Once again, President Donald Trump has found his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame defaced. Throughout his entire tenure as President of the United States, the backlash against Trump has been heavy. Still, he takes it all in stride and continues to insist that he’s the greatest president to ever hold the coveted office. The businessman shifted his career from the boardroom to the Tinsel Town and has been a regular fixture in films, television shows, and even with his own reality series, and people have been using Trump’s star on Hollywood Walk of Fame as an outlet for their frustrations against America’s leader.

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We’ve seen people build a tiny wall around the star during the height of Trump’s criticisms over his plans to create a border wall between the United States and Mexico. We also watched as the star was repaired multiple times following a person smashing it to bits with a hammer and another with a pickax. There have been instances where Trump’s name was crossed out and images of genitalia drawn over or near his moniker. On Monday (June 8), it was reported that Trump’s Walk of Fame star was once again vandalized—and this time it was painted black.

Alongside the blackened Walk of Fame star were the letters “BLM” for Black Lives Matter, as well as the word “b*tch.” To top things off, someone left a small bag of dog poop in the middle of the star. We’re sure that Hollywood will replace this one, once again, in no time Check it out below.

There are a handful of record labels that have influenced and changed the course of the music industry. Def Jam, Aftermath, Death Row, Columbia, Atlantic, Geffen, Bad Boy, Island—each label spawned their own set of chart-topping artists that we call our favorites. Yet, when you hear the word “Motown,” you aren’t just referencing a group of artists who were molded under the creative hands of Berry Gordy; You’re talking about a label who shaped its own genre of music.

Sixty-one years after Motown Records was founded by Gordy—a songwriter with a dream and an $800 loan from his family—the collective is still hailed as one of the most important record labels in music history. The artists that were birthed from the Detroit, Michigan headquarters are all-around icons in the industry, yet there are few who were apart of the vision before Motown’s formation.

Claudette Robinson – Alberto E. Rodriguez / Staff / Getty Images

Every record label has its First Lady, and for Motown, that woman is legendary singer Claudette Robinson. As apart of The Miracles— along with Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin, Ronald White, and Smokey Robinson—Claudette watched as the label grew to the extraordinary powerhouse it became. However, the First Lady of Motown, a name bestowed on Claudette by Gordy himself, has watched as younger generations have grown deaf to Motown’s glory days. So, she’s taken steps to make sure kids don’t forget one of the greatest music collectives in the history of the world.

“I was speaking to my granddaughter, this was some time ago as she’s now 22,” Claudette shared with us exclusively. “I don’t remember specifically what the conversation was about, but it was about performers, entertainers, et cetera. So, I said, ‘You know Diana Ross…’ something. Whatever. And she looks at me, a couple of her friends were with her, and she said, ‘Granny, they don’t know who Diana Ross is.’”

While there are names from those peak Motown days that we believe should be recognizable to everyone, there’s an entire generation who isn’t familiar with the label’s influence. “I was like, something has gotta be done to let our young folks know what happened prior to their even existing,” the 77-year-old said. “In the early years, Diana used to come by the house and she would bring her children, the two older ones that actually played with my daughter, so in my mind, everybody knows who Diana Ross is. Much to my surprise and amaze, that’s not correct,” she added with a chuckle. “And not only Diana Ross but so many others.”

“As we were celebrating the 60th year, I thought, these kids were not even born,” Claudette recalled. “Their grandparents, some of them, were not even born. Or great grandparents.” This inspired the singer to create her children’s book Claudette’s Miraculous Motown Adventure with characters named after her The Miracles groupmates. “The book is really talking about music saving the day,” Claudette shared. “It’s kind of helping our younger generation and perhaps even older ones, to know how important music is to life, not just to be listening to music.” 

The Miracles – including Smokey Robinson and Claudette board a plane in March 1965. They were on tour in the UK for the Tamla-Motown Revue tour – Evening Standard / Stringer / Getty Images

Claudette is filled with stories about her time on the road, bonding with her groupmates, and building relationships with the other young women like The Supremes who were added to the label. She spoke about how back then, everyone did everything together, even travel in packed cars from one gig to the next. Claudette and her The Miracles groupmate Smokey even married in 1959, but later divorced in 1986.

“There wasn’t a Motown when we began, we began with Mr. Gordy in 1957,” Claudette recalled of her first interactions with Motown founder. “Motown actually did not begin until January 12, 1959. At the time, everybody probably was singing. There were groups on every block and it was sort of like a form of recreation.” In today’s technology-driven culture, we’re used to having access to the world at our fingertips. Claudette said people occupied their time by creating singing groups and focusing on their crafts.

Initially, Claudette’s brother Emerson was in the singing group, but he didn’t feel as if their career was moving fast enough. He eventually joined the military and his group would later ask Claudette if she’d like to come on board as a vocalist. Soon, they were going out for auditions and singing in competitions. It was during one of these runs that they met a lesser-known songwriter named Berry Gordy who wanted to work with them.

“Being the first group of performers with Motown, I personally would like that fact to always be recognized and known,” Claudette explained. “Because the guys and myself worked really hard in those early days to accomplish something in terms of not only just being good performers but being good people. In terms of carrying yourself well, that you wouldn’t be an embarrassment to your company,” she added with a laugh. “I think we did a pretty good job because we were able to carry that on to the newer artists that came after us and I’m very proud of that fact for the group.”

Speaking of a new generation of artists, we wanted to know what advice a legend like The First Lady of Motown had for young creatives trying to build a legacy such as hers that includes a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

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“If you have a dream and a goal and a passion, just stick to that,” Claudette said. “You must, at all times, practice whatever it is that you’re doing. You can’t just think that it’s okay because you have a great voice—there are many people in the world that have a great voice. Millions of people have great voices but they’re many times never heard.”

She added that people should make personal goals, set boundaries that they’re not going to cross for fame, and stick with the rules they’ve made for themselves. “The only person you’re going to disappoint is yourself,” said Claudette. “You can be practically anything that you desire to be, but it does take work and it’s harder from some than others. It can definitely be done.” Listen to a few of The Miracles’ hits below.

At the top of 2020, 50 Cent announced his resolution to stay away from the trolling. He reaffirmed his newfound dedication to peacefulness in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s passing. As we all know, taking shots and starting beefs are among Fifty’s favorite past-times, so this probably won’t be an easy goal for him to accomplish. He appears to already be slipping up a bit. 

Michael Blackson, Fif’s fake foe, reposted a meme poking fun at Fif’s actual foe, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The famous boxer wore a Louis Vuitton jacket to the Superbowl on Sunday night that resulted in him being the butt of an airplane joke. The meme jokes that jacket’s many protruding pockets could be used as a way to bypass a flight’s baggage restrictions. While Mayweather posed like he was the flyest-looking guy in the stadium, Blackson and Fifty found his fit quite comical. Blackson posted it on his Instagram page with no caption, but he probably had a similar reaction as Fif: crying of laughter. Fif recently said that he has no interest in talking about Mayweather anymore, but I guess he saw deriving some joy from a meme is a harmless exception. 

Fifty used to have a public feud with Blackson too, but theirs was all in good fun. They went back-and-forth on social media about a debt that Blackson was supposedly unable to pay the rapper back for. They buried that hatchet at the unveiling ceremony of 50’s Hollywood Walk Of Fame star last week. 

50 Cent was honoured by the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday when he received his own star on the famous boulevard. Along with Fifty’s longtime friend, Eminem, who made a speech at the induction ceremony praising the recipient, comedian Michael Blackson also attended the exciting event in order to support Fifty and pay off his debt to him. Back in August, Michael borrowed some bills from Fif at the strip club, and failed to pay him back until now. Michael took to Instagram to reminisce on how the two friends met, and insisted that he would be bringing the money he owes Fif to the induction ceremony.

On a separate post, Michael shared a snippet of Fifty’s speech, in which Fif confessed that something “must have happened” to his speech, since the pages were all conveniently blank. He then spots the comedian in the crowd and calls him out. 

Michael took the opportunity to clown Fif for this move, pointing out that he “came with a blank speech then mentioned my name for no damn reason.” He congratulates Fifty and tells him that he is “welcome to my village anytime.” He followed this up with a video of himself staying true to his word and officially paying Fif back, in which he can be seen actually waving the bills in the air.

Fifty also confirmed on Instagram following the ceremony that Michael had paid off his debt and that the two were on good terms again. Fif’s quick forgiveness might have something to do with his recent vow not to start arguments with anyone anymore.

Leon Bennett/Getty Images 

Yesterday, 50 Cent made history as he secured a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Many of his friends and fans came out for the occasion, and 50 himself took to the podium for an emotional speech. “I’d like to thank both Em and Dre,” begins Fif “I don’t honestly think my career would have been without their support. Dre is a mentor for the whole squad really. He’s been doing it long before it. He’s able to guide us in different ways without even knowing he’s doing it.” He mimes one of Dre’s signature gestures, swinging a baseball and knocking it out the part. “When he do that, you know you got something. This is the real deal.” 

Fif also expresses a rare moment of remorse over snubbing Jimmy Iovine from the invite list. “I didn’t invite Jimmy Iovine, and he should be here,” says 50. “We needed the money for any of this shit to work, and Jimmy was the support. There was one conversation we had and he misinterpreted some of my actions and he said to me ‘you know I don’t like you.’ I just kept him right there for the whole rest of my life. That guy just doesn’t like me. I’ve said things, even about Jimmy I didn’t mean. I don’t know why I felt he didn’t like me that same way, ever since he said that. I was wrong for not inviting him and not having him here today. He’s a big part of the success I had.”

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He explains that it was Iovine who suggested a transition into film and television in the first place. What’s even more shocking is Fif’s body language and cadence, revealing genuine regret over the way things played out. As the speech plays out, Fif gets even more emotional, though not before getting a few playful shots off. “I told Em, this feels like a lifetime achievement award for me, because I didn’t get a lot of awards in recognition of the music,” he continues. “I got the largest debut hip-hop album and didn’t get the Best New Artist trophy. They gave that shit to Evanescence. I ain’t seen Evanescence since that night.” 

“I started to feel nervous,” he explains, reflecting on an earlier phone call with Mary J. Blige, who rang him up to congratulate him. “It’s starting to feel really important because of who’s coming.” He proceeds to compose himself, his emotion running high; it’s a rare moment of vulnerability from the notorious legend, and longtime fans will likely feel a surge of pride in how far the “How To Rob” rapper has come. Check out Fif’s full speech below, and show some love in the comments. 

Eminem and 50 Cent once formed a one-two punch that dominated hip-hop in the early days of this century. The two would go on to become some of the most legendary figures to ever grace a stage. News broke earlier today that, due to his extraordinary accomplishments in music, television and film, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson would be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. A lifelong dream for many, Jackson’s star will be placed near the corner of Hollywood and Vine, a high-traffic area. The ceremony awarding 50 Cent for his latest achievement is underway and organizers appropriately invited Dr. Dre and Eminem to speak about their bonds with the rapper.

Acting as business partners, Eminem noted that his relationship with 50 Cent goes much further than that. “I just wanna say man, I’m here today because this is not only a business partner to me, it’s one of the best friends I’ve ever known in the world,” said Em about Fif. “I would say that it’s much more fun to be his friend than it is to be his enemy because this guy is fucking relentless. And he won’t stop. And the same way that he’s relentless in his battles, he’s also relentless in his business. He’s an artist, an entrepreneur, an actor, a director, a producer… he can juggle, he’s great at Scrabble. He pretty much does it all. And he’s also helped me through a lot of hard times in my own life and he’s always been there when I needed him. So 50, congrats on your star, man.”

There could not be a candidate more deserving than 50 Cent. Congratulations to the legendary Queens rapper!

One of the most touristy things you can possibly do in Los Angeles is taking a stroll along the Walk of Fame, located on Hollywood Boulevard. While the area is avoidable at best for Angelenos, it’s a must for anybody visiting the city on a short-term trip. Pop culture junkies will notice all of their favorite actors, musicians, radio hosts, and entertainment staples immortalized as stars on the sidewalk and now, a popular rap icon and television executive has found his rightful place on the block.

Located in front of the W Hotel near the corner of Hollywood and Vine, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson officially has his star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. He reacted to the news, hitting social media and saying, “They never seen nothing like me before.” Some of his closest friends, including T.I, Wiz Khalifa, Uncle Murda, Michael Blackson, and more commented on the post, congratulating the legend on his latest accomplishment. Snoop Dogg hilariously chimed in by reposting the same image of the star, revealing how he will christen it.

“Welcome to the walk of fame cuz @50cent,” typed the Doggfather, recalling his own recent induction. “I’m C walking on it soon as I get bacc to the crib.”

Congratulations, Fif. You deserve it!

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