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Dame Dash Cleared In Sexual Assault Lawsuit, Ordered To Pay Accuser $30K

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According to several conformed reports, Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Dame Dash has been cleared in a sexual assault lawsuit from 2019, but the music mogul was still ordered to pay the plaintiff $30,000 due to a concurrent defamation lawsuit against Dash.

In 2019, a photographer named Monique Bunn filed a lawsuit against Dash after she alleged that he touched her inappropriately during an overnight stay at Dash’s residence to complete a video shoot. Not long after the accusations were made public, Dash responded on social media, claiming that Bunn financially took advantage of him by committing credit card fraud, to which Bunn added the defamation of character complaint to the suit.

After the four day trial, it was ruled by a jury that Dash did not sexually assault Bunn, but she was was awarded $30K for the defamation of character, which can only be overturned by a federal appeals court.

The post Dame Dash Cleared In Sexual Assault Lawsuit, Ordered To Pay Accuser $30K appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Off-Duty Female Officer Shoots Man Following Warning

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The fatal shooting video of 39-year-old Leevon Smith by an off-duty officer was released by COPA Chicago as part of an ongoing investigation. In the shocking footage, Smith is seen fighting with a group of men who accused him of robbing someone in the 1300 block of West 90th Street.

The off-duty officer emerged from her apartment building to break up the fight. One of the men identified her as “the po-lice. The officer calmly spoke with the men and even stood between the angry men and Smith.

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After the group walked away, the officer patiently listened to Smith as he told his side of the story. When she turned to go back inside the building, Smith grabbed her.

“I’ll Kill you,” the officer said, as the two struggled. “You got to kill me then,” Smith told her.

“Watch this,” she said, as she pulled out a gun and fired a shot.

“Oh, sh*t!” Smith yelled. “I’m sorry!”

“I told you I’d kill you. I told your dumb ass I’d kill you,” she said, as another gunshot rang out.

“You got me! You got me!” Smith told the officer as the two struggled off camera.

“I told your dumb ass I’d kill you,” the officer said, as she fired a third shot.

“You got me for real,” Smith told her. “Baby, I’m sorry. I’m sorry… I don’t want to die!”

The officer yelled for someone to call 911.

“Call the police. I just shot somebody,” she yelled.

Smith suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen and hand. He was transported to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead on Jan. 20.

The officer told responding cops that the shooting happened when Smith reached for her gun.

Smith’s family filed a $10 million lawsuit against the city on Feb. 3, citing “excessive and violent physical force.”

The officer was not named in the lawsuit. She joined the police force last June.

Scroll to the 7:44 mark to watch the video below.

The post [WATCH] Off-Duty Female Officer Shoots Man Following Warning appeared first on The Source.

D-Nice And The Apollo Theater Announce The 3rd Club Quarantine Live

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Still breaking boundaries after almost 40-years in Hip-hop, rapper/producer/DJ/Entrepreneur—-D-Nice has established himself as a household brand.

The Apollo and D-Nice just announced the special Harlem Renaissance themed third anniversary Club Quarantine, celebrating community, connection, and culture. On Saturday, March 18 at 8:00p.m this once-in-a-lifetime evening will head at The Apollo’s historic stage. Special guests will be announced.Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, February 21. General public sale begins at 2:00p.m.

For more information visit, apollotheater.org/event/cq3   As a revolutionary virtual club that safely brought millions together to experience community amidst isolation, since March 2020 D-Nice’s Club Quarantine has been a global rhythmic respite. A multigenerational and multi-genre experience, Club Quarantine is a global celebration of music, life, and love. Since its inception, CQ has been a cultural linchpin, serving as a catalyst for innovation in music and social media to create a wholly unique event. Now, Club Quarantine will come offline again for CQ3. 

The post D-Nice And The Apollo Theater Announce The 3rd Club Quarantine Live appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip Hop History: DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince Released “Parents Just Don’t Understand” 35 Years Ago

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On this date at the beginning of Hip Hop’s “Golden Era”, Philly natives DJ Jazzy Jeff and his partner The Fresh Prince Dropped their landmark single “Parents Just Don’t Understand” on Jive Records.

With the song’s signature tune from the 60s hit sitcom I Dream Of Jeannie, the Fresh Prince, who is better known today as Emmy Award winning actor Will Smith describes his very relatable, parental circumstances. From the clothes chosen by his mother for the first day of school to borrowing the family car and crashing it, the Prince humorously gets into what it’s like having to listen to your parents…and them not listen to you.

Commercially the song was a hit as well, winning a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance at the 1989 Grammy Awards, was ranked number 96 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, and featured in movies such as The Parent Trap, Malibu’s Most Wanted and Jersey Girl. 

Salute to these two icons for making this song a piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince Released “Parents Just Don’t Understand” 35 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Ne-Yo Releases Trailer For His ‘In My Own Words’ Mini Documentary

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Ne-Yo, the three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning R&B hitmaker, iconic songwriter, actor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, has sold a cumulative 20+ million adjusted albums worldwide. His debut single, 2005’s “So Sick,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified quadruple Platinum.

Since then, the Motown Records/Compound Entertainment recording artist has racked up a collection of hits including “Sexy Love,” “Closer,” “Because of You,” “Miss Independent,” and “Push Back” [feat. Bebe Rexha and Stefflon Don]. Three of his albums have entered SoundScan’s Top Current Albums chart at No. 1. Ne-Yo has also proven to be as powerful with his pen as he is in the studio and on stage. The Las Vegas native quickly became known as a go-to hitmaker, penning bangers like Rihanna’s “Unfaithful,” “Russian Roulette,” and “Take a Bow,” along with Beyoncé’s 2006 breakup anthem “Irreplaceable” and songs for such artists as Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Carrie Underwood, and Celine Dion, among others.

Ne-Yo’s film and television credits include NBC’s World of Dance, Empire, Stomp the Yard, Save the Last Dance, Battle: Los Angeles, George Lucas’ Red Tails, The Wiz Live! and Starz’ Step Up: High Water. Most recently, Ne-Yo released his eighth full-length album, Self Explanatory, which boasts singles “Handle Me Gently,” “Don’t Love Me,” and “You Got The Body.”

The post Ne-Yo Releases Trailer For His ‘In My Own Words’ Mini Documentary appeared first on The Source.

Cardi B Reacts To Instagram’s New GIF Feature, Says “The Twitter Ghettos” Is Where It Belongs

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In order to keep up with their competitors, social media platforms are constantly launching new updates in hopes of satisfying current users and attracting new ones. In particular, Instagram has released several over the years that have helped elevate their platform. Among them are borrowing Snapchat’s concept of Stories to keeping up with TikTok via Reels. Most recently, they’re attempting to introduce GIFs in an exciting way.

Users have already been able to send the animated images back and forth in their DMs. Now, IG will allow them to respond to both Stories and feed posts with them. This feature is already popular on Twitter, where many use GIFs to their comedic advantage. According to Cardi B, Elon Musk’s app may be where the antics should stay.

On Friday (February 16) evening, the New Yorker wrote, “I know them GIFs ain’t hitting like they hit in the Twitter ghettos.” Her tweet has since earned nearly 7K likes, as well as hundreds of replies agreeing with her. “They need to be original and stick to comments only,” one fan account said.

In response to that, another page chimed in, “Instagram is NEVER original. They don’t know if they want to be TikTok or Twitter [at this point].” Elsewhere, someone else pointed out that IG hasn’t hit the same since they began prioritizing video content. “It’s so ghetto, Instagram needs to go back to pictures!” they demanded.

She’s obviously not be loving Instagram’s newest feature. Still, her followers on the app certainly ate up Cardi’s Super Bowl weekend outfits. During her time on stage, the mother of two put on a tantalizing display in a revealing metallic mini-dress. She also stepped out in Chanel and a pair of Loubitons on game day, though that look wasn’t exactly practical for the event.

Cardi B attends the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Julie Greenwald & Craig Kallman at The Beverly Hilton on February 04, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

On her Story last weekend, the rap diva posted a comedic clip of her and Offset awkwardly running through an Arizona parking lot. At the time, they were attempting to catch Rihanna’s Halftime Show, though Bardi’s footwear proved to be something of a problem. Read more about that here, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Jim Jones And HitMaka Comes Together To Release ‘Back In My Prime’ EP

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After a successful 2022, the Harlem hero Jim Jones teams up with producer HitMaka for their EP Back In My Prime. The eight-track project displays Jim’s ability to adapt his sounds to the ever-changing times in hip-hop culture. 

The stand-out singles “Gunshot” featuring BEAM and “I Am” featuring Stefflon Don prove their musical chemistry. 

“YKTV” featuring Ty Dolla $ign shows Jim rapping in a graceful manner. He opens the song with lines reflective of his failures leading to success. He raps, “I’m trying to leave my son a legacy, for my dogs I’m trying to leave a better pedigree… So many nights I slept in a crack den, I done took a bunch of L’s trying to stack M’s”. Jim’s mature cadence compliments his signature fly talk where he talks of having his lover covered in “furs dragging like a broken exhaust” and flooded with jewelry on her neck. 

Back In My Prime is what happens if Harlem: Diary of A Summer was a wine aged by eighteen years. The beats are smoother and the maturation of Jim’s storytelling and cadences packs a stronger punch than his 2005 run in music. Rather than what the title of the EP implies, Jim is entering into a new prime at this point of his career.

TRACKLIST:

  1. “Gunshot” feat. BEAM
  2. “FU Better” feat. Jeremiah
  3. “Bet It All” featuring Benny the Butcher and Trav  
  4. “YKTV” feat. Ty Dolla $ign
  5. “First Plug” feat. Pleasure P
  6. “Let It Go” feat. Tink & Ball Greezy
  7. “Status Update”
  8. “I Am” feat. Stefflon Don

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Happy 65th Birthday To West Coast Pioneer Ice-T!

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On this date in 1958, rapper and actor Tracy Morrow aka Ice-T was born in Newark, New Jersey, but ironically morphed into one of the most influential Hip Hop artists from the West Coast in the history of the genre.

After his exodus to the West Coast, Ice’s career began with his Rhyme Pays album, which dropped in 1987 and then his Power LP propelled him to platinum status. It wasn’t long after these two albums that Ice’s acting career took off, appearing and starring in films such as New Jack City, Trespass and CB4. In 1995, he began his three decade long tenure on television, appearing on New York Undercover, Law And Order, Chicago P.D.as well as him and his wife’s reality show, Ice And Coco.

The Grammy Award winner has an unparalleled amount of music. movie and television credits, but his foundation is all Hip Hop. Salute to Ice on a landmark born day and we wish him many more!

The post Happy 65th Birthday To West Coast Pioneer Ice-T! appeared first on The Source.

Today in Hip-Hop History: Geto Boys Dropped Their Debut LP ‘Making Trouble’ 35 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip-Hop History, Texas OGs The Geto Boys released their debut LP Making Trouble 31 years ago. Although the start of the career of one of the most prolific southern rap groups to ever grace the mic, this project may have been their least heard and most unknown album.

Coming at a time in the group’s history where they were referred to as the more conventionally spelled “Ghetto Boys,” this album showcased the lyrical ability of a then four-member underground group. The group was composed of DJ Reddy Red of Trenton, NJ(RIP), Prince Johnny C, and the Slim Jukebox, with Bushwick Bill on the roster as a hypeman and a dancer. It wasn’t until after the release of this project that Rap-A-Lot Records dropped Reddy Red, Johnny C, and Slim Jukebox to add Scarface and Willie D.

On this project, the group used a style of rap and aesthetics that resembled the legends Run-DMC. The mimicry of the New York rap trio was deep. The group wore all black with top hats and thick gold chains, their music featured heavy rock influence with guitar riffs and high energy drum patterns, and their group dynamic of two emcees and a DJ is exactly what Run-DMC sported.

This album was not the most popular album from the Geto Boys camp, but it is an exciting piece of the group’s history. This project shows the growth and development it took for the group to become the legends that they are respected today.

The post Today in Hip-Hop History: Geto Boys Dropped Their Debut LP ‘Making Trouble’ 35 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Today In Hip-Hop History: Tupac Shakur’s ‘Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z…’ LP Turns 30 Years Old!

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On this date in 1993, Tupac Shakur released his second full-length studio album, Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z… on Jive Records and T.N.T. Recordings. With the ‘N-word always having a negative connotation, ‘Pac flipped it to an acronym, meaning  Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished, with the “Z” in the title making it plural.

This album continued on the same wavelength as his debut, with his sociopolitical viewpoint as the basis of the album’s overall subject matter. The most recognizable singles from the album are “I Get Around,” “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” and the inspirational “Keep Ya Head Up,” which helped to propel the album to platinum status.

The post Today In Hip-Hop History: Tupac Shakur’s ‘Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z…’ LP Turns 30 Years Old! appeared first on The Source.