Blogs

Report via TMZ -- Nicki Minaj's retirement announcement not only came out of nowhere, but it absolutely doesn't add up -- as in it doesn't seem real -- based on her recent actions ... so say sources close to her.

TMZ's learned Nicki has been busy in the studio working on new music in recent weeks and on top of that ... we're told she made plans to record with several artists just in the past few days.

Our sources say Minaj has a lot of songs already in the can, and despite saying on Thursday she's retiring in order to "have my family" -- she still has studio time booked until next month.

So, why the sudden decision to hang it up? We're told Nicki's been growing increasingly fed up with internet trolls who've been harassing her lately, and finally reached a boiling point.

Our sources say the rapper was pushed over the edge by constantly defending herself over accusations of not writing her own songs, questions about her hip-hop legacy ... and her relationship with her fiance, Kenneth Petty. BTW, rumor is she's already Mrs. Petty, but that's another thing Nicki's tired of discussing.

The good news for the Barbs ... we're told those close to Nicki believe she's just taking a much-needed break from the haters and simply needs a moment to chill and reevaluate.

One more thing -- Minaj's comment about family got many wondering if she's pregnant. We're told she's not ... yet.

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Check out the official music video for "Trappin Chinese" from OBH Records artist, Dark Lo.

Directed by D.S. The Writer

Follow Dark Lo @darklo
https://www.instagram.com/darklo/
https://twitter.com/obhdarkLo

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Post Malone's "Hollywood's Bleeding" album has arrived. It features Swae Lee, Halsey, Future, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Ozzy Osbourne, SZA and Travis Scott.

Available now on all streaming platforms.

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Ca$his releases a brand new album titled "CH4." You can stream the 10-track project up top and purchase a copy now from iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/ch4/1475927174

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Deji Rose is a producer and recording artist from Long Island New York. From an early age he was musically inclined, playing the violin and clarinet and also singing in the church choir. Growing up in the 2000’s, Deji listened to pop, rock, hip hop and edm. But it was in elementary school that he was exposed to DMX’s It’s Dark and Hell is Hot, and his love for realness and rawness in Hip Hop took hold.

Currently residing in Atlanta, Deji Rose is a multifaceted artist who goes where his heart leads him. Inspired by the likes of DMX, Kid Cudi, Nelly and more, Deji Rose blends pop influences with creative rapping and singing and ethnic influences, creating a unique sound that reflects his story and lifestyle.

Deji Rose’s latest single Uh Huh, Yeah is now out on all streaming platforms, and is a summer club banger you don’t want to miss.

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On Episode 4 of UFC 242 Embedded, lightweight Paul Felder hits the gym to keep his tools sharp for his chosen profession of doing pow-pow. Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gets laser-focused on his opponent, interim champ Dustin Poirier. Felder, his opponent Edson Barboza and Poirier all entertain fans at Yas Mall open workouts, but the real cheers come when Nurmagomedov takes the stage. UFC 242 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the lightweight unification bout taking place Saturday, September 7th at a special time of 2 pm ET/11 am PT. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV 

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Conway The Machine is preparing to release his "Look What I Became" project on September 13th. To warm fans up Conway offers up a taste of what to expect in the form of the Daringer-produced "Tito's Back" featuring Benny The Butcher and Westside Gunn.

Pre-order "Look What I Became" now: https://empire.lnk.to/became

Follow Conway The Machine @whoisconway
*https://www.instagram.com/whoisconway/
*https://twitter.com/WHOISCONWAY

Nicki Minaj is hanging up the mic for good.

The 36-year old rapper, born Onika Tanya Maraj, made the shocking announcement via her Twitter account on Thursday, September 5th.

"I’ve decided to retire & have my family," she wrote. "I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, in the box- cuz ain’t nobody checkin me. Love you for LIFE."

Minaj recently told listeners of her “Queen Radio” show that she and boyfriend Kenneth Perry had applied for a marriage license and would be wed in “about 80 days.”

Where does she rank on your all-time list? What’s your favorite album, song or collaboration from the superstar?

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Report via CBS Sports -- The Oakland Raiders probably regret their investment into Antonio Brown already, given that the team is "planning to suspend" their star wide receiver before the season even begins after he got into some kind of incident/altercation/heated argument with GM Mike Mayock, according to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN. 

Per Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Brown had to be "held back by a couple of teammates" when confronting Mayock. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the incident did not get physical, however Brown did say he would punch Mayock -- his boss! -- in the face and then punted a ball, Nick Nolte "Blue Chips" style and told Mayock to fine him for that. You can't even make this stuff up.

In all seriousness, it's hard to see a path where he returns to the Raiders any time soon.  

Brown was recently fined by the Raiders for missing practice and the team included in the letter to Brown that he was running up against a situation where he could behave in a manner that would qualify as "conduct detrimental to the team." 

As I noted on Twitter at the time (and was in the process of writing when this news broke, naturally), the language in that letter could absolutely be a set up to suspend Brown for up to four games and to void the guarantees in his contract. 

Read it: Mayock is telling Brown that future behavior could create a situation in which the Raiders use language in their team policy and in the CBA to take action against Brown.

The CBA specifically allows the Raiders to suspend him for four games and to fine him four game checks as a result of conduct detrimental to the team. 

Suffice to say that Brown has met the minimum threshold for any such suspension. Take away the fact he froze his feet so badly in a cryotherapy chamber that his start to the season was in jeopardy -- he has skipped multiple practices, reportedly gone AWOL from the Raiders, created a huge distraction with multiple grievances about his helmet and most recently posted a fine letter from his GM on social media.

He then decided to get in an argument WITH HIS GM over said fine letter and the posting on social media. It's a perfect storm of disaster and it makes guys like Terrell Owens look calm by comparison.

The other thing that could happen, that the Raiders like here? They can void the guarantees in his contract by suspending him for conduct detrimental, based on language in his contract. That would mean a loss of up to $29 million in guarantees and the Raiders potentially going after his signing bonus.

More importantly? It would set up the Raiders to potentially release Brown and not take the salary cap hit. 

Oakland's first game is the late Monday night game against the Broncos. The game was a pick 'em but the Broncos are already -2 now based on the AB news.

It has been a windy road for Brown from Pittsburgh to Oakland over the last several months and we broke it all down earlier this offseason. Stay tuned for more details -- this is a developing story.

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On this episode of Actually Me, Chelsea Handler goes undercover on the Internet and responds to real comments from Twitter, Reddit, Quora, YouTube and more. Where does she get all of her great T-shirts? How did she become a comedian?

Launching September 13 on Netflix, Chelsea's new documentary “Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea.” follows her cross-country journey as she confronts her personal and cultural impacts around white privilege.

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Hot Ones Reunion is back, baby! To hold your over between Seasons 9 and 10, we've got a special bonus episode featuring Season 2 favorite Jay Pharoah. Last time, the actor and SNL alum busted out pitch-perfect impressions of Will Smith, Denzel Washington, and Jay Z while battling the wings of death. This time, Pharoah dives deeper into his comedy career, summons characters like Joe Rogan and Nic Cage to the table, and delivers some of the hottest bars in rap history.

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Report via Yahoo -- There’s a reason your mom spent years reminding you to eat your vegetables. A teenage boy, who subsisted on Pringles, French fries, processed pork and white bread for years, went blind due to his extremely poor diet, according to a case study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

At 14-years-old, the teen, who was considered a “fussy eater,” told his family practitioner that he was feeling tired. While tests revealed he was anemic and had low vitamin B12 levels, his doctor didn’t notice the teen’s severe lack of nutrition — likely because the adolescent had “no visible signs of malnutrition,” according to ScienceDaily. He also had a normal BMI and height. The teen was given vitamin B12 shots, told to eat a healthy diet, and was sent on his way.

A year later, the teen returned to the doctor’s office with hearing loss and vision problems, but doctors couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause. His vision problems got progressively worse. By 17 years old, he was suffering from blindness.

Researchers at The University of Bristol believe the teen’s junk food diet led to nutritional optic neuropathy — a condition caused by a lack of nutrients, which impairs the normal functioning of nerve fibers and leads to optic nerve dysfunction.

Nutritional optic neuropathy is usually caused by a deficiency of B-complex vitamins (thiamine, B12, etc.),” Randy McLaughlin, an optometrist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “It’s usually seen in alcoholics, who are malnourished. This condition is somewhat rare, but not totally uncommon.” The condition is painless and progresses gradually.

When caught early, nutritional optic neuropathy is reversible — mainly by ramping up on folic acid, vitamin B complex, and protein. “It can be reversed with better nutrition,” notes McLaughlin, “However, improvement is seen on a case by case basis.” If left untreated, the resulting blindness can become permanent.

For the teen, by the time he got a proper diagnosis and after years of extremely poor eating, the damage to his vision was permanent.

The study’s lead author, Denize Atan, PhD, says the case is an example of why physicians can’t only rely on BMI readings to determine whether a patient is consuming a healthy diet. "This case highlights the impact of diet on visual and physical health, and the fact that calorie intake and BMI are not reliable indicators of nutritional status," Atan, consultant senior lecturer in ophthalmology at Bristol Medical School and clinical lead for neuro-ophthalmology at Bristol Eye Hospital, told ScienceDaily.

The study’s researchers recommend that, just like physicians ask about smoking and alcohol intake, dietary history should be part of any routine clinical examination.

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MONROVIA (CBSLA) — A Monrovia man has been charged with capital murder in the case of his missing girlfriend, whose body has not yet been found.

Robert Anthony Camou, 27, was charged Wednesday with killing his girlfriend, Amanda Custer, who disappeared in July, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.

A witness reported seeing him place the woman’s limp body in the trunk of his Toyota Prius.

Police later found blood at the home, along with a tarp, a digging tool and more blood in the trunk.

On April 22, Camou was accused of battering his girlfriend, including strangling her and threatening her with a Taser, according to Deputy District Attorney Melanie Drew.

He was previously charged with one felony count each of first-degree burglary, injuring a girlfriend, and assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. The charges also include one misdemeanor count of battery.

While out on bail for that attack, Camou allegedly killed 31-year-old Custer, on or about July 29, the prosecutor added.

He faces one count of murder with a special circumstance allegation of killing a witness and an allegation that he was out on bail when he committed the crime.

Camou was apparently caught on camera at a bar in Los Angeles rapping about killing and burying someone. Camou was arrested nearby shortly after that video was filmed.

Arraignment on the murder charge was scheduled for Sept. 4 but rescheduled to Oct. 10 in Pasadena.

If convicted as charged, Camou faces death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Custer’s body has not yet been found.

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Pete Rock and Skyzoo have teamed up for a new album titled "Retropolitan," which drops on September 20th.

Today, the duo cut loose an incredible posse track called "Eastern Conference All Stars" featuring Elzhi, Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn.

The track is available immediately when you pre-order "Retropolitan."

https://music.apple.com/us/album/retropolitan/1475016244

https://www.mellomusicgroup.com/products/skyzoo-pete-rock-retropolitan-cd

https://mmg-skyzoo.bandcamp.com/album/retropolitan

https://www.amazon.com/Retropolitan-Explicit-Skyzoo-Pete-Rock/dp/B07VVHKK1V

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2p7xMz0Xg4TalDTrMGfCqT?

Follow Skyzoo @skyzoothewriter
*https://www.instagram.com/skyzoothewriter/
*https://twitter.com/skyzoo

Follow Pete Rock @realpeterock
*https://www.instagram.com/realpeterock/
*https://twitter.com/PeteRock

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Symph gets production from Eto on his new single titled "Had To Suffer" featuring fellow member of Da Cloth, Mooch.

This is off of Symph's "Judas" album.

Available Now On All Streaming Platforms!

Tracklist:

01. Judas (prod. by Wavy Jones)
02. Bars From Hell (prod. by Vice)
03. Devils Gospel (prod. by Eto)
04. Voices feat. Maverick Montana (prod. by Wavy Jones)
05. No Justice No Peace (prod. by Midnite)
06. Feeling The Pain feat. Rigz & Dwayne Collins (prod. by Eto)
07. Had To Suffer feat. Mooch (prod. by Eto)
08. Hold On feat. Tiffany Davis (prod. by Eto)
09. Heartless (prod. by Eto)

Follow Symph @DaSymph
https://www.instagram.com/dasymph/

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On Episode 3 of UFC 242 Embedded, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov joins teammates and UFC 242 athletes Islam Makhachev and Zubaira Tukhugov to train under their coaches from two countries. Lightweight Paul Felder enjoys his time with perfect abs, as opponent Edson Barboza does interviews ahead of their rematch. Interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier chats with a fellow Louisianan, UFC 242 flyweight Andrea Lee. UFC 242 Embedded is an all access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the lightweight unification bout taking place Saturday, September 7th at a special time of 2 pm ET/11 am PT. Order the Pay-Per-View at ESPNPlus.com/PPV 

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What in the hell did Popeyes put in their chicken sandwiches that has people going nuts to get one? The fast food chain announced last week that they had run out of them, but one Houston man didn't get the memo. He visited Popeyes recently and when told they had no sandwiches he pulled out a gun. No shots were fired but police are looking for him.

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SEPTEMBER 20 is the day we raid AREA 51(well not me but you get it) and with all that craziness going on I guess Washington State artist JORDY SAM and Label mate iT’s FRANKY will be providing the Theme song !! The beat alone is definitely out of this world, and when you meet up with the extraterrestrials this is the song you will want to be playing .  With this introduction to iT’s FRANKY who is new on our radar, his flow is melodic and fresh!! We also hear he will be releasing his first mixtape this year as well! The LIONS DEN 360 camp never lets us down , from new music , visuals and dope young artist!! 

Be the first to get the new song AREA 51 by JORDY SAM and iT’s FRANKY  Available Everywhere September 20, 

Today is a bitter sweet day for a rapper new on our radar named SHUG, coming out of Washington State.. As a gift to her late mother she released “PROMISES on all platforms ..  This is a special moment for SHUG (also being her 30th bday), PROMISES is the story of her stint in rehab and her mother’s death and the cruel reality of the aftermath that suicide leaves behind , this song is already in our playlist !! 

PROMISES   https://open.spotify.com/track/2Gg3ap5bzaCeHEmWKSTnzj?si=52At5l0rSUyil29xqm-vUQ

LET THE BEAT GO   https://open.spotify.com/track/73qM4tzSKAr9lPW5lDWosw?si=5FYr79tfSvSwjzflYwQQBA