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The copyright infringement lawsuit against Grammy award- winning artist Gabriella Wilson (H.E.R), songwriter Justin Love and DJ Camper has been settled. In June 2020, Andre Sims, a well known songwriter and piano maestro, filed allegations against the trio after DJ Camper used Sims’ instrumental composition “Endless Minds” as part of the musical bed for the 2016 song, “Focus,” recorded by H.E.R. Specific details of the settlement have not been made public, but Sims originally filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit for copyright infringement, injunctive relief, accounting of all monies made, and for the defendants to create a constructive trust to hold royalties. “I’m happy we could reach a resolution, and would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers,” said Sims, who’s played with artists such as Stevie Wonder and Donnie McClurkin. “At this point, we have nothing more to say then we are pleased to see the case resolved and settled. Now, all parties can move on with their lives,” said James L. Walker, Sims’ attorney. “Focus” secured H.E.R. her first-ever No. 1 on a Billboard songs chart when it topped the Adult R&B Airplay tally the same year. “Focus” was nominated for the Ashford & Simpson’s songwriters award at the 2018 Soul Train Music Awards, and was nominated for best R&B song at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
SHOWTIME® has released a trailer for BITCHIN’: THE SOUND AND FURY OF RICK JAMES, directed by Emmy®-nominee Sacha Jenkins (WU-TANG CLAN: OF MICS AND MEN, BURN, MOTHERF*CKER, BURN!). BITCHIN’ is an intimate yet propulsive look at Rick James, one of rock, funk and R&B’s most legendary and often underappreciated figures. Featuring rare footage of James’ incredible live shows, never-before-seen home video, original interviews with legendary artists, collaborators and friends, and a treasure trove of recorded interviews with James (who died in 2004), the documentary presents a full picture of James’ dramatic rise and fall, focusing in on the “Punk-Funk” music he left behind. The film, which screened at the Tribeca Festival® in June, will premiere on Friday, September 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Best remembered as the creator of hits such as “Superfreak,” “Give It To Me Baby” and “Mary Jane,” James blazed new trails in American music and global culture in the ’70s and ’80s as a songwriter, performer and producer, collaborating with luminaries such as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Nile Rodgers, Eddie Murphy, Teena Marie, The Mary Jane Girls and M.C. Hammer. BITCHIN’ presents a full and complete picture of James’ life as told by those who knew him. At the center of it all is the “Punk-Funk” that encompassed a unique swath of 20th-century music history from jazz to soul to R&B to rock and eventually, to hip-hop. Friday, August 6 marks the 17th anniversary of James death. BITCHIN’: THE SOUND AND FURY OF RICK JAMES is a Mass Appeal production for SHOWTIME, directed by Jenkins, produced by Steve Rivo, and written by Jenkins, Rivo and Jason Pollard. The film is executive produced by Peter Bittenbender and Jenkins for Mass Appeal, and Douglas Banker and Ty James.
Cardi B is fed up with the social media trolls and has one thing to say to the haters! DELETE! That’s right, the “Up” rapper deleted her Twitter page after receiving major backlash over releasing a doll in her likeness. Cardi posted the photo of the doll on her page and explained why she decided to get into the business. “Growing up, I ain’t never seen a doll that looked like me, I’ve never seen a doll that really represents me,” she said. “When you’d go to the doll aisle when you was my age, it’s either like there’s a real white one, there’s a real dark one, and there’s like barely one that’s like in the middle. None of them have my style, none of them have my flavor, and it’s like I want a doll that represents me.” The Grammy winning rapper’s fans were not too pleased and begin to attack her about putting out products and not new music. One fan wrote “ like we get it sis. ur a business woman who finds multiple ways to the bag & thats cool !!! but dont come on here like i got a surprise for yall !! and it be a doll.” Cardi was quick to attack back and give a piece of her mind. “Yo, I really hate when people start acting like brats and start really pissing me off. I don’t like that s**t,” she said in a Twitter voice note. “I wanna make it very clear. After I dropped I said, ‘I’m gonna take my time. I gotta finish my album.’ If I say I’m gonna finish my album, it doesn’t mean that I’m gonna drop in March, it doesn’t mean that I’m gonna drop in April. Let me do this f**king s**t because everybody expect me to f**king fail, so when I drop my album, I want it to be immaculate with everything great.” Following her response, the messages only got worse and Cardi decided it was best for everyone if she deactivated her account. Cardi has not said when she will be back on Twitter, but we are guessing it will probably be when she’s ready to release a new debut single.
The sports community and fans across the world are sending prayers of healing to golf icon Eldrick “Tiger” Woods who was seriously injured in a rollover crash Tuesday. During a news conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Gonzalez said he was among the first to arrive at the scene, and it was obvious that Tiger was badly injured. “I focused on keeping him calm until paramedics arrived,” Gonzalez shared. Deputies confirmed that if Woods would have not had on a seat belt, the accident could have turned fatal. Woods was in the area for his annual Genesis Invitational Golf Tournament, which was held Sunday. The 45-year-old was on his way to do a media project when the crash occurred. “Tiger has a long-term partnership with Discovery developing exclusive content for GOLFTV and Golf Digest. He was filming his latest series with us yesterday, which will see him giving on-course instruction to a number of celebrities, including Jada Pinkett Smith, Dwayne Wade and David Spade. He was due to continue filming with us today,” the company released in a statement. Woods was rushed to the hospital in serious condition, where he underwent surgery for multiple leg injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Music fans were shocked last week after learning that singer Jeremih had been admitted to the hospital and on a ventilator, fighting for his life due to complications from contracting the coronavirus. The 33-year-old ‘King of Collaborations’ is now said to be out of ICU and on the road to recovery. His family released a statement to TMZ that read in part, “Jeremih has been transferred out of ICU. He will spend the rest of his recovery time in a regular hospital room. The true healing begins. Thank you all for your prayers and wishes.” To date, there have been 12 million reported cases and 55.6 million worldwide. The Center For Disease Control advises everyone to wash their hands, wear a mask and stay away from activities involving large crowds. Continued well wishes, Jeremih, for a speedy recovery.
Is this a desperately sad case of art attempting to imitate life, because if it is, someone needs to tell “Empire” star Bryshere Gray what “real” world he is living in. In case he doesn’t know, domestic violence is intolerable, violence against women is intolerable and just being a Black man in America comes with a bullseye on the back.
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