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It seems Jay-Z will have to defend his name in a court of law. A judge has denied his request to dismiss a rape lawsuit against him.
As spotted on Vulture, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native did not receive favorable news regarding a recent legal filing against him. On Thursday (Dec. 26), Judge Analisa Torres ruled that Jane Doe can move forward with her lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z anonymously. While the accuser remains unidentified, the magistrate did say that Jane Doe might have to reveal her name in the future for the case to proceed.
According to the Associated Press, Judge Analisa Torres also expressed her disproval on how Jay-Z’s legal team have handled the complaint thus far. “Carter’s lawyer’s relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks is inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client. The Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it,” the written order reads.
The “inflammatory language” is a direct reference to Alex Spiro’s–Jay-Z’s attorney–criticism of the plaintiff’s lawyer Tony Buzbee. In an exclusive statement to the Hollywood Reporter, the Texas-based mouthpiece commented on the judges denial to dismiss the case. “I don’t typically comment on court rulings. I will say that the coordinated and desperate efforts to attack me as counsel for alleged victims are falling flat.”
Back in October, a woman named Jane Doe filed a lawsuit against Diddy and Jay-Z claiming the two raped her at an event following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. She has since admitted that there were several inconsistencies with her original filing.
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According to TMZ, rapper OG Maco has passed away at age 32. After weeks of attempting to recover from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the ATL rapper has reportedly transitioned.
On Dec. 13, reports came out that Maco was fighting for his life after shooting himself in the head. On Thursday morning, OG Maco was found unconscious at his home after a neighbor reported hearing a gunshot. He was quickly taken to the hospital for surgery and was on life support. His family made a statement on his current state of health at the time, “We want to inform OG Maco’s fans, friends, and supporters that he is currently in critical but stable condition. He is receiving the best possible care, and we are staying hopeful as he continues to fight.”
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We send our thoughts and prayers to OG Maco’s friends, family, and fans. More news to come as the story develops.
Suicide is a real problem, but you don’t have to face it alone. If you’re struggling, reach out for help. Call 1-800-273-8255 for free, confidential support.
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While Jay-Z remains mum about Dame Dash as the latter continues to dish his thoughts, opinions and memories about his heyday in the music industry, N.O.R.E., for one, has no problem responding. And one of his comments seems to have rubbed the thugged-out rapper the wrong way.
In one of Dame’s segments in his recent interview on The Art of The Dialogue, Dame touched on the rape accusations Jay-Z faced at the beginning of December and said that Jay would need the “white media” to give him cover, as culture-centered shows like N.O.R.E.’s Drink Champs and Charlamagne Tha God wouldn’t be able to keep Jay’s reputation afloat. “Drink Champs can’t get him out of this one and neither can Charlamagne ’cause those are the guys that hold him down no matter what he does,” Dame said. “So he got to get to People magazine and Entertainment Tonight right now ’cause they on his head.”
Taking issue with Dame’s take on Jay’s situation and insinuating that N.O.R.E. and Charlamagne are basically Jay-Z apologists, the “Superthug” rapper took to social media to give Dame his own two cents. He brought up how large he’s living these days, having to travel across seas on the regular while Dame’s days of international business trips are well behind him. Dame’s financial struggles have been on public display for quite some time.
“No one’s trying to disrespect you,” N.O.R.E. said. “We trying to show you love, but you keep coming at everybody. If you got beef with one person, you supposed to keep that beef with one person. You got beef with everybody around him…you became the Lame Dash. We don’t want to disrespect you, and I’m trying not to, as much as I can, because I actually respect the sh*t out of you, but you became the lame, chatty patty person that you said you against. Get ya life together. My number’s the same if you wanna work it out.”
Hip-Hop drama between men well into their 40s and 50s is weird, but yet, here we are.
We hope the two men can get on the horn and work out whatever issues there is between the two because the last thing Hip-Hop needs is two fully grown men going back and forth on social media. Just sayin’.
What do y’all think of this situation? Is N.O.R.E. right for feeling a way about Dame Dash’s comments, or is Dame in the right for sharing his opinions regardless of who he offends? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Kasseem Dean Jr. learned the news of a lifetime during the holiday season after finding out that he was accepted to New York University on his 18th birthday. Helping Kasseem Dean Jr. celebrate the achievement was his dad Swizz Beatz, mom Mashonda, and stepmother Alicia Keys.
Swizz Beatz got deep into his proud papa bag and shared a series of videos on Instagram with his entire family surprising Kasseem Dean Jr. with the big news. With the family all donning NYU hoodies, Dean is seen in the video below walking in to the surprise and definitely enjoyed the moment as any other person would.
“This is what we all do it for in real life. Today we celebrate the 18th Bday of Kasseem JR. We also celebrated him going to NYU. The amazing part was he didn’t know he was accepted we saved the news for his Bday. Blessings to all the parents going hard for the future aka the Kids,” Swizz Beatz wrote in the caption.
Mashonda also shared images on her Instagram page praising her son for reaching his birthday milestone and achieving his collegiate goals.
“Keeping the news about NYU under wraps was quite a challenge; we wanted to surprise you on your birthday , surrounded by family. Your life is a profound blessing to all of us. Now, it’s GO TIME, time to embark on this new journey. Know that I will always be here by your side, my son. Thank you to my incredible co-parents HAPPY BIRTHDAY, she wrote.
Alicia Keys also got in on the IG love and offered her words of encouragement to her stepson.
“My amazing young king @yayachronicles !! You are totally unstoppable!! I’m so excited about every moment this year is going to bring!! This is just the beginning of things you can’t even imagine! Keep working hard and bringing that light and gratitude, everywhere you go!!!! The blessings of tomorrow will be greater than we can ever imagine today!!!
I love you Kassy!! Always your Umi!!!” Keys said.
Congratulations to Kasseem Dean Jr. and the entire family.
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Richard Parsons, a Black executive lauded for his efforts leading Time Warner and Citigroup, died on Thursday (Dec. 26) at the age of 76. Richard Parsons navigated deals such as splitting one-time Internet giant AOL from Time Warner and other notable moves.
Richard Parsons, who also went by the shortened version of his name Dick, was born on April 4, 1948, in New York and was raised in the South Ozone Park in Queens. Raised by parents of middle-class means, Parsons was an exceptional student in grade school ahead of attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa on a basketball scholarship. Returning to the mainland, Parsons entered Albany Law School of Union University, New York, and earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1971.
Parsons’ legal career began after he was invited to work for New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, who was later appointed as Vice President of the United States by President Gerald Ford. Parsons traveled to Washington to work alongside Rockefeller in 1974, crossing paths with fellow lawyer Rudolph Giuliani during this stretch. From 1977 to 1988, Parsons worked for the Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler law firm and was made partner.
In 1991, Parsons was asked to join Time Warner’s board and later became its president in 1995. Parsons oversaw Time Warner’s merger with AOL in 2000, but the partnership did not create the financial windfall some expected. After Time Warner Chief Executive Gerald Levin retired in 2001, Parsons stepped in to take Levin’s place. Under Parson’s leadership, Time Warner successfully split from AOL by removing the name association with the company and lowering the company’s $30 billion debt to $16.8 billion after selling Warner Music and portions of the wider business.
After stepping down in 2007 from Time Warner, two years later Parsons became the chairman of Citigroup, using his management and business oversight skills to help the banking company after it was hit by the financial crisis. In 2014, Parsons worked as the interim CEO for the Los Angeles Clippers after the NBA banned owner Donald Sterling for life for his racist remarks. Parsons, a Republican Party voter, did not involve himself with racial politics and famously downplayed race in interviews electing to focus on other aspects of himself.
In 2015, Parsons was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and officially retired in 2018 due to health concerns. Parsons passed away at his Manhattan home according to reports. His death was confirmed by Lazard, where he was a board member.
Richard Parsons is survived by his wife, Laura, and their three children.
[h/t CNBC]
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Terrence “Punch” Henderson, the president of Top Dawg Entertainment and, according to his bio, SZA‘s manager, found himself at the center of social media discussions regarding the talented songstress. Although we haven’t been able to determine all the fine points, fans on social media believe there is beef between SZA and Punch, but in typical TDE fashion, those on the outside aren’t privy to the facts.
SZA has been enjoying plenty of fanfare lately after the surprise drop of her SOS Deluxe: Lana project, a reissue of 2022’s SOS. The singer, real name Solána Rowe, posted and later deleted comments Punch reading, “And to be clear, I love Punch deeply! NO ONE should be attacking him or being cruel on my behalf. Sometimes people grow apart, and that’s okay.”
We’ve tried to find the original space where the CTRL singer wrote the comment but only the Hip-Hop screenshot accounts online are pushing this supposed split. However, upon deeper examination, Punch still has in his bio that he’s still SZA’s manager and eagle-eyed fans are slowly realizing that the beef is something they may have imagined, seizing upon the past creative rifts.
A quick scan of the (formerly?) feuding twosome’s social media accounts doesn’t seem to point to any issues. Punch’s timeline seems to give the most direct clues that whatever transpired is behind the two and that it’s all peace and love.
“Also, nothing real can be threatened. Relax ppl. lol,” read one X reply with another reading, “SMH. Change your bio and everything goes haywire. Sheesh. I’m beginning to suspect some of you guys don’t fancy me very much.”
Punch’s last reply on X featured him asking fans what their favorite songs from SOS Deluxe: Lana was, sharing a couple of his selections.
On X, fans are still trying to make this beef with SZA a thing. We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
Listen to SOS Deluxe: Lana below.
Lmao closed my eyes for two seconds for the first time in 36 hours and missed the damn drop ! SOS DELUXE ( Lana ) OUT NOW ON ALL PLATFORMS !!! https://t.co/AlJpuNRp7c pic.twitter.com/bvNiwknUOk
— SZA (@sza) December 20, 2024
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While everyone was spreading joy and well wishes on Christmas, Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ was dealing out knuckle sandwiches, as he got into a scuffle at a clothing store in New York City.
According to XXL, the “Fallin’” rapper got into some fisticuffs this past Monday (Dec. 23), with an unknown man. It was all captured on a surveillance camera and ultimately leaked for public consumption. While no one knows exactly what led to the incident, the footage captures Joey Bada$$ in a very animated face-to-face confrontation with a man at the retail store before the two began to throw hands near the store’s exit door.
While others attempted to break up the fight, Joey was having none of that and continued to dish out some haymakers before ultimately walking away.
Per XXL:
The skirmish comes two days after Joey received a proclamation from New York Mayor Eric Adams naming Dec. 20 Joey Bada$$ Day. This honor coincides with the second-anniversary celebration of his ImpactMENtorship Program. The same day, Joey joined the New York City Department of Youth & Community Development for their second annual Hip Hop Holiday Giveaway.
Joey recently completed his first artist residency at the Clive Davis Institute at NYU Tisch and was announced as the inaugural artist scholar in residence at Columbia University’s Teachers College Gordon Institute.
XXL has reached out for comment to Joey’s camp but have yet to hear back from them.
Check out Joey Bada$$ put hands on someone below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Video shows Joey Badass getting into a fight in a New York City clothing store. 😳pic.twitter.com/piGYjqKMyY
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) December 24, 2024
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Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots is one of the foremost minds in music knowledge and history today, using his platforms and connections to the industry to great effect. Questlove, an Academy Award-winning director, is set to hit the chair once more to helm the 50 Years of SNL Music documentary.
Questlove, 53, was tapped to direct the 50 Years of SNL Music documentary, looking back at the sketch comedy series’ special segment for its musical guests over the past five decades.
Joining in on the directing duties will be SNL director Oz Rodriguez and will feature more than 50 interviews from some of the past guests such as Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC fame, Miley Cyrus, Paul Simon, and more. The doc will also feature former and current SNL writers and crew members including onscreen albums Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader, and former writer Conan O’Brien.
“Everyone knows the most famous SNL appearances, whether it’s Elvis Costello, Prince or the Beastie Boys, but they’re the tip of a huge iceberg,” Questlove shared in a statement. “The process of going back through the incredible archival footage was like being in a time machine, DeLorean or other. I’m so happy I went on the trip and now get to share it with everyone.”
Questlove’s Summer of Soul documentary, which examines the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2022.
Eddie Murphy, Al Franken, Justin Timberlake, Kenan Thompson, and a host of other significant SNL contributors and guests will also appear in 50 Years of SNL Music.
The documentary airs on Monday, January 27, on NBC at 8 p.m. ET/PT, streaming next day on Peacock.
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Art Evans, a veteran actor who broke into the film business in the 1970s and starred in Die Hard 2, passed away last weekend at the age of 82. A California native, Art Evans starred in a diverse slate of films, including CB4, Metro, and The Mighty Quinn.
Art Evans was born on March 27, 1942, in Berkeley, Calif., and began his acting career in the 1960s in Los Angeles as a stage actor. One of Evans’ first major roles was in Christine, directed by John Carpenter and based on a novel by Stephen King. He also starred in A Solider’s Story starring Denzel Washington, Howard E. Rollings Jr., and David Allen Grier, among others. In 1990, Evans landed the role of Leslie Barnes, the Dulles International Airport engineer who helped Bruce Willis’ John McClane avert a terrorist attack.
Evans also had significant roles on television on shows such as The X-Files, Monk, Family Matters, and M*A*S*H. He also had a role in A Different World as the father of Ron Johnson (Darryl M. Bell).
Evans’ last credited role from IMDB was a voice role on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder television series in 2022.
As seen on Variety, the family of Evans shared a statement that read, “We are heartbroken to share that Art has passed away. Please respect our privacy at this time. A memorial will be held for friends and family to attend at a later date. Thank you.”
Art Evans is survived by his wife, Babe Evans, and their son Ogadae Evans.
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Denzel Washington was baptized over the weekend at a church in New York City, also receiving a minister’s license.
The Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington took a major step on his journey of faith over the weekend. Last Saturday (Dec. 21), Washington was baptized at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ which is located in Harlem, New York. The ceremony was livestreamed through the Facebook account of the First Jurisdiction Church of God In Christ Eastern New York, which showed the moments when Washington was baptized. They also showed the actor receiving a license to minister, allowing him to become ordained in the future. He can officiate weddings and other minor religious services. “In one week, I turn 70,” he said while addressing those gathered in the congregation. “It took a while, but I’m here.”
The Gladiator II star went on to share a story from when he was 20 years old about meeting a woman named Ruth Green at his mother’s beauty parlor who told him about the faith journey he was destined for. “She said, ‘Boy, you are going to travel the world and preach to millions of people,’” he remembered. “She wouldn’t even spell the word prophecy. My mother wrote the word prophecy…50 years later, look at God. If He can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you. The sky literally is the limit and there’s no limit to the sky.”
Washington would express his thanks for his “loving, faithful wife” Pauletta Washington, who was in the audience. “To God be the glory. Hallelujah!” he added to the crowd’s delight. “Anything I can do, I will do for this church, the Almighty. I just want to be in that number when the saints go marching in.”
The 69-year-old actor has been more outspoken about his faith recently, discussing it at length in an expansive essay for Esquire, which was published last month. “You can’t talk like that and win Oscars. You can’t talk like that and party,” he said about discussing his faith with others in the industry. “You can’t say that in this town … It’s not talked about in this town. It’s not talked about … It’s not fashionable. It’s not sexy. But that doesn’t mean people in Hollywood don’t believe.”