Courtesy of the Avant Family Clarence Avant, the beloved music executive widely known as “The Black Godfather,” has died at the age of 92, his family confirms. “It is with a heavy heart that the Avant/Sarandos family announce the passing of Clarence Alexander Avant. Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as ‘The Black…
Prince Williams/Wireimage Teddy Riley may be known for R&B hits, but unbeknownst to some, he actually got his start in hip-hop. He produced songs for Doug E. Fresh, Heavy D, Wreckx-n-Effect, Big Daddy Kane and more, years before fusing hip-hop with R&B to make his New Jack Swing sound. “Hip-hop is a big influence on me because that’s the first genre…
Terence Patrick/CBS Usher is only three years older than Beyoncé, just old enough to briefly act as her chaperone back in the day. In an interview with Capital Breakfast With Roman Kemp in the U.K., he recalled the time he was tasked with looking after her and her former girl group. “Fun fact, I knew Beyoncé when she was 12…
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation Jay-Z‘s 40/40 Club in New York City’s Flatiron District is no more. A message on the club’s official website says the flagship location is “currently closed but will reopen at a new location in February 2024.” Eater New York reports the bar and lounge made the decision to close its original location…
ABC Before the SAG-AFTRA strike ground Hollywood to a halt, The Hollywood Reporter notes Tiffany Haddish was developing a documentary shining a light on an interesting phenomenon: successful women who date homeless men. “I experienced homelessness myself and found that there was a stigma on it that I don’t think should be there,” said the…
From summer anthems to hype club tracks and new hip-hop collabs, check out this week’s New Music Friday for the culture’s latest & greatest in music. —EST GEE, El Toro 2 — The sequel to EST GEE’s El Toro features the Yo Gotti-assisted “A Moment with Gotti.” —DJ Khaled ft. Lil Baby, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, “Supposed to be Loved” — The stars unite…
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit The patent leather blowup suit Missy Elliott wears in her “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” video is an iconic look that brings back memories for the multihyphenate. Taking to the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, the rapper shared a fun fact about the video in response to a…
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS Nicki Minaj has been writing raps for years, but the “greatest song” she’s ever written is on the horizon. In a post shared on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, the rapper revealed her desire for fans to hear the song that she loves. “The greatest song I’ve ever written. My goodness,” she wrote. “Opened…
Rob Kim/Getty Images for adidas Run-D.M.C. has been celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, but now they have another reason to let loose. Earlier this week, the legendary rap group was honored with their very own day in New York City. Mayor Eric Adams blessed them with the honor on Wednesday, August 9, declaring that date Run-DMC Day. The proclamation ceremony took place…
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images Tory Lanez is maintaining his innocence in the shooting case of Megan Thee Stallion, despite being found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison. “I have never let a hard time intimidate me, I will never, never let no jail time eliminate me,” the rapper, who was born Daystar Peterson, wrote in a post shared to his…
