BEYONCÉ'S NEW RELEASES DRIVE STREAMS TO OTHER BLACK FEMALE COUNTRY ARTISTS
Beyoncé‘s new country-leaning tracks have not only brought her success, but have also driven streams to other Black female artists in the genre.
According to a Billboard story from Thursday (February 22), the singer’s country songs – “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” – have sparked significant interest in other deserving Black women who have already forayed into Country music.
Tanner Adell’s catalog received an increase of 188% in the streams from February 9-12 (230,000 official on-demand streams) to February 16-19 (670,000 streams), while Reyna Roberts had an increase of 250% during the period from February 16-19.
Other artists affected by the boost include K. Michelle and Linda Martell, the first black woman to play at the Grand Ole Opry.
Some fans were critical of the attribution, while others admitted that they only checked out these artists because of Bey.
The Reactions to Tyler Perry’s ‘Mea Culpa’ Are in – They’re Not Very Kind: ‘Mea Culpa is Just P0rn’
Spoiler alert. This article is about the new Netflix/Tyler Perry film “Mea Culpa” starring Kelly Rowland and Trevante Rhodes. You may or may not want to read on if you haven’t seen it yet.
Below is a brief review of the film from The Guardian after which are some Twitter reactions to the film. All we’ll say is that the most memorable thing about “Mea Culpa” was the very erotic, damn near x-rated sex scene between Rowland’s and Rhodes’ characters. At the end of it, all we could think was, “What the hell did we just watch?” Yeah, this film made zero sense to us. Anyway, as we said, below is a sample of The Guardian’s take and X/Twitter reactions.
Kelly Rowland and Trevante Rhodes do some heavy lifting in an often hilariously messy attempt to recall classics like Jagged Edge and Basic Instinct
There are small pockets of low-rent fun to be had in Tyler Perry’s lurid erotic thriller Mea Culpa, some intentional, most less so. It’s a film that, yes, is about a woman called Mea who is also, yes, at fault, as women often are in the writer-director’s films. The mogul has gained a reputation for punishing his female characters, especially when they dare to stop believing in their husband, no matter how awful his behavior might be, like in his atrocious 2018 thriller Acrimony, where he had the gall to waste, and chastise, Taraji P Henson.
His latest target is a powerful lawyer played by Kelly Rowland, making a convincing case as the leading lady, trapped in a marriage with a letdown, a man fired… See the full article at The Guardian
KODAK BLACK'S ATTORNEY HITS OUT AT MEDIA FOR NEGATIVE COVERAGE FOLLOWING HIS RELEASE
Kodak Black’s attorney has criticized the media coverage around the rapper following his release from jail.
Black was released from prison earlier this week after admitting to a probation violation though additional charges related to drug possession were dropped.
Yak, who appeared to get himself into trouble immediately after exiting jail after getting into a confrontation with local media, has found a defender in his attorney Bradford Cohen.
Cohen slammed the mainstream media on Instagram for focusing on negative stories about the rapper and not positive ones such as him donating money to the family of a slain police officer.
“I’m sure the mainstream won’t carry it. @tmz_tv will probably only run something negative,” he wrote. “But we know how @kodakblack moves and what he’s been doing since day one. It’s a shame when people only want negativity on someone.”
In a separate post, Cohen wrote: “In typically Kodak fashion, he just pledged to donate to the college fund of a 2-year-old and a 5 month old. Whose father was a Minnesota officer killed recently in the line of duty. Expecting his 2nd son this Friday, he knows how important family is and hopes it helps relieve some burden.”
Fox News Pundit is Convinced That Trump Sneakers Will Bring Black Voter Support
On the heels of Donald Trump’s totally expected GOP presidential primary win over Nikki Haley on Saturday (02-24-24), his new line of sneakers will be a great tool for winning black voters, according to Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo.
In his eyes, the $399 shoes are a great way for the former commander-in-chief to connect with black voters and, ultimately triumph in his bid to win the 2024 presidential election. Needless to say, Arroyo’s logic is not fact-based. HuffPost notes It stems from racist stereotyping as he insists the footwear will connect with Black folks who plan on exercising their right to choose the next president.
Ok.
“So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line, they’re like, ‘Wait a minute, this is cool,’” said Arroyo, who sees success with the shoes because “they love sneakers” and they are “a big deal, certainly in the inner city.” “He’s reaching them on a level that defies and is above politics. The culture always trumps politics, and Trump understands culture like no politician I’ve ever seen.”
Arroyo’s support of Trump’s shoe endeavor comes after #45 launched his sneaker brand one day after New York judge Arthur Engoron ordered him to pay $355 million in penalties. The ruling came after the judge found Trump fraudulently valued parts of his real-estate empire to secure favorable loans. News of the hefty penalty has triggered speculation that the GOP presidential nomination frontrunner is using the sneaker line to raise money to pay the civil fraud case penalty, among other debts, HuffPost mentioned. Arroyo’s backing of the sneakers may work for him, but it generated a skeptical vibe from his fellow panelist, Tomi Lahren, who wasn’t on board with Trump being reelected by people who might like his shoes.
Still, Arroyo stood his ground, saying, “Anybody willing to put 400 bucks down for a pair of sneakers? Yeah, I think that’s commitment and love. It’s something,”
TREY SONGZ 2015 SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWSUIT DROPPED, BUT COULD STILL BE REFILED
Trey Songz in in the clear – for now – in a lawsuit stemming from a 2015 incident where two women alleged that he sexually assaulted them at a party.
According to court documents obtained by Radar Online on Friday (February 23), the alleged victims’ lawyer said he was dropping the complaint without prejudice, which means it could be refiled in the future if they choose to. A reason for the dismissal has not been made clear.
As previously reported, the pair of unnamed women sued Trey Songz in October of 2023, accusing him of forcing himself onto them to have non-consensual sex at a Los Angeles party in 2015.
Per the documents, the women met Trey in June of that year while attending one of his concerts, where they were invited to an afterparty he was hosting.
They say they established a rapport with Songz and were invited to his birthday party at his house later that summer in August.
The women claim they were forced to give up their phones when entering the party. They believe they were drugged as they felt very drunk despite only drinking a “modest” amount.
They claim to have passed out in an upstairs bedroom, only to wake up naked with Trey performing oral sex on one and fingering the other.
Songz allegedly then demanded they all shower together, but when the girls refused, he became enraged and kicked them out the next morning.
Trey Songz’s attorney, Michael Freedman, denied the allegations.
“This is yet another example of nearly decade-old allegations being repurposed to take advantage of California’s constitutionally questionable new look back window,” he told TMZ at the time of the filing. “We look forward to vindicating Trey on the merits in court.”
The news arrives just weeks after another court victory for Songz, who saw another sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed due to a failure on the part of the alleged victim.
Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign’s ‘Vultures 1’ Spends Second Week Atop Billboard 200
Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign’s collaborative album Vultures 1 spends a second week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated March 2), earning 75,000 equivalent album units in its second week in the U.S. (down 50%), according to Luminate.
Vultures 1 is Ye’s first album to spend multiple weeks at No. 1 since 2011’s Watch the Throne, with Jay-Z, spent two weeks in charge. In total, of Ye’s 11 No. 1s, three have spent multiple weeks at No. 1: Vultures 1, Watch the Throne and 2005’s Late Registration, all with two weeks atop the list.
DRAKE DRAGGED BY MEGAN THEE STALLION FANS AFTER TORY LANEZ SUPPORT
Drake has been heavily criticized by Megan Thee Stallion’s fans after calling for Tory Lanez‘s release from prison.
On his Instagram Stories on Monday (February 26), Drizzy posted a picture of Lanez along with the caption: “3 you.”
Drake’s post quickly drew the ire of Megan’s fanbase, with many taking issue with the Toronto rap star for supporting a man who was convicted of shooting Megan in the feet.
One person wrote on X: “Drake stop doing this…trying to be petty with Megan cause you know damn well that this weirdo criminal needs to be locked up.”
Drake and Megan Thee Stallion have had issues for a while now after the Houston rapper criticized the 6 God for suggesting she lied about being shot by Tory Lanez.
JEEZY’S TINY DESK PERFORMANCE LEAVES FANS UNDERWHELMED
Jeezy‘s Tiny Desk performance hasn’t exactly received the accolades given to similar performances, with many of the Atlanta rapper’s fans underwhelmed.
While some commenters noted that the crowd was mostly to blame for the “Church in These Streets” rapper not being at his absolute best — with one commenter on The Shade Room‘s Instagram noting that the crowd was too young to remember Jeezy’s greatest hits (“Listen Jeezy needed a crowd of folks ages 31-41 of reformed trappers or girls that love trap music and reformed trappers. The crowd was not it.”) — other commenters took the Atlanta native to task for being less than enthusiastic about performing.
“Love Jeezy for real but something was off with this one,” wrote one commenter on the 2 Cool 2 Blog Instagram. “Didn’t move me at all .. Two things that made Young Jeezy, great 1. baselines [sic], 2. Adlibs … two things he didn’t have on tiny desk,” wrote another, and a third wrote, “Damn this like when Kobe started pump faking 5x before getting his shot off after the Achilles injury.”
YO GOTTI’S SURPRISINGLY HIGH NET WORTH REVEALED
Yo Gotti has quietly built quite the financial empire, and is now sitting nicely at an estimated net worth of $100 million.
Forbes spoke in depth with the Memphis native in a piece published on Friday (February 23). In addition to his CMG Music Group which is home to artists including Moneybagg Yo, GloRilla and Blac Youngsta, Gotti also has a minority stake in the MLS team D.C. United and owns the restaurant Prive in Memphis.
“If I never wrote another rap again, I’m financially straight,” he told the publication. “My whole career, I was setting up for that.”
He’s got more business moves planned for the future, which he’s setting up by taking business classes at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management with a focus on corporate valuation.
“I may want to buy a company or acquire another company,” he explained. “So I’m making sure I’m super tight and understand the language and the verbiage myself other than listening to financial experts.”
JAY-Z, who serves as a mentor to Gotti as it pertains to business moves, also commented for the piece.
“His business acumen is evident in every move he makes, breaking the mold of the old-guard definition of an executive,” Hov said.
A portion of how he’s built such an empire is by not spending frivolously. In an interview last summer, Gotti explained his refusal to fly private, as he believes there are smarter ways to spend his hard-earned cash.
FRENCH MONTANA: NIPSEY HUSSLE’S MURDER SCARED ME AWAY FROM WANTING TO BUY THE BLOCK
French Montana has revealed that he stopped his plans to “buy the block” when Nipsey Hussle was murdered.
That’s the revelation the Coke Boys leader made in an interview with The Breakfast Club, which dropped on Friday (February 23). French referred to “buy[ing] the block” in his new song “Dirty Bronx Intro,” where he also references the murder of the late Coke Boy Chinx, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2015.
“I feel like watching that video with Nip was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said, referring to Nip’s murder outside of a clothing store he owned. “All he was trying to do was just try to change his neighborhood and just bring some great things back and try to buy his block. I feel like watching that scared me away from trying to do the same thing.”
He continued: “Look what happened to Chinx. Chinx got shot in Queens. Look what happened to a lot of people that don’t have a name, a lot of fallen soldiers. So why come back and do that?”
Also....
FRENCH MONTANA DEFENDS 126-SONG VERSION OF ‘MAC & CHEESE 5’
Universal Music Group Buys Majority Stake in Nigerian Label Mavin Global
The Universal Music Group purchased a majority stake in Nigerian record company Mavin Global, the iconic label founded by Don Jazzy that is home to Rema, Ayra Starr, Crayon and Ladipoe, among others. The deal is expected to be completed by the third quarter, pending regulatory approval, the companies announced.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, Billboard reported in October that Mavin was being shopped by Shot Tower Capital at a valuation north of $125 million, with a sale price in the region of $150 million to $200 million; it was unclear if publishing was involved in the deal. As part of the investment arrangement, Don Jazzy — who founded Mavin in 2012, and also serves as CEO — and COO Tega Oghenejobo will continue to run the label.
“Our criteria for identifying partners is straightforward: great artists, great entrepreneurs, great people,” UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge said in a statement announcing the deal. “With Don Jazzy, Tega, the Mavin Global team and their artist roster, we’ve found ideal partners with whom to grow together. Mavin’s brilliant artists have been catalysts in the transformation of Afrobeats into a global phenomenon and we’re thrilled to welcome them into the Universal Music Group family.”
Cam Newton Caught on Video in Huge Brawl at Atlanta School
Cam Newton appeared to get in a fight with a group of guys recently ... and it was all caught on video. The former NFL quarterback's right in the middle of a group of guys who have jumped on him, and he's trying to hold them back without swinging back. As they spun around, another man in a white t-shirt came up and threw a punch at Cam, a blow that appeared to make contact with someone. Ultimately, Cam fended off these people long enough to receive help from others -- including a police officer who came in and backed several individuals away from Newton. There's not a lot of context about what started the brawl which seems to have taken place at the B.E.S.T. Academy 6-12 in Atlanta. It seems Cam was there for an event put on by his foundation C1N, a 7v7 league that plays tournaments all across the country. Another angle of the brawl shows a couple of the guys shoving Cam around before the group goes flying off into an area covered by trees -- but, outside of that, it's unclear what might've set off such an explosive situation.
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Busta Rhymes Appears To Get In Physical Altercation With Rapper Nizzle Man
