As Rob Thomas pointed out during his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech last week, Chicago aren’t exactly the coolest band in the world. “People say a lot of things about Chicago,” he said. “And I know that ‘badass’ generally is not one of them, but just remember…
The Director of the FBI Puts a Piece of Tape Over his Laptop Webcam. Should You?
Cyber security experts chime in on whether this is a smart move or over-the-top paranoia.
Snoop Dogg Calls Arnold Schwarzenegger a ‘Racist Piece of S–t’ and a ‘Straight Bitch’ (NSFW)
The stink of political corruption has a way of lingering.
Snoop Dogg recently called out former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for a late-term pardon that reeked of cronyism and blatant corruption. In a video posted by Snoop Dogg on his Instagram account today, the legendary rapper called out Schwarzenegger for drastically reducing the sentence of Esteban Nunez, who just happens to be the son of ex-California Assembly Speaker and Schwarzenegger pal Fabian Nunez.
Esteben Nunez was convicted on manslaughter charges after knifing a fellow student to death in a drunken attack. Nunez attacked the student alongside Ryan Jett, who also wielded a knife and remains in prison.
On Sunday, Nunez was released from prison after serving just 6 years of a 16 year sentence.
“I mean, of course you help a friend.”
The reduction was issued by Schwarzenegger on his last day in office in 2011, and subsequently described as ‘repugnant’ by a Sacramento judge. That judge was presiding over a lawsuit from the victim’s family, who felt the reduction was completely unfair and attempted to reverse the commutation.
The ex-Governor soon admitted the crony corruption in an interview. “I feel good about the decision,” Schwarzenegger told the Sacramento Bee shortly after the reduction in 2011. “I mean, of course you help a friend.”
Enter Snoop Dogg, who expressed huge frustrations given Schwarzenegger’s decision not to lift the death sentence on notorious gangster and Crips co-founder Stanley “Tookie” Williams. Williams was administered lethal injection on December 13th, 2005 at California’s San Quentin State Prison, after being convicted of multiple gang-related murders decades earlier.
That drew massive protests, especially in light of Williams’ strong anti-gang campaigning and evidence of character reform. The decision to proceed with the death sentence, the ultimate punishment, stands in stark contrast to the light treatment afforded another murderer.
After the decision on his son, Fabien Nunez felt the sentence was politically motivated, and too harsh. That apparently justified the commutation: “I used my relationship with the governor to help my own son,” Nunez soon told The Los Angeles Times. “I’d do it again. Any father would do the same.”
Ryan Jett, who was also wielding a knife during the stabbing, is serving the full sentence.
(Image by gcardinal; licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC by 2.0).)
The post Snoop Dogg Calls Arnold Schwarzenegger a ‘Racist Piece of S–t’ and a ‘Straight Bitch’ (NSFW) appeared first on Digital Music News.
Shane Owens Highlights New Music During Industry Showcase
Amerimonte Records artist Shane Owens showcased his new music for an audience of music […]
Live Nation Has Officially Acquired Governors Ball
Last month DMN wrote that Live Nation was rumoured to be in the final stages of purchasing major stakes in Governors Ball. Fast-forward a few weeks and it’s official.
Now there is a major battle in the Northeast. Live Nation’s major competitor AEG Live has Panorama in New York, and now that Live Nation has acquired Governors Ball there will be two giant festivals going head-to-head in the same location around the same time.
AEG already tried to fight Governors Ball when it was independent by trying to bring Panorama to New York in June a few days apart from the scheduled date of Governors Ball. But the organisers of Governors Ball petitioned saying that it was “an aggressive, greedy attempt by [AEG] to push a small independent company of born and bred New Yorkers out of business and out of the market.”
AEG lost that battle and is now held in July – but despite it taking place a month later there will still be a strong competitive impact.
It is a common practice for Live Nation to acquire festivals and consolidate them under its brand – ‘Bannaroo’, ‘Insomniac Events’ and ‘C3 Present’ are just a few of several events that Live Nation has stakes in. This is a strategy that Live Nation has been adopting for a long time and how they continue to be a leading entertainment company.
It will be interesting to see what effect Live Nation’s stake will have on the operation of Governor’s Ball and Panorama’s future success.
The battle continues…
(Image by Pexels, Creative Commons, CC0)
The post Live Nation Has Officially Acquired Governors Ball appeared first on Digital Music News.
Watch Maren Morris Jam ‘My Church’ With Keith Urban, Vince Gill
The last time Vince Gill and Keith Urban co-hosted one of their All for the Hall benefit shows in Nashville, Maren Morris was still an unsigned artist, paying the bills as a songwriter while chasing down a record deal. That was May 2014, before “My Church” became a Top 5…
A Chipotle Burrito Giveaway Caused Hank Levine to Receive Hundreds of Texts. He Then Went Viral.
The good-spirited lawyer from Maryland turned around and used the exposure to do something good.
Kesha to perform at Coachella
The Tik Tok singer is hoping to make her performance comeback at the weekend festival.
3 Big Company Practices That Work for Any Startup
Big companies were once startups, too and they got big by doing a lot of things right.
Uber Says It Gave U.S. Agencies Data on More Than 12 Million Users
The privately held company, valued at more than $60 billion, said the agencies requested information on trips, trip requests, pickup and dropoff areas, fares, vehicles and drivers.