A Weekend Wrap of Celebrity News and Gossip and Thoughts From Jo
“I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”
~Nelson Mandela
A Note:
I’ve been trying to shift my focus from all trivial matters but sometimes it seems so easy to get caught up in the BS. So, my note today is highlighting the beauty of becoming unbothered. I think (at least as a single Gen Z female) there’s a process to becoming a totally unbothered person-it’s an art. I mean it’s so easy to consume yourself in the ridiculousness of social media, misinformation, judgement, the pressures of society and more. It’s almost like we’ve been conditioned to care more about what others think of us versus how we even think of ourselves, but where does that leave our morals and inner self values? We glamorize our lifestyles through sharing only the things we want other people to see, or in turn we compare our lives to the idealistic versions we see on social media and look down on our own imperfections. We create these imaginary guidelines in forming relationships that can stifle a good thing, and stereotypes that can harm self worth and the way we treat others.
I spent at least two hours doom scrolling on TikTok, which I feel like is such a waste of time, but I came to the conclusion that I’m tired of caring what people think of me. I’ve been a serial people pleaser and overthinker my whole life and I’m realizing how much that is hindering me from being free. Now I’m trying to find that balance of being mindful of others but ultimately considerate for myself and my own comfort, and I think the first step is becoming unbothered. It’s important to recognize that human error is a part of human nature. We were born imperfect and we will leave this world imperfect, so why waste your time trying to achieve perfection?
Anyways with this in mind, let’s get into this past weekend’s tea!!
SZA to Join Kendrick Lamar at Super Bowl Halftime Show
SZA and Kendrick Lamar have always held it down with their music collaborations. It’s something about the music they make together that truly draws listeners in. Some of their latest tracks together like “Luther” and “30 for 30” are still topping charts today! It should come as no surprise that the first guest K-dot announced for his 2025 Super Bowl performance is SZA. Lamar-in collaboration with NFL, Apple Music and RocNation-shared the announcement on Thursday with a video featuring SZA pouring a bucket of blue Gatorade on the rapper.
On December 3, 2024, it was also announced that Kendrick and SZA will be co-headlining a Grand National Tour starting in April. This Super Bowl halftime show seems like a precursor to a long string of performances we can look forward to from this dynamic duo.
Chris Brown Is Suing Warner Bros
C Breezy is not playing with Warner Bros. Discovery. The pop singer is suing the company $500 million for alleged defamation in the Investigation Discovery docuseries on him, “Chris Brown: A History Of Violence.”
Brown accused Warner Bros. Discovery of spreading lies about him in the series to gain attention and traction. The series features an anonymous “Jane Doe” who accused Brown of “drugging and assaulting” her at a Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs yacht party in 2020-this case was dismissed ‘without prejudice’ however as compromising text messages were found between Doe and Brown that Doe neglected to share.
“To put it simply, this case is about the media putting their own profits over the truth. They did so after being provided proof that their information was false, and their storytelling ‘Jane Doe’ had not only been discredited over and over but was in fact a perpetrator of intimate partners violence and aggressor herself,” Brown’s complaint says. “Mr. Brown has never been found guilty of any sex related crime…but this documentary states in every available fashion that he is a serial rapist and sexual abuser.”
The docuseries, which was released in October 2024, does highlight other alleged victims of Brown though, including ex girlfriend Karrueche Tran-who received a restraining order against him in 2017-and Liziane Gutierrez, a concert goer that alleged Brown punched her in the face. The series also highlights Brown’s 2009 incident with Rihanna.
“This case is about protecting the truth,” Brown’s lawyer, Levi McCathern, said. “Despite being provided with evidence disproving their claims, the producers of this documentary intentionally promoted false and defamatory information, knowingly disregarding their ethical obligations as journalists.”
DJ Akademiks Now Grooming Children
I have never been a fan of DJ Akademiks, he’s a vulture and he’s weird…like really weird, and this latest news around him allegedly trying to groom a 15 year old boy is the last straw. On Friday, videos started to surface of Akademiks, 35, on a Fortnite stream with teen streamer, NourGxd. Akademiks was apparently joined by WrittenByRay, who is allegedly rapper Tory Lanez’ manager according to The Express Tribune. In the stream Akademiks continuously makes sexually explicit comments towards the 15 year old, making him noticeably uncomfortable as he deflects from the 35 year old’s comments in a way more mature fashion than Akademiks himself.
As Akademiks keeps asking NourGxd these hypothetical questions of having sex or sexual activity with adults, NourGxd kept repeating that he is 15 and the things Akademiks was pitching were illegal and weird. The video is definitely off-putting, but it did give me some faith that these younger kids are good at recognizing inappropriate behavior from creepy adults.
To add fuel to the fire, Akademiks has rejected the backlash he’s currently facing following the circulation of these stream videos. He denied grooming accusations and claimed that the only people upset with this video are Kendrick Lamar fans…sigh…I’m not a huge fan of cancel culture but this is an exception.
A$AP Rocky Going to Trial
On August 15, 2022, rapper A$AP Rocky was charged with two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm after reports of him allegedly firing shots at friend and colleague, A$AP Relli, in 2021. On Tuesday, before the opening of his trial, Rocky respectfully declined a final prosecution plea offer of 180 days in jail.
Sources reported Rocky rejected the plea deal due to the potential impact on his career. Rocky has multiple brand endorsements, an upcoming Spike Lee film with Denzel Washington and a celebrity chair position at the Met Gala. All of this could be in jeopardy if he took that plea deal. Also Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, maintains his innocence. Since he rejected the plea deal however, he faces a possible guilty verdict and up to 24 years in prison.
Mayers’ attorney, Joe Tacopina, did note to the court on Tuesday that they plan on calling a witness to the stand that can testify that the alleged semiautomatic that Rocky used was actually a prop gun.
As opening arguments started Friday, Tacopina took that stand to testify that the rapper is innocent and this is a whole scheme by A$AP Relli who is looking for financial gain.
“This is about one man’s lies, jealousy, and greed,” Tacopina said. “Ladies and gentlemen, this case is all about money. The evidence will show it’s nothing more than a money grab.”
