If you missed the WTLC’s Summer Seduction last night, what were you thinking?! But, no worries we captured some of the best moments, including exclusive photos from Tamia and Biz Markie’s special meet & greet! Click here to find and grab your photo from the meet & greets!
The Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place this morning (on East Coast time) and it was AMAZING! The now Dutch and Duchess of Sussex looked lovely. The choirs sounded terrific and Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon was the show stealer!
The wedding was star-studded as Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams and more attended this worldwide event. Take a look at our gallery below recapping the momentous occasion.
Since the first trailer was released last year, people all over the world have been eagerly awaiting the release of Black Panther and on Monday night, some of hollywood’s biggest stars, attended the premiere of Black Panther.
To make the night even more special, some of them were dressed in royal attire, proudly showing their king and queen heritage.
In fact, some stars like actors Mike Colter and David Oyelowo wore colorful dashikis, while Black Panther stars Lupita Nyong’o and Angela Bassett had beautiful and vibrant dresses along with gold accessories.
Overall, it was beautiful night filled with beautiful people. Check out the exclusive photos above!
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Kerry Washington put an end to any and all talk about who was best dressed at the Emmys the moment she stepped onto the red carpet looking like this:
The pregnant Scandal star, who is nominated for her role as Anita Hill in HBO’s Confirmation (she also produced the TV movie), looking ravishing in a black dress with strategic cutouts showing just a hint of her fully-bloomed bump.
Her hair upped the game even further, channeling Diana Ross — possibly as a shout out to Tracee Ellis Ross, who could make history tonight if she wins Outstanding Lead Actress In a Comedy Series for black-ish? — with her voluminous locks.
Everything about Kerry’s look is perfection. Get it, Ms. Washington!
Note: If you or someone you needs help with getting out of a domestic violence situation visit The National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 800-799-SAFE
It’s no secret that Pharrell Williams had a spectacular 2014, thanks in large part to his hit single “Happy” and “G I R L,” his first solo album in eight years. He’s looking to start 2015 off strong with an upcoming album with Snoop Dogg and a guest spot on animated powerhouse The Simpsons.
The Emmy Award-winning game-changing animated sitcom has welcomed many other black entertainers of all stripes over the course of its 25 year lifespan. From actors to athletes to musicians and public figures, here are 28 other famous figures who have visited Springfield at one point or another.
When the New York-based Governors Ball Festival released its lineup for 2015, I spent a good 15 minutes sifting through the names again and again looking for which hip-hop acts were coming through to Randall’s Island this year.
After the third or fourth combing, I resurfaced with five names: Logic, The People Under The Stairs, Atmosphere, Bishop Nehru, and Drake. I was in shock; Gov Ball had appeared to be building up its hip-hop presence over the course of the last two years, only to reduce it to a handful of small-time acts…and Drake. Not to diminish the reputation or validity of any of the emcees included, but…really? This is the best you’ve got, New York?
A music festival that takes place a stone’s throw away from The Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop culture and rap music, has barely anything to show for it? That’s troubling, even for a festival environment that caters to drunk affluent white kids.
Out of curiosity, I pull up the lineups for Coachella and Bonnaroo, two other summer music tests that take place in Indio, CA and Manchester, TN, respectively, and found a much wider array of emcees between the two: Run the Jewels, Action Bronson, Azealia Banks, Ab-Soul, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, Rae and Ghost, Vic Mensa, Shabazz Palaces, Dej Loaf, Lil’ B, Tyler The Creator, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar.
Every one of these artists are either up and comers or at the top of their respective games, a diverse platter of fresh and relevant faces in a genre that is currently dominating American culture. Hell, even Bonnaroo managed to book G-Eazy.
Don’t get me wrong, the general lineup is still decent. The aforementioned Drake is headlining, a legitimate superstar who’s finally ready to take the festival circuit by the horns, and whose large discography and limitless connections leave a lot of possibilities for guest stars, and the remaining acts have either a reputation or budding talent backing up their place on the list (on the other hand, Logic has the surprisingly healthy sales of his debut album “Under Pressure” to thank for his spot), the seeming abandonment of rap music in the 2015 Governors Ball lineup is a perplexing omission. I’m as stoked to see Weird Al Yankovic, Björk, and Flying Lotus as anyone else, but here are some MCs New York could’ve easily called to hold down Gov Ball 2015:
Joey Bada$$
I wonder why this Brooklyn-based prodigy hasn’t been placing in every big festival this year. He’s received an unreal amount of hype for his lyrical skill, his solo mix tapes, and his collective Pro Era — and he’s not even 20 years old yet. His debut album “B4.DA.$$” drops next week, so you’d figure that at least one festival spot, especially in his home city, would be in the cards.
Big K.R.I.T.
K.R.I.T. is coming off the heels of his sophomore LP “Cadillactica” and a ton of good will from previous self-released/produced projects, so it’s easy to imagine him setting foot on one of the Gov Ball stages. Accessibility is one of the key factors to his discography, full of genuine bangers and more somber cuts, so he’d be an interesting addition to the Gov Ball lineup.
BadBadNotGood/Ghostface Killah
Together or separately, these two would be a sight to see. The Canadian jazz-hop trio and the legendary Wu-Tang MC are releasing a collaborative LP in February called “Sour Soul” that’s sure to turn some heads, so having them perform a short set early in the day seems plausible.
Snow Tha Product
A young up and comer from California, Snow’s energy and skill have been racking her millions of YouTube views and cross-country tours for the past two years or so. She’s currently working on her first EP and being in her corner on the ground floor would be a good look for everyone involved.
Kendrick Lamar
Look. He’s one of the hottest names in Rap. We all know Kendrick plans on dropping his newest album this year. He wouldn’t have signed up for Bonnaroo if he wasn’t. How and why did you miss the opportunity to have this guy play Randall’s Island, Gov Ball?
Azealia Banks
As much of a lightning rod for controversy as she may be, the young Ms. Banks finally saw her oft-delayed debut album Broke With Expensive Taste release at the end of last year, and with her spot at Coachella, she’s clearly hungry for some exposure. The Harlemite could’ve been a steal for Gov Ball.
Chance The Rapper
He did play Gov Ball and just about every other festival under the sun last year, but it’s always good to have Chance and his band The Social Experiment come around. Their live show is unlike any other in the genre right now, and Chance has something even grander planned for the release of he and The Social Experiment’s latest release Surf coming later this year.
Travis $cott
Watch that video and tell me you wouldn’t come to a festival just to be a part of that.
Action Bronson
A Queens native whose live shows have been known to include free giveaways (pot, TVs and Xbox Ones), rapping from a port-a-potty, and other raucous goings-on that I can’t mention here? What’s not to recommend? Plus his debut studio album Mr. Wonderful drops in March, and Bam Bam would make sure to give Gov Ball a set it would never forget.
The Underachievers
This Flatbush, Brooklyn-based duo is a part of the Beast Coast movement in hip-hop, and no one is doing psychedelic rap like these guys right now. With a debut album under their belts from last year, a collaborative EP and recently concluded US tour with fellow Beast Coasters Flatbush Zombies, and a zany old-school vibe, MCs AK and Issa Gold would’ve made a fine addition.
While the HBO biopic still doesn’t have a release date, the network has let loose the first pictures of Queen Latifah as iconic Blues singer Bessie Smith in a small-screen film slated for next year. The first peek at Latifah in Bessie comes less than a month after an official announcement that her short-lived daytime talk show the Queen Latifah Show would not be renewed for a third season.
Latifah, originally a rapper of Flavor Unit fame alongside 45 King and Lakim Shabazz, is one of the executive producers for Bessie as well as its leading actor. The cast for the premium channel’s latest full-length film also includes Michael Kenneth Williams, Mike Epps, Tika Sumpter, Khandi Alexander, Mo’Nique, and Charles S. Dutton. The movie, which is based on Smith’s life story and leans on details from Chris Albertson’s biography of the singer, is being directed by Dee Rees who wrote and directed the award-winning 2011 film Pariah.
As Essence pointed out in a recent story, Queen Latifah won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television for her part in Life Support, an HBO movie in which she played the part of a mother struggling with a crack addition.
It’s no secret that Pharrell Williams had a spectacular 2014, thanks in large part to his hit single “Happy” and “G I R L,” his first solo album in eight years. He’s looking to start 2015 off strong with an upcoming album with Snoop Dogg and a guest spot on animated powerhouse The Simpsons. 
