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Issa Rae transformed her online presence from an “awkward Black girl” to a media mogul with several hit series. Now, she’s channeling her success into empowering the next generation of creators, helping them forge their own paths in the industry. As shared in a press release, the award-winning actress, writer, and producer’s management firm, ColorCreative, which promotes women and minority talent, has partnered with Tubi to launch Stubios. The program will help five creative teams develop debut projects that will premiere on the streaming platform. ColorCreative will provide mentorship, while Tubi will fund the productions, according to TubeFilter. “I am deeply passionate about creating pathways to sustainable careers into Hollywood for creatives of diverse backgrounds,” Issa Rae previously said in a statement. “We at ColorCreative are thrilled to see Tubi taking this important and bold step, and we’re excited to support and guide Stubios creatives on their first long-form...
50 Cent is keeping himself booked and busy. On Tuesday, the rapper and businessman announced his first Las Vegas residency, set for six exclusive shows at PH Live inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino from Dec. 27 to Jan. 4. According to TMZ, sources say 50 Cent secured a $15 million deal, making it one of the largest Hip-Hop residencies ever. One of the shows will feature an exclusive New Year’s Eve celebration presented by his Sire Spirits brand. “My first Vegas residency is going to be an experience, you don’t wanna miss this!” 50 Cent shared on X. My first Vegas residency is going to be an experience, you don’t wanna miss this! I’ll be doing 6 Exclusive shows December 27 – January 4 at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Tickets on sale Saturday 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EPQGuEnADJ — 50cent (@50cent) October 15, 2024 Titled “50 Cent: In Da Club” — a nod to his iconic 2003 hit — the residency promises performances of new tracks and classic favorites, including “21 Questions,”...
Missy Elliott has officially become the third female rapper in U.S. history to gross over $2 million from a single concert. According to Touring Data, the legendary rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer joins the list with Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj. With her unique style, innovative sound, and powerful performances, Missy Elliott continues to break barriers and remains a vital force in Hip-Hop. In a separate post, the rap icon achieved her highest-grossing concert ever on Aug. 8, 2024, bringing in $2.05 million at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. during her “Out of This World Tour.” . @MissyElliott earned her highest grossing concert of all-time on August 8, 2024, with $2.050 million at Capital One Arena in Washington as part of the “Out of this World Tour”. — Touring Data (@touringdata) September 26, 2024 As AFROTECH™ reported, Missy Elliott made NASA history when lyrics from her song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” were transmitted approximately 158 million miles to reach Venus...
Drake is once again proving himself as a dominant force in the music industry. According to an Instagram post by Genius, the rapper’s “It’s All a Blur Tour” has grossed $320.5 million across 80 shows in North America, making it the highest-grossing Hip-Hop tour of all time. Each of the 80 shows sold out, reached 100% capacity, and totaled 1.3 million tickets sold. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Genius (@genius) The first leg of the “It’s All A Blur Tour” started on July 5, 2023, in Chicago and wrapped in Toronto on Oct. 7, 2023. The second leg commenced on Feb. 2 in Tampa and ended in Newark on April 4. Fans enjoyed an unforgettable experience with a setlist of chart-topping hits and a star-studded lineup of guests that included 21 Savage, J. Cole, Sexyy Red, and Travis Scott . During the tours, Drake made his charitable spirit more evident than ever. The “God’s Plan” rapper repeatedly made headlines for surprising fans with cash gifts, Billboard reported . From...
R&B sensation Eric Bellinger isn’t afraid of artificial intelligence (AI) and the role it’s taking within the music industry. Instead, he’s embracing how it can enhance his work as an artist. As one of the first artists to appear on Hooky, a music startup specializing in artist-first solutions in voice AI, Bellinger is allowing creators to experiment with their songs using his AI voice model. “If you aren’t afraid of it, it could be your best friend,” he told AFROTECH™ about AI technology. “But I think if you’re afraid and thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to lose my job,’ it’s different in other fields. But for music, I definitely think it could be beneficial as a tool. I use it in all my sessions in different ways — whether it’s coming up with an idea for artwork, titles, or something else. There are so many different platforms, and I personally take advantage of all of them.” No stranger to using technology like social media to connect with his fans, affectionately known as the...
Mary J. Blige’s Strength Of A Woman Festival (SOAW) returned for a Mother’s Day takeover in a new city this year, along with new faces and places to support. “We started doing pop-ups at bars, and it was just me and my daughter,” Chef Shelly Flash of 2 Girls & A Cookshop told AFROTECH™ during the third annual SOAW, the festival’s first time appearing in Blige’s home of New York, NY. “We used to get kicked out all the time, and it’s like we just had a mission. We were like, ‘We should share our food with the world because we’re first-gens, and a lot of times first-generation Jamaicans, we’re not represented.’ Either you’re all in the culture or you’re in this melted pot. We are always in this floating melting pot. We live in the best city in the world — that’s New York — and so what we decided to do is just keep putting out one Jamaican taco at a time.” She added, “And in Jamaica, we always say ‘Out of many, one person.’ At 2 Girls we say, ‘Out of many, one culture.’ We believe that...
Ice Cube is finally putting plans in motion to sell teams included in his Big3 basketball league roster. According to Bloomberg, in a deal worth $10 million, the 3-on-3 basketball league has sold its first team to an outside party. Led by investment firm DCB Sports, a group has acquired the team, with Los Angeles, CA, to serve as its home city. This also launches the league’s transition from a touring league to a city-centric model. All 12 teams on the roster have been put up for sale. “We need to plant our roots in cities so we can be more than a rolling all-star game coming through,” Ice Cube said in an interview with the outlet. “It’s really about growing the sport and the league.” Created in 2017, teams in the Big3, which include the 3 Headed Monsters, Ghost Ballers, and more, have been owned and operated by the league. Per the report, management aims to announce four new ownership groups by the start of its season, which kicks off in June. View this post on Instagram A post...
For years, Victoria Monét has been behind the scenes penning some of the culture’s biggest hits for artists such as T.I., Chloe x Halle, and a host of others. Now, she is racking up her wins as an independent artist, showing no signs of letting up anytime soon. During the 2024 Grammy Awards, Monét was a force to be reckoned with, attaining seven nominations and walking away with three awards, including making history as the first Black woman to win Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical), according to The Hollywood Reporter. This feat hits close to home for the “How Does It Make You Feel” crooner whose entry into engineering emerged following frustrations from studio sessions she was having in the past. “The story of why I even know how to engineer is because I was working in a studio and wanting to record, and the people I was working with were getting sick of recording me,” she told Blavity in an interview earlier this year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Victoria...
As AfroTech just told you, Jordan Peele’s “Nope” had a stellar debut at the box office, earning $44 million in ticket sales. Peele and co-stars Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya have been receiving their flowers, even well before the film’s release. However, we should also highlight the hidden figures who helped bring the film to life. Detroit native Robert McTyre Jr. worked on the film as a lighting technician. Looking at where he was just over a decade ago, McTyre might not have believed he would be a part of a multi-million dollar project.
Nearly two decades later, Chris Webber is still making the right shots. The former NBA player is diving headfirst into the Non-Fungible Token (NFT) space, taking a seat at the table as president of Coinllectibles. Webber’s introduction to the technology company began after a conversation centering around The Chris Webber Collection of African-American Artifacts and Documents, which includes a postcard Malcolm X sent to Alex Haley when he was in Mecca and the first poetry book written by an African author. Now Webber will continue developing more groundbreaking collections — this time by disrupting the NFT space. “The business has allowed me to stay competitive, empower people, and learn. What attracted me to Coinllectibles was the opportunity to work with arguably one of the best when it comes to NFTs, especially cryptocurrency, but also the fact that I can merge sports,” Webber told AfroTech exclusively. According to a press release, Webber’s role will bridge the crossroads of...
When it comes to tapping into the power of how intersectional sports is, Wale Ogunleye has been at the forefront especially now as the Head of Sports and Entertainment at UBS, a global financial services company. In 2021, the former NFL player spoke with AfroTech and shared how he’s teaching financial literacy to today’s athletes. Now, Ogunleye recently hosted a fireside chat for UBS — along with Jane Schwartzberg — where he spoke with U.S. Olympian Allyson Felix. When Felix made the daring move to depart from her Nike deal due to their lack of support for pregnant female athletes and new mothers, her leap of faith was a wake up call for action heard across the nation. The gold medalist’s courage and advocacy for women and motherhood is what specifically moved Ogunleye to feature her for UBS. Photo Credit: Vivien Killilea “The sports world intersects with corporate America and corporate America puts their limitations and marginalizes women and people from diverse backgrounds,”...
The daunting reality many women face navigating the music industry is one of concern. Prevalent issues such as misogyny, harassment, and sexual violence are some of the evils preventing women from thriving in the industry. It was to Selena B. Hunter’s dismay when she realized her musically inclined daughter, Nia Hunter, desired to have a career in the very industry that was dysfunctional. Rather than dismiss the idea and shield her daughter from entertainment, she decided to create a safe space for all women. “I had to figure out a way that her father and I could be comfortable with her being in this industry,” Selena told AfroTech. “The only way was with me stepping up and supporting her by building an infrastructure around her where I felt comfortable as a parent first because she’s a woman as well.” In a pursuit to not only keep her daughter’s vision alive, and even beyond that, Hathor Entertainment was born in Los Angeles, CA. The mother-daughter duo debuted the record label on...
Sean “Diddy” Combs knows firsthand how tough it is to break into the entertainment business, but his latest initiative aims to make that process a whole lot easier. The music mogul revealed that he’s inked a deal with WME in all areas to launch “The Excellence Program” — a free virtual development program and resume database designed for aspiring entertainment executives who come from underrepresented communities, Variety reports. According to the outlet, the new program — created in partnership with Endeavor — is a six-week experience that will offer eligible students insight on how to break into entertainment, marketing, music or fashion. As someone who’s had to carve his own lane in the industry, Combs aims to use this program as a way to pay it forward and level the playing field for all who aspire to lead in the entertainment business. “Beginning my career as an intern changed my life, so it’s been a lifelong dream to give the next generation of entrepreneurs and executives...
Black History Month is always a beautiful (albeit too short) celebration of Black excellence across the diaspora throughout the years. And let’s be honest, there’s a host of things that wouldn’t exist without Black women, including much of today’s modern-day entertainment. Black women, like Dr. Shirley Jackson, invented technologies that changed communication, and as a result, enhanced the way we are entertained, whether watching a basketball game on TV, streaming a movie on Hulu, or throwing a party via Zoom. Without further ado, tip your hat to these four Black women inventors who laid the groundwork for modern-day technology. Martha Jones Before we honor the women who are responsible for modern-day entertainment, we must salute Martha Jones from Amelia County, VA. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Jones became the first Black woman to be granted a U.S. patent in May 1868. Although her invention, a cornhusker, is unrelated to entertainment, we can assume...
Advanced and innovative practices in the tech space continue to shape the future of the entertainment industry. As brands cash in on the trends creating new entertainment experiences, more tech companies are emerging to set the standard. #BeApp — a new digital platform that allows users to livestream their favorite music artists and concerts — is striving to create inclusive ways for the average person to access various forms of entertainment, no matter where they’re located. Courtesy of #BeApp Founder Ray Smith — a West Philadelphia native who’s worked in the livestream space for over 15 years — realized at a young age that his access to big-ticket concerts and festivals was limited. Now, he’s created #BeApp to democratize a simpler way to bring people real-life entertainment experiences on their devices. “The inspiration is really born out of a lack of being able to access entertainment,” said Smith. “We’re using the power of the web to connect people with music when there is no...