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Time Business News
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
The Cure Company Cannabis – Top Dispensary in CA
If you're a cannabis lover in California, chances are you've already heard of The Cure Company. But if not, let me introduce you to one of the most respected names in the industry. This LA-born cannabis brand has built a rock-solid reputation for its premium flower, award-winning genetics, and deep-rooted connection to the community. The Cure Company isn't just another weed brand. It's a legacy operator, with hands in cultivation, manufacturing, and retail, which means they have full control over quality—from seed to sale. And trust us, they don't cut corners. One of the standout aspects of The Cure Company is its authentic community-first approach. They're not just in the business for profit—they're in it to uplift the culture and people of Los Angeles. Their mission is clear: raise the bar for cannabis quality and accessibility, making top-shelf weed available to everyone, whether you're a seasoned connoisseur or a curious first-timer. The Cure Company was born in the heart of LA, right in the historic Arts District, long before legalization. They were part of the original medical marijuana movement, gaining credibility through consistency and community trust. As cannabis laws evolved, so did they—expanding into multiple dispensary locations and building a state-of-the-art indoor cultivation facility that pushes industry limits. This is their crown jewel. Grown indoors with precision and love, The Cure Company's flower is sticky, terp-rich, and always on point. Need convenience? Their pre-rolls deliver quality in a ready-to-go format—no grinder needed, just light up and relax. If you're into dabs or extracts, their concentrates are pure, potent, and flavorful. Think live resin and shatter that pack a punch. Smooth hits, rich terpenes, and consistent dosing make their vape carts a go-to for discreet and efficient sessions. They also carry a curated selection of edibles, topicals, and tinctures from trusted partners, giving you a well-rounded cannabis experience. From Marathon OG (a tribute to Nipsey Hussle) to Cure OG, their strains are legends in their own right—known for flavor, potency, and effect. They've teamed up with artists, athletes, and influencers to drop exclusive strains that are as culturally relevant as they are dank. Their flagship dispensary is in DTLA's Greenwolf location, blending boutique vibes with top-tier products. From Bellflower to Compton, they're expanding their reach so more Californians can experience the Cure difference. Every product is tested rigorously, with full COA reports available—so you know exactly what you're putting in your body. No shady grows here. The Cure Company prioritizes clean, compliant cultivation, ensuring every nug is free from contaminants and full of love. Their indoor cultivation facility is a science lab meets greenhouse—complete with climate control, LED tech, and nutrient monitoring systems. They're making moves toward eco-friendly cultivation, using water recycling systems and energy-efficient lighting to reduce their footprint. Walking into a Cure Company dispensary feels more like stepping into a high-end fashion boutique than a weed shop—sleek design, knowledgeable budtenders, and an easy-to-navigate layout. They regularly sponsor events, host pop-ups, and give back to the community, because supporting LA isn't just a slogan—it's their lifestyle. Their website, is clean, informative, and loaded with details on products, strains, and locations. They've streamlined the shopping experience, offering pickup and delivery options through integrated partners. It's weed, the easy way. Check their reviews online and you'll see glowing praise for flower quality, friendly staff, and fast service. Regulars rave about strains like Cure OG and Curelato, saying they're 'potent, consistent, and perfect for any mood.' They've snagged trophies at events like the High Times Cannabis Cup, proving they're more than just hype. The Cure Company has been featured in Forbes, LA Weekly, and countless cannabis publications for their innovative approach and elite products. They're not corporate. They're legacy operators who care, and that shows in every gram they produce. No surprises here. You can expect the same top-tier quality every single time you buy. Follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube for the latest drops, behind-the-scenes looks, and giveaways. Sign up for their newsletter to get exclusive access to product launches, flash sales, and community events. The Cure Company is more than just a cannabis brand—it's a culture, a community, and a commitment to excellence. Whether you're new to weed or a seasoned smoker, you'll find something to love here. With top-tier genetics, unmatched quality control, and deep LA roots, The Cure Company continues to set the gold standard for cannabis in California. Q1: Where can I buy The Cure Company products? You can visit their dispensary in Downtown LA or shop online via for pickup and delivery options. Q2: What is The Cure Company's most popular strain? Marathon OG and Cure OG are fan favorites for their potency and classic OG flavor profiles. Q3: Is The Cure Company's flower lab-tested? Absolutely. Every batch is lab-tested for purity, potency, and safety. Q4: Does The Cure Company do delivery? Yes, you can place orders online and select delivery if it's available in your area. Q5: Can I follow The Cure Company on social media? Yes! Follow them on Instagram and other platforms to stay in the loop on new drops and events. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Los Angeles Times
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘We've always been here': An oral history of L.A.'s Black indoor roller-skating scene
It's a Thursday night and West Coast rap anthems are thumping over the sound system. A group of O.G.s are playing spades at a nearby table. Skaters are lacing up their customized Stacy Adams boots, which are fully equipped with fiberglass wheels. Those already on the skating rink floor are showing off their skills: doing tricks (sometimes with a partner), two-stepping to the beat and whipping their bodies into turns that seem impossible. They dap each other up as they criss-cross through the crowd and sing along to the music. Smiles are imprinted on their faces. Joy fills the air. They are free. Roller skating at a rink in L.A. County is a distinctive experience that you have to witness for yourself. For Black Angelenos, it's a tradition that dates back to the 1950s and remains prominent today despite the lack of rinks in the city. Many skaters say they don't remember the exact moment they learned how to skate — it's just always been in them. If you're Black and you're from L.A., it's just something that you do, they say. In putting together this oral history on the indoor roller-skating scene in L.A., I knew I had to begin with World on Wheels — the last rink in L.A. proper. The beloved Mid-City rink was originally open from 1981 to 2013, then reopened in 2017 with the help of late local hero Nipsey Hussle, before closing permanently in 2020. Most Black rollers have skated at World on Wheels at least once. From there and with the help of popular skating documentaries like 'United Skates' and 'Roller Dreams,' I found rollers who've been a part of the community for decades. Folks like Horace Butler, a member of the Scooby Brothers skate crew, who were a mainstay at World on Wheels. I spoke to Raquel 'Roxy' Young, founder of Roxy's Backyard Sk8 Boogie, and Wayne Davis Jr. (a.k.a. DJ Wayne D), co-founder of the Sk8 Pop Up, who created outdoor skating experiences when rinks shuttered during the pandemic. And I chopped it up with Presha Washington, a longtime team member at Sk8 Fanatics, which has customized skates for everyone from DJ Mustard to Beyoncé and Silk Sonic to Usher (for his Super Bowl performance). In L.A., roller skating for Black skaters is more than just rolling in circles around a rink. Rinks are their church, dining room, daycare center, date night spot, therapist's office and a haven for youth. Roller skating is an integral part of their lives, and regardless of the barriers they face, they are dedicated to keeping the tradition alive. Terrell Ferguson, O.G. Venice skater, dancer, actor and writer, 'Roller Dreams' co-star: I always assumed [that roller skating] was Black people s—. Kind of like basketball. It's just what we do. John Okevu Ojo II, 34, skater and fashion designer: I feel like if you're Black and from L.A., you should know how to roller skate. It's just something within our culture of Black natives, especially pre-Internet, simpler times, when roller skating was such a thing. We had so many rinks in the city and there was a community around roller skating. 29, rap artist: Growing up in L.A., somebody close to you knows how to skate. If you were hanging out and you didn't know how to skate — goofball. Goofy. [laughs] Raquel 'Roxy' Young, 39, founder of Roxy's Backyard Sk8 Boogie, skate instructor and community activist: It was just passed down generations. My mother skated. My grandmother skated, so I was bound to skate as well. I had four children and all of them know how to skate. It's just part of our culture. James 'BuckWild' Rich, 60, O.G. Venice skater, certified skate instructor and performer, 'Roller Dreams' co-star: The one thing that Black people like to do is play music and dance, and skating is a big part of that. Presha Washington, skater and team member at Sk8 Fantics: I've been skating [seriously] since I was 15. Then it just progressed into a lifestyle. It's not a hobby. It's something that's embedded in you and once it's there, it's there. I was skating like four times a week [back then]. My punishment as a teenager was 'You can't go skating' and that was heart-wrenching right there. Jeffrey Young, 67, performer and O.G. Venice skater, 'Roller Dreams' co-star: At one point when [roller skating] was so popular, I was too young to go out on my own because I didn't have transportation. That's when they had that skating rink called Flipper's in West Hollywood. They had a rink in Rosecrans and others, so Blacks were at all these places. We were the majority at every skating rink. You'd see a white or Latino [person] here or there, but we dominated for years and years and years. Connie Foster Wells, 65, former office manager at World on Wheels and retired professional skater: White people skated, but at private functions and outside, and primarily — at least in the '80s and '90s — [on] roller blades. And World on Wheels, at that time, was in the 'hood so they weren't necessarily skating during the regular skating hours. Ashley Imani, professional skater and entertainer: I think [roller skating] initially was a way for Black people to escape reality and come together as a community and vibe and party. We were known for having block parties and making the best of what we can in our lives back in the day, especially when there was a lot of racism. Horace Butler, 68, longtime skater and member of the Scooby Brothers skating crew: Back in the day, they were so prejudiced with everything, so we had to find a way to get this frustration out. Jeffrey Young: When you're skating, you're not thinking about life's ups and downs. You're just gliding around and everything's free. The music is jamming and those things are somewhere else in the back of your mind. Ojo: L.A.'s [style] is similar to how we dance, how we step. We have our little walk, our two-step. It's a lot of footwork. It's a lot of getting low. It's a certain confidence. It's a certain swag that you have about you whereas in Georgia, it's more fast-paced. They're not so much trying to get off a style. Whereas in Maryland, it's real smooth, calm, cool and collected. But I feel like for L.A., since gang culture is so prevalent out here too, there's a level of affiliation with how people skate. They're chunking up their hands. They're shuffling their feet. They are wiping their skates off while they skate. A lot of custom skates that people will start off with are Stacy Adams, and if you know anything about [that shoe] within L.A. culture, gang culture, that's like player s—. That's like OGs rocking Stacys with the Dickies creased up, Dickies shirt or fully suited up. Travis 'Smuurdaa' Horne, 34, avid skater, DJ and founder of Sk8Mafia skate family: Everything was to perfection. The skates were clean. You clean your wheels. You clean your plate. We took the appearance of skating very seriously and our skating culture too. We just have a different vibe to what we do. We love to bounce. We like West Coast music. We have one of those complex kinds of styles, but now it's being branched out and a lot of [other] states are adapting to it. Back then, you didn't have that. When you would go out of town, you wouldn't really hear West Coast music [at the rinks]. Wayne Davis Jr., a.k.a. DJ Wayne D., 39, skater and co-founder of the Sk8 Pop Up: You can't go to the rink on the West Coast and play Future because there's a style of skating for the West Coast, and the West Coast music helps with the bounce of that style. You can almost dance to anything, but you can't skate to everything. Roxy Young: We're worried about how we look when we skate. We roll more and slide more to the rhythm. Other areas are kind of more rough and hard, but we glide and slide. People always say they love watching my videos because they say, 'It looks like you're just floating around the rink,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, I am. I'm sliding.' Ashley Imani: We call it sliding because you're able to slide on the side of [the skates] versus going front and back. You can go sideways too. The flavor of it is real gangsta. I'm not gon' lie. It's real grungy, and I think that's dope. You'll see some of the most street dudes come in there, but they're skating and they're in their happiest mode. They're detached from all of that's going on outside. Ojo: My first pair of customs that I got to kind of be different were a pair of Wallabee boots. I want my outfit to complement my customs, so I got all my jewelry on. Manicured up. Skin looking righteous. I'm really here to get my s— off. At the end of the day, I remember certain skaters by how they get their s— off too. Like he did that move on the floor, but he also had a fire fit on. Or shorty was going crazy, and she had the fire fit on. That resonates. J.D. Archer, 26 , avid skater and member of Trendsettas crew: I got my [blue] Stacy Adams boots from Sk8 Fanatics, but I got my skates built by Slydz by Dnice, [which] are Black-owned skate shops. Washington of Sk8 Fanatics: [Sk8 Fanatics] revolutionized the micro fiberglass wheels. Clamp-on plates were attached to Stacys and that's what they would skate on back in the early '50s, '60s, '70s, so it's been around for a long time. In the L.A. culture, Sk8 Man Joe was the first person out here who started that trend, and when he passed away, his son, Sk8 Man Rick, took over the business, Roller Skates of America. Sk8 Man Joe was around in the late '80s, early '90s. Aaliyah Warren, 23, professional roller skater, model and performer: We love customizing our boots, so we get them graffitied and painted. One of the other skaters did some artwork on mine, but Sk8 Fanatics are the go-to. My first pair has the symbol for Sk8 Mafia on it, which is the yellow M emoji. Then I love burgers, so I have a hamburger painted on it [laughs] and the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' [logo], but it says 'Fresh Princess.' I have the Monopoly man spray-painting the word 'skate' and he's running away with broken hearts out of the money sack. Washington: Heel skates are some of the craziest ones [that] we do because every one is different and the fabrication that goes into them to make them functional [is] time-consuming. It can be an actual stiletto heel or a wedge. We've done some for Beyoncé, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' and Ashley Imani. Butler: When World on Wheels opened [in 1981], me and my boys [the Scooby Brothers] did the grand opening show. It was so packed. We had on our little outfits matched up. We mimicked the Temptations, the way they were so together. So instead of just doing the moves where you're skating fast around the rink, we actually put our [choreography] together like we were going to be doing it onstage. Back then, there were four of us. Everybody was nice and young. I think I might've been 19 or 20. We were just about that skate game, and it was a wonderful thing. Yonell Lester, 52, skater: My mom initially was a Rosecrans skater, [but] once it closed down, we had to find another rink and we found World on Wheels. My mom started working there part-time because she loved skating so much. She brought me with her every Saturday when she would come to work. That's how I met [Phelicia Wright]. Phelicia Wright, 52, skater and co-star of the documentary 'United Skates': We had so many amazing memories there. I miss the old Saturday night 7-to-12 [sessions]. Me and [Lester] would be out there cutting up. There was nothing like it. Lester: Then there were the 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. [adult sessions]. We had to sneak in because my mom worked there, and I worked there as a teenager as well, so I could come in through the back door. We would roll with the adults like nothing, then of course one of the DJs would spot me and be like, 'Hey! Come to the DJ booth,' and we'd have to pack it up. [laughs] Wright: Every blue moon, they would be in a good mood. We weren't bad or anything. We just liked to skate, and we were very good at it. Ashley Imani: My mom [Connie Foster Wells] worked at World on Wheels from 1987 until it closed [the first time, in 2013]. She was pregnant with me there [and] started having contractions while she was at work. She told me they announced it on the mic and everything. So when I say I'm a rink rat, I'm really a rink rat. She got me skates at like 10 months old and I was there every day. I also lived up the street. My cousins stayed out that way toward World on Wheels and I was the youngest, so I had to go with them. They started going to this thing called '7 to 7.' You had to be 12 or 13 [years old] to go, and I used to be crying because I couldn't go with them. Then as soon as I was old enough to go, I probably went one time, and then they stopped it. It was jumpin' though. Ashley Imani: All the kids wanted to go to the '7 to 7.' The line would be wrapped around the building from World on Wheels all the way down to the Ralphs in the parking lot. Basically, you would stay from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and after midnight if you were 17 and under, you couldn't leave. A parent had to come get you. I used to beg to go because my mom was a little strict. They would turn the center circle into a dance floor, while the skaters are skating on the outside. [My mom] would tell me, 'You're not allowed in the center circle if you go,' because kids would be making out. So I would sneak in there because now I'm curious. [laughs] Then they would announce me and my cousins' names on the speaker, like 'Ashley, get out of the center circle!' and I would get in trouble. [laughs] Warren: I'm from Long Beach, so I went to one '7 to 7' night. It was mayhem. [laughs] We were all young and we're out somewhere at the skating rink with our friends doing something that we love. It was just so fun. Foster Wells: They got to stay out late and feel grown up. They were with their friends. They got to get their mack on. It was just like a big, long recess. Warren: There used to be a bowling alley upstairs that was connected to the rink and for the '7 to 7,' not all the time but a lot of the time, they would [make] access for the kids to go bowling as well. Lester: You knew when the '7 to 7' was coming, it was going to be a party for us — the teenagers. They used to have performers like Bobby Brown and EPMD. Remember, Troop came there? Wright: A lot of artists started their careers at World on Wheels. They would have a Friday night skate dance, so the gates would open like a stage, and they would perform up there while we watched them from below. Foster Wells: Public Enemy, I remember I gave them a hard time when they came. We had really close ties with KDAY, and Greg Mack would bring acts there. [On this day] he provided a guest list of the people who were going to get in for free. It was Flava Flav, actually, who said: 'Yo, we Public Enemy.' And I was like 'And….?' [Then he asked]: 'We're not on the guest list?' I looked down [and said]: 'You're not. It's $5.' [laughs] That's how I treated Public Enemy, and I ended up being one of their biggest fans. Queen Latifah [came] to World on Wheels, N.W.A, then later on, I remember Chris Brown came. He was only there for, I'd say, 30 seconds. As soon as he walked in, those girls started hollering and screaming. He turned right around and walked out. [laughs] Ashley Imani: He got ran out the door. Everyone was so in love with him. I performed at World on Wheels in like 2018, before it closed the second time. I for sure would be there [skating too] and they would play my music. I'd go in the DJ booth and say wassup because that's big. I used to come here as a kid [and] now they play my music here. Archer: My favorite memory [at the rink] was the day I met Alicia Keys. She was doing a toy drive and promoting her album that was about to come out. At the time, I was staying in San Bernardino, so I took that whole little hour-and-a-half trip in traffic. We were skating and I told the homie, 'I'm about to go up to her, but I need you to record me.' So I went up to her and I was like, 'How you doing, Miss Alicia Keys?' And then some girl came and tapped her on her shoulder and took her whole attention away from me, and [Keys] started talking to her. I was just sitting there like, 'Oh wow.' I started to skate off, [but Keys] grabbed my hand and gave me the biggest f—ing smile I've ever seen in my life. She was so beautiful. I turned into a whole b—. I got to hold hands with Alicia Keys and roll with her. That was the highlight of my life. Ashley Imani: A lot of us are really successful who went there. Like DJ Mustard, he grew up with me going there and he'd DJ sometimes. It created a lot of opportunities. They also held a lot of record pools there, so artists and producers would come to present their music to all of the top DJs in the city because obviously at that time we didn't have the internet in the same way. It was a hub for so many different things. It wasn't just skating. Foster Wells: When it closed the first time [in 2013], I was devastated. Everybody was. I worked there for 27 years. Warren: Due to gang violence around the area, debt and more factors, it closed, but then Nipsey Hussle and a few other investors reopened it in 2017 and oh my gosh, everybody was happy. People were there all the time. Wright: We used to drop our children off at World on Wheels before it closed. Now, the generation after that, they don't get that luxury of feeling secure and safe in a fun place. Archer: Not having a rink in L.A. has been really detrimental to the skating community. When World on Wheels got closed down, I remember some kids were online saying [things] like, 'Bro, this was all I had. I used to catch the bus and ride my bike up here.' Roxy Young: There's another one in the Valley, but we don't claim that because they don't allow [our type of skates]. Ashley Imani: It sucks for me because the closest rinks are in Chino Hills and Fountain Valley. They're about an hour away from where I live, so it's not as convenient as World on Wheels, which I could literally walk to from my house. Some people don't have that outlet anymore, so it's unfortunate, because [skating] has a lot of positives for your mental and physical health. Roxy Young: World on Wheels was part of the community. It's a landmark. Warren: Now since, sadly, World on Wheels closed and Skate Depot closed [in 2014], the Black community had to branch out and go to other skating rinks. I feel like that really helped our community get out there more, because it has always been here but just not in the more suburban areas. [People from other backgrounds] are way more intrigued and are wanting to experience what our skate culture is now. A lot of people didn't even know about this side of skating. [Even] now, they're like, 'Whaaat? Where have you guys been?' It's like we've always been here. Roxy Young: Other races [were skating] more outdoors, but I feel like after the pandemic, they were introduced to our indoor rink skating style. Lester: I still go skating once a week at Fountain Valley [Skating Center] or Holiday [Skate Center in Orange County], depending on what's going on. Then there are a lot of skate functions that people have, so whenever there's a function, we're at the function. Roxy Young: Everybody's been scattered now, so really, the only time that we see each other is when there's a big skate party that is not too far out. Ashley Imani: I'm hoping that we can get a rink in the inner city again so that some of these kids can get some of the same experiences that we were able to and to have more options to utilize their time outside of school activities [and] camp, and so they can have another source of family or community. Lester: Black people are probably going to have to figure out a way to get a rink on our own and come together. Roxy Young: We're going to definitely keep the skating alive, and if that means skating in warehouses or some kind of vacant building and turning it into a rink, we're going to try to make that happen because I'm a native. Skating is my therapy. Butler: We got to do it because it really keeps us in shape. I'm 68 and I'm still the hottest guy at the rink, and every time I go to the doctor, he's telling me, 'Whatever it is you're doing, keep doing it.' The rolling is going no matter what they do. If they push us outdoors to where we're really on the corners, that's what we're going to do, but we ain't never going to stop rolling. It's in our blood. Roxy Young: I grew up as an only child, so I didn't have sisters and brothers, but when I'm part of the skating rink, I have that. I have aunties, big brothers and big sisters that I can ask anything. It's definitely unity- and family-oriented. It's a great skating community that I love being a part of. Lester: To me, skating is family. It feels like home.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Feds Say "Godfather of Rap" Big U Ran Mafia-like Enterprise Behind Anti-Gang Nonprofit
When federal agents fanned across L.A. on March 19 with warrants targeting what prosecutors describe as a "mafia-like" enterprise operating behind a nonprofit anti-gang group, their primary target—music executive and activist Eugene "Big U" Henley—turned off his phones and temporarily disappeared, according to a 43-count indictment unsealed authorities seized his black 2021 Mercedes and searched his two L.A. homes, Henley took to social media, claiming the FBI raids were the price he paid as "a Black man trying to help his community." Investigators reportedly found a blue Seattle Mariner's hat, associated with the Crips, next to a subpoena at one of his residences after he briefly evaded authorities. In an Instagram video posted to Crenshaw Cougars, an account largely devoted to Henley's charitable work with children, he denied being on the run, instead stating he planned to turn himself in, which he did later that night. "I ain't did nothing," he insisted in the video. "I ain't been nothing but a help to our community. This the price of being Black and trying to help somebody, trying to help your community and do what you can."Henley, credited with launching the late Nipsey Hussle's career, is a recognizable figure in L.A. Prosecutors identify him as a well-known enforcer for the Rollin' 60s during the Crips' expansion throughout many L.A. neighborhoods in the 1980s. During that period, prosecutors say he "fostered a fierce and earned reputation for violence, which included multiple charges for first-degree murder, as well as a charge for attempted murder of a peace officer."He served a 23-year sentence beginning in 1991 on numerous charges, during which he maintained his violent reputation. In a documentary series produced by Henley, Snoop Dogg described him as "institutionalized," adding: "You say the wrong thing, you get fucked up. He was short-tempered and serious about the shit he was on. Something about him I liked 'cause I felt like he was a leader."After his 2004 prison release, prosecutors say Henley became involved in the music industry. He met Nipsey Hussle in 2008, and the two were close until a dispute over music equipment escalated into an armed confrontation that ended without bloodshed when the rapper's brother intervened. "LAPD reports documented that violence erupted, and when LAPD officers arrived on the scene, a firearm was present and discharged," the indictment states. While no one was injured in that incident, Nipsey Hussle would later be murdered by Rollin' 60s member Eric Holder Jr. in 2019, who is now serving a 60-year to the indictment, Henley continued criminal activities even after founding Developing Options, a nonprofit community group supporting Crenshaw sports leagues that received credit for "reducing gang violence." The program began receiving substantial gang reduction grants in 2015, amounting to millions in taxpayer funds, with Henley allegedly collecting "hundreds of thousands of dollars, purportedly in salary.""Mr. Henley allegedly duped the County of Los Angeles by running a charitable organization that promoted anti-gang solutions while continuing criminal activity that was directly contrary to his charity," said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher of IRS Criminal Investigation's Los Angeles Field prosecutors now accuse Henley of using his platform as a community activist—one celebrated at a City Hall ceremony this year—to conceal criminal activities, including extorting celebrities visiting L.A. who had to pay what prosecutors term "a tax or fee."The indictment points to Henley's podcast "Checc'n In," which opened with a theme song explaining, "When you hop off the plane, check-in. Penthouse suite, check-in. When your feet hit the street, check-in. 'Cause if not, shit get hot. You better check in." Prosecutors claim this was code for extortion, explaining: "The 'check-in' included both a payment to the Big U Enterprise as well as requesting permission from Henley to conduct certain activities."In 2022, rapper Quando Rando was killed, allegedly by Grammy-winning rapper Lil Durk, in what prosecutors describe as a drive-by murder-for-hire that Henley reportedly cited as a consequence of not "checking in" until "it was too late."That killing came a year after the January 2021 murder of rapper Rayshawn Williams, who recorded on Henley's label Uneek Records. Williams had created a "dis song" targeting Henley, according to an FBI agent. In the song, Williams called Henley the "bro that makes some money" and acknowledged he might get "shot in the face" for his lyrics. Days later, Williams was shot in the face and left in the desert. His family told police that Williams had "trusted" Henley, having grown up playing football with the music executive as his coach, but they believe the music mogul was responsible for his alleged crimes include extorting NBA players who wanted to participate in L.A. "parties, gambling games, or advertising shoots," drug-related offenses, and trafficking of women with the help of his co-defendant, Armani Aflleje, who reportedly told an FBI agent "she did not consider herself a pimp," but rather someone who "created environments for women to do actions and make money."The extensive allegations in the 107-page indictment contradict Henley's public image as a reformed individual. According to wiretapped conversations from January 2023, Henley reportedly bragged that no one could "beef" with him because "I'ma kill him. Period. I. Am. Going. To. Murder. Him." Later that year, while "discussing gang politics with a co-conspirator," he allegedly stated, "I'm retired, nigga? Activist? I'll pull up on your block right now, nigga, and show up and show out, nigga what happened to the last niggas that thought I was retired."Henley remains in federal custody, with his arraignment scheduled for April 8 and a detention hearing set for April 10. Stay in the Know! Get the top news from Los Angeles Magazine sent to your inbox every day. Sign up for The Daily Brief below or by clicking here.
Los Angeles Times
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Nipsey Hussle's legacy lives on with Marathon Burger
With Wagyu smash burgers, vegan options, wings, milkshakes and an oldies-throwback playlist to set the mood, Marathon Burger debuts on Melrose Avenue. The newest venture from the Marathon lifestyle brand celebrates the legacy of its late founder, the Grammy Award-winning rapper, entrepreneur and community figure Nipsey Hussle.
