receives

More than 1,5000 political prisoners in Venezuela have applied for amnesty under a new law that came into effect just a few days ago, according to the head of the country’s legislature.

“A total of 1,557 cases are being addressed immediately, and hundreds of people deprived of their freedom are already being released under the amnesty law”, National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez told a news conference on Saturday.

Rodriguez’s announcement comes two days after the country’s legislature unanimously adopted a landmark amnesty law.

Amnesty is not automatic under the law: petitioners must ask the court handling their cases.

On Friday, the lawmaker overseeing the amnesty process, Jorge Arreaza, announced that prosecutors had asked courts to free 379 prisoners. They include opposition members, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and many others detained for months or even years.

So far, 80 prisoners have been freed, Rodriguez told the AFP news agency on Saturday. All of those released had been detained in the capital, Caracas, he said, without offering further details.

Further releases could be granted within 15 days, said Arreaza.

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, the sister of the top lawmaker, pushed for the United States-backed legislation after she rose to power following the US’s abduction of leftist leader Nicolas Maduro during a military raid on January 3.

The legislation’s approval marked a reversal for Venezuelan authorities, who have for decades denied holding political prisoners and say those jailed have committed crimes.

During its signing, Rodriguez said the law showed that the country’s political leaders were “letting go of a little intolerance and opening new avenues for politics in Venezuela”.

However, opposition figures have criticised the new legislation, which appears to include carve-outs for some offences previously used by authorities to target Maduro’s political opponents.

Human rights organisations are also calling for the law to be applied to all prisoners held for political reasons, even if they are not listed among the beneficiaries.

“It is discriminatory and unconstitutional to exclude imprisoned military personnel and persecuted political figures,” Alfredo Romero, president of rights group Foro Penal, said on X Saturday. Without this, “there can be no talk of national coexistence”.

The law explicitly does not apply to those prosecuted for “promoting” or “facilitating… armed or forceful actions” against Venezuela’s sovereignty by foreign actors.

Delcy Rodriguez has levelled such accusations against opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Maria Corina Machado, who hopes, at some point, to return to Venezuela from the US.

Opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa, a close ally of Machado, had a house arrest order against him lifted, his brother, lawmaker Tomas Guanipa, told the Reuters news agency late on Thursday.

The law also excludes members of the security forces convicted of “terrorism”-related activities.

But the amnesty extends to 11,000 political prisoners who, over nearly three decades, were paroled or placed under house arrest.

“The law provides for those substitute measures to be lifted so that these people can enjoy full freedom”, Rodriguez told reporters.

Outside a national police facility in Caracas known as Zone 7, relatives – some of whom have been on site for weeks – waited patiently.

“Let’s hope it’s true,” Genesis Rojas told AFP.

A group of relatives who have been camped out for days chanted: “We want to go home!”

Hundreds have already been granted conditional release by Rodriguez’s government since the deadly US raid that resulted in Maduro’s capture.

Maduro and his wife are in US custody awaiting trial. He has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and declared that he was a “prisoner of war.”

SYDNEY Sweeney is in knockout form in a 1950s cream gown. 

The Housemaid actress, 28, wore the fitted gown to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where her and Wuthering Heights actor Jacob Elordi, 28, held hands after each being honoured with the Virtuosos Award. 

Sydney, who won for boxing flick Christy, said: “We were actually fighting.  

“We were breaking noses, we had bloody noses, I had a concussion.  

“It was very real. I sent them all care packages afterwards – I felt really bad.” 

Christy was based on the incredible life and career of champion boxer Christy Martin. 

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Martin married her coach Jim Martin – despite being a lesbian – before he tried to KILL the fighter by stabbing and shooting her.

The boxing great – who later married her former opponent Lisa Holewyne – survived the attack while Jim was jailed for 25 years.

Martin’s sensational story was played out on the big screen by Sweeney – who went under a dramatic transformation for the role.

She trained for three months with a boxing coach before filming while also doing weights and having a nutritionist.

Sweeney worked out up to three times a day – while piling on the pounds with a fast food diet of Chick-fil-A and milkshakes.

Team GB skier Gus Kenworthy says he has received death threats after posting a graphic message about the United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement organisation – commonly known as ICE.

Kenworthy shared the image – in which ‘ICE’ was preceded by an expletive – on Instagram a week before he was due to compete at the Winter Olympics in Italy.

The 34-year-old was born in Chelmsford but grew up in America and won silver in the ski slopestyle at the Sochi 2014 Games, before switching allegiance to Team GB in 2019.

In a new post on Instagram, Kenworthy said there had been a lot of “encouraging” support but that he has also received death threats.

“The other day I posted a photo with my thoughts on ICE and that photo has since gone everywhere – and I’ve gotten a tonne of messages and most of them honestly have been supportive and encouraging,” Kenworthy said in a video., external

“But a lot of the messages have been awful, people telling me to kill myself, threatening me, wishing they’ll get to see me blow my knee or break my neck during my event, calling me slurs… it’s insane.”

Kenworthy will feature in the men’s snowboard halfpipe event, with qualifying beginning on 19 February in Livigno, Italy.

Protests have taken place across the US over the past few weeks after intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, 37, and fellow Minnesota resident Renee Good, 37, were both killed by ICE agents in the city in January.

MARK RONSON is going to be the man of the moment at the Brit Awards when he is honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize.

And I have been told organisers are going all-out to make it a moment to remember for Mark — with Dua Lipa, Raye and Lily Allen in the mix to perform a medley of his hits.

All three women have teamed up with Mark on songs before, with Mark and Dua winning a Grammy for their 2018 hit Electricity.

Lily’s 2007 track Oh My God was produced by Mark, while he helped write and produce Raye’s song Suzanne last summer.

A music industry insider told me: “The Outstanding Contribution to Music gong is massive for Mark and the Brits want to celebrate his impact on the music industry.

“He has worked on so many incredible songs with some massive artists, and they’ve been reaching out to try to get something very special lined up.

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“Dua, Lily and Raye have all been approached about performing a medley of Mark’s songs, including their own tracks he worked on.

“The Brits love a big moment and want this tribute to be one of the most impactful moments of the night.

“It’s all still a massively moveable feast, with the finer details being ironed out.”

I revealed last week that Mark was getting the prestigious award, which has previously been handed to acts including Sir Elton John, The Beatles and Oasis.

Mark said: “This is the most meaningful honour of my career.

“I think of the times I’ve watched artists I revere accept this same award.

“The idea that I’m now standing in that lineage feels impossible.

“I left England as a kid, but this country runs through everything I’ve made.

“The UK artists I’ve worked with — their brilliance and refusal to compromise — shaped not just my work but how I understand what music should do.

“And, more than anything, it’s the crowds here who’ve sustained and showed up for me.

“The fans, the festival crowds, the record buyers and streamers, the love has always been overwhelming.

“I’m beyond grateful for all of it.”

The ceremony, at Manchester’s Co-op Live on February 28, is looking like it’s going to be a corker, with Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice and Rosalia all confirmed to be performing, too.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the after parties are just as good.

Capaldi please Tay yes

LEWIS CAPALDI is hoping to hit the studio with Taylor Swift after starring in her Opalite music video.

He took to social media to reply to fans after making a surprise cameo in Taylor’s latest clip.

After one fan asked about the prospect of Taylor and him recording a duet together, the Wish You The Best singer replied: “I can but dream.”

Last night Official Charts UK revealed Opalite is on track to give Taylor her sixth No1 this Friday.

Meanwhile, Myles Smith and Niall Horan are eyeing up a Top 20 debut, with their new song Drive Safe in an No20.

Niall’s One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik is also back in the charts.

His single, Die For Me, the lead track on upcoming fifth album Konnakol, is currently at No39.

Cardi’s wet and wild

CARDI B appears to have ditched standard red carpet dresses for a trusty wetsuit.

The WAP rapper wore this funky red and yellow jumpsuit as she attended the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party.

The VIP event at Pier 48 in San Francisco saw a host of stars take to the stage before last night’s Super Bowl halftime show by Bad Bunny at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

As well as Cardi, SZA and Nelly also took to the stage during the evening.

Keen to make the most of her time in the city, Cardi was also spotted backstage at Uber’s The One Party.

She sported a tight white jumpsuit as she hung out with British sensation Olivia Dean who, fresh from winning her first Grammy last weekend, performed at the bash.

Jason channels his inner Slater

JASON DERULO may have finished the UK leg of his tour last night, but we’ve clearly made a lasting impression.

The Whatcha Say singer, channelled his inner Kat Slater from EastEnders in this leopard print coat at his final show at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.

After performing in Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham and London, Jason is now taking his The Last Dance World Tour across Europe.

Once he ties up the tour, Jason has promised it’s the start of a new era.

He told Bizarre’s Howell: “It is a retirement of one version of me and the start of a new one.”

PERRIE EDWARDS has moved the release of her new track, Woman In Love, to tomorrow at 5pm.

The move thrilled fans after she made the announcement on social media, after bringing it forward from Friday.

It also does Perrie’s ex Little Mix co-star Jesy Nelson a favour too.

Jesy’s new Prime Video TV series is expected to drop on February 13, and Perrie’s decision to move the release appears to allow Jesy to bask in the limelight without any talk of competition between the old bandmates.

After everything that went down between the Little Mixers, it’s good to see they’re finally starting to move on.

I’M hoping Madonna’s twin daughters Estere and Stella could be Tottenham’s next Lucky Pappe Sars.

Madge has revealed the pair have made it through to the Spurs’s Women’s Academy.

She was pitchside over the weekend to watch Estere and Stella smash another team 5-0, and joked she had been in an Uber for the second time in her life to make it to the game.

Madge has form when it comes to having kids with footballing prowess.

Her son David Banda joined Benfica’s youth academy in Portugal aged 11 and played with their youth squad for a number of seasons, with Madge relocating to Lisbon to support his career.

David ended up leaving the beautiful game to pursue a career in music like his famous mum.

I’ve got high hopes for Estere and Stella – and they picked the perfect team to join.

Let’s just not talk about our recent run of form, OK?

HEARTSTOPPER star Kit Connor looked completely unrecognisable when he posed for a photo with his new mate Elton John.

The British Netflix actor attended a dinner at the singer’s house alongside actor Russell Tovey and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears among others, but I almost didn’t even realise it was him.

At only 21, he sported a full beard – a drastic change from his clean shaven look in the teen drama which made him famous.

If it’s for a role, no one will be recognising you, Kit.

PRINCESS SUPERSTAR had a handful of hits in the Noughties, including the 2007 dance classic Perfect (Exceeder), before falling out of the music business.

But almost two decades later, she is well and truly back, having just released her new single Yum-Me after the 2023 movie Saltburn featured her music and returned her to the charts.

In an exclusive chat, she explained: “It’s been wild. I lost my career and I got it back after Saltburn propelled Perfect back into the limelight.

“All of a sudden, after pretty much a ten-year hiatus, I found myself in recording studios all over again. It’s just been a really surreal experience.”

And the new tune is the first taste of a full length album.

She added: “I’m working on it as we speak and it’s about half done. I’ve recorded probably like 30 songs but only six are good enough for the album.”

During her time away from the charts, she became a mum, a mentor, and worked in social media.

But she also helped discover Lana Del Rey, when she was singing under her real name Lizzy Grant.

The singer and rapper explained: “Around 2008 I was producing artists, local people in New York, and my husband actually was like, ‘Oh you’ve got to meet this singer Lizzy Grant.’

“I was sort of dubious because my husband sometimes will bring home the worst people. But I was like, ‘Oh my god, she’s amazing’.

“We recorded songs in my apartment in New York.”

And after almost three decades in music, she’s ready to tell plenty more showbiz anecdotes.

She added: “I’m also about to potentially write a memoir. I’m really excited, it’s something I always wanted to do and so I’m talking to a UK publisher right now.”

Celebrations as flight carries dozens of passengers from Port Sudan to Sudanese capital.

The international airport in Khartoum has received its first scheduled commercial flight in more than two years as the Sudanese government continues to assert its control over Sudan’s capital city after years of fighting.

The Sudan Airways flight travelled to Khartoum from the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Sunday, carrying dozens of passengers.

Reporting from near the runway where the flight had landed, Al Jazeera’s Taher Almardi described scenes of jubilation following the arrival of the plane.

He said the reopening of the airport will help connect the capital to other regions in Sudan, with officials saying the facility is now ready to welcome as many as four flights daily.

Sudan Airways said in a statement that the flight, which was announced on Saturday with ticket prices starting at $50, “reflects the return of spirit and the continuation of the connection between the sons of the nation”.

The Sudanese military announced regaining full control of the capital from its rival, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, in March of last year.

Last month, Sudan’s army-aligned authorities moved the government’s headquarters back to Khartoum from their wartime capital of Port Sudan, which has also housed the country’s international airport since the early days of the war that began in April 2023.

Khartoum International Airport has come under repeated attacks, including an RSF drone assault in October that Sudanese officials said was intercepted.

On October 22, the airport said it had received a Badr Airlines flight, which was not pre-announced. But no further operations of commercial flights resumed until Sunday.

The war started as two top generals – Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the military, and Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, the RSF chief – and their forces clashed for power and control over Sudan’s resources.

The fighting has ravaged towns and cities across Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people and forcing millions of others from their homes.

Violence continues to rage in central and western Sudan, particularly in Darfur, where the war has led to mass displacement and a humanitarian crisis.

“In Darfur today, reaching a single child can take days of negotiation, security clearances, and travel across sand roads under shifting frontlines,” Eva Hinds, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said in a statement on Friday.

“Nothing about this crisis is simple: every movement is hard-won, every delivery fragile.”

During the summer of 1998, a 19-year-old rapper named Eve (formerly known as Eve of Destruction) received a phone call from her producer friend Scott Storch about an opportunity to hop on a record with the Roots.

The hip-hop band from Philadelphia, formed by Black Thought and Questlove, was bubbling at the time and Eve, a known battle rapper in the city, was excited to work together on a song called “You Got Me.”

After tweaking the verse that Black Thought, the band’s lead MC and co-founder, wrote for her, Eve laid down her vocals, rhyming the lyrics “Another lonely night? / It seems like I’m on the side, you only lovin’ your mic.”

“It was really exciting,” Eve said, while lounging on a couch in a Hollywood residence. The rapper, actor and fashion designer has been based in London for the last decade. “I think that was my most professional setting because they obviously were already signed.”

When the song, which is featured on the Roots’ career-defining “Things Fall Apart” album, was released in 1999, it was the first time the world heard Eve’s voice — but no one knew it was her. To her surprise, she wasn’t listed as a contributing artist on the track.

She was also surprised to find out that Jill Scott, a poet and rising neo-soul singer from Philadelphia who wrote and sang the initial hook, was replaced by Grammy-winning singer Erykah Badu. After receiving the wrong address for the shoot, Eve wasn’t featured in the music video either.

In 2000, the Roots and Badu won a Grammy for “You Got Me,” but because Eve wasn’t listed on the track, she didn’t receive an award. By this time, Eve was signed to Ruff Ryders and promoting her debut album “Let There Be Eve…Ruff Ryders’ First Lady” including her breakout single “Want Ya Want,” so although it hurt her feelings at the time, she moved past it, she said.

“There was no time to kind of go back and think about it,” said Eve, who opened up about the situation in her 2024 memoir “Who’s That Girl.” After years of seeing each other and even performing the song together, she and Questlove spoke about the matter for the first time when she made an appearance on his podcast and apologized to Eve for the oversight. “We were extremely inconsiderate, insular and uncommunicative with each other that things like that always spilled on the sidelines,” the drummer said on the podcast. (Questlove wasn’t available for comment further at the time of publication.)

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Last fall, Eve received another unexpected phone call — this time from the Recording Academy. After hearing Eve talk about the “You Got Me” situation on Ebro Darden’s podcast, the Recording Academy wanted to give her an award for her contributions to the track.

“They were like, ‘Listen, we didn’t even know about this situation at all until we heard the podcast,’” Eve recalled.

After 26 years, Eve was given a golden gramophone Thursday night during the Recording Academy Honors presented by the Black Music Collective in front of a star-studded audience. For her, the award feels like “validation in a way to that little girl, to little Eve,” she said. “She deserves that.”

She added, “Whatever is yours can’t miss you.”

Ahead of the ceremony, Eve spoke to The Times about coming up in the Philadelphia music scene as a teenager, what the “You Got Me” situation has taught her and what receiving this award means to her now. She also talked about the impact of her second studio album, “Scorpion,” which turns 25 this year, and what it was like to bring her toddler son on tour with her for the first time.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

You grew up in West Philly at a time when so many future greats were coming up at once — the Roots, Jill Scott, Bilal and Scott Storch. When you were just a teenager, you were hanging out at studios with some of them and attending jam sessions at Questlove’s house. What did the energy in Philly feel like back then?

It was amazing because music was everywhere. I knew that I wanted it to be my life, so every weekend I was doing something. I should’ve been going to school, but I was going to the studio because I knew that I wanted music to be my life. And in Philly, there was always something going on whether it was a block party or a jam session or an open mic night. I was at everything.

Scott Storch was the person who called you about getting on the Roots’ “You Got Me” record. What was your reaction when you got that call?

When you are young, there’s that no fear thing. I remember being excited, of course, but also like, “Yes! I’m supposed to be here,” not from a cocky place but more affirmative. It was really exciting, but it was also very professional. I think that was my most professional setting because they obviously were already signed. I’d never been around that before, so I remember [being] like “This feels like the business.”

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

You were around 19 or 20 at that time, right?

I must have been around 19 because I would’ve gotten signed and dropped [from Aftermath] when I was 18. [laughs]

At that time you were in between record deals, so it must have felt like a big opportunity.

Absolutely. You know what’s funny, I probably just took it for granted in the sense of like “Oh yeah, this is the start.” They are signed. It’s funny because I think back on the situation and I guess I thought it was gonna pop off from there. That’s why all the events that happened afterward were like “Ugh.”

Take me back to the day that you laid down your verse. Who was in the studio with you?

I’m pretty sure Black Thought and Jill [Scott] were there. Even if not the whole session, I don’t know if I’d come in if she’d finished or whatever, but I’m pretty sure she was there.

How did your verse come together?

I had this whole thing in my head, but Black Thought had a whole verse already. But then I was like, “I’m not gonna just say your verse.” Now, I have a writer sometimes, but back then, especially because I was a battle rapper, it was like I can’t say somebody else’s bars. That’s not real. So he had this whole thing and then I kind of tweaked it to make it feel and sound like me.

I had a lot of audacity back then. I really did. [laughs] Because most people would be like “Yeah, cool.” Also, I was like if I’m going to put my voice on this, I really want to feel like me. I have thought about this [situation] so much now, and I’m sure that also attributed to them being like, “We don’t need to reach out. We don’t need to make sure it’s OK” because the majority of it was written by him. Not that that’s an excuse because there is no excuse.

When was the first time that you realized you didn’t receive credit for the song? If I’m not mistaken, I think Jill Scott found out that her vocals were replaced by Erykah Badu after she heard it on the radio.

I think it was kind of the same thing. It all happened so fast like, “Oh, the song is out.” I probably heard it around the same time and thought “Oh, that’s not Jill. Oh, that’s Erykah Badu.” It was such a weird timeline because I did the song a year or a few months before, and then by the time I heard the song, I was living in Harlem and I was signed to Ruff Ryders.

The song went on to win a Grammy for rap performance by a duo or group in 2000, but because you weren’t credited, you didn’t receive an award. In your book, you talk about how this situation lined up with you being dropped from Aftermath Entertainment and moving back home from L.A. How did you deal with all of this emotionally?

I feel like I had a month that I was just [felt] — I don’t know if I’d call it depressed — deflated. I really felt like damn, this was it and now I’m back home. I was just in L.A. in a condo with a nice bank account. Now I’m back at my mom’s house in my pajamas and I gotta catch the bus. What the hell is happening to my life? [laughs] That was horrible so I was wrestling with my feelings and my sadness, but my mom was great. My mom has always been my rock. She was supportive and she [didn’t] tell me to get over it. She kind of just let me wallow in it, but [she was] positive as well like, “Maybe that wasn’t the time.” It was crazy, but I will say, I needed it. I’m happy that happened because I wouldn’t have the career I have now. Like going back to the Aftermath thing, if I had come out then, I wouldn’t have the career that I have now. I feel like I did need to be humbled because it was definitely the Philly attitude that got me fired, that got me dropped. [laughs] My name at the time was Eve of Destruction, my battle rap name, so it was the time that I sat with my feelings and I was like if I get this chance again who is it that I want to be as an artist? Who do I want to show the world? I didn’t want to take on a title. I was like I’m just going to show them myself. I’m going to show them Eve.

Some fans knew that you didn’t receive credit on this track, but others found out for the first time when you talked about it last year during an appearance on Ebro Darden’s podcast.

It’s crazy how many people are mad about it for me. I had friends who were like, “Girl, so what’s going to happen?” [laughs] But it is a funny thing. Why wasn’t I mad enough? Or was it — this is the over-analyzer [in me] — one of those moments where I just wanted to forget about it. Because, yeah, my feelings were definitely hurt if it was a fake address. Or did we get the address wrong? So maybe I was like, “I’ll just put it on the back burner,” but Ebro definitely did not. And you know what, I’m happy he didn’t because sometimes it takes for a person to be your champion or your cheerleader in certain things and I do appreciate it.

“You Got Me” is one of the Roots’ biggest songs to this day. Was it weird hearing it played everywhere when it first came out?

During that time I did not see them. It was very weird. That song had come out, I was doing my thing, but we ran in different circles hip-hop-wise. I guess we just never crossed paths. I never really saw them. I think they were on tour by then and I was with Ruff Ryders. We didn’t see each other until years later because we have performed that song now three times probably at separate points in my career, which is also weird. [laughs]

That is weird.

It’s weird. I don’t know what’s wrong.

Now, 26 years after “You Got Me” won a Grammy, you are finally receiving your award and honored at the Black Music Collective Recording Academy Honors. What was your reaction when you found out?

It was weird at first because the [academy] called a lot of different people. They called like four different people because they wouldn’t tell anybody why they wanted to talk to me. Finally, I think Swizz [Beatz] was probably the last person they called. Then we got on the phone and I remember I was having martinis in London. It was a FaceTime [call] and I was standing under a lamp. It was not professional on my side and I was trying real hard not to be tipsy. I was like, “This is so cool. Thank you, guys.” [laughs] My friend, who I was with, was like “What did you have to take a call for?” and I was like “Girllll.” So it was a fun night. I came home and told my husband, fell asleep and when I woke up, I completely forgot about it. Then my friend texted me and was like “Do you remember?” and I was like “Oh s—! Yeah!” It’s just such a cool thing and since then it’s been like “Wow.” They said, “We could send you the Grammy, but we’d like to give it to you.” It’s really nice. It’s a really interesting feeling because obviously it’s been so long, something that I thought I was done with, in a way, so it feels good.

What did they tell you exactly?

They were like “Listen, we didn’t even know about this situation at all until we heard the podcast.” It was the podcast that I did with Ebro when they were like “Oh nah.” Even Swizz was like “Sis, we gotta make this happen. That’s not cool.” And I was like “OK, cool.”

Does receiving this award now feel like reconciliation at all? Or maybe validation?

In a way, validation to that little girl, to little me. It sounds a bit cheesy, but she deserves that. It’s a great moment. I’m still wrapping my head around it in a way especially since I’ve been away from music for so long and for this to be happening like this is very cool.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

What have you learned or taken away from this situation?

I think I’m honestly still processing because I was joking, but kind of not, like I want to talk to my therapist about why I let this go. What was it? Why did I think, “Oh nah, it’s cool. We squashed it.” But it’s like no, this is bigger than that. But good s— comes to good people and I know for sure I definitely deserve it. [laughs]

In other exciting news, this March marks the 25th anniversary of your second album, “Scorpion.” What memories rush back to you when you think about that time of your life, living and working in Miami?

Oh my God. There’s so many. It was so fun. I remember the house we rented. I had one Yorkie, then I bought her a friend in Florida. It was silly s— that I remember and then just being in the studio day and night. Then the Marleys were on the other side. It was just a good time. I was fully in it. It was a lot of pressure because it was like “We gotta get this album done now.” It’s when I really think I felt the business of music in the sense of like, “We gotta meet these deadlines. We gotta get this album out,” which was stressful but I was still naive enough, I think, to still be having fun. I was going out. I met Trina. Trina is my girl. Overall, it was a really good time.

Between experimenting with new sounds, crossing genres with artists like Gwen Stefani, and making the theme red, “Scorpion” felt very intentional. Reflecting back, what did that era represent for you personally beyond the music?

I feel very lucky that Ruff Ryders always allowed me to artistically do what I wanted to do. They never said things like “Oh this might not work.” And even sonically, they weren’t the ones who were fighting back, it was more like executives and Interscope, but for me “Scorpion” means red. Red is a scorpion color. We gotta come out stinging, but I also want to show that I’ve grown, that I’ve matured and really show what my ear is. I felt really lucky that they didn’t fight me on it. They let me do exactly what I needed to do. It felt collaborative because that’s how Ruff Ryders worked anyway. There were people in and out of the studio all the time, but it made it good because sometimes a conversation led to a hook or a verse.

Last year you went on tour with Nelly, Ja Rule and Chingy, and you brought along your son. What was it like having him there with you, seeing you on stage?

It was grueling. I ain’t gone lie. It was amazing, but being on tour with a toddler is different. That being said, the reason I said yes to doing the tour is because he’s young enough that I can kind of tote him around, but he’s old enough that he can remember. Seeing him on the side of the stage was like “Oh, my little baby.” It was also fun. Like everybody on that tour had bangers, so even me performing or being backstage and hearing Ja or hearing Nelly or hearing Chingy, it was a good tour. The crowd showed up. It was a really cool tour too because in some places, it was like generations of people together like the kids and the moms, and then there were a lot of young people, and I was like “Oh, I love this.”

What else do you have coming up?

Listening to new music and discovering new artists. I am excited about this 25th anniversary because we are going to do some really fun stuff with it and we’re talking about some re-imaginings with it. Just touch some of the songs that people love and give it a bit of life. What else? I don’t know. I’m just “momming.” That’s my favorite thing right now. He’s getting so big. I cannot believe he’s about to be 4. Watching him grow is nice.