Month: April 2022

Ahead of her receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it was announced that Ashanti was releasing a children’s book. We previously reported that the Grammy-winning singer would be honored this month for her contributions to several areas of the entertainment industry, but author Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow tweeted that the singer’s new children’s book, My Name is a Story, is much like her own titled Your Name is a Song.

In several posts shared online, Jamilah revealed the books’ cover art and descriptions, and according to her, someone, somewhere, was inspired by her work.

“I thought maybe I’m just making too big a deal about the title and cover being similar but then I read the description,” she said. In a screenshot, the synopsis states that the singer’s book is about the first day of school for a little girl named Ashanti who “feels like no one can pronounce” her name correctly. “Ashanti learns that names have meaning and deserve to be said and loved out loud. Her name tells a story.”

It goes on to say that the plot was “inspired by” the singer’s “own experience,” but Jamilah is calling foul.

“What is my book about? About a girl on the first day of school whose name gets mispronounced and whose mother helps her to see the beauty and musicality of names,” said Jamilah. The description of her book shows that a little girl is frustrated with having her peers and teachers say her name incorrectly, so her mother tells her about “the beauty, history, and magic behind names.”

“I worked for over a year on that book,” Jamilah added. “Took two years to find an agent and get it published and for some celebrity who probably didn’t even write it to just steal my idea. I am shaking.” She pointed out similarities including “the pose, the wind, first day of school, mom character, poetic language to honor names… yeah.”

Jamilah said she “went to bed in tears” and was “devastated by the lack of ethics and cynicism.” Swipe below to read through the entire controversy.

The tense relationship that Ceaser Emanuel has with his daughter has been well-documented. The Black Ink Crew star has developed a career as a tattoo icon, but that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t seen his fair share of controversies. Many of his moments have been displayed on reality television in front of a global audience that has let Emanuel know exactly what they think of his decisions. From failed romances to fairweather friends, Emanuel hasn’t been shy when it comes to sharing his personal life. 

We previously reported on Ceaser’s fallout with his daughter after she and her mother accused him of physical abuse. The allegations made their way to social media where everyone seemed to weigh in, and while the issue hasn’t been acknowledged, at least not publicly, for some time, an Instagram user trolled Emanuel over the scandal.

Arturo Holmes / Staff / Getty Images

This week, rapper and Love & Hip Hop star Lil Scrappy celebrated his daughter Emani Richardson’s birthday by gifting the teen a new Audi. Photos and videos of the surprise went viral and after Hollywood Unlocked shared the good news, someone jumped in the comments to say, “[Ceaser Emanuel] take notes [red exclamation point emojis].”

The reality star mogul decided to issue a response. 

“This girl deserve everything she is getting from her parents,” Emanuel wrote. “My daughter doesn’t deserve sh*t with her lying ass [100 emoji] and please don’t at me again or I will get disrespectful. You don’t know me.” It’s unclear if the person replied, but you can check out the post below.

It looks like we’re *thisclose* to receiving new music from Solange and fans can’t wait. While her celebrity peers have often been photographed on red carpets or share intimate details of their lives on social media daily, Solange is more of a reclusive person when it comes to the industry. The famed Knowles sister has been diligently working on Saint Heron and her projects have continued to be celebrated, but it has been some time since fans have received new music.

It was back in 2019 when Solange released When I Get Home and since that time, there have been rumors of another project in the works. There may be something on the horizon as Master P shared a clip of the singer turning up in the studio.

 
John Lamparski / Stringer / Getty Images

The two icons have joined forces and the Lousiana icon suggested that he’s making magic with Ms. Knowles.

“Me and @solangeknowles in the studio turnt up working on her album!” P wrote in the caption to his clip. “I can’t wait till April 22 to turn up in New Orleans! Salute to all my Soldiers and Soldierettes #GodIsGood No Limit Reunion Tour in New Orleans is gonna be Star Studded and Epic! Get your tickets @ticketmaster we celebrating 25 years of Love.”

Solange’s love for Lousiana has been well-documented and it is reported that the singer still resides in the Bayou State. Watch Solange, Master P, and their team get live below. 

It was over a decade ago that Rick Ross was swept up in controversy over his past employment as a corrections officer. The MMG mogul has been a voice for the streets since his launch into the Rap game, but the C.O. news initially threw a curveball and caused Rozay to become the target of trolls and critics. It’s a job that continues to be a topic of conversation in some Hip Hop fan circles and although he first denied having the job all those years ago, these days, Ross has fully accepted all portions of his past.

During his recent appearance on the Full Send Podcast, Ross was asked about being a C.O. He revealed that he was about 20 years old at the time and the hosts wanted to know what the prisoners were like.

Jamie McCarthy / Staff / Getty Images

“I didn’t really get to make it to the prison ’cause you gotta go through training and all that and I didn’t last long,” said the rapper. “I may have last four months before they said I was a little tardy.” In 2008, Rolling Stone reported that Ross held the position for 18 months and since that time, it has been believed by the masses that Rozay held down the job for a lengthy period of time.

Ross also told Full Send that it was one of his “big homies” that put him onto the C.O. gig after getting into some trouble. It wasn’t a job that Ross enjoyed. “Anything you gotta do when you’re f*ckin’ runnin’ and joggin’, all of that sh*t, man. I missed a few days.” He also said the pay was “horrendous” and he only earned somewhere are “five-hundred bucks every two weeks.”

Back in 2014, Ross spoke with Sway Calloway about his C.O. past and said to feed his family, he’d do it all over again.

“I wouldn’t change nothing, cause to me it’s about who Rozay is,” he explained all those years ago. “It’s about me. Anywhere I go, when I step in the room, I put it down. People know it’s authentic right here, they know it’s real, so it was nothing that I was personally threatened with, I was just ready to move on. Let’s go get this money, let’s make this music.”

Watch Rick Ross’s full interview on the Full Send Podcast below.

[via][via]

In order to get the inside scoop, some outlets will do whatever they can for information. Reaching out to event attendees or people involved in controversies can result in exclusives, especially for blogs like The Shade Room. They’ve developed a reputation for being a site that breaks celebrity news regularly, and according to 50 Cent, the outlet was digging around about the Rap mogul allegedly being attacked at a party.

Recently, rumors circulated that Fif was the victim of a robbery at Tony Yayo’s event and according to 50 Cent, TSR began DMing people to learn what happened. He wasn’t happy.

Kevin C. Cox / Staff / Getty Images

Fif uploaded a photo of a DM that the outlet reportedly sent to someone. “Hi! I see you DJ’d last night at Atlantis. Can you confirm if 50 Cent was robbed? We can keep you anonymous,” they wrote. In another, the publication sent, “Hi! We’re hearing that 50 Cent got robbed last night after attending the Atlantis. Can you confirm?”

The Power hitmaker accused them of having a “slow news day,” adding that they were “making sh*t up.”

“You would have heard somebody got man down out there fool. I’m tapped in, I even get your little messages Smh [laughing emoji],” he reportedly wrote in the caption. “[Eyeball emoji] This is the kinda sh*t they are doing, stop sending people this kinda sh*t. TF wrong with you.” Everyone involved seems to have reconciled as Fif deleted the post, but you can check out the screenshots below.

The Rock brothers are back on stage, albeit separately, and they’re both addressing the slap that rocked the Oscars. Chris Rock was smacked across the face by Will Smith at the 94th Academy Awards last weekend and all week there have been twists, turns, and speculative reports about this incident. Earlier today (April 1), Smith formally resigned from the Academy following Rock addressing a Boston crowd at his recent comedy show.

Rock promised to detail his side of things at a later date, but for the time being, he wanted to crack some jokes and make people laugh. His comedian brother did the same, but Tony Rock was a bit more direct.

John Ricard / Stringer / Getty Images

A clip of Tony’s recent comedy show was shared by The Shade Room and he didn’t mince words.

“‘Cause if you think you gon’ walk up on this stage this ain’t the motherf*ckin’ Oscars!” he told a screaming crowd. “And if you walk up here you ain’t nominated for nothing but these f*ckin’ hands… I didn’t even want to start the show like that. You gon’ hit my f*ckin’ brother? ‘Cause your b*tch gave you a side eye?”

He then said there are “a lot of Rock brothers,” suggesting that he isn’t the only sibling who is upset. This follows Tony’s Q&A with fans on Twitter where he said that the issue will be addressed and handled in due time. Check out a clip of Tony Rock’s show below.

This has been a moment that many in Hollywood have been hoping for. Mo’Nique has been vocal about what she has experienced behind the scenes in the industry and according to the Oscar winner, she had been blackballed by several people whom she once considered to be friends after refusing to campaign for free Mo’Nique claimed that Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, and Lee Daniels made sure that her career came to a halt and demanded an apology for their behavior.

Recently, 50 Cent emerged to say that he would do what he could to make sure that Mo’Nique was back on track and called out Perry. The Madea icon reportedly told Fif that he has wished Mo’Nique nothing but the best, and now it has been announced that Daniels, who worked with the actress on his acclaimed film Precious, had cast her in another role.

Jason Merritt/TERM / Staff / Getty Images

According to Deadline, Mo’Nique will now star in Demon House, an exorcism film that Daniels is working on, and she will replace Octavia Spencer. The latter left the production over a scheduling conflict.

50 Cent was thrilled to see that Mo’Nique’s star was shining once again and during a live performance, Daniels joined the actress on stage to give her a public apology.

As the crowd cheered, Daniels embraced Mo’Nique while she shed tears. “I am so sorry for hurting you in any way,” he said. Check out Fif’s reaction as well as a portion of Lee Daniels’s apology below.

[via]

She’s never been afraid of a good clap back and JT isn’t slowing down anytime soon. The City Girls hitmaker is celebrating the duo’s latest release, “Top Notch,” which arrived today (April 1). As many prank their loved ones on this April Fool’s Day, JT and Yung Miami have been enjoying the feedback to their Fivio Foreign-assisted Drill track that shows the Florida pair in a new light.

JT and Yung Miami have been criticized for their flows or lyrical content, and while they haven’t become completely new rappers, they did switch up their style on “Top Notch.”

Kevin Winter / Staff / Getty Images

They had the same energetic deliveries with slightly different flows thanks to the Drill beat, and their fans have been applauding the Spring single from one social media platform to the next. However, there are always those who let City Girls know that they aren’t fans. One person seemed annoyed that more artists are tapping into the New York Drill sound and as the genre picks up steam.

“Y’all hoes shut up n*ggas make the same type music all them time b*tches hopping on drill beats & yall in a frenzy trying to create wars!” JT replied. “Listen or don’t listen matter fact get off here & go wash yours walls, both of them!!!”

What do you think about “Top Notch”? Check out the track and a few tweets below.