This week in Hip Hop, Jussie Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts. Also, R. Kelly sat down with Gayle King for an interview on CBS and opened up about the sexual abuse and misconduct allegations against him. Lastly, a radio ban was placed on Michael Jackson‘s music following HBO’s Leaving Neverland documentary.
Jussie Smollett Indicted On 16 Felony Charges
On Thursday (March 7), a grand jury indicted former Empire actor Jussie Smollett on 16 felony counts. He’s been accused of filing a false police report about a hate crime in Chicago.
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The Chicago Police Department determined Smollett staged a homophobic/racist attack because he allegedly wasn’t too happy with his pay at Empire.
His fellowEmpire family withdrew their support upon this revelation, and Smollett’s opportunities in Hollywood have dried up as well.
His arraignment is scheduled for March 14.
Read more about Jussie Smollett’s indictment here.
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R. Kelly Gives Emotional Interview Over Sexual Abuse Allegations
R. Kelly was interviewed by Gayle King on CBS This Morning about the sexual abuse allegations highlighted in Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly docu-series.
Kelly denied all allegations and even suggested Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage, whom he considers his girlfriends now, were sold to him by their parents.
“What kind of father, what kind of mother would sell their daughter to a man?” he said.
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“So you’re saying the parents handed their daughters, Azriel and Jocelyn, to you?” King asked. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Absolutely,” Kelly replied.
The disgraced R&B singer became very emotional during the interview and had to be given time to regain his composure. He went on to blame everything on social media, which has turned his interview into a viral clip and meme.
“You can start a rumor on a guy like me or a celebrity just like that,” he said. “All you have to do is push a button on your phone and say: ‘So and so did this to me. R. Kelly did this to me.'”
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Despite his claims, more tapes of Kelly allegedly engaging in sexual activity with underage girls have surfaced. However, he is still making bail despite being locked up twice since the doc aired.
Kelly was most recently jailed for failing to pay $161,633 in child support to his ex-wife Andrea Kelly. He was released after an unidentified person paid the amount in full on Saturday (March 9).
During his interview with King, Kelly said he only had a little over $350,000 in his bank account.
Read more about R. Kelly’s explosive interview here.
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Michael Jackson’s Music Banned From Radio
Radio stations are beginning to ban Michael Jackson’s music following the allegations made in HBO’s Leaving Neverland documentary. According to CNN, major stations in New Zealand and Canada are among those to formally enact a ban on his music.
The Simpsons’ 1991 episode “Stark Raving Dad,” which features Jackson, has also been pulled by the show’s producers due to the documentary.
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Leaving Neverland details the alleged sexual abuse of choreographer Wade Robson and James Safechuck by Jackson. Both previously testified in support of Jackson but have since changed their stories.
Read more on Michael Jackson and the reaction to Leaving Neverlandhere.
#DXclusives: Spice 1, Gang Of Four’s Andy Gill & Throwback Thursdays
Spice 1 Recalls Eazy-E’s Last Days & Weighs In On Migos Vs. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Spice 1 is preparing to unleash his forthcoming Platinum O.G. album and in an interview with HipHopDX, he shared his feelings about Bone Thugs-n-Harmony recent beef with Migos.
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“That’s crazy because I’m pissed off about it ’cause there’s no respect for us,” he said. “But, it’s like OK, whatever. We earn our respect. We ain’t gonna sit back and say, ‘Oh give us respect just cause we OGs.’ We still hit it and if we don’t, we don’t, but if we last then we blast [laughs].”
Read the full interview with Spice 1 here.
Frank Ocean Was Polite Enough To Ask Gang Of Four’s Andy Gill For Sample Permission
Frank Ocean’s track “Futura Free” from the 2016 album Blonde samples Gang Of Four’s classic “Love Like Anthrax.” Group member Andy Gill appreciated the R&B singer reaching out for permission to use it, as he revealed in a recent interview with DX.
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“I really respect that because we all know that you’ve just got to change it a little bit and no one’s going to know,” Gill told DX. “It’s like no one’s going to know, so who cares? In this day and age when a lot of people are cheating a bit, to have someone be that straightforward and honest, I was like, ‘Wow, yeah. Great, good for you.'”
Read the entire interview with Andy Gill here.
#ThrowbackThursdays: Dr. Dre Drops “Friday” Classic “Keep Their Heads Ringin”
On March 7, 1995, Dr. Dre released “Keep Their Heads Ringin'” on the Friday soundtrack. It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.
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Read more about this #ThrowbackThursday hit here.
