Should R. Kelly’s Former Business Manager Get Attorney’s Fees After Acquittal?

 

R. Kelly’s former business manager asked a federal judge to award him $850,000 in attorneys fees after a jury acquitted him during the same trial in Chicago at which the R&B singer was convicted of child pornography charges.

Derrel McDavid’s attorney wrote that deserves to recoup the legal fees after enduring a “frivolous, vexatious and bad faith prosecution over which he prevailed.” Attorney Beau Brindley filed the 18-page request with U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber late Monday (Oct. 17).

Jay-Z Sues Bacardi

 

Jay-Z has reportedly sued Bacardi to gain financial transparency in his partnership with the company. 

SC Liquor has reportedly demanded total financial transparency from Bacardi about the partnership with D’Usse, in which Jay-Z and Bacardi are equal partners. The two have been in business since 2011, and Jay-Z is reportedly asking for all the records, locations of the warehouses storing D’Usse liquor barrels, accessories, and bottles. Additionally, SC Liquor is requesting information related to the inventory process and physical inventory.

Kanye West Set To Buy Social Media Company Parler

 

The rapper/producer Kanye West just agreed to buy Parler a one-time defunct conservative platform similar to Twitter, which got yanked offline early last year and removed from a ton of apps including Apple, Google and Amazon. 

Kanye West is following in the digital footsteps of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

Jay-Z Invests $16.5 Million Into Robot-Powered Restaurant

 

JAY-Z continues to expand his business portfolio with a series of sound investments. His most recent uptaking includes investing $16.5 million USD into a soon-to-launch mobile robot-powered pizza restaurant, Stellar Pizza.

Bill Restricting Use of Rap Lyrics in Court Officially Signed

 

On Friday (September 30), California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into action that will restrict the use of rap lyrics as evidence in court. AB 2799—The Decriminalizing Artistic Expression Act, was unanimously approved by the California State Senate in August 2022.

Rihanna to headline Super Bowl Halftime Show

 

Rihanna subtly teased the news earlier this morning with an Instagram photo of a football—specifically an NFL football—which either meant that she would be coming out of retirement to play for Tampa Bay or that she was going to play the Super Bowl Halftime Show. It turned out to be the latter, with Variety saying that Roc Nation has confirmed that Rihanna will indeed be headlining the biggest football-related music event of the year in 2023.

Future Sells Publishing Rights

 

Influence Media Partners announced that they bought Future's publishing catalog from 2004 to 2020, which includes 612 titles. Some of the songs in the catalog include some of his biggest hits, like "Life is Good," "Jumpman," "Commas" and "Mask Off." 

Gloria Carter Focuses on Sending Underserved Youth to College

 

With the Shawn Carter Foundation, Jay Z’s mother Gloria Carter’s focus is to send youth to college. Many high schoolers with low grade point averages (GPAs) don’t think going to college is a feasible goal. High GPAs help secure scholarships and grants. No matter how low their GPA is, the Carters make sure college dreams can become a reality.

“There are a lot of young people who have low GPAs,” Gloria Carter told rolling out. “A lot of those people don’t even get looks for financial assistance.”

Jay-Z Defeats Parlux In Court

 

The mogul testified in the case, saying, “It was so frustrating working with [Parlux].” He also said he was on trial for something he didn’t do. 

Now, a judge ruled Parlux to pay almost $7 million in unpaid royalties for his ‘Gold’ fragrance. This past Thursday, a Manhattan Supreme Court Justice ruled that $6.78 million is owed to Jay-Z, including interest. The perfume brand’s lawsuit was sparked in 2016, with Parlux seeking $68 million. They claimed Jay-Z failed to promote their perfume as part of terms of a 2012 contract.

Taylor Swift To Be Honored At Nashville Songwriter Awards

 

Taylor Swift will be recognized for her contributions to songwriting at the upcoming Nashville Songwriter Awards. The ceremony will be held at the Ryman Auditorium on September 20th, according to The Tennessean.

The Grammy winner is set to be named the "Songwriter-Artist of the Decade" by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. Swift is one of the two "Decade Honorees" in addition to country songwriter Ashley Gorley. However, it's currently unclear if she will be present at the Nashville ceremony to be recognized with the honor. The pop star has taken home NSAI's "Songwriter-Artist of the Year" seven times between 2007 and 2015 and has attended the annual gala until 2013.

Snoop Dogg Joins Mariah Carey and Jay-Z #Hot100

 

Snoop Dogg continues to make history as a timeless figure in Hip Hop even nearly 30 years following the release of his debut album, Doggystyle.

According to Billboard, the rap deity joined some rare company this week when Snoop became only the third artist to earn a Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 spot in each of the decades from the 1990s through the 2020s.

Mariah Carey's Atlanta Home Burglarized

 

Recently, photos surfaced of Mariah Carey while on vacation with her children and boyfriend, Bryan Tanaka. While the pop star could be seen enjoying herself, her home in Atlanta was reportedly being robbed. 

Blue Ivy Earns First Two Gold-Certified Singles

 

JAY-Z and Beyoncé’s eldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, is now a certified gold plaque recipient, according to the RIAA.

Blue Ivy Carter, 10, picked up her first-ever gold plaques from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for her contributions to Beyoncé’s “Blue” from her 2013 self-titled album Beyoncé and the song “Brown Skin Girl,” which appears on 2019’s The Lion King: The Gift. 

Goodbye to the 'The Breakfast Club'

 

One-third of The Breakfast Club, Angela Yee, took to Twitter on Tuesday to drop a bombshell of an announcement. 

Mystikal Arrested Again

 

According to reports, rapper Mystikal was arrested and charged with first-degree rape. The rapper was booked into the Ascension Parish jail for the alleged sex crime. 

The 52-year-old, whose real name is Michael Tyler, was booked on various charges. The charges included simple criminal damages to property, false imprisonment, domestic abuse battery, simple robbery, and first-degree rape. 

Thousands attend Jay Z's Roc Nation's social justice conference

 

Rap superstar Jay Z has put a national spotlight and social injustice that is plaguing communities of color all over the country. FOX 26's Isiah Carey, the host of Isiah Factor Uncensored, was one of 2,000 attendees in New York and covered the inaugural summit spearheaded by the rapper and Roc Nation.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are Married

 

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are married -- and wouldn't you know it ... they did it like a couple of kids looking to elope, saying "I do" out in the desert.

According to court records, obtained by TMZ, the couple got a marriage license in Clark County, NV -- which was taken out and processed on Saturday, July 16. It's in both of their names -- their legal ones at that ... Benjamin Geza Affleck and Jennifer Lynn Lopez.

Kanye West Set To Open YZYSPLY Retail Stores

 

Ye and his legal team recently filed to trademark "YZYSPLY" for retail stores, online ordering services and online retail store services. Fans might already be familiar with Yeezy Supply, a website Kanye has used to sell limited-release shoes or clothing in the past but the new trademark suggests he's going bigger possibly opening brick-and-mortar stores. 

Kanye's latest filing, obtained includes just about every clothing item you can wear G-strings, shirts, socks, hats, visors and tennis wear and leaves plenty of creative room for "accessories" headwear and footwear. with YZYSPLY, he could be thinking the future is a one-stop shopping location for everything his fans love about Ye.

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Meek Mill and Roc Nation Part Ways

 

According to a report from VLadTV, Meek Mill and Roc Nation management have parted ways. 

The Philadelphia rapper and the management part of the company signed a deal in 2012. However, the rapper is no longer featured on their website and has been removed from their social media platforms. 

Wiz Khalifa Partners With Red Light Holland

 

Wiz Khalifa has a new brand. In partnership with Canadian-based company Red Light Holland, the rapper is set to launch Mistercap Magic Truffles, a naturally occurring psilocybin, and mushroom wellness brand.

According to a press release, Mistercap products will be produced and distributed by Red Light Holland. The Pittsburgh rapper will not only market the brand to his followers and fans but also help spread an aligned view with the company on affordable and equitable access for naturally occurring psilocybin with education, information, and responsible use messages.