• Celebrity News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 25, 2024

Tupac Shakur’s Estate Threatens Lawsuit Against Drake For AI-Assisted Diss Track The Late Rapper Would Have ‘Never’ Approved

Tupac Shakur's estate blasts Drake's "unauthorized" use of Pac's voice diss track against Kendrick Lamar.

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Tupac Shakur’s estate is warning Drake about his recent use of the late rap legend’s voice on his AI-assisted diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar.

A cease and desist letter requests the removal of Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Rolling Stone reports. The AI-generated song served as the Toronto rapper’s second diss track response to Lamar following Lamar’s initial diss on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.”

In the letter, sent by the estate’s lawyer Howard E. King, it called Drake’s use of Tupac’s voice in his diss track “a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the Estate’s legal right” and “a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time.”

“The Estate would never have given its approval for this use,” it added. “The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac’s voice against Kendrick Lamar, a good friend to the Estate who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult.”

The estate plans “to pursue all of its legal remedies” against Drake if he does not remove “Taylor Made Freestyle” from all platforms. In addition to rapping under the voice of Tupac in the first verse of the song, the “Hot Line Bling” rapper followed up with an AI-generated Snoop Dogg verse before rapping as himself in the third verse.

Shortly after the diss track was released, Snoop took to Instagram to share a video showing his seemingly unbothered response to Drake using his voice to diss Lamar.

“They did what? When? How? Are you sure? Y’all have a good night,” Snoop said. “Why everybody calling my phone, blowing me up? What the f*ck? What happened? What’s going on? I’m going back to bed. Good night.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg)

Drake released his “Taylor Made Freestyle” as a followup to his “Push Ups” diss released one week before calling out Lamar. The disses came in response to Lamar taking jabs at Drake and J. Cole on “Like That” released last month.

It took Drake two weeks to respond to Lamar’s initial diss. But now that he has two back-to-back tracks, the “Views” rapper is urging for a response from Lamar. As the feud continues, we can probabl forget any additional AI-generated tracks that use Tupac’s voice.

• Women

by Stacy Jackson

April 25, 2024

Keke Palmer’s New Memoir, ‘Master Of Me,’ Explores Her Journey Back To Herself

Palmer's book covers boundaries, unconditional love, forgiveness, self-worth, motherhood, career, spirituality, and more.

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Global entertainer Keke Palme will release her new book, Master of Me, November 19.

The memoir chronicles the actress’s journey as she uncovers her true self-worth. According to the book’s description, Palmer candidly shares her life struggles, delving into challenges surrounding boundaries, unconditional love, forgiveness, and self-worth.

“Right when it seemed like all the pieces were coming together and Keke was living her dream life, her world got derailed,” the description reads. “…She was faced with the hardest challenge yet and was forced to look inward to find an even greater depth and understanding of herself.”

Through an exploration of life, career, and spirituality, the singer guides readers through how enduring difficulties leads to true performance, power, and purpose. Aiming to detail her journey of rediscovering herself while navigating motherhood, work, and relationships, the Nope actress shares strategies she has developed to harness vulnerability and master her own life.

“This book means growth to me,” Palmer told People. “It signifies the next chapter of my life. It imparts the wisdom I’ve learned with the earnesty of knowing that I’m still changing.” She added, “This book is my honest revelations of how I’m staying afloat.” The Password host mentioned “Master of Me” will have readers laughing as they venture through her thoughts and self-reflections.

Palmer, 30, has built an impressive empire for herself. As previously mentioned by BLACK ENTERPRISE, was an honorees for the 2024 Webby Awards. In 2023, she became the first Black woman to receive an Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Game Show. She also won an Emmy in 2021 for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for the Facebook Watch series Turnt Up With the Taylors.

Master of Me is available to pre-order now, with personalized surprises included.

RELATED CONTENT: Keke Palmer Interested In Real Estate After Becoming A Mother

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 25, 2024

Mississippi’s Good Ole Boy GOP Governor Declares April As Confederate Heritage Month 

They still don't understand that they lost?

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Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared April will be celebrated as Confederate Heritage Month in Mississippi, keeping a 31-year-old tradition alive. 

The proclamation came from Beauvoir, the museum and home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. In a Facebook post dated Apr. 12, Reeves pushed the declaration to “honor all who lost their lives in this war.”

“Whereas, as we honor all who lost their lives in this war, it is important for all Americans to reflect upon our nation’s past, to gain insight from our mistakes and successes, and to come to a full understanding that the lessons learned yesterday and today will carry us through tomorrow if we carefully and earnestly strive to understand and appreciate our heritage and our opportunities which lie before us,” the proclamation read. 

“Now, therefore, I, Tate Reeves, Governor of the State of Mississippi, hereby proclaim the month of April 2024 as Confederate Heritage Month in the State of Mississippi.”

Owned and operated by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a neo-Confederate organization promoting “Lost Cause” ideology, Beauvoir received $100,000 annually from the State of Mississippi for development and upkeep.

This will be the fourth year in a row that Reeves declared the proclamations since 2020. He defended the controversial measures in 2021, saying both past Democratic and Republican governors have signed them. “For the last 30 years, five Mississippi governors—Republicans and Democrats alike—have signed a proclamation recognizing the statutory state holiday and identifying April as Confederate Heritage Month,” he said in a statement at the time. 

“Gov. Reeves also signed the proclamation because he believes we can all learn from our history.”

Following the removal of the state’s Confederate-themed flag from state buildings in 2020 after social justice protests, lawmakers voted to replace the flag. Reeves pledged not to support such efforts but still signed the bill to retire it, calling it “a law to turn a page in Mississippi today.” 

However, he rejected that systemic racism existed and criticized Black Lives Matter protests. “It is fashionable in some quarters to say our ancestors were all evil. I reject that notion. I also reject the elitist worldview that these United States are anything but the greatest nation in the history of mankind,” Reeves proclaimed. 

“I reject the mobs tearing down statues of our history—north and south, Union and Confederate, founding fathers and veterans. I reject the chaos and lawlessness, and I am proud it has not happened in our state.”

Some leaders feel celebrating confederacy is a bad look in part on Reeves. When CNN’s Victor Blackwell read part of the statement from the governor, he looped in former Democratic governor Ray Mabus to get his opinion, who started by saying, “Well, first, I didn’t do it when I was governor.” 

“And, second, Confederate Heritage? Really? The heritage that I think of with the Confederacy is slavery, is treason, and is losing. So, which one of those heritages are we really honoring here? But it’s all part of that lost cause narrative, the ‘Moonlight and Magnolias’ that came about a few years after the Civil War in an attempt to reassert white supremacy…..But what it does is incredibly hurtful, it is incredibly harmful, and it honors something that we should learn about, know about, but definitely, definitely not honor.”

The celebration will continue on Apr. 27, when the state will observe Confederate Memorial Day as mandated by state law.

• Money

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

April 25, 2024

Who Should You Add To Your Financial Roster?

They have a group of people they work with to keep their finances on point.

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An Insurance professional

There are various types of insurance you might need to consider having during your lifetime: life, disability, health, umbrella, business, and long-term care, to name a few. This might prompt you to connect with multiple insurance professionals because particular licenses are needed to sell certain types of insurance. Thus, you must make sure the insurance professional is properly licensed. The process should always go in this order, no matter what kind of insurance you want. With the help of your insurance professional, you can determine how much insurance (whatever type it is) you need, then explore the various options based on the need. 

We’ve only got twenty-four hours in a day. So, let the experts do their job because their sole purpose is to help you do the heavy lifting. Becoming a financial rockstar is challenging when you go it alone, but having your team in place will allow you to get back to living life with a lot less stress.

RELATED COTENT: Use Financial Literacy Month To Get Those Finances In Order

Jasper Smith is the founder of The #BuildWealth Movement®. He’s worked in the financial services industry for over 15 years and holds a life insurance license, multiple securities licenses, and the Certified Retirement Counselor (CRC®) designation

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 25, 2024

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

Boosie BadAzz reveals buildings being built on his 88-acre estate for his eight children

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Boosie BadAzz has revealed that he is building an area on his 88-acre estate in Georgia for all of his eight children and he’s naming it “Gotham City,” according to XXL.

In a recent episode of VladTV, the Baton Rouge-bred recording artist is seen discussing the plans to have Gotham City built on his Georgia compound, Boozy Estates. He gives a tour to the cameras explaining the development of the four two-story houses already on site. The houses are fairly close together and are located at the back of his huge property which shows a full-length basketball court and a pool behind his main residence.

“I’m thinking about putting another pool right here,” he tells Vlad while updating him since he started construction and allowed Vlad to film previously. I’m putting [up] a big gate that separates right here, like a subdivision gate ’cause this gon’ be Gotham City. I’m thinking about putting a small pool right here so they don’t have to come swim in my pool.”

As he walks around the property, you see what looks like woods behind the houses.

“When you got land, you the man. You can do so much stuff.”

As Boosie builds this for his children, Hot New Hip Hop reported that after a judge prevented the rapper from communicating with his girlfriend, Rajel Nelson, since June 2023, they are now allowed to speak to each other. Court reporter, Meghann Cuniff announced the news on her X account stating that a federal judge had extended a no-contact order at the top of the year from a prosecutor heading a case against him stemming from an arrest in 2023. Boosie was arrested after being seen filming a music video on Instagram Live while possessing a gun. He was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In Boosie the rapper news: He can now lawfully communicate with his girlfriend.

In January, a federal judge extended his no-contact order for 60 days at the urging of the prosecutor in his gun case.

60 days have now passed and the judge modified Boosie’s release conditions in… pic.twitter.com/hliDZAaHnb

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) April 19, 2024

by Daniel Johnson

April 25, 2024

CommScope Settles Data Breach Complaints For $440K

The lawsuit also indicates that data breaches have become commonplace in America, citing a warning from the FBI that “the increasing sophistication of cyber criminals will no doubt lead to an escalation in cybercrime,” which the lawsuit used to argue that CommScope neglected to protect the data it collected from customers

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CommScope, a communication technology company based in North Carolina, agreed to pay $440,000 to customers affected by a data breach in March 2023. Notably, the company has not admitted to any wrongdoing but has notified customers it has identified as impacted. 

As Top Class Actions reported, plaintiffs in the case of Huffman et al. v. CommScope, Inc. of North Carolina et al. claim that besides the affected customers, the company also failed to protect its employees from the data breach. The class action suit also claims that the exposed pieces of data included social security numbers, protected health information, and financial account data. In addition, the suit claims that the company delayed notifying victims of the breach that hackers had gained access to personal identification information. 

The lawsuit also indicates that data breaches have become commonplace in America, citing a warning from the FBI that “the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals will no doubt lead to an escalation in cybercrime,” which the lawsuit used to argue that CommScope neglected to protect the data it collected from customers.

The settlement entitles members of the class action lawsuit to three years of credit monitoring, compensation not to exceed $10,000 for economic losses, and compensation for up to six hours of lost time paid at $25 an hour, or $150. Instead of these benefits, those impacted can receive a flat rate of $100. The deadline to apply for these benefits is June 19, 2024. A final CommScope class action settlement hearing is scheduled for June 24, 2024.

As with many class action claims, any claim for monetary compensation outside of the agreed-upon flat rate must be documented via receipts or other documents. According to the claim form, “If you wish to receive Compensation for Unreimbursed Economic Losses, indicate the total dollar amount of losses incurred as a result of the Data Incident, attach/include supporting documentation such as receipts, sign, and return this Claim Form.”

The form states, “You may claim up to $10,000. Unreimbursed Economic Losses include, but are not limited to, unreimbursed losses relating to fraud or identity theft; professional fees, including attorneys’ fees, accountant’s fees, and fees for credit repair services; costs associated with freezing or unfreezing credit with any credit reporting agency; credit monitoring costs that were incurred on or after the Data Incident through the date of claim submission; and miscellaneous expenses such as notary, fax, postage, copying, mileage, and long-distance telephone charges.”

The form also notes, “You must include documentation supporting your claim for Unreimbursed Economic Losses. This can include receipts or other documentation not ‘self-prepared.’ Self-prepared documents such as handwritten receipts are not sufficient to receive reimbursement, but they can be considered to add clarity to or support other submitted documentation.”

• HBCU

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

April 25, 2024

Orange Crush Partiers Join Volunteer Clean Up Of Tybee Island

After last year's chaos at Orange Crush, attendees joined volunteers to clean up Tybee Island following this year's festivities.

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Some attendees of the massive Orange Crush parties have joined officials and volunteers in the clean up of Georgia’s Tybee Island.

Fox 5 reported that more than 6,000 people were estimated to take part in this year’s celebration. Students at Savannah State University first initiated the event three decades ago, starting a tradition on Tybee Island to party during spring break. Opponents of the HBCU’s spring break custom typically critique the loud music, littering, and reckless behavior they attribute to the Black co-eds.

Furthermore, the aftermath has grown into a headache for city officials. Residents and leaders are left to deal with the trash surrounding the beach. These issues escalated last year, with a record number of over 100,0000 attendees swarming the island.

During 2023’s celebration, chaos allegedly erupted. The island’s limited resources spread thin as they dealt with drug overdoses, shootings, and other medical emergencies. To prevent the issues seen last year, law enforcement closed off major roads to force the party elsewhere. The strategy did minimize this year’s potential damage, but advocates still criticize the heavy policing of the HBCU students.

“Our weekends are packed with people all season, but when Orange Crush comes, they shut down the parking, bring extra police, and act like they have to take charge,” said Julia Pearce, leader of the Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization.

Despite the bubbling tension and some arrests made, many attendees returned on April 21 to help clean up the beach. The volunteers returned the following day to ensure the litter did not impact the coastline.

The effort to curb rowdy spring breakers also extended to Miami beach as well. After reckless behavior threatened the safety of residents, Miami attempted to “break up” with college vacationers.

While both efforts led to a reduction in violence, the parties have not stopped just yet. Orange Crush continues to be part of the HBCU’s spring break activities despite tensions still existing between the students and Tybee Island residents.

• News History

by Daniel Johnson

April 25, 2024

William ‘Bill’ Strickland, Unsung Civil Rights Activist Dies At 87

Strickland was a co-founder of the independent Black think tank, Institute of the Black World. Even though the organization was relatively short lived, it had a profound impact on legitimizing Black studies as an academic discipline.

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William “Bill” Strickland, a civil rights activist who worked closely with Malcolm X, died on April 10 at his Amherst, Massachusetts, home. He was 87. Strickland had a long career in activism and also taught at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst for 40 years in the W.E.B. DuBois Department of Afro-American Studies. 

Strickland was first interested in civil rights as a high school student in Amherst before exposure to the works of James Baldwin and Richard Wright further inspired him as an undergraduate student at Harvard University. 

Peter Blackmer, a former student of Strickland’s and a current assistant professor of Africology and African American Studies at Eastern Michigan University, told the AP that Strickland’s contributions often flew under the radar.

“He made incredible contributions to the Black freedom movement that haven’t really been appreciated. His contention was that civil rights wasn’t a sufficient framework for challenging the systems that were behind the oppression of Black communities throughout the diaspora.”

Blackmer continued, discussing Strickland’s teaching style.

“As a teacher, that is how he taught us to think as students — to be able to understand and deconstruct racism, capitalism, imperialism and to be fearless in doing so and not being afraid to name the systems that we’re confronting as a means of developing a strategy to challenge them.”

Strickland joined the Northern Student Movement’s Boston chapter in the early 60s and later became its president in 1963. Strickland then pivoted to supporting the emerging Black Power movement and worked alongside Malcolm X, Baldwin, and other New York activists on issues such as police brutality, school boycotts, and rent strikes. Strickland later became a founding member of Malcolm X’s Organization of Afro-American Unity in 1964 and 1969. 

According to Amilcar Shabazz, a professor in the same department Strickland taught in for 40 years, Strickland’s path was similar to that of the department’s namesake, W.E.B. DuBois.

“He underwent a similar kind of experience to committing himself to being an agent of social change in the world against the three big issues of the civil rights movement — imperialism or militarism, racism and the economic injustice of plantation capitalism,” Shabazz explained.

“He committed himself against those triple evils. He did that in his scholarship, in his teaching, in his activism and just how he walked in the world.”

Strickland was a co-founder of the independent Black think tank Institute of the Black World (IBW), which functioned from 1969 to 1983. Although the organization was relatively short-lived, it had a profound impact on the legitimization of Black studies as an academic discipline.

It inspired a spiritual successor, the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, which began in 2001. The original IBW counted among its members C.L.R. James, John Henrik Clarke, Lerone Bennett Jr., Kathrine Dunham, and Joyce Lander.

As Black Past reported, “It (IBW) promoted critical research and intellectual development while analyzing the various approaches to Black freedom, including Pan-Africanism, Black Nationalism, and Marxism, in an attempt to redefine and deepen American democracy.”

According to Strickland’s obituary, a symposium and celebration of his life is planned for the fall of 2024, and a lecture series at Amherst University will be established in his name. William Strickland’s memory will be cherished by his first cousins: Earnestine “Perri” Norman, Dorothy Craig, Gwendolyn Smith, Arthur Norman, and Keith Norman; second cousins: Amy Simpson and Gregory Berry, and his ex-wife Leslie Lowery. Numerous friends, colleagues, comrades, and students around the world who will carry on his legacy in the Black liberation struggle will also cherish his memory.

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 25, 2024

Department of Justice Reached $139M Settlement After FBI Failed To Look Into Larry Nassar Gymnastics Abuse Complaints

Sounds like justice was served....

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A settlement of $138.7 million was reached on April 23 between the Department of Justice and more than 100 victims of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar over the FBI’s failure to investigate sexual assault claims. 

Over 150 women and girls, including Olympic medalists Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Maggie Nichols, all blasted Nassar for sexually abusing them under the guise of performing medical treatments. Victims say the FBI didn’t do enough to investigate their claims. “For decades, Lawrence Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while skirting accountability,” acting associate attorney general Benjamin Mizer said in a statement. 

“These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset. While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing.”

The DOJ didn’t back away from their failures. A bombshell report revealed that senior FBI officials in the Indianapolis field office did not respond to the allegations and made several key errors when they finally did. It was a violation of FBI policies when working through investigative activity. 

Victim attorney John Manly criticized the FBI and highlighted if they had moved faster, there may have been different results. He also touched on the settlement closing the doors “to one of the darkest chapters – if not the darkest chapter – in American sports history.” “It’s at some level feeling victorious but also at some level just profound sadness knowing that, had the FBI acted when this was reported … over 100 children would not have been molested by Larry Nassar,” Manly said.

The disgraced doctor was finally arrested in 2016 and later, in 2018, was convicted of sexually abusing the young athletes, with a sentence of up to 175 years in prison. For their part in the crimes, USA Gymnastics agreed to pay out $380 million to hundreds of female survivors to settle their claims in 2021.

Since his sentencing, it is said that Nassar has been assaulted in prison, including multiple stabbings in 2023. Manly said he and the victims are proud of the settlement, but it’s “not justice” as there are still agents who have not been held accountable for mishandling the case.

“So, the settlement is an imperfect result, but it’s one I’m very proud of, and I think our clients are proud of,” the attorney said. “And it was the result of a massive struggle.”