By Patricia McDougall The 3rd Annual HBCU Honors, presented by BET, brought an unforgettable celebration of culture, legacy and achievement to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as the 2025 production taped in Washington, D.C. This year’s ceremony paid tribute to three towering figures whose influence spans generations: Pastor Shirley Caesar (Lifetime Achievement Award), […]
Category: !Front Page Arts and Entertainment
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Jimmy Cliff, reggae giant and star of landmark film ‘The Harder They Come,’ dead at 81
Jimmy Cliff, the legendary Jamaican reggae musician and actor who starred in the landmark film “The Harder They Come,” has died at 81. Known for hits like “Many Rivers to Cross” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” Cliff’s music and performances spread messages of resilience and joy worldwide, earning him Grammys, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and global acclaim as a reggae ambassador.
Posted inMusic
Salt-N-Pepa blaze the stage and Outkast reunites in style at 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony
Salt-N-Pepa celebrated their trailblazing legacy with a high-energy performance and message of empowerment, while Outkast reunited to reflect on their Atlanta roots during a star-studded 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction that also honored Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes.
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Michael’: The King of Pop’s story returns to the big screen
Lionsgate has released the trailer and set an April 24, 2026, premiere date for “Michael,” the long-awaited biopic about Michael Jackson directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring the pop icon’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson. The film promises to honor Jackson’s artistry and humanity, tracing his rise from child prodigy to global legend while focusing on his creative legacy beyond controversy.
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Lena Waithe brings ‘The Peculiar Patriot’ to Baltimore Center Stage, spotlighting love, loss and mass incarceration
By Ericka Alston BuckSpecial to the AFRO Baltimore Center Stage is taking audiences from the comfort of their seats straight into a prison visiting room. “The Peculiar Patriot,” presented by Emmy-winning storyteller Lena Waithe and written and produced by Liza Jessie Peterson, isn’t just a play; it’s a powerful and unfiltered look at the realities […]
Posted inDMV News
B.E. Spirits Awards Gala to celebrate Black excellence at Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay
By The B.E. Spirits Awards On Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries from across the nation will gather for the B.E. Spirits Awards Black Tie Gala, an unforgettable evening of elegance, culture and empowerment at the prestigious Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort and Spa in Cambridge, Md. The B.E. Spirits Awards is […]
Posted in!Front Page
City of Gods: Where Baltimore fashion meets community
By Megan Sayles, AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com Credit: All photos by Devin Allen Back in 2009, a group of local players in Baltimore’s fashion scene came together to open City of Gods, an urban apparel store in West Baltimore’s Hollins Market neighborhood. What began as a collaboration between multiple independent clothing brands quickly became a […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Baltimore’s Gabby Samone: From ‘American Idol’ breakout to rising R&B powerhouse
From a Disney performance in 2021 to “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” and now “American Idol” and beyond, Gabby Samone is proving that her story is only beginning. For Baltimore and for fans nationwide, the rise of Gabby Samone is one to watch — a young artist grinding, glowing, and stepping fully into her moment.
Posted in!Front Page Arts and Entertainment
Malcolm X meets Shakespeare in revisioning of ‘The Tragedy of Julius Caesar’ at D.C.’s Folger Theatre
“Julius X: A Revisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare” is a powerful and emotionally charged play that merges the lyrical brilliance of spoken word artist Al Letson with the time-revered speeches and scenes of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” featuring renowned Shakespearean actor Brandon Carter as Malcolm X.
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Government shutdown forces Smithsonian to temporarily close all museums and National Zoo
The Smithsonian owns 17 museums within the Washington D.C area, in addition to the National Zoo. Since Oct. 12, all 21 of the Smithsonian museums nationwide and the zoo have been closed. Shown here, would-be visitors, as they learn that the doors to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History are closed due to the shutdown.
Posted in!Front Page Arts and Entertainment
Neo-soul icon D’Angelo dies at 51 — fans, radio and the music world mourn
D’Angelo, the influential neo-soul artist, passed away at the age of 51 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer, leaving a void in modern music and a legacy of soulful intensity, stylistic daring, and deep musical integrity.
Posted inNational News
Assata Shakur, Black liberation icon and US fugitive, dies in Cuba at 78
By Philip Marcelo The Associated Press Assata Shakur, a Black liberation activist who was given political asylum in Cuba after her 1979 escape from a U.S. prison where she had been serving a life sentence for killing a police officer, has died, her daughter and the Cuban government said. Shakur, who was born Joanne Deborah […]