Antonio Brown made national headlines back in January after an incident at his home involving himself, his trainer, and a moving truck driver. The driver accused Brown and his trainer of theft and battery. After police tried to get Brown to surrender, he finally turned himself in and was charged with felony battery. According to ESPN, Brown plead "No Contest" to that charge, meaning he has no intention of trying to defend himself further in court.

As punishment for the crime, Brown must now complete 100 hours of community service and will be on probation for two years. He also has to take part in a mandatory psychiatric evaluation. Of course, the biggest win for Brown here is the fact that he will not have to serve any jail time.

Following the tragic killing of George Floyd, Ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, a charge since upgraded from the initial third-degree charge. Not only that, but Chauvin was also charged with second-degree manslaughter; the other three officers involved in Floyd’s death, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, received aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and aiding and second-degree manslaughter.

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Today, Chauvin is set to make his first court appearance, albeit by way of a video call. He’s set to face the judge at the Hennepin County District Court this afternoon, at 12:45 p.m. It should be noted that the world will be watching this one closely, as footage of Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes has been sadly seared into many people’s memories. To say there is public pressure on getting this one right is an understatement.

As stated earlier, the charges originally filed against Chauvin were third-degree. On Wednesday, Attorney General Keith Ellison announced he was elevating the charges, in itself a positive sign that justice will be served. “The very fact that we have filed these charges means that we believe in them,” maintained Ellison, speaking on his decision. Keep an eye out for Chauvin’s court appearance to take place this afternoon; we’ll be sure to have the developments as they transpire. 

Khaliyfa Neely, the man who stabbed Nicki Minaj’s former stage manager De’Von Andre Pickett to death in 2015, has officially been convicted of third-degree murder. The incident in question arose on February 18th 2015, when Neely attacked Pickett outside of a bar in Philadelphia’s Germantown area. Pickett’s death was all the more tragic as he was gearing up to head on tour with Nicki Minaj, having secured the position of stage manager. 

It took two trials before a jury was able to come to a conclusion, as the first ended in a hung jury last year; the complications likely arose by way of another suspect, Pierce Boykin, who was initially thought to be the killer. After further evidence shifted further away from Boykin, the jury was able to come to a concrete decision and Neely was convicted of third-degree murder, aggravated and simple assault and possession of an instrument of crime. While not the killer, Boykin was still charged with aggravated assault with a sentence of twenty-three months. The judge’s verdict is set to arrive on April 24th, with the possibility of a life sentence for Neely. 

After his death, Minaj took to Instagram to pay respects to Pickett’s life. “These guys flew into Philly for my tour rehearsals 2 days ago and were both stabbed last night,” she wrote on Instagram, back when the incident occurred. “Unbelievable. Eric (on the right) is recovering. Another senseless act of violence that took the life of a great guy. So sad.” It might have taken a while for justice to be served on this one, but it’s good to see Pickett’s case begin to get closure. 

Another legal development has occurred following the murder of Dr. Amie Hardwick, who was pushed to her death on Saturday, February 15th. During a domestic dispute with a man named Gareth Pursehouse, a man she allegedly dated for a brief time, Hardwick was pushed from a third-floor balcony and ultimately passed away from injuries sustained. Police have since arrested Pursehouse and TMZ has confirmed he’ll be facing a variety of serious charges, including murder and first-degree burglary. 

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Should he be convicted of murder, it’s entirely possible that Pursehouse lands the death penalty provided prosecutors opt to pursue it. As of now there are no updates on that front, as the D.A. has yet to announce an official decision. It should be noted that even if Pursehouse does manage to avoid the death penalty, he’s still facing life in prison without parole. Those following the case will know that Pursehouse was originally taken into custody on Saturday, February 15th, only to be released on bail on Tuesday the 18th. He was taken into custody once again yesterday, and he’s set to be arraigned at some point today. 

Dr. Amie Harwick was 38 when she died, a well-known counselor who specialized in both family and sexuality. As many likely know by now, Harwick was previously married to Drew Carey, who issued a heartbreaking statement to CNN: “Amie and I had a love that people are lucky to have once in a lifetime. She was a positive force in the world, a tireless and unapologetic champion for women, and passionate about her work as a therapist. I am overcome with grief. I would like to thank you in advance for giving myself and everyone who loved Amie privacy while we try to work through this tragic situation.”

Rest in peace. 

Rich The Kid ain’t messing around in 2020. The ATL rapper took to his Instagram this week to inform fellow rappers that they’re going to have to pay up for a feature this year. In fact he says it’s going to cost their labels $120,000 and preferably cash too if they want him on their song.

“Artist tell ya labels ya want me for your features $120K bring the cash” he wrote while leaving a shrugging emoji with it (see screen grab below).

Now I'm sure there’s situations where he’ll give a discount to fellow peers & friends, as seen recently with him and NBA Youngboy, but either way Rich The Kid looks to be channeling his focus this year.