celebrity news
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Another day another case for Kanye West as the “MAGA” rapper has just been slapped with a brand new lawsuit which accuses him and his former chief of staff Milo Yiannopoulos of some pretty wild stuff.
According to TMZ, former employees of Kanye West have filed a suit against the Donda rapper and Milo Yiannopoulos, claiming that they were subjected to a horrible work environment, which “forced labor and cruel inhuman, or degrading treatment.” In the suit they claim that not only were they referred to as “new slaves” but Yeezy’s wife, Bianca Censori, also sent porn to staff members which were accessible by minors.
Sounds like the kind of place hardcore MAGA enthusiasts would love to work in actually.
TMZ reports:
It all started in the Spring of 2024 when Ye decided to launch the YZYVSN streaming service app to rival Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music. The suit says Ye wanted to avoid paying those companies to promote his new albums, “Vultures” and “Vultures 2.”
So, he and Milo allegedly hired an international developer group comprised of several Black members, which also included underage teens as young as 14.
The docs say the employees mostly worked remotely, staying in constant communication with Ye, Milo and their team by using digital and online communication applications such as Discord, Zoom and Slack.
In April 2024, the docs say, Milo promised to pay $120,000 to the developer group after they completed the app if they agreed to the work conditions and didn’t complain.
While that sounded good and all, things apparently went left after everyone was forced to sign non-disclosure agreements under the threat of termination if they didn’t. Younger workers had to sign on as “volunteers” if they wanted to keep their jobs. Once they complied, the ugliness came out courtesy of Yeezy’s white management team.
In group chats, the Caucasian managers used harassing language toward the underlings in regards to their age, race, gender, sexual orientation and national origin. Some team members were called “slaves” while others were referred to as “new slaves.”The docs say Milo once sent a chat message with a Black/brown skin emoji to an African American team member, while calling a younger worker a school shooter. The employees were also bullied into working long hours through the night without pay or sleep.Then, in late April, Ye announced he was launching an adult film biz called “Yeezy Porn,” with his wife Bianca sending one worker a file-sharing link containing hardcore sexual activity, according to the docs. The minors were not shielded from viewing the smut videos as they developed Ye’s porn app. Bianca is not named as a defendant.
Ultimately, the team was able to finish an app and handed it over to Ye on May 1 of this year. Unfortunately, they weren’t paid what they were owed, which led to the lawsuit at hand.
The workers are seeking damages for unpaid wages and overtime pay, and of course, emotional distress.
Don’t be surprised if Kanye and Milo settle this one out of court.
What do y’all think of this latest lawsuit against Kanye West? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Just weeks after it was reported that Diddy returned to keys to New York to the offices of Mayor Eric Adams, it’s now being reported that Miami wants nothing to do with the embattled music mogul either as they’re canceling the one day they dedicated to the Bad Boy founder.
According to TMZ, the Miami Beach Commission has made the decision to cancel their annual “Sean Diddy Combs Day,” which has apparently been a thing since it was bestowed on him in 2016. (Who knew?) The Miami Beach Commission becomes the latest institution to publicly cut ties with Diddy as Howard University, Revolt, Capital Preparatory Schools and a few others have done the same since the video of Diddy assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie, came to light.
TMZ reports:
In fact, Diddy received the proclamation in October 2016 … just 7 months after he was caught on surveillance video assaulting ex-GF inside an L.A. hotel. Of course, the general public — and certainly not the City of Miami Beach — knew that had happened until the video came out this year.
According to the Miami Herald, the MBC made the final decision this past Wednesday without any debate.
Miami Beach has long been Diddy’s home … his properties on Star Island were raided back in March and he’s since been spotted out and about.
Real talk, we didn’t even know Diddy had so many multi-city accolades until they began rescinding them after learning he was in fact a trash human being, allegedly.
What do y’all think about Miami canceling “Sean Diddy Combs Day”? Did y’all know that was a thing? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Chatham County Sheriff’s Office / Chatham County Sheriff’s Office
After facing some lengthy fed time for his recent drug bust in Savannah, rapper Quando Rondo got some “good news” as his legal team has reached a plea agreement with the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
According to WJCL, a plea agreement has been made in the case of Tyquian Bowman aka Quando Rondo, who was booked and accused of being part of a drug conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana. Though details of the agreement aren’t known nor how much time Rondo may or may not serve, he’ll at least avoid having to go through a trial which would’ve led to him spending a good portion of his life behind bars.
WJCL reports:
The federal indictment and being taken into custody by the FBI followed an arrest in Savannah on state charges of drug and gang activity.
A hearing will be scheduled to accept Bowman’s plea. The specifics of the plea deal are unclear at this time.
With his many legal woes, Rondo must be able to breathe a little easier with this pending case seemingly being settled. The only question is what are the specifics and what is his punishment, if any. Guess we’ll have to wait and find out.
What do y’all think of this latest development? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: @ludacris / Instagram
This past Saturday (June 22), Ludacris had a scheduled concert in Milwaukee canceled due to bad weather conditions, but being the man that he is, Luda decided to give an impromptu performance at a local market, and we love him for it.
With his team in tow and a huge portable Bluetooth speaker on his person, Ludacris headed down to the 3rd St. Market Hall and surprised shoppers with a free concert that he was more than happy to bestow upon them. With a mic in his hand Luda had everyone in attendance rapping along to “Move B*tch” while they pulled out their camera phones and recorded the memorable moment that they were lucky enough to be a part of.
Taking to Instagram to post the video of his performance, Luda explained the situation writing, “My Show In Milwaukee Got Cancelled Last Night Due To Rain & Thunderstorms But I DEFINITELY Wasn’t Leaving The City Without Touching The People. Shouts to @stevedastoner4149 for the #freeconcert inspiration.”
We’re not sure how many songs he performed, or if this was just a quick one-shot drive-by, but regardless, it was still hella dope. And we’re sure everyone who was there left feeling happy about what they just witnessed.
Check out Ludacris’ free concert below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
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Source: Andrew Chin / Getty
Love him or hate him, 50 Cent has proven over the years to be a helluva business man, and now he’ll be sharing some of his knowledge to the good people of Atlanta this coming August.
According to TMZ, the multi-platinum rapper-turned entrepreneur will be headlining Earn Your Leisure’s Invest Fest in the A where he’ll be giving attendees some insight and information he feels can help them on their way to their first million. Naturally, many won’t have the platform that 50 had before getting into the film and TV industry, but it should still be quite the insightful event.
Per TMZ:
The event is right up 50’s alley … he and attorney Ben Crump recently went to Washington, D.C. in the name of Black entrepreneurship, pushing for minority representation in the alcohol biz … and we’re told he’ll speak to that topic and much more during the annual event.
Even more fittingly, 50 will succeed Diddy, who hosted last year’s Invest Fest, and we all know how “competitive” he’s been with Puff for years, and especially lately … in the wake of the latter’s slew of legal issues.
Earn Your Leisure co-founder Troy Millings tells us 50 represents “the powerful blend of culture and business,” — so, recruiting him for the coveted gig was an easy call.
Rashad Bilal believes 50 will leave attendees with invaluable lessons — “We believe [50’s] insights and experiences will inspire and empower our audience to pursue their own paths to financial freedom.”
Honestly, we wouldn’t be surprised if 50 accepted the invitation just to spite last year’s host, Diddy. Heck, the man’s so petty he might throw a few jabs at the embattled music mogul while sharing his knowledge.
Invest Fest will be going down from Aug. 23 to the Aug. 25 and will feature the likes of T.I., Stephen A. Smith, Monica and Pinky Cole amongst others.
Will you be checking it out? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Live Nation / Live Nation
Lauryn Hill will be back on tour with The Fugees this summer in a new tour honoring her classic first album, which will also feature YG Marley.
On Tuesday (June 25), Ms. Lauryn Hill announced that she was going to head back out on the road as the headliner for the extension of The Miseducation Anniversary Tour, celebrating her standout album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which has been highly acclaimed since its release in 1998. Joining her for the tour will be her bandmates from The Fugees as well as her son, singer and songwriter, YG Marley. The tour will also feature music from The Fugees’ smash second album, The Score, with the music from Miseducation, which was recently named as the top album on Apple Music’s Best 100 Albums list.
The tour will begin on Aug. 9 in Tampa, Florida. That city was to be next on the previous tour last November before Hill had to cancel the dates due to considerable vocal strain and a doctor’s advisory to rest. The tour will wind through several cities including Atlanta, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Los Angeles and Houston before closing out with four European dates in the United Kingdom and France before the final date on Oct. 22 in Amsterdam. Per the press release, $2 from each ticket sale will go to the MLH Fund which will “benefit a list of local and worldwide organizations benefiting initiatives concerning Mental Health, Women’s Wellness, Community Small Business Development, Education and more throughout the diaspora.”
Those looking to attend The Miseducation Anniversary Tour can purchase tickets beginning on Friday (June 28), at Live Nation’s website. Citi credit card holders can purchase tickets through a presale taking place at 10 a.m. local time through Citi Entertainment. Those with Mastercards in France and the Netherlands can get their tickets early in a presale beginning at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday (June 26). VIP packages, which can include photo opportunities with the artists as well as premium tickets, are also available at vipnation.com and vipnation.eu.
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Earlier this year Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign were hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit by Donna Summer’s estate for their unauthorized sample of her 1977 hit, “I Feel Love.” But luckily for Ye and Dolla, the issue has been settled and everyone can avoid going to court over the issue.
According to Digital Music News, the issue over Ye and Dolla $ign’s sample of the song on their cut, “Good (Don’t Die),” has officially been put to rest. Interestingly enough, the court documents, which were filed June 20, don’t outline any specifics as to what agreement was reached other than stating that the case itself was “being dismissed with prejudice.” In other words, this case cannot be brought back to court under any circumstances. You have to wonder what led to this final resolution.
Digital Music News reports:
In his lawsuit, Sudano claimed that although the artists sought a clearance request for the use of Summer’s song, they were denied by both the estate and her label, Universal Music Enterprises. Instead, according to Sudano, Ty and Ye “used the song’s iconic melody as the hook for their infringing song and essentially re-recorded almost verbatim key, instantly recognizable portions of “I Feel Love” using a singer soundalike to Summer, with slight changes to the lyrics (also done without permission.”
Ye and his team really got creative trying to get around the copyright infringement didn’t they? Donna Summer’s estate wasn’t the only one to deny Kanye permission to use Summer’s work on his and Ty Dolla $ign’s duo album, Vultures 1, as he found he didn’t quite hold the same weight he did just a few years ago.
Both Nicki Minaj and Ozzy Osbourne confirmed on social media that they refused to authorize samples of their music on the album in the wake of Kanye’s very public descent into antisemitism and hate groups. “West is known as a controversial public figure whose conduct has led numerous brands and business partners to disassociate from him,” Sudano’s lawsuit reads.
Don’t be surprised if more artists (both alive and deceased) deny Kanye permission to sample their work as his MAGA ways have turned off many of his music peers. He might end up with options like Kid Rock and Ted Nugent for his music creations going forward. Just sayin’.
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Rob Stone, the co-founder of the Cornerstone Agency and the Fader magazine, has died according to a social media post. The post shares that Rob Stone succumbed to cancer and kept the diagnosis private to shore up the bond with his family.
Rob Stone was born July 12, 1968, and graduated from the State University of New York at Albany in 1990. From there, Stone entered the music industry and joined SBK Records becoming the now-defunct label’s director of promotion. He then joined EMI, which reportedly owned SBK Records, and became its vice president of promotion. Stone then began working with Arista Records and Clive Davis and worked with several Bad Boy Records artists during that period.
In 1996, Stone co-founded the Cornerstone Agency with Loud Records chief Steve Rifkind, a Manhattan-based marketing firm, and was joined by his childhood friend, Jon Cohen after Rifkind stepped aside. The pair transformed the company of one of the leaders in the branding and music space. In 1999 Stone and Cohen founded the Fader, becoming one of the entertainment industry’s top magazines and digital outlets.
From Rob Stone’s Instagram page:
It is with a heavy heart and sadness we share the news of the passing of Rob Stone. Rob bravely fought cancer over the past year. He chose to keep his diagnosis private in order to focus on his family. He was a truly amazing person who lived an incredible life.
Here is another statement from Joh Cohen:
I will love you forever Rob Stone. Our partnership was incredible. The things we accomplished together we could have never dreamed of doing when we were 15. Yes we did want to kill each other at times but the love and respect we had in building our company for 28 years was special. But way bigger than our success was our friendship. There is no one I loved having at my side more than you. We experienced so much together. I will tell your story and our stories together for the rest of my life. There are so many incredible ones. Thank you for all that you taught me. Thank you for always having my back and thank you for always making me laugh. I will think of you at every Knick game, I will feel your presence every time I hear a Biggie song and laugh with you during every ridiculous NY Jet loss.
Stone was 55.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Timbaland, Elon Musk, Swizz Beatz / Verzuz
Swizz Beatz took to social media to respond to backlash after announcing the Verzuz partnership with Elon Musk and X, formerly Twitter.
On Friday (June 21), Swizz Beatz shared a set of photos in a post on his Instagram account showing himself attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with fellow star producer and artist Timbaland. It was at the festival on Wednesday where he and Timbaland made the surprise announcement of a deal with Elon Musk to release all future content through X, formerly Twitter. The first photo shows the two in t-shirts highlighting the move, with a phrase by Swizz emblazoned on it in cursive, saying, “We will show you better than tell you.” That was repeated in the caption of the post, with Swizz Beatz adding, “Blessings to all” with emojis.
The comments on the Instagram post weren’t as cheerful, as individuals called out the two mega-producers for striking a deal with a polarizing figure such as Musk and announcing the news on Juneteenth. “It’s cool to ‘show us’ but don’t play in our faces and act like folks don’t have a valid reason to question this partnership,” one commenter wrote. “But nobody said anything before we been on that platform since Verzuz started,” Swizz Beatz wrote in response.
Another commenter wasn’t as civil, writing: “It’s crazy how we always have to go and get the oppressor to help us. What did you need #verzuz to do, broadcast from the moon??? Y’all didn’t need that man. Owning something 100% & then having your oppressor have a say in your business is working backward.” Others also pointed out how Swizz needed to be more understanding since returning from the hajj with his family prior to the Cannes Lions Festival.
The post comes after the joint announcement with Timbaland, where the Ruff Ryders CEO spoke effusively about the partnership. “We are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz,” he said in the statement. “Not only are we excited to have Verzuz on X, we’re excited to help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world. I would like to thank Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Brett Weitz, Mitchell Smith and the entire X team for believing in the Verzuz vision. We can’t wait to get to work.”
They both also promised to build “Entertainment Businesses” on X in the future.
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Jonathan Majors still has a harrowing road to redemption in the eyes of some, but part of that upward swing of the arc occurred this past weekend. At the 4th Annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards, Jonathan Majors tearfully accepted the Perseverance Award while thanking a host of people during his trials.
As seen in The Hollywood Reporter, Jonathan Majors, 34, was honored at the 4th Annual Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards. Hollywood Unlocked is the platform founded by media personality Jason Lee. The Impact Awards, also founded by Lee, was hosted this year by Tiffany Haddish and held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. this past Friday (June 21).
Majors was there to receive the Perseverance Award, which an Impact Awards press statement says was to recognize “an individual who has shown that no matter what adversity they face, they will continue to aspire to inspire.”
Taking to the podium, Majors, who attended the event with his romantic partner, Meagan Good, was rendered emotional as he spoke.
From THR:
“I reckon folks want to know about the last year,” Jonathan Majors began at the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards on Friday, where he was honored with the Perseverance Award, before beginning a tear-filled, 17-minute long speech about his much-publicized trial and misdemeanor conviction for domestic assault in April.
“As a Black man in the criminal justice system, I felt anger, I felt sadness, hurt, surprise. When they snatched me up out of my apartment in handcuffs, I didn’t feel like all that,” the actor said, gesturing to the screen that had just played a highlight reel of his onscreen performances. “I didn’t feel like Jonathan Majors, Mr. Creed, Mr. Kang; I felt like a little scared, weak boy, despite the support and evidence that was in my favor, I knew shit was bad. And it was bad because of who I was and what I am. This is what happens to Black people all too often.”
A video of Jonathan Majors’ speech can be viewed below.
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Photo: Getty