After taking advantage of an opportunity to pitch a record to a megastar, a new star was discovered in M.T.G. Under the moniker “Movin Towards Greatness”, that same demo turned out to be his debut single “Only Fans.” The single placed on iTunes Top 10 in 2021. With big wins under his belt early in his career, listeners easily pick up to the lyrics of his new style and delivery in early records like “Go Back” and “Lyin Eyes” featuring Dreezy.
Still new to the masses, you have heard of the singer from his songwriting and collaborations with Juicy J, Tory Lanez, and more. M.T.G. has become one of the artists who will sneak unto your playlist and can be a future fan favorite. Currently working up to his next release he’s signed a label partnership and has been putting his pen to work. We will see what’s to come.
Sam Smith has revealed their next album will be about “queer joy.”
Speaking to Billboard for their cover story on Thursday, the “Stay with Me” singer opened up about what their upcoming album will entail.
Though the pop star is “not going to say any names of them (songs) yet,” stressing the record is still a work-in-progress, they did share details about the tone of the album.
Billboard described the demos played for them as “jubilant” with “dance-pop kiss-offs” and “choral expressions of elation” – a change from Sam’s earlier “heartbroken torch songs.”
Of their new project’s main theme, Sam explained, “I think joy for me, and for a lot of queer people, is quite a dangerous place… We’re all masters of pain, and I think it’s actually a very courageous act to step into the queer joy of it all.”
The artist also detailed how they’ve been more involved in the production of this album than in earlier projects.
“For the first time I think in my career, I really just stepped into the room and said, ‘I want to learn how to produce more. I want to vocal arrange more than I have. I want to be more involved in everything,'” Sam said. “Obviously, I’ve been involved in everything since the beginning, but now I’ve just grown up a bit.”
Sam’s as-yet-untitled album, the follow-up to 2020’s Love Goes, has not been assigned a release date.
Rapper Lil Baby hosted his annual “Back to School Fest” on Sunday, August 7th, at the West End Mall, near Atlanta’s prestigious historically Black college hub, the Atlanta University Center.
However, this giveaway is not for Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta University, Morris Brown, ITC, or Morehouse School of Medicine students.
It is for the over 3,000 children of Southwest Atlanta looking to start their academic year with a day of delight.
The Quality Control/ Motown rapper was at The West End Mall from 12 6:00 p.m. sponsoring an afternoon of music, free games, carnival rides, food, backpacks, school supplies, and haircuts.
The “Right On” chart-topper, according to a press release, be giving away free shoes and clothing from Foot Locker Atlanta to every child in attendance.
Goodr, a sustainable waste management, and hunger relief company, also provided an after-school snack bar.
In the past, Lil Baby has sponsored bike giveaways and job opportunities for Atlanta’s youth, cleaned up a community basketball court and donated $150,000 to his old school.
“We are grateful to Lil Baby for his continued resolution in giving back to his community,” Goodr CEO Jasmine Crowe said. “It is an honor to continually team up with such a household name to relieve some of the ongoing financial burden people are facing.”
Bishop Lamor Whitehead claimed he played an important part in 50 Cent’s life.
The infamous preacher spoke about his relationship with the G-Unit boss in an interview with AllHipHop’s Chuck Creekmur. Whitehead mentioned his work with several rappers, which included him “saving” 50 Cent.
“50 Cent, he got saved in my ministry,” Whitehead told AllHipHop.com. “I think that somebody put up a clip of him saying how he was affected by my ministry, but I don’t really put certain people’s personal things up because I like to protect their integrity. But yeah, he said that.”
Whitehead then addressed 50 Cent’s social media activity, which helped spread a video of the preacher getting robbed during a church service. The Brooklyn bishop said he had no problem with the posts.
“50’s 50,” he explained. “50’s a comedian. I’m a comedian. So, he gonna put it out there. He didn’t say anything disrespectful. But if I’m trending No. 1 around the world, why not? He didn’t say nothing bad … He’s still a brother of mine. It is what it is.”
Whitehead also defended his lavish lifestyle, discussed his involvement with rappers such as 50 Cent, and revealed why he has an issue with Ma$e.
Check out the entire interview with Whitehead below.
Speaking to People about the process of signing up for “Selling Sunset”.and exposing her life as a new mother, Bre said, “I’m not going to necessarily hide (Legendary) from anything. It is what it is between his dad and I.
“He’s still obviously so little, so I will protect him from the majority of it for a little while.”
In the interview, Bre explained that she had recently switched careers from modeling to selling real estate.
“I wanted to transition out of modeling and start setting myself up for a long-term career. I started taking it more seriously and tapping into my network, and that’s when I started making some high-figure sales,” she shared.
Bre also noted how “helpful” it will be to have fellow Selling Sunset stars, such as expecting mother Heather Rae El Moussa, going through “the same thing” while Bre raises Legendary.
“I think that’ll be a great little bonding thing for us. Because it’s definitely a whole different hood, motherhood,” she added.
A premiere date for “Selling Sunset” season 6 has yet to be announced.
During an appearance on Good Day DC, Chaka told host Marissa Mitchell that she had been “upset about sounding like a chipmunk” because Kanye didn’t reveal that he was planning to speed up the sample when she gave him permission to use it.
She explained, “(Kanye) didn’t mention that he was gonna speed it up, you know, three times its normal speed. Had he, I would’ve had something to say. But since I didn’t think of that – believe me, I think of it now – I ask, ‘How are we gonna do this?'”
When asked whether Kanye ever reached out to discuss the sample after releasing the song, Chaka said they haven’t spoken, and she’s not “looking to hear” from him, noting that it happened “a long time ago.”
John Boyega dismissed reports that he is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a new interview.
In a chat with Men’s Health, English actor Boyega responded to rumors that he secretly filmed a cameo for an upcoming project set in the MCU.
The rumors, started by the blog Giant Freakin Robot, were fueled by his statements in a 2021 appearance on the radio show “Fresh Air With Terry Gross,” in which he praised Marvel for its work on “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.”
When asked whether he is working on a Marvel movie, John stated: “That’s not in the vision for me now.
“I want to do nuanced things. . . . I want to donate my services to original indie films that come with new, fresh ideas, because I know it’s real hard to top Iron Man in that universe.”
The 30-year-old star can next be seen in the historical epic “The Woman King,” opposite Viola Davis.
Saweetie stopped checking social media when she felt her brain had become “programmed” to check her phone.
In an interview with Kevin Hart for his “Hart to Heart”.series, the “Icy Grl” hitmaker revealed that she decided to cut back on her screen time during a recent period of “self-reflection.”
“I don’t check social media like that no more. If you live for the Internet, if you live for social media, you’ll die by social media. That’s why I stopped checking for stuff,” she said. “As someone who checked her phone each day, I caught myself a lot. (I wasn’t) conscious of going to Instagram or Twitter or social media networks. I wouldn’t even be thinking… (and) I would end up there. That’s how much my body was programmed.”
But while Instagram isn’t a big focus for Saweetie at the moment, she has serious plans when it comes to venturing into the wider media space.
“My goal is to become a media company. I feel like being a musician is the foundation and I’ve been able to create a strong fanbase from that,” the 29-year-old continued. “But the next step up is becoming a media company. I love business. I believe that songs are a form of service and business is a form of service, I like them both. To house all the brands and businesses I create.”
Aaron Taylor-Johnson was hospitalized after shooting a fight sequence for “Bullet Train.”
The “Kick-Ass” actor revealed to Variety that he passed out after cutting his hand on a piece of the set while shooting a fight scene, and he had to go to the hospital for stitches.
“I was on some crazy mad Keto diet,” he shared. “Because I got all scrawny and lean for this, so I basically had low blood sugar levels. We were in a fight sequence and I get drop-kicked across the room. And the one sharp bit of the corner where there wasn’t any padding took a chunk out of my hand. And I literally went wham, passed out.”
Aaron recalled coming to and asking, “Should we go again?”
On-set staff told the star, “No, no, no. You gotta go get stitches at the hospital,” where he spent the night.
Summarizing the incident, Aaron quipped, “You know, when you sign up for a David Leitch movie you know you gotta get a couple battle scars – some war wounds.”
Directed by David Leitch, “Bullet Train” stars Brad Pitt as a hitman who has to fight his way through a train filled with assassins portrayed by Aaron, Bad Bunny, Joey King, and Brian Tyree Henry.
When the group discovers all their assignments are related, the train becomes an arena for a deathmatch.
Emerging West Coast rapper Young Slo-Be has been identified as the man killed in a Manteca shooting on Friday, August 5th.
According to KCRA, the San Joaquin County Medical Examiner’s office said the body they reviewed belonged to 29-year-old Disean Victor, the artist’s real name.
Slo-Be’s body was found in an apartment near West Center Street and Trevino Avenue early Friday morning.
In a statement, Thizzler On the Roof, an entertainment connected to the artist, said, “We are saddened to confirm that Young Slo-Be was killed this morning in Manteca, CA. We’ve worked with Slo-Be since 2020, and from early on we knew that his work ethic and the care he put into his artistry would take him very far.”
Rest In Peace Young Slo-Be 💔 We’re devastated to announce that rising star Young Slo-Be was shot & killed this morning. It was an honor to work with Slo-Be the last couple of years and we’re heartbroken to say goodbye.
“He saw the most mainstream success with his song ‘I Love You’ which has gone viral on TikTok, but he also leaves behind a strong catalog with multiple albums and a cult following that has followed him for years,” the statement continued.
Thizzler On the Roof’s statement ended with them expressing the bright future they believed he would have had in the industry.
“We had high hopes for Young Slo-Be’s career and looked forward to doing more great work together,” the remarked concluded. “This senseless act of violence has taken a man from his family and leaves a huge void in the West Coast music community. We hope to see a day where this kind of thing isn’t so common. We’ll miss him dearly.”
Fans also paid tribute online.
“S### crazy on 39st crip they really killed young slo-be tho bra,” one fan wrote.
Young Slo-Be was the voice behind songs like “Smurkish Mode,” “I Love You,” and “Unforgivable” with the late Drakeo the Ruler, another West Coast rapper killed violently within the last year.
Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson have welcomed their second child together.
A representative for the reality TV star confirmed to People on Friday that the former couple had become parents to a baby boy. The tot was delivered via surrogate.
The infant’s name and date of birth have not yet been announced.
However, a source told the outlet that Khloé is still deciding on a moniker for her son.
Last month, the pair confirmed they were expecting another child together, a sibling for their four-year-old daughter True.
“We can confirm True will have a sibling who was conceived in November,” her spokesperson said at the time. “Khloé is incredibly grateful to the extraordinary surrogate for such a beautiful blessing. We’d like to ask for kindness and privacy so that Khloé can focus on her family.”
In the lead-up to the birth of True in April 2018, the basketball player was hit with allegations that he had been cheating on the TV personality while she was pregnant.
In addition, the 38-year-old and Tristan split after it was reported that he had allegedly cheated on her with Jordyn Woods, but they rekindled the romance during the Covid-19 pandemic.
They broke up again in June 2021, and their new baby was conceived before it was revealed Tristan, 31, was expecting a child with fitness model Maralee Nichols.
Maralee gave birth to their son Theo in early December. The sports star is also father to five-year-old son Prince from his relationship with Jordan Craig.
A judge has ruled that Kevin Spacey must pay $31 million to “House of Cards” producers for derailing the series when he was fired over allegations of misconduct.
Officials for MRC, the production company behind the Netflix series, filed a petition in November to confirm that an arbitrator had ordered the actor to pay almost $31 million to them after finding that he breached his contract by violating their sexual harassment policy. Spacey’s team sought to dismiss the ruling in January.
The award consists of around $29.5 million in damages and the rest in costs and fees.
“We are pleased with the court’s ruling,” MRC’s attorney Michael J. Kump said in a statement to Deadline.
In January, Spacey’s team had argued that his behavior on set was just “sexual innuendos” and “innocent horseplay” and therefore he didn’t violate their policy.
Spacey, who executive produced and played Frank Underwood on the show, left the production in chaos during the middle of season six after he was accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards “Rent” star Anthony Rapp in October 2017.
Subsequently, a number of “House of Cards” staffers accused Spacey of misconduct.
After an internal investigation, the actor was terminated from the show, forcing two episodes to be shelved and most of season six to be rewritten.
MRC originally filed court documents in 2019 to recover the costs of scrapping the season and starting over.
Rapp is currently suing the 63-year-old for sexual assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the trial is due to begin in New York in October.
Over in the U.K., the “American Beauty” actor recently pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
The trial is scheduled to begin in June 2023.
Spacey has consistently denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, and all other legal actions against him have been either dropped or dismissed.
Justin Bieber offered up his help after U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia on Thursday.
The 31-year-old sports star was arrested in February after vape cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage as she arrived at an airport near Moscow.
On Thursday, she was convicted of drug possession and smuggling and sentenced to nine years in prison and a fine of 1 million rubles ($16,500).
Responding to the news on his Instagram Stories, Justin wrote, “This hurts. If anyone knows of anyway I can help please let me know.”
Actress Mia Farrow also reacted to the sentence on Twitter, writing, “The Russian judge ignored everything Britney Griner had stated. He sentenced her to 9 years in a ‘penal colony’. For carrying 2 vaping cartridges – medically prescribed. Damn. Heartbreaking.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg14bt6u0wQ/?hl=en
Meanwhile, 50 Cent posted, “This is wild, smh (shaking my head),” while Jada Pinkett Smith and Andy Cohen both called for Griner to be freed.
U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that Russia was “wrongfully detaining” the basketball star and added, “It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.”
Griner’s lawyer has stated that they will appeal the sentence, insisting that the court ignored their evidence as well as the guilty plea Griner entered during her trial in July.
Rapper Nicki Minaj and her husband Kenneth Petty are the subjects of a new lawsuit filed against the lawyer of the woman who has kept them in and out of court for years.
According to Radar Online, Jennifer Hough, the woman that sued the celebrity couple for alleged harassment, is now suing her former lawyer, claiming he was talking to the opps while working on her case.
Jennifer Hough states in the complaint that she hired the lawyer to work with her principal lawyer, Tyron Blackburn, on the case against the Pettys.
In the case with the Pettys, she noted that Nicki’s husband had been convicted of a rape attempt against her when the two were teens in 1995.
Kenneth Petty served four years in prison for the crime, but in 2020, he was back in the news after failing to register as a sex offender in Los Angeles.
Because Hough would not rescind her allegations for $500,000, she says the “Super Bass” rapper used her power, platform, and fanbase to harass her and her family.
AllHipHop.com reported that Hough claims Nicki Minaj was bullying her by making public statements concerning her partner being “wrongfully accused,” summoning her to LA to meet with her face to face, and making her life hell.
Jennifer Hough said she “suffered an onslaught of harassing calls and unsolicited visits” and eventually sued the couple for intentional infliction of emotional harassment and witness intimidation.
His “incessant calls were even more problematic because [he] was aware of the vulnerable mental and emotional state [Hough] is in because of the actions of the Defendants in the case,” her complaint states.
She continued, “the sheer weakness [he] displayed caused [Hough] to forgo her healing process and assume the role of a mother figure or caretaker to pacify [him] and provide him with the self-confidence he desperately lacked.”
Hough also alleges in the lawsuit that the Pettys offered him things and spoke to him without her knowledge, and the ex-lawyer never clued her in.
Mark Goidell has been hired to represent the lawyer being sued. He says, “The allegations of the complaint are completely without merit both factually and legally. We intend to move to dismiss and to impose sanctions.”
Tyler Perry once paid Cicely Tyson $1 million for a single day of work.
In a new interview for AARP, the actor/ filmmaker discussed his friendship with the legendary actress and noted that he “took care” of her for many years.
“I’ve never said this publicly available, but I took care of Ms. Tyson for the last 15 years of her life. She was a proud woman, and the only reason I mention this is because she wrote it in her book,” he explained. “This woman had done so many amazing things, but she wasn’t well compensated for it. She made $6,000 for (1972 film) ‘Sounder,’ you know?”
Tyler went on to share that he offered her a fortune to briefly appear in his 2007 drama-comedy “Why Did I Get Married?”.as a way of conveying his gratitude to her.
“I wanted to make sure she knew that there were people who valued her. So, she did one day of work on my 2007 film ‘Why Did I Get Married?’ I paid her a million dollars. I loved working with her. And it makes me feel great that I was in a position to give this incredible woman some security in her latter years,” the 52-year-old continued.
Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson have reportedly broken up. A source told E! News reported on Friday that the pair has split.
“(They have) a lot of love and respect for each other,” a source insisted to the outlet. “(But their schedules) made it really difficult to maintain a relationship.”
In recent weeks, Pete Davidson has been shooting the movie “Wizards!” in Australia.
Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian is focused on her four children – North, nine, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, three – whom she shares with ex-husband Kanye West.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fyFFyhJq4M
“The divorce is moving ahead with Kanye. They are happily co-parenting,” another insider stated.
Representatives for Kim and Pete, 28, have not yet commented on the report.
Previously, the 41-year-old gushed that “The King of Staten Island” star had the “best heart” of anyone she had ever met during an episode of her TV show “The Kardashians.”
“Pete has got to be literally the best human being I’ve ever met,” she said in a confessional. “The best heart. People always say, ‘Oh, he’s so funny and (the relationship) has to do with how funny he is.’ That’s, like, fourth on my list on why I like him. He always wants the best for people, can handle anything, always does it with grace. He’s really, really thoughtful and humble and genuine. I would say the best word to describe Pete is genuine.”
We all know Beyoncé is a beast. At her height, she was wiping out just about every female singer that was out in the marketplace. Most of those singers were eviscerated from memory, commercials marketplace and other spaces in the music industry. Well, not memory because we love them all.
But there was one individual that Beyoncé was not able to get rid of. And that person is Rihanna. Somehow, the Barbadian beast was able to overcome, thrive and prosper in the era of Beyoncé. And some might argue that was actually the era of Rihanna.
RiRi continued to explore options in business, whereas Beyoncé sort of focused more on music. I know she has businesses as well, but it just seems like Rihanna disappeared from making music. We’re still waiting for that. But for a while there people like Ciara, Keri Hilson, Amerie and others had difficulty making big moves in the music game. Some even said that Beyoncé sabotage them, but that’s another rumor.
Beyoncé had a song called “Bow Down” a few years ago. The song reverberated pretty intensely, because people felt like she was talking directly to them! I know other women that were upset at the song because they felt it was disrespectful to women. You know B is a symbol of feminine solidarity! For the most part, we know Beyoncé to be a really nice person. But, she is a consummate competitor. So what happened?
The song “Bow Down” had a target. And that target was Rihanna. The people that cowrote the song, Rock City, just did an interview in a podcast and revealed that Rihanna was the desired target of bow down. I find this to be very interesting, because Jay Z was instrumental in Rihanna’s career. He basically made her successful. I suppose that gave Briana some safe Haven as well, especially when she was younger.
On another note, they say that the original song DEMO – “Man Down” was for Rihanna!
To this day, I don’t think that Beyoncé was able to destroy Rihanna. And, on the flip side, I’m not sure if she actually made efforts to do that. But, we do definitely know that Rihanna‘s existence influenced Beyoncé’s artistry. That Sasha Fierce personality was the response in my opinion.
Prince’s six half-siblings were made his legal heirs, and three sold their stakes to Primary Wave, which owns approximately half of the star’s estate.
The three remaining heirs have been in court grappling with Primary Wave for many years, with proceedings between both parties and two advisors seeking to decide how the $156 million estate should be divided.
At a hearing in Minnesota, a new agreement was rolled out which splits the holdings into two equal companies – Prince Legacy LLC for the heirs and advisers and Prince Oat Holdings LLC for Primary Wave. A judge signed off on the deal on Monday, Billboard reports.
A Primary Wave representative said in a statement that the company is “extremely pleased that the process of closing the Prince Estate has now been finalized.”
They continued, “Prince was an iconic superstar, and this transfer out of the court’s jurisdiction puts in place professional, skilled management… With the distribution of estate assets, we look forward to a strong and productive working relationship.”
NBA YoungBoy attempted to fake a drug test to avoid violating the terms of his pretrial release.
According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, NBA YoungBoy tried to pass off a clean urine sample as his own. The 22-year-old rapper ended up testing positive for THC when he provided a legitimate sample.
NBA YoungBoy allegedly made multiple excuses for why he couldn’t take a drug test requested by a probation officer in late July. He eventually reported for testing but was caught faking his urine sample on July 26.
“During the screen, the observing officer noticed a device was being used to allow the urine into the testing cup,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana said. “When questioned, the defendant pulled up his pants quickly. The defendant denied using a device and would not comply with the officer’s attempts to view the device. The defendant was informed that the test would be negated, and a second sample would be required. After the request, the defendant was allowed to get water. The defendant was instructed to remain in the lobby and not leave for any reason; however, the defendant left the office without permission prior to providing a second sample.”
A day after the incident, NBA YoungBoy admitted he’d been vaping. He tested positive for THC, which was a violation of the conditions of his pretrial release.
“On July 27, 2022, the defendant reported to the probation office with his attorney,” U.S. Attorneys said. “The defendant provided a urine sample which returned positive for THC. Upon questioning from the USPO, the defendant reported he had been using a CBD vape pen for the entirety of his pretrial supervision. The defendant reported he took an at home drug screen the prior week which showed he was positive, and he panicked about doing the drug screen. The defendant denied attempting to use a device to pass the drug screen.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also accused NBA YoungBoy of going to a recording studio without receiving permission from a probation officer. They believe these violations should keep him on house arrest.
NBA YoungBoy’s lawyers asked for his release from house arrest after he was acquitted of felony gun possession in Los Angeles. He still has pending gun charges in his hometown of Baton Rouge.
Kodak Black vented about ungratefulness in a since-deleted post on Instagram.
The controversial rapper complained about people around him expecting too many favors. Kodak Black said he’s busy dealing with his own issues, such as pending drug charges.
“People don’t give af bout what you did for them or all the good you do for others!” he wrote. “Soon you say no to them for one thing you selfish and some more s### !!! I been out of favors in general ! Ima Forever Be A Good N#### But Im going thru my own s### right na to be saving everybody ! & right na Everybody Blowing me up for help it seems like everybody got sumn going on these days ! I’m talm bout everybody want sumn from me !!!!”
Kodak Black realized his financial situation made it possible for him to change lives. But the Atlantic Records artist criticized anyone feeling entitled to his help.
“Everybody love me kuz I’m blessed wit some s### that can save they situations!” he wrote. “But not today I ain’t no dam water faucet dripping favors !!! My phones closed till im done tending to my own s### ! I hate mf’s dat be feeling entitled to some s### !!! Anything a bih ever felt like they did for me I showed my appreciation and or paid for it ! Ion leave no space out here for Nobody to say they did s### for me.”
Kodak Black is out on bond after being arrested in Florida in July. He was charged with trafficking in oxycodone and possession of a controlled substance.
