Harlem-bred former In Living Color, “Fly Girl”, Jossie Harris-Thacker was a trendsetter when she became one of the top hip hop dancers of all times. From her signature braids to her 90’s style—young girls everywhere wanted to be like Jossie. We watched In Living Color to get a glimpse of her moves and adored her as Renee in The Lost Boyz video. She was definitely the ‘it’ girl but doused in immense natural talent.
Although she wasn’t formally trained in dance, her talent landed her featured roles in a host of music videos including, Michael Jackson’s, “Remember the Time”. As one of the most sought out dancers, touring the world with top artist such as Janet Jackson, and many others, Jossie starred as one of the acclaimed, “Fly Girls”, in Keenan Ivory Wayan’s, hit TV show, “In Living Color”, alongside her friend, Jennifer Lopez, Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, and Damon Wayans.
Following, In Living Color, Jossie honed in on her natural acting talent that landed over 45 roles in many top television series. Jossie’s lead performance in the NAACP nominated short, “Brooklyn’s bride to Jordan”, led to her award winning role, “Charlie”, in Chicago International Film Festival’s best film, “Mississippi Damned”, which earned Jossie “Best Supporting Actress” award and makes her the first African American, Latina woman ever to win in that category. Jossie recently won the People’s Choice award for “Best Lead Actress”, at the Las Vegas Film Festival for her film work in, “No Weapon Formed Against Us”.
Still fine as wine, Jossie’s passion is teaching. Known as a professional acting coach to the stars, Jossie has her own, “Respect for Acting Academy” for adults and “Kids W.A.Y. (Who Are You?) Acting Academy.
Kid Cudi is gearing up for his very first performance on the virtual app,“Encore,” he co-founded back in 2020 alongside CEO Jonathan Gray and President Ian Edelman. The “Want It Bad” artist took to Twitter back in February to make the announcement, which included an added incentive.
“Hey Cud Fam!! Got some tasty news for u! The person w the most claps at my show on March 7th on Encore will receive an all expenses paid trip to one of my tour dates this year for you and a friend,” he tweeted.
Hey Cud Fam!! Got some tasty news for u! The person w the most claps at my show on March 7th on Encore will recieve an all expenses paid trip to one of my tour dates this year for you and a friend, and we’ll also meet after the show!! Sign up now! https://t.co/EopAPk6cy6
Back on February 16, “Encore,” the interactive live performance app, officially launched to the general public after raising $9 million in seed funding from Battery Ventures and Launches Live.
“Music artists are the original creators and they have been forgotten by the creator economy and overrun by memes and algorithms on social media,” said CEO Jonathan Gray. “Our live AR technology empowers any artist to create personalized content and host experiences for their fans without a production budget or crew and make real cash with 100’s of engaged fans.”
Since its inception, the platform has hosted hundreds of artist performances in private beta including Too $hort, DC The Don, SSG Kobe, The Cool Kids and more.
Kid Cudi’s performance will be director by Lyrical Lemonade founder, Cole Bennett.
Every now and then, the age-old debate on whether to have dinner with Jay-Z or take $500,000 trends on social media. Fans provide arguments for both sides of the spectrum. Some argue that a conversation during a dinner with Hov will catapult them to insurmountable heights, while others look to cash-out on-demand.
Well last September, TIDAL’s Twitter account finally put the debate to rest with the now viral response “Take the $500K,” tweeted from the thumbs of social media manager, Melanie Mercedes.
The New York University alumna has held the role of managing all social platforms for TIDAL. Now her role has evolved to community manager of social which she describes is a role that goes far beyond solely publishing on social media.
Melanie Mercedes
“The magic in social is being able to identify your audience and speak to them directly. When they feel seen and heard, they’re much more likely to engage in a meaningful way.”
Humanizing the brand is pivotal to keeping the audience engaged. While social media controls the direct-to-consumer voice for the platform, Alexa Disney connects the DSP and collaborating artists with external brands that coincide with their musical content and overall message.
The Sony Music alumas, where she held a similar role, stresses the importance of authenticity when pairing TIDAL or other artists with other brands.
Alexa Disney
“Fans know if it’s not authentic,” she says.
There was more push back during the beginning of her career, where many artists perceived brand partnerships to be a gimmick, rather than something that can help expand their audience. In this day and age, artists are more receptive because it helps to only add to their overall brand.
For Tonya Nelson-Fisher, the manager of music programming, she connects TIDAL’s “most passionate music fans” to their favorite genre, artists, era of music and more. In addition, Nelson-Fisher helps to curate themed playlists for specific holidays, months and even cultural icons. Back in January, TIDAL uploaded a playlist of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speeches. The same goes for Maya Angelou and Malcom X.
“I think that differentiates us and helps us to stand out from the pack,” she says.
Tonya Nelson Fisher
Nelson-Fisher promises that TIDAL will introduce new features to enhance their user experience in the near future. The digital streaming platform has added the HiFi Plus tier user experience, which grants access to lossless High Fidelity sound quality, master quality and immersive audio.
Although Tonya, Alexa and Melanie’s roles differ, they co-exist to expand TIDAL’s reach to potential new audiences, while maintaining the interest of the ones that already exist.
Their musical obsession only adds to the growth and success of the platform.
Continue the Women of TIDAL conversation on social media.
Chelsey Wilkins does everything with style and grace. The New Jersey native epitomizes fearlessness in order to achieve fulfillment. A maven, in the digital marketing median of entertainment culture, Wilkins has held distinguished positions at MTV, Pernod Ricard, Columbia Records and now Coca-Cola.
Her journey began as a Fashion editorial intern at ESSENCE, while attending Boston University. At the time, Wilkins viewed the lifestyle publication as her “dream internship.”
“ESSENCE was important to me because I grew up in a predominantly white area. I was always the only Black girl in my classes, and I really wanted to be uplifted by women who looked like me.”
While grateful for the experience, she quickly decided that it was not a long-term stay.
“Just because you love fashion doesn’t mean that you’ll like working in it,” she says.
After a few more internships while completing her bachelor’s program at Boston University, she took her style and work ethic to the house that Quincy Jones built, Vibe Magazine as a freelance writer.
Wilkin’s editorial experience would land her a role at Viacom’s (now ViacomCBS), MTV Networks. From flagship award shows to overseeing digital production, her tenure at the network proved her savviness for digital production and marketing.
In 2016, she transitioned from MTV to assume the role as Digital Content Manager at Columbia Records after attending an event where the label’s Digital Marketing head was a speaker. While many attendees asked questions pertaining to artists, Wilkins stood apart from the pack by asking questions pertaining to the role of digital marketing.
One of her proudest moments stemmed from her contribution to Solange’s career defining project, A Seat at The Table. The project was released within a three-week period. Wilkins details her experience of working with Solange.
“Hearing the music and working with her team, I noticed how dedicated she was to complete her vision. It showed me that when you’re truly passionate about something you are going to push through. It was really a powerful moment in my career.”
The album’s lead single, “Cranes in the Sky,” earned Solange her first Grammy win and nomination. In 2020, the album was listed in Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all-time.
She later rose to the occasion once again when Pernod Ricard sought out someone with music industry experience to assure their brand would appear in the culture’s most relevant spaces.
“I felt very confident with my experience in that world. There were so many synergies….. artists have partnerships with spirit brands, liquor brands are typically festival sponsors as well.”
Wilkin’s expertise would help Pernod Ricard grow their digital footprint in social media due to her content creation experience for artists at Columbia. Each previous experience was preparation for the next.
“I always seek environments where I can feel free to create,” she says.
At The Cocoa Cola Company, North America, where she leads Influencer and Music partnerships, Wilkins wants to assure that Black content creators not only have a seat at the table but are aware of their value once the seat is taken. Although she works to carry out the objective on a daily basis, she is more intentional about balance now more than ever.
“For a long time, I chased a title, more money and I thought success was working more. Now I’m intentional about defining my purpose and what makes me happy,” she says.
She prides herself on an audacious demeanor to trust her instinct when making the next move. Wilkins not only credits her instinct, but her core circle, which includes a combination of close friends and family.
Success for her now means, “family, friends and good health.”
As far as recipes for success, the Harlem based executive keeps it short and sweet: “work extremely hard and enjoy the transitional process from where you are now to where you want to be.”
For Chelsey Wilkins, she carries out her recipe with a dash of chic style.
Floyd Mayweather brought in his 45th birthday like only a champion could. Mayweather was joined by a handful of notable stars. This included Kanye “Ye” West, Lil Wayne, Quavo, Lil Kim, Aaron Donald, Antonio Brown and more.
During the birthday bash, Ye took to Instagram live as everyone joined The Money Team founder in a karaoke version of Donnell Jones’ classic hit, “Where I Wanna Be.” Jones performed at the event as well. The viral moment was just one of many memorable scenes at the “Mayweather City” birthday bash.
Ye doing karaoke with Floyd Mayweather and Antonio Brown tonight in Miami (2.23.22) pic.twitter.com/9AhaAIDkPN
Other notable guests included Super Bowl Champion Robert Woods, UFC champion Tyron Woodley, Daymond John, Justin Laboy, model Chanel Iman and Love & Hip-Hop’s Tommie Lee.
The undefeated boxing mogul celebrated the red-carpet event at the Black-owned, Gabriel South Beach hotel in Miami. He recently became an investing partner with CGI Merchant Group, who recently acquired The Gabriel South Beach hotel. Floyd joins Alex Rodriguez as an investing partner in CGI’s mission.
“My focus is on creating generational wealth and doing it with partners that share my values and drive for excellence,” said Floyd.
“The partnership will have an impact on the lives of athletes and others who invest in the platform by helping them learn and create generational wealth.”
How would a Kodak Black and Beyoncé song sound? The “Super Gremlin” can quickly tell you.
Kodak Black was not shy about naming the most coveted future collaborator. What would have been a surprise to many may not be a surprise. Kodak Black is fresh off of his 4th studio album, Back For Everything. The “Zeze” rapper currently holds the 5th spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts with “Super Gremlin.” The track debuted in the top 10 upon its release.
The Florida native recently appeared on Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast with Gille and Walo.
During the interview, Gillie asked Kodak, “which artist he would want to work with whom he hasn’t worked with already?”
With no hesitation, Kodak says Beyoncé. Then he proceeds to sing the line he has already written for her.
“Here’s some pictures of your family and our children, baby boy you’re the only one I’m missing,” Yak sings as he replicates Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” melody.
Then he says he has the rest of the song already written. Based on Kodak’s musical ability to write melodies and hooks, the Queen Bey feature is only a matter of time.
Check out the rest of the “Super Gremlin’s” interview.
1TakeJay’s 2018 breakout hit, “Arco,” catapulted him into the limelight as one of the West Coast’s next-generation superstars. The unorthodox recording artist followed the debut with five full-length records, including the fan-favorites, 2018’s Wait Hol Up, and 2021’s 1TakeBae. The popularity led to collaborations with numerous hip-hop superstars such as Kalan.FrFr, Rich The Kid, Shoreline Mafia, and Mustard. Today, he continues his evolution with The Morning After, a 16-track mixtape with the release of the new music video for the project’s second single, “The Pay Back.”
For his latest tape, the 1Take Gang’s patriarch enlists the sounds of buzzing West Coast producers Scum Beatz, Flashy Ass Uno, LowTHEGreat, Bigg Boo, and more. For the lyrics, 1TakeJay delivers more of his unapologetic wordplay, charismatic energy, and comedic persona on every verse.
On “Pay Back,” directed by Carrington, 1TakeJay takes us through a day-in-the-life that includes hitting the studio, quality time with family and friends, interacting with fans, and reminiscing on those who doubt him. “Any B*tch that left wish they woulda kept me – yea I know, b*tch / F*ck that, this the Pay Back – B*tch,” he raps.
1TakeJay’s “Her Bad,” featuring Blueface, was the first single from the new mixtape released last month, and which the song’s music video has since accumulated over 500,000 views on YouTube. Blueface and 1TakeJay’s previous collaboration is the Compton recording artist’s biggest song to date in the 2020 hit “Proud of U (Remix),” which has over 16 million views on YouTube.
Along with Blueface, The Morning After includes guest appearances by Spank Nitti James and Rob Vicious. And with the two singles, the mixtape’s breakout tracks are “Pose,” “Yitties,” and “Cole Bennett.” The project is available everywhere via 1takejay Inc.
Stream the full mixtape below and watch “The Pay Back” above.
Last April, “Usher Bucks” hit the scene after many noticed pictures of the music legend’s face on $100 bills. Mr. Raymond made it rain in the strip club with his own money.
Many were not too happy about it. In an interview with Billboard, he further explained his reasoning for fake currency.
The idea behind Usher Bucks was really to promote the residency. And since then, there have been more conversations, thus proving roads lead to Las Vegas,” he said. “We’ve been working on the merchandise for the night, and that was the start of it.”
Now YG has stepped into the currency game. The “Bompton” rapper took to social media Sunday to put fans on notice that he’s taking a page out of Usher’s book.
“Somebody tag Usher. Tell em YG got the ‘YG bucks,’ coming to a strip club near you,” he said in the video.
After all, he recently released a new single with J. Cole and Moneybagg Yo entitled “Scared Money,” which played in the background during the video. One can assume that the prop is a promotional item for the song, similar to Usher.
Elite competitive breakers (‘b-boys’ and ‘b-girls’) from all corners of the globe will descend on New York City, where the world’s most highly anticipated annual breaking competition, the Red Bull BC One World Final, will take place on Saturday, November 12 at the Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center.
With over 60 qualifier events hosted across 30 countries, the competition brings together the best in breaking for an electrifying battle on the largest international stage, with the final event featuring a line-up of 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls. Last year’s Red Bull BC One World Final was hosted in Poland with B-Boy Amir from Kazakhstan and B-Girl Logistx from the USA taking the belt. Both will defend their titles at this year’s World Final.
Born on the streets of the Bronx, breaking is one of hip-hop’s four foundational elements, as integral to the expansion of the culture as MCing, DJing, and graffiti. Over nearly five decades, the vibrant local art form has broken beyond New York boroughs and become a worldwide phenomenon, evolving into a gravity-defying hybrid of stylized dance and athletic sport now globally recognized, with a sporting debut set for 2024.
“It fills my heart with pride to see a ghetto born dance transcend beyond the basketball courts outside my Bronx River Projects window. What felt exclusive to our community is now a global sensation and I see every b-boy and b-girl as an extension of the culture,” shares legendary New York City b-boy Alien Ness. “Breaking will continue to evolve, but will remain rooted in an unexplainable essence that connects us. If we could verbally explain it, we wouldn’t be dancing.”
In celebration of breaking’s progression, breakers from across the world will reunite in the art form’s birthplace at this unique moment in history to battle for their chance to be crowned Red Bull BC One World Champion.
“There is something special about the Red Bull BC One World Final returning to New York City,” says Logan “Logistx” Edra, winner of the 2021 Red Bull BC One World Final, and the youngest to ever hold the coveted title. “As the next generation of breakers rise, I feel it’s important to honor breaking’s roots while breathing new life into the sport as it continues to amass international and well-due recognition.”
To further the development of breaking culture, the Red Bull BC One Camp will accompany the competition, gathering breaking legends and rising stars for several days of workshops, panels, and battles for the wider breaking community.
This year’s program will be available to stream on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull BC One social media channels.
As Black History Month comes to a close, the 2022 NAACP Image Awards cap off a month celebrating black contributions to society. After the ceremony on Saturday, February 26, the celebrating will continue in a big way with DJ Cassidy’s special Reggae edition of Pass The Mic following the 53rd NAACP Image Awards. The special, DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic: BET Afterparty 2022, brings together Reggae and dancehall icons, celebrating Reggae’s influence on hip-hop and global culture.
DJ Cassidy sat down with The Source to talk about the show, whose lineup includes artists such as Shaggy, Maxi Priest, Super Cat, Barrington Levy, Ini Kamoze, Sister Nancy, Junior Reid, Patra, and more.
The inspiration for the show came from his past experience DJing, the overwhelming success of Pass the Mic, and his passion for a wide variety of musical genres.
He describes how the overwhelming emotional response to the first Pass the Mic in July 2020 inspired him to continue and he immediately began envisioning future installments of the concept.
“Looking back, I see now that each vision was a derivative of my former record crates that I carried to each deejay gig around the world,” he explains. “Before technology changed the game, I loaded six to eight one hundred pound steel cases that each held about 100 pieces of vinyl into every New York City taxi and onto every airplane. I categorized each crate by some form genre or era of music. From the very beginning of my Pass The Mic journey, I dreamed about a Reggae edition, a manifestation of that coveted Reggae record crate. As a hip-hop kid growing up in New York City, incorporating Reggae into my deejay sets was second nature. Dancehall stars were also hip-hop stars.”
He explains how when he first began conceptualizing this edition, he “wanted to represent those iconic dancehall records that played a special role in that crate, in my repertoire, and in my life in general.”
He also emphasizes how he really wanted to represent the various diverse facets of Reggae music, unbound by era, year, or decade, stating that “each of the sixteen songs featured on this show not only holds a special place in my heart, but holds a special place in the history of Reggae music and its massive influence on hip-hop, R&B, and pop music. Some dominated the hip-hop airwaves of radio stations like Hot 97 in the 1990s, while others topped the Billboard Pop Charts in the 1980s. Some fused with R&B and achieved massive commercial success, while others remain the most sampled songs of all times. Simply put, each of these records changed the game.”
While the show will definitely have many of the Pass the Mic trademark staples, Cassidy is also quick to note that viewers are in for a special treat with some of the differences that this show promises.
“Sixteen iconic records are featured in this show, more records on one show than ever before,” he explains. “There were simply so many definitive songs I wanted to celebrate. This edition brings the rapid-fire pace of Pass the Mic to new heights.
Cassidy has also partnered with some major industry names to make the upcoming show a success. In addition to superstar television producer, Jesse Collins (who recently produced the iconic hip-hop Superbowl Halftime show) and legendary music impresario, Steve Rifkind (founder of Loud and SRC Records), Cassidy partnered with renowned Reggae renaissance woman Sharon Burke and her team of Judth Bodley and Debrina Smith. “As a producer, promoter, and manager, Sharon has been at the helm of countless iconic Reggae moments over a span of decades. I knew that with her by my side, we would create something truly special that would go down in music history”, says Cassidy.
As for the future, Cassidy has no plans to limit his Pass the Mic experience to the western hemisphere, especially since over the course of the first eight editions of Pass the Mic, one of his signature catchphrases has become, “passing the mic all over the world.”
“Through Pass The Mic, I’ve always sought to create global connections between artists and fans and build bridges between both genres and viewers. Never has that mission been more fulfilled than in this installment,” he says of the upcoming performance.
“Witnessing the massive global response that Pass The Mic: Volume One and Pass The Mic: Volume Two received, I was overwhelmed by the international influence of classic hip-hop and R&B,” he says. “I always sought for the series to connect people musically on an international level, and no edition represents that mission more effectively than this upcoming special. In the future, as Pass the Mic continues to grow both on television, the stage, and beyond, I hope to constantly expand on that mission. As Afrobeat and Reggaeton’s cultural influence continues to explode, I would love to pass the mic to the icons, past, present, and future, that shaped their global impact. During President Biden’s televised Inauguration, I passed the mic to Ozuna and Luis Fonsi in front of 40 million viewers with two records that dominated global music charts, “Taki Taki” and “Despacito.” The sky’s the limit. I’d also love to celebrate Brazilian music and pass the mic to one of my greatest musical heroes, Sergio Mendes.”
He concludes by saying that “at the end of the day, no matter the category, genre, or era of music, each installment of Pass The Mic celebrates the greatest artists and greatest songs of all time by connecting those artists to their fans in a more intimate way than ever before.”
YOU FRESHIE 4EVER (@KidCudi) 
