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Essence Becomes 100 Percent Black-Owned

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Essence, Inc. has officially ventured off from TIME Inc. and has been acquired by the founder of Shea Moisture, Richelieu Dennis, making the publication company 100% black-owned. Making it the first time in almost two decades, the announcement was made via Essence Ventures, a company launched last year by Dennis who sealed the deal last Wednesday.

“[W]e are excited to be able to return this culturally relevant and historically significant platform to ownership by the people and the consumers whom it serves, and offer new opportunities for the women leading the business to also be partners in the business,” said Richelieu Dennis.

Created in 1970, Essence is a magazine that dedicates itself solely to African American women. The company sold 49 percent of its shares to TIME, Inc. in 2000 while the remaining 51 percent was sold to the media company in 2005.

“This acquisition of ESSENCE represents the beginning of an exciting transformation of our iconic brand as it evolves to serve the needs and interests of multigenerational Black women around the world in an even more elevated and comprehensive way across print, digital, e-commerce and experiential platforms,” said ESSENCE President Michelle Ebanks. “In addition, it represents a critical recognition, centering and elevation of the Black women running the business from solely a leadership position to a co-ownership position.”

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Megan Thee Stallion’s Lawyer Calls Harassment Lawsuit ‘Salacious’

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STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP via Getty Images

Megan Thee Stallion‘s lawyer, Alex Spiro, addressed the lawsuit filed by Megan Thee Stallion’s former cameraman Emilio Garcia, alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. Spiro, in a statement to Page Six on Tuesday (April 23), dismissed the lawsuit as an opportunistic money grab and characterized it as an attempt to tarnish his client’s reputation.

“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” he said. “We will deal with this in court.”

The suit details an incident where Garcia allegedly found himself trapped in a moving SUV with Megan whileshe engaged in sexual activity with another woman during their time in Ibiza, Spain.

According to court documents, “The following day, STALLION inquired whether PLAINTIFF was in the SUV the previous night. PLAINTIFF confirmed that he was in the SUV. Subsequently, STALLION instructed, ‘Don’t ever discuss what you saw.’ STALLION berated and directed her fat-shaming comments towards PLAINTIFF such as ‘Fat Bitch,’ ‘Spit your food out,’ and that ‘You don’t need to be eating.’”

Garcia is seeking compensation of over six figures, Garcia’s lawsuit requests unpaid wages, overtime pay, and other benefits as per California labor laws, along with statutory penalties and punitive damages.

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Chance The Rapper Announces New Mixtape ‘Star Line’

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Nolis Anderson

Chance The Rapper quietly revealed his upcoming mixtape, “Star Line,” via Instagram. In his bio, he simply stated, “Working on my mixtape it’s called Star Line.” The project will feature collaborations with notable artists like Lil Wayne, DJ Premier, Lil Yachty, and more.

On X (formerly Twitter), Chance shared a teaser clip featuring appearances from Wayne, Preemo, Lil Yachty, Jermaine Dupri, T-Pain, Jazze Pha, and Vic Mensa. Additionally, he gave fans a sneak peek of a new track titled “Buried Alive” and polled them on whether he should drop a music video for it.



“Star Line” marks Chance The Rapper’s follow-up to his 2019 album, “The Big Day.”

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Saweetie Posts Receipts of Quavo Sliding into DMs Following New Chris Brown Diss

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Saweetie took to social media Tuesday morning that her ex-boyfriend Quavo reached out to her via direct messages, following his mention of her in his latest diss track aimed at Chris Brown, titled “Over Hoes & B-tches.”

In the song, Quavo raps, “I can take a model chick and make a Saweetie, n-gga,” which Saweetie didn’t take lightly. She shared a screenshot from January 2024, showing Quavo’s message on Instagram, which she hadn’t opened. The preview read, “Damn. We used to mean af to each…” Saweetie’s caption for the screenshot humorously suggested she hopes the model Quavo compares to her.



This exchange coincided with Saweetie attending a USC game with Chris Brown.



The history between Saweetie and Quavo dates back to their relationship from 2018 to 2021, which ended amid allegations of infidelity on Quavo’s part. Chris Brown didn’t hesitate to leverage their past relationship in his own diss track, “Weakest Link,” claiming to have been involved with Saweetie while she was still with Quavo.

“You fucked my ex-ho, that’s cool, I don’t give no fuck, lil n-gga/ ‘Cause I fucked yo’ ex when you were still with her, bitch, I’m up, lil n-gga,” he rapped.

Quavo previously dated Brown’s ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran, who filed for a restraining order against Brown after their breakup in 2017.

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