Latest news with #RnB
9 News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 9 News
Who is Cassie, the ex-girlfriend testifying against Sean 'Diddy' Combs?
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Casandra Ventura, the RnB singer and actor known simply as Cassie, began testifying overnight in Sean "Diddy" Combs ' sex trafficking trial. She is expected to return to the stand tonight. The music mogul is charged with leveraging his status to coerce women – including Cassie – into abusive sexual encounters and using violence if they refused. He has pleaded not guilty. Cassie sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of rape and abuse. Singer Cassie Ventura, known as Cassie, is testifying against her former partner Sean "Diddy" Combs. (AP) The suit was settled within hours, but was followed by dozens of similar legal claims and touched off a criminal investigation. Here's what you need to know about the 38-year-old star witness. A singer, actor, dancer and model, Cassie's professional ambitions began in adolescence, when she signed to the top-tier talent and modelling agency Wilhelmina. Her music career launched shortly thereafter, when she left her home state of Connecticut for New York, where she signed with manager Tony Mottola and first met Combs. Cassie is perhaps best known for the 2006 hit single Me & U , which secured the number one spot on the Billboard Hot RnB/Hip-Hop songs chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100 all genres chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song was the lead single of her only studio album, released by Combs' Bad Boy Records, and was self-titled. She left the label in 2019. Cassie with Diddy in 2015. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) As an actor, she appeared in several television and film projects including Fox's Empire , The Perfect Match and Spenser Confidential . She made her acting debut in 2008 in Step Up 2: The Streets and contributed the song Is It You to its soundtrack. She appeared in a number of music videos as well, including Wiz Khalifa's Roll Up and Mario's Just A Friend 2002. Although she never released her long-teased sophomore album, at one point tentatively titled Electro Love , she did drop a few tracks: the RnB-pop Official Girl with Lil Wayne, Must Be Love with Combs, and Let's Get Crazy with Akon. And in 2012, Nicki Minaj tapped her for a feature on The Boys from Minaj's Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up . Cassie is also a wife and a mother. She married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019. Their first daughter, Frankie Stone Fine, was born that same year and they welcomed their second daughter, Sunny Cinco Fine, in 2021. She is currently pregnant with their third child, a son . Cassie Ventura wipes tears from her eye while testifying in Manhattan federal court. (AP) Cassie met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating. In her 2023 civil lawsuit, Cassie alleges Combs trapped her in a "cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking" for more than a decade, including raping her and forcing her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day. In May 2024, CNN aired video that showed Combs attacking Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016. The video closely mirrored an assault described in her lawsuit, which said Combs had already punched her that night, and she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles when he woke and came after her. This frame grab taken from hotel security camera video and aired by CNN appears to show Sean "Diddy" Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in March 2016. (AP) In the footage, a man who appears to be Diddy, wearing only a towel, punches Cassie, kicks her, and throws her on to the floor. The lawsuit alleges Combs paid US$50,000 ($77,268.41) to bury the video at the time. Later, Combs apologised for the assault on Cassie in his first real acknowledgment of wrongdoing since the stream of allegations began. Among other things, Cassie alleges Combs raped her when she tried to leave him and often punched, kicked and beat her, causing injuries including bruises, burst lips, black eyes and bleeding. She also alleges that Combs was involved in blowing up rival rapper Kid Cudi's car when he learned that Cudi was romantically interested in her, and she alleges that Combs ran out of his home with guns when he learned that Suge Knight, a rival producer, was eating at a nearby diner. On the first day of Combs' sex trafficking trial, a witness, Daniel Phillip, said he was a professional stripper who was paid US$700 to US$6000 ($1081.76 to $9272.21) to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched and gave instructions, with the first encounter in 2012. Phillip told jurors that he stopped meeting with the couple after he saw Combs throw a bottle at her and then drag her by her hair into a bedroom as she screamed. Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) . CONTACT US Property News: Buyers flock to Pope Leo XIV's childhood home in Chicago.
Herald Sun
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Herald Sun
Diddy's shock new move in court days ahead of sex trafficking trial
Don't miss out on the headlines from Celebrity Life. Followed categories will be added to My News. Sean 'Diddy' Combs formally rejected a government plea deal on Thursday — just three days ahead of his sex trafficking trial. Judge Arun Subramanian asked the rapper in court if he rejects an offer made by federal prosecutors that would spare him an extended prison sentence, provided he pleaded guilty, per ABC News. 'Yes I do, your honour,' Combs, who attended court in a beige jail uniform, said. Specific details of the rejected deal were not disclosed. Combs' trial, scheduled to begin Monday to address charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, will begin with jury selection. Opening statements will begin May 12. The charges allege the music mogul used coercion to convince women to sexually participate in his infamous 'freak-off' parties. Assistant United States lawyer Maurene Comey said the rejected deal would have allowed for reduced prison time, versus a trial conviction. The latter, if he's convicted on all counts, has the potential to put him behind bars for life. Despite the gravity of the situation, Combs reportedly arrived in court smiling and giving lawyer Mark Geragos a fist bump. The disgraced rapper was charged in a sex trafficking indictment in 2024 and subsequently arrested in September. More indictments followed, alleging that the fashion designer led a criminal enterprise that enabled him to abuse his alleged victims on multiple occasions across a number of years. The Bad Boys records founder has vigorously denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges. According to The Post, lawyers plan to argue at trial that the Grammy winner wasn't acting as a rapist, but simply enjoying a 'swinger' lifestyle. 'There's a lifestyle, call it swingers or whatever you will, that he thought was appropriate because it was common,' Marc Agnifilo, an lawyer for Combs, said at a Manhattan pre-trial hearing on April 25. 'Many people think it's appropriate because it's common.' Witnesses including Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura are expected to testify during the trial, which will run eight to ten weeks. The RnB singer famously accused Combs of rape and abuse in 2023. The case was quickly settled within 24 hours, and no details about the terms of the settlement were publicly disclosed. Prosecutors explained in court papers that during the trial, witnesses will give 'graphic testimony' regarding 'years' worth of beatings, drug-fuelled coercive sex marathons and multiple rapes. The I'll Be Missing You rapper has been incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest, following raids of his lavish Los Angeles and Miami estates that infamously yielded AR-15 firearms and 1000 bottles of lubricant. This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission Originally published as Sean 'Diddy' Combs rejects last-minute plea deal just days ahead of sex trafficking trial
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bank Holiday ticket resale warning: 'I paid £140 then she blocked me'
Music lovers are warning against buying tickets for sold-out Bank Holiday gigs from resellers on social media after they fell victim to scams. Jasmine, 22, saw tickets to a party at Thorpe Park being advertised for sale on X on the morning of the event. She and her friend each sent £90 by bank transfer to two different sellers but did not receive the tickets. Another woman paid someone on X £60 for two tickets to an RnB event in London last Bank Holiday weekend only to be blocked. It comes as the UK's scam reporting service Action Fraud and consumer group Which? say fraudsters are increasingly using Bank Holiday demand for tickets to steal money. The BBC has asked X for a comment. Jasmine said she was scammed after searching on X for tickets to 1Way X Aura Thorpe Park on 15 March. "I saw this girl with 1,000 followers. We started talking, said we needed two tickets. She sent us screenshots which made us feel that she had the tickets," she told the BBC. "She said, 'Can you just send [the money] to my friend's account?' This is where we should've obviously gotten suspicious but this was on the morning of the event... we needed to get to London," she said. "As soon as we sent it she started moving a bit long, I asked her what's going on and she told us wait a moment. They even told us to hurry up and get dressed! "And then she blocked me." She said she and her friend managed to get £90 back from Monzo after sending screenshots of the X account and posts from others complaining of being scammed. They were not able to retrieve the remaining £90 which was paid through Revolut. The woman who tried to buy tickets to RnB event SlowJamsWithA said she asked for verification of the tickets and was sent a screenshot. She said the ticket price of £60 for two seemed reasonable, so she did not think it would be a scam over such a small amount. "It seemed pretty legit. Especially because this isn't really the kind of event people would scam for I thought," she said. "I transferred it and she told me to wait one second. I was messaging her more and she said she needs to talk to her friend. After an hour I went back to the chat and I was blocked." She reported the scam to Barclays, who refunded her a week later. Ty Hinds, founder of SlowJamsWithA, told the BBC he had received a lot of messages that customers had been targeted by scammers. "It's obviously not nice to hear," he said. "If you're not sure, probably don't buy the tickets. I know people want to come to the parties and enjoy themselves but I would rather keep my money than be scammed." Which? consumer expert Rob Lilley-Jones said: "Ticketing scams are really common and we see them time and time again when there are popular events and gigs happening during the summer and over Bank Holidays." Claire Webb, Action Fraud's acting director, said: "With £9.7m lost to ticket fraud last year, Action Fraud is urging people who are heading to the top events and those looking for last-minute ticket deals this summer to stay vigilant and recognise the signs of ticket fraud. "Beware of fraudsters trying to take advantage by selling fake tickets to popular or sold-out events online or on social media." Be wary of products for sale at too good to be true prices. Beware fake websites, which look like a genuine retailer's website. Check that the URL is that of the official brand. Watch out for posts from a newly created social media account, or links to a recently created website. You can use a domain checker like to check when a website was created. Read reviews and only buy from authorised sellers and websites. Source: Which?
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bank Holiday gigs: Warning over ticket reseller scams
Music lovers are warning against buying tickets for sold-out Bank Holiday gigs from resellers on social media after they fell victim to 22, saw tickets to a party at Thorpe Park being advertised for sale on X on the morning of the event. She and her friend each sent £90 by bank transfer to two different sellers but did not receive the tickets. Another woman paid someone on X £60 for two tickets to an RnB event in London last Bank Holiday weekend only to be comes as the UK's scam reporting service Action Fraud and consumer group Which? say fraudsters are increasingly using Bank Holiday demand for tickets to steal money. The BBC has asked X for a comment. Jasmine said she was scammed after searching on X for tickets to 1Way X Aura Thorpe Park on 15 March."I saw this girl with 1,000 followers. We started talking, said we needed two tickets. She sent us screenshots which made us feel that she had the tickets," she told the BBC."She said, 'Can you just send [the money] to my friend's account?' This is where we should've obviously gotten suspicious but this was on the morning of the event... we needed to get to London," she said."As soon as we sent it she started moving a bit long, I asked her what's going on and she told us wait a moment. They even told us to hurry up and get dressed!"And then she blocked me."She said she and her friend managed to get £90 back from Monzo after sending screenshots of the X account and posts from others complaining of being scammed. They were not able to retrieve the remaining £90 which was paid through Revolut. The woman who tried to buy tickets to RnB event SlowJamsWithA said she asked for verification of the tickets and was sent a said the ticket price of £60 for two seemed reasonable, so she did not think it would be a scam over such a small amount. "It seemed pretty legit. Especially because this isn't really the kind of event people would scam for I thought," she said."I transferred it and she told me to wait one second. I was messaging her more and she said she needs to talk to her friend. After an hour I went back to the chat and I was blocked."She reported the scam to Barclays, who refunded her a week later. Ty Hinds, founder of SlowJamsWithA, told the BBC he had received a lot of messages that customers had been targeted by scammers."It's obviously not nice to hear," he said. "If you're not sure, probably don't buy the tickets. I know people want to come to the parties and enjoy themselves but I would rather keep my money than be scammed." Which? consumer expert Rob Lilley-Jones said: "Ticketing scams are really common and we see them time and time again when there are popular events and gigs happening during the summer and over Bank Holidays."Claire Webb, Action Fraud's acting director, said: "With £9.7m lost to ticket fraud last year, Action Fraud is urging people who are heading to the top events and those looking for last-minute ticket deals this summer to stay vigilant and recognise the signs of ticket fraud."Beware of fraudsters trying to take advantage by selling fake tickets to popular or sold-out events online or on social media." How to avoid getting scammed online Be wary of products for sale at too good to be true prices. Beware fake websites, which look like a genuine retailer's website. Check that the URL is that of the official out for posts from a newly created social media account, or links to a recently created website. You can use a domain checker like to check when a website was reviews and only buy from authorised sellers and Which?
The National
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Usher in Abu Dhabi review: RnB star turns back the clock during Club Social performance
Usher has joined a growing list of musicians – including the Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez – in bringing their career hits to Abu Dhabi. Performing as part of the three-day Club Social music festival, the RnB hitmaker took to the stage at Etihad Park on Saturday night. The show kicked off at 9.45pm with a video montage hyping up the crowd before Usher stormed out full of energy, getting everyone singing and dancing along as he opened with My Way from his 1997 second studio album of the same name. The big screen then flashed '1998' as he performed Love in This Club, followed by '2017' for Party, a Chris Brown track featuring Usher and rapper Gucci Mane. These songs set the tone for the evening – a celebration of the best of Usher's career, with highlights spanning more than 30 years of music. This was also reflected in the diverse crowd at Etihad Park, which seemingly spanned different generations of fans. And with a catalogue as varied as his, Usher naturally slowed things down at times, performing some of his signature RnB ballads such as U Got It Bad, Burn and Confessions, Pt II. At one point, he even hopped off the stage to get closer to fans in the front row. Usher later took a moment to address the crowd as the camera panned across the audience, playfully singing about fans who made it onto the big screen. He expressed gratitude to those who have supported him throughout his musical journey and introduced longtime collaborator DJ Mars, saying he's been with him since day one. While Usher took a brief break, DJ Mars kept the energy high with a medley of dance floor favourites – including Get Low by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz, We Found Love by Rihanna, Time of Our Lives by Pitbull and Ne-Yo and Danza Kuduro by Don Omar featuring Lucenzo – keeping the crowd pumped for the star's return. Riding that wave of energy, Usher saved some of his biggest hits for last. He brought out the tightly choreographed dance moves for 2010's OMG and DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love, getting everyone on their feet. 'I love you, love to you Abu Dhabi. Thank you so much for sharing the night. Thank you so much for the journey. Thirty years and I couldn't have done it without you,' he told those in attendance. He then transitioned into the 2004 megahit Yeah! before closing the night with 2011's Without You, his collaboration with French DJ David Guetta – ending the evening on a high note. Even decades into his career, at 46, Usher's vocals remain crisp and controlled, effortlessly hitting the high notes that defined his early RnB hits. His charisma hasn't waned either – every wink, glide and grin was met with cheers. His ability to move seamlessly from emotional ballads to high-energy dance tracks kept the crowd engaged throughout the hour-and-a-half-long set. As the night came to an end, Usher bowed on one knee with his head down as fans cheered him on, thanking him for the trip down memory lane. And as the final notes faded, the energy in the air suggested many weren't quite ready for it to be over – likely a testament to his enduring appeal.
