Sun, Mar 17, 2019
An Original King of Comedy, D.L. Hughley was raised in Los Angeles and no stranger to his neighborhood gangs, which provided a sense of structure, family and community. Dropping out of high school as a self proclaimed "dummy" he joined the LAPD Academy, quit - and married his wife of over 30-years to start a family. His work ethic is unapologetically driven and dedicated to providing for his loved ones, and his motivation to leave a legacy lead to the transition of his comedy from frivolous jokes to political topics inspiring change.
Sun, Apr 14, 2019
Born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, Naturi Naughton grew up with her older brother, mother and father in a loving, happy household with strong family values. Naturi's talent was recognized when she was 13-years old and asked to try out for the girl group 3LW. As the group shot to stardom, label and management fought to decide on the group's identity - something they thought Naturi's voice and image didn't fit as to what should be the lead. From her controversial portrayal of Lil Kim in Notorious to her current role on Power, Naturi has proven to be a triple threat entertainer - all the while remaining as grounded, family oriented and as true to herself as the girl from East Orange, New Jersey.
Sun, Apr 21, 2019
Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas - Kirk Franklin was raised by his aunt Gertrude after his mom and dad abandoned him. It was there that he discovered his love for music through the church, as Gertrude made it a priority for him to take piano lessons - a gift passed on from her late husband. Kirk first experienced real success with his choir that he composed and aptly named, The Family. It was when he had the opportunity to work with an up and coming group, God's Property, that success really took off with the Jimmy Iovine inspired remix to Stomp. Always one to remain true to his testimony, he received backlash once more for vocalizing his addiction to pornography. With the faith and support of his family he remains true to his spiritual journey and to inspire faith through his music and his testimony.
Sun, Oct 27, 2019
Surrounded by conflict, addiction and loss at an early age, Lamar Odom found refuge in basketball, and in his world, drugs divided everything - the neighborhood, the park, and his parents. As near-death experiences and high-profile, tumultuous relationships skyrocketed Lamar's fame, an affinity for partying tarnished his remarkable career, and ultimately threatened his life.
Sun, Oct 28, 2018
Born Milton Terrence Howery, Lil Rel grew up on the West Side of Chicago with two brothers and both parents; something that he said greatly shaped his childhood. His mom showed unwavering support, even after she was diagnosed with cancer, passing away too quickly after. Rel never wavered in his belief that God had prophesied greatness for him, and that his time would come. He soon found himself at a Hollywood party with Jordan Peele, leading to his break out role in Get Out. From there his career has skyrocketed and his focus is on creating opportunities for his community to grow within the industry in this phase two of life.
Sun, Mar 24, 2019
Jermaine Dupri's career started as a 12 year old dancer when he landed a gig as the opening act for a 50 city Fresh Fest Tour during hip-hop's Golden Era. He quickly went on to become a successful record producer by the age of 16. Developing new artists such as Kris Kross, (early) TLC, Xscape, Da Brat, Usher, and Lil Bow Wow owe much of their success to the penmanship and guidance of Dupri. Never giving up on his hustle, his Atlanta based empire So So Def just reached its 25 year anniversary milestone. Looking back on his accolades, Jermaine Dupri earned the right to be talked among the greatest songwriters of all time.
Sun, Mar 31, 2019
Born to a 15-year-old young single mom in Camden, New Jersey. An identical twin, Tasha Smith narrowly escaped a life distracted by drugs, violence, alcohol and the wrong type of men. After dropping out of high school at 14-years-old, a miraculous test of faith when her grandfather passed away led her to a relationship with God once more. She moved to LA and worked on breaking in to stand up comedy while moonlighting as a stripper before she got her first big break. The urge to direct led Tasha to self-produce and direct her first short film, she has since moved on to episodic and feature length directing - established herself as a well-respected director in the entertainment industry.