interview

Joe Budden’s has reentered the Tory Lanez and Megan Thee Stallion chat. On a recent episode of the Joe Budden Podcast, Budden and his co-hosts decide to revisit the case where Lanez was convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.

So here’s the why … Lanez’s legal team recently tried to introduce new evidence, claiming that Jauquan Smith, who was driving Lanez on the night of the shooting, saw Megan’s ex-friend Kelsey Harris holding a gun. This evidence was rejected, prompting Budden to share his perspective. 

“I believe he is ill-tempered. I do believe he is ill-tempered,” Budden said. “I’ve never seen a celebrity shoot somebody for less. People that have a lot going on. He had a lot going on, one of the hottest artists out. Now, not as successful as her [Megan Thee Stallion] at the time. But I’m pressed to believe that.” That’s his take. Not a fact. But let’s continue.

Budden continued, “In the heated moment, why is Tory heated? Somebody tell me why Tory Lanez is heated in that moment. I pop you, I pop you, I’m the one who wants to tell about it.”

Before you read into that, Budden clarified that Megan Thee Stallion might not have fabricated her account but suggested that others could have influenced the narrative. “Well, first of all, I think this is above her,” Budden remarked when questioned about Megan lying. “I don’t think she made it up. She is a mere pawn in this. This play is greater than her. She didn’t make nothing up. I ain’t gonna say who I think made it up. But it wasn’t her.”

Now get this, Budden also discussed Megan’s former best friend Kelsey Nicole, and her name was the point of focus during the trial, and was involved in the incident. 

He mentioned that Kelsey reached out to him previously, urging him not to discuss the case. “Ni**a know out there who it is, I ain’t saying it on the broadcast. But I know exactly who it is, I know how that gun got there, I know whose gun it was. And I thought it was weird the last time we talked about this sh*t, Kelsey jumped in my DMs, talking about, ‘Aye, don’t talk about this sh*t no more.’ Why? You got immunity. It’s odd … Just odd. Why wouldn’t you want someone to talk about one of the biggest cases in however many years? I think this is a scary state if that’s what we think of Black men. It’s a really scary state. You just took somebody in the top 5% and said he’ll shoot somebody because of male ego.”

Oh and Budden kept going. He further distinguished between scuffles and the act of shooting, which he described as his main issue with Megan’s account: “Scuffled and recklessness is still different than ‘he shot me,’ which has been my beef with Megan this whole time.”

ICYMI, in August 2023, Tory Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Megan Thee Stallion. Following the ruling by a jury of his peers, Lanez attorney filed several appeals. In June, Lanez’s wife, Raina Chassagne, filed for divorce. Megan Thee Stallion, currently on tour with GloRilla, recently encountered Lanez supporters and appeared uncomfortable. Despite Lanez’s conviction, artists like Drake, Fivio Foreign, Chris Brown, and Meek Mill have shown support for him. 

The post Joe Budden Goes In On Tory Lanez Criminal Case With Thoughts On The Megan Thee Stallion, Key Witnesses and More first appeared on The Source.

The post Joe Budden Goes In On Tory Lanez Criminal Case With Thoughts On The Megan Thee Stallion, Key Witnesses and More appeared first on The Source.

Rap icon, LL Cool J, recently voiced his frustration with the current trend of rappers focusing solely on bread in their music. Basically thinks all that repetitive money talk is getting old, tired and outright whack. Maybe we’re embellishing a bit but you get the gist.

It all went down during an interview with Baller Alert, where the “Around the Way Girl” rapper turned NCIS actor went in on his peers for their narrow lyrical content, saying:

”When a rapper comes out, and he’s talking that money talk, you love it. But 12 years later, he’s still talking that money talk, and now you’re looking at him like, ‘Dude, do you have anything else to talk about?’”

LL Cool J is no spring chicken who’s been in a many GOAT conversations so he has the right to make his points on any and all things Hip Hop. At 56, he emphasized the importance of meaningful lyrics, citing Bob Marley as an example:

”He talked about something. He had something to say. And guess what? You don’t care what Bob Marley had in the bank. Because that’s not the metric for success. It’s not the metric for cultural success. Bob Marley did not have to be rich. He was rich in what he did and what he created and what he put in the world. That s**t matters,” he went on to explain.

LL added, “The wallet can’t un-corny you.” Boom, that part.

If you need a history lesson, LL Cool J, born James Todd Smith, achieved commercial success with his debut single “I Need A Beat” in 1984. He continued to release hits like “I Need Love,” “I’m Bad,” and “Mama Said Knock You Out.”

ICYMI, in 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to music. We listed a few. Basically, he’s a star, and like we said, in the GOAT conversation for a multitude of reasons and if he thinks a lot of these so called rappers are corny then maybe he has a point. 

The post LL Cool J Annoyed With Rappers Who Only Make Music About Money Says “The Wallet Can’t Un-Corny You.” first appeared on The Source.

The post LL Cool J Annoyed With Rappers Who Only Make Music About Money Says “The Wallet Can’t Un-Corny You.” appeared first on The Source.

Tory Lanez’s defense team is aggressively seeking a new trial after his driver, Jauquan Smith, submitted an affidavit claiming he did not see who shot Megan Thee Stallion in the 2020 incident. What does this mean for Tory’s case? Hard to say at this juncture but it usually takes new evidence to be granted a new trial and or to win an appeal. This might be a mitigating factor to support their request.

See, defense counsel is saying Smith alleged that the prosecution did not allow him to testify during Lanez’s 2022 trial. We can’t jump out the window with this assertion but if true, this could mean the likelihood Lanez receives a new trial just got a boost.

Okay, so about that affidavit … We won’t get too deep into the legal jargon but Smith essentially stated that he witnessed Megan’s former friend, Kelsey Harris, holding a gun during a fight between Megan and Harris. Now to be clear, Smith did not see who fired the weapon, he noted that Lanez attempted to disarm Harris: 

“Ms. Pete [Megan] and Ms. Harris began fighting. I pulled over to stop them. Ms. Pete and Ms. Harris both got out of the vehicle and continued to fight, both verbally and physically. I broke up this fight and was pulling Ms. Pete toward the back of the car. I saw Ms. Harris with a gun in her hand. Mr. Peterson [Lanez] ran from behind Ms. Pete and myself toward Ms. Harris. Mr. Peterson and Ms. Harris began struggling as Mr. Peterson tried to unarm Ms. Harris. I was still pulling Ms. Pete and did not see who shot the weapon,” Smith explained in the affidavit. 

Hold up, hold up … The plot thickens, ya’ll …

Smith went on to claim: 

“I wanted to present this evidence during Mr. Peterson’s trial but was prevented from doing so as the District Attorney was not ready to cross-examine me, and later they did not call me back due to the holidays and the court schedule. I believe I should have been allowed to present this evidence at trial.”

See if you see where this going, Lanez’s defense team is arguing that Smith’s testimony is crucial and warrants a new trial. That’s up for debate, obviously.

As expected California prosecutors have contested this request. The prosecution highlights that Lanez’s former attorney chose not to call Smith as a witness due to concerns about his bias and the repetitive nature of his testimony. We were wondering when that part would come into play. Why didn’t the defense just, um, call him as a witness?

Here’s what Deputy Attorney General Michael C. Keller stated on the matter:

”Given these circumstances, defense counsel conceded that Smith would not have been a helpful witness because of his bias and the cumulative nature of his proffered testimony.”

ICYMI, Lanez was in fact found guilty of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, illegal possession of a firearm, and negligent discharge of a gun in the 2022 trial. In 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Real time. Real years. Easy to see why his team will keep fighting for their client. 

By the way, Tory is dropping music from behind bars. “Prison Tapes” are hitting all platforms every Friday. No BS, and despite his legal peril, it’s hard to argue that the music isn’t good. Sorry ya’ll. It is what it is. 

The post Tory Lanez’s Lawyers Seek New Trial After Convicted Rapper’s Driver Signals He Did Not See Who Shot Megan Thee Stallion first appeared on The Source.

The post Tory Lanez’s Lawyers Seek New Trial After Convicted Rapper’s Driver Signals He Did Not See Who Shot Megan Thee Stallion appeared first on The Source.