Latest news with #DefJam
Black America Web
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Teyana Taylor's Escape Room Visuals Are Fire
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty If there's one thing we know about Teyana Taylor, it's that she's going to apply pressure. The Harlem-bred star understands the assignment every time. Whether serving fierce red carpet style, dropping jaw-dropping fashion editorials, owning a dance move, or giving us raw, emotional performances on screen, Teyana executes it at the highest level. So, why would her new Escape Room video visuals – dropped on social media on May 30 – be any different? Teyana Taylor Drops Fire 'Escape Room' Visuals – And We Are Obsessed, A Little Confused, & Can't Wait To See More The multihyphenate star's teaser opens with Teyana in a dreamy bridal moment, standing at the altar opposite LaKeith Stanfield. But fans quickly see that what's unfolding isn't your typical love story. Teyana's Escape Room visuals take a sharp turn: blood-soaked clothing, a cage coffin, a cyber-glam robot fantasy, and chaotic passion with two leading men, Stanfield and Aaron Pierre. Yes, Sis, two heartthrobs. Steamy scenes, mysterious effects, and stunning details have fans ready for a whole movie. 'Teyana > everyone else!' wrote one fan. 'Harlem! This is 🔥🔥 I'm down to watch a full album movie if you are down to bless us with one?' commented another on Instagram. It's The Fashions For Us! Teyana Rocks Designer Fits In 'Escape Room' Visuals As always, the lewks are doing the most in the best way. Her bridal couture moment is believed to be from Robert Wun's Spring/Summer 2024 collection. The matrimonial piece features exaggerated shoulders, ornate detailing, and sheer veils. Another scene shows Teyana dressed in a red suit that is on fire. She then switches to a bikini in the same bold hue. As the artist appears on screen, her body is smoking hot – literally. Escape Room, both the short film and the album, is set to drop this August via Def Jam, marking the next evolution in Teyana's multihyphenate career. If this teaser is any indication, the full release will be equal parts mind-bending, stylish, and iconic. Teyana Taylor Just Dropped Visuals For Her New Album 'Escape Room' & We Are Obsessed was originally published on
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sass to Sobs, Diddy's Ex-Assistant Testifies About Gunpoint Kidnapping But Changes Some Details
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former assistant, Capricorn Clark, launched the third week of testimony in the rap mogul's sex-trafficking and racketeering trial in New York, dramatically recounting — and then, through tears, walking back or changing details on cross-examination — an alleged kidnapping at gunpoint that led to her calling her boss' girlfriend to warn her of a break-in and imminent danger. Clark has an extensive professional music and entertainment industry background, having worked for Def Jam and BET Films and, for years, as a personal assistant to Combs. Her testimony on Tuesday, as the trial resumed after four days off for Memorial Day weekend, included her version of the alleged break-in at rapper and Combs' onetime romantic rival, the rapper Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi and who dated star witness for the prosecution, Cassie Ventura. Mescudi testified last week that he received a call from Clark in December 2011 that his home had been broken into by Combs and another man. Clark told her version of that night to the jury on Tuesday, explaining how she was kidnapped at gunpoint by Combs, her boss at the time. More from The Hollywood Reporter Rick Derringer, Singer-Songwriter Known For 'Hang On Sloopy' and 'Rock And Roll, Hoochie Coo' Dead at 77 Shaboozey Responds to Viral AMAs Side Eye Moment With Megan Maroney Morgan Wallen Dominates Hot 100 With Six of Top 10 Spots, Tops Chart With Tate McRae on 'What I Want' Combs 'got me with a gun and brought me to Mescudi's house to kill him,' Clark told the court. New details of what allegedly occurred that morning in December 2011 emerged with Clark's testimony of events, mostly surrounding what she claims happened after she and Combs left Mescudi's Hollywood Hills home. Clark told the court that as they drove off from the house in Combs' Escalade, they saw Mescudi's Porsche headed toward the house; they turned around and gave chase, Clark said, but split the scene when police sirens were noticed. Combs then drove to a nearby nightclub parking lot and then home. Clark said she went to pick up Ventura at the hotel where she'd been with Mescudi; Combs, she testified, then mercilessly beat Ventura outside his home, with the then-26-year-old curled into a fetal position in the street as Combs allegedly repeatedly kicked her. Combs, the 55-year-old Bad Boy Records chief and fashion mogul, was charged with sex-trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution in September in what has expanded to a five-count indictment. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges; if convicted he could face 15 years to life in prison. As the defense hammered Clark on cross-examination, it was questioned who she called first and why that December 2011 moaning while she was inside the Escalade, looking on as Combs and a staffer entered Mescudi's house. Whether she'd called another woman prior to phoning Ventura and Mescudi was a main point of contention. Combs, upon arriving home, told those with him that they had to convince his romantic rival that 'it wasn't me.' 'If you don't convince him of that I'll kill all you,' he said, punctuating his threat with an expletive, according to Clark. Clark said she and Cassie then went to Mescudi's home, telling jurors: 'We needed to talk to him. We needed to make sure he wasn't going to make a police report about Puff.' Clark's relationship with Combs and Ventura over the years took up the entire day's worth of testimony, and on cross-examination, her demeanor shifted sharply over the course of the day from curt and sometimes sassy answers to the defense's questions to sobbing and choking back tears, apologizing to the judge, telling him she was determined to 'get through' her time on the stand. Following the alleged Mescudi break-in and her alleged kidnapping, Clark was fired from her Bad Boy Records position for, as she claims, not informing Combs about Ventura dating Mescudi. 'I lost everything,' she told the court. 'He said I would never work again, and all these people weren't my friends, and he would make me kill myself.' But as the defense pointed out throughout its questioning — which often involved repeatedly asking Clark if she was sure about things she said or did at the time — in 2016, she went back to work for him. Emails that she sent to Combs asking if he'd forgiven her yet were read aloud; Clark told jurors she had no choice but to seek employment with Combs again, and needed to tell her that she 'was valuable and not disposable.' 'He holds all the power as it relates to me,' she told the court, at a point evoking her son, who she said has autism, 'I just want to work and provide for my son.' Clark's middling opinion of Ventura's talent was also drawn out before the court. Clark discussed how from 2007-2010, the lion's share of Bad Boy's resources went into promoting Cassie. This dwindled over time; as the singer's relationship with Combs grew stronger, Ventura was no longer a sweet young artist and more of a 'demanding girlfriend.' The two worked on her image and a short film upon Clark's eventual return to working for Combs as a creative director. 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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' ex-assistant tells jury that music mogul kidnapped her to help ‘kill Cudi'
NEW YORK — Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former assistant Capricorn Clark, her voice quivering, told a Manhattan jury Tuesday that the armed rap mogul kidnapped her late one night in 2011 to help him 'kill (Kid) Cudi.' Taking the stand as the 17th witness, Clark bolstered testimony from Combs' ex, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, and Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, about a disturbing incident in late 2011 that saw Mescudi's Hollywood Hills house burgled by Combs when he found out he'd been dating Ventura. '(Combs) came to my house with a gun and told me I had to go with him to kill Cudi,' Clark, Combs' assistant from 2004 to 2012, testified in Manhattan federal court. Clark said she was driven to Mescudi's home by a security guard with Combs, against her will, and called Ventura while he was inside, warning her that the Bad Boy Records co-founder was out for blood. The jury heard from Mescudi last week that upon hearing from Ventura, he brought her to the Sunset Marquis hotel to stay safe and then called Combs, who told him he just wanted to talk. When Mescudi got home, Combs was not there, but he discovered his house had been burgled, with Christmas gifts torn open and his dog locked in the bathroom. Under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner, Clark said Tuesday that around a day later, she went to pick up Ventura from the Sunset Marquis and brought her to Combs' sprawling Los Angeles mansion, where the mogul began mercilessly beating Ventura upon their arrival. 'Puff was standing there in a robe and his underwear, and he immediately began kicking Cassie,' Clark testified. 'One-hundred percent full force, in her legs to begin with.' Asked to describe the beating in greater detail, Clark said, 'He kept kicking her. He never used his hands.' Sounding on the verge of tears as she recounted the chilling scene, Clark said she was too scared to contact the cops, as 'the mission of the day was to get (Kid) Cudi not to call the police.' ' He told me if I jumped in, he was gonna f--k me up too.' When Combs did not let up, Clark said she called Combs' security team and eventually Ventura's mother, Regina Ventura, telling her, 'He's beating the s--t out of your daughter. I'm in over my head ... I can't call the police, but you can.' Jurors have already heard how weeks after the burglary, Mescudi's Porsche was blown up in his driveway in an apparent Molotov cocktail attack. Clark said she informed Combs that authorities were probing the arson and had contacted her. Earlier in her testimony, the former assistant, who started out working for Def Jam and then Death Row Records, described experiencing an extremely hostile workplace during her employment for Combs, including him aggressively shoving her when she expressed dissatisfaction with her work. After a lapse in working for Combs, which she said involved grueling and untenable hours, Clark returned as a marketing director for his Sean John clothing line in 2006. Clark said she was fired in 2012 over supposed issues related to vacation time and would work for him again in 2016 as Ventura's creative director until 2018. At one juncture, when the mogul's jewelry went missing, she said he subjected her to five days of lie detector tests on the sixth floor of an abandoned skyscraper near Times Square. When she arrived there, an unnamed bodyguard chain-smoking cigarettes threatened her. 'He said if you fail this test, they're going to throw you in the East River.' She would pass the test. After the burglary incident at Mescudi's, Clark said Combs' threats against her only increased, estimating he threatened her around 50 times between December 2011 and the following summer, usually in the presence of his longtime security guard, D-Roc, and Ventura. Combs, 55, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted in the case. He's pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment, including counts of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting individuals for prostitution. The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office alleges the rap entrepreneur, whose net worth has been estimated at close to a billion dollars, compulsively coerced women into humiliating sexual performances with male escorts for years with assistance from a network of high-ranking employees, akin to a mafia family who resorted to sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice to facilitate his desires. Prosecutors have presented extensive evidence of Combs' violent and unpredictable temper. A heavily pregnant Ventura spent four days on the stand during the first week of testimony, describing in devastating detail being trapped in a cycle of violent abuse, recovery, and humiliation during their 11-year relationship. The now 39-year-old singer said she was frequently beaten bloody and coerced into hundreds of degrading sexual performances with other men that Combs dubbed 'freak-offs,' tapes of which the mogul used against her as blackmail. _____
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kevin Liles Details Alleged $30M Extortion Plot From Rapper Lady Luck
Former Def Jam executive Kevin Liles has released a lengthy statement alleging rapper Lady Luck is attempting to extort him to the tune of $30M. The post, which can be found on Liles' official Instagram page, finds the music industry pro asserting that Luck, born Shanell Jones, and her legal team sent him a letter three weeks ago stating that she would move forward with a lawsuit and tell-all book 'riddled with utterly false and horrendous accusations' if he doesn't cough up $30M. According to Liles, the letter from Luck's team accuses him of 'grooming' her as a young artist, and of exposing himself and attempting to 'force' her into performing oral sex on him while she sat in the driver's seat of his car. 'None of this ever happened,' he states. 'Her threatened allegations are totally false. And they are contradicted by Ms. Jones many public statements about me and her experience at Def Jam.' 'Rather than pay her and her legal team, I am publicly addressing what I view to be an extortion attempt,' he added. Liles went on to detail signing Lady Luck in 1999 after hearing her rap on Hot 97. While he was able to secure her major features and opportunities, she was unable to become a 'household name' while on the label and asked to be released a 'few years later.' He then notes Luck's criminal history — including felony convictions for armed robbery and heroin distribution — before saying he continued to help her as recently as last year when she sought distribution for a new record. 'After connecting her with the former head of my distribution company, she did an interview stating that I was helping her with distribution, describing it as a 'full f**king circle moment.'' Liles continuously declared his 'empathy' for Luck, but added that he, 'will not be extorted, nor will I pay a dollar to those who threaten to ruin my reputation or the legacy I intend to leave the culture I've spent my life serving.' See his full post below. VIBE has reached out to a rep for Lady Luck for comment. Liles' statement comes three months after being sued — alongside Universal Music Group and Def Jam — for sexual assault by a former employee. He has denied all allegations. More from Kevin Liles Believes Rape Lawsuit Should Be Dismissed Due To Legal Technicality Kevin Liles And Def Jam Face Sexual Assault Lawsuit Ye, Ja Rule, And Hip-Hop Community React To Irv Gotti's Death
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' ex-assistant tells jury mogul kidnapped her to help ‘kill Cudi'
NEW YORK — Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former assistant Capricorn Clark, her voice quivering, told a Manhattan jury Tuesday that the armed rap mogul kidnapped her late one night in 2011 to help him 'kill [Kid] Cudi.' Taking the stand as the 17th witness, Clark bolstered testimony from Combs' ex, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, and Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, about a disturbing incident in late 2011 that saw Mescudi's Hollywood Hills house burgled by Combs when he found out he'd been dating Ventura. '[Combs] came to my house with a gun and told me I had to go with him to kill Cudi,' Clark, Combs' assistant from 2004 to 2012, testified in Manhattan federal court. Clark said she was driven to Mescudi's home by a security guard with Combs, against her will and called Ventura while he was inside, warning her that the Bad Boy Records co-founder was out for blood. The jury heard from Mescudi last week that upon hearing from Ventura, he brought her to the Sunset Marquis hotel to stay safe and then called Combs, who told him he just wanted to talk. When Mescudi got home, Combs was not there, but he discovered his house had been burgled, with Christmas gifts torn open and his dog locked in the bathroom. Under questioning by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitzi Steiner, Clark said Tuesday that around a day later, she went to pick up Ventura from the Sunset Marquis and brought her to Combs' sprawling Los Angeles mansion, where the mogul began mercilessly beating Ventura upon their arrival. 'Puff was standing there in a robe and his underwear, and he immediately began kicking Cassie,' Clark testified. 'One-hundred percent full force, in her legs to begin with.' Asked to describe the beating in greater detail, Clark said, 'He kept kicking her. He never used his hands.' Sounding on the verge of tears as she recounted the chilling scene, Clark said she was too scared to contact the cops, as 'the mission of the day was to get [Kid] Cudi not to call the police.' ' He told me if I jumped in, he was gonna f--k me up too.' When Combs did not let up, Clark said she called Combs' security team and eventually Ventura's mother, Regina Ventura, telling her, 'He's beating the s–t out of your daughter. I'm in over my head … I can't call the police, but you can.' Jurors have already heard how weeks after the burglary, Mescudi's Porsche was blown up in his driveway in an apparent Molotov cocktail attack. Clark said she informed Combs that authorities were probing the arson and had contacted her. Earlier in her testimony, the former assistant, who started out working for Def Jam and then Death Row Records, described experiencing an extremely hostile workplace during her employment for Combs, including him aggressively shoving her when she expressed dissatisfaction with her work. After a lapse in working for Combs, which she said involved grueling and untenable hours, Clark returned as a marketing director for his Sean John clothing line in 2006. Clark said she was fired in 2012 over supposed issues related to vacation time and would work for him again in 2016 as Ventura's creative director until 2018. At one juncture, when the mogul's jewelry went missing, she said he subjected her to five days of lie detector tests on the sixth floor of an abandoned skyscraper near Times Square. When she arrived there, an unnamed bodyguard chain-smoking cigarettes threatened her. 'He said if you fail this test, they're going to throw you in the East River.' She would pass the test. After the burglary incident at Mescudi's, Clark said Combs' threats against her only increased, estimating he threatened her around 50 times between December 2011 and the following summer, usually in the presence of his longtime security guard, D-Roc, and Ventura. Kid Cudi's Porche is pictured after it was hit with a Molotov cocktail. (Department of Justice) Combs, 55, could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted in the case. He's pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment, including counts of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transporting individuals for prostitution. The Manhattan U.S. attorney's office alleges the rap entrepreneur, whose net worth has been estimated at close to a billion dollars, compulsively coerced women into humiliating sexual performances with male escorts for years with assistance from a network of high-ranking employees, akin to a mafia family who resorted to sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice to facilitate his desires. Prosecutors have presented extensive evidence of Combs' violent and unpredictable temper. A heavily pregnant Ventura spent four days on the stand during the first week of testimony, describing in devastating detail being trapped in a cycle of violent abuse, recovery, and humiliation during their 11-year relationship. The now 39-year-old singer said she was frequently beaten bloody and coerced into hundreds of degrading sexual performances with other men that Combs dubbed 'freakoffs,' tapes of which the mogul used against her as blackmail. _____
