L.A. Reid Is Reportedly Set To Begin Pre-Settlement Discussions With His Sexual Assault Accuser Drew Dixon

LA Reid Culture Creators Awards Brunch 2022
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Cassie’s explosive lawsuit against Diddy was the first domino to fall in what became a string of allegations aimed at industry bigwigs. After the singer’s November 2023 filing, several others came out to accuse other label executives, including Interscope Records’ co-founder Jimmy Iovine, of similar egregious acts.

Former Epic Records CEO and X-Factor judge L.A. Reid was also named in a sexual assault lawsuit filed by past colleague Drew Dixon. In court documents, Dixon alleged that during her time as an executive at Arista Records in 2001, Reid assaulted her on two separate occasions: on a company trip and after a work event. According to AllHipHop, the parties’ case could come to a resolution by way of a pre-settlement.

The outlet reported that on Friday, March 1, the United States District Court Southern District of New York courts received paperwork — namely a joint discovery status report — signaling that both parties are set to begin mediation on March 29. At that time, legal representatives for both Reid and Dixon will reportedly discuss potential settlement terms.

Also included in the documentation are subpoenas issued by Dixon’s legal representative to her former employer Artista Records, Sony Music Entertainment and Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG). Reid’s attorneys have issued subpoenas focusing on Dixon’s medical records, including MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Amarilis Rivera, and Dr. Valerie Bryant.

During an appearance in Netflix’s documentary series Ladies First, Dixon spoke about her experience working in the industry.

This story is developing.

Usher Says ‘Confessions 2’ Album is ‘Just a Rumor’

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For everybody that is looking for Confessions 2 from Usher, stop looking. The R&B icon Stepped Into The Shade Room and discussed the project, stating, “That’s just a rumor, at this point.”

He added, “We got time. There’s space and opportunity to think of new ideas. But the one that is 20 years old was a brilliant one. For every producer, writer, and creative that had anything to do with it, we celebrate 20 years of an album.”

Earlier this year, Usher dropped his first single in three years, “GLU.” The new single is written and produced by Sean Garrett, Lil John, The Avila Brothers, and Usher.

The new single brings the reunion of Usher and L.A. Reid, recapturing the magic of Usher’s classic and Diamond-certified album Confessions. Usher’s untitled ninth studio album will arrive this spring via Larry Jackson’s gamma.

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“I’m beyond excited to have Usher now as a part of the gamma. family! He is the last black artist this century to have an album go diamond, which is a massive accomplishment. As exemplified by his hugely successful Vegas residency, it is once again reinforced that he is not only an incredible vocalist and performer, but a true showman at the top of his game. ‘GLU’ showcases his singular vocal talent and timeless appeal,” said Larry Jackson, Co-founder & CEO, gamma.

You can hear the new single below, and be sure to catch Usher at his Las Vegas residency. New dates have just dropped.

The post Usher Says ‘Confessions 2’ Album is ‘Just a Rumor’ appeared first on The Source.

Usher Wants Headlining Super Bowl Performance: ‘One Day That Moment Will Happen’

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Usher wants the Super Bowl stage. The legendary R&B star was tracked down by Access Hollywood, who asked him about potentially headlining a Super Bowl Halftime Show.

“I’d be a fool to say no,” Usher said. “Well, I mean, you know, things line up that we would all hope. You know, one day, that moment will happen.”

Usher is currently still making a hell of a run with his residency, which is at Park MGM in Las Vegas.

Last month, Usher has officially dropped his first single in three years, “GLU.” The new single is written and produced by Sean Garrett, Lil John, The Avila Brothers, and Usher.

The new single brings the reunion of Usher and L.A. Reid, recapturing the magic of Usher’s classic and Diamond-certified album Confessions. Usher’s untitled ninth studio album will arrive this spring via Larry Jackson’s gamma.

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“I’m beyond excited to have Usher now as a part of the gamma. family! He is the last black artist this century to have an album go diamond, which is a massive accomplishment. As exemplified by his hugely successful Vegas residency, it is once again reinforced that he is not only an incredible vocalist and performer, but a true showman at the top of his game. ‘GLU’ showcases his singular vocal talent and timeless appeal,” said Larry Jackson, Co-founder & CEO, gamma.

You can hear the new single below, and be sure to catch Usher at his Las Vegas residency. New dates have just dropped.

The post Usher Wants Headlining Super Bowl Performance: ‘One Day That Moment Will Happen’ appeared first on The Source.

Usher Delivers His New Single “GLU,” New Album Set for This Spring

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Usher has officially dropped his first single in three years, “GLU.” The new single is written and produced by Sean Garrett, Lil John, The Avila Brothers, and Usher.

The new single brings the reunion of Usher and L.A. Reid, recapturing the magic of Usher’s classic and Diamond-certified album Confessions. Usher’s untitled ninth studio album will arrive this spring via Larry Jackson’s gamma.

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“I’m beyond excited to have Usher now as a part of the gamma. family! He is the last black artist this century to have an album go diamond, which is a massive accomplishment. As exemplified by his hugely successful Vegas residency, it is once again reinforced that he is not only an incredible vocalist and performer, but a true showman at the top of his game. ‘GLU’ showcases his singular vocal talent and timeless appeal,” said Larry Jackson, Co-founder & CEO, gamma.

You can hear the new single below, and be sure to catch Usher at his Las Vegas residency. New dates have just dropped.

The post Usher Delivers His New Single “GLU,” New Album Set for This Spring appeared first on The Source.

Usher Gifts L.A. Reid a New Porsche To Celebrate His 66th Birthday

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L.A. Reid hit 66 years old and to celebrate, Usher gifted him a brand new Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet.

According to TMZ, the moment is special as Reid bought Usher the same model in 1997 just after “You Make Me Wanna” was released to the world via LaFace Records.

At the party along with Usher was T.I., Jeezy, Jacquees, and more. YOu can see the surprise below.

The post Usher Gifts L.A. Reid a New Porsche To Celebrate His 66th Birthday appeared first on The Source.

Usher Presents L.A. Reid With Icon Award At Culture Creators

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Usher honored his mentor L.A. Reid with the icon award at the 6th annual Culture Creator Brunch. “Our honorees share in our collective experience that is sometimes met with doubt, frustration, and unnecessary complication,” says Culture Creators founder Joi Brown. “Yet we march on as a collective village that continues to produce excellence because experience has taught us that we don’t get to quit.”

She continued: “I didn’t know what Culture Creators was to become when I started, but I’m clear on where we’re headed.” 

MORE: YG Channels Usher with “YG Bucks”

This year, Usher presented Reid, a music industry veteran and mentor, with the Icon Award. L.A. Reid’s acceptance of the honor was preceded by a video montage, which included personal congratulatory remarks from the likes of Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, 21 Savage, DJ Khaled, and Jermaine Dupri, to name a few.

Guests were also treated to captivating performances by Amber Riley and host Coco Jones. Culture Creators also introduced three new awards that were given out on the red carpet, Community Advocate, Blog of the Year, and HBCU Rising Culture Creator.

MORE: Usher Announces New Las Vegas Residency at Park MGM This July

Presenting sponsor Netflix welcomed Culture Creators’ guests to a lush photo experience via the Strong Black Lead Portrait Studio. Empowered partner CÎROC treated guests to a number of curated specialty drinks like the DeLeón Blanco Pink Paloma, Summer Citrus Sunset, and a few of their summer spritzers during the immaculately designed post-show reception. Additional partners included Pivotal Ventures, Lexus, and Morgan Stanley. 

2022 saw the event expand and evolved as it highlights the achievements of thought leaders, philanthropists, executives, entertainers, artists, and other pillars of African American culture in an intimate setting among key players.

In other news, Usher has a new single with City Girls slated for a July 1 release.

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LA Reid Thinks Beyonce And Mariah Carey Should Have A Verzuz Battle But Fans Disagree — A Lot

Verzuz battles have become a great way to salute and pay homage to the legacies of artists who probably don’t get as much recognition as they should — or at least, give them their flowers while they’re still around to appreciate it — but as the series continues, there are some who want to see even bigger stars hit the stage to play their hits.

One of those who do is LA Reid, who stated during an interview on The Real that his dream matchup would be between two megastars in Beyonce and Mariah Carey. While both are vocal powerhouses who have sold millions of records and become nearly ubiquitous household names — especially now that it’s December, which is slowly but surely becoming more of a celebration of Mariah than yuletide cheer — many fans, upon hearing the suggestion, voiced their disapproval on Twitter.

While much of the chatter was the typical stan war stuff (“Beyoncé is the Queen of what exactly?” one user questioned), there were others who pointed out that the two aren’t exactly peers, since Mariah debuted a solid decade before Beyonce’s solo career took off. The best Verzuz battles so far have been those between artists from similar generations, such as The Lox and The Diplomats, or the recent showdown between Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia.

Meanwhile, still, others pointed out, simply, that neither artist seems particularly interested in doing Verzuz, which has always seemed to book artists who are perhaps slightly past their commercial prime or who flew under the radar as songwriters and producers. Beyonce and Mariah Carey are both still selling millions of records — even if it’s just “All I Want For Christmas,” Mariah’s pull is enough to warrant a month-long McDonald’s menu — and thus, Verzuz “couldn’t afford” them.

And others wondered why LA Reid was being given a platform at all, considering he was recently accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, leading to his ouster from Epic Records, and a huge settlement payment from Sony.

Check out more responses to LA Reid’s dream matchup below, and watch the full interview above.

Kanye West Was Once Told To ‘Stick To Making Beats’ By A Label Executive

Kanye West may have been the second-highest paid celebrity of 2020, but he wasn’t always successful. In fact, Kanye faced a few major setbacks when he was coming up in his rap career, including being told by a label executive that his rap game wasn’t good enough.

On an episode of Story To Tell with Andrew Barber for The Coda Collection, Lupe Fiasco joined to discuss his early career. Touching on his relationship with Kanye, Fiasco recalled one instance when Kanye had his ego bruised in a major way by LA Reid, a label head who was recently forced to step down from his position at Epic Records following a sexual harassment case:

“We brought Ye into Arista to showcase for LA Reid before Roc-A-Fella. Stack Bundles was sitting there. Imagine it’s me, Stack Bundles, Kanye, and LA Reid in the office. When we stopped, LA was like, ‘Yo you should stick to making music, you stick to making beats.’ Real sh*t. So that’s why I always honor Ye, no matter how crazy he goes. I’ve seen that man struggle and him just working through it.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Fiasco discussed how he and Kanye have always had a working relationship. “I’ve been knowing Ye for a long ass time. I remember first meeting Ye when he first did ‘The Truth.’ We did a little speaking thing, I think at Columbia College. That’s when n**** had a ‘fro or some sh*t, it was weird. But I was working with Ye for years. I got Ye joints. I remember Ye used to come up to the crib and be like, ‘Hey man, what you think about this verse?’”

Watch Barber’s full conversation with Lupe Fiasco on The Coda Collection here.