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Tito Jackson, a member of the Jackson 5 and elder brother of Michael Jackson, has died according to a social media post from family members. Later becoming a member of The Jacksons group, Tito Jackson also embarked on a solo career among other projects within the entertainment industry.
Below is the announcement of the passing of Tito Jackson from the 3T Instagram page, a group comprised of his three sons:
It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being. Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson from the legendary Jackson 5, some may know him as “Coach Tito” or some know him as “Poppa T.” Nevertheless, he will be missed tremendously. It will forever be “Tito Time” for us. Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is “Love One Another.” We love you Pops.
Your boys,
Taj, Taryll and TJ
Tito Jackson was born Toriano Adaryll Jackson on October 15, 1953, in Gary, Ind. According to lore and past accounts, Jackson was discovered playing guitar by his father, Joe Jackson, after breaking a string. The Jackson patriarch instructed Tito to play for him and later asked his brothers Jackie and Jermaine to form a singing group. Marlon and Michael would join the group later and were dubbed The Jackson 5.
Showing prowess as performers by way of street performances, talent shows such as the Apollo Theater Amateur Night competition which the band won, and touring the so-called “Chitlin Circuit,” the Jackson brothers eventually signed a record deal with Steeltown Records in 1967 before signing with Motown in 1969.
The group found major success as an R&B act and crossed over to the mainstream bolstered by several hits. However, Tito’s guitar work never appeared on any of their albums under Motown and instead was played by musicians hired by the label. After leaving the label in 1976 for CBS Records, Tito would then get to display his work.
The years that followed resulted in various incarnations of the brothers as a singing group, with the youngest of them, Randy Jackson joining later under The Jacksons moniker. The brothers would continue to collaborate and tour with one another despite some shuffling of the lineup, releasing their final album as a group, 2300 Jackson Street in 1989.
In 2003, Tito Jackson embarked upon a solo career leaning into the Blues tradition and notched a Billboard charting single, “Get It Baby” from his 2016 album Tito Time featuring Big Daddy Kane. His sophomore album Under Your Spell was released in 2021.
Tito had three sons with his ex-wife Delores “Dee Dee” Martes, Taj, Taryll, and TJ, who later formed the R&B group 3T.
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Photo: Scott Dudelson / Getty
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Lil Wayne saw his name crop up in the news this week after it was announced that Kendrick Lamar would be the featured performer for next year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show. With the likes of Jay Electronica, Birdman, Nicki Minaj, and more speaking on Lil Wayne’s behalf, Tunechi took to Instagram to express his emotions surrounding the news and the snub.
With Super Bowl LIX taking place in February 2025 in New Orleans, La., it was expected at least by some observers that Weezy F. Baby would be considered to rock in front of his hometown crowd for the big game. Kendrick Lamar announced his appearance in his unique way, which sparked a flurry of comments from supporters of Lil Wayne along with his detractors coming out of the woodwork to discredit his musical legacy.
Opening up in his video on Instagram, Wayne got straight to the point.
“First of all, I wanna say forgive me for the delay. I had to get strength enough to do this without breaking. I’m say thank you to every voice, every opinion, all the care, all the love and support out there. Your words turned to arms and held me up when I tried to fall back.”
Wayne said of the assumed snub that, “It hurt a lot. I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. For just automatically mentally putting myself in that position like someone told me that was my position.”
In what would’ve been a dream come true for Lil Wayne, it appears that being passed over for the Halftime Show in favor of Kendrick Lamar left a sting.
Check out the clip below.
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Photo: Bennett Raglin / Getty
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Source: Jason Davis / Getty
Candace Owens shared that her YouTube channel has been suspended due to antisemitic comments made by Ye aka Kanye West last month.
On Monday (September 9), conservative media personality Candace Owens shared that YouTube shut down her channel for seven days. She stated that an appearance by Ye aka Kanye West on her show in August was the reason for it. “There will be no show today, or at all this week. That’s because @YouTube has issued me a strike and a one-week suspension for my sit-down with Kanye. They also removed the interview as “hate speech”, as it was mass reported by Zionists. Their tactics never change,” she wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. She also shared screenshots of the messages she received from YouTube.
https://twitter.com/RealCandaceO/status/1833550415171932214
The comment in question was Ye claiming that Jewish people control the media.” Owens felt that a recent discussion that she had with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on Piers Morgan’s show led to the suspension and demonetization of her channel. The channel currently has 2.4 million followers. “The world knows why I am being targeted and frankly, I have never felt more confident that I am the right person for this to happen,” she added in another post on X.
“Thus far, I have had zero strikes on my @YouTubeCreators account,” she said, continuing: “I have now been inundated with 3 back-to-back content hits within minutes, plus an email that I am now fully demonetized. We all know exactly who is behind this and why.” The suspension is a blow to Owens, who was fired by The Daily Wire after a public feud with co-founder Ben Shapiro over Israel and antisemitism.
A spokesperson for YouTube confirmed the suspension to the New York Post. “We’ve suspended channels associated with Candace Owens from the YouTube Partner Program following repeated violations of our policies, including our Advertiser-Friendly Guidelines and Community Guidelines,” Jack Malon said in a statement. The statement went on to say that she would no longer be able to make money from the platform, but creators would be able to reapply in 90 days.
This past Labor Day Weekend, the rolling hills of Napa, Calif. were filled with fans in town to attend the Blue Note Jazz Festival’s Black Radio Experience festival, curated by Robert Glasper. The iOne Digital team was on the grounds to take in the Black Radio Experience, and we were moved by the display of music, art, wine, and culture.
The Blue Note Jazz Festival’s Black Radio Experience kicked off on the first day of Labor Day Weekend and was held at the Meritage Resort and Spa. The BRE team did an excellent job of transforming the sprawling resort into a welcoming performance space, complete with brand installations, a wine garden, food trucks, VIP experiences, and plenty of seating for fans to take in the performances.
On the first day (August 30), vibraphonist Joel Rosshas’ Joel Ross’ Good Vibes got the festival going at the Blue Note Stage, with producer Madlib and drummer Daru Jones taking to the Black Radio Stage. Madlib also brought out guests on his set such as his Loot Pack band member Wildchild, who some might know as the father of actor Miles Brown, vocalist Stacy Epps, and rapper Your Old Droog.
Source: Black Radio Experience / BRE
Source: Black Radio Experience Content Team
Terrace Martin rocked the Blue Note Stage, taking listeners through his wide musical journey while picking up a variety of instruments and also sharing humorous bits about himself throughout his performance. Common and Pete Rock, who are currently on tour in support of their new album, The Auditorium Vol. 1, put on a spirited performance of their classics along with tracks from the new project.
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
Source: @sandrajamphoto
At the resort’s Estate Cave, André 3000 held three separate performances titled “New Blue Sun Live” which featured him performing with a backing band and using several wind instruments much like he did on his latest album of the same name. Three Stacks’ held three shows daily across the span of the festival at the Estate Cave. Golden Globes winner and singer Andra Day was another early highlight with a passionate performance that had attendees on their feet.
Source: Todd Cooper
The first night concluded with the legendary Jill Scott and she proved once more why she is in demand as a performer, running through just about every song you’d want to hear, including the sultry “Crown Royal,” and the Go-Go-tinged “It’s Love” among other hits.
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
On the second day (8/31), drummer Kendrick Scott set things off on the Blue Note Stage with an energetic set that displayed his mastery of the sticks. DJ Jazzy Jeff was slated to perform on the Black Radio Stage but DJ Premier of Gang Starr fame gamely filled the slot with a crowd-pleasing set full of grooving soul tracks and R&B from the 1970s and beyond.
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
Bassist Derrick Hodge rocked Blue Note Stage shortly after and pulled double duty on Saturday with a following set with the Color of Noize Orchestra. Around the same time, Tank and The Bangas were torching the Black Radio Stage and as we’ve seen before, Tarriona “Tank” Ball gave it her all on the stage with a mixture of poetry, rapping, and singing.
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
As this festival was created from the mind of Robert Glasper, the talented musician made his rounds during several sets throughout the weekend and hosted his first full set with special guest, Marsha Ambrosius.
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
John Legend closed things out on Saturday with all the style and professionalism one can imagine. At one point during his set, Legend explained to the crowd how he came to work with Kanye West, now known as Ye, and the origin of his stage name among other anecdotes. Based on our observation of the crowd, this was another standout moment of the festival.
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
On the final day, we spent much of our day in interview mode so we regretfully missed several sets such as RC & The Gritz, Christian McBride, Cimafunk, and Eric Roberson. However, we did get to sit down with Erro and we’ll be sharing more from our chat in later posts. In between the busy interview schedule, we did get to see some of Ledisi’s set from the Pattern Beauty suite — more on that later — and we also got to catch the “New Blue Sun Live” experience in person.
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
Source: Marc Fong / Still Harper
Source: BRE / Still Harper
The final sets of the night were Niles Rodgers and CHIC, and Glasper alongside Musiq Soulchild, capping a weekend full of music, wine, and several examples of Black elegance and excellence.
The iOne Digital team also attended some of the on-site experiences, such as the JAM Session with Robert Glasper & Chef Ken L. Polk from Chicago, with Glasper serving as his sous chef.
We also checked out the Ladies First Power Hour: Cocktails & Conversation with Kendra Anderson & Imane Hanine and had the pleasure of interviewing the pair after the experience. We also got to get some brunch in among the elevated vineyard grounds via the “For the Love of Jazz” Soul Brunch by Chef Jay Foster & DJ Mara Hruby, featuring John Legend’s LVE Wine.
Source: @sandrajamphoto
In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing some of the content we captured from the grounds, including the aforementioned interviews. We interviewed Andra Day, Derrick Hodge, Frankie Zombie, and more so please stay tuned.
Once again, the iOne Digital team owes a great deal of gratitude to the Black Radio Experience team for the hospitality and assistance in allowing us to experience the festival as intended.
To learn more about the Blue Note Jazz, click here.
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Photo: iOne Digital/BRE
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Frankie Beverly, long known as the frontman for the soul and funk band Maze, has died according to a statement released by the family. Beverly began his career as a teenager before eventually honing his sound which later became one of the foundations of modern R&B.
Beverly was born December 6, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pa., and lived in the East Germantown section. Beverly began singing in church and joined his first band at the age of 13. At 16, much to the dismay of his father who wanted him to take a more traditional route, Beverly formed an acapella group known as The Blenders. While still trying to find his signature sound, Beverly formed a new band known as The Butlers, who cut their first record in 1963.
In 1970, determined to make it in music, Beverly formed the band Raw Soul and moved west to San Francisco to pursue a career in the industry. A chance meeting with the sister-in-law of Marvin Gaye at the time led to a fruitful connection leading to opportunities for the band. The group toured with Gaye as his opening act and according to several accounts, the legendary R&B star urged Beverly to change the band’s name from Raw Soup to Maze.
Through the late 1970s and mid-1980s, Maze notched several hits that charted on Billboard’s Hot 100 and U.S. R&B charts, including “Joy & Pain,” “Southern Girl,” “Back In Stride” and the backyard two-step classic, “Before I Let Go” which was covered in 2019 by Beyoncé.
In the world of Hip-Hop, Maze has been sampled by a few notables of the genre including 50 Cent, T.I., Tha Dogg Pound, Rob Base & DJ EZ-Rock, 2Pac, and more. Maze was also a huge touring act, which featured Beverly in his signature all-white attire complete with a white baseball cap.
The statement from the Beverly family was shared on Instagram and reads as follows:
Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and emotional experience. During this time, as we are navigating feelings of sorrow, reflection, and remembrance we kindly ask for privacy and understanding, allowing us the space to grieve in our own way. This period for is one of healing, and your respect for our need for solitude is appreciated as we honor the memory of our beloved Howard Stanley Beverly known to the world as Frankie Beverly.
He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better. He lived for his music, family and friends.
Love one another as he would want that for us all.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, fans of Beverly expressed their sorrow and celebrated the life and legacy of the singer. We’ve got those reactions below.
Beverly was 77.
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Photo: Brian Stukes / Getty
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JD Vance, the candidate for Vice President of the United States and Donald Trump’s running mate, gets a little weirder and racist after making an explosive claim. JD Vance shared a baseless rumor that Haitians converging in an Ohio town are taking pets from homes and eating them.
On Monday (September 9), JD Vance took to X to share a video of him appearing on the CNBC network and used the caption field to attack Vice President Kamala Harris and her position on immigration.
“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote. He added, “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”
Springfield, Ohio has become ground zero for an ongoing debate about immigration laws in the country and part of Trump and Vance’s strategy to highlight any perceived weaknesses in Vice President Harris’ plans to protect the border. Trump has been running his campaign from the standpoint of bringing the country back from ruin without mentioning his showing in the White House and handling of several policy matters he is now aiming attacks at the Harris and Gov. Tim Walz presidential campaigns.
Melanie D’Arrigo, the Executive Director of The Campaign for NY Health organization, shared a reply on X debunking the rumor spread by Vance and others who shared those sentiments across social media. In the reply
D’Arrigo’s reply caption read as follows:
• No local police reports of pets being stolen
• Man mentioning the ducks is a local podcaster promoting his mayoral bid
• Photo *taken in Columbus* of the guy holding the duck isn’t an immigrant
• Woman arrested for eating a cat isn’t an immigrant
All GOP fan fiction:
• No local police reports of pets being stolen
• Man mentioning the ducks is a local podcaster promoting his mayoral bid
• Photo *taken in Columbus* of the guy holding the duck isn’t an immigrant
• Woman arrested for eating a cat isn’t an immigrant https://t.co/dUjAMTxlff pic.twitter.com/kMAoZLIm2w
— Melanie D’Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) September 9, 2024
There have been several reports from major outlets regarding the Haitian immigrants in Ohio in recent times, including NPR and the New York Times. On X, users are shooting down JD Vance and his racist and xenophobic remarks regarding the Haitians in Springfield.
Those replies can be viewed below.
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Photo: Getty
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Azealia Banks may have unfairly garnered the disdain of music fans due to her outspoken nature but when she speaks, the world listens intently to the gems she drops when she speaks on social media. Amid the Cleotrapa and Ice Spice beef, Azealia Banks opened up a show slot on Halloween and has chosen a side.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Azealia Banks defended Cleotrapa and took swipes at Ice Spice and her manager, James Rosemond Jr. With Rosemond accusing the “Von Dutch” rapper of clout chasing by raising issues with Ice Spice over alleged mistreatment while serving as her tour support, Banks held nothing back in a series of replies on X that hit their intended marks.
At first, it appeared that Banks fired a shot at either Baby Storme, who is also in the beef mix, or Cleotrapa by writing, “Welp. Baby toad…. looks like I gotta hand this one to ya. . . You got it sis.”
The X reply sparked a flurry of angry responses from fans defending Storme and Cleo, with some attempting to slam the trajectory and status of Banks’ career. She immediately made it clear she was on Cleotrapa’s side in a following reply, never addressing the fans who tried to ridicule her.
“I was super into the lil’ orphan Annie vibes + her being the only female rapper without a wig/weave. But it is all Hella low budget, the y2k aesthetic was amiss plus I absolutely adore Cleo…….. oh well poor dat,” Banks wrote.
To further stamp her support, Banks shared that she’s set to host a show next month on Halloween in New York.
“I don’t like how everyone is trying to make cleotrapa look. Any f*cking who @iamcleotrapa will be performing with me on Halloween Oct 31. at @Terminal5NYC. She will – be paid, have her own space to glam, whatever she wants on her rider.. because i have f*cking respect & class,” Banks wrote.
With fans of Ice Spice, Clepotrapa, and Azealia Banks invested in all the chatter, we were able to grab some replies from the X platform to share in the gallery below.
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Photo: Getty
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Knowa De Baraso found himself going viral after a star showing at this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and it sparked a job offer right on the spot. Roland S. Martin, impressed with the young yet impressive political pundit, offered Knowa De Baraso a show on his network.
Knowa De Baraso, 12, emerged as a bright star amongst the big names at the Democratic National Convention, gamely taking on Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, and challenging the businessman about his support of election fraud in the last election despite it being unfounded. The video of the exchange went viral, and landed the home-schooled commentator on the national stage.
Variety reports that after meeting with Roland S. Martin, the veteran broadcaster was so impressed with De Baraso that he offered him an opportunity to host a show on Martin’s Black Star Network.
From Variety:
“It’s not just his knowledge of the issues. It’s his energy,” Martin told Variety. In De Baraso, he sees a kindred spirit. Martin set his sights on a career in media and journalism as a 13-year-old when he first stepped into a communications-focused magnet program at Houston’s Jack Yates High School in the 1980s.
“It’s all about the desire and the urgency of the individual,” Martin said. “This kid’s got it. You have to nurture that and develop that. Those of us in African American media have to leverage our platform to create opportunities for the next generation.”
Another moment showcasing De Baraso’s political brilliance was an interview with Mark Austin of Sky News. De Baraso schooled his older counterpart on how people of his generation are accessing news regarding politics and how Vice President Kamala Harris is reaching the youth where it counts. That video can be viewed below.
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Photo: Knowa De Baraso / @KnowaWasTaken
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Source: @JustInMyView / R1 Digital
Looks like Tekashi 6ix9ine’s troubles are spanning around the globe as the most famous snitch in Hip-Hop history has a worldwide warrant out for his arrest.
According to Diario Libre, the Hip-Hop superstar turned-culture pariah has just had an international warrant put out for his arrest after a Court of Appeals in the Judicial District of La Vega declaring that the “Gummo” rapper has been in “rebellion” outside of the Dominican Republic since June 2024. For those that don’t remember, Tekashi was arrested for assaulting a pair of producers in the Dominican Republic in October 2023.
He was apprehended by authorities at an airport immediately after as he was trying to make a break for it before he could be arrested for his transgressions. After making bail, Tekashi was informed that he was to remain on the island until trial. Making matters even worse on himself the rapper was then arrested for domestic violence but was bailed out of the matter when his girlfriend refused to cooperate with authorities.
While the warrant for Tekashi 6ix9ine has now gone international, Dominican authorities continue to search for him on the Caribbean country as it’s a very good chance the embattled rapper is just hiding out somewhere there. Heck, for all we know he made his way to Haiti to escape Dominican jurisdiction. With all those face tattoos and a rainbow-colored wig on his person, he shouldn’t be too hard to identify.
Truth be told, we hope they catch him. Just sayin’.
What do y’all think about this latest twist in the saga that is the life of Tekashi 6ix9ine? Let us know in the comments section below.
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For all of his musical accomplishments, Robert Glasper stands as one of the most versatile yet accessible musicians of his generation. In a recent chat, the Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer shared with Hip-Hop Wired his vision of The Black Radio Experience and bringing the soulful vibes to Napa Valley for Labor Day Weekend.
Robert Glasper has over a dozen releases that span the audio expanses of Jazz, Soul, R&B, Funk, and Hip-Hop. By way of the world-famous Blue Note record label, Glasper released Black Radio in 2012 and it was true to his interpretation of what a Black radio station under his watchful direction. The initial concept led to a Black Radio trilogy that concluded in 2022, and he’s still reinventing himself as an artist by way of his latest project, Let Go.
Source: Marc Fong / Marc Fong
Anyone who has ever attended a Robert Glasper show learns swiftly that he is, without doubt, a masterful yet playful showman whose dexterity as a pianist allows him to open his musical sandbox to a wide tapestry of sounds. In our talk with Glasper, we asked him what The Black Radio Experience means to him and how he intends to bring those ideas to life in the Wine Country of Northern California.
“The Black Radio Experience, just like you hear on my albums, it’s just that vibe and you can see the festival will feature artists that have appeared on the Black Radio albums like Common, Jill Scott, Ledisi, Terrace Martin, Derrick Hodge,” Glasper explains.
“It’s not about having the hottest song out or anything but a collection of artists that make songs that bring those good feelings out. These are artists who promote real music, love, honesty, and all of that from a Black and soulful perspective. That’s what The Black Radio Experience is and always will be,” Glasper added.
Glasper shared that while the theme of the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa has maintained that creed for the past three years, this year’s festival widens the scope with a focus on Black wine brands, chefs bringing curated menu concepts to light, and making the festival a safe space for celebration of the wide scope of Black creativity that includes the arts and dance as well.
“The festival is just an extension of the love I have for the music and the people and what I set out to do on the first Black Radio album, which is to say this is what Black radio stations could be,” Glasper said.
“When I made that first album, I was already immersed in different styles of music and playing it but committing it to wax was the next step, and over the years with the festival, we’ve been able to bring my vision of Black Radio to the stages and show that there is so much to us as a creative people,” Glasper shared.
Source: Blue Note Jazz Festival / Blue Note Jazz Festival
Among the headliners for The Blue Note Jazz Festival Presents: The Black Radio Experience, which includes the aforementioned acts from the albums, is André 3000. Three Stacks has famously moved on from the rapping portion of his career and leaning into instrumental music by way of his latest album, New Blue Sun. Glasper says that he found the Atlanta artist’s choice to try something new inspirational and that was his thought in creating his latest body of work, Let Go.
“I had so many people tell me that they listened to New Blue Sun and mediated to it or cleaned their house to it, hell, even I did the same,” Glasper said. “I had people tell me that they would do the same to some of my music and that was the reason why I partnered with Apple Music to drop Let Go. I wanted to give listeners something to reset their day to and even to inspire myself to take it slow.”
Robert Glasper will be in Napa, Calif. this Labor Day Weekend for The Blue Note Jazz Festival Presents: The Black Radio Experience.
To learn more about the festival, click here.
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Photo: Marc Fong/Blue Note Jazz Festival