Rza Wants Former President Barack Obama To Deliver Wu-Tang Clan’s Rock Hall Induction

RZA, whose foundational hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan is part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2026 induction class, poses for a portrait. RZA publicly campaigned Friday for former President Barack Obama to deliver the group's induction honors this fall. (Courtesy Photo)

The Wu-Tang Clan has already secured its place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2026 class, but the Staten Island collective's de facto leader has his sights set on making the induction ceremony truly historic.

Following initial remarks made earlier this month, RZA has escalated his campaign to have former President Barack Obama officially induct the pioneering hip-hop group this fall. In an interview published Friday by Consequence, the producer and rapper made a direct, public pitch to the 44th president, emphasizing the unique cultural energy of the upcoming Cleveland ceremony.

"I don't have a lot of heroes, but Barack Obama is one of them," RZA said, noting that he hasn't formally reached out to the former president's team yet but is highly optimistic about the prospect.

He even imagined how Obama might pitch the unprecedented trip to the former first lady.

The push for Obama is not a sudden pivot for RZA. During a separate interview with Rolling Stone last week, he revealed that Obama is the only person he is a "superfan" of that he has never actually met.

"I don't have a lot of peoples' pictures on my wall," RZA explained. "I got the legends — Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Lee. And I had [Obama's] picture on my wall for a long time and my children watched that from the time of his presidency to today — watched that growth and watched that image. So I'm genuinely a fan."

If the campaign proves successful, it would not be Obama's first time acknowledging the global impact of hip-hop on the Rock Hall stage. In 2021, he inducted Jay-Z into the institution via a pre-recorded video message, cementing the genre's permanent place within the establishment.

The Wu-Tang Clan, universally recognized for fundamentally altering the business and sonic landscape of hip-hop with their 1993 debut album, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)," joins a diverse 2026 induction class. Alongside the hip-hop icons, the fall ceremony will honor R&B legend Luther Vandross, Sade, Phil Collins, Iron Maiden, and Oasis.

Whether the 44th president will take the podium to welcome the Nine Generals into the Hall remains to be seen, but the public invitation has already elevated the anticipation for the induction ceremony.

‘Drink Champs’ Host Reveals Diddy’s Behind-The-Scenes Involvement in Viral 2022 Kanye West Episode

Host Jason Lee, left, speaks with rapper and "Drink Champs" host N.O.R.E. during an episode of "The Jason Lee Show" in Los Angeles. During the interview, released April 15, N.O.R.E. revealed that Sean "Diddy" Combs personally reviewed Kanye West's controversial 2022 podcast appearance before it was published. (Screengrab: BET Networks)

As Sean "Diddy" Combs continues to fight his federal conviction, new details are emerging about the disgraced mogul's behind-the-scenes influence over one of hip-hop media's most controversial moments.

During a recent interview with Jason Lee, "Drink Champs" host N.O.R.E. revealed that Combs — who was the head of the Revolt network at the time — personally reviewed Kanye West's viral and highly inflammatory 2022 interview before it ever hit the internet.

According to the Queens rapper, Combs called him while the episode was still in the editing bay to share his thoughts on the cut. The revelation adds a heavy layer of context to the broadcast, which ultimately led to West being dropped by Adidas, Balenciaga, and CAA after he made several antisemitic remarks and inflammatory statements regarding the death of George Floyd.

Looking back at the fallout, N.O.R.E. expressed deep regret over how the final edit was handled.

"I feel like I should've took out a lot more with the Ye interview," N.O.R.E. explained. "Because Ye — at the end of the day, I felt like me and Ye was friends... I just wish I was in on the conversation a little more."

The disclosure arrives during a turbulent legal week for Combs. The Bad Boy Records founder’s legal team is currently back in court appealing his 50-month prison sentence. Combs, who was convicted last fall on prostitution-related charges, was recently transferred to FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey. According to his attorneys, the facility was specifically requested because it offers a residential drug treatment program to address the mogul's ongoing substance abuse issues.

While Combs' expected release date is currently set for April 2028, the ongoing appeals and the constant unearthing of his past industry dealings ensure his name remains at the center of the daily news cycle.

Hip-Hop Trailblazer Gwendolyn ‘Blondy’ Chisolm Passes Away in Atlanta at Age 66

FILE - In this 1980 promotional photo, members of the pioneering hip-hop group The Sequence pose for a portrait. Pictured from left to right are Cheryl "The Pearl" Cook, Gwendolyn "Blondy" Chisolm, and Angela "Angie B." Brown, later known as Angie Stone. Chisolm, who co-founded the group and helped lay the foundation for women in rap, died April 6, 2026, at age 66. (Photo: Sugar Hill Records)

Gwendolyn "Blondy" Chisolm, a pioneering force who co-founded hip-hop's first all-female rap group, The Sequence, passed away in Atlanta on April 6. She was 66.

According to her family, Chisolm died peacefully following a brief illness on Easter Sunday that led to septic shock. For readers who revere the explosive female rap dominance of the '90s and '00s, the DNA of Chisolm's work is inescapable. Long before the industry recognized the commercial viability of women on the mic, Chisolm laid the blueprint. She teamed up with her C.A. Johnson High School cheerleading friends — Cheryl "The Pearl" Cook and Angela Brown, who would later achieve massive solo fame as neo-soul powerhouse Angie Stone — to form The Sequence.

Their entry into the industry is the stuff of rap lore. After finessing their way backstage in Columbia, South Carolina, the trio delivered an impromptu, a cappella audition for label executive Sylvia Robinson. They were signed to Sugar Hill Records on the spot. Weeks later, they released "Funk You Up." The gold-certified record became the first rap hit performed by women and the first hip-hop vinyl released by an all-female act. The track became a foundational text, heavily sampled and interpolated throughout the '90s and '00s by artists ranging from Dr. Dre and Trina to Erykah Badu and En Vogue.

RIP Gwendolyn 'Blondy' Chisolm, Hip Hop Musician
The Sequence
Sugarhill presents The Sequence: "Funk You Up"
Sampled by Dr. Dre, En Vogue, Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars#InMemoriam #RIP pic.twitter.com/Wp2XA0rYaO

— LegacyTributes (@InMemoriamX) April 9, 2026

"My sister gave a lot of herself to the music industry," Chisolm's sister, Monica Scott, noted in a statement following her passing. "Everyone knows her famous lyrics and melodies, which continue to bring joy to millions of people. She was a creative force who touched countless hearts."

Beyond her early triumphs, Chisolm remained a vibrant creative presence. At the time of her death, she was finalizing edits on her upcoming memoir, "The First Blonde in the Hip Hop Game," promising an unfiltered look at navigating the rugged early days of the industry. Artist Raymond R. Burton, a close collaborator, mourned the unfinished project online, sharing, "We just talked and discussed doing artwork for your book and we both were so excited to reconnect and bring your story to the world."

The loss of Chisolm compounds a heavy period of mourning for fans of the pioneering trio. Her passing comes just over a year after the tragic death of Angie Stone, who was killed in a sprinter van crash near Montgomery, Alabama, in March 2025. With Chisolm's passing, Cheryl Cook now stands as the lone surviving member of the group that built the framework for women in the culture.

Before her passing, Chisolm was actively collaborating with the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville for an upcoming exhibit honoring The Sequence. While she will not be there to see it open, her indelible impact ensures her voice will never be erased from the history she helped write.

R&B Icon Mary J. Blige Says Viral Fast-Food Advertisement Fallout ‘Crushed’ Her

Mary J. Blige speaks during an interview on Scott Evans' "Guest House" podcast in an episode released Saturday. During the candid conversation, the R&B legend opened up about the intense public backlash she faced following a controversial 2012 fast-food commercial. (Screengrab: "Guest House" with Scott Evans)

More than a decade later, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is finally setting the record straight about one of the most polarizing moments of her career.

During a candid appearance on Scott Evans' "Guest House" podcast released Saturday, April 18, Mary J. Blige opened up about the intense fallout from her infamous 2012 Burger King commercial, admitting the intense public backlash "crushed" her.

The controversial ad, which featured the R&B legend singing passionately about crispy chicken snack wraps, was pulled from television almost immediately after it aired. It drew severe criticism across social media and major media outlets, with many arguing the spot leaned heavily into harmful racial stereotypes.


According to Blige, the version that made it to air was fundamentally different from the creative concept she originally agreed to shoot.

"The whole way that sh*t went down was wrong, the whole way they shot it was wrong. I had bad representation, bad management, bad everything and everybody dropped the ball... It did show me something, one minute people are with you and one minute they are not. It showed me just how fickle the game is." — Mary J. Blige, on Scott Evans' "Guest House" Podcast

"I agreed to be part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence," Blige explained on the podcast. "Unfortunately, that's not what was happening in that clip."

At the time of the 2012 incident, the fast-food corporation claimed the commercial was released prematurely before final approvals were secured. However, the damage to Blige's public image lingered, marking a rare, highly publicized misstep for an artist known for her fiercely authentic connection to her fanbase.

The viral revelation arrives as Blige is currently experiencing a massive career renaissance. She is finalizing rehearsals for her highly anticipated "My Life, My Story" Las Vegas residency, which officially kicks off on May 1 at Dolby Live at Park MGM. The residency follows her recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the release of her latest studio album, "Gratitude."

By addressing the Burger King controversy directly, Blige is effectively closing the door on a lingering decade-old narrative just days before taking the stage for one of the most significant live performance runs of her career.

Dismembered Teen’s Death Leads to Capital Murder Charges for Singer D4vd

David Anthony Burke, the 21-year-old viral singer who performs under the moniker D4vd, is shown in a police booking photo. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office officially charged Burke with capital murder on Monday in connection with the brutal death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose dismembered remains were found in his impounded vehicle last fall. (Photo: Los Angeles Police Department)

Following an intense, months-long investigation that cast a dark shadow over the music industry, breakout alt-pop and R&B singer D4vd has been officially charged with capital murder.

The 21-year-old artist, whose legal name is David Anthony Burke, was charged Monday in connection with the brutal death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. The announcement from Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman comes just days after Burke was arrested by homicide detectives at a Hollywood home on Thursday.

The case initially shocked the public in September 2025, when Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered and heavily decomposed remains were discovered inside an abandoned Tesla Model Y registered to the singer. The vehicle had been towed from an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood.

According to prosecutors, Burke now faces charges of first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under age 14, and mutilation of human remains. The murder charge includes severe special circumstances — lying in wait, murder for financial gain, and killing a witness in a criminal investigation — which open the door for a potential death penalty sentence.

During a Monday morning press conference, Hochman outlined the prosecution's harrowing timeline, stating that Rivas Hernandez went to Burke’s Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025, and was never heard from again. He further alleged the "financial gain" circumstance stemmed from Burke's effort to protect his lucrative music career, which was being threatened by an alleged sexual relationship with the underage girl. Celeste was considered a key witness in that underlying investigation.

Burke, who rose to massive viral fame in 2022 with his hit "Romantic Homicide" before releasing projects like "Petals to Thorns" and "The Lost Petals," has maintained his innocence. Following his arrest last week, his defense team — comprised of prominent attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski, and Regina Peter — released a statement pushing back against the LAPD's allegations.

"Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death," the lawyers stated. "We will vigorously defend David's innocence."

The singer had been on tour supporting his debut full-length album, "Withered," when the victim's body was originally discovered last fall, forcing the immediate cancellation of his remaining North American and European tour dates. He was scheduled to be arraigned in downtown Los Angeles on Monday afternoon.

Beyoncé Grosses $407.6m, Wrapping 2025 as the Touring Industry’s Top Earner

Beyoncé performs to a capacity stadium crowd during a stop on her "Cowboy Carter Tour." According to finalized year-end Pollstar data, the genre-defying stadium trek officially closed out 2025 as the highest-grossing tour in the world, generating $407.6 million and selling nearly 1.6 million tickets. (Photo: Maryland GovPics via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0)

Cowboy Carter didn't just shift the cultural conversation; it completely monopolized the global box office.

According to finalized year-end touring data from Pollstar, Beyoncé’s sprawling, genre-defying "Cowboy Carter Tour" officially closed out 2025 as the No. 1 highest-grossing trek in the world, generating a staggering $407.6 million.

Moving 1.59 million tickets with an industry-topping average ticket price of $255.36, Beyoncé managed to narrowly edge out the highly anticipated Oasis reunion tour ($405.4 million) to claim the throne.

The tour was a masterclass in stadium-level world-building, transforming massive venues into sprawling rodeos and Southern juke joints before its triumphant final bow in Las Vegas.

But Beyoncé wasn't the only artist proving the sheer economic dominance of Black music on the global stage.

While Coldplay took the No. 3 spot overall, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s dual-headlining "Grand National Tour" locked in at No. 4 with a massive $358.7 million gross. The Live Nation, pgLang, and Top Dawg Entertainment-backed run sold 1.76 million tickets across 39 dates.

Lamar and SZA's run functioned as an international victory lap following Lamar's culture-shifting Super Bowl halftime show in February 2025. That performance weaponized the ubiquitous "Not Like Us" into an inescapable counter-culture anthem, perfectly setting the stage for a stadium trek that featured elaborate production marvels, including Lamar performing on a floating Pontiac and SZA riding a giant ant.

Together, the Top 5 rankings paint a vivid picture of the 2025 touring landscape: To compete at the absolute highest level of the live music industry, you either needed to be a legacy British rock band, or you needed to be pushing the boundaries of R&B and hip-hop.

Notably, while Lamar and SZA ranked fourth in total gross, their incredible $9.2 million per-night average was eclipsed by only two legacy monoliths: Oasis, and the Queen herself.

2025 Pollstar Year-End Touring Data

Highest-Grossing Global Tours | Final Locked Box Office Data

1. Beyoncé – 'Cowboy Carter Tour'$407.6M

1.59M Tickets Sold | Top Avg. Ticket Price: $255.36

2. Oasis – 'Oasis Live '25 Tour'$405.4M

2.22M Tickets Sold

3. Coldplay – 'Music Of The Spheres Tour'$390.0M

4. Kendrick Lamar & SZA – 'Grand National Tour'$358.7M

1.76M Tickets Sold | 39 Dates | $9.2M Avg/Night

5. Shakira – 'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Tour'$342.5M

1.80M Tickets Sold

*Source: Pollstar Year-End Business Analysis (Dec. 2025)

Police: Cyco Black of Crime Mob Attempted To Export Stolen Tech Overseas

Alphonce Smith, who performs under the moniker Cyco Black as a founding member of the mid-2000s rap group Crime Mob, is shown in an undated photograph. Atlanta police accuse Smith of orchestrating a major electronics theft ring out of his Metro Mart business, alleging he and accomplices attempted to ship more than $100,000 in stolen iPads and laptops overseas. (Alphonce Smith via Facebook)

The man who helped define the mid-2000s Atlanta crunk era with "Knuck If You Buck" is now facing severe criminal allegations.

Alphonce Smith, who performs under the moniker Cyco Black as a founding member of the platinum selling rap group Crime Mob, has been accused by Atlanta police of orchestrating a major electronics theft ring across the metro area.

According to an exclusive afternoon report from WSB-TV, investigators allege Smith and several accomplices are responsible for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of tech devices. The investigation reportedly began last year at the Metro Mart, a local business hub, after multiple victims successfully tracked their stolen iPads and laptop computers to a specific business owned and operated by Smith.

Alphonce Smith, who performs under the moniker Cyco Black as a founding member of the mid-2000s rap group Crime Mob, is shown in a police booking photo. Atlanta police accuse Smith of orchestrating a major electronics theft ring out of his Metro Mart business, alleging he and accomplices attempted to ship more than $100,000 in stolen iPads and laptops overseas. (Atlanta Police Department via WSB-TV)

Instead of quickly fencing the items locally, police stated the ring was attempting to score a massive payday by compiling the stolen technology and shipping the electronics overseas. Authorities intervened before the cargo could be exported, successfully recovering more than $100,000 in stolen merchandise so far.

Because the story is still rapidly developing, it remains unclear if federal authorities will step in, given the allegations of attempting to export stolen goods internationally.

Crime Mob dominated Southern hip-hop in the mid-2000s with their self-titled debut album and its highly influential follow-up, "Hated on Mostly." Representatives for Smith have not yet released a public statement regarding the charges, and it is unknown when he will make his first court appearance.

Hip-Hop and Soul Legends Wu-Tang Clan, Sade and Luther Vandross Among 2026 Rock Hall Inductees

Nearly 30 years of cultural dominance are recognized as the Wu-Tang Clan is announced as an inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026. The group poses for a portrait circa April 1997, (L-R) U-God, Method Man, Raekwon, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, RZA, and Ol' Dirty Bastard. (Photo by Bob Berg/Getty Images)

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced its Class of 2026, delivering a monumental victory for the foundations of hip-hop and R&B.

Wu-Tang Clan, Sade, and the late Luther Vandross were officially named as performer inductees Monday night. The announcement cements the legacy of several foundational acts that significantly shaped the global musical landscape throughout the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s.

Entering the Hall of Fame on their very first ballot, Wu-Tang Clan fundamentally redefined the structure and sound of hip-hop with their game-changing 1993 debut album, "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)." Their induction recognizes the Staten Island collective's raw power, innovative business model, and enduring cultural impact.

Sade, whose smooth fusion of jazz and R&B defined late-century soul with hits like "Smooth Operator" and "The Sweetest Taboo," will join the hip-hop innovators in the main performer category. Vandross, widely considered one of the greatest vocalists of his generation with more than 25 million albums sold, will also be inducted posthumously.

"This diverse list of talented nominees recognizes the ever-evolving faces and sounds of rock & roll and its continued impact on youth culture," John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, previously stated regarding this year's selection process.

Hip-hop's foundational roots were also heavily recognized in the Early Influence Award category, with pioneering MCs Queen Latifah and MC Lyte selected for induction. Additionally, Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin, who produced iconic rap records throughout the 1980s and 90s, will receive the Musical Excellence Award.

However, the announcement did not arrive without significant controversy for R&B fans. The legendary group New Edition was surprisingly passed over for induction. Other notable 90s nominees who came up short this year include Lauryn Hill and Mariah Carey.

The official 2026 induction ceremony is scheduled to take place Nov. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Click here to view the full list of inductees.