OFF THE CORNER

MTSU Students Walk Out for Nolan Wells: 'Nolan Wells Didn't Drown'

2026-11-15T13:06:57.790-05:00

On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, students at Middle Tennessee State University walked out of class and marched across campus in solidarity with Nolan Wells, the 18-year-old Black teenager found dead on Horn Island, Mississippi, on July 6.

The walk was organized by Saniyah Collier, president of MTSU's NAACP chapter, and Gavin Anteau, president of the Greyhounds Party, a campus political organization. Students gathered at the Student Union Building and marched to the Cope Administration Building and back, carrying pickets and posters and chanting "Say his name" and "Nolan Wells didn't drown." Organizer Phoenix Hudson made t-shirts bearing Nolan Wells' face, and student leaders gave speeches about their own experiences facing injustice.

The walk had originally been planned for November 1 but was postponed after Halloween and bad weather. Organizers chose the lunch hour on a Wednesday to reach the largest crowd. "We wanted to come back bigger and better," Anteau said. "We wanted to leave a bigger impact on campus."

The march was briefly interrupted by MTSU police. Lieutenant Demetrius Smith praised the students' advocacy but told them they could no longer use a megaphone or block the path in front of the Cope Administration Building, and that a permit would be required for the next walk. "There's nothing more amplified than a crowd of people that are standing together," said founding Greyhounds member Steven McDonald. "So, I believe if we stand together and we are all as one, we can be just as loud as the megaphone."

Wells went missing on July 4, 2026, during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island with friends. His body was found on the island's shoreline two days later. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family found evidence of blunt force trauma to the back of his head. On September 21, a Jackson County grand jury declined to seek criminal indictments, finding the death consistent with drowning. Both the state medical examiner and the independent examiner classified the cause and manner of death as undetermined. The family continues to call for a federal investigation.

For the students who marched, the point was to keep the case visible. Junior Bri Calvo said she joined after hearing the chants, surprised by how much coverage of Wells' story seemed to have died down. "I think it empowers me to keep doing work to advocate and show up whenever it's needed for everybody, especially people of color," she said.

The Greyhounds say their work is not finished. Another walk is planned in the future for Kohen Wiley, a toddler who was fatally shot by a Mississippi officer.

Sources: MTSU Sidelines, "MTSU students stage walk-out for Nolan Wells" (November 13, 2026) — https://mtsusidelines.com/2026/11/13/mtsu-students-stage-walk-out-for-nolan-wells/

To support Nolan Wells' family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-nolan-xavier-wells

Happy 58th Birthday, Ol' Dirty Bastard: Remembering the Wu-Tang Original on ODB Day

2026-11-15T07:43:46.354-05:00

Today, November 15, 2026, would have been Ol' Dirty Bastard's 58th birthday. Born Russell Tyrone Jones on November 15, 1968, in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York, he was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, formed in 1992 with his cousins RZA and GZA and six other members.

The group's debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), arrived in 1993 and announced the Clan as a force in hip-hop. ODB's solo career began in 1995 with Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, which spawned the hit singles "Brooklyn Zoo" and "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" and went platinum. That same year, he collaborated with Mariah Carey on the remix of her single "Fantasy."

His second album, Nigga Please, followed in 1999 and included the worldwide hit "Got Your Money," featuring Kelis. Across both records, ODB's unfiltered delivery and unpredictable energy made him one of the most distinctive voices of his era — impossible to imitate and impossible to ignore.

He died on November 13, 2004, at age 35, of an accidental drug overdose, two days before his 36th birthday. The 22nd anniversary of his death passed just two days ago, making this birthday a moment of remembrance as much as celebration.

His legacy in New York has only grown since. In 2023, the New York City Council designated November 15, his birthday, as Ol' Dirty Bastard Day, and in July 2026 a section of Putnam Avenue in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood was officially co-named ODB Jones Way in his honor.

The birthday falls the morning after the Wu-Tang Clan's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on November 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles — the group's first nomination, closing a weekend that put the Clan's legacy front and center. The induction kept the focus on the group ODB helped start, and his birthday, arriving the very next morning, kept it there.

More from DJAYTIGER: https://www.dontsweatthetechnics.com

Snoop Dogg and DJ Green Lantern Mark 30 Years of Tha Doggfather With New Doggfather 30 Mix

2026-11-15T07:33:15.307-05:00

Snoop Dogg and DJ Green Lantern have marked 30 years of Tha Doggfather with a new mix, "Doggfather 30: The Long Game by DJ Green Lantern & DJ Snoopadelic (DJ Mix)," released on Friday, November 13, 2026. The Apple Music listing credits the project to DJ Green Lantern and Snoop Dogg and lists 22 songs running 55 minutes — a full-length reimagining of a landmark album rather than a quick anniversary nod.

The mix celebrates Tha Doggfather, the 1996 album Snoop released as the follow-up to his debut, Doggystyle. Green Lantern told Apple Music he wanted to celebrate the album but add new life to it, using remixes, samples and references that fit the themes of the songs and the overall vibe. The approach keeps the original album at the center while letting Green Lantern reframe it for 2026. The mix also includes some exclusives, giving even longtime listeners something they have not heard before.

Across its 55 minutes, the set blends the album's songs with records from Parliament and Run-D.M.C., and drops period interviews and commentary from DJ Snoopadelic — a Snoop alias — between tracks. The result plays like a guided tour of the album's world, connecting the music to the voices and sounds that shaped it.

The two have worked this way before. Their earlier DJ mixes include Live From The Mothership, released in 2018, and Live From the Mothership II: Emergency Landing, which followed in 2025. Doggfather 30 continues that run, pairing Green Lantern's turntable craft with Snoop's ear for his own catalog.

The anniversary also brings vinyl. Two limited pressings of Tha Doggfather — a gold and black splatter 2LP and a picture disc — debut at Record Planet's Mega Record & CD Fair in the Netherlands on November 14 and 15, 2026, before a holiday release through Snoopermarket and select retailers.

The timing is fitting: the anniversary lands with Snoop as the owner of Death Row Records, the label that first released Tha Doggfather. Thirty years on, the album's legacy is now in the hands of the artist who made it — and Doggfather 30 is his way of marking the moment. For fans, it is both a look back and a reminder of how durable the record remains.

Source: KAZI Magazine

More from DJAYTIGER: https://www.dontsweatthetechnics.com

‘We Are Still Stuck’: Nolan Wells’ Parents Speak Out in New York Magazine Feature

2026-11-14T13:00:18.891-05:00

In a new feature published by New York Magazine, Christine Wells-Wonsley and Elmore Wonsley — the parents of 18-year-old Nolan Wells — spoke openly about the grief and unanswered questions that still surround their son's death.

"We are still stuck," Wells-Wonsley told the magazine. "We're stuck in grief. We're stuck in questions."

Wells, an 18-year-old college student from Mississippi, disappeared on July 4, 2026, during a Fourth of July boating trip with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was found on the island's shoreline two days later, on July 6.

Local authorities initially discussed accidental drowning as a working theory, but the official state autopsy and toxicology results have not been released. An independent autopsy commissioned by the family listed both the cause and manner of death as "undetermined pending investigation." The Wells family believes someone may have harmed their son, pointing to bruising on the back of his head that the independent medical examiner described as resulting from "blunt-force injury." Both the county medical examiner and the independent examiner classified the cause and manner of death as undetermined.

On September 21, a Jackson County grand jury declined to indict anyone in connection with Wells' death, finding "no credible evidence to support the public allegations" against the friends who were with him that day. The grand jury's report described the condition of his body as "consistent with drowning," but noted there is no statute of limitations on homicide cases in Mississippi and that the case could be brought back before a grand jury if credible evidence emerges that his death was not accidental.

The magazine feature also captures the toll the case has taken on the family and their community. Wells' friend and former teammate Skylan Hunter said the case remains a difficult subject at home, even as it is discussed everywhere else. "Nobody talks about it, but everybody knows about it," Hunter said. "They talk about it everywhere else but here." He added: "This is a real person who walked around, breathed, had emotions. He's really gone."

Wells-Wonsley and Wonsley also described receiving hate mail and messages from anonymous social media accounts as they continue seeking answers. Wonsley said the attacks have left him "looking at people differently."

Despite their grief, the parents continue showing up to support their younger sons at football games. At one recent game, their youngest son scored his first touchdown. "We cheered," Wonsley said, "then we cried."

The family has renewed its call for a federal investigation into Nolan's death. In October, that call drew support from lawmakers including Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.). It followed an August push by the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Chair Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), that included more than 60 lawmakers, among them Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

Why it matters: more than four months after Nolan Wells died, his family still does not have the full investigation file or the complete official autopsy report, and the cause and manner of his death remain officially undetermined. The family is asking for a thorough, independent federal investigation — and for the public to keep paying attention.

Source: "‘We Are Still Stuck’: Nolan Wells’ Parents Open Up About Grief, Unanswered Questions" — reporting on the New York Magazine feature.

Support the family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-nolan-xavier-wells

Wu-Tang Clan Enters the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Tonight

2026-11-14T07:30:01.387-05:00

Tonight, Saturday, November 14, 2026, Wu-Tang Clan takes its place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony begins at 7 p.m. PT at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, where the Staten Island group enters as Performers on its first nomination — a first-ballot honor that caps more than three decades of influence.

They join a 2026 Performer class that also includes Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, and the late Luther Vandross. Early Influence Awards go to Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Fela Kuti, Celia Cruz, and Gram Parsons, a lineup that places Wu-Tang’s pioneering rap alongside rock, pop, soul, and Afrobeat legends.

The ceremony is being taped rather than broadcast live. An edited version airs on ABC on Tuesday, December 8, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET/PT, with streaming on Disney+ and Hulu starting December 9, so fans who cannot be in Los Angeles tonight can still watch the group’s induction.

The night also carries a poignant anniversary. Ol’ Dirty Bastard died on November 13, 2004, so yesterday marked 22 years since his death. His son Young Dirty Bastard will take the stage with the group in his father’s honor, while ODB’s widow, Icelene Jones, and daughters have traveled to Los Angeles for the ceremony, keeping his presence at the center of the celebration.

RZA said in April that he expected a full complement of members to be present, and the induction arrives as the group wraps its global farewell tour, Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber. The timing gives tonight the feel of both a coronation and a closing chapter for one of hip-hop’s most enduring collectives.

The group has kept the momentum going into induction week. Raekwon released the single “Game Changers” on November 11, produced by STREETRUNNER and Tarik Azzouz, just days ahead of the ceremony. And the celebration will continue after tonight: Wu-Tang Clan will headline the Detroit Lions’ Thanksgiving Day halftime show on Thursday, November 26, when the Lions host the Chicago Bears at Ford Field.

Their 1993 debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), reshaped hip-hop, introducing the group’s raw, cinematic sound and a blueprint for solo careers built inside a collective. That legacy is what the Hall is recognizing tonight. Not everyone in the class will be there in person: Sade will not attend the ceremony, and Oasis and Iron Maiden are also skipping it.

Sources: Urban City Podcast | Hollywood Weekly Magazine | 105.1 The Bounce | Reality Tea | The Talk Lounge

More from DJAYTIGER: www.dontsweatthetechnics.com

Nolan Wells Medical Examiner Also Handled Trey Reed Case, Drawing Fresh Scrutiny

2026-11-12T15:37:40.846-05:00

Mississippi's chief medical examiner, Dr. Staci Turner, is facing renewed scrutiny over her office's role in several disputed death investigations involving Black residents — including the cases of Nolan Wells and Demartravion 'Trey' Reed. Both families have challenged the state's early conclusions and sought independent forensic reviews.

Wells, 18, disappeared on July 4, 2026, after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island, a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was recovered near the island two days later. Local authorities initially said there were no apparent signs of foul play and publicly discussed accidental drowning as the working theory. The official state autopsy and toxicology results have not been released.

An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells' family listed both the cause and manner of death as 'undetermined pending investigation.' The examination found no fractures or deep-tissue injuries, but it documented red discoloration behind Wells' head that requires further investigation. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the independent examination did not establish foul play, but it also could not rule out whether a nonaccidental factor contributed to Wells' death.

On September 21, a 23-person grand jury unanimously declined to indict anyone in the case after reviewing forensic reports and hearing from 43 witnesses. The jury said the position, condition, time of discovery, and location of Wells' body was consistent with drowning and found no credible evidence of criminal conduct. The jury also noted there is no statute of limitations on homicide in Mississippi, and that the matter should be re-presented to a grand jury if credible evidence emerges that the death was non-accidental.

Turner's office also handled the examination of Reed, a 21-year-old Delta State University student who was found hanging from a tree on the university's campus in September 2025. State officials classified Reed's death as a suicide by hanging and said the autopsy found no evidence that he had been assaulted before his death. Reed's family disputed the conclusion and retained Crump and attorney Vanessa Jones to pursue an independent investigation. A second autopsy by forensic pathologist Dr. Matthias Okoye has not been publicly released.

Advocates have also cited the 2021 death of Damien Cameron, a 29-year-old Black man who died after Rankin County sheriff's deputies restrained him and repeatedly shocked him with Tasers. Turner ruled Cameron's cause of death undetermined despite an autopsy that documented severe swelling, facial trauma, and internal bleeding in his neck. A grand jury later declined to indict the deputies. In 2023, three independent forensic pathologists reviewed the evidence and concluded Cameron's death was a homicide. One of the deputies involved was later sentenced to federal prison for his role in the unrelated Rankin County 'Goon Squad' torture cases.

Advocates have petitioned for an independent investigation into Turner's conduct, calling for an outside panel of board-certified forensic pathologists to review the disputed cases. The Wells and Reed cases remain unresolved as both families continue seeking complete records, independent answers, and greater transparency from Mississippi authorities. The Wells family continues to press for a federal investigation.

Sources:
- Opera News report (November 11, 2026)
- Petition demanding an independent investigation into Dr. Staci Turner

Support the Wells family — the official GoFundMe

35 Years Ago Today: 2Pac Dropped His Debut Album '2Pacalypse Now'

2026-11-12T07:27:26.541-05:00

Thirty-five years ago today, on November 12, 1991, 2Pac released his debut solo studio album, 2Pacalypse Now, through TNT and Interscope Records. The title, a reference to Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film Apocalypse Now, signalled an artist already thinking in cinematic terms — and one with something urgent to say.

Recorded between September 1990 and October 1991 at Starlight Sound in Richmond, California, the 13-track album was produced by the Digital Underground production team, including Shock G, Big D the Impossible, Raw Fusion, Live Squad, Pee-Wee and DJ J-Z. It arrived just after 2Pac's appearance on Digital Underground's “Same Song,” the track that first introduced many listeners to his voice, presence and conviction.

2Pacalypse Now is socially conscious hip-hop, tackling police brutality, poverty, teenage pregnancy and racism with direct, unsparing language. Its lead single, “Trapped,” was released on September 25, 1991, followed by “Brenda's Got a Baby” on October 20 and “If My Homie Calls” on December 20. “Brenda's Got a Baby,” a devastating portrait of a 12-year-old mother, became one of the album's defining songs and reached No. 3 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.

Commercially, the album peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard 200 and No. 13 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Its reputation grew steadily over time, and it was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on April 19, 1995 — a lasting mark of an album whose message outlived its first chart run.

The album also drew national controversy. In April 1992, after Ronald Ray Howard was charged in the killing of a Texas state trooper, then–Vice President Dan Quayle denounced 2Pacalypse Now, arguing that its lyrics had influenced the crime. The episode placed 2Pac at the centre of a heated national debate about rap music, free expression and responsibility — a debate that would follow him for the rest of his career.

That same period marked a rapid rise. 2Pac's first acting role came in the film Juice, released in January 1992, just two months after the album. Thirty-five years on, 2Pacalypse Now still sounds like a beginning: raw, focused and fearless, a debut that introduced not just a rapper, but a voice determined to report on the world as he saw it. For a closer look at the record and its legacy, read Albumism's 35th anniversary tribute and 2Pacalypse Now on Wikipedia.

Students Protest Nolan Wells Verdict at American University

2026-11-11T13:02:09.433-05:00

Around 30 students gathered on American University's quad on November 4 to protest the lack of conversation on campus about the verdict in the Nolan Wells case — and to demand that Black voices be heard.

Wells, an 18-year-old Black teenager from Mississippi, was found dead on July 6 along the shoreline of Horn Island, Mississippi. The cause of death was declared "undetermined," though authorities have said it was likely a drowning. Wells was the only Black person on his friends' Fourth of July trip to the island, and his three white friends departed by boat without him. Questions remain unanswered — how Wells entered the water, and how he received contusions on the back of his head.

A Jackson County grand jury met September 14–18 and unanimously found no credible evidence of criminal conduct in Wells' death. The 23-person panel reviewed forensic reports and heard from 43 witnesses before concluding that the position, condition, time of discovery, and location of Wells' body was consistent with drowning. District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said there is "absolutely no evidence to support the allegations that Nolan's disappearance and death were racially motivated." The grand jury noted there is no statute of limitations on homicide in Mississippi, and that if credible evidence comes to light suggesting the death was non-accidental, the matter should be presented to the grand jury again.

The verdict set off protests on college campuses and in cities across the United States, with students and supporters standing in solidarity with Wells' family and demanding a further investigation.

At American University, freshman Gyselle Ready, one of the protest organizers, said the silence on campus was a sign she had to start the conversation herself. "You need to be the change you want to see in the world," Ready said. Protesters took two laps around the quad, shouting "No justice, no peace," "We want the truth," and "Black Lives Matter." Adiya Kaur, a freshman who joined the march, held a sign reading "Nolan Wells did not drown." Organizer Jada Grey said another protest is planned — and "next time, it will definitely be bigger."

Nahindra Massillon, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, said the university's status as a predominantly white institution has created an exclusionary environment for Black students, and that demanding justice for Wells is part of a broader conversation about advocacy for Black voices to be heard and listened to on campus. It was the first on-campus marching protest regarding Black Lives Matter at American University since 2019.

Wells' family and their legal team have rejected the grand jury's conclusion. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, said, "This grand jury result leaves us with more questions than answers. Nolan's family will not rest until we know what happened to him, and neither will we." The family has renewed its call for the U.S. Department of Justice to open an independent investigation and is demanding the district attorney release the full investigation file and the complete autopsy report.

Sources:

The Eagle (American University): https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2026/11/students-turn-out-on-the-quad-to-protest-verdict-in-nolan-wells-case-cause-of-death-verdict
NewsNation (grand jury findings): https://alpinedot.com/posts/nolan-wells-death-grand-jury-finds-no-wrongdoing-huyenny123-team-flare-56b56c

Support the family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-nolan-xavier-wells

10 Years Ago Today: A Tribe Called Quest Closed the Book With 'We Got It from Here…'

2026-11-11T07:27:42.135-05:00

Exactly ten years ago today, on November 11, 2016, A Tribe Called Quest released We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service, their sixth and final studio album, on Epic Records. The record arrived eighteen years after their previous album, 1998’s The Love Movement, and it closed the book on one of hip-hop’s most influential groups with a statement that felt both urgent and elegiac.

The reunion that made the album possible began on television. On November 13, 2015, the group performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of their debut, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, playing their classic “Can I Kick It?” The appearance reminded the four members — Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White — how much unfinished business they still had, and they soon began recording together again.

Most of the album was made over nearly a year at Q-Tip’s home studio, the AbLab, in New Jersey. The sessions took a devastating turn when Phife Dawg, born Malik Taylor, died on March 22, 2016, at the age of 45 from complications of diabetes, before the album was finished. Phife had chosen the album’s title, and the group kept it in his honor, completing the record as a tribute to their fallen bandmate. His verses throughout the album carry an extra weight because of that loss, and his presence is felt on nearly every track.

The album is packed with guests who underline Tribe’s reach across generations and genres, including Kendrick Lamar, André 3000, Elton John, Jack White, Busta Rhymes, Anderson .Paak, Kanye West, Talib Kweli and Consequence. Standout tracks include the pointed opener “We the People….,” the cosmic “The Space Program,” the Elton John-assisted “Solid Wall of Sound” and the joyful “Dis Generation.”

Commercially and critically, the album was a triumph. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 135,000 equivalent album units in its first week, giving Tribe their first chart-topper since 1996’s Beats, Rhymes and Life — the longest gap between No. 1 albums in hip-hop history. Critics at Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, which awarded it a 9.0, The Guardian and The New York Times all praised it, even though the album was surprisingly shut out of the Grammy nominations. Days after the 2016 election, the group performed on Saturday Night Live beneath a banner honoring Phife, turning a late-night appearance into a moment of mourning and defiance.

A decade on, We Got It from Here… stands as a rare kind of farewell: a final album that added to a legacy rather than diminishing it, and a reminder of everything A Tribe Called Quest meant to hip-hop.

Sources: Blackout Hip Hop 10-year retrospective | Wikipedia: We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service | The Culture Crypt album guide

More from DJAYTIGER: dontsweatthetechnics.com

Terrell Owens Served Defamation Lawsuit Over Post Demanding Arrest of Nolan Wells' Friends

2026-11-10T13:02:02.078-05:00

NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens was served with a defamation lawsuit on Friday, Nov. 6, while promoting a new Amazon documentary about his life and career at a meet-and-greet at the Mocs Bookstore, the official bookstore of his alma mater, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The suit was filed Oct. 5 in Mississippi federal court by the fathers of three friends of Nolan Wells — Benjamin Warren Hudson Jr., Eli Jax Pitalo, and Morgan Seymour — all under 21 and therefore considered minors under Mississippi state law. Their attorney, Edward Paltzik of Taylor Dykema PLLC, says Owens had been evading service.

The lawsuit stems from a Sept. 26 post on X in which Owens shared an Instagram video from online talk show The Trent Out Loud Show calling for the arrest of the three boys and of Mississippi District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath. Owens wrote: "ARREST THEM IMMEDIATELY!! LIKE YESTERDAY!!"

The suit describes the post as "false and malicious" and brings two counts: defamation per se and false light invasion of privacy. It says the three boys have faced thousands of death threats, in-person harassment, and have been refused service at public establishments.

Nolan Wells, 18, disappeared July 4, 2026, during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast; his body was found July 6. On Sept. 22, District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath's office released a grand jury report saying the jury chose not to bring any indictments and that there was "absolutely no evidence" Wells' death was "racially motivated." The grand jury found his death consistent with drowning.

Owens had previously offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Wells' death; in July, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who advises the Wells family, said he was grateful to Owens. Owens responded to being served on Sunday evening on X, saying he was "not worried" and "God is good." Under a summons filed Oct. 14, he has three weeks from service to formally respond in court.

The Wells family continues to seek answers: Crump says the family "will not rest until we know what happened to him," and the family has renewed its call for the U.S. Department of Justice to open an independent investigation.

Source: Front Office Sports, published Nov. 9, 2026.

To support the Wells family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-nolan-xavier-wells

34 Years Ago Today: UGK Dropped Their Debut Album, "Too Hard to Swallow"

2026-11-10T07:31:29.278-05:00

Thirty-four years ago today, UGK released their debut studio album, Too Hard to Swallow, on Jive Records — the record that introduced the Port Arthur, Texas duo to the rest of the country and planted the flag for Southern hip-hop. (Wikipedia)

UGK — short for Underground Kingz — was Bernard “Bun B” Freeman and Chad “Pimp C” Butler, friends from Port Arthur who formed the group in 1987. They cut their teeth on the local scene, releasing the independent EP The Southern Way in 1992 on Bigtyme Recordz, available only on cassette. The buzz caught the attention of Jive Records, which signed the duo to a five-album deal. Their major-label debut followed later that same year, on November 10, 1992, reworking several songs from The Southern Way alongside new recordings.

The album runs 12 tracks and just under 58 minutes, produced by UGK with Bernie Bismark and Shetoro Henderson. Its opening cut, “Something Good,” builds on Rufus’ “Tell Me Something Good” and the Isley Brothers’ “Summer Breeze,” setting the template for the duo’s sound — Bun B’s steady, plainspoken flow against Pimp C’s soul-drenched production. “Pocket Full of Stones” became the album’s best-known cut, while “Use Me Up” leans on Bill Withers’ “Use Me.”

Too Hard to Swallow peaked at No. 37 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 14 on the Heatseekers chart, and RapReviews later scored it a rare 10 out of 10. (The Source, 107.7 The Bounce)

It was the start of a run that produced six studio albums and made UGK one of the most respected duos in rap — a run cut short when Pimp C died in 2007.

Thirty-four years on, the debut still sounds like a mission statement: two Texas voices, soul samples, and no interest in sounding like anybody from either coast. Happy 34th to a Southern classic.

Wutang x A Tribe Called Quest Mashup Videos Nov 9th 1993 A Tribe Called WU

2026-11-09T13:48:55.814-05:00

Thirty-three years ago today — November 9, 1993 — hip-hop history was made twice in one day. Wu-Tang Clan dropped Enter the 36 Chambers and A Tribe Called Quest dropped Midnight Marauders, two albums that didn't just define an era, they rewired the whole sound of the culture.

I've been living with both of these records since day one, and I always knew they belonged together. The grit and raw energy of Shaolin meets the smooth, jazzy bounce of Tribe — it just fits. So I went in and mashed them up, track for track, vibe for vibe, into something brand new.

I call it "A Tribe Called WU," and it's up on YouTube right now. Press play, turn it up, and let the Clan and Tribe rock together the way they were always meant to. This one is for the real heads — happy 33rd anniversary to two of the greatest albums ever made.

Watch "A Tribe Called WU" on YouTube

Ole Miss Investigating After Viral Video Shows Racist Gestures Outside Black Students' Apartment

2026-11-09T13:01:39.005-05:00

The University of Mississippi is investigating after a viral video shared on social media showed White students making racist gestures toward the home of several Black students.

Ole Miss freshman Jakiyra Metcalf posted 13 seconds of Ring doorbell footage on TikTok on Friday, Nov. 6. The recording, timestamped about 8:37 p.m., shows three White women walking past the door of the off-campus apartment Metcalf shares with two other Black women. Two of the women made monkey- or ape-like noises and gestures while staring directly into the camera. A third woman walked behind them but did not appear to join in, according to the footage. Metcalf later said she and her roommates learned the women are their upstairs neighbors. The clip spread quickly, reaching millions of views.

On Sunday, Nov. 8, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead issued a letter saying the university is investigating. "Over the weekend, a video circulated on social media showing University of Mississippi students engaging in racist gestures directed toward other students. The behavior depicted in this video is deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable. We condemn the behavior as it does not reflect our university's values or the kind of community we strive to be every day," Mead wrote.

The investigation is being handled by the university's Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and its Office of Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance. "We are committed to following our established processes to ensure a thorough review while prioritizing the safety and well-being of our campus community," Mead wrote.

Mead also warned against misinformation. She said at least one student accused of being involved online was actually misidentified, and that no members of the university's sorority community were involved. "Sharing unverified information can cause additional harm to people who had nothing to do with what occurred," she said.

If any disciplinary action results, the university will not share it publicly. Mead cited student privacy laws and said, "please know that this matter is being taken seriously." As of Monday, Nov. 9, no disciplinary outcome had been announced.

Metcalf's mother, Tasha Bolton, also posted the video on Facebook, saying the footage had been shared with university administration. "We want answers. Specifically, what steps will be taken to address this behavior and ensure accountability?" she wrote.

The university pointed students toward support services, including the University Counseling Center and UMatter: Student Support and Advocacy.

The footage arrives two years after a similar incident drew scrutiny at Ole Miss. In May 2024, a white counterprotester was recorded making monkey noises and gestures toward a Black graduate student during a campus demonstration. His fraternity removed him, and the university opened a student conduct investigation.

Why it matters: the conduct in this case happened at the students' home, where avoiding the people in the recording may not be simple. Comparisons of Black people to monkeys and apes have long been used in racist propaganda to dehumanize Black communities. The university's investigation is now the test of whether its stated values carry consequences.

Sources:

Ice Cube Says an N.W.A Reunion Hinges on Dr. Dre — and Dre Just Crowned Larry Smith the Greatest Producer Ever

2026-11-09T07:29:07.491-05:00

Ice Cube has made one thing clear about the possibility of an N.W.A reunion: it depends on Dr. Dre. Speaking to Complex, Cube said, "If he feel like doing it, we do it. If he don't, we don't." There are no reunion plans at the moment, but Cube said he would love to get back together with his former group members and that it would have to happen naturally. He added, "Nobody wants a N.W.A song without Dr. Dre's production."

The comments came as Cube and Mike Epps launched their new weekly podcast, Listen & Laugh, with Dr. Dre as the first guest. The first episode was released on November 6, 2026, with new episodes every Friday, giving the longtime collaborators a regular place to talk music, movies and the culture that shaped them.

On that first episode, at about the 9 minute 50 second mark, Cube asked Dre to name his favorite producer of all time. Dre said that outside of Quincy Jones, the one who really inspired him was Larry Smith. "Larry Smith, to me, is the greatest hip hop producer ever. He did Whodini, he did Run DMC, all of the music that inspired us when we was coming up. Fat Boys, LL Cool J, Kurtis Blow." DJ Premier also named Smith the best hip-hop producer of all time in 2009. Smith was a pioneering Queens musician, bass player and early hip-hop producer who died in 2014 at age 62.

Dre also said he plans to take a break from music production after finishing two projects, one with Houston artist Marqus Clae, after 41 years making music, per Complex's November 8 report. That makes his praise for Smith, and his central role in any possible N.W.A reunion, feel especially significant: Dre is thinking about what comes next, and about the producers who shaped the sound he helped build.

Cube is also working on the Last Friday movie with Mike Epps and hopes to get a song produced by Dr. Dre for its soundtrack. "We'll see if he wants to bless us with his production," Cube said. For now, fans have the new podcast to look forward to each week, and the possibility of a reunion that, in Cube's words, will only happen if Dre feels like doing it.

Read the full reports at Primetimer and The Talk Lounge.

More hip-hop stories: https://www.offthecorner.net

Black Voters Make History in the 2026 Midterms: First Black Woman Governor, First Black Speaker in Reach

2026-11-08T13:07:36.068-05:00

Black candidates broke barriers across the country in the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, delivering a series of historic firsts in governors' mansions, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives.

In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican billionaire Rick Jackson to become the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state. Bottoms, 56, also became Georgia's first woman governor, ending more than two decades of Republican control of the office. She campaigned on expanding Medicaid, improving public education, protecting abortion rights, and addressing the rising cost of living. Bottoms has traced her Georgia ancestry to relatives enslaved in Crawfordville, and on the eve of the election she visited their graves. Generations after her ancestors endured slavery in the state, she will occupy its highest office.

Georgia was not alone. In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley won the governor's race. In Maryland, Democratic Governor Wes Moore won reelection. In Florida, Republican Representative Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly to become Florida's first Black governor and the first Black Republican elected governor in American history. The results mean at least four Black governors are expected to serve at the same time, an unprecedented moment in American politics.

The historic gains extended to Washington. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the 56-year-old Brooklyn congressman, is poised to become the first Black speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives when the new Congress convenes in January, after Democrats captured the chamber. Jeffries, who in 2023 became the first Black lawmaker to lead a major party in Congress, would assume a post second in the presidential line of succession.

In the Senate, Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton won election to succeed retiring Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, becoming the sixth Black woman ever to serve in the chamber. She will join Democratic Senators Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, marking the first time three Black women will hold Senate seats at once. Black women were excluded entirely from the Senate until Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois won election in 1992.

The results came after two years in which the Trump administration dismantled federal diversity programs, attacked affirmative action, and challenged policies designed to address generations of discrimination. Black voters and organizers responded at the ballot box, and Black political power emerged as one of the defining stories of the election night.

The breakthroughs come with an important caveat. Black representation in Congress did not increase across the board — the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies projected a modest decline in the overall number of Black members of Congress. And as one report put it, winning an election is not the same as winning equality: electing Black governors does not automatically eliminate discrimination, close the racial wealth gap, improve struggling schools, or guarantee affordable health care. Representation matters, but the newly elected officials will be judged on results — and voters will be watching.

Sources:

Word In Black, 'Black Voters Make History, Deliver Stunning Rebuke to Trump'
Courier News, 'They Took DEI, So We Took Their Government'

32 Years Ago Today: Pete Rock & CL Smooth Served Up 'The Main Ingredient'

2026-11-08T07:29:44.131-05:00

Thirty-two years ago today, Pete Rock & CL Smooth released their second album, The Main Ingredient, on Elektra Records — and hip-hop's golden era got one of its smoothest, most complete records.

The Mount Vernon duo arrived at the session already beloved. Their 1992 debut, Mecca and the Soul Brother, had given the world "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)," one of the most emotional records in rap history. The Main Ingredient, released November 8, 1994, was the follow-up — tighter, more polished, and every bit as soulful.

Pete Rock built the album from soul and jazz samples, warm basslines, and the snappy, crispy drums that became his signature, with vocal scratches — often from Biz Markie records — woven through the tracks. CL Smooth matched him bar for bar, his relaxed, conversational flow turning braggadocio, romance, and street reflection into something that sounded effortless. Across 16 tracks, the two sounded like men at the absolute top of their game.

The album spun off three singles. "I Got a Love" led the way in 1994, a warm, respectful love song that showed the duo's softer side without losing any edge. "Take You There" followed, reaching No. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Searching" arrived in 1995. Deeper cuts like "All the Places," "Carmel City," and "In the House" became fan favorites that still get name-checked by producers and collectors today.

Commercially, The Main Ingredient reached No. 51 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart — solid numbers in a crowded 1994, a year packed with landmark releases. Critically, it has only grown in stature since. AllMusic's Stanton Swihart praised its rich, resonant, hypnotic songs, and the late J Dilla counted it among his favorite albums.

It also turned out to be the duo's last studio album together. Pete Rock and CL Smooth parted ways in 1995 over creative differences, leaving The Main Ingredient as the closing chapter of one of the finest partnerships of the first half of the '90s. They have reunited on stage in the years since, but no third album has ever followed.

Thirty-two years on, the recipe still holds: soulful samples, sharp drums, and CL Smooth's voice gliding over the top. The Main Ingredient remains exactly what its title promises — the essential elements of golden-era hip-hop, measured out perfectly.

Sources

Federal Civil Rights Probe Targets UC Berkeley's Black Student Programs and Scholarships

2026-11-07T13:05:39.225-05:00

The U.S. Department of Education has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the University of California, Berkeley, over three campus student programs and two scholarships that serve Black and Latino students.

The investigation was disclosed in a November 3 letter from the department's Office for Civil Rights to the Legal Insurrection Foundation, the conservative nonprofit that filed the complaint. The California Post first reported the letter, and the department verified it and confirmed that it is investigating the university for alleged violations of federal civil rights law.

The complaint, filed February 10, targets the university's African American Student Development Office, the Black Resource Center and the Latinx Student Resource Center, along with the African American Initiative Scholarship and the Lloyd A. Edwards Scholarship. It alleges the programs and scholarships discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin.

The complaint argues that even if the resource centers do not turn students away, their names and descriptions are likely to discourage students outside the named racial or ethnic groups from taking part. It also alleges the two scholarships have eligibility criteria that exclude applicants based on race. The African American Initiative Scholarship, funded by the San Francisco Foundation and administered by the Cal Alumni Association, says it provides financial support to African American students, and its eligibility requirements include identifying as Black or African American. The Lloyd A. Edwards Scholarship is intended to support Black or Native American undergraduate students at UC Berkeley.

UC Berkeley said in a statement that it "is fully committed to creating a learning environment that is free from all forms of discrimination." The university said the two scholarships are awarded by outside sources, not by university, federal or state money, and that its student resource centers are open to all students regardless of identity. It added that all students who demonstrate financial need are eligible for support, and that about two-thirds of its undergraduates qualify for aid.

The Legal Insurrection Foundation rejects the outside-funding argument. Its president, William A. Jacobson, said a public university must comply with the 14th Amendment's equal protection guarantee no matter where the money comes from, and that an open investigation is "an extremely significant step" because not every complaint is opened for investigation. The November 3 letter, signed by OCR Chief Attorney Anamaria Loya, also warns the university against retaliating against anyone who files a complaint or participates in the investigation.

Why it matters: the probe puts programs built to support Black students under federal scrutiny, and it is the latest in a series of federal actions against California's public universities over race and diversity programs. In March 2025, the administration opened investigations into admissions policies at Stanford and three UC campuses, and the Justice Department found UC Berkeley Law had discriminated against white and Asian applicants in admissions in 2024 and 2025. An investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing — it is the start of a process that will test whether the programs comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Sources:

- Department of Education opens investigation into UC Berkeley Black, Latine resource centers and scholarships

- Top California school under federal investigation over race-based scholarships, student centers

Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean Launch Fugees Hopeline With First New Fugees Music Since 2005

2026-11-07T08:17:25.878-05:00

Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean have launched Fugees Hopeline, an interactive phone line created with the art platform CIRCA to mark the 30th anniversary of the Fugees' landmark album The Score. The project is more than a nostalgic callback: it is also the first chance in two decades to hear new Fugees music, with callers getting a preview of a previously unreleased 20-minute medley from the group.

Anyone in the United States can call +1 (424) 7-FUGEES — that is, (424) 738-4337 — while listeners elsewhere can reach the line on WhatsApp. Callers hear personal messages recorded by Hill and Jean, along with a 60-second preview of the unreleased medley. They are also invited to leave their own reflections on hope, which CIRCA says will be gathered into an evolving sonic portrait and an archive of life in 2026. The idea takes its cue from artist John Giorno's Dial-A-Poem, a phone line he launched in 1968, and the Hopeline number is also being shared on screens in London, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles and New York, according to Complex's report on the launch.

CIRCA describes the medley as the first new official Fugees release since "Take It Easy," the group's 2005 single — making this the first new Fugees music in 20 years. The project marks 30 years since The Score, the Fugees' second album, and arrives alongside three original collages by Hill, with limited-edition fine-art prints signed by both Hill and Jean available through CIRCA.

For Hill, the line is about more than music. "Hope is a living thing. It breathes, it reaches, it carries us through what we cannot yet see," she said in a statement shared with Complex. "The Hopeline is an invitation to listen, to speak, and to remember that we are not alone in what we carry." Jean framed it in similar terms, saying that when he and Hill first wrote music together, "we wrote about what we saw, what we felt, and what we hoped for," and that the Hopeline "gives that hope a voice again."

Whether the Hopeline leads to a fuller Fugees release remains to be seen — neither the announcement nor CIRCA's page promises a full album. For now, the phone line itself is the release: a small, direct way to hear Hill and Jean together again, and to add your own voice to the archive. To hear it, call the number above or visit CIRCA's official Fugees Hopeline page.

Sources: CIRCA — Fugees Hopeline | Complex — Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean Share New Fugees Music Through Interactive 'Hopeline'

GZA's 'Liquid Swords' Turns 31: A Wu-Tang Classic That Still Cuts Deep

2026-11-07T08:16:45.570-05:00

Thirty-one years ago today, on November 7, 1995, GZA released Liquid Swords, the second solo studio album of his career and one of the defining records of the Wu-Tang Clan era. Released by Geffen Records and produced almost entirely by RZA, it arrived at the height of Wu-Tang's mid-1990s solo run, and it has lost none of its edge since.

The timing was no accident. Wu-Tang had already changed hip-hop with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) in 1993, and the group's members were proving they could carry albums on their own. Method Man had released Tical, Ol' Dirty Bastard had released Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version, and Raekwon had released the acclaimed Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... earlier in 1995. As RZA was finishing that album, he and GZA began writing and recording Liquid Swords in RZA's basement studio on Staten Island, New York.

What they made was dark, dense and deliberately cinematic. The album heavily samples dialogue from the martial arts film Shogun Assassin, and GZA threads chess, crime and philosophy through verses that reward repeated listening. The title comes from the film Legend of the Liquid Sword, a reference GZA has explained as flowing like liquid metal, sharp, fluid and impossible to pin down. Guests include the other eight members of Wu-Tang Clan, along with Wu-Tang affiliate Killah Priest, who closes the CD edition with B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth).

Listeners and critics recognised that immediately. Liquid Swords peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R and B / Hip-Hop Albums chart, and the Recording Industry Association of America certified it platinum on October 8, 2015, after it passed one million copies sold. AllMusic has called it often acclaimed as the best Wu-Tang solo project of all, Pitchfork awarded it a perfect 10 out of 10, and Rolling Stone placed it at number 347 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. The Chicago Tribune called it one of the most substantial lyrical journeys in hip-hop history. The cover art, by Milestone Media founder Denys Cowan, gave the album a comic-book visual identity as striking as its sound.

Thirty-one years on, Liquid Swords remains the standard against which Wu-Tang solo albums are measured. It is not just a great record from 1995, it is a blueprint for how precision, patience and an uncompromising vision can turn a solo album into a classic. Play it front to back today, and it still sounds like it was made to last.

Sources: Wikipedia on Liquid Swords, AllMusic, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone

Arkansas Attorney General Moves to End Black-Majority Judicial Districts

2026-11-06T13:01:54.463-05:00

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a motion Nov. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas to terminate the consent decree in Hunt v. Arkansas that created Black-majority judicial districts.

The 1991 decree, approved by U.S. District Judge Henry Woods, created multiple majority-minority electoral subdistricts in several Arkansas judicial circuits. A consent decree is a judge's order based on a settlement agreement between all parties. The decree came from Eugene Hunt v. State of Arkansas, filed in 1989 by Black residents who alleged discrimination in Arkansas' system of electing judges through at-large multimember districts. It created electoral subdistricts within Districts 1, 2, 6, 10 and 11 West, and required the state to comply with the Voting Rights Act by not diluting Black votes.

Griffin's motion argues the decree is no longer necessary. It says the defendants "fully complied with the consent decree in good faith" and that "any vestiges of past discrimination have been eliminated to the extent practicable." The motion says continued federal supervision "interferes with the State's ability to direct its elections and violates the Constitution by dividing voters into subdistricts solely because of the color of their skin."

The motion cites the U.S. Supreme Court's 2026 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which held the Voting Rights Act does not require states to create majority-minority districts and that states violate the Constitution when they draw district lines based on race. Griffin argues that because the consent decree used race to draw the judicial subdistricts, continued compliance is "impermissible under federal law." The motion also says the original decree was based on misunderstandings of the law — for example, the parties believed more than intentional discrimination was covered.

In a press release, Griffin said: "Dividing voters based on race is wrong and unconstitutional. It is premised on racial stereotypes and contrary to equal protection mandates. Recent Supreme Court cases have removed any doubt that this consent decree is an unconstitutional relic, so we have asked the district court to promptly terminate it."

The decree has protected Black voters' ability to elect judges of their choice in those districts since 1991; ending it would return those judicial elections to at-large voting, the system the original lawsuit challenged. The court has not yet ruled — this is a motion, not a decision.

Source: Talk Business & Politics

Fat Joe Turns NPR's Tiny Desk Into a Bronx Reunion With Remy Ma and Jadakiss

2026-11-06T07:26:42.063-05:00

Fat Joe performing in 2011. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Fat Joe returned to NPR’s Tiny Desk on Thursday, November 5, 2026, for his second performance in the series — and his first inside NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. His first Tiny Desk was a 2021 home concert filmed at his UP NYC store, so this visit brought the Bronx rapper to the desk itself, backed by a live band for a 10-song, career-spanning set.

The performance moved between the early Terror Squad era and the present, mixing older material with songs from Organized Rhyme, his latest album. Released in August 2026, the 12-track album provided the newest chapter in a set that otherwise reached back across more than three decades in hip-hop.

The set included “Cocababy” with Remy Ma, “(Ha Ha) Slow Down,” “I Shot Ya,” “New York” with Jadakiss, “The Aroma” with Jadakiss, Stove God Cooks and Remy Ma, “Feelin a Way” and “I Won’t Tell” with Stevie Mackey. It closed with two of his biggest anthems, “Lean Back” and “All the Way Up” with Remy Ma — a finish that turned the small desk into a full celebration.

The guests were central to that feeling. Remy Ma and Jadakiss, two of Fat Joe’s most important collaborators, joined him for several songs, while Stove God Cooks, Stevie Mackey, and Dre of Cool & Dre also appeared. Music director Zo Harris played keys, while Ted Smooth handled DJ duties, keeping the live-band sound tight as Joe moved from song to song.

That sense of reunion suits an artist who has been active for over 30 years. Fat Joe came up with D.I.T.C. and released his debut album, Represent, in 1993, before building Terror Squad into a force in New York hip-hop. “Lean Back” topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004, and “All the Way Up” later gave him another defining hit. At Tiny Desk, those milestones sat alongside new music, rather than overshadowing it.

What made the performance work was its balance: it was not a nostalgia exercise, and it was not only a showcase for a new album. Instead, Joe used the intimate format to connect the different eras of his career, with longtime collaborators beside him and a band that gave even familiar songs a fresh, live feel. For a rapper whose career has been defined by the Bronx, bringing that history to NPR’s Washington headquarters — and sharing it with Remy Ma and Jadakiss — made the occasion feel both personal and historic.

Read more in the NPR Tiny Desk article and the AllHipHop report. More from DJAYTIGER

10-Year-Old Jalayshia 'Malayshia' Alford Found Dead in New Jersey; Foster Mother Charged With Murder

2026-11-05T19:14:50.786-05:00

Jalayshia "Malayshia" Alford, 10 (left), and her foster mother, Carprice Williams (right). Photo via NBC10 Philadelphia.

Jalayshia "Malayshia" Alford, 10, of West Philadelphia, was a foster child living on the 500 block of North Simpson Street. Her body was found Wednesday night, Nov. 4, in the trunk of a car at the Stonington Court Apartments in Lindenwold, New Jersey.

Alford was last seen alive Thursday, Oct. 22, at her home. She did not attend school Friday, Oct. 23, or Monday, Oct. 26, and was not reported missing until that Monday afternoon.

Surveillance video from Monday, Oct. 26, shows her body being moved from the home in a bag. That footage and a witness helped lead law enforcement to the vehicle in South Jersey. The search involved Philadelphia police, the FBI, and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.

The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide by blunt force trauma.

Her foster mother, Carprice Williams, has been charged with murder, endangering a child, and other related offenses, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Margaret Toczylowski said at a news conference Thursday, Nov. 5.

Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement: "Our children are among our most precious responsibilities, and we must do everything in our power to protect them. We must also take a hard look at the circumstances surrounding Jalayshia's disappearance and the systems entrusted with her care."

Sources:

Mississippi Senate Race Too Close to Call as Scott Colom Holds Narrow Lead Over Cindy Hyde-Smith

2026-11-05T13:05:27.063-05:00

Two days after Election Day, Mississippi's race for the U.S. Senate is still too close to call — and the outcome could be historic.

Democratic challenger Scott Colom, the district attorney for Mississippi's 16th Judicial District, holds a narrow lead over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith. According to the Associated Press, Colom has 466,226 votes (49.0%) to Hyde-Smith's 464,502 (48.9%) — a margin of about 1,724 votes — with 99.83% of precincts reporting. Independent candidate Ty Pinkins has about 2.1% of the vote.

The race is not over. Roughly 3,600 mail-in ballots and potentially 15,000 provisional ballots still need to be counted or cured, and counties have until November 13 to certify their results. Mississippi is the only state in the country with no mechanism for a recount — any recount would require a court order.

Colom, who has served as district attorney in Lowndes County since 2016, was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2022 to serve as a federal judge for the Northern District of Mississippi. Hyde-Smith blocked that nomination in 2023 by refusing to return her blue slip, the Senate custom that lets a home-state senator veto a judicial nominee.

If Colom wins, he would be the first African American to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Senate since Hiram R. Revels in 1870 — and the first ever elected by popular vote. Democrats have not won a Senate election in Mississippi since 1982. Black voters make up about 40% of the state's voting population, and turnout among Black voters surged in this election. Pre-election polls and forecasters had rated the seat Likely or Solid Republican.

The count continues. County clerks across Mississippi have ten days from Election Day to submit certified results, and mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can still arrive and be counted for five additional days.

Sources:

30 Years Ago Today: 2Pac's The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory

2026-11-05T07:29:35.112-05:00

Thirty years ago today, on November 5, 1996, 2Pac released The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory under his alias Makaveli. The album arrived on Death Row Records, Makaveli Records and Interscope Records, and three decades later it still stands as one of the most talked-about releases in hip-hop history. It was a record shaped by urgency, and that urgency is part of why it continues to draw listeners back.

The album was 2Pac's fifth studio album, his first posthumous album, and the last released with his creative input. It arrived almost two months after his death, which gives the music a weight that is hard to separate from the circumstances around it. Rather than feeling unfinished, the record plays as a complete statement, made in a remarkably short burst of work.

That speed is one of the album's defining facts. It was recorded in just seven days in the first week of August 1996. The title itself points to that seven-day stretch, and the music carries the feeling of an artist working fast and saying exactly what he wanted to say, without waiting for a second pass.

Listeners responded immediately. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling 664,000 copies in its first week, the second-highest debut-week sales total of any album that year. Its staying power was confirmed over time: it was certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA on June 15, 1999.

Three singles were released from the album: "Toss It Up" on September 26, 1996, "To Live & Die in L.A." on November 16, 1996, and "Hail Mary" on February 11, 1997. None of the three charted on the Billboard Hot 100, but all three reached the UK Singles top 20, a reminder that the album's reach went well beyond the United States. The Outlawz are featured throughout the album, and K-Ci & JoJo also appear on the record.

The cover is just as memorable as the music. It depicts 2Pac on the cross, evoking his crucifixion by the media, an image that has become inseparable from the album itself. Thirty years on, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory remains a landmark: a No. 1 album, a multi-platinum seller, and a final creative statement made in seven days. Read more about the album on Wikipedia, and see Power 98's This Day in Hip Hop & R&B History: November 5.

More hip-hop stories: https://www.offthecorner.net

Nolan Wells Case: Mississippi Medical Examiner Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Other Disputed Deaths

2026-11-04T13:00:04.786-05:00

Mississippi's chief medical examiner is facing renewed scrutiny over her office's role in several disputed death investigations involving Black residents — including the cases of Nolan Wells and Demartravion 'Trey' Reed, according to a November 3 report. Dr. Staci Turner's office conducted the state examinations in both cases, and both families challenged the early conclusions and sought independent forensic reviews.

Wells, 18, disappeared on July 4, 2026, after traveling by boat with friends to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was recovered near the island two days later. Local authorities initially said there were no apparent signs of foul play and publicly discussed accidental drowning as a working theory, but the official state autopsy and toxicology results have not been released, the report says.

An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells' family listed both the cause and manner of death as 'undetermined pending investigation.' It found no fractures or deep-tissue injuries, but documented red discoloration behind Wells' head that requires further investigation. Decomposition and the removal of organs during the state examination limited what the independent pathologist could determine. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said the independent examination did not establish foul play, but also could not rule out whether a nonaccidental factor contributed to Wells' death. 'The only question we have is: What happened to our son?' Wells' mother, Christine Wells-Wonsley, said at a news conference announcing the findings.

In September, a Jackson County grand jury declined to indict anyone in Wells' death, concluding the circumstances were consistent with drowning and that there was no credible evidence of criminal conduct by the people who traveled to or from Horn Island with him. Both the state and independent examinations ultimately classified Wells' cause and manner of death as undetermined. Wells' family continues to press for a full federal investigation.

Reed, 21, a Delta State University student, was found hanging from a tree on the university's campus in September 2025. State officials classified his death as a suicide by hanging and said the autopsy found no evidence he had been assaulted before his death. Reed's family disputed that conclusion, retained Crump and attorney Vanessa Jones, and ordered a second autopsy from forensic pathologist Dr. Matthias Okoye. Those findings have not been publicly released.

Advocates have also cited the 2021 death of Damien Cameron, 29, a Black man who died after Rankin County sheriff's deputies restrained him and repeatedly shocked him with Tasers. Turner ruled Cameron's cause of death undetermined despite an autopsy that documented severe swelling, facial trauma and internal bleeding in his neck, according to the report. A grand jury later declined to indict the deputies. In 2023, three independent forensic pathologists reviewed the evidence and concluded Cameron's death was a homicide. One of the deputies involved was later sentenced to federal prison for his role in the unrelated Rankin County 'Goon Squad' torture cases.

The report notes one important limit: Cameron's is the only case among those receiving renewed attention in which an independent forensic review has directly contradicted the state's determination. The Wells and Reed cases remain unresolved, with both families continuing to seek complete records, independent answers and greater transparency from Mississippi authorities. A 2022 drowning death of 13-year-old Channon Wilson, ruled accidental, was also highlighted by advocates, but publicly available records do not establish that Turner personally conducted an examination or directly handled that case.

That distinction matters: scrutiny of an office is not itself a finding about what happened to Nolan Wells. What the families are asking for — complete records, an independent review, and a transparent accounting — is the same question that has driven this case since July: what happened to Nolan?

Sources:

Support the family: official GoFundMe in loving memory of Nolan Xavier Wells