Latest news with #StraightOuttaCompton
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FAMU President, DeSantis' Choice
Lee Hall on the Florida A&M University campus. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Florida A&M University has weathered its share of storms, the most recent being a deeply embarrassing debacle when a Texas donor conned former FAMU President Larry Robinson and a close circle of school officials into believing that the hallowed institution was the recipient of a $237.75 million gift. After discovering the gift was a hoax, Robinson resigned, which led to the uproar over the past several weeks surrounding the choice of Robinson's successor. During a presidential search process shrouded in secrecy, the Ron DeSantis-dominated FAMU Board of Trustees voted 8-4 for Marva Johnson, a last-minute addition to the presidential finalist list. 'The late entry of Marva Johnson into the pool of candidates to become FAMU's president has sparked concern about her allegiances, the selection process and her apparent lack of qualifications, MSNBC said. 'Johnson, who has been appointed to boards by Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Gov. Rick Scott, has no college administrative experience and has remained an ally of DeSantis as his GOP administration has undermined Black history lessons in the state.' The likelihood that Johnson might be chosen provoked in a multipronged campaign of resistance, including a petition against her candidacy that gathered more than 10,000 signatures. Florida's state NAACP president threatened legal action over the selection process. Popular film director Will Packer, a FAMU graduate who has produced films like 'Takers,' 'Straight Outta Compton,' and 'Think Like a Man,' warned that 'a group of activist Republicans are trying to put in the highest position of power someone who is solidly and objectively unqualified for it. A range of Black media personalities online also sounded the alarm on Johnson. There have been calls for boycotts and other punitive measures to express displeasure over how all this has played out. The primary objections involve Jonhson's connections to DeSantis, who throughout his time as governor has exhibited barefaced hostility towards Black Floridians while implementing a raft of racist ideological MAGA policies aimed at institutions of higher learning. A WFSU story in the days following last Friday's selection captures the temperature. 'Florida A&M University is ablaze following the appointment of Marva Johnson to the school's presidency. Alumni, students and other FAMU stakeholders are weighing how best to move forward,' the story said. 'Johnson is a controversial candidate for her ties to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, as he works to remake higher education in the state. Now, the school's interim president is urging calm amid backlash and boycott threats in response to Johnson's appointment by the FAMU Board of Trustees,' the story continues. 'I urge you to stay engaged and remain connected,' Interim President Tim Beard wrote in a statement. 'Your advocacy, your feedback and your financial support are crucial to ensuring that our institution continues to thrive.' To describe DeSantis' assault on higher education as a remaking is a grave understatement. Since 2023, he has taken a wrecking ball to Florida's higher educational system in his misguided effort to stamp out liberalism and 'woke' ideology and install university presidents, educators, board members, and others who embrace the governor's conservative agenda. A 2024 report by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), details the 'the various manifestations of political and legislative interference in Florida's higher education system under the DeSantis administration and that of his predecessor, Rick Scott.' 'These include attacks on faculty academic freedom and tenure; the assault on the curriculum; the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs; the development of a patronage system marked by politically connected administrative appointments; the stacking of the statewide board of governors with Republican former political officeholders and professional political operatives beholden to the governor and the legislature; the passage of legislation making confidential identifying information of applicants for presidential positions at state universities or Florida College System institutions; political and legislative attacks on the higher education accreditation system; legal challenges to public employee unions; and the broader assault on the rights and social gains of LGBTQ+ communities.' In short order, DeSantis – term-limited from running again for governor – has enacted hostile takeovers of the New College, the University of Florida, Florida International University, and the University of West Florida. As the Florida Phoenix has reported, DeSantis is installing his political allies at state universities so that they can purge these institutions of 'ideological concepts.' To date, five of 12 schools have new presidents and another four are looking. People like Packer and Adora Obi Nweze, president of the Florida State Conference NAACP, issued calls to scrap the entire process and start again. Nweze urged the FAMU Board of Trustees to 'recommit to a fair and untainted process' that reflects the university's legacy of academic excellence. She and others were ignored and Johnson now will become FAMU's 13th president. During a volatile meeting that ran about two hours, as Johnson introduced herself to the community, tempers ran hot. Packer warned trustees that choosing Johnson would be detrimental to FAMU's future, but she sought to assuage those fears. 'I know that the comments you're bringing – while they're coming to me in a way that may evidence angst – are coming from your love for this university, your love for this university's legacy, and your interest in making sure that you protect it. If I am selected, I would fight and win for FAMU,' Johnson told the crowd. 'No, I'm not a Trojan horse. I was not sent here to dismantle FAMU. … 'I would love the opportunity to work with you and to grow FAMU.' Johnson also said: 'I understand the gravity of this moment. I'm grounded in the importance of FAMU's legacy, and I'm energized by the opportunities that we have in front of us.' The new president served as vice president for governmental affairs (meaning she was a lobbyist) for Charter Communications, a telecom company, and is a former member of the State Board of Education. I reached out to Desirée Nero, a corporate and government consultant and 'a very proud alum,' said she understands the concerns but now that Johnson has been selected, FAMUANs must figure out how to work with her. 'Universities are moving more in the direction of being managed like businesses. The president's job is to raise money, build relationships, and increase the universities' global impact and reputation. Marva Johnson can do that,' Nero said. Nero gives Johnson props for succeeding as a Black woman in business – 'I'm sure she has had to fight some battles in her rise to leadership,' she said. 'She's well educated; a Georgetown undergrad, an MBA from Emory and a J.D. from Georgia State,' said Nero, who has 20 years of experience working in leadership development within Florida State government. 'Republicans and MAGA are not one and the same. There's nothing recently that indicates she will walk the MAGA path.' FAMU, the state's only public historically Black institution, was established in 1887 during the height of Jim Crow and segregation because African Americans weren't allowed to attend white institutions. Racism and purposeful underinvestment has always dogged the university. In 2023, the Biden administration sent letters to 16 governors – including DeSantis – urging these states to review $12 billion in funding disparities among land-grant universities. The U.S. Department of Education alleged that the states disproportionately underfunded Florida A&M University by nearly $2 billion compared to University of Florida – the second largest funding disparity among all land-grant universities. This disparity has resulted in 'inadequate resources and delay critical investments in everything from campus infrastructure to research and development to student support services,' then-U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona wrote. The Trump administration recently rescinded a $16.3 million grant that had been awarded to FAMU's College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Meanwhile, FAMU is struggling to properly prepare its students to pass board examinations in its nursing, law, pharmacy, and physical therapy programs. Alan Levine, vice chair of the Florida Board of Governors, last year threatened to get rid of the programs if there's no improvement. Those who support Johnson hope she has the political connections, fundraising acumen, and leadership skills to reverse these challenges. And they hope she will convince DeSantis not to mess with FAMU the way he did New College. 'Change is inevitable and history has shown us that those who fight change are subject to be left behind,' Nero said. 'Change isn't coming to FAMU, it's here. FAMU may be in the fight of its life and we need a warrior to champion this fight. This is too important to be confrontational.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Business Insider
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Sean 'Diddy' Combs tried to ambush Suge Knight with guns, his trial heard. What to know about the hip-hop heavyweights' feud.
The sex-trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs heard that the hip-hop mogul planned to ambush his long-term rival, Marion "Suge" Knight, with guns at an LA diner in 2008. If Diddy succeeded, he could have reignited a long-running beef between the East and West Coast hip-hop communities. Last week, Cassie Ventura, Diddy's ex-girlfriend, testified at his trial in Manhattan that he left his rented mansion in LA during a " freak-off" in 2008, after learning that Suge was at a diner nearby. Cassie said Diddy and other men covered their heads, grabbed guns, and drove to the diner. On Tuesday, David James, Diddy's former personal assistant, testified that he drove him and a trusted security guard to the restaurant, but Suge left before they arrived. "It was the first time I realized my life was in danger," James said, adding that he quit soon after the incident. Here's what to know about the feud between Suge and Diddy. Suge and Diddy were at the centre of the '90s hip-hop rivalry linked to the deaths of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. Hip-hop originated in 1970s New York City, but by the '80s and '90s, multiple rappers, including Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, emerged on the West Coast. A rivalry soon emerged between Suge's Death Row Records on the West Coast, which he co-founded in 1991, and the East Coast's Bad Boy, founded by Diddy in 1993. In 1994, Tupac Shakur, a West Coast rapper, survived being shot five times at Quad Studios in Manhattan during a robbery. Tupac believed the Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie) of Bad Boys Records and Diddy were involved, which they denied. In response, Tupac joined Death Row Records in 1995, and the it released his diss track "Hit 'Em Up" in 1996, which targeted Diddy, Biggie, Bad Boy Records, and other East Coast rappers. In 1996 and 1997, respectively, Tupac and Biggie were killed in drive by shootings. Both crimes remained unsolved, with many speculating without evidence that Diddy and Suge were involved, which they both deny. In 2023, Duane Keith "Keffe D" Davis, a former leader of a California street gang known as the South Side Compton Crips, was charged with murder, with prosecutors alleging he organized Tupac's death. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told People in 2024 that Diddy was never considered a suspect for Tupac's murder. After Tupac and Biggie died, rappers on both sides, including Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Nas, and Ice Cube, attempted to cool down tensions between the two rap communities. Suge is serving a 28-year sentence for manslaughter The beef faded from the public eye, and major stars like Dre and Snoop Dogg left Death Row Records in 1996 and 1998, respectively, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2006. In 2022, Snoop became its new owner. Suge is in prison in San Diego, after he was charged over the fatal hit-and-run of Terry Carter, a business associate, while on the set of the 2015 movie "Straight Outta Compton." In 2018, Suge pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. Despite his feud with Diddy, Suge told NewsNation's show " CUOMO" in September 2024 that he was not celebrating his rival's arrest. "I don't jump and cheer for no Black man or any other human being going to prison," Suge said. "That man has kids, and whatever affects him definitely affects his kids." Suge alleged at the time that Diddy was sexually abused by other people in the industry and said Diddy repeated that abuse on other people. Legal representatives for Diddy declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider. Legal representatives for Suge did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Warren G Seemingly Feels Cast Aside By Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg Amid Unanswered Phone Calls
Warren G is opening up about feeling distanced from two of his closest collaborators and friends, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. During a recent appearance on the Ugly Monkey podcast, the 54-year-old rapper and producer expressed his disappointment over the lack of communication between himself and the two icons, both of whom he shares a deep history with. 'Snoop and Dre get down and they doing things and it's no diss to neither one of them or anything like that,' Warren G shared. 'But it's like, y'all could call Warren to come do a cameo or come hang out or something.' Warren G, who is Dr. Dre's stepbrother and a founding member of the group 213 alongside Dre and Snoop, played a pivotal role in launching Snoop's career by introducing him to Dre — a meeting that would lead to the creation of The Chronic, and ultimately, the rise of Death Row Records. Despite his early contributions to their success, Warren, who helped shape the sound of '90s Hip-Hop through his own work, says he now finds himself on the outside looking in. 'I don't want no money or nothing from nobody, just call me to be around,' he emphasized, underscoring that his desire is rooted in friendship and shared history, not financial gain. The 'Regulate' rapper also recalled a particularly painful moment during the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show, which featured Dre and Snoop in a widely acclaimed performance. Although Snoop gave Warren and his son tickets to the game, Warren says he was unable to reach either Dre or Snoop when trying to get backstage. 'I was trying to get downstairs, to get down in the back, 'cause I had my son with me and he was home from the NFL,' Warren recounted. 'I couldn't even get backstage. I called everybody I knew. Nobody would answer their phones. I couldn't get backstage, none of that. I didn't give a f**k about performing, I just wanted to take my son down there to see all my folks and see everybody.' Despite his legacy — including his 1994 debut Regulate… G Funk Era, which helped save Def Jam Recordings from financial ruin — Warren G's remarks speak to a painful truth: even pioneers can be forgotten. For someone who once stood shoulder to shoulder with two of the most influential artists in Hip-Hop history, being shut out seemingly stings not just professionally, but personally. See Warren G's interview on the Ugly Monkey podcast below. More from Suge Knight Pays $1.5M Settlement In Wrongful Death Lawsuit Related To 'Straight Outta Compton' Film AZ Chike Wants To Collect "West Coast Infinity Stones" Snoop Dogg Enters "Creative Partnership" With NBCUniversal For Death Row Pictures
Irish Daily Mirror
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
It's shock 'n' roll for Kneecap in music controversy but they are not the first
A controversy embroiling Irish band Kneecap has resulted in gig cancellations – but it is not the first time an outspoken group has been hit. The furore surrounding the Belfast trio resulted from comments in support of Palestine where 50,000 people have been killed by Israel in the last 18 months. Israeli bombing of Gaza has reduced the city to rubble and caused approximately 50,000 deaths, according to its health ministry. The current conflict in Gaza followed an attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023. Israel's air and ground strike response has been condemned worldwide and criticised as genocide, including by high profile musicians Kneecap. They have since been banned from playing at this summer's Eden Sessions festival in Cornwall, England, while gigs have been axed in German cities Hamburg, Berlin and Cologne and British Tory MPs have called for them to be dropped by the Glastonbury music festival. The group was formed in 2017 by three friends who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí. They made a semi-fictionalised movie starring Oscar-nominated Irish actor Michael Fassbender and it won a British Film Academy of Film Award (BAFTA) in February past. The band's manager Daniel Lambert claimed that they are now being targeted in a "concerted campaign" amid "moral hysteria". He insisted that the lost gigs are the price for speaking out. Lambert said: "It's not for us to worry, it's for us to have the strength of conviction that we did the right thing." NWA propelled gangsta rap to a shocked mainstream America in the late 1980s. Their genre-busting, revolutionary album Straight Outta Compton in 1988 was immediately controversial amid accusations of promoting racial division. Lyrics on track two on the album, F**k Tha Police, were said by the band to be against police brutality and racial profiling. But the lyrics were said by the FBI to incite violence against police and disrespect of the law. The lyrics include: "F**k the police comin' straight from the underground…Beat a police outta shape…F**k the police…Of any Uzi or an AK…Cause the police always got somethin' stupid to say…Without a gun and a badge, what do ya got?" The partly dramatised 2015 movie biopic Straight Outta Compton tells the story of how the band was warned by the police not to play the song at a gig in the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit in 1989. They played it anyway and 30 seconds later apparent gunshots went off, the band ran backstage, were arrested, and taken away. Jim Morrison's band The Doors experienced several controversies with the police. Perhaps most infamous was the time Morrison was arrested onstage in New Haven in Connecticut in 1967. He was accused of inciting a riot, indecency, and public obscenity after taunting the police during a gig. Music historians say Jim was sprayed in the face with mace by an overzealous cop who found him making out with a woman backstage. The officer did not recognise Morrison and apologised – but when Jim went onstage, the angry singer unleashed his vengeance and during the song Back Door Man. He told his fans that he had been maced by the policeman, taunted the force, and branded the cop a "little blue man in a little blue hat" as well as a "little blue pig." He told the crowd: "I'm just like you guys, man. He did it to me, they'll do it to you." That's when the cops stormed the stage and ended the gig by arresting Morrison – which caused riot and 13 more arrests. The charges against him were later dropped. Two years later, Morrison was charged with exposing himself at a concert in Miami. The first globally famous white hip-hop act, the legendary Beastie Boys, sparked controversy because of their fashion passion for car badges. Band member Mike D (Michael Diamond) wore street jewellery like VW badges around his neck which prompted fans across the world to copy his look. Volkswagen appealed for fans to stop – and soon, international news outlets reported how car manufacturers, including VW, BMW, Mercedes, and Audi, were all receiving reports of mass thefts from motors. They replaced customers' emblems free of charge in an attempt to mitigate against the bad publicity. When the band toured the UK in 1987, there were calls for their gigs to be axed and for the band to be deported. Probably the most famous band ever, The Beatles, ruled the world for a brief intense period from the moment they stepped off their Pan Am flight 101 from London to New York 61 years ago. That day in February 1964 in John F Kennedy Airport was the start of Beatlemania after they celebrated their first No1 hit in the US. The mania spiralled after that and in an interview in 1966, John Lennon suggested that the band had become "more popular than Jesus". America's fundamental Bible belt Christians were far from forgiving, called for them to be boycotted by radio stations, staged public burnings of their records and the Ku Klux Klan protested outside a concert. Ireland's late national treasure Sinead O'Connor, who sadly died in 2023, aged just 56, shocked the Catholic world in 1992 when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a performance. She sang Bob Marley's song War on American show Saturday Night Live. Sinead then tore the picture to pieces, threw it on the ground, and said: "Fight the real enemy." The Catholic Church was embroiled at the time in a series of high-profile sexual abuse scandals in Ireland and across the world. The show's broadcaster NBC received thousands of complaints and Sinead was criticised by Italian-Americans like singer Madonna and actor Joe Pesci. Pesci said during the following week's episode that he had taped the picture back together, the live audience applauded. Three years before Madonna criticised Sinead O'Connor's protest against clerical abuse, Madonna incurred the wrath of the Vatican for a raunchy pop video in which she was accused by some Catholic groups of simulating sex with a black Jesus. Her controversial 1989 song Like A Prayer was the title track from her fourth studio album and tells the story of a young woman's romantic relationship with God. The lyrics' sexual undertones and a video scene of Madonna dancing in front of a field of burning crosses did not go down well. There was also the love scene between the singer and a black saint in a Catholic church. Religious conservatives branded the controversy appalling and the Vatican called for Catholics to boycott. When Pepsi used the song in a commercial, it also faced calls to be cancelled. Music companies say they don't like it, but history shows that banning a song from airplay guarantees record sales. When British dance band The Prodigy released Smack My Bitch Up in 1997, it was banned by the BBC. The Beeb also banned the video, citing nudity and claims of misogyny, while it would only sanction an instrumental version on air. The album The Fat of the Land was removed from stores in the US, the single was criticised by acts like Tori Amos and the Beastie Boys, and it was condemned by the UK's National Organisation for Women. But the band still topped the charts in both Britain and America. Elvis Presley's swinging hips got him in trouble after his gyrations on TV sent people wild. Afterwards, to spare viewers' blushes, the Elvis snake hips controversy meant he was hit with censorship. He could only be filmed from the waist up when he appeared on programmes like The Ed Sullivan Show. When Elvis first burst onto the music scene, pop culture was just emerging. The enthusiastic twists on stage of the young singer, who was in his early 20s, were branded vulgar and sexually aggressive. He was threatened with permanent censorship, but he eventually became the king. Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose sparked outrage 34 years ago when he dived off stage to attack a biker fan with a video camera. He was later charged with inciting a riot – but it was more to do with the band leaving the stage and ending the gig. The controversy unfolded at the Riverport Amphitheater in St Louis, Missouri, in 1991. Fans had been warned not to film the band – but one was recording them belt out Rocket Queen when frontman Rose lunged. He allegedly punched a fan and then criticised security bag checks when he climbed back on stage. Reports quote him saying: "Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home." Damage worth thousands of dollars was caused during the riot, which included fans rushing the stage and destroying the band's instruments and equipment.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Suge Knight Pays $1.5M Settlement In Wrongful Death Lawsuit Related To ‘Straight Outta Compton' Film
Death Row Records co-founder Marion 'Suge' Knight has agreed to pay a $1.5 million settlement to the family of the man whose 2015 death was determined to have been caused by Knight mowing him down in a vehicle. On Tuesday (April 29), Knight appeared via video at a Los Angeles court hearing concerning a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Terry Carter. Carter, a 55-year-old businessman, was fatally struck by Knight's pickup truck in the parking lot of Tam's Burgers in Compton on January 29, 2015. The incident occurred following an altercation linked to the production of the N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton, where Knight had a confrontation with Cle 'Bone' Sloan, a consultant on the film. Carter's widow, Lillian, and daughters, Nekaya and Crystal, were present in the courtroom as their attorney, Lance Behringer, proposed a $1.5 million settlement, allocating $500,000 to each family member. Knight, whose longtime attorney David Kenner was absent, inquired whether his lack of legal representation would delay the civil trial. Judge Thomas Long informed him that jury selection was scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 1, and stated, 'There would be no further continuances. This case is out of time.' Knight ultimately agreed to the settlement, thereby avoiding the trial. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Lillian Carter expressed her dissatisfaction with the outcome, but emphasized her desire to avoid further courtroom proceedings. She stated, 'I'm not happy with the outcome of it, at all, but I don't want to give him another opportunity to put on a clown show and act like a bi**h,' adding, 'Maybe somebody will shank him in jail.' In 2018, Knight pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in connection with Carter's death and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. The plea deal included 22 years for the manslaughter charge and an additional six years due to California's three-strikes law. The fatal confrontation was captured on surveillance video, showing Knight backing his truck into Sloan and then driving forward, fatally striking Carter. The wrongful death lawsuit filed by Carter's family initially included Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Universal Pictures as defendants, alleging that their actions contributed to the dangerous environment leading to Carter's death. However, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were later cleared of responsibility in the case. More from AZ Chike Wants To Collect "West Coast Infinity Stones" Suge Knight's Lawyer Attempts To Withdraw From Wrongful Death Retrial: "I Am Not Ready" Ice Cube Acknowledges Late 'Friday' Stars As Franchise Moves Forward
