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Artist Trevor Jackson is getting real about money. The Indianapolis native’s foray in the entertainment industry was inspired by Gregory Hines, an actor, singer, and dancer, he acknowledged on the “Can We Talk RNB” podcast . Jackson began tap dancing at age 3, and by the time he was 8 years old, he was touring as Young Simba in Broadway’s “The Lion King.” He continued in the role until he was 11 years old, performing in various cities across the country, he shared on the podcast. Then he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to pursue acting, music, and dance. He auditioned for commercials and met with various music labels, including Epic Records, Interscope Records, and Motown Records. Today, he is currently signed with UnitedMasters, he shared on the podcast. Still taking inspiration from Hines’s career, Jackson incorporates dance into his music, with his most recent album being “I Love You, Goodbye.” He has also continued to pursue acting, earning roles in “Let It Shine,”...
The rappers of the Hip-Hop group, Mount Westmore, have filed a lawsuit over money they claim they’re owed. The Hip-Hop supergroup — which includes Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40, and Too $hort — formed in 2020 and released the album called “ Bad MFs. ” In 2022, the album was dropped as a non-fungible token, AFROTECH™ previously told you. Later that year, the “Snoop Cube 40 $hort” album also came out. The group toured in support of the project and had a licensing deal with Westside Merchandising, which later soured, prompting the rappers to file a lawsuit, TMZ reported. The musicians claim the partnership was supposed to generate significant revenue through retail stores in addition to concert sales, per the outlet. However, the group accuses the company of making promises it did not keep to prevent them from signing with a larger merch company. While the rappers allegedly did receive an advance, they claim they were still out hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to TMZ. Per the...
The estate of the late Isaac Hayes has settled a lawsuit regarding the song “Hold On, I’m Comin.'” USA Today reported that the 1966 song, written by Hayes and David Porter and performed by Sam & Dave (Sam Moore and Dave Prater), was used by Donald Trump during his presidential campaign at least 133 times without permission. A copyright infringement lawsuit was filed against Trump in 2024, seeking $3 million in licensing fees, a ban on further use of the song in the campaign, and removal of campaign videos featuring it, according to a previous USA Today article . Isaac Hayes III, the son of the late musician and president of The Estate of Isaac Hayes, shared his distaste for the president and struck down his use of the song in a now-deleted Instagram post from 2024, per the outlet. “Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist...
Entrepreneur Judith Cage received her first catering check from J. Cole, and today she is the proud founder of two restaurants. J. Cole is currently driving around several cities in a Honda Civic connecting directly with fans in light of his new album “The Fall-Off,” which was released on Friday, Feb. 6. Most recently, he picked up some fans who live in Silver Springs, MD, to ride along in the car with him and listen to different tracks on the album, according to a post on X. Photo Credit: X/ JColeNC Cage, who also goes by Chef Judy, is among the many fans who are praising the album. In a post on Facebook, she shared her excitement for “The Fall-Off” and her personal journey with J. Cole. “It’s me up at 7am listening to The Fall-Off. The thing is … J. Cole was my first $10,000 catering check. At a time it was needed. I bought my first catering truck which caused me to be able to secure larger opportunities with that money. He welcomed my daughter and I to his house just to feed him...
Cardi B is launching a science-backed haircare brand. Since 2016, fans have witnessed the artist’s natural hair journey. In a post shared on X in November 2021, she wrote about the importance of a consistent hair routine after the birth of her son. She admitted she was fearful she would lose hair after giving birth, and that prompted her to use hair masks and drink alkaline water. PC: X/ iamcardib In a follow-up post, Cardi B doubled down, insisting her growth wasn’t due to genetics but to “proper hair maintenance.” PC: X/ iamcardib The musician’s hair mask routine includes avocado, two eggs, mayonnaise, and black castor oil, according to a 2020 Instagram post by Cardi B. Coconut oil can also be used, though she admitted in a TikTok that she doesn’t apply it to her hair, but has used it on her daughter, Kulture. In the 2020 Instagram post, Cardi B shared instructions on how to apply the hair mask, including detangling dry hair before applying the mask. After applying the mask,...
Mariah Carey remains committed to a summer camp that provides middle school students with career support. The Grammy Award-winning artist from New York had a difficult upbringing, moving around frequently and navigating family challenges, according to People. Music became her focus, and she launched her singing career at the age of 12. At the time, she didn’t have a role model in her day-to-day life whom she could look up to. “I had to figure it out on my own. So I started working very young, I worked, I did background vocals … learned about the studio, really put the time in,” she explained, per People. The Fresh Air Fund As Carey’s career grew, she made it her mission to ensure that younger generations would have the representation she didn’t have in her career. So, she joined the board of The Fresh Air Fund, a New York-based nonprofit organization that helps low-income middle schoolers attend summer camp upstate and with host families, according to People . In 1994, Carey raised...
Rapper T.I. has opened his pocketbook to support a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Dr. Kevin James, who is the current president of Morris Brown College, as AFROTECH™ previously reported, made an announcement on Jan. 28 that the school has received more than $800,000 in new public and private funding as it continues to rebuild after regaining its accreditation in 2021. This follows recent uncertainty for the school, which saw James removed from his position in early January 2026 by the college’s Board of Trustees, according to AFROTECH™. At the time, he claimed the removal had been “without providing specific cause or substantive explanation” and that his presidential contract was effective through 2029, per the outlet. James was ultimately reinstated a week later after the school acknowledged that his exit had not been in compliance with the procedural and contractual requirements outlined in his employment agreement. In the latest funding announcement, James...
Universal Music Group is taking Anthropic to court again. Lawsuit Explained Universal Music Group is suing artificial intelligence (AI) firm Anthropic, alleging the company built its AI model Claude using “pirate libraries” of music, Billboard reported. The legal action comes amid judicial warnings that AI companies may be held accountable if their models are trained on data obtained unlawfully. Universal Music Group is arguing that Anthropic’s “multibillion-dollar business empire” has in fact been “built on piracy” in a lawsuit filed Jan. 28, per the outlet. Universal Music Group and other music publishers including Concord Music Group, and ABKCO, had previously filed a lawsuit against Anthropic over copyright claims in 2023, Billboard noted. UMG then attempted to update the lawsuit with new information, as a case against Anthropic by book authors last year had resulted in a judge ruling that the training materials must be “legally” acquired or the company would face “enormous...
Beyoncé Knowles may be a superstar, but she understands she’s not above losing. In a video on YouTube labeled “Self-Titled: Part 2. Imperfection,” the Houston-born singer admitted she didn’t have measured expectations around losing at the start of her career. Before Destiny’s Child, Knowles was part of Girl’s Tyme. When Knowles was nine years old, the group performed on a show called “Star Search.” She admitted in the video that, at the time, her dream was to win the show and land a record deal; losing was never an option. “At the time, you don’t realize that you can actually work super hard and give everything you have and lose. It was the best message for me,” she expressed in the video. “The reality is: sometimes you lose. And you’re never too good to lose. You’re never too big to lose. You’re never too smart to lose. It happens. And it happens when it needs to happen, and you have to embrace those things,” Beyoncé added. Beyoncé learned to become resilient, and is now the most...
Wu-Tang’s RZA is leaning into AI to accelerate his creativity across both film and music. Born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, RZA admitted during a CES 2026 panel titled “ From Concept to Reality: Creatives Using AI to Bring Big Ideas to Life,” that he views the technology as a strong creative assistant. It has provided a foundation for his work, enabling him to operate more efficiently. “Creativity is time … It could take three days to get something good with today’s technology. And with AI assistant, I could turn that three days to three hours. So even quicker,” RZA told the audience. Gemini He also shared he uses Gemini, Google’s AI assistant that can turn words into videos and create images in seconds, according to its website. While working on a film project where he wanted the characters to board the Staten Island ferry, then travel across a frozen Hudson River with RZA’s logo, RZA used Gemini to create those conditions, which would typically be difficult for productions to achieve,...
Universal Music Group (UMG) aims to leverage AI to enhance the experience of music lovers worldwide. According to a news release, the company is teaming up with NVIDIA to improve fan engagement globally by deploying NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure alongside UMG’s music catalog, which spans millions of tracks across genres. Per the release, the partnership focuses on three key objectives — music discovery, engagement, and creation — and the first two goals will utilize NVIDIA Music Flamingo, a large audio–language model that can understand and capture harmony, structure, timbre, lyrics, and cultural context for tracks of up to 15 minutes. The press release states the model has a “ human-like understanding of songs, ” and is expected to help fans discover music in new ways while giving artists opportunities to expand their audiences. “We’re entering an era where a music catalog can be explored like an intelligent universe — conversational, contextual, and genuinely interactive,” said...
50 Cent has tapped into the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) industry. 50 Cent Action His FAST channel, 50 Cent Action, debuted with Roku in 2025 before expanding to LG Channels, Deadline reports. The FAST channel is also available on Pluto TV, Prime Video, DIRECTV, Philo, and more, and includes the rapper’s curated selection of movies and TV shows. This month’s lineup will feature “Escape Plan,” “Freelancers,” “Empire State,” and “Den of Thieves,” according to the channel’s website. Photo Credit: 50 Cent Action During a CES 2026 session titled “ A Media Realignment: Streaming, The Creator Economy & Podcasts,” Tony Marlow, chief marketing officer of LG Ad Solutions, spoke about 50 Cent’s involvement in building publicity for the FAST channel. “This channel is something he feels very passionately about … He and his team were very engaged in saying, ‘We would love to come to a new front, discuss this on stage, let the advertisers know that this is a thing that they can get...
Usher is teaming up with Big Sean to invest in Detroit youth. According to a news release, the pair is investing $1 million to launch an innovation incubator that will support youth looking to become content creators. The investment is poised to tap into the growing creator economy, which, according to Goldman Sachs, is projected to become a $480 billion industry by 2027. The incubator will be situated within the Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, which is set to open in February 2026, notes the press release. Both Usher and Big Sean bring their experiences as Boys & Girls Club alumni, to this investment. The incubator will offer young people ages 14–24 access to creative technology, hands-on learning, and mentorship from executives and creators, preparing them to pursue careers in film, television, and music production, as well as in AI, 3D, immersive technologies, and special effects. What’s more, it will also provide seed funding to launch paid creative...
Dionne Warwick is being sued for millions. Lawsuit Explained According to Music Business Worldwide (MBW), a complaint was filed against Warwick by Artists Rights Enforcement Corporation, which claims it had a contract with Warwick, signed in January 2002, that would allow it to pocket 50% of her royalties through her work as a Scepter Records artist. It also notes that in February 2922 after signing the contract, Warwick filed a complaint against Warner Bros., Warner Strategic Marketing, Warner Special Products, and Atlantic Recording Corporation over claims that she was not compensated fairly for the royalties from her song “Then Came You.” The aftermath of the 2002 lawsuit was a settlement that required all future royalty statements and payments owed to Warwick to be directed to Artists Rights Enforcement Corporation, which has been receiving her royalty payments for distribution since, notes MBW. The rights management firm states it has been working with the artist for decades,...
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is still on top. ‘Cowboy Carter’ Tour The artist has been having quite a year. Her most recent album, “Cowboy Carter,” was released in March 2024 and honored her southern country roots. She earned Grammy awards for “Album of the Year” and “Best Country Album” the following year and began a global tour. “This was born from my love and respect for the rich country genre,” Beyoncé told Pollstar about “Cowboy Carter.” “The overall intention for this tour was to celebrate American resiliency,” she continued. View this post on Instagram The “Cowboy Carter” tour has now become the top-earning world tour in 2025. According to IQ Magazine, the tour generated $407.6 million from 1.57 million ticket sales, across 32 shows. “The impact of the ‘Cowboy Carter’ era on the country genre will only continue to grow. It has reinvigorated a space that now has a new audience. And in ten years, the young girls and boys who saw the show will become adults who believe they can be...