The former Minneapolis police officer who was charged with the death of George Floyd has been released from prison on $1 million bail.
Derek Chauvin, who faces murder and manslaughter counts linked to Floyd’s death in May which sparked the summer Black Lives Matter protests across the world, walked out of the Oak Parks Heights prison on Wednesday, according to KMSP-TV.
Floyd was apprehended on America’s Memorial Day after he allegedly tried to pass off a counterfeit $20 bill.
Chauvin and the three other officers present, charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, were all fired after the incident.
Givēon is the latest addition to Apple Music’s “Up Next” program. The R&B singer-songwriter joins a list of “Up Next” alumni that includes H.E.R., Megan Thee Stallion, Summer Walker, and Don Toliver.
“This is my first time I truly spoke about my journey in detail so the fact that it’s with Apple is unbelievable,” expresses Givēon. “I never would’ve thought it would happen this way. This is a dream come true and it makes me extremely excited for the future.”
“Givēon’s unique baritone voice and his ability to craft relatable songs about love and heartbreak make it easy to get lost in his music,” says Nadeska. “On his second EP, When It’s All Said and Done, the Long Beach singer once again showcases his strength for storytelling by taking us through the emotional progression of a relationship gone wrong.”
In May, Givēon received international attention when he appeared on Drake’s “Chicago Freestyle” record off the Dark Lane Demo Tapes project. The song peaked at number 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100, giving Givēon his first entry on the chart. The California native also released the Take Time EP earlier this year.
Lecrae Devaughn Moore is a Grammy award-winning artist, co-owner of the independent label Reach Records, community activist, and Peace Preparatory Academy advisory board member. The 40-year-old artist/executive/philanthropist is also a New York Times bestselling author.
His first book, Unashamed, came out in 2016. Lecrae is on the verge of releasing I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith (Zondervan Books) on October 13. The forthcoming printed work covers how the Restoration album creator works through his personal trauma such as sexual abuse and substance abuse as he encourages readers to heal from their own despair, anxiety, doubt, depression, and fear.
The Houston native, Atlanta resident writes in I Am Restored:
Many celebrities, comedians, artists, politicians, and tastemakers have fallen to an inner turmoil and darkness that they can’t overcome. The greatest voices have lost their will to speak. The most competent moral representatives have failed to maintain the standard they set for others. The most joyful people have drowned in a pool of despair. In the end, regardless of our popularity and professional status, we are only human… No matter how successful we become, when the lights go off, we are forced to live with ourselves. Career achievement didn’t protect Heath Ledger from the pain. Money and fame didn’t insulate Robin Williams or Anthony Bourdain. It didn’t protect Kate S#### or Don Cornelius… I suppressed my feelings of anguish because I was convinced I wasn’t allowed to be vulnerable; or maybe it was because I convinced myself of lies that would soon unravel right in front of me… My soul was deeply disturbed. I slowly began to realize that I was facing something that I had failed to address with the right amount of fervor. I was dealing with trauma.
Yesterday (September 7), YouTube announced the platform is presenting a slate of new and returning projects dedicated to racial justice, elevating Black culture, and amplifying Black voices. The projects are part of the recently announced $100 million #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.
“YouTube is committed to spotlighting community-driven storytelling and the important issues that people of color and other marginalized communities face every day,” said Susanne Daniels, Global Head of Original Content for YouTube Originals. “Now more than ever, it’s essential that we develop, support, and elevate content that is created by and for the Black community.”
Over the next three years, the global #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund will be used to acquire and produce YouTube Originals programming. According to the company, the $100M endowment will directly support Black creators and artists as a way to help them thrive on YouTube.
Some of the new and returning YouTube Original programs supported by the fund include the “Kids & Families” series Onyx Family Dinner, the 12-episode criminal justice reform docuseries Resist, the Barbershop Medicine special, the Bear Witness, Take Action livestream, and the two-hour HBCU Homecoming 2020: Meet Me On The Yard celebration.
Meet Me On The Yard will stream live on October 24 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT. The event will help raise money for the United Negro College Fund and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of The South and Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 bands are expected to perform.
The showcase will also feature step performances as well as appearances from students, alumni, and YouTube creators. Plus, viewers will get to see inspirational video packages representing the legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Jesse Collins, Shawn Gee, Dionne Harmon, Brandon Pankey, and Chris Wagner are credited as executive producers of HBCU Homecoming 2020: Meet Me On The Yard.
“Race has never been an easy issue to confront but the events over the last few months have opened up doors of dialogue and action that had once seemed closed,” says Malik Ducard, YouTube’s Vice President, Content Partnerships. “Across YouTube, we have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to contribute to these conversations about racial justice in a meaningful way.”
Ducard continues, “Through our $100 million content fund and other initiatives, we are continuing the important work of amplifying Black voices, making YouTube a better place for Black creators, educating people on the diversity of the Black experience, and centering Black people as the messengers of their own stories.”
Other upcoming and returning YouTube Originals titles centered on content about the Black experience, Black visionaries, or racial justice were developed prior to the launch of YouTube’s Black Content Fund. Together We Rise, Trapped: Cash Bail in America, BookTube, The Outsiders, Glad You Asked, and Lockdown are presented on the video-sharing website.
It seems as if all the worldwide attention on last night’s vice presidential debate between Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic Senator Kamala Harris triggered West to return to “campaigning” for President of the United States. On Wednesday night, the G.O.O.D. Music label founder posted three tweets with links to kanye2020.country.
The website sells Kanye West 2020 merchandise such as hats ($40), hoodies ($80), t-shirts ($40), and other items. West also presents his 10-part presidential platform on the site which includes promoting freedom of religion, reducing student debt, justice reform, taking care of the economy, and support for creativity.
One of West’s late-night tweets featured a clip from the Pence/Harris debate with someone pretending to place a “Vote Kanye” and a “Kanye 2020 Vision” cap on the heads of the two politicians on the television screen. While Ye will likely make money off his merch sales, his Oval Office dreams are an extreme longshot of coming true in 2020 since the Chicago native has reportedly only qualified to make the ballot in 12 states. He currently has no mathematical chance of winning the 270 electoral votes needed to become president.
Meanwhile, the Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, is leading President Donald Trump by 9.7 points in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls. Fox News has Biden up by 10 points, CNBC has Biden up by 10, Reuters/Ipsos has Biden up by 12, Rasmussen Reports has Biden up 12, NBC has Biden up by 14, and CNN has Biden up by 16.
When it comes to the battleground states, the Biden-Harris campaign is also doing well at the moment. Biden has a 5.5 average poll lead in Wisconsin. Michigan is leaning towards Biden by 6.2 points. Pennsylvania is a 7-point lead for Biden. Florida is a 4.5-point lead for Biden. Arizona is close with Biden maintaining a 3-point margin. It is also a tight race in traditionally Republican states such as Texas, Georgia, Iowa, and Ohio.
Many viewers tuned in to last night’s vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris to hear the Veep candidates’ views on issues and policies. It appeared an Atlanta star’s first interest was Harris’s chosen hairstyle.
“I don’t like her hair, but other than that this is better than the last one but still sad,” wrote Lakeith Stanfield on his Instagram page. The “last one” refers to the universally panned President Donald Trump versus former Vice President Joe Biden debate from September 29.
The 29-year-old actor then faced some backlash for his comments about Senator Harris. One person wrote under his post, “No need to use your voice for her looks, you have a powerful voice, use it wisely.”
Stanfield responded, “I say what I want on my page. Where are all you warriors of power when I post about the things that I believe in and support? You won’t pressure me into speaking how YOU think I should speak.”
Another person commented, “Don’t speak on a woman’s looks [the f###].” Stanfield fired back, “What? Just because she’s a woman doesn’t mean I have to like her hair wtf.”
The IG exchanges were picked up by celebrity gossip blogs like The Shade Room and quickly spread across social media. Stanfield has since deleted his Instagram posts about Harris.
Megan Thee Stallion has been one of the most outspoken celebrities when it comes to seeking justice for Breonna Taylor and her surviving family. Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American EMT, was killed during a botch police raid in Louisville on March 13.
During her Saturday Night Live performance this past weekend, Megan called out Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron for how he handled the case of the cops that killed Taylor. Cameron responded by saying Meg’s “disparaging comments” about him were “disgusting.”
Last night, Megan flipped Cameron’s “disgusting” remark to use it against Vice President Mike Pence. During Wednesday’s vice presidential debate with Senator Kamala Harris, the VP was asked if justice was done in the Breonna Taylor case. Pence said, “I trust our justice system.”
Megan Thee Stallion took to Twitter to comment on Pence’s answer about Taylor. The “Savage” hitmaker tweeted, “Pence’s response to the question ‘did Breonna Taylor receive justice’ was disgusting #VicePresidentialDebate.”
Pence’s response to the question “did Breonna Taylor receive justice” was disgusting #VicePresidentialDebate
Three Louisville police officers served a no-knock warrant to Taylor’s apartment in connection to a drug investigation involving her ex-boyfriend. However, the suspect did not live with Taylor. Jamarcus Glover was already in custody at the time of the shooting. No drugs were found in Taylor’s home.
None of the cops were charged with murder. A grand jury convened by AG Cameron only indicted Brett Hankison on wanton endangerment charges for firing into the wall of Taylor’s Caucasian neighbors. Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove face no criminal charges. After first blaming the grand jurors for not voting for murder indictments, Cameron later admitted he did not even present a murder charge option to the grand jury.
In addition, it was later revealed that the police lied on an incident report by claiming that Taylor suffered no injuries and that no forced entry occurred that night. There were also over ten witnesses that claimed the officers did not identify themselves as law enforcement before breaking down Taylor’s door.
Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, also said he did not hear an announcement from the cops. Walker fired a warning shot at the entering police officers because he thought they were intruders. One officer was hit by a bullet, but a Kentucky State Police ballistics report does not support Cameron’s definitive assertion that Walker was the person who shot Mattingly in the thigh. The injury could have been the result of friendly fire from another officer.
Detroit rapper Trick Trick placed a bounty on the heads of whoever killed a 6-year-old boy named Tairaz Moore, in an execution-style murder on October 1 in a Warren, MI home’s basement.
The “Detroit Vs. Everybody” artist even called out Crip gang members — questioning their flag if they are not showing outrage at the despicable act against a civilian.
“And I got $6000 to whoever the fk can give me the information leading to the arrest and conviction of the motherker that killed that baby,” the no-nonsense influencer barked.
Next to the child was a 20-year-old woman who was linked to his father. She too was murdered the same way.
What does it mean to be killed execution-style?
Most people contend that an execution-style murder is when some shoots a conscious victim close range. That victim would also have been bound or under the physical control of the assailant, prohibiting them from escape.
Many organized groups of criminality use this technique to heighten a sense of fear in the hearts of their victims — but usually, there is a rule that gang members honor.
In the case of Tairaz, investigators believe it was intentional.
Trick Trick sent out a warning, “And all you so-called Crips out there … if you ain’t riding right now … trying figure out who killed that 6-year-old baby boy stop calling yourself a motherf**kin’ Crip in this city.”
“Cause Crip means community revolution in progress.”
He also affirms what Mason says in a post, “ALL STREET Code VIOLATION: ANY CRIMINAL ACT VIOLATING THE SAFETY OF ANY & ALL OF OUR CHILDREN, WOMEN & ELDERLY!! SUCH A VIOLATION SHOULD BE PUNISHABLE BY DEATH!!!”
Trick Trick shares the code of the street and what happens to those who violate it.
The boy’s father’s body was discovered on the East-side of Detroit, inside of a car set ablaze. There is no word on why any of this happened — but what is for sure is that Tairaz life was senselessly taken to prove a heartless point.
His poor mother thanks Trick Trick, who self-identifies as a Big Homie, for stepping up for her child.
Brittany Harris says that she believes that people with a little bit of information about the murder are just as responsible as those who pulled the trigger. The local law enforcement has stated that they will “get justice” and that they have 20 detectives on the investigation, looking for numerous suspects.
But the community has its money on the hometown hero, who has stepped up to support others in the past. Over the last few days, his Instagram has been petitioning the hood to step up, even mentioning that he will be putting more money into the pot to locate the murderers.
“If you’re not trying to help find out who the MF is responsible for killing the baby, then S### YO WANNA BE GANGSTA ASS UP!!!! ALL REAL G’z STRAP YA BOOTS UP!!! . IF WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW THESE ANIMALS TO KILL THESE BABIES THEN IT WILL BECOME NORMAL. & WHEN WILL YOUR CHILD BE NEXT??”
He posted, “LISTEN, DON’T SEND ME NO LINKS to ya lil album, mixtape, podcast, interviews, graphics, beats, production, fake ass rap battle, or S###, until the people responsible for this child being MURDERED are either DEAD or IN A MAX SEC. CELL!!! #CHILDRENareOFFLIMITS DEATH TO ALL CHILD KILLERS. #SAVEtheCHILDREN#PROTECTtheCHILDREN,” to which Uncle Snoop Dogg posted a blue heart and praying hands.
The Detroit native’s last posting (as of publishing) shows how responsible he feels for his community, actually dispelling the notion that gang members don’t care about their community and have a code of honor.
“Aye man, I DON’T GIVE A FUCC WHAT NAAAN N#### TALKIN ABOUT. ON NO APP!!! FOH. THESE BABIES AINT FINA BE THE LOSS “VICTIM” OF CODE!!! WHEN KILLING CHILDREN AND WOMEN IS A DIRECT CODE VIOLATION!!! CODE THESE NUTS N####!!! THESE BABIES!!! THEY AINT CRIPS OR BLOODS N#### THEY BABIES!!! And they OFF LIMITS!!! NO EXCEPTIONS.”
Despite what he told us before … Kanye West is not a billionaire. At least that is what newly filed documents submitted by the “Through the Wire” emcee’s campaign stated about his financial portfolio.
As a part of his presidential bid, the rapper-turned-politician had to disclose certain particulars about his income to the Federal Election Commission.
This is required by any candidate seeking office, especially those who want to become the chief executive. One of the revelations that the disclosure forms presented was that ‘Ye was worth only “hundreds of millions of dollars.” In the past, Yeezy has made much fanfare about his various enterprises that yielded him the most coveted title in all of rap music: Billionaire!
Not his deal with Adidas, Louis Vuitton, GAP (which he claimed was worth $5 billion over ten years), G.O.O.D. Music or any of his production has panned out to make him worth 8 figures.
Business Insider reported within these filings, he valued three of his companies at $50 million per entity. Combining his two lucrative sneaker ventures with Adidas and Nike, West reports that he has earned only $30 to $75 million.
The “Jesus is King” convert listed 29 different companies under his brand, stating that he has only received $5 million in income over 2019 from eight different entities.
WAIT WHAT??? SOMETHING DOESN’T SOUND RIGHT KANYE!
He also included some of his most recent “Ls” like the $100 million debt as a result of a few of his mortgages and bad business dealings. Ye also received millions of dollars in a PPP loan for COVID-19 related losses.
This all undermines the Spring press blitz, jumped off by Forbes Magazine, that said that West was the highest-paid musician of 2020 and also the highest-paid celebrity overall. The otherwise bankable platform said that Kanye was a billionaire and was worth about $1.6 billion.
During this time, Ye was upset claiming they were wrong because he was worth more like $3.3 billion, making him higher than Jay-Z and Dr. Dre (who we now know is only $800 million, but who’s counting).
‘It’s not a billion,’ Forbes says that he texted them. ‘It’s $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.’
It seems like forever, but it was only three months ago in July when Kanye announced his official candidacy. The Business Insider reports that his campaign has been self-funded and that he has spent almost $7 million on trying to get elected.
The publication also revealed the following expenditures made during his campaign run: $400,000 to get people to sign their John Hancock to get on the ballot in Kentucky and $80,000 for signatures to get on the ballot in Iowa.
These two (as are all of the other 10 states where he will appear on the ballot) are swing states — leading folk to believe he wants to pull votes from Joe Biden to better the chance for Donald Trump to swipe the all-important electoral votes in those spaces.
These are the questions that many New Yorkers are asking after hearing racist remarks about their First Lady from a Brooklyn City Council candidate. The bigoted politician called Chirlane McCray, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife a “retard woman” and a “coon.”
Tuesday night, Harold “Heshy” Tischler made the remarks regarding McCray while commenting on the possibility of her running for Brooklyn Borough President.
He was caught on tape saying to a group of Orthodox Jews, “If you think, Mrs. de Blasio, a retard woman, coon, whatever you are, you think you’re going to get elected to borough president — you will not be elected.”
Many consider this an act of race-baiting. His political peers took little time to respond in outrage.
PaulWall will forever go down in history as one of the legends in the rap game, putting Houston and its culture on the map any chance he can. Of course, you probably recognize the name from his viral hit with Nelly on “Grillz,” one of rap’s most nostalgic bangers to date. All those rappers you see today rocking diamond grillz? Paul and celebrity jeweler Johnny Dang did it first.
Beyond his own bangers, Paul has collaborated with all the elites. From his features on Mike Jones’ “Still Tippin’” to Kanye West’s “Drive Slow,” the rapper and entrepreneur continues to bring passion, bars, hard ass beats, and of course, the finest grillz in the game.
Now, he returns with his 12th studio album called SUBCULTURE, in conjunction with Red Bull Music. This year also serves as the 15-year anniversary for his classic studio debut, The People’s Champ, which included hit singles “Sittin’ Sidewayz” and “Girl.” Wall created the project at Red Bull Studios in Santa Monica, working and staying creative all day and all night long.
AllHipHop: How long have you had the beard going?
Paul Wall: I’ve been growing this since Thanksgiving of last year. We got into a car accident real bad, I was out of commission for a few weeks. I couldn’t go nowhere. My wife’s been trying to get me to grow a full beard. I said why not? Grew it out a little bit and stuck with it. COVID hit so I got plenty of time for it to grew. It got crazy for a while, it was out there.
AllHipHop: Do you like it?
Paul Wall: Yeah, because I don’t really have to do nothing. Don’t have to shave. My hair grows fast too, so I had to shave in the morning and at night.
AllHipHop: How’s it feel to have so many artists make it big out of H-Town?
Paul Wall: It feels great man! I’m the unofficial president of the Houston fanclub, always been a champion for all Houston artists. Growing up, there weren’t a lot of mainstream artists in Houston besides Geto Boys. Now, it’s an explosion of so many of them. Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Maxo Kream, Travis Scott, Sauce Walka, Beatking. So many people been around for a while so we got to see their introduction, first time on the scene.
Beatking’s been around for 10 years, he’s been coming out with music. All ratchet music, a lot of it is too nasty and too dirty to go mainstream. It’s surreal when I see or hear people say “hey, you heard this new artist Beatking?” New artist? That’s how it was when we came up, people from my generation all came from the underground. He came from a different underground, the stripclub. We came up in that too, but from the mixtapes. You make your mark and hustle on the underground, there’s different types of aspects, skills, progression. You get opportunities and you take it. He could do a show right now for an hour and every song would be a hit. A lot of his songs, people would say “I didn’t know that was him. That was him too?!”
AllHipHop: You guys have worked together too.
Paul Wall: We got multiple songs together on his project, my project, for the last 10 years. We have that type of community where we support one another. It’s somewhat competitive but at the end of the day, we all support each other.
AllHipHop: You always do back to school drives in Houston. How did you guys shift with COVID-19 restrictions?
Paul Wall: This year’s been different, we didn’t get to do that. We had a tablet drive where we had people mail in, drop off tablets. It was dope. I got multiple kids in my household so we got multiple tablets. Some people don’t have no tablets. The school district does provide a tablet and a hot spot, but there are limitations. The first week of school, the whole hub was crashing. My nieces are living with me. If you got two or three kids in the house, you gon’ pick and choose who goes to class that day? What if it’s a broken tablet? Or you have to get internet? We’re doing what we can because it’s all been affecting everybody in different ways.
AllHipHop: Your new album SUBCULTURE is out now, what inspires you to make music today?
Paul Wall: Just the love and the passion for it. When I fell in love with hip-hop, that style of music still gets me hype today. The Screwed Up style, they’re dropping bars on fire beats. Anytime I hear anybody with fire beats spitting bars, I’m hype. Sean Price is spitting, it’s gon’ have me hype. The Jacka, Husulah, it’s gon’ get me hype. These are more underground artists, it’s about dropping bars and beats. It’s not about catchy hooks, who got the best hairdo or the flyest clothes. You talk about it in your lyrics, doesn’t matter. What you look like, what you wearing, how many followers or likes you got, those things don’t matter at all unless you can translate that into a bar. You translate that into a bar, then it matters what you look like.
AllHipHop: You’re spitting that real on your new single, “Ice Man.”
Paul Wall: If I say I got all this ice on me in bars and I walk around with no ice, then it matters. If I’m not dropping the info in my bars, then these descriptive things are meaningless from my era, my subgenre of hip-hop which is the underground. We want the beats. We want the bars. A lot of people out there have fire beats, who are dropping bars. In and out of the mainstream, not just underground. Whoever’s doing it, wherever you at, usually the underground is really what gets me the hypest. When I see someone kicking a freestyle or doing whatever challenge over somebody else’s beat, they drop bars their own way, that gets me hype. I know a lot times it’s marketing to get their songs on but hey, whoever got the best verse I’ma give you a chain. I’ma put you on song. Sometimes it just be to get people to start some people doing it. I’m one of those people that be looking through the hashtags looking at people’s videos like they saying something right there. It’s what get my hype right there.
AllHipHop: What are your favorite grillz?
Paul Wall: Me personally, whatever’s new, I want to get. I got some pretty good teeth underneath. When there’s a new style, I’m definitely upgrading. I’ma update whatever the newest style is, change it up. I change my grill up all the time. Your watch or chain you got on right now, if you put that chain in a frappuccino, then dip it in soup, then dip it in lasagna, that’s really what you’re doing with your grill. Anytime you eat, smoke, do anything, it’s all affecting how your diamonds look, how the gold looks, the tarnish of it.
A lot of people do clean, but it’s something you have to do every single day. If you don’t, it starts looking like you haven’t cleaned the grill in days. A lot of people get the grillz, then don’t brush their teeth anymore. You still have to have proper hygiene no matter what you got going on. Me being somebody who likes to eat a lot of them foods, I’ma clean mine. I clean my teeth, to each his own. You might see me walking down with the permanents. If the Astros would’ve won last year, I was gon’ get them permanent. But they didn’t.
AllHipHop: That was the bet you made?
Paul Wall: Yeah, the grill gods didn’t have it in my timing then. They said “no, not yet.” [laughs]
Honestly, I had to look it up, I admit it! What does “super violated mean,” people? Jim Jones was caught on tape by the feds saying, “He not a gang member no more. He was never a gang member. They going to have to violate shorty because shorty is on some bulls**t.” I never took that as an order, which I believe is the reason Jim never caught any sort of case in the matter, to be honest. But many people in the streets felt differently. Either way, Jim is still working AND…I don’t exactly know what “super violated” means.
So, it just means to me, “we need to mess you up severely.” Mel Murda would eventually say he wanted to “super-duper violate” Tekashi. Mel Murda is doing football numbers now. Tekashi is still on the run. And Jim Jones is flourishing out here, but…popping off! He recently said on IG, “I can still get you super violated.”
Anyway, I am pretty clear what it is something I never want to be witness myself. I know Jim is growing a lot in the business world, but clearly has ties to the streets. AllHipHop did a recent call with him so look out for that interview. I don’t think that they talked about anything “super violated” related.
Back on August 28, Hip Hop recording artist and the host of Snapchat’s The Solution Committee Jaden Smith returned with CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3. The 17-track musical collection, which featured Justin Bieber and Raury, closed out with a song titled “Boys and Girls.”
Jaden got the chance to perform “Boys and Girls” on Tuesday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC. The four-minute set featured the 22-year-old musician appearing in front of a large screen that displayed images from the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter protests.
At one point the names of Black men and women who were killed by police officers, died in police custody, or slain by accused racist citizens were shown for the audience. Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Samuel DuBose, Freddie Gray, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, George Floyd, Jamar Clark, Trayvon Martin, Emmitt Till, Oscar Grant, and Breonna Taylor were among the people listed.
“We just want justice, are we really asking too much? We just want to change the world and spread our love,” sings Jaden in the bridge of “Boys and Girls.” He ended the Kimmel performance by raising his fist in the air and reminding viewers to vote in the upcoming general election on November 3.
When Megan Thee Stallion took the stage for the 46th season premiere of Saturday Night Live, the Houston-raised rapper decided to get political. Her “Savage” set included Meg playing an audio clip of social justice activist Tamika Mallory saying, “Daniel Cameron is no different than the sellout negroes that sold our people into slavery.”
Cameron, the Attorney General of Kentucky, is the state prosecutor in charge of the Breonna Taylor case. Taylor was the 26-year-old African-American EMT who was killed in her own home by three Louisville Metro Police Department officers serving a no-knock warrant. The suspect the cops were looking to arrest did not live at the location and was already in custody at the time of the shooting.
The botched raid and death of Taylor led to international protests calling for LMPD officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove to be charged with homicide. Cameron convened a grand jury to look into the case, but the Republican politician later admitted that he did not even offer murder charges as an option during the grand jury hearings.
Only one officer involved in the incident was charged with a crime that was not directly related to Taylor being killed. Hankison was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots into the wall of Taylor’s Caucasian neighbors. Benjamin Crump, the Taylor family attorney, is now demanding a special prosecutor be assigned to oversee the case.
During an interview with Fox News, Cameron defended his decision to only charge Hankison with wanton endangerment, a Class D felony which is the lowest of four classes of felonies. That charge has a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a minimum sentence of one year in prison. Hankison pled not guilty.
Cameron also reacted to Megan Thee Stallion’s SNL performance. The 34-year-old Donald Trump supporter started by stating that he agreed with Meg that Black women need to be protected. Cameron then went on to call out the performer for referring to him as a “sellout negro” on the NBC late-night program.
“The fact that someone would get on national television and make disparaging comments about me because I’m simply trying to do my job is disgusting,” said Cameron on Fox & Friends. He added, “At the end of the day, my responsibility is to provide facts and truth and represent and stand up for justice. I think what you saw there in that display is someone who instead wants to fashion facts to a narrative. That narrative is simply not true in this particular case with Ms. Taylor.”
At no point did Cameron point out what was untrue about the so-called “narrative” being presented by Megan Thee Stallion or other critics of how he handled the Taylor case. In contrast, the Kentucky AG has been accused of lying at least five times to the public when he insisted during a press conference that it was the grand jury’s choice to not indict the three officers for the death of Breonna Taylor. Cameron later admitted his office never presented any murder charges to the grand jury.
Antwan “Big Boi” Patton is not a stranger to on-screen productions. The legendary OutKast member starred in films like ATL and Superfly as well as television shows like Star and Creepshow.
Big Boi is now partnering with DCR Finance Corp and 850 Entertainment to produce the upcoming crime dramedy Government Records. The series will be shot entirely in Big Boi’s hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.
“I’ve teamed up with Chris DeBlasio at 850 Entertainment on a project called Government Records, it’s going to be big! Can’t wait to get things moving,” said Big Boi in a press release.
Government Records centers around two ATF agents that work with the Atlanta Police Department and the FBI to pose as music moguls in order to infiltrate the local Hip Hop scene. The investigation’s goal is to bring down a crime ring that is run by a 1990s-era recording artist named Sugar Key.
“I’ve been looking for a project that would both highlight the city of Atlanta and bring recurring work to the area,” said DeBlasio. “When the script first came to me it was actually being developed as a feature film, but the characters and material were so rich that I immediately decided that it needed to be a series, to fully cover the scope of the story.”
Some of the names that are being considered for roles on Government Records include DMX, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa, Doug E. Fresh, Grand Master Flash, Rob Base, Montell Jordan, and Treach from Naughty by Nature. Plus, Big Boi will appear on the show in the first season.
“It’s sort of an Empire meets Get Shorty hybrid,” says series creator and head writer Terron R. Parsons. “But, this story, although it does fit into the genres of other successful shows, is unique in the way that it brings the worlds of law enforcement, crime, and the music industry together – with the task force creating a music studio, building this undercover operation just to bring down one guy. It’s essentially a heist movie, except the federal agents are the ones pulling the job. I don’t think we’ve really seen anything from that perspective before on TV.”
DCR Finance Corp’s Adi Cohen and Jordi Rediu, Go Media’s Len Gibson and Wayne Overstreet, 850 Entertainment’s Chris DeBlasio, Jonathan Kelly, and Terron R. Parsons, and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton will all serve as executive producers for Government Records. Kristopher Drees is credited as a producer.
Trey Songz was one of the latest celebrities to announce that he has contracted COVID-19. Earlier this week, he shared his current coronavirus status with his 12.2 million Instagram followers.
The R&B vocalist returned to IG on Tuesday to post a tracklist for his next official body of work. Back Home will be a 22-track project that features Summer Walker, Ty Dolla $ign, Davido, and Swae Lee.
Songz has been promoting Back Home for several days on Instagram by uploading countdown posts. The Virginia-bred entertainer began prepping his fans for the release of his next album a week before it’s scheduled to hit DSPs on October 8.
“I wanna make the kind of R&B that inspired me to sing,” says Songz. “The songs that make you love, the ones that make [you] cry and the ones that make you smile, laugh, and dance.”
He continues, “Music is the soundtrack that plays while we live our lives, and I wanna be there for my fans while they are living through this truly special time that we’ll never forget. I say I’m ‘Back Home’ because the music feels that way. I hope you feel the same.”
Back Home will become part of a discography that also contains the #1 albums 2012’s Chapter V and 2014’s Trigga. Songz dropped his most recent studio LP, Tremaine the Album, in 2017. He also released several mixtapes.
The Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk is back for a new season. On this week’s edition, Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris invited Hip Hop legend/movie star Ice Cube on the program to talk about his “Contract With Black America.”
Cube explained how the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers inspired him to create a plan that would specifically affect African-Americans. Political commentator Van Jones and NFL Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall were also guests on the show. Willow Smith’s rumored boyfriend, Tyler Cole, was part of the panel as well.
The Red Table Talk discussion featured Ice Cube addressing education funding reform, anti-racism classes, closing the wealth gap, racial disparity in bank loans, Black banks, police reform, voting, and other topics. He called on both the government and the private sector to contribute to ending systemic racism in the country.
“They try to make us think America is a household that’s broke and we don’t have the money to get the new Jordans this year because we broke,” said Ice Cube. “That’s how they make us think, ‘We ain’t got enough money for y’all because we broke.’”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer added, “But America creates currency. It’s a currency creator. That’s why whenever there’s a war, they go ‘click-click-click’ and then the billions are there… The money is there to help the communities, we just got to push the politicians to do it.”
The partnership between the National Football League and Roc Nation has produced six public service announcements addressing police violence and systemic racism. The latest PSA covers O’Shae Terry, a 24-year-old man who was shot four times and killed in Arlington, Texas by a member of the Arlington Police Department.
“O’Shae was taken from us two years ago, and not a day goes by where I don’t think of him and his spirit. That day changed our life forever. My mother, a stroke survivor, still asks to see O’Shae every day, unaware he’s no longer with us. My children grieve on a daily basis,” says Sherley Woods, Terry’s mother. “As a family, we are devastated by not ever being able to see O’Shae again. No mother should have to experience the heartbreak of having their child murdered at the hands of the individuals tasked with the protection of others – yet too many mothers have. I am sincerely grateful to the NFL and Roc Nation for honoring my son and telling his story.”
She continues, “The officers that took him from us also took an oath to protect and serve – they shouldn’t be able to kill with impunity. They must be held accountable for their criminal acts, they must be prosecuted and sentenced – it is the humane and moral thing to do. Things must change, and I hope O’Shae’s legacy can serve as a beacon for that change.”
Woods also narrates the NFL/Roc Nation PSA. Terrence Harmon, who was a passenger in the vehicle as O’ Shae was shot, also appears in the video. The ad, which is part of the Inspire Change initiative, ran during the Monday Night Football game between the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers.
“Current and ongoing events have shown us that our country continues to face racial injustices. The goal of this and other NFL Inspire Change PSAs is to share the stories of victims and raise awareness of systemic racism. We hope that O’Shae’s story reminds us all that we must come together to create change,” states Anna Isaacson, Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility at the NFL.
Kim Kardashian explained how she had to change her husband Kanye West’s sweat-soaked bedsheets wearing gloves and a face shield as he battled COVID-19 back in March.
The reality TV star admits no one really knew what was wrong with the rapper until Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson tested positive for the coronavirus in Australia and shared their symptoms on social media.
“Kanye had it way at the beginning, when nobody really knew what was going on,” Kim tells Grazia magazine. “It was so scary and unknown. I had my four babies and no-one else in the house to help.
“I had to go and change his sheets and help him get out of bed when he wasn’t feeling good. It was a challenge because it was so unknown… (I was) changing his sheets with gloves and a face shield.”
The rapper’s symptoms included symptoms like “chills, shaking in the bed, taking hot showers, looking at videos telling me what I’m supposed to do to get over it.”
Earlier this week, Kanye West issued a prayer for his buddy President Donald Trump, who also recently fell ill with the coronavirus.
Despite going up against the President in November’s, U.S. election, Kanye took to Twitter to send his thoughts and prayers to Trump and his wife Melania.
“There’s a crying need for civility across the board,” Kanye wrote. “We need to and will come together in the name of Jesus. I’m praying for President Trump’s and Melania’s full recovery, just as I would for Joe and Jill Biden if they were stricken, as well as everyone else with COVID-19.”
Kanye’s message of support follows Sunday’s news that President Trump could be released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland as early as Monday.
Actress and mental health advocate Taraji P. Henson is set to host a new Facebook Watch series, focused on wellness.
The “Empire” star will front Peace of Mind with Taraji, a talk show she’ll co-host with Trace Jade Jenkins, the executive director of the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation.
Bosses at the organization work to reduce the stigma faced by members of the black community seeking mental health support.
Henson will sit down with celebrities, experts, and everyday people for the venture and offer support and resources to those struggling.
“I’ve long been a mental health advocate for the black community and created the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018 that has provided resources to thousands of people who are struggling,” said Henson. “I’m looking forward to bringing this new talk series to Facebook Watch, where I can continue to create conversation around an issue that is near and dear to my heart.”
Henson has previously opened up about her own battles with depression and anxiety. A premiere date has yet to be set.
