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.
At the start of the ceremony, Floyd family attorney Ben Crump spoke on the reports that Floyd had tested positive for COVID-19, noting that he did not die from the coronavirus.
"Racism and police brutality killed Floyd," he said.
There is a live-stream currently happening of the memorial, where you can watch Rev. Al Sharpton, Ben Crump, and others speak about the impact that George Floyd has had on our world.
Watch the stream below. Rest in peace, Big Floyd.
Zonnique Is Leaning On Advice From André 3000 As She Carves Her Own Lane
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: We know Zonnique as T.I. & Tiny’s daughter, a VH1 reality star, or even as one of the OMG Girlz—but she spoke with us about reinventing herself as an artist and stepping back into the scene as her own person, free from expectations.
It feels as if just yesterday Zonnique and her OMG Girlz were tearing up stages as teen sensations. In 2015, the trio of singers decided to go their separate ways as they matured into young adults, and since that time, Zonnique Pullins has been a staple on reality television. Her mother, Tameka “Tiny” Harris and her stepfather T.I. are popular figures in the music industry and beyond, whose names rarely take a break from being featured in headlines. In turn, Zonnique and her brood of siblings often find their lives under a microscope as well, but the 24-year-old has managed to maintain some semblance of normalcy by learning from the successes and failures of her famous parents.
Currently, Zonnique and her family are featured on VH1’s T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle. While her family navigates some of the controversies that have played out on social media in recent months, Zonnique shared that viewers will see another side of her as she focuses on her music career. After years of radio silence from the singer, she recently dropped two new tracks: “Winner” and “FTCU.”
“On the show you can expect to see me doing my second project, putting it together,” said Zonnique of her forthcoming album. “Really growing as an artist. Really trying to reinvent myself as an artist because I haven’t put out music in a couple of years. So, you’ll kind of just see me going through that on show.” She added, “I’ve been working on this music for two years now, so there’s some songs where I was definitely in a place where I’m not even at now.” Zonnique has been sharing bits and pieces of her music with her fans for years, so she feels a tad obligated to her supporters to release the tracks that she’s been teasing.
“A lot of my music now is more mature but also growing with me, as well,” she continued. “A lot of my fans have grown with me so it’s not like, over the top. Everybody will be able to relate.” Expect to hear quite a few songs about love and relationships, a topic that she said T.I. often teases her about because she pours her heart out in the booth.
Speaking of relationships, Zonnique and rapper Bandhunta Izzy have been happily in love for quite some time and she recently revealed that they live together. She’s quick to admit that she may not have the same traumatic experiences as others in her age group, but when it comes to matters of the heart, she has a few war wounds.
“I haven’t been through so much stuff in my life where it’s just like I can talk trash,” she admitted. “But when it comes to love and heartbreak, that’s my focus because that’s what I know.” With all this new music talk floating about, we couldn’t help but get a little nosy and inquire about potential collaborations she has on her album. Zonnique let us know that she has locked down a song with Jacquees, but her team has their eye on other artists Like Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Baby.
“We’re still trying to figure it out,” said Zonnique. “I feel like, on this project, I don’t want to have too many features because, like I said, I’m reinventing myself all over again. So I kind of want it to be me, but I am looking for more collaborations before I put out my project.” With Grammy Award-winning parents like T.I. and Tiny, it would be understandable for Zonnique to feel as if she carrying burdens of expectation from all directions. Tiny is an R&B icon as a member of Xscape, and T.I. is one of the most acclaimed and accomplished hip hop moguls of our generation. Yet, Zonnique isn’t trying to walk their paths—if anything, she wants to surpass her parents’ success.
“I don’t really put the pressure on myself to do what my parents do because I feel like I’m in my own lane,” she said. “I mean, I feel like maybe outside people are going to always make that comparison no matter what, so I just strive to be my best.” Zonnique couldn’t help but add with a chuckle, “I want to be better than my parents.”
“Being in my family, it’s probably one of the hardest things or like, struggles I would say, that me and all my siblings have to deal with,” she said of growing up in the spotlight with mega-famous parents. “Just always having to be T.I. and Tiny’s daughter or son. I feel like that’s always something that we try our hardest to make our own thing happen.” Zonnique mentioned that her 19-year-old brother Domani, an artist in his own right, decided to take a break from reality television to develop his career outside of being linked to his family.
“I think that with doing my career, making sure it’s just going and doing my own thing, that’s how I maintain my sanity and try to get my own thing going on. Just continue doing what I want to do,” Zonnique added. When speaking to her, it’s clear that she’s been raised to see herself as equal to any other person. Many children in her position can feel entitled or may even tend to act superior, but Zonnique has been taught humility and thankfulness.
“I’m extremely down to earth. I don’t expect people to ever put me on a pedestal. I don’t even like being called a celebrity,” she admitted. Her three million followers on Instagram may disagree, but she held fast to her beliefs. “I have to earn the title to be a celebrity. I’m honestly to people a celebrity’s kid, so… I’ve done my thing in the younger years during OMG and even as a solo artist, but I don’t really care to be looked at like a celebrity.”
Whether she sees herself as a celebrity or not, she’s definitely operating in that wheelhouse. Other artists her age are learning the ins and outs of the industry without proper guidance, but gratefully, Zonnique has had a tribe of entertainers around her to steer her in the proper direction. Throughout her career, which at this point has lasted over a decade, the singer has received her fair share of advice from the well-intended. She shared with us what advice she’s held close and always relies on.
“The two things that always stuck with me was that one, try your hardest as an artist to learn and know your business,” Zonnique asserted. “Not just let people give you things and you sign [contracts] without reading it yourself or just giving it to somebody else to read it. Really knowing [things] so that you can be your own boss and be up to date about what’s really going on.” Basically, boss up.
“And also, André 3000 told me and my friends when we were in OMG Girlz to always bring something different to the picnic because people always want something different,” she revealed. If there’s anyone who knows about being unconventional, the Outkast icon is it. “You don’t want to be the same as anyone else. [Bring] something different, something outrageous to the picnic table.”
As we all await her anticipated project—an album that she said we can expect within the next month or two—stream Zonnique’s singles “Winner” and “FTCU” below and make sure to tune in to T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle Mondays at 8/7C on VH1.
Zonnique Shares Advice Her Mother Tiny Gave Her About Dating a Rapper
Zonnique has been enjoying her relationship with Bandhunta Izzy, and she shared the romance advice that her mother gave her.
T.I. and his wife Tiny have lived their lives out loud as they've not only spoken openly about their struggles but broadcasted their lives on reality television. It's not surprising that the Grammy Award-winning couple has produced children that also have dreams of making it big in the industry, but when Tiny's daughter Zonnique began dating a rapper, some people didn't think that T.I.'s step-daughter would get the seal of approval from her parents. Zonnique and Bandhunta Izzy have been enjoying their unproblematic relationship, and in a recent interview, Zonnique shared what she feels is the most difficult part about being loved up with a rap star.
Tommaso Boddi / Stringer / Getty Images
"I would say just knowing that so many girls are after your boyfriend is just something that's always in the back of your head," she said. "You just have to have this trust thing on, but that, just seeing so many people after him, in comments [and] at shows. Just wanting to be there, not being able to be there like, what is going on." Zonnique added that she knows how shameless some women can be because she's seen it "first-hand" with her step-father T.I.
"My mom gives me a lot of great love advice," Zonnique continued. "You just have to know who—my grandma says the same thing. You just have to know who you're willing to go through the problems with. Not just the happy times, which is what I'm used to. I'm not really used to heartbreak and staying in a relationship... My mom's like, if you wanna go, then maybe they're not the person for you, but if you wanna fight for it, then fight for it."
This is the first time Zonnique has ever lived with a boyfriend, even though her aunt, her mom's sister, told her never to cohabitate with a partner. She said sharing a space with Bandhunta Izzy is much better than expected. "I like to be alone, but I really enjoy living with my boyfriend." Watch a clip of her interview below.
View this post on InstagramTiny Claps Back At Troll Who Criticized Her Over Lyrica Anderson Dance Challenge
Tiny took to her Instagram to show love to her friend Lyrica Anderson, but a user criticized her for making dance videos.
With every new song that’s released, it seems as if a dance challenge is quick to follow. As the social media trend continues to grow as years progress, we’re finding that our next-door neighbors are apparently professional dancers on social media. Drake‘s “In My Feelings” had fans worldwide putting their lives in danger as they bopped along in the middle of the road outside of moving vehicles, and more recently, Megan Thee Stallion‘s “Savage” has become the talk to TikTok and beyond. Tameka “Tiny” Cottle tried to add her friend Lyrica’s latest release to the list of dance trends, but an Instagram user wouldn’t let her be great.
Kevin Winter / Staff / Getty ImagesOn Wednesday (May 6) evening, Tiny shared a video of herself grooving to Lyrica Anderson’s latest single “Marriott.” To help bolster the Love & Hip Hop Hollywood star’s single, Tiny delivered the #MarriottChallenge complete with familiar TikTok dance moves strung together. “Ok yall know i had to do my friend @lyricaanderson #marriottchallenge if you guys dont already have this song..u need to go get it,” Tiny wrote in the caption to her video. “Stream It!! All dat!! #Marriott #Lyrica #LoveNHipHopLA ?‼️❤️???.”
Lyrica sang her friend’s praises in the comments, but an Instagram user called out the Xscape singer for dancing while her “husband is posting important issues on his page about a young black man being shot down in the streets like a dog.” The user was referring to the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery and went on to criticize Tiny for “posting tic toks” while claiming that the public didn’t care about her dance moves.
Tiny responded, “Stupid ass! Do your research nxt time before u come on my page taking ? pls & thank you ?.” Check it out below.
Monica Encouraged To Give Common A Chance When Talking Dating Life With Tiny
Monica joined her friends T.I. and Tiny on IG Live where they discussed the singer’s love life and why Common is a good candidate.
It might be time for Monica to find her a new man. There have been rumors that Monica and ex-husband Shannon Brown may have been making plans to reunite, but by the sound of her recent Instagram Live with T.I. and Tiny, it seems that she’s ready to move forward with someone new. “All that good solid self-time that I’ve had over the last year—I acknowledge that I do need a lot of attention, but I give a lot,” Monica said. “I acknowledge that I do need somebody is…I need an old school man in the sense that, even though you can call me hood, you can call me whatever you want to call me…at the end of the day, I still need somebody that’s still a gentleman.”
Michael Loccisano / Staff / Getty ImagesTiny added that her friend needs someone “thuggish” or Monica won’t like him, an assertion that the “So Gone” singer seemed surprised by. Tiny added that her friend also needs an intelligent man who “knows some sh*t” and has a hustle mentality. Elsewhere, Monica and T.I. were discussing the possibility of the rapper and Tiny setting her up on a blind date.
“Your wife suggested that I do a dating show,” Monica said. “A strong blind date chosen by y’all two. I would try that.” Tiny chimed in that Common would be “a good man for somebody.” She then went on to list Common’s admirable qualities without ever mentioning the rumors that the rapper may be in some clandestine relationship with Tiffany Haddish. Watch the videos below and let us know who you think Monica should link up with next.
Zonnique Talks Double Standard T.I. Has For His Daughters
Zonnique is the oldest of her siblings and chatted about T.I. is much more strict with his daughters.
The Harris household is a full one, whether the children live at home or on their own. T.I. and wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris have a blended family that includes Deyjah, Heiress, Messiah, Domani, Major, King, and Zonnique. The famous couple have featured their brood on various reality television shows, and through the ups and downs, they’ve always leaned on each other for support.
Maury Phillips / Stringer / Getty ImagesTiny’s daughter and T.I.’s stepdaughter Zonnique is the oldest of the bunch at 24-years-old, and in a recent interview with Hollywood Life, she revealed that the girls may have to adhere to rules that the boys don’t need to follow. “Now that I’m a little older it’s gotten a little better for me. But [T.I.] is definitely super overprotective,” she said. “I just hope that Heiress doesn’t get it is as bad as me and Deyjah. I always think that, like Heiress is going to have it the worst.”
“Since we were all younger he’s always been super protective over the girls. And it always seemed like the boys could just do whatever,” she added. Zonnique shared that Tiny would stick up for the girls because she noticed a bit of the double-standard as well. “My mom will always argue, like, you don’t care that the boys go on dates, you let their girlfriends come over. You know we meet their girlfriends, it’s all cool it’s like a regular thing. But you know, if I’m in a relationship and I bring my boyfriend over, the whole family has to talk to him. He has to go outside with pops and have these hour-long conversations.”
Zonnique added that she’s been in a “serious” relationship with Bandhunta Izzy for some time, but T.I. still keeps a watchful eye. “I actually live with my boyfriend now and stuff like that. And both my parents actually seem to really like my boyfriend,” she said. “But pops still pretty much does the same thing. He still has to take him outside to talk for an hour or whatever. But I feel like my boyfriend now is kind of like his match. I feel like he sees a lot of his younger self in my boyfriend.”
T.I. Says "More Girls Sing The Most Derogatory Records"
T.I. & his wife Tiny discussed how and if lyrics—regardless of the genre—impact love and relationships in real-life.
Since its inception, hip hop has been criticized for its lyrical content. Whether a rapper is delivering rhymes about street life, social consciousness, gang banging, or sex and relationships, hip hop culture has been a target for those that say the genre is swimming in misogyny and vulgarity. Nevertheless, hip hop has become a leading force in music and influences nearly every aspect of the entertainment industry. In a recent episode of ExpediTIously, T.I. and his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris chatted about lyrics and whether or not they believed that music has impacted how people view relationships and marriage.
Jason Merritt/TERM / Staff / Getty ImagesTiny suggested that the lyrical content doesn’t lean toward positive outlooks on relationships. “I think yeah it can be a distraction because, you know, there’s a lot of hoes and b*tches.” T.I. jokingly asked, “What do hoes and b*tches have to do with anything?” Tiny responded, “I’m saying, in the songs, like…there’s no real love in the songs.”
T.I. doesn’t believe that a global audience desire that content. “Y’all don’t wanna hear that sh*t.” Tiny lets him know that she, indeed, does want to hear it. “Y’all don’t want to hear that sh*t. Listen, man, I be seeing more motherf*ckers, more girls sing the most derogatory records.” Tiny added, “That’s what I’m saying. Everybody’s getting away from the love, the music is f*cking everybody up.”
The rapper said that no one is trying to create music that there isn’t a global market for. “The way that [women] gravitate to—and I would also add that you say you want a certain type of man, but you continuously allow yourself to be attracted to the antithesis.” What are your thoughts on this one?
Tiny Says T.I. Had "No Malicious Intent" Speaking About Daughter Deyjah Harris
Tiny spoke about T.I. and his relationship with his 18-year-old daughter Deyjah Harris following the hymen scandal and shook the internet last year.
In recent weeks, Deyjah Harris has been speaking out about the struggles she’s been working through. The 18-year-old spoke at length in a YouTube video about her battle with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, and fans will hear her address the scandal involving her father, T.I. in upcoming weeks. We all witnessed last Fall as T.I. visited the Ladies Like Us podcast and talked about the then-17-year-old’s gynecology appointments. The rapper said that he makes his daughter’s doctor check for her hymen to make sure she’s still a virgin, and soon the teen became the target of online trolls.
Deyjah remained silent about the controversy and even shut down her social media page for a while, but now she’s back and ready to share her story. Reality television viewers will have to wait to see how that unfolds, but Tameka “Tiny” Harris caught up with Entertainment Tonight and shared that T.I.’s relationship with daughter Deyjah Harris is “really good.”
“You’re gonna see Tip going through some things with Deyjah,” Tiny told the outlet. “That is one of the biggest things our family had to deal with this season. It was a big deal. Their relationship is definitely much better now because Deyjah is a very bright girl. Her dad just wants to love on her, so any time he’s around her, he just can’t stop loving on her. They’ve been doing really good.”
“There’s a lot of conversation,” Tiny added. “A lot of talking, a lot of back-and-forth trying to figure out where the biggest problem was. And, understanding how she feels, where he was coming from and what he actually meant by whatever he said. There was no malicious ill intent in his reason for speaking on it. So, understanding that and her knowing that [helped] bridge the gap.”
Tiny also stated that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, T.I. hasn’t seen much of Deyjah in recent weeks. “We haven’t been able to see her because she’s been quarantined,” Tiny said. “We’ve seen all the kids, but her, only but once or twice.”
Tiny Believes Bill Cosby Should Be Released From Prison Amid COVID-19
Tiny and her best friend Shekinah Jo chatted about the prospect of Bill Cosby being released from prison due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Weeks ago, news surfaced that Bill Cosby and his lawyers planned on filing paperwork in hopes of getting the imprisoned entertainer released. During this COVID-19 pandemic, it’s reported that many states and counties are trying to figure out the best method to handle coronavirus as it pertains to inmates. We recently witnessed Tekashi 6ix9ine return home to serve out the remainder of his sentence, and Bill Cosby hopes to do the same.
Kevin Winter / Staff / Getty ImagesThis hot topic has been talked about extensively, but recently Tameka “Tiny” Harris added to the conversation. She once again linked up with her best friend Shekinah Jo for their online series The Tiny Jo Show and sparked a bit of controversy. Tiny said that when it comes to Bill Cosby possibly getting out of prison, she “f*cking [loves] it.” She added, “No disrespect to the women that were involved, I just feel like Bill is older, and he’s been in there doing his time. I don’t know how much time he did. Has he done two years yet?” Shekinah didn’t answer the question, but she did passionately share her thoughts.
“I think it’s f*cked up that you women did that to Bill,” Shekinah Jo stated. “‘’Cause nine times out of ten, real talk, y’all was trying to f*ck y’all way to to the top. And what end up happening, I guess that p*ssy didn’t get where it was supposed to went.” Tiny interrupted and vocalized her disapproval over Shekinah’s statements, but her friend wasn’t budging.
“I don’t think you should do that. That’s not fair,” Tiny said. “We know that goes on, but that’s not fair to do to the victims because we don’t really know they story.” Both ladies faced an onslaught of backlash, so check out The Tiny Jo Show below and let us know if you agree with what they had to say about Bill Cosby.
T.I. & Tiny Talk Sex Life & Keys To Marriage
T.I. and Tiny discuss the struggles of marriage.
T.I. has recently started sharing his full podcast episodes from the ExpediTIously Podcast on his YouTube channel. Today, he even debuted a new episode of the podcast live on his channel, with his wife accompanying him.
We know T.I. & Tiny have had their fair share of struggles when it comes to their relationship, as they’ve documented everything quite publicly, whether it be on their reality TV series (which incidentally they’ve just announced the return of) or simply on social media. Still, in the face of it all, they’ve always come back to one another. Today, the two are tackling the topic of marriage, and how to make it work.
Robin L Marshall/Getty Images
“I feel like what a lot of people say when they get married, the biggest thing I hear is that they never have sex anymore. And I’ve never experienced that, I don’t know anything about that, I don’t feel like it’s been a real change,” Tiny says, which leaves T.I. to echo: “And you never will. Not in this marriage.” Tip isn’t shy when he adds, “Where ever I can fit, that’s where I’ma get.”
“So you think that sex is the key?” Tip asks his wife.
“I think sex is the key, and conversation and trust.” Tiny replies.
The conversation doesn’t end there. It’s over an hour long, and discusses everything from who is the ‘boss’ in a relationship, having children and much more. Check it out below.
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