State Champ Radio celebrity news
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Spike Lee is preparing to deliver his latest body of work to the big screen and was present at the Cannes Film Festival this week, discussing his upcoming film, Highest 2 Lowest. During a press conference in support of the film, Spike Lee was asked a question, and he answered with an assumed swipe at President Donald Trump.
Spike Lee was flanked on the podium by Highest 2 Lowest co-stars, Jeffrey Wright and Ilfenesh Hadera. Lee, Wright, and Hadera largely spoke about their roles in the film, with Hadera reminding the media that, for as much as Highest 2 Lowest is another collaboration with Lee and leading man Denzel Washington, she has worked with Lee several times as well. Wright, a fan of Lee’s work, remarked that this is the first time he’s worked with the famed director.
Around the 22:37 mark, a reporter stood and asked if social media has compromised American values after noting that his film speaks a lot about integrity. Lee, freewheeling as ever, answered as only the Brooklyn native could.
“Well, I mean, I don’t know how much we can talk about American values considering who’s the president of the,” before trailing over to cover his mouth, but it was clear he was saying “the United States” to conclude his covered-mouth statement.
He added with exuberance, “My wife said: ‘Spike, be very careful what you say!’”
Lee, turning serious, continued by saying, “But here’s the thing, I don’t think that we can condemn social media. You can say the same thing about film, movies or whatever. So I’m not going to demonize the form.”
Wright answered as well, and shared his thoughts, adding that some developers of these massive social media platforms won’t allow their children to use those spaces.
A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice, along with Wright’s son, Elijah Wright, making his big screen debut, are part of the cast.
Spike Lee’s full conference for Highest 2 Lowest from Cannes can be viewed below.
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Jalen Hurts, the star quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, addressed a question regarding why he elected to forgo visiting the White House with his teammates. Jalen Hurts fielded a question regarding why he skipped a meeting with President Donald Trump, but did so in a respectful, if succinct, manner.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that while addressing reporters at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday (May 20), Jalen Hurts cleared the air on why he didn’t join the Eagles in their White House visit in honor of winning Super Bowl LIX.
“I wasn’t available,” Hurts said. “I don’t think that’s pertinent. Everyone who went and was available, they seemed to enjoy themselves.”
A.J. Brown was a bit more elaborate on why he didn’t attend the visit with his team.
“I had a personal reason I was dealing with that day,” Brown shared. “It wasn’t about politics or who is in office or anything. I just had something personal going on with my family.”
The outlet wrote that around 30 players met with President Trump, who delivered glowing remarks praising Hurts’ performance. Other players shared with the media that they skipped the visits due to prior commitments or personal family matters.
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The ongoing sex trafficking and racketeering trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to roll on, and more shocking details have been unveiled since its start over a week ago. In a new report, it was shared that the 2024 raid of Diddy’s home turned up baby oil, drugs, and a rubber duck.
The Independent reports that the 2024 raid of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ home in Miami involved several dozen Homeland Security Investigation agents, who discovered several items at the spacious residence. Agents uncovered 25 bottles of baby oil, firearms, MDMA and Xanax pills, bottles of personal lubricants, and the aforementioned rubber duck.
Gerard Gannon, an agent who was involved in the raid, will take the stand in the trial on Wednesday (May 21). Gannon will be joined today by forensic psychologist Dawn Hughes, who also appeared before the court in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial in 2022.
Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi is scheduled to testify later this week. Mescudi dated Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and was an alleged target of the mogul’s wrath.
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Salt-N-Pepa, the legendary Hip-Hop group that amassed several hit songs in the 1980s through the 1990s, is currently fighting for the rights to their master recordings. Salt-N-Pepa filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), claiming that the label is violating copyright law by not giving the rights back to the group.
The Associated Press reports that Salt-N-Pepa, separately known as Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, are angling to see the master recordings of their previously released material returned to them, especially as their music has viability in today’s market. Adding to this, many legacy acts are cashing via the ownership of their catalogs.
James and Denton asserted in their filing that they have rights to their music due to the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows artists to do away with previously signed deals and reclaim their master recordings.
This has been an ongoing fight for years after Salt-N-Pepa attempted to regain their master recordings but were rebuffed by UMG. The legal back and forth between the group and the label sparked UMG to remove its musical catalog from DSPs.
“UMG has indicated that it will hold Plaintiffs’ rights hostage even if it means tanking the value of Plaintiffs’ music catalogue and depriving their fans of access to their work,” a portion of the lawsuit read.
Salt-N-Pepa made their debut in 1986 with their album Hot, Cool & Vicious, produced by Hurby “Luv Bug” Azor. The group is also hoping to obtain the rights back to tracks like “Push It,” a song that has been used in movies and commercials several times since its release.
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The FBI is doubling its reward for tips leading to the arrest of a handful of escaped prisoners from a New Orleans prison. Last week, 10 prisoners made a brazen nighttime escape from the Orleans Justice Center, and authorities are combing New Orleans and beyond as they look to apprehend the remaining seven escapees.
The FBI’s New Orleans office issued a media alert regarding the 10 escapees from the Orleans Justice Center on May 16.
From the FBI New Orleans website:
At the request of the New Orleans Police Department, FBI New Orleans has surged resources to assist with apprehending inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail on May 16, 2025. The FBI routinely offers assistance to our law enforcement partners, to provide additional manpower and specialized resources.
In addition, the FBI is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for tips leading to the arrest of any of the inmates.
As reported by local outlet WDSU, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who is up for reelection, is facing heavy criticism from residents and others regarding the escape. During a press conference, Sheriff Hutson suggested that the inmates may have been helped by someone who works for the Orleans Parish Police Department.
The outlet adds that three employees of the Orleans Justice Center were placed on suspension as an investigation takes place.
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Hip-Hop music has long suffered from segmentation, pitting certain parts of the scene against one another in a foolhardy race for relevance. MIKE, one of the leading voices in the so-called underground scene, has managed to merge sounds that defy his designation via his brilliant new project with producer Tony Seltzer, Pinball II.
MIKE is an artist we’ve featured heavily in our CRT FRSH playlist roundups, and we’ve mentioned him in a few AOTY posts over the years. The depth, maturity, and presence of the artist born Michael Bonema are astounding when one learns he’s still in his 20s.
Looking back over MIKE’s discography, intentional listeners will recognize the growth from year to year, with the rapper-producer’s gruff voice conveying a bevy of emotions. As he rapped on “Tapestry” from his excellent Beware Of The Monkey mixtape, MIKE’s penchant for the “sad boogie” across his largely self-produced projects morphed into deeply analytical and often personal accounts of his journey in music, honoring his late mother, uplifting his family name, and making sure he’s a solid advocate for his associates.
PInball II doesn’t lean into the aesthetic that MIKE usually performs over and produces under his dj blackpwr alias. Giving Tony Seltzer the keys for a second time, MIKE allows himself to have fun, boast about his successes, and also celebrate his long climb into notoriety. Like their first outing, Seltzer, who has produced for the likes of Wiki, Ski Mask the Slump God, Princess Nokia, and more, gives MIKE a series of booming platters of backdrops that allow Big MIKE to flex.
The album opens with the stage-ready “Sin City,” which sounds prime for a marching band to replay. MIKE is in top sh*t talk mode, shouting out his 10k Global brethren Jadasea, Niontay, and redLee. This leads into “Dolemite” featuring Lunchbox, and the hazy, trap-influenced track is an abrupt shift in energy that feels purposeful all the same.
Seltzer warms things back up with “#71” with MIKE’s growling timbre sounding at home over the bouncy production. At one point, MIKE raps “These n*ggas hardly vicious, but got war paint” with all the sincerity in the world, and while there is a smile in his voice, it still sounds slightly menacing.
Pinball II is something of a roller coaster ride with slinky grooves like “Golden Dragon” and “Money & Power,” allowing MIKE to use his powerful vocal instrument and find pockets in the beat that most rappers would be lost trying to locate.
Features are kept to a minimum; however, 10k artist Sideshow shows up on the sinister “Hell Date” and once again, the Washington, D.C. rapper manages to pierce the soul with his grim outlook and his desire to break away from the streets but never leaving those elements behnd, a common theme in Sideshow’s music. The Ethiopian-American lyricist steals the show on the feature.
“Shaq & Kobe” once more pair MIKE with Florida’s Niontay, and their chemistry remains undeniable. Niontay raps in rushed, slurred bursts, and when juxtaposed against MIKE’s bass-heavy monotone delivery, the contrast in their voices over Seltzer’s heat rock helps the song soar higher.
If there is a song that has a sound similar to MIKE’s previous solo works, it would be “Jumanji,” featuring his friend and past collaborator, Earl Sweatshirt. Pinball II reaches its apex here as MIKE again employs a delivery reminiscent of what he did with Sweatshirt on the track “SENTRY” from the California rapper’s Voir Dire album, produced by The Alchemist. Sweatshirt, known to be a technician, allows himself to let his verses hang and float with little regard to the rhythm, making it one of the most refreshing verses we’ve heard from him.
Pinball II will lazily be called “trap,” or at least say it sounds influenced by that Hip-Hop sub-segment by casual listeners. Upon further listens, MIKE’s increased musical productivity has not dimmed his passion, considering this is his second release after the stellar Showbiz! album from earlier this year. As MIKE continues to establish his position in the scene he’s poised to lord over for years to come, corny as it comes off, the fans are winning as a result.
Find Pinball II at your preferred DSPs here.
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Styles P has been one of the sharpest rappers in the game for the past three decades as a member of The Lox, along with his prolific solo career. In a recent interview, Styles P essentially ranked himself higher than Jim Jones and cited his body of work as proof.
Styles P was a recent guest on The No Funny Sh*t podcast hosted by Kenny “KP” Supreme & DP. The G-Host discussed a bevy of topics, including his alignment with his brothers from The Lox, his various health business ventures, becoming an elder in Hip-Hop, and life as it happens.
In a clip that began to buzz online, Kenny Supreme, who we should note is a Harlem native, floated the idea that the Capo Jim Jones would get Styles P out of here in a song-for-song VERZUZ-like battle. Holidays Styles, a battle-tested MC, met Supreme’s assertion head-on as any rapper would when it comes to their skill set.
“Me and Jim [Jones] ain’t in the same league,” Styles says, after telling Supreme that his opinion is incorrect in his eyes. “Me and Jim don’t do the same things. I’m a bar master. I’m a lyrical technician. I’ve been on joints with some of the best emcees in the world. [The Notorious] B.I.G., Hov, Black Thought, Talib [Kweli]. I bar sh*t down.”
Styles added, “If there is a lyricist or MC, I’m one of their favorites. I’m not here to make catchy hooks and do dope shit, I don’t know that. I’m into making your f*cking soul move.”
Styles P, along with Jadakiss and Sheek Louch, easily dispatched of Jim Jones and the Dipset collective in their explosive VERZUZ battle in New York that the culture still talks about with high reverence. Will this renew interest in a further battle? Will the Vamp Life honcho respond to Styles? Stay tuned.
Hop to the 23:00-minute mark to hear the discussion above.
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Adin Ross caught the ire of Doechii fans after he used a moment during one of his livestream events to insult the buzzing artist for reasons that are still largely unclear. As a result, Adin Ross claims he lost two major brand deals after the Doechii jabs, and this comes while also making light of Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting injury recently.
Adin Ross was a guest on DJ Akademiks’ livestream and detailed the loss of the deal. While he doesn’t explain why those deals were removed from his slate, it was clear that the move bothered him.
“I had two deals lined up, same with DDG, lost both of them,” Ross shared. “I’m mad as f*ck, Ak. It’s not even about the money. It’s just [because]I wanted to do it. It was a big ad, it was a big deal. That’s the reality of how the world works.”
On Monday (May 12), Ross went on a rant against Doechiil, referring to the TDE superstar as the “b-word,” calling her unintelligent, and suggesting she is an industry plant. Some fans online associated his disdain for the Florida rapper due to Kendrick Lamar’s past TDE alignment, and an incident with her staff at the Met Gala event that she has since apologized for.
Ross also took a cheap jab at Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting incident involving Tory Lanez, seemingly in defense of the recently injured and incarcerated Canadian artist.
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Snoop Dogg has enjoyed well over three decades of notoriety and the requisite ups and downs that come along with fame. In a recent sitdown with The Breakfast Club, Snoop Dogg addressed fans who refer to him as a sellout over his assumed alignment with President Donald Trump, and he appeared to clear the record.
The larger part of the conversation centered on Snoop Dogg’s legacy as an artist, learning how to adjust to being a grandfather, praising his wife’s guidance for his family, and promising some new music down the pipeline, including his upcoming 21st studio album, Iz It A Crime? He also spoke on Warren G, a past collaborator of both Snoop and Dr. Dre, who felt like he was left out of the Missionary album sessions with his past partners.
From there, the conversation shifted to Snoop’s appearance at the Crypto Ball around the time of President Trump’s inauguration. The Doggfather was blitzed by fans who felt that he betrayed them for doing the event, considering some of the president’s current political positions. Snoop was clear to draw a line right there.
“Can’t none of you motherf*ckers tell me what I can and can’t do,” Snoop said after explaining he DJ-ed a set at the event for 30 minutes. “But I’m not a politician. I don’t represent the Republican Party. I don’t represent the Democratic Party. I represent the motherf*cking Gangster Party period point blank, and G sh*t we don’t explain sh*t so that’s why I didn’t explain. That’s why I didn’t go into detail when motherf*ckers was trying to counsel me and say he a sellout.”
Snoop went on to say that he would frequently post certain things on his popular Instagram page to see what fans had to say, with some using keyboard courage to call the veteran rapper out his name. Snoop said he hopped into some DMs and addressed the critics head-on, confirming that everyone changed their tune after that.
Check out Snoop Dogg’s full chat with The Breakfast Club in the video below. Hop to the 21:00-minute mark to see the topic mentioned above.
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The sex trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs heard further testimony from Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who took the stand on Wednesday (May 14) and unveiled some chilling details. Ventura said that Diddy became violent and threatened to harm her and her ex-boyfriend Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi after discovering the pair had entered into a relationship.
Variety reports that Ventura, now married to Alex Fine and expecting their third child, took to the stand and shared how Combs’ violent actions towards her were sparked in the midst of one of the so-called “freak-off” parties. According to Ventura, Combs went through her phone during the party in 2011 and found out she was in contact with Kid Cudi. Ventura added that while Combs gestured towards her with the sharp end of a wine opener, she was able to escape the hotel and met with Mescudi that evening.
Ventura then shared that she went to Combs’ home so they could talk about what he discovered, but said the mogul was “irate” and said that he would hurt her and Mescudi. She adds that Combs allegedly kicked her in the back, causing her to fall to the ground. She added that Combs threatened to leak freak-off footage.
As shared in her initial lawsuit that was later settled, Ventura made mention of the fight with Combs and the threats towards Mescudi, including a portion of the filing that detailed Combs’ intentions to blow up Mescudi’s vehicle, which eventually was a target of a bombing. Mescudi has since confirmed that the incident took place.
Further testimony is expected this week as the trial rolls on after starting in earnest on Monday.
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