On this day in Black history, February 9: — In 1953, author Ralph Ellison became the first Black writer to win the National Book Award for his debut novel, Invisible Man. — In 1971, Leroy “Satchel” Paige became the first Negro League veteran to be nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The pitching legend was inducted in August 1971.…
Ethan Miller/Getty Images While trying to decide which of his many iconic hits he’ll try to jam into his halftime at the Super Bowl Sunday, Usher‘s criteria can be summed up in one word: celebration. “What I did is, I was very mindful of my past, celebrating my present, which is here in Las Vegas, and thinking…
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for STARZ Nicki Minaj will soon hit the road on her highly anticipated Pink Friday 2 Tour, but she won’t be traveling across the U.S. alone. Grammy-winning singer Monica has been announced as the tour special guest, joining Nicki on the North American dates. The duo’s first stop is in Oakland on March 1. They’ll also travel to…
ABC/Michael Le Brecht II Lola Brooke has released her latest single, a tribute to rappers who have died called “God Bless All the Rappers.” On the new track, the New York native makes mention of a few rap artists who were victims of gun violence, including Pop Smoke and PnB Rock. In one of the verses Lola raps, “How could you kill Chinx Drugz, King…
Mike Coppola/WireImage Henry Lee Fambrough, the last surviving founding member of R&B group The Spinners, passed away Wednesday, the band’s rep Tanisha Lynn Jackson confirms to ABC Audio. Fambrough died at his home in Virginia at the age of 85. Fambrough formed The Spinners in 1954 with Pervis Jackson, Billy Henderson, Bobby Smith and C.P. Spencer. Known for his baritone vocals and handlebar mustache, Fambrough…
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images It’s been 50 years since the iconic TV sitcom Good Times first aired on CBS, and this weekend, TV One is celebrating with a three-day marathon. Starting Friday, February 9, at 8 p.m. ET and continuing through Sunday, February 11, the network will air Good Times 50 Still Golden, an exclusively curated event featuring special content…
Apple Music It’s a mission to find the man of the hour in the new Apple Music short film, Where’s Usher? A group of Usher’s close friends, Taraji P. Henson, Ludacris and Lil Jon, search for Usher high and low in key areas around Las Vegas and find him right before it’s time to perform the Super Bowl halftime show. Clues take the group to a…
Billboard They were first announced as a Billboard Women in Music award recipients, but now, the publication reveals Victoria Monét and Tems will be performing at the show, too. Monét, the recipient of the Rising Star Award, and Tems, who’s recognized as the Breakthrough Honoree, will take the stage to play some of their hits at this year’s event, which is hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross. They’ll join previously…
Courtesy Apple Music By necessity, most Super Bowl halftime shows clock in at about 13 or 13 1/2 minutes, though some past shows have pushed it a bit. Well, you can count Usher in the “pushing it a bit” camp: He says he managed to convince the powers that be to let him have a whole 15 minutes…
On this day in Black history, February 8: — In 1944, Harry S. McAlpin, a journalist from St. Louis, Missouri, became the first Black reporter to attend a White House news conference. — In 1968, the Orangeburg Massacre erupted when a civil rights protest at South Carolina State University turned deadly after officers opened fired on about 200 unarmed Black students,…
