Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Derrick Johnson and Cardi B

NAACP President Derrick Johnson wants Cardi B to reconsider her decision to not participate in the upcoming election cycle. The Bronx-bred superstar spoke candidly to Rolling Stone in a new cover story about being disappointed in U.S. diplomacy and politics, which has led her to opt out of exercising her right to vote.

“Cardi B, let’s talk about it. Your voice matters, and our communities have to look beyond the presidential race. I invite you to speak with the NAACP on how we can all use our collective power this November to elect everything from mayors to school board members,” tweeted Johnson. The “Bongos” rapper has not publicly responded to the invitation.

KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES

Beyoncé and JAY-Z have been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit over Bey’s popular Renaissance cut, “Break My Soul.”

Per legal documents obtained by Baller Alert on Wednesday (May 22), a group called Da Showstoppaz are alleging that the pair unlawfully used their 2002 song “Release A Wiggle” on the aforementioned blockbuster. Big Freedia has also been named in the case due to her song “Explode” being sampled on “Break My Soul” — this is where the allegedly illegal sample stems from.

The plaintiffs — Tessa Avie, Keva Bourgeois, Henri Braggs and Brian Clark — are arguing that their “unique phrases, melody, and musical arrangement” were used on the songs mentioned above. They also claim to have never approved of the sample, for which they were apparently never credited or paid.

Kelly appeared in a heated exchange with the unknown security guard

 

Kelly Rowland is making headlines after appearing to have a heated exchange with a security guard during the premiere of Marcello Mio at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.

The 43-year-old looked furious in photos captured on the red carpet, pointing her finger in the woman’s face as she attempted to guide Kelly up the stairs into the venue.

Kelly appeared to become more irate and was still seemingly scolding the security guard when she moved onto another guest on the stairs.

While Kelly has yet to address the drama, reports claim that she lost her temper because the staff at the festival were “being aggressive”.

According to the Daily Mail, Kelly was trying to “ignore” the staff hired to help the stars walk the red carpet because of their forceful attitude, but by the time it came to the last female security guard, she’d “had it”.

Kendrick Lamar has won 17 Grammys.Photo: Arturo Holmes/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar has reportedly signed the paperwork to buy a not-so-humble Brentwood, Los Angeles, manse for more than $40 million. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Compton native’s purchase will rank among the area’s priciest this year, if the deal is finalized. The seller is former chief legal and policy officer at Fox Corporation, Viet Dinh, per the WSJ. Dinh and his wife, Jennifer Ashworth Dinh, bought the house in 2019 for $19.5 million.

Since the transaction is off-market, it’s not clear what changes—if any—the Dinhs made to the property. At the time of their purchase, the 2018-built structure was listed as an eight-bedroom, 15-bathroom dwelling, spanning over 16,000 square feet.

According to its most recent listing, the roughly one-acre parcel also features a guest house, a swimming pool with a spa, an outdoor kitchen, and a cabana. A spacious loggia with a fireplace bridges the main house to the backyard. There’s no shortage of amenities indoors, either: a tiered movie theater, a gym, a wood-paneled wine room, and bespoke dressing rooms are all found within the modern farmhouse-style home.

Anita Baker

Anita Baker’s loyal fanbase is wishing her the best amid reactions to her recent concert being canceled at the last minute. The soulful singer was scheduled to perform at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Saturday (May 11) as part of her ongoing tour, “An Evening With Anita Baker.”

The doors to the venue opened to guests at 6 p.m. and lights were expected to go down at 7 p.m. But the latter never happened. “Due to late, unforeseen circumstances, tonight’s ‘An Evening with Anita Baker’ event featuring eight-time Grammy Award-winning superstar Anita Baker set to take place at State Farm Arena has been canceled,” read the email sent out to ticket holders less than 15 minutes before she was expected to grace the stage. Purchasers have been guaranteed a full refund.

Jim Jones

Jim Jones was seemingly about to get himself on the no-fly list after fighting at a Miami airport earlier this month, but he got lucky. AllHipHop reported that the Dipset racer will not be facing any charges.

Footage showed the Harlem rapper scuffling with two men on an escalator at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The “We Fly High” rapper claimed that tension began when he attempted to grab his luggage from the overhead compartment in first class before the plane stopped, leading to one of the men confronting and pushing him. The second man got involved as he did not like how Jones spoke to the initial complainer, leading to a tense interaction on the escalator.

Kehlani 

Kehlani has announced the forthcoming arrival of her fourth studio album, Crash.

Set to hit streaming services on June 21, the Bay Area singer revealed the cover art as she announced its release date in an Instagram post last Wednesday (May 15).

The artwork features Kehlani sitting on top of a shattered and crushed car while donning a metallic dress and boots.

The first single, “After Hours,” arrived earlier this month.