Father Of Pharrell Williams’s Slain Cousin Who Was Shot By Cop Sues City For $50Mil: Report

There was a deadly weekend of shootings in Virginia Beach back in March, and sadly, Pharrell Williams’s cousin was one of the victims. We previously reported on 25-year-old Donovan Lynch being shot and killed by a Virginia Beach officer, and more information about the altercation is being shared now that Lynch’s father, Wayne Lynch, has filed a federal lawsuit.

According to NBC News, it was on March 26 when Donovan was spending time with a friend at a restaurant when police were investigating three separate shootings in the oceanfront area. The slain man’s father reportedly states in the lawsuit that Donovan didn’t pose a threat to police and was “unlawfully” killed by an officer named Solomon Simmons.

It’s reported that while Donovan and his friend were at the restaurant, they heard gunfire. They decided it was time to leave so they began walking to their vehicles and it was there that they were confronted by Officer Simmons. The lawsuit also reads that Donovan wasn’t named as a suspect to whatever event Simmons was summoned to, thus suggesting either the officer didn’t properly identify himself and-or he did not take the time to properly identify Donovan.

“Immediately, unlawfully, and without warning, Officer Simmons fired his police-issued firearm at Mr. Lynch, shooting him twice and killing him,” the lawsuit reportedly states. “At all relevant times, Mr. Lynch was not speaking or acting in a manner that would suggest that he posed any threat, let alone a deadly threat, to Officer Simmons or anyone else.”

The lawsuit also alleges that the “shooting was motivated at least in part by Mr. Lynch’s race as a Black man.” Authorities claim that Donovan was armed at the time he was shot and they reportedly shared a photo of the firearm they say belonged to him. They accused Donovan of “brandishing” the weapon before being killed.

Wayne Lynch has named both Simmons and the City of Virginia Beach in his lawsuit. He is seeking $50 million in damages. Check out a portion of a previous press conference with Wayne Lynch below.

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Jazz Cartier And Buddy Get Greedy In The Stylish Video For ‘Two Of Em’

While we await his sophomore album, Buddy is deep into a strong guest feature run. The Compton-bred act continues his streak by standing alongside Toronto rapper Jazz Cartier in a video for their track “Two Of Em.” The stylish duo kicks things off with a game of chess before moving off to detail their greedy ways. From money to women, Jazz and Buddy insist on receiving double the normal amount for their favorite things.

On Jazz’s end, the video arrives after a two-year break, which he used to recenter himself after a move from his hometown of Toronto to Los Angeles. The new single also comes ahead of his upcoming project, Fleur Print Vol. 2, which is set to arrive on July 23. The full-length effort will also feature “Nothing 2 Me” with Cousin Stizz, a song he released earlier this year.

As for Buddy, the Compton rapper is hard at work on his sophomore album and follow-up to his 2018 effort Harlon & Alondra. Since then, the rapper has been consistent with periodic releases, most of them coming in the form of guest features. He teamed with Lucky Daye for “Faces” and Tinashe on two separate occasions for “Glitch” and “Pasadena.” He also appeared with Guapdad 4000 on “PlayStation” as well as D Smoke and Jac Ross for “It’s OK To Be Black 2.0.”

You can watch the video for “Two Of Em” above.

Vanessa Bryant & Relatives Of Helicopter Crash Victims Reach Settlement In Lawsuit

There will certainly be more shared about this story in the coming days, but it’s being reported that a settlement has been reached in the helicopter case that involved Kobe Bryant, his teen daughter Gianna, and seven others. In January 2020, nine people lost their lives after the helicopter tragically crashed in California, and later, a lawsuit was launched by Vanessa Bryant and several others representing the deceased.

According to Los Angeles’s ABC7 News, a confidential agreement was reached “with the company that operated the helicopter involved in the crash,” Island Express Helicopters. Pilot Ara Zobayan was also named in the wrongful death suit as a defendant.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant
Handout / Getty Images 

On Tuesday (June 22), it’s reported that all parties filed court papers showing a “joint notice of settlement and joint request to vacate discovery deadlines.” The reported documents read: “Plaintiffs and Defendants jointly report that they have agreed to settle their claims in the above-entitled action.” The settlement amount was not included in the papers and a court still reportedly needs to give the final approval before this case is officially completed.

For Father’s Day, Vanessa shared a loving family photo with a sweet message to her late husband. “To the best girl dad~ Happy Father’s Day, Papi. We love you forever and always, always and forever. Love you always, Nani, Gigi, B.B, Koko, and VB.”

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Bobby Shmurda Posts Up W/ Offset + Sparks Collab Rumors

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Brooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda has been tight with Atlanta’s Migos for a while. Before Bobby got locked up six years ago, he was reportedly working on a joint project with the trio of Quavo, Offset and Takeoff. On Tuesday, new pics of Shmurda and Offset possibly in the studio set off a renewed round of […]

The post Bobby Shmurda Posts Up W/ Offset + Sparks Collab Rumors appeared first on SOHH.com.

Nicki Minaj Wants Michael B. Jordan To Change Name Of J’Ouvert Rum

Nowadays, it seems as if everyone is getting themselves involved in liquor brands. We’ve recently watched Kendall Jenner unveil her 818 Tequila brand and most recently, Michael B. Jordan has reportedly diversified his portfolio with J’Ouvert Rum. It’s another way for celebrities to capitalize on their notoriety as they open up new streams of revenue, but quickly, Jordan was tacked with cultural appropriation allegations.

A description of the rum reads, “Derives from the Antellian Creole French term meaning ‘daybreak,’ J’OUVERT originated in the pre-dawn streets of Trinidad, as celebration of emancipation combined with Carnival season to serve as the festival informal commencements. Crafted on those same islands, J’OUVERT Rum is a tribute to the party [starting].” 

Michael B. Jordan, J'Ouvert Rum, Nicki Minaj
Robin L Marshall / Stringer / Getty Images

Following the viral controversy, Nicki Minaj emerged with an opinion, and it has been widely accepted, especially considering her Trinidadian roots. She reposted a comment from someone that was angered over Jordan’s rum’s moniker. “J’Ouvert also known as jouvay originated in Trinidad with the festivities of Canboulay, which was a time when sugarcane fields caught on fire and slaves were still forced to harvest the remainding crops before complete destruction.”

The historical event is honored at Carnival and people believe that their history is being used to sell alcohol without proper tribute or consideration. In the caption, Nicki added, “I’m sure MBJ didn’t intentionally do anything he thought Caribbean ppl would find offensive— but now that you are aware, change the name & continue to flourish & prosper.”

Check out her post, and a few responses, below.

T-Pain Says There’s Still ‘Love And Respect’ For Usher Despite His Comments About Auto-Tune

Earlier this week, the internet was shocked by an anecdote T-Pain shared during an interview for the upcoming Netflix film This Is Pop. In it, he detailed a depression-sparking conversation he had with Usher during a flight together to the 2013 BET Awards. “I was like, ‘What’s good?’” T-Pain recalled. “I thought he was about to tell me something real. He sounded real concerned. He was like, ‘Man, you kind of… you kind of f*cked up music.’” He added, “I didn’t understand. Usher was my friend. He was like, ‘Yeah man, you really f*cked up music for real singers.’”

The news T-Pain fans to rush to social media to give Usher a piece of their minds. Less than 24 hours after the clip from the upcoming This Is Pop film arrived on social media, T-Pain returned to Twitter to clarify his feelings towards Usher. “I still love and respect @Usher telling that story was in no way meant to disrespect that man,” he wrote. “Ppl talk sh*t about me 24/7 but when it comes from someone you truly respect it hits very different. I never said f*ck Ursh it was a drop in the ocean of sh*t I was already goin through.”

Will Smith Does His Part To Hype His Son Jaden’s New Song

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Hip-hop and Hollywood icon Will Smith is feeling the leftover Father’s Day vibes. The proud papa went to Instagram to put his 54 million followers on to his son Jaden‘s new song “Bye.” Will Smith Wants You To Hear Jaden’s ‘Bye’ Jaden released his single and a visual for “Bye,” in which he shows off […]

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Saweetie’s “Icy” Bentley She Received From Quavo Is On Sale In San Diego: Report

The Icy holiday Bentley that Quavo gifted Saweetie last December has been the topic of conversations after the Rap couple called it quits. There have been rumors that the Migos rapper sent for the car to be repossessed, but it’s unclear if Saweetie gave the vehicle back or if Quavo asked for it to be picked up. Either way, it looks as if it is definitely no longer in her possession because The Neighborhood Talk exclusively reported on the news that it’s up for sale.

According to the outlet, Jake’s Motorcars, a used car dealership in San Diego, Calif., has the pale blue, customized ride on display. 

Saweetie, French Montana
Amy Sussman / Staff / Getty Images

The Neighborhood Talk also shared comparison photos that showed Saweetie inside of the car where the custom “Icy” interior can be seen, and it’s the same as Jake’s Motorcars. For anyone looking to cop the luxury whip, it’s available for $279K, but as we previously reported, Saweetie looks to have replaced the Bentley with a new Rolls Royce.

In a recent interview with Complex, Saweetie was asked if she believed that gifts should be returned after a breakup. “I mean… If it’s mine, it’s mine,” she said. Check out some posts below. 

French Montana Denies Rumors That Gucci Man Finessed $5K From Him

A few statements made by Deb Antney earlier this year are back at the forefront now that French Montana has finally addressed them. Ms. Deb is known for helping to craft the careers of some of our favorite hitmakers from Nicki Minaj to Waka Flocka, and during her February appearance on Drink Champs, she told a story of how Guwop finessed French Montana out of $5,000.

“French didn’t really make it that well in Georgia,” she said at the time. “Gucci didn’t like French. Because the first time he went into the studio to do a song with him, he paid Gucci $5,000 to get on a feature. And he was just sitting in the studio and Gucci was gone out the backdoor. Gucci just took the money and left.”

French Montana, Gucci Mane, Deb Antney
Eugene Gologursky / Stringer / Getty Images

She later stated that in order to make sure that things were good with French, she just paid him his money back and that was that. Recently, French Montana caught up with Miami’s 99Jamz radio station and SupaCindy asked him point-blank about Deb’s story.

“I never did a verse with Gucci where he took my money and never did the verse,” said French. “I think it was like, twelve years ago. He did do the verse… I don’t know where people got that story from. Me and Gucci is good. Me and Gucci never had a problem.” The rapper added that he doesn’t like to reply to stories such as these because often, people attempt to drag him into controversies.

“There’s something said about me every day, so, I be trying to stay in a positive way,” he concluded. Check out Deb Antney’s video, as well as French Montana’s response, below.

Lil Baby Crowned ASCAP’s 2021 Songwriter Of The Year

Lil Baby was one of the most popular artists in 2020, and his work over that period is still being fêted. The Atlanta rapper was recently crowned Songwriter Of The Year during the 2021 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award ceremony. The show highlighted “Baby” with DaBaby, “Emotionally Scarred,” “For the Night” with Pop Smoke and DaBaby, and “The Bigger Picture,” which peaked at No. 3 on the singles chart last year, as some of the songs that best showcased his writing talents.

The win comes months after some felt he was snubbed at this year’s Grammys awards. While he was nominated in the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance categories for “The Bigger Picture,” many believed his 2020 album My Turn should have received a nomination as well. He failed to win in either of the aforementioned categories, but he did take home awards at other shows: My Turn won Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards and “The Bigger Picture” received an award at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

According to Variety, the Atlanta rapper will also perform a new version of “The Bigger Picture” on Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST/1 p.m. PST on ASCAP’s official YouTube page.

In other news, Lil Baby and Lil Durk will hit the road starting this fall for their Back Outside tour. It begins September 1 in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and continues through October 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida.