by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 7, 2023

Nicki Minaj Sued For Allegedly Returning Damaged Jewelry

A West Hollywood jeweler is going after Nicki Minaj for borrowing jewelry and allegedly returning it in a damaged state.

Roseark jewelry store filed a new lawsuit that names Nicki’s stylist Brett Alan Nelson for signing a contract that agreed to loan the “Anaconda” rapper jewelry for a public appearance, TMZ reported. The lawsuit claims Nelson agreed to return the 66 pieces of jewelry in one week and pay for any damages that occurred during the rental period.

However, the jeweler claims the pieces were returned past the deadline, and with noticeable damages to a set of earrings and a leaf ring. Nicki’s camp claims the jewels were returned on time and were in the store’s possession for some time before they complained about a missing stone.

Roseark sent Nicki multiple invoices demanding $26,239.50 plus interest for the damaged goods, but claims the invoices were ignored.

Now, Nicki’s legal team is firing back and accusing the jeweler of using the platinum-selling rapper to gain publicity for their business.

“We have not been presented with any evidence that any of the jewelry at issue was damaged by Nicki,” the rapper’s attorney Jordan Siev said.

“This lawsuit appears to be nothing more than an ordinary insurance claim by the jeweler designed to generate publicity for itself and extract a payment to which it is not entitled. We will defend the lawsuit vigorously.”

The lawsuit comes on the heels of Nicki launching a record label and announcing her new album release date on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/NICKIMINAJ/status/1665840009159536642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1665840009159536642%7Ctwgr%5E40833bf0866baf32b20bc8c9cf0dc2ceb6e15402%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nylon.com%2Fentertainment%2Fnicki-minaj-new-album-release-date-tracklist-features-title

It’ll be the “Moment For Life” rapper’s first studio album release since 2018’s Queen. Nick has kept her name buzzing with the release of hit singles like the chart-topping “Super Freaky Girl” and the most recent track “Red Ruby Da Sleaze.”

Her features on hip hop bangers like Ice Spice’s “Princess Diana” and the newly viral “Pound Town” with Sexxy Red showed audiences that Nicki has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Even if there’s a little jewelry lawsuit to handle.

 

Yamiche Alcindor Is The Proud Mother Of A Baby Boy After Years Of Infertility
by Stacy Jackson

June 7, 2023

Yamiche Alcindor Is The Proud Mother Of A Baby Boy After Years Of Infertility

Everything is “irie” for this NBC News Washington correspondent.

Yamiche Alcindor and husband, Nathaniel Cline, welcomed their newborn son, Yrie Myles Alcindor Cline on May 30, The Hill reported.

Alcindor and her husband shared a written statement to TODAY, “We are overjoyed and feel incredibly blessed that our son has arrived…While the journey to get to this moment was tough, it was well worth it as our hearts are full with happiness and love.”

Yrie is pronounced ‘i-ree’ according to a tweet. The Jamaican term means “vibes are good & everything is well.”

From the outside looking in, it may seem like all went well for the journalist on her journey to pregnancy. However, Alcindor revealed that she struggled to conceive and carried a sense of shame.

She said in an essay for TODAY, “It is the most incredible, exciting, life affirming thing for me to have a baby on the way, especially because it comes after years of disappointment, ugly crying and carrying around a deep sense of shame that my body couldn’t do what everyone else’s body seemed to do so easily.”

The 36-year-old mother was not alone in her struggle to get pregnant. A study published in the Journal of Women’s Health found that in 2014 around 12% of women in the United States shared Alcindor’s experience and had difficulty getting or staying pregnant. Among this percentage of women aged 15-44, Black non-Hispanic women were “80% more likely to report infertility, but 20% less likely to receive infertility services than their white counterparts,” according to the study.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that one in five women (19%) in the United States cannot get pregnant after trying for one year. The data is based on married women from 15 years old to 49 years old who have never given birth.

The health of the mother and baby is important. Black women face health inequities while giving birth, as previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE. Alcindor has been extremely transparent in her journey to motherhood and we’re glad that she shared her journey to provide hope and support for others.

Yemi Mobolade Sworn In As First Black Mayor Of Colorado Springs
by Iman Milner

June 7, 2023

Yemi Mobolade Sworn In As First Black Mayor Of Colorado Springs

Yemi Mobolade made history as the first elected Black and immigrant mayor of Colorado Springs when he was sworn in yesterday during a ceremony at the Pioneers Museum.

Mobolade, who ran as an independent candidate, notched an impressive victory over Republican candidate Wayne Williams by appealing to both the left and the right throughout his campaign. With his win, he becomes the first person who is not part of the Republican party to be elected mayor in over four decades. Though he is not a liberal candidate, Mobolade understands what his presence as leader of the city means for other people like him.

“I wake up every morning and I don’t always think of myself waking up as black,” he said. “I am a black leader. I am a black mayor. I am an immigrant mayor. Why that matters is because there are a lot of young black kids and minority kids that find inspiration and hope in my story.”

Over 1,000 residents gathered to see the newly elected mayor take office.


In a city facing the hard task of overcoming an increasingly difficult fight against fentanyl use and still reeling from the deadly anti-LGBTQ+ attack at Club Q earlier this year, many are hoping that Mobolade’s win will be the first step in bringing a sense of peace back to Colorado Springs. The 45-year-old seems ready to take it all on with open arms.

“If we do faith right, we live from a place of equability,” he said in his speech. “We lead from a place of love. When I talk about my three core values, it’s courage empathy and humility. For me, that’s what it means to be a person of faith. It’s how I lead through The Mayor’s Office and I am a leader. I am leading through these values.”

He plans to hold monthly meetings to provide residents with regular updates about the city, according to KKTV.

 

Former NFL Player Travis Rudolph Found Not Guilty Of Murder And Attempted Murder
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 7, 2023

Former NFL Player Travis Rudolph Found Not Guilty Of Murder And Attempted Murder

Former Florida State University football player Travis Rudolph was not guilty of murder on Wednesday following a nearly two-week trial.

The former NFL player faced one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder for fatally shooting one man and almost killing two others outside his Lake Park home in April 2021, Palm Beach Post reports.

It took a 12-person jury four hours to find Rudolph not guilty in a fatal incident he claims only happened to save his life. Some showed their support after the verdict with Rudolph posing for a selfie with one supporter and another honking their horn as he smiled.

“It means everything. I finally got my freedom back,” Rudolph outside of the courthouse. “I can get back to my life.”

“I was definitely nervous. We definitely prayed a lot,” he added.

Social media debated over findings from the trial including Rudolph’s testimony detailing a fight with his ex-girlfriend, Domonique Jones, on April 7, 2021where four men showed up at his home to confront him just hours after their dispute. According to Rudolph, Jones became irate about his communication with another woman.

Rudolph claims the encounter with the four men turned violent and he was forced to arm himself with a semi-automatic rifle. But prosecutors say the men were trying to leave the scene when Rudolph fired 39 rounds into their black Cadillac, killing Sebastien Jean-Jacques who was in the passenger seat, and wounding his friend Tyler Robinson who was seated in the back.

Jones came under fire last week after taking the stand for a cross-examination where she testified that she texted her brother and told him to “shoot up his s***” after learning of Rudolph’s alleged infidelity.

https://twitter.com/floridasoundz/status/1663636176874381312?s=20

Rudolph had been out of jail on house arrest after posting a $160,000 bond last year, WPTV reports. He also unsuccessfully sought a “stand your ground” defense but was sent to trial to determine his fate.

When taking the stand, Rudolph told jurors the shooting was in self-defense after seeing two guns pointed at him.

“I really appreciate the jury. They made the right decision,” Rudolph said. “God bless them all, and I appreciate them for taking the time to actually listen to the truth come out.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 7, 2023

B. Simone Accused Of Trying To ‘Capitalize’ On How She’s Mourning The Loss Of Jacky Oh

B. Simone is being called out for seemingly encouraging fans to subscribe to her Instagram close friends amid the loss of late Wild ‘N Out star, Jacky Oh.

Many have been extending their condolences and support after Jacky Oh was found unresponsive in Miami last week just days after she announced plans for a “mommy makeover.” The former Wild ‘N Out girl leaves behind three children shared with comedian DC Young Fly and a swarm of loved ones.

Among those who shared a bond with Jacky Oh is fellow Wild ‘N Out star B. Simone, who announced her plans to stay low-key on social media amid the loss of her friend. But it’s how B. Simone announced her hiatus that ignited a backlash on social media.

The MTV star was trending on Tuesday after posting a message to her Instagram Story that seemingly promoted a subscription to her close friends.

“If your not on my close friends your not going to see much of my life during this time,” she wrote in a post. “Close friends I love you…thank you for being a safe space.”

At the bottom was a link to “JOIN MY CLOSE FRIENDS NOW!!” which is a service she charges $9.99 for.

Onlookers wasted no time blasting B. Simone for seemingly trying to profit from how she’s mourning the loss of Jacky Oh.

“Damn Jacky, not even gone a week & She finna capitalize on her ouu weww lord,” one spectator wrote on The Shade Room.

“This ain’t friending / grieving at all , This is SICK ASF ‼️” added someone else.

The slander continued on Twitter with users accusing B. Simone of “advertising” her platform in the form of grieving the loss of her friend.

“B. Simone is a whole a**hole,” one user quipped. “Your friend just died and now, you’re advertising an opportunity for the public to PAY you to be in your close friends under the guise of seeing you grieve and not what it really is: you using a messed up moment as a money grab. Sick sh*t, smh.”

There were some B. Simone fans who attempted to defend the social media influencer saying she always promotes subscribing to her close friends. But one spectator shut down that notion saying “Even if she was promoting paying to be in her close friends before…this is poor timing and tacky.”

This isn’t the first time B. Simone has been accused of trying to get one over on the public to gain a profit. In 2020, the podcast host was accused of plagiarizing bloggers to craft her self-help book, via BuzzFeed.

B. Simone has yet to respond to why she’s currently trending.

RELATED CONTENT: Jacky Oh, ‘Wild ‘N Out’ Star Who Shares 3 Children With DC Young Fly, Dies At 32

NBA Baller Giannis Antetokounmpo Keeps It In The Family, Launches Company With His 3 Brothers
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 7, 2023

NBA Baller Giannis Antetokounmpo Keeps It In The Family, Launches Company With His 3 Brothers

Milwaukee Bucks player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has launched a business named Ante, Inc. with his three brothers, Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex Antetokounmpo.

The “Greek Freak” posted a message on his Twitter account announcing the company.

It was also announced that Antetokounmpo and his company, Ante, Inc, have an equity partnership with Canadian content and confectionary brand, Candy Funhouse. A video was recently released where the Milwaukee Buck explained why he was involved in the company.

He has joined Candy Funhouse as a shareholder and will play a significant role in the ongoing expansion of the online candy company.

“Candy Funhouse made it very clear how much they value family, which is why this ownership deal is something that I’m very proud to share with mine. There is nothing more important than uplifting each other, and spreading positivity around the world, and there is no better way to do this than through the universal love of candy!”

But, that’s not all!

BizTimes reported that Antetokounmpo and his brothers will be opening a retail store at The Trade Hotel, which is located near Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. A building permit that was filed with the city earlier this week stated that the upcoming store would cost $300,000 to construct, excluding mechanical, electrical, and plumbing costs.

Ante, Inc. will oversee a global portfolio of businesses, investment assets, and brand holdings. The family already has investments in the Nashville SC Major League Soccer team and the MLB’s  Milwaukee Brewers; a mutual fund with Naperville, IL-based Calamos Investments; as well as partnerships with Ready and Nike. They also have a company that champions social impact, the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation.

Congrats to the Antetokounmpo brothers! We love to see a family building generational wealth.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 7, 2023

Unsold Yeezy Merchandise Is A Payday For Ye To The Tune Of Over $25 Million

So much for Ye being canceled.

According to a report by Hypebeast, Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, has reportedly pocketed over $25 million based on first-day numbers of the Yeezy restock sale. The media outlet said there were 682,300 pairs of YEEZYs available for purchase. The total sum sold was reportedly $170.5 million. According to an Instagram post, With a 15% royalty on the products sold, he may have taken home $25,586,250.

It was previously reported that Adidas decided to release Yeezy products after initially severing ties with the controversial music producer in October 2022. The sneaker company made the items available for purchase on its website. A portion of the sales from Yeezy’s will go toward fighting discrimination, hate, racism, and antisemitism.

The organizations expected to benefit from the sale of Yeezy’s include but are not limited to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change.

The current items that Adidas is selling are existing designs and designs that were supposed to go on sale in 2023 before the relationship ended. Although releases of existing inventory are presently under consideration, there has been no determination if they will go on sale.

Mint also reported that Adidas ended its federal case against Ye. After initially deciding to keep Ye from the funds, the court reversed a decision to freeze Ye’s account, which held $75 million. The Chicago rapper should have access to those funds now.

After Ye and Adidas had a successful business relationship for more than 10 years, since 2013, Adidas cut ties with the controversial music producer after he made numerous antisemitic statements.

In 2022, after Ye appeared on the since-deleted Drink Champs podcast on Revolt, he dared the apparel company to act when he said, “I can say antisemitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?”

They called his bluff shortly after those statements were made on the podcast and decided to part ways professionally.

by Sharelle B. McNair

June 7, 2023

Tory Lanez’s Lawyers Petition Judge To Be Disqualified From His Case Due To ‘Favoritism’

Lawyers representing rapper Tory Lanez, born Daystar Peterson, aren’t backing down from attempting to keep their client from going to prison.

Ahead of Lanez’s sentencing on June 13, lawyers are trying to get Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David Herriford disqualified from the case, according to law reporter Meghann Cuniff. Judge Herriford denied the motion for a new trial last month after Lanez’s legal team claimed the singer was only convicted because of “procedural errors, prosecutorial misconduct, discovery violations, and ineffective counsel.”

This new move comes with claims that Herriford shows “favoritism” toward the prosecution, Vibe reports. Filed on May 19, lawyers Matthew Barhoma and Jose Baez say Herriford made them present their arguments his way rather than how they originally planned. The legal duo also claim the judge didn’t allow them to call live witnesses and were interrupted continuously. “Together, these facts reveal such a high degree of favoritism or antagonism as to make fair judgment impossible,” the legal team said.

“Given these facts, a reasonable person would fairly entertain doubts concerning the Judge’s impartiality. As a result, disqualification is required.”

During Lanez’s last court appearance, the Canadian-born artist begged Herriford, who is Black, to reconsider.

“Please don’t ruin my life. I could be your son. I could be your brother.” After the hearing, Baez said they will do whatever it takes. “We’re not going to stop until we get him out,” he said.

Despite the new motion, Lanez will be sentenced next week. The petition hasn’t been touched, and it is unclear if it will be considered. Lanez was charged and convicted of assault involving a semiautomatic firearm, discharging a firearm with gross negligence, and having an unregistered firearm in a vehicle for the 2019 incident against rapper Megan Thee Stallion. He has since served seven months in jail and faces up to 22 years in prison.

RELATED CONTENT: Prosecutors Want Tory Lanez To Do Hard Time Following Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Conviction

by Stacy Jackson

June 7, 2023

‘American Sirens,’ A Look At The First Black Male Paramedics Wins Prestigious Book Award

There is still so much history about the achievements of Black people that many of us never learned in school.

The story of the African American men who became the first U.S. paramedics are a part of a long history of firsts by Blacks. Twenty-four young Black men living in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in the 1960s and 1970s became paramedics during the Civil Rights Movement. A book telling their story received a Christopher Award this year, according to Mercer University’s The Den.

The book, American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America’s First Paramedics was one of 12 works honored by the 74th Annual Christopher Awards in March.

The author of the book, a nursing student at Mercer University, Kevin Hazzard, said, “These young men were plucked from a neighborhood that the rest of Pittsburgh and America thought very little of and stepped up at a time of great need.”

“It’s the birth of paramedics, and yet nobody knows where it came from. The people, the story and the setting were all incredibly exciting. Having been a paramedic myself, I found it remarkable that most people who work in the field hadn’t even heard the story, and it just felt like it’s a story that needed to be told,” Hazzard added.

Black author and former television producer for Good Morning America, Michelle D. Hord, also received an award for her memoir, The Other Side of Yet: Finding Light in the Midst of Darkness.

Insider reported the memoir details Hord’s journey to healing after her ex-husband, Axel Johnson, killed her seven-year-old daughter, Gabrielle. Hord spoke to E! News that same year about the murder of her daughter, “I’m not going to let it win. And so a bit of that angry, defensive Black mama in me I think also helped guide me and give me strength.”

“The stories we’re honoring acknowledge that the struggles we endure in life coexist with beauty and hope when we work together, despite our differences, to add love and healing to our world,” said Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications.

Kevin Hart
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 7, 2023

Kevin Hart Supports Small, Black-Owned Businesses Through His Tequila Brand And A $500K Grant Program

Comedian and entrepreneur Kevin Hart and his tequila brand have joined forces with a national nonprofit organization to provide small businesses with a grant to help support their dreams and goals.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has teamed up with Hart and his Gran Coramino Tequila partner, Juan Domingo Beckmann, as well as Global Brand Equities, to launch The Coramino Fund. The fund is an initiative formed to help uplift and support small, Black- and Latinx-owned businesses. Specifically, those that have been marginalized and prevented from gaining access to necessary capital and resources to help with their business growth.

The Coramino Fund gave Black and Latinx entrepreneurs and businesses a $10,000 grant to facilitate in providing the tools to help bolster their businesses.

This year, The Coramino Fund has already awarded half a million dollars to 50 entrepreneurs across the country. Each was given a grant of $10,000. The numbers across the board show that 50% of the companies are Black-owned, while 36% are Latinx-owned, and the remaining 14% are Black and Latinx-owned. More than 67% of the companies are women-owned businesses.

In a written statement to VegNews, Hart said, “[Beckmann] and I always knew we wanted Gran Coramino to have a give-back component that focused on providing Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with resources to pursue their small business dreams. Teaming up with LISC last year to launch The Coramino Fund in the US was the start of that journey.”

In an Instagram post, the tequila company highlighted some of the entrepreneurs who received grants from The Coramino Fund.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gran Coramino Tequila (@grancoramino)


In May 2023, The Man From Toronto actor opened the third location of his plant-based fast food eatery, Hart House. The new site serves as the vegan quick-service restaurant’s first-ever drive-thru location.

Two of the recipients of the grant, Black Leaf Vegan and Mama Roots are vegan locations.

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