Nicki Minaj and husband Kenneth Petty are being taken to court by a woman who claims Petty raped her in 1994.

Jennifer Hough asserts in a new lawsuit that Petty “intimidated” and “harassed” her not to talk about the incident, and says that Nicki “threatened” her and wanted her to disavow her accusations against Petty, according to Billboard. Hough also accuses the couple of “witness intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, harassment, assault, battery, sexual assault, and sexual harassment.”

According to the lawsuit, as reported by Billboard, Hough says that on September 16, 1994, when she and Petty were both 16 years old, he held her at knifepoint and raped her in New York City. He was arrested for first-degree rape, pleaded guilty to attempted rape, and was sentenced to 18 to 54 months in prison.

Hough alleges that Nicki falsely claims that she wrote a letter recanting her statement accusing Petty of rape, and that on two different occasions, Minaj and Petty offered $500,000, and $20,000, to recant her statement.  As a result, Hough says that for years, she has felt “mentally and emotionally destroyed.”

The lawsuit also states that Hough “has not worked since May of 2020 due to severe depression, paranoia, constant moving, harassment, and threats from the defendants and their associates,” and is “living in isolation out of fear of retaliation.”

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Jameson Rodgers has his sights set on a debut album.

The Mississippi native will release Bet You’re from a Small Town on September 17. The 15-track collection features his chart-topping debut single, “Some Girls,” and his “Cold Beer Calling My Name” collaboration with Luke Combs that’s currently inside the top 10 on country radio. Fan favorites including “Good Dogs,” “Missing One” and “Girls that Smoke” are also on the album. 

“Being from a small town in Mississippi, I’m well aware that not everyone gets to do music for a living. I’ve been waiting to announce and release my debut album ever since I moved to Nashville 11 years ago,” Jameson shares in a statement. “I’m extremely grateful for this day to be here and I can’t wait to see and hear how people react to these songs and this album.”

The singer continues on his Cold Beer Calling My Name Tour through a December 16-17 stand in Nashville at Exit/In.

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“Stay,” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, is spending a second week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 — but Olivia Rodrigo is making the most news in the number-two spot, with “Good 4 U.”

While “Good 4 U” isn’t currently at number one on the Hot 100, it just rose to number one on Billboard‘s Radio Songs chart, which means it’s the most-heard song on U.S. radio. But more interestingly, its now spent 11 weeks at number two, tying with Whitney Houston‘s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” as the song that’s spent the longest time in the runner-up spot in Hot 100 history.

Like the Whitney hit, “Good 4 U” debuted at number one before slipping to number two.  It’s been there ever since, shut out from the top by BTS‘ “Butter” and “Permission to Dance” and, now, “Stay.”  “Exhale” never actually got to number one again; it remains to be seen whether “Good 4 U” will.

Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran‘s “Bad Habits,” which debuted at number five more than a month ago, now rises to a new high of number three.  In the U.K., it’s been number one for seven weeks.

Finally, The Weeknd‘s new single “Take My Breath” debuts at number six. It’s the Canadian star’s 13th top-10 hit.

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 Barack Obama’s star-studded 60th birthday party a week ago in Martha’s Vineyard was the place to be, with nearly 200 guests enjoying a weekend of activities, including a boy’s night, a Sunday brunch, and golf. It was so much fun, Erykah Badu forgot the rules and now is apologizing to the 44th president.

The celebration at Obama’s sprawling estate was attended by a who’s who of entertainment including Beyoncé, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Oprah Winfrey, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, according to the Washingtonian.

Erykah posted photos and video of the big, private bash, but then then quickly deleted them, then tweeted an apology to Barack and his wife, Michelle.

“Mr. and Mrs. Obama, Please forgive me 4 being the ‘terrible guest’ at such a sacred event for your family. I was so inconsiderate. Thank you for all your love. What an example of “how NOT’ to be….. erica.”

One fan commented, “They made you take down the video and apologize publicly.”

The four-time Grammy winner replied, ‘Naw sis. It’s just the right thing to do.”

Mr. And Mrs. Obama , Please forgive me 4 being the “terrible guest “ at such a sacred event for your family. I was so inconsiderate, Thank you for all your love. What an example of ‘how NOT ‘ to be …… erica

— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) August 12, 2021

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The Voice just got a whole lot of country star power: Dierks Bentley and Jason Aldean have been selected as Battle Round advisors for season 21.

Dierks will advise Blake Shelton‘s team while Jason will mentor the contestants on Kelly Clarkson‘s team. 

“Everybody is really different, and really great in their own way,” Jason remarks to Entertainment Tonight about the powerhouse singer’s team members. “I think as young artists, it’s one of those things where there’s a lot of stuff they’re doing for the first time, there’s a lot of things that they are not sure of,” he says.  “You can have all the talent in the world, but having that confidence and things like that to go out and know how to use that talent, I think is the tricky part.”

This isn’t the first time Jason and Kelly have worked together. The two teamed up for the hit duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” that topped the country charts and was named Musical Event of the Year at the 2011 CMA Awards.

Longtime friends and colleagues, Dierks describes Blake as a “great mentor.” “He’s been doing it for a while and I learned a lot from how to help people get better,” he said during an interview with Access. 

“Dierks knows when to hold them and I know when to fold them,” quipped Blake. 

Camila Cabello and Kristin Chenoweth also join as Battle Round advisors for coaches John Legendand Ariana Grande, respectively. 

The new season of The Voice premieres on September 20 on NBC.

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New York City and its arts scene, including Broadway and concerts, are back, and a number of well-known singers are paying tribute to the Big Apple’s resiliency by praising it in song…one of Billy Joel‘s songs.

More than a dozen singers and musicians have come together to record a video featuring themselves singing Billy’s iconic track “New York State of Mind” in locations all over New York City, from Times Square and Brooklyn to Queens, the Upper West Side, the Lower East Side and Coney Island.

Sara Bareilles and Idina Menzel are a huge part of the video, but you’ll also see and hear Billy’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel, Stephen Colbert, singers Joan Osborne and Suzanne Vega, Andy Cohen, actor/singer Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway stars Kelli O’Hara and LaChanze, Billy Joel band members Mark Rivera and David Rosenthal, drag queen Peppermint, Mario Cantone and more.

In a statement, Bareilles says, “To sing Billy Joel’s iconic song alongside my community members at a time when the city needs us all was so meaningful to me. I’m so grateful this project came to life in such a big way.”

The project, the brainchild of the NYCNext organization, will be shown all over New York, including in taxi cabs and at this weekend’s New York City Homecoming Concert in Central Park, featuring Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Rob Thomas, Babyface, Jennifer Hudson, Journey and many more.

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The surviving members of Soundgarden made a surprise appearance during Americana musician Brandi Carlile‘s show at Washington State’s famed Gorge Amphitheatre over the weekend.

Carlile invited Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd on stage to perform the Soundgarden songs “Black Hole Sun” and “Searching with My Good Eye Closed.” The trio had previously joined Carlile to record studio versions of both tracks for a Record Store Day single last fall.

“Welcome back to the Gorge, my friends in Soundgarden!” Carlile said in introducing the grunge legends. “Are you ready to sing and scream for one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands in the world?”

Carlile previously sang “Black Hole Sun” at the 2019 Chris Cornell tribute concert. She also performed that night with Temple of the Dog and Audioslave.

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