Latest news with #MeekMill
Fox News
3 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Authorities raid home where New Orleans jail escapee appeared to shoot video pleading for help: source
Authorities have raided the residence where one of the two remaining escapees from a New Orleans jail apparently shot an Instagram video proclaiming his innocence, according to a source close to the investigation. Antoine Massey, 33, was not located during the raid, the source told Fox News. Authorities found clothes belonging to Massey at the residence, according to the Associated Press, who cited an anonymous official. Police were reportedly tipped off by Massey's relatives, who recognized the home. In a now-deleted video from an Instagram account, Massey appeared to tell viewers that he didn't break out of jail on May 16, but instead that he was let out. "They say that I broke out. I didn't break out, I was let out," the man said in the video. "I'm one of the ones that was let out of Orleans Parish jail where they said I escaped, right?" He begged for help from prominent rappers and President Donald Trump. "I'm asking for help from the world," the man said. "From Meek Mills, Lil Wayne, YoungBoy, Donald Trump. I'm asking for these people. I couldn't even get a lawyer. I couldn't afford a lawyer to prove my innocence." In the video, he also denied ever threatening Sterling Williams, 33, a jail maintenance worker employed by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. Williams was arrested for allegedly aiding in the 10-man escape, but told police he was coerced into helping under threat of being "shanked." He said maintenance workers were only allowed near inmates if they were guarded by a deputy. Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson responded to the video. "If the individual depicted in the video is indeed Antoine Massey, we strongly urge him to come forward and turn himself in to the proper authorities," she said. "Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges. It is important that justice is served appropriately and that due process is followed." The Louisiana State Police (LSP) declined to verify the authenticity of the video, saying that doing so "may hinder investigative leads or law enforcement operations." Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office also declined to comment. The FBI did not return a comment request. Nineteen days ago, 10 men escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Facility through a hole behind a toilet in their cell. They hopped the jail's barbed-wire fence to freedom. Over the past two-and-half weeks, LSP has led the manhunt to capture the escapees, with help from local and federal partners. So far, eight of the men have been brought back into custody. Derrick Groves, 28, a four-time killer, is the only other inmate besides Massey who has not been captured. He was being held in the jail while awaiting sentencing for an October 2024 guilty verdict in a double homicide during Mardi Gras in 2018. After he was convicted, he pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter. Massey was in jail pending a trial on charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and a parole violation. This is the fourth time that Massey has escaped from police custody. Massey's sister, 31-year-old Daishanae Massey, is one of 14 people who have been arrested for allegedly aiding the escapees either before or after they broke out of the jail. Groves and Massey each have a $50,000 bounty on their heads from various agencies involved in the manhunt.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hometown Heroes and Cross-Genre Icons: Seven Takeaways from Roots Picnic 2025
Another Roots Picnic is in the books. For two days, thousands of music lovers descended upon Philadelphia's Fairmount Park to check out a wide array of acts, from R&B and pop stars such as Maxwell, Miguel, and Tems to rappers like Meek Mill, GloRilla, Latto, and everything in between. Though the rain on May 31 threw a massive monkey wrench into the festivities, drawing an apology from Questlove to fans, things got better on June 1 (for the most part). Here are seven of the biggest takeaways from the weekend. It's no surprise that a festival with a lineup at least partially based on Questlove's taste reflects the wide spectrum of Black music. Lenny Kravitz, Kaytranada, and Meek Mill — three very different artists — were the three closing sets on Sunday, and it all made sense. There were in-demand rappers like GloRilla and Latto. Acts such as Cece Peniston and Crystal Waters (both hosted by Rich Medina) and Kaytranada demonstrated the long history of house music. Multi-instrumentalist Adam Blackstone was joined by Total and Jagged Edge, giving their early-'00s pop/R&B hits the live treatment. R&B was well accounted for throughout the weekend, with stellar sets from the likes of Maxwell, Tems, and Miguel. Concertgoers could even give praise at Kirk Franklin's Sunday School. There are many festivals that offer a particular vibe for a particular audience, but increasingly, the Roots Picnic is becoming one of the music world's better 'something for everyone' events. More from Rolling Stone Questlove Apologizes for Extreme Delays at Roots Picnic: 'Today Wasn't Ideal' Clipse Set Summer Release Date for New Album, 'Let God Sort Em Out' D'Angelo Cancels Roots Picnic Performance Over Medical Issue Maxwell headlined the Fairmount Park stage on Saturday night as a last-minute replacement for D'Angelo, who pulled out the week before the show because of health concerns. He wished his R&B brother a speedy recovery from the stage, but expressed gratitude for the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of concertgoers. Saturday's rain cleared up right in time for him to give an unimpeded showcase of his extensive catalog, including 'Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder),' 'This Woman's Work,' and 'Fortunate.' The fans who braved the unseasonable June chill got a reminder of Maxwell's greatness, though one fan spoke for many when she lamented, 'He didn't play 'Pretty Wings'!' Maxwell was joined onstage by comedian Dave Chappelle, who commended the singer and told the crowd that they first met years ago, when Maxwell was a bartender. Hometown hero Meek Mill closed out the festival on night two, running through an almost hourlong set of his hits. He came to the stage in dramatic fashion, with a video montage of himself and friends seemingly pulling onto festival grounds on bikes as Phil Collins' 'In the Air Tonight' played. Once he took the stage, he delved into the Collins-sampling intro to his heralded Championships album, and other hits such as 'Uptown Vibes' and 'All Eyes On You.' He also brought out a couple of up-and-coming rappers from the Philly area, Skrilla and Fridayy. Meek performed 'Proud of Me' with the latter artist, though backing vocals unfortunately distorted Meek's incredible verse. After almost every song, Meek offered motivational advice to the crowd, referencing his rags-to-riches come-up and imploring the crowd to remember that they're capable of the same, despite the naysayers. It's pretty well-known that Meek has a polarizing relationship with social media, and his annoyance with skeptics was apparent throughout the night, as the screen behind him showed several clips of adages such as 'Don't Believe Everything You See,' and an image of sheep with glowing eyes (a shot at the 'internet sheep') who spark his ire. Toward the end of the set, Meek was about to go into his 'Dreams And Nightmares' intro, but stopped twice when he felt the crowd wasn't giving him the necessary energy. There were definitely moments where the crowd felt disconnected from Meek. Sensing the malaise, he then asked for someone to come onstage to give a 'Philly speech.' Rapper Gillie and media personality Wallo (from podcast Million Dollaz Worth Of Game) walked centerstage to rouse the crowd. Wallo told Meek he should remind the crowd who he is by running through his early hits before closing out with the intro. The crowd rapped every word to early-2010s tracks such as 'Rosé Red' and 'Levels,' in a moment that matched his prior rendition of 'I'm a Boss,' which also turned the crowd up. That run of Philly classics primed the crowd for his festival-closing 'Intro.' GloRilla was the first big star to grace the Fairmount Park stage on Saturday. Boasting long teal hair and bedazzled jeans, she looked every bit the star she's become over the past several years. She went through her steadily growing catalog, with four dancers in tow augmenting renditions of 'Yeah Glo,' 'FNF,' and 'Hollon.' GloRilla and DJ Digital Dynasty frequently addressed the crowd, dropping the music so concertgoers could finish her lines. But unfortunately, she wasn't getting much reciprocation. Maybe the lack of call-and-response was about the number of older people in the crowd, or the dreary weather sapping everyone's energy. But the moment reminded me of seeing Sexyy Red's performance at last year's Roots Picnic. Though Sexyy, like Glo, was an unconventional fit for a traditional bill at this festival, her set succeeded it part because it occurred in the park's TD Pavilion amphitheater, a closed-off environment in the far corner of the grounds. For Sexyy, that venue-within-the-venue served as a space strictly for young fans who wanted to get ratchet. Instead of getting the same placement, Glo played the mainstage, which, with the Saturday schedule being a mystery, was stocked with attendees who didn't seem to resonate with her high-octane sound. It's cool that Roots Picnic is widening their selection of artists, but perhaps the more younger-skewing acts should play the amphitheater. The walk toward its stage is steep — you'd only take it if you know exactly who you're coming to see. As someone who loves to hear MCs bar up, producer DJ annual Live Mixtape was my highlight of the weekend. Esteemed rap journalist Sway opened the set and introduced Black Thought, calling him 'bar-for-bar the illest MC on the planet.' The Roots MC delved into a couple of freestyles before Pusha T took the stage. He played singles like 'If You Know You Know' and 'Games We Play,' before inviting his brother Malice out, marking the Clipse's Roots Picnic debut. They performed hits like 'What Happened to That Boy,' and 'Cotdamn' (with their longtime Philly associate Ab-Liva), with Black Thought occasionally jumping in at the end of the beat to get off some bars. Clipse didn't play their just-released 'Ace Trumpets' single, but they gave the crowd a dose of nostalgia to prime them for their upcoming, long-awaited album Let God Sort Em Out. Next, Black Thought had rappers D West and Lena L, a pair of students from his School of Thought master classes, spit some bars over 'Grindin.' Then, things went to Atlanta as 2 Chainz came onstage and performed hits like 'No Lie,' 'Rich As Fuck,' and the eponymous track from his Life Is Beautiful album with Alchemist and Larry June. Black Thought, who stayed onstage the entire time (and had a full set with the Roots just an hour later), offered some bars to 2 Chainz' classics as well. 2 Chainz spoke for many when he called Black Thought a 'magician' and a 'rappin'-ass nigga,' but he deserves props as well. Seeing Philly's Thought and Atlanta's 2 Chainz trade bars over the beat from Camp Lo's quintessential uptown New York hit 'Luchini' (right after Virginia's Clipse tore down the stage) is the kind of thing that shatters any regional or aesthetic demarcations people place on rap. For if you can spit, you can jump onstage for the Live Mixtape. In 2000, Philly musician Musiq Soulchild released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing, on Def Jam. The project made waves, so much so that 25 years later he filled the amphitheater with fans looking to celebrate its silver anniversary with him. He started the hometown set by letting his band play, getting the crowd ready to two-step before he jumped into a top-to-bottom rendition of his debut. He also took a beat to humbly thank the crowd for 'supporting your own.' Later that day, Jeezy celebrated the 20th anniversary of his own major-label debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 — the rap classic that elevated him from a mixtape maestro into a bonafide rap star. He tore through hits such as 'Soul Survivor,' but he also gave a full reminder of the rest of his iconic catalog, performing his 'Dey Know' remix before closing out with 'Put On.' Kendrick Lamar, currently on his Grand National tour, wasn't at the Roots Picnic, but his presence was felt. Several DJs played GNX hits such as 'Squabble Up,' 'TV Off' — and yes, 'Not Like Us' — during their sets. The momentous Drake diss also garnered what may be a hip-hop first: Philly soul band SNACKTIME performed a cover of 'Not Like Us,' with lead singer Nico Bryant belting Kendrick's venomous first verse over their raucous live instrumentation. Aside from occasional bar and hook references, cover songs don't often make it to rap, so their choice to cover a diss song might have made history. The day before, Musiq Soulchild went viral for transitioning out of his 'Just Friends (Sunny)' hit into the chorus of Kendrick Lamar's 'TV Off.' An artist being covered by contemporaries is the true sign of an instant classic. On Saturday, Philly had to contend with Mother Nature, and thousands of attendees dealt with the unknown. After on-and-off rain for the previous 24 hours, festival organizers had to mulch parts of the festival's grassy area to make things more walkable. But they weren't very communicative about the process with attendees, many of whom took to social media to share their dismay with their lengthy wait. The festival opened its gates at 2 p.m. (instead of the previously announced noon opening), leaving some people waiting in line for as many as four hours with no indication of what was going on. Commenters on the Roots Picnic's IG recounted medics having to assist people who had been waiting for too long with no water (eventually the account closed its comments). All of the Saturday sets were pushed back, and no one knew when to expect which act. The festival issued an apology on its Instagram page on Sunday morning, noting 'today is a new day and we will do better'; Questlove later added a personal note of his own, thanking fans for their 'understanding and patience through this adversity.' I spoke to multiple people who said they had a smoother entry Sunday, but there was still an hour delay at the Mann Stage, which left it unclear which acts were playing at what time. SNACKTIME were set to play at 2 p.m., but didn't get into their set until after 3 p.m.; the Roots started near 7:30 instead of the scheduled 6:30. Going forward, the festival has to be more forthcoming with attendees, whether that's relaying messages to between-set DJs, hiring hosts who can keep attendees abreast in between acts, or simply offering change-of-plan notices on their Instagram page. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
CBS News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Roots Picnic promises to "do better" after attendees say they waited hours to get into festival Saturday
Organizers of the Roots Picnic posted an apology on social media Sunday after some attendees said they waited hours to get through security on the first day of the music festival. Doors for the two-day music festival at the Mann Center in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park were initially scheduled to open at 1 p.m. on May 31. Just after they were supposed to open, the Roots Picnic shared on social media that, due to rain and storms in the area, doors would open instead at 2 p.m. Throughout the afternoon and evening, the festival's social media pages were flooded with comments from people saying they waited in line for hours to get inside on Day 1. In another series of posts on Saturday, organizers said rain and flooding created safety hazards on the grounds, and they couldn't open the gates until it was safe. Because of the delayed opening, the Roots Picnic adjusted its Day 1 performance schedule to "make sure everyone still gets the full experience." A few hours before the festival was set to open for Day 2, organizers posted a message on Instagram apologizing for how the delay impacted everyone who came out for Saturday's slate of performers. "Today is a new day and we will do better. There is no rain in the forecast and we are making changes to improve the entry process and communication overall," the post said. "We have also increased the number of Roots Picnic ambassadors that will be at the front gates." Sunday's headliners include Philadelphia native Meek Mill, Lenny Kravitz and The Roots.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Philadelphia police beef up security for 2025 Roots Picnic, days after Fairmount Park mass shooting
Security top of mind ahead of Roots Picnic weekend after mass shooting in Fairmount Park Security top of mind ahead of Roots Picnic weekend after mass shooting in Fairmount Park Security top of mind ahead of Roots Picnic weekend after mass shooting in Fairmount Park Philadelphia police are beefing up security now that the Roots Picnic weekend has arrived. The two-day hip hop and R&B festival at the Mann Center in Fairmount Park draws tens of thousands of people annually. This year, heightened security is in place after a mass shooting in the same area that left two people dead and nine others injured on Memorial Day. Police are planning to deploy uniformed and undercover officers at the Roots Picnic. They are also working to prevent large, unsanctioned gatherings at the event. "We have a whole bureau of people in our intelligence bureau who do nothing but watch social media," Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said. "We have these incidents where these car groups like to meet up, so we're constantly monitoring social media and reacting to what we see there." Some festivalgoers said they welcome the extra police presence. "I'm glad that Philly is taking that cautious effort to make sure we have a heightened police presence because we do want people to feel safe there," Peter Jordan from Richmond, Virginia, said. This year's lineup includes several notable artists, including Philadelphia native and rap legend Meek Mill. Lenny Kravitz, Maxwell, GloRilla, Miguel and Tems will also take the stage. "It's my second year going," Jaden Gibson from West Philadelphia said. "I'm excited to see some new faces there." Eventgoers said they look forward to the music and the vibes. "I'm super excited," Robert Schwartz, co-founder of ACX1 Studios in Atlantic City, New Jersey, said. "It was supposed to rain. It's going to be a beautiful weekend. So many talented, amazing artists."
Axios
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Philadelphia road closures for Pride and Roots Picnic
Philadelphia's Pride March and Roots Picnic are headlining a jam-packed weekend in the city. Why it matters: Parties, performances and one big Pride festival will draw tons of people downtown. That also means a potential traffic mess: The multi-day events are closing down several streets in Center City and elsewhere. 🏳️🌈 State of play: Philly's Pride weekend — among the largest LGBTQ+ celebrations in the country — kicks off today at the Rocky Steps (9am) as organizers tour city landmarks with a 600-foot rainbow flag. Saturday features the Pride Promenade and L.U.V. Awards (7pm) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Tickets: $50-$100) The weekend culminates Sunday with a march (11am) starting at Sixth and Walnut streets and a street festival (noon-7pm) in the Gayborhood. 🎤 Meanwhile, the Roots Picnic takes over Mann Center in West Philly on Saturday and Sunday with performances by Meek Mill, Maxwell, Lenny Kravitz and Glorilla. 🚧 Road closures: For the Roots Picnic, road closures are already in place around the West Fairmount Park open-air venue, including South Concourse Drive between Belmont Avenue and 52nd Street. Starting today, crews will shut down more streets, including Wynnefield Avenue between Parkside and Belmont avenues. Streets will reopen on a staggered schedule through next Thursday. Roads in the Gayborhood will close 6am-9pm Sunday for the Pride Festival and March, generally stretching between Walnut and Pine streets, and Broad and 11th streets. Other street closures include: Juniper Street from Walnut to Cypress streets. Manning Street from S. Camac to 12th streets. 🅿️ Parking restrictions will be in effect in the area on Sunday starting at 5am, so look for posted signs. Vehicles parked in those areas will have their cars relocated. 🚌 SEPTA will detour bus routes around the Pride events on Sunday from 4:30am to approximately 9pm. What else: There's plenty more going on this weekend.
