From NFL Critic to Halftime Kingmaker, Jay-Z May Finally Take the Super Bowl Stage

Jay-Z visits the New York state Capitol in Albany, N.Y., on May 19, 2025. The rapper reportedly is expected to headline the 2027 Super Bowl halftime show. (Photo: New York Senate Media Services/CC BY 2.0; cropped)

Jay-Z once told the NFL he didn't need its biggest stage. Seven years after going into business with the league, he reportedly is preparing to headline it himself.

The Brooklyn rapper and Roc Nation founder is expected to perform at the 2027 Super Bowl halftime show, according to Puck, a subscription-based publication specializing in insider reporting on entertainment, media and business. The outlet reported Tuesday that Jay-Z selected himself for the performance.

Deadline separately reported that a music industry source confirmed Jay-Z would headline. Neither the NFL nor Roc Nation has officially announced a performer.

ORIGINAL REPORTING | PUCK

Jay-Z Picks Jay-Z for Super Bowl LXI

Dave Brooks reports that multiple sources say Jay-Z has selected himself for the 2027 halftime show.

Source: Puck | Oct. 20, 2026

If confirmed, the booking would complete a remarkable reversal for an artist who rejected the Super Bowl before becoming one of the most influential figures behind its halftime entertainment.

In 2018, Jay-Z addressed his decision on “APESHIT,” his collaboration with Beyoncé: “I said no to the Super Bowl. You need me, I don't need you.”

The refusal came during a period of growing controversy over the NFL's treatment of players protesting racial injustice, led by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Jay-Z later described objections to the league's proposed performance conditions as another reason he declined.

By August 2019, however, Jay-Z was sitting beside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, announcing a partnership that would give Roc Nation a role in shaping the league's major entertainment events, including the Super Bowl.

FROM THE ARCHIVES | NFL

Jay-Z's Roc Nation enters partnership with NFL

The league's 2019 announcement describes Roc Nation's role in advising on major performances and supporting social justice initiatives.

Source: NFL | August 2019

The agreement also included work with Inspire Change, the NFL's social justice initiative.

The partnership drew immediate criticism from those who questioned why Jay-Z would work with the league while Kaepernick remained unsigned.

Jay-Z defended the arrangement as an opportunity to pursue change through the NFL's platform.

He also made clear that the negotiations had not begun with a desire to perform.

“First thing I said to Roger was, ‘If this is about me performing at the Super Bowl, then we can just end this conversation now,’” Jay-Z said at the 2019 announcement.

Instead, the agreement put Roc Nation in a position to help shape who would take the stage.

The company has since helped produce a succession of halftime shows featuring hip-hop and R&B stars, including Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Usher and Kendrick Lamar.

Those performances reflected a significant change for a genre that had spent decades fighting for mainstream recognition even as it became one of popular music's dominant forces.

Jay-Z remained behind the scenes.

According to Puck, that could change Feb. 14, when Super Bowl LXI takes place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

The publication reported that Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber also were considered for the performance. Representatives for the NFL and Roc Nation did not respond to its requests for comment.

The timing adds another layer to the story.

Jay-Z is scheduled to perform Friday and Saturday at SoFi Stadium as part of a yearlong celebration marking the 30th anniversary of his 1996 debut, “Reasonable Doubt,” and the 25th anniversary of “The Blueprint.”

The venue will host the Super Bowl less than four months later.

Puck's report also raises a question about the unusual relationship between the artist and the event he may headline.

Roc Nation's original agreement called for the company to advise the NFL on performer selection. Although Puck described Jay-Z as the principal decision-maker, the league's final approval process has not been publicly detailed.

For Jay-Z, 56, a halftime appearance would bring together several chapters of a career that has taken him from Brooklyn's rap scene to the highest levels of the entertainment business.

It would also return him to a stage he once said he could do without.

This time, he would arrive not just as a performer, but as someone who helped reshape the show.

Drake Sued Over ‘Janice Stfu’ by Fellow Beyoncé ‘Heated’ Songwriter

Drake is shown in a scene from the official music video for “Janice STFU.” The rapper faces a federal copyright lawsuit alleging he copied the song's chorus from another songwriter's recording. Drake denies the allegations. (Drake/YouTube)

A Grammy-winning songwriter who shares writing credits with Drake on Beyoncé's “Heated” has sued the rapper over one of his biggest hits, alleging that the chorus of “Janice STFU” was taken from a demo he submitted to producers in Drake's circle months before the song was released.
Aviel Calev Hirschfield, a Portland, Oregon, producer who records as GoodbyeCalev, filed the copyright infringement lawsuit Friday in federal court in Los Angeles against Drake, OVO Sound, UMG Recordings and Universal Music Publishing.

Drake's representatives emphatically deny the allegations.

The dispute centers on eight lines Hirschfield says he wrote and recorded in January for a song he hoped Drake would perform. According to the complaint, he sent the finished recording to several producers who had worked with the rapper, including the production duo FnZ, but received no response.

Then came May 15.

Hirschfield says he was listening to Drake's newly released album, “Iceman,” when he heard “Janice STFU” and immediately recognized the chorus.

The lyrics, melody and cadence were identical to his recording, he alleges.

The lawsuit places an unusually detailed account of the song's creation at the center of the dispute, including a drive to Seattle, a Lykke Li recording and digital files that Hirschfield says establish when his vocals were recorded.

Hirschfield alleges that hearing Li's 2011 song “I Follow Rivers” inspired him to develop a new chorus with Drake in mind. Working over an instrumental supplied by FnZ members Michael Mulé and Isaac De Boni, he completed the recording around Jan. 25.

“Janice STFU” also interpolates “I Follow Rivers,” but the complaint concerns Hirschfield's claimed original lyrics and vocal melody, not ownership of Li's song.

Drake's official music video for "Janice STFU," released May 15, 2026. A songwriter alleges that the song's chorus was copied from his earlier recording. Drake denies the claim. (Drake/YouTube)

After the release, Hirschfield's representatives supplied Drake's team with the recording and individual audio tracks, known as stems, containing metadata that he contends establishes when the work was created.

Rather than acknowledge his contribution, Hirschfield alleges, Drake's representatives questioned the authenticity of that metadata and sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding that he stop publicly claiming authorship.

Drake's camp tells a very different story.

“These allegations are categorically, unequivocally, and completely denied,” a representative told TMZ.

The representative said Drake wrote the song himself and had no knowledge of Hirschfield, calling the lawsuit an attempt to exploit the rapper's success.

That denial raises an important distinction in Hirschfield's account: Although he and Drake are both credited as writers on “Heated,” from Beyoncé's 2022 album “Renaissance,” the lawsuit does not claim Hirschfield personally delivered the disputed recording to Drake.

Instead, Hirschfield alleges that Drake had access to it through producers who received the demo.

Their connection through “Heated” is documented. Hirschfield told Portland's Willamette Week in 2023 that his manager had circulated one of his tracks before Beyoncé selected it for her album.

Another detail could become important as the case progresses.

Drake previewed an early version of what became “Janice STFU” during a September 2025 livestream, months before Hirschfield says he finished his chorus. That earlier version, titled “That's Just How I Feel,” did not appear to contain the eight disputed lines, according to a transcription published at the time.

Whether Hirschfield's recording reached Drake's collaborators, and when the disputed chorus took its final form, remain central unanswered questions.

The stakes are substantial. “Janice STFU” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent two weeks atop the chart. The lawsuit says the recording has surpassed 300 million Spotify streams.

Hirschfield is seeking damages and profits attributable to the alleged infringement, along with attorney fees. He has not specified a dollar amount.

His recording was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office effective July 21, more than two months after Drake released the song. That timing could restrict the availability of certain statutory damages and attorney fees under federal copyright law, although it does not by itself resolve the infringement claim.

The lawsuit does not seek an order removing the song from streaming platforms.

Chance Wins Legal Battle Over Merchandise Profits as Drakeo’s Estate Settles Death Case

Chance the Rapper performs at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on May 2, 2017. A Chicago judge ruled Tuesday that his former manager breached his fiduciary duties in connection with the rapper's merchandise business. (Photo by Julio Enriquez, CC BY 2.0; cropped for display)

A Chicago judge has ordered Chance the Rapper's former manager to surrender undisclosed merchandise commissions, while the estate of slain Los Angeles rapper Drakeo the Ruler has reached a settlement with festival organizers and security companies sued over his 2021 death.

A Chicago judge has ordered Chance the Rapper's former manager to surrender undisclosed merchandise commissions, while the estate of slain Los Angeles rapper Drakeo the Ruler has reached a settlement with festival organizers and security companies sued over his 2021 death.

The unrelated cases mark significant developments in two long-running hip-hop legal battles. Neither has produced a publicly established final payout: The amount Chance's former manager must forfeit remains under review, and the terms of Drakeo's estate settlement have not been disclosed.

Chance wins ruling over merchandise profits

Chance the Rapper has won another round in his nearly six-year legal fight with Patrick "Pat the Manager" Corcoran, the former friend who helped guide his rise from Chicago's independent rap scene to Grammy-winning success.

Cook County Circuit Judge James E. Hanlon Jr. ruled Tuesday that Corcoran breached his fiduciary duties by collecting undisclosed commissions from merchandise vendors while also receiving management fees tied to the same business.

Hanlon ordered Corcoran to surrender those commissions, forfeit the 15% management compensation associated with the affected merchandise transactions and transfer the ChanceRaps.com domain to the rapper by Oct. 28.

Chance's representatives estimate the forfeited management fees could total as much as $1.5 million, in addition to the vendor payments. The figure is not a final court award.

The parties have until Nov. 30 to agree on an amount. If they cannot, the judge will decide.

The ruling follows a March jury verdict that rejected Corcoran's demand for $3.8 million in unpaid commissions and royalties. The jury also found in Chance's favor on portions of his countersuit, awarding him $35.

The two worked together from 2012 until their relationship collapsed in 2020, building one of hip-hop's most prominent independent success stories without a traditional written management agreement.

Their dispute eventually turned on what Corcoran was owed after his dismissal and whether he had put his own business interests ahead of the artist's.

The latest ruling was not an across-the-board victory for Chance.

Hanlon rejected his attempts to recover compensation connected to several outside ventures, including the Ramova Theatre and UnitedMasters. The judge also declined to award punitive damages or strip Corcoran of all the compensation he earned during the relationship.

Corcoran's attorneys welcomed those limits, arguing that the court recognized the value of his work and rejected the rapper's broader financial demands.

Chance, whose legal name is Chancelor Bennett, said he was grateful to be nearing the end of the dispute and hoped to eventually share his account of what happened.

Drakeo's estate settles festival death lawsuit

In Los Angeles, a separate legal fight over the killing of Drakeo the Ruler has reached a conditional settlement nearly five years after the rapper was fatally stabbed backstage at a music festival.

A notice filed Oct. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court confirms that Drakeo's estate, administered by his mother, Darrylene Corniel, reached an agreement with Live Nation and several other companies involved in the Once Upon a Time in L.A. festival.

The settlement resolves the estate's claims, subject to specified conditions being completed within 45 days. No financial terms have been disclosed.

Drakeo, born Darrell Wayne Caldwell Jr., was 28 when he was attacked backstage on Dec. 18, 2021, shortly before he was scheduled to perform.

His estate accused the festival promoters and security contractors of failing to maintain a secure backstage area and allowing a group of attackers to reach the rapper and his entourage.

The defendants disputed the negligence allegations. The settlement does not constitute a court finding that they were responsible for his death.

The agreement also does not end all the civil litigation arising from the attack.

Claims involving Drakeo's younger brother, rapper Ralfy the Plug, and others who were backstage remain scheduled for trial Nov. 30.

The criminal investigation remains unresolved. No one has been charged with Drakeo's killing.

The estate's agreement settles a major part of the civil case, but it does not establish who killed the rapper or whether the remaining plaintiffs will prevail against the festival organizers.

Drakeo the Ruler's "Talk to Me," featuring Drake, appeared on his 2021 album The Truth Hurts. (Drakeo the Ruler/YouTube)

Man Convicted in Tupac Shakur’s Murder Gets 40 Years to Life, Three Decades After Killing

Duane “Keffe D” Davis is shown in a Sept. 29, 2023, police booking photograph. Davis was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

Duane “Keffe D” Davis spent years publicly describing his role in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur. On Tuesday, the former gang leader was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating the murder, bringing a measure of justice to the rapper's family more than three decades after the fatal shooting.

Clark County District Judge Carli Kierny imposed the sentence in Las Vegas, six weeks after a jury convicted Davis of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon.

Davis, 63, was the only person ever charged in the killing, one of hip-hop's most enduring unsolved crimes until his arrest in September 2023.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis appears in court in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, for sentencing in the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur. Davis was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. (Video: Courtroom Insider/YouTube)

Shakur's family addressed the court before sentencing, recalling a brother whose life had been cut short at 25.

His younger sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, described their mother's belief that Tupac could change the world.

“He believed her,” she told the court. “He went out in the world to do that. And I believe he would have done it.”

Their brother Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur spoke about everything Tupac never experienced, including the opportunity to have children and watch his nieces and nephews grow up.

For the family, the punishment followed 30 years of living with the consequences of a killing that became part of hip-hop history even as their personal loss remained unresolved.

Kierny rejected Davis' argument that he had left his violent past behind.

“You don't get to take a man from his family,” the judge told him. “The world never forgot about him.”

Davis will receive credit for time served since his arrest. His attorney, Michael Sanft, said he plans to appeal the conviction.

When offered an opportunity to speak, Davis did not apologize. Instead, he asked about recovering personal belongings seized by police, including photographs.

TUPAC SHAKUR MURDER CASE

30 years to a sentence

Sept. 7, 1996
Tupac Shakur is shot in Las Vegas. He dies six days later.

Sept. 29, 2023
Duane Davis is arrested and charged in the killing.

Aug. 31, 2026
A jury convicts Davis of first-degree murder.

Oct. 13, 2026
Davis is sentenced to 40 years to life.

Sources: Clark County court records and AP and Reuters reporting.

The prosecution had built much of its case around Davis' own accounts of the shooting, including interviews, statements to investigators and his 2019 memoir, “Compton Street Legend.”

Prosecutors argued that Davis organized a retaliatory attack after Shakur and members of his entourage assaulted Davis' nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, at the MGM Grand following a Mike Tyson boxing match on Sept. 7, 1996.

Hours later, Shakur was riding in a BMW driven by Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight when a white Cadillac pulled alongside the car near the Las Vegas Strip.

Someone inside the Cadillac opened fire.

Shakur was struck multiple times. Knight survived with a minor injury, but Shakur died six days later, on Sept. 13.

Davis acknowledged being inside the Cadillac and described passing a gun toward the back seat, where the shots were fired. Prosecutors said he supplied the weapon and directed the retaliation, making him criminally responsible for the murder even though he was not accused of pulling the trigger.

His attorneys maintained that his public accounts had been exaggerated or fabricated for publicity and financial gain. They also challenged the absence of physical evidence connecting Davis to the shooting.

The jury rejected that defense after a trial that revisited gang rivalries, the East Coast-West Coast rap feud and a murder investigation that remained dormant for years.

The identity of the person who fired the fatal shots has never been conclusively established in court. Anderson, whom Davis identified as the gunman, died in 1998. The other alleged occupants of the Cadillac are also dead.

For millions of listeners, Shakur remains the artist behind “Dear Mama,” “Keep Ya Head Up,” “California Love” and “Changes,” records that helped establish his voice as one of the most influential in rap.

For his family, he was a son and brother whose future disappeared on a Las Vegas street.

Davis' sentence establishes the punishment for his role in that killing. His planned appeal means the legal proceedings may continue.

But Tuesday's hearing marked a consequence his own public accounts of the murder helped bring about: After nearly three decades without a prosecution, the only man convicted in Tupac Shakur's death now faces at least 40 years in prison before becoming eligible for parole.

Court Sides With Top Dawg Entertainment in Fight Over Accusers’ Identities

The Ronald Reagan State Building in Los Angeles houses California's 2nd District Court of Appeal, which ruled Thursday in favor of Top Dawg Entertainment on a doxing claim. (Coolcaesar/Wikimedia Commons)

Top Dawg Entertainment won a significant legal victory Thursday when a California appeals court ruled that the record label could publicly identify two women who had sued its executives for alleged sexual misconduct, despite their decision to file the case anonymously.

The ruling removes a doxing claim against the influential hip-hop and R&B label but leaves the women's underlying allegations of sexual assault, harassment and unpaid work unresolved.

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of California's 2nd District Court of Appeal found that TDE's decision to name the women in a February 2025 press release was protected under state law. The women had filed their lawsuit as Jane Doe and Jane Roe but had never asked a judge for permission to keep their identities confidential.

That omission proved decisive.

PRIMARY SOURCE | CALIFORNIA COURT OF APPEAL

Luna v. Top Dawg Entertainment

Second Appellate District, Division Two
Decided Oct. 8, 2026 | Case B347645

The appeals court directed the trial court to strike the doxing claim. The underlying sexual misconduct allegations were not decided.

Read the full 12-page court ruling (PDF)

Source: Judicial Branch of California.

The court said TDE's response to the lawsuit was protected by California's anti-SLAPP law, which guards certain speech and petitioning activities against litigation. It also found that the disclosure of the women's names qualified for protection under the state's fair report privilege, which covers accurate reporting about judicial proceedings.

"TDE violated no court order or rule when it disclosed Plaintiffs' names," Justice Anne Richardson wrote for the panel.

The decision reverses a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who had refused to dismiss the doxing claim in June 2025.

TDE, the label that helped launch Kendrick Lamar's career and established SZA as a major R&B star, has been fighting the lawsuit since December 2024.

One plaintiff alleges that Brandon Tiffith sexually battered her and that fellow executive Anthony Tiffith Jr. sexually harassed her while she provided services to the company between 2019 and 2024. She also alleges she was not paid for her work.

The second woman alleges that David Harrell, identified in court documents as a TDE employee, sexually assaulted and harassed her while she lived in a company-owned home in 2020 and 2021.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

The dispute over the women's identities began after their attorneys publicized the lawsuit on Jan. 31, 2025, using the pseudonyms from their complaint.

TDE responded the following day with a statement that identified both women by name, rejected their allegations as fabricated and described the lawsuit as a shakedown. The company also claimed the women, through their attorneys, had demanded $48 million and disputed that either had been an employee.

Four days later, the women amended their complaint to accuse the label of doxing them.

The trial judge initially sided with the women, reasoning that TDE did not need to reveal their identities to defend itself publicly.

The appeals court disagreed.

What the court decided — and what it didn't

DECIDED

The disclosure of the women's names was legally protected in these circumstances. The doxing claim must be stricken.

NOT DECIDED

Whether the allegations of sexual assault, harassment and unpaid work are true. Those claims remain unresolved.

Source: California Court of Appeal, B347645, Oct. 8, 2026.

The judges emphasized that the women could have sought court authorization to proceed anonymously and might have had substantial grounds for such a request. But without that protection, the court found, their use of pseudonyms did not prevent TDE from accurately identifying who had filed the lawsuit.

The ruling does not establish that defendants are always free to identify anonymous plaintiffs. It turns on the absence of a court order, a pending request for anonymity or another applicable legal protection in this case.

Nor did the panel determine whether the original allegations were true.

Instead, it directed the trial court to grant TDE's motion to strike the doxing claim and awarded the defendants their costs on appeal.

The broader lawsuit remains unresolved, with the women still pursuing allegations stemming from their experiences with the label and people associated with it.

Tupac’s 1995 Prison Interview Gets New Release as Original Tapes Head Toward Auction

Patrick Heaphy, left, Tupac Shakur and Jason Keller are shown at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., during a 1995 interview shoot. (Courtesy LCM247)

Patrick Heaphy went to a maximum-security prison in upstate New York in 1995 to film Tupac Shakur for a concert against youth violence. More than three decades later, he is still trying to make that concert happen.

The filmmaker announced Thursday that an extended presentation of his interview with Shakur will premiere Oct. 12 on YouTube, exactly 31 years after the rapper's release from prison. He also plans to auction the original camera and recording tapes, with part of the proceeds intended to help revive the concert that first brought him to Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York.

The concert never materialized, but the interview became part of the extensive documentary record Shakur left behind before his death in 1996.

Heaphy said the original assignment took an unexpected turn almost as soon as he arrived.

TUPAC SHAKUR | ARCHIVE / 2026

One interview. Two different releases.

1995The original recording

Filmed at Clinton Correctional Facility. Footage later appeared in commercially distributed documentaries.

2026The extended premiere

Heaphy announces a new presentation, plans to auction his equipment and proposes an anti-violence concert.

Whether the new edition includes previously unseen footage remains unclear.

View the earlier documentary's library record

"Most people don't know that I went to Dannemora to film Tupac for a proposed jailhouse concert aimed at stopping youth violence," Heaphy said in Thursday's announcement.

Shakur, he recalled, greeted the crew with news that he expected to be released.

In an earlier interview with Rorschach Art Publication, Heaphy described traveling to the prison with interviewer Frank Cooley and production assistant Jason Keller. What followed was an unusually candid encounter with a rapper whose music was dominating the charts even as his legal troubles dominated headlines.

Shakur was serving a sentence stemming from a New York sexual abuse conviction. His third solo album, "Me Against the World," had debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March 1995, making him the first artist to achieve that distinction while incarcerated.

The album included "Dear Mama," his tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur, and offered a more reflective side of an artist frequently portrayed through his confrontations with police, rivals and the music industry.

Heaphy's footage captured Shakur discussing his circumstances, ambitions and experiences behind bars during a period when his career and personal life were about to change dramatically.

Shakur was released on $1.4 million bond pending appeal on Oct. 12, 1995, and joined Death Row Records. Four months later, he released "All Eyez on Me," the blockbuster double album that included "California Love" and "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted."

He was fatally wounded in a Las Vegas shooting in September 1996 and died six days later at 25.

Behind the story

Read the original announcement and the filmmaker's account of the 1995 prison shoot.

Read LCM247's October 8 announcementRead Patrick Heaphy's earlier interview

Links to original sources

Although the upcoming presentation is being promoted as an extended version of the 1995 conversation, the footage itself is not a newly discovered recording.

Material from the prison session appeared in earlier documentaries, including "Tupac vs." and "Tupac Uncensored and Uncut: The Lost Prison Tapes," the latter released in 2009 and co-directed by Heaphy and Ken Peters.

The producers have not specified how much, if any, previously unreleased footage will appear in the new edition.

The planned auction presents a separate chapter in the recording's history.

Heaphy and his production company, LCM247, say they intend to offer the original Sony camera used during the prison shoot, along with source tapes from the production. Heaphy says he has personally authenticated the camera and holds the registered U.S. copyright to the interview footage.

An auction house, sale date and estimated value have not been announced.

The filmmaker also hopes to use a portion of the proceeds and a proposed crowdfunding campaign to finance a concert featuring contemporary artists and addressing youth violence.

For now, that event remains a proposal. No performers, venue or date have been identified.

The effort would revisit an idea conceived at a particularly turbulent point in Shakur's life, when the rapper was balancing commercial success with imprisonment and speaking publicly about the conditions affecting young Black Americans.

Whether the new release offers substantially more of that conversation remains to be seen.

What Heaphy wants to accomplish with it, however, has come full circle.

"If the film, the camera and the tapes can now help us finally make that concert happen," he said, "that feels like the right next chapter."

"The Tupac Prison Interview" is scheduled to premiere Monday, Oct. 12, at 9 p.m. Eastern on LCM247's YouTube channel.

Ebony Power 100 names Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion and T.I. Music Innovators

Megan Thee Stallion performs at the Superbloom Festival in Munich in September 2022. Ebony named her among its 2026 Power 100 Music Innovators. (Valerie Albert/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Jay-Z, Megan Thee Stallion and T.I. are among the music names on Ebony’s 2026 Power 100, while some of the other best-known musicians on the list landed in categories that have little to do with chart position.

Ebony unveiled this year’s list Monday, naming the three Music Innovators alongside Gamma co-founder and CEO Larry Jackson and HarbourView Equity Partners founder and CEO Sherrese Clarke.

The rest of the music crowd is scattered across the list.

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz were named Artists in Residence. Common and Vic Mensa are Community Crusaders. Questlove is an Entertainment Powerhouse.

For readers who first knew those names from radio, CDs and music television, the categories come with some interesting job changes.

2026 POWER 100

The Stories We Shape

Ebony unveiled its 2026 Power 100 list Oct. 5, honoring figures across music, entertainment, business, sports, media, technology and community leadership. (EBONY Media Group/PR Newswire)

Ebony identifies Jay-Z as an entrepreneur and founder of Roc Nation. T.I. gets both rapper and entrepreneur. Questlove is listed as a musician, filmmaker and author. Common is identified as a rapper, actor and activist.

Megan Thee Stallion gets the simplest description of the group: Grammy-winning rapper.

The list is broader than music. Debbie Allen and novelist Colson Whitehead join Keys and Swizz Beatz among the Artists in Residence. Keke Palmer and filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood are Entertainment Powerhouses alongside Questlove.

Naomi Osaka and WNBA Players Association President Nneka Ogwumike are among the Leaders in Sports. So are five New York Knicks players: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama appears in Generation Next, while streamer iShowSpeed is among the Influential Creators.

See the complete 2026 Ebony Power 100

Ebony's full list includes honorees across music, entertainment, business, sports, media, technology and community leadership.

View the official Power 100 list at Ebony

Ebony’s 2026 theme is “The Stories We Shape,” with the publication putting an emphasis on who gets to tell and control stories about Black life and culture.

“The Power 100 has always documented the people moving our culture forward,” Ebony CEO Eden Bridgeman said in announcing the list.

The 2026 Power 100 spans 10 categories.

The honorees will be celebrated Nov. 9 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. The event is being produced with Jesse Collins Entertainment, whose credits include the BET Awards, Emmy Awards and multiple Super Bowl halftime shows.

Freddie Jackson, Platinum-Selling R&B Singer, Dies at 70

Freddie Jackson appears during a 2019 interview on "Sister Circle Live." The R&B singer, whose hits included "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)" and "You Are My Lady," died Monday at 70. (Sister Circle TV via screenshot)

Freddie Jackson, whose unmistakable voice and string of chart-topping love songs made him one of R&B's biggest stars of the 1980s, has died. He was 70.

Jackson died Monday, three days after his birthday, his family announced Tuesday on his official Instagram account. No cause of death was disclosed.

The Harlem-born singer ruled R&B radio with hits including “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake),” “You Are My Lady,” “Tasty Love” and “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” collecting 10 No. 1 singles on Billboard's R&B chart and two platinum albums along the way.

His family remembered him as a “kind, generous soul” and thanked the listeners who had supported his music and performances over the decades.

FAMILY ANNOUNCEMENT

Jackson's family announced his death Tuesday on his official Instagram account. Read the family's original statement.

Jackson's rise was immediate.

His 1985 Capitol Records debut, Rock Me Tonight, produced four Top 10 R&B singles. The title track spent six weeks at No. 1, while “You Are My Lady” became his biggest crossover hit, introducing him to pop audiences without sacrificing the sound that had made him a favorite on Black radio.

Freddie Jackson performs "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)," his 1985 breakthrough hit. (Capitol Records/YouTube)

His follow-up, 1986's Just Like the First Time, kept the hits coming. “Tasty Love,” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” and “Jam Tonight” all topped the R&B chart, establishing Jackson as much more than a balladeer.

He also reached No. 1 with “A Little Bit More,” a duet with Melba Moore, and continued his run of hits into the 1990s.

Jackson's commercial success placed him among the leading male R&B singers of a period dominated by artists including Luther Vandross. But it also reflected the power of Black radio, where an artist could build a major career without achieving comparable success on the pop charts.

Jackson was keenly aware of that distinction.

In a 1988 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he discussed the pressure on Black performers to change their music in pursuit of crossover success.

“Crossover is just icing on the cake,” he told the newspaper.

Freddie Jackson performs "You Are My Lady," one of his signature R&B hits. (Capitol Records/YouTube)He was equally clear about changing musical tastes. As Keith Sweat and Al B. Sure! helped usher in a more hip-hop-influenced era of R&B, Jackson told Billboard in 1988 that he respected the emerging sound but intended to remain rooted in the traditional soul music his audience expected.

The approach continued to pay off. His third album, Don't Let Love Slip Away, produced more R&B hits, including “Hey Lover” and “Nice 'n' Slow.” The title track from his 1990 album Do Me Again also reached No. 1.

His cultural footprint stretched beyond the charts. In 2000, Big Boi name-checked Jackson and Teddy Pendergrass in OutKast's “So Fresh, So Clean,” placing two generations of soul singers in the middle of a hip-hop classic.

Born Oct. 2, 1956, Jackson began singing gospel at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church, where he met future producer and songwriter Paul Laurence. After working New York clubs and singing with the group Mystic Merlin, he recorded demos and sang backup for Moore before launching his solo career.

His breakthrough earned two Grammy nominations in 1986: best new artist and best male R&B vocal performance for “You Are My Lady.”

Jackson continued recording long after his chart dominance faded, releasing music independently and returning in 2023 with My First Love.

In 2024, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with kidney disease and partnered with the National Kidney Foundation to promote awareness. His family has not linked the illness to his death.

The family said details of memorial arrangements and opportunities for fans to honor Jackson would be announced later.

Chris Brown Says Ex Is Keeping Daughter From Him as She Alleges Threats and Harassment

Chris Brown performs at Jamaica National Stadium on Aug. 27, 2023. Brown is disputing harassment allegations made by Diamond Brown, the mother of his daughter Lovely, in an ongoing custody and child-support case. (Pelpa Time Production via Wikimedia Commons)

Chris Brown and the mother of his 4-year-old daughter are offering sharply different accounts of why the singer has gone months without seeing the child as their custody dispute expands to include allegations of threats, harassment and a request for at least $30,000 a month in child support.

Diamond Brown alleges in an Oct. 1 court declaration that Chris Brown threatened men she dated after their relationship ended and has harassed her both privately and on social media.

The singer denies the allegations.

He responded Monday on Instagram, accusing Diamond Brown of preventing him from seeing their daughter, Lovely Symphani Brown, while presenting what he called a “false narrative” to the court.

“I JUST WANNA SEE LOVELY!” Brown wrote in one of several posts responding to the allegations.

The dispute exposes directly conflicting accounts of the singer’s absence from his daughter’s life in recent months.

Diamond Brown alleges Chris Brown has not asked to see Lovely in six or seven months and has been uninterested in her attempts to arrange time between them, according to the declaration obtained by USA Today.

Chris Brown says the opposite.

“I HAVEN’T SEEN MY DAUGHTER IN 7 months,” he wrote Monday, accusing Diamond of not allowing him to spend time with Lovely.

Neither version has been established by the court.

Diamond Brown filed the Los Angeles case April 3, seeking legal and physical custody of Lovely while proposing visitation for Chris Brown. Her filing said the singer had previously acknowledged paternity through a voluntary declaration.

Chris Brown responded by asking for joint legal and physical custody.

Lovely was born Jan. 7, 2022.

Instagram Story screenshot

A CLOSER LOOK: In this screenshot from Instagram Stories, Chris Brown responds Monday to allegations made by Diamond Brown in an ongoing custody and child-support dispute involving their daughter, Lovely. (Chris Brown/Instagram Stories via screenshot)

The case has since widened beyond custody.

In her new declaration, Diamond Brown alleges the singer became angry when she began dating other men after their relationship ended about two years ago.

She alleges he made death threats against her most recent boyfriend and threatened the man’s twin brother. She also alleges third parties made threats and that similar conduct by Brown contributed to the end of an earlier relationship.

No court has ruled that those allegations occurred.

Diamond Brown also describes Brown’s behavior toward her as frightening and alleges he recently became angry with her in front of Lovely at a birthday party.

She says her attorney has asked Brown’s attorney since March to have him stop the alleged conduct.

According to TMZ, an email attributed to Brown’s attorney denied the allegations and asked Diamond Brown’s legal team for specific incidents that could be addressed.

Diamond Brown says in the declaration that she has tried to avoid seeking a domestic violence restraining order.

She is not requesting one in the current filing.

“I feel that I have been living under siege,” she wrote, according to USA Today.

Money has become another major point of contention.

Diamond Brown says Chris Brown agreed to pay $7,000 a month but alleges he sometimes deducts money from that amount. She is now asking the court for at least $30,000 a month in child support, along with full payment of certain additional expenses for Lovely, including medical costs, insurance, school tuition and extracurricular activities.

She is also seeking $350,000 in attorney and accounting fees.

Diamond Brown reports earning about $1,500 a month as a social media influencer and esthetician and contends that Chris Brown has not turned over financial records she says are necessary to determine support.

She estimates his net worth at more than $50 million but acknowledges in the filing that his actual income remains unknown, according to USA Today.

A separate income-and-expense declaration reported by TMZ lists Diamond Brown’s current monthly expenses at about $8,400 and proposed expenses exceeding $45,000.

That figure is not her requested monthly child-support payment.

Chris Brown disputes her characterization of what he provides.

He said Monday that he pays for two vehicles, her housing and Lovely’s schooling and medical expenses in addition to $10,000 a month.

“There is no 50/50 co parenting,” Brown wrote. “I LITERALLY PAY FOR EVERYTHING.”

The singer said those payments are documented and accused Diamond Brown of trying to provoke him into giving her material to use in court.

Diamond Brown, meanwhile, argues that the support being provided is insufficient for their daughter and alleges Brown has delayed efforts to obtain financial information in the case.

Bill Withers Publisher Sues Music Giants Over Olivia Dean’s ‘I’ve Seen It’

Bill Withers, left, is shown in a 1976 Columbia Records publicity photograph. Olivia Dean performs at BST Hyde Park in London on July 6, 2025. Mattie Music Group, doing business as Bleunig Music, alleges Dean’s “I’ve Seen It” copies protectable elements of the melody of “Just the Two of Us,” which Withers co-wrote with Ralph MacDonald and William Salter. Dean is not a defendant in the lawsuit. (Columbia Records/Public domain; Raph_PH/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; composite image modified from originals)
A music publishing company founded by Bill Withers has gone to federal court over one of his best-known songs, alleging that a track by Grammy-winning singer Olivia Dean repeatedly copies the melody of “Just the Two of Us.”

Mattie Music Group, doing business as Bleunig Music, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles against Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing (US) LLC and Kobalt Music Publishing America.

Dean is not a defendant.

Neither is either of her co-writers, Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang.

Instead, the lawsuit targets companies involved in the recording, publishing and commercial exploitation of “I’ve Seen It,” the closing track on Dean’s 2025 album, “The Art of Loving.”

Mattie alleges the song copies “Just the Two of Us” in large and significant part, including repeated use of what the complaint describes as its protectable melody.

According to the filing, representatives of the publisher listened to Dean’s song several times in early August and reached what they called an “obvious and inescapable” conclusion that it copied the earlier composition.

The company then hired musicologist Alexander Stewart, Ph.D., to compare the songs.

Mattie says Stewart conducted a preliminary musicological analysis, searched for similar earlier material and found substantial similarities in protectable musical expression.

What the seven-page complaint does not include is Stewart’s analysis.

There is no musical notation comparing the songs, no measure-by-measure breakdown, no timestamps identifying the disputed passages and no copy of his report.Mattie says it sent written notice to all four defendants on or about Aug. 17, identifying the copyright registration, Dean’s song and the musical similarities it believed infringed its rights.

LISTEN: Olivia Dean — “I've Seen It”

LISTEN: Grover Washington Jr. featuring Bill Withers — “Just the Two of Us”

The lawsuit alleges the companies continued reproducing, distributing, licensing, performing and commercially exploiting “I’ve Seen It” afterward.

No court has determined that the song infringes “Just the Two of Us.”

Billboard reported that representatives for UMG, Sony and Dean did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Kobalt representative declined to comment.

The history of the song at the center of the case makes the dispute more complicated than the shorthand description of “Just the Two of Us” as a Bill Withers classic might suggest.

The recording originated with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and appeared on his 1980 album, “Winelight,” with Withers singing lead.

Withers shares the songwriting credit with Ralph MacDonald and William Salter.

Released as a single in 1981, “Just the Two of Us” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. MacDonald, Salter and Withers won the 1982 Grammy Award for best rhythm and blues song.

Withers was also unusually candid about how he entered the collaboration.

“I came in after the foundation was already there,” he told American Songwriter.

Withers recalled that MacDonald and Salter already had a demo when they approached him about singing it. He said he wanted to improve the words, memorably describing the existing lyrics as wearing overalls and his revisions as an attempt to put them in a tuxedo.

“I wasn’t the genesis” of the song, Withers said.

That history does not by itself determine Bleunig’s rights in the composition.

It is nevertheless particularly interesting here because Mattie’s lawsuit focuses not on Withers’ lyrics but on alleged copying of the song’s melody.

The complaint says Withers was under contract with Bleunig when he co-wrote “Just the Two of Us” and describes Mattie as a copyright proprietor of the composition.

Bleunig is one of three publishers credited on the song, along with Antisia Music and BMG Ruby Songs. Neither of those companies joined the lawsuit.

Bleunig is not a company that bought its way into the Withers catalog decades later.

Withers founded Golden Withers Music in 1974 after deciding he wanted greater control over his songwriting rights, according to Mattie Music Group’s company history. He established Bleunig in 1978 as he expanded his publishing interests and formed Mattie Music Group in 1997 as an umbrella for those businesses.

He named Mattie Music Group after his mother.

The company identifies Bleunig as a co-publisher of “Just the Two of Us.”

Dean arrives at the dispute from the other end of the song’s 45-year history.

“I’ve Seen It” was written by Dean, Langebæk and Wolfgang. Langebæk, Wolfgang and Zach Nahome are credited as producers.

Dean’s career has surged since “The Art of Loving” arrived in September 2025. She won the Grammy Award for best new artist in February.

Now a song from that album is at the center of a copyright case involving a composition that won its own songwriting Grammy more than four decades earlier.

Mattie is seeking an injunction, its alleged losses, profits attributable to the alleged infringement, interest, costs and attorneys’ fees.

The complaint also asks the court to allow the seizure, impoundment or destruction of copies found to infringe its rights.

It does not demand a specific dollar amount.

For now, Mattie has put its allegation before a federal judge: that a melody heard around the world for 45 years can be heard again in “I’ve Seen It.”

What it has not yet put in the public record is the musical analysis it says shows why.

Rick Ross Pleads Not Guilty After Miami Beach Arrest on Domestic Violence Charges

Rick Ross is shown in a booking photograph following his arrest by Miami Beach police. The rapper faces one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor battery count in a domestic violence case. Ross pleaded not guilty Thursday. (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation)

Rick Ross was arrested in Miami Beach early Thursday on felony and misdemeanor battery charges after a woman told police he repeatedly struck her during an Aug. 28 confrontation that she said began over an Instagram photo.

Ross, 50, whose legal name is William Leonard Roberts, was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 6:10 a.m., according to Miami-Dade jail and court records.

He faces one felony count of battery by strangulation and one misdemeanor count of battery. Court records list both charges as involving domestic violence.

Ross pleaded not guilty through an attorney during his first court appearance Thursday.

The hearing also produced an unexpected exchange after Ross' attorney asked whether his release could be expedited because of his celebrity status and said the rapper had been placed in a red jumpsuit for his safety.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy S. Glazer was unmoved.

“I have no idea who you are,” Glazer told Ross before saying he would be treated fairly like everyone else appearing before the court.

The charges stem from an alleged Aug. 28 incident.

According to an arrest report reviewed by WSVN, the woman told police Ross became angry over an Instagram photograph in which she had been tagged.

She alleged Ross slapped her in the face as he questioned her about the photograph and later struck her several times in the chest, leaving her unable to breathe.

The woman also told investigators Ross grabbed her by the ponytail and slammed her head to the ground, according to the report.

Attorney Steve Sadow said Ross is being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend and noted that the alleged incident was not reported to police until about a month later.

Ross has denied the allegations through his attorneys.

Under Florida law, battery by strangulation involves knowingly and intentionally impeding another person's normal breathing or blood circulation by applying pressure to the throat or neck or blocking the nose or mouth in a manner that creates a risk of or causes great bodily harm. The offense is a third-degree felony.

Ross' arrest came days after his former girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick, separately accused him of physical abuse in posts on Instagram Stories.

Kendrick shared an image of an injured lip that she attributed to Ross and said she had left the relationship after the alleged incident.

Authorities have not publicly identified the woman in the criminal case by name, however, and early court reporting did not establish that Kendrick's public allegations were the basis for Thursday's charges.

Ross emerged as one of Miami's biggest rap stars with his 2006 breakout single “Hustlin'” and later founded Maybach Music Group, whose roster has included prominent hip-hop artist Meek Mill and Wale, among others.

His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Stevie Wonder Unearths Four Unheard Songs From ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ Sessions

Stevie Wonder performs at the White House in Washington on Feb. 25, 2009. Wonder marked the 50th anniversary of his landmark 1976 album, “Songs in the Key of Life,” on Monday by releasing four previously unheard recordings from the album’s original sessions. (Pete Souza/Official White House Photo)

Fifty years after Stevie Wonder finished "Songs in the Key of Life," he has gone back into the vault to show there was even more music in the key.

Wonder marked the landmark album's 50th anniversary today by releasing four previously unheard recordings from its original sessions, offering a new glimpse into one of the most celebrated creative periods in popular music.

"It's Easier," "My Life Story of Love," "I Can See the Sun In Late December" and "I'm Into Livin'" make up the new four-song "Songs in the Key of Life" EP.

All four were recorded during the sessions for the sprawling double album, which was released Sept. 28, 1976.

"We've lived with 'Songs in the Key of Life' for fifty years, but there's still more to hear," Wonder said in a statement announcing the release. "We didn't add these songs to the album, but they were part of what I was feeling and discovering as we made it."

Wonder, 76, personally selected the recordings for the anniversary release. John Fischbach and Gary O Adante, two of the engineers who worked on the original album, returned to mix the previously unreleased material. Adante was credited as Gary Olazabal on the 1976 LP.

The new songs also bring back musicians whose careers became intertwined with Wonder's extraordinary run in the 1970s.

Greg Phillinganes, Michael Sembello, Ben Bridges, Jim Horn, Raymond Pounds and longtime Wonder bassist Nathan Watts are among the musicians heard on the recordings.

"I'm Into Livin'" features background vocals from Thelma Houston, Deniece Williams and Shirley Brewer. Houston was months away from taking "Don't Leave Me This Way" to No. 1, while Williams was nearing the beginning of a solo career that would produce hits including "Free" and "Let's Hear It for the Boy."

Former Supremes member Susaye Greene co-wrote "My Life Story of Love" with Wonder. Greene and Wonder later co-wrote "I Can't Help It," recorded by Michael Jackson for his 1979 album "Off the Wall."

There is even a piece of studio lore connecting the new release to the marathon sessions that produced the original album.

According to Wonder's team, the final session ended at 4:54 a.m., prompting Watts to exclaim, "Fo'FiftyFo'!" The phrase became an inside joke used around Wonder's circle to mark the end of a session.

The four recordings arriving 50 years later make that ending a little less final.

"Songs in the Key of Life" was already unusually expansive when Wonder finally released it. The original package contained two LPs and a four-song bonus EP, "A Something's Extra," after roughly two years of recording.

It entered Billboard's album chart at No. 1, making Wonder the first American artist to debut an album in the top spot, and remained No. 1 for 14 weeks.

The album produced two No. 1 singles, "I Wish" and "Sir Duke," while songs including "Isn't She Lovely," "As," "Pastime Paradise" and "Love's in Need of Love Today" became enduring pieces of Wonder's catalog.

It also completed one of the most remarkable Grammy runs in music history.

"Songs in the Key of Life" won album of the year in 1977, giving Wonder his third victory in the category in four years following "Innervisions" and "Fulfillingness' First Finale." The Recording Academy inducted the album into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry in 2005.

Wonder isn't limiting the 50th anniversary to the vault.

He will take "Songs in the Key of Life" back on the road beginning Oct. 13 in Birmingham, England, performing the album in its entirety on an 18-date tour through Europe and the United States.

The U.S. leg begins Nov. 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York and includes stops in Chicago and Washington before a two-night homecoming in Detroit on Dec. 8-9. The tour is scheduled to close Dec. 19 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Stevie Wonder • 18 Dates

“Songs in the Key of Life Performances — 50th Anniversary Tour”

Europe & United States • Fall 2026

Oct. 13

Birmingham, England
Utilita Arena

Oct. 15

Paris
Accor Arena

Oct. 18

Copenhagen, Denmark
Royal Arena

Oct. 20

Oslo, Norway
Unity Arena

Oct. 22

Stockholm
3Arena

Oct. 24

Hannover, Germany
ZAG Arena

Oct. 26

Cologne, Germany
LANXESS Arena

Oct. 28

Amsterdam
Ziggo Dome

Nov. 1

Dublin
3Arena

Nov. 3

London
The O2

Nov. 8

Manchester, England
Co-op Live

Nov. 11

Glasgow, Scotland
OVO Hydro

U.S. Dates

Nov. 19

New York
Madison Square Garden

Nov. 21

Chicago
United Center

Nov. 23

Washington, D.C.
Capital One Arena

Dec. 8

Detroit
Fox Theatre

Dec. 9

Detroit
Fox Theatre

Dec. 19

Inglewood, Calif.
Intuit Dome

1. Jay-Z Rape Accuser Recants in Federal Court, Says She Never Met Him

Jay-Z speaks during an interview with GQ released March 23, 2026. The rapper, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, discussed the sexual-assault allegation against him during the interview and maintained it was false. The woman who made the allegation said in a federal court declaration filed Thursday that she had never met Carter and that her claims against him were false. (Screengrab/GQ)

The woman who accused Jay-Z of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 now says she never met him and that her allegations were false.

In a 12-page declaration filed Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, the woman, identified as Jane Doe, said Shawn Carter, Jay-Z’s legal name, never raped or sexually assaulted her and never engaged in inappropriate conduct toward her.

“There is no truth to any of my claims against Mr. Carter,” she said in the declaration, filed under penalty of perjury.

Doe also said she received no money or promise of compensation for making the declaration.

Carter has since dismissed her as a defendant in his ongoing federal lawsuit against attorney Tony Buzbee and other lawyers involved in bringing the original case.

Doe’s current attorney, James Blair Newman Jr., said she continues to maintain that she was sexually assaulted but now acknowledges that she was wrong when she identified Carter. Newman said she apologizes to Carter and his family.

The reversal goes considerably further than Doe had before.

Her original lawsuit, filed in October 2024, accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. It initially referred to another alleged attacker only as a male celebrity.

An amended complaint filed that December named Carter.

Both men denied the allegations.

Questions about Doe’s account surfaced almost immediately. In a December 2024 interview with NBC News, she acknowledged making mistakes in her recollection while continuing to stand by the allegation.

Among the discrepancies, Doe said she encountered Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden at the party, although a representative said Madden and his brother were touring in the Midwest that night. She also said her father drove several hours to pick her up afterward. He told NBC he did not remember doing so.

Doe voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice in February 2025, preventing the same claims from being refiled.

Carter then took the fight to Doe and the lawyers who represented her.

His federal lawsuit accuses Buzbee and others of pursuing an allegation they knew or should have known was unreliable. A central part of Carter’s case is his contention that the attorneys failed to properly investigate Doe before attaching his name to an accusation of child sexual assault.

Carter’s complaint points to information he says was available before his name was added to the case, including Doe’s recent involvement in Mental Health Court and public testimony from her psychiatrist concerning multiple mental-health conditions, prescription medication and a history of hallucinations.

Those details are allegations cited by Carter as part of his argument that Doe’s lawyers had reason to investigate her account more closely. Mental-health treatment itself does not establish that someone is dishonest or that an allegation is false.

Doe’s mental health later entered the court record from her side as well. In seeking permission to continue using a pseudonym, she submitted a declaration from a psychiatrist who said publicly identifying her could destabilize her recovery and worsen her psychiatric symptoms.

Carter spoke publicly about the toll of the accusation during a GQ interview released March 23.

He said the case left him heartbroken and with “uncontrollable anger,” adding that an allegation that serious was something a person “better be super sure” about. Carter maintained in the interview that the accusation was false.

Buzbee has denied wrongdoing and disputed Doe’s latest account of how her original case was handled. He has said several lawyers interviewed her before he personally met her and that she gave them essentially the same story.

A California appeals court sided with Buzbee on a separate Carter lawsuit earlier this month.

In an unpublished Sept. 9 opinion, the three-judge panel upheld dismissal of Carter’s California case and said the evidence before it did not show that Buzbee accused Carter while knowing the allegation was false or with reckless disregard for whether it was true. The court pointed to declarations describing legal teams that interviewed Doe and said they believed her claims.

That decision came before Thursday’s declaration and involved different claims and legal standards.

The new declaration also differs sharply from an earlier, secretly recorded conversation in which investigators approached Doe at her Alabama home and said she appeared to clear Carter. Doe later said she felt intimidated during that encounter and reaffirmed her original allegation.