Spotify has called out Joe Rogan for "incredibly hurtful" comments, but they are holding firm ... he still has a place on its platform.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote a memo to staff, saying, "There are no words I can say to adequately convey how deeply sorry I am for the way The Joe Rogan Experience controversy continues to impact each of you."
Ek then zeros in on Joe, saying, "Not only are some of Joe Rogan's comments incredibly hurtful -- I want you to make it clear that they do not represent the values of this company. I know this situation leaves many of you feeling drained, frustrated and unheard."
It seems the comments are directed at Rogan using the n-word -- the full word -- on his podcast, although the COVID controversy may well be part of it.
And then, Ek pivots, explaining, "While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more."
Now the support ... "And I want to make one point very clear -- I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer. We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope."
Ek says his company will invest $100 million "for the licensing, development, and marketing of music and audio content from historically marginalized groups."
Too early to tell how this sits with the rank and file at Spotify.
IOSCO COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) - Disturbing details this evening on what may have caused an Iosco County woman to allegedly murder her three year old daughter.
It was back in September when Justine Johnson's brother found a human foot sticking out of garbage bag.
Johnson was eventually arrested & has been found competent to stand trial.
The preliminary hearing was today & there was some disturbing testimony.
Justine Johnson told an investigator that she was watching SpongeBob on TV & the cartoon character told her to kill her child or face death herself.
It was at an Oscoda Township home in September when 22-year-old Justine Johnson's brother made the grisly discovery.
The body of Justine's 3-year old daughter, Sutton was found in a trash bag. She has been stabbed to death.
Johnson was not at the home when her daughter's body was discovered & an affidavit indicates police officers found her four & a half hours later, walking on railroad tracks in Oscoda Township.
A family member said she had been using drugs. Johnson was questioned but told the officers she did not want to talk about the death of her child.
But at today's preliminary hearing, testimony indicated Johnson told an investigator with Child Protective Services that she had been hallucinating & she heard a cartoon character tell her something.
Jim Bacarella is the Iosco County prosecutor.
"She said that the television, specifically SpongeBob told her she had to do this to the child or she would be killed," says Bacarella.
While Johnson has been found competent for trial, Bacarella says there is a second component to a psychological exam in criminal matters.
"Evaluation regarding criminal responsibility which is basically whether or not she knew the difference between right and wrong when this event occurred," says Bacarella.
That evaluation might be done as Johnson was bound over for trial on felony murder & first degree child abuse charges.
"That would be used if she chose to raise the affirmative defense of not guilty by reason of insanity," he says.
Wendy Williams‘ troubles continued to mount on Friday when the media personality asked a New York court to restore her access to a bank account containing a large sum of cash.
An attorney for the 57-year-old television host, whose health issues have sidelined her from her eponymous show since last summer, filed a petition 2 days ago asking a judge to force Wells Fargo to restore her access to an account holding “several million dollars.”
Williams has been locked out of the account for 2 weeks. Her petition said she has suffered “imminent & irreparable financial damage,” as a result.
“Wells Fargo’s actions & the actions of its agents have impeded & unlawfully prevented [Williams] access to her property,” the petition stated.
The bank previously told the court its agreement with Williams allowed it to “pause or reject instructions for a proposed transaction” if the company suspects “financial exploitation, dementia, or undue influence.”
In November, Williams’ brother denied reports that his famous sister suffers from dementia. Her attorney argued in their petition on Friday that Wells Fargo has exceed its authority, in part, because she hasn’t executed any transaction that would give the bank reason to pause or reject account access.
The petition requested that Williams’ account access be restored while she resolves her dispute with Wells Fargo via arbitration.
It asked the court to “reopen any frozen accounts or assets” & to let her access “any accompanying statements, currently identifiable as accounts and/or policies which contain funds that were removed and/or withheld” from her accounts within 48 hours from Friday.
In this episode of "People's Party With Talib Kweli," Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with comedian, actor and writer :
TOMMY DAVIDSON
Here's what we got into:
• Tommy first meeting Talib when he was 15 during the filming of Strictly Business. • What it was about Strictly Business that made Tommy chose it for his first movie. • The network of underground clubs in New York during the early 90's where legends were born. • Diddy being assigned as Tommy's assistant during the time of shooting Strictly Business. • Tommy getting Diddy out of jail when he was arrested after an altercation over parking. • Love for rapper Heavy D and the unique personality that he brought to the culture. • How his fatherly perspective has evolved over all the years of raising six kids. • Processing the reality of his mother dropping him in the trash when he was a baby. • Being raised by a white mother who was intent on connecting him with his black identity. • Tommy not recognizing his brother was gay until he was 24 years old. • How Tommy acquired his legendary talent of parodying famous singers. • Meeting Martin Lawrence, Sinbad and Dave Chappelle at a club in D.C.. • His take on Dave Chappelle's bravery to tackle such a polarizing topic in 'The Closer'. • Paul Mooney's connection to In Living Color's Homey D. Clown. • Tommy's move to the epicenter of a new renaissance of black comics in LA. • When he was chosen to do a set in between Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. • Likening Keenen Ivory Wayans to Professor Xavier with his vision for greatness. • Tommy's portrayal of Cream Corn in the film 'Black Dynamite'. • The future of 'The Proud Family'.
TIME STAMPS:
3:02 -- Tommy and Talib reflect on their first meeting at a club during the shooting for the film Strictly Business when Kweli was just 15 years old. They go on to discuss several of the notable emcees of the time that were in attendance, his asking Tommy to do his Sugar Ray Leonard impersonation from In Living Color and the network of underground clubs in NY during the early 90's where so many future legends would perform before having been signed. Tommy also goes on to bless us with a brief beatbox session of several hip hop classics.
8:05 -- Talib explains to Tommy how his character in Strictly Business gave him someone he could really relate to during that time. They go on to discuss the club scene from the movie, the dancers of the era like Buddha Stretch, Henry Link and Peter Paul that had an appearance and the all-star cameos throughout the movie. Tommy also gets into how taking the role was a conscious decision for him while he had plenty of options for his first role in a movie, freshly off making his mark in the industry starring in In Living Color.
11:41 -- Tommy tells about how Diddy was assigned as his personal assistant during the time of shooting Strictly Business. He gets into Diddy telling him he should cut his hair as well as him bringing Tommy to all clubs where the best rappers of the time were hanging and performing at. Tommy also illustrates the story of his getting Diddy out of jail when he was arrested after an altercation over a parking space and they discuss the The "B.I.G. Mack" marketing campaign back in the day along with one of Talib's earliest jobs working for Diddy in the mid-90's.
17:11 -- Tommy speaks on his love for rapper Heavy D, the unique personality that he brought to the culture, his success crossing over into the mainstream and Hev's time as the A&R for Uptown Records. Tommy also talks about his six kids born of different generations and his latest addition to the family. He notes the valuable advice he received from his aunt about parenthood and how his fatherly perspective has evolved over all the years, dating back to those times when he was a starving artist and had to compromise time spent with them.
22:27 -- Tommy talks about his unique life story of being adopted by a white family after he was dropped into a trash can at 18 months by a mother who suffered from addiction. He gets into his growing up with anger issues, not having a full understanding of why and his being ridiculed by some of his peers for being raised by a white family. He also tells how he got some closure after meeting his birth mother and details a bitter-sweet moment when she attended one of his shows.
27:55 -- Tommy is asked about his growing up with his brother Michael who was gay and how that impacted his childhood. He gets into the love he had for his brother, Tommy finding it difficult to process why he was so different, not understanding why Michael wouldn't stick up for him and not realizing his brother was gay until he was much older. Tommy also talks about his mother's strict rules of no racial slurs or gay slander allowed in their home as well as how social media has so many living in their own proverbial bubbles outside of reality.
35:21 -- Tommy expands more on his being raised by a white mother who was deeply progressive and intent on making sure her son was in touch with his black identity. Her giving him a biography of Malcolm X and introducing him to many aspects of black culture. They go on to discuss how diverse Tommy's neighborhood was growing up, how the history of intolerance in America goes well beyond just race and the TV show 'Just US' is brought up as well as meeting actor Sterling K. Brown.
43:25 -- Tommy's legendary talent of parodying singers is explored as they talk about how vocalist Al Jarreau impacted him growing up, being one of his mother's favorites. Tommy goes on talk about recognizing Jamie Foxx's singing abilities before he was brought on to In Living Color, the long history of singers parodying other singers and how these were his go-to bits during those early performances a raunchy strip club in D.C. when he would dive into his best Lou Rawls, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder.
48:21 -- Tommy is asked about the night he first met Martin Lawrence, Sinbad and Dave Chappelle at a club in D.C. with Sinbad fresh off his win on Star Search. He talks about Martin's attire that night and how it was Tommy's first night performing at a real comedy club, most of his sets previously being at concerts. Tommy goes on to tell Talib how much he regrets sleeping on him as well as his catalogue over all these years and now finding himself to be a real fan of his work.
54:55 -- Tommy's first comedy special 'Takin' It to D.C.' is brought up. They discuss a few of the notable bits from that set and the concept of comedians not being bound to reality, which leads to talk about Dave Chappelle's 'The Closer'. Tommy gives his take on Dave's bravery to tackle such a polarizing topic, how dangerous a mob mentality can be and they discuss the notion of "people united will never be defeated". Jasmin also goes on to tell a joke about Caitlyn Jenner and Tommy gives us one involving a crazy naked black dude, Mother Teresa and a big ass knife.
1:04:50 -- The socially conscious aspects of Tommy's comedy are discussed as they go on to talk about how In Living Color's character Homey D. Clown was essentially Paul Mooney's personality in clown form and the personification of justified anger coming from the black experience. Tommy is also asked about his move to LA in the mid-80's with his then-manager Sinclair Jones during a time in Hollywood that he describes was the epicenter of a new renaissance of black comics that would later become icons of the industry.
1:11:07 -- Tommy is asked about what he was feeling the night when he was chosen to perform a set at LA's Comedy Store in between Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor. He talks about all the trials and tribulations he went through over the last three years that finally led to that big moment and why he was so confident at that time, Tommy feeling he had fully earned that spot. He talks about how his manager pushed him to give his best every night on stage and Jasmin also relates some of her own experiences performing at the Comedy Store.
1:20:34 -- Tommy's time on In Living Color is brought up again. He talks about how lucky he and the rest of the cast were to have found themselves together at the time and likens Keenen Ivory Wayans to Professor Xavier who with his vision and knowledge of comedy structure was able to recruit some of the best comics on the LA scene which resulted in one of the best sketch comedy shows ever. Talib goes on to tell him about his favorite character being Tommy's portrayal of Cream Corn in the film 'Black Dynamite' and Jasmin asks Tommy about the future of 'The Proud Family'.
The Brooklyn Nets have been struggling this season and there are reports that James Harden wants out. The chatter around the NBA is that the Nets and Philadelphia are talking about trading Ben Simmons for Harden.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — After playing in the Pro Bowl on Sunday, Saints running back Alvin Kamara was arrested and accused of beating someone the night before in a Las Vegas nightclub.
Kamara had four catches for 23 yards for the NFC in the game, then was taken into custody and booked at the Clark County Detention Center on charges of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.
Kamara remained in jail Sunday night. His bail was set at $5,000 and a court hearing is scheduled for Monday afternoon, a jail official said.
Las Vegas police say they were dispatched to a hospital Saturday where a person had reported a battery at a nightclub. The police said detectives determined the victim was battered by Kamara.
The Saints and Kamara’s agent didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 26-year-old Kamara is one of the top running backs in the NFL. He had 1,337 yards from scrimmage and nine TDs this season on the way to being picked for his fifth Pro Bowl in five seasons as a pro.
01. Dearly Beloved Ft. Flee Lord 02. Last of the Mohicans 03. Extra Cool Ft. Nym Lo 04. Run It 05. Ken Patera Ft. Knowledge The Pirate & Remy Banks 06. Casualties 07. Live at the Speak Easy Ft. OT The Real
Done Wright x 38 Spesh x Elcamino x M. Reck - They Don't Know (New Official Lyric Video) PD 38 Spesh
Brooklyn/South Side Jamaica, Queens Emcee/Producer and HardWork Entertainment CEO Done Wright teams up with TRUST Artist/ Producer/Exec/CEO 38 Spesh to deliver you this instant classic "They Don't Know'. This collaboration also features Elcamino & M. Reck Produced by 38 Spesh.
Joe Rogan is apologizing for repeatedly using the n-word -- the entire word -- in his past, saying, "It looks f***ing horrible, even to me."
A complication of clips from old podcasts shows Rogan using the slur over and over.
Rogan tried explaining it this way ... "There's a video that's out, that's a compilation of me saying the n-word. It's a video that's made of clips taken out of context of me of 12 years of conversations on my podcast, and it's all smushed together."
Rogan said there were times he thought he could use the word during discussions about pop culture ... citing Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, but there's an obvious difference. Rogan says he was wrong and is regretful.
He says, "Now, I haven't said it in years, but for a long time, when I would bring that word up, like, if it would come up in conversation and instead of saying the n-word, I would just say the word -- I thought as long as it was in context, people would understand what I was doing."
There's another clip shot 11 years ago that's even more problematic ... in which Rogan says a taxi driver dropped him off in a black neighborhood in Philly and it was "like they were in 'Planet of the Apes.'"
Rogan says, "I was just saying there's a lot of black people there. But, then I went on to talk about what a positive experience it was and how much fun it was to go to see this movie in a black neighborhood."
The popular podcaster says he will never use the n-word again, calling this "the most regretful and shameful thing that I've ever had to talk about publicly."
He says he hopes this will be a "teachable moment" for others.
Spotify hasn't said anything yet about the videos, but so far it's been sticking with Rogan over the COVID controversy.
"Dreamworks" featuring RJ Payne is a gem off of The Tangiers (Messiah Kaine and Benefit Ctn) new album, "The House Always Wins," which also features Smif-N-Wessun, M-Dot (of EMS) & Profit (of CO Defendants).
"Steady Mobbin" featuring KNG Bodalero and David Haller is the latest single off of Falcon Outlaw's "Maplehurst Graduates" album, which was entirely produced by Nicholas Craven.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.(WREG) — A young father charged with killing his 2-day-old child & her mother admitted that he lured the woman to her death, then took the baby & threw her into the Mississippi River.
Brandon Isabelle, 25, is charged with 2 counts of murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, murder in connection with kidnapping & tampering with evidence.
Danielle Hoyle, 27, was found dead Tuesday outside her vehicle on a street in Whitehaven. The drivers-side window of the Chevy Cruze was knocked out.
Police say Hoyle had been shot in the head. Her family said when she left the house, she told them she needed to take the baby to the hospital for testing.
Her baby, Kennedy Hoyle, who was the subject of a statewide AMBER Alert on Wednesday, is presumed dead. Crews searched the boat ramp at the north end of Mud Island, but her body had not been recovered Thursday morning.
Police zeroed in on Isabelle, the child’s father, as a suspect on Wednesday evening. During questioning, police say he told them he lured Danielle Hoyle to the intersection of Sedgwick & Levi and & her.
He then told police that he took Kennedy Hoyle, drove her to the north end of Mud Island where the Wolf River enters the Mississippi River, & threw the child in the water. He also said he threw the weapon in the water.
The baby’s car seat was found near a dumpster outside a Walmart in Whitehaven, police said.
Isabelle was taken into custody Wednesday. He was given no bond and faces an arraignment hearing Friday. His previous record in Shelby County includes only traffic infractions.
The search for Kennedy was suspended on Thursday due to inclement weather. MPD said they will continue the search when the weather permits them to do so.
An Iowa man was sentenced to life behind bars for the murder of a friend he repeatedly ran over with a pickup truck after a fight about mayonnaise.
Kristofer Erlbacher, now 29, used his truck to ram Caleb Solberg, 30, outside a café in the small town of Pisgah on Dec. 17, 2020. Erlbacher initially drove away, then came back and ran over Solberg two more times.
The two had been out drinking at a bar with another person earlier in the night in nearby Moorhead, but things took a turn when Erlbacher spread mayo on Solberg’s food, which riled Solberg & sparked a bar fight.
A furious Erlbacher called Solberg’s half-brother, Craig Pryor, on the way to the café & threatened to set Solberg’s house on fire & shoot him, the newspaper said. Pryor later came to Dave’s Old Home in Pisgah, where another confrontation was brewing.
Erlbacher eventually rammed his truck into Pryor’s, then rammed Solberg.
“Erlbacher’s first blow to Solberg did not kill him. He can be heard screaming for his brother, Craig Pryor,” District Judge Greg Steensland wrote in the verdict.
“Rather than just leave, Erlbacher went down the street, turned around, and came back to strike Solberg a second time … To be sure he had completed the job, Erlbacher drove his truck up & over Solberg one last time.”
Erlbacher then drove off, but his truck broke down a short while later. On the phone, he told Pryor that he had killed Solberg.
Erlbacher was convicted after a bench trial in December last year & sentenced Monday.
Da Cloth hip hop collective is equivalent to an elite sports team with no weak links. MAV, Mooch, Rigz, Rob Gates, Times Change and Illanois are all top notch lyricists. Which brings up Symph, who is as deadly with the wordplay and any emcee in the game.
As Symph prepares to release his "Grimy God" EP on March 9th, he links up with 38 Spesh for the project's first single and accompanying music video, "High Demand."
Yo Gotti comes through with what he says is his final album, "CM10 Free Game."
Tracklist:
CD 1 01. Thinking Hours 02. If I Ever Thought 03. No Matter What 04. Strapped In Calabasas 05. Palm Trees In Memphis 06. Just Left The Hamptons 07. Forever Ballin' (feat. Shenseea) 08. Crypto 09. For The Record 10. Last Run 11. Free Game
CD 2 01. Collect Calls (ring ring) 02. Giving Back 03. Cold Gangsta (feat. 42 Dugg & EST Gee) 04. Bad Behavior 05. Ya Bih (feat. Moneybagg Yo) 06. Rap Check 07. Dolla Fo' Dolla 08. Ima Show You (feat. Kodak Black) 09. Family Tree 10. Shoot Off Pt. 4 11. No Competition (feat. Blac Youngsta)
Check out the new album from 2 Chainz titled "Dope Don't Sell Itself."
Tracklist:
01. Bet It Back 02. Pop Music (feat. Moneybagg Yo & BeatKing) 03. Kingpen Ghostwriter (feat. Lil Baby) 04. Outstanding (feat. Roddy Ricch) 05. Neighbors Know My Name 06. Million Dollars Worth of Game (feat. 42 Dugg) 07. Free B.G. 08. 10 Bracelets (feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again) 09. Lost Kings (feat. Lil Durk & Sleepy Rose) 10. Caymans (feat. Swae Lee) 11. Vlad TV (feat. Stove God Cooks, Symba & Major Myjah) 12. If You Want Me To (feat. Jacquees)
}