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Earlier in the month, Lil Durk’s older brother OTF DThang was reportedly shot and killed outside a strip club near Chicago. DThang, née Dontay Banks Jr., was shot outside Club O just after midnight on Sunday (June 6), passing away at the scene after receiving a bullet to the head. 

Durk, who has yet to publically comment on his brother’s death, was spotted at his late brother’s memorial service a few days after his passing. “In our hearts forever,” read a handout from the service. The Chicago emcee has remained radio silent on social media during the situation, but that all changed today when he shared his first Instagram post since DThang’s death. 

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“Dthang lil brother,” wrote Durk in the caption of the post, adding an amplified-speaker emoji. He paired the tributary caption with a photo of he and his brother standing side by side, grinning wide at the camera. He turned off commenting on the post, likely to avoid any tasteless comments from internet trolls. 

DThang’s passing comes right as Durk is on the heels of releasing his collaborative project with Lil Baby The Voice Of The Heroes. Murda Beatz and fellow Chicago rapper Calboy were among those who mourned the loss on social media, sending out their respects on Twitter. 

“R.I.P Dthang it’s was always love when ya saw me,” penned Calboy, while Murda Beatz tweeted a simple “R.I.P.”

Other details regarding the shooting have yet to be released. Of course, we’ll keep you updated if it does become available. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Lil Durk & DThang’s family. 

NLE Choppa wants his fellow rappers to lead healthier lifestyles and he’s starting a challenge to hopefully influence some of his peers to change their lives. For the last few years, the Memphis rapper has been preaching new values, explaining the importance of eating a plant-based diet and growing the majority of your own foods. He has also launched a website where he sells products with different health benefits, spreading his ideals with his fanbase. However, he wants to expand his reach, looking to MoneyBagg Yo as his potential first rapper client.

Challenging the “Wockesha” rapper to quit drinking lean, NLE Choppa asked MoneyBagg Yo to drink a bottle of chlorophyll for every pint of lean that he consumes.

“I Have A New Challenge For Rappers. For Every Pint of Lean, Or Even Alcohol, Drink A Pint Of Chlorophyll,” wrote Choppa on Twitter. “I Wanna Start By Challenging @MoneyBaggYo I’ll Bring This To You Personally Fam.”

Attaching a video to his message, Choppa explained that chlorophyll “can help detox the body, help improve your skin, help aid off addiction, can be used as a permanent deodorant,” and more. The rapper has been doing his research and he’s sharing his knowledge with the world. 

So far, MoneyBagg Yo has not responded to NLE Choppa’s challenge. We’ll keep you posted with his answer.

2020 was a wild ride for Kanye West who announced his partnership with GAP and his presidential candidacy one after the other. Of course, his presidential run was unsuccessful and reportedly played a role in his divorce from Kim Kardashian. However, his plans to open his own church are officially underway since the rapper has officially registered Sunday Service as a non-profit, tax-exempt church.

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‘Ye hired lawyer Karl F. Mill who focuses on non-profits to help obtain Sunday Service’s 501c3 tax-exempt status. The March 23rd filing lists ‘Ye’s $2.2M headquarters in Calabasas along with other details of the corporation. 

The most interesting part of the filing is that it bars Sunday Service from trying to “participate in, or intervene in [including the publication or distribution of statements], any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.” 

The lawsuit arrives after Sunday Service and Kanye were hit with multi-million dollar lawsuits pertaining to unpaid wages and mistreatment. Last year, Kanye was sued over the production of his opera Nebuchadnezzar. Hundreds of performers, the choice, and a large production team who, according to California labor laws, should’ve been classified as employees rather than independent contractors. Because of poor ticket sales, members of the crew were hired to sit in the audience, even with 5K tickets being released for free. Two lawsuits related to this issue could amount to $30M in payouts.

Another lawsuit filed against Kanye and Sunday Service last summer claimed that they stole technology used for the show. This lawsuit filed by MyChannel Inc. is suing Kanye for damages.

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A drastic increase in gun violence has been an ongoing issue in the United States since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, namely in big cities like New York, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. Minnesota Vikings rookie Jaylen Twyman experienced this firsthand on Monday (June 21) in D.C. after being shot four times while riding in a car.

As confirmed by team officials and his agent, the 21-year-old defensive tackle, who was drafted in May, was one of four victims during Monday’s shootings in his hometown while he was back visiting his aunt. 

His agent Drew Rosenhaus explained to ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, “Wrong place, wrong time. In talking to him today, he’s going to be OK — that’s all that matters. We’re thankful he’s OK. He will make a full recovery.”

Twyman was struck by shots in the arm, leg, buttocks and shoulder, but is expected to be released from a hospital later this week, explains his agent. “There doesn’t appear to be long-term injuries that would prohibit him from playing this season,” continued Rosenhaus, adding that Twyman’s wounds would not require surgery and it was not a targeted attack. 

D.C. metropolitan police said in a statement that officers responded to the scene after gunshots were heard in the area, discovering two men had been wounded. They were then taken to the hospital, but are expected to survive as well. Two other victims sought treatment at other facilities. Officers are searching for a silver SUV in connection to the shooting, which occurred in the District’s Lincoln Heights section, where Twyman grew up. He’s previously lost his uncle and older brother to gun violence less than a mile from where he was struck. 

The Vikings have issued a statement on the matter, explaining, “We have been in direct contact with Jaylen and his family, and we are extremely thankful Jaylen is expected to make a full recovery.” We’ll keep you updated on any subsequent developments. Our prayers go out to Twyman and his family. 

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SZA and vodka brand Grey Goose have teamed up to deliver a virtual music experience. The “In Bloom” online concert special is a one-night only event that will be live-streamed on YouTube, where the “Good Days” singer will perform music from her much-anticipated sophomore album, for the very first time.

Speaking of the upcoming performance, SZA said, “I feel like ‘In Bloom’ really captures where I’m at right now, especially after a year and a half of lockdown, which is also why it feels like the best place to debut some of my new material.”

The unnamed album is apparently coming this year, although we haven’t received very much information about it yet. It will follow up her much-lauded debut, CTRL, which recently celebrated its fourth anniversary.

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To follow her star-making CTRL era, which included five different hit singles and a double-platinum album, SZA has continued to release a string of records, including, “Hit Different,” and “Better Days.” She was also recently featured on Doja Cat’s pop-friendly “Kiss Me More,’ as well as Saint Jhn’s “Just For Me.”

“In Bloom” will be livestreamed from the Wisdome in Los Angeles on July 1. SZA’s performance will start at 8 p.m. EDT.

Stay tuned for more details on SZA’s sophomore effort.

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Trump finally admitted to defeat in the 2020 election but his presidency remains a source of inspiration for many memoirs that have been coming out recently. Washington Post journalists Yasmeen Abutaleb and Damian Paletta have authored a new book titled, Nightmare Scenario: Inside The Trump Administration’s Response To The Pandemic That Changed History, which documents the early days of the pandemic at the White House. 

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One particular excerpt from the book has been gaining attention in the past 24 hours, revealing an alarming suggestion made by the then-president. According to the Post, Trump asked members of his staff about the possibility of bringing home infected Americans from overseas. and placing them at Guantanamo Bay. This was apparently a response to suppressing the infection rate on American ground. 

“Don’t we have an island that we own?” Trump reportedly asked the people inside of the Situation Room in February 2020. “What about Guantánamo?”

He continued. “We import goods… We are not going to import a virus.”

Members of his staff were reportedly terrified by the suggestion and it was quickly dismissed. Many were worried about how the situation would look to te public, especially since Guantanamo Bay is notoriously known for its horrendous conditions and housing suspects of terrorism.

Nightmare Scenario: Inside The Trump Administration’s Response To The Pandemic That Changed History will be available on June 29th.

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