NEWS
Ray J has been pulled into the Diddy orbit over the last week. The singer was confronted by the mogul's sons at a Halloween party over the weekend. Things reportedly got heated, but Chris Brown and Ray J's manager stepped in before punches were thrown. The singer hopped on Instagram Live to discuss the confrontation with Nicki Minaj, but the conversation took an unexpected turn. Instead of taking Ray J's side, Minaj criticized the singer for making light of the allegations that have been made against Diddy.
Nicki Minaj honed in on a comment Ray J made about "as*es being taken" in the music industry. The former was not amused by this comment, and asked Ray J whether it was something he wanted to stand by. "Do you think that's funny?" she asked. "You seem like you're joking about it when there are several people traumatized." Ray J clarified that he does not intend to make light of experiences that the alleged Diddy victims went through. He claimed to be on the same side as Nicki Minaj, but ran into pushback yet again when he asserted that he knows shady activities are being conducted behind closed doors.
Nicki Minaj asked him whether he's been in the room when "a*ses were being taken," and Ray J clarifies that he has not. The singer tried to point to different examples of shady practices that he's caught wind of, but Minaj was not having it. She threatened to exit the Instagram Live chat if Ray J continued to make unfounded claims. Minaj also requested, a second time, that Ray J stop joking about the Diddy case. The whole exchange was a bit scattered and incoherent. Ray J tried to defend himself from Minaj's criticisms, but ultimately relented. He even apologized to the rapper.
This is not the first time Ray J has discussed the Diddy situation on Instagram Live. He also hopped on a call with Wack 100 to discuss what happened between him and the Combs family. Wack 100 took a very different approach than Nicki Minaj, and issued a warning to the Combs sons. If we run into you," he told them. "Act like it's 1995." Ray J tried to talk Wack 100 down from staging any retaliatory acts. The music executive was not swayed, however. "It's on," he stated. "That's what it's gon' be."
10cc drummer Paul Burgess has announced that he is leaving the band because the demands of touring have become too much for him.
The 75-year-old musician, who also spent time performing with Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works, has chosen to walk away from the legendary rock group after more than five decades.
He shared: “After so many wonderful years with 10cc, I must admit that the rigours of touring are no longer manageable for me as I get older, and I feel it’s time to let go of the long hours in airports and endless travel on buses.
“I’m not planning to stop playing altogether. I will still perform but at a pace that feels right, working alongside old friends and a new group of fellow musicians called The Guilty Men.”
Frontman Graham Gouldman confessed that it will feel unusual to perform without his “longest-running musical associate.”
He explained: “When Paul and I first joined forces in 10cc, we never could have imagined that we’d still be at it after 30 years, let alone 52.
“Paul has been my longest musical partner and it will feel different to turn around and see another drummer, but I completely understand why he no longer wants to sit on a plane for 14 hours or wake up in a new hotel every day for weeks at a time.”
Ben Stone, who has previously played with Mike and The Mechanics and Bonnie Tyler, will be taking over on drums.
Paul, who had several runs with 10cc after joining in 1973, performed his final show with the I’m Not In Love band in Alexandria, Virginia this past September.
The group is set to continue their And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour in the UK next year.
