Kevin Hart, Damian Lillard & More Praise J. Cole Following “The Off-Season” Release

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A number of celebrities celebrated the release of J. Cole’s new album, The Off-Season, with praise for the North Carolina rapper on social media, Friday. Athletes, fellow musicians, and more all couldn’t get enough of Cole’s new sound.

Comedian Kevin Hart gave Cole major props in particular: “J Cole is in a class of his own….giving my brother all the flowers that he deserves….the work that he puts into his craft is crazy special….focused as hell and it shows….major salute KING!!! Proud of you and your accomplishments,” Hart wrote on Twitter. “100mill and I’m still on my grind….still getting better after all of this time… TALK YO SHIT KING…. @JColeNC.”

J. Cole, The Off-season
Gustavo Caballero / Getty Images

A large number of NBA players also gave Cole shoutouts. “Cole a real one,” wrote Damian Lillard, whose postgame comments after he dropped 61 points last year on the Mavericks are sampled on the album.

“‘Ja Morant I’m on my grizzly ” heard you,” wrote Ja Morant referencing a line on the track “my.life.”

Cole, a big NBA fan in his own right, is set to play in the Basketball Africa League for Rwanda’s Patriots B.B.C.

Check out more reactions on social media to Cole’s album below.

Young Devyn drops her ‘Straight To It’ follow-up + it’s fire

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New York rapper Young Devyn isn’t waiting for summer to hit to drop some serious heat. The hip-hop lyricist has come through with her highly-anticipated “Straight To It” follow-up anthem. Young Devyn finally drops her new song After weeks of mounted build ups, Devyn hit the green light on releasing her new “Act Bad” banger. […]

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Nicki Minaj Addressed Her Father’s ‘Devastating’ Death In An Open Letter To Fans

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Last night, Nicki Minaj shared some exciting news. Though the rapper has been relatively quiet this past year, she announced her official return with a re-release of one of her most popular mixtapes, Beam Me Up Scotty, which arrived with five new tracks. It’s been a while since Minaj has been able to interact with her fans, so she penned a special open letter to address what she’s been up to and speak about the recent passing of her father.

Minaj’s father, Robert Maraj, was tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident in February. The rapper had yet to release a statement about his death, but in an open letter posted to her website, Minaj made it clear that she’s still grieving. “Tho I can’t really bring myself to discuss the passing of my father as yet; I can say it has been the most devastating loss of my life,” she wrote. “I find myself wanting to call him all the time. More so now that he’s gone. Life is funny that way. May his soul rest in paradise. He was very loved & will be very missed.”

Elsewhere in the letter, Minaj mourned the death of DMX, noting how close they had been. “P.S. The passing of DMX hit me like a ton of bricks,” she wrote. “Losing him felt like losing someone I grew up with. I adored him. Blessings to his family.”

The remainder of Minaj’s letter was on a more joyous note. She talked about binging the Netflix show The Crown and how her pregnancy left her with an constant craving for ice cream. She also noted her infant son’s current favorite movie is Madagascar (Escape 2 Africa) and that she was finally able to get him to say “mama.”

Beam Me Up Scotty is out now. Get it here.

Gary Owen’s Estranged Wife Kenya Duke Demands Spousal Support

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Details continue to emerge as Gary Owen and his soon-to-be ex-wife Kenya Duke proceed with their divorce. News of the divorce first broke on March 19th of this year. The latest report on their split involves the extent of the spousal support that Duke is demanding from the Think Like A Man actor. 

According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Duke is requesting an amount of $44,000 a month. Duke alleges that her soon to be ex-husband has pockets that run deep, and she wants her share. In the same legal documents obtained by TMZ, Duke says that the amount of money she is asking for is the same amount he would deposit into her bank accounts to make credit card payments and any other personal expenses.

Duke also claims that before they were separated, their income never fell below $100,000 a month, despite the pandemic. In the same court documents, Duke alleges that their estimated monthly income was usually between $200,000 to $400,000. She also states that Owen is successful because she had to put her career aspirations on hold in order to support him following his career goals. 

Is the amount of spousal support Kenya Duke is asking from Gary Owen a reasonable number? Would you put your partner or spouse’s professional dreams before your own? Let us know what you think in the comments.

[via]

 

Wendy Williams Shades Ellen DeGeneres Following Talk Show Cancellation

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Ellen DeGeneres has officially decided to call it quits on her daytime talk show. The last year or so, TheEllen DeGeneres Show has been met with controversy due to the recent exposure on how she treats her staff behind the scenes. Following all the public drama and rumors, Ellen revealed, “Today I am announcing that the last season, season nineteen, will be my last season,” during a recent episode. Now, shade towards DeGeneres’s announcement comes from none other than fellow daytime talk show host Wendy Williams. 

“You’ve been on TV for 19 years, you should be so lucky,” said Williams when discussing the Ellen DeGeneres Show’s cancellation on the ‘Hot Topics’ segment of her own show. Both daytime talk show hosts have been caught up in their own variety of scandals over the past couple of years. Williams’s nasty split from ex-husband Kevin Hunter received much coverage. Not only has DeGeneres been under fire for allegedly encouraging a toxic work environment, she has garnered negative publicity for her friendship with former President George Bush.  

Williams and Hunter’s divorce was widely covered in numerous media outlets. Hunter had been unfaithful to Williams for many years with a woman named Sharina Hudson, a woman he also had a child with for many years, unbeknownst to Williams. The contentious split was featured in length in her made for TV biopic Wendy Williams: The  Movie.

Many of the Ellen DeGeneres Show’s current and former employees reported to Buzzfeed that they had experienced poor treatment while working for the show. Shortly following these reports, DeGeneres was spotted hanging out with former President George Bush, much to the dismay of her fans. DeGeneres’s friendship with the Republican-leaning George Bush only fueled the fire further.

While DeGeneres claimed in her announcement that the show changed her life, Williams was quick to tell her audience and remind DeGeneres that “18-19 years on  television doesn’t change your life, it exposes you for the person you really are.”

Are you sad to see The Ellen DeGeneres Show come to an end? Do you think her reputation of engaging in toxic positivity is valid? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Check out the clip from Wendy Williams’ show below.

Calboy Slows Things Down With “10 Toes Down”

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Chicago artist Calboy is quietly having one of the most impressive years amongst his contemporaries. Last year, he was named a XXL Freshman in a stacked class that included the likes of Mulatto, Rod Wave, Lil Tjay, Baby Keem, Jack Harlow, and Polo G, among others. Being featured alongside some of the most eye-catching new artists was a major accomplishment, and Calboy has been consistently been putting in work to prove that it was well deserved.

Earlier this year, the “Envy Me” artist started gearing up for another huge year by unleashing the Lil Wayne-assisted single “Miseducation.” Now, roughly two months later, Calboy is back with another single, a slowed down cut titled “Ten Toes Down.”

“Ten Toes Down” finds Calboy exploring the pitfalls of loyalty and the pain of betrayal as he recounts being hurt by those closest to him. Fans of the Chicago artist can expect his signature brand of poetic and heartfelt lyricism all throughout the four-minute single, so check out Calboy’s latest release by watching the official music video for “Ten Toes Down” below.

Quotable Lyrics

I’ve been ten toes, didn’t fold, they know I can stand strong (Stand strong)
But if you think about it, I’m who really ridin’ like a Benzo (Benzo)
Baby, I’m too solid, why you double-cross me? Girl, you’re dead wrong (Dead wrong)
I won’t talk about it but it’s symbolism in that red rose (Red rose)

Video Shows Mentally Ill Black Man Died After Being Tasered & Pepper Sprayed In Custody

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The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina has released footage from the death of Jamal Sutherland, who died on January 5, 2021, while in custody at a detention center in North Charleston. The video shows officers pepper-spraying and tasing Sutherland numerous times while forcibly removing him from a jail cell.

Sutherland family attorney Mark A. Peper released a statement, Friday, saying that “people with mental health issues are entitled to the same exact civil rights as you and me and every other healthy, wealthy person in this world.”

Jamal Sutherland, Police Killing
Scott Olson / Getty Images

Jamal’s mother, Amy Sutherland, said that she doesn’t want violence to erupt in the city, but hopes people learn from the incident: “I don’t want any violence in my city. I want us to view this tape and I want us to learn what we don’t want to have happen again. I ask no violence,” she said. “We have black men being killed every day.”

The officers were sent in to bring Sutherland to his bond hearing for a misdemeanor assault charge.

Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano admitted that the killing was a “tragedy” in a statement, Thursday night.

“Our officers removed Mr. Sutherland from his cell that morning in order to ensure that he received a timely bond hearing, as required by law,” Graziano said. “Their efforts were complicated by the increasing effects that Mr. Sutherland was suffering as a result of mental illness.”

She continued: “Since this tragedy occurred, we have assessed our resources and are evaluating options for global improvement, including a focus on mental health awareness.”

[Via]

21 Savage’s ‘Spiral’ soundtrack is packed w/ bloody hits

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Atlanta rapper 21 Savage has come through on his promise of dropping a much-anticipated Spiral: From The Book of Saw Soundtrack. The project is packed with anthems including collaborations with Young Thug, Gunna and Young Nudy. 21 Savage’s ‘Spiral’ soundtrack is bloody good Sav’s newest project isn’t just a compilation of fire tunes. Instead, the […]

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Nicki Minaj Sends A Warning Shot At An Unnamed Adversary

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Nicki Minaj is back. Within a matter of 24 hours, the iconic femcee has hosted an Instagram live session with nearly one million viewers, brought her game-changing mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty to DSPs, and teased that the next chapter in her career will be one for the books.

Unfortunately, it appears that there may be trouble in paradise for the Queen artist, despite the celebratory occasion. Early Friday afternoon, Nicki hit Twitter to let off a seemingly serious threat at an unnamed individual.

Rather than really getting deep into what has recently perturbed her, the “Seeing Green” rapper opted to warn her opposition and let them know that she can be petty too. In a simple yet menacing tweet, Mrs. Petty set the record straight, writing, “Trust, it’s all fun & games until I wanna play too.”

While Nicki’s tweet does not directly name her adversary, anyone keeping up with Nicki Minaj news today would probably point the finger in Azealia Banks’ direction. Following Nicki’s highly anticipated Instagram live stream on Thursday, Azealia Banks took to her Instagram story to body shame the Young Money rapper, insinuate substance abuse, and suggest that child protective services take Nicki’s son away from her.

Thus, if Nicki did in fact catch wind of the “Anna Wintour” artist’s Instagram story rant, it would make sense if Banks was the target of Nicki’s Twitter sub.

Do you think Nicki Minaj’s warning was aimed in Azealia Banks’ direction or someone else?