Romanian Court Sentences Wiz Khalifa to Nine Months in Drug Case

Wiz Khalifa performs during a live concert in 2023. The rapper was later sentenced by a Romanian court in connection with cannabis use during a 2024 festival appearance in Costinești. (Photo by Rickmunroe01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Wiz Khalifa’s habit of lighting up onstage has long been treated as part of the show. In Romania, it became a criminal case — and, this week, the court issued its final ruling.

The Pittsburgh rapper, born Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was sentenced to nine months in prison by Romania’s Constanța Court of Appeal, which overturned an earlier penalty stemming from his July 2024 detention at the “Beach, Please!” music festival in Costinești. The ruling, issued Monday and entered into the court registry, followed an appeal by Romanian prosecutors and marked the conclusion of a case that began when Khalifa smoked cannabis during his live set.

According to court documents and a translated statement from Romania’s Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism, known as DIICOT, Khalifa was found to have possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and to have consumed additional marijuana onstage in the form of a handmade cigarette. Under Romanian law, cannabis is classified as a “dangerous drug,” and public possession and use remain criminal offenses regardless of quantity.

Police allowed Khalifa to complete his performance before taking him into custody. He was detained briefly, questioned and released, and prosecutors later initiated criminal proceedings for illegal possession of dangerous drugs for personal use.

In the initial trial, a lower court imposed a criminal fine of 3,600 lei, roughly $800 at the time. DIICOT appealed that sentence, arguing it failed to reflect the seriousness of the offense under Romania’s drug statutes. The appellate court agreed, partially vacating the original ruling and imposing a nine-month prison sentence, to be served in detention, while leaving other aspects of the judgment intact.

The decision is final under Romanian law.

 

What the ruling does not immediately mean is just as important as what it does. Khalifa was not taken into custody this week, nor have Romanian authorities announced steps related to extradition, enforcement abroad or international arrest warrants. The sentence was pronounced by making it available through the registry rather than in Khalifa’s physical presence, a procedural detail common in Romanian appellate cases involving foreign defendants.

Legal experts note that cross-border enforcement of such sentences can be complex and often hinges on bilateral agreements, prosecutorial discretion and future travel. None of those questions were addressed in the ruling itself, and Romanian officials emphasized that Khalifa benefited from full procedural rights and the presumption of innocence throughout the case.

Still, the judgment stands as a rare example of a global rap star receiving a custodial sentence overseas for conduct that, in much of the United States, would no longer raise eyebrows — let alone criminal charges.

The case also underscores the cultural disconnect between hip-hop performance norms and international drug laws. Cannabis remains central to Khalifa’s public image and music, woven into lyrics, branding and decades of live shows. But Romanian law makes no exception for celebrity, context or stage persona.

Since the incident, Khalifa has not publicly commented on the appeal ruling. At the time of his arrest in 2024, Romanian authorities made clear that his status as a foreign artist did not alter the legal framework governing the case.

Bronx Drill Rapper Kay Flock Gets 30-Year Sentence in Racketeering Case

Kay Flock, born Kevin Perez, is shown in a photo shared on social media. The Bronx drill rapper was sentenced Tuesday to 30 years in federal prison after being convicted on racketeering and attempted murder charges tied to a series of gang-related shootings.

For a brief moment, Kay Flock looked like the next voice to break out of the Bronx’s drill scene — a raw, volatile presence whose videos racked up millions of views and whose name moved fast through New York rap circles. On Tuesday, that ascent ended in a federal courtroom.

The Bronx rapper, born Kevin Perez, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role as the leader of a gang prosecutors said carried out a series of shootings that terrorized neighborhoods between 2020 and 2021. Perez, 22, was convicted earlier this year on racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering, along with a firearm offense, following a two-week trial in U.S. District Court.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, who imposed the sentence, said Perez “taunted, celebrated, and created a culture of violence,” adding that the harm caused by his actions “was immense,” according to court records.

Federal prosecutors described Perez as the leader of a Bronx-based gang known as Sev Side/DOA — shorthand for “Dumping on Anything” or “Dead on Arrival” — operating around East 187th Street. According to the indictment and trial evidence, the group used violence to defend territory, elevate its reputation and increase members’ status, while funding itself through bank and wire fraud schemes that later supported Perez’s music career.

“Kevin Perez used violence and fame to fuel fear and intimidation across the Bronx,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement announcing the sentence. “Perez and his gang members carried out a string of shootings that struck both rival gang members and innocent bystanders.”

Prosecutors tied Perez to multiple shootings during a roughly 18-month span. Among them was a June 20, 2020, attack in which a rival was shot in the jaw and several others were wounded. Days later, Perez appeared in a music video that investigators said referenced the shooting. Additional attempted murders in June 2020, August 2020 and November 2021 were also presented at trial, with evidence showing multiple victims were struck by gunfire.

Clayton said Perez used his platform as a rising drill rapper to amplify the violence, releasing songs and videos — some drawing millions of views — that “threatened his rivals, bragged about his shootings, and taunted his victims.” Prosecutors argued the music and online posts helped spark retaliatory violence that rippled through the Bronx.

In addition to the prison sentence, Perez was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after completing his term.

Donna Summer’s Songwriting Legacy Honored With Hall of Fame Induction

Donna Summer performs during the inaugural gala at the Washington Convention Center on Jan. 19, 1985, in Washington, D.C. Long remembered as the defining voice of disco, Summer was also a prolific songwriter whose work reshaped dance music, pop and R&B — a legacy now recognized with her posthumous induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. (White House Photographic Office via the National Archives)

Donna Summer is headed to the Songwriters Hall of Fame — a place longtime fans have argued she belonged all along, even when the disco backlash tried to pretend her pen didn’t matter.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame announced Summer’s posthumous induction following an intimate ceremony held on Monday in The Butterfly Room at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood, California.

The Hall rarely honors songwriters after their death, reserving posthumous inductions for moments when an artist’s influence has not faded with time but grown clearer with distance, a distinction that fits Summer, whose songwriting has increasingly been reassessed as foundational rather than decorative.

If Summer is still too often introduced as “the voice of disco,” the Hall’s framing quietly corrects the record. She wrote many of the songs that made her unavoidable, including “Love to Love You Baby,” “I Feel Love,” “Bad Girls,” “Dim All the Lights,” “On the Radio,” “Heaven Knows,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Spring Affair” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real,” among others. Those records didn’t just soundtrack an era — they helped reshape pop structure, dance music, and how female artists claimed authorship in spaces that often denied it.

The induction was led by Paul Williams, the Academy Award-winning songwriter and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee whose own catalog spans pop, film and Broadway. Williams framed Summer not as a genre figure, but as a writer whose work permanently altered how emotion, rhythm and melody coexist in popular music.

“Donna Summer is not only one of the defining voices and performers of the 20th century; she is one of the great songwriters of all time who changed the course of music,” Williams said in a statement released by the Hall. He added that her songs “continue to captivate our souls and imaginations, inspiring the world to dance and, above all, feel love.”

Summer, who died in 2012 at 63, was represented at the ceremony by her family, including her husband, Bruce Sudano, and daughters Brooklyn Sudano and Amanda Sudano Ramirez. In a message shared with the Hall, Sudano spoke directly to the recognition Summer valued most, and didn’t always receive in real time.

“With all the accolades that she received over her career, being respected as a songwriter was always the thing that she felt was overlooked,” Sudano said. “So for her to be accepted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame I know that she’s very happy… somewhere.”

Lizzo Scores Partial Legal Victory as Fat-Shaming Claims Are Dropped

Lizzo performs on President James Madison’s 1813 crystal flute during a visit to the Library of Congress in Washington on Sept. 26, 2022. The Grammy-winning artist, known for her musicianship and advocacy for body positivity, recently celebrated a partial legal victory after former dancers dropped fat-shaming allegations in an ongoing lawsuit. (Photo by Shawn Miller/Library of Congress)

Lizzo called it “devastating” to stay silent while the world picked her apart. On Monday, the Grammy winning singer finally spoke — not through a press release, but through a social-media video — confirming that one of the loudest accusations against her has fallen away.

“The fat-shaming claims against me have been officially dropped by my accusers,” she wrote across the screen. “They conceded it had no merit in court. There was no evidence that I fired them because they gained weight — because it never happened. Now the truth is finally out.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lizzo (@lizzobeeating)

It was the first major turn in a lawsuit that’s shadowed Lizzo since 2023, when three former backup dancers — Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez and Crystal Williams — accused her of creating a hostile work environment filled with sexual misconduct and body-shaming. Their most publicized claim, that she punished or fired employees for weight gain, has now been withdrawn after a judge dismissed it under California’s anti-SLAPP statute and the plaintiffs declined to appeal.

But while this moment clears a major piece of her legal slate, it doesn’t end the story. Other parts of the case — including allegations of inappropriate behavior and tour-related misconduct — remain active. Lizzo says she’ll fight them all.

“This claim has haunted me since the day it came out,” she said. “It has been devastating to suffer through this in silence, but I let my lawyers lead, and I’m so grateful for this victory. I am still in a legal battle. I am not settling. I will be fighting every single claim until the truth is out.”

The case, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, has become one of pop culture’s most polarizing. It’s a collision between celebrity image and workplace ethics, fame and accountability, and a test of how quickly social media can rewrite a reputation before a court ever rules.

Lil Jon, Toys 'R' Us Flip Thanksgiving Parade Virality Into Autism Speaks Fundraiser

Lil Jon rides the Toys“R”Us float during the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. His viral “Turn Down for What” moment has since spun into a fundraising campaign for Autism Speaks, raffling the custom jacket he wore in the parade. (Courtesy photo)

Somewhere between the marching bands, the inflatable Pikachu, and a sea of corporate branding, Lil Jon managed to make the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade feel like a block party again.

His performance on the Toys“R”Us float went viral not because of any big-budget pyrotechnics, but because the Atlanta-born king of crunk somehow made a 99-year-old holiday institution shout back “Yeah!”

Now, a few weeks later, Lil Jon and Toys“R”Us are turning that unlikely viral moment into something bigger — and a little bit better — a charity raffle that supports Autism Speaks. The campaign, announced this week, lets fans donate through toysrus.com/donatenow for a chance to win the custom jacket Lil Jon wore during the parade. The top-tier prize includes a meet-and-greet with him in Los Angeles, airfare and one night’s hotel stay.

For every five-dollar donation, fans get a shot at the jacket. One hundred bucks? One hundred entries. And, naturally, there’s an “extra entry” if you tag a friend on Instagram.

It’s all in support of Autism Speaks, an organization that’s spent more than two decades funding research, services and advocacy for autistic individuals and families.

 

“I’m excited to partner once again with Toys“R”Us — giving fans the chance to win my custom jacket that I wore during the parade — in support of Autism Speaks,” Lil Jon said in a statement announcing the project. “Donate now, let’s gooo, YEAHHH!!”

If it sounds both genuine and absurd, that’s because it is. Lil Jon, the same artist who turned “Shots!” into a generational chant, cleaning up Turn Down for What for the Macy’s Parade, is the kind of cultural full circle that only hip-hop could pull off.

Kim Miller Olko, global CMO for Toys“R”Us, framed it as a continuation of their long-standing charity work. “We’re thrilled to carry that momentum forward through this unique initiative,” she said, adding that the company has previously supported Autism Speaks and wants to “expand that partnership.”

Still, there’s something poetic about it — a once-bankrupt toy company teaming with a former club-scene megastar to raise money for a cause that hits close to home for many families. A kid-friendly parade float turned into an act of giving.

Lil Jon has been on plenty of big stages — from Grammy wins to EDM festivals — but this particular spotlight, wholesome and weird as it may be, might be his most unexpectedly human. In a landscape where celebrity charity drives can feel transactional, this one at least carries some of the chaotic sincerity that’s kept the rapper relevant for twenty years.

Because sometmes, giving back doesn’t have to be quiet.

For more information or to participate click here. 

Tyrone ''Fly Ty' Williams, Cold Chillin’ Founder and Hip-Hop Pioneer, Dies at 68

Tyrone “Fly Ty” Williams, the pioneering founder of Cold Chillin’ Records and one of hip-hop’s first major-label executives, in an undated photo shared on his Instagram. The Brooklyn-born architect of rap’s golden age — who helped launch Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane and Roxanne Shanté — died Monday. (Photo via Instagram / @flytywilliams)

Tyrone “Fly Ty” Williams, a foundational architect of hip-hop’s golden era who founded Cold Chillin’ Records and helped launch some of rap’s most influential artists, died Monday in New York. He was 68.

Williams’ passing was confirmed on social media by the Hip-Hop Museum and peers in the culture, though no official cause of death has been publicly disclosed.

Rocky Bucano, CEO of the Hip-Hop Museum, shared a personal tribute on Facebook:

“This afternoon I received the heartbreaking news that my friend and brother in this culture, Tyrone ‘Fly Ty’ Williams, has passed away,” Bucano wrote. “Fly Ty was more than the former CEO of Cold Chillin’ Records — he was a pillar in the architecture of hip-hop. A trusted colleague, a champion for artists and one of the earliest executives to truly understand the power and potential of our culture.”

Artists and fans flooded social platforms with remembrances, celebrating Williams not just as a label head but as a mentor and cultural catalyst. Among them was MC Shan, a longtime Juice Crew member whose career Williams helped shepherd. Popular hip-hop feeds on Instagram and Facebook honored his legacy with tributes citing his vision and influence.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MC SHAN (@theofficialmcshan)

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Williams came of age deeply steeped in music and culture before finding his calling in hip-hop. In 1986, at 27, he founded Cold Chillin’ Records — originally a subsidiary of Prism Records — which went on to become one of rap’s most influential labels during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Under his leadership, Cold Chillin’ became synonymous with the Juice Crew, the groundbreaking collective that included artists such as Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shanté, Kool G Rap and MC Shan. Their records helped define New York rap’s early identity and set the template for lyricism and cohesion in hip-hop.

Williams’ business acumen played a crucial role in positioning hip-hop for broader audiences. A distribution partnership with Warner Bros. Records helped bring Cold Chillin’ releases into national markets without diluting the music’s authenticity — a rare achievement at a time when major labels were only tentatively embracing rap as a commercial art form.

Before his label tenure, Williams worked as a radio executive and producer, collaborating closely with influential DJ Mr. Magic and helping to expand dedicated hip-hop programming on commercial airwaves — the first steps toward bringing the culture out of block parties and into mainstream listening rooms.

Though Cold Chillin’ closed in 1998, its influence persists through the artists it championed and the career pathways it opened. Generations of rappers and producers have cited the label’s work as foundational to hip-hop’s culture and business evolution.

Williams’ death marks the loss of one of hip-hop’s earliest visionaries — an executive who, at a time when few in the broader industry grasped the cultural potential of rap, believed in the music’s power and helped turn that belief into reality.

Phil Upchurch, Soulful Architect of Modern R&B and Jazz, Dies at 84

Phil Upchurch, a Chicago-born guitarist and composer whose six-decade career bridged jazz, soul and R&B and included collaborations with Donny Hathaway, Chaka Khan and Michael Jackson, died Nov. 23, 2025, in Los Angeles at 84. (Photo by Sonya Maddox-Upchurch)

Phil Upchurch’s guitar never shouted for attention, but if you grew up on Donny Hathaway, Chaka Khan, Curtis Mayfield or Michael Jackson, you’ve been living in his chords your whole life.

His wife, singer and actor Sonya Maddox-Upchurch, confirmed in a statement shared Dec. 2 that the guitarist died Nov. 23 in Los Angeles at 84.

“Phil was my husband, my musical partner, and my heart,” she wrote. “He touched so many lives through his gift and his spirit, and I thank everyone for the love and memories being shared. Please keep our family in your prayers as we celebrate his life and legacy.”

News of his passing spread slowly outside musician circles, as tributes from peers like Chaka Khan and George Benson began appearing in early December — a delay that feels fitting for a man who spent a lifetime behind the spotlight, shaping songs that defined modern soul and jazz without ever demanding the credit.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DJ Soul Sister (@djsoulsister)

A Chicago native born July 19, 1941, Upchurch came up in neighborhood R&B bands before becoming a house guitarist for Chess Records, backing artists like The Dells and Jerry Butler. In 1961 he scored his own hit with the instrumental “You Can’t Sit Down,” which reached the pop Top 40 and made his name a fixture on soul jukeboxes.

From there, he built the kind of resume that makes other musicians speak his name with reverence. He anchored Curtis Mayfield’s “Super Fly” era, worked with the Staple Singers, and became a trusted collaborator for Quincy Jones — a relationship that eventually landed him on Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall,” where his guitar on “Workin’ Day and Night” drives one of Jackson’s funkiest grooves.

Jazz, blues, gospel, R&B — Upchurch moved through all of it without ever sounding out of place. Over the decades he recorded or toured with B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Carmen McRae, David Sanborn and Ramsey Lewis, while still cutting his own albums like “The Way I Feel,” “Darkness, Darkness,” and the late-career favorite “Tell the Truth!”

For soul heads, his most sacred work may be with Donny Hathaway. Upchurch’s playing on “Donny Hathaway Live” helped turn those 1971 club dates into a master class in feel — the kind of record musicians still study to understand how to lift a vocalist without crowding them.

That sensitivity is exactly what Chaka Khan singled out in her tribute shared after his passing:

“Phil Upchurch was a rare light — steady, brilliant & deeply rooted in the music we created together. From the earliest days of my career, his playing carried a grace and sensitivity that lifted every note and every moment. I’m grateful for all the years of friendship, the wisdom he shared, and the joy we found in making music side by side. May he rest in peace, and may we continue to honor him by celebrating the music he helped bring into this world.”

Coming from an artist whose own catalog helped define ’70s and ’80s soul, that’s not boilerplate condolence — it’s peer-level recognition of a musician other legends leaned on.

Upchurch’s story is also a reminder of how much Black music history rests on names that never make the marquee. The same hands that drove his own hit “You Can’t Sit Down” were there for sessions and soundtracks that powered an entire era — from blaxploitation classics like “Super Fly” and “Claudine” to jazz-fusion experiments and church-bred soul.

For nearly six decades, if you cared about the intersection of jazz, gospel, R&B and pop, you’ve been hearing Phil Upchurch whether you knew his name or not.

Now the name is on the record, too.

Jay-Z Bets Big on Korea’s Creative Boom in $500M Partnership With Hanwha

Jay-Z, whose firm MarcyPen Capital Partners is launching a $500 million fund with South Korea’s Hanwha Asset Management, continues to expand his global business empire from boardrooms to Seoul.

Jay-Z’s 2025 was quiet on wax but loud in boardrooms. Now, months after his billion-dollar MarcyPen Capital merger, the Brooklyn mogul is taking his hustle global — partnering with South Korea’s Hanwha Asset Management to launch a $500 million investment fund aimed at the booming Asian culture and lifestyle markets.

The deal, signed during Abu Dhabi Finance Week, creates MarcyPen Asia, a new vehicle to back fast-rising brands in entertainment, beauty, fashion and food — essentially, the same creative engines powering the worldwide “K-wave.” MarcyPen, which manages roughly $1 billion, will be the majority investor. Hanwha, one of South Korea’s largest financial groups with about ₩120 trillion (nearly $81 billion) under management, will lead sourcing and fund operations.

“South Korea is a cultural nexus of Asia, influencing global trends in beauty, content, food, entertainment and lifestyle,” said Robbie Robinson, MarcyPen’s managing partner and CEO. Hanwha CEO Kim Jong-ho told the Financial Times that the partnership marks “a rare inflow of private equity” into industries that have traditionally relied on corporate or government backing.

Hanwha Asset Management CEO Jong-Ho (James) Kim, left, and MarcyPen Capital Partners managing partner and CEO Robbie Robinson pose after signing a memorandum of understanding during Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The agreement underpins a planned $500 million fund to invest in Asian culture and lifestyle companies. 

The move connects two of the world’s most powerful creative economies — hip-hop’s blueprint for ownership and K-culture’s mastery of global influence. The K-pop explosion that gave rise to BTS and Blackpink reshaped how music and style move across borders. Now, Jay-Z’s investment arm is betting that what started as sonic and visual influence can become equity.

MarcyPen, formed in 2024 when Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners merged with Pendulum Opportunities, focuses on businesses that “create, move and lead culture.” The firm’s portfolio has included spirits, wellness and tech startups grounded in the same ethos that powered Roc Nation: cultural authenticity as economic capital.

Jay-Z, MarcyPen and the Business of Culture

From Marcy to MarcyPen
Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter moved from rapper and label head to full-scale investor over the past two decades, building on ventures that ranged from Rocawear and Roc Nation to streaming platform TIDAL and his stake in Armand de Brignac champagne. In 2024, his venture firm Marcy Venture Partners merged with Pendulum Opportunities to form MarcyPen Capital Partners, a U.S.-based private equity firm that now manages around $1 billion in assets and focuses on brands that "create, move and lead culture."

What MarcyPen does
MarcyPen backs early- and growth-stage companies in consumer goods, technology, lifestyle, health and entertainment. The strategy is built on the idea that cultural influence can translate directly into equity and long-term value, especially when the founders come from the communities driving those trends.

Why Korea — and why now
South Korea has become a global culture engine, exporting everything from K-pop and film to skincare, food and streetwear. The planned $500 million MarcyPen Asia fund, launched with Hanwha Asset Management, is designed to help high-potential Korean and Asian brands scale worldwide while giving Black-led capital a direct stake in the next wave of global culture.

The Korean partnership takes that vision further. From K-dramas and Seoul streetwear to skincare routines that went viral through Black and Brown influencers stateside, the cultural traffic between South Korea and the diaspora has been real for years — this deal simply formalizes the money flow behind it.

Hanwha and MarcyPen plan to begin raising capital in the second half of 2026, targeting sovereign funds, private investors and global institutions. If successful, MarcyPen Asia could help Asian-owned creative companies expand worldwide — and put Black-led venture capital squarely at the table shaping that growth.

Still, there’s a cautionary note. Private equity has a history of chasing short-term wins over long-term community investment. But Jay-Z’s track record — from Armand de Brignac champagne to Tidal to Roc Nation Sports — shows he tends to build equity, not just headlines.

If this plays out, it won’t just mark another billionaire move. It could signal a new era of cultural cross-ownership — where the next global hit, brand, or creative platform might be financed by a pipeline that runs from Marcy Projects to Seoul.

Teyana Taylor’s Golden Globe Nod Crowns a Year When the Culture Took Center Stage

Teyana Taylor in “One Battle After Another.” Her fearless performance in Ryan Coogler’s drama, now a Golden Globe contender, embodies the rise of authentic, culture-rooted storytelling that reshaped this year’s awards season. (Photo Courtesy Warner Bros.)

Teyana Taylor walked into awards season as an outsider again — no big-budget campaign, no glossy magazine spread, no studio whispering her name into voters’ ears. But when the 2026 Golden Globe nominations dropped today, the Harlem-born artist’s name landed right where it belonged: on the list.


Her supporting role in “One Battle After Another,” a bruising indie drama that went from festival buzz to nine nominations, marked one of the few times the Globes have recognized a performer who started her career choreographing for Beyoncé and grinding through the same hip-hop hustle that Hollywood pretended didn’t exist.

For longtime fans who first saw her dancing in Jay-Z videos or directing her own visuals under the moniker “Spike Tey,” the news hit different. Taylor, now nominated for Best Supporting Actress for “One Battle After Another” — the year’s most-nominated film — walked into awards season with the same mix of grit and grace that’s carried her through every reinvention.

Where the Culture Showed Up at the 2026 Golden Globes

Key nominees announced Dec. 8, 2025, for the 83rd Golden Globes:

• "One Battle After Another" – Leads all films with 9 nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and a Supporting Actress nod for Teyana Taylor.
• "Sinners" – Scores 7 nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director (Ryan Coogler), Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Original Score (Ludwig Göransson) and Best Original Song for "I Lied to You" by Göransson and Raphael Saadiq.
• Tessa Thompson – Nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama for "Hedda".
• Cynthia Erivo – Nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for "Wicked: For Good", which also picked up Best Original Song nods.
• Ayo Edebiri – Returns to the TV comedy race for her work in "The Bear".
• Quinta Brunson – Continues her awards run with another nomination for "Abbott Elementary" in the comedy series field.

For the full list of 2026 Golden Globe nominees, visit GoldenGlobes.com.

She wasn’t alone. With "Sinners," Ryan Coogler’s return to prestige filmmaking, Michael B. Jordan earned a Best Actor nod, solidifying the pair as modern cinema’s Scorsese and De Niro.. Composer Ludwig Göransson and Raphael Saadiq’s “I Lied to You” brought the film its fourth nomination, giving soul music a rare home inside a category once dominated by pop ballads and movie musicals.

From Teyana to Michael, from Cynthia Erivo’s “Wicked: For Good” nomination to Ayo Edebiri and Quinta Brunson representing television’s comedy elite, the 2026 Globes quietly told a story years in the making: the artists shaped by Black music, hip-hop aesthetics and R&B storytelling no longer sit at the margins of Hollywood — they are the pulse.

That change didn’t come from committees or press releases. It came from the culture refusing to wait for permission. When the HFPA scandal forced the Globes to rebuild, the world outside kept moving — through mixtapes, streaming, indie film circuits, and TikTok threads where music, politics, and performance blur daily. The result? Hollywood’s old party suddenly sounds like something new.

There are still gaps. No major hip-hop documentaries or biopics made the cut. Streaming platforms with Black showrunners remain under-nominated. But the list feels alive — reflective of a generation that grew up with Dilla drums under Scorsese cuts and Nina Simone lyrics sampled on Billboard hits.

If the Globes are finally listening, it’s because the culture stopped asking to be heard.

Judy Cheeks, Miami Soul Singer Who Found Global Fame in Europe’s Disco Era, Dies at 71

Judy Cheeks, the Miami-born soul and dance-music singer who was discovered by Ike & Tina Turner and rose to international fame with “Mellow Lovin’” before returning to her gospel roots, died Nov. 26, 2025, at age 71. (Photo Courtesy judycheeksmusic.com)

Judy Cheeks, the Miami-born soul and dance-music powerhouse whose gospel-trained voice carried from Southern sanctuaries to international dance floors, died the day before Thanksgiving after a long fight with autoimmune illness. She was 71.

The daughter of gospel legend Rev. Julius “June” Cheeks — whose fiery vocals with the Sensational Nightingales and the Soul Stirrers helped define gospel’s golden age — Judy grew up surrounded by voices that blurred the line between spirit and song. Mavis Staples, Sam Cooke, and members of the Caravans were family friends who dropped by the house. “When people say I sound like Mavis, it’s because being around gospel singers was like eating food and drinking water,” she told The Black Gospel Blog in 2013.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The World of Ike & Tina (@ikeandtinaturner)

By seven, she was leading hymns at church. By eighteen, she was discovered by Ike & Tina Turner, who produced her self-titled 1973 debut, “Judy Cheeks.” Touring as an Ikette gave her a stage presence and grit that set her apart from the smoother soul stylists of the era.

In 1977, she took a bold leap, moving to Germany with only $35 and a belief in her gift. A televised duet with Austrian crooner Udo Jürgens on “The Rudi Carrell Show” catapulted her to stardom in Europe, and her 1978 disco single “Mellow Lovin’” broke through internationally — hitting No. 10 on Billboard’s Dance Club chart.

 

Through the 1980s she recorded and toured across Europe, lending her unmistakable tone to artists including Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, Boney M and Amanda Lear. But it was the 1990s that cemented her second act. “Respect” and “As Long As You’re Good to Me” both reached No. 1 on the U.S. Dance chart in 1995, proving her voice could ride any era’s rhythm without losing its soul. Later singles — “Reach,” “So in Love (The Real Deal)” and “You’re the Story of My Life” — made her a club-culture favorite and earned her crossover respect from house DJs and gospel purists alike.

 

In her later years, Cheeks turned back to her spiritual foundation. Albums like “True Love Is Free” (2013), “Danger Zone” (2018), “A Deeper Love” (2019) and “Love Dancin’” (2020) blended testimony with groove. “There are more important things I want to say,” she told The Black Gospel Blog. “Though my walk with God has always been there, I wanted my music to be gospel this time. It felt good singing from my heart.”

A GoFundMe campaign launched earlier this year revealed her battle with a rare autoimmune disorder that required months of intensive care. Even as her health declined, friends said her faith and warmth never wavered. “She was the real deal,” one longtime friend wrote, echoing the title of her 1990s anthem.

Steve Cropper, Guitarist Who Defined the Stax Records Sound, Dies at 84

Steve Cropper, second from right, with Booker T. & the M.G.’s in 1967. The integrated Stax Records house band helped shape the sound of Southern soul and backed artists including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Wilson Pickett. 

Steve Cropper, the guitarist and songwriter whose clean, deliberate touch helped define the sound of Southern soul, died Thursday in Nashville at 84. His family confirmed the news, saying he passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones.

Cropper’s name might not ring as loud as the singers he backed, but his guitar did. As a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.’s — the integrated house band for Stax Records — he played on and co-wrote a catalog that became the backbone of American R&B. His rhythm lines cut through songs like “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” “Soul Man” and “Knock on Wood,” records that carried the sound of Memphis across the world.

Unlike the guitar heroes of his era, Cropper’s approach wasn’t flash or volume — it was precision. He understood space. His riffs were short, economical, built to leave room for Otis Redding’s rasp, Wilson Pickett’s howl, or Sam & Dave’s shouted harmonies. “I’m not listening to just me,” he once said in an interview. “I make sure I’m sounding OK before we start the session.”

 

At Stax, Cropper’s sound helped set the label apart from Motown’s polish. The Memphis sessions were grittier — bass up front, horns pushing, drums dry and close — and Cropper was the glue between rhythm and melody. When Sam Moore yelled “Play it, Steve!” on “Soul Man,” it wasn’t ego. It was acknowledgment.

Through the 1960s and early ’70s, Cropper quietly built one of the most durable resumes in popular music. He co-wrote “In the Midnight Hour” with Pickett, co-produced “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” with Redding — finishing the song after Redding’s death — and helped shape dozens of sessions for artists including Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd and Rufus Thomas. He rarely sought the spotlight, but he was rarely far from a hit.

His work carried into later decades through The Blues Brothers, where he and bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn brought Stax’s feel to a new generation. That exposure turned him into a cult figure — a sideman suddenly seen.

 

Cropper was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, though he often brushed off accolades with the same ease he brushed off solos.

Even in later years, his reach extended further than many fans realized. Hip-hop producers and soul revivalists sampled the grooves he helped shape; his rhythm lines became part of the DNA of American popular music. He didn’t chase influence — it found him.

“Every note he played, every song he wrote, and every artist he inspired ensures that his spirit will continue to move people for generations,” his family wrote in a statement. He is survived by his wife, Angel Cropper, his children Andrea, Cameron, Stevie and Ashley, and generations of musicians who learned that sometimes the most powerful sound is restraint.

Chance the Rapper, 50 Cent and Mariah Carey Lead Culture-Shifting 'Rockin’ Eve'

Chance the Rapper, co-host of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2026,” will lead the show’s first-ever live Central Time Zone countdown from his hometown of Chicago, joining 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Coco Jones in a lineup that blends hip-hop, R&B and pop across four time zones. (Courtesy ABC / Dick Clark Productions)

The clock still drops in Times Square, but this year the sound belongs to us. For the first time in its half-century run, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve feels less like a network broadcast and more like a playlist — one where hip-hop, R&B and pop collide in real time instead of being boxed off by genre.

The 2026 lineup is its most ambitious yet: 50 Cent, Chance the Rapper, Ciara, Coco Jones, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean and T.I. share space with Mariah Carey, Charlie Puth, Post Malone, and country star Maren Morris, while newcomers like Chappell Roan, LE SSERAFIM, and BigXthaPlug stretch the sound across generations and continents. Over 80 performances will air across four time zones and eight hours of live television — the show’s longest broadcast in its history.

Chance the Rapper hosting the first-ever Central Time countdown from Chicago hits different. For a city that’s given the world everyone from Common and Kanye to Chief Keef and Noname, seeing Chance lead a national celebration from home feels like a long time coming. Out east, 50 Cent returns as New York royalty — not the provocateur he once was, but a fixture of the same culture that built Times Square’s pulse.

And in a moment that says everything about R&B’s quiet resurgence, Coco Jones takes center stage with the same voice that made “ICU” one of the genre’s defining songs of the decade. Then there’s Mariah Carey — timeless, theatrical and inevitable — the connective tissue between every generation the show’s ever tried to serve.

But the real cultural moment comes when DJ Cassidy’s “Pass the Mic Live!” unites Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, and T.I. for a run that’s part cipher, part celebration — the kind of thing that never used to make it to network TV. For a show built on pop polish, this year’s lineup finally looks like the culture it’s been chasing for decades: messy, electric, and unapologetically Black at its core.

Sure, pop and rock names like Goo Goo Dolls, OneRepublic, and New Kids on the Block will keep the nostalgia crowd covered. But what gives Rockin’ Eve 2026 its spark is the mix — a reflection of how people really listen now: crossfade to crossfade, mood to mood, vibe to vibe.

It’s not that the show suddenly belongs to hip-hop or R&B. It’s that television finally understands it can’t ring in a new year without them. Because when midnight hits, it won’t be the confetti that gets remembered — it’ll be the bassline that carried us into the next one.

For more information on the show and to view the full lineup click here.

Antone 'Chubby' Tavares, Lead Singer of R&B Group Tavares, Dies at 81

Antone “Chubby” Tavares, lead singer of the Grammy-winning R&B group Tavares, is pictured in a later-career promotional portrait. Known for his smooth falsetto on classics like “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” Tavares helped define the sound of 1970s soul and disco.

Before the Bee Gees made disco global, a group of Cape Verdean brothers from Massachusetts gave the genre its heartbeat. Antone “Chubby” Tavares — the frontman whose falsetto carried “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” and helped shape the sound of ’70s R&B — died Nov. 29 at his home in New Bedford. He was 81.

His son, Antone Tavares Jr., shared the news on Facebook, writing that his father “passed last night at home in peace & comfort” after a year of declining health. “Dad and his brothers touched many people and brought joy worldwide,” he wrote. “They were blessed to experience many places and things.”

 

Tavares’ surviving brothers confirmed the news on the group’s official Facebook page, asking fans for privacy and prayers. “We do know that he is now eternally with our Lord,” the post read. “We thank you in advance for allowing us to mourn privately as a family. We love you and God bless you all.”

Chubby Tavares and his brothers — Ralph, Arthur “Pooch,” Feliciano “Butch,” Perry “Tiny,” and Victor — first performed as Chubby and the Turnpikes before signing with Capitol Records and reintroducing themselves as Tavares. Their breakthrough single “Check It Out” launched a string of R&B and pop hits that helped define a generation of dance-floor soul.

The brothers’ clean harmonies and smooth arrangements drove classics like “It Only Takes a Minute,” “Whodunit,” and the era-defining “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel.” Their soulful take on the Bee Gees’ “More Than a Woman” landed on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack — one of the best-selling albums in history — earning them a share of the 1979 Album of the Year Grammy.

 

While Tavares never sought the spotlight like some of their contemporaries, their influence stretched far beyond their chart run. Their grooves and melodies have been sampled and reinterpreted by generations of R&B and hip-hop artists — from LL Cool J’s “Around the Way Girl” lineage to producers shaping Beyoncé’s retro-soul moments — keeping the Tavares sound alive in modern music. Their harmonies remain a blueprint for any artist trying to bridge church, street, and disco with equal grace.

Tavares in 1977 — From left: Arthur “Pooch,” Ralph, Antone “Chubby,” Feliciano “Butch” and Perry “Tiny” Tavares. The Grammy-winning brothers behind “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” helped define the sound of 1970s R&B and disco. (Capitol Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Common)

He was preceded in death by brothers Ralph (2021) and Arthur “Pooch” (2024). He is survived by brothers Perry “Tiny” and Feliciano “Butch” Tavares, along with his children and extended family.

A proud son of New Bedford, Chubby Tavares was a pillar of the Cape Verdean-American community, representing an often-overlooked lineage in American soul. In 2024, the city honored the family’s legacy by naming a downtown street “Tavares Brothers Way.” “They’ve been around the world, and every time they were introduced, New Bedford, Mass., was attached to it,” Councilor Derek Baptiste said at the dedication. “They were at the forefront of a whole era.”

After decades of touring with his brothers, Chubby released solo albums "Jealousy" (2012) and "Can’t Knock Me Down" (2015), proving his voice still carried the warmth and sincerity that made Tavares a household name.

Super Bowl LX pregame show to feature Coco Jones, Brandi Carlile and Charlie Puth

Coco Jones performs during the Essence Festival of Culture at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on July 4, 2025. The Grammy-winning R&B artist will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at Super Bowl LX in February 2026. (Gabriel Brooks, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

The NFL announced Friday that Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile, and R&B star Coco Jones will headline Super Bowl LX’s pregame at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, 2026. It’s a lineup that feels intentional — a mix of pop, Americana and soul designed to speak to a country still searching for harmony.

Puth will perform the national anthem, Brandi Carlile will deliver “America the Beautiful,” and Coco Jones — one of R&B’s brightest new stars — will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black national anthem that’s become a Super Bowl fixture since Roc Nation helped reframe the event as more than spectacle.

“Charlie, Brandi, and Coco are generational talents,” Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez said. “This moment embodies the best of culture, live performance, and our country — perfectly kicking off game day.”
NFL executive Jon Barker called the Super Bowl “the world’s biggest entertainment stage,” adding that the pregame show “spotlights artists who embody the best of music and culture.”

For Coco Jones, it’s a defining milestone in a rise that’s been impossible to ignore. The Nashville-raised singer, actress, and Grammy winner has quickly become the face of modern R&B — a genre that’s found its way back to the Super Bowl stage after decades of being left on the sidelines. Her debut album, “Why Not More?,” has earned eight Grammy nominations, and her platinum single “ICU” still sits heavy on radio rotations two years later.

Carlile, one of music’s few crossover icons who can move between rock, folk, and gospel without losing her soul, arrives fresh off the success of “Returning to Myself.” Puth, whose fourth album “Whatever’s Clever!” drops in March, remains pop’s consummate technician — the guy who can find melody in anything, including the buzz of a text alert.

The performances will be joined by American Sign Language artists Fred Beam, Julian Ortiz, and Celimar Rivera Cosme — the latter signing Bad Bunny’s halftime show in Puerto Rican Sign Language, another first.

It’s a quietly radical lineup: Black, brown, queer, pop, and country, all sharing the same space before the first whistle blows. And it’s no accident that Roc Nation is again in the producer’s chair, guiding the event from spectacle to statement. From Beyoncé’s “Formation” to Rihanna’s midair return, to last year’s Vegas-sized Usher celebration, the Super Bowl has become something closer to a cultural census — one that now sounds like the country it represents.

In 2026, it’s Coco Jones’ turn to carry that torch. Her voice, her presence, and her moment are all part of the evolution Jay-Z predicted when he said the partnership wasn’t about appeasement — it was about access.

Now, America’s biggest game is listening.

Federal Jury Rules in Favor of Megan Thee Stallion in Online Harassment Lawsuit

Megan Thee Stallion was awarded damages Monday after a federal jury found blogger Milagro Cooper liable for defamation and harassment tied to a deepfake video that circulated following her 2020 shooting.

Megan Thee Stallion didn’t cheer, didn’t gloat, didn’t throw a bar. She just looked tired and said, “I’m just happy.”

And that was enough.

A Miami jury ruled Monday that online blogger Milagro Cooper — better known as “Milagro Gramz” — defamed and harassed the Houston rapper by pushing false stories and promoting a sexually explicit deepfake video that spread across social media. The nine-member panel awarded her $75,000, later reduced by the judge to $59,000, but the number wasn’t the headline. The verdict was.

Megan Thee Stallion leaves the Miami federal courthouse after a jury found online streamer Milagro Cooper liable for defaming her, promoting a fake sexually explicit video of her and intentionally inflicting emotional distress by coordinating with Tory Lanez. pic.twitter.com/TYGI6yG10r

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) December 1, 2025

After years of being mocked, doubted, and digitally dissected, Megan finally got a courtroom acknowledgment of what she’s been saying all along: that the lies hurt, that the internet isn’t a free-for-all, and that even rap’s toughest woman can bleed from words.

The case traces back to the fallout from her 2020 shooting by Tory Lanez, when online conspiracy theorists tried to turn her trauma into clickbait. Cooper’s posts and livestreams fanned that fire, urging thousands to share a fake video built from AI and spite. Jurors heard how the content spread faster than the truth ever could, and how it nearly broke her.

“She’s been through hell,” one of Megan’s lawyers told reporters after the ruling. “This was about setting a boundary for basic decency.”

Somewhere in the middle of all this noise, Megan has found calm again — smiling in photos on her boyfriend Klay Thompson’s boat, the one he just renamed the “SS Stallion.” Maybe it’s coincidence, maybe it’s a love note, but after everything she’s endured, it’s hard not to see symbolism in a vessel built to stay steady through rough waters.

Because on this day, that’s exactly what she did.