Kanye West says he will counter-sue his former assistant, after she filed court documents accusing him of sexual harassment and breach of contract.

In her lawsuit, Lauren Pisciotta alleged the star sent her vulgar texts and performed sex acts while on the phone with her.

West’s legal representative has now called those accusations “baseless” and accused Pisciotta of engaging in “blackmail and extortion” after the star rejected her sexual advances.

“In response to these baseless allegations, Ye will be filing a lawsuit against Ms. Pisciotta,” they added, using the rapper’s current preferred name.

Pisciotta is believed to have worked for West from 2021 to 2022, initially on his fashion line before becoming his personal assistant on a salary of $1m (£780,000) per year.

She has alleged that, during her employment, the star bombarded her with explicit text, some of which included pornographic videos.

Pisciotta also claimed that he masturbated while talking to her on the phone and that, on one occasion, pleasured himself in front of her after “trapping” her in a private room on his plane.

In her lawsuit, the former OnlyFans model said she was abruptly fired in 2022, and never received her promised severance package.

West’s lawyer challenged the story, saying that Pisciotta “was terminated for being unqualified” and “demanding unreasonable sums of money”, including an annual salary of $4m (£3.13m).

They also accused Pisciotta of “lascivious, unhinged conduct”, claiming that she “consistently used sexual coercion” to demand money and material items, including designer handbags and a Lamborghini car.

The statement further alleged that, after West rejected her advances, Pisciotta attempted to blackmail him for $60m (£47m).

The BBC contacted Ms Pisciotta to request a response, but she did not immediately respond.

On Tuesday, she posted a message to her Instagram story that read: “Your soul becomes aligned with freedom when you allow others the liberty to dislike you, judge you and disagree with you.”

Grammy award-winning producer and songwriter The-Dream has been accused of rape and sexual battery, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles

The 47-year-old, born Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, was named as the defendant in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by a former protégé, Chanaaz Mangroe, who performed as Channii Monroe.

According to the lawsuit, Ms Mangroe says Mr Gesteelde-Diamant repeatedly forced her to have sex, throttled her and on one occasion filmed an intimate encounter and then threatened to show it to other people.

Mr Gesteelde-Diamant, who has written songs for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey, has denied the allegations.

According to the 60-page lawsuit, seen by the BBC, Ms Mangroe is seeking damages for “lost wages” and for “mental pain and anguish and severe emotional distress”.

Ms Mangroe, originally from the Netherlands and who worked in the US hoping to break through as a singer and songwriter, says in the lawsuit she first met Mr Gesteelde-Diamant in January 2015.

The 33-year-old alleges he “subjected” her to “violent sexual encounters” that left her bruised; forced her into drinking “excessive amounts of alcohol”; strangled her to the point she “almost lost consciousness”; forced her into sexual acts in a movie theatre and raped her in a renovated sprinter van.

She also says he “told her that he would make her the next Beyoncé and Rihanna”.

Within days of that initial meeting, Ms Mangroe claims Mr Gesteelde-Diamant had begun pressuring her for sex, telling her it was “part of the process”, the lawsuit claims.

The 33-year-old says he locked her in a dark room and “would only stop aggressively having sex with her once she said that she loved him”.

Ms Mangroe alleges in the lawsuit that unwanted sexual encounters continued, while Mr Gesteelde-Diamant made her promises such as suggesting he could arrange for her to be the opening act of Beyoncé’s next tour, and Grammys.

In a statement given to the BBC by her legal team, Ms Mangroe said choosing to speak “has been one of the most difficult decisions of my life”.

“But ultimately, what Dream did to me made it impossible to live the life I envisioned for myself and pursue my goals as a singer and songwriter.

“Ultimately, my silence has become too painful, and I realized that I need to tell my story to heal.

“I hope that doing so will also help others and prevent future horrific abuse.”

Mr Gesteelde-Diamant has won eight Grammy Awards and was nominated for the newly created category of Songwriter of the Year at the 65th Grammy Awards in February 2023.

In a statement supplied by a representative of Mr Gesteelde-Diamant to the New York Times, he said the claims are “untrue and defamatory”.

“I oppose all forms of harassment and have always strived to help people realize their career goals,” the statement said.

“As someone committed to making a positive impact on my fellow artists and the world at large, I am deeply offended and saddened by these accusations.”

Reggae deejay Kriss Darlin found himself on the receiving end over an insensitive statement following the death of media personality Njambi Koikai.

Following news of Njambi’s passing, Kriss hit out at people mourning her death accusing them of not standing with her when she needed help.

He mentioned that people were quick to post photos with her yet they could not even donate blood when she asked for help.

“It’s now time to post pictures with the departed but when she asked and needed blood donations and help nobody posted pictures,” Kriss wrote on Instagram.

However, this statement did not sit well with a lot of people who lashed out at Kriss including comedian Njugush who insinuated that Kriss and Njambi were not in good times.

blessednjugush: But Kris you should be the last to speak, you know what you put her through.

anyikowoko: Jahmby doesn’t deserve this weird comment. A lot of people and friends posted about the blood request and have in other instances. There are people who also help or have helped don’t post. Let’s just celebrate her and be positive. That’s what she would appreciate.

xclusivedeejay: Sasa mnagate keep how people will mourn? Ahh surely, people support in different ways sio kila mtu lazima atoe damu. There are people who would pray for her, maybe send her an encouraging message. I’m sure this sounded smart when typing but it’s not.

hillas_hillary: Disappointed you can even reason like that. For the last 17 years she has battled the disease wewe peke yako ndio ulimsupport ama unasema nini? So we can’t mourn regardless? Mourning is personal and a lot of people were championing for her always. To others she was a motivation, an entertainer and many more.

deejay_hertical: My good brother this is uncalled for. When she asked for blood many of us who had the love shared her concerns, and I’m sure there are those who donated. But even if it’s not blood some of us prayed for her. Prayers are everything. And when a person dies you can’t avoid good friends and people who knew her to post her pictures. Even you and me God forbid people will post us. It shows love we had for her. Who can prevent death?

American singer and businesswoman Robyn Rihanna Fenty is making major business moves after she revealed her haircare product line on Tuesday.

Rihanna, the founder of Fenty Beauty, Skin and Fragrance, will this month launch the latest expansion of the beauty brand that made her a billionaire.

Taking to her social media accounts, the Don’t Stop the Music megastar shared that a new family is moving in, making reference to Fenty Hair.

“It is time to finally have the hair experience you’ve been waiting for. You know how much switching my hair up matters to me,” she wrote.

“I have had almost every texture, colour, and length, from weaves to braids to natural, so I am launching a flexible line of products for not only every hair want, but every single product is designed to strengthen and repair all types of hair, which is what we truly need.

The 36-year-old singer launched Fenty Beauty in partnership with the French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH in 2017.

The African personal care and cosmetics sector was said to be worth billions of rands and would grow even bigger.

According to reports, in 2021 she was owning an estimated 50% of the company.

The cosmetics brand then launched the skincare line Fenty Skin in 2020 and the perfume brand Fenty Fragrance a year later.

She was inspired to create Fenty Beauty & Fenty Skin after years of experimenting with the best of the best in beauty and still seeing a void in the industry for products that performed across all skin types and tones.

Rihanna’s brands have largely targeted more diverse audiences and women of color, in addition to some products for men.

In 2022, she officially launched her brand in South Africa and eight other African countries, including Botswana, Kenya, and Nigeria.

Rihanna also owns 28% of the popular lingerie company Savage x Fenty.