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Whitney Houston’s legacy will forever be timeless, even in the world of technology. Earlier this month, non-fungible token (NFT) green marketplace OneOf announced that a rare full-length demo sung by the legend at age 17 would be auctioned off. Now, that item has become the highest sold NFT on the Tezos blockchain selling for nearly $1 million, Billboard reports. “Whitney is an icon for the ages,” OneOf co-founder Joshua James said. “We couldn’t be more excited to be releasing this historical song from the very beginning of her journey as an artist.” The winner of the auction, which ended yesterday (Dec.14), can not only revel in exclusive access to Houston’s recording, but the lucky individual also received digital artwork and videos crafted by 17-year-old photographer and curator Diana Sinclair.
To provide a space for Black talent in tech, OneTen — a group of industry executives aiming to hire and build Black individuals to create an equitable and inclusive workforce — has launched its inaugural scholarship program to provide support for over 3,500 students over the next two years, a press release states. The program was created to spearhead underserved Black talent toward the tech industry — with a focus on four core tech competencies: digital marketing, business analytics, front end developer, and predictive analytics — despite not acquiring four-year degrees. “By investing in talent transformation, we can help remove the barriers to diversity in tech. By providing access to resources that are designed to nurture and develop people’s skills, we can help get more Black talent into the technology space,” Dennis Schultz, Executive Director of the BIT Foundation, said in a press release. As a contribution toward OneTen’s commitment, Udacity and Blacks In Technology will lend...
The Black TikTok strike made headlines last month after Black creators seemingly refused to create choreography to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Thot Sh*t” single for non-Black TikTokers to steal without giving credit. However, that wasn’t the beginning and end of the strike’s mission. In fact, the Black TikTok strike was never solely about Black creators refusing to create dances. The real reason for the strike was fueled by users who were fed up and frustrated with the way Black creativity on apps like TikTok is constantly stolen, replicated and profited off of for the benefit of others. According to TikTok influencer Erick Louis — whose viral video helped spark the beginning of the strike — he originally joined the app back in November because he saw the community being built by Black TikTokers that stirred joy, education and entertainment on the platform. However, it’s been disheartening for him to see the way Black creators are excluded and taken advantage of while TikTok does little...
NFTs have been the talk of the creative and entertainment industries for the last few months and now rapper Waka Flocka is getting in on the action too. In April, news circulated that the Hip-Hop superstar entered a partnership to create Satoshi Art — an all-new 100% minority-owned NFT platform that’s bringing monetary profits to creative artists worldwide. Through this new company, Flocka is aiming to empower Black artists and their work by introducing them to a new revenue stream to profit off their intellectual property. In speaking with Flocka, he shared with AfroTech that he came across NFTs through his own research and knowledge. “It comes easy when you’re a nerd,” he tells us. “You’re hip to everything people don’t believe in, and then by the time they get on it history is made. I learned in my earlier years, to be a smart person you have to know when you meet another genius.” In this instance, Flocka is referring to his business partner Stally — a certified cryptocurrency...
The NFT (non-fungible token) boom over the last few weeks has taken over the cryptocurrency game for artists around the world, and now Black women are leading the charge to elevate the space just for them. Photographers Lauren Washington and Diana Sinclair — both associated with digital database Black Women Photographers (BWP) — have been integral players in ushering more Black women into the NFT space through online discussions on Clubhouse, Twitter and an onboarding process onto cryptocurrency platform, Foundation. According to Sinclair, Washington — who also specializes in film, screenwriting and directing — was the first Black woman photographer to join the platform with intentions of innovating the space for artists and women who look just like her. “I knew about crypto and investing because a friend of mine (Darrian Aldridge, a Black digital asset investor) who runs The Crypto Clubhouse room,” she tells AfroTech. “So I was learning about what that all means and what blockchain...