Tennis
White tennis player suspended after saying, ‘At least I know my dad’ to his N.C. A&T opponent
Aggies’ John Wilson IV says he’s heard these kinds of comments before
4:20 PMNorth Carolina A&T senior tennis player John Wilson IV took to Twitter this week to detail a racist encounter he had while playing tennis against an Appalachian State player on Jan. 28.
Update: Even though I have yet to be reached out personally from the administration of Appalachian State. The athletics program suspended Spencer indefinitely! Thank you all for the help, this is something I’ve always dealt with being a black tennis player. #NCAT pic.twitter.com/9MqHvTe6fR
— John Wilson IV (@jpheze) January 29, 2018
Hey #NCAT this is Spencer brown, a tennis player at Appalachian state. During our match today, along with other racist comments, Spencer told me, “At least I know my dad.” Their coach responded by saying, “..we have a black guy on our team.”
Black twitter, do ya thing. pic.twitter.com/ZRN61zCU2n
— John Wilson IV (@jpheze) January 29, 2018
Wilson says Spencer Brown, a freshman App State tennis player, directed the remark toward him, saying, “At least I know my dad.” Wilson said the Appalachian State tennis coach responded to those comments saying that “… we have a black guy on our team.”
Appalachian State swiftly took action and suspended Brown indefinitely after his comments.
Statement from App State Athletics: pic.twitter.com/pvDw3SveyV
— App State Athletics (@appstatesports) January 29, 2018
Wilson, a senior from Red Oak, Texas, later quoted his own tweet, explaining how the situation was handled and how he has been forced to deal with racial tension growing up as a black tennis player.
Wilson is declining all interview requests, while the Appalachian State sports department issued this statement about the Sunday incident but has declined to comment further:
“After yesterday’s men’s tennis match, an Appalachian State student-athlete engaged in behavior that was derogatory and offensive,” Appalachian State said in a release. “This student-athlete has been suspended indefinitely from the team, effective immediately, for violating the student-athlete discipline policy.”
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Brown won the match 6-1, 6-1 against Wilson and Appalachian State beat N.C. A&T 7-0. Appalachian State’s next match is Friday, when it will host North Carolina Central, another historically black university.
Music
Grammys: Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar win big; Jay-Z and SZA are shut out
What is it about hip-hop and rap music and Grammys?
9:53 AMThere’s much so much take away from the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Here are the most obvious elephants in the room.
Kendrick Lamar’s run continues. We said it before, but Lamar’s DAMN. good year has no end in sight. He started Sunday night’s Grammys off via one of the best (Dave Chapelle) intros in recent memory, brought out U2, and left Madison Square Garden last night with five Grammys — including rap album of the year and best rap/sung performance with Rihanna for their “Loyalty.” While it seems DAMN. the album has bumped Lamar up from rap superstar to Lamar the hip-hop pop culture kingpin, he once again lost out in the album of the year category — the third time that’s happened. And with a catalog that includes generation-defining records such as good kid, m.A.A.d city, To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN., you’re left to wonder what, if anything, Compton, California’s, son has to do to, especially considering the massive goodwill DAMN. has produced. But with a nationwide tour on the horizon and the Black Panther soundtrack, serving as the Black Hippy album we never got, at least the start of 2018 is looking quite massive for hip-hop’s young legend.
Jay-Z and SZA shut out. They entered the night with a total of 13 nominations. And maybe that was a sign of bad luck off the rip. Both Jay-Z and SZA left Madison Square Garden without any hardware. Before the show, Jay again acknowledged his storied and infamous history with music’s biggest night. His groundbreaking 4:44 though wasn’t recognized in any category. Likewise, SZA, the most nominated woman of last night’s festivities, left empty-handed. It was a euphoric year for the first lady of TDE. Fueled by records such as “Love Galore” featuring Travis Scott, and “The Weekend,” her debut project, Ctrl is a commercial and critical success. SZA did, however, give a rousing performance of her standout “Broken Clocks,” seemed to highlight a disappointing night. Remember last year, when Rihanna also failed to receive a Grammy after dropping the best album of that year and of her career thus far? And: Wildly “Despacito,” Khalid and Cardi B were shut out, too. A weird night for music’s biggest night.
All hail King Bruno. I said the album would be important well over a year ago. Turns out I was wrong. It was very important. “It’s like you started the wave a long time ago,” said Jeremy Reeves, one-fourth of The Stereotypes, the production creatives who helped write the now Grammy-winning “That’s What I like.” “And for some reason it’s still growing. But that’s the roar and it’s like, ‘Yo, Bruno really took it all the way there from the studio to the world. It’s a crazy feeling.” Simply put, Bruno Mars is a legend in real time — who walked away with six Grammys last night. While names like Lamar and Jay-Z absolutely deserved to win the night’s most coveted honor in album of the year, let’s not front like Bruno Mars didn’t release one of the most important albums of 2017, and did so only using nine songs. From “24K Magic” to the aforementioned “That’s What I Like” to even the updated “Finesse” with Cardi B, his music impacts nearly every corner of the population — and not in a corny way that comes off as if he’s trying too hard. He’ll have a Las Vegas residency in 10 years performing these very songs — and future hits.
Select Grammy winners:
Album of the Year:
“Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino
4:44 — Jay-Z
DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar
Melodrama — Lorde
24K Magic — Bruno Mars —WINNER
Record of the Year:
“Redbone” — Childish Gambino
“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z
“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar
“24K Magic” — Bruno Mars —WINNER
Song of the Year:
“Despacito” — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)
“4:44” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)
“Issues” — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
“1-800-273-8255” — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury & Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid)
“That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars) — WINNER
Best New Artist:
Alessia Cara — WINNER
Khalid
Lil Uzi Vert
Julia Michaels
SZA
POP FIELD
Best Pop Solo Performance:
“Love So Soft” — Kelly Clarkson
“Praying” — Kesha
“Million Reasons” — Lady Gaga
“What About Us” — P!nk
“Shape Of You” — Ed Sheeran — WINNER
DANCE/ELECTRONIC FIELD
Best Dance Recording:
“Bambro Koyo Ganda” — Bonobo Featuring Innov Gnawa
“Cola” — Camelphat & Elderbrook
“Andromeda” — Gorillaz Featuring DRAM
“Tonite” — LCD Soundsystem — WINNER
“Line Of Sight” — Odesza Featuring Wynne & Mansionair
Best R&B Performance:
“Get You” — Daniel Caesar Featuring Kali Uchis
“Distraction” — Kehlani
“High” — Ledisi
“That’s What I Like” — Bruno Mars —WINNER
“The Weekend” — SZA
Best Traditional R&B Performance:
“Laugh And Move On” — The Baylor Project
“Redbone” — Childish Gambino — WINNER
“What I’m Feelin’ ” — Anthony Hamilton Featuring The Hamiltones|
“All The Way” — Ledisi
“Still” — Mali Music
Best R&B Song:
“First Began” — PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)
“Location” — Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson & Joshua Scruggs, songwriters (Khalid)
“Redbone” — Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
“Supermodel” — Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Solana Rowe & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (SZA)
“That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars) —WINNER
Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Free 6LACK — 6LACK
“Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino
American Teen — Khalid
Ctrl — SZA
Starboy — The Weeknd —WINNER
Best R&B Album:
Freudian — Daniel Caesar
Let Love Rule — Ledisi
24K Magic — Bruno Mars — WINNER
Gumbo — PJ Morton
Feel the Real –Musiq Soulchild
Best Rap Performance:
“Bounce Back” — Big Sean
“Bodak Yellow” — Cardi B
“4:44” — Jay-Z
“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar —WINNER
“Bad And Boujee” — Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert
Best Rap/Sung Performance:
“PRBLMS” — 6LACK
“Crew” — Goldlink Featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy
“Family Feud” — Jay-Z Featuring Beyoncé
“LOYALTY.” — Kendrick Lamar featuring Rihanna — WINNER
“Love Galore” — SZA Featuring Travis Scott
Best Rap Song:
“Bodak Yellow” — Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Washpoppin & J White, songwriters (Cardi B)
“Chase Me” — Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins & Jon Spencer, songwriters (Danger Mouse Featuring Run The Jewels & Big Boi)
“HUMBLE.” — Duckworth, Asheton Hogan & M. Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar) — WINNER
“Sassy” — Gabouer & M. Evans, songwriters (Rapsody)
“The Story Of O.J.” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)
Best Rap Album:
4:44 — Jay-Z
DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
Culture — Migos
Laila’s Wisdom — Rapsody
Flower Boy — Tyler, The Creator
Best Improvised Jazz Solo:
“Can’t Remember Why” — Sara Caswell, soloist
“Dance Of Shiva” — Billy Childs, soloist
“Whisper Not” — Fred Hersch, soloist
“Miles Beyond” — John McLaughlin, soloist — WINNER
“Ilimba” — Chris Potter, soloist
Best Jazz Vocal Album:
The Journey — The Baylor Project
A Social Call — Jazzmeia Horn
Bad Ass and Blind — Raul Midón
Porter Plays Porter — Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King
Dreams and Daggers — Cécile McLorin Salvant — WINNER
Best Jazz Instrumental Album:
Uptown, Downtown — Bill Charlap Trio
Rebirth — Billy Childs — WINNER
Project Freedom –Joey DeFrancesco & The People
Open Book — Fred Hersch
The Dreamer Is the Dream — Chris Potter
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album:
MONK’estra Vol. 2 — John Beasley
Jigsaw — Alan Ferber Big Band
Bringin’ It — Christian McBride Big Band — WINNER
Homecoming — Vince Mendoza & WDR Big Band Cologne
Whispers on the Wind — Chuck Owen and The Jazz Surge
Best Latin Jazz Album:
Hybrido – From Rio To Wayne Shorter — Antonio Adolfo
Oddara — Jane Bunnett & Maqueque
Outra Coisa – The Music Of Moacir Santos — Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves
Típico — Miguel Zenón
Jazz Tango — Pablo Ziegler Trio — WINNER
Best Gospel Performance/Song:
“Too Hard Not To” — Tina Campbell
“You Deserve It” — JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise Featuring Bishop Cortez Vaughn
“Better Days” — Le’Andria
“My Life” — The Walls Group
“Never Have To Be Alone” — CeCe Winans — WINNER
Best Gospel Album:
Crossover: Live From Music City — Travis Greene
Bigger Than Me — Le’Andria
Close — Marvin Sapp
Sunday Song — Anita Wilson
Let Them Fall in Love — CeCe Winans — WINNER
Best Latin Pop Album:
Lo Único Constante — Alex Cuba
Mis Planes Son Amarte — Juanes
Amar Y Vivir En Vivo Desde La Ciudad De México, 2017 — La Santa Cecilia
Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos) — Natalia Lafourcade
El Dorado — Shakira — WINNER
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album:
Ayo — Bomba Estéreo
Pa’ Fuera — C4 Trío & Desorden Público
Salvavidas De Hielo — Jorge Drexler
El Paradise — Los Amigos Invisibles
Residente — Residente — WINNER
Best Regional Mexican Music Album:
Ni Diablo Ni Santo — Julión Álvarez Y Su Norteño Banda
Ayer Y Hoy — Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga
Momentos — Alex Campos
Arriero Somos Versiones Acústicas — Aida Cuevas — WINNER
Zapateando En El Norte — Humberto Novoa, producer (Various Artists)
Best Tropical Latin Album:
Albita — Albita
Art of the Arrangement — Doug Beavers
Salsa Big Band — Rubén Blades Con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta — WINNER
Gente Valiente — Silvestre Dangond
Indestructible — Diego El Cigala
Best American Roots Performance:
“Killer Diller Blues” — Alabama Shakes —WINNER
“Let My Mother Live” — Blind Boys of Alabama
“Arkansas Farmboy” — Glen Campbell
“Steer Your Way” — Leonard Cohen
“I Never Cared For You” — Alison Krauss
Best Reggae Album:
Chronology — Chronixx
Lost In Paradise — Common Kings
Wash House Ting — J Boog
Stony Hill — Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley — WINNER
Avrakedabra — Morgan Heritage
Best World Music Album:
Memoria de los Sentidos — Vicente Amigo
Para Mi — Buika
Rosa Dos Ventos — Anat Cohen & Trio Brasileiro
Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration — Ladysmith Black Mambazo — WINNER
Elwan — Tinariwen
Best Comedy Album:
The Age Of Spin & Deep In The Heart Of Texas — Dave Chappelle — WINNER
Cinco — Jim Gaffigan
Jerry Before Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld
A Speck Of Dust — Sarah Silverman
What Now? — Kevin Hart
Best Album Notes:
Arthur Q. Smith: The Trouble With The Truth — Wayne Bledsoe & Bradley Reeves, album notes writers (Various Artists)
Big Bend Killing: The Appalachian Ballad Tradition — Ted Olson, album notes writer (Various Artists)
The Complete Piano Works Of Scott Joplin — Bryan S. Wright, album notes writer (Richard Dowling)
Edouard-Léon Scott De Martinville, Inventor of Sound Recording: A Bicentennial Tribute — David Giovannoni, album notes writer (Various Artists)
Live At The Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings — Lynell George, album notes writer (Otis Redding) — WINNER
Washington Phillips And His Manzarene Dreams — Michael Corcoran, album notes writer (Washington Phillips)
Best Remixed Recording:
“Can’t Let You Go (Louie Vega Roots Mix)” — Louie Vega, remixer (Loleatta Holloway)
“Funk O’ De Funk (SMLE Remix)” — SMLE, remixers (Bobby Rush)
“Undercover (Adventure Club Remix)” — Leighton James & Christian Srigley, remixers (Kehlani)
“A Violent Noise (Four Tet Remix)” — Four Tet, remixer (The xx)
“You Move (Latroit Remix)” — Dennis White, remixer (Depeche Mode) — WINNER
Best Music Video:
“Up All Night” — Beck
“Makeba” — Jain
“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z
“Humble.” — Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
“1-800-273-8255” — Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid
Best Music Film:
One More Time With Feeling — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Long Strange Trip — (The Grateful Dead)
The Defiant Ones — (Various Artists) — WINNER
Soundbreaking — (Various Artists)
Two Trains Runnin’ — (Various Artists)
Kevin Durant
Durant reaches out to vet who got hit when ball flew into stands
Longtime Warriors fan got a signed pair of sneakers from KD
7:29 AMOAKLAND, California – After a painful chance introduction, Joseph Franzia was all smiles while holding a signed pair of Kevin Durant sneakers near the Golden State Warriors’ locker room late Saturday night while waiting for the very apologetic NBA All-Star.
Durant punched a basketball high into the air during his shooting workout before a 109-105 win over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. The wayward basketball flew into the stands behind the visiting bench and hit an unsuspecting, glasses-wearing Franzia in the nose while he was sitting next to his wife, Marilyn. Franzia suffered a cut on his face. Noticing a commotion where the ball landed, Durant immediately left the floor and ran to the stands to check on Franzia.
“I punched the ball up in the air pregame and it kind of hit him on his head a little bit,” Durant said. “We talked it out. I went there right after it happened and he said, ‘You better win the damn game.’ And I knew he was all right after that.”
Marilyn Franzia had to tell her dazed husband to look up to see that Durant was there to check on him after he got hit with the ball. Arena personnel, medical personnel and police came to the scene to make sure Franzia was OK. Durant apologized profusely and had his security guard check in with Franzia later.
The Vietnam veteran thought he affected Durant more than vice versa. Durant entered the Celtics game averaging 26 points, but finished with 20 points in a victory that included a 49-point performance from his teammate Stephen Curry.
“It hurt. It surprised me. It hit on me. I think I threw off his game. He had 20. That is why I felt bad about it,” said Franzia, who has been a Warriors fan since the 1970s.
After the game, Durant’s security guard brought Franzia and his wife to a private hallway near the Warriors’ locker room and gave him pair of signed Durant shoes. Durant would later exchange pleasantries with the Franzias before he talked to the media.
“I got a chance to meet him and his wife. Great people. Glad he enjoyed the game and glad he is all right,” Durant said.
Franzia is the president of Classic Wines of California. In 1973, Joseph, Fred and John Franzia founded the family-owned Bronco Wine Company, which sells wines in more than 90 countries worldwide and the United States.
“I invited him to drink some wine with me,” Joseph Franzia said.
Said Marilyn Franzia: “And the wine is great.”
Music
Grammy weekend is about fun, but also about music’s ability to change the world
‘I liken these days to the Harlem Renaissance — that sort of artistic revolution.’ – Black Thought
12:59 PMBlack Thought, the legendary rapper and front man for the equally legendary Roots crew, takes a break from discussing his hometown Philadelphia Eagles. Like most people in a Gramercy Theater VIP section during the wee hours, the Super Bowl is a hot topic. But Black Thought soon starts talking about music’s Super Bowl — the Grammys, in particular, music’s role in a documenting this period of life. It’s a conversation that has been a constant theme of Grammy weekend — realizing the moment and embracing generational responsibility.
“Twenty years from now it would be dope to be able to say the arts, and not only music, but theater and visual art and literature had a renaissance,” Black Thought said as the final performances of The Roots Jam Sessions rage on a floor above. “I’d love to bring a new awareness to every medium. I liken these days to the Harlem Renaissance — that sort of artistic revolution.”
For fellow Roots brethren, multi-instrumentalist James Poyser, the magnitude of the moment for music, for him, has roots (pun intended) in the troubled yet transformative 1960s. That era turned Motown into a musical religion and made names such as James Brown, Otis Redding and Nina Simone synonymous and vital components of the black American experience. “The music that gave you hope. The music that inspired you to fight these battles. I’m hoping the same thing happens in this era,” Poyser said. “We know what’s going on with you-know-who and everything else that’s going on. We need music to feed our souls.”
Hours earlier, at the red carpet day party thrown by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the songwriting organization made up of more than 650,000 writers, composers and music publishers, the conversation was much the same. Drinks flowed like the Nile at New York’s Standard High Line as DJ D-Nice soundtracked a breathtaking view of the Hudson. Selfies nearly outnumbered hugs and laughs. But tones shifted to a more prideful, even stern demeanor when people spoke individually.
“We’re soldiers. We’re pioneers. We made it through a crazy couple of [months, years] for the world. Yet and still, music is thriving. I feel better than ever,” said ASCAP senior vice president of membership Nicole George-Middleton. “Despite it all, we persevered. We made things happen.”
Representing the full palette of emotions is important as well — that’s the message from production team/Grammy nominees The Stereotypes. Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCollough II, are half of the collective that co-produced Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like.” They stress that stepping back and finding peace amid the turmoil is a part of life. “It’s such a serious time in history … The music we made with Bruno is like a break from the seriousness. You need the breath,” said McCollough. Reeves followed up, “Not everyone is gonna watch a suspense movie. You gotta throw some comedy in there sometimes. Not that this music is funny, but it releases those endorphins that make you feel good.”
Shortly before returning to the stage (after Big K.R.I.T.’s performance) Black Thought was still optimistic. The world, at times, is difficult to stomach. The headlines that populate phones, websites and televisions is daunting. And also draining. But for Black Thought, it’s easier to make change to than complain about the symptoms. The time is now. “Sometimes we take the day — today — for granted. It’ll be dope to look back a quarter-century from now to look back and say this was when the tipping point of the greatness that’s about to come began.”
Music
Migos don their ‘CRWN’ in exclusive, intimate interview
As Grammy weekend heats up, the rap supergroup basks in success — while respecting the grind
10:29 AM“We the young kings of hip-hop right now,” said Quavo. He was laughing, and playful. Yet serious.
Their new album, Culture II, had hit all streaming services less than 24 hours before. The 24-track double album boasts verses and production from Drake, 2 Chainz, 21 Savage, Big Sean, Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, Kanye West and more. The group is up for two Grammys Sunday night: best rap album, 2017’s Culture, and best rap performance by a duo or group for the monster hit “Bad and Boujee.” But it made a weird kind of sense that the first time Migos (whose “Stir Fry” is the official song of NBA All-Star Weekend) spoke on Culture II, it would be in an intimate setting.
Elliott Wilson, Tidal’s editorial director of hip-hop content, revived his famed CRWN interview series Friday night with Quavo, Offset and Takeoff before an energetic crowd of just 100 people. The nearly hourlong sit-down, which included impromptu questions from the audience, spanned an array of topics: Quavo and Offset’s decisions to do separate projects (and Takeoff’s impending solo efforts), management company Quality Control’s influence on their glow-up, their “connection” to Joe Budden (“I never looked up to Joe Budden,” Quavo said, sarcastically), reuniting with Drake for the first time since “Versace,” and how the trio got both the iconic Nicki Minaj and Offset’s superstar fiancée Cardi B (who is also nominated for two “Bodak Yellow” Grammys) on “Motorsport.” “The girl power,” said Quavo, “was just so strong.”
“Yessir!” Offset followed up, drawing applause and laughter from the audience — and Offset and Cardi’s relationship of course quickly became a provocative topic. “We just stay focused on our craft. I always tell her, You gotta stay on they a—,” Set said. “To keep giving it to ’em … Cardi is a star.”
Migos is a rare superstar conglomerate in an era where groups — as opposed to solo artists — aren’t trained to thrive. They said a number of times that loyalty is what keeps them together. “And don’t get [us] wrapped up in that mumble rap bulls—-,” said Quavo. Defiantly, he followed up: “We really do this.”
Music
It’s showtime: The Apollo welcomes the Grammys back to New York
Fat Joe, Doug E. Fresh, Elle Varner — Harlem’s iconic theater hosts an artist-studded luncheon
One doesn’t just see Harlem, New York. You feel Harlem. You smell Harlem. You vibe with Harlem. From the backseat of a Lyft, you pass the stalwarts of the community — the Duane Reade pharmacies, General Grant Houses, the countless delis — many of which will sell you a delicious “chopped cheese” sandwich — if you’re hip on how to order them. Black Panther promotional posters adorn nearly every bus stop, it seems. Even as the gentrification of the Harlem becomes more and more entrenched, the spirit of Malcolm X lives on in the creative, cultural and social melting pot where he stood as a titan on its street corners, and died as an icon.
There’s not many things more authentically Harlem than West 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard — dubbed “the cultural heartbeat of the city.” And with the Grammys back in New York for the first time since 2003, the iconic Apollo Theater hosted a luncheon in celebration. “When you do something special in New York, you feel the vibration,” said pioneering hip-hop artist Doug E. Fresh said on the red carpet. “I’m glad they decided to do this at the Apollo. It’s Harlem. I am Harlem.”
Also in attendance is five-time Grammy-nominated Fat Joe, Rotimi, current Grammy nominees The Hamiltones, Dapper Dan, the Grammy-nominated Elle Varner and many more. These creative professionals understand the Apollo’s place in black culture, and know about the legends who stood on the stage – not 50 feet from the red carpet. “I wish I would’ve seen Lauryn Hill. They booed her,” said singer and Power cast member Rotimi. “Then 10-15 years later seeing she’s one of the greatest of all time, that’s the ultimate story.”
“Aretha,” Varner said without hesitation about who she wishes she’d seen, live at the Apollo. “Absolutely.”
An Apollo institution himself, Doug E. Fresh flips the script. “Me and Stevie Wonder was here one night. That was crazy!”
The energy was one of reverence. With celebrities and Harlem luminaries scattered through the stage and carpet, the collective perspective was one of privilege and respect. “The best night in the Apollo was when Ice Cube first came here,” Fat Joe said from the stage. “We gotta protect this. This our home.”
Music
Janet Jackson surprises ‘Essence’ award winner Missy Elliott
The 9th Annual Black Women in Music event sets off a week of Grammy festivities
10:09 AMThe vibe was old-school glamorous New York last night for the Essence 9th Annual Black Women in Music event. Missy Elliott was honored at the jam-packed Highline Ballroom, and phones were in the air as none other than Janet Jackson surprised Elliott with a truly emotional speech, and presentation of the award.
“Some rhyme, some rap, some act, some choreograph, some write hit songs, some create whole new sounds,” said Jackson. “Some women are able to make [their] mark in some of these fields. But there’s only one woman who has made her mark in all of these fields…Not only have you made your mark, but she’s done so with boldness and courage.” Love & Hip Hop empresario Mona Scott-Young also spoke on behalf of her client and friend Elliott.
The drinks were flowing as luminaries such as Grammy-nominee Rapsody, as well as the Grammy-nominated Janelle Monae, Remy Ma and T.I. toasted Elliott’s creativity and 1990s dominance. Also enjoying the evening: Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone, Atlantic Records Chairman/COO Julie Greenwald, and BET Chairman/CEO Debra Lee. “I wouldn’t wanna be any other color but black,” Missy Elliott said, award in hand. “There’s something about our DNA that can’t be taught, it comes from a different place.”