Frank Ocean Launches Independent Luxury Company “Homer”

While we wait for new music to arrive, Frank Ocean is launching his own luxury company called “Homer.” The news was announced Friday afternoon via a press release, in which Homer is described as an “independent American luxury company.”

Having been three years in the making, the company’s first collection will include printed silk scarves and jewelry pieces that are handcrafted using 18-karat gold, sterling silver and American lab–grown diamonds. All pieces are designed in New York but handmade in Italy. As GQ points out, the prices for the products range from $435 (for an Enamel plus-symbol pendant) to $1.9 million for a “sphere legs high jewelry necklace.”

Pascal Le Segretain/ Getty Images

In addition the launch, Frank also did the catalog cover and photography for Homer as well, in which he talks more in-depth about the company and designs. A press release notes that the company’s name “represents carving history into stone,” and that the Homer designs are inspired by “childhood obsessions” and “heritage as a fantasy.” Swipe right in the slide (below) to see samples of the jewelry and necklaces.

Coinciding with this, Frank shared the news on his IG story where he shared a nice message thanking all his friends who were there with him from the jump.

“Hand on my heart, this project has kept my mind moving and my imagination turning throughout it all. All of my work now is dedicated to my family. Everything. My hope is to make things that last, that are hard to destroy; set it in stone. Im so fucking happy for everyone involved and I admire you and am proud of you and couldn’t have done it without you. AP, Michael, Nike, Allie, Tone (happy birthday), Evan, Tracy, David, Tommy, Juliana, Charlie, Jake, Ysham, Keisha, the whole house. Everybody who came to California when we had no lights and no water and no chairs or desks and built this all from nothing with me. I wanna say thank you for believing in my vision and taking a part in my story from the bottom of my heart. This is 3 years in the making and there is so much Im excited to share with all you strangers. Love.”

Frank Ocean will open the Homer jewelry store in Manhattan on Monday, August 9th. The store is located at 70-74 Bowery and is appointment-only.

[Via]

Tyler The Creator On Being Canceled For Past Behavior: ‘What’s Your End Goal?’

Since he’s just off the release of a new album, Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler The Creator has been on something of a press tour of late. Which has been great, because there are few artists in the game who can speak with the kind of nuance and understanding that he’s developed over the last decade. In a wide-reaching conversation on Hot 97’s ‘Ebro In The Morning,’ with Ebro Darden, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez, Tyler reflected on his past with Odd Future and where he’s headed now. One topic the group discussed is the ever-present threat of being “canceled,” something Tyler experienced earlier than most. Several years ago, circa 2014-2015, there was a period where Tyler was banned from Australia, the UK, and New Zealand for his lyrics that were deemed to be promoting violence and homophobia.

Around the 22 minute mark, Peter Rosenberg asks, “Would Odd Future have made it in 2021?” to which Tyler responds “Oh, f*ck no! We came at the right time, where you could still be crazy. You could still be a kid and f*ck up. You could still have satire, you could still allow people to have a conversation even if you disagreed. Right now is crazy. I was just thinking about the idea, I’ve done so much ill sh*t in this ten year span…. what if they got me out of here in 2011? And wouldn’t allow me to get right here?”

He goes on to discuss the undertones of when and how people are canceled, especially for past behavior, when they’ve clearly changed. “People just go back to stuff and go ‘look what he used to do,’” he said. “And it’s like yeah, but I’m not on that no more. So what’s your end goal? When people go back and dig up old stuff from someone who’s here now, it’s like hey, what’s your end goal? Accountable… what does that mean? Is the goal, you shouldn’t do that, you should change and be a better person? Not even me, but to whoever they’re saying it to… I’ve been a better person for the last nine years. That was ten years ago. But I think people like doing that to make themselves feel better about themselves.”

Check out the full interview above.

Fredo Bang & Coi Leray Have A Hit On Their Hands With “Oou Oou”

After being arrested in Miami a few weeks ago, Baton Rouge native Fredo Bang decided to thank his fans for their unyielding support by dropping a new full-length album. Titled Murder Made Me, Fredo’s latest project arrives just five months after his star-studded Steppa Music EP. And similar to his last work, Murder Me has plenty of big names attached to it as well, with Mozzy, BIG30, Coi Leray, and Polo G all making guest appearances on the record.

Although Fredo Bang unfortunately still remains behind bars at this time, Coi Leray is celebrating the reelease project as well their new collaboration “Oou Oou” enough for the both of them.

In a recent post, Coi Leray is seen executing some pretty impressive choreography while her and Fredo Bang’s catchy new song plays in the background. “Oou Oou” is possibly one of Fredo Bang’s most commercially viable songs yet, and considering that his bubbly track is a bonafide earworm, it’s probably safe to say that Fredo and Coi have a hit on their hands.

Listen to Fredo Bang’s Coi Leray-assisted track “Oou Oou” below. What’s your favorite song from Murder Made Me?

Quotable Lyrics

Bad but that don’t matter though, bitch, what’s your credit score?
I treat hoes like whack-a-mole, I beat then leave ’em lone
Fine lil’ bitch with pretty teeth, tryna give you what you need
If you fucking, gotta be discrete, sit this dick right on your teeth

LOX & Bad Boy: A Complete History

Throughout their storied career, The Lox have never put on airs about what they do. Hard-nosed, unapologetic and lyrically adept, the trio of Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch are so synonymous with gritty, East Coast rap, that when they named their sophomore album We Are The Streets, the bold statement went uncontested. To this day, the group’s catalogue is regarded as a blistering masterclass in inner-city storytelling.

Given this reputation as a no-frills outfit, newer fans that remember their days with DMX’s tight-knit Ruff Ryders click are often bemused when they find out that, prior to signing with their fellow Yonkers native, they were aligned with a mogul who sees grandiosity as next to godliness. 

the lox

The LOX – Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images

The architect of what’s been retrospectively known as “the jiggy era, Bad Boy CEO Sean Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, had fashioned an empire that was built on chart-ready output and unapologetic opulence. Although their flagship artist, The Notorious B.I.G, was no stranger to recounting tales of peddling drugs and pulverizing enemies, the grit was offset by a mafioso-style flashiness that was in line with the glamour of Combs’ R&B and hip-hop imprint.

After making waves on the local circuit and garnering attention with a rugged, Jaz-O-produced demo tape– which can be found online for all the completists out there– the group then known as The Warlox were courted by a smattering of major labels. In fact, as Sheek Louch revealed, the group was even scouted by a West Coast label that shared their key concerns of Money, Power & Respect and then some. 

LISTEN: The Warlox demo that got them signed

“Suge’s like, ‘I need y’all to come out here,” he said of Death Row’s attempts to sign the group during an interview with VladTV. “‘Y’all sh*t is hot’ and yada yada. Before we signed with Puff. Crazy stuff.”

Unwilling switch turf at a time when territorial sentiments between East and West were still very real, the group would actually be placed into Diddy’s orbit by the 1990’s emergent queen of soul, Mary J Blige. 

“She was like a number one fan for us.” Sheek informed MTV way back in 1998 as the deal came to fruition. “She was loving our music before anybody, and she just brought us to Puff. Puff was looking for a group, a rap group, at that time. It was instant.It just clicked like that. It was chemistry.”

Locked into a multi-album deal, the group were overjoyed. “When we signed with Bad Boy, they were like the Chicago Bulls, they were like the Lakers in the early 80’s,” Jadakiss reflected to Revolt in 2015. “It was a no brainer. Big was there, the whole world was trying to get next to B.I. He embraced us, so that was a priceless feeling. Being with Diddy, the mogul of moguls and Biggie, the lyricist of lyricists, that’s a sandwich that you wanna be a part of.”

Within weeks of signing, the group would be indulging in a lifestyle that went far beyond anything that their upbringing had afforded them. As Sheek Louch put it, “With Diddy, it felt like he was always celebrating something.”

The lucrative deal and newfound wealth didn’t come without an adjustment period, and almost as soon as they arrived,  Diddy mandated that they’d have to change their name. When looking back during an interview with HipHopDX, Jadakiss suggested that their naivety and the esteem that they held Puff in meant that they were more receptive to it than they may have otherwise been. 

“Just as we were about to sign, or maybe the week before we signed, he said ‘ya’ll the LOX, ya’ll figure it out, but no more Warlox’,” Kiss recalled. “He was like MJ in his prime, so everything he said was golden. We didn’t know a lot about marketing and he said Warlox wasn’t marketable.”

Soon, the trio would go on a feature run that was seemingly engineered to make them stars; and establish a captive fanbase in the process. From DJ Clue tapes, and Mase’s “24 Hours To Live,” to Mariah Carey’s “Honey” remix and Life After Death’s “Last Day,” the honeymoon period at Bad Boy was nothing if not fruitful.

On top of Jadakiss penning Diddy’s iconic verse from “It’s All About The Benjamins,” their own appearance on the track– which Kiss and his comrades claim that Puff “forced” them to get on– would formally ingratiate them to the commercial marketplace and netted them the number two spot on the Billboard charts. 

the lox money power respect cover

The single cover art for The LOX’s “Money, Power & Respect” featuring DMX and Lil Kim

Powered by their signature back-and-forth flow, the crew would release their debut album, Money, Power & Respect in 1998, scoring their only platinum-certified project, a number three album and their most commercially successful single with the record’s beloved title track.

From the outside looking in then, it’s fair to say that, by this time, everything seemed harmonious between Bad Boy and The Lox. Nonetheless, behind-the-scenes, gaps in ideology between Puff and the former coke dealers from Yonkers began to rear its head.

The trio, discontent with the direction that Puff was sending them in, would wage their revolutionary “Let The Lox Go” campaign across 1999-2000, complete with merchandise and impromptu pep rallies atshows. Including, but not limited to, their performance at the 2000 Hot 97 Summer Jam, which Puff was front and center for. 

WATCH: The Lox “If You Think I’m Jiggy”

No longer willing to stand idly by as Rod Stewart hits were interpolated into what should’ve been an authentic sound, Diddy was initially reluctant to let them renege on the deal. However, as Jadakiss revealed during a now famous HipHopDX interview, the ties were fInally severed when flying projectiles came into play.

Styles threw the chair at Puff. I ain’t sure, but that was probably the last straw for that. After that little incident happened, I think that’s when we decided to part ways.”

Chalked up to a combination of being “really fucking angry and really fucking stupid” by Styles himself, the rash move nevertheless achieved what they wanted. As Sheek Louch told New York Daily News upon their release, it provided them with an opportunity to reconnect with their roots.

“We were watered down. Bad Boy’s image was flossy. But we’ve always been – straight underground, straight ghetto.”

Now freed from their bedazzled constraints, The Lox found a more homespun record label that was attuned to where their heads were at, in the form of DMX’s Ruff Ryders staple. Aside from their vital contributions to the Ryde Or Die series and the whole host of solo albums from each member that the deal would yield, pivoting to X’s camp also paved the way for their definitive group statement with 2000’s We Are The Streets.

the lox

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Comfortable as they were at their new home, this didn’t mean that Styles, Jada and Sheek were happy to let bygones be bygones. In backstage footage from the inaugural Ruff Ryders tour, the trio can be seen mocking the shiny suits that were so prevalent in “jiggy era” led by Bad Boy.

“What we have here is the joints that made us famous that we hate,” Kiss tells the camera while brandishing the garish garment. This was the old us, so we gotta come out like this. We was this, now we are the streets. But we was always the streets, they just made us throw these on.”

Aside from these barbs, and the occasional choice lyric, both the group and Puffy seemed eager to put the drama behind them and co-exist in the industry.

Then, on one fateful day in November 2005, a trip to the Angie Martinez show would reunite the two parties, and as the radio host listened on, helplessly, verbal warfare ensued.

LISTEN: The Lox argue with Diddy on Angie Martinez Show

“Imagine working for years and years, hard work and somebody that has nothing to do with that is getting the bulk of it,” Styles P said of Diddy retaining 50% of the group’s publishing. “We made one record with you, Money Power & Respect. It’s 10 years later and you still got half of our publishing. And you can’t make it justifiable. “

Laden with calls to stop the tough talk and Jadakiss’ infamous threat to drop a refrigerator on Puff if he didn’t comply, Diddy’s response saw him rely on his home field advantage as a music industry exec, to suggest that the error wasn’t his, but The Lox’s.  

“Don’t feel sorry for people that are lazy and then blame it on the other person,” Puff asserted. “They are not on top of their business, but they need to get on top of it. Manage your life, sit at home by yourself and read your contract word for word. There are books that I have for them [like] Publishing 101.”

A month on from the incendiary exchange, Styles P broke the news that flattening Diddy with a household appliance would no longer be necessary. 

“Basically, he gave us all our publishing back,” SP told Angie in a follow-up visit. “He didn’t have to do what he did. In the business world, what he did, was like a four-leaf clover. The results was great.”

With the remnants of bad blood eliminated, The Lox have since been able to embrace the lineage that they came from, and even joined the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour in 2016. 

the lox and diddy bad boy reunion 2016

The LOX and Diddy performing during the the Puff Daddy and The Family Bad Boy Reunion Tour stop at the Barclay’s Center, 2016 – Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Now stalwarts of the game in their own right, it turns out that Jadakiss is actually somewhat remorseful over how they put Puff on blast, but  believes that their age meant it was the only recourse available to them.

“We handled it radically, [but] I mean, that’s the only way we could have,” he told Drink Champs in October of 2020. “We had to use the streets ‘cause we ain’t have no money like that to go litigation with Puff, his money is out the wazoo. But, as you grow older and become men and business men, and start owning and figuring out the world, and dealing with artists yourself, you realize you wanna fix that. Besides that, he changed our life financially.”

While they may not have had the tenure at Bad Boy that they originally envisioned, it did little to stop them from becoming a quintessential hardcore rap trio. Their spell under Puff’s watchful eye ultimately helped to legitimize them in the eyes of the commercial consumer, and ensured that each man would have a lengthy career. While it may be seen as a footnote in their career, as opposed to an era in its own right, The Lox’s fractious spell at Bad Boy was instrumental in turning them into the uncompromising and self-assured vets that just graced the stage at Madison Square Garden.

The LOX & Diddy’s Bad Boy: A Complete History

Throughout their storied career, The Lox have never put on airs about what they do. Hard-nosed, unapologetic and lyrically adept, the trio of Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch are so synonymous with gritty, East Coast rap, that when they named their sophomore album We Are The Streets, the bold statement went uncontested. To this day, the group’s catalogue is regarded as a blistering masterclass in inner-city storytelling.

Given this reputation as a no-frills outfit, newer fans that remember their days with DMX’s tight-knit Ruff Ryders click are often bemused when they find out that, prior to signing with their fellow Yonkers native, they were aligned with a mogul who sees grandiosity as next to godliness. 

the lox

The LOX – Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images

The architect of what’s been retrospectively known as “the jiggy era, Bad Boy CEO Sean Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, had fashioned an empire that was built on chart-ready output and unapologetic opulence. Although their flagship artist, The Notorious B.I.G, was no stranger to recounting tales of peddling drugs and pulverizing enemies, the grit was offset by a mafioso-style flashiness that was in line with the glamour of Combs’ R&B and hip-hop imprint.

After making waves on the local circuit and garnering attention with a rugged, Jaz-O-produced demo tape– which can be found online for all the completists out there– the group then known as The Warlox were courted by a smattering of major labels. In fact, as Sheek Louch revealed, the group was even scouted by a West Coast label that shared their key concerns of Money, Power & Respect and then some. 

LISTEN: The Warlox demo that got them signed

“Suge’s like, ‘I need y’all to come out here,” he said of Death Row’s attempts to sign the group during an interview with VladTV. “‘Y’all sh*t is hot’ and yada yada. Before we signed with Puff. Crazy stuff.”

Unwilling to switch turf at a time when territorial sentiments between East and West were still very real, the group would actually be placed into Diddy’s orbit by the 1990’s emergent queen of soul, Mary J Blige. 

“She was like a number one fan for us.” Sheek informed MTV way back in 1998 as the deal came to fruition. “She was loving our music before anybody, and she just brought us to Puff. Puff was looking for a group, a rap group, at that time. It was instant.It just clicked like that. It was chemistry.”

Locked into a multi-album deal, the group were overjoyed. “When we signed with Bad Boy, they were like the Chicago Bulls, they were like the Lakers in the early 80’s,” Jadakiss reflected to Revolt in 2015. “It was a no brainer. Big was there, the whole world was trying to get next to B.I. He embraced us, so that was a priceless feeling. Being with Diddy, the mogul of moguls and Biggie, the lyricist of lyricists, that’s a sandwich that you wanna be a part of.”

Within weeks of signing, the group would be indulging in a lifestyle that went far beyond anything that their upbringing had afforded them. As Sheek Louch put it, “With Diddy, it felt like he was always celebrating something.”

The lucrative deal and newfound wealth didn’t come without an adjustment period, and almost as soon as they arrived,  Diddy mandated that they’d have to change their name. When looking back during an interview with HipHopDX, Jadakiss suggested that their naivety and the esteem that they held Puff in meant that they were more receptive to it than they may have otherwise been. 

“Just as we were about to sign, or maybe the week before we signed, he said ‘ya’ll the LOX, ya’ll figure it out, but no more Warlox’,” Kiss recalled. “He was like MJ in his prime, so everything he said was golden. We didn’t know a lot about marketing and he said Warlox wasn’t marketable.”

Soon, the trio would go on a feature run that was seemingly engineered to make them stars; and establish a captive fanbase in the process. From DJ Clue tapes, and Mase’s “24 Hours To Live,” to Mariah Carey’s “Honey” remix and Life After Death’s “Last Day,” the honeymoon period at Bad Boy was nothing if not fruitful.

On top of Jadakiss penning Diddy’s iconic verse from “It’s All About The Benjamins,” their own appearance on the track– which Kiss and his comrades claim that Puff “forced” them to get on– would formally ingratiate them to the commercial marketplace and netted them the number two spot on the Billboard charts. 

the lox money power respect cover

The single cover art for The LOX’s “Money, Power & Respect” featuring DMX and Lil Kim

Powered by their signature back-and-forth flow, the crew would release their debut album, Money, Power & Respect in 1998, scoring their only platinum-certified project, a number three album and their most commercially successful single with the record’s beloved title track.

From the outside looking in then, it’s fair to say that, by this time, everything seemed harmonious between Bad Boy and The Lox. Nonetheless, behind-the-scenes, gaps in ideology between Puff and the former coke dealers from Yonkers began to rear its head.

The trio, discontent with the direction that Puff was sending them in, would wage their revolutionary “Let The Lox Go” campaign across 1999-2000, complete with merchandise and impromptu pep rallies atshows. Including, but not limited to, their performance at the 2000 Hot 97 Summer Jam, which Puff was front and center for. 

WATCH: The Lox “If You Think I’m Jiggy”

No longer willing to stand idly by as Rod Stewart hits were interpolated into what should’ve been an authentic sound, Diddy was initially reluctant to let them renege on the deal. However, as Jadakiss revealed during a now famous HipHopDX interview, the ties were fInally severed when flying projectiles came into play.

Styles threw the chair at Puff. I ain’t sure, but that was probably the last straw for that. After that little incident happened, I think that’s when we decided to part ways.”

Chalked up to a combination of being “really fucking angry and really fucking stupid” by Styles himself, the rash move nevertheless achieved what they wanted. As Sheek Louch told New York Daily News upon their release, it provided them with an opportunity to reconnect with their roots.

“We were watered down. Bad Boy’s image was flossy. But we’ve always been – straight underground, straight ghetto.”

Now freed from their bedazzled constraints, The Lox found a more homespun record label that was attuned to where their heads were at, in the form of DMX’s Ruff Ryders staple. Aside from their vital contributions to the Ryde Or Die series and the whole host of solo albums from each member that the deal would yield, pivoting to X’s camp also paved the way for their definitive group statement with 2000’s We Are The Streets.

the lox

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

Comfortable as they were at their new home, this didn’t mean that Styles, Jada and Sheek were happy to let bygones be bygones. In backstage footage from the inaugural Ruff Ryders tour, the trio can be seen mocking the shiny suits that were so prevalent in “jiggy era” led by Bad Boy.

“What we have here is the joints that made us famous that we hate,” Kiss tells the camera while brandishing the garish garment. This was the old us, so we gotta come out like this. We was this, now we are the streets. But we was always the streets, they just made us throw these on.”

Aside from these barbs, and the occasional choice lyric, both the group and Puffy seemed eager to put the drama behind them and co-exist in the industry.

Then, on one fateful day in November 2005, a trip to the Angie Martinez show would reunite the two parties, and as the radio host listened on, helplessly, verbal warfare ensued.

LISTEN: The Lox argue with Diddy on Angie Martinez Show

“Imagine working for years and years, hard work and somebody that has nothing to do with that is getting the bulk of it,” Styles P said of Diddy retaining 50% of the group’s publishing. “We made one record with you, Money Power & Respect. It’s 10 years later and you still got half of our publishing. And you can’t make it justifiable. “

Laden with calls to stop the tough talk and Jadakiss’ infamous threat to drop a refrigerator on Puff if he didn’t comply, Diddy’s response saw him rely on his home field advantage as a music industry exec, to suggest that the error wasn’t his, but The Lox’s.  

“Don’t feel sorry for people that are lazy and then blame it on the other person,” Puff asserted. “They are not on top of their business, but they need to get on top of it. Manage your life, sit at home by yourself and read your contract word for word. There are books that I have for them [like] Publishing 101.”

A month on from the incendiary exchange, Styles P broke the news that flattening Diddy with a household appliance would no longer be necessary. 

“Basically, he gave us all our publishing back,” SP told Angie in a follow-up visit. “He didn’t have to do what he did. In the business world, what he did, was like a four-leaf clover. The results was great.”

With the remnants of bad blood eliminated, The Lox have since been able to embrace the lineage that they came from, and even joined the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour in 2016. 

the lox and diddy bad boy reunion 2016

The LOX and Diddy performing during the the Puff Daddy and The Family Bad Boy Reunion Tour stop at the Barclay’s Center, 2016 – Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Now stalwarts of the game in their own right, it turns out that Jadakiss is actually somewhat remorseful over how they put Puff on blast, but  believes that their age meant it was the only recourse available to them.

“We handled it radically, [but] I mean, that’s the only way we could have,” he told Drink Champs in October of 2020. “We had to use the streets ‘cause we ain’t have no money like that to go litigation with Puff, his money is out the wazoo. But, as you grow older and become men and business men, and start owning and figuring out the world, and dealing with artists yourself, you realize you wanna fix that. Besides that, he changed our life financially.”

While they may not have had the tenure at Bad Boy that they originally envisioned, it did little to stop them from becoming a quintessential hardcore rap trio. Their spell under Puff’s watchful eye ultimately helped to legitimize them in the eyes of the commercial consumer, and ensured that each man would have a lengthy career. While it may be seen as a footnote in their career, as opposed to an era in its own right, The Lox’s fractious spell at Bad Boy was instrumental in turning them into the uncompromising and self-assured vets that just graced the stage at Madison Square Garden.

Fredo Bang Keeps His Promise To His Fans & Delivers “Murder Made Me”

On Wednesday, Fredo Bang surprised fans by promising that he would be dropping a new project titled Murder Made Me this week. The album announcement came weeks after Fredo was arrested in Miami prior to his Rolling Loud performance. As previously reported, a warrant in Louisana led to the “Top” artist’s eventual arrest, and more in-depth information regarding his legal situation has yet to be revealed. Still, Fredo Bang made it a point to show his appreciation for his fans by offering up new music in his absence.

“I Want To Give My Fans This Album For Always Holding Me Down . Who Want It !?” he asked fans earlier this week.

It turns out that a lot of fans and artists wanted a new Fredo Bang project because that post quickly received over 41,000 comments and 134,000 likes. As a result, Fredo Bang delivered on his promise to drop Murder Made Me, and now fans can enjoy the 16-track project, which features guest appearances from Polo G, Coi Leray, BIG30, and Mozzy.

Check out Murder Made Me below and let us know if you’re feeling Fredo Bang’s new album.

Tracklist:

1. Throw da Set (Long Live Von)
2. Pray 4 Dem (Father Pt. 2)
3. Too Unfair
4. Bless His Soul (feat. Polo G)
5. Oou Oou (feat. Coi Leray)
6. Click Up 
7. My Speed
8. Rada Rada
9. Street Team
10. Like Me
11. Gates Flow (Dangerous)
12. Love Sick
13. Shake-N-Bake (feat. BIG30)
14. Oppanese
15. War Time
16. Amen (feat. Mozzy)

9 Suspects Charged For Gun Trafficking Weapons Used In Blixky Gang Videos

The Department of Justice has charged nine suspects for their alleged involvement in an interstate gun trafficking operation that included weapons used in Blixky Gang music videos.

A Georgia resident, DuVaughn Wilson, is accused of acting as a “straw purchaser” to purchase approximately 87 guns on behalf of his codefendants. The crimes allegedly occurred between August 2020 and April 2021.

DOJ, Blixky Gang
Scott Olson / Getty Images

“Today’s arrests shut down the alleged gun pipeline of these nine defendants,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss said. “These arrests should also send a message to anyone who is thinking about illegally selling guns to New Yorkers or illegally bringing guns to New York: We and our law enforcement partners are watching. And we will prosecute gun traffickers to the fullest extent of the law.”

The full list of defendants included in the indictment shows, James Thomas (a.k.a. Spazz), Duvaughn Wilson (a.k.a. Dupree), Courtney Schloss (a.k.a. Bway/Balenci), Ken Alexander (a.k.a. Ryu), Argam Taj (a.k.a. Sour), Samuel Taj (a.k.a. Sosa), Christopher Machado (a.k.a. Chris Elite), Harlie Ramos (a.k.a. White Girl), and Jamel Thomas (a.k.a. Mel) have all been charged.

The indictment also cites the music video for “Word to Folk” as an example in which the guns can be seen.

Authorities say that three suspects remain at large.

[Via]

Christian Bale’s New Villain Character Revealed For “Thor: Love & Thunder”

For the first time ever, Christian Bale was spotted on the set of his upcoming movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, this week in Malibu, California.

Known for his dramatic body transformations and diving deep into his characters, Bale was photographed in full costume wearing a dark silver and gray ensemble that covered his entire body. The actor also wore silver face paint, disguising his famous face and becoming pretty much unrecognizable. Check out the pics of Christian (below).

Little known is about the movie and its plot, other than Bale is set to play the film’s villain, Gorr the God Butcher. DailyMail claims “Christian’s character is an alien who hails from a planet afflicted by environmental calamities and whose prayers to the gods go unanswered. After the deaths of his parents and pregnant wife Gorr becomes violently opposed to the gods as a result of their indifference.”

Tessa Thompson, who is once again playing her role as Valkyrie in the movie, said back in March that she had read the script for the film and said it “is going to be fantastic.”

Look for Thor: Love and Thunder to be hitting theaters next year, May 6, 2022.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/ Getty Images

[Via]