celebrity news
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The passing of Mister Cee shocked the Hip-Hop community when the news went wide earlier this month, and now new details are emerging. The family of the legendary DJ has spoken via a statement to reveal the cause of death to the public.
All Hip Hop exclusively obtained a statement from the family of DJ Mister Cee which provided context on the sudden loss.
From All Hip Hop:
On behalf of the Lebrun, Wilson, Calixte families we want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and support for our brother, uncle, nephew Calvin “DJ Mister Cee” Lebrun in the wake of his untimely passing. It’s a huge loss for our entire family, the borough of Brooklyn and the entire Hip Hop Community. The Medical Examiner of NYC determined that his cause of death was Diabetes related coronary artery/kidney disease. Details about the public funeral service will be announced shortly. We ask that you please respect the family’s privacy during this extremely difficult time. Thank you.
Mister Cee was an instrumental figure in Hip-Hop, working with the likes of Big Daddy Kane, and was key in bringing Biggie Smalls, better known as The Notorious B.I.G. to the masses. Cee was also an on-air personality and a working DJ who routinely toured and hosted events.
An announcement of a public memorial service is said to be forthcoming.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
The renowned artist and Harlem, New York, native Faith Ringgold, who blazed a trail for Black women artists for decades, has passed away.
On Saturday (April 13), the iconic artist Faith Ringgold, whose work as a multimedia artist and author left indelible impacts on other Black artists and museums, passed away at her home in Englewood, New Jersey, after a bout of failing health, according to her daughter Barbara Wallace. Ringgold was 93 years old. The news of her passing was first reported by her assistant, Grace Matthews.
Ms. Ringgold’s artwork is a fixture in many museums and institutions around the world including the Guggenheim Museum, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the American Craft Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Her artwork, delved from her own experiences and inspiration from Tibetan quilt art, stood forth as highly personal and riveting.
Ringgold became known for her “story quilts” which conveyed the depth of Black lives and particularly the joys and the strife of Black women. “I think of quilts as the classic art form of Black people in America,” she said in an interview in 2005. “When African slaves came to America, they couldn’t do their sculpture anymore. They were divorced from their religion. So they would take scraps of fabric and make them into coverlets for the master and for themselves.”
She was born in Harlem, New York, in 1930 as the daughter of a seamstress and dress designer – the two would go on to collaborate on her future works. Ringgold taught art in the New York public school system while launching her career as a painter. She also fought for inclusion in museums for Black and women artists beginning in 1968. “I became a feminist out of disgust for the manner in which women were marginalized in the art world,” she said to the New York Times in 2019, adding: “I began to incorporate this perspective into my work, with a particular focus on Black women as slaves and their sexual exploitation.”
Ringgold also created several public works, including the “Flying Home: Harlem Heroes and Heroines” mosaic murals found in the 125th Street subway station in her native Harlem. She also became a children’s book author and would be the recipient of numerous awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Guggenheim fellowship in addition to honorary doctorates.
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It looks like Will Smith is officially out of the doghouse as far as fans are concerned. Years after alienating millions of his supporters for slapping Chris Rock, Smith is once again feeling the love and adoration whenever he takes the stage these days.
His latest surprise appearance came courtesy of J Balvin during his set at Coachella Sunday night (April 14) and much to the delight of the crowd, Will Smith burst on the scene in his Men In Black attire and performed the title track from the smash 1997 film. Why that song was chosen is anyone’s guess. Smith does have a few other songs that people would’ve grooved to like “Welcome To Miami,” Summertime” or even “Gettin’ Jiggy With It,” but nah, they decided “Men In Black” was the one.
According to Variety, the song turned out to be the right choice as not only did the crowd approve, but also appreciated the entire theme that overtook the stage for the surprise cameo.
Per Variety:
The appearance was brief but memorable, capping a UFO-themed set and concluding with Balvin being dragged off by black-suit-clad dancers as Smith pulled out a “Neuralyzer,” the famous memory-eraser device from the film.
Balvin returned for another song, however, and rocked energetically through a rousing version of his hit “In Da Ghetto” with his troupe of dancers, who were clad in comically stereotypical alien costumes, green with big black eyes.
Balvin’s concerts are always heavily thematic, and the interstellar theme was present throughout. It opened with a mock-1950s newsreel about an alien invasion (in English, with Spanish subtitles), eventually revealing that the alien was… Balvin, who then arose on a platform from beneath the stage, underneath a giant mock-UFO that looked like a cross between the evil spaceship in the film “Nope,” a pointer from a Ouija board and a cushioned toilet seat.
Who knew J Balvin was such a big Men In Black fan? We sure didn’t. Either way it was cool to see Will Smith back in his bag and getting love from the crowd. Whether or not that love once again extends to Chris Rock is anyone’s guess, but we wouldn’t bet on it.
Check out Will Smith’s performance at Coachella, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Gunna has seemingly moved on from his connection to Young Thug and the wider YSL collective, and a new development in the ongoing RICO case has emerged. According to a fan account on X, formerly Twitter, Gunna will not take the stand in the case.
@ThuggerDaily, an account on X that has been following the YSL RICO trial and offering up-close accounts of the matter, shared the latest news around Gunna via the social media network. The account noted that prosecutors will not call the A Gift & a Curse artist to the stand.
“The State has CONFIRMED that Gunna will NOT be called to the witness stand in the Young Thug & YSL RICO Trial,” @ThuggerDaily wrote. “The judge ordered the state to cut down their list of 700+ witnesses to the ones that they currently intend to call.”
They added,” Their new list of ~200 witnesses names multiple co-defendants who took pleas as witnesses they want to call, but no Gunna. The state not calling him shouldn’t come as a surprise to people who were following the case, but the confirmation is good to have. Will tweet the full list later today.”
The full list of the state’s witnesses can be viewed in the tweet below. As far as we can tell, this is as accurate a report as there can be although we are looking into the details on our end as well. There are several notable names on the list, including Birdman, Rich Homie Quan, YFN Lucci, and more.
Gunna into an Alford plea in 2022 which signaled that he solely plead guilty to one racketeering conspiracy charge but remaining steadfast in his innocence.
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New reports are continuing to develop in the Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking matter that is the target of a federal investigation. Cassie, who many feel began the deluge against Diddy, is reportedly working with investigators in the case.
TMZ reports that sources close to the case informed them that Cassie has been in contact with the authorities connected to the federal investigation into the alleged sex trafficking and assault charges Diddy currently faces. Cassie’s cooperation adds to others who have stepped forward to offer what they know about the matter.
What was interesting in the report is that Cassie had been reportedly working with the investigators for weeks long before the
orchestrated raid of Combs’ homes.
Other women have also come forward to cooperate but those names aren’t known to the public. The details of the conversations haven’t been revealed but it seems that much of what has come out so far is being repeated.
The outlet adds that they weren’t able to determine if producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones spoke with the authorities beyond filing the lawsuit that named Yung Miami, Daphne Jo, and others.
As of now, Jones has not been charged with a crime and is not on the run as had been widely reported.
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Photo: CHRIS DELMAS / Getty
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It hasn’t even been a year since OG Hot Boy, B.G., was released from prison after serving 11 years. However, the Ca$h Money rapper is facing the possibility of being thrown back in the bing for allegedly violating his probation.
According to the Guardian, B.G. might’ve run afoul of the law as he performed alongside other entertainers on stage without the permission of authorities. Huh?!? They can’t be serious. Apparently that “erroneous” act of defiance is enough to land BG back in the clink as a judge is weighing whether or not to punish the “Bling Bling” rapper for violating his probation.
Part of B.G.’s probation is that he “obtain prior written approval … before entering self-employment” and refrain from associating with anyone who has prior felony convictions. Being that he performed alongside the likes of Lil Boosie and Gucci Mane (y’all know their history) without getting approval first, a federal probation officer wrote him up and Baby Gangsta now finds himself at the mercy of the court.
The Guardian reports:
Dorsey’s probation officer described asking the musician about his employment choices as well as telling him that he needed to find other work. According to the officer, Dorsey’s response was: “I’m a rapper. That [is] my profession.”
The officer applied for a warrant to arrest Dorsey on 21 March, saying he had violated multiple conditions of his supervised release. US district judge Susie Morgan of New Orleans, where Dorsey had been prosecuted when first imprisoned, signed off on it a day later, according to records.
Dorsey was arrested in Las Vegas and appeared in a federal courthouse there on Wednesday. After being ordered released on his own recognizance, he was told to appear in federal court in New Orleans as required while officials deliberate whether or not to revoke his supervised release and reincarcerate him. Subsequent court dates were not immediately available.
B.G.’s PO is out here hating big time. Just sayin’.
Hopefully, B.G. isn’t punished for being a rap artist in a music game where many of his peers have had their run-ins with the law as he’s only performing alongside them and not participating in some street ish.
What do y’all think of B.G.’s situation? Fair or nah? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Photo: @new_bghollyhood / Instagram
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Lizzo seems to be done with having to deal with constant criticism online, saying “I quit” in a recent social media post.
In a surprising post, Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo publicly declared that she was through with the barrage of criticism she faced online, ending with the words, “I QUIT” with the peace sign emoji. “I’m getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet,” she wrote. “All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I’m starting to feel like the world doesn’t want me in it.” It wasn’t made clear what she was referring to.
The singer continued: “I’m constantly up against lies being told about me for clout & views,” she added. “Being the butt of the joke every single time because of how I look … my character being picked apart by people who don’t know me and disrespecting my name. I didn’t sign up for this s—t.” The post was made a day after the superstar singer performed at a sold-out fundraising event for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign at Radio City Music Hall in New York City last Thursday (March 28), and another post made on March 17 wherein an upbeat mood she wrote that she was “writing some of the best music and I’m so excited for y’all to hear.”
Lizzo, also known as Melissa Viviane-Jefferson, rose to stardom with music celebrating self-love and body-positive acceptance. The 27-year-old has been under a cloud of controversy, dealing with one lawsuit first filed against her last year by three of her former dancers who alleged that the singer harassed them sexually and created a hostile work environment. Another lawsuit from a former designer was also filed against her. A judge denied her motion to dismiss the lawsuit outright from the dancers but did dismiss some of the claims made before allowing it to move to trial.
The post garnered heavy attention, with a bunch of commenters validating some of what Lizzo wrote in the post by throwing insults and jabs at her. Others wrote messages of support, including celebrity friends such as Hip-Hop icon Queen Latifah, comedian Eric Andre, and Paris Hilton, who wrote: “We love you Queen.”
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Afrika Bambaataa was accused by several individuals of sexual abuse, leading to his ouster from the Universal Zulu Nation. A John Doe filed a request for a motion for a default judgment late last month in connection to a previous lawsuit claiming that the Hip-Hop pioneer abused him.
All Hip Hop obtained documents filed by the attorneys for John Doe on March 28, citing that it was the third such request for the motion for a default judgment. The request was sent to Judge Alexander Tisch, who is overseeing the civil case.
From All Hip Hop:
“This firm represents Plaintiff in the above-referenced matter,” John Doe’s lawyers wrote. “Plaintiff filed a Motion for Default Judgment (motion sequence #3) against Def. Taylor on August 1, 2022. Plaintiff is once again respectfully inquiring as to when the Court will issue a decision and Order.”
John Doe accused Bambaataa, whose real name is Lance Taylor, of child sexual abuse and sex trafficking in a 2021 lawsuit. The alleged victim said he was only 12 years old when the abuse began.
“From 1991 to 1995, Plaintiff was invited to Defendant’s apartment, located in the BRH, where he was repeatedly subjected to sexual abuse consisting of mutual masturbation and sodomy,” John Doe’s lawyers wrote. “During the same time period, Plaintiff was transported by Defendant Taylor, to other locations and offered for sex to other adult men in exchange for money. Defendant Taylor, intentional sexual assault of Plaintiff was for his own sexual gratification and without regard for the Plaintiff’s well-being. Defendant Taylor, performed the aforementioned actions for his own sexual gratification and without Plaintiff’s consent.”
Afrika Bambaataa denied any wrongdoing initially in 2016 and has since maintained his innocence. Several individuals aligned with Bambaataa stood in defense of the former Universal Zulu Nation leader despite the criticism they endured for doing so.
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Photo: Getty
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Chance Perdomo, an actor who starred in Prime Video’s The Boys spinoff series Gen V, died over the weekend. Perdomo, who was Afro-Latino, also starred in a popular Netflix series as well.
Chance Perdomo was set to begin production on the second season of Gen V and was traveling via motorcycle towards Canada when the accident occurred on March 30 in upstate New York, according to a report from Deadline. The outlet added in an additional report that Perdomo was heading to Toronto ahead of a scheduled April 8 table read session for the series.
The family and representatives for Perdomo shared the following:
His passion for the arts and insatiable appetite for life was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth will carry on in those who he loved dearest. We ask you to please respect the family’s wish for privacy as they mourn the loss of their beloved son and brother.
Perdomo starred as Andre Anderson on Gen V, which takes place in the same universe as The Boys and features several superpowered young adults wrestling with the weight of their powers. Perdomo also starred in Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
“We can’t quite wrap our heads around this. For those of us who knew him and worked with him, Chance was always charming and smiling, an enthusiastic force of nature, an incredibly talented performer, and more than anything else, just a very kind, lovely person. Even writing about him in the past tense doesn’t make sense. We are so sorry for Chance’s family, and we are grieving the loss of our friend and colleague. Hug your loved ones tonight,” a producer for the series shared in a statement.
Chance Perdomo was 27.
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Photo: Getty
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R. Kelly would probably be the last person most would expect to have an opinion on the legal issues Diddy is currently enduring, but the imprisoned singer has chimed in. During a recent Clubhouse chat, R. Kelly questioned the sex trafficking allegations Diddy is facing.
As seen on All Hip Hop, R. Kelly, 57, joined Wack 100 on Clubhouse and shared his views on the legal issues that the mogul, real name Sean Combs, is facing. In essence, Kelly stated bluntly that what’s happening to the Bad Boy Records honcho is nothing but falsehoods.
“The sh*t is crazy. Muthaf*ckas out there laughing and making comedian jokes and doing all the other sH*t on the radio and everything else, but they ass could be next,” Kelly is heard saying. “That’s what’s so f*cked up about it. They so stupid they don’t even realize the moves that’s going on.”
He added, “That’s why I don’t believe none of this sh*t. You could tell me about Puffy, you could about anybody in there. You could tell me on the news, the weather, the sky is blue, I’m not gonna believe the sh*t. ‘Cause I’m in it now, and I know what they did.”
It appears that Kelly is insinuating that the charges he’s currently serving time for and what Diddy is being accused of are part of some larger conspiracy to ruin the legacies and careers of the men.
The conversation with Wack 100 and R. Kelly can be heard in the clip below.
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Photo: Cook County Department of Corrections / Cook County Department of Corrections