Aspiring rapper OG Maco is on life support in a Los Angeles hospital after apparently shooting himself in the head. Police sources tell TMZ they responded to a 911 call at 10 AM on Thursday after a neighbor heard a gunshot go off inside a home.
Police found Maco (real name Benedict Ihesiba Jr) inside the house unresponsive. The College Park, Georgia native was rushed to an L.A. hospital, where he is on life support. According to TMZ, his camp denied rumors that he died.
Maco’s manager, Poppa Percccc, tells TMZ Hip Hop his longtime friend is not deceased, but needs urgent prayers from all his friends, fans, supporters and associates.
Maco was one of the legendary QC Records’ first breakout stars in the mid-2010s. We’re told he has plenty of fresh new music in the vault as well.
Maco, 32, is best known for his 2014 debut single “U Guessed It”, which spawned a remix featuring 2 Chainz.
The troubled rapper has at least one prior suicide attempt. He nearly lost an eye in a serious car crash in 2016.
President-elect Donald Trump was officially named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for the second time. Time magazine picked Trump as 2024 Person of the Year “For marshaling a comeback of historic proportions, for driving a once-in-a- generation political realignment, for reshaping the American presidency and altering America’s role in the world.”
However, Trump has already broken one campaign promise he made to the American people. He won’t be able to lower grocery prices.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
In a new interview published by Time magazine Thursday, Trump said that one of the biggest things Democrats didn’t understand is that the American people “want to be able to buy groceries at a reasonable price and not have to turn off their heat in order to buy two apples.”
“A vote for Trump means your groceries will be cheaper,” he said at a Philadelphia campaign rally the day before the presidential election.
“So many people mention groceries — a beautiful but simple word: groceries,” Trump said on November 4. “You don’t think of it that way, but that’s what they mention more than anything: ‘my groceries.'”
MediaPunch / BACKGRID
Trump now admits that bringing down grocery prices won’t be easy to do.
“It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard,” Trump told Time magazine. He said that even if the price of eggs and meat didn’t fall, he didn’t think it would mean his presidency is a failure.
However, Trump told Time that he believes grocery prices will fall as a result of his tariffs.
Trump is proposing a 25 percent tariff on Canada and Mexico, to go into effect on his first day in office.
A tariff is a tax imposed on food, electronics or household goods imported into the United States from other countries.
Half of U.S. vegetable imports come from Mexico, according to an analysis done by The Washington Post.
Economists complain that tariffs will increase grocery prices and cause hardship for the Black community and other minorities.
Hannah Kobayashi, the Maui resident who was reported missing at LAX, has been found alive.
Hannah, 30, reportedly contacted her family and told them she was safe.
But the real story behind Hannah’s vanishing act may land her behind bars doing serious prison time.
According to reports, Hannah was a willing participant in an immigration scam involving her green card-seeking “husband” Alan Cacace, Hannah’s ex-boyfriend, Amun Miranda and his green card-seeking “wife” Marianne – who happened to be Alan’s girlfriend.
Alan, who is from Argentina, and Hannah, a U.S. citizen, got married in October as part of the scam to obtain green cards for himself and his girlfriend Marianne, who is also from Argentina.
The four participants in the green card scam purchased plane tickets to travel from Maui to New York City to take photos in front of the Empire State Building. They hoped the photos would convince immigration officials they were really married.
Alan reportedly paid Hannah $15,000 up front with the promise of an additional $15,000 once his and Marianne’s green cards were approved by immigration officials.
Family handout
Hannah reportedly blew the $15,000 on cocaine and psychedelic drugs. Hannah, who works at a smoke shop in Maui, was known to do cocaine, psychedelics, and sniff nitrous oxide, according to DailyMail.com.
A person close to Amun’s family told DailyMail.com that Hannah had a “heavy drug problem,” and that it was a factor in Hannah and Amun’s breakup.
“Amun really didn’t like her drug problem,” said Anita Lopez. “He was disgusted by it.”
Hannah, Amun, and the Argentinan couple arrived at LAX airport on November 8, but only 3 of them boarded the connecting flight to New York. Hannah missed the flight for unknown reasons. Hannah was reported “missing” by her family three days later.
The LAPD reviewed hours of surveillance video at LAX and around Los Angeles. They spotted Hannah leaving LAX on foot after checking her bag on the flight to New York City. The next day, she contacted the airport to have her bag sent back to LAX from NYC.
LAPD
Hannah was spotted on surveillance video picking up her bag from LAX on November 9.
She was later seen shopping at The Grove, an outdoor mall in L.A. Then she was spotted walking across the border into Tijuana, Mexico on November 12 or 13.
When the news broke that Hannah was “missing,” Desiree, her co-worker in Maui, texted Hannah’s ex-boyfriend, Amun. She asked him why he didn’t get off the plane when he realized Hannah didn’t board it.
Amun responded in a text message that Hannah is an adult and that it wasn’t his job to look after her. Amun and Hannah had dated for 2 years until he broke up with her when he caught her cheating with a local DJ in Maui.
The LAPD informed Hannah’s family that the missing person’s case was closed and that Hannah was “voluntarily” missing.
Family handout
But her family contested the LAPD’s decision to close the investigation. They shared their concerns with police that Hannah may be in danger. They argued that the person seen walking into Mexico was not Hannah.
However, there is evidence that her family and friends knew Hannah was never missing.
One family member alluded to that in a text message to a friend early on. The family member implied that Hannah fleeced her out of money while she was voluntarily missing.
“I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds. From someone I thought I loved,” the family member texted the friend.
Coworkers say they knew all about Hannah’s green card scam.
“There was no secret,” Desiree, Hannah’s co-worker, told DailyMail.com. “She told us about her plans.”
The story had a tragic ending for one family member. Hannah’s father, Ryan Kobayashi, who traveled from Maui to search for her, committed suicide by jumping off of a parking deck near LAX airport 11 days after Hannah went missing.
It’s being reported by friends that Ryan killed himself out of shame after learning Hannah was part of an immigration scam.
People who helped search for Hannah accused the family and the local news media of knowing all along that Hannah wasn’t missing.
One DailyMail.com reader wrote in the comments: “the family (as well as the media) dragged it out and continued to waste public resources, seek and receive donations and more. This should have never been a missing person story.”
Another person wrote, “Inconsiderate daughter didn’t notify her family, resulting in the death of her father, because she was involved in a scam which her friends all knew about but neglected to tell authorities.”
“A third person wrote, “Maybe family pursued GoFundMe in spite of known facts about disappearance.”
Someone else responded, “Agreed. They wanted the $$$ for her attorney fees believing she’d be prosecuted for her sham marriage. But they knew they wouldn’t get much if they put up a request for thousands to ‘please help keep our daughter out of prison…'”
GoFundMe disabled the family’s page. Hannah’s family members were reportedly fighting over the GoFundMe donations.
Jay-Z is suing Jaguar Wright for slander and defamation, according to reports. Wright has made serious allegations against Jay-Z and his wife Beyoncé.
Jay Z’s legal team is gearing up to take legal action against the singer who has repeatedly slandered Jay-Z on social media and in interviews.
In October, Piers Morgan apologized to Jay-Z and Beyoncé after Wright made serious allegations against them on his show “Uncensored” that they said were “totally false”.
Wright told Piers she had been “screaming” that “Diddy and Jay-Z are monsters” for four years.
But Piers apologized after lawyers for Jay-Z and Beyonce contacted him.
Now Media Take Out reports that Jay-Z’s legal team is in the process of filing a defamation lawsuit against Wright.
Jaguar reportedly retracted all negative statements she made about Jay-Z. Now she claims she never accused Jay-Z of r*pe.
Jaguar claims people have been manipulating and editing videos of her to show her making disparaging remarks about the rapper.
She threatened one YouTuber with a lawsuit after he posted an interview of her that she claims was “chopped and screwed.”
Beyoncé’s fans are in shock after her sudden name change amid allegations that her husband, Jay-Z, assaulted a child.
Jay-Z, 55, was accused in a lawsuit of r*ping a 13-year-old girl with Sean Combs, 55, at a house party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City. The rapper vehemently denied the accusations in an emotional statement on Sunday.
Sharp-eyed fans noted that Forbes dropped Jay-Z’s last name from her name in a recent article.
Tatiana / BACKGRID
Forbes named Beyoncé, 43, as one of the year’s most powerful women, and listed her as “Beyonce Knowles” instead of her official name “Beyonce Knowles-Carter”. The sudden name change prompted fans to say the move was a “soft launch name change.”
In September Forbes called the pop singer “Beyonce Knowles-Carter” in a story about the launch of her new Whiskey brand, SirDavis.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Beyoncé always listed her name as “Beyonce Knowles-Carter” after they were married in 2008. She called herself “Mrs Carter” for over a decade and toured under her married name.
Her most recent album was named Cowboy Carter.
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Insiders say Beyoncé fears losing the reputation and respect she worked so hard for.
On Sunday, her mother Tina Knowles ‘liked’ an Instagram post about Jay-Z’s legal troubles.
She later claimed she was “hacked” and that the hacker liked the post.
One fan wrote, “What’s coming next, I’m intrigued !!!”
Another fan wrote, “everyone say heeeyyyy ms knowles.”
A third person wrote: “The soft launch name change is a clever way to tease something new!”
Federal prosecutors linked drill rapper Lil Durk to the murder of his brother DThang’s killer, Stephon Mack.
Mack was ambushed by 2 gunmen as he walked out of the Youth Peace Center of Roseland on Jan. 7, 2022.
According to the FBI, Mack was the leader of the Smashville faction of the Gangster Disciples.
Prosecutors accused Durk of hiring 2 men to kill Mack as revenge for his brother’s murder. Durk is currently in a federal lockup in California awaiting trial on the murder-for-hire of a Georgia man.
BREAKING: A newly unsealed indictment reveals authorities are connecting Lil Durk to the 2022 Chicago murder of Stephon Mack, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Authorities believe the shooting was in retaliation for the 2021 murder of Durk's brother OTF DThang. pic.twitter.com/I5ia5eSfgE
Federal prosecutors charged Chicagoans Anthony Montgomery-Wilson, 24, and Preston Powell, 23, of conspiring with Lil Durk to kill Mack in exchange for money.
Montgomery-Wilson is in custody, but Powell is still on the run.
Durk celebrated Mack’s death in the music video for the track “AHHH HA.”
LeBron James has stepped away from the Los Angeles Lakers amid rumors that he is linked to the Sean Combs case.
According to reports, LeBron, 39, has been “excused” from team activities for “personal reasons,” as confirmed by Lakers coach JJ Redick on Wednesday.
“LeBron is not with the team right now,” Redick told reporters. Redick did not say LeBron’s absence was due to an injury.
LeBron’s absence comes at a time when his media company reportedly lost $30 million. There has been speculation linking the financial losses to his association with Combs.
LeBron was already set to miss a game due to foot soreness, but his current absence has sparked rumors about his future with the team.
The Lakers are currently on a break due to the Emirates NBA Cup tournament, but Lakers players are still practicing together — except for LeBron.
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
During UFC media day in Tampa, fighter Colby Covington asked LeBron what he meant by “There’s no party like a Diddy party?” He continued, “LeBron, how many Diddy parties have you actually been to? I’m really curious to know. And is that the reason you left social media, because of all the backlash you were getting for going to so many Diddy parties?”
Covington called LeBron a “pathetic excuse of a human being” and said he should share a jail cell with Combs.
Sean Combs was arrested in Manhattan in September. He is in a federal lockup in Brooklyn awaiting trial on human trafficking charges. LeBron has not been named in any court documents linked to the case.
LeBron’s future with the Lakers is uncertain as the online chatter about his association with Combs and Jay-Z grows louder. Jay-Z was named in a lawsuit on Sunday accusing him of assaulting a 13-year-old girl with Combs in 2000.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called for federal help after “very sophisticated” drones the size of cars are seen over New Jersey. Murphy said the federal government needs to be “faster” in investigating the drones.
New Jersey officials asked the public to remain calm – even as residents pack up and leave. National security spokesperson John Kirby said there is no public safety threat during a White House press briefing on Thursday.
“Many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully,” Kirby said. “There is no evidence of foreign based involvement…”
On Wednesday, Pentagon officials denied reports that the taxi-sized drones were sent by an Iranian “mothership” in the waters off the East Coast.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew pushed back against The Pentagon denying the drones could be from an Iranian “mothership”.
Drew said “highly placed” sources told him a ship went missing from an Iranian port in late November and could be anchored off the East Coast.
“I’m not saying it’s definite, but it needs to be explored,” Van Drew said Thursday on Fox News.
A Business Insider article mentioned a “container ship” that went missing from a port in Iran.
“A container ship that Iran has spent the past few years turning into a militarized drone carrier has left its home port for the first time, recent satellite imagery obtained by Business Insider shows,” the story said.
One New Jersey resident said he sent up a fully charged drone to investigate the mystery drones. He said his drone lost battery power after a few minutes in the air.
Other residents said they couldn’t fly their drones either. They suspect that the mystery drones are equipped with jammers.
Apparently recreational drones are refusing to fly in NJ. What would make that happen? Some type of jammer or something?
Don’t worry #NJ Although Phil Murphy doesn’t know anything about these drones, he can assure you that there’s no threat. ????pic.twitter.com/krYglZioXu
Caitlin Clark was named Time magazine‘s Athlete of the Year for 2024. Clark showed off her abs in a sports bra and designer pants on the cover.
Instead of celebrating her latest achievement, her fans are outraged over her statements in the cover story.
Clark, 22, said she owes her success to her White privilege in a majority Black league.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” she said. Clark added that the WNBA should do more to elevate the Black players in the league.
Michael Hickey/Getty Images
“A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly called the WNBA superstar “fake” and “sad.”
“Look at this. She’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation. The ‘oh pls pay attention to the black players who are REALY the ones you want to celebrate.’ Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad,” Kelly tweeted.
Look at this. She’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation. The “oh pls pay attention to the black players who are REALY the ones you want to celebrate.” Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad. https://t.co/cTzk0CTLPn
Meanwhile, sports journalist Jason Whitlock crashed out in a series of videos on X (formerly Twitter).
“Caitlin Clark was the one thing in sports that brought me genuine joy, and they’ve destroyed her,” he cried in one video.
In another tweet, Whitlock wrote, “Woke Negroes Basketball Association Conquers Caitlin Clark. Inevitable. Send your young into leftist institutions don’t be surprised when they come home woke.”
Woke Negroes Basketball Association Conquers Caitlin Clark. Inevitable. Send your young into leftist institutions don’t be surprised when they come home woke. pic.twitter.com/nqSCRxv2JO
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the bombshell allegations made against rapper Jay-Z in a lawsuit on Sunday.
Jay-Z (born Shawn Carter), 55, faces allegations that he assaulted a 13-year-old girl along with Sean Combs, 55, in 2000.
Jay-Z’s entertainment company Roc Nation has produced the Super Bowl halftime show since 2019.
“We are aware of the civil allegations and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that. We know the litigation is happening now so, from our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them including our preparation for the next Super Bowl,” Goodell said in a statement on Wednesday.
February’s Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans, will be headlined by rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Goodell’s statement comes amid reports that former Def Jam Recordings rapper Foxy Brown seemed to confirm rumors that Jay-Z likes them young.
Shareif Ziyadat/FilmMagic
Brown, 46, was a protégé of Jay-Z’s in the 1990s, and was featured on a track on his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt.
On Monday, Dec. 9, Brown shared a series of cryptic posts to her Instagram Stories, writing “WOW,” and “WAIT,” alongside a surprise emoji,” according to screenshots saved by TMZ.
There are longstanding rumors that Brown had a relationship with adult Jay-Z when she was only 15.
Brown has denied those rumors for years, but fans speculate that she was paid for her silence.
The Ill Na Na’s last album Broken Silence was released in 2001.
