Dear Mama: Afeni Shakur, mother of rapper Tupac Shakur, dies
By KRISTIN J. BENDER Afeni Shakur, the former Black Panther who inspired the work of her son, rap icon Tupac Shakur, and then fostered his legacy for decades after he…
Hip hop and rap
Rihanna, Shonda Rhimes, Clinton appear at Black Girls Rock!
By MESFIN FEKADU Pop star Rihanna and TV mogul Shonda Rhimes were among the honorees at this year’s Black Girls Rock! event, where Hillary Clinton made an appearance and told…
Kendrick the King: Rapper leads Grammys with 11 nominations
By MESFIN FEKADU Kendrick Lamar is the king of the Grammys: The rapper is the leading nominee for the 2016 awards with 11, including album of the year for “To…
Suge Knight, Katt Williams plead not guilty in robbery case
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY Former rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight and comedian Katt Williams have pleaded not guilty to robbery charges filed against them after a celebrity photographer accused them of…
Fetty Wap, year’s top newcomer, dominates in both rap, pop
By MESFIN FEKADU Fetty Wap has had a lot of success without the release of an album: The rapper-singer is enjoying another week with two songs in the Top 10…
High court throws out conviction for Facebook threats
By SAM HANANEL The Supreme Court on Monday threw out the conviction of a Pennsylvania man prosecuted for making threats on Facebook, but dodged the free-speech issues that had made…
Diddy talks ‘tasteful’ sex clip, new fragrance and Baltimore
By JOHN CARUCCI Sean “Diddy” Combs will be the first to tell you that he doesn’t launch brands, he launches lifestyles. So when it came time to promote his latest…
Jury hears closing arguments in ‘Blurred Lines’ case
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams lied about how they crafted the 2013 hit “Blurred Lines” and should be financially punished for using music…