Christopher Williams Representative Denies Al B. Sure's Claims Cousin is in Coma

When one of the kings of New Jack Swing, Al B. Sure, posted a picture of himself with his cousin, Christopher Williams, on Instagram yesterday, claiming the latter was in a coma it drew an outpouring of support from fans and celebrities alike for Williams, a nephew of jazz icon Ella Fitgerald, who enjoyed success on the R&B charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s with songs like "Talk to Myself,” “I’m Dreamin’,” “Promises, Promises,” and “Every Little Thing You Do.”

"Please pray for my better-looking twin brother in a coma," Sure wrote. 

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The post drew well wishes and calls for prayer from several celebrities, including Big Daddy Kane, Bill Bellamy, MC Lyte, Terry Crews, Melba Moore and many more, but by Tuesday night a statement given by a representative over Williams’ own Instagram account denied the 54-year-old singer was in coma and said he was, "resting comfortably and in stable condition," without further clarifying his medical condition.

The nature of Williams' illness has not been disclosed at this time. 

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Nas Enters the Podcast Wars With 'The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop'

Rap's unofficial poet laureate of the 90s is teaming up with the person that helped define his early musical legacy to launch a podcast that the duo believes will help close the gap between hip-hop artists and fans as it explores the ways in which the art form has influenced society over the past 50 years.

Nas, whose debut album "Illmatic," partially on strength of a then almost unheard of five-mic review (image below) from industry bible "The Source," propelled him firmly into the pantheon of hip-hop gods — is teaming up with Minya “Miss Info” Oh, who wrote the review under her former alias Shortie, to launch "The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop."

Photo Credit: "The Source" 

“This is our opportunity to go deep and explore how hip-hop went from the microphones, turntables, and sound systems to big business and a worldwide cultural phenomenon,”  said Nas of the project in a recently released teaser from Spotify and Nas' company Mass Appeal. They have partnered to bring it to fruition as part of the Hip Hop 50 campaign that Nas told Variety is, "a multi-tier initiative, created by Mass Appeal [in partnership with CBS Viacom], and we built this platform to ensure the anniversary of hip-hop is celebrated in a real iconic way, and that everybody should be involved with this."

Miss Info said working with Nas on the podcast brings their path full-circle and there's nothing more fulfilling or fun than working with the Grammy winner, but she noted that the most special thing about the podcast is the conversations. 

"Our guests open up to Nas and I, about the way they approach life, the way they reconcile their pasts, and in many cases, the shared history between Nas and these fellow artists," she said. "We’re having a blast and I think it shows.”

Astroworld Festival Mayhem Leaves 9-Year-Old in Coma

Photo Courtesy of Blount Family 

The investigation is still ongoing into what sparked the tragedy at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival Friday, where eight people died in what authorities are calling a "mass casualty incident." It seems with each passing day, however, the repercussions continue to grow from Scott's annual hometown concert. 

Hours after Harris County authorities officially released the names of the eight victims, ranging in age from 14-27, it was revealed that a 9-year-old boy was fighting for his life after attending the event with his father. 

Harris County has released the names of the 8 AstroWorld victims:
Mirza Baig, 27, HOU.
Rodolfo Peña, 23, Laredo
Madison Dubiski, 23, Cypress
Franco Patiño, 21, Illinois
Jacob Jurinke, 20, Illinois
John Hilgert, 14, HOU
Axel Acosta Avila, 21, Washington
Brianna Rodriguez, 16, HOU

— Lina Hidalgo (@LinaHidalgoTX) November 8, 2021

According to reporting from Houston's ABC13 the victim's grandfather, Ezra Blount was on his father’s shoulders watching the concert when the two got trapped in the crowd surge. Ezra’s father collapsed, and both were trampled when the crowd surged toward the main stage.

Stefania Okolie, who broke the story for ABC13, reported that the boy was initially taken to the hospital as a John Doe separate from his father. By the time family members were able to locate him they were faced with the fact the young child was in a coma after suffering major organ damage and is in a "weakened state" with swelling of the brain. 

"How could this happen in the city of Houston?" Ezra's grandfather told Okolie. "You know, when we go to concerts and different events we expect safety and security." 

It was just the latest bit of bad news for Scott, a Houston native who has tied the concert to various charitable ventures since he launched it in 2018. The singer said he was "devastated" by what happened. He issued an apology on social media, vowing to work with authorities to get to the bottom of what happened, in addition to offering to pay the funeral costs for the deceased. 

"I'm honestly just devastated and I could never imagine anything like this happening. I'm going to do everything I can to keep you guys updated and keep you guys informed of what's going on. Love you all," the "Sicko Mode" artist said in an Instagram clip the day following the disaster. He is already facing several lawsuits along with the company behind the production, Live Nation, as well as his special guest for the event, rap superstar Drake.