Tennis legend Venus Williams has scored a major win in the legal battle against the family of Jerome Barson.

The elderly man lost his life on June 9th after a collision of cars set off a ripple effect, something his relatives are blaming on Williams in their civil lawsuit.

However, police are now saying the 37-year-old drove lawfully. ESPN reports:

Williams legally entered an intersection but was cut off by another car, setting off a chain of events that seconds later resulted in a fatal crash with a third car, police say a video released Friday shows.

The video, taken by a security camera, shows Williams heading north as she stops her 2010 Toyota Sequoia SUV at a stoplight behind a white car as she exits her Palm Beach Gardens neighborhood shortly after 1 p.m. on June 9.

When the light turns green, the white car turns left onto a six-lane, heavily traveled boulevard, but Williams heads straight. A dark-colored sedan traveling south turns left in front of her, causing her to stop.

Palm Beach Gardens police said in a statement Friday that Barson’s light had turned green just before Williams moved in front of her. Barson’s 78-year-old husband, Jerome Barson, died June 22 from injuries suffered in the crash.

Williams, who was not hurt, has not been cited or charged. Police spokesman Maj. Paul Rogers said Friday the video has caused investigators to re-evaluate their original conclusion that Williams was at fault.

Though the investigation is on-going, it’s a significant development in favor of Williams, who broke down in tears over the situation at a Wimbledon press conference this week.

Breaking her silence on the matter just days before, Williams said:

Your thoughts?

The Pop prince Justin Bieber has learned that British police have thwarted plans put in place to murder his fans at one of his concerts.

Still reeling from the tragedy which was the Ariana Grande terrorist attack, the entertainer has been informed that a terrorist- who cannot be named- was planning to strike a Bieber concert in Cardiff after obtaining several weapons, a 6 inch sheath knife and a hammer.

He now faces two charges under the terrorism act.

One of these accusing him of illicitly preparing to commit acts of terrorism between May 29 and July 1 after conducting intense research into religiously-fuelled terrorist attacks.

Your thoughts?

It’s been an uphill battle for Iggy Azalea in her quest for a comeback hit.

Indeed, despite a smudge of buzz, nothing has “stuck” – a fact fans have been blaming on her team.

Wherever the issue lay, it’s led many to believe her sophomore album ‘Digital Distortion’ will be dead on arrival.

And, according to the rapper herself, that’s exactly what’ll be happening as she confirmed that her label will be releasing no further songs from the project.

The revelation came on Twitter in a series of responses to concerned supporters:

So, in essence, the LP is coming but without any more singles pre-or-post release.

Put simply, it sounds like a literal case of fulfilling a contractual obligation.

In a way we feel for Iggy because the music – love her or loathe her – has not been bad. Indeed, in the case of ‘Switch’ especially, she’s actually been bringing the hotness.

What’s more, the promotion – though seemingly plentiful – rarely felt strategized. Like, why has she been performing songs with no lyric or music video? It’s all rather…odd.

Still, the reality is that the music business is exactly that – a business.

Hence, if the label are not making a return on their investment and don’t foresee that ever happening, then it’s logical why they’d throw the album out without much fanfare.

The lesson for Iggy to chew and swallow is that, as an artist, she has to create her own buzz and likability by any means necessary. Because in today’s climate that’s almost as – if not more – important than the material she’s churning out.

Your thoughts?

These days beef is cooked and served on social media.

Such was the case for the sudden feud between former ‘Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta’ cast-mates K. Michelle and Joseline Hernandez.

Despite being pally on the hit VH1 show, the pair have fallen out – over producer Mona Scott-Young.

This week on IG, K shared a lengthy message of appreciation for the TV maestra – who was with her at the time – for helping turn her life around.

The camaraderie spilled over to IG Live, where K and reality star Shekinah playfully confirmed that Mona does indeed pay up. A jab Joseline interpreted as being about her issue with the exec over money.

Say what you want I love @monascottyoung and @kmichellemusic ?????? come support @kmichellemusic @puffandpetalslounge she has the best food ever!!!!!!!!!

A post shared by Shekinah Anderson (@thatshekinah) on Jul 6, 2017 at 5:58pm PDT

A jarred Joseline responded with the following…

Never one to hold back, K hit back with:

The self professed “Baddest Puta” clapped back moments, referring to K’s family dynamic:

A post shared by CoreVizionTv (@coreviziontv) on Jul 8, 2017 at 6:36am PDT

Juicy as that was, we have no idea why the ladies are duelling on social media.

They’d be better off doing it on TV. Like, if you’re gonna beef – at least beef for coin. Then again, isn’t that Joseline’s whole gripe to begin with?

Sigh.

Your thoughts?

[Photo credit: Prince Williams / ATLPics.net]

Given the booming buzz surrounding TLC‘s Kickstarter campaign for their final album, its arrival – two years later – was noticeably mute.

Indeed, despite select specs of promotion in the weeks preceding, the group haven’t had much visibility in the media scape and instead appear to be focussing on their upcoming tour.

The approach, plus a multitude of other factors (including so-so reviews and the lack of pre-release hit) has had an undeniable effect commercially.

Because, with the final figures counted, it’s apparent that folk did not rush out to buy the self-titled set.

Per Hits Daily Double, the ‘TLC’ looks poised to premiere at #41 after shifting the following:

11,177
(Sales Plus Streaming)
—
9,442
(Pure Sales)

In a testament to changing times, even though the pure sales figure is shocking, had streaming not been factored in the ladies would have been looking at a #16 debut. However, with streaming now being the predominant means of consumption, that fact pushed the duo… ‘Way Back.’

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom. Although, the album was not the business. 

TLC are factually legends and have a hit catalogue that is undeniable and will have them always able to earn a living on the live circuit.

Your thoughts?

JAY-Z has made it crystal clear – he’s navigating the music scape with “new” rules. Or more specifically, by his own rules.

Such is the case with his latest album ‘4:44.’

Arriving via TIDAL on June 30th, the set remained on the streaming platform exclusively for one week. Unsurprising given its ownership (see: JAY-Z).

What’s interesting is that its numbers were not reported, thus rendering the LP ineligible to chart during its premiere week.

Yesterday saw the set arrive (with three extra tracks) on all platforms sans Spotify. Hence, ‘4:44’ will indeed debut on the Billboard 200 officially this week coming.

It’ll be intriguing to see how it fares, given that it secured Platinum status thanks to a lucrative partnership with Sprint. The phone giant “bought” a million copies of the project and redistributed them for free to their customers as part of a promotion. [Much like Rihanna’s Samsung strategy for ‘ANTI’.]

In any case, pending insight into where ‘4:44’ will land on the charts, its deliberate omission from the latest tally sees DJ Khaled – a Roc Nation artist – earn another week atop of the Billboard count with ‘Grateful’. Winning all round.

Your thoughts?

As his latest platinum album, ‘4:44,’ continues to win critical acclaim across the board, Jay-Z‘s dropped the video for its title track – a stunning ode to his wife Beyonce.

The second visual lifted from the set, the 8 minute visual captures behind the scenes and on stage footage of the duo in action as well as some touching clips of their daughter, Blue Ivy.

See it all exclusively on TIDAL below:

Your thoughts?

Rob Kardashian, already facing the threat of jail time for violating California’s ‘revenge porn’ law after leaking nudes of his ex Blac Chyna, has now been dealt another legal blow after reports surfaced the model/actress is seeking a restraining order against him.

As has been captivating headlines for most of the week, Rob went on a social media tirade once he learned Chyna was cheating him.  Berating her and even sharing explicit photos of her on the web, the youngest of the Kardashian clan’s lengthy slam of his baby mama was so harsh his Instagram handle was removed (click here to read more on that).

In response to the hoopla, Chyna’s opted to keep her silence and let her lawyers do the talking on her behalf.  Pressing the courts to deliver a restraining order against Kardashian, Chyna alleges he has verbally and physically abused her in the past.

According to reports:

“Her declaration was part of a domestic violence restraining order petition filed by her new high-powered lawyer Lisa Bloom ahead of a court hearing Monday.

In the paperwork…, Chyna said Rob turned physically abusive on April 17 when she asked him to stop trash-talking her in front of her 4-year-old son, King Stevenson.

‘Rob has been violent with me in the past and I am afraid to be around him,” Chyna said in her statement.'”

Chyna goes on to declare she never gave Rob permission to share those nude photos of her.

“Rob publicly shamed me by posting a picture of me during labor of our daughter Dream… “This is a HIPAA violation and a violation of my privacy rights under the California Constitution.”

As those familiar with California’s ‘revenge porn’ law know, the legal penalties of the infraction could not only lead to years in jail for the TV star, but also cause him to lose full custody of his daughter.

Your thoughts?

It’s finally time for Sevyn Streeter!

The R&B singer has, after long last, hatched her debut album ‘Girl Disrupted.’

It’s been quite the journey for the rising star, whose EP ‘Call Me Crazy, But…’ landed way back in 2013.

Joining her on the 13-track set are Ty Dolla $ign, August Alsina, Wiz Khalifa, Dave East, Cam Wallace among others.

After the long wait, has Ms. Streeter delivered? Listen below and let us know….

Your thoughts?

Madonna continues to use her platform to push and promote positivity this year.

Her latest move?

The development of an institute for pediatric surgery and intensive care in Malawi named Mercy James which is now the first of its kind in African nation.

When you look into the eyes of children in need, wherever they may be, a human being wants to do anything and everything they can to help, and on my first visit to Malawi, I made a commitment that I would do just that. As we approach the opening of the Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care, I’d like to thank everyone who has joined me on this unbelievable journey. What started out as a dream for Malawi and her children has become a reality, and we couldn’t have done it without your support.

The first patients were admitted on June 29th 2017 and are already on the glorious road to recovery with Madonna’s help.

Your thoughts?

Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.

So, just as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’ allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.

This week we’ll flashback to ‘Ray of Light,’ the title track from Madonna‘s 7th studio LP.  The pop diva, who’d already built a legendary career on dance hits and up-tempo numbers at that point, still showcased ‘Light’ as a musical departure of sorts.  Using the William Orbit-produced tune to show off her love for techno/electronica-based sounds, the tune – the album’s second single – quickly proved itself quite the lucrative move.

Boasting an impressive #5 debut on the Hot 100 this week in 1998 (where it also peaked), the feat was all the more noteworthy considering she was nearly 20 years into her career at the time.  Going on to earn a Gold certification in the U.S., the single and its parent album were praised by fans, critics, and the industry at large (earning Grammys and a host of other awards over 1998 and the year that followed).

Tuck in below to see who joined Madge in the top 25 this week 19 years ago:

(more…)

A racism scandal which has erupted at Atlanta’s Philips Arena has lifted the lid on how some of Pop’s grandest acts are treated by security staff behind the scenes at live music venues.

A former Atlanta Seahawks security manager, who doubled as the head of event security at Philips claims that its owners go to great lengths to discriminate against black artists while bowing to the requests of their white peers.

Sam Hayes says that he was fired after revealing that he was aware that his white bosses (employed by the Hawks) were forcing black artists to face intense and time-consuming security checks while placing the safety of attendees in danger by allowing white acts to pass through its halls sans the same precautions.

Which acts were denied access to the venue if they refused to walk through a metal detector?

Kanye West — DENIED

The Comedy Get Down World Tour (Cedric the Entertainer, Eddie Griffin, D.L. Hughley) — DENIED

DRAKE- DENIED

2 Chainz, Jeezy, The Dream — DENIED

Old School Hip Hop Fest — DENIED

Migos — DENIED

Tyler Perry — DENIED

Katt Williams — DENIED

Amy Schumer — GRANTED

Adele — GRANTED

Ariana Grande — GRANTED (Hayes says she “doesn’t like people looking at her”).

WWE Live Tour — GRANTED

Bon Jovi — GRANTED

Ringling Brothers — GRANTED

Interesting.

The Hawks deny Hayes’ claims and claim he was given the boot because of his “poor performance.”

Billing his claims are baseless, the team’s leaders have vowed to defend themselves against them “vigorously.”

Your thoughts?