Current Events
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Source: Andreas Rentz / Getty / Erykah Badu / Beyoncé
The Beyhive has had enough of Erykah Badu coming for their queen Beyoncé.
Erykah Badu is feeling the sting of Beyoncé’s fans after she accused the Houston singer of swagger jacking again.
The “Bag Lady” singer took to her Instagram Stories to insinuate that her fellow Texas native bit her hairstyle on the alternate cover of her upcoming album, Act ii: Cowboy Carter.
Badu’s claims came on Wednesday, March 20, after Beyoncé shared the alternate cover to her new album. On it, the “Take My Soul” crafter is naked, covered by a sass saying “act ii BEYINCÉ,” while rocking braided hair with beaded bangs and holding a lit cigar.
In her post, Badu reposted the photo with the caption, “Hmmm.”
The hive, as expected, did not care for Badu accusing Beyoncé of biting her style. Badu hilariously hopped on X, formerly Twitter, asking for help from Beyoncé’s husband JAY-Z, of all people, writing in the post, “To JAY-Z. Say somethin Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me??”
Erykah Badu Has A History of Calling Beyoncé Out
This is not the first time Badu has claimed she has served as an uncredited style inspiration for Beyoncé. She also called out Beyoncé for biting her style regarding the hats worn during her performance.
During her Renaissance World Tour, Beyoncé wore metallic wide-brimmed hats during her performances, something Badu was also known for.
In that post, Badu also wrote “Hmmm” underneath a picture of Beyoncé and then shared a photo of herself wearing a hat during a similar performance, writing, “I guess I’m everyone’s stylist. favorite chrome mirror hat.”
Beyoncé seemingly saw the disrespect, and during a tour stop in Massachusetts, she had some time for Badu, replacing the lyrics on the “Break My Soul” (The Queens Remix)” saying “Badu, Badu, Badu, Badu,” instead of Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl.”
Well, the Beyhive has seen and heard enough and is currently dragging Badu.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Fair question
3. Interesting observation
4. An excellent breakdown of the madness
6. Seems to be true
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Source: Christopher Polk / Getty / Dr. Dre
It was officially Dre Day in Hollywood. The iconic superproducer was immortalized with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
Spotted on TMZ, Dr. Dre has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week, and the three artists whose careers he was instrumental in shaping—Eminem, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg—were on hand to celebrate the occasion.
On Tuesday, the producer/rapper/actor’s star was placed in the cement along with other actors and musicians during the ceremony.
Other notable names in attendance were Kurupt, his Beats partner Jimmy Iovine, and legendary radio personality Big Boy.
In a post on Instagram, Dr. Dre thanked his brothers for showing up and showing love, writing in the caption:
“I’d like to thank my brothers and all of Los Angeles for showing me love on March 19th to get my Hollywood Star.”
Dr. Dre Opens Up About His Health Issues
Dre getting his Walk of Fame honor comes after he opened up about his major health scare, revealing he suffered three strokes and a brain aneurysm during a recent interview with James Corden on SirusXM’s The Life of Mine With James Corden.
Per HHW’s previous reporting:
“I got up and I went on about my day, and I thought that I could just lay down and take a nap,” he explained. “My son had a female friend that was there and was like, ‘No, we need to take you to the hospital.’ So they took me to urgent care.”
Dr. Dre went on to detail how he suffered three strokes and nearly lost his life.
“Next thing you know, I’m blacking out. I’m in and out of consciousness, and I ended up in the ICU. I was there for two weeks. I’m hearing the doctors coming in and saying, ‘You don’t know how lucky you are.’”
When asked what caused his dire medical condition he pointed to high blood pressure.
“I had no idea that I had high blood pressure or anything like that because I’m on my health sh*t. I’m lifting weights, I’m running, I’m doing everything I can to keep myself healthy.” He went on to make it clear he has a new perspective on life saying it, “definitely makes you appreciate being alive, that’s for sure.”
Salute to Dr. Dre.
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Source: Hot 97 / Hot 97 Summer Jam 2024
It’s that time of the year when Hot 97 announces the lineup for its highly anticipated concert, Summer Jam. Unfortunately, it landed with a thud.
The same concert that gave us JAY-Z famously clowning NaS, the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep on the Summer Jam screen, and even bringing out Michael Jackson for a brief second has seen better days, according to fans.
New Yorkers who look forward to the concert that has the title of being the official start to summer in New York City feel it has officially fallen off after the iconic radio station announced this year’s lineup.
No longer taking place at MetLife Stadium, opting for a traditional venue in UBS Arena, the concert has since been downsized, axing the festival stage that usually featured “smaller acts” before the more prominent names hit the main stage inside MetLife.
This year, opening up Summer Jam 2024 will be Tee Grizzley, 41 (Kyle-Richh, Jenn Carter, and Tata), Davido, Sleepy Hallow, Method Man & Redman, Sexxy Red, Offset, and Doja Cat as the concert’s headliner.
Reactions To The Lineup Are Not Good
Anywhere else, that’s a pretty solid lineup, but this collection of artists is not slapping for New Yorkers. Immediately after the big announcement, they voiced their displeasure, and the critiques were not kind.
“Chris Brown & usher will be worth the money over this trash lineup,” one person wrote in Hot 97’s IG post sharing the flyer showing the lineup.
Another comment read, “Trash ass line up Redman and method Man the dopest ones on this list.”
Ouch.
“Just cancel the whole damn Summer Jam,” another comment read.
Well damn.
We still think there will be people in the UBS Arena on Sunday, June 2, to watch the show; whether the show completely sells out is another story.
More reactions to Hot 97’s Summer Jam 2024 lineup are in the gallery below.
1. Legit question
4. Well, not everyone is upset with the lineup
11. Ummmmmm let’s relax
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Source: Chris Unger / Getty / MrBeast
The bidding war for MrBeast and his competition series is over; the popular YouTuber is coming to Amazon and bringing the money with him.
Spotted on The Hollywood Reporter, MrBeast will have his first traditional TV series at Amazon after striking a deal with Amazon MGM Studios for what is described as the “biggest reality competition series in television history.”
According to the website, the series will be based on his YouTube show Beast Games.
Per THR:
The project is based on his YouTube show and titled Beast Games. It will feature 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million cash payout. The prize is touted as the biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming.
Sources say Amazon outbid at least one major streaming rival to make the deal with MrBeast, a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson, who is the most popular content creator on YouTube. Donaldson also negotiated the right to retain creative control of the production.
Netflix’s Squid Games: The Challenge was the previous record holder, offering its contestants a life-changing $4.56 million in prize money.
MrBeast Wants To Make A Strong Case For YouTuber Succeeding On Other Platforms
In a statement, MrBeast spoke about the show, saying, “My goal is to make the greatest show possible and prove YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms. Amazon gave me the creative control I need to try and make it happen. I hope to make the YouTube community proud.”
Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, adds, “MrBeast has captured the attention and imagination of fans of all ages, from all walks of life, and all over the world. We are excited to work with Jimmy and his talented team to bring his brilliant, high production, and stakes-raising concepts to Beast Games for our global customers to experience.”
Sounds lit. Will you be watching?
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Source: Winslow Townson / Getty / John Wall
John Wall took the passing of his mother very hard and considered even taking his own life.
*Trigger warning: this story pertains to descriptive accounts of suicide attempts.*
Spotted on TMZ Sports, former Washington Wizards star John Wall opened up about moments he wanted to take his own life.
In a recent episode of The OGs podcast, Wall revealed to fellow NBA hoopers Mike Miller and Undonis Haslem that he suffered a great deal following the passing of his mother, who succumbed to breast cancer.
Wall revealed losing his mother, whom he considered his “best friend,” led to him putting a gun to his head on two occasions but ultimately deciding not to pull the trigger because of his two sons.
Per TMZ Sports:
“My mom was my best friend,” the 33-year-old said.
“I put a gun to my head twice, and a lot of people that are close to me, friends at the time, didn’t know.”
Wall explains dealing with his mom’s death was his “darkest moment,” combined with a litany of injuries after signing a $170 million contract extension with the Wizards.
But, Wall chose not to pull the trigger … ’cause he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving his two sons behind.
“If I take myself away from this Earth, I’m failing my kids, like, who gon’ be able to raise them,” Wall said.
“I know I gotta be there for them.”
John Wall Is Currently In Therapy
Wall revealed he went to see a therapist and is still actively in therapy and advocates for other men who are struggling with their mental health to do the same.
“If you ever feel like you in a spot where you not comfortable as a Black man, African American, or any race, no offense to that, go get help. It’s okay, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Wall continued.
“I had to figure that out or I wouldn’t be here today.”Salute to John Wall. We’re rooting for you.
*If you or anyone in your family or circle are struggling with mental health or dealing with a crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.*
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Source: Mat Hayward / Getty / Bobbi Althoff
Bobbi Althoff’s 2-minutes t of fame have seemingly run out, and everyone loves it.
Bobbi Althhoff, the “podcaster” who has been labeled a “culture vulture” and “industry plant” by many, rose to fame due to her Drake interview, found herself on the outside looking in at an SXSW afterparty for Drake’s Magic City docuseries, Magic City: An American Fantasy.
While it has not been confirmed, Althoff’s removal from the afterparty could stem from an alleged “beef ” between the “Hotline Bling” rapper and the podcaster.
Per The Blast:
Althoff seemed to believe all was well with her and the “God’s Plan” rapper when she showed up at his SXSW afterparty on Monday night.
The drama went down at Mayfair nightclub in Austin, Texas, at the afterparty event following the South by Southwest premiere of the new docuseries “Magic City: An American Fantasy.” Drake’s DreamCrew Entertainment co-produced the project.
Although the rapper wasn’t around in person for the celebration, his team wasn’t pleased when Althoff allegedly showed up uninvited. The internet personality was also in Austin for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards at SXSW. An insider who witnessed the drama told Daily Mail.
Are Drake & Bobbi Althoff Beefing?
The reasoning behind Drake’s beef with Althoff is quite hilarious. Allegedly, Champagne Papi was mad that Althoff showed up to one of his shows and posted a video of herself being bored during his concert performance.
“I’m really in my element here at this guys’ concert,” she wrote in the caption of the now-deleted post, originally shared on her Instagram and TikTok accounts.
The feud between the two came after her viral and intentionally awkward interview with Drake for her Really Good Podcast series.
The interview amassed over 20 million views but has since been removed from the internet, leading many to believe something went down between the two.
Did She Allegedly Cheat On Her Husband With Drake?
Following the Drake fallout, Cory Althoff, her husband, filed a motion for divorce, ending their three-year marriage, asking for joint custody of the couple’s two daughters.
They settled three weeks after the initial filing.
Some believe the July 4 filing of the divorce is no coincidence, and Althoff might have had an affair with the Canadian Hip-Hop star.
A source close to the matter denied that was the reasoning.
Anyway, social media is clowing Bobbi Althoff. You can see those reactions below.
1. Hmmmm sounds spicy.
3. Sometimes the jokes write themseleves.
5. Both can be true
6. Howling
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A judge has ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can continue to prosecute the Donald Trump election interference case in Georgia. The catch is the former love interest of Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, must step down from the case for Willis to proceed.
Several outlets, including The Hill, have been covering the hearings featuring DA Fani Willis and Nathan Wade, which was an issue raised by Trump’s legal team. Willis did not previously disclose the nature of her former relationship with Wade, and both took to the stand sharing with the court the happenings in their brief romantic union.
This was largely seen as an attempt by Trump’s team to not only get Willis off the case but to have the whole matter thrown out in court. However, the case is still going forward as planned, of course, with Wade stepping aside. Wade can also remain as a prosecutor but Willis would have to step aside as Judge Scott McAfee ruled it would be a conflict of interest.
As expected, Trump’s team believes the judge didn’t do enough to change the course for their client and issued a statement pushing back on the decision.
“While respecting the Court’s decision, we believe that the Court did not afford appropriate significance to the prosecutorial misconduct of Willis and Wade, including the financial benefits, testifying untruthfully about when their personal relationship began, as well as Willis’ extrajudicial MLK ‘church speech,’ where she played the race card and falsely accused the defendants and their counsel of racism,” Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead defense counsel in the case, shared in a statement.
A statement has not emerged from Wilis or her team regarding Judge McAfee’s decision.
On X, reactions to the news that DA Fani Willis will be allowed to remain on the Trump election interference case with conditions began cropping up. We’ve got them listed below.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Handout / Getty
OK, this is yuge!
A second co-defendant in Donald Trump’s RICO indictment for allegedly interfering with the 2020 election in Georgia has pleaded guilty. But not just any defendant. Former Trump attorney Sidney Powell was one of the most visible, publicity-loving members of the ex-president’s legal team. She was basically ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani‘s sidekick as they tied up courts at every level with frivolous cases and easily dismissed alleging the fiction that Trump lost his bid for a second term because of illegal voting, made-up ballots and rigged voting machines.
She was also charged with six misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with performance of election duties, which, on Thursday, she pleaded guilty to.
From USA Today:
Powell agreed to testify in future trials in exchange for serving six years of probation, a $6,000 fine and paying restitution of $2,700.
Powell is one of 19 co-defendants charged in the case, which alleged a broad racketeering conspiracy. Other portions of the conspiracy included the recruitment of fake presidential electors to vote for Trump despite President Joe Biden winning Georgia, lying about election results to state officials and in court records, and soliciting public officials to violate their oaths of office.
Legal experts said Powell’s agreement to testify against others in the case is “very significant” because she dealt at length with Trump, lawyer Rudy Giuliani and others charged in the conspiracy.
“I think it’s very significant because she is one of the people who was closest to Trump in many of these alleged nefarious activities, and as part of the agreement, she must testify truthfully against Trump as well as the other defendants,’ said John Banzhaf, a George Washington University law professor who has been following the case closely. “So it is a major victory for Fani Willis and certainly a major concern for Trump.”
Powell was initially charged with conspiring with bail bondsman Scott Hall, who has also pleaded guilty to the RICO charges against him and others to access election equipment provided by Dominion Voting Systems without authorization. They even hired computer forensics firm SullivanStrickler to send a team to copy software and data from voting machines and computers they were told they couldn’t legally access. Another way of putting that is that they used fraudulent means to prove Dominion’s voting machines were fraudulent, which, of course, they were not.
It’s worth pointing out that conspiring to undermine democracy in order to keep Trump in office after he was legally voted out should not be a misdemeanor and certainly should result in more than less than a year of probation and less than $10,000 in fines. On top of that, Powell won’t even have to call herself a convict officially.
More from USA Today:
Powell’s agreement fell under Georgia’s First Offender Act, which will allow her to “honestly say” she was never convicted of the charges if she successfully completes her probation and is discharged, according to prosecutor Daysha Young. If Powell violates the terms of her first-offender sentence or commits another offense while on probation, her first-offender status could be revoked and she could be resentenced to the maximum, Young said.
Still, legal experts feel that Powell’s plea is a big step toward the prosecutors proving their case against Trump and the other 17 co-defendants considering she was such a major player in his circus-like MAGA games.
“Miss Powell is at the vortex, the center, the hub of the alleged conspiracy,” said Gene Rossi, a former federal prosecutor and Justice Department official who has decades of experience with RICO cases. “She will be a phenomenal witness for the government because she was at strategic meetings, part of important conversations and she was a leader in implementing the scheme to discredit the lawful election of Joe Biden.”
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Source: Chris McGrath / Getty
Rudy Giuliani has been drowning in litigation ever since he took up the daunting task of representing ex-President Donald Trump in his demonstrably false propaganda campaign to steal an election by lying about it being stolen from him. And now, Trump, Giuliani and 17 other defendants have been indicted under Georgia’s RICO statute for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the Peach State illegally.
Well, according to Giuliani’s attorney Robert Costello, the former NYC Mayor and OG Trump stooge is too broke to cover all of his legal fees and he’s been begging Trump help the homie out and pony up some cash.
According to CNN, Giuliani and Costello traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to hold out their hands and beg the ex-president to bail Giuliani out of the situation he’s in because he hopped on board with Trump’s “big lie.” Apparently, Trump initially responded by telling Giuliani to pull himself up by his bootstraps, get a job and stop looking for a handout.
OK, that’s not what he actually said.
From CNN:
Giuliani and Costello traveled to Florida in late April where they had two meetings with Trump to discuss Giuliani’s seven-figure legal fees, making several pitches about how paying Giuliani’s bills was ultimately in Trump’s best interest.
But the former president, who is notoriously strict about dipping into his own coffers, didn’t seem very interested. After Costello made his pitch, Trump verbally agreed to help with some of Giuliani’s legal bills without committing to any specific amount or timeline.
Trump also agreed to stop by two fundraisers for Giuliani, a separate source said.
Another source told CNN that Trump only agreed to cover a small fee from a data vendor hosting Giuliani’s records. And months later, Trump’s Save America PAC paid $340,000 to that vendor, Trustpoint, federal campaign filings show. CNN has now confirmed the payment was intended to settle Giuliani’s outstanding bill with the company.
Giuliani recently admitted that he’s a penguin-faced liar (again, my words, not his) and that he made false statements about election workers he accused of committing election fraud that absolutely did not happen. It must be difficult for him having to use one hand to clean all that egg off his face while slipping his other hand into his former client’s pockets because Giuliani doesn’t even have Trump’s Mcdonald’s money, and it turns out there are financial consequences for jumping on Trump’s delusional bandwagon.
More from CNN:
CNN reported on Tuesday that Giuliani is staring down hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills and sanctions amid numerous lawsuits tied to his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
His attorneys have said in court that these legal quagmires have left him effectively out of cash and that he “cannot afford” a potentially $15,000 to $23,000 bill to pay for more discovery-related document searches. He even appears to have responded to some of the money crunch by listing for sale a three-bedroom Manhattan apartment he owns for $6.5 million.
At the Wednesday court hearing in the Smartmatic case, Giuliani attorney Adam Katz said, “These are a lot of bills that he’s not paying. I think this is very humbling for Mr. Giuliani.”
And for the rest of us, it’s just plain hilarious. Karma is a b*tch, ain’t it?
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Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty
An FDA tranquilizer has become a popular new street drug in America, causing major concerns as one of its side effects causes flesh rotting in users among other harmful effects.
According to reports, public health officials and law enforcement have seen a spike in usage of the drug xylazine in cities across the country. Commonly known on the streets as “tranq”, xylazine is a tranquilizer that veterinarians use to sedate horses and has been known to cause grave side effects in users such as the tightening of blood vessels leading to abscesses and skin ulcers that if untreated can rot down to the bone.
Worse still is that xylazine has been found by authorities to be coupled with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin. That combination has led to a sharp rise in fatal overdoses recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in three years from 260 in 2018 to 3,480 in 2021. Data compiled shows that xylazine-positive overdose deaths rose tenfold in southern U.S. states since 2020, and sevenfold in western states. Philadelphia and New York City have also seen sharp upticks in overdoses including fatal ones linked to xylazine over the same period of time.
Authorities have expressed concern about tranq’s rise, with Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Dr. Rahul Gupta declaring it an emerging threat in May in a report issued through the White House. “Testing for xylazine is uneven across the United States, which makes it hard to get the national picture,” he said in the report. “Many communities are not even aware of this threat in their backyards.”
Observers have noted that the rise of xylazine combined with fentanyl might be due to the recent crackdowns on fentanyl on the streets. “That’s really driven drug manufacturers to start to integrate xylazine into the supply. It’s cheaper and it also makes the high last longer,” said Maritza Perez Medina, a researcher with the Drug Policy Alliance. Dr. Nora Volkow, head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, opines that “Maybe the products are coming already mixed into the United States,” citing drug-sample data collected by law enforcement in Mexico.
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