Earth, Wind & Fire drummer John Paris briefly woke from an induced coma and asked to leave the hospital before doctors were forced to sedate him again. According to an update shared by Shelly White, wife of Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White, Paris opened his eyes, looked around and asked for his wife, musician Kathy Merrick. After seeing her, he turned to a close friend named Eddie and jokingly said, “Get me outta here,” bringing an emotional moment of hope to those at his bedside. The encouraging development was short-lived, however, as Paris’ blood pressure began rising and he experienced difficulty breathing. Doctors subsequently placed him back under sedation to help stabilize his condition while allowing him to continue receiving critical medical care. Paris remains sedated as his medical team monitors his condition and determines the safest course of treatment. Shelly also said there have been small positive signs, noting that Paris appears to show slight responses when music is played.  Paris was hospitalized following a medical emergency before Earth, Wind & Fire’s scheduled August 6 concert with Lionel Richie at San Francisco’s Chase Center. The San Francisco Fire Department confirmed that emergency crews responded to a cardiac incident and transported one person to a local hospital in critical condition. The concert was postponed shortly before it was scheduled to begin. Supporters say Paris’ recovery journey is “far from over” and continue asking fans to keep the drummer and his family in their thoughts and prayers.

The legal dispute between Ronald Isley and the estate of his late brother Rudolph Isley over ownership of the The Isley Brothers trademark has come to an end. Attorneys for both sides filed a stipulation of dismissal in federal court in Chicago on Wednesday, August 12, bringing the case to a close. The filing states that the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, with each side responsible for its own legal costs and attorneys’ fees. The dismissal means Rudolph’s estate cannot bring the same claims against Ronald again. No settlement details, ownership division or payment between the parties were disclosed in the court filing. The dispute began after Ronald Isley applied in November 2021 to register exclusive rights to the The Isley Brothers trademark in his name. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved the registration on August 16, 2022, covering visual and audiovisual recordings featuring music and animation. Rudolph filed suit in March 2023, arguing that the trademark should have been jointly owned by the brothers and seeking what he described as his rightful 50% share of proceeds. The complaint alleged that Ronald’s registration claims were made without Rudolph’s knowledge or approval and disputed Ronald’s assertion of exclusive ownership. The court never issued a ruling determining who legally owned the trademark, and Ronald’s registration remains in his name.  Rudolph, Ronald and their brother O’Kelly Isley Jr. formed The Isley Brothers in Cincinnati around 1954 and operated the group as a partnership, according to the lawsuit. O’Kelly died in 1986, leaving his interests to his two surviving brothers, while Rudolph stopped performing and recording with the group in 1989 but continued to participate in managing and benefiting from its assets. The complaint cited publishing, royalty and licensing arrangements as evidence of their continued shared interests, including a 2018 publishing deal and revenue from recordings and sampled music. With the dismissal, the long-running trademark dispute between the two brothers’ sides has officially ended without a court ruling on the underlying ownership claims.

Faith Evans has suffered a legal setback in a dispute involving the company created to manage the legacy and intellectual property of her late husband, The Notorious B.I.G.. On August 7, a Delaware Court of Chancery judge ruled in favor of Wayne Barrow, acting as trustee of the Voletta Wallace Revocable Trust, in his case against Evans and Notorious B.I.G., LLC. The court granted Barrow summary judgment, recognizing the trust's membership and rights to distributions from the company. Evans and Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, formed the Delaware LLC in 2007 to oversee Christopher Wallace's intellectual property. Under a 2023 operating agreement, Evans and Voletta each held half of the company's membership units, while portions of their distribution interests were assigned to Biggie's children, Ty'anna Wallace and Christopher Jordan “CJ” Wallace. Before Voletta's death in February 2025, she amended her trust to remove CJ and another successor trustee, leaving Barrow as the sole successor trustee. After Voletta's death, Evans became the LLC's sole manager and stopped making distributions to the trust. The court rejected Evans' argument that the amended trust no longer qualified as a member of the LLC, ruling that the trust remained a permitted transferee under the operating agreement. Barrow's attorney, Jay W. Freiberg, said the decision vindicated his client, while Evans' representatives had not publicly responded at the time of the report. The ruling does not resolve all disputes surrounding Voletta's estate, as CJ has a separate Pennsylvania case challenging the changes that made Barrow sole trustee and executor.

Lionel Richie appeared to take a pointed jab at Chris Brown while performing alongside Earth, Wind & Fire during a recent concert. In a viral video circulating online, Richie addressed Brown and Usher’s current joint tour while comparing their collaboration to R&B tours from earlier generations. Referencing his own history with The Commodores and Earth, Wind & Fire, Richie suggested that the pairing of two major R&B stars is not entirely unprecedented. “Only difference is, between then and now, we didn’t go to jail!” he told the audience before appearing to apologize with a smile and continuing his performance. Richie’s comment appeared to reference Brown’s history of legal troubles, including his 2009 felony assault case involving Rihanna. Brown pleaded guilty in that case and received probation and community service. More recently, the singer pleaded guilty to assaulting music producer Abraham Diaw at a London nightclub, adding another legal matter to his history. While Richie did not directly identify Brown when making the remark, the timing of his comments and his discussion of the current Brown-Usher tour led many viewers to interpret the statement as a reference to the singer’s past. The ongoing tour has generated significant attention, with Brown and Usher bringing together two generations of R&B stardom and delivering performances that have sparked widespread discussion online. Their concerts have also drawn headlines for provocative dance routines and interactions with fans. Despite the controversy surrounding Richie’s remarks, the collaboration highlights the enduring influence of both Brown and Usher in contemporary R&B. Richie, who rose to fame as a member of The Commodores before launching a successful solo career, appeared to use his own touring history as the backdrop for a joke that ultimately shifted the spotlight toward Brown’s complicated legal past.

Singer Truth Hurts (born Shari Watson), says she remains $1.7 million in debt to her former record label, Aftermath Records, more than two decades after her hit single “Addictive” became entangled in a major copyright dispute. Watson, 54, discussed the financial fallout during a recent appearance on J. Valentine’s R&B Money Podcast. The Grammy-nominated artist rose to prominence with “Addictive,” which became a Top 10 hit in 2002 and helped establish her as one of R&B’s rising stars. The song, produced by DJ Quik, featured a sample taken from a recording by legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar from the 1981 film Jyoti. Watson explained that the sample had not been properly cleared before the song was released. After “Addictive” became a commercial success, Saregama India Ltd., which controlled the rights to the sampled material, filed a $500 million copyright lawsuit against Aftermath and its parent company, Universal Music Group. Watson said she became concerned that the legal battle could damage her career and ultimately asked Aftermath executives Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine to release her from her recording contract. The $500 million lawsuit was eventually dismissed after the court determined that the Indian chorus used in “Addictive” did not qualify as a religious or spiritual tradition. However, the copyright holders were granted songwriting credits on the track. Watson said she was left with significant financial obligations to Aftermath despite being released from the label. “Addictive” also incorporated cleared material from B.T. Express’ “Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied)” and the opening line from Rakim’s 1987 classic “Paid in Full.” Although DJ Quik was initially credited as the producer, it was later reported that Dr. Dre was actually responsible for producing the track.

Duane “Keefe D” Davis has rejected a plea deal ahead of his scheduled trial in the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, continuing to maintain that he is innocent. Davis’ decision comes as jury selection is set to begin August 10, 2026, in one of hip-hop’s most closely watched criminal cases. Prosecutors have alleged that Davis was involved in the drive-by shooting that claimed Shakur’s life, but the longtime suspect has repeatedly denied committing any crime. In a recent interview with 8News Now, Davis said he sees no reason to accept a deal that could potentially send him to prison for decades. The 63-year-old cited his age and health issues, including a past battle with cancer and three heart stents, while explaining why he rejected the reported offer. Davis also maintained that other individuals were responsible for the shooting and insisted that he is an innocent man. Shakur was shot multiple times after attending the Mike Tyson-Bruce Seldon heavyweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996. The rapper remained hospitalized for six days before dying from his injuries at age 25. The case remained unsolved for more than two decades before Davis was arrested in 2023 in connection with the shooting. His upcoming trial is expected to bring renewed attention to one of music history’s most enduring mysteries.