seen walking around in an unreleased version of the Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 Lows, it seems like Jordan Brand is ready to officially release the sample that had the streets talking back then. Travis Scott amped up its potential drop by rocking a pair himself at the Clippers game this past Wednesday night.
Rumored to release this coming September, the Fragment x Travis Scott x Air Jordan 1 sports a white base, a blue reversed Nike check (which has been Travis Scott’s calling card on his Jordan collaborations) with the Fragment and Cactus Jack emblems on the heels of the sneakers.
While we’re sure these will be a must-have amongst sneaker enthusiasts, Jordan Brand is notorious for keeping Travis Scott x Air Jordan collaboration production numbers extremely low. So chances are the stock numbers for these will be anywhere between 10,000 – 100,000 pairs, which is peanuts for the millions of sneakerheads around the world.
Check out pics of the kicks below and let us know if you’ll be trying to cop a pair when release date comes around in the comments section.
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Soulja Boy hasn’t had a hit record in quite some time, so you know whenever he’s trending or making headlines it’s for something wild he said or allegedly did, and in this case, it happens to be the latter of the two.
According to Court House News, a woman has just slapped Soulja with a multimillion-dollar lawsuit with an explosive claim saying that the “Crank That” rapper basically kidnapped her, beat her and raped her for a year while she was employed as his personal assistant. This past Monday (April 7) closing arguments in the civil case in which Jane Doe described the physical and emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of Soulja in 2018, which not only included being raped multiple times, but even starved as she said she was locked in a room for days without being fed.
On Tuesday (April 8), the 12 members of the jury began deliberations to determine whether or not to hold Soulja Boy liable for the claims and determine what kind of damages he may owe his former personal assistant if found guilty.
Court House News reports:
“If you don’t believe my client, don’t give her a dollar,” Ron Zambrano, a partner at West Coast trial lawyers, said. “But if you do believe her, give her everything.”
He added: “He raped her. He punched her. He kicked her. He cut her. He pointed a Draco gun at her. He locked her in her room … He told her, ‘I hope you die slow.’”
The plaintiff, who has asked to remain nameless throughout the trial, says she wasn’t paid while employed beginning in 2018 by the rapper, during which time she claims she was raped and beaten numerous times, and subjected to various acts of emotional abuse.
For his part, Soulja Boy (born DeAndre Way), denied the allegations and even called her claim that he punched her in the face and recorded a sex tape in order to blackmail her “disgusting” as he fights off any notion that he abused her in any way, shape or form. That being said, Soulja claimed that he never even hired her to be his assistant and according to his lawyer, Rickey Ivie, only offered her a place to stay so long as she became the designated “blunt roller” on his team.
Still, both admit things did eventually get amorous between the two only for things to become toxic as time went on.
Both Way and the plaintiff have said that for a time, they were in a consensual romantic relationship, one that could be loving and tender, but that it soured amidst mutual distrust.
A long text message thread between Way and the plaintiff screenshots of which were shown to the jury, showed the two exchanging terms of endearment. But the thread also showed both, especially Way, to have a violent temper, with Way going so far as to text her: “Die bitch. Shoulda killed your stupid ass.”
Showing the jury pictures of the bruises that she claims Soulja left on her person as evidence of the physical abuse, Jane Doe is suing for a whopping $73.6 million for her trauma. Whether or not a jury agrees with her story and demands remains to be seen. Unfortunately for Soulja though, this isn’t the first time he’s been sued for similar behavior as he took a court ordered L under similar circumstances not too long ago.
In 2021, a jury ordered Way to pay $471,800 to an ex-girlfriend named Kayla Myers, who accused Way of domestic violence and kidnapping, among other things. Myers was mentioned a number of times throughout the current trial. According to testimony, the plaintiff and Myers once got into a fight in Way’s driveway in Malibu.
Looks like Soulja may have to cough up a little something-something when this is all said and done.
What do y’all think about this latest legal issue for Soulja Boy? Let us know in the comments section below.
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For years now people have been wondering “How does she put up with that?” whenever referencing Bianca Censori’s marriage to the polarizing and seemingly off-kilter Kanye West. Now it looks like that will be a question of the past as Kanye says his wife of almost three years has walked out on him, allegedly.
According to Page Six, Kanye West spilled the tea about his marital status on a new song off his latest album WW3, and truth be told, we just wonder what took Censori this long to make that move (no shots). In the bars that Kanye spit on the track dubbed “BIANCA” (of course), Kanye stated that his tweets were the catalyst for Censori’s departure as his now infamous X meltdowns became too much for his wife to handle and ultimately led her to run for the hills.
Per Page Six:
The disgraced rapper details that the Australian architect had a “panic attack” as a result of the vile hate he has continuously spewed on X in his new song titled “BIANCA.”
“My baby she ran away / But first she tried to get me committed / Not going to the hospital ’cause I am not sick I just do not get it,” West raps on the track from his new album “WW3” out Thursday.
“She’s having a panic attack and she is not liking the way that I tweeted / Until Bianca’s back I stay up all night I’m not going to sleep / I really don’t know where she’s at.”
The “Jesus Walks” rapper, 47, further confesses to tracking her location through his Maybach app.
“I’m tracking my b–h through an app / I’m tracking my b–h through the city,” he sings. “She hop in the car and she ran / My b–h just don’t understand / Sometimes it just feel like it’s planned.”
Just from the lyrics alone you’d understand why Bianca tried to have Kanye “committed” as the man seems to be a bit off his rocker. Not to mention the artwork for the song is a swastika as the self-proclaimed Nazi has a new affinity for the classic symbol of hate these days.
The song comes after months of speculation that Kanye and Bianca were headed to divorce court, which prompted a statement from Kanye’s rep denying the rumors that the two had split.
But now that Kanye is basically confirming that his second wife has made a break for it, we can only wonder which woman will be brave enough to take on a relationship with the embattled and enigmatic music icon. But until we find out who that brave (or crazy) woman is, Kanye is still leaving the door open for a reunion with his 30-year-old wife.
Ye concluded his track with, “Bianca, I just want you to come back / Come back to me / I know what I did to make you mad.”
Good luck with that, b.
What do y’all think about Kanye saying Bianca Censori left him? Do you think she’s coming back? Could he be cappin’ to generate some music buzz? Let us know in the comments section below.
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On Tuesday (March 25), singer-songwriter Alice Merton filed a lawsuit against Ye fka Kanye West in a federal court in California for using a sample of one of her songs after she denied his request. In the documents of the lawsuit, Merton states that West sampled her 2022 song “Blindside” for use in his song “Gun To My Head” featuring Kid Cudi and Ty Dolla $ign. She states that the discovery left her “understandably shocked and humiliated” to be associated with West after he previewed the song at a Vultures listening event in Miami, Florida, in December 2023.
West would later release “Gun To My Head” as part of a deluxe digital release of Vultures 2 last August. The lawsuit alleges that West had requested approval from Merton’s publisher, BMG, to use “Blindside” through Alien Music Services. When denied, Kanye West’s representatives followed up by asking the reason for the denial. BMG responded that “the artist’s values are contrary to our values” and that Merton was “unwilling to compromise her personal beliefs and wanted not to be associated with Ye in any manner.”
The publisher further revealed that Merton has “close ties to the holocaust through Jewish family members who survived its horrors” and that West’s “antisemitic, racist remarks” were contrary to her beliefs. The lawsuit also shares that Merton sustained a barrage of online threats and abuse from fans who were upset over “Gun To My Head” not being on the initial edition of Vultures 2. BMG had sent a cease and desist letter requesting written compliance to stop further copyright violations to West, which were then ignored. The German singer-songwriter even expressed that she has stopped performing the songs at her concerts and decided against traveling to the U.S. “for fear of confrontation or potential violence against her.”
The lawsuit is the latest action against West for copyright infringement by other musical artists. The estate of Donna Summer sued West last February for sampling her song “I Feel Love” without permission, stating that it “wanted no association with West’s controversial history.” Legendary metal singer Ozzy Osbourne also threatened to sue the Bully rapper for trying to use a Black Sabbath sample after being denied, “because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many.”
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Celebrity kids also do the darndest things. Cardi B’s daughter Kulture ruined her $60K Hermès Purse by drawing on it.
As per The Grio, Cardi B has just taken a hit to her infamous accessory collection. This week she took to her Instagram Story to express her shock and awe upon finding out that Kulture drew a heart symbol in black in on her rare mustard yellow Hermés Kelly crocodile embossed bag. “Look what my daughter did to my purse. Look what my daughter did to my purse,” she said in disbelief. “Look what my daughter did to my f***king purse. Look,” as she zoomed on the whimsical doodle. While Hermés does offer repair services, for a fee, of course, a similar purse is currently up for sale on the resale site 1stDibs in case Cardi B wants to secure a replacement.
Since making it big, Cardi B has not been shy about how she spoils herself. For years she has worked on advancing her purse collection and has added several grails from the Hermès Birkin line including the 30cm Himalaya and Faubourg Birkin bag.
Back in October, she gave her fans a look inside her massive closet that could be compared to a luxury boutique. Her preference for exotic skins was made obvious with several pieces featuring crocodile and reptile embossing. During the time of the reveal, fashion experts estimated the value of her purse collection at around two million dollars.
You can see Kulture’s art on Cardi B’s Birkin bag below.
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Earlier this year, Wicked star Cynthia Erivo low-key campaigned for the role of Storm in the inevitable X-Men film that Marvel Studios is said to be working on. And now, we have another big name in the game angling for the role of the popular mutant superhero, and we wouldn’t be mad at this casting.
According to HuffPost, during an interview on The Jennifer Hudson Show, the Top Dawg Entertainment artist detailed her iinterest in becoming a part of the Marvel universe. The “Kill Bill” singer is hoping that she’s able to land the role of Storm whenever Marvel Studios decides to introduce the X-Men following the events of Avengers: Secret Wars. Though SZA is basically a rookie in the film game, she’s made quite the name for herself on the music scene. Given her popularity and how well she faired in her big screen debut in One Of Them Days, it would be the right time for her to at least float the possibility of Marvel considering her for their upcoming Mutant saga.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of Jennifer Hudson, who went from singer to Oscar-winning actress, SZA is looking to show she has range when it comes to acting and has her eye on playing one of the most popular mutants in the comic book world
Per Huffpost:
“I would love to be a superhero!” SZA exclaimed.
She went on to share that her father “collects first-edition comics,” and growing up, she developed a deep appreciation for both the Marvel and DC universes. Naturally, when it came to choosing a superhero role, she already had one in mind.
“I was thinking, you know how Storm has an origin story,” SZA mused. “I think that would be so gnarly if I could be Storm’s origin story.”
She sealed the moment with a statement fit for the Mistress of Elements herself: “I love to bring the rain.”
Well, she did make a helluva Catwoman in that “Bateman” State Farm commercial. With that in mind we wouldn’t mind seeing her alongside Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine for a few years, as it’s rumored that Marvel Studios will be keeping his iteration of Logan around the MCU for the foreseeable future.
Whether or not Marvel goes with big name stars for their X-Men lineup or introduce new actors for the project is anyone’s guess, but we wouldn’t mind seeing SZA play Ororo Munroe aka Storm in a future X-Men film.
What do y’all think about SZA starring as Storm in an X-Men film? Should Marvel consider the songstress for the role, or should it be given to another actress? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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In today’s episode of Nah, Seriously, It Might Be Time To Give Up On Yeezus, Kim Kardashian reportedly cut short a meeting between her daughter North West and North’s father, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, because she learned that two accused sex traffickers would be attending that meeting.
According to TMZ, Ye — who is already drowning in controversy surrounding his most recent bigoted tweet storms, including one in which he called the younger children of Jay-Z and Beyoncé the R-word — invited incel advocate and pseudo-alpha male Andrew Tate, and Tate’s brother, Tristan Tate, to his and his daughter’s studio session, which is why Kim had to pull the plug. After all, it’s hard to call yourself a good parent when you’re inviting two men who still have pending sex trafficking cases to a meeting that includes your 11-year-old child.
In 2023, Andrew, Tristan and two others were charged in Romania with human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized crime group.
Just Wednesday, Ye was on X claiming his ex, Kardashian, is a “sex trafficker” who is using their four children, which he tweeted after Kim sent a cease-and-desist notice to him, attempting to block the release of the track “Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine,” which features North as well as a clip of Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to the New York Post.
So, just to recap: Ye accused Kardashian of being a “sex trafficker” and using their children in her alleged activities. Meanwhile, Ye is out here inviting accused rapists and sex traffickers to a studio session with his daughter, who is featured on a song that also features Diddy, who is currently drowning in sexual assault allegations among other heinous alleged crimes. (It’s also worth mentioning that Ye and Diddy recently bonded during a recorded prison phone call.)
It’s almost as if when it comes to Ye, every allegation is actually a confession.
From the Post:
Kardashian, West and their legal reps met with a mediator to discuss West’s recent social media tirades, which included everything from him confessing he’s a Hitler-loving Nazi to him selling swastika T-shirts.
Discussions also briefly touched on the Tate brothers, TMZ adds.
The controversial brothers arrived in Florida on Feb. 27, after which Florida’s attorney general opened a criminal investigation.
Last week’s hearing also touched on North’s involvement in West’s new song.
The outlet adds that the rapper agreed not to release the track during the meeting, but went back on his word over the weekend.
The Post has reached out to Kardashian’s and West’s reps for comment.
After releasing an audio clip of the song on X, Kardashian has reportedly been receiving advice from her legal counsel on filing for sole custody.
West alluded to taking a similar approach.
It’s wild how Ye keeps voluntarily putting all his family business in the street as if he truly believes he is the one who comes off as sympathetic. Like, bro, you’re fighting your ex-wife for custody and control of your children while keeping the company of accused rapists and sex traffickers.
Something is really wrong with Donda’s son. It’s sad.
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Quite often some of the most serious conversations are presented on social media through viral clips and tweets. Still, in most cases, online responses rarely receive the benefit of the care and nuance needed to be transformative.
In the case of the most recent viral clip from rap phenom and Billboard Woman of the Year, Doechii, this couldn’t be closer to the truth. Her most recent soundbite, in which she shared with DJ Miss Milan that her top “red flag” was “heterosexual men,” generated quite the buzz from rap critics and fans alike who saw her honest quip as confirmation of her hatred for mankind.
https://x.com/Glock_Topickz/status/1898100042839314548
Admittedly, my knee-jerk response was to feel the same way. For many male rap fans who champion the music of what the genre would deem as lyrical music, we saw her comments as hurtful and divisive, a reflection of a growing multitude of society that views heteronormative mannerisms as oppressive. But after some reflection, I had to begrudgingly concede that feelings aside, the sentiment of her words were true. For many Black women who’ve been caught in the crosshairs of the misogyny of rap and popular media, queer people and, in particular, queer Black women, were often fodder for the endless flame of insults and criticism churned out.
Just last month, Doechii, who identifies as bisexual, shared her experience as a middle school student with bullying, a commonality that other Black women and Black people in the LGTQBIA community have spoken about at length, which ties back into the central theme that Black men deserve rightful skepticism for their intentional and sometimes unintentional reinforcement of oppressive conditions.
An article titled, The Status of Black Women in the United States from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research shows that “more than 4 out of 10 Black women suffer violence at the hand of an intimate partner in their lives” while also sharing that they tend to suffer psychological abuse at a higher rate than women from other racial groups. Most of the violence that affects women comes at the hands of men, often stemming from archaic ideas about what a woman should do and be. Add to that the historic elements of racism and in the case of many darker-skinned women like Doechii—colorism—and you have a culture that openly celebrates otherizing people. With all of the violent ideas and actions Black women encounter in a lifetime then, it makes perfect sense for Doechii to feel that way.
It may sting to hear, but somewhere deep inside it reminds us that we have the power to positively affect people and shape their perceptions for better or worse. Instead of condemning her for her opinion, we should choose to focus on her work and the importance of the moment she’s in. She made history just this year when she became the third woman to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album and has not stopped breaking ground in areas where her creativity and innovation can be fully celebrated.
So for others who may have felt as I did when I heard her comments, I would implore you to do what I had to, which is appreciate her thoughts for what they were and continue the work of making a safer world for other Black people who are also geniuses.
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It has been 28 years since the Notorious B.I.G.’s life was tragically cut short at just 24 years old. Since then, and to many even before, the Brooklyn MC has been deemed the greatest rapper of all time, and the continued adulation of his music is a testament to that claim.
While Biggie Smalls masterfully commanded the streets and the clubs with his music, his chart topping singles like “Juicy,” “One More Chance (Stay with Me Remix)” and “Mo Money Mo Problems” cemented him as a mainstream success. But it’s a fair argument to say that it’s his album cuts, those records that buoy a project and are what’s needed to deem an album a classic that truly cemented his legacy.
No video or fancy marketing behind the record, just bars and beats. The stuff that had fans hitting the rewind button over and over and making an ugly face. You know the vibes.
So with the spirit of the Notorious B.I.G. in mind, here’s a list of his 9 best album cuts. A lot of these should have been singles, with videos and all that, if we keep it a bean.
1. “Who Shot Ya?”
This is the song many thought at Tupac after the infamous Quad Studios shooting, but BIG and Junior Mafia always insisted it was not. The sinister beat cooked up by Nashiem Myrick from David Porter’s “I’m Afraid the Masquerade Is Over” was the perfect backdrop for the menacing lyrics. Technically, it was an unreleased b-side to the “Big Poppa/Warning” single but was added to subsequent posthumous, “remastered” releases of Biggie’s Ready To Die debut.
2. Junior M.A.F.I.A. – “Realms of Junior M.A.F.I.A.” ft. Notorious B.I.G
The Notorious B.I.G. managed to put on his own Junior Mafia crew, and set them up with a record label, Undeas, via Atlantic Records. Biggie bats clean up on this song produced by the late, great DJ Clark Kent. Keep in mind that save for Jamal, it sounds like he wrote all the lyrics. Yes, he was that great. “Realms of Junior M.A.F.I.A.” is from the Conspiracy album that dropped in August 1995, a little less than year after B.I.G.’s own debut album.
3. “The What” ft. Method Man
Notorious BIG and Method Man was gold off the rip. And if you were in NYC when BIG debut dropped,this was the track you heard on the streets. Wu-Tang Clan was asserting themselves and insisted on keeping their ranks tights, but Method Man snuck out and dropped an absolute heater with the same guy Rae and Ghost would accuse of being a shark biter.
4. “Gimme The Loot”
If you don’t know, Easy Moe Bee produced this track along with a healthy chunk of Ready To Die. The Notorious BIG got his Slick Rick on by rapping with dual personalities and going as far saying he would even rob a pregnant woman. Yes, it was all just for the sake of rap and kind of heinous, but damn it was good.
5. “Kick In The Door”
Jeru The Damaja allegedly sent sublimals to the Notorious BIG. DJ Premier was good money with both men. But that didn’t stop Premo from producing “Kick In The Door” whose line, “Son, I’m surprised you run with themI think they got cum in them, ’cause they nothin’ but dicks,” was aimed at Jeru and Premier. Damn, son.
6. “Just Playing (Dreams)”
The story goes that “Just Playing (Dreams)” was a promo single that featured Biggie Smalls wittily (that’s a nice way to put it) rapping about bedding famed female R&B singers. He wanted it on his album, but word was Patti Labelle (who was on an affiliated label) was not happy, and that was that on that. Time must heal, because years later it made it only remastered albums.
7. “I Got A Story To Tell”
If someone asks you if Notorious BIG was a great storyteller, play this song. We got word years ago that it was allegedly Anthony Mason who got caught up in the real life caper, rest in peace. The flow, the groove (via Buckwild and Chucky Thompson), and comedy (a rained out basketball game?!), all flawless. What a time.
8. “Ten Crack Commandments”
The Notorious B.I.G. on the bars, DJ Premier on the beat and Chuck D (via a scratch vocal sample) on the hook. What’s not to like. You also have Biggie dropping bars that any illicit pharmaceutical distributor trying to not get caught up should live by. Biggie taught ya.
9. “Notorious Thugs”
There is a reason Bone Thugs-n-Harmony were so unique in their style—that cadence is difficult as hell. But Notorious B.I.G. was such a talented MC he managed to keep up, not an easy feat, and it managed to be one of the hardest records on Life After Death. Respect.