Latest news with #rap
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Trump refuses to rule out potential pardon for Diddy if the rapper is convicted of sex trafficking
DONALD Trump has refused to rule out a potential pardon for Sean "Diddy" Combs if the rap mogul is convicted of sex trafficking. The mega-producer, who is currently on trial, is facing a potential life sentence after being accused of running a decades-long, sprawling sex trafficking operation. 6 6 6 6 Trump said on Friday that no one has asked him to pardon Diddy Combs, but that he would look at the facts of the hip-hop mogul's case. His comments at a White House news conference came as Diddy attended the 13th day of testimony in the rapper's criminal sex trafficking trial. Diddy was arrested in September 2024 and is battling a massive list of civil lawsuits as he stands trial. The Bad Boy Records founder has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. During a press conference at the White House, a reporter asked Trump whether he would consider pardoning Diddy. The journalist noted that the MAGA prez said during a 2012 episode of his Celebrity Apprentice reality show that he was friends with the rapper. Trump replied: "Nobody's asked. You had to be the one to ask. I think some people have been very close to asking. "First of all, I'd look at what's happening, and I haven't been watching it too closely although it's certainly getting a lot of coverage." Trump said he had not seen or spoken to Diddy in years. He added: "I haven't seen him, I haven't spoken to him in years. He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics… that relationship busted up, from what I read. Diddy 'EXPLODED with threat to kill assistant over ex Cassie's silence' "He didn't tell me that, but I'd read some little bit nasty statements.' Since taking office on January 20, Trump has made extensive use of his power to pardon or commute the sentences of people accused of or convicted of federal crimes. Diddy is accused of throwing so-called "freak-off" parties where he would illegally fly in sex workers from across the country to provide his high-profile guests with explicit entertainment. He also would allegedly record some of his most recognizeable guests in compromising positions and use his sick videos as blackmail to keep people under his thumb, prosecutors say. In just three weeks of proceedings, a court has already heard about Diddy allegedly bombing fellow rapper Kid Cudi's car and lashing out at his ex-girlfriend in late rock star Prince's mansion. At the center of the trial is the rapper's nearly decade-long relationship with ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who busted his case wide open with a graphic civil suit filed in November 2023. That lawsuit was settled out of court, and Diddy denied all of her allegations. The courtroom has heard gut-wrenching testimony from Combs' former assistants, Ventura, and rapper Scott Mescudi, who is best known by his stage name Kid Cudi, among others. 6 6 Ventura, gave birth to her third child after taking the stand, testified for four days about the horrific sex marathons she was allegedly forced into by Combs. The singer, 38, also told jurors about the physical and psychological abuse she suffered during her relationship with the music executive. She accused Diddy of forcing her to get high and have sex with male escorts for hours on end during the horrific sessions, and claimed the executive controlled every aspect of her life. 'Control was everything from the way I looked, what I was working on that day, who I was speaking to," Cassie, who was just days away from giving birth to her third child with now-husband Alex Fine, said. "You make the wong face and the next thing I knew I was getting hit in the face." A growing list of celebrities has been mentioned in Diddy's sick sex trafficking trial over his perverse "freak off" parties. The list includes Hollywood A-listers like Michael B Jordan, Suge Knight and 50 Cent. Diddy locked eyes with us as he entered the courtroom - inside the trial of the decade By Israel S-Rodriguez, Senior News Reporter at The U.S. Sun The federal sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs began with jury selection on May 5. Combs is standing trial at the Southern District of New York Courthouse in Lower Manhattan - an intimidating federal courthouse where the cases of Ghislaine Maxwell, Donald Trump, and Bernard Madoff, among others, were tried. Once a powerful founder of a music and business empire, Combs has been reduced to a defendant, inmate 37452-054, stripped of his mogul status, and now standing trial on five federal charges with the full wrath of the United States government against him. When I attended Day 3 of jury selection at the federal courthouse on May 7, the buzz around the start of the trial was palpable. Hours before the courthouse opened its doors, more than a dozen reporters and members of the public stood in line in hopes of securing a seat in the gallery for the high-profile trial. As you walk through the glass door entrance of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, you are met by bulletproof vest-clad court officers. All visitors must separate their electronic devices from their personal belongings, which are passed through a metal detector. Visitors walk through a metal detector before a court officer hands them a poker chip. The courthouse uses a poker chip system to sort the number of electronic devices visitors are in possession of. Electronic devices, such as Bluetooth-powered headphones, voice recorders, laptops, cellphones, and smart watches, are confiscated before you're allowed to enter the courthouse's main hallway. As about a half-dozen reporters and I waited in the gallery for jury selection, we witnessed how Combs entered the courtroom shackle-free. Combs entered with his hands pressed together, greeted his defense team before he examined the gallery, and locked eyes with reporters and potential jurors. The 55-year-old disgraced Bad Boy Records executive was attentive and engaged with his counsel as they grilled dozens of potential jurors. As jury selection wrapped up for the day, Combs embraced each of his female defense attorneys before he mouthed "thank you" to a handful of supporters in the gallery. I attended trial again as opening statements got underway on May 12 and the world media waited anxiously outside the federal courthouse before the sun rose in Lower Manhattan. A line stretched down the block from the federal courthouse as some members of the media and from the public camped out overnight to try to obtain a coveted seat inside the gallery. At least three overflow rooms were made available for reporters and the public, who are eager to witness the prosecutions case against the music mogul. At least half a dozen members of Combs' family arrived at the courthouse as spectators filed in single order to enter the federal building to turn over all their electronic devices. Combs' trial is being held on the 26th floor in Judge Arun Subramanian's courtroom and is expected to last for eight weeks. We'll bring it all to you on The U.S. Sun.
CNN
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Suge Knight thinks ‘Diddy' should testify
CNN's Laura Coates speaks with imprisoned former rap mogul Suge Knight, who urged longtime rival Sean 'Diddy' Combs to testify in his ongoing criminal trial. Knight is currently serving a 28-year sentence for a 2015 fatal hit-and-run.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
Rapper NBA YoungBoy, Ex-Chicago Gang Leader Win Trump Clemency
President Donald Trump is offering clemency to the co-founder of a notorious Chicago gang, a rap artist and a music executive in the latest use of his pardon and commutation powers, according to a White House official. The reprieves, detailed by an official on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet public, highlight the unusual mix of individuals who have been recipients of presidential clemency in Trump's second term. The president has come to the aid of political supporters and donors, prominent business leaders convicted of white collar crimes and even reality television stars.
Irish Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Tyler, the Creator at 3Arena review: A brilliantly evocative, provocative performance
Tyler, the Creator 3Arena, Dublin ★★★★☆ Long before Kneecap were drawing the wrath of the British establishment, Tyler, the Creator had a claim to the title of most controversial name in rap. Lyrics strewn with apparently homophobic and misogynistic remarks earned him a ban from the UK government in 2015 on the grounds that he posed a threat to public order. Turned away at the border, he claimed he was being treated like a terrorist. But as is often the case with talented demagogues caught up in a moral panic, there was more to Tyler than shock value – though songs such as Radicals were undoubtedly shocking ('Kill people, burn shit, f**k school'). Notoriety established, he would spool off in the opposite direction with music that celebrated the simple joys of life and connection. He also broke one of mainstream music's ultimate taboos by hinting in his lyrics that he was sexually fluid ('Sorry to the guys I had to hide/ Sorry to the girls I had to lie to'). READ MORE The many sides to Tyler are on show during a brilliantly evocative and provocative concert at 3Arena on Saturday night. It begins with the 34-year-old Angeleno materialising in a gloopy green haze, like a groovy Wizard of Oz. A mask covers the top half of his face as he opens with the gorgeous orchestral swell of St Chroma, a gauzy banger from his latest album, Chromakopia. All the way back to his formative hip-hop group Odd Future – whose enthusiasm for violent wordplay saw them barred from New Zealand – Tyler has been an astute manipulator of image. This latest tour begins with the rapper wearing a military-style outfit that accentuates the frame of his body, suggesting a cartoon character brought to life. The outrageous costume is combined with robotic dance moves. He pops and wheels like a cybernetic James Brown while white gloves and epaulettes riff on dress-like-a-dictator era Michael Jackson. Inspired by his mother's life, his struggles with fame and the Lewis Carrollesque children's fantasy novel The Phantom Tollbooth, from 1961, his new tracks Noid and I Killed You blend pastoral melodies and nail-spitting rhyming. But the gloves come off when a gantry descends, and he walks above the crowd. He dispenses with the face covering, too, as he plunges into the emotive Take Your Mask Off, an emotive rumination on staying true to your real self. The theatrics are amped up further when Tyler descends to a mock-up of his teenage bedroom. Here he indulges in some staged insulting of the audience, dubbing them 'w**kers' – a word he surely didn't pick up in suburban Los Angeles. He next cycles through the body-horror hit parade of Yonkers and Tron Cat, the tunes that saw him turned away by UK customs (on the orders of Theresa May, who was home secretary at the time). Nightmares turn to dreamy escapism when he returns to the main stage for a seismic Thought I Was Dead before he brings down the curtains with a soulful power ballad, I Hope You Find Your Way Home. While pyrotechnics ping, he leans into his beautifully syrupy falsetto and expresses the hope that everyone in the room gets to where they are meant to be. Hip hop's one-time bete noire has cycled through his multitude of personas and stands before the adoring room older, wiser, sadder and sweeter. It is a reminder to other rappers likewise vilified by the authorities: they can scorn and demonise you, but they can never take away your voice.
Irish Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Kneecap review: ‘We are so grateful'– band thanks its 20,000-strong ‘Fenian family' at London's Wide Awake Festival
Kneecap Wide Awake Festival, London ★★★★☆ The horizon at Brockwell Park in south London was dominated by a fluttering sea of Irish tricolours and Palestinian flags. There was expectation but also a flicker of tension among the 20,000 crowd as they waited on Friday night for Kneecap , the controversial West Belfast rappers who were headline act, to emerge on to the main stage at the Wide Awake Festival. The slight air of anxiety contrasted with the ebullient atmosphere that had greeted fellow Irish artist, the theatrical CMAT , who had strode the same stage just an hour before. There had been a heavy police presence at the entrance to the park. Kneecap's performance would be its most high profile since band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, was charged this week with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a Hizbullah flag at a previous gig on the other side of London last November. READ MORE As the crowd waited for the band on Friday, the main stage was cast in darkness apart from the image of a balaclava, Kneecap's logo, which dominated the centre amid images of Celtic mythology. Slow, sombre Celtic music helped to build an ominous tone. [ Kneecap's Mo Chara appears on stage with tape over mouth after terrorism charge Opens in new window ] The mood lifted as the music became freer and louder and the band emerged, firing up the festival atmosphere. The crowd became even more uproarious as Kneecap launched into their opening track 'It's Been Ages (since we made the front pages)', as images of newspaper headlines flashed across the 25-foot screen, an ironic nod to recent events. Kneecap: Festivalgoers hold Palestine flags as they wait to hear the Belfast rap trio perform at Wide Awake Festival in London. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images 'One big Fenian family,' said Mo Chara, as he eyed the crowd. 'Twenty thousand people – we are so grateful. We [only] started this because we were unemployed.' Later, he urged the crowd to 'give me a tiocfaidh ár lá'. He was giving his legal team 'a nightmare', he joked. Balaclavas and Celtic jerseys were prominent among the bouncing Kneecap fans. Dan Croy from Galway hoisted his pal Tom O'Connor on his shoulders to proudly display a Palestinian cap with the tricolour wrapped around his shoulders. Kneecap fans Dan Croy from Galway with his friend, Tom O'Connor on his shoulders, beside fellow Irishman Tommy Kelly. All live in London Photograph: Siobhán Reynolds 'Kneecap are at the forefront of freedom of expression,' said Croy. 'They are moving the message of the people across an international audience.' He complained about what he saw as 'disgusting censorship' of the band, who have been relentlessly criticised in the British press and have had several gigs cancelled after a series of controversies over their outspoken views. Not all the Irish in Brockwell Park wore green, but their accents gave them away. [ Uncharted with Ray Goggins review: Kneecap show their soulful side as they trudge through the Arctic snow Opens in new window ] 'After hearing about all the band's gigs getting cancelled, I felt an obligation to stand by them,' said Mary Ellen Saha, from Co Meath. 'I've been living here for over 20 years so I wanted to give them a big fáilte romhat from London.' It may have been an Irish night, but there were plenty of other nationalities present including a large contingent of British Kneecap fans. In a nod to some of the recent criticism of the band in UK media, Phil Parry from Nottingham was emphatic as he argued that art never sanctions death. Mary Ellen Saha attends Kneecap at London's Wide Awake Festival. Photograph: Siobhán Reynolds 'Art is not murdering anyone on behalf of politics, unlike world leaders who are inciting and initiating violence on a daily basis,' he said. He said he was fascinated by Kneecap's artistic exploration of working-class life through parodic lyrics and graphics. The crowd chanted in support of Palestine during each pause in Kneecap's energetic performance. At one stage, the crowd's energy jolted Mo Chara into another ad hoc speech. Phil Parry from Nottingham with his London friend, Julian Gilmore, at Kneecap in Brockwell Park on Friday night Photograph: Siobhán Reynolds 'You have no idea how close we were to being pulled off this gig,' he said. The crowd gave a euphoric response. Then they booed when he alleged to them that people with power in Britain were trying to silence the band and prevent them from appearing at Glastonbury in June. As the set ended, the band urged the audience to give their friends a big hug and realise how lucky they were not to be living in a war zone. Then Mo Chara signed off with another playful quip. 'Anyone know any good lawyers?' Kneecap: Festivalgoers hold Palestine flags during Wide Awake Festival 2025 in London. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images
