Idris Elba, renowned British actor and DJ, is steering his creative process towards building a “smart eco-city” on Sherbro Island, off Sierra Leone’s coast. Elba’s Plans According to CNN, Elba, a Sierra Leonean citizen, focuses on blending technological innovation and environmental consciousness in this project. The initiative, in collaboration with Sherbro Alliance Partners and the Sierra Leone government, is an investment venture and a heartening return to his roots, as Elba’s father hailed from Sierra Leone. Sherbro Island, approximately the size of Chicago and historically significant in the slave trade
Usher’s New Look (UNL) and IBM have embarked on a groundbreaking collaboration to foster career readiness in AI and professional workplace skills. UNL is a 501c3 organization founded by Usher Raymond IV in 1999 that supports a vision that all youth should be afforded the chance to unlock their full potential. Transforming under-resourced youth IBM SkillsBuild is a free education program focused on underrepresented communities in tech. The partnership with UNL is set to transform the lives of thousands of high school and college students, especially those from underrepresented communities in technology. “Joining
Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, a multi-Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, has recently raised $7.5 million for his startup, EngineEars. Ali’s journey in music has been marked by his work with influential artists like Roddy Ricch, Donald Glover, and Kendrick Lamar. Ali’s Journey To Music Ali’s passion for music emerged from having little to no formal musical training and growing up with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He found his calling in high school by experimenting with technology and music, leading to his early experiments with custom ringtones that laid the groundwork for a
The estate of Donna Summer, the legendary Queen of Disco, has accused rapper Kanye “Ye” West of copyright infringement amid AI concerns. Allegations Against West This accusation centers around a song from West’s recent collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign, “Vultures 1.” The estate claims that West sought permission to use Summer’s iconic track “I Feel Love” but was denied. Despite this, the album’s song “Good (Don’t Die)” features lyrics and melodies eerily reminiscent of Summer’s classic. The song includes the lyric, “Oh, I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive, oh,” along with
In celebration of Black History Month 2024, themed “African Americans and the Arts,” we wanted to focus on the Afrofuturism and it’s evolution and influence over the years. Afrofuturism is a movement that merges science fiction, tech, history, and African diaspora culture. Origins And Evolution Afrofuturism, a term coined by Mark Dery in 1993, has roots that trace back even before it was named. It represents a cultural, aesthetic, and philosophical movement encompassing science, technology, and the history of the African diaspora. As author and filmmaker Ytasha L. Womack described,
Grammy-award-winning producer Jermaine Dupri and his label So So Def Recordings have announced a new multi-year partnership with Create Music Group. Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings So So Def Recordings was founded by Dupri in 1993, and since then, he has worked with many successful artists at the start of their careers. He produced Usher’s diamond-certified album “Confessions” and Mariah Carey’s platinum album “Emancipation of Mimi.” As part of the new deal, So So Def Recordings will bring all of its recordings, publishing, and back catalog to Create Music
In the Black Network (ITBN) has launched ITBN Africa, featuring 70 hours of programming committed to highlighting the creative voices that represent African cultures. ITBN is an AVOD streaming service that highlights Black voices and original stories that are culturally significant and relatable to all audiences. Viewers can access multi-genre content from Black creators, including sports, music, scripted, drama, talk, kids, and family or feature films. ITBN Africa ITBN Africa started on February 5th and expanded its library of titles by adding additional independent TV series, films, and documentaries. The collection
This year’s Black History Month theme, African Americans and the Arts, invites us to delve into a rich cultural heritage. This month, we will be celebrating the diverse artistic contributions of African Americans across multiple domains and spotlighting the intersection of Black arts and technology. The Origins Of Black History Month Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) and announced Negro History Week in 1925. Woodson had hoped to raise awareness of African Americans’ contributions to civilization, and the event
YouTube videos are using a mix of AI-generated and manipulated media to create fake content with disinformation about dozens of Black celebrities, NBC News reports. Diddy-related Fake News Many of the videos found include figures such as Sean “Diddy” Combs, TV host Steve Harvey, actor Denzel Washington, and Bishop TD Jakes. They have pushed fake narratives that stem from recent lawsuits against Combs. Other videos have implicated figures like Jakes in the allegations against Combs without evidence and used manipulated media to depict the celebrities engaging in lewd acts. NBC
In a striking turn of events, the renowned rapper Snoop Dogg’s ad campaign for Solo Stove backfired, resulting in the exit of the company’s CEO, John Merris. The campaign, which cleverly hinted at Snoop Dogg giving up smoking, ultimately failed to boost sales as expected. The “Smokeless” Campaign In a bold marketing move, Solo Brands aired a commercial in which Snoop Dogg announced he was “giving up smoke,” leading many to believe he was quitting his well-known affinity for weed. However, the ad was a clever ruse for Solo Stove,
