By AFRO Staff Carter Roberson made his debut as a guest conductor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 23. The nine- year-old led the group of talented musicians in a selection of “Sleigh Ride” as part of the organization’s Holiday Spectacular. “I felt swell,” said Roberson. “I felt really good up there because I […]
Category: ENTERTAINMENT
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
From shunned to celebrated: Hip-hop’s journey into the mainstream
By Megan Sayles AFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com In 2017, a Nielsen report confirmed that hip-hop had become the most popular genre of music in the U.S., unseating rock for the first time. Today, it’s still reigning supreme across the world, with Spotify announcing that, globally, a quarter of all streams in 2023 were hip-hop music. The genre […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Google settles $5 billion privacy lawsuit over tracking people using ‘incognito mode’
By The Associated Press undefined SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google has agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit alleging that it spied on people who used the “incognito” mode in its Chrome browser — along with similar “private” modes in other browsers — to track their internet use. The class-action lawsuit filed in 2020 […]
Posted in!Front Page National News
Revelers set to pack into Times Square for annual New Year’s Eve ball drop
The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The confetti has been tested for airiness. The giant numerals – 2 0 2 4 – are in place. And the luminous ball, bedazzled in 2,688 crystal triangles, is fixed to the pole from which it makes its 60-second descent at 11:59 p.m. With throngs of revelers set […]
Posted inENTERTAINMENT
Nine hip-hop Christmas songs for the holiday season
From the fun to the sentimental, the AFRO has compiled a list of classic hip-hop songs to fill the air with holiday cheer, including DMX’s gritty twist on “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, Run DMC’s “Christmas in Hollis”, Quad City DJs’ “What You Want for Christmas”, TLC’s 1992 song “Sleigh Ride”, and Kurtis Blow’s
Posted inNational News
Nine hip-hop Christmas songs for the holiday season
By Ama Brown AFRO Editorial Assistant From the fun to the sentimental, this week, the AFRO has compiled a list of classic hip-hop songs to fill the air with holiday cheer. While we love Mariah Carey, in the 50th year of hip-hop, the time is now to highlight the work of the beat riders and rhyme […]
Posted inMovie Reviews
Finding new dimensions, sisterhood, and healing in ‘The Color Purple’
By Lindsey BahrAP Film Writer It’s not a secret that Fantasia Barrino did not want to play Celie again. The “American Idol” winner hadn’t had the best time doing “The Color Purple” on Broadway. The protagonist of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells her story of sexual, physical and psychological abuses in the early 20th […]
Posted inBUSINESS
Byron Allen makes a $3.5 billion bid to acquire BET Media Group, cementing legacy in Black media ownership
By Ebony JJ CurrySenior ReporterNew Pittsburgh Courier Making a bold move that underscores the importance of Black ownership in media, Byron Allen, the founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, has placed a substantial $3.5 billion bid to acquire BET Media Group. This marks Allen’s second attempt to secure the media properties that have […]
Posted inHBCU
CNN’s Abby Phillip encourages Bowie State graduates to expect adversity
By Deborah BaileyAFRO Contributing Editor Cable network anchor and Bowie High School graduate Abby Phillip reminded Bowie State University winter graduates Dec. 23 of the power of failure in life. Phillip, anchor of “CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip,” a Harvard graduate and a member of Bowie High School’s class of 2006, told the 405 graduates […]
Posted inHBCU
Ariyana Abroad: Day six on the safari
By Ariyana GriffinSpecial to the AFRO Our group woke up to the peaceful sounds of nature and began walking down a hill from our hotel to sign up for a daytime safari ride. After experiencing the night safari, we were excited to see the trails during the day and hoped to see more wildlife. Less […]
Posted inWomen's Rights
Taraji P. Henson’s candid revelation sparks industry support for equal pay
By Stacy M. BrownNNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent (NNPA NEWSWIRE) — In a recent SiriusXM interview with Gayle King, iconic actress Taraji P. Henson bravely addressed the pervasive issue of pay inequality in Hollywood, triggering an outpouring of solidarity from her peers. The 53-year-old star, celebrated for her roles in “Empire,” “Hidden Figures” and “The […]
Posted inD.C. Events
GoGo Symphony to host holiday show “T’was the Night”
By Helen BezunehSpecial to the AFRO hbezuneh@afro.com GoGo Symphony, a musical group that celebrates go-go music in the genre’s birthplace of D.C., is hosting “T’was the Night,” a classical jazz holiday show at 8:00 p.m. on Dec. 22. The Union Stage performance will combine the sounds of classical symphony music and Go-go music, but this […]