by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 8, 2023

Drake Confronted Akademiks For Remarks On His ‘Close Friend’ Sza

Drake isn’t known for speaking up in defense of anyone. But he apparently draws the line when it comes to his “close friend” Sza.

Internet vlogger DJ Akademiks is opening up about the private conversation he had with Drake after making some disparaging remarks about the singer Sza. While speaking with DJ Vlad, Akademiks revealed the chat he had with Drake after offending Sza over the summer with his comments about her body.

“When Drake called me [about SZA] I was like [what?]” Akademiks shared. “Drake was like, she’s a very close friend of his. It was a very friendly call. He was just kind of trying to see what I thought about it because he was like ‘Ak, I rock with you too.’

“They were doing the album at the time and he was like, ‘She’s affected by things like that.’”

It was during a Rumble stream in August when Akademiks body-shamed Sza and accused her of having cosmetic surgery. Posting a bikini photo of the “SOS” singer, Akademiks made negative remarks about the BBL procedure Sza has admitted to receiving.

“The ti**ies is not looking tiddying,” he said while examining a photo of Sza. “Right now, I can’t distinguish the ti**y from the stomach. You look like you just got a whole muthafuc*ing bulletproof vest on. Your whole sh*t is flat.”

He continued. “You know you’ve been under the knife mad times. We don’t care how much you show that little botched BBL; you need to get back to the doctor one more time, and I’ma stand on it!”

It’s not the first time Akademiks has been called out for his negative comments about women. Most recently, he got into an internet feud with rapper Saucy Santana after making negative remarks about the City Girls. Their internet beef grew when Saucy threatened to sexually assault Akademiks.

As a result, the vlogger shed tears when speaking on the issue as he was afraid he would be “canceled” for responding to the “Material Gworl” rapper. Queen Latifah even entered the chat when she reposted a message from Mysonne that called out Akademiks for his history of bashing women.

WeWork, Formerly Valued at $47 Billion, Declares Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

by Atiya Jordan

November 8, 2023

WeWork, Formerly Valued at $47 Billion, Declares Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

After years of financial struggles, WeWork filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Nov. 6 in federal court in New Jersey.

In a press release, the flexible workspace provider announced its next move to regain its footing among a massive debt file and hefty losses. In what the company calls a “comprehensive reorganization,” 92% of its stakeholders have agreed to a restructuring agreement, while many locations expect to close.

Under the bankruptcy agreement, WeWork is expected to erase $3 billion of its debt, CEO David Tolley told The Associated Press. The company’s bankruptcy petition listed a total of $18 billion in debt and about $15 billion in assets. It also has around $100 million in unpaid rent.

The Financial Times reported that Japanese group SoftBank committed more than $16 billion to WeWork since its initial investment in 2017. Just days before WeWork filed for bankruptcy, SoftBank was forced to wire nearly $2 billion to WeWork lenders to “recover a portion of its losses as it converts some of its existing debt into equity in the reorganized company.”

While reducing funded debt, WeWork said it is “requesting the ability to reject the leases of certain locations, which are largely non-operational and all affected members have received advanced notice.” Over 70 leases are slated to be rejected at the start of the process.

“We’ve only seen a limited recovery in office space utilization, and hybrid work patterns are becoming more entrenched than I think many people the market would have expected a couple of years ago,” said Sam Chandan, director of the Chao-Hon Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business, AP reported. “So there’s a long term, very significant impact on office space demand overall.”

Chandan also noted that WeWork faced increased competition in the world of short-term office space. Among the biggest competitors include Regus, ImpactHub, and Workbar.

Adam Neumann launched WeWork in 2010, with a goal of making a profit on very short-term subleases. By 2019, after WeWork’s valuation fell to $7 billion, Neumann was dismissed. Former real estate executive Sandeep Mathrani stepped in and took the company public to resolve early expansion issues. There was too much space on long-term leases, far fewer workers available to fill it, mounting financial losses, and a lack of cash. As a result, WeWork had burnt through billions of dollars in investor capital to fund its over-exuberant expansion. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, more office workers were choosing to work from home and more vacancies piled up.

In early 2023, Mathrani resigned and left WeWork with “substantial doubt” about its ability to stay in business. In October, WeWork shares fell to a staggering low after the company told The New York Times that it missed interest payments on its debt and did not have enough cash on hand. Today, WeWork is valuing at $44 million.

Can Issa Rae ‘Unite’ Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and Nicki Minaj Fans Through ‘Rap Sh*t’?

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 8, 2023

Can Issa Rae ‘Unite’ Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and Nicki Minaj Fans Through ‘Rap Sh*t’?

If it was up to Issa Rae, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Megan Thee Stallion fans would all get along. To accomplish her goal, the producer is hoping to get the rap superstars to guest star on her new hip-hop-centered scripted series.

Issa is back with Season 2 of her Max original series “Rap Sh*t.” The show follows an aspiring female rap duo working to make their mark on the music industry.

Season 1 saw guest appearances from the likes of Guapdad 4000, Timbaland, Brent Faiyaz, Tobe Nwigwe, Benjamin Crump, and Maliibu Miitch. While it remains unknown who will make guest appearances in Season 2, Issa is teasing who’d she love to have on the show in the future.

“There’s a list. We want [Megan Thee Stallion], we want [Cardi B], [Nicki Minaj] would be a nice little tie-around. If we could, like, unite them,” Issa told ET. “Maybe in season three, we can unite the fanbases.”

“Rap Sh!t” is inspired by the real-life stories of the City Girls Yung Miami and JT of the City Girls, who also serve as co-executive producers on the show. The show follows Miami-based besties Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) as they embark on a career in music as a rap group. With the help of their manager Chasity (Jonica Booth), the trio explores and learns the harsh realities that come with making it in the music business.

With the show serving as a modern view of being a young dreamer and doer, viewers get an inside look at navigating success in the entertainment industry. When it comes to unity among women in hip-hop today, there are still ways to go.

Long gone are the days when the top female emcees can hop on a track together and create classics like “Ladies Night.” These days a female rapper can release a new song, like Megan’s “Cobra” that released on Friday, Nov. 3, and ignite riffs between fan groups.

The quality is insane , Nicki Minaj got to learn from Megan and Cardi #COBRA
— Stallion 🐎 (@nolowblessing) November 3, 2023

Most recently, Nicki Minaj took to Instagram to ask her fans not to “threaten anyone on my behalf.” The “Anaconda” rapper is known for having one of the most fiercely devoted fan groups called the Barbz who aren’t afraid to bash anyone who speaks negatively on the Queen.

Nicki Minaj tells her fans not threaten people on the Internet. pic.twitter.com/26sUk3h4AP
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) November 6, 2023

Between the Barbz, Bardi Gang (Cardi B fans), and the Hotties (Megan fans), there are plenty of internet feuds across social media in defense of the rappers. Hopefully, Issa’s wish comes true and she’s able to provide some type of unity among the top female rappers.

Nia DaCosta Explains Production Rumors Says It’s Not As ‘Dramatic’ As It Appears

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 8, 2023

Nia DaCosta Explains Production Rumors Says It’s Not As ‘Dramatic’ As It Appears

Nia DaCosta is addressing speculation surrounding the fate of the highly-anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe film "The Marvels."

Film director Nia DaCosta is addressing speculation surrounding the fate of the highly-anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe film “The Marvels.”

A recent Variety report claims the forthcoming film has a confusing storyline and “lengthy” reshoots that have fans and industry insiders concerned about how well the film will perform. Elsewhere, DaCosta has begun working on a separate film during postproduction that sources say is “kind of weird.”

But the “Candyman” director is defending “The Marvels” and her work on a new film, since “It happens quite a bit,” in Hollywood, AV Club reports. According to DaCosta, the Marvel film would’ve had her undivided attention if the film date hadn’t moved around so much.

“I think there’s just a lot of energy and criticism around Marvel anyway, so I’m not surprised,” DaCosta told interviewer Jake Hamilton.

“But for me personally, it was literally just that they moved the date of the film four different times. And so, instead of it being a two-year process, which I was deeply committed to, it became a three-and-a-half-year process.”

DaCosta says Marvel Studios “knew the entire time I had an obligation, a greenlit movie, with people who are waiting for me.” So when they repeatedly pushed back “The Marvels” release date, she “pushed that, and I pushed it again, and then I pushed it again. And then eventually we all knew like, ‘Okay, if this pushes again, I’m not going to be able to be in L.A. to do the rest of this in person.’”

A resolution was reached when the studio allowed DaCosta to take part in the postproduction process remotely. The reports of there being any drama about her remote postproduction work are completely fabricated, according to the filmmaker.

“We figured out the best process. And actually at the time that I left to go to London to start prep on my next film, everyone was so clear about what the film was, what we wanted, everyone knew what I wanted,” she said.

“So it really wasn’t the dramatic sort of thing that I think people are feeling like it is.”

“The Marvels” is set to release Friday, Nov. 10, and follows Carol Danvers “Captain Marvel” (played by Brie Larson) as she works to aid a destabilized universe.

Arkansas Man Arrested After Hiding 5-Year-Old Daughter From Cops To Prevent DHS From Taking Her

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 8, 2023

Arkansas Man Arrested After Hiding 5-Year-Old Daughter From Cops To Prevent DHS From Taking Her

The father maintains that he loves his daughter.

A man was arrested in Arkansas after being accused of hiding his daughter behind a wall so she wouldn’t be taken away from him by state workers.

According to CNN, 40-year-old Jon Thompson was arrested on Friday, Nov. 4, and charged with false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a minor, and interfering with child custody. After posting a $5,000 bond, he was released on Sunday, Nov. 6.

On Nov. 1, police officers in Tontitown, Arkansas, went to the Thompson residence to assist workers from the Department of Human Services in taking his daughter out of the home so they could place her in the custody of the state. When police officers went to his home, Thompson would not allow them in and kept telling them that his daughter wasn’t in the residence. After more than an hour, Thompson relented and then took the officers to a closet located in the master bedroom where he had his daughter hidden.

Thompson then moved some items under a clothes rack in the closet. The father “had to pull a board that was nailed to the wall” so the officers could reach his daughter, who was in a small space that may have been about 6 feet by 4 feet inside the master bedroom closet wall. The rescue of the young girl was captured on police body-cam.

Keith Lindley, a detective on the scene, stated, “There are some law enforcement encounters that stick with us over the maturity of our careers – some images and scenes are just tattooed into our permanent consciousness. This is one of those times. It’s sad. It makes us sad, but we are relieved she is safe.”

The 5-year-old girl was to become a ward of the state because her father was accused of keeping her locked in a “confined space for approximately 30 minutes without being able to leave of her own will.” The officer maintained that the little girl– though she felt uneasy–said it was a one-time occurrence, and her dad had given her a candle for light in the confined space.

“The juvenile discusses being afraid to go inside the hole in the wall, but that her dad wanted her to do so and told her if she did not go inside, she would be taken away from him,” the report said.

The media outlet reached out to Thompson, and he said, “For the record – I love my daughter,” and told CNN to speak to his attorney.

Thompson is slated to appear for a court date on Dec. 4.

David E. Talbert ‘Next Fellowship’ Will Send HBCU Students To USC School Of Cinematic Arts

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 8, 2023

David E. Talbert ‘Next Fellowship’ Will Send HBCU Students To USC School Of Cinematic Arts

David E. Talbert is paying it forward to the next generation of filmmakers with his HBCU fellowship in partnership with USC.

Filmmaker David E. Talbert is paying it forward to the next generation of creators with his new HBCU fellowship in partnership with the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

The “Jingle Jangle” creator has launched the HBCU Next fellowship program that will bring aspiring filmmakers from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Summer Program and expand their prowess in filmmaking, Deadline reports. With a goal of evolving the media landscape by championing the next generation of diverse storytellers, students will learn the culture within screenwriting and filmmaking to help provide more authentic portrayals of the Black experience.

Talbert created and funded the program alongside his wife and producing partner Lyn Sisson-Talbert to amplify the educational experience for film students of Color.

“Our overall objective is to foster an environment for students from HBCUs and USC to engage in cultural exchange, learning from one another’s experiences and backgrounds, and to provide access to an education conducive to giving Black storytellers a pipeline to the entertainment industry,” Talbert says.

“The industry gets to benefit from the uniqueness and authenticity of stories that that they might not be privy to.”

As part of the program, students will receive mentoring from Talbert on directing and screenwriting, as well as receive access to courses in advanced screenwriting, advanced directing, animation, producing editing, and gaming. HBCU graduates will also speak to HBCU Next scholars including Forest Whitaker, Tim Story, Ruth Carter, J.B. Smoove, and Anika Noni Rose.

As an HBCU alum, the “This Christmas” director knows firsthand how enriching the college experience can be despite the lack of access to entering into the industry post-graduation.

“Having graduated from an HBCU, and working in the business for over 30 years, I understand it’s never the artistry or intellect, but the access, that keeps people of Color from finding their way in,” he said. “HBCU Next was created to bridge that gap. Our Next is now.”

A New Film Follows A Vietnam Veteran Who Was Denied The Purple Heart Medal For His Race

by Lauren Nutall

November 8, 2023

A New Film Follows A Vietnam Veteran Who Was Denied The Purple Heart Medal For His Race

Jerry Smith Sr., cousin of the late Emmett Till, was denied the Purple Heart Medal on account of his race, but a new short film aims to change this.

Jerry Smith Sr., a cousin of the late Emmett Till, was denied the Purple Heart Medal on account of his race, but a new short film aims to change this, according to a recent press release.

The Purple Heart Medal is awarded to United States Armed Forces members who have been injured or killed in combat. Smith and his family have long maintained that he deserves the honor but have been repeatedly denied, an injustice that has been controversial for years. This has triggered a Change.org petition and now a movie.

The 9-minute short film, titled In Honor of a Purple Heart, follows Smith’s journey from foster care to becoming a Vietnam War veteran.

“I want to have an effect on the people I come in contact with. I want to be a motivation for them and make them aware you can survive anything as long as you believe. Be thankful for what you have and what you don’t have, don’t worry about it. You’re still alive,” Smith says in the video.

Smith’s experiences with racism date back to when he was just a boy, living in the rural South during the Jim Crow era. As a young Black foster child, he was rarely told of his value in the world. Rather, he was taught to feel inferior to his white counterparts, a sentiment that was only further supported by the 1955 murder of his 14-year-old cousin Emmett Till, who was falsely accused of whistling at a white woman and found murdered in a river shortly after.

Smith, too, was subject to false allegations as a teenager, which resulted in him losing a scholarship to Kansas State University. He was forced to flee and wound up enlisting in the military during the Vietnam War. While serving, Smith sustained an injury from a Punji stick, a spiked device often used in war. However, he was denied the Purple Heart Medal and was told that Black people don’t receive the honor.

Eric Scott Johnson, a producer of the film, spoke about its significance. “The film has won awards at festivals, but this is about something more important,” he said. “This is about Jerry Smith Sr. getting what was wrongfully withheld from him solely due to his race.”

Assisted Living Facility Employee Arrested After Allegedly Beating Elderly Resident Who Has Dementia

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 8, 2023

Assisted Living Facility Employee Arrested After Allegedly Beating Elderly Resident Who Has Dementia

An employee from an assisted living facility in Florida has been arrested after she was accused of beating an elderly woman who has dementia.

According to Click Orlando, Kassandra Aihe, a 24-year-old employee at The Gardens of Eastbrooke, an assisted living facility in Casselberry, is looking at a charge of battery on a person at least 65 years of age. The incident occurred on Oct. 27. She was arrested on Nov. 2, taken to the Seminole County Jail, and bonded out the following day.

The alleged abuse was captured on surveillance video showing Aihe physically attacking the elderly resident. The employee is seen taking the victim back to her room. As she was doing so, the resident became combative, and Aihe was seen grabbing the victim’s hair and forcefully dragging her into the room. The victim was reportedly badly battered and bruised.

The resident could be heard screaming in the room for about five minutes until another employee came to the room.

In a written report by Aihe, she admitted that she hit the resident’s face with an object and then slammed her face against the wall. That action led to the resident’s face bleeding and displaying facial injuries. Another employee who came to intervene also wrote that Aihe hit the victim in her report.

Investigators said that two days later, on Oct. 29, the resident was brought to the hospital after showing severe bruising. The medical staff said that there were fractures to her nose and face. Police officers appeared at the facility to arrest Aihe later that week.

Fox News reported that according to the police report, Aihe went “beyond her scope of duty by pulling [the patient’s] hair to control her and pushing her to move her to her room physically.”

Police officials said that the patient’s husband would be pursuing charges against Aihe on his wife’s behalf.

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

November 8, 2023

Atlanta Judge To Determine If Prosecutors Can Use Young Thug’s Lyrics As Evidence In YSL Trial

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville will determine if lyrics by Young Thug can be used at YSL trial.

The RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) trial of Atlanta hip-hop recording artist Young Thug starts following jury selection. Now, the judge assigned to the case has set a hearing scheduled for Nov. 8 to determine if the lyrics the rapper has used over the years can be used as evidence of the crimes he and his crew have been accused of.

According to Fox 5 Atlanta, prosecutors have told Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville that Young Thug is the leader of the gang YSL, an acronym for Young Slime Life and that he and other members of YSL are participants of and responsible for violent crimes in Atlanta. Yet, the defense attorneys for Jeffery Lamar Williams, known as Young Thug, state that the letters of YSL stand for Young Stoner Life Records. The label is home to Young Thug and Gunna and was previously home to YoungBoy Never Broke Again (NBA YoungBoy) and Lil Baby.

The label was started in 2016, but the prosecutors allege that the street gang, which is associated with the Bloods, has been around since 2012.

Prosecutors want to submit lyrics for various songs over the years as evidence of some of the crimes Young Thug and YSL are accused of, according to the outlet. They state that the lyrics are “highly pertinent” to the state of mind of the defendants who have recorded those songs. Prosecutors admit that they have spent nine years going over the lyrics and social media posts of YSL associates, but they also say that other evidence of their alleged crimes has also been collected.

To try to further utilize the song lyrics in their presentation, they also made references to the manifestos written by Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and Timothy McVeigh (responsible for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing), according to a report by Billboard.

Yet, defense attorneys for YSL members intend on having experts testify that rap lyrics are frowned upon by most Americans due to racial bias.

“There’s a strong legal test of when a lyric can be used as evidence,” Georgia State College of Law professor Mo Ivory said.

There have been efforts to disallow prosecutors to use lyrics written by rappers to be used against them in a court of law.

Last year, Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, presented the “Restoring Artistic Protections Act,” or “RAP Act.” If passed, it would limit the use of lyrics as permissible evidence in federal court.

Mississippi State House, Gay, Fabian Nelson

by Atiya Jordan

November 8, 2023

Fabian Nelson Claims Victory In Mississippi State House As First Openly Gay Legislator

On Nov. 7, Fabian Nelson took his place in the Mississippi House District 66 as the state's first openly gay lawmaker.

In August, Fabian Nelson made history when he was elected as the first openly gay Democratic lawmaker in Mississippi. Now, he’s officially claiming victory in the State House.

On Nov. 7, the realtor from Byram, Mississippi, took his place in the House of Representatives District 66 after winning the general election, the Advocate reported. Nelson looks forward to offering a fresh voice in the state legislature.

After winning the Democratic primary election runoff on Aug. 29, a surprised Nelson told NBC News: “I still think I’m in a dream. I’m still trying to process it and take it in. It’s still shocking to me, I have to be honest.”

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A post shared by Fabian Nelson Representative Elect MS HD66 (@fabiannelson4housedistrict66)

The small business leader will now represent a district that includes part of Byram, Salem, and Terry. While in office, he plans to increase healthcare access for low-income people by pushing for Medicaid expansion, advocating for economic development, and improving the workforce by fully funding education, BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported.

“I am fortunate to have worked in the community for the past 11 years,” Nelson wrote in his 2020 endorsement. “In order to effect lasting change, first-time homebuyer education, access to affordable housing advocacy, and parity in housing ownership for low-income populations will remain a viable part of my service if elected.”

A native of Yazoo, Mississippi, Nelson has been a proud foster parent and owner and managing broker of Mississippi United Realty for the last 15 years, according to his campaign website. He has dedicated his work to teaching homebuying, financial literacy seminars, and mentoring small businesses in South Jackson and Byram.

The Victory Fund and the Human Rights Campaign were among Nelson’s endorsers. They provided campaign, fundraising, and communications support.

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Annise Parker released in a statement: “At a time when bigotry in politics is on the rise, voters in Mississippi House District 66 have chosen a different path. Fabian’s victory is a testament to his dedication to his community and his tireless work earning the support of voters on the campaign trail.”

“Today, we celebrate with all the Mississippians who long for a better future that’s free of discrimination and hate. We look forward to seeing Fabian take his place in the Mississippi House of Representatives and get to work making the Magnolia State a more welcoming place for all.”

Before Nelson’s feat, Mississippi and Louisiana were the only states that had never elected an LGBTQ+ state lawmaker.