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KISS Guitar Legend Francis Stueber Dies from COVID

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Francis Steuber (Photo Cred: Paul Stanley Website)

FRANCIS STUEBER, legendary guitar tech from the rock bank KISS has died. The 52 year old musician passed away on Saturday. This news has left his family and fans to mourn his loss. iHeart Radio reports the band cancelled their concert on Sunday following the news of Stueber’s death. It wasn’t known how long “Fran” had been ill or whether he was on the road with the band at the the time of his passing.

Longtime friend Paul Stanley was devastated saying in a statement, “My dear friend, buddy and guitar tech for 20 years, Fran Stueber died yesterday suddenly of Covid. Both on and offstage I depended on him for so much. My family loved him as did I. He was so proud of his wife and 3 boys as they were of him. I’m numb.”

(Photo Cred: Paul Stanley Twitter Page)

Steuber had a storied career in music, working alongside REO Speedwagon, Heart & The Offspring. KISS had announced that all precautionary measures were taken in preventing any COVID related issues while on tour. The band would cancel their End of the Road farewell tour in September two weeks in when Gene Simmons and Stanley would contract the virus. Both artists would go on to make full recoveries.

(Photo Cred: Francis Steuber Twitter)
(Photo Cred: Latest Celeb Articles)

We all lost someone so special.

Paul Stanley on his thoughts of Francis Steuber’s passing on Saturday

COVID-19 has claimed another well known personality today as we reported earlier in confirming the passing of Former Secretary of State Colin Powell. TenthLetterMedia & Straight Official Magazine offer our prayers and condolences to Francis Steuber’s family and fans.

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[BREAKING NEWS] Colin Powell Dies From COVID-19 Complications

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Colin Powell
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell (Photo Cred: The New York Times)

THE LOSS OF COLIN POWELL

COLIN POWELL has passed away .Confirming multiple news reports, the former Secretary of State and political pioneer died on Monday due to complications from COVID-19. Powell was the first African-American to serve in the position and was was highly revered. The Hill reports that the family of Powell announced his death in a recent statement. He was 84 years old.

Colin Powell
(Photo Cred: Kleiner Perkins)

A FAMILY MOURNS

The family also reports that Powell had been fully vaccinated and was at Walter Reed National Medical Center receiving treatment.” We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed for their caring treatment,” the family stated via Facebook. “We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father and a great American.” Colin Powell was influential on Capital Hill, as he held critical positions during the terms of Ronald Regan, George H. Bush, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Colin Powell
(Photo Cred: CNBC.com)

TenthLetterMedia & Straight Official Magazine offer our prayers and condolences to his family. Rest well, king.

#GetSOM via @TenthLetterMedia

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William Shatner Goes To Outer Space

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Hollywood’s Captain Kirk, 90-year-old WILLIAM SHATNER, blasted into space Wednesday in a convergence of science fiction and science reality, reaching the final frontier aboard a ship built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company.

The Star Trek actor and three fellow passengers hurtled to an altitude of 66.5 miles (107 kilometers) over the West Texas desert in the fully automated capsule then safely parachuted back to Earth. The flight lasted just over 10 minutes.

“What you have given me is the most profound experience,” an exhilarated Shatner told Bezos after climbing out the hatch. The words spilling from him in a soliloquy almost as long as the flight. “I hope I never recover from this, I hope that I can maintain what I feel now, I don’t want to lose it.”

William Shatner (Photo Cred: The New York Times)

What you have given me is the most profound experience. I hope I never recover from this.

Shatner on his experience going into space.

He said that going from the blue sky to the utter blackness of space was moving. “In an instant you go, ‘Whoa, that’s death.’ That’s what I saw.”

Shatner became the oldest person in space. He eclipsed the previous record set by a passenger on a similar jaunt on a Bezos spaceship by eight years. The flight included about three minutes of weightlessness and a view of the curvature of the Earth.

#GetSOM via @djgojabean @StraightOfficialMag

#WilliamShatner #CaptainKirk #NewShepard #JeffBezoz #MissionNS18 #SpaceTravel

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Rory & Mal’ Joins Stitcher’s More Sauce Network

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STITCHER has inked the “NEW RORY & MAL” podcast hosted by former Joe Budden Podcast co-hosts RORY FARRELL and JAMIL “MAL” CLAY, formerly independent, to a deal that brings the show to STITCHER’s MORE SAUCE network with new episodes posting on Tuesdays and Fridays starting November 2nd. Farrell and Clay left Budden’s show in an acrimonious split this summer over financial concerns and started their own show in July.

“The love we’ve received with the NEW RORY & MAL podcast has been incredible,” said MAL. “We look forward to changing the optics of ‘media culture’ and having fun with the content we create with SirusXM and STITCHER. Just know that we’re here and that my karma is still beautiful.”

“I’ve listened to some of my favorite people on SirusXM for years,” said FARRELL. “We’re honored to join the STITCHER family and are excited to have their support in creating the content we’ve wanted to create in a much cooler way. They’ve been instrumental in pushing the podcast genre further, and we look forward to growing with them.”

“RORY and MAL embody what MORE SAUCE is all about,” said MORE SAUCE Exe. Producer JAZMINE HENLEY-BROWN. “They come with hilarious takes, deep industry connections and stories; but most of all, they seem like the friends you’d love to have at your dinner party or kickback.”

CELEBRATING HIP-HOP, LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE THIS IS STRAIGHT OFFICIAL MAGAZINE!

#GetSOM via @djgojabean @StraightOfficialMag #GojasBodega #RoryAndMal #Podcast #Stitcher #Independent

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Big Daddy Kane & KRS-One Are Next Up For a Verzuz

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Big Daddy Kane & KRS-One Verzuz Flyer (Photo Cred: Okayplayer.com)

THE NEXT VERZUZ IS OFFICIAL!!

Hip-Hop pioneers BIG DADDY KANE & KRS-ONE have been announced as the next two artists to face off in the next Verzuz! Pitchfork reports that the battle will go down Sunday, October 17th at 9pm EST from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

These unique battles have helped to engage fans of Hip-Hop and R&B alike. They’ve provided memorable entertainment amidst the ongoing pandemic. Spawned by legendary producers Swizz Beats and Timbaland, these impromptu battles of artist catalogs have reinvigorated our love for the culture and music as a whole.

Big Daddy Kane & KRS-One (Photo Cred: Getty Images)

LET’S PLAY A GAME

Revolt reports the two producers wanted the fans to guess on who the next two combatants would be. The prize for a correct guess would be a pair of tickets to the event! The initial post on Instagram received over 15,000 guesses! The fans would only have silhouettes to use as a hint, with most of us being able to guess right away!

(Photo Cred: Verzuz IG Page)

This battle is sure to be as legendary as the artists who are performing! You can purchase tickets NOW through triller.fightclub.com and you can watch exclusively through both Triller & FITE TV. Billed as “TrillerVerz III Weekend”, the festivities will kick off on October 16th. Fans will be treated with a performance from Jamaican DJ Super Cat at 8pm EST. The official battle between BDK and KRS will take place the next day.

Be sure to get your tickets NOW and tune in on Sunday, October 16th to catch all the festivities! Who do you think will win this Verzuz battle? Who would you like to see in the next Verzuz? Let us know down in the comments below! As always, we thank you for rocking with TenthLetterMedia & Straight Official Magazine as we celebrate Hip-Hop, lifestyle and culture!

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YouTube Removes Misinforming Vaccine Videos

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WHAT IS YOUTUBE DOING?

YouTube has announced that they will begin to remove any misinforming videos surrounding any approved medical vaccinations from their site. Bloomberg reports that the site is forgoing their usual hands-off approach to this topic. The video platform will extend their policies against any form of misinformation conveyed on their site.

A division of Google announced that the ban will include any media claiming that vaccines are dangerous or lead to chronic health outcomes. Over 130,000 videos broke the new rule and were removed from the site. These numbers will rise as the pandemic goes on.

One year ago, YouTube began banning videos that were critical of Covid-19 vaccines. Seeing early on the policy had limitations, YouTube enforced policies after creators found ways around it. Making claims about the vaccines without mentioning Covid-19 directly was one way creators went about it.

Matt Halprin, VP of YouTube of Trust and Safety (Photo Cred: Wikipedia Commons)

We can imagine viewers potentially extrapolating Covid-19. We wanted to make sure that we’re covering the whole gamut.

Mark Halprin on YouTube’s New Policy

DEALING WITH BACKLASH

YouTube faces some of the same political pressures as Facebook and Twitter. The streaming site is being accused of censoring speech. The platform faces scrutiny for what some believe is labeling and inadequately policing vaccine skepticism and falsehoods.

Halprin said, “The company will allow ‘scientific discussion’. Videos about vaccine trials, results and failures.” YouTube will continue to permit personal testimonies. Parents can talk about their child’s experiences receiving the vaccine.

“If videos aggregate these testimonials or make broader claims questioning vaccine efficacy, they will be removed” Halprin said.

(Photo Cred: The Guardian Nigeria)

IS YOUTUBE RESTRICTING SEARCHES?

Within the conditions of YouTube’s new policy, the platform categorized certain health videos and in some cases, reduced their ability to show up in searches. Reports state that the company will treat certain health videos as “borderline.” This would decrease the appearance in search results.

“It’s only when somebody then generalizes, Halprin continued. ‘It’s not just about my child’. There’s obviously a line there.”

What do you think about YouTube’s new course of action? Let us know in the comments down below!

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[BREAKING NEWS] R. Kelly Found Guilty!!

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R. Kelly (Photo Cred: ABC News)

#GetSOM via @TenthLetterMedia

Confirming multiple news sources, R&B singer R. KELLY was found guilty by a federal jury on Monday afternoon on racketeering charges stemming from his publicized sex trafficking trial. Prosecutors had accused R. Kelly of using his celebrity to bait women and underaged girls for sex throughout the course of the R&B singers’ thirty-year career.

Straight Official reported on R. Kelly just last month. The singer’s trial had appeared to had hit a brick wall. The prosecution rested their case against the crooner after hearing weeks of testimonies from accusers and survivors of Kelly. It’s funny what a few weeks can change.

Reuters reports that R. Kelly pled not guilty to a racketeering charge and eight counts of violating federal law. This involves making it illegal to transport people across state lines for prostitution. While the prosecution is making R. Kelly as a predator who used his fame and charisma to lure victims into his sphere, the defense team for R. Kelly portrays him as a generous person and that his accusers are looking for a payday through failed book deals and hoped-for music careers that never took flight.

Prosecutors push a cart with documents related to R. Kelly’s trial as they arrive to Brooklyn federal court in New York, U.S., August 18, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

We will continue to follow this story as news develops. What are your thoughts on this case? Let us know down below!

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Prosecutors Rest Their Case Against R. Kelly After Weeks Of Testimony

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(Photo Cred: AP News)

Federal prosecutors have rested their case against R. KELLY following 19 days of allegations of sexual abuse and testimony from more than 40 witnesses about how the singer allegedly controlled the minute details of his accusers’ everyday lives. According to YAHOO! NEWS, since opening statements on AUGUST 18th, prosecutors have presented accusers, former employees and other witnesses who testified in BROOKLYN’s federal courthouse about how KELLY controlled the lives of his young “girlfriends,” who often lived with him.

The accusers, whose experiences with KELLY spanned the course of about 25 years until his JULY 2019 arrest, described how the singer pressured them into sex. One woman said KELLY sexually assaulted her just moments after meeting her backstage after a concert. Others described being “trained” in sex and living with the singer over the course of several years. KELLY also gave several of them herpes, they testified, without disclosing that he had the incurable disease.

R. Kelly (Photo Cred: NY Times)

KELLY has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. His defense attorneys are expected to begin presenting their own witnesses for about two days, before each team of lawyers presents their closing arguments. 

As the trial heads toward its conclusion, the singer faces legal risk elsewhere. Federal and state-level prosecutors in CHICAGO each have pending cases against KELLY involving similar allegations, as does a district attorney’s office in MINNESOTA.

To read the full story from INSIDER, click here.

@StraightOfficialMag #LaBodgea #RKelly

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‘Friday’ Star And Comedian AJ Johnson Dies at 55

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AJ Johnson
(Photo Cred: Memesrandom.com)

AJ JOHNSON has died. Confirming multiple news reports, comedian ANTHONY JOHNSON has passed away. He was 55 years old.

AJ Johnson
AJ Johnson in his role of Blue in “I Got the Hook Up” (Photo Cred: Yahoo.com)

Johnson, who was widely renowned for his memorable role as Eazel in the cult classic Friday, had 50 film and television show credits under his belt. The actor and comedian found success in the 1990’s doing stand up and was featured in the 90’s Hip-Hop classic film House Party.

AJ Johnson
Johnson playing Eazel in the movie ‘Friday’ (Photo Cred: Florida News Times)

TMZ reports that they were told by one of Johnson’s relatives that he was found lifeless in a store and was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles, where he was pronounced dead. No cause of death has been announced.

AJ Johnson
(Photo Cred: Lipstick Alley)

We here at Straight Official Magazine are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of such a great talent. We offer our condolences to his family, friends and fans.

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Donda is Smashing Streams!

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#GetSOM via @insiderproductionz

Kanye West’s epic tribute album to his mother, Donda was released Sunday, August 29. On September 5th it was confirmed by Def Jam that the album received over 520,000 equivalent units globally within a 7 days, having accumulated over 775 million global streams in that period. The album generated over 442m streams on the Spotify platform and on the Apple Music platform the album generated 242m streams.

Way to go, Kanye!!

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