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It’s safe to say that 2020 was rough on just about everyone, but some faced greater tragedies than others. Damian Lillard worked on music and his basketball skills under quarantine, but his professional career wasn’t the only thing on his mind. During a recent interview with The Athletic, the NBA star revealed that he suffered a string of losses in an 18-month period, causing his mental health to be affected.

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“It’s been a hard year and a half for my family, man. People have no idea,” said Lillard. The Athletic detailed a few events that Lillard experienced, and it’s a heavy burden for just one person. The outlet claims that last year, Lillard discovered “the dead body of his cousin and personal chef,” and later, his aunt passed away following a battle with cancer. Then, a friend of his family lost their life to COVID-19 and earlier this year, one of his cousins was killed in Oakland, California.

Before his game against the Los Angeles Lakers last week, Lillard also reportedly learned that two people “in his inner circle” were shot to death—one being a cousin he was reportedly close to and the other a best friend of one of his cousins. As players have adapted to the new rules of the league, many have taken the time to highlight the importance of mental health, especially during this global, unprecedented time. We send our sincerest condolences to Lillard for all of the losses he’s endured.

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Rap icon Sister Souljah has spent much of her recent years out of the booth, but her literary efforts have been worthy of praise. Early on in her music career, Souljah collaborated with Public Enemy before adding her name to their permanent roster of members following Professor Griff’s exit. She only released one album, 360 Degrees of Power, but she’s hailed as a legend who deserves the same respect as any artist with an extensive catalog.

Sister Souljah recently visited The Breakfast Club where she spoke about her long-awaited sequel to Coldest Winter Ever titled Life After Death, and she mentioned her nieces having women in Rap that they can look up to, including artists like Young M.A. Charlamagne Tha God stressed that Souljah needed to tap into the stylings of Rapsody. The Eve artist may have been snubbed by the Grammys for her powerful, women-centered album, but Rapsody’s talents cannot be ignored, even if they are by The Recording Academy.

“I think you would really like Rapsody Sister Souljah,” said Charlamagne, adding that Rapsody has read Sister Souljah’s book. “She’s from North Carolina. I think you would really dig it. She’s a huge fan of the Coldest Winter Ever. True lyricist. I think she’s the best rapper out. Period.” Watch Sister Souljah’s interview with The Breakfast Club below and let us know if you agree with Charlamange’s take on Rapsody’s skills.

As one of the most beloved singers in the R&B and Hip Hop scene, SZA, for the most part, remains relatively unproblematic. She’s Top Dawg Entertainment’s “love & light” energy, but on Tuesday (March 2), one of SZA’s fans called her out for allegedly spreading a few untruths. Not only did the fan claim that SZA has regularly fibbed throughout her career, but the fan also created a Twitter thread where they detailed several inconsistencies.

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First, the person brought up SZA recently asking the public for television recommendations because she’s never owned one. The fan posted a photo of SZA sitting in front of a TV. Then, there was the fact that SZA allegedly said she’s “not a cake or pie person” but was enjoying a birthday cake, and the person also mentioned that SZA claimed her freckles were natural but the fan alleges they were “fake” and “badly drawn.”

The fan mentioned SZA’s claims that her hair is real before addressing the rumors about Drake. “Rumors came out that Drake messed with Sza when she was minor,” the person wrote. “She had to come out and clear up some things so people wouldn’t think she was a minor but all this did was reveal she’s been lying about her age. She claimed to be born in 1991 but her EP has her birth year [1989].”

There were also some mentions about SZA’s diet, as the singer stated she can’t go vegan because she’s allergic to “most fruits and vegetables.” SZA also faces accusations that she lied about obtaining a degree in marine biology from an Ivy League school, but the fan wrote SZA “went to Delaware State and flunked out [crying face emoji] she didn’t graduate… Whole time… she was just a stripper studying marine biology in school [crying face emoji].” Check it all out below.

A little walk down Memory Lane for her autobiography has caused Mariah Carey to face legal issues. In 2020, Carey released her The Meaning of Mariah Carey bestseller, and prior to it hitting bookshelves, the singer made the press rounds where she spoke extensively about her childhood. Carey spoke about being biracial and how her home environment shaped her identity, and she also dropped a few unbelievable stories regarding her alleged experiences with her estranged siblings. 

On Wednesday (March 3), TMZ reported that Mariah is facing a new lawsuit set by her estranged brother, Morgan Carey, over a passage about him in her book that details an alleged violent encounter between Morgan and their parents. “It took twelve cops to pull my brother and father apart,” the singer wrote in The Meaning of Mariah Carey.

“The big bodies of men, all entangled like a swirling hurricane, crashed loudly into the living room,” she added. “I was a little girl with very few memories of a big brother who protected me. More often, I felt I had to protect myself from him, and sometimes I would find myself protecting my mother from him too.” Another passage reads, “Suddenly there was a loud, sharp noise, like an actual gunshot. My brother had pushed my mother with such force that her body slammed into the wall, making a loud cracking sound.”

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Morgan reportedly claims that her depiction of him as a violent person has smeared his name. He stated any fights that he may have had with their father didn’t occur when the singer was a child and Morgan refutes her claim that twelve officers responded to a domestic violence call. He further states that Mariah also mentioned in her book that their mother said, “Morgan is the only one I love,” and added that there are plenty of witnesses who can attest to the “deep affection” that he and his mother have for each other.

It’s unclear how much he seeking in damages, but he’s filed a lawsuit for “defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.” Mariah’s estranged sister Alison Carey is also suing the singer for $1.5 million over the autobiography, as well, after the singer stated that Alison attempted to sell her to a pimp when she was a child.

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