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2nd Annual Black Excellence Awards At The Gathering Spot LA

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2nd Annual Black Excellence Awards LA Gathering Spot

The Gathering Spot LA hosted their second annual Black Excellence Awards, praising several community members for their unwavering determination to succeed and make change in the world. With it being Black History Month, this was the perfect time for The Gathering Spot to reinforce their mission of creating safe spaces for black and brown professionals to be celebrated, seen, and heard. Transforming their illustrious space into an elegant Gala like atmosphere, guests had access to hand crafted drinks sponsored by Crown Royal, as well as a 3 course meal curated by The Gathering Spot LA’s in-house chef.

The Gathering Spot LA Event Coordinator Amber Melvisha who coordinated and produced the event, made sure Black Excellence radiated throughout the entire night. Awardees included Joe Exclusive, Etienne Maurice, Mabel Frias, Dave Helem, Tulani Watkins, Bruce Nahin, and Justin Shaifer. Surrounded by their closest friends, family, and peers, it was easy to see why these individuals were picked to be recognized. They exemplify what Black Excellence looks like 365 days a year. Hosted by Meech Justice, he kept the audience entertained in between award speeches and live entertainment. For the live entertainment portion, rising lyricist Shah Infinite performed a powerful and prolific set that reminded everyone in attendance to be proud of their blackness. Hailing from Washington D.C. he was honored to perform at such a momentous occasion.

Etienne Maurice Black Excellence Awards TGS

Etienne Maurice who is the son of Emmy Award Winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, was celebrated for utilizing his platform to shed light on the importance of community healing through his nonprofit WalkGood LA. Being inspired to create his nonprofit after the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Ahmad Aubrey he humbly accepted “The Leaders of L.A.” Award. “The fact that I have a whole community that supports me and the fact that I’m even acknowledged for the work that I am doing means a lot,” stated Maurice. “It means that I am following my purpose, so to be recognized for that is a blessing.” He made history this past Sunday with the official grand opening of his Walk Good LA facility, which is the first physical space of the Black-owned nonprofit wellness organization in Los Angeles.

Joe Exclusive Black Excellence Awards TGS

Joe Exclusive, who received “The Rich Aunty” Award is a fashion icon and legend. When I asked Joe what it meant for him to receive this award he replied, “It feels amazing to be appreciated and recognized by my peers and people that look like me. I am so blessed and I thank God for blessing me to be a vessel and for making me so special that people want to honor me. I feel like I go so hard in life and always go the extra mile and am super driven so sometimes you questioned yourself like should I stay driven or should I be normal?’” So for me I thank God that he has blessed me to keep going and keep doing more which is why I am so honored to be recognized. I do not take it for granted”.

Mabel Frias Black Excellence Awards TGS

Mabel Frias, who is a business mogul and co-founder of Luna Magic Beauty Mabel received the “She-EO Powerhouse Award” with pure joy and gratitude. “ I am deeply humbled to be recognized for what we’ve achieved for our community, but more importantly what more is to come,” expressed Frias. “I have always been about the community and doing what is best for the greater good. I accept this call to leadership, always focused on the bigger picture and with the long game to get what I committed to the finish line.” Frias has been featured in Forbes, ABC’s hit show Shark Tank, Good Morning America and Cosmopolitan Magazine. She is the true definition of a boss with a vision, plan and determination to open doors for black and brown people like herself.

Bruce Nahin

Bruce Nahin who is a notable business affairs consultant and executive producer with over 300 IMDB credits to his name. Nahin is involved in approximately 30 projects per year, and is a member of the Producers Guild of American and Academy of Television Arts and Science. He received the “Community Inclusivity” Award and serves as an active TGS member. “For the better part of 40 years I have been trying to break glass ceilings racially having grown up on 39th, so to be recognized for my inclusiveness is very humbling”.

David Helem

Stand up comedian and television producer Dave Helem comes from humble beginnings growing up in the windy city. I got a chance to ask him what it felt like to be honored in his dream city being from Chicago. “It really feels good to be appreciated by your people,” exclaimed Helem. “We work our butts off out here in LA. I’m from Chicago. We’ve had stories of living in places you don’t want to live in and you get to a position where you’re like man I’m just going to go back home, but then you just stick it out and everything works out. To be recognized in a black space for the black ish that you do is so great”.

Justin Shaifer

Justin “Mr. Fascinate” Shaifer is the award-winning Science Communicator, TV Host, producer and STEMbassador on a mission to make science cool. The Forbes 30 Under 30 in Education shared with me that he is honored to be recognized by his peers. “It is really dope to be recognized by my black peers for something that is very niche in science and tech. A lot of times the things that I am doing in my space go unnoticed in the black community so It is really a dope opportunity to see that I am being seen”.

Tulani Watkins Black Excellence Awards TGS

Tulani Watkins who received the “Watch Who’s Next” Award wanted everyone to know how grateful she is to receive such an esteemed award. “I am so happy to be honored for the “Watch Who’s Next” Award,” stated Watkins. This means a lot to me as a member here but also as a quiet leader who is very loud about making sure others are winning and succeeding. Entrepreneurship is hard and stressful but yet so rewarding at the same time. This night is beautiful. We need this, we deserve this and all of us are just getting started. The work is not done. We are on a mission and we are going to be steadfast in the way we move”.

The work that The Gathering Spot LA is doing to make sure black and brown faces are celebrated at the highest level does not go unnoticed. Congratulations to all of the awardees.

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Entertainment

WATCH “Irresponsibull” MOVIE NOW | @northendempire

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NorthEnd Empire Films LLC presents “Irresponsibull” movie. Allen is ready to settle down. Only his girlfriend Theresa doesn’t think he’s anywhere close to being responsible enough to start a family. When an unexpected opportunity arises for Allen to keep Theresa’s nephew and niece (Brian and Britt) and prove his maturity, he jumps to it…without knowing these two kids are not your average youngsters. Marcus is a low level scam artist that works for his uncle, the most “dangerous construction boss” in Chicago. He continues to screw up job after job and is desperate to show his uncle/boss that he can be responsible and counted on in the family business. The boss gives him just one more chance to prove himself. Then, the most unlikely of events happens, causing a chance meeting of Allen and Marcus and starting a downward spiral like no other. Can any of these men make it out and show that they are indeed NOT Irresponsibull?

WATCH MOVIE NOW
https://irresponsibullmovie.com/watch-movie-now/ 

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Rawrrzone Picks – FaxoHxzrd Faded

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photo courtesy of @faxohxzard on Instagram

It’s amazing to see how much progress has been made, not only in the world of music but also in terms of tolerance and acceptance of different genres worldwide. Reflecting on their childhood, many can relate to not being allowed to listen to certain types of music, let alone pursue a career in it.

Growing up in a Greek household, there were limitations, and pursuing a career in music seemed like a distant dream. In many families, the expectation was to follow a more conventional path, such as becoming a teacher or a doctor. Back then, familial support for artistic endeavors was rare. However, as we step into 2024, things have significantly changed.

Parents are now not only supportive but encouraging of their children pursuing their creative dreams. There’s a newfound appreciation for the creative arts, and families play a crucial role in nurturing and supporting their children’s aspirations. This shift marks a significant change in societal attitudes towards creativity and the arts.

<center><iframe style=”border-radius:12px” src=”https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/6ZXkeF6AaiI0Z3YJS0cWhA?utm_source=generator” width=”100%” height=”352″ frameBorder=”0″ allowfullscreen=”” allow=”autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture” loading=”lazy”></iframe></Center>

The 12-track project, heavily influenced by New York drill with elements from the Vermont music scene, offers a smooth listening experience. The album not only showcases Faxohzrd’s confidence but also his passion for music.

As someone once told us, there’s a difference between artists who create to connect with their audience and those who create solely for profit. Faxohzrd aims to move his crowd and make them experience his music fully.

For example, in “Kobe Bryant,” he displays his pen game and wordplay, cleverly referencing the late Kobe Bryant’s jersey number, 24. Faxohxzrd takes his shot and never misses.

“Lobotomy” is a straight pen track where he exhibits some of his best bars, blending boom-bap and drill beats, giving off takeover vibes as he talks about eliminating his competition as if performing a lobotomy.

“On Me” is a track dedicated to the ladies. Faxohxzrd acknowledges the women in his life, recognizing how they have always supported him and declaring his affection for his dream woman. The song gave me a taste of Mac Miller while listening to it.

Although these were our favorites from the project, without giving too much away, you need to check out the entire project for yourself.

Make sure you follow him on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/faxohxzrd/

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Artist

Interview: International Hip Hop Threat Rhyme Assassin Returns With M.O.P & Ruste Juxx For “Run Em Up (Told Ya)”

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International/national Hip Hop threat Rhyme Assassin returns with a new single, and like his last hit, he’s bringing the legends. This time around he links with M.O.P and Ruste Juxx. The new single “Run Em Ep (Told Ya)” will be available April 19th everywhere music is sold. Check out the interview below for more on the single and its creation.

MJ: You’re back with brand new music, still sharing mics with legends of the game. This time around for your new single, dropping everywhere April 19th, you have M.O.P and Ruste Juxx in “Run Em Up (Told Ya)” with production by Arcitype. How did this link-up come into play?

Rhyme Assassin: Approximately 2 years ago I purchased a few beats from the Arcitype and when I heard the beat, I used for Run Em Up all I could hear on it was M.O.P crushing the instrumental so when I considered a feature it had to be M.O.P. It took me some time to get the feature in place but super excited it worked out.

MJ: From the cover, we can already assume there will be grittiness, tough bars, and even some intimidation. Without giving too much away before April 19th, talk about the concept of the record.

Rhyme Assassin: All I can say it’s grimy and gritty, with raw bars and metaphors at the same time. It will have your head nodding like crazy. A special shout out to Arcitype, I told him the direction I wanted to take with the song, and he didn’t take long to whip out his bag of sonic magic tricks. He sent a beat that matched the exact mood I was aiming at, exactly what the song needed. It’s gonna be crazy everybody gotta keep the 19th clear for “Run Em Up.”

MJ: Why M.O.P and Ruste Juxx for the features?

Rhyme Assassin: Well, I have been always a fan of M.O.P and they are legends in the game so it’s an honor to have them on the same track. That’s why the opening was “I am on a track with legends”. Like I explained earlier they bring the right energy that the beat needed, and they annihilated the track with punchlines and metaphors. Juxx is a veteran MC and I worked with him on a few tracks, and he poses great skills and energy that would complement M.O.P on the same track, so I felt he would be the perfect match.

MJ: Is this record leading fans and audiences into something forthcoming from you?

Rhyme Assassin: Rum ‘em Up (Told ya) is the second single from my forthcoming album ‘Dedicated to Self’ which will drop this year but currently no date has been set yet. I will potentially drop one more single and 2 videos and then drop the album.

MJ: Can we expect visuals? Again, without giving too much away, what is your vision for the video?

Rhyme Assassin: I am currently in discussion of the potential of getting a video done with M.O.P and Ruste Juxx for this single. I have hopes of making the video because I know fans are going to love this offering. As a fan of M.O.P it would be a personal accomplishment and achievement to have them on video. As for the concept I will discuss with the team if everyone is on the same page to get one done.

MJ: Let everyone know how they can connect with you and keep up to date with new music, videos, tours, etc.

Rhyme Assassin: Anyone can contact me on the following email – unclerhymez@gmail.com and Rhyme Assassin on all media platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

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