Angela Bassett is one of the most legendary actresses of our time. Just take a look at a few of the numerous classics the Oscar-nominated star has starred in: “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” Boyz n the Hood,” “Waiting to Exhale,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” and more. Recently, Bassett gave a stellar performance as Ramonda in Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

When it comes to smart investments, Beyoncé is the queen — and there’s no greater proof of this than her super-successful Parkwood Entertainment. With headquarters in New York City and Los Angeles, Parkwood — so named after the street where Beyoncé once lived in Houston, TX — has a multitude of departments under its vast umbrella. In fact, according to Billboard, the company expanded its reach into the tech and business sectors back in 2016, when the company underwent an important managerial restructuring. “Last year, Parkwood Entertainment created new departments and recruited new executives from the tech, business and entertainment sectors who joined the team to help grow Parkwood and its interests,” said Yvette Noel-Schure, Beyoncé’s longtime representative, to the outlet. “Lee Anne Callahan-Longo has worked with Beyonce for the last 10 years. Their friendship supersedes business, and while she is no longer an employee of Parkwood, she will remain an imperative part of Beyonce’s...

On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston passed away, but thankfully her legacy lives on forever. The world knows Houston as the legendary voice that sang the sweetest gospel, pop, and R&B. But as AfroTech previously reported, Houston’s sudden passing left her estate in a bit of turmoil. Most of the troubles stemmed from the nature of her $100 million artist contract — the last she signed with Sony/Arista. Celebrity Net Worth reveals that, ultimately, Houston only earned $40 million out of the total $100 million that her record company owed her. It’s important to note that record companies don’t pay out the full value of the contract upon signing — and in Houston’s case, she was in debt to Sony/Arista at the time of her $100 million signing, which made the accounting even more complicated. “An artist is paid in stages, and each payment is essentially a loan based on the success of future albums,” reports the outlet. “Whitney only ever earned $40 million of her $100 million contract but...

When you think of “The Cosby Show,” one of its promising actors who comes to mind is Geoffrey Owens. Playing the character of Elvin Tibideaux marked his television debut. The actor made recurring appearances from season two up until its end in season eight in 1992. The Brooklyn native’s path into acting started when he became involved in theater while attending the High School of Performing Arts. Following his gig on “The Cosby Show,” Owens went on to feature in numerous films and shows such as “Law & Order,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and “Blue Bloods.” But within his successful career, what was once an opportunity of a lifetime became a turn in his journey. Once the Bill Cosby scandal hit the media, TV Land was one of the multiple networks to pull reruns of “The Cosby Show” from its schedule. The dent in the actor’s income from the loss of TV royalties pushed him to find a consistent job at the time, so he decided to work at Trader Joe’s. While working in his new...

Nichelle Nichols has passed away. The groundbreaking actress, who first came to prominence in the role of “Lt. Uhura” in the “Star Trek” series, succumbed to natural causes at the age of 89 on July 31, 2022. Her son, Kyle Johnson, issued a statement on his mother’s official website to share the devastating news with fans. “My mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light, however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration,” he wrote. “Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all. I, and the rest of our family, would appreciate your patience and forbearance as we grieve her loss until we can recover sufficiently to speak further. Her services will be for family members and the closest of her friends and we request that her and our privacy be respected.” More than just a life well lived, however, is the legacy she left behind. As our...

Today, Whoopi Goldberg may be known for being a firebrand on “The View” to some, but that barely scratches the surface. Before she became a daytime talk show host, Whoopi Goldberg was one of the few actresses to become a coveted EGOT winner. Goldberg has taken home all of the industry’s coveted awards — and was, in fact, the first Black woman to do so, according to Vulture. In addition, Goldberg was the first Black actress to receive Oscar nominations for both Best Actress (which she did for “The Color Purple,” though she didn’t win) and Best Supporting Actress (which she did for “Ghost,” and ultimately took home the trophy). She’s also one of only three women performers to take home the Grammy for Best Comedy Record and was the first Black woman to take home the Mark Twain prize for humor (which she did in 2001, per Vulture). In short, Whoopi Goldberg has had a career filled with “firsts,” and it’s no wonder, then, that she’s earned a $60 million net worth (per Celebrity Net Worth)...

Billed as a successful reality television franchise with more than 30 series worldwide, the “Real Housewives” franchise is one of the most successful reality television series of all time. The Orange County version of the franchise was the first to hit Bravo, making its premiere on the reality network back in 2005. As other versions of the franchise hit the air, the series became more and more popular, and the latest installment — dubbed “The Real Housewives of Dubai” — hit the airwaves in June 2022. Despite all these incarnations, the show is not without its controversies. As AfroTech previously reported, Nene Leakes — the breakout star of the Atlanta installment of the series — filed a lawsuit against Bravo, and the series’ executive producer Andy Cohen, alleging that she was being subjected to a racially insensitive work environment. “The ex-Housewife felt like a ‘workhorse’ whose talents were over-used and under-appreciated (and under-compensated). She also claimed that her...

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds has written the soundtrack of our lives. As the founder of LaFace Records — a label that has launched the careers of Usher, TLC, and Toni Braxton — Edmonds knew how to spot quality talent, nurture it, and help it grow. And as a singer-songwriter of his own, Babyface has written some of the most romantic songs of the 20th and 21st centuries. From “When Can I See You Again” to “Nobody Knows It But Me,” to “Every Time I Close My Eyes,” he’s known how to hit people right in the feels with each recorded note. Naturally, with this level of talent, it’s no wonder that he’s earned a most impressive $200 million net worth, per Celebrity Net Worth. But the benefactors of his impressive net worth are his three children — two sons and a daughter — who are following in their father’s footsteps with careers in the entertainment industry of their own. Let’s take a look at how Babyface’s talents have passed on to the next generation. Editorial note: The net worth listed...