After crashing into the pop culture consciousness via an Instagram post that showed the very married T.I. smacking her ass, Bernice Burgos was put on many people’s “DO NOT LIKE” lists from the jump.
This scarlet letter she received for being perceived as a mistress and a homewrecker was something she complained about publicly, like in this 2017 interview with The Breakfast Club. But honestly, once Tip and Tiny patched things up their marriage, Bernice fell off of most people’s radars.
Well, in 2019, it looks like Bernice Burgos is ready to pull a Mimi Faust, because new pictures have emerged on both her and rapper Young M.A.’s Instagram accounts that show the two of them getting friendly and cozy.
First up, Young M.A. refers to Bernice as her Valentine’s Day “chocolate.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt4XbUmgXjs/
Bernice follows up by showing off her gamer side, as she and Young M.A. gleefully throw down while playing video games. (Update: Bernice has since deleted the photo, but here’s a screenshot.)
Beyond the two posts, there isn’t really much to go on. So there is the possibility that they’re “just friends,” but given Bernice’s track record of “friendships,” my hunch is that she’s letting Young M.A. mow her lawn, trim her hedges and shampoo her carpet.
But hey, live and let live. If Bernice makes Young M.A. happy, more power to her. She just needs to pursue a better come-up strategy with Young M.A. than the one that she rolled out with T.I., cause that really blew up in her face and did her no favors.
Kids have “crushes” in kindergarten and that’s fine, as usually there’s little meaning to that crush other than wanting to play together, or, at best, hold hands and let that person cut in front of you at the water fountain line.
And sometimes, parents joke about their friends’ kids being potential future mates for their kids, which is still kind of creepy but can be managed in a way that’s playful and moreso said in jest.
And then there’s Consequence, who you might remember most recently from a stint a few years back on Love & Hip Hop New York, but is most famously known as Kanye West’s ghostwriter/collaborator. Honestly, the title depends on whether the two are beefing or on speaking terms. Which, you never know where things will stand between the two at any given moment as their relationship has been a volatile roller coaster.
The good news is Ye and Consequence seem to have been on good terms more recently, and as a result, Consequence and his son, Caiden Mills, have been invited to hang around Ye and his family a lot more. Which is great! Friends reinforcing or reigniting bonds is beautiful. But the creepy part comes in the fact that Consequence is aggressively trying to push his son on us as a new Bow Wow, but we really don’t want it.
Last year, Caiden did a stunt YouTube video where he did his own take on Nicki Minaj’s “Barbie Dreamz” which is already a take on Biggie’s “Dreamz.” It was cute, and it did result in him meeting up with the Head Barb herself, but it also didn’t have record labels clamoring to sign him.
So now, Consequence’s new tactic appears to be the famewhore route.
Kanye and Kim’s daughter North West is being used by Consequence to play the part of Caiden’s girlfriend on an Instagram account that Caiden obviously isn’t managing himself. Whoever is behind the account, either Consequence himself or his baby mama Jen the Pen, needs to cut it out because these kids aren’t able to consent to these kinds of games being played with their names and their reputations.
The first North West shout-out on Caiden’s IG page started in mid-January as Caiden was “recording” an album. In the video and on the song, he says “Shout out to Northie, baby girl I’ll see you soon.”
Which, in all honesty, isn’t too bad. If we’d left it at that, there’d be no problem. However, the online courtship only ramped up from there and got even more aggressive and creepier.
On Feb. 6, the same line is repeated in a new IG post with Caiden looking tired and over the damn forced photo opp as he sits there with a green Tiffany bag between his legs. The implication, of course, being that he’s bought a Tiffany gift for his “baby girl” North.
If the implied message with the Tiffany bag was too subtle for you, ANOTHER post showing Caiden pretending to negotiate and buy said jewelry for North was posted as well.
Sir or Madam running this Instagram account, we know a 7-year-old ain’t buyin’ no damn Tiffany for a 5-year-old. What is you doing?
Things are chill for a few days, but the North West-Caiden Mills shipping initiative continues when Caiden shows up at a birthday party for North’s cousin Stormi (Kylie & Travis’ daughter) where he, of course, runs into North.
Ah. Playdates. That’s a perfectly logical thing to document and it doesn’t have the creepy sexualization vibe of all those other posts.
But wait, this kind of common sense is too good to be true because the creepy Prince Charming act is laid on thick again on Valentine’s Day when Caiden is holding a Tiffany once again and a box of chocolates, with the implication being that they’re for his “girlfriend,” North.
I really hope for Caiden’s sake that his parents are unsuccessful in pushing him to be the child star they’re so desperate for him to become
Let the children just be children and stop trying to turn them into mini-adults and stop trying to sexualize babies with adult mating rituals.
It’s gross and it’s unnecessary, and North West is nobody’s prize cow to give away to no damn body, and certainly least of all Consequence’s daggone son. (No offense, Caiden, but your daddy has a track record of leaving a sour taste in many people’s mouths).
The self-proclaimed Pied Piper of R&B may have thought he got away with it the last time, but a new sex tape and new allegations could do the much maligned singer in this go round.
Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, claims to have provided law enforcement with a sex tape that features a 14-year-old girl, getting pee’d on and having sex with R. Kelly, according to CNN.
If that routine sounds familiar, it’s because that’s precisely what was said to have been documented on the sex tape featuring Sparkle’s then 14-year-old niece way back in the early 2000s.
But with the renewed outrage and anger at R. Kelly at the forefront of the public’s mind, thanks to the Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly—which revealed in great detail R. Kelly’s track record sex abuse and manipulation of women and more specifically, minor women—this second go-round could finally put the nail in Kelly’s coffin.
Avenatti put forth a statement on Twitter detailing his role in the case. It reads in part: “The VHS videotape of Mr. Kelly depicts him engaging in multiple sexual assaults of a girl fourteen years of age. On this tape, Mr. Kelly engages in oral, anal and vaginal sex with the young girl in two separate rooms in his home on two separate days… Critically, Mr. Kelly and the victim also verbally refer to the girl as only being 14 on multiple occasions on the video.”
Below please find a second stmt relating to our investigation of R. Kelly. As a father of two teenage girls myself, I have the utmost faith and confidence in Ms. Foxx and her staff to ensure justice is done. pic.twitter.com/nlvPt4W7Dn
Jim DeRogatis, the journalist who broke the last string of R. Kelly sex tape allegations for The Chicago Sun-Times, followed up on the allegations in a story for The New Yorker. He claims that an indictment based on the new sex tape and victim is likely imminent, according to his sources.
A videotape from the R. & B. superstar R. Kelly’s past may soon lead to his indictment in Illinois, according to a senior law-enforcement official. The video shows the singer sexually assaulting an underage girl, the official and two other sources familiar with the tape said.
More importantly, DeRogatis’s reporting suggests we can expect an arrest shortly as well.
Foxx would not comment, but a law-enforcement official said that an indictment is pending and Kelly could be arrested soon.
As exciting as this might be, we should hold off until Robert’s in jail and until we know more about the details of the case.
If R. Kelly’s proved anything, it’s that he knows how to wiggle his way out of a legal jam. But if this really is Robert’s Bill Cosby moment, we’re gonna need a whole lot of champagne ready to toast his pedophiliac ass off to the slammer.
A mother who carried her dying daughter to term so that her tiny organs could be donated to other children in need called the situation “a huge heartbreak,” but also said she’s glad her baby was able to give “two other babies a second chance at life.”
At some point during her pregnancy, 23-year-old Krysta Davis and her boyfriend Derek Lovett were told by doctors that their baby girl had been diagnosed with a rare, fatal brain condition called anencephaly, which is described by the CDC as “a serious birth defect in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull.”
Instead of terminating her pregnancy, Davis decided to carry her daughter to term because doctors said that if the baby made it, she could save the lives of other children through organ donation.
Davis and Lovett’s daughter, Rylei Arcadia Diane Lovett, was born on Christmas Eve and was only given 30 minutes to live.
“It was definitely shocking,” Davis told People magazine. “It was a huge heartbreak knowing that we’d miscarried previously and were having complications with this pregnancy. It was really hard to take in.”
But instead of living for only 30 minutes, Rylei defied the ods and lived for an entire week, a welcome gift to her parents.
“Having a week with her was more than we could have ever expected or imagined,” Davis told People. “We were able to fit an entire lifetime of love into that one week with her that wasn’t promised to begin with. She just smiled the whole time. She was such a good baby.”
Despite Rylei’s short life, she will be able to help other children. Her heart valves were given to two children and her lungs were donated to a research hospital, People reported.
“No matter how she was ‘different,’ she was the most beautiful little girl in the world to me,” Davis wrote in a message on Facebook. “Even when she came out with her little face all bruised up from coming out star-gazing. I miss you, little frog.”
“It’s been really hard coming to terms with the fact that she’s really gone. But it’s also been a great month that we’ve got to share her story,” Davis told . “It’s helped a lot to be able to help other women in our situation, and hear their stories. It warms our hearts to know that [Rylei’s life] will give two other babies a second chance at life.”
Rap fans have some serious questions after rap newcomer YNW Melly was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing two members of his YNW crew.
The 19-year-old Florida rapper, whose real name is Jamell Demons, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder stemming from the October 26, 2018 shooting of 21-year-old Anthony Williams (aka YNW Sakchaser) and 19-year-old Christopher Thomas Jr. (aka YNW Juvy) near Fort Lauderdale.
Another associate of Demons, 20-year-old Cortlen Henry (aka YNW Bortlen), was also arrested in connection with the killings.
According to the Miramar Police Department, Demons shot Williams and Thomas Jr., and Henry staged the crime scene to make it look like the men were killed in a drive-by shooting. Investigators said forensic evidence proved that Demons and Henry were behind the shooting death of the two rappers.
Police said Henry drove Williams and Thomas to Miramar Memorial Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival. “They arrived with multiple gunshot wounds. They were dead already,” Miramar police spokeswoman Tania Rues said.
Florida police said Henry provided them with a “statement …however, the facts during the preliminary investigation did not match what was presented to detectives.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjDJbLpA2JN/
Like Demons, Henry was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, and he was also charged with two counts of accessory after the fact. Henry was arrested in Houston last month before being extradited to Broward County on Tuesday (Feb. 12).
Demons turned himself in to police on Wednesday (Feb. 13) after posting a message on Instagram proclaiming his innocence.
“To all my fans and supporters no I did not get locked up in Washington, but I am turning myself in today I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all, a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice.. unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me and my brother @ynw.bortlen and we want y’all to remember it’s a ynw Family I love you @ynwsakchaser1 and @ynwjuvy #freeus”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt12J3ygMWw/
Which brings us to the most important question surrounding this case. If YNW Melly really did shoot and kill two of his friends: WHY?!?
Police have yet to release a motive in the shooting, nor have they revealed if they even know what prompted it.
For what it’s worth, Demons’ attorney, Bradford Cohen, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel a few days after the shooting that Demons was “sad” and “upset, obviously” over the death of his two “best friends.”
The day after the shooting, YNW Melly posted a personal message to his friends via Twitter that read: “They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy… I know y’all watching over me… it’s #ynw4l and after, they wanna see me break down and stop or in jail or a box but my niggas still need me they parents need me they family need me till we meet again my slimes.”
They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy ?? I know y’all watching over me ??? it’s #ynw4l and after ????, they wanna see me break down and stop or in jail or a box but my niggas still need me they parents need me they family need me till we meet again my slimes ? ? pic.twitter.com/wuKuhulqAW
Meanwhile, some hip hop fans aren’t convinced that Melly (Demons) and Bortlen (Henry) weren’t behind the shooting that claimed the lives of their fellow YNW crew members.
Among comments advocating for Melly’s freedom on his IG post, one person wrote: “Lmao y’all saying free the person who killed his ‘homes?’ Y’all sick.” Another wrote: “Boy you killed them. Bye.”
“Y’all be saying ‘FREE YOU’ to literally anything… the man murdered his best friends and y’all don’t think he deserves time? Let him be a big boy and face his consequences,” said another commenter.
A woman who said she was the aunt of Sakchaser (Williams) wrote on one of YNW Bortlen’s most recent posts (from January) saying that he and Melly “killed Sak and Juvy.. They set them up! They some f**k boys.. They new names bout to be melvina and courtisha! NO DEMONS SHALL PROSPER! Long live SAK AND JUVY!”
YNW Melly broke onto the hip hop scene with his gold-certified single “Murder on My Mind.”
Back in August, Fader covered the rapper in a lengthy feature titled “How YNW Melly turned his pain into beautiful rap ballads.”
Melly, born Jamell Demons, was raised in Gifford, a small Florida town 150 miles north of Miami on the Atlantic coast. “It’s a little country,” he explained. “We just got a damn Popeyes.”
While the southern part of Florida has become a hotbed of rap talent in recent years, Gifford, with its population of 10,000, is an unlikely location to birth a national star. As Melly tells it, it’s the sort of place people don’t leave. “Ain’t nobody ever made it outta there. Period,” he said. “We had one NFL player made it out, but he brought his ass right back. Lost souls out there… ‘cept for the people I’m with.”
Growing up, Melly idolized Michael Jackson and closely watched videos of the pop star’s performances, studying his dance steps and, more than anything, the way he could move a crowd.
“He was perfect to me,” he said. “I liked the way he carried himself, how humble he was, and the reaction people had towards him. I wanted people to have that same reaction when they saw me.”
In eighth grade, he recorded his first-ever song at a friend’s house after school, using a microphone held up by coat hanger with a wave cap over it to condense his voice.
From there, he started uploading songs to SoundCloud and posting snippets on his Facebook, quickly making a name for himself around his small hometown with bouncy freestyles that showed a noticeable Young Thug influence. But his local fame — along with his flashy sartorial choices — also brought unwanted attention. “When you into fashion and dressing, people are gonna judge you and try to test you,” he said.
The feature went on to describe Melly’s troubled past:
At 16, Melly was involved in a shootout near his high school. No one was injured; he was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of discharging a firearm in public, according to a local news report.
It was during a year-long jail sentence that he began taking his songwriting seriously, penning song after song that he put out upon his release. One of them, “Murder On Mind,” a piano-laced first-person narrative of Melly’s darkest thoughts as he sits in his jail cell, became a regional hit.
But the second verse, in which he describes a murder, caught the attention of the state attorney, who read it aloud in court. Though he said they brought up other petty infractions, Melly contends it was the lyrics that landed him back in jail for violating his probation.
In many of his songs, Melly sharply contrasts lyrics about violence and trauma with bright production and soulful melodies.
On “Slang That Iron,” he flips Chris Brown’s slow-rolling breakup anthem “Say Goodbye” into a self-protection ballad, “4 Real” finds him alternating between serenading his girl and threatening to empty a clip, and “Virtual (Blue Balenciagas),” the second song he dropped after his release from jail in March, has an unreasonably catchy hook about getting red blood on his blue shoes.
For Melly, these seeming contradictions between theme and sound are a way to bring more listeners into his world in Gifford and what he’s experienced there.
“A lot of different rappers, don’t get me wrong, they good at what they do,” he said. “Sometimes the music is too gangsta for me, though. I had to bring that feeling to where everyone can relate to it.”
Right before his interview with Fader was published, Melly signed a recording contract with Young Thug’s YSL label.
On September 28th, he posted a photo of himself with J. Cole and Young Thug on Instagram, writing in the caption: “If dese niggas say I’m up next I know its written 4 show !! & Oh yea I’m YSL btw … SLATT #YNW4L”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoQ6dqdg1TV
He also recently released the video for his new single with Kanye West “Mixed Personalities.”
The rapper’s “We All Shine” tour, in support of his latest project of the same name (released Jan. 18), kicked off in late January and the remaining 5 dates have since been postponed due to his unfortunate incarceration.
Neither Young Thug nor Kanye West have spoken about YNW Melly’s arrest and allegations.
21 Savage will speak out for the first time since his release from ICE detainment in an interview with Good Morning America.
According to Complex, the rapper will discuss a number of topics, including how he ended up being arrested and detained by ICE officials, what it was like spending nine days in an ICE detention facility and more.
Savage will also reportedly talk about a 77-year-old he met behind bars who inspired him to the point where he wants to help the man regain his freedom and then finance his time in a retirement home.
In a newly released preview of the candid discussion, the “A Lot” rapper tells ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis that he believes he was “definitely targeted” by ICE. Savage, recalling what happened, revealed that he was in a state of confusion throughout the whole ordeal.
“I don’t even know, I was just driving and I just seen guns and blue lights,” he said. “And then I was in the back of a car and I was gone.”
The 26-year-old rapper also told Davis that the officers never told him he was under arrest. “They didn’t say nothing,” he recalled. “They just said, ‘We got Savage.'”
21 Savage (real name: Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph), who was actually born in the United Kingdom, was arrested on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 3) after it was determined that he was in the United States illegally after he, according to officials, failed to renew his visa which expired in 2006, the year after he immigrated to the U.S. with his family.
The rapper’s mother, Heather Joseph, posted a lengthy message on Instagram Wednesday (Feb. 13). thanking everyone—fans, celebs, politicians and attorneys alike—for supporting her son.
“So Very Thankful…to all the wonderful Fans of 21Savage, and forever grateful for the amazing vigorous hard work of Attorney’s Charles ‘Chuck’ Kuck, Dina LaPolt, Alex Spiro, Tia Smith, Sally Velazquez, Danielle Price, Abbie Taylor & To all the other amazing Attorney’s..to Congressman Henry C. ‘Hank’ Johnson, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez & each and every politician or public figure that stepped up and presented letters and made statements in defense of my son.
“To Jay Z, Cardi B, Offset, J Cole, Metro Boomin, Kei, Justin and all the many many other amazing people who either spoke out and/or offered comforting words of support…To the amazing Publicity team who together worked tirelessly to keep the facts out there, to make it possible to have national awareness of his situation and helped to gather tremendous support from wonderful people from all walks of life..
“We are truly thankful and forever humbled…THANK YOU”
Always quick to point out when black celebrities are out here “cooning” for the white man (see: Kanye West “sambo” comments), T.I. has set his sights on Floyd Mayweather after the pro boxer said he would not be participating in any boycott against Gucci.
On Tuesday (Feb. 12), Mayweather told TMZ Sports he didn’t care about the boycott because he does what he wants.
“I’m not no follower, I do what the f**k I wanna do,” the boxing champ said while on a shopping spree with his crew at the Gucci store in Beverly Hills.
“You know when everybody else, they say, ‘Everybody gonna boycott?’ I say, guess what, this boy gonna get on a yacht and live life,” he added.
Thursday evening (Feb. 14), T.I. dropped a diss track aimed at Mayweather called “F**k N***a.” The cover art of the new track shows an image of Mayweather with Gucci’s infamous blackface sweater photoshopped over his face.
T.I. raps on the track: “Damn it must suck to be a fuck nigga. Ol’ greedy ass nigga only thinking bout his self. They get the fame, then get the wealth. But people is struggling, who did you help? People is struggling, who did you help? Who did you help, fuck nigga?”
For weeks, Empire star Jussie Smollett has kept up the narrative that he was viciously attacked in Chicago by pro-Trump supporters in an apparent hate crime. Now, local media reports claim that police investigating the incident believe that the whole thing was staged.
Chicago police raided the home of two “persons of interest” Wednesday night (Feb. 13), CBS Chicago reported. A relative of the “persons of interest,” two men, said police took bleach, shoes, electronics, receipts and other items from the home.
This information is according to family who says home was ransacked. I asked family why they think police picked the two brothers up for questioning and they replied by saying the men left for #Nigeria the day of the attack. @cbschicago
The two men, both of Nigerian descent, have appeared as extras on Empire, and their attorney, Gloria Schmidt, said that they both know Smollett.
“They do know Jussie,” she said. “They have worked with him on Empire. My preliminary investigations show that on set it’s very tight. They’re all very cordial with each other, so they’re baffled why they are people of interest.”
The relative who was home Wednesday night during the raid said she heard a loud banging at the door before the door came crashing down and officers burst in saying they had a search warrant.
The woman, who is in her 20s, said she was patted down by an officer and was asked if she knows Smollett. The unidentified woman said she was “so scared” she thought she was going to die. She said she was confused by what was going on, but did know Smollett was from the show.
The woman said she thinks police picked the two brothers up for questioning because of their loose connection to Smollett, and the men left for Nigeria the same day of the attack.
An attorney for the two men said they were visiting family in Nigeria and were picked up at Chicago’s O’Hare airport Wednesday night. Police confirmed Smollett himself was also questioned at CPD Area Central Thursday.
According to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, police “are investigating whether Smollett and the two men staged the attack allegedly because Smollett was being written off of ‘Empire.'”
A spokesman for Chicago police, however, said those reports are unconfirmed, and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said they will continue to treat Jussie Smollett as a victim and the investigation remains ongoing.
Additionally, reps for Smollett said reports that he was being written off Empire are not true.
Twentieth Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment said in a statement: “The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of EMPIRE is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him.”
All charges have been dropped against the Marshall High School Student who was tased and punched by Chicago police officers during an incident at the school last month, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Three Chicago police officers were seen on video punching and tasing a 16-year-old female student. The disturbing footage shows the officers subduing Dnigma Howard, a black student, by repeatedly using a stun gun on her and striking her with a closed fist.
The incident happened after Howard was suspended the morning of Tuesday, January 29th after getting into an argument with an assistant principal.
When she reportedly refused to leave the building, the officers said she kicked, bit and spit on them, and eventually caused the three of them to fall down a flight of stairs. The teen and the arresting officers were taken to two different hospitals following the confrontation to be treated for their injuries.
Dnigma’s account of events is completely different from the story police told Cook County prosecutors though.
The teen told the Chicago Sun-Times that she wasn’t asked to leave the building before officers grabbed her.
And though she admitted to biting a female officer’s hand (the same officer she said struck her several times), Dnigma said she and an officer fell after she was pushed by one of the cops, and she grabbed the officer’s vest as she was tumbling down the stairs.
The incident rekindled the discussion over what role, if any, police should play on K-12 campuses.
Howard was charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer and two misdemeanor counts of resisting and obstructing a peace officer, however, the state of Illinois ultimately decided not to pursue those charges.
“I’m relieved. I’m ready to get back to school,” Dnigma told reporters after her hearing at Cook County Juvenile Court on Wednesday, February 6th. She acknowledged she “was wrong” for the role she played in the incident, but said she was simply defending herself against the police’s aggressive actions towards her.
Dnigma’s father, Laurentio Howard, said he too was pleased with his daughter’s charges being dropped.
“I’m very satisfied,” Mr. Howard told reporters after the hearing. “This process has been stressful, but I know I have a strong support system in my family that helped us get through this whole situation.”
Chicago police, however, weren’t so happy with the state’s decision to drop the charges against the teen. The police union slammed prosecutors in a statement, saying that they were “shocked and outraged” over the decision.
“This decision is one more example of Kimberly Foxx’s administration refusing to protect police officers in favor of offenders,” said the Fraternal Order of Police in Cook County.
Even though things turned out well for his family, Mr. Howard is still against having police officers in schools.
“Even though I’m happy that [the officers] are gone, who’s to say it won’t happen again when new officers take their place,” he said before the hearing. “That’s what we want to sort out.”
Federal data shows that arrests by school police officers affect black students disproportionately. Even though Black students only make up about 15% of school enrollment nationwide, 30% of them are either arrested or referred to law enforcement at school.
Because her charges were dropped, Dnigma Howard is now allowed to return to school, but her dad said he wasn’t sure whether she would go back to Marshall High or find a new school.
Tamar Braxton made it known early on that she wanted to win Celebrity Big Brother, and she did just that.
After a dozen contestants battled it out for weeks on live TV, Tamar Braxton came out victorious as the winner of Season 2’s Celebrity Big Brother.
Wednesday night (Feb. 13), it came down to former NFL superstar Ricky Williams and R&B singer/reality TV veteran Tamar Braxton, but ultimately Tamar secured enough votes from her former houseguests to take the victory. In fact, she secured ALL of the votes, making her win unanimous.
Not only did Tamar walk away with $250,000, but her win was also historic, as she is the first African American EVER to win Big Brother here in the U.S. and she’s also only the second person ever to win a U.S. Big Brother season unanimously.
Tamar spoke to Entertainment Weekly about her big win and what she plans on doing with her prize money: she’s buying a new house for her and her son to live in.
“Well, right now, I’m in an apartment. I just … I don’t even know if I’m divorced. [Calls out to the room] Does anybody know?”
PERSON WITH TAMAR ANSWERS: “No, you’re not.”
“[Laughs] Okay, when everything went down with [being let go from] The Real, a lot of things changed. And, unfortunately not really in my favor.
“But, I’m grateful for the person that I’ve become from all the hardships that I’ve been through. And the growth that I have received from all the changes that has been made.
“And so my son and I are going to be moving to a house. And every day he asks me to go back to his old house and that’s just not available to him anymore.
“And I promised him a month and a half ago before I moved into the house that mom will be working hard to not replace it, but build towards our future and getting us a new house.
“Because we do live in an apartment and that’s nothing that I’m ashamed of. Sometimes you’ve just got to start over to start right.”
Naturally, Black Twitter was elated that one of us finally won Big Brother, with some pointing out that it happened during Black History Month.
Congratulations to the first black winner of Big Brother Tamar Braxton?????????????????? Happy Black History Month ???????????? #CBBUS2pic.twitter.com/2TzAe0AC5X
TAMAR BRAXTON NOT ONLY BECAME THE FIRST BLACK WINNER OF BIG BROTHER BUT SHE MADE THIS SEASON ENTERTAINING, BROUGHT THE DRAMA, WON ALL TWISTS, WON COMPS, PLAYED AN AMAZING GAME AND BROKE THE FIRST PERSON IN CURSE. GOD IS GOOD pic.twitter.com/Pocnp1VMww
A black female. Just beat a historical record. She didn’t win 7-0… oh no, baby she won 9-0. Three competition wins and a secret power she didn’t need to use. Tamar Braxton will go down in history as one of the best Big Brother winners ever. Period. #CBBUS2
NBA YoungBoy and his baby mama posed for these interesting mugshots after they were arrested in Atlanta Monday afternoon (Feb. 11).
According to the police report, the 19-year-old Louisiana rapper—who also goes by the rap name YoungBoy Never Broke Again (real name: Kentrell DeSean Gaulden)—and a female companion named Starr Thigpen were in a hotel room at downtown Hyatt location that “supposed to be unoccupied.”
When housekeeping entered the room, YB allegedly told Thigpen to get them out, and that’s when Thigpen attacked one of the maids, striking her in the face, TMZ reported.
Police said the fight spilled into the hallway before the housekeeper eventually ran away and called 911. When police arrived, both YoungBoy and Thigpen were arrested.
The pair were taken the City of Atlanta jail and charged with disorderly conduct and possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. They were released on bond the next morning.
When police released YoungBoy and Thigpen’s mugshots, fans had a lot to say, especially about Thigpen.
“Why she look like that?” asked one user on Instagram. “They look like before and after crackhead mugshots,” wrote another. Another fan wrote: “He looks crazy & she looks like [a] damn crackhead.”
One fan wrote on Twitter: “Maid put them paws on her.” Another noted: “She looks like a damn zombie! what happened to her eye?!”
This isn’t NBA YoungBoy’s first run-in with the law. In early 2017, he was arrested on two counts of attempted first-degree murder for his role in a nonfatal 2016 drive-by shooting in Baton Rouge.
He later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault with a firearm. During his August 2017 sentencing, where he was given a suspended 10-year prison term and put on active supervised probation for three years, a prosecutor called him “a threat to society and the safety of others.”
A few months later, in February 2018, he was arrested in Tallahassee, Florida on aggravated assault and felony kidnapping charges. When police ran his record, they discovered he was a fugitive from Georgia for allegedly committing assault, weapons violations and kidnapping.
Starr Thigpen is one of the rapper’s four baby mamas. According to her Instagram, she’s a mother of three and owns an online hair business.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoU-JQohERZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtMSuVHnRWg/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtG7rwlHKUg/
NBA YoungBoy is only 19 years old and already has three children of his own (including the one with Thigpen, pictured above), with one more on the way from his ex-girlfriend Jania Jackson.
Last August, he corrected rumors saying he was expecting his fifth child, saying that he was only on his fourth.
It looks like Jadah Blue from Black Ink Crew (New York) has a new man in her life.
After Jadah and Ted officially ended things last season on Black Ink Crew, Ted moved on with Tati, and Jadah went her separate way as well, and even allegedly got pregnant by her new boyfriend not long after.
Now, sources connected to the former VH1 star have exclusively revealed to Gossip On This that Jadah has is in another relationship, this time with Atlanta rapper Jose Guapo.
Our spies say that Jadah and Jose Guapo have been dating “on the low” for the past two months after initially meeting on Instagram.
Last week, the ATL rapper posted two videos with Jadah on his IG stories, and we also obtained an exclusive photo of the two hugged up on a couch in what appears to be a recording studio.
As for Jadah’s pregnancy, she posted a video on IG Live last month saying she had a miscarriage and calling out BIC’s producers for being fake. She said she never worked in the shop as a receptionist and also claimed most of the people on the show are not even “Black Ink” employees.
She said her boyfriend also didn’t appreciate the fact that editors cut out her scene talking with Donna about the miscarriage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUsNKSYpIg8
However, our sources say Jadah wasn’t even pregnant to begin with.
“She was never actually pregnant, it was just some VH1 reality tv storyline,” one insider said.
Jasmine Eiland, the woman who streamed her alleged sexual assault on a dance floor on Facebook Live, is suing the Atlanta nightclub where the attack took place.
30-year-old Eiland filed the lawsuit Monday (Feb. 11) against Opera Atlanta, as well as unidentified owners, security companies and security personnel.
Eiland and her lawyer held a press conference Tuesday to announce the lawsuit, which claims that the club failed to provide adequate safety and security when Eiland was allegedly assaulted.
Eiland, who is from Illinois, said in her lawsuit that she was sexually assaulted on the dance floor and again in a secluded, off-limits area.
“Something like that should not happen in a nightclub,” Eiland’s attorney, L. Chris Stewart, told ABC 7 Chicago.
He also said that interviews with former club staff and people who were there that night revealed that the club didn’t have as much security as it was supposed to.
“It’s really a situation where they chose to choose profit over protection,” Stewart said, adding that he and Joshua Palmer, another member of Eiland’s legal team, reached out to the venue several times in an attempt to resolve things peacefully, possibly with a #MeToo event, but they were repeatedly ignored.
“We wanted to handle this peacefully and just talk,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But Stewart said the nightclub never returned any of his phone calls and didn’t respond to emails or letters.
Eiland has requested a jury trial and is seeking an undisclosed amount in punitive damages, the lawsuit filed in Fulton County says.
“The safety of all our guests is our main priority and we have always upheld the highest standard of security each night,” Opera’s attorney Bryan Knight said in a statement to the AJC Tuesday. “We have worked diligently with the Atlanta Police Department to assist with this ongoing investigation. The legal action filed today involving the club will be defended vigorously.”
Eiland went to Opera on January 19th for an August Alsina concert. While she was live streaming herself dancing, she began interacting with a male, later identified as 34-year-old Dominique Williams.
Later, she can be seen crying for help in a slurred voice, repeatedly screaming “somebody help me” and begging for Williams to “stop” as tears rolled down her face.
Williams turned himself in to police on January 29th and was charged with aggravated sodomy. He remains in custody at the Fulton County jail without bond.
Williams denies sexually assaulting Eiland. “Nothing happened to this girl,” he said in an interview a few days after the incident. “She got me in this video looking like I really did something to her. She has messages between her and her friends saying that she wasn’t raped…”
Williams accused Eiland of lying about the whole thing just to get back at her ex-husband.
“I guess they were going through something,” he said. “So, she’s doing all of that mess on social media to get back at her ex-husband. And now the sh** done went viral and got my name all in it and people got video of her dancing with several other people before me!”
Rising Florida rapper YNW Melly has turned himself in to police after a warrant for his arrest was put out for charges related to the October 2018 murder of two members of his own YNW crew.
Police said the 19-year-old rapper, whose real name is Jamell Demons, is accused of shooting and killing two of his fellow YNW crew members: 21-year-old Anthony “YNW Sakchaser” Williams and 19-year-old Christopher “YNW Juvy” Thomas Jr.
Both Williams and Thomas Jr. were suffering from severe gunshots wounds when they were driven to the Miramar Memorial Hospital by another YNW crew member—20-year-old Cortlen “YNW Bortlen” Henry—around 4:35 a.m. on October 26th. Williams and Thomas Jr. were pronounced dead upon arrival, the Sun Sentinel reported.
“They arrived with multiple gunshot wounds. They were dead already,” Miramar police spokeswoman Tania Rues said at the time.
In a tweet posted the day after the killings, Melly wrote: “They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy… I know y’all watching over me… it’s #ynw4l and after, they wanna see me break down and stop or in jail or a box but my niggas still need me they parents need me they family need me till we meet again my slimes”
They Took My Brothers From Me Over Jealousy ?? I know y’all watching over me ??? it’s #ynw4l and after ????, they wanna see me break down and stop or in jail or a box but my niggas still need me they parents need me they family need me till we meet again my slimes ? ? pic.twitter.com/wuKuhulqAW
On October 31st, Demons’ lawyer shared the rapper’s reaction to the deaths of Williams and Thomas Jr. “He’s sad, he’s upset, obviously,” attorney Bradford Cohen told the Sun-Sentinel. “Those were his best friends.”
Miramar police said an investigation found that Demons shot Williams and Thomas Jr., and Henry staged the crime scene to look like a drive-by shooting.
Henry (pictured above right) was arrested in Houston last month. He was extradited to Broward County on Tuesday (Feb. 12) and charged with two counts of first-degree murder as well as two counts of accessory after the fact.
The Miramar Police Department confirmed Wednesday night (Feb. 13) that Melly, who was also charged with two counts of first-degree murder, was in custody. They said in a statement:
“Jamell Demons, a.k.a. YNW Melly & Cortlen Henry have been arrested and charged with two counts of first degree murder. The victims, Anthony Williams & Christopher Thomas Jr., were killed on 10/26/2018.
The investigation, supported by forensic evidence, has concluded that Demons shot and killed Williams & Thomas Jr. and that Demons and Henry staged the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting.
Police didn’t provide a motive or say what prompted the shooting.
(1/2) Jamell Demons, a.k.a. YNW Melly & Cortlen Henry have been arrested and charged with two counts of first degree murder. The victims, Anthony Williams & Christopher Thomas Jr., were killed on 10/26/2018. The investigation, supported by forensic evidence, has concluded that pic.twitter.com/ArzVCLRxjd
(2/2) Demons shot and killed Williams & Thomas Jr. and that Demons and Henry staged the crime scene to resemble a drive-by shooting. pic.twitter.com/EukFxD4OEq
YNW Melly has over a million social media followers, and his most famous song, “Murder on My Mind” (above) has more than 87 million views on YouTube.
He recently released the video for his new single with Kanye West, “Mixed Personalities.” He’s signed to Young Thug’s YSL label, according to a post he shared on Instagram last September.
Before turning himself in to authorities, YNW Melly released a statement via Instagram proclaiming his innocence:
“To all my fans and supporters no I did not get locked up in Washington, but I am turning myself in today… I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all, a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want to find justice… Unfortunately a lot of rumors and lies are being said but no worries god is with me and my brother [YNW Bortlen] and we want y’all to remember it’s a ynw Family… I love you [YNW Sakchaser] and [YNW Juvy] #freeus.”
On Sunday night (Feb. 10), Cardi’s debut album Invasion of Privacy won the award for Best Rap Album at the 61st Grammy Awards, making history as the first solo album from a female artist to win that category.
After going off on Nicki Minaj fans and haters who felt like she didn’t deserve the win, she deleted her Instagram Monday, only to reactivate it just days later to announce her new Bruno Mars collaboration.
This will be the second Nicki/Bruno collab, following 2018’s “Finesse” remix.
The pastor of a church in Aiken, South Carolina has been charged with sex crimes after police say he forced himself on a teenager at a high school athletic event in Spartanburg, S.C.
49-year-old Lorenzo Renard Washington—the pastor at Mt. Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Aiken—was arrested in Greenville County on Friday (Feb. 8).
Deputies said they were alerted to the alleged incident two weeks ago. They said a Dorman High School student reported that a booster club member (Washington) had assaulted her in a concession stand at the school during an athletic event on January 22nd.
According to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, an investigator said in an incident report that Washington touched the victim over her clothes and kissed her on the neck and mouth. Police said the victim reported the incident to school officials, and they immediately contacted law enforcement.
Monday, investigators interviewed Washington. He denied the allegations, Lt. Kevin Bobo of the Spartanburg sheriff’s office told the Herald Journal.
The Aiken pastor was scheduled for another interview later in the week with police but canceled. Police obtained an arrest warrant from a magistrate. When police interrogated Washington a second time, he maintained his innocence.
Washington was booked at the Spartanburg County Detention Center and charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and second-degree attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Washington posted a $20,000 bond on Saturday and is required to wear a GPS monitoring device. He is not allowed within 1 mile of the victim. His next court appearance is April 25th.
A school district spokesperson said Washington has been issued a no trespass from all school events while the investigation is conducted.
Washington is the former pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Spartanburg County and has also preached at a church in Newberry, the Spartanburg Sheriff’s Office said.
He’s the second church leader in the Upstate of South Carolina to be arrested and charged with sexual abuse of a minor within the past 7 days.
Last Wednesday, Phillip Jerard Buckson, a married father of three, was arrested at his church in Spartanburg—Cleveland Chapel Baptist Church—after he admitted to having sex with a minor whom he also impregnated twice. Ironically, his next court date is the same as Washington’s—April 25th.
A pregnant woman who was angry that she wasn’t able to get a beef patty from a Jamaican restaurant used a baseball bat to smash the Bronx eatery’s windows, and the whole thing was captured on video.
According to the New York Daily News, workers at the Back Home #2 Restaurant told police that the woman walked into the store around 4:15 p.m. on January 15th and ordered a beef patty.
When an employee told her they had run out of beef patties and she would have to order something else, she got upset and started arguing with him, officials said.
She then stormed out the restaurant and returned moments later with an aluminum baseball bat, which she used to bash in the corner store’s two large front windows before storming off with the multi-colored baseball bat still in her hands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9szIHuyYj8o
In hopes of identifying the woman with the help of the public, police released surveillance video showing the argument as well as the moment the woman smashed the windows.
She’s described as black with a thin build and long black braided hair, police said. She was wearing a black-and-white fur hooded winter jacket, black leggings, and black-and-white sneakers at the time of the incident.
Employees at the restaurant told New York’s ABC 7 News the woman is a regular customer, and she’s had conversations with them about her pregnancy. They said she was “always cordial” until this particular incident.
BET has apologized to Nicki Minaj after they dissed her on Twitter.
Following Cardi B’s historic Grammy win for Best Rap Album Sunday night (Feb. 11), BET’s verified Twitter account posted a link to an article talking about it, and wrote a shady message about Nicki Minaj in the tweet.
“Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj is being dragged by her lacefront,” the tweet read.
The post ended up generating hundreds of comments and retweets before it was deleted, but you already know people took screenshots.
On Monday morning (Feb. 11), Nicki announced that she was dropping out of the upcoming 2019 BET Awards as well as BET Experience weekend, and she said she’s taking the whole Young Money (including the label’s founder Lil Wayne) with her. She didn’t say why, but it’s pretty obvious that it was over the tweet.
“Young Money will no longer be apart of the BET Experience or award show,” Nicki tweeted. “Summer Tour dates dropping soon.”
Young Money will no longer be apart of the BET Experience or award show. ?????? Summer Tour dates dropping soon ?
According to BET’s website, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne (along with a number of other artists) were scheduled to perform on Friday, June 21st at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with Cardi B and others performing the next day.
Nicki and Wayne’s photos were still on the lineup page as of Wednesday (Feb. 13), however, there is a disclaimer at the bottom of the page that says: “talent subject to change.”
BET has since fired the person responsible for the shady tweet and said in an apology to her and her fans that it “should never have happened,” but the damage has already been done and we doubt Nicki will change her mind.
“The respect we have for Nicki was violated by this post that should never have been written,” the network said in a statement. “The post does not reflect how we feel about Nicki. And further does not reflect our company values. We deeply apologize for the hurt, disappointment and confusion that this post has caused. We are committed to doing everything we can to address the situation.”
Here’s a truism most of us can agree with: Everybody loves Beyoncé. And honestly, when it comes to Mrs. Carter, what’s there not to love?
Another truism we can all agree with: Beyoncé doesn’t have time for everybody’s shit.
Queen Bey is an incredibly booked and busy woman. And even if she ain’t busy, her regalness is not to be dished out to just any ol’ body.
Which is why the Beyhive took great delight in mocking and poking fun at the thirsty and desperate gossip blogger, podcast host and former Love & Hip Hop Hollywood cast member, Jason Lee, as he boldly approached Beyoncé for a photo opp and conversation at the Roc Nation Grammys Brunch and she seemingly turned her back on him.
The Beyhive got the goods and spread the good cackle around on Twitter and Instagram:
Now, if you want to break the clip down, it definitely looks like Bey spotted Jason coming and quickly turned her attention to someone else to pretend like she ain’t notice him.
But unfortunately, whoever she turned to must not have engaged her for long because she soon saw herself standing face-to-face with Jason Lee as he beamed eagerly for his moment with the queen.
At that point, doing anything other than acknowledging him would’ve been noticeably rude as she was surrounded by people at the moment, and so she did what always does when a fan imposes themselves on her and acted graciously.
And you know what, kudos to Jason cause he got these great pics with Beyoncé.
Jason supposedly denied that Bey was ever trying to avoid him, according to a report from Metro.co.uk, which claims Jason posted the following on Instagram in response to Beyhive gagging at their queen paying the ghetto Perez Hilton dust.
The internet is trying me today. Y’all literally took a video I POSTED and edited it to make it look like @beyonce was running from me. Wow! Welp, let me get to work so I can talk about my amazing experience meeting the Queen of music and life! #MamaIMadeIt!
There’s no current mention of this post on Jason’s Instagram at the moment, so he either deleted it or the Metro’s account is unreliable.
It’s a shame Mona Scott-Young doesn’t have Jason on the current season of LHHH though cause can you imagine THIS moment being captured for VH1?
But you have the video for yourself, so you can be the judge: Was Bey trying to duck and dodge Jason Lee or nah?
At this point, it’s hard to dispute the fact that Blac Chyna is basically a comic book supervillain come to life. The question that remains, however, is what should her supervillain theme song be?
She’s a maneater, make you work hard, make you spend hard
Make you want all of her love
She’s a maneater, make you buy cars, make you cut cards
Wish you never ever met her at all
I mean, if that doesn’t perfectly describe what Blac Chyna did to Tyga, Rob Kardashian and that lil’ boy she was playing with, kindergartner YBN Almighty Jay, then I don’t know what else would.
The gag is, despite Blac Chyna’s WELL-KNOWN track record using famous men for a come-up, she still has a steady supply of victims lovers lining up for their dose of poison from their favorite black widow.
The latest to get in line for Blac Chyna to sink her fangs might be none other than former Love & Hip Hop Hollywood star and current bootleg-video-game-tycoon-in-the-making, Soulja Boy.
Young Drako took to his Instagram to share several pictures of he and Rob Kardashian’s baby mama gettin’ boo’d up at his Grammys party.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtwEk2TgHWw/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bty6ZpGAJGD/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtzF2ZZAR9_/
Hopefully, if Soulja Boy has real friends around him, his dalliance with Chyna doesn’t extend beyond this flirtatious moment at his party. But if he makes the mistake of getting caught in Blac Chyna’s web, we at least have to request that they get a reality TV show so we can bear witness to the guaranteed hot mess that would be.
Can you imagine the drama that would get stirred up with Soulja Boy playing stepdaddy to Tyga’s son, King, after he jumped back into the public consciousness for dissing Tyga’s splendid 2018 comeback?
Matter of fact, it wouldn’t be the first time Chyna has picked a man to court out of spite for Tyga. She bagged Rob, after all, to pay Tyga back for ditching her for Kylie. So going after Soulja Boy for yelling “Tyga?!” on Instagram would be par for the course for Amber Rose’s former gal pal.
So Soulja Boy better beware, because when Blac Chyna is schemin’ and plottin’, just know that she always gets hers.
