A court in South Korea has sentenced American livestreamer Johnny Somali, whose real name is Ismael Ramsey Khalid, to six months in prison for public nuisance and other offences.

The 25-year-old sparked widespread outrage in Seoul after posting a video in November 2024 showing himself kissing and performing suggestive acts on a statue commemorating victims of wartime sexual slavery during World War II.

Authorities charged Khalid shortly after the incident and barred him from leaving the country while investigations were ongoing. On Wednesday, the court convicted him on multiple counts, including public nuisance and distributing sexually explicit deepfake content.

In its ruling, the court said the defendant had repeatedly engaged in disruptive and offensive conduct toward the public to generate profit through online platforms, disregarding local laws and cultural sensitivities.

Prosecutors had sought a three-year sentence, but the court imposed a reduced term, citing what it described as the absence of severe harm to victims, according to local media reports.

Khalid has also been prohibited from working with organisations that serve minors and people with disabilities following his release.

The case has drawn renewed attention to the symbolic significance of so-called “comfort women” memorials across South Korea. These statues, often depicting a young seated woman, honour an estimated 200,000 women—many of them Korean—who were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese forces during World War II. The issue remains a sensitive and at times contentious subject in relations between South Korea and Japan.

Khalid, who has built a reputation for provocative online content, had previously apologised, claiming he did not understand the meaning of the statue. However, the apology was met with scepticism by many observers.

His legal troubles extend beyond South Korea. He has faced accusations of harassment in Japan and Israel, including being fined for disrupting a restaurant in Japan and briefly detained during a protest in Tel Aviv.

Afrika Bambaataa, one of the foundational figures of hip-hop culture, has died at the age of 68, according to confirmation from the Hip Hop Alliance.

In a statement, the organisation paid tribute to Bambaataa’s influence in shaping a “global movement rooted in peace, unity, love, and having fun,” highlighting his central role in the emergence of hip-hop as both a musical genre and a broader cultural force.

Born Lance Taylor in The Bronx to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrant parents, Bambaataa came of age during the era of the black liberation movement. In 1973, he co-founded the Universal Zulu Nation, an international collective aimed at redirecting youth energy away from violence and toward artistic expression and community building.

As a teenager, he had been a member of the Black Spades, later using his leadership experience to help transform local street culture into a creative movement. His 1982 track Planet Rock brought him global recognition and is widely credited with helping define the sound and direction of hip-hop in the 1980s.

Throughout his career, Bambaataa collaborated with a range of prominent artists, including James Brown and John Lydon, and contributed to socially conscious projects such as the 1985 anti-apartheid song Sun City.

His death, first reported by TMZ, was said to have occurred in Pennsylvania on Thursday due to complications from cancer.

In later years, Bambaataa’s legacy was overshadowed by allegations of child sexual abuse and trafficking dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, which he consistently denied. In 2025, he lost a civil case related to those accusations after failing to appear in court, according to reports.

The Hip Hop Alliance acknowledged that these allegations have complicated his legacy, noting that his life and work have been the subject of “serious conversations within our community,” even as his contributions to the global rise of hip-hop remain significant.

Rapper Offset has been hospitalised after being shot outside a casino in the U.S. state of Florida, according to police and media reports.

The 34-year-old artist, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, is in a stable condition and is being closely monitored, a spokesperson told Variety. Authorities confirmed that the incident occurred on Monday evening at a valet area outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

The Seminole Police Department said the shooting happened shortly after 19:00 local time and resulted in non-life-threatening injuries to one individual. Two people have been detained in connection with the incident, and an investigation is ongoing.

Offset’s representatives have not yet publicly commented on the shooting.

Offset rose to prominence as a member of the hip-hop trio Migos, alongside Quavo and Takeoff. The group first gained widespread attention with their 2013 hit “Versace,” before achieving global success with “Bad and Boujee,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017. Migos have been widely regarded as one of the most influential rap groups of their generation.

In recent years, Offset has focused on his solo career following the group’s split in 2022, when Quavo and Takeoff formed the duo Unc & Phew.

The shooting comes less than a year after the death of Takeoff, who was fatally shot in Houston, Texas, in November 2022, an incident that sent shockwaves through the music industry.

Offset is also known for his high-profile relationship with rapper Cardi B. The pair married in 2017 and share three children, but separated and filed for divorce in 2024.

Police have not released further details about the motive behind the shooting, as investigations continue.