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Serena Williams has been away from the game of tennis for just three years, but she’s now making new moves in the world of sports. The WNBA’s latest team, the Toronto Tempo, shared in a press release that Serena Williams has joined an ownership group for the organization.
On Monday (March 3), the WNBA’s website Team News section shared the official press release of the Toronto Tempo.
From the press release:
I am thrilled to announce my ownership role in the first Canadian WNBA team, the Toronto Tempo,” said Serena Williams. ‘This moment is not just about basketball; it is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes – I have always said that women’s sports are an incredible investment opportunity. I am excited to partner with Larry and all of Canada in creating this new WNBA franchise and legacy.
Williams joins an ownership group along with Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures. The press release also noted that Williams made her professional debut in Canada and her inclusion the ownership group was met with glowing marks from Tempo team president, Teresa Resch.
“Serena is a champion,” Resch shared. “She’s the greatest athlete of all time, and her impact on this team and this country is going to be incredible.”
Resch added, She’s set the bar for women in sport, business and the world – and her commitment to using that success to create opportunities for other women is inspiring – we’re thrilled to be marking the lead-up to International Women’s Day with this announcement.”
Williams will also have some input into jersey designs and will also help the club’s visibility in other ways during her tenure in the ownership group.
Tanenbaum echoed Resch’s statement and made mention of Williams’ image and influence and how it lines up with the mission of the Tempo.
“Serena Williams is an icon, a role model and a force for change in the world” Tanenbaum said. “She’s earned every bit of her incredible success with hard work, tenacity and determination in the face of countless challenges. She exemplifies the very best of what the Tempo stand for – we couldn’t be more honoured to have Serena in our court.”
The league still needs to approve Williams as an owner. The Toronto Tempo will have its first tip-off in 2025 at the Coca-Cola Coliseum
Learn more here.
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Source: Courtesy of Sie Less / Sei Less
A New York City hotspot announced a special Women’s History Month menu honoring industry trailblazers like Cardi B and Lil Kim, among others.
The midtown Manhattan Asian fusion restaurant Sei Less has become a beloved dining destination for many, including numerous celebrities since opening its doors in January 2022. And it’s adding to its prestige with the release of a new menu honoring several prominent women in the music, entertainment, and media industries for Women’s History Month. The new prix-fixe three-course menu is now available to all patrons at Sei Less as of Monday (March 3) for $50 per person.
The new menu features cherished items by celebrity diners such as the Angie Martinez appetizer of shrimp satay with peanut sauce, and the Cardi B featuring lobster poached in a “beurre blanc” butter with shallots and shiro-dashi wine. Actress and philanthropist La La Anthony is honored with her favorite Beijing Chicken, and the chocolate mousse is named after the Queen Bee of Hip-Hop herself, Lil’ Kim.
The Women’s History Menu is a continuation of Sei Less’ tradition of honoring the culture through their culinary offerings curated by veteran chef Allen Ma. In 2023, they released a special Hip-Hop 50 menu honoring New York City icons such as Jay-Z, Nas, Fat Joe, Ja Rule, and French Montana, among others. In February 2024, they celebrated R&B and Hip-Hop love songs from Babyface, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, and SZA with a “Lover’s Menu.”
“We’re very fortunate to receive such amazing support from this incredible group of women from the greater New York area, so as a heartfelt tribute, we wanted to honor these remarkable trailblazers and their impact on culture in our own special New York way,” said Sei Less founder Dara Mirjahangiry in a statement. “We’re proud to celebrate their creativity and influence with a special menu for Women’s History Month tailored to some of their favorite dishes whenever they visit the restaurant. They have been long-time supporters of Sei Less and this gesture is simply our unique way of expressing our gratitude.”
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Blacc Sam, the brother of late rapper Nipsey Hussle, was seen on video getting into a verbal scrap with an assumed Crip gang member during what should have been a moment of celebration. From what is shown in the video, Blacc Sam and the gang member exchanged some words, and online sluetshs were able to connect the man in the video to Wack 100, who has made comments about Nipsey Hussle in the past.
As seen on All Hip Hop, the video was uploaded to the X social media platform by Poetik Flakko and shows Blacc Sam, Samiel Asghedom, and Rocstar 2800, who is apparently connected to Wack 100. It appears that Wack’s comments about his brother had Sam heated and he’s essentially telling Rocstar 2800 get away from the business or back up the beef words.
Nipsey Hussle brother Blacc Sam goes off on West Blvd Crip Rocstar 2800. He said anybody who don’t get cracking on people who disrespect Nipsey Hussle can’t come around them nomore until they get cracking pic.twitter.com/593UtD6Xmb
— Poetik Flakko (@FlakkoPoetik) March 1, 2025
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As Sam gets right in Rocstar’s face without flinching, he waves off an associate who wanted to get some space between the two, illustrating he was ready to throw hands or whatever else. Cooler heads prevailed and the men were eventually split apart.
On Instagram, Rockstar 2800 made light of the moment by posting an image that read “Damn All A N*gga Wanted Was A Burger” with a crying laughing emoji at the end.
As Hip-Hop Wired reported last month, Blacc Sam is working to release a posthumous Nipsey Hussle album.
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One of film’s finest (with some questionable past decisions) has finally received her long overdue acclaim. Zoe Saldaña has won an Oscar Award for her work in Emilia Perez.
As per The Guardian, the actor had one of the biggest nights of her professional career. On Sunday (March 2), the film industry gathered at the 2024 Academy Awards to celebrate the best performances of the previous year. The category for “Best Supporting Actress” was stacked with top tier talent including Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Ariana Grande (Wicked) and Isabella Rossellini (Conclave). Zoe Saldaña took home the award for her stellar work as Rita Mora Castro, a struggling lawyer who takes a Mexican cartel kingpin as a new client.
It was clear to everyone in attendance at the Dolby Theatre and viewers online that Zoe was taken by surprise with her win. “I am floored by this honor,” she explained. She first thanked her mother and remaining family but made sure to highlight her immigrant background. “I am a proud child of immigrant parents, with dreams and dignity and hardworking hands,” she said while trying to hold back her tears. “And I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last.”
She then closed out her speech with a reference to her late grandmother. “I hold the fact that I’m getting an award to a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish — my grandmother, if she were here, she would be so delighted. This for my grandmother, Argentina Cesse. Thank you so much. Muchas gracias.”
While Emilia Perez has been met with general critical acclaim, the film has faced some ongoing criticism due to Karla Sofía Gascón, the film’s protagonist. The actor’s old social media posts are where she made some very derogatory remarks about Islam, the murder of George Floyd and more.
Additionally, Mexican media was very critical of the film for how it represented the country. As spotted on Variety, after her Oscar win she addressed the criticism at a press junket. “First of all, I’m very, very sorry that many Mexicans felt offended. That was never our intention. We spoke from a place of love,” she explained in the interview room. “I don’t share your opinion. For me, the heart of this movie was not Mexico. We were making a film about friendship. We were making a film about four women.”
You can see Zoe Saldaña’s acceptance speech below.
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It’s been a few months since the heartbreaking passing of music icon Quincy Jones, and at last night’s Oscars Awards ceremony, his legacy was honored by Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and the Hip-Hop legend, Queen Latifah.
Taking to the stage, Whoopi and Oprah gave Quincy Jones his flowers when they spoke about his embodiment of the term “Black excellence.” According to Variety, they credited Jones for helping pave the way for Black artists to make an impact in Hollywood. “In 1967, Quincy Jones was the first Black composer nominated in the original song category for ‘The Eyes of Love’ in the film ‘Banning.’ 1967 was the first time. Just keep that in mind,” Goldberg said. “And Quincy was also nominated that year for original music score for ‘In Cold Blood.’ He received seven Oscar nominations for ‘The Wiz,’ ‘In Cold Blood,’ ‘For Love of Ivy’ and ‘The Color Purple,’ which me and her, we’re part of.”
After speaking their kind words, the good Queen Latifah took to the spotlight and with the help of some backup singers and dancers gave a rousing rendition of “Ease on Down the Road” from the cult classic film, The Wiz.
You can just see Queen Latifah gave it her all, and for that, we love her.
Check out the Hip-Hop legend perform “Ease on Down the Road,” and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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It finally happened.
After decades of being the baby face of the WWE, John Cena finally shocked the world when he finally turned heel and betrayed Cody Rhodes at Saturday night’s PPV event, Elimination Chamber. At the behest of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena suckered Rhodes into a bear hug before he kicked Cody Rhodes in the family jewels and proceeded to beat him with a gold watch, microphone, and the WWE Championship belt until he drew blood from his platinum blonde wig.
To make matters even worse (and hilarious), Travis Scott actually partook in the universal beatdown, and for whatever reason, put hands on the “American Nightmare” as he laid bloody and beaten in the squared ring. While we know all of this is theater and scripted, La Flame blessed Cody Rhodes with quite the pimp slap that would’ve made Iceberg Slim proud, as fans as far back as the 10th row heard the impact as soon as it landed on Cody Rhodes’ face.
Not bad, sir. We’re just glad he didn’t get any blood on those Jordan Jumpman Jack TRs. That would’ve hurt us.
While we don’t know if Cactus Jack will continue to play any role in the upcoming beef between Rhodes, The Rock, and John Cena, in a post-PPV interview, The Rock said that Scott actually wanted to get some blood on his hands, and truth be told, we enjoyed it.
Variety reports:
“He wanted to get his hands bloody,” The Rock said during a press conference after the event about Scott. “I whispered to him as he was going out [to the ring]. I said, ‘if you’re gonna get your hands bloody, make it count. Make it count. He slapped the shit of Cody tonight. He was really, really hyped up.”
“He loves the business,” the Rock said. “We get guys and girls like that who want to come in and who are already tapping in culture and disrupting culture in their own cool way. Maybe they want to sit and enjoy, maybe they want to be on camera.
“But then some want to get involved,” the Rock continued, “and then some, like Travis, deeply want to get involved. And that’s what you saw tonight.”
Now this begs the question, will Rhodes respond by bringing out a rapper of his own to help him neutralize the threat of Travis Scott? Might sound corny but with the way WWE does business you just never know. Either way, it was a helluva night for the WWE universe.
What do y’all think about John Cena going heel and Travis Scott putting hands on the WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Angie Stone, an amazing singer and songwriter who established herself as a soul star in the late 1990s and early 2000s, passed away on Saturday, March 1, at the age of 63. Although most music fans are well aware of Angie Stone’s singing career, her roots in Hip-Hop run deep, and Hip-Hop Wired examines those connections.
Angie Stone was born Angela Laverne Brown on December 18, 1861, in Columbia, S.C. It was in her hometown that she was a member of The Sequence, an all-woman Hip-Hop trio consisting of Cheryl “Cheryl The Pearl” Cook, Gwendolyn “Blondie” Chisolm, and Angie “Angie B” Stone. The group came together when the three were all in high school, and they were first noticed after a Sugarhill Gang performance along with Sugar Hill Records founder and CEO, Sylvia Robinson.
The Sequence was the first female Hip-Hop trio to be signed to the famed Sugar Hill Records label and made history with their 1979 single “Funk You Up,” the second single released from the label after “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang. Stone is also credited on the pioneering Hip-Hop single, which helped usher the music to wider audiences and mainstream appeal.
The release and success of “Funk You Up” is significant as The Sequence was comprised of artists who hailed from the Southern United States, proving that Hip-Hop’s reach extended far beyond the five boroughs of New York.
Portions of “Funk You Up” have been sampled by the likes of Too, Short Boogie Down Productions, De La Soul, Ice Cube, and dozens more. Dr. Dre used sounds from the single for his 1995 single, “Keep Their Heads Ringin” as well. Although the group initially disbanded in 1985, the group made comeback songs in the modern era via a 2011 single “On Our Way To The Movies,” which did not feature Stone.
Stone worked with Hip-Hop duo Mantronix (DJ Kurtis Mantronik and MC Tee) before becoming the lead vocalist for the Vertical Hold trio, releasing a pair of albums in the early 1990s. She then joined with Gerry DeVeaux, Lenny Kravitz’s cousin, and Charlie Mole as a member of the group Devox. While the group didn’t last beyond one album, Stone’s songwriting prowess honed in her time in the previous groups led to her providing songwriting credits on D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar and Voodoo albums. Stone and D’Angelo had a son together as well.
In 2003, by now well established as an R&B vocalist and songwriter, Stone appeared on Erykah Badu’s “Love of My Life Worldwide” from the Texas singer’s Worldwide Underground album. Badu, and fellow featured acts Queen Latifah and Bahamadia all delivered bars with Stone on the anchor verse with “Funk You Up” as the backing sample.
In 2017, with the assistance of attorney Antavius Weems, The Sequence filed a Federal Copyright Infringement claim aimed at Bruno Mars, stating that his smash hit “Uptown Funk” used elements of “Funk You Up.”
Angie Stone and her contributions to music won’t be forgotten, as evidenced by the outpouring of adoration and regard from her fellow musicians and fans from around the world. Hopefully, those unaware of her strong roots in Hip-Hop culture are enlightened about her place in that great pantheon as well.
Rest powerfully in peace, Angie Stone.
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Diddy’s mother Janice Combs has been accused of fraud by a former Bad Boy Entertainment executive who says she inherited his share of the company.
As per HipHopDX, Kirk Burrowes, a founding partner in the label, has filed a legal complaint against Diddy’s mother. The talent manager says that he was forced to give up his 25% stake in the company under threats of violence when Diddy, who was accompanied by the label’s lawyer, allegedly walked into his office wielding a baseball bat. “By words and actions, Sean Combs and Kenneth Meiselas frightened and intimidated and assaulted plaintiff (Burrowes) and forced him to turn over his share certificate for 25 shares of Bad Boy Entertainment to Sean Combs,” the filing reads. According to exclusive statements made to The Daily Mail, he says Diddy then transferred that stake to his mother.
Janice Combs was not present during the alleged incident but when asked for advice on the matter she told Burrowes she had no idea the confrontation occurred. Kirk says otherwise and believes Diddy’s mother was in on it and even helped orchestrate it. Since being ousted from Bad Boy Entertainment Kirk Burrowes says he was eventually blackballed thus falling on hard times. “They blacklisted him from the music industry, blocked business opportunities, and destroyed his professional reputation, ensuring he would remain financially destitute and unable to reclaim what was rightfully his,” the lawsuit states. He also claims Janice organized “decades-long scheme of intimidation, violence, fraudulent misrepresentation and financial concealment.”
Not only did Burrowes serve as the Bad Boy Entertainment’s chief office but he is the godfather to Diddy’s first son Justin. He also claims he witnessed Diddy physically abuse his mother as well. Kirk Burrowes is seeking his original $100,000 investment into the company, his original 25% stake and additional damages.
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A jury of his peers may have found A$AP Rocky not guilty of shooting his former associate, but A$AP Relli isn’t giving up on the case and will continue to pursue legal action against the “RIOT” rapper.
According to Rolling Stone, A$AP Relli has once again taken legal action against A$AP Rocky over the shooting incident, which occurred Nov. 6, 2021 and has filed a civil lawsuit against Rihanna’s baby daddy. While Rocky maintains that he used a prop gun in the incident, which shot blanks, Relli still says that he used a real gun, which left his left hand wounded. Unfortunately for Relli, a jury sided with Rocky’s side of the story and acquitted the rapper on all charges. Still, Relli wants some kind of retribution and will continue to fight for his coin in a court of law.
Per Rolling Stone:
“We intend to continue litigating this case,” Ephron’s lawyer, Melissa Mikail, told the court at the hearing. “The standard in a criminal case is much higher than the preponderance of the evidence standard in a civil matter. We still believe that our claims have merit, and we intend on fully litigating them.”
In his lawsuit, Ephron alleges Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, pulled out a handgun and fired at him during a verbal altercation on the corner of Selma Ave. and Vista Del Mar Ave. on Nov. 6, 2021. At the criminal trial, Ephron told jurors he immediately felt a hot sensation on his left hand and believed he was grazed by a bullet. Under fierce cross-examination, he was combative and confronted with allegations he perjured himself repeatedly.
In the original lawsuit, Ephron (Relli) was seeking a $30 million payday to avoid taking the case to trial. Rocky declined and ended up walking away scot-free… for now. A trial date for the civil case has been set for Jan. 12, 2026, so Rocky has some time to relax from his previous three-week trial before heading into court for his latest legal problem. Rocky’s lawyer isn’t sweating it though, as he feels the civil suit doesn’t hold much weight following Rocky’s acquittal.
At the follow-up hearing in the related matter Wednesday, Mayers’ civil lawyer James Sargent said he didn’t believe the claims in Ephron’s lawsuit deserved a trial. “My position is there’s no longer a basis for them. Mr. Ephron testified in the criminal case as to the facts and circumstances. The jury’s acquittal speaks volumes as to how they valued that testimonial evidence,” Sargent told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William Fahey.
Outside the courtroom after the hearing, Sargent told Rolling Stone he’s confident his client will prevail again. “The allegations Mr. Ephron raises in this case stem from the same incident that a jury of 12 people rejected wholesale. Mr. Ephron testified there, and the jury, in the face of that testimony, returned a complete acquittal. So we look forward to a full vindication of Mr. Mayers in this matter,” he said.
Never forget that OJ Simpson was acquitted by a jury of his peers for murder, but ended up losing everything in the civil lawsuit that ultimately followed his not guilty verdict. So in cases like this, you just never know.
What do y’all think about A$AP Relli bringing a civil lawsuit to A$AP Rocky? Should he just let it go or is he justified? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Lil Durk, already facing a mountain of legal issues, was just named in a wrongful death lawsuit in connection to the murder-for-hire plot that left a cousin of a rival dead. In the recent court filing in Illinois, Lil Durk, his record label, and another business were the target of the lawsuit.
As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, Lil Durk, real name Durk Banks, is being held on charges connected to the shooting death of rival rapper Quando Rondo’s cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, also known as Lul Pab or Bandup Pablo. The lawsuit was filed in Cook County in Durk’s home state and is aimed towards his Only The Family recording label and a connected business interest along with the rapper.
“The premature loss of Mr. Robinson has devastated his family and community,” Warren Postman, an attorney representing Robinson’s mother, Andrea Laquila Robinson, shared. “We filed this lawsuit to hold those responsible accountable and to ensure his family receives the support they need during this difficult time.”
There has not been an official response from Banks or his legal team.
Lil Durk was arrested in October of last year in Miami as he attempted to board a chartered plane. The arrest came as investigators unsealed an indictment that revealed charges against five men in the murder-for-hire plot. Quando Rondo, real name Tyquian Bowman, was the alleged target of the hit but Robinson was the one who was gunned down in Los Angeles back in 2022.
Rondo was targeted in response to the shooting death of Durk ally King Von, who died after confronting Rondo and his crew in Atlanta. Authorities say that Durk’s Only The Family recording label was also a front for a criminal organization with Durk as its mastermind.
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