Music

One Of Diplo’s Sexual Assault Accusers Has Dropped Their Lawsuit Against Him

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Earlier this month, a second woman stepped forward to accuse Diplo of sexual assault in a new lawsuit. The alleged victim claims the incident occurred after one of the producer’s concerts at the Wynn Hotel back in 2019. After being brought to Diplo’s private room after the show, the woman says that he would not let her leave the room until she performed oral sex on him, an act she reluctantly did after seeing no way to exit the situation. She also claims he recorded the encounter without her permission. Less than two weeks after it was filed, however, the woman decided to drop the suit against Diplo.

According to court documents that TMZ has obtained, the woman withdrew the lawsuit and shared a statement with the publication. “In light of the evidence and after consultation with my attorneys, I have decided to withdraw my lawsuit,” she said, adding, “No payment was offered or requested. I regret filing the lawsuit.”

Diplo’s attorney also shared a statement after receiving word that the lawsuit was dropped. Bryan Freedman told TMZ that he and his client are happy the lawsuit was dropped and after hearing what the alleged victim had to say, they “will not be pursuing charges of malicious prosecution against them at this time.”

He added, “There was absolutely irrefutable evidence that proved that the allegations it contained were false. As soon as we shared that plethora of evidence with the plaintiff’s lawyers, they recognized that they needed to withdraw their suit immediately.”

Diplo still faces a lawsuit for sexual battery, assault, defamation, infliction of emotional distress, and fraud from his ex-girlfriend Shelley Auguste.

Kanye West And Tyler The Creator Are Apparently Working On ‘Donda’ Together

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Kanye West has been in the news for a lot of things in the better part of the last year, but not always for his music. Last summer, the rapper announced he would release his tenth album, Donda. He even went as far as sharing a release date, that being July 24, a cover art, and the tracklist for the effort, but the day came and went without the album.

In addition to that, 2020 concluded without the arrival of Donda, but now it looks like it could dropping sooner than later.

Rapper Consequence uploaded a muted video of Kanye and Tyler The Creator working on music together in a studio. Tyler stands eagerly behind Kanye, who is wearing a mask that fully covers his face, as the two listen to music. Consequence captioned the post, “ConsTV Exclusive. Ye x Tyler. Epic Level. Summer 21′.” While he did not reveal what the two were working on, a whiteboard near Kanye and Tyler listed nine songs from the former’s upcoming Donda album.

Back in March, frequent Kanye collaborator Cyhi The Prynce revealed that the rapper had gotten back to work on Donda after a short break. “I think [West] started working on it late last year,” he said. “Once November, December, January comes around, he kind of takes a hiatus, a little vacation break, get with the family. We’re back working, that’s why I’m out here, too.”

You can view the video from Consequence above and check out the tentative tracklist to Donda below.

1. “Remote”
2. “Daylight”
3. “Jonah”
4. “Hurricane”
5. “No Chior Left Open”
6. “New Again”
7. “I Know God Breathed On This”
8. “24 / You’re Gonna Be OK
9. “Come To Life”

2 Chainz Declares His Next Project Will Be His ‘Last Trap Album’

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2 Chainz is undoubtedly one of the most talented and popular artists on today’s hip-hop scene. His time as a musician dates back to the late 90s when we went by T*ty Boi, but he truly found success back in 2011 when he changed his name to 2 Chainz and released his official solo debut album, Based On A T.R.U. Story.

Since then, the rapper has continuously shared strong releases that were centered in the trap genre, dropping at least one project every year for fans since 2011. Now, after a decade’s worth of music as a solo act, it appears that the rapper wants to change things up.

In a tweet he shared with fans on Saturday, 2 Chainz said, “This [gon’] be my last trap album, enjoy.” The rapper will most likely continue to make music after the upcoming album, but listeners will probably see a change of direction sonically.

2 Chainz last released an album at end of 2020 with So Help Me God. The fifteen-track project sports guest appearance from Ty Dolla Sign, Kanye West, Brent Faiyaz, Latto, Lil Uzi Vert, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and more. Last year, the rapper also teased the release of Collegrove 2 with Lil Wayne, the sequel to their 2016 project. It’s unknown if this will be 2 Chainz’s final trap album or if it’s still a project slated for a future release.

You can check out 2 Chainz’s tweet above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Soulja Boy Was Hit With A Three-Year Restraining Order In A Lawsuit Against His Former Assistant

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Earlier this year, Soulja Boy was sued for sexual battery, sexual assault, and false imprisonment by his former assistant who filed the lawsuit under the name Jane Doe. She claims to have started working with the rapper at the end of 2018 where things quickly turned for the worst after she began he position. While the two would escalate their relationship to a romantic one, which resulted in her moving in with him, a string of alleged assaults would occur afterward. The woman claims she was pushed out of a moving vehicle by the rapper in January 2019 and physically assaulted just a month later. Now the rapper must stay away from her thanks to a new order.

According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Soulja Boy must stay away from his former assistant for the next three years thanks to a restraining order that a judge signed off on. The order was filed back in January, and while the lawsuit is still pending, the rapper agreed to the domestic violence restraining order, which expires on July 16, 2024.

Four months after the lawsuit from Soulja Boy’s former assistant was filed, the rapper’s ex-girlfriend filed a separate lawsuit against him while lodging sexual battery and domestic abuse allegations against him. She claims that she met the rapper in 2007 and was involved in a serious relationship with him from 2014 to 2019. She states the abuse dates back to 2015 and worsened to the point that she ended the relationship with him because she could “no longer stand the abuse.”

Pop Smoke’s Mother Admits ‘It’s Easier’ To Listen To Her Son On His Posthumous New Album, ‘Faith’

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This past Friday, Pop Smoke’s team released the late rapper’s second posthumous album, Faith. It arrived a little over a year since his first effort, Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon, was released for fans. Altogether, Faith presents 20 songs with a boatload of guest acts, those being Pusha T, Kanye West, Rick Ross, The-Dream, 42 Dugg, 21 Savage, Rah Swish, Travi, Beam, Bizzy Banks, Takeoff, Lil Tjay, Swae Lee, Future, Chris Brown, Dua Lipa, Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Quavo, and Kodak Black.

The project also sees an appearance from the late rapper’s mother, Audrey Jackson, who shared some words on the project’s intro track, “Good News.”

During a recent interview with Power 105.1 radio host Angie Martinez, Jackson admitted that “it’s easier” to hear her son on Faith. “He does sound different on this, his sound, his style, it’s different,” she said. Jackson also confessed that she has not listened to Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon yet. She later expressed that she’s “grateful” law enforcement arrested the individuals responsible for her son’s death.

“They’re off the streets, they’ve been caught,” she said. “They need to serve some time. Throwing them under the jail isn’t going to bring him back, taking their lives isn’t going to bring him back but as long as there’s a real consequence.”

The rapper’s brother, Obasi Jackson, also shared his gratitude for the arrests.

“I feel like they didn’t have to do what they did,” he said. “Now, you deserve the ultimate penalty.”

You can watch the full interview above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

DaBaby Details The Moment He Learned Beyoncé Was A Fan Of His Music

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It’s been more than two years since DaBaby shot into the mainstream rap spotlight with his breakout single “Suge,” an effort that peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard singles chart in 2019. The North Carolina native would then go on to share two back-to-back chart-topping albums with 2019’s Kirk and 2020’s Blame It On Baby.

While some may be iffy about his music nowadays, there’s no denying the success the rapper has attained over the years. And during a recent interview with Complex, DaBaby reflected on his a few moments during come-up which included one time when he learned that Beyoncé was a fan of his music.

“I remember when Beyoncé walked up to me at Diddy crib and told me she was a fan of my music,” he said to Complex’s Speedy Morman. “Told me she loved what I’m doing. That was dope. I’m like, ‘OK, this Beyoncé, you get what I’m saying?’ Diddy too, that was dope too, he reached out to me…He hold me close to him when he reach out to me.”

During the interview, he also confirmed that fans can expect a new project in the near future. “Another single before the album,” he said before adding, “definitely a new album on the way!” The new single would follow last month’s “Red Light Green Light” and “Ball If I Want To” as well as January’s “Masterpiece.”

Dame Dash’s Attempt To Stop A Meeting Between The Roc-A-Fella Co-Founders Was Denied By A Judge

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The drama between a pair of Roc-A-Fella Records co-founders continues as a judge delivered a new ruling this past week. The label was created more than 25 years ago by Jay-Z, Dame Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, but recently, Dash sought to sell his one-third stake in the company, a move that Jay-Z is reportedly trying to stop. According to TMZ, Dash recently learned about a meeting that was set to take place between Jay-Z and Burke on Friday and quickly sought to have the meeting stopped by a judge. Unfortunately for Dash, the judge denied his request and told him to file a lawsuit at a later date if he was not pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

This comes less than a month after a judge blocked Dash’s attempt to sell an NFT of Jay-Z’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt. According to The Hollywood Reporter, U.S. District Court Judge John Cronan signed off on a temporary restraining order to the label. Dash denies trying to auction an NFT of Reasonable Doubt, but his partner in the business move, SuperFarm, announced the auction “of Damon‘s ownership of the copyright to Jay-Z’s first album Reasonable Doubt. This marks a new milestone in the history of NFT’s, entitling the new owner to future revenue generated by the unique asset.”

As for Dash’s attempt to sell his one-third stake in Roc-A-Fella, he claims that Jay-Z offered to buy his portion of the label back in March, but it was at “a price I deemed unacceptable.” As a result, Dash was left to find a more suitable buyer for his Roc-A-Fella stake.

Q-Tip And The Hip-Hop Community React To The Death Of Biz Markie At 57

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The world is mourning the loss of another hip-hop legend today. After his hospitalization for complications related to diabetes in 2020, today a family source confirmed to TMZ that rapper Biz Markie has passed away at the age of 57. Best known for his hit single “Just A Friend,” the prolific and multi-talented entertainer was respected by the hip-hop world at large, and plenty of artists and friends are expressing their grief at the loss.

Dubbed the “Clown Prince Of Hip-Hop,” Biz Markie, born Marcel Theo Hall was a member of the Juice Crew and an integral part of the New York rap world during the ’90s. An accomplished rapper, beatboxer, producer and well-known for his out-of-the-box sampling ideas, Markie was also an on-screen presence with a role in Men In Black II and a stint opening for comedian Chris Rock.

One of the most heartfelt and earliest reactions from a fellow artist comes from Q-Tip, who is feeling the loss. “This one hurts baad … RIP to my Aries bro… ahhh man
@BizMarkie damn im gonna miss u so so many memories.. hurts bad. My FRIEND,” he wrote. Check out more reactions from fellow rappers and artists below. Rest in peace Biz Markie.

Biz Markie Has Passed Away At Age 57 Due To Complications With Diabetes

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More sad news for the hip-hop community today, TMZ reports that rapper Biz Markie, born Marcel Theo Hall, has passed away at age 57 due to complications from diabetes. In 2020, he was hospitalized due to the same issue and has now succumbed to the disease. TMZ cites a family source who confirmed the rapper died in a Baltimore hospital at 6:25 PM tonight.

A member of the Juice Crew, out of New York, and primarily known for his rhymes penned by Big Daddy Kane (also of the Juice Crew), the rapper, singer, DJ, record producer, actor, comedian, and writer was a multi-talented artist and entertainer who earned the title “Clown Prince Of Hip-Hop.”

His debut album Goin’ Off was released in 1988 and included underground singles “Nobody Beats The Biz” and “Vapors.” His second album, The Biz Never Sleeps came out just a year later, and even if you’re unfamiliar with Biz Markie’s extended catalogue, odds are most people have heard his breakout hit from this record, “Just A Friend.” After its release in 1989, it became a global hit, and still gets played even today, decades later.

His third album I Need A Haircut came out in 1991, and was followed up in 1993 with All Samples Cleared!. That title referenced a landmark sampling case one of his songs, “Alone Again,” was involved in. Later on, he released his final solo album, Weekend Warrior, in 2003. Aside from his career in music, Markie was also an on-screen presence and a comedian, including an appearance in Men In Black II and a stint opening for Chris Rock’s “No Apologies” tour in 2008.

Rest in peace to a legend.

SpotemGottem Arrested By US Marshalls On Firearm Violations And Aggravated Assault

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19-year-old Jacksonville rapper Nehemiah Harden, better known as TikTok sensation SpotemGottem, was reportedly arrested by US Marshalls in his hotel room in Aventura, Florida, according to NBC Miami. Harden was scheduled to perform Rolling Loud’s return event next week in Miami, but now faces a litany of charges including aggravated assault. He was granted an $18,500 bond today.

Courtesy Miami-Dade Police Department

Marshalls had a warrant Spotemgottem from a June case in which the rapper and several friends broke the gate at a parking garage in Miami and reportedly threatened someone who tried to stop them — the story doesn’t make clear whether this was a passerby or the garage attendant — with a semi-automatic weapon. Marshalls say that Spotem had an AK-47 pistol lying on the bed next to him, which added a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon to his existing charges of aggravated assault with a firearm and accessory after the fact to a felony.

The rapper is best known for his viral single “Beat Box,” which has since received remixes from numerous rappers including DaBaby, Deante’ Hitchcock, Latto, Polo G, Lil Yachty, and NLE Choppa. The song is, fittingly, about SpotemGottem’s gun, which can “make a beat box” when fired. It became a TikTok favorite when creator Junebug created the #JunebugChallenge dance, which was used in numerous videos on the popular app.