(AllHipHop News) The legal drama Just Mercy hits select theaters on December 25 and then goes wide on January 10, 2020. After screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Jamie Foxx is already garnering praise for his portrayal of real-life wrongly imprisoned African-American Walter McMillian.
Foxx’s turn in Just Mercy earned the Hollywood veteran a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. He is competing against Tom Hanks (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Al Pacino (The Irishman), Joe Pesci (The Irishman), and Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).
“I am humbled to be in the company of the other legends in this category. I am so grateful for this recognition from my peers in the SAG community,” says Foxx. “Just Mercy is one of the most life-fulfilling films I have had the pleasure to work on.”
Additionally, Michael B. Jordan stars in Just Mercy as lawyer/social justice activist Bryan Stevenson. The cast also features Brie Larson, Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Karan Kendrick. Hawaiian filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12, The Glass Castle) directed the movie from Warner Bros. Pictures.
“I am indebted to Michael B. Jordan, our director, Destin Daniel Cretton, Warner Bros., our producer, Gil Netter, and the entire creative team. And of course – Bryan Stevenson who is our hero – fighting for justice every single day,” adds Foxx.
Jamie Foxx won the SAG Award in 2005 for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture for Ray. The comedian/musician’s performance in the Ray Charles biographical film also led to a Best Actor Academy Award victory that same year.
(AllHipHop Rumors) Looks like two-time world boxing champion Gervanta Davis is ready to put his name back in the blogs. This time, for possibly dating his fellow boxing “homeboy” Floyd Mayweather’s ex boo. Yaya.
Yaya and Davis were spotted together the other night locking arms. But it looks like Yaya should have been holding his left arm instead of his right because the boxing champ tried to smack a phone out of a fan’s hand.
Anyways, we all know Mayweather has many girls, well at least he did in the past, and Yaya didn’t have a problem with it. As long as the money is right I guess it’s fine. Insert shrugging emoji.
Not sure if Mayweather is going to have a problem with his homie dating one of his exes. Probably not. I mean, he does have a plethora of choices. Only time will tell, I guess.
(AllHipHop News) After Malcolm McCormick passed away in 2018, The Pittsburgh Foundation honored the rapper’s legacy by establishing theMac Miller Fund. Teenagers and young adults at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA will benefit from a $100,000 endowment from the organization.
The Mac Miller Fund is providing operating capital for The YMCA Lighthouse Project and for apprenticeships at Tuff Sound. Managers of the programs will host an open house on December 17 from 4 pm to 6 pm.
Thanks to the grant, the Tuff Sound Apprenticeship Program has funding for three years which will serve about 30 young people between 2020 and 2023. Recruitment for the next class in the spring begins on December 17.
“These programs give young people a voice and empower them, through technical and transferable skills, for life after high school,” says James Brown, director of Creative Youth Development at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA.
Brown adds, “There is a lot of emphasis [in the music business] on who is standing on the stage, but to build an industry, you also need people behind the scenes. We’re helping to grow the music industry in Pittsburgh by making sure young people of color from neighborhoods like Homewood are involved.”
The Mac Miller Fund has raised close to $1 million as a result of proceeds from the “Mac Miller: A Celebration of Life” concert and donations from the public. McCormick’s family states, “[Mac Miller] cared very much about working to make the world a kinder place and we will continue to do just that.”
(AllHipHop News) The family, friends, and fans of Jarad “Juice WRLD” Higgins are still mourning the Chicago-bred music artist. Juice WRLD passed away in Illinois on December 8 from an apparent drug overdose.
The two days following Juice’s death saw streams of the rapper’s songs jump 453% as compared to the two previous days (25 million streams). He collected 115 million on-demand audio and video streams on December 8 and 9.
This week, “Lucid Dreams” rose to #1 on both the U.S. Spotify and the U.S. Apple Music charts. “Lucid Dreams” amassed 18 million of Juice’s 115 million two-day streams. “Bandit” with YoungBoy Never Broke Again and “Legends” each totaled 13 million streams during that period.
(AllHipHop News) After making cameos as an actor in the TV shows Atlanta and Black-ish, Quavious “Quavo” Marshall is now making motion pictures. The Migos hitmaker let his 2.5 million Twitter followers know that he has produced a movie.
“Wow Jus WATCH MY FIRST HORROR FILM I PRODUCED. The Resort Coming Soon. thanks @willmeldman,” tweeted Quavo. Will Meldman is the founder and CEO of Double Down Pictures.
Quavo’s move into the film industry comes after he partnered with Marginal Mediaworks, Imagine Entertainment, Quality Control Music, and Motown to develop a new children’s animated series. That forthcoming program is inspired by the rapper’s hometown of Atlanta.
Bruh, so get this. Imagine being on Instagram and all of a sudden one of your favorite rappers posts to his story claiming he just been shot in his head and his back.
You’re freaking the f*ck out thinking, “he really needs to get to a hospital” only to find out it was all staged for a music video! Y
Yeah I’m rolling my eyes too.
This is exactly what Dallas rapper Mo3 did to fans when he had the audacity to post a video of him with blood all over his white t-shirt and coming from his mouth.
Apparently, this was all for an upcoming music video for, “Why?”
I’m sorry, but this is too much. People take doing it for the likes and views a little too far sometimes.
Using violence to spark attention for a music video is by far the worst an artist can do. I get it. You gotta push your music, but using gun violence to market yourself isn’t the answer. Artists need to learn better ways to put themselves out there.
Will y’all be listening to Mo3’s music or did he take it too far?
(AllHipHop News) It has been a memorable seven days for Roddy Ricch. He released his debut studio album, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial, on December 6 and the project is on pace to open at #1.
Ricch also became the latest rap star to take part in Audiomack’s Trap Symphony concertseries. The 21-year-old West Coaster performed “Intro,” “Start Wit Me,” and “Ballin'” in Los Angeles with an eight-piece orchestra.
While Please Excuse Me includes features from Gunna, Lil Durk, Meek Mill, Mustard, Ty Dolla $ign, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Roddy hit the Peppermint Clubwithout any guests. A select crowd of fans and journalists were in attendance to watch hisset.
Roddy Ricch’s Trap Symphony follows previous performances by Migos, Chief Keef, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Rich The Kid, Trippie Redd, and Burna Boy. The Atlantic recording artist is taking his show on the road with “The Anti Social Tour” beginning December 28 in LA.
(AllHipHop News) Jarad “Juice WRLD” Higgins, 21, passed away in Illinois on December 8. Despite multiple reports of a potential drug overdose, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has been unable to establish an official cause of death after an autopsy.
Many Hip Hop artists have expressed their condolences for Juice WRLD’s death over the last several days. The Goodbye & Good Riddance album creator’s family has now released a statement to TMZ.
“We loved Jarad with all of our hearts and cannot believe our time with him has been cut short. As he often addressed in his music and to his fans, Jarad battled with prescription drug dependency,” stated Higgins’ family.
They added, “Addiction knows no boundaries and its impact goes way beyond the person fighting it. Jarad was a son, brother, grandson, friend and so much more to so many people who wanted more than anything to see him defeat addiction.”
Juice WRLD’s relatives also expressed hope that the conversations the rapper started in his music will help other people win their battles with addiction. They concluded, “We know that Jarad’s legacy of love, joy and emotional honesty will live on.”
(AllHipHop News) Cardi B.’s new security guard Price turned heads as he strolled into a courtroom with the rap star, but it’s her old bodyguard who may pay a steep cost for dealing crack.
The Feds say Bush is a kingpin who sold drugs to an undercover cop probing the gang’s activities in a long-term investigation.
The government recently presented their evidence against Bush that was collected during a sting operation.
Undercover cops say they have photos and text messages incriminating Bush, but most damningly, agents say they bought drugs from Cardi’s old security guard on April 18th, May 1st, May 21st, June 4th, June 20th, and July 26th.
A judge is holding Jeffrey Bush without bail due to his connections to the 5-9 Brims and Cardi B., which makes him a flight risk.
Sources told AllHipHop.com Bush may try and negotiate a plea deal. His next hearing is slated for February 7th, 2020.
(AllHipHop News) Tekashi 6ix9ine’s lawyer just presented a letter to the judge preparing to punish the rapper for a variety of crimes he committed with the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
6ix9ine’s submitted a letter Judge Paul Engelmayer describing why 6ix9ine deserves way less than the 47 years he was facing after taking a plea deal over his role in a racketeering conspiracy with the gang.
“I find it difficult to find the right words to express what my life has been like for the last year. It honestly feels like my world is crashing down. There is no excuse, no justification and no apology good enough in the world to explain my crimes,” Tekashi 6ix9ine wrote. “While I have been incarcerated, I have had time to reflect on the recklessness and foolishness of my decisions. I wake up every morning asking myself was it worth it? I know my life will never be the same but hopefully this change will be for the better because beyond all of this, I still consider myself a role model to millions of people as an artist, a celebrity and as a human being.”
A dozen members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods were rounded up in November of 2018, for dealing drugs, assaulting 6ix9ine’s rivals and trying to kill each other.
The Brooklyn rapper, born Daniel Hernandez, started working with the Feds the same day he was arrested, on November 18th, 2018.
“Mr. Hernandez’s desire to break out of poverty and provide for his family and young daughter clouded his judgment in his quest for fame. As a result, he joined the gang without fully appreciating the consequences of this decision,” Tekashi 6ix9ine’s lawyer Lance Lazzaro wrote. “Within a one-year time span, he became surrounded by older seasoned gang members who did not have his best interest at heart. This decision of joining Nine Trey led to his rise and ultimately to his downfall.”
“I knew from previous incidents that the gang would retaliate against me for denouncing them in public. Prior to my arrest, I was kidnapped by members of the gang, became aware of the fact that the mother of my child was having sexual relations with one of my co-defendants and that they were stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from me,” Tekashi 6ix9ine complained. “I had a feeling of relief when I was arrested by the government because I felt stuck, like the gang had control of my life and that I would never be able to escape their grip. I needed to do something before it was too late.”
“Mr. Hernandez also provided extremely valuable assistance in interpreting text messages, social media posts, and telephone calls which are often difficult to decipher as a result of coded gang lingo and confusing conversations between co-conspirators,” according to Lazzaro. “Mr. Hernandez explained thousands of pages of text messages. He reviewed countless recorded phone calls and video surveillance in order to critically identify individuals and their roles in various criminal activities.”
The rapper’s cooperation with the Feds didn’t end with their investigation into the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, either since he’s also helping with other active investigations.
“Mr. Hernandez’s assistance even led to investigations involving additional agencies in other jurisdictions.” Lance Lazzaro wrote.
Tekashi 6ix9ine is slated to be sentenced on December 18, 2019, at 10:00 AM.
(AllHipHop News) Rap veterans Salt-N-Pepa have lost their longtime tour manager following a “difference in views.”
Tommaso Giuseppe had been in charge of masterminding the “Push It” hitmakers’ live shows for years, but he reveals they recently parted ways.
“I have worked really hard for the brand during my time working with Salt-N-Pepa…,” he explained in a statement issued to the New York Post’s Page Six.
“At the time of my decision, the team and I had a difference in views and therefore, we have determined it is mutually beneficial that I pursue other projects. I was allowed to relinquish my duties with the group.”
“We had a lot of fun and great memories together,” he added. “Regardless of my decision to leave, I will always cherish them.”
The hip-hop stars, comprised of Cheryl ‘Salt’ James and Sandra ‘Pepa’ Denton, have yet to comment on the professional split.
“How can I say it?” the “Bodak Yellow” star, 27, considered. “Things are a little bit harder to balance, but it’s good for the mental. Like, if I’m playing with my daughter, I forget about the issues.”
“When I’m there by myself, a lot of thoughts go to my head, and when the thoughts go to my head, it just overwhelms me, and it puts me down, and it puts me on social media, and that drives me insane,” the Kream hitmaker shared. “So I just like to be where there’s a lot of people so I won’t be watching my phone.”
Although Cardi acknowledged that “social media really made me,” landing her a starring slot on reality TV series “Love & Hip Hop: New York” and ultimately leading to her being recognized for her voice, she added: “That’s how I got discovered… But now social media makes everything hard.”
(AllHipHop News) John Legend is furious over the backlash to his altered version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” as he believes it’s part of an attempt to discredit the #MeToo movement.
The “Ordinary People” hitmaker teamed up with Kelly Clarkson for the revamp of Frank Loesser’s iconic holiday track – about a guy trying to convince his date to spend the night with him – but changed the lyrics to remove hints of coercion that have caused controversy in recent years.
John was denounced by Dean Martin’s daughter, whose dad famously recorded the song.
John doesn’t understand as he says his new version was a bit of festive fun.
“The song was supposed to be silly!” he tells The Guardian. “It wasn’t supposed to be preachy at all. I never disparaged the old version. And, by the way, the original writer, or his family, gets paid for my version, too.”
The socially conscious singer blames the media storm over his new song on those looking to discredit #MeToo activists’ attempts to end sexual harassment in the wake of the scandal surrounding movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, and accusations against America’s President Donald Trump.
“It’s interesting,” he adds. “this whole backlash to the #MeToo movement. People thinking we’ve gone too far speaking up for a woman’s right to not get raped or sexually harassed when some would argue we’ve not gone far enough when we have an admitted sexual assailant in the highest office in the land.
“People think that because some people have lost their jobs, or have been expelled from Hollywood, like Weinstein, that we’ve gone too far. I don’t agree. But people wanted the ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ war to be a proxy war for all that.”
In the original version, the woman asks the man, “What’s in this drink?” prompting some to suggest he may have added something to her cocktail, but the lyric is absent from the reboot and John instead sings it’s his date’s “choice.”
Speaking to the January issue of Vogue U.S., however, Cardi confessed she tuned in to her faith to help the couple through the rough patch.
“Everybody on social media acts like relationships is perfect,” she said. “(But) everybody has issues. I believe in forgiveness. I prayed on it. Me and my husband, we prayed on it. We had priests come to us. And we just came to an understanding like, bro, it’s really us against the world.”
Reflecting on her decision to stand by the “Red Room” star, she added, “people were so mad at me; a lot of women felt disappointed in me,” but explained: “If you love somebody and you stop being with them, and you’re depressed and social media is telling you not to talk to that person because he cheated, you’re not really happy on the inside until you have the conversation.”
Fame Enterprises alleges the pair sampled large portions of a song called “I Can’t Do Without You” by George Jackson.
The problem is, they never bothered to ask for permission from Fame, which is a storied R&B imprint based in Alabama.
During the 60s and 70s, artists like Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, and many other famous artists passed through Fame’s legendary studio.
In the latest round of legal filings, attorney Rick Hall says Kanye and Pusha T’s actions were equivalent to an armed robbery.
“It is no different than if Defendants came into Plaintiff’s studio in Alabama and stole Plaintiff’s equipment,” Fame’s lawyer Rick Hall said in a new filing.
In October, Kanye and Pusha’s lawyers attempted to move the case from being heard in an Alabama Court, arguing: “To establish general jurisdiction, Defendants’ affiliations with Alabama must be “so continuous and systematic as to render [them] essentially at home” in Alabama.
Fame’s lawyer sees things differently and wants the case to be tried in Alabama, where the company conducts business, and where the original recording of “I Can’t Do Without You” was created.
“They wrongfully stole the Plaintiff’s intellectual property that was created and located in Alabama and owned by an Alabama resident,” Fame’s lawyer Rick Hall argued. “They then used that property to create a product that was sold to others for a profit across the country, including in Alabama.”
In a new interview with Elle U.K. magazine for its January 2020 issue, the star confessed the “painful” experience made her learn “to mother myself before I could be a mother to someone else.”
“I began to search for deeper meaning when life began to teach me lessons I didn’t know I needed. Success looks different to me now,” she explained during an Ask Me Anything with fans via social media when asked how she measures success now. “Then I had Blue, and the quest for my purpose became so much deeper. I died and was reborn in my relationship, and the quest for self became even stronger.”
The “Formation” star, who is nominated for the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture prize at the 2020 Golden Globes for her track “Spirit” from “The Lion King,” added: “It’s difficult for me to go backwards.
“Being number one was no longer my priority. My true win is creating art and a legacy that will live far beyond me. That’s fulfilling,” Beyonce said.
Beyonce and Jay also welcomed twins Rumi and Sir in 2017 and, when asked how she feels about people commenting on her appearance, the diva admitted, “children and maturity have taught me to value myself beyond my physical appearance and really understand that I am more than enough no matter what stage I’m at in life.
“Giving zero f##ks is the most liberating place to be. Also knowing true beauty is something you cannot see,” she mused, adding, “I wish more people focused on discovering the beauty within themselves rather than critiquing other folks’ grills.”
The January issue of Elle U.K. is on sale December 12th, 2019.
(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop star Lizzo is hitting back at her haters after baring her backside in a revealing dress at a recent Los Angeles Lakers basketball game.
She was honored by the Lakers cheerleaders as they performed a dance routine to her smash hit “Juice,” and Lizzo celebrated the tribute by dancing along, before bending over to show off her provocative outfit for the cameras.
Her daring moves split opinion on social media as fans praised the star for her energy and self-confidence, while others insisted Lizzo should cover up in public.
The criticism prompted the musician to take to Instagram late on Monday to address her detractors, making it clear she couldn’t care less about their opinions.
“Who I am, and the essence of me and the things I choose to do as a grown a## woman, can inspire you to do the same,” she defiantly posted.
“You don’t have to be like me. You need to be like you. And never ever let somebody stop you or shame you from being yourself. This is who I’ve always been. Now everyone’s lookin’ at it, and your criticism can just remain your criticism. Your criticism has no effect on me. Negative criticism has no stake in my life.”
She continued, “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been… I’m surrounded by love, and I just wanna spread that love – and also spread these cheeks. And if you really, really don’t like my a##, you can kiss it.”
Lizzo went on to hail Rihanna as her “inspiration” by sharing video footage of the Bajan beauty dancing in a sheer gown on Twitter.
