Megan Thee Stallion calls out record label for refusing to renegotiate with her

Megan Thee Stallion says that ever since she has attempted to renegotiate her contract with her record label, she has been at an impasse.

TMZ is reporting, that the lack of an agreement with her label, 1501, is halting any new music from dropping, the rapper said on Instagram Live Sunday. Specifically, what is holding the music up for the “Hot Girl Summer” rapper is her asking that 1501 revise some language in her deal that better reflects her understanding of the fine print. Now that she’s older than when she first signed with them at 20 years old, she has some questions about the original contract.

READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion addresses 2015 arrest and mugshot

In addition to her getting older since her initial signing, Meg Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, said she has learned a lot from her new management company, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. When she and her new team went to the label to try and negotiate some of the fine points in the contract, she said things went “left,” according to TMZ.

“When I signed, I didn’t really know what was in my contract. I was young, I think was like 20 and I didn’t know everything that was in that contract. So when I got with Roc Nation, I got management, real management, I got real lawyers and they was like ‘do you know that this is in your contract?’” the rapper said on video. “And I was like oh damn that’s crazy, no I didn’t know. So, I’m not mad at 1501, I wasn’t upset cuz I’m thinking in my head oh well everybody cool, we all family, it’s cool, it’s nice. Let me just ask them n*ggas to renegotiate my contract. Soon as I said I want to renegotiate my contract, everything went left like it just all went bad, it all went left.”

“Now they telling a b*tch that she can’t drop no music,” the rapper adds in the video.

By left, Megan claims 1501 is not moving forward with any new music and is essentially ignoring her. She calls it pure greed.

“N*ggas gone be n*ggas. They gone be greedy. They gone be shady,” she says in the video. “You mad because I don’t want to roll over and bow down like a little b*tch and you don’t want to renegotiate my contract.”

TMZ had previously spoken to Carl Crawford, CEO, and co-founder of 1501, and he said he discovered Meg Thee Stallion and signed her. The news outlet said there wasn’t any hint of beef with the rapper at that time.

READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion lands first major high fashion campaign!

But Meg seems to want to clear that aspect of the story as well.

“Megan Thee Stallion was Meg Thee Stallion before I even got over there. I been rapping, I been freestyling, been doing me,” she said on the IG video.

In the meantime, looks like fans may have to wait a while for some new music.

 

The post Megan Thee Stallion calls out record label for refusing to renegotiate with her appeared first on TheGrio.

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Public Enemy’s Chuck D fires Flavor Flav from the iconic group

Chuck D announced in a statement that Public Enemy has booted its legendary hype man, Flavor Flav, from the group.

“Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,” the group released in the statement Sunday. “We thank him for his years of service and wish him well.”

READ MORE: Public Enemy will perform at Bernie Sanders LA rally

The move came days after Flavor Flav sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bernie Sanders to force the presidential hopeful to stop using his “unauthorized likeness, image and trademarked clock” to promote a campaign rally yesterday in Los Angeles in which Public Enemy performed, according to Rolling Stone.

But Chuck D said it was brewing for years.

On Twitter, Chuck D said his relationship with Flavor Flav was strained years ago.

“… my last straw was long ago,” Chuck D wrote. “It’s not about BERNIE with Flav… he don’t know the difference between Barry Sanders or Bernie Sanders. He don’t know either. FLAV refused to support Sankofa after Harry Belafonte inducted us. He don’t do that.”

Belafonte started Sankofa to help fight for injustices around the country.

… last final note the last final note was my last straw was long ago. It’s not about BERNIE with Flav… he don’t know the difference between BarrySanders or BernieSanders he don’t know either. FLAV refused to support @Sankofa after @harrybelafonte inducted us. He don’t do that pic.twitter.com/5Ky9dTnzmd

— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 1, 2020

The letter Flav’s lawyer Matthew Friedman sent to the Sanders’ campaign expressed that the iconic hype man had not endorsed a candidate for president and that Chuck D’s voice backing Sanders is his alone.

“While Chuck is certainly free to express his political view as he sees fit — his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy,” Flav’s cease-and-desist letter said.

“The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by Public Enemy. Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time it is. There is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav.

“Flav … has not endorsed any political candidate in this election cycle. …The continued publicizing of this grossly misleading narrative is, at a minimum, careless and irresponsible if not intentionally misleading,” Friedman continued in the letter.

“It is unfortunate that a political campaign would be so careless with the artistic integrity of such iconoclastic figures in American culture.”

The letter included a note at the bottom written by Flav that said simply: “Hey Bernie, don’t do this.”

READ MORE: Chuck D responds to Flavor Flav hitting Bernie Sanders’ camp with a cease-and-desist over Public Enemy performance

But Chuck D’s lawyer countered saying, “From a legal standpoint, Chuck could perform as Public Enemy if he ever wanted to; he is the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark. He originally drew the logo himself in the mid-80s, is also the creative visionary and the group’s primary songwriter, having written Flavor’s most memorable lines.”

Public Enemy Radio, which featured DJ Lord, Jahi and the S1Ws, performed at Sanders rally on Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The post Public Enemy’s Chuck D fires Flavor Flav from the iconic group appeared first on TheGrio.

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Confronting A Legacy, and Creating Her Own: Meet The First Black Rhodes, Truman, and Udall Scholar

Like many 21 year olds, Wanjiku “Wawa” Gatheru is on Twitter. And on Nov. 24, 2019, one of the University of Connecticut senior environmental studies major’s tweets went viral.

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Is Debra Lee Considering Launching A Tech Fund to Back Women of Color?

Debra Lee, the former CEO of BET, recently hinted at the idea of starting a black women tech fund at the Upfront Summit in Pasadena, CA, according to Yahoo! Finance.

Lee was first asked by reporter Julia Boorstin about California’s mandate that boards of directors overseeing public companies include women; a law that passed in late 2018 that is being considered in numerous other states. Boorstin then asked about Goldman Sachs’s announcement from Davos that beginning in July, it won’t take public any company that doesn’t have at least one “diverse” board member, with a particular focus on women.

The initiative would have cost Goldman up to $101 million in underwriting fees from as many as 18 U.S. IPOs had the policy been effective in 2019, according to a new analysis by Bloomberg Law. That’s an estimated one-third of the $318.68 million that Goldman earned in advisory fees from the 59 U.S. IPOs it underwrote last year.

“I mean, we’ve been talking about this for so long that I understand why they did it,” Lee answered. “I think both initiatives are a good thing, because the companies aren’t going to do it. We’ve been talking about it for 30 years, and for a company to have a board now with no women or no people of color, they should be truly embarrassed. But there’s still a lot out there . . . it’s sad to see that we have to implement either, you know–California, Goldman–but we really have to hold these companies’ feet to the fire.”

The former BET chairman also hinted that she and others of her powerful friends are talking about creating a fund that would support women of color in tech.  Boorstin then took the opportunity to joke around with Lee. “So if you do create a fund, perhaps there’s some potential LPs [you could talk with here].”

“I would love that,” said Lee. “If you all know of anyone…”

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Changes To Medicare Premiums In 2020

Medicare Premium Differences in 2020

Medicare premiums are on the rise. For seniors living on a retirement income, it’s important to know where the increase in cost is coming from. More importantly, it’s essential to learn how you can keep your monthly premiums as low as possible without sacrificing quality healthcare coverage. We will provide a cost breakdown for 2020 and will help you determine how you can save while still ensuring maximum coverage.

Medicare Deductibles 2020

Original Medicare comes in four parts – Part A, B, C, and D.

Part A: Covers hospital stays and expenses. Part A is automatically applied to anyone with Medicare.

Part B: Covers doctor expenses. Part B is optional but highly recommended.

Part C: Covers hospital, doctor, and often prescription drugs. Part C is optional, known as Medicare Advantage, and may help reduce overall healthcare costs.

Part D: Covers prescription drugs. Part D is optional but highly recommended.

Part B, C, and D all have deductibles.

Part A is usually free unless the person applying has worked less than 30 quarters and did not contribute to social security payments.

All premiums are adjusted based on income and change yearly. For 2020, all premiums will increase regardless of your income bracket.

Cost Adjustments

Here is a brief look at changes from 2019 to 2020 Medicare costs.

Part	2019 Cost	2020 Cost
Part A Premium	Usually free*	Usually free*
Part A Deductible	$1,364 deductible per benefit period	$1,408 deductible per benefit period
Part A Coinsurance per benefit period	Days 1-60: $0 per day	Days 1-60: $0 per day
	Days 61-90: $341 per day	Days 61-90: $352 per day
	Days 91+: $682 per “lifetime reserve” day up to 60 days	Days 91+: $704 per “lifetime reserve” day up to 60 days
	After lifetime reserve: All costs	After lifetime reserve: All costs
Part B Premium	$135.50+	$144.60+
Part B Deductible	$185	$198
Part B Coinsurance per benefit period	20% after deductible is met	20% after deductible is met
Part C Premium	Varies by plan	Varies by plan
Part D Premium	Varies by plan	Varies by plan

 *To qualify for free Part A Medicare coverage, an individual must have worked and contributed payment toward social security benefits for a minimum of 30 quarters or 7.5 years.

Medicare Part B Premiums 2020

Knowing how much you’ll be expected to pay for healthcare premiums is important when living on a fixed income. To determine the cost of your Part B premium you’ll need to check your 2018 tax information, as your income from two years prior determines 2020 premium costs.

If your yearly income for 2018 was:			Your 2020 premium will be:
Individual filing	Married filing jointly	Married filing separately
$87,000 or less	$174,000 or less	$87,000 or less	$144.60
$87,001 to $109,000	$174,001 to $218,000	N/A	$202.40
$109,001 to $136,000	$218,001 to $272,000	N/A	$289.20
$136,001 to $163,000	$272,001 to $326,000	N/A	$376.00
$163,001 to $499,999	$326,001 to $649,999	$87,001 to $412,999	$426.70
$500,000 +	$750,000 +	$413,000 +	$491.60

 

Part D Premium 2020

The same rules apply for your Part D coverage. Premium costs are associated with your 2018 tax return and vary by plan. The change for 2020 is that, depending on your income level, you will cover the cost of your Part D premium in addition to a surcharge. A higher income results in a greater surcharge. Here is a general estimate:

If your yearly income for 2018 was:			Your 2020 Premium will be:
Individual filing	Married filing jointly	Married filing separately
$87,000 or less	$174,000 or less	$87,000 or less	Plan premium only
$87,001 to $109,000	$174,001 to $218,000	N/A	Plan premium + $12.20
$109,001 to $136,000	$218,001 to $272,000	N/A	Plan premium + $31.50
$136,001 to $163,000	$272,001 to $326,000	N/A	Plan premium + $50.70
$163,001 to $499,999	$326,001 to $649,999	$87,001 to $412,999	Plan premium + $70.00
$500,000 +	$750,000 +	$413,000 +	Plan premium + $76.40

 

Income Changes

If changes in your income have occurred, call the Social Security office and submit proper documentation so you won’t have to pay more than necessary. Applicable changes include:

• Marriage, divorce, or widowhood.
• One or both parties stop working or reduce working hours.
• Loss of income-producing property due to natural disaster or another uncontrolled event.
• One or both parties experience ceasing, termination, or reorganization of an employer’s pension plan.
• One or both parties receive a settlement from an employer or former employer due to an employer’s business closing, bankruptcy, or reorganization.

Ways To Save On Medicare Costs

If you’re one of the 7.5 million seniors struggling to afford healthcare necessities like prescription drug coverage, there are savvy ways to save.

Medicare Advantage or Part C

Original Medicare Parts A and B only cover hospital and doctor fees, as seen in the first chart in this article. Unfortunately, this means necessities such as vision, dental, and hearing coverage are not included. If you want a prescription drug plan, you’ll need to purchase a separate plan, either Part D or a Medicare Advantage plan.

With a Medicare Advantage plan, you apply for Part A and B coverage, pay for it together and often receive extras such as vision, dental, and drug coverage. Here’s a snapshot of plan differences between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage in 2020.

	ORIGINAL MEDICARE	MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
Coverage	Part A and B	Part A, B, D + vision, dental, and hearing*
Maximum Out-of-Pocket Costs	No Maximum on OOP costs	Yearly limit on OOP costs. After OOP limit, members pay nothing.
Doctors and Hospitals	Any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare	Doctors and hospitals in your plan’s network. Out-of-network doctors and hospitals may incur higher costs.
Premiums	Part A – No premium Part B – Around $144.60+/mo.	Part B – Around $144.60+/mo. + plans start as low as $0/mo.
Deductibles	Part A – Around $1,408 Part B – Around $198	Deductibles and copays vary
Prescription Drug Coverage	Must purchase Part D or standalone drug coverage	Varies by plan

*Not all Medicare Advantage plans cover vision, dental, and hearing.

The biggest savings when choosing a Medicare Advantage plan is the included extras such as vision, dental, hearing, and drug coverage. Often, your Medicare Advantage premium will cost less than if you purchased Part A, B, D, and a hearing or vision plan individually.

Choose Medicare Plans 2020

Choosing the right Medicare plan for your health care is an important step to ensure a healthy and fulfilling future. Making a choice doesn’t have to be overwhelming or complicated. Talk with a Medicare advisor to determine which plan and cost are right for you.

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