Mathew Knowles To Head $275M Film And TV Fund Following Sale Of Music World Entertainment
by Wendy Medina

March 20, 2022

Mathew Knowles To Head $275M Film And TV Fund Following Sale Of Music World Entertainment

Veteran music exec and father to superstars Beyoncé and Solange, Mathew Knowles is ready to take the next leap in his career. 

After selling his famed Music World Entertainment to investment firm APX Capital Group, the former Destiny’s Child manager will now head the company’s film and TV division, responsible for a $275 million fund for productions between the U.S. and Italy, reports Deadline.

As part of the deal with the investment fund, Knowles is getting ready for his own biopic à la King Richard, about his role behind the scenes in building both his daughters’ stardom and his hand in not only their solo careers, but Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland’s as well.

The Mathew Knowles Story will reportedly be executive produced by the Knowles patriarch, alongside venture capitalists and entrepreneurs Noam Baram, Yona Wiesenthal, and Augusto Pelliccia, among others. 

APX Capital Group will own over 10,000 hours of never-before-seen footage, images, and music of the Knowles family in their rise to fame, per the outlet. 

“The decision to partner with APX Capital Group is well made and corresponds to Music World Entertainment Group’s intent to expand its film and television portfolio,” Knowles stated. “Through this unique collaboration and as head of this new division under APX I’ll be able to share the story of my life by combining compelling storytelling with access to exceptional talent and music that will both entertain and emphasize a cultural awareness that’s necessary now more than ever. This is the story of my life, and I am honored to be able to transmit it even further through this alliance.”

The co-CEO of the real estate investment firm was also ecstatic to have Knowles join APX’s board.

“We are beyond thrilled to reach this groundbreaking agreement with Mathew and his team to develop impactful content told through the voice of one of the most successful and insightful entrepreneurs in entertainment today,” said Wiesenthal.

Knowles will additionally develop, fund, and produce content that includes documentaries, feature films, and scripted series. The $275 million film and TV fund will be run through APX’s Italian subsidiary, MMF Global Italia.

Black Therapists On TiKTok Are Growing Their Online Communities
by Yolanda Baruch

March 20, 2022

Black Therapists On TiKTok Are Growing Their Online Communities

Black creators on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok have voiced their concerns about how their posts are censored and that the platform’s algorithm is racist, favoring content from White creators, according to Insider.

During the height of the George Floyd protests, many posts containing #BlackLivesMatter and #GeorgeFloyd received no views; TikTok issued a public apology and pointed the problem to a “technical glitch,” CNN reports.

Mental health professionals increased in popularity on TikTok as many users tried to come to terms with the Derek Chauvin murder trial of George Floyd, the January 6 insurrections, and other mental health issues.  

Black therapists produced videos that made mental health attainable for individuals excluded from the health care system. Yet, they were are also susceptible to racial bias on the app, according to CNN. 

Patrice Berry, a psychologist from Virginia, uses TikTok to answer mental health questions. Berry isn’t looking to sign up new clients; she has a waitlist for new patients for her private practice. She instead sees TikTok as a tool to give back to the community. 

Berry also founded a Facebook group that caters to Black, Indigenous, and other groups looking to improve their mental health. 

 

@drpatriceberry Reply to @thedarklordpanda one of the most important things is having a good relationship with your therapist #drberryresponds ♬ Night Trouble – Petit Biscuit

“I wanted to create a safe space for us to be able to have real conversations about our experiences on the app and to share tips and resources,” she said.

However, with her extensive experience, knowledge, and owning her mental health care facility, Berry still encounters users questioning her credentials and tagging White creators to validate her statements, according to CNN. 

After coming under fire for using racist coding practices on their app, TikTok provided various initiatives to amplify Black creators like their “TikTok for Black Creatives,” incubator program that vowed to support emerging Black creators.

Black mental health professionals account for 11% of psychologists younger than 36 and 4% of the overall US psychologist workforce, according to the American Psychological Association. Yet, more than three-quarters of mental health counselors are White.

Despite the many hurdles, Alfiee Breland-Noble, a psychologist and founder of the AAKOMA (African American Knowledge Optimized for Mindfully Healthy Adolescents) Project, believes TikTok provides an avenue for people who otherwise would not seek mental health services. 

“Black people still underutilize mental health care in proportion to what the need is,” she said.

A 2021 behavioral health equity report discovered 36% of Black adolescents polled in 2019 from ages 12 to 17 received treatment for depression, whereas more than half of their White peers received medical care. 

Marquis Norton, a TikToker and licensed professional counselor, wants his videos to increase the conversation in the Black community to seek wellness options and dispel the stigmas associated with mental therapy. 

by Wendy Medina

March 20, 2022

Kanye West’s Instagram Posts Get Him Removed From 2022 Grammy Performance

Following the most recent series of erratic Instagram posts from Kanye West that got him kicked off of the social media platform, the Grammys are following suit and also giving him the boot.

According to his rep who confirmed the news, per E! News, Ye was slated to perform at the 2022 Grammy Awards on April 3, but after landing headline after headline about his harassing behavior online, and spewing slurs at this year’s host Trevor Noah, was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the Recording Academy. 

There is even a petition going online currently which urges the festival organizers to remove West from headlining at Coachella, that has reached over 22,500 signatures of their 25,000 goal. 

Sources close to West confirm that the ceremony organizers are taking such measures “due to what they deem to be concerning online behavior.” 

Apparently, the rapper’s team got a phone call on Friday notifying them that he has been removed from the performance lineup. 

Ye was recently suspended from Instagram for 24 hours due to calling Noah a “koon” for speaking on the situation with Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson, and bringing to light a broader conversation women know all too well about the harassment faced when trying to end a relationship. 

“If Kim cannot escape this – Kim Kardashian – if she cannot escape this, then what chance do normal women have?” asked the talk show host.

The Donda rapper didn’t take too kindly to Noah’s perspective on the matter and went off in another spree that got him shut down. 

Friends and musicians like The Game took to social media in support of the Heartless rapper, alluding to West starting his own socila media site to ensure he wouldn’t be censored.

Interestingly, his Donda album has been nominated for Album Of The Year.

Last week the Grammys announced performances for the event will consist of Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, BTS, Olivia Rodrigo, and Jack Harlow.

by Wendy Medina

March 20, 2022

Draya Michele Gets Dragged On Twitter After Asking Incriminating Question About SBA Loans

It’s not uncommon for social media users to turn to their platforms and ask their followers opinions on food, movies, or outfits. Having said that, VH1’s Basketball Wives star Draya Michele took it a bit too far when posing an all too specific question about small business loans on Twitter.

“Hey I got a question for my little scamming scammers. Lol,” she started. “If you get a SBA loan and it’s under a business name what are the steps to paying it back and if it is under the business name and you go into default does it go under your personal credit?”

The Twitterverse erupted in jokes, many speculating that the feds were now surveilling her account, and subsequently the responses.  

One user posted an image of a jail cell with a photoshopped keys-to-the-apartment pose, captioning it: “They are getting your new 1bed 1bath together right now as we tweet.”

Another uploaded a t-shirt mockup with images of Michele that read, “Free Draya Till It’s Backwards.”

While many warned Michele to delete the tweet because she is “giving them every reason to look at [her] and they will,” as another commenter suggested, or to ask her lawyer privately, the fashion designer stated that she wanted a real answer, from real people.

“I didn’t want the technical answer. I wanted the straight up one,” she wrote.

However, she did get many informed responses, as one Twitter user wrote, “You pay it through the SBA.gov website they are the ones that administer the loan similar to federal student loans. If you default it puts ur collateral at risk, legal action can be taken and it does reflect on your personal and business credit.”

Nonetheless, Twitter did what Twitter does best, and flooded the responses and quote retweets with jokes, insults, reaction memes, and laughing emojis. 

It seems as though the model ultimately got the answers she needed.

Kevin Durant Fined $25,000 For Swearing At Fan During Game Against The Dallas Mavericks
by Yolanda Baruch

March 20, 2022

Kevin Durant Fined $25,000 For Swearing At Fan During Game Against The Dallas Mavericks

Brooklyn Nets’ power forward, Kevin Durant, has a history of hurling expletives to overzealous fans. 

 In his latest incident, on Wednesday, Durant tossed some profane words at a fan after the game between the Nets and the Dallas Mavericks at the Barclays Center, Yahoo reports.

The NBA fined the 33-year-old basketball player to the tune of $25,000 for “directing obscene language toward a fan,” announced Byron Spruell, President of League Operations, on Friday, according to Marca.

 

 

The video clip of the quarrel shows the last 9.4 seconds of the game where a Brooklyn fan is heard shouting to Durant, “Kevin, you gotta take this game over.”

An irritated Durant responded to the fan’s unsolicited instruction, “You got to shut the f—up and sit down.”

Durant’s unexpected aggressive retort shocked the fan, and he shockingly exclaims “Woah,” in the video snippet. 

Later, KD humorously acknowledged his faux pas in a Tweet where he posted a meme of a female with her back turned to the camera and her extending her hand with money, captioning it with “Damn smh,” according to Marca.

 

KD’s mouth signs check that he can actually cash, and his obscene laden language has cost him $65,000, Yahoo! Sports reports.

He had to pay $15,000 for “using profane language in a media interview and failing to comply with an NBA Security interview as part of the review process.”

 Durant was fined $25,000 in December 2021 for responding to a fan during a game to “shut yo ass up motherf*****” when the spectator told him to “stop crying.” 

In April 2021, KD found himself in a direct message dispute with actor Michael Rapaport who posted screenshots of Durant’s indecent language. 

Later, the ballplayer apologized, “I’m sorry that people seen that language I used. That’s not really what I want people to see and hear from me, but hopefully I can move past it and get back on the floor,” wrote Durant, according to Yahoo! Sports. 

Drawbridge Tender Faces Manslaughter Charges For Killing A Woman Crossing The Bridge
by Yolanda Baruch

March 20, 2022

Drawbridge Tender Faces Manslaughter Charges For Killing A Woman Crossing The Bridge

A Florida drawbridge tender lied to detectives about the incident where she raised the drawbridge to Palm Beach, killing a 79-year older woman crossing Royal Park Bridge. The operator is now charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence, says police, WPBF reports. 

The accident occurred on February 6, when Artissua Lafay Paulk, 43, opened the bridge as Carol Wright was walking across with her bicycle. A good Samaritan tried to save her before she fell to her death, ABC News reports.

The bridgetender told the Florida Department of Transportation that she checked the area by walking out on the balcony several times, made two announcements, and went out three more times to confirm the bridge was clear, said FDOT in its report released Thursday, according to the Palm Beach Post.

However, surveillance video does not support Paulk’s account, I believe that when we get the video evidence of this incident, it will reveal unequivocally that the bridge tender’s statement doesn’t align with the true facts,” said attorney Lance C. Ivey, who is representing the deceased woman’s family, WPTV reports.

Court documents back up Ivey’s assertions. They show that Paulk lied to police when she made her statement and plotted with her supervisor what to say during a now-deleted text message exchange, according to ABC News. 

The text messages read as follows:

3:20 p.m. from supervisor: “When they talk to you make (expletive) sure you tell them you walked outside on balcony 3 diff times to make sure no one was past gates n delete this msg after one time to make sure card (sic) stop 2nd time after gates lowered and 3rd time before you raised spans (sic) ok now delete this I know ur upset but u gotta tell them step by step how u do opening”

3:21 p.m. to supervisor: “I did”

3:59 p.m. from supervisor: “You have to write out step by step what you did ok up till time you were told someone fell”

“Did she walk on the balcony and not look –I don’t know but I think the facts are going to reveal that she did not even walk out on the balcony one time or three times or not at all,” said Ivey.

Ivey said this tragic event should never have occurred,  “The bridge tender didn’t do the bare minimum,” he said. “They pinned her in there. There’s nothing she could do…. Our goal is this will never, ever, ever happen to another family.”

by Yolanda Baruch

March 20, 2022

Rapper Master P Speaks With TV One’s Uncensored About Generational Wealth

Master P is a huge proponent of entrepreneurship and ownership, and his vast wealth is evidence that he is an astute businessman.  

Master P sat down with TV One’s docu-series UNCENSORED to discuss how he pulled himself out of the Calliope housing projects of New Orleans and amassed a $200 million net worth.

The southern bred rapper, real name Percy Robert Miller, initially had hoped to make it to the NBA; however, an injury derailed his dreams when he attended the University of Houston on a basketball scholarship. Master P later enrolled in Merritt Junior College in Oakland, California, and took business courses, according to Celebrity Net Worth. 

In 1990, his grandfather died due to a work-related accident that granted P a $10,000 malpractice settlement check that he later used to start a record store and launch his record label, No Limit, which became one of the most notable independent labels according to the New York Times. 

In the 1990s, Miller negotiated for his No Limit Records to retain 100% ownership of all his records masters and receive 85% of the sales when he signed a distribution deal with Priority Records, Yahoo reports.

Miller understands that such contractual terms are not easily obtained from upcoming entertainers. Still, he advises, “At least get a piece of the piece,” he said in an interview with Yahoo Finance’s Jen Rogers for Yahoo Finance’s My Three Cents . “It has to start with owning property, owning your business.”

P’s firm entrepreneurial mindset allowed him to hit millionaire status before 30. Today his conglomerate houses a clothing line, a branded cereal called Master Crunch in partnership with Wheaties, a food line called Rap Snacks, a film production company, a sports management company, and a travel agency. Miller reportedly owns 45 companies and 31 properties, Basketball Noise reports. 

Miller is also seeking to close on an acquisition deal along with NBA All-Star Baron Davis to procure Reebok for an estimated staggering price of $2.4 billion, according to Forbes. 

“I think anybody that want to be in business need to realize you need to be committed if you want to be an entrepreneur,” Miller said to Yahoo. 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by TV One (@tvonetv)

TV One’s UNCENSORED: Master P airs on Sunday, March 20th at 10 PM ET/9c.

Black Driver For ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Wrongfully Arrested On Set Files $20M Lawsuit Against LAPD
by Wendy Medina

March 19, 2022

Black Driver For ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Wrongfully Arrested On Set Files $20M Lawsuit Against LAPD

A Black driver working for ABC’s acclaimed medical drama Grey’s Anatomy was wrongfully arrested at gunpoint in front of cast and crew members in March 2021. 

According to CBS Los Angeles, 31-year-old Ernest Simon Jr. is suing the city of Los Angeles and LAPD for $20 million in damages after being racially-profiled at a traffic stop and having a gun pulled out at him during the wrongful arrest.

Per the law firm representing Simon, Larson LLP, LAPD pulled over the production driver believing he was driving a stolen vehicle while he was on the job. Simon drove a rented Ford production van, dropping off cast and crew for an on-location shoot in Tarzana. According to the lawsuit, after being pulled over, officers ran a license plate check on the production van, mistakenly matching it to a stolen BMW sedan.

The civil complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California on Thursday, alleges he was made to “lie prone on an asphalt lot at gunpoint for over 20 minutes, using an overwhelming and unjustified show of force against Mr. Simon that caused him to legitimately (and understandably) fear that he was going to be shot at his workplace in front of his co-workers for simply being a Black man in the wrong neighborhood.”

Although the Grey’s staffer was completely cooperative throughout the whole ordeal, multiple squad cars pulled up for backup and he was double-handcuffed, states the 34-page complaint.

It wasn’t until a white crewmember confirmed Simon’s identity that LAPD let him go, after ignoring fellow Black crewmembers and a Black production security guard’s pleas for his release.

The $20 million lawsuit alleges excessive force, unreasonable search and seizure, de facto arrest without probable cause, racial profiling, assault, and false arrest and false imprisonment, reports Rolling Stone.

Defendants named in the lawsuit consist of the LAPD, the city of L.A., and LAPD Chief Michel Moore. The LAPD has yet to comment on the incident. 

Former Google Employee Files Lawsuit Accusing The Tech Company Of Racial Bias Against Black Employees
by Yolanda Baruch

March 19, 2022

Former Google Employee Files Lawsuit Accusing The Tech Company Of Racial Bias Against Black Employees

A former Google employee filed a lawsuit on Friday condemning the tech-giant of racial bias against Black employees. She also accused the company of leading minorities to lower-level positions with less pay and preventing them from advancing in the organization due to their race, according to Reuters.

The suit, filed in the federal court in San Jose, California, made by the plaintiff April Curley, seeks class-action status and claims the search engine entity upholds a “racially biased corporate culture” that benefits white men.

Based on the court documents, Curley adds that Alphabet Inc. created a hostile work environment for Black employees by ordering them to verify their identification more than other employees, reports the New York Post.

The indictment also declares that Black people only make up 4.4% of Google’s employees, and only 3% are employed in leadership positions, according to NBC News.

 

Google hired Curley in 2014 to develop an outreach program for historically Black colleges, but she claimed her position of employment was a “marketing ploy,” Reuters reports.

Curley said her supervisors belittled her work, deemed her an “angry Black woman,” and excluded her from promotions, according to NBC News.

April Curley said Google has a culture of racial bias against Black employees.
LinkedIn

Google terminated her employment in 2020 when she and her coworkers presented a list of modifications that they wanted the company to implement.

“While Google claims that they were looking to increase diversity, they were actually undervaluing, underpaying, and mistreating their Black employees,” Curley’s lawyer Ben Crump said in a statement, the New York Post reports.

Curley’s lawsuit seeks to regain compensatory and punitive damages and compensation for present and former Black employees at Google and reinstate said employees to appropriate positions and seniority, according to NBC News.

by Keka Araújo

March 19, 2022

DON’T COME FOR BLACK WOMEN: White Reggaeton Artist Dragged After Targeting Missy Elliott For Handling Her Business

It’s not an uncommon occurrence for the works of Black American artists to be stolen by white artists (ethnicity aside)– think Jennifer Lopez and Pat Boone. Now, producer-extraordinaire Missy Elliott can be added to the list with a caveat– she got the money she was owed. One of the artists in the lawsuit thought it was a bright idea to come for her in a Spanish-language interview, and his fans harassed the “Lose Control” singer on social media.

On March 9,  Jowell– one half of the watered-down Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Jowell y Randy, sat down with Molusco TV to discuss a multitude of topics. At the 46:46 mark, the subject of illegally sampling Missy’s 2001 hit single “Get Your Freak On” for the early 2020 Spanish-language hit “Safaera” came up. 

Molusco TV host Jorge Pabón asked Jowell, Joel A. Muñoz Martínez, about the “collective error” of not clearing various samples, including Missy’s. Although the “No Te Veo” rapper agreed that he and other artists Bad Bunny, Randy, the recording label and the producer were culpable for not clearing the use of the sample, he seemingly was ok with the idea of stealing someone else’s work and taking credit for it and opined that money became involved because of “Safaera’s” commercial success.

“Had that song been an ordinary song from anyone out there like the one we put out, no one would have gotten into it. That song la jodieron [was f*cked over] because it was so successful,” Jowell told Pabón in Spanish. 

The reggaeton artist doubled down on the foolishness by directly saying that “someone” had to have to put Missy on to the song and that she sought “millions” of dollars for the use of the music they stole. He claimed that the “Hot Boy” singer reduced his points significantly with her take. 

“I owned between 15 to 30 percent [originally],” he said. After Rimas Entertainments’ label manager Noah Assad negotiated the terms for the sample, Jowell claimed his royalties dropped to one percent. 

“Many people think that I was made into a millionaire with ‘Safaera’ but no,” he added.

In the end, Missy rightfully got her bread. What makes Jowell’s actions upsetting is that “Safaera” sampled songs and had 15 composers– yet Jowell chose to single out Missy, a Black woman, for coming to get what was rightfully hers. DJ Playero filed a lawsuit against the artists in October. The reggaetonero was quiet as a church mouse about it. 

On March 17, Jowell responded to a tweet that accused him of provoking his fans’ to wrongfully troll Missy after the interview. 

“F**k that!” Jowell wrote. “Let them enjoy their money. Its [sic] not you and me enjoying it, right? Let them be happy and talk about something else. Missy don’t even care. Why would you?”

 

The “I Can’t Stand The Rain” singer, who is always a class act, gracefully clapped back, “@jowell1 sadly you mislead all these people to make them think I have 99%. Now, I don’t talk business [online] because that’s messy. But now we are here. I have 25%, and there is six other samples & 15 other writers on this one song. They got percentage also.”

 

She also gave him priceless advice that Jowell should probably heed.

 

After Queen Missy set him straight, Jowell backpedaled his misogynistic anti-Black rhetoric with something being lost in translation. 

 

The white Boricua even attempted to brown-nose the iconic artist by saying how much the people of Puerto Rico loved her and that they should work together.

 

By then, the damage had already been done. Missy’s fans cooked Jowell in Spanish and English on Twitter. 

 

Jowell has yet to apologize to Missy. But from the way he was gathered on social media, it would behoove him to keep Black women’s names out of his mouth. 

×