Sen. Raphael Warnock, Georgia, election day, ballot counting, rule
(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 24, 2024

Sen. Raphael Warnock Says Georgia’s Hand-Counted Ballot Rule Is ‘Effort To Turn The Democracy On Its Head’

Georgia election board's recently ruled that local precincts must hand-count ballots on Election Day.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) is “very concerned” about the state’s new hand-counted ballot rule, which he sees as an “effort to turn the democracy on its head.”

The pastor and U.S. Senator appeared on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki on Sept. 22, where he responded to the Georgia election board’s recent ruling that local precincts must hand-count ballots on Election Day. The decision came despite concerns from election officials and opposition from some state authorities who said the last-minute change could cause delays and confusion on election night and the days that follow.

According to Sen. Warnock, the Sept. 20 ruling was prompted by the Republican-led state’s fear of Democrats growing in power.

“The news that Georgia voters [ought to be] paying attention to is this: The fact that they are doing this, means that they know we’re winning,” Warnock said.

“They know that the momentum is with Kamala Harris, and this effort to turn the democracy on its head, so that rather than the voters picking their representatives, the folks who are running get to pick their voters — it won’t stand.”

Elsewhere, Warnock spoke of the “voter suppression” that he experienced during his election runs and the type that’s known to happen in efforts to stop certain communities from voting.

“This is how voter suppression happens. Undermine votes a little bit here a little there,” Warnock said after recalling his lawsuit against Georgia state officials to allow Georgia voters to vote during the first weekend of his run-off election.

Georgia’s election board voted 3-2 to mandate hand-counting of ballots in addition to the existing machine count, a groundbreaking decision made with less than 50 days remaining before Election Day. Sen. Warnock spoke on what the ruling could lead to and compared it to the controversial ballot issue of the 2000 election between George Bush and Al Gore.

Warnock was “old enough to remember Florida [in] 2000,” and doesn’t want that “mess” in Georgia.

“We all saw the mess that that was, and we don’t need that here again in Georgia, so we will continue to press the issue,” he said.

Recent actions by the board have heightened attention on election administration in Georgia, a state where former President Donald Trump and others promoted baseless fraud claims after the 2020 election and which is anticipated to be a key swing state in the 2024 race. The Friday ruling requires the poll manager and two poll officers at each precinct to manually count the paper ballots in each ballot box and compare the total with the number recorded by the ballot scanner.

Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger expressed his concerns over the hand-counting of ballots.

“Attorney General Chris Carr has stated that these rules would not withstand a legal challenge, and I have worked every day to strengthen Georgia’s election law to ensure our elections remain safe, secure, and free,” Raffensperger said after the election board’s ruling.

RELATED CONTENT: Harris And Trump Fight For Georgia’s Black Voters Before Debate As Poll Numbers Show Them Tied

Earth Wind and Fire
photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 23, 2024

Questlove’s Earth, Wind & Fire Documentary Announced On The 21st Day Of September

Questlove will make sure everyone remembers the 21st day of September with the Earth, Wind & Fire documentary.

Questlove has an Earth, Wind & Fire documentary on the way, and it only made sense to announce it on the 21st day of September.

Following 2001’s Shining Stars: The Official Story of Earth, Wind & Fire, Questlove has an official documentary that will tell the success story of the legendary soul group, Deadline reports. The film will explore the band’s legacy, cultural impact, and body of work with an exclusive look into its visual, audio, and written materials archives.

The Roots drummer, who won an Oscar for his Summer of Soul documentary, reportedly received the full support of Maurice White’s estate and the band. White served as the founder, leader, main songwriter, and chief producer of Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as the band’s co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.

“Having been baptized in the Afrocentric joy river of this powerhouse unit, I’ve learned about them, I’ve learned about us & more importantly, I’ve learned and rediscovered myself in the process,” Questlove said in a statement. “I’m so excited to be part of the process of preserving their positive but very vulnerable and real story of Soul, Self & Struggle.”

Throughout their five-decade career, Earth, Wind & Fire sold more than 90 million records, released 11 consecutive gold or platinum albums, and won six Grammy Awards. Maurice White formed the band in Chicago in 1969. Prominent members of the group include Verdine White, Philip Bailey, Ralph Johnson, Larry Dunn, Al McKay, Roland Bautista, Robert Brookins, Sonny Emory, Freddie Ravel, Ronnie Laws, Sheldon Reynolds, and Andrew Woolfolk, who passed away in 2022 at age 71.

Additional accolades include four American Music Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame, Hollywood’s Rockwalk, and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. The band received an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage Award, a BET Lifetime Achievement Award, a Soul Train Legend Award, a NARAS Signature Governor’s Award, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2012 Congressional Horizon Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2019.

Rolling Stone credited Earth, Wind & Fire for being the band that “changed the sound of Black pop,” while VH1 described them as “one of the greatest bands” of all time. The group’s only inactive years were during a hiatus from 1984 – 1987. The band’s founder, Maurice White, passed away in 2016 at age

Questlove is producing the film with Maurice White’s son, KB White of Broken Halo Entertainment, and Arron Saxe of Kinfolk Management + Media. Other producers of the film, made in association with Sony Music Vision, include RadicalMedia, Questlove and Black Thought’s Two One Five Entertainment, and financing and sales from Fifth Season. Zarah Zohlman and Shawn Gee of Two One Five Entertainment will serve as executive producers alongside Jon Kamen of RadicalMedia, Cheo Hodari Coker, and Amos Newman.

RELATED CONTENT: Earth, Wind, & Fire’s Philip Bailey Launches Fundraiser In Support Of National Adoption Month

nicki minaj, eve
(Photo: wikimedia.org)
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 23, 2024

Eve Reveals Her ‘Stupid’ Insecurities Over Nicki Minaj’s Rise In The Music Industry

'...It has nothing to do with her. It was all these things coming from the industry, I think, also had a lot to do with it, of being the one female."

In her new memoir, Eve admitted she sought therapy to combat the “stupid” and “dumb” insecurities she felt when Nicki Minaj experienced her rise in hip-hop.

The Grammy-winning rapper and Who’s That Girl author appeared on CNN Sept. 21, where she described what felt around the time Minaj was added to the Barbershop franchise alongside her.

“No matter what industry you are in, if you have been at a place in your life or your career where you may have been that one, that person, that thing, and someone comes in and it’s, of course, you were human,” the rapper shared in a clip captured by The Shade Room. “Of course, you feel insecure, of course, you feel protective, of course, you feel, ‘Wow, do I still belong here? What is going on?'”

Eve explained how she put her ego aside and include the revelation in her new memoir.

“I felt like it was important for me to write because it also talks about a time in my life where I wasn’t going to those tools of drinking and doing other things to help me cope with my anxieties,” she shared.

“I had to go to other modalities like therapy. Yeah, and then, as people will read, it all was my stuff; it has nothing to do with her. It was all these things coming from the industry, I think, also had a lot to do with it, of being the one female.”

The “Blow Your Mind” rapper continued.

“I was even thinking, I guess I was thinking, excuse me, I guess I was holding onto that, thinking like, well, how can she be here and how can I be here, which is stupid, which is so dumb,” Eve said. “Yeah, it was. We questioned putting that in there, but I’m glad I did.”

Eve said she and Minaj got along fine on set,” but that women often “project their own insecurities onto other women.”

“It happened at the start of my career and continued in waves as my fame grew,” she said. “I wasn’t going to be that woman to someone else, but in order to do that, I had to physically and mentally prepare myself…”

Nicki Minaj responded to Eve’s admission Sept. 22 with a heartfelt open letter posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Dear Eve, The various things you’ve shared recently are groundbreaking (in my opinion) for so many reasons,” Minaj wrote in part.

“First, thank you. The level of grace, the level of emotional & spiritual maturity it takes to be this vulnerable & transparent is a sign of TRUE peace, happiness, fulfillment, & mastery of self. Self-reflection @ its height. I always say that I think accountability is the sexiest trait a person can have.”

RELATED CONTENT: Nicki Minaj Shades Atlantic Records Layoffs, Say ‘UPS Is Hiring’ 

Howard, swim team, Gettysburg
(Photo: cottonbro studio/ pexels)
by Daniel Johnson

September 23, 2024

Black Swimmer At Gettysburg College Allegedly Had N-Word Carved Into His Body

The news has spread far beyond the campus.

On Sept. 18, the student newspaper for Gettysburg College broke the news that a racial slur had been carved into the body of a swim team member at a social gathering using either a plastic or ceramic tool. Their reporting indicated that although the name of the perpetrator was not going to be released while the school conducted its investigation, two students on the swim team had already been suspended. 

According to The Gettysburgian, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Jamie Yates announced the suspension in a statement.

“The College has received a deeply concerning report of a racial slur being scratched onto a student using a plastic or ceramic tool. This is a serious report which is being actively assessed through the student conduct process. At this point, the students involved are not participating in swim team activities pending the outcome of the student conduct process. Given privacy laws and the ongoing nature of the student conduct process, we are unable to share further details.”

According to an editor’s note, the school suspended both the alleged perpetrator of the incident and the victim, and two days after the student newspaper broke the news, the victim’s family released a statement that included additional details, including that their son had the “n-word” cut on his chest using a box cutter. 

“Two weeks ago, on the evening of Sept. 6, our son became the victim of a hate crime. The incident took place at a gathering of swim team members. It is important to note that he was the only person of color at this gathering. The reprehensible act was committed by a fellow student-athlete, someone he considered his friend, someone whom he trusted. This student used a box cutter to etch the N-word across his chest.”

They also took issue with the fact that their son was dismissed from the team and not suspended.

“In less than 48 hours after the incident, our son was interviewed by the members of the coaching staff and summarily dismissed (not suspended) from the swim team. The punitive action was taken prior to the commencement of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities’ own investigation. This does not appear to have followed the policies and procedures stated in the Gettysburg College Student-Athlete Manual,” the family wrote.

The family continued, “As we wait to discuss the decisions made by college staff, the harm continues without much relief. Media outlets (social, online, and broadcast) continue to perpetuate misinformation stemming from an act of racial animus. In the same vein, the isolation that pairs with being isolated from many in the Gettysburg College community that he had come to trust deepens the harm.”

The family also noted that they had filed complaints with the NAACP Harrisburg chapter and the NAACP Pennsylvania Conference as well as a similar complaint with the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations.

On Sept. 22, Gettysburg College Vice President for College Life Anne Ehrlich sent out a campus-wide email acknowledging the college’s commitment to the family of the victim. 

The university and the family also released a joint statement indicating their hope that the incident proves transformative.

“The College and the family both recognize the gravity and seriousness of this situation and hope it can serve as a transformative moment for our community and beyond. To point back to the statement in the Gettysburgian from the family:

“‘Rather, our intent is that—in some small way—a heinous act can serve as a transformative moment for Gettysburg College to live up to its ideals of diversity, inclusion, and justice; to celebrate the College’s maxim to: ‘Do Great Work.’  We pray that together we can arouse a collective conscience promoting healing and help bring about justice for our son and the rest of the Gettysburg College community.’”

The incident generated significant outrage on social media. Johanna Mellis, a former D1 swim athlete and a historian focusing on the inequity of collegiate athletics and sports in general, posted a screenshot of the family’s statement, captioned, “Have a lot of words and a lot of rage. Seriously, parents of color might think about looking at Howard’s swim team.”

“This is a horrific, disgusting, racist hate crime,” said Andrew Goretsky, regional director of ADL Philadelphia, in a statement on Twitter. “We stand with the person attacked and all those individuals affected. We demand a thorough investigation and for any individual found involved and responsible to be held accountable. We hope wounds, both physical and emotional, are able to heal with time.”

RELATED CONTENT: Black Girl Speaks Out After Racist Attack At Kansas High School

COVID 19, pandemic, Dr. Jay Varma
(Photo: Pexels)
by Sharelle B. McNair

September 23, 2024

Former NYC Health Advisor Admits To Partying With 200 People At Height Of COVID-19 Pandemic

Talk about being outside...

New York City’s former senior health advisor, Dr. Jay Varma, admitted he ignored the COVID-19 policies he pressed New Yorkers to follow in order to attend alleged sex and dance parties, CBS News reports. 

Varma’s admission was captured on a hidden, edited video captured by conservative podcast host Steven Crowder. In the video, Varma, who served as former senior advisor of public health under Mayor Bill de Blasio between 2020 and 2021, admitted to attending a dance party “underneath a bank in Wall Street” with about 200 people. He also claimed attendees were under the influence of the party drug called “Molly.”

“I was so happy because I hadn’t done that in like a year and a half,” he said. “But I was looking around like ‘f***; I wonder if anybody sees me they’re gonna be pissed’ because this is not COVID-friendly.”  

https://twitter.com/jimfannon/status/1837039883237388568

He also allegedly bragged about being the one to push the mayor to get mandatory vaccination rules in place that prevented then-Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving from playing at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center after refusing to get the shot. 

According to NBC News, Crowder started the recording by checking Varma about “having sex parties and having dance parties while businesses are being shut down and New York sees an unemployment that’s twice the national average.” The former health advisor said the “sex party”—which he described as “just being naked with friends”—took place in August 2020 with close to 10 people, but he claimed he implemented a COVID-19 “testing protocol” for the gathering.

In a statement from Varma’s spokesperson, Chris Vlasto, Varma said he takes “responsibility for not using the best judgment at the time. Facing the greatest public health crisis in a century, our top priority was to save lives, and every decision made was based on the best available science to keep New Yorkers safe,” the statement read. 

“I stand by my efforts to get New Yorkers vaccinated against COVID-19, and I reject dangerous extremist efforts to undermine the public’s confidence in the need for and effectiveness of vaccines.” 

However, he also blasted Crowder for lack of privacy and said his words were taken out of context. “Unfortunately, I was targeted by an operative for an extremist right-wing organization determined to malign public health officials and take down the public health system in America,” Varma said. 

New York City Council Member Robert Holden is calling for Varma to be investigated by both state and federal prosecutors.

“The guy has no shame. It is disgusting,” he said. “This is a very serious thing that’s going on, and that was going on, and that’s why– what else did he do? What else did he say? What else should we have done?”

Holden is hoping that Varma, who is now the executive vice president and chief medical officer for pharmaceutical company SIGA Technologies Inc., will be the subject of a full-scale City Council investigation, resulting in Varma being called in to testify.

RELATED CONTENT: Health Experts Urge Flu, Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Ahead Of 2024 Flu Season

Zendaya, Law Roach
(Photo: Cindy Ord/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

September 23, 2024

Celebrity Stylist Law Roach To Release ‘How To Build A Fashion Icon’ Self-Help Book

With this new endeavor and other pursuits, Roach hopes to become a self-help mogul.

Law Roach will share his insights in fashion and styling to a larger audience when the self-proclaimed “image architect” releases his first self-help book on Oct. 1.

How to Build a Fashion Icon: Notes on Confidence from the World’s Only Image Architect introduces Roach’s journey and the knowledge he has garnered along the way. With this new endeavor, he hopes to become a self-help mogul.

“I wanted to do something where people who may never need me to dress them for a red carpet can have a piece of me at a price point that’s affordable,” he said in an interview with Time. “My career is in a very niche market, but this I can give to the people who love me who I may never get to meet.”

The book also explores his “notes on confidence” and believing in one’s skills and success. Roach, who became a household name for styling his muse, Zendaya, also spoke about their path and positive view of rejection.

“The best way to think about it is that nos are to protect you from things that weren’t supposed to be for you in the first place,” he shared. “When you see the positive, then they don’t seem so bad—you almost become grateful for them. If it’s something that I thought was really for me, there’s a yes somewhere. You just have to find the ways to get there. Zendaya and I started our fashion careers together.”

He added, “No one really knew her, and no one knew me, so no one wanted to loan us clothes. It forced me to be more creative and become a better stylist. I made the world smaller to get the things that I needed for her.”

For Roach, it is all about building a more inclusive fashion landscape. Already achieving mainstream success, he wants others like him to continue breaking barriers.

“The way I’ve moved the narrative when it comes to what a celebrity stylist looks like, it’s a more important piece of my legacy that will be remembered and talked about,” he explained. “Knowing that you belong in that room, that you deserve a seat at that table, it’s because we are just as talented as our white counterparts. My career is an example of how I really believe that I deserve to have my place in fashion, and so I made it happen.”

He continued, “Now, I not only open doors but help keep the doors open for people who look like me. My career is an example of how I really believe that I deserve to have my place in fashion, and so I made it happen. Now, I not only open doors but help keep the doors open for people who look like me.”

Alongside his book, Roach intends to launch a digital platform in November to make the fashion industry more accessible. Both ventures are promoting self-love and expression for everyone, in fashion and beyond.

“How to Build a Fashion Icon isn’t a fashion book. The fashion icon is you, and you can make yourself into your own icon—no matter what industry you are in.”

Jay-Z, jerseys, roc-a-fella, the black album, 20th, anniversary, Mitchell, Ness, Tony Buzbee
(Photo: Lester Cohen/Getty Images for City of Hope)
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 23, 2024

Jay-Z, Roc Nation Offer Times Square Communities Benefits From Casino

'Our vision is to give back to New York and ensure that the Broadway community, Hell’s Kitchen, and the surrounding businesses and areas all benefit.'

In an attempt to sway city officials to award them with a gaming license for Times Square after protests from the local community, JAY-Z and Roc-Nation are offering the surrounding community an initial $15 million as part of a $250 million package.

Two years ago, Roc-Nation joined SL Green and Caesars Entertainment to announce efforts to open a new, state-of-the-art gaming facility at 1515 Broadway in Times Square, the heart of midtown Manhattan. In a recent press release, the partners have proposed an initial $15 million from Caesars Palace Times Square upon approval of its bid, and they are also offering regular grants funded based on .5% of casino performance.

“We are New Yorkers. Supporting and providing opportunities for our neighborhoods and community isn’t just a part of Roc Nation’s ethos; it’s our collective responsibility,” said JAY-Z in a written statement. “Any proposal that wins a gaming license will undoubtedly profit. Our vision is to give back to New York and ensure that the Broadway community, Hell’s Kitchen, and the surrounding businesses and areas all benefit. And not just for a minute, but for the long-term.”

The team behind Caesars Palace Times Square spoke with residents from Manhattan Plaza to fully explain what they have to offer and to see how they can help the neighborhood make the project happen.

“We partnered with Roc Nation for a reason and are thrilled to support any Roc Nation-led community initiative that extends the benefits of this project to more New Yorkers,” said Brett Herschenfeld, EVP at SL Green.

The money being proposed would be distributed to a newly formed trust controlled by community residents. They would serve as trustees and make the decisions regarding how and where to distribute the funds. These would include things like after-school programs, childcare, senior support, or other local priorities. This will benefit the neighborhoods in and around the Times Square area, like Hell’s Kitchen and surrounding areas, and help with sanitation, security, and congestion management.

RELATED CONTENT: Roc Nation Leads $300 Million Scholarship Initiative For Underprivileged Students

OG Maco, Atlanta, dies
Photo by Suvan Chowdhury: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photography-of-microphone-144429/
by Daniel Johnson

September 23, 2024

Trailblazing Black Trans Singer Jackie Shane Honored In Nashville

Shane's story was immortalized in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, through a historical marker which was unveiled on Sept. 20.

Jackie Shane, a trailblazing Black trans singer from Nashville, almost lost her story to history before it was unearthed after her music was rediscovered in the 2000s by a group of Canadian music lovers. A short time after this, Shane’s career received a boost, culminating in a Grammy nomination in 2018, which was to precede her first new album in decades. 

According to NBC News, Shane’s story was immortalized in her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, through a historical marker unveiled on Sept. 20. 

Sarah Calise, the founder of Nashville Queer History, told the outlet that it is potentially the first marker dedicated to a trans person in the State of Tennessee. 

“To my knowledge, it’s the first official trans marker in the state of Tennessee,” Calise said. Calise and Shane’s family were instrumental in lobbying the Nashville Metropolitan Historical Commission for the recognition. Additionally, Calise chose its location along Jefferson Street in the northern area of Nashville, the heart of Black Nashville.

Calise continued, contextualizing the long history of gender diversity. “I think this is really important because there’s this common misconception that transgender identity is recent, that it’s something of the 21st century,” Calise said. “When we take a look at history and at people like Jackie Shane, we realize this is an identity and a gender diversity that’s existed for decades — and if we look even further, we could say centuries. But here in Nashville, we can point to someone born in 1940 who felt this way about their gender identity.”

Shane was a talented Nashville soul singer who did not receive many opportunities in Nashville due to her race and gender identity. As a result, she joined a traveling carnival, which exposed her to Canada’s beauty, leading to her settling in Toronto. There, she operated a successful nightclub and had a solid recording career, peaking in 1963 when she hit No. 2 on Canada’s pop music charts with a cover of William Bell’s song “Any Other Way.”

Audiences loved Shane’s performances, which were similar to Little Richard’s shows in the United States. Shane artfully blended the high energy of rock and roll with soulful rhythm and blues. However, Shane moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s and basically disappeared from public life, which prompted rumors that she might have been murdered. Contrary to those rumors, Shane was alive and well in Nashville and outside the public eye. 

Following her Grammy nomination, Shane planned to release a new album and return to the stage, but sadly, she died in 2019, almost two weeks after she lost the Grammy. She died in her Nashville home at 78. 

According to Shane’s friend and the curator of the Jefferson Street Sound Museum, Lorenzo Washington, the death of her mother weighed heavily on Shane.

“Jackie said once her mother died, that just took all of that performance thing out of her, and she didn’t want to see another stage,” Washington told NBC News.

Washington continued, “She did want to get back into performing again right at the end, especially after she got the Grammy nomination. She knew I had a recording studio here, so she was writing a song for us to record.”

A documentary about Shane, “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story,” directed by Luchah Roseberg-Lee and Michael Mabbott and executive produced by trans actor Elliot Page, was also in the works when Shane died. 

“I just couldn’t believe that this extraordinary music had been made in my hometown of Toronto by a Black trans woman in the 1960s, and I hadn’t heard it before,” Mabbott told NBC News regarding his inspiration for the documentary. “I needed to know more about this incredible artist, and I needed to understand more about how her history could’ve been all but erased.” 

Mabbott continued, “The idea [for the film] was that we’d come down [to Nashville] with a crew to interview her, but tragically, she passed away a month later. If not for those phone recordings, we wouldn’t have been able to have her tell her story in her own words.”

According to Mabbott, the death of Shane and the various states targeting trans people, including Tennessee, lit a fire under everyone working on the documentary. 

“It didn’t change how we told the story — our guide and North Star for that was always Jackie herself, her voice and her words. But it certainly added to the urgency everyone involved, including our executive producer, Elliot Page, and his company, PageBoy Productions, had to bringing her voice to life and amplifying it and doing everything we can to get her story out in the world.”

The documentary premiered at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Sept. 21 in conjunction with the marker. According to Michael Gray, the vice president of Museum Services, Shane’s story is an integral part of the city’s musical tapestry.

“The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has a responsibility to educate people about how Nashville became known across the world as ‘Music City,’” Gray told NBC News.

Gray continued, “Black music flourished here before the city became known as the capital of country music. So we’re honored that the Nashville premiere of the film will take place at the museum, giving us a chance to share Jackie’s important story, a life that includes bravery, mystique, discovery, talent, and more.” 

RELATED CONTENT: At The Intersection Of Black Culture And Country Music Lies History

Boosie, Boosie Bash, Calib Wilson, Southern University
(Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

September 23, 2024

Boosie Faces Arrest In Texas Court Over Unpaid Limo Bill

A limo company accuses the Louisiana rapper of not paying an $8,800 bill.

After using services from a limo company and not paying, Louisiana rapper Torence Ivy Hatch Jr., better known as Boosie Badazz, is a wanted man in Texas.

According to KXAN, Boosie is looking at a charge of theft of service greater than or equal to $2,500 and less than $30,000 in Travis County, Texas. The charge was filed on Aug. 29 for the incident that occurred between June 5 and June 7. On Sept. 20, a summons was issued for Boosie to appear in court on Oct. 28 for a pre-trial hearing.

In an affidavit filed in a Texas court, the company, based in Austin, claimed that the service was provided to Boosie and company between June 5 and June 7. The rapper employed the limo service but hasn’t remitted payment yet. They claimed the “Wipe Me Down” rapper informed them that he would pay the bill in advance, but he never did. The affidavit also said that the driver inquired about the payment to Boosie and his manager several times but received nothing. An invoice of $8,800 was eventually sent to the rapper.

Boosie and his entourage requested the service on June 5 without providing an itinerary for the driver. They were picked up from the Austin airport. Some of the spots he was driven to include a Walmart, Urgent Care, a federal courthouse, Burger King, and several other places.

At one point, Boosie posted a video to social media acknowledging the car company’s services. After the rapper did that, the driver expressed to him that he’d give Boosie “a good price, just like I told your manager,” according to the affidavit. Boosie even suggested that the limo company take the cost off the promotion video, and the driver stated they would work something out, but he didn’t agree to what that was.

The limo driver told police there was “never a circumstance, prior to the promotion video, where they agreed that the promotion video would fully cover the cost of services.”

RELATED CONTENT: Boosie BadAzz Secures Generational Wealth For His 8 Kids With ‘Gotham City’