Robyn Dixon might be spending more quality time with her husband Juan Dixon after he was fired from his head coaching position at Coppin State University due to the scandals he has been tied to.

On Wednesday, Coppin State Athletic director Derek Carter announced that Juan had been relieved of his head coach role after six seasons leading the team, WBAL-TV reported.

“After fully evaluating the men’s basketball program and performance, we feel a change of leadership is necessary moving forward,” Carter said.

“We wish Juan and his family the best for the future. We thank him for his time at Coppin.”

Juan led the team to a 51-131 mark during his tenure, as well as a MEAC regular season title in 2021, CBS Sports reported. However, his activities off the court were ultimately what led to his removal.

Juan had his tenure scarred by a lawsuit filed by Ibn Williams, a former student player who accused Juan’s assistant coach, Lucian Brownlee, of sexually assaulting and blackmailing him by tricking him into sending nude photos of himself, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Williams’ lawsuit listed Juan, after the former Coppin State basketball player claimed to have informed the head coach about the alleged assault only to be ignored. Elsewhere, RHOP season 7 ended with a bombshell revelation about Juan’s alleged cheating on Robyn.

The pair closed the season by getting married for a second time after a decade-long divorce due to Juan’s previous cheating. But their wedding was tarnished after Robyn admitted to Juan getting caught communicating with another woman in 2020.

Robyn was asked about Juan’s involvement in the Coppin State lawsuit during the RHOP season 7 reunion, but she defended her husband, claiming his name was only included for “clickbait.”

Now, since word got out on Juan’s termination, fans of the show are blasting the couple across social media.

“Click bait yet fired… well this did not even marinate for long enough to not age well… welp!” one fan quipped.

Click bait yet fired… well this did not even marinate for long enough to not age well… welp! #RHOP pic.twitter.com/OYcki3qdG6

— Mama Dot (PARODY!) (@Fedupmomz) March 15, 2023

“Her comment towards the situation is probably what led them to just let him go,” added someone else.

“Saying they are using him as clickbait isn’t a good look for the school. Now he at home blaming Robyn for getting him fired.”

The Black Twitter debate continues!

• Celebrity News

by Stacy Jackson

March 16, 2023

Vanessa Bryant Honors Late Kobe Bryant at Handprint Unveiling in LA

---

Former NBA star Kobe Bryant has received a stamp of honor in Hollywood.

Vanessa Bryant and her daughters Natalia, 20; Bianka, 6; and Capri, 3, attended an unveiling of her late husband’s foot and handprints on March 13, outside the TCL Chinese Theatre.

According to E! News, the permanent installment of Kobe’s imprints, which were made back in 2011, is the first cement engraving of an athlete at the famous theatre.

Following the unveiling, Natalia honored her father with a speech.

“Being his daughter is one of the greatest joys of my life, and I hope to continue to embody and cherish the many lessons he has taught me.”

Reportedly, celebrities whose imprints are installed outside the iconic location are normally replaced with another, due to limited space, but Kobe’s will remain.

“As you visit here for years to come, I encourage you to place your hands in his and take a moment to stand in his shoes,” Natalia said in her speech commemorating the occasion. “This day symbolizes the impact he had on a city he loved and cared for.”

Commemorations for Kobe have continued since his memorial in 2020. Recently, Vanessa revisited the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to celebrate the retirement of Kobe’s teammate Pau Gasol, as the Lakers hung his jersey next to the legend’s.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Pau (@paugasol)

“I miss him so much like many of us do,” Pau said about Kobe, who he considered a brother, adding, he “elevated me, inspired me, challenged me to be a better player, just to be a better man overall.”

“Pau was special to Kobe as a teammate, as a man, and as a friend,” Vanessa said in an introductory video. “Pablo, Kobe predicted you and he would be together in the rafters.”

As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Kobe died in January 2020 in a private helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. Vanessa and Kobe’s daughter Gianna also lost her life as a passenger aboard the aircraft.

After 30 years and a few group breakups, Kandi Burruss and LaTocha Scott are still at odds over who did and didn’t sing the lead in Xscape.

Fans can recall Kandi confronting Tocha on their 2018 reality series Xscape: Still Kickin It about leaving the group to go solo back in the 90s.

But, the drama reignited on Sunday after the latest episode of SWV & Xscape: Queens of R&B saw Tocha accuse Kandi of being jealous of her wanting to go solo 25 years ago.

“I know back in the day, in 1998, I said I wanted to do a solo project. I think everybody was happy for me, except for Kandi,” Tocha claimed.

“She was just like, ‘You’re not coming back.'”

Tocha went on to insinuate that Kandi seemingly altered her solo success by releasing her solo album after her own project was canceled.

“For some reason, my project got shelved and then within that same timeframe, Kandi got signed and her album came out,” she explained. “It was a little odd, the timing of it all.”

But after watching Tocha make the claims on the show, Kandi took to Twitter to sound off against her group mate.

“God’s favor ain’t fair! 🙏🏾 How did my album have anything to do with her album not coming out?” Kandi asked.

“I was on Columbia records & she was on SosoDef. Please ask Jermaine why your album didn’t come out & stop blaming me. ”

https://twitter.com/Kandi/status/1635082664771473408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1635082664771473408%7Ctwgr%5Ee442c79a6c5ff50105124c7be9013dd10db88ba0%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vibe.com%2Fmusic%2Fmusic-news%2Fkandi-burruss-latocha-scott-jealousy-xscape-1234742578%2F

Kandi also responded to one fan who called out Tocha and her husband Rocky Bivens for bringing up Kandi’s name despite all the real family drama they have going on with Tocha’s sister, Tamika Scott, who accused them of stealing $30k worth of her royalty payments.

“She had a whole situation going on in the family but was really trying to make me the focus of the problem once again,” Kandi quipped.

She had a whole situation going on in the family but was really trying to make me the focus of the problem once again. #SWVXSCAPE #TheQueensOfRB https://t.co/AJvKmk3xz7

— Kandi Burruss (@Kandi) March 13, 2023

Kandi wasn’t done. She also took to her YouTube talk show Speak On It to address Tocha’s claim that she was jealous of her singing lead. According to The Real Housewives of Atlanta star, she was never jealous of her groupmate because she sang lead on the majority of Xscape’s early songs.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom)

“We got a lot a drama y’all… I’m sorry but I’m tired of the narrative being pushed that I was jealous of her,” Kandi wrote in The Shade Room‘s comments after they shared a clip from her talk show.

“So I had to say how I feel. She has a beautiful voice & I am not saying I sing better at all. What I am saying is that my voice is distinctive & I hold my own & I was not jealous of her. So stop it!”

“We went into our third album knowing she was goin solo so yes I had a lot to say about it because our sh*t was falling apart,” she continued. “30yrs later we still goin through the same sh*t. We’re a mess! ??‍♀️? That was a lot but f**k it.”

The Xscape group drama continues as SWV & Xscape: Queens of R&B  airs Sundays on Bravo at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Next month is the Something in the Water festival, and Pharell Williams has announced the extensive lineup of artists participating.

The festival will take place in Virginia Beach from Friday, April 28 – Sunday, April 30. The three-day event is being presented by retailer Walmart and produced by IMGoing and Live Nation. This year’s festival will continue the tradition of celebrating art, culture, and music.

The artists included on this year’s roster will be 100 Gecs, Aminé, Ayra Starr, Babyface Ray, BADBADNOTGOOD, Black Sherif, CHIKA, Clipse, Coi Leray, d4vd, Doechii, Feid, FLO, Flo Milli, gigi, Grace Jones, Jay Pharoah, Jazmine Sullivan, Jessie Murph, Kamasi Washington, KayCyy, KAYTRANADA, Kehlani, Kenny Beats, Kid Cudi, Kitty Ca$h, Latto, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, Machine Gun Kelly, Maren Morris, Masego, Mumford & Sons, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, NLE Choppa, Polo G, Remi Wolf, Riovaz, Saucy Santana, Skrillex, Summer Walker, SWV, The Kid LAROI, UMI, Wale, Weston Estate, Wet Leg, Wu-Tang Clan, YEИDRY, yvngxchris, and Pharrell’s Phriends.

The announcement was featured on Something in the Water’s Instagram page.

“See you in Virginia Beach for SOMETHING IN THE WATER presented by @walmart April 28-30! A limited number of passes are still available at somethinginthewater.com”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by SOMETHING IN THE WATER (@somethinginthewater)

Walmart has signed on to become the presenting sponsor of Something in the Water. The company has stated they are committed to strengthening community resilience. They anticipate doing so by “advancing equity and belonging” and supporting local organizations and causes with which its customers and associates are involved.

In a written statement, Cedric Clark, executive vice president of store operations for Walmart U.S., said, “Strengthening local communities is core to Walmart’s DNA. By investing in our associates and in the communities we serve, we help build a foundation where people can live their full potential every day. We’re excited to team up with Something in the Water, returning to a special place to Walmart, Virginia’s Hampton Roads, to help celebrate and empower this community we’re so proud to be a part of.”

Tickets for the three-day passes are on sale now at SOMETHINGINTHEWATER.COM.

YouTube will be live-streaming the Something in the Water festival all weekend. It will also show on Pharrell’s YouTube channel.

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 16, 2023

African Developer Creates New Software So Africans Can Use Bitcoin Without Internet Access

---

Citizens in Africa are using new and exciting ways to get paid without having internet access.

Thanks to South African software developer Kgothatso Ngako, Forbes reported, the people of Africa can make bitcoin peer-to-peer transactions with Machankura, the new solution that makes Bitcoin access easy even if they’re not online.

In tech terms, it provides access to the Lightning Network through an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data interface, utilizing mobile phones’ Subscriber Identity Module telecommunication network.

Machankura is a hit. It’s being used by approximately 3,000 users in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Namibia. Program director at the educational initiative Qala Africa, Femi Longe, said Africans really need to reconsider traditional currency.

“Africans need to think about bitcoin in their context and how it could be used to solve the problems that they face,” Longe said.

A demo on YouTube shows exactly how it works.

Machankura is a great start but there is more work to be done in this space–tural and underdeveloped areas still need ways to gain access—but it offers a business advantage for researchers looking to reach the 2.9 billion people that lack reliable internet access, according to the International Telecommunications Union.

Cryptocurrency brings a financial gain to Africa because of their minimum transaction fees and high security—a “means of storing wealth and a means of obtaining credit Incentives to save and invest,” according to Pulse Ghana. It also helps reduce the cost of international money transfers, which makes it easier for Africans living abroad to send money home to their families and vice versa.

Though it’s in the early stages, Machankura hosts a Lightning-friendly bitcoin wallet offering, allowing users to send to a wallet, giving a user name or phone number. They can also choose to send to any other Lightning wallet using a Lightning address. If approved, the user will receive a screen message explaining the successful payment and showing the Lightning address that received the funds.

Introducing CurlyCoilyTresses®, a new hair care line developed by Angela Fields, a woman who was inspired to research and create her own products after a painful chemical burn caused by her hair stylist’s chemical relaxer.

This news first appeared on blacknews.com

The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation has awarded the Erasmus Prize 2023 to the South African comedian Trevor Noah (b. 1984). He receives the prize for his inspired contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly,’ named after Erasmus’s most famous book, which is filled with humour, social criticism and political satire. With his sharp-minded, mocking yet inclusive political comedy, Noah, in the eyes of the jury, upholds the ‘Erasmian Spirit.’

Trevor Noah is a South African comedian of international stature. As a humourist, television presenter, political commentator, philanthropist and author, he has staked his claim in the world of contemporary political satire. In his autobiography ‘Born a Crime’, Noah describes how, as a child with a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father during the Apartheid era, he was confronted early on in his life with institutionalized racism and violence. Instead of reacting to injustice with cynicism, Noah exposes its absurdities, and combats these struggles with the liberating power of laughter.

Noah made his breakthrough with his stand-up comedy at a young age. His solo shows, among them The Daywalker(2009), Crazy Normal (2011), That’s Racist (2012) and It’s My Culture (2013), quickly became hugely popular in South Africa and beyond. After his early success, he proved himself to be an inspiration to budding talents and a curator of comedy shows in Africa. The emergence of a new generation of socially committed Black comedians in South Africawho explore racism and the legacy of colonialism was soon labelled the ‘Trevor Noah effect’.

Since 2011 Noah has been living in the United States, where his talent for challenging the establishment didn’t go unnoticed. From 2015 on, he spent seven years presenting The Daily Show, the most popular satirical television programme in the world. Noah’s time at The Daily Show coincided with the rise of fake news, the presidency of Donald Trump, the Covid-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter after the murder of George Floyd. With his astute reflections on such issues, he garnered a young, diverse and global audience and, in the process, infused a highly polarized media landscape with a breath of fresh air. Only once before in its 65-year history has a humourist won the Erasmus Prize: Charlie Chaplin received the award from His Highness Prince Bernhard in 1965. The quote “The function of comedy is to sharpen our sensitivity to the perversions of justice within the society in which we live,” is famously attributed to Chaplin, and that observation applies equally to Noah and his work.

The Erasmus Prize is awarded annually to a person or institution that has made an exceptional contribution to the humanities, the social sciences or the arts. His Majesty the King is Patron of the Foundation. The Erasmus Prize consists of a prize of €150,000. The prize will be presented in the autumn of 2023.

SOURCE The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation

• News

by Sharelle B. McNair

March 16, 2023

Group Black Submits $400 Million Bid For Vice Media

---

Black founders are determined to own media conglomerates.

Group Black, co-founded by Black entrepreneurs Travis Montaque, Richelieu Dennis and Bonin Bougha, has put in a $400 million bid to purchase Vice Media, The Wall Street Journal reported last week.

Started in 2021, Group Black started to invest and grow Black-owned media firms. If this deal goes through, it would put Vice Media on solid ground after years of turmoil. The company’s valuation has plummeted from $5.7 billion.

Vice initially sought out a sale of $1.5 billion, which would pay the millions owed to vendors, according to WSJ. Adding to the stress, according to Adweek, was the abrupt resignation last month of CEO Nancy Dubai.

New CEOs Bruce Dixon and Hozefa Lokhandwala hope to focus on specific concepts like business fundamentals, efficiencies, and operational focus to get the company back on track. “Vice is a household name, and we have to leverage off the back of that,” Dixon said.

Group Black isn’t the only company with their eyes on Vice. Greek broadcaster Antenna Group also looked into acquiring the company, but nothing came out of it. This leaves the space open for Group Black and other Black media moguls to take over.

Vice is not the only media property up for grabs.

According to reports, after Tyler Perry and Byron Allen put in a bid for BET, Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Diddy” Combs, wanted in too. One source revealed to Variety that Diddy is “exploring the opportunity to purchase BET as a part of his strategy to build a Black-owned global media powerhouse.” The Harlem-born hip-hop icon feels BET should return to being a Black-owned brand. “He truly believes that is “better for the business, for the culture, and for building wealth in the Black community,” the source.

The interesting thing about this bid is Paramount, which owns BET, has not officially announced that the network is for sale.

• Technology

by Sidnee Michelle Douyon

March 16, 2023

TikTok Says US Threatens Ban if Chinese Owners Don’t Sell Stakes

---

The Biden administration has demanded thatTikTok‘s Chinese owners divest their stakes in the popular video app or face a possible U.S. ban, the company told Reuters on Wednesday.

Sebastian Telfair, the high school basketball star who never fulfilled his potential during his nomadic NBA career, pleaded guilty Wednesday to his role in submitting false claims in an effort to defraud the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.

According to Bloomberg, Telfair is one of several NBA players who intended to defraud the league’s health care plan.

The 37-year-old former New York City high school standout played for a number of NBA teams during his career. Telfair is the latest former player to be convicted for providing false invoices in order to receive kickbacks from others involved in the scheme.

He was one of 18 former NBA players charged in the scheme. The other players involved in the scam were Milt Palacio, Antoine Wright, Charles Watson, Darius Miles, Ruben Patterson, Eddie Robinson, Gregory Smith, Glen Davis, Jamario Moon, Terrence Williams, Alan Anderson, Tony Allen, Shannon Brown, William Bynum, Melvin Ely, Christopher Douglas-Roberts, and Tony Wroten.

Williams, the alleged leader of the plot, pleaded guilty last August. He admitted to recruiting other people and supplying them with fake invoices that were provided by a California dentist, a doctor in Washington state, and several non-medical professionals in exchange for kickbacks.

While in court on Wednesday, Telfair said he participated in the plan because he needed the money to pay for a divorce and for attorneys who were hired for a previous criminal case. Telfair was previously given a 3 1/2 year prison sentence for possession of a weapon after police discovered weapons in a truck during a traffic stop in June. A New York appeals court upheld his sentence last October.

“I needed the money for my legal fees,” Telfair told US District Judge Valerie Caproni at his plea hearing Wednesday. “I was accused of a crime I didn’t commit. I was fighting for my life. I am still fighting for my life.”

Telfair, the cousin of another former NBA player, Stephon Marbury, faces up to 20 years in prison. He’ll be sentenced August 1.