The VMAs are shaping up to be quite the ceremony this year! Kanye West will be honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award (what are the chances of someone interrupting him during his speech?), which is presented to an artist whose music videos are truly pieces of art. We can also look forward to performances by both Pharrell Williams and A$AP Rocky. Will you be tuning in? [MTV]
Six weeks after the death of Sandra Bland, a Texas city council has voted to rename the road leading into Prairie View A&M University in the 28-year-old’s honor. Bland was arrested on July 10 en route from Illinois to Texas, where she was supposed to start a new job at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M. Since she was found dead in her jail cell, university students, alumni and members of Sigma Gamma Rho have been protesting for a road named in Bland’s honor. [ABC 13]
Well, it has been a long time coming. Nearly 30 years after N.W.A. burst onto the scene, they group has achieved its first Top 40 hit. “Compton,” which was released in 1988, scored the No. 38 spot on the the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. That’s that Straight Outta Compton effect! [Billboard]
Yesterday marked the 14 year anniversary of the tragic and untimely death of Aaliyah, and to mark the day, Janet Jackson posted a touching note remembering the R&B princess. “What I shared with u ever sacred everlasting N it’s pure + it will endure. I love u Aaliyah #RIP,” Jackson wrote. Before her death, Aaliyah had dreamt of doing a duet with Jackson. Rest in peace, baby girl. [Rap-Up]
It looks like Issa Rae’s HBO pilot is moving forward! The Game’s Jay Ellis and Basketball Wife’s Yvonne Orji have signed on to star alongside Rae in her upcoming pilot, Insecure. Ellis will star opposite Rae as her unemployed boyfriend, and Orji will play our favorite awkward Black girl’s best friend. Stay tuned on an air date for this sure-to-be-hilarious show! [Deadline]
Over the weekend, Bobby Brown made his first on-stage performance since Bobbi Kristina Brown died on July 26. The singer surprised fans at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles when he joined Macy Gray on stage for a duet. Before leaving the stage, he thanked fans everywhere for their continuous support. [New York Daily News]
Getty Images
Terrence Howard scored a victory in divorce court. A Los Angeles judge overturned the divorce settlement that the Empire star signed with his ex-wife Michelle Ghent, citing that Ghent had blackmailed him into signing the document. Howard and Ghent must now negotiate a new settlement. [The Root]
