Page 28 - Florida Sentinel 7-5-19

Entertainment
Russell Simmons Calls For Non-Violent Summer In Wake Of Nipsey Hussle's Death
BALI, INDONESIA – Russell Simmons has been in author mode for months. After wrapping up his forth- coming memoir, Confessions Of A Hip Hop Yogi: The True Life Story Of Russell Sim- mons, the Def Jam Record- ings co-founder also carved out some time to pen an op- ed for Black Press USA about gun violence in America.
In the wake of Nipsey Hussle’s senseless March 31 shooting death, Simmons says we are “again reminded of the terrible sickness of vio- lence in communities across the United States.”
The Simmons family suffered their own personal tragedy due to gun violence in February when Sutton Ten- nyson — Angela Sim- mons’ ex-fiancé and father of her 2-year-old son — was shot and killed outside of his Atlanta home.
But violence typically sky- rockets during the summer months and Simmons is im- ploring anyone and everyone to support their local commu- nity initiatives attempting to
RUSSELL SIMMONS
help the situation.
“We should not wait for
another one of our heroes to be killed before we stand up to take action to prevent this plague of violence from con- tinuing,” he wrote in part. “Nipsey was a great example of what can happen when a young man from our commu- nity puts his head down and transcends the traps that are laid by the enemies of our youth in America.”
Mary J. Blige Signs TV Deal With Lionsgate
Mary J. Blige is making significant moves in the 25th anniversary year of her tri- umphant and lucrative career. This time it’s inform of a first- look television deal with the global conglomerate Lions- gate.
The Grammy Award-win- ner will develop and produce TV series through her new company Blue Butterfly Pro- ductions. The agreement also gives Blige the chance to cre- ate content across Lionsgate’s numerous platforms.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Lions- gate,” the singer/actress said Wednesday in a statement. “They are incredible collabo-
MARY J. BLIGE
rators and have been natural partners from when we first started talking. I can’t wait to bring all of our projects to life.”
“Mary is a very talented artist, fearless visionary and
an incredible human being. We’re delighted to be working with someone with such a powerful and impactful cre- ative voice,” Lionsgate Televi- sion Group Chairman Kevin Beggs stated.
DaBaby Sentenced In 2018 Walmart Shooting
CHARLOTTE, NC – DaBaby was in a North Car- olina courtroom on Thursday (June 27) where he was sen- tenced for his involvement in a fatal 2018 shooting. But ac- cording to The Charlotte Ob- server, prosecutors have decided not to pursue any more charges against the bur- geoning rap star.
Mecklenburg District At- torney’s Office spokeswoman Meghan McDonald said as a result of the judgment, he did receive one year of unsu- pervised probation.
DaBaby was charged in connection with the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Jalyn Domonique Craig. The in- cident occurred during a fight inside a Huntersville Wal- mart last November.
Two days after the shoot-
DABABY
ing, DaBaby hopped on so- cial media and explained he was in the store shopping with his two toddlers and their mother when someone pulled a gun “and tried to take my life.” So, he says he did what he had to do.
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