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☆ Singing Competition Again Comes Under Fire After Use of Blackface
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Claire Moses | More About Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In response to that criticism, the show said the negative comments were surprising. This time around, “Your Face Sounds Familiar,” which is in its 19th season, has not yet publicly responded. The show’s Instagram account indicates that multiple contestants have dressed in blackface to perform as Black singers, including Snoop Dogg, Ray Charles, Bill Withers and Missy Elliott. She said the continued use of blackface on the show might be because the stigma surrounding it is smaller in Poland, which has a population that is overwhelmingly white, than it is in the United States. About 97 percent of Poland’s population identifies as ethnically Polish, according to Minority Rights Group International.

Persons: Snoop Dogg, Ray Charles, Bill Withers, Missy Elliott, Mia Moody, Ramirez, cornrows Organizations: Baylor University, Group International Locations: Texas, Poland, United States

☆ TikTok challenger backpedals into public arena
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Anita Ramaswamy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A celebrity-studded video app is fighting to contend in the public arena. The Triller app, started in 2015, runs a TikTok-like feed, but it has backed away from the battle. Brands generated most of Triller’s $48 million in revenue last year, but recent acquisitions have fueled much of the latest growth. Details are scant on Triller’s user count beyond the 550 million accounts it says it has signed up since inception. Follow @AnitaRamaswamy on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSVideo-sharing app Triller said on Aug. 2 that it plans to pursue a direct listing of its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

Persons: Triller, Snoop Dogg, Mike Tyson, Charli, Mahi de Silva, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Black, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, New York Stock, Walmart, Facebook, Meta, Apple, Google, New York Stock Exchange, SeaChange International, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S

☆ Old-School Fans Celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Alex Vadukul | More About Alex Vadukul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The start of hip-hop dates to Aug. 11, 1973, when DJ Kool Herc created continuous break-beats by working two turntables during a party in a rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx. On Friday night, exactly 50 years later, a concert was held at Yankee Stadium — roughly a mile and a half from hip-hop’s birthplace — to honor the occasion, featuring Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Kim and Nas. DJ Kool Herc, 68, also appeared onstage to accept an award. “I prefer old-school hip-hop,” Hetep said. He rapped about positivity, and that’s also what my music is about.”In the edited interviews below, attendees reflected on hip-hop’s 50th.

Persons: DJ Kool Herc, —, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, Lil ’ Kim, Nas, Tupac Shakur, Hetep BarBoy, ” Hetep, “, that’s Organizations: Yankee, ” Locations: Bronx

☆ Too Short’s Long (and Very Raunchy) Life in Rap
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Tom Breihan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

It’s a lesson rap has never forgotten — and only one among many it learned, in large part, from this rapper. To understand Too Short’s influence, it’s useful to consider that he found national success at a moment when rap still seemed like it might head in a very different direction. As his records crept across the country, another Oakland rapper took off like a rocket. MC Hammer was Too Short’s opposite: glitzy, energetic and so family-friendly that he had his own Saturday-morning cartoon. This failure didn’t bother Too Short: “I understand why they didn’t get it,” he says of New Yorkers.

Persons: ”, “, Snoop Dogg, P’s, Young Jeezy, Gucci Mane’s, Hammer, wouldn’t, tourmates, Dre, 2Pac, —, ” Weiss, Wu, Tang Organizations: Oakland, East Coast, Yorkers Locations: UGK, Oakland, York, Coast

☆ Triller is finally heading to the public markets after trimming losses and tweaking its investor pitch. Here are 3 main takeaways from the hundreds of pages it filed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Triller's preliminary S-1 filing to go public on the New York Stock Exchange has been released. The company reported a smaller net loss in 2022 than in 2021 and around $48 million in 2022 revenue. In its S-1, the company featured images of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and DJ Khaled inside Triller products. One metric notably absent from Triller's S-1 is active user counts across its platforms. In its S-1, the company wrote it had "established more than 550 million user accounts" across its offerings, which it defined as anyone who created an account.

Persons: Triller, It's, it's, Snoop Dogg, Josh Richards, Richards, Jennifer Lopez, DJ Khaled, Charli D'Amelio, D'Amelio, TikTok, Julius, Triller's, Mike Lu, Ryan Kavanaugh's, Bobby Sarnevesht Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Sony Music, Seachange, SEC, Triller, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Meta, Inc, TechCrunch, Billboard, Media Locations: NFTs, TikTok, Triller

Bailey Point Investment filed a lawsuit in February accusing Ms. Wright of encroaching on its property. The company said that a satellite, shed and screened porch trespassed on its land and “significantly delayed and hindered” development. A lawyer for Bailey Point Investment, Helen Bacon Hester, did not respond to requests for comment. Ms. Graves estimated that she has spent $6,000 to cover the costs of responding to the developer’s complaints and to hire a lawyer. The family created a GoFundMe to help pay for the legal battle and property taxes.

Persons: Ms, Wright, Helen Bacon Hester, Wright’s, Charise Graves, Graves, Snoop Dogg, Irving Organizations: Investment, Bailey Point Investment Locations: Bailey, Florida

☆ Tupac Shakur’s self-designed ring becomes most expensive hip-hop artifact sold at auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Late rapper Tupac Shakur’s gold, ruby and diamond crown ring fetched more than $1 million on Tuesday, becoming the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold at auction, according to Sotheby’s. From left: Snoop Doggy Dogg and Tupac Shakur show off their rings DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection//ShutterstockThe ring was designed over several months after the rapper signed with Death Row Records following a prison sentence of which he served eight months. It was modeled after the crowns of Europe’s medieval kings in “an act of self-coronation,” said Shakur’s godmother Yaasmyn Fula, who brought the ring to auction, according to a Sotheby’s press release. The ring on display ahead of Tuesday's hip-hop-themed auction. The wooden box, painted in the artist’s classic cartoonish style, sold within estimate at $76,200.

Persons: Tupac Shakur’s, Shakur, “, Kidada Jones, Quincy Jones, Snoop, Tupac Shakur, ”, Yaasmyn, De La Soul’s Kelvin Mercer, Alexi Rosenfeld, KAWS, UNKLE, James Lavelle, Wu, Tang, Bill Sienkiewicz, EPMD’s Organizations: CNN Locations: New York, “, York, American

☆ A grocery store security guard filmed three men stealing $500 worth of detergent. He's yet another worker who got fired after confronting shoplifters.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Colorado man says he was fired from King Soopers grocery store after filming a shoplifting incident. As it happens, King Soopers' parent company, Kroger, has a policy against engaging or interfering with shoplifters. Burrola told the Denver CBS affiliate he was suspended when he arrived for his next shift and fired the following week. A spokesperson for King Soopers did not respond to Insider's request for comment on this story. "I hope this changes the policy," Burrola told CBS regarding Kroger's stance, "and gives power back to retail workers like myself."

Persons: King, —, Santino Burrola, Burrola, Snoop Dogg, King Soopers, Soopers, Jorge Pantoja, Bugsy, Pantoja, Robert, Calvin McDonald, Burrola's, who's, Dominick Reuter Organizations: Kroger, Service, Samsung Galaxy, Chevrolet Trax, Father's, Denver CBS, Arapahoe County Sheriff, CNBC, CBS Locations: Colorado, Denver, Arapahoe County, Georgia, Florida

☆ The cocaine in the White House was left in a guest entrance area: Washington Post
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The cocaine found at the White House was discovered in an area where guests drop off their cell phones. It's not the first time recreational drugs have been on White House grounds. It's unclear who left the cocaine in the White House. Snoop Dogg also once protested the Trump Administration by smoking a blunt outside of the White House in 2018. "I'm at the White House smoking," he said in a video.

Persons: It's, —, Joe Biden, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Carter, Snoop Dogg Organizations: White, Service, Wing, Washington Post, New York Times, Trump Administration, White House Locations: Maryland

☆ A Snoop Dogg themed Jack in the Box pop-up restaurant is open in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jack in the Box announced it opened a pop-up restaurant themed after fellow California legend Snoop Dogg – and no, gin and juice will not be on the menu. Jack in the Box announced the opening of a limited-time restaurant location as part of a partnership with rapper Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg is known for his appreciation of the vehicles, particularly the Cadillac DeVille. The pop-up joint isn’t the first time the rapper has teamed up with Jack in the Box. “He’s a true fan of the brand and we wanted to welcome him back,” said Tenenbaum, who could not confirm to CNN whether Snoop Dogg would be stopping by the pop-up restaurant.

Persons: Jack, Snoop Dogg, It’s, Snoop, Mijal Tenenbaum, “ Jack, ”, “ Snoop, Tiny Tacos, Curly Fries, ” Tenenbaum, “, Tenenbaum Organizations: CNN, Long Beach Locations: California, Inglewood, San Diego, Snoop’s, Los Angeles

☆ Petco collaborates with Snoop Dogg in new pet-care campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Petco teams up with hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg for an innovative pet-care campaign. Petco has partnered with hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg for a new pet-care campaign, the company said Wednesday. The collaboration features Petco Picks by Snoop, which include toys, treats and grooming supplies, and offers social content showcasing behind-the-scenes footage of Snoop Dogg with pets, including his reflections on being a devoted dog owner, Petco said in a press release. "My pets gotta look good, feel good, smell good," Snoop Dogg said. The campaign's first ad showcases Snoop Dogg as the human form of a Doberman Pinscher, a nod to the rapper's 1993 hit "Who Am I?

Persons: Snoop, Petco, Snoop Dogg, Katie Nauman, Ron Coughlin, Chewy Organizations: American Pet Products Association, U.S . Department of Labor, Vital Care

☆ Marlon Wayans was kicked off a United Airlines flight after a dispute over too many carry-on bags
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Actor Marlon Wayans complained about being kicked off a United Airlines flight on Friday. He said he had a dispute with a gate agent who told him to check in his carry-on bags. Actor Marlon Wayans said he was kicked off a United Airlines flight hours before he was due on stage over a dispute with a gate agent about checking in a bag. "I'm going to miss my shows tonight because of a gate agent at United Airlines," he said in the video. Wayans made three other Instagram posts about the incident, revealing that he made it to Kansas City on an American Airlines flight later that day.

Persons: Marlon Wayans, Wayans, Instagram, Bro, TMZ, Snoop Organizations: United Airlines, Denver, Kansas City, United, TMZ, Denver Police Department, American Airlines Locations: Denver, Kansas

☆ Chanel Takes Hollywood in a Return to Spectacle. Will It Pay Off?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Rory Satran | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chanel’s Los Angeles cruise fashion show was full of pink and sparkles. Photo: ChanelLOS ANGELES—After Tuesday’s Chanel cruise show at Paramount Studios, Dr. Birgit Scheuer Niro bopped to the beat of a live Snoop Dogg show in a pink-tweed midriff-baring suit, her blond hair in a high ponytail. “A real, real, real Beverly Hills housewife,” she said of her look—although in reality, she is a German physician based in Paris and specializing in breast-cancer screening. “It’s a serious profession, and my hobby is fashion,” said Dr. Scheuer Niro, a Chanel client important enough to receive a coveted invitation to the fashion show. “I always enjoy when I see other clients in the same outfit,” said the doctor, of a nearby client in the same pink Chanel cruise look.

☆ Bored Ape NFT creators win case against copycat artist
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Elle Reeve | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Crypto company Yuga Labs has won its claims of trademark infringement against artist Ryder Ripps who copied their NFTs in what he called a protest of their racially offensive imagery. Ripps told CNN he would appeal. But critics commented on social media that some of the Bored Apes contained what looked like references to posts on the website 4chan, which has become a hub of extremism, and pointed out that apes are an old trope in racist imagery. “Once the court adopted the plaintiff’s framing of the case, it was clear what was going to happen: the plaintiff wins everything basically,” he said. “There was an underlying really important point that the defendants are trying to make about the possibility that there was some kind of Nazi glorification in the overall collection NFT collection for the Bored Ape Yacht Club,” Goldman said.

[1/4] Sudanese cartoonist Khalid Albaih works at his home as a TV news broadcast shows images from Sudan, in Oslo, Norway April 20, 2023. "Art is needed in times like this because it is important to show people art is about hope, art is about showing there is a different way to talk about things," Albaih told Reuters. "Art is continuous resistance. Art is our way to continue fighting." Reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Snoop Dogg, his ape and a question of celebrity hype
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Elle Reeve | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The Bored Apes became some of the most famous NFTs after a series of celebrities said they got one. The Bored Ape crazeSnoop Dogg performs with his Bored Ape character, Dr. Bombay, in February 2023. He sold his versions as RR/BAYC with an accompanying website that detailed claims the Bored Apes contained references to racist memes on 4chan, a troll website. In March 2022, Snoop invested in Yuga Labs, and the month after, he invested in MoonPay. In the VMAs video, Eminem turns into a white ape wearing “hip hop clothes,” while Snoop becomes a cheetah-fur ape wearing a “pimp coat,” according to Yuga Labs’ description.

☆ Fugees rapper Pras Michel was 'willing to break any laws necessary to get paid' in alleged international fraud scheme, prosecutor said
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The conspiracy and fraud trial of American rapper Pras Michel kicked off on Thursday. Prosecutors alleged that Michel was involved in an international scheme to influence the US government. Michel is accused of working with Malaysian businessman and fugitive Jho Low. "Low had money to burn and the defendant was willing to cash in at any turn," Lockhart said. McMaster, casino mogul Steve Wynn, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in the 2013 film "The Wolf Of Wall Street" that Low helped fund.

☆ Snoop Dogg launches new coffee line INDOxyz inspired by trip to Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Rapper and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg is expanding his business empire yet again, this time branching out into a line of premium coffee products with beans sourced locally from Indonesia. “My relationship with coffee goes way back,” Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, said in the statement. “The many long nights in the studio making hit after hit, coffee provided the fuel which kept us going. Snoop’s coffee beans will be sourced from Gayo, a region in Aceh on the island of Sumatra. In addition to releasing more than a dozen studio albums and receiving multiple Grammy nominations as a rapper, Snoop Dogg has been expanding his business empire.

☆ TikTok is using SoundOn to take on the entire music industry as it queues up creator marketing and hires an A&R lead for North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The company is using its editorial influence on TikTok, Resso, and CapCut to promote SoundOn songs. Would it eventually roll out a standalone music streaming service, as a May 2022 trademark filing from its parent company ByteDance suggested? The company is now offering editorial placements to some SoundOn artists across TikTok, ByteDance's music streaming app Resso, and its video-editing app CapCut. These placements, which include being featured in high-traffic playlists, offer SoundOn users a unique path to being discovered. TikTok's parent ByteDance previously sought to hire for a similar A&R role in Jakarta, Music Business Worldwide reported in May.

☆ Apple backs new music startup
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 8 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is backing a music startup launched by one of its former executives. The company, called Gamma, is the brainchild of former Apple Music Global Creative Director Larry Jackson and veteran music executive Ike Youssef. "The artists shaping today's culture not only create music, but also video, film, podcasts, fashion, and more," Jackson said in a statement Wednesday. It also plans to collaborate with Todd Boehly's Eldridge, whose investments include the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is a major backer. Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How Jimmy Kimmel Fixed His Back Pain by Reading a Book
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Lane Florsheim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ debuted 20 years ago. Earlier this year, Jimmy Kimmel celebrated the 20th anniversary of his late-night talk show by having three of the guests who appeared on the very first episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live return: George Clooney, Snoop Dogg and Coldplay. There was one aspect of that 2003 taping, though, that Kimmel, 55, and his team definitely did not want to replicate. “Someone in the third row vomited right in the middle of the show,” says the comedian and host. “It’s funny because we’ve always assumed she was drunk, but I recently watched a tape of the first show and I’m not so sure.

☆ Nipsey Hussle's killer sentenced to at least 60 years in prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jorge Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Apu Gomes/Pool via REUTERSLOS ANGELES, Feb 22 (Reuters) - A California man was sentenced on Wednesday to at least 60 years in prison for the 2019 killing of Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle after a chance encounter in the south Los Angeles neighborhood where the men grew up. A jury had found Eric Holder Jr, 32, guilty of first-degree murder in July 2022 for fatally shooting Hussle outside a clothing store the rapper owned. Holder was ordered to serve an additional 10 years in prison for shooting two bystanders. Public defender Aaron Jansen acknowledged that Holder killed Hussle but argued that he should not be convicted of first-degree murder because he said the attack was not pre-meditated. Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Jorge Garcia in Los Angeles Editing by Leslie Adler, Matthew Lewis and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dogs Win the Super Bowl Ad Lineup, Surveys Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Patrick Coffee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The winner of USA Today’s annual Super Bowl Ad Meter was a commercial for dog-food delivery company Farmer’s Dog Inc. that tracked one chocolate Lab’s relationship with its owner from puppyhood to old age. The USA Today rankings had some overlap with other results. Research by Ace Metrix, a unit of TV ad measurement firm iSpot.tv Inc., crowned Jeep’s Super Bowl commercial as the most likable of the night. Jeep had the game’s most likable ad, according to Ace Metrix. “In past years, we’ve seen the majority of Super Bowl conversation generated in the weeks leading up to the Big Game,” a Mars spokeswoman said.

☆ Meet Justina Miles, Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show ASL performer
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As millions tune in to watch the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, this Sunday, Justina Miles will be making history. She will also be the first female deaf performer for the Super Bowl's halftime show. More than 120 million viewers watched the Super Bowl halftime show in 2022, which featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar. It was the first Super Bowl halftime show to feature ASL performers, including rappers Sean Forbes and Warren "WaWa" Snipe. Super Bowl pre-game coverages starts Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on Fox, and kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. EST.

☆ For fans Super Bowl no longer a game, it's an 'experience'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

PHOENIX, Feb 11 (Reuters) - In just a half-century of evolution the Super Bowl has gone from sports event, to America's biggest party, to a week long and very expensive immersive "experience". Next year it will almost certainly make another leap when "immersive experience" and "party" morph into one big Super Bowl supernova in Las Vegas, as Sin City hosts the game for the first time. "If you go back 10 years ago Super Bowl was only about the game and now it is much, much more," said Wilder. For John Wegman, a businessman from Rochester and a Buffalo Bills season ticket holder, seeing a Super Bowl was on his bucket list. "Super Bowl with my father, my mother, my brother was a bucket list thing and we are doing it in style."

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