Nneka Obiekwe returns to discuss the leaked Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade, the Met Gala, Dave Chappelle’s onstage attack, and so much more.
(Note: This episode was recorded on May 4, 2022.)
Instagram Live was hatin’ that day, so the video quality is a little choppy. The conversation, however, is HQ as always!
Six weeks after its Coachella debut, Megan Thee Stallion’s “Plan B” now has a music video. The video is Megan from top to bottom — no plot or choreo. Just Megan dripped in Mugler and “venting” (as she says). Check it out below.
In August of 1994, Aaliyah released “At Your Best (You Are Love)” as the second single from her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number. Unfortunately, it is impossible to talk about that album without talking about R. Kelly, who produced all 13 of its tracks and also wrote all except this very song, which is a cover of The Isley Brothers’ 1976 original.
Aaliyah’s rendition, though released in the ‘90s, somehow manages to sound more ‘70s than the original version. The stripped-down production and the singer’s breathy vocals come together like a Minnie Riperton song. Aaliyah achieved the remarkable feat of being restrained yet flamboyant, and it is made even more remarkable by the fact that she was only 14 when she recorded this song.
If you’re keeping a list of covers that blow their originals out of the water, make sure this song is registered.
A jury has awarded Johnny Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages in his defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard, who was present in the court room when the verdict was read yesterday — the Pirates of the Caribbean is currently on tour in London. The Commonwealth of Virginia caps punitive damages at $350,000, which brings the judgment against Heard down to $10.35 million.
Heard, on the other hand, was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages in her countersuit, which brings the amount owed to Johnny Depp down to $8.35 million. Both actors released statements with minutes of the verdict. Depp said he was “truly humbled,” while Heard said she was “disappointed with what this verdict means for other women.”
In an interview on The Today Show, Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft, says her client is unable to pay the $8.35 million owed to Depp following yesterday’s verdict. She also complained about the undue influence of social media throughout the trial.
NeNe Leakes is being sued by Malomine
Tehmeh-Sioh, the wife of her boyfriend, Nyonisela Sioh. Malomine’s suit accuses he Real Housewives of Atlanta star of being in an extramarital affair with Nyoni, which led to their separation.
According to TMZ, Malomine claims she suffered emotional distress, mental anguish, and a loss of affection due to the affair. She’s suing for $100,000.
The suit was filed in North Carolina, one of seven states that allow spouses to sue sidepieces for “alienation of affection.”
Today in 2007, the world was introduced to a recording artist named Kisean Paul Anderson, better known as Sean Kingston. The then-17-year-old released his debut single, “Beautiful Girls,” and the kids — myself included — ate it up. As it turns 15 years old today, the song also becomes TBT-eligible around these parts.
Co-written by the singer, J.R. Rotem and Peter Harrison, ”Beautiful Girls” is a doo-wop/reggae blend based on a sample of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me.” Its music video plays on the doo-wop feel, flashing back and forth between the ‘50s and 2000s. The video also includes a prominent appearance by Lil Mama that I didn’t notice until today. In my defense, she was unknown at the time — her debut single, “Lip Gloss,” dropped a few weeks after “Beautiful Girls” and became a hit later that summer. She would end up being featured on one of the three ”Beautiful Girls” remixes.
With “Beautiful Girls,” Sean Kingston joined an elite club of artists who topped the Billboard Hot 100 with their debut single. He also became the first artist born in the ‘90s to top chart. The song would also reach No. 1 in the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland and Australia.
British prosecutors have charged Kevin Spacey with four counts of sexual assault against three men. He has also been charged with causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.
Most of the alleged incidents took place in London between March 2005 and August 2008, while one of them took place in western England in April 2013. According to the Associated Press, the alleged victims are now in their 30s and 40s.
These charges were announced just as the actor was testifying in court today in New York City as part of an ongoing civil suit filed by actor Anthony Rapp, who accuses Spacey of making sexual advances to him when he was just 14 years old.
Gunna has pled not guilty to the RICO charge filed two weeks ago. The judge has denied his request for a bond due to concerns about possible “danger to witnesses and other folks tied to this,” but may consider bond for good cause at a later date. The rapper (born Sergio Kitchens) has his next court date scheduled for January 9, 2023.
Young Thug (born Jeffery Williams), who was indicted alongside Gunna, also had his bond request denied just days after he was arrested, but his attorney is pushing for emergency bond due to “inhumane” and “dungeon-like” conditions.
In a new interview with the NY Post, Isaiah Lee — the man who attacked Dave Chappelle onstage a few weeks ago — says he tackled the comedian because he was triggered by his jokes about the LGBTQ community, pedophilia, and homelessness.
The 23-year-old, who identifies as bisexual and was once homeless, says he “wanted him [Dave Chappelle] to know what he said was triggering.” He adds, “I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect.” He says his was moved to tackle the Chappelle when another performer in the show’s lineup made a joke about pedophilia, which reminded him about the molestation he experienced as a 17-year-old while under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles.
Isaiah Lee — who is also a rapper and goes by the stage name NoName_Trapper — says he never meant to hurt Dave Chappelle. 🤔
In related news, the headlines has gotten Isaiah Lee in more legal trouble. A former roommate — who identified him after the Chappelle incident — says he stabbed him at a transitional housing facility in December, which has led to an attempted murder charge. Lee has pled not guilty.
We didn’t get any TBT selection last week, so we get two this week. Isn’t that lovely?
In April of ‘92, Mariah Carey released “Make It Happen” as the third single from her sophomore set, Emotions. The song is a gospel yet dance track about having faith in one’s dreams. Released less than two years into her now-iconic career, the song begins with MC looking back at how drastically her life had changed in just three years.
Written and produced by the singer herself along with David Cole and Robert Clivillés of C+C Music Factory — the former of whom inspired the writing of “One Sweet Day” — “Make It Happen” samples Alicia Myers’ gospel-disco classic, “I Want to Thank You.” The song would go onto peak at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Mariah Carey’s second single to not top the chart and her very first to peak outside of the top two.