by Sharelle Burt

November 22, 2024

US Flight Bans Thwart Philanthropy Efforts and Haitians Trying To Fly To Haiti For The Holidays

Let's hope a holiday miracle happens....

The travel bans from the United States to Haiti have added severe strains for humanitarian efforts and the country’s natives who want to fly in for the holidays, NBC News reported.

In early November, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented a 30-day ban after gunfire hit a Spirit Airlines plane while flying into Port-au-Prince. The ban has affected efforts for certain nonprofits such as Hope for Haiti, a nonprofit organization that helps overcome poverty. While they are normally able to fly in supplies for the Caribbean nation, chief program officer Linda Thelemaque says gang violence has riddled their plans.

“We’ve been dealing with severe challenges due to gang violence, which has essentially cut off ground transportation,” Thelemaque said.

“Now, with flights canceled, we’re facing increased costs and delays in delivering essential supplies, including $10 million worth of medication.”

Thelemaque had plans to work on Nov. 19, but her flight was canceled, although the FAA “says the ban will lift on Dec. 12, most airlines are rescheduling flights for February,” she said.

After the FAA issued the ban, the U.S. State Department issued a warning for those wanting to travel to Haiti, advising of “kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care.” In an added note, the department mentioned airports and people traveling by car had become targets for violence. A couple from Spokane, Washington was traveling to Haiti for a meeting on future elections, something that hasn’t happened since 2016. However, when the ban was issued, Renee Ballantyne and her husband found themselves stranded.

According to KXLY, Ballantyne, who works with the Haitian Diaspora Political Action Committee, described her trip as “stuck in a gang-fueled crisis.” What was supposed to be a quick trip turned long, starting with a helicopter ride to the Dominican border.

“We got to the Dominican border. We walked across, we checked ourselves out of Haiti and walked across the border, then we jumped on the scooter, took the scooter to the bus, and then a 6-hour bus ride to Santo Domingo, where we flew back to the United States,” Ballantyne said.

While the trip was long, Ballantyne felt relieved to travel safely, as so many others are less fortunate.

“While I was feeling incredibly grateful to be on the plane, I also felt really sorry from a humanitarian standpoint,” she said. “There are five million Haitians right now on the brink of starvation and there’s over 700,000 people that are displaced.”

CEO of the Haitian American Alliance of New York, Yolette Williams, shared similar thoughts on the struggles of Haitians living in the United States looking to fly home. In addition, the flight ban is disrupting holiday traditions for a heavily Catholic and Christian country. January 1 is not only New Year’s Day, but also Haitian Independence Day, celebrated with parades, fireworks, and dancing. “We may be physically far from Haiti, but we remain deeply connected. Families are consumed by the news of worsening violence and are mourning senseless killings,” Williams said.

“Many Haitians save their vacations for December to reconnect with loved ones. Now, that opportunity has been taken away.”

Jussie Smollett, new film, The Lost Holliday, Vivica A. Fox

by Mitti Hicks

November 22, 2024

Illinois Supreme Court Overturns Jussie Smollett’s Conviction For Hate Crime Hoax

The llinois Supreme Court has overturned Jussie Smollett’s conviction for an alleged fake attack in Chicago.

In a shocking decision, the Illinois Supreme Court has overturned Jussie Smollett’s conviction for an alleged fake attack in Chicago.

In December 2021, a jury convicted the Empire star of five felony charges that included a charge of lying to the police for reporting a false hate crime. Smollett, who has maintained his innocence, said he was assaulted on Jan. 29, 2019, by two men chanting “MAGA Country.” Smollett also claimed the two men shouted racist and homophobic slurs before placing a noose around his neck.

During the investigation, police later found the two men were personal trainers hired by the actor and determined Smollett had orchestrated the entire attack.

At first, prosecutors originally agreed to drop the charges against Smollett as part of an agreement that he would forfeit his $10,000 bond and perform community service, Deadline reports. After another review, a special prosecutor later charged Smollett with felony disorderly conduct for falsely reporting to the police that he was a victim of a hate crime.

Smollett Sentenced to Jail, Probation, and Tens of Thousands in Fines

Ultimately, a judge sentenced Smollett to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation. The judge also ordered him to pay the city of Chicago $120,106 in restitution for the overtime police spent on his case, plus an additional $25,000 fine.

The decision by the Illinois Supreme Court to overturn Smollett’s conviction is a surprise.

According to the court’s opinion, the Illinois Supreme Court found that a special prosecutor’s decision to retry Smollett violated his rights, the Chicago Tribune reports.

“We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust,” the court’s opinion reads. “Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the State was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 22, 2024

Mathew Knowles Invested Into Destiny’s Child Music Videos, Despite Label Budgets, ‘To Control the Narrative’

Mathew Knowles highlights how investing his own money in Destiny's Child's albums and music videos gave him the power to shape and control the group’s "narrative."

Mathew Knowles comes from a long line of Black entrepreneurs. He used his business acumen to invest in his daughters’ music careers.

Before his eldest daughter, Beyoncé, succeeded with Destiny’s Child, Knowles spent two decades working in sales. When he entered the music industry, he used his own financial resources to fund the group’s albums and music videos. This approach allowed him to ensure that Destiny’s Child and his younger daughter, Solange, could “control the narrative” of their brands without being bound by the constraints of their record label.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve asked someone for money,” Knowles told AfroTech at the Building Wealth Today for Tomorrow Financial Empowerment Summit in Chicago on Oct. 12.

“We prefer to do it ourselves. So, we control the narrative. Even making Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, [and] Solange’s albums, although we had a budget, the record label gives you a budget to make the album.”

Knowles continued. “But we would spend our own money for the album. We would spend our own money on the video because we wanted to control the narrative. And once I’m using somebody else’s money, now I have to listen to their concerns. When I’m using my own money, I don’t care what your concerns are because I’m using my own money. We will do it our way, and it worked for us. I’m not saying it works for everyone, but it worked for us.”

The Fisk University alum reflected on the entrepreneurial legacy from his grandfather, Davis Hogue, who inspired Beyoncé’s latest whiskey brand, SirDavis. Hogue was a successful entrepreneur who owned 300 acres of land and distributed moonshine. Mathew Knowles shared how his father grew up observing his father’s business acumen, including leasing land to a paper mill in Marion, Alamabam, which greatly influenced his entrepreneurial mindset.

“I’ll never forget this, and imagine you as a farmer, and they’re now paying you to take down the trees, remove the trees, they’re paying you to do that, and then after they get the trees, then you go behind them and farm. I thought that was genius,” Knowles said of his grandfather.

As he grew up, he watched his father transform a $30-a-week trucking job into a profitable side business, allowing him to enjoy the rewards of his hard work.

“He convinced the white company he worked for to let him use that truck. He would go tear down old houses, sell the lumber, sell the copper, aluminum. He would buy old cars, sell every part to the car, and he would make a hundred times more than what he made,” Knowles said. “But he had those assets. He had that truck. My mother had the material. They learned how to source. And I grew up watching and learning and seeing my grandfather and my parents be entrepreneurs.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 22, 2024

18-Year-Old Black London Teen Detained In Dubai For Vacation Romance, Faces 20 Years In Prison

An 18-year-old Black man from London is facing up to 20 years in prison in Dubai over a vacation romance.

An 18-year-old Londoner faces up to 20 years in prison in the United Arab Emirates over a vacation romance with another London teenager.

Marcus Fakana, from Tottenham, was on a family vacation in Dubai when he met a 17-year-old British girl from London, who has since turned 18, The Guardian reported. The pair had hoped to continue their relationship once she returned to London. However, Fakana claims he was taken into custody without explanation when police arrived at his family’s hotel.

“We really liked each other, but she was secretive with her family because they were strict,” he told Detained in Dubai. “My parents knew about our relationship, but she couldn’t tell hers. She had to meet me without telling them it was to see a boy.”

Fakana was charged after the girl’s mother discovered their messages and pictures in the UK and alerted police in Dubai. Fakana was arrested and held for three days, during which he was unable to contact his parents. Campaigners warn that the teenager could face up to 20 years in prison due to the UAE’s strict laws on sex outside of marriage.

“Dubai has only recently legalized out-of-wedlock sex for tourists, but still hosts a strict Islamic legal system,” said Radha Stirling, the chief executive of Detained in Dubai.

Sex outside of marriage is legal for tourists in the UAE, but only if both parties are over 18.

“The girl was just a few months younger than Marcus, and he didn’t know that at the time,” Stirling said. “Since his arrest, she has turned 18. This is not something Dubai should be prosecuting.”

Although Fakana is no longer in police custody, he is unable to leave the UAE, and his family is facing £2,000 in accommodation costs for Airbnb. At the same time, they await the resolution of his case. The teen’s relationship would be legal in the UK, prompting Fakana’s family to contact Foreign Secretary David Lammy, their local MP, and urge him to intervene.

“[My family] saved up for this one-off holiday and have now used all of their savings,” Fakana said.

by Kandiss Edwards

November 22, 2024

‘Coils To Locs’ Creates Diverse Medical Wigs For Black Women

'Coils to Locs' is representing for Black women in the medical wig industry.

Dianne Austin and Pamela Shaddock started “Coils to Locs” to fill the medical wig industry void. After Austin experienced hair loss as a result of chemotherapy, she discovered that medically prescribed wigs lacked “culturally sensitive” options for Black women. With the help of Shaddock, she also discovered a market ripe for expansion.

Austin was unaware of the medical haircare industry until her fight with breast cancer led her to “cancer boutiques.” She spoke with the Baystate Banner about her journey from patient to medical wig provider:

“I had two weeks to find a wig before I would lose my hair,” Austin said. “It took two weeks from this particular chemotherapy treatment before you started losing your hair.”

After desperately searching for a wig, she said, “The place where I was being treated did not have these wigs. I went to other hospitals in the area that had spaces set up, called cancer center boutiques, where they sold wigs along with other products, and they also (sold) straight-haired wigs. And that was pretty frustrating for me. I didn’t want a straight-haired wig.”

A Persistence Research study revealed that the medical wig industry generates $750 million a year and is estimated to grow to $1.6 billion by the end of 2031. The research emphasizes the necessity of the wigs, stating that the units are “meticulously designed and crafted to mimic natural hair.”

Wearing a quality hair unit crafted to fit a person’s natural style is an “essential aid in restoring confidence.”

Coils to Locs wants to ensure Black women have access to the same essential aids as other women.

“We discovered that nearly 50% of Black women in the U.S. are living with some form of medical or non-medical hair loss due to a whole slew of other things, like autoimmune diseases, lupus medications they take, and high blood pressure medication,” Shaddock said.

The Coils to Locs founder initially believed the lack of access to quality, culturally sensitive wig options was due to location.

Discussing her lack of options with Shaddock led both women on the hunt to locate a medical wig that represented a diverse demographic. The sisters called “cancer boutiques” across the nation and were met with dismissal and apathy by medical institutions.

“They would just say, we don’t have them. They weren’t looking to solve this problem,” Shaddock said. “Once again, we felt, once again here, here it is. Black women are having a subpar experience simply because their hair is different,” she continued.

Austin and Shaddock are dedicated to creating a better experience for Black women with medical hair loss. Their services are offered online and in medical boutiques across the nation.

Keke Palmer, webby, awards, Tyler Perry,

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 22, 2024

Keke Palmer Recalls The Sacrifices Her Family Endured To Propel Her Career, ‘What’s Mine Is Theirs’

Keke Palmer takes pride in supporting her family after they sacrificed everything to help launch her acting career.

Keke Palmer’s family sacrificed their lives in Chicago to move to Los Angeles and support her acting career. In return, Palmer has no hesitation about giving back to them tenfold.

The Nope star appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast this week, opening up about the full-time salaried jobs both of her parents gave up to focus on Palmer’s budding acting career.

“My parents, at their best, made $40,000 a year growing up, a year. Yeah. I was making that a show,” Palmer shared.

Her parents Sharon and Lawrence “Larry” Palmer met in drama school and had both worked as professional actors before settling into full-time jobs. Her father, who is a Catholic deacon, worked for a polyurethane company, and her mother was a high school teacher who worked with autistic children.

With their shared passion for the arts and acting, Palmer’s parents likely didn’t mind investing in their daughter, who was continuing their legacy on screen. After rising to fame in Hollywood, Palmer was proud to provide for her family at a young age, recognizing the sacrifices they made to support her success.

"My parents at their best made $40K a year growing up. A YEAR. I was making that a show. Everybody sacrificed for me to be where I'm at. My dad gave up his pension for me to have opportunities for my dreams. My mom gave up everything so she can travel with me, so how I feel about… pic.twitter.com/ZtCEmZjaUd
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) November 20, 2024

“My parents rationed me out an allowance, but they also rationed out my older sister’s allowance as well,” Palmer recalls of her early financial responsibilities.

“You know what I think? The thing about it is somebody could say, ‘Okay, but that was your money.’ Yeah, but we have family and everybody sacrificed for me to be where I’m at. My, my dad gave up his pension.”

She continued. “Okay. He had worked at the company. He worked there for over 15 years. Gave up his pension for me to have the opportunity for my dreams. My mother… they gave up everything. She gave up everything so she could travel with me and do what she needed to do with me.

“So how I feel about it is what’s mine is theirs, what’s theirs is mine. Right. And I would do it again. I would give up and sacrifice 20 more years of my life working in this industry so that I could provide, and we could have the business we have today.”

The Scream Queens star expressed her pride in being able to support her family, describing it as “an armor” she wears with honor. In August, when celebrating her 31st birthday, Palmer hosted an intimate party she shared on Instagram and professed her love for her family.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BIG BOSS 🔑🔑 (@keke)

“It’s my birthday, but it’s my community’s birthday too because they are the ones who got me this far,” she wrote under a photo of her family.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 21, 2024

Denzel Washington Reveals The ‘Damage’ He’s Done To His Body From Past Drug And Alcohol Use

Denzel Washington opens up about the "damage" his past drug and alcohol use has caused to his body.

Denzel Washington is 10 years sober and opening up about his past drug and alcohol use that has “done a lot of damage” to his body.

The Gladiator II star appears on the cover of Esquire, where he got candid about the wine binges he went on between filming movies. While he never got “strung out” on anything, Washington admitted to once drinking two bottles of wine a day and shooting up dope in the past.

“Wine is very tricky. It’s very slow. It ain’t like, boom, all of a sudden,” he shared. “I never got strung out on heroin. Never got strung out on coke. Never got strung out on hard drugs. I shot dope just like they shot dope, but I never got strung out.”

Washington continued. “And I never got strung out on liquor. I had this ideal idea of wine tastings and all that — which is what it was at first. And that’s a very subtle thing. I mean, I drank the best.”

The Academy Award-winning film star reflected on keeping his home wine cellar stocked with some of the most expensive bottles, which he would go through quickly. It became such an issue that he started limiting himself to just two bottles at a time, knowing he would drink more if he had easier access.

“I learned to drink the best. So I’m gonna drink my ’61s and my ’82s and whatever we had,” Washington said. “Wine was my thing, and now I was popping $4,000 bottles just because that’s what was left. And then later in those years, I’d call Gil Turner’s Fine Wines & Spirits on Sunset Boulevard and say, ‘Send me two bottles, the best of this or that.’”

His wife, Pauletta, often questioned why he would only order two bottles at a time, to which he replied, “‘Because if I order more, I’ll drink more.’ So I kept it to two bottles, and I would drink them both over the course of the day.”

The film veteran, who has over 65 acting credits under his belt, was able to discipline himself not to drink while he was filming a movie. But he admitted he would get right back to his habit once filming wrapped.

“I never drank while I was working or preparing. I would clean up, go back to work — I could do both,” Washington explained. “However many months of shooting, bang, it’s time to go. Then, boom. Three months of wine, then time to go back to work.”

He recalled playing an alcoholic pilot in the 2012 film Flight, but he said he “wasn’t drinking” while working on the movie. He just shared a deep connection to some of what his character experienced.

“I’m sure I did as soon as I finished. That was getting toward the end of the drinking, but I knew a lot about waking up and looking around, not knowing what happened,” Washington shared.

The Malcolm X star quit drinking in Dec. 2014, shortly after turning 60. It’s been 10 years since he gave up drinking, and he can admit that “I’ve done a lot of damage to the body. We’ll see. I’ve been clean.”

Black Community Leaders Issue Counterprotest Of ‘Unity and Love’ After Scary Neo-Nazi March In Ohio

by Sharelle Burt

November 21, 2024

Black Community Leaders Issue Counterprotest Of ‘Unity and Love’ After Scary Neo-Nazi March In Ohio

That's what we call leadership!

One day after neo-Nazis stormed through the streets of Columbus, Ohio, carrying Nazi flags along with racial slurs, a group of Black community leaders organized a unity march to make a statement.

Senior pastor at Columbus’ Union Grove Baptist Church, Rev. Derrick Holmes, said he received calls from churchgoers in a panic, as people dressed in all black with red masks, carrying black flags with swastikas on them, yelled for them to “bow down, n***a!” while walking down the streets of the state’s capital city. Holmes heard fear in the voices of his congregation members.

“Two members were actually in the Short North area while that was happening, and their prevailing feeling was fear,” he said. “There was a feeling of sadness. They’re older so it really harkened them back to a time they thought the country had graduated from.”

With his community members in mind, Holmes tapped service organization The 100 Black Men of Central Ohio to organize a counter-rally on Nov. 17. Also partnering with attorney Sean Walton Jr., dozens of men walked side by side, down North High Street dressed in all black.

Walton identified the goal as “redirecting them with unity and love” after “our Black women, children and anyone else” were fearful of what they witnessed. “I think there was a lot of focus on the fear. What we did Sunday changed the tone of the entire weekend. If anything, this has made us stronger,” Walton said.

“I think it was a test, in a sense, when it comes to whether we can come together in the face of threats to our civil rights, our human rights and our way of life.”

Black Men mobilized in Columbus, OH in response to the Nazis who marched through the area earlier. pic.twitter.com/VvVKWKMQG4
— Free Game Rod 🇺🇸 (@freegamerod) November 20, 2024

The spotlight was shined on Ohio during the 2024 election cycle after Vice President-elect JD Vance made false claims of Haitian migrants eating and stealing pets in the town of Springfield, approximately 45 minutes from Columbus. Even though the city manager professed that no claims had been made to local authorities, Vance repeatedly stood behind them on the national stage, eventually coming out of the mouth of now-President-elect Donald Trump during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Appearances from right-wing extremist groups have increased since Trump took office in 2016, with white nationalist groups like the Proud Boys praising the businessman’s win. Research from the Center for Strategic & International Studies found that Trump’s rhetoric regarding racial and ethnic minorities led to vigilantism, hate crimes, and even death. Following the death of a protestor at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump said there were “very fine people on both sides.”

However, state and federal leaders supported movements made by Holmes, Walton and the 100 Black Men. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine released a statement condemning the Nazi group.

“There is no place in this State for hate, bigotry, antisemitism or violence, and we must denounce it wherever we see it,” he said. Mayor Andrew Ginther followed suit, referring to the masked marchers as “cowards,” while city attorney Zach Klein released a statement on X, warning the marchers to never return. “To those involved in the neo-Nazi march in the Short North today, take your flags and the masks you hide behind and go home and never come back. Your hate isn’t welcome in our city,” he wrote.

To those involved in the neo-Nazi march in the Short North today, take your flags and the masks you hide behind and go home and never come back.

Your hate isn’t welcome in our city. pic.twitter.com/m9JpOrwxZQ
— Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein (@CityAttyKlein) November 16, 2024

The White House also stood in solidarity with city and state leaders with a statement saying the “hateful poison of Nazism” is “hostile to everything the United States stands for, including protecting the dignity of all our citizens and the freedom to worship.”

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Marjorie Greene, racist, eyelashes

by Sharelle Burt

November 21, 2024

Rep. Jasmine Crockett Schools GOP Leaders On What ‘Oppression’ Really Means During DEI Hearing

Tell em', Rep. Crockett!

Texas’ Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett went viral after she schooled House Oversight Committee members on the meaning of the word “oppression” while defending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), NBC Montana reported.

Her passionate remarks were made after Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Tx.) proposed the “Dismantle DEI Act,” which, if passed, would shut down all federal DEI offices and eliminate federal DEI programs. Crockett defended DEI, comparing the measure of diverse people to a diverse investment portfolio that highlights “different strengths and weaknesses.”

But it was the use of the word “oppression” by her Republican colleagues that she described as “nails on a chalkboard.” “There has been no oppression for the white man in this country. You tell me which white man was dragged out of their homes. You tell me which one of them got dragged all the way across an ocean, told that you are going to go and work, we’re going to steal your wives, we are going to rape your wives,” she passionately said.

“That didn’t happen. That is oppression. We didn’t ask to be here. We’re not the same migrants that y’all constantly come up against. We didn’t run away from home; we were stolen.”

Rep. Jasmine Crockett: "There has been no oppression for the white man in this country … it is white men on this side of the aisle telling us, people of color on this side of the aisle, that y'all are the ones being oppressed." pic.twitter.com/qfEZctkVN6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 20, 2024

She continued to point out the “white men on this side of the aisle” that are pushing the narrative to “people of color on this side of the aisle, that y’all are the ones being oppressed, that y’all are the ones being harmed.”

“That is not the definition of oppression,” Crockett added.

Viewers of the video came to her defense, claiming she was spouting nothing by facts. @wings_treasures, who is white, says white men only shout feelings of being oppressed when “people of color and women don’t bow down.”

Truth!

When people of color and women don’t bow down to white men, the white men say they’re being “oppressed.”

No. They’re simply being treated equally.
— Jeff (@wings_treasures) November 20, 2024

Another user, @chidinwatu, celebrated Corckett’s re-election, prompting the need for more passion on Capitol Hill. “Thanks to whoever voted and delivered @JasmineForUS to Congress,” he wrote.

Thanks to whoever voted and delivered @JasmineForUS to congress.
— 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢 (@ChidiNwatu) November 20, 2024

Kentucky Republican Congressman James Comer jumped in to defend his party’s stance and take a dig at Crockett’s points. “You can start with Exodus,” as a reference to the biblical book describing how Jews fled slavery in Egypt. The congresswoman pushed his remark to the side.

During her argument, Crockett, according to Fox News, highlighted data that supports her argument. White men comprise only 30% of the country’s population but hold more than 60% of elected offices.

She ended her theory by claiming that “companies with more diverse workforces are more likely to outperform their competitors.”

I can’t even tell you how many White men have served in this chamber. But I can tell you that I am only the 55th Black woman to be elected to Congress,” she said. “And so when you want to talk about history and pretend it was so long ago, it wasn’t. Because, again, I am just number 55.”

by Jameelah Mullen

November 21, 2024

Sony Music Settles Whitney Houston Biopic Lawsuit

Sony Music accused four production companies of unauthorized use regarding Houston’s songs.

Sony Music has reached a settlement with the producers of the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

The lawsuit, filed in February, claimed that the four production companies— Anthem Films, NYBO Productions, and Black Label Media— failed to pay for licenses to 24 of Houston’s songs.

According to the motion obtained by Reuters, Sony Music agreed to dismiss the case last month. The parties told the court they had agreed to a settlement but requested an extension to finalize the details.

The lawsuit claimed that the production companies signed a sync license agreement that allowed them to use the sound recordings of nearly 30 of Houston’s classics, including “How Will I Know,” ” I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Will Always Love You,” and her 1991 rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Sony Music claims that the licensing fees were due in July 2023 per its agreement, but by August 2023 it still hadn’t received payment. Sony Music asserts that Anthem was waiting on a tax credit from the State of Massachusetts. According to the plaintiff, the payment never materialized.

“As a result of Anthem’s failure to pay the fees to SME, it is clear that there was no license or authorization to use the SME Recordings used in the Film,” the lawsuit states.

Sony Music claimed that the film’s producers, Anthem Films, entered into a licensing agreement with the record company on December 5, 2022 —two weeks before the movie’s release.

“Unlike other types of films, musical biopics by their nature require the use of the subject musician’s music, as it is nearly impossible to explain the importance of a musician’s creative genius or unique style and talent without the use of the musician’s music,” the record label’s lawyers wrote.

The original lawsuit requested at least $3.6 million in damages. Details of the settlement have yet to be released.