The Weeknd is denying all claims put forth by former rock band, Yeasayer, that his song “Pray For Me” with Kendrick Lamar used a sample of their song, “Sunrise,” without clearance or credit. Back in February, the Brooklyn rock band, who have since split, filed a lawsuit against The Weeknd, Kendrick, and Top Dawg Entertainment for copyright infringement, alleging that “Pray For Me,” which was released on the 2018 Black Panther soundtrack, had ripped off their song, “Sunrise,” off their 2007 debut album, All Hour Cymbals. The band claimed that “Pray For Me” used the same “distinctive choral performance” as “Sunrise,” “comprised of male voices singing in their highest registers, with animated, pulsing vibrato.” This lead them to believe that the artists had illegally sampled their song with “intent to conceal the infringement.” However, the Weeknd has fired back, denying all claims and requesting that the case to be dismissed.

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“Each and every allegation contained in the complaint not specifically admitted herein is denied,” official court documents read. “The sound recording of ‘Pray for Me’ does not capture any actual sounds from the sound record, ‘Sunrise.'” He is also requesting that his attorney fees be covered by the band. We’ll keep you posted on any further updates.

Noteworthy names are lending their platforms to help aid in COVID-19 relief efforts. Lady Gaga reportedly quietly raised $35 million dollars, Michael Che is paying the rent for 160 units in an entire apartment complex, Twitter's Jack Dorsey has pledged $1 billion toward charitable efforts, Jay Z has donated tens of thousands of masks to prisons, and Rihanna has given millions of dollars as well as ventilators to hospitals. Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman shared a video to his Instagram page on Wednesday (April 15) to speak about "Operation 42," but it was his appearance that captured viewers' attention.

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"I am hearing stories of desperation from people all over the country, and we know our communities are suffering the most and urgently need help," the actor wrote in the caption of his clip. "Celebrating #JackieRobinsonDay with the launch of Thomas Tull’s #Operation42, a donation of 4.2 million dollars in personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals that service the African American Communities who have been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you, Jackie, for refusing to accept the world as it is, for showing us that we can make a difference."

Chadwick, who is often portrayed as a fit figure, looked as if he'd lost a little bit of weight. It could be the upward-facing angle that made the actor look different than normal, but comments came pouring in across social media platforms. Some fans shared messages of earnest concern for his health, while others insisted that he must have changed his appearance for a role. Check out the video from Chadwick Boseman below.

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I am hearing stories of desperation from people all over the country, and we know our communities are suffering the most and urgently need help. Celebrating #JackieRobinsonDay with the launch of Thomas Tull’s #Operation42, a donation of 4.2 million dollars in personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals that service the African American Communities who have been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thank you, Jackie, for refusing to accept the world as it is, for showing us that we can make a difference.

A post shared by Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) on Apr 15, 2020 at 6:36pm PDT

Rap icon Yo-Yo has plenty of stories to share about the glory days of hip hop from when she stepped on the scene back in the late 1980s. The 48-year-old has shared stages alongside her fellow hip hop legends and during a recent chat with the Murder Master Music Show, Yo-Yo talked about releasing “Out of Control,” her first single in 10 years. The Compton rapper also discussed those days back in the 1990s when she dated Tupac Shakur and fondly remembered him as a man with unmatched confidence.

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“Pac, he was a hothead, he was a sh*t talker!” she said with a laugh. “He thought he was the best. He was the best entertainer that I remember. He had a swag about him when he touched that stage. I fell in love with him as an artist, first. Just, his love for music, his passion for people, he was a young rider. He was a young Malcolm X, he was a young Black Panther, he was a street n*gga,” she added with another laugh. “He was all of that mixed up in one and he had a penmanship when it came to writing lyrics like nobody else. He lived it, he breathed it, it was in his walk.”

YoYo teased her late friend once again. “Cocky ass n*gga! Very cocky. I loved him, though!” the rapper continued with a chuckle. “I loved him. I loved his confidence. He was… It’s sad that he is not here today because I always say our families would still be in contact with each other. I’m in contact with his family and I work with his sister and their organization the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation… The fact that he’s not here seeing our kids grow up.” Listen to a clip of Yo-Yo talking about Tupac Shakur on the Murder Master Music Show below.

Winston Duke, the actor most notably known for playing M’Baku in Black Panther (2018), wants to be Black Panther 2‘s main villain in the new film. With writer/director Ryan Coogler at the helm of the latest installment of the Marvel film and the original movie becoming a massive success, BlackPanther 2 won’t make its way to the silver screen until May 2022. With the writing process being a tedious one and having to live up to the first T’Challa-centered film, Duke is publicly suggesting that M’Baku should serve as the new film’s antagonist in a brand new interview with Screen Rant.  Liliane Lathan/Getty Images

Despite the fact that Duke’s character, M’Baku reached a temporary alliance with Wakanda’s king, T’Challa, during the original film, Duke feels that he has the range to become a mainstay villain throughout the second installment of the entire feature film. During the interview, Duke affirmed his reasoning stating:

(M’Baku) is a hero, but he has so much going on. I think what makes a really great villain is that they have the power of seeing things their own way, and they can define their own circumstances.

The 6’5 Trinbagonian–American actor then went on to praise the complexities of other MCU villains, as he continued:

“And that’s what’s really cool about all the MCU villains so far as well. Loki always sees things his own way, and he chooses when he’s going to be an ally or an antagonist. Thanos always had the power of self-definition. That’s his greatest strength. It wasn’t the rings, it wasn’t his superpower or the fighting. It’s that he made his mind up and said, ‘This is how I define justice.’

Because he wasn’t a bad guy; he’s just a dude who was seeking ultimate justice and balance. That’s not bad. But he defined it himself, and all the really great villains that Marvel interrogates always have that ability, so they can go anywhere.”

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For those of you unaware, M’Baku is the leader of the renegade Jabari Tribe who chose to shun Wakanda’s technological society and have a religious reverence for gorillas. Their primitive way of living has allowed them to adapt to the mountainous climate of Wakanda’s natural climate. 

Upon its release, Black Panther became the highest-grossing superhero film of all-time raking in over a $1 billion globally within weeks of its release. One year later, Marvel shattered their own record bringing in over $2.7 billion in worldwide revenue for their Avengers: End Game film. 

Only time will tell what Marvel, Ryan Coogler, and Disney have in store for Black Panther II. Until then, the mass will have to patiently wait until 2022 to see what’s in store for the highly-popularized comic book film franchise. 

Black History Month always sparks tributes from companies looking to honor black historical figures who have helped change the course of history. OneUnited Bank shared that they've decided to highlight the accomplishments of Harriet Tubman by featuring new artwork of the former slave and abolitionist on their bank card—an image that shows Tubman crossing her arms in front of her chest a la Black Panther's Wakanda.

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OneUnited Bank, the largest black-owned bank in the United States, wrote on their website, "Harriet Tubman not only escaped slavery, she made nineteen missions to bring 300 others, including family and friends, to freedom, served in the Union Army and was an activist for women’s voting rights. With her impact on American history, she deserves to be on the $20 bill. The Harriet Tubman Visa Debit Card is the first limited edition card offered by OneUnited Bank. The limited-edition card will only be available in 2020. Anyone who obtains the limited-edition Harriet Tubman Card in 2020 can carry the card design for life."

While the gesture is admirable, it wasn't as well-received online as the company expected. There were some people who seemed excited to own a Tubman-faced debit card, but the overall consensus was that it was somehow disrespectful to the leader's memory. Check out the bank card below and read through a few reactions. Are people over-reacting?

He may be linked to films with underlying messages of inequality or black power, but actor Daniel Kaluuya doesn’t want to become some spokesman on racial issues. He’s starred in movies like Get Out, Black Panther, and Queen & Slim, but in a recent interview with Radio Times, according to The Guardian, the British-born entertainer said he doesn’t want to become “the race guy.”

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As the Academy Awards are swiftly approaching, there have been mutters of another year where the Oscars have shown a lack of diversity. “I’m not going to ignore that I’m surrounded by [racial issues], but I’m not defined by it,” he said. “I’m just Daniel, who happens to be black.” Adding, “What is there to talk about race? It’s just boring to me. What’s the debate? I’m more of a doer. I’m just going to do what I want to do.”

Kaluuya shared that he’s going to become much more careful about the roles he chooses in the future because he doesn’t want the industry to typecast him. Although Queen & Slim was a Bonnie and Clyde-esque story that was overrun with messages pertaining to what is viewed as inequity and inequality in the black community, Kaluuya said he was drawn more to the love story between the two title characters more than anything else. “Yes, it’s got those moments [about race] but that’s more of a catalyst,” he stated.

Joker was undoubtedly one of 2019’s most anticipated movies that received a ton of backlash and praise, simultaneously. The controversy surrounding the film perhaps overhyped it a tad but most people agreed that Joaquin Phoenix’s performance was outstanding, maybe even one of the best performances of the year.

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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that it secured eleven nominations at the Oscars; leading the award show with the most nods. Todd Phillips was nominated for Best Director and Joaquin Phoenix received a nod for Best Actor. It was also nominated for Best Picture which now makes it the second comic book film to secure such nomination. Joker now joins Black Panther as the only two comic book films to earn Oscar nods for Best Picture. Joker also marks the first DC Comic character to get a nomination for Best Picture. 

Although we won’t be able to know if Joker actually takes home Best Picture, it did take home a few Golden Globe Awards. Joaquin Phoenix’s take on Arthur Fleck got him an award for Best Actor which could be a telling sign of what to expect at the Oscar’s. After all, the voting for the Oscars typically ends a few days after the Golden Globes.

Do you think Joker will take home Best Picture? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments. 

Daniel Kaluuya has an impressive track record here in America. He starred in Black Panther, Get Out, Widows, and had roles in Kick-Ass 2 and Sicario. Apparently though, Kaluuya didn’t have such great luck acorss the pond, where he is from. Speaking with The Sunday Times, Kaluuya commented on how he felt that his dark skin played a role in stopping studios from hiring him. 

“I was going for a lot of stuff [in England],” he admitted in the interview. “But I wasn’t getting roles because of the color of my skin. It wasn’t fair. It was a trap.” He continued on to name a specific scenario. “For example, I went up for this show. It was 10 rounds of auditions. There was me and a white guy for the lead. It was about aliens. And I realized as I was going to one audition that the other guy had been given an acting coach. They didn’t love me like they loved him.”

“In any other profession, that would be weird, but it was accepted in mine,” continued Kaluuya. “It happened a few times, and I went, ‘Nah. I’m not an idiot.’” Speaking with Entertainment Weekly two years ago, Kaluuya got candid about racism while discussing Get Out‘s big party scene. “That party scene was just like, ‘Oh, I’ve been in that party. I’m going to that party,’” Kaluuya said. “Like, that kind of racism that isn’t seen as racism, that isn’t seen as, kind of like, mainstream racism. It’s just life. And to explore that is quite an uncomfortable conversation. And [director] Jordan [Peele] just spoke his truth. He cinematically articulated an experience that millions of people go through and they are made to feel crazy for going through that. But he just said, ‘No, actually, you’re not crazy.’”

In a recent interview with The Independent, famed director Terry Gilliam made controversial comments about the #MeToo movement and more.