State Champ Radio Current Events
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Source: WWD / Getty / Thandiwe Newton
Season 2 of Netflix’s hit original series Wednesday, will boast some serious star power.
Variety exclusively reports Thandiwe Newtown is joining the cast of Wednesday. Her role in the megahit show remains a mystery. She is the latest big name joining the show in its second season, joining Steve Buscemi.
Netflix declined to comment on Newton’s hiring, the website reports.
Newton is no stranger to the small screen. Her most notable role was on the HBO original series Westworld, which earned her three Emmy nominations for best supporting actress, taking home the award in 2018.
She also starred in The Slap, Big Mouth, Human Resources, and Rogue. Regarding the big screen, Newton’s other roles include the polarizing film Crash, Mission Impossible II alongside Tom Cruise, Beloved, The Pursuit of Happyness, and W.
Wednesday is a spinoff of The Addams Family that follows the titular character played by Jenna Ortega. In the show, which became a megahit for the streaming network, Wednesday enrolls in Nevermore Academy after a suspension from her previous high school.
The plot thickens when Wednesday develops psychic abilities and becomes embroiled in a murder mystery she eventually solves while uncovering secrets about her new school and her parents’ past.
The show became one of the most popular series on Netflix, receiving critical praise from critics and fans while earning 12 Emmy nominations.
Details on season 2 are scarce except for the news of Ortega’s return. Variety reports production should begin in Ireland in April.
Season 2 of Wednesday already sounds like it will be another hit for Netflix.
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Source: Derek White / Getty
We know you care. The Jeezy and Jeannie Mai saga continues.
*Trigger warning: this story contains incidents of domestic violence.*
Just a week ago, word on the street was that Jeezy was no longer seeking primary care for his daughter Monaco; instead, he wanted to ensure that his ex, former host of The Real, Jeannie Mai, had equal parenting time.
Then, a bomb was dropped on Thursday, April 25, by Mai in the form of domestic abuse allegations, along with some photo evidence per TMZ’s reporting.
Per TMZ:
In her filing, Jeannie outlines a few different instances of alleged abuse — including claims that Jeezy is prone to explosive outbursts, excessive drinking, and domestic violence.
Jeannie cites one alleged incident from April 2022, when she says they were at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, and claims Jeezy choked her from behind while she was going up some stairs, and alleges he even pushed her down those same stairs.
Jeezy Denies Jeannie Mai’s Claims, Provides Receipts
It didn’t take long, but Jeezy immediately shot down those claims and had receipts in the form of text messages and photos provided to the blog, The Jasmine Brand.
In one of her claims, Mai points to an incident involving a golf cart in April 2022. In the photos provided by the “Put On” crafter, he alleges the golf cart incident was nothing but a mere accident, no one was to blame, and they both suffered injuries, adding it took place in June 2022.
Instead of being civil, this situation continues to get ugly. Social media, of course, has thoughts on the matter.
“Jeezy a black man in America and thought he was getting joint custody of an Asian lady baby. They must’ve never sold common sense at his trap house,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Another X user wrote, “seeing straight black men pretend to care about being fetishized by women to help protect jeezy from abuse allegations is so funny. they’re so see-thru.”
We sincerely hope these two can be civil for the sake of their daughter.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. That part
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Source: Candice Ward / Getty / Brian Tyree Henry
The cast of Pharrell Williams’s upcoming film/musical continues to add some serious star power.
Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta, Godzilla X Kong: A New Empire) will star alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr., Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Halle Bailey in the upcoming musical from Pharrell Williams and Michael Gondry.
Like the news of Bailey joining the cast, there is no word on Henry’s role in the upcoming film. According to reports, the film will take place in 1977 in Virginia and draw inspiration from Williams’ childhood at Atlantis Apartments.
Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4) and Steven Levenson (Tick, Tick…Boom!) will handle the script while Williams and Mimi Valdés are producing under the i am OTHER banner alongside Gil Netter for Gil Netter Productions.
Brian Tyree Henry has become one of the hottest acts in Hollywood after making a splash with FX’s Atlanta, starring alongside Donald Glover and LaKeith Stanfield.
Since then, Henry has starred in Hollywood blockbusters like Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, the sequel, Across The Spider-Verse, Marvel Studios Eternals, Godzilla vs Kong, Godzilla X Kong: A New Empire, and the recently announced animated feature, Transformers One, where he will voice a young Megatron.
Henry will also star in the upcoming boxing drama from Amazon MGM Studios, The Fire Inside, from filmmaker Rachel Morrison, out August 9, and Apple’s upcoming crime drama Sinking Spring, which he will also serve as an executive producer on.
Of course, he will also reprise his role as Officer Jeff Morales, father of Miles Morales in Beyond The Spider-Verse, the third film in Sony’s animated Spider-Man movie franchise.
Stay booked and busy, Brian Tyree Henry; we are here for it.
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Source: L. Busacca / Getty / Tupac Shakur
Drake’s clever attempt at a Kendrick Lamar diss record could land him in legal hot water.
Spotted on HuffPost, the Estate of the late iconic rapper Tupac Shakur is threatening Drake with legal action for using an AI-generated voice of Shakur.
The Estate is giving the Canadian Hip-Hop star 24 hours to take down his latest Kendrick Lamar diss track, “Taylor Made Freestyle.” The track features AI-generated voices of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg urging their West Coast brethren to defend his honor on wax. Drake’s verse uses the 8-mile tactic of taking all the possible insults Lamar can use off the table by pointing them out.
In the song, the fake Tupac tells K.Dot, “You asked for the smoke, now it seems you too busy for the smoke.”
Per Billboard, the cease-and-desist letter that the Shakur estate slapped Drake, real name Aubrey Graham.
The HuffPost Reports:
“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” attorney Howard King wrote in the letter, according to Billboard. “Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the Estate’s legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.”
Snoop Dogg Also Had Something To Say
Following the Friday release of “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Snoop Dogg took to his Instagram account to drop a hilarious reaction to Drake using an AI version of his voice.
“They did what? When? How? Are you sure? [Sigh] Y’all have a good night,” Snoop said in the Instagram clip. “Why everybody calling my phone, blowing me up? What the fuck— what happened? What’s going on? I’m going back to bed. Good night.”
We are curious to see how this plays out.
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Source: Charley Gallay / Getty
Elliott Wilson aka YN is back leading a Hip-Hop media outlet. The longtime Hip-Hop music journalist and media executive has been named the Editorial Director of HipHopDX, UPROXX and Dime magazine.
On Wednesday (April 24), UPROXX founder and CEO Jarret Myer and Rich Antoniello, a founder and former CEO of Complex Networks along with will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame announced they had formed a company called UPROXX Studios, after its purchase of HipHopDX, UPROXX and Dime magazine, and other entities from Warner Music Group.
Music Business Worldwide reports that Antoniello will serve as a Partner and Executive Chairman and will.i.am will serve as a Partner/Investor.
“We’re pleased to return Uproxx to a team led by the brand’s founder Jarret Myer, along with other vibrant brands including HipHopDX,” said Maria Weaver, President of Warner Music Group, in a statement.
For keen Hip-Hop heads, the name Jarrett Myer should be familiar since he is one of the founders of Rawkus Records, the initially independent record label that in the 1990’s helped spark the careers of rappers including Talib Kweli, Company Flow and Yasiin Bey fka Mos Def.
As for Wilson, Billboard reports the Queens, NY native has been named editorial director of Hip-Hop journalism for UPROXX Studios. Some of Wilson’s past notable Hip-Hop mag gigs include holding down the Music Editor position at The Source magazine before becoming Editor In Cheif of XXL magazine in 1999—enjoying an influential tenure before his departure in early 2008. Soon after leaving XXL he formed Rap Radar with Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg. Most recently, Wilson was at TIdal and he will continue to host the Rap Radar podcast with Brian “B. Dot” Miller.
“I’m thrilled for this new chapter of my illustrious career and to work with proven winners like Jarret, Rich and will,” Wilson told Billboard. “My focus is on elevating the three rising brands — UPROXX, HipHopDX and Dime — to greater heights and to help shape the future of media and culture. The fun begins.”
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Source: Lexie Moreland / Getty / Megan Thee Stallion
Late afternoon, the internet was set ablaze when a former videographer for Megan Thee Stallion charged her with a lawsuit accusing her of some eyebrow-raising things that the Houston rapper vehemently denies.
NBC News first broke the news of the 42-page complaint brought by Megan Thee Stallion’s former videographer, Emilio Garcia, accusing the Houston rapper of “harassment, creating a hostile work environment and violating labor codes.”
The one claim that had the internet talking was Garcia allegedly being forced to watch Thee Stallion have sex with another woman while riding in a moving vehicle while on tour in Ibiza, Spain, in June 2022.
Per Huffpost:
“Plaintiff could not get out of the car as it was both moving and he was in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country. Plaintiff was embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal,” according to the suit.
The following day, Megan demeaned Garcia and told him, “Don’t ever discuss what you saw.”
“Stallion berated and directed her fat-shaming comments towards plaintiff such as ‘Fat Bitch,’ ‘Spit your food out,’ and ‘You don’t need to be eating,’” the lawsuit says.
Garcia began working for Roc Nation, which manages Megan, as the rapper’s personal cameraman in 2018. In 2019, he quit his other job and switched to full-time employment, working for Megan for more than 50 hours a week.
The website also notes that Roc Nation initially hired Garcia before working full-time for Megan Thee Stallion, earning $4,000 monthly and becoming an independent contractor.
He also claims he was not given meal breaks or rest periods and was forbidden from doing outside work.
Megan Thee Stallion Slams The Accusations
Immediately after the news broke, Megan Thee Stallion slammed the accusation through a statement from her lawyer, Alex Shapiro.
“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” Alex Spiro tells Page Six exclusively. “We will deal with this in court.”
The social media streets are talking and, of course, joking about the matter. You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Interesting
2. People love a juicy headline, and never care to do the required reading
6. Y’all are not serious people
7. Never fails
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Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty / Draya Michele / Jalen Green
It’s been no secret to the world. Still, Houston Rockets hooper Jalen Green and model/reality star/bikini slinger Draya Michele are finally going public with their relationship and forthcoming child.
Everyone’s favorite gossip site and propaganda-spreading platform, The Shaderoom, dropped some video footage from Jalen Green and Draya Michele’s baby shower on Sunday, April 21. The couple wore matching red outfits to match the event’s cherry-red theme, welcoming their daughter’s impending birth.
Michele (39) set the internet ablaze when she revealed she was expecting a child. Many immediately assumed the father was the 22-year-old professional hooper, which caused quite a stir due to the enormous age gap between them and the fact she also has a son a year younger than Green.
The couple’s daughter will be Green’s first child, but there are rumblings on the internet that he is also the father of two more children on the way with two separate women.
Rumors of Draya robbing the cradle began swirling in the summer when she started popping up at Green’s games. The baby shower marks the first confirmation from the couple outside of Washington Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma tagging Green in his congratulatory comment under Draya’s announcement post.
The couple is still going strong despite the rumors that Green’s other kids will arrive around the same time his child with Draya is due.
Of course, social media is reacting to the baby shower news. You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Spits out drink
2. Lol, damn
3. No chill
4. Howling
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Source: Anadolu / Getty
Student-led protests on college campuses over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have led to increased tensions with administrators and arrests.
Protests supporting the Palestinian people in the Gaza region of Israel during the nation’s conflict with the Hamas terror organization on college campuses such as Columbia University in New York City have become highly intense within the last few days. The school is the home of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” erected last week by student protesters. The protests have riled up those for the Palestinians and those supporting Israel, leading Columbia President Dr. Minouche Shafik to initiate hybrid classes for the rest of the semester, which began Monday (April 22).
“Over the past days, there have been too many examples of intimidating and harassing behavior on our campus,” she wrote in a statement, calling for a “reset” due to the Passover holiday and citing the concerns of Jewish students who said that they were being intimidated by the pro-Palestinian protesters and were hit with antisemitic threats. “Antisemitic language, like any other language that is used to hurt and frighten people, is unacceptable and appropriate action will be taken,” Shafik continued. The Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine group issued their statement, saying that they “firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry” and their criticisms are of Israel’s government.
Tensions at the encampment hit a fever pitch over the weekend as the New York Police Department arrested close to 100 protesters at the encampment, with dozens of students at Columbia and Barnard being suspended and barred from school housing including Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Barnard has since offered an olive branch to those suspended, offering to lift them for students, acknowledging many had “not previously engaged in misconduct.” Republican federal lawmakers and Jewish groups, however, are in opposition to these moves and are calling for stricter punishment and protection of Jewish students.
The spirit of the protests has spread to other colleges – New York University and Yale University also saw encampments go up in solidarity with those at Columbia and Barnard. To date, there are encampments of protesters supporting the Palestinian people at 15 university campuses nationwide. Faculty members at New York University and Yale were arrested after police said they denied requests to leave. There is also a growing shift in public opinion, as polls are showing most Americans disapprove of Israel’s handling of the war that began after Oct. 7, 2023.
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Source: Ollie Upton/HBO / House of the Dragon
Another Black star from Max’s Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, has to waste their time to call out a racist troll.
Spotted on TMZ, Actress Bethany Antonia shared how she handled a racist wasting space in her Instagram DMs, sharing a screenshot of the troll’s message to her in her Instagram Stories while adding a clever joke for good measure.
In the screenshot shared by Antonia, who plays Lady Baela Targaryen in the Game of Thrones spinoff, the troll insults her, even wishing she died on set.
Showing her followers the hate she receives for playing a character that was originally white in the George R.R. Martin books, Antonia cleverly clapped back at the racist hater, adding, “Wait till they find out I’m gay too.”
In another post, Anotonia shared a photo of herself smiling with crystal hair art with the message, “Y’all won’t ruin this first glimmer of dragon joy for us negroes.”
To drown out the racist hate Antonia was receiving, fans have taken to her posts’ comment sections to shower her with support.
Per Blavity:
Fans have rushed to Antonia’s side, running to her comments to share some much deserved love.
“Hi coming on here to counteract the hate you’re getting in your dms!! hope you’re well + you’re the prettiest
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Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty / 50 Cent
Taking some time off from trolling Diddy, aka The Diddler, 50 Cent continues to grow his Hollywood empire by launching his own studio.
On Thursday (April 18), 50 Cent took a page out of Tyler Perry’s book by launching his G-Unit Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana.
The rapper/mogul also received the key to the city from Mayor Tom Arceneaux, and April 18 is officially known as 50 Cent Day in Shreveport.
The “Wanksta” crafter’s music career is no longer his focal point. Still, he has become one of the biggest names in Hollywood thanks to his slate of popular crime dramas like Power and its successful spinoffs Power Book II: Ghost, Raising Kanan, and Force.
He also has BMF, the series loosely based on the lives of Demetrius Edward “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry Lee “Southwest Tee” Flenory, all currently on the Starz network.
A large crowd was at Government Plaza on Thursday afternoon to see Diddy’s number one nemesis officially secure the lease for the property.
Per local news affiliate KSLA 12, 50 Cent and G-Unit Film and Television acquired a 30-year lease for the property at $2,400 per year, with an option to extend for 15 years.
50 Cent spoke on the epic moment, telling Billboard:
As someone who has always believed in the transformative power of music, film, and television, I’m beyond excited to introduce the expansion of my G-Unit Film & Television through the launch of G-Unit Studios right here in Shreveport.
From the gritty narratives of the streets to the compelling stories that define our era, G-Unit has always been more than just entertainment; it’s a platform for voices that need to be heard, stories that need to be told. Bringing G-Unit Studios to Shreveport is not just a business decision; it’s a commitment to fostering talent, creating opportunities, and building a community that thrives through creativity and innovation. We see Shreveport as a beacon of inspiration and creativity.
Mayor Arceneaux spoke about the move, potentially providing many job opportunities for Shreveport natives.
“We are thrilled that G-Unit Studios will plant its roots in Shreveport,” said Mayor Arceneaux. “This city’s rich culture and talent provides the perfect backdrop for this endeavor. We are eager to collaborate with Mr. Jackson and G-Unit Film & Television to bring captivating movies and entertainment to Shreveport and Caddo Parish.”
Congrats to 50 Cent and the G-Unit Film and Television team.
