Page 24 - Florida Sentinel 1-31-20

Entertainment
Facebook Renews Jada Pinkett Smith’s
Controversial Russell Simmons Doc Debuts At Sundance
To Standing Ovations
RUSSELL SIMMONS AND ACCUSER DREW DIXON
Rapper Lexii Alijai's Cause Of Death Revealed
Burgeoning rapper Lexii Alijai died at the top of 2020, on Jan. 1, just six weeks out from what would have been her 22nd birthday. Nearly a month later, on Monday (Jan. 27), the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's office an- nounced that the 1AM Records signee died as a result of a lethal mixture of fentanyl and ethanol.
The medical examiner's of- fice has ruled her death to be
Lexii Alijai attends Pret- tyLittleThing X Hailey Baldwin at Catch on Nov. 5, 2018 in West Hollywood, Calif.
an accident.
The "Grind With Me" artist
was slated to release her Come Back Soon debut album later this year. "The entire 1AM family is heartbroken and deeply saddened by her pass- ing," 1AM Media told Billboard at the time of her death. "Our deepest condolences to her friends, fans and everyone who was touched by her. Her fam- ily appreciates privacy during this difficult time.”
Kanye West Honors Kobe Bryant At Midnight Sunday Service
Kanye West was a noted Kobe Bryant fan. The duo connected on multiple occa- sions, and Ye was even in the building for Kobe's last game ever back in 2016. With society in mourning following Bryant and his daughter's shocking deaths, West hosted a post- Grammys Sunday Service at midnight in Burbank Calif. early Monday (Jan. 27) to begin the healing process.
Kanye West attend the Fast Company Innovation Festival - Day 3 Arrivals on Nov. 07, 2019 in New York City.
"Kobe, We love you brother," West wrote in a post dedicated to Bryant. "We’re praying for your family and ap- preciate the life you’ve lived and all the inspiration you gave." The accompanying photo was from a 2010 studio session where the Laker legend actually helped Kanye finish off his verse on the "Power (Remix)."
“ “On the Record” — a docu- mentary about the sexual- misconduct allegations against music mogul Rus- sell Simmons — debuted at Sundance this weekend to not one but two standing ovations.
The film had a rocky run- up to its release, with Oprah Winfrey backing out as ex- ecutive producer and taking distributor Apple TV+ with
her.
Drew Dixon, who worked
in A&R for Simmons in the ’90s and has accused him of rape, said in an interview with USA Today after Win- frey’s withdrawal, “The past 15 days have been traumatic. Definitely lots of extra ther- apy sessions. Lots of anxi- ety.”
Simmons denies the al- legations.
Nicki Minaj’s Brother
Sentenced For Raping
11-Year-OldStepdaughter
Facebook Watch is extending — and expanding — its flagship original series, Red Table Talk, headlined and executive pro- duced by Jada Pinkett Smith. Facebook has signed a new three-year deal with Pin- kett Smith and Westbrook Studios, her company with Will Smith. The pact will keep the popular Daytime Emmy- nominated talk show exclu- sively on the platform with new episodes streaming through
RED TABLE TALK
Smith and mother Adrienne Banfield Norris.
JELANI MARAJ AND NICKI MINAJ
younger brother also testified he caught Maraj in the act and saw his sister’s under- pants around her ankles.
Nicki didn’t testify nor did she attend the trial. Her brother also didn’t take the stand in his defense.
‘Red Table Talk’ Through 2022
LONG ISLAND, NY – Nicki Minaj’s older brother Jelani Maraj has reportedly been sentenced in his sexual as- sault case.
According to TMZ, Judge Robert McDonald sen- tenced Maraj to 25 years to life in a New York court on Monday morning (January 27) after he was found guilty of predatory sexual assault against a child and endanger- ing the welfare of a child in 2017.
Maraj was convicted of raping his 11-year-old former stepdaughter. During the trial, the victim took the stand and testified Maraj would oc- casionally assault her up to four times a day. The victim’s
2022,
Smith, her daughter Willow
featuring
Pinkett
PAGE 18-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2020