Black Immigrant Daily News

Singer Sparkle found herself in the middle of R. Kelly’s federal child pornography trial.

Sparkle, who is reportedly the aunt of the 14-year-old who testified that she was introduced to R. Kelly by her aunt, who encouraged her to ask the singer to be his god-daughter and entice him by rubbing his head and sitting on his lap, is disputing the claim.

Jurors and observers heard the gory details from the 14-year-old, who disclosed that the singer began grooming the 14-year-old victim and began having sex with her at just 15 years old when Kelly was around 30 years old. Kelly is on trial in Chicago for child pornography and charges that he rigged his 2008 trial to secure his freedom by intimidating the witnesses and using money to make the victim disappear.

Prosecutors are pushing for another conviction on those charges to add to R. Kelly being sentenced to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering by a New York jury last month.

Meanwhile, Sparkle, real name Stephanie Edwards, has come out in her own defence and claims that her niece has lied on the stand as she did not push her to be involved with Kelly. The woman who is known as an early protégé of Kelly in the 1990s and goes by the stage name Sparkle had previously testified in Kelly’s 2008 trial and the ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ documentary as she had identified her niece as the girl in a porn video that circulated in Chicago. At the time, the niece had denied it was her, although she changed her testimony on the stand on Thursday to confirm that it was her in the video.

On the stand, the woman, who is now 37 and identified as just Jane Doe, shared details of how she met Kelly and how they had sex hundreds of times, and he made videos of their encounters which sometimes also involved other minor girls.

The woman disclosed that her aunt and her parents knew about her being around Kelly. “They would pretty much drop me off and then leave,” she said about her parents and the introduction by her aunt.

Sparkle, however, disputed the witness account after a social media user questioned her about it.

“Are you the aunt who had that child rub R. Kelly’s head? Please say it’s not you,” the user said.

Sparkle replied with a strong denial. “Absolutely NOT! I can’t help the lies told on me & under oath at all… & cause ya momma mad at me cause y’all were FORCED to testify,” she said.

In another video she released, Sparkle claimed that the claim was an absolute “f**king lie.” She added she had indeed introduced Kelly to the victim and her mother and father, but it was not her intention for her to become involved with the singer.

Sparkle is claiming that the victim’s mother was also upset at her, and the victim’s testimony was aimed at getting back at her for going against Kelly. She added that there is a “family feud,” and the victim’s testimony is a clear plan to “try to take her down.”

Sparkle added that she and Kelly were never romantically involved as painted by the victim.

“We were a gospel group just years prior so me thinking about them for them was partly programmed in me…again, Because Robert was given the opportunity to have his own imprint, record label, I introduced my sister, my brother-in-law and my niece to Robert at CRC studios in 1997 in hopes of landing my niece a career in this industry, not a concert as she testified,” Sparkle said.

The woman who previously testified against Kelly in 2008 and was the one who brought the sex tapes to the victim’s parent’s knowledge says that she had the greatest of intentions when she spoke up against Kelly, but her life was made “hell” by the victim’s mother.

Kelly’s trial is ongoing, with the sex tapes of other underaged victims set to be played for jurors.

The prosecution has not responded to the claim.

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Triller responds to a lawsuit filed by Verzuz co-founders.

Swizz Beatz and Timbaland are suing social video platform Triller for defaulting on a sale of their “Verzuz” franchise. However, the social media platform which is hoping to replace Tik Tok in the American market is pushing back as it claims that the rappers have been paid over 50 million so far from the deal and that the two rappers have failed to complete obligations on their part.

In a new lawsuit filed by the two hip-hop icons, they say that Triller has failed to settle its agreement to purchase Verzuz despite running off Verzuz events on its platform.

Last March, Triller announced that it had acquired Verzuz to be administered on its social platform in a bid to expand into the music space and work with prominent artists. Both rappers were said to be shareholders under the sale agreement for an undisclosed sum of money, and they also had said that an equity stake from their remaining shares would be given to 43 performers who participated in Verzuz.

Verzuz was created by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland as an idea off of an Instagram Live, but instead of the artists talking, they were to clash. The event became popular largely due to the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic had forced people indoors due to social distancing regulations, and everything shifted online.

Music fans, particularly those in the hip hop sphere, craved entertainment which Verzuz satisfied. However, a year since the deal was brokered, the two rappers say that Verzuz has defaulted on the agreement.

According to TMZ, Timbaland and Swizz want to recover $28 million from Triller, which is unpaid monies owed for the rap battle idea.

The rappers say that Triller initially paid two payments on the amount, but after that, the company defaulted. After that event, the rappers say that Triller eventually made another payment, but shortly after that, they defaulted on the deal.

Triller now owes $28 million plus interest, the rappers say.

Meanwhile, according to TMZ, Triller says that they have paid the rappers millions in cash, and stock is not aware of what’s happening.

“This is truly unfortunate and we hope it is nothing more than a misunderstanding driven by lawyers. We do not wish to air our dirty laundry in the press, but we have paid Swizz and Tim millions in cash and in stock,” a statement by Triller said.

“No one has benefited as much from Triller to date. Triller has helped fuel VERZUZ to new heights – making it the global cultural phenomenon it is today. We hope to resolve this amicably and quickly, and truly hope it’s just a misunderstanding. If we are forced to defend it, we are more than optimistic the truth and facts are on our side,” an earlier statement from Triller said.

In a later statement shared on Monday afternoon, Triller claimed that they paid Swizz and Timbaland $50 million so far under the deal, and there isn’t any feud over money.

“This is not a feud over Verzuz, but simply about earn-out payments to Swizz and Tim. Swizz and Tim have personally been paid by Triller over $50 million in cash and stock to date, and they stand to benefit even more over time. In addition, they have annual obligations, which if met, and no breach has occurred, entitles them to additional payments,” a statement from the company said.

It continued, “Only one payment of $10 million is in question. We do not believe they have met the thresholds for that payment yet, which include, but are not limited to, delivery of a set number of Verzuz events for 2022. We have been trying to resolve this amicably and this does not affect Verzuz operations or Triller’s ownership of Verzuz. If this does proceed in court, we look forward to a judgment that weighs all the facts,” the statement ended.

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Ne-Yo says that problems encountered by Vybz Kartel and Spice for the sample of his song “Miss Independent” on their biggest hit, “Romping Shop,” had nothing to do with him.

In an interview on Drink Champs, Ne-Yo says that he was not the one who refused to clear the song as he claims that he was not aware the song was sampled, and he didn’t have an issue with it anyways.

Thirteen years ago, Vybz Kartel and Spice dropped what is now one of the biggest songs in dancehall, “Romping Shop.” The song sampled “Miss Independent” but caused major controversy for all of the artists involved.

Miss Independent was a widely successful track for Ne-Yo as it became his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song spent almost a dozen weeks on various charts and is now a platinum-selling record.

However, after “Romping Shop” was released, Vybz Kartel received a cease-and-desist letter threatening legal action from EMI Music Publishing. A letter from EMI was widely publicized, signaling that the era of dancehall artists sampling hip hop and R&B tracks without permission was over due to the incorporation of technology.

The letter demanded that “Romping Shop” could not be released and that the artist was to destroy all of the recordings of the infringing track and that the song will be removed from all internet sites.

This led to Vybz Kartel changing the riddim on the song and re-releasing it as he did not seek permission to sample the track in the first place. More than a decade later, “Romping Shop” is as successful as “Miss Independent,” which has 424 million views on YouTube.

In his interview with Drink Champs, Ne-Yo says that he had nothing to do with the Jamaican artists being told to change the riddim on the track. The artist said he was ready to approve the clearance as he knew about Vybz Kartel’s popularity back then.

“I didn’t not clear it…the streets cleared it right away which made it virtually impossible to not clear it, even if I was thinking about not clearing it which by the way I was never thinking about not clearing it,” he said to N.O.R.E.

Ne-Yo added that before seeing the popularity of “Romping Shop” rise as it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, he was told about Vybz Kartel, and the knowledge that he had sampled “Miss Independent” without permission had come by surprise to him.

“Before the song was presented to me, the concept of Vybz Kartel and who he was was presented to me. Like, this is ‘that dude’ oh, and by the way, he did this with your song. It was presented to me like that. So I’m like, so, what are we talking about right now? Of course, it’s fine. Why would I have a problem with this?” he told the hosts.

Ne-Yo added that “Romping Shop” inevitably helped to raise the profile of his own track.

“To this day, I can’t be over there and perform Miss Independent without giving props to what the f**k he did. You created a whole other vibe and that’s just off of the sh*t that I was tryna do. I gotta give you love for that,” he said.

The artist added that, in his opinion, sampling is essential to teach the younger generation to make better music or experience an era they could otherwise not grow up in.

“You gotta realise, it’s generations coming behind you …and if you decide to not let nobody f**k with what you did because it’s what you did and you gon’ have this pride about it, then them generations don’t get it. Them generations don’t get to experience it, they don’t get to enjoy it.”

“Romping Shop” is by far one of the most controversial and sexually explicit tracks by Vybz Kartel. The artist became known for his raunchy music, which also saw pushback from society concerning the lyrics of the music.

The song was banned by the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica from radio and TV as it violated the rules for publishing music. This led to the artist creating a “clean” version of the song.

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The Fulton County District Attorney’s office has revealed that a witness in the Young Thug racketeering case is receiving death threats to his person and his family and children.

Earlier this week, a document has been circulating claiming that a person familiar with Young Thug has cut a deal with prosecutors to rat out the rapper in exchange for a lighter sentence from an ongoing case he is serving.

The document has been circulating on social media, not only revealing the witness’ name but also sharing a photograph of him. It’s unclear who shared the document, but the District Attorney’s office said the leak of that document placed the life of the witness at risk for harm.

On Tuesday (Aug 16), the D.A’s office said the leak resulted in the witness and their family members receiving death threats.

Fulton County, Ga. District Attorney Fani Willis and Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel both expressed concern about the leak as it revealed that the witness is a known “YSL affiliate.”

“YSL enthusiasts and/or actual gang members are threatening someone they believe is cooperating with the State,” Willis told WSB-TV. “And not only that person, but their very small children,” she said.

The document that has been leaked has been confirmed to be a document shared in discovery between the prosecution and the defense.

Discovery is required by law based on the principle of fairness as the prosecution is required to declare the evidence it has against a defendant, so he has a fair chance to prepare his defense. Thug’s racketeering trial is set for January of 2023, and discovery is one of the first processes to get the parties ready for trial.

In the meantime, the D.A’s office is investigating to find the source of the leak. Thug’s attorney said the leak is detrimental to the case and could result in harm to witnesses.

“This is putting people at risk and it’s poisoning the jury pool,” Steel said in an interview with WSB-TV. “Please stop immediately. Whomever is placing items of discovery online is not doing anybody a favour. It is totally inappropriate to try to try this case on social media. This will be tried fairly and justly in Fulton County Superior Court.”

The District Attorney also said steps have been taken to protect the witness.

“We are going to have to do things to make sure that the witnesses are safe,” she added. “We need people to understand that they can cooperate, they can do the right thing, and the State will be here to protect them.”

In the meantime, Young Thug and fellow rapper Gunna are remanded to jail as they were denied bail by the sitting judge, who was told by the prosecution that the men pose a danger to the witnesses if released. At the time, the prosecution said that some YSL gang members have offered to be witnesses in the trial.

The rappers are among 28 other defendants who are on trial for violating Georgia’s racketeering act. Prosecutors say that the group is a gang and Young Thug is the leader, while Gunna operates in a “commander” role.

Thug is also facing separate charges for a cache of firearms found in his house during a police raid in May.

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The attorney who filed a $20 million sexual assault lawsuit against Trey Songz in February is accused of offering to bribe a witness to lie about the incident.

The witness in the case dropped a bombshell accusation against Florida attorney Ariel Mitchell. The lawyer is accused of attempting to bribe a witness with up to $200,000 to force a $1 million settlement for sexual assault accusations against Trey Songz.

Trey Songz has been the subject of several sexual assault accusations at the time when Mitchell’s lawsuit was filed, and some are still ongoing.

In a twist that could see Mitchell disbarred or even imprisoned, a woman who is a witness in the case claims that she was approached by the attorney to lie that an assault took place. In return, she would be paid up to $200,000 once a settlement is agreed.

The alleged victim, Jauhara Jeffries, sued Songz for sexually assaulting her at a 2017 New Year’s Eve party in Miami in February 2022.

On Friday, attorneys for Trey Songz filed a motion in a Miami court accusing Ariel E. Mitchell, an attorney for Jeffries, of professional impropriety in that she offered a woman money to act as a witness in the case and lie in support of the alleged victim.

“Plaintiff and Ms Mitchell have engaged in serious misconduct, and it warrants a serious sanction,” the motion filed by attorneys Jeffrey A. Neiman and Derick Vollrath representing Songz said.

The woman who was approached is Mariah Thielen, who says she met with Jeffries’ attorney, Ariel Mitchell, last year at a Miami bar. The woman said that Mitchell reeked of weed and she carried a gun.

Thielen is named in the lawsuit filed by Jeffries. The documents say that Thielen was with Jeffries on the night of the alleged assault. However, while she does not say what happened, Thielen says that Mitchell offered her money to lie about what happened and claim that she was an eyewitness to the sexual assault.

“Ms Mitchell also informed me that if I changed my testimony to corroborate [Plaintiff’s] version of events and testified on [Plaintiff’s] behalf, that she would pay me between $100,000 and $200,000, depending on the case’s ultimate settlement amount, if any,” the witness said in the filing on Tuesday.

Thielen says that Mitchell further tried to convince her to also lie that the singer had sexually assaulted her as well in a big to paint him as “the next R. Kelly.” At the time,

The women were at a Miami nightclub during a New Year’s Eve celebration in 2017. Jeffries claims that while dancing on a couch wearing a “dress with a high slit up the back,” Songz inserted his fingers into her private parts.

Jeffries has, however, cracked as she says the plan was to force Trey Songz into a settlement, but she turned the offer down.

In the meantime, Mitchell has denied that she tampered with the witness as she disclosed that the allegations were also investigated by the Florida Bar Association, according to TMZ.

“We’re highly confident and certain the court will find the witness committed perjury. Parties are still awaiting the judges’ further instructions on how to proceed given the witness’s inconsistent testimony during the hearing.”

Mitchell also threatened to file a suit for defamation if the attorneys did not withdraw the claims.

In the meantime, Mitchell was the attorney who reportedly represented a client who claimed that Chris Brown sexually assaulted her earlier this year. The lawsuit was later dropped after the singer shared text messages proving that sex between the parties was consensual.

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