Nashville Officer Charged with Criminal Homicide in Shooting of Black Man

Nashville officer Andrew Delke was charged with criminal homicide for fatally shooting Daniel Hambrick, 25, in the back as he ran from the officer. Delke’s attorney says he plans to plead not guilty in the case.

In late July, Delke was in the area looking for stolen vehicles and became suspicious of an Impala who he says “conceded the right of way by not pulling out in front of him.” After running the plates on the car and determining it wasn’t stolen, Delke continued to follow the car to develop a reason to stop it. When Delke parked his car in a nearby apartment complex, he says that’s when he saw Hambrick running away.

Video footage shows Delke chasing Hambrick and in a matter of seconds, the man falls to the ground after being shot. Delke claims that Hambrick was holding a gun, which he told him to drop, and when he didn’t, the officer shot four times, hitting Hambrick in the head, back, and left torso. Authorities recovered a gun from the scene.

Delke turned himself in on Thursday (September 27) and he was released on $25,000 bail.

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Rookie Police Officer in Detroit Fired After ‘Zoo Animals’ Post on Social Media

A rookie police officer in Detroit was recently fired for a post he made via Snapchat. The officer referred to potential suspects as “zoo animals.”

Former officer Sean Bostwick was let go according to Detroit police chief James Craig, who revealed the news during a press conference regarding the matter. Craig said “He was terminated. This is his last day on our payroll. Tomorrow, he will no longer be a Detroit, police officer. He is clear on that.”

Bostwick’s caption on his post said: “Another night to [wrangle] up these zoo animals.” A former Detroit police officer caught wind of the post and shared it to his Facebook with the caption “This is a newly appointed Detroit Police Officer. The caption speaks for itself.”

James Craig noted he met with Bostwick in person to let him know that he was being fired as a result of the post.

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Michael Kors Buys Versace for $2.12 Billion

Michael Kors has bought Versace for $2.12 billion, which was confirmed on Tuesday (September 25) amid speculation.

Donatella Versace, who ran the luxury fashion brand with her brother Santo and her daughter Allegra, released a statement about the deal, which read, “It has been more than 20 years since I took over the company along with my brother Santo and daughter Allegra. I am proud that Versace remains very strong in both fashion and modern culture.”

In addition to the billions, Donatella and her family will receive around $177 million in shares of the new company. Michael Kors chairman and CEO John D. Idol also commented on the deal, stating, “We are excited to have Versace as part of our family of luxury brands, and we are committed to investing in its growth. With the full resources of our group, we believe that Versace will grow to over U.S. $2 billion in revenues.”

According to reports, the new company is focused on raising its exposure in Asia and reducing their reliance on business in the Americas. In addition to buying Versace, Michael Kors also owns Jimmy Choo, which they bought last summer for $1.2 billion.

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UN General Assembly Laughs at Trump’s “Extraordinary Progress” Speech

Donald Trump garnered some unexpected laughs after telling the UN General Assembly on Tuesday (September 25) about the “extraordinary progress” of his administration in a speech.

He started off by saying, “One year ago I stood before you for the first time in this grand hall. I addressed the threats facing our world, and I presented a vision to achieve a brighter future for all of humanity. Today I stand before the United Nations General Assembly to share the extraordinary progress we’ve made.”

He added, “In less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country. America’s… So true.”

After hearing laughter in the crowd, Trump responded by saying, “I didn’t expect that reaction but that’s okay.”

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Jermaine Dupri Kicks Off So So Def Exhibit at the Grammy Museum

In 1993, producer Jermaine Dupri launched his So So Def record label to showcase southern hip-hop artists. In the quarter-century since then, the imprint has worked with a slew of big-name artists from the ’90s and 2000s, including Jagged Edge, Daz Dillinger, Da Brat, Bow Wow, Kriss Kross, and Anthony Hamilton.

In celebration of the record label’s achievements and cultural influence, the Grammy Museum has launched a four-month exhibit dedicated entirely to So So Def. Billboard reports this is the first time a hip-hop label has received its own show at the Los Angeles facility. The show will feature stage outfits, photos, and other memorabilia from the label’s stars.

“Considering this year marks the 45th anniversary of hip-hop, it is remarkable that So So Def is celebrating 25 years of extraordinary success in the industry,” Grammy Museum curator Nwaka Onwusa said in a statement. “It is impossible to showcase everything that Jermaine Dupri has done to elevate Atlanta hip-hop and the far-reaching influence of So So Def throughout the world. The Grammy Museum is very excited to present this look into the label’s enduring legacy.”

The exhibit kicked off Wednesday night with an appearance by Dupri and a number of his So So Def associates. The producer spoke about the label’s milestones, its role in the Atlanta culture, as well as his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“My first visit to the Grammy Museum was around the time it opened and they created the ‘Make a Record with Jermaine Dupri’ experience,” Dupri said. “It’s such an honor to return for this meaningful tribute to So So Def, Jermaine Dupri and the city of Atlanta.”

The exhibit, called Jermaine Dupri & So So Def: 25 Years of Elevating Culture, will run through January. You can learn more about the show, including how to cop tickets, at the Grammy website.

The So So Def family will also hit the road next month for the 25th anniversary Cultural Curren$y Tour. The trek will kick off Oct. 14 in Washington, D.C., and include performances by Xscape, Hamilton, Da Brat, and Jagged Edge.

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Bill Cosby Arrives in Court for Sentencing Hearing Today

Bill Cosby arrived at the courthouse in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, around 8:15 a.m. on Monday (September 24) for his sentencing hearing for drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand.

Cosby was convicted on three aggravated indecent sexual assault charges in April, with each charge carrying a sentence of up to 10 years. Cosby has said he vows to appeal.

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Texas Prison Finds $18 Million of Cocaine in “Donated” Bananas

Officials from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice were presented with what had to be one of the most surreal predicaments of each of their professional careers when they came into the possession of nearly $18,000,000 worth of cocaine on Friday, September 21. What was most shocking about the experience is how it came to unfold – with the donation of a shipment of bananas that had been used to move the drugs.

In the body of a Facebook post that the TDCJ put up on its page hours after the ordeal went down, it was explained that two sergeants from the department’s Scott Unit had been sent to retrieve a couple of pallets filled with the fruit, upon it being offered to them from Ports of America in Freeport. According to the official who fielded the call, the port was looking to get rid of the shipment because its contents had already begun to over-ripen.

When the sergeants arrived they were led to the two pallets and the 45 boxes stacked on top of them. However, before taking off, one of the sergeants noticed how much heavier a particular box was in comparison to the others, he saw reason to investigate. Sure enough, upon digging to the bottom of the first box he re-opened, and then moving on to a second and third – the sergeant realized that the bananas had been resting over bundles of the white powdery stimulant.

All-in-all there were reportedly 540 packages bearing $17,820,000 on the pallets. The finding led to the TDCJ involving the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the investigation into where the narcotics could have come from.

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Nike has donated three times as much money to Republicans as Democrats this year

There seems to be a bit of a disconnect between Nike’s branding and the sporting good giant’s political leanings.

While Nike has caught heat from right-leaning supporters for its decision to feature Colin Kaepernick in the company’s latest ad campaign, a new report from the Center for Responsive Politics — a non-profit, non-partisan research group focusing on money in politics — shows that Nike employees and its political action committee have donated more than three times as much money to republican candidates as democratic challengers for the 2018 election season.

In all, Nike has given $424,000 to the GOP compared to $122,000 to Democrats. The findings follow a recent trend showing Nike has donated more to Republicans than Democrats in every election cycle since 2010 with the exception of 2016.

According to the report, nearly half of all donated funds from Nike employees has come from co-founder Phil Knight and his family.

The Knight family has also given $1.5 million to republican Knute Buehler in his race for Oregon governor against incumbent democrat Kate Brown. The contribution is the largest individual donation to an Oregon candidate since the state started electronically tracking such dealings in 2006.

Nike World Headquarters are located Beaverton, Oregon.

Among Buehler’s platforms are lower corporate taxes and repealing Oregon’s sanctuary state laws for undocumented immigrants.

Compared to its rival companies, Nike has donated far more to politicians than it’s competitors. Both Nike and New Balance have each given more than $1.2 million to Republican candidates since 2010, however Nike has also donated more than $900,000 to Democrats over that same time span. By comparison, Adidas and Under Armour have donated less than $600,000 combined to both parties since 2010.

Whatever blowback Nike received following the unveiling on the ad campaign with Kaepernick, it hasn’t done nearly anything to slow down the company’s growth. Nike’s stock recently hit an all-time high and has gone up nearly five percent since the Kaepernick ads launched in early September. That translates to an additional $6 billion in market value, per CBS News.

On the year, Nike is up 36 percent and is performing better than any other company listed on Dow’s index of 30 blue-chip stocks.

Kaepernick is currently signed on a long-term deal with Nike that pays him millions each year and is on par with contracts for other star NFL players.

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T.I. Curating Pop-up Museum in Atlanta

Trap music will be getting some props thanks to plans by rapper T.I. to curate a museum in Atlanta, Vibe is reporting.

The pop-up museum is launching 15 years from the release of the artist’s Trap Muzik, which he said he created to draw attention to all the frustrations a Black man in America might have to juggle – from co-parenting to drug addiction, and from society’s negative view to struggling relationships. Atlantic Records produced Trap Muzik in 2003.

T.I. is launching the museum in partnership with hip-hop journalist Maurice Garland, creative artist DL Warfield and others, Vibe reports. Future, 21 Savage, 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Rick Ross, and Young Jeezy are some of the artists who will be featured because they helped elevate the public presence of the trap, according to Vibe.

The pop-up museum has a website and Instagram account set up. Both instruct people to “stay tuned.”

When he released Trap Muzik, T.I. said he wanted to create something that would be a classic.

“I knew I had to make timeless music,” Noisey quoted him as saying. “It was about showing that even if you were participating in felonious activities, there were still other things you needed to deal with: you’re not just drug dealing but also dealing with a relationship with your parents, your girlfriend, having a child too young and being looked down on by society as one thing when you’re actually more than that definition.”

He told Noisey, “You might have a homeboy who just died, but he wasn’t even in the streets like that. Trap Muzik was kind of crystallizing this Black experience into a piece of music.”

The pop-up museum will be located in West Atlanta and will open to the public on Sept. 30. Trap music evolved out of Southern hip-hop and is considered a sub-genre.

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Long Beach Rapper “Mario C” Facing 3 Years for Threating Mayor on Twitter

Long Beach rapper Mario C admits that his online trolling may have gone too far, as he’s now facing years in prison for threatening Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia.

Back in July, Mario, real name Mario Chheng, wrote, “Run up into your city halls n let off a thousand rounds.” A few hours later, he wrote, “I’ll join lbpd soon. N I’ll murk our mayor within a year.”

Chheng told the Long Beach Post that he was just trolling and didn’t intend to do anything to the mayor. He explained, “I was saying it, but there was no real intent behind it. On the scale of probability it wasn’t anywhere near above the 50 percent mark. It was just more so having the balls to say it, but at the same time I’m saying it behind a computer screen, so there’s no real balls involved.”

During his interview with the Post, Chheng admitted that he was annoyed that his posts weren’t getting the attention he wanted, so he decided to take his trolling to a different level. He stated, “I feel like people are watching my stuff but nobody is responding or reacting, so I’m just thinking it’s kind of weird, so it kind of forces me to say more and more outrageous stuff — just to get a reaction. I got a reaction. It just wasn’t the one I was expecting.”

The rapper also admitted that he was jumped by a group of people after previously claiming to be “the biggest Crip in Long Beach.”

Chheng was released on $50,000 bond after being charged with charged with one felony count of threatening a public official, which faces up to three years in prison.

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