Nicki Minaj‘s brother on Monday was sentenced to 25 years to life behind bars for repeatedly raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter.
Jelani Maraj learned his fate in a Long Island courtroom, following his conviction for predatory sexual assault and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
The sentence comes two years after a jury handed down the guilty verdict for the sexual abuse, which began in 2015.
The stepdaughter took the stand in the 2017 trial to testify that Maraj raped her in their Baldwin home while he was married to her mother.
Maraj denied the allegations, claiming the story was concocted to extort his famous younger sister.
Boss Don Records CEO and member of 38 Spesh's Trust Army, The Musalini, teams up with frequent collaborator Izzy Hott for a new gem titled "Dirty Potz."
MSNBC anchor Alison Morris apologized after a slip of the tongue made it sound as though she referred to the Los Angeles Lakers as the Los Angeles n-----s.
Morris, 40, was covering the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, when the slip-up occurred. The anchor was describing Bryant’s legendary career in Los Angeles when she appeared to use the racist slur.
Morris said, “It seems like he was just the kind of athlete, the kind of star that was perfectly cast on the Los Angeles —” MSNBC aired the slip-up in some markets and triggered a 15-second delay in others, according to Grabien News.
The moment caught a lot of attention online prompting Morris to issue an apology. Morris tweeted, “Earlier today, while reporting on the tragic news of Kobe Bryant’s passing, I unfortunately stuttered on air, combining the names of the Knicks and the Lakers to say ‘Nakers.’ Please know I did not & would NEVER use a racist term. I apologize for the confusion this caused.”
Bryant, 41, and his daughter were two of nine victims who died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. His shocking death triggered a series of memorials online from NBA fans, former competitors, President Trump, and Barack Obama.
OMG!!!!!
MSNBC ANCHOR USES THE "N" WORD WHEN REFERRING TO THE L.A. LAKERS ON LIVE BROADCAST
MSNBC Reporter, Alison Morris on "LIVE WITH ALISON MORRIS" @ 12:19pm, SUNDAY JAN 26, 2020 actually referred to the L.A. LAKERS as "THE LOS ANGELES NI@%#*$" pic.twitter.com/vozhmUzfFJ
The players, coaches and families at the Mamba Academy were obviously emotional when they heard the news about Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi's deaths ... but came together for a moment of silence and prayer.
On this episode of People's Party, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with longtime friend, collaborator, and legendary West Coast lyricist -- Planet Asia. Throughout the interview, we get profound insight into numerous topics including PA's upbringing in Fresno, CA, linking up with Rasco to form their group Cali Agents, his desire to leave a legacy as an emcee staying true to form throughout his career, and carving out his niche in the game as a West Coast lyricist cut from the same cloth as East Coast acts like The Wu-Tang Clan. Yep, the deep hip-hop heads are gonna eat this up.
Later, PA lays down some of the history behind the Five-Percent Nation, to which he is a member, and defines "knowledge of self." He, Kweli, and Jasmine also speak on the theory of Alchemy in the world of hip hop, keeping it real with white friends about the topic of white privilege, the concept of toxic masculinity, pro-feminist from a player's perspective, PA's friendship with Dr. Sebi, and PA's most prominent influences coming up on the West Coast. Oh, and The Hieroglyphics crew gets one hell of a shout-out.
Southern Artist, T.K. Soul releases his latest single, " That's Life"
Contemporary soul singer, T.K. Soul born Terence Kimble in Winnfield, Louisiana on August 26, 1964. From a young age, Kimble has a keen ear for music and soaked up the influences of soul, funk, and R&B artists ranging from Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, and Al Green to Maze, Rick James, and Prince. When he was ten years old, Kimble picked up a guitar and discovered he could easily play it by ear. Before long, Kimble was also playing keyboards, drums, and bass, and by the time he was in junior high, he had already been recruited to play in the local high school's band. Music became the dominant force in Kimble's life, as he juggled gigs with school bands, church choir, and local R&B acts.
T.K. Soul has built a loyal grassroots following for his music that mixes R&B traditions with modern-day attitude and hip-hop accents. After a painful breakup with his girlfriend, Kimble began writing songs, and while DJ'ing at clubs and parties, he began singing his songs during breaks. Kimble began looking for a record contract, but his inexperience in the music business kept him on the sidelines for close to a decade. Kimble began touring with R&B and funk acts as a sideman, and while performing with the band Under 21 (who would later record for Motown under the name Profyle), he was scouted by the manager of the successful Houston-based vocal group H-Town. Kimble signed on to play keyboards with H-Town while writing songs in his spare time.
After his run with H-Town ended, Kimble went back to the church for a few years, serving as a musical director at a house of worship. Kimble returned to the road when he was hired to play keyboards for soul-blues singer Willie Clayton, and soon Clayton was recording some of Kimble's material, including "Wiggle in the Middle" and "Party Like We Used To." After five years with Clayton, Kimble decided it was time to strike out on his own. Adopting the stage name T.K. Soul, he cut his solo debut, 2002's One Woman Man, and released it through his label, Soulful Records. One Woman Man and Soul's 2003 follow-up, The Bad Boy of Southern Soul, helped generate a buzz about T.K. on the soul-blues circuit, and 2004's "Love Games" was a breakthrough that generated several regional hits for him, including "Cheating and Lying" and "You Ring My Bell." His next album, "Undisputed" rose to number 85 on the R&B and hip-hop album chart and peaked at number nine on the blues album chart. In 2009, "The Evolution of Soul" follows as Soul continues to fill nightclubs and play festivals and theme cruises. Despite his busy schedule, T.K. remains prolific releasing "Ghetto Superstar" in 2013- "Life After Love" in 2014 -"The Legacy" in 2016. As the C.E.O. of the Soulful Records label, T.K. Soul builds his roster by signing other artists such as Magic One, Nikita, and Rhomey. Be sure to connect with T.K. on social media and digital music platforms.
RJ Payne pays tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant who tragically died in a helicopter crash today, along with his 13-year old daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant.
Kobe Bryant’s daughter Gianna also died in the Calabasas helicopter crash that killed their father.
Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, nicknamed Gigi, was also onboard the private helicopter when it went down on Sunday, reps for the former basketball player told TMZ Sports.
Emergency personnel responded but no one on board survived. Five people are confirmed dead, TMZ reported. The outlet said that Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant — with whom he shares all four children — was not onboard.
Sources told ESPN that the helicopter was headed to a travel basketball game for Gianna, and that the other passengers were another player and their parent.
Bryant is survived by Vanessa, 37, and their daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months.
Kobe Bryant died in a helicoper crash in Calabasas Sunday morning ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.
Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down. A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead. We're told Vanessa Bryant was not among those on board.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Kobe has famously used a helicopter to travel for years -- dating back to when he played for the Lakers. He was known for commuting from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.
KB is survived by his wife Vanessa, and their four daughters -- Gianna, Natalia and Bianca and their newborn Capri.
Whenever Bronx, New York natives Yung JB and Cory Gunz link up the result is always fire. That hasn't changed as the two collaborate on a new banger titled "Blazers."
This Young Devante-produced banger is off of Yung JB's new "Drug Dealers Pt. 2" album.
1. Pablo & El Chapo 2. Take Money Use to Say Ft. Fred the Godson 3. Yeah I Am 4. Sex, Money, Murder 5. Blazers Ft. Cory Gunz 6. Gangsta Ft. Goodz & Take Money KO 7. Big Steppa 8. Bag Talk 9. Risk Taker Ft. Take Money KO 10. Bx to Philly Ft. RJ Payne 11. The Vibes
Meek Mill took a walk down memory lane that almost ended in blows -- running into his ex, Nicki Minaj, and her husband, Kenneth Petty ... and they weren't happy to see each other.
The shouting match went down Friday at the high-end clothing store Maxfield in West Hollywood, where somehow ... Meek happened to stumble across his old flame and her current partner. It's unclear who was there first, but regardless ... it got heated.
TMZ got a hold of the face-off, and you can see Meek in white being held back and escorted out of the store by both his own security team and guys working for the boutique. In the background, you clearly hear Nicki and Ken's voices ... they're pretty distinctive.
No official word on what started the beef, but based on what we can make out ... it sounds like they were talking crap to each other over Nicki -- plain and simple. Oh, and get this ... sources tell us NM and KP were alone, and Meek was rolling with 10 heads deep.
Anyway, Ken calls Meek a pussy and Meek calls him one back while adding he can't face or talk to him one-on-one without a cluster of people in between. Nicki gets in on the yelling too ... seemingly calling Meek a bitch, and also seemingly adding he can't get over her.
Planet Asia was the latest guest on Talib Kweli's People's Party podcast. In this clip from the episode Asia talks about his early influences, Too $hort, Hieroglyphics, Tragedy Khadafi, Nas, Wu Tang Clan, Richie Rich and more.
CENTER MORICHES, N.Y. (AP) — A New York Police Department officer and his fiancee left the officer’s 8-year-old son in a garage overnight in freezing temperatures and then did nothing to help him as he died of hypothermia, prosecutors said Friday.
“They evinced no regard for this child’s human life,” Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini said after the arraignment of Michael Valva, 40, and Angela Pollina, 42, who are both charged with second-degree murder in the death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva. “They caused his death both by forcing him to sleep in frigid temperatures in the garage and then by failing to do anything to help him as he died right in front of their eyes.”
Authorities say the boy died last week after being left in a garage at the couple’s home as temperatures dropped to under 20 degrees (minus 6 Celsius).
Assistant District Attorney Laura Newcombe said during the arraignment of Valva and Pollina late Friday that audio files recovered from the home recorded the couple discussing the fact that the child was suffering from hypothermia, had been washed with cold water, couldn’t walk and was “face-planting” on the concrete on the morning he was killed.
According to Newsday, Newcombe said that a recording from Jan. 17, the morning of the Thomas Valva’s death, began with another child asking: “Why can’t Thomas walk?”
Newcombe said that Pollina answered “because he’s hypothermic,” adding, “When you’re washed with cold water and it’s freezing you get hypothermia.”
Valva’s voice then said, according to Newcombe: “He keeps face planting on the concrete.”
Sini said he had listened to the audio himself. “I can’t describe it in words,” he said. “The depravity of these defendants is shocking.”
Valva and Pollina both pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder with depraved indifference to human life and were ordered held without bail.
Their attorney, Matthew Tuohy, said, “They are both maintaining their innocence 100%.”
Valva has two other sons, ages 6 and 10, while Pollina has twin 11-year-old daughters and a 6-year-old daughter. Sini said the 10-year-old and 8-year-old boys were both on the autism spectrum and were “at times forced to sleep in the garage.”
Thomas was pronounced dead at a hospital after police responded to a report that he had fallen in the driveway of a home in Center Moriches, a community in Long Island. The medical examiner ruled the boy’s death a homicide and found that hypothermia was a major contributing factor.
The child’s mother, Justyna Zubko-Valva, told Newsday that the second-grader was a “loving, happy boy, always looking for adventure, loving playing outside.”
Zubko-Valva, 36, a correction officer at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex who lives in Valley Stream, said Thomas had a mild form of autism.
He “had such an amazing good heart,” she said. “Everybody who knew him, they instantly fell in love with him. He was just a joy of everybody’s life.”
Valva, who joined the NYPD in 2005 and is assigned to transit, has been suspended without pay, the department said.
Film maker Al Profit profiles notorious Buffalo, New York gangster Donald "Sly" Green on the latest episode of American Dope. Peep game below and let us know what you think in the comment section.
Late last Monday night, four young men attempted to rob a pizza delivery guy, and it was probably the biggest mistake they’d ever made.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, the boys ambushed a 49-year-old pizza delivery guy who was making a delivery to an apartment complex. One of the boys had a rifle and pointed it at the delivery man while demanding money.
The delivery guy pulled out his own firearm and protected himself, shooting three of the boys during what’s being called a “scuffle.”
The boys ran away and the delivery driver called 911 to report the incident.
Police caught two suspects near the scene right away. A third was located at a laundromat nearby shortly after.
The fourth suspect was found about an hour later, when he reportedly arrived at the local hospital. Apparently, he was dropped off because of a gunshot wound.
Nemiah Zante McInnis, 20-years-old, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He was released and turned over to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. According to the North County Bookings website, McInnis was also charged with possession of cocaine recovered during this incident.
McInnis has a long rap sheet, with convictions including resisting police, larceny from a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, and motor vehicle theft.
Toybyus James Banks, 18-years-old, was shot during the altercation and has reportedly not yet been released from the hospital.
The third suspect who was shot was a 15-year-old male. He was treated for his injury, released from the hospital, and taken into custody by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. He was transported to a juvenile detention facility.
The fourth suspect, who was not shot, was a 16-year-old male.
The pizza delivery driver wasn’t injured during the assault.
All four of the boys will be charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon. The 16-year-old will be tried as a juvenile due to the state’s new Raise the Age law, which took effect in December.
Police were able to determine that the rifle was actually a toy gun that had been painted to look real.
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