Three Men Arrested in Raid of NBA YoungBoy's Houston Residence

Courtesy Atlantic Records

The artist formerly known as Kentrell DeSean Gaulden continues to be a legal lightning rod.

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, born rapper better known by his stage name NBA YoungBoy is currently under house arrest in Utah awaiting trial for weapons-related charges. 

Unfortunately, being monitored by the police and in another state entirely has not kept his name out of the headlines.

Tuesday, three men were arrested, and a cache of weapons was found when authorities raided a house belonging to the rapper in Houston, which TMZ reports is where his mother resides.

According to Harris County Sheriff’s Office Senior Deputy Thomas Gilliland, the three suspects were arrested on warrants related to a shooting incident that took place in November 2021.

During the incident in November a man get shot multiple times which resulted in "permanent and life-altering injuries," according to Gilliland:

"Investigators were called to the 700 block of Barren Springs after a male complainant was shot multiple times by the three. Leads were developed and the evidence was collected."

ROYMELLO WILLIAMS                       DARYL BROWN                        CARLEON GAILEN

 

The three men arrested, Carleon Gallien, Roymello Williams, and Daryl Brown, are alleged to have committed the attack. The Harris County District Attorney's Office has charged Gallien with two counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, Williams with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, and Brown with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.

According to TMZ, while neither NBA YoungBoy nor his mother were there, the men who were arrested were said to be associates of the rapper by police. The celebrity news site also said that the weapons seized included AR-15s, pistols and long guns.

It’s just the latest in a long list of legal run-ins for the 22-year-old artist who released six independent mix tapes before hitting it big with his major labor debut for Atlantic Records in 2018. His first studio album “Until Death Call My Name” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, anchored by the lead single “Outside Today.”

In the following years, despite spending much of the time incarcerated, he followed up with two No. 1 albums. “Top” in 2020 and 2021’s “Sincerely, Kentrell” — which was released from prison and made him the third artist besides Tupac and Lil Wayne to have a chart-topping album while incarcerated and cemented his position in the rap pantheon.

He was released from jail last October after serving seven months on a $1.5 million bail, posting a $500,000 bond. Then quickly followed his release with his 17th mixtape “Colors” which was followed by an announcement from his producer Jason “Cheese” Goldberg that YoungBoy would be taking a break from music.

PSA: A select few songs probably (maybe) will drop from now until then but Top will not be seen or heard from into his album approximately #6months from now,” Goldberg wrote on Instagram. “We have some amazing songs for you thank you for everything #HealingTime #RockPeace #ForeverBro.

 

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Apple to Spotlight Black Voices During Black History Month

Photo Courtesy Apple

It is nearly that time of year again when corporate America momentarily does anything within its power to align itself with Black interest and causes. 

Black History Month is on the horizon, so it should come as no surprise that the most valuable company in the world is ready to ramp up its cultural diversity this February.

What does the first company to reach a $3 trillion market value valuation have in mind to put a spotlight on Black voices?

Well, the house that Steve Jobs built announced it is celebrating Black History Month with the release of a special edition Apple Watch Black Unity Braided Solo Loop and matching Unity Lights watch face inspired by Afrofuturism.

A release accompanying the announcement by Apple describes how the project came to fruition and what it represents in the company’s eyes to the Black community.

Designed by members and allies of the Black creative community at Apple to celebrate Black history and culture, the Apple Watch Black Unity Braided Solo Loop and matching Unity Lights watch face honors generations of Black people across the African diaspora. This design symbolizes a communal belief in the necessity for a more equitable world. The vibrant red and green colors of the Pan-African flag appear like speckled light across the black band.

That’s a lot of pressure for a $99 phone accessory for one of the most expensive phones on the market and a downloadable watch fact. Fortunately for Apple, it is not the only initiative the company is taking to spotlight Black history. 

The company says it will be “amplifying Black voices with a variety of exclusive content and curated collections” throughout February. This includes special episodes of “The Message” podcast on Apple Music 1 discussing the contributions of Black creators, whatever “workouts that honor Black History Month” are on Apple Fitness+ and much more. 

Read the full press release here to discover everything Apple has in store for Black History Month.

If you want to get a head start on the celebration and have an Apple watch or like to collect bands, the Black Unity Braided Solo Loop is available now on Apple's website.

Cardi B Awarded Millions in Defamation Suit Win Against Blogger Tasha K

VOGUE Taiwan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Jury Awards Rapper $4 Million in General and Punitive Damages 

Three years after declaring in an Instagram Live video that if a certain blogger was going to keep
harassing her and her friends and making s—t up, that she was going to take, “All your f—–g bread!” Cardi B may have not decimated Latasha Kebe financially, but the popular host of the Wino Gang Podcast stands to lose millions.

Tuesday, a day after the jury found Kebe, known online as Tasha K, and a company she owns liable for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress against the rapper, awarding her $1 million in actual damages for pain and suffering and/or reputational injury and $250,000 in medical expenses — jurors added $1.5 million in punitive damages and Cardi B’s attorney fees to that total to push the compensation owed to more than $4 million.

“After almost four years of repeated libel and slander against me, being able to walk away from this victorious brings me great happiness,” a triumphant Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almánzar, said in a statement following the victory Tuesday.

this is three years ago when Cardi B said to Tasha K
"you wanna keep making sh*t up? alright then, imma take all your fkin bread"
she literally doesn't play pic.twitter.com/GWfhZXORKu

— CardiBArchive💎💎💎 (@cardibarchive_) January 25, 2022

"During this trial, all of you have learned about the darkest time in my life," she said. "That moment in time was fueled by the vile, disgusting, and completely false narratives that were repeatedly and relentlessly being shared online. I thought I would never be heard or vindicated, and I felt completely helpless and vulnerable. I have never taken for granted the platform that my fame allows me to have, which is why for over three years I dedicated every resource I had to seek justice.”

The opposing counsel did not agree with Cardi B’s assessment of the facts, nor the conclusion reached by the jury.

“We disagree with the verdict, and we will be filing an appeal,” Kebe’s lawyer Sadeer Sabbak said in a statement Tuesday.

The legal victory has its roots in 2018 when Kebe began making “degrading and harassing statements” about her, the lawsuit says. On Sept. 19, 2018 Kebe published a video of an interview she did with a woman who said she’d known Cardi B before her music career. The video includes the “false, malicious and defamatory” statements that Cardi B was a prostitute, has herpes and had suffered outbreaks on her mouth, and used cocaine.

“None of the aforementioned statements about Plaintiff are true,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiff was never a prostitute or a user of cocaine. Plaintiff has never, and does not now, have herpes, nor has she had herpes outbreaks on her mouth.”