Financial independence is another game-changer. Crowdfunding, grants, and community investments are empowering Black creatives to maintain control over their work while staying true to their vision.
Rule #1: Fun comes first. For Detroit’s own Philip Johnson, aka Philaye, filmmaking is simple – keep it fun, keep it real.
Forget counseling, Shawn Jones-Murray lets his feet do the talking. Born in Minneapolis and raised in Chicago, he grew up in a family where dance was not just a hobby, it was a way to end arguments and keep the peace.
“For me, I love Green Day through my love of rock. I love rock music, and I feel—I know—Black people created rock,” said Rucker. “As with most genres, we’ve created it, and I see strong parallels between gospel music and rock. That’s part of my enjoyment in how I sing rock.”
“We approach Black history as we approach ourselves,” Draper explained. “We do that naturally, with a lens of authenticity, but also with nuances from lived experiences that might help us understand things a little better or dig a little deeper.”
Darin Jones is a Century City based senior business manager with Gelfand Rennert and Feldman, LLC. Jones has 17 years of experience in accounting, and he specializes in entertainment business management. With an extensive background in city government, banking, and real estate, Jones was driven to entertainment business management out of concern for how Black entertainers incorrectly manage their wealth. “I saw how celebrities mismanaged their funds – particularly minority entertainers,” said Jones. “I wanted get out there and help them manage their finances, their investments, managing their books – managing their lifestyles.” Jones likened what he does to being
Johnson continued, “I saw that Spoon was doing a documentary on Coolio. I reached out to Spoon and said, ‘Listen, now you know there’s no way you can have a documentary about Coolio and not include me.”’
Washington said only God and his faith helped him to overcome those challenging times, and he strives to continue to uplift his name by attaching himself to provocative projects like “God’s Not Dead: In God We Trust.”
Oscar nominee Colman Domingo’s new film, “Sing Sing” is guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings. Directed by Greg Kwedar, “Sing Sing” is inspired by the Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program founded in 1996 at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York.
The Watts Summer Festival (WSF), a historic and cultural cornerstone of the Watts community, returns to Ted Watkins Park, on Saturday and Sunday, August 10-11, from noon to dusk.
The Netflix documentary shines light on the historic legacy of Black dolls
He played the fictional character “J.T.” in “The Five Heartbeats,” Motown great “Eddie Ruffin” in “The Temptations,” and the titular character in “Little Richard,” which is based on the life of the “architect of rock and roll,” Little Richard.
looking for #juneteenth plans? Look no further, LA Sentinel will be rounding up events for you to celebrate freedom day, your way! Check it out!
In collaboration with Dior, The Broad Museum created a moment of celebration for the multi-media contemporary art series, “All about Love,” constructed by Mickalene Thomas. The debut of the series opened May 25 and available until Sept. 29.
“I had a lot of mom guilt. I just had to realize to give him the life that I wanted him to have – I was going to have to make the sacrifice, and hopefully that sacrifice was not going to be detrimental to him,” said Hopkins.