ESPN Announces Drake As Music Curator For This Season’s NFL Monday Night Football Games
It doesn’t seem like Drake is taking any losses recently and is only adding to his winning streak!
After releasing his highly anticipated album last week while breaking records in the process, ESPN has just announced that the Certified Lover Boy will be working with ESPN throughout the entire NFL season to curate music for select Monday Night Football games.
ESPN will be collaborating with Billboard’s Artist of the Decade to assist in choosing music that will capture both the energy and mood of the Monday Night Games that will be airing on the ESPN channel. The music curated by the Canadian will be a combination of Drake’s most recent releases, most likely some of his classic songs, as well as new material and sounds from other artists that he brings to the table. The curated music will all be played in Monday Night Football promotional spots, live telecasts and pre-game shows for 10 games this season, starting with this week’s game.
“Now we are here…the kickoff of the football season. And who better to curate music for Monday Night Football than Drake who sits firmly at the intersection of music and sports. We couldn’t be more excited for this upcoming collaboration,” said Emeka Ofodile, Vice President of Sports Marketing, ESPN in a written statement.
“The music curator role has been a big hit with our fans with Diplo and DJ Khaled in previous years….and this season, we will be living inside the moment with Drake as our NFL on ESPN soundtrack.”
Drake’s latest release has already broken streaming records that have never been achieved by any other artist. Certified Lover Boy topped the Apple Music charts as the most-streamed album in less than 24 hours after it was released on September 3. This makes Drake the most-streamed artist in a single day on the platform.
President Biden’s Executive Order To Make HBCUs More Equitable And Affordable Forgot The One Issue Making Life Harder for Black Students
President Joe Biden released an executive order last week to advance educational and economic opportunities, however he forgot the one issue plaguing Black college students.
The executive order aims to address racial disparities between HBCUs and majority-White schools by implementing new strategies to advance by expanding their access to federal funds and establishing a board of HBCU leaders to promote the school’s best interests.
“It is the policy of my Administration to advance educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity in partnership with HBCUs, and to ensure that these vital institutions of higher learning have the resources and support to continue to thrive for generations to come,” the executive order states.
However, the president seems to have forgotten his campaign promise to cancel student loan debt, which disproportionately impacts Black borrowers more than any other race. The type of student loan debt that Biden promised to cancel for HBCUs, institutional student debt, is different from federal loan forgiveness.
Unlike traditional student debt, institutional student debt is owed to a university by students and is typically used as collateral until the debt is paid off. Therefore, institutional student debt poses a significant threat to those trying to continue their education.
As a result, HBCUs have used COVID-19 emergency funds to cancel student loan debt for their students. Clark Atlanta, Wilberforce, Hampton, Grambling State University, and more than a dozen other HBCUs have cancelled their student debt to give them a leg up in the future.
During his presidential campaign, Biden promised to address the $1.7 trillion student debt crisis, reform student loan programs and forgive federal student loan debt for borrowers from public colleges and universities for families earning less than $125,000 per year, including HBCUs.
However, the president has targeted student loan debt for defrauded students and students with disabilities. Progressive Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer and a bevy of civil rights organizations have kept the pressure on Biden to keep his promise.
More than 36 civil rights organizations have detailed the impact student loan cancellation would have on Black borrowers. The organizations, which included the NAACP, wrote President Biden stating that Black borrowers typically owe 50% more than Black borrowers upon graduation and four years later owe 100% more.
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge doubled down telling Axios earlier this summer it’s clear who student loan debt affects.
“Who has student debt?” Fudge said. “Poor people, Black people, brown people. We’re the people who carry the most debt. And so the system’s already skewed toward us not being creditworthy.”
Brandy Melville Execs Reveal CEO Doesn’t Allow ‘Black or Fat’ Girls to Work in His Stores
A bombshell report has revealed the alleged “evil” work culture of abuse, racism, and discrimination taking place at the “one-size-fits-most” fashion brand for teen girls Brandy Melville.
According to a Business Insider report released on Tuesday, the company CEO Stephen Marsan is accused of creating a toxic work culture that promoted misogyny and racism. Execs at the cult favorite fashion brand say Marsan only allowed thin pretty white girls to work at his stores.
Former Senior Vice President Luca Rotondo revealed that Marsan told him to only hire girls who fit his standard. Rotondo says over the nine years working for the company, he had to fire hundreds of employees, particularly if Marsan felt a store had too many Black employees.
“If she was black, if she was fat … he didn’t want them in the store,” Rotondo said.
It was also revealed the countless employees who were fired for their race or physical appearance, NY Postreports. Marsan is accused of reviewing full-body photos of underage girls, some as young as 14, before deciding to hire them.
Marsan and other top executives reportedly had a group chat where racist and sexist memes were frequently shared, as noted by Daily Mail. Some texts included photos of Hitler and promoted racist and discriminatory practices against women.
Rotondo and former Canadian employees have since filed a lawsuit against Marsan and the company over claims they were fired from their positions for refusing to let go of fat or Black employees. Bastiat USA operates Brandy Melville’s American-based stores and denies the allegations.
“There was no sugar coating it,” a former New York regional manager said. “It was, ‘She is skinny, white, blond, and pretty — let’s hire her.”’
“Even if they were the best employees ever, they would only keep the ones that were pretty or mixed race,” they added.
The company’s alleged unprofessional behavior even includes an alleged sexual assault with a former 21-year-old New York store manager who claims she woke up in one exec’s bed the next morning after a night out for drinks. The company has yet to release a statement to the shocking allegations.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z Shot Their Tiffany & Co. Ad Inside This $42 Million Bel Air Mansion
The mansion where Beyoncé and Jay-Z shot their $30 million diamond campaign with Tiffany & Co. was nearly as expensive as the piece of jewelry.
The recent photoshoot where Beyoncé became the fourth woman to wear Tiffany’s 128.54-carat yellow gem took place at a $42 million mansion designed by Zoltan Pali.
One the home’s nine bedrooms. (Realtor.com)
The 18,850-square-foot home has nine bedrooms and 10 full bathrooms. The building, located in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, is three stories tall and “floats” in the shape of a propeller, the New York Post reported.
According to Realtor.com, the palace is finished with gold, white, and black marble imported from Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and China, in addition to limestone from Portugal and Italy.
Inside, the mansion has dual chef’s kitchens and living rooms, a 1,000-bottle wine room, a Dolby Atmos theater, and a wellness center, the listing read.
The outdoor oasis with fire pits and lounging space. (Realtor.com)
Outside the home, there’s a 6,000-square-foot oasis with shaded patios, fire pits, an LED-lit ozone pool and a hot tub. Also included in the 1.55-acre lot is a 30-car motor court, a four-bed guest house and a large grass yard.
The 30-car motor court and four-bed guest house. (Realtor.com)
The home was finished in December 2018 and listed for $56 million before the price was reduced to $42 million in May.
“Given its prominent positioning above a relatively developed neighborhood, the motivation behind the design of the home was to create a residence that could meld into its surroundings while maximizing views,” Pali’s firm wrote on its website.
The advertisement with Tiffany became controversial recently for several reasons: the diamond has colonial origins and the use of a never-before-seen “Equals Pi” print by late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat rendered in what Tiffany & Co perceived to be “Tiffany Blue.” But since the ad dropped, Basquiat’s former assistant rebuked that claim.
In fact, several of Basquiat’s friends and colleagues felt his art was used inappropriately.
One aspect of the project includes a $2 million donation toward scholarship and internship programs at historically Black colleges and universities. Also part of the agreement, the Carters will front upcoming campaigns and introduce new and exclusive jewelry for Tiffany.
Break Into Programming And Engineering With This $40 Arduino Learning Bundle
Your favorite gadgets are composed of all sorts of circuits, boards, and switches. Figuring out how they all work already seems like a Herculean effort, much more so if you try to put together hardware yourself. But like all things, electronics are made up of small parts that are put together. Gadgets are not so different from puzzles that are comprised of complex bits and pieces.
If you’ve always wondered how IoT devices function, or if you have any interest in developing and programming one yourself, the Ultimate Arduino Coding Power Course Bundle offers an in-depth introduction on making both hardware and software. For a limited time, you can grab it on sale for just $39.99.
This 13-pronged course package is mostly centered on Arduino, an open-source electronics prototyping platform often used by designers, developers, artists, and hobbyists to create interactive objects. While the bundle doesn’t include the board itself, it does pack expert-led instruction on how to make various things with Arduino.
With lessons taught by actual engineers, you’ll learn how to make your own Arduino circuit with various hardware components. You’ll go through lessons that explain how to design and piece together hardware, as well as how to program it to make it run seamlessly.
Once you’ve got the lowdown on the concepts, you can proceed with working on different projects like knight rider, chase effect, distance measuring, and more. You’ll get the chance to work on four mega projects that you can include in your portfolio, as well as exciting projects like an Arduino-based piano that you can actually make music with.
By the time you finish all 13 courses, you’ll be well-equipped with the tools and resources needed to pursue a career in coding, programming, and even engineering. The Ultimate Arduino Coding Power Course Bundle is valued at $2,600, but you can get it on sale for $39.99.
Howard University Forced To Cancel Classes After Ransomware Attack
Howard University was forced to cancel classes Tuesday after it was hit with a ransomware attack during Labor Day weekend, the university said in a statement.
The school said it’s been working to fully address the situation and restore operations and is asking students and staff to “please consider that remediation, after an incident of this kind, is a long haul – not an overnight solution.”
University officials added the campus was open to essential employees Wednesday, but online classes were cancelled and the campus WiFi is still down. The university has not identified who was responsible for the attack.
“We are currently working with leading external forensic experts and law enforcement to fully investigate the incident and the impact,” officials at Howard said. “To date, there has been no evidence of personal information being accessed or exfiltrated; however, our investigation remains ongoing, and we continue to work toward clarifying the facts surrounding what happened and what information has been accessed.
According to a Good Morning America report, the FBI and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) were warning companies before the Labor Day holiday to be wary of ransomware attacks. The agencies noted the last three large scale ransomware attacks came on holidays. The Colonial Pipeline hackoccurred on Mother’s Day. The attack on meat supplier JBS came on Memorial Day and IT management company Kaseya was hacked on Independence Day.
Attacks on companies have skyrocketed as companies continue to cut corners on cybersecurity. The FBI and CISA received more than 790,000 complaints related to ransomware and other cyberattacks. Both agencies believe this year will easily pass 2020 figures.
Howard University recently announced the expansion of a partnership with JPMorgan Chase in which the bank will assist the university on cybersecurity and fraud protections well as becoming the university’s primary bank
Facebook Apologizes For Its AI Labeling Black Men As ‘Primates’
Facebook is apologizing for the “unacceptable error” from its artificial intelligence software that labeled Black men as “primates.”
The video was first uploaded by the Daily Mail on June 27, 2020, and showed an encounter between a white man and a group of Black men who were celebrating a birthday. After the video was reposted on Facebook, viewers who watched it were then prompted by a message reading, “Keep seeing videos about Primates?”
Former Facebook employee Darci Groves took a screenshot of the racially insensitive pop-up and shared it on Twitter.
“Um. This “keep seeing” prompt is unacceptable,@Facebook And despite the video being more than a year old, a friend got this prompt yesterday,” Groves said. “Friends at FB, please escalate. This is egregious.”
Um. This “keep seeing” prompt is unacceptable, @Facebook. And despite the video being more than a year old, a friend got this prompt yesterday. Friends at FB, please escalate. This is egregious. pic.twitter.com/vEHdnvF8ui
On Friday, a Facebook spokesperson apologized for the software error.
“This was clearly an unacceptable error,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the NY Times. “As we have said, while we have made improvements to our AI we know it’s not perfect and we have more progress to make. We apologize to anyone who may have seen these offensive recommendations.”
The social networking site has since disabled the entire topic recommendation feature after they were made aware of the software error, The Vergereports.
The snafu comes six years after Google faced backlash for an image recognition software error that classified photos of Black people as “gorillas.” Google issued out an apology at the time and removed the labels of gorilla, chimp, chimpanzee and monkey appearing in any association with photos of Black people.
Most recently, Facebook removed a flood of hateful comments targeted at Grammy award-winning singer Lizzo. It was a groundbreaking move the site made in an attempt to prevent cyberbullying on its platform.
Bill Cosby Accuser Andrea Constand Calls Him A ‘Sexually Violent Predator’ After His Prison Release
Bill Cosby’s accuser Andrea Constand has finally broken her silence on his release from prison. Constand was the one survivor whose story was recent and provable enough to put the disgraced comedian behind bars for three years.
In June, Cosby was released from prison after his conviction on sexual assault charges was overturned by Pennsylvania’s highest court, ABC Newsreports. The Cosby Show star was sentenced in September 2018 to three to 10 years in state prison for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting Constand, a former Temple University employee, in 2004.
After serving about three years of his sentence, the 83-year-old was released from the State Correctional Institution Phoenix in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Now, nearly three months later, Constand is speaking out against Cosby regaining his freedom.
“Disgusting,” Constand said on NBC Today. “Didn’t surprise me, given the level of the arrogance and having no remorse. During the time he was incarcerated, absolutely zero remorse for what he did to me.”
She made sure to label Cosby as a “sexually violent predator who basically was let out of jail.”
Constand’s testimony resulted in Cosby being hit with three felony counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and assaulting Constand back in 2004. Cosby always proclaimed his innocence despite the evidence and verdict and reiterated his stance upon his prison release.
“I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence,” Cosby said in a statement. “Thank you to all my fans, supporters, and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rule of law.”
Cosby’s early release came after The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that because the district attorney promised Cosby in 2005 that he would never be criminally charged, he should have never been charged 10 years later. The Court claimed Cosby’s due process rights had been violated.
“I was really shocked. Disappointed,” Constand said. “How can a district attorney enforce a decision on a backroom handshake? How can you give any credibility to that?”
After regaining his freedom, Cosby teased his hopes of getting back on the road in a comedy tour. Constand expressed her disdain for the possible move.
“I don’t really care,” Constand said. “But anybody that gives him a platform to speak, to joke — rape is not a joke.”
Take A Look Inside Biggie Smalls’ Former Apartment Selling For $1.7M
The apartment Notorious B.I.G. lived in during his rap career and before his death is on the market for $1.7 million—and it’s all good in his old Brooklyn neighborhood.
Christopher George Latore Wallace, known as Biggie Smalls, owned the Brooklyn apartment in 1994 where he resided with his wife, Faith Evans, and her daughter, Chyna Tahjere Griffin, The NY Postreported.
The legendary Mo Money Mo Problems rapper released one of his most notable albums, Ready to Die, while living in the home. He was fatally shot by an unknown shooter a few years later in 1997 while in Los Angeles.
Located in the Fort Greene neighborhood, the apartment is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex just blocks from a street named after the musician.
The chef’s kitchen and dining space. (Compass)
Throughout the city, one can find depictions of Biggie in street art and murals. He grew up in a Clinton Hill apartment at 226 St. James Place. According to The Post, the “one-room shack” now rents for more than $4,000 a month. It was also featured in the documentary, Biggie: The Life of Notorious B.I.G.
The current owner of Biggie’s former Fort Greene home is Caroline Duncan, a notable costume designer whose works include The Affair and When They See Us.
Duncan renovated the home after purchasing it in 2011. The “chic, artistic haven” now features a custom library, walk-through closets, and tons of lofted space.
Newly renovated library with built-in bookshelves. (Compass)The large walk-in closet. (Compass)
“When I moved in, the basement was just a raw space with concrete floors,” Duncan told The Post. “I framed and put up all the walls and created a bathroom with barn wood and modern finishes, a massive walk-through closet to showcase my collection of clothing and accessories, a laundry room and bedrooms.”
“Upstairs had been carved into a series of puzzling small rooms, so I did the opposite and knocked down all the walls to create a lofted open space,” she continued. “I loved the neighborhood, the proximity to Fort Greene Park, the fact that the building is on the Historic Register and had the bones of a true artist’s residence.”
The home also includes a newly installed chef’s kitchen, 12-foot-high ceilings, an immense arched window, a wood-burning brick fireplace, and large timber beams.
Take a look and get “hypnotized” by this plush $1.7M pad formerly owned by The Notorious B.I.G.
The primary bathroom. (Compass)The freestanding soaking tub. (Compass)One of the apartment’s two bedrooms (Compass)The home’s living room with a wood-burning fireplace. (Compass)The primary bathroom. (Compass)
How Adrian Devezin Is Empowering High School Students To Secure Six-Figure Careers
Today, we live in an era where traditional career paths are being re-evaluated, and skill set is now the new name of the game.
Adrian Devezin out of Atlanta is the creator and founder of Empowr, a nonprofit that develops programs for high schoolers to learn technical skills to position them to secure six-figure jobs upon graduation. We recently caught up with him to talk about the program and how it’s transforming students’ lives who are changing the game for themselves and their generation.
Why do you think that Empowr is an in-demand program for high schoolers?
Empowr is essentially dismantling the many systemic obstacles that our people face, and in its place, creating the school-to-career pipeline. We enable high schoolers to spend their four years learning a skill that allows them to earn approximately six figures at 18. We don’t just teach them the skill either; we partner with organizations that enable us to have a near 100% hire rate for our graduates. Completing our program sets Black students up for a tremendous amount of success in life.
However, it’s not all about the money. In year two of our program, students will design, create, and release their own apps and businesses. In addition, our students go through leadership training, including meeting civil rights leaders, Q&A sessions with CEOs, and more. We don’t just create Black wealth; we create Black leaders.
Why have you dedicated yourself to the Empowr movement?
I feel as if my whole life has been leading up to Empowr. As a child, I did not do well in the education system. I was an intelligent kid who was barely skating by in school. I had a few good teachers (shout out to my 8th-grade math teacher), but overall, my teachers just assumed I was a failure. I was confused and questioned the system. Therefore, I eventually gave up on the education system and began working retail jobs. While in a call center, I decided I would teach myself software development. Every day after working my 9 to 5, I began working my 5 to 9. I would stay up late learning more and more about software development and creating new projects. A couple of years later, I landed my first job here in Atlanta.
I was flown out by the Big 4 tech companies such as Google and Facebook within six months. There was still a problem though, none of the people at these companies were Black. Despite many friendly faces, I didn’t feel like I belonged. As time went on and I grew more successful, I decided I was going to change things. I was going to ensure every kid like me had the same opportunities.
How did you discover the solution to the problem?
I began doing research, and the statistics were alarming but not surprising. Over 43% of Black students did not have access to the math and science classes to become college-ready. Black schools were given fewer resources, and school districts were creating a prison pipeline from our schools. Regardless of their potential, Black students would have very little chance of success. People were speaking about these things, but they kept referring to it as a leak in the pipeline; I disagree. The pipeline functions as it should; it was just never built to include Black children. I knew that this had to be fixed. Empowr is the creation of years of research, observation, feedback, and experience.
Talk about your partnership with other organizations to aim for a 96% hire rate?
It can be challenging for new engineers to get their foot in the door, so I began partnering with recruitment networks and organizations to ensure all my students would have a job. By creating this network, the recruiters know my students’ exact level upon graduation and can place them with confidence and ease.
Recruiters will also work with the students beforehand to help them tailor their résumés and prep for interviews.
What are the criteria—does everyone who applies get accepted?
Our classes are limited for now, which means not everyone gets accepted. We look for motivated and determined students. You do not have to make straight A’s (I graduated high school with just a 2.0 GPA) or be a science whiz. We look for students who are good problem solvers and who put in the work. The program spans multiple years, so we are only accepting 9th and 10th-grade students. We plan to have different offerings in the future for upper-level high schoolers.
You are also looking for volunteers to support the program—can you share what qualities, skills, or attributes would be of interest?
We have plans to scale our program nationwide in the coming years. We need the help of the community to do that. If you can, we appreciate all donations to Empowr. Donations go directly to supporting our students; you can find out more here. For those who do not have the means to donate now, Amazon has a program where Amazon will donate money to Empowr every time you shop on their site. You can set it up quickly here. If you would like to help us directly, we are looking for a wide variety of volunteers. We need a lot of people for the next generation educational platform that we are building.
Empowr’s goal is to create content that the upcoming generation enjoys consuming. This means TikTok stars, social media influencers, musicians and artists, or anyone with a following. So, if you are part of this upcoming generation and a content creator, please reach out.
Tech leaders or experts should also reach out to us directly. We are looking to have you speak to our students and contribute to our content. We are also looking for lots of people with technical experience. If you are a Kotlin, Swift, Web, UX, SQL, or Machine Learning engineer, we could use your help. We have some fantastic projects kicking off and need as much help as possible.
