Magic Johnson Clears The Air About Fake Story Of Him Donating Blood

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Magic Johnson Joins Cameo's Board of Directors and Talent Roster

Over the last couple of weeks, a fake news story has been circulating around social media that says that Magic Johnson, despite having HIV, donated blood. The story came about after a picture of Johnson getting his blood drawn went viral.

The tweet in question has a picture of the NBA legend giving blood with the caption saying that he is donating blood for underprivileged communities to fight COVID-`19. Despite the tweet coming from a satire page, people chose not to investigate the source, and instead made the tweet go viral.

Nonetheless, it didn’t stop Magic from responding to the tweet and people who believed that he actually donated his blood. Johnson shared message on his Twitter earlier today, August 23, saying that he’s aware of the fake story and that he’s never donated blood before.

“I’m aware of the false story circling the internet, and to be clear, I have never donated blood,” Magic tweeted.

The Associated Press even revealed that the picture used in the Tweet came from a 2012 NPR documentary “Endgame: AIDS in Black America.” The scene in the documentary shows Magic get his blood drawn from his doctor Dr. David Ho.

Johnson had announced his HIV diagnosis in 1991 and then announced his retirement from basketball. Johnson has since become a spokesperson and advocate for HIV awareness.

The post Magic Johnson Clears The Air About Fake Story Of Him Donating Blood appeared first on The Source.

Lil Tjay Announces His Return With A Billboard In The Bronx: ‘I’m Back’

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Lil Tjay
Getty Image

Lil Tjay has had a tough year so far. In the early morning of June 22, the rapper was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery after being shot multiple times. He regained consciousness and doctors removed his breathing tube a week after the surgery. Now, a mere two months later, he’s already emerging back into the rap world.

A new billboard in the Bronx today was spotted on Tuesday that reads: “I’M BACK. — Lil Tjay.” That’s all it says, but it’s an exciting message, especially coming from someone who nearly died not so long ago.

Lil Tjay’s shooting caused a stir in the hip hop world. For one, it sparked a controversial reaction from Tekashi 69, the troll-ish Brooklyn rapper who went from dominating the city’s brash street scene to being branded a snitch after testifying against some of his gangbanging cronies. He responded in the comments of an Instagram post about the shooting with a pair of crying emojis — one laughing, one sobbing. 6ix9ine, though, has always been known for mocking other rappers’ misfortunes, including taunting King Von’s friends after the Chicago rapper’s death and trolling Young Thug after his recent racketeering arrest — the same charges Tekashi himself narrowly dodged having to testify about.

Rihanna Fans React To Her Fenty Beauty “Ketchup Or Makeup” Launch: “Everything But Music”

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Is there anything she can’t do?

For her latest Fenty Beauty launch, Rihanna is taking things to a new level, asking consumers to dish out $25 in exchange for her limited edition palette with art collective MSCHF, consisting of just “six packets that each contain either ketchup or lip gloss.”

Rihanna in 2019 — Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

As Page Six notes, audiences seem to be divided over the Bad Gal’s latest announcement, and they didn’t hesitate to show it on social media. “I’m sorry but who wants to spend $25 to end up getting ketchup packets,” one user wrote on Instagram.

“Is Rihanna still on maternity leave… who signed off?” and “Are the packets resealable if it is gloss? I have so many questions,” others pondered.

Over on Twitter, most of the discourse seems to be revolving around Rihanna delivering yet another new product before mentioning her long-awaited ninth studio album – which some people joked we might never be hearing at this point.

“Rihanna is out there releasing a Fenty ketchup while we are here suffering. God is watching Rihanna, believe me GOD IS WATCHING YOU doing BAD THINGS!!” one person ranted alongside a meme of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The same account continued their disappointed posting spree with, “Ketchup?? KETTTTCHUP????? Like are you serious @rihanna do you need help?? Maybe you are real sick or something cuz what the hell is going on in that Forehead.”

As it turns out, the collective assisting Rih with her latest project is the very same who worked with Lil Nas X on his controversial “Satan Shoes” back in 2021, which ultimately led to a lawsuit from Nike.

Check out more Twitter reactions to Makeup or Ketchup below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more pop culture news updates.

[Via]

Usher Says Diddy Declaring “R&B Is Dead” Sounds “Nuts To Me”

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The “Is R&B dead?” conversation isn’t finished just yet. Sean “Diddy” Combs unleashed a beast when he questioned the current state of the genre, but it wasn’t a discussion necessarily launched by the mogul. Music lovers have been debating R&B influence in the industry as compared to its dominating years in the 1980s to 2000s. There are plenty of crooners belting out jams that are deserving of praise, but Diddy didn’t believe that R&B was alive and well. He later clarified his statements, but the backlash was already underway.

In his recent chat with Bevy Smith, Usher touched on the hot topic and joined the ranks of those who don’t believe R&B has breathed its final breath.

Jermaine Dupri, Diddy, Usher
Jerritt Clark / Stringer / Getty Images

“When I hear people say stuff like ‘What happened to R&B?’ or ‘R&B is dead’…it’s not. You just don’t understand the basis of it. Matter fact, maybe I need a reminder, an understanding of what it is. How can something come out 20-some-odd years ago, and then all of a sudden have a resurgence in a way that people just wanna talk about it, sing it, enjoy it? That’s because it’s classic. That’s ‘Superstar.’ That’s R&B.” 

“That’s what R&B is. R&B is timeless, it ain’t gonna go away,” Usher continued. “So, when I do hear people, even like Puff saying ‘R&B is dead,’ he sounds nuts to me. It sounds crazy, you know, especially knowing he was a pioneer in understanding and beneficiary of it. You know, the source that is R&B created the breath of life that was breathed into Hip Hop.”

“There wouldn’t be—there would be no Hip Hop if there were not R&B. So it’s blasphemous to hear people say anything—especially Hip Hop cats—to say anything about R&B. It’s like, nah, it’s been there. It’s gon’ stay there.”

Listen to Usher with Bevy Smith below.

Quavo & Takeoff Announce That “Bando Babies” Is “OTW!!!”

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Reps for the Migos have denied any breakup rumours thrown their way after fans noticed that Offset and his wife Cardi B seemingly unfollowed Quavo and Takeoff back in May, though since then, the former has been focusing mostly on his solo career, and the latter duo have been churning out singles under the moniker “Unc & Phew.”

The family members first dropped off “HOTEL LOBBY” in early June, accompanied by a music video that found them experiencing a “bad trip” while hitting the road to Las Vegas.

Following that, Quavo and Takeoff linked up with Gucci Mane (who also brought them out on stage during his Rolling Loud set nearly a month ago) for “Us vs. Them” on July 29th, which also received the visual treatment from director Keemotion.

For his part, Offset has been busy delivering “5 4 3 2 1,” produced by Baby Keem and preparing his fans for the arrival of this Friday’s highly anticipated “CODE” collaboration with Moneybagg Yo.

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A post shared by OFFSET (@offsetyrn)

On Monday (August 22), Quavo teased on his Instagram page that he and Takeoff have something of their own on the way, called “Bando Babies.” It remains unclear if the title is for a single or a project, though the 31-year-old did use the Migos’ 2012 track “Bando” to tease the impending arrival.

While some shared their excitement down in the comment section, many expressed that they miss seeing the rap group operate as a trio. “Get the gang back together,” one person wrote.

“Shit don’t even look right without Offset, not hating just being real,” and “One guy’s missing,” others added.

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A post shared by QuavoHuncho (@quavohuncho)

Are you excited to hear Unc & Phew’s “Bando Babies”? Sound off in the comments below, and tap back in with HNHH later for more hip-hop news updates.

Kanye Dodges Battery Charge For Hitting Fan

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Screen Shot 2022 08 23 at 4.57.28 PM

Kanye has had a rocky relationship with his fans and the paparazzi. He is known for having put his hands on paparazzi on more than one occasion. Earlier this year, however, video of Kanye allegedly punching one of his fans surfaced.

While the video does not show Ye attack the man, Ye is visibly angry and yelling while a man is on the ground covering his face. The person who recorded the video even asked if someone would call the cops on Kanye.

However, Kanye will not be facing assault charges for the incident. The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office confirmed to TMZ that they basically do not have the evidence to charge Kanye.

“After a thorough and careful review of all the evidence, our office is declining to file based on no reasonable likelihood of conviction,” a rep told the news outlet.

The case was being investigated as a misdemeanor battery, and Ye could have faced up to 6 months in jail if convicted.

Kanye later addressed the incident in a interview with Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee. West said that the fan he assaulted wanted to get his autograph so that he could sell it.

“So now my cousins are coming back and they have not delivered on it. So I end up getting into an altercation with the guy that wanted to make money off of my autographs, then my cousin pulls up and she’s talking to me. I say, ‘Give me a breather. Get away from me.’ She is not taking accountability for the fact that she did not do what she was supposed to do, and that added to me being in a mood where I was like, ‘I am not going to have this,’” Ye said.

The post Kanye Dodges Battery Charge For Hitting Fan appeared first on The Source.

Little Brother’s Rapper Big Pooh Drops His Visceral New Album, ‘To Dream In Color’

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Rapper Big Pooh
courtesy of Rapper Big Pooh

One half of influential North Carolina hip-hop duo Little Brother, the gregarious Rapper Big Pooh is adding to his prolific solo output. With over a dozen projects under his belt as a solo artist, Pooh has just dropped his latest album, To Dream In Color. It plays out as a visceral and honest portrait of who the hip-hop lifer has become as a man.

“This is my most personal body of work,” Pooh said in a statement. “My hope is that listeners get a better sense of who I am as a person by actually hearing my story. I speak about lacking confidence, stage fright, swallowing pride, my childhood, and so much more.”

The album’s ten tracks feature appearances from J. Smash of The Nukez, Jared Evan, Blakk Soul, BeMyFiasco, and Tre’Mar. His partner in Little Brother, Phonte Coleman, even claims a writing credit on “Mother’s Day,” and the album artwork was done by Justus League’s Joe Scudda.

Check out the To Dream In Color album artwork and tracklist below.

Rapper Big Pooh To Dream In Color
Rapper Big Pooh

1. “Dreaming In Color” (featuring J. Smash of The Nukez)
2. “Changing Again”
3. “Thoughts & Prayers” (Interlude)
4. “What Else”
5. “God’s Grace” (featuring Jared Evan)
6. “1 Day in NY”
7. “LS400”
8. “Broken Dreams” (featuring Blakk Soul)
9. “Mother’s Day” (featuring BeMyFiasco)
10. “In Surround Sound” (featuring Tre’Mar)

To Dream in Color is out now via Soulspazm Records. Listen/order it here.