Year: 2019

Yesterday (May 4), part of the Park Hill section of Staten Island, New York was officially renamed the “Wu-Tang Clan District.” The rechristening is in honor of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late O.D.B. Meth’, Raekwon, Ghostface, and U-God are some of the Wu founders that grew up in this section of Shaolin, as well as Cappadonna. The New York City Council voted unanimously in favor of renaming the area. The sign stands at the intersection of Targee Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. At the ceremony, which Inspectah Deck and others attended, a sign was added to the corner. Visitors can now officially “Enter the Wu-Tang.”

City council member Debbie Rose had this to say in conjunction with the unveiling. “This is a great day where we have an opportunity to honor our own hometown heroes, the young men who put Staten Island on the map internationally. They overcame all types of challenges, to not only become Rap artist and Hip-Hop artist but to inspire and challenge the music world,” Rose said, according to The Staten Island Advance.

To commemorate the moment, Raekwon the Chef was among the Clan founders who uploaded a video of the street sign unveiling on the rainy Saturday afternoon. The crowd present for the event can be heard cheering and chanting “Wu-Tang” as the reveal commences.

The Wu-Tang Clan also have their own official day in New York on November 9. Now, the Wu-Tang can be celebrated for an entire day, in a neighborhood that they made proud.

This month, Wu-Tang, Public Enemy, De La Soul, and DJ Premier are part of the Gods Of Rap Tour in the United Kingdom. Wu is in the midst of their 25th-anniversary run. On May 10, the Sacha Jenkins-directed documentary, Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men, will make its television debut on Showtime. RZA is also executive producing the dramatic series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga for Hulu that is currently revealing some of the actors (and fellow Rap artists) who are playing the members of the Clan and its affiliates. Additionally, RZA and band-mate Ghostface Killah are making a Horror movie, Angel Of Dust, based on their real-life experiences.

Original post was published here.

The Power duo of executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and co-star La La Anthony are teaming for a new series project at Starz. The premium cable network has put in development Intercepted, a soapy drama from 50 Cent and his G-Unit Films and Television, with Anthony attached to star and executive produce.

Intercepted is based on Alexa Martin’s bestselling novel of the same name. It is the first of the three-book series The Playbook, inspired by the eight years Martin spent as an NFL wife.

Described as a funny and fresh contemporary romance, Intercepted centers on Marlee Harper (Anthony), who is the perfect girlfriend. She’s sure had enough practice, dating her NFL-star boyfriend for the last 10 years. But when her relationship unexpectedly ends, she vows to never date an athlete again. Only one problem: Gavin Pope, the new star quarterback in town, has Marlee in his sights.

Actress/TV personality Anthony has real-life experience as a WAG she can draw upon for the role; she has been married to NBA star Carmelo Anthony.

Intercepted is part of the rich new overall deal Jackson and G-Unit inked with Starz last fall. G-Unit also is developing the series Black Mafia Family and Vanguard for the premium cable network, owned by Lionsgate.

Martin’s The Playbook series was published by Berkley, a division of Penguin Random House.

50 Cent, born Curtis James Jackson III, executive produces Starz’s flagship drama series Power, on which he also starred for the first five seasons and directed an episode. Additionally, he executive produces a hot legal drama pilot at ABC, written by Hank Steinberg.

In addition to her co-starring role on Power, Anthony is a bestselling author. Her recent TV credits include Star and The New Edition Story.

Original post was published here.

Fresh from playing the African warrior king Black Panther in Avengers: Endgame, Chadwick Boseman has officially aligned himself to play Yasuke, the first African samurai to swing a sword in Japan.

Erik Feig’s Picturestart has teamed with Mike De Luca and his De Luca Productions banner, Stephen L’Heureux and his Solipsist banner, and Boseman and Logan Coles’ X●ception Content to produce the film adaptation of the story of Yasuke, who served under Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga in 16th century Japan.

Yasuke was a native of Portuguese Mozambique who was brought to Japan as a slave to Jesuit missionaries. The first black man to set foot on Japanese soil, Yasuke’s arrival aroused the interest of Nobunaga, a ruthless warlord seeking to unite the fractured country under his banner. A complex relationship developed between the two men as Yasuke earned Nobunaga’s friendship, respect — and ultimately, the honor, swords and title of samurai.

Doug Miro is writing the script. he co-created the hit Netflix series Narcos, which he continues to write and exec produce alongside co-creator Carlo Bernard and showrunner Eric Newman.

“The legend of Yasuke is one of history’s best kept secrets, the only person of non-Asian origin to become a Samurai,” Boseman said. “That’s not just an action movie, that’s a cultural event, an exchange, and I am excited to be part of it.”

The Yasuke project has been percolating for awhile and Feig and the producers started it at Lionsgate when Feig headed production there. It shook loose when he left. MGM recently set a rival Yasuke project that has a script by Stuart C. Paul, and Whalerock Industries’ Lloyd Braun and Andrew Mittman producing.

Beyond Black Panther/T’Challa, Boseman has most recently starred as Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. He will next star in STX’s 21 Bridges, which he and Coles also produced along The Russo Brothers and Madison Wells Media. Boseman is represented by Greene & Associates Talent Agency and Management 360.

Original post was published here.

This year’s Met Gala theme–“Camp”–is all about embracing the unexpected and Serena Williams hit the red carpet in a canary yellow combo that did just that. 

As co-chair for the night’s festivities, the 37-year old tennis star made a practical fashion choice in pairing her dramatic Versace gown with custom kicks by Off-White designer Virgil Abloh.

With hubby Alexis Ohanian in tow, the tennis pro revealed on the red carpet that it was actually Vogue editrix Anna Wintour who suggested she retire her heels. 

This isn’t the first time Williams made waves in Versace at the Gala–in 2017 she debuted her baby bump while wearing a custom green look by the brand.

As founder of Off White, Abloh made history last year, becoming the first Black artistic director at Louis Vuitton. 

Hats off to Serena for showing this brother some love at an event where designers of color are notoriously underrepresented.

Original post was published here.

Ice Cube definitely got a lot of people’s attention when he posted a message about his 1995 film “Friday,” which reached its 24th anniversary on April 26. And now, following the success of sequels “Next Friday” in 2000 and “Friday After Next” in 2002, the rapper has followed that post with news of when he wants the fourth movie in the franchise released.

“To the 24 years that have flown since this came out, all I gotta say is… BYE, FELICIA,” wrote Cube last month. “Do you want the next chapter??”

Then on a recent episode of ESPN’s “The Jump,” Cube said the script is done and is currently undergoing edits from the film studio. But he’d love for it to hit theaters on April 26, 2020, for the 25th anniversary of the first film. 

“We pushing for it, we finished the script, we getting notes from the studio and it’s going back and forth,” he explained. “We’re going to get into pre-production and start hiring people. It would be nice for this to come out on the 25th anniversary.”

And for those who badly want Tucker to be in the new film, he said it’s a possibility but only if it makes sense.

“I don’t know. I talked to [Ice] Cube about it,” he said last year on the ESPN podcast “The Plug.” “He told me he was working on some stuff. And if it comes together right, I’m definitely gonna look at it and see if it works. ‘Cause I never say never; I definitely want to check it out. If it works, it’s a possibility.” 

“At this point, I want to make sure that it’s the right thing to do,” added Tucker. “‘Cause you don’t want to do something for money if it’s not the right thing to do. ‘Cause then it disappoints fans.”

Original post was published here.

Original post was published here.

A Pittsburgh defense attorney is outraged after his son was suspended from school for retaliating against a bully who called him the N-word.

Now, Blaine Jones and his wife say they’re considering legal action against the South Fayette Township School District and accuse officials of failing  to protect their son against racism and bullying.

“As a black person in America, racism is what you deal with,” Jones told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “You ignore the ignorance, ignore the evil, ignore the hate and be a good person.”

The attorney’s 15-year-old son, a student at South Fayette Township High School in Allegheny County, took a less passive approach, however, when a white student allegedly called him a racial slur early last week during lunch period. Jones said just as his son started to sit at the table, the other student put his hands on his own head and called him the N-word.

“So then my son went around the table. He asked him, one more time, what did you say?,” Jones said, recalling his son’s account of the incident. “And the young man said to my son, ‘I called you the N-word, what are you going to do about it?’ ”

“So that’s when my son defended himself and began to choke this young man and then they started fighting,” he explained.

Jones and his wife met with both the principal and superintendent late last week following the cafeteria melee and said they expected the punishment on the two students to be “fair and equitable and commensurate with what happened,” according to the Post-Gazette.

To their surprise, it was their son who was issued a three-day suspension for the fight while it was unclear if the other young man was disciplined at all.

“They’re supposed to protect my son,” said Jones. “They have failed my son. Instead of protecting my son against verbal bullying, against racism, they suspended him for three days.”

The frustrated father later learned that both boys had in fact been punished with suspensions, although he said he’s still dissatisfied with the school’s handling of the incident.

The defense attorney told Yahoo Lifestyle that his son has faced racial harassment from other students in the past and that school officials did nothing about it.

“Considering that my son was called the N-word last year by another student — for which no action was taken by the school — and this kid’s history of harassment, I expected due process for my child,” Jones said. “But they just reiterated language from the handbook about behavior codes.”

He went on to accuse the suburban Pittsburgh school, where just 3 percent of the student body is Black, of tolerating racism.

“I have dozens of testimonies from students who have been targets of racism,” Jones added.. “Bullies are allowed to thrive, unchecked and African-American students are suffering in silence.”

South Fayette Township School District superintendent Kenneth F. Lockett, confirmed in a statement last week that both young men were disciplined according to district policy, but remained tight-lipped on details regarding the white student’s punishment, the Post-Gazette reported.

“The safety and well-being of all our students is our No. 1 priority, and we take all incidents that violate our policies seriously,” Lockette said.

Jones and his wife are now threatening legal action if school administrators won’t address what they consider “systemic racism” at the school.

The Transportation Security Administration is investigating after singer Diana Ross alleged she was “violated” by agents at a New Orleans airport this weekend.

Ross was in town to perform at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Saturday, May 4, and tweeted that she was “treated like royalty” in the Big Easy but “at the airport I was treated like s—.”

“Let me be clear, Not the [people] or Delta BUT TSA , was over the top !!” Ross tweeted Sunday, May 5. “Makes me want to cry !!!”

She went on to explain that an agent at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport made her feel defiled when they performed their check at security, which involved the female agent putting her hands between Ross’ legs.

“Its not what was done but how , I am feeling violated – I still feel her hands between my legs , front and back (saying to me it her job,) WOW!!” the “Upside Down” singer said. “really mixed emotions I always like to see the good things but not feeling good right now.”

Speaking to ABC News Sunday, TSA said their initial review of the security footage captured at the airport shows the officers who conducted Ross’ screening “correctly followed all protocols.”

“TSA is committed to ensuring all travelers are treated with respect and courtesy,” spokesperson Jenny Burke said in a statement emailed to the news organization. “TSA is aware of concerns presented by Diana Ross about her screening experience at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport this morning.

“We encourage Ms. Ross to reach out to TSA so we can further explain our procedures, designed to protect travelers from a persistent threat,” the memo added, noting the agency will continue to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, fans of Ross have been sympathizing with the Motown icon.

Original post as published here.

Waithe paid tribute to LGBTQ origins of Camp style by wearing a suit designed by Pyer Moss designer, Kerby Jean-Raymond, who accompanied her on the carpet.

“Black Drag Queens Invented Camp,” was embroidered on the back of The Chi creator’s blazer. Jean-Raymond’s read, “Fix your credit. Pool money. Buy back the block,” a homage to the late rapper Nipsey Hussle. The pinstripes of the suits were in fact lyrics to LGBTQ anthems including Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out,” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”

“One reason black culture is not within the ‘camp’ conversation is because the term itself has a lot of basis in theatrical, outlandish, exaggerated, and extreme fashion,” fashion historian Darnell Lisby told Teen Vogue. “Even though I believe there are so many examples of ‘camp’ in black culture, there is a broad paint stroke over the black experience, which is perceived to be downtrodden instead of vibrant. In essence, it seems like many forget about icons like Prince or Jimmy Hendrix, who were the epitome of this term.”

Camp at its core is about interpretation. Monae delivered a playful spin on the theme wearing a custom dress by Cristian Siriano inspired by the Mad Hatter, a fictional character in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The entertainer’s stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn told Variety that ensemble was influenced by the surrealism found in the works of Monae’s favorite artists Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.

The 2019 Met Gala was filled with designs by Dapper Dan, a fixture in Black Camp fashion, although Monday was his first time at the annual Vogue-hosted event. 

Original post was published here.

Fly for the Culture, a nonprofit organization that offers free introductory flight lessons and mentorships to diverse groups of children, hopes to increase the number of pilots from varied backgrounds.

Jerome Stanislaus is an African-American pilot and mentor who began working with the organization last year. In April, he sat down with CBS News reporter Michelle Miller to talk about his passion for mentoring children of color. He participates in Fly for the Culture because of the lack of diversity in the aviation industry. 

“I told myself I would probably never be a pilot because I never saw a pilot that looked like myself,” he said about how the lack of representation affected his childhood.

According to the 2017 census from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people of color only make up 7 percent of U.S. pilots and flight engineers. Just 3 percent of that group are African-American.

Stanislaus was overcome with emotion speaking about the meaningfulness of this work.

“I love it,” he said while holding back tears of joy. “I really want to be able to make a difference and this is how I do it. It’s like my purpose.”

Original post was published here.

When it comes to the college admissions process, there’s no shortage of students who were granted more than one admissions letter. However, not many come close to the New Orleans teen who applied to 115 schools and was accepted into every single one of them.

According to  NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune, Antoinette Love, a senior at International High School of New Orleans, is not only knee-deep in acceptance letters, but she also secured around $3.7 million in scholarships.

Love’s accomplishments were celebrated by her high school, who devoted a special Facebook post to the high school senior.

“The IHSNO community is so proud of you and your accomplishments!!” the school wrote in the post that accompanied a photo of Love with her parents, Yolanda and Anthony Love, and all of her acceptance letters.

Now, Love, who hopes to major in elementary education, plans to visit schools in the next few weeks in order to make a final decision by May 1.

Love, like many other students around the country, was able to apply to many schools at once by using the Common App and the Common Black College Application, which she used to apply to 50 HBCUs. In order to send out so many applications, Love utilized application-fee waivers.

Although Love is making tremendous moves when it comes to higher education, her life began with several hardships.

Love’s parents were both teens when she was born six weeks premature, her mother, Yolanda, told the New Orleans Advocate. Weighing only 4.4 pounds, Love spent the first 23 days of her life in a hospital. When she was 2 years old, Love was attacked by a dog. Thankfully, she did not suffer any permanent injuries.

Most recently, Love, who holds a 3.5 GPA, was inducted into the National Senior Beta Club, the National Honor Society, the National English Honor Society, and Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society at her school. The teen, who is dual enrolled in classes at Delgado Community College, still finds time to help her parents with her younger siblings, who range in age from nine to 15.

“We have so much going on in our lives to where this is that one moment where it’s something good and something positive, not only for our family but for the city, too, to show what kind of kids New Orleans has,” Yolanda Love told NOLA.com.

Original post was published here.