Nicki Minaj Addresses Controversial COVID-19 Vaccine Claims: ‘I Like To Make My Own Assessment’
Nicki Minaj addressed her 2021 statements on the COVID-19 vaccine and credited her remarks to her independence in decision-making.
Nicki Minaj briefly addressed her controversial 2021 statements on the COVID-19 vaccine and credited her remarks to her independence in decision-making.
The “Anaconda” rapper covers the December issue of Vogue where she opens up about motherhood, her musical return with her newly released Pink Friday 2, and the stresses that come with being a high-profile celebrity. She knows firsthand how a celebrity’s opinion can become headline news, as Minaj faced international backlash two years ago for expressing her skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine.
At the time, Minaj took to Twitter/X to share an alleged vaccine experience of her cousin’s friend who reportedly became “impotent” as a result of the vaccine.
“My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent,” she wrote.
“His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied.”
She would go on to change her tune shortly after by encouraging her fans to get the vaccine and “wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one.”
However, her initial vaccine remarks became a trending topic on major news networks and even prompted Trinidad and Tobago’s Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh to issue a public statement saying there was “absolutely no reported such side effects or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad.”
Now looking back on the incident, Minaj explained her stance when it comes to handling public issues that impact the masses.
“I’m one of those people who doesn’t go with a crowd,” Minaj told Vogue when recalling her initial vaccine stance. “I like to make my own assessment of everything without help from everyone.”
She’s also never publicly supported a presidential candidate and tends to remain mum during elections, which is a sensitive topic she knows can get her into trouble.
“Every time I talk about politics, people get mad,” she said. “I’m sorry, but I am not going to be told who I should get on social media and campaign for. There’s a lot we don’t know that’s going on in the government, and I don’t think it changes whether you lean to the left or right.”
On Tuesday, Dec. 12 Wu-Tang announced they will begin a Las Vegas residency the weekend of Super Bowl LVIII, Forbes reported. “Wu-Tang Clan: The Saga Continues… The Las Vegas Residency” will take place at the Theatre at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on Feb. 9 and 10 and continue on to March 22 and 23.
The residency will serve as “a Wu-Tang experience like never before,” that will offer fans “a tribute to their prolific careers as individuals and as the most storied group in hip-hop history,” Virgin hotels said in a statement.
The group’s leader and producer, RZA, told The New York Times that the residency has been five years in the making and the nine members are proud to help set the stage for a future in hip-hop residencies in Vegas.
“Hip-hop is rich in its content and what it offers creatively to an audience,” he said, and Wu-Tang wants “to put it on flagpoles to show that hip-hop can go where any other art form has gone before.”
As a result of the residency, Rza is hoping Wu-Tang will be able to “eventually invite more hip-hop artists to come and play in this sandbox with us.”
Artist pre-sale for the shows (code: CREAM) started noon Tuesday on AXS’ website, the group shared in a tweet. AEG and AXS pre-sales begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday and general public tickets will become available Friday at 10 a.m. PST.
Are you ready? Wu-Tang Clan: The Saga Continues… The Las Vegas Residency 👐@vhlvtheater will be the home of the Wu-Tang experience starting Super Bowl weekend.
Wu-Tang joins the likes of U2, Carrie Underwood, and Adele who will perform Las Vegas residencies in 2024. The group was busy throughout 2023 celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with Nas in Australia, Europe, and North American on the N.Y. State of Mind Tour.
The group’s founding members consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, U-God, Masta Killa, Inspectah Deck, Cappadonna, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard (who died in 2004). The hip-hop legends have continued touring together since their 1993 debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).
Kanye West Wears Black KKK Hood While Hosting ‘Vultures’ Listening Event
West also used the controversial imagery back in 2013 in the visual for his track 'BLKKK SKKKN HEAD.'
Ye, (or Kanye West as he is best known), never shies away from sparking outrage, and his latest fashion choice has raised eyebrows. During a Dec. 12 listening event for his upcoming collaborative album with artist Ty Dolla $ign, the “Donda” rapper donned a Black KKK hood while surrounded by celebrity guests, including daughter North West, Vibe reports.
West opted for the garb, which, when worn in a white color, is largely associated with the white supremacy group, during one portion of the event that also featured the official release of the “New Body” track with “Pink Friday 2” rapper Nicki Minaj that leaked online last year.
West descended upon South Beach during Art Basel to give an early listen to his and $ ign’s anticipated collaboration, “Vultures,” and the two were joined by the likes of Chris Brown, Offset, Kodak Black, and Lil Durk. Guests were also treated to a surprise performance by the Chicago-born rapper’s 10-year-old daughter, North, who is featured on a track titled “Slide.”
West also used the controversial imagery back in 2013 in the visual for his track “BLKKK SKKKN HEAD,” which featured a trio of the Black conical hoods in the opening scene; however, on the heels of recent antisemitic remarks made by the rapper, the decision appeared pointed.
“How I’m antisemitic? I just f*cked a Jewish b*tch,” rapped West on the title track of the collaboration project.
Last year, the “Touch The Sky” rapper was banned from X, formerly known as Twitter, for posting a swastika inside the Star of David following an interview with the alt-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, in which he praised Adolf Hitler. “Well, I see good things about Hitler, also,” said West.
“I love everyone, and Jewish people are not gonna tell me… ‘You can love us, and you can love what you’re doing to you with the contracts, and you can love what we’re pushing with the pornography.’ But this guy that invented highways, invented the very microphone that I use as a musician—you can’t say out loud that this person ever did anything good, and I’m done with that,” West said. “I’m done with the classifications, every human being has something of value that they brought to the table. Especially Hitler!”
New York City Sued By Formerly Incarcerated Man Exonerated After 27 Years
Thomas Malik is suing NYC and two detectives for $50 million after his wrongful conviction
A man who spent almost three decades in jail and was recently exonerated of the crime he was
A man who spent almost three decades in jail and was recently exonerated of the crime he was accused of committing is suing the city of New York as well as two detectives.
According to ABC News, on Monday, Dec. 11, Thomas Malik, who was convicted of killing a New York City subway token booth clerk in 1995, filed a lawsuit against New York City and two detectives who worked on the case. He stated that “a wanton and reckless” law enforcement culture forced him to suffer grave psychological damage due to decades of wrongful imprisonment.
Malik is one of three men who spent 27 years in prison before prosecutors disavowed the convictions of the men for the killing of Harry Kaufman. He is looking to get at least $50 million. His co-defendants, Vincent Ellerbe and James Irons, also have sought compensation for the wrongful imprisonment.
His attorneys, Ronald Kuby and Rhidaya Trivedi, stated: “Thomas Malik seeks redress for the official misconduct that caused him to spend nearly 27 years in prison, and the mental and physical injuries he sustained while incarcerated.”
The legal paperwork also stated that a “wanton and reckless culture” among the police officers and Brooklyn prosecutors let them violate citizens’ rights with impunity. The notoriety of Malik’s case subjected him to become a target for abuse and assaults while he was in prison.
On Nov. 26, 1995, the 50-year-old Kaufman was set on fire during an attempted robbery while he was working overnight in a Brooklyn subway station. The people who attempted the robbery squirted gasoline into the tollbooth coin slot and used matches to light the fuel.
Last year, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office concluded that the convictions of Malik, along with Ellerbe and Irons, were based on false and contradictory confessions and other flawed evidence against the three men. Problematic procedures plagued the way Malik was identified in a lineup back then, and a witness identified a different suspect, whom police officers eliminated as a suspect. It was also discovered that a jail informant had a reputation for lying, so he was not allowed to serve as an informant by a court.
The two former detectives who worked the case, Stephen Chmil and Louis Scarcella, have been accused of getting forced confessions and framing suspects in recent years. Over a dozen of Scarcella’s cases have also been overturned. Chmil and Scarcella are named in Malik’s lawsuit.
is suing the city of New York as well as two detectives.
According to ABC News, on Monday, Dec. 11, Thomas Malik, who was convicted of killing a New York City subway token booth clerk in 1995, filed a lawsuit against New York City and two detectives who worked on the case. He stated that “a wanton and reckless” law enforcement culture forced him to suffer grave psychological damage due to decades of wrongful imprisonment.
Malik is one of three men who spent 27 years in prison before prosecutors disavowed the convictions of the men for the killing of Harry Kaufman. He is looking to get at least $50 million. His co-defendants, Vincent Ellerbe and James Irons, also have sought compensation for the wrongful imprisonment.
His attorneys, Ronald Kuby and Rhidaya Trivedi, stated: “Thomas Malik seeks redress for the official misconduct that caused him to spend nearly 27 years in prison, and the mental and physical injuries he sustained while incarcerated.”
The legal paperwork also stated that a “wanton and reckless culture” among the police officers and Brooklyn prosecutors let them violate citizens’ rights with impunity. The notoriety of Malik’s case subjected him to become a target for abuse and assaults while he was in prison.
On Nov. 26, 1995, the 50-year-old Kaufman was set on fire during an attempted robbery while he was working overnight in a Brooklyn subway station. The people who attempted the robbery squirted gasoline into the tollbooth coin slot and used matches to light the fuel.
Last year, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office concluded that the convictions of Malik, along with Ellerbe and Irons, were based on false and contradictory confessions and other flawed evidence against the three men. Problematic procedures plagued the way Malik was identified in a lineup back then, and a witness identified a different suspect, whom police officers eliminated as a suspect. It was also discovered that a jail informant had a reputation for lying, so he was not allowed to serve as an informant by a court.
The two former detectives who worked the case, Stephen Chmil and Louis Scarcella, have been accused of getting forced confessions and framing suspects in recent years. Over a dozen of Scarcella’s cases have also been overturned. Chmil and Scarcella are named in Malik’s lawsuit.
MC Hammer Explains His Absence At Hip-Hop 50 Events: ‘I Don’t Have Patience For The Fakeness’
MC Hammer was noticeably absent from the "Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop. A previous speech he made might explain why.
MC Hammer was noticeably absent from the “Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop” and a previous speech he made might explain why.
Questlove produced the aforementioned special that aired on Sunday, Dec. 10, and took to Twitter for a Q&A where he expressed his sadness with MC Hammer turning down the event.
“We begged him to open,” Questlove told one fan who asked about Hammer’s absence.
Questlove’s reveal ignited a conversation on Twitter among hip-hop fans who shared their theories on why MC Hammer has been absent from all of the hip-hop 50 events throughout the year. One fan resurfaced a clip of Hammer’s speech last month during the street naming ceremony for Tupac Shakur.
While celebrating the iconic late rapper, MC Hammer went on to acknowledge his no-show at the hip-hop anniversary events despite being invited to all of them.
“You ain’t heard me go to none of these hip-hop 50’s and just for the record I got invited to every one,” Hammer said. “But I really don’t have the patience for the fakeness. I’m really 60 years old. So I can’t get with the fakeness of it all. I can do it with the young cats but I can’t come around old cats and still be pretending.”
The clip got hip-hop fans talking about the criticism MC Hammer faced throughout his career from his hip-hop peers for his style of music along with the money woes he faced.
“I think there probably a lot of resentment left over from when he was on top and his peers were critical of him,” one fan wrote. “Some of it was fair but a lot unnecessary and hurtful. I think that’s probably the fake attitudes he’s talking about.”
“He was hiphop… no one could perform like him during that period,” added someone else.
During his hey day, MC Hammer was mocked in music videos by 3rd Bass (including a rap battle with MC Serch), The D.O.C., DJ Debranz and Ice Cube. Later in 2010, Jay-Z offended MC Hammer when a lyric on “So Appalled” referenced Hammer’s 1996 bankruptcy filing, according to Rap Radar
Benjamin Crump Leads Appeal For Black-Led Grant Program Caught Up In A Civil Rights Controversy
The American Alliance for Equal Rights sued the Fearless Fund in arguing its grants reserved for Black women violate civil rights laws.
Legal representatives for a Black women-led Atlanta grant program filed an appeal on Dec. 6 countering a racial discrimination lawsuit. The American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) previously sued the Fearless Fund in federal court, arguing its venture capital grants reserved solely for Black women violate civil rights laws.
In the appeal led by renowned civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, the Fearless Fund founders contend they acted lawfully to address systemic discrimination.
“The Alliance seeks to halt a program designed to bridge glaring funding disparities facing Black women entrepreneurs due to historical inequities,” the appeal states, according to 11 Alive.
The news outlet reported a statement released by the Fearless Fund to defend its actions: “Women of color-owned businesses are a vital, growing sector to our economy yet received less than one percent of venture capital funding,” said Arian Simone, CEO and founding partner of Fearless Fund. “Our legal team filed a brief in support of our First Amendment right to voice our view that these women of color-owned businesses need to be supported and that we are aligned with them through the Fearless Foundation’s Strivers Grant Program. We will fight fearlessly to protect these businesses, the dreams of their founders, and our right to express this viewpoint against any and all legal challenges.”
The Fearless Fund aims to counter racial and gender biases that limit venture capital for women of color-owned startups. However, the AAER lawsuit reflects a broader national debate over affirmative action policies. Fearless Fund general partners Simone and Ayana Parsons created the grant and mentorship program after struggling to access capital for their own ventures. “As Black women, we faced more obstacles to financing our dreams than other demographics,” Simone explained.
The appeal cites 2019 Census Bureau data showing 12.7% of women-owned firms were Black or African American-owned, demonstrating a need to nurture this demographic of entrepreneurs. It argues the Fearless Fund’s targeted approach does not violate First Amendment or federal civil rights protections. The legal document makes a moral case for boosting opportunities for Black women entrepreneurs facing systemic barriers.
“Our grants aim to empower innovators who might lack networks and resources to transform their ideas into thriving businesses,” Parsons said. “We welcome the chance to defend this mission in court.”
The pending litigation has already disrupted grants for 2023, forcing the Fund to revise official rules. Oral arguments are scheduled to commence on Jan. 31, 2024.
UNCF Celebrates 80 Years And Remarkable Comeback Campaign
The nonprofit brought in $345 million in private donations during this fiscal year.
Ahead of its 80th anniversary, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) has found itself back amongst the nation’s top-ranked and most charitable organizations thanks to the efforts of CEO Michael L. Lomax.
According to Forbes, the nonprofit brought in $345 million in private donations during this fiscal year, earning it the No. 58 spot on the 2023 list of America’s Top 100 Charities.
This marks the first appearance on the list by the UNCF—which is based on the value of private donations received and does not include government support, fees for services, or investment earnings—since 2016.
Lomax, who has served as CEO for the past two decades, spearheaded the organization’s growth through a six-year, $1 billion capital campaign aimed at increasing scholarships and reinforcing the finances of the 37 colleges included in its membership. UNCF distributed over $20 million directly to the institutions in 2022 and gave an additional $68 million in scholarship aid to over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students at nearly 700 institutions, Forbes reports.
More than half of the scholarships were awarded to private and public historically Black colleges and universities. The average grant amount was nearly $7,000, and monies were distributed largely to Black students, though some scholarship recipients were also from Hispanic, Native American, and Asian/Pacific Islander backgrounds.
“These institutions are engines of economic mobility,” said Lomax. “We don’t ask about race.” According to Forbes, the UNCF does not know the ethnic background of nearly 30% of scholarship recipients.
The UNCF boldly claims the six-year undergraduate graduation rate for its scholarship recipients is 70% compared to less than 60% for all U.S. college students. The organization’s funding was largely made possible by a $190 million gift from Fidelity Investments and a $19 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at supporting the presence of minority students in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Despite an increase in vested interest in HBCUs, Lomax believes there is still work to be done to ensure the institutions have what they need to continue to excel.
“HBCUs have done more with less for years, and this is, I call it, an investment, because we have to produce different outcomes, we want to increase enrollment, we want to increase our retention of students, (and) we want to have increased graduation rates,” he said, according to CNN.
‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Actor André Braugher Passes Away At 61
André Braugher best known for his roles in "Homicide" "Men of a Certain Age," and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" has passed away at 61.
Emmy Award-winning actor André Braugher, best known for his roles in Homicide: Life on the Street, Men of a Certain Age, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, has died at 61.
Braugher died Monday, Dec. 11, after a brief illness,Deadline reports. The actor first rose to prominence starring alongside Matthew Broderick and Denzel Washington in Ed Zwick’s 1989 Academy Award-winning film Glory.
He went on to dominate roles in scripted television, including Thief, which earned him his first Emmy, and his iconic portrayal of Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The latter earned him two Emmys and two Television Critics Association Awards in 1997 and 1998.
His other prominent role includes starring alongside Andy Samberg as Captain Raymond Holt in the hit comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The show earned him two Critics Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and four Emmy Award nominations for the show that started on Fox and later moved to NBC.
He also appeared on the TNT series Men of a Certain Age alongside Ray Romano and Scott Bakula, which earned him two Emmy nominations for his portrayal of a diabetic dad.
Braugher also starred in several movies, including The Mist, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,Frequency, Thick as Thieves, and City of Angels. Most recently, he co-starred in the drama She Said, which retold the story of two journalists whose reporting led to the prosecution of Harvey Weinstein and sparked the #MeToo movement.
Before his passing, he was slated to star in the Netflix show Residence as his next project. Born and raised in Chicago, Braugher was a trained actor who earned a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.F.A. from Juilliard.
He was married to Ami Brabson, who played a recurring role as Pembleton’s wife on Homicide, since 1993. He was a father to three sons, John Wesley Braugher, Michael Braugher, and Isaiah Braugher.
Dec 13 (Reuters) – U.S. employers facing surging costs from paying for Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO)Wegovy and similar obesity drugs are hiring virtual healthcare providers like Teladoc (TDOC.N) to implement weight-loss management programs, a dozen consultants, pharmacy benefit managers, analysts, and providers told Reuters.
These programs may require diet and exercise before granting access to the medicines, and in some cases will become employees’ sole covered option for medications like Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s (LLY.N) rival therapy Zepbound, which have list prices of more than $1,000 a month.
They could help companies cut costs by limiting employees to small networks of less expensive providers or by delaying prescriptions with lifestyle change mandates, one of the benefits consultants said.
Another consultant touted the benefits of such programs, saying diet and exercise regimens could lead to long-term improvements in patient health.
“Many (employers) were skeptical about the cost of these drugs at the beginning of the year, but that mindset has shifted. Employers and health plans are now increasingly more willing to cover them, with the right programs in place,” Teladoc executive Ananth Balasubramanian said in an interview.
More than a quarter of 152 employers surveyed by the Business Group on Health said they would use virtual providers to oversee obesity drug prescriptions next year.
Boeing (BA.N), Hilton (HLT.N), and Fortune Brands (FBIN.N) are among companies that have signed up for or expanded deals with virtual healthcare providers, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Truist analyst Jailendra Singh forecast the market for virtual obesity drug management could reach $700 million in 2024 and grow to as much as $9 billion longer term, assuming providers charge around $30 per member, per month, and $50 for physician appointments.
Reuters reported in June that the popularity of obesity medicines had U.S. employers rethinking insurance coverage, but most only required special authorization or had stopped covering diabetes drugs off-label for weight loss.
Healthcare benefits consultant Aon (AON.N) outlined ideas to manage use of these GLP-1 drugs through “step therapy” and narrow networks or “centers of excellence” in August in a 10-page document for corporate clients.
It suggested at least one to three months of lifestyle changes through programs from telehealth companies or pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) before patients are prescribed the medicines, which would help them adopt long-term approaches to healthier nutrition and exercise and give them coaching and other support.
Wegovy and Zepbound belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1s developed for type 2 diabetes that reduce food cravings and cause the stomach to empty more slowly. They have been shown to reduce weight by an average of 15% and 20%, respectively in clinical trials.
American Medical Association President Jesse Ehrenfeld said selecting telehealth providers with no in-person care inappropriately steers patients away from their current physicians, threatening continuity of care.
“Telehealth should be a supplement to, not a replacement for, in-person provider networks,” he said.
DIET AND EXERCISE
Step therapy, which first requires completion of a diet and exercise program and may limit the duration of the medicine’s use, is the main service employers are seeking, according to three virtual healthcare providers.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a health insurer with more than 5 million members, said next year it will offer employer clients an option for patients to sign up for Teladoc’s weight management program that involves six months of diet and exercise before patients can get Wegovy or Zepbound.
Companies are also starting “centers of excellence” for weight loss that would limit who could prescribe the drugs.
Such specialized programs set up to even out service quality and save money on high cost-procedures like knee replacements are already common in fields like cardiology and bariatric surgery but are rarely administered virtually.
Richard Frank, an executive at virtual provider Vida Health, said his company planned to manage a weight-loss center of excellence for at least one of its clients next year. He said Vida will help improve patients’ quality of life by getting them to focus on more than just weight loss.
Its step-therapy program wasn’t created to introduce hurdles, but to get patients the right care at the right time, he said.
Capital RX, a PBM with more than 200 clients covering around 2.4 million people, said about 20% of its clients were interested in centers of excellence for obesity.
BMO analyst Evan Seigerman said the market for GLP-1 obesity drugs will be supply driven next year and “roadblocks” like these are unlikely to impact Novo or Lilly sales.
By using weight loss programs, employers could spread the cost of a drug or avoid paying for it entirely, said Jeff Levin Scherz at benefits consultant Willis Towers Watson (WTW.O).
“They will delay eligibility, and by the time people are eligible, they might no longer be on the plan,” he said.
Ja Morant Admits To Throwing First Punch In Pickup Game, States It Was In Self-Defense
Ja Morant stepped into a court of law to defend his actions in striking a then-17-year-old player at his house
With an expected return to the basketball court next week in Memphis, Grizzlies player Ja Morant had to first step into a court of law to answer to a lawsuit that was filed against him for striking a then-17-year-old basketball player at his house.
According to ESPN, the lawsuit that was filed in September 2022 regarding an incident that took place in July 2022 has brought Morant to testify at an immunity hearing at Shelby County Circuit Court in Memphis. He claimed that he hit the player, Joshua Holloway, in self-defense, asserting that he hit the teen first “to protect” himself.
The incident happened at Morant’s home during a game of pickup basketball. The Memphis player stated that due to Holloway being frustrated that he had already lost several games, he allegedly threw an aggressive one-handed pass at him when Morant was checking the basketball. He said the ball hit the left side of his face.
Holloway’s attorney, Rebecca Adelman, asked Morant several questions at the hearing.
“You testified that this basketball was a weapon, yes?”
“Yes,” Morant answered.
“A lethal weapon?” she asked.
Morant responded, “It hurt.”
Morant then stated that after the ball was thrown at him, he asked the teenager, “What you on?” Instead of answering, Holloway pulled up his shorts, which he took as an aggressive fighting stance.
“Him pulling up his shorts, where I’m from, that’s a fighting stance,” Morant said. He said that Holloway took a step toward him, and that’s when he threw a punch that connected to Holloway. “I hit him first — to protect myself.”
Morant’s friend, Davonte Pack, then hit Holloway after Morant delivered the first blow.
Morant’s attorneys are attempting to have the case dismissed due to the self-defense argument the basketball player is utilizing.
Tee Morant, Morant’s father, also testified in the case, and there may be other family members, friends, and witnesses who will testify about the incident that took place. Law enforcement officials are expected to testify as well.
If the attorneys are not successful in having the case thrown out, then the trial date could happen in April 2024.
