Latto cried tears of joy Tuesday after receiving two Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous-style gifts for her 23rd birthday.

The “Big Energy” rapper was in disbelief as she unwrapped a Richard Mille watch at an Atlanta nightclub, and then walked outside for a fireworks display, which illuminated her brand-new Lamborghini. 

Born Alyssa Stephens, this year Latto was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the BET Awards. Last week, her Win Some Give Some Foundation hosted the first “Latto 4 the Ladies & Babies Christmas party” at the Virginia Grey Recreation Center in the A-T-L. Families received a variety of presents, including gift cards and toys.

In 2022, the birthday girl will headline the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, kicking off March 19 in Santa Cruz, CA.

“Monster Energy Outbreak Tour has backed a lot of big artists at the beginning stages of their careers, so I’m super excited to work together,” Latto said in a statement. “It’s been a tough year for a lot of people, so I’m looking forward to letting loose and having some fun.”

Latto will perform 24 shows before the tour wraps April 23 in Atlanta. Tour cities include Memphis, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and more.

 

 

 

 

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Former Minnesota police officer Kim Potter has been found guilty of first-degree and second-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright.

Judge Regina Chu read the verdict in court Thursday afternoon. Potter had pleaded not guilty.

The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 15 years and a $30,000 fine, and for second-degree manslaughter, it’s 10 years and a $20,000 fine.

In a statement, the Wright family’s legal team said the family is “relieved.” They called for reform and change in America’s policing systems.

“From the unnecessary and overreaching tragic traffic stop to the shooting that took his life, that day will remain a traumatic one for this family and yet another example for America of why we desperately need change in policing, training and protocols,” the statement read. “If we are ever going to restore the confidence of Black and marginalized Americans in law enforcement, we need to have accountability and a commitment to listening and to creating meaningful change.”

Potter, alongside other Brooklyn Center officers, pulled Wright over in April 2021 for having expired registration tags and an air freshener hanging from his rear view mirror. When officers discovered he had an outstanding warrant for a gross misdemeanor weapons charge, they tried to arrest him, according to police testimony at the trial.

He resisted and was attempting to re-enter his vehicle when Potter shot him. He then drove away, crashing shortly after, police testified.

Potter’s defense team has maintained that Wright’s death was an accident throughout the trial. They said Potter mistakenly grabbed her gun instead of her stun gun, but that she was within her rights to use deadly force because Wright may have hurt another officer.

Prosecutors said the 26-year veteran should not have reached for her stun gun in the first place. They assert that she was reckless and negligent in her actions.

Potter testified in her own defense, sobbing on the witness stand as she recalled the events of the April 11 shooting.

“I’m sorry,” Potter said. “I didn’t want to hurt anybody.”

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Jason Aldean’s used to performing in sold-out stadiums, but he recently got a front-row seat at an intimate house show for a very special up-and-coming artist: His two-year-old daughter, Navy.

The singer’s wife, Brittany, posted the adorable video clip to social media this week, showing Navy treating her off-camera parents to her own spirited rendition of “Jingle Bells.” Both Jason and Brittany show their appreciation with cheers and applause at the end of the performance.

Navy is the couple’s youngest child, along with older brother Memphis. Jason also has two teenaged daughters from a previous marriage.

The younger kids have made appearances on tour with Jason recently — and four-year-old Memphis has even come out onstage to say hi to the crowd — but Jason recently joked that Navy’s still pretty “oblivious” to what her famous dad does for a living.

Still, when she posted the video, Brittany noted the family resemblance, writing “Sings like her daddy” in the caption of the post.

 

 

 

 

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The Astroworld Festival investigation is intensifying: Congress announced Wednesday it is studying the role of the event’s promoter, Live Nation, in the disaster.

ABC Houston affiliate KTRK reports that the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino requesting information about the deadly November event, during which ten people died of “compression asphyxia.”

“Live Nation Entertainment was the concert promoter reportedly responsible for ‘planning, staffing, putting up money, securing permits, finding vendors, communicating with local agencies,’ for Astroworld Festival,” said the letter, signed by Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney, James Comer, Al Green, Bill Pascrell Jr.and Kevin Brady.

“This a horrifying way to die, and absolutely preventable. Their families and our community deserve answers to make sure this never happens again,” wrote Brady. “I pushed for this Congressional investigation to hold the concert promoters and organizers accountable, identify the causes, and make sure families no longer have to wonder if their child, friend or loved one will come back from a concert alive.”

In the document, the representatives questioned whether Live Nation “took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival,” adding that reports indicate that ” security and medical staff were inexperienced or ill-equipped to deal with mass injuries.”

“Some attendees stated that the placement of barricades made it difficult to escape,” the letter continued. “Experts have stated that Astroworld Festival organizers failed to heed warning signs.”

In response, Live Nation issued  a statement saying it would “will of course share information with the Committee,” adding, “Safety is core to live events and Live Nation engages in detailed security planning in coordination with local stakeholders including law enforcement, fire and EMT professionals.”

The company reiterated that it is “heartbroken by the events at Astroworld.”

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Dua Lipa is reportedly stepping into the new year as a single woman.  According to a report from People, the “Levitating” singer and her boyfriend Anwar Hadid have gone their separate ways — at least for the time being

“Dua and Anwar are currently taking a break from their relationship and are spending time apart,” a source told the outlet on Thursday.  “They’re figuring things out right now.”

No other information was available regarding the breakup or why the two decided to part ways.

Dua and Anwar, who’s the brother of models Gigi and Bella Hadid, began dating around June 2019.  Speculation that the two had split began in early November when they stopped being seen in public together, and disappeared from each other’s social media posts.

Overall, the duo’s relationship took place out of the spotlight: Dua told British Vogue earlier this year that they liked to keep their personal lives “quite private” from the rest of the world.

“We’ll only show you as much as we want you to see,” she added.  “We have all these incredible memories and experiences, and if there’s something that we want to share together, then O.K., that’s fun.”

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