Source: Peter Macdiarmid / Getty South Carolina Kid Steals Car To Meet Man He Met On Snapchat An 11-year old boy from South Carolina was reunited with his family on Monday after he reportedly drove alone almost 200 miles from Simpsonville to Charleston to live with a strange man he met via Snapchat. Reports say that Officer Christopher Braun encountered the boy at about 12:30 a.m. Monday morning after noticing he was the only person in the vehicle. The boy had stolen his brother’s car and driven the three hours to live with an unknown male. According to CPD, the boy used his father’s tablet GPS function to navigate the trip, but lost the signal upon arriving in Charleston, and didn’t know where to go. ABC News reports : After getting the boy’s name and his father’s name, Braun contacted the father, who was in the process of reporting his child missing, and told him what happened. The father and his other son drove to Charleston from Simpsonville to pick up his 11-year-old son and the older son’s vehicle. Fortunately, the unidentified juvenile was safely reunited with his family, and is in good health. The South Carolina Attorney General’s office is investigating the incident, along with Charleston Police. Parents, stay woke.
Source: Prince Williams / Getty Young Dro Sentenced 12 Months In Jail For Family Violence Young Dro will be shoulder leaning in county orange for an incident with his girlfriend. Back in July we reported that Young Dro was arrested for battery and family violence when he smashed a banana pudding in his girlfriend’s face during a domestic dispute. Today, we get word via TMZ that Drosephine Baker has been sentenced to 12 months in prison but will only be serving 70 days and he’s already gotten credit for the 20 days that he’s already served. It is also reported that he will get an extra day of credit for each day of good behavior. Dro could be home as soon as October 5. That said, it isn’t all roses yet, the rapper will be on probation for the duration of the 12 month sentence and one slip up could land him back in the bing. He will be required to attend violence counseling in addition to staying clean from drugs and alcohol. Dro will also have to forfeit all of the weapons that he owns. Could have been worse. He better tighten up.
Source: @JustInMyView / R1 Digital It’s no secret that Tekashi 6ix9ine has become the most famous snitch in pop culture since Salvatore “Sammy The Bull” Gravano flipped on J ohn Gotti and the Gambino crime family back in the late 90’s. With countless memes having been made comedically highlighting his dime dropping ways, Tekashi’s name has become synonymous with snitching across the Hip-Hop world with little to no sympathy for the troll turned government informant. But what will become of the rainbow-haired rapper once he gets out of prison and presumably thrown into the witness protection program? Will he still have a career in rap? Would artists and producers be willing to work with him as he walks around with that bright as his hair scarlet “S” on his person? Could he even live a normal life in the age of social media? The New York Times recently published a piece exploring what could await Daniel Hernandez once he gets out of prison and possibly leaves his Tekashi 6ix9ine days behind him. Minya Oh, best known as Miss Info, the founder of the hip-hop news website MissInfo.tv and a former host on the rap radio station Hot 97 in New York, called the 6ix9ine saga a “Greek telenovela tragicomedy,” and predicted that he would face a complex conundrum upon being released: curiosity would be at an all-time high, but within the hip-hop community, so would animus. “In the attention economy, just knowing that 6ix9ine might open his mouth somewhere is like shipping platinum,” she said. “But nobody with any of their own value will ever stand next to him. So he has to exist in a vacuum and can’t leave his house. All doable things for an artist in 2019 and beyond.” Labels would be reticent to allow their artists to work with him, Ms. Oh added, “But they all think when he gets out of jail, he will be a big draw.” But at what cost to the reputation of the label or the artist they pair with Hip-Hop’s “Henry Hill” ? Should Tekashi try and find that there is no path for him to get back into the rap game on the monumental scale he was at the height of his pre-snitch career, he can always go about the life of an everyday civilian getting by on a 9 to 5. Such a path would not be unprecedented. The government has successfully relocated and protected high-profile witnesses in the past; mobsters have started over as bakery owners, and reformed assassins have found new careers as doll salesmen, two former federal law enforcement officials said. “Despite how connected we are, and the appetite for social media content in this country, there are places where, if this kid gets a haircut and wears normal clothes, no one would know or care who he is,” said Jay Kramer, a former F.B.I. official who worked on organized crime cases. He might have to come out of pocket to get rid of his very recognizable face tattoos though as it doesn’t seem like the US is going to be coming out of pocket for cosmetic purposes. There is almost nothing in Mr. Hernandez’s background that suggests a capacity for discretion, and it is unlikely the United States Marshals Service, which runs the witness protection program, would pay for the removal of Mr. Hernandez’s signature face tattoos. If Tekashi decides to keep his facial features intact he might as well be signing his own death warrant because that alone is that visible scarlet letter that the world has become familiar with.
Source: Photo: WENN.com Dame Dash is pleading with the legal system to give him a break. The cake-a-holic is citing that he has fulfilled his parental obligations to his ex-wife. TMZ is reporting that the Harlem native is requesting the courts take him off a child support agreement that he has been legally bounded too since filing for divorce in 2009. His most recent filing claims he should no longer have to pay $6,000 a month for both of his daughters with fashion designer Rachel Roy . His oldest daughter Ava is now 19 and California law stipulates that the court order shall last until the child is 18 barring they are no longer a high school student. In additional Dash claims he isn’t balling out like he used to. According to the paperwork he only made a little bit over $58,000 in 2018 and that Roy should be funding the kids’ day to day activities as she reportedly makes $500,000 a year and lives a very cozy life with regular trips to Europe. He is also asking the judge that he be refunded the payments made after Ava turned 19. The ex couple have had a very turbulent relationship since divorcing. In 2015 Rachel accused him of domestic assault. He would later claim that she mismanaged the Rachel Roy Clothing brand via a $2.5 million lawsuit. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for WE TV
T hroughout her entire career actress and producer Issa Rae has utilized her platform and work in the entertainment industry to empower Black women, and now she’s doing the same in the tech space. According to Variety , Rae recently invested in a Black woman-led startup. Issa Rae Acquires Stake in Streamlytics, a Streaming-Media Data Startup https://t.co/8QU69UHKH3 — Variety (@Variety) September 24, 2019 The Los Angeles-based company—dubbed Streamlytics—was founded by entrepreneur Angela Benton . The startup—which was created in 2018—utilizes media consumption data to bring transparency to the content consumed on popular streaming services and gives consumers the ability to own their data. Benton, who founded the first global accelerator for people of color, has been a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion in tech. She hopes to use Streamlytics as an avenue to generate data that reflects the choices of viewers of color. Through Streamlytics she wants to create a space where minority consumers can not only access their streaming data but can monetize it as well. So far, the company has used data from Netflix and plans on expanding to other platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and social media sites. Benton is grateful to have Rae on board. “Having Issa involved as an owner is beyond exciting,” she said in a statement. “Her pioneering work as both a creator and as a businesswoman creating digital-first content that has transcended the internet-only medium aligns seamlessly with our company’s core values on ownership.” Rae is excited to invest in a company that will change the landscape of streaming data. She says platforms like Streamlytics are “necessary for transparency and consumer ownership.” Companies like the one created by Benton are needed as studies show that African American media usage is higher across different platforms. Black women are stepping up to invest in women of color-led startups. Actress Keshia Knight Pulliam teamed up with entrepreneur Arian Simone to launch a $5 million venture capital fund to support startups created by Black women. SEE ALSO: Keshia Knight Pulliam And Arian Simone Launch Venture Capital Fund For Black Women Entrepreneurs Black Entrepreneur Receives $1 Million Investment From Jay-Z’s Venture Capital Fund [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3887286″ overlay=”true”]
Jessica Simpson can lay claim to many accomplishments in her young life: She’s been a pop star, an actress, a handbag designer, a business mogul, and of course, a mom: Some folks in Jessica’s situation might be inclined to rest on their laurels and become complacent in their achievements. But not, Mrs. Simpson-Johnson. No, the mother of three is still dropping jaws on Instagram, and not only because she still knows her way around a bikini selfie . This week, Jess is making waves thanks to the pic below — and the stunning revelation that came along with it. “6 months. 100 pounds down (Yes, I tipped the scales at 240),” she wrote on Instagram. “My first trip away from #BIRDIEMAE and emotional for many reasons, but so proud to feel like myself again,” she added. “Even when it felt impossible, I chose to work harder.” Yes, Jessica welcomed a baby girl back in March — and in the months since she’s lost an astonishing 100 pounds. Celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak also shared a pic (above) of Jess, and he sang the 39-year-old’s praises in a heartfelt caption: “Beyond proud of this incredible woman. Been working together for over 12 years and she’s always the most warm, sweet, polite, and respectful person in the world,” Harley shared on Instagram. “And on top of it all, after being nonstop pregnant for as long as I can remember, she’s down 100 pounds and looks younger today than she was when we met. “Shout out to the awesome @sydneyliebes #fitclients #jessicasimpson.” Jess has yet to go into detail about exactly how she lost all that weight, but you can bet details are forthcoming. After all, Simpson is nothing if not candid with her fans. Jessica flaunted her massive baby bump in an unforgettable Instagram pic while she was carrying baby Birdie, and throughout her latest pregnancy, she opened up about her various difficulties in refreshingly frank social media posts. Jess is no doubt a talented singer and actress. But it’s that candor and self-deprecating sense of humor that fans have really responded to over the course of her career. Oh, and as a bonus, she might now be able to tell us all how to drop 100 pounds in six months! View Slideshow: Jessica Simpson Shows Off Plump Lips, Gets Destroyed on Instagram
We wished that we could be shocked, but Amber Portwood has not been fired by MTV. But her troubles aren’t over, yet. As she reels from the scandal after fans heard Andrew Glennon’s harrowing audio of her abuse , Andrew’s priorities lie elsewhere. He’s doting on his precious son, James, and gushing over his little boy on social media. Fans are eating it up. Andrew Glennon took to Instagram to sharea pair of fun, adoring photos of him and baby James. “The Bubbs. :)” James begins his sweet caption, including a smiley face emoticon. He praises his baby boy as the “most curious and loving man I know.” A curious baby is a very good sign about his intelligence and development! “Able to reverse engineer anything,” Andrew announces. “And leave it a mess in a single bound.” Andrew wasn’t the only one handing out compliments and praise. One follower congratulated him for remaining steadfast in the face of horror, abuse, and uncertainty. “I admire you for your ability to stand up against how you’ve been treated,” the comment begins. “You’re teaching your son very important lessons,” the fan praises. “And,” the follower concludes. “I know he will grow up to see you as his hero. Good job daddy!” In this day and age, “daddy” is probably not what you want to call a man on the internet unless you really, really mean it. “Such a great papa!” cheers another follower. That same fan continues: “Great to see a beautiful baby with a even better single dad!” “Your (sic) doing a great job raising James,” praises another. The comment suggests: “just dont let him forget about his sister Leah.” The follower advises: “keep in contact with her and her parents Gary and Kristina, she seems to love him dearly” That last followr’s advise was so good and well-intentioned that Andrew responded. “Spoke with Gary,” Andrew announced. “And planning a baby James visit with him, Kristina, Emmy, and Leah soon,” he revealed. Andrew adds: “Just need to pick a day.” Oh, that is both wonderful and exciting. Amber does not have custody of Leah, of course. As fans are hopeful that James will similarly be protected by the time that this ugly business is over, it’s good to remember that they’re siblings. Different dads does not make James and Leah non-siblings. They’re just half-siblings — which is emotionally the same as siblings, folks. And the fact that the person they have in common happens to be a truly terrible mother also does not matter. James and Leah should be in each other’s lives, and it’s wonderful that both Gary and Andrew are taking the steps to ensure that. Despite the evidence that suggests that Amber was verbally and physically abusive towards Andrew, some fans have stood by her. These fans tend to make arguments along the lines of how Andrew must have manipulated her to get her to behave that way. That sounds awfully close to cries of “she shouldn’t have made me mad” that countless of abusers have used as an excuse. Folks, no amount of “manipulation,” even if it were real, could excuse domestic violence. We hope that Amber’s children continue to remain safe from the toxic environment that follows her wherever she goes. View Slideshow: Andrew Glennon to MTV: FIRE Amber Portwood or the Next Time She Beats Someone, It’s On YOU!
Everyone should know by now that what happens in Vegas, never ever stays in Vegas. And as for Mike Johnson and Tayshia Adams, who are Bachelor Nation fan-favorites, they definitely should’ve known better. But here we are, with new developing drama for a show that ended a week ago. Don’t get us wrong, we aren’t complaining and we know you want the tea, so here we go. Last Friday, Mike and Tayshia attended the iHeartMusic Festival in Las Vegas along with fellow BiP contestants Dean Unglert and Caelynn Miller-Keyes. *side note: Dean and Caelynn are dating, yet they don’t even follow each other on Instagram. It’s the small things that keep one up at night.* Ex-Bachelor Ben Higgins was also there with his non-famous GF Jessica Clarke. And for those wondering, and I know you are, the answer is no. Demi Lovato and John Paul Jones, who are currently dating Mike and Tayshia, were not in attendance at Friday night’s event. Above is a photo of Mike and Tayshia from that evening, and though it is blurry, eyewitnesses claim that the details of the night were actually very clear and that the two danced the night away in the VIP area. And occasionally, the two even embraced. Of course, friends are allowed to dance and hug each other, but what makes this whole story suspicious is that Tayshia has already been accused by Reality Steve of faking her relationship with John Paul Jones. *MAJOR Spit-take*. John Paul Jones and Tayshia, in my opinion, stole the show on this season of BiP with their goofy, fun-loving, and passionate love story. And now Reality Steve is out here ruining my day. In response to the spoiler king, who said, “Tayshia and JPJ are not together anymore,” Tayshia fired, “Guess what… he’s wrong!” (Long live TAYPJ!) Meanwhile in Vegas, while Mike wasn’t busy dancing up on Tayshia, he was telling E! News that Demi [Lovato] is the only woman he’s dating at the moment. “It’s just Demi. That’s the only person I’m talking to,” he said. “I’m just getting to know Demi. I think she’s absolutely fantastic and I don’t want no pressure on her, no pressure on me, we’re just trying to get to know each other. That’s all.” Interesting… So, Mike is very casually talking to Demi , and Tayshia may or may not actually be dating JPJ?? We have so many questions about Stagecoach round 2. But apparently, sources recently dished to E! that Tayshia and Mike are NOT dating and that she is still happy with John Paul Jones. “Tayshia and John Paul Jones are still together,” said the source. “Tayshia and Mike hung out in Las Vegas during the iHeartRadio music festival, but they were always with a bunch of stars from Bachelor Nation.” “They were chummy and getting along but not flirting,” spilled the insider. Ok cool, yeah…I’m still not entirely convinced. Looks like this is yet another case for the FBI, folks! View Slideshow: The Bachelor Season 24: Meet the Women! Already!
Hailey Baldwin, we see you girl! The 22-year-old model quietly “liked” a photo of Selena Gomez last night on Instagram, out of nowhere, and fans don’t know what to think. Although the two are not exactly BFFs , because, well, Hailey married Selena’s on-and-off ex-boyfriend last year, it looks like time may have finally healed all wounds? Ok, it’s hard to know what’s really going on here with just the smallest amount of Instagram activity, but anything is possible! And when you look further into the details of this story, it seems as though Hailey is totally offering up an olive branch. Besides Justin Bieber, who the girls both um, have in common, they also share best friend Raquelle Stevens. Raquelle posted a cute photo on September 23 to celebrate the launch of her new Vodcast, Giving Back Generation , which featured friends Courtney Lopez, Ashley Cook, and yep, Selena. The three women were Raquelle’s guests for her very first episode, and after the taping, she took to IG to promote the release. “On this episode we talk about what giving looks like through friendship,” Raquelle’s caption read. “This episode is particularly special to me as Courtney, Sel, and Ashley have been my friends all through my 20’s. We talk about what it means to support each other, forgive, and grow together.” “Look forward to hearing your feedback & hope it leaves you encouraged,” she wrote. Hailey liked the pic to support her friend, but Selena fans couldn’t help but notice the gesture. In the show, Stevens emphasized the importance of women not competing with one another and supporting each other instead. “When you’re in your lane, no one else is you,” Stevens said. SO basically, Hailey showed her support on the most appropriate of photos, making it very clear that she is here for that friendship message. And we’re crying it’s fine. Ok, I know that these two will probably never hang out and eat ice cream together, but still, the gesture is inspiring. And even better, it was intentional. Hailey’s “like” is still present on the post, so we’re pretty sure that this time she actually meant to leave it, unlike her last run-in with Gomez on social media. Remember last year when she accidentally followed a Selena Gomez fan account? And then she DM’d the owner saying she was sorry for accidentally following the account? … yeah, it was very uncomfy. But years before any of this love triangle drama went down, Hailey was actually a huge Selenator. Oh No They Didn’t dug up some old tweets made by Baldwin where she gushed about Gomez (and yes, even her relationship with Justin Biber, believe it or not.) In one tweet Baldwin said, “I’m for sure 100% team #Jelena.” Boy, how times have changed. Now, Hailey and Justin are happily married and well, life goes on. Who knows, maybe Selena will return the love to Hailey one day? “Never Say Never” , but I wouldn’t hold your breath. View Slideshow: Justin Bieber: A Chronological List of 31 Women Who Slept With Him For Some Reason
Source: John Shearer / Getty Anyone not following Jidenna’s travels through the Motherland on Instagram really needs to do so now! Our well-traveled Pan-African bae recently posted a video of himself at a market in Senegal haggling with a vendor over a hat. The 85 to Africa -rapper positioned the video as a tutorial on how to negotiate prices when you go to the market. In the video, we see him going back and forth with the vendor and bluffing as if he was going to walk away before the vendor caves and gives him the price he deems more fair. Jidenna’s travel videos come at a really good time, especially since it’s the Year Of Return, a concept that has been trending all year. And honestly, we just need for Jidenna to get a travel show already! View this post on Instagram For the hundreds of thousands of you in the Diaspora who are returning to Africa in December, this is how you don’t get ripped off as a “Yankee”. The strategy is usually the same but the style and intensity of your voice will vary from country to country (Dakar markets are more calm than Lagos markets, so I’m far less agressive here than I usually am ). A post shared by Jidenna (@jidenna) on Sep 22, 2019 at 5:34am PDT Anyway, don’t be fooled by how cool Jidenna makes it look. The market experience in the Motherland is a serious part of the culture. It’s something that you will probably want to put on your to do list, no matter what country your visit, but there are unspoken rules you should follow, and haggling is one of them. I have been to Ghana twice, as well as Togo, and the markets I experienced were sensory overload. I mean, people were selling literally some of anything and they have no qualms about getting all up in your face with the things they have to offer. However, while I did participate in haggling with vendors, I must admit, I was filled with anxiety, especially because you have to get really aggressive sometimes and I prefer to be laid back. Ideally, I just preferred that they would set one fair price and let me be great, but nope. Haggling is what they do, and if you are a Yankee aka an outsider, best believe they are going to jack up the price 5-fold in some cases. I traveled solo during my first trip to Ghana, and my driver was nice enough to accompany me to the market. I had a moment where I was so overwhelmed — because people will be trying to sell me things while I was still in the middle of another transaction — that I was going to just make the purchase at whatever the price was and my driver said absolutely not! He said that I was about to pay way too much money and that the vendor was a crook. It was a $20 Kente cloth clutch that I had talked down from $40, so I thought that was good. I was okay with paying the $20 but my driver demanded that we leave because he didn’t like the price. We got that down to $15. I had something similar happen during my second trip to Ghana. My friend’s mother, a native Ghanaian, scolded me and the vendor. She told me that the price was way too high for a shirt that I wanted, and that I should never settle because they always try to get over on foreigners. She then told the vendor, in Twi (Ghanians speak English, but prefer their native languages, and if you can speak their native tongues then you will yield better results), that she was being ridiculous. It took that moment for the vendor to relent and give me a price that was slashed by at least a quarter. Every time I went to the market after that I made sure to have a local person with me. In Togo, my group was hosted by an influential businessman from the country, and he was the only one who spoke the language (In Togo it’s French as well as various native tongues, including Ewe, and Kabiy é, among over 40 more depending on region). He made sure that we got what we needed without the smoke. So, the more connections you have, the better. That’s my advice to you if you ever find yourself in an African market! Go with a local, stand your ground, and don’t be afraid to walk away if you don’t like the price, which will probably be marked up by quadruple. Nine times out of 10, vendors won’t let you walk away without making a sale so they will meet you in the middle. Now, go forth and get your Year of Return on! Also, would you watch a travel show where Jidenna explores Africa? RELATED POSTS Jidenna’s Fine A** Brought His Bronze Beard & Henna Tattoos To #NYFW Jidenna Delivers Energetic Performance On Pepsi’s Sound Drop Platform To Celebrate Release Of His Album ‘The Chief’
