celebrity news
Page: 5
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Mark Sullivan / Getty
For a man known to have taken nine shots to his body back in 2000, 50 Cent really dodged a bullet this past Sunday (Oct. 27).
With Donald Trump’s now-infamous Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden having made headlines for all the wrong (but expected) reasons, 50 Cent has revealed that the Trump campaign contacted him in an effort to have him perform at the controversial event. After the “attempted assassination” of Donald Trump back in July, the Trump campaign began to introduce Trump at events with 50 Cent’s “Many Men” playing in the background. Hoping to get 50 Cent to actually perform the song at the rally in New York City, Trump’s team offered 50 Cent a cool $3 million to sway him to partake in the hate rally.
Luckily for him, 50 Cent turned the offer down.
Talking to The Breakfast Club, 50 Cent said, “I didn’t even go far… I didn’t talk to them about that kinda stuff. I’m afraid about politics. You understand? I do not like no part about them.” Furthering expanding on his decision to stay away from the political spectrum of society, 50 said, “It’s because when you do get involved in it, no matter how you feel, some one passionately disagrees with you. That’s the formula for the confusion that sent Kanye to Japan… He said something about both of those things — and now he can only go to Japan.”
Wise choice.
But this isn’t the first time the Trump campaign has tried to get 50 Cent to join their team.
Back in 2017, when Donald Trump was about to be inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States, his team offered 50 a bag to perform at the inauguration ceremony. He turned it down but Chrisette Michele accepted the gig, and we all saw how well that went for her on social media. Then they tried to book the Get Rich or Die Tryin’ for this year’s Republican National Convention, and he once again said no.
Say what you want about 50 Cent, but at least he has the foresight to steer clear of controversial appearances in the political arena.
What do y’all think of 50 Cent not getting involved in politics? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Lil Durk, one of the more successful rappers to emerge from Chicago’s Drill scene, was arrested late last week in Florida and subsequently charged with murder for hire. In the days since Lil Durk’s arrest, details surrounding the case have emerged and what was revealed was shocking.
Lil Durk, real name Durk Devontay Banks, was arrested on October 24 by the U.S. Marshals Service while he was en route to board a plane that was heading to Italy. Local Miami outlet WSVN obtained a copy of the 11-page criminal complaint that lays out all of the details and allegations of the murder-for-hire plot that targeted rival rapper Quando Rondo but resulted in the death of Rondo’s cousin, Lul Pab.
With Durk singled out as the mastermind of the murder plot, the criminal complaint goes into greater detail about how the investigation developed and ensnared not only the rapper but also members of his Only The Family (OTF) collective.
According to the authorities, Lil Durk is allegedly the designated leader of OTF, which they say operated as a gang and carried out violent acts under his command. The complaint points back to the murder of Dayvon “King Von” Bennett, who was shot and killed on November 6, 2020, by an affiliate of Quando Rondo after an altercation went left.
The complaint states that Durk placed a bounty on Rondo around the time of Von’s passing. Durk reportedly worked alongside fellow suspects Kavon London Grant, Deandre Dontrell Wilson, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey, and Asa Houston, who all discovered that Rondo was housed at a Los Angeles hotel around August 18, 2022.
Grant used a card owned by Durk which was connected to the OTF record label operations, booking flights to California and obtaining rental cars. Durk wrote in a text exchange with Grant to not book any flights for anyone connected to the rapper. Durk and Grant flew into Los Angeles before the August 19, 2022 shooting of Lul Pab with Rondo being the chief target. The other suspects flew commercial from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Grant, Wilson, Jones, Lindsey, and Houston were arrested before Durk, which tipped the OTF honcho off to book a pair of international flights to Dubai and Switzerland, but Durk never appeared for those flights. The attempted flight to Italy from Miami is when the U.S. Marshals Service tracked Durk down and brought him in for booking.
In a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California via the Justice.gov website, authorities have placed their sights squarely on Durk and his co-defendants.
From Justice.gov:
“Mr. Banks is charged with orchestrating a cold-blooded murder that resulted in the death of a rival’s family member,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Not only that, the shooting occurred in the open, at a gas station at a busy intersection, endangering many others in the area. Violent gun crime of this sort is devastating to our community and we will have zero-tolerance for those who perpetrate such callous acts of violence.”
“The apprehension of Mr. Banks as he attempted to leave the United States is once again proof that the FBI and our extraordinary partners at the Los Angeles Police Department have a long reach” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “No excuse can justify this violent act and let me be clear: While you’re going about your life, thinking you ‘got away with it,’ the FBI is piecing together the facts that will serve as your undoing.”
Lil Durk will have a pre-detention hearing but the date has not been set.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
A$AP Rocky will have to fight for his freedom one more time. He is set to stand trail next year for allegedly shooting at A$AP Relli.
As reported by The Associated Press, the Harlem native will have to clear his name in a court of law. This week, it was confirmed his trial for allegedly shooting at his former collaborator and group member will start in 2025. A judge slotted Jan. 21 as to when the jury selection will commence. The proceedings were originally scheduled to start next month, but A$AP Rocky’s lawyer Joe Tacopina had requested it be postponed so the “Praise The Lord” rapper can perform at the Rolling Loud festival in Thailand. Judge Mark S. Arnold has also confirmed that the proceedings will be recorded by video cameras saying, “I believe that the public deserves to see what goes on in the courtroom.”
On Nov. 6, 2021 it is alleged that A$AP Rocky fired shots at Terell Ephron, aka A$AP Relli, in Hollywood, Calif. According to TMZ, Relli took the stand during a preliminary hearing regarding the alleged assault. He revealed the two were childhood friends, but their relationship started to strain once A$AP Rocky gained global popularity. He went on to admit that he started resenting the rapper after some broken promises were made to help his family. On the fateful day of Nov. 6, 2021, he says Rocky called him and asked to meet at a Los Angeles hotel. Relli thought the meet-up was a chance for them to put their differences behind them, but instead he says Pretty Flacko pulled up with several men and put a gun to his stomach saying, “I’ll kill you right now.” After separating Relli says several gunshots were fired his way with one of them striking his hand.
A$AP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a firearm. You can watch surveillance footage from the incident below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
A documentary on French Montana will make its debut on Paramount Plus in November after being a festival highlight.
The life of rapper French Montana has gotten the documentary treatment, and it will be available to the world on the Paramount Plus streaming service. The French Montana Story: For Khadija, first premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. The scheduled air date will be Nov. 19 in the United States and Canada and Nov. 20 in the United Kingdom and Australia. French Montana shared the news on his Instagram account Wednesday (Oct. 23).
The French Montana Story will give an inside look into the diamond record-selling rapper, also known as Karim Kharbouch. French Montana was born in Morocco but moved to the United States when he was 13 years old. His family settled in the South Bronx, but his father left the family to go back to Morocco while his mother stayed to raise him and his two brothers. The film chronicles his many trials while becoming a gritty battle rapper who rose to fame with his Cocaine City DVDs, which consisted of interviews with rappers and other street personalities to show off his own music. That was the base for the founding of the Coke Boys, highlighted by collaborations with Max B. He would go on to sign with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records, Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group, and Interscope Records.
The documentary is directed by Mandon Lovett and produced by Live Nation Productions for MTV Entertainment Studios. French Montana serves as an executive producer alongside Michael Rapino and Ryan Kroft for Live Nation Productions. Diddy was also an executive producer but withdrew due to his mounting legal issues. “This is the best project I’ve ever worked on in my life,” said Montana of the film. “It’s the first blueprint of an immigrant’s music dream, proving that anything is possible and it’s not about the awards, it’s about what we learn from the losses and sacrifices.”
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz
It’s no secret that Cardi B has been going through the motions lately following the birth of her third child and a very public and messy split from her ex-hubby, Offset.
Still, the Bronx bombshell continued to grind to get that paper, but unfortunately, it seems like Cardi is going through some health issues as she took to Instagram to announce she was forced to cancel an upcoming show due to health concerns. Taking to her page to let fans in on her current situation, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper revealed that she’s been in the “hospital recovering from a medical emergency the last couple of days and I won’t be able to perform at ONE MusicFest.”
Though she didn’t specify exactly what led to her hospitalization or what the emergency was, fans are naturally wishing her a speedy recovery as she gets the medical attention she needs.
Scheduled to go down on Oct. 26 and 27 at Central Park in Atlanta, ONE MusicFest will still feature quite a few other fan favorite artists including the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire, Method Man, Redman, Fantasia, Gunna, and Ari Lennox amongst many others.
In short, attendees are still going to have a blast.
Still, there’s only one Cardi B, and she’ll surely be missed. Get well soon, ma.
While she’ll surely be missed, there will still be a lot of acts we know fans will be more than happy to witness during the event.
Will you be going to ONE MusicFest? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
Looks like Dave Chappelle is about to hit the road again, but this time he won’t be doing so alone and interestingly enough he won’t be joined by another comedian but rather a Grammy Award-winning rap artist in Killer Mike.
On Wednesday (Oct. 23), it was announced that Dave Chappelle and Killer Mike with the Mighty Midnight Revival would be taking an impromptu show on the road this coming November dubbed Still Talking That Sh*t!. Unfortunately, for fans, it’ll only hit a handful of cities in the span of nine days. While details about the show are yet to be released, what we do know is that attendees will have to comply with the rules and regulations that include securing their mobile devices upon entering the arena.
This event will be a phone-free experience. Use of phones, smart watches, and accessories will not be permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, all phones, smart watches, and accessories will be secured in individual Yondr pouches that will be opened at the end of the event. Guests maintain possession of their devices at all times and can access them throughout the event only in designated Phone Use Areas within the venue. All devices will be re-secured in Yondr pouches before returning to the performance space. Anyone seen using a device (phone, smart watch, or accessories) during the performance will be escorted out of the venue by security. We appreciate your cooperation in creating a phone-free experience.
Man, if y’all can’t stay off your phone for a little while to witness the greatness of Dave Chappelle and Killer Mike then keep it moving, and let the real fans have a crack at the show. Y’all already know tickets are going to be hard to get.
Tickets for the event go on sale Friday (Oct. 25), at noon and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.
Will you be trying to get some tickets for the event? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Bad Boy Records / Bad Boy
Diddy is facing yet another horrid accusation. A personal trainer says he drugged him and was passed around to his celebrity friends for their enjoyment.
As spotted on Page Six, there is another individual claiming he was abused at the hands of the business mogul. According to court documents obtained by the celebrity gossip website, the alleged victim says back in 2022 he was working with a fashion designer. His client happened to show Diddy some of the workout video and in turn the man labeled “John Doe” was invited to an afterparty following an awards show. The invite-only event took place at Combs’ Los Angeles estate where the victim claims he was made to sign a nondisclosure agreement prior to even entering the house.
Once inside the trainer says he was offered a tequila cocktail. “Eventually, a business associate of Combs guided [the] plaintiff from a large room illuminated with red lights into a smaller room,” the lawsuit says. “Their Plaintiff observed approximately a dozen individuals, including several well-known figures, who were engaging in group-sex activities.” Shortly after, the victim says he started to feel disoriented and assumed he was drugged. Things got even more concerning as the document states, “Combs approached Plaintiff, removed his pants and began performing non-consensual oral sex onto him.” John Doe also alleges that after the act he was forced to do the same to other a-listers who were in attendance. “These individuals, including Combs, essentially passed plaintiff’s drugged body around like a party favor for their sexual enjoyment.”
Diddy’s lawyers have denied the allegations in an exclusive statement to Page Six saying, “the lawyer behind this lawsuit is interested in media attention rather than the truth, as is obvious from his constant press appearances and 1-800 number.” Furthermore they added, “in court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor.”
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Eric Charbonneau / Getty
Tom Holland has really made a name for himself in Hollywood thanks to his iteration as everyone’s favorite wall crawler, Spider-Man. While he’s one of the biggest stars in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his debut in the MCU was actually saved by his co-star, Robert Downey Jr.
According to Variety, Holland recently opened up about his first MCU role in Captain America: Civil War (classic) and revealed that though he had eight pages worth of dialogue in the script. When it came down to film his scenes, his role was cut down to a mere two pages. Luckily, for him, RDJ noticed the changes and asked, “where did all the kids lines go?”
After being told that the film was already long enough as is, Robert Downey Jr. implored the directors, Joe and Anthony Russo to reinstate the lines regardless if they end up on the cutting room floor later on. They went with the suggestion, and sure enough, it all paid off in the end.
“Downey was the one who said, ‘No, you’re going to want to spend time on this. Let’s shoot the whole thing from the audition. You can always cut it, but you’re going to want to have it,’” Holland remembered. “And they used all of it. I owe that to him. That’s really cool. I’d love to one day do that…If I’m lucky to bring Miles Morales into the MCU, I’d love to do for a young kid what Downey did for me.”
Interestingly enough, Holland also admitted to going ham on a hotel mini bar the night before his test-screening with Robert Downey Jr., and naturally, “Marvel found out about that.” Those hotel mini bar sensors are a mutha… Thankfully, the young actor has since cleaned up his act and has been clean and sober ever since and even launched his own non-alcoholic beverage, Bero. Y’all know Zendaya isn’t going to be putting up with no alcoholic boyfriend out here looking the way she looks. Smart move, Tommy boy.
Check out Tom Holland’s entire interview below, and let us know who’s your favorite Spider-Man actor thus far in the comments section. Tom Holland? Andrew Garfield? Tobey McGuire? Sound off!
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Jason Mendez / Getty
Donald Trump has yet another legal issue at hand. Charlamagne Tha God has filed a cease-and-desist against the Republican nominee.
As spotted on Blavity, the media personality has taken issue with the convicted felon. A recent political advertisement features a clip from The Breakfast Club where he and DJ Envy discuss Kamala Harris’ advocacy for offering transgender prisoners sex change procedures. According to Vibe, he has since sent Trump’s office a cease-and-desist notification requesting his image and likeness be removed from the advertisement. “Cease-and-desist been sent,” Charlamagne announced adding, “Since when does Trump care about what’s legal!?”
While it appears the Moncks Corner, S.C., native isn’t in favor of her support, he would go on to clarify that Harris’ stance makes sense to him. “I’ll tell you what, that ad they was running during the football games this weekend claiming the vice president supports funding gender transition surgeries for all prison inmates and migrants in the U.S., that was nuts,” he explained at the time. “That ad was effective,” he added. “It literally said that Kamala supports taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners, and it talks about how, you know, she supports funding gender transition surgeries for all prison inmates and migrants in the United States. That ad was impactful.”
This is not the first time Donald Trump has been accused of using unauthorized material. Back in 2018, he was using Rihanna’s music during his rallies to which the singer sent him a cease-and-desist. In August 2024, he played “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Isaac Hayes at his rally. Soon after, the estate filed a lawsuit against him, and a federal judge has ordered that his campaign stop playing the song.
You can view the Donald Trump advertisement below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty
Eminem has been very vocal about his anti-Trump stance ever since Cheeto Jesus first took office in 2017. With so much riding on the line in this years presidential election, the greatest white rapper in Hip-Hop is doing his part to help get the first Black woman elected into the Oval Office.
According to Variety, Slim Shady has hit the campaign trail in his hometown of Detroit and will be throwing his celebrity weight behind the Harris/Walz ticket as he’ll be introducing former President Barack Obama when the 44th president of the United States takes the stage in Motor City Tuesday night (Oct. 22). No stranger to the political world, the “Stan” rapper will once again be using his popularity to help save American democracy from a political party that seems intent on turning the U.S. into an autocracy with Donald Trump at the helm.
Per Variety:
Eminem, who supported the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket in 2020 with a campaign ad featuring his song “Lose Yourself,” has angrily criticized the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, multiple times in the past, calling him a “racist,” among other things, during a 2017 freestyle called “The Storm” at the BET Awards.
Obama has said “Lose Yourself” was one of his favorite get-psyched songs during his own presidential campaign in 2008.
As the presidential race reaches its final days, Harris and Trump are virtually tied in five key battleground states, including Michigan, according to the New York Times‘ polling average — with neither candidate ahead by even a single point. The five states are Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin and North Carolina.
How this race is even this close is beyond us, but then again, racism, right?
Unfortunately, for Eminem fans, the iconic rapper isn’t expected to perform any of his numerous hits or drop one of his famous off-the-top-of-his-head freestyles, but you never know. If Obama asks nicely he just may perform his favorite cut, “Lose Yourself.”
Either way best believe MAGA country will take to social media to slander Eminem in every way, shape and form for supporting Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. It’s inevitable, but we doubt he cares one bit.