A Los Angles County judge has denied Live Nation’s court motion to dismiss a lawsuit against them by Drakeo the Ruler’s brother, Devante Caldwell, also known as Ralfy the Plug. This was first reported by Rolling Stone and later confirmed by THE FADER.
Drakeo The Ruler & his brother Ralfy The Plug. Image source: Twitter, @HipHopTiesMedia.
Fatal Death at the Once Upon A Time in L.A. festival
The L.A. native’s horrific stabbing that ultimately led to his death took place backstage at the Once Upon A Time in L.A. festival in December 2021. The performers included Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and YG.
Live Nation Motion Denied
Live Nation’s motion claimed it could not be responsible for the fatal attack on the West Coast rapper. The company declared it had no way of predicting an attack like this could happen. Nothing like it had occurred at Banc of California Stadium in L.A.’s Exposition Park.
Judge Yolanda Orozco ruled in favor of Caldwell’s lawsuit, saying a “prior similar” attack, happening at the venue where his brother was lethally stabbed, is not on sufficient grounds to dismiss his brother’s claims of negligence, premises liability, and emotional distress.
Drakeo’s brother’s lawyer said to Rolling Stone, “the ruling represents the court’s recognition of Live Nation’s and the other defendants’ role in the injustice suffered by Drakeo, his family, and friends. We are one step closer to providing justice and closure to this horrific experience.”
The Mother of Drakeo’s Son Filed A $60 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Earlier last year Tianna Purtue, the mother of Drakeo’s son, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Live Nation on behalf of their then-five-year-old son. It was a wrongful death lawsuit for $60 million that reportedly alleged the entertainment company knew the potential dangers around their guests and hired performers based on past incidents of violence and death at their hip-hop events.
Live Nation Lethal History
Many possibly remember what happened at Astroworld. The Houston music festival ended in several deaths and hundreds of people injured. According to the Houston Chronicle, the company has reportedly been connected to about 200 deaths and over 700 injuries since 2006.
Rakim Mayers also known as A$AP Rocky welcomed a baby with music artist and business mogul, Rihanna, this past spring. The proud father revealed he is completely focused on his music and family in an interview for Complex. The Harlem-raised rapper has seemed to be enjoying his private life with his girlfriend and new born. “I love it. Everything is just based around my newfound love for being a dad and a family man.” he told the publication. They referred to him as a man of mystery as we have only seen him in a few paparazzi photos here and there with the Barbadian singer, since the announcement of their union.
A$AP Rocky 2022 Singles
Throughout this year Rocky has dropped a string of singles including, his ode to Robyn Fenty “D.M.B.” and the most recent track “Shittin’ Me.” The release of “D.M.B.” came with the iconic music video of him and Rihanna running the streets of New York City. Previously the pair shared the screen in his music video for his 2013 track “Fashion Killa.”
RCA RECORDS
Album On The Way
It looks like an album will be coming soon, but there is still no release date. Mayers last project was in 2018, Testing. He told Complex, it’s some cool shit in store… And it’s not a situation where they [fans] are going to have to wait long. It’s like ASAP, no pun intended.” A$AP Rocky spoke to the publication with a certain excitement in the interview even though he described this moment in the hip-hop community as “really weird,” because of the deaths of important figures. Most recently hip-hop lost greats such as Take0ff from Migos and PnB Rock.
New Decor Line
Although Rocky’s musical project is coming along, he recently introduced us to his “furniture interior design studio.” His new decor line is called HOMMEMADE. The artist leaves Complex with this quote “all I have is my craft, my art, my family. That’s just my life. That’s what encompasses or completes my life at this moment.”
Yara Shahidi and Nas. Image source: Facebook Watch.
The season finale of Yara Shahidi’s Day Off, hosted by actress Yara Shahidi has been released! This episode features Yara’s cousin, multi-platinum recording artist Nas, and other family members playing games and drinking hand-crafted mocktails. The conversation between Yara and Nas focuses on music, inspiration, and investing in the future.
Nas Reminisces With Family Members
In addition to Nas’s daughter Destiny Jones, Yara’s brother Sayeed also participated in the family fun. They exchanged old and new family stories while playing games and enjoying mocktails. According to the host, her mother often mentioned how Nas would make his entry into music, but the entire family believed it to be a joke.
“I think I told Uncle Walter. I thought he’d be, like, ‘Yeah, you know, I heard of hip-hop,’ ” said Nas. “Didn’t know what I was talking about. I was young, so it was a dream. But it winded up happening.”
The conversation follows Nas and his daughter, Destiny Jones, speaking more about their experience at the Grammy Awards.
“That was actually a lot of fun to do, The Grammys,” said Destiny. The most memorable experience for her was sharing a trailer with her father. Moreover, Jones points out that Nas was a little nervous that night, even though he does not often experience anxiety.
“She’s right. I was backstage, and I was a little nervous because, you know, that’s a big show,” he said. After 20-some years, I’m like, I got to do this right. I got to remember the words. That was the main thing, remember the words.”
Nas did not anticipate performing at the Grammys. Therefore, it came as a surprise.
Actress Yara Shahidi Inquires About The Importance Of Nas’ Fellowship Program
The conversation then focused on his commitment to investing in future generations through the Harvard Hiphop Fellowship program. In addition, Shahidi asked him what was important to him about the Fellowship.
“The Fellowship is amazing because I didn’t finish. I had a lot of distractions, and I didn’t really finish high school,” said Nas.
Due to not completing high school, the rapper was unhappy for a considerable time, which is understandable since education is a fundamental part of one’s development.
In putting his name on this Fellowship, the “Patience” rapper felt a sense of responsibility as it represented his recent development and direction. Additionally, he asserts that now is the time to look at generational wealth. “It’s not as equal still in an investment space as it should be,” he continued. “So, yeah, we got to think about how we got to make the most, pass it on to the next generation.”
Check out the full episode below!
20th Anniversary Of The “God’s Son” Album
Nas is known as a musical genius. In case you are unaware, actress Yara Shahidi confirms that Nas’s sixth studio album God’s Son is approaching its 20th anniversary. This album is particularly noteworthy to her because of the words of affirmation it contains and his ability to make music that people can relate to.
Following Yara’s appreciation of the album, Nas elaborates on his music journey and what it means to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his album, God’s Son.
“I never thought I would be celebrating an album that’s 20 years old,” he replied. “It’s the coolest thing ever because you go, you know, it’s a marker in your life where you was. And where I was– I was kind of in a dark moment around that time.”
In 2002, Nas lost his mother to cancer. Several songs on God’s Son are dedicated to his mother, including “Dance.” Nas also felt that he was maturing in terms of rap years and wanted to create something new and different. Sometimes, the artist was not interested in making music or living a performer’s flashy, on-stage, loud life. “I wanted to really kind of just coast through life and go to Barnes & Noble and go do regular, cool things,” Nas asserted.
Nas’ 2002 studio album, God’s Son. Credit: Deep Discount
Meanwhile, the energy within him and the passion he felt were telling him to make that record. During a challenging time, Nas was able to draw strength from that album. The name ‘God’s Son’ represented his desire to focus on the positive aspects of the business and connect his spirituality with that higher vibration to ward off all the bad coming his way and remain humble.
Dream Big & Stay Ambitious!
In the last segment of the discussion, Yara mentions that the culture of critique is something she is always fighting and does not necessarily view this as a call to action.
“It’s an interesting next step to be like, ‘I can use this as the fire under me to do something about it.’,” she said. “Right. Right. And you’ve been doing that. I mean, you have become an inspiration for so many people,” said Nas. “I go places, and people are like, ‘Yara’s your cousin.’ And they tell me about things that I missed.”
Furthermore, Nas maintains that actress Yara Shahidi has always appeared focused at such an early age. The extent of her focus was unknown to him. You would expect many children to do activities related to their peers. However, Yara’s ambition has been integral to her personality since childhood.
In his statement, the “Hero” rapper encourages people not to fall victim to dream killers. “So, with our family, we’ve been lucky enough, blessed enough to have people who really care. That’s important,” he said.
This episode concludes with Nas giving Yara her flowers. “I love that you’re doing this show. This is perfect for you,” he said. “I can’t wait to watch all of it, and I’ll continue to support everything you’re doing. Continue to go.”
Check out the previous episodes from Yara Shahidi’s Day Off on Facebook Watch!
It’s no secret that 50 Cent and his son have a public and strained relationship. And The Game is taking aim at the rapper because of it. Back in 2020, Jackson explained why he and his son are estranged. Apparently, the rapper claims his son is privileged and ungrateful despite all he has been given. Tensions resurfaced earlier this month, when his son, Marquise, offered to pay the rapper $6,700 just to spend time with him. 50 Cent responded with a clip from his show Power where the character Kanan kills his son. The Game, however, added even more fuel to the long-burning dumpster fire.
The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, took to Instagram to show love to his child, Harlem. However, he first made a post taunting his East Coast rival. He posted an old pic of 50 and his son and captioned it, “like father like…wait, wrong picture. BRB.” He then proceeded to post a picture of his actual child with another shady caption, referencing Suge Knight.
Ahhhh more like it. I love you son, Harlem Taylor. You don’t want your dad playing favorites, leaving you out in the cold, n giving you scraps every month, come to DEATHROW.
The Game And 50’s Longstanding Rap Beef
This isn’t the first time this pair made headlines. For almost 20 years, The Game and 50 Cent hold the title for one of rap’s longest beef. This started in 2005 when the Game was dropped from the rap group, G-Unit. Since then, it’s been nothing but bad blood between the two, inspiring diss track after diss track. Not only has Taylor been beefing with the G-Unit leader, but he also started beef with 50’s longtime friend and peer, Eminem. It was rumored the two buried the hatchet several times, but peace never lasts long among the two.
So far, neither 50 nor his estranged son, Marquis have responded to The Game’s dig on social media. But if previous actions have taught us anything, it’s that none of the individuals involved are afraid to be messy.
R&B singer Ari Lennox is now very clear about what she wants from a relationship.
Ari Lennox has no more to do with abusive relationships. Ari now wants a “nice” person, as she also talked about in an entertaining interview with the Breakfast Club Power 105.1FM.
Although it sounds all like a joke, Ari doesn’t seem happy with the experiences she had dating up-and-coming rappers “they just won’t say it ’til like, you like them. And it’s just like, ‘Well, I’m ’bout to go to the studio.’ What?! Why?! What studio?”
And it didn’t stop at that. Ari Lennox has learned a lesson from a relationship with someone who “pretended like the singing part didn’t even exist” and “always kinda diminished everything about me,” Lennox explained.
Ari is a 2022 nominee BET Award for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist Nominee.
Meanwhile, the Breakfast Club interview isn’t the first time Ari Lennox has been talking about the matter recently.
“Age/Sex/Location”
Before the release of her album “Age/Sex/Location” on Sep 9, Ari took some time explaining to J.Cole what the new album meant to her. The “Queen Space” artist recalled the past.
“I spent so much time seeing the god and good in some abusive people,” Ari Lennox’s message reads. “Neglecting my needs and self-worth. Romanticizing terrible people. Ignoring red flags… my opinions and those knots in my stomach when interacting with people I’m dating.”
And now, that’s in the past. “No more tiptoeing. No more docile. Providing grace and compassion to myself. Blocking those that no more serve me or just literally not responding… Allowing accountability and maturing…growth to happen…self-worth and self-love and inner work to happen,” Ari added.
What Next For Ari Lennox?
It is time to allow “desperation and neediness to fade…The end of searching for anything other than self-love and family. Pouring into me and giving the greatest love to me.”
The situation with her father, where they are not on talking terms now, “sucks.” It is one of the areas needing Lennox’s attention now. “I wanna continue my therapy alone, but I think that would probably be best because I know these are things that I’m even carrying into my dating life, you know what I’m saying…I do wanna be more compassionate because he went through a lot, you know, with foster care and abandonment issues and all kinds of like dark things, so I do recognize like why he is the way that he is,” Ari said.
Family Relationship Lessons for People
Several people identify with Ari’s father-daughter relationship issue.
Ama Deon feels so connected to the development. “I relate to her life and her music. Her disappointment came from dad, mine come from both, and it literally bled into my personal life. I’m forced to heal now, alone, so I get it ari,” he commented.
A father in a similar situation makes a case for such parents. “Man Im going thru it with my oldest daughters. Definitely made me choke up seeing Ari and thinking of my girls. But Envy is right. Parents need grace and forgiveness too. We arent perfect and most of us literally are doing the BEST WE CAN,” Damien Taylor said.
VonRay confessed that “as a father, it actually affected me seeing her get sad and choked up when she started talking about her issues with her dad. One thing is for sure, watching your daughter(s) cry will hit you hard every single time. No matter what the situation is, he needs to reach out and they need to heal together once and for all. Ari, y’all are in my Prayers….️”
And so many more prayers for her and different families going through stress and strain continue beyond the social media spaces.
There are no guarantees that things will remain the same. As people live longer and attain greater wisdom, they tend to evolve in the most suitable ways for their lives and ages. Particularly when you have a family, you must make sacrifices. According to Vogue, the world’s leading female tennis player, Serena Williams, announced yesterday that she is retiring from the sport after the 2022 U.S. Open to devote herself to raising her family and pursuing other interests.
Williams announced that it will be her final game at this year’s U.S. Open, which is scheduled for three weeks from now. There’s still a chance for her to end her career with a big win. However, it is not on her agenda to achieve that.
Serena Fulfilled Her Obligations As A Mother, Cultural Leader, And A Tennis Player
It is no secret that the 40-year-old mother is one of the most recognizable figures on and off the court. As Serena has proven to us time and time again, she is the ultimate multi-tasking pro when it comes to juggling multiple responsibilities. In addition to her outstanding career as a tennis all-star, she is also an accomplished mom with an impeccable ability to handle everything mommy duties require.
“I was one of those annoying women who adored being pregnant and was working until the day I had to report to the hospital—although things got super complicated on the other side,” Williams said.
In 2017, the 23-time Grand Slam winner made a dangerous decision. According to Vibe, at the Australian Open, Serena Williams participated in a tennis match while two months pregnant. However, during childbirth, she had a near-death experience that she will never forget. The desire to pursue something that satisfies your passion is one thing, but you should always consider your well-being before dedicating time to it. Women who put too much stress on their bodies are more likely to suffer from miscarriages because their bodies will be overworked. A good rule of thumb would be to avoid doing anything risky if at all possible.
In addition to her role as a Black woman in tennis, the tennis legend also played a pivotal role in culture inside and outside the sport. Serena is a figure regarded not only as a cultural leader but also as someone who exceeded the sport. In 1999, she won her first grand slam at 19. Since then, she has earned many awards throughout her career.
Retirement Is Not A Pleasant Experience For The Tennis Player
Her decision to leave her sports career on the cover of Vogue was explained in an essay written in her own words. In this essay, she shares her decision to commit herself to business ventures and parenting.
The philanthropist mentions that a few years ago, she quietly started a venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, based in San Francisco, California. Williams has not been easy to acknowledge to herself or others that she has moved on from tennis.
“There is no happiness in this topic for me. I know it’s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain,” she said. “It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads.”
Serena Williams in 2003. Credit: Annie Leibovitz in Vogue.
A person engaged in a particular activity for an extended time may find it difficult to move on from it. The tennis player is not the only one affected by her retirement. Several fans and viewers worldwide have also expressed shock at the news.
Serena Williams is retiring. Imagine after Lewis Hamilton, Leo Messi, LeBron James, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal all retire. Man sports are gonna die.
Tennis fans have been treated to many memorable matches. Regardless of how long it takes to be forgotten, Serena Williams will remain an exceptional tennis player with an unfailing work ethic.
Venus And Serena Make A Dynamic Duo
As a child, Williams was trained by her father on public tennis courts in Los Angeles. In 1995, Williams became a professional tennis player, one year after her sister Venus became a professional. Their remarkable athletic talent, powerful serves, and ground strokes soon attracted much attention due to their outstanding abilities.
Venus Williams was widely predicted to be the first Williams sister to win a Grand Slam singles title. However, Serena achieved the feat when she won the 1999 U.S. Open. A tournament of this magnitude cannot be underestimated regarding its impact on tennis history. The twin sisters won the doubles event and 14 Grand Slam titles together throughout their careers.
Serena and Venus Williams received trophies following Serena’s victory over her sister in the Women’s Singles final. Credit: Phil Walter – EMPICS—EMPICS Sport
The Tennis Player Aspired To Be As Good As Venus
As a child, Serena did not know how to play tennis. She had no idea what it took to be a pro in the game. According to the tennis all-star, King Richard’s movie confirms that she was not a competent tennis player in her youth. When it came to opportunities, she was distraught that she did not get all of them as Venus did. Nevertheless, it motivated her to work harder. Training harder enabled her to sharpen her savage fighting skills, allowing Serena to travel to tournaments with Venus as her hitting partner.
In the same way that her sister has been praised for her abilities, Venus deserves to be recognized and given credit for hers.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist stayed close to her sister and watched her play tennis worldwide. She understood Venus’s reasons for losing games and ensured that she would not repeat the same mistakes in the future. Since the 40-year-old gained experience from Venus’ loss, she ascended the rankings quickly. Serena learned from her sister’s mistakes rather than making her own.
It seems like every week Kanye West makes headlining news. This week we are back with a new headline and this time it’s strictly art. Kanye has bought a $57.3 million dollar mansion on the coast of Malibu, surprisingly just 30 minutes away from his baby mama Kim Kardashian. The home is 4,000 square feet and stretches from the road to nearly the water line of the ocean itself. Though looking from the outside, it may not appear so, as massive the home was designed as a military bunker.
The home was designed and built by Tadao Ando a Japanese architect from Osaka, Japan. Ando is has become famous for his ‘haiku effect in his designs giving the feeling of nothing or little work when indeed the project is complex and takes a lot of thought. It required 1200 tons of poured concrete, with 200 tons of reinforced steel driven 60 feet into the ground just to keep it stable sitting off the sandy coast.
Mr. West has a downside to this beautiful and expensive home though. He is very close to busy streets and traffic. Also there is not much space between him and his neighbors,making it a bit difficult for some privacy. Paparazzi will certainly know when Kanye’s home.
Kanye West has always been into aesthetics. He tweeted back in 2018 that we would all be living in a James Turrel-style home or work mimics by James Turrel (per HNHH).
If you don’t know who Turrel is, he is an artist and architect combining the two into a living experience. Remaking modern art as a day-to-day lifestyle, so to speak. He created the structures for Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’ video he also designed the rings for Apple’s ring-shaped campus as well.
What’s your take on this new home Kanye has purchased? Did he move here to be closer to his family? Maybe rekindle his relationship with Kim? Let us know in the comments below.
Lil Nas X is proof that fame and celebrity don’t change the dynamic of your family. Nas X is known as a rapper and songwriter. Lil Nas X is trending again. And not because of his sexuality. Recently the rapper of the hit singles “Old Town Road” and “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” has been ridiculed. This time it’s in regards to the treatment of his drug-addicted mother.
There was an alleged video that surfaced of his mother. She allegedly was asking “someone to feed her.” The sign stated that she was the mother of Lil Nas X, and the internet did not hesitate in criticizing Nas X for not helping her. His father came to his defense on Instagram stating that Lil Nas X, “is the greatest kid a parent can be Blessed with…”
Lil Nas X hasn’t made many comments regarding the alleged post of his mother. Nas X recently deleted a tweet saying, “I hate speaking on my personal life, but ya’ll n***** don’t know how many nights I’ve cried myself to sleep feeling guilty because nothing I tried will help my mom paint me as the bad guy all you want but at the end of the day you don’t know me outside this internet shit.”
Therefore, it is safe to say that he has been faced with a lot of scrutinies. Some of the criticism is surrounding Lil Nas X being openly gay. And we have all heard about the extreme backlash of his devil-themed video “Montero.” Moreover, it seems as if the rapper is always able to bounce back from the criticism. And still charting #1 on Billboard.
Nicki Minaj Announces Her Pregnancy, And We Couldn’t Be More Excited!
Some good news to start off a new week, NICKI MINAJ IS PREGNANT! Everyone just found out today that she will be expecting her first child with her husband Kenneth Perry. Since finding out the news today, it explains a lot as to why she has been MIA on Instagram for quite some time. And we must say, she truly looks like the ultimate MILF! But the real question is, will it be a boy or a girl?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC3ffwbDEM5/
The Family Is Growing
First an amazing husband, and now an amazing pregnancy, the family is really growing! Now that we know this amazing news, it makes so much more sense why we didn’t see Minaj as much on Instagram. Before Nicki’s announcement, there were rumors online guessing she was pregnant to explain why she may have been MIA on social media. Now, it’s clear that Nicki Minaj wanted to wait until the perfect moment to announce her pregnancy! Her newest Instagram posts has everyone drooling! In one of her recent posts, she captioned the photo “Love. Marriage. Baby carriage. Overflowing with excitement & gratitude. Thank you all for the well wishes. 💛”
From Nicki Minaj’s Instagram!From Nicki Minaj’s Instagram!
It’s awesome to see that in Nicki’s pregnancy posts she is rocking her classic and funky style in the photos. We are excited to follow Nicki and Perry’s family journey until their beautiful baby is born.
Next Steps For Nicki Minaj’s Pregnancy
Other than Nicki’s wonderful announcement, everyone doesn’t know too much about her and Perry’s journey. The next step is finding out the sex, which is going to be super excited for the married couple and fans. Will it be a boy or a girl? Hopefully soon, the public to know! Needless to say, we are excited to see Nicki as a mother!
This episode is by far the funniest episode yet. The Shumperts are preparing for the Hip Hop Honors in Los Angeles, CA but before they hit the red carpet they’ll be hiking the green trails of nature. A 2-day family vacation at High Falls State Park in Georgia.
Photo: VH1
Can you imagine “PETUNIA“ camping? Constant swatting and obnoxious screams echoing through the trees. OH HECK NO! Teyana expresses that the closest she has ever gotten to camping was living in Atlanta, GA. She used to the concrete jungle but with her nature-loving husband Iman on her side, she’ll survive. Hopefully.
[WATCH]: THE SHUMPERTS GOES CAMPING AND TEYANA CATCHES A “BIG ONE”.
Iman’s not just a baller/rapper, he an acclaimed survivalist too. He leads the family on an “extreme” hike upstream, however, there’s a bit of a setback when Teyana hurts her toe on their excursion. Like a true soldier, she walks it off and enjoys the rest of the trip before she heads off to L.A. to perform at the Hip Hop Honors.
During a secret video shoot, Teyana really starts to feel the pain in her foot. Her stylist and team cater to her every need to make sure they get the shoot done, that includes carrying her around on their back.
OK Queen Tut. Team Work Make the Dream Work.
T-T is on some all black “who’s yo momma” dominatrix vibes in this video. Let’s just ignore that her toe may be broken, she’s trying to get her sexy-on in 6-inch thigh high latex platform boots.
Poor Tink-Tink foot was looking like a southern-style biscuit. CAN SOMEONE GET HER A ADVIL!!!
Teyana had to see a doctor and after receiving the news that she fractured her toe, the only thing that was on her mind was performing at the Hip Hop Honors.
One toe didn’t stop the show. This hard-working mommy shows up and out for her dance tribute to LL Cool J and BBD. Teyana graffiti out her boot cast and hits the stage to give a crowd-pleasing performance.
[WATCH]: Teyana Taylor Shakes Up The Hip Hop Honors In A Leg Brace.
Teyana prevails and overcomes the curve ball! Another “W” for The Shumperts. Catch Teyana & Iman on VH1 every Monday at 9 p.m. ET.
