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black history month

For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music. And today, we’re celebrating Top Dawg. Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith:You know me, I’m like behind the scenes all the time. Tetris Kelly:For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music. […]

For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating MVD publicists Massah David and Miatta Johnson. The sibling duo, who are repping Liberia, founded the boutique creative agency MVD Inc. with the goal of amplifying Black storytelling, and they do it by producing […]

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Source: Fadi Kheir / Courtesy of Carnegie Hall
It’s the eve of Valentine’s Day on a snow-melting New York City evening. Black couples draped in their finest $5,000-a-plate fur-cloaked gala attire wandered around a half-filled Carnegie Hall auditorium, seeking and finding a place to purchase cocktails in the the Sanford I. Weill Cafe.

Source: Fadi Kheir / Courtesy of Carnegie Hall
Among the aforementioned are business casual and informally dressed attendees, some even in snow boots and leisurewear. They all learned about the Power Network’s “A Black History Month Conversation and Celebration.” Its purpose was to unite a niche audience commemorating Black excellence with decorated professionals, followed by an exhilarating mini-concert by Rick Ross hosted by legendary radio personality, Ed Lover.

Event organizers Lew Tucker and Terry Ross invited an impressive selection of renowned guest speakers and panelists tasked to discuss tangible ways technology, artificial intelligence and politics can leapfrog an encumbered community out of multi-generational poverty. Each subject matter expert offered their brand of solutions – voting, equity ownership and advanced education were at the top of the list for the most part. However, some conversations had such galvanizing perspectives, making the call to action a revolution worth exploring.
In the first panel of the night, moderator and Vibranium Central Foundation executive Derek Ferguson kicked off the discussion with a malfunctioned video clip of the late Nipsey Hussle discussing the distrust in cryptocurrencies in Black communities and his desire to remediate it with technology. Megan Holston-Alexander, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz heading the Cultural Leadership Fund in Silicon Valley, discussed how the power of equity ownership in tech is a fast track to bridging the wage gap if investors are strategic enough to secure it.
An easy way to bypass an often impenetrable venture capital fund is through “employment-ship,” as she describes. Candidates would seek employment at a budding tech start-up and secure company stock through a compensation package, which can instantly become worth millions if a larger company acquires the business or goes public on the stock market. It’s extended gameplay but has given professionals an expedited pathway toward real wealth.
Ron Busby Sr., a business executive at U.S. Black Chambers Inc., reminded the audience how the government glosses over Black issues by enveloping other ethnicities into federal funding under the umbrella term “minority,” which he claims has served white women the most at an astounding 78% of the budget. If Black enterprises certify their businesses on byblack.us as Black-owned businesses, they actively create a demand for federal dollars explicitly earmarked for Black business owners. Additionally, using acquisitions by becoming a 51% owner of small companies would help expand their businesses and aid them in gaining larger contracts that are otherwise inaccessible to small businesses.

Source: Fadi Kheir / Courtesy of Carnegie Hall
The second act of the event was a pleasant pivot into political activism with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, moderated by Earn Your Leisure founders Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings.
Moore’s decorated life story is one for the books. The former Robin Hood CEO, who once managed to distribute $600 million towards impoverished families before taking his talents into politics in 2023, won his first elected seat into office on the first try.
His new career starts without deep political ties, which historically has muddled the landscape along with backroom deals and false promises to its constituents. Instead, Moore’s business-minded approach focuses on demolishing generational poverty in the Black community through policy.
From his perspective, gaining access to the state budget has given him a unique understanding of how deliberate policy-driven racism has strategically pigeonholed Black Americans into disenfranchisement.
Source: Fadi Kheir / Courtesy of Carnegie Hall
Billionaire Robert F. Smith, who also serves as Carnegie Hall’s chairman, joined the governor’s conversation with HarbourView CEO Sherrese Clarke Soares. The refreshed panel closed out the final segment of the evening. Both executives spoke in depth about the impact technology and AI will have on the future of Black families in America.
Smith highlighted the underrepresentation of Black professionals in tech and the dangers it threatens as AI amalgamates itself into corporate America. Eventually, executives will rely on automation software to eliminate an already fragile workforce paranoid about employment stability. Those positions are mainly held by Black Americans at a disturbing rate, fueling the conversation about the widening wealth gap. Smith believes the digital revolution can quantum leap the community into generational wealth and advancement, a theory solely based on the historic inventions created from thwarted access to essential resources through systemic racism.

Soares introduced the creator economy throughout entertainment and media verticals, declaring that audience and consumerism dictate new lanes of opportunity. Content is king here; there’s an opportunity to gain wealth through premier intellectual property investment. As AI continues to disrupt the bottlenecking strategies traditionally used to generate revenue streams at the expense of undervalued creators, global investment firms like HarborView will invest millions into an artist’s publishing catalog, for example. Jeremih recently partnered with Soares’s firm to sell published and recorded assets from the “Birthday Sex” singer for an undisclosed amount—monumental deals like these open avenues for wealth development in film, TV and sports for creators. As Black communities have dictated the pulse of popular culture throughout documented history, it’s remarkable to imagine the untapped market this will uncover as creators define the value of their artistic collections.
Pleasantly, each panelist left a tangible blueprint with accessible methods for average citizens to advance themselves toward generational wealth. If Black Americans play their hand right, technology and AI can dismount the longstanding systemic gatekeeping that has stagnated disenfranchised families for centuries and finally catapult folks out of poverty.
Source: Fadi Kheir / Courtesy of Carnegie Hall
The auditorium erupted in electric applause after statements closed, interlocking the audience with a contagious wave of empowerment. Anyone can be a big boss if they conquer their impostor syndrome. And cleverly, Rick Ross’ mini-concert with a live orchestra cemented the moment most perfectly.
The mini-concert began with “I’m A Boss,” harmoniously synchronized with the talented Revive Big Band, blowing their horns simultaneously with the recorded track as a projector displayed a montage of visuals of the famous rapper. While the intro played out, a white fur coat-wearing Rozay strolled onto the stage to take in the crowd before picking up his microphone to belt out his verse. The “All I Do Is Win” chorus then transitioned to “I’m On One.” The fur coat didn’t last five minutes on the chubby Wing Stop franchisee before being removed for the rest of the song’s performance.

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While the “Hustlin’” intro played, the Biggest Boss poured a glass of Luc Belaire Rare Rose into a champagne flute from a table placed behind him and raised it towards the crowd in the form of cheers before powering through half of the first verse. This formula went on throughout the show, using Maybach Music crowd favorites as transition markers into selected orchestra-assisted songs from Rick Ross’ vast catalog, including “Hustle Hard,” “Diced Pineapples,” “Aston Martin Music” and “Pop That.”
“B.M.F.“ is when the energy shifted on stage, causing him to belt, “I think I’m Big Meech, free Larry Hoover!” into the microphone with unfathomable conviction. He was finally loosening up.
In between song transitions, Renzel daps up band members as they catch their breath in time for the next song. They didn’t mind, as they were equally excited to interact with him, presumably forged by their mutual respect for the love of music.
“I’m Not A Star” and “Stay Schemin’” were played unassisted by the band through their discrete break, allowing fans to pick up the slack, screaming the lyrics word for word against the track.

The song that evangelized the crowd was DJ Khalid’s “God Did,” cueing the band to pick up their instruments to play along to the Grammy nominated song in a beautiful culmination of live notes. It was the perfect backdrop; Rick Ross used the time to crowd work. With his Luc Belaire-filled flute, he emphatically mouthed the song’s title intimately towards the fans sitting in the balconies overlooking the stage. It was strange but on par with the rapper’s animated personality. The moment was the perfect show closer to a fantastic setlist. Unencumbered by the exhausting 25-minute-long performance, Rozay took time to sign autographs and take pictures before disappearing backstage.

The night was long for a mid-week event, but it was worth the trip for what it offered. If using a Keith Lee rating system; 8 out of 10, which would jump to a 9.2 if there were some lemon pepper wings from Wing Stop on site.

For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating Yvette Noel-Schure. Yvette Noel-schure:I’ll probably just be telling the world. Tetris Kelly:For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music, and today we’re celebrating Yvette Noel-Schure. […]

Tetris Kelly:For Black History Month, Billboard is celebrating by highlighting some of the greatest Black executives in music and today we’re celebrating Pharrell. Four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and five No. 1 hits on Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs, Pharrell has been a force in the music industry for decades. He’s also […]

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Black History Month is here and, for many of us in the culture, the history and contributions of our people remain front and center all year long. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Black History Month became the top trending topic and sparked several replies we’ve gathered below.
Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) Former President Daryl Michael Scott shared in an essay on the ASALH website that definitively explains the rich history of Black History Month and its founder, Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
In the summer of 1915 in Chicago, Woodson, who attended the University of Chicago, traveled to the city to join in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation. With thousands of Black attendees at the event, Woodson and others held exhibits displaying varying articles related to Black history. For three weeks, crowds converged upon the Coliseum, which sparked Woodson to form an organization dedicated to studying Black life and history. On Sept. 9 of that year, Woodson met with A. L. Jackson and three others to establish the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH).
More from the ASALH website:
He hoped that others would popularize the findings that he and other black intellectuals would publish in The Journal of Negro History, which he established in 1916. As early as 1920, Woodson urged black civic organizations to promote the achievements that researchers were uncovering. A graduate member of Omega Psi Phi, he urged his fraternity brothers to take up the work. In 1924, they responded with the creation of Negro History and Literature Week, which they renamed Negro Achievement Week. Their outreach was significant, but Woodson desired greater impact. As he told an audience of Hampton Institute students, “We are going back to that beautiful history and it is going to inspire us to greater achievements.” In 1925, he decided that the Association had to shoulder the responsibility. Going forward it would both create and popularize knowledge about the black past. He sent out a press release announcing Negro History Week in February, 1926.
Woodson chose February for reasons of tradition and reform. It is commonly said that Woodson selected February to encompass the birthdays of two great Americans who played a prominent role in shaping black history, namely Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are the 12th and the 14th, respectively. More importantly, he chose them for reasons of tradition. Since Lincoln’s assassination in 1865, the black community, along with other Republicans, had been celebrating the fallen President’s birthday. And since the late 1890s, black communities across the country had been celebrating Douglass’. Well aware of the pre-existing celebrations, Woodson built Negro History Week around traditional days of commemorating the black past. He was asking the public to extend their study of black history, not to create a new tradition. In doing so, he increased his chances for success.
The 1970s saw a wider embrace of a longer celebration period, something Woodson advocated for in his lifetime along with other educators. At Kent State University, the Black United Students Group and other Black educators combined their efforts for a Black History Month celebration in 1970.
In 1976, the month-long celebration began taking root across the country after President Gerald Ford recognized the month during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. Across the globe, Black History Month jumped off at varying intervals with the United Kingdom first celebrating the month in 1987, with Germany and Canada joining along in the 1990s.
Keep scrolling to see the reactions from X below.

Photo: Getty

Few songs evoke Colombian pride like Grupo Niche’s salsa classic “Cali Pachanguero.” The moment the song’s opening trombone intro plays in a room full of Colombians, chairs and tables get pushed to the side, the space turns into a makeshift dance floor and a sing-along breaks out. So what if the song is a love […]

Dionne Warwick, Chloé Bailey, Frankie Beverly and Donald Lawrence will be saluted at the 2024 Urban One Honors, which is set to tape on Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Coca Cola Roxy in Atlanta. The two-hour telecast will premiere on Sunday, Feb. 25 on TV One and simulcast on CLEO TV.
Warwick will be recognized as the lifetime achievement honoree, Bailey as the generation next honoree, Beverly as a living legend, and Lawrence for his inspirational impact.

Both Warwick and Beverly have had their old hits revived very successfully in the recent past. Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red,” which features Warwick’s 1964 hit “Walk on By,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks last year. In 2019, Beyoncé covered Beverly’s 1981 hit with Maze, “Before I Let Go,” on Homecoming: The Live Album.

Beyoncé was born two weeks after Maze’s record entered Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, as Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs was then known. Doja Cat was born more than 30 years after “Walk on By” was a hit – which shows the longevity of this prized material.

Warwick, 83, received the Kennedy Center Honors in a ceremony which aired on CBS on Dec. 27. The five-time Grammy-winner received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2019.

Lawrence, 62, won a Grammy in 2008 for best traditional gospel album for Live – One Last Time.

Bailey, 25, has received five Grammy nods, including best new artist, as part of Chloe X Halle.

Beverly, 77, the leader of Frankie Beverly & Maze, has never even been nominated for a Grammy, but the group received a BET lifetime achievement award at the 2012 BET Awards.

“As we unveil the lineup for this year’s Urban One Honors, we are delighted to highlight [their] incredible musical journeys,” Michelle Rice, president of TV One and CLEO TV, said in a statement. “Their selection as honorees is a recognition of their profound impact on both music and culture, spanning generations.”

Urban One Honors bills itself as the ultimate celebration of Black excellence, acknowledging individuals who have left an indelible mark on the arts, media, music and the community. This year’s theme is “Best in Black.”

Bebe Winans, Angie Stone, Teyana Taylor, Damon Little and October London will also appear on the show. There will also be an R&B Divas reunion featuring KeKe Wyatt, Chanté Moore and Nicci Gilbert. Additional names will be announced. Singer and actress LeToya Luckett returns to host the event’s Backstage Pass, featuring exclusive interviews with the show’s honorees, performers and presenters.

The 2024 Urban One Honors marks the official kickoff celebration for TV One’s 20th Anniversary. Throughout the year, TV One is set to roll out an array of special programming featuring curated retrospectives, exclusive behind-the-scenes content and a series of commemorative events.

Urban One Honors is produced for TV One by James Seppelfrick of The Cheat Code. Marilyn Gill is the executive producer. Myriam Leger will serve as director and Daniel Moore as music director. Kashon Powell is the vice president of programming for Radio One and Susan Henry is the executive producer in charge of production for TV One.

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Source: John Coletti / Getty
A food company publicly apologized after students at a school in upstate New York were served a racially insensitive lunch at the beginning of Black History Month.

According to reports, students at Nyack Middle School were served chicken and waffles with a side of watermelon last Wednesday (Feb. 1), the first day of Black History Month. The original menu offerings were supposed to be Philly cheesesteaks, broccoli and fresh fruit. Students including Honore Santiago spoke out about the meal. “I was questioning because they don’t usually give watermelon,” she said.

Principal David Johnson sent out a letter to parents apologizing for the situation. “I am disappointed that Aramark would serve items that differed from the published monthly menu, especially items that reinforce negative stereotypes concerning the African-American community,” the letter read.
Johnson called the menu items “insensitive.” He contacted the school’s food provider Aramark to voice his concern and to see if this situation can be avoided in the future. “If they had served chicken and waffles by itself, I don’t know that we would be having this conversation. But the moment you add in the watermelon, that changed the whole complexion, literally,” Wilbur Aldridge of the Nyack chapter of the NAACP said.
A spokesperson from Aramark released a statement, saying: “The situation at that middle school was our mistake and never should have happened. It stands in direct contrast to who we are as a company and our longstanding commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We have apologized for our mistake, and are working to determine how it happened and make sure it never happens again.”
The interim school superintendent, James Montesano, said that the company has committed to working with the school to have “workshops that are focused around the concept of equity and institutional racism,” involving their employees.
This wasn’t the first time that Aramark has wound up in a scandal along these lines. In 2018, students at New York University were served barbecued ribs, collard greens, cornbread, Kool-Aid and watermelon-flavored water during Black History Month. After a vocal backlash, the workers involved were fired and the company apologized. For Honore Santiago, she just has one thought about it all: “I just hope that they won’t do it again, at a different school or my school ever again.”

Written By D.L. Chandler , Senior Editor Posted 5 mins ago @dlchandler123 D.L. Chandler is a veteran of the Washington D.C. metro writing scene, working as a journalist, reporter, and culture critic. Initially freelancing at iOne Digital in 2010, he officially joined the iOne team in 2017 where he currently works as a Senior Editor […]