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Joe Budden is skeptical that Tory Lanez was the triggerman with intentions of shooting Megan Thee Stallion during the dispute in 2020 that led to the Canadian singer being sentenced to a decade behind bars.
During Thursday’s (Aug. 1) episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Budden and his co-hosts debated the legitimacy of an affidavit supplied by the driver from the night of the July 2020 shooting in California following a party at Kylie Jenner’s house.
However, the rapper-turned-podcaster voiced his belief that Meg was merely a “pawn” in the situation and there could be higher powers at play when it came to taking down Lanez.
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“What is more likely? Tory leaves the studio, goes to Kylie Jenner’s house, is having a blast, thinking he’s about to get the foursome popping off,” Budden asked. “Meg gets jealous — we know how they got in the car. What is more likely? That Tory was so angered in that car that he took Kelsey’s gun and shot her?”
Budden didn’t understand the reason as to why Tory Lanez would get so angry to the point he’d shoot Megan. “Y’all think a man is just shooting a girl for no reason? Give me a reason,” he said. “‘Cause the only reason we got was, ‘[Megan] said that I have more No. 1s than him.’”
“Or what’s more believable? Two people that was running around as best friends, new in the music industry, one gets COVID, comes back, finds out her best friend is f—ing the n—a that she’s f—ing on,” he theorized. “And this n—a was just about to get some Kylie Jenner a– … That guy is shooting? No, that guy wants to go back!”
Joe Budden speculated that Meg was a “pawn” in the ordeal and didn’t want to publicly give up the name of the person behind who “made it up.”
“I think it’s above her,” he continued. “I don’t think she made it up. She’s a mere pawn in this. This play is greater than her. She didn’t make nothing up. I ain’t gonna say who I think made it up … But it wasn’t her. N—as out there know who it is. I know exactly who it is, I know how that gun got there, I know who gun it was.”
The third party involved in the drunken dispute was Meg’s former friend Kelsey Harris, whom the “Pump It Up” rapper alleged slid into his DMs requesting that he not discuss her and the Meg-Tory shooting anymore on his podcast.
“The last time we talked about this sh–, I thought it was weird Kelsey jumped in my DMs like, ‘Hey, don’t talk about this no more.’ Why, ’cause you got immunity? That’s odd,” he added.
Tory Lanez remains behind bars after being sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023. Months prior, Lanez was convicted on three felony counts related to shooting Megan in the foot.
“If I could turn back the series of events that night and change them, I would,” he reportedly told the judge. “The victim was my friend. The victim is someone I still care for to this day.”
Following the December 2022 conviction, Budden changed his tune and apologized to Megan for joking about her mental health. “I’m apologizing to Meg,” he said on his podcast. “Meg, the people that love her, her handlers, her team, the people that have to support her through what has to be an exhausting trial. I listened back. I got a few phone calls from women that I love and appreciate and admire.”
While in prison, Lanez got his hands on recording equipment and released his “Wish I Never Met You (Prison Tapes)” single this past Friday.
Watch the episode below. The talk about Tory Lanez starts around the 21-minute mark.
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Trigger warning: the following story contains descriptions of violence against children.
British authorities have charged an unnamed 17-year-old with murder in the mass stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed danced class in Southport, England on Monday that left three young girls dead and eight other children and two adults injured.
According to BBC News, the teenager — who cannot be named because of his age — was slated to make an initial appearance in Liverpool City Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (August 1) after also being charged with 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article. Authorities named the three young girls killed in the incident: Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9 and announced that seven of those injured in the attack are still believed to be in critical condition.
Swift, in the midst of a European run of shows on her Eras Tour, reacted in shock to the attack, posting a note on her Instagram Story on Tuesday morning in which she said, “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock… The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
Police have said that the 17-year-old suspect from Cardiff was arrested at the community center hosting the dance class and that a knife was seized following the attack in the seaside town in Northwest England near Liverpool. Witnesses described a terrifying scene in which bloodied children ran in terror from the center where the Swift-themed dance and yoga event for children 6-11 was taking place with the promise of “a morning of Taylor Swift-themed yoga, dance and bracelet making.”
According to BBC, when officers arrived on the scene Monday morning they found multiple people, many of them children, suffering from serious injuries following the “ferocious” attack. Police said a person armed with a knife walked into the building and attacked those inside, with two adults suffering critical injuries while bravely trying to protect the children from the alleged assailant.
On Tuesday, far-right protesters fueled by angry and false internet rumors threw bottles and stones at police, wounding 20 officers outside a Northwest England mosque near the spot where the three girls were killed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned what he called “thuggery” and said the angry crowd hijacked what had been a peaceful vigil attended by hundreds in the center of Southport to mourn the dead and seriously wounded.
The violent crowd authorities believe had ties to the far-right group English Defence League, torched a police van and several cars following rumors about the identity of the teenage suspect. The rampage came after an emotional crowd gathered earlier in the evening in Southport outside The Atkinson theater and museum in to hold a minute of silence for the victims.
Mass casualty shootings and killings with firearms are exceptionally rare in Britain following a mass shooting at a primary school in Scotland in 1996 that killed 16 students and a teacher. Following that event, Parliament banned private ownership of most handguns and semi-automatic weapons and since then there have been no school shootings in the U.K., though attacks with blades remain a serious issue.
At press time Swift fans had set up a Swifties for Southport fundraiser for the families of victims that had raised more than $433,000 so far.
Halsey couldn’t believe her luck when the process of sampling Britney Spears‘ “Lucky” turned out to be an easy one, to the point where the “Closer” singer couldn’t help but worry that another shoe was about to drop.
While discussing their new single — which arrived last week, featuring a heavy interpolation of the Princess of Pop‘s 2000 hit — in a Thursday morning (Aug. 1) interview with the U.K.’s Capital Breakfast, Halsey recalled feeling “really nervous” about borrowing such an iconic tune from Spears’ catalog, even though the icon had given her blessing from the start, as previously revealed. “I remember thinking when we were doing it, ‘How has this not been done before? Has this been done before?’” she says in a clip from the interview. “Is there a reason this hasn’t been done before?
“Am I about to bark up a tree of disappointment where I fall in love with this song and there’s a reason it hasn’t been sampled in a really big way yet?” the About-Face Beauty founder continued. “So I was really nervous, and ultimately, when I got the blessing from Britney and Max Martin — who was involved in the original version of the song — having them onboard, I was like, every single day of the process I was waiting for someone to be like, ‘Just kidding, you don’t get to do it anymore.’”
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While the release of Halsey’s “Lucky” went off without a hitch, its Gia Coppola-directed music video was a slightly different story. After the video went live, a statement went up on Spears’ X profile claiming she felt “harassed, violated and bullied” by the visual’s portrayal of her as “a superficial pop star with no heart or concern at all.” The message also noted that Spears was planning to pursue legal action against the “Without Me” artist.
That same day, the “Toxic” singer deleted the post and tweeted, “Fake news !!! That was not me on my phone !!! I love Halsey and that’s why I deleted it !!!,” to which Halsey replied, “and I love Britney!!!! I always have and always will … you were the first person who ever made me realize what it means to feel inspired. And you continue to inspire me everyday.”
Halsey didn’t address the incident in the Capital Breakfast clip, but she does double down on her love for Spears. “It was so full-circle,” Halsey gushed. “There’s a 6-year-old girl inside my soul who used to dress up and do performances for my grandparents in the living room to Britney Spears songs. Obviously, the song is such a beautiful memory and it’s such an honor to reimagine it in this way, especially because it’s an already perfect record.”
Watch the clip below, and you can listen to Capital Breakfast With Jordan North, Chris and Sian weekdays from 6-10 a.m. across the U.K. and on Global Player.
Clairo’s “Juna” leaps to No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart in its second week on the survey, becoming Clairo’s first ruler via the Aug. 3-dated tally.
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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity July 22-28. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
“Juna” was released July 12 alongside the premiere of Clairo’s third album Charm, earning significant gains since then thanks to its TikTok virality.
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The dominant trends using the song feature responses to the prompts “you make me wanna” or “you know me,” both building off portions of the tune’s lyrics.
“Juna” scores a 70% jump in official U.S. streams in the week ending July 25 to 3.4 million listens, according to Luminate. As a result, it debuts at No. 27 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs survey dated Aug. 3.
The song reigns on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 over Blood Orange’s “Champagne Coast,” which falls to No. 2 after ruling for a week. Another former leader, 10-week No. 1 Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby,” drops 2-3, the song’s first time below No. 2 since its debut in May.
One other song joins “Juna” in the top five for the first time: Charli XCX’s “Apple,” which vaults 10-4 in its third week on the chart. Featured on the singer’s album Brat, it has leapt up multiple charts in recent weeks via a TikTok dance trend, one that concurrently helps it to a new peak of No. 4 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (5.9 million streams, up 40%).
A more recent viral upload using “Apple” and its dance came from Kerry Washington, whose video featuring the caption “If Kamala is BRAT, I’m BRAT,” referencing U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ hopeful presidential candidacy and its adoption of the Brat motif. To date, the clip boasts 4 million views.
Further down the TikTok Billboard Top 50, the top debut of the week comes from Croquet Club, whose “Summer” starts at No. 23. “Summer” was released in 2016 and has enjoyed a boost in profile with usages in recent sports content on TikTok, including footage from the 2024 Summer Olympics.
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
Submit questions about Billboard charts, as well as general music musings, to askbb@billboard.com. Please include your first and last name, as well as your city, state and country, if outside the United States. Or, message @gthot20.
Let’s open the latest mailbag.
Hi Gary,
With Jimin debuting at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Aug. 3) with “Who,” I immediately thought of two “who”-titled hits that have peaked at that position: “Who Are You” by none other than The Who and “Who Is It” by Michael Jackson.
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I didn’t know at the time of its release that The Who’s mesmerizing hit didn’t make the Hot 100’s top 10, but the recording always caught my attention, both for its musicality and the cursing that was allowed. For Jackson, his Dangerous album, from which “Who Is It” was released as a single, followed Bad and Thriller. The sets produced four, six and seven top 10s, respectively, with each generating seven top 40 hits.
I figured I’d ask Billboard – who else? – for a list of other charted songs starting with “who.”
(Should we count anything by Owl City?)
Pablo Nelson, that’s whoOakland, Calif.
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Hi Pablo,
This “Ask Billboard” answers the question of who’s had all the biggest Hot 100 hits whose titles start with “who,” with Jimin’s “Who” joining 50 others that have reached the top 40. Conversely, it does the opposite of what any good mailbag should do, as it’ll leave all of the titles unanswered. There’s simply no field in Billboard’s computerized chart archives to search for who let the dogs out, who that girl is, who it can be now, who is in the strawberry patch with Sally or who your daddy is. (There are other ways to find out that last one, if needed.)
Below is a look at all the top 40-peaking Hot 100 entries whose titles begin with “who,” making for a true who’s who of “who” hits, including one by, as noted, The Who (although not any by The Guess Who).
Upon its debut, Jimin’s “Who” is in the company of numerous memorable similarly titled hits.
Top 40-Peaking Hot 100 Hits Whose Titles Begin With ‘Who’
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No. 1, 1987, “Who’s That Girl,” MadonnaThe title cut to the Madonna-starring film became the sixth of her 12 career Hot 100 No. 1s.
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No. 1, 1982, “Who Can It Be Now?,” Men at WorkThe only other Hot 100 leader whose title starts with “who” introduced Men at Work, which landed its second No. 1 with follow-up and fellow ‘80s classic “Down Under.” “It doesn’t really happen, to hardly anybody,” Colin Hay, who fronted the band, told Billboard in 2023 of its breakthrough. “It was massive. Having said that, we were always very ambitious.”
No. 3, 1986, “Who’s Johnny,” El DeBargeNo. 3, 1975, “Who Loves You,” The 4 Seasons
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No. 4, 1981, “Who’s Crying Now,” JourneyThe song ranks as Journey’s second-highest-charting Hot 100 hit, outpaced only by “Open Arms,” which peaked at No. 2 for six weeks in 1982.
No. 5, 1999, “Who Dat,” JT Money feat. SoleNo. 5, 1968, “Who’s Making Love,” Johnnie TaylorNo. 6, 1985, “Who’s Holding Donna Now,” DebargeNo. 7, 1987, “Who Will You Run To,” Heart
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No. 7, 1985, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” Aretha FranklinThe Queen of Soul added her 16th Hot 100 top 10 with the track. She earned one more, and her second No. 1 – after “Respect,” in 1967 – with “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” with George Michael, in 1987.
No. 7, 1961, “Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp),” Barry MannNo. 8, 1995, “Who Can I Run To,” Xscape
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No. 9, 2024, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” Taylor SwiftWho has the most Hot 100 top 10s in a single week, and from a single album? Swift swept the region thanks to her 2022 LP Midnights and repeated the feat this May via The Tortured Poets Department.
No. 9, 2007, “Who Knew,” P!nkNo. 11, 1996, “Who Will Save Your Soul,” Jewel
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No. 14, 2024, “Who,” JiminThe song starts with 14.7 million official U.S. streams and 70,000 sold in its first week. Its proper promotion to pop radio is set to begin the week of Aug. 12.
No. 14, 1993, “Who Is It,” Michael JacksonNo. 14, 1978, “Who Are You,” The WhoNo. 15, 1989, “Who Do You Give Your Love To?,” Michael MoralesNo. 15, 1974, “Who Do You Think You Are,” Bo Donaldson and the HeywoodsNo. 16, 1987, “Who Found Who,” Jellybean feat. Elisa Fiorillo
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No. 16, 1984, “Who Wears These Shoes?,” Elton JohnJohn’s two earlier 1984 hits – “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and “Sad Songs (Say So Much),” which rose to Nos. 4 and 5, respectively, on the Hot 100 – are likely better known, but this track gave him a third top 20 entry that year, the first in which he logged such a triple since 1976.
No. 17, 2021, “Who Want Smoke??,” Nardo Wick feat. G Herbo, Lil Durk & 21 SavageNo. 17, 2009, “Who Says,” John MayerNo. 17, 1996, “Who Do U Love,” Deborah CoxNo. 18, 1976, “Who’d She Coo?,” Ohio PlayersNo. 19, 1968, “Who Will Answer?,” Ed Ames
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No. 21, 2011, “Who Says,” Selena Gomez & The SceneWith her ninth charted song, Gomez scored her highest Hot 100 peak to that point. She has since collected nine top 10s, including the 2019 No. 1 “Lose You To Love Me.”
No. 21, 1984, “Who’s That Girl,” EurythmicsNo. 21, 1966, “Who Am I,” Petula ClarkNo. 22, 2002, “Who’s Your Daddy?,” Toby KeithNo. 22, 1977, “Whodunit,” Tavares
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No. 23, 2006, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” Bon JoviThe single, boosted by Jennifer Nettles’ guest turn, also brought Bon Jovi to No. 1 for two weeks on the Hot Country Songs chart.
No. 25, 1964, “Who Do You Love,” The SapphiresNo. 27, 1973, “Who’s in the Strawberry Patch With Sally,” Tony Orlando & DawnNo. 28, 2001, “Who I Am,” Jessica AndrewsNo. 29, 2011, “Who Dat Girl,” Flo Rida feat. AkonNo. 29, 1980, “Who’ll Be the Fool Tonight,” Larsen-Feiten BandNo. 30, 2003, “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me,” Keith UrbanNo. 31, 1996, “Who You Are,” Pearl JamNo. 33, 1968, “Who Is Gonna Love Me?,” Dionne Warwick
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No. 33, 1964, “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me),” Tony BennettBennett charted six top 40 Hot 100 hits from the survey’s start in 1958 through 1965. In 2011, he returned with the No. 87-peaking “Body and Soul,” with Amy Winehouse.
No. 34, 1965, “Who’ll Be the Next in Line,” The KinksNo. 35, 1992, “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” U2No. 37, 2005, “Who You’d Be Today,” Kenny ChesneyNo. 39, 1981, “Who’s Making Love,” Blues Brothers
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No. 40, 2000, “Who Let the Dogs Out,” Baha MenEnduring more impressively than its peak would suggest, the song has drawn 288 million on-demand U.S. streams to date, according to (who, who, who, who, who?) data tracker Luminate.
No. 40, 1998, “Who Am I,” Beenie ManNo. 40, 1981, “Who Do You Think You’re Foolin’,” Donna SummerNo. 40, 1975, “Who’s Sorry Now,” Marie OsmondNo. 40, 1975, “Who’s Your Baby?,” The Archies
This fall, Charli XCX & Troye Sivan Present: Sweat will bring the British and Australian pop stars to arenas across the U.S. and Canada. It’s the first time that either of them will headline North American arenas, but following their respective recent releases and subsequent solo shows – let alone the growing force behind the fall shows’ sales – they need not sweat it.
The tour, which kicks off Sept. 14 in Detroit and went on sale in April, has already sold out more than 90% of its tickets, according to Brian Greenbaum, Sivan’s agent at CAA.
Greenbaum says the tour dates in Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco sold out immediately, while high demand pushed a second show in Los Angeles. He notes that tickets across the tour were 67% sold after the first weekend of availability, and 70% by the end of May.
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The Sweat announcement and on-sale were planted after Sivan’s latest album cycle (for the October 2023 release of Something to Give Each Other) had mainly run its course, but before Charli’s Brat rollout kicked into high gear (June 7 release date). That off-cycle and on-cycle rollout was by design, giving ample time to sell arena tickets by artists who were not historically arena acts.
But even with strong opening sales, the team behind Sweat knew they’d get “a second bite at the apple,” said Greenbaum. Since the on-sale, Sivan made his arena debut abroad, and Charli executed an entire album campaign. Rather than the typical drop-off, momentum has carried Sweat through the (Brat) summer, with Greenbaum noting that North American sales rose to 80% by mid-June and beyond 90% by the end of July.
Sivan’s third studio LP, Something to Give Each Other, earned him his first two Grammy nominations and became his first album to land multiple songs on the Billboard Hot 100.
That success set up the European leg of the Something to Give Each Other Tour, leveling him up to arenas in Europe on his own before coming Stateside with Charli. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, he played 15 shows across the continent in May and June, grossing $5.7 million from 108,000 tickets sold, averaging $379,000 and 7,227 tickets per show.
Those figures mark a 225% increase over Sivan’s last European jaunt. In Amsterdam, he went from selling 6,000 tickets at AFAS Live on The Bloom Tour in 2019, to 13,500 at the Ziggo Dome in June. In Berlin, he leapt from 3,333 tickets at Tempodrom to 8,884 tickets at Velodrom. In London, his audience ballooned from 5,133 tickets at Eventim Apollo to 11,254 at OVO Arena Wembley.
In the eight European markets where Sivan returned, attendance grew by no less than double, and earnings multiplied by at least three. Assuming similar growth in the U.S., where he played more shows and commanded bigger grosses on The Bloom Tour, he is well set up for arenas in North America, especially teamed up with a similarly buzzy pop star.
In June, Charli XCX played a string of club and festival dates in North and South America. In contrast to Sivan’s international arena tour, she chose to tease their fall tour with underplays that lived in the more intimate, visceral world of Brat. Her handful of headline shows sold out, ranging from 850 tickets in Sao Paulo to 5,000 in Los Angeles.
The numbers on Charli’s live shows were intentionally smaller than Sivan’s, but the energy and word-of-mouth around them matched the intensity of the album. Not only did it debut to career-peak commercial returns (No. 3 on the Billboard 200) and universal acclaim, it has penetrated the cultural consciousness. Amid a string of music videos, remixes and viral dance challenges, Brat has infiltrated the 2024 U.S. election cycle via a swirl of memes and momentum behind Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris (“kamala IS brat,” Charli virally tweeted last month).
It’s perfect timing, then, for Sivan and Charli to join forces on Sweat. In her own words, in Billboard’s July cover story, it finally made sense due to the dance-leaning nature of both of their albums – the first No. 1 for each of them on Top Dance/Electronic Albums. They’ve built toward arena status over their decade-plus careers, each building cult-pop success from one album to another.
Beginning her career with a smattering of hits with Iggy Azalea and Icona Pop and songwriting credits alongside Selena Gomez and Shawn Mendes, Charli continued to accrue acclaim for her solo projects, growing her base from 965 tickets per show on 2014’s Girl Power North America Tour, to 1,439 on 2019’s Charli Live Tour, and then to almost 4,000 tickets on 2022’s Crash the Live Tour. Sivan’s recent European leg grew his base two-to-one, while The Bloom Tour expanded his reach worldwide, with more than 60 shows on five continents.
With more than a month left before Sweat begins, sales are expected to creep closer toward a continental sell-out. Just this week, Brat track “360” jumped from No. 78 to No. 55 on the Hot 100, while “Apple” debuted, becoming the album’s third track to chart. A new remix looms, hinting at more gas in the tank in the remaining weeks before opening night.
Both Sivan and Charli will tour on their own again after Sweat wraps, with each artist playing hometown shows in Oceania and the U.K., respectively. By the end of the year, their combined ticket sales could approach 500,000 in 2024.
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Grand opening, grand close. Cardi B has reportedly filed for divorce from her husband, Migos rapper Offset, again.
The couple’s relationship has long been considered tumultuous at best thanks ever present rumors of infidelity, so social media is having a field day at the news, and the circumstances.
Page Six reports that the Bronx rapper’s decision to call it quits was confirmed by her rep. Reportedly, they tried to work things out at the top of the year, but they couldn’t get to a better place in their relationship, allegedly. A source claims that the latest rumors of Offset cheating is not what sparked the divorce.
“They’ve grown apart. That’s what drove her to this decision more than anything else,” the source told Page Six. “This is something she wants to do.”
Cardi is reportedly seeking primary custody of their two children, daughter, Kulture, 5, and a son, Wave, 2. Recently, the Bronx was spotted in New York City, hiding what looks like a prominent baby bump. However, she has yet to confirm if she is pregnant.
Although the couple was married in September 2017, since then they have separated multiple times (she filed for divorce in 2020, but it didn’t take), with their spats often being made public, usually by themselves. In late 2023 she shared that she was “single for a minute” but they were spotted out on a date since.
If there’s one thing social media always goes up for, it’s Cardi B and Offset drama, and today’s divorce revelation is no different. Peep some of the crazier reactions (the Offset slander is…intense) in the gallery.
In the midst of the ongoing dispute between ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and her company’s owners at HYBE, NewJeans member Danielle has written a note of support to Min expressing her support and love for the boss she referred to as a “mother and warrior.”
According to a translation of the note posted on Instagram from Korea’s JoongAng Daily, Danielle wrote: “My beloved CEO, it’s Dani. It’s been two years already. Our CEO who really did the most, thank you so, so much. So much has happened during the short and long two years that it almost feels like we went through everything we should have in seven years. Maybe it was a sacrifice for the future.”
The letter thanked Min for “always being dedicated to the work,” while offering some kind words about the “hardships” Min has endured, travails that were not specified in the note. Back in May, a Seoul court barred HYBE from firing Min from her role as CEO of the ADOR subsidiary after an internal audit by HYBE and subsequent police report against the exec. Min was sued by BELIFT Lab in May for defamation and obstruction of business over her comments that BELIFT’s girl group ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans.
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On July 9, Min reportedly visited the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul for questioning after HYBE reported her to authorities citing breach of trust. Then, on July 15, the HYBE Labels subsidiary Source Music — home of K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM — sued Min for $361,000, accusing her of defamation and disruption of business in connection with comments Min made at two emotional press conferences held in April, claiming that her statements at the events damaged Le SSERAFIM. In response, Min has accused five HYBE executives of defamation and leaking private messages to the press.
In her letter to Min, Danielle continued, “You know that we’re always on your side, right? You’re my family. Whatever you choose, I want to be together with you. I want to stay by your side, even if I’m not much help. I always pray for you, support you and love you.”
NewJeans have continued to support their executive producer during the turbulent past few months, with member Minji thanking the ADOR CEO for her contributions to the group during an appearance on South Korean chart show Music Bank. “Once again, we would like to thank our CEO, whom we love and adore a lot. We love you, CEO!” Minji said at the time.
See the note from Danielle posted on Min’s Instagram below.
Vybz Kartel is a free man. After 13 years behind bars, Vybz — born Adidja Azim Palmer — was released from prison on Wednesday.
Per FOX 5, the Jamaica Court of Appeal voted unanimously not to have a retrial in the 2011 murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams, which led to the dancehall star’s release along with his three co-defendants, Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John.
Even though Williams’ body was never discovered, Vybz was convicted in the murder in 2014. Kartel and his co-defendants faced accusations of killing Williams over two unlicensed firearms that weren’t returned to them.
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“We conclude that the interest of justice does not require a new trial to be ordered,” Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop stated, per BBC.
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One of the reasons the court cited was also because of Vybz Kartel’s deteriorating health situation, as he’s been diagnosed with Graves’ Disease and a heart condition. FOX 5 also reported that the Jamaican icon was battling a thyroid disease, while his lawyers said his prison conditions were “inhumane.”
Vybz regaining his freedom became a possibility when the U.K.’s Privy Council overturned the conviction against him and the co-defendants in March, citing juror misconduct due to an alleged bribery attempt.
Once King Charles signed off on the matter, Vybz’s fate was back in the Jamaican Court of Appeal’s hands.
In addition to the “Summer Time” singer’s health situation, the appeal court said the amount of time and lack of witnesses and financial resources needed also played a role in the decision against a retrial.
A celebratory scene broke out as fans were sent into a frenzy outside the Jamaican courthouse after learning that Vybz Kartel would be walking away free.
Vybz Kartel has worked with Rihanna, Eminem and Jay-Z in the past. The 48-year-old artist has launched seven different projects into the Reggae Albums chart’s top 10. His most recent LP arrived in 2021 with Born Fi Dis (Prelude).
Fans broke down barriers to mob attorney Isat Buchanan as he emerged from the Court of the Appeal in downtown Kingston on Wednesday, after his client and dancehall star Vybz Kartel was just freed of a murder charge. “Free worl’ boss!” the fans shouted. 📹: Sashana Small pic.twitter.com/HmzIEnZ6Jm— Jamaica Gleaner (@JamaicaGleaner) July 31, 2024
Music star Vybz Kartel is now out of the State’s custody and is back on Jamaican streets. The 48-year-old artiste, who is battling ill health, was met by adoring fans as he left prison in Kingston, hours after the Court of Appeal freed him of a 13-year-old murder charge. pic.twitter.com/QYGtuD6dI3— Jamaica Gleaner (@JamaicaGleaner) July 31, 2024
Cardi B has once again filed for divorce from Offset, her rep reportedly confirmed to Page Six. The news comes after seven years of marriage between the two hip-hop titans. The “WAP” artist reportedly filed on Wednesday, requesting primary custody of their 5-year-old daughter Kulture and 2-year-old son Wave. Billboard has reached out to both […]