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Source: Hope In Harlem / Hope In Harlem
A community event in Harlem focused on wellness and mental health for young people will feature NBA stars such as Allan Houston and Olympians along with other notable figures.
Source: Hope In Harlem / Hope In Harlem
The organizing committee behind the Hope In Harlem Conference announced their lineup of guests for the event. The in-person gathering will take place at the First Corinthians Baptist Church this upcoming Saturday (September 14), and there will be some notable athletes that will be on the distinguished list of speakers. Former two-time NBA All-Star and New York Knicks legend Allan Houston will attend, along with Olympic Gold Medalist and world champion track star Natasha Hastings and former Miami Heat guard and NBA champion Derek Anderson.
The 2024 Hope In Harlem Conference’s theme is about youth addressing mental health and wellness through sports and other activities in the community. It begins at 10 AM with the invited speakers engaging in a series of panel discussions, led by First Corinthian Baptist Church Senior Pastor Rev. Michael Walrond, MDiv. The panel discussions will touch on topics such as how families in New York City can gain better access to resources to bolster Other speakers include NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks, NBA Players Association Director of the Mental Health and Wellness Program Dr. Bill Parham, and Dr. Nyaka NiiLampti, PhD, the NFL’s Vice President of Wellness and Clinical Services. There will also be a fencing demonstration led by U.S. Olympic Team fencing coach Akhi Spencer-El.
Afterward, attendees and the public are invited to the wellness fair which will take place on 116th Street featuring free food, games, face painting, and other engaging activities. Health screenings and free information on resources will also be provided by vendors at the wellness fair. Aside from FCBC, other sponsors for the event include Coca-Cola, the Mother Cabrini Foundation, Athletes For Hope, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinia along with the American Psychiatric Association. The wellness festival will run from 1 to 4 PM.
For more information, those interested are invited to check out the event’s website.
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Source: Theo Wargo / Getty
There is no shade like fashion shade. Anna Wintour and Naomi Campbell threw some jabs at each other during a recent awards show.
As spotted on TMZ the Editor-In-Chief of Vogue Magazine was feeling petty this week. The media executive was asked to present the super model with the Icon Award at the Harlem’s Fashion Row Fashion Show And Awards. While on stage she seemed clearly annoyed that Naomi had yet to arrive to the event and proceeded to take a jab at her. “I am a very punctual person, and I have the honor of presenting tonight to someone who is often late,” Wintour said to which the crowd in attendance laughed. She proceeded to let Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Samira Nasr that she would have to present Naomi the honor as Wintour exited the ceremony immediately after. She would be later spotted at the US Open.
Upon arriving it seems Naomi was notified that the Wintour had left the venue prompting her to address the situation in a very classy but charming way. “I want to say this. Everything is meant to work out the way it’s going to work out,” she told the crowd. “It wasn’t my choice to have the other lady. I would much rather have this,” Campbell said, nodding to Nasr. While the shade was indeed returned, Naomi did have some kind works for Wintour.
“So thank you, Anna Wintour, for your support in my career from 1987, meeting a young Black girl from South London in British Vogue offices and taking a chance in giving me a shoot,” she added. “And so I thank you for your influence and your continuing support in pushing fashion forward also.”
Sources close to the event say that Naomi Campbell was not tardy and arrived at the time she was asked to. TMZ hears that Anna Wintour was the one who asked the committee to move up the presentation so she make the tennis match. You can see footage from the event below.
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Ma$e is currently the co-host of the It Is What It Is podcast with Cam’Ron, a long way from his time playing basketball and rising in the Hip-Hop ranks while in Harlem. On his podcast, Murder Ma$e shared details of beef he had with the late Big L, who allegedly set up the former Bad Boy Records rapper to be robbed.
On the Wednesday (June 26) episode of It Is What It Is, Ma$e, real name Mason Betha, told the tale of the beef he had with Big L. According to the Harlem World rapper, Big L reportedly stole lyrics from him and he decided to confront the Diggin In The Crates member.
Betha then says that after confronting the “Put It On” artist, he was at the famed Tunnel nightclub and said Fat Joe approached him to attempt to absolve himself of the beef. Later, Betha said that while walking in Harlem with former NBA player and current NBA coach God Shammgod, he was wearing his first Rolex watch.
He goes on to say that a person brandishing a weapon trained the gun on Shammgod and demanded Betha give up the watch. After contemplating running away, Betha said he threw the watch on the ground with him and Shammgod taking off.
The robber was reportedly located in jail and was served a little street justice inside the big house according to Ma$e.
On X, formerly Twitter, fans are reacting to the details of the story. We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Sarah Stier / Getty Images for Netflix
Iron Mike Tyson is returning to the ring, and pay-per-view won’t be needed since it’s going down on Netflix. The boxing icon will be squaring up with YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul in July, but they held their first press conference on Monday, May 13 in Harlem to promote the fight.
Source: Sarah Stier / Getty Images for Netflix
Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) and Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) came face to face at The Apollo Theater in Harlem for a lighthearted press conference hosted by combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani. The two friends, who have been calling each other out for years, traded relatively tame shots, but Tyson was clear that once they enter that ring, they are not homies. “Once he’s in that ring, he has to fight like his life depends on it, because it will be,” said Iron Mike, who also drew laughs when he admitted he felt terrible and was “sore” from training.
With Mike pushing 60, Paul is no slouch, and is plenty confident. “I’m going to show the world that I can outbox Mike Tyson, prove everyone wrong, and show that I will be the one doing the killing,” said Paul.
Good luck with that.
Paul and Tyson are scheduled to go eight, two-minute round for their pro bout. The fight will be streaming live globally on Netflix on Saturday, July 20, 2024 from the home of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Also in attendance was the top tier “undercard” match up of super lightweight world champion Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) and Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs), the unified featherweight world champion. In this rematch, Taylor will be defending her undisputed title in a scheduled 10, two-minute rounds.
Check out photos from the event in the gallery.
1. Mike Tyson x Jake Paul Presser
Source:Getty Images for Netflix
Katie Taylor, Mike Tyson, Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul, Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano
2. Mike Tyson x Jake Paul Presser
Source:Getty Images for Netflix
Katie Taylor, Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano
3. Mike Tyson x Jake Paul Presser
Source:Getty Images for Netflix
Mike Tyson, Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul
4. Mike Tyson x Jake Paul Presser
Source:Getty Images for Netflix
Mike Tyson
5. Mike Tyson x Jake Paul Presser
Source:Getty Images for Netflix
Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul
6. Mike Tyson x Jake Paul Presser
Source:Getty Images for Netflix
Mike Tyson, Ariel Helwani, Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul
7. Mike Tyson x Jake Paul Presser
Source:Getty Images for Netflix
Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul, Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano
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Source: Schomburg Center / Schomburg Center
The Schomburg Center is buzzing as its annual Black Comic Book Festival takes place this weekend featuring some of the best of the industry.
Harlem is once again playing host to The Black Comic Book Festival this weekend, which will be held at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This year marks the 12th time that the festival that celebrates comics, anime, films, and more will be held at the venerable institution. The two-day festival which begins Friday (April 26) will feature panel discussions, workshops, a marketplace for attendees to purchase items from established and independent Black creators, and a cosplay showcase to close out the festival that’s held across two floors of the center.
“Our creators are telling remarkable stories you often don’t see on TV or get to read when you’re in the classroom,” said Kadiatou Tubman, the curator and executive producer of the event at the Schomburg. “The event is critical because it provides representation, it provides the liberation of imagination.” She also stressed that promoting literacy among the young is the key goal. “The event was really founded to encourage young people to read, to see themselves in the books and enjoy literature,” she said in an interview with Gothamist. “It’s a great entry point for young people and for all types of readers.”
The “SchomCom” panel discussions include a look at the upcoming IYANU animated series based on the “Iyanu: Child of Wonder” graphic novel series set in West Africa. The team behind the series will share details about it ahead of its upcoming premiere on Cartoon Network and Max. Another discussion will focus on Black women creators who are making strides in the resurgence of Black horror and fantasy. Attendance for the Black Comic Book Festival is free, but pre-registration is highly recommended – last year, the Schomburg reported that the festival had 8,000 in attendance. More details and registration can be found on their website.
A pair of R&B legends, Babyface and Usher, will be honored by The Apollo Theater in Harlem at its annual Spring Benefit on Tuesday, June 11. Babyface will receive the inaugural Legacy Award. Usher will receive the Icon Award.
“I am humbled to receive the inaugural Legacy Award,” Babyface said in a statement. “For nearly a century, the theater has been a constant symbol of excellence in Black entertainment. So, for The Apollo to honor my legacy feels nothing short of amazing.”
“It’s an honor to be receiving this award from such an iconic and historic cultural institution in New York City – one that has hosted and paved the way for so many prominent people,” Usher said. “I’m humbled to be this year’s recipient and look forward to seeing everyone soon.”
The event, which marks the Apollo’s 90th anniversary, will feature a special appearance by Big Daddy Kane, with more stars to be announced. Adam Blackstone will serve as musical director.
All proceeds will support the non-profit organization’s year-round artistic, education, and community programs.
The Spring Benefit begins with red carpet arrivals at 5:00 p.m. followed by the benefit concert and awards ceremony at 7:00 p.m. The event will also include an afterparty designed by event designer and Apollo board member Bronson Van Wyck.
In addition, Babyface will be inducted into The Apollo’s Walk of Fame the previous day, Monday, June 10 at 11:30 a.m. ET. Inductees are honored with a plaque which is installed under the theater’s iconic marquee on 125th Street.
Previous inductees into The Apollo’s Walk of Fame include Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Richard Pryor, Patti Labelle, Smokey Robinson, Jackie “Moms” Mabley, Gladys Knight, Lionel Richie, Ella Fitzgerald, Temptations and Mary J. Blige.
Babyface and Usher have won a combined 20 Grammy Awards – 12 for Babyface, eight for Usher. In addition, Babyface received a trustees award from the Recording Academy in 2021. Big Daddy Kane won a Grammy in 1991 for his role on Quincy Jones’ celebrated Back on the Block album.
Blackstone won a Primetime Emmy in 2022 as music director of The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent. Usher headlined the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, which drew the largest audience in the event’s history. This year’s Primetime Emmy nods, where Usher’s halftime show is a likely contender, will be announced on July 17.
Visit www.ApolloTheater.org for more information. To purchase benefit tickets, make a donation, or for more information, visit www.apollotheater.org/event/spring-benefit-2024.
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
The renowned artist and Harlem, New York, native Faith Ringgold, who blazed a trail for Black women artists for decades, has passed away.
On Saturday (April 13), the iconic artist Faith Ringgold, whose work as a multimedia artist and author left indelible impacts on other Black artists and museums, passed away at her home in Englewood, New Jersey, after a bout of failing health, according to her daughter Barbara Wallace. Ringgold was 93 years old. The news of her passing was first reported by her assistant, Grace Matthews.
Ms. Ringgold’s artwork is a fixture in many museums and institutions around the world including the Guggenheim Museum, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the American Craft Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Art in Boston. Her artwork, delved from her own experiences and inspiration from Tibetan quilt art, stood forth as highly personal and riveting.
Ringgold became known for her “story quilts” which conveyed the depth of Black lives and particularly the joys and the strife of Black women. “I think of quilts as the classic art form of Black people in America,” she said in an interview in 2005. “When African slaves came to America, they couldn’t do their sculpture anymore. They were divorced from their religion. So they would take scraps of fabric and make them into coverlets for the master and for themselves.”
She was born in Harlem, New York, in 1930 as the daughter of a seamstress and dress designer – the two would go on to collaborate on her future works. Ringgold taught art in the New York public school system while launching her career as a painter. She also fought for inclusion in museums for Black and women artists beginning in 1968. “I became a feminist out of disgust for the manner in which women were marginalized in the art world,” she said to the New York Times in 2019, adding: “I began to incorporate this perspective into my work, with a particular focus on Black women as slaves and their sexual exploitation.”
Ringgold also created several public works, including the “Flying Home: Harlem Heroes and Heroines” mosaic murals found in the 125th Street subway station in her native Harlem. She also became a children’s book author and would be the recipient of numerous awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Guggenheim fellowship in addition to honorary doctorates.
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The president of Cuba made a special appearance in Harlem to pay homage to Malcolm X and show solidarity with the African diaspora.
On Monday (September 18), Cuban President Miguel Diáz-Canel visited the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Center in Manhattan. He is currently in town for the United Nations General Assembly, which began this week in New York City. The visit was an affirmation of the ties that Cuba has had with the people of Harlem since the late Fidel Castro first visited in September 1960. Castro, not wishing to follow the lead of other world leaders attending the General Assembly, opted to stay at the legendary Hotel Teresa on 125th Street which led him to meeting Malcolm X in person.
In his speech, President Diáz-Canel highlighted how the civil rights icon referenced the Cuban Revolution in several of his speeches. He also spoke glowingly of Malcolm X’s constant activity as a fighter for social justice for Black people in the United States, as well as his connection and involvement with the liberation movements on the African continent. Dr. Ilyasah Shabazz was in attendance, along with former New York City Councilman Charles Barron and other dignitaries.
To further mark the occasion, President Diáz-Canel also presented a commemorative bronze plaque featuring the faces of Fidel Castro and Malcolm X, which will be placed in the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. The building was formerly the site of the Audubon Ballroom, where Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965. The building was acquired by Columbia University which developed the center as part of a medical complex.
The Cuban President’s visit begins a busy week, as he is slated to speak before the General Assembly on its opening day Tuesday (September 19th) in addition to being the prime representative of the Group of 77. The G-77 is a coalition of 135 developing nations predominately representing the Global South who’ve joined together to enhance their negotiating capacity within the United Nations. As chair of the G-77, Diáz-Canel is expected to address the General Assembly on its lack of action concerning the climate crisis.
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Cam’ron and Mase are getting to the bag together like it’s 1997 again.
The two Harlem natives have reportedly signed an 8-figure deal with Underdog Fantasy for their hilarious sports talk show, It Is What It Is.
According to a press release shared with HipHopWired, the partnership will last at least 18 months. The highly popular sports talk show, is hosted by Cameron “Cam’ron” Giles, Mason (Ma$e) Betha, and Treasure “Stat Baby” Wilson. “Thank you Nick (Nicholas Green of Underdog Fantasy),” said Killa Cam in a statement, “We appreciate you seeing the true value of ‘It is What it Is.’”
The Brooklyn-based sports platform Underdog Fantasy has cosigned other major sports platforms like Gil’s Arena hosted by former NBA star Gilbert Arenas. It’s a fast-rising sports betting platform available in most states. One can start making bets at eighteen (except for MA and AZ where you have to be 21+, and AL & NE where you have to be 19+).
The two rappers came up early in their careers in Harlem and despite a public split that even spilled onto wax in 2017 (and before), the two childhood friends squashed their beef more than a year ago and came together to work on this sports podcast which was free on YouTube and funded by Cam’ron.
The former Roc-a-Fella rapper told Good Day New York in May that he was courting offers from interested investors.
“A lot of n-ggas hollerin’ at me to try and buy my show or make my show a part of what they’re doing. And listen, I appreciate the love, I appreciate the interest and everything else. This is fully funded by me. I didn’t go get no help. I ain’t got no partners. I ain’t got no bank,” he explained.
“They came and did all this shit and y’all gonna have to offer something I ain’t got. Now you don’t know what I got, but you could assume what I got. I’m not gon’ be unreasonable but you gotta be fair. But right now, with the time being, we gon’ have fun.”
Cam told Good Day New York that his sports debate talk show isn’t the only item that he had been getting offers on. He claimed that he regularly receives offers to buy his iconic pink fur coat—with one recent offer being $300,000.
“The people who offered it to me, I didn’t feel they deserved it,” Cam said. “It was more of a stat to them like, ‘I bought Cam’s jacket.’ It wasn’t really like they appreciated where that jacket came from.”
The jacket was recently immortalized in a New York City Transit MTA card in celebration of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary.
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A$AP Bari might need to watch his back a bit closer. He was jumped on by multiple people at a New York City park.
As spotted on HipHopDX the fashion designer recently caught the beats in his hometown of Harlem. On Tuesday August 1 footage leaked online of the VLONE founder in a one on one fight with an unidentified man at a basketball court. While he seemed to be holding his own at first he was soon attacked from behind by another man with a punch to the back of his head. This opens the floodgate for others to join in and he is soon defending himself against multiple men. Thankfully he was thinking on his feet and positioned himself by a wall so he can see all of his opposition. Thankfully a woman intercedes and stops the brawl.
While it was originally unclear why A$AP Bari was in that predicament he soon took to social media to explain the situation saying that it stemmed from someone stealing his chain years back. “Everyday it’s something new with me from ni***s hating on me to ni***s [rapping] about me,” he wrote on an Instagram Story. “The best thing to do is have a great meal and get ready for another pay day.”
He continue to provide further detail on a follow up post. “This last time talking about it. A ni***s stole my chain two years ago out car without me know and I seen him so I knocked him out and his ni***s jumped in[.] Would had jump me to after the way I knocked him out.” The man who he was originally fighting also responded by posting a video alleging that Bari might of used something sharp to cut him. Yo, Bari, you a f****ot. And suck my d***. You probably cut me with something too, you f****ot b***h. And you ain’t do nothin’ to me. All you did was this,” he claimed as he showed his lip. “And when I catch you, it’s lit.” Bari reposted the clip with a text overlay that read “just my hands beloved”.
You can see the fight footage below.
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