Jacopo Raule/Getty Images for DiorA$AP Rocky attends the Dior Homme Menswear Spring/Summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 23, 2018 in Paris, France.
With the news that rapper A$AP Rockyremains behind bars after an altercation in Sweden, his supporters have started a Change.org petition in hopes of setting him free.
Appearing to be created by A$AP Mob, the petition details that Rocky and his colleagues have been denied their right to counsel and could remain in jail until a trial is scheduled for mid- to late August.
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Tyler, The Creator, T.I. and More Voice Their Support For A$AP Rocky Following His Arrest in Sweden
The petition also claims that Rocky acted out of self-defense and is being kept in “inhumane conditions,” including “24/7 solitary confinement, restriction of amenities for the most basic of human functions, access to palatable and life sustaining food as well as unsanitary conditions.”
The late rapper Tupac Shakur in 1994 photo. Shakur’s estate is among the parties suing Universal Music over a 2008 fire in the label’s vaults.Steve Eichner/Getty Images
Several prominent bands, musicians and artist estates sued the world’s largest record company, Universal Music Group [UMG], on Friday after an investigation published by the New York Times earlier this month alleged that hundreds of thousands of master recordings, protection copies, unreleased music and other materials had burned in a massive fire at a UMG vault in 2008.
The suit, which seeks damages in excess of $100 million, was filed by the estates of Tom Petty and Tupac Shakur, the bands Hole and Soundgarden, and singer-songwriter Steve Earle; it is seeking class action status, so that any other “similarly situated,” UMG-affiliated musicians and estates may enter the suit as well. According to the Times report, the blaze allegedly destroyed the work of scores of top musicians over many decades, ranging from Louis Armstrong to The Roots.
The plaintiffs contend that UMG breached its contract with artists by failing to archive the materials properly, instead allegedly stowing masters and other materials “in an inadequate, substandard storage warehouse located on the backlot of Universal Studios [Hollywood] that was a known firetrap.” Moreover, they say that after the fire, “UMG concealed the loss with false public statements such as that ‘we only lost a small number of tapes and other material by obscure artists from the 1940s and 50s.’ “
The suit also claims that even as UMG allegedly hid devastating losses from their artists and the public, the company “successfully pursued litigation and insurance claims which it reportedly valued at $150 million,” and that the musicians are entitled to share in those claims.
The suit was filed in U.S. Central District Court in Los Angeles and is the first legal action taken since the Times published its investigation. The plaintiffs are being represented by three firms: King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano; McPherson LLP; and Susman Godfrey LLP.
Universal Music Group declined to comment to NPR on the class action lawsuit. In a previous statement on June 11, UMG said that the Times investigation contained “numerous inaccuracies, misleading statements, contradictions and fundamental misunderstandings.” Arnaud de Puyfontaine, the chairman of UMG’s parent company, Vivendi, told Variety on Thursday that the Times investigation was “just noise.”
Courtney Love Cobain — the former frontwoman of Hole (and the widow of Kurt Cobain, whose band Nirvana was another UMG group) — tweeted an anguished response to the Times investigation, writing: “Read [Times journalist] Jody Rosen’s devastating, frightening exposé on the UMG fire disaster. Our history has been ripped apart, what a terrible, sad tale this is.”
The president considered striking 3 sites as retaliation for the downing of a U.S. drone but decided the casualties would be too high.
An RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft, in an undated photo released by the Air Force.Bobbi Zapka / U.S. Air Force/Reuters fileJune 21, 2019, 12:16 AM EDT / Updated June 21, 2019, 9:27 AM EDTBy Alex Johnson, Ali Arouzi and Kristen Welker
President Donald Trump on Friday confirmed that he was “cocked and loaded” to strike Iranian targets but deemed the loss of life would be disproportionate to the downing of a U.S. drone.
“On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International waters. We were cocked and loaded to retaliate last night on three different sites,” Trump said in a series of tweets.
….On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not….28.8K9:03 AM – Jun 21, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy12.9K people are talking about this
The tweets appeared to confirm The New York Times and The Washington Post reports Thursday night that said Trump had approved military strikes on Iranian targets but later backed away.
The Times quoted a senior administration official as saying the operation was under way in its early stages — with planes in the air and ships in position — when it was called off.
A map provided by the Defense Department shows where it says a U.S. Navy drone was shot down Thursday.U.S. Defense Department via AP
The developments came as the United States and Iran continued to fight over whether the high-altitude U.S. surveillance drone had violated Iranian airspace when it was shot down Thursday.
On Friday, a senior official from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed several warnings were issued before the drone was downed.
“We have had two stages of warnings,” Cmdr. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said on state television. “They did not respond.”
The aircraft was shot down after the last warning at 3:55 a.m. Thursday (7:25 p.m. ET Wednesday), he said. American officials did not respond to a request for comment on the Iranian claims.
The U.S. special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, said Friday it was “important we do everything” to de-escalate tensions.
“Our diplomacy does not give Iran the right to respond with military force, Iran needs to meet our diplomacy with diplomacy and not military force,” he told a news conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
Hesameddin Ashena, an adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in turn called on Trump to ease sanctions.
“Today’s crisis stems from Washington’s withdrawal from JCPOA, and obstructing real diplomatic overtures,” he said on Twitter,referring to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. “But this process is reversible. Every tangible constructive step will be met in kind.”
The incident has prompted the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, to prohibit most U.S. civil aircraft from flying in Iranian-controlled airspace over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
In a Notice to Airmen advisory, the FAA cited “heightened military activities and increased political tensions in the region, which present an inadvertent risk to U.S. civil aviation operations and potential for miscalculation or misidentification.”
The notice applies to almost all U.S. carriers and commercial operators.
Other carriers also announced plans to halt flights over the Strait of Hormuz, including Dutch carrier KLM and Australian airline Qantas.
Trump signaled earlier Thursday that the United States was considering options for how to respond to the shooting down of the U.S. drone, an unarmed Global Hawk aircraft that can fly at up to 60,000 feet.
“Iran made a very bad mistake,” Trump said. “The drone was in international waters, clearly. We have it documented.”
The commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen. Hossein Salami, said Thursday that the strike served as a signal that Iran wouldn’t back down from threats.
“We have no intention of war, but we are standing strong,” he said.
But Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, called the strike “an unprovoked attack,” saying: “Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false.”
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said on NBC’s “Today” show Friday that the planned military strike appeared to be “put together pretty quickly.”
“Frankly if you’re going to make a strike, at least in my experience, you want to proceed with the strike as opposed to suddenly having your planes in the air and having to pull them back, as that can result in even greater miscalculations,” he told the show.
As for what the Iranians’ were aiming to do, Panetta said he was not sure either side has an “end game.”
“That makes it even more dangerous because as it ratchets up on both sides, the danger of a serious miscalculation, bad judgement, could really produce a military confrontation,” he said.
U.S. officials have also blamed Iran for what they said was an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week. Iran has denied any involvement.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced Monday that the United States would send 1,000 additional troops to the region to address what he called air, naval and ground-based threats.
(CNN)Ten people were injured in a shooting early Thursday outside a lounge in the eastern Pennsylvania city of Allentown, and police are looking for what they believe are several shooters, authorities said.Several people — likely three — opened fire just before 2 a.m. outside the Déjà Vu nightclub, Lehigh County District Attorney James Martin and Allentown Police Chief Tony Alsleben said in a joint statement.”This does not appear to be an indiscriminate shooting; it appears that at least one individual was a target,” the joint statement reads, without saying who the target was.No further details were immediately available about who fired the shots, Allentown police Capt. Bill Lake said. No arrests in the case have been reported.All 10 people who were shot are expected to survive, Lake said.Shots were fired from a white Cadillac Escalade SUV around the time the establishment was closing, the nightclub’s owner, Osiris Guzman, told CNN.Witnesses described a chaotic scene, saying several people ran as the shots were fired, CNN affiliate KYW reported.The lounge owner first noticed the Escalade at 1:51 a.m., he told CNN. Guzman saw it on surveillance video, pulling up to the club. It drove around and made U-turns on the block twice, he said.Gunfire rang out around 1:55 a.m., as most patrons were leaving the lounge, he said.The vehicle had no license plate, he said.Witnesses and some shooting victims have been uncooperative with the police investigation, Martin and Alsleben said.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for GlamourChrissy Teigen and John Legend attend the 2018 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards: Women Rise on Nov. 12, 2018 in New York City.
Twitter CMO Leslie Berland hosted a live conversation at Cannes Lions Festival on Tuesday (June 18) with the “Mayor of Twitter,” Chrissy Teigen. The event celebrated female leaders and voices bringing the same spirit of discussion and connectivity of Twitter to real life.
About halfway through the discussion, the model played a game of word association, in which she sweetly connected the word “love” to her husband, John Legend. Teigen then revealed that the couple had been “fighting all day,” admitting that it was one of “those days where every little thing annoys you.”
Legend then surprised the crowd by joining his wife of almost six years on stage. “I stepped on her foot twice and I spoke without knowing my schedule and said I could go to an event with her but I couldn’t go to it once I looked at my schedule. I was wrong!” Legend admitted. After a bit of banter over pretending to be happy when they’re pissed off, the duo responded to questions on Twitter and by the audience.
Chrissy Teigen & John Legend Get Matching Tattoos With Their Children’s Names
“Have you ever been mad at me for something I said on Twitter?” Teigen asked Legend. “What’s the closest you’ve ever been?”
“She trolls me on Twitter sometimes, but I feel like it’s all in good fun,” the crooner replied. “I don’t get offended by it. She’s really funny and that’s why I love her.”
Teigen then responded to a question by April Reign, who asked if John has changed after achieving EGOT status. “There’s a bit of laziness for sure,” the model quickly replied, met by laughs from her husband. “It’s all in good fun now, there’s no more—nothing’s on the line. It’s like I’m not going to do this, I’m going to go on vacation.”
“He never changes, he’s always boring,” she jokingly concluded.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for KROQDJ Snoopadelic performs onstage at KROQ Weenie Roast & Luau at Doheny State Beach on June 08, 2019 in Dana Point, Calif.
At last weekend’s 2019 KROQ Weenie Roast at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, Calif., Snoop Dogg shared the bill with The Lumineers, Limp Bizkit, 311, Silversun Pickups and more to play a DJ set as DJ Snoopadelic. It’s not the typical place you might expect to see Snoop, who has a new album due July 12, which he excitedly told Billboard about when we spoke backstage. But playing to new audiences — especially young ones — is a big part of the fun for Snoop these days.
We spoke with Snoop about how playing to families here reminds him of his own childhood, the song from the new album he is most excited to play live, and his predictions for NBA free agency and his beloved Lakers (this interview was done before the Anthony Davis trade to Los Angeles).
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Limp Bizkit, Snoop Dogg, The Lumineers, 311 & More Bring KROQ Weenie Roast to the Beach for the First Time
Though you have had so many accolades and experiences, it still has to be fun for you to be here and have another first time.
I like the energy that I get from the kids, believe it or not. There was a lot of kids that was here today. I seen like some 4-year-olds, 10-year-olds, 14-year-olds, and when they look at me, that’s what I’m looking for — the energy I get from them. Are they in amazement? Are they in tune? Are they energetic? Or are they just watching? The ones I seen today were into it. It’s like their parents was teaching them about good music and not having no boundaries and just playing good shit for kids, like my parents did for me. That’s why I’m so universally accepted when it comes to music, ’cause I listened to everybody’s music as a kid. I grew up with rock music, rap music, reggae music and whatever sound was in my neighborhood. If it was some Latinos that lived right here, we heard some Latino music. If it was some rockers I went to school with, we heard some rock music. And it was like all of that collectiveness. And then coming to an event like today and seeing parents with their kids and seeing kids get a dose of it, it’s only gonna breed the kid that understands music is the universal language of all people. And there are no boundaries on music.
That diversity has come back with festivals. So how does it inspire you musically to do these festival gigs where you might play with Gorillaz, Kacey Musgraves, Foo Fighters and Odesza all on one bill?
A hip-hop crowd is different than this crowd. The energy level is different. So if you know anything about good music, sometimes you want to make music to fit every crowd. So when I leave events like this, I think about “How can I make a song that can affect this crowd but still be me?” How do I do that? And by me being able to DJ and come here and mix and match and hear what the crowd reacts to and is feeding off of, it gives me a better perspective on what I need to be making and how I need to be aiming for a certain sound if I’m looking for this crowd.
When you think back to being a kid and that artist that for you fit all styles and everyone loved, who comes to mind?
Probably Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together.” That record right there, ’cause everybody has a relationship or everybody break up and it’s hard to stay together, and it’s like that record as a kid, whenever it would come on, everybody would react to it, no matter what color they was, where they was from, and even to this day, still, when that record comes on… [Starts singing “Let’s Stay Together”] That’s cold right there. “I’m so in love with you,” that’s cold right there, man. That line is cold. Al Green, man.
How crazy is it for you to have created songs that have that same effect on people that “Let’s Stay Together” had on you?
I don’t ever even think about it like that. That’s crazy that you put it in that equation. I don’t never compare myself to the greats.
But certainly you know you have those songs like “Gin and Juice” that have crossed over?
You know what, it’s kind of like an out-of-body experience. You see it better than I do. I walk around with it, so it’s hard for me to look at it. Like I was telling one of my homies; he’s like, “Man, Snoop, you this, you that.” I’m like, “I can’t watch my highlights when I got a game to play tomorrow.” So I can’t really bask in none of that shit when I’m so steadily trying to make some shit. I got an album coming out July 12. I’m back on it like I want it. It’s the shit I do.
Does not thinking about it allow you to stay humble?
Most people make hit records when they’re not successful. So when you become successful, it becomes, “Do you keep the same formula, or do you make adjustments and do you enhance?” But as long as I’ve been doing this shit, it’s like there’s a method to your madness. Certain producers I work with, I get different shit out of and then certain energies that I project when I’m looking for certain projects, but at the same time, if it’s good music, everybody gonna understand it and they gonna get it. And if your voice is on right, you’re saying the right thing, you got the right people that’s listening, the ears are gonna be open for whatever you deliver.
What song from the new record are you most excited to play live?
It’s a song I got called “Let Bygones Be Bygones.” That’s a real musical song, very musical, where I’ll probably have a proper band up there playing the musical pieces and give it an array of sound that normally you don’t see in a hip-hop show.
Who is going where in NBA free agency?
I think we’re [the Lakers] gonna get a couple of good guys. I don’t know what LeBron [James] is cooking, but I know he’s a got a lot of relationships, so hopefully LeBron will be able to pull something out of his hat and get some deals done based off of people wanting to play with him and wanting to try and win a championship with him. In my ideal mind, I would love to see a Kawhi Leonard or an Anthony Davis, somebody like that join LeBron and make it easy on us.
Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty ImagesDrake is seen before the game against the Golden State Warriors during Game Five of the NBA Finals on June 10, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The 6ix is on top! With the Raptors taking home their first championship, Drake delivered on his promise of new music in wake of bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy north of the border. Drizzy released a two-pack EP on Friday night (June 14), which includes “Omertà” and the Rick Ross-assisted “Money in the Grave.”
“This is poetic. Kyle Lowry with the ring. Kawhi Leonard bringing a chip to the city. I want my chips with the dip, that’s all I know. That dynasty’s over,” Drizzy claimed to media outlets covering the monumental win at the Jurassic Park watch party taking place outside Scotiabank Arena.
The 6 God will also be releasing commemorative OVO-Raptors championship merchandise at some point coming up. Drizzy explained in a celebratory Instagram Live session that he’s also been tapped to help design the team’s championship rings.
In an unforgettable time for the city, Drake comes through once again. Stream the new records below.
Miley Cyrus spoke out for the first time since she was groped and forcibly kissed by a fan while in Spain. USA TODAYCONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE
Miley Cyrus is making amends for controversial comments she previously made about her experiences making hip hop-influenced music.
After releasing her 2013 “Bangerz” album, featuring production from rap producer Mike Will Made It, Cyrus went on to criticize the genre in a 2017 interview, claiming rappers’ lyrics were too lewd and saying, “I can’t listen to that anymore. That’s what pushed me out of the hip-hop scene a little.”
Cyrus has seemingly realized the bad optics of that statement, apologizing in the comment section of a YouTube video by user As Told By Kenya. Titled “Miley Cyrus Is My Problematic Fav…Sorry,” the video is largely complimentary while casting Cyrus’ hip hop comments as an unfortunate moment in her career, with YouTuber Kenya Wilson saying about the interview, “It wasn’t the right thing to say, it was bad, it was
racially insensitive, it had racist undertones and it wasn’t OK, point blank, period.
Several weeks after the video was posted on May 31, Cyrus left a comment from her official YouTube profile on Tuesday.
“Just watched your video,” she wrote. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak up. Being silent is not like me at all. I am aware of my platform and have always used it the best way I know how and to shine a light on injustice. I want to start with saying I am sorry. I own the fact that saying … “this pushed me out of the hip hop scene a little” was insensitive as it is a privilege to have the ability to dip in and out of ‘the scene.’
“There are decades of inequality that I am aware of, but still have alot (sic) learn about,” she continued. “Silence is apart of the problem and I refuse to be quiet anymore. My words became a divider in a time where togetherness and unity is crucial. I can not change what I said at that time, but I can say I am deeply sorry for the disconnect my words caused. Simply said; I (expletive) up and I sincerely apologize . I’m committed to using my voice for healing, change, and standing up for what’s right. Miley”
(Warning: Explicit language)
Cyrus has been vocal in recent weeks, slamming a critical review of her new EP “She is Coming” before speaking out about a scary incident in which she was forcibly groped by a stranger in Barcelona, saying women “CAN’T be grabbed without her consent” accompanied by the hashtag “#Dont(Expletive)WithMyFreedom.”
Jennifer Lopez has gushed with pride online after sharing a duet with her daughter in Los Angeles as she kicked off her 50th birthday tour.
The superstar launched her It’s My Party: The Live Celebration trek in Los Angeles on Friday night (07Jun19), and introduced fans to a very special guest – her 11-year-old girl, Emme.
Wearing matching red dresses, mother and daughter teamed up for a performance of Limitless, a track from her recent movie Second Act, at The Forum, as Emme, who showed off her dance skills in the song’s video, displayed her impressive vocal talents onstage.
After the gig, J.Lo shared a clip of the touching moment on her Instagram page, and captioned it, “I can’t take it!”
She also added the hashtag, “#ProudMama”.
A number of her celebrity followers were quick to heap praise on young Emme, with Reese Witherspoon commenting, “What a voice!”
Lopez’s former World of Dance host Jenna Dewan remarked, “Ohhhhhhh my goodness (sic),” as her Second Act co-star Vanessa Hudgens posted, “Omg (oh, my God) ammmmmmmmmmmmazzzzinggg (sic)”.
“Absolutely amazing,” added dance DJ Steve Aoki.
J.Lo had previously been considering giving Emme her own moment in the spotlight on tour after hearing her daughter belt out a pitch-perfect rendition of Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You last month (May19).
The kid’s dad, fellow entertainer Marc Anthony, also recently revealed he would be fully supportive of the pre-teen, who has a twin brother named Max, if she decided to follow her parents into the music industry.
“Music was a big part of my life growing up and I hope it does the same for (Emme) as it has done for me,” he told iHeartRadio. “And if that is what she wants to do… well, she should do it because she likes it, not because she has to. Not for fame, or popularity, or for likes.”
“I asked Emme, ‘Why do you sing?’ And she said because she feels good… It’s the best response,” he added.
Lopez, who will mark the age milestone in late July (19), will continue her It’s My Party: The Live Celebration shows in San Diego, California on Monday night.
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Ortiz shot in the back at close range but recovering. The suspect has been taken into custody.
Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was hospitalized Monday after being wounded in an ambush at a Dominican Republic bar, authorities said.
Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo on Sunday night when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range, Dominican National Police Director Bautista Almonte said.
Police said Ortiz was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery and was in stable condition.
David Ortiz was shot from behind Sunday night. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
Leo Ortiz, the 10-time All-Star’s father, told reporters his son was out of danger and there was no damage to his major organs. He said he has no idea why someone would shoot his son.
“He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting,” Leo Ortiz said. “Big Papi will be around for a long time.”
According to TMZ Sports, Ortiz told doctors: “Please don’t let me die. I’m a good man.”
The Red Sox released a statement on Ortiz, saying they offered his family “all available resources to aid in his recovery” and they will continue to keep them in their hearts.
The alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment for the injuries he suffered at the hands of the crowd before questioning him. The man’s identity wasn’t released.
Investigators were still trying to determine whether Ortiz was the intended target. Two other people were wounded in the shooting, including TV host Jhoel Lopez. Ortiz and Lopez were wounded by the same bullet, authorities said.
Lopez suffered non-life threatening injuries. The third person wasn’t identified and their condition wasn’t released.
Authorities said Ortiz was in stable condition after the shooting. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
