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The Grammy-nominated album, All Hail the Queen, by Queen Latifah has been selected for preservation at the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
The National Recording Registry aims to preserve music that “reflects our nation’s diverse culture.” Select recordings are added to the vast collection as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.
This week, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden named 25 recordings as audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.
“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” Hayden said in a statement. “The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next. We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”
In addition to the Queen’s debut album, this year’s list features selections by other powerful women as well. Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” and Mariah Carey’s seminal “All I Want for Christmas,” is also on the list. The Academy Award-winning song, “Flashdance…What a Feeling,” by the late Irene Cara was also selected in the 2023 class.
Queen Latifah was only 19 when she released her debut album, All Hail the Queen. The album was released on Tommy Boy Records and featured the hit singles, “Ladies First,” and “Come Into My House.” The album has been heralded for its woman-centric flow and positivity. In the statement, the Library of Congress noted that the album was celebrated for its ability to “cross genres including reggae, hip-hop, house and jazz — while also opening opportunities for other female rappers.” The album reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Recently, Latifah took to the stage at the Daisy Experience to honor the life and legacy of Dave Jolicoeur aka Trugoy The Dove of De La Soul.
Even more recently, the Queen was presented with a bouquet of roses at Usher’s Las Vegas residency show. Per the Huffington Post, the “Confessions” singer wrote in a now-deleted Instagram story, “Giving the queen her flowers.”
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Former B2K lead singer Omarion, who has his own successful solo career, is about to take on a new challenge. According to Deadline, the 38-year-old will soon star in “Involved” a dramedy based on his own life coming to the AMC Network-owned streaming service, Allblk (formerly the Urban Movie Channel).
The streaming site is also holding a national casting call for the series co-lead, which will be taking place at the 27th Annual American Black Film Festival, June 14-18 in Miami Beach.
According to the report, Omarion will play a singer named OB Sharp who has been a boyband superstar since childhood. Now on the verge of a worldwide tour, he secretly wants to leave the group to be a more present dad and have a better co-parenting relationship with his child’s mother, who lives in his guesthouse with her new boyfriend.
Actor Lance Gross (House of Payne) will serve as the celebrity reader for the casting call for the role of 31-year-old Shayla Williams who plays OB’s ex-girlfriend.
To further complicate matters, OB gets into a romantic entanglement with Maya—one of his best friends and still has to deal with Shayla, mother of his daughter as well as a myriad of business ventures and drama.
“Just like multi-hyphenated entertainers Jamie Foxx, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith who all have influenced and inspired me and a whole culture, Involved is intended to inspire, shift and impact the culture of American society’s thinking and understanding of special family dynamics. There is no better way for us to learn about and observe these cultural diversities than through the medium of entertainment,” Omarion told Deadline.
He will exec produce the series alongside co-creators Tommy Morgan Jr., Kevin G. Boyd and Deji LaRay. The pilot is being written by Kevin G. Boyd and directed by Bentley Kyle Evans, who will serve as co-showrunners. Michelle Le Fleur will also exec produce alongside AllBlk’s SVP of Development & Production Nikki Love and the company’s general manager, Brett Dismuke.
Dismuke told Deadline, “Omarion is an expert storyteller across multiple mediums, and we could not be more excited to further our partnership by helping him bring this story to life on AllBlk. As a leader in programming by and for Black voices, we know our audience will appreciate such an intriguing and compelling story.”
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Cam’ron’s comments about photos of Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors earned him some backlash online, particularly from members of the Hip-Hop community.
The Harlem rapper took to social media Saturday (April 8), to share pictures from a photo shoot that the two actors took part in as part of promoting their recent film Creed III. The first black-and-white image shows Jordan seated with Majors hugging him from behind while both face the camera. The second image shows both men looking ahead, resting their heads on each other. Cam’ron wrote in the caption: “The reason I didn’t go see creed.”
The “You Gotta Love It” artist didn’t offer any elaboration, but the post led to many suspecting that he was uncomfortable with the two actors in that setting, prompting a wave of criticism. In the comments, many pointed out the 47-year-old’s stance in light of his wearing of the color pink in the late 1990s and 2000s, which marked a shift in perspective in Hip-Hop.
Veteran rapper Skillz crafted his own Instagram post with the photo in question. “We are our own worst enemies smh. I tell all my homies I love ’em…Why? Cuz I do! Sometimes it throws ’em off but Ion care, Ima keep saying that ish. Tomorrow ain’t promised. We all getting older man & death is definitely certain. It’s already hard enough out here for black men as it is bro,” he wrote in the caption.
He continued: “Maaan the times we living in goofy af. Y’all got it. When you die and ya family don’t have one picture of you smiling you got it bruh. Hardest obituary pic ever. You won.” His post resonated with other artists like DJ Paul of Three Six Mafia. “My brother missing out cause it’s an amazing movie! I’ve watched it five times and I’m not just saying that because we had the theme song in the trailer,” he wrote with a laughing emoji. Jarobi White, a founding member of A Tribe Called Quest, also chimed in: “I think being afraid to show love to brothers because of being seen as gay is well…. Gay.”
Such observations haven’t stopped Creed III’s success. Its done mighty well at the box office, with Jordan stepping in as director of the film that made its debut on March 3. It earned $58.7 million in its opening weekend in North America, and so far further $41.8 million overseas.
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The legal representation for Donald Trump rang a familiar tone for Meek Mill, who pointed out that they share the same lawyer online.
As the former president was present in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday afternoon (April 4), the Expensive Pain artist shared a photo from the arraignment on his Instagram Story featuring Trump seated with his lawyers in the courtroom. With a headline in bold letters across it, Meek Mill’s caption read, “Trump graduated from the streets…sharing criminal lawyers [with us]…Joe Tactical.”
“Joe Tactical” is the rapper’s moniker for Joe Tacopina, who is representing the former president in this case. Meek Mill would then post another photo, this time of himself standing next to Tacopina after a court hearing. The picture stems from the rapper’s 2017 case where he sought to overturn a prison sentence he received for violating probation on a decade-old gun and drug case.
Tacopina and the rest of the legal team would prove that Judge Genece Brinkley’s initial ruling was “unjust.” The ruling led to Meek Mill being released by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after serving five months. The case would go on to be a bellwether that highlighted the racial disparities seen in the probation process and the criminal justice system overall. Meek Mill has since become a strong advocate for criminal justice reform.
Tacopina has made a name for himself as a tough and steely litigator who was formerly a criminal prosecutor in Brooklyn. He’s been a fixture on television since being retained by Trump, insisting that the former president hasn’t broken any laws and calling the indictment “political persecution.” Tacopina has not shied away from representing high-profile figures. He represented A Bronx Tale actor Lillo Brancato on murder/weapons charges, actress Taryn Manning on assault charges, rapper YG on suspicion of robbery and former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez during his steroid scandal and suspension in 2014.
There are some who view Tacopina in a bad light, one of them being former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerik. A firm supporter of Trump, Kerik declined to comment when asked about Tacopina’s hiring. “I am not going to get into it,” he said. Records show that Kerik had requested the state disciplinary committee to disbar Tacopina, whom he accused of cooperating againstjoe tacopina him in secret during a federal investigation that would see the former cop serve a 48-month prison sentence.
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The father of Marlon Wayans and his other renowned celebrity siblings, Howell Wayans, passed away on March 30. He was 86 years old.
The comedian confirmed the news in a social media post on Saturday (April 1). Wayans shared a photo of himself and his father on Instagram, writing: “Thank you Pop for being an example of a Man to all your boys. I pray all young black boys can grow up to be a Man like you.” He continued: “Kiss Ma for me. Tell her her babies miss her. I got two angels. I feel y’all lifting me already.” Elvira Alethia, the family’s matriarch passed away at the age of 81 back in 2020.
According to reporting from TMZ, Marlon Wayans received word of his father’s passing after performing the first of two shows he was scheduled to do at the Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, California. He’d go on to do the second set, imbuing the emotions of the moment into his act before letting the present crowd learn the news.
Howell Wayans raised his 10 children – Keenen Ivory, Damon, Shawn, Dwayne, Kim, Nadia, Elvira, Diedra and Devonne Chaunté Wayans in addition to Marlon – in New York City. He was well-regarded as a hard worker who guided them with discipline but always supported their creative dreams. Beginning with Keenan Ivory Wayans, the siblings have made their mark on the entertainment world through major television and film projects like In Living Color, The Wayans Bros. and White Chicks, continuing to do so today. He is also survived by many grandchildren.
Veteran actor and friend of the family Omar Epps also paid tribute to the senior Wayans through a post on his Instagram account, noting him as a second father figure. “Thank you for taking me under your wing as if I was one of your own. We’re all devastated, but yet somehow, you prepared us for this moment,” he wrote.
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In an interview with Ari Melber on MSNBC, Erykah Badu talked about her 2008 song, “Master Teacher” which is often credited as most recently popularizing the term “woke.”
The song, which also featured Georgia Anne Muldrow, had a chorus that said, “I stay woke,” and the 52-year-old singer further explained her role in popularizing the phrase. “There’s a song on [New Amerykah Part One] called ‘Master Teacher,’ and in that song… the chorus is ‘I stay woke,’ so ‘stay woke’ was introduced to the world by this album,” the 52-year-old neo-soul icon said. “And I tweeted it about this group that was detained, Pussy Riot… In my tweet, I said ‘Free Pussy Riot…stay woke.’ After that, ‘woke’ took off.”
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The word woke has most recently been used by the GOP as a buzzword for any part of the liberal agenda from teaching Black history to protecting LGBTQ rights.
But, when asked directly what Badu thinks conservatives mean when they use the word, she said plainly, “I think they mean ‘Black,’” the singer said. “It’s just another way to say ‘thug’ or something else, right?”
She also noted, “It is what it is. It doesn’t belong to us anymore, and once something goes out into the world, it takes a life of its own. It has an energy of its own.”
The term woke has found its way into the mainstream lexicon with Republicans using it daily to describe almost anything that they disagree with. The most significant legislative action was the passage of the Stop WOKE Act signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022. The legislation restricts how racism and other parts of history can be taught in schools and workplaces. It even includes language that is supposed to prevent white students from “feeling bad” about actual American History.
The act is behind the banning of several books in the state as well as sanitized versions of Black historical facts like Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
While the popular and eclectic singer may have brought the term back to the forefront of American culture, social and culture historians note that the phrase can be traced back to as far as the 1930s.
According to MadameNoire, American folk legend Huddie Michael Ledbetter (aka Lead Belly) coined the term during an interview discussing his hit song “Scottsboro Boys,” according to NewsOne. In the 1938 interview, Belly urged Black people to stay vigilant when traveling through Alabama to avoid racial tension.
African American author Melvin Kelley also used the phrase in a New York Times essay where he examined Black language and idioms as a pushback against white supremacy called, “If You’re Woke You Dig It.”
The most recent use and retaliation against the phrase originated in 2020 during national protests against the police state in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin.
Badu said in the interview that the true meaning of the expression belongs to the people who created it.
“It means being aware, being in alignment with nature,” the Grammy-winning singer added. “It’s not only in the political arena. That means with your health, that means in your relationships, that means in your home, that means in your car, that means in your sleep.”
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The Army is proceeding with the exclusion of Jonathan Majors from its upcoming slate of new ads after his recent arrest for alleged assault.
Sources have confirmed that the Army is close to releasing new advertisements in its recent campaign that exclude the actor in time for them to air during the NCAA’s Final Four men’s and women’s games this weekend. The ads were also set up to appear online and through social media platforms along with being displayed on digital and physical billboards. The purchase is estimated at $117 million.
Jonathan Majors, who currently stars in Creed III and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, was brought on to feature in the advertisements due to his high appeal, especially with a younger demographic. The Army’s aim of enlisting 60,000 recruits last year fell woefully under its goal by 25%. The new campaign, a revitalization of the “Be All You Can Be” slogan, first debuted in 1981 and was the hallmark of the armed force for two decades.
Congressional lawmakers did note the situation in a meeting held by the House of Representatives Appropriation defense subcommittee. “I see you had a bit of bad luck on your ‘Be All You Can Be’ commercial,” said Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., the chairman of the committee to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Gen. James McConville, the Army’s chief of staff. “Hopefully you’re cutting a new commercial and getting it online as quickly as possible.”
“A majority of that content did not contain our main narrator. … So we have a ton of content to go back to, to create basically new commercials new ads, if we need to,” U.S. Army marketing head Major General Alex Fink said in a statement to the press issued Wednesday (March 30). “The campaign is full steam ahead.”
The 33-year-old actor was arrested Saturday (March 25), in New York City and charged with strangulation, assault and harassment. Representatives for the New York Police Department state he was involved in a domestic dispute with a 30-year-old woman. Majors’ lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, has stated that there’s evidence clearing Majors whom she states is “the victim of an altercation with a woman he knows.” Majors is expected back in court May 8.
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Fresh off his energetic performance of “Just Wanna Rock” on The Tonight Show, Lil Uzi Vert told TMZ that he supports the decision of his City Girls rapper girlfriend, JT to start therapy. He added that everyone should “embrace themselves.”
JT shared on Twitter that she is “eager” to start therapy while encouraging her fans to do the same.
Many of her fans congratulated the 30-year-old City Girl rapper on the social media site adding that her public decision could “inspire” others.
Lil Uzi’s support may come from his own journey into wellness. He announced earlier this month that he is sober and that the songs from his newest release “The Pink Tape,” were all born out of his sobriety.
He told TMZ that being sober allowed him to choose better song topics and encouraged other rappers to do the same, saying, “It’ll change your life.”
The couple has had an on-again-off-again relationship since first being romantically linked in 2021. But, earlier this year, she gushed about her admiration for Uzi telling Angie Martinez that she is “lucky” and “fortunate.”
“I can say Uzi is a great man, no matter how the internet tries to paint Uzi,” the Miami native told Angie with a big smile, according to Madame Noire. She added, “I’m so lucky and fortunate to have somebody like him because he’s so inspiring. When I see him in his bag, I’m like ‘I gotta get in my bag.’”
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The LAPD is reportedly investigating the theft of a car from outside the home of singer and billionaire entrepreneur, Rihanna.
According to TMZ, a 2012 Audi sedan was stolen from outside of the Los Angeles-area home late last week when the driver allegedly ran inside for something leaving the car running and the keys inside. The report notes that the driver believes that someone jumped in and drove off with it.
The incident marks the second time that LAPD has been out to the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom estate in Beverly Hills this month.
The gossip site previously reported that a man showed up at the Bajan singer’s home earlier this month with plans to propose to her. According to TMZ, because the man had broken no laws, he was released and asked not to return.
In 2018, a man was arrested after spending at least a day inside the residence while Rihanna was away. The man later claimed he was there to have sex with the singer.
It is unclear if she was home during the last two incidents.
The Fenty Beauty leader is currently expecting her second child with rapper A$AP Rocky the couple has a son who will turn 1 in May.
According to The New York Post, Rihanna’s massive Beverly Hills home features amenities like a bonus room, breakfast room, cabana, a center hall, gym, media room, and a walk-in closet. Other features include a den/office space and a separate guest house. The house is close to that of Beatles legend, Paul McCartney.
The singer performed at both this year’s Super Bowl and the 95th Academy Awards where she performed “Lift Me Up,” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. The song was nominated for Original Song and serves as Rihanna’s first Oscar nomination. Ultimately, “Lift Me Up,” lost to “Naatu Naatu” from the hit Telugu-language film RRR, which made history by becoming the first Indian film song to win an Oscar, according to BBC.
It’s been over seven years since Rihanna dropped a full-length studio album. However, she told British Vogue earlier this year that the wait may soon be over. “I want it to be this year,” she told the magazine. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year. But I just want to have fun. I just want to make music and make videos.”
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Chlöe Bailey spoke about her upcoming album, her viral role in Donald Glover’s latest series, and more in a recent interview.
Singer and actress Chlöe Bailey has been the source of heavy buzz recently thanks to her recent role on Swarm, the new Prime Video series from Donald Glover, and her solo album In Pieces. She appeared as the latest guest on Big Boy’s Neighborhood to talk about everything in her usual straightforward and honest manner.
The conversation quickly turned to that viral scene from the show, where in the first few minutes of the first episode, her character Marissa is shown having sex with her boyfriend Khalid (Damson Idris) as her sister Dre (Dominique Fishback) is watching through the open door. That scene would become viral with some expressing surprise and others criticizing Bailey for being in such a provocative scene.
“I’m an actress. I was doing my job and I think people gotta kinda remember I’m an adult and I’m an artist,” Chlöe said. “Nothing was seen that they haven’t seen from me. You didn’t see nipple, you didn’t see there, nothing.” Big Boy asked if she felt that Idris received the same level of backlash. “I don’t think so because he’s a man,” she replied. “Oh, the fellas get the high fives,” Big Boy responded.
Bailey continued, “Because I’m an actress I’m not reading it as Chlöe is about to do a sex scene. I’m reading it as Marissa is in this scene and her sister is watching. That’s what people are forgetting. It’s about the tension between Damson and Dom who did incredible acting in this show and I was just seen in the reflection for two seconds.”
She also spoke about the process of creating her first solo album, which will be released on Friday (March 31st). She also addressed the controversy over her duet with Chris Brown, “How Does It Feel?”, given his past history of violence against Rihanna. “I just let the music speak for itself,” Chlöe said. “Once the song came out, people enjoyed it. That’s what I just continue to do.”
Chlöe also spoke about her relationship with her sister Halle and joked about borrowing some outfits from her godmother. “Oh man, they told me on the album cover that that’s her dress”, Big Boy responded, sending the room into laughter.
Check out the entire interview below.
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