Atlanta

Philanthropist Robert F. Smith delivered a life-changing commencement speech Sunday at Morehouse College in Atlanta . The billionaire businessman, who received an honorary degree from the historically black school, surprised the nearly 400 graduating seniors by announcing his family would provide a grant to pay off student debt for the entire Class of 2019. “On behalf of the eight generations of my family who have been in this country, we’re gonna put a little fuel in your bus,” Smith said in a video posted on social media. “This is my class,” he added, “and I know my class will pay this forward.” [Video Above] The gift to the private, all-male school is said to be worth about $40 million. It comes in addition to a $1.5 million donation Smith gave Morehouse earlier this year for scholarships and a new park. Some students told the Atlanta Journal Constitution they were graduating with around $90,000 in debt. Smith is a Cornell grad, and has an MBA … [Read more...] about Billionaire ‘Intruder’ Producer Robert F. Smith Vows To Pay Off Morehouse Grads’ Student Debt

For decades, if an artist needed a backing band in the studio or on the road, their main option was scouring through their contacts to find musicians to play with. Elmo Lovano wants to change that. Lovano, a longtime touring and session drummer himself who’s worked with artists such as Miley Cyrus and Skrillex, launched Jammcard in 2017, creating one of the most comprehensive databases of professional musicians for hire in the music industry . His goal: modernize how artists find musicians to play with. “I essentially set out to make what I wish we had when I was gigging most often,” Lovano says. “The only other option is to send out a mass text to 20 people and hope you find someone. Whether you’re an up-and-comer or someone working with Beyoncé, the whole creative side of our industry is word of mouth. There’s a better way to do this, and I want to make the global database of the whole live music industry that’s searchable and bookable to help musicians get more work.” … [Read more...] about Your Favorite Artist Needs Touring Musicians. Jammcard is Supplying Them

Lil Baby , Jazmine Sullivan , Jeezy, Rick Ross and Gucci Mane will headline 2022’s One Musicfest. The festival returns to Atlanta for the 12th year with over 40 artists set to perform — including a special set from Ms Lauryn Hill . One Musicfest will take place at its new home, Atlanta’s Central Park, Oct. 8 and 9. From the City Girls to Tems to Lupe Fiasco, the lineup is stacked with a mix of well-known and emerging artists, showcasing the best of Black music in a location filled with Black culture. Other performers include Ashanti and Ja Rule, Beanie Man, Jagged Edge, Bleu, Victoria Monet, Larry June, Mya, Saucy Santana, Juvenile, Doug E. Fresh & The Chuck Brown Band, Tweet, Ckay, Sevyn Streeter, Tye Tribbett, Tank and the Bangas, Bilal, Phony Ppl, Alex Isley, Lady Wray, J Howell, Kenneth Whalum, Willie Hyn, Dear Callie, and more. The Big Facts Podcast will also be hosting a mixtape session featuring Rich Homie Quan, Young Dro, Rocko, Pastor Troy, and others. … [Read more...] about Lil Baby, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jazmine Sullivan Lead 2022 One Musicfest Lineup

Santigold has announced she will embark on “The Holified Tour” this fall. Tickets for the North American trek go on sale Friday, June 24 at 10 a.m. local time. The 19-date jaunt launches in Atlanta, Georgia before heading up the East Coast and through the Midwest in October, with West Coast dates through November. Santigold heads out on the road one month after she releases her fourth studio album, Spirituals , which arrives on Sept. 9 via her own label, Little Jerk Records. The singer recently dropped two songs from the upcoming LP with accompanying video shorts, “ High Priestess ” and “ Ain’t Ready. ” The new album follows the release of her 2018 dancehall mixtape, I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions . Her last official studio album, 99¢, arrived in 2016. “Recording this album was a way back to myself after being stuck in survival mode,” Santigold said in a statement about Spirituals . “It wasn’t until I made the space to create that I realized I wasn’t … [Read more...] about Santigold Announces ‘The Holified’ North American Tour

Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough is adamant he did NOT fire an F-bomb directed toward President Trump before the college football national championship. Instead, Scarbrough claims he said, "F**k Georgia." And if you listen to the video ... sounds like he's telling the truth. A Sporting News reporter inside the tunnel at Mercerdes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta released the video and claimed Bo said, "F**k Trump." With Trump in attendance at the game, it made sense. But Bo claims the reporter simply misheard him -- saying, "If y’all really listen I said Georgia smh about y’all people in this world." Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough yells “F— Trump” before tonight’s title game. pic.twitter.com/RhuhRyNFHh @sportingnews … [Read more...] about Bama’s Bo Scarbrough: I Didn’t Say, ‘F Trump’

Gallery Launch Gallery The college football National Championship looks Hollywood friendly -- 'cause there's a few celebs at the game ... and we don't just mean Donald Trump and Kendrick Lamar . Some other big names at the big game in Atlanta include Quavo , Samuel L. Jackson , Ric Flair and Zac Brown -- who sang the national anthem with his band. A few notable athletes were there Monday night as well -- Terrell Owens , Matt Stafford of the Detroit Lions, Derrick Henry of the Titans and Thomas Davis Sr. of the Panthers ... just to name a few. As we reported ... Trump received a mostly warm welcome at the game as he took the field ahead the Anthem. Kendrick is set to perform for the halftime show. … [Read more...] about National Championship Game Draws Slew of Celebrities, Not Just Trump and Kendrick

With Saturday night’s Seattle performance, the second of their latest assault on the U.S., Mastodon furthered their claim as kings of wormhole-tearing, time-traveling meta-metal. The Atlanta quartet devoted most of their 70-minute set to Crack the Skye , their recent, mainstream-courting opus, then reeled back through their catalog. Behind them was the sort of big-budget backdrop they’ve always deserved: a drive-in-wide digital video screen lit with vintage black-and-white hellspliotation footage, animated mandalas and various filmic versions of Rasputin’s bearded torment. The combination of ear-crushing sonics and twisted imagery was a sensory steamroller that drove the swirling, sweaty mass of moshers and crowd surfers center-floor. Several shoes and hoodies went flying in the melee. Check out photos of Mastodon. Every Mastodon show is a window into their influences, from galloping Metallica-like aggression to ZZ Top’s bluesy grind to the eerie, Ozzy-esque wailing of … [Read more...] about Mastodon Unleash Twisted Images, Pounding Rock on Tour

Getty Ex-NBA star Vince Carter had a horrifying Father's Day ... 'cause police say his home was burglarized while his wife and two kids were inside of it -- and nearly $100K was taken in the incident. According to an Atlanta Police Dept. incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports , suspects broke into Carter's Atlanta home at around 11:50 PM on June 19 ... while the Toronto Raptors legend's wife, Sondi , and her two sons were lying in bed. According to the report, Sondi said she was frightened by loud noises that had come from the front of her home ... so she took her two boys, hid in a bedroom closet, and dialed 911. Cops say Sondi told them she had heard suspects rummaging through their belongings in different rooms. Getty According to the report, an off-duty Atlanta cop arrived at Carter's home first and saw a man wearing a mask and all-black clothing fleeing the property, before eventually getting into an SUV and taking off. … [Read more...] about Vince Carter’s Home Burglarized While Wife & Kids Were Inside, Almost $100K Stolen

TMZ.com Irv Gotti ripping Drake ’s new album as the "demise of hip hop" isn't sitting well with K Camp -- an artist who’s nabbed platinum plaques with his own brand of melodic music. We bumped into the RARE Sound architect at LAX and picked his brain about the notion Drake dominating the dance charts spells doom for the rap game in general. While K Camp says he feels where the Murder Inc. boss was coming from, he adds Drake's reached a point where he can create the waves he wants ... and doesn’t have to be a trendsetter. And, then there's this place KC reps called Atlanta ... known for continuously making hit hip hop music. KC says even if dance does become an obvious trend, ATL culture will still keep rap heads happy. TMZ.com Look, KC ain't exactly hitting Champagne Papi with a bunch acclaim -- "Honestly, Nevermind" is not his favorite Drake project, but he says it’ll do for Summer ‘22. Hell, KC says might even drop a couple of similar-sounding … [Read more...] about K Camp Defends Drake Dance Wave Against Irv Gotti’s ‘Demise of Rap’ Rant

Jimi Hendrix : Electric Church , which documents the legendary guitarist’s July 4th, 1970 performance at the Atlanta International Pop Festival, will be screened in select movie theaters around the world starting January 31st. The film premiered on Showtime in 2015, and was accompanied by a live album, Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival , which contained Hendrix’s 16-song set. John McDermott directed Electric Church , which features color 16mm footage shot by Steve Rash, who later directed The Buddy Holly Story and Can’t Buy Me Love . The limited theatrical run for Electric Church will kick off January 31st at the Arc Light Hollywood in Los Angeles and IFC in New York City. Following the screening in Los Angeles, there will be a discussion with McDermott, Rash, record producer and engineer Eddie Kramer and Hendrix’s sister, Janie Hendrix, who serves as C.E.O. of Experience Hendrix. Janie Hendrix is also set to appear at a February 13th screening in Seattle, Washington, … [Read more...] about Jimi Hendrix ‘Electric Church’ Concert Film Headed to Theaters