A federal jury in Washington, D.C., convicted Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel on charges including conspiracy, witness tampering, and failing to register as an agent of China, CNN reports. Prosecutors alleged that Malaysian fugitive businessman Jho Low paid Pras roughly $100 million to influence American politics, first with illegal political payments intended to support Barack Obama’s reelection in 2012, and later to influence Donald J. Trump and his administration to end a Department of Justice investigation into Jho Low. Leonardo DiCaprio was called as a witness during the trial due to his connection with Jho Low, who helped finance DiCaprio’s film 'The Wolf of Wall Street'. Pras Michel faces up to 20 years in prison.

Martin and Eve Hibbert, a father and daughter who suffered disabilities from the May 2017 terror attack outside an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, are suing conspiracy theorist Richard D Hall for defamation and harassment, BBC reports. Hall has promoted the theory that the Manchester Arena bombing, which left 22 people dead, that the attack never happened and reportedly admitted to spying on the victims. Hibbert and his daughter Eve, who was 14 at the time, were standing about 5 meters from the bomb when it exploded, per the report, and both required wheelchairs after the blast. The lawsuit is the first of its kind to be filed in the U.K. against a conspiracy theorist.

R Kelly has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for child sex crime charges, the New York Times reports. He was found guilty in 6 of the 13 counts against him, including three counts of coercing minors into sexual activity and three of producing sex tapes involving a minor. Kelly will serve 19 of his 20 years concurrently with another separate sentence he is serving, a 30-year bid for racketeering and sex trafficking.

Nipsey Hussle’s killer, Eric R. Holder Jr., has been sentenced to 60 years to life in prison, the Los Angeles Times reports. Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed in March 2019 at age 33. Court documents and testimony indicated that Holder, a Crips gang member, shot Nipsey Hussle at least 10 times in front of the rapper’s Marathon Clothing store, resulting in a severed spinal cord, and kicked him more than once on the ground. Holder was arrested on April 2, 2019, two days after the shooting. Nipsey Hussle, legal name Ermias Asghedom, was seen as a philanthropist and key community figure who had reinvested in the Crenshaw neighborhood he often rapped about. Hussle owned and operated several businesses in the area, including the clothing store where he was killed. Referred to by some as “Neighborhood Nip,” Hussle had poured nearly $2.5 million into the lot where he was killed and often traveled the area without security despite his status as a hip-hop superstar. He was signing autographs the day he was killed.

An Iranian couple in their 20s have been given jail sentences totalling 10 years after posting a video of themselves dancing in the street in Tehran. Astiazh Haqiqi, 21, and her fiance Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, 22, were arrested after they posted the video to their Instagram accounts, which have a combined following of nearly two million. Haqiqi and Ahmadi are said to be convicted of "promoting corruption and prostitution, colluding against national security, and propaganda against the establishment". They were also handed a two-year ban on using social media and leaving the country. Dancing in public is illegal for women in Iran, as is men and women embracing, and women leaving their hair uncovered.

The second season of 'BMF', a television drama series inspired by the true story of a drug-dealing family and a record label, has premiered, following the story of taking the business nationwide. Season one introduced brothers Demetrius “Big Meech” Flenory and Terry “Southwest T” Flenory, who were dealing cocaine together in high school in the 1980s, and eventually went on to run the Black Mafia Family, one of the largest drug empires in the USA. In 2005 the authorities eventually caught up with the pair and arrested them. By the early 2000s Demetrius had also founded BMF Entertainment – a hip-hop music titan that included a record label, promotion agency and magazine. It represented Bleu Da Vinci and associated themselves with artists including Diddy, T.I., and Jay-Z. Complex presents the characters from season two.

A great article in the New York Times about the case brought against Young Thug and his rap label YSL, accused of conspiracy to commit racketeering, gang statute violations and more. Slimelife Shawty, Unfoonk, Lil Duke, the chart-topper Gunna, and four other men associated with YSL, all pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge, some to other crimes. Each agreed that the famed Atlanta rap crew they were associated with — YSL, headed by the enigmatic star Jeffery Williams, or Young Thug — was not only a renowned hip-hop collective, but also a criminal street gang. The trial is expected to last for nine months, as Young Thug is facing a possibility of a maximum 120-year prison sentence.

A brave piece of investigative journalism in Rolling Stone about a Serbian DJ who they allege to be a war criminal. The story goes back 30 years to the Bijeljina city massacre from April 1992, where para-military group Arkan's Tigers (Arkanovi tigrovi) left their bloody trail. Rolling Stone alleges one of the combatants in the war was Srđan Golubović, who would later perform as DJ Max, also a co-owner of a record label, Ultra Groove Records. He was center stage at clubs in Belgrade and venues across Serbia, including at the world-famous EXIT Festival. A must-read.

James Howard Jackson has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for shooting and wounding Ryan Fischer, Lady Gaga's dog walker, during a dog theft, Bloomberg reports. Ryan Fischer was walking the singer's three French bulldogs in Hollywood in February 2021 when Jackson shot him in the chest. Jackson and one of four other accomplices took two of the dogs, Koji and Gustav, following the shooting. A third bulldog, Miss Asia, ran away and was later found by police. The two stolen dogs were returned unharmed two days later after Gaga offered a $500,000 reward. The person who returned the dogs, Jennifer McBride, was later charged with being an accessory to attempted murder and her case remains pending. The motive was the value of the French bulldogs, a breed that can run into the thousands of dollars, and detectives do not believe the thieves knew the dogs belonged to the musician.

Canadian-Chinese pop singer Kris Wu has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by a Beijing court for charges that include the rape of three women, The Associated Press reports. The Chaoyang District court ruled that Wu, as well as others implicated in the case, supplied three women with alcohol in 2020 and raped them when they could no longer consent. He also received one year and 10 months for a 2018 event where he “assembled a crowd” and assaulted two women they got drunk. Singer and actor was fined 600 million yuan (€79.5 million/$83.7 million) for evading taxes. Hu will be deported after completing his sentence,

At least five people were killed and further 25 others were injured in a shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, just before midnight Saturday, Colorado Public Radio reports. The suspect in the shooting at Club Q was identified as 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich. Upon entering the club, the attacker immediately opened fire before at least two people inside the club confronted and fought him, preventing further violence.

“Just having money in general, especially when you’re showcasing cars or things on your body, you’re obviously a target. Hip-hop often tries to sell wealth and success on social media. But at some point, you’re just giving somebody a list of potential victims” - Rapper Glasses Malone says to LA Times after the recent killing of PnB Rock. He's just the last one in a string of the city’s black music community losses over the last couple of years. The LA daily sees a change - more security and less public flamboyance among local rappers.

Glenn Horowitz, Edward Kosinski and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi have been accused of attempting to sell handwritten notes and lyrics by The Eagles’ co-founder Don Henley, the Variety reports. Officials estimated that notes and lyrics of ‘Hotel California’ and ‘Life In The Fast Lane’ are worth over $1 million. Henley has been trying to recover the documents for years after they were stolen in the 1970s and according to officials, pawned off to Horowitz in 2005. Horowitz, Inciardi and Kosinski then allegedly began selling to various auction houses, as well as trying to coerce Henley into buying them back.

42-year-old Daniel Lucey with the word "GOD" on his shirt tried to burn down the Satanic Temple building on Bridge Street in Salem, MA on Friday night, the Boston Globe reports. Lucey has since confessed to traveling to Salem with the intention of lighting the temple on fire, and that he intended for it to be a hate crime.

Mally Mall, the producer who has worked with 2 Chainz, Tyga and Rae Sremmurd, has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for running a prostitution business, the LA Times reports. Between April 2002 and September 2014, the 45-year-old “operated a high-end prostitution business that transported victims across the United States” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Nevada.

Korean boyband BTS have expressed "grief and anger" in response to deadly mass shootings in Asian-owned spas in Atlanta, Insider reports. A statement from the band - published in Korean and English - refers to discriminatory experiences that made them feel "powerless". The recent spike in the deliberate targeting of Asian parts of the US population is thought to come from people blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic.

Beyoncé was robbed two times in the last month - three separate storage units holding expensive bags and clothing were hit once, and then within a week burglars came back to the same facility, making off with handbags, kids toys, and photos belonging to one of Beyoncé’s stylists, TMZ reports. Stolen goods are estimated to value $1 million.

Bobby Shmurda was freed from prison on Tuesday after he spent six years there on illegal firearm and conspiracy charges. While he was still in prison, Complex released a short documentary questioning whether his success in the music business led to his current incarceration. Hip-hop police's chief also suggested he should have turned his back on his friends when he reached fame

Iced Earth singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton have quit the band following founding member Jon Schaffer's arrest for his involvement in the Washington DC riot on January 6, Loudwire reports. "It’s the best decision in many ways for my personal/ professional growth going forward. Time to move on, heal and prosper" - Block wrote on Facebook. Schaffer is in federal custody facing six counts related to the January 6 incident, including "engaging in an act of physical violence in a Capitol building".

Atlanta rapper Silento, real name Ricky Hawk, was arrested on 1 February and was charged with the murder of his cousin Frederick Rooks, who was found shot dead on 21 January, Variety reports. The 23-year-old had a hit with his single 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)' in 2015, accumulating 1,7 billion views on YouTube.

An amazing and hilarious article in the Guardian about Tommy James, the American pop-singer who in 1966, as a 19-year old small-town boy, signed a deal with Roulette Records, only to find out it is being run by a mobster Morris Levy. James scored 23 US chart singles, plus nine gold or platinum albums – selling 100m records, but he never got any royalties until 1986 when Levy sold Roulette to EMI. James believes Levy owed him up to $40 million when the mobster died in 1990. James however got poetic justice with his bestselling autobiography 'Me, the Mob and the Music' which is being adapted to a movie by Barbara De Fina, the film producer behind Martin Scorsese’s 'Goodfellas' and many other movies. James continues to play across the US...

"The State of Maryland’s highest court ruled that rap lyrics may be admitted in court as evidence of a defendant’s guilt. This blatantly racist decision is a travesty that sets a dangerous precedent" - veteran attorney Dina LaPolt writes for Variety about a recent case of conviction of one Lawrence Montague partly based on his rap lyrics. LaPolt continues - "great music is more often than not rooted in storytelling, and by imposing criminal consequences for a story told through an artistic medium, the court here threatens to stifle creativity and limit the scope of artistic expression". She also sees racial bias here: "I would invite anyone suggesting that this ruling is not limited to rap music to find an example of a court admitting lyrical evidence of a country singer driving drunk or shooting a cheating spouse".

Rapper and producer Dr. Dre, one of hip-hop's most successful, influential, and richest stars, is being treated in hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm, Billboard reports. Meanwhile, four men were reportedly arrested for trying to burglarize Dre's home after the news broke that he was in the ICU, TMZ reports.

The US Congress included a provision to the latest COVID-19 relief package that makes illegal streaming a felony, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The “Felony Streaming” copyright proposal attaches felony penalties to commercial platforms that are dedicated exclusively to streaming unlicensed works. If found guilty of such actions, operators of these platforms could face up to 10 years in prison.

Chicago rapper G Herbo and his entourage have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identify theft worth $1 million in products and services over a four year period, USA Today reports. The US government alleges that Herbo and his fellow defendants took part in an identity theft scheme using stolen credit card information partially acquired on the dark web. With it, they secured themselves a Jamaica vacation in 2017, pure-breed puppies, bills for hotels and restaurants, the renting of luxury cars, a private jet...

Buffalo rapper and Griselda member Benny the Butcher was shot in the leg at a Walmart in Houston, Texas on Saturday during an attempted robbery, TMZ reports. The New York rapper was visiting a local Walmart with a couple of friends, and while they were in their car in the lot, a car with 5 guys inside pulled up next to them and whipped out guns demanding their chains. One of the five fired a round into Benny's leg, which caused the crooks to flee. The Houston shooting happened the same day that Baton Rouge rapper Boosie Badazz was shot in the leg in Dallas, where Boosie was visiting to pay his respects to his Dallas-based collaborator Mo3, who was shot and killed in his hometown on Wednesday, TMZ reports.

Holden Matthews, a 23-year old black metal musician from Louisiana, was sentenced to 25 years for setting three Baptist churches on fire in March and April of last year, Washington Post reports. The court also ordered he pay over $2.6 million in restitution for the damages to the trio of religious buildings. The son of a sheriff's deputy claimed to be inspired by the infamous '90s church burnings by black metal musicians in Norway and committed the acts of arson as an attempt to bolster his profile as a black metal musician. He even posted videos and photos of the crimes on Facebook.

U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer has sentenced Anthony Ellison (33), to 24 years in prison for kidnapping rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine. Judge cited Ellion's leadership role in a gang active nationwide, AP reports. Tekashi 6ix9ine described the 2018 kidnapping at trial last year, saying Ellison and another man forced him into a stolen car at gunpoint, beat him, taunted him, and stole a bag full of jewelry before releasing him. In April, Tekashi 6ix9ine began serving home confinement for the last four months of a two-year prison term he was given for his role in a drive-by shooting in New York that he committed when he was with the gang.

California rapper Nuke Bizzle - real name Fontrell Antonio Baines - was arrested for unemployment fraud after rapping about - committing unemployment fraud, The New York Times reports. Baines applied for unemployment benefits using stolen identities and was issued more than $1.2 million in fraudulently obtained benefits through at least 92 different debit cards, of which he cashed in more than $704,000 of them. He obtained them through a federal program that extended unemployment benefits to workers who are self-employed or independent contractors during the pandemic. He rapped about his actions in the music video for a song featuring Fat Wizza called 'EDD' in which he bragged about getting “rich off EDD” and having “swagger for EDD”, all while holding envelopes from the Employment Development Department. He faces up to 22 years in prison.

Jam Master Jay's former associate Ronald "Tinard" Washington and Karl "Lil D" Jordan Jr. have been charged with the murder of Run-DMC's DJ, CNN reports. JMJ, born Jason Mizell, was murdered in his Jamaica, Queens recording studio on October 30, 2002. The Police say the murder happened over a drug deal gone bad. JMJ had apparently bought cocaine in kilogram-quantities to sell. Jay was supposedly shot and killed over the drug debt.