Source: Prince Williams / Getty Tory Lanez Allegedly Punched “Love and Hip Hop: Miami” Star Prince At LIV Nightclub According to TMZ , video surfaced of Tory Lanez reportedly swinging on a cast member of “Love & Hip Hop Miami” in a Miami Club. The Canadian rapper-singer was at the popular Miami club Friday night, where he was reportedly set to perform. Prior to taking the stage, however, he got into a little kerfuffle with Prince Michael Harty, a rapper/promoter on ‘L&HH: Miami’. It’s unclear if he connected with the guy cleanly, but it appears the rest of Tory’s security team and entourage joined in on the beat down too. LIV reps released a statement on the altercation: “Last night our security broke up an altercation between Love and Hip Hop’s Prince and Tory Lanez. We have a zero tolerance policy towards violence and both parties were immediately asked to leave the venue.” Go to the next page to see the actual footage from the fight…
Source: CHANEL / CHANEL Pharrell Tells Rick Rubin His Feelings On “Blurred Lines” Lawsuit & More (Video) Pharrell Williams is still aging backward and doing all the positive things we’ve become accustomed to expect from him. Earlier this year he had his first annual “Something In The Water Festival” which was well received and even set to come next year with an expansion pack attached. Recent Pharrell team up with GQ for an exclusive editorial and portraits. He is still one of the driving forces and influences at the Adidas powerhouse right beside Kanye West. Usually, we don’t get too many open and honest interviews from Pharrell with his opinion on display on different topics. Thanks to GQ & Rick Rubin we now have an hour-long open form discussion with Pharrell & GQ. The main topic people took away from this interview was his opinion and thoughts on the “Blurred Lines” lawsuit. In which it seems he was faulted for the song “feeling” like another classic. Or as Rolling Stone describes it: In a lengthy legal battle that concluded in 2018, a judge ruled that Pharrell, the song’s producer/co-writer, and singer/co-writer Robin Thicke would have to pay just shy of $5 million to the family of late singer Marvin Gaye over similarities between Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Gaye’s 1977 song “Got to Give It Up.” But in the GQ video segment, Pharrell maintains that the two tracks only share a “feeling,” which can’t be copyrighted. The verdict would cause anyone to be upset as it states it shares a “feeling” which cant be copy-written so there shouldn’t be an issue. Pharrell ends up calling the whole thing “his lesson.” Rubin & Williams go on to discuss how trap music’ & salsa music have a similar sound but aren’t the same at all and how the verdict of the case set him back personally. Another interesting take was the trip down memory line in which Rick & Pharrell reminisce how hard it used to be to see Hip-Hop on TV or radio and how the industry tried to suppress the genre until white kids started liking it. Even a slight dive into why Hip-Hop was being suppressed. Overall an amazing open conversation more artists should do. Watch the discussion in its entirety below, the lawsuit talk starts around the 27-minute mark.
Music Vet Dame Grease Says Rasheed “ Ralo” Harrison Screwed Him Out Of Royalties The co-writer for DMX’ s hit “Stop Being Greedy” wants a man he believes stole his royalties to do just that. One of hip hop’ most prolific songwriter/producers – who helped to hone the Ruff Ryders’ sound – has sued a fellow music industry veteran for orchestrating a music royalty theft scam. Dame Grease has filed a $2 million lawsuit against Wonder Boy Publishing head Rasheed “Ralo” Harrison for tortious interference with contract, alleging he straight up stole Grease’s extensive publishing catalog from right under his and the record label’s nose. According to court papers obtained by BOSSIP, Grease said he inked a publishing deal with Sony 20 years ago where the company would oversee his catalog and he would retain 50 percent of his copyrights. But the writer said he believes Harrison forged his signature and illegally took over ownership of the catalog, and Grease said Sony hasn’t provided an accounting of his royalties for seven years. Sony/ATV Music Publishing and BMG Rights Management are also named as defendants for breach of contract, Grease’s amended complaint, which was filed Nov. 4, states. Grease is being represented by Lita Rosario, who also litigated Big Pun’s widow’s back royalty case against Fat Joe a few years back. “Actually, my first thought was to get on some street s**t,” Grease told BOSSIP about when he learned of the alleged fraud. “With selling 60 million records, I knew the residuals weren’t coming back. I was seeing royalty statements for a couple of hundred dollars.” The ghostwriter, who helped pen and produce classics from the late 1990s including Nore and Nas’ “Body In The Trunk,” The Lox’s “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa,” and most of DMX’s debut album, “It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot,” said he believes he’s not Harrison’s only alleged victim and wouldn’t be surprised if other big names sue him for compensation in the future. Grease, who is supporting two of his children in college, said he wants his catalog back, an accounting from Sony on how they allegedly dropped the ball and his back royalties plus punitive damages. We’ve reached out to Harrison’s lawyer, who said he was not involved in the case declined to comment.
Source: Alex Wong / Alex Wong Former Starbucks Manager Files Discrimination Suit After Firing Shannon Phillips managed various Starbucks locations in four different states over the course of 13 years, but after being fired, she’s filed a lawsuit against the coffee chain. According to reports from The Daily Beast , the white former employee is claiming that she was the victim of racial discrimination when she was terminated in wake of the wrongful arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia store last year. “Weeks after the arrests and surrounding media coverage, [Starbucks] took steps to punish white employees who had not been involved in the arrests, but who work in and around the city of Philadelphia, in an effort to convince the community that it had properly responded to the incident,” the lawsuit states. The suit is referencing the highly publicized incident from April 2018, where Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson ended up being cuffed and escorted out by police officers for sitting inside the Starbucks as they waited on a work associate to arrive. At the time, the company responded by re-evaluating how their employees deal with customers supported by company-wide racial bias training. Now, Phillips alleges that Starbucks was internally targeting its white employees–including her–after the mishap. According to the suit, said “discrimination” allegedly started about a month after the arrests, when Phillips was forced to suspend a “white employee (who had not had any involvement in the arrests)” for “an allegation of discriminatory conduct” which she says wasn’t true. Phillips was allegedly told in a meeting with her supervisors that the manager she was tasked with suspending had been paying non-white employees less than those who are white–but she disputed the claim, stating that store managers cannot determine salaries. Phillips ended up being fired the next day because “the situation [was] not recoverable,” claiming that the excuse was a “pre-text for race discrimination.” Shannon Phillips is seeking compensatory and punitive damages over the “embarrassment, humiliation, loss of self-esteem, mental anguish, and loss of life’s pleasures.” As for Starbucks, the company has denied these claims.
Source: ANGELA WEISS / Getty Colin Kaepernick & Team Release Fact Check To Clear Up Rumors Colin Kaepernick hasn’t been on a football field since 2016, which feels like forever and a day go at this point. The last time he was on the field, he was playing quarterback for the 49ers, before his kneeling activism lead to him being blackballed by the NFL. Yesterday, Kap’s agent Jeff Nalley released a fact-checker in an effort to clear up any the of rumors or misleading information people have about the activist. In the letter, he points out that during his last season on the field, the 49ers landed 4th in dropped passes with 29th in pass-blocking efficiency, all while having the worst-ranked defense in the entire NFL. This letter seems to be another attempt for his agent to blast NFL teams on record, as TMZ reports Nalley has reached out to every NFL team and reportedly gotten little-to-no response. “Not a single team has offered Colin a job since the 2016 season, in which he began his peaceful protest. Not a single team has brought Colin in for a workout. Seattle brought Colin in for a visit but did not work him out. Afterward, Pete Carroll said Colin is a ‘starter in this league’. No other NFL team has interviewed or worked out Colin in the past 3 seasons, despite other false statements in the media to the contrary.” One of the rumors Nalley addressed in this letter were those circulating that Colin was demanding a specific salary, along with the longstanding rumor that he doesn’t even want to play again. His team made sure to make it clear that those allegations specifically are “completely false” and the notion Colin doesn’t want to play is just plain wrong. In fact, he says Colin has been working out 5 days a week for over three years now, and at this point, he’s just hoping to play again. He also goes on to address why Colin opted out of his 49er deal in the first place, if he’s even eligible to play again, and more. Nalley closes the letter out in a college essay fashion, pretty much laying out how he doesn’t understand the issue. “In summary, it is difficult to think of another young player in NFL history with statistics and character as impressive as Colin’s not being given an opportunity to earn a spot on an NFL roster after what he has accomplished.” At this point, it may be time to try a different approach, or for Colin, a different agent. No matter how pissed off people may be about his kneeling or his NFL settlement check, any agent with respect on their name would get a callback and a conversation, even if it’s not what they want to hear. Something has got to give because these same old tricks from 2016 clearly aren’t getting the job done and there are more than enough quarterback positions open for someone of Kaepernick’s caliber. You can read the letter in its entirety down below. The agent of Colin @Kaepernick7 set the record straight about his desire to play football. pic.twitter.com/YTh7Bq8yjD — rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) October 10, 2019
Source: Netflix “Eli” Trailer “Eli” will probably give you nightmares or make you sleep with every light on based on this very spooky and very stressful trailer that you should absolutely watch at your own risk.. “Eli” streams globally on Netflix on October 18, 2019.
Source: Mesquite PD / Mesquite PD Judge Tammy Kemp Criticized For Amber Guyger Hug The Judge who bizarrely bestowed a bible and a hug to a CONVICTED MURDERER is facing a formal complaint. As previously reported jaws dropped when people saw not only Botham Jean’s brother hug Amber Guyger —but presiding Judge Tammy Kemp who also sweetened the gesture by giving Guyger a bible. “You can have mine. I have three or four more at home,” Kemp said to Guyger while giving her the bible. “This is your job for the next month. Right here, John 3:16.” Judge Tammy Kemp steps off the bench, hands Amber Guyger her personal bible and tells her to read and live John 3:16, then hugs Guyger. Watch live: https://t.co/86S3jPDqCg #AmberGuygerTrial pic.twitter.com/U1oGEQW7I5 — NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) October 2, 2019 Now the Freedom From Religion Foundation has filed a complaint with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct, the agency that investigates allegations of judicial misconduct for Judge Kemp’s benevolent gesture. The Associated Press reports that the Freedom From Religion Foundation complained that Kemp “went too far” and called her actions “inappropriate and unconstitutional.” “Delivering Bibles and personally witnessing as a judge is an egregious abuse of power,” the foundation wrote in a letter to Texas officials. Kemp “transmitted her personal religious beliefs as a state official in an official proceeding of the gravest nature.” Mind you The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a secular Wisconsin-based group that routinely files lawsuits challenging religious displays in government. And while you might not agree with them protesting religious displays, the egregiousness of the hug still stands. Judge Kemp is being defended however by former Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins. Watkins is an esteemed Attorney who became the first black elected district attorney in Texas history. “It’s just her Christian nature,” said Watkins according to AP . Kemp, he said, would pray when their office tackled complex cases. “You’re having people of color that have the opportunity to make judges now,” Watkins said. “Their life experience and their religious points of view are different than what we’ve seen in the past. That’s just the evolution of our judicial system.” WELP! What do YOU think about Judge Kemp getting flagged for coddling a convict??? We know what WE think about it…
Source: Scott Legato / Getty Lil Wayne Ordered To Pay $150,000 In Concert Lawsuit Lately, Lil Wayne’s concerts have been a pretty touchy subject. This negative trend is continuing according to reports from TMZ that the rapper has been ordered to pay $150,000 for allegedly orchestrating a fake concert that was promoted under his name. According to court documents obtained by the publication, Wayne was being sued by Ramin Natan for both breach of contract and fraud. The judge ruled in favor of Natan in a default settlement, because Wayne didn’t ever bother tending to the lawsuit. Now, the New Orleans rapper has to pay Natan a smooth $150K in damages. This news comes after Natan first filed this lawsuit back in January. According to the client and his lawyers, Lil Wayne and the Migos are “Ponzi scheme artists” that book shows that they never truly intended on performing at in the first place. Natan says that he gave Eric Stenger $500,000 to promote a Lil Wayne concert, even though Stenger was never a concert promoter at all. Natan feels like Stenger knew Lil Wayne and gave the rapper the $500,000 to perform, but he never showed up. Weezy was served with the lawsuit papers months ago and never responded to Natan’s claims. As a result, the judge ruled in the plaintiff’s favor. In most cases, the judge will give the defendant another chance to respond to being served before the verdict is finalized–but it’s unclear if Lil Wayne is going to move forward with the process or just shell out the $150,000. Hopefully concerts stop being such a negative for Wayne (and his fans) sometime soon.
Source: Newspix / Getty Kevin Hart And His Passengers Are All Getting Lawyered Up It looks like Kevin Hart and the two people in his car that crashed on September 1 have all gotten themselves lawyers as everyone involved is expecting a big lawsuit. According to reports from TMZ , sources with direct knowledge say the driver–who sustained serious back and chest injuries–has an attorney, as does the passenger in the backseat, who sustained only a few minor injuries. Kevin Hart, of course, has a lawyer as well. Kevin is expected to be in the crosshairs of the other two people inside the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda at the time of the crash because the car was not equipped with any sort of safety harnesses or airbags. The argument here is that Hart should have worried less about keeping the car authentic and more about the actual safety of the vehicle, and not doing so constitutes negligence, on his part. The once driving the car could also be on the hook for both Kev and the backseat passenger, but that presumption is a little premature since the CHP is still investigating the cause of the crash. TMZ also reports that the company that customized the car for Kevin could also be looking at a lawsuit, for those same issues mentioned about safety above. The company is supposed to be the expert on cars, and even if Kevin wanted a custom job without safety harnesses, they should have refused anything that wasn’t safe for those involved, especially with a 720 horsepower engine. Law enforcement sources told the publication that CHP may lobby the California State Legislature to prohibit custom car companies from rolling out products without harnesses, regardless of whether the customer wants them or not.
Source: Newspix / Getty Kevin Hart Sued For $60 Million By Woman Sex Tape With Him As if Kevin Hart isn’t already dealing with bad karma, here’s another heaping helping of hot mess to dump onto his plate. According to TMZ , Kevin Hart is still dealing with the fallout from his previous leaked sex tape with Montia Sabbag , the woman with whom he was caught cheating on wife Eniko. The Sabbag chick has filed a $60 million lawsuit claiming that Kev and his friend JT Jackson planned to tape their tryst in order to get exposure for his then-upcoming comedy tour. Despite the fact that Jackson was charged by police with two counts of trying to extort Kevin, Sabbag claims that Hart allowed Jackson into his room prior to the two returning for sex. Jackson denies the extortion attempts and Kevin denies conspiring with him to create the recording. Montia wants damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy. Good luck with that.
