By Mariel Turner
6:24am PDT, Aug 31, 2018
Kanye West apologizes for calling slavery "a choice"
Kanye West was on the verge of tears while apologizing for his inflammatory remarks about slavery earlier this year. "I don't know if I properly apologized for how the slavery comment made people feel," he said during a 107.5 WGCI Chicago radio interview on Aug. 29. "I'm sorry for the one-two effect of the MAGA hat into the slave comment, and I'm sorry for people that felt let down by that moment. And I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to talk to you about the way I was thinking and what I was going through." Earlier this year during an interview with TMZ, the rapper claimed that slavery was "a choice."
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Fans remember Aretha Franklin at public viewing in Detroit
Thousands of fans gathered for Aretha Franklin's public viewing in Detroit at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on Aug. 28 and 29. Many well-wishers shared special tributes or happy memories of the Queen of Soul, whose body was dressed in red Christian Louboutin heels and a red lace dress for Monday's viewing and then changed on the second day to a sparkly powder-blue dress and open-toed silver heels. For the final viewing at her home church, New Bethel Baptist, funeral directors dressed the diva's body in a rose-gold knit suit featuring pink beaded lace and rose-gold sequined Christian Louboutin heels.
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Chris Stapleton dominates 2018 CMA Awards nominations
The Country Music Association announced the 2018 CMA Award nominees on Aug. 28, with Chris Stapleton leading the pack with five nominations. The country singer received nods for male vocalist of the year, single of the year, album of the year, song of the year and entertainer of the year. Other artists with multiple CMA nominations include Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Dan + Shay.
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Michael Jackson's estate wins appeal over posthumous album day before singer's birthday
Michael Jackson's estate won an appeal over claims that the late singer wasn't the lead vocalist on his posthumous album "Michael" on Aug. 28. Vera Serova pursued a class-action lawsuit against the estate, alleging the album amounted to a misrepresentation, but a judge ruled in the estate's favor. The legal victory came one day before what would have been the King of Pop's 60th birthday. His children, Paris Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson, remembered their father at a special Michael Jackson Diamond Birthday Celebration in Las Vegas on Aug. 29.
Shawn Mendes wins big at 2018 iHeartRadio MMVAs
Shawn Mendes dominated the competition at the 2018 iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards in his hometown of Toronto on Aug. 26. The pop singer took home four awards: best pop artist, artist of the year and two prizes in public-voted categories (fan fave artist and video). "Honestly, what I mainly want to say is thank you to everybody who follows an artist when they try to explore musically and support them through that journey," he said during an acceptance speech. "That means the world to me."
Music star obituaries
We Came as Romans frontman Kyle Pavone died at 28, according to an Instagram post shared by the band on Aug. 25. His cause of death was not revealed. Lindsay Kemp, a British dancer and longtime David Bowie collaborator, died at age 80 on Aug. 25 at his home in Tuscany, Italy.
Katy Perry denies Dr. Luke rape claims in unsealed deposition
In a newly unsealed deposition released on Aug. 27, Katy Perry denied that music producer Dr. Luke sexually assaulted her. "Did Dr. Luke ever rape you?" an attorney asked. "No," Katy replied. The legal docs were made public as part of Dr. Luke's defamation suit against Kesha, who he claims falsely accused him of rape and spread rumors that he sexually assaulted Katy.
Ariana Grande restarts song so fan can record full performance on phone
There's no doubt about it, Ariana Grande truly loves her fans! In a viral video posted on Aug. 25, the pop singer is seen restarting her song "Raindrops" during a concert after a fan yells out, "Wait, start again. I wasn't recording!"
