Whats Buzzing in the Streets – Page 54

Tyrese

Tyrese Gibson (born December 30, 1978), also known mononymously as Tyrese, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, author, television producer, former fashion model and MTV VJ. He played Joseph “Jody” Summers in Baby Boy, Angel Mercer in Four Brothers, Roman Pearce in the Fast and the Furious series and Robert Epps in the Transformers film series. After releasing several albums, he transitioned into films, with lead roles in several major Hollywood releases.

Gibson was born and raised in Watts, Los Angeles, California. His mother, Priscilla Murray Gibson (née Durham), raised him and his three older siblings as a single parent after Gibson’s father, Tyrone Gibson, left. Gibson attended Florida A&M University. However, he has stated that this is inaccurate and he never attended FAMU.

Gibson’s career began when he auditioned for a Coca Cola commercial at the suggestion of his high school music teacher. An appearance in a 1994 Coca-Cola advertisement, singing the phrase “Always Coca-Cola”, led to bigger fame. It led him to other appearances for Guess and Tommy Hilfiger.

In early 1998, Gibson was signed as an artist to early RCA Records. Afterwards, he released his debut single “Nobody Else”. It quickly rose on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at #36. On September 29, 1998, he released his self-titled album Tyrese at the age of 19. It debuted on the Billboard charts at #17. In late 1998, Gibson became the new host of the weekday music video show MTV Jams on MTV and a host and VJ for the channel. Afterwards, he released the second single from the album “Lately”. It made it to #56 on the Billboard charts. Then, the album’s third single and highest charting single “Sweet Lady” became the album’s biggest hit, reaching #9 on the R&B charts. The single earned Gibson a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance. The album eventually went on to be certified Platinum. Gibson along with singers Ginuwine, RL of Next and Case were featured on the soundtrack of The Best Man on the single “The Best Man I Can Be”.

On May 22, 2001, Gibson released his second studio album, 2000 Watts. The first single off the album was “I Like Them Girls,” which reached #15 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album went on to be certified Gold, selling over 500,000 copies. The third single off the album, “Just a Baby Boy,” with Snoop Dogg and Mr. Tan, was featured on the soundtrack to the film Baby Boy, Gibson’s first major acting role.

After RCA Records was disbanded Gibson went on to sign to J Records. There he released his third studio album I Wanna Go There on December 10, 2002. His first single from the album and arguably his most successful single to date “How You Gonna Act Like That” debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #7.

On December 12, 2006, Gibson released his fourth studio album Alter Ego, his first double disc album. It was also his first album in which he debuts his rapping persona. The first single off the album was “One” debuting on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #26. The album itself is considered Gibson’s lowest selling album to date. In 2007, Gibson, Ginuwine and Tank founded TGT.

After taking time from music to focus on his family and his highly successful acting career, Gibson decided it was time to return to music. In 2011, he signed himself and his newly founded label Voltron Recordz to EMI and announced he was working on a new album titled Open Invitation. On August 16, 2011, Gibson released the lead single “Stay”.the music video for the single featured fellow actor, friend and Baby Boy co-star Taraji P. Henson. It peaked on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #11. The second single “Too Easy” featured fellow actor, friend and rapper Ludacris. It peaked on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #38. The third single “Nothing On You” peaked on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #61. Open Invitation was released on November 1, 2011. It debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at #9, sold 130,000 copies in its first week and has gone on to sell over 400,000 copies. In 2013, the album earned Gibson his third Grammy nomination at the 2013 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album.

In early 2013, it was announced and confirmed after much speculation that Gibson, Ginuwine, and Tank would be releasing their debut collaboration album, to be distributed by Atlantic Records. On April 10, 2013, Gibson announced that he is working on a new album titled Black Rose, expected to be released some time in 2014. It will serve as Gibson’s final studio album. It will be a double album set to be released in the summer of 2015. On July 10, 2015, Black Rose was released and had debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 77,000 copies, making it Gibson’s first number one album of his career.

Gibson rose to prominence as an actor when he starred in John Singleton’s Baby Boy in 2001.

Gibson has a recurring role in two of the highest-grossing film series: The Fast and the Furious and Transformers.

On May 8, 2012, Gibson released his first book, titled How to Get Out of Your Own Way. It went on to be a New York Times best seller. On February 5, 2013, Gibson co-authored his second book along with close personal friend Rev. Run titled Manology: Secrets of Your Man’s Mind Revealed, which also went on to be a New York Times best seller.

Gibson was married to Norma Mitchell from 2007 to 2009, and the couple had one child, daughter Shayla, born July 11, 2007. He married Samantha Lee on February 14, 2017.

Written by Dianne Washington

Author/Actor Regina Alston

Regina Alston was born in Bronx, New York in the times before the crack era took the city by storm. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School on Daly Avenue in the Bronx. She migrated to Harlem at the age of twelve years old. Her home was located on 128^thstreet between Lenox and Fifth avenues. It was there that this shy good girl learned the inner workings of the streets and how to survive in the life. “When I moved to Harlem it was a different world from the one that I was used to. I was no longer sheltered. My mother was a single parent and we didn’t have a whole lot!” By the age of fifteen years old Regina started slinging crack cocaine to support herself and mother. “My mother was really sick. She had fibroid tumors and would bleed for days at a time. She couldn’t work and public assistance was not giving us enough money to survive. I had to do something. I just couldn’t stay broke. My daughter was living with my grandmother and my son was with me. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place”. Regina was arrested in 1996 shortly after her seventeenth birthday. She was charged with assault in the first, second and third degree. “I wasn’t thinking at all. I just flipped out. That was the type of hood that I lived in. I couldn’t let anybody punk me. I guess the worst part about that whole situation was that my mother was charged as my codefendant and convicted for a crime that she didn’t commit.” As a result Regina was sentenced to five years on probation by the Manhattan Supreme Court. “The one thing about the system is that it’s a revolving door. It’s like once you get locked up you get locked up you keep getting locked up.” Regina went on to obtain her GED while attending classes at the YWCA in Harlem. “I had this really great teacher Ms. Giscombe. She actually cared about the students. She was the third teacher to tell me that I was great writer. I didn’t follow up. I had money to make. I took the GED to get my probation officer off of my back about the weed smoke. I never believed that I needed a diploma. Everyone that I knew was getting money on the stoop.” After countless arrests and a battle with drug addiction Regina decided that it was time for a change. “I just had my baby girl and I wanted to raise her by myself. I had to do something right.” Regina sought treatment for her addiction and returned to school. While Regina was attending classes at The College of New Rochelle she met her mentor Vera Edwards of Streetline. “I love Vee like a second mom. She guides me with her wisdom and keeps me encouraged. I know that I can call her about anything and I will always receive the best advice with no judgement”. With Vera’s help Regina was casted into Rodent the Urban Soap Opera and published her first articles on Streetline Video Online News Magazine. During her last two years of college Regina lost her mother to Cancer and her father to a severe heart attack and respiratory infection. “I suffered with depression after my mother died. Alcohol was my escape but I was not going to give up. I knew that my mother would have never wanted that. I had to keep going. I had to push pass the pain. Regina has now fulfilled her course requirements to obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She is currently employed in a substance abuse treatment program. Regina has obtained her CASAC-T certification and is giving back in the substance abuse treatment field. “I am focused on my career but writing and acting is my passion in life.” Regina is in the process of writing a book about her life. “ I just want others to know that despite whatever you have been through there is always a rainbow after the rain”.

Denzel Washington

Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has received three Golden Globe awards, a Tony Award, and two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for the historical war drama film Glory (1989) and Best Actor for his role as a corrupt cop in the crime thriller Training Day (2001).

Washington has received much critical acclaim for his film work since the 1980s, including his portrayals of real-life figures such as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in The Hurricane (1999), football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007). He has been a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and has been a frequent collaborator of directors Spike Lee, Antoine Fuqua and Tony Scott. In 2016, Washington was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.

In 2002, Washington made his directorial debut with the biographical film Antwone Fisher.

His second directorial effort was The Great Debaters, released in 2007. Washington’s third directorial effort, Fences, in which he also starred, was released on December 16, 2016, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr., was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He has an older sister, Lorice, and a younger brother. His father, Virginia-born Reverend Denzel Washington, was an ordained Pentecostal minister, who worked for the Water Department and at a local department store. His mother, Lennis, a beauty parlor owner, was born in Georgia and raised in Harlem.

Washington was not allowed to watch movies by his parents, who divorced when he was fourteen. As a youth, he went through a rebellious stage, and several of his friends went to prison. His mother responded to his behavioral problems by sending him to preparatory school.

Washington later enrolled at Fordham University, where he discovered acting and earned a degree in journalism, while studying at Fordham, he came to prominence at the Negro Ensemble Company playing “Peterson” in the Pulitzer Prize winning play ‘A Soldier’s Play.” His first film role was in the 1975 made-for-television movie, “Wilma.” His big break came when he starred in the television hospital drama, “St. Elsewhere.” He was one of a few actors to appear on the series for its entire six-year run.

In 1983, Washington married actress Pauletta Pearson, whom he met on the set of his first screen role. The couple has four children, John David, who signed a football contract with the St. Louis Rams after playing college ball at Morehouse, Katia, Olivia and Malcolm. In 1995, the couple renewed their wedding vows in South Africa with Archbishop Desmond Tutu officiating.

Washington is known globally for his acting ability; in 1987, after appearing in several minor theatrical films and stage roles, Washington starred as South African anti-apartheid campaigner Steve Biko in Richard Attenborough’s “Cry Freedom,” a role for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1989, Washington won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for playing a defiant, self-possessed slave in the film “Glory,” in 1992.

He was nominated as Best Actor in a Leading Role in “Malcolm X.” In 1999, he was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, “Hurricane.” In 2001, Washington won Best Actor in a Leading Role in “Training Day.” Other film credits include “John and Antwone Fisher” (2002), “Out of Time” (2003), “Man on Fire” (2004), “The Manchurian Candidate” (2004), “Inside Man” (2006), “Deja Vu” (2006), “American Gangster,” and “The Great Debaters” (2007).

On May 18, 1991, Washington was awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Fordham University, for having “impressively succeeded in exploring the edge of his multifaceted talent”. In 2011, he donated $2 million to Fordham for an endowed chair of the theater department, as well as US$250,000 to establish a theater-specific scholarship at the school. He also received an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Morehouse College on May 20, 2007 and an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania on May 16, 2011.

In 2008, Washington visited Israel with a delegation of African-American artists in honor of the state’s 60th birthday.[60] In 2010, he visited Israel again to meet with his friend, head of the Messianic Jews’ congregation in Haifa.

In April 2014, Washington presented at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Easter Bonnet Competition with Bryan Cranston, Idina Menzel and Fran Drescher, after raising donations at his Broadway show A Raisin in the Sun.

Written by Dianne Washington

New Actor Alert!

Quintin Xavier Drakeford is a new up and coming actor/full time college student/ full time journalist (for multiple websites), as well as a blogger and publicist, who has appeared in Street Line Video epic production titled “Rodent the Urban Soap Opera. He plays the smooth but treacherous character called “Pops” and his dedication to his craft can clearly be seen in episodes 1&2. He also has appeared on the Lenny Matthews Show (LMS Show), a syndicated television show dealing with the social and literary minds of the urban community. When not working as a licensed Care Manager for a reputable drug and mental health program, he spends his time writing novels, screen plays, and poems. You can catch some of his work on the website Q Xavier Publications & ShoTime TV Uncensored. We are looking forward to 2019, because his novels are realistic and full of energy, which reflect his extremely complicated past and near-death experiences. We are looking forward to seeing many good things in the coming months from him. Watch out for the name Quintin Drakeford!

Penny Marshall Dead

Marshall died Monday night at her Hollywood Hills home. We’ve learned the cause of death was complications from diabetes.

Penny’s first recurring role was playing Myrna Turner on “The Odd Couple,” which was directed by her brother. She also appeared on “Happy Days” with Cindy Williams and they became famous from their spin-off sitcom, “Laverne & Shirley.” It became a monster hit in 1976 and ran for 8 seasons. Her character’s moniker the “L” for Laverne on her sweater — became one of the most famous logos in television.

She was 75

DMX

Earl Simmons (born December 18, 1970), professionally known as DMX, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. In 1999, DMX released his best-selling album …And Then There Was X, which included the hit single “Party Up (Up in Here)”. He has been featured in films such as Belly, Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave and Last Hour. In 2006, he starred in the reality television series DMX: Soul of a Man, which was primarily aired on the BET cable television network. In 2003, DMX published a book of his memoirs entitled, E.A.R.L.: The Autobiography of DMX.

Written by Dianne Washington

Maurice White

Maurice White (December 19, 1941 – February 4, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger, and bandleader. He was the founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire. He was also the older brother of current Earth, Wind & Fire member Verdine White, and former member Fred White. He served as the band’s main songwriter and record producer, and was co-lead singer along with Philip Bailey.

He won seven Grammys, and was nominated for a total of twenty Grammys. White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire, and was also inducted individually into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Also known by his nickname “Reece”, he worked with several famous recording artists, including Deniece Williams, the Emotions, Barbra Streisand, and Neil Diamond. White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the late 1980s, which led him eventually to stop touring with Earth, Wind & Fire in 1994. He retained executive control of the band, and remained active in the music business until his death.

White was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on December 19, 1941. He grew up in South Memphis, where he lived with his grandmother in the Foote Homes Projects and was a childhood friend of Booker T Jones, with whom he formed a “cookin’ little band” while attending Booker T. Washington High School. He made frequent trips to Chicago to visit his mother, Edna, and stepfather, Verdine Adams, who was a doctor and occasional saxophonist. In his teenage years, he moved to Chicago and studied at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, and played drums in local nightclubs. By the mid-1960s he found work as a session drummer for Chess Records. While at Chess, he played on the records of artists such as Etta James, Ramsey Lewis, Sonny Stitt, Muddy Waters, the Impressions, the Dells, Betty Everett, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Buddy Guy. White also played the drums on Fontella Bass’s “Rescue Me” and Billy Stewart’s “Summertime”. In 1962, along with other studio musicians at Chess, he was a member of the Jazzmen, who later became the Pharaohs.

By 1966, he joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio, replacing Isaac “Red” Holt as the drummer. Holt and bassist Eldee Young left and formed Young-Holt Unlimited with pianist Hysear Don Walker. Young was replaced by Cleveland Eaton. As a member of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Maurice played on nine of the group’s albums, including Wade in the Water (1966), from which the track “Hold It Right There” won a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental in 1966. White featured on other Ramsey Lewis albums including: The Movie Album (1966), Goin’ Latin (1967), Dancing in the Street (1967), Up Pops Ramsey Lewis (1967) and The Piano Player (1969). While in the Trio he was introduced in a Chicago drum store to the African thumb piano or kalimba and on the Trio’s 1969 album Another Voyage’s track “Uhuru” was featured the first recording of White playing the kalimba.

In 1969, White left the Trio and joined his two friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead, to form a songwriting team who wrote songs for commercials in the Chicago area. The three friends got a recording contract with Capitol Records and called themselves the Salty Peppers. They had a moderate hit in the Midwest area with their single “La La Time”, but their second single, “Uh Huh Yeah”, was not as successful. White then moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, and altered the name of the band to Earth, Wind & Fire, the band’s new name reflecting the elements in his astrological chart.

With Maurice as the bandleader and producer of most of the band’s albums, EWF earned legendary status winning six Grammy Awards out of a staggering 14 nominations, a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, and four American Music Awards. The group’s albums have sold over 90 million copies worldwide. Other honors bestowed upon Maurice as a member of the band included inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, The Songwriters Hall of Fame and The NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.

White brought the kalimba into mainstream use by incorporating its sound into the music of Earth, Wind & Fire. He was also responsible for expanding the group to include a full horn section – the Earth, Wind & Fire Horns, later known as the Phenix Horns. White began showing signs of the Parkinson’s disease in 1987, and was finally forced to retire from Earth Wind & Fire in 1994. He retained executive control of the band and was still very active in the music business, producing and recording with the band and other artists. Messages of encouragement from celebrities including: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine were published for White.

From time to time, after his retirement, he appeared on stage with Earth, Wind & Fire at events such as the 2004 Grammy Awards Tribute to Funk, and alongside Alicia Keys at Clive Davis’s 2004 pre-Grammy awards party where they performed the band’s 1978 hit “September”.

Maurice’s younger brother, Verdine, an original member of Earth, Wind & Fire, still tours with the band as its bassist and a backing vocalist. Additionally, their brother Fred joined the band in 1974, when the band recorded “Devotion”. Maurice was a married father of three and owned two homes in California; one in Carmel Valley, and the other, a four-level condominium in Los Angeles. As recorded in his obituary, his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Verdine Adams, Sr., MD, had a total of ten children, and Maurice White was the oldest. He was affectionately called Reese by many of his brothers and sisters, according to his obituary which was distributed at his Memorial Service held at Agape International Spiritual Center March 22, 2016 in California.

White died in his sleep from the effects of Parkinson’s disease at his home in Los Angeles, California, on the morning of February 4, 2016, at the age of 74. He was survived by his wife, Marilyn White, sons Kahbran and Eden, daughter Hamia (nicknamed MiMi on his obituary) and brothers Verdine and Fred. As written in his obituary, he was the eldest of nine siblings.

Written by Dianne Washington

Michael Wright

Just spoke to my homeslice, Michael Wright, all is good in the hood! LOVE YA PLAYA!!!!

Michael Wright (born April 30, 1956) is an American film and television actor, who is best known for his role as Eddie King Jr., in the 1991 Robert Townsend film The Five Heartbeats.

Wright’s body of work in television includes the 1983 NBC science fiction miniseries V, the 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle and on V: The Series as Elias Taylor, TV series Miami Vice 1987 episode “The Savage”, and on the 1997 HBO series Oz as Omar White from 2001-2003. He also played “Clinton”, the leader of The Del Bombers gang in the cult film The Wanderers.

Wright’s film roles include the 1987 drama The Principal as Victor Duncan, also starring James Belushi, and the 1994 film Sugar Hill with Wesley Snipes, his most recent film is 2005’s The Interpreter.

He has also made guest appearances on other TV shows including New York Undercover.

Written by Dianne Washington

Joe Budden

Joseph Anthony Budden II (born August 31, 1980) is an American broadcaster, former rapper, and songwriter. Budden’s eponymous debut studio album was released in 2003 and debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, selling 95,000 copies within its first week. The album featured the hit single “Pump It Up”, Budden’s most commercially successful solo single. He was formerly signed to major record label Def Jam, but left the label in 2007 and is currently signed to Empire Distribution.

After separating from Def Jam, he began recording and releasing solo mixtapes and albums on independent labels. In 2013, he released No Love Lost; his follow-up EP, “Some Love Lost” was released November 4, 2014. He released “All Love Lost” on October 16, 2015. Most recently, he released “Rage & The Machine” on October 21, 2016. In addition to his solo work, Budden was a member of the American hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse, alongside fellow rappers Royce da 5’9″, Joell Ortiz, and Crooked I.

Budden currently works as a broadcaster, and was a host of Complex’s Everyday Struggle, alongside Nadeska Alexis and DJ Akademiks in 2017, before leaving the show in January 2018. He currently hosts his own self-titled podcast, which since September 2018 is released twice a week through Spotify.

Written by Dianne Washington

Donald Goines

Donald Goines (pseudonym: Al C. Clark) (December 15, 1936 – October 21, 1974) was an African-American writer of urban fiction. His novels were deeply influenced by the work of Iceberg Slim.

Goines was born in Detroit, Michigan on December 15, 1936. His parents were a middle-class black couple that ran a laundry business, with his mother Myrtle Goines telling Goines that her family was descended from Jefferson Davis and a slave. Donald was the middle child of three, and the only son.

At age 15, Goines lied about his age to join the Air Force and fought in the Korean War.

During his stint in the armed forces, Goines developed an addiction to heroin that continued after his honorable discharge in the mid-1950s. In order to support his addiction, Goines committed crimes including pimping, larceny, robbery, illegal liquor manufacturing and theft. He resided in several cities, including Kansas City, Missouri and Junction City, Kansas, but mostly in his native Detroit. He was sentenced to prison several times, both state and federal.

He began writing while serving a sentence in Michigan’s Jackson Penitentiary. Goines initially attempted to write Westerns, but he decided to write urban fiction after reading Robert “Iceberg Slim” Beck’s autobiography Pimp: The Story of My Life.

Goines continued to write novels at an accelerated pace in order to support his drug addictions, with some books taking only a month to complete. His sister Joan Goines Coney later said that Goines wrote at such an accelerated pace in order to avoid committing more crimes and based many of the characters in his books on people he knew in real life. He completed 16 books.

In 1974 Goines published Crime Partners, the first book in the Kenyatta series under the name Al C. Clark. Holloway House’s chief executive Bentley Morriss requested that Goines publish the book under a pseudonym in order to avoid having the sales of Goines’s work suffer due to too many books releasing at once. The book dealt with an anti-hero character named after Jomo Kenyatta that ran an organization similar to the Black Panthers to clear the ghetto of crime. In his book The Low Road, Eddie B. Allen remarks that the series was a departure from some of Goines’s other works, with the character of Kenyatta symbolizing a sense of liberation for Goines.

Inner City Hoodlum, which Goines had finished before his death, was published posthumously in 1975. Set in Los Angeles, the novel was about heroin, money and murder.

On October 21, 1974 Goines and his common-law wife Shirley Sailor were discovered dead in their Highland Park, Michigan apartment. The police had received an anonymous phone call earlier that evening and responded, discovering Goines in the living room of the apartment and Sailor’s body in the kitchen. Both Goines and Sailor had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and head. Although the identity of the two gunmen is unknown, as is the reason behind the murders. Popular theories involve Goines being murdered due to his basing several of his characters on real life criminals as well as the theory that Goines was killed due to his being in debt over drugs.

At his funeral, a relative placed a book with Goines in his casket, but it was stolen.

Written by Dianne Washington