Entertainment

Janet Jackson is hitting the road again.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is set to kick off her Black Diamond World Tour in arenas across North America this summer.

The all-new production will feature new music from her forthcoming “Black Diamond” album which will be released this year.

The tour will include music from her 12 multi-platinum albums as well as a special performance of “Rhythm Nation 1814,” which recently marked its 30th Anniversary.

The tour kicks off in Miami on June 24 and will hit several major cities across North America including New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden and Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“Black diamond, it’s the toughest of the stones, of the diamonds to cut,” she said. “It’s hard to hurt, to destroy. In recent years, I’ve come to realize that I’m incredibly strong.”

European dates and more will be announced later.

Source: edition.cnn.com

Nigerian music star Burna Boy has set Twitter alight with the words: “Fact! I always knew I was and I am THE BEST… since Fela Kuti”, the Afrobeat pioneer who died in 1997.

The word “Burna” has been trending in Nigeria since the 28-year-old musician’s tweet, which has so far received more than 3,900 retweets and 35,300 likes.

Though some have been less than impressed by the musician’s claim:

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FACT! I always knew I was and I am THE BEST. Everyone you think is the best KNOWS I’m BEST since Fela Kuti. But @timayatimaya told me something a long time ago that made me not care about being the best. “The World can do without the Best” the world will still spin regardless.

— Burna Boy (@burnaboy) February 12, 2020

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Any man who must say ‘I am the king’ is no true king.

~Tywin Lannister~ https://t.co/WGX04mAhFs

— A J A Y I – È K Ó 🇳🇬 (@ajayieko) February 12, 2020

Source: BBC

“I’m so mad,” the grieving mother and widow said in a candid and heartbreaking post.

Vanessa Bryant is revealing the complex emotions she has been experiencing since the sudden and shocking deaths of her husband, NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and their 13-year-old daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant.

On Monday, the grief-stricken mother and widow posted a heartbreaking message to Instagram in which she admitted she has been “reluctant” to write about her feelings, but wanted to do so to help others who may also be grieving the loss of a loved one.

“My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone,” she wrote alongside a montage of Gianna playing basketball and Kobe proudly supporting her. “I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me.”

“It feels wrong,” she continued. “Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn’t being able to have that opportunity? I’m so mad. She had so much life to live.”

Bryant then points out the difficulty of being devastated while trying to remain a supportive mother for her other children.

“Then I realize I need to be strong and be here for my 3 daughters,” she wrote. “Mad I’m not with Kobe and Gigi but thankful I’m here with Natalia, Bianka and Capri.”

Subscribe to the Entertainment email. Don’t miss a beat. Your culture and entertainment cheat-sheet. address@email.com Bryant then put all of her feelings into perspective.

“I know what I’m feeling is normal,” she wrote. “It’s part of the grieving process. I just wanted to share in case there’s anyone out there that’s experienced a loss like this. God I wish they were here and this nightmare would be over.”

Last week, the 37-year-old mother shared a series of heartbreaking images and videos featuring the jersey retirement of Gianna, who like her father, was a talented basketball player.

Kobe and Gianna Bryant were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, last month alongside seven other people.

“Praying for all of the victims of this horrible tragedy,” Vanessa Bryant concluded her post on Monday. “Please continue to pray for all.”

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View this post on Instagram

I’ve been reluctant to put my feelings into words. My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone. I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me. It feels wrong. Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn’t being able to have that opportunity?! I’m so mad. She had so much life to live. Then I realize I need to be strong and be here for my 3 daughters. Mad I’m not with Kobe and Gigi but thankful I’m here with Natalia, Bianka and Capri. I know what I’m feeling is normal. It’s part of the grieving process. I just wanted to share in case there’s anyone out there that’s experienced a loss like this. God I wish they were here and this nightmare would be over. Praying for all of the victims of this horrible tragedy. Please continue to pray for all.

A post shared by Vanessa Bryant 🦋 (@vanessabryant) on Feb 10, 2020 at 11:14am PST

Source: huffpost.com

American rapper, Ace Hood and his longtime partner Shelah Marie are officially married.

The rapper whose real name is Antoine McColister got married to the self-love advocate and lifestyle entrepreneur on Friday, February 7, 2020. The wedding was attended by friends and family of the couple.

Ace Hood and Shelah Marie, who have been together for so many years before getting engaged in April 2019, are parents to two children, Lyric and Sailor McColister.

See more photos below.

Source: Ameyawdebrah.com

Erykah Badu has been working on different items for her new online store, one of which is a fragrance that smells like her vagina.

She announced the new perfume, called Badu’s Pussy, in an interview with 10 Magazine, which she said is an “olfactory tribute to what Badu calls her ‘superpower.’”

“There’s an urban legend that my pussy changes men,” she said. “The men that I fall in love with, and fall in love with me, change jobs and lives.”

She explained the process of making the fragrance, which included burning some of her underwear. “I took lots of pairs of my panties, cut them up into little pieces and burned them,” she said. “Even the ash is part of it.”

She also revealed that she no longer wears underwear, so she didn’t care about offering them up. “The people deserve it!” she said. The new scent will be available through her Badu World Market store on Feb. 20.

During the interview, she also discussed the controversial comments she made in 2018 about Bill Cosby and Adolf Hitler, where she painted both figures in a positive light. “People formed the ‘offendocracy,’” she said. “People are entitled to their opinions, but I think that group lynchings are ridiculous.”

She spoke on Hitler during the same conversation: “I don’t even know what anti-Semitic was before I was called it. I’m a humanist. I see good in everybody. I saw something good in Hitler.”

Source: Complex

Step father of late highlife singer, Kofi Boakye Yiadom, popularly known as Kofi B has said the family is still in shock over the death of their son. The step father reacting to news of the sudden death of Kofi B said they had no idea he was sick.

Speaking in an interview with Adom FM, Agya Kwaku Addae said Kofi B visited during the Christmas Holidays, and there was no indication that he was suffering from any ailments. He said he was utterly shocked when the call came through with news that he had passed after complaining of chest pains.

“I was at church when they called me. Kofi was my son even though not biologically, but I married his mum when he was young and he became my son. He was here this Christmas, we didn’t know he was sick. I got the call this morning, I am so sad”, he told Adom News.

Kofi B’s mother who was also in a state of shock said she didn’t believe it when she heard the news. Describing her son as exceptional, she said she never anticipated the news that she got about her son. She said she had plans of speaking to him earlier that day about a conversation they had had, only to receive the devastating news.

“My son was a good man who didn’t have any problems with anyone. I had spoken to him earlier in the week and was going to call him today to follow up on our conversation only to be confronted with this bad news”, she said.

Kofi B died on Sunday 2nd February, 2020, in Cape Coast, after complaining of chest pains.

Information on his final funeral rites is yet to be communicated to the public.

Source: Ghanaweb

Highlife musician Kofi Nti has described the death of his colleague and friend Kofi B as unfortunate explaining that Kofi B had always had high blood pressure.

Giving details on how the unfortunate incident happened, Kofi Nti explained that Kofi B real name, Kofi Boakye Yiadom had told him a week ago he was not well and was receiving treatment at End Point Homeopathic Clinic.

“I knew he was not well before we embarked on a journey to Abaase Domenase in the Central Region.

“I have always known that Kofi B had high blood pressure but I didn’t know how intense it had become”, he said in a radio interview on Accra based Peace FM on Sunday morning.

According to him, the two were booked for a birthday bash for a chief at Abaase Domenase on Sunday February 2.

He explained that they lodged in a hotel in the town ready to play the show only for Kofi B to bang on his door around 2:30 am that he was not feeling too good.

“I was still sleepy until I heard a big knock again that he couldn’t help it so I woke up and rushed him to a nearby hospital in his own car that we drove in together to this place.

“When we got to the hospital, I had to carry him to see the doctor but I was told he died before we got to the hospital.

“As we speak now, Kofi B is no more and his remains are at the mortuary where they refer to as the cold room here”, he said.

“I am sure the family members will love to do an autopsy to find out what actually killed their loved one.

“The sad news is that Kofi B died at dawn today [February 2, 2020]. He is no more and I am really going to miss him because he was more than a brother to me” he said.

Kofi B, a highlife musician was known for songs such as ‘Koforidua Flowers’, ‘Mobrowa’, among others.

Source: Graphic

The nominations for the 3rd edition of the 3Music Awards were announced on January 30, 2020.

Leading the nomination for this year’s edition is rapper, Sarkodie.

The 2019 Artiste of the Decade swept 13 awards with his works including ones from his just-released album ‘Black Love’.

Sarkodie was nominated under the award scheme’s biggest category ‘Song of the Year’ with ‘Saara’ which features songstress Efya.

He was also nominated for the Male Act of The Year, Hiplife/Hip-hop Act of The Year, Video of The Year, Hiplife Song of the Year, Hip-hop Song of the Year, Best Collaboration of the Year, Afrobeat/Afropop Song of the Year, Fan Army of the Year, Digital Act of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Performer of the Year.

Sarkodie was nominated twice in the Hip-hop Song of the Year with Bleeding and Biibi Ba.

‘Saara’ featuring Efya alone earned him three nominations while ‘Biibi Ba’ gathered two.

Dancehall artistes Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy followed closely with 10 nominations each.

The two were nominated side-by-side in about five categories including Reggae/Dancehall Act of the Year, Reggae/Dancehall Song of the Year, Best Performer of the Year, Male Act of the Year and the biggest award on the night Song of the Year.

Ololo, Shuga, Kpo Keke are some of Stonebwoy’s songs that were nominated.

Some of Shatta Wale’s work which earned him nominations are Melissa, Cultural Anthem, Wonder Boy album, Island.

Medikal was nominated under eight categories, whiles Kwesi Arthur came in with seven nominations. His song ‘Noboby’ featuring Mr Eazi off his LFNKII album earned him three nominations.

Wendy Shay followed with six nominations including Female Act of the Year, Digital Act of the Year, Album of the Year and the Song of the Year award. She is also the only female with that high number of nominations.

Singer Cina Soul has for the first time been nominated in some of the award scheme’s big categories including Highlife Song of the Year and Video of the Year with ‘Ojorley’. She was also nominated for the Highlife Act of the Year and the Best Female Vocal Performance award.

One song who’s nomination many Ghanaians anticipated was Kofi Kinaata’s Things Fall Apart.  It was nominated for both Song of the Year and the Highlife Song of the Year.

Other acts nominated include Lynx Entertainment signees KiDi and Kuami Eugene who are going head to head for the Highlife Song of the Year and the Highlife Act of the Year award.

KiDi’s debut album ‘Sugar’ is also in the running for the Album of the Year award.

King Promise, Pappy Kojo, Joey B, Fameye, DopeNation are some of the artistes nominated.

Source: Myjoyonline

The Kenyan pop band Sauti Sol have announced that they have signed a recording deal with Universal Music Group.

They posted the news on Facebook:

Sauti Sol released their first album in 2008 and are one of their most famous bands in Kenya, with their song from May, Extravanganza, still heard regularly in Nairobi’s bars.

They already have their own record label called Sol Generation Records which has signed Kenyan singer Bensoul.

Observers say this deal could give them access to the global market of music consumers.

The Los Angeles based Universal Music Group is the world’s biggest music company and has had its sights set on the African music scene for a while, reports Quartz news site.

In 2018 Universal bought the Nairobi-based AI records and set up offices in Ivory Coast and Nigeria.