According to several confirmed reports, former A$AP Mob member A$AP Rell has come forward as the man that A$AP Rocky allegedly shot last year and was arrested for upon his return from Barbados with RIhanna.
Relli, whose real name is Terell Ephron, alleges that Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Meyers, lured him to a seedy Hollywood location “to discuss a disagreement between the two of them,” according to a statement provided by Ephron’s attorneys Jamal Tooson and Brian Hurwitz.
“Unbeknownst to Mr. Ephron, A$AP Rocky was not just planning for a conversation and came armed with a semi-automatic handgun,” the statement claims. “After arriving at the location, a conversation ensued whereby without provocation, warning, or any justification, A$AP Rocky produced the handgun and intentionally fired multiple shots at Mr. Ephron.”
Relli’s lawsuit also alleges that “multiple death threats and irreparable harm to his career in the entertainment industry as a result of this incident.”
Rocky nor his representatives have responded to these allegations. TheSource.com will update this story as details develop.
The marathon continues, Nipsey Hussle is being posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The late, great rapper will receive the honor on August 15th, which would have been his 37th birthday.
The Los Angeles native was shot and killed in March 2019 in front of his Marathon Clothing store. In July, Eric Holder was found guilty of the murder of Nipsey Hussle. He now faces life behind bars for the charges of murder and attempted voluntary manslaughter.
It isn’t the only honor Hussle has received recently, as L.A.’s Metro Rail announced a brand new station is going to be named after him.
R. Kelly, 55 is taking another loss after the feds reportedly seized his prison commissary fund. According to Bloomberg, the singer had $140,000 in court-ordered fines to pay which led prosecutors to request a federal court to seize over $28,000.
The Bureau of Prisons also confiscated his inmate trust account with no prior court order or notice to him. The “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number” singer has been left with only $500.
In June, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted on nine counts of various racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
A U.S. District Judge ordered that the singer pay a $100,000 fine, a $40,000 assessment under the Justice for Trafficking Victims Act and a $900 special assessment.
The convicted sex trafficker’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean took to social media to call the government “unethical.”
Could the gov. be more unethical? After seizing his funds and after sending this email, @EDNYnews decided to file a motion to confiscate his trust account money. You’re supposed to do that BEFORE you take the money. pic.twitter.com/1w3sSyiAY3
It was on this day 49 years ago (August 11, 1973) that Kool Herc threw his legendary back-to-school basement party, which would go on to create the foundation for Hip Hop music through the “breakbeat” DJ technique he used to keep the party rocking. Many aspiring emcees at the time paired ‘the break’ with the rhymes flowing through their minds, jumpstarting a sound and movement that is now considered to be the most popular genre in music; Hip Hop.
Many are familiar with the story of the 1520 Sedgewick Avenue Recreation Center and how Jamaican-born Herc attracted the youth from the community and other boroughs that had already made names for themselves in other aspects of the culture(B-Boying, Graffiti and MCing). What has been often omitted from history is the climate in NYC, where the city was on the brink of bankruptcy, while crime and “white flight” was at an all-time high. These were the circumstances in which the culture of Hip Hop was born and thrived throughout the city for about a decade before it became recognized by the mainstream.
Salute to the pioneers of the era such as Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Coke La Rock, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, The Funky Four Plus 1 More, The Magnificent Seven and a host of others who were there at the foundation. Thank you for giving us what we can document now as Hip Hop history!
Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert and Steve Lacy share a Gemini affection and appear to have gotten matching tattoos.
Alternative R&B artist Steve Lacey took to social media late Tuesday night to share a photo of the trio posing for a mirror selfie.
Popular Los Angeles based tattoo artist Mez Afram is holding the camera as Ye, Lil Uzi and Lacy extend their left arms for the flick. A close up of the photo shows off the ink that reads “We Here Forever Technically.”
This comes after Kanye Ye celebrated the split of his soon-to-be ex wife Kim Kardashian from comedian Pete Davidson. In a now deleted post, Ye’s IG featured a photoshopped cover of the New York Times that said Davidson is “dead at age 28” seemingly in response to their break up.
Kanye, Lil Uzi Vert and Steve Lacy just got a new joint tattoo
Even after facing a 56-count indictment along with 27 of his other YSL(Young Slime Life) cohorts, Young Thug is now facing a new set of charges in an indictment filed by the Fulton County Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday(August 9), according to WSB TV in Atlanta.
Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was hit with a new gang charge, new drug charges, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a machine gun in the new indictment. Many of these charges stem from the raid executed on Williams’ Buckhead home on May 9.
According to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office, the new indictment still includes all 28 members of YSL, but the new charges only involve Thug and four other YSL members. Willis contends that the new indictment enhances the prosecution’s case that Thug “performed for years as a leader of a criminal street gang.”
Thug’s attorney, Brian Steel, meanwhile, maintained his client’s innocence following his arrest in May. “I’ll tell you the response to any allegation: Mr. Williams committed no crime whatsoever and we will fight to my last drop of blood to clear him,” said Steel.
Young Thug will remain behind bars until his RICO trial, which as been set for January 9, 2023.
On this day in Hip Hop history, the management company and label imprint Violator released their first compilation album entitled Violator: The Album. Showcasing the management team’s star-studded talent roster, this album is full of rarities making it a must-have for any self-proclaimed “Hip Hop head.”
For those out of the loop, Violator was a multi-dimensional entertainment conglomerate ran by Chris Lighty until his untimely passing on August 30, 2012. Thriving mainly from 1999 to the early 2000s, Violator represented some of Hip Hop’s most known titans including Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Missy Elliot, Nas, Mya, 50 Cent, Mobb Deep and LL Cool J just to name a few.
Violator: The Album was the first release from Violator Records, in collaboration with Def Jam. Due to Chris Lighty and Violator’s expansive resources, this album was able to be jam-packed with talent ranging from all sides of Hip Hop. With production handled by The Beatnuts, DJ Scratch, Diamond D, Havoc, Q-Tip, and Swizz Beatz it is hard to dispute that this album is not one of the best-produced projects of 1999; and, as prolific as the production team for this album may be, it still in no way outshines the artist performances. With features from Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Mobb Deep, Ja Rule, Hot Boys, Noreaga, Fat Joe, Big Pun, 8Ball, and Cam’ron, this album can be considered one of the best-orchestrated compilation tapes to date.
Commercially, the album was quite successful peaking at #8 on the Billboard 200 chart and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop chart. The project sold very well and was certified gold within one month of its release.
Regardless of its sales or star roster, what makes this album a piece of Hip Hop history is the first single released from the project,A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip’s solo debut. “Vivrant Thing” which peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 was released in promotion for Q-Tip’s debut solo LP Amplified. This track marked the evolution of Q-Tip’s career, marking his transition to independence.
Following the success of this album, Violator went on to release a sequel two years prior. Violator: The Album 2.0 had a similar response, but failed to be as popular as its predecessor.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is calling for at least a full-year suspension for Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Goodell said the evidence from sexual misconduct allegations against Watson, 26 shows “egregious” actions and “predatory behavior.”
“We’ve seen the evidence,” Goodell said at a press conference on Tuesday. “[Robinson] was very clear about the evidence, should we enforce the evidence. That there was multiple violations here, and they were egregious, and it was predatory behavior. Those are things that we always felt were important for us to address in a way that’s responsible,” according to The Hill.
Seeking a harsher penalty under its personal conduct policy, the league last week appealed the six-game suspension handed down to the quarterback by a retired federal Judge Sue L. Robinson.
Watson is expected to start in Friday night’s game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville despite facing a potentially lengthy suspension. He’s allowed to play in the preseason games and practice following his suspension, which is being appealed by the NFL.
Jacoby Brissett is expected to start when the regular season opens in Charlotte against the Panthers on Sunday, September 11th.
Former New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey will hear the appeal. There’s no timetable on when a ruling will be made.
Share your thoughts and comments with us on social media.
Jury selection is expected to begin today in the trial involving photos taken at the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter and seven others.
Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, contends in a lawsuit that she suffered emotional distress when first responders took and allegedly shared photos of the crash scene. Bryant claims the photos were shared by county employees at a bar and other settings not relevant to the investigation.
Business mogul and producer Irv Gotti, born Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. has been in a number of headlines recently revealing details of his past relationship with Ashanti, the early days of his career in the music industry, and the creation of Murder, Inc. just ahead of The Murder Inc Story five-part documentary series premiere.
The Murder Inc Story premieres on Tuesday, August 9 at 9PM ET on BET.
The five-part documentary will examine Irv Gotti’s initial success as a music executive at Def Jam and how he masterminded a new label that would forever shift and influence the music industry for generations to come.
Murder, Inc. Records played a pivotal role in launching careers of some of the most influential voices in Hip Hop, Soul, and R&B, including Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lloyd, Charli Baltimore, Vita, Black Child, Caddillac Tah, and many more.
The documentary will not only cover the music of Murder, Inc, but also the drama surrounding the label. From feuds with Aftermath, Shady and G-Unit Records, along with the federal charges he faced, Gotti, 52 is finally ready to reveal his authorized untold story of the rise, sudden fall, and redemption of his iconic record label..
The Source’s KimSoMajor caught up with Irv Gotti via zoom from his home in New York for a passionate and transparent discussion on the future of his company, Visionary Ideas Entertainment, learning what his purpose is, the upcoming Murder Inc. docu-series, why he would not do a reunion tour without Ashanti and much more.
What’s the biggest reason that you wanted the Murder, Inc. documentary to come out and why now?
The biggest reason is I felt it was a great time for me. I felt the ups and downs. The story needed to be told. Because people have been wanting me to do a doc — Been because they just like how I run my mouth. I’m a pretty good interview piece cuz I just keep it real. Right. But I felt this cuz, I knew I was on my way back up Kim. And I’m on my way back up. Even bigger than the legendary sh*t that I’ve done. Because now I’m doing it, not only in music, but movies and films and I’m owning it, you know?
When people say, ‘the universe is aligning,’ you know, when you hear that kind of bullsh*t —it is aligning for me. Yeah. [Laughs] That bullsh*t is, it’s kind of real for me and things just started falling into place and they’re continuing to fall into place with this doc and Tales following the doc, the one, two punch, I love Tuesday 9 and 10 PM on BET. So I just felt like it felt right. It felt right to tell my story because I have the come up part. I have the success. I have the Def Jam. Then the feds, Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff, the downfall. What should have been my downfall of 50 [Cent] bombing on me. If the feds wasn’t enough, it’s 50 bombing on me. I’m supposed to be buried and done. And then low and behold I’m coming back like a hundred times stronger.
Also, I wanted to tell my story as an inspiration and I know this is gonna sound corny, but it’s real. I wanted kids and my ni**as to see and hear my story because when I was filming it, one of the execs at BET —I almost moved to tears cuz she was like, I want my son to see this. My son has to see this. And I was like, why? “Cuz” she said, “Yo, you’re saying everything that he’s going through.” And what I was saying was until my dad got laid off, I was f**king off life.
I wasn’t applying myself. I wasn’t taking it serious. So what I said to the viewers and everyone that watches, it’s like, I take myself out of being Irv Gotti, and I basically compare myself to them and I’m like, Yo, I was just like you, I’m 22 years old. I’m playing f**king John Madden 93 for money at a barber shop. And that’s my day. I’m f**king off life. I’m not taking it serious. I had the same talent that I have now, but I wasn’t applying myself. I wasn’t going for it.
That’s what launched you into a savage?
Yeah, my dad was gonna get a pension and his job fired him and I’m at home. And I don’t know why God put me to see this, but he put me to see this. And you know, my dad is talking to my mom and he’s like, “I got no education like that.” He says, “Like, I don’t know what’s gonna happen to us or me,” and that sh*t just put a fire in me, Kim, that still burns right now.
I’m glad that you mentioned that because I wanted to ask you what you felt your meaning and the purpose is. But just taking it back to those earlier moments, I seen a clip where you gave your dad the keys and just the emotion over it. I wanted to tear up. What was that feeling like?
I’m gonna talk about my dad. If I start crying, I start crying, but you know, my dad, —I just, love the f*ck out of him, Kim, him and Nene. ….So that moment is an immortal moment for me because it was the first time I seen my dad cry. He’s crying and he was hugging me and he was like, “My boy, my boy,” he was so f**king happy. And it wasn’t about the car. It was about, my boy is a man. He was like, my boy is a man.
It meant the world to me. He means the world to me. And I give him and Nene all of the credit and all of the props for me because I could honestly say if my dad didn’t get fired, I probably would’ve still been in that stupid ass barber shop playing Sega. And it wouldn’t no Irv Gotti.
Check out the full interview where we get into Irv’s $300M deal and his plans for his company, Visionary Ideas Entertainment and more.
Be sure to catch Tales , following the The Murder Inc Story Tuesdays at 9PM ET on BET.
