The Weeknd Hits Record 120.5 Million Monthly Spotify Listeners, Breaks His Own Record

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The Weeknd has officially beat his own record of artist with highest monthly listeners on Spotify, with over 120.5 million monthly listeners.

The XO-superstar became the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners in February of 2023, and has held the number 1 spot since then, aside for a recent one month period. This feat comes following The Weeknd’s latest music video for “Timeless” with Playboi Carti Produced by Pharrell. Also recently released is the fan hit “Dancing In The Flames,” from his heavily anticipated album, Hurry Up Tomorrow available for vinyl and CD.

Last month, The Weeknd delivered a sold out stadium spectacular live performance from São Paulo, which was streamed exclusively on YouTube. Millions of fans worldwide tuned in to witness the unique concert that showcased his signature sound and electrifying stage presence along with surprise guests Playboi Carti and Anitta. It was the highest music performance trending in the US and trended in 24 other countries, further solidifying The Weeknd’s reign as a global music icon. 10% of net proceeds from all merchandise sales at the event and online to the Brazilian Soul Fund of BrazilFoundation, supporting communities affected by natural disasters and economic hardships in southern Brazil.

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Former President Barack Obama Campaigns For Harris: ‘Yes She Can’

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With Election Day just weeks away, former President Barack Obama has hit the campaign trail to support Vice President Kamala Harris. On Thursday, Obama traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state where polls between the candidates remain close.

Recalling his famous campaign slogan “Yes, We Can,” Obama introduced a new version in support of Harris: “Yes, She Can.” He praised the vice president as “a leader who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a chance.”

In his speech, Obama addressed the challenges Americans have faced in recent years, from the pandemic to rising inflation. He expressed empathy for the difficulties many are enduring, while also emphasizing the importance of leadership in such times.

Obama didn’t shy away from criticizing former President Donald Trump, describing him as “out-of-touch” and mocking Trump’s often lengthy and unfocused rally speeches, which he referred to as “word salad.” He also called out Trump for spreading misinformation, particularly concerning recent claims about FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene. Trump has accused the administration of neglecting storm victims and redirecting FEMA funds to Democratic-leaning areas and migrants—allegations the administration has strongly denied.

“Everybody knew it wasn’t true, even local Republicans said it wasn’t true,” Obama said. He expressed dismay over Trump’s behavior, asking, “The idea of intentionally trying to deceive people in their most vulnerable moments—when did that become okay?”

Obama’s stop in Pittsburgh marked the beginning of a broader campaign tour across key swing states. He previously spoke at a campaign fundraiser in California and at the Democratic National Convention.

Next week, former President Bill Clinton is expected to join the campaign effort, with plans to rally support for Harris in the rural South, according to a campaign spokesperson.

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TIME100 Next Gala Honors Victoria Monét, Jalen Brown, Shaboozey And Others

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The 2024 TIME100 Next Gala took place on October 9 at Pier59 in New York City, honoring a group of rising stars who are making significant cultural and social impacts. Among this year’s honorees were Victoria Monét, Shaboozey, Vince Staples, Jaylen Brown, Aaron Pierre, Brandon Blackwood, Reneé Rapp, and Sabrina Carpenter.

Sounds like a serious event and the stars were most certainly out.

Victoria Monét received high praise as she should from Yara Shahidi, who described the JAGUAR II singer as embodying “the essence of an Artist with a capital A.” Shahidi highlighted Monét’s ability to honor the legacy of artists who came before her while creating something uniquely her own. “Her influence is indisputable, not just within the music industry, but in the lives of all who experience her art,” Shahidi remarked.

Country-rap artist Shaboozey was recognized for his innovation and authenticity. Fellow musician Jelly Roll described him as “innovative, honest, charismatic, and charming in a way that’s real,” expressing pride in Shaboozey’s role in representing country music.

What’s more, Colin Kaepernick praised Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, calling him “more than an NBA star; he’s a force for justice and change.” Kaepernick commended Brown’s philanthropic efforts, labeling him a “beacon of hope” and expressing admiration for the path Brown is paving for future generations.

Quinta Brunson honored Vince Staples as “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper,” emphasizing his creative versatility and noting how “cool” it is to be both a fan and friend of someone with such a wide range of ideas and talents. Staples is branching out to Hollywood so it’s nice to see him get his due.

If you are unfamiliar, TIME100 Next, distinct from the traditional TIME100, was created to recognize influential leaders who are shaping the future without waiting to follow conventional paths. The list has no age or leadership requirements, acknowledging that influence today takes many forms and often comes from unexpected places.

Although not all honorees could attend the event in person, the gala showcased a night of celebration, with notable appearances and tributes to those making a lasting impact across music, sports, fashion, and activism.

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Kanye’s Newest Lawsuit From Former Employee Hired to Spy on Wife Bianca Censori and Kardashian Fam

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Kanye West, is facing yet another lawsuit this time filed by a former employee who served as his “director of intelligence.” The unnamed plaintiff, referred to as John Doe, filed the suit on October 10, alleging that West instructed him to spy on the Kardashian family, accusing them of being involved in “sex trafficking.” Didn’t know lawsuits could be filed under John Doe but now we do.

The plaintiff also claims West directed him to hire private investigators to follow his wife, Bianca Censori, while she was visiting family in Australia.

That seems like a long way to send someone to get dirt on your own wife.

According to the lawsuit, West tasked John Doe with investigating the Kardashian family’s supposed links to criminal activities. The plaintiff recounts an incident in which West became enraged after the plaintiff reported a case of child abuse at West’s Donda Academy. In response, West allegedly screamed, “You’re f**king dead to me!” and played a recording of “scary voices,” which the plaintiff interpreted as a threat.

Get this, John Doe is suing for “retaliation and emotional distress,” stating that the events have taken a severe toll on his mental health, triggering PTSD from his military service.

He claims to have suffered from panic attacks and anxiety as a result. In addition, the plaintiff is seeking compensation for unpaid wages from his final pay periods. The ol’ emotional distress. Not a surprise here.

Hired by Yeezy, that’s the company btw, in December 2022 as a “deputy campaign director,” the plaintiff was later promoted to “director of intelligence.” His role included generating media strategies to maintain West’s relevance and addressing issues like recovering lost or stolen items. As of now, Kanye West has not responded to the lawsuit or the allegations.

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TD Bank Fined Record $3 Billion Over Claims of Money Laundering For Drug Cartel

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Are you a TD Bank account holder? If so, your bank has just been fined some real paper. TD Bank has agreed to pay $3 billion to settle charges related to its failure to adequately monitor money laundering by drug cartels. The settlement includes a $1.3 billion penalty paid to the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), marking a record fine for a bank, and $1.8 billion to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The bank will plead guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

The DOJ identified “long-term, pervasive, and systemic deficiencies” in TD’s anti-money laundering procedures. Between January 2018 and April 2024, more than 90% of TD Bank’s transactions went unmonitored, facilitating over $670 million in money laundering through its accounts by three separate networks. Attorney General Merrick Garland criticized the bank for making its services “convenient for criminals.” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo added that TD Bank prioritized growth and profit over legal compliance, enabling drug trafficking that harmed American citizens.

Get this, one case involved TD employees accepting over $57,000 in gift cards to process $470 million in suspicious cash deposits without reporting them. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) stated that the bank processed hundreds of millions in transactions that clearly signaled illegal activity. The OCC has restricted TD Bank’s growth in the U.S. as part of the settlement, a rare move seen previously with Wells Fargo following its 2018 scandal.

TD Bank CEO Bharat Masrani acknowledged the failures, apologizing and vowing to enhance the bank’s anti-money laundering capabilities. The bank is hiring over 700 specialists and implementing new processes to improve its financial crime prevention efforts. As part of the agreement, FinCEN will monitor TD Bank for four years to ensure compliance.

What’s more, TD Bank’s stock fell 6% following the announcement, and the company expects a $1.5 billion post-tax charge as a result. The settlement has drawn criticism from figures like Senator Elizabeth Warren, who argued that the penalties do not go far enough in holding bank executives accountable. TD Bank has faced previous legal challenges, including a $1.2 billion settlement last year over its involvement in a Ponzi scheme, though the bank denied wrongdoing in that case.

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50 Cent Sues NYC Jeweler For Using His Name To Sell Fake Jewels

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Reports have confirmed that 50 Cent has filed a lawsuit against a famous NYC jeweler for using his name and likeness on social media platforms to sell imitation replicas of his famous pendant.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the Hip Hop and movie mogul is suing Maksud Agadjani and his TraxNYC Corp. for trademark infringement and violating his right of publicity. Fif claims that the jeweler is using his images on social media to fool consumers into believing that he’s endorsing the fugazi bling.

Earlier this week, Trax posted a pic of Drake and 50 together and captioned the post, “Yo @50 Cent , you should be a jeweler. Hit traxnyc.com or call 212 traxnyc.” Also, on a TikTok post from this summer, Trax showed off a crucifix similar to the one worn by Fif, saying, “We just jocked your style, I know you watch my videos and now I’m watching your s**t and jocking your s**t just like you jocked my s**t.”

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50 warned Trax about his online shenanigans and now the court will be intervening, as 50 is suing the jeweler for $5 million in damages. A rep for 50 told TMZ, “Mr. Jackson takes the unauthorized use of his name and likeness for commercial purposes seriously.”

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Jodeci’s Devante Swing Accused Of “Aiding” Diddy In Teen Girl Rape

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The snowball effect has really been thematic in the Diddy federal racketeering/ sex trafficking saga and now more accusations are piling up with another Bad Boy artists attached to the drama.

Jodeci member/producer Devante Swing has been accused in the rape of a 16-year-old in which DIddy and Guy front man Aaron Hall have already been implicated earlier this year. The rape charge, which allegedly occurred in 1990, has has added Swing to the list of defendants for being in the same room.

The suit, which was obtained by Rolling Stone, states, “Unbeknownst to Ms. Gardner at the time, Defendant Swing was in the room when this assault took place and did not take any steps to prevent this abuse from occurring.” A sworn statement given by a witness also states that Swing was “leaning against the wall or furniture or something, watching whatever Puffy was doing to Liza.[Gardner].”

The R&B producer was reportedly Gardner’s co-guardian at the time of the alleged rape.

The lawsuit claims Swing “had a duty to protect [Gardner] as her parents entrusted him with her safety. He trafficked and or coerced the child [to] travel across state lines from North Carolina to New York and New Jersey with the hidden intention of providing the child with alcohol, and marijuana and prostituting the child to his A&R Combs [Diddy].”

Swing nor any of his representatives have responded to these allegations.

Liza Gardner was one of the first people to file rape charges against Diddy following the very public lawsuit filed by Cassie, which has spawned into the Bad Boy mogul’s current rape, racketeering and sex trafficking charges that he his faced with in federal court.

“At the time Combs assaulted Ms. Gardner, she recalls feeling the side effects of the alcohol. She recalls Combs mounting her, and forcing up her skirt, pulling her underwear to the side and forcefully penetrating her,” her lawsuit says.

Diddy’s attorneys have denied these claims and scoffed them off as a mere “money grab”. Diddy’s trial date has recently been forecasted to take place in April or May of 2025.

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Diddy Set for May 2025 Trial in Federal Racketeering Case

Diddy Partners with DJ Khaled to Announce New 'Diddy Direct' Platform

Diddy Partners with DJ Khaled to Announce New 'Diddy Direct' Platform

Diddy, who is charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution, will go to trial in May 2025.

At a court hearing in New York on Thursday, the judge in Combs’ federal case set a trial date of May 5, 2025.

According to CNN, Combs, who has pleaded not guilty, was present in the courtroom, as were several of his family members. His ankles were shackled, and he was wearing a loose-fitting tan button-down shirt and khaki pants. Diddy also waved at his family as they sat in the second row.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson said the prosecution anticipates its case could last three weeks. Still, she added that a superseding indictment could affect the length of the trial, meaning additional charges or defendants could be added to the case. Diddy’s legal team, led by Marc Agnifilo, stated he expects the defense to take a week.

Last week, Diddy was visited by his twin daughters and mother at Brooklyn’s MDC. According to TMZ, the family shared time in the visiting area where they could embrace and have a conversation.

Insiders say the twins made the trip from California to see Diddy for the first time since his arrest.

The visit came ahead of a statement by Diddy’s mother, Janice Combs, who referred to his charges as a “public lynching.” Combs expressed her views in a conversation with Page Six.

“It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” Janice shared.

“To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.”

She added, “I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not. He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have.

“My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise.”

You can read more of her statement here.

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Today In Hip Hop History: AZ Dropped His Debut LP ‘Doe Or Die’ 29 Years Ago

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On this date in 1995, Antonio Cruz aka AZ from Nas’ “Life’s A Bitch” fame, released his debut album Doe Or Die on EMI Records.

Produced by legendary producers Pete Rock, DITC’s Buckwild, LES, D.R. Period as well as AZ himself, AZ was able to land the deal for this album strictly off of the classic verse he spits on the third track on the iconic Illmatic album.

Tracks sucks as the Pete Rock propelled “Rather Unique”, the dreamy “Sugar Hill”, which features then-unknown songbird Miss Jones and the street fueled “Mo Money, Mo Murder, Mo Homocide” gave this album a verbal variety that was rarely heard, especially from an emcee who was only known at the time for a guest appearance.

A special salute to AZ for holding it down for dolo for an entire quarter of a century, even managing to orchestrate a 15 year anniversary of the album in 2010 on his own Quiet Money imprint, featuring production from the likes of Statik Selektah and Fame of M.O.P.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Netflix Slated To Premiere ‘The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox’ Documentary

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David “Big Papi” Ortiz. Johnny Damon. Manny Ramirez. David Lowe. All of these former BoSox players will be in the new documentary from Netflix about the best postseason comeback in baseball history.

Premiering on Oct. 23, The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox celebrates the 20th anniversary of the team’s groundbreaking postseason run, when the Red Sox came back from 3–0 in the playoffs against the Yankees before sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

Boston Red Sox fans will have a chance to go back two decades and hear first hand from some of the playmakers who turned Game 4 into Game 7 and “reversed the curse”. The “Curse of The Bambino” is an 66-year superstition among some baseball fanatics, especially in Boston, that the sale of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920 kept the Red Sox from winning a World Series from 1918 until 2004.

The doc dives into the everlasting rivalry between the 27-time World Series Yankees and one of the oldest teams in Major League Baseball, Beantown’s BoSox. Directed by Colin Barnicle and executive produced by MLB, commentary from then Yankees skipper Joe Torre shows the other side of the coin with a team of superstars such as Alex Rodriguez, Dwight Gooden, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui ,Gary Sheffield and so many others, this story of the comeback shows how important baseball was and still is to both cities.

The doc is set to premiere at 8Pm EST exclusively on Netflix.

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