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.
With Reviews ranging from ‘Incredible’ to ‘Informative’, to ‘the best music conference I’ve ever attended’, IMC 2024 is being hailed as successful, impactful and the best of its kind in the region and beyond. The Island Music Conference’s key objectives of being a facilitator, and gathering point to engage with artistes & Global industry practitioners, address pivotal questions that can significantly influence their careers, and ultimately propel Jamaica and the Caribbean’s entertainment sector forward as a cohesive unit, continued to be met in its sophomore staging.
The recently concluded conference, held in Kingston, Jamaica from February 21st thru 25th, featured an impressive line-up of influential figures, including WyClef Jean, Kes, StoneBwoy, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Spice, Teejay, Masicka and Jesse Royal.
Sirius Xm’s Alex Tear, Audiomack’s Brian Zisook, Meta’s Brittany Johnson, Youtube’s Tuma Basa, S-Curve’s Steve Greenburg, Warner Records’ Steve Carless, United Masters’ David Melhado, Amazon’s Madeline Nelson, Grammy’s Len Brown and Ranch Entertainment’s Costi were just a few of the prominent music executives and practitioners who unravelled and provided insights into a slew of crucial global music topics, among them, the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the music industry, the nuances of publicity, branding strategies, artiste management, digital music marketing and effective money management.
The five-day event was attended by over a dozen countries to include Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Grenada, Guyana, Dom Rep, SVG, St. Lucia, Costa Rica and Barbados. Zimbabwe and Ghana were represented from the Continent. Canada was represented as well as 13 states of the U.S.
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In addition to the powerhouse convergence of top-tier artistes and key stakeholders, IMC this year looked at “Defining your Style” with Caribbean Lifestyle Doyenne Novia McDonald Whyte, Ayana Riviere, Keneea Linton-George, Carla Gittens, Neko “Bootleg Rocstar” Kelly and Paris Cole.
There was an immersive two-day song writing workshop on February 22nd and 23rd, centered on the art of crafting impactful punch lines and clever rhymes. The workshop was lead by songwriter/Producer Mikey Bennett who says in all his years of doing workshops and camps “This was the best one and the most fun”.
The final day saw the Premiere of the DocuFilm BAD LIKE BROOKLYN DANCEHALL – a riveting exploration of the rise of Dancehall in Brooklyn. It detailed the immigration, the soundsystem culture and those that set and fed the genre in the cold. A perfect end to a week of culture.
IMC Chairman and Co-Founders Orville ‘Shaggy’ Burrell, Judith Bodley and Sharon Burke are pleased with the turnout and the outcomes of 2024, though they still want to see more of the new and rising artistes attend. They’ve promised that just like this year, 2025 will be even better than the year before.
The 2024 edition of the conference was endorsed by the Ministry of Culture and supported by the Jamaica Tourist Board. Onboard with the project in a big way were Tastee Jamaica Limited, YOUTUBE, the CDB, Pepsi, IRIE FM, ZIP FM, SUNCITY FM, CVM Television and The Jamaica Observer Ltd. Other sponsors included IPrint, KFC, Kendel, KitKat and Hertz.
Born on this date in 1974 in the City of Brotherly Love, Dwight Grant, aka Beanie Sigel, aka Beans, morphed into an icon in the Philly Hip Hop scene as the leader of the now-defunct Roc-A-Fella Records’ State Property. Even with all of his legal troubles and the untimely split of the Roc, Beanie is still regarded as one of the best emcees of his era and one of the very few who lives what he speaks in the booth.
With six solo albums, three State Property collabos, and four silver screen blockbuster appearances, it’s difficult to argue that Beans has not had a successful career. Anyone who could hold Hova’s attention for more than one album has some obvious skills to match his street bravado.
Happy born day to Beans and many more in the future!
On this date in 1992, the Brooklyn/Teaneck, New Jersey duo Das EFX dropped their game changing single “They Want EFX” on East West Records.
When Krazy Drazy and Skood dropped their signature, off beat, stuttering style, am entire wave of rappers with an identical or similar style emerged in Hip Hop during the early 90s. With samples from “Buffalo Gals” by Malcolm McLaren, “Blind Man Can See It” by James Brown and “Breath Control II by Boogie Down Productions.They Want EFX was the blueprint for many of those who came after them. Their usage of famous TV commercials and slogans distinguished DAS’ style from the others, but later proved that they can switch their stutter to a consistent cadence and still keep up with their peers.
The lead single from the group’s debut album Dead Serious did numbers commercially as well appearing at number 25 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 and even reached the pole position for Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs in ’92.
Almost everyone familiar with The Dave Chappelle Show are well versed on his Diddy Making The Band parody, but the most memorable part of the skit was unquestionably Chappelle’s impression of Making Of The Band contestant Dylan Dilinjah, who was perceived as always going against the show’s executive producer Sean “Diddy” Combs.
In a recent interview wit h the “We Are Flatbush” podcast, Dylan claims that The Chappellle Show skit “f***ed up” his career and says that he never named himself five times as the Top 5 as the comedian joked in the skit.
“Everyone is laughing. This is legend now, but I’m fucked up from what you just did,” said Dylan about the impact of the show.
In a bold move that could reshape the landscape of New York City’s entertainment scene, rapper Nas has unveiled a $5 billion proposal to transform Resorts World Casino New York City into a state-of-the-art casino complex in his hometown of Jamaica, Queens.
Partnering with Resorts World Casino, Nas aims to revitalize the neighborhood while creating new opportunities for local residents. The ambitious project includes plans for a multi-functional casino featuring a 7,000-seat capacity entertainment venue for hosting events and concerts. Additionally, the development will encompass park space, housing, hotels, restaurants, and upgraded transit options to JFK Airport and Manhattan, promising to generate an estimated 5,000 union jobs.
“This is an ambitious project that will give new opportunities to the hard-working families who call Queens home, attract top-tier talent, and build up the next generation of leaders,” Nas expressed during the unveiling, as reported by Rhyme Junkie. “It’s an honor to be here, to be a part of this with Resorts World, realizing the future, seeing what this can be and what it will be.”
The announcement comes as Nas’ proposal competes with fellow hip-hop icon JAY-Z’s bid for a NYC casino license. JAY-Z, through his entertainment company Roc Nation, has partnered with SL Green and Caesars Entertainment to propose a boutique-style casino at the iconic 1515 Broadway office tower in Times Square.
“New York is the epicenter of culture. We have the opportunity to create a destination at the heart of the true crossroads of the word,” JAY-Z stated in a press release. “My partnership with SL Green and Caesars has all the promise and commitment to economic opportunity, growth, and enrichment for the community and everyone that visits the Empire State.”
The competition for the coveted casino license underscores the potential economic impact and cultural significance of these projects. Nas and JAY-Z are not only vying for the license but also aiming to shape the future of entertainment and hospitality in New York City.
“When we stood here more than a dozen years ago to break ground on Resorts World New York City, our vision extended well beyond that already-ambitious original plan — today, that vision can soon become a reality,” remarked Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting America East, in a statement.
As both Nas and JAY-Z present their visions for the city’s entertainment landscape, the decision on the casino license remains in the hands of New York City officials. With their respective proposals, these hip-hop moguls are not only competing for a business opportunity but also aiming to leave a lasting impact on their communities and the city at large. The stakes are high, and the outcome will shape the future of entertainment in the Big Apple.
The legendary unfiltered comedian Katt Williams didn’t hold back during his three-hour appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” this week, touching on a range of controversial topics and offering candid insights into several of his views.
The interview came nearly two months after Williams made headlines with his candid remarks on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, where he suggested that Joe Rogan had avoided having him on his show. However, Rogan extended an invitation to Williams following the viral interview.
During the conversation, Williams addressed California’s ban on flavored vapes and menthol cigarettes, emphasizing the disproportionate impact on the Black community. He expressed concerns about the classification of menthol as a flavor, highlighting its significance to Black consumers.
When Rogan asked about the preference for menthol cigarettes among Black people, Williams acknowledged the sensitive nature of the topic Katt ripped into Rogan.
“That was fine, but they let it also hurt Black people in that it counted menthol as a flavor,” Williams said.
Rogan then asked, “Why do Black people like menthol cigarettes so much? What’s that about?”
Williams laughed, “You’re gonna get me canceled. This is very racist, this conversation. A Black person actually getting ready to answer this—it’s terrible on all ends.”
The popular comedian said Black people tend to prefer concentrated products and strong flavors.
“Before things were called concentrate, that’s what we appreciated, [what] was concentrated,” Williams said.
“There’s this whole thing with liquor and malt liquor and the difference between the two. One is richer and stronger and as a people, we tend to go with those products. And the fact that menthol is a natural thing, so anybody who’s from the South knows about mint plants — so you appreciate that as a flavor profile as well.”
Moving on to discuss transgenderism, Williams referred to it as a “satanic” trend rather than an identity, drawing parallels to the deity Baphomet, often associated with Satan. He reflected on his awareness of transgenderism as a concept and its connections to religious symbolism.
“20 years ago I knew that transgenders was gonna be a thing,” he said. “The earliest I had seen that word, transgender, was Baphomet, the transgender,” he added.
Baphomet is a deity with the head of a goat and the body of a man. He is often confused with Satan.
“So I knew that in the ritual of Baphomet, the transgender, to show allegiance to him you had to kiss his a*s ring.”
Thank U to everyone who ever pressed play!! 
