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Malcolm X, the civil rights leader who later transformed into a global activist, was assassinated in 1965 just as his messages for human rights began to resonate with the wider public. The family of Malcolm X has filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the United States government, alleging its involvement in his passing.
As reported late last week by ABC News, civil rights attorney Ben Crump was flanked by members of Malcolm X’s family and announced the $100 million lawsuit while addressing a media gathering in New York where the leader was gunned down.
According to Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X), said that the family and their legal team have uncovered damning evidence that connects the NYPD and FBI worked in concert to kill her father.
“We fought primarily for our mother, who was here,” Ms. Shabazz said referencing the late Betty Shabazz while speaking at the site of the former Audubon Ballroom. “My mother was pregnant when she came here to see her husband speak, someone who she just admired totally and to witness this horrific assassination of her husband.”
Crump added in his statements to the press that the lawsuit targets an alleged scheme from the authorities to keep the truth of X’s death under wraps. In the lawsuit, a witness by the name of Mustafa Hassan claims that when he and others tried to stop the individuals who carried out the assassination, NYPD officers intervened to allegedly help the suspects escape. Hassan was reportedly never questioned by investigators on the scene despite him giving an account of the incident.
Further, the family’s legal team says it has two affidavits from a pair of X’s bodyguards who claim they were jailed by an undercover NYPD officer one week before the slaying was carried out and were kept from X’s side to guarantee the job would be done.
The FBI and NYPD have declined to comment on the lawsuit according to the outlet.
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Jason Sudeikis won’t ever be confused with being a world-class rapper but that doesn’t mean he can’t get his bars off when the time calls for the act. At a recent fundraiser event, Jason Sudeikis rapped Chuck D’s verses from a popular Public Enemy track and was joined onstage by Flavor Flav.
As reported by TMZ Hip Hop, Jason Sudeikis hosted the annual THUNDERGONG charity concert event this past weekend and was captured onstage at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City taking to the stage with a band backing him. Sudeikis chose Public Enemy and Anthrax’s version of “Bring The Noise” and capably did well on the rapping portion of the track. Flavor Flav joined the Ted Lasso star onstage in his familiar hype man role, bringing necessary energy to the performance.
THUNDERGONG is the creation of Jason Sudeikis and Billy Brimblecom who founded the star-studded musical event to raise funds for the Steps of Faith organization which assists uninsured or underinsured amputees and provides care and prosthetics for those individuals. At this year’s THUNDERGONG, Ted Lasso actors Brendan Hunt and Cristo Fernández joined the festivities along with actor Will Forte, who performed a duet of Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go” with musical satirist Weird Al Yankovic.
Check out Jason Sudeikis and Flavor Flav rocking out below.
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Denzel Washington has enjoyed a storied career that transfers seamlessly between the big screen and the stage, and he appears to be looking toward the sunset. In a recent interview, Denzel Washington says that director Ryan Coogler is writing him a part for Black Panther 3 and has a clear idea of how he wants to head into his impending retirement from acting.
Denzel Washington, 69, sat down with the Australian show TODAY in support of the upcoming Gladiator II film starring the veteran actor and was joined on the program by costars Pedro Pascal and Connie Neilsen.
The chat opened up with the cast members praising Gladiator film series director Ridley Scott on creating a lavish set that called back to the mighty days of the Roman Empire.
When the conversation turned to delivering a sequel to the beloved original Gladiator film, Washington was asked if he felt any type of pressure in stepping into the massive franchise. In his typically cool fashion, Washington says he embraces this phase of his career especially as he eyes an end to appearing onscreen.
“For me it’s about the filmmakers. Especially at this point in my career, I am only interested in working with the best,” Washington shared. “I don’t know how many more films I’m going to make. It’s probably not that many. I want to do things I haven’t done.”
After stating that bombshell, Washington delivered another toward the end of the junket conversation.
“I played Othello at 22. I am about to play Othello at 70,” Washington added. “After that, I am playing Hannibal. After that, I’ve been talking to Steve McQueen about a film. After that, Ryan Coogler is writing a part for me in the next ‘Black Panther.’ After that, I’m going to do the film ‘Othello.’ After that, I’m going to do King Lear. After that, I’m going to retire.”
The news of Denzel Washington having a role in the upcoming Black Panther sequel had folks expressing excitement on the X social media platform. We’ve got reactions below.
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12. There is always one.
After nearly 24 years in the music industry as both a soloist and member of supergroup Swedish House Mafia, Steve Angello has seen it all — superstar collaborations, Billboard chart hits, and some of the biggest festival stages in the world — and he shows no signs of slowing down. The DJ-producer released his latest […]
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Raygun, a b-girl who competed for Australia at the inaugural breaking competition at this year’s Summer Olympics, turned heads during the event with some questionable dance moves and went viral in memes. Raygun announced during an interview with an Australian outlet that she is no longer going to compete in breaking and will retire.
Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, was a guest on The Jimmy & Nath Show and explained why she’s walking away from the sport of breaking after receiving negative commentary regarding her time in the competition. In so many words, Gunn says that her love of dancing led her to the world stage but that competing is no longer on the table for her after the backlash.
“I’m not going to compete anymore, no,” Gunn said earlier this week. “I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle.”
Away from breaking, Gunn is an educator for Macquarie University Faculty of Arts for its Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language, and Literature. Gunn famously penned her PhD thesis, “Deterritorializing gender in Sydney’s breakdancing scene: a B-girl’s experience of B-boying,” from her standpoint of becoming involved with breaking in her home country.
Raygun didn’t score one point during her time in the Summer Olympics breaking event, prompting many online to believe she was placed on the stage as a means to draw ratings or cause controversy. Gunn has since shot down the claim.
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Van Jones was one of several political commentators who took to the airwaves to deliver their thoughts about the results of Election Day, most especially the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. In his analysis, Van Jones was rendered emotional as he explained how a Trump presidency might not bode well for some, sparking some on X to take shots at the pundit.
Van Jones, 56, was on CNN after the results were largely confirmed and declaring Donald Trump the winner of the presidential race. Jones, speaking to the concerns of those who might feel vulnerable under Trump’s leadership, expressed what many Americans might be feeling and got choked up along the way.
“There are going to be people tomorrow who are going to be handing clothes at the dry cleaners to people who don’t have papers. There are going to be people who are going to be cleaning your teeth tomorrow who don’t have papers. And they are terrified tonight,” Jones said.
In regards to Black women, who largely rallied around Vice President Harris, Jones examined their emotional state.
“They thought tomorrow morning they were going to walk out with their shoulders back a little bit, maybe be able to breathe for the first time, and feel like they belong someplace. They did everything that they knew how to do, and it’s going to be harder than it should be tomorrow for them to hold their heads up, and they’re not the only people who are hurting tonight,” Jones continued.
Toward the end of his breakdown of the election, Jones, audibly choked up, said, “It’s people who woke up this morning with a dream and are going to bed with a nightmare.”
On X, Van Jones has become a target of critique over his emotional takes and today is no different. We’ve got those reactions listed below.
People woke up this morning with a big dream. They are going to wake up tomorrow in a nightmare. But we will find a way through. pic.twitter.com/uzR5DpYytk
— Van Jones (@VanJones68) November 6, 2024
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Lil Wayne has expressed his frustrations over not performing during the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show in 2025 and doubled down on the assertion that he was snubbed. During his annual Lil Weezyana Fest, Lil Wayne addressed the Super Bowl snub and said it was taken away from him.
Over the weekend, Lil Wayne was back in his native New Orleans for this year’s Lil Weezyana Fest and was alongside the entire Hot Boys collective for a reunion performance. Wayne was also honored by New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell with a proclamation declaring February 6 and 7 Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter Day. Tunechi was also honored with a key to the city.
During the festival, Wayne spoke on the elephant inside the room regarding Kendrick Lamar getting the halftime performance nod in New Orleans ahead of one of its biggest musical acts. He began his story by mentioning how he attended the Super Bowl in 2009 in Miami with his family and how the moment inspired him.
“That moment I said to myself, I wanna be on stage for the Super Bowl one day in front of my mom and I worked my a** off to get that position,” Wayne said. “It was ripped away from me but this motherf*ckin’ moment right here, they can’t take that from me.”
Lil Wayne addressed the snub back in September by way of a video he posted on social media, stating that being passed over for the slot “hurt” him.
Lil Wayne talks about not getting picked to perform the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans. He says it felt like it was “ripped away” from him but no one can take away this night.
I’m so glad he got to feel the love from his city. pic.twitter.com/c0fkgkD8f2
— Farrah Yvette (@farrah_yvette) November 3, 2024
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Ever since Snoop Dogg took over Death Row Records, Tha Doggfather has been hard at work bringing some OG’s back to the scene to get that old school West Coast vibe back in the game and continues to do so with some of his day-one ridaz.
Linking up with Tha Eastsidaz for the visuals to “Still Easty,” Snoop Dogg and company ride through the streets of Cali to play some bones, pick up some adult juice and get some smoke before playing some high stakes poker for a gang of cash.
Lupe Fiasco meanwhile seems to be on his serenity ish and in his clip to “Palaces” the Chicago rapper politics on the beach side while getting deep with his bars while enjoying some of nature’s beauty.
Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Sauce Walka, Sleepy Hallow, and more.
SNOOP DOGG & THA EASTSIDAZ – “STILL EASTY”
LUPE FIASCO – “PALACES”
SAUCE WALKA – “HEATH LEDGER”
SLEEPY HALLOW – “MMM”
KEVIN GATES – “RENEWED AMBITION”
DIAMOND D FT. INSPECTAH DECK & SHYHIEM – “LAY ME DOWN”
YOUNG CHRIS & OHDATSRIDA – “SOLITARY”
CHINGLATO & PEEDI CRAKK – “THE LAST LAUGHTER”
MASICKA – “WHO FI STOP WE”
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Will Ferrell has ramped up his support for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in its final hours by filming an ad and doing a street comedy sketch.
The presidential election campaign season is coming to a close, and comedian Will Ferrell has been putting huge effort into his support for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Last week, he teamed up with fellow comedian Billy Eichner to revive Eichner’s beloved video series with a special episode entitled Billy on The Street with Will Ferrell: Loud White Men For Kamala Harris.
The three-minute commercial shows Eichner and Ferrell on the streets of New York City encountering pedestrians and loudly compelling them to vote for Harris and her running mate Tim Walz and, per a statement from Eicnher’s publicist, “do everything we possibly can to protect Americans from Donald Trump in these crucial final days of Early Voting and exactly one week before Election Day.” The video was a hit online, earning over 12 million views just 24 hours after it premiered on the Bros actor’s social media profiles. It was the latest episode in a series that ran online for two years, raising Eichner’s profile in the comedy world.
Ferrell also starred in an ad specifically for the Harris-Walz campaign where he implores undecided voters – particularly one named Gary who he addresses in a comically menacing fashion. ‘This election is going to be one of the closest in history, your vote will make the difference – that means you Gary…,’ he begins, looking directly into the camera. “Oh, blah, blah, blah, I’m just one person – no, shut the f—k up Gary.” The ad continues with somber music as the Talladega Nights star underscores how close the victory was for President Joe Biden in 2020: ‘Last time only a few thousand votes kept Trump out of office and this time we will hold you personally responsible,’ before closing out imploring “Gary” to go out and vote.
The ads come as numerous celebrities have thrown their weight behind Vice President Harris’ campaign in the past weeks and days, with Cardi B and Alicia Keys joining her for campaign rallies in Wisconsin over the past weekend and famed actor Robert DeNiro was spotted engaging potential voters at the tailgate for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday (November 3).
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Last Week Tonight With John Oliver concluded its Sunday (November 3) broadcast by reminding viewers that it was the show’s final episode ahead of Election Day this coming Tuesday. In an impassioned and tearful plea, John Oliver urged the public to get out and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris citing the presidential hopeful’s policy plans.
John Oliver, who has been vocally critical of Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, began his closing monologue Last Week Tonight mentioning how the race is currently too close to call despite the recent Madison Square Garden rally where racist comments and jokes were delivered along with gaffes made by Trump while on the campaign trail.
While much of the monologue was a takedown of the Trump-Vance campaign from a comical angle, Oliver did illustrate how a Trump-Vance administration would put into power individuals such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who would oversee health policies according to Trump despite his controversial takes.
Oliver was clear in noting that the race is close as it is due to Harris herself and the connections to President Joe Biden, the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine, and the culture wars here in the States. However, the host said that despite this, he is casting a vote for Kamala Harris in hopes that if she wins, the next four years can bring about effective change.
Check out the monologue from John Oliver below.
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