Posts Tagged: rapper

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Capitol Records Drops Computerized Rapper FN Meka Amid Backlash

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Capitol Records cut ties with FN Meka, a computerized AI rapper, amid fierce backlash from real rappers, including The Game.

"CMG has severed ties with the FN Meka project, effective immediately," Capitol Music Group said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday.

Capitol Records continued: "We offer our deepest apologies to the Black community for our insensitivity in signing this project."

The record label made headlines this month after signing FN Meka to a lucrative record deal. The backlash began almost immediately, as many were offended by the robot's misappropriation of Black cultural stereotypes and frequent use of the n-word in its raps.

FN Meka described itself as a "Robot rapper not accepted by this world." The AI rapper showed off digital Louis Vuitton, Rolls Royce cars, and gold chains in its social media posts.

FN Meka is the brainchild of co-creator Anthony Martini, of music label Factory New, which used computer generated graphics to mimic culture vulture Tekashi 6ix9ine for the FN Meka character.

The deal was announced alongside the release of Meka's new song "Florida Water" featuring rapper Gunna.

FN Meka grew a substantial following on social media, including 10 million followers on TikTok.

Other record labels took note of the buzz generated by Capitol Records signing a virtual (non-human) rapper to its roster.

Rappers such as The Game slammed the signing as racist, and others warned that record labels would soon replace problematic rappers with virtual artists that can be easily controlled.

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A$AP Rocky pleads not guilty to felony gun charges

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A$AP Rocky appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault with a firearm.

Rocky faces charges of assault in a shooting incident involving fellow rapper ASAP Relli last November.

Relli told police Rocky pointed a semi-automatic handgun at him and fired the gun in his direction.

Daily Stardust/ ShotByNYP / BACKGRID

Rocky, 33, was arrested in April and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. He was released on $550,000 bond.

On Monday, Aug. 15, the Los Angeles district attorney charged Rocky with felony assault with a firearm.

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Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, wore a suit and freshly braided hair as he arrived at a Los Angeles courthouse.

Relli, real name Terell Ephron, filed a lawsuit against Rocky last week. He is seeking $25,000 plus legal fees.

Lawyers for Relli said Mayer's behavior was "extreme and outrageous" and had caused their client to suffer "extreme emotional distress".

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Rihanna and Rocky arrived on their private jet as they returned to Los Angeles for his court date. A bodyguard carefully carried the baby in a car seat before A$AP walked off the plane with Rihanna close behind him.

Rihanna and Rocky live in her native Barbados with their son.

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Rapper Meek Mill says hallucinogenic mushrooms make him smarter

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Rapper Meek Mill says eating psychedelic mushrooms, also known as shrooms, make him smarter.

The 35-year-old "Dreams & Nightmares" rapper shared his preference for the psychedelic drug on Twitter.

"I took some strooms [sic] it made me more smart more happy and have more love in my heart ... I was gone cold this shit like medicine ... micro dose vibes ... I don't know if everybody brain structured for this .. but it's some shit in these things lol."

Shrooms are hallucinogens that can distort a person's perception of reality. You shouldn't operate motor vehicles or handguns if you're high on shrooms.

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According to healthline.com, shrooms can stay in your system for 24 hours. The effects of shrooms can last 3 to 4 hours.

Rappers are turning to shrooms because they are not illegal - yet. They're relatively cheap to purchase from a street dealer or convenience store. And they don't show up in routine drug tests.

Most people eliminate shrooms in their urine within 24 hours, making them undetectable by urine drug tests.

Sometimes rappers forget that they are the idolized by impressionable youths. So expect your teenager to start tripping off of shrooms because Meek endorsed it.

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Rick Ross looking for someone to feed his lion cubs (Video)

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Are you good with exotic animals? Rapper Rick Ross is looking for someone to feed his two lion cubs.

On Tuesday, the rapper took to Instagram and posted a wanted ad for a caretaker among his 15.6M followers.

Ross explained that he's interested in acquiring pet lion cubs for his Promiseland Estate in Fayetteville, Ga. near Atlanta.

"I'm looking to hire someone to feed both my CUBS once they are delivered from SENEGAL," he captioned a video clip.

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He shared a video showing a hunky and fearless zookeeper playing with the cubs.

"Hi guys! Rick Ross, today I am here with the baby cat. Your baby cat is here, they are ready. Yeah, you can see them here in Senegal, West Africa. Yeah, Rick Ross, they are ready for you."

The problem is, lion cubs tend to grow big fairly quickly. Technically, they're still cubs even though they're the size of fully grown lions.

The other problem is the cubs play rough and they sometimes eat their caretakers by mistaking them for food.

Ross would feed them himself, but he needs both of his hands in his line of work as a famous rapper.

So, Ross is looking for a fearless person who won't panic if the cubs get a little aggressive in their play.

So far Ross hasn't found someone willing to feed his exotic animals. I'm told he's holding off on delivery of the born killers animals until he does find someone.

Hopefully, the gig offers excellent health and life insurance benefits.

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Kodak Black On House Arrest for Violating Probation

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Kodak Black was placed on house arrest after he was pulled over in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for driving with an expired tag and dark window tinting on Saturday.

A search of his bulletproof Dodge Durango SUV turned up 31 white tablets of oxycodone and more than $75,000 in cash.

He bonded out of jail on Saturday, and his attorney claimed the pills were prescribed for him.
 
RELATED: Kodak Black's Attorney Claims Pills Were Prescribed for Him
 
First reported by VladTV on Thursday (July 21), XXL obtained court documents that show magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman revoked Kodak Black's supervised release and placed him on house arrest on Wednesday (July 20). Kodak appeared in court via video teleconference and paid a $250,000 personal surety bond.

According to XXL, Black must request permission from his probation officer to perform in concert or record in a studio, and he will be required to undergo random drug testing.

Black could find himself back behind bars if he fails his drug test or violates his home detention.

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The 25-year-old "Super Gremlin" rapper, who was born Dieuson Octave, was placed on house arrest after he took to Twitter and accused the arresting officer of targeting him.

The rapper mocked the officer, calling him "Officer Pinky D***."

"How tf you send a ni**a to jail for my own medication?" Black tweeted. "Then tarnish my character like im trafficking oxycontin ??? But im posta sit here and dont talk about it? [sic]"

"They want a ni**a sad, depressed, suffering!" he wrote in a now-deleted tweet. "Nobody cares bout all da good you do! Just wanna catch you slipping so they can get credit for sending you to prison! [sic]"

He continued: "Can't nobody sit up here and lie & say they ain't been noticing the change and the progress I've been making!! They wanna remind people of my past instead of encouraging me to keep at this pace I've been going!"

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Rapper Trina’s 17-Year-Old Niece, Baby Suga, Shot and Killed in Miami

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Rapper Trina is mourning the loss of her niece, "Baby Suga," who was shot and killed in Miami on Tuesday, July 19.

Suga and two women were shot in Miami's infamous Pork & Beans projects in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood just after midnight. The two surviving victims were transported to a hospital, but Suga was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to TMZ, Suga was in the "wrong place at the wrong time".

"The woman who was pronounced deceased on the scene was there visiting, she didn't live in that precise area," said police. "We don't know who was the intended target."

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Suga is reportedly the 17-year-old daughter of Trina's sister, Laura.

Family members told WSVN that "Suga" was "excited to start her senior year" in high school.

Police were seen investigating a black Mercedes Benz SUV about a mile away from the projects. The SUV had several bullet holes in the side window and the back windshield was shattered.

Trina, 43, is best known for her appearance on fellow Miami rapper Trick Daddy's single "Nann Nigga" (1998).

Her debut album Da Baddest Bitch spawned the hit singles "Da Baddest Bitch" and "Pull Over."

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Nick Young Says He Will Knock Out Blueface in ’15 Seconds’

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Nick Young, a.k.a. Swaggy P, says rapper Blueface doesn't stand a chance when they step in the ring for a celebrity boxing match on July 30 at Crypto Arena in L.A.

Swaggy P tells TMZ Sports that fans should tune in early because the fight will be over in 15 seconds!

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The ex-Lakers star made the prediction when he bumped into TMZ in L.A. earlier this week. He said it'll only take him about 15 seconds to finish the trash-talking "Thotiana" rapper.

Nick is so confident that he will knock Blueface out because the rapper's lifestyle means he is out of shape. Nick plans to drop the 25-year-old in the 1st Round!

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"He's a rapper," Nick said. "They've got to be in the studio all night. You've got to drink, you've got to smoke. We don't do that type of stuff."

Blueface, meanwhile, was just as confident, telling TMZ that he'll beat Nick to a pulp and make the 37-year-old retired athlete "look bad."

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Blueface tells TMZ he plans to continue boxing after the fight, and he's already got a match lined up for late August.

Nick, meanwhile, says if the money's right, he'll continue boxing as well, "I'm just going on a knock-a-motha-f***as-out tour."

Question: Who do you think will win the boxing match?

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Suspect Identified in Shooting Death of Atlanta Rapper Trouble DTE

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An arrest warrant has been issued for a 33-year-old man in connection with the shooting death of mixtape rapper Trouble DTE, aka Skoob (pictured left).

The 34-year-old rapper was shot multiple times while sitting in a car hours after performing at a nightclub early Sunday. Trouble was allegedly killed in a dispute over a woman.

The news was announced by Trouble's ex-girlfriend Alexis Sky who said he was shot while visiting a friend.

Trouble's sister confirmed the news on social media on Sunday.

The Rockdale County Sheriff said a warrant has been issued for suspect Jamichael Jones, of Atlanta.

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Trouble, real name Mariel Semonte Orr, grew up in the Edgewood neighborhood of Atlanta. He began rapping at age 14 and collaborated with rappers such as Pu$ha T, Killer Mike, Migos, and YFN Lucci.

His debut mixtape in 2011 included the song "Bussin,'" which featured rappers Yo Gotti, Waka Flocka Flame and Trae tha Truth on the remix.

The mixtape was ranked number 23 on Complex magazine's 25 Best Mixtapes of 2011. Trouble was named one of Complex magazine's list of "15 New Rappers To Watch Out For" in 2011.

In 2017, Trouble signed a record deal with music producer Mike WiLL Made-It's independent record label Ear Drummer Records and a distribution deal with Interscope Records.

Despite his local success, Trouble was not well-known beyond the Atlanta market.
 

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Kodak Black to welcome 4 kids in 2022; Gifts 4th baby mama with Mercedes

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Kodak Black will welcome 4 bundles of joy in 2022. But he still has a ways to go to catch up to Nick Cannon, Future Hendrix, Chief Keef and other rappers who can field baseball teams with their spawn.

Kodak will welcome his fourth child with a Detroit fan who posted a photo of her growing baby bump on Instagram.

Kodak gifted her with a brand new Mercedes Benz truck with a red interior as a push gift.

The Florida rapper already has three children by three baby mamas. The babies were all born in 2022.

Kodak explained his rush to replenish the Earth in an Instagram Live interview two months ago.

"It's always understood, if I'm dealing with a person, I'm never gonna lead them on and make them feel like we're in a relationship if we not, you hear me, I already let you know what I got going on in my life and so you gon make the decision if you want to deal with me or not, I aint gotta lie to nobody."

Kodak's baby mamas are all educated, successful women who just got with him for the child support.

Maranda is a real estate agent, mother is an exotic dancer from Miami. And the third pregnant girl is attending beautician school. It isn't clear what his 4th baby mama does for a living.

Kodak might want to follow Nick's lead and get a vasectomy before the groupies start lining up.

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City of Forest Park denies permit for vigil to honor late rapper Lil Keed

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The city of Forest Park, Georgia has denied a permit for a planned vigil for the late rapper Lil Keed.

Lil Keed, real name Rahqid Render, died from multiple organ failure in Los Angeles on Friday, May 13.

A permit for the planned vigil to be held at Starr Park on Tuesday, May 24, was denied for safety reasons.

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City officials said in a statement:

"Like so many others throughout metro Atlanta and communities across the nation, the City of Forest Park was saddened to hear about the recent passing of local hometown entertainer Raqhid Jevon Render, also known as Lil Keed. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to his family, friends and all those who have been impacted by this unfortunate loss."

The statement continued:

"Although this may be a difficult time for a great number individuals, the city is dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents and businesses. It is our sincere hope that the life of Mr. Render will be celebrated peacefully by all those who wish to remember him and his legacy."

Lil Keed was signed to rapper Young Thug's YSL record label and Kevin Liles' 300 Entertainment. Keed's name was not among the 28 people indicted by the Fulton County DA's office on RICO violation charges on May 9.

Rapper Gunna, a YSL artist, was also indicted and is locked up in the Fulton County Jail.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis accused YSL of committing over 50 murders and gun violence across Atlanta.

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New York passes bill preventing song lyrics from being used against rappers

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A new bill in New York state will prevent song lyrics from being used as evidence against rappers in court.

The New York State Senate passed the "Rap Music On Trial" bill which prevents song lyrics from being used to convict rappers in criminal cases.

The bill was supported by rappers such as Jay Z and Fat Joe who signed their names on a letter endorsing the legislation.

The bill prevents prosecutors from using violent and misogynistic lyrics to convict rappers and other defendants.

Supporters of the bill argued that rap music was referred to as an "autobiographical journal" by one prosecutor.

Supporters also said the usage of rap lyrics disproportionately affected Black and Latino people.

"Rap should not be treated differently from any other art form," said Senator Jamaal Bailey (D-The Bronx). "Yet in courtrooms across the country, artists have been unfairly targeted for simply exercising their right to creative expression."

Bailey argued that prosecutors should not presume a defendant's guilt based on the stories he tells through violent rap lyrics.

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Rapper Young Thug sits in a Georgia jail cell, following his arrest for RICO violations and criminal gang activity in Atlanta. The Fulton County prosecutor used his rap lyrics against him in a 56-count indictment.

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Travonna Calls Out Deadbeat Dad Lil Durk: ‘Come to Court Bro’

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One of Lil Durk's baby mamas, Travonna, aired him out after he failed to show up in court for a child support hearing.

The Chicago gang banger-turned-rapper claims seven children by 6 women. But Travonna insists he also fathered her 8-year-old son, who would be Durk's 8th child.

Travonna doesn't hide her disdain for Durk on social media. She regularly drags the drill rapper for not being there for his son.

Travonna took to Instagram after Durk was a no-show in court this week. She said he lives for "entertainment" and "validation" from his fans on social media.

She wrote:

"Court was today and he didn't show up now he has a point to prove he lives for the world's entertainment instead of living reality he left Romeo out because he had to feed his ego and get validation from his fans trust me God gon handle this and I won't stop this is foul play and durk knows it @lildurk come to court so we can get this over with bro [sic]."

Unlike Durk's other baby mamas, Travonna didn't take him to court to prove paternity until after he became a star.

The Black community is flooded with fatherless sons. Durk admits he's not doing his part for the 7 kids he publicly claims.

He said:

"I take care of my kids but don't spend time with them not sh*t else or blame everybody around me ima great father Ima step it up and lock in and become the voice 100% [heart emoji] love ya'll

Big sky
Baby sky
Bella
Willow

Doom
Angelo
Zayden [sic]."

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DaBaby’s lawyers say Walmart shooting video supports his self-defense claim

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DaBaby's lawyers dismissed Rolling Stone's video which seems to dispute the rapper's claims that he killed a man in self-defense.

The 30-year-old rapper, real name Jonathan Kirk, killed 19-year-old Jaylin Craig during a fight at a North Carolina Walmart store in 2018.
 
RELATED: Video footage disputes DaBaby’s claim that he fatally shot a man in self-defense in 2018
 
Leaked video footage obtained by Rolling Stone shows DaBaby threw the first punch, then pulled out a gun and shot Craig dead.

The rapper claimed self-defense, but the surveillance footage shows he initiated the confrontation by sucker punching Craig's friend.
 

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The rapper's attorneys, Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, tell TMZ the video was reviewed by a judge and prosecutors back in 2018.

The lawyers say prosecutors concluded DaBaby acted in self-defense and therefore was not charged with homicide.

DaBaby also responded to the video, saying, "The media got they a*s brainwashed."

Since 2018, DaBaby has shot at or physically assaulted multiple people — some without provocation.

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DaBaby shot man trespassing on football field of his $2.3 million mansion

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More details have emerged about the trespassing and shooting incident at rapper DaBaby's sprawling compound in North Carolina.

Police say DaBaby was the one who shot a trespasser in the leg after the two men exchanged words on DaBaby's football field Wednesday night.

DaBaby is heard on a 911 call telling the dispatcher he shot the intruder on his property, as the man screams in the background.

The man was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries, TMZ reports.

It still isn't clear how the guy got past DaBaby's armed security guards.

Police have been called to the property 31 times since the rapper and his entourage moved into the 5-bedroom mansion in Troutman, North Carolina.

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The $2.3 mansion is in DaBaby's brother's name to avoid losing it in a lawsuit due to his reckless behavior.

This isn't the first time DaBaby has shot a man. The rapper was cleared of murder after he shot and killed a Walmart shopper in November 2018.

DaBaby is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina where he and his two older brothers were raised by his single mom. His older brother Glen Johnson died in 2020.

DaBaby is best known for his hit singles "Suge," "Baby Jesus," "Today," and "Up The Street."

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Trespasser shot on rapper DaBaby’s property

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A trespasser was shot at a residence where rapper DaBaby was staying in North Carolina. The man was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

According to TMZ, the rapper was staying at his brother's home when the man found his way onto the property without an invitation.

When police arrived at the $2.3 million mansion, they found the man suffering from a gunshot wound on the property's private football field.

DaBaby, real name Jonathan Kirk, was at home at the time of the shooting. It is not clear if he did the shooting.

A gun was recovered at the scene by police. There were no charges.

The mansion in Troutman is surrounded by a gate and security guards were on duty. It isn't clear how the man got on the property.

The rapper was cleared of murder after he shot and killed a Walmart shopper in November 2018.

DaBaby is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina where he and his two older brothers were raised by his single mom. His older brother Glen Johnson died in 2020.

DaBaby is best known for his hit singles "Suge," "Baby Jesus," "Today," and "Up The Street."

Fans were unsympathetic to DaBaby after the news broke.