Drake dominated the headlines this week, but there were several other celebrities and lesser-known figures who made the news as well. On Thursday, Drake joined Kanye West to perform at the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert in Los Angeles. 

The concert not only signaled the end of Drake's feud with Kanye, but also aimed to advocate for Hoover, the former Chicago gang member who is serving multiple life sentences in Colorado after being convicted of murder in 1973. 

Larry Hoover Jr. said his father is concerned about how the concert could affect public perception.

“Yeah, he’s aware of [the concert], and he has to be concerned because he doesn’t know how it may affect him,” Hoover Jr. said in a video interview with The Drea O Show, XXL reports. “He’s concerned that it may affect him negatively because it’s showing his influence, but his influence is positive.”

Hoover Jr. also addressed issues in the criminal justice system when he was featured on Kanye's recent Donda album.

Earlier on Thursday, Drake was seen in a video while rehearsing West’s “24” ahead of the Free Larry Hoover concert.

Drake also withdrew his name from the Grammy nominations for the 2022 awards ceremony this week, according to Complex. The rapper made his decision after getting two nominations: Best Rap Album for Certified Lover Boy and Best Rap Performance for “Way 2 Sexy.” 

It's not clear why Drake withdrew his name. 

Travis Scott also came back into the news when he sat down with Charlamagne Tha God to address the tragedy which unfolded at his Astroworld Festival last month.

Scott said he didn't know what exactly happened at the deadly concert until after the show.

"This night was just like a regular show, it felt like to me, as far as the energy," he said. "People didn't show up there just to be harmful. People just showed up to have a good time and something unfortunate happened and we just need to figure out what that was."

According to CNN, 10 people died in a stampede at the concert and many more were injured. 

Twitter was buzzing with jokes after Jacquees performed an interesting version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" on Dec. 3, when the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Los Angeles Clippers. 

Hansel Emmanuel Donato Domínguez, a 17-year-old basketball phenom from the Dominican Republic who had his left arm amputated, went viral this week when his skills were seen in a video on social media.

 

According to Bleacher Report, Domínguez received a scholarship offer from Tennessee State University in August. The basketball star lost his arm at age 6 when he was trapped for two hours after a wall came down on him. 

Millennial teachers have been going viral this week for teaching Gen Z students how to jerk.

Rihanna, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift earned the latest accolades in their prestigious careers when they were named to Forbes’ 2021 list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.

Rihanna was listed at No. 68, earning recognition for the fashion empire she has built, as well as her inspiring musical talent, Billboard reports.

Beyoncé, who earned more than $250 million in revenue after her On the Run II tour, landed at No. 76. Swift placed at No. 78. The magazine recognized Red (Taylor’s Version), which is Swift's 10th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart.

Alicia Keys made a stunning revelation when she sat down for an interview on Revolt's Drink Champs and reflected on a memorable incident that unfolded during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. 

Keys, who was performing with JAY-Z when Lil Mama crashed their performance of “Empire State of Mind,” said she didn't realize what happened on stage because she was so focused.

“The truth of all the truths — all I know, we was on that stage. Jay was here, I was here. In my head, I was such a guerrilla at the time and I was like, ‘This is what’s happening. I’m going to destroy this record tonight.’ … Somehow, however she got over here, I didn’t even bear witness to. The whole show I was iced — so focused on making it amazing,” the singer said, as Blavity previously reported. 

She adds that she was still unaware when JAY-Z tried to talk about the incident after the performance.

“I went backstage and Jay was like, ‘So, you ain’t see that?’ And I was like, ‘What?’ And he was like, ‘Nah, you ain’t just see what just happened?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, we killed it. That’s what happened,'” the Songs in A Minor songstress said.

Snoop Dogg was his most authentic self when he posed for the cover of GQ magazine.

Snoop discussed his relationship with Def Jam while speaking with GQ.

"I wanted the job. I didn't need this job. I wanted it. I went looking for this job because I wanted to be the CEO of Death Row Records and basically take over the merchandise and rerelease their music, do documentaries, and possibly do my life story," he said.

The rapper said he was initially disappointed after setting up a meeting with Lucian Grainge, the chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, which owns Def Jam.

"After the first meeting, I was kind of upset because I felt like, man, he don't get it," Snoop said. "Because he kept asking me, 'Why do you want to work with Def Jam Records? Look at your life, look at your career. You're having such success, and everything is working for you. You're everywhere, you're this.'"

The two sides, however, eventually came to an agreement after the third meeting.

"I told him, 'I f**king love Def Jam Records, and I love the artists over here. Whether you give me the job or not, I'm f**king with it. But you'd rather have me on your side … because I'm already in your living room. Literally,'" the music mogul said. "They owed me [for DMX’s studio time], and I wasn't sending no invoices, because I did that for X and then X passed away. Charge to the game. He gave me that." 

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