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Superstar producer Metro Boomin is facing a civil lawsuit over allegations that he raped and impregnated a woman in 2016, then referenced the incident in one of his songs.
In a complaint filed Tuesday (Oct. 29) in Los Angeles court, attorneys for Vanessa LeMaistre say she blacked out after ingesting a Xanax and a shot of alcohol in his recording studio during the September 2016 session, then awoke to find herself being sexually assaulted by Metro (Leland Wayne).
“The next thing Ms. LeMaistre can recall is waking up on a bed in a different location with Wayne raping her and being completely unable to move or make a sound,” her lawyers write. “At no point during this encounter was Ms. LeMaistre able to consent to any sexual activity, and Wayne’s conduct without question constituted rape and sexual assault.”
In a response statement, Metro Boomin’s attorney Lawrence Hinkle II called the lawsuit “a pure shakedown” against his client: “These are false accusations. Mr. Wayne refused to pay her months ago, and he refuses to pay her now. Mr. Wayne will defend himself in court. He will file a claim for malicious prosecution once he prevails.”
The lawsuit claims Metro exploited the death of LeMaistre’s infant son to gain her trust, and that she believed they had “bonded over the ability of music to help people in their darkest moments.” But it says that belief was “shattered” after he invited her to the studio for the September 2016 session.
“Meeting Wayne resulted in Ms. LeMaistre suffering from the second worst thing that ever happened to her — being raped by someone who pretended to be her friend for months,” her lawyers write. “Ms. LeMaistre is still working to put herself back together after experiencing such an extraordinary amount of trauma at the hands of Wayne — someone she truly believed to be her friend but turned out to be her worst nightmare.”
Weeks after the alleged assault, LeMaistre says she learned she was pregnant. She says she did not have sex with anyone else other than Metro and that the pregnancy was the result of the alleged rape. Due to the “recent loss of her son and the traumatic cause of her pregnancy,” her lawyers say she could not continue the pregnancy and had an abortion in November 2016.
Notably, the lawsuit claims the alleged attack is referenced in the 2017 song “Rap Saved Me,” released by 21 Savage, Offset and Metro on their collaborative studio album Without Warning. The lyrics in question are: “She took a Xanny, then she fainted/ I’m from the gutter, ain’t no changing/ From the gutter, rap saved me/ She drive me crazy, have my baby.”
“The lyrics were horrifying for Ms. LeMaistre to hear over and over again, as they recounted the situation that happened to her and caused further trauma,” her lawyers write.
LeMaistre is represented by lawyers from Wigdor, the same law firm that filed a high-profile civil lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs last year on behalf of his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura — a case that was then followed by a flood of other allegations and eventual federal criminal charges.
In a statement, the Wigdor attorneys referenced the alleged connection between the lyrics to “Rap Saved Me” and LeMaistre’s accusations.
“Metro Boomin has built a successful career with lyrics and social media that are not only offensive but also explicitly outline his intentions to harm women,” the firm wrote in a joint statement with LeMaistre’s co-counsel from the law firm Gerard Bengali. “These are more than mere words, and it’s time for him to be held accountable for his manipulative tactics and unacceptable behavior.”
Read the entire lawsuit against Metro here:
Election Day is less than a week away, and viral comedian Randy Rainbow is making one last pitch against former president Donald Trump in his latest parody video.
On Tuesday (Oct. 29), Rainbow sat down for one more fake interview with the twice-impeached former president, checking in on him as the businessman-turned-politican heads into the final stretch of his campaign (“You look like s–t, how are you feeling?” Rainbow asked with a smile), before wondering aloud why the polls were so close. “I can’t sleep nights,” Rainbow declared. “I keep imagining the dark, hate-filled, Orwellian, deep-fried, comb-over, fever dream hellscape this country will become if your crazy a– wins!”
With the premise set, Rainbow launched into his latest parody track, “Magadu.” Lifting the melody of Olivia Newton-John and the Electric Light Orchestra’s 1980 hit “Xanadu” from the film of the same name, Rainbow immediately takes the song’s premise of a mythical, heavenly place in the track’s title and flips it on its head.
“A place where nobody wants to go/ A country so lame and low/ They call it Magadu,” he sings. “But if you vote for this bag of d–ks/ As soon as Nov. 6/ We’ll be in Magadu!”
As Rainbow speculated about the “dark dystopia of absurd extremes” that would occur under a second Trump presidency, the singer made sure to point to Project 2025, the much-discussed 900-page document outlining a plan for Trump to consolidate power in his second presidency and help impose ultra-conservative policies around the country.
“In the year of Project 2025/ Those creeps gonna kick their creepy plans into overdrive/ No more protections or kindness or joy/ And guess who’s gonna be their poster boy?” Rainbow sings on the bridge. “When Planet Earth dries up and demagogues thrive/ No education and nobody’s free/ They’re gonna set us back a century.”
Closing out his song, Rainbow made his choice in the 2024 election clear as a clip of Vice President Kamala Harris saying “we will not go back” played alongside his final plea: “Let’s no go there, there’s no clean air/ Don’t wanna go, girl, just say no to Magadu!”
Watch the full video above.
Give Joni Mitchell an assist on Hillary Clinton’s new book.
Appearing at the Detroit Opera House on Monday (Oct. 28) to promote Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty, the former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State told her interviewer, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, that her eighth book (fifth as the sole author) was inspired by watching Mitchell sing “Both Sides Now” — the hit song that gave Clinton’s book its title — at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February.
“I saw her and she sang ‘Both Sides Now,’ which is one of my all-time favorite songs,” said Clinton, who suggested the “young people” in the crowd Google it. “It’s about life and love and I listened to her sing it. She’d had a cerebral aneurysm [in 2015] and there she was back on stage singing that incredible anthem about what you think of life, what you think of love at different points of your own journey. I heard that song in my twenties. Obviously I’ve heard it in every decade of my life, and I wanted to take a moment to write some essays about where I see my life now, and particularly about my family, about my friends, about some of these experiences I’ve had, like being First Lady of our country, but also politics, which I care deeply about.”
Clinton added that while some early interviews about the book — whose title was taken from a “Both Sides Now” lyric — were about politics and elections, “I was really thinking more about the people who have been important in my life, the relationships…. It was more a reflection of, ‘OK, I’m this age. At this point in my life, what’s really important?’”
While the nearly 90-minute conversation hit on expected political topics — Clinton’s support of Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her disdain for former President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement — she also spoke about her recent work in the arts, including co-producing the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Suffs (which is about the women’s suffrage movement in the U.S. that led to the 19th Amendment, which provided women with the right to vote), and her HiddenLight Productions company with daughter Chelsea, whose releases include the Emmy Award-winning documentary In Her Hands and the new doc Zurawski V. Texas about abortion bans in that state. She said Suffs, which is slated to close Jan. 5 on Broadway, has been “absolutely thrilling” and will be heading out on a national tour in the near future.
Clinton also has a Grammy Award in the best spoken word album category, which led Benson to point out that she’s only an Oscar away from being an EGOT. “I don’t know when or if there’s an Academy Award in the future,” Clinton responded, “but I just am so committed to storytelling…. We want to tell stories, we want to be part of the truth-telling part of America… and tell stories about what’s going on in America, in our lives, and particularly women’s lives.”
Clinton did say we should not hold our collective breath for a future Grammy in a musical category.
“I love to sing, but nobody loves to listen,” she confessed, noting that she would sing to Chelsea when she was a baby, with “Moon River” a particular favorite. “This went on for 14, 15, 16 months, something like that. I’d sing to her. Then when she learned to talk…Y’know, people think the trauma of my life is the 2016 election [Clinton won the popular vote but lost to Trump in the Electoral College]. There is that. But (Chelsea) took her little finger and put it on my mouth and said, ‘No sing, mommy.’”
She has, however, continued to sing to her three grandchildren – “When my daughter’s not around.”
Bad Bunny has released a stirring video tribute to Puerto Rico after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe referred to the U.S. commonwealth as a “floating island of garbage” during Donald Trump’s Oct. 27 rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden. The racist statement sparked widespread criticism, prompting Bad Bunny to respond not with words, but with a […]
Donald Trump apparently wanted 50 Cent in da club. The Grammy-winning rapper appeared on The Breakfast Club on Tuesday (Oct. 29), and shared that he was offered $3 million to appear at Trump’s recent New York City rally held at Madison Square Garden.
During their chat, DJ Envy asked 50, “Is it true Donald Trump tried to give you money to endorse him one time?”
The rapper told his hosts that he got a call from the twice-impeached former president about “Sunday” (Oct. 27), with Jess Hilarious clarifying by asking whether he was talking about MSG, which 50 confirmed.
“They wanted you to perform ‘Many Men’ at the RNC too, right?” Charlamagne Tha God then asked. (The Get Rich or Die Tryin’ track soundtracked Trump’s entrance to Adin Ross’ stream in August.)
“Yeah. They offered me $3 million!” the “In Da Club” rapper shared. A surprised Charlamagne then asked if it was for the event at Madison Square Garden or the RNC, with 50 replying that it was indeed for the MSG rally. He also replied in the affirmative when Charlamagne asked whether he was offered payment as well for the Republican National Convention.
50 — who did not appear at the RNC in July nor at Trump’s NYC rally — went on to explain why he rejected the offers. “I didn’t even go far,” he told the three hosts of the offers. “I’m afraid of politics, you understand? I do not like it. … It’s because when you do get involved in it, no matter how you feel, somebody passionately disagrees with you. Look, if you say ‘I stay away from religion,’ I stay away from politics. Religion, that’s the formula for the confusion that it sent Kanye to Japan. He said something about both of those things and now he can only go to Japan. So you know I’m like I don’t want to get in that, man.”
Billboard has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment.
In recent years, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) has supported Trump, before declaring on July 4, 2020, that he was running for president as well. (He did not get far in his efforts, missing South Carolina’s July 20 deadline that year to get on the ballot.) Then beginning in October 2022, the rapper repeatedly made antisemitic hate speech, which resulted in him facing consequences that included losing brand deals, declines of airplay of his music catalog and more.
In 2020, 50 Cent supported Trump — who in May was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — before retracting his endorsement after former girlfriend Chelsea Handler called him out. “F–k Donald Trump, I never liked him,” the rapper later said when retweeting a video of the comedian — who preveriously referred the rapper as her favorite ex — on The Tonight Show in which she criticized her ex for his support of the business mogul.
Watch 50’s interview on The Breakfast Club below:
Bob Weir is voting for Kamala Harris and her vice presidential pick, Tim Walz, in the upcoming election. The Grateful Dead rocker took to Instagram on Monday (Oct. 28) to share a photo of himself wearing a Dead-inspired Harris-Walz 2024 shirt, alongside a snap of Walz holding the tee and another with his wife, Natascha […]
Swifties are speaking out against comedian Tony Hinchecliff after he gave a controversial speech at a Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend.
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In addition to a series of racist remarks about Puerto Rico, the Latin community, Black people, Jewish people, Palestinians and more, Hinchecliff’s speech also included several derogatory statements about music stars. “I don’t know about you, but I think that Travis Kelce might be the next O.J. Simpson,” he said in reference to the Super Bowl-winning boyfriend of Taylor Swift, whom Trump called out on X last month after the superstar endorsed Kamala Harris for president.
Simpson was a successful professional football player who was charged in June 1994 for murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, after the two were found stabbed to death in Los Angeles. The now-infamous eight-month murder trial led to his acquittal in October 1995. Three years later, in 1998, he was found liable for the murders in a civil suit from the victims’ families.
Following Hinchecliff’s speech, Swift’s fans flooded social media with criticism of the remark and the distasteful implication that Kelce might murder the “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” singer. “While you’re here, can you please explain in detail why calling Travis Kelce the ‘next OJ’ is funny?” one fan asked Hinchcliffe in response to his defense of his set, noting that people have “no sense of humor.”
“How utterly offensive,” another wrote, while a third expressed, “That racist comedian’s jokes were so disgustingly racist and vile that the #swifties haven’t caught wind about the fact that he made a joke about Travis Kelce being the next OJ Simpson, implying he will k*ll Taylor Swift, and everyone laughed.”
See more reactions below.
Are we going to talk about the Tony guy at Trumps rally saying Travis might be the next OJ Simpson?? Like is he implying Travis should kill Taylor Swift? Is there some context I’m missing here or something???— Black Queen💗 (@Melaninqueen202) October 28, 2024
The PR comments are getting a lot of attention as well they should.But also can we talk about: the guy literally joked about Taylor Swift. Being killed. By her boyfriend.Horrifying … and also I dunno maybe further motivates the swiftie vote because … what a joke (“joke”).— Danielle Kurtzleben (@titonka) October 28, 2024
The OJ reference is in really poor taste. The guy brutally murdered his wife and her friend.
To imply that Travis Kelce could become like that is just sick. Not funny.
— Flyover Zone Patriot 🇺🇸 (@SharkeyTim) October 27, 2024
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Following a Donald Trump rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend that included racist and derogatory comments about Latinos, Puerto Rico and others, a representative for the Manhattan arena distanced itself from highly publicized remarks but stopped short of condemning the comments.
“As a business we are neutral in political matters,” the rep says in a statement provided to Billboard. “We rent to either side. We don’t censor artists, performers or speakers.”
The statement follows an appearance at the rally by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose 12-minute address involved a series of disparaging remarks about Palestinians, Jewish people, Latinos, major musical stars and more.
“These Latinos, they love making babies, just know that. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country,” said Hinchcliffe, host of the popular live comedy podcast Kill Tony. He followed that statement by saying, “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
This latter statement garnered swift and widespread backlash, with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris quickly releasing a video pledging to do her best for the citizens of the island. Harris’ video was boosted by myriad Puerto Rican artists including Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Luis Fonsi.
On Monday (Oct. 28), Marc Anthony also responded, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that “[Trump] launched his campaign by calling Latinos criminals and rapists. He’s told us what he’ll do. He’ll separate children from their families and threatened to use the ARMY to do it This election goes way beyond political parties… And that’s why I support Kamala Harris for President.”
For the Sunday (Oct. 27) rally, the Trump campaign rented Madison Square Garden, which has been used for a number of political events over its long history, including both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. During the rally, the Democratic National Committee projected messages on the side of the venue, including one that read “Trump Praised Hitler.” (To wit, in 1939, Madison Square Garden hosted a rally for the American Nazi party that was billed as a “pro-Americanism” and attended by approximately 20,000 people. The American Nazi party was later outlawed following Adolf Hitler’s declaration of war against the U.S. following the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor at the end of 1941.)
In addition to his other remarks, Hinchecliff’s speech included several derogatory statements about major music stars. “I don’t know about you, but I think that Travis Kelce might be the next O.J. Simpson,” he said in reference to the boyfriend of Taylor Swift, whom Trump lashed out at on X (formerly Twitter) after the superstar endorsed Harris for president in September.
The comedian also referenced Harris supporters Leonardo DiCaprio, Eminem and Beyoncè, saying that “every day the Democratic party looks more like a P. Diddy party.”
During his speech, Trump himself called Madison Square Garden “incredible” and thanked MSG Entertainment CEO James Dolan, a registered Democrat who’s been friends with Trump for more three decades. “I want to thank Jim Dolan,” Trump said. “He’s been incredible. He’s been just incredible. The job they’ve done. The job they’ve done. Thank you.”
GloRilla has endorsed Kamala Harris for president ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections taking place next week. The 25-year-old MC outlined four reasons why people should pick her for president in a video posted to her TikTok account Monday (Oct. 28): “A woman’s right to choose, Protect the LGBTQIA+ Community, Funding for Public Education and […]
By now, Mariah Carey‘s annual “It’s Time!” videos — in which she cheekily sings the phrase in her whistling register before the opening notes of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” come in to ring in the Christmas season — are a holiday hallmark as much as snowmen and gingerbread cookies. In an Instagram video shared Monday (Oct. 28), Carey teamed up with Emmy-winning actress and producer Kerry Washington for an election-themed spin on the popular meme.
“No, no, no! It’s not your season yet, Mariah. It’s voting season!” Washington quips as she interrupts Carey’s “All I Want” intro while clad in a white T-shirt and black cap, both emblazoned with “vote.”
After a playfully annoyed “What? OK,” the five-time Grammy winner then affirmatively responds to Washington’s queries about her voting plans for Election Day (Nov. 5). “Have you registered? Have you made a plan?” Washington asks, alluding to the myriad ways voters can make their voices heard at the ballot box next month. Carey, in a characteristically Christmas-y red top, plaid skirt, black tights and boots, replied that she already registered to vote and “executed” her voting plan.
“That’s amazing!” Washington exclaimed. “Because it’s my season before it’s her season. So, now all we need is you!” To drive home the final word of her sentence, Washington and Carey returned to singing as they harmonized the “you” riff from the beginning of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Carey even vocalized a bit of the instrumental before the pair sang the opening note of the first verse in unison. Given Washington’s musical background — she starred in Ryan Murphy’s Golden Globe-nominated film adaptation of the Tony-nominated Prom musical in 2020 — the actress proved to be a formidable duet partner for the singer.
Carey and Washington’s cheeky clip continues the Scandal actress’ involvement in getting out the vote for the 2024 election. She served as emcee for the final night of August’s Democratic National Convention and recently lent her voice to a historic radio ad campaign targeting Black voters. Last year, Carey visited the White House with her twins Moroccan and Monroe to ring in the Christmas season with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
This year, Carey is celebrating 30 years of her Merry Christmas album, which has spent two weeks atop Holiday Albums. The legendary set, which houses her Billboard Hot 100-topping “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” will receive a special anniversary release later this year. On Nov. 6, she will kick off her Christmas Time tour in Highland, Calif. The trek will visit major cities such as Houston and Nashville before concluding in Brooklyn on Dec. 17.
Watch Mariah Carey and Kerry Washington’s video encouraging fans to vote: