A judge says Russell Simmons can be sued for rape in New York by a former Def Jam executive, even though he now lives in Indonesia.

A Tuesday (June 16) order in New York state court, first obtained and reported by Billboard, rejects Simmons’ latest attempt to dismiss the civil lawsuit alleging he raped an anonymous executive in Def Jam’s music video department in the 1990s. Simmons, who has been accused of sexual assault by numerous women over the last decade, has denied all wrongdoing.

The former Def Jam employee, suing under the pseudonym Jane Doe, originally brought her claims against Simmons in federal court in 2024. She suffered a setback last year when a federal judge said Simmons, who has lived in Indonesia since 2018, was outside the court’s jurisdiction. She persisted and re-filed the lawsuit in state court — and on Tuesday, Judge Adam Silvera said New York law allows the claims to move forward despite Simmons’ expat status.

“The complaint alleges the defendant committed the tort of rape in New York state,” wrote the judge. “[In New York], a court may exercise personal jurisdiction over any non-domiciliary who commits a tortious act within the state, except as to a cause of action for defamation. Therefore, the complaint survives the motion to dismiss stage.”

In addition to their arguments about Indonesia, Simmons’ lawyers also argued that the lawsuit should be dismissed because Jane Doe released all possible claims against the Def Jam founder as part of a severance agreement with the label in 1997.

However, Doe’s attorneys say that purported release is a “sham” and that her signature was forged. Judge Silvera determined on Tuesday that there’s a “genuine dispute as to its authenticity,” meaning he’ll need to see evidence before deciding whether the document is enforceable.

Simmons and Doe will now begin discovery, where they will exchange evidence and depose each other’s witnesses. The judge set a court conference for August to hammer out a calendar for this often-lengthy process.

Doe’s lawyers at the firm Boies Schiller & Flexner declined to comment on the ruling on Wednesday (June 17). Simmons’ rep did not immediately return a request for comment.

Simmons, who founded Def Jam Recordings in 1984 and built a formidable hip-hop empire, first faced sexual abuse allegations in a New York Times investigation from 2017. More women came forward in the 2020 HBO documentary On The Record, and legal claims followed.

Doe’s lawsuit was filed under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations for rape claims. She alleged that Simmons pinned her to a bed and raped her while she was at his apartment to get approval for a music video.

Simmons has settled with at least seven other women who’ve accused him of sexual misconduct in recent years. Many of these accusers have since filed court petitions claiming he’s millions of dollars short on promised settlement payments.

Simmons has maintained that the abuse claims are all false. In a motion to dismiss the Doe lawsuit, his attorneys wrote, “Defendant hopes to vindicate himself to the many who have judged him unfairly, for many years, on the untrue and unproven allegations of others.”

Last June, Simmons went on the offensive and sued HBO for defamation over On The Record. He claimed the sexual assault accusations in the documentary were false, and that its producers ignored exculpatory information that would have cleared his name. That case is still pending.

YEONJUN of TOMORROW X TOGETHER is continuing to shed labels through his music, with the K-pop star announcing his second solo album on Tuesday (June 16).

Arriving on July 10, NO LABELS: PART 02 will follow up YEONJUN’s first LP as a soloist, NO LABELS: PART 01, which dropped in November last year. The news comes along with a cinematic video titled “CHOI YEONJUN,” which previews the vibes of the sophomore project through a series of simple but eye-catching shots of the performer doing ordinary things such as brushing his teeth and eating breakfast in a hotel room.

“Throughout the video, YEONJUN roams around the room in his most authentic form,” reads a description. “Through these unfiltered, everyday moments, the video offers a glimpse into a more personal side of YEONJUN and sets the tone for the upcoming album.”

A release also promised that more details about NO LABELS: PART 02‘s concept and tracklist will roll out in the coming weeks.

Featuring songs such as “Let Me Tell You” featuring Daniela of KATSEYE, NO LABELS: PART 01 debuted at No. 1 on Top Album Sales — a chart TXT topped for the ninth time this past April with the six-track project 7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns, which also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. As a soloist, YEONJUN had previously collaborated with KATSEYE on a remix of the girl group’s “Touch” and released his debut single, “GGUM,” in 2024.

Check out “CHOI YEONJUN” to get a sense of NO LABELS: PART 02 above.

It’s taken 19 years, but Cuisillos secure its second No. 1 on a national, United States-based Billboard chart, as the group returns to the top of Regional Mexican Airplay with “Aunque Me Duela.” The song surges three spots to lead the June 20-dated list.

The group from Cuisillos, Jalisco, Mexico, previously hit No. 1 on the chart with “Mil Heridas” for two weeks in June 2007.

“Aunque Me Duela,” released April 24 on Apach/Cuisillos, reaches the Regional Mexican Airplay summit with Greatest Gainer honors, awarded weekly to the song with the largest increase in audience at the format. The song earned 6.2 million impressions, up 30% week over week, in the June 5-11 tracking week, according to Luminate.

In between Cuisillos’ two chart-toppers, the group reached a No. 3 Regional Mexican Airplay peak with “Vive y Déjame Vivir” in 2008. Formed in 1987 and known for Native American-inspired stage outfits honoring the group members’ heritage, Cuisillos has logged four top 10s among 26 career entries on the chart. “Cartas Marcadas” became its first top 10, rising to No. 9 in December 2001. The band first drew Billboard chart ink when “No Se Lo Digas a Ella” entered Regional Mexican Airplay in March 2000.

“Aunque Me Duela” also climbs 11-4 on the Latin Airplay chart, which reflects airplay on more than 150 Latin-formatted radio stations across the U.S. It’s the group’s second top 10 on the survey.

Fueled by that radio momentum, Cuisillos also earns its first appearance on the streaming, airplay and sales-based Hot Regional Mexican Songs chart, where “Aunque Me Duela” debuts at No. 22.

Vince Staples has cleared the air over the album cover of his latest set, Cry Baby, which features a drawing of a blonde-haired white baby crying while wearing an American flag diaper.

The Long Beach rapper and actor recently told Apple Music the meaning behind the cover and stressed that the baby depicted isn’t meant to represent President Donald Trump. “I see a lot of conversation about the cover,” he said during his Radio Takeover. “That is not a baby version of Donald Trump. That is you, the listener, that is you as a baby. That is all of us.”

Staples added, “That’s the socio-political systems in which we adopt and complain about at the same time. And as we complain and as we operate within these things without wanting to break apart from them, you are feeding the baby, the beast, so to say. And this album is about the different ways in which you can do that.”

Released on June 5, Cry Baby has sparked a lot of conversation around not only the artwork but the politically charged subject matter, with fans split on the album’s genre-bending sound.

Staples spoke on the album’s alternative leanings and his frustrations with the country and the music industry in general during a performance at the El Rey Theatre in L.A. “We didn’t do much press and stuff like that,” he told the crowd. “We just wanted to come and play the music ’cause I’m sick of f—kin’ talkin’. You do the press run, you tell jokes and s—t but like, ain’t nothin’ f—king funny. You know? Not to me at least, maybe to you.”

The rapper continued by revealing that he’s been frustrated with the music industry since he flirted with different genres on his Hell Can Wait EP and his sophomore album Big Fish Theory, telling the crowd, “You know, they told me, ‘You can’t make this, you gotta do straight hip-hop, it’s gonna translate better with your audience.’ Whatever the f—k that means.”

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Ahead of Prime Day starting on Tuesday (June 23), Amazon is dropping new deep discounts before the four-day shopping event.

Right now, you can get Apple TV as an add-on channel for Prime Video for only $5.99 per month for two months of service. The streamer is normally $12.99 per month, so this is a 54% savings. But act fast and sign up now, this Prime Day deal expires on Friday (June 26).

Since this deal is only valid as an add-on channel, you have to be a subscriber to Amazon Prime or Prime Video.

Not a subscriber? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Photos; fast free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Prime Day in June and Black Friday in November — and other perks.

PRIME DAY DEAL

Apple TV

Prime Video add-on channel

$5.99/month $12.99/month 54% off

Get Apple TV on Prime Video

Expires on Friday, June 26

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Afterward, Prime Video (as a standalone service) starts at $8.99 per month with an ad-supported plan, while Amazon Prime starts at $14.99 per month, or $139 per year. Learn more about Amazon Prime and its benefits here.

What’s Streaming on Apple TV?

Apple TV has a great selection of original movies and TV shows, including Widow’s Bay, Pluribus, Severance, Yo Gabba Gabbaland!, Your Friends and Neighbors, The Morning Show, Ted Lasso, The Studio, Long Way Up and Long Way Home, Killers of the Flower Moon, CODA, Fly Me to the Moon, Tetris and others.

In addition, the streaming service has music programming and concert series, like Watch the Sound With Mark Ronson, Soundbreaking, Behind the Music, 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything, Jennifer Lopez’s Apple Music Live Concert, The Beatles: A Complete Anthology, Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You and many others.

It has live sports too, with streaming access to all F1 Grand Prix races and MLS matches, as well as MLB Friday Night Baseball.

For Prime Day, you can get Apple TV as an add-on channel for Prime Video on sale for $5.99 per month (regularly $12.99 per month) for your first two months of service — a 54% savings.

Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.

Olivia Rodrigo may have crossed paths with the ghosts of people who dropped dead centuries ago during her music video shoot at the Palace of Versailles in France.

In a recent appearance on The Capital Evening Show with Jimmy Hill, the pop star revealed that while shooting the visual for her Billboard Hot 100-topping single “Drop Dead” overnight at the iconic museum, she “definitely” sensed a paranormal presence or two. “It was a little [scary] and a little creepy,” Rodrigo said. “I kind of believe in ghosts, and I feel like if I was a ghost, I’d probably want to haunt the halls of Versailles.”

The Grammy winner added, “I definitely felt some spirits there.”

The “Drop Dead” music video premiered in April, featuring Rodrigo frolicking through the ornate halls of the palace while rocking out to the song on guitar and in her headphones. The choice of location likely stems from one of the lyrics in the song’s chorus, on which the star sings, “I always had a vision of us standing like this/ All pressed up in the bathroom line, you looking like an angel on the walls of Versailles.”

“I can’t believe that they let me film there, it was really wild,” Rodrigo added. “It started as kind of a pipe dream of, ‘Oh, that could be cool one day if I could go and visit Versailles.’”

“Drop Dead” marked the first taste of You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, Rodrigo’s third album that dropped June 12. The former Disney star has since followed up the first track with two more music videos for songs on the album: “The Cure” and “Stupid Song.”

Check out the “Drop Dead” music video filmed inside the Palace of Versailles below.