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NBC News
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
When Diddy was a kingmaker
This is a free newsletter for Diddy on Trial newsletter subscribers. to get exclusive reporting and analysis throughout the trial. Hello from 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York. Diddy's criminal trial is set to begin with jury selection in 24 days, when this newsletter will move downtown to a federal courtroom in the Southern District of New York. If you have any questions or requests, drop us a line at diddyontrial@ In today's edition of Diddy on Trial, I survey the now-disgraced music mogul's 30-year career and vast cultural influence — a legacy tarnished by the allegations against him, which he has long denied. Plus, Chloe Melas gives us a window into the hip-hop mogul's state of mind. But first, here's a look at some developments in the trial. Diddy faces two additional charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to an updated indictment filed April 3. He'll be arraigned on the new charges April 25. Prosecutors accuse Diddy of a haunting act: dangling someone over a balcony. It's an allegation that's strikingly similar to an encounter alleged in separate lawsuits filed by two women. Janelle Griffith took a closer look. Diddy's lawyers asked a judge to prevent a clinical psychologist from testifying as an expert witness for the prosecution, arguing that Dawn Hughes' testimony is 'advocacy masquerading as expertise.' The view from Diddy's camp By Chloe Melas If convicted of the racketeering charge, Diddy could face up to life in prison. As the trial bears down on him, the gravity of the situation is setting in, those close to him say. 'He's trying to remain hopeful but the realization that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars has really hit him.' — Source close to Diddy Another source told me Diddy misses his family. 'He really misses his kids. They visit him every week,' the source said. Here's why Diddy was such a big deal By Daniel Arkin The world of hip-hop is filled with self-styled moguls and tastemakers. But there was a time when one man lorded over all the rest — Sean 'Diddy' Combs. In the 1990s and 2000s, few personalities swaggered through the music industry quite like Diddy. In his decades in the public eye, Diddy established himself as a multihyphenate cultural force, building an empire that has now come crashing down amid allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. Diddy founded the era-defining Bad Boy Records in 1993 and cultivated the talents of Mary J. Blige, Usher and the Notorious B.I.G. He was their producer and one-man hype machine. In the recording studio, Diddy seamlessly blended rap lyrics with catchy R&B samples, creating a new stylistic template for a generation of artists. He then pivoted to performing in his own right, pumping out popular tracks such as 'I'll Be Missing You,' 'Bump, Bump, Bump' and 'Shake Ya Tailfeather.' He topped the Billboard charts, racked up 14 career Grammy nominations, and earned a reputation as a savvy hitmaker. Diddy, driven by keen commercial instincts, helped push hip-hop firmly into the American mainstream. Diddy was not content with simply conquering entertainment. He cemented himself as a global lifestyle brand, launching ventures almost as often as he changed his stage name. He spearheaded the successful clothing label Sean John in 1998. He became 'brand ambassador' for the liquor company Cîroc. He presided over annual 'White Parties' in the Hamptons. He elevated trendy streetwear into symbols of aspirational luxury. 'He was an absolute curator of Black taste,' said Gerrick Kennedy, a freelance cultural critic who has covered Diddy for years. 'He had his finger on the pulse.' Diddy was no stranger to allegations of violence, too. In the decades before he became the focal point of a sweeping federal investigation, he faced legal action or settlement payments more than four dozen times, according to court documents reviewed by NBC News. Yet, through it all, he remained one of hip-hop's pre-eminent kingmakers — wealthy, powerful and feared. But that's all changed. Diddy is now just another inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he is awaiting the start of his trial. The allegations and charges against him have become inextricable parts of his public legacy. No matter the outcome of the trial, Diddy's time at the pinnacle of his profession is all but over.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lizzo Returns With New Single 'Love in Real Life' and Intimate Fan Shows
'Everything was so much simpler, and that's exactly what I need. No views, no likes, real love in real life,' Lizzo says to kick off her latest music video for her new single 'Love in Real Life.' The rock-inspired pop song is the Grammy-winning artist's first solo release in nearly three years; she hasn't released an album since 2022 but did participate in the 2023 Barbie soundtrack. 'Love in Real Life' will be featured on her upcoming album of the same name. More from The Hollywood Reporter The Vocal Coach Who Keeps Ariana Grande in Tune - and Taught Timothée Chalamet to Sing Notorious B.I.G. Catalog Sale in the Works (Exclusive) Blackpink Add Additional Shows to 10-City Summer 2025 Stadium World Tour In the song's music video, directed by Colin Tilley, the 36-year-old is decked out in a studded leather jacket, leaning into the 90s feel she seemingly took inspiration from. 'Love in Real Life' ends with a Michael Jackson-esque choreography sequence showing Lizzo leading a gaggle of dancers. The singer also announced a trio of shows 'to celebrate the start of this chapter,' according to a release. Lizzo is set to play The Wiltern in Los Angeles on March 12 before heading to New York on March 16 for a show at Irving Plaza. She'll finish at First Avenue in Minneapolis on March 18. Lizzo has been teasing new music for quite some time. On Feb. 13, she posted an Instagram video of herself spray painting and reciting 'Bye Bitch' over her 2022 album, Special, with a caption that read: 'End of an Era.' The singer first teased new music on a December episode of Keke Palmer's podcast, Baby, This is Keke Palmer. 'My album is done. I'm so happy. People thought that I was on a gap year but mama was in the studio,' Lizzo said on the episode. On that podcast, Lizzo also addressed the lawsuit filed against her by some of her tour dancers, who alleged they were sexually harassed and victims of a hostile workplace environment. 'I was literally living in my dream, and then the tour ended, and three ex-dancers just completely, like, blindsided me with a lawsuit,' she said. 'You can ask me anything about it because I got dismissed from the case,' Lizzo told Palmer. 'We're continuing to fight the other claims until they're all dismissed — not dropped, but dismissed,' she added, saying it was 'a big victory.' Presale for Lizzo's upcoming shows starts on March 5 and general sale begins on March 6. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2024: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo and More
New York Times
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Voletta Wallace, Mother Who Shaped the Notorious B.I.G.'s Legacy, Dies at 78
Voletta Wallace, the mother of the Brooklyn rapper the Notorious B.I.G., whose stewardship of her son's career and legacy after he was killed in 1997 helped cement him as a hip-hop icon, died on Friday. She was 78. Ms. Wallace had been in hospice care at her residence in Stroudsburg, Penn., according to a news release from the Monroe County coroner, Thomas Yanac, who confirmed the death, citing natural causes. A middle-class immigrant and single mother from Jamaica, Ms. Wallace was forced into the hip-hop spotlight after the Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace and also known as Biggie Smalls, died at 24 in a Los Angeles drive-by shooting. Biggie's death came just six months after the Las Vegas slaying of the rapper Tupac Shakur, a onetime friend turned bitter rival, with the killings abruptly ending a formative and fruitful moment in mainstream gangster rap amid a tangled East Coast-West Coast beef that went far beyond music. For decades, both cases remained unsolved, fueling an ongoing ecosystem of true-crime books, documentaries, articles and more that have attempted to explain the possible links between the two killings, including the involvement of national gangs and crooked cops. (In 2023, prosecutors in Las Vegas charged Duane Keith Davis, a former gang leader known as Keffe D, with murder in the Shakur case; he is set to stand trial later this year.) Ms. Wallace, a preschool teacher, took on the mantle of her son's career almost immediately. Biggie's second album, 'Life After Death,' came out two weeks after he died; six months later, Ms. Wallace accepted the MTV Video Music Award for best rap video ('Hypnotize'), telling the New York crowd, 'I know if my son was here tonight, the first thing he would've done is say big up to Brooklyn.' Two years later, she appeared alongside Afeni Shakur, Tupac's mother, at the same awards show, urging unity and the preservation of their sons' legacies. Ms. Wallace would go on to work with other mothers of musicians who died young through her Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation and its B.I.G. ('Books Instead of Guns') Night Out. 'All I want to do is put a book into a child's hand. Because books do not kill,' Ms. Wallace said in 2003. 'Books do not murder. But weapons do.' In 2002, Ms. Wallace and her son's widow, the singer Faith Evans, filed a wrongful-death suit against the city of Los Angeles, accusing the Los Angeles Police Department of covering up police involvement in the killing. A 2005 trial ended in a mistrial, with a judge ruling that the police had intentionally withheld evidence and ordering the city to pay the estate's legal fees. An amended version of the suit filed by Biggie's estate in 2007 estimated financial losses at $500 million. The case was dismissed in 2010 to avoid interfering with what the estate called a 'reinvigorated' criminal investigation. 'The family only wanted justice to be done,' a lawyer for the estate said at the time. Despite the lack of closure in the case, Ms. Wallace continued to spread the Notorious B.I.G.'s story across popular culture. She was credited as a producer — and played by Angela Bassett as 'a saint with a powerful tongue,' as one film review put it — in the 2009 biopic 'Notorious,' even coaching the actor, Jamal Woolard, who played her son. 'I felt like I sometimes intimidated him during the film,' Ms. Wallace said. 'I felt bad for that, but as a producer my job is to be there.' In a 2021 documentary, 'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell,' Ms. Wallace recalled her musical influence on her once-shy son from their days in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where he was exposed to a mix of reggae, jazz and — her personal favorite — country music. 'Ever since I was a little girl I liked stories,' Ms. Wallace said. 'When he was a little boy and was growing up, I always had the radio on and tuned in to the country music station. I love my Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. He listened to it all with me because he had no other choice.' Information on survivors to Ms. Wallace was not immediately available. For years, Ms. Wallace was a reliable presence alongside the music executive Sean Combs, known as Puff Daddy or Diddy, who helped discover Biggie and also shepherded his legacy after death. But she was unequivocal last year, as Mr. Combs was accused of widespread sexual abuse and indicted on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. 'I hope that I see Sean one day and the only thing I want to do is slap the daylights out of him. And you can quote me on that,' Ms. Wallace told Rolling Stone. 'Because I liked him. I didn't want to believe all the awful things, but I'm so ashamed and embarrassed.'
