Back in January, an aspiring filmmaker accused Russell Simmons of raping her and sued the hip-hop mogul for $5 million. Jennifer Jarosik claims the producer invited her to his house to discuss a documentary project. He then proceeded to attack and rape her.
When Jarosik was invited to Simmons Los Angeles house in 2016, she says he asked to have sex, to which she verbally declined with a "no." She says he then got aggressive and pushed her onto his bed. She hit her head while trying to force him off her. She claims Simmons then "pounced on her while she was still in shock and fear, and proceeded to rape her." In his answer, filed April 4, Simmons argues his sexual relationship with Jarosik was consensual and she often sent him texts saying she missed him and would love to see him. Jarosik is now dropping her claim on Wednesday. Simmons is still facing a $10 million lawsuit from an anonymous woman who claims he raped her and threatened her young son in the '80s. He considers the claims "vile" and the lawsuit nothing more than an extortion attempt. He also argues that since the alleged incident occurred decades ago, the suit is barred by the statute of limitations.
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K-pop girl group TWICE released the bright and colorful new video for their latest Japanese language single, "Wake Me Up. “Wake Me Up” is TWICE's third Japanese single following “What Is Love?," which was first released earlier this month. "Wake Me Up" was initially teased in the background of Nike Air Max commercials in Japan. The single is due to be released on May 16. Watch the video below: Shawn Mendes' latest single "In My Blood" just dropped today. The project, the first from Mendes' forthcoming third studio album (you can read all about his next LP here), finds the Canadian pop star — as his lyrics would suggest — lying on a bathroom floor, aiming to survive a series of dangers that suddenly swarm him. First, rocks tumble down around him, narrowly missing him. Then a snowstorm sweeps him up, and after a final rainstorm, the sun seems to peek through the clouds and relieve him of the many plagues. Mendes told Beats 1's Zane Lowe that the song isn't about a particular experience, or something he even registers as negative or a cry for help. Rather, it's a more general statement about anxiety. "The only way we're going to step up...and get better...is if it's more honest. Like, how raw can we get?" he said. And that tone will be consistent through the album, which he said will borrow from a variety of themes, eras and sounds. "I didn't put any walls up for my genre," Mendes told Valentine in the Morning. "I just made music." On Tuesday (April 24) Britney Spears announced she partnered with global licensing company Epic Rights to develop a line of branded lifestyle and fashion products that "reflect her personal sense of style, lifestyle, artistry and creativity."
"I am excited to collaborate with Epic Rights to create a new contemporary lifestyle collection," Spears said of the partnership in a statement. Keep calm and carry on in style and comfort whether you’re on the go or relaxing all day. With premium cotton and continuous support, your feet will be able to keep calm and thank you all day long.... Epic Rights cited the "momentum of Britney Spears’ award-winning and record-breaking Las Vegas residency" as the driving force behind the partnership, which will also see Spears venture into the e-commerce space on Amazon. The line will include fashion apparel, hair care, accessories, exercise equipment and electronics, and is due to launch in the spring of 2019. Spears is no stranger to finding success with licensed products. Her fragrance line with Elizabeth Arden, which launched with "Curious" in 2004, has spawned dozens of scents over the past fourteen years, drawing a reported $4.8 billion in revenue to date. Meek Mill will be a free man after a long legal battle. The Supreme Court of PA made the decision, overruling Judge Genece Brinkley. Judge Brinkley was severely criticized for what some say was a grudge against Meek and keeping him in prison, despite prosecutors asking that his conviction be overturned because of a dirty police officer. Judge Brinkley denied Meek bail last week after prosecutors asked her to toss the conviction, and instead she set a hearing for 60 days later. Many found that outrageous, and that apparently includes justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The justices released Meek with no bail, pending a hearing in about 60 days to possibly dismiss the conviction. One remarkable thing, which is a clear diss to Judge Brinkley ... the justices refused to boot Judge Brinkley from the case, but said she "may opt to remove herself from presiding over this matter." Meek tells TMZ ... "I’d like to thank God, my family, my friends, my attorneys, my team at Roc Nation including JAY-Z, Desiree Perez, my good friend Michael Rubin, my fans, The Pennsylvania Supreme Court and all my public advocates for their love, support and encouragement during this difficult time." "While the past five months have been a nightmare, the prayers, visits, calls, letters and rallies have helped me stay positive." The rapper also hopped on a call with T.I. after his release ... T.I. posted a video of the call, and Meek sounds ecstatic. Meek adds, "To the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office, I’m grateful for your commitment to justice – not only for my case, but for others that have been wrongfully jailed due to police misconduct. Although I’m blessed to have the resources to fight this unjust situation, I understand that many people of color across the country don’t have that luxury and I plan to use my platform to shine a light on those issues. In the meantime, I plan to work closely with my legal team to overturn this unwarranted conviction and look forward to reuniting with my family and resuming my music career." Meek's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, says, "Meek was unjustly convicted and should not have spent a single day in jail. Meek is excited to be reunited with his family, and we, along with Meek, intend to continue to shine the light on a justice system in need of reform to prevent any other citizen from being put through what Meek has endured." J. Cole just released "Kevin's Heart," from his recently released, acclaimed album, KOD. Directed by J. Cole and Scott Lazer, the clip stars actor/comedian Kevin Hart and follows him running errands while dealing with fame—namely everyone having an opinion about his personal business. We all remember Kevin's real-life cheating scandal from last year. The video aims to examine it and also impart a broader message about ego, vanity, fame and temporary satisfaction that often leads to long-term negative consequences. KOD is being considered to be among the best releases of 2018, hailed for its cultural relevancy. It's also broken both Apple and Spotify streaming records and is set to be the #1 album on the Billboard 200 when the numbers are officially announced. Janet Jackson has announced that she's extending her State of the World tour dates.
Jackson's State of the World Tour wrapped in December 2017, she's decided to add new summer dates, starting on July 11 in Austin. Additionally, the pop icon has added dates for Rogers, Arkansas; Cincinnati; Syracuse, New York; Hersey, Pennsylvania; Saratoga Springs, New York; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Raleigh; Charlotte; Miami; and Tampa. In addition to playing FYF, Panorama and Outside Lands, she'll also headline what's sure to be a monumental year for the Essence Festival. Erykah Badu and Jill Scott will play Friday night, Mary J. Blige headlines Saturday and Janet closes it out with a headlining performance on Sunday. Tickets for the new dates for her State of the World Tour go on sale Tuesday. J. Cole is having a lot of success with the release of KOD. Cole has already broken streaming records, first for Spotify and now for Apple Music.
KOD, has broken the U.S. record for most album streams in the first 24 hours of its release, knocking out Drake's Views. KOD had 64.5 million streams. Additionally, even songs from Cole's KOD are in the top 10 of Apple Music's most-streamed songs in a 24-hour period, according to The Verge. Cole also broke Spoitfy's streaming record. According to Chart Data, KOD garnered 4.2 million streams in 24 hours, beating out previous record holder Taylor Swift whose song “Look What You Made Me Do" earned 3.8 million streams on the day it was released. The album has been receiving widespread praise for its depth and honestly look at hip-hop culture, its influence on broader culture, and how that pertains to the everyday lives of black folks living in a country that continues to be oppressive. Charlie Puth and Kehlani release their music video for their fresh collab, “Done for Me.” The video for the song, which will appear on the 26-year-old singer’s upcoming album, Voicenotes (releasing May 11), raises the burning question, “What have you done for me, lately?” Puth and the "Honey" soloist both make a progressive push in the direction of queer and bisexual representation in the visuals for the tune; each star finds themselves wooing similar, apathetic female love interests — the latter even romances her girl with no judgemental forces at work. “I wanted to make a visual that represented how far we have come in society,” Puth tweeted of the LGBTQ+ transparency in the vid. “Love is love.” BTS' "DNA" has become the most viewed K-Pop group MV of all time. Prior to breaking the record, Big Bang held the top spot for a very long period of time with "Fantastic Baby". In just 7-8 months, "DNA" managed to bring in over 5 million likes and close to 350 million views. If you still haven't had a chance, check out the MV above. |
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