Black Vibes

Two of the best black magazines ever produced from the African American perspective are Ebony and Jet. The mastermind and patriarch of the family business died in 2005. In 1982, he was the first African American businessman to grace the cover of Forbe’s magazine as one of the world’s most wealthiest people. He received numerous honors, including the 1972 Publisher of the Year award from the Magazine Publishers Association and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 from President Bill Clinton.
According to Richard Prince’s Journal-isms, the U.S. Postal service has agreed to run a “forever” stamp in the Black Heritage collection in John H. Johnson’s honor. The stamp will never change its value and will always be available for print. His wife Eunice is also deceased, but their daughter, Linda Johnson Rice is holding the reins tight as her father once had in media and in his successful beauty product line, Fashion Fair.

Source

Jay-Z and Kanye West

"Watch the Throne" will be available on iTunes on Aug. 8 and hits shelves August 12. On August 8, tickets for The Throne's tour, powered by VoyR, will be made available at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. Fans who purchase their tickets online will receive a digital copy of the album.

The Throne's Watch the Throne Tour has twenty-four dates confirmed thus far.

Here are the Watch the Throne tour dates:

9/22/11 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
9/24/11 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
9/25/11 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
9/27/11 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
9/28/11 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
9/29/11 Washington DC Verizon Center
10/4/11 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
10/6/11 Chicago, IL United Center
10/7/11 Chicago, IL United Center
10/8/11 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
10/10/11 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
10/13/11 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
10/14/11 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
10/16/11 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
10/17/11 Sacramento, CA Power Balance Pavilion
10/19/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
10/20/11 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
10/21/11 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
10/25/11 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
10/26/11 Houston, TX Toyota Center
10/29/11 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
10/30/11 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
11/1/11 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
11/3/11 Boston, MA TD Garden

Last week (July 22), a 10 minute sneak peak into the recording process of 'Watch the Throne' hit the 'net. The documentary incorporates interview clips with Sway, footage of past performances ('Ye being indicted to Roc-A-Fella) and past (Ye' producing in tight space in Jersey City, Jersey, circa 2002) and recent studio sessions (in Sydney, Australia with Russell Crowe).

Critics Are Raving about Follow Me to Nellie's at Premiere Stages

A number of performances have sold out, so get your tickets NOW!

Written by
Dominique Morisseau

Directed by
John Wooten

STARRING:
Nyahale Allie*
Adam Couperthwaite
Lynda Gravatt*
Kelly J. McCreary*
Warner Miller*
Ley Smith
Harold Surratt*
Michelle Wilson*

Critics Praise Follow Me to Nellie's:

"A stunning representation... exceptional... outstanding... unforgettable."
--Union County Local Source

"Gold... played masterfully... powerful theatre."
--Westfield Leader

"Nellie's offers a new window on civil rights fight... Lynda Gravatt, one of the state's most skilled performers, is wonderfully imperious as Nellie... The centerpiece of Joseph Gourely's set is a jukebox out of which sweet music plays. The real music, however, comes from Dominique Morisseau's words. "
--The Star-Ledger

"Dominique Morisseau's searing look at this tense and momentous period in our nation's history, Follow Me to Nellie's... is a first-rate production... with some of the finest actors delivering some of the most natural sounding dialogue I've heard on a stage this year..."
--New Jersey Arts Maven

Make Reservations and Guarantee Your Tickets:

Thursdays July 21 & 28 at 8 pm * Fridays July 22 & 29 at 8 pm
Saturdays July 23 & 30 at 3 pm and 8 pm * Sundays July 24 & 31 at 3 pm

Standard: $25 * Senior Citizens: $20 * Students: $15
Ask About Subscription Packages to Save Up to $30!

To Purchase Tickets, Call: 908-737-7469
- or visit: www.keanstage.com -

Antonio "L.A." Reid was officially named head of Epic Records on Monday, a long-expected move that TheWrap confirmed in June.

Reid -- who will do double duty as a judge on Simon Cowell's singing competition show "The X Factor" in the fall -- will carry the title of chairman-CEO, a fitting role for the man who headed Island Def Jam from 2004 to 2011.

The move has been seen as inevitable since March, when Reid fled his chairman position at IDJ.

Epic Records, which has first dibs on "X Factor" performers, is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. The label is expected to merge with Jive Records, which Reid will also oversee.

By John Seller

R. Kelly

Music industry veteran R. Kelly has more than foreclosure to worry about.

Kelly, the controversial R&B star owes more than $837,000 in delinquent federal taxes, records show.

The tax debt is another indication Kelly is struggling with financial problems. News leaked this week that Kelly faces possible foreclosure of his $2.9 million suburban Chicago mansion.

It's not all bad news. Last month, the IRS released a $1,036,858 tax lien filed against Kelly.

What's owed:
The IRS filed an $837,442.59 tax lien against Kelly on Jan. 6, 2010, with the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

The address on the lien is Kelly's home in suburban Chicago