Whats Buzzing in the Streets – Page 19

Randy Crawford

Veronica ” (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has appeared on the Hot 100 singles chart twice. First, was in 1979 as a guest vocalist on The Crusaders’s top 40 hit “Street Life”. She also dueted with Rick Springfield on the song “Taxi Dancing,” which hit #59 as the b-side of Springfield’s hit “Bop Til You Drop.” She has had five Top 20 hits in the UK, including her 1980 number 2 hit, “One Day I’ll Fly Away”, as well as six UK Top 10 albums. Despite her American nationality, she won Best British Female Solo Artist in recognition of her popularity in the UK at the 1982 Brit Awards. In the late 2000s she received her first two Grammy Award nominations.Crawford first performed at club gigs from Cincinnati to Saint-Tropez, but made her name in mid-1970s in New York, where she sang with jazzmen George Benson and Cannonball Adderley. She signed with Columbia Records and released her first single, “Knock On Wood” / “If You Say the Word” in 1972.Adderley invited her to sing on his album, Big Man: The Legend Of John Henry (1975). During a brief tenure at Columbia Records, Crawford recorded “Don’t Get Caught in Love’s Triangle”. She is also one of the vocalists on Fred Wesley & The Horny Horns’ A Blow For Me, A Toot To You (1977).In 1978, Crawford sang vocals on “Hoping Love Will Last”, the opening song on side two of Please Don’t Touch!, which was the second solo album by the former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett.She led R&B veterans the Crusaders on the transatlantic hit “Street Life” (1979). A specially re-recorded version was featured in the soundtrack for the films Sharky’s Machine and Jackie Brown,[6] and appeared in commercials in the early 2000s. She later recorded for Warner Bros. Records. Crawford was named the ‘Most Outstanding Performer’ at the 1980 Tokyo Music Festival. Crawford also recorded the love theme (“People Alone”) for the film soundtrack of The Competition on MCA Records in 1980.Her follow-up solo efforts included “One Day I’ll Fly Away” (1980) and “You Might Need Somebody” (1981), which became soul standards, and a cover of the Tony Joe White song, popularised by Brook Benton, “Rainy Night in Georgia”. The album, Secret Combination (1981) stayed on the UK Albums Chart for sixty weeks, after which her profile dipped, despite a return to the UK Top Ten with “Almaz” in 1986. In June 1981, Crawford also released another hit, “One Hello”, from the album Windsong. She continued to record for Warner Bros through the 1990s, but was unable to score either a big R&B hit or major crossover success.Naked And True (1995) brought Crawford back to her roots: it included George Benson’s “Give Me the Night”, and confirmed her soul heritage by featuring Funkadelic members Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and the Fred Wesley Horns. She enjoyed her highest profile of the decade when rising starlet Shola Ama had a worldwide hit with her 1997 cover of “You Might Need Somebody”.Crawford recorded a live session with Joe Sample on July 24, 2007, at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road. The episode she shared with David Gilmour and Amos Lee was screened on the Sundance Channel in the US and Channel 4 in the UK.She has sung with Bootsy Collins, Johnny Bristol, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, Rick Springfield, Katri Helena, Michael Kamen, Zucchero, David Sanborn, Steve Hackett, the Spanish band Presuntos Implicados, the Norwegian jazz-rock band Lava and Joe Sample amongst others.Randy Crawford was set to perform “The Farewell South Africa” tour in Cape Town and Pretoria in October 2018 but it was cancelled due to her suffering a stroke. This would have been Crawford’s final performance prior to retiring.

Written by Dianne Washington

Michelle Obama

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American lawyer and writer who was First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She is married to the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, Obama is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and spent her early legal career working at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her husband. She subsequently worked as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago and the Vice President for Community and External Affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. Barack and Michelle married in 1992 and have two daughters.Obama campaigned for her husband’s presidential bid throughout 2007 and 2008, delivering a keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. She returned to speak at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, and again during the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where she delivered a speech in support of the Democratic presidential nominee, and fellow First Lady, Hillary Clinton.As First Lady, Obama became a role model for women, an advocate for poverty awareness, education, nutrition, physical activity and healthy eating, and a fashion icon.Born Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in Chicago, Illinois, she is the daughter of Fraser Robinson III, a city water plant employee and Democratic precinct captain, and Marian Shields, a secretary at Spiegel’s catalog store. She grew up in a two-story house on Euclid Street in Chicago’s South Shore. They attended services at nearby South Shore Methodist Church.She and her brother, Craig skipped the second grade. By sixth grade, Robinson joined a gifted class at Bryn Mawr Elementary School (later renamed Bouchet Academy). She attended Whitney Young High School, where she was a classmate of Jesse Jackson’s daughter Santita. She was on the honor roll for four years, took advanced placement classes, a member of the National Honor Society and served as student council treasurer. Robinson graduated in 1981 as the salutatorian of her class.She followed her brother to Princeton University. While at Princeton, she got involved with the Third World Center (now known as the Carl A. Fields Center), an academic and cultural group that supported minority students, running their day care center, which also included after school tutoring. Robinson majored in sociology and minored in African American studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1985. She earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Harvard Law School in 1988. At Harvard she participated in demonstrations advocating the hiring of professors who were members of minorities and worked for the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, assisting low-income tenants with housing cases. She is the third First Lady with a postgraduate degree, after Hillary Rodham Clinton and Laura Bush. Following law school, she was an associate at the Chicago office of the law firm Sidley Austin, where she first met her future husband Barrak Obama.At the firm, she worked on marketing and intellectual property. In 1991, she held public sector positions in the Chicago city government as an Assistant to the Mayor, and as Assistant Commissioner of Planning and Development. The couple’s first date was to the Spike Lee movie Do the Right Thing. They married in October 1992. In 1993, she became Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies, a non-profit organization encouraging young people to work on social issues in nonprofit groups and government agencies. She worked there nearly four years and set fundraising records for the organization. In 1996, she served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, where she developed the University’s Community Service Center. Obama had her first daughter, Malia Ann in 1998 and Natasha (known as Sasha in 2001.In 2002, she began working for the University of Chicago Hospitals, first as executive director for community affairs and, beginning May 2005, as Vice President for Community and External Affairs. She continued to hold the University of Chicago Hospitals position during the primary campaign, but cut back to part time in order to spend time with her daughters as well as work for her husband’s Presidential election. She serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. In 2008, Obama accepted the invitation to become an honorary member of the 100-year-old black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, which had no active undergraduate chapter at Princeton when she attended.Promoting Service and working with young people has remained a staple of her career and her interest. In 2010 as First Lady, Obama launched Let’s Move a campaign to bring together community leaders, teachers, doctors, nurses, moms and dads in a nationwide effort to tackle the challenge of childhood obesity. In 2011, Obama and Dr. Jill Biden together launched Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned, and to raise awareness of military families’ unique needs as pertains to employment, education and wellness. Joining Forces has been working hand in hand with American businesses who are committed to answering the President’s challenge to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans and military spouses by 2013.In May 2017, during an appearance at the Partnership for a Healthier America conference, Obama rebuked the Trump administration for its delay of a federal requirement designed to increase the nutritional standards for school lunches. In June, while attending the WWDC in Silicon Valley, California, Obama called for tech companies to add women for the diversifying of their ranks. In July, Obama honored Eunice Shriver at the 2017 ESPY Awards. In September, Obama delivered an address at the tech conference in Utah charging the Trump administration with having a fearful White House,appeared in a video for the Global Citizens Festival advocating more attention to giving young girls an education, and attended the Inbound 2017 conference in Boston. During an October 3 appearance at the Philadelphia Conference for Women, Obama cited a lack of diversity in politics with contributing to lawmakers being distrusted by other groups. In November, Obama discussed gender disparity in attitudes with Elizabeth Alexander while attending the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago, and spoke at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut.

Written Dianne Washington

Debbie Allen

Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award (winning three), two Tony Awards, and has also won a Golden Globe Award and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1991.Allen is best known for her work in the musical-drama television series Fame (1982-1987), where she portrayed dance teacher Lydia Grant, and served as the series’ principal choreographer. For this role in 1983 she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography and was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Allen later began working as director and producer, most notably producing and directing 83 of 144 episodes of NBC comedy series A Different World (1988-1993). She returned to acting playing the leading role in the NBC sitcom In the House from 1995 to 1996, and in 2011 began playing Dr. Catherine Avery in the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy also serving as an executive producer/director. She has directed more than 50 television and film productions.In 2001, Allen opened the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, where she currently teaches young dancers. She also taught choreography to former Los Angeles Lakers dancer-turned-singer, Paula Abdul. She is the younger sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad.Allen was born in Houston, Texas, the third child to orthodontist Andrew Arthur Allen Jr. and Pulitzer Prize-nominated artist, poet, playwright, scholar, and publisher, Vivian (née Ayers) Allen, She went on to earn a B.A. degree in classical Greek literature, speech, and theater from Howard University. She holds honoris causa Doctorates from Howard University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She currently teaches young dancers. She also taught choreography to former Los Angeles Lakers dancer-turned-singer, Paula Abdul. Her daughter, Vivian Nixon, played Kalimba in the Broadway production of Hot Feet.She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors from Howard University. Allen began her career on Broadway in the 1970s in the chorus of “Purlie,” “A Raisin In the Sun,” “West Side Story,” and “Anita,” which earned her a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award. She is probabloy best known for her is probably best known for her role as Lydia Grant in the 1982 TV hit, Fame.She is also a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.In 1988, she choreographed “Carrie,” with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Allen has worked on TV’s “Good Times,” “The Love Boat,” “The Cosby Show,” “Touched By An Angel” and “The Division.” “Fame” gave Allen international prominence.Its popularity in the United Kingdom prompted a special cast tour in England. While still a cast member of “Fame,” she became the first African American woman hired by a television network as a director in prime time. In 1989, after directing episodes of “Fame,” she co-wrote, produced, directed, choreographed, and starred in “The Debbie Allen Special” for ABC. She received two Emmy nominations, for direction and choreography of this variety show. She also produced and directed “A Different World.”In 1989, Allen directed a remake of the 1960 film, “Pollyanna.” She also directed the sequel “Polly: Comin’ Home” in 1990, “Stompin At The Savoy” “The Old Settler,” and was producer of the 1997 film “Amistad.”Allen is married to former NBA player Norm Nixon, and they have three children: dancer Vivian Nichole Nixon, basketball player Norman Ellard Nixon Jr. (Wofford College & Southern University), and DeVaughn Nixon. Allen was previously married to Win Wilford from 1975 to 1983. She is the sister of actress/director/singer Phylicia Rashad (with whom she once co-starred on an episode of The Cosby Show), and Tex Allen (Andrew Arthur Allen III, born 1945), noted jazz composer.In 2000s and 2010s, Allen directed television shows, including 44 episodes of All of Us, as well as Girlfriends, Everybody Hates Chris, How to Get Away with Murder, Empire, Scandal and Jane the Virgin. In 2011, she joined the cast of ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy playing the role of Dr. Catherine Fox. As of 12th season, she served as an executive producer. In 2020, she directed the musical film Christmas on the Square starring Dolly Parton for Netflix.

Written Dianne Washington

Mario Van Peebles

Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is an American film director and actor best known for directing New Jack City in 1991. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, whom he portrayed in the 2003 biopic Baadasssss! that he also co-wrote and directed.Mario “Chip” Cain Van Peebles was born Mario Cain Van Peebles in Mexico City, Mexico, the son of writer, director and actor Melvin Van Peebles and German actress and photographer Maria Marx. He graduated from Saint Thomas More School in Connecticut in 1974 and from Columbia University in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.Van Peebles played the lead in the short-lived detective show Sonny Spoon. The show ran for two brief seasons, both of which aired in 1988, before being canceled. He directed several episodes of the show as well as episodes of 21 Jump Street. Van Peebles also directed Malcolm Takes a Shot, a CBS Schoolbreak Special about an aspiring high-school basketball star whose obstacles include epilepsy and his own arrogance. Van Peebles appeared in the special in a cameo, as Malcolm’s doctor.He made his feature film directorial debut in 1991 with New Jack City. This was followed by Posse in 1993, Panther in 1995 and Love Kills in 1998. In that period he also co-directed Gang in Blue with his father.His 2004 biopic BAADASSSSS! describes the making of his father’s seminal film, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. He directed the film, and also portrayed his father in the lead role.Van Peebles guest-starred on the television show Damages, as Agent Harrison. Van Peebles was first brought on to the FX series to direct a few Season 1 episodes, and was then cast in a small role as an agent. He appeared in eleven episodes.Van Peebles is married to Chitra Sukhu Van Peebles, an Indo-Guyanese author and children’s yoga expert, and has five children: Makaylo, Mandela, Marley, Maya and Morgana (three boys, two girls).

Written Dianne Washington

Slick Rick

Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965); better known as Slick Rick, Rick The Ruler and MC Ricky D, is a British-American rapper. He has released four albums: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988), The Ruler’s Back (1991), Behind Bars (1994) and The Art of Storytelling (1999). His music has been sampled and interpolated over 600 times, in over 35 songs by artists including Eminem, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, The Beastie Boys, TLC, Nas, Miley Cyrus, Kanye West, Black Star, The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, MC Ren, Montell Jordan and Color Me Badd. In the process, Walters has become the most-sampled hip-hop artist ever. Many of these songs based on Slick Rick samples went on to become hit singles. He’s been a VH-1 Hip Hop Honors honoree, and About.com ranked him No. 12 on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him No. 15 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. He has acted and cameoed in 10 movies and videos.Walters was born and raised in the southwest London district of Mitcham, to a British-Jamaican family. He was blinded in the right eye by broken glass as an infant. In 1976, he and his family migrated to the United States, settling in the Baychester area of the Bronx. At Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art, where he majored in visual art, Rick met Dana Dane. The pair became close friends and formed The Kangol Crew, performing at school contests, parks and local hole-in-the-wall clubs.At a 1984 talent showcase he entered, Rick met Doug E. Fresh. Impressed by Rick’s talent, Doug made him a member of his Get Fresh Crew (which also included DJs Chill Will and Barry Bee). Doug’s beatbox and Rick’s fresh flow turned “The Show”/”La Di Da Di” into an international anthem that turned rap music on its head and became the launching pad for “Hip Hop’s greatest storyteller.”His career began in late 1985; Walters first gained success in the rap industry after joining Doug E. Fresh’s Get Fresh Crew, using the stage name MC Ricky D. He was featured on the single “The Show” and its even more popular B-side, “La Di Da Di”, which featured Walters’ rapping over Doug E. Fresh’s beatbox. Both tracks gained some mainstream attention, they appeared on Top of the Pops and Soul Train with the Get Fresh Crew. Reflecting on the double-sided gem in Rolling Stone magazine, Roots drummer and Tonight Show bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson said, “Point blank: Slick Rick’s voice was the most beautiful thing to happen to hip-hop culture […] Rick is full of punchlines, wit, melody, cool cadence, confidence and style. He is the blueprint.”In 1986, Slick Rick joined Russell Simmons’ Rush Artist Management and became the third artist signed to Def Jam Records, the leading rap/hip-hop label at the time. Collaborating with his friend, DJ Vance Wright, Walters produced his solo debut, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, which came out in 1988 on Def Jam. The album was very successful, reaching the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart. It also featured three charting singles: “Children’s Story”, “Hey Young World”, and “Teenage Love”. The release is known for its storytelling and vocal characterizations. “With the combination of Rick’s Dick Van Dyke-on-dope accent and his unique narrative style, the record was an instant classic,” wrote critic Matt Weiner. “Each of Rick’s songs was an amusing, enthralling story that lasted from the first groove to the last.”In 1989, Walters’ mother, Veronica, hired his first cousin, Mark Plummer, as his bodyguard. By 1990, Plummer had become a liability, having tried numerous times to extort money from the artist. Plummer was fired and, unsatisfied with his severance package, tried to rob Walters on numerous occasions and also threatened to kill the rapper and his mother. When Walters found bullet holes in his front door, he bought guns for protection. On July 3, 1990, Walters spotted Plummer in his neighborhood, and fired at least four shots. One bullet hit Plummer; another caught a passerby in the foot. Neither suffered life-threatening injuries.He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and other charges, including assault, use of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon. The rapper called it an act of self-defense. He spent five years in prison, two for the then-second-degree attempted-murder charges he received for the shooting, and three for his struggle with the Immigration and Naturalization Services over his residency in the U.S. He was released from prison in 1997After being bailed out by Russell Simmons, Walters recorded his second album, The Ruler’s Back, released in 1991. Despite peaking at No. 29 on the Billboard 100, the album received mixed reviews and wasn’t as commercially successful as his debut. In the documentary film, The Show, Russell Simmons interviewed Walters while he was imprisoned on Rikers Island.Walters’ third studio album (the fourth for Def Jam) Behind Bars was released in 1994, while he was still incarcerated. It was met with lukewarm sales and reviews. Behind Bars peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and No. 51 on the Billboard 200.Walters remained with the Def Jam label, and on May 25, 1999, released a fourth album, The Art of Storytelling. Generally considered the authentic follow-up to his 1988 debut, The Art of Storytelling was an artistically successful comeback-album that paired him with prolific MCs like Nas, OutKast, Raekwon, and Snoop Dogg. The Los Angeles Times announced it as the “triumphant return of rap’s premier yarn-spinner,” calling the song “2 Way Street” “a much-needed alternative to rap’s misogynistic slant.” It charted higher than any of Slick Rick’s prior releases: No. 8 on the Billboard 200; No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.After performing on a Caribbean cruise ship in June 2001, Walters was arrested by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) as he re-entered the United States through Florida. He was promptly told that he was being deported under a law allowing deportation of foreigners convicted of felonies. Rick was continuously refused bail, but after 17 months in prison he was released on November 7, 2003. In October 2006, the Department of Homeland Security began a new attempt to deport Walters back to the United Kingdom, moving the case from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit based in New York to the more conservative Eleventh Circuit. The court is based in Atlanta, Georgia but the trial was expected to proceed in Florida, where immigration agents originally arrested Walters.On May 23, 2008, New York Governor David Paterson granted Slick Rick a full and unconditional pardon on the attempted murder charges. The governor was pleased with his behavior since the attempted murders. Slick Rick has volunteered his time to mentor kids about violence.Walters married his wife Mandy Aragones in April 1997, four years after the couple met at a Manhattan nightclub. The performer has two children, Ricky Martin Lloyd Santiago and Lateisha Walters, from a previous relationship. He and his wife have donated about a dozen items from his collection to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.Slick Rick and the Soul Rebels Brass Band collaborated on June 21, 2012 in Washington, D.C. at the historic Howard Theatre which re-opened in April 2012.In 2014, Rick participated in Will.i.am’s “Trans4M” concert, which raised more than $2.4 million for the music producer’s i.am.angel Foundation.In addition, Rick recently was a Mixx Cares Humanitarian Award recipient.On April 15, 2016, Rick was granted U.S. citizenship, remarking, “I am so proud of this moment—and so honored to finally become an American citizen.” He will also retain his UK citizenship.On November 2, 2018, Rick released the single “Snakes Of The World Today”.

Written Dianne Washington

LL Cool J

James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, record producer, actor, author and entrepreneur from Queens, New York. With the breakthrough success of his hit single “I Need a Beat” and the Radio LP, LL Cool J became an early hip-hop act to achieve mainstream success along with Kurtis Blow and Run-D.M.C.LL Cool J has released 13 studio albums and two greatest hits compilations. His twelfth album Exit 13 (2008), was his last for his long-tenured deal with Def Jam Recordings. LL Cool J appeared in numerous films, including In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, S.W.A.T., Deep Blue Sea, Mindhunters, and Edison. He currently plays NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna in the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles. LL Cool J also is the host of Lip Sync Battle on Paramount Network.A two-time Grammy Award winner, LL Cool J is known for such hip hop hits as “Going Back to Cali”, “I’m Bad”, “The Boomin’ System”, “Rock the Bells” and “Mama Said Knock You Out”, as well as R&B hits such as “Doin’ It”, “I Need Love”, “All I Have”, “Around the Way Girl” and “Hey Lover”. In 2010, VH1 has placed him on their “100 Greatest Artists Of All Time” list. In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors.

Written Dianne Washington

Teddy Pendergrass

It’s eleven years ago today that we lost one of the most iconic voices of our times and one helluva musician. Thanks for the ride Teddy, because it was one hellvua ride! Sleep well bruh.Theodore DeReese “Teddy” Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American singer–songwriter and composer. He first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade. In 1982, Pendergrass was severely injured in an auto accident in Philadelphia, resulting in his being paralyzed from the chest down. He subsequently founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a foundation that helps those with spinal cord injuries. He commemorated 25 years of living after his spinal cord injury with the star-filled event, “Teddy 25 – A Celebration of Life”, at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center. His last performance was on a PBS special at Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino in November 2008.

Written by Dianne Washington

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj was born on this date in 1982. She is an Afro Caribbean rapper, singer-songwriter, and actress.Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty was born in the Saint James district of Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Tobago and raised in Queens of New York City, she gained public recognition after releasing the mixtapes Playtime Is Over (2007), Sucka Free (2008), and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009).Early in her career, Minaj became known for her colorful costumes and wigs, her distinct flow, and the use of alter egos and accents, primarily British cockney. In 2010, Minaj released her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010). It yielded Minaj’s first top-five single “Super Bass”, peaking at number three. Her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), saw Minaj move towards a dance-pop and pop-rap sound. The album debuted and peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, with its lead single, “Starships”, peaking at number five on the Hot 100, and reaching inside the top five of the charts in several countries.Minaj’s third and fourth studio albums, The Pinkprint (2014) and Queen (2018) marked a departure from her previous style and a return to her hip hop roots. The Pinkprint was acclaimed, with the second single “Anaconda” reaching number two on the Hot 100. Queen featured the lead single “Chun-Li”, which reached the top ten on the Hot 100.In 2019, Minaj released a collaboration with Karol G, “Tusa”, which became the longest-running number-one single on the Argentina Hot 100, having spent six months at number one on the chart. The song also has become the most-streamed female collaboration on Spotify. Her feature on the remix of Doja Cat’s “Say So” and her collaboration with 6ix9ine, “Trollz”, both released in 2020, marked her first and second number-one singles on the Hot 100, respectively, with the latter making her the second female rapper to debut atop the chart in two decades after Lauryn Hill in 1998. Minaj became the first female artist to reach 100 entries on the Hot 100 chart, currently, the only female rapper to have 100 entries, and is the only other female artist with 100 plus entries, besides Taylor Swift.Minaj has nineteen top 10 singles on the chart, the most for any female rapper so far, with four of those being solo songs. Minaj has received numerous accolades and was named Billboard’s number one female rapper of the decade as well as being Billboard’s seventh most successful female artist of the decade out of all the genres. Minaj is also the highest-paid female rapper of all time, charging up to $500,000 for a feature. In 2016, Minaj was included on the annual Time list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Dubbed as the “Queen of Rap” by several media outlets, Minaj is one of the most influential and bestselling female artists of all time, with 137 million records sold worldwide. She has garnered praise for her animated rapping and her songwriting which utilizes metaphors, double entendres, and wordplay.Outside of music, Minaj’s film career has included voice roles in the animated films Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012) and The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) as well as supporting roles in the comedy films The Other Woman (2014) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016). She also appeared as a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol in 2013. She is the most-followed rapper on Instagram. In 2021, a six-part documentary miniseries following the making of Queen will be released.

Written by Dianne Washington

Little Richard

Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020 it), known as Little Richard, is an American musician, singer, actor, comedian and songwriter and Rock and Roll Icon.An influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades, Little Richard’s most celebrated work dates from the mid-1950s, when his dynamic music and charismatic showmanship laid the foundation for rock and roll. His music also played a key role in the formation of other popular music genres, including soul and funk. Little Richard influenced numerous singers and musicians across musical genres from rock to hip hop; his music helped shape rhythm and blues for generations to come, and his performances and headline-making thrust his career right into the mix of American popular music.Little Richard has been honored by many institutions. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its first group of inductees in 1986. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” (1955) was included in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2010, which stated that his “unique vocalizing over the irresistible beat announced a new era in music.” In 2015, the National Museum of African American Music honored Little Richard with a Rhapsody & Rhythm Award for his pivotal role in the formation of popular music genres and in helping to shatter the color line on the music charts, changing American culture significantly.Born Richard Wayne Penniman, he was one of 12 children born to Charles “Bud” Penniman, a Seventh Day Adventist preacher who sold moonshine on the side. Richard grew up in Macon, Georgia. Music was all over. Street vendors and evangelists would sing, selling everything from vegetables to religion. The neighborhood sang spiritual songs as they worked. Several gospel singers influenced Richard.Initially, Little Richard’s first name was supposed to have been “Ricardo” but an error resulted in “Richard” instead. The Penniman children were raised in a neighborhood of Macon called Pleasant Hill. In childhood, he was nicknamed “Lil’ Richard” by his family, because of his small and skinny frame. A mischievous child who played pranks on neighbors, Little Richard began singing in church at a young age. Possibly as a result of complications at birth, Little Richard had a slight deformity that left one of his legs shorter than the other. This produced an unusual gait; he was mocked for his allegedly effeminate appearance.As a kid, he sang gospel with the Penniman Singers and Tiny Tots Quartet. Richard had a hyperactive personality that made him popular, but also got him into trouble. His homosexuality didn’t help matters and he left home and danced to draw customers in a traveling medicine show. By age 15, he was a regular with Sugarfoot Sam’s Minstrel Show. At 18, he won a talent contest in Atlanta that led to a recording contract with RCA Victor. Four records were recorded that went nowhere. In 1955, Art Rupe of Hollywood-based Specialty Records got a demo tape from Richard. That same year, Richard came to J&M Studios in New Orleans for the first time. It was here that he recorded some of the greatest sides in rock and roll history with producer Bumps Blackwell.Later that year “Tutti-Frutti” crossed over from the R&B to the pop chart, rising to #17. This was followed by “Long Tall Sally” released on Specialty Records, topping the R&B chart for eight weeks and reaching #6 on the pop chart. Richard hit #2 on the R&B chart and #33 on the pop chart with “Slippin’ and Slidin’ (Peepin’ and Hidin’)” and #1 on the R&B chart and #17 on the pop chart with “Rip It Up.” In 1957, He hit #1 on the R&B chart and #21 on the pop chart with “Lucille,” #3 on the R&B chart with “Send Me Some Lovin’,” #2 on the R&B chart and #10 on the pop chart with “Jenny, Jenny” and #2 on the R&B chart and #8 on the pop chart with “Keep A Knockin’.”That same year Richard suddenly left rock and roll for religion. He entered Oakwood Theological College in Huntsville, Alabama. One year later he hit #4 on the R&B chart and #10 on the pop chart with the Specialty release “Good Golly, Miss Molly.” In 1959, the album “Little Richard Sings Gospel,” was issued on the 20th Century label. He recorded gospel in the coming years for the Mercury and Atlantic labels, working with such producers as Jerry Wexler and Quincy Jones.In 1970, he quit music at the height of his career to re-enter Oakwood theological college. He received a BA from the college and later became ordained as a Seventh Day Adventist minister. That same year Richard released “The Rill Thing,” the first of three albums. It was followed by “The King of Rock and Roll” and “The Second Coming.” The last of these reunited him with the core crew from his historic 1950s sessions in New Orleans. In 1977, Richard again walked away from rock and roll to embrace evangelical Christianity. He became a traveling Bible salesman and preacher following a period of drug and alcohol abuse. In 1979, he released the gospel album “God’s Beautiful City.”In 1986, Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That same year, he had a memorable role in the 1986 film “Down and Out in Beverly Hills.” In 1993, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 35th annual Grammy Awards. One year later, Richard received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.In 2010, Time Magazine listed ‘Here’s Little Richard’ as the Number 2 of the 100 Greatest and Most Influential Album of All Time – the highest rock and roll album on the entire list. Included in numerous Rolling Stone lists, Little Richard’s Here’s Little Richard was ranked fifty on the magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. He was ranked eighth on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Rolling Stone listed three of Little Richard’s recordings, “The Girl Can’t Help It”, “Long Tall Sally” and “Tutti Frutti”, on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Two of the latter songs and “Good Golly, Miss Molly” were listed on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The Grammy Hall of Fame inducted several of Little Richard’s recordings including “Tutti Frutti”, “Lucille”, “Long Tall Sally” and Here’s Little Richard. In 2007, an eclectic panel of renowned recording artists voted “Tutti Frutti” number one on Mojo’s The Top 100 Records That Changed The World, hailing the recording as “the sound of the birth of rock and roll.” In April 2012, Rolling Stone magazine declared that the song “still has the most inspired rock lyric on record.” The same recording was inducted to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2010, with the library claiming the “unique vocalizing over the irresistible beat announced a new era in music”.On May 9, 2020, Richard died at the age of 87 at his home in Tullahoma, Tennessee, from a cause related to bone cancer, after a two-month illness. His brother, sister, and son were with him at the time of his death. In the following days, Richard received tributes from many popular musicians, including Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, John Fogerty, Elton John, and Lenny Kravitz, as well as many others, such as film director John Waters, who were influenced by Richard’s music and persona. He is interred at Oakwood University Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama.

Written by Dianne Washington

Tyra Banks

Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is an American television personality, producer, businesswoman, actress, author, former model and occasional singer. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at age 15, and was the first African American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on which she appeared twice. She was a Victoria’s Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world’s top-earning models.Banks began acting on television in 1993 on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and made her film debut in Higher Learning in 1995. She had major roles such as Eve in Disney Channel’s Life-Size and Zoe in the box office hit Coyote Ugly. She had small roles in the romantic film Love & Basketball and horror film Halloween: Resurrection, and appeared in television series Gossip Girl and Glee.In 2003, Banks created and began presenting the long-running reality television series America’s Next Top Model, which she executive produced and presented for the first twenty-two seasons until the series’ cancellation in October 2015. She remained executive producer for the revival of the series, and enlisted Rita Ora as host for the twenty-third cycle before reassuming the duties herself for the upcoming twenty-fourth cycle. Banks was the co-creator of True Beauty, and had her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show, which aired on The CW for five seasons and won two Daytime Emmy awards for Outstanding Talk Show Informative. She co-hosted the talk show FABLife for two months. In 2017, Banks replaced Nick Cannon as host of America’s Got Talent for its 12th season.In 2010, she published a young adult novel titled Modelland, based on her life as a model which topped The New York Times Best Seller list in 2011. Banks is one of four African Americans and seven women to have repeatedly ranked among the world’s most influential people by Time magazine.Tyra Lynne Banks was born in Inglewood, California, on December 4, 1973. She is the daughter of Carolyn London (now London-Johnson), a medical photographer, and Donald Banks, a computer consultant. She has a brother, Devin, who is five years older. In 1979, when Banks was six years old, her parents divorced. Banks attended John Burroughs Middle School and graduated in 1991 from Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. Banks has said that while growing up she was teased for her appearance and considered an “ugly duckling”; when Banks was 11 years old she grew three inches and lost 30 pounds in three months. According to a genealogical DNA test documented on America’s Next Top Model, Banks is of primarily African but also British and Native American ancestry.When Banks was 15 years old, she started modeling while attending school in Los Angeles. She was rejected by four modeling agencies before she was signed by L.A. Models. She switched to Elite Model Management at age 16. When she got the opportunity to model in Europe, she moved to Milan. In her first runway season, she booked 25 shows in the 1991 Paris Fashion Week. Banks appeared in editorials for American, Italian, French, and Spanish Vogue; American, French, German, and Spanish Elle; American, German, and Malaysian Harper’s Bazaar; V; W and Vanity Fair. She appeared on the covers of magazines such as Elle; Harper’s Bazaar; Spanish Vogue; Cosmopolitan; Seventeen and Teen Vogue. She walked in fashion shows for Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Anna Sui, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Herve Leger, Valentino, Fendi, Isaac Mizrahi, Giorgio Armani, Sonia Rykiel, Michael Kors and others. She appeared in advertising campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Halston, H&M, XOXO, Swatch, Victoria’s Secret, Got Milk?, Pepsi and Nike. In 1993, Banks signed a contract with CoverGirl cosmetics, launching advertising campaigns for the cosmetics company. In the mid-1990s, Banks returned to America to do more commercial modeling.Banks was the first African American woman on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue In 1997, she received the VH1 award for “Supermodel of the Year”. That year, she was the first African American chosen for the cover of the Victoria’s Secret catalog, and became a Victoria’s Secret Angel. In 2010, Banks re-signed with her former modeling agency IMG Models. Banks is now a contributor of the Vogue Italia website. She has since started focusing on her film career and hosting her own TV show.

Written by Dianne Washington