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Hip-hop veteran Master P is keeping DMX on his mind. He’s shown nothing but major support for the New York rapper in light of his hospitalization, but thinks the situation could’ve been avoided. Master P Claims DMX OD Could Have Been Avoided Master P says the hip-hop industry waits until something bad happens to a […]
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Deshaun Watson is currently being sued by 22 women who are accusing him of sexual assault while they were giving him a massage. According to these reports, Watson frequently sought out massage therapists and once he was in the room with them, he would act in a sexually deviant manner. Many of these stories have been quite shocking, to say the least. While Watson has denied the allegations, various women have continued to speak out against him and Ashley Solis even had a press conference where she detailed her experience.
Now, Watson’s attorney Rusty Hardin is speaking out and he wants answers. The lawyer claims that the allegations are all false and are a smear campaign. He even wants the women to show their identities, as shown by a new motion he has presented to the court. Now, he’s also taking shots at lawyer Tony Buzbee for the lawsuits.
Per Hardin:
“Deshaun did not force, coerce or intimidate anyone to do anything against their will. Mr. Buzbee’s use of anonymous lawsuits violates Texas law and the basic concept of fairness. It is clear that, for Mr. Buzbee, this case has never been about seeking justice in a courtroom, but destroying Deshaun’s reputation to enhance his own public profile and enrich himself. While I understand that anonymity often is used as a shield for victims, Mr. Buzbee is using it as a sword. While shielding his clients from public scrutiny, Mr. Buzbee continues to use their anonymous allegations to destroy Mr. Watson. This is simply not right. And we look forward to resolving these matters in court.”
These lawsuits are currently being investigated by the Houston PD and even the NFL. While nothing has been proven, the allegations are impossible to ignore, and we will continue to bring you all of the latest on this developing story.
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Prince’s estate is ready to deliver his next album, confirming the release of Welcome 2 America, a project that was originally recorded in 2010 and vaulted since. Today, Rolling Stone reports that the anticipated project will be arriving on July 30th, released in partnership with Legacy Recordings.
The previously unreleased project has been described as “a powerful creative statement that documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation, and a renewed fight for racial justice.”
Prince fans are no doubt familiar with the album’s reputation. In 2010, he embarked on a two-year Welcome 2 America tour, though never provided any reason behind his decision to shelf the twelve-track project. Rolling Stone confirms that song titles will include “Running Game (Son of a Slave Master),” “Born 2 Die” and “One Day We Will All B Free,” names that point to some of the album’s dominant themes.
The announcement also includes a quote from Prince, which was offered during the time of the album’s creation: “The world is fraught with misin4mation. George Orwell’s vision of the future is here. We need 2 remain steadfast in faith in the trying times ahead.” Those keen on gaining a deeper understanding of what Welcome 2 America is about can check out the lead single and title track, which was released in tandem with the big reveal.
LISTEN: Prince – Welcome 2 America
Pre-orders of the upcoming project can be made right here, and for those seeking further Prince content, the Deluxe Edition also comes equipped with a concert video of Prince’s April 28th, 2011 show at The Forum. Welcome 2 America features musical contributions from bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, drummer Chris Coleman, and engineer Jason Agel, as well as co-production from keyboardist Morris Hayes.
Diddy has come a long way from his early days in the music industry, transitioning from a record executive at Bad Boy Records to becoming one of the leading voices in Hip-Hop, the entire entertainment industry, and Black American culture. While Diddy is known for spreading love to Hip-Hop and R&B artists and giving them extravagant gifts, the mogul has recently decided to go in a more serious direction and write an open letter to Corporate America.
Published directly to his media and TV company REVOLT, “If You Love Us, Pay Us: A letter from Sean Combs to Corporate America” finds Diddy calling out shady Corporate America practices that negatively affect America’s Black community as well as advocating for meaningful change moving forward.
Teasing his open letter on Instagram with an archival clip of James Baldwin, Diddy directs his followers to REVOLT to read his approximately 450-word manifesto. The Bad Boy mogul opens the letter with a quote from Desmond Tutu, which states, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Immediately following that insightful quote, Diddy unleashes a statement that is just as powerful: “The same feet these companies use to stand with us in solidarity are the same feet they use to stand on our necks.”
Throughout his open letter, he discusses how corporations like General Motors have long exploited Black media companies like REVOLT as well as Black culture in general before giving Corporate America an ultimatum: “You’re either with us or you are on the other side.”
In order to do that, Diddy suggests that Corporate America gives “an equitable percentage” of what has been exploited and stolen from the Black Community and reinvests those resources back into it. “If the Black community represents 15% of your revenue,” Diddy writes, “Black-owned media should receive at least 15% of the advertising spend. If you love us, pay us! Not a token investment. Not a charity check or donation.”
Do you agree with the stance that Diddy takes in his open letter to Corporate America?
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When Francis Ngannou defeated Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight title just a couple of weekends ago, many in the MMA world were immediately calling for Ngannou to defend his title against Jon Jones. Jones is considered to be one of the greatest fighters of all time and now that he is fighting in the Heavyweight division, a bout against the likes of Ngannou would only make sense.
While Jones has had issues with the UFC when it comes to contract negotiations, he recently did an interview with Fight Hype where he claimed that he is fully ready to up against Ngannou. Simply put, he just wants the UFC to get their business right and if that happens, the fight will go down.
“Hopefully the fight happens. We just gotta stay focused and stay training and see what the UFC is going to do on their part,” Jones said. “I think it’s gonna happen … I think the UFC will eventually do the right thing. I think this is one of the greatest fights of our generation and it would be really sad if it weren’t gonna happen. And I believe that it will. It’ll happen, all in good time.”
This should come as good news to all of the UFC fans out there who have wanted to see Jones get right back into the Octagon. Ngannou has proven to be a massively tough fighter, and Jones would be his greatest test yet.
Let us know who you think would win that match, in the comments below.
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Shelley — FKA DRAM — has a new album dropping in April, his first in over four years. Since then, he’s gone through a musical reinvention, a physical transformation, and a couple of name changes, but the biggest change to his life was the passing of his mother last year. The duo was close; in 2017, they released a holiday EP together, dueting on the Christmas classics “Silver Bells.” According to Shelley, she’s also the reason for his upcoming album’s release date, April 29.
Posting a photo of the pair on Instagram, Shelley explained that he pushed back the release date of his album to his mother’s birthday in honor of a favor she did for him before her death. As he expands in the caption, “Before she passed I played her my upcoming album and I begged her to promise she wouldn’t play it for anyone else. She held her promise and took the music with her beyond this life.”
For Shelley, the new release date is his way of paying her back. “Her birthday is April 29th, so I’m pushing my album Shelley FKA DRAM’s release date to April 29th as not only my gift back to her, but my promise to play it for the world.”
To promote the upcoming album, fittingly titled Shelley FKA DRAM, Shelly has presented the rollout in the form of a mock late-night talk show, which provided a smooth framing device for the videos for singles “Exposure” and “Cooking With Grease.”
Shelley FKA DRAM is due 4/29 on Atlantic Records.
With DMX’s fate currently uncertain, many have turned to prayer, following the example so often set by the man himself. Though frequently plagued by the alluring call of darkness within, X never failed to keep his head high, turning to God and finding solace in religion. Such themes have been present in his music since It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot first released in 1998, and the honest manner with which he explored his inner duality made him an artist unlike any other.
When he released The Great Depression in 2001, it felt like the conclusion of a journey; not the end of the novel, but perhaps an act. Lessons had no doubt been learned in the years that followed his big debut. For a time, X was among the rap game’s biggest superstars, a lifestyle that brought no shortage of fame and spotlight; as revealed in the telling Ruff Ryders Chronicles documentary that aired on BET last year, he never wanted any of that. The toll was strong, and when he released his fourth studio album in October of 2001, it felt as if a lifetime had passed.
Years removed from the project’s initial arrival — a project that likely deserves a thorough revisitation — there remains a simple power in album closer “A Minute For Your Son.” Backed by a celestial and soothing instrumental from longtime collaborative Swizz Beatz, X takes a moment to speak directly to God, reflecting on his journey and pledging to set a shining example moving forward. Given the current circumstances, it feels like an appropriate time to revisit the powerful, and generally slept-on, album closer. And if that’s not enough — stick around for the three additional bonus tracks that follow.
Does anybody have any memories surrounding DMX’s The Great Depression?
You got a minute for your son, Father? I need to talk
I’m so tired of tryin’ to run, Father, let’s take a walk
I’m so sorry for what I done, Father, it ain’t my fault
But the devil’s been on my back lately, he’s like a hawk
You never give us more than we can handle, but it’s gettin’ hard
And I’m a strong individual, but I need You, God
When Blake Griffin signed with the Brooklyn Nets, many around the league saw this as a huge sign that the Nets were going to be almost impossible to take down. With James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving on the same roster, the Nets were already a powerhouse, and adding a motivated Griffin only cemented that fact. Last night, Griffin got to play his very first game with Durant in the lineup, and as expected, they both had solid games all while beating the New Orleans Pelicans by a modest 28 points.
Following the match, Griffin was asked about playing with Durant for the first time and as one can imagine, the newest Nets star was quite complimentary of KD. He noted that despite his injury, Durant has yet to lose an edge and it’s going to be a scary sight for the rest of the NBA.
“After missing two months and then coming back and looking that comfortable, it’s just crazy,” Griffin said. “But in terms of playing with him, players like that, some of the guys we have, they just make the game easy.”
The Nets continue to dominate the Eastern Conference and come playoff time, it’s going to be almost impossible to take these guys down. This spells trouble for the rest of the league, but if you’re a basketball fan in Brooklyn, you have to be loving this.
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Kehlani hasn’t had to fight as hard as others in the LGBTQIA+ community to be accepted as a serious artist. Recently coming out as lesbian, Kehlani is aware that she is privileged to a certain extent as a cisgender-presenting straight-presenting woman. The singer has specified her preferred “they/she” pronouns, asking fans to respect them as she encourages others to be their true selves.
Following her low-key coming-out moment on Instagram Live, Kehlani spoke with The Advocate about her gender and sexual identity, unpacking her privilege and showing love to artists that have struggled to be accepted in music because of who they are.
“I have a lot of privilege,” says the artist about how she passes as both cisgender and straight. “I think a lot of artists who we talk about and say, ‘Oh, they had to come out or they had to do this,’ a lot of them can’t hide it. A lot of it is very [much] in how they present. It’s tougher for them. It’s tougher for trans artists. It’s tougher for Black gay men. It’s tougher for Black masculine gay women.”
Kehlani previously came out as queer before realizing that they were actually lesbian.
“I didn’t even really have to come out in my private life,” they explain. “I don’t walk down the street and people look at me and go, ‘Oh, I bet she’s queer. Or I bet that she’s into women‘ or anything like that because of the way I present. That’s all privilege and I think that there are quite a few artists who were truly at the forefront but weren’t able to make the strides that I was able to make being 100 percent myself because of the way they present and the biases and the phobias of the American public and the world… I’ve been lucky, super lucky.”
Kehlani thinks that, while their generation is one that can openly have conversations about gender and sexual identity, people need to be more open about having educational moments to better understand the spectrum.
Read the full interview at the link below.
