Popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat was arrested yesterday in NYC after his fans started rioting. He and another streamer, Fanum, told fans to meet them at Union Square for a giveaway, where items like PlayStation 5s and gift cards up for grabs. However, according to multiple reports, the giveaway never happened.
An estimated 7,000 came to the location where the giveaway was supposed to happen and things got chaotic, with fans vandalizing buildings and vehicles. At least 66 of them were arrested.
According to authorities, Kai will be charged with inciting a riot and unlawful assembly, among other charges. The 21-year-old was released from jail today shortly after midnight.
Last week marked 30 years since Mariah Carey released the lead single from what would become her best-selling album, Music Box.
It’s not uncommon for people to name “Honey” or even “Fantasy” as turning points in Mariah’s career, but there’s a strong case to be made for “Dreamlover.”
Written by the singer herself and Dave Hall, the song was the most prominent sign that the Long Island native was not just a fan of hip-hop but https://youtu.be/CqBtS6BIP1E
Lizzo is being sued by three former dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez — who claim they experienced a number of workplace violations while working for her, including sexual harassment, false imprisonment and interference with prospective economic advantage. All three women were contestants on Lizzo’s ‘Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.’
The lawsuit names Lizzo (born Melissa Viviane Jefferson); her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring, Inc.; and her dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, as the defendants. A number of accusations made are specifically directed at the singer. They claim they felt forced to attend nude shows while on the road in Paris and Amsterdam, and felt they’d lose their job if they didn’t. They also claim the singer goaded them to touch the dancers while in Amsterdam.
The suit also alleges that Lizzo accused them of drinking of the job and would routinely threaten to fire them. They also claim she made them re-audition for their spots in rehearsals that would last for hours. One of them claims she peed on herself onstage because she was scared to take a break.
One of the plaintiffs, Davis, accuses Lizzo of using her weight gain against her when criticizing her performance — despite knowing she had an eating disorder. Davis also accuses Quigley of forcing her Christian beliefs on her, calling her a “non-believer.”
Actor Angus Cloud, best known for playing Fezco on HBO’s Euphoria, has passed away. The cause of death has not been made public, but in a statement to TMZ, his family said:
“Last week, he buried his father and intensely struggled with this loss. The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence.”
Between his first public statement since his headline-making health scare and rumors about him being cloned, Jamie Foxx is being talked about a lot these days. Not to mention, his Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone has been unanimously lauded as a masterpiece.
Seeing the multi-hyphenate in the news had me thinking about all the music he’s given us — and how he continues the R&B tradition of keeping his best work as album cuts, never to be heard by the casual fan. That’s right, “Blame It” (featuring T-Pain) is not nearly his best.
His breakthrough album, Unpredictable, is probably mostly remembered for its biggest single, the title track. However, real R&B fans know that album’s brightest moments were all on album cuts.
“Heaven,” the album’s 14th track, is a beautiful piano-driven ballad about Jamie Foxx’s daughter, Corinne. In a 2005 interview with NPR, he said:
Well, I’ll tell you, the “Heaven Will Never Be The Same” was because I didn’t know if my daughter was going to be, you know, born with complications or things like that. And the way it came to me was that there was a angel in heaven watching the plight of this couple try to have a kid, and it was God’s favorite little angel, and one day, God calls a roll call, and she doesn’t answer. And what she had done was she snuck down to Earth to bless this couple with a child, and that child is, in a sense, my daughter. And so that’s why I wrote the tune from–I wrote it from that spirit.
The song was co-written by the singer and Durrell Babbs, and produced by Tim Pierce and (you wouldn’t believe it) Babyface. Yes, that’s three straight weeks where Mr. Edmonds had a part in creating the TBT selection. Truly the GOAT.
If you’re not familiar with this gem, you’re welcome. Below is a live rendition performed on AOL Music Sessions.
With a domestic haul of $162 million — well above the $110 million projection and nearly twice Oppenheimer’s $82.4 million gross — Barbie blasted to No. 1 in what was the fourth-biggest weekend in US box office history. Overall revenue for all movies was over $302 million.
The success of Barbie gives Greta Gerwig the biggest opening ever for a female director.
Globally, Barbie and Oppenheimer grossed $356.3 million and $180.4 million, respectively.
Last week, we had song produced by Babyface, Daryl Simmons and L.A. Reid, and this week, we’ve got another one. Because those three men were really hard to escape in the early ’90s.
The trio wrote and produced Bobby Brown’s “Good Enough,” the second single from his third solo studio album, Bobby. Released in October 1992, it is the kind of the sweet-yet-nasty R&B song that we don’t get too often these days. Nothing about its lyrics are subtle, but by the power of melody, it all sounds romantic.
Though his legacy is marked by controversy and all the chaos he brought to both New Edition and Whitney Houston’s life, one thing that’s not up for debate is Bobby Brown’s catalog. “Good Enough” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his eighth and final top 10 hit on the chart.
One thing about Ponytail? She don’t stay single for long.
Just days after reports about her impending divorce from husband Dalton Gomez, there are now reports that Ariana Grande is dating Wicked Part 1 co-star Ethan Slater. He plays Boq, a character that has a crush on Ariana’s character, Glinda. He is reportedly separated from his wife, who he welcomed a child with late last year.
Today in 1993, Toni Braxton released her self-titled debut album in what has to be the most competitive time in popular music, especially for big-voice, female R&B singer. Whitney had released her biggest album less than a year prior, Mariah was about to release what would become her biggest album the following month, and everywhere you turned, there was a belting-ass Black woman waiting to sing you down.
However, the cream always rises to the top.
With her incredibly unique voice, Toni wasn’t one who could get lost in the mix. And with Babyface writing the songs, how could she lose?
After whetting our appetites with “Love Shoulda Brought You Home” (from the Boomerang soundtrack), Toni hit us with “Another Sad Love Song,” the album’s lead single. Co-written by Face and Daryl Simmons, the song has the kind of hook that makes you want to sing along. And that bridge? Arguably the best ever.
“Another Sad Love Song” would go on to become Toni’s first top 10 hit, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned the singer a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1994. That year, she would also win the Grammy for Best New Artist.
A Michigan jury ruled that a handwritten will from 2014 — found in Aretha Franklin’s couch, no less — should override a notarized 2010 will that was locked away in a closet. Both wills were discovered around the same time and happiness source of contention between the Queen of Soul’s kids.
Her third child, Ted White Jr., was in favor of the 2010 will (in which he’s named as an executor, while Edward Derone Franklin and Ketcalf Cunningham (her second and fourth, respectively), was in favor of the 2014 will.