Legendary Writer Maya Angelou Passes Away At 86

It has been confirmed that legendary poet and writer Maya Angelou has passed away at the age of 86.
Her literary agent, Helen Brann, confirmed that Dr. Angelou died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As many of us know, Dr. Angelou’s work spans over 50 years, and goes beyond just writing. She’s recorded albums, starred in several films and productions, as well as directed film.

One of my favorite works by her would have to be her famous book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," an autobiographical book. Self-taught, she made a name for herself and was a true inspiration to look up to. I’m saddened to hear about her passing, but it’s good to know that she lived a full life of purpose and joy, doing what she loved and impacting literally millions. That’s a great legacy to leave. 

Thoughts and prayers go out to her loved ones. For now, I leave you all with one of my favorite poems by Dr. Maya Angelou, “Phenomenal Woman.” Rest in Peace.

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NEW MUSIC: "Armed To The Teeth"-Effyoo and Godilla

Hip hop artists EffYoo and Godilla are dropping their next single for their upcoming collaborative effort! The track, "Armed To The Teeth, features fellow artists Adlib, Spit Gemz, Shabaam Sahdeeq & UG.

Check out the track below!

  The duo's collaborative album, They Came On Horseback, drops June 3rd so be on the lookout! 

In The Spotlight: Frankito Arias

I'm blessed to be able to share with you all these amazing spotlights of talented artists, designers, producers, and more! I get more and more requests every month, and it blows me away! As always, if you are interested in featuring your work (or your client's work) on The Spotlight, feel free to email me! 

Today we have on the blog, model/actor Frankito Arias! Frankito is relatively new to the industry, and was introduced to acting and modeling back in 2011 by his current manager, Tahyira Savanna. “The truth is, it was just something fun to do and she thought I had real skill.” The duo were both new to their jobs—Frankito to acting and modeling and Tahyira to managing—but they gave it a shot anyway. “The response was so good, we started to take it more seriously and now that I have had a taste of what it is I found my true path,” the actor admitted.

"Not So Trivial Pursuits"-The Challenge: Free Agents Episode 6 (RECAP)

The Challenge: Free Agents is continuing to get interesting! Picking up from last episode, Theresa realizes that she messed up not saying Laurel’s name in the last elimination after she rallied a lot of people together to throw her in. Now, not only is Laurel gunning for her, but several people are mad at her for not standing with them. She and Devyn still plan to go after her again, though.

That night, the house celebrates Jonna's birthday. Of course, it’s crazy fun, with a lot of dancing and drinking. On the way back to the house, one van of folks make out seemingly the whole way home. Meanwhile, in the other van, Jordan starts an argument with Johnny and CT after telling them to shut up. CT, being his true self, goes off and puts the boy in his place. So, now Jordan has made an enemy out of him too. The next morning, Laurel tells Jordan that he needs to control himself. Good advice, but he definitely won’t.

Hollywood Exes S3 E2 (RECAP)

Hollywood Exes is really heating up, and the season just started! Picking up from last week's dramatic season premiere, Nicole talks to Bria about the incident between her and Mayte. Bria saw red when her mother was disrespecting, yelling and acting out of character, but wants to call Mayte and apologize for how she spoke. Bria calls Mayte while Nicole stands quietly and apologizes, which was really big of her. However, Mayte doesn't apologize for her part in it, and doesn’t even throw out the idea of apologize though. She really feels like she’s right in this situation! 

Later, Mayte does a shoot for Para Todos magazine. At the shoot, Andrea comes to talk to her, obviously, about the incident. Andrea, often as the voice of wisdom, wants everybody to come together and move forward. Mayte refuses to apologize, though, seeing it as her passion. She was hurt that Nicole didn't step up, and acknowledge that people wearing fur is offensive to Mayte and that she let Bria attack her as well. Here’s my thing, Mayte. No one is about to put out a memo every time they throw a party, or have a dinner to their guests telling them, “Oh, you can’t wear fur because Mayte Garcia is going to be there, and she’ll be offended if you do.” How can you really expect that? She needs to be like Jessica and just chill before she doesn’t get invited to anything else, and loses her friends in the process! Though Mayte obviously doesn’t plan to apologize, Andrea invites her to a dinner with all of the girls to put everything to rest. 

In The Spotlight: Super Jay

Excited to have quite a few new spotlights in the works, so be on the lookout for those in the coming months! As always, singers, rappers, publicists, etc. email me with any amazing work you would like to be featured on The Spotlight!

A few weeks back, I featured music from upcoming singer, Super Jay! His track, "Yo Body," was sexy and smooth, and perfect for radio! I wanted to feature a little bit more about him to give you guys a good look into who this great artist is! Often compared to Trey Songz because of his sultry vocals, Super Jay is a triple threat previously opening up for Trey Songz, and J. Holiday, and already embarked on his own "All of Me" tour that began April 4, 2014 in Ardmore, OK.

"Stripes"-The Challenge: Free Agents Episode 5 (RECAP)

The Challenge: Free Agents is bringing the drama! As the competition heats up, more and more drama is bound to happen, and some of it came to a head during this episode. Picking up from last week, a good majority of the house works out before the next challenge. It's clear as day from the confessionals that Johnny Bananas and Jordan DO NOT like each other, but I think it's partly because they're a lot alike.

At the next challenge, T.J. presents to the competitors Piggy Back, which will split them up into two teams of 10. There are two platforms over water on the opposite sides of each other, with ropes to cross to get to the other side All ten players will start on one platform, using each other to piggy back across, basically climbing over each other to cross these ropes. Everyone also must have both hands on their ropes at all times. You need A LOT of upper body strength and endurance to stay alive!

Hollywood Exes Season 3 Premiere (RECAP)

The ladies of Hollywood Exes are back for a third season, and I'm back to recapping! This season, there's a new member in the mix, Shanna Moakler, the ex-wife of Travis Barker. With Shamicka Lawrence being added to the main cast as well, the ladies did a new opening for the show, and it was gorgeous!

At the start of the episode, Mayte and Jessica have worked past their issues from last season's finale. Mayte is enjoying being a mommy to baby Gia, who just turned two. It's good to see that Jessica and Mayte have worked things out. They talk about being single moms, and how so much has changed now that Gia is in her life. Mayte also has fallen in love with an old friend Humberto, though he lives in Tampa. Neither of them have heard from Andrea, who was last heard to be in a custody battle with her ex, R. Kelly. No one knows what's going on, but it has to be something serious for Andrea not to have reached out to anyone in months.

"Inadequate"-The Challenge: Free Agents E4 (RECAP)

Definitely a drama-filled episode of The Challenge: Free Agents last night! Picking up from last episode, the house has a pool party with cocktails, where Aneesa is annoyed by Laurel and Jordan's constant bragging and showmance. The next morning, she complains about how they had sex in her room, and jokes about how they were weird during their time together. Aneesa clearly doesn't like either one of them, because, let's be honest, they are both overachieving and braggy competitors. They're good, but what's really turned me off about Jordan especially is that he's been in ONE other challenge (Rivals II), and he thinks he's the best competitor we've ever seen. I've been watching these challenges a longggg time, sir. You're good, but you still have a lot to learn.

The next day, the house walks up to the beach to see huge bubbles with their faces on them! T.J. reveals that they will be playing Bounce Out for the day. The players will be divided into two teams, the Red Team and the Yellow Team. Once the teams are decided, they will split into two groups--Group A and Group B. Each group has one player that is the ball, and the rest of the team is going to protect the ball and defend against the ball. Basically do any and everything to get their player the space and opportunity to get into the goal. Once one team scores, the other group comes out to give that team a break. Plus there can't be too many people on the field or it would just be confusing for everybody! The first team that gets three points wins the game, and is safe from elimination.

"You Be Illin'"-The Challenge: Free Agent Episode 3 (RECAP)

I owe y'all two recaps of The Challenge: Free Agents...one from last week and the episode last night, both which were crazy as always! Picking up from Episode 2, Nany and Cohutta clearly have a little romance brewing! The two decide to solidify their love with a fake marriage, and, of course, the rest of the house participates! CT and Isaac organize a bachelor party and the girls have a bachelorette party of their own, complete with a lap dance for Nany from Magic John (Johnny the rookie)!

The next day, Frank has to make a decision about whether he’ll go home. He's sick, and his lungs are a mess. After calling his mom, he refuses to give up, though. He calls his mom. The next night, the house gets a clue from TJ: “Let’s have some fun and do a bar crawl tomorrow.”