This year’s awards will be the first show after The Recording Academy’s controversial cut of 31 categories, many of which were combined into other awards. “Black music critics and fans were angered because [R&B] was taken from eight awards to just four,” Kennedy says. Indeed, the Best R&B Performance award for 2012 includes nominees that in 2011 would have been eligible in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Urban/Alternative Performance, respectively. “I think the biggest drawback is that the new rules and categories left little or no distinction between contemporary and traditional R&B,” he continues. “The [still-present, but slightly named-changed] Best Traditional R&B and Best R&B Performance categories really have no difference if you look at the nominees in both races. So while Beyoncé, Jill Scott, Jazmine Sullivan and Miguel all had big releases, nods went to quieter ones from Kelly Price, Ledisi and El DeBarge, all of which were very traditional R&B discs.”

Still, each year after the show, winners of every category tend to see a brief bump in units sold and a rise of their material on the charts. “The surge in sales, like any award show, seems to come from the public’s desire to know, ‘What makes so-and-so special enough to have won?’” Kennedy says. “They see an artist that maybe a colleague or friend had mentioned or they read about, but hadn’t gotten curious enough to check them out or buy their music. Now they’ve won this huge award and they want to see what the fuss is about. Or it could be an artist that they’d casually been a fan of and purchased a single here and there, but maybe loved their performance [at the awards] so now they want more.”

That curiosity and craving from fans is big business for record labels. Last year, global music sales reached $16.2 billion, with nearly a third ($5.2 billion) coming from digital sales. Kennedy notes a few artists he thinks will help the industry earn some more cash come Grammy night. For starters, he predicts Ledisi to win Best R&B Performance for “Pieces of Me”; Betty Wright and The Roots to take home the trophy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Surrender”; Cee-Lo Green and Melanie Fiona to score a win for “Fool for You” in the Best R&B song category; and for R. Kelly to win Best R&B Album for his Love Letter disc. He also predicts a big night for Kanye West, who has this year’s most nominations. Kennedy forecasts that he’ll share a Best Rap Performance Grammy with Jay-Z for their duet, “Otis”; get a win for Best Rap Song with his ensemble cast featured on “All the Lights”; and will repeat his win for Best Rap Album for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, an honor he’s previously won for 2005’s Late Registration and 2007’s Graduation. Speaking of Jay-Z, Kennedy also thinks that his wife, Beyoncé, will grab a win for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration with her André 3000-assisted version of “Party.”

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Nicki Minaj (Image: Getty)

The heavy-hitting categories of the night include Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. What chance does Kennedy foresee for some of Black music’s top artists in those brackets? “What’s a nice way of saying zero chance of winning?” Kennedy asks regarding Rihanna’s nomination in the Album of the Year category. “…The odds are against Loud, which was largely seen as a singles album, though a successful one. This is Adele’s to win..,” Kennedy says, but also notes that rock band the Foo Fighters and pop crooner Bruno Mars may have a chance of defeating the UK diva.

Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was overlooked for Album of the Year, so Kennedy thinks fans within The Academy might vote for him in the Song of the Year category for the previously mentioned “All the Lights.” “The competition is fierce, and a few of the songs [in this category] are also competing for Record of the Year, which could ultimately go to Adele,” he says. “Question is, will voters consider the songwriting of a rap song compared to the singer-songwriter tracks that fill out the field?”

Then there’s Best New Artist, an award that has been won by stars such as John Legend, Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill. 2012’s nominees include rappers J. Cole and Nicki Minaj, the latter of whom Kennedy expects to take the trophy. “Historically, Best New Artist has been just that, the best new artist to come on the scene that past year. The Grammys love an artist that can deliver on that promise (look at Adele for instance, who won in 2009). At this point people don’t consider Nicki a new artist because of her profile, but she really should be the favorite to win,” he says.

Our World with Black Enterprise host Marc Lamont Hill with the Stick Fly creative team; Alicia Keys, Lydia Diamond and Kenny Leon.

She’s sold 30 million albums worldwide and won 14 Grammy Awards, and now Alicia Keys is conquering the Great White Way.  As co-producer of the hit Broadway play Stick Fly, Keys didn’t just invest money or lend her name to the production; she composed the original music and has been instrumental in bringing the project to life.  Written by African American playwright Lydia R. Diamond and directed by Kenny Leon, Stick Fly has moved African Americans on Broadway down stage, front and center.

Our World with Black Enterprise host Marc Lamont Hill recently sat down with the superstar on the set of her BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine cover shoot for an intimate, one-on-one conversation about life, love and spreading her creative wings.

Plus, now more than ever, Blacks are redefining how they see themselves. This week our roundtable takes on race and class in America with Princeton University Professors Eddie Glaude and Imani Perry, and author and social commentator, Touré.

Our World with Black Enterprise airs this Sunday at 10 a.m. on TV One and on local stations across the country Feb. 11^th and 12^th. Check your local listings and visit www.blackenterprise.com/ourworld for additional time and station information.

Taking a quick break from taming Jennifer Hudson’s tresses for an event, Shorter sat down with BlackEnterprise.com to talk about her rise to success, building celebrity clientele, and her new mystery potion that just may be the holy grail of all products.

Was being a hairstylist always your goal or did you start on a different path?

I grew up in California so I was all about fashion and beauty, but I didn’t necessarily want to be a hairstylist. I was really into performing and I would end up doing hair and make-up for a lot of the singing and dancing groups I was in—I was honing my future career skills and didn’t even know it. After being in a bunch of groups that never went anywhere my mom suggested that I start looking into something else so I started to explore being a hairstylist. I ended up at Bellflower Beauty School [in Lakewood, CA].

How difficult was it finding work after graduation?

Well, towards the end of school my hairstylist’s mom, Doris Mosely, who’s a very well-respected stylist in California, said I could come and assist for her. So I started working there part time and got a lot of training. It was great because I felt like I was getting ahead right from the start. Then another friend of mine, Jamika Wilson, who is still a really great friend of mine and another respected stylist, went on maternity leave and asked me if I wanted her spot. So I had a fulltime job right out of school. Pretty soon I realized I needed to start building my own clientele, so I took a chance and moved to New York—I think I was about 22 at the time.

At what point did your clientele start becoming more high profile individuals?

I worked at about five different salons before I started dealing with celebrities. And even then I couldn’t claim them as “my’ clients;” they were really clients of the salons. But the first notable person I can claim as “my” client, who was working exclusively with me, was [actress] Diahann Carol. My first celebrity client [who was then featured in a magazine] was Foxy Brown. She was doing a magazine cover for Essence and they wanted to give her a new look—she continued to work with me for about a year afterwards.

How did you go about continuing to build high-profile clientele?

Well, there was a lot of hard work and making sure I was doing my best work. Referrals will always be the highest form of flattery. A lot of my clients were working in the entertainment industry—editorials and music—and they’d say, “We have this new singing group; can you style their hair?” or “We need someone to do a make-up for this TV show.”

I definitely owe a lot to Essence magazine, too. I had only been in New York for about six months and The Ricki Lake Show was looking for an expert in African American hair. They called Essence, and Essence suggested they have me on the show.

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That’s pretty impressive to land in the national spotlight as an expert so soon. How did that help propel your brand and business?

It helped out a lot. I’m very grateful to Essence for that one. I was also working with agents who work as liaisons between various potential clients and they helped build my clientele too.

Hairstylists use agents?

[laughs] Yes, we do! I have a great agent, and she’s put me in contact with a lot of people I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to…but she can only sell me if I’m able to deliver the final product. So while I owe a lot to my agents over the years, ultimately, I’m successful because I’m able to give my clients what they’re looking for.

For most hairstylists, owning their own salon is the ultimate dream, but you took it a step further with creating your own product line. Was HAIR by Tippi Shorter always part of the master plan?

Having my own salon was the ultimate goal for me at first and I achieved that with Luxe [in New York City]. At first, I didn’t have so-called “A-list celebrities,” but I did have “A-list clients”—moms and working women who were faithfully working with me. But then I started working with Rihanna, and when her career went through the roof I found myself traveling the world, and building more clients, and having all of these new experiences. Having a product line was never my initial goal. But as I started having new experiences my dream evolved.

What sparked the idea of creating your line of products, HAIR by Tippi Shorter?

Five years ago I was tapped by Pantene to represent them and speak on their behalf. I didn’t even know there was such a position. But I would travel and speak about healthy hair and the products that can help give you the look you want. Then other brands started knocking on my door. Soon people started asking me, “When are you going to have a line of your own?” and I realized they were on to something.

What makes HAIR different than all of the other lines on the market now?

[My debut line] “The Smoothing Collection” is for women with all hair types—natural or chemically straightened. Within the past few years we’ve really seen an over-saturation of products for women with curly hair. Everywhere you turn it’s about hair care for naturally curly hair. I wanted to give a product that was more versatile, and moisturizing, and can be used on hair of all types.

Is there a conflict of interest now that you have your own line?

Not at all. I have no problem with recommending another brand name. I don’t only use my products on my hair or my clients. As a hairstylist my job isn’t just to push my products on someone; I’m going to use whatever is going to give them the best result based on their hair texture and the look that we’re trying to achieve. I’ll use my products when they’ll give the best results, but other times I’ll use someone else’s and that’s fine with me. In fact, right now I love Ojon’s Restorative Hair Treatment, and Breakage Defense by Pantene. The Bamboo Dry Oil Mist from Alterna is really great, too.

For a longtime you ran your own salon, Luxe. How did you come to the decision to let go of that business to focus on other opportunities?

In 2005, about six months before I decided to sell Luxe, my business partner took me aside and said, “You know you don’t want to be here anymore.” [Laughs] I was just traveling non-stop because of my high-profile clients and I really felt bad with leaving her with most of the responsibility at Luxe. So in a sense it was an easy decision and a mutual decision, and it’s what I needed to do to take my career to the next level.

So now that you’ve reached that level, what have you set your sights on next?

Well, I’m working diligently on my product line and I really hope to expand into more specialized lines—products for thinning hair, a reparative line, and a line for curly hair. I’ve also finally got a prototype for a travel bag for stylists. It took me two years to find a functioning prototype but now I’ve got it and I really like it. I also have an idea for an amazing product . I’ve been developing it for about five years now and keep running into roadblocks from people saying that it can’t be done or else it would have been done already. But I’m steadfast in believing in myself. It’s going to be amazing.

Can you tell us about what the product idea is?

Absolutely not! [laughs]. I’ll talk about it when it’s manufactured and on the shelves—not a second sooner…. But other than that I’m just learning to be in the moment. I’m really focusing on expanding my brand but I also know I need to balance that with rest. I’m ready to put my passport down for a bit and spend more time with my family.

“I had to fight for my life a couple of times [after the surgery],” admits Big Boy. “I was in the intensive care unit for 10 days. I had to be fed through a feeding tube, have multiple blood transfusions… It was awful. That’s why I tell people that surgery [for weight loss] should always be your last option—if at all.”

Big Boy says while he didn’t turn to weight-loss surgery as a first resort, he
now wishes he’d worked harder to take the weight off on his own. Back in 2002 he was able to shed a considerable amount of weight following an on-air challenge by longtime friend and superstar actor Will Smith, who’d offered to donate $1,000 for every pound Big Boy lost to the charity of his choice. “I was able to drop more than 111-pounds through diet and exercise,” explains the media titan, who admits the health-conscious path was short-lived. “The first thing I did after I weighed in and got that $111,000 check was ride straight from the radio station to this Mexican restaurant to get some chicken nachos. My mind still wasn’t right about my eating habits.”

Will Smith paying off his weight loss challenge bet to Big Boy

The repercussions of Big Boy’s bad eating were immediate—and serious. “I could feel all that new weight in my back,” he says, admitting he gained all 111-pounds back and then some. “My legs started getting numb and the one time I was walking through the Burbank airport and I got short of breath and I had to stop walking. That had never happened to me before. It scared me.”

Despite witnessing other people in his life—including his mom—fall victim to obesity, it wasn’t until his health was at risk that Big Boy finally understood he was literally eating himself into an early grave. “I’ve had a series of ‘aha’ moments about my weight over the years,” he shares. “For starters my mom passed at the age of 57. She had high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, diabetes—all these weight-related issues.

“Plus, friends of mine were passing away who weighed less than me,” Big Boy continues, referring to the late rap star Christopher “Big Pun” Rios, who passed away in 2000—even after dropping 100 pounds. “I remember being on the phone with him, saying ‘Man, we’ve got to get it together.’ After he died, I started to think: Do I have more years behind me than I have in front of me? That’s one hell of a question.”

Fortunately, for Big Boy, the answer was a resounding no. In the past few years the married father of two has committed himself to keeping the weight off—with the help of pick-up basketball games, martial arts, weight loss support groups, mentoring from his doctor and a nutritionist. “I realized through writing this book that food—like in many African-American families—was a source of comfort [for me],” he says. “Now I still love food but I know more about nutrition, portion size and exercise, and I’m passing these new food habits on to my kids.”

Big Boy hopes that, following the death of even more famous Black men who have long
struggled with weight, including Gerald Levert and more recently rapper Dwight “Heavy D” Myers, his story will also serve as motivation for brothers to take better care of themselves. “We don’t go to the doctor enough,” says Big Boy, who recently shot a TV pilot and signed a development deal with VH1. “There’s no buddy-system around us taking care of our health. Cats will say, ‘Let’s go to the strip club,’ before they’ll say, ‘Let’s sign up to get prostrate exams,’ and even though that sounds
crazy, it’s necessary… Not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight,
making sure everything is working right and all of your tests are up to date will
save your life.”

Click here to view Big Boy’s before and after photos.

Laili Ali

Laila Ali is known for her beauty and brawn. She’s reigned as the women’s super middle-weight boxing champ and strutted her stuff on Dancing with the Stars. Now the former champ has set her sights on a new foe: kidney disease.  On this weekend’s edition of Our World with Black Enterprise, host Marc Lamont Hill [@marclamonthill] talks with Ali about ‘Pair Up,’ her campaign with the National Kidney Fund to spread awareness and prevention of the devastating disease.

Plus, with this year’s Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit® hosted by State Farm just days away, Our World revisits three of the women who have made the summit a can’t-miss event.  Former Olympic athlete Marion Jones tells how she bounced back and reclaimed her power after a devastating doping scandal that resulted in six months of incarceration. Legacy Award winner Audrey Smaltz speaks to career longevity after a successful 55-year career in the fashion industry; and Bishop Barbara C. Harris inspires as the first ordained bishop in the Anglican Communion.

Our World with Black Enterprise airs on TV ONE this Sunday, February 5 at 10:00 a.m. and on local stations across the country all weekend. Check your local listings and visit www.blackenterprise.com/ourworld for additional time and station information.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater just kicked off their 2012 US Tour, which will entertain audiences in 27 North American cities from February 2 – May 27. What better way to celebrate Artistic Director Robert Battle’s inaugural season then to channel your inner dancer?

Visit our BE Rewarded site to enter for a chance to win two complimentary dance classes at Alvin Ailey.  The Extension classes offered to the public boast various techniques of dance for the novice to the advanced learner. The classes offered cover techniques such as: ballet, yoga, African dance, ballroom, and hip-hop.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater was founded over 50 years ago, and over that time has performed throughout the U.S. and internationally.

For a complete tour schedule or to purchase tickets, visit www.alvinailey.org/2012tour .