Courtesy PhotoPatti LaBelle is counter suing the West Point cadet who has claimed that she ordered her bodyguards to attack him at an airport in Houston, Texas.
The soul singer's lawsuit accuses Richard King of drunkenly instigating the attack by swearing at her, using racially and sexually insensitive language and attempting to force his way into her car. This legal petition is LaBelle's first official response to King's lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month. The singer is seeking actual damages and litigation costs.
King's suit claims that the incident on March 11 at George H.W. Bush Intercontinental airport happened because LaBelle believed he was standing too close to her belongings outside the terminal.
The altercation between King and LaBelle's entourage was captured on a security camera, but King was off-camera during parts of the footage and there was no sound recorded, resulting in both sides providing very different accounts of the event.
There are plenty of artists that have come and gone in the past thirty years, but none seems like no other keeps it coming harder than R&B artist, Charlie Wilson. Coming off of the success of his recent album, Just Charlieand a 2010 Grammy nomination for his hit single, There Goes My Baby, Wilson it riding higher than ever before. In fact, Wilson may be one of the few remaining showman of his time.
In addition to his dynamic vocals, Wilson is known for his dapper, dressed to kill attire.
"I'm putting a new face on old school R&B shows", chuckled Wilson.
Growing up, Wilson said he was influenced by Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, and Sly and The Family Stone. He cultivated his voice in church, and his school choir back in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He still takes great pride in being one of the most energetic showmen, despite his age.
"Three weeks ago, Rick Ross came on stage with me. They hit me up on Facebook and were like, wow, Uncle Charlie put it down" said Wilson.
Step Afrika! Hit the Mark
When the drum was banned during slavery in the United States, it was seen as a weapon, a powerful instrument that could send messages to incite the Africans in bondage to rise up and revolt against their enslavers. And so the drum was "taken away." Intonations of this pivotal time in African American history became part of the script for Washington's first and only Cultural Ambassadors, Step Afrika! during its amazing recent production, "The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence." Dancers circled the rounded stage at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, telling the audience "they took the drums away." But by no means did that put an end to the innovative use of percussion by African descendants in the Americas, and Step Afrika! eloquently illustrated the transformation of the drum to percussive dance steps which is now known as stepping.
Using the impetus of another Washington icon, the paintings by Jacob Lawrence known as the Migration Series, owned by the Phillips Collection, Step Afrika! added a narrative performance to enhance the story told in the 60 colorful panels Lawrence painted between 1940 and 1941 when the artist was only 23 and living in Harlem. The paintings follow the story of the Great Migration, when freed slaves traveled up north, mainly by railroad, to find a new home in the urban centers of the East Coast and Midwest providing manpower for the burgeoning industrial revolution and creating a culture that endures and is evident to this day. The entire series is owned jointly between the Phillips Collection and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Throughout your life, you've done some regretful things.
Riding your bike downhill with iffy brakes, that was one of them. Cutting your own hair. Sassing your grandma while she was standing close. And then there was that time you ate something somebody said "tastes good."
You can attribute that to being young and dumb, but there's no excuse when you're grown. Dating the wrong person, going clubbing in some hideous outfit, that email to the boss: all impulsive, all regretful.
So could five 18-year-olds be forgiven for bartering their futures? Blue Hamilton thought so, but in the new novel "Just Wanna Testify" by Pearl Cleage, compassion nearly cost Blue his life.
Regina Hamilton was blessed.
If a break-in that took place last year at Bishop Eddie Long's New Birth Missionary Church office proceeds to trial, the disgraced bishop could be called on to testify, according to The Christian Post evangelical magazine.
Long recently settled lawsuits to the tune of $25 million that were brought against him last September by four young men who accused the church leader of engaging in sexual acts with them. The Christian Post reported that Anthony Boyd, a former security guard at the Lithonia, Ga., mega church, was accused a year ago of breaking into Long's office and stealing $100,000 worth of jewelry and electronics. Among the items were an iPad and iPhone.
"He's certainly a witness that would have to be called by somebody. The state or the defense, Boyd's attorney David Fife was quoted as saying.
While investigators have reportedly said that security cameras captured video of two men using a key to enter Long's office, Boyd has maintained his innocence. He claimed that Maurice Robinson and Anthony Flagg, two of the men who filed the lawsuits against Long, broke into the office to collect evidence against him for their lawsuits.
The Christian Post also reported that during the month before the men's lawsuits became public, Long had asked the DeKalb County district attorney to drop the burglary charges against Boyd and Robinson, but his request was denied.
The Soul Train has finally made its last stop, and what better place than the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture for the show's 40th anniversary?
Last night, the Smithsonian showcased an exhibit featuring a collection from what many know as the "hippest trip in America."
One of the first Black shows to have crossover appeal in the country, Soul Train, which was launched in 1971 by the legendary Don Cornelius, seduced people from all over the globe to move their bodies for one hour every Saturday morning. The show also highlighted some of the best acts in Pop, R&B, and Hip-Hop throughout its 35 years of existence.
Check our exclusive video from the ceremony and party, which features Tony Cornelius (Don's son), Kenard Gibbs (CEO of Soul Train Holdings), Questlove of The Roots, and original Soul Train dancer Tyrone "The Bone" Proctor.
Text continued after video.
Had he lived, Sam Cooke would have turned 80-years-old in January of this year. His life and legacy were celebrated with the naming of 36th Street, Chicago, Illinois as Sam Cooke Way on Saturday, June 18.
The location of Sam Cooke Way in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, is birthplace to some of Chicago's most talented artists in music and the associated arts. It is where the Cooke family settled after migrating from Clarksdale, Mississippi in the early 1930's, initially residing at 3527 Cottage Grove Avenue and later moving to 724 E. 36th Street.
Young Sam Cooke attended the neighborhood's Doolittle Elementary School and, in 1948, graduated from Wendell Phillips High School. The unveiling of the new Sam Cooke Way street sign took place with the participation of the office of 4th Ward Alderman Will Burns, 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell, Sam Cooke's younger brothers L.C. and David Cooke as well as other Cooke family members, legendary radio personality and "Mayor of Bronzeville" Herb Kent, Cook Country Commissioner Jerry Butler (himself a soul music legend, who proclaimed June 18, 2011 as Sam Cooke Day in conjunction with the street naming ceremony), and Chicago Blues Museum CEO Gregg Parker and well over 400 Sam Cooke fans and fellow musicians.
Kid Cudi will perform on July 2 at Merriweather Post in Columbia, Md. (Courtesy Photo)"Wake up, I heard they found a solution. Where will you be for the revolution?" That's the tag line for KID CuDi's CD, "Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager."
Somehow this line holds true for Cudi (born Scott Mescudi) who is currently working on his next album, except he is not alone. Cudi recently founded a rock band with Dot Da Genius, c alled "2 Be Continuum." They just released their first single, "Perfect is the Word." The song is appropriately titled and very close to perfection -- especially for those music lovers who welcome a new sound. This song is also very much rock, infused with electro and psychedelic influences.
Rev. Brenda Stripling Nichols - One Minute Devotional
I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
Psalm 37:25 (NIV)
When Hubby’s company transferred him to Charleston, South Carolina, we had a five year old, a newborn baby and more expenses than money. One Sunday morning, after paying all the bills and buying meds for our oldest son and me, we found ourselves without money for groceries. This was a first for us.
With no family or friends to turn to, worried and in low spirits we decided to go to church anyhow. I remember the preacher saying, “There’s someone here today who doesn’t know how they’re going to feed their family.” My hubby dropped his head and started to cry. “But I promise you,” the preacher continued, “before you get hungry this day the Lord will provide!” I buried my face in my baby’s neck to hide my tears from my older child.
Trusting in the preacher’s promise and believing God for a miracle, we drove around downtown before heading home. When we arrived at the house my husband’s Mother and sister were waiting … having driven all the way from Florida to surprise us!
“Boy,” his Mama yelled, hugging and kissing us, “Where have y’all children been? We just finished shopping! Get here and get these groceries out the trunk before they spoil!”
Two Caribbean Festival attendees show off their colorful attire. (Photo by Carlos Hernandez)When it comes to cultural celebrations, theD.C. Caribbean Festival has usually been everything one could ever imagine. At the onset, things were no different for this year's event as residents from various ethnic backgrounds made their way to Georgia Avenue to partake of the cultural offerings from places like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic and Haiti.
The colorful costumes were just as breath-taking as the parade of floats that passed along, and the mood-setting mix of music kept pace with members of the lively crowd – many of whom spiritedly danced alone or with each other.
"I felt it was fun and it felt like being immersed in a world of culture," said Clark Forcey, a 21-year-old Columba Heights resident. "It was very diverse."
Although multiple fights that broke out later caused the festival to be cut short, there were still plenty of positive moments that resonated a good time.
The festival, which features a tropical arena of food and is held annually to encourage cross-cultural programs in the D.C. Metro area, also educates the community in Caribbean arts and crafts.
First Lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by her daughters and her mother, visited the Nelson Mandela Foundation and was given a tour by Graca Machel, Mandela’s wife, of an exhibit chronicling the 27 years Mandela was imprisoned at Robben Island. / Courtesy photoFirst Lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by her daughters and her mother, visited the Nelson Mandela Foundation and was given a tour by Graca Machel, Mandela's wife, of an exhibit chronicling the 27 years Mandela was imprisoned at Robben Island.
After the tour, the Obamas went to the official residence of Mandela, who welcomed her entire family, including a niece and nephew travelling with them.
Mandela, who turns 93 next month, has received few guests since January when he was admitted to hospital with an acute respiratory infection.
Mrs. Obama met briefly with Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma, one of President Jacob Zuma's three wives, and a group of about 100 invitees in Pretoria, but she not get a meeting with the President.
South African officials insisted that Zuma was simply busy – but in fact the visit coincides with a cooling in relations between South Africa and the U.S. Last week, President Zuma issued a sharp riposte to an appeal to African leaders by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to help remove Libya's Col. Muammar Gaddafi.
"We strongly believe that the (U.N. Security Council) resolution is being abused for regime change, political assassinations and foreign military occupation," Zuma told parliament the day after Clinton's speech.
Written by By Fungai Maboreke-Special to the NNPA from the Global Information Network
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