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Jay-Z's Roc Nation forms book publisher with Random House
NEW YORK – A decade after publishing his memoir “Decoded,” Jay-Z is forming a more lasting partnership with the book industry. Roc Nation, the entertainment company founded by the rapper, is starting an imprint with Random House called Roc Lit 101. In a joint announcement Tuesday, Random House and Roc Nation promised “books at the dynamic intersection of entertainment and genre-defying literature." Future releases will include a book by Meek Mill on “criminal justice and survival,” memoirs by rappers Yo Gotti and Fat Joe and fantasy fiction from rapper Lil Uzi Vert, along with everything from cookbooks to children's stories. Roc Lit 101 will be led by Chris Jackson, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Random House imprint One World and a recent recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Center for Fiction; and Jana Fleishman, executive vice president of Roc Nation.
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Police: Robbery looks unlikely as motive in rapper killing
In this undated photo provided by Republic Records is Pop Smoke. "We are devastated by the unexpected and tragic loss of Pop Smoke," Republic Records said in a statement. An autopsy was planned after Pop Smoke was declared dead at a hospital. Chance the Rapper, 50 Cent, Meek Mill and Nicki Minaj, who collaborated with Pop Smoke, were among those paying tribute on social media. “Young tycoon gone2soon had a blast wit ya,” Snoop Dogg posted, along with a video of himself and Pop Smoke on stage together.
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Grammys honor Nipsey Hussle with a soaring performance
John Legend performs during a tribute in honor of the late Nipsey Hussle at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)NEW YORK, N.Y. – John Legend, Meek Mill, DJ Khaled and a host of musicians paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle at the Grammy Awards, filling the vast stage with a soaring performance of his music. “Real hitters never die.”Then DJ Khaled and Legend sang their collaboration with Hussle, DJ Khaled’s track “Higher,” which later won the Grammy for best rap/sung performance. “Rest in peace, Nipsey Hussle,” DJ Khaled said at the end of the performance. Ava DuVernay introduced the Grammy performance by saying Hussle “made brave, brilliant strides in his community.”Earlier, before the telecast, Hussle became a Grammy Award winner the first time.
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Music stars pay tribute to Kobe Bryant at Grammys award show
Host Alicia Keys speaks at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. “We are standing her literally heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.”Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in the crash on a steep hillside in dense morning fog in Southern California. Music artists including Billy Ray Cyrus, Rick Ross and Kirk Franklin paid tribute to Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star and five-time champion. Long live Kobe Bryant. “If you’re from Los Angeles, depending on which sector you’re in, that (expletive) is really heavy," the rapper continued.