People stood on the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson yesterday in disbelief, same as the rest of the hip-hop community. At that intersection sits Marathon Clothing, the site where Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot on Sunday afternoon around 3:20 PT. As the news spread, family, friends and fans flocked to the crime scene to share experiences, grief and outrage.

Nipsey was a leader and a staple in the community, owning several business there, including Marathon Clothing, and employing the local residents. Nipsey was heavily into empowering his people, so the fact that somebody killed him in the very the place where he was trying to cultivate with his dollars, words and actions, makes it that much more shocking. It didn’t feel real, even after reading the news, and even while physically standing there surrounded by police and yellow tape. How could this be?  Another impactful hip-hop star who had so much more to give to the culture — and was willing to do so — has been taken away abruptly and violently. Nipsey was just getting started.

“I was a fan of the music,” said a local fan wearing a “Crenshaw” hat and matching sweatshirt from Nipsey’s brand. “He represented the culture well. Supported the people of the community. I’m [heartbroken].  Just don’t know what to say. Seems like the Lord always taking the good ones. It’s a whole lot of ignorant n----s that… probably don’t need to be walking the face of this earth right now. You had this man out here with a family, actually taking negatives and turning them into positives. That’s what we need to do in the community. Learn how to support each other. Black owned. For sure he was my favorite. I got a chance to go the ’Victory Lap’ tour, see that. It’s just sad and it seems like we’re killing each other. It needs to stop …  A lot of people are hurt and devastated. Hopefully we can get a positive out of this somehow, someway. I thank him for blessing the city with his music, his brand. It was well needed out in these streets.”

“I’m at loss right now,” another man said. He was holding back tears and spoke of how Nipsey inspired him to start his own YouTube Channel. “I’m just out here showing support for Nipsey. His music got a lot of people through college, through work. Got a lot of people through things. Very inspirational, always gave back to the community. He didn’t leave the community, he bought property in the community. It’s very sad. I cried in the car when I heard it. I’ll be crying all day. I love Nipsey.”

Then there was a woman named Mariah who painted the picture of a man of inspiration.

“I’m depressed,” she told. “I’m really sad about what happened today.  Nipsey Hussle, I worked with a black man that told me the only reason why he’s at where is today is because of Nipsey Hussle. He listened to Nipsey every single day. He said if it wasn’t for Nipsey, he doesn’t know how he would get accepted into UCLA . He said ‘I listen to him every single day and Nipsey inspired me to be better than what I am.’ Every time I turn around, somebody is dying and its us against us. It’s them against us. It’s everybody against us. How do we change it? What’s the next step. I’m depressed.”

“I used to be in a gang in LA,” another woman offered. “I understand all that. My heart is broken because I’m sick of seeing this. We gotta break this ghetto spell we’re under. But for right now, everybody be encouraged, decide to live better. Be better. He was trying. He was invested in his community. He had children; this is senseless. Once again. But until we deal our own internal issues and our own dysfunctions, we’re gonna keep repeating this. We gotta heal ourselves.”

Two other men were shot during the March 31 incident. At the time of writing, police have no suspects.

It has been a very bittersweet time for Lil Kim. She’s been on stage performing at sold out shows, just released a brand new video and is promoting her first album in 14 years.  The Queen Bee is doing exactly what she loves and what she’s love for, but she’s doing it with a heavy heart. As she revealed on stage last week, her young cousin was killed last weekend.

At last weekend’s the “Lit In AC” concert in Atlantic City, Kim told the audience of her family tragedy. Kim had just torn the house down, coming out as a surprise guest of The Lox for “All About The Benjamins,” then rocked her own solo set filled with a myriad of classics. During that performance, she confessed to the crowd that her cousin had been killed the night before.

On Friday, the legendary MC elaborated on social media:

“It breaks my heart to have to send out this special RIP to my little cousin Aggy who was shot and killed.

"At times you were so quiet but as soon as you started speaking everyone in the room knew that you were a real riot," she added, reminiscing and giving a heartfelt remembrance of her family member. “You were a halfway comedian but ... I used to tell you that you need go away to college and get a basketball scholarship. You had so much potential. We your family will greatly miss you and we will always keep our lighters up for you. Love you Aggy"

Today, Kim also debuted her new video “Go Awf.” Sexy ladies, revealing outfits, decadence, Jets, high fashion and charisma. Yup. It’s a Kim video alright. Fans will be pleased to hear that her new album “9" is really coming after so many years of waiting. Sure, Kim has released mixtapes during the last decade and half, but the fans having been clamoring for a full album and soon they shall have it. As for the new single and video, she told Complex that it’s about a theme that has reoccurred throughout her career: girl power.

"I wanted to make a record that was empowering to girls and women all over the world to get back to my roots and not just my ladies but my boys too,” she explained. "When I first heard the beat, it made me feel like going ‘awff’ and I knew it was the perfect record for that. Whenever I see a girl killing it on the 'gram or getting to that bag I say, 'Oooh Go Awff Sis!!' If I see any of my guys whether I know them or not dripping ridiculously, throwing mad money in the club or just getting to that bag I'd say, "OK now, Go Awff then bro!' No matter what your hustle is, I use Go Awff as a term to elevate and motivate people to keep living their best lives."

Kim’s new LP “9" is slated for a May 17 release date. Just days before the Notorious B.I.G.’s Birthday.

The diva of all divas, Diana Ross celebrated her 75th birthday this week in grand style. The legendary singer held a star-studded birthday bash that included a Happy Birthday serenade from another renown diva, Beyonce. Mrs. Carter wished Ross well while celebrities such as mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs watched on.

Following the celebration, Ross was hit the stage at the Hollywood Palladium for a private concert featuring a myriad of music heavyweights. Performing classics, such as “Stop! In The Name Of Love,” and “I’m Coming Out,” which featured appearances from Diddy and his three young daughters. The evening was capped by a number of wardrobe changes and more special performances from Robin Thicke, DJ Khaled and Stevie Wonder who sang “Happy Birthday” to one of the greatest of all time.

A fittingly grandiose celebration for an absolute legend. Happy Birthday, Diana Ross.

Mannie Fresh Says Lil Wayne Is This Generation's Most Influential Artist

It’s been 20 years since Juvenile jumped on a classic Mannie Fresh beat and declared that Cash Money was taking over for the ‘99 and 2000. Fact is, “Back Dat Azz Up” can still can turn any party upside down. Now 50 years young, Fresh says his new music will transport fans back to that golden era.

In an interview with XXL magazine, the super producer talked details on The Fresh Files, a joint LP with Lil Wayne.

“I feel like it’s the Wayne that people want to hear,” he told the media outlet. “The format of those songs are even different from the two that are on this album. The format on ‘Start This S--t Off Right’—that wasn’t the way the song was put together. There were some people that felt it was too musical and they dumbed the song down. On the project that I’m putting out, you’re going to get the version of how the song was before it was touched. When you do something with people, you have to compromise. By no means am I arguing with it. At the end of the day, that’s Wayne’s baby. Tha Carteris his thing. I get it. Tha Carterwas important to him. Wayne was gone for so long, so I knew why he was so protective of how he did this one. The cool thing is that there are some diehard Mannie Fresh and Lil Wayne fans that want to hear Wayne over Mannie Fresh beats without engineers tampering with it or without a room full of people going, “It would be cool if we moved this here.” So the ones you’re getting from me are the way Mannie Fresh would have did it. They are unreleased songs. S--t, I got about two albums worth of songs on Wayne.”

Back at the A3C Festival last fall, right before Weezy took to the stage, Fresh dropped the first hints of this album exclusively to LiveXLive.

“I always felt homie was gonna hold his own,” Mannie detailed backstage after his set. People like Big Krit, Pastor Troy, Currensy and The Diplomats came up to him and showed love.

“Big ups to him for always answering the phone no matter what was going on.  I can I always say my dude — low point for me, low point for him [or] when we was up — always answered the phone. Before I knew Wayne, I knew his dad. His das was always like ‘this dude got star qualities.’ When I met him he was right. First one there, last one to leave. It’s still that way. When we worked on Tha Carter [V], people don’t know we got like 13 songs, we dumbed it down to two. And we did that in three days. So the chemistry is still there, still crazy. Dude was like, let this ride and you can put those out. The world will get to hear Mannie Fresh/ Carter. It’ll be ‘The Fresh File.’”

The legendary producer is proud that his longtime friend and collaborator Lil Wayne is considered the most influential artist of the new generation. The New Orleans boards man also encourages younger fans to go back and do their homework on artists that came before Weezy.

“Wayne is they dude,” Fresh told LiveXLive in Atlanta. “He is they dude. I grew up with seven heroes. I love that [the kids] like Wayne, but I’m challenging this new generation, yall gotta go out and experience music Bro. Check out the Rakim’s, the Nas’, the Jay-Zs. Check out the dudes that came before that. [Wayne] is my dude, I love him to death, but know where hip-hop came from.”

“You would have not had a Mannie Fresh if it’s not for a Rakim or a Nas or a Kool G. Rap,” he detailed. “I grew up on these dudes., That’s what made me cool. If I could get a conversation with a Nas or a Kool G. Rap, my life is complete. I want them on [my album]. I hate the politics in rap right now.   Because I think those dudes deserve a chance. Those the pioneers that made it. They aint lost it, they still nice. Let’s give them a shot.  You know who I would love to have on my album? Kool G. Rap. He’s always been nice on the mic.”

“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has been fully exonerated after being accused by police of paying actors to fake a heinous attack laced with racial and homophobic overtones. This morning, prosecutors made the stunning announcement that all charges against Smollet were being dropping. Smollett was indicted earlier this month in Chicago, being charged with 16 felony counts for allegedly filing a false police report.

“Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him,” Smollett’s attorneys Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes said in a statement. “Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment."

The lawyers went on to say that it was not just their client who was harmed in this hate crime.

“Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions,” the statement continued. “This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.”

“Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career.”

It remains to be seen how severely Smollet’s career will be effect by this bizarre incident. He’s been the butt of incessant jokes on Instagram, where memes have him being synonymous with “lies” and being a “liar.” Meanwhile, it was reported weeks ago that “Empire” already edited him out the final two episodes of the season.

At the time of writing, executives at Fox released the following statement: “Many of you have reached out regarding today’s developments in the Jussie Smollett case. As of this time, the studio and network have no comment. I will of course let you know if that changes.”

In the original charges, Chicago police accused Smollett of hiring brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo —who were stuntmen on “Empire”—to fake an attack on him in a misguided attempt to get sympathy and attention. Police even obtained surveillance of the brothers buying the rope that was used in the attack. When arrested, they claimed Smollett to be the evil mastermind and stating that they were paid to jump him. The brother produced a $3500 check from Smollett, which the actor claimed was for personal training services. To date, neither brother has been charged with any crime.

State’s Attorney Kim Foxx told the press that Smollett’s history of giving back played a part in her decision to drop the charges. That, and he didn’t ask for his $10K bail back.

“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,” she said.

Smollett of course gained popularity on Empire, playing the most talented son of the Lyon family, platinum hitmaker Jamal. Smollett’s character became popular not because of his great singing on the show — performing duets with the likes of Alicia Keys and Kelly Rowland — but because his openly gay character broke barriers on TV for the LGBT community.

With the charges now dropped, it remains to be seen what happens next in terms of careers and court cases for all involved. We’ll have more as it develops.

Smollet’s legal entanglements may not yet be over. According to a report by Page Six, federal mail fraud charges could still be forthcoming.

At the heart of the Feds’ probe is a letter that was mailed to the actor a week before his attack. “You will die black f——t” was spelled out from cutout magazine letters. The letter also featured a stick figure hung from a rope. Also according to reports, the hateful letter was delivered in a envelope that had aspirin in the form of powder in it and “MAGA” written on it. Chicago police investigating Smollet claim after the letter in question was dismissed by TV executives, Jussie was so infuriated, he staged his own attack.