THIS WEEKjet ski
Rihanna And A$AP Rocky Have A Baby Boy! TMZ reports… Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are officially parents … welcoming a baby boy to the world. That’s right, it’s the couple’s first kid together — sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ he was born on May 13 in Los Angeles — but we don’t yet know his name. The last time we saw Rihanna was on May 9 in Los Angeles for Mother’s Day weekend when she and Rocky grabbed dinner at the popular restaurant, Giorgio Baldi, in LA.
Pastor Jamal Bryant Apologizes After Backlash For Negative Comments Regarding Death Of Kevin Samuels. Pastor Jamal Bryant issued a formal apology to the family after slamming the controversial YouTube star in the wake of his shocking death. BOSSIP reports…Bryant, also known for being Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle‘s ex-husband, expressed his remorse for commenting on Samuels during a Mother’s Day sermon. “I extend my deepest condolences and apologies to #kevinsamuels’ family and friends. Thank you to all who purposed to keep me accountable,”
Bryant wrote via Instagram alongside a video of his public apology at the church. “We grow from mistakes and birth maturity. Humility will always defeat arrogance. We grow as we go!” During a past sermon, Bryant addressed a video that the image consultant had shared before his passing, in which he called unmarried women over 35 “leftovers.” He followed up by asking how Samuels could make such outlandish claims when “that man has to get a GoFundMe for his funeral.” Sources close to Samuels have since told TMZ the GoFundMe campaign circulating online is fake, adding, “GoFundMe offered Kevin’s family the few hundred bucks raised on the fake page, but they refused to accept it, so it was returned to donors.” Singer Omarion was one of many who criticized Bryant’s previous sermon, slamming him for not having more “compassion” after Samuels died from a speculated heart attack on May 5.
Shaunie O’Neal Is Getting Married!. Shaunie O’Neal, executive producer of 
and a star on VH1’s Basketball Wives, is engaged to fiancé Pastor Keion Henderson, who she’s set to marry later this year. O’Neal recently sat down with The Shade Room to discuss what it’s like to be in love again and to be loved by Henderson. “Love feels easy,” the 47-year-old said. “I think that he makes it easy to love him, to love this relationship, and I think the older you get you just realize what’s important, you realize how to communicate with people, you realize how to overcome obstacles in relationships.”
O’Neal met her future husband through a mutual friend and they started dating in 2020, making their relationship over two years old. O’Neal admitted in the interview that although maintaining a loving relationship does take work, it doesn’t have to be struggle love. This will be O’Neal’s second marriage, the first was with former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. The pair were officially divorced in 2011 and share four children together—Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me’arah.
Lil Keed’s Death At 24 Reportedly Linked To Multi-Organ Failure. HipHopDX reports …Rapper Lil Keed unexpectedly passed away last week at just 24 years old, but an official cause of death has yet to be confirmed. According to TMZ, there are some clues as to what possibly happened. A source close to the Young Stoner Life (YSL) rapper claim Keed was experiencing severe stomach pain just days before his death and sought medical treatment at a Los Angeles hospital.
Although Lil Keed had struggled with drugs and alcohol for years, he was supposedly clean and sober in recent months. Even so, sources say his liver and kidneys started shutting down, which ultimately led to his death. Many of Keed’s friends, family, and collaborators are mourning his passing online, including his brother Lil Gotit who wrote, “Can’t believe I seened u die today bro I did all my cries. I know what u want me to do and that’s go hard for Mama Daddy Our Brothers Naychur and Whiteboy.”
Travis Scott Awarding $1M In Scholarships To 100 Black College Students. Travis
Scott’s comeback tour continued when he performed at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards over the weekend and now, he’s looking to give back to the community through his Cactus Jack Foundation. BOSSIP reports that he pledged $1 million to 100 Black college students studying at HBCUs via his Waymon Webster Scholarship Fund named after his grandfather.
All of the recipients are second-semester senior students with GPAs above 3.5 who needed financial assistance to receive their diplomas and graduate on time. “Excellence abounds in every Black household, but too often opportunity does not – and Black students are left behind or counted out,” Scott said in a statement. “So that’s what my family and I set out to change. We congratulate all 100 scholarship recipients this year. I know we will see great things from them – and we are already looking forward to increasing our work next year.”
Single Sketches
Disastrous Dates
by Coco Diong
These are the dates that are seldom talked about. They’re the ones where maybe you started out with a lot of hope and your hope died before the evening was over because something bizarre and unexpected happened. For me, it was my first date with a guy I’d met at a party. We had gone to dinner and at the end of the evening, he charmed me into going by his apartment. However, when we got on the elevator, he dropped his keys, which fell down the elevator shaft. Since it was midnight, there was no way for him to retrieve his keys, so he ended up talking me into letting him spend the night on my couch. MORE
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The Dating Chronicles
The Pardon
When Barb’s friend Sonja broke up with her boyfriend Ben, Barb became his confidante and would spend hours on the phone nightly consoling him about the breakup. Barb had always felt that Sonja never loved Ben, and she had always admired him from afar. Therefore, when he began to lean heavily on her shoulder in his time of disappointment, she seized the opportunity to show off her good points and hoped he would take note. To her delight, he did. Slowly, they began dating secretly, and Barb severed her relationship with Sonja because she felt guilty about her new relationship with Ben. MORE
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Relationships:
8 Steps To
Making It Work
by Jovan Tahale
Speak out openly about what’s bothering you. State what it is you don’t like. Stop accepting what you don’t like. **If you’re doing a lot of complaining and nothing changes, then you must change. Move away in the active pursuit of happiness.**Remember, if you continue to settle for less than the best, your partner will have no motivation to change. Don’t be afraid of a “time out.” Sometimes being missed works wonders.**Only seek advice from people involved in working relationships.**Review your sense of being reasonable. Are you expecting too much? Are your demands or comments reasonable? Are your complaints legitimate? MORE
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Disappeared:
The Mystery Of
The Missing Women
by Cheryl Lakes
Each year, hundreds of women are reported missing by their families, and the numbers are growing nationally.
Several years ago, after attending a friend’s college graduation party, a friend split from our group to catch a ride with a gorgeous guy she had just met at the party and had spent the entire evening talking to. Two of the women in the group tried their best to talk her out of getting in a stranger’s car, but she was too giddy and excited to heed their warnings. The next day she came up missing and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. When the police later questioned us, we all felt ashamed that we had not even bothered to get the license plate. No one had ever seen the guy before, and as far as I know, he was never seen again. MORE
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Points Of View
Sex And The
Single Life
Kita: “When my friend died four years ago from AIDS, I stopped having sex. She and her partner contracted AIDS and both died. I’m abstaining because I don’t trust men anymore, and I don’t want to take the chance of sleeping with someone whom I really care about, and he’s sleeping somewhere else. I’m happier now than I’ve been in a long time. I have what I call platonic dates, and I sleep well at night, alone.” L.O. “I used to believe that sex was a necessary part of the date routine. Whether you wanted to or not, it was expected, and I was always crying over a guy when I was sexually active. Plus, during those times, I never felt true intimacy. I’d lie there waiting to hear adoring words after sex, and the guy would be off to the next conquest mentally.” MORE
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Stuck!
A Saga Of A Side Chick
by Cheryl Lakes
OK…I admit it. I used to be a side chick until I learned better. I envisioned myself in love and willing to put up with “sharing his attention” until he came around to his senses. However, when I overheard a cousin refer to me as “his side chick” a bell went off in my head and I came to my senses instead. I realized that it was a status I resented and didn’t wish to be identified with. While I was in that position, I often wondered if I was in a minority group, but I have since learned the answer is no. I spoke to two other women who consider themselves “stuck.” MORE
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Single Scenarios
What To Do When …
by Lisa Cregier
Scenario: You’re at the party with your “honey” and he/she leaves you to talk to someone of the opposite sex. They are gone too long and your jealous button is pushed. You go over, ignore the person they’re talking to, and pull them away. You express your dislike in no uncertain terms and you cause a scene, or you simply stay where you are, sulk and say nothing. WYSD: You don’t go over at all. When you’re out, you allow your partner all the room they need to be sociable with others, as long as they remain respectful. If they don’t, you don’t confront…you disappear which makes a far better statement than anything you could ever say. MORE
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The Singles Scene
by Sarah Smart
Q. I recently went on a first date with a guy with whom I was very impressed. I thought we had a wonderful time and that the feeling was mutual. We exchanged numbers and he promised to call. That was three weeks ago and he has yet to dial my number. We have talked a couple of times and each time I called him. However, both times, he appeared to be glad to hear from me, but not one time did he mention seeing me again or calling at a later date. I have played back our conversations and not one time has there been any innuendo or flirtatious remark from him. I flirt…he dodges. He’s warm but distant. I wonder is he shy and maybe waiting on me to make the first move? Would you say he’s interested? I really like him and don’t want him to slip away if there’s potential. MORE
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The Hook-Up
14 Ways To Captivate
by Lisa Laird
When getting to know someone, it’s sometimes difficult to find things to talk about that prove interesting to the other party. Interesting people are usually good listeners, who respond with appropriate sounds that indicate they are attentive to what is being said. They ask questions that reveal a sincere interest rather than a self-serving curiosity. They rarely speak of themselves in a complementary manner or talk incessantly about what’s going on in their lives. MORE
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Before You Marry …
Try This Test …
by Jake Hall
Last year this time, I was hooked on a woman I had begun to envision as my wife. She appeared to be (at last) everything I was looking for in a love partner. However, because I had been married before, I was super cautious about doing it again without knowing more about the person. Therefore, I decided that before we got married, it was best that we live together first to test our compatibility. It turned out to be the smartest thing I’ve ever done. MORE