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Essence Becomes 100 Percent Black-Owned

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essence woke issue 1

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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Drake Responds To Kendrick Lamar With New Diss ‘FAMILY MATTERS’

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Drake Responds To Kendrick Lamar With New Song ‘FAMILY MATTERS’ miixtapechiick
Carmen Mandato / Getty Images

It’s been an entertaining two weeks as Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been sparring in a lyrical battle.

Since Kendrick’s diss towards Drake on Metro Boomin and Future‘s We Don’t Trust You track, “Like That,” Drake returned fire with two diss tracks titled, “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Kendrick Lamar then returned with two tracks towards Drake titled, “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA.”

The two rappers aren’t done yet, as Drake has just released his response to Kendrick titled “Family Matters.” On the diss track, things get personal as Drake brings up Kendrick’s wife, Whitney Alford.

“Say you hate the girls I fuck but what you really mean / I been with Black and white and everything in between / You the Black messiah wifing up a mixed queen / And hit vanilla cream to help out with your self-esteem.”

Drake also implies that Kendrick’s kids aren’t his, but are actually Dave Free’s, Kendrick Lamar’s longtime creative partner.

“Why you never hold your son and tell him say cheese / We could have left the kids out of this don’t blame me,” he raps.

“Our sons should go play at the park / Two light-skinned kids, that shit would be cute / Unless you don’t want to be seen with anyone that’s Blacker than you”

Stream the diss below.

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

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Megan Thee Stallion's Lawyer Calls Harassment Lawsuit 'Salacious' miixtapechiick
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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Chance The Rapper Announces New Mixtape 'Star-Line' miixtapechiick
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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