Renowned director, musician, and author Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has unveiled details about his groundbreaking new book, Hip-Hop Is History, slated to launch on June 11th under his AUWA Books imprint. With co-author Ben Greenman, Questlove offers a perceptive and deeply personal exploration of hip-hop’s evolution over the past half-century.
In “Hip-Hop Is History,” Questlove delves into the cultural and creative forces that shaped hip-hop, blending forgotten gems with chart-topping hits. Through intimate storytelling, he provides unique insights into the genre’s rise from its humble beginnings to its current cultural dominance.
As a Grammy Award-winning musician, Academy Award-winning filmmaker, and bestselling author, Questlove brings a wealth of expertise and passion to the subject. Growing up in Philadelphia, hip-hop became his obsession and inspiration, leading him on a journey that would redefine music history.
With Hip-Hop Is History, Questlove offers a retrospective of hip-hop’s past and a visionary perspective on its future. The book will be available in hardcover, e-book, and digital audio formats through AUWA Books, an imprint of MCD/FSG, marking a significant milestone in hip-hop literature.
Last year, Kanye West, formerly known as Kanye, made headlines with the launch of his Christian private school, Donda Academy. However, the institution faced setbacks and controversy, including lawsuits from former teachers. Now, as the school undergoes a rebranding, it aims to move forward with a renewed focus on basketball, choir, and dance.
The Sun reports that despite the challenges, Donda Academy, now known as Donda Ray Academy, remains operational. The academy, named after Kanye’s parents, has shifted its location to a warehouse space in Chatsworth, San Fernando Valley.
The decision to rebrand and refocus the curriculum comes after a tumultuous period for the school. Multiple lawsuits were filed by former staff members, alleging bizarre practices and challenging conditions at Donda Academy. Despite these allegations, Kanye West remains committed to the students and the vision of the academy.
An insider shared with The U.S. Sun that Kanye’s determination to support the students never wavered, even in the face of adversity. Despite the rocky start, the rebranded Donda Ray Academy is moving forward with a fresh perspective.
Gregory Suhr, a lawyer representing Kanye West, has vehemently denied the allegations made by former teachers. He refutes claims that the school operated as a dystopian institution catering to Kanye’s idiosyncrasies. Allegations included claims of inadequate seating, serving only sushi to students, and the absence of windows due to Kanye’s preference.
As Donda Ray Academy enters this new chapter, it aims to provide students with a holistic educational experience that integrates sports and the arts. With a renewed focus on basketball, choir, and dance, the academy seeks to empower students through creative expression and athletic pursuits.
Multi-platinum 25-million-plus selling Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and actress Monica will be joining Nicki Minaj on her Pink Friday 2 North American Headline tour as her Special Guest. Monica shared the news earlier this month when she stopped by The Jennifer Hudson show in Los Angeles.
The North American run kicks off in Oakland, CA on March 1st and runs through May 13th hitting major cities across the US and Canada including March 20th and 21st in Monica’s hometown of Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena, the newly added Nashville show on March 24th at Bridgestone Arena, two nights – April 24th and 25th – in Chicago at the United Center and the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA on March 18th. All confirmed dates are below.
March 1 at Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA March 3 at Ball Arena in Denver, CO March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV March 10 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA March 13 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ March 18 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA March 20 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA March 21 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA March 22 at Amway Center in Orlando, FL March 24 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN March 26 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC March 28 at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ March 29 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA March 30 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY April 1 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC April 2 at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD April 4 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY April 5 at XL Center in Hartford, CT April 8 at TD Garden in Boston, MA April 10 at TD Garden in Boston, MA April 12 at Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH April 13 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI April 17 at Bell Centre in Montreal, CN April 18 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, CN April 20 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI April 24 at United Center in Chicago, IL April 25 at United Center in Chicago, IL April 27 at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN April 30 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, CN May 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY May 9 at Toyota Center in Houston, TX May 11 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX May 12 at Moody Center in Austin, TX May 13 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK
The news of the Pink Friday 2 tour comes on the heels of Monica’s recent feature alongside Keyshia Cole on “Love Me Enough” from the deluxe version of Nicki Minaj’s new chart topping studio album Pink Friday 2. Prior to that Monica spent fall 2023 supporting her latest single “Letters” – released this past summer with the official music video featuring The Game – a sultry and intimate clip directed by Richard Selvi (Lil Nas X, Eminem, Polo G) from award winning creative and production studio, Swiss Made Entertainment.
Last year, a legal battle ensued between Blac Chyna and rapper Tyga over the custody of their 11-year-old son. While a formal custody agreement was reached, Chyna is now taking further legal action against Tyga for allegedly failing to comply with financial disclosures required for establishing a child support order.
According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, Chyna, whose real name is Angela White, has petitioned the court to compel Tyga to provide information about his financial situation. She has requested documents and details necessary for determining child support payments, as well as other matters related to holiday schedules and attorney fees.
Chyna is seeking $15,000 in sanctions against Tyga for allegedly refusing to voluntarily provide the required financial information. Despite reaching a custody and visitation agreement in December, Chyna claims that the lack of orders for holiday schedules, child support, and attorney fees necessitates the disclosure of financial documents from Tyga.
In her court filing, Chyna accuses Tyga of obstructing the discovery process and failing to produce relevant documents within his custody and control. She argues that these documents are crucial for preparing for upcoming legal proceedings, including hearings and a potential trial or settlement.
The dispute between Chyna and Tyga highlights the complexities and challenges often involved in co-parenting arrangements, especially when financial matters are at stake. While the former couple had previously reached an agreement regarding custody and visitation, unresolved issues regarding child support and other financial obligations have led to renewed legal action.
As the court proceedings continue, both parties will likely be required to provide necessary documentation and evidence to support their respective claims.
The Busta Rhymes Blockbusta tour is called off. USA Today notes updates on Ticketmaster showing each show from the March 13 opener to the April 21 closure as cancelled.
Details on Ticketmaster reveal “no action is required to obtain a refund” as they will be processed to the original method of payment.
The tour, presented by The Conglomerate Entertainment and Live Nation, supports his latest critically acclaimed album, BLOCKBUSTA.
Just last month, while out celebrating French Montana’s new mixtape, Mac & Cheese 5, Busta got into it with rising rapper Nizzle Man.
The event was at Harbor nightclub in New York City, and a video emerged showing 23-year-old Nizzle Man being drug down a set of stairs. Busta then gets in the rapper’s face before more shoving occurs.
According to TMZ, neither party had issues with each other before the incident. You can see the video of the scuffle below.
Busta Rhymes and the Flipmode Squad get into an altercation at French Montana’s album release party pic.twitter.com/PFkPbYS9c6
In a recent episode of the 85 South Show, Fugees co-founder and solo artist Wyclef Jean discussed the financial impact that The Fugees had on the original songwriter of their hit “Killing Me Softly”, Lori Lieberman. Jean said that their version of the song amassed millions for Lieberman, who wrote and performed the song in 1972. The version that gained the most notoriety at the time was Roberta Flack’s version, which was recorded in 1973.
Wyclef stressed the importance of owning copyrights to songs to ensure financial success while speaking about Lieberman. Lieberman was still known to have a hard time receiving financial compensation and credit for the song’s global success.
Drake fans have a reason to rejoice as the chart-topping artist announced the addition of two shows in Newark, NJ, to wrap up his highly anticipated 2024 It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As The What? Across the U.S. Presented by Cash App and Visa and produced by Live Nation, the new shows are set to take place on Thursday, April 4, and Friday, April 5, at the Prudential Center. Joining Drake on stage for these performances will be Lil Wayne and Lil Durk.
The ‘It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As The What?’ follows Drake’s triumphant return to the stage with his 2023 ‘It’s All A Blur’ Tour, which boasted 50 sold-out arena shows across North America. Drake’s latest studio album, For All The Dogs, released via OVO Sound and Republic Records, has only added to the tour’s excitement.
Tickets for the Newark shows will be available starting with a Cash App Card presale on Wednesday, March 6, followed by the general on-sale on Friday, March 8, at 10 am local time on drakerelated.com. Cash App Card customers will have exclusive access to the presale, using the first 9 digits of their card to unlock early ticket purchases. For more details on the presale, visit cash.app/exclusives/drake-presale.
Vince McMahon is selling nearly $412 million of his stock in the TKO Group, which owns the WWE and UFC.
The sale sof 5.35 million shares follows a November deal where he sold 8.4 million for $670.3 million.
According to Variety, McMahon owned 20.35 million shares in December, and he still holds 15 million to date.
In January, former WWE employee Janel Grant sued Vince McMahon for sex trafficking and assault. Grant states she was the hush money employee in the 2022 investigation of McMahon.
Also named in the suit were WWE and former executive and wrestler John Laurinaitis. Laurinaitis, known as Johnny Ace in the wrestling world, was accused of sexual assault. The company is accused of covering the crimes in a false investigation.
Grant revealed she signed a nondisclosure agreement in 2022 that agreed to pay her $3 million not to provide details of her dealings with McMahon. After $1 million, McMahon stopped making payments and now the suit is to obtain financial damages.
According to The Wall Street Journal, McMahon pressured Grant into sexual acts to advance her role in the company. McMahon met Grant in their condo building after the latter parents had died. McMahon lived in the penthouse. McMahon created the “administrator-coordinator” position, which became the ire of other employees as she had a low level of work while others had “overflowing inboxes.”
McMahon is accused of using sex toys with Grant that he named after wrestlers that led to bruising and bleeding. He also passed nude pictures of Grant across the production team. In addition, Grant stated she was locked in a room by McMahon and another executive who took turns sexually assaulting her. Naming Laurinaitis, Grant stated he and McMahon restrained her and told her, “No means yes” and “Take it, bitch.” McMahon also locked her in his locker room and forced himself on her at a massage table.
McMahon also allegedly used nude images of Grant in contract negotiations with Brock Lesnar. Lesnar reportedly told Vince he liked the images, and Vince told Grant, “Part of the deal was f—ing U.” After an exchange of phone numbers, Lesnar allegedly asked Grant to send a video of herself urinating.
The arrangement was supposed to end once Vince’s wife, Linda McMahon, found out. Instead, after enacting the NDA, McMahon forced oral sex on Grant and then attempted to traffic her to a WWE Star in March 2022.
McMahon temporarily stepped down in the summer of 2022, returning to orchestrate a sale of the company to Endeavor, merging with UFC to become TKO Group Holdings. McMahon currently serves as an executive and member of the Board of Directors.
TKO Group Holdings released a statement to Variety:
“Mr. McMahon does not control TKO nor does he oversee the day-to-day operations of WWE. While this matter predates our TKO executive team’s tenure at the company, we take Ms. Grant’s horrific allegations very seriously and are addressing this matter internally.”
A spokesperson for McMahon shared a statement to Deadline:
“This lawsuit is replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and a vindictive distortion of the truth. He will vigorously defend himself.”
Grant’s lawyer, Ann Callis, also served a response:
“Today’s complaint seeks to hold accountable two WWE executives who sexually assaulted and trafficked Plaintiff Janel Grant, as well as the organization that facilitated or turned a blind eye to the abuse and then swept it under the rug. She is an incredibly private and courageous person who has suffered deeply at the hands of Mr. McMahon and Mr. Laurinaitis. Ms. Grant hopes that her lawsuit will prevent other women from being victimized. The organization is well aware of Mr. McMahon’s history of depraved behavior, and it’s time that they take responsibility for the misconduct of its leadership.”
In July 2023, Vince McMahon was served a federal grand jury subpoena as law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on his home.
According to ESPN, McMahon was on medical leave following a major spinal surgery. No charges have been brought against McMahon.
The wrestling giant states the company received legal demands for documents regarding the investigation.
“WWE has cooperated throughout and fully understands and respects the government’s need for a complete process,” the company said in a statement.
According to Cageside Seats, a special committee of members of the company’s Board of Directors conducted an internal investigation into a hush-money scandal with McMahon. In their second quarter 2023 financial earnings reveal, WWE announced expenses related to the investigation cost a combined $12.4 million.
McMahon released a statement to CNBC:
“In 2022, WWE formed a special committee to review allegations of misconduct against me. That review was concluded in November 2022 following an extensive investigation. Throughout this experience, I have always denied any intentional wrongdoing and continue to do so. I am confident that the government’s investigation will be resolved without any findings of wrongdoing. I am focused on completing the recovery process from my recent spinal surgery and on closing our transaction with Endeavor, which will create one of the preeminent global sports and entertainment brands.”
The Super Bowl reminded fans how great Usher’s “Yeah!” is. Just before the Super Bowl, the single was acknowledged for going 13 times platinum in the United States.
Ludacris showed a new plaque online, highlighting the single crossing 1 billion streams on Spotify.
“That DAMN SUPER BOWL EFFECT Was The Cherry On Top,” Ludacris wrote. “CONGRATS to my brothers @usher @liljon @seangarrettpen & ALL THE FANS THAT MADE THIS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SONGS IN HISTORY!!!!” Usher reshared the post on his account and commented, “We did that bro” with muscle and fire emojis. “Thank U to everyone who ever pressed play!!”
Usher added, “We did that bro. Thank U to everyone who ever pressed play!!”
Rock The Bells, the global platform dedicated to elevating Hip-Hop culture from its roots to the modern day, has announced the first wave of talent joining the second annual “Rock The Bells Cruise: A Hip-Hop Experience”, sailing on November 13-17, 2024 from Miami to Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau, Bahamas for another five days of non-stop Hip-Hop. The initial wave of artists includes Jadakiss, E-40, Rakim, Talib Kweli, Digable Planets, and AZ, along with a cast of DJsthat set the tone for the inaugural cruise, including DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kid Capri, Mannie Fresh, and Rock The Bells Radio’s own The Finisher Mister Cee, DJ Scratch, and DJ Epps. Roxanne Shante and Torae will return as hosts.
“Rock The Bells Cruise: A Hip-Hop Experience” is in partnership with Sixthman, the industry leader in unforgettable music and lifestyle festivals at sea. Inspired by classic Hip-Hop for Hip-Hop heads, the experience is the first of its kind, offering an immersive five-day Hip-Hop experience aboard the Norwegian Gem. Hip-Hop will be taking over every corner of the ship with themed parties, meet & greet autograph sessions, rap karaoke, open mic nights, and much more.
“Keepin the heads ringing, Rock the Bells Cruise is back!,”said Sixthman CEO Jeff Cuellar,“Hip-Hop heads get ready for a bigger and more action-packed schedule that continues the tradition of celebrating the icons across all Hip-Hop culture while also looking ahead to the next 50 years.”
Rock The Bells proudly serves Hip-Hop’s legends and champions the culture by providing opportunities to spotlight its icons through content, commerce, and experiences. This partnership is the first time Sixthman has produced a classic Hip-Hop cruise.
The week-long cruise will sail from Miami and make two stops in the Bahamas at Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau. Pricing ranges from $1,180 to $7,191. Cabins are on sale to the public today, Tuesday, March 5th. More information can be found at rockthebellscruise.com. A full slate of performers, activities, and other details will be made available within the coming months.
Thank U to everyone who ever pressed play!! 