Melvin Townsend, the man assaulted by Mike Tyson on an AirBlue flight last year, has demanded $450K from the boxer, according to pre-litigation documents. Townsend's attorney, Jake Jondle, claims that the amount of money would cover Townsend's legal and medical bills, as well as ending any legal claims against Tyson.
However, Tyson's attorney has dismissed the demand as nothing more than a "shakedown". "I have received a shakedown letter related to some instigator's harassment of Mike a year ago and the aftermath. There will be no shakedown payment," Alex Shapiro said. Tyson has long maintained that Townsend instigated the confrontation by throwing a water bottle at Tyson and "f-cking with me", in Tyson's own words. Furthermore, prosecutors declined to charge Tyson in relation to the incident. This remains a developing story and we'll have any updates as they emerge.
Mike Tyson Calls AI Biggie & 2Pac Song "F-cked Up"
Tyson typically keeps to himself nowadays. However, some of the moments from his podcast, Hotboxin' With Mike, go viral. Back in May, Tony Yayo stopped by Mike Tyson's podcast, Hotboxin' with Mike. They discussed many topics, including the shooting of Yayo's close friend 50 Cent. However, they also broached the topic of AI art.“Let me tell you how ill computers is takin’ over. You ever heard of AI music?” Yayo asked Tyson and his co-host DJ Whoo Kid. “Do me a favor: play ‘Many Men’ by 50 Cent, 2Pac and Biggie.” The AI-generated song, while not a perfect imitation of the three iconic rappers, was enough to shock the studio.
“That’s f-cked up, bruh,” Tyson commented before simply adding, "Woah." Whoo also added a similar thought on the track. “Yo! This is crazy! This is insane. That don’t even make no sense." While Yayo was impressed by the track, it shows the potential of what AI can do - bringing back dead artists. However, with that comes with concern as the industry grapples with the question of whether those artists, their memory, and their legacy, should be left alone.
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