• News

by Iman Milner

April 21, 2023

Four Suspects Arrested In Tiwa Savage Kidnapping Attempt

---

Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage is safe after an attempted kidnapping, and authorities have apprehended the suspects, according to The Guardian.

Savage, who has been enjoying crossover success here in the States thanks to her collaborations with artists like Brandy and Beyoncé, was the alleged victim of a failed stunt authorities say her employees carried out to extort the Afrobeats singer. With access to her personal and financial information, the employees were said to have broken into her home, which Savage confirmed via a statement posted to Instagram. Sources said that her domestic staff had been trailing the singer as she left her home and shared her whereabouts with other members of the alleged kidnapping gang, according to The Guardian.

“Following recent reports online, we can confirm that on Thursday, April 13, 2023, there was a major security breach at the residence of musician Tiwa Savage,” the press statement reads. “A number of suspects were caught and are currently being held under investigation at Alagbon Police Station, Ikoyi. Ms. Savage and her family are safe and well.” The “Stamina” singer assured her fans that “all is well” via her caption but has not made any public appearances yet. A spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation confirmed that “about four” suspects are in custody as of late last week.

Savage is one of a few globally celebrated Afrobeats artists who has become increasingly popular. Artists like WizKid, Burna Boy, and Tems have also found great success on this side of the globe. Last April, Burna Boy became the first Nigerian American artist to sell out Madison Square Garden, bringing home a reported $1.6 million in ticket sales. WizKid’s album Made In Lagos was nominated for Best Global Music Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Tems added an Oscar nomination to her list of accomplishments—which includes being the first Nigerian woman to win a Grammy—when Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from the Wakanda Forever soundtrack was nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year, the track features vocals from the Nigerian singer as well as a writing credit.

• News

by Booker Jones

April 21, 2023

Former Police Officer Kim Potter Is Expected To Be Released From Jail Next Week

---

Former police officer Kim Potter is expected to be released from prison Monday, according to Fox 9 News.

Potter, who was convicted of second-degree manslaughter in the death of Daunte Wright, will reportedly be released from Shakopee Minnesota Correctional Facility after serving 16 months.

In 2021, Wright was pulled over for alleged traffic violations, including expired registration tags, in a Minneapolis suburbn. After discovering that Wright had a warrant out for his arrest, they tried to detain him, but Wright managed to get back into his car. 

Widespread video footage shows an officer pointing a handgun at Wright and shouting “Taser.” Wright managed to drive away in his car. Potter can be heard saying, “I shot him.” Wright traveled a few blocks before hitting another vehicle. 

He was announced dead on the scene. In the video footage, Potter breaks down, saying she mistakenly grabbed and fired her handgun, not the Taser. 

Potter’s two-year prison sentence was lower than the usual guidelines because the sentencing judge, Regina Chu, said there were “mitigating factors in the case,” according to NPR, including a chaotic scene and that Potter’s “decisions were not driven by personal animosity toward Wright.” 

“Officer Potter made a mistake that ended tragically,” Chu said. “She never intended to hurt anyone. Her conduct cries out for a sentence significantly below the guidelines.”

Wright’s mother was disappointed with Potter’s sentence.

“Kim Potter murdered my son and … today the justice system murdered him all over again,” Katie Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, said. “We’re very disappointed in the outcome. Yes, we got a conviction, and we thank everybody for that. But this isn’t OK. A white woman’s tears trump justice.”

According to NPR, Wright’s father added, “They were so tied up in her feelings that they forgot about my son being killed. This lady got a slap on the wrist, and we sit around every night crying, waiting for our son to come home.”

Potter will serve the remaining eight months of her prison sentence on probation, the Daily Mail reported

A security guard reportedly didn’t know Antonio Brown owned the Albany Empire football team. As a result, Brown was told to leave the field during halftime. 

According to several reports, Brown shook hands with children and fans when security asked him to leave the game. In a video of the incident posted on Brown’s Twitter account, a security guard approached Brown, asking him to leave the field. 

“This is my field. I’m the owner,” Brown tells the security guard. 

No, I don’t think so,” the security guard replies to Brown. 

Still I maintained a level of professionalism positivity while dealing with this security today ! First Game AS AN Owner #StayEncouraged pic.twitter.com/eU724PbHR6

— AB (@AB84) April 18, 2023

The video ends with Brown continuing to shake hands with fans. There was no physical incident between Brown and the security guard. 

Last month, Brown became a majority owner of the Albany Empire, owning 95% of the team. Charlotte and Steve von Schiller own the remaining 5%. According to CBS, Brown’s father, Eddied “Touchdown” Brown, serves as the Empire’s vice president of operations.  

According to CBS Sports, the Empire have won back-to-back National Arena League championships, looking to make a three-peat this year. 

“I grew up here, as a little kid watching my dad be successful and watching this building erupt,” Brown said during a press conference, cited by CBS Sports.  

“For me, to be in a family-oriented city like Albany, being here with my dad and my kids and just giving the community and players the opportunity to live out their dreams,” Brown added, cited by CBS Sports. “So for me, it was easy. I’m just excited to be here and excited to bring the Albany Empire a three-peat and see the community and these players live out their dreams.”

Brown has not played an NFL football game since leaving the MetLife Stadium mid-game when he was a member of the Tamba Bay Buccaneers in 2022. 

Steve Harvey, Tracy Morgan, Tichina Arnold, and Lynn Whitfield were front and center to watch Martin Lawrence receive his flowers at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.

On Thursday, Lawrence was joined by family and famous friends and honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, ABC 7 reports. The “Bad Boys” star expressed how emotionally overcome he was leading up to the big day.

“I’ve been crying all week so I figured if I had my glasses on today, maybe y’all won’t see the tears,” Lawrence said. “But they’re most definitely tears of joy.”

Lawrence is a longtime actor and comedian who made his TV debut in the late 1980s on What’s Happening Now. After roles in cult classics like House Party and his hosting gig on Def Comedy Jam, the Queens native landed his breakout role in 1992, starring in his sitcom, Martin.

https://twitter.com/tvonetv/status/1649235318288048129?s=20

Tracy Morgan, who got his early start playing Hustle Man on Martin, spoke highly of Lawrence’s early success thanks to his natural talent for making people laugh.

“In my generation, when you say, ‘Martin,’ you don’t have to say his last name. Everybody know who you talking about,” Morgan said.

“My parents had Redd Foxx and ‘Sanford and Son.’ We had Martin Lawrence.”

Family Feud host Steve Harvey also praised Lawrence’s induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, saying it was much deserved.

Martin Lawrence celebrates the unveiling of his star on the #HollywoodWalkOfFame with Tracy Morgan, Tichina Arnold, Lynn Whitfield and Steve Harvey. pic.twitter.com/Fc6vf4jYNy

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) April 20, 2023

“If this dude don’t have a star, they need to take all of them up out the ground, dig all these damn things up,” the Original Kings of Comedy star said. “Ladies and gentlemen, Martin Lawrence is that dude!”

The Big Momma’s House star thanked his fans and shared some advice to the future comedy legends coming after him.

“I’m thankful for the love that I give out and I’m just feeling that I’m getting it back,” Lawrence said.

“If I can pass one thing on to those coming after me, it would be to board your dream bus with confidence, grace and humility and ride it until the wheels fall off!”

He also teased what fans could expect from Bad Boys 4 with Will Smith.

“We’re doing our thing, man. Wait ’til y’all see it! I think it’s gonna be one of the best, best of them all,” he told Access Online. “We ain’t stopping.”

The saga between Bronx-bred recording artist Cardi B and vlogger Tasha K has reached the next stage.

According to AllHipHop, the next step for Cardi B to obtain the money won in a defamation lawsuit against Tasha K has been taken. The media outlet obtained legal documents that show that the Bodak Yellow rapper has been given the right to start seizing property owned by the woman who defamed her.

Attorneys for the former Love & Hip Hop: New York reality TV star filed a writ of execution against Tasha K and Kebe Studios LLC in Georgia on Thursday. She can now legally seek ways to collect on the judgment awarded her when she won the defamation lawsuit she filed.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper was awarded nearly $3 million in punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. The jury found Tasha K, real name Latasha Kebe, liable for defamation, invasion of privacy, and infliction of emotional distress. Variety also reported that the $3 million comes on top of the $1.25 million she was initially awarded, totaling $4.25 million for the rapper.

The lawsuit was filed in 2019 over Tasha K’s slanderous YouTube videos. With over one million subscribers, Tasha K told her viewers that Cardi B had herpes, previously worked as a prostitute, cheated on her husband, Offset (formerly of Migos), and used hard drugs, among a slew of other claims.

Tasha K avoided paying the rapper and then filed an appeal. Billboard reported a judge upheld the $4 million defamation verdict. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit rejected an appeal after the blogger claimed the verdict resulted from a “lopsided presentation of evidence to the jury.”

The court said Kebe failed to properly make that argument to the trial judge, meaning she gave up her right to do so before an appeals court. “Defendant Latasha Kebe asks for a new trial, saying that there was insufficient evidence for the jury verdict against her,” the appeals court wrote. “But as she all but admits, she didn’t make either of the required post-verdict motions in the district court.”

Last month, Tasha K took to Instagram to give Cardi B an apology.

“Talk about a check my mouth can’t cash,” the YouTuber talked about learning her lesson. “Today, we throw in the white flag. What happened will never happen again,” she wrote. “To Cardi & her team, I apologize sincerely. We Live & Learn…”

Xaviera Steele is washing her hands of her teaching job.

The teacher at Rocky Mount High School in North Carolina, who was recently charged for a fight she had with one of her students, is speaking out about the brawl and saying goodbye to the profession.

According to Steele’s Instagram Live video, posted by The Neighborhood Talk, she has been working with young people for 22 years, instructing in various areas, in addition to her experience working as an office administrator. Steele, a mother of four, was working as a substitute teacher at the time of the incident.

“As for me, as much as I love kids, I cannot put my life or my livelihood in danger anymore,” Steele expressed in her video.

“In all my 22 years, never have I ever experienced what I experienced this Monday. I’ve never been attacked by young folks,” Steele said, emphasizing her love for young people and dedication to working with them.

According to the teacher, the girl was in her personal space. “She was behind the desk. I followed protocol,” Steele clarified to people who accused her of touching the student first. The teacher said she tried calling an office administrator three times. She says the young female student attacked her.

“She went for blood,” the high school teacher added.

https://twitter.com/AGINAS/status/1648810388350283777

Steele pointed to the top of her head to show viewers where the young girl allegedly took out an inch of the front of her hairline and two inches on the side. “I don’t understand what it is with Black-on-Black crime…Black women hating on each other, I never did that. I always showed love to my sisters, especially to the kids,” whom Steele said are the future.

Steele addressed the fake media page reflecting messages such as “F the kids” and “F that job.” The high school professional shut the perspective down immediately, clarifying such words would never be her message to the kids of the future, who she believes have so much to offer the world.

She noted other teachers in the past month who have been knocked unconscious, kicked in the head, and another who had a gun pulled on her.

Steele said the charges could potentially ruin her career in real estate, in which she previously invested three years of schooling. Her decision to leave the school system avoids ever putting her family in this sort of situation.

• Health and Wellness

by Atiya Jordan

April 21, 2023

Studies Show 80% of Black Women Will Develop Uterine Fibroids

---

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 70% to 80% of Black women will develop benign uterine fibroid tumors by their late 40s.

While all women are at risk for developing uterine fibroids, Black women are disproportionately affected. One study shows Black women are three times more likely to develop them than white women and are more likely to need surgical treatment.

With symptoms including heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, and bulk symptoms related to the size or position of the fibroids, McLeod Health defines fibroids as “non-cancerous growths in the uterus” that maintains the most common pelvic tumor in women.” They are also a major indication for a hysterectomy.

Estimations have shown that 25% of African American women will suffer from fibroids by age 25.

“We also know that Black women tend to experience fibroids at a younger age and often more severely than their white counterparts,” McLeod OB/GYN Dr. Monica Ploetzke said, according to a blog.

Additionally, Black women are often underdiagnosed and under-treated regarding fibroids, and their fibroids tend to grow to larger sizes.

Dr. Eric Hardee, a co-founder of Houston Fibroids, specializes in a non-invasive procedure called Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) to help Black women avoid a more strenuous recovery. He previously spoke with BLACK ENTERPRISE about the many factors that affect the likelihood of Black women developing uterine fibroids.

“Black women are more likely to have symptomatic fibroids. They are also more likely to have a greater number of fibroids and also have larger fibroids with more severe symptoms,” Dr. Hardee explained.

He added: “There is a genetic predisposition as well. A recent study found that a genetic marker associated with the development of fibroids was 2.5 times more common in Black women.”

Studies have found several other elements linked to the alarming disparity, including greater overall lifetime stress, elevated lifetime exposure to estrogen, diet, history of abuse, Vitamin D deficiency, and frequent use of hair relaxers. Though no cause has been identified, controlling the elements highlighted above is recommended if you can.

• Technology

by Iman Milner

April 21, 2023

BuzzFeed News To Shutdown Says CEO

---

The digital landscape is in the midst of some major changes, and it seems Buzzfeed News is the latest online platform to say goodbye.

In a memo sent to employees earlier this week and posted on Twitter by reporter Ben Mullin, CEO Jonah Peretti said he is “beginning the process of closing BuzzFeed News” and also discussed plans to reduce the rest of the firm’s workforce, which includes the popular news website Huffington Post, by 15%. Peretti took on most of the blame for the outlet’s failure to turn a reasonable profit and expressed that the layoffs are part of a larger effort to get things back on track.

“Please know that we exhausted many other cost-saving measures to preserve as many jobs as possible,” he said in the memo. “We are reducing budgets, open roles, travel and entertainment, and most other discretionary, non-revenue generating expenditures. The internet entrepreneur referred to his decision to “overinvest” in BuzzFeed News as one he made “because I love their work and mission so much.” Peretti says that this kept him from accepting “that the big platforms wouldn’t provide the distribution or financial support required to support premium, free journalism purpose-built for social media.”

BuzzFeed’s model of distributing the news marked a more instant and straight-to-the- point change of pace for the 24-hour online news cycle. The popularity of the “listicle” is also part of BuzzFeed’s influence on shareable content. “Our mission, our impact on culture, and our audience is what matters most, but we need a stronger business to protect and sustain this important work,” said Peretti. BuzzFeed is not alone in big layoffs and budget cuts as Insider Inc (formerly Business Insider), ABC News, NPR, and USA Today have all recently announced significant changes to their workforce.

With ChatGPT on the rise and major outlets closing their doors, many journalists are worried about where they’ll end up as a recession looms.

After publicly stating that he would never pay for the blue check verification on Twitter, Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James has kept the blue check on his profile. Yet, under the revised Twitter policy, users must pay a monthly fee to maintain the blue check or obtain one. So, since James still has one, there was speculation that he may have caved and paid for his blue check, but Elon Musk has come out to say that he has personally paid for a few, validating James’ claim that he won’t pay for one.

According to a post by TitterDaily on the social media platform, Musk admitted to keeping several celebrities’ blue checks by stating that he is “paying for a few personally.”

I’m paying for a few personally

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023

Pop Base mentioned a few celebrities that had maintained their checks, including James and Stephen King, who also stated that he refused to purchase the service. Musk responded to the tweet by saying it’s only three celebrities, James, King, and Star Trek’s William Shatner.

“Just Shatner, LeBron and King”

Just Shatner, LeBron and King

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 21, 2023

You’re welcome namaste 🙏

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023

Previously, the blue check on Twitter was like a badge of honor. It was given to celebrities, athletes, politicians, and notable people and companies to verify that they authentically represent the person and/or company on the social media platform. That changed recently. Under Musk, Twitter’s new owner, the verification is open to anyone willing to pay a monthly fee, changing the verification’s meaning.

Two legendary R&B singers can be addressed as doctors in several weeks after receiving their honorary doctorate degrees.

Berklee College of Music has announced that they will present singers Usher Raymond and Roberta Flack will honorary doctorate degrees in music at an upcoming graduation ceremony next month. The music institution will also present Sona Jobarteh, who plays the kora (a 21-string instrument from the Mandeng region of North Africa) with a doctorate.

“Berklee College of Music will present honorary Doctor of Music degrees to @usher, @officialrobertaflack, and @sonajobarteh at our 2023 commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13 at @agganisarena. Read more about the artists at the link in our bio and use #berkleegrad2023 to join the conversation. 🎓🎉❤️”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Berklee College of Music (@berkleecollege)

This year’s honorary doctorate recipients are receiving the degrees as celebrated artists recognized for their invaluable contributions to music and philanthropy. Usher, Flack, and Jobarteh are joining past recipients that include notable artists like Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Chaka Khan, Esperanza Spalding, Missy Elliott, John Legend, Celine Dion, Joni Mitchell, B.M. ’05, Willie Nelson, Ringo Starr, and Gloria Estefan.

Usher is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, Flack, with four Grammy Awards. Jobarteh considered one of the best Kora players in the world, will each have an opportunity to address the graduating class of 2023.

Usher has recently been in the business of acknowledging legendary entertainers himself. Just last month, while performing at his Las Vegas residency, he stopped his show at the Dolby Live at Park MGM to give fellow performer and hip-hop royalty Queen Latifah some flowers on her birthday.

Meanwhile, in February, as soul singer Anita Baker was performing a show at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, the My Boo singer appeared on the stage to present the Rapture of Love singer with a bouquet for Valentine’s Day.