TLC is, first and foremost, an R&B group. However, on FanMail, they dipped into their rock bag to give us a gem called “Unpretty.”
Released as the album’s second single, “Unpretty” is a song about self-love in the face of a society that doesn’t miss an opportunity to tell you how imperfect you are. The song was first written as a poem by T-Boz while she was watching an episode of Ricki Lake where women on the show were being derided for their looks. The poem was handed to Dallas Austin, who put the lyrics to a melody and made the executive decision to produce a song that was alternative rock yet R&B-ish.
“Unpretty” would become TLC’s fourth and final No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jussie Smollett has been found guilty of five out of six felony counts of disorderly conduct for making a false report to the police. A disorderly conduct charge for a false police report is punishable by up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
In January 2019, Smollett reported a hate crime where supposed attackers assaulted him while calling him racist and homophobic slurs. The supposed attackers turned out to be Abel Osundairo and Ola Osundairo, two brothers who had worked with #Smollett on #Empire. They would later tell authorities that the actor paid them $3,500 to stage the incident.
Jussie Smollett took the stand for the second day in his trial and accused the Osundairo Brothers — who he allegedly paid to attack him as part of a hoax — of trying to extort him of $2 million. He says Abel and Ola Osundairo told him they’d recant their previous statements — and basically accept hate crime charges — if he paid them $1 million each.
Aariel Maynor, the 29-year-old suspected of killing philanthropist and wife of Clarence Avant, Jacqueline Avant, has been charged with one count each of murder, attempted murder, and being a felon with a firearm. The attempted murder charge is for shooting the Avant’s’ security guard.
Maynor also faces two counts of residential burglary with a person present.
While taking the stand earlier today in his false police report trail, Jussie Smollett claimed that he had a sexual relationship with Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo, one of the two brothers he allegedly paid to “attack” him. According to TMZ, Smollett said he met Osundairo at a gay club and later made out and masturbated with him at a Chicago bathhouse, where they also did coke and weed together.
When asked why he didn’t call the police after the “attack,” Smollett reportedly said, “Because I am a Black man in America and I do not trust police.”
A former “junior colleague” came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Chris Cuomo just days before CNN fired him for helping his brother, Andrew Cuomo, respond to allegations of his own. The accuser is represented by attorney Debra Katz.
In a statement made through a spokesperson, Chris has denied these allegations, which come just months after former ABC executive producer Shelley Ross wrote a New York Times op-ed where she accused the former CNN prime time host of groping her 16 years ago.
For some odd reason, Doja Cat is refusing to release a music video for “Get into It (Yuh)” despite its immense popularity, but in the meantime, we have a visual for “Woman,” another popular track from Planet Her.
Between the ancient Egyptian theme and reddish filter, its impossible to watch the “Woman” video without seeing similarities to Nicki Minaj’s “Ganja Burn” clip. Also, some of the special effects are reminiscent of MJ’s “Remember the Time.”
The “Woman” video — which features a speaking cameo from Teyana Taylor — almost wants to have a storyline and then changes its mind, but either way, the visuals are stunning. Check it out below.
The prime suspect in the Jacqueline Avant murder has been identified as 29-year-old Aariel Maynor, who was reportedly arrested within an hour of the shooting. According to TMZ, he tried to break into another home after the Avant break-in, and somehow shot himself in the foot along the way.
Maynor was released from prison on parole in September after being sentenced to four years in November 2018 for second-degree robbery. He had also been convicted on a separate second-degree robbery charge — along with a charge for inflicting great bodily harm — in November 2013.
If there ever was a pop star who embodied the term “America’s sweetheart,” it would be Britney Jean Spears.
Born today in 1981, Ms. Spears defined an era in popular music and exploded onto the scene in with a level of success that was unprecedented in its immediacy — her debut album, …Baby One More Time (1998), sold seven million copies worldwide with seven weeks of its release. The album would go on to sell over 32 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time and the best-selling debut album in history.
…Baby One More Time was followed by Oops! I Did It Again (2000), which sold over 1.3 million copies in its opening week in the US alone — a record for a female artist at the time. Her sophomore set would go on to sell 24 million copies worldwide, placing it on the all-time list like its predecessor. The album was followed by 2001’s Britney, which saw the star delve deeper into R&B-ish sounds than she did on previous albums.
As the years pass, there will be more albums and more hits, and Britney would cement her position as an all-time great. However, the commercial success is just one part of the story — we cannot talk about Britney’s life and career without talking about the media’s obsession with her. She was stalked by paparazzi for years — we could argue till today — and every part of her private life was headline news. The infamous head-shaving incident of 2007 is stuff of pop culture legend, as is the involuntary mental health evaluation of 2008. Those incidents would be used as the basis for the 13-year conservatorship that would prevent Britney from having any control of her affairs or even her body. The conservatorship was only terminated a few weeks ago.
With Britney finally free and newly engaged, her 40th birthday is sure to be her best one in years. Join me in celebrating a true icon.
According to TMZ, music industry icon Clarence Avant’s wife of 54 years, Jacqueline Avant, was shot and killed in a home invasion around 2:30am today. The couple lives in Trousdale Estates, an exclusive neighborhood near Beverly Hills.
By the time police arrived, Jacqueline had been rushed to the hospital. Clarence — who was just inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last month — was reportedly home when the invasion happened, but it is not clear if he was hurt as well.
