genre hiphop
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Snoop Dogg’s longevity, work ethic and versatility can’t be matched by many — if any — in the hip-hop realm. The Death Row legend returned on Thursday (May 14) with his 21st studio album, Iz It a Crime? Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The project boasts 21 […]
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura wrapped up her direct testimony against the rap mogul on Wednesday (May 14), telling jurors that Combs threatened to blow up Kid Cudi’s car and revealing the dollar amount of a bombshell settlement that set off the sex-trafficking probe.
Ventura, an R&B singer who dated Combs on and off for 11 years, is the star witness in Combs’ criminal trial. She’s been on the witness stand since Tuesday (May 13), testifying that Combs physically abused her and forced her to have sex with male escorts during drug-fueled events known as “freak offs.”
In her final day of direct testimony, Ventura reportedly told the jury that Combs became enraged when he discovered she was dating Cudi (Scott Mescudi) in 2011, according to The New York Times, which also reported that Ventura testified that Combs lunged at her with a wine opener and threatened to release freak off videos and hurt both her and Mescudi.
Ventura also said that Combs threatened to blow up Mescudi’s car, the Times reports, and that she soon broke things off with Mescudi out of fear.
“Too much danger, too much uncertainty of what could happen if we continued to see each other,” Ventura reportedly testified.
Ventura alleged in a November 2023 civil lawsuit that Mescudi’s car did, in fact, explode in his driveway a short while after Combs’ threats. Combs has not been officially linked to the incident.
Ventura’s civil lawsuit, the first major public accusation against Combs, was also a key topic during her final day of direct testimony. Though Combs settled with Ventura after a single day, the case sparked the criminal probe that led to the current trial and a deluge of other civil sex abuse lawsuits against Combs.
The dollar amount of Ventura’s settlement was kept confidential and long unknown to the public. But according to the Times, Ventura revealed for the first time during her testimony Wednesday that the settlement amounted to $20 million.
Ventura is scheduled to undergo cross-examination by Combs’ lawyers starting Thursday (May 15). The trial could last up to two months total.
Diddy’s trial started on Monday, May 12th, and we’re breaking down what’s happened in the first two days of the trial, including his charges, opening statements, Cassie taking the stand and more.
What do you think of Diddy’s trial so far? Let us know in the comments.
Tetris Kelly:
All right, guys, so this is not a fun one, but the Diddy trial kicked off, and I’m, for one, in shock that they decided that the defense’s argument was gonna be, yeah, there was domestic violence, but not sex trafficking. Like what?
Judy Sanchez:
It’s a lot to take in. Like, racketeering is a very serious charge, but so is domestic violence. So to sort of brush that under the rug, and especially with Cassie knowing that she’s taking the stand pregnant, I don’t know, the optics are very intense. You know, it was, it was a lot of intense, graphic news coming from the Diddy trial this morning.
Tetris Kelly:
I mean, it’s so interesting that you phrase it that way, because I think sex trafficking, racketeering, it’s like, and there’s been all this evidence that’s been in the media, what would your argument be to defend Diddy at this point?
Stefanie Tanaka:
Yeah. I mean, I’m not sure there’s much. He’s gonna try to save his a–, I’m sure. But, you know, I don’t know how you can, I mean, your crimes are bad enough. I don’t know if there’s much. I mean, the lawyers are gonna do their jobs because they’re lawyers, but I don’t know, like, if there’s any way he could really get out of it. I mean, they’re pretty serious. All the allegations we’ve heard, the video evidence with Cassie in the hotel.
Keep watching for more.
Styles P doesn’t think he and Jim Jones are in the same category. When co-host and Harlem native KP suggested that Jim Jones had better songs than Styles P when it came to a Verzuz, the Yonkers rappers respectfully disagreed and laid out the differences between the two artists. “You’re entitled to that feeling,” Styles […]
Quavo appeared on a recent livestream with PlaqueBoyMax and recorded two new songs during their time together. On Tuesday, Quavo sat down with PlaqueBoyMax in the studio during the producer’s recent livestream and hopped in the booth to record some new tracks live for the viewers. The first song, “Nun,” has a rambunctious trap beat, […]
Eazy-E‘s son wants to see his late father make a comeback with the help of artificial intelligence. TMZ spoke with the late rap legend’s son Lil Eazy-E, who spoke about some plans he has in store for his father’s legacy. “I have something special that I’m doing,” he said. “I actually just got a sample […]
Kendrick Lamar and SZA have been sharing the spotlight with each other on their current Grand National Tour, and the “All the Stars” collaborators are bringing their A-list friends into the fold during select shows. Playboi Carti was the first guest performer, popping out for “Good Credit” at the Atlanta show last month after Dot […]
Joey Badass sat down with Red Bull for a story published Tuesday (May 13), during which he talked about almost signing with Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation and his relationship with 50 Cent. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news When he talked about almost signing with Roc Nation back […]
From Missy Elliott to Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes has collaborated with plenty of icons throughout his decorated career, but now he’s got his eyes on potentially working with a fellow New York-bred rap titan in Cardi B. Bus-A-Bus linked up with Cardi B at Madison Square Garden on Monday night (May 12) as the pair […]
Travis Scott and thousands of others’ lives changed on the night of Nov. 5, 2021, at the rapper’s Astroworld Festival in his hometown of Houston. The event left 10 festivalgoers dead and hundreds more injured following a lethal crowd surge.
Billboard can report that the events surrounding the tragic festival at NRG Park will be featured in the first episode of Netflix’s upcoming anthology series Trainwreck.
Titled “The Astroworld Tragedy,” the episode will explore the concert’s failures from the perspective of those in the middle of the chaos, with input from survivors, mourning family members, paramedics and security guards.
Trending on Billboard
Look for the premiere episode of the series to arrive on June 10. Yemi Bamiro is on board as director of “The Astroworld Tragedy,” while Hannah Poulter will serve as co-director and producer.
Eight individuals were pronounced dead at the scene in November 2021, and Harris County medical examiners confirmed that two more people died as a result of their injuries days later. The official cause of death was listed as compression asphyxia; the victims ranged in age from 9 to 27 years old. There were about 50,000 people who attended the festival in total.
Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy
Netflix
Scott and Live Nation became the subject of aplethora of wrongful death lawsuits in the wake of the tragedy, all of which were settled by the parties by May 2024.
“I always think about it, those fans were like my family. You know, I love my fans to the utmost,” Scott told GQ in 2023. “It has its moments where it gets rough and, yeah. You just feel for those people. And their families.”
The rest of the Trainwreck series is set to delve into other disasters, including “political scandals, media hoaxes, cult-like corporations and reality TV” debacles, according to the press release. Episodes after “The Astrworld Tragedy” will be released by Netflix each of the following seven weeks, wrapping up on July 29.
Watch a trailer for Trainwreck below.