• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 26, 2022

Rapper French Montana Recognized for Raising $226M for Healthcare and Education in Africa

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Hip-hop artist French Montana received an award for his humanitarian efforts in fundraising money for Africa.

According to Complex, the No Stylist rapper was honored last week with the Innovator Award at the 2022 Pencils of Promise Gala on Thursday, Oct. 20. The organization recognized the recording artist for helping to raise a total of $226 million for healthcare and education in Uganda.

The artist, originally from Morocco, also supported the Budondo Suubi “Hope” Health Center, a healthcare resource for pregnant women and their newborn babies.

“MAKING MORE HISTORY FOR MY PEOPLE ! Thank you @pencilsofpromise for honoring me with the Innovator Award at last night’s gala. ✏️ Healthcare and education is a fundamental part of our human rights and should be accessible across the globe. I’m grateful for PoP [Pencils of Promise] acknowledging my work in maternal healthcare in Africa. PoP is doing groundbreaking work globally to keep kids in school and make sure they have a safe environment to learn. @itsadambraun @kaileescales“

 

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Montana, who recently became an RIAA-certified (Recording Industry Association of America) diamond artist, posted the acknowledgment on his Instagram account. He became the first recording artist born in Africa to receive recognition for selling 10 million units. He also became the first male artist from the South Bronx, known as the “Mecca of Hip-Hop,” to obtain a diamond plaque.

 

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At the gala, Meadow Walker, the daughter of Fast and Furious actor Paul Walker, was also honored. She received the Activist Award for her achievements as PoP’s Global Ambassador. PoP’s board members, Ricky and Lisa Novak, were also presented with the Philanthropist Award, and Brittny and Eric Knight received the Vanguard Award.

• Food

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 26, 2022

Chef Carla Hall Shares How “Pepsi Dig In Day” Amplifies Black-Owned Restaurants

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Chef Carla Hall is teaming up with Pepsi Dig In to announce the second annual Pepsi Dig In Day on Saturday, November 5, aimed at celebrating Black-owned restaurants.

The initiative encourages fans to show their love and support by visiting their favorite Black-owned restaurants that day and driving business. The initiative is part pf the company’s purpose-driven platform, Pepsi Dig In, geared at leveling the playing field between Black-owned restaurants who often don’t receive the same visibility and access to opportunity as their peers.

Who better to help spread the word than Hall?! The American chef, TV personality, and former model who has made a name for herself in the culinary world with standout appearances on popular cooking shows like Bravo’s Top Chef and ABC’s The Chew.

Hall knows firsthand how crucial initiatives like Pepsi Dig In Day are for Black-owned restaurants and African-American cuisine.

“Programs like Pepsi Dig In also highlight the diversity of African American cuisine these restaurants provide from traditional Southern to new twists on classic American favorites and more,” Hall tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.

The efforts are “showing that African American cuisine is more than one type of meal,” she adds.

As part of Pepsi Dig In Day, fans who post a photo of their favorite Black-owned restaurant and tag @PepsiDigIn will have the chance to win $5,000 for themselves and $5,000 for the restaurant.

“It’s important to champion and spotlight other Black-owned restaurants so that we’re continuously uplifting the whole community,” Hall says. “This is a chance for fans to share their favorite Black-owned restaurants with others and discover new ones to visit in the future. ”

In celebration, Pepsi Dig In will also partner with Black-owned restaurants across the country to host lively brunches for fans to gather and attend the festivities in person with music and drinks. The impactful initiative, along with culture shifts that have gained steam in recent years, shows positive change for Black-owned restaurants.

“I do see the landscape STARTING to change,” she says. “The World Expo had the first African Food Hall this year. There are more food festivals highlighting Black chefs.”

“Food cannot be separated from culture,” Hall continues.

“There is a shift in the world toward acknowledging the importance of diversity, and as people push to see themselves represented, they want those cultural touchpoints to also be present in their food.”

Chef Carla got in on the fun and listed a few of her favorite Black-owned eateries across the country.

“Gregory Gourdet at Kann, Pete Smith at Market Salamander, Eric Williams at Virtue, Shorne Benjamin’s Fat Fowl, Tiffany Derry’s Roots Southern Table, Angel Bareto at Anju, Mashama Bailey at The Grey, and John Hall at Postal Pies” were her choices.

For more information on Pepsi Dig In, visit PepsiDigIn.com and follow @PepsiDigIn on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates.

• Technology

by Black Enterprise Shop

October 26, 2022

Snag These High-Performing Earbuds For Under $25 with Overstock Deals

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You get a lot of mileage from a solid set of headphones.

More than just conduits for music, a quality pair of headphones are beyond beneficial for those times when you don’t feel like holding your phone up to your ear to talk.

You can receive the best of both worlds with the Flux 7 TWS Earbuds with Wireless Charging Case.  Thanks to Overstock Deals, you can purchase this powerhouse set of headphones for just $24.99. That’s a savings of 75% from its MSRP ($99.99). No coupon is needed to unlock this exclusive deal.

Overstock Deals run through 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Flux uses advanced noise-reduction technology to drown out background distractions. As a result, these earbuds are perfect for sports and those times when you want to relax to music on a rainy day. It has a waterproof rating of IPX4 that makes it suitable for those times you’re exercising and getting sweaty at the gym.

With 5.0 Bluetooth compatibility, you can pair it with your favorite iOS and Android devices that support Bluetooth functions. The voice assistant feature is great for those times you’d rather talk hands-free. A two-second push of a button is all you need to do to toggle between music and voice.

Running short on battery life is a thing of the past thanks to intelligent quick-charge. The built-in 2000mAh polymer lithium battery ensures your earbuds can be charged for a standby time of up to five hours. A full charge, will give you four hours of battery of music or call time.

This package ships with earbuds and a USB charging cable.

Quality sound and features don’t have to come at an exorbitant price. Overstock Deals makes it possible to obtain these high-performing earbuds. Purchase it today while it’s still available.

Prices subject to change.

• Health and Wellness

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 25, 2022

Shaq’s Got a Six-Pack! Shaquille O’Neal Loses 40 Pounds — Goes Topless for Gym Session

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Talk about “Shaq’tin a fool!” Shaquille O’Neal is going topless to show off the results of his dedication to health and fitness.

Shaq took to Instagram last week to share a video kicking off “Thot Daddy Thursday,” where he flexed his ripped abs and muscles around his at-home gym.

“#THOTDADDYTHURSDAY STARTS TODAY,” Shaq captioned the post.

 

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The post garnered praise from his followers with many applauding the NBA champion’s toned abs and oiled physique.

“Yeah Buddy, I see you hitting those Olympia Poses Big Bro,” one friend wrote.

“U Mean Thanos Thursdays,” added another.

The video revealed the results of Shaq’s weight loss journey that started after he looked in the mirror and didn’t like what he saw. The Inside The NBA host recently appeared on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive show where he took a light jab at his co-host Charles Barkley while opening up about what prompted his return to the gym.

“I was looking at myself and I had that Charles Barkley retirement body,” Shaq said.

“All right, I didn’t want my stomach over the belly anymore so I’m just like ‘Let me go ahead and get slim.’ ”

Since making the life-changing decision, Shaq developed a more fit and toned physique after losing close to 40 pounds.

“I was 401 pounds, now I’m 365,” he said. “I’m trying to take it back to 345 and I want to have muscles everywhere and I want to do underwear [Fruit of the Looms] with my sons.”

In December 2021, Shaq opened up to Men’s Health about his goal to lose weight after gaining weight during the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020. The NBA legend shared his hope to post a “topless selfie” for his 50th birthday.

Shaq didn’t get around to posting the topless selfie when he turned 50 back in March, but he has “Thot Daddy Thursdays” to make up for it.

• Celebrity News

by Atiya Jordan

October 25, 2022

Lil’ David Needs a Job: Jennifer Hudson’s Son Tries to Coax His Mom Into Buying Him $20K Sneakers

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Jennifer Hudson told a story about the time she got schooled by her teenage son when she tried to teach him about the value of money.

On a recent episode of her new daytime talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, the EGOT-winning actress and singer revealed that she is an active mother. Mama Hud said she plays “basketball, tennis, you name it” and is involved in all the activities with her babies. She also shared that she likes to lean into the perspective of the younger generation of “new people.”

“You think we’re supposed to teach them, but they be teaching me,” Hudson said.

Hudson told a story about her 13-year-old son, David Daniel Otunga Jr., wanting to go shopping for “gym shoes” one weekend. Hudson said she was shocked to find out that someone had purchased a pair of shoes for $7,000.

Hailing from humble beginnings, Hudson couldn’t fathom the price tag and recalled her early days in Chicago shopping for school shoes in Payless. She revealed that $100 name brand shoes did not interest her. She was satisfied with cheaper shoes because she believed it was her confidence that shined through her school outfits.

“As a kid, my brother and my sister loved gym shoes, and they would get the Jordans and name brands stuff,” Hudson said. “[I said] Mama, don’t worry about me, take me to Payless.”

While shopping with her son, Hudson said he selected a pair of Jordan 11 Retro OVO Grey Snakeskin, which normally amounts to about $20,000 at auctions.

“What do the shoes do?!” Hudson exclaimed to a laughing audience. “What it do? Is it going to drive me somewhere?”

“They need to learn the value is not in the shoe or the name of the shoe…,” she added.

Although the Grey Snakeskin didn’t find a home in the Hudson household, the famed artist picked out another pair for herself. But, her son revealed that they were fake. She was also stunned to discover the power of sneaker authentication.

These lessons aren’t without value as Hudson strives to set an example for her son. Her efforts continue in partnership with Mastercard’s Strivers Initiative which kicked off last year and her participation in the Mastercard’s Strivers Mentor Collective BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported.

• Women

by Atiya Jordan

October 25, 2022

Nicki Minaj Opens Up About Financial Literacy and Being a Black Mom Who Leaves Her Child a Legacy

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For Nicki Minaj, motherhood calls for a responsibility to create wealth for her son.

The New York rapper and singer recently sat down with Red Table Talk co-host Jada Pinkett-Smith to discuss the “biggest freaking blessing” of motherhood and the importance of leaving a financial legacy for her family, including her son.

With a net worth of $130 million, Minaj’s fortune comes from her music, film, and television appearances, and a long history of successful business investments, according to Money Check. From her first endorsement deal with MAC Cosmetics to owning a three percent stake in TIDAL, Minaj has consistently secured the bag.

Later into the conversation, Pinkett-Smith asked Minaj about her business savviness and how she learned financial literacy.

“I guess you just learn as you go, you don’t really get a formal lecture about it,” Minaj said.

“But it’s always in you,” she added. “Since I was young, I always loved the idea of common sense, number one, and women being in charge of their destiny. I always thought that was important. I loved hearing about queens from any part of the world, how they did their thing, and how they got to where they got.”

Continuing, Minaj opened up about the promise she made to herself as a kid that she wouldn’t be a woman who didn’t prepare for the future of her family. Minaj’s commitment stood strong as she expressed love for her son during the interview.

“I vowed I would never be one of these Black women, these men, these Black rappers that make all this money and then have nothing to leave for their kids. I would promise my family since I was a kid, ‘I’m going to get rich and buy you a house.’ I had all these big dreams, but it was always important to me what I was going to leave behind,” Minaj explained.

Minaj and her husband, Kenneth “Zoo” Petty, welcomed their first child on September 30, 2020.

• Sports

by Stacy Jackson

October 25, 2022

‘I Am Not Retired’: Serena Williams Says There’s a Big Chance She Will Return to Tennis

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Serena Williams revealed that she has not retired from tennis and that there is a big chance that she will be returning to the court.

During a conference in San Francisco on Monday, Williams revealed her thoughts about retirement while promoting her brand, Serena Ventures.

“I am not retired,” Williams said.

According to NBC News, the U.S. Open was not the tennis star’s farewell. She shared that the gap of time following the match felt unnatural.

“I still haven’t really thought about [retirement],” Williams said.

“But I did wake up the other day and go on the court and [considered] for the first time in my life that I’m not playing for a competition, and it felt really weird,” she continued.

“It was like the first day of the rest of my life and I’m enjoying it, but I’m still trying to find that balance.”

The 41-year-old revealed to Vogue in an essay published in August that she was evolving away from the sport.

 

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“[There’s] no happiness in this topic for me,” she wrote.

“The best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”

However, even after receiving heartfelt tributes and waving goodbye at the end of the third round of what the world thought would be her final match, the top-ranking athlete has other plans for the future that involve stepping on the court once again.

“I have never liked the word retirement,” said Williams. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me.”

Williams is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, ranking #1 by the Women’s Tennis Association and a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion.

Journalist Jemele Hill returned to Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk and brought her mom along as they spoke openly about their family history of pain in an episode titled “I Saw My Mother Falling Apart.”

It was Jemele and her mother’s first interview together and things got emotional as the sports journalist and her mother, Denise, revealed the pain passed down in their family after Denise was abused, raped, and relied on drugs to cope with severe PTSD.

In a raw emotional conversation, Jada and Gammy open up about their own traumas and how the adversity Jada and Jemele experienced throughout their childhoods shaped the incredible women they’ve become today.

A clip shows Hill’s detailed response when Willow Smith asked how she noticed her mom was “slipping away” during her rough childhood.

“My mother got divorced. We were evicted from our home in Detroit,” Hill recalled.

“We had to live in a very rough neighborhood. In fact, the woman who lived next door, she got murdered.”

Hill said her mom was already suffering from PTSD from having been raped when all this chaos surrounded her family. The stress took a toll on Denise and “sent her into a spiral” Hill said.

An exclusive clip shows the moment Hill realized in her adulthood that she should seek therapy after her mother told her she was “angry.”

“I think she’s still angry,” Denise said of her daughter.

“I am not. I am not angry,” Hill jokingly replied back.

“But it’s funny about how I started going to therapy because my mother said,’ I think you’re angry and you just don’t know you’re angry, and maybe you need to see somebody,’” Hill continued. “I’m like, ‘I ain’t angry!’”

Hill says her curiosity developed after being told she was angry and that prompted her to seek professional help.

“Yeah, ’cause I was like, ‘What? What are you talking about?’ So I was like, ‘Well, maybe I shall start seeing somebody just to see if this is true,'” she explained.

After attending therapy, Hill still believes she was never angry.

“What I found out is, like, that I wasn’t angry,” she quipped.

“Oh, you were angry,” her mother said in response.

“I’m not angry,” Hill said with a smile.

The candid discussion comes as Hill’s highly anticipated memoir, Uphill: A Memoir, which follows the journalist’s turbulent rise to success, hits stores.

The episode will stream at 9am PT / 12pm ET Oct. 26 on Facebook Watch.

by Derek Major

October 25, 2022

Locked Out: Under 5% of Washington’s Cannabis Retailers are Black—They’re Demanding Answers

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Only 4% of cannabis retailers in Washington State are Black-owned, according to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB).

Mike Asai, a Black entrepreneur from Seattle, remembers what it was like growing up during the War On Drugs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “Growing up in Seattle, in the 80s, [if you] just simply had a joint you would get five years in prison,” the co-founder of Emerald City Collective, one of the first medical cannabis retailers in Seattle told King5.

“[I’ve] seen that happen with family and friends and acquaintances, you know, for just that.”

Asai and his friend Peter Manning joined a cannabis collective that included Seattle-based retailers and growers in the early 2000s. However, in 2015 the state legalized recreational cannabis forcing Asai and Manning to close their business and apply for new licenses.

The two men paid city and state taxes and held all the necessary licenses to operate and because they were among the first to do so, they believed it would be a matter of time before they could reopen. However, the state had other ideas when it locked Black business owners out by granting only 19 (3.4%) of the state’s 558 recreational cannabis licenses to Black applicants.

“There is zero African American ownership in the city of Seattle, and to be supposedly this progressive state, this liberal state, it’s not showing,” Manning told King5.

Black, Indigenous, and other minorities have begun fighting back, demanding answers and action from the LCB at public meetings.

Washington State commissioned two independent reports in 2016 and 2019 auditing the LCB’s enforcement program and allegations of racial discrimination and failure to provide educational resources for applicants and inconsistent information concerning cannabis law in the state that left many with rejected applications.

LCB Board member Ollie Garrett, one of the only LCB board members on the state’s Social Equity In Cannabis Task Force (SECTS), said she considers it a failure that there are currently zero Black-owned cannabis dispensaries in Seattle.

The Task Force recommended allocating 38 cannabis licenses specifically to people of color. However, according to state records, more than half of the licenses are in areas where cannabis sales are banned—something Manning found ridiculous.

“What are you giving me?” Manning said. “A license that says I have the right to sell cannabis? But I can’t sell cannabis because I can’t open up in this location because it’s banned. How’s that equity?”

The task force recently discussed giving licenses to businesses that previously owned medical dispensaries, including Asai and Manning, and will submit its final report and recommendations in December. For now, Asai and Manning said the public should be more aware of where the money they spend on cannabis ends up, adding that Black Seattle residents want Black-owned stores in their community.