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Juicy J says he has consistent revenue coming in from music sampling. The artist was a part of Hip-Hop group Three 6 Mafia, which formed in the early โ90s. BlackPast reports the original group members included Paul Duane โDJ Paulโ Beauregard, Jordan Michael โJuicy Jโ Houston III, Lola Chantrelle โGangsta Booโ Mitchell, Darnell โCrunchy Blackโ Carlton, Ricky โLord Infamousโ Dunigan, and Robert Cooper โKoopsta Kniccaโ Phillips. The group paved their way first in Memphis, TN, before they found success across the country in the later โ90s, ultimately selling millions of albums, mentions Genius. Among their records includes โStay Fly,โ โDoe Boy Fresh,โ โLolli Lolli (Pop That Body),โ โWho Run It,โ and โItโs Hard Out Here for a Pimp,โ which earned an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2006 for its feature in the film โHustle & Flow.โ Before making an imprint for innovating the Hip Hop space, it had not dawned on Juicy J to consider the business side in addition to the art form. โI...
Itโs one thing to get a nod of approval from a musical mastermind, but to have them clear an entire song for free is truly next level. Legendary girl group Sisters with Voices, or SWV, first hit the music scene in 1988 as a gospel group. When the 1990s hit, they soon became one of the most successful R&B groups of the decade, thanks to hits like โWeak,โ โIโm So Into You,โ and โYouโre the One.โ View this post on Instagram A post shared by SWV (@officialswv)
Black designersโ work is being stolen from day by day. On Aug. 29, Hanifaโs Anifa Mvuemba came forward with her own story. In a tweet, the founder and fashion designer voiced her frustration since one of her designs being stolen. โOnly because this sample took me monthssss to perfect,โ she wrote. โThis is actually crazy. Iโm not going to tag or mention them. But this is crazy.โ Only because this sample took me monthssss to perfect. This is actually crazy. Iโm not going to tag or mention them. But this is crazy. pic.twitter.com/GDZQg6vTBK โ + (@AnifaM) August 29, 2022
Kanye West has been off the grid for a minute, but now one of his popular records has stirred up a new legal battle. Variety reports that a lawsuit has been filed against Universal Music Group for the rapperโs song โPower,โ the debut single off his album โMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,โ sampling King Crimsonโs โ21st Century Schizoid Man.โ
The catalog of one of Hip Hopโs greats, the late Notorious B.I.G., is reportedly up for sale. Various artists have seen massive profits from their music catalogs, including John Legend and Nelly, who sold 50% of his catalog to HarbourView Equity Partners in 2023 for $50 million, as previously reported by AFROTECHโข . That same year, Wiz Khalifa also sold a portion of recorded music and publishing assets to HarbourView, and R&B artist Jeremih followed suit in 2024. The estates of late artists have also sold catalogs. David Bowieโs estate cemented a deal with Warner Chappell Music in 2022 to acquire his 27 studio albums for $250 million, Variety reports . Sony Music Group also acquired half of Michael Jacksonโs publishing and recorded music catalog in a deal valued at a minimum of $600 million in 2023, according to Billboard. The Hollywood Reporter states that by 2030 the publishing rights asset class will reach more than $10 billion. Now, it appears that the estate of Notorious...
Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool, but its effectiveness depends on how well you communicate with it. Whether youโre drafting emails, creating social media content, or tackling complex problem-solving, refining your approach to AI prompts can make a significant difference. By understanding key prompting techniques, you can guide AI to generate more precise, relevant, and valuable responses. How Different Prompting Techniques Shape AI Responses Zero-shot prompting allows AI to generate responses without any prior examples. This method helps brainstorm fresh ideas, generate unbiased perspectives, or explore open-ended requests. For instance, if you ask AI to โWrite a social media post about the benefits of remote work,โ it will create a response based purely on its training data without any specific context. However, when you need a more structured response, few-shot prompting offers a way to refine AIโs output. By providing a few sample responses, you help AI understand the...
Serena Williams is supporting innovation in womenโs health. Teal Health The tennis star has aligned herself with Teal Health, a womenโs health startup founded by Kara Egan (CEO) and Dr. Avnesh Thakor in 2020. According to the company website, Teal Healthโs inception trickles back to Thakorโs medical experiences over the years. He observed insufficient innovation around cervical cancer screenings and created a self-collect prototype. With Eganโs two decades of experience in finance, health, and technology, the company was formed with the vision to develop an at-home self-collect cervical cancer screening kit, currently under FDA review. A user can start by requesting a kit, which initiates a vetting process to confirm eligibility. Once approved, the kit will be delivered to your home for sample collection. The sample is then mailed to a lab, and results are shared through Teal Healthโs application. Users also have the option to speak with a provider for additional support. Teal...
HBCU graduates Terry Comer and Khalil Thompson have secured new funding for their work in the NIL space. In 2021, the pair, who had an interest in college sports, united to launch NIL FanBox, marketed as the only โuniversity-approved, player-endorsed recurring collectibles platform.โ It works by sending sports fans 100% authenticated collectibles from their favorite college athletes. Its website mentions that the curated box includes three to five signed collectibles, a โGolden Ticket,โ exclusive player merchandise, and digital authentication. One of its partnerships, with The University of Texas at Austin, resulted in the Longhorn FanBox, which is valued at $199 each football season and energizes fans by including โultra-rareโ collectibles and โbehind the momentโ interviews. Photo Credit: NIL FanBox While NIL FanBox certainly benefits fans, it also supports athletes by allocating a portion of its revenue back to them. NIL FanBox returns more than 30% of its revenue to participating...
Self-taught baker Ashley Huston is opening her own shop in Philadelphia, PA. For Huston, it all started as a child. She was interested in tinkering with recipes that were as simple as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, she told CBS News. โI would try to change things up and recreate things,โ she shared with the outlet. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Huston decided to open a micro bakery as a side hustle. According to her company website, she offers a variety of cakes, including flavors like red velvet, cookie butter, chai-spiced carrot cake, and unique options such as matcha cake paired with strawberry lavender jam, matcha custard, and condensed milk buttercream. She also sells cookies, cinnamon rolls, brownies, and savory pastries. Her creations have even won her Philadelphia Magazineโs 2024 Best of Philly baker โ not to mention she caught the attention of the legendary Patti LaBelle. Huston had the honor of making the cake for LaBelleโs 80th birthday. โWe decided on...
Students can now lean into Googleโs AI assistant for college application readiness. According to a blog post from Google, it has launched Gemini to streamline tasks for users such as researching new topics, providing advice, planning events, and generating ideas. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Google Gemini app (@googlegemini) It can be connected to apps such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Maps, and YouTube and is available in English and Spanish, with the company planning to expand to additional languages. The feature is also a helpful tool for those who are looking for guidance as they prepare for the college admission process, and particularly first-generation college students. According to Reality Changers, these students often do not receive college readiness or familial guidance and have less financial stability. This could later result in lower self-esteem and make the transition to college more difficult. โThe college application process can be daunting: There is...