Eve and Nicki Minaj are proof that trailblazing female rappers can get along. This weekend, the “Pink Friday” rapper gave Eve her flowers for being a “trendsetter” and the “groundbreaking” remarks she has made recently. 

“Dear Eve…thank you,” Minaj wrote on X. “The level of grace; the level of emotional & spiritual maturity it takes to be this vulnerable & transparent is a sign of TRUE peace, happiness, fulfillment, & mastery of self.  Self-reflection [at] its height. I always say that I think accountability is the sexiest trait a person can have.” 

Following the release of her new memoir, “Who’s That Girl,” Eve has been on a press tour discussing various aspects of the book. From motherhood to music, the Ruff Ryders’ first lady opened up about the impact the male-constructed industry had on her relationships with female rappers and her mental health. In the book, she recounts the first time she met Minaj on the set of “Barbershop: The Next Cut” and how it altered her perspective. 

“I’ve lived through what happens when women project their own insecurities onto other women. It happened at the start of my career and continued in waves as my fame grew. I wasn’t going to be that woman to someone else, but in order to do that, I had to physically and mentally prepare myself,” Eve said, per Hot97. “Nicki and I were actually fine on set. We got along well and shot our scenes together with no problems. It was nothing like what I had expected … I’d see her writing songs on her bus in between takes, hurrying offset to go hit some show dates over the weekend and then come right back on set for these 12-to-16-hour shoots, all while trying to hold together her personal life and her relationship.”

“It was at that moment that I didn’t envy her, and I kind of wanted to give her a hug. I thought I was going to resent her, and really all I felt was compassion. I remembered being that person, the girl who felt like she had to do it all. The girl who was pressured to do it all, because it was all eyes on her. Instead of feeling insecure around Nicki, I started to sympathize with her,” she continued. 

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The rapper’s candor inspired Minaj to speak about how nervous she was to work with the rap veteran on set. The Queens rapper recalled watching Ruff Ryderz on TV and seeing Eve handle her rise to fame with “grace” and “a big sprinkle of unapologetic TALENT and charisma.” 

“I was so nervous coming onto that movie set every day. You looked like a pro & I admired that so much,” Minaj added. “Thank you for trying to not do to me what was done to you. Women feel so much pressure to compete & it’s a shame b/c we usually have so much in common & could rlly benefit from one another just as human beings. We all share so many of the same experiences as artists, wives, moms, ups & downs, anxiety, etc.” 

Eve elaborated on the topic during a CNN interview with Laura Coates. The rapper felt it was important to share her experience with Nicki Minaj because of its relatability, but most importantly, because it showcased her using other modalities like therapy to cope with her anxiety rather than drinking. 

“No matter what industry you are in, if you have been in a place in your life or career where you may have been that one, that person, that thing, and someone comes in…We’re human, right? Of course, you feel insecure. Of course, you feel protective, Of course, you feel [like], ‘Wow, do I still belong here?” Eve explained. “It was all these things coming from the industry … being the one female [rapper]. I was holding on to that, thinking, ‘How can she be here and how can I be here?’ which is stupid, which is so dumb.” 

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After years of legal drama, T.I. and Tiny have finally scored a major win in their lawsuit against MGA Entertainment, the company behind the popular L.O.L. Surprise! dolls. The couple had accused MGA of stealing their daughter Zonnique Pullins’ and the OMG Girlz’s image for their dolls.

After losing twice in court, T.I. and Tiny appealed the decision and today, they’re celebrating a huge victory. A jury has ruled in their favor, awarding them at least $17 million of their $25 million lawsuit.

This is a major win for the couple and a reminder that it’s important to protect your intellectual property.

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Megyn Kelly was fired from NBC for defending blackface, but it seems she just can’t help but continue to speak on Black people and Black issues any chance she gets. In the latest edition of who even asked you?!, Kelly took to her podcast to give her MAGA-minded viewers an unsolicited opinion on Oprah Winfrey following the “Unite for America Rally” with Vice President Kamala Harris.

On “The Megyn Kelly Show,” the former Fox News anchor told listeners she thinks Winfrey is no longer genuine or relatable. She asked, “When’s the last time Oprah actually spent time hanging out with a working class person in America?”

Fair opinion, but what comes next is where Kelly should’ve just kept her comments to herself.

“I miss fat Oprah. She was just genuine,” Kelly said with a straight face. “Now this thin, Ozempic Oprah has lost — along with the pounds — her heart [and] her sense of authenticity,” she continued. Given that Winfrey herself has been open about her personal struggle with her weight, Kelly’s comments were clearly insensitive and straight-up problematic.

In 2023, Winfrey got deep about her weight loss journey, even revealing that at some point she was using medication assistance following years of scrutiny due to her weight fluctuating. “It was public sport to make fun of me for 25 years,” Winfrey told PEOPLE in an exclusive 2023 interview.

And here goes Kelly doing this exact thing. Her quip at Winfrey’s weight was objectively unnecessary to her actual point in insisting the billionaire is no longer authentic. Even if that is the case, it’s been said time and time again to stop commenting on people’s weight, regardless if they’re a celebrity or not.

“I have been blamed and shamed, and I blamed and shamed myself,” she continued to PEOPLE. Although Winfrey never specified which medication she’s been on, Kelly clearly believes it was Ozempic, the FDA-approved medication used to treat Type 2 Diabetes but also lists weight loss as a now-infamous side effect.

The “Unite for America Rally” took place in Michigan on Sept. 19. Thousands joined in virtually and in-person at the town hall-style forum between Winfrey and Harris. Celebrities including Meryl Streep, Tracee Ellis Ross, Chris Rock, and Jennifer Lopez tuned in to pledge their support for the vice president’s campaign.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

If you’ve managed to make it this far into this show then you are most likely watching it just to see who ends up dead by the end of the series. We have a whopping TWO episodes left, and I have no clue how it might end. I don’t even have an inkling anymore. The amount of bad decision-making happening from every principal cast member is astounding. 

For instance, Cane is going to marry Noma so he can be the frontman for her American business interests. That can’t possibly end badly, can it? Honestly, for the majority of the show, Cane has mostly been the one whose moral compass has never wavered — he’s a soldier who is in this to win it until he’s dead. He kills who needs to die and moves purely by the code of the streets. His motivations are clear. Everybody else, though, is really up in the air. 

But Cane marrying Noma is just … weird. I get it from Noma’s perspective, but for the life of me I can’t truly understand what Cane gets out of this deal short of trying to show Noma that he is ride or die for her, but he’s never seemed to need that validation. Monet and Tariq are equally confused (as is Davis) and I have to say, I’m right there with them. Effie is righteously done with Cane at this point because he keeps trying to play both sides with her and Noma. (Also, Effie’s mother randomly showing up on Stansfield’s campus asking for money? In episode eight? New plotline? WHY!?!!) Again, for a cat who has mostly always seemed to be on the right side of the game, this marriage to Noma is odd. Maybe the wedding gets shot up or something, but Cane, bro, do better. 

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Speaking of people who need to do better, Brayden needs to be put out of his misery. He is a bad decision MAVEN. So he already got coked up and ruined his girlfriend’s band night, forcing her band to end the relationship that allowed them to sell drugs at the shows. The dude Stokely said it right, “I don’t know if we have fans or if we have fiends!” Anyway, Brayden’s girl overdoses on some fentanyl-laced cocaine and ends up in the hospital, setting off a CHAIN of bad decisions by Brayden. First, he calls Tariq so they can find the dude who sold her the bad coke … “to scare him.” They make a run to scare the dude, and Brayden ends up shooting him. Obviously, bad idea. But to make it worse, he goes back to the hospital where his girlfriend wakes up from the coma AND HE TELLS HER THAT HE EFFECTIVELY MURDERED THE DUDE. 

Le sigh. Tariq is going to have to kill Brayden at some point and frankly, it would be the right thing to do. 

Poor Diana is out here trying to get knocked up again by Tariq to fill the void in her heart now. Like, I’m not even sure what else to say about that. She is, of course, going through a very traumatic point in her life so there is grace at her disposal, but Diana, you in danger girl, just stop! Especially because Monet and Tariq are coldblooded; while talking about Diana struggling, they were both like “She needs to get over it, but what about Carter!!! How do we take him out?!” They both seem to have gotten over the loss pretty quickly. 

Carter turned Felicia’s murder into a car accident somehow and that isn’t sitting well with the rest of the unit. But, if there’s one thing Carter has shown us it’s that he will take one bad situation and turn it into more. His solution to most things seems to be shooting his way out of it all. Forget cleaning it up, just kill people. Which is why Brayden suggested that Tariq not go to war with the NYPD, since, ya know, NYPD has tens of thousands of cops and Tariq has … Brayden? I hate them so much. Well, mostly Brayden. 

Speaking of Carter and the drug game, Dru is running point on some things now and stepping up quite nicely. I don’t see this ending well for him. I don’t know why but he can’t possibly make it to the end of the last episode, right? Carter has the drop on Noma courtesy of Davis, Tariq and Monet and is about to get all the information he needs to do MORE damage. Davis comes through in the clutch and puts Noma on high alert, which is setting up what could be an epic battle between Carter and Noma, but, I mean, maybe? Nothing makes sense and everything is still on the table. 

Look, by this point, I can’t decide what I want to happen with Tariq. It seems like he might go to prison because of the video that Carter is holding but I suppose there’s a universe where Tariq hits a lick on millions of dollars in cash or something, goes to scoop up his mother and Rayna and then they move to Mexico forever. 

I don’t know, but I love this ridiculousness. It’s not that I won’t stop watching this show, it’s that I can’t stop watching this show. Whew, chile. 

Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).

11

Justice has finally been served in the case of rapper PnB Rock’s tragic death, with Freddie Lee Trone receiving his sentence after being found guilty for his role in the fatal 2022 shooting. Trone was convicted last month of orchestrating a plot to rob and kill the artist, whose real name was Rakim Allen, at a Los Angeles Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles.

Trone, 41, was accused of sending his 17-year-old son to carry out the deadly crime. According to prosecutors, the plan was set in motion after the rapper’s location was revealed in an Instagram post made by his girlfriend. Authorities say Trone’s son, who was the one to pull the trigger, was under orders from his father to rob the artist and flee. However, due to his age and mental competency, the teen was deemed unfit to stand trial, leaving his father to bear the full weight of responsibility.

LAPD Captain Kelly Muniz, in a statement following the crime, described the horrifying incident: “The victim, along with a female witness, were in the eating area of a restaurant when they were approached by at least one suspect who brandished a firearm and demanded property from the victim. The suspect then shot the victim multiple times, removed property, and left the location in a getaway car.”

The brutal nature of the crime sent shockwaves through the music community and beyond, as PnB Rock, known for hits like “Selfish,” was tragically cut down in his prime. His death highlighted the dangers many high-profile artists face, particularly as social media can reveal their locations in real-time.

Though the 17-year-old son was not tried, the courts held Trone accountable for the role he played in planning the robbery and murder. Prosecutors stressed that the teen was merely acting under his father’s command, noting the manipulation and coercion involved.

In addition to Trone, another defendant, Tremont Jones, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Jones was connected to the case through a series of robbery charges, although his involvement in the PnB Rock killing was not central. His sentence represents a broader crackdown on robbery-related crimes in Los Angeles, with authorities using the case to make an example of those preying on public figures.

PnB Rock’s death left a void in the hip-hop community and among his fans. But with Trone behind bars, many are hopeful that the family and loved ones of the artist can begin to find some measure of peace.

While the sentencing may bring closure to some, it also serves as a sobering reminder of the price some pay for fame and the lengths to which some will go in pursuit of greed. In the end, justice has been served, but the loss remains profound.

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This weekend, Janet Jackson sparked controversy after making comments about Vice President Kamala Harris’ race. In an interview published by The Guardian on Saturday, Jackson reportedly questioned the Democratic presidential candidate’s race when asked about the prospect of the United States electing its first Black female president. 

“Well, you know what they supposedly said? she’s not black. That’s what I heard. That she’s Indian,” the singer said. “I haven’t watched the news in a few days, I was told that they discovered her father was white.”

Though the interviewer reportedly clarified that Harris is both Black and Indian, Jackson’s claims echo the false narrative former President Donald Trump has been spreading. During a 30-minute Q&A at the National Association of Black Journalists convention, the Republican presidential nominee said that Harris “was always of Indian heritage” and was “only promoting Indian heritage.”

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” Trump added. “ “Now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian, or is she Black?”

Regardless of her understanding of Harris’ racial and ethnic background, Jackson believes that no matter who wins the election, “there might be mayhem.” 

Social media’s reaction

The star’s comments sparked controversy across social media platforms as users shared their disappointment in the star’s comments. 

“Janet Jackson sounded an absolute fool in that interview and I am very disappointed,” one user shared on X.

“The power of disinformation, smh,” theGrio’s Natasha Alford wrote on X, chiming into the discourse. “That’s why they keep doing it.” 

Another user added: “Janet Jackson is one of the most influential people in music history. It was simply irresponsible of her to repeat something she ‘heard’ regarding the very thing that they use against Kamala! Her own race. We are less than 50 days away from the election. We gotta talk smarter!”

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Jackson’s apology saga

Following the outpour of backlash, an alleged member of Jackson’s team released an apology. On Sunday, Buzzfeed was the first outlet to report Jackson’s alleged apology for the comments on Harris. Mo Elmsari, who claimed to be the star’s manager released a statement to media outlets that read: 

“Janet Jackson would like to clarify her recent comments. She recognizes that her statements regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity were based on misinformation. Janet respects Harris’ dual heritage as both Black and Indian and apologizes for any confusion caused. She values the diversity Harris represents and understands the importance of celebrating that in today’s society. Janet remains committed to promoting unity and understanding.”

After multiple outlets reported on Elmsari’s statement, members of Jackson’s team told Variety that the star did not authorize the statement. Shutting down Elmasari’s claim to be Jackson’s manager, the singer’s representative reportedly told the outlet that her brother Randy is her manager, and was not available for comment in light of the death of their sibling Tito. 

What happened to Mo Elmsari? 

Following the false apology, Elmsari reports that he was fired by the star. 

“Janet Jackson fired me due to disagreements between me, her, and Randy, after her meeting with the Guardian and her unbalanced statements,” he told the Daily Beast also noting his support for Kamala Harris. 

In an email to Variety, he explained that he was “fired by Janet and Randy, after attempts to improve her image in front of public opinion and her fans,” adding that “this is something [he] do not deserve.” 

Did Janet Jackson apologize for her statements? 

As of right now, an official apology has not been released by the star.

45

Marvel Studios dropped the much-anticipated teaser trailer and poster for their upcoming feature film Thunderbolts. Known for assembling some of the most unexpected teams, Marvel is taking it up a notch with this irreverent and unlikely band of misfits.

Led by fan-favorite Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), the Thunderbolts brings together a chaotic squad of anti-heroes, including the Winter Soldier himself, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Red Guardian (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and the ever-scheming Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). The teaser hints at plenty of action, humor, and the kind of dysfunction only the MCU’s most unorthodox crew could deliver.

Directed by indie veteran Jake Schreier, Thunderbolts promises to offer something refreshingly different, blending its action with a darker, sardonic tone. With Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige at the helm as producer, and executive producers including Louis D’Esposito, Brian Chapek, Jason Tamez, and Scarlett Johansson, the film is shaping up to be a unique addition to the MCU lineup.

As anticipation builds, fans can mark their calendars—Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts is set to hit U.S. theaters on May 2, 2025.

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Chicago police say a teen boy is facing serious charges in the fatal shooting of his own mother. The most peculiar part of this incident is that authorities claim the shooting was seemingly at random.

Chicago Police Department authorities said before things went haywire, 17-year-old Davion Pryor was riding back to his South Shore home with his father and 7-year-old brother last Thursday afternoon after picking up the child from school.

The teen’s father told the police before they arrived home, Davion made a call to his mother, 43-year-old Tatanisha Jackson, to discuss someone drinking alcohol on the back porch.

The father told police they pulled in, Jackson unlocked the front door of the home and all hell broke loose.

Read more from ABC7 Chicago:

The teen’s father and brother, who witnessed the attack, told police it was as Tatanisha unlocked the home’s front door when Pryor opened the door and then pointed a gun at his mother and opened fire at nearly point-blank range. She was shot in the head four times.

Prosecutors said the father picked up his younger son and ran to safety ,where he called 911. They said they then heard five more gunshots from inside the home.

Authorities said after the shooting, the teen fled through the back door of the apartment. Security footage caught him running along Stoney Island. Police were able to track his location by his phone. Though, later that day, he turned himself in at the 3rd District police station.

Police confiscated the 9 mm firearm he used. Twelve bullet casings were recovered from the scene of the shooting. Authorities said the teen was on house arrest during the incident on previous aggravated battery charges from a July carjacking incident. Now, he’s being charged as an adult with first-degree murder in his mother’s killing, ABC’s report says.

This week he is due back in court for a mental evaluation. A Cook County judge denied his bond, citing the lack of motive in the shooting.

“This is very sad and tragic to this court,” said Judge David Kelly via ABC7 “The unprovoked shooting and killing of your mother in front of your father and brother.”