Today, NFL veteran, recording artist, and mental wellness advocate Darren Waller shares “Baron Davis,” a hard-hitting track packed with bravado, confidence and unstoppable momentum, available via UnitedMasters. The accompanying music video, filmed in Las Vegas and directed by Marquis Garden, weaves together scenes of Waller performing against the city backdrop with highlights from Baron Davis’s illustrious NBA career.

The new single marks Waller’s second release of the year, following the soulful, introspective “In The Valley” which arrived last month alongside a striking visual shot along California’s Big Sur coastline – Music Video. Together, the releases serve as his first music since coming out of NFL retirement to play last season with the Miami Dolphins.

Reflecting on the “In The Valley,” Waller shared, “The greatest transformations in my life and well-being all started in the moments I felt I hit some sort of bottom and this song is about not giving up. The ‘valley’ isn’t just a low point, it’s where the growth happens. Whether it’s on the field or in life, your setbacks don’t define your destiny, they prepare you for it.”

On April 23, Waller will be in Pittsburgh to perform during the NFL Draft at Tequila Cowboy. He’ll also sit for a live interview on the Not Just Football Podcast hosted by NFL star Cam Heyward. The popular podcast goes beyond the game, featuring in-depth conversations with athletes and entertainers about their personal journeys and life off the field.

About Darren Waller:

Darren Waller is a former NFL Pro Bowl tight end turned musician and mental health advocate, using his platform to inspire through vulnerability, transformation and purpose.

Originally from Landover, Maryland, and raised in Atlanta, Darren is the great-grandson of jazz legend Fats Waller and began exploring music in 2015—the same year he was drafted into the NFL. Early career suspensions and the threat of losing football entirely became a wake-up call that pushed him toward sobriety. That commitment led to a second chance with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he rebuilt his life and career, emerging as one of the league’s top tight ends earning Pro Bowl honors.

After balancing football and exploring his creative side for years, Darren made his musical debut with Delusions of Clarity (2021) and Walking Miracle (2023). In 2024, following a serious medical scare, he retired from the NFL to prioritize his health and purpose and poured himself into his craft. During this chapter, he released two EPs, On Notice: Bag Talk and Internal Warfare: This Too Shall Pass, along with the singles “Majoring in Minor” featuring Westside Boogie and the SportsCenter-inspired anthem “Top Play.” This period of artistic focus and personal reflection ultimately led him back to the game with a renewed perspective, coming out of retirement in 2025 to return to the field for the Miami Dolphins.

Influenced by artists such as Jay-Z and Coldplay, Darren’s music explores themes of vulnerability and introspection, fueling motivation and guiding listeners toward meaningful growth. Today, he continues to create music that heals and elevates, while supporting those battling addiction through the Darren Waller Foundation.

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Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and cultural icon Mýa, joined SoundExchange executives to meet with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (April 14) to champion the American Music Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation that ensures artists are compensated when their sound recordings are played on AM/FM radio, while also providing protections for small, local, college, and noncommercial stations.

“Radio has long played an important role in connecting artists with audiences and communities,” said Mýa. “I’m proud to support the American Music Fairness Act because it reflects a balanced approach — one that recognizes the value of music, supports fair pay for artists, and respects the important role local broadcasters continue to play across the country.”

Along with a multi-platinum catalog that includes “Lady Marmalade,” “Case of the Ex,” “Ghetto Supastar,” Mýa has a current Adult R&B Airplay Top 20 single in “ASAP,” which will appear on the upcoming May 15 release of her 10th studio album, Retrospect. She visited Capitol Hill to underscore why the American Music Fairness Act matters to so many artists across genres and generations: while songwriters and publishers are compensated when music is played on AM/FM radio, featured artists and sound recording copyright owners are not currently paid for terrestrial radio airplay under U.S. law. The bipartisan legislation creates a more balanced framework by ensuring artists are compensated for the use of their recordings, while also preserving protections for small and local broadcasters.

The American Music Fairness Act has drawn support from artists, creators, and industry organizations advocating for a modern framework that reflects the value of recorded music across platforms. More than 300 major recording artists have supported the effort, which continues to gain momentum as lawmakers consider the future of fair pay for music creators.

Mýa’s visit to Capitol Hill comes during an active new chapter in her career. In addition to the upcoming release of Retrospect (Planet 9/Virgin Music Group) her first studio album since 2018, she is also celebrating the 25th anniversaries of both Fear of Flying and “Lady Marmalade” in collaboration with UMe/Interscope. In 2026, Mýa released “ASAP,” the lead single from Retrospect, followed by a music video on Valentine’s Day and an official remix featuring 21 Savage. The release marked the start of a new era that blends classic soul and funk influences with the confidence and emotional clarity that have long defined her artistry. “ASAP,” is currently a Top 20 record at Adult Urban R&B Airplay, and this summer she will join The Pussycat Dolls and Lil’ Kim on tour.

A Grammy Award-winning artist and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning actress for her role in the Academy Award-winning film Chicago, Mýa remains one of entertainment’s most enduring and versatile talents. Recognized by Billboard as one of the Top Female Artists of the 21st Century, she continues to evolve as a singer, songwriter, producer, actress, entrepreneur, philanthropist and live performer.

About Mýa
Mýa is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, actress, dancer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning performer whose career has spanned more than 25 years. Recognized by Billboard as one of the Top Female Artists of the 21st Century, she has built a genre-spanning global legacy defined by artistry, innovation, live performance, philanthropy, advocacy, and entrepreneurship across music, film, television, and culture. Through her independent label, Planet 9, Mýa continues to expand her creative and business footprint while collaborating across industries and platforms on current releases, catalog campaigns, touring, and new ventures.

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On April 20, 2026, Eminem posted a single image to Instagram. No lengthy caption. No publicist-approved statement. Just a close-up of a gold recovery coin engraved with “XVIII” in Roman numerals — the number 18 — surrounded by the words “unity, service, recovery,” and bordered by the phrase “to thine own self be true.” His caption matched the coin’s elegance in its restraint: “XVIII .”

That’s eighteen years clean. For the man who once described swallowing 75 to 80 Valium in a single night — at the height of an addiction to Vicodin, Ambien, Xanax, and methadone — the milestone is staggering in both its human weight and its industry implications. It is also, by any measure, the foundation on which one of the most remarkable late-career resurgences in music history has been built.

“I started treating sobriety like a superpower and I took pride in the fact that I was able to quit.” — Eminem, Stans documentary, 2025

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Marshall Mathers (@eminem)

The origin of this anniversary is no footnote. In December 2007, Eminem suffered a near-fatal accidental methadone overdose. He woke up in a hospital, tubes running through his body, unable to move. “I didn’t know what the f— happened,” he recalled in his 2025 documentary Stans. “It seemed like I fell asleep, and I woke up with tubes in me.” That moment, alongside the devastating personal realization that he had missed a birthday of his daughter Hailie Jade, became the turning point. He entered a 12-step recovery program, got clean on April 20, 2008, and has not looked back since.

The road back was not immediate or glamorous. Eminem has been candid that his brain had been so chemically altered by years of abuse that he essentially had to “relearn how to walk, talk, and for the most part had to relearn how to rap again.” His manager Paul Rosenberg has openly admitted he feared permanent brain damage. That Eminem emerged from that fog to release some of the most technically precise rap music of his career — including Recovery (2010), The Marshall Mathers LP 2 (2013), and the late-career critical reset of The Death of Slim Shady (2024) — is a story the industry rarely stops to fully appreciate.

The congratulations came swiftly from across the hip-hop world. Questlove commented simply, “Awesome.” Big Sean offered, “yessir keep it up .” Podcaster Theo Von, himself a prominent voice in addiction recovery conversations, wrote “Amen.” His half-brother Nathan “Nate” Mathers sent prayer hands and the message “proud of you big bro.” DJ and producer D-Nice — whose vintage To Tha Rescue T-shirt Eminem was wearing in the photo — quipped: “Congrats my man! BTW, Nice t-shirt.”

The moment also arrives during what is, by any account, a rich personal chapter. Just days earlier, on April 14, Eminem’s eldest adopted daughter Alaina Scott and her husband Matt Moeller welcomed their daughter Scottie Marie Moeller — making Eminem a grandfather for the second time. The rapper, who adopted Alaina in the early 2000s, is reportedly embracing his role as a family patriarch with the same intentionality that has defined his sobriety.

By the numbers: Eminem in recovery

• 18 years clean as of April 20, 2026
• 3 studio albums released post-recovery, including the Grammy-winning Recovery
• 15 Grammy Awards total — the majority earned after sobriety began
• Peak addiction: reported 75–80 Valium per night, multiple prescription drugs simultaneously
• Near-fatal overdose: December 2007, methadone
• Recovery began: April 20, 2008, via a 12-step program

Eminem is one of the best-selling artists in the history of recorded music — estimates of his total albums sold exceed 220 million worldwide — and his continued creative relevance is inseparable from his recovery. The version of Eminem that existed in 2007, drowning in pills and missing his children’s milestones, was not going to sustain a catalog of this magnitude. The version that emerged from sobriety — precise, competitive, relentless — did.

His most commercially successful post-recovery works — Recovery debuted at No. 1 in 18 countries and was the best-selling album globally in 2010 — were built directly from that trauma. And in an era where mental health and addiction transparency have become both culturally necessary and commercially resonant, Eminem’s consistent, quiet marking of his sobriety anniversaries has made him a singular figure: a hip-hop icon who survived his own mythology.

The Stans documentary, released in 2025, brought the sobriety narrative back to the forefront in a way that reinvigorated cultural conversation about his legacy. Eminem described how writing and recording served as a form of therapy in recovery — “It turned the light on,” he said — and how eventually the shame of addiction dissolved into something closer to pride. That shift in self-perception, he credits, is what kept the music coming.

What is equally notable is how Eminem has chosen to mark each anniversary. No splashy media appearances. No leveraged brand partnership around “authenticity.” Just a photograph of a chip and a Roman numeral. In 2019, he marked his 11th year clean with the phrase “Still Not Afraid” — a callback to the Recovery-era anthem “Not Afraid” that served as his public declaration of sobriety. The consistency of this ritual — understated, personally rooted, and audience-aware without being performative — has itself become part of his cultural brand.

For an industry that too often measures artists by quarterly streaming numbers and endorsement portfolios, Eminem’s annual sobriety post is a useful reminder: sometimes the most important business move a hip-hop artist can make is simply surviving.

XVIII. That’s the number. And in a genre that has lost too many of its giants to the same demons Marshall Mathers once wrestled to the ground — that number hits different. Congrats Em!

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Today, Revlon announces Teyana Taylor as the face of one of its best-selling franchises, Super Lustrous Lipstick marking the next milestone in the brand’s “Revlon Be Unforgettable” campaign, which was unveiled earlier this month. A boundary‑breaking artist whose influence spans film, fashion, music and creative direction, Taylor represents the modern evolution of glamour: multidimensional, intentional, and inherently unforgettable.

“Revlon has always championed women who define their own path, so stepping into this next chapter of ‘Revlon Be Unforgettable’ is an honor,” said Teyana Taylor. “Super Lustrous is all about that finishing touch – the kind of beauty that elevates your whole vibe without taking away from who you are. It’s about walking into every room with intention, confidence, and a sense of self. To me, unforgettable isn’t about being perfect – it’s about presence, depth, and owning your individuality.”

With Taylor fronting the franchise, Revlon sharpens that legacy for a new generation, spotlighting lipstick not just as a beauty essential but also as a statement of individuality and confidence. The creative spans both beloved classics and elevated innovations like Super Lustrous Ultra Lipstick, which combines vibrant, high‑impact color with the nourishing care of a lip balm in a first‑of‑its‑kind formula.

“Whether commanding the stage, directing behind the camera, or shaping style conversations, Taylor has become synonymous with authenticity and fearless creativity,” said Erika Woods, SVP of Mass Marketing. “Our partnership reflects the brand’s ongoing commitment to celebrating women who lead with substance just as much as style.”

Taylor joins the “Revlon Be Unforgettable” family, a powerhouse of women united by their natural ability to embody the self-confidence and depth that define modern femininity. Developed by Revlon’s latest creative partner, Colle McVoy and the brand’s in‑house team, the global campaign will continue to evolve – introducing new perspectives that reflect the many dimensions of unforgettable beauty today.

About Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor is an Academy Award–nominated, Golden Globe–winning actress, director, producer, choreographer, creative director, and Grammy-nominated musician redefining modern entertainment. She earned widespread acclaim for her performances in One Battle After Another and A Thousand and One, receiving major awards recognition across both film and critics circles. Her recent work spans film and television, with projects for Netflix and Hulu, and she is set to make her feature directorial debut with Get Lite in 2027.

In music, Taylor is known for her genre-blending sound and visually innovative projects, earning a Grammy nomination for her latest album Escape Room. She is also the founder of The Aunties, a creative company behind standout visuals for top artists, and a recipient of BET’s Director of the Year Award. In 2026, she was named Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year.

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Directed by: Jesse Wellens
Produced by Nottz

Lyrics:
Bitch, stop counting my poccets

Intro
Yeah, man. So I’m hanging out with this little chicken head, right?
She started telling me about how much money I got
Bitch stop counting my poccets
about this deal and that deal, you know, all up in mine
I ain’t got time
Bitch stop counting my poccets

Verse
I’m a $100 million nigga
with this gin and juice.
Play another eight figures
You can add it up till you get mad enough
Swing, Swing batted up, nigga. I ain’t had enough
I’m on it, doggonit
Death Row Records. Yeah, nigga, I own it
Huh I got grip to get
Cause what you eat don’t make me shit
Bitch stop counting my poccets

Outro
It’s crazy, man.
Why you in mine?
Bitch stop counting my poccets
I mean, we got everything moving now
Death Row games, Death Row pictures, Death Row cannabis
Bitch stop counting my poccets
Yeah, it’s a Death Row takeover
Yeah, yeah
Quit watching mine
Bitch stop counting my poccets
see, because I ain’t got nothing for you
Bitch
Bitch stop counting my poccets

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Music artist, D4vd has been charged with murder following his arrest last Thursday for the murder of a teen girl whose decomposed body was found in the trunk of his Tesla.

At a press conference today (4/20), District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that the singer, whose real name is David Burke, would face a first-degree murder charge which could potentially make him eligible for the death penalty. He will also face charges for lewd acts with a child and for dismembering the girl’s body.

The victim, Celeste Rivas Hernandez, went to Burke’s home in the Hollywood Hills on April 23, 2025, Hochman said. That was the last time she was seen alive, he said. Her body was found five months later. Hochman declined to say how Rivas was killed, but said the coroner’s report would be released shortly.

“There is physical evidence and there is forensic and digital evidence that we intend to present in court to prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt,” Hochman said.

Burke is accused of murder with multiple “special circumstances” that make the case eligible for either the death penalty or life without parole. Those include “lying in wait,” murder for financial gain, and murdering a witness to a crime — as Rivas is considered a witness to the lewd acts charge.

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GRAMMYS On The Hill®, the Recording Academy®’s signature event in Washington, D.C., will kick off its 25th anniversary celebration with the GRAMMYS On The Hill Awards on Tuesday, April 21, where this year’s honorees will be recognized for their leadership and commitment to advancing the music community and the broader creative ecosystem.

On Wednesday, April 22, GRAMMYS On The Hill Advocacy Day will bring GRAMMY winners and nominees, songwriters, producers, and other music advocates to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers and discuss one of the most pressing issues facing creators today: the impact of artificial intelligence on the music community.

The initiative will conclude on Thursday, April 23, with the third annual GRAMMYS On The Hill Future Forum, a conference exploring how music strengthens cities and communities, the role of music education in preparing the next generation for success, and how artists can navigate the evolving AI landscape. The Future Forum will also feature a candid conversation with Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. and YouTube Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen.

WHO: Congressional Honorees: Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Rep. María Salazar (R-FL)

Performances by: Israel Houghton, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Molly Tuttle, students from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and more.

Joined by dozens of members of Congress, songwriters, producers, engineers and other music industry professionals.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 21 – Thursday, April 23, 2026

WHERE:

GRAMMYS On The Hill Awards
The Hamilton Live
600 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005

GRAMMYS On The Hill Advocacy Day
Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C.

GRAMMYS On The Hill Future Forum
District Winery
385 Water St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003

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Time Heals Everything is the fifth studio album from Blu and Exile, a duo that first connected in 2007 and has spent nearly two decades refining a chemistry that continues to evolve. Arriving April 20, 2026, the ten-track LP follows 2024’s Love (the) Ominous World and leans deeper into their core strengths: soul-forward production, incisive writing, and left-field choices that feel instinctive rather than experimental.

The album opens with “Soul Unusual,” a mission statement that builds on the lineage of “Soul Provider” and “Soul Amazing,” reframed through Blu’s present-day perspective. “The word special comes to mind,” Blu explains. “This is my perspective of those songs now.” Exile adds that the record went through multiple iterations before landing in its final form. “Once I changed the beat, it really came together for me, and his words hit differently,” he says, setting the tone for a project rooted in refinement and intention.

Check out the latest interview we did with them.

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Video by G.I. Films

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The legal saga surrounding Tory Lanez shows absolutely no signs of slowing down — and this time, it’s the California prison system sitting in the defendant’s chair.

Lanez has filed a federal lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the warden, and guards at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, claiming officials negligently housed him with an inmate who had a documented, violent criminal history. The demand: a staggering $100 million in damages — a figure that signals this isn’t a nuisance filing. This is a full-scale legal offensive.

THE ATTACK: 16 STAB WOUNDS AND AN AIRLIFTED RAPPER

On May 12, 2025, Lanez was stabbed 16 times in the back, torso, head, and face in what the lawsuit describes as an “unprovoked life-threatening attack” by fellow inmate Santino Casio, who wielded a homemade shank. The injuries were catastrophic — Lanez suffered a collapsed lung and had to be airlifted to a hospital.

According to the lawsuit, Lanez also suffered permanent facial scarring as a result of the attack. For a recording artist whose identity, brand, and commercial value are inextricably tied to his public image, permanent disfigurement carries weight that extends far beyond the physical — it has direct economic implications for any future career the rapper may attempt to rebuild upon release.

WHO IS SANTINO CASIO — AND WHY WAS HE NEAR LANEZ?

This is where the lawsuit’s most damning allegations live. Casio is currently serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. His violent record didn’t stop there — he carried a 2008 conviction for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon and a 2018 conviction for manufacturing a deadly weapon inside a correctional facility.

In plain terms: the man who allegedly stabbed Tory Lanez 16 times had been convicted inside a prison of making a weapon, just seven years before this attack. The CDCR knew exactly who Santino Casio was. The lawsuit states plainly: “The choice to house Casio with Peterson was known or should have been a known danger.” Lanez’s legal team also argues that his “high-profile celebrity status” made him an obvious and foreseeable target for violence inside the facility.

The suit names Warden Danny Samuel specifically, alleging he violated CDCR protocols by placing the two men in the same housing area. Beyond the flawed housing decision, the lawsuit alleges that correctional officers’ response to the attack was slow and that no special measures — such as flash grenades or smoke bombs — were deployed to neutralize Casio before the assault escalated.

Casio has offered his own account of the incident, claiming he spotted what he believed was a suspicious lump in Lanez’s pocket and feared it was a weapon. He admits to striking Lanez first, framing the attack as an act of self-defense. He also maintained that the two had a functioning relationship before the stabbing occurred.

Despite the severity of the attack and Casio’s own admission that he struck first, there is no record of Casio being charged in connection with the stabbing. That detail alone is likely to become a flashpoint as this case develops.

THE STOLEN SONGBOOKS: AN UNDERREPORTED WRINKLE WITH SERIOUS LEGAL WEIGHT

Beyond the physical violence, Lanez’s lawsuit raises an allegation that carries significant implications for intellectual property and artist rights — even for incarcerated artists.

Lanez alleges in the lawsuit that while he was recovering in the hospital following the attack, his songbooks containing unpublished lyrics and notes intended for his attorney were seized by prison staff and never returned.

The filing argues that those songbooks contained unpublished creative work with significant commercial value. This is not a minor grievance. Unreleased music from a major-label artist carries real market value — in some cases, posthumous or post-incarceration releases have generated millions. If those materials were improperly confiscated or destroyed, the estate and future revenue implications are substantial.

The seizure of attorney notes, if accurate, also raises potential Sixth Amendment concerns regarding the right to effective legal counsel — a dimension that Lanez’s legal team may develop further as proceedings unfold.

THE BACKDROP: CONVICTION, APPEAL DENIED, AND A CAREER ON HOLD

For those who need the full picture: Lanez — born Daystar Peterson — was convicted of three felonies in December 2022: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence.

A California court rejected his appeal in November 2025. The door to relief through the appellate process — at least at that level — is now closed. His legal team will need to pursue other avenues, and this federal civil suit may represent one of the most viable paths remaining to generate leverage, public attention, and potentially financial resources from behind bars.

Following the stabbing, Lanez was transferred from Tehachapi to the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo County, where he is currently serving the remainder of his sentence.

WHAT $100 MILLION ACTUALLY MEANS

Let’s be direct with the RapIndustry.com audience — no one expects the CDCR to cut a nine-figure check. But the $100 million ask is a deliberate litigation strategy, not wishful thinking. Here’s why it matters:

Lanez’s team has framed the demand with claims of emotional trauma, reputational damage, and an ongoing safety risk. That framing is intentional — it’s designed to be visceral and headline-generating, forcing the CDCR into a public conversation about how it houses high-profile inmates and whether celebrity status creates a foreseeable duty of enhanced protection.

Federal civil rights litigation against state corrections departments is notoriously difficult to win at trial, but settlements are common when the facts are as stark as these appear to be. A documented violent attacker, a prior weapons conviction inside prison, a slow guard response, and a high-profile victim with permanent injuries — that is a fact pattern that makes settlement conversations very serious, very fast.

CDCR spokesperson Ike Dodson declined to comment, stating that the agency does not address pending litigation. That is standard posture — for now.

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By: David “G” Kreluer
Hip-Hop Business • Legal, financial, and strategic intelligence for music industry professionals.

______

A federal jury in Manhattan returned a verdict on April 15, 2026, finding that Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster illegally monopolized the live events industry in violation of federal and state antitrust laws. The ruling, the culmination of a six-week trial before Judge Arun Subramanian in the Southern District of New York, now moves the case into a remedies phase that could structurally dismantle the most powerful gatekeeper in touring — and every hip-hop manager, entertainment attorney, and independent promoter operating in this space needs to understand what just became negotiable.

What the Record Shows

The case, United States, et al. v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC, No. 24-cv-03973, was brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of state attorneys general in 2024. The trial began March 2, 2026. After the DOJ reached a settlement agreement with Live Nation roughly one week into proceedings — a settlement that six of the plaintiff states accepted — the remaining 33 states and the District of Columbia continued to litigate independently, led by veteran antitrust litigator Jeffrey Kessler.

The jury deliberated for approximately four days before returning a liability finding for the states on April 15. In its damages determination, the jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster had overcharged fans by $1.72 per ticket. Witnesses at trial included Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, AEG Presents CEO Jay Marciano, Barclays Center President Laurie Jacoby, Live Nation President of Touring Omar Al-Joulani, and Drake’s manager Adel Nur, known professionally as Future The Prince.

Live Nation was represented at trial by the law firm Latham & Watkins, with attorney David Marriott delivering closing arguments. The states issued post-verdict statements demanding specific remedies: that Ticketmaster be barred from participating in the ticket resale market; that Live Nation be prohibited from promoting more than 50 percent of any single artist’s tours; and that monetary damages be directed to independent venues, promoters, and festivals. Judge Subramanian will now conduct a separate remedies proceeding to determine structural relief and damages. Live Nation stated the verdict is “not the last word” and committed to appealing unfavorable rulings. Separately, the DOJ’s settlement had already required Live Nation to end exclusive booking agreements with 13 amphitheaters and extend an existing consent decree.

According to the National Independent Venue Association, 64 percent of independent venues, promoters, and festivals were not profitable in 2024.

What This Actually Means

The coverage of this verdict focused almost entirely on the liability finding and the possibility of a Ticketmaster breakup. That framing misses the three developments that matter most to operators in  hip-hop business right now.

First, the leverage equation in Live Nation negotiations has already shifted — before any remedy is ordered. For a decade, the reason hip-hop managers signed their artists into Live Nation amphitheater deals wasn’t always economic preference. It was structural necessity: if Live Nation controls the buildings, the promotion infrastructure, and the ticketing, walking away from their terms means losing access to the venues your artist’s audience expects to fill. That coercive dynamic is now the subject of a federal jury finding of illegal monopolization. Every manager or attorney who walks into a Live Nation negotiation for a tour that hasn’t been contracted yet can now point to a jury verdict as leverage to push back on exclusivity requirements, service fee structures, and co-promotion terms. The verdict doesn’t rewrite existing contracts, but it materially changes the risk calculus for Live Nation when demanding unfavorable terms from artists with counsel sophisticated enough to invoke it.

Second, independent promoters and venue operators now have a roadmap for follow-on civil litigation. The $1.72 per-ticket damages figure is not merely symbolic. Under federal antitrust law, a successful liability finding by one plaintiff — in this case, the state coalition — can create preclusive effect in subsequent civil litigation. Hip-hop festivals, independent promoters, and regional venue operators who were frozen out of opportunities because venues were coerced into exclusive Ticketmaster arrangements can now bring their own damages claims with a jury verdict already in the record establishing the conduct was illegal. The legal standard the states proved — that Live Nation used threats and retaliation to steer artists and venues into using their services — is precisely the conduct that independent operators in hip-hop have experienced for years and never had the litigation infrastructure to challenge.

Third, the 50 percent touring cap being sought as a remedy is the single most consequential ask for hip-hop managers, and almost nobody is talking about it. If Judge Subramanian orders that Live Nation cannot promote more than half of any single artist’s touring activity, the entire architecture of the blockbuster hip-hop stadium tour changes. The leverage that allowed Live Nation to bundle concert promotion with venue access, festival slots, and artist management relationships collapses when the artist’s manager can credibly threaten to route half the tour through AEG or independent promoters without being blacklisted from Live Nation amphitheaters. This is not a fan-friendly ticketing fix. This is a structural change to how a hip-hop artist’s touring income is negotiated, structured, and split.

The Legal or Financial Mechanics

The distinction between the DOJ’s settlement and the states’ trial victory matters enormously, and it has been consistently misreported. The DOJ settled on terms that critics — including the state attorneys general who rejected those terms — described as inadequate. That settlement required Live Nation to end booking agreements with 13 specific amphitheaters and extend its existing consent decree. It did not seek structural divestiture.

The 33 states that continued to trial operated under the Clayton Act, Section 16, which grants states the same authority as the federal government to seek injunctive relief and structural remedies, including a forced corporate breakup. The question of whether Judge Subramanian orders divestiture, operational guardrails, or some combination will turn on the standard antitrust remedy framework: whether structural relief is necessary to restore competition to the level it would have achieved absent the illegal conduct. Given that the Google search monopoly case resulted in behavioral remedies rather than divestiture, the realistic expectation is a package of operational restrictions rather than a Ticketmaster spin-off. But even behavioral remedies — specifically, a cap on Live Nation’s market share of any artist’s tour promotion — fundamentally alter how the touring industry operates.

Live Nation’s appeal pathway runs through its pending motions before Judge Subramanian before any appeal to the Second Circuit. A jury verdict, as Harvard Law visiting professor Rebecca Haw Allensworth noted publicly, is harder to overturn than a bench finding. Any remedy ordered is also likely to be stayed pending appeal, meaning the practical effects for touring in 2026 are limited. But managers negotiating 2027 and 2028 touring deals are operating in a categorically different environment today than they were on April 14.

What Independent Operators Need to Know

For independent promoters: The liability finding is your entry point for a civil damages claim if you were excluded from co-promoting shows at Live Nation amphitheaters, subjected to retaliatory booking freezes, or forced to use Ticketmaster as a condition of access. The four-year statute of limitations under the Clayton Act runs from the date of injury. Document your losses now. Retain antitrust counsel to evaluate whether your situation fits the established liability framework.

For managers in active Live Nation negotiations: The verdict gives you legal cover to push back on exclusive touring obligations, mandatory Ticketmaster use, and co-promotion structures that disadvantage your artist. Any Live Nation attorney on the other side of that negotiation knows what just happened in SDNY. Use it. Negotiate tour-by-tour rather than accepting blanket multi-year commitments, and build opt-out provisions tied to the outcome of the remedies proceeding.

For venue operators and festival organizers competing with Live Nation infrastructure: The states’ demand to cap Live Nation’s promotional share at 50 percent per artist, if granted, creates legal authority for you to approach artists and managers who currently route entirely through Live Nation. Begin building those relationships now, before the remedy is formalized and the re-routing begins.

Bottom Line

Entertainment Attorneys: Every touring agreement your client signs with Live Nation between now and the remedies ruling carries enhanced risk of being renegotiated under court-ordered structural changes. Flag this in your retainer agreements and avoid locking clients into long-term exclusive touring commitments until the remedy is clear. The litigation privilege you now have — a jury verdict on record — should be used actively in every negotiation.

Music Managers: Drake’s manager testified in this case because Live Nation’s conduct directly shaped how his artist accesses the market. Whether your client fills arenas or clubs, the infrastructure that controls your touring income just had a federal jury affirm it was built illegally. The remedies phase is your window to advocate — through NIVA, through your attorneys, or through public comment — for the 50 percent touring cap that would give you real options.

Independent Label Operators: The 64 percent unprofitability rate at independent venues is not a coincidence. It is the documented financial result of a monopoly the jury just invalidated. The remedies phase is where that money gets redirected, if the states succeed in their damages request. Get organized. The time to document losses attributable to Live Nation’s conduct is before the remedies trial, not after.

The post Live Nation Monopoly Verdict: The Hip-Hop Manager Blueprint first appeared on Rap Industry: New Hip Hop, Rap Videos, Music, News, & more..

By: David “G” Kreluer
Hip-Hop Business • Legal, financial, and strategic intelligence for music industry professionals.

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A motion filed April 10, 2026, in federal bankruptcy court is asking a judge to impose financial penalties for every future violation of a non-disparagement clause that was embedded in a confirmed Chapter 11 plan — a legal posture that entertainment attorneys across the country need to read carefully, because the structural problem it exposes is not unique to this case. A sanctions hearing before Judge Scott M. Grossman in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida has been scheduled for May 6, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. The case is In re: Latasha Transrina Kebe, No. 23-14082.

What the Record Shows

In 2019, Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar, known professionally as Cardi B, filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court in Georgia against Latasha Transrina Kebe, the creator of the YouTube channel UnWineWithTashaK. In 2022, a federal jury in Georgia ruled for Almanzar and ordered Kebe to pay approximately $3.9 million in damages. Kebe subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, case number 23-14082, in the Southern District of Florida.

As part of Kebe’s confirmed Chapter 11 plan, the parties entered into a non-disparagement agreement. Under the terms of that agreement, Kebe agreed not to make derogatory public statements about Almanzar, Almanzar’s estranged husband Kiari Cephus (Offset), or others in Almanzar’s family and immediate circle. The agreement named Offset specifically during negotiation. In exchange, Almanzar agreed to defer collection of the full $3.9 million judgment, with Kebe’s Chapter 11 plan requiring repayment of $1.2 million over the first five years. The plan provides a 30.1 percent recovery to general unsecured creditors.

The 46-page sanctions motion, filed by Almanzar’s counsel at Meland Budwick PA, documents at least 25 alleged violations of the non-disparagement clause since the plan was confirmed in March 2026. The violations include 16 posts published on X between April 6 and April 10, the majority of which referenced a shooting involving Offset outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on April 7. The motion also alleges Kebe violated the agreement during podcast appearances and a TikTok livestream in which she publicly thanked another artist for donating approximately $3,000 to a GoFundMe Kebe launched in early March 2026 with a goal of raising $3.5 million. The motion argues the GoFundMe itself — framed as a campaign against Almanzar’s collection efforts — constitutes an ongoing violation.

The motion requests: a contempt finding; an immediate injunction prohibiting any direct or coded disparagement of Almanzar or her family across all platforms; attorney’s fees incurred in monitoring and enforcing the agreement since March 2025; and a financial penalty attached to each future violation at the moment it is published, not after it is deleted. The hearing has been designated non-evidentiary and allotted ten minutes on the court’s calendar.

What This Actually Means

The mainstream legal coverage has treated this as a celebrity dispute that keeps generating copy. It is that, but it is also a live demonstration of a structural defect in how non-disparagement agreements are drafted when a judgment debtor goes into bankruptcy — and that defect has direct implications for every entertainment attorney who has ever settled a defamation, harassment, or breach of contract dispute using a non-disparagement clause.

The core problem is that a non-disparagement clause in a confirmed bankruptcy plan is a different instrument than a non-disparagement clause in a private settlement agreement, and they do not carry the same enforcement tools. In a private settlement, a violation typically triggers breach of contract remedies: damages, specific performance, or termination of the settlement terms. The injured party can sue for breach and seek to accelerate the full underlying judgment. In a bankruptcy plan, the non-disparagement clause is embedded in a court-confirmed document, which makes violations a potential contempt of court matter — but contempt proceedings in bankruptcy are slow, procedurally demanding, and most federal bankruptcy judges approach them conservatively. The debtor also has fewer assets by definition (she is in Chapter 11), which limits the practical value of a monetary sanction unless it is structured with teeth upfront.

Almanzar’s counsel has identified the correct remedy but may be running into the court’s scheduling posture. A ten-minute, non-evidentiary hearing is not the calendar slot a court uses when it believes a full contempt finding is warranted. It suggests Judge Grossman may be approaching this as a threshold issue — whether the motion even establishes a prima facie case for sanctions — before committing to full evidentiary proceedings. Entertainment attorneys advising clients in similar disputes need to understand that the court’s first protective reflex in a Chapter 11 context is to preserve the plan, not to punish violations of it.

The per-violation penalty ask is the most consequential part of this motion, and it deserves careful attention. Almanzar’s team is asking the court to attach a financial penalty at the moment of publication rather than at the conclusion of a contempt proceeding. That structure — an automatic, pre-liquidated penalty triggered by a defined act — is the only enforcement mechanism that actually changes the economic incentive for a content creator whose revenue model depends on posting frequency. The existing arrangement, as the motion describes it, creates no real deterrence: post, generate views and revenue, delete when caught, repeat. If Judge Grossman grants a per-violation penalty structure, it transforms the non-disparagement clause from a reactive enforcement tool into a prospective one.

The Legal or Financial Mechanics

The enforcement difficulty here has its roots in how bankruptcy law restructures prepetition obligations. When a non-disparagement clause is incorporated into a confirmed Chapter 11 plan, it becomes an obligation of the reorganized debtor under the terms of the plan. Violations of plan provisions can be addressed through a motion for contempt under 11 U.S.C. § 105(a), which grants bankruptcy courts broad equitable power to carry out the plan. That is the vehicle Almanzar is using.

The problem is that § 105(a) contempt requires the moving party to establish that the alleged violator had actual knowledge of the specific provision she was bound to follow, that the acts were clearly prohibited by the plan’s terms, and that the acts were not ambiguous interpretations of those terms. Kebe’s defense will likely argue that her social media posts about Offset — a public figure involved in a newsworthy shooting incident — were public commentary protected by the First Amendment, not targeted harassment within the scope of the plan’s non-disparagement clause. Whether “coded” language that her audience can identify as referring to Almanzar but which does not name her falls within or outside the clause’s scope is precisely the kind of ambiguity courts are reluctant to resolve through contempt rather than clarifying the plan terms.

Almanzar’s 30.1 percent recovery means Kebe’s plan pays back roughly $1.17 million of the full judgment in structured payments, leaving approximately $2.73 million effectively uncollected unless the plan fails. The economic pressure on Almanzar to enforce the non-disparagement clause is therefore significant: if Kebe’s bankruptcy plan is dismissed for cause — which a contempt finding could support — Almanzar regains the right to pursue collection on the full $3.9 million judgment. That is the leverage the sanctions motion is designed to invoke without explicitly asking for plan dismissal yet.

Entertainment attorneys who have placed non-disparagement clauses inside bankruptcy plans as a condition of settlement need to revisit those instruments immediately. If the clause does not include: (1) a definition of “coded” or indirect disparagement, (2) a pre-liquidated damages figure per violation to be approved by the court at confirmation, and (3) an automatic cure period after which the full judgment accelerates, the clause is structurally unenforceable in practice even if it is technically part of a confirmed plan.

What Independent Operators Need to Know

Audit every non-disparagement clause in every settlement you have finalized in the last three years. If any of those settlements was reached with a counterparty who has since filed for bankruptcy, or who could plausibly file, the non-disparagement clause has likely lost its primary enforcement mechanism. The damages are restructured, the automatic acceleration is gone, and you are left with bankruptcy court contempt proceedings as your only remedy.

If you are drafting a settlement that includes a non-disparagement clause, and the counterparty is in financial distress, should you be putting the clause inside a bankruptcy plan? Structuring the non-disparagement obligation as a separate contract with its own breach and acceleration provisions, and obtaining a security interest or consent judgment that survives the bankruptcy independently of the plan seems like the better option.

For managers and label operators who regularly deal with bloggers, social media personalities, and content creators in defamation or harassment contexts: the Kebe-Almanzar case is teaching you that a million-dollar judgment plus a court-confirmed settlement is not sufficient deterrence for a content creator whose business model runs on the controversy you represent. Build in per-violation penalties from the first agreement. If the other side won’t accept them, that tells you what their compliance intentions are before you sign.

Bottom Line

Entertainment Attorneys: A non-disparagement clause in a confirmed bankruptcy plan without a pre-liquidated per-violation penalty is functionally aspirational. If you cannot attach automatic monetary consequences at the moment of violation — not after a contempt hearing — you have given your client a document, not a deterrent. Review existing instruments and redraft before the next dispute arises. The Kebe case is the model of what happens when the clause has no teeth.

Music Managers: If you have settled a dispute with a media personality, blogger, or ex-associate who is now in financial distress, find out whether they have filed or are likely to file for bankruptcy protection. Your non-disparagement agreement may have just become a 30-cents-on-the-dollar instrument without any meaningful enforcement mechanism. Your attorney needs to assess that exposure today, not when the first violation hits.

Independent Label Operators: The 25-violation pattern documented in this motion — post, generate revenue, delete, repeat — is a business model. Content creators who traffic in artist controversy operate on the assumption that enforcement is slow and expensive. They are correct unless you structure your agreements to impose costs at the moment of publication. The motion’s request for per-violation automatic penalties is the only legal architecture that actually changes that calculus, and you should be demanding it in every future non-disparagement agreement regardless of whether bankruptcy is on the horizon.

The post Non-Disparagement Clauses in Bankruptcy: The Cardi B Problem first appeared on Rap Industry: New Hip Hop, Rap Videos, Music, News, & more..

“Kairo Static” is the debut (instrumental) single by London, UK based producer Akhavelli. Taken from his upcoming album “Moorthodox Psyence”, the single sits in the mid-tempo pocket, driven by rolling break-beats and a deep, controlled low end. 90s Rap vocals are cut and scratched into the rhythm, locking into the groove like an additional percussive layer. Fragments of Japanese Enka and Americana Folk drift in and out of the mix, creating a contrast between the emotional and the mechanical.

The track builds with precision, leading into a signature passage of glitched, intricately edited drums before settling back into its hypnotic pulse. Slick, intentional, and tightly engineered, it captures a focused strain of break-beat psyence rooted in crate-digging culture and analog texture.

The post Akhavelli – “Kairo Static” (Instrumental Debut Single) first appeared on Rap Industry: New Hip Hop, Rap Videos, Music, News, & more..