USHER RECEIVES HONORARY DEGREE FROM BERKLEE: Usher has received an honorary doctorate degreefor his contributions to music and the arts. In addition to receiving the honorary degree, the singer also participated in a special tribute performance featuring some of his biggest hits. During the ceremony, he said, “My goal as an artist has always been to inspire people to make a positive impact through my music, to make you feel something, and last night I felt proud…of the legacy that has been built and that we’re building together as artists to keep running past that finish line of your goals, break the barriers, identify that spark in you that motivates you to keep going, and don’t expect everything to be perfect and run smoothly. …Take what you’ve learned here at Berklee, go into the world, and make great things.”
RIHANNA AND A$AP ROCKY CELEBRATE RZA'S FIRST BIRTHDAY: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky celebrated their baby boy RZA's first birthday. Rocky posted a photo of himself, RZA and Rihanna, along with the caption, “‘WU TANG IZ 4 DA CHUREN.' HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY TO MY 1st BORN . RZA❤️”
SUMMER WALKER CLAPS BACK AT PEOPLE CRITICIZING HER STAGE PERFORMANCE: Summer Walker went live on Instagram to clap back at fans criticizing her after she posted a video being silly with Lil Meech. Fans questioned why the singer — who has revealed that she suffers from social anxiety, can't bring that same energy to her performances. She said, “I’m tired. If I came out on stage like this to this slow *ss music, they’d say it’s crack. Like please.” She added, “Are y’all catching my drift now? It’s not adding up right.”
KIRK FRANKLIN SAYS LEAKED FIGHT WITH SON CAUSED 'WORST YEARS' OF HIS LIFE: During an interview with Page Six, Kirk Franklin opened up about his son Kerrion leaking a private argument between the two and posting it on social media in 2021, calling it the “worst two years of my life.” Kirk explained, “It traumatizes me to this day. It is very difficult, and my wife Tammy will tell you.” He continued, “That tape was a reflection of years of what our family dynamic has been going through, just so you know,” he You don’t have that type of anger out there without there being a history of something.”