Raïssa Kengne, the woman who allegedly shot three people in Downtown Atlanta on Monday, made her first court appearance yesterday, where she was denied bond.
The 34-year-old allegedly killed her former boss, 41-year-old Wesley Freeman, and the manager of the building she lived in, 60-year-old Michael Shinners. A third person, 68-year-old Michael Horne, was injured, while a fourth person, Zamir Steed, was shot at but sustained no injuries.
In a LinkedIn post made just a week before the shooting, Kengne accused her former employer of fraud and claimed that she was being retaliated against. She also claimed that her computer was hacked and home was broken into. Another post on LinkedIn shows her reporting the break-in to the Atlanta Police Department and getting little help.
Kengne has been charged with two counts of felony murder, four counts of aggravated assault, four counts of possessing a gun during a felony, and one count of false imprisonment.
In October of 1994, TLC released “Creep” as the lead single from their sophomore album, CrazySexyCool. Written and produced by Dallas Austin, the song is as cool as it is scandalous, with lyrics that amount to a confessional from a woman who cheats back on her cheating. Because two can play.
“Creep” is said to be based on T-Boz’s experience with infidelity, and fittingly, she sings lead on the track. Left Eye is on record as being against the song’s message, and on the Untouchables Super Smooth Mix of the song, she provides a rap verse that is basically anti-creeping. Also, when the video for the song was being shot, she is said to have threatened to wear black tape over her mouth in protest. This dynamic in the group would result in a very public dispute years later.
(Side bar: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that “Creep” has quite a few official remixes that are really good — the Maxx Remix might be as good as the original.)
“Creep” would become TLC’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for four weeks. The song also won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Tyson Beckford has been selling his looks for 30 years and I am a big-ass hater.
The legendary model plays Lizzo’s imaginary beau in the video for “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready),” the second single from her fourth LP, Special. Rapped first verse aside, Lizzo goes full pop on this track, which sounds like something from Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream era. The song will have you singing along on the first listen, and its video matches the mood perfectly. Click play.
We can officially add Megan Thee Stallion to the list of high-profile hip-hop and R&B acts dabbling in House and House-adjacent music. While her latest album, Traumazine, is generally a regular rap album, its latest single, “Her,” sounds like something right out of Azealia Banks’ catalog.
Megan Thee Stallion doesn’t seem like the kind of rapper who could ride a House beat properly, but with “Her,” she shows that she’s got got a bit more range than she gets credit for. Check it out below.
Nicki Minaj just released her new single, “Super Freaky Girl,” and for the first time in a long time, it really does feel like she has a hit on her hands. Yes, I know, we kinda sorta said that when she dropped “Yikes,” but we really mean it this time.
“Super Freaky Girl” is full of things that’ll give you a bit of nostalgia. It samples Rick James’ signature hit, “Super Freak,” which was also interpolated on Gucci Mane’s “Freaky Gurl” — a song she remixed on her 2008 mixtape, Sucka Free. Also, she is rapping in a way that would remind you of her 2014 hit, “Anaconda.”
It’s impossible to tell if “Super Freaky Girl” will be another abandoned single, but early signs suggest that it might be successful enough for Nicki to make it the lead single for her next album. Check it out below.
“That’s What Friends Are For” is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, and originally recorded by Rod Stewart for the Night Shift soundtrack, which was released in 1982. That version of the song was never released as a single, so unless you’re Rod Stewart stan, there’s a huge probability you weren’t aware of its existence.
Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder released a cover of “That’s What Friends Are For” in October 1985, just three years after the original. It was recorded to raise money for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and helped raise $3 million. The song was a huge hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and becoming the biggest single of 1986. It would also win two Grammys, including Song of the Year, which lets you know that the Recording Academy enforces its “no covers” rule for that award when it feels like it. But I digress.
On March 23, 1987, Ms. Warwick performed the song live at the Soul Train Awards with Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, and her baby cousin, Whitney Houston, who would’ve been 59 years old this week. The recorded version is great, but this performance right here? Magical.
According to NBC News, Fetty Wap was arrested Monday morning in Newark for threatening to kill someone over FaceTime. The threat reportedly came along with the rapper waving a firearm.
The rapper (born Willie Junior Maxwell II) violated the terms of his $50,000 bond following his November arrest, where he was charged with possessing and selling controlled substances. That bond has now been revoked and he is currently in custody.
The FaceTime call in question happened in December. He reportedly said, “I’ma kill you and everybody with you.”
Beyoncé just released a new version of “Break My Soul” (dubbed the Queens Remix) that sees her joining forces with the Queen of Pop.
This version is sung over the beat of Madonna’s 1990 hit “Vogue.” This time, as opposed to the (white) Old Hollywood icons listed in the original, Bey name-drops Black women in music, including Whitney Houston, Nina Simone Janet Jackson, Rihanna, Alicia Keys and Aretha Franklin. Two notable omissions on that list are Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey.
The track arrives just days after four other club remixes of “Break My Soul” (including one by will.i.am) were released. Currently, the track is only available via purchase at Beyoncé’s website.
Today, when we think about the whistle note, Mariah Carey comes to mind. However, years before the world came to know Mimi, it was a signature move for another singer: Minnie Riperton.
Minnie began her career in music as a background singer for a number of artists signed to Chess Records, including Etta James and Chuck Berry. She landed that opportunity after working as a receptionist at the label. In 1966, Marshall Chess — son on Chess Records founder Leonard Chess — formed a psychedelic soul band called Rotary Connection and tapped Minnie to join as one of its lead vocalists. In 1970, she would embark on a solo career, and in ’75, she would release what would become her biggest hit by far: “Lovin’ You.”
In January of 1976, just one year after the release of “Lovin’ You,” Minnie Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time of the diagnosis, the cancer had spread to her lymphatic system and she was expected to die in about six months. Despite that devastating news, she would continue recording and releasing music — she would also beat the odds. She released her fourth studio album, Stay in Love, in 1977, and her fifth, Minnie, in 1979.
The lead single for Minnie was a song called “Memory Lane.” Released in April of ’79, it is a lookback at Minnie Riperton’s life as it nears its end. At this point, she has basically lived on borrowed time for three years. In the song, she reminisces with the help of a photograph, and in the third verse, she sings, “I don’t want to go.” At just 31 years old, Minnie is running out of time and would soon leave her husband, Richard Rudolph, and two children, Marc and Maya, behind.
“Memory Lane” climaxes towards the end, with Minnie singing repeatedly, “Save me.” It is, quite simply, haunting. The music video for “Memory Lane” would be her very last. It was shot on May 25, 1979, and by mid-June, she was bedridden. On July 12, just under seven weeks after the video was shot, Minnie passed away.
If anyone asks you what the saddest song ever is, tell them it’s this one.
Drake just released a music video for “Sticky,” which is one of the clear fan favorites on Honestly, Nevermind. The video is largely made up of concert and vacation footage, which include appearances by Lil Baby and Future. Check it out below.
Raïssa Kengne, the woman who allegedly shot three people in Downtown Atlanta on Monday, made her first court appearance yesterday, where she was denied bond.
