Kenneth Williams Jr

The state of the music industry as we know it is making way for the next generation of superstars poised to take the proverbial reigns. One artist at the forefront of this renaissance period is Miss Chlöe Bailey or more recently referred to as Chlöe. When Chlöe and her sister Halle Bailey released their rendition via YouTube of Beyoncé‘s “Pretty Hurts“ in 2013, it was apparent that the sisters were stars in the making. Chlöe is now preparing to release her debut album on the trail of three hi...

For the last few decades, Grammy award-winning singer Kelly Rowland has built a career of longevity marked by music that empowers women to be their very best selves. Whether it was creating women empowerment anthems with former bandmates of Destiny’s Child or using her platform as a solo artist to advocate for them through timeless music, the musician is a champion for women.

The singer and actor talks her latest collaboration with T.J.Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods.
What exactly makes someone a legend? Is it someone who’s proven themselves and their obvious talent time and time again? Can it be someone who has managed to stand the test of time, transcending multiple decades? How about an individual who has laid a musical blueprint that evokes inspiration out of an entire industry of their peers down to up-and-coming artists 20 years their junior?

The rapper will mentor 60 HBCU students in the 4th annual Mogul in the Making entrepreneurial competition.
The embodiment of a true entertainer lies not in their ability to entertain the masses but in how they influence those masses to their very best selves. Since his debut, Big Sean has constructed a professional brand that can only be categorized as inspirational, but not in the way you might think. Of course, the Detroit native creates chart-topping anthems that inspire fans across the gl...

As one of the most iconic rappers of today’s generation, Fat Joe has built an esteemed brand of chart-topping records, culture-changing musical collaborations and a sound that has been the voice of a generation for several decades. While the Bronx native has carved a lane all of his own thanks in large part to his wide arsenal of musical capabilities, he’s going back to his nostalgic roots with the help of Michelob ULTRA.

Black women in particular have long made sacrifices to secure financial stability for their families in the midst of systemic barriers such as racism, sexism and classism. Award-winning actress Nia Long illustrates these efforts through her portrayal of Eunice Garrett in The Banker. Garrett was the former wife of Bernard Garrett Sr., who secretly purchased banks in Texas to assist Black residents who were unable to attain loans due to the Jim Crow era.

After learning of Beyoncé dedicating this album to her dearly departed Uncle Johnny, a Black, queer man, I became emotional.
Before Beyoncé officially debuted her seventh studio album Renaissance, I expected to be dazzled. I mean, c’mon — it’s Beyoncé. I expected to hear genre-defying music that makes me want to dance, sing and display every other emotion that denotes pure joy.
While all of this did happen, something else did, too. After learning of Beyoncé dedicating this album to her dearly...

Lil' Kim has created a blueprint for women rappers of today's generation.
The tides changed when Lil’ Kim came bursting through the misogynistic doors of hip-hop with her debut album Hardcore in 1996. Of course, we had been privy to her talented hip-hop predecessors of the female persuasion, such as Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shante and more, but this time around, it was different. She was different. Here, we had this young MC rocking fashion fresh off the runway while spitting ferocious rhymes t...

While there's no natural way to quantify this magnetism, her signature Sunshine Seasoning selling out in less than an hour last year is proof enough.
Few people possess the kind of megawatt star power that Tabitha Brown has. The award-winning author exudes a certain je ne sais quoi laced with the kindness and warmth of our beloved mothers and the authority of predecessors twice her age. In short, there’s likely nothing that she can do wrong. While there’s no natural way to quantify this magne...

It's the hypocrisy for me.
A few weeks prior, social media users found themselves in a frenzy over a steamy sex scene on the hit Starz series P-Valley. When Lil Murda (played by J. Alphonse Nicholson) took Big Teak (played by John Clarence Stewart) on a passionate journey to sexual bliss, he took us, too. Most fans praised the scene for humanizing Black queer men and how we love, but others were less than enthused.
The ensuing outrage is to be expected. Of course, some folks refuse to liberat...

The Canadian superstar and her husband appears on the final season of OWN's docuseries, "Black Love."
When you think of Black love, what comes to mind? On the outside looking in, it might look like two melanated individuals expressing their undying love for one another. It might even take the form of a power couple with both parties excelling in their respective careers. But, when it comes to Melanie Fiona and her husband Jared Cotter, it’s all that and much more.
Melanie Fiona may be one of ...

By Kenneth J. Williams
Saint-Martin may be home to lush greenery, tropical beaches, and much more, but its brilliant culinary talent will always take center stage. Chefs Kénila Hyman and Kareem Brooks have built names for themselves as culinary geniuses within their respective careers. For Chef Hyman, that looks like following in her father’s footsteps as the owner and head chef of Heritage Kitchen after getting her degree in business. Chef Brooks, also known as “Chef B,” has developed a repu...

What exactly does culture mean to you? Would you consider it a connection to one’s ancestral roots? Or maybe it’s how you keep that history alive in your current iteration of this thing called life? Of course, culture doesn’t have to be a singular way of doing one or the other; it can be the marriage of both. For the Brooklyn-based collective known as Half Moon, all of this could fall under that scope, and they show that it’s possible to combine the two while tappin...

Regardless of your feelings on Nene or her position, she's still owed the same grace that so many of her non-Black counterparts receive.
Nene Leakes deserves grace. There, I said it. While we’re used to seeing the Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) alumna effortlessly juggling entrepreneurship, motherhood and God knows what else, it shouldn’t be lost upon us that she’s a human just like us. These past few years have primarily been rough for the Georgia peach, as she recently laid her late husb...

Carlos is the first openly gay, Black man to host a late-night talk show, and he deserves every bit of praise.
When it comes to celebrating the living legends who’ve graced our television screens throughout the years, we have a lot of flowers to give. We’d be remiss if we didn’t honor folks like Oprah Winfrey, Wendy Williams, Tamron Hall and many others, but do you know who else deserves their flowers? Mr. Carlos King, himself. In May, Carlos debuted his new late-night series The Nightcap Wit...