• Entertainment

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 6, 2023

Daddy Yankee Retires From Recording Reggaetón, Dedicates Life To Christ

"I recognize and am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Christ lives in me and that I will live for him"

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Daddy Yankee, who has contributed to reggaetón’s popularity, has announced that he is retiring from the genre and dedicating his life to Christ.

According to All Hip Hop, the recording artist, born Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez, announced on Dec. 3 at the last performance of his La Meta (The Goal) Tour in Puerto Rico. He told the crowd of his future plans while onstage, informing them that “Christ lives in me and that I will live for him.”

“My people, this day for me is the most important day of my life,” he said in part. “And I want to share it with you because living a life of success is not the same as living a life with purpose.”

He expressed that through his musical journey and his world travels, he has found someone to fill an “emptiness, and that is Jesus Christ.”

“I have to confess that those days are over,” Daddy Yankee said. “Someone was able to fill that emptiness. That is why tonight I recognize, and I am not ashamed to tell the whole world, that Jesus lives in me and that I will live for him.”

He said that not only is he retiring, he is also putting the Daddy Yankee name to rest as well. Throughout future travels and work, he will be known by his given name, Ramón Ayala. He posted a message to his Instagram account.

(Translated by Instagram)

“Family: This day for me, is the most important day in my life.. tonight I recognize and am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Christ lives in me and that I will live for him. This is the end of one chapter and the beginning of a brand new one.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Daddy Yankee (@daddyyankee)

He announced the move in his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Daddy Yankee has won five Latin Grammys and seven Billboard Music Awards. No other Latin artist has won as many. He appeared as the featured artist on Luis Fonsi’s 2017 single “Despacito,” which became the first Latin song to receive a diamond certification from the RIAA. It was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 weeks and certified 13 times platinum.

• News

by Sharelle Burt

December 6, 2023

Trump RICO Defendant Trevian Kutti Faces Jail Time Over Intimidating IG Post

Well, that wasn't smart....

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Former celebrity publicist and Donald Trump RICO co-defendant Trevian Kutti could be looking at jail time over an Instagram Live video where she seemingly referenced Ruby Freeman, the former Georgia election worker who was falsely accused of election fraud by Donald Trump and fellow allies, MSNBC reports.

According to MeidasTouch, Kutti was online spouting conspiracy theories alleging there is a woman who knows her life is going to be messed up.

“There’s a woman sitting somewhere who knows this whole thing is a lie. Who knows, I never did anything to her,” Kutti said. “Who knows, I never. Who knows, she begged me for help. There’s a woman sitting somewhere who knows that I’m going to f— her whole life up when this is done.”

Kutti, a former publicist to rapper Kanye West, hasn’t been as tight-lipped about the pending RICO indictment against her as have fellow co-defendants Scott Hall, Kenneth Chesebro, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis, who have all pleaded guilty as part of a growing number of plea deals. While Kutti didn’t mention Freeman by name during the video, certain details suggest that’s who she was talking about. Legal experts note that in referring to the case, Kutti may have broken her bond agreement, which includes promising not to comment on it publicly or threatening witnesses.

But her attorney, Steve Greenberg, claims his client did nothing wrong. “People have the right, even when they are out on bond, to comment on their cases. She didn’t threaten anybody. She said that she didn’t do anything wrong, which is a fact,” Greenberg said.

Her case wasn’t the only one she talked about during her Live episode. She continued to push rhetoric surrounding the assault of Nancy Pelosi’s husband. Kutti claims Vice President Kamala Harris has incriminating evidence that puts the former House Speaker at the scene of the crime, and also believes Pelosi will have Harris killed.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was also named, as Kutti believes the only way he will become a Democratic nominee and win Black voter support is by “blaming Harris’ death on a white supremacist.”

“Tell me how ya’ll think they going to deal with that Kamala situation, because I think they gonna kill her,” Kutti said. “I really do, because and then they’re going to blame it on a white supremacist, and that’s the only way they can get Black people to rally around the Democrat Party again, because Black people rocking with Trump right now, for real.”

• Fashion & Beauty

by Derek Major

December 6, 2023

Opinion: Nike Values Sports Over Education, Paying Top Athletes Billions While Asking Teachers To Work For Free

Nike generated more than $51 billion in 2022 making it a top apparel company however, it's asking teachers to work for free.

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Nike generated more than $51 billion in 2022, making it one of the top athletic apparel companies; however, at the same time, it’s asking teachers to work for free. Inc. reports multiple posts on Reddit’s Choosing Beggars subreddit, Nike is looking for certified essay readers to evaluate essays written by aspiring scholars without paying them.

“As a Certified Essay Reader, you’ll have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of aspiring Scholars by evaluating 25 essays from the comfort of your own home or workplace between now and December 31, 2023. No travel will be required, as essays can be read wherever you have internet access (e.g., work, home, etc.),” the post states.

The certified essay reader position is unpaid, which can be seen as a slap in the face to educators across the country who’ve had to go on strike before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for better pay and benefits. 

Teachers, counselors, and other school employees in Portland reached a tentative deal with the city’s public school district late last month, ending a three-week strike. However, the district acknowledged it will have to find more than $100 million in cuts to afford the contract. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced more than $550 million in cuts from the Education Department’s budget. 

The average public school teacher in the U.S. makes $66,397 per year. Meanwhile, the sneaker giant has paid Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and soccer star Christiano Ronaldo more than $1 billion each.

Americans have made gains regarding salaries to the point where many companies are now paying interns, and every military branch except the Marines is having trouble recruiting people despite promises of significant sign-on bonuses. Even delivery drivers in New York are receiving raises, which could lead to the elimination of tipping.

However, Nike isn’t the only for-profit company that has been looking for free labor.

RELATED CONTENT: Colin Kaepernick And Nike Announce New Apparel Collection

• News

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 6, 2023

Texas High Schooler Suspended Over Locs Continues Facing Punishment

Darryl George has been suspended again in an ongoing dispute regarding his locs and whether his Texas high school's displinary action against him violates the CROWN Act.

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A Black high schooler in Texas continues to face punishment for his refusal to cut his locs. He has been returned to in-school suspension after being sent to an alternative school for a month.

According to NBC News, Darryl George has already spent most of the school year dealing with this dress code issue, which has kept him from joining his classmates regularly. After returning to Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, Texas, he was immediately suspended again, with the school saying his hairstyle does not abide by its dress code policy.

His family remains adamant that George is well within his rights to wear his hair in the traditionally Black hairstyle, and says the school district’s policy is discriminatory and violates the CROWN Act in the state. That legislation prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles traditionally worn based on one’s racial background.

Despite the family’s claims, the school argues that the CROWN Act never specified discrimination based on hair length and that the disciplinary action against George is due to his locs falling below his eyebrows and ears. The division on the issue has remained at a standstill, with George’s family refusing to back down. They have filed a formal complaint with the Texas Education Agency and a federal civil rights lawsuit to seek justice on the matter.

“We are just trying to take it day by day. That’s all we can do,” shared the teenager’s mother, Darresha George, to The Associated Press. “We do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. But we are not giving up.”

Both parties are waiting for a state district court judge to verify whether or not the school’s policy also extends to hair length and if the school can punish male students whose natural hair form infringes upon the length requirement.

RELATED CONTENT: Valdosta State University Baseball Coach Cleared Of Racial Discrimination In Hair-Length Controversy In Georgia

• Women

by Jameelah Mullen

December 6, 2023

Oprah Surprises ‘The Color Purple’ Cast With Some Of Her ‘Favorite Things’

Oprah Winfrey is an executive producer of the upcoming film.

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Oprah Winfrey had a special treat for the cast of the upcoming musical adaption of The Color Purple: purple Telfar bags filled with several boxes of tickets for the highly anticipated film.   

The executive producer took to Instagram to share the special moment.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Oprah (@oprah)

“@telfarglobal is getting in on our Purple fun, so I had to make sure my @thecolorpurple family got their Purple bags with movie tickets from @fandango just in time to spread the Purple love” The Emmy Award winner wrote. “ 

“We are blessed, Oprah did our Christmas shopping for us.”  said Taraji P. Henson, who plays Shug Avery in the film. 

The Telfar bags were a part of Oprah’s Favorite Things list, which was released in November.

“Shop from this list, and you’ll support a wide variety of BIPOC-, women-, or veteran-founded companies. You’ll not only find terrific presents but also support the people who stepped out on a dream to make those gifts happen. Don’t you love that ?“ 

Telfar was also featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List in 2020. She surprised owner Telfar Clemens to share the news.

“I’m actually..like blown away” the designer said. 

This is not the first time Telfar has received a celebrity stamp of approval. Beyoncé mentioned the brand in her song “Summer Renaissance.” According to Vogue Business, the shout-out caused Telfar to receive an 85 percent increase in views on the luxury retailer TheRealReal’s website.

Now in its 21st year, Oprah’s Favorite Things consists of 23 Black-owned businesses, the most ever to be featured on the list. Other brands include Bossy Cosmetics, Ami Cole, Red Bay Coffee, Sweet July (founded by Ayesha Curry), and Hamilton Cornerstore (created by singer Anthony Hamilton). 

The original Color Purple movie was released on December 18, 1985, and is based on the Pulitzer prize-winning book by Alice Walker. The musical adaptation of the film will premiere in theaters on Christmas day.

Winfrey starred in the 1985 film and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

RELATED CONTENT: Oprah Winfrey Gladly Took $35K Salary For ‘The Color Purple’: It’s The ‘Best $35,000 I Ever Earned’

• News History

by Iman Milner

December 6, 2023

Family Outraged As Teen Killer Of 16-Year-Old Naima Liggon Takes Plea Deal, Will Serve Six Years In Juvenile Detention

The teen pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor manslaughter charge.

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The family of 16-year-old Naima Liggon, who was fatally stabbed during a dispute at a Washington, D.C. McDonald’s, is outraged after prosecutor’s struck a deal that will keep her 16-year-old killer from standing trial for a first-degree murder charge.

The teen pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor manslaughter charge and will spend the next five to six years in a juvenile detention center, Fox 5 News reports. The punishment for the first-degree murder charge would have carried a much heftier sentence and would have required that the teen be tried as an adult.

Liggon’s mother, Joy, was irate following the court proceedings and said that though the family had been consulted about the plea deal, she felt that their concerns were not “incorporated into the decision.” The maximum sentence her daughter’s killer can now serve is confinement until her 21st birthday.

“What I can tell you is that it does not feel like justice that the person that took our daughter is going to be—possibly, at the maximum—in a detention center for five and a half years. It seems like it should be more than that,” she said.

Though she expressed her disappointment in the verdict, Joy LIggon was relieved that the case as well as the “sensationalized fiasco” she felt it had become—the incident that led to her daughter’s death was linked to a dispute over sweet-and-sour sauce by media outlets—was now over, The Washington Post reports.

“We would have liked go to trial for first-degree murder. I felt that is what my daughter deserved. But I also understand that a guilty verdict is a guilty verdict,” Liggon said. “It doesn’t look like our child was out in the street fighting over sweet-and-sour sauce. That was never the case.”

At a Dec. 4 hear, prosecutor Crystal Gaines explained that Naima Liggon was breaking up a fight between two other teens when she was fatally wounded. She was rushed to the hospital, where she died.

Judge Andrea L. Hertzfeld denied the defense’s request to have the teen defendant released to her parents while she awaits sentencing but did order her to be psychologically evaluated.

“This young person clearly needs services,” Hertzfeld said. “There are some issues here.”

RELATED CONTENT: 16-Year-Old Black Girl Fatally Stabbed Over McDonald’s Dipping Sauces

• News

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

December 6, 2023

Woman Offered Fast Food Job To Lessen Jail Time After Throwing Chipotle Bowl At Worker

A 39-year-old Ohio woman convicted for assault after throwing her Chipotle bowl at an employee is set to work in fast food to evade a longer jail stay.

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In an unusual sentencing plea, an Ohio woman was given a lower jail sentence by working the same job as the person she was found guilty of assaulting.

Rosemary Hayne was arrested Sept. 5 after footage went viral of her assaulting Chipotle worker Emily Russell at the Parma, Ohio, location. Hayne was seen slamming her food down on the counter to confront the employee about her dissatisfaction with the meal before throwing it at Russell.

Hayne’s original sentencing at a Nov. 28 hearing found her guilty of one count of assault. In addition to paying a fine, she also was set to serve 180 days in jail. However, the circumstances surrounding the assault gave the judge an idea to teach the 39-year-old Hayne a lesson.

“You didn’t get your burrito bowl the way you liked it, and this is how you respond?” asked Parma Municipal Judge Timothy Gilligan, according to Fox 8. “This is not Real Housewives of Parma. This behavior is not acceptable.”

Hayne’s apology to Russell included her reasoning behind her unruly behavior. The food’s presentation, according to her, was “disgusting looking.”

“I bet you won’t be happy with the food you are going to get in the jail,” the judge retorted.

In order to avoid that reality, Gilligan offered Hayne jail credit if she worked at least 20 hours per week at a local fast-food restaurant for two months. The defendant agreed to do so. In Gilligan’s mind, the resolution saves taxpayers’ money and affords Hayne a “sense of empathy.”

“So I thought, why should the city taxpayers pay for her and feed her for 90 days in the jail if I can teach her a sense of empathy?” Gilligan said. “I also hope this deters others from this type of behavior.”

Russell no longer works at Chipotle. While it is unknown whether her employment in fast food is over, Hayne’s has just begun.

RELATED CONTENT: Former Popeyes Chicken Employee Pleads Guilty To Throwing Hot Grease At Co-worker

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 6, 2023

Ye Wants Teachers’ Lawsuit Against Donda Academy Dismissed

The artist formerly known as Kanye West wants the teachers' claims to be thrown out by the court

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Earlier this year, in April, two former teachers employed at Ye’s Donda Academy filed a lawsuit alleging that the school had labor violations and restrictive and unusual school rules for teachers and students. They were also the only Black teachers at the school. According to Radar Online, the artist formerly known as Kanye West has requested that the lawsuit against the school be thrown out.

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

December 6, 2023

Gotcha! Stolen Phone Returned To Victim After Thief Realized It Was An Android

'Oh, that's an Android? We don't want this. I thought it was an iPhone."

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There has been an ongoing battle between iPhone users and Android owners, and the fact that there’s loyalty (or disgust) amongst the users was proven again last week during an armed robbery in Washington, D.C.

According to KATV, a man was robbed of his belongings by two masked men, but when they realized the mobile unit was an Android, they promptly gave the victim back his phone.

The victim’s wife said that after she worked into the early morning hours, her husband wanted her to meet him outside of their apartment building, located in the 2400 block of 14th Street, NW, as he went to park the car. She said that after the vehicle was parked, one man, who was armed and wearing a mask, approached him. He took all the items he had in his pockets, took the keys to the vehicle, and then got in it and drove off. Another man, parked nearby in a Black BMW, also participated in the crime.

“As soon as he parked the car, two masked gentlemen came up to him, armed,” she recalled. “They robbed him, took everything he had in his pockets, took the keys to my truck, and got in and pulled off.

She alleged that one of the men, when realizing that the phone he had just taken was not an iPhone, immediately returned the Android to the robbing victim.

“They basically looked at that phone and was like, ‘Oh, that’s an Android? We don’t want this. I thought it was an iPhone,” she said.

The woman said she used the vehicle for work as an Uber Eats and Instacart driver.

“That was my income,” she said. “That was the way I made money. I did Uber Eats and Instacart, so that was our livelihood.”

The incident took place on Wednesday, Nov. 29.

RELATED CONTENT: Georgia Digital IDs Now Available For Android Users At TSA Precheck

• News History

by Daniel Johnson

December 6, 2023

Philadelphia City Council Sends Controversial Anti-Ski Mask Bill To Mayor’s Desk

Philadelphia has been experiencing higher than normal levels of violent crime.

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On Nov. 30, the Philadelphia City Council passed an ordinance that effectively bans ski masks or balaclavas from being worn in public, a move that has drawn criticism and concern from both citizens and groups like the ACLU.

The Associated Press reports that the legislation passed by the Philadelphia City Council will head to the desk of lame duck Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, for approval or veto.

Philadelphia has been experiencing higher than normal levels of violent crime, like most metropolitan cities across the country, in part because social support programs were suspended during the pandemic. Though the legislation does make some concessions for First Amendment protections and gives religious exemptions, the ACLU is still concerned that the legislation tramples on the constitutional rights of citizens.

“Giving police the authority to stop civilians without suspicion of unlawful activity is unconstitutional,” Solomon Furious Woods, an attorney for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, told the AP.

Philadelphia is not the only city considering how to best approach violent crime while ensuring that there accountability for officers who cross the line into police brutality. Washington, D.C., which has been experiencing a violent crime wave of its own, is also grappling with these tensions. To that effect, Mayor Muriel Bowser has been touting her proposals in the city’s Addressing Crime Trends Now Act (ACT Now) but many have voiced concerns that her reforms are not substantial enough to solve the violent crime facing the city.

As Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told WUSA 9, “The legislation the Mayor [Bowser] introduced deals very little, if at all, with what’s top of mind for residents which are homicides, carjackings, and robberies. Yes, there are some good ideas. But no this is not the short-term big change that we can see in regard to reducing the violent crime.”

Atlanta is also considering a ski mask ban.