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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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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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This weekend’s highly anticipated Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC) in New York City has been canceled due to the heat advisory the city is currently under. The three-day festival was scheduled to kick off Friday July 28, but organizers made the decision to nix the event out of safety concerns and the advisement of public officials.
The HFC’s official statement cited President Joe Biden’s suggestion that citizens “listen to public officials and stay indoors” in light the dangerously excessive heat and poor air quality gripping parts of the nation.
“After strong consideration to this severe weather impacting New York City, it is with a heavy heart that we have made the tough decision to cancel this weekend’s Harlem Festival of Culture with public safety in mind,” reads part of the official statement announcing the cancelation. “Our primary concern for the Festival was to put on an enjoyable and safe experience for all, and with the current forecast, it does not support a safe festival experience for attendees, workers or partners. While this untimely announcement changes our planned activities, this decision could potentially save lives.”
Friday’s headliner was A$AP Ferg along with performers that included Bell Biv Devoe, Cam’ron and Doug E. Fresh. Saturday’s headliner was Teyana Taylor while Wyclef Jean was scheduled to hold down Sunday, with cite of the HFC being Randall’s Island. Hip-Hop icon DJ Red Alert was scheduled to be honored on Friday. Per Weather.com, the weekend forecast in New York City includes highs in 90’s and heat advisories that include “tot temperatures and high humidity [that] may cause heat illnesses to occur.”
Refunds will be issued and more information can be found at www.harlemfestivalofculture.com.
See the full statement below.
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Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five, won his primary election to the New York City Council in a strong fashion.
As the results of the Democratic primary for the City Council’s 9th District came in at 11 P.M. on Tuesday night (June 27th), the 49-year-old author and justice activist was leading state Assembly members Inez Dickens and Al Taylor with more than 50% of the vote. Dickens and Taylor netted 25% and 15% of that vote, respectively. Kristin Richardson Jordan, the incumbent who dropped out of the race unexpectedly but was still on the ballot, came in last but earned 10% of the vote.
Salaam gathered with his supporters at Harlem Tavern, entering to raucous applause. In a speech he gave to the crowd which was covered by Jeff Coltin of City & State NY, he said: “What has happened on this campaign has restored my faith in knowing that I was born for this. I am not a seasoned politician. So therefore this was not politics as usual.”
In being one of the five Black and brown teens – the others being Antron McCay, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise – falsely accused and convicted of assaulting and raping Trisha Melli in 1989, Salaam’s experience served as fuel for his life as a justice advocate after he and the others were exonerated after another man confessed to the crime. That story drew many in the Harlem district to back his campaign. The win guarantees that Salaam will serve on the City Council for two two-year terms, as there is no Republican candidate slated for the district.
He referenced that situation and the 1989 newspaper advertisement by Donald Trump calling for the death penalty in their case, although he deigned to call out the former president by name. “This campaign has been about those who have been counted out, those who have been forgotten,” Salaam said in his speech. “I am here because, Harlem, you believed in me.”
There was the possibility of Salaam potentially going through a second round of counting votes due to New York’s ranked-choice voting system, but the lead that he holds makes it mathematically impossible for Dickens and Taylor to overcome. The 73-year-old Dickens, who scored the only endorsement by Mayor Eric Adams in any City Council election this primary, reportedly called Salaam to concede later that evening.
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Diddy is about to make a grand homecoming to Harlem. He will be honored with the Icon Award at The Apollo Theater.
As spotted on HipHopDX the Bad Boy Entertainment mogul is about to be receive a distinction very close to his heart. On Monday, June 12 Diddy will be the recipient of this year’s Icon Award at their 2023 Spring Benefit. As expected the “Act Bad” rapper took to social media to ensure the culture knows he is back in New York City. “Wassup Harlem, I’m coming Home,” he in a since delete Instagram video. “Monday, I’ll be there, getting that Apollo Icon Award. And you know it’s up. So if you in the city all the Harlemites, ya’ll know I ain’t got everybody’s number but I plan on seeing you, and drinks is on Diddy.”
Six-time NBA champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will also be awarded the Impact Award. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, there will be special appearances from trailblazers including rapper and formidable actress MC Lyte, three-time Grammy award winning artist, producer and writer Wyclef Jean, and for a mainstage set and to helm the DJ booth at the event’s infamous afterparty will be DJ D-Nice. Musician, composer and producer Ray Chew returns to the Apollo stage as Music Director for the 12th year.
All proceeds will support the non-profit organization’s year-round, world-class artistic, education, and community programs, as well as its commitment to articulating and projecting the African American narrative using arts and culture, and creating a 21st century performing arts canon. The Apollo has been a place of dynamic energy and forward motion for more than 89 years. This season’s programmatic theme is aptly themed “The Next Movement!” and has presented signature programs, audience favorites, and exciting new works from artists pushing the boundaries of their art forms – from music and dance to fashion and film, and beyond.
Photo: Bernard Smalls
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MA$E has been recognized by his community in a profound way. He has been given his own day in Harlem.
As spotted on Vibe Magazine the rapper was honored on Tuesday, January 24 in front of the world famous Apollo Theater on 125th Street. New York City Council Member Kevin C. Riley presented Betha with the proclamation that recognized his “outstanding achievements and enduring contributions” throughout entertainment and culture. The “Feels So Good” MC showed his appreciation for the honor. “I want to thank all of you for coming out here today, but most of all, I want to say this because this really matters in our community: a win only feels great when you win with family,” he said. “Today, I have my whole family here — my wife of 22 years and a bunch of people in the crowd, a bunch of great artists. Thank you, and thank you Harlem for making me great” he said.
The former Bad Boy Entertainment star also went on to specifically give thanks to his spiritual advisor who is largely credited for inspiring him to leave his Rap career behind. “And most of all, my pastor is here. This is the guy that prayed for me when I left Hip-Hop, so y’all all wanna know who changed me? This is the guy that changed me.” This weekend MA$E, Jadakiss and Cam’ron are set to perform at The Apollo Theater on Saturday, January 28 in a special show that aims at celebrating their individual discographies, collaborations and overall contributions to the Rap genre. This is their first official outing since the trip cancelled their “3 Headed Monster Tour” that they originally announced back in September.
While it is unclear why the tour was cancelled, MA$E went on to imply Diddy had a hand in it. “Also to my #1 hater BTS make sure you pull up since your trying to stop everything I do BTS. We know whats going on…but its not gonna stop nothing. Cant Stop Wont Stop.” You can see MA$E post ceremony below.
Photo: Brian Stukes
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