Entertainment
Slain Rapper, Nipsey Hussle’s Funeral to Take Place at ‘The Staples Centre’
The public memorial service for the late rapper, Nipsey Hussle will be held at Staples Centre on Thursday.
His family reportedly chose the 21,000 seat venue to accommodate a massive crowd that will be attending.
The Los Angeles rapper, whose real name was Ermias Davidson Asghedom was one of three men shot outside his clothing store in the Hyde Park neighbourhood of LA.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital, while the other two men are in stable condition.
A 29- year- old suspect, Eric Holder, who allegedly carried out the fatally shooting on Hussle has been arrested.
Holder is currently being held in solitary confinement, where he would be all alone and would not be allowed to mingle with the general population because they believed he is a target.
NAN reports that Nipsey was outspoken about his experience with street violence and described growing up in gang culture in his Crenshaw neighbourhood of South Los Angeles as “living in a war zone.”
Those struggles informed his music but also his philanthropy, particularly in Crenshaw where he is revered as a hero and pillar of the community.
In 2018, Nipsey launched his ‘Too Big to Fail” initiative in collaboration with Vector 90, a STEM centre and co-working space for youth in the Crenshaw district that serves as a bridge between the inner cities and Silicon Valley.
He opened the centre a day before the release of his Grammy-nominated 16-song debut album, Victory Lap.
The hip hop star envisioned expanding the Vector 90 project beyond LA to other cities across the U.S., including Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Atlanta, where kids from inner cities could explore alternative paths to success.
(NAN)
Members of Nigeria’s entertainment industry turned out in large numbers on Wednesday for the service of songs of late actor Alex Ekubo.
Ekubo died on May 11, 2026, after a battle with kidney cancer.
Colleagues, friends, and dignitaries filled The Monarch Event Centre for the ceremony, dressed strictly in white as requested by the Ekubo family.
Attendees included Funke Akindele, Kate Henshaw, Chioma Akpotha, Ebele Okaro, Nancy Isime, Ruth Kadiri, Nkechi Blessing, Stan Nze, Blessing Obasi, Ik Ogbonna, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, singer Chike, and socialite Cubana Chief Priest.
The evening featured worship led by gospel ministers Peterson Okopi and Ebuka Songs, with Pastor Jerry Eze, Nathaniel Bassey, and Kaestrings also ministering.
The Ekubo family had earlier released an obituary on the late actor’s Instagram page, asking the public to keep them in prayer.
Wednesday’s service of songs officially opened Alex Ekubo’s burial rites.
The funeral moves to Arochukwu, Abia State, for a wake-keep on June 17, with burial scheduled for June 18.
Tamunosoye Karibi-George has been crowned Miss World Nigeria 2026 after emerging winner at the pageant’s grand finale held at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
The 26-year-old beauty queen, who represented Bayelsa State and hails from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, beat 19 other contestants in the competition themed “Pride, Power and Purpose.”
She succeeds Joy Mojisola Raimi, Miss World Nigeria 2025, and will represent Nigeria at the 73rd Miss World Festival scheduled to hold in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from August 9 to September 5, 2026.
Miss Karibi-George is the founder of Beyond Labels, an initiative that supports children with special needs and promotes inclusion and equal opportunities.
Joining Karibi-George in the top five were Dionne Chisom Nwagbo of Anambra State, who finished as first runner-up; Shuntell Ezomo of Edo State, who emerged second runner-up; Irene Irene of Abuja; and Gold of Rivers State.
Miss World Nigeria, organized by the Silverbird Group, is one of Nigeria’s leading beauty pageants and selects the country’s representative for the international Miss World competition.
Award-winning artiste – Davido – is scheduled to perform at FIFA’s World Cup 2026 Countdown Concert in Los Angeles, adding another major global platform to his career.
Davido will perform alongside Major Lazer, the music project led by producer Diplo.
FIFA announced the lineup on Instagram, noting that more special guests will be unveiled in the coming days.
The concert is part of FIFA’s first synchronised live entertainment series across the tournament’s three host nations: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Featuring Diplo’s Major Lazer and Davido, and more special guests to be announced soon,” FIFA wrote.
The Los Angeles show will open doors at 5:00pm PT, with the live broadcast beginning at 6:00pm PT.
The series is designed to link audiences across the host countries, with simultaneous live performances streamed from Mexico City and Toronto.
FIFA said the event will stream globally across its digital platforms, including an exclusive livestream on TikTok.
Full concert and behind-the-scenes footage will be available on VuMe Live the following day.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins June 11, 2026.
