Former NFL Player Mark Clayton Raises $1M For Headphones Brand
According to Clayton, the investment will allow LIVV Audio to bring his vision to life.
Mark Clayton, a former NFL wide receiver who played the majority of his seven-year career with the Baltimore Ravens, has raised $1 million in funding for his LIVV Audio brand of high-performance headphones designed for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
According to Afrotech, Clayton’s idea for the headphones came during pool-based rehab sessions for a knee injury shortly after he joined the then-St. Louis Rams in 2010. His over-ear headphones frequently fell off his ears, which was frustrating.
“And that’s when I started sketching the first concept,” Clayton said.
Over time, Clayton would refine those early sketches, creating the design for LIVV Pro Headphones.
“Our mission is to create audio products that allow people to move in any atmosphere, in any environment,” Clayton told Afrotech. “So whether you’re training or you’re on a train or traveling, that’s where LIVV allows you to live.
“Wanting it to be premium that just incorporated all the other tech that is standard in premium headphones, having an IR sensor that you know can detect when they’re on your head or not, which ultimately is awesome for your battery life,” he added. “Then having the active noise cancellation as well as the ambient mode that allows you to hear your surroundings and engage with what’s around you if you want to.”
“With this investment, LIVV Audio is stepping into a new league,” Clayton said in the press release. “We’re here to set the standard for what performance headphones should be.“
Currently, the headphones are available on LIVV Audio’s website for pre-order starting at $349.99, though the site currently lists a sale price of $299.99. Orders will be shipped out during the first quarter of 2025.
The headphones feature standard premium features, such as 40mm drivers, active noise cancellation, pass-through audio, a 50-hour battery life on a full charge, the capability to utilize the headphones as both wired and wireless.
And, of course, the headphones are splash-proof and sweat-resistant.
In addition, a companion app similar to other audio brands, like Skullcandy, is in the works that will allow users to further customize their listening experience.
The space Clayton is entering is a crowded one, but as long as Clayton’s brand can deliver comfort and functionality, he might carve out space for himself.
“When you look at our headphones, it is like nothing you have ever seen before in your life,” Clayton told Sports Illustrated in 2018. “We are very confident in our design being put on display and people recognizing that of all the headphones they have ever seen, these are totally different.”
CBS News Miami And 100 Black Men Of South Florida Take Kids Christmas Shopping
100 Black Men of South Florida has been hosted the annual shopping spree for the past 25 years.
CBS News Miami joined the 100 Black Men of South Florida worked together to give kids an unforgettable experience a few days before Santa’s arrival: each child was given $100 and the opportunity to spend it on whatever they desired at a Miami Gardens Walmart.
The shopping spree has been hosted annually by 100 Black Men of South Florida for 25 years.
According to the group’s website, the original corporate sponsor in 1999, was ZMart, located in Liberty City. As the event has grown, so have the partnerships. The event’s current corporate sponsor is Walmart.
Participants in the shopping spree are selected through a community-based organization network of service providers.
At least 200 children embark on the shopping spree each year. 100 Black Men of South Florida estimates that since the shopping spree’s inception, approximately 5,000 children have participated—a lot of toys for girls and boys.
In 2022, the organization partnered with the Florida Power & Light Company just as it did with CBS News Miami for this year’s event.
“Advancing meaningful initiatives and making a positive contribution toward racial equality is part of FPL’s commitment to working with the communities we serve to make Florida an even better place to live, work and raise a family,” Armando Fernandez, Florida Power & Light Company’s External Affairs Director for Miami-Dade County, said in a press release.
According to the press release, the mission of 100 Black Men of South Florida is to “improve the quality of life of our citizens and enhance educational opportunities for African-Americans. The members, who refer to themselves as ‘The 100,’ serve as a strong force for overcoming cultural and financial obstacles and promoting the achievements of African American youth with an emphasis on young African-American males.”
Donald Trump Says He Will Consider Pardoning NYC Eric Adams In Federal Indictment Probe
Are we shocked here?
President-elect Donald Trump announced he will “consider” adding NYC’s Mayor Eric Adams to his list of those he’s considering issuing pardons to, Fox 5 NY reports.
During a press conference from Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida, Trump was asked if he would think about pardoning Adams, to which he responded, “Yeah, I would.” Trump did, however, admit that he isn’t fully familiar with the charges the mayor is facing.
The troubled mayor was hit with federal corruption charges in September 2024, along with several members of his administration who are under investigation in a growing list of probes. Adams, who is seeking re-election in 2025, has been accused of accepting flight upgrades and other luxury travel accommodations valued at $100,000. There are also pending allegations of illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign leaders seeking to influence the politician.
Since being indicted, Adams has maintained his innocence, although several officials have resigned amid their homes being raided and phones and other electronic devices being confiscated. “My fellow New Yorkers, it is now my belief that the federal government intends to charge me with crimes. If so, these charges will be entirely false, based on lies,” he said on Sept. 25.
Trump’s pardon announcement comes after the four-time indicted President-elect once openly commented on Adam’s legal issues, comparing them to his. “I just want to be nice because I know what it’s like to be persecuted by the DOJ for speaking out against open borders,” Trump said during a dinner appearance in October 2024.
“We were persecuted, Eric. I was persecuted, and so were you, Eric.”
Trump reiterated those past remarks during the press conference where he answered questions surrounding concerns over mysterious drone activities, the assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, and more, after announcing Japanese-owned company SoftBank Group plans to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years. “I think that he was treated pretty unfairly…I’d have to see it because I don’t know the facts,” he said, according to PIX 11.
“When he essentially went against what was happening with the migrants coming in, and he made some pretty strong statements… I said, ‘You know what, he’ll be indicted soon.’”
Adams‘ bribery trial date was set for April 21, 2025, by federal Manhattan Judge Dale Ho, approximately two months before the Democratic primary in June for the Big Apple’s 2025 mayoral election. Ho suggested he thinks “it’s important for the public to have an answer.”
Grammys Withdraw J-Kwon’s Nomination For Shaboozey’s ‘Tipsy’ Remake
J-Kwon won't receive a physical Grammy if Shaboozey takes home a win for "A Bar Song (Tipsy)."
J-Kwon had his Grammy nomination for Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” reneged after The Recording Academy changed its song sample rules.
If Shaboozey wins Grammy awards for Song of the Year or Best Country Song, the original writers of “Tipsy” will only receive certificates, not Grammy trophies, Billboard reports. On Dec. 12, The Recording Academy passed new rules specifying that “publisher & songwriter(s) of sampled or interpolated material” are eligible only for certificates.
“Each year, the Recording Academy makes adjustments to the nominations list as necessary after the list is first published,” the Academy announced at the Academy’s Grammy Award Update Center. “Common changes are often the result of updated credits and may include spelling corrections, title modifications, and the addition of nominees who were not included in the original submission, among other revisions.”
Rapper J-Kwon (Jerrell C. Jones) co-wrote the 2004 radio hit “Tipsy” with Joe Kent and Mark Williams, which Shaboozey later interpolated into his breakout country hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” While Shaboozey will receive a Grammy if his song wins, the originators won’t.
Shaboozey’s song features the lines “One, here comes the two to the three to the four” and “everybody at the bar gettin’ tipsy,” which are original lyrics borrowed from J’Kwon’s “Tipsy.” The pair took to the stage together at the BET Awards in June, where Shaboozey introduced the rapper as his surprise guest. “BET, make some noise for Mr. Tipsy himself, all the way from St. Louis, J-Kwon.”
It would’ve been the first Grammy for J-Kwon, who admitted to receiving a nice payout from the country remake earlier this year.
“I got a crazy percentage… Let’s say it like this: we did that together, and I’m proud of him,” he said in April when the song entered the Hot 100 at No. 36.
African American Film Critics Association Announces Winners of 2024 Awards
Films leading the wins include 'The Piano Lesson,' 'Sing Sing,' and 'Nickel Boys.'
The Piano Lesson, Sing Sing, and Nickel Boys were the big winners of the African American Film Critics Association’s 2024 Awards, which were recently announced.
The association primarily focuses on films surrounding the Black experience.
Its top 10 films of 2024 included the aforementioned trio as well as box office hits that had Black leads, such as Wicked and Gladiator II. Independent features such as Dahomey and Exhibiting Forgiveness also made the cut.
Colman Domingo won best actor for Sing Sing while Marianne Jean-Baptiste earned the best actress award for Hard Truths. Danielle Deadwyler, who garnered acclaim for her performance in The Piano Lesson, won best supporting actress.
The best documentary category resulted in a tie between Daughters and Dahomey.
Best picture and best director went to Ramel Ross for Nickel Boys, based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Best ensemble went to the cast of The Piano Lesson, which featured John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson alongside Deadwyler.
Andra Day also secured the best song win for “Bricks,” showcased in Exhibiting Forgiveness.
The AAFCA’s over 100 members selected the winners. AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson,called this selection of films a “defining year for cinema.”
“We are proud to honor this year’s filmmakers and talent, whose work continues to expand the scope of humanity on screen,” Robertson said. “These films do more than entertain—they amplify voices and perspectives that deserve to be heard, and we look forward to celebrating their lasting impact.”
The winners will celebrate in person during the official ceremony on Feb. 19. Among the honorees, Malcolm Washington will receive the Emerging Director Award for The Piano Lesson and Nicole Avant will take home the Beacon Award. Ross will receive the Spotlight Award.
Maryland Community Holds Protest For 14-Year-Old Black Girl Attacked At Potomac High School
Footage showed Kayla Caldwell attacked by seven of her classmates at Potomac High School.
Community members of Oxon Hill, Maryland, will hold a rally on Dec. 16 for a 14-year-old Black girl assaulted at a local high school.
According to her mother, seven girls assaulted Kayla Caldwell at Potomac High School on Dec. 5. According to a staff member at the school, the attack escalated from an issue that started earlier that day. Now, protestors will head to the school to hold those students accountable.
WUSA9 obtained footage of the alleged incident, which showed the young girl on the floor of a school closet while taking punches to the head. The teenager sustained multiple injuries, including a broken hand and nose.
However, none of the girls involved in the altercation have received any consequences for the assault. This lack of action has resulted in Caldwell’s mother, Juanita, and other supporters calling for justice on behalf of the teen.
“I want them arrested. If you can’t arrest them, arrest their parents,” expressed Juanita to the news outlet.
The mother also told reporters how her daughter still has nightmares about the traumatic experience.
“Three in the morning, she woke up saying she had a nightmare that the same people put a hit on her,” she revealed.
Protestors intend to call out the Prince George’s County Police Department and the Attorney General’s office for their stagnancy in charging the girls, especially given the video evidence.
“I can’t believe we have video. These children are easily identified. None of them have been arrested,” explained local activist Joseph Tolbert. “I’m very disappointed in the PGCPD and the AG’s office. It doesn’t make any sense.”
The mother also shared that she reached out to other government officials, such as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, but has yet to receive a response. Now, she feels she has no choice but to make the matter public to gain answers.
“They don’t care,” she proclaimed. “They didn’t care until I brought this to the news.”
While the rally hopes to show that Caldwell’s assault will not go under the radar, the girl’s mother will also speak with Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy about the next steps toward justice.
COLLABORATION AND HONESTY CAN MAKE TALKS ON TOUCHY FAMILY MONEY ISSUES EASIER
Creating a budget, erasing debt, determining where money will be spent, and discussing finances can be exhausting for couples and families.
Spouses combining finances can often face obstacles, whether the marriage is new or seasoned. It’s been reported that many couples frequently identify money as their greatest relationship hurdle.
There is a void of leadership dialogue for diverse leaders
There’s no lack of discourse on leadership and no shortage of hidebound books and C-suite memoirs. There is, however, a gaping void of leadership dialogue for diverse leaders. It has created a real vacuum of literature that tackles some of the unique challenges of diverse leaders.
When the books don’t exist, you write your own. That’s why we are building a space here to address our leadership challenges, a place for real talk between leaders of color. I’ll reflect on learnings from my career, and I’m also excited to invitefriends and colleagues into the conversation to share their leadership practices.
A little bit about me as we start this journey together: I was born and raised on the West Side of Chicago. A lawyer by trade, I now live in Washington, DC, and lead a national, private foundation. On a Saturday, you’re likely to find me recharging at a thrift shop or art gallery.
So much of leadership involves finding your footing. I believe a coretenet of leadership involves being authentic and true to your perspective. It sounds like such a simple thing, but diverse leaders are socialized to question themselves. We are not socialized to see ourselves–or be seen by others—as leaders. We’re socialized to see a certain type of white male as the model for leadership. Anyone who does not fit that model has to address and overcome their own andeveryone else’s socialization.
That’s a lot of noise to block out, but as leaders, it’s our job to quiet the voices and call the plays. This space is designed to help you do just that.
Together, we will:
1.BUILD A LEADERSHIP LIBRARY
Maybe you’ve downloaded all the current bestsellers on leadership and read a book by a guy decades ago. It’s all about his perspective of leadership. He might have created a white-shoe leadership organization, but it’s still about his personal leadership experience.
The book doesn’t translate if you’re a small woman of color. It doesn’t tell you what to do when you walk into the room, and no one expects to be led by someone who looks like you. To them, the bar’s just been lowered. That white-shoe leadership book doesn’t tell you how to start finding your footing.
We need to start talking about the discourse for leaders of color. We need to talk about leadership and the things that are part of leadership when you don’t fit the preconceived notion of what a leader looks like.
I spend a lot of time speaking to Black female leaders. So much of what they’re struggling with is about appearing confident. Leadership is a practice that requires consistent thoughtfulness, care, and attention. A lot of the existing discourse doesn’t outline that in a meaningful way.
2. TALK ABOUT SHOWING UP
I want to talk about showing up.Before you get to your first 90-days and 30-minute one-on-ones and how you’ll project competence as you communicate your vision — you’ll focus on how you walk in the door and show up.Just deciding what to wear can be agonizing, particularly as a woman of color.
For women, our bodies are very much a public discussion. Can you imagine that woman standing in front of her closet, thinking about what to wear? Think of Steve Jobs and his uniform–-that philosophy doesn’t translate across genders. Women are standing there, going, “What makes me look smart enough, and tall enough…” God knows early in my career I wore heels that my knees are still pissed about. It was a way to project presence.
I went from those heels in my 20s torunning a prison system –a paramilitaristic system–-at 34 years old. Suddenly, I didn’t want to look too feminine. I couldn’t have long nails, and I wanted to wear pants, but they couldn’t be too tight. I can’t imagine any of the men on my team — when we were all going to the same facilities, or frankly, to the state legislature where sexual harassment was rampant—thinking, “What can I wear that will instill the kind of respect and energy I want to receive?”
(For what it’s worth, after a while, I got really creative with gender–nonconformingchoices. It turns out a play on men’s wear can be pretty stylish.)
All of these negotiations are unique to women. The secondary layer is that if I negotiate too much or if there’s too much assimilation, I’m passing the struggle on to a future generation to tackle. I refuse to have women negotiate how they show up for the rest of their lives.
The truth is, if I show up and I’m not super comfortable, I can’t actually focus on what I came there to do. The truth of showing up for Black women leaders is different, and we need to have a conversation about that.
3. DEVELOP OUR LEADERSHIP PRACTICE
We hear a lot about the importance of being authentic to be the best leaders we can be. What we aren’t always as quick to acknowledge is that authenticity can evolve over time. That’s why I believe that leadership is an ever-evolvingpractice.
I get this from my mom because I’m a lawyer. She loves to say, “Lawyers and doctors:there’s a reason they call it practicing.” They’re called practices because you don’t always know the answer. You come in, ask questions, and run tests. Sometimes, you can diagnose it. Sometimes not.
Leadership, as its own practice, requires constant care and attention, constant thinking, continued learning, and exploration. There are no formulas for the problems we encounter in leadership. So many of the ways we work, at a certain level, demand the one thing that you bring to every job. It’s not your privilege, it’s not your network of people—it’s your intellect, your ability to process information, and to make the best decisions based on your circumstances.
4. DEFINE NEW LEADERSHIP MODELS
Early story: I graduated from a predominantly white law school and went into a white-shoe, white law firm. I’m 27. I have my natural hair and a little nose ring I got at 18 that I don’t take out for anything. The firm had been around for 30 years. I was in the first class of summer associates that included African Americans.
Now, human resources at a law firm is interesting. HR does benefits, administration, etc., but the lawyers do the hiring. So, when the HR person at this firm, an older Black man, welcomed me and said, “What a bold choice for hair!” I had to chuckle.
It helped that there were women in my life whogave me permission to be my authentic self. There were characters on TV (Clare Huxtable, I’m looking at you) and real people, like Kim Taylor Thompson, who now chairs the Public Welfare Foundation’s board. She ran a premiere public defender agency. She was the first Black woman tenure track professor at Stanford Law. I remember seeing her at law school. She had on this crisp white shirt, red leather pumps, and a red leather skirt. She looked amazing. She was asserting confidence and power in her own skin in her own way. She was also granting permission for up-and-coming lawyers to do the same.
5. START A CONVERSATION
This is a season for me to address some of the things I’ve encountered in my leadership journey and that so many other women are articulating. I want to bring in different voices–including Kim Taylor Thompson and her red pumps—to create a space where we can share our perspectives and create instructional models that reflect our experience more. I want to invite us to practice with one another.
I look forward to being a voice in this collaborative effort.
Courtesy of Candice C. Jones
Candice C. Jones joined the Public Welfare Foundation in Washington, D.C., as its president and CEO in 2017. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor at Chicago CRED, an organization that focuses on gun violence in Chicago.
Candice received her J.D. from New York University School of Law. To learn more about Candice’s background and work, find her on LinkedIn.
(Photo: NYC Mayor's Office, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
The resignation comes after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the Southern District of New York raided Lewis-Martin’s home and seized her phones in September 2024 following a trip to Japan. Deputy Mayor for Communications, Fabien Levy, said her last day was on Dec. 15. and Adams claimed there have been discussions about “when this day would come.” “Ingrid has not been just a friend, a confidant, and a trusted advisor, but also a sister. We’ve always talked about when this day would come, and while we’ve long planned for it, it is still hard to know that Ingrid won’t be right next door every day,” Mayor Adams said.
“I, and every New Yorker, owe her a debt of gratitude for her decades of service to our city.”
Lewis-Martin referred to her departure as retirement so she could focus more on her family. She thanked Adams for his support during her tenure.
“I thank you for seeing in me things that I did not see in myself. I extend humble gratitude to you for encouraging me to be my authentic self and for having my back during some trying times.”
“As you would say, this has been a good ride; I will use the author’s license and say that this has been an amazing ride.”
Adams’s comment that her appearance on the show would reveal “we have not done anything illegal to the magnitude or scale that requires the federal government and the DA’s office to investigate us” triggered him, as he felt it left room for people to believe there might have been some criminal activity.
The Brooklyn native has served as Adams’ chief adviser since his election in 2022. Though her official title requires her to oversee appointments and human resources solely, her close ties to Adams have allowed her to work on other issues throughout the administration.
