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Sesame Place Theme Park Responds To Accusations Of Racism

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A Philadelphia-area theme park is responding to accusations of racism.  This comes after a mother accused Sesame Place’s Rosita character of ignoring her two Black daughters during a parade.  A video that went viral posted to social media appears to show Rosita wave no to the girls while passing them by.  

The Sesame Street inspired park has apologized for the incident and says the no motion by the Rosita character was in response to requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a picture, which isn’t allowed. “We sincerely apologize to the family for their experience in our park on Saturday; we know that it’s not OK,” Sesame Place said.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that runs Sesame Street, said it will “conduct bias training and a thorough review of the ways in which they engage families and guests” at Sesame Place after multiple videos have caused backlash on the theme park. 

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[WATCH] Redman Shares First Visual “So Cool” Off Long Awaited “Muddy Waters 2” Album

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Releasing his first visual “So Cool” off of his highly anticipated album Muddy Waters 2, Hip Hop legend Redman is offering music lovers a sneak peak to his forthcoming project which is slated to drop later this year.

The Grammy Award-nominated rapper, actor and producer is back to showcase his raw rhymes and playfulness while further solidifying his musical legacy.

“So Cool” is produced by longtime collaborator and fellow Def Squad member, Grammy Award-winning producer Eric Sermon. 

READ MORE: [WATCH] Redman Follows “80 Barz” Track And Verzuz Battle with Official Video

Redman prepares his comeback and the release of his 9th studio album via Riveting Music.

Fans of  his 1996 Muddy Waters will be reminiscing on the 90’s while catching panoramic views of “America’s Playground,” Atlantic City in the Azzie Scott directed monster truck themed video. 

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WNBA Players Exec Director Terri Jackson Calls On Biden Admin To Bring Brittney Griner Home

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Last night, Women’s National Basketball Players Association Executive Director, Terri Jackson was interviewed on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Jackson spoke to Trevor about Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia for five months. 

The Phoenix Mercury star entered a guilty plea over a week ago while saying she “didn’t want to break the law.”  The guilty plea aids as a pre-condition for consideration of a negotiated release and possible prisoner exchange between Russia and the U.S.

READ MORE: WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty To Moscow Drug Charges

 Griner is facing up to 10 years in prison on the charge of large-scale transportation of drugs. Less than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, which can be overturned.

Jakson explains why the WNBA was told not to respond or comment publicly when Griner was first detained. She also shared comments that many people feel Griner is being used as a political pawn. Griner “should not be a political pawn,” Jackson continued. “We are BG,” calling on the Biden administration, what comes next and much more in the clip below.

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Rolling Loud Co-Founder Retracts Statements About Travis Scott

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Rolling Loud Miami virtually became a bust this year after Yeezy dropped out of his slot as headliner for his July 22nd show, only to be replaced by Kid Cudi.

“We were looking forward to Ye headlining Rolling Loud Miami 2022,” Rolling Loud said in a statement. “We spent months working with him and his team on the performance. Unfortunately, Ye has decided that he will no longer be performing.”

Fans took to social media to criticize the festival, specifically the co-founders, who they feel deceived them into believing Kanye West was headlining. Co-founder .Tariq Cherif was a target of the lion’s share of the comments, to which he replied, “Tried to convince Ye to stay on the lineup but he wasn’t having it.”

Some wondered why Cudi was selected instead of Travis Scott, but Cherif blamed the Hard Rock Stadium venue for not allowing him to perform following the 10 deaths at his Astroworld Festival last November.

“Venue won’t allow Travis because of Astroworld deaths,” he continued.

With the backlash getting worse. Cherif, is now backpedaling on his original statements on why Scott wasn’t Ye’s fill in.

According to TMZ, Cherif says Rolling Loud did, in fact, reach out to Travis Scott’s team about filling in for Yeezy, but the short time constraints made the turnaround nearly impossible to pull off for Scott’s desired intricate stage design.

Rolling Loud Miami kicks off at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday (July 22).

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Today In Hip Hop History: MC Eiht Dropped His Debut Album ‘We Come Strapped’ 28 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip Hop history, West Coast legend MC Eiht released his debut LP, We Come Strapped. Featuring his group Compton’s Most Wanted, this gangsta rap classic is one of California’s pre-G Funk hits. Riding the popularity that came from his breakthrough single “Straight Up Menace” featured in the film Menace II Society, this album took the rap game by storm creating a new star on the West Coast.

Coming off group success, MC Eiht was no rookie and knew exactly what putting out a good album entailed. We Come Strapped followed a simple yet effective formula resulting in its success. This project is straight and to the point; no drawn out skits, no filler, and no big name features. Aside from a cameo from Spice-1, Redman, and his fellow Compton’s Most Wanted members, the album is entirely MC Eiht spiting cold gangsta rhymes over DJ Slip’s jazzy, keyboard heavy production.

Commercially the project was quite a success, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop chart. The album was certified gold shortly after its release and continues to sell copies today. This album serves as MC Eiht’s most successful project to date.

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Mexico’s El Poeta Walks Away With Win At Spanish Rap Battle “Red Bull Batalla” Qualifier In Dallas

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Even through the extreme heat, Red Bull Batalla, the world’s largest Spanish speaking rap battle, took Texas by storm this past weekend. With over 1,100 loyal fans RSVPing for the event’s first-ever freestyle rap battle in the Lone Star State. the main floor of Club Vivo in Downtown Dallas was packed with a capacity crowd of 400 plus by the time Omar Cadena aka Fluffy and DJ Lobo (of the Urban Rapstars crew) kicked off the festivities. A nervous energy filled the room as people from across the region anxiously awaited in anticipation for the qualifying battles. 

After an evening full of high intensity and enthusiasm, the big winner of the night was Red Bull Batalla veteran El Poeta, who was also a finalist in the 2021 National Final. “I feel extremely happy and fortunate that I was able to transcend some of my own expectations on the big stage,” said El Poeta. “For over a decade, I’ve chased the sensation of victory and validation that I’m currently feeling, and honestly, I hope everyone who competed eventually gets to experience this as well.” 

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The talented final four heading to this year’s National Final are El Poeta, Pailot, Adonys, and Link One.

Batalla, sponsored by energy drink giant Red Bull, is by far the most competitive Spanish rap battle in the world, described by competitors as the “NBA” of Spanish battle rap.The City of Angels is the next stop for qualifiers before the world finals!

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Chicago Rapper King Lil Jay Arrested on Gun Charge After Prison Release For Murder

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Just months after Chicago rap mainstay King Lil Jay was released from prison after being convicted of murder years prior. Now, according to a report from SayCheeseTV, King Lil Jay is back in jail on firearm charges.

Lil Jay, whose real name is Mario Austin, was arrested in 2015, held on a $400K bond and charged with irresponsible firearm discharge. For that charge he was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2019.

Austin was previously on parole, which means that he will remain behind bars until his bond hearing.

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[WATCH] Fans Shocked As Loni Love Shades ‘The Real’

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Former The Real co-host Loni Love shades her former bosses for never acknowledging her birthday.

The “Soul Plane” actress turned 51 on July 14, and her new co-host of “E! Daily Pop,” Justin Sylvester, and the day’s guest co-host, “Full House” actress Jodie Sweeten, surprised her with a trombone-and-trumpet “Happy Birthday” performance by The Potash Twins, as well as a sweet birthday message from former co-host Tamera Mowery.

“I was on a show for 8 seasons and never got a birthday surprise .. I am humbled for this. Thank you to my @ENews fam“

Loni Love fired back at a fan after the reality TV host claimed her former hosting job The Real never gave her a solo birthday surprise celebration.

Although Love showed appreciation for the sweet gesture from E!, fans couldn’t help but point out her shade directed at the Daytime Emmy-winning talk show. 

One fan in particular uploaded a throwback clip from 2016 underneath Love’s tweet that showed Love being given a surprise birthday celebration with her July birthday twin Tamera. However Love stated the clip only validated her point. 

She responded, “Like I said, eight seasons boo.. Never got one, that was a combo.. Oop.”

TheShadeRoom reposted Loni’s message onto their Instagram page, and fans didn’t understand the reasoning behind the dig. 

“There was no need for the shade, seeming a little bitter.”

“Sooo why didn’t you say anything for 8 seasons?”

“So she also had an issue with the show but stood 10 toes down defending them when other people spoke out about the show?” 

Do you think Loni Love has a point?

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Airport Assault Case Against Ex-NFL Player Brendan Langley Dismissed

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Two months ago, a video of former Denver Broncos cornerback Brendan Langley went viral after he punched an United Airlines employee.

Brendan, who signed with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League in February, was  arrested for striking the employee. Now, the case against Langley has been dismissed. 

Langley’s attorney, Halim Dhanidina, told TMZ that authorities determined Langley “used force that was reasonably necessary” during the confrontation that was caught on video in May at Newark Liberty International Airport.

“We are grateful for the Court’s decision which puts an end to this ordeal that began nearly two months ago when Mr. Langley was assaulted then wrongfully arrested and charged for exercising his rights under the law,” said Dhanidina.It was previously reported that the fight supposedly started after Langley was seen using a wheelchair to haul his luggage through the airport instead of utilizing a luggage cart. Though Langley wasn’t punished legally, his football career maybe be in jeopardy. Langley’s CFL team,The Calgary Stampeders, suspended Langley indefinitely after criminal charges were filed. At the time, Stampeders President and General Manager John Hufnagel stated, “The Stampeders take matters such as these very seriously.”There’s no word yet if the Stampeders have any plans to reinstate Langley. The United employee, who left the altercation bloodied, was fired, according to TMZ.

Langley was a third-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2017 out of Lamar. He played only 16 games in two seasons and was transitioning from cornerback to receiver in 2019 when the team released him. He also spent time on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad.

Despite his many accolades this incident indeed left a smear on Langley’s legacy.

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LA County Attorneys Accuse Man Who Lost His Family In Crash Of ‘Trying To Ride Vanessa Bryant’s Coattails’

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A grieve-struck widow who lost his wife and daughter in the helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant was told to stop riding Vanessa Bryant’s “coattails”.

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Eight others were killed in the January 26, 2020 crash, including Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, and Christopher Chester’s wife Sarah Chester, 45, and daughter, 13-year-old Payton.

Kobe’s widow Vanessa Bryant and Chester both sued L.A. County after sheriff’s deputies shared graphic photos from the crash site in text messages. The lawsuit alleged one sheriff’s deputy showed crash scene photos on his smartphone to a bartender at the Baja California Bar and Grill on Jan. 28, 2020.

Attorneys for L.A. County argue that while Vanessa can prove the photos of Bryant’s charred body were shared in text messages among the officers, Chester can’t prove that photos of his wife and child were among the images.

The county’s attorneys filed a motion with the U.S. District Court in California asking U.S. District Judge John F. Walter and Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick to separate Bryant and Chester’s lawsuit into two separate lawsuits.

“Chester cannot point to any evidence of photos depicting his loved ones,” the county argued.

“Given Kobe Bryant’s worldwide recognition, Bryant’s case is distinct. Chester should not be permitted to ride Bryant’s coattails and benefit from critical evidence that only pertains to Bryant.”

“Chester has shown his propensity to do this in nearly every pretrial filing and again at the July 8 pretrial conference.”

L.A. County deposed 40 witnesses who could not identify Chester’s family members in the grisly photos.

The county said Chester will “unfairly reap the benefits of the significant impact Bryant and her celebrity witnesses will have on this case.”

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