By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent, @StacyBrownMedia (NNPA Newswire) – Sean “Diddy” Combs has gifted his Bad Boy family with life-changing anniversary gifts. According to Billboard, the music mogul has decided to return the publishing rights of his label’s artists and songwriters to their rightful owners. The move resulted in Bad Boy […]
Category: ENTERTAINMENT
HBCU New York Classic 2023 kicks off week-long celebration of culture, education and football
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent, @StacyBrownMedia (NNPA NEWSWIRE) – In a grand celebration of HBCU excellence, the 2023 Toyota HBCU New York Classic kicks off a week-long extravaganza from Sept. 12-16. The event, billed as the world’s largest HBCU homecoming and one that celebrates HBCU culture, promises various activities beyond the […]
Murphy Fine Arts Center at Morgan State University celebrates two decades of enchantment
By Eric Addison, Morgan State University Morgan State University’s architectural gem at 2201 Argonne Drive, the Murphy Fine Arts Center, was many years in the making. The long timeline began in the early 1990s, when Morgan Director of Bands Melvin Miles Jr., and Gabriel Tenabe, director of the University’s James E. Lewis Museum of Art […]
D.C. Jazz Festival brings smooth sounds to the District
By AFRO Staff The D.C. Jazz Festival took place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 at multiple locations throughout the city at venues including the Kennedy Center, the District Pier and Arena Stage. Black performers and lovers of jazz traveled from as far as California to take part in the celebration. The festival was started […]
Baltimore’s Center Stage names Stevie Walker- Webb as new artistic director
By Special ReleaseBaltimore Center Stage altimore Center Stage announced today that Tony Award-nominated and Obie Award winning director Stevie Walker-Webb will join the company as artistic director. Walker-Webb will assume the role Oct. 1, 2023, succeeding Interim Artistic Director Ken-Matt Martin. He joins Adam Frank, BCS’s Managing Director, to form the BCS leadership team. “From […]
Baltimore Rhythm Festival set to return Sept. 9
By Ericka Alston Buck Special to the AFRO It’s back and bringing peace through music! The Baltimore Rhythm Festival is an end of summer international healing musical event held in Greenmount West. The Outdoor festival features free performances by local and international artists, free music, workshops and a large vendor marketplace. This year, the beats will […]
Collective Minds Festival celebrates 20 years of House music
By AFRO Staff House music fans from around the region gathered in Baltimore for the Collective Minds Festival on Sept. 3. The event has been an annual celebration of all things related to House music for 20 years. According to Collective Minds, the community organization that coordinates the event each year, “House Music originated in […]
Billie Holiday Music and Arts Festival spotlights Black music and culture
By AFRO Staff The Billie Holiday Music and Arts Festival took place on Sept. 2 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore. The event was hosted by April Watts and featured a wide range of performances from the likes of John Milton Wesley, the Brencore Allstars and Symphony Black Jazz. […]
Meet Maryam Basir, the Black entrepreneur making her own way in the beauty industry
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Business Writer, msayles@afro.com New York-based actor, Maryam Basir, launched her business, Maryam Beauty, less than a month before SAG-AFTRA went on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)—effectively halting her TV and film work. Although Basir said acting was something that found her, she always had aspirations […]
Afropunk Festival offers unique glimpse of Black creativity
Special to the AFROPhotos by AJ Johnson Each year the Afropunk Festival offers a unique experience of Black culture. This year under the banner, “Circus of Soul,” the festival featured servings of music, film, fashion and art produced by alternative Black artists. The Afropunk Festival originated in 2005 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in […]
PRESS ROOM: 2023 ESSENCE Fashion House™ & Best in Black Fashion Awards Returns with “TheGarment” Celebrating Black Designers Sergio Hudson, Brandice Daniel & More
(Black PR Wire) NEW YORK─(BUSINESS WIRE)─Essence Communications Inc. announces the highly anticipated return of ESSENCE Fashion House™ and the annual Best in Black Fashion Awards during New York Fashion Week (NYFW) from September 7-8, 2023, hosted by TV personality and actress Chasity Saunders. This year’s ESSENCE Fashion House™ will celebrate the creative potential of fashion […]
Review: We had a time at the Baltimore MET Gala!
By Ericka Alston Buck If you live in the region and have been void of opportunities to dress up in your most creative, over-the-top artistic expression; while connecting with visual artists with absolute masterpieces on display; while devouring some of the best culinary art, prepared by our top Black chefs; with an opportunity to give […]

