Soulja Boy walked free Tuesday (August 5) after prosecutors in Los Angeles declined to pursue charges tied to his weekend arrest for allegedly possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
“A case was declined due to insufficient evidence,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in an email to Rolling Stone. Jail records show the 35-year-old rapper was released shortly before 2 p.m. local time.
The arrest happened early Sunday (August 3) after Los Angeles police pulled over a car Soulja Boy, born DeAndre Cortez Way, was riding in. Officers booked him on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to an LAPD spokesperson. Authorities did not provide details about what prompted the traffic stop.
The stop occurred near Melrose Avenue, not far from the storefront for Way’s SODMG clothing brand.
The arrest added to a growing list of legal issues for the “Crank That” rapper. In April, a jury awarded $4 million in damages to a former girlfriend who accused him of assault, sexual battery and harassment. He was also convicted in 2014 for carrying a loaded weapon in a vehicle following an arrest in the San Fernando Valley.
He has yet to publicly comment on the latest incident.
Soulja Boy rose to fame in 2007 with his viral hit single “Crank That (Soulja Boy),” which became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and sparked a widespread dance craze.
Soulja Boy was among the first artists to leverage the power of social media platforms like MySpace and YouTube to promote his music, helping to shift how the music industry discovered and marketed talent.
His debut album, Souljaboytellem.com, helped define the sound and style of late-2000s rap.
Beyond music, Soulja Boy has pursued entrepreneurial ventures, including fashion lines, video game consoles, and tech investments. Despite ongoing debates over his legacy, Soulja Boy remains an influential and controversial figure known for his innovation in music promotion and digital branding.
Diddy is still banking on a presidential lifeline from Donald Trump, even though Trump basically said he was not going to pardon the disgraced mogul.
Diddy’s legal team, led by Marc Agnifilo and lawyer Nicole Westmoreland, among others, has been quietly pushing for a pardon behind the scenes.
When CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister asked Westmoreland whether anyone from Diddy’s camp had reached out to Trump’s team, she didn’t dodge it.
“Yes. My understanding is that we have reached out,” Westmoreland said.
That’s despite Trump telling Newsmax it’s “more likely a ‘no’” when asked if he’d pardon Diddy, who was cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering but was convicted on two prostitution-related counts earlier this month.
Donald Trump didn’t totally slam the door, but he made it clear things are complicated.
“He essentially, I guess, is sort of half-innocent. It makes it more difficult to proceed,” Trump said. And while he admitted he and Diddy were cool back in the day, he said things got weird once he started running for office.
“When I ran for office, he was very hostile,” Trump said. “It’s hard, you know, like, we’re human beings… and he made some terrible statements.”
His lawyers wanted him out until sentencing, promising he’d stay at his Miami mansion and only travel to New York for court hearings. Judge Subramanian wasn’t buying it.
Diddy has some hope, since Trump hasn’t made a final call yet. He’s waiting on more info before making a move. That includes the outcome of Diddy’s sentencing, which is locked in for October 3.
Bill and Hillary Clinton were among nearly a dozen high-profile figures subpoenaed Tuesday (August 5) by House Republicans as part of an intensifying congressional investigation into the Justice Department’s handling of the late Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking case.
The House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas to former president Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ex-FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller and six former attorneys general. The committee is demanding testimony and documents related to the federal government’s prosecution of Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said the move came just days after Department of Justice officials questioned Maxwell, who’s currently serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Texas for conspiring to sexually abuse minors.
“The facts and circumstances surrounding both Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s cases have received immense public interest and scrutiny,” Comer wrote in the subpoena letters. “While the Department undertakes efforts to uncover and publicly disclose additional information related to Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell’s cases, it is imperative that Congress conduct oversight of the federal government’s enforcement of sex trafficking laws generally and specifically its handling of the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell.”
If Clinton complies, he would become only the fifth former U.S. president to testify before Congress. But legal experts are skeptical. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the New York Post he would be “very surprised” if Clinton appeared at the scheduled October 14 hearing, adding that Clinton and the former attorneys general could invoke executive privilege to avoid testifying.
The renewed scrutiny follows a controversial two-page memo released by the DOJ and FBI on July 6, which concluded there was no “client list” tied to Epstein’s criminal enterprise. The memo stated a “systematic review” of evidence found “no credible evidence” that Epstein blackmailed powerful individuals or that any uncharged third parties could be investigated.
Still, the memo acknowledged that Epstein’s crimes affected “over one thousand victims.”
Epstein, 66, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell on August 10, 2019, according to multiple independent and federal investigations. His death, combined with his ties to celebrities, politicians and business leaders, has fueled years of public suspicion and conspiracy theories.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, appointed by Donald Trump, previously said in February that a client list was “sitting” on her desk and that the FBI’s New York office held “thousands of pages of documents related to the investigation and indictment of Epstein.”
On July 17, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.” He added, “This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!”
Public dissatisfaction with the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein case remains high. A Quinnipiac University poll in July found that more than 60% of voters disapproved of the administration’s management of the so-called “Epstein files,” while only 17 percent approved.
WWE Raw didn’t just pull up to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Monday night (August 4)—they brought the block with them. What looked like a wrestling event on the surface quickly morphed into a cultural mash-up that only Netflix could engineer: Hip-Hop royalty and sports entertainment under one energized, crazy roof.
Method Man strolled in like he owned the arena. This was no act of arrogance on his side. No, it was simply the quiet, powerful presence he wields. Havoc of Mobb Deep brought that Queensbridge cool and was very low key. Joe Budden simply observed as he seemed to familiarize himself with this strange, new world. Dave East leaned into the spectacle. Renowned bassist and musical director Adam Blackstone and other cultural connectors gathered near the floor seats for what felt like an unannounced rap night at Raw. I was ringside representing AllHipHop. When I was informed that I was ringside, I didn’t fully grasp what this meant. I’ve been ringside for boxing matches, but this was very different.
Traditionally, Hip-Hop and wrestling haven’t always shared the same stage. Netflix is changing that in a lot of ways. The company, which began streaming WWE Raw in 2025 under a billion-dollar deal, seems determined to bring the worlds together. The streaming giant is actively inviting influencers, artists and cultural figures to attend WWE events. But they aren’t just observing…they are experiencing. For many of them, this was their first time this close to the squared circle, and the reactions are priceless.
One rapper’s face lit up like a child watching fireworks when a wrestler got slapped across the chest right in front of him. One person said, “I thought this was fake! But that spit was real” as a wrestler was seemingly struck in the face. Someone else gasped watching sweat literally fly off a wrestler’s body from the impact. The close-up perspective destroys that age-old myth. You see the welts, red marks and exhaustion. Sure, it’s entertainment, but this isn’t pretend. It was incredibly fun and completely different than the in-lounge experience.
Fashion, as always, added its own flair. More than one onlooker was caught off guard by some of the outfits, prompting a few crowd-worthy pause moments that drew hearty laughs. Still, it was refreshing to see artists kick back, laugh and just be themselves. There were no entourages, no true mic moments— just wrestling and good vibes.
Then there was the bodega. Everybody loves the bodega.
Netflix’s advocates understand the soul of New York City. Only a company with deep, deep pockets and good cultural consultants could do the now-infamous “Netflix Bodega.” Think of a VIP suite transformed into a corner store, but curated. We’re talking air freshener, paper towels, Drano, chips, drinks, deodorant—you name it. They even had bags ready for guests to “shop.” Things were orderly this time. The first round, at Madison Square Garden, was mayhem. Barclays was more refined but still hilarious and entirely NYC.
I didn’t witness Method Man, Havoc or Joe Budden participating (chuckle). Last time around, plenty of rappers joined in the free-for-all. Watching well-known names casually snag a box of cereal or a bottle of Dawn…you really can’t recreate that moment.
Shout out to the the influencers, media figures and die-hard wrestling heads like Shaheem Reid, who was getting autographs on an authentic WWE Belt. Jawn Murray, the acclaimed producer, and singer Skye Washington helped me get up to speed on all the new names and mores of this version of this WWE. There’s something refreshing about watching grown men geek out over the Undertaker’s aura or a perfectly-timed frog splash.
What Netflix is building here is both synergy and strategy. Hip-Hop has loved wrestling for a long time. Many of us grew up on Andre The Giant, The Rock, Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin, King Kong Bundy, Junkyard Dog, Tony Atlas, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and so many more.
As WWE leaps into streaming, rap and so-called urban culture will help them make this digital maneuver a cultural pivot as well. Wrestling isn’t just for kids or middle America anymore. It never was. It’s for everybody. And last night, it was certainly for Brooklyn.
T.D. Jakes is coming for Tyrone Blackburn and he’s not playing—the megachurch mogul says Blackburn’s sloppy AI-generated court docs wasted his legal team’s time and now he wants nearly $76,000 back.
Jakes dropped a defamation suit on Duane Youngblood after the ex-pastor accused him of decades-old sexual abuse.
But when Blackburn, Youngblood’s lawyer, filed court documents, they were filled with fake cases, false info and errors — all thanks to some AI tool that clearly flunked law school.
The judge already held a hearing to figure out if Blackburn should get hit with sanctions.
Now Jakes’ legal team says they spent 140+ hours cleaning up the mess and want to get paid for it. In a new filing, they told the court they’re asking for $75,932.50 to cover the extra work.
The filing breaks it down — time spent reading through garbage filings, responding to nonsense claims and tracking down citations that don’t even exist.
Jakes’ team says their rates are solid, even with discounts and they only billed for hours tied to this AI disaster.
Jakes’ attorneys said the whole thing was a waste of time and money and they’re tired of dealing with “hallucinated” filings.
They want Blackburn or his client to cover the costs within 30 days if the judge signs off.
This whole thing is part of a bigger legal back-and-forth between Jakes and Youngblood, who’s accused him and his brother of abuse dating back to when Jakes was a pastor in West Virginia.
Jakes has denied everything and says it’s all a setup — even accusing Youngblood of trying to extort him for $6 million.
Youngblood’s lawyer tried to get the defamation case tossed, claiming it didn’t have enough detail. The court didn’t buy it.
Now the focus is on whether Blackburn’s AI-generated trainwreck ends up costing him — or his client — a fat check.
Lizzo is at the center of a legal battle after her former wardrobe assistant urged a judge to allow a jury to hear claims of sexual harassment, racial discrimination and unsafe working conditions during the singer’s 2023 European tour.
In a court filing submitted this week in Los Angeles, Asha Daniels accused Lizzo’s touring company, Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc., and two managers of fostering a hostile work environment where penis-shaped candy was passed around, sexual jokes were constant and images of male genitalia were displayed in shared spaces.
Daniels, who is Black, said she also endured racial harassment from her supervisor Amanda Nomura, who allegedly mocked Black women, denied Black performers basic supplies and used racially charged gestures and language.
Daniels said she reported the behavior, but no action was taken.
The filing states Daniels was injured on the job and requested simple accommodations, including the ability to sit while working, access to a doctor, and a lower bunk.
She claims management ignored her pleas. After raising concerns about her treatment and asking for medical help, Daniels said she was abruptly dismissed in March 2023.
Daniels said the reasons for her termination have shifted multiple times. One manager claimed she quit. Another said “it just wasn’t working out.” She believes the inconsistencies point to retaliation for speaking up.
In the filing, Daniels described grueling workdays that stretched from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. with little to no breaks. She said she was warned she could be fired if she asked for time to rest. The lawsuit also includes claims under labor laws related to overwork and lack of breaks.
Daniels is not asking for a specific financial award at this stage. Instead, she is asking the judge to reject Lizzo’s motion for summary judgment and let a jury decide whether her rights were violated.
She also requested permission to correct a clerical error in her complaint regarding the legal basis for her retaliation claim.
Lizzo and her team have denied any wrongdoing. A judge is expected to rule on whether the case moves forward later this year.
Summer Walker responded to online criticism Sunday (August 3) after a TikTok video and recent performance on Chris Brown‘s Breezy Bowl Stadium World Tour reignited speculation about her Brazilian Butt Lift and drew waves of body-shaming remarks.
The R&B singer addressed the backlash in a direct Instagram post.
“I LOVE my body with a fiery burning passion,” she began. “Please get over it. I’m not changing or reducing anything. Idk why it would bother you if we’re not intimate & you don’t even know me in real life but please block me if it offends you or keep scrolling. I don’t invest time & energy into people I don’t like, why should you?”
The criticism followed a TikTok clip where Walker wore a Dior bikini, prompting some users to accuse her of hypocrisy after she previously mocked South African influencer Wandi Ndlovu’s cosmetic surgery.
Summer Walker Roasts South African Influencer’s BBL
In June, Walker posted a photoshopped image comparing Ndlovu’s BBL results to roasted chicken thighs, which sparked outrage online.
One commenter replied, “But she was judging Wandi, oh okay.” Another added, “Trust me, your doctor has secret animosity towards you.”
Ndlovu, who has been open about her cosmetic procedures, later announced plans to reverse her BBL due to public scrutiny.
Despite the backlash, Walker insisted her post wasn’t malicious. “This generation sensitive as f###,” she said in a video, explaining the image was meant as dark humor.
To support her claim, Walker shared screenshots of a private exchange with Ndlovu, where she explained the post was meant to be funny. Ndlovu reportedly replied that she didn’t take offense.
Walker has long been transparent about her own body enhancements. In a 2021 Instagram post, she joked, “I dead can’t believe I was this skinny lmao, Thank god for ass shots.”
She also told Ari Lennox during a 2019 Apple Music interview that she got her butt done because she had a “long back” and wanted more curves, even allowing Lennox to touch her butt during the chat.
Walker has previously confirmed she received non-surgical butt injections before undergoing a more permanent BBL.
Salt-N-Pepa called out Universal Music Group on national television Monday (August 4), accusing the label of blocking their classic hits like “Push It” from streaming platforms and refusing to return ownership of their master recordings despite legal rights that should have kicked in after 35 years.
The Hip-Hop trailblazers, Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, appeared on Good Morning America to explain why they filed a federal lawsuit against UMG in May.salt
They say the label is stonewalling their efforts to reclaim their early catalog, which includes genre-defining singles like “Shoop” and “Let’s Talk About Sex.”
“We have done all the things legally to get our copyrights back, but they’re just refusing. So, we had to sue them,” said James.
Filed Tuesday (May 19) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the lawsuit hinges on Section 203 of the U.S. Copyright Act. That statute gives artists the right to terminate copyright transfers and regain control of their masters after 35 years. Salt-N-Pepa submitted formal termination notices in 2022.
UMG, however, argues the duo’s early recordings were “works made for hire” and that neither James nor Denton were named in the original contracts, making them ineligible to reclaim ownership.
The company has filed a motion to dismiss the case and declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.
Salt-N-Pepa Claims UMG “Holding Our Rights Hostage”
In the meantime, Salt-N-Pepa allege UMG retaliated by pulling their early albums from Spotify, Apple Music and other major streaming services between May and July 2024, cutting off both revenue and exposure.
“We didn’t have that leverage,” Denton said, adding, “We didn’t have that knowledge. We didn’t have that control in the ’80s. And so to be held to a contract from 1985 and 40 years later is ridiculous.”
The lawsuit seeks actual damages that could exceed $1 million, punitive damages and a permanent injunction affirming their rights to the masters.
The pair said the legal battle is bigger than just their catalog—it’s about protecting artists’ rights and ensuring creators can reclaim their work after decades of industry control.
“They’re just holding our rights hostage,” James said.
When asked how they want to be remembered, Denton didn’t hesitate: “Those girls fight. They real. They fight for their rights, for our rights, for women rights. Nothing’s fake. What you see is what you get.” James added, “I want to inspire women. Inspire and encourage women to be themselves, to go for it, you know, and to not be afraid to knock down barriers in the workplace, in the world, whatever you’re doing, just be strong.”
Donald Trump praised Sydney Sweeney and her American Eagle campaign on Truth Social after discovering the actress is a registered Republican, calling her denim ad the “HOTTEST” and claiming the jeans are “flying off the shelves.”
“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ‘em Sydney!” Trump wrote on Monday (August 4).
Trump used the post to contrast Sweeney’s commercial with other corporate campaigns he deemed “woke,” singling out Jaguar and singer Taylor Swift.
“On the other side of the ledger, Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE advertisement, THAT IS A TOTAL DISASTER! The CEO just resigned in disgrace, and the company is in absolute turmoil,” Trump continued. “Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that disgraceful ad. Shouldn’t they have learned a lesson from Bud Lite, which went Woke and essentially destroyed, in a short campaign, the Company. The market cap destruction has been unprecedented, with BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SO FOOLISHLY LOST.”
Trump also took another jab at Swift, writing, “Or just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift. Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can’t stand her (HATE!). She was booed out of the Super Bowl and became, NO LONGER HOT. The tide has seriously turned — Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Sweeney’s American Eagle ad, part of the brand’s “Back to School” campaign, stirred up mixed reactions online when it launched. The commercial features the Euphoria star in a pair of low-rise jeans with the tagline “good jeans,” a play on words that some critics called “tone-deaf” and “objectifying.” Others defended the campaign, saying it was a lighthearted nod to early 2000s fashion and body positivity.
American Eagle reports a noticeable uptick in denim sales following the ad’s release.
Boosie Badazz is throwing in the towel on his long-running federal gun case after a back-and-forth with the courts that started in San Diego last year.
The Baton Rouge rapper revealed this week that he took a plea deal with the feds.
“JUST ACCEPTED A PLEA FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON MY GUN CASE. I THOUGHT THIS CASE WAS OVER N I WAS GOING TO GET ON WITH MY LIFE BUT ‘GOD DONT MAKE MISTAKES’ N IM TIRED OF FIGHTING,” Boosie revealed on Monday (August 4).
JUST ACCEPTED A PLEA FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON MY GUN CASE. I THOUGHT THIS CASE WAS OVER N I WAS GOING TO GET ON WITH MY LIFE BUT “GOD DONT MAKE MISTAKES “ N IM TIRED OF FIGHTINGTALKED TO MY FAMILY N THIS IS THE RIGHT DECISIONTO ALL MY FANS ACROSS THE WORLD SAY A PRAYER…
This all started back in May 2023 when San Diego cops spotted Boosie flashing a gun in his waistband during an Instagram livestream.
That clip led to a traffic stop, and cops ended up finding two loaded handguns in his car. His bodyguard was also pulled over but didn’t catch any charges.
Things looked up for Boosie in July 2024 when a federal judge dismissed the case, saying the law was unconstitutional for non-violent offenders, citing the Supreme Court’s Bruen ruling and a Ninth Circuit decision.
But the feds weren’t done.
Less than two weeks later, they came back swinging with a fresh indictment, stacking two charges—being a felon with a gun that crossed state lines and having a firearm while using drugs.
That second one could’ve landed him up to 10 years if convicted, so Boosie decided to tap out.
“TALKED TO MY FAMILY N THIS IS THE RIGHT DECISION TO ALL MY FANS ACROSS THE WORLD SAY A PRAYER FOR YA BOY N GO GET THE NEW ALBUM,” Boosie explained.
TALKED TO MY FAMILY N THIS IS THE RIGHT DECISION
TO ALL MY FANS ACROSS THE WORLD SAY A PRAYER…