Man sues Cardi B for $5m for using his back tattoo in lewd cover art

Kevin Michael Brophy says his back tattoo was superimposed on to a male model who seemingly performs oral sex on the cover of Gangsta Bitch Music Vol 1

A “man of faith” is suing Cardi B for superimposing his back tattoo on to a male model who seemingly performs oral sex on the rapper on the cover of her debut mixtape.

Kevin Michael Brophy is suing the Grammy-winning musician in a copyright-infringement lawsuit in federal court in southern California, seeking $5m in damages. Belcalis Almánzar, the rapper’s real name, was in court and is expected to testify during the trial.

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Cardi B beats lawsuit over alleged defamation during parking feud

Judge dismisses plaintiffs’ claim over tweeted video, saying insults by rapper’s sister did not qualify as defamation

The rapper Cardi B has beaten a lawsuit filed against her by three beachgoers who claimed they had been defamed during an altercation over parking.

A lawsuit filed in New York last year alleged that the singer’s sister, Hennessy Carolina, and Carolina’s girlfriend, Michelle Diaz, had blocked the plaintiffs in.

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Let’s talk about sex: how Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP sent the world into overdrive

A cultural ‘cancer’, soft porn … or the height of empowerment? A revealing documentary examines the debates around one of the raunchiest – and most talked about – rap records around

As winter forces many of us to ditch nights out with friends in favour of nights in on the sofa, Belcalis Alamanzar’s iconic words ring out across the digital ether: “A ho never gets cold!”. In a clip that went viral in 2014, the rapper better known as Cardi B parades up and down a hotel corridor, clad in a plunging, barely-there bralette and tight-fitting skirt. For women who wear little and care about it even less, Megan Thee Stallion has made a name for herself in the same vein. Together, Meg and Cardi would go on to birth a movement with their hit 2020 single, WAP, an ode to female sexuality and “wet ass pussy” which brought a slice of the club to the worlds’ living rooms at the peak of lockdown.

In three minutes and seven seconds of poetic dirty talk, the pair walk us through the spiciest of bedroom sessions, except – contrary to patriarchal norms – they are firmly in the driver’s seat. From fellatio to make-up sex, Cardi and Megan leave their targets weak. With the video quickly becoming a talking point around the world, their sexual desire (and that of women in general) became the subject of fierce debate. While many praised their cheeky candour, others were unimpressed, with Fox News’s Candace Owens going as far as to call Cardi a “cancer cell” who was destroying culture.

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Grammy awards 2021: women rule as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé break records

The Covid-restrained Grammys were a mostly female-fronted affair, with wins for Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift

It was a historic, triumphant night for women in music at the 2021 Grammys, as a range of female artists took home the top awards. HER took home song of the year for the Black Lives Matter anthem I Can’t Breathe, Taylor Swift became the first woman to win album of the year three times, and the rapper Megan Thee Stallion won both best new artist and best rap performance for her Savage remix with Beyoncé, now the most awarded singer (male or female) and female artist of all time.

Related: Grammy awards 2021: the full list of winners

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Lana Del Rey hits back at critics who say she ‘glamorises abuse’

The singer-songwriter said ‘there has to be a place in feminism for women who look and act like me’, citing her lyrics on ‘submissive roles’

Lana Del Rey has hit out at the accusations that she “glamorises abuse” that have trailed her throughout her decade-long career. In a lengthy text post to her Instagram account, the 34-year-old singer criticised “female writers and alt singers” who she says have blamed her “minor lyrical exploration detailing my sometimes submissive or passive roles in my relationships” for “[setting] women back hundreds of years”.

She wrote: “In reality I’m just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent emotionally abusive relationships all over the world.” She said she had been “honest and optimistic” about her “challenging” relationships: “News flash! That’s just how it is for many women.”

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Cardi B: I was sexually assaulted on magazine photoshoot

US rapper alleges that a photographer exposed himself and attempted to coerce her into sex

US rapper Cardi B has detailed a sexual assault she experienced during a magazine photoshoot.

Speaking to TV and radio host Angie Martinez, she said: “I went to shoot for this magazine and the photographer, he was trying to get close to me like, ‘Yeah, you want to get in this magazine?’ Then he pulled his dick out. I was so fucking mad … You know what’s crazy? I told the magazine owner and he just looked at me like, ‘So? And?’”

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Hustlers review – J-Lo’s stealing strippers saga is a vicarious thrill

The multi-hyphenate star delivers a standout turn in a snappy, fact-based caper about strippers scamming Wall Street bankers

After the dog days of August, littered with one lazily patchworked Hollywood product after another, there’s something wickedly indulgent about the arrival of Hustlers, a slick, flashy, seductively entertaining segue from one season to the next. It’s ideally positioned, premiering at the Toronto film festival before a mid-September release: it matches the immediate gratification of a summer movie with the artful substantiveness of an awards contender – yet remains not quite definable as either.

Related: From Fyre festival to Hustlers: why are we so obsessed with scammers?

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Diversity wins as female artists and hip-hop triumph at Grammys

Kacey Musgraves, Childish Gambino, Lady Gaga and Cardi B took home major prizes in a ceremony that provided some landmark victories

There was no clear sweep at the Grammys on Sunday night, fitting for a show that has publicly struggled to address its issues with diversity. The 61st Grammys, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, handed awards to a range of genre-bending musical, logging several notable firsts in the process.

Related: Grammy awards 2019: full list of winners

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21 Savage: Cardi B backs campaign to free rapper

‘We will take action,’ says Cardi B as stars and Black Lives Matter movement support musician detained by US immigration officials

Stars from the US rap scene including Cardi B, Quavo and Metro Boomin have thrown their support behind a campaign created by the Black Lives Matter movement to free rapper 21 Savage.

21 Savage, real name Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, is accused of being a British national living in the US under an expired visa, and has been detained by US immigration officials. A birth certificate obtained by Mail Online suggests he was born in Newham, east London. Bryan Cox, of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), said: “He is unlawfully present in the US and also a convicted felon.”

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Cardi B ‘stands behind’ Colin Kaepernick in refusing Super Bowl show

  • Rapper ‘got to sacrifice a lot of money’ by not playing halftime
  • Grammy nominee will perform in Atlanta on Saturday

Cardi B turned down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl, she said, in order to “stand behind” the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who “stood up” for minorities by kneeling down during playings of the pre-game anthem.

Related: Super Bowl half-time show won’t reflect Atlanta’s music industry

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New York festival urges aid, equality amid security panic

AFP / Angela Weiss Fast-rising US rapper Cardi B performed at the Global Citizen festival and urged young voters to turn out for November midterm elections The music and political worlds joined together Saturday to press for development aid, gender equality and voter participation, with a festival in New York's Central Park marred by a security scare. An unofficial closing event following a week of hectic diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, the Global Citizen festival hands out free tickets to fans who pledge to take actions such as petitioning their governments to support efforts to end the most extreme global poverty.

The anti-choice movement is suddenly obsessed with Cardi B

American rapper, singer, songwriter, and media personality Cardi B arrives for the traditionnal Clive Davis party on the eve of the 60th Annual Grammy Awards on January 28, 2018, in New York. / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMAD Everyone has an opinion on Cardi B's decision to have a baby, and now so do the anti-choicers.