Travis Scott has stepped into a constitutional debate unfolding before the United States Supreme Court. He is lending his voice to concerns about how rap lyrics are used in criminal trials. Through his legal team, the Houston rapper submitted a filing supporting James Garfield Broadnax. Broadnax is a Texas man sentenced to death after being convicted of a double homicide near Garland in 2009. The case now raises broader questions about whether artistic expression can be presented as evidence of criminal character. Additionally, attorneys involved in the brief argue that the practice risks undermining basic First Amendment protections. The filing focuses on the sentencing phase of Broadnax’s trial, where prosecutors introduced rap lyrics he had written. According to the brief, those lyrics were shown to a jury that was nearly entirely white. This shaped how the defendant was portrayed. “The manner in which prosecutors presented rap lyrics written by petitioner James Garfield Broadnax, a Black man, to an almost all-white jury during his capital sentencing hearing presents an ideal vehicle for addressing this issue because the prosecutors’ conduct here was particularly egregious,” the document states. Scott’s legal team argues that the prosecution treated the lyrics not as creative work but as evidence suggesting future violence. In the brief, attorneys contend the argument implied that participation in “gangster rap” signaled a likelihood of criminal behavior. “The prosecutors argued Mr. Broadnax was likely to be dangerous in the future simply because he engaged in ‘gangster rap,’” the filing explains. “Such an argument functionally operates as a categorical and straightforwardly unconstitutional content-based penalty on rap music as a form of expression.” The document also emphasizes that rap lyrics fall squarely under First Amendment protections. It notes that the genre, often created by minority artists, has frequently faced heightened scrutiny from law enforcement and prosecutors. As an example, the filing references reporting on the New York Police Department’s former unit informally known as the “hip-hop police.” This unit monitored rap culture and artists. Rap Lyrics on Trial Scott is not alone in supporting the appeal. Several artists and scholars have filed additional briefs raising similar concerns about the legal treatment of rap lyrics. Young Thug, T.I., and Killer Mike are among those who have publicly backed arguments that creative expression should not be interpreted as literal confession. One supporting brief highlights another aspect of Broadnax’s trial that critics say is troubling. The lyrics were not introduced during the phase determining guilt. Instead, prosecutors presented them during sentencing to depict Broadnax as someone living a “gangster” lifestyle. This, they argued, meant he would remain a danger to society. The case arrives amid a broader conversation about how courts interpret artistic work. Critics argue that rap lyrics are often treated as autobiographical statements. In contrast, violent imagery in other genres rarely receives the same legal scrutiny. The debate intensified during the YSL RICO case involving Young Thug in Georgia. At that time, artists including Drake, Megan Thee Stallion, and Post Malone backed a public campaign urging lawmakers to “Protect Black Art.”

Meet Brianna Harrison – VP of Marketing at 10K Projects and Atlantic Records, who’s spent 14 years shaping the careers of global artists like In this inspiring Women’s History Month feature, Brianna shares: Her journey from college intern to VP of Marketing How she earned the nickname “International Bre” working with artists worldwide The reality of fighting for artists as a Black woman in the music industry What artist development and marketing really mean in today’s music landscape Powerful advice from her mom about showing up fearlessly Key Moments:0:00 – Introduction: “I work in the industry, but I’m not the industry”0:45 – The day she fell in love with music marketing1:10 – What marketing really means: bringing artist visions to life2:09 – Working with Rico Nasty, Sabrina Claudio, and Burna Boy’s historic Grammy performance2:54 – Her mom’s influence: “Pull up the folding chair. Stand on the table.”3:42 – Real talk: Fighting for artists as a woman of color5:13 – Message to the next generation: Trust yourself and remember your why This is more than a career story—it’s about passion, perseverance, and the power of authentic representation in music.

Gucci Mane links with his doppelgängers at Foot Locker. Gucci Mane teams up with HOKA and Foot Locker to launch a new campaign for HOKA’s new Bondi 7 Stealth Tech Sneaker. Foot Locker & HOKA The Atlanta rap legend is leaning into the internet jokes and turning them into hilarious moments with his new HOKA and Foot Locker’s “Right Shoe, Wrong Gucci” campaign. The collaboration is a playful nod to the viral social media chatter comparing him to NBA referee James Williams. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 27: Referee James Williams #60 officiates the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center on December 27, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images THE Campaign The ad shows Gucci Mane stepping into a Foot Locker to search for some new kicks. His choice? The new HOKA Bondi 7 Stealth. The real twist comes when Gucci is met by two Foot Locker employees who favor him. Gucci Mane teams up with HOKA and Foot Locker to launch a new campaign for HOKA’s new Bondi 7 Stealth Tech Sneaker. Foot Locker & HOKA The two doppelgängers guide the “I Get the Bag” rapper through the shopping experience without actual dialogue. Instead, they communicate using nothing but classic Gucci Mane ad-libs. As they progress through the store, Guwop realizes that there are two lookalikes standing in front of him. He does a double take, points at both of them and they point right back him. The triplets proceed to celebrate the unifying moment by signaling a made three-pointer. Gucci seals the scene by saying his signature tag: “Guwop.” View this post on Instagram Beyond the humor, the campaign highlights the HOKA Bondi 7 Stealth Tech. The sneaker is designed with translucent mono mesh, speed lacing, and reflective graphic waves that transition effortlessly from daytime wear to nightlife style. It aims to bridge the gap between music, sport, and fashion, a lane that Gucci Mane is very familiar.

It seems that Papoose is stepping into the ring, picking up where T.I. and the Harris clan left off in their battle against 50 Cent. The rapper recently dropped a freestyle that samples Fif’s “Many Men,” in which he takes direct shots at the G-Unit founder. Earlier this year, the two traded shots online, sharing AI memes of each other; now, however, it appears things have escalated. “Heard they shot his ass with Nina/he deserved a Mac,” Papoose rapped. It doesn’t stop there, he also addresses Diddy’s relationship with 50’s ex-girlfriend and child’s mother, Daphne Joy, makes claims he’s fallen off, and clown’s G-Unit’s early 00s apparel. It didn’t take long for 50 to catch wind of the track. On Saturday (Mar.7), he jumped on Instagram to make it clear that he has no plans responding on record to “rappers who can’t write a hit,” which is a subtle shot at Papoose. “I’m sorry, no response to r*tarded ass rappers who can’t write a hit to save their lives moving right along short bus shorty. LOL @bransoncognac,” he wrote. View this post on Instagram Claressa Shields Takes Subtle Shot At Haters With B-Day Tribute To Papoose Claressa Shields plays no games when it comes to her man Papoose. In a recent Instagram post, while giving the rapper a birthday shoutout, she also addressed the pair’s haters. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MAN & MY MAN ONLY @papoose ! God blessed me with another Year with my Bestfriend! CAN’T WAIT TO CELEBRATE YOU TODAY & THE REST OF THE MONTH PAPI!!! Let’s party like the 70s!!!! FYI March 28th is Our Joint Bday Party #papoose #birthday #happybdaypapoose #claressashields #pisces,” she wrote in the caption of a post which featured a photo of the two cuddled up. The Shade Room recently reshared her post. While some commenters showed her love, others pointed out that Papoose was still legally married to Remy Ma. It didn’t take long for Shields to catch wind of the criticism. She hopped into the post’s comment section, writing, “The comments makes us the most loved couple of the year. Ain’t no way anybody this mad about me wishing my man a happy bday ! It’s actually fire cause we in-love @papoose! my bday 3/17 so don’t get too mad today, save same for me ”

BIA is firing back at Megan Thee Stallion after a video of her laughing at Cardi B’s “Petty & Petty” track circulated online. The track, which is featured on Cardi’s Am I The Drama, takes direct aim at the “WHOLE LOTTA MONEY” rapper. In the opening line of the track, Cardi raps, “Name five BIA songs, gun pointin’ to your head/Baow, I’m dead.” While it appears Megan found this part of the song quite amusing, BIA didn’t see it that way. Recently, BIA hopped on her Instagram Story and shared a screenshot of the Houston rapper’s controversial interview with Gayle King. In her documentary Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Own Words, the rapper admitted that she did, in fact, lie about sleeping with Tory Lanez. In another IG Story post, BIA shared a selfie that featured audio from Nicki Minaj’s “Big Foot.” She focused on the lyrics where Minaj rapped, “you lied on your dead mama,” subtly implying that Megan lied about being shot by Tory back in 2020. View this post on Instagram BIA Reignites Beef With Cardi B, Trolls Stefon Diggs Not long ago, BIA reignited her beef with Cardi B. Last month, BIA hopped into the comment section of a Cardi B fan page who posted a clip of her performing “Pretty & Petty,” where she took shots at Cardi’s ex-boyfriend, New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs. “Can u name someone with more bms than receiving yards? I can! and I know that… ykwnvm ,” she wrote under the post. Diggs has faced several paternity lawsuits in the past and recently took a major loss at Super Bowl LIX. It didn’t take long for Cardi to catch wind of BIA’s comments. During her tour stop at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA, right before Cardi was set to perform, “Pretty & Petty,” she decided to clap back at BIA for shading Diggs. While Cardi admitted that she and Diggs weren’t on the best of terms, she made it clear that she won’t stand for others talking down on her former partner. “Let me tell you sumthin’, just cause I ain’t f*cking with my baby daddy, doesn’t mean you get to talk about my baby daddy b*tch.”

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills home was recently targeted in a frightening incident. On Sunday (Mar.7), a woman shot nearly ten rounds of gunfire into the residence, with one round penetrating a wall of the mansion, a law enforcement source tells the LA Times. The pop star was home during the event, but remains unharmed. A 30-year-old female suspect was later taken into custody. According to LAPD officials, the suspect fired several rounds from inside her vehicle—a white Tesla—in the direction of the singer’s home. The vehicle had been parked across the street from the property gate. Rihanna lives at home with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky and their three children, RZA, Riot, and Rocki. Luckily, the ANTI singer was the only one present in the home at the time of the incident. Police Sgt. Jonathan de Vera, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that no injuries were reported. View this post on Instagram Rihanna’s Behind-the-Scenes Vlog Fuels Talk of Long-Awaited New Music On a lighter note, while Rihanna has not announced a new album, she recently posted a vlog that has stirred familiar speculation. The video, styled as a day-in-the-life montage, shows her moving between meetings, reviewing instrumentals, and briefly stepping into a recording booth. She does not reference any upcoming project, yet the sight of her in that setting was enough to prompt conversation. In one scene, she appears to jot down notes; in another, she sways to music playing through studio speakers. For fans who have waited since 2016, those fragments carried weight. Online reactions ranged from certainty that a return to music is imminent to skepticism that the footage could relate to film work, brand collaborations, or one of her many business ventures.

The startling N-word incident that happened at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards continues to send ripples throughout the entertainment industry. For Sinners actress, Wunmi Mosaku—who snagged the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress—the moment “tainted” her win and “kept [her] awake at night.” While attending the Actor Awards (formerly the Screen Actors Guild Awards), the actress spoke with Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet, saying it was “incredibly painful” to have her celebration overshadowed by the incident. During the ceremony, Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson yelled several slurs throughout the night, including the N-word, while Mosaku’s co-stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award. It took nearly a day for the BBC to remove the audio from the broadcast on its iPlayer. Davidson, who attended the ceremony in support of I Swear, a film based on his life, was reportedly “distraught” and was told any swearing would be immediately edited out of the broadcast. “I can’t understand it. I can’t understand it, and I’m not sure I can forgive it,” Mosaku Says Mosaku tells the outlet she has no hard feelings toward Davidson and appears to place the responsibility on the BBC and the BAFTAs. “He has a condition. I feel like Bafta has a lot of lessons to learn, but … it felt exploitative and performative to have someone there without the full protection of everyone, including him, and anyone in that audience.” She added: “Then the BBC is a whole other thing … That’s the bit that really kind of kept me awake at night and brought tears to my eyes. I was like, you really chose to keep that in…I can’t understand it…I can’t understand it, and I’m not sure I can forgive it.” Since the incident, the BBC has issued two apologies. Reportedly, Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips told staff she was “so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast.” Phillips noted that an investigation had been launched to discover what led to the shocking moment.

Chrisean Rock stood firm against Blueface’s recent claims that the son they share isn’t his. On Friday (Mar.6), the Baddies star hopped on her Instagram Story to set the record straight.” Let me clear something up,” she began in the lengthy post.” No one is denying anyone access out of spite. As a mother, my responsibility is to protect my child.” Earlier that day, Blueface had jumped on X (formerly Twitter) to deny —this being the second time—that he is not the father of their child. He claims that the biological father is a man named “Ronnie.” While it can’t be for certain, the rapper could be referring to Karon “Ronny Doe,” Chrisean’s ex-boyfriend, who died in 2025. “Jr is not my biological son,” Blueface wrote. “RIP to his father, Ronnie. I can no longer continue the plot, it doesn’t feel right as a present father in all my kids life to be discredited as a absence father to a child that is not biologically mine.” View this post on Instagram “I’m not interested in going back and forth online,” Chrisean Says Surprisingly, this supposed confession wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. According to Chrisean, during a streaming session with PlaqueBoyMax, Blueface “disrespected” their son, Chrisean Jesus Porter, and she doesn’t want to “normalize” that behavior. “You called both of us dumb…then later made a statement about his hair,” she continued. Chrisean says this is why she chose to distance herself and her son from the rapper. In her opinion, Blueface’s outlandish falsehoods are nothing but ploys to “provoke a response” from her. “I’m not interested in going back and forth online. My focus is [on] raising my son in peace, love, and protection. That will always come first.” In other news, Chrisean’s previously reported boxing debut has found an opponent and fight date, according to TMZ. Rock will face professional wrestler Zenith Zion on April 25 in a three-round bout at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino in Chester, Pennsylvania. The event will also stream on Triller pay-per-view, placing Rock’s first sanctioned fight on a national stage.

Jeremih will no longer be part of the Boys 4 Life tour, which was set to kick off later this month. According to a statement released via Instagram on the singer’s behalf, he’s facing a “serious medical condition.” Jeremih was expected to join Bow Wow and B2K for the upcoming trek. The statement reveals that the singer has been in an ongoing health battle; however, the particular diagnosis was not shared. That said, he’s currently being monitored closely by doctors. “Due to a serious medical condition, Jeremih will be unable to participate in the upcoming B2K tour scheduled to begin in March. He has been dealing with a health issue, and his condition continues to be closely monitored by his doctor,” the statement read. “He has been dealing with a health issue, and his condition continues to be closely monitored by his doctor.” View this post on Instagram “Jeremih and his team are focused on his care and recovery,” the statement read The statement continued: “Jeremih and his team are focused on his care and recovery and are deeply grateful for the understanding, patience, and continued support from fans, partners, and the touring team during this time.” This isn’t the first time the singer has faced a serious health issue. Back in 2020, he had a vicious battle with COVID-19 that apparently left all his organs inflamed. During an interview sometime later, Jeremih opened up about his stay in the ICU. “What I can say is, man, it definitely is real,” Jeremih said. “I didn’t take it for granted. And truth be told, this was kinda like … I’m a living, walking testimony. To let y’all know, I was really down bad for the last month and a half. While I was in there, you know, I don’t even remember the day I went in. That’s how messed up I was.”

The running feud between King Harris and 50 Cent added another entry this week when the younger rapper released a new diss track only hours after 50 Cent’s latest single appeared online. Harris, the 21-year-old son of Atlanta rapper T.I., posted the song — titled “Droptop” — to Instagram, signaling that the conflict between the two camps remains active. In the track, Harris delivers a pointed lyric aimed directly at the veteran artist: “You were made from 50 cents because your mama gave it cheap.” He paired the post with a caption that mocked 50 Cent’s new release and framed his own response as the next move in the ongoing exchange. “Ni66a Dropped dat Weak A$$ Track [laughing emojis face palm emoji]. It ain’t sh*t you can do, DAT WE CANT MR 5 0!! So yall just sit back and watch da show WE FINNA COOK THIS [duck emoji] Ahhh Ni66a. Song out now will be on all platforms later today,” Harris wrote. The track arrived shortly after 50 Cent released “No One Told Us What We’re Here For,” a song featuring singer Leon Thomas. The record also serves as promotional material connected to the next installment of the Power television franchise. Listeners quickly noticed that parts of the song appeared to address T.I. and members of his family. View this post on Instagram 50 Cent fires back at T.I. as speculation continues Online reaction to 50 Cent’s lyrics has been mixed. Some listeners welcomed his return to the microphone, noting that he had entered the exchange directly rather than relying solely on social media posts. Others described the track as a relatively mild response given the history of intense rap feuds. Meanwhile, speculation continues to circulate about another project tied to the dispute. Reports have suggested that 50 Cent may be developing a documentary tentatively titled Surviving T.I. & Tiny. The rumored film would reportedly explore allegations that have surfaced in the past involving T.I. and his wife, Tiny Harris, accusations the couple has repeatedly denied. 50 Cent recently hinted at the idea on Instagram while addressing T.I. directly. “Remember how quiet I got before the Diddy doc, Dame thought I wasn’t coming,” he wrote. “I hope this doesn’t mess up your promo tour; they’re gonna ask about your 20 sexual assault cases. You might want to talk to a crisis PR person.” For now, the dispute continues to unfold through music releases, social media posts, and public commentary, with no indication that either side plans to step back.