The Weekend Entertainment Recap: January 9th
French Montana began his weekend by addressing a shooting that took place Thursday evening. The “Don’t Panic” rapper was with fellow artists Rob49 and Ced Mogul, and at least 10 people were injured during the shooting outside of a popular restaurant in Miami Gardens. The victim’s conditions are unknown at this time. However, no fatalities have been reported. French Montana took to Twitter to address the situation on Friday, stating, “we unfortunately were at the wrong place, at the wrong time when an incident took place that left people hurt. Our thoughts & prayers are w/ the victims & families at this time.” Police have not made any arrests in this case but are continuing to investigate the incident.
Rapper Meek Mill also had a close-call altercation this weekend. While attending a boxing match between Gervonta Davis and Hector Luis Garcia in the nation’s capital, Meek Mill had a verbal exchange with boxer Gary Russell Jr. The altercation is believed to have occurred as the result of differing picks in the fight. Meek Mill was in support of Davis, while Russell was in support of Garcia. The exchange became so disruptive that officials temporarily stopped the match. Luckily, the various entourages were able to defuse the situation before it became physical. Meek Mill has since apologized for his role in the chaos, saying that he had “no business going back and forth that hard.”
Major artists typically have a solid fan base supporting them, and in the case of singer Celine Dion, her fans showed that they have her back. A group of more than a dozen Celine Dion fans gathered outside of Rolling Stone headquarters in Midtown Manhattan on Friday after the publication failed to include Dion on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of all Time. The list was released on New Year’s Day and was met with criticism from social media users soon after.
The protesters showed up with varying signs and chants, including, “Rolling Stone is Stoned.” Rolling Stone commented on the protesters via Twitter but did not address the group’s displeasure with Dion being left off of the list.
Fans, players and coaches around the nation showed their support for Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin, as well. The six-foot safety began making headlines after suffering cardiac arrest during a Monday night game against the Bengals. Hamlin was in critical condition but began showing signs of improvement. In honor of Hamlin, his high school alma mater, held an event. ESPN broadcast crews turned the mic flags from an E to a 3, the 3 in the 30-yard line has been emphasized at stadiums and various players could be seen in shirts with the number 3 on it. Hamlin was also able to address his supporters via social media. He stated, “the love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out.” Doctors say Hamlin is breathing on his own and has his needed neurological functions, although he remains at a Cincinnati hospital.
Chicago rappers Vic Mensa and Chance The Rapper are changing the landscape of music and culture with the introduction of their Black Star Line Festival. The event brought out a crowd of 50,000 people to Ghana. It took on its name from Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Line Shipping Company and aims to foster international collaborations between artists of the diaspora. Stars such as Erykah Badu, T-Pain and Dave Chapelle were in attendance for the festivities.
In addition to a free concert, festival-goers were able to take part in panel discussions, fine arts exhibits and nightlife events.
