The Dark Side of Soulja Boy

May 22, 2024

Photo credit: Soulja Boy (Draco)/Instagram

Soulja Boy came out of nowhere in 2007 with his insanely successful single Crank That.

The song stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in a row.

His debut album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 200.

Then his second album spawned another hit song, Kiss Me Thru the Phone, but it was met with slightly worse commercial and critical reception.

And his third album reportedly failed to generate the same kind of success as the first two.

Soulja Boy Allegedly Physically Harmed His Ex, Kayla

Since then, Soulja Boy has mostly been in the spotlight because of his many run-ins with the law and his extremely public feuds with other celebrities.

He has allegedly done quite a lot of seriously dark things in his personal life.

In 2019, TMZ reported that Soulja Boy was being sued by his ex-girlfriend, Kayla Myers, who claimed that he did some truly traumatizing things to her.

She said that while leaving his home after a party in early 2019, she got into a fight with his female personal assistant after her car went off the driveway as she was backing out of it.

The lawsuit claimed that Soulja Boy then came outside to find the two women arguing, and he started cussing his ex out.

He allegedly then began to physically harm her and ordered his assistant to tie her up and keep her in his garage.

Kayla claimed that she was finally allowed to leave 7 hours later at 8 a.m. after going through other embarrassing and hurtful incidents.

She said that she ended up with 3 fractured ribs and a bruised face.

After reporting what’d happened to the police, they raided Soulja Boy’s house and found weapons there.

Soulja Boy’s Crimes

According to Revolt, the discovery meant that he was eventually arrested because he’d been on probation for another crime around that time.

Having weapons in his home meant that he’d violated the probation, and on top of that, he’d reportedly failed to complete his court-ordered community service.

The outlet added that he’d also conspired to falsify evidence to look like he had done it.

He was sentenced to 240 days in jail and was reinstated with 265 days of community service.

His lawyer said that his client was thankful that his sentence wasn’t even longer in the end.

Soulja Boy Said ‘… It’s a Minor Setback for a Major Comeback’

Soulja Boy didn’t want the world to forget about him while he was behind bars, though.

Revolt later reported that Miami Mike shared a clip on Instagram that he’d gotten from a conversation with Soulja Boy while he was incarcerated.

In the audio, Soulja Boy could be heard saying: “I’m going on tour. Like I said, the biggest comeback of 2019, Jail? Come on, man. You know I do this… I love all my fans, it ain’t over. It’s a minor setback for a major comeback”

After his release, Soulja Boy didn’t get the comeback that he’d hoped for.

Soulja Boy Struggled to Pay His Ex $472,000

Years later, the judge on the case that Kayla had brought against her ex gave a verdict.

According to court documents that XXL Mag obtained, Soulja Boy was ordered to pay her over $235,000 for mental health expenses, and for physical and mental pain and suffering.

Kayla was also awarded $236,000 in punitive damages.

In July 2023, XXL Mag revealed that Soulja Boy was allegedly struggling to pay his ex the $472,000 that he owed her.

A judge denied his motion to try and get the costly judgment thrown out.

Soulja Boy said that he didn’t have much money in the bank and that he had a $1 million tax lien.

The judge reportedly suggested that someone as close to zero as Soulja Boy claimed to be should scale down his living arrangements.

He was reportedly paying $25,000 a month on his rent for his L.A. home.

Soulja Boy Caused Ex, Nia, to Lose Baby

Kayla also wasn’t the only woman with horrible allegations against the rapper.

A report by USA Today revealed that another of his ex-girlfriends also filed a lawsuit against him in 2021.

Nia Riley was looking for $5 million for pain and suffering and an additional $5 million for emotional distress.

Her lawyer claimed that it took her years to escape the psychological and physical grasp of the man who’d allegedly harmed her.

According to the lawsuit, Soulja Boy once even hurt her so badly that she ended up losing the baby that she was carrying at the time.

A report in 2024 by The Source revealed that he was fighting a default judgment which ordered him to pay $10 million.

The judgment was the result of Soulja Boy not turning up for his court date, which he claimed happened because he wasn’t aware of the updates in the lawsuit as he was too busy touring.

USA Today also revealed that Soulja Boy faced another lawsuit in 2021 when his former personal assistant alleged that he’d been harmful to her in a number of different ways.

Soulja Boy and Chris Brown’s Feud

Since his rise to fame, Soulja Boy has gotten a reputation for frequently getting into public feuds with other entertainers in the industry.

There are hundreds of headlines about him getting into fights with many of the biggest names in the world of rap.

One of his most infamous feuds was with Chris Brown in 2017.

Billboard was one of the many outlets at the time to cover the story, and their beef allegedly began when Soulja Boy started accusing Chris online of threatening him.

He claimed that it was because he’d liked a photo of Chris’s ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran.

Soulja Boy reportedly made fun of Chris’s skills as a father and mocked him for his 2009 scandal with Rihanna.

He also accused him of using an illegal substance.

When Chris found out about the allegations against him, he actually challenged Soulja Boy to a fight in the boxing ring.

Their feud even managed to draw other celebrities in.

Soulja Boy asked Floyd Mayweather to be his trainer for the battle, and Chris even got Mike Tyson to help him get ready for the match and to teach him every dirty trick in the book.

The two rappers never made it to the boxing ring, though.

Revolt reported that Soulja Boy eventually shared a video on Twitter where he said sorry for his behavior.

He said that he just wanted to give an apology, and he explained that he’d been acting out, and that it was not about who started the beefs, it was about who handled them.

He then went on to reveal that he found out his mom had been in the hospital.

He said that he loved her and he knew she hadn’t been proud of his actions and what he’d been doing.

He also added that he wanted to make music with Chris, and with other artists that he’d been arguing with at the time, like Quavo and Lil Yachty.

Was Soulja Boy Responsible for Young Dolph’s Death?

But that wasn’t the last time that Soulja Boy publicly fought with someone.

And one of his fights ended up having some super serious consequences.

The Sun revealed that in late 2021, he was laying into fellow rapper Young Dolph during an Instagram live session.

When one of his followers brought up his rival’s name, Soulja Boy reportedly said that he would put a $100,000 bounty on his head.

The next week, Dolph’s life was taken from him while on a trip to Tennessee.

After new surveillance footage that allegedly showed the suspects involved in Dolph’s case came out, Soulja Boy was taken out of the Millenium Tour he was supposed to be in.

In the end, no charges were brought against Soulja Boy in connection to the case, and he was never even named as a suspect.

Soulja Boy’s Heated Beef With Metro Boomin

More recently, Soulja Boy began feuding with music producer Metro Boomin, according to a report by Hot New Hip Hop.

After one of his old Twitter posts resurfaced in which he threw some shade at the rapper, Soulja Boy came back at Metro by bringing up his deceased mom on Mother’s Day 2024.

He tweeted to Metro: “You sacrificed your own mom… you a puppet”

And he added: “All the streams, sales, money, and fame not gone bring your mom back… was it worth it?”

Soulja Boy Offered to Buy TikTok

Soulja Boy has been making some pretty out-there statements in general this year.

Complex reported that he offered to buy the app TikTok in April 2024, even though he previously claimed to not be able to afford the thousands of dollars he owed his ex in 2023.

President Biden had just signed a package that could possibly lead to the app being banned in the U.S. unless it was sold to an American company.

So Soulja Boy posted on Twitter saying that he couldn’t believe people were going to let TikTok get banned, and then he asked how much the app’s CEO wanted for it, and offered to buy it.

In a report by HipHopDx that came out in March 2024, Soulja Boy claimed that he’d made $17k in just one day on TikTok live.

The Truth On Nelly’s Ex

May 22, 2024

Photo credits: Nelly/Instagram and Shantel Jackson/Instagram

Before Nelly spun the block with Ashanti, he was in a committed relationship with Shantel Jackson.

They were together for over 5 years, and the couple made it sound like they were very serious about each other.

When he was on Dancing With The Stars in 2020, the famously private rapper did a rare interview with Entertainment Tonight about the state of his relationship at the time.

Nelly Confirmed That Ex, Shantel, Was ‘The One’

He revealed that he wouldn’t want his life to not have Shantel in it.

They’d been seeing each other for five or six years by that point.

He described her as sweet and beautiful, and he explained that the more they got to know each other, the more he could see that she was just as beautiful inside.

When he was asked if she was ‘the one,’ Nelly reportedly confirmed that she was, and he said that he knew that because they had so much in common.

He shared that she grew up in the inner city, so she knew what it was like to go through certain things in life when you grow up in the inner city.

She was very driven and very passionate about the things she did, which was exactly what he loved.

However, when he was later asked if marriage was in the cards for him, Nelly gave a more ambiguous answer.

He just told the reporter: “We’re working towards it… When we know, I’ll tell you.”

PEOPLE reported that the pair first got together in 2014.

Nelly told the outlet that the reason their relationship worked was because they’d been friends first, and that being friends helped in any relationship.

Nelly and Shantel’s Relationship Problems

Not long after they began dating, Nelly’s reality TV series Nellyville began airing, and Shantel was on the show alongside her boyfriend and his 4 kids.

In the premiere episode, Nelly explained that whoever he was in a relationship with needed to have a great relationship with his children.

According to Hollywood Mask, the reality program showed that Shantel had become a mother figure to Nelly’s sons and daughters.

The beginning of their relationship wasn’t without its problems, though.

Their biggest issue was dealing with Shantel’s celebrity ex boyfriend, who reportedly wasn’t happy that she’d moved on from with Nelly.

A report by TMZ revealed that she used to go out with boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.

The outlet claimed that the pair broke up in 2013, not long after Floyd had reportedly given her a $10 million dollar diamond engagement ring.

Floyd Mayweather and Shantel Jackson’s Scandalous Headlines

In 2015, Floyd and Shantel made scandalous headlines when Floyd accused his ex of not going through a pregnancy in which she allegedly would’ve delivered twins.

Shantel responded by suing the boxer for invasion of privacy, DV, and defamation.

Court documents obtained by TMZ claimed that Floyd tried to get his ex to get back together with him by giving her this bizarre proposal: “This is what I offer to you. Let’s get married, move in together, you can go back and forth to L.A and stay at the condo.”

Floyd promised Shantel that he would get her in 3 A-list movies that year.

And he even said that he would be willing to go to counseling.

But he also told her that she needed to have a better attitude.

TMZ reported that Shantel turned down the offer and shared some text message conversations they’d had between them to reveal why she didn’t want to be with Floyd.

He allegedly told her things like how he’d had her phone traced, and that he had adult videos of her that he could put on Instagram and Twitter.

The outlet also claimed that the first time she shared a photo of her and Nelly together online, he ordered her to take it down.

When she said no, he reportedly threatened that if she didn’t take down the photo, he would post pictures of her without clothes on social media.

A report by Radar Online said that in 2021, the parties were able to reach a private agreement and that the court officially closed their case after Shantel dismissed all claims against Floyd.

So, Shantel came with some serious baggage when she and Nelly began their relationship.

But the couple survived the drama, and Shantel later made it clear that she was really serious about going the distance.

Shantel Was Ready to Marry Nelly and Have Kids

After Nellyville ended, she went on to star in another reality show called The Platinum Life on E!.

In one episode, Shantel went shopping with a friend and was trying on diamond engagement rings.

She shared that she saw Nelly as someone she would like to marry and have kids with, but she wasn’t trying to rush it.

When her friend asked her if she wanted kids, she revealed that Nelly had baby fever, but she felt like it wasn’t the right time.

Shantel Confessed About Freezing Her Eggs

Shantel explained that she wanted to get married first, and she then confessed to her friend that she was thinking about freezing her eggs.

Hollywood Mask reported that she later brought up the topic in a phone call with Nelly while being filmed for the show and told him that she’d like to do the procedure because she was over 30.

Nelly tried to assure her that her eggs weren’t old, but in the end, he gave her a supportive answer when he said to her: “I’m a natural guy. If it happens, it happens. But it’s your decision, I’m here to be supportive. Either way, I love you, it’s all good.”

Essence also claimed that Shantel explained on The Platinum Life that she didn’t wanna be a baby momma.

She wanted the horse and carriage, the wedding, and the ring before she had a baby.

But it was something that she never got from Nelly in the end.

The outlet pointed out that he was known for being in long-term relationships that didn’t lead to marriage.

In a 2017 interview with PEOPLE, Nelly opened up about how seriously he took the sanctity of marriage.

He said that it was something he was only doing once.

Nelly’s Allegations

Later that same year, TMZ reported that Nelly was accused of forcing himself on a woman on his tour bus.

According to the outlet, Shantel was sticking by him during the case.

Three days after the allegations came out, she posted a black and white photo of the pair together, and captioned it with their star signs, which TMZ claimed was her way of showing that things were good between them.

When other similar accusations surfaced, a 2018 report by TMZ said that Shantel came to her partner’s defense.

She released a statement claiming that she was with Nelly on the dates that he’d allegedly committed the crimes.

Eventually, the lawsuits against him were dropped.

Why Did Nelly and Shantel Break Up?

In July 2021, the news came out that Nelly and Shantel had officially broken up.

PEOPLE reported that Shantel told her Instagram followers that they were through when one of them asked her if they were still together in the comments section of a post she’d shared.

She responded that they were just friends.

When The Shade Room posted about the news, they wrote that the couple had been together for 7 years.

Which Essence reported was something that Nelly didn’t agree with, as he commented on the post by saying: “Well actually just 5 years, ended 2019, haven’t been together for the past 2… Ok now y’all know #FACT”

The Rickey Smiley Morning Show pointed out that although Nelly knew his relationship history better than the public did, something about his timeline didn’t really add up.

Because it was in 2020 that he was on Dancing With The Stars and said that he wouldn’t want his life to not have Shantel in it, and that they’d been together for 5 or 6 years by that point.

An article by Hot 97 revealed that in December 2021, Shantel went on The Real and got candid about why things ended between her and Nelly.

She told the chat show hosts that she and her ex didn’t end on bad terms.

And she went on to explain that when they started their relationship, she was always on the road with him.

But then, when it came to a point where she was home more often building her company Shoe Gummi, her being on the road less with him caused them to start to grow apart.

According to PEOPLE, Nelly and Ashanti officially confirmed that they were back together in the fall of 2023.

Shantel still hasn’t commented on her ex’s latest relationship.

Diddy’s Ex Speaks Out on Cassie Video

May 22, 2024

Since the harrowing footage of Diddy’s attack on Cassie surfaced, another of his former partners has shared her take on the incident.

Diddy’s ex Misa Hylton recently hinted that seeing the video took her back to her own traumatic experience.

Diddy’s Ex, Misa, Said Video ‘Triggered Her Own Trauma’

She said that the footage “triggered her own trauma,” while also saying of Cassie, “I know exactly how she feels.”

The 51-year-old was the first woman Diddy was romantically involved with as a public figure, and the pair even had a son together, Justin Combs.

She recently shared her opinion on the most recent addition to the list of scandals Diddy is involved in on social media.

Misa posted a photo of all 5 of Diddy’s kids, including Justin, along with a caption in which she seemed to show some empathy for Diddy’s situation.

She wrote that Diddy “needs help,” and that she is now praying that he “does the work and receives it.”

Misa Hylton Said Her Heart Goes Out to Cassie

However, she was also honest about the horrific way Cassie was treated by their shared ex.

Misa stated, “I am heartbroken that Casssie must relive the horror of her abuse, and my heart goes out to her.”

She then went on to suggest that she remembered similarly traumatic times in her own life through her empathy for Cassie.

After addressing the video, Misa went on to refer to the kids she had shared a picture of, making sure that their part in this whole scandal did not go unnoticed.

She said that the children “were raised by women that want the best for them.”

She added, “two of the youngest do not have their mother here,” in reference to the late Kim Porter.

As a result, Misa stated that “it has been our duty to support them.”

While Misa’s post appeared to be calling for empathy on all sides, many were of the opinion that she went too easy on her ex partner.

When the post was reported on the Daily Mail’s website, one commenter suggested that the “photos of his kids looks like a PR stunt.”

Most other commenters agreed that what Diddy needed more than help was “jail time.”

Diddy’s Apology Video

Diddy posted an apology video over the weekend which has already racked up over 200,000 comments.

He opened up by remarking how “difficult” it is to “reflect on the darkest times in your life.”

Diddy tried to frame the incident as a one off, despite the numerous shocking claims made against him by Cassie and others going back years.

The disgraced mogul tried to evoke sympathy from his followers, saying, “I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses.”

He went on to say that what he was filmed doing was “inexcusable,” and added, “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted.”

Diddy claimed that after the incident, which occurred in March 2016, he went to seek professional help, going to both therapy and rehab.

He concluded his impromptu statement saying, I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Cassie’s Lawyer’s Remarks: ‘Pathetic, Desperate and Disingenuous’

Although the video has now been seen by hundreds of thousands of people, very few have shown any sympathy for Diddy.

Shortly after the clip was posted, one of Cassie’s lawyers slammed Diddy’s remarks as “pathetic, desperate and disingenuous.”

Attorney Meredith Firetog told TMZ that Diddy’s statement was more about himself than the people he has hurt.

She also pointed out that just 5 months earlier, Diddy had denied all accusations Cassie and others had put to him, claiming that his victims were looking for a “payday.”

The lawyer said, “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation.”

Meredith went on to state her belief that “no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”

Others have come forward to share their views on the horrific footage revealing the truth about Diddy’s treatment of Cassie.

Cassie Ventura’s Husband, Alex, Speaks Out

One of them is the singer’s husband, Alex Fine, who Cassie was first linked with 2 months after confirming she had finally split with Diddy for good.

The personal trainer posted on social media last Friday to show support for victims of DV everywhere.

He shared a screenshot of a notes app which showed a statement which began, “Men who hit women aren’t men.”

He continued, “Our daughters, sisters, mothers and wives should feel protected and loved. Hold the women in your life with the upmost regard. Men who hurt women hate women.”

Alex went on to say to victims everywhere that they were “not alone” and that their stories were real.

After that, the statement focused on people who harm other people, who Alex described “weak” and “miserable.”

In words that seemed to many to be directed specifically towards Diddy, he wrote, “You’re done, you’re not safe anymore, you’re not protected anymore…”

Since the string of allegations against Diddy started piling up, many have concluded that he has been hiding toxic and harmful behavior in plain sight for years.

Former Employee, Suzi, Speaks Out About Diddy

Even former employees of Diddy have come out to expose him since the release of the security footage.

His old assistant, Suzi Seigel, shared her experience of watching the clip.

The Daily Mirror reported that she said she felt “sick and violently angry” after watching Diddy attack Cassie in the hotel corridor.

However, she also added that there was “not one cell in my body that was surprised.”

Suzi worked as Diddy’s assistant for one year between 2008 and 2009.

She stated that while working for him, she “didn’t see anything that could get him in trouble.”

Although she was positive that she “observed nothing that would lead” her to believe Diddy was harming people, she also said that she thought he was “capable” of it.

It sounded pretty odd to hear her say that she never witnessed the kind of horrible behavior Diddy’s been accused of while also not being surprised by any of it.

But Suzi is far from the only one who has been making sure she keeps a safe distance from Diddy following his downfall.

LeBron James Unfollowed Diddy

After his failed apology video was widely criticized, Diddy lost at least one high profile follower on his Instagram.

The Daily Mail reported that LeBron James unfollowed Diddy yesterday.

This was first noted by a fanpage for the LA Lakers, and reportedly provoked a flurry of speculation about LeBron’s reaction.

His teenage son was seen on vacation with Diddy’s daughters just last month.

Now some people are wondering if LeBron felt it would be risky to keep up any association with Diddy in the wake of so much scandal.

Celebrities Caught Up in Diddy’s Allegations

Other celebrities have quickly found their names getting caught up in the allegations against Diddy.

One of the most notable and disturbing high profile Diddy connections is Cuba Gooding Jr.

The actor was named in the lawsuit filed against Diddy by producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr.

The producer filed the lawsuit in February of this year, making accusations about Diddy’s actions that allegedly occurred between 2022 and 2023.

Although she made some pretty suggestive hints, there was nothing in Misa’s post that made direct allegations about her own experience with Diddy.

Although she made it clear that she felt for Cassie after seeing the attack, exactly where she stands with Diddy is harder to figure out.

Diddy Speaks Out 😳

May 22, 2024

Yesterday Diddy decided to share some thoughts following the release of the harrowing video footage of the horrible actions against his ex Cassie.

In his apology video which has already racked up over 200,000 comments, Diddy opened up by remarking how “difficult” it is to “reflect on the darkest times in your life.”

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A post shared by LOVE (@diddy)

Diddy tried to frame the incident as a one off, despite the numerous shocking claims made against him by Cassie and others going back years.

Diddy Said, ‘I Hit Rock Bottom, But I Make No Excuses’

The disgraced mogul tried to evoke sympathy from his followers, saying, “I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses.”

He went on to say that what he was filmed doing was “inexcusable,” and added, “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted.”

Diddy claimed that after the incident, which occurred in March 2016, he went to seek professional help, going to both therapy and rehab.

He concluded his impromptu statement saying, I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Although the video has now been seen by hundreds of thousands of people, very few have shown any sympathy for Diddy.

Cassie Ventura’s Lawyers Slammed Diddy’s Remarks

Shortly after the clip was posted, one of Cassie’s lawyers slammed Diddy’s remarks as “pathetic, desperate and disingenuous.”

Attorney Meredith Firetog told TMZ that Diddy’s statement was more about himself than the people he has hurt.

She also pointed out that just 5 months earlier, Diddy had denied all accusations Cassie and others had put to him, claiming that his victims were looking for a “payday.”

The lawyer said, “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation.”

Meredith went on to state her belief that “no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”

Cassie’s Husband, Alex, Said, ‘Men Who Hit Women Aren’t Men’