celebrity news
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Patrick Houston Jr., reportedly the son of veteran rapper Project Pat, was shot and killed on Jan. 12 according to local reports. The news is making its way to the larger public after a new report, and it appears that the investigation into the matter is still ongoing.
Local outlet Fox 13 first reported on the death of Patrick Houston Jr. on Sunday, January 12, writing that the crime took place around 1:15 local time at a Memphis park. The actual shooting incident took place the Friday prior.
TMZ published a report on Thursday (Jan. 23) and added that Houston was the son of Project Pat. A quick scan of Project Pat’s Instagram page makes no mention of his son’s killing and the rapper was active just four days ago on the platform promoting new music.
According to an obituary page, funeral services for Houston will take place this weekend.
We also headed over to Juicy J’s page, who is the uncle of Houston. There was no mention there of the slaying as well. With the details still in development and everyone seemingly tight-lipped about what is known, this is about as much as we’ve been able to discover on our side.
As additional details continue to come forth, we will return to update this post or provide an update report.
Patrick Houston Jr. was 22 as per the obituary page.
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It seems that the 2025 Grammy Awards will be very lively from the opening. Trevor Noah has been slotted as the host for this year’s event.
As spotted on Variety, the comedian will be the master of ceremonies for the 67th annual Grammy Awards. This will be Trevor Noah’s fifth time hosting the star-studded affair that honors the very best in the music industry. The 2025 Grammy Awards will be hosted at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. According to a press release, this edition will “will carry a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours.”
This is not the first time Trevor Noah has served as the host for music’s biggest night. He has previously hosted the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, and the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. The 2025 Grammy Awards will be broadcasted live on the CBS Television Network and will be available for streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+ on Sunday, Feb. 2.
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Barry Michael Cooper, a writer who penned the screenplay for New Jack City and reportedly coined the phrase “New Jack Swing,” has died. Barry Michael Cooper’s other works include writings in The Village Voice and lent his abilities to other notable films etched in the lore of Black cinema.
According to a report from TMZ, Barry Michael Cooper passed away this past Tuesday (Jan. 21) in his adopted city of Baltimore, Md., where Cooper resided after penning screenplays for New Jack City, Sugar Hill, and Above The Rim, the “Harlem Trilogy” as the trio of films are sometimes called.
Prior to his screenwriting success in the 1990s, Cooper was a music critic for The Village Voice between 1980 and 1989. He also penned the piece “Teddy Riley’s New Jack Swing: Harlem Gangsters Raise A Genius,” with some giving him credit for naming the music style of New Jack Swing that Riley innovated as a producer and member of the R&B trio Guy.
Writer Nelson George penned a short but moving obituary piece for Cooper via his Substack site and highlighted the pair’s longtime connection and Cooper’s allegiance to Harlem despite relocating to Baltimore years ago.
From The Nelson George Mixtape:
Barry Michael Cooper died today in Baltimore, according to his son Mathew. It’ll take me a minute to gather all my thoughts, but just wanted to thank him for recommending to Robert Christgau at the Village Voice when I was trying to write for the Riffs section back in 1981. It was a key moment in my career and life. Barry helped define pop culture in the ‘80s and ‘90s with his early reporting on crack, by naming Teddy Riley’s sound “new jack swing,” and writing star vehicles for Wesley Snipes (New Jack City, Sugar Hill) and Tupac (Above the Rim.) Though he lived much of the last decades of his life in Baltimore, he was Harlem to his core.
Barry Michael Cooper was 66.
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A Las Vegas judge has decided not to dismiss the murder case against Duane “Keffe D” Davis in the slaying of Tupac “2Pac” Shakur. Keffe D has been behind bars since being charged in September 2024 with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further, or assist a criminal gang.
As reported by local outlet Las Vegas Review-Journal, Duane “Keffe D” David, 61, sought to have the case dismissed after his attorney filed a motion earlier this month stating that prosecutors delayed their proceedings and violated an agreement of immunity from prosecution. In return, prosecutors entered their file which stated Davis doesn’t have any quantifiable proof that he should be immune from prosecution.
District Judge Carli Kierny heard arguments from both sides and went with the prosecution’s suggestion that the state “never gave [Keffe D] immunity,” which prompted Davis’ attorney Carl Arnold to say he’ll mull over the decision to file for an appeal in Nevada’s highest court.
“You’re not just going to dismiss the biggest case in the U.S. right off the bat,” Arnold said in a statement. “But you have to put these issues out for an appellate court.”
In 1996, 2Pac was gunned down in a drive-by shooting that also injured Death Row Records honcho Marion “Suge Knight. Prosecutors have stated that the incident was allegedly inspired by tensions between the South Side Crips, who counted Davis as a member according to reports, and the Mob Piru gang, a spinoff Bloods gang and rivals to the Crips. The shooting was said to largely be connected to a fight at the MGM Grand between Knight, Shakur, and Orlando Anderson, a nephew of Davis’
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Good news OG Hip-Hoppers as The Roots are set to open up a residency in New York City for the 30th anniversary of their classic sophomore album Do You Want More?!!!??!.
Taking to Instagram to make the exciting announcement, Black Thought and Questlove informed fans that they would be doing a three-night residency at The Blue Note in New York City beginning March 13 and ending on March 15. Though Questlove specifically stated that they will not be doing the entire album during their residency (damn!), y’all can bet they’ll be pulling out some of the album’s standout cuts while “having fun” with the music fans have come to know and love over their illustrious career.
Man, if they could get Erykah Badu and Eve to perform on “You Got Me” that would be amazing.
Check out Black Thought and Questlove’s announcement, and let us know if you’ll be attending their residency come March in the comments section below.
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A$AP Rocky has elected to reject a plea deal in his ongoing assault case in Los Angeles which would have seen him serve 180 days behind bars for accepting one of the felony counts. Now, a jury selection process is underway and A$AP Rocky could face up to 24 years in prison.
The Associated Press reports that A$AP Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, declined to take the plea deal after initially pleading not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm back in 2022. Rocky, 36, is accused of opening fire on childhood friend Terell “A$AP Relli” Ephron in Hollywood back in 2021.
The terms of the deal were for Rocky to plead guilty to one of the aforementioned felony counts, with Los Angeles County prosecutors suggesting a seven-year suspended sentence, three-year probation, and a six-month jail sentence.
According to Rocky’s attorney, the defense will call on witnesses to take the stand in the trial and deliver testimony that the gun Rocky fired was a starter pistol used as a security measure and not a full-on semiautomatic weapon as the charges state.
Rocky is the husband of singer and fashion powerhouse Rihanna and the pair are parents to two toddler boys. Rocky was also preparing the release of his fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, via his ASAP Worldwide imprint alongside Polo Grounds/RCA.
The courts surveyed over 100 potential jurors in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom and as of Wednesday (Jan. 22), the full measure of 12 jurors have not been selected. Opening statements will be televised once the trial officially begins.
If found guilty, A$AP Rocky could face up to 24 years behind bars.
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It’s time for Busta Rhymes to lawyer up. He recently turned himself in on assault charges for allegedly beating up his assistant.
As per TMZ, the Rap icon might need to clear his name in a court of law. On Friday (Jan. 10), Busta Rhymes apparently got into a physical altercation with his personal assistant. According to the report, he struck a gentleman named Dashiel Gables over the fact that he was using his phone while he was supposed to be working while at the lobby of his condo in Brooklyn. In turn, Busta Rhymes is alleged to have struck Gables in the face several times before being separated.
Sources tell TMZ Busta fled the scene and Dashiel called the police. Upon arrival paramedics and law enforcement took his report and rushed him to a local medical facility to be treated for an injury to his left eye. The New York Post reached out to Dashiel via telephone and he was very careful with his words. “Maybe later. Maybe in the future. I can’t mess up my case, bro” he said. “It’s just not going to be worth it. An article in the paper as opposed to a 6 or 7 million-dollar settlement? I’m not risking it, sorry.”
On Tuesday (Jan. 14), Busta Rhymes turned himself in to the New York Police Department and was formally issued an appearance ticket for misdemeanor assault, attempted assault, and harassment. He is due to appear in court Feb. 2 for this incident. Busta Rhymes has yet to comment on the matter.
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A lawyer is claiming that Wendy Williams has “good and bad days” but states that her recent call to The Breakfast Club isn’t a sign she’s free from dementia.
Media personality Wendy Williams’ call-in appearance on The Breakfast Club on Thursday (Jan. 16) was a welcomed listen for all of her fans, but an attorney representing the person overseeing her estate states that it is not a sign that she is altogether well. Williams, the former daytime talk show host, is currently in an unnamed care facility. “I am not cognitively impaired,” she said on the show. “But I feel like I am in prison.” She also complained about not having access to a phone or computer at the facility during the call. Williams’ niece, Alex Finnie, also joined the interview, expressing that she and other family members want her freed from the guardianship. “I’m not asking for a whole lot,” Finnie said. “All I’m saying is just treat the woman with dignity and give her the freedoms that she deserves.”
Roberta Kaplan, who represents Sabrina E. Morrisey, the woman mandated to oversee Williams in the guardianship, released a statement after the interview. “Unfortunately, because of her diagnosis, Wendy’s condition will only get worse with time and she will require care for the rest of her life,” Kaplan said. “But as anyone who has had a family member with dementia knows, Wendy has both good days and bad days. It is truly a shame that there is so much voyeuristic attention to this right now since it only leads to the same kinds of exploitation that we saw in the so-called documentary, as alleged in our complaint.”
Court papers showed Morrisey testifying that Williams was diagnosed in 2023 with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia. The guardianship was initiated by Wells Fargo, who handled Williams’ finances, citing that it had “documented a pattern of unusual and disturbing events” leading them to seek the court order. Court documents do not fully explain the specifics of Morrisey’s powers.
Kaplan’s statement referred to the two-part documentary entitled Where Is Wendy Williams?, which aired on Lifetime last year. The documentary gave fans a look at Williams’ life since undergoing a series of public moments that evoked concern from her fans. Morrisey had attempted to block the network from airing the film but was unsuccessful. She is currently suing A&E Networks, the parent company of Lifetime.
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President Donald Trump was sworn in on Monday (Jan. 20) and the spectacle of the inauguration has concluded with many in the media offering their observations On X, President Donald Trump’s rambling and sometimes unfocused acceptance speech was dissected at great lengths with some pointing out the fallacies and falsehoods spewed from the pulpit.
President Donald Trump spoke at length from inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, using the moment to essentially echo many of his campaign talking points to raucous applause from his subordinates and supporters. It was more of the same tough talk and bluster most have come to expect, and there were soft lobs toward Black and Hispanic communities coupled with promises of cleaning up the crime in cities across the nation.
Trump also promised to tap into natural resources on the domestic level despite the threat to the climate it poses and wants to transform America into a manufacturing giant once more. He also made appeals to the auto industry and directed domestic companies to ramp up production. There were also the long-existing threats of tariffs against other nations and the promise of eliminating the cost to American citizens.
In a bizarre moment, Trump went back to his desire to rename the Panama Canal and said that the country “broke its promises” to America. He also used this moment to take a direct swipe at China, saying that he intends to snatch the canal back from the rival superpower.
Pastor Lorenzo Sewell’s passionate prayer in support of Trump also garnered some responses given the dramatic histrionics on display and the religious leader evoking Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Free At Last” speech inappropriately. It was, in a word, “something.”
Like much of Trump’s presidential campaign, the unchecked bravado of the former business mogul was on full display with a full-throated embrace from those in attendance who applauded nearly every word. However, how these plans are expected to move forward was not illustrated in any visible detail. Trump also circled and repeated his points, appearing to speak off script and barely spoke to the concerns of average Americans and largely aimed his words at his rabid base. There was also an unnecessary jab at the LBGTBQ community, in particular regarding gender presentation.
On X, users are chiming in regarding the inauguration of President Donald Trump and dissecting his words and a higher level than legacy media would ever dare. Check out those reactions below.
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Kid Cudi was the victim of a home burglary that went on a little longer than it should have after the perpetrator was caught making himself a bit too comfortable and was eventually caught. The man was seen on Kid Cudi’s security system having a meal, a shower, and even using the bathroom before authorities nabbed him.
TMZ reports that the Los Angeles home of Kid Cudi, real name Scott Mescudi, was burglarized this week, with footage from Wednesday (Jan. 15) showing the shirtless man using the shower, having a meal, relieving himself, and generally enjoying the fruits of Cudi’s labor tax-free. Police arrived at the home around 5 PM local time and took the unidentified suspect into custody without incident.
Cudder wasn’t home when the crime took place so thankfully he was unharmed. It wasn’t listed in the report if any items from the home were stolen or if the man was just making a much-needed pit stop being going about his day. As the outlet notes, the breaking and entering came with a high ticket of. felony burglary and theft of utilities along with being held behind bars on $150,000 bail.
Cudi has been busy on both the acting and music front with his role in the Knuckles series starring Idris Elba, along with a role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap film. Cudi also released his two studio albums, Isano and Insano (Nitro Mega).
So far, Kid Cudi hasn’t made a public statement about the crime or the arrest.
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