THIS IS THE CHRONICLES OF EFREM: The Daily Buzz For Nov 24☕📰☕

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#MAGFAB: Simone Biles for Harper's Bazaar España
NICE!

#RHOA: Bravo Chairman Says NeNe Leakes Is Welcomed To Return To “RHOA”
It looks like we may be inching closer to seeing #NeNeLeakes hold a Bravo peach once again.

Frances Berwick, chairman of #Bravo and #Peacock Unscripted, confirmed that the former Real Housewives of Atlanta star could make her return to the network. Speaking with Variety at the recently wrapped BravoCon, Berwick opened up about the convention, all things Bravo, and #Housewives stars, new and old.

When the conversation shifted to Atlanta OG and fan favorite NeNe Leakes, Berwick was asked if there was “ever a way back” for her, Bravo, and #AndyCohen. She responded, “We’ve had Nene on red-carpet shows for E! — we have worked with NeNe since then.” And when directly asked, “Could she ever be on a show again, do you think?” Berwick didn’t hesitate, replying, “Yes, she can be on a show again.” This may not come as a huge surprise, as Andy himself revealed to fans during #BravoCon that he had texted with NeNe a few months ago, suggesting that their relationship may be on the mend.

Do you miss NeNe on #RHOA? Would you be here for her return?

#MusicNews:B2K To Reunite in 2026 For “Boys 4 Life” Tour Co-Headlined by Bow Wow

The wait is finally over. Celebrating their 25th anniversary, iconic R&B group B2K is officially reuniting for the “Boys 4 Life” Tour. Co-headlining the trek is Bow Wow, marking a full-circle moment more than 20 years after the two acts first shared the stage on the legendary Scream Tour II in 2002.

Produced by the Black Promoters Collective (BPC), the 28-city tour kicks off on February 12 in Columbia, SC, and wraps up on April 19 in Hampton, VA.
The tour follows B2K’s explosive surprise reunion at the 2025 BET Awards, which saw Omarion, Raz-B, J-Boog, and Lil Fizz back onstage together for the first time in years. “There was a certain level of authenticity that we all had. So in a way, we’re completing it,” Omarion said of the reunion.

The Lineup This isn’t just a tour; it’s a 2000s nostalgia festival. Joining B2K and Bow Wow are:

Jeremih
Pretty Ricky (Special Guests)
Amerie
Waka Flocka
Yung Joc
Crime Mob
Dem Franchize Boyz

In a major announcement, both B2K and Bow Wow revealed they will release new albums this February via BPC Music Group to support the tour.

Music artist merchandise
“Boys 4 Life Tour” Dates:
Thursday, February 12 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena
Friday, February 13 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
Saturday, February 14 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at BJCC
Friday, February 20 Cincinnati, OH Heritage Bank Center
Saturday, February 21 Memphis, TN FedExForum
Sunday, February 22 St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena
Thursday, March 5 Chicago, IL United Center
Friday, March 6 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
Saturday, March 7 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center
Sunday, March 8 Washington D.C. Capital One Arena
Thursday, March 12 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Friday, March 13 New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center
Saturday, March 14 Fort Worth, Texas Dickies Arena
Friday, March 20 Oakland, CA Oakland Arena
Saturday, March 21 Las Vegas, NV Michelob ULTRA Arena
Sunday, March 22 Los Angeles, CA Kia Forum
Friday, March 27 Philadelphia, PA Liacouras Center
Saturday, March 28 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center
Sunday, March 29 Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
Thursday, April 2 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum
Friday, April 3 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
Saturday, April 4 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
Sunday, April 5 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Saturday, April 11 Sunrise, FL Amerant Bank Arena
Sunday, April 12 Tampa, FL Benchmark International Arena
Friday, April 17 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center
Saturday, April 18 Greensboro, NC First Horizon Coliseum
Sunday, April 19 Hampton, VA Hampton Coliseum

Get them tix!

#HipHopNews: De La Soul Drops 10th Studio Album With Nas, Q-Tip and More
Iconic hip hop group, De La Soul, has returned with a new project. Cabin In The Sky, marks De La Soul’s first studio album in nine years, following 2016’s and the Anonymous Nobody, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. It’s also the first album since the passing of founding member Dave “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur who died at the age of 54 in 2023.

The album is being released via Mass Appeal as part of the label’s celebrated “Legend Has It” series. The year-long series comprises of releases from some of New York hip-hop’s most iconic names, helmed by Nas.

“I can say without question [Dave] is here, his spirit, his energy, it’s very much a part of this album,” Pos told Billboard in 2023. “Anything that he had placed in certain songs that we chose to use, all of that is felt. In that regard alone, that’s a success. But I really, really feel like De La fans are going to love this album.”
One of the ways Dave is represented on the album is the title and cover art, which features two figures with their heads in the clouds, with a cabin on top of the clouds.

“It plays off our own partner who has transitioned and where he is,” Pos says. “You know, as I explained in the title track, ‘Does he have his cabin? How many acres did he get?’ If you did really well, took care of yourself, helped others, do you get more acreage with his cabin? So it’s like, your mansion or your home in the sky in heaven.”
Cabin In The Sky leads with vibrant first single, “The Package.” This one was produced by Pete Rock, and samples The Impressions’ 1969 song “Seven Years.” The track can be heard HERE:https://youtu.be/u9N994FmnxU

Posdnuos revealed that the title, Cabin in the Sky, is a nod to the 1943 all-Black musical film starring Ethel Waters, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
“Cabin in the Sky lives in that space between loss and light. It’s about the pain we carry and the joy that somehow still finds us. This album is therapy and celebration at the same time. There’s a vulnerability in these songs, because everything we’ve been through has brought us to this moment, to this album, honoring what we’ve lost and lifting up what still remains. That duality. That’s life, and that’s De La,” says Pos.

“The music on this record is not old, just seasoned. It’s what we call adult hip-hop: something rooted in the culture but speaking to where we are now. The beauty is that it still connects with the younger heads too. They can feel the honesty, the craft, and that De La Soul DNA running through it. We’re bridging generations with this one,” adds DJ Mase.

Guests on Cabin in the Sky include Killer Mike, Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano, Nas, and Black Thought, with production from DJ Premier, Super Dave, Pete Rock and others.

Tracklist for Cabin In The Sky
Cabin Talk (album intro) – De La Soul, Giancarlo Esposito
YUHDONTSTOP – De La Soul
Sunny Storms – De La Soul
Good Health – De La Soul
Will Be – De La Soul, Yummy Bingham
The Package – De La Soul
A Quick 16 for Mama – De La Soul, Killer Mike
Just How It Is (Sometimes) – De La Soul, Jay Pharoah, Gareth Donkin
Cruel Summers Bring FIRE LIFE!! – De La Soul, Yukimi
Day In The Sun (Gettin’ wit U) – De La Soul, Q-Tip, Yummy Bingham
Run It Back!! – De La Soul, Nas
Different World – De La Soul, Gina Loring
Patty Cake – De La Soul
The Silent Life Of A Truth – De La Soul
EN EFF – De La Soul, Black Thought
Believe (In Him) – De La Soul, STOUT, K. Butler & The Collective
Yours – De La Soul, Common, Slick Rick
Palm Of His Hands – De La Soul, Bilal
Cabin In The Sky – De La Soul
Don’t Push Me – De La Soul

#RHOA: Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker Break Up After 11 Years of Marriage

Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker are putting an end to their partnership.The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum confirmed that she and the TV producer are splitting up after 11 years of marriage.

"After deep thought and a lot of prayer, I’ve made the decision to move forward with a divorce,” Kandi shared in a Nov. 21 statement to People. “This is a difficult and emotional time, but my focus remains on protecting my peace, being the best mother I can be, and co-parenting with love and respect.”

The 49-year-old—who shares 9-year-old son Ace and 5-year-old daughter Blaze with Todd, 52—added that she was “stepping into a new chapter pouring into my work, my family, and my own growth.”

“I’m grateful to everyone who supported us throughout the years,” Kandi noted, “and I ask for privacy, grace, and understanding as we navigate this transition with our family."
The former couple first met while filming the fourth season of RHOA in 2011 and officially tied the knot in April 2014, blending their families which included Kandi’s daughter Riley, 23, with ex Russell Spencer, and Todd’s daughter Kaela, 29, with ex Keema Parker.

While appearing on the Real Housewives franchise, Kandi and Todd also gave fans an inside look at their lives on the 2022 spinoff Bravo series Kandi & The Gang.
Fans were speculating that there could be trouble in paradise after noticing that Kandi dropped “Tucker” from her name on Instagram, as well as the fact that Todd did not join her for BravoCon 2025.

However, Kandi still gave a shoutout to her estranged husband while accepting the Wifetime Achievement Award at the event.
“To Todd,” she began during her speech, “thank you for surviving the blogs, the shade, the rumors, the lies, the truth, the almost fights, the actual fights, the reunions. You earned this award, too.”
And Todd responded to his wife’s appreciation, writing in the comments of the Nov. 16 Instagram video of her speech, “Much deserved, you did it with class and dignity. You’re an inspiration to many. You’re the GOAT!”

Jellybean Johnson Of ‘The Time’ Passes Away At 69
Garry George “Jellybean” Johnson, a founding member of the legendary funk band The Time, has passed away. He was 69.
According to an official statement from his family, Johnson passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, Nov.21.
“The family of Jellybean Johnson is deeply saddened by the passing of their beloved husband and father,” the family’s statement read. “Passing just shortly after his 69th birthday this past Wednesday, November 19, on the evening of Friday, November 21, 2025.

“Jellybean was an innovator of what became known across the world as the Minneapolis Sound. The only drummer the Time ever had from inception to the current day, the statement continued. “Jellybean loved his family, his friends and the city of Minneapolis.”
Born in Chicago, Johnson relocated to north Minneapolis with his mother at 13. To keep him out of trouble, she bought a real drum kit. He honed his skills by listening to the radio.

“When I moved here, Black radio was only on for four hours from 1 to 5 in the afternoon,” said Jellybean. “That forced me to listen to a lot of white rock stations. That’s how I got into Three Dog Night and Black Sabbath and Red Earth and all those kinds of people and stuff, and that changed me too musically.”
Johnson would eventually meet other teenage musicians such as Prince, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Morris Day.

“We had to be 14, 15,16 years old. Oh yeah, we started early, honey. Yes, we did,” said Johnson. His love of music kept him busy. “That kept us off the streets; we had a place where we could go and practice our craft,” said Johnson.
Johnsons would go on to form The Time with Jam, Lewis, Monte Moir, Jesse Johnson, and Jerome Benton. They would go on to record several albums and classic songs, including “Get It Up”, “The Bird”, “Cool”, “777-9311”, “Jungle Love” and “Jerk Out”.

Outside of his work with The Time, Johnson produced Janet Jackson’s 1990 No. 1 single ‘Black Cat’. He also produced and served as a drummer for Patti LaBelle, Human League, New Edition, Cherrelle and Alexander O’Neal.
Johnson performed with Rihanna at the 50th Grammy Awards and was the frontman of the Jellybean Johnson Experience. The group spotlighted emerging musicians from Minneapolis.

Johnson also founded the Minneapolis Sound Museum in 2022. The vision was to “educate, celebrate and create, while also providing an environment to learn, gather and showcase artistry that preserves and fosters the Minneapolis Sound genre.”

Ja Rule Responds to Claim He Was Jumped in N.Y.C.

Rapper Ja Rule has publicly denied a blog’s claims that he was jumped outside a Manhattan restaurant, saying he emerged unscathed. The dispute unfolded after blogger Tasha K posted a report asserting the altercation occurred Nov. 20 outside Sei Less, a New York City eatery.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ja Rule questioned her version. “Tasha why you lying to these good ppl,” he wrote. He added: “Yes some bitch ass n—– tried to jump me … No it wasn’t at Sei Less and I’m chilling … with not a scratch on me.”
He followed the tweet with a brief video, appearing relaxed and uninjured. In the clip, he sips from a red mug and laughs. His caption: “Believe half of what you see and none of what you read… we good over here!!!”

He also issued a veiled legal threat. “You like getting sued I see …,” he wrote in another reply to Tasha K.
Tasha K has stood by her original claim. She shared what she said was a screenshot from a source and hinted at video evidence showing Ja Rule being held back during the scuffle.

In response, Ja Rule clarified the incident did not take place at Sei Less. According to him, the confrontation happened backstage during a Monica and Brandy concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn — not on the street.
The rapper’s response did not quell all commentary. Fellow rapper 50 Cent weighed in, mocking the situation. On Instagram, he wrote, “just punched him all in his milk dud head. LOL,” referencing Ja Rule in typical blunt fashion.

Meanwhile, no formal statements have been released from either Ja Rule’s team or Tasha K’s camp, leaving uncertainty about whether the matter will escalate.

T-Boz Recreates TLC’s ‘Creep’ for HIV Prevention Campaign
Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins of TLC has reimagined the group’s iconic 1994 hit “Creep” as part of a powerful HIV-prevention campaign. The new track, titled “So We PrEP,” is designed to spark honest conversations around protection, pride, and health.
Watkins teamed up with Gilead Sciences to launch the song under its “Care for the Culture” initiative. The campaign aims to elevate HIV awareness and PrEP usage, particularly in Black communities. According to Gilead, although Black people account for 42% of new HIV diagnoses, they represent only 14% of PrEP users.

“In the ’90s, we used our platform to speak truth and empower people to love themselves,” Watkins said in a statement. “That mission hasn’t changed.” She continued: “‘So We PrEP’ is about reclaiming that same energy … turning it into a conversation starter about protection, pride and Black joy.”

By tapping into her musical legacy, Watkins hopes to dismantle stigma around HIV prevention. “We don’t whisper about our health; we sing about it,” she added. The reimagined anthem echoes TLC’s tradition of addressing social issues through song. Their earlier hit “Waterfalls” famously referenced the AIDS epidemic.

T-Boz’s decision to revisit “Creep” is especially meaningful. The original track, written by Dallas Austin, was inspired by Watkins’s own experience with infidelity. At the time, group member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes expressed reservations, even threatening to silence herself in the video because of the song’s subject matter.

Gilead’s “Care for the Culture” campaign uses the song as its centerpiece — calling on trusted voices like T-Boz to reach communities where HIV discussions are often avoided. The campaign challenges stigma while emphasizing empowerment, especially among Black women. Data from Gilead shows that Black women make up half of new HIV diagnoses among women, despite being only 13% of the U.S. female population.

Watkins sees this as a continuation of TLC’s legacy. “That mission hasn’t changed,” she said, reaffirming the group’s long-standing commitment to truth-telling and social change through music.

Michael B. Jordan Breaks Down While Accepting Major Hollywood Honor

The 38-year-old Creed star received the honor from longtime collaborator Ryan Coogler after a series of heartfelt tributes from peers including Ben Affleck, Mahershala Ali, Tessa Thompson, Octavia Spencer, Bradley Cooper, Delroy Lindo and Daniel Kaluuya.
Kaluuya paused the celebration to request a moment of silence for their late Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman, whose Hollywood Walk of Fame star was unveiled earlier that day.

Jordan’s 13-minute speech was filled with gratitude and emotion as he looked back on his career and the people who helped shape it.
“I look around the room and I see the people who were there from the beginning with prayer, support, belief,” Jordan said, according to Gold Derby. “Some of those people aren’t here tonight, but their fingerprints are all over the foundation. Their work, their faith — it all went into this. Watching y’all do that for me, I realized I didn’t have to pull up a chair to somebody else’s table. I could have my own table. I could have my own house. And more importantly, I could build a community.”

The Fruitvale Station actor, one of the youngest ever to receive the Cinematheque Award, spoke about forging his own path and creating space for others.
“I stand on the shoulders of giants — and my ancestors. Build the house, and they will come,” he said. Quoting author Toni Morrison, he added, “If there’s a book you really want to read that hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

He closed with a message to fellow creatives and decision-makers in the industry: “So, to the artist: plant your seeds, find your people, build with them. And to the people making decisions about what stories do get told: be bold, take the risk. These stories matter.”
The American Cinematheque Award is given annually to an individual who has made a lasting impact on the art of film. Past recipients include Jessica Chastain, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson, Spike Lee and Eddie Murphy.

Kid Cudi Slammed After Saying Michael Jackson Was “Just Music”
Yes, the same Michael Jackson who transformed entertainment, culture, visuals, fashion, dance, philanthropy, and the global marketplace of pop itself. He tried to imply that MJ was limited while he and others are striving to be “multi” and expand creatively beyond the Category of music. The moment the words hit the screen, internet ignited. What was he thinking?

Retribution was immediate and merciless. Cudi deleted the post faster than the Flash on speed. But here is the thing. Deleting the post doesn’t erase the moment. Nobody was buying it. The dragging commenced and flourished.
People were baffled. First of all, Michael Jackson was not “just music.” The man defined entire eras. He was a producer, a composer, a visionary. He invented short-form cinematic music videos. He mastered dance in ways we still study. He put humanitarian work at the forefront of pop culture. He expanded everything he touched. As a dancer, Kid Cudi couldn’t even lift his jockstrap. Michael Jackson is literally in the National Museum of Dance and the Hall of Fame. It’s like comparing the solar system to a light bulb, Cudi and MJ.

I kept asking myself the same questions: What was Kid Cudi smoking? What was he sipping? Who let him tweet without adult supervision? He threw a stone and hid his hand. At least stand on the hill you chose to climb, even if it’s a cliff. HA!

And then the Diddy jokes came. The internet does not get tired.

Clippers' Chris Paul to retire after season, sources say

LA Clippers guard Chris Paul is retiring after this season, his 21st NBA campaign, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
Paul, 40, is a 12-time All-Star, an 11-time member of All-NBA teams, a nine-time All-Defensive teams member, the 2006 Rookie of the Year and a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.

It was believed this was likely Paul's final season in the league, and on Saturday morning, he posted on social media: "What a ride...Still so much left...GRATEFUL for this last one!!"

Paul returned to his home state of North Carolina as the Clippers play the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday afternoon. Paul did not speak before the game, in which he had three points and eight assists in a 131-116 Clippers win.
Nicknamed "the Point God," Paul is the NBA's active leader in assists and steals and is second all time in both behind John Stockton. He has led the league in assists per game five times and in steals per game in six seasons. He averaged double-digit assists in seven seasons.

Paul was selected with the fourth overall pick out of Wake Forest by New Orleans in the 2005 draft and has averaged 16.9 points and 9.2 assists per game over his career entering Saturday. He and LeBron James are the only two players in NBA history to reach both the 20,000 career points and 10,000 career assists milestones.

He spent six years with the Hornets before a famously voided trade to the Los Angeles Lakers ultimately landed Paul with the Clippers. Paul teamed up with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan and birthed the Lob City era of the Clippers, which brought the franchise its longest sustained run of success.
After six years with the Clippers, Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets and paired with James Harden. While the Rockets experienced great success in the regular season, they failed to have a postseason breakthrough, getting eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in consecutive seasons.

Following two years in Houston, Paul was traded to Oklahoma City in a deal that sent Thunder franchise cornerstone Russell Westbrook to Houston as part of the fallout from Paul George being traded to the Clippers to join Kawhi Leonard. Paul spent only one season in Oklahoma City, but while there, he mentored a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and helped the Thunder reach the postseason.

Paul's season in Oklahoma City was followed by three seasons with the Phoenix Suns. His time in Phoenix was highlighted by Paul's only appearance in the NBA Finals (2021), a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Two seasons after that Finals defeat, Paul landed with the Warriors, playing one season for the same franchise that had been a frequent thorn in his side. After serving predominantly as a reserve for the first time in his career, Paul moved on to the San Antonio Spurs to provide a veteran presence last season for a rebuilding team led by Victor Wembanyama.

Paul, who will turn 41 in May, reunited with the Clippers in the offseason and has appeared in 11 games.

Beyoncé & Jay-Z Attend F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Go On Hot Lap With Lewis Hamilton!
Beyoncé is rocking a custom race suit look while attending the 2025 Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday (November 22) in Las Vegas.
The 44-year-old entertainer was joined by husband Jay-Z for the rare public outing as they attend one of the final F1 races of the season.

Ahead of the Grand Prix, both Beyoncé and Jay-Z got in the passenger seat in a Ferrari car to do a Pirelli Hot Lap around the track. Their driver? None other than Scuderia Ferrari and 7-time drivers champion Sir Lewis Hamilton.

“Give it to Mama!” Beyoncé captioned a short clip on Instagram.
In a video shared by F1, Bey asks Jay if he’s okay, and he replies, “Not all the way.”
If you didn’t know, Beyoncé and Lewis go way back and have known each other for many years. She last attended an F1 race weekend back in 2009 in Singapore, where she met up with the driver in the McLaren garage. She also performed during the F1 Rocks Singapore concert that weekend.

The night before Vegas, Beyoncé was in New Jersey showing her support for longtime friend Kelly Rowland at The Boy Is Mine Tour‘s latest concert stop.

Celeste Rivas Case: Gruesome New Details Revealed After Singer Dv4d Becomes a Suspect

There is an update regarding the passing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.
The teen, whose body was found in a car owned by singer D4vd, had been frozen and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will not be able to determine the cause of her death, according to a new report.

The medical examiner reportedly received the body in “horrendous condition,” per TMZ.
She was reportedly decapitated, and her limbs were removed and cut into pieces.

Not only that, but her body parts were “partially frozen” and had been thawing while in the trunk of the Tesla, according to the report. As originally reported, investigators were not originally sure of the sex of the body due to its condition.
Due to its state, the cause will mostly likely be ruled “undetermined,” they report.

The Robbery Homicide Division of the police department is looking into the death as a homicide despite the inability to determine a cause.
“Even if the official cause of death is undetermined, authorities can move forward with an arrest,” TMZ reports.

That Tesla had been parked for several days on a street near the rental home of the 20-year-old singer, real name David Anthony Burke. It was eventually towed, which is how her body was discovered.
Not only is D4vd now a suspect, but there is now a second suspect.

Mark Geragos appeared on the 2 Angry Men podcast over the weekend and said he knows the name of the second suspect, who may have been involved “before, during, and after” Celeste‘s death.
TMZ also reports that a critical part of the case involves “a trip investigators say D4vd took to a remote area of Santa Barbara County in the middle of the night back in the spring, where he spent two hours.”

There is a theory that if that trip was related to her passing, her body parts may have been frozen for a while before ending up in D4vd‘s Tesla.
Celeste‘s body was found in the trunk of d4vd‘s Tesla back in September, one day after her 15th birthday as he toured stateside.
He has not been charged with any crime yet, but also “has not been cooperative” in the investigation, according to a source, despite his rep previously saying that he was “fully cooperating.”

UMG, Sony & Warner Just Handed Their Music Catalogs to an AI App
Music Industry Shocker: UMG, Sony & Warner Hand Over Catalogs to AI Startup
For years, major music labels pushed back against artificial intelligence, threatening lawsuits over unauthorized use of their artists’ songs. Today, they’ve taken the opposite approach — and made one of the biggest shifts the music industry has ever seen.

Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group have officially licensed parts of their catalogs to Klay, a new AI-powered music app that lets fans remix and recreate songs legally. Klay allows users to transform tracks into different genres, moods, or tempos while the labels maintain ownership and control.

According to Bloomberg, the three major labels granted Klay access to thousands of recordings. This makes Klay the first-ever generative-AI music platform with full legal clearance from all three major labels, breaking a barrier no AI app has crossed before. The Los Angeles–based startup says it is building an “ethical AI” system where artists and labels stay in control of how their work is used.

No financial details have been revealed, but industry analysts call this a historic turning point. Until now, labels fought AI tools over copyright, deepfakes, and unauthorized training data. This deal signals a new strategy: if AI is inevitable, the labels want to control it, and profit from it.
The move also comes as AI-generated music explodes in popularity, with fans creating unofficial remixes that go viral overnight. Instead of chasing infringement claims, Klay gives labels a way to monetize the trend while providing guardrails for artists.

Ciara, Normani, Jhene Aiko & More Honored at Femme It Forward's Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala 2025

Ciara, Normani and Jhene Aiko were given their flowers over the weekend! The three singers were among those who were honored at the Femme It Forward‘s 2025 Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala held on Friday night (November 21) at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Also being honored were Mariah The Scientist, Kehlani, Olandria Carthen, Ravyn Lenae and Nikki Taylor, who was presented the award by daughter Teyana Taylor.

Other stars stepping out included Victoria Monet, Salem Mitchell, Ryan Destiny, Lexie Brown, Joyce Wrice, Ebony Riley and FLO, who gave a performance.
“To every woman watching, listening, or quietly dreaming, remember your story is sacred; your roots are strong; and your flower will bloom in its own divine timing,” Femme It Forward founder and CEO Heather Lowery said during her closing speech.

Brian McKnight Says His First Marriage Was Never About Love — “I Didn’t Even Know Her”
Brian McKnight is opening up about the early years of his life and says his first marriage was shaped by pressure, not love. He explained the situation during a recent interview with podcaster Anton Daniels. McKnight says outside influences pushed him into a relationship long before he understood what he wanted for himself.

McKnight shared that his then girlfriend became pregnant and he felt forced into marriage because of religious expectations and family pressure. He said he barely knew her when they rushed to the altar. “We got married in September. Baby in November,” he said. He also admitted that the relationship never had a real emotional foundation. “I was never in love with their mother. They were not made from love to begin with.”

He explained that he and his first wife separated several times before the divorce became final in 2003. According to Brian McKnight, they stayed together only because of their children. “The kids were the thing that kept us together as long as we were,” he said. He believes outside voices and long standing misunderstandings eventually damaged his relationship with his children.

McKnight said his younger son struggled during visits and often cried because he did not feel connected to him. The singer claims this helped shape a public narrative that he was not present, even though he continued supporting them and took them on tour.

The financial obligations that followed the breakup were significant. Brian McKnight said he paid $18,000 per month in combined spousal and child support. “Eight thousand spousal, then five and five for the two kids,” he said. The payments continued until his youngest son turned 23. He also gave up a percentage of songs he wrote during the marriage.

His comments come as his oldest son, Brian McKnight Jr., continues to criticize him publicly. Last month, after McKnight revealed an $8.8 million default judgment against his ex wife Julie, McKnight Jr. posted on Instagram accusing him of emotional absence while he was growing up. He wrote, “You don’t want me to start talking about the things I had to deal with.” He also suggested his late brother struggled with the same issues.

Court documents later showed that Julie moved to vacate the judgment, saying she was never served. The ongoing legal disputes and the public statements highlight how fractured the family remains.

Brian McKnight insists that the core issues began when he was young and overwhelmed by pressure. He believes the emotional separation grew because of outside interference and old resentments, not abandonment. His new interview gives more insight into how early decisions shaped decades of conflict and continue to impact his family today.

Amazon to Pay $2.5 Billion Over Prime Deception—Millions May Be Owed Money

Payments will be issued in amounts up to $51 per eligible customer as part of Amazon’s $2.5 billion settlement addressing allegations related to Prime subscriptions.
Amazon announced that qualified customers will receive payments between November 12 and December 24, and notifications of eligibility will be sent via email. Recipients will get their payments through PayPal or Venmo.

The settlement stems from a 2023 lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission, which claimed that Amazon misled some customers into signing up for Prime and made canceling the subscription overly complicated, according to NBC News.
Under the agreement, $1 billion will go to civil penalties, while $1.5 billion will be distributed directly to eligible customers, CBS News reports.

To qualify, customers must have enrolled in Amazon Prime through a “challenged enrollment flow” between June 23, 2019, and June 23, 2025. This includes the universal Prime decision page, the shipping selection page, single-page checkout, or the Prime Video enrollment process, according to CBS News and NBC News.
Amazon spokesman Mark Blafkin clarified, “If consumers are eligible to submit a claim but were not eligible for automatic payments, they will be notified between December 24 and January 23, 2026,” ensuring all qualifying customers have a chance to receive compensation.

The company reached the settlement in September and released a statement: “Amazon and our executives have always followed the law, and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers.”