When Netflix released the documentary The Black Godfather almost exactly a year ago, it introduced audiences to Clarence Avant, an African-American entertainment industry insider, dealmaker and mentor who has quietly played an extraordinary role in the lives of leading entertainers, athletes, executives and politicians. Now, a year later, with the country in the throes of a seismic examination of institutionalized racism, the film feels more timely than ever.
In his own way and out of public view, Avant for decades has fought to create opportunity for African-Americans through bold stratagems and sheer force of will.
“He knew his purpose, head on, was black people are going to move forward,” his daughter Nicole Avant explains in The Black Godfather. She says it’s as if her father took stock of his gifts and business clout one day and decided, “I’m going to use it for good and I’m going...
In his own way and out of public view, Avant for decades has fought to create opportunity for African-Americans through bold stratagems and sheer force of will.
“He knew his purpose, head on, was black people are going to move forward,” his daughter Nicole Avant explains in The Black Godfather. She says it’s as if her father took stock of his gifts and business clout one day and decided, “I’m going to use it for good and I’m going...
- 6/12/2020
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Usher recruited Sheila E. and Fka Twigs for a tribute to Prince at the 62nd annual Grammys on Sunday.
The artist — dressed in a bedazzled suit — performed an incredibly horny medley of “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry” and “Kiss,” flanked by the former Prince drummer. Twigs pole-danced for the first two songs, a skill that she trained for intensively for her incredible new album Magdalene. She joined Usher at centerstage for “Kiss,” but unfortunately the avant-pop star didn’t sing.
The performance comes two days before the star-studded Prince...
The artist — dressed in a bedazzled suit — performed an incredibly horny medley of “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry” and “Kiss,” flanked by the former Prince drummer. Twigs pole-danced for the first two songs, a skill that she trained for intensively for her incredible new album Magdalene. She joined Usher at centerstage for “Kiss,” but unfortunately the avant-pop star didn’t sing.
The performance comes two days before the star-studded Prince...
- 1/27/2020
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
When Janet Jackson released her fourth studio album 30 years ago, the music world did not know what hit them. With Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814—or, simply, Rhythm Nation, if ya nasty—the youngest Jackson sibling wasn't merely content to reunite with newfound collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the two men who'd help shape the sound of Control, her third album and the first to have both excluded father Joe Jackson from the process entirely and, perhaps not coincidentally, hit No. 1 on the Billboard. She'd already broken away from her family, found her new sound, and gotten her big fat hit record in the process. Now she wanted more. And over the course of 12 songs and eight...
- 9/19/2019
- E! Online
On first glance, Clarence Avant’s career highlights seem impressive, if somewhat modest for a man widely known as “the godfather of black music.” Starting as a manager to pianist-composer Lalo Schifrin, he went on to found two important if short-lived independent record labels, serve as a sporadic concert organizer and special events producer, fund-raise for Democratic politicians, and count himself as a mentor to a host of African American execs. But the 88-year-old’s impact on half a century of black music – and black enterprise in general – runs far, far deeper than that, and Reginald Hudlin’s affectionate Netflix bio-doc “The Black Godfather” does yeoman’s work introducing a figure that few outsiders have likely heard of, but who needs no introduction in the power corridors of the entertainment industry.
Perhaps the most obvious sign of Avant’s importance can be found in a brief look through the figures...
Perhaps the most obvious sign of Avant’s importance can be found in a brief look through the figures...
- 6/4/2019
- by Andrew Barker
- Variety Film + TV
The first trailer for “The Black Godfather,” Reginald Hudlin’s documentary about black entertainment trailblazer Clarence Avant, has been released. The film features interviews with Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy, David Geffen, Clive Davis, Diane Warren, Lionel Richie and Irving Azoff, among other industry titans. Former president Barack Obama also makes an appearance.
Hudlin spent three years making what he terms “a secret movie” about Avant, the music executive who rose from a manager of jazz artists in the 1950s to discovering Bill Withers, producing black-oriented theater productions and films, launching one of the first fully black-owned radio stations and offering his advice as a mentor to countless artists and executives.
In “The Black Godfather,” premiering June 7 on Netflix and in select theaters, Hudlin chronicles Avant’s life, from fighting his way through Jim Crow America to eventually having an impact on luminaries as diverse as Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali and Bill Clinton.
Hudlin spent three years making what he terms “a secret movie” about Avant, the music executive who rose from a manager of jazz artists in the 1950s to discovering Bill Withers, producing black-oriented theater productions and films, launching one of the first fully black-owned radio stations and offering his advice as a mentor to countless artists and executives.
In “The Black Godfather,” premiering June 7 on Netflix and in select theaters, Hudlin chronicles Avant’s life, from fighting his way through Jim Crow America to eventually having an impact on luminaries as diverse as Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali and Bill Clinton.
- 5/23/2019
- by Phil Gallo
- Variety Film + TV
Janelle Monáe inducted Janet Jackson into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a heartwarming speech on Friday night.
“Hello. I’m here tonight to induct the legendary queen of black girl magic into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Ms. Janet Damita Jo Jackson,” Monae said during her speech. “Our fearless leader is one of the biggest selling artists in music history. This five-time Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee has sold 180 million albums worldwide. With an epic career spanning over four decades and nine No. 1 albums,...
“Hello. I’m here tonight to induct the legendary queen of black girl magic into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Ms. Janet Damita Jo Jackson,” Monae said during her speech. “Our fearless leader is one of the biggest selling artists in music history. This five-time Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominee has sold 180 million albums worldwide. With an epic career spanning over four decades and nine No. 1 albums,...
- 3/30/2019
- by Brittany Spanos
- Rollingstone.com
Can we agree that among the eight Oscar nominations granted “A Star Is Born,” its likeliest win will be Best Song for “Shallow”? That soaring ballad sold the music-packed showbiz saga’s first trailer like nobody’s business as Lady Gaga‘s Ally started to roar before a mic. The pop chanteuse herself would receive the honor alongside her co-writers Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt. The song has already won a Golden Globe and is up for four Grammys, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Judging by the combined odds chart based on rankings by Experts, Editors and Users, “Shallow’s” support is quite deep, with more than 2,200 predicting it will win.
Songs that bring home the Academy Award usually benefit from actually being performed onscreen and not just heard, and Gaga and Bradley Cooper do a mesmerizing job of selling this tune. But...
Judging by the combined odds chart based on rankings by Experts, Editors and Users, “Shallow’s” support is quite deep, with more than 2,200 predicting it will win.
Songs that bring home the Academy Award usually benefit from actually being performed onscreen and not just heard, and Gaga and Bradley Cooper do a mesmerizing job of selling this tune. But...
- 1/28/2019
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
The week Paul McCartney released his new album Egypt Station, his single “Come On to Me” reached roughly 1.5 million radio listeners thanks to the combined support of two formats, Adult Contemporary and Adult Album Alternative, plus major promotional endorsements from iHeartRadio, YouTube, Spotify and Amazon Music.
These were impressive numbers, but surprisingly, they were dwarfed by those of another veteran, the R&B singer Peabo Bryson. Without the benefit of any corporate-tech-behemoth support, the 67-year-old Bryson was quietly reaching more than 9 million listeners with his single “Love Like Yours and Mine.
These were impressive numbers, but surprisingly, they were dwarfed by those of another veteran, the R&B singer Peabo Bryson. Without the benefit of any corporate-tech-behemoth support, the 67-year-old Bryson was quietly reaching more than 9 million listeners with his single “Love Like Yours and Mine.
- 10/4/2018
- by Elias Leight
- Rollingstone.com
Heloise Letissier, who performs as Christine and the Queens, delivered a brisk, playfully choreographed version of “5 Dollars” during an Apple Music show in Paris. She worked with six dancers who are in constant motion: Jogging in circles, hopping from one foot to the other, gleefully kicking their legs. In contrast, Letissier mostly stands at center stage, singing clear, yearning lines and joining her dancers only for brief spurts of activity.
As “5 Dollars” ends, Letissier’s team peeled off one by one to sit at the side of the stage, leaving...
As “5 Dollars” ends, Letissier’s team peeled off one by one to sit at the side of the stage, leaving...
- 9/27/2018
- by Elias Leight
- Rollingstone.com
On a late summer morning, Heloise Letissier — the 30-year-old pansexual pop phenomenon who’s garnered worldwide renown upending gender norms as Christine and the Queens — sits at an outdoor cafe in Manhattan’s East Village, drinking a glass of water. Though she is French, she neither smokes nor drinks, and though it’s barely 10 A.M., she’s already had enough coffee. “It’s my only vice,” she says. Too much and her heart starts to palpitate.
Christine — even her friends call Letissier by her stage name, which she has now shortened,...
Christine — even her friends call Letissier by her stage name, which she has now shortened,...
- 9/20/2018
- by Joe Levy
- Rollingstone.com
On Monday night at the Red Bull Music Festival in New York, Robyn took part in a public Q&A with singer Kindness, discussing her entire career and sharing demos of older songs like “Dancing on My Own” and “Be Mine” — but the most interesting information for fans was the new album that’s been in the works for many years.
She also played a demo version of her new song “Honey” during the session, and aired it again (apparently in a different version?) during a surprise appearance at Brooklyn Bowl’s “The Party Is Killing You: A Night of All Robyn Everything” tribute. Hear snippets below; a longer clip of the song was briefly available online but was quickly taken down.
“It’s almost there,” she said of the new album, according to Pitchfork, adding that her approach on the new record is “softer.” “Honey was premiered on HBO...
She also played a demo version of her new song “Honey” during the session, and aired it again (apparently in a different version?) during a surprise appearance at Brooklyn Bowl’s “The Party Is Killing You: A Night of All Robyn Everything” tribute. Hear snippets below; a longer clip of the song was briefly available online but was quickly taken down.
“It’s almost there,” she said of the new album, according to Pitchfork, adding that her approach on the new record is “softer.” “Honey was premiered on HBO...
- 5/22/2018
- by Jem Aswad
- Variety Film + TV
On its release 25 years ago, on May 18, 1993, there was nothing lower-case about Janet Jackson’s album “janet.” except its title.
Jackson’s previous two albums for A&M Records, “Control” (1986) and “Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814” (1989), had reached No. 1 on the national charts and been certified for sales of 11 million total units. No longer a modestly successful R&B singer, she was a major crossover talent whose commercial profile had begun to rival that of her older brother Michael.
An intense bidding war for Jackson’s services ensued in 1991, with Virgin Records prevailing with a then-unprecedented and headline-making bid that the label’s founder Richard Branson later identified as $25 million.
Branson, who had to scramble to assemble the financing for the deal, wrote in 2016, “Signing Janet would confirm Virgin Records’ position as the world’s sexiest record company. I was damned if I was going to let the caution of our bankers stop us.
Jackson’s previous two albums for A&M Records, “Control” (1986) and “Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814” (1989), had reached No. 1 on the national charts and been certified for sales of 11 million total units. No longer a modestly successful R&B singer, she was a major crossover talent whose commercial profile had begun to rival that of her older brother Michael.
An intense bidding war for Jackson’s services ensued in 1991, with Virgin Records prevailing with a then-unprecedented and headline-making bid that the label’s founder Richard Branson later identified as $25 million.
Branson, who had to scramble to assemble the financing for the deal, wrote in 2016, “Signing Janet would confirm Virgin Records’ position as the world’s sexiest record company. I was damned if I was going to let the caution of our bankers stop us.
- 5/17/2018
- by Chris Morris
- Variety Film + TV
Ms. Jackson, or just Janet if you're a true fan, has a reputation for slow, throbbing R&B thanks to "That's the Way Love Goes" and "Got 'til it's Gone," but she's only made waves in the 21st century with unadulterated pop: "Doesn't Really Matter" was a dreamy bubblegum anthem; "All for You" was a "Trl"-ready confection; "Someone to Call My Lover" was blippy and brilliant; "Feedback," her critically hailed lead single from 2008's "Discipline," was a sweaty, naughty bop. Now, seven years after "Discipline" failed to relaunch Jackson as a Billboard juggernaut, she rejoins with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (who last worked with her on 2006's "20 Y.O.") to hit us with an old-time slow jam called "No Sleeep." Listen after the jump. It's solid. It's cool and glowing. But it's also very familiar, like so many slow-churn non-singles from "janet.", "The Velvet Rope," and "Discipline.
- 6/22/2015
- by Louis Virtel
- Hitfix
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