Recording Artists
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Back in August, rapper Nelly was arrested in the St. Louis area and was facing charges that included possession of ecstasy. Well, now it looks like the “Country Grammar” artist is out of legal harm’s way as a spokesperson for St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told TMZ Hip Hop, “We don’t believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charges.”
As previously reported, Nelly, born Cornell Haynes II, was arrested at the Hollywood Casino in St. Charles by Missouri State Highway Patrol’s gaming division troopers who had asked him to produce his ID, which revealed a 2018 warrant for failure to appear in court. According to TMZ, the arrest occurred moments after the 49-year-old hit $50K on a slot machine — which is just rotten luck for someone who had just gotten lucky AF. After detaining Nelly, officers allegedly found four ecstasy pills in his possession.
At the time, Nelly’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said his client was “targeted by an overzealous, out of line officer,” and complained about the “Hot In Herre” rapper being paraded around in handcuffs. In the wake of his client avoiding the charges he faced, Rosenblum explained that, upon closer investigation, prosecutors found pursuing charges was unnecessary.
“Wesley Bell, the prosecuting attorney, and his office looked at all the circumstances and after a fair and impartial review of the evidence, declined to prosecute,” Rosenblum told TMZ.
Honestly, the wildest thing about this story is that people are still getting popped for ecstasy possession in 2024. It’s like an early 2000s drug-related crisis making a comeback two decades later.
Anyway, fortunately for Nelly, he was able to get out of the arrest without catching charges. (One can’t help but wonder if he was still able to cash in on that $50K though.)
Stay safe out there, folks.
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In September, Justin Johnson, one of two people who were charged in the fatal ambush shooting of Memphis rapper Young Dolph in 2021, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. On Friday (Nov. 31), the 26-year-old has been slapped with an additional 35 years behind bars, making his chances of ever being turned loose on society again look all the more grim.
According to the Associated Press, Johnson was sentenced Friday for his two other convictions, conspiracy to commit murder and being a felon in possession of a gun.
Johnson, an aspiring rapper, already had three aggravated assault convictions before Nov. 17, 2021, when he shot and killed Dolph, named Adolph Thornton Jr., at a bakery in Memphis. The “Talking To My Scale” rapper was in Memphis to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to families when his visit to his favorite cookie shop turned deadly.
From AP:
During the trial, co-defendant Cornelius Smith testified that rapper Yo Gotti’s brother, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, had put out a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph as well as bounties on all the artists at Young Dolph’s record label, Paper Route Empire. Smith said he and Johnson were “looking for somebody” and “didn’t know who we were going to catch.”
They knew that Young Dolph and some of his artists were participating in the turkey giveaway, so they were heading in that direction when they saw Young Dolph’s car. They followed him to the cookie shop and opened fire in broad daylight, Smith said. Young Dolph was hit 22 times and died at the scene.
Prosecutor Paul Hagerman noted during the sentencing hearing that Johnson committed the murder-for-hire in broad daylight at a public place with “no hesitation. Dolph’s family members also made statements, including his sister, who said in a statement that the family feels “anger, anxiety and grief” over the death of Dolph, who “created a legacy that will endure long after this tragedy.”
“In a world full of envy, jealousy and arrogance, many fail to realize the impact of their actions until it’s too late,” the statement continued.
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Lately, it seems like Drake has been doing a fair amount of sub-posting and speaking on things just vaguely enough that people think they know who he’s talking to and what he’s trying to say about them—but also, maybe not.
Recently, the “Hotlight Bling” rapper posted to his Instagram story the infamous photo of R&B singer Solange after she put hands on Jay-Z in an elevator in 2014. Folks on social media are wondering if the post had anything to do with Kendrick Lamar headlining next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, which a lot of people have speculated was a decision made unilaterally by Jay-Z. (It wasn’t, but there tends to be no point in introducing facts into discussions like these.)
Drake real petty for posting these pictures of Solange after the elevator incident😂 n just to follow it up with a pic of Aaliyah, what’s going on in Babylon pic.twitter.com/V3shydUKW2
— RICH VENDETTA 🎭 (@richvendetta8) October 7, 2024
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In fact, it doesn’t appear that Champagne Papi can do much of anything without people drawing connections back to his internet-exploding beef with K-Dot, and the Toronto artist isn’t dissuading the rumor mill from running wild by being the opposite of candid when he speaks on whatever it is he’s going through as of late.
From Hot New Hip-Hop:
Still, Drake’s message here is pretty vague and mysteriously unclear, especially after his recent rant about fake friends. “One things about nostalgia, this party here?” he said at Toronto’s Nostalgia party. “My real friends are definitely in the building. But I’m going to tell you. You’re going to come to a point in life where people you thought were friends or people you thought were close to you, they might switch up. They might try to move funny with you. They might stab you in the back, they might do a lot of things to you. You’ll come to that realization, wherever you’re at in life. You’ve probably been there and you’ll be there again, that’s how life is. But look, sometimes, it’s you and you alone by yourself. Sometimes it’s you alone with your thoughts.”
Again, fans across social media speculated that Drake was speaking about “friends” who turned on him once it became overwhelmingly clear that Kendrick won the beef that exploded between the two emcees over the summer.
But who knows? Maybe Drake is just badly in need of a journal. Maybe the Solange incident just crossed his mind and he reflexively posted it on IG. Maybe he just knows how people get to talking and he needs a little attention. It might not have anything to do with Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z at all.
Maybe we’ll never know.
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Regardless of how anyone feels about controversial R&B singer Chris Brown, it’s time for people to stop laboring under the delusion that his history of alleged violence against women and violent outbursts, in general, begin and end with Rihanna.Instances and allegations of violent behavior have followed him throughout his career, and now he’s facing yet another lawsuit related to yet another allegation.
This time, the “Under The Influence” singer has been hit with a $50 million suit filed by four plaintiffs who claim they were assaulted by Brown and his team backstage at one of his concerts last Friday.
From Variety:
Larry Parker, Joseph Lewis, Charles Bush and Da Marcus Powell filed the suit in Harris County, Texas today against Brown as well as his tour promoter Live Nation, Sinko Ceej, Hood Boss and Yella Beezy. In addition to the payment, the four plaintiffs are asking for a temporary restraining order against all defendants.
According to the complaint, which was first reported by TMZ and obtained by Variety, Brown and his crew severely beat the plaintiffs following the singer’s performance as part of his 11:11 Tour at Dickies Arena in Ft. Worth, Texas this past Friday. The four men were invited backstage after the set to meet Brown, who showed up 30 minutes later than anticipated.
Before leaving, Bush approached Brown to congratulate him on the show, prompting a member of the singer’s entourage to remind Brown that the two previously had issues. Brown allegedly said, “Oh yeah, we were. What’s up, n—a? I don’t forget shit.” The suit states that Brown and seven to 10 members of his entourage proceeded to assault Bush and punch him in the chest, and claims that Hood Boss picked up a chair and threw it at Bush’s head.
The suit goes on to claim that Brown and his crew turned their attention to Parker, who tried to escape down a staircase that led to a locked door. Upon instruction from Brown, Parker was allegedly punched in the face and chest and kicked in the head for over 10 minutes. The suit also states that Powell was punched in the shoulder, while Lewis was hit in the shoulder and chest. All plaintiffs were injured and are currently undergoing medical treatment.
“No one should have to endure what these clients endured,” the plaintiffs’ attorney, Tony Buzbee, said in a statement. “We will seek the maximum amount of damages allowed by law for this egregious conduct.”
Buzbee elaborated on his opinion of the case in a statement to Dallas Morning News, saying, “This is Texas. The people here don’t care how important or famous you think you are, you have an obligation to follow the laws and conduct yourself in an appropriate way. Unprovoked violence can’t and won’t be tolerated. We intend to seek all damages that the law allows against Brown and his cohorts.”
So far, neither Brown, Beezy nor Live Nation have made any public statements regarding the latest lawsuit, and they would have an uphill battle explaining how the “Look at Me Now” artist is, once again, innocent of the kind of allegations he just doesn’t seem to be able to stop getting subjected to.
Last October, a man named Abe Diaw, who claimed to have known Brown for at least seven years, filed a lawsuit against the 35-year-old, claiming he spotted Brown at TAPE nightclub in England and tried to give him a friendly hug, which Diaw said resulted in Brown smashing him over the head with a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila and then proceeding to beat on him with “crushing blows” to Diaw’s surprise and confusion.
Look, it should be noted that many of the allegations of violence against Brown have not been proven. Still, it’s hard to believe everybody is telling the same general lie about a perfectly innocent man who does happen to have several proven instances of violence attached to his name.
Just sayin’—it ain’t just about Rihanna.
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Kendrick Lamar gave fans everything they wished for, and more. The Compton rapper’s Pop Out show went down on Juneteenth at The Forum in Inglewood, but was streamed worldwide via Amazon Prime, bringing the Los Angeles vibes, and Drake slander, to the globe.
Billed as The Pop Out: Ken & Friends Concert, the star-studded cameos did not disappoint. Tyler, The Creator, YG and even the good Dr. Dre were just several of his high-profile guests. And really, you knew you were in for a time when Kendrick started his set by performing “Euphoria,” which the crowd seemed to know word for word.
K. Dot hit fan favorites like “King Kunta” and “Be Alright,” but the guest artists that really got the crowd going were from his hometeam Black Hippy contingent that includes Jay Rock, who performed “Money Trees,” Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q, who performed “Collard Greens.”
But the best was saved for last, with Kendrick Lamar asking Dr. Dre (who performed “California Love”) to do him one last favor before he left the stage, and that was to kick off the DJ Mustard-produced, Drake diss track “Not Like Us.”
K-Dot proceeded to run back the song a smooth fives times (six if you count it playing when he finally left the stage_, with the crowd, and surely the home audience, too, rapping along bar for bar. As expected, the “A-mnor” line was a crowd favorite, with Kendrick simply letting the venue hold the moment the first time, and mimic Neo’s fame bullet-time motion from The Matrix the second time.
However, the truly epic moment was Kendrick inviting various rappers who repped different sets of Crips and Bloods, as well as NBA stars Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, onto the stage, “This sh*t making me emotional. we been f*cked up since Nipsey died,” said Kendrick. “We been f*cked up since Kobe died.”
If you know anything about LA gang culture, you know Kendrick pulling that off and keeping everything peace was major. The moment was captured in an epic photo and encapsulates the influence Kendrick Lamar has on culture.
Check out the reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Up show, that kept trending for hours after it conclusion, in the gallery.
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Welp, Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter album has been released into the wilds, and, like all things Beyoncé-related, it has the internet streets buzzing, and opinions are all over the place.
Some think Bey’s latest studio album is a musical masterpiece, others aren’t into it as much, and many are still figuring out how they feel about it by giving the 27-track country-themed album a second or third listen.
Then there’s Azealia Banks, who didn’t like it…or doesn’t like Beyoncé…or both…or whatever.
It seemed like the Act II album had just dropped on streaming platforms Friday (March 29), when Banks decided to slip into her usual salty, attention-starved, aggressively negative character and level of criticism at Cowboy Carter that, unsurprisingly, appeared to be more indicative of her contempt for the “Formation” singer herself more so than Bey’s new project.
From HipHopDX:
“Absolutely not,” she declared after joking that she might have to “eat her words” when it comes to previous criticism of Bey’s turn into the Country curve. “Themes r redundant. The lyrics really are forced. Album is too long… Plus who is this imaginary adversary sis thinks still wants to hump on [JAY-Z] in 2024?
“She’s gotta find new content. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY thinks he’s even remotely attractive …. LOL,” she added before finding positive things to say about the non-vocal aspects the album. “Great work from the band/producers/engineers. Cool and interesting work on the sonics. Might be her first sonically cool attempt at being arty…”
So, Banks, who claimed Cowboy Carter was so boring she “dozed off again” while listening to it, didn’t hate everything about the album. There were things she quite enjoyed, apparently—just nothing that she’s willing to attribute to Beyoncé’s talent.
And even though Beyoncé featured and brought increased attention to six Black country artists with her new album, Banks felt the feature list lacked too many of country music’s biggest names, such as Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves.
“I personally would have jumped out of my seat for a KT Tunstall appearance,” she continued. “A strong dr. Luke power ballad was missing … like ‘Low’.”
Listen: neither Beyoncé nor her art is above criticism, but sometimes the critiques come off more personal than objective, and considering Banks’ past comments about the “Daddy’s Lessons” artist, and the fact that she’s made her entire existence in the public eye about mean-spirited attacks on, well, pretty much everybody she speaks on (you’d almost completely forget AB is a talented recording artist herself), there’s just no reason to see her criticism any differently.
More from HipHopDX:
Azealia Banks’ review echoes sentiments she shared earlier this week, when she suggested that the former Destiny’s Child leader is trying to behave like a white woman.
“Sis, I live for Whiteyonce Donatella Bianca Bardot DOWN, but I’m kind of ashamed at how [you] switch from Baobab trees and Black Parade to this literal pick me stuff,” she began.
Azealia then suggested that Beyoncé went above and beyond for the Dixie Chicks (with whom she performed at the CMAs in 2016) because they were white women.
“Like u do lame stuff like bring out some blacklisted white women (Dixie Chicks) at the Country Music Awards. and they would never, ever do the same for you. Ur always sharing ur platform with white women, who are so jealous of you but have such a long history of sabotaging other black careers,” she wrote. “You’re reinforcing the false rhetoric that country music is a post-civil war art form.”
I mean, referring to Beyoncé as “Whiteyonce” is kind of rich coming from someone who vehemently defended bleaching her skin, but OK.
Anyway, the fine folks on X had some thoughts on Banks, and, as usual, most of them weren’t very flattering. Here are some of the replies.
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5. Some remembered that time Banks collaborated with and defended Dr. Luke, who was accused of rape.
6. But some were on AB’s side.
7. Most weren’t, though.
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So, what did y’all think about Cowboy Carter? Did Banks make any good points, or should she have just sat there and ate her bitter food? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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At some point, it needs to be acknowledged that the main reason the two-decade-old beef between Benzino and Eminem refuses to die is that Benzino refuses to stop talking about it.
It was just last month that the “Who Is Benzino?” rapper had a tearful emotional breakdown on the set of Drink Champs because he was supposedly tired of talking about his Caucasian rival, who he said he “don’t have a problem with” at the time. But then he was right back to trading jabs with Slim Shady soon after. Now, the 58-year-old is taking his beef with Em to the latter’s home city of Detroit and posting on Instagram photos and footage of himself at Em’s “Mom’s Spaghetti” Italian cuisine restaurant, where he bought bags of food just so he could tell his followers that the spaghetti was “horrible.”
“Mark this date. #Rapelvis Video soon come……oh the [spaghetti] was horrible,” Zino captioned a photo posted to IG that showed him flipping the bird at the logo of Em’s restaurant. Apparently, the former Mad Men member didn’t think there was anything counterintuitive about spending his money on food from Em’s eatery—which essentially puts it in the Music to be Murdered By rapper’s pocket—while giving the restaurant free advertising.
From Vibe:
Zino also uploaded various other clips from behind the scenes of his music video, showing him launching more disrespect at Em’s establishment. The former The Source owner is seen ordering bags of food from the spot. In another clip, he takes a bite from a pint-size spaghetti order before chucking it in disgust. Another clip features the 58-year-old Hip-Hop figure stealing one of the store’s signs.
Meanwhile, outside of an occasional diss track, Em appears to be far less invested in this beef than Zino is. So, you know, maybe it’s time to let it go, bruh.
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Last week, social media was buzzing after NewsNation “reported” that Pop/R&B sensation Bruno Mars had racked up more than $50 million in gambling debt at MGM casinos and that a large portion of that debt is being paid off with money Mars earned during his residency at Park MGM in Las Vegas.
After the news was reported, the interwebs were flooded with memes, gifs and everybody’s opinion on Mars’ apparent gambling addiction. Shannon Sharpe even started dishing about a story he heard about the “Talking to the Moon” singer losing nearly $2 million after a single night of gambling.
Well, it turns out that the Silk Sonic member may not be a victim of his own gambling impulses, but he might be a victim of bad journalism. According to MGM Resorts International, none of the rumors about Mars’ outstanding debt are true.
“We’re proud of our relationship with Bruno Mars, one of the world’s most thrilling and dynamic performers. From his shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM to the new Pinky Ring lounge at Bellagio, Bruno’s brand of entertainment attracts visitors from around the globe,” MGM said in a statement to People. “MGM and Bruno’s partnership is longstanding and rooted in mutual respect. Any speculation otherwise is completely false; he has no debt with MGM. Together, we are excited to continue creating unforgettable experiences for our guests.”
Since the company doesn’t have any discernable reason to lie about Mars not owing it money, it seems pretty safe to say this is yet another example of why folks can’t just believe every headline they read in their news feeds.
From People:
A source had claimed to NewsNation that MGM “basically owned” Mars after he allegedly racked up millions in gambling debt with the hospitality and entertainment company.
The outlet also claimed that Mars made $90 million a year from his residencies at MGM, but the singer was using a large amount of that to pay the company back.
“[He will] only make $1.5 million per night after taxes,” NewsNation claimed.
Mars’ began his partnership with MGM in 2016, leading to his Park MGM residency. This year, his Pinky Ring cocktail bar opened at MGM’s Bellagio Resort & Casino.
So, it sounds like Bruno Mars is doing fine, and there are some entertainment media outlets out there that really need to do better at checking their facts before rushing to put a juicy celebrity story out.
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It has only been a month since comedian Jess Hilarious announced that she was set to be the new host of The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne The God and DJ Envy, and drama between Jess and the hosts has already ensued. Note: Charlamagne disputed the claim that she was selected as a permanent host, but we’ll get to that in a second.
On Tuesday (Jan. 23), Jess shared a post by The Shade Room that showed Envy and Charlamagne elevating songstress SZA to the level of Mary J. Blige. Jess was having none of it.
“These N-ggas trash,” the Wild ‘N Out comedian wrote. “Envy shut up! I know artists be pissed when old heads do this bc now everybody negatively comparing SZA to MJB and it ain’t even her fault! She has her own identity already.”
It’s arguable that Hilarious isn’t wrong here. Calling SZA the new Mary is basically opening the door for trolls and die-hard MBJ fans to lash out and cause the “Kill Bill” singer to catch strays when she was just minding her own business and being great.
Still, it’s also arguable that Jess was being a little harsh when she called Charlamagne and Envy “trash” just for making the comparison. Perhaps her hostility towards the two Breakfast Club hosts has something to do with whatever happened with her joining the team.
From Hip Hop DX:
In late December, the former Wild N’Out star announced that she would be replacing Angela Yee on The Breakfast Club after more than a year of the morning show being just a two-man operation.
“It’s official,” she said during an event in her hometown. “I’ma put the fuck on for my city. Specifically, West Baltimore.”
However, these plans seem to have fallen apart.
Just last week, Charlamagne Tha God said he was “not happy” about the confusion surrounding the show, which has been without a third host since Yee departed in December 2022 to front her own syndicated program.
The Breakfast Club has had a number of rotating guest hosts including Claudia Jordan, Jess Hilarious, Jason Lee, and Loren LoRosa over the last year and a half, but they have yet to announce a permanent replacement.
When asked by TMZ about the situation, CTG said: “I would really like to know. I just came from downstairs. It was just me and Envy doing the show again.
“Everybody saw us rotating guest hosts last year and we said we were gonna start 2024 off with a new host and that hasn’t happened yet.”
He added: “I am done with the rotating of the guest hosts.”
Welp, now that Jess Hillarious has fired off on the show’s only two current hosts, chances of her ever becoming a Breakfast Club host—if it’s even something she wants anymore—have likely gone from slim to nill.
So, what do y’all think? Is Jess right about the comparison of SZA to Mary, or did Envy and The God have a fair point? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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It may appear that the LGBTQ community has made a lot of strides in recent years, but that doesn’t mean the threat of bigotry isn’t still present and a cause of concern for queer people. Recently, openly gay rapper Saucy Santana expressed fears about having a gay son in a world that still breeds and facilitates hate.
In fact, Santana said he would prefer that any son he has doesn’t turn out to be gay, not because he’s self-loathing at all, but because he knows too well the intolerance and outright bigotry that, in his experience, is virtually inescapable.
“I think for me—just being honest—I’m just worried about how to raise a kid and just me being gay,” he said during an interview with VH1’s For The Fellas, a preview of which was released Friday. “And I feel like if I have a son, I wouldn’t want my son to be gay. And not because nothing is wrong with it but because of everything I went through. I don’t look at it as self-hate because I love myself more than anybody.”
“I think that it’s just not easy,” he continued. “I want better and I don’t even know if better is the right word because it’s not saying…To me, nothing is wrong with being gay.”
As previously reported, the “Walk” rapper got into a beef that started online with DJ Akademiks, which resulted in the latter declaring that “everybody know I’m cool with the LGBT community,” just before launching into what just might be the most blatantly homophobic attack ever uttered by someone claiming to be “cool with the LGBT community.”
“No batty man like Saucy Santana could talk to me. I’ll spit in your face, n-gga,” Akademiks said. “Me and you couldn’t have a conversation. You’re a cocksucker. We don’t talk to n-ggas like you.”
“You need to go get right with God. Go look in that mirror and figure out what the fuck going on with yourself,” he added. “We ain’t indicting people who are homosexuals, but a n-gga like you, you got a mental illness, my boy. You trying to mix it up with a n-gga like me.”
Yeah—that certainly sounds like a homophobic indictment though.
Notably, Santana responded to Akademiks with a homophobic slur of his own, which could possibly have been part of his angry reaction to hateful words that should anger anyone who stands against bigotry. Later on, Akademiks took to social media to literally cry about how he’s “not tryna get canceled.”
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As for Santana’s VH1 interview, the full episode will premier on December 15.