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It was only last week when Jay-Z and Nas connected for “Sorry Not Sorry” on DJ Khaled’s album where they rapped about their lucrative success outside of music. Hov, specifically, has made plays with the NFL to his recent partnership with the spirit arm of LVMH. Over the past few years, Jay’s also been more heavily involved in film projects which it appears he’s looking to expand on even further.

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Per TMZ, Jay-Z’s company S. Carter Entreprises has filed to trademark “2/J” earlier this month for the purpose of “entertainment services in the nature of creation, development, and production” of TV and film projects. Naturally, it would seem that the rapper is looking to expand his empire further with a production company, similar to Lebron James and Will Smith. 

Though ROC Films produced a slew of cult classics during the Roc-A-Fella heyday such as State Property and Paid In Full, that was largely under Dame Dash’s direction. However, Jay’s had a heavy hand in a few movies and docs in recent times such as Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story and The Great Gatsby where he served as an executive producer. He also is credited as a producer on 2014’s Annie. While an album release might not be coming anytime soon, we’re excited to see whatever ends up happening with this possible production company. 

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Derek Chauvin was recently found guilty on three separate charges in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin will now be sentenced about six weeks from now and many are anticipating a long stay in prison. He ended up being found guilty of second and third-degree murder, while also picking up a manslaughter charge in the process. For many, this was a huge win for the justice system and it is believed that this will now set a precedent for similar cases.

Now, according to CBS, Chauvin is being indicted again, this time for an incident from 2017 involving a 14-year-old black teenager. There are actually two counts being placed upon Chauvin in this new case, with court docs claiming that Chauvin allegedly “held Juvenile by the throat and struck Juvenile 1 multiple times in the head with a flashlight.”

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There are some damning allegations in the indictment, including: “This offense included the use of a dangerous weapon — a flashlight — and resulted in bodily injury to Juvenile 1 […] held his knee on the neck and the upper back of the teenager even after the teenager was lying prone, handcuffed, and unresisting, also resulting in bodily injury.” 

It remains to be seen how this new case will play out, although if there is one thing for certain, it’s that things aren’t going too well for Chauvin right now.

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Kim Kardashian is currently in the midst of a divorce from the likes of Kanye West, and it has been a very long time since she has been single. Thanks to her newfound situation, there are various rumors circulating when it comes to who she could possibly date next and whether or not she’s even looking to date. As far as her divorce is concerned, it appears as though she and Kanye are on good terms right now and are committed to co-parenting their four children.

When it comes to social media, Kim has remained active and is always giving her fans and followers updates on what she is up to. Recently, Kim showed everyone that she is now getting into golf, and just yesterday, she posted a stunning photo of herself working out in a cutout bathing suit.

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The photo certainly caught a lot of eyes and is already at almost 5 million likes. The comments are all from some of her closest celebrity friends who had nothing but good things to say about how she looks. Her fans were also pretty enamored with the photo and it’s clear that she is committed to looking her best throughout this tough time in her life.

Needless to say, Kim is making sure she keeps busy during what has been a turbulent 365 days.

The United States and being armed unfortunately go hand-in-hand. This directly reflects on the rate of crimes committed with guns, something that has been heightened in the months following the easing of COVID restrictions across the country. Despite this, the Texas legislature has recently passed a bill repealing any requirements for carrying a handgun. 

The proposed bill ultimately passed on Wednesday (May 5) in an 18-13 vote among party lines. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has already vocalized support for the bill and has declared he intends to sign it once it reaches his desk.

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The current law to open carry requires fingerprints, four hours of training, and the passing of a written exam and shooting proficiency test to be armed. The state notably does not require any sort of license to carry. Charles Schwertner, a Republican state senator, viewed the bill as “a restoration of the belief in and trust of our citizens.”

He continued, “We cannot allow another session to come and go where we pay lip service for the second amendment by failing to fully restore and protect the rights of citizens granted by the constitution.”

Data collected from polls suggest that most Texas residents do not support unlicensed carry, with 59% of those polled in a University of Texas poll saying they do not support the policy. Beverly Powell, a Democratic senator, voiced safety concerns from some law enforcement groups. 

“If I sit down at a restaurant with a gentleman or a woman who has a holster on their side and a gun in it, I want to know that person is well-trained in the use of that gun,” she said. Texas has notably seen a few mass shootings in the last several years, including two mass shootings in August 2019 that left a total of 30 people dead. 

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Ed Sheeran is no stranger to the rap game, having collaborated with a variety of artists like Eminem, 50 Cent, Young Thug, Travis Scott, Skepta, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Cardi B, and Chance The Rapper. He’s actually prone to spitting bars of his own from time to time, even stepping up to kick a freestyle on The Breakfast Club. As it happens, one of Ed’s earliest hip-hop collaborations was among the most unlikely: a pre-Shady Records Yelawolf, riding high off the release of his breakout mixtape Trunk Muzik. 

Following the conclusion of his April Onslaught, we actually had the chance to catch up with Yela for an extensive interview, in which a variety of topics were discussed. Between breaking down projects like his new studio album Mud Mouth and reflecting on the interesting musical history of Future (formerly known as Meathead), he took a moment to reflect on his collaborative EP with Ed Sheeran, The Slumdon Bridge. 

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Originally released in April of 2012, the four-track project has somehow managed to elude many fans, to the point where its existence can hardly be considered widespread knowledge. Boasting songs like “You Don’t Know (For Fuck’s Sake)” and “Faces,” there’s an interesting vibe found throughout Slumdon Bridge, and it’s evident that Ed and Yela were able to quickly find creative common ground despite their stylistic differences.

“I did an EP with Ed Sheeran back in the day,” he reflects, speaking on his ability to connect with his collaborators. “We just vibed one night, did the album in one night, and that was it. At the time no one knew who Ed Sheeran was — including me. I had no clue who he was, and my manager was just like, yo, there’s a new kid who signed and they really believe in this kid. He wants to meet you, he’s trying to do a record.”

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“The label offered him to do a song with a rapper, his favorite rapper or whatever, and it was me at the time,” he continues. “He was a big fan of Trunk Muzik. He loved that record, and he loved “Daddy’s Lambo” and “I Just Wanna Party” and “Pop The Trunk.” So he wanted to do a record with me. I think part of that at the time was to get some credibility in hip-hop because you know, there’s a part of Ed that’s a rapper. He’s really part rapper, and back then he would do bars. He would sing a little bit and he would spit bars — it was like atmosphere. He was like hippie hip-hop, you know, hippie-hop or whatever.”

“He was a super nice kid, man,” says Yela, speaking on his former collaborator’s character. “I couldn’t do anything but respect him. He’s super talented. He wrote quickly and could sing really well and we just vibed and made it happen. I’ll tell you, though, I didn’t hear from him for six years pretty much after that day. [Laughs] It was like, Oh, shit. And then next thing I knew, it was like, fuc*ing three nights at Wembley Stadium. He’s the man, though!”

For more from Yelawolf, be sure to check out our full interview with the Mud Mouth emcee right here. Are you still keeping Yela and Ed’s Slumdon Bridge project on steady rotation after all these years?

LISTEN: Ed Sheeran & Yelawolf – “You Don’t Know (for fucks sake)”

Billie Eilish is one of the biggest artists in the world and at the age of 19, she has already won various Grammy Awards and it doesn’t feel like she will be slowing down in the immediate future. In July, the artist will be delivering her highly-anticipated album Happier Than Ever and fans are excited to see what she has in store. 

More recently, Eilish was on the cover of British Vogue where she showed off a massive style change that took many by surprise. Eilish also got to talk about her love of Karaoke during her sitdown with the magazine and she even had a surprising admission. At first, she noted that she loves to sing H.E.R. songs although the big shock was when she revealed her love of Chief Keef.

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“I really love H.E.R., I feel empowered when I sing H.E.R. songs, or like, Chief Keef to be honest,” she said. “I don’t even know if they have Chief Keef at karaoke bars, but I would request some Chief Keef.”

Chief Keef has a lot of iconic songs under his belt although we’re unsure which track is Eilish’s favorite. However, we can’t help but picture what it would be like if she decided to sing something like “Faneto” at a Karaoke bar. That would truly be a sight to behold.