R&B Singer, Jewell, Dead at 54

Jewell Caples, the R&B vocalist who earned the title "The First Lady of Death Row Records" for her work on some of the iconic rap label's biggest hits, is reportedly dead at 54.

Former labelmate Daz Dillinger broke the news on Instagram.

"IM SAD THIS REALLY HURT BUT JEWELLZ PASSED THIS MORNING," wrote the rapper alongside a picture of the singer.

He added, "WOW DEATHROW FOR LIFE. WE GONE MISS HER."

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A post shared by Dazzel Dillinger (@dazdillinger)

Caples, who went by Jewell professionally, joined the label in 1992 and in subsequent years appeared on multiple platinum albums released by its roster of rap giants, including Dr. Dre's "The Chronic", Snoop Dogg's "Doggystyle," and Tupac's "All Eyez On Me."

She also found some success as a solo artist. Her cover of the Shirley Brown classic "Woman to Woman" reached No. 16 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs list in 1994.

In 2011, her self-published memoir, "My Blood My Sweat My Tears," caused controversy for encouraging rumors about Dr. Dre's sexuality — with many taking the author to be accusing the producer of being gay and her thoughts on who really murdered Tupac.

RIP Jewell ❤🕊

Her voice shined on hella classic records, including:

Let Me Ride
Who Am I? (What's My Name)
Dre Day
Foe tha Love of $
The Dream Team Is in the House
Thug Passion
Bitches Ain't Shit
I'd Rather F You pic.twitter.com/CEPkpUHUhq

— Ruben || Check the Rhyme (@checktherhyme1_) May 6, 2022

"Is he [gay]? [Laughs] Do we know for sure? Hmmm. I mean, there have been talks about back in the day with the tight, glitter pants, when he was wearing eyeliner and stuff like that," she told HipHopDX in a 2011 interview about the book. "I’m just [telling] some experiences that I went through when I was on Death Row that I’ve seen with my own eyes. So, that’s all I’ma say about it. It’s in the book. Get it. Read it. Understand it. Absorb it."

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Lionel Richie Join Packed and Diverse 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the dynamic duo whose songwriting and production skills are the driving force behind some of pop and R&B music's greatest hits over the last 30 years, are headed to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

"We are overjoyed to announce that we have been elected to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2022," the duo's official Twitter account posted following the announcement Wednesday. "Thank you so much to the voters, everyone at @rockhall and of course the fans, without whom none of this would be possible."

Originally members of Prince's opening act, The Time, they were fired for missing a gig in 1983 because they were busy producing for other acts. Nearly four decades, 16 No. 1 pop hits and 26 R&B chart-toppers later, they're joining their former mentor in rock ’n’ roll's Valhalla.

We are overjoyed to announce that we have been elected to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Thank you so much to the voters, everyone at @rockhall and of course the fans, without whom none of this would be possible. #RockHall2022 #MusicIsTheDivineArt #FlyteTyme40 pic.twitter.com/eIMPVjJv8X

— Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (@JamAndLewis) May 4, 2022

"I was shocked, quite honestly," Jam said, reacting to the group's selection to the "musical excellence" category by Hall of Fame officials, to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "As far as career recognition, it's as big as it gets to me. It's huge to me. People that are members of that club, so many of them are people I admire and love."

The hitmakers, who worked with everyone from Michael and Janet Jackson to Human League, will be joined by a lineup of equally impressive musicians, and rock notables in the class. R&B legend Lionel Richie and Harry Belafonte, who helped incorporate calypso and West Indian music into the mainstream in the 1950s, are also among the 14 acts to be inducted.

Other notables joining the hall this year include Eminem, Dolly Parton, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon and Judas Priest. The induction ceremony will be held Nov. 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. For a complete list of inductees click here.

Kidd Creole Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison for Murder

Kidd Creole, a founding member of seminal hip-hop collective Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, was sentenced to 16 years in prison Wednesday for stabbing a homeless man to death.

As we reported earlier, the 62-year-old rapper, born Nathaniel Glover, was found guilty of manslaughter last month for the death of John Jolly, a homeless New Yorker who was stabbed twice in the chest with a steak knife in Midtown Manhattan.

During the month-long trial, Glover's attorney claimed that the stabbing was self-defense, but prosecutors accused an enraged Glover of stabbing Jolly, 55, twice in the chest with a steak knife because he thought Jolly was gay and made an overture toward him.

Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Michele Rodney took issue with Glover's defense according to reporting from The New York Times.

Glover’s lawyer Scottie Celestin argued during the trial that Glover had felt threatened in part because Jolly was homeless.

“A life is a life is a life,” Rodney said, as she sentenced Glover, adding that the killing was not “somehow justified because the person is homeless.”

“Mr. Jolly’s death was devastating to his family and those who knew him,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a news release after the sentencing. “Every life we lose to violent crime ripples throughout our entire city, and we will continue to ensure everyone in our borough can live their lives with the sense of safety and security they deserve.”

Glover was a co-founder of the rap group Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. Consisting of Glover, his brother Melle Mel, DJ Grandmaster Flash, Keith Cowboy, Scorpio (aka Mr. Ness) and Rahiem, the Bronx-based group helped guide the formation of hip-hop as an art form in the late 1970s.

Their 1982 hit song, "The Message,” is one of the most influential pieces of the period, combining social commentary with catchy beats in a way that was later emulated by predecessors, such as Public Enemy and KRS-One, and remains a hallmark of rap today.

In 2007, they became the first hip-hop group to join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.