Entertainment

THE PREMIERE OF GO-GO MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

Published

4 years ago

May 20, 2020

TV ONE CELEBRATES BLACK MUSIC MONTH WITH THE PREMIERE OF GO-GO MUSIC DOCUMENTARY, THE BEAT DON’T STOP, ON SUNDAY, JUNE 21 AT 8 P.M. ET

Original Documentary Highlights the Official Sound of Washington, D.C. and Features Doug E. Fresh, Backyard Band, Junk Yard Band, Trouble Funk, E.U., TCB, TOB, Beat Ya Feet Finest, Maiesha and the Hip Huggers, and Many More

TV One celebrates Black Music Month with the debut of its original documentary, THE BEAT DON’T STOP, airing on Sunday, June 21 at 8 P.M. ET/7C, followed by an encore presentation at 10 P.M. ET/9C. The long-awaited documentary was a year in the making and highlights the history and legacy of Go-go music. It features trailblazers, legends and stars who have championed the sound throughout the decades. The film also delves into the evolution of the Go-go culture, celebrating the legacy of the Godfather of Go-go music, Chuck Brown, and the pivotal role Radio One played as the original broadcast platform for the music genre. Additionally, it examines the passion that fueled social movements, including the internationally recognized Don’t Mute DC, which emphasized the music’s power and influence amid a rapidly changing cultural landscape.
“I always sought to represent the underrepresented. I always gave voice to the voiceless, and Go-go was very much that,” said Cathy Hughes, Chairwoman and Founder, Urban One who served as Executive Producer for the project. “We are proud to be a part of the Go-go story and grateful to tell the story of the men and women who helped to create and promote this amazing sound.”THE BEAT DON’T STOP pays homage to the unique contribution of Go-go music to the musical landscape. It features a host of celebrities, artists, music historians, and community leaders including rapper Doug E. Fresh; band members from Junk Yard Band, Trouble Funk, E.U., Backyard Band, TOB, TCBand Maiesha and the Hip Huggers; the dance crew Beat Ya Feet Finest; music historians Dr. Natalie Hopkinson and Kato Hammond; music journalists Ericka Blount and Alona Wartofsky; Don’t Mute DCorganizer Ron Moten; talent promoter and former MCA Records executive Bo Sampson; music producer Tone P; Radio One Personality Angie Ange; DJ Flexx; hip hop artist DJ Kool; and many others. Big Brother Konan who hosted the first daily radio show in the country dedicated to Go-go music, on Radio One station, WOL-AM, also lends his account to this comprehensive look at the social power and influence of this unique art form. Go-go music is the indigenous sound of Washington, D.C., which emerged out of underprivileged neighborhoods during the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s. It was largely blamed for the rise in crime and violence that paralyzed D.C. THE BEAT DON’T STOP takes viewers through that history and addresses how the music served as a platform for African Americans to elevate and address issues such as class struggles, gentrification and the music’s impact on black culture. THE BEAT DON’T STOP is executive produced by Urban One Founder and Chairwoman Cathy Hughes. For TV One, Deirdre Leake-Butcher and Tracey Uy served as Executive Producers, with Bo Sampson of Bodacious One Productions serving as Co-Executive Producer. Nile Cone served as senior writer and producer. Susan Henry is the Executive Producer in Charge of Production, Donyell Kennedy-McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting, Robyn Greene Arrington is Vice President of Original Programming and Production, and Michelle Rice is General Manager.

Black Life Texas

Carver Annual Fundraiser Dec. 2

Published

1 week ago

November 23, 2023

BLT Staff

The Carver Development Board presents the Cavalcade of the Stars on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Center.

This annual fundraiser benefits the Carver’s School for Visual & Performing Arts’ Artist Residency/Master Class Program, summer camps, Youth Matinee Series, and supports the education programs of the Carver Community Cultural Center. The title fundraiser is Valero.

The night will start with a reception and silent auction at 5:30 pm. Dinner is served at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 8 pm featuring Kiland Kyham, also known as Mr. Houston. Kyham is a gifted and powerful author, singer, and songwriter. He has performed and produced with such music legends as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Johnathon Butler, and Smokey Robinson. He has written over 400 song jingles and has produced numerous projects.

For over 75 years, The Carver Community Cultural Center (“The Carver”) has served as the San Antonio Eastside’s foremost gathering place of cultural exchange and performance arts. It was originally erected in 1918 as a community center for African-Americans. By the 1930s, the building was repurposed as the Colored Library and renamed the Carver Library and Auditorium in honor of Dr. George Washington Carver. From the 1940s through the Civil Rights Era, prominent African-American entertainers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong played at the Carver.

Individual tickets for the Cavalcade of the Stars are $250 or $2,500 per table. For more information, visit (TheCarver.org).

Entertainment

Kirk Brings Tour to San Antonio

Published

4 weeks ago

November 3, 2023

avista

Kirk Franklin’s new album “Father’s Day” just released on Oct. 6, 2023. Franklin has written and produced “Father’s Day,” marking his first new solo album since the 2019 release of his Grammy-winning solo album “Long Live Love.”

Franklin says about Father’s Day and connecting with God’s love: “I hope this album is a stripped-down, honest conversation about the difficulty of the life journey and how life can be messy, nuanced, and a matter of trial and error even for those who subscribe to faith. But it’s all wrapped in a bow of love, and that love doesn’t always make sense, but is always constant.”

Legendary artist Kirk Franklin has etched a mark on the music industry with his soul-stirring melodies and powerful lyrics. With an astonishing 2 billion career streams, his music has touched the hearts of millions around the globe.

Highly decorated with an impressive collection of accolades, including 19 Grammy Awards, 42 Stellar Awards, 23 Dove Awards, and 8 Soul Train Awards, he stands as a true icon in the gospel genre.
Kirk Franklin’s unwavering passion for gospel music continues to shine as a beacon of inspiration, leaving an indelible legacy that will resonate for future generations.

Franklin will be featuring some of his new albums in The Reunion Tour at the Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center) on Nov. 16 at 7 pm. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
Joining Franklin on The Reunion Tour are Israel Houghton, David & Tamela Mann, Tye Tribbett, The Clark Sister with special guests of the New Breed, The Family, & God’s Property.

Entertainment

Jada’s Entangled Memoir – Worthy

Published

1 month ago

October 19, 2023

avista

By Ebony Huerta Wells

It must be nice! I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I heard actress Jada Pinkett Smith say she and her famous Oscar-slap husband, Will Smith, are separated but still married, I immediately thought that when I get upset with my husband, I have to sit in my car.

I don’t have another house to go to. I don’t even have another wing of the house to go to. And then I thought of the infamous Oscar slap in 2022 and the “Red Table Talk” discussion where she and Will Smith are in tears over her entanglement or affair. So, was all that necessary? Maybe to sell books, it may be necessary. Jada Pinket Smith’s new memoir, “Worthy,” has hit the shelves and she is making the talk show circuit. Like talk show host Sherri Shepherd said, the whole family should get Oscars for living a lie for seven years – supposedly the amount of time Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been separated.

Truthfully, I’m still trying to grapple with liking the couple – before her memoir. Unlike R. Kelly, Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby, Will Smith hasn’t been totally shunned yet, but he has paid a hefty price for his actions “defending” her honor. But it takes two to tangle, and I don’t think by any means we have heard of all his “entanglements,” and he has his own demons to work out.

. . . the whole family should get Oscars for living a lie for seven years . . .

In the Black community and especially in the entertainment industry, we don’t have a plethora of Black male actors. We are more accustomed to negative stories of Black men than good, so when Will Smith reprised his role as Muhammad Ali at the Oscars, we wanted so much to embrace him for his achievements. Instead, we had to defend Black men at work, hit rewind about a thousand times to make sure it wasn’t a skit, and then joke about it in our inner circles – what the hell was he thinkin’ fighting in front of white folks!

I haven’t read “Worthy,” but Jada Pinkett Smith does talk about Tupac, Chris Rock, and many more of our favorite celebrities. Maybe I will read it for that, or perhaps I will just wait for them to move back together again and stop all this actin’.