Jay-Z attends JAY-Z and Samsung Mobile’s celebration of the Magna Carta Holy Grail album, available now through a customized app in Google Play and Samsung Apps exclusively for Samsung Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S III and Note II users on July 3, 2013 in Brooklyn City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Samsung)
NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z’s new album has sold more than 500,000 units its first week. Nielsen SoundScan said late Tuesday that preliminary data shows that “Magna Carta Holy Grail” moved about 527,000 copies. It will debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart this week. The album was officially released on July 7. Samsung bought and gave 1.2 million copies of the album to Galaxy mobile phone users on July 4. Billboard is not counting those sales on its charts. “Magna Carta” has the second-best first-week debut of the year after Justin Timberlake’s “20/20 Experience.” The album features Timberlake, Beyonce, Frank Ocean and Timbaland. Jay-Z’s 12th album had more than 14 million streams in its first week on Spotify, beating a record that Daft Punk set in May with “Random Access Memories.” Copyright 2013 The Associated Press via thegrio.com
Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg portray Bobby and Stig in ‘2 Guns’, set to be released in August 2013. (Photo by Sony Pictures Entertainment via Getty Images) Forbes magazine has released its annual list of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. This year, Robert Downey Jr. topped the list with $75 million in earnings from his work in the mega-blockbusters Iron Man 3 and The Avengers. Denzel Washington and The Rock were the two performers of color to make the top 10. For 1o straight weeks in 2013 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had a film in the top 10 of the box office. This year he headlined hits like GI Joe: Retaliation and Fast & Furious 6. He earned a whopping total of $46 million this year, placing him at #5 on the list.
Washington is on an upswing following his 2012 hits Safe House ($126 million at the box office) and Flight ($93 million). His deal for back-end profits on the latter film, which earned $162 million worldwide on a $31 million budget, paid off for the actor. He earned $33 million last year, ranking him at #9 on Forbes‘ list. Washington is poised to capitalize on his A-list status again this summer with his highly anticipated action film 2 Guns, co-starring Mark Whalberg, which opens August 2nd. article via thegrio.com
At just 14, Thessalonika Arzu-Embry will be graduating Chicago State University in August with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. A resident of the Great Lakes Naval Base, Thessalonika plans to continue her studies in a graduate program before opening a clinic with her mother.
Thessalonika Arzu-Embry and her mother, Wonder Embry, get up at five in the morning most weekdays to go to school together. Unlike most 14-year-olds, however, Thessalonika isn’t off early in the morning to the local high school. She’s going to Chicago State University.
Thessalonika is putting the finishing touches on a college career that started three years ago at College of Lake County and will end next month with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Chicago State. “My college experience is a traditional college experience for me — it is just that I have completed it faster,” Thessalonika said. “I am very excited about joining others in having the opportunity to contribute to society in a significant way.”
After their early wake-up, Thessalonika and her mom pray and work on Bible studies, then work out at a local fitness center before starting their hour-and-a-half commute from their home at the Great Lakes Naval Station near North Chicago to Chicago State, located on the city’s South Side. Wonder Embry is a classmate of sorts at Chicago State, where she’s a graduate student in clinical psychology.
During the commute, Wonder and Thessalonika study theory together and chat about their homework assignments. Thessalonika said her mother keeps her motivated. “My mother is a strong inspiration to my success. She is a veteran of the United States Navy, and when she finished her tour, she home-schooled my brother and I,” Thessalonika said. Thessalonika’s mother said that for her part, she was just doing right by her daughter. “The parents are the most influential force in their own children’s lives, and they have the power to influence them to do good and to go forward,” Wonder Embry said.
Thessalonika was home-schooled until she was 8. At age 11, after receiving the equivalent of a high school diploma through her home schooling, she passed an entrance exam to attend College of Lake County and enrolled to study psychology. She said she chose college from such a young age because she loves studying and has an interest in psychology that goes far beyond just material knowledge. One of her ultimate goals is to help people through a clinic she hopes to establish with her mother and her brother, Jeremy.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZ7FeijoKQ&w=560&h=315] As everyone knows by now, George Zimmerman was found not guilty. This shocking verdict was not the first, nor the last. But that still doesn’t take the sting out of it. Protestors have gathered and the majority have been peaceful. But what else can be done to continue to fight against injustice? How can we move forward? Interactive One (parent company to HelloBeautiful) has decided to be a mouthpiece for this generation, and wants young men of color to know that while they may wear the same hoodie Trayvon Martin wore and walk to the store for a snack, just as he did, their lives don’t have to end in the same way. They want the young men who have looked at this tragedy in fear to know this–Your Life Matters. Share your stories of inspiration to uplift this generation. We need it right now! Join the fight by liking the YOUR LIFE MATTERS Facebook page today! article by Danielle Young via hellobeautiful.com; edited by Lori Lakin Hutcherson
Nasir Jones (aka Nas) Source: Mats Andersson/WENN Nas has found a new home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard University’s W.E.B Du Bois Institute and Hip-Hop Archive announced the creation of the Nasir Jones Fellowship. The fellowship named after the rapper who is known for his philosophical bars, will allow scholars and artists to use their education through a creative outlet. The Nasir Jones Fellowship key purpose is based on the motto: Education is real power. The Hip-Hop Archive press release states the mission: “To seek projects from scholars and artists that build on the rich and complex hip-hop tradition; to respect that tradition through historically grounded and contextualized critical insights; and most importantly, to represent one’s creative and/or intellectually rigorous contribution to hip-hop and the discourse through personal and academic projects.” The fellowship will cover the works of Nas and other prolific hip-hop artists who contributed monumental work to the genre. Recipients of The Nasir Jones Fellowship will be selected by Harvard faculty. The MC who received the privilege of his own fellowship at the Ivy League states:
“In my roller coaster of a life I’ve endured good and bad for sure, and I’ve truly been blessed to have achieved so much through art in my short life thus far. But I am immensely over-the-top excited about the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship at Harvard. From Queens, NY to true cultural academia. My hopes are that greed for knowledge, art, self-determination and expression go a long way. It is a true honor to have my name attached to so much hard work, alongside great names like Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and W.E.B. Du Bois and to such a prestigious and historical institution, and all in the name of the music I grew to be a part of.”
Before forming his own fellowship, Nas has helped Grammy-award winning music producer 9th Wonder with his own academic research project called These Are The Breaks. The research was based on compiling original samples from hip-hop albums that were permanently archived in the Harvard Library; Nas’s Illimatic was a part of the research. 9th Wonder’s research project and journey to Harvard has become a documentary called, The Harvard Fellow. article by Lauren R.D. Fox via madamenoire.com
Derrius Quarles (center); Michelle Nunn, the CEO of Points of Light (right); and Washington Post CEO Donald Graham at the 5000th Daily Point of Light Award at the White House on Monday June 15, 2013 (photo credit Jerome Dorn)
A former foster child from the south side of Chicago has turned entrepreneur, and been recognized at the White House for his inspiring work. Derrius Quarles, who is only 22 years old, is best known for winning more than $1 million in financial-aid to attend the prestigious Morehouse College. He was a recipient of the Daily Point of Light Award in June 2013 for his commitment to help academically gifted yet economically disadvantaged students overcome financial barriers to higher education.
“I feel honored and humbled to be recognized by the White House as a Daily Point of Light awardee,” said Quarles. “I have been recognized for the work I have done with the Million Dollar Scholar, which has advanced economic access to higher education for youth in inner cities across the United States.” The Million Dollar Scholar initiative has assisted more than 10,000 high school students online and helped students receive more than $950,000 in scholarships and grants. In fact, Quarles’s drive to see other young people succeed is deeply personal. His father was murdered in Chicago when he was just 4 years old. One year later, he was taken from his mother’s custody and placed in foster care. It was only when he entered high school that he made a conscious decision to seize opportunities to move on with his life.
When N.Y.C. pastor Jordan Rice (pictured right) and marketing specialist Jessica Moreland (pictured left) married each other on June 22nd, they probably never guessed their union would spring forth from tragedy. But it was grave misfortune that brought them together. Moreland’s previous husband, Jarronn, was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2009, a mere two-and-a-half months after their wedding. “His injuries were so serious that the blood had drained out of his body,” said Jessica. “There was too much strain on his heart.” Eventually, she began dating, unsuccessfully, for the next three years. Jordan’s previous wife, Danielle, fell ill shortly after their wedding; doctors found she had primary cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare heart cancer. An X-ray found that she had fluid around her heart that appeared to be a virus. Danielle died in 2011, barely two years after their marriage and 10 months after the horrifying diagnosis. “She started really getting worse very quickly,” said Jordan. “Within four days, she couldn’t walk anymore. Her resting heart rate was around 140 beats a minute — lying down.” “I was miserable,” Jordan said. “I felt out of place … a 27-year-old doesn’t die of cancer. It was very unfair and challenging on every front.” Eventually, Jordan began dating again, with no results. In 2012, one of Jordan’s friends sent him a link to Jessica’s blog, One Day At A Time, where she’d posted pictures from her previous wedding and shared its tragic ending. Jordan also happened to be a blogger, and Jessica describing her former spouse reminded him of their shared experience. “I loved how candid she was,” he told ABC News. ”She described the raw emotion that I had felt on so many occasions. … I respected her for honoring his life. How much she adored him was something very powerful to me.” Jordan decided to “friend” Jessica through Facebook, taking special care to not appear stalkerish. ”That’s not my MO,” he said. Jessica initially ignored his request, until she noticed they had mutual friends from Morgan State, Jordan’s alma matter. ”I smiled, but I never responded,” she said.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFon14QjmFw&w=560&h=315] A few days later, however, she had lunch with a couple who knew Jordan and vouched for him as a good guy. She decided to look up his blog and offered him consolation, knowing what he was going through. “I was a little further along the path — I was three years out and he was only at a year and a half — and I told him you never get over it, but you learn to live with it,” said Jessica. The two began trading text messages and eventually developed a bond. Jordan decided to visit Jessica in Washington, D.C. Their departed spouses became an emotional talking point.
Jay-Z reached out to a number of producers while creating Magna Carta Holy Grail, his 12th studio album. The usual suspects — Timbaland, Pharrell, and Swizz Beats — were there, but a budding 16-year-old producer from Canada, Ebony Oshunrinde, a.k.a. WondaGurl (pictured), also made her mark on the album, according to The Star.com. WondaGurl produced the track “Crown” on Holy Grail, which was released digitally July 4th and in stores Tuesday, but the Brampton native first got in to creating beats after watching a video of Jay-Z and Timbaland in the studio together. “It inspired me, and I wanted to do the exact same thing that he did,” she said. At age 9, Oshunrinde downloaded music software, teaching herself to use it via YouTube tutorials. She coined the WondaGurl name by switching the name of fellow Canadian producer Boi-1da (pronounced boy wonda). In 2011, she caught her big break, winning the Battle of the Beatmakers competition. This caught the attention of Boi, who began mentoring WondaGurl at Toronto’s Remix Project Studio. A year after winning the competition, the musical prodigy signed an exclusive management deal with label Black Box and began working in a studio.
Attorney General Eric Holder According to newsone.com, on Sunday Attorney General Eric Holder spoke to the NAACP regarding the Department of Justice’s ongoing inquiry into filing federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman in the aftermath of his acquittal in the Trayvon Martin trial. Holder may not have been direct about the possibility of the DOJ bringing suit, but he was direct about his opinions on gun violence, inequality and the danger of “Stand Your Ground” Laws:
Today – starting here and now – it’s time to commit ourselves to a respectful, responsible dialogue about issues of justice and equality – so we can meet division and confusion with understanding, with compassion, and ultimately with truth. It’s time to strengthen our collective resolve to combat gun violence but also time to combat violence involving or directed toward our children – so we can prevent future tragedies. And we must confront the underlying attitudes, mistaken beliefs, and unfortunate stereotypes that serve too often as the basis for police action and private judgments. Separate and apart from the case that has drawn the nation’s attention, it’s time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept of self-defense and sow dangerous conflict in our neighborhoods. These laws try to fix something that was never broken. There has always been a legal defense for using deadly force if – and the “if” is important – no safe retreat is available. But we must examine laws that take this further by eliminating the common sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely. By allowing and perhaps encouraging violent situations to escalate in public, such laws undermine public safety. The list of resulting tragedies is long and – unfortunately – has victimized too many who are innocent. It is our collective obligation – we must stand our ground – to ensure that our laws reduce violence, and take a hard look at laws that contribute to more violence than they prevent.
The woman behind the Twitter and Change.org campaigns that put Juror B37‘s book deal to a screeching halt is New York-bred Genie Lauren. Twitter and Facebook newsfeeds went ablaze with outrage last night as the unidentified juror expressed support for George Zimmerman during her interview with CNN. Lauren was also angry and upset while watching the prime-time interview — but decided that her emotions would be better vested in organizing people on social media. “I was angry and I didn’t think it was right that someone would make money off of this tragedy–especially after they let Zimmerman go free,” Lauren told NewsOne. “I didn’t think that was right at all.” It didn’t take Lauren long to realize that many others didn’t feel it was right, either. Right after watching the CNN interview, Lauren, who says she had around 1,600 followers before organizing the book boycott, sent out a tweet asking people to help her find the publisher. The feedback was immediate, something that emboldened her to push even harder. “For the first time, it felt like I wasn’t powerless,” Lauren said. Using Google as her guide, Lauren quickly found the literary agency that was backing Juror B37′s deal; soon after, she got the name of the agent, Sharlene Martin, and published the information. And in order to show how determined she was to get the book canned, Lauren tweeted this:
This is only the beginning. I, personally, won’t ease up until you are no longer the literary agent for B37. @sharlenemartin
After getting a Twitter movement going, Lauren, 29, created a Change.org campaign, “Sharlene Martin: Drop Juror B37 from Martin Literary Management,” which so far has 1,346 signatures. Martin’s e-mail was included in the petition; the agent reached out to Lauren an hour later via Change.org. Then, via @sharlenemartin, Juror B37 released a statement:
