Boston Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Sentenced To Death

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been sentenced to death for his role in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three (including an 8-year-old boy) and injured over 250 people.

“After all of the carnage and fear and terror that he has caused, the right decision is clear,” a federal prosecutor, Steven Mellin, said in his closing argument. “The only sentence that will do justice in this case is a sentence of death.”

Tsarnaev, 21, was found guilty of all 30 counts related to the tragedy that occured in April 2013. The jury deliberated for more than 14 hours and reached their decision just after 3 p.m.

CNN reports:

Bill and Denise Richards, parents of the bombing’s littlest victim, 8-year-old Martin, took seats in the second row near the jury box. Jurors saw the second bomb go off by the Forum restaurant and they viewed videos and photographs of the carnage. They heard the screams and saw people on the street, dying even as bystanders rushed to help. And they heard from people who survived against all odds but continue to struggle with their injuries.

Denise was blinded in one eye and her daughter, 6-year-old Jane, lost her left leg.

Tamerlan, Dzhokhar’s late older brother, was made out to be the mastermind of the bombing; the siblings created homemade bombs with pressure cookers filled with nails, BBs, and gun powder. Tamerlan was killed by police during a standoff in Watertown shortly after the bombing. Dzhokhar was found the next day hiding in a tarp-covered boat with a note stating he was jealous of his brother for dying like a “hero.”

“The US Government is killing our innocent civilians but most of you already know that,” he wrote. “Know you are fighting men who look into the barrel of your gun and see heaven, now how can you compete with that. We are promised victory and we will surely get it.”

He wrote that he couldn’t stand to see the U.S. government “go unpunished” for killing Muslims.

“We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all.”

He ended with: “Now I don’t like killing innocent people it is forbidden in Islam but due to said [word lost to a bullet hole] it is allowed.”

The tragedy brought sorrow and pain to many, but for some, a happy ending. James Costello, a victim of the bombing, married his rehab nurse Krista D’Agostino in August of last year. D’Agostino — a nurse at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital – met Costello shortly after he entered the facility.

“I saw a nurse in passing, this would turn out to be Krista. After sharing a handful of conversations I realized not only how beautiful she was but also what a kind heart she had,” said Costello, who was at the finish line with pals when the bombs detonated.

The sentencing marks the first time a federal jury had sentenced a terrorist to death in the post-Sept. 11 era. An appeal can be reached in the case, but will take years to deliberate.

Janet Jackson Announces New Album, Tour

Janet Jackson delivered a surprise for fans on her birthday, announcing a new album and world tour.

The singer made the big reveal at midnight eastern time on May 16 by tweeting a link to a video in which, in her unmistakable voice, she coos: "I promised you'd hear it from my lips and now you will. This year: new music; new world tour; a new movement. I've been listening. Let's keep the conversation going."

Presumably the title to the album, or perhaps a first single, the tweet was accompanied with the message "My Conversation" and the hashtag "Conversations In A Cafe."

The 49-year-old Jackson's last studio album -- her tenth, called Discipline -- was released in 2008 by Island. It was followed by the collection Number Ones a year later. 

News of her return set the Internet abuzz as devotees reacted. At least one longtime collaborator, producer Jimmy Jam, had been dropping mysterious hints in the hours leading up to Jackson's tweet. 

Common Receives Honorary Degree, Gives Winston-Salem State University Commencement Speech

by Natalie Stone

Hip-hop artist Common received an honorary degree and delivered a commencement speech at the 2015 Winston-Salem State University graduation ceremony on Friday.

"Congrats to the 2015 graduates of #WSSU #Progress Thanx for the Honorary Doctorate! Dr. Lynn has a nice sound to it. #ImGeeked #WonderfulDay #HBCU" the singer wrote onInstagram.

During the North Carolina university's ceremony, Common received an honorary degree — Doctor of Humane Letters — and delivered the 2015 commencement speech.

"I just have to say that this is one of the best days of my life — to get this honor from you all and for what it's for," the singer said after receiving his degree. "The spirit that you all bring right now, I just want to say go out and change the world. We all have got it in us. Go out and change the world. We've got opportunity. That changing the world starts with us; it starts with how we think about ourselves and loving ourselves."

"As we love ourselves, we can love each other and love our family members," he continued. "Let's just go change the world."

The 27-minute commencement speech was delivered at Bowman Gray Stadium to a graduating class of 1,000 students and an audience of 12,000 people, Winston-Salem Journal reported. Common discussed dropping out of college to pursue his musical career, acting and being an author, according to Winston-Salem. After concluding his speech, the school choir and band performed the singer's Oscar-winning song "Glory" during the ceremony.

"You want to surround yourself with people who believe in your path," the singer said during his speech. "Belief is contagious. As you climb up the mountain, it will be difficult at times."

B.B. King Spotify Streams Jump 9,800 Percent

After B.B. King’s death on Thursday, fans are flocking to rediscover the legendary blues musician’s extensive catalog.

Global streams of the musician’s works have skyrocketed 9,800 percent on Spotify in the past 24 hours, according to the streaming service. During his storied career, King placed 25 albums on the Billboard Blues Album chart. Nine of those reached No. 1, including Riding with the King, a joint album with Eric Clapton that logged 48 weeks in the top slot.

King’s death, at the age of 89, sparked a tremendous outpouring on social media, with artists including Clapton, John Mayer and Kelly Clarkson offering tributes to the legend, who died peacefully in his sleep in his Las Vegas home. 

Azealia Banks Announces "Business & Pleasure" Album

The follow-up to Banks' "Broke With Expensive Taste" isn't expected to arrive until 2016.

Azealia Banks has revealed the title of her sophomore studio album.

In a recent interview with British magazine New Music Express (NME), Banks mentions that her new album will be called Business & Pleasure and that it is half done.

The follow-up to Banks' Broke With Expensive Taste isn't expected to arrive until 2016.

Banks tells NME that she's through with the tirades on Twitter.

"Am I hanging up my fighting gloves?" she says. "Yeah. I’m a lady. I don’t wanna be dealing with that. Now, when you feel the adrenaline going, you stop yourself. I’m done with that. I’ve done it already. You’ve seen me curse people out. Let’s do something else now."

For more Azealia Banks coverage, watch the following DX Daily:

BAY AREA HIP-HOP ARTISTS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST SFPD

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Two Bay Area hip-hop artists are among those filing a civil rights lawsuit against San Francisco police. They claim they were unlawfully cuffed and detained by officers while making a rap video in Bayview Hunters Point.

The attorney for the four men -- who are African Americans -- says the incident represents what's happening to black men across the country. And he says the video proves it. Police, on the other hand, say the video doesn't tell the whole story.

"The young men came to me and they believed they had been wrongfully detained, put in handcuffs, and arrested," said attorney Richard Richardson.

Richardson is representing local hip-hop artist Yung Lott, rapper Joeski, and two others caught in a police action during a music video shoot at Hunters Point.

Some 20 people gathered at a playground March 8 in the late afternoon.

Police and the city attorney declined to comment because of the pending lawsuit.

But police did issue a press release in March after the incident.

Police said officers patrolling the area noticed a man loading a round into the chamber of a gun and then placing it into his waistband. Police said the man then walked into the crowd where the video was being shot.

In the video you can hear police order the man with the gun to walk over, "Hands up, hands up black hoodie, walk over to the sound of my voice now."

The man was arrested and everyone else was detained. They were cuffed and frisked and lined up against a wall.

"They took photos and made the young men lift up their shirts, take pictures of their tattoos," Richardson said. "I think that this doesn't happen to any other group. It happens to young black men."

Police said they identified other gang members in the crowd and were concerned they too might have guns and that's why they searched them.

The officers eventually released all but two -- the man with the gun and another who police say had crack cocaine.

Richardson says the group was cooperative and friendly.

"No threats, no violence," he said. "There was no reason to keep them for two hours."

In their March statement, police said, "The detention for this whole incident was for a man with a gun, not for making a rap video."

The man police arrested with the gun was just released from federal custody on weapons and gun charges.

Richardson believes police endangered the rest of the group by not arresting him before he came into the crowd.