Today for Black History Month 2019 , we are highlighting the mogul Sean Combs . Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Birth Date: November 4, 1969 Hometown: New York City, New York Fun Facts: Sean goes by many names such as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and simply Diddy Sean is an entrepreneur, producer, and artist that started Bad Boy Entertainment in 1993 Sean is also known for his business endeavors with Ciroc, Revolt TV, and Sean John clothing Sean signed the late Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack and many other artists Sean has 6 children Sean attended Howard University Sean got his start in the Music Business as an intern at Uptown Records We thank you for your contributions Sean Combs . [ione_media_gallery src=”https://thebeatdfw.com” id=”3111223″ overlay=”true”]
Black History continues to happen everyday. This month, we decided create a Superhero Guide To Black History Month highlighting musicians, politicians, actors and athletes of influence who are not only dominating in their crafts, but are also helping shape culture in unforgettable ways. Below is a character guide to one of our featured heroes, Serena Williams . Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit Civilian Name : Serena Williams Super Name : Tenny Blitz Superpower : Serving In Everything Origin : Tennis Conquered Territory : With her phenomenal forehand, Serena Williams came into the tennis world and took it by storm. Since the early 1990’s, Serena’s father got her as well as her sisters into the sport while still trying to help them still live a normal teenage life. During her career as early as 1999, she’s won the U.S. Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open as well as several gold medals in the Olympics. Off the tennis court Serena can be found in music videos with Beyonce , commercials for Nike, Gatorade and on the cover of magazines such as GQ and Vogue as well as putting together her fashion line for SerenaWilliams.com. She also inspires young athletic girls to focus on their dreams in the sports they love despite what others may say. In 2017 at eight weeks pregnant Serena won the Australian Open and gave birth to her baby girl, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. and married the love of her life, Alexis Ohanian later that year. Serena in 2018 topped the Forbes’ list as one of the highest-paid female athletes and continues to help out the youth with her foundations and donations. ALSO TRENDING ON RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM : Vintage Photos Of Black History Being Made In America “Black Panther” Returns To Theaters For Free In Honor Of Black History Month These Teachers Have The Most Inspiring Black History Month Decorations We’ve Ever Seen! Follow @TheRSMS PHOTO: Creative Services – iOne/Getty
Text “RICKEY” to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news. ( Terms and conditions ). French Montana can be added to the list of rappers getting Las Vegas residencies. It was confirmed recently that he will be performing at Drai’s in Vegas. Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit So far Cardi B and Drake will be in Vegas and possibly some other entertainers are in talks about it. SEE ALSO: French Montana Victim Of Home Invasion Frank Ocean hasn’t come out with any new music in a while and we might be hearing from in soon. Headkrack mentioned the singer wrote out a cryptic message on social media and just might be releasing an album with SZA , Andre 3000 and Kendrick Lamar. Lastly, 21 Savage is still on lockdown, but so many rappers are standing behind him including Card B. She wants people to read, educate themselves and then take action. See photos of French Montana and the ladies he’s dated below! ALSO TRENDING ON RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM : Bow Wow Arrested In Atlanta After Fight With Woman 21 Savage Arrested By ICE Agents, Says He’s A UK Citizen Jussie Smollett Speaks Out For the 1st Time After Attack [ione_media_gallery src=”https://rickeysmileymorningshow.com” id=”1718794″ overlay=”true”] Follow @TheRSMS
If you’re a longtime fan of the Duggar clan, then you’re probably familiar with the name Laura DeMasie. Laura is Jana Duggar’s best friend , and some believe her to be much more than that. Yes, there have been persistent rumors that Jana and Laura are in love . That may seem absurd in the context of such a strict evangelical family as the Duggars, but in Jana’s case, a secretive same-sex affair would explain a lot. For starters, Jana is still single at the age of 29. That may not seem like a big deal, but it’s virtually unheard of for the Duggars — a family that teaches their daughters that procreation is their primary reason for being. Obviously, that doesn’t mean Jana is “single” because she’s not permitted to publicly pursue a relationship with Laura. However, it’s worth noting that these two spend a lot of time together — pretty much every waking moment. Laura assists Jana with her many household tasks, including homeschooling her younger siblings, and the two regularly appear on one another’s social media pages. At one point, 33-year-old Laura lived with the Duggars in order to assist in educating Jana’s younger siblings full-time. That’s all about to change, however, as Radar Online reports that Laura will be moving to Georgia to pursue her goal of becoming an interior decorator. Laura has reportedly accepted a position with a company called Accent Decor, Inc. She excitedly announced the news on her Facebook page this week, revealing that she believes design to her true calling in life. “We were CREATED TO CREATE! Go create something beautiful!” DeMasie wrote. Many fans noted that while the wording of the post made it sound as though Laura is planning to move in the near future, DeMasie’s other social media activity makes it seem as though she’s already left Arkansas. The abrupt nature of Laura’s departure — and the fact that Jana has yet to make any mention of it — has led some fans to the conclusion that DeMasie was “strongly encouraged” to relocate by Jana’s famously strict father, Jim Bob. That may sound like a reach, but considering how much of the Duggar media empire is based on ultra-conservative values, an openly gay daughter would be devastating to the brand. News of Laura’s departure comes on the heels of another Jana-related scandal. An alleged former suitor of Jana’s named Caleb Williams was arrested for rape last month after allegedly having sex with an underage girl. So if Jana was ever romantically involved with either Caleb or Laura, we guess the past few weeks have cemented her reputation as being extremely unlucky in love. View Slideshow: Jana Duggar Joins Instagram: Is She FINALLY In a Courtship?! [UPDATED]
Source: Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images/Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Jay-Z Hires Lawyer To Help 21 Savage Fight Deportation 21 Savage ‘s arrest by ICE on Super Bowl Sunday has become a cause that the hip-hop community has collectively decried as an injustice the likes of which should be resolved immediately. Until today, one voice we hadn’t heard was that of Shawn Corey Carter, but it wasn’t much of a mystery as to what side of this issue he would fall. Today, the Roc Nation head honcho not only released a statement but according to TMZ he also put his money in the mouth that the statement came from and hired lawyer Alex Spiro to help Savage. Jay described the arrest as “an absolute travesty” and went on to say that “In addition to being a successful recording artist, 21 deserves to be reunited with his children immediately.” We couldn’t agree more. Obviously, 21 isn’t a Roc Nation artist, but that didn’t stop Hov from doing what he could to help the father, son, and one of hip-hop’s brightest stars. Alex Spiro is dedicated to seeing the man born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph free: “We are not going to stop until he is released, bonded out or in front of a judge … What we have here is someone who overstayed their Visa with an application pending for 4 years – not a convicted criminal that needs to be detained and removed but, by all accounts a wonderful person, father, and entertainer who has a marijuana offense which was vacated and sealed.” If you can’t respect that, ya whole perspective is wack and that’s that on that.
Source: Matt Dinerstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank / Getty LaRoyce Hawkins Stars And Eriq LaSalle Directs “Chicago P.D.” Episode About Police Involved Shooting NBC is set to air an especially sensitive episode of “Chicago P.D.” Wednesday night called “Night In Chicago,” where Detective Kevin Atwater goes undercover to bring down a dangerous drug lord and ends up in a difficult situation after a traffic stop turns into an officer involved shooting! Eriq La Salle, who directed the episode, spoke with BOSSIP exclusively about working on the show. “The first thing I told LaRoyce [Hawkins, who plays Det. Atwater] was we owe it to a lot of brothers and sisters who can’t tell the story,” La Salle told BOSSIP. “It’s our responsibility now to make sure that we tell the story right and that we represent that. That was really the start for me.” Source: Matt Dinerstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank / Getty “I’ll never forget that call,” LaRoyce Hawkins told BOSSIP about his initial conversations with LaSalle about the episode. “What I love about working with Eriq La Salle is his excitement for the job. This was a story that really touched him, written by Ike Smith who is a Chicago native, and actually I am from the Chicago area, and Eriq La Salle thought it was really important that we made this story so authentic and real to the people who have actually been in those experiences, to the people who have actually been pulled over, to people who haven’t been pulled over to the people who don’t understand and the people who do. I like to think we tell stories for everyone’s perspectives, even the people you might not like in this episode. Atwater gets jammed up and the struggle for power gets political and uncomfortable but at the end of the day it’s a night in Chicago that I don’t think anybody can really run away from.” With a plot that feels pulled straight from the headlines, the show ventures into some complicated waters, particularly after some of Atwater’s superiors try to place the blame for the shooting on him, saying he should have disclosed his undercover status to diffuse the situation. “I think when these kinds of things happen, officer involved shootings, now there is somewhat of a vulnerability or a perception of a vulnerability because people are becoming more vocal and things need to be criticized,” La Salle told BOSSIP. “We’re not telling anybody how to think… We’ve become so segregated and divided, not to point out the obvious, but things become very black and white. If you’re from the black community you see it this way, if you’re from white community you see it this way. That’s not necessarily true, people have their own opinions. We don’t try to force feed any of our stories, we basically just put it out there and let the audience decide which side of an issue they fall on.” One of the cops who makes the traffic stop is blatantly racist — something that viewers will likely grapple with while watching. The other, La Salle says, is simply doing his job. At the end of the day, Atwater will play a major role in deciding whether or not to publicly burn the offending cop. “The piece of advice that Atwater takes to heart is from Voight, when he tells him ‘Win lose or draw, you have to live with yourself at night. Whatever is going to allow you to go to sleep peacefully is ultimately the best decision or the right thing to do for you, that might be the truth, that might not be the truth,’” Hawkins told BOSSIP. The highly acclaimed Wendell Pierce has a crucial guest role on the episode, as a local Alderman whose own political agenda only further complicates matters for Atwater. Both Hawkins and La Salle heaped praises on his performance in the episode. “Wendell and I go way back, we went to college together,” La Salle told BOSSIP. “He’s an amazing actor. For me it’s just bonus when you get to go basically play with one of your boys who happens to be extremely talented. He makes us all look good and I’m thankful for him and appreciative of what he contributes. I think his character having the potential mentor role over an Atwater in this episode is really interesting, but it’s really about Atwater finding his own way and being his own man and standing on his principles and what he believes is right no matter what. He’s really torn, he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. Wendell represents the community… so if Wendell is saying ‘Maybe you should lie a little bit,’well you have to decide where your moral compass is. That’s a major theme of this episode.” Hawkins told BOSSIP he saw the opportunity to act in a scene with Pierce as a dream come true, especially because it coincided with other meaningful milestones for his character. “The relationship with Wendell Pierce’s character Ray Price and Atwater is really interesting,” La Royce Hawkins told BOSSIP. “I’m excited about where that relationship can go. That was my first scene with him… Just off the strength off the relationship, I think that Atwater respects Ray Price, even though he knows that Ray Price is a politician. I just appreciate Wendell Pierce for being so gracious in that scene and not just running circles around me because I am a big fan of his work. He’s a dynamic actor… It’s a lot of dreams come true for me on this show. This episode brought a lot of those things out, like I’ve always been a fan of Wendell Pierce, to be able to work with Mikelti Williamson and be directed at the same time by an Eriq La Salle. That’s pretty amazing for me as a young black man, so I learned a lot.” La Salle and Pierce weren’t the only pair of longtime friends on set either. Hawkins told us he and the actor who played the racist cop, Officer Doyle, have a lot of history. “Actually I met the cop that plays Doyle, who is the racist cop, I met him in high school,” LaRoyce told BOSSIP. “We used to compete against each other in speech. We ended up going to college together, he’s actually a real good friend and he was probably the perfect person for us to explore that energy with because he and I were so close. But he’s a great actor, he did his thing, I believed him, but for topics this sensitive it was almost extremely perfect for me to be working with a homie like that.” Source: Matt Dinerstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank / Getty Fans of “Chicago P.D.” know that this isn’t the first time the show has touched on such sensitive matters, particularly when it comes to race, and Eriq La Salle said it’s not just coincidence. He credited “Chicago P.D. writer and showrunner Rick Eid for not shying away from tough conversations. There’s a moment between Det. Atwater and Officer Adam Ruzek where Ruzek acknowledges his whiteness will never allow him to truly experience what Atwater has to deal with, but he pledges to have his back regardless of his lack of understanding. “I think that to me sort of represents what I was saying about Rick Eid,” La Salle told BOSSIP. “We gotta just start having honest conversations about race and gender if we hope to make any progress. A man has to be able to talk to woman, a white man has to be able to talk to a black man and so on. We have to be able to talk and we have to be willing to own what we don’t know and that’s what I love about that conversation between Ruzek and Atwater. ‘I don’t know and I’ll never know but I got your back’ We have to be able to say what we know and what we don’t know and that scene is my relationship to a degree with Rick. He teaches me certain things and I teach him certain things but we both respect each other as men. One happens to be black and one happens to be white and we respect each other as men that we’re able to have conversations.”
Source: FOX FOX Set To Premiere New Legal Drama “Proven Innocent” “Proven Innocent” tells the powerful story of an underdog criminal defense firm led by Madeline Scott (Rachelle Lefevre)–a fierce and uncompromising lawyer with a hunger for justice. There’s no one who understands the power of freeing an innocent person more than Madeline. At age 18, she was wrongfully convicted, along with her brother Levi (Riley Smith), in a polarizing murder case that made her a media obsession and household name. Madeline runs the firm with the very lawyer who helped set her free after 10 years–Easy Boudreau (Russell Hornsby)–who works alongside Communications Director for the Injustice Defense Group Violet Price (Nikki M. James) to fight the good fight. Violet is the real MVP who shows how the media, journalists and comms professionals play a huge part in vindicating those wrongly accused of crimes. “Proven Innocent” premieres Friday, Feb 15 at 9/8c on FOX!
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty One New York Resident Gives A Chilling Account Another moment of police terror reportedly went down in New York last year, and now a resident of the city is taking action. According to New York Daily News , a Brooklyn cop, who’s been accused of years of civil rights violations and false arrests, is once again being sued for excessive conduct. Evelyn Gonzalez, 51, who works as a security guard is accusing Sgt. David (Bellethead) Grieco of carrying out an early-morning raid at her Brownsville apartment, then arresting her and a family friend Tray Stroman, 27, on trumped-up charges that were dropped before they even got a chance to appear before a judge. Gozalez has filed a notice of claim and according to their lawyer, if a settlement is not agreed upon, they will file a lawsuit in state court alleging wrongful arrest. The whole incident went down shortly after 7 a.m. on April 13, 2018 when Gonzalez was asleep in her room and Stroman, who works in a barbershop, was resting on the couch. Emergency Service cops tried to bust through the front door so one of Gonzalez’s four children, Joseph Cordova, 24, left from his bed to open it. That’s when police rushed in with Grieco and other officers having their guns drawn, according to Gonzalez and Stroman. Neither Gonzalez nor Storman have ever been arrested, however Cordova has been arrested ten times, including two cases that are still pending for possession of a knife and for possession of drugs. He was convicted in 2014 for weapons possession, for which he received five years probation. Cordova, who isn’t apart of the lawsuit, and his mother believe the raid was part of an ongoing attempt to harass Cordova, considering that past charges against him didn’t stick. The cops allegedly swept through the apartment, flipped a living room table, and broke two televisions AND a humidifier that Gonzalez needs for her asthma. The cops also allegedly rampaged through the kitchen, dumping coffee and oatmeal on the floor. “They even ate my bananas,” Gonzalez said. Stroman, who posts rap videos online, went on to say the cops plugged their phones into a speaker and listened to his music. “I’m like, ‘Is this a warrant for music?” Stroman said. “I was lost.” It’s not clear if the cops even had a warrant to search the apartment. Gonzalez said when she asked, the cop tried to use a restaurant flyer to pass as a warrant. Gonzalez and Stroman said Grieco continually asked about guns and drugs, indicating the cops were tipped off. However, no guns or narcotics were found. The police only focused on one marijuana joint in the living room and two in a bedroom. Cordova admitted that he does smoke marijuana. The nightmare continued after the raid when Gonzalez said that she, Cordova and Stroman were handcuffed and taken into custody. Gonzalez said she and Stroman spent around 18 hours in custody and she said the police didn’t even give her access to her medicine. When they finally got out, The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office declined to prosecute them. Cordova was charged with marijuana possession and possession of a forged credit card, but the case was adjourned and dismissed soon after. Gonzalez says when she got home, $800 was missing from a jacket in her closet – money she said she was saving for her two granddaughters. On top of all this, Gonzalez’s Brownsville apartment is covered by the 73rd Precinct, but they were taken to the 67th Precinct where Grieco is assigned. No one has yet to explain why Grieco was carrying out a raid in a precinct he wasn’t even assigned to, although investigations do often cross precinct lines. Grieco, 48, has a long history of being an ain’t sh** officer, including searching two homes without a warrant and being involved in a 2013 75th Precinct investigation. The anti-crime unit at the time was accused of illegal apartment searches and the theft of jewelry and thousands of dollars, according to court papers, Internal Affair docs and police sources. Over the years, Grieco has been the defendant in 29 lawsuits. But yet… This man is still on the force. Gonzalez’s and Stroman’s lawyer Joel Berger said, “For this cowboy to still be on the force is outrageous. He should have been terminated years ago. The fact that he hasn’t been is really indicative of the travesty the NYPD discipline system is.” Grieco is currently a sergeant who was one of NYPD’s top overtime earners in 2017. His $73,000 of extra pay upped his salary to $190,000 and last year he made $164,700. Out of the 29 lawsuits against Grieco, 16 of them were settled, costing the city more than half-million dollars.
Source: @Justinmyview / R1 Digital Back in 2015, Philly rapper Freeway announced he was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease . It’s the highest level of chronic kidney disease that affects the organs’ ability to purify the body’s blood. Free entered hemodialysis to keep his kidneys functioning and now he’s been given the green light to attain a new kidney. In a statement issued to The Source , Freeway’s management team confirmed that his surgery was a success. “He is now in recovery,” the statement reads. “He thanks you all for your prayers!!!” On Freeway’s end, he posted a video to his Instagram account of him prepping for surgery at the hospital. “I’m going under now!” he wrote. “Thanks for all the love & support! Pray for me!!” Since his diagnosis, Free has been devoted to organizations dedicated to assisting those with conditions like his. He’s partnered with the National Kidney Foundation and the American Kidney Fund. In 2016, the National Kidney Foundation reported that African American make up over 35 percent of people who use dialysis to treat kidney failure. Health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are also contributors to kidney failure. RELATED: Freeway Updates Fans On Kidney Transplant Status, Shares Look Inside ‘Think Free’ Album [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO] RELATED: Straight From His Dialysis Treatment – Freeway Shares Encouraging Words At Meek Mill Rally
Source: WE tv/Think Factory Media / WE tv, Thinkfactory Media Well hello hump day! It’s Wednesday, which means a new episode of “Marriage Boot Camp: Hip Hop Edition” is just a day away! We’ve got an exclusive clip which may surprise some folks — watch what happens when Lil Fizz and Tiffany argue about the time when Fizz and Nia were together! Here’s more on the episode: When a stressful communication drill fails, the doctors confront the smoking issue. Tiffany seeks answers from Fizz and Nia. Soujla Boy is left feeling under water. And a boot camper is caught on camera facetiming someone other than their partner. MARRIAGE BOOT CAMP: HIP HOP EDITION – “MAZED AND CONFUSED” – Airs Thursday, February 7th at 10/9C on WE TV!
