Bianca Censori turned a Beverly Hills doctor’s visit into a spectacle after she peeled off her spandex shorts and used them to block paparazzi cameras as a parking officer issued her a citation.
The move left her in a brown off-the-shoulder thong bodysuit, sheer tights and black winter boots as she stood next to her car while the ticket was processed.
The parking enforcement officer snapped a photo of her license plate before placing the citation on the vehicle. Censori, 30, kept her face covered with the makeshift mask while remaining close to the scene.
The incident adds to a string of eye-catching public appearances by Censori, whose wardrobe choices have increasingly drawn headlines. In November, she was seen at Melbourne Airport in a black thong bodysuit with tights and heels, followed days later by a look featuring gold tights and high-waisted underwear.
During her trip to Australia last month, she stepped out in a sheer pink bodystocking and a satin purple bra, continuing her streak of bold fashion statements.
According to a report from the US Sun_,_ Censori’s public image may be part of a calculated plan. One insider claimed West paid her $100,000 to wear a transparent dress to the Grammys in February. That deal reportedly extended to other appearances, including a candy-themed lingerie ensemble in June.
Censori married the rapper behind “Flashing Lights” in a private ceremony in December 2022.
Imagine standing for hours, waiting. You just know that at the end of this rainbow is an epic rap battle that’s been hyped for weeks. The combatants have trashed each other relentlessly, back and forth across social media. The buildup is insane — you’re convinced you’re about to witness history. And then, right when the moment finally comes, it all falls apart right in front of your face after all that waiting… and all that money spent.
Well, that’s exactly what happened. Cassidy and Eazy the Block Captain attempted to have their long-anticipated battle, but the tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. They couldn’t even make it past Round 2. Standing inches from each other, neither one could control themselves enough to actually rap. The intensity boiled over, and the whole thing collapsed — battle abandoned, night ruined.
I don’t know if people got their money back or if the rappers still got paid for their time and energy, but they did not get the job done. It looked like there were a thousand people on stage and I didn’t see a lick of security anywhere. Multiple camera angles are circulating, and from what I’ve seen, it looks like pure chaos. Honestly, I’m glad I didn’t go — and I was seriously considering it. Check out some of the footage below to see the madness that went down on December 6, 2025.
And just to be clear, I expected way more professionalism from these two bona fide battle champs and supposed torch-carriers of the culture. For them to melt down like this? They’re absolutely going to have to rethink how they approach these events. This is not a good look for the “sport” of battle rap.
Diddy is under fire in a new Netflix documentary, but it’s his mother who’s pushing back hard against what she calls a smear campaign involving 50 Cent, false abuse claims and a decades-old tragedy.
Janice Combs, the 83-year-old mother of the embattled Hip-Hop mogul, issued a sharp rebuke of Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which premiered on December 2 on Netflix.
In a statement to Deadline, she said the film contains “inaccuracies regarding my son Sean’s upbringing and family life” and accused the producers of trying “to mislead viewers and further harm our reputation.”
Janice called that claim “inaccurate and patently false.”
“The allegations stated by Mr. Kirk Burrows that my son slapped me while we were conversing after the tragic City College events on December 28, 1991, are inaccurate and patently false,” she said. “That was a very sad day for all of us.”
She also took aim at the documentary’s executive producer, 50 Cent, accusing him of using Burrows and the tragedy to push a personal agenda.
“For him to use this tragedy and incorporate fake narratives to further his prior failed and current attempt to gain what was never his, Bad Boy Records, is wrong, outrageous and past offensive,” she stated.
Diddy’s legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to Netflix on December 1, calling the series a “hit piece” and labeling Jackson’s involvement as “corporate retaliation.”
Janice Combs, who reportedly attended nearly every day of her son’s two-month trial in Manhattan this summer, said the documentary’s tone and content were designed to provoke rather than inform.
She accused the streaming giant of going “salacious to promote the series.”
Diddy is currently incarcerated at Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he is serving a 50-month prison sentence after being convicted of two counts of transporting two male prostitutes across state lines.
Missy Elliott nearly scrapped her now-iconic anthem “Get Ur Freak On” after producer Timbaland was too drained to keep working in the studio, the Hip-Hop pioneer revealed in a new interview.
In a conversation with Rolling Stone, Missy Elliott explained the 2001 hit almost didn’t make it onto her third album, Miss E… So Addictive because Timbaland was ready to call it quits.
“He just started hitting anything,” Missy Elliott said. “He was bamming on the keyboard ’cause he was ready to go.”
“And he hit something and I was like, ‘That’s it right there.’ And he was like, ‘What? What you talking about?’ I just went in the booth and did the record,” she said.
As she laid down the lyrics, Elliott envisioned the choreography that would eventually define the song’s visual identity.
“I’ve spent so much time around dancers,” she said. “From my first time on tour, I had 22 dancers… When I’m doing that record, I’m thinking of my dancers. I could just see them moving to it.”
The gamble paid off. In October, Rolling Stone named “Get Ur Freak On” the best song of the 21st century so far, cementing its place in music history.
Elliott, whose last release was the 2019 EP Iconology, also hinted that more music is on the horizon.
“I have something in the works,” she said. “It’s just different. It’s me being experimental again… I got some stuff coming. Some fire.”
“Get Ur Freak On” was released in 2001 and remains one of Elliott’s most celebrated tracks.
Khaby Lame secured a major UN Tourism ambassador position in November, just months after Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement forced him out of America in a move that cost the U.S. access to the world’s most powerful social media creator.
The 25-year-old TikTok star, who has 162 million followers and earned $20 million in 2024 without speaking a damn word, was detained by ICE in Las Vegas on June 6 after allegedly overstaying his visa.
Conservative influencer Bo Loudon claimed credit for the deportation, stating he “personally took action to have him deported” after discovering Lame was “an illegal who overstayed an invalid VISA.”
Khaby Lame accepted voluntary departure rather than face formal deportation proceedings, leaving America behind just as his earning power peaked.
Reports show he commands between $500,000 and $850,000 per sponsored post, with some campaigns paying over $1 million.
His role focuses on youth engagement, sustainable tourism practices, and showcasing “hidden gem” destinations worldwide.
“Khaby Lame has brought joy to many millions of people, in every corner of the world, and from every walk of life,” UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in the announcement. “His openness and readiness to connect with people across borders and languages represents what tourism is all about.”
The timing highlights the consequences of America’s immigration policy.
While Trump’s administration revoked Lame’s visa for visa violations, international organizations immediately recognized his value. UNICEF named him a Goodwill Ambassador in February 2025, giving him a platform to influence global audiences that American brands can no longer easily reach.
Lame rose from factory worker to social media king during COVID-19 after losing his job in Italy. His wordless reaction videos became the most-watched content on TikTok, building a following that spans every continent and demographic.
The Senegal-born creator now works with two major UN agencies, while American companies lost direct access to his influence. His UN Tourism role will showcase international destinations to his massive following, potentially directing tourism dollars away from U.S. destinations.
Trump’s immigration crackdown reached peak irony when it targeted the world’s most successful content creator, someone who built his empire on American social media platforms but was forced to take his influence elsewhere.
The move represents a broader pattern of America losing global cultural ambassadors to strict immigration enforcement.
Lame’s departure came during his peak earning period, when TikTok reportedly paid him $20 million in 2024 alone. His content creation empire, built without speaking any language, transcended cultural barriers that traditional American entertainment often struggles to cross.
The UN appointments give Lame official platforms to influence global travel patterns, youth engagement, and cultural exchange, roles that could have benefited American tourism and cultural diplomacy if immigration policies had been different.
Nipsey Hussle will be the focus of a long-awaited docuseries expected to debut in 2026, as director One9 wraps post-production on a project built from decades of rare footage and personal archives.
One9 confirmed the multi-part series is nearly complete and awaiting distribution, telling Variety on December 5 that the collection includes never-before-seen material dating back to Hussle’s childhood.
“His father videotaped everything,” One9 said, describing the trove of recordings that follow the late rapper from his first studio session at age 12 to his rise as a Grammy-winning artist and entrepreneur.
The series, which will run between five and seven episodes, features narration from Hussle’s brother Blacc Sam and posthumous voiceovers from the rapper himself. The production also includes unreleased music and excerpts from an audiobook Hussle recorded before his death in March 2019.
Produced by Marathon Films, the company Hussle co-founded, the docuseries is backed by LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment.
The project aims to offer a complete picture of Hussle’s life—including his early ties to the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips, his independent music career and his community development efforts in South Los Angeles.
One9, who previously directed Nas: Time Is Illmatic and recently completed Allen Iv3rson for Prime Video, said he intends to approach Hussle’s story with the same unfiltered lens. “We’re not sanitizing anything,” he said, noting that the series will explore both triumphs and struggles.
Interviews include appearances from Hip-Hop heavyweights like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, as well as close friends from Hussle’s early days in Crenshaw.
The director said the goal is to present Hussle’s whole journey—from burning CDs on his home computer to launching real estate projects in his neighborhood.
Q Parker is watching the buzz around 112’s legacy reach a fresh peak, but he’s not letting nostalgia stop his own momentum.
After Slim and Mike of 112 appeared on Tamron Hall, social media chatter erupted about “incomplete groups” and fans demanding a full reunion. The Atlanta native stated clearly he’s open to making history again. But he’s also done waiting on phone calls that never come.
Parker told AllHipHop that he wants nothing more than for the original 112 lineup to reunite for the group’s 30-year anniversary, a moment he knows holds both emotional and financial weight for everyone involved. Still, he says he’s the only one reaching out.
“The side of this coin that I sit on have reached out on multiple accounts personally and through third parties on my behalf,” Parker said. “Haven’t gotten a response.”
He emphasized he hasn’t spoken to Slim or Mike—who currently represent 112 on tour—in “a while,” but the desire remains. “I remain hopeful. I would love more than the fans would love for us to be able to celebrate together.”
That hope hasn’t paused his career. Parker has leaned heavily into his new solo era, which he describes as “romance dealing,” a nod to the hustler in him.
“I have a singular journey at this moment,” he said. “I would love to get some of the support from the fans in the same regard as how they want to see the reunion. I don’t think it’s an either or. It can be an and. There can be a 112 reunion and you can still support Q Parker too.”
He acknowledges the public’s hunger for nostalgia, because 112’s golden era touched an entire generation. But Q also warned that getting stuck in the past isn’t an option.
“I love that we fight for nostalgia, but I just think we can’t stay there. We have to still allow evolution,” he said. “I just don’t want to be one of those guys that is saying when I’m older, I wish I would have.”
Parker compared the ideal scenario to how New Edition balances group success with individual ventures, calling it a roadmap he believes 112 could follow if communication ever reopens.
Until then, he says he’s fully committed to his latest project while keeping a small emotional space reserved in case the door cracks open again.
“If there ever is an opportunity for a reconcile and a reunion of sorts, I’m always keeping myself in position for that,” he said. “But until then, I have to move in the direction that I am in.”
112’s first album dropped on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records, nearly 30 years ago. The self-titled opus was released on August 27, 1996, on Bad Boy Records, featuring hit singles like “Only You” (with The Notorious B.I.G. & Mase) and “Cupid.”
Smokey Robinson gained a crucial courtroom advantage Friday when a Los Angeles judge ruled that his sexual assault accusers must turn over their cell phones within 10 days.
The news comes after Robinson’s lawyers made allegations that they were withholding evidence and ignoring legal requests.
“We are pleased with the Court’s ruling. Plaintiffs’ motives have been clear all along. File a vile and salacious complaint, and then bring these plaintiffs out a handful at a time so it looks like there are new and independent allegations, when the truth is that these people all worked together to contrive this lawsuit,” Smokey Robinson’s lawyer, Christopher Frost, told TMZ.
The ruling marks the first major development in a lawsuit that has grown steadily since May 2025, when four women accused the 85-year-old Motown singer of rape, sexual battery and false imprisonment while working in his home as housekeepers.
According to court filings obtained by TMZ, Robinson’s legal team argued the plaintiffs had failed to comply with discovery demands, particularly regarding phone records and potential digital evidence.
The judge approved the motion filed on Wednesday, setting a 10-day deadline for the accusers to hand over their devices for forensic review.
Robinson has firmly denied all allegations. When approached at Los Angeles International Airport in September, he said the accusations were “BS.”
His attorney has described the claims as “vile” and “false,” and accused the plaintiffs of attempting to extort money from the legendary performer.
The legal conflict escalated after Robinson filed a $500 million defamation lawsuit against the original four accusers. Prosecutors also disclosed that Robinson had previously been investigated for a separate sexual assault claim in 2015, though no charges were filed.
He is slated to perform through the end of 2025, with shows booked at venues including the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park and Gila River Hotels & Casinos. He also recently announced a new album titled What The World Needs Now.
The court’s order to surrender the phones is the first major legal victory for Robinson since the lawsuit began. His legal team is expected to start examining the devices next week.
Darious Davis pulled a gun on his longtime barber and assaulted him inside a Miami barbershop after complaining about his hairline, a violent outburst caught on camera that has since gone viral and raised serious questions about public safety and employment screening.
The Miami-Dade Transit employee, 48, allegedly walked out mid-cut from Square Cutz in Perrine on November 25, then returned minutes later with a firearm and attacked shop owner Samuel Wilson while two children were present.
Wilson, who had been cutting Davis’s hair for about a year without issue, told reporters that Davis “slapped me in the head with it, choked me out.” The entire confrontation was captured by surveillance footage and quickly circulated across Hip-Hop social media, drawing widespread attention and outrage.
Davis now faces four felony charges: aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a firearm, use of a firearm during the commission of a felony and improper exhibition of a firearm.
Court documents show Davis has a lengthy criminal history. He was convicted of cocaine possession in 1993, armed robbery in both 1993 and 1998, and burglary with assault in 1998. He served 17 years in prison between 1999 and 2017.
The incident has also led to scrutiny of Miami-Dade County’s hiring practices. Deputies confirmed Davis was wearing his county-issued uniform during the attack. He was arrested again on November 28 during a traffic stop and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Wilson, who has operated his shop for five years, said he never imagined a haircut would escalate into violence. “I did not think he was going to come around here and come back,” Wilson said. “I thought we might have fisticuffs but I didn’t think he was going to come back with a firearm.”
Despite posting a $35,000 bond, Davis remains under house arrest and is prohibited from contacting Wilson or returning to Square Cutz.
The video, which spread across Hip-Hop platforms including AllHipHop, sparked a flood of reactions from community members stunned by the aggressive behavior—especially in front of children.
Wilson says he’s still committed to keeping his shop open and safe. “This is a safe place for anybody,” he said. “I don’t hold no grudges. I can’t say I can forgive him. But I hope the best for you, homie.”
Erick Sermon just delivered one of the most ambitious Hip-Hop projects of the decade. The legendary EPMD producer has officially released Dynamic Duos, a multi-volume event that links some of rap’s most iconic pairings — including rare collaborations featuring Tupac and Biggie, plus new joints with Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg, Redman & Method Man, Mobb Deep, Dogg Pound, Cypress Hill, M.O.P., EPMD and more.
Sermon told AllHipHop the idea dates back to the pandemic.
“Everybody stopped working,” he said. “I didn’t understand why. So I said I’m doing something called Dynamic Duos. I’m bringing together every rap duo I can — and I’m producing all of it.”
He hit up every legendary pair he could contact. “Some didn’t respond, but a lot of them said, ‘Yeah, I’m down with the concept,’” he said. “Some of them I never produced before. That’s what made it exciting.”
The project arrives right as Hip-Hop’s OG renaissance is in full swing. “Clipse opened the portal,” Sermon said. “Nas did it with King’s Disease, but Clipse had the whole world paying attention. The timing lined up perfectly.”
But Sermon also used the moment to warn the culture about the short shelf life of today’s releases. “Music ain’t transcending,” he said. “We’re in a scroll era. Nobody’s engaging. That’s why the icons still got the young dudes on the bench.”
He even broke down the brutal math behind streaming:
“A hundred thousand streams gets you $200,” Sermon said. “They just gave us a penny per stream, but only a few artists can hit a million. You’re not streaming big numbers anymore. It’s over.”
His solution? Go directly to the people. “If you already have a name, you already won,” he said. “Your core audience will feed you. Stop chasing a system that wasn’t built for you.”
Despite the industry frustrations, Sermon is energized — and already prepping volumes two and three. “This first clip is loaded,” he said. “But I got more. Wayne, Conway, Game — this thing is going to keep going.”
Dynamic Duos is available now across streaming platforms.
Kendrick Lamar swapped microphones for mountain air Friday morning (December 5) as he trekked the 1000 Steps Trail in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, pausing his high-profile Australian tour for a quiet moment in nature after a relentless year that redefined his place in Hip-Hop.
The rapper, dressed in understated athletic gear, appeared at ease as he prepared for the steep rainforest climb alongside his crew. The outing marked a rare public moment of calm for Lamar, who spent the past year at the center of music’s most talked-about rivalry.
US rap superstar Kendrick Lamar gets back to nature on a rainforest hike with his entourage during Australian tour https://t.co/6XvGbfPIiv
In 2024, Lamar’s lyrical war with Drake dominated headlines, culminating in the Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us,” which quickly became a cultural flashpoint.
That feud spilled into his surprise November album GNX, where Kendrick Lamar addressed both the Drake conflict and the backlash surrounding his Super Bowl halftime selection over Louisiana native Lil Wayne.
By February 2025, tensions escalated again when Lamar used his Super Bowl performance to deliver another blow, performing “Not Like Us,” as Drake filed legal complaints against Universal Music Group, which were ultimately dismissed.
Drake is currently appealing.
According to Google Trends, Kendrick Lamar ranked second globally in 2025, ahead of all Hip-Hop artists. His producers revealed he recorded nearly 100 tracks for GNX, a testament to the intense creative pace he’s maintained.
Outside the booth, Lamar has been expanding his creative reach through pgLang, the company he co-founded with longtime collaborator Dave Free.
Their upcoming comedy film Whitney Springs, developed with South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, was recently delayed from July 2025 to March 2026, has also been pushed back indefinitely.
Friday’s hike offered a rare breather. Kendrick Lamar smiled and chatted with his entourage and even took a moment to greet a fan who approached him on the trail.
Kendrick Lamar’s Australian tour continues with back-to-back shows in Sydney on December 10 and 11, followed by appearances at the Spilt Milk Festival through December 14.
Cardi B added another legal win to her record Friday after a Los Angeles County judge tossed out a security guard’s push for a new trial stemming from a 2018 confrontation outside a Beverly Hills medical office.
“We’re speculating about how it impacted them,” Fusselman said during the hearing, Rolling Stonereports. “Wouldn’t that tend to help your case, rather than hurt it?”
Ellis also argued that two of Cardi’s defense witnesses should have been disqualified due to late disclosure, but the judge dismissed that as well, affirming the jury’s September decision in favor of the Grammy-winning artist.
The original lawsuit centered on a February 2018 incident where Ellis claimed Cardi B, born Belcalis Almánzar, scratched her face with acrylic nails during a heated exchange. At the time, Cardi believed Ellis was secretly recording her outside an OB-GYN office while she was pregnant with her first child with Offset.
During the two-day trial, Cardi testified that there was no physical contact between the two. “She didn’t hit me. I didn’t hit her. There was no touch,” she told the jury, describing the interaction as limited to words.
Cardi also prevailed in a California federal case involving the unauthorized use of a man’s back tattoo on her mixtape artwork and had a libel suit dismissed in a New York court.
Judge Fusselman also indicated that Ellis’s attorney, Ron Rosen Janfaza, may face sanctions for repeatedly referring to a psychologist who had been barred from testifying during the trial. Cardi’s legal success comes amid a packed year that included the September release of her sophomore album, Am I the Drama? and the birth of her fourth child with Diggs in November.
The album featured “Courtroom Edition” CD covers inspired by her legal battles.
Melvin Combs mythology resurfaced this week after a veteran journalist-turned-executive stepped forward to remind the public that the father of Sean “Diddy” Combs was far more hairdresser than Harlem crime boss.
Despite years of documentaries and online chatter that have painted him as a heroin trafficker tied to Frank Lucas. Aliya S. King, who once wrote for VIBE magazine, penned a story titled “The Death of Diddy’s Daddy” and it has been largely scrubbed from the internet in a most uncharacteristic way. [Editor’s note: the article has been re-added to the site. Find it here.
King, a former magazine editor, interviewed more than 30 people for her 2010 Vibe investigation on Melvin Combs. She, in a heavily shared Facebook post, said the current wave of social media speculation has revived the same inaccuracies she debunked years ago.
“I’ve seen comments about his dad being a big-name drug dealer working under Frank Lucas,” she wrote. “Seeing this misinformation is driving me nuts.”
Her work on the June and July 2010 Vibe article interviews with childhood friends, associates, relatives, street figures and Lucas himself. King said she discovered that Melvin Earl Combs was born in Baltimore and raised largely in Harlem after losing both parents. He grew into a stylish, charismatic neighborhood presence known for his clothes, cars and nightlife rather than any major criminal enterprise.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DR7X5jckVWl/
According to King, Combs earned most of his living as a hair stylist. People close to him told her that while he occasionally sold small amounts of drugs to support a flashy lifestyle, he did not operate at the level depicted in later reports.
Police records, King said, matched this description of “low-level dealing.”
Lucas also dismissed the idea that Combs worked for him. When King asked directly whether Combs was ever under his operation, she said Lucas laughed. “‘Melvin? Working for ME?’” she recalled him saying.
Lucas told her he knew Combs socially and liked him but never employed him or supplied him with product.
Still, the myth grew. Over time, documentaries, YouTube commentary and unofficial Hip-Hop history sites helped elevate Combs’ reputation into something grander.
Even Diddy’s shifting public recollections of his father’s street life offered journalists and bloggers room to expand the narrative. Combs’ 1972 killing was a Harlem shooting still mired in mystery. His passing added fuel to the speculation of drug ties, informant theories and retaliation.
King says none of that matched her findings. She tracked leads upstate, interviewed a man who claimed to know Combs’ killer and reconstructed his final days. None of it pointed to Lucas. None of it elevated Melvin beyond a neighborhood figure navigating Harlem’s complexities during a turbulent era.
What troubles King now is not just the spread of misinformation but the disappearance of her own published work.
“If you search ‘The Death of Diddy’s Daddy,’ you get zero hits,” she wrote, noting the piece is virtually wiped from the digital record.
With new narratives emerging yet again, King says she felt obligated to raise her voice even though she has not watched the new documentary series.
“I just want to wave my hand from the back of the classroom and say, um, guys, y’all got this Melvin Combs story all wrong,” she wrote.
I have seen comments about his dad being a big-name drug dealer working under Frank Lucas.
I so don’t want to be THAT person. But seeing this misinformation is driving me nuts.
A million years ago, I sat at Frank Lucas’s kitchen table three times a week for 18 months, interviewing him for his memoir Original Gangster.
Frank Lucas was a nightmare. But I digress.
At the same time that I was interviewing Frank, I was also writing a story for VIBE called “The Death of Diddy’s Daddy.”
Not much was known about Melvin Combs. I was curious because every time Diddy was interviewed about his dad, he had different answers. When I interviewed him, he intimated that his dad was a big-time dealer but in all my research I couldn’t find any proof of that.
I researched Diddy’s dad for years and years. I finally got a real lead from Joaquin “Waah” Dean, founder of Ruff Ryders. His dad, Elbert Dean, grew up with Melvin. I contacted Mr. Dean. He invited me to his office up in Yonkers and graciously spent an afternoon telling me about his friend, young Melvin.
Diddy’s dad was born in Baltimore. When he was very young, he lost his parents and his aunt brought him to New York.
I interviewed over thirty people who knew Melvin Combs from infancy to his last days. Friends. Family members. Co-workers. Drug dealers.
I asked Frank one day, did you know Melvin Combs? He’s like, of course I knew Melvin Combs. Once you saw Melvin Combs, you knew it was gonna be a good time. People just liked being around him. I liked him.
That was high praise. Frank Lucas hated a few of his own kids with a passion.
I asked if Melvin worked for him. He was like, what? Who? Melvin? Working for ME?
Frank laughed, that low rumble kinda of growl-laugh he had.
He made it clear. Melvin was nowhere near him. He never gave him no work, never worked with him. None of that. He knew him in social circles. Did he get drugs from some of his lower-level people? Maybe. But he wouldn’t know that.
I wrote that in my story. But that was a long time ago. And you can’t find the story online anymore so there’s that.
So, these days, Melvin Combs is now a high ranking drug dealer who worked under Frank Lucas.
I promise you all. I spent weeks in the basement of the New York Public Library looking for the name “Melvin Combs” in every single newspaper being published at the time. From the Amsterdam News to The New York Times. Micro-fiche, (ask your parents), was the only way I could see the newspapers and my eyes were on fire from trying to read the tiny black-and-white text.
Yes, Melvin was arrested. Yes, Melvin was a low-level drug dealer.
But his main job? He was a stylist in a hair salon.
Several of his friends from that time period said Melvin was NOT about that life. But he did like to look good and cop the latest cars. So he dipped into drug dealing here and there to support his fashion and car habit. He was a Harlem dandy by all accounts. Not a hustler.
Was he a drug dealer? Yes. Was he some kind of kingpin?
Look, I was a backseat girl all through my senior year in college, knowing nothing about what that meant. I thought my boyfriend just really liked going to Philly every weekend. Even though we only stayed for a few hours and came right back to campus.
And I was closer to being a kingpin than Melvin ever was.
I exaggerate. But still.
And for the record, the part about Diddy’s dad being a snitch? I can’t confirm or deny that based on my research. But I asked Frank if he thought Melvin was a snitch and he said absolutely not. Wasn’t like Melvin to do that. Frank insists that just the chatter at the time got Melvin killed. Frank was in jail at the time and said if he was out, someone would have to pay with their lives for killing Melvin. But by the time he got out, the person who killed Melvin had already been killed.
I went to an upstate prison to interview someone who ran with Melvin around the time he was killed. He told me who killed Melvin. My research, including a timeline of Melvin’s last days, supported this man’s theory.
I know I’m old now. A story I spent nearly a decade researching is just…gone. I have a print copy. I even have a PDF of it. But if you search The Death of Diddy’s Daddy, you get zero hits.
Look up the June/July 2010 issue of Vibe. It’s a double cover with Nicki Minaj on one cover and Erykah Badu on the other.
On each cover, you can see the tag: The Death of Diddy’s Daddy.
Were it not for that image, the very existence of the story would be fully erased.
I need y’all to know how crazy that is. ZERO mentions of a story in Vibe published in the online era? This isn’t a story from the 80s and 90s. It’s been taken down. I don’t know how. But it’s gone. Even a mention of the story.
So, I just want to wave my hand from the back of the classroom and say, um, guys, y’all got this Melvin Combs’ story all wrong.
Next thing you know, people will be saying, Al Green got burnt with a pot of hot grits. And he became a pastor. And we’ll all forget about what happened to the woman who threw the grits.
(She was shot and killed in his bedroom. Ruled a suicide. He called a police officer friend first. They both waited two hours to call the police.)
I spent seven years reporting that one. And that story’s not online anymore either.
EDIT TO ADD: Thank you to Nadine Graham for reminding me. The story is titled The Death of Diddy’s Daddy on the cover. Inside, it’s titled The Mystery of Puff’s Daddy.” Neither story comes up though there are a few mentions of the latter. And AI says it’s a NEVER PRODUCED story that I was trying to write.”
Donald Trump used his moment at the FIFA World Cup draw in Washington, D.C. on Friday to float a wild idea: rebranding American football so soccer can officially be called “football” in the United States.
“We seem to never call it that because we have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football,” Trump said while accepting FIFA’s first-ever Peace Prize. “But when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called, I mean, this is football, there’s no question about it. We need to come up with another name for the NFL stuff.”
The FIFA Peace Prize was awarded to Trump for his “unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity,” according to FIFA officials. The decision drew criticism from soccer insiders who questioned the timing and relevance of the award.
Earlier this year, Trump created a World Cup task force for the 2026 tournament, appointing himself as chairman and naming Vice President JD Vance as vice chair.
Andrew Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani’s son, was tapped as executive director and is now managing daily operations for the event.
The president’s remarks came during what many described as an off-topic interlude during the official draw ceremony. The San Francisco Chronicle labeled the speech a “10-minute infomercial,” accusing Trump of hijacking the event for personal promotion.
His suggestion would mean rewriting more than a century of American sports culture.
The term “football” in the U.S. dates back to the 1870s when Yale coach Walter Camp adapted rugby rules to create a new game. It was dubbed “football” because of its rugby roots, not because of how much the ball is kicked.
Meanwhile, “soccer” comes from “Association Football,” a term coined in England in the 19th century. While the British eventually dropped the word, Americans kept it.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the final match scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Misa Hylton broke her silence December 5th about the online attacks she and her son Justin Combs have endured since Netflix released Sean Combs: The Reckoning on December 2. The fashion stylist posted a statement calling the treatment “heartbreaking” and directly blamed former Bad Boy security guard Gene Deal for fueling false rumors.
The harassment allegedly stems from old paternity speculation that Deal helped spread about Justin’s biological father. Deal previously worked security for Sean “Diddy” Combs and has made numerous public statements about the family. In recently surfaced audio, Deal admits he deliberately refused to deny rumors claiming former Bad Boy bodyguard Anthony “Wolf” Jones was Justin’s real father, even though he knew the claims were false.
“The harassment my son and I have been dealing with because of things implied by Gene Deal and stated in a recent Netflix documentary has been heartbreaking,” Hylton wrote on social media. She said the public is being “misled” about her family and called the situation a “cruel game built on rumors and agendas.”
Deal’s audio confession reveals his motivation was revenge against Diddy. “When you go to war with a dude, he can’t tell you what kind of ammunition to bring to the fight,” Deal said in the recording distributed on social media. He acknowledged that Justin became “the casualty of war” and admitted his silence “hurt Justin” because he “did not clarify it to nobody.”
The Netflix documentary, executive produced by 50 Cent, has generated significant controversy since its release three days ago. Diddy’s legal team has called the series defamatory and claims it contains stolen footage. The four-part series examines allegations against the music mogul, who remains in federal custody awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Hylton emphasized that neither she nor Justin asked to be dragged into the public spectacle surrounding Diddy’s legal troubles. She urged people to “take a moment before believing everything you hear” as false information continues circulating on social media platforms.
The timing of Hylton’s statement coincides with reports that she may receive her own television show following the documentary’s success. Industry sources suggest networks are interested in her perspective on the events that have unfolded.
Kay Flock’s name once filled Bronx drill anthems and now, prosecutors say it should define a federal prison sentence lasting 50 years.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office called the rapper “the leader of a violent street gang” who “used his influence to transform the neighborhood gang Sev Side into a highly visible, influential, and violent entity.”
Prosecutors said Kay Flock’s transformation from teenage rapper to gang boss made him “a grave danger to the public” and left “families robbed of their sons, brothers, and fathers.”
“Over the course of less than 18 months, [Kay Flock] and his fellow gang members engaged in a campaign of violence, deepening existing gang rivalries and instigating new feuds where none had previously existed. Dozens of people were shot at, injured, and even killed during this short period of time, due to the increased gang violence whipped up, in large part, by [Kay Flock],” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Herman said.
Jurors acquitted him of murder in aid of racketeering in the 2021 killing of 24-year-old Hwascar Hernandez, but prosecutors said that verdict doesn’t erase his responsibility.
“The defendant went to enemy territory looking for trouble,” the government wrote, adding that his actions “cut short young lives and ruined others.”
The 18-page memo detailed how Kay Flock allegedly built Sev Side, later known as DOA, short for “Dumping On Anything,” into a movement of music and mayhem. His debut video, “FTO,” was filmed outside the gang’s Bronx headquarters, with lyrics boasting, “Gang with me, Flockas with me, the Goons with me.”
Prosecutors said that line wasn’t art, it was recruitment. The government said Kay Flock “goaded others into becoming shooters,” citing texts where he bragged, “we just made 2 movies on the 8,” referring to shootings against rivals.
They also linked him to several violent incidents, including a 2020 shooting that wounded four people and a 2021 attack that left an 18-year-old woman shot in the face.
By 2021, he had signed with Capitol Records and gone mainstream, with his hit “Is Ya Ready” surpassing 113 million views. But prosecutors said the fame only “glamorized deadly gang violence,” noting his lyrics referenced murdered teens and ongoing feuds.
“The defendant used his platform to escalate existing gang rivalries and to create new ones,” the government said. “He drew a generation of boys and young men to gang lifestyle.”
Even behind bars, prosecutors said Kay Flock showed “a complete disregard for the law.” After his conviction, he allegedly texted someone to post a message on Instagram reading, “I beat the top count I made the judge cry… Kill all rats!!!!”
The government’s sentencing recommendation matched the Probation Office’s calculation: 50 years, broken into 20 years each for racketeering and assault counts, and 10 years consecutive for the firearms charge.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Herman closed the letter bluntly. “The defendant was a uniquely positioned figure in gang culture,” he wrote. “He fomented gang violence for fame and greed. For that, a significant sentence is warranted.”
Judge Lewis J. Liman is expected to issue a final sentence later this month.
Kim Kardashian shortened her name and revealed a personal academic setback while reflecting on her path from reality TV breakout to aspiring lawyer.
During a recent interview with Time, the 45-year-old entrepreneur and SKIMS founder explained that she ditched “Kimberly” just before Keeping Up with the Kardashians launched in 2007.
“I used to always go by Kimberly, until we signed on to do the reality show. And when I looked at my chyron, Kimberly Kardashian, I said, ‘I think that’s so long for people to say.’ And like, ‘Let’s just shorten it to Kim,’” she said.
The name swap came right as the Kardashian family began filming what would become a 20-season pop culture juggernaut. The original series wrapped in 2021, and the family now stars in The Kardashians on Hulu.
Kardashian also reflected on how her late father, Robert Kardashian, who died in 2003 at age 59, always called her by her full name.
“And it’s so weird, because all my friends from high school and growing up, and my dad, everyone calls me Kimberly,” she said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Kardashian addressed her decision to publicly share that she failed her first attempt at the bar exam. She’s been studying law since 2019 and recently completed her legal education program.
“You get the results on a Friday, and I knew Sunday morning they were going to be live on the Internet. So, I wanted to mention it first and let people know that it didn’t go my way,” she said. “So, instantly I was like, ‘OK, let’s do this, I know what I’ve got to do.’ This really sucks because I put so much time into it, but I know what I can do better. I’m pretty good at taking a failure and turning it into something, and I just don’t have the time to dwell.”
Will Smith may soon be dusting off his black suit and shades as Sony Pictures looks to reboot the Men in Black franchise with the actor back in the mix. The studio has enlisted Bad Boys for Life screenwriter Chris Bremner to draft a new installment, hoping to reignite the sci-fi series by banking on Smith’s recent box office rebound.
The decision follows Smith’s theatrical comeback with Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which pulled in $56 million in its June 2024 opening weekend. It marked his first major release since the 2022 Oscars incident and showed audiences are still turning out for the Hollywood veteran.
Sony’s move mirrors the formula that worked for the Bad Boys sequels, both penned by Bremner. Together, Bad Boys for Life and Ride or Die raked in more than $837 million globally, proving the writer knows how to build crowd-pleasing action comedies around Smith’s star power.
Bremner has become a regular collaborator for Smith, also writing the upcoming Netflix thriller Fast and Loose, which is expected to be the actor’s next project. His familiarity with Smith-led stories made him an obvious pick to take on the next Men in Black chapter.
The original Men in Black trilogy, which paired Smith with Tommy Lee Jones, earned nearly $2 billion worldwide between 1997 and 2012. But the 2019 reboot, Men in Black: International, which starred Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, failed to connect with audiences and brought in only $253 million globally.
That underperformance prompted Sony to rethink its approach. This time, executives want Smith involved from the start, whether in a lead or mentor role, similar to Sylvester Stallone’s position in the Creed films. The goal is to restore continuity with the original trilogy by bringing back Agent J in some form.
While no plot details have been released, the studio plans to send Smith the script once Bremner finishes the draft. Smith has not officially signed on but is expected to consider the project after reading the screenplay.
The timing aligns with Smith’s ongoing image rebuild. His recent success with Ride or Die and upcoming Netflix titles suggest studios are confident in his ability to draw crowds again. Sony is betting that his return could turn a risky franchise revival into a box-office hit.
Producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, who have been attached to every Men in Black film, are likely to return. Steven Spielberg is also expected to stay on as executive producer, maintaining continuity behind the scenes.
Sony’s strategy reflects a broader Hollywood trend of reviving legacy franchises with original stars instead of starting from scratch. With Smith’s return, the studio hopes to avoid the pitfalls of its last reboot and recapture the magic that made the original trilogy a global hit.
Bremner’s involvement signals Sony’s intent to prioritize storytelling over speed. His track record with Smith suggests the studio is aiming for a smart, commercially viable reboot rather than a rushed sequel.
Smith’s decision will likely come after Bremner delivers the script, which is currently in development.
SZA and Doechii are set to headline Top Dawg Entertainment’s 12th annual holiday concert on December 18 at Nickerson Gardens in Watts, California, bringing star power and Grammy wins to a community-driven event rooted in Hip-Hop and hometown pride.
The following day, TDE will host a community giveback event at the exact location, offering free services, including haircuts, family activities, and job resources for formerly incarcerated individuals.
The timing couldn’t be more aligned with both headliners riding major waves. SZA recently dropped her deluxe album Lana in December 2024 and announced the Grand National Tour with Kendrick Lamar, kicking off in April 2025.
The 19-date stadium trek marks her most extensive tour to date. She told GQ she’s already back in the studio, saying she “went right into some bullsh*t” after wrapping her last tour.
Meanwhile, Doechii enters 2025 on a high after winning the Grammy for Best Rap Album in February for her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal.
She told Variety her debut album is coming in 2025 and will include live instrumentation—a move that signals her creative growth and confidence.
The annual holiday concert is more than just a show; it’s a tribute to TDE’s roots.
Nickerson Gardens, the public housing project where label founder Top Dawg, along with Jay Rock and Punch, grew up, has hosted the event since its beginning. Last year’s concert drew 10,000 people and resulted in $ 750,000 worth of donated toys and clothing.
While Kendrick Lamar’s departure earlier this year marked a shift for the label, SZA’s mainstream dominance and Doechii’s critical acclaim suggest TDE’s momentum is far from slowing.
Their presence at this year’s event not only highlights the label’s evolving identity but also its ongoing commitment to community impact. The community giveaway will take place on December 19 at Nickerson Gardens following the concert.
A Minneapolis man posts a video calling out his neighbor’s lawn mowing techniques. It backfires spectacularly when viewers take the neighbor’s side. But is this a case of misunderstood satire?
In the funny clip, TikTok creator Ramon Garcia (@ramon_garcia1981) appeared upset that his neighbor only cut their grass to the property line. One of the hashtags in the clip is #neighborfeud, which suggests he might have beef with his next-door neighbor.
The 13-second video may also be humorous rage bait for jokes, given how the Minneapolis-area TikToker has liked various funny comments and the comedy on his channel.
As Garcia walks from the curb to inspect his grass line, he says, “Look at this [expletive]. Just cut his own grass. If you’re that type of neighbor, eff you!” The overlay on the video reads: “Don’t be this neighbor.”
Viewers Take Minneapolis Man’s Neighbor’s Side
It seems clear that Garcia is joking, but many people in the comments who aren’t familiar with his content went in on him.
One person wrote, “You think that’s bad? My neighbor only painted HIS house!”
“He respected your property line?” joked another commenter.
“You think that’s bad? My neighbor built a new deck and didn’t build us one. The nerve!” said another one.
Some even resorted to calling Ramon a “Kevin,” or a male “Karen.” A person quipped, “He is the best kind of neighbor. He is not trespassing on your land, Kevin.”
One person wrote, “I don’t think this panned out the way you hoped.”
Is This a Real Neighborhood Conflict or Satire?
Given Garcia’s content, this went better than he expected. In fact, the key here is that people often do not recognize satire when they see it.
“That’s the tricky thing about satire. When done well satire can look indistinguishable from what it’s satirizing,” wrote Nathan Rabin, in a 2023 blog post.
People’s inability to see satire online is partly due to the need to be seen punishing or joking at someone’s expense in ways people would never attempt in real life.
Rage-bait posts like this one, while possibly unintentional, capitalize on this effect. Outrage, even minor or fake variety, is “rewarding and stimulating,” as Ashley Melillo wrote in “Outrage as Entertainment: Why We’re Addicted to Anger.”
