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R. Kelly Hires Bill Cosby’s Appeal Attorney For Chicago Trial

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R. Kelly Vows to Wear GPS, Stay Away From Minors if Released

R. Kelly has cut ties with his Chicago-based legal team in order to hire the attorney who appealed Bill Cosby’s conviction.

In a telephone conference on Wednesday with U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, Kells said he wanted Jennifer Bonjean to represent him in the case, which is set for a jury trial August 1, 2022.

In Chicago, Kelly is facing charges of federal child pornography and obstruction of justice. There’s also separate aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges in Cook County, Illinois. He has two co-defendants, Derrel McDavid and Milton “June” Brown, whom are long time associates.

Earlier this month, Kelly’s three trial attorneys from the New York case also withdrew their appearances.

Bonjean was already working on an appeal for the 12 Play singer’s New York case and is due to file post-trial motions before U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly this week.

The convicted R&B singer is still awaiting sentencing in a New York City federal jail after being convicted of racketeering. He was also found guilty of crimes including sex with underage girls.

His original Chicago-based attorneys, Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard told ABC Chicago, “The Chicago case, unfortunately for Robert, is far more serious.” “The Chicago case actually carries much more severe penalties than the New York case,” Greenberg said.

His sentencing for the Brooklyn verdict is set for May 4. He faces between 10 years and life in prison.

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The post R. Kelly Hires Bill Cosby’s Appeal Attorney For Chicago Trial appeared first on The Source.

Prosecution Reduce Requested Sentence For Ex-Cop Who Killed Daunte Wright

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Several reports have confirmed that the prosecution in the shooting death of 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright is seeking a 86-month prison term for the ex-cop convicted of killing him after previously stating that they would pursue a sentence well above the state’s sentencing guidelines.

Two months after former police officer Kim Potter was convicted of first and second-degree manslaughter, she will be sentenced by Judge Regina Chu tomorrow(February 18). After the smoke created by the prosecution during Potter’s trial, they filed a motion on February 15 for a standard presumptive sentence of 86 months. 

The Attorney General’s office stated about the sentencing, “the appropriate sentence has to be the presumptive sentence set by the legislature until Defendant Potter can convince the Court that society’s interests, including those of Daunte Wright’s family and friends, can be met by some other disposition.”

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[WATCH] NYC Mayor Eric Adams Meet with Maino, Fivio Foreign Amid Drill Rapper Shootings

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Newly-elected NYC Mayor Eric Adams has reason to be concerned about the growing number of violent and often deadly incidents surrounding the city’s drill rap scene. In a late night meeting, Adams met with Brooklyn rapper Maino, Fivio Foreign and other NYC artists who are familiar with the genre and the culture.

Maino vowed that those in attendance would “roll out something together” with the mayor to quell the violence. Maino also said, “There’s been a lot of talk about drill rap, drill music in New York City, connecting violence with the culture, and I just wanted to create a conversation with the mayor.”

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[WATCH] Woman Stabbed At Foot Locker During Nike Dunk Drop In L.A.

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According to several confirmed reports, a woman was stabbed several times near a Los Angeles Foot Locker during the long wait for a Nike SB Dunk release. 

TMZ reports that the woman was stabbed by a man following an argument while standing in line. Video surveillance shows the man with a knife and not long after the video was released to authorities, the man was taken into custody.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital, but her condition is currently unknown.

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Today in Hip-Hop History: Geto Boys Dropped Their Debut LP ‘Making Trouble’ 34 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. At the time 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, however, an interesting piece of the group’s history. This project shows the growth and development it took for the group to grow to become the legends that they are respected as today.

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Trey Songz Accuser Claims Anal Rape in $20M Lawsuit

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A recent report from TMZ has confirmed that R&B crooner Trey Songz is being sued by an anonymous woman who claims that Songz raped her back in 2016 and is now seeking a $20 million settlement.

The Jane Doe, who says she had a consensual sexual relationship with Songz before the alleged rape, claims the singer invited her to a house party and admittedly led her upstairs for consensual sex. Jane Doe claims Trey repeatedly asked her if he could “get that a**” as they headed to the bedroom, to which she says she repeatedly told him “no” and to stop asking.

In the suit, Doe claims that Songz’s attitude changed when they entered the room, claiming he threw her to the ground, ripped her clothes off, and forced himself into her anus without her consent. Doe contends that someone entered the room during the alleged incident but says they quickly left the room, and Songz continued raping her.

Doe claims that her only opportunity to escape was after Songz finished raping her, after which she gathered all her clothes except her underwear and ran outside to call an Uber. Her driver allegedly says she was in distress and took her to the hospital, where she claims a sexual assault exam was performed, and the police were summoned.

The suit claims that the exam showed “severe anal tearing that could require surgery” but alleges that she didn’t give Trey’s name to authorities out of fear for her life.

The woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, also represents two women who are suing Trey for other alleged assaults in Miami and New York.

TheSource.com will update this story as details develop.

The post Trey Songz Accuser Claims Anal Rape in $20M Lawsuit appeared first on The Source.

Trey Songz Accuser Claims Anal Rape in $20M Lawsuit

by
Screen Shot 2022 02 16 at 5.44.40 AM

A recent report from TMZ has confirmed that R&B crooner Trey Songz is being sued by an anonymous woman who claims that Songz raped her back in 2016 and is now seeking a $20 million settlement.

The Jane Doe, who says she had a consensual sexual relationship with Songz before the alleged rape, claims the singer invited her to a house party and admittedly led her upstairs for consensual sex. Jane Doe claims Trey repeatedly asked her if he could “get that a**” as they headed to the bedroom, to which she says she repeatedly told him “no” and to stop asking.

In the suit, Doe claims that Songz’s attitude changed when they entered the room, claiming he threw her to the ground, ripped her clothes off, and forced himself into her anus without her consent. Doe contends that someone entered the room during the alleged incident but says they quickly left the room, and Songz continued raping her.

Doe claims that her only opportunity to escape was after Songz finished raping her, after which she gathered all her clothes except her underwear and ran outside to call an Uber. Her driver allegedly says she was in distress and took her to the hospital, where she claims a sexual assault exam was performed, and the police were summoned.

The suit claims that the exam showed “severe anal tearing that could require surgery” but alleges that she didn’t give Trey’s name to authorities out of fear for her life.

The woman’s attorney, Ariel Mitchell, also represents two women who are suing Trey for other alleged assaults in Miami and New York.

TheSource.com will update this story as details develop.

The post Trey Songz Accuser Claims Anal Rape in $20M Lawsuit appeared first on The Source.

Snoop Dogg To Make Death Row Records The First NFT Record Label

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In a Clubhouse convo following Snoop Dogg’s announcement of his acquirement of Death Row Records, the label’s legendary first solo artist says that he wants to turn “the most dangerous record label” into an NFT imprint.

“Death Row will be an NFT label,” Snoop said. “We will be putting out artists through the metaverse. Just like we broke the industry when we was the first independent [label] to be major, I want to be the first major [label] in the metaverse.”

This was announced almost immediately following Snoop’s partnership with the blockchain gaming company Gala Games. The Dogg said of the merger, “If anything is constant, it’s that the music industry will always be changing. Blockchain tech has the power to change everything again and tip the table in favor of the artists and the fans, and we’re going to be right at the front of the pack with this Gala Music deal.”

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2022 Coachella Festival Drops All COVID-19 Restrictions

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According to a report from CBS News, the 2022 Coachella Festival will not require concertgoers to present a negative test, vaccination status or wear a mask in order to attend the festival.

The Coachella Festival guidelines for the 2022 festival read, “In accordance with local guidelines, there will be no vaccination, testing or masking requirements at Coachella 2022, however, the event shall be presented in accordance with applicable public health conditions as of the date of the event and which may change at any time as determined by federal, state or local government agencies or instrumentalities, artists or the promoter; such requirements may include, without limitation, changes to capacity, attendance procedures and entry requirements, such as proof of vaccination and/or negative COVID-19 test, and other protective measures such as requiring attendees to wear face coverings.”

The weekend, which is scheduled for April 15-24, includes performances from Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Kanye West, and Swedish House Mafia.

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Today In Hip-Hop History: Tupac Shakur Dropped ‘Strictly For My N.I.G.G.A.Z…’ LP 29 Years Ago

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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.

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