HBO Responds After “Lovecraft Country” Extra Claims Makeup Artists Made Her Skin Darker

TikTok gets people in all kinds of trouble these days as users often take to the social media app to air out their grievances with just about any and every thing. An actress named Kelli Amirah shared a video to TikTok last month where she detailed her experience working as an extra on the set of Lovecraft Country. She claims she was shooting images for a wedding photo that was supposed to be an old picture of one of the main characters. According to Amirah, while she was in hair and makeup, she overheard the makeup artists noting that her skin was noticeably lighter than the older actress’s tone. She didn’t think anything of it because there wasn’t any discussion about changing her look.

“I noticed my foundation is getting darker and darker,” said Amirah. While both makeup artists agreed that she was a different skin tone, they took notice of how similar the young actress’s features are to the main character. “Before I show these pictures, I’m going to preface this by saying I was so uncomfortable. I had no idea they were going to do this to me beforehand,” she added. “And if I knew beforehand, I would not have accepted this job. Who thought this was a good idea?”

She then showed photos and after the clip went viral, HBO issued a formal statement this week about the incident. “This should not have happened, and we are taking steps to ensure this doesn’t occur again in the future,” the network told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that they are “very diappointed.” At the time of this publication, those connected to Lovecraft Country or their makeup department haven’t addressed the controversy.

Amirah was criticized on social media from people who told her that the darkening of her skin wasn’t as controversial as she was making it out to be. “I 100 percent disagree with those folks,” she retorted. “Changing skin appearance for a vampire or alien is NOT the same as changing someone’s skin tone/features when you could have casted a better fit in the first place… But yeah, the entertainment industry needs to do better.”

@kelliamirah

Reply to @selahhassni they really did me like Zoe saldana as Nina Simone #storytime#extra#backgroundactor#tvfilm#blackfishing#onset#part2

♬ original sound – KelliAmirah

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Justin Bieber Taps Daniel Caesar, Giveon, The Kid LAROI, & Chance The Rapper For “Justice” Tracklist

We’re just a week away from receiving Justin Bieber’s forthcoming album and his fans losing their minds on social media. Justice is set to arrive on March 19, and with the release date just a little over a week away, Bieber has increased the already-heightened hype by sharing a sneak peek at his tracklist. It comes in the form of handwritten index cards on a corkboard, but he’s noted a handful of features that have fans excited.

By the look of things, Justice will possibly have 17 tracks. We’ve already received “Holy” with Chance The Rapper and Bieber’s most recent release, “Hold On.” His tracklist also shows that The Kid LAROI appears on “Unstable” while Giveon and Daniel Caesar share features on “Peaches.” Unless Bieber has some sneaky, surprise revelation, those seem to be the only additional looks on the project.

Justice follows Bieber’s 2020 release Changes, an album that arrived on Valentine’s Day 2020 and featured artists like Travis Scott, Quavo, Kehlani, Summer Walker, and Post Malone. Changes was hailed as a fun Pop-R&B record, but from what Bieber has delivered with Justice, he’s working with songs that carry powerful messages this time around. Check out Bieber’s tracklist announcement photo below.

Yung Miami Says She’s Doing “Good AF” For Someone Who Has Only Rapped For 3 Years

Love them or hate them, the City Girls wave is far from over. The Florida rappers have been actively involved in the industry for just about three years after having their breakout feature on Drake’s “In My Feelings” take off back in 2018. Since that time, fans can’t get enough of the dynamic duo taking the charts by storm as they share explicit tracks that have kept dancefloors full and controversy abundant. Yung Miami took a moment to reflect on her come-up earlier today (March 10), including how far she’s progressed in a short time as an artist.

Yung Miami, City Girls Twitter
Liliane Lathan / Stringer / Getty Images

“I be rapping my ass off fr now I wanna go to the studio!” the rapper tweeted. “For me to only be rapping for 3 yrs with no experience I feel like I do good af idgaf who think differently [shrugging emoji]. I use to be so shy and nervous I couldn’t record in front of nobody and I never wanted nobody to hear but now I’m more confident ion care who in the room I be like turn it up!!! Tf”

“We all gotta start from somewhere just give me room to grow [heart emoji].” Regardless of the criticism, the City Girls remain one of the most-talked-about artists in Rap. Quality Control has made sure that City Girls fever stays at an all-time high, so expect more from Yung Miami and JT throughout the year.

Yung Miami, City Girls, JT, Twitter
Twitter

Fat Joe Claims He & Biggie Were Working On A Project: “We Cut About Five Songs”

It seems that Fat Joe has all the news about unreleased Hip Hop tracks. On The Fat Joe Show, the New York rapper was joined by producer Rashad Ringo Smith who shared a snippet of a long-lost—but not forgotten—Lil Kim and Foxy Brown collaboration. That surprise followed yesterday’s news that Fat Joe shared with Verzuz and Triller moguls, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. The three men were discussing their successes on Biggie Day, or the anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G.’s tragic death at 24-years-old, when Fat Joe chimed in that he and the late icon were working on a project before he died.

Fat Joe, Biggie, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz
Jonathan Daniel / Staff / Getty Images

Timbaland first shared his story about being at the Vibe afterparty on that fateful night back in 1997 where he spoke with Big about possibly collaborating in the future. The producer added that later, he was in his vehicle just a few cars ahead of Biggie’s when the rapper was shot and killed in Los Angeles. After detailing his story, Joe made his announcement.

“You know, I say stuff and they always say I lie or I say too much. You know, I worked on an album with Biggie,” said the rapper. “We cut about five songs together. He was like, ‘You the Latino don, I’m the Black don.’ And we was in that studio going crazy. It’s verified by Puff Daddy and everybody.” Then he touched on why these tracks may still be locked away in the vault.

“I’ma keep it real. At the time, we were dissing Tupac a lot and all that,” Fat Joe continued. “So that should have never seen the light of day, which is respectful, so because, you know, they both passed on, you know. But yeah, I worked with the B.I.G. for real.” Do you think this project will ever be released? Listen to the clip from the interview below.

Zayn Malik Lashes Out & Says “F*ck The Grammys & Everyone Associated” Ahead Of Ceremony

We’re days away from Grammy Weekend, and while it doesn’t seem as festive as years prior due to COVID-19 concerns, dozens of artists and musicians are excited to learn if they’ll be taking home a coveted award. The anticipation is met with disdain from a faction of music fans who are upset about the list of nominees, particularly The Weeknd‘s exclusion while his After Hours album has remained on the charts for nearly an entire year. The Recording Academy has given their statement as to why The Weeknd wasn’t included, but the controversy caused a larger conversation about the Grammys and their voting process to be had.

Zayn Malik, One Direction, Grammys, The Recording Academy, Twitter
Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty Images

Former One Direction singer Zayn Malik woke up and chose verbal violence with The Recording Academy on Tuesday (March 9) and tweeted his frustrations with the award ceremony. “F*ck the grammys and everyone associated,” wrote the singer. “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary.”

Soon, Zayn was inundated with responses and people began to discuss if he was upset because his recently released album, Nobody Is Listening, is ineligible for consideration at this year’s show. After learning of the speculation, Zayn returned with an explanation regarding why he has a bone to pick with one of the music industry’s most coveted awards.

“My tweet was not personal or about eligibility but was about the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favoritism, racism, and netwokring politics to influence the voting process,” the new father added. It’s reported that neither Zayn nor his former band One Direction has been nominated for a Grammy.

Zayn Malik, Grammy, Twitter
Twitter

Michael B. Jordan Isn’t Concerned About “Negative Reactions & Opinions” About Personal Life

It’s clear that Lori Harvey has had some influence over Michael B. Jordan. It isn’t often that the actor opens up about his personal life, but in recent months, Jordan has been sharing much about his budding romance with Harvey. The social media maven has long captured the attention of online followers and fans who have kept up with her every jet-setting move, but her relationship with Jordan has created a stir. He’s been criticized in the past for allegedly not dating Black women and when he attempted to respond to the gossip, he was hit with more backlash.

In his recent Men’s Health feature, Michael B. Jordan touches on various aspects of his career and living his life in the spotlight, including facing controversy on social media. “Trying to overexplain things, I think I might have made a wrong move here or there by being too sensitive to what other people think,” PEOPLE‘s Sexiest Man Alive told the publication.

“For all the success that I’ve had, there’s going to be negative reactions and opinions thrown at me. That just comes with it,” Jordan added. “When you’re younger, you’re just frustrated, but when you start to realize that this is what it is, you start to understand. I’m never going to make everybody happy. People are always going to have their opinions about me. People can make up something completely false that has no f*cking substance or anything, and there’s going to be 100,000 people that are going to believe it and that’s going to be their opinion of me.”

Jordan decided long ago not to try to fight every battle, which may be why we won’t hear him commenting on gossip about the validity of his relationship with Lori Harvey. “I can’t do anything about that, and I’ve just got to accept that and keep moving in my purpose,” he added. “People that know me know my heart. But people that know me for my work…they know what I allow them to know. The fact that I’ve been so closed off about a lot of parts of my life was a personal choice. As I’ve gotten older and a little more mature and comfortable in my own skin, I’ve become less concerned about it.”

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Fat Joe Says He Worked With The Notorious B.I.G. On An Album Filled With Tupac Diss Tracks

Fat Joe’s time in hip-hop goes back to the early 1990s, and over the decades the Bronx native has worked with a number of notable names, including Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, and many more. Alas, he narrowly missed being on an album by Notorious B.I.G. During a conversation with Verzuz founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, Fat Joe revealed that he and the late rapper had begun recording an album before his tragic death.

“We cut about five songs together,’ he said. “He was like, ‘You the Latino don, I’m the Black don.’ And we was in that studio going crazy. It’s verified by Puff Daddy and everybody. I’ma keep it real – at the time, we were dissing Tupac a lot and all that and so that should have never seen the light of day. Which is respectfully so, because you know they both passed on. But yeah, I worked with the B.I.G. for real.”

The discussion came a little over a week after Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell, a documentary that reflected on the late rapper’s life, was released on Netflix. Prior to that, Swizz and Timbaland shared plans to do a Biggie vs. Tupac Verzuz battle.

You can listen to a clip from the interview above.

Cardi B Came To Mac Miller’s Defense After Her 2019 Best Rap Album Grammy Was Criticized

The 2021 Grammys are just a few days away, and as with every year, conversations about the show are alive on social media. In a now-deleted tweet, one person looked back at the 2019 ceremony, calling out the Recording Academy for inviting Mac Miller’s family to the award show, where his Swimming album was nominated in the Best Rap Album category, only to give the trophy to Cardi B’s Invasion Of Privacy. Cardi caught wind of the comment and questioned their inconsistent defense of the rapper, particularly after his DUI car crash.

“His family didn’t have no mean energy so why you?” she replied. “I hate when ya make hate tweets like this go viral but where was the love when ya bullied him for months on this app & he was crying out for help? Making fun of him when he crash his car?” She posted the tweet with a screenshot of a US Magazine article about the late rapper’s family “rooting for Cardi B” ahead of the 2019 show and added, “Ya don’t care till somebody is gone.”

In another tweet, Cardi wrote, “This is why I express myself whether is on live, twitter or curse people out cause some artist got soo much hurt inside from bullyin on these apps & they afraid to speak & turn to other thing to numb the pain.” She added, “Ya forgot real quick how when he drop the album ya was like ‘flop”NBC.’”

She also discussed how cyberbullying gives artists mental health issues, such as depression. Cardi then shared a video of her honoring Mac after her Best Rap Album, where she said, “I’m sharing this Grammy with you motherf*cker. Rest in peace.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jacquees & Mulatto Spice Things Up In “Freaky As Me” Visual

After sharing their new single “Freaky As Me” last week, Jacquees and Mulatto return for a sultry music video to match the track’s energy. Jacquees has kept himself busy in recent months as his collaboration with Casanova, “Don’t You Wanna,” was released in February, following November’s “BACKEND” with Foogiano and Gucci Mane and September’s “Dope Dealer.” The self-professed King of R&B isn’t letting go of his title and he and Mulatto show off their kinks in the colorful visual.

Each scene shows scantily-clad women delivering their best sexy dance moves and you even see Jacquees tied up as one woman has her way with him. Mulatto takes a more dominating approach in her sexy ‘fit as she drops her familiar explicit bars. It’s unclear if this track will be featured on an upcoming project from the Georgia native or if this was a one-off to feed his fans. Check out the video for “Freaky As Me” and let us know what you think.

Romeo Miller & Chris Brown Want All The Smoke In 2-On-2 Basketball Game

Watching celebrities ball out of control—or not—during NBA All-Star Weekend has caused Chris Brown to call out his fellow artists. Breezy has participated in several celebrity-centered sports games and tournaments throughout his career, and it’s clear that his dance skills aren’t the only talents he has. Brown takes his balling quite seriously, and he’s ready for all the smoke in the paint with whoever wants to go at it. While co-hosting Fox Soul’s The Mix, Romeo Miller revealed that he and Brown are ready to take on two formidable opponents.

Romeo Miller, Chris Brown, Basketball,
Vivien Killilea / Stringer / Getty Images

“Me and Chris Brown, this is what we really do. Like, you gotta put a pro on one of us,” said Miller. “If I’m not guarding him or he not guarding me, you gotta hope that you got Terrell Owens on your celebrity team because this is really what I do. And he was in that position where he could have went and played college ball as well and they put us on opposite teams for a reason.”

“Me and Chris never played on the same team. So, I’m like, if me and him run it up two-on-two, I don’t think anybody in the industry will beat us, and there’s a lot of hoopers,” Miller added. “Not sayin’ people can’t hoop. The Game could hoop, J. Cole could hoop, Quavo could hoop—but when it comes to Tier One, I think me and Chris—I know me and Chris is at the top.”

“Just throw the invite [and] let me come to some of these open runs that they’ve been doing.” This two-on-two game may come sooner than you think because Romeo claims Brown already DMed him about making it happen. Check out the full episode of The Mix below to catch Romeo Miller’s remarks about teaming up with Chris Brown.