Busta Rhymes will be awarded the title of BMI Icon at its 2022 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards on September 7.
The NYC legend will receive the honor at a private event, held at the LIV Nightclub Miami Beach. BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Creative (Atlanta) Catherine Brewton will host.
“As one of the pioneers of Hip Hop, we are excited to honor Busta Rhymes as a BMI Icon,” Brewton said in a press release. “Through his award-winning solo work, countless collaborations and acting, Busta is a true innovator in every sense of the word and has made a dynamic impact on legions of fans and music creators worldwide.
She continued and said Busta Rhymes’ “quick wit and intricate rapping style have made him legendary, inspiring many young performers to follow in his footsteps.”
Brewton added: “We’re also thrilled to be back in person in Miami, celebrating our top music creators behind some of today’s most-performed songs. We’re looking forward to a fantastic night of great music.”
Busta Rhymes Is A True Icon
The BMI Icon Award is presented to songwriters who have distinctly and profoundly influenced the music industry. Honorees must also have left an indelible and unique influence on generations of music makers.
Busta Rhymes certainly fits the bill after a career spanning over three decades. He launched his music career in the 90s with the hip-hop crew Leaders of the New School. He earned his first Grammy Award nomination in 1996 with the Platinum-certified hit “Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check,” his first official solo outing.
He then scored numerous hits throughout the ’90s and 2000s. He became a global superstar and earned a No. 1 album with The Big Bang in 2006. Bus-A-Bus released ELE 2: The Wrath of God, his latest offering, independently in 2020.
With a catalog including the hits “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” “Break Ya Neck,” “Dangerous,” “Gimme Some More,” and “What’s It’s Gonna Be?” featuring Janet Jackson, Busta Rhymes is a certified legend.
Meanwhile, Busta Rhymes shows no signs of slowing down. Check out a clip from his set this weekend at LL COOL J’s Rock The Bells Festival in New York.
Nicki Minaj just made a staggering claim about her “very rich” friend Drake and his finances.
The NYC rapper performed with Drake and Lil Wayne at the Young Money reunion in Toronto this weekend. Nicki took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday (Aug. 9) to share a video of her boarding a plane, presumably to travel back from the concert, courtesy of Drake. According to Nicki Minaj, her “billionaire” Canadian friend fixed it for her.
“Look. This is what happens when you got a rich,” she began before quickly correcting herself. “I’m sorry, a very rich, a very rich, rich, rich, rich, Canadian friend who’s the only billionaire that I know that don’t want people to know he’s a billionaire. I get it, but…” she added but then trailed off. Check out the video below.
https://youtu.be/ADgzYyGGIqA
While Champagne Papi’s exact net worth is uncertain, earlier this year, he laughed off his placement in a Hip-Hop rich list. Former Forbes Senior Editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg released his rankings of the highest-paid Hip Hop artists for 2021, listing Drake in fourth place with earnings of $50 million. In response, Drake added a single laughing emoji, suggesting he may have earned a lot more.
Nicki Minaj Jokes That Drake Is Her Ex
Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday (Aug. 9), Nicki Minaj shared a snap of her boarding the jet. She also posted a sweet video with Drizzy’s mother, Sandi Graham, referring to her as “my ex-mom-in-law.”
Drake laughs in the background as Nicki jokes, “tell your son don’t speak to me no more.” The pair then carried on the banter in the comments section.
“Barbz I’m gagging,” Drake penned, adding, “It’s the everything for meeeeee…” Nicki Minaj gently teased him in response, writing, “You still didn’t even say it right. Bye MR. CHAMPAGNE,” she wrote
What do Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert, and Steve Lacy all have in common? Other than the fact that they are all musicians of global renown, they all now share matching ink.
The Internet guitarist Lacey took to Instagram late on Tuesday night (Aug. 9) to share a snap of the trio. While it is unclear if she is responsible for the ink, LA tattoo artist Mez Afram took the mirror selfie. Kanye West, Lil Uzi, and Steve Lacy all pose with their arms extended showing off the new body art.
As Lacey notes in the caption, the tattoos all read: “We here forever technically.” All three artists have the ink in the same spot – on the inside of the arm, just above the elbow.
Kanye West, Lil Uzi & Steve Lacy Display The New Ink
Instagram Steve Lacy
Lacy was among the artists who appeared in Ye’s Donda countdown live stream last year. The guitarist has remained tight-lipped about the experience, simply telling GQ, “It was cool, it was cool.”
Over the years, Kanye West and Lil Uzi haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. Back in 2020, Uzi claimed Ye “ain’t f*ckin’ with [him].” Shortly after, Kanye tweeted that he loves Uzi and explained he says he feels the same way about Steve Jobs all the time.
Then, in 2021, Lil Uzi called Kanye West a “fake pastor” and clowned Ye in alleged group chat messages. “Yes donda suck,” said Lil Uzi in the messages. “Sounds like the all star game,” he added, seemingly commenting on the number of featured guests on the tracklist.
Meanwhile, Kanye West was full of praise for Steve Lacy when he released his Gemini Rights album last month. The Compton native took to Instagram to thank his supporters.
Kanye hopped in the comments section calling ‘Gemini Rights’ “beautiful.” He added that he believes Lacy is “one of the most inspiring people on the planet.”
The case against Young Thug has seen a new development after the rapper was reportedly hit with new charges involving a machine gun.
As reported by AllHipHop.com, Jeffery “Young Thug” Williams is currently behind bars after being denied bond following his indictment on RICO charges alongside Gunna and 26 other associates. The 88-page grand-jury indictment characterized YSL collective as a “criminal street gang.”
According to a report from WSBTV, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office has filed a new indictment in the RICO case against the Atlanta native. The fresh filing reportedly “includes all 28 defendants from the May indictment.” However, the new charges are only against Young Thug and four other defendants.
While the new indictment reportedly still focuses on the YSL collective, the District Attorney’s office “believes these charges add to the prosecution’s claim that Williams performed for years as a leader of a criminal street gang.”
WSBTV reports the new charges include “a new gang charge, new drug charges, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a machine gun.” Many of the new charges stem from the search of Young Thug’s home on the night of his arrest in May.
Prosecutor Don Geary says two other defendants – including Yak Gotti – face machine gun charges. All have pleaded not guilty.
Football royal Marshawn Lynch was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Las Vegas. The alleged situation occurred on Tuesday morning and he looked really, really bad.
The former Seahawks running back presently faces suspicion of DUI, driving an unregistered vehicle, failure to stay in his lane and failure to surrender proof of security charges.
As of Tuesday afternoon, he was still in police custody. He only had a small amount of bill, under $4000.
He was stopped by Las Vegas police after officers pulled him over for driving erratically. Apparently, he was driving onto curbs in the side of the road before they stopped him. He refused a breathalyzer, but they did apparently draw his blood.
This man, commonly known as BeastMode, play 12 seasons in the league and was a five time pro bowler.
Hopefully he is improving since this news broke, but he will have to contend with some legal maneuvering.
Speaking to Billboard, Willow admitted that the media fallout didn’t “rock me as much as my own internal demons.”
The 21-year-old continued: “I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness. Because of the position that we’re in, our humanness sometimes isn’t accepted, and we’re expected to act in a way that isn’t conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest.”
What do as think is going on? Is C Tha God leaving? He has been doing a lot of work on TV. Envy has been doing a lot of car related stuff. I don’t see them having another iteration of the trio in the morning so they may be replacing them all.
I do not think they have aged out or anything like that. They are huge stars. Maybe this is just a representation of them outgrowing their current post.
It will remain a mystery until they speak further on it.
Clayton County has another force on their hands with buzzing artist Ross Taxin releasing his first music video of the year with legendary mixtape DJ host Trap-A-Holics.
This is arguably one of the most organic music videosRoss Taxin has released this year. In fact, a huge label budget was not even necessary to prepare this production. Ross Taxin gets a letter stating he needs to report to his probation office. After he’s finished, Ross goes home and shoots a music video in his “hood” detailing the latest happenings on the “southside”.
Ross Taxin wanted to make a special dedication to the legendary host Trap-A-Holics (@trap.a.holics), and he producer of the song, his longtime friend, Bunk (@heyybunk), and video director, Hunter Simich (@huntersimichimages). He says without them, none of this would have happened and they believed in him when everybody didn’t after his arrest in 2019.
The inspiration from the video comes from former 1017 artist Ola Runt. “Big bro always shot his videos in the hood. I didn’t have connects on greenscreens, thousand dollar stabilizers, or any of that high grade stuff”. Even when it comes to the recording process, Ross Taxin says he would prefer an intimate home studio over a professional commercial studio anyday.
In a rap game full of gimmicks, new listeners are relieved to finally be able to rest their eyes on a refreshing and entertaining artist who can provide the talent, flow and excitement with their music but with far less antics. Ross Taxin can be hilarious and offer comedic relief in one bar, then turn around and deliver a chilling, introspective rhyme about his past incarceration. The unpredictability in his cadence and flow will keep fans engaged throughout not only his song, but for his promising career moving forward.
Talib Kweli filed a lawsuit against the women’s website Jezebel, which published an article about his Twitter suspension in 2020.
According to court documents obtained by Pitchfork and The Daily Beast, the Black Star member accuses Jezebel of slandering him. He claims he lost jobs after the site ran a story titled “Talib Kweli’s Harassment Campaign Shows How Unprotected Black Women Are Online and Off.”
The veteran rapper insists he never harassed anyone despite his actions getting him suspended from Twitter. His lawsuit alleges Jezebel “caused negligent infliction of emotional distress.”
The lawsuit names writer Ashley Reese, Jezebel and the website’s parent company G/O Media as defendants. Talib Kweli says the story caused him to go into a depressive state and feel “discomfort around certain women due to being targeted.”
“On August 4, 2020, the article that G/O Media published for Jezebel downplayed Kweli’s facts,” he argues. “Instead, the magazine sided with Maya Moody and her opinions and turned it into an article slandering Talib Kweli. With over 30 paragraphs directed towards Talib Kweli, The publication used the name ‘Talib Kweli’ 100 times. The magazine took advantage of Talib and used him as a guinea pig to clarify how black men treat black women; meanwhile, the plaintiff never harassed anyone; he was defending himself and his family.”
The lawsuit seeks $300,000 in damages. Jezebel stands by its reporting and says the case has “no merit.” Ashley Reese, who wrote the story, no longer works for the website.
The Grammy-winning singer recalled a time when asked to grab Coco’s butt during a conversation with Ice-T. The gangsta rap pioneer responded by giving Ne-Yo permission to actually do it.
“I said, “Let me squeeze Coco’s booty one time,’” Ne-Yo remembered saying to Ice-T. “It was a Halloween party. I literally walked up to him – mind you, I had a couple drinks at this point … She had some s### on, right? I walked up to him and I was like, ‘Bro, all due respect, I wanted to squeeze Coco’s ass for a really long time.’ And he said, ‘You know what, and I’m just the kind of pimp to let you do it.’”
Ice-T then summoned his wife to grant Ne-Yo’s wish.
“He called [Coco] over, and he whispered something in her ear,” Ne-Yo noted. “And she looked at him and smiled, and then looked at me and smiled and turned around and bent that thing over. And I grabbed as much of a handful as I could. He gave me the pound. And we drank and hung out for the rest of the night. That was it.”
Drink Champs host N.O.R.E. shared a clip of Ne-Yo’s anecdote on Instagram. Ice-T confirmed the story in the post’s comments.
“True Story,” Ice-T wrote. “Hey it was a party.”
Ne-Yo’s Drink Champs episode drops on Thursday (August 11).
Wearing a bejeweled bikini and white fur-style coat, Tina walks through a crowd of fans as cameras flash.
“They done brought TINA SNOW TO THEE MF PYNKKKKKK tune tf in @pvalleystarz @starz (sic),” she wrote.
In the episode, Tina Snow and Lil Murda perform the brand-new song, “Get It On the Floor,” at the strip club. The track, which the duo wrote together, will appear on the P-Valley season two soundtrack when it is released on August 14th.
Tina Snow isn’t a random character name – it is Megan’s musical alter ego, her Twitter name, and the title of her 2018 EP.
Sharing a selfie with P-Valley writer and co-executive producer Patrik-Ian Polk on her Instagram Stories, Megan wrote, “I was shooting this on with my lastttt energy lol but I wanted to do it so bad I want them to bring Tina back season3.”
The writer revealed how difficult it was to get Megan involved, commenting, “Megan @theestallion is one of the hardest working people in show business. Making her appearance on #PValley happen in the midst of a sold-out tour as well as a host of other engagements was no small feat. But it was so worth it.”
The “Savage” hitmaker made her acting debut with the TV series “Good Girls” in 2020 and recently wrapped production on her debut movie “F***ing Identical Twins.”
MCM Raymond is only 23 years old and is already living out his dreams as a recording artist. Hailing from Inglewood, California, the rising star has been steadily inserting himself as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry, specifically on the streets of Los Angeles.
With his smooth bars, clever punchlines, and storytelling in his lyrics, it’s safe to say MCM Raymond is up next.
In describing himself, he states he’s just “a kid from Los Angeles, always on the move. Grinding, getting to it. A go-getter forreal.”
His name is directly inspired by the luxurious lifestyle he lives: MCM stands for Making Cash Money. Simultaneously, MCM Raymond was always known for wearing an MCM backpack during high school.
At age 12, MCM Raymond started making beats on Garageband… but it wasn’t long until he shifted his focus and efforts into formulating his rhymes over beats.
To date, MCM Raymond has a big moment with KingMostWanted on “In My City,” enlisted AzChike on “Rasta,” and most recently unveiled his newest single titled “Jimmy Choo Freestyle.”
The latter record pays homage to living the good life, unapologetic when it comes to his attitude and talents as a rapper.
Plus, fans have been going crazy recently on social media, with debates wondering whether he’s Cuban or not.
AllHipHop caught up with MCM Raymond in downtown Los Angeles to discuss his roots in LA, his dad getting him into music, Lil Tecca reaching out to him, freestyling versus writing, how “Rasta” with Azchike came to be, his relationship with KingMostWanted, forthcoming EP “Many Can’t Maintain,” and more!
AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?
MCM Raymond: I’d say more melodic, but more fun. When you hear my music, I have varieties where you could either get turnt up to my set, or I got music where you can sit back, chill, and smoke to type music. My sound’s definitely melodic in a way.
AllHipHop: Talk about being from Inglewood, that’s where we’re originally from right?
MCM Raymond: Yeah, I was raised in Inglewood. I went to school in Culver City, so I really claim all of LA. I really bounced around in LA a lot, but I say Inglewood is my hometown. That’s where I first started.
AllHipHop: What does Inglewood mean to you?
MCM Raymond: We got both worlds: you got the bad side of Inglewood, then you got the fun times in Inglewood. I got a mixture of both. I’ll always f### with Inglewood, it was an experience forreal.
AllHipHop: Do you have a fondest memory?
MCM Raymond: Well, I got some homies that stayed in Inglewood. I used to go to their house to do music. We used to f### around on Garageband, do music, smoke. Or we used to go to the skate park in Inglewood. I used to skateboard when I was younger, so I used to skate over there.
AllHipHop: Who made you fall in love with music?
MCM Raymond: My dad actually, he’s a music producer. I’ve been around music since I was 5 or 6 years old. I used to go to my dad’s studio all the time. His studio sessions, I used to stay with him. I’d leave with him at 8pm, we wouldn’t get home until 5 in the morning. I really got into music from my dad for real. I was interested myself, I feel like took it further with it than him.
AllHipHop: Why didn’t he take it farther?
MCM Raymond: He still does music for himself. I know before I was born, he was doing music for big R&B artists like Smokey Robinson. He got nominated for a Grammy. When I came into the picture, he slowed/sat down in a way for him. But I’m living through his dream in a way, you know?
AllHipHop: I know you started out producing. Are you still producing?
MCM Raymond: Yeah, I’m still producing, but I started off being a straight producer. I never made a song, never put it all out there, nothing. I was producing for a lot of local LA artists, like Almighty Suspect was one of them. I produced a song for him. I was working with other producers that had names before me, like Yike Mike. It was all types of singles, then that led to me putting out my own music later on.
AllHipHop: What was that moment you said, “I want to try the rap thing”?
MCM Raymond: I always been rapping, I just felt like I never took it serious until after high school. At my high school, I was kind of known. “That’s that one dude that be rapping and s###,” whoopty whoop. I took it serious after high school.
AllHipHop: Did you work part-time jobs?
MCM Raymond: Yeah, I worked part-time jobs. After high school, my parents gave me a year off to chase my dreams or chase what I want to do. They said “if it doesn’t happen in a year, you gotta go back to school.” Unfortunately, it never happened when I wanted it to happen. I ended up going to Santa Monica College. I was working a part-time job with my grandma, my grandma gave me my first job. I was working there for a couple of months, but I was always putting out music. Finally my first song or second song hit, and I end up dropping out of school and not working. Really started doing music.
AllHipHop: Was there a moment that put you on?
MCM Raymond: When I dropped this one song called “Every Week,” it was my first song that got me out there. I had people like Lil Tecca reach out to me, and hop on the remix.
AllHipHop: Lil Tecca? That’s huge!
MCM Raymond: Lil Tecca actually reached out to me. He said he heard my song through a famous Instagram model, who was using my song. I asked who it was, he said he don’t know. He just heard my song, searched me up and looked me up. Found my Instagram.
He DMed me, and this is way before he came out with his song “Ransom.” He only had 50K followers at the time, I had 10K. It’s crazy because the day before he hit me up, I seen his video on WorldStar. WorldStar posted him. He DMed me randomly like “bro, I really f### with your s###. I’m tryna hop on the ‘Every Week’ remix.” S###, I’m like hell yeah! I made an open verse, sent it to him. He sent it right back in a week.
AllHipHop: What was the reaction when you heard it back?
MCM Raymond: He gassed it! He’s talented for real. He’s one of those artists I see already being the face of rap music, if he’s not already.
AllHipHop: I know you just released “Jimmy Choo Freestyle.” What inspired that record?
MCM Raymond: It was really a freestyle. I was in the car, I was on my way to the studio. The producer Omniimadethis sent me that beat on my way to the studio. I’m literally 10 minutes away from the studio, he send me the beat and I played it in the car. I instantly had lyrics to it, that’s why I call it a freestyle. It really wasn’t no topic, it was one of those songs I’m talking my s###.
AllHipHop: Do you freestyle or write?
MCM Raymond: I’m starting now to freestyle, because I only used to write. Freestyling came from me writing all the time, ideas flowing in my head. Most of the time, I write. It really depends on the beat for the song.
AllHipHop: You also linked with my guy Azchike on “Rasta.” How did that happen?
MCM Raymond: I’ve been knowing Chike for two years. We were already familiar, we already talked before hopping on the song so that came naturally. I was in the studio and I had an open verse I felt Azchike could gas on. I tapped in with him, sent it to him. He f##### with it. He said “that s### was hard,” sent it back to me. We ended up shooting the music video two weeks after we linked up.
AllHipHop: Best memory from the video shoot?
MCM Raymond: S###, just the vibe there. We were all turnt, had all my homies there. We were all lit for the video. We were all vibing for real, it was cool. I f##### with it.
AllHipHop: I know you’re tight with OTM too.
MCM Raymond: Yeah, OTM. I know bluepesoss and ayeeduffy. We haven’t really talked about music yet, but I know them through my brother. He went to school with them. We linked up with them once, this was before they officially joined the Stinc Team.
When I was talking to them, they were telling me how Drakeo was f###### with them. The homies was telling them like “yeah bro, keep going. Y’all really doing y’all s### for real.” One of my homies told them “watch, Drakeo and them going to f### with y’all.” They ended up joining them a week after. I’m proud of them, they doing their s###.
AllHipHop: Any conflicts with the Stinc Team?
MCM Raymond: Hell nah. The thing is, I don’t know really know nobody from the Stinc Team. I just know pesos and duffy. I f### with the Stinc Team, they got a big ass impact on the LA sound for real for real. Everybody back then & now are still listening to Drakeo. Ain’t no conflict. I just do good music. I’m trying to make an impact too in LA.
AllHipHop: New EP releasing August 19th, what can we expect?
MCM Raymond: I really took my time on this EP for real. This EP was really supposed to come out months before. I felt the songs that I was making while putting together the EP, that wasn’t on the EP, was better than the songs on the EP. It’s the first time I really took my time, instead of slapping 6 or 7 songs together. It’ll give people that old me, but a newer version in a way.
AllHipHop: What’s the project called?
MCM Raymond: It’s called Many Can’t Maintain, basically many can’t maintain their position. A lot of people end up blowing up or end up getting the opportunity where they can change their life, other people’s lives, and end up messing up because of certain things. It’s a common thing around me. I know a lot of people that got put in positions where they could change their whole situation, but end up messing it up because of certain things.
AllHipHop: Talk about making MCM hoodies with the album cover.
MCM Raymond: I teamed up with TMI (The Mentally Illest brand), we gon’ come out with 50 to 100 limited edition hoodies. It got the EP cover at the front, then it got the tracklist on the back. It’s some hard s###. We got the rhinestones as the drawstrings, we gon’ do some hard s###. They really gon’ f### with it.
AllHipHop: I actually interviewed KingMostWanted right here. Talk about linking with him on “In My City.”
MCM Raymond: King, we been knowing each other for a cool ass minute. “In My City” was really our first collab. How that came about, I remember King was in jail for a quick minute. But that time he was in jail, he was dropping music. One of the songs was “In My City,” then the other song was “Different Varieties” that I produced too. When he came out, his manager Adrian had told me he wanted me to make the beat for the songs he had. So he sent me a video of him beating on the table to “In My City.”
From there, I already had an idea of the beat. We hopped on FaceTine and created that whole beat. I sent it to him, then he hit me back on the tip like “I need you to hop on the second verse.” I’m on the tip like “hell yeah, I’ll hop on the second verse. That’s nothing.” That’s really how the song came about.
AllHipHop: Talk about producing for Blueface and Mike Sherm.
MCM Raymond: My boy Yike Mike, he knows Blueface. He produced “Next Big Thing” for Blueface, so I really got that connection to him. He was in the studio session one day with Blueface. He was going through hella beats with Blueface, I guess he came across my beat with Yike Mike. Me and Yike Mike collabed on a beat, he heard the beat and was f###### with it. Yike Mike told me,” I’m like oh s### that’s crazy. Bro had posted a preview to it on his Story. I just remember people sending me it, telling me “this yo beat.” That’s how it really came about, through Yike Mike.
Mike Sherm, I met him through KingMostWanted because I produced “Different Varieties.” I met him at the “Different Varieties” video shoot. He real cool, I f### with bro. He’s humble. I can tell he’s about his business too. He was f###### with me, so we followed each other on the Gram. He found out I make my own music too, he f#### with it. We’re going to have some s### too, soon.
AllHipHop: What can we expect from your new single, “Come Back”?
MCM Raymond: “Come Back,” that’s going to be one of them ones. It’s a song that everybody’s missing in LA. There’s so much s### going on in LA: people dying, gangbanging, all types of s###. This more of a fun song, a real fun party song. It’s going one of them ones for sure.
AllHipHop: What do you want people to get from your story?
MCM Raymond: Don’t give up on your dream, just keep grinding. I’m heavily into the Law of Attraction. Once you put something in the universe: you work for it, it’s going to come. If anybody has a dream that has to chase it, keep chasing it. It’s not going to happen when you need it to happen, it’s all part of God’s plan at the end of the day.
AllHipHop: Do you have any goals for yourself?
MCM Raymond: Really I want to grow my name and my brand, outside of LA. Hit other cities, states, really worldwide for real. That’s my goal with this music.
AllHipHop: What do you like to do when you’re not working?
MCM Raymond: It’s crazy because people think I like to go to clubs, I don’t really be in the clubs. I like chillin’ with my people, we be smoking and s###. We hop on the game. I like to go shopping a lot, to get clothes. Really just chill, I like to be to myself.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?
MCM Raymond: I got more s### coming after the EP: single, video. Big features too! Letting them know I got more s### coming.
Carolyn Bryant Donham won’t face charges for her role in the death of Emmett Till.
According to the Associated Press, a Mississippi grand jury chose to not indict the white woman whose accusations caused Emmett Till to be lynched in 1955. The grand jury determined there was insufficient evidence to indict the 87-year-old woman on kidnapping and manslaughter charges.
Earlier this year, members of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation and two of his relatives found an unserved warrant for Carolyn Bryant Donham’s arrest in a Mississippi courthouse. The discovery renewed interest in pursuing charges against her for Emmett Till’s death.
Emmett Till’s cousin Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. expressed disappointment after the grand jury declined to indict Carolyn Bryant Donham. The reverend is the last living witness to his cousin’s 1955 abduction.
“The prosecutor tried his best, and we appreciate his efforts, but he alone cannot undo hundreds of years of anti-Black systems that guaranteed those who killed Emmett Till would go unpunished, to this day,” he said. “The fact remains that the people who abducted, tortured, and murdered Emmett did so in plain sight, and our American justice system was and continues to be set up in such a way that they could not be brought to justice for their heinous crimes.”
Emmett Till’s killers, Carolyn Bryant Donham’s then-husband Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, died many years ago. The two white men were acquitted of murder by an all-white jury in 1955. They later confessed to the abduction and gruesome murder of the 14-year-old Black boy in an interview with Look magazine.
Carolyn Bryant Donham never faced any charges for setting off the lynching of Emmett Till. He allegedly whistled at her, but she accused him of grabbing and threatening her. Decades later, she admitted “that part is not true” in an interview with historian Timothy B. Tyson.
Jeymes Samuel will be honored at the first Dirty Popcorn Black Film Festival, an event presented by Delaware-based film company Jet Phynx.
The Harder They Falldirector will receive a lifetime achievement award at the festival, which takes place at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington on Saturday (August 13).
Jeymes Samuel will appear via a recorded message shown prior to screenings of short films. The event also features panel discussions with industry professionals.
“The mission of the festival is to provide a platform and venue to discover and celebrate filmmakers of color from Delaware and the surrounding region while also providing a means of preserving local Black filmmakers,” Jet Phynx said in a press release.
Jet Phynx’s upcoming event includes art exhibits and a live taping of the Reel Talk podcast in addition to an awards ceremony. Filmmakers can receive awards for best directing, best writing and best cinematography, among other categories.
“Our mission is to offer a space that will help creatives and executives bring their imagination to life,” Jet Phynx founder Parris Duncan said. “We understand the importance of creativity and innovation for the world and wish to aid that growth in our community”.
The Dirty Popcorn Black Film Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. local time and concludes at 4 p.m on August 13. Find out more information about the event here.
Chrissy explained that she had to come off her blood pressure medication while pregnant, and her “sweaty nightmares” have returned as a result.
I have had such insane, sweaty nightmares most of my life and was put on a blood pressure medication at bedtime. It made them completely go away. I can’t take it pregnant and they’re back 😭 I guess this is just a PSA for anyone that has them.
“I have had such insane, sweaty nightmares most of my life and was put on a blood pressure medication at bedtime. It made them completely go away. I can’t take it pregnant and they’re back (crying emoji) I guess this is just a PSA (public service announcement) for anyone that has them,” she tweeted.
The 36-year-old added that the nightmares continue when she goes back to bed after waking up.
“I will wake up a few times a night just to dry off or the cold air will kill me. And if I wake up and fall back asleep, it treats it like a commercial and picks up right where it left off lol,” Chrissy joked.
Chrissy and John are also parents to daughter Luna, six, and son Miles, four.
However, the star suffered a devastating stillbirth in September 2020, a few months after she announced she was pregnant with her third child, a boy they planned to name Jack.
During an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs over the weekend, the All of Me singer reflected on the loss.
“You feel broken. There’s no real comfort and you’re always going to feel that loss,” he said. “It kind of spreads over time, so it doesn’t feel as heavy, but you’ll never forget it.”
Big Groove is trending on social media all over with his viral dances. The bodybuilder, foodie, influencer, and now music artist has gravitated toward his fans with everything he does. His pure intentions with a genuine love for dance, food, and exercise capture the attention of many fans around the world. His latest social media video shot Kuzzos chicken waffles in Detroit, MI feat. the Popular song by Usher Raymond “U Got It Bad” has become a fan favorite in the last few days rapidly.
The video recently released to market his new show and shark Bites tour has taken high viral numbers. The energetic video has topped social media’s most watched videos. Social media influencer Big Groove is a viral sensation that has created memorable moments with his creative content.
Clive Ibizugbe otherwise known as Big Groove, was born in Germany and raised in Boston by a single-parent mom and his two brothers. Clive growing up as the middle child always loved the attention and always been very hyperactive as a kid. Dancing staying active and food has always been the way to his heart. Clive’s dancing videos have started to go viral across the globe.
Clive has been reposted by celebrities such as Mario Lopez, B, Scott, Shaq, and Snoop Dogg, as well by outlets like Complex, B.E.T., world star, Hollywood Unlocked, baller alert, and more. His likeness was used for the promo by the cast of 50 cent’s#### show “Power” on the star network. Big Groove videos have reached from 2.2 million to 30 million views total.
Sam Asghari has once again defended his wife Britney Spears’ nude selfies following comments from her ex-husband Kevin Federline.
Kevin told the Daily Mail over the weekend that Sean Preston and Jayden James, the teenage sons he shares with the pop star, hadn’t seen their mother for a few months and didn’t attend her wedding to Sam because they were embarrassed about the provocative photos she posts on Instagram.
Sam came to his wife’s defense in a now-deleted Instagram Stories post on Monday.
“Even if there was truth to her kids being ashamed of their mothers (sic) choices and positive body image they wouldn’t be the 1st teenagers emberrassed (sic) of their parents… The mere presence of a parent can humiliate a teenager,” he wrote. “Eventually if not already they will realize their mothers (sic) choices are harmless and an expression of a newly found freedom… There is nothing to be embarrassed (sic) about just lots of things to be proud of.”
The personal trainer and actor previously addressed Kevin’s comments over the weekend when he wrote, “The boys are very smart and will be 18 soon to make their own decisions and may eventually realize the ‘tough’ part was having a father who hasn’t worked much in over 15 years as a role model.”
Britney called her ex’s comments “hurtful” in her own statement and insisted she should be doing “WAAAY more than going topless on the beach like a baby” following the termination of her conservatorship in November.
Britney and Kevin, 44, were married from 2004 until their divorce was finalized in 2007. She married Sam in June.
Taylor Swift has submitted a sworn declaration insisting that she wrote “Shake It Off” “entirely” and did not infringe upon another song’s copyright.
The singer was sued by songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler in 2017, with them accusing Taylor of copying their 2001 song “Playas Gon’ Play,” which was performed by 3LW.
Taylor has now submitted a sworn declaration to the judge in which she insisted she had never heard the song she is accused of copying until the case was brought against her.
“The lyrics to ‘Shake It Off’ were written entirely by me,” she declared in the paperwork, reports Billboard. “Until learning about Plaintiffs’ claim in 2017, I had never heard the song ‘Playas Gon’ Play’ and had never heard of that song or the group 3LW.”
The 32-year-old claimed she would have had barely any opportunity to hear the 2001 song because her parents “did not permit me to watch (MTV’s countdown show) ‘TRL’ until I was about 13 years old.”
Taylor and her legal team also argued that the similar phrases in both songs – “players gonna play” and “haters gonna hate” – were both common and popular, and she heard them on the school playground rather than in 3LW’s song.
“These phrases were akin to other commonly used sayings like ‘don’t hate the playa, hate the game,’ ‘take a chill pill,’ and ‘say it, don’t spray it ‘… I was struck by messages that people prone to doing something will do it, and the best way to overcome it is to shrug it off and keep living,” Taylor insisted, adding that she brought a “haters gonna hate” T-shirt from Urban Outfitters in 2013.
“Alina of Cuba” producer John Martinez O’Felan has responded to John Leguizamo’s criticism of James Franco being cast as Fidel Castro.
Last week, it was announced that the “127 Hours” star would portray the Cuban revolutionary in the new movie alongside Ana Villafañe as Alina Fernández, a Cuban exile-turned-activist who learned that she is Castro’s daughter aged 10.
The “Moulin Rouge!” star, who is Colombian-American, called out the casting on Instagram, writing, “How is this still going on? How is Hollywood excluding us but stealing our narratives as well? No more appropriation Hollywood and streamers! Boycott! This F’d up!… I don’t got a prob with Franco but he ain’t Latino!”
Latin exclusion in Hollywood is real! Don’t get it twisted! Long long history of it! & appropriation of our stories even longer! Why can’t Latinxers play Latin roles? Why can’t we play lead roles? Why can’t we they flip white roles to Latinx? We r the most excluded group in Amrca pic.twitter.com/cUghXcpJHY
O’Felan responded in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, calling Leguizamo’s comments “culturally uneducated and a blind attack with zero substance related to this project.”
“I think he should move past himself and also acknowledge that this story is about a Latin female immigrant living in America who is of historical importance, led by a Latin woman and I’m just an underdog who is making it, so he should also understand that it’s kind of disappointing to see our work getting attacked by someone who claims to be a leader of the Latin community,” he continued.
Fidel Castro’s daughter has also approved of Franco’s casting, with her telling Deadline, “James Franco has an obvious physical resemblance with Fidel Castro, besides his skills and charisma.”
Fernández will serve as a consultant on the movie, to be directed by Miguel Bardem on location in Cartagena and Bogota in Colombia later this month. Mía Maestro will portray her mother Natalia ‘Naty’ Revuelta.
America is mourning another cultural icon with the recent death of legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier of the writing and producing team, Holland, Dozier, Holland.
The news was shared on Tuesday by his son, Lamont Dozier Jr, who posted a photograph of him and his father, saying, “Rest in Heavenly Peace, Dad!”
According to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 1988, the Detroit native was the epitome of the Motown sound, collaboratively penning with Brian and Edward Holland over 400 songs.
They wrote classic top ten hits like “Stop In The Name Of Love,” “Baby Love,” “Where Did Our Love Go,” “You Can’t Hurry Love,” “You Just Keep Me Hanging On,” “Nowhere To Run,” “Love Is Like A Heat Wave,” “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself,” “Sugar Pie,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You,” and “Can I Get A Witness.”
Reports say, with over 70 Billboard Top Ten Hits and 40+ number one jams, he and his team created songs that have collectively amassed multiple hundreds of millions of spins on radio.
Lamont Dozier and his partners, who were often called the Motown Musketeers, received The National Academy of Songwriters’ Lifetime Achievement Award and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
When reflecting on his career, Dozier told the Guardian in 2015, “We were as surprised as anybody else when we came up with so many songs.”
He recalled he and his partners would get to the studio at 9 a.m. and work until 3 a.m., saying to make a song, they could take anywhere from 15 minutes to 15 days to create the unique formula for a group.
His writing style intentionally targeted women, their wants, their dreams, and how they saw themselves.
“Women bought the records, to put it bluntly,” said Dozier. “They wanted music that talked about their feelings, but also … women raised me. My father wasn’t around, and I was brought up by my grandmother. I trusted women, and I still do.”
Details surrounding Dozier’s death have not been publicly released. Dozier, born in 1941, was 81 at the time of his death.
