Jay-z
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Source: James Devaney / Getty / Dame Dash
Dame Dash has become what he used to despise: a chatty patty. The former “cakeaholic” now explains why he was doing his iconic dice roll dance moves in R. Kelly’s “Fiesta (Remix)” video even though he dated the late singer, one of the disgraced musician’s victims, Aaliyah.
The former CEO of Roc-A-Fella Records opened up about his appearance in the R. Kelly music video alongside his former business partner, JAY-Z, in a recent episode of his American Nu Network podcast on YouTube.
During the episode, he answered a question from Baller Alert about his appearance in the R. Kelly/JAY-Z video despite famously dating Aaliyah and knowing her past with the jailed singer/songwriter.
He reveals that he spoke with Aaliyah, expressing that he didn’t want to be in the videos, but she said she didn’t want to start any trouble.
Per XXL:
“When Jay was proceeding to still do business with R. Kelly, I went back and told Aaliyah, like, ‘Yo, they’re still doing projects. They got singles together. They are shooting videos. I don’t want to go to the videos. I don’t want to have any parts of it,” Dame says at the 38:55 mark of the video below. “And what she told me was that, ‘I don’t want to start any trouble that would probably trigger more attention on it. I just want to heal. I just want to leave this alone and get as far away from it as possible. I don’t want to hear about it. I’m really happy with our relationship in this moment and where it’s going. Just don’t be in any scene with him and don’t take any pictures with him.’”
“So, you can ask anybody that was on the set,” he continues. “I stood in the trailer. When it came time to do the shoot, I did my shots with Jay or whoever. I was not in one scene with R. Kelly. And you never seen me in a picture with R. Kelly. At least after I met Aaliyah.”
We see.
In the episode, he also discussed Jaguar Wright’s outrageous claims about JAY-Z and more. If you have time to waste, you can’t watch the episode in its entirety below.
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It looks like the culture will continue to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The NFL have announced they have extended their deal with Roc Nation to curate the festivities.
As spotted on Yahoo! Entertainment, the National Football League will continue their partnership with Jay-Z to curate their biggest event of the year. As exclusively reported by Bloomberg News, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell disclosed the deal saying the partnership is “mutually positive” while attending the annual owners meeting in Atlanta. “I’m not sure either one of us really spend much time talking about contracts. Jay is happy” he said. “Desiree Perez is happy. I’m happy, so we’re all good.”
Back in 2019, the NFL signed the original deal with Roc Nation to curate the Halftime Show festivities. According to ESPN, the original contract was for about $25 million over a five-year term. In addition to choosing the talent, Roc Nation also assisted in the league’s commitment to social justice via their Inspire Change program. Since then, the Super Bowl has featured some of the culture’s biggest and brightest stars. In 2022, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige and Eminem took the stage. Rihanna headlined the show in 2023, and Usher took the baton earlier this year.
Kendrick Lamar has been chosen as the headliner for Super Bowl LIX. It is set to take place on Feb. 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.
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A few days, ago Jaguar Wright gave right-wing conspiracy theorists a lot to work with on social media. The controversial crooner appeared on conservative media darling Piers Morgan’s Uncensored show and unloaded on the likes of P. Diddy, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, accusing them all of being in the same league of sadistic abusers in the music industry.
With many on social media having already accused Jay-Z of such acts following the arrest of P. Diddy, they viewed Wright’s comments as validation of their beliefs and immediately took to X (formerly Twitter) to boast about the segment and further call for the downfall of Hova and company. While Wright has been suggesting that Jay-Z is “worse” than Diddy for quite some time now, giving her such a platform to continue to spew her slander caught the attention of Jay-Z’s legal team who promptly informed Piers Morgan that he done f*cked up now.
On Tuesday (Oct. 8), Morgan took to his show and issued a public apology for Jaguar Wright’s comments on his broadcast and let everyone know that lawyers for Jay-Z told him to do so. Taking to his show, Morgan explained that regardless to whom or what, people like Jaguar Wright have built a following “with or without shows like mine” and acknowledged that she made some “serious allegations about Jay-Z and Beyoncé.”
That’s when Morgan stated that Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s lawyers “contacted us to say those claims were totally false and have no basis in fact, and we therefore comply with the legal request to cut them from the original interview.”
Though Morgan said cutting segments out of his show is not something they practice, he did recognize that “There are legal limits on us too and we apologize to Jay-Z and Beyoncé.”
Yeah, Jay-Z-hating conspiracy theorists are going to have a field day with this one. Morgan himself set it up in a way where he seemed reluctant to comply with the legal request but had no choice, so y’all already know how this is going to play out on social media.
Check out Piers Morgan’s apology video, and let us know your thoughts on the situation in the comments section below.
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CLOSE
Jaguar Wright is back on the airwaves and much like before, she is continuing her relentless attack on key figures of the entertainment industry. The singer was a guest on Piers Morgan Uncensored and unloaded on Diddy, Jay-Z, and got into it with DJ Vlad.
Jaguar Wright appeared on a Wednesday night (October 2) broadcast of Morgan’s program alongside Ariel Mitchell-Kidd, a lawyer representing one of Sean “Diddy” Combs” alleged victims, and DJ Vlad. Wright wasted little time in sharing her three decades of experience with executives and others in the industry who wielded their power for nefarious means.
Wight was challenged by DJ Vlad, who framed Wright as a conspiracy theorist during the segment, and explicitly said to Morgan that he “doesn’t cosign anything that she says” before giving his thoughts on the legal woes faced by Combs and offering his thoughts on Wright framing Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and Combs.
In his estimation, Vlad believes that much of what’s occurring in the Diddy case is a direct result of the lawsuit filed by Cassie Ventura which opened the floodgates to other allegations that have since surfaced.
Mitchell-Kidd also chimed in and essentially said to Wright that she should seek legal counsel as some of her statements could be viewed as defamatory without proof or official charges. She also called DJ Vlad a culture vulture and dressed down the media figure in what she believes is his role in leading to the indictment of Black artists and entertainers.
On X, formerly Twitter, the Piers Morgan Uncensored segment with Jaguar Wright, DJ Vlad, and Ariel Mitchell-Kidd garnered several replies and we’ve got them listed in our playlist slideshow. The replies shared do not echo our sentiments, we are just delivering a report.
The entire segment can be viewed below.
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Photo: Getty
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After much speculation, we now know who chose Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The show’s producer confirmed it was Jay-Z’s decision.
As spotted on Rap-Up, the culture now has better clarity on how the Compton, California, talent became the Super Bowl LIX headliner. This week, Variety spoke to event producer Jesse Collins, and the entertainment executive provided more context regarding the decision and why was Lil Wayne not chosen to perform in his hometown. “We love Wayne,” he said. “There’s always Vegas odds on who’s going to get to perform it. But I think we’re going to do an amazing show with Kendrick, and I think everybody’s going to love the halftime show. I know Kendrick is going to work exceptionally hard to deliver an amazing show.”
Collins went on to say that HOV ultimately gave the greenlight to book K. Dot. “It’s a decision that Jay makes. Since we’ve been on board with that show, he’s made it every year, and it’s been amazing. He’s always picked right,” he added. Soon after the announcement confirming that the “Not Like Us” MC would take the slot there was an outcry questioning why Lil Wayne was not chosen to perform. Days later, Weezy released a video revealing that he was hurt by the snub, but the outcry of support was humbling.
“It broke me, and I’m just trying to put me back together,” he explained. “But my God, have you all helped me. Thanks to all of my peers, my friends, my family, my homies on the sports television and everybody repping me. I really appreciate that, I really do. I feel like I let all of y’all down by not getting that opportunity, but I’m working on me and I’m working.”
Super Bowl LIX will be taking place Sunday, Feb. 9, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Jay Electronica isn’t one to be chronically online so when he pops out, it’s usually to call out an issue in his typically colorful way. Via a string of replies on X, the New Orleans lyricist took time to defend Jay-Z from criticism over the recent announcement that Kendrick Lamar will be the featured act during next year’s Super Bowl halftime performance.
Jay Electronica opened his X rant on Wednesday (September 11) with a video then launched into a tirade that went all over the place.
“I don’t respect no gangsta that’s scared of the white man. Periodt,” Electronica begins.
He added, “N*ggas got all this smoke for Hov but they ain’t got no smoke for David Geffen and jimmy iovine and lucían grange and lyor cohen etcetera etcetera. I DO NOT RESPECT YOUR GANGSTER. You p*ssy.”
It appeared that Electronica had some issues with Birdman and the Cash Money Records collective over some assumed poor treatment of Turk of the Hot Boyz.
“And how you n*ggas did Turk was dirty and lame. ESPECIALLY since he REALLY MAGNOLIA and yall not. Get it how you live. I’m sawry potnaaaaa, he said, referencing the infamous Magnolia Projects where Electronica too hails from.
“And how yall so quick to let yall gun bust at your brother over nothing. If yall would put 10 percent of this negative energy over a FOOTBALL game into unifying for one common cause, our ppl would be free overnight. Salaaam Alaikum,” he continued.
The verbal portion of the rant ended with, “And finally, I will die in the war with the common enemy on the spot for Birdman and BG and Wayne and whoever else the same way I would Hov. We all we got. But who is man enough to say enough is enough.”
This rant stems from the idea that Jay-Z had a hand in selecting Kendrick Lamar for the Super Bowl halftime show via the deal with Roc Nation to help produce certain events and push initiatives off the field.
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Source: @michaelrubin / Instagram
JAY-Z and Michael Rubin are taking their talent back to Atlantic City. The two will host a blackjack tournament to launch Fanatics Sportsbook.
As reported by Page Six the two moguls will once again partner for an invite only event. On Sunday, September 15 the duo will throw a blackjack tournament at Ocean Casino Resort with the grand winner taking home a pot of $250,000. In the house will be various high profile guests including musicians, actors and athletes. Also expected to attend are select Fanatics Sportsbook customers. According to the celebrity gossip outlet attendees will view Sunday NFL football during the early portion of the day with Michael Rubin and JAY-Z. The two are also expected to sit at the final table for the blackjack tournament.
This is not the first time JAY-Z and Michael Rubin have teamed up for an event in Atlantic City. Back in October 2023 the two hosted an all star gala that raised over $24 million dollars for REFORM Alliance. The organization aims to change the criminal justice system by changing laws related to probation and parole. The brand new Fanatics Sportsbook will be located inside the Ocean Resort Casino. This is a 12,000 square foot space where patrons can watch their favorite sporting event via 140 led televisions, make wagers and enjoy a curated menu of food and beverages. You can learn more about it here.
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In the 48 hours following the announcement that Kendrick Lamar would be headlining the Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans next February, Jay-Z’s Hip-Hop peers continue to pile on the criticism as many feel that Lil Wayne should’ve gotten the nod over Kung Fu Kenny.
After the likes of Lil Wayne’s studio engineer and Master P spoke on the subject, Nicki Minaj and Birdman have taken to social media to take shots at Jay-Z for overlooking Nawlins native, Weezy for the Super Bowl festivities. Taking to Twitter to express her outrage over the choice, Nicki blasted Hov with a pointed tweet saying the decision to have Kendrick Lamar over Lil Wayne was driven by Jay-Z’s “ego” and that he was simply punishing Lil Wayne over his hatred for Birdman, Drake and even herself.
We didn’t even know Jay hated them.
Still, Nicki continued to ride for Wayne while taking shots at Jay for being “spiteful” and apparently even some of Roc Nation’s employees.
Birdman meanwhile weighed in on the situation himself but refrained from going all out as Nicki Minaj did in her posts.
Keep in mind Jay-Z paid off Lil Wayne’s multi-million dollar tax lien more than a decade ago when Wayne and Birdman were on the outs. So there’s that.
While many assume the decision to have Kendrick Lamar perform at the Super Bowl was strictly on Jay-Z, apparently the host city gets to pick who they want to perform the Super Bowl Halftime show after they’re presented with a list of names. In other words, Jay-Z didn’t choose Kendrick Lamar, New Orleans did. allegedly. Whether Wayne was on that short list or not is anyone’s guess, but it seems like everyone is hating on Jay-Z for a decision where he probably didn’t have the final say.
That being said, we doubt that the city of New Orleans is going to interject and reveal that it was they, and not Jay-Z who chose Kendrick Lamar and not Lil Wayne. Not after they’ve seen the backlash that Jay-Z got anyway.
What do y’all think about the outrage over Lil Wayne’s snub for the Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans? Let us know in the comments section below.
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DJ Akademiks got upset at the news of Kendrick Lamar performing at the 2025 Super Bowl, accusing Jay-Z of getting involved in the beef with Drake.
On Sunday (September 8), Kendrick Lamar announced that he would be the headline halftime performer at Super Bowl LIX. The news sent everyone into a frenzy and made DJ Akademiks highly upset. He then leveled accusations at Jay-Z for deliberately picking Lamar to stoke the beef between him and Drake further. The social media announcement came before kickoff began on the first full day of the NFL’s 2024-2025 season, with Lamar saying: “You know you only get one chance to win the championship, right? Ain’t no round twos.” Many saw it as a reference to Drake’s subliminal message in a recent post where he claimed, “He will win game two.”
DJ Akademiks wasn’t thrilled and began to issue a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter expressing his anger. “The NFL just gave Kendrick Lamar a global “Pop Out” show… Jay Z I see u n–guh… u ain’t low…”, he wrote, referencing the torrid beef between the Compton rapper and Drake that dominated the spring and summer culminating in several tracks including “Not Like Us”. He followed that up with another post directed at the Roc Nation founder: “Jay-Z and Roc Nation responsible for curating the Super Bowl halftime show… remember that.”
The podcast host continued to vent, writing in another post: “Drake and J.Cole rapped ‘Big As the What.. Big As the Super Bowl’ And Jay-Z just made Kendrick Lamar the headliner of the Super Bowl. Nah n—-a dis s—t is wild … this s—t crazy.”
DJ Akademiks also called Jay Z a “legendary hater” for the Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers rapper being chosen to headline over New Orleans native Lil Wayne. The controversial media personality also referenced the former beef between Jay Z and Drake in an Instagram post. “Jay-Z set up the play. Drake … Jay ain’t forget bout that “Charged Up” verse n—-a. He the higher-ups,” he wrote with a tears streaming emoji.
Super Bowl 59 will take place on February 9, 2025, with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins co-producing the show sponsored by Apple Music. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one,” Lamar said in the press release.
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A year ago, Jay-Z made the tough call of closing up shop of his original 40/40 Club in Midtown Manhattan. But it seems like that will not be the end of Hova’s fancy big boys club as he seems to be planning on popping up shop at a new location.
According to People, the certified billionaire has an eye on a few different spaces in New York City to bring back his adored establishment. Though nothing is set in concrete as of yet, his team is planning on breaking ground sometime in 2025. The news comes on the heels of Jay-Z’s weekend soiree at the Jacob Javitz Convention Center, where with the help of Fanatics Fest NYC, the Hip-Hop mogul held a 40/40-ish type of affair where he was joined by some of the biggest names in pop culture and a few of his Hip-Hop peers.
Though details are scarce about where they’ll be trying to land their new iteration of the 40/40 Club, the club’s Vice President of operations Sheldon Robinson revealed that they’re hoping to get things underway sooner than later.
People reports:
The new club, which will be located somewhere in New York City, has been a passion project for Jay-Z after the original Manhattan location closed in August 2023 following 20 years of operation.
“Jay definitely wants to keep it as part of his legacy,” Robinson said, confirming that the rapper has been “very involved” in the process. Robinson revealed Jay-Z has “been at site locations and in meetings” as the vision for the future takes place.
Calling Jay-Z “one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked for,” Robinson marveled at his ability to constantly turn his business ideas into reality.
Between a new 40/40 Club and the casino that Jay and his partners are trying to open up in Times Square, Hova seems like he’s once again trying to take over New York City but in a way that doesn’t involve rapping.
What do y’all think about Jay-Z bringing back the 40/40 Club? Would y’all check out his new remixed version of his old establishment? Let us know in the comments section below.