Ice T Expands His Legacy Beyond Music and TV With Og Network

Ice T performs in 2018. The rapper and actor is a co-founder of OG Network, a new free streaming platform focused on creator-owned urban storytelling. (Stefan Bollmann, via Wikimedia Commons).

Ice T and media executive Courtney “Big Court” Richardson II are entering the streaming space with a familiar argument, one hip-hop has been making for decades: ownership still matters.

This week, Richardson and Ice T officially launched OG Network, a free ad-supported streaming platform focused on urban culture, independent filmmakers and creator-owned programming.

According to the company, the platform has already surpassed 2.3 million viewing minutes during its early rollout — a figure reported by OG Network that suggests early audience engagement, though it has not been independently verified.

OG Network is available in 186 countries across Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, iOS and Google Play, placing it within the rapidly expanding FAST and AVOD streaming ecosystem. That space has grown crowded in recent years, dominated by large-scale platforms such as Pluto TV, Tubi and Freevee, while smaller, culture-specific services compete for attention and sustainability.

 

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Rather than positioning itself as a mass-market disruptor, OG Network is framing its mission around creator control and curated programming. Richardson said the platform was built to give independent creators ownership over their work and greater control over distribution — a message that aligns with long-standing concerns in hip-hop about exploitation and gatekeeping.

Ice T’s involvement adds historical weight to that framing. Few artists have navigated the shift from outsider to industry institution as visibly or deliberately. From his early work in protest rap to his long-running television career, Ice T has consistently engaged questions of power, representation and access, making his role as co-founder more than symbolic.

The platform’s early programming slate reflects that intent. OG Network’s launch includes “Somebody Had To Say It,” a weekly discussion series hosted by Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony alongside Richardson, centered on hip-hop debate and cultural commentary. Ice T serves as executive producer and narrator of “Put The Guns Down — A World Epidemic,” a documentary examining gun violence through a global lens rooted in cultural context. The service is also debuting independent films, including “My Cherie Amour,” a thriller starring Omar Gooding that OG Network says has driven strong engagement since its release.

Richardson’s “Holdin’ Court Podcast,” previously distributed elsewhere, now streams exclusively on the platform, reinforcing OG Network’s emphasis on long-form conversation over short-form virality. The service also hosts a growing library of films, documentaries and creator-led projects, with additional releases planned throughout the year.

OG Network enters a streaming landscape littered with ambitious launches that struggled to scale. FAST platforms, by design, prioritize ad-supported volume over subscription loyalty, and long-term success depends less on buzz than on sustained viewing and advertiser confidence. Whether OG Network’s creator-first positioning can translate into durability remains an open question.

A$AP Rocky Takes 'Don’t Be Dumb' on the Road With First Major Tour in Years

A$AP Rocky performs during a live concert appearance in support of his new album, “Don’t Be Dumb.” The rapper announced a 42-date world tour for 2026, marking his first major headlining run in several years.

A$AP Rocky is taking his new album on the road.

The Harlem rapper announced the “Don’t Be Dumb World Tour” today, confirming a 42-date run across North America, Europe and the U.K. that will mark his first major headlining tour in years. The tour formally launches the live phase of “Don’t Be Dumb,” Rocky’s first full-length album in nearly eight years, and places the project squarely in front of audiences rather than allowing it to live solely online.

Promoted by Live Nation, the tour opens May 27 at the United Center in Chicago and moves through major North American arenas, including Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and Houston’s Toyota Center, before wrapping its U.S. leg July 11 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The European and U.K. run begins Aug. 25 in Brussels and continues through cities including London, Milan, Stockholm and Berlin, closing Sept. 30 at Accor Arena in Paris.

The global on-sale begins Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. local time via asaprocky.com, with multiple presale windows preceding it. North American artist presales begin Jan. 23, while EU and U.K. artist presales open Jan. 21. A Cash App Visa Card presale will offer early access to U.S. dates, along with limited merchandise and vinyl incentives tied to the tour.

 

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The announcement arrives just days after the release of “Don’t Be Dumb,” which landed last Friday following one of the longest gaps between studio albums in Rocky’s career. Billboard, reviewing the project, wrote that the album “not only rewards patience but adds new wrinkles to the rapper’s approach — an evolved relationship with melody and a wiser lyrical slant,” framing it as a work shaped by time rather than trend-chasing.

That patience had already translated into measurable anticipation. Ahead of release, “Don’t Be Dumb” surpassed 1 million pre-saves on Spotify, a figure widely cited by the platform and Rocky’s camp as unprecedented for a hip-hop album. The buildup was fueled by a year in which Rocky remained highly visible outside of music, starring in two A24-produced films, co-chairing the 2025 Met Gala and taking on creative leadership roles with Ray-Ban and Chanel.

What distinguishes this moment, however, is the speed with which Rocky has moved from release to performance. Rather than spacing out appearances or limiting the album to festival slots, the tour positions “Don’t Be Dumb” within a traditional album cycle — one centered on rooms, crowds and repetition.

Rocky’s last studio album, “Testing,” arrived in 2018 and was followed by sporadic performances rather than a sustained tour. In the years since, his public profile has expanded well beyond music. This run places the emphasis back on the work itself, asking how the new material holds up night after night.

For an artist whose early reputation was forged as much onstage as on record, the tour represents more than a victory lap. It is the clearest signal yet that “Don’t Be Dumb” is not a standalone event, but the opening chapter of an album era designed to be lived — and judged — in real time.

NAACP Image Awards Nominees Spotlight a Year of Black-Led Film, TV and Music

Teyana Taylor, nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the 57th NAACP Image Awards, is among a field that also includes Kendrick Lamar, reflecting a year in which music, film and performance-driven storytelling converged across Black culture.

The NAACP on Monday announced the full list of nominees for the 57th NAACP Image Awards, placing this year’s ceremony squarely in the middle of an awards season already shaped by Black-led film, television and music.

Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, Michael B. Jordan and Teyana Taylor were nominated for Entertainer of the Year, one of the Image Awards’ most closely watched categories. The ceremony will air live Feb. 28 from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at 8 p.m. (ET/8 p.m. PT on BET), with a simultaneous broadcast on CBS.

SIDEBAR: Who’s leading the 57th NAACP Image Awards

The 57th NAACP Image Awards reflect a year in which Black storytelling dominated across film, television and music — not just in volume, but in cultural reach.

Kendrick Lamar leads the music categories with six nominations. In film, “Sinners” leads the motion picture categories with 18 nominations. On the television side, “Bel-Air” tops the field with seven nominations. Netflix leads all platforms with 47 nominations overall, according to the NAACP.

The Entertainer of the Year nominees — Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, Michael B. Jordan and Teyana Taylor — underline how performance, authorship and cultural impact increasingly move together.

Full nominee list + public voting: naacpimageawards.net

Film and television categories reflect a year of sustained visibility across platforms. “Sinners” leads the motion picture field with 18 nominations, followed by “Highest 2 Lowest” with nine. In television and streaming, “Bel-Air” tops the list with seven nominations, while “Abbott Elementary,” “Reasonable Doubt” and “Ruth & Boaz” earned six nods apiece. Netflix led all networks with 47 nominations overall.

Teyana Taylor emerged as one of this year’s most broadly recognized nominees, earning six nominations across film and music, including Entertainer of the Year, acting nods for “One Battle After Another” and “Tyler Perry’s Straw,” and recognition for her album “Escape Room.” Erivo received four nominations, including Entertainer of the Year and a nomination for her performance in “Wicked: For Good.”

In the music recording categories, Kendrick Lamar received the most nominations with six. Cardi B. and Leon Thomas earned four nominations each, while Doechii and Taylor followed closely with three apiece. RCA Records led all labels with eight nominations. In literary categories, HarperCollins topped publishers with eight nominations, followed by Penguin Random House with six.

This year also marks a structural expansion for the Image Awards themselves. The NAACP introduced two new categories: Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism, honoring nationally distributed journalism that reflects Black experiences and social impact through a lens of equity and justice; and Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie, or Special, recognizing the craft of post-production in shaping narrative and emotional clarity.

Nominations were announced live on “CBS Mornings” by comedian Deon Cole and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, with additional reveals streamed on YouTube and NAACPPlus.

“The NAACP Image Awards is our declaration to our community that ‘We See You,’ affirming Black creativity, excellence and humanity across every space where our stories are told,” Johnson said in a statement. “From film, television and music to literature and beyond, the voices of all of our nominees tell stories that honor our past, celebrate our identity and move culture forward.”

BET President Louis Carr echoed that sentiment, calling the nominees “the heartbeat of culture” and emphasizing the awards’ role in elevating storytelling rooted in authenticity and purpose.

Public voting is now open in select categories at naacpimageawards.net and runs through Feb. 7. Winners will be announced during the live broadcast Feb. 28, with additional honors presented during the NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors events later that week.

John Forté, Grammy-Nominated Producer Tied to Fugees’ ‘The Score,’ Dead at 50

John Forté attends the Vanity Fair party for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival in New York on April 17, 2012. Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp, was found dead Monday at his home in Chilmark, Mass., at 50. (David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0)

John Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician and producer whose quiet but crucial contributions helped shape the Refugee Camp era that carried the Fugees into hip-hop history, has died. He was 50.


Forté was found unresponsive Monday afternoon at his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts. Chilmark police responded around 2:25 p.m. and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to the Vineyard Gazette. Police said there were no signs of foul play and no readily apparent cause of death. The case has been turned over to Massachusetts State Police and the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, with the state medical examiner investigating.

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While Forté was never a household name, his work traveled far. Closely aligned with the Refugee Camp collective alongside Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras Michel, Forté was a key contributor to the Fugees’ 1996 breakthrough album “The Score,” a project that helped redefine the sound and global reach of modern hip-hop. The album won best rap album at the Grammys and remains one of the genre’s most influential releases.

Born Jan. 30, 1975, in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, Forté was classically trained in music and studied violin from a young age. He later attended Phillips Exeter Academy, where his musical foundation deepened before his path ultimately led him into hip-hop’s creative underground and the orbit of the Fugees.

Canibus, DMX, John Forte, Big Pun & Mos Def, 1997. pic.twitter.com/hkJ1NaVLPy

— Tobi Marshall (@CoededMarshall) December 26, 2025

Forté’s life also included a long and public reckoning with the criminal justice system. In 2000, he was arrested on drug trafficking charges and sentenced under federal mandatory minimum guidelines to 14 years in prison. After serving more than seven years — and following advocacy from musicians, artists and public figures — his sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush in 2008.

Just heard the heartbreaking news that John Fortè has passed away. Sending our condolences to the family and loved ones of the Fugees/Refugees All-Stars legend 💔🕊️ pic.twitter.com/a2sdtu4gYt

— Rock The Bells (@RockTheBells) January 13, 2026

Among Forté’s most vocal supporters was Carly Simon, who became a close friend during his later years. In a 2010 interview, Forté described Simon as “my champion, my crusader, my mentor, my friend, my spiritual guru,” crediting her with helping him rebuild his life and creative footing after prison.

In the years that followed, Forté continued working across music, film and television, including composing music connected to the recent revival of the civil rights documentary series “Eyes on the Prize,” which aired on HBO.

Tributes from the hip-hop community began surfacing soon after news of his death broke. “This one hurts,” Wyclef Jean wrote on social media, sharing archival performance footage honoring his longtime collaborator.

Forté spent his later years on Martha’s Vineyard with his wife, photographer Lara Fuller, and their two children, Haile and Wren.

Mary J. Blige Sets 10-Date Las Vegas Residency Following Milestone Birthday

Mary J. Blige appears in promotional imagery released alongside the announcement of her first Las Vegas residency, “Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story,” a 10-date engagement at Dolby Live at Park MGM scheduled for May and July 2026. The residency is framed as a narrative-driven production centered on her catalog and career arc.

One day after celebrating her 55th birthday, Mary J. Blige shared a gift with music fans.

The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul announced her first Las Vegas residency, "Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story," on Monday. The 10-date run at Dolby Live at Park MGM is scheduled across May and July 2026.

For Blige, the title signals intention as much as location.

Vegas are you ready? I am so excited to announce my first ever Las Vegas Residency May 1 – 9 & July 10 – 18 at Dolby Live at Park MGM! Get your tickets (Friday at 10 AM PT/NOW) ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Wx78xvVnq9

— Mary J. Blige (@maryjblige) January 12, 2026

“Creating a show like this has been something I’ve always wanted to do,” Blige said in a statement announcing the residency. “It’s a chance to get my fans together from all over — different cities, states and countries — to experience something together. My Life, My Story will be just that.”

The residency is set for May 1, 2, 6, 8 and 9, followed by July 10, 11, 15, 17 and 18. All performances will take place at Dolby Live, the 5,200-seat venue inside Park MGM, with shows scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.

 

Blige has indicated the production will lean into theatrical storytelling, with actors and narrative elements woven throughout the performance, an approach that mirrors the emotional architecture of her catalog, which has long blurred the line between confession and craft. Speaking during media appearances tied to the announcement, she described the show as rooted in music and fun, but guided by story rather than spectacle.

The announcement follows a period of sustained momentum. In 2024, Blige completed the For My Fans Tour, headlined Madison Square Garden and released the concert film “Mary J. Blige: For My Fans.” She has also continued expanding her work as an actress and producer, with the Lifetime original movie “Be Happy” scheduled to premiere next month.

Blige’s influence extends far beyond chart performance. She built a bridge between classic soul vulnerability and hip-hop realism in the early 1990s, reshaping the emotional vocabulary of R&B. Her music did more than soundtrack an era; it articulated endurance, accountability and survival in a way that resonated across generations.

Las Vegas residencies are often framed as reinvention or consolidation. In Blige’s case, this one reads differently — less reinvention than affirmation. A career once driven by urgency now arrives at authorship, with full control over pacing, presentation and perspective.

Tickets for “Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story” go on sale Friday, Jan. 16, following a series of pre-sale windows beginning Tuesday.

For an artist whose work has always insisted that truth matters — even when it’s uncomfortable — the Strip is not an ending. It’s a chapter break.

Golden Globes open with Teyana Taylor win for 'One Battle After Another'

Teyana Taylor appears in a scene from “One Battle After Another,” the Paul Thomas Anderson film that earned her the Golden Globe for best supporting actress during the opening moments of the 83rd Golden Globe Awards.

Teyana Taylor became the emotional center of the Golden Globes early Sunday night, winning best supporting actress in a motion picture for her performance in “One Battle After Another.”

Taylor’s win was the first award announced during the live telecast of the Golden Globe Awards, and it immediately shifted the tone inside the Beverly Hilton from pageantry to presence.

Teyana Taylor just gave the best speech of the entire award season at the Golden Globes

"To my brown sisters and little brown girls nominated tonight, our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room… pic.twitter.com/LeWdDFA3Yr

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) January 12, 2026

“To my brown sisters and little brown girls watching tonight, our softness is not a liability,” Taylor said as she accepted the award, visibly emotional. “Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into. Our voices matter and our dreams deserve space.”

In “One Battle After Another,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Taylor plays Perfidia Beverly Hills, a role defined less by dialogue than by control. The performance resists flourish, relying instead on timing, restraint and physical presence — tools Taylor has honed across disciplines long before this moment.

She won the Globe over Emily Blunt for “The Smashing Machine,” Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for “Sentimental Value,” Ariana Grande for “Wicked: For Good,” and Amy Madigan for “Weapons.” The category was crowded. The decision was decisive.

For much of her career, Taylor has existed in the space between visibility and validation — widely respected, rarely centered. She emerged publicly as a dancer and singer, but steadily expanded her range behind the scenes, directing visuals, shaping performances and, more recently, choosing acting roles with increasing care.

Sunday night did not introduce a new version of Teyana Taylor. It acknowledged one that has been forming in plain sight.

Fetty Wap Released From Federal Custody, Transferred to Home Confinement

Fetty Wap has been released from federal custody and transferred to home confinement, bringing a quiet close to one of the most dramatic legal arcs faced by a mainstream hip-hop star of the 2010s.

The rapper, born Willie Junior Maxwell II, was released today and placed on home confinement under federal supervision, according to Bureau of Prisons confirmation and reporting by TMZ. He will serve the remainder of his sentence under strict conditions in Philadelphia, including ongoing oversight by U.S. Probation.

Fetty wap is home from prison.
I’ve confirmed he’s been released —

Here’s a statement I received from fetty wap on his release:

“I want to thank my family, friends, and fans for the love, prayers, and continued support—it truly means everything to me. Right now, my focus is… pic.twitter.com/JE0QiYiaXL

— BROWN GIRL GRINDING⭐️ (@LorenLorosa) January 8, 2026

Fetty Wap was sentenced on May 24, 2023, to six years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances in a multi-state drug trafficking case tied to Long Island and New Jersey. The sentence also included five years of supervised release following incarceration.

At the time of sentencing, federal records projected a release date of March 2027. That timeline was later revised, with reports in late 2025 indicating his expected release had been moved up to December 2026. His release this week came even earlier, after he served approximately four years of his sentence.
 
According to TMZ, Fetty Wap’s transfer to home confinement carries strict conditions, including regular drug testing, financial disclosure requirements, restrictions on travel and employment, and continued monitoring by federal authorities. The Bureau of Prisons has not publicly detailed which specific credits or provisions led to the earlier-than-expected transfer.

Following his release, a statement attributed to Fetty Wap was shared by Brown Girl Grinding, the media platform that first circulated his remarks.

“I want to thank my family, friends, and fans for the love, prayers, and continued support—it truly means everything to me,” the statement read. “Right now, my focus is on giving back through my community initiatives and foundation, supporting at-risk young children by expanding access to education, early tech skills, and vision care for young kids and students so they can show up as their best selves. I’m committed to moving forward with purpose and making a meaningful impact where it matters most.”

The release marks a stark contrast to Fetty Wap’s rapid ascent a decade earlier. In 2015, he emerged as one of hip-hop’s most dominant breakout artists, propelled by the No. 1 single “Trap Queen” and follow-up hits including “679” and “My Way.” His melodic delivery and raw regional sound helped define a specific moment in radio-driven rap, where street records could still cross cleanly into pop dominance.

That momentum proved difficult to sustain. Personal loss, inconsistent releases and mounting legal issues gradually eclipsed his early success, culminating in his arrest in October 2021 and eventual conviction.

The Carters’ Property Empire Reflects Hip-Hop’s Next Phase of Power

Beyoncé and Jay-Z pose for a Tiffany & Co. campaign, part of the luxury brand’s recent collaborations with the couple, whose combined cultural influence now extends well beyond music into fashion, business and high-end real estate. (Photograph by Mason Poole. Courtesy of Tiffany & Co)

In hip-hop, real estate has always been shorthand.

From the brownstones name-checked in early rap records to the gated compounds that once symbolized escape, property has long represented arrival. But in 2025, the meaning has shifted. Ownership is no longer about flexing square footage — it’s about leverage, insulation and permanence.

That context matters as Beyoncé and Jay-Z quietly emerged at the center of December’s most consequential celebrity real estate moves.

According to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com, the Carters now control seven residential properties valued at approximately $500 million, a portfolio that surpasses those of Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift. The number alone is striking. The timing is more telling. Beyoncé’s inclusion comes weeks after Forbes officially recognized her as a billionaire, estimating her net worth at $1 billion, driven primarily by touring revenue, music ownership and Parkwood Entertainment’s vertically integrated structure.

This isn’t lifestyle creep. It’s infrastructure.

Jay-Z, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $2.5 billion, has long treated real estate as one component of a diversified investment strategy. His wealth is anchored by the valuation of his music catalog (roughly $75 million), stakes in spirits brands such as Armand de Brignac, proceeds from the sale of Tidal, and early investments including Uber. 

For Beyoncé, the math looks different.

Sidebar: Culture + capital

Beyoncé + Jay-Z: the ownership era in numbers

A December celebrity real estate roundup ranks the Carters at the top — a reminder that the loudest flex in hip-hop isn’t the purchase. It’s the portfolio.

Reported holdings: 7 properties

Estimated value: ~$500 million

Source roundup: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

Context that hits different

• Oprah: sold a Montecito property for $17.3M
• Taylor Swift: commonly cited as a real estate heavyweight, but ranked below the Carters in this roundup
• Kanye West: Malibu property sold for $21M after a $57M purchase — a reminder that “value” needs stewardship

Why it matters: In an industry that once denied Black artists ownership, real estate becomes something deeper than luxury — it’s permanence.

Read the full Top 10 list

Note: Values in the roundup are reported estimates; included here for cultural context and comparison.

Since founding Parkwood Entertainment in 2010, Beyoncé has brought nearly every aspect of her career in-house, absorbing production costs in exchange for ownership and backend control. That structure paid off at historic scale. The Renaissance World Tour grossed approximately $579 million in 2023, according to Pollstar, while the Cowboy Carter Tour generated more than $400 million in ticket sales in 2025, with Forbes estimating an additional $50 million in on-site merchandise revenue. Because Parkwood produced the tours internally, Beyoncé captured profit margins rarely available to artists operating under traditional promoter models.

Forbes estimates Beyoncé earned $148 million in 2025 alone, before taxes, placing her among the three highest-paid musicians in the world for the year. Her catalog — which includes albums such as "Dangerously in Love," "B’Day," "Lemonade," and "Cowboy Carter" — remains fully controlled, a rarity for an artist whose career began in the late 1990s.

Together, those numbers explain the real estate strategy.

The Carters’ properties are concentrated in high-barrier markets — Los Angeles, New York and coastal California — where long-term appreciation historically outpaces inflation. Public records show purchases and expansions over the past decade rather than rapid accumulation, suggesting deliberate pacing rather than spectacle. Their holdings function less as status symbols than as capital preservation tools within a broader wealth architecture.

Elsewhere, December’s celebrity real estate headlines offered a contrast.

Oprah Winfrey sold a 3,500-square-foot Montecito home for $17.3 million, part of a portfolio she began assembling in 2001 with a $50 million estate purchase. Kanye West’s former Malibu home, designed by Tadao Ando, resold for $21 million after being purchased for $57 million, underscoring how wealth without stewardship depreciates quickly. Russell Wilson and Ciara listed a 30,000-square-foot Rancho Santa Fe estate for $54.9 million, positioning the property as both residence and performance infrastructure.

But Beyoncé and Jay-Z represent a different endpoint.

Their combined net worth now exceeds $3.5 billion, achieved without licensing their identities into mass-market dilution or surrendering ownership for liquidity. Beyoncé’s rise to billionaire status — without cosmetics hype driving the valuation and without selling her catalog — marks a structural shift in how Black artists can convert cultural capital into permanent wealth.

Hip-hop has always documented the journey from the outside in. What this moment captures is the inside view: wealth that doesn’t announce itself because it no longer has to.

Bruno Mars Signals Next Chapter With New Album and 2026 Stadium Tour

Bruno Mars is pictured in promotional artwork for “The Romantic Tour,” which coincides with the completion of his first solo album since 2016’s “24K Magic.” The tour marks a major return to stadium stages for the Grammy-winning artist.

Bruno Mars has never been prolific by modern standards, but his absences have often mattered as much as his releases. That pattern continued this week when Mars confirmed that his long-awaited fourth solo album, “The Romantic,” is complete and that a large-scale stadium tour is planned for 2026 — his first full album-and-tour cycle since “24K Magic” reshaped pop, R&B and live performance nearly a decade ago.

The announcement arrives after years in which Mars remained visible but deliberately peripheral to the solo-album churn that now defines mainstream pop. Since “24K Magic” produced era-defining singles such as “24K Magic,” “That’s What I Like” and “Versace on the Floor,” Mars has resisted traditional follow-ups, opting instead for tightly controlled collaborations, residencies and selective appearances that preserved his profile without exhausting it.

That strategy reached its peak with Silk Sonic, his collaborative project with Anderson .Paak. Songs like “Leave the Door Open” and “Smokin Out the Window” leaned heavily into classic soul and funk aesthetics, drawing from a lineage that predates streaming metrics and algorithmic trends. The project earned critical acclaim and multiple Grammy Awards, but it also functioned as a detour — a side chapter rather than a replacement for a Bruno Mars solo statement.

“The Romantic” is positioned as that statement.

Mars first hinted at the album’s completion with a brief social media post confirming it was finished, offering no additional context. In an era dominated by extended rollouts and constant content, Mars’ approach suggested confidence in the music’s ability to speak without prolonged preamble.

The accompanying “Romantic Tour” places him back in stadiums across North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, environments that have historically separated hitmakers from true performers. Mars’ reputation was built not only on chart success but on command of the stage — live bands, disciplined choreography and an understanding of Black American performance traditions that stretch from funk and soul revues to early-2000s R&B tour culture.

Tour dates for Bruno Mars’ upcoming “The Romantic Tour,” his first full global stadium run in nearly a decade, which will take the singer across North America, Europe and the United Kingdom in 2026.

Anderson .Paak’s presence on all dates, performing as DJ Pee .Wee, reinforces that grounding. Their creative relationship has been defined less by novelty than by shared musical fluency, rooted in rhythm, musicianship and showmanship. Select dates will also feature Victoria Monét, RAYE and Leon Thomas, artists whose work emphasizes craft and vocal presence over spectacle alone.

What remains unresolved is how “The Romantic” will position Mars within a pop landscape that has shifted dramatically since his last solo release. In his absence, the center of the charts has moved younger, faster and more fragmented. The question is not whether Mars can still produce hits, but whether he intends to engage the current moment directly or continue operating just outside it, as he has in recent years.

That tension gives the announcement weight. Mars has rarely chased relevance, but he has consistently understood timing. His most durable work has arrived when the culture was receptive, not when demand was loudest.

For more information on the tour, or to purchase tickets click here.

Late Rapper DMX to Receive Posthumous Ordination in New York

DMX, born Earl Simmons, was known for blending raw street realism with unfiltered prayer throughout his music and public life. The late rapper’s spiritual legacy will be formally recognized this week with a posthumous ordination as a minister in New York. (Photo courtesy of UMusic)

For most of his career, DMX never asked for permission to pray.

He did it on platinum albums. On festival stages. In interviews that veered from chaos to confession without warning. Long before faith became a branding lane in hip-hop, Earl Simmons made his belief unavoidable — raw, imperfect and public.

That lifelong tension between devotion and struggle will be formally acknowledged this week, when Simmons is posthumously ordained to the office of minister nearly five years after his death.

The Gospel Cultural Center announced this week that Earl Simmons, the Yonkers rapper known globally as DMX, will be posthumously ordained as a minister during a ceremony scheduled for Saturday at Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Tarrytown, New York. Simmons died in April 2021 at age 50.

Founded in 1860, Foster Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church is recognized as a historic Underground Railroad “Safe House,” a designation organizers say mirrors the themes of refuge, struggle and deliverance that ran through Simmons’ music and public life. The ordination is being framed as a symbolic acknowledgment of what the Center calls Simmons’ lifelong ministry — one carried out not from a pulpit, but through microphones, stages and records consumed by millions.

“Earl Simmons wrestled with God in the public square, turning his pain into a ministry of raw truth,” said Bishop Dr. Osiris Imhotep, founder of the Gospel Cultural Center, in a statement announcing the service. “This ordination recognizes the divine calling he fulfilled every time he spoke a prayer into a microphone.”

The Gospel Cultural Center is a faith-based cultural organization that focuses on the intersection of Black history, spirituality and contemporary art. While it is not a traditional denominational authority, the Center has previously organized public ceremonies and educational programming intended to reinterpret cultural figures through a spiritual lens. Organizers emphasized that the ordination is not meant to retroactively position Simmons as a conventional clergy member, but rather to formally recognize the spiritual leadership he exercised in public view.

That leadership was never subtle.

From his 1998 debut “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” through the height of his commercial run and beyond, DMX made prayer inseparable from his artistic identity. Nearly every studio album included a spoken or sung prayer — moments of vulnerability that stood in stark contrast to the aggression and volatility surrounding them.

Those prayers weren’t ornamental. They were confessions.

On “Prayer (Skit)” from “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot,” “Ready to Meet Him” from “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood,” “Prayer III” on “And Then There Was X,” “Prayer IV” on “The Great Depression,” “Prayer V” on “Grand Champ,” and later “Lord Give Me a Sign” from “Year of the Dog… Again,” Simmons repeatedly returned to the same themes: fear, accountability, temptation, mercy.

He prayed on record the way others flexed — publicly, imperfectly and without reassurance that redemption was guaranteed.

That tension reached its most vivid expression in the “Damien” trilogy, a three-part narrative spread across albums in which Simmons dramatized conversations with the devil, temptation embodied, and the internal war between faith and self-destruction. Rather than resolve the conflict, the songs left it open — a refusal of tidy salvation arcs that made his spiritual struggle feel uncomfortably real.

Off record, the pattern continued. DMX frequently broke into prayer during concerts, award appearances and interviews, moments that disarmed audiences and confounded expectations of what a rap superstar was supposed to sound like. His faith was not performative piety; it was confrontation.

The ordination announcement has been met with reflection rather than spectacle — a response that mirrors Simmons’ complicated legacy. For many fans, the idea of DMX as a minister feels less like reinvention and more like acknowledgment of something already present.

In April 2021, following Simmons’ death, Black Westchester published a tribute issue examining his cultural and spiritual impact. In an essay titled “DMX Was a Modern-Day Paul the Apostle,” the argument wasn’t that Simmons was righteous, but that he was relentless — unwilling to separate belief from brokenness.

That refusal is what made his prayers resonate then — and why they still do.

The upcoming service does not resolve the contradictions that defined Earl Simmons’ life. It doesn’t erase addiction, violence or failure. It doesn’t pretend faith fixed what suffering didn’t.

What it does — carefully, symbolically — is place those contradictions inside a longer Black spiritual tradition: one that allows testimony without triumph, prayer without purity, and ministry without perfection.

For an artist who spent his career asking God for strength rather than forgiveness, that framing may be the most honest recognition of all.

Atlanta Rapper Lil Deco Recovering After Being Shot During Miami Robbery

Atlanta rapper Lil Deco appears in an undated social media photo. Police say he was shot during an alleged robbery in Miami, an incident investigators believe stemmed from an Atlanta dispute. He is expected to recover.

A dispute that began in Atlanta followed a rising rapper hundreds of miles south over the weekend — and nearly cost him his life.

Miami police say Atlanta rapper Lil Deco was shot Saturday afternoon during an attempted robbery inside the city’s Design District, an upscale shopping area known for luxury retailers and celebrity foot traffic. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from an ongoing conflict involving individuals who all traveled from Atlanta, according to law enforcement officials briefed on the case.

Police say the rapper was inside the Supreme store when he encountered people he knew from Atlanta and an argument broke out. Investigators allege that one suspect, identified as 25-year-old Jamar McCay, approached Lil Deco from behind, ripped a gold chain valued at approximately $22,000 from his neck, and ran from the store.

Lil Deco chased after him, police said. Once outside, another individual — still unidentified — ran up and opened fire, striking the rapper in the stomach.

A witness video captured paramedics loading Lil Deco into an ambulance as Miami police flooded the area and deployed SWAT units. Authorities later arrested McCay along with Omarian Phillips, 20, and Cavon Smith, 21, at a nearby residence. All three face charges including accessory after the fact and possession of a firearm, weapon, or ammunition by a convicted felon. Police continue to search for the alleged shooter.

Lil Deco remains hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery. He declined to comment on the incident, telling reporters via Instagram direct message that he is focused on healing.

While Lil Deco has not yet crossed into mainstream recognition, his name carries weight in Atlanta’s street-rap ecosystem — a space where visibility is often earned before safety follows.

He has built a following through local buzz, social media presence and an image rooted in the same aspirational language that has fueled Southern rap for decades: success made visible through fashion, jewelry and proximity to status.

That visibility, police say, may have made him a target far from home.

For national hip-hop audiences, the shooting lands as another chapter in a long, unresolved story. As rap has grown more decentralized — with artists moving quickly between cities, festivals, and fashion districts — personal conflicts no longer stay local. Old disputes travel. So do the consequences.

Jewelry, long a symbol of survival and self-made success in hip-hop, again sits at the center of a violent encounter. From pioneers to newcomers, artists at every level of fame have been forced to navigate the same reality: visibility can elevate, but it can also expose.

Lil Deco survived. Others have not.

The case stands as a stark reminder that in hip-hop, momentum often arrives before protection.

Violinist Alleges Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Tied To Will Smith Tour

Will Smith has been named in a civil lawsuit filed by a tour violinist alleging sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination connected to Smith’s 2025 “Based on a True Story” album and tour. Smith has denied the allegations through his attorney.

An electric violinist who worked with Will Smith during the entertainer’s recent return to music has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court accusing Smith and his company of sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination — allegations Smith has denied through his attorney.

The plaintiff, Brian King Joseph, is a classically trained violinist who gained national attention after finishing third on Season 13 of “America’s Got Talent.” In the complaint, filed this week, Joseph alleges he was hired to perform on Smith’s 2025 “Based on a True Story” tour and to contribute to the album of the same name, before being dismissed after reporting what he described as a serious safety incident during a March tour stop in Las Vegas.

Joseph did not publicly name Smith when he first discussed the situation on social media. In a Dec. 27 Instagram video posted days before the lawsuit was filed, Joseph said he had been hired for “a major, major tour with somebody who is huge in the industry,” but explained that he could not share details at the time because the matter had become legal.

“Some things happened that I can’t talk about yet,” Joseph said in the video. “But getting fired or blamed or shamed or threatened or anything like that simply for reporting sexual misconduct or safety threats at work is not OK.”

Joseph added, “I know that there are a lot of people out there who are afraid to say something. If that’s you, I see you.”

 

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A post shared by Brian King (@briankingjoseph)

Smith and Treyball Studios Management Inc. are named explicitly in the lawsuit. Legal filings, unlike social media posts, require plaintiffs to identify defendants and allege specific conduct under penalty of perjury.

According to the complaint, Joseph and Smith began a professional relationship in late 2024 after Joseph performed at two shows in San Diego. Joseph alleges he was later invited to perform violin parts on tracks for Smith’s album and asked to join the European and United Kingdom leg of the tour.

The lawsuit centers on an incident Joseph says occurred in March while the tour was in Las Vegas. According to the complaint, Joseph misplaced a bag containing his hotel room key and later returned to his room to find what he alleges was evidence of an unauthorized entry with a sexualized intent. The filing states that Joseph discovered a handwritten note addressed to him by name that read, “Brian, I’ll be back no later [sic] 5:30, just us,” followed by a hand-drawn heart.

The complaint further alleges that items left behind in the room included wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, an earring and a bottle of HIV medication bearing another individual’s name, as well as hospital discharge paperwork belonging to someone Joseph did not know. Joseph alleges the presence of the note and belongings led him to believe the room had been entered in anticipation of a sexual encounter without his consent.

Joseph claims he feared the unknown individual would return to his room and reported the incident to hotel security, representatives for Smith’s team and local authorities using a non-emergency police line, according to the lawsuit. Hotel security found no signs of forced entry, the complaint states. Joseph requested a new room and returned home the following day.

Several days later, Joseph alleges, he was informed by a representative for Smith’s company that his services were no longer needed and that the tour was “going in a different direction.” The complaint further alleges that Joseph was accused of fabricating the hotel incident and that his termination was retaliatory.

Joseph alleges the experience caused emotional distress, reputational harm and economic loss, and that the stress contributed to anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other health issues. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney fees, in an amount to be determined at trial.

Smith, through attorney Allen B. Grodsky, has denied the allegations. In a statement provided to media outlets, Grodsky said Joseph’s claims are “false, baseless and reckless,” adding that they are “categorically denied” and that Smith will “use all legal means available” to contest them and “ensure that the truth is brought to light.”

Smith has not commented personally on the lawsuit.

Beyoncé Is Now a Billionaire, According to Forbes

Beyoncé is shown in promotional imagery for “Cowboy Carter,” the country-influenced album and tour era that helped propel her to billionaire status, according to Forbes. She now joins her husband, Jay-Z, as one of the few musicians to independently reach a 10-figure fortune through music ownership, touring and long-term control of their work. (Courtesy Photo: Blair Caldwell/Parkwood Entertainment)

For years, the question around Beyoncé wasn’t whether she had already crossed the billionaire line — it was when the accounting would finally catch up to the reality.

On Monday, Forbes made it official, estimating Beyoncé’s net worth at $1 billion, a milestone reached not through a single windfall, but through a methodical, decades-long consolidation of power, ownership and cultural relevance.

According to Forbes, Beyoncé becomes just the fifth musician to amass a 10-figure fortune, joining her husband Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Bruce Springsteen. But the distinction matters less for the number itself than for how she got there — by treating music not as a product to be licensed away, but as infrastructure to be owned.

The final push came through a bold, unlikely pivot. In 2024, Beyoncé released “Cowboy Carter,” a genre-bending country album that challenged industry gatekeeping while opening a new commercial frontier. What followed was the most successful concert tour in the genre’s history, a global run that reasserted her dominance as a live performer while expanding her audience beyond traditional pop boundaries.

For almost any artist, the 2023 “Renaissance World Tour” — which grossed nearly $600 million — would have marked a career peak. Instead, Beyoncé used it as a prelude. The “Cowboy Carter Tour” in 2025 leaned into spectacle and scarcity, staging a limited run of stadium mini-residencies that turned each stop into a destination event. The tour grossed more than $400 million in ticket sales, with an additional $50 million in merchandise, according to Forbes estimates, and delivered unusually high margins because Beyoncé’s company, Parkwood Entertainment, handled production in-house.

THE CARTERS: TWO PATHS TO A BILLION

Beyoncé

• Net worth: $1 billion (Forbes)
• Primary driver: Music ownership + touring
• Structure: Parkwood Entertainment (fully integrated)
• Core assets:
  • Full control of catalog
  • Stadium tours with in-house production
  • Film, visual albums, live-event IP
• Signature strategy: Vertical integration
• Wealth model: Artist as infrastructure

Jay-Z

• Net worth: $2.5 billion (Forbes estimate)
• Primary driver: Diversified investments
• Structure: Roc Nation + private equity stakes
• Core assets:
  • Music catalog
  • Spirits (Armand de Brignac, D’USSÉ stake history)
  • Early tech investments (including Uber)
• Signature strategy: Portfolio diversification
• Wealth model: Artist as investor

Why it matters: Together, Beyoncé and Jay-Z are the only married couple in music history to independently reach billionaire status — not through celebrity alone, but through ownership, leverage and long-term control in an industry that has historically denied Black artists all three.

Source: Forbes

That control traces back to a pivotal decision in 2010, when Beyoncé founded Parkwood and brought nearly every aspect of her career under one roof. The company manages her music, tours, films and visual projects, absorbing upfront costs in exchange for long-term ownership and backend participation.

“When I decided to manage myself, it was important that I didn’t go to some big management company,” Beyoncé said in a 2013 interview. “I felt like I wanted to follow the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire.”

In an industry that has historically profited from Black creativity while denying Black artists ownership, Beyoncé’s billion-dollar valuation represents not just commercial success, but a rare reversal of that equation.

From the surprise release of “Beyoncé” in 2013 to the HBO-backed visual album “Lemonade” in 2016, she repeatedly reframed albums as events rather than inventory. Her 2018 Coachella performance — later released as “Homecoming” — drew hundreds of thousands of concurrent viewers and culminated in a Netflix documentary reportedly valued at $60 million.

More recently, Beyoncé expanded into adjacent industries with mixed but strategic results, including a hair care brand (Cécred), a premium whiskey label (SirDavis), and Ivy Park, her apparel partnership that was discontinued in 2024. Forbes notes that while these ventures contributed to her wealth, the core of her fortune still comes from music — specifically ownership of her catalog and the unmatched earning power of her tours.

In 2025 alone, Forbes estimates Beyoncé earned $148 million before taxes, making her the third-highest-paid musician in the world. That success came despite album-equivalent sales that lagged behind several streaming-era peers, underscoring a modern reality: touring now accounts for the vast majority of top-tier artists’ income.

Across entertainment, few enterprises are more lucrative than a stadium-filling musician in the post-pandemic era. Beyoncé has been at the forefront of that shift, scaling productions once considered unsustainable and then rewriting the economics to make them viable.

In recent written interviews, she has said “Renaissance” and “Cowboy Carter” represent the first two parts of a planned genre trilogy. She has also signaled that future touring will be more selective, structured around her children’s schedules.

“No amount of money is worth my peace,” she told GQ earlier this year.

The billionaire designation does not close Beyoncé’s story. It confirms what her career has already demonstrated: that she is not simply one of the most influential artists of her era, but one of its most disciplined architects.