Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 2-14-20

Entertainment
Russell Simmons Thanks Those Who Defended Kobe Bryant Following Gayle King Interview
GAYLE KING, RUSSELL SIMMONS AND OPRAH WINFREY
Janet Jackson Announces Her New 'Black Diamond' Album And Tour
Janet Jackson is gearing up for her first album since 2015’s Unbreakable. The multi-plat- inum selling singer announced a new LP titled Black Diamond as well as a supporting tour of the same name on Monday (February 10).
“Hey U Guys!” she wrote via Instagram. “I’ve heard all your wishes and now from my lips to your ears. I’m working on my new album and going on a brand new World Tour this
JANET JACKSON
summer! Both titled Black Dia- mond.”
She continued, “Black Dia- monds are the toughest of all the diamonds, the hardest to cut. I see that as the hardest to hurt or destroy. There is a lot that I have endured. I see my- self as a Black Diamond in its purest form. I’m a rock, I have ruff edges but I keep moving forward. I want to show you my strength as well as give you strength.”
Ice Cube To Star In Upcoming Boxing Film 'Flint Strong'
Ice Cube is slated to star in a film about the life of 24-year- old Olympic gold medalist boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields titled Flint Strong, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie is based on the dramatic adaptation of 2015 boxing documentary T- REX.
The actor-rapper will star as her coach, Jason Crutch- field, and will be joined by Fox’s Startalent Ryan Des-
ICE CUBE
tiny, who is set to play Shields.
Black Panther‘s director of photography Rachel Morri- son, who made history when she became the first woman cinematographer to be nomi- nated for an Oscar, will be making her feature directorial debut with Flint Strong.
The film’s screenplay was written by Academy Award- winning director Barry Jenk- ins.
SoundCloud Raises $75M In Funding From SiriusXM
Music distribution platform SoundCloud has raised 75 mil- lion dollars in funding from Sir- iusXM, TechCrunch reports.
SiriusXM, who also owns streaming giant Pandora, has an ad partnership with Sound- Cloud with plans on introduc- ing their combined 100 million U. S. listeners.
The money will be used to- wards the research and devel- opment of new products as well as the launching of new serv- ices.
The Berlin-based stream- ing platform launched in 2007 and ten years later was valued at $500 million.
Despite its role in laying the
foundation for many of today’s biggest names in Hip Hop such as Lil Uzi Vert and the late Juice WRLD, as well as Grammy Award-winning artists 21 Savage, Post Malone and Billie Eilish, SoundCloud’s existence, has mostly been on life support due to licensing and business model issues.
Gayle King’s interview with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie resulted in a variety of emotions for countless people. Some were angry the veteran journalist had the nerve to bring up Kobe Bryant’s 2003 sexual assault case con- sidering the NBA superstar had just died, while others felt King was completely justified and fair in her questioning.
Snoop Dogg, however, wasn’t one of them. He con- demned both King and Oprah Winfrey, who has been under scrutiny for her connection to a documentary about one of Russell Sim- mons’ sexual assault accus- ers. And he wasn’t alone. 50 Cent also questioned King’s motives, saying, “I don’t un- derstand what the goal is.”
On Monday (February 10),
the Def Jam Recordings co- founder thanked those who stood up for Bryant.
“A very sincere THANK YOU for ALL of those who spoke up to defend our brother,” he wrote alongside a clip of himself with the former L.A. Laker. “Let’s not allow any more negativity into our bub- ble of love. This man repre- sented the very best of we have to offer. He was a tremendous athlete and a flourishing artist, producer and business man.
“He exuded happiness and was full of compassion. Most importantly, he was a loving family man, and a ROLE MODEL for black men all over the world. God bless the legacy of @kobebryant. Prayers for the Bryant family and all those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.”
PAGE 18-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2020