On May 27th, rising Toronto rapper Houdini –born Dimarjio Antonio Jenkins– was fatally gunned down in broad daylight, passing away at the age of 21. The rapper’s death was mourned by many of his fellow Torontonians, including Killy and Tory Lanez, who tweeted “I’m trying, and I can’t fight the tears from falling” after receiving the news. 

Rick Madonik/Toronto Star Getty Image

Upon analysis of security footage capturing the shooting, Detective Sgt. Andy Singh addressed the brazen nature of the crime, which left an innocent bystander injured and several others only just avoiding harm. “This was an active gunfight happening on one of the busiest street corners of our city,” he stated. “This is unacceptable.”

Unfortunately, the violence has yet to stop. Last night, a memorial for Houdini took place in strip mall parking lot near Beverly Hills Drive, with fans arriving in droves to pay their respects. At around 11:30 PM, police received several calls about gunfire. When they arrived at the scene, they found upward of thirty casings fired from multiple weapons, and two men (one in his 20s, one in his 40s, though both are currently remaining anonymous) nursing gunshot injuries — one of which were said to be serious.

At this point, they remain on the hunt for further information on what transpired, imploring witnesses to speak up. It is unclear as to whether this latest shooting has anything to do with the one that claimed his life. Rest in peace Houdini.

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It’s been nearly two weeks since the untimely death of George Floyd who died at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin. Protests have erupted across the nation with demands for justice.

Today, his public funeral is being held in his hometown of Houston, TX where thousands are expected to gather to pay their final respects. The public funeral is expected to last six-hours in anticipation for the large crowd. Of course, with social distancing measures in place, only a limited amount of people will be allowed in at a time. Masks are mandatory with a maximum of 15 people allowed in at a time. Tomorrow, a private funeral service will take place along with a burial service in the Houston suburb of Pearland, next to his mother. 

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced yesterday that the body arrived back in Houston after a memorial service in North Carolina over the weekend. Acevado said, “He’s well known, he’s known by a lot of our officers. We want to make sure that the family is safe, that the movement is safe. We want to make sure that the family knows that we’re here for them and we support them at this time.”

Joe Biden, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Jamie Foxx are among the high-profile figured in attendance. 

As of right now, there are massive protests going on throughout the United States and they were all sparked following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Now former officer Derek Chauvin kept Floyd on the ground for nine minutes despite Floyd being deceased for three of those minutes. It was a horrific display of police brutality and many American citizens have had enough.

Since his tragic death, his family, celebrities, and even the public have been in mourning. A few days ago, a service was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is where he was killed. The service featured celebrities like T.I, Tiffany Haddish, and even Kevin Hart. Today, a second service is being held in Hoke County, North Carolina which is where Floyd was born.

Tiffany Haddish gave the perfect response to all the noise about her conduct at George Floyd’s memorial service, in which she supposedly shifted the spotlight onto herself. On Thursday (June 4th), hundreds gathered at a chapel in Minneapolis to honour the late George Floyd, whose recent murder at the hands of the police set off protests across the country and around the world against police brutality and systemic racism. Many celebrities were in attendance, including rappers like T.I. and Ludacris as well as comedians like Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. 

At one point during his moving speech, Rev. Al Sharpton decided to take a moment to acknowledge all the celebrity attendees. When it was brought to his attention that he forgot to mention Tiffany, it appeared that he hadn’t even realized she was present. "Is Tiffany here?" he asked, to which her muffled voice could be heard responding.

Tiffany Haddish was one of the many celebrities to attend the memorial service for George Floyd on Thursday (June 4th), but one particular moment during Rev. Al Sharpton's speech is rubbing people the wrong way. In a clip from the memorial for George, who was killed at the hands of four police officers last week, Al Sharpton acknowledges the myriad of celebrities in the room, listing off stars like Kevin Hart, Ludacris, Tyrese, Will Packer, Master P, and T.I.

There will be several memorial services and public viewings held for George Floyd, the 46-year-old who was murdered by police on Memorial Day. As protests continue to take place across the country, the family of George Floyd and their legal representative, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, are in attendance as the first service begins in Minneapolis. 

George Floyd is in a golden casket flanked by flowers. The now-iconic mural at his arrest site is also shown on the stage.

Several celebrities are in attendance to hear the Floyd family speak, including T.I., Ludacris, Kevin Hart, Tyrese Gibson, Regina Hall, Tyler Perry, Tiffany Haddish, and more. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is also joined by Martin Luther King III, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and other civil rights leaders.

Official details for the upcoming memorials and public viewings have been announced by the family of George Floyd and renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

There will be events taking place in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Raeford, North Carolina, and Houston, Texas.

The first official memorial will happen in Minneapolis. Set to begin at 1 PM local time on Thursday, June 4, people will gather to remember the life of George Floyd, who lost his life to police brutality last week after officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck and back for eight-minutes, restricting his airway. It will take place at North Central University.

On Saturday, June 6, there will be a public viewing and memorial in Raeford, North Carolina. The public viewing will take place from 11 AM to 1 PM at Cape Fear Conference B Headquarters. The memorial is in the afternoon at 3 PM.

Finally, George Floyd’s life will be celebrated in his home state of Texas. A public viewing is happening on Monday, June 8 at Fountain of Praise in Houston. It will start at 12 PM local time and end at 6 PM. A memorial takes place the following day at the same location at 11 AM.

Rest in peace, George Floyd. Learn how you can help here.

Brooklynites gathered together to celebrate the life of the late Pop Smoke during a funeral procession in Brooklyn on Thursday afternoon, two weeks after he was tragically murdered in Los Angeles. Though his family and loved ones held their own private memorial last weekend to say goodbye, folks were able to honour Pop's memory by taking to the streets of his native neighbourhood of Canarsie, beginning their march on 82nd Street and Flatlands. Family, friends, and fans of the late rapper could be seen gathered under a mural of his likeness on 82nd as a horse-drawn carriage rode by with the words "POP SMOKE" engraved on the glass walls, in the signature style of Off White designer, Virgil Abloh.

LeBron James looked up to Kobe Bryant and when the basketball player passed away alongside his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash, LeBron was devastated. Kobe Bryant meant a lot to millions of people around the world and his death is still surreal to many. Yesterday, Kobe and Gianna Bryant were given a public memorial at the Staples Center which was attended by thousands of people. Numerous speeches were given throughout the event, including from Vanessa Bryant who offered a beautiful eulogy of her husband and daughter.

Vanessa's speech has been lauded for its strength and the way in which it was able to move people. Today, LeBron James was asked about the event and what he thought about all of it. While he wouldn't confirm whether or not he attended, LeBron did admit that yesterday was very hard for him. He also made sure to praise Vanessa for her words.

Out of respect for Vanessa Bryant and her family, Beyoncé respectfully changed the lyrics to “one of Kobe’s favorite songs” during the memorial that was held Monday in honor of the late Laker great and his young daughter, Gianna.

Beyonce opened the memorial with a epic performance of a couple of Kobe’s favorite songs, “Halo” & “XO,” the latter of which saw Queen Bey changing up some lyrics out of respect. Swapping the line “and I’m crashing into you” with “and I’m laughing into you” and changing “you kill me boy XO” to “just kiss me boy XO,” Beyoncé respectfully swapped out the inappropriate & ill-timed lyrics and delivered another classic performance backed by an orchestra and chorus. It’s pretty obvious as for why she chose to change the lyrics too with trigger words like “crashing” & “kill me,” but it’s just another example of Bey being the GOAT.

Kevork Djansezian/ Getty Images (Kobe’s Memorial)

“I’m here because I love Kobe and this was one of his favorite songs, so I want to start that over, but I want us to do it all together and I want you to sing it so loud they hear your love,” Beyonce said before performing her records. After transitioning into a powerful rendition of “Halo,” the superstar finished with the added line, “He will be your, she will be your halo,” a reference to Kobe and Gianna.

Check out the performance (below) and sound off in the comments. RIP Kobe & Gigi.