Montell Jordan Says Faith In God and Early Detection Helped Him Beat Prostate Cancer
This is how you do it, apparently.
Former Def Jam recording artist Montell Jordan revealed that early detection and his faith in God led him to beat prostate cancer.
The R&B singer, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Dec. 3, told TMZ Hip-Hop that he had a prostatectomy surgery about six weeks ago. He credited finding out about it early, along with proactive doctors, for saving his life.
The “This is How We Do It” artist, who is now a practicing preacher, wants to encourage others to get early screenings and use his experience with the deadly disease as a talking point.
He told TMZ Hip-Hop that he is working on a documentary to try to remove the stigmas associated with people going for their health screenings. He is also working on a Christmas project.
In am touching post released on the singer’s birthday, he announced to his 215,000-plus Instagram followers that he had just beat cancer.
In the video, he talked, via sheets of paper reminiscent of this famous scene in Love Actually, about the cancer being discovered in January 2024 and how he defeated it after having his prostate removed on Nov. 4.
“JESUS saved my soul,” he expressed. “EARLY DETECTION saved my life.”
Jordan also implored others to help him get his documentary done but also making sure he brings to the attention of people not going for early screenings to catch any possible traces of the deadly disease.
“Today is my birthday.
I love you. I’m doing something unthinkable. I need your help.
I only have a few simple requests.
Watch until the end and then:
1. Pray
2. Take action. Give if you are moved.
3. Share
Megan Thee Stallion Brings Receipts As She Files Restraining Order Against Tory Lanez
The rapper deemed the matter "psychological warfare," further claiming he indirectly harasses her on social media.
Megan Thee Stallion is filing another restraining order against disgraced rapper Tory Lanez and is bringing the receipts to prove she needs one.
Peoplereported that the “Bigger In Texas” rapper filed the request on Dec. 17. In the filing, Megan, real name Megan Pete, detailed the ongoing harassment she has faced from Lanez despite his incarceration. A jury found Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, guilty of shooting Megan in the foot in 2020. He is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence following his 2022 conviction.
“Despite being sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting Ms. Pete, Mr. Peterson continues to subject her to repeated trauma and revictimization,” the filing alleges.
Although Lanez remains behind bars, Megan has asserted that he continues defaming her character through other parties. The rapper deemed the matter “psychological warfare,” further claiming he indirectly harasses her on social media.
The request continues, “Mr. Peterson is fully aware of the impact of the psychological warfare he has waged against Ms. Pete, yet he continues to deputize his supporters to attack Ms. Pete’s character and integrity.”
TMZ reports that Megan’s defense team obtained proof to further her claims shortly after filing the restraining order request. Her lawyers reportedly have receipts of payments between Lanez’s father and a blogger whom Meg recently sued.
Megan accused Milagro Elizabeth Cooper, known on social media as Milagro Gramz, of taking payment from Lanez’s father to spread lies against her.
“In these prison calls, Mr. Peterson’s father—when he thought no one was listening— asked his son about payments to Ms. Cooper for her harassment of Ms. Pete: ‘How are they ever going to prove something like that?’” Mr. Peterson responded, ‘Exactly,’ ” the filing against Cooper states.
Megan has called the matter a “conspiracy” to continue directing hate toward the Grammy winner. She hopes to find a legal solution to the ongoing harassment allegedly sparked by her assaulter.
However, she also believes Lanez is doing so to aid his appeal. Currently, Lanez is appealing his multiple charges, including assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
Cynthia Erivo Explains How She Added Micro Braids So ‘Wicked’ Character Could Honor Black Women
Erivo wanted a hairstyle that better represented her character being played by a Black woman.
Cynthia Erivo shared why she gave her Wicked character micro braids, using the hairstyle to honor Black women.
Erivo plays Elphaba Thorpe, eventually known as the Wicked Witch of the West, in this Wizard of Oz retelling. The film focuses on Erivo’s character and her relationship with Glinda, the future Good Witch, played by Ariana Grande. However, Erivo made stylistic choices that grounded her character even more in real life.
In Wicked, Elphaba faces discrimination her entire life due to her skin color. As a Black woman, Erivo wanted her performance to represent herself and her relation to the character’s story. With this in mind, Erivo sought to switch up Elphaba’s original hairstyle. Despite most iterations featuring long, black, wavy hair, she chose a look that better aligns with her identity.
Erivo chose to pay homage to Black women by selecting micro braids for Elphaba. She decided upon braids because they resembled the hair her character typically has, yet slightly differed in texture.
“I asked if we could reimagine that hair as micro braids because I knew you’d still have the movement, and you could still have the length, but there was a texture that was slightly different to what you would normally see on stage, and it was a direct connection between me as a Black woman and Elphaba as a green lady,” the near-EGOT winning actress explained to Variety.
Erivo is the second Black woman to star as Elphaba since the musical’s first major production in 2023, with its 2024 adaptation being the first to hit theaters. The 37-year-old has spoken before about what this role means for her and other Black women. In a previous letter to the news outlet, she called the film and her character’s journey a “love letter” to those who have ever felt unwelcome.
“I hope it’s a bit of a love letter to everyone who feels different, who feels out of place, to all of the Black women who have walked into rooms and felt like they haven’t been welcomed,” wrote Erivo in November. “To anyone who’s walked into a room and felt they haven’t been welcomed. I am glad to be the conduit through which this character has been brought to the world.”
Since then, Erivo has garnered considerable acclaim for her role, recently earning a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
Celebration Bowl Attendance Drops For Third Straight Year, But Television Ratings Up 37% Over 2023
Nearly 37,000 people witnessed Jackson State University defeat South Carolina State 28-7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium last weekend.
Over the weekend, 36,823 attended the 2024 Crick Celebration Bowl in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Jackson State University defeated South Carolina State, 28-7.
But, according to HBCU Gameday, attendance dropped for the third straight season. In 2023, 41,108 watched Florida A&M get by Howard University 30-26 in 2023. In 2022, a record-breaking 49,670 fans came out to see North Carolina Central University beat Jackson State in overtime, 41-34.
Analysts say the venue’s size, much bigger than the previous stadium, the Georgia Dome (which was destroyed in 2017), contributed to the drop in attendance. Higher ticket prices and changes in logistics also affected turnout.
If this game had been played in the Georgia Dome, it would have surpassed 2015’s attendance of 35,528.
After canceling the 2020 bowl because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the game returned in 2021 with nearly 50,000 fans in attendance. That number has been attributed to Jackson State’s involvement as Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders was the team’s head coach.
But there is good news. The Celebration Bowl soared in television ratings, HBCU Gameday reported. The game, televised by ABC, drew an average of 2.1 million viewers, a 37% increase over last year.
“This year’s success reaffirms the Celebration Bowl’s role as the premier showcase for HBCU football,” John T. Grant, executive director of the Celebration Bowl, told HBCU Gameday. “The decision to adjust the game’s timing was strategic, and it clearly paid off. We are excited about the momentum this creates as we continue to elevate HBCU athletics on a national platform.”
Timing also helped.
“Moving the 2024 Cricket Celebration Bowl one week earlier proved to be a successful gamble,” HBCU Gameday’s Steven J. Gaither observed. “The shift avoided direct competition with the expanded College Football Playoff, ensuring the game retained a primetime spotlight on ABC.”
In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the reinstatement of affirmative action, saying that the implementation of the policy is unconstitutional as it violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
Due to this reversal, Harvard’s Black admissions have decreased to barely above the size of its 15-member 1965 class.
“A student body composed of persons with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences is a vital component of legal education,” said Jeff Neal, a spokesperson at Harvard Law School. “Harvard Law School remains committed to following the law and fostering an on-campus community and a legal profession that reflect numerous dimensions of human experience.”
The change in the policy seemingly works against creating diversity in higher education.
“The conclusions that can be drawn from one year of data are necessarily limited,” Neal said. “We continue to believe that a student body composed of persons with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences is a vital component of legal education. Harvard Law School remains committed both to following the law and to fostering an on-campus community and a legal profession that reflects numerous dimensions of human experience.”
Harvard Law is not the only institution seeing low entrance numbers for Black students. There has been a decline of Black enrollees at other Predominantly White Institutions (PWI.)
Amherst College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Washington University in St. Louis have all reportedly dropped in Black enrollment.
Danielle Holley, president of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, said removing racial data hampered the college’s ability to reach multiple demographics. Therefore, the college had to take alternative measures to find eligible, diverse candidates.
“That demographic information that used to be readily available for a student’s file is now masked,” Holley said.
Tiffany Haddish’s Ex-Friend Forced To Pay Comedian $95K In Legal Fees After Losing Defamation Suit
Tiffany Haddish was awarded more than $95,000 in legal fees after her ex-friend's defamation lawsuit was dismissed.
Tiffany Haddish will be reimbursed nearly $100,000 in legal fees after her former friend lost her defamation lawsuit against the comedian.
Recently obtained court documents reveal that Haddish was awarded $95,198 in legal fees after successfully shutting down Trizah Morris’s defamation claims, In Touch Weekly reported. The ruling comes more than a year after Morris filed a lawsuit against Haddish and fellow comedian Aries Spears, alleging they made false statements about her while defending themselves against a lawsuit brought by her two children.
Morris alleged that her children were the ones who sued Haddish and Spears, accusing them of sexualizing the kids in old comedy sketches filmed during their childhood. Haddish and Spears denied any wrongdoing, calling the lawsuit “nothing but a shakedown” attempt by Morris. This came a year after Morris’ daughter dismissed her initial lawsuit against Haddish.
In Morris’ lawsuit, she claimed Haddish’s legal team defamed her during her children’s case by making “defamatory, slanderous, and libel comments to the press.” Morris accused Haddish and Spears of trying to make it seem like she was trying to extort them by having her children, who were adults at the time, sue.
“The statements made against Trizah Morris are malicious, defamatory and slanderous representation of Trizah Morris.” Morris’s complaint added, “Aries Spears alleged that Trizah Morris was an extortionist and shakedown artist.”
“Trizah Morris never extorted or attempted to extort Tiffany Haddish and/or Aries Spears,” her suit read.
Morris claimed that the allegations about her ruined her reputation and caused her to suffer personally and professionally.
“Trizah Morris’ name and photograph appeared in blogs and media reports available all over the world as the cunning, conniving, deceitful ‘ex-friend’ of Tiffany Haddish,” her suit read.
In her defense, Haddish argued that Morris signed a settlement agreement in the lawsuit involving her children, which resolved all claims between the parties. Haddish asserted that Morris made a defamation claim before the contract was finalized.
After the children’s lawsuit was moved to arbitration, it was determined that Morris’s settlement agreement had released all claims against Haddish, preventing her from suing for defamation. As a result, Haddish was awarded $95,000 in legal fees, while Morris paid Spears $50,000.
It was also revealed that a friend, not Haddish or Spears, made the settlement payment. The friend, who ran a comedy camp that the adult children had attended and where Haddish had previously volunteered, agreed to pay $232,000.
Of this, $184,000 went to a charity selected by the Morris family, while $48,000 was placed in a trust account for Morris’ son, a minor at the time. Both parties agreed not to disparage each other, with a $100,000 penalty for any breach of this agreement.
Juju Watkins Part of Unrivaled’s Star-Studded $35 Million Series A Investment Round
According to Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell, Watkins wanted to make an investment in the basketball league.
Unrivaled, the new three-on-three women’s basketball league founded by Women’s National Basketball Association stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart intended to supplement the income of WNBA players in the off-season, closed its fundraising this week with $35 million.
According to a press release, the Series A investment round was led by the Berman Family, and according to Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell, Collier’s husband, the funds raised offer a look into the potential for women’s sports.
“Our players haven’t even taken the court yet, and the foundation we are building with our partners unites unparalleled expertise, strategic insight, and an incredible product,” Bazzell said. “Together, we’re setting the stage for Unrivaled for years to come.”
According to Sportico, the financial terms of those who invested were not disclosed, but notable names attached to the fundraising round include NBA star Giannis Antekoumpo, University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, and USC star guard Juju Watkins.
Bazzell said that the league has made it a priority to accept investments from entities and individuals who were connected to sports properties during the investment round.
He also noted that Watkins, a sophomore, was clear about making an investment in the league, as opposed to an NIL deal offering equity in the league.
“You need people that can see a vision and aren’t worried about ‘How quickly can you exit?’” Bazzell told Sportico. “And then secondly, selfishly, for the business, we have to find partners who are willing to roll up their sleeves and utilize their networks and get us from point A to point B much quicker.”
He continued, “The priority was investing into the athletes and the resources to make a first impression. That’s why it was so great to raise the amount we raised—it gave us more flexibility to not have to be perfect out of the gate but to know that we have more than enough runway for multiple years before we have to concern ourselves with, ‘Where’s the next investment potentially come from?’”
The WNBA’s current max salary is capped at $214,000.
Each athlete who participates in the league will also receive a stake of equity, which adds to the value of their contracts, and according to Bazzell, the coaches selected have strong player development backgrounds.
The league, which will run for nine weeks starting on January 17, also has plans for the venue being constructed in Miami to hold everything players need to compete, including a childcare center.
“The data is clear,” Bazzell said. “When you look at women’s sports and where it’s going, it’s not an oversaturated market right now. In men’s sports, you can go down the line and watch a number of different leagues or teams. Women’s sports are still at that tipping point. You’re going to see more growth in the coming years. And when you look at viewership numbers, women’s basketball is the pinnacle of that viewership.”
Affordable Care Act Marketplace Extends Deadline To Dec. 18
This is only the second time that an extension has been granted for people to enroll in health insurance plans, the last extension was granted in 2016
The Affordable Care Act Marketplace has extended the deadline to enroll in health insurance for the coming year to Dec. 18, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. The original deadline for coverage to begin on Jan. 1 was Dec. 15, but those who enroll after the new deadline will have an insurance plan that takes effect on Feb. 1.
According to USA Today, this is only the second time an extension has been granted for people to enroll in health insurance plans; the last extension was in 2016.
Noah Lang, the chief executive of Stride, a company that helps people find health insurance, indicated that the extension could help the currently uninsured secure coverage for themselves or their families.
“This extra three days gives people time to shop,” he said. “Millions (of people) are still not insured or can save money,” Lang told USA Today.
The number of new enrollees, or people who don’t currently have health insurance through the ACA Marketplace, is down 32% from last year.
In a survey by Stride earlier in December, 55% of respondents said that the incoming administration had them worried about their future health insurance coverage, which led them to not enroll in the ACA Marketplace.
Lang indicated that these worries are unfounded.
“Plan options and prices are locked in for 2025. Coverage won’t change, and ACA credits won’t change,” Lang said.
Another reason he gives for the slip in enrollment is simply the time of year, as it is, after all, the holiday season.
“It may have been the first time we had the enrollment deadline on a Sunday night,” Lang told USA Today. “People are spending their weekends shopping (for the holidays) and spending time with family,” not searching for insurance coverage on the marketplace.
Though many people will likely pay less than that, a $400 insurance premium is a hefty price to pay when combined with other household expenses.
According to ValuePenguin, health insurance costs vary with age. Typically, the older you get, the more expensive your coverage will be due to the increased need for various types of medical care.
The only exceptions to this rule are people who live in Vermont or New York; in those states, a person’s age is not a factor in health insurance rates.
However, Americans remain the most likely among developed nations to say they skip paying for insurance because it is too expensive.
Part of this is because it is more politically expedient to forgo a public option, which would allow more people to opt into government plans like Medicare and Medicaid.
This, and the fact that the healthcare industry is invested in profit at the expense of the average American, is largely why Sen. Bernie Sanders’s Medicare-for-all push to cover every American through a federally funded healthcare plan failed.
Moderate Democrats, like President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, decided to pursue iterative reforms instead. These reforms have given America the most convoluted healthcare system among all developed nations.
Due to a lack of initiative at the federal level and Americans’ distrust of nationalized healthcare, America is stuck with a system that relies on for-profit insurance companies to compete for better rates. This system does not work for most Americans.
According to Robert Hughes, a professor of business ethics at Wharton University, although the United States lacks the political will to completely transform its healthcare system, there are ways to make it more accessible.
“I don’t understand why there’s so much resistance to the idea of truly universal health insurance in the United States, given that this is something that other industrial countries just do,” Hughes told the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School in 2020.
He continued, “We can’t wave a magic wand and go back to 1946. (when the employer-sponsored healthcare system became entrenched as healthcare policy) I don’t see the United States completely uprooting all these insurances. And that means we might need to create a model that keeps a lot of what we have, making it more accessible to more people, rather than creating all new institutions from scratch.”
As Gig Workers Face Decreased Profits, Questions Over Financial Protection Arise
According to Lindsay Cameron, an assistant professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, workers who have full-time jobs can feel the impact of changes to their part-time gig work
A major selling point for workers in the gig economy has been its flexibility, even after some workers have found that their take-home pay is less compared to past years.
However, it can be difficult to replicate the good parts of a gig elsewhere.
According to Business Insider, some, like Colorado resident Aaron Lavender, a former teacher, have gone back to using delivery driving as a supplement to jobs with a secure floor as opposed to utilizing gig jobs as a primary source of their income.
Although his earnings as a gig economy driver have gone down, few jobs, he said, have the perks of gig work, such as instant pay and a low barrier to entering the space, such as a driver for platforms like Uber and Lyft.
Many gig drivers, like Lavender, are part-time workers. Uber told Business Insider that 73% of its drivers work less than 30 hours a week.
However, according to Lindsay Cameron, an assistant professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, even those workers who have full-time jobs can feel the impact of changes to their part-time gig work.
“Most people are financially dependent on this,” Cameron said, referring to gig driving. “Maybe it’s to pay their water bill or their child support payment, or their kid comes home from college and runs the electricity bill.”
A second law in New York, which was going to increase the minimum wage for delivery drivers to $17.96, was placed on hold after Doordash, Uber, and Grubhub filed lawsuits.
Gig workers have also been increasingly receptive to efforts at unionizing, in part because of a 2023 ruling by the National Labor Relations Board, which made it easier for workers like Uber and Lyft drivers, construction workers, home health aides, and strippers to unionize.
According to The Washington Post, the ruling classified workers whom employers had previously attempted to argue were independent contractors and not employees, which excluded them from entering a union.
“This case and the independent-contractor standard bears on the job quality of many workers in the United States,” Brian Chen, policy director at Data & Society, told the Post. “When workers are misclassified under the National Labor Relations Act, it deprives them of the collective bargaining that we know improves job quality, wages, and racial income and wealth gaps.”
“I’m pessimistic that many unions are ready right now to help gig workers, either because they don’t know how to overcome the obstacles to organizing, or they are unwilling to commit the kind of resources and effort it will take to actually win against these large tech companies that employ them,” HIll said. “I think it will take a union who is willing to put up many millions of dollars, hire an army of organizers, and put together a 10-year plan to win, not to mention all the legal and strategic corporate campaigning that will need to go on in concert with organizing the rank and file.”
T.I. To Perform At The National Cherry Festival In 2025
The Atlanta rapper will perform in Traverse City, Michigan, on July 2
After Atlanta recording artist T.I. dropped out of this year’s National Cherry Festival, he did so with the promise of being at next year’s festival, and it was just confirmed that he will be performing.
The festival has announced that the upcoming annual event, which takes place in Traverse City, Mich., from June 28- July 5, 2025, will feature T.I. on Wednesday, July 2, on the Pepsi Bayside Music Stage. Tickets are slated to go on sale on Friday, December 20.
“We couldn’t keep the secret any longer! Rapper T.I. is scheduled to return to the National Cherry Festival in 2025!
Get ready for an incredible performance on Wednesday, July 2, at the Pepsi Bayside Music Stage, presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan! It’s the perfect holiday gift idea for the music lover in your life!
Tickets go on sale Friday, December 20 at 10 am. Don’t miss out on this incredible show!
Special thanks to our presenting media sponsors, 9&10 News and 106 KHQ!
MLive reported that T.I., originally scheduled to perform at this year’s festival on June 30, canceled after it was revealed that his 8-year-old daughter was honored and performed at the 24th Annual BET Awards in Los Angeles.
“His performance in 2025 is sure to be a thrilling and memorable part of our concert lineup,” said Kat Paye, National Cherry Festival executive director, in a written statement. “We can’t wait to see fans from all over the region come together for an amazing night of music.”
The National Cherry Festival also revealed that DJ XCape and Ajax Stacks will open for the “Bring Em Out” lyricist.
It was recently announced that T.I. and fellow Atlanta rapper and entrepreneur Killer Mike had reopened Atlanta’s legendary Bankhead Seafood on November 17. The popular eatery in the historic Atlanta Westside closed in 2018 but was revitalized by the two Atlanta residents. It had been a beloved staple for 50 years before shutting down five years ago.
