Mariah Carey Joins Jennifer Lopez And More For Rise Up New York Performance

The one-hour benefit was presented by the New York-based poverty fighting organization Robin Hood and iHeartMedia.

Mariah Carey opened the streaming event with a beautiful medley of her 2002 track Through The Rain and the 1991 single Make It Happen, helping to raise money for New Yorkers affected by COVID-19.

Mariah Carey who is a native of New York prefaced the performance with some uplifting words: 'I know we're strong enough to get through this. We will rise again. We can do this together.' She belted her iconic high notes from home, accompanied by three backup singers, also performing from their respective homes.

Rihanna's "Work" Still Motivates #EssentialWorkers Today!

 

Rihanna has work work worked her way to 1 billion views on Youtube for her dancehall-inspired music video for 'Work', featuring Drake.

But this is a strong song for those essential workers who need that motivation to stay on there grind while at work.

Employee motivation is defined as the enthusiasm, energy level, commitment and the amount of creativity that an employee brings to the organization on a daily basis. Motivation is derived from the Latin word, “movere” which literally means movement.

Beyonce New Adidas Gear Is #OutNow

 

Beyoncé's second Ivy Park x Adidas apparel collection is dropping online Thursday, a day ahead of its release in stores.

The athleisure line, dubbed "The Drip 2 Collection," comes nine months after the first installment of Beyoncé's Ivy Park x Adidas gear, which sold out almost instantly when it dropped at the start of the year.

Online sales were set to begin at 4pm ET on the Adidas Ivy Park website. Prices range from about $25 for accessories and up $200 for apparel.

The collaboration is a continuation of Adidas' (ADDDF) strategy of leveraging non-athlete influencers to work as "creative partners" for limited capsule collections of its athletic wear. Scarcity and celebrity have proven a winning combination for Adidas' high-profile collaboration with Kanye West's Yeezy label.

Mariah Carey, Kevin Bacon and More Will Appear on ‘Heroes of New York’

 

Celebs are keeping busy this week, from Mariah Carey, Kevin Bacon and Kelly Ripa appearing on Heroes of New York. Mariah Carey and more stars will come together to celebrate New York City's resiliency in times of need on iHeartRadio's 'Heroes of New York'

Al Pacino, Tina Fey and Eli Manning will join a star-studded lineup to celebrate the selfless acts of New Yorkers.

Robin Hood and iHeartRadio announced a collaboration Thursday to present “Heroes of New York,” which will air Dec. 1 on television and radio stations in New York. The one-hour show will share inspirational stories of generosity from individuals and organizations.

Connecting Black Studies with STEM Subjects

 

The University of California San Diego will be bringing in 13 new, tenure-track faculty members who will connect Black studies with STEM subjects. Diverse Education reports three hires have already been announced.

The first three hires by UCSD are neurobiologist Dr. Hiruy Meharena, computer scientist Dr. Imani N.S. Munyaka, and chemist Dr. Lisa Jones. UCSD’s DEI Chancellor, Dr. Becky Petit told Diverse Education this cluster of hires focuses on diversifying its Black faculty over the next two years. UCSD is also working on a cluster of Latinx talent.

Beyoncé to give $5,000 grants to families facing eviction

 

The “Drunk In Love” singer and her philanthropic organization, BeyGOOD, are awarding $5,000 grants to families or individuals who are facing eviction and/or foreclosure as the housing moratorium is set to end this month.

“When the pandemic hit, we helped organizations across the country that were aiding and assisting people with basic needs like food, water, household supplies and COVID testing. We also provided mental health support,” read a press release. “We then launched our BeyGOOD small business impact fund and to date, over 250 small businesses have received $10K grants.”

“This holiday season while many are stressed with what they will do next regarding their housing, we are proud to share some GOOD news,” the press release continues. “Beyoncé is giving $5K grants to individuals and families facing foreclosures or evictions.”

Anyone who wants to apply to receive the grant is asked to send their application to the NAACP. The online application process is set to open on Jan. 7 and 100 recipients will be chosen. The grants will be sent out later that month. Round two of the applications will open in February.

Garth Brooks Pulls Out Of The CMA's

Garth Brooks won't compete for "Entertainer of the Year" at the Country Music Association Awards. 

Brooks, a seven-times recipient of the top country music honor, said Wednesday that "it's time for somebody else to hold that award."

He last won CMA "Entertainer of the Year" in 2019, when some in country music fandom argued passionately for Carrie Underwood or Eric Church to earn the annual trophy. 

'There's one tweet in there that really stuck in my head," Brooks said in a virtual press conference Wednesday. "It said, 'Hey, man. This guy, why doesn't he just step down (and leave) the entertainer for the next generation?' 100% agree."

Tony Yayo Talks Prodigy, 50 Cent and Cops

 

Tony Yayo reacted to Prodigy of Mobb Deep passing away, which led to Tony speaking about various people in hip-hop passing away, including DJ Kay Slay, who was friends with both Vlad and Tony. 

RZA and GZA of Wu-Tang Talk 'The Game Of Life'

For as long as the two leaders of the Wu-Tang Clan have known each other, it still shocks GZA that he never played chess with RZA as a kid.

The pair are busy practicing this week for their Twitch debut on Saturday, where they will play and compete in a chess tournament hosted by Chess.com and Hennessy. It’s to benefit Black, Latinx and Asian small businesses struggling with the pandemic. GZA says he still remembers vividly to this day when his cousin taught his 9-year-old self how to play chess.

“I guess I remember it well because he had a black and red checkerboard, but the pieces were like clear plastic neon,” GZA tells The Washington Post in a video interview, who said he never forgot the lesson. “And they were weird colored, and they were caked in green. And he showed me the names of the pieces and how they moved.”

Prayer Up For R. Kelly As Jury Deliberates

 

As the trial still continues for R. Kelly, members and writers of the Wrap-Up Magazine would like to send out its prayers to the singer has his life depend on a few votes. Here is a look at the key moments as jury deliberates.

The jury has retired in R. Kelly's sex trafficking trial in New York, after a month of testimony regarding the star's alleged sexual abuse of men, women and underage girls.

#MusicVideo by Kosha Dillz 'Solo' Ft Gangsta Boo

 

The pandemic has been hard for everyone and Kosha Dillz is no stranger to it. During the last week before the complete lockdown, the unlikely pair of Three 6 Mafia's Gangsta Boo and Kosha Dillz recorded "Solo" with 2021 Grammy Nominated producer Sam Barsh (Anderson Paak, Earthgang, Logic) for Kosha's album Nobody Cares Except You, which was the precedent going into the loneliness of the pandemic.

Now that most of society is on an upswing out of it, the temperature has changed the possibility of happiness, and a whacky creative music video could be what we need!

Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez to perform at Biden swearing-in

 

Pop artists Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga will be among A-listers who will perform at the largely-virtual swearing-in ceremony of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States on January 20.

Gaga, one-of-a-kind artist, performer and a trailblazer in beauty and fashion, will sing the national anthem and Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the US Capitol, where the ceremony will be taking place.

Biden, 78, and Kamala Harris, 56, will be sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States during the ceremony.

But it won't be a typical inauguration, for several reasons.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and fresh security concerns following a pro-Trump mob breaching the Capitol last week have combined to force some changes to what is a historical American day.

#NewMusic AC/DC - Realize

 

AC/DC has unveiled a second single from its forthcoming 17th studio album, PWR/UP.

With a ceaseless backbeat and wordless refrain, "Realize" is one of AC/DC's hardest-driving tracks in years. You can listen to it via the player above.

The release of "Realize" comes about a month after the Aussie rock legends unveiled their first new single in six years, "Shot in the Dark," which has all the hallmarks of an instant AC/DC classic.

R. Kelly Pleads Not Guilty

R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to a set of federal sex-trafficking charges leveraged against him in New York in mid-March, including those that he knowingly spread herpes to two people. He entered the plea via teleconference from a Chicago federal jail on Thursday.

As the coronavirus pandemic has escalated, Kelly has requested early release from prison twice, and was most recently denied on April 22. Kelly was indicted on multiple state and federal sex-abuse charges in New York, Illinois, and Minnesota last year. He has so far pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

3 Investing Lessons From Jay-Z

In 2019, Shawn Corey Carter became hip-hop's first billionaire. Better known as Jay-Z, Mr. Carter didn't just make his money by rapping, although he's one of the industry's best-selling artists. Instead, he built a sprawling empire, including a music label, a sports management company, a streaming service, and a high-end sports bar.

With the Brooklyn-born rapper continuing to grow his net worth, there are certainly many investing lessons to learn, both from his business ventures as well as from his lyrics. Here are three of them.

Denzel Washington To Be Honored Presidental Medal of Freedom

 

Denzel Washington and Simone Biles will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. U.S. President Joe Biden named the Oscar-winning actor and Olympic gymnast as two of the 17 individuals who will receive the medal, America’s highest civilian honor, on July 7th at the White House.

Thousands Rally in Nationwide Protests

 

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday for the annual March for Our Lives rally, a nationwide protest against gun violence.

The non-profit group, founded by survivors of the 2018 Parkland shooting, told NBC News there were about 450 rallies planned across the United States, including in cities like Chicago; Los Angeles; NYC; Detroit; and Washington, D.C. The demonstrations come amid renewed calls for tighter gun control measures, as the nation continues reeling from a series of mass shootings.

New York City Workers Fired Over Vaccine Mandate

 

The mandate, which was first announced by former Mayor Bill de Blasio ahead of an expected winter surge in COVID-19 cases, came to fruition last week amid a much less dire coronavirus situation in the city and the country at large. Nevertheless, nearly 3,000 workers were at risk of termination on Friday over the rule, but many submitted their proof of vaccination or chose to get the shot after being notified of their imminent termination.

Jennifer Lopez Wont Be Purchasing The NY Mets

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez are no longer interested in buying the Mets. That decision was reached after negotiations with potential partners failed to materialize.

J-Rod’s quest to become the biggest power couple in Queens since Archie and Edith Bunker hit a major snag in recent weeks when their chosen money partner, Long Island biotech billionaire Wayne Rothbaum, made it clear he was only interested in scooping up the MLB franchise.

10,000 Migrants Seen Crossing the American Border

 

Helicopter footage from Friday showed thousands of migrants crossing into Texas from Mexico across the Rio Grande.