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Cosmopolitan
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
JT's Solo Era: From City Girls to Cultural Icon
'I am not into the shit y'all think I'm into.' Rap star JT1 is lounging on a couch in her stylist's Lower Manhattan wardrobe studio. It's the night before her Cosmopolitan cover shoot and nearly a dozen people move through the room, sidestepping racks of clothes and shoes stacked to the ceiling. But she isn't actually addressing any of us—that pointed 'y'all' is directed at her haters. Or more specifically, at the people who refuse to accept her growth, those who can't move beyond the 20-something member of the hip-hop duo City Girls they first encountered years ago. Back then, JT was hungry for stardom, a bit gritty. 'I'm really just not in that era no more,' she confesses. 1. Full name: Jatavia Johnson. We might be cousins! (You never know, right?)Make no mistake, she's not disparaging her early career or City Girls, which she founded with Yung Miami. When they really took off in 2018, they were the biggest female rappers to come out of Miami-Dade County since Trina, and their impact on music and culture has been undeniable. If you ever verbally punctuate a sentence, a point, or a cosign with 'period,' you have them to thank. If you go to a party or club where Southern hip-hop is played, you'll undoubtedly find yourself screaming the lyrics to their hit 'Act Up' at some point in the night. City Girls' 2023 album RAW, anchored by their hit 'Good Love' featuring Usher, was their final project together. 'It's not what I wanted, but it was what was destined to happen,' says JT about their split. 'But I don't feel regretful about it. I feel happy, in control, and like I'm where I'm supposed to be.' These days, that might include a few hours of coquettish leisure in Central Park. JT has plans to get a bike at some point, she says, and take an unhurried afternoon ride. (The bike must have a basket, she specifies, for the vibes.) Her excitement is so palpable, I want to grab a tiny bit of it for myself, to tuck away for the next time I need a pick-me-up. It's at once totally endearing and completely different from what I'd expected. When you grow up with an artist—especially during the trials and tribulations of your 20s—it's easy to lock them into a fixed time and perception. But it's also unfair. I had this realization in real time during our interview and had to adjust accordingly. Because while JT's early music absolutely found its audience, and many of her OG fans, myself included, still feel deeply connected to that version of her, she's ready to evolve. She wants her fans (including her 7 million Instagram followers) to see this new side of her, one that looks softer, moves steadier, and feels more settled, and to join her for the ride. 'I'm really ready to push myself to take them into another world,' she says. 'We've been at the club together—let's go somewhere else.' I got a preview of JT 2.0 this past winter. It was Valentine's Day Eve in New York City, at The Standard Hotel High Line's BOOM. Hundreds of revelers had gathered for Cosmopolitan's inaugural Love Ball. JT glided through the sea of partygoers toward the VIP section like a swan in open water: serenely poised, in her quintessential full glam,2 possessing the kind of pinup-girl pretty that makes you stare at someone for way longer than is socially acceptable. 2. That night, it was sandy brown hair down to her butt, cleavage up to her chin, and a minidress straight off the runway. Then came her performance. With a yellow Hermès Kelly on her arm, JT stepped onto the bar3 and moved across the glossy wood with intention, maybe even a hint of demureness, while rapping 'Okay' and 'JT Coming.'4 At one point, she expertly slipped out of her pink vinyl stiletto mules, à la Patti LaBelle, and finished her set barefoot. At minimum, it was a master class in reading the room, in demonstrating that not every setting calls for the same kind of showwomanship. But more than that, it felt like a revelation: This was JT in her solo era. 3. With the help of an extra-buff bodyguard who lifted up her 5'2" frame. 4. Sample lyrics: 'You know I'm vicious / Fenty lip gloss and I'm blowin' kisses / Pullin' up with forty bitches....I'm never tired of Birkins / Add a Louis lingerie and Fendi curtains.' 'I'm in a good place with myself,' JT says now, making this all make sense. 'People think that I'm talking about material things when I say that, but no. I just wake up so beautiful and excited. I just know that everything that I want to happen is already waiting on me.' In other words, the self-professed rap diva has range and has been showing it off in this latest chapter. So far, that includes preparing to put out new music this summer, recently dropping 'Ran Out' remixed by Kaytranada, having an ultra-viral TikTok and Reels track with 'Okay,' and releasing the July 2024 mixtape City Cinderella that cemented her solo artist status. The latter, a kind of reintroduction that offers a deeper sense of who she is, left her firmly rooted in this new world but with her core self still fully intact. 'I've always been who I am, which is a very powerful, talented, vocal, say-what-the-fuck-I-want-to say person,' she explains. 'I never not did what the fuck I wanted to do.' If there's one ideal quality to be consistent about, it might just be that. I'm always challenging myself, trying to be what the powerful women before me were. All the real icons really cared about the vision, the art, what they were putting out in the world. I want people to look back at my looks in 20 years and be like, 'She was so fab. She was so diva.' Like, 'Oh my god, remember JT?' I don't want to be dressed down no more. I want to get onstage in a gown and rock out. I want to be the moodboard.5 5. At a recent performance at Brown University (like we said, the girl has range), JT wore a flowy white number that had fans referencing the viral 'She was a fairy!' meme. I spent a lot of time with myself a couple years ago, and I was like, Outside of rap—because I'm an excellent rapper—what else about yourself do you think? And I was like, I really do love beauty and fashion….We don't have many options in Miami because it's hot, but Miami people are going to be in their known designer. We always look like we got our income tax down there, I swear to God. My boyfriend6 is from Philly, so we've always had this dynamic when it comes to fashion. I remember the first outfit I ever pulled up on my boyfriend in: I wore this Chanel set, these Chanel sneakers, and a Chanel cardigan. I think I was tea, still to this day. I wish I could call him right now because he always makes fun of that outfit. 6. JT has been dating rapper Lil Uzi Vert for six years. The way she gushes (and literally blushes) while talking about him will make you believe in love again. But I know I was eating. That is just the style of Miami. We are very designer happy. So when people say, 'You was never a fashion girl…,' I always had shit. People get a misconception because the biggest thing they know about me, the most publicized thing, is my mug shots.7 7. JT spent two years in prison for credit card fraud. What has it been like to navigate that? I remember the embarrassment—imagine being this hood It Girl and then you got this terrible mug shot. When they posted it, I was already embarrassed, right? So once I got famous and people posted it, I was like, 'That's really the only read people have on me.' Now, though, I love my mug shots because they tell a story; they're eras. They show me how far I came, and it's just so beautiful to see what you could become. I think so. You can work hard, but you don't have to fight. Meaning, you can work hard and fight hard for what you want, but if you really believe that something is for you, it's going to be there for you. Everything that I ever wanted—even down to Cosmopolitan8—I wanted to do that. I remember saying to friends, 'I want to be a model.' And it's like, Girl, you 5'2", what makes you think that you can do that? But I just put myself in that narrative and in that space. 8. 'Growing up, I would see all the It Girls in Cosmo,' she later adds. 'The one that comes to mind was when Mariah Carey was standing next to her cover at a reveal party.' I'm not married yet, but we definitely are going to marry each other. That's my best friend. That's my dog. Uzi is such a cool person. We've been together since 2019, so we've been growing together. We just look at each other and are like, Damn, we really cool. We really know each other. We really can exist and still like each other. It's beyond love. He be wanting me to come hang with him. I'm like, 'Boy, we live together—why do you want me to come to the studio and hang with you?' He likes me. He likes me. It was October 2019. He was like, 'Let's make a song.' It was very business, very professional. I was like, 'What do you want with me?' Not me dissing him but basically dissing myself. He had fit pics and was flexing.9 I thought he was out of my league, to be honest. I was fresh out of jail, I didn't have my BBL yet—I was just jail thick. Then we just connected right away. I was in a halfway house and used to talk to him so much. And when I met him, he was such a good time. It was nothing I never experienced. 9. 'I remember I had a magazine of Uzi when I was in prison. I loved this magazine. I want to say it was Rolling Stone, but he was in a grocery store and he had these two braids going to the back. I thought he was the coolest person ever, but did I think that six years later I would be dating him? No.' Like I can do and be anything. He tells me when he thinks stuff is cool and when he doesn't. Every day, Uzi is fresh; he goes to sleep fresh. That is a clean motherfucker. He carries himself like a star. I really admire that about him because he will take so much from the outside world, and I'm always going to be the one to defend him because he's not going to do it—he's very older star in that way. He does not like me to argue on the internet, but I think he's come to know that I'm going to do it anyway. And he just got to take me as who I am and love me for me. My man knows me like a book. It cannot be ghetto. It cannot be nobody with no ugly outfits. It can't be nobody standing in the way with too many phones. It needs to be very elegant. I need to have soft glam, short nails. Because imagine me doing like this10 with it—no. It don't have to be as big as my wedding is going to be, but it needs to be aesthetically pleasing. 10. She holds out her hand with perfectly manicured extra-long, pale-pink stiletto nails as if she's showing off an engagement ring. No, and I kind of don't want it to be on Instagram after. I don't want my engagement to be announced on The Shade Room. I don't want that energy. Oh my god, I would die. 'Uzi proposed to JT,' and the people come. This is not for y'all. Yes. I want it to be how Beyoncé did it, with a little video of it and the people see it years later. Let's keep some things to ourselves. Anybody who was ever in a group will say how hard it is to go into a solo career. I feel like we were doing our own thing for so long and it was like—and I don't mean this harshly—but it was bound to happen. I started City Cinderella in March of 2024. People think I was working on this project for years but it was a very quick turnaround. I felt a lot of pressure, I didn't even have a real chance to perfect it. Every day, I'm working to fight a narrative. I'm fighting to be myself versus what the consumer who knows me from back then wants me to be. If, when I put new music out, my first fan is like, 'What the fuck is this?' I'm ready for that. If only 10 people resonate with the song, these are my 10. If only 30 people resonate, there's my 30. It just felt so beautiful. I wrote 'Hope' myself. I wanted an opening track that talked more about me and where I come from. When I become the megastar that I will be, I want people to be able to go back to City Cinderella and feel a sense of nostalgia and a sense of, 'Wow, she sounded like this before?' I grew up in a time when people were still working off of the structure of 'My kid has to be something.' My dad forced track and cheering on me—I did the shot put, long jump, 800, and 1600. It was torture; there was no joy. It was just another outlet for me to get in trouble. I've always been mouthy, problematic, and in charge. I never thought rapping would be it, though. My dad is the reason that I got into music, too. I don't know who inspired him—maybe Joe Jackson—to think that he was going to have this supergroup11 of kids. It was like, 'Sir, relax.' Fame was not really my choice of words growing up—the word 'popular' was. Every year, my New Year's resolution was to be popular. I was always hood popular, but I wanted to be worldwide popular, like what I am now. 11. JT and her 16 brothers and sisters had a family band called The Protegees. 'I had this song—it's called 'Daddy Can I Get a Tattoo?' I just always wanted to be on my own.' I'm so into it, just so happy about it. I remember when I first started rapping and we rented this Rolls-Royce to go to the club. I own a Rolls-Royce now, and it is just like, Girl, what? Look at you. It's just different to see everything come to life. I just love where I'm at right now. I'm just naturally a shit-talking person. I'm cocky and confident, and I put that inside of my music in a world that tells us we shouldn't be. People be swearing, 'Oh, she thinks she's bigger than the program.' I hate when people say that—bitch, I am the program. I make music for the divas, the It Girls, and the gays. They want so much for themselves. I see them elevating, I see them sending me their graduation announcements. My fans are at work, they're at school, they're handling their business. I have a little army of smart kids and I'm like, 'Look at y'all.' I don't even want you to be my fan if you're not doing shit with yourself. I do not make music for none of these raggedy-ass bitches.12 Why would you ever get online and tell me how I should live my life or how I should do anything when your shit ain't together? You mean to tell me you care more about me than you care about yourself? Something ain't right. My music can never resonate to you. 12. After JT said this with a lot of emphasis, she looked me square in the eye and added, 'Please put that in there.' I do want a Grammy before it's all said and done. But even if I never get a Grammy in my life, I'm still going to feel like I'm successful. And you know what I will do? Get one of those humanitarian awards for doing something really good for the community. My calling is to really build community for children who want to be something but don't have that many options, who don't have a choice because a lot of people don't have one, like how I told you I didn't. That's what 'Hope' was really for. I know there are so many people who are young and lost and probably don't think they're ever going to be nothing, but you could be. It ain't impossible. (Title Image) All-In sweater and skirt, shoes from Albright Fashion Library, Swarovski sunglasses, Nicole Rose Jewelry earrings, Tarina Tarantino ring. (Cover Image) David Koma top, Norma Kamali swimsuit, René Caovilla shoes, Nickho Rey bracelets. Styled by Briana Andalore. Hair by Tevin Washington and Dylan Silver for True Indian Hair. Makeup by Eden Lattanzio for MAC Cosmetics. Manicure by Tiana 'Tiny' Hardy. Shot on location at Ocean Casino Resort.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs and Cassie Ventura: Their complete relationship timeline
Cassie Ventura endured a tumultuous, decade-long relationship with Sean 'Diddy' Combs before calling it quits in 2018. After the on-again, off-again couple ended their romance, the 'Me & U' singer moved on with Alex Fine. Ventura married the personal trainer in 2019, going on to welcome daughters Frankie and Sunny. Combs, for his part, went on to date City Girls rapper Yung Miami and welcome a baby girl with Dana Tran. In 2023, Ventura felt 'finally ready to tell [her] story' and filed an explosive lawsuit accusing the record producer of sex trafficking, rape and physical abuse, which he denied. Take a look back at the exes' time together below. Combs met Ventura in 2005 when she was 19, one year before the singer's self-titled debut album was released under Bad Boy Records. The rapper was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Kim Porter at the time, with whom he shared three kids prior to her 2018 death. However, the exes broke up in 2007 after he welcomed a daughter with Sarah Chapman. That same year, Combs sparked romance rumors with Ventura as the duo were often photographed on red carpets together. After many outings, the pair seemingly confirmed their romance by sitting side by side at Kanye West's Paris Fashion Week show in 2012. Ventura claimed in her lawsuit that around this time, she and Combs were actually on a break and he was so 'enraged' by her budding romance with Kid Cudi that he threatened to 'blow up' the 'Day 'n' Nite' rapper's car. 'Around that time, Kid Cudi's car exploded in his driveway,' Cassie's court documents alleged — which Cudi told the New York Times was 'true.' Ventura and Combs sparked engagement speculation in February 2014 when the Grammy winner posted a picture of a diamond ring that his then-girlfriend was later spotted sporting. 'Baby do you like it?' he captioned the Instagram upload at the time. 'I just want to get you wat [sic] you Like! I just wanna [make] you smile #takeDat!' Combs and the model never addressed whether a proposal took place. In December 2015, Ventura posted — and deleted — an Instagram photo of a resting baby, writing, 'How I sleep … knowing that I'm single and nobody cheating on me.' Breakup rumors swirled the following summer when a source told Page Six that Ventura 'was acting very much like a single woman' at a party. TMZ also reported that an 'explosive argument' had taken place between the two in August 2016. However, the couple subsequently reconciled. Combs gave a glimpse into his relationship dynamic in a 2016 'Breakfast Club' interview, saying, '25 percent of your time, you're gonna just feel like, 'Aw man, I hate being here, this guy, aw man, he cheated on me, he lied on me.' 'But then there's 75 percent of 'I'ma make you the happiest woman in the whole wide world,'' he continued. ''And I promise you'll smile the most.'' Combs made a rare comment about Ventura on the same radio show in January 2018 while talking about his plans to give Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D'Lila and Jessie a sibling. 'I'm trying to get to 10. It's a race,' he told 'Breakfast Club' listeners. 'Whatever is supposed to happen in the future is going to happen, but that's something that I want.' The 'Coming Home' rapper clarified, 'I would only have [more kids] with my girl, of course.' The news of Ventura and Combs' breakup came to light in October 2018, shortly after he was spotted romancing model Jocelyn Chew. 'They are indeed no longer together and haven't been for months,' her rep revealed in a statement at the time. The duo's last public appearance together was at the May 2018 Met Gala. Despite Ventura writing 'F–k these hoes' via Instagram after splitting from Combs, she and the songwriter appeared friendly after she announced her engagement and first pregnancy with Fine in 2019. 'Congratulations @Cassie and Alex,' Combs captioned a photo of the couple. 'I wish you all nothing but love and happiness.' He concluded, 'God bless L O V E.' In Ventura's November 2023 court documents, obtained by Page Six, she accused Combs of forcing his way into her home and raping her toward the end of their romance. She also claimed that Combs made her perform sex acts on male prostitutes while being filmed, also alleging that he had 'frequently beat [her] savagely.' 'She again and again tried to escape his tight hold over her life,' the lawsuit stated. 'Every time she hid, Mr. Combs's vast network of corporations and affiliated entities found her, and those who worked for Mr. Combs's companies implored her to return.' While Combs' lawyer claimed Ventura had demanded $30 million from the rapper in 'persistent … blatant blackmail,' her attorney said she 'rejected' Combs' alleged offer of 'eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit.' In a statement to Page Six, Ventura said, 'After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story, and to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships. 'With the expiration of New York's Adult Survivors Act fast approaching, it became clear that this was an opportunity to speak up about the trauma I have experienced and that I will be recovering from for the rest of my life.' When Combs' Miami and Los Angeles homes were raided by Homeland Security in March 2024, Ventura's attorney reacted. 'We will always support law enforcement when it seeks to prosecute those that have violated the law,' Douglas Wigdor told Page Six in a statement. 'Hopefully, this is the beginning of a process that will hold Mr. Combs responsible for his depraved conduct.' Combs was arrested in September 2024 on sex-trafficking charges, to which he pleaded not guilty, and held in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. In May 2024, CNN obtained disturbing surveillance footage showing Combs beating, dragging and throwing an object at Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Calif., on March 5, 2016. Ventura previously detailed the incident in her lawsuit, claiming Combs had become 'extremely intoxicated and punched [her] in the face, giving her a black eye' before she escaped to her apartment. In response to the 'gut-wrenching video' leaking, Ventura's lawyer, Wigdor, told Page Six that it 'only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs,' who did not immediately respond. Combs' sex-trafficking trial kicked off in New York City in May 2025, and Ventura, who was pregnant with baby No. 3 at the time, was referenced multiple times ahead of her testimony. Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson said in her opening statement that a male escort was once forced to urinate in Ventura's mouth while she choked during a 'Freak-Off' party, while witness Daniel Phillip testified that he was paid up to $6,000 to sleep with Ventura as Combs masturbated. A security guard later spoke about the 2016 hotel beating caught on camera, claiming Combs subsequently threw 'a sack of money' at him with the chilling three-word threat, 'Don't tell anyone.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lil Uzi Vert rushed to hospital after sudden illness
Lil Uzi Vert was reportedly rushed to hospital after falling ill earlier this week. According to TMZ, paramedics responded to a call for a "sick person" at a building in Lower Manhattan, New York on Monday afternoon. The rapper - who identifies as gender non-conforming and uses they/them pronouns - was then transported in an ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. Footage obtained by the outlet shows Uzi's girlfriend, former City Girls rapper JT, accompanying them in the vehicle. Security guards held up umbrellas in front of the ambulance in an attempt to protect the hip-hop star's identity. Editors believe Uzi, real name Symere Woods, is still in hospital. Representatives for the 29-year-old have not yet commented on the report and details of their illness remain unclear. Uzi released their fourth solo studio album, Eternal Atake 2, in 2024.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lil Uzi Vert Rushed to NYC Hospital, Here's What We Know
Fans are sending prayers and well wishes after Lil Uzi Vert was unexpectedly rushed to the hospital. The rapper was taken to a local New York City hospital after paramedics arrived at his hotel. Medical assistance was called to treat a 'sick person' on Monday (April 22), according to TMZ. Witnesses at the scene said Uzi — real name Symere Bysil Woods — was escorted out the lobby using a wheelchair and into the back of an ambulance. Sources told TMZ Uzi was conscious when he was wheeled off around 2:30 p.m. Uzi's girlfriend, JT of the former rap group City Girls, was reportedly there with him when everything went down. It's unclear if she was the one who called for the ambulance. A video obtained by TMZ showed the moment Woods was loaded into the back of the ambulance. He was surrounded by security who held black umbrellas up to help protect his privacy. The 'Just Wanna Rock' rapper was eventually taken to the emergency room and kept overnight, according to reports. He was still in the hospital Tuesday (April 23) morning, and it's unclear when he'll be released. With all the worry surrounding Uzi's health, fans and supporters took to social media to share their thoughts and prayers for the rapper. On X, @FTB2023 wrote 'prayers for uzi, used to listen to him all the time.' Another user, @sorawlr, said 'this makes me sick man, i really hope everything is okay.' Details concerning Uzi's current condition or why he was admitted to the hospital remain unclear. To help ease growing concerns from fans, producer Ike Beatz, who worked with Uzi on several records including 'The Way Life Goes,' took to socials to share he has spoken with the Philly rapper. According to him, Uzi is doing 'alright.' This comes just one week after another rapper, Lil Nas X, was hospitalized for facial paralysis. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What Happened to Lil Uzi Vert? Hospitalization Report Explained
Rapper Lil Uzi Vert's sudden hospitalization in New York City has raised new questions after eyewitness footage and emergency response details surfaced. As reports confirm the star was rushed from a Manhattan condo to the ER, fans and media outlets are closely watching for updates. The incident has intensified concern about the rapper's health and well-being. Here's what happened to Lil Uzi Vert. Lil Uzi Vert fell ill at a luxury condominium in Lower Manhattan on April 21, 2025. Paramedics transported the rapper to a hospital in New York City. They responded to an EMS call for a 'sick person' and arrived that afternoon. Around 2.30 p.m. ET, they wheeled Lil Uzi Vert out on a gurney and loaded them into an ambulance. Security and the rapper's girlfriend, former City Girls member JT, used black umbrellas to shield them from view during the transport. According to TMZ's sources, Lil Uzi Vert was conscious while they were taken to the hospital. Paramedics then took them to the emergency room. Medical staff kept the rapper overnight. By the next morning, they remained hospitalized. Officials have not disclosed the cause of the illness or shared an update on their condition. TMZ obtained footage showing emergency responders assisting someone believed to be Lil Uzi Vert. The outlet reported that the incident took place in Lower Manhattan and noted that the rapper's team has not yet issued a public statement. The 29-year-old singer has not released any solo material in 2025. They appeared on Skrilla's 'Walking Dead' in February. In 2024, they released Eternal Atake 2, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned 59,000 album-equivalent units in its first week (via Billboard). In early 2025, Uzi made headlines with a social media post about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. They wrote, 'diamonds are better lil big bro,' alongside a photo of Hurts. The quarterback has not responded. The post What Happened to Lil Uzi Vert? Hospitalization Report Explained appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
