Inmates at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman say chronic staff shortages and rampant violence have led some prisoners to insert their own catheters, treat their own stab wounds and suffer through seizures without medication. There is one guard for every 160 inmates, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Wednesday in the Northern District of Mississippi. The suit…

Rapper Jay-Z said he and his family were not trying to make a political statement when they remained seated during the national anthem at the Super Bowl, according to NBC News.

Sean “Diddy” Combs called out the Grammy Awards for dissing rap and R&B stars in its major categories in a blazing speech that earned him a standing ovation from Beyoncé, Jay-Z and several other music industry players

A week after Colin Kaepernick’s NFL workout fell apart, disagreements and distrust about it remain on issues such as its timing, who was invited and who could film the quarterback. In conversations with The Associated Press, representatives from both sides blamed each other for what went wrong on Nov. 16. Kaepernick’s side said the NFL orchestrated a workout as a...

From Kate Hudson’s new vodka to Dylan Sprouse’s Brooklyn-made mead, celebrities with their own brands of spirits and wines can make drink-loving fans happy at the holidays. You can find other pillars of culture with bottles, including TV shows and the high-brow auction house Sotheby’s.

At just 7, Blue Ivy Carter is an award-winning songwriter. Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s daughter won the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award at Sunday’s Soul Train Awards for co-writing her mom’s hit “Brown Skin Girl,” a song celebrating dark- and brown-skinned women.

It’s over for Solange Knowles and Alan Ferguson. The 33-year-old singer took to Instagram on Friday to announce the couple’s separation after five years of marriage. Knowles and Ferguson tied the knot in New Orleans in November 2014. “the past 2 years have brought me more physical and spiritual transition and evolution than ever before,” Knowles wrote in a message...

Harold Bloom, the eminent critic and Yale professor whose seminal “The Anxiety of Influence” and melancholy regard for literature’s old masters made him a popular author and standard-bearer of Western civilization amid modern trends, died Monday at age 89. Bloom’s wife, Jeanne, said that he had been failing health, although he continued to write books and was teaching as recently...

Pain’s career is one that can be envied for its longevity, as many of the artists that he sparred with atop the music charts in the 2000s have faded into obscurity. He has consistently put out music, and he has kept his star bright by keeping his face on television. He won the inaugural “The Masked Singer” competition in February,...

A model and aspiring singer who alleged in a lawsuit that she was raped and sexually and emotionally abused by Grammy-winning music producer Detail has been awarded $15 million. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge made the ruling Wednesday for Kristina Buch against Noel Fisher, known professionally as Detail. He won a Grammy for co-writing the Beyonce and Jay-Z hit...

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira are going to bring the heat to the 2020 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced Thursday that the superstar performers, who have released music in Spanish and English, will perform on February 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Meek Mill and Meghan Trainor are helping kick off the new social change partnership between the NFL and Jay-Z before the season-opening game in Chicago next week.

Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to possessing a firearm without a license in a move that spared him a retrial and additional prison time.
The plea ended a decadelong legal battle that garnered national attention and became a symbol for criminal justice reform.

Rapper Meek Mill pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge Tuesday in a deal that resolves a 2007 arrest that has kept him on probation or in prison for most of his adult life. The negotiated plea comes after an appeals court threw out his conviction last month over doubts about the arresting officer’s credibility. The 32-year-old rapper, born Robert...

The Obama summer playlist has everyone from Drake and Beyonce to Steely Dan and Frank Sinatra. The former president calls it “some new, some old, some fast, some slow.” Barack Obama tweeted 44 songs Saturday that he and his wife, Michelle, have been listening to. They include Drake’s “Too Good,” Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years” and the Sinatra standard...

Miami Dolphins receiver Kenny Stills objected Monday to recent comments from rapper Jay-Z about social activism by current and former NFL players, including Colin Kaepernick.

A day after Jay-Z announced that his Roc Nation company was partnering with the NFL, the rap icon explained that he still supports protesting, kneeling and NFL player Colin Kaepernick, but he’s also interested in working with the league to make substantial changes.

The NFL and Jay-Z’s entertainment and sports representation company are teaming up for events and social activism. The league not only will use Jay-Z’s Roc Nation to consult on its entertainment presentations, including the Super Bowl halftime show, but will work with the rapper and entrepreneur’s company to “strengthen community through music and the NFL’s Inspire Change...

Shortly after Woodstock organizers announced the shambolic 50th anniversary concerts were off after months of setbacks and holdups, Woodstock co-founder Michael Lang summed up the drama in six words: “It’s been a really bizarre trip.” Over the last six months, Lang, 74, moved like a cat using all nine lives to make Woodstock 50 work. The first plan, to have...