Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 5-1-20

Entertainment
Bill Cosby Won't Be Released Early Under COVID-19 Prison Order
ARTIST OF THE WEEK
BY TALK TO ‘EM DA DON
Welcoming the amazing GITT FAI as Tampa’s Artist Of The Week. He’s dedicated, motivated, and destined for greatness! All though his main focus is production, he also has music of his own.
Gitt Fai was born and raised in Tampa, FL. He started when he was only 7 lis- tening to Owe’jive’s “My Neck My Back.” As a kid, he had the CD with the instru- mental and he made his own rap to it. He has been on the go every since.
He’s releasing a project very soon. The last couple of years he has been focusing on production (NBA Young- Boy, Rod Wave, Rylo Ro- driguez, T9ine, Taleban Dooda, Buck Sosa) to pro- vide the city with a sound, au- dience and structure. This
way, when he releases his own music again the city as a whole can be in a better shape to re- ceive it.
His biggest influencers are
Kanye West, Mannie Fresh, Lil Wayne and Trick Daddy.
What makes him different from others is that he’s able to create at a high level while producing or as an artist, so it gives him an advantage. When asked what advice would he give upcoming producers and/or musicians he says, “Find your niche and brand yourself, that’s what would set you apart from the millions on the same journey.”
He’s a father of 2 daugh- ters. He has over 100 million streams worldwide (produc- tion). He keeps his social media followers updated on everything going on so follow him @gittfai or Google him.
GITT FAI
Tekashi69 may have got- ten a reprieve due to the coro- navirus pandemic but it appears Bill Cosby won’t be getting the same grace from the prison system.
TheWrap reports that the disgraced comedian will not be one of the beneficiaries of the order issued by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf for the tem- porary release of inmates due to concerns surrounding COVID-19.
BILL COSBY
Wolf’s order is only being extended to inmates who are considered to be “non-violent and who otherwise would be eligible for release within the next 9 months or who are con- sidered at high risk for compli- cations of coronavirus and are within 12 months of their re- lease.”
But the 82-year-old is con- sidered ineligible since he was convicted of “a crime of vio- lence.”
R. Kelly’s Finances Recover In 2020 Despite Sitting Behind Bars
R. Kelly has been denied re- lease from behind bars after pe- titioning to be let go because of coronavirus. But could it be be- cause his bank account is heav- ier than it once was? Just a year after sitting at -$13, the R&B legend is now believed to have $200,000 from royalties.
After the first failure from Kelly’s legal team, a second motion was filed stating he has “no means to go anywhere,” ac- cording to Bossip. But federal authorities note the money
R. KELLY
from royalties as means to flee or attempt to coerce witnesses
if he is a free man, while he is attempting to combat his fed- eral charges. In addition, his team is attempting to still in- timidate witnesses and using social media to paint the singer in a positive light.
The original petition for re- lease state Kelly has preexist- ing conditions that could risk his life. They noted that he does not have any known risks but also, he is much more danger- ous to the public than the virus is to him.
Essence Fest 2020 Is Officially Canceled
In a year in which the out- break of COVID-19 has not only threatened the lives of millions but life as we’ve known it (because rather than “going back to normal,” we’re likely looking at a “new nor- mal”), another highly antici- pated cultural event has become a casualty. To the cha- grin of aunties and Flossy Posses everywhere—not to mention the entire Rhythm Nation that was looking for- ward to seeing Janet Jack- son return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this year with Bruno Mars— the 2020 Essence Festival is officially canceled.
The news, announced by Essence Communications
Janet Jackson on stage at Essence Fest, 2018.
Wednesday morning, comes after an initial postponement of the event’s annual July 4th weekend festivities due to con- cerns about the novel coron- avirus, an outbreak that has hit the event’s host city of New Or- leans hard. According to local
station WDSU, as of Tuesday, there were over 21,000 con- firmed cases in the state with over 5,700 of those in New Or- leans; over 1,000 Louisianans have died due to COVID-19, in- cluding jazz legend Ellis Marsalis.
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