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As the controversy surrounding Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap continues to swirl, former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon has weighed in on the debate.
Lydon, who fronted the pioneering U.K. punk band from 1975 until 1978 and on their numerous reunions until 2008 as Johnny Rotten, made his comments in the wake of the myriad controversies faced by Kneecap in recent weeks.
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However, while speaking to Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (May 8), the program’s host brought up a recent incident in which Kneecap issued an apology for archival footage which showed the group allegedly calling for the death of British MPs (members of parliament).
Filmed at a London gig in November 2023, it appears to show one member of the band saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” At the time, the Conservative Party – also known as the Tories – were in government with a large majority.
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“If you’re advocating the death of another human being, then you have no cause whatsoever,” Lydon said in response to the incident. “You are my enemy from here on in for the rest of your mediocre existence. You shouldn’t be talking like that, you shouldn’t be making enemies of your fellow human beings. Other than that, maybe they need a bloody good kneecapping!”
In the context of the matter, ‘kneecapping’ – the term from which the trio take their name – refers to how Northern Ireland paramilitaries would take the law into their own hands during The Troubles by inflicting injuries on those accused of criminal or antisocial behaviour, usually with a gunshot to the knee.
Lydon also commented on Kneecap’s apparent attempts to generate controversy in the modern age by claiming they’re taking cues from the Sex Pistols’ playbook. “I think they’re following what they think is the Sex Pistols route,” he added. “It’s helpful, isn’t it, when you get the Financial Times propping you up.”
Kneecap made global headlines following their appearance at the Coachella festival in April, where they projected strong anti-Israel sentiments during their set – sentiments which they had claimed were censored during their first weekend appearance.
“Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” the projected messages read. “It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.”
The backlash to Kneecap’s comments were swift and varied, with Sharon Osbourne calling for the band’s work visas to be revoked ahead of another North American tour later in the year, while the trio would soon split with their booking agent, Independent Artist Group.
Lydon has been rather prolific in terms of public comment in recent weeks, having recently taken to disparaging the nascent version of the Sex Pistols which have been touring with Frank Carter on lead vocals, and distancing himself from any potential reunions with his former bandmates.
“Not after what I consider their dirty deeds, let them wallow in Walt Disney woke expectations,” he said in response to the notion of returning to the role of vocalist. “They’ve killed the content, or done their best to, and turned the whole thing into a rubbish, childishness, and that’s unacceptable.
“Sorry, I’m not going to give a helping hand to this any longer, as far as I am concerned, I am the Pistols, and they’re not.”
They say you never forget your first Met Gala — and in the midst of her winning streak, Doechii is in no danger of forgetting how her appearance at the 2025 event went down on Monday (May 5).
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Prior to event starting, footage caught the TDE rapper in a stressful moment as she was shuttled out of The Mark Hotel covered by a portable screen and a number of umbrellas looking to keep her Louis Vuitton outfit a secret before hitting the blue carpet.
Some fans took issue with how Doechii addressed her team in the midst of the tense moment, as she tersely instructed them to bring her more umbrellas. “Give me another umbrella, now,” she shouted in her clip. “I need more f–king umbrellas!”
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The parties involved took a few breaths and cooler heads prevailed as all appears to be good for Doechii and her team after what she called an “overstimulating night.” The “Anxiety” rapper had some fun with her reply to the candid footage catching her leaving the hotel as Doechii posted a TikTok on Wednesday (May 7).
“All jokes aside this was such an overstimulating night but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she captioned the clip. “This was the night we all dreamed of and my team killed it (umbrellas aside).”
The TikTok video finds Doechii with her hands up, like the famed Druski meme, as The Commodores’ “Easy” provides the soundtrack. “God forbid a girl needs more umbrellas,” she wrote.
@iamdoechii_ All jokes aside this was such an overstimulating night but I wouldn’t trade it for the world! This was the night we all dreamed of and my team killed it (umbrellas aside) 😭🥴 ♬ Easy – Commodores
After successfully protecting her outfit, Doechii unveiled a crisp Louis Vuitton tux jacket with matching checkered shorts and a mahogany tie. “This is one of the biggest nights in fashion, and for it to be so Black .. .I’m present, I’m here,” the Grammy-winning rapper told Cosmopolitan. “I felt inspired by the theme of ‘student of hip-hop’ and I feel like that’s really dandy.”
Doechii was seen hanging out with Megan Thee Stallion and WNBA star Angel Reese inside as the Houston Hottie broke the no phone policy and filmed the trio sampling various appetizers from inside the venue.
Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell were tabbed as co-chairs for the 2025 Met Gala, which saw attendees serve looks tied to the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme, celebrating Black fashion.
Days after federal prosecutors dropped Lil Durk’s rap lyrics from his murder-for-hire case, his lawyers say the new “watered-down” charges support his push to be released from jail ahead of trial.
In a court filing Tuesday (May 6), attorneys for the Chicago drill star (Durk Banks) argue that last week’s superseding indictment — which removed not just Durk’s lyrics but also allegations that he ordered a “bounty” payment — has dramatically weakened the case against him.
By removing those elements of the case, Durk’s lawyers say the feds have “effectively conceded” that they presented “false and/or misleading information” in court — both to get the rapper charged in the first place, and to persuade the judge to deny bail.
“With the issues of the lyrics and the payout of a ‘bounty’ altogether abandoned, what remains of the indictment is a weak patchwork of unsupported and non-specific allegations against Mr. Banks,” writes defense attorney Drew Findling. “This watered-down new indictment, coupled with the robust bond package proposed here, tips the balance in favor of Mr. Banks’ release pending trial.”
Durk was arrested in October on murder-for-hire and gun charges over allegations that he ordered members of his Only the Family (OTF) crew to carry out a 2022 attack on rival rapper Quando Rondo that left another man dead.
To back up that claim, the indictment cited lyrics from a song called “Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy” in which Durk allegedly referenced the shooting: “Told me they got an addy (go, go)/ Got location (go, go)/ Green light (go, go, go, go, go),” Durk raps in the track. “Look on the news and see your son/You screamin’, ‘No, no’ (pu–y).”
But Durk’s lawyers sharply pushed back, arguing that “Wonderful Wayne” could not have referenced the Rondo shooting for a simple reason: That the rapper wrote and recorded those verses “seven months before the incident even happened.” Though prosecutors defended the inclusion of the lyrics, an updated version of the indictment released Thursday (May 1) removed them entirely.
In Tuesday’s new court filing, Findling says the lyrics were a “hotly contested” issue at a December hearing in which the judge denied to release him on bail. Now that they’ve been removed entirely, he says the judge must reconsider whether Durk can be released.
“The government absolutely intended that section to illustrate direct involvement in the alleged murder-for-hire and more importantly, the knowledge of Mr. Banks of the alleged offense through some sort of musical confession,” Findling says. “The government has now been proven wrong and has removed the reference, substantially depreciating the weight of the allegations.”
The removal of the bounty claim presents an “even greater” blow to the government’s case, Durk’s lawyers say, and should also help persuade the judge that bail can now be granted: “With the payment of the ‘bounty’ allegation withdrawn from the indictment, the foundation for this court’s conclusions has been materially undercut.”
In previous court filings, prosecutors denied that the removal of elements from the new indictment had weakened or substantially altered the case against Durk: “Just like every iteration of the indictment before it, the [new indictment] contains significant allegations that show defendant’s alleged role in the execution-style murder of [the victim] on a busy street corner in Los Angeles.”
The judge will decide whether to reconsider Durk’s bail in the weeks ahead, potentially holding a court hearing next month. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday (May 7).
Fetty Wap‘s team announced on socials that the rapper will return with a new single on Friday (May 9). The rapper’s team shared the news on his socials on Wednesday (May 7). In the post, they noted that they’d also be starting a petition to get Fetty out from behind bars, where he’s been since […]
Ye (formerly Kanye West) stormed off the set of a contentious interview with Piers Morgan on Tuesday (May 6), and the Uncensored host has provided some context about why Yeezy pulled the plug on the combative, short-lived chat.
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Morgan hopped on X on Wednesday (May 7), where he claimed that West and his team were giving him the run around leading up to the interview. “He was costing us time and money,” Morgan said. “And my patience was almost running out.”
After getting the go-ahead to conduct the interview, Morgan says the conversation got off to a rocky start when Morgran addressed Ye as “Ye West,” which the rapper took issue with since he’s trying to lose his “slave name.”
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“I did talk to him for about three minutes,” Morgan said. “When I asked him how he was, he pointed to the backdrop behind him. Actually a pleasant backdrop, this time of Mallorca, which implied he was in a great place. I said, ‘You seem happy and content. Which is a direct contrast to what is going on with you on social media.’”
Morgan then got West’s follower count on X wrong, which upset the rapper. The host said Ye had 32 million followers when, in actuality, Ye has compiled just over 33.3 million followers as of press time.
“At that point, he went into a great theatrical strop. It’s not 32 million — it’s 33 million,” Morgan recalled. The interview came to a halt as Ye got up and left, leaving Sneako to deal with a frustrated Piers Morgan.
*NEW* Here’s a snippet of my inside take on the whole Kanye interview debacle that’s now making news around the world. For the full inside story, go to the link in my bio… pic.twitter.com/SCpIuxKfT3— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 7, 2025
So, I interviewed Kanye West again today. As I expected, given what I’ve said about him recently, it didn’t last long or go well. This was him right before he stomped off like a big baby. Drops on @PiersUncensored later… pic.twitter.com/m8TDGDpwgs— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 6, 2025
“You’re not gonna take inches off my di–, bro.” the Chicago native said before he left the interview. “I’m a gift, bro. Why do all you people in media act like you haven’t played my songs at your weddings, or graduations or at funerals or when your child was born?”
He continued: “You take someone like that’s living, like a [John] Lennon or a Michael Jackson. That nuance right there is idiotic. It just shows the hate that you put out for people that put out love. There’s so much love in the art that I put out. This is what you get for now, we can circle back when you can count.”
Morgan referred to Ye as a “sniveling coward” and proceeded to pepper Sneako with questions about Yeezy’s recent tirades on X that have included antisemitic remarks and praise for the likes of Hitler and Diddy.
Watch Ye’s full interview with Piers Morgan below.
Rubi Rose says women should be weary of BBL’s and instead advocated for them to hit the gym. On Tuesday (May 6), Rubi Rose pleaded with fans on X to stop getting butt implants after she had shared a video of her twerking in a car. “Please stop getting a— shots,” she wrote. Rose then […]
While the 2025 Met Gala was a star-studded affair on a rainy Monday night (May 5) in NYC, one influential face missing from the hip-hop realm was Playboi Carti. The Atlanta native took to Instagram to post a dapper photoshoot he had with his girlfriend, Gio, where Carti claimed he was banned from attending the […]
For years, the roster for Lil Wayne‘s Young Money crew has included such bold named stars as Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Lil Twist and Jae Millz, among others. But as Weezy prepares to finally release his long-awaited Tha Carter VI LP on June 6, the Young Money CEO popped into his Young Money Radio show on Apple Music to introduce the next generation roster.
In addition to long-time members Cory Gunz and Twist, Wayne introduced his new artists, who include Jay Jones, Allan Cubas, Domiio, Euro and Lucifena, an East Los Angeles metal-edge singer whose vocals are informed by Nirvana and the Deftones. Also in the crew is New Orleans rapper Poppy, who Wayne said he’s so hyped on he thinks of the MC as like his “motherf–kin’ son.”
Wayne caught up with Gunz, noting that the Bronx rapper has been busy, dropping the Loosie Pack 3 EP and, last July, The Militia mixtape. Gunz said up next for him is “elevation,” raising the bar to the next level, just as Wayne has shown by example in his career. “We got to make each thing better than the last one,” he said while also chopping it up about his resurgent New York Knicks’ run in the NBA playoffs.
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Twist also provided an update, saying he’s stepped into “a whole ‘nother genre” thanks to picking up a live band. “I’m rocking with the alternative hip-hop rock,” he told the boss, who knows about dipping into the rock side thanks to his guitar-heavy 2010 Rebirth album.
New gen Young Money signees Jay Jones and Allan Cubas, both New Orleans natives as well, were up next. Wayne noted that after hearing Honduran-American artist Cubas rap and then go into his “Latin s–t” he was hooked. “That’s something we’ve never had at Young Money,” Wayne said of the sound. Hollygrove-bred MC Jones talked about his January mixtape, Almost Forgot Who I Was, as well as the collaborative Flight 504 project he’s working on with Cubas that will be a “fusion” of their styles.
The sit down also included chats with Euro and the one of the freshest signings, Domiio (aka Drizzy P), with Wayne saying of the latter that his confidence is “through the roof.” The session ended with Wayne introducing Lucifena and Poppy, with Weezy joking that he helped raise Poppy like his son, joking that he was shocked at how “dirty” the MCs sound was. He also described being blown away hearing Lucifena scream on a song called “Tyrant,” which inspired him so much that he laid down both a guitar solo and a verse on the track.
Watch Lil Wayne roll out the next generation below.
Drew Afualo gives GloRilla her flowers as she talks about GloRilla’s era of livestreaming on Facebook while working at Checkers Drive-In at Billboard Women in Music 2025.
Drew Afualo:
Team, we have the iconic, the legendary, the one and only GloRilla. Welcome backstage, how do you feel being here at the Billboard Women in Music Awards?
GloRilla:
I feel honored.
That’s amazing. You look fab.
Thank you. You look fab.
Thank you so much. Thank you. Did you guys get that on camera? I also hear you’re on tour, and you made time to come here. I love that.
Yes, I did.
How’s tour going?
It’s going great. Sold-out shows every night. You know?
Look at you, yeah, just slight work, you know, you know, a little bit.
Well, really a lot of work, but we gonna call it slight work, you know, make it look easy.
You make it look easy, tea, love that for you. OK, so I do want to ask you some fun questions, but first I’m gonna give you some flowers. Oh, look at that. That’s for you!
Oh, thank you so much.
Oh my gosh, you’re so welcome. Flowers, literally and metaphorically. But I want to ask you: Who do you give your flowers to for getting you where you are now?
My fans.
Love.
Yeah, most definitely my fans and my team.
That’s amazing. And who do you give flowers to for inspiring your music?
Oh, my cousin. My cousin. I ramp up.
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Ye (formerly Kanye West) joined Piers Morgan for another interview on Tuesday (May 6), but the combative chat was short-lived as West stormed off just minutes into the sit-down.
Within the first few seconds, things got contentious when Morgan called him “Ye West,” with Ye responding that he’s dropped West to lose his “slave name.”
“You see that view,” Yeezy said with a serene balcony view of the ocean off the Mallorca coast behind him. “Judge me by the view,” he said when asked how his life is “at the moment.”
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Morgan felt that reply was in “direct contrast” to the sentiments Ye has expressed with unhinged rants on X in recent months.
“I already disagree,” Ye cut off Morgan. “It’s not in contrast. It’s so many people and artists that are championing the idea of expressing who they really are and having to go through the war of being attacked by the banks and to still be here with this view, that’s the win.”
Right before things went off the rails, Ye was offended that Morgan got his follower count wrong on X. Morgan listed 32 million when the exact number is upward of 33.3 million at press time.
“You’re not gonna take inches off my di–, bro,” the Chicago native said. “I’m a gift, bro. Why do all you people in media act like you haven’t played my songs at your weddings, or graduations or at funerals or when your child was born?”
He continued: “You take someone like that’s living, like a [John] Lennon or a Michael Jackson. That nuance right there is idiotic. It just shows the hate that you put out for people that put out love. There’s so much love in the art that I put out.”
The Uncensored host was taken aback, and then West stormed off. “This is what you get for now, we can circle back when you can count.”
Morgan called Ye a “sniveling little coward” and took out his frustrations on streamer Sneako, who was seated next to Ye during the interview. Morgan wanted to “hold Ye accountable,” and he pressed Sneako about standing next to Ye in recent months after the rapper had expressed antisemitic remarks and praised the likes of Hitler and Diddy.
Watch the full interview with Ye below.
