Lindsay Keener | Staff Writer With more than 65,000 seats in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami and thousands of standing football fans, it’s hard to believe that anyone would spot the two seats that are filled. That is, of course, unless they’re filled by superstar phenomenon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Shawn Carter, known by most as rap mogul Jay-Z. The Super Bowl, otherwise known as the pinnacle of the pro football season, took place Feb. 2. In attendance was the music industry’s power couple, sitting during a highly praised performance of the national anthem by Demi Lovato.  Given the Carters’ … Continue reading Beyoncé and Jay-Z can’t win

Jordan Sheppard | Staff Writer “For years we’ve allowed institutions that have never had our best interests to judge us, and that stops right now. I am officially starting a clock. Y’all got 365 days to get this together,” said Diddy as he accepted the Clive Davis Icon Award, at Clive Davis’ annual Pre-Grammy Gala.  Outraged by the treatment of black artists by the award show, the three-time Grammy winner threatened to boycott if the Recording Academy doesn’t seek to make change within the next year. Coming just days after the Recording Academy’s former CEO and President, Deborah Dugan, had … Continue reading Same script, different cast: How mainstream award shows continuously snub Black artists

Miles Richardson | Staff Writer Sunday, Jan. 26, a tragedy took place. Legendary NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna lost their lives to a helicopter crash. There were, unfortunately, seven other victims: Alyssa Altobelli, Gianna’s teammate; and her parents, John and Keri Altobelli; Payton and Sarah Chester; and pilot Ara Zobayan.  When TMZ dropped the news, a lot of us were filled with feelings of denial and devastation. It felt unreal to hear that Kobe Bean Bryant, our hero, the mogul, was gone forever, and there’s a reason for that. Most of us are aware that people … Continue reading What you should learn from the death of Kobe Bryant

Jordan Sheppard|Staff Writer The 77th annual Golden Globe Awards were Jan. 5, and the biggest highlight of the night came from the opening monologue of the award ceremony’s host, comedian Ricky Gervais. In an eight-minute, witty, cutting speech, the three-time Golden Globe recipient and five-time host of the gilded event took the stage to dismantle the hypocritical nature in Hollywood. Gervais created jokes that took shots at a range of topics and people, including the college admissions scandal involving Golden Globes winner Felicity Huffman, disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the lack of diversity in the nominees. However, the most notable … Continue reading Ricky Gervais calls out Hollywood stars at Golden Globes