It is finally Friday and boy is there some shady shit going on in the world around us. Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna and several others are suing ElevenParis, UCLA fraternity hosts a Kanye West where some people went in blackface and B.O.B. learned that bad PR can really be bad PR.
Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna and More Sue Retailer for Knockoffs
Just because you are super famous and have money up the ass doesn’t mean that people can just do what they want with your name and your brand. Beyoncé, Kanye West, Pharrell and others have teamed up to let one retailer know this by suing them.
A lawsuit has been brought against French brand ElevenParis and claims copyright infringements. The suit alleges:
“…habitual, willful intellectual property infringers that, without authorization, usurp the trademarks, copyrights and other rights of A-list celebrities.”
The stars want triple damages and to recoup profits due to their trademarks, lyrics, names and photos being used without their permission by the brand. The lawsuit sites over 58 violations and includes merchandise with sayings like. “Kanye is my Homie.”
All of this comes after claims that the plaintiffs have sent ElevenParis written warnings, which have obviously gone ignored. The celebrities are upset because they believe that damage is being done to their personal brands through the retailers merchandise.
UCLA Frat Party Boasts Black Faces and Kanye West?
I get it. A big part of college is partying and having fun and with Halloween only a few weeks away, who hasn’t gotten into the costume spirit. But even college students, who are supposed to be preparing for the real world, have to know when lines are being crossed. And that is exactly what happened at a UCLA Kanye West themed party were several partygoers dressed in blackface.
Hundreds of students marched on the campus in protest holding signs that read “Our culture is not a costume” angered at the racist overtones the party allowed to happen.
The vice chancellor for UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Jerry Kang, expressed his disappointment in the situation and told the crowd that “black Bruins’ live matter.”
“It’s one thing to suggest you are actually focusing on one celebrity who is African American, it’s another thing to take it as a license to perform every attribute, every stereotype, every grotesque minstrelsy that you see,”
The party, dubbed the “Kanye Western” was thrown by Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority and while many of the kids there dressed like famous people in general, there were some that took it too far and dressed in black face.
This is never okay and it baffles me that people, especially college kids, don’t have an understanding of that. It’s either a lack of foresight to know that it’s a bad look or they just don’t care.
All of this is like a scene out of the movie “Dear White People.”
B.O.B Staged a Publicity Stunt to get Back at Ex-Girlfriend Sevyn Streeter?
Why and how is all I can say about this situation? Do rappers really do this? I mean, is this something that people still think is a viable way to get back and someone or to gain publicity? Well, apparently so.
The story goes that B.O.B reached out to some girl on Instagram about a “cross branding” opportunity where she would pretend to be his new boo thang. In exchange, you know, he would put her on and get her some attention, etc. She jumped at it of course. B.O.B started to lay it on pretty thick too. I mean he posted his new girl Brieady on his Instagram (ass shot and everything), but then it all started to fall apart when her friend let the cat out of the bag about what’s really going on between the two.
She, for whatever reason, had screen shots of the two’s interaction, which pretty much proves that the ATL rapper concocted this plan all for attention and more than likely to make his ex, Sevyn Streeter, jealous. Talk about desperate.
The screen shots show him reaching out to the girl via her social media, “What up Brit… I’d like to discuss some cross branding with you if your interested,” and him inviting her to his hotel room (where the picture was taken) since he was going to be in town for the BET Hip Hop Awards and A3C which means this all happened within the last week.
I don’t know what this is really about, but it is definitely not a good look for him.