Issa Rae Brings ‘Insecure’ Anniversary Tour to 13 Cities This Fall

“Insecure: The 10th Anniversary Tour,” a 13-date fall run led by Issa Rae and showrunner Prentice Penny, with Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis and Natasha Rothwell scheduled for select appearances opens Sept. 10 in Philadelphia and closes Oct. 8 in Inglewood, California.

Ten years after Issa Dee first worked through her problems by rapping to herself in a bathroom mirror, Issa Rae is taking the stories, arguments and lingering questions of “Insecure” on the road.

Rae announced “Insecure: The 10th Anniversary Tour” on Tuesday, a 13-city run that will reunite her with showrunner Prentice Penny for live conversations about the HBO comedy that made awkwardness, friendship and the everyday lives of Black millennials worthy of prestige television.

 

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The tour opens Sept. 10 at The Met in Philadelphia and travels through National Harbor, Maryland; Detroit; Boston; Brooklyn; Montclair, New Jersey; Las Vegas; Oakland; Chicago; Atlanta; Irving, Texas; and Houston. It closes Oct. 8 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California — the city whose neighborhoods, businesses and changing identity were central to the series.

Yvonne Orji, who played Molly Carter; Jay Ellis, who played Lawrence Walker; and Natasha Rothwell, who played Kelli Prenny, are scheduled to appear on select dates. Organizers have not announced which cast members will participate in each city, so ticket buyers should not assume the full group will appear at every stop.

The live shows are expected to feature behind-the-scenes stories, candid conversations and reflections on the series’ most memorable moments and cultural impact.

Rae announced the tour with a video built around a reunion of the cast’s group chat. After Rae proposes the idea, Ellis, Orji and Rothwell quickly sign on.

“It’s ‘Insecure,’ but we’re very secure now,” Orji says near the end of the clip.

“Come see us on tour,” Rae adds.

 

Created by Rae and Larry Wilmore, “Insecure” premiered on HBO in October 2016 and ran for five seasons before ending in December 2021. The comedy followed Issa Dee and Molly as they negotiated friendship, relationships, work, ambition and the consequences of decisions that often looked much clearer after they had already made them.

The show’s appeal came partly from what it refused to do. Its Black characters did not exist solely to explain racism, carry a social message or serve as flawless examples of representation. They could be selfish, funny, petty, accomplished, confused, loyal and painfully wrong — sometimes within the same episode.

“Insecure” also treated South Los Angeles as more than a backdrop. Restaurants, apartments, neighborhood businesses, art spaces and community events became part of the story as Issa tried to build a career without abandoning the place that shaped her.

Music was just as important.

The series used contemporary hip-hop and R&B as an extension of its characters’ inner lives, placing established artists alongside records that many viewers were hearing for the first time. Solange consulted on the first season’s music, while longtime music supervisor Kier Lehman helped build later soundtracks that included SZA, Jazmine Sullivan, Miguel, Jorja Smith, Leikeli47, Thundercat, The Internet, Dreezy and others.

Songs did more than fill transitions. They carried scenes after the dialogue stopped, helped define Issa and Molly’s emotional distance and gave each season a musical identity that fans discussed alongside the show’s romances and betrayals.

 

The anniversary tour extends a reunion that began in May with “Blocc Party: An Insecure Podcast.” The weekly rewatch series features Rae and Penny revisiting individual episodes, telling stories from the writers’ room and bringing in members of the cast and crew.

A Citi cardholder presale begins Wednesday at noon local time. General ticket sales begin Thursday at noon local time through Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Most listed performances begin at 8 p.m., and several venues identify the events as restricted to guests 18 and older.

The complete tour schedule:

• Sept. 10 — The Met, Philadelphia
• Sept. 11 — The Theater at MGM National Harbor, National Harbor, Md.
• Sept. 13 — The Fillmore Detroit, Detroit
• Sept. 16 — MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston
• Sept. 17 — Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Sept. 18 — The Wellmont Theater, Montclair, N.J.
• Sept. 25 — The Palazzo Theatre, Las Vegas
• Sept. 26 — Fox Theater, Oakland, Calif.
• Oct. 1 — The Chicago Theatre, Chicago
• Oct. 2 — Tabernacle, Atlanta
• Oct. 3 — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Irving, Texas
• Oct. 4 — Bayou Music Center, Houston
• Oct. 8 — YouTube Theater, Inglewood, Calif.

“Insecure” ended with its characters growing into lives that once seemed out of reach. A decade after the premiere, Rae is reopening the group chat.

T.I. Lands One More Billboard Top 10 With ‘Kill the King’

The cover art for T.I.’s “Kill the King,” which the Atlanta rapper has described as his final album. The project debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, giving him his 13th top-10 entry on the ranking.

T.I. is leaving the album business with one more Billboard top 10.
“Kill the King,” which the Atlanta rapper has repeatedly described as his final album, debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart dated July 11. It marks his 13th career top-10 entry on the chart.

The album earned 22,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the June 26-July 2 tracking period, according to Luminate. It also opened at No. 7 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart and No. 30 on the Billboard 200.

Those numbers fall well short of the blockbuster launches T.I. delivered at his commercial peak, when “King,” “T.I. vs. T.I.P.” and “Paper Trail” each reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

But the latest debut carries a different kind of weight.

Released 25 years after “I’m Serious” introduced T.I. nationally, “Kill the King” extends a chart run that survived shifts from CDs to downloads to streaming — and from Atlanta fighting for rap-industry respect to becoming one of the genre’s dominant centers.

The 18-song album arrived June 26 through Grand Hustle and EMPIRE, nearly six years after 2020’s “The L.I.B.R.A.” It includes the Pharrell Williams-produced “Let Em Know,” which reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. The single also topped Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in March.

“Let Em Know” became T.I.’s first top-40 Hot 100 entry since 2014, giving his farewell campaign a legitimate current hit rather than leaving it to depend entirely on nostalgia.

T.I., born Clifford Harris Jr., told People that he had already been living a largely retired life since the pandemic. He said he completed one last album because disappearing without formally closing that chapter would have felt unfinished.

“I’ve gotten everything I prayed for from the game,” he said.

The title completes an idea T.I. has carried for years.

After he began publicly calling himself the “King of the South,” Outkast’s Big Boi warned him that claiming the crown would place a target on his back. Big Boi compared the music business to chess, where the objective is to kill the king. T.I. said he knew then that the phrase would eventually become the title of his final album.

The crown once invited arguments that helped fuel T.I.’s ascent. During the 2000s, he helped move Atlanta trap music into the pop mainstream without sanding away its Southern identity. “Whatever You Like” and the Rihanna-assisted “Live Your Life” both reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, while “What You Know” earned him a Grammy Award and became one of the defining records of his career.

“Kill the King” does not recreate the enormous first-week totals of that era, nor does its No. 30 Billboard 200 opening suggest that it has. Its more meaningful achievement is continuity: another R&B/hip-hop top 10 for a rapper whose first album arrived before streaming, social media and Atlanta’s complete takeover of rap’s center of gravity.

T.I. may no longer be interested in defending the title that made him a target. Billboard’s latest chart still gives the King of the South one more number for the résumé.

Jay-Z Caps Three-Night Yankee Stadium Run With Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher and More

Jay-Z performs Sunday during the “Extra Innings” finale of his three-night run at Yankee Stadium in New York. The show began shortly after midnight following a security breach that temporarily halted entry to the stadium. (Photo/Roc Nation via Instagram)

Jay-Z’s final Yankee Stadium concert began with locked gates and thousands of fans waiting outside. It ended shortly before 3 a.m. Monday with Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher and collaborators from across his career helping him close a record-setting three-night run.

A security breach outside the Bronx ballpark forced officials to temporarily stop anyone from entering or leaving Sunday night. A police source told WABC that a large group pushed and shoved its way through security checkpoints, prompting a full lockdown while authorities regained control.

Gates began reopening around 10 p.m. under heightened security and what sources described as a slow, methodical screening process. The concert had been scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., but Jay-Z did not take the stage until about 12:20 a.m. No arrests were reported.

Jay-Z apologized after taking the stage and said he chose not to begin while so many people remained outside, fearing that starting the music could cause a dangerous rush toward the entrances.

@abc7ny There was chaos at Jay-Z's third and final Yankee Stadium concert after a security breach delayed the show. #nyc #jayz #jayzyankeestadium #yankeestadium #concert #entertainment #music ♬ original sound - ABC7NY

“I had to make sure everyone was OK,” he told the crowd.

The Yankees, Roc Nation and Live Nation later issued a joint statement thanking the New York Police Department and Yankee Stadium security personnel for putting attendee safety ahead of other considerations.

Once the show finally started, “Extra Innings” became the broadest of Jay-Z’s three Yankee Stadium concerts. Unlike the first two nights, which centered on specific albums, Sunday’s finale moved freely through his catalog and the relationships that have followed him from Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects to the top of the music business.

Teyana Taylor joined him for “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” the opening song from his 1996 debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.” Jermaine Dupri appeared for “Money Ain’t a Thang,” while Jeezy performed “Seen It All” and “Go Crazy.”

🎤The show must go on! Jay-Z explains the delay behind tonights show at Yankee Stadium - says there were 10,000 people outside and had to close the doors pic.twitter.com/eqIhYdoaIr

— HipHopKlipz36 (@hiphopklipz36) July 13, 2026

Usher joined Jay-Z for “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love),” “Throwback” and “Part II (On the Run).” The-Dream appeared during “No Church in the Wild,” and Swizz Beatz accompanied Jay-Z through a stretch that included “On to the Next One.”

Rihanna delivered one of the night’s loudest moments when she emerged for “Run This Town,” then remained onstage for “Bitch Better Have My Money.” Pharrell Williams returned for a five-song run before Clipse joined them for “Grindin’.”

Beyoncé appeared later during a medley of “Drunk in Love,” “Tom Ford” and “Partition.” Fat Joe and Jadakiss helped bring the marathon show toward its close with “New York.”

The finale completed a weekend organized around two albums that marked different stages of Jay-Z’s rise.

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Friday’s opening concert celebrated the 30th anniversary of “Reasonable Doubt.” Beyoncé handled Mary J. Blige’s part on “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” Blue Ivy Carter played piano before “Feelin’ It,” and Nas, Jaz-O, Memphis Bleek and Alicia Keys joined Jay-Z during the night.

Saturday belonged to “The Blueprint,” released 25 years ago. Slick Rick joined Jay-Z for “The Ruler’s Back,” Eminem appeared for “Renegade,” and Pharrell performed five songs with him.

The show also established a Yankee Stadium concert record, selling 45,832 tickets and breaking the mark Jay-Z had set one night earlier.

The guests mattered because they were more than famous names added to a stadium bill.

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Jaz-O represented Jay-Z’s years before “Reasonable Doubt,” when the veteran rapper served as an early mentor. Nas stood beside the man he once battled in one of hip-hop’s most consequential feuds. Eminem’s appearance revived “Renegade,” a performance that has fueled rap arguments since “The Blueprint” arrived in 2001.

Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel connected the concerts to Roc-A-Fella’s peak. Dupri, Pharrell, Swizz Beatz and The-Dream represented different phases of Jay-Z’s evolution from street-level New York storyteller to crossover hitmaker. Beyoncé and Blue Ivy placed his family inside the story rather than alongside it.

The staging left room for those connections to carry the shows.

Creative director Willo Perron designed a largely bare stage backed by a massive outfield screen showing archival images from Jay-Z’s life and career. A 10-person band and an 18-piece string section supported the performances without overwhelming them.

“I think the statement piece in a Jay-Z show is Jay-Z,” Perron told Wired.

The Yankee Stadium run was originally announced as two concerts. Organizers added “Extra Innings” after the “Reasonable Doubt” and “Blueprint” shows quickly sold out.

Jay-Z will continue the “Jay-Z 30” anniversary celebration with stadium concerts Sept. 4 in London, Sept. 10 in Paris and Oct. 23 in Inglewood, California. Those shows are tied specifically to the 30th anniversary of “Reasonable Doubt,” not the full three-night New York format.

The final night nearly became a story about a security failure and a four-hour wait. Instead, after the gates reopened and the music finally started, Jay-Z finished a weekend that put his debut, his commercial peak, his family, his former rival and three decades of collaborators in the same ballpark.

The delay lasted four hours. The history took three nights.

Netflix Docuseries Executive Produced by 50 Cent Secures Three Emmy Nominations

Promotional art for the Netflix docuseries “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” is shown in this undated handout image. The project, executive produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, earned three Emmy nominations this week, including outstanding documentary or nonfiction series. The critical television recognition arrived exactly as Jackson faced a separate legal setback in a New York appellate court regarding a disputed life-rights agreement.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson spent the last two decades turning beef, television and personal history into business.

This week showed both sides of that machine.

A New York appeals court on Thursday rejected G-Unit Books’ attempt to win a default judgment against Shaniqua Tompkins, Jackson’s former girlfriend, in a breach-of-contract case tied to a disputed life-rights agreement. The same week, “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” the Netflix docuseries Jackson executive produced, earned three Emmy nominations.

It is a strange but very 50 Cent split-screen: a legal setback over who controls one woman’s story and awards recognition for a documentary about another hip-hop mogul’s fall.

The court loss came from the Appellate Division, First Department, which unanimously affirmed a lower-court ruling denying G-Unit Books’ motion for default judgment and giving Tompkins more time to answer the complaint. The case is listed as G-Unit Books, Inc. v. Shaniqua Tompkins, Index No. 654265/2025.

G-Unit Books had sued Tompkins, accusing her of breaching an agreement by posting online videos and speaking publicly about her past relationship with Jackson. Bloomberg Law reported that the company claimed the posts violated a contract connected to her life story.

The appeals court did not decide whether Tompkins breached the agreement. It ruled that G-Unit Books was not entitled to a quick win before the case was answered.

The panel said the lower court “providently exercised its discretion” in denying G-Unit Books’ motion, pointing to New York’s “strong public policy in favor of litigating matters on the merits.” The court also noted that Tompkins’ delay in answering was “only four months” and that G-Unit Books did not allege prejudice from the delay.

The appellate panel focused heavily on service. Tompkins said she did not receive the summons and complaint. The court said G-Unit Books failed to provide evidence that she lived at the addresses where service was attempted.

At one Jamaica address, a process server was told by security staff that Tompkins no longer lived in the building. At a Greene Avenue address in Brooklyn, a tenant said he did not know her, according to the appellate decision.

The court also rejected G-Unit Books’ argument that publicity around the lawsuit showed Tompkins knew about the case. The panel said Tompkins denied knowing about the lawsuit until October 2025 and that G-Unit Books presented no evidence refuting that denial. A TMZ request for comment did not prove she had notice, the court said.

The lower court ruling, which the appeals court upheld, said Tompkins had raised possible defenses to the case. Judge Robert R. Reed wrote that Tompkins disputed that the “Life Rights Agreement” was entered into voluntarily and had identified possible defenses including duress, illegality and fraud.

That does not mean those defenses have been proven. It means the case continues instead of ending by default.

While G-Unit Books lost that round, Jackson’s television business had a better week.

The Television Academy lists “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” with three Emmy nominations: outstanding documentary or nonfiction series, outstanding directing for a documentary/nonfiction program and outstanding picture editing for a nonfiction program. Jackson is listed as an executive producer on the documentary/nonfiction series nomination.

The nominated Netflix series was produced by House of Nonfiction, G-Unit Film & Television and Texas Crew Productions. Alexandria Stapleton was nominated for directing the episode “Pain Vs Love,” while the editing nomination was for the episode “Blink Again.”

Jackson celebrated the nominations on social media, writing that “everybody had something to say” when the project was announced and that “the Emmys got something to say too."

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Get Permanent Place on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Members of the Grammy-winning rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony — from left, Wish Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Layzie Bone — are shown in this undated promotional file photo. The pioneering Cleveland group was honored Wednesday with the 2,851st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Photo: Ruthless Records / File)

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Cleveland sound now has a permanent address in Hollywood.

The Grammy-winning rap group received the 2,851st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday during a ceremony at 6126 Hollywood Blvd., where friends, family, fans and fellow hip-hop veterans gathered to celebrate one of rap’s most distinctive groups.

The honor came in the recording category, more than three decades after Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone and Flesh-n-Bone turned rapid-fire flows, street harmonies and grief-soaked melody into a sound no one else could duplicate.

“Cleveland is in the house,” Jerry Newman, chair of the board of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, said as the ceremony opened.

Radio personality Big Boy hosted the ceremony, calling the day “beautiful” as fans lined the sidewalk in the July sun. He introduced the group as pioneers whose music brought national attention to Midwestern rap while helping shape the melodic, double-time style that still echoes through hip-hop and R&B.

“There’s a lot of people that pay homage and there’s a lot of sloppy carbon copies,” Big Boy said.

That was the unspoken theme of the afternoon: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony did not just make hits. They invented a lane.

Fat Joe, who spoke before the unveiling, said he had attended about 10 Walk of Fame ceremonies and had never seen a crowd spill into the street the way fans did for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

“I owe a great deal to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony,” Fat Joe said.

The Bronx rapper said the group supported him early in his career, took him on tour, appeared in his videos and stayed close through personal loss, including the death of Big Pun.

“They never acted funny with me,” Fat Joe said. “They took me on tour with them. They came to my videos. They showed up in my songs.”

Fat Joe said the moment also mattered because the five members were together, healthy and able to receive the honor in person.

“I love that the guys are all here,” he said. “They all look great.”

Ice-T followed with a speech that put the group’s legacy in the context of 1990s hip-hop, when biting another artist’s style was one of the fastest ways to lose credibility.

“I get a phone call. They say Bone Thugs getting a star. I said, ‘About time,’” Ice-T said.

He asked the crowd to pause and appreciate that the members were alive, together and receiving their flowers in public.

“Usually, you only see people like this — we only get together during bad times,” Ice-T said. “Let’s just applaud the fact that all Bone Thugs are alive, healthy and here.”

Ice-T said originality was the currency of the group’s era.

“Our era of hip-hop, you had to be original,” he said. “You could not sound like anybody else.”

When Bone Thugs-N-Harmony arrived, he said, there was no mistaking them for anyone else.

“When Bone Thugs hit the scene, they were like nothing we had ever heard,” Ice-T said. “That’s why I got to tip my hat to them.”

The group formed in Cleveland in 1991, originally performing as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e before being discovered by Eazy-E. He signed them to Ruthless Records in 1993, giving the West Coast label a group that sounded nothing like Los Angeles, New York or Atlanta.

That difference became the point.

Their national breakthrough came with the 1994 EP “Creepin on ah Come Up,” powered by “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” and “Foe tha Love of $.” A year later, “E. 1999 Eternal” made them unavoidable.

Released in 1995, “E. 1999 Eternal” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and produced “1st of tha Month,” “East 1999” and “Tha Crossroads.” The last of those, rewritten as a tribute after Eazy-E’s death, spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for best rap performance by a duo or group in 1997.

“Tha Crossroads” did something rap was still fighting to prove in the mid-1990s: It made mourning sound massive.

Bone Thugs followed with “The Art of War” in 1997, another No. 1 album that included “Look Into My Eyes” and “If I Could Teach the World.” By then, the group’s influence had moved beyond Cleveland and Ruthless Records. Their cadence, hooks and sing-rap approach were already being absorbed across hip-hop and R&B.

Big Boy called them “veterans and relevant at the same damn time.”

During brief acceptance remarks, the members thanked God, their families, Ruthless Records, longtime collaborators and the fans who stayed with them for more than 30 years.

“From the trenches to the stars,” one member said. “We’ve been through it all, through the fire and the rain. We came from a place where opportunities were way too limited. So to be here standing with my brothers is something that I don’t take for granted.”

He said the group’s mission was simple.

“All we wanted to do was share a particular sound to inspire the world,” he said.

Another member made clear that the star belonged beyond the five men whose names were being honored.

“This is everybody’s star,” he said.

That line fit the afternoon. For Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, the Walk of Fame star is not just a trophy for past sales. It is a public marker for a sound that stretched rap’s vocabulary and made Cleveland part of hip-hop’s emotional map.

The group’s records could be spiritual and menacing in the same breath. “1st of tha Month” turned a welfare-check calendar date into a celebration. “Tha Crossroads” became a funeral song and a victory lap at the same time. “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” sounded like a cipher drifting through smoke.

That influence is easier to hear now than it was to explain then. The melodic rap that later became a default language for many artists did not appear out of nowhere. Bone Thugs helped make it commercially viable without sanding off the speed, darkness or strangeness that made them special.

At the end of the ceremony, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce proclaimed Wednesday Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Day in Hollywood before the group unveiled its star.

More than 30 years after five Cleveland rappers chased a record deal to California, Hollywood gave Bone Thugs-N-Harmony a star. Cleveland gave them the hunger. Eazy-E gave them the door. Hip-hop gave them the sky.

The harmony still travels.

Jermaine Dupri Lawsuit Claims Sony Underpaid So So Def Royalties

Producer and So So Def Recordings founder Jermaine Dupri filed an $18 million federal lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment on Monday. The lawsuit alleges a systemic pattern of underreported royalties tied to foundational Atlanta hip-hop acts including Kris Kross, Xscape, and Da Brat. 

Jermaine Dupri turned So So Def into one of the most important Black music factories of the 1990s and
early 2000s. Now, he says Sony Music Entertainment owes him millions from the catalog that helped make Atlanta a permanent fixture on the Billboard charts.

Dupri, So So Def Recordings, and So So Def Productions sued Sony in federal court in New York on Monday, accusing the company of underpaying royalties tied to some of the biggest records of the era. The lawsuit seeks at least $18 million in damages, plus prejudgment interest and attorneys' fees.

The case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, turns a three-decade label relationship into a fierce fight over accounting, recoupment, and catalog money.

The complaint outlines a systematic pattern of accounting errors, alleging Sony underreported royalties, failed to report others entirely, and altered old statements.

“As it turns out, many of SME’s dealings with So So Def have not been lawful and have harmed So So Def in its business,” the complaint states. “[Sony Music Entertainment] intentionally failed to account to Plaintiffs to avoid paying millions of dollars to the Plaintiffs."

The lawsuit names a roll call familiar to anyone who listened to R&B radio in the 1990s and 2000s, including Xscape, Kris Kross, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow and Bone Crusher.

The sharpest allegations in the lawsuit involve Kris Kross, the teenage Atlanta duo Dupri discovered before their smash hit "Jump" turned backward clothing into a national uniform.

Dupri alleges Sony did not report producer or override royalties tied to the group's first two albums, "Totally Krossed Out" and "Da Bomb," until 2023. The lawsuit claims more than $2.2 million is still owed from those two albums alone.

“SME attempted to conceal all Kris Kross royalties due Plaintiffs for over 20 years in a separate royalty accounting system unknown to Plaintiffs,” the complaint states.

The lawsuit also targets the accounting for Xscape’s 1993 debut album, "Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha." Dupri’s side alleges Sony underreported more than $960,000 in producer royalties from that specific project.

Despite both of Xscape's first two albums being certified platinum, the lawsuit claims Sony still listed a So So Def account as being more than $1.5 million in the red as of June 2020, calling the discrepancy "unfathomable".

Da Brat’s historic 1994 debut, "Funkdafied," is also part of the dispute. The complaint alleges Sony withheld more than $1 million in producer royalties tied to the album, which made Da Brat the first solo female MC to be certified platinum.

The legal filing states the problems came into sharp focus following a 2025 desk audit by Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, an accounting firm frequently used in entertainment royalty disputes. Dupri and the So So Def companies allege the audit uncovered years of reporting problems, missing payments, and amended statements that only partially corrected old figures.

The lawsuit notes that Dupri’s So So Def recordings and production deals helped generate more than $200 million in gross revenue over their 32-year business relationship. The $18 million sought in the suit includes more than $10 million in interest.

Sony Music Entertainment has not yet publicly responded to the filing.

Diddy’s Pardon Push Reenters Trump’s Orbit

President Donald Trump, shown in his official 2025 White House portrait, has not announced clemency for Sean “Diddy” Combs, but the music mogul’s name has returned to private pardon discussions as Trump weighs a new round of clemency actions. 

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ name is back in President Donald Trump’s clemency orbit.

That does not mean a pardon is coming.

CBS News reported Friday that Trump is poised to pardon a group of people convicted of emissions and clean-air-related violations while still privately discussing other possible clemency moves, including Combs and other high-profile figures. According to the report, Combs and those other celebrity cases were not expected to be on the recommendations list from Trump’s pardon team.

That leaves Combs in a familiar place: close enough to power to be part of the conversation, but not close enough to know whether the door is actually open.

Combs is serving a 50-month federal sentence after a jury convicted him last year on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more serious sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, a split verdict that turned what could have been a life-sentence case into a shorter prison term — but still left one of hip-hop’s most powerful figures behind bars.

A White House official told CBS that “President Trump is the ultimate decider on any clemency related actions.”

The line matters because Combs’ case has never fit neatly into the normal legal lane. It has always carried the weight of celebrity, old New York money circles, hip-hop history, ugly trial testimony, political ego and a pardon system that often runs on access as much as argument.

Trump has been asked about Combs repeatedly since the case became a national spectacle. During Combs’ trial in May 2025, Trump said nobody had formally asked him for a pardon yet, but that he would look at the facts.

“I’d look at what’s happening, and I haven’t been watching it too closely although it’s certainly getting a lot of coverage,” Trump told reporters at the time, according to Reuters.

By October, after Combs had been sentenced, Trump said the request had come.

“A lot of people have asked me for pardons,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I call him Puff Daddy, [he] has asked me for a pardon.”
Embed from Getty Images

In January, Trump told The New York Times that Combs had asked for a pardon “through a letter,” but said he was not considering clemency then. Trump also said Combs’ past criticism made a pardon “more difficult to do,” according to Entertainment Weekly’s account of the interview.

That history is part of why the story keeps resurfacing.

Long before Trump became president and long before Combs became a convicted federal inmate, they occupied overlapping corners of celebrity Manhattan. Trump attended Combs’ 1998 Black and White Ball, where The New York Observer quoted him saying, “I don’t give a s--- about Puffy’s success. I just think he’s a good guy.”

Years later, Combs still described Trump as a friend while talking about mogul culture, race and the image of American business power.

“Donald Trump is a friend of mine, and he works very hard,” Combs told The Washington Post in 2015.

That was before the political break. By 2020, Combs had turned sharply against Trump, endorsed Joe Biden and told Charlamagne tha God that “white men like Trump need to be banished.”

Now, the relationship sits in a much different frame. Combs is no longer the Bad Boy mogul who made wealth look like a music video. He is a federal prisoner appealing his conviction and sentence, with his name appearing again in the same clemency conversation as Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees.

CBS reported Friday that Michel, who is serving a 14-year federal sentence in a foreign-influence case tied to Malaysian financier Jho Low, is also seeking a pardon. The Justice Department said after Michel’s 2023 conviction that he engaged in an illegal foreign-influence campaign using millions of dollars in foreign money.

That gives the latest pardon talk a wider hip-hop frame. This is not just one fallen mogul hoping an old acquaintance can shorten his sentence. It is another moment where rap celebrity, political access and federal punishment are sharing the same room.

Trump has done this before.

In his final hours in office in 2021, Trump granted a full pardon to Lil Wayne and commuted Kodak Black’s prison sentence. He also commuted the sentence of Death Row Records co-founder Michael “Harry-O” Harris, whose release was publicly supported by Snoop Dogg.

Those cases were different from Combs’ case, legally and publicly. But they helped establish the pattern: Trump’s clemency decisions can move through celebrity circles, personal appeals, political allies and public pressure as much as through quiet paperwork.

That is why Combs’ name returning to the discussion is news, even if it is not yet a pardon.

The facts are still narrower than the noise around them. Trump has not announced clemency for Combs. CBS reported Combs was not expected to be on the main pardon team’s recommendations list Friday. Combs remains convicted, sentenced and incarcerated while his legal fight continues.

But the door is not fully closed, either.

For an artist who helped define the shiny, ruthless ambition of late-90s hip-hop, the possibility now hangs on a very different kind of access: whether a president who once called him a good guy, later heard him become a critic, and now controls his clemency fate decides there is anything left to reward.

New HBO Docuseries 'Jaÿ-Z in 8' Anchors Sprawling Rollout Alongside '4:44' Catalog Expansion

In this promotional still rapper and entrepreneur Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter, left, converses with legendary record producer Rick Rubin across an audio console during production of the upcoming HBO original documentary series "JAŸ-Z IN 8." The eight-part archival project, announced alongside the wide streaming release of his "4:44" bonus tracks and a city-wide 30th-anniversary celebration for his 1996 debut album "Reasonable Doubt," is scheduled to debut this fall. (Courtesy HBO)

Jay-Z is celebrating the ninth anniversary of his 2017 studio album "4:44" by finally releasing the project's three bonus tracks across all major streaming platforms.

The songs — "Adnis," "Blue's Freestyle/We Family" featuring Blue Ivy Carter, and "MaNyfaCedGod" featuring James Blake — arrived on services like Apple Music and Spotify on Tuesday. The records were previously locked as physical edition cuts and Tidal exclusives.

The digital expansion arrives during a massive week of cultural domination for the Roc Nation founder.

HBO recently announced "JAŸ-Z IN 8," a new eight-part original documentary series directed by legendary producer Rick Rubin that will debut this fall. The project places Rubin in extended, intimate conversation with the artist across his music, lyrics, and life experiences. The network's promotional press materials released for the series include a telling quote directly from Carter: “The pain, you don't say it's necessary, you don't say you need it, but if it's there — you use it.”

The album's wider release also serves as a reminder of the strict discipline required during his late-career rollouts. Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, the directors behind the "Kill Jay Z" video, recently reflected on the intense secrecy surrounding the project. “We had a zero-tolerance policy on any discussion of the project, period,” the directors noted, explaining that they could not even tell their own families about the album for fear of leaks.

Simultaneously, the rapper is taking over New York City to mark the 30th anniversary of his landmark 1996 debut album, "Reasonable Doubt".

The milestone is being celebrated with immersive, dual-location pop-up activations that opened on June 25 in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with the Brooklyn installation housed at 92 Plymouth Street. The interactive exhibits, which run through July 5, offer fans a multi-sensory journey through the album's historical archival memories. To tie the milestones together, Roc Nation announced a free giveaway of the "4:44" cassette to the first 44 visitors at the Dumbo pop-up location.

The ongoing celebration leads directly into a highly anticipated, multi-night concert series at Yankee Stadium next weekend. Scheduled for July 10, July 11, and July 12, the stadium dates are designed to double as a historical victory lap.

Victor Willis, Village People Singer and “Y.M.C.A.” Co-Writer, Dies At 74

Victor Willis is shown in a promotional photo from the Village People’s “Cruisin’” album era. Willis, the group’s original lead singer and a co-writer of “Y.M.C.A.,” “Macho Man” and “In the Navy,” died Tuesday after a short but aggressive illness. He was 74.

Victor Willis, the original lead singer of the Village People and the voice behind some of disco’s most durable records, has died. He was 74.

Willis died Tuesday after a “short, but aggressive illness,” according to a statement posted to his official Facebook page by his wife, Karen Huff-Willis.

“It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband, Victor Willis,” the statement said. “The family requests privacy at this time of great loss.”

Willis was the visual and vocal center of the Village People, best known for performing as the group’s policeman and, later, in a naval officer’s uniform. But his place in music history is larger than the costume.

He was the group’s original lead singer and a key songwriter behind its biggest records, including “Y.M.C.A.,” “Macho Man” and “In the Navy.” Those songs turned the Village People into one of the defining acts of the disco era and kept Willis’ voice moving through weddings, sporting events, Pride celebrations, political rallies and dance floors for nearly 50 years.

For all the camp and theater built into the Village People’s image, Willis brought a real R&B foundation to the records. The son of a Baptist preacher, he developed his voice in church before moving through theater and eventually into the studio with French producer Jacques Morali.

That background mattered. Willis’ baritone gave the group’s biggest hits a force that could cut through the glitter. The records were fun, but they were not lightweight. The hooks worked because Willis delivered them like he believed every command.

His catalog kept him in the news long after disco’s commercial peak.

In the 2010s, Willis became a major figure in the fight over copyright termination rights, using provisions of U.S. copyright law to win back control of his share of Village People songs. The case was closely watched across the music business because it showed how legacy songwriters could challenge old publishing deals decades after signing them.

Willis also spent his later years protecting the meaning, ownership and use of the group’s music. He objected at times to the use of Village People songs in politics, later defended Donald Trump’s use of “Y.M.C.A.” and repeatedly pushed back against descriptions of the song as a gay anthem, even as the record remained deeply tied to LGBTQ culture in the public imagination.

Teyana Taylor, Clipse Win Big As BET Awards Honor Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill did not need a victory lap.

The BET Awards gave her one anyway Sunday night, and by the time Hill finished closing the show with “Everything Is Everything,” the point had been made.

The 2026 BET Awards had a first-time host in Druski and a winners list stacked with current names. Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar, Kehlani, Leon Thomas, Doechii, SZA, Olivia Dean, Michael B. Jordan and A’ja Wilson were among the artists, actors and athletes taking home trophies.

But the show’s best moments came when BET stopped chasing the present and let Black music history breathe.

Hill received the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award. Janet Jackson surprised Teyana Taylor with the Icon of the Year Award. Clipse turned a comeback run into a three-win night. Sylvia Rhone used an industry honor to warn the music business about artificial intelligence. BET also paused for a tribute to D’Angelo, whose influence still shapes the way modern R&B moves.

That was the story of the night. The winners list belonged to 2026. The show’s soul came from the people who made that list possible.

Druski, 31, made history as the youngest host in BET Awards history, passing Kevin Hart, who hosted in 2011. He opened the broadcast by descending from the rafters in a harness while a choir performed Kirk Franklin’s “Revolution,” setting the tone for a night built around comedy, spectacle, church language and Black cultural memory.

The awards themselves delivered a few clean verdicts.

Clipse won Album of the Year for “Let God Sort Em Out,” Best Group and Best Collaboration for “Chains & Whips” featuring Kendrick Lamar. For Pusha T and Malice, it was more than a nostalgia win. It was a confirmation that the duo’s return landed as one of the year’s major hip-hop stories.

Kendrick Lamar won Best Male Hip-Hop Artist. Cardi B won Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. Kehlani won Best Female R&B/Pop Artist and Video of the Year for “Folded.” Leon Thomas won Best Male R&B/Pop Artist. Olivia Dean won Best New Artist. Doechii and SZA won the BET Her Award for “girl, get up.”

Then came Taylor’s moment.

Taylor had already won Best Actress, Video Director of the Year and the Fashion Vanguard Award before Jackson walked onstage to present her with the Icon of the Year Award.

Taylor looked stunned before she reached the microphone. By the time she hugged Jackson, the award had turned into something more personal than another industry handoff.

“There will be no me without you,” Taylor told Jackson.

Taylor has spent years moving between music, film, choreography, fashion, directing and performance, often without the industry knowing exactly where to place her. BET’s honor finally treated that range as the point.
Hill’s honor carried a different kind of weight.

Introduced by Ice Cube, Hill received the first Living Legend Icon Award after a tribute that revisited the catalog that made her one of the most important artists of the last 30 years. SZA, Doechii, Lizzo, Queen Latifah, Common and Hill’s children Selah Marley and Zion Marley were among those involved in the salute.

Hill stood through the tribute smiling, singing along and applauding as other artists worked through pieces of her legacy. Then she stepped into it herself.

After accepting the award, Hill performed “Ex-Factor.” Later, she closed the show with “Everything Is Everything.”

“I fight for y’all,” Hill said.

BET also honored Rhone with the Ultimate Icon Award, recognizing one of the most important executives in modern Black music.

Presented by Kelly Rowland, the award celebrated Rhone’s barrier-breaking career, including her place as the first Black woman to lead a major record company owned by a Fortune 500 corporation. A video tribute connected her work to artists including Tracy Chapman, Brandy, Erykah Badu, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Future, Travis Scott and Tyler, the Creator.

Rhone did not use the moment just to look back.

“We make the algorithm,” Rhone said. “The algorithm doesn’t make us.”

The same point ran through BET’s tribute to D’Angelo.

His children helped open the segment before Ari Lennox, BJ the Chicago Kid, Durand Bernarr, George Clinton and RAYE honored his music. It was a reminder that D’Angelo’s reach is still easy to hear in modern soul — in the space, the swing, the church, the funk and the refusal to rush the feeling.

By the end of the night, the BET Awards had done what award shows rarely do well.

It named the current winners without pretending the current moment created itself.

2026 BET Awards

Full winners list

Clipse, Kehlani, Leon Thomas, Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar and Teyana Taylor were among the major winners during a night that also honored Ms. Lauryn Hill and Sylvia Rhone.

Music

Album of the Year

“Let God Sort Em Out,” Clipse

Best Group

Clipse

Best Collaboration

“Chains & Whips,” Clipse feat. Kendrick Lamar

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist

Kehlani

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist

Leon Thomas

Best Female Hip-Hop Artist

Cardi B

Best Male Hip-Hop Artist

Kendrick Lamar

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean

Video of the Year

“Folded,” Kehlani

Video Director of the Year

Teyana “Spike-Tey” Taylor

BET Her Award

“girl, get up.,” Doechii feat. SZA

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award

“Headphones,” Lecrae, Killer Mike and T.I.

Film, TV and culture

Best Actress

Teyana Taylor

Best Actor

Michael B. Jordan

Best Movie

“Sinners”

YoungStars Award

Jazzy’s World TV

Fashion Vanguard Award

Teyana Taylor

Pulse Award

Druski

Sports

Sportswoman of the Year AWARD

A’ja Wilson, basketball

Sportsman of the Year AWARD

Jalen Brunson, basketball

Special honors

Living Legend Icon Award

Ms. Lauryn Hill

Icon of the Year Award

Teyana Taylor

Ultimate Icon Award

Sylvia Rhone

Note: BET’s nominees page still listed Viewers’ Choice Award voting and did not mark a Viewers’ Choice winner at the time this story was checked.

Venues in Tampa and San Antonio Refuse to Block Kanye West Summer Stadium Dates

Rapper Kanye West is shown alongside the cover art for his album "BULLY". West is currently at the center of a major political standoff in Texas and Florida, where local officials have confirmed his upcoming summer stadium tour dates will proceed as scheduled despite intense public pressure and organized campaigns from lawmakers demanding their cancellation.

Kanye West is facing intense, organized political campaigns to cancel his upcoming stadium performances in Texas and Florida. However, local officials in both states have confirmed that the concerts are officially moving forward.

In Texas, San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has spent the last week actively calling for the cancellation of West's scheduled Fourth of July concert at the Alamodome. The mayor publicly condemned the artist for his history of antisemitic comments. On Tuesday evening, however, Jones conceded that she had failed to gather enough support from the city council to block the performance.

"At this point, the only way to cancel this concert is if we have a public vote," Jones said Tuesday. "And we don't have the votes."

A joint statement issued by six members of the San Antonio City Council on Tuesday outlines their refusal to cancel Ye's scheduled July 4 concert at the Alamodome. The document strongly condemns antisemitism while arguing against government censorship and highlighting that the event is projected to generate $1.7 million for the city-owned venue.

A coalition of six San Antonio city council members released a joint statement outlining their refusal to break the venue's agreement. The group stated that "the City does not endorse his rhetoric by allowing the use of a public venue, just as a public library does not endorse every book's viewpoint simply by carrying it." The council members noted that they can condemn hate "without resorting to censorship, which could set a precedent toward limiting expression based on objectionable viewpoints."

The July 4 concert is projected to generate roughly $1.7 million for the city. The Alamodome staff stated the booking was treated as a standard economic decision based on public demand and facility revenue.

A nearly identical controversy is currently unfolding in Florida. U.S. Senator Rick Scott has launched a petition and directly urged the Tampa Sports Authority to cancel two West concerts scheduled for June 26 and June 28 at Raymond James Stadium.

"Floridians DON’T deserve to see their tax dollars go to give an antisemite a megaphone," Scott posted on social media.

Despite the pressure, internal communications reveal that the Tampa Sports Authority is locked into an agreement. According to the emails, the venue agreed to contract stipulations that prevent the organization from canceling the performances based on "artist identity," "public statements," or "political viewpoints." The organization stated that while they do not condone his remarks, they must "follow the principles of free speech in operating our venue."

Clive Davis, Visionary Record Executive Who Shaped Global Pop Culture, Dies at 94

 

Record executive and music industry mogul Clive Davis speaks during the Kennedy Center Honors Gala dinner at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2, 2023. Davis, the visionary architect who built the global commercial infrastructure for 1990s and 2000s R&B and hip-hop through landmark joint ventures with LaFace Records and Bad Boy Records, died Monday at his home in Manhattan at age 94.

The legendary music executive, whose unparalleled ear and ruthless business acumen guided the careers of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, The Notorious B.I.G., and Alicia Keys, died Monday at his home in New York City. He was 94.

His longtime representative Aliza Rabinoff confirmed the death, stating that Davis passed away peacefully from age-related illness. The executive had recently been hospitalized in May with a respiratory tract infection but was released in early June. His family also released a statement on social media confirming the passing.

While history will primarily remember him as the executive who discovered and championed Whitney Houston to global superstardom at Arista Records, for 90s and 00s culture, his legacy is far heavier.

He was the one of the first executives who understood that the future of global pop music was being constructed in Atlanta and Brooklyn, and he funded the blueprints.

In 1989, Davis engineered a joint venture with L.A. Reid and Babyface to create LaFace Records. That single executive decision effectively relocated the center of the music industry to Atlanta, providing the launchpad for TLC, Usher, Toni Braxton, and Outkast to permanently redefine the sound of the 1990s.

Four years later, Davis repeated the maneuver in hip-hop. He partnered with Sean “Diddy” Combs to launch Bad Boy Records as an Arista joint venture in 1993. The move gave a young Brooklyn executive the major-label distribution machinery needed to turn The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, and 112 into an unstoppable, platinum-certified commercial empire.

When the industry shifted at the turn of the century, Davis did not lose his grip. After leaving Arista, he founded J Records in 2000 and immediately proved his instincts were still on-point. He signed a young Alicia Keys, guiding her 2001 debut studio album, "Songs in A Minor", into a multi-platinum, Grammy-sweeping juggernaut that shifted the entire trajectory of 2000s neo-soul.