USA Track & Field — the governing body of track & field in the country — announced its roster for the Olympics and it had one very notable exclusion: Sha’Carri Richardson.
Richardson’s recent 30-day suspension disqualifies her from the sprint in Tokyo but expires ahead of the 4x100m relay. However, the USATF reserves the right to not select her for the team, and that is apparently what they have done.
In a statement, the organization said:
“All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must adhere to the current anti-doping code, and our credibility as the National Governing Body would be lost if rules were only enforced under certain circumstances.”
And it was supposedly over Lil Uzi Vert’s ex, Brittany Byrd.
According to TMZ, Uzi (26 years old, 5’4”) pulled up to Dialog Cafe in West Hollywood because he somehow found out that Byrd was there meeting up with SAINt JHN (34 years old, 6’2”) — the two were reportedly discussing a business project and were there with other people.
Basically, Uzi is stalking his ex.
Uzi reportedly confronted everyone at the table and then tried to fight SAINt JHN. Witnesses say Uzi swung and missed, and then fell to the ground. Awkward.
As he fell, a gun fell out from Uzi’s pockets. Byrd apparently approached Uzi, who then struck and pushed his pointed gun into her stomach.
Byrd was hospitalized after the incident and has since filed a police report.
In her first interview since the news of her failed drug test broke, Sha’Carri Richardson apologized to her fans, family, sponsors, and even her haters for slipping up, but made it clear that she would never be caught using a steroid.
The US Anti-Doping Agency has also released a statement confirming the failed drug test and announcing that Richardson has accepted a 30-day suspension that began on June 28 and ends on July 27, which means she will definitely miss the 100m sprint at the Olympics but will be able to compete in the 4x100m relay.
Jenna Prandini, who came in fourth at the Olympic trials, will get Sha’Carri’s spot in the 100m race at the Olympics.
Yesterday, the NBA announced that Toronto Raptors rookie Jalen Harris has been dismissed from the league for violating its Anti-Drug Program.
The NBA, it’s teams, and the NBPA are prohibited from disclosing further details about violation. Prohibited drugs including cocaine, LSD and opiates — referred to as “drugs of abuse.” In recent years, the league has laxed its policy on marijuana, adopting a three-strike rule that ultimately results in a five-game suspension, as opposed to a two-year suspension for drugs of abuse.
As a first-year player, Harris can apply for reinstatement in a year.
Sha’Carri Richardson reportedly tested positive for cannabis at last month’s Olympic trials. According to reporter Tyler Dragon, she is facing a 30-day suspension, which means she may miss the 100m sprint at the Olympics, but will be able to compete at the 4x100m relay.
Earlier on Thursday, it has been reported that she will no longer be competing at the Diamond League in Stockholm this Sunday, where she was scheduled to run in the 200m race. No explanation had been given for the sudden withdrawal, but it appears the failed drug test might be why.
In apparent anticipation of the headlines, Richardson tweeted “I am human” hours earlier on Friday.
Melissa Arnette Elliott arrived on this planet on this day in 1971. At age 20, she would form a R&B girl group called Fayze (later called Sista) that secured a deal with Elektra Records. The group seemed to be on its way to joining the ranks of the superstar girl groups that defined the ’90s. However, after the group’s debut album got shelved, the members went their separate ways.
With the end of Sista, Melissa — along with childhood friend Timothy Mosley (a.k.a. Timbaland) — was now focusing on writing and producing songs for other artists. Also, she began rapping and was now going by the name we would know her by: Missy Elliott.
As she began building a repertoire of classics as a writer and producer — from Aaliyah’s “One in a Million” to 702’s “Steelo” — Missy was also dropping classic verses (and hee-hee-hee-hee-haw-ing) as a featured artist on a number of hits. By 1997, she was ready to release her debut album.
As a child who grew up in the ’90s, I was spoilt with good music, but there are only a few instances I can remember where I heard something that — even as a child — I recognized as truly different from the rest. Missy Elliott’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” is one of those instances. Now, of course, I was too young to know that the song borrowed its key elements from the Ann Peebles classic, but it was the first time that I loved a song that wasn’t melodic in a typical way.
Over the next few years, I would become a whole Missy stan as she blessed us with one classic after the other, all accompanied with quirky yet amazing videos, and all while remaining original every step of the way. For millennials of a certain age, her songs are the soundtrack of our lives and a reminder of just how good we had it.
Join me in celebrating the life and career of this singing-, rapping-, dancing-, songwriting-ass queen!
“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)”
“One Minute Man” (featuring Ludacris & Trina)
“All n My Grill” (featuring Big Boi & Nicole Wray)
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has overturned Bill Cosby’s 2018 sexual assault conviction due to an agreement the disgraced star made with a prosecutor (named Bruce Castor — who defended Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial), which prevented him from being charged.
The comedian has served two years after being found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting a Temple University employee named Andrea Constand in 2004.
Yet another former child star is accused of behaving inappropriately with a minor.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, KyleMassey allegedly sent explicit pictures, videos and text messages to a 13-year-old girl in December 2018 and January 2019. The former Disney star was 27 years old at the time.
Massey has been charged with one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes. The girl — who has known him since 2009, when she was just four years old — had filed a civil lawsuit back in March 2019 (which went nowhere because her lawyers didn’t think the actor had deep enough pockets to make it worth it). At the time, Massey claimed he was being extorted.
Kyle Massey was due in court on Monday, but failed to show up.
This week marks 20 years since Mariah Carey released “Loverboy” as the lead single of the soundtrack to her ill-fated movie, Glitter. At this point, the background of this song is stuff of legend. MC began writing the song while she was signed to Columbia Records, which was owned by Sony Music Entertainment.
Sony Music was run by Tommy Mottola, the man who signed Mariah and to whom she was married until 1998. His attempts to sabotage her career after the divorce was an open secret; she was only allowed to release two singles each from her last two studio albums on the label — and all four singles would become No. 1 hits.
In an attempt to gain freedom and fair treatment, Mimi bought herself out of her Columbia deal and found a new home at Virgin Records. However, as mentioned earlier, she began writing some of the music for her next project while at Columbia, and had even began the process of clearing samples. This means her bitter ex-husband knew what songs she was sampling and might have even heard some of the finished songs.
Enter Jennifer Lopez.
J.Lo was signed to Epic Records — a sister label to Columbia — by Tommy Mottola. In trying to build her career, Mottola saw a perfect opportunity to sabotage his ex-wife’s next project. He knew that the planned lead single sampled a song called “Firecracker” by Yellow Magic Orchestra, so he suggested that J.Lo used the sample on her project. It’s unclear how much insight J.Lo had into what was going on, but the sample ends up being used for “I’m Real,” the third single from her second album, J.Lo. The album was released eight months before the Glitter soundtrack, so Mariah had to shelve the initial version of the song (which finally saw the light of day last year).
“Loverboy” was re-recorded and re-arranged, and this time, it was sung over a Cameo sample. It’s not clear how much of this was planned by Mottola, but both “Loverboy” and “I’m Real” were serviced to radio on the exact same day (June 19, 2001). What was planned, however, was one last musical heist. The “I’m Real” remix featured Ja Rule and had similarities to a track he had made with Mariah for Glitter, and this was no coincidence. Irv Gotti, founder of Murder Inc. and close associate of Ja, has confirmed the ploy in at least two interviews, including a 2017 appearance on Desus & Mero. In case you were wondering, this is why Mariah doesn’t know J.Lo.
(Sidebar: All of this thievery is referenced by Da Brat in the “Loverboy” remix, which also features Ludacris, Shawnna and Twenty II. The line in question is rapped in the melody of “Firecracker.”)
“Loverboy” was received poorly by both critics and music fans, and the relentless onslaught from the media didn’t help matters. A little over a month after its release, Mariah would end up checking into a health facility for what was described as a physical and emotional breakdown at the time — nearly 17 years later, we end up finding out that she was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder.
“Loverboy” was Mariah’s first lead single to miss the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 2. The song would go on to become the best-selling single of 2001, with over 570,000 copies sold in the States.
Today in 2011, Beyoncé released her fourth studio album, 4. In many ways, it marked a new phase in Bey’s career. With Dangerously in Love a whole eight years behind her, she was now a veteran solo artist, and whatever novelty she might’ve enjoyed on her first three albums had waned. Also, it was during this era that we found out that she was expecting her first child, Blue Ivy — in fact, Bey herself found out about the pregnancy while in Paris to shoot the album cover.
With “Run the World (Girls)” being chosen to lead that era, you kind of got a sense that its parent album would be artistically unfocused at best — and at worst, trash. The song sampled — and by “sampled,” I mean “repurposed the beat of” — a Major Lazer song that was less than two years old at the time. And its lyrics were every bit as unimaginative as its production. It was followed by a second lead single, “Best Thing I Never Had,” which was an improvement but still unremarkable.
When 4 finally dropped, it became clear that Beyoncé was holding out on us. “Run the World” was literally the worst song on the album and “Best Thing” was by no means a highlight. From “Party” (featuring Andre 3000) to “Love on Top” to “Start Over,” 4 was stacked with songs that were easy to fall in love with. Artistically, it was a clear break from the typical Beyoncé sound, and depending on who you ask, it is her “poppiest” and most “adult contemporary” album (i.e., it doesn’t have a lot of songs that the girls can get ready and party to). However, regardless of what genre you place the album, its quality cannot denied.
Unfortunately, 4 was released at a time when the music industry wasn’t particularly receptive to an artist like Beyoncé. First of all, the media was actively trying to make Lady Gaga the “white Beyoncé” — but fetch never really happened. But elsewhere in the industry, it just seemed like audiences had a taste for something else — Katy Perry and Rihanna, for instance, were at the height of their popularity. And lest we forget Adele, who was in the midst of a history-making era.
4 failed to crack the top 10 with any of its singles, but it was Bey’s fourth consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Looking back, the album seems to have been a victim of bad timing (and perhaps the poor lead singles didn’t help). A decade later, it has not only aged well but is even thought of as one of Bey’s better albums.
USA Track & Field — the governing body of track & field in the country — announced its roster for the Olympics and it had one very notable exclusion: Sha’Carri Richardson.
