Current Events
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Source: Kent Nishimura / Getty / Kanye West / Sunday Service
This is more bad news for Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, and Jesus won’t be able to save him.
Spotted on the U.S. Sun, Kanye West’s Sunday Service has been stripped of its charity status because the troubled rapper failed to file his tax returns with Uncle Sam, aka the IRS.
According to the publication, the popular choir gained its charity status on December 12, 2021.
West introduced the choir to the masses in January 2019 through invite-only musical events that also served as “inspirational” promotional concerts for his gospel album “Jesus Is King.”
The group, led by choir director Jason White, became a hit with fans and eventually performed at one of the biggest music festivals in the world, Coachella, as well as at the Hollywood Bowl and other events.
Speaking with Nick Cannon, the often boastful West claimed he spent $50 million on Sunday Service in his first year.
“I spent every dime that I have for marketing from Yeezy on Sunday Service. Every dollar I had,” Ye claimed.
He continued, “I spent $50 million last year on Sunday Service if you add up the operas if you add up the flights. It was 120 people going to Jamaica.”
“The Yeezys, they were selling themselves. So, instead of paying for ads, I invested it in the church. I invested in spreading [the] gospel. I invested in saying Jesus’ name on high.”
West’s involvement with the choir would become nonexistent in recent months, with the IRS sharing the bad news about the choir on its website.
Per The U.S. Sun:
But it appears he’s had little to do with the choir in recent months, and a revocation date on the IRS website is listed as May 15, 2024, confirming it has lost its charity status.
It was posted for the first time on August 12, showing it is still current.
Welp.
Kanye West has been in the news lately, but not for anything good. Whether it’s because he dresses his wife, Bianca Censori, in what he thinks are clothes or the numerous lawsuits, like the most recent one for his unauthorized use of some photos featuring him and Censori.
If there is any good news about Mr. West, his new album featuring Ty Dolla $ign is out. We don’t know how long it will be available because he can pull it at any moment.
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Source: Charley Gallay / Getty
Taraji P. Henson’s recent visit to Russell Simmons in Bali has raised the ire of social media users, who pointed out other celebs who’ve done the same.On Monday (August 12), former Def Jam founder Russell Simmons shared a photo of himself and Taraji P. Henson in a post on social media, thanking her for her friendship and for visiting his resort complex in Bali, Indonesia. “People when you have friends like this, you are truly blessed!!!! Everyone comes to Gdas for healing, some people exude healing energy. You are one of those,” Simmons wrote in the caption of the Instagram post. “You make everyone happy just with your presence. Love you baby girl, you are back home safe now and are already missed. Until we meet again darling, only love. PS, you mean so much to so many people, keep inspiring us all.”
A few who saw the post had mistakenly thought that Henson had passed, but other commenters quickly corrected them. But many more were upset that the actress was chummy with Simmons, venting their frustration in posts on X, formerly Twitter. One user, Kelezy Kae Graham wrote, “Yuh know they could take the picture and not post it? Like everything is not for the media.” Others were incredulous that she went there, and livid at other celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, MC Lyte, and Usher also making visits to Simmons at the Gdas resort.
Simmons is currently facing several lawsuits for sexual abuse, and the public perception that his living in Bali since 2018 is to avoid prosecution. He was “caught off guard” when served with papers relating to a defamation lawsuit from former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon in February. The 61-year-old has firmly denied that he’s hiding out, recently doing so in a statement in May. “People saying that I somehow can’t come home when I’m there all the time wears on you,” Simmons said. “It wears on me after a while to keep hearing the same narrative, which is false. I’m always in L.A., I’m always in New York and Miami. And I’ve never had any reason to feel unsafe in America.”
Check out the reactions to the latest Simmons post below.
1. Ishmael Mayhew
2. KeesSweat
4. Crooker T. Watchingthem
5. dejnextdoor
6. ChalibooYahh
7. HeyyDiva
8.
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Source: Carl Court / Getty
Fall is almost here thus it is time for Barack Obama’s 2024 summer playlist. The likes of 2Pac, GloRilla and Beyoncé are some of the artists who made the cut.
As reported by HipHopNMore, the 44th president of the United States has shared his yearly drop of tracks that he has been grooving to the last couple of months. On Monday, Aug. 12, he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to do the unveiling. “With summer winding down, I wanted to share some songs that I’ve been listening to lately – and it wouldn’t be my playlist if it didn’t include an eclectic mix. I hope you find something new to listen to!” his post read.
Barack Obama’s summer 2024 playlist is as follows:
Shaboozey: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Charli XCX: “365”
Billie Eilish: “Chihiro”
Tems: “Love Me Jeje”
Artemas: “I Like the Way You Kiss Me”
Tommy Richman: “Million Dollar Baby”
Hope Tala: “I Can’t Even Cry”
Blackstreet: “No Diggity” [ft. Dr. Dre and Queen Pen]
Enny: “Charge It”
Carminho: “O Quarto (Soundtrack Version)”
Calimossa: “What’s in the Tea?”
Hubert Sumlin & Keith Richards: “I Love the Life I Live, I Live the Life I Love”
PJ Morton: “Say So” [ft. Jojo]
Cleo Sol: “Why Don’t You”
The Miracles: “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me”
H.E.R.: “Process”
2Pac: “How Do U Want It” [ft. K-Ci and Jojo]
Sting: “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”
Lucinda Williams: “Unsuffer Me”
Jill Scott: “Golden”
The Rolling Stones: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
Saweetie: “My Best”
Charles Mingus: “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting”
Norah Jones: “Come Away With Me”
Common: “The People”
Etta James: “Don’t Cry Baby”
Chris Jedi, Gaby Music, & Dei V: “Bad Boy” [ft. Anuel AA and Ozuna]
Rema: “Yayo”
Bonny Light Horseman: “Old Dutch”
Willow: “Symptom of Life”
Moneybagg Yo: “Whiskey Whiskey” [ft. Morgan Wallen]
Myles Smith: “Stargazing”
GloRilla & Megan Thee Stallion: “Wanna Be”
Tyla, Gunna, & Skillibeng: “Jump”
Bad Bunny & Feid: “Perro Negro”
Paul Russell: “Lil Boo Thang”
Digable Planets: “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)”
Bob Marley & the Wailers: “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)”
Nick Drake: “One of These Things First”
Bob Dylan: “Silvio”
Pharoah Sanders: “Love Is Everywhere”
The Supremes: “Where Did Our Love Go”
Beyoncé: “Texas Hold ‘Em”
Samara Joy: “Someone to Watch Over Me” [ft. Pasquale Grasso]
For years it has been speculated that Barack Obama’s staff chooses the songs, but in an interview with Hasan Minhaj the former POTUS made it clear he is the one making the selections. “People seem to think, ‘Well, he must’ve had some 20-year-old intern who was figuring out this latest cut,’” Barack said. “No, man! It’s on my iPad right now!” You can listen to the playlist here.
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Source: Helen Sloan / Helen Sloan/HBO
It’s no secret that the final season of HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones left much to be desired as it led to it’s hardcore fans campaigning for a redo of the entire six-episode season.
Now years after that lackluster of a final season has aired, the show’s standout star Kit Harington (Jon Snow) addresses the backlash that the show caught from the fans and why his Jon Snow spinoff series never came to fruition. In a recent interview with GQ Hype, Harington explained that he was surprised at the fans reaction to the final episodes saying, “I went in and everyone loved Thrones; I came out and everyone hated it,” Harington says. “I thought, What the fuck is going on?!”
Looking back on how things unfolded during that final season of Game of Thrones, Kit explains how he understands why fans might’ve felt a ways about how the series ended and pointed to fatigue on the part of the cast of the series for why everything seemingly fell apart at the end.
Per GQ Hype:
“I think if there was any fault with the end of Thrones, is that we were all so fucking tired, we couldn’t have gone on longer. And so I understand some people thought it was rushed and I might agree with them. But I’m not sure there was any alternative. I look at pictures of me in that final season and I look exhausted. I look spent. I didn’t have another season in me.” And the backlash to the final episode specifically? “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think there were mistakes made, story-wise, towards the end maybe. I think there were some interesting choices that didn’t quite work.”
It wasn’t the acting at all, it was the writing. The writers didn’t pen a good enough ending to the saga. Just sayin.’
As for why his Jon Snow spinoff series is dead in the water, that subject is a bit more complicated. Without going into detail about what it would’ve been about and why it didn’t work out, Kit and HBO decided to play it “safe” and not give fans something else to complain about if the series turned out to be yet another struggle affair.
“I don’t really want to say,” says Harington, reticent for the first time in our conversation, “because it starts a whole thing.” Even now, the Thrones fandom can be vociferous. “What I can tell you is it was HBO that came to me and said, ‘Would you consider this?’ My first reaction was no. And then I thought there could be an interesting and important story about the soldier after the war. I felt that there might be something left to say and a story left to tell in a pretty limited way. We spent a couple of years back and forth developing it. And it just didn’t… nothing got us excited enough. In the end, I kind of backed out and said, ‘I think if we push this any further and keep developing it we could end up with something that’s not good. And that’s the last thing we all want.’”
We’re not gonna lie, we still would’ve tuned in regardless. We’re still lowkey holding out hope that HBO and it’s writers get their act together and revisit the world of Game of Thrones post-White Walkers. What other threat is out there? Could Daenerys Targaryen still be alive? So many questions that’ll probably never be answered. SMH.
What do y’all think? Should HBO still roll the dice on a Jon Snow spinoff? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Michael Kovac / Getty
Former Disney star Skai Jackson found herself in trouble with the law, and social media is shocked after learning some other details following her arrest.
TMZ exclusively reports that Skai Jackson was arrested last week for domestic battery following a public fight with her boyfriend that was broken up by security and led to the couple being detained.
Per TMZ:
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … the actress, best known for starring in the Disney shows, “Jessie” and “Bunk’d,” was arrested last week for domestic violence. We’re told deputies were called to Universal CityWalk after security spotted Jackson and her boyfriend getting into it … and the actress allegedly pushed him, and more than once.
Sources tell us security clocked the altercation and then detained the couple … until law enforcement arrived.
According to the celebrity gossip site, Jackson and her mystery boyfriend denied getting physical, adding that they are happily engaged and expecting a child together.
Law enforcement reviewed the footage of the incident and saw Jackson push her boyfriend. She was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery, cited, and later released the website reports.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office will review the case to determine if further charges are warranted.
Reactions to the incident are pouring in on X, formerly Twitter, and everyone is shocked to learn that Jackson is engaged and pregnant.
We are sure this is not how Skai Jackson wanted to reveal to the world that she is getting married and having a child.
Welp.
You can see more reactions to the incident and the shocking developments in the gallery below.
4. Howling
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Donald Trump sat down with Elon Musk for an exclusive chat on the X platform’s Spaces section in support of his presidential campaign. In the chat, Donald Trump appeared to display slurred speech with listeners on X reacting to the meandering conversation in kind.
Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk didn’t begin their planned conversation on Monday (August 12) as expected with well over 800,000 attendees having to wait 40 minutes before the conversation started. As some observers on X noted, this was not the first time Musk has been met with a technical glitch using the Spaces feature with a presidential candidate. Musk claimed that there was a cyberattack on his platform leading to the delay.
The environment was certainly friendly to Donald Trump with Elon Musk asking safe questions that allowed the candidate to freely riff as he’s known to do without facing much in the way of pushback. Trump, displaying a familiar campaign talking point of being tough on immigration, promised at one point to enact the largest deportation in U.S. history. Trump is seizing on the fears of voters who have been sold an idea that illegal immigrants are funneling in drugs committing crime, and taking jobs from Americans.
Musk, a former critic of Trump, praised the business mogul at several intervals in the discussion. Trump also gushed over Musk supporting his reelection bid, saying that Musk’s “endorsement meant a lot.”
It was also a moment for Musk to cozy up further to Trump, suggesting at one point that a presidential commission is formed with a focus on government efficiency while boldly asking to be appointed to the commission. Trump seemed pleased by the idea.
Although his campaign heads are denying what others heard, there have been several replies on X noticing that the former president routinely slurred his speech. The same X users are noting that few major news outlets are pointing out the deficiencies in Trump’s speaking, an opposite position those outlets took when discussing President Joe Biden’s speech during the debate he held with Trump.
We did not hear the whole discussion in full as we only heard clips shared by users on X. However, what we did hear does confirm that Trump was struggling to speak clearly at points but the reasons are unknown to us.
Check out the reactions to Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s chat below,
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Photo: Getty
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One of the most nefarious figures in Mexico is now being detained in the United States. The Sinaloa Cartel leader says he was taken against his will.
As reported by Raw Story, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a reported high-ranking shotcaller for the crime syndicate was brought to U.S. soil last week. Since then, there has been much speculation about his extradition involving rumors he is cooperating with the government and that he turned himself in.
But he is denying those allegations via his lawyer. “I did not turn myself in, and I did not come voluntarily to the United States,” read the statement. “Nor did I have any agreement with either government. To the contrary, I was kidnapped and brought to the U.S. forcibly and against my will.”
Zambada would go on to allude to the reports that El Chapo’s son, Joaquín Guzmán, was also present at the sting. Guzmán apparently asked Zambada to follow him into a dark room to which he obliged.
“Trusting the nature of the meeting and the people involved, I followed without hesitation,” Ismeal says. “As soon as I set foot inside of that room, I was ambushed. A group of men assaulted me, knocked me to the ground, and placed a dark-colored hood over my head.” He then says he was handcuffed and placed in an unidentified vehicle.
Later in the statement, he went on to double down that he is not working with the United States government.
“The notion that I surrendered or cooperated voluntarily is completely and unequivocally false. I was brought to this country forcibly and under duress, without my consent and against my will.”
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada is expected to be transferred from Texas to New York this week. Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is currently serving a life sentence for drug trafficking. The Sinaloa Cartel is said to be one of the most powerful and violent criminal operations in the world.
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Photo: Getty
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Donald Trump’s promotion of a conspiracy theory claiming Vice President Kamala Harris used AI to fake her rally sizes in photos was thoroughly debunked on CNN.
Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump has been touting a new conspiracy theory claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris’ huge crowds at her recent campaign rallies and events were faked using artificial intelligence. However, that assertion was thoroughly debunked on air during a CNN segment on Sunday (August 11). The host, Fredericka Whitfield, began by stating that, “former President Trump is launching a new attack at Vice President Harris, claiming she faked a recent campaign photo.”
The photo, taken on August 7, showed Harris being greeted by a massive crowd on the tarmac at a Michigan airport while deplaning from Air Force Two.
“Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.‘d’ it, and showed a massive ‘crowd’ of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!”, Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform afterward.
“If you’re looking for any more evidence that the size of these Harris campaign rallies are capturing Trump’s attention and getting under his skin, look no further than these posts that he’s putting out today, essentially lending voice to a conspiracy about the size of her rally in Detroit earlier this week,” said CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak in the segment.
“To back up his claim, he seems to be using a photo that a Harris campaign staffer posted from the event and trying to claim that there’s no reflection of the crowd on the exterior of the plane that it was somehow manipulated,” he added. “But we can say with certainty that his claims the crowd didn’t exist are just false.”
Liptak provided further detail on the scene.
“For starters, CNN was at the event and I’ve spoken to just one of the esteemed chief correspondents who was there. He told me that his team witnessed a crowd of many thousands that filled the large hangar where she was. There were two risers, the crowds spilled out onto a sprawling tarmac where Air Force Two and you see it there came to a stop to large risers.”
When contacted, the Harris-Walz campaign team said it was “an actual photo of a 15,000-person crowd for Harris-Walz in Michigan,” also jabbing Trump over his lack of campaign events in comparison: “Trump has still not campaigned in a swing state in over a week… Low energy?”
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Jim Steinfeldt / Getty / Isaac Hayes
If you need any more proof that Donald Trump is one of the most unpopular and disliked people on the planet, you need to look no further than the fact he can’t use any music during his rally events without being hit with cease and desists or hit with lawsuits.
Spotted on Variety, the family of the late musician/actor Isaac Hayes is suing the orange menace, Donald Trump, for his continued unauthorized use of “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his campaign events.
Documents shared on Hayes’ social media accounts detail the family’s demand that Trump stop playing the song and pay $3 million for unauthorized use between 2022 and 2024. The documents note that the copyright has been infringed upon 134 times.
Hayes did not sing the song, but he wrote the iconic record for the R&B group Sam & Dave, which means his estate owns the rights to the music.
Per Variety:
In the letter, Hayes’ family also asked that all videos featuring Trump using the song be taken down and requested that an official statement is released from Trump’s campaign acknowledging that the Hayes estate has not “authorized, endorsed or permitted” use of the song.
Hayes’ family went on to say that if these demands are not met, they will “take all legal action required to enforce the infringed upon intellectual property rights, including but not limited to sending third party take down requests and/or federal litigation.”
Isaac Haye’s son, Isaac Hayes III, shared a photo of the documents on Instagram, writing in the caption for the post:
We the family of @_isaachayes Isaac Hayes Enterprises, represented by Walker & Associates, are suing Donald Trump and his campaign for 134 counts copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song “Hold On I’m Coming” at campaign rallies from 2022-2024.
We demand the cessation of use, removal of all related videos, a public disclaimer, and payment of $3 million in licensing fees by August 16, 2024. Failure to comply will result in further legal action.
– The Hayes Family
This is not the first time the Hayes family has called out Trump for using the song.
Celine Dion Also Had Smoke For Donald Trump
The Hayes family was not the only ones to criticize the Trump campaign for not having permission to use music. Celine Dion’s management also called out Donald Trump’s campaign for using “My Heart Will Go On” at a recent Trump/JD Vance event.
It looks like the only music MAGA clowns can hear at Trump rallies is Kid Rock tunes and “YMCA” from the Village People for the foreseeable future.
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty / Plies
Nobody had on their bingo cards that Hip-Hop star Plies would be one of the biggest political voices on X. The rapper is now sharing his opinion on the platform’s owner, Elon Musk, and his real reasoning behind purchasing the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The always outspoken Plies sees the jig regarding Elon Musk and the real reason he reluctantly dropped $44 billion on Twitter.
Musk bought the platform because he believes in protecting free speech, allegedly. According to the “Buss It Baby” crafter, Musk’s reasons are all political.
Plies Spotting Elon Musk’s Jig
In an August 6 post on Musk’s janky platform, Plies accused the Tesla chief of purchasing it for political reasons and even believes he will shut it down as Donald Trump continues to fall behind in the polls because he is a staunch supporter of the orange menace.
“I Can See Elon Shutting Down Twitter When Trump Continues To Fall Behind In The Polls. He Brought Twitter To Influence The Election. An Before He Accepts A Trump Loss I Believe He’ll Shut It All Down!!!!,” the rapper wrote.
Plies commentary on the matter as Trump prepares to sit down with Musk for what he describes will be the “interview of the century.” Still, we all know nothing of substance will come from it, and we can look back to his sitdown at NABJ and recent “press conference” as evidence of that.
“Elon called me, as you know he endorsed me full throated, a great endorsement,” Trump rambled to reporters. “I respect Elon a lot, he respects me. He told me he is going to have a show Monday, I think Monday night, and he invited me so it’ll be very interesting. A lot of people are talking about it. I look forward to it.”
Riggghhhtttt.
Plies The Political Star
Plies disdain for Donald Trump and unwavering support for the Biden/Harris campaign, and now the Harris/Waltz ticket, has made him one of the few Hip-Hop artists and celebs not out here “Trumpin” around.
His political takes have also made him very popular among Democrats. He is so popular that DNC Chair Jaime Harrison has reached out to him in hopes of getting him to attend the upcoming Democrat National Convention in Chicago.
You can see more reactions to Plies’ observation about Phony Stark in the gallery below.
1. Mmhhhmmmm
2. A better option