J. Cole, A$AP Rocky, & Future Perform at First-Ever Rolling Loud Portugal

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The first-ever Rolling Loud Portugal, a three-day festival that featured A-List rappers from the U.S. and Europe performing for a sold-out crowd, attracted hip-hop fans to the beaches of The Algarve last week. The festival’s eagerly anticipated acts on two stages, ideal weather, and a cameo surprise appearance by Rihanna all met the fans’ expectations.

The stellar roster, which was headlined by J. Cole, A$AP Rocky, and Future, included big-name artists from the UK and the US. Rappers from both Britain and the United States made their Rolling Loud debuts, including Skepta and Central Cee, while American superstars Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, and Jack Harlow made their impact. As usual, Rolling Loud brought a strong supporting cast, including up-and-coming artists like Baby Keem and Coi Leray, AJ Tracey, JME, and Ms. Banks, as well as rising names like Flo Milli, Key Glock, Babyface Ray, and many others.

You can see all the fun from Portugal below.

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Young Guru Epitomizes ‘Real Talk Drives Real Change’ Campaign With New Director Position at Roc Nation School

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Young Guru’s production prowess stretches beyond the boards and booth. While the Grammy winner’s work has earned the praise as the “most famous and successful engineer in the history of Hip-Hop,” he continues to add to his legendary palette.

The Grammy Award winning engineer recently joined Gia Peppers’ award winning podcast, “More Than That with Gia Peppers” for a campaign initiative entitled, Real Talk Drives Real Change. Presented by Chevrolet, Urban One and Dentsu, the platform ignites “conversation to be both held and heard to enable actionable change resulting in true progress.”

The campaign kicked off last month in Washington, DC behind the theme: “Higher Education Access.”

The event came on the heels of Young Guru’s announcement as the newest director of Roc Nation’s School of Music, Sports & Entertainment.

Guru took to Instagram to announce his position as the Director of the Music Technology, Entrepreneurship, & Production program at the Roc Nation School at Long Island University, Brooklyn.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am!! This chapter is called ‘Education,’” said Guru on Instagram.

“Education is a valuable platform to show talented students how to navigate the music industry, preserve music history, and share their culture with the world.”

In addition, students can apply to receive “Full tuition scholarships‘ to the program as well. Guru’s position perfectly aligns with the campaign. The scholarships serves as one of many catalysts for higher education access.

The Real Talk Drives Real Change initiative continues throughout the Summer and beginning of fall. Each city will discuss a different theme to expand on how to drive the change. In Washington D.C. the theme was Higher Education Access. The upcoming tour dates will focus on “Policy & Justice Reform, Mental Health Awareness and Financial Freedom.

With over 25 years in the music industry, Young Guru continues to drive and represent change for the next generation in more ways than one.

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Usher Presents L.A. Reid With Icon Award At Culture Creators

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Usher honored his mentor L.A. Reid with the icon award at the 6th annual Culture Creator Brunch. “Our honorees share in our collective experience that is sometimes met with doubt, frustration, and unnecessary complication,” says Culture Creators founder Joi Brown. “Yet we march on as a collective village that continues to produce excellence because experience has taught us that we don’t get to quit.”

She continued: “I didn’t know what Culture Creators was to become when I started, but I’m clear on where we’re headed.” 

MORE: YG Channels Usher with “YG Bucks”

This year, Usher presented Reid, a music industry veteran and mentor, with the Icon Award. L.A. Reid’s acceptance of the honor was preceded by a video montage, which included personal congratulatory remarks from the likes of Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, 21 Savage, DJ Khaled, and Jermaine Dupri, to name a few.

Guests were also treated to captivating performances by Amber Riley and host Coco Jones. Culture Creators also introduced three new awards that were given out on the red carpet, Community Advocate, Blog of the Year, and HBCU Rising Culture Creator.

MORE: Usher Announces New Las Vegas Residency at Park MGM This July

Presenting sponsor Netflix welcomed Culture Creators’ guests to a lush photo experience via the Strong Black Lead Portrait Studio. Empowered partner CÎROC treated guests to a number of curated specialty drinks like the DeLeón Blanco Pink Paloma, Summer Citrus Sunset, and a few of their summer spritzers during the immaculately designed post-show reception. Additional partners included Pivotal Ventures, Lexus, and Morgan Stanley. 

2022 saw the event expand and evolved as it highlights the achievements of thought leaders, philanthropists, executives, entertainers, artists, and other pillars of African American culture in an intimate setting among key players.

In other news, Usher has a new single with City Girls slated for a July 1 release.

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‘The Last Days of Black Rob’ Documentary to Premiere July 9

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‘The Last Days of Black Rob’ is set to document the finals days leading up to the untimely death of former Bad Boy rapper, Black Rob. The East Harlem native died in April 2021 after suffering from kidney failure.

The documentary is executive produced by GE Films, Goldmouf Famgoon, Kal Dawson and Rey “G-Child” Mullen. Each EP played a vital role in helping to keep the spirit of Black Rob alive.

“The uniqueness of our connection to Rob is how we were all brought together,” says GE regarding Black Rob’s last days. “We all worked together to give Rob a helping hand when he came to Atlanta.”

In October of 2020, Kal Dawson booked Black Rob for some of his final shows as an artist, where one happened to be in Detroit with Beanie Sigel.

Famgoon regards the film as a wake up call.

“To see Black Rob’s situation, it was both sad but also gave me a spark,” said Famgoon. When you’re making money, strive to make the best investments, so you are prepared for what’s to come.”

One of the major elements of the film is the introduction and birth of MusicalArtistsUnion.org, which is led by Rey Mullen. As the world watched Black Rob’s untimely death unfold, many questions were raised on how to prevent this reoccurrence for other artists.

Therefore, the Musical Artists Union is a union formed to create a responsible United Voice to establish Fair Pay, Benefits, Healthcare Insurance, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Counseling for all artists in the musical industry.

‘The Last Days of Black Rob’ is set to premiere in both his hometown of Harlem on July 9 as well as Atlanta on July 16.

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Angie Martinez, Fat Joe Team Up With PepsiCo + Gamesa For $100K Scholarship Program

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Angie Martinez and Fat Joe exercise their philanthropic efforts.

The two NYC natives have joined together with Pepsi Stronger Together and Gamesa to launch a $100,000 nationwide scholarship program. The initiative will support Music and Arts Education for underserved youth.

“Any time we can create a path to help students and kids find their way, I’m always down to do so,” says Martinez.

The program launched on June 12 in conjunction with the annual Puerto Rican Day parade. Both Angie Martinez and Fat Joe were deemed the Padrino (Godfather) and Madrina (Godmother) of the annual parade.

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“As an entertainer with a public platform, I take my responsibility to blaze a trail for the future very seriously,” said the Bronx native. “It’s important that we empower our youth – especially from underserved communities – so they have the confidence and foundation to reach their full potential.”

Through this program, PepsiCo’s community investment and the PepsiCo Foundation will continue their commitment to provide more than 4,000 community college scholarships to support Black and Hispanic students pursuing 2-year and 4-year degrees. Since 2020, the scholarship program has been expanded to 20 U.S. cities, and the Foundation has awarded nearly 1,800 in scholarships.

High school seniors in the US can apply at PepsiStrongerTogether.com until September 20, 2022. The scholarship recipients will be announced at  iHeartRadio’s Fiesta Latina concert in Miami will be later this year.

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Mass Appeal & Live Nation Urban Announces “Hip Hop 50 Live”

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Today, entertainment company Mass Appeal announces its joining forces with Live Nation Urban to produce live event programming in celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th birthday.

Over the next few years, Hip Hop 50 Live will bring fans experiences that touch on all facets of the globally recognized culture. From Park Jams to Festival stages this partnership will create moments that will bring together the voices that turned this genre into a way of life. 

Starting this summer, these events will kick off at parks across the country to take it back to the essence with a multi-sensory experience consisting of; live DJ sessions, interactive experiences, pop-up merch, educational activations and amazing food & drink. These Park Jams will be followed by a dynamic series of events focused around Hip Hop History Month in November.  In addition to these events, Mass Appeal and Live Nation Urban are teaming up to create original content, product collaborations, Web3 launches and more to celebrate #HipHop50. Fans can expect additional announcements in the coming months for the 2022 events calendar and the plans for 2023 and beyond. 

“We are thrilled to partner with the world’s leading live entertainment company to bring fans one-of-a-kind experiences in celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th birthday. We are planning to celebrate all facets of the culture and globe via this dynamic partnership” says Peter Bittenbender, Mass Appeal CEO. 

Brandon Pankey,  Vice President of Business Development and Operations for Live Nation Urban, said “ Live Nation Urban was founded to REDEFINE culture. To celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop with Nas, Peter and the Mass Appeal team is absolutely the type of partnership that our company is excited to form to continue to tell the stories about our culture globally.”

The partnership is the latest announcement surrounding Mass Appeal’s #HipHop50 initiative – a massive cross-platform campaign aimed at celebrating Hip Hop’s momentous anniversary in the most authentic and globally impactful way possible. Mass Appeal kicked off its #HipHop50 premium content partnership with Paramount & Showtime and to date has aired the following documentaries, such as: YOU’RE WATCHING VIDEO MUSIC BOX,  RICKY POWELL: THE INDIVIDUALIST and CYPRESS HILL: INSANE IN THE BRAIN.

To further celebrate Hip Hop’s longevity, Mass Appeal also announced Hip Hop 50 The Soundtrack. Teaming up with some of the industry’s most highly regarded producers including DJ Premier, Swizz Beatz, Mustard, The-Dream, Mike Will Made It, No I.D, Hit-Boy, Take A Daytrip and Tainy, Mass Appeal will drop The Soundtrack in a series of 10 EPs of all newly released music that will bring together these creative minds who are defining the landscape of music and culture in celebration of 50 years of Hip Hop. Fans can stay tuned for the first EP in the Summer of 2022. Last year, Mass Appeal also launched its Spotify Original podcast – The Bridge: 50 Years of Hip Hop – hosted by Grammy Award-winning artist Nas and radio personality Minya “Miss Info” Oh and featuring lively conversations with a plethora of guests ranging from iconic rappers, producers, to today’s popular artists. A portion of all #HipHop50 proceeds will be donated to the various charitable organizations, including, the Universal Hip Hop Museum set to open its doors in 2024. 

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DDG Set To Fight PNB Rock In Celebrity Boxing Match

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More celebrity boxing is coming this summer with the announcement Thursday evening (June 16) of popular recording artist and recurring celebrity boxer DDG (“Moonwalking in Calabasas”) set to return to the ring to face off against chart-topping Atlantic Records recording artist and first-time celebrity boxer PnB Rock (“Selfish”) on July 30 in Los Angeles, California at Crypto.com Arena and Pay-Per-View.

“I said I wasn’t getting back in the ring unless it was another artist,” tweets DDG on Twitter with a promotional flyer featuring PnB Rock and himself. “LETS GET IT!!! Get tickets now.”

MORE: DDG Returns With New Single “Storyteller,” Reveals US and Europe Tour Dates

Brought to you by Social Golves Entertainment and Bash Boxing, the two hip-hop stars will join as co-headliners of the upcoming boxing match between Los Angeles recording artist Blueface and NBA champ-turned-podcaster Nick “Swaggy P” Young. Bout against PnB Rock marks DDG second celebrity boxing match with a decisive win against YouTuber Nate Wyatt in June 2021 at Battle of the Platforms in Miami.

In his fight against PnB Rock, DDG hopes to inspire the end of senseless gun violence in today’s hip-hop that has taken the lives of so many prominent hip-hop stars in recent years. He encourages other artists to join celebrity boxing and settle their differences with their fists, instead of resorting to gun violence.

In a follow-up tweet, DDG tweets with money bag emojis: “This shit more than a boxing match, it’s a movement! Rappers put the GUNS down & put on the Gloves. Ni**as out here killing for free when u can just punch it out for a BAG.”

MORE: PnB Rock Shares ‘2 Get You Thru The Rain’ Ep Feat. Young Thug and More

PnB Rock has yet to comment on the upcoming bout at press time.

DDG is scheduled to perform headlining shows in Chicago, Atlanta and New York City leading up to the fight with more show announcements on the way.

In related news, DDG and popular recording artist Toosii agreed to a boxing match last summer after the two exchanged words over DDG’s ex-girlfriend Rubi Rose. More as the story develops.

Tickets for DDG vs. PnB Rock are available now at AXS.

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Sony Music Set To Release “MJ the Musical – Original Broadway Cast Recording” On July 15

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According to a confirmed report, Sony Music will release MJ the Musical – Original Broadway Cast Recording on Friday, July 15.

Heralded as “a riveting adrenaline rush of a show!” by Peter Marks in The Washington Post, MJ the Musical opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on February 1, 2022 to rave reviews from both critics and audiences. “MJ delivers the thrills!” exclaimed Jesse Green at The New York Times.

Similar reactions are in to the first snippet from the cast recording of “Billie Jean” that was shared on May 19 by The New York Times and has created overwhelming anticipation for the release of the album.

MJ the Musical – Original Broadway Cast Recording was recorded at Power Station at BerkleeNYC. The album was produced by David Holcenberg and Jason Michael Webb and co-produced by Derik Lee; Lia Vollack, John Branca, and John McClain served as executive producers.

MJ is currently in the running for ten Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Myles Frost), Best Book of a Musical (Lynn Nottage), Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Derek McLane and Peter Nigrini), Best Costume Design of a Musical (Paul Tazewell), Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Natasha Katz), Best Sound Design of a Musical (Gareth Owen), Best Direction of a Musical (Christopher Wheeldon), Best Choreography (Christopher Wheeldon)andBest Orchestrations (Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg). The 2022 Tony Awards will air live coast-to-coast from the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 12.

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Eric Whitehead Turns Passion into Profit with PTG 365

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Turning passion into profit is a keen expertise of luxury car sales entrepreneur Eric Whitehead. The Brooklyn-born, Queens-raised native, discovered his love for car and planes at an early age. His interest in the auto industry was later nurtured by his uncle at the age of 16.

“Growing up in Queens, everyone had cars and I always wanted the best cars even though my family couldn’t afford them,” said Whitehead.

Whitehead exercised his visionary attributes by seeing beyond his environment, despite the general disbelief that one could create generational wealth running a luxury car dealership.

After making his first six figures, while in his teens, he made the decision to double down on his skills. Whitehead began researching the chairmans of his favorite auto companies and how they were able to accumulate wealth.

After years of running his first company, Quality 365, he changed the name to PTG 365 (Price Too Good 365 days a year), with the understanding that most people are enamored with the right price.

He later tapped his two childhood friends to become his business partners and the trio hit the ground running from there.

“Prior to social media marketing, we hired our own street team, went to clubs, made sure our ads were in newspapers and at radio stations,” he says. “We were everywhere.”

After seeing successful in the Tri-State area, they expanded the business to Rhode Island, Florida and the West Coast.

While business was going as planned, Eric Whitehead hit a bump in a road with his two childhood friends in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. With locations in New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, Whitehead made the executive decision to close all three locations.

He also noticed large amounts of money missing from their accounts, so he began to question how the funds were being depleted.

“For a while I was in the denial because they were my childhood friends and although they were stealing, we were winning,” said the NYC native.

Whitehead not only confronted his business partners, but restructured PTG 365 to have success without turmoil. He was able to re-work business relationships that were not working in the past due to the personalities of his two former business partners.

Despite the split from his two business partners, PTG 365 continued to scale. As an NYC native, Whitehead understands the importance of philanthropy.

PTG 365 served as a conduit for single mothers to buy reliable and affordable vehicle by applying rebates to use as down payments. The program was established by Whitehead and his two former business partners.

PTG 365 continues to serve as a go-to luxury car dealership with Eric Whitehead at the helm of the company’s success.

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Kendra Robinson on the Importance of Intention as a Wife and Career Woman

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Kendra Robinson epitomizes intention and balance.

When one is in one’s home-buying journey, seeing Kendra Robinson signifies a completion of the process. Robinson is a seasoned real estate and criminal defense attorney, who’s resume speaks for itself.

“I grew attached to real estate because houses and titles just seemed to nicer than people in some cases.”

She speaks to the challenges she’s faced, while attaining success within her respective industry.

“Sometimes they throw around the ‘angry Black woman’ stereotype or call me difficult when I fervently advocate for my client,” says Robinson. “I’m not angry at all. What I’m trying to show them is what the law says and how my case fits into that.”

Kendra Robinson is boundless and vows to not allow anyone to marginalize her work.

“I won’t be boxed in, I’m a lawyer, but I like trap music,” she says.

As an attorney who operates under her two black-owned firms; Sanders, Robinson & Scott (SRS) and Kendra Robinson & Associates, Kendra Robinson’s is adamant about educating and pouring into her community in order to for them to afford similar opportunities.

As a newly-wed, Robinson speaks to the importance of time and intention.

Yung Joc and Kendra tied the knot back in November 2021. Celebrity guests included their Love & Hip-Hop co-stars, Erica Mena, Safaree, Momma Dee, Sierra Gates, and Spice, as well as Kirk and Rasheeda Frost and Yandy and Mendeecees.

As a wife, double-practicing attorney, and reality TV personality Kendra Robinson is meticulous about how she spends her time.

“I’ve purposely got Jasiel (Yung Joc) onto a particular schedule so we can do what we have to do in our careers, but still have our time” she says.

“I thought law school gave me the ability to adapt and perform, but reality TV has taught me to not only have self-control, but to digest my emotions.”

According to Kendra, viewers can look forward to the authenticity of the newly-wedded Robinsons on the forthcoming season of Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta.

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