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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kwanza Jones Introduces Inaugural Innovator Award Honoring Teyana Taylor at Historic Apollo Spring Benefit
This year, SUPERCHARGED® CEO Kwanza Jones returns as an Apollo Board Member and Premier Sponsor through her and her husband's Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative to present The Apollo's first-ever Innovator Award! NEW YORK, June 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At a landmark moment in The Apollo Theater's nearly century-long history, Kwanza Jones, nine-time Billboard-charting music artist, impact investor, and philanthropist, took the stage at the 2025 Apollo Spring Benefit to introduce the first-ever Innovator Award and its honoree, fellow multi-hyphenate Teyana Taylor. This year's Benefit wasn't just a celebration, it was a turning point. As the final Spring Benefit to be held in the current Apollo Theater before its first full-scale renovation in nearly a century, the evening marked the start of a bold new chapter. Jones helped ground that moment through her on-stage remarks, championing The Apollo's role as a space for transformation and spotlighting the power of mindset, voice, and community. She called The Apollo "a place where culture is created, always imitated, never duplicated," and underscored its role as a space for self-expression and bold imagination. Her words laid the foundation for a new tradition, positioning the Innovator Award as both a celebration of fearless artistry and a call to action for collective impact. The Innovator Award, introduced this year by The Apollo, honors artists who break boundaries and shape culture across disciplines. Teyana Taylor, a Harlem native, was recognized for her fearless creative evolution as a performer, director, and artistic visionary who embodies the trailblazing spirit of The Apollo. Jones, whose work also spans the intersections of art, impact, and innovation, brought meaningful resonance to the moment by introducing the Innovator Award and honoring Taylor's multifaceted contributions. Jones stepped out in a show-stopping ensemble styled by Jones herself, wearing a striking Alexander McQueen dress paired with accessories by Stephen Jones and her Kwanza Jones monogram pins. Her bold style echoed the evening's theme of fearless creativity and cultural expression. Following her introduction, Jones returned to the stage alongside fashion icon Dapper Dan, a Harlem native, and actress and comedian Sherri Shepherd to present the Innovator Award to Teyana Taylor, honoring her fearless artistic evolution and cultural impact. As a Board Member and Premier Sponsor through the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, Jones has played a key role in shaping The Apollo's strategy and long-term vision, particularly as the institution prepares for a major transformation and looks ahead to its 100th anniversary in 2034. This decade-forward mindset reflects what Jones calls "Dreaming in Decades," a philosophy grounded in long-term planning, strategic action, and sustained commitment. It mirrors The Apollo's own approach as it prepares for renovation and expansion, ensuring the institution continues to thrive as a hub for culture, creativity, and community for generations to come. Through her work across culture, capital, and community, Jones continues to embody The Apollo's mission and extend its legacy, not only through sponsorship and service, but through her voice, her vision, and her values. In addition to the Innovator Award, the evening also celebrated the legendary Clive Davis, who received the Legacy Award and was inducted into The Apollo's iconic Walk of Fame. The honor recognized Davis' decades-long impact on the music industry and his role in shaping the careers of groundbreaking artists. His recognition underscored The Apollo's deep history and its ongoing commitment to honoring those who have shaped the cultural landscape. As the curtain closes on one chapter and a new one begins, the 2025 Apollo Spring Benefit stands as a testament to the power of leadership, collaboration, and culture to spark transformation. About Kwanza JonesKwanza Jones is on a mission to boost a billion lives through culture, community, and capital. She is a sought-after speaker, accomplished artist, impact investor, and philanthropist. With a multifaceted background spanning music, media, production, law, and business, Jones is an energetic and visionary leader. She is CEO and founder of SUPERCHARGED® by Kwanza Jones, a motivational media company. Jones has served on numerous boards, including The Apollo Theater, Bennett College, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer, and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Through the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, with José E. Feliciano, her partner in life and in business, they have personally committed over $200 million to education, entrepreneurship, equity, and empowerment organizations. To learn more, visit and connect with her on Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | X | Kwanza Jones Boost Friends™ Community. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE SUPERCHARGED Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Another Dumb Blonde' At 25: Hoku's Breakout ‘Snow Day' Hit Captured The Last Gasp Of Millennial Innocence
Nostalgia exists for every generation, of course, but given the fact that they were raised on a steadily increasing diet of internet access, millennials have found unique ways of communally expressing their almost indescribable longing for the past. A constant online juxtaposition between what is and what once was creates a wistful, and oftentimes jaded, dissonance for individuals who grew up in that sweet spot between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Songs, film, television, toys, food, and even the quality of sunshine seemed more…vibrant. Yeah, it could be that we were all more present, more in-the-moment prior to the rise of social media and omnipresent screens, which negatively warped our perception of reality. And sure, it could also be a byproduct of rose-tinted glasses; our penchant to dampen the chaos of an eternally harsh world by forcing it through the naive simplicity of childhood, when the grown-ups would make all the tough decisions for awhile. But maybe, just maybe, there was something truly unique about that brief period in time. The musical artist known as Hoku (born Hoku Clements) was already a young adult when she got her big break at the turn of the millennium, and remembers it vividly. "I do look back on that time and it feels just like golden, innocent, bathed in teal and pink and summer and sunlight,' the Hawaii native tells me over Zoom as we discuss her self-titled debut album, celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this week. Released under the Geffen Records banner, Hoku prominently featured the singer's breakout pop single, 'Another Dumb Blonde,' written by successful Rock Mafia co-founders/producers Antonina Armato and Tim James, the former of whom signed Clements to a production deal. 'I had been recording all these [demo] The Billboard-charting song was recorded and promoted as the marquee track for 2000's Snow Day, a Nickelodeon-produced coming-of-age comedy starring Chevy Chase, Jean Smart, and Chris Elliott. 'I remember we got hooked up with Nickelodeon and that movie pretty early on,' Hoku remembers. 'That really kicked things off, because then I did The Big Help with them, and that was my first big performance at the Palladium in LA. I noticed that once Nickelodeon was involved, once we were hitched onto that pony, things did go from there. It gave us a nice vehicle to rock it out with.' The American Graffiti-esque Snow Day, in which a group of kids discover love and freedom over the course of a wintry day off from school, was emblematic of the films Nickelodeon tended to make at the time. Like Max Keeble's Big Move and Big Fat Liar in the years that followed, the movie celebrated the wonderful and rebellious possibilities of childhood. Despite being played by big name actors, the adult characters had no power in these worlds and were often the main source of conflict — not to mention the eventual butt of the joke. 'It is kind of a bygone era now that you mention it,' muses Hoku. 'I haven't really thought of it before, but they're not really making programming the same way … And it was sad to hear about some of the scandals that came out Nickelodeon later because … everyone [I worked with in those days] While it technically has nothing to do with snow, 'Another Dumb Blonde' — which plays twice throughout the movie (once in the story proper and then again during the end credits) — the song embodies the invigorating agency and crushing disappointments of youth. The super-catchy lyrics told from the perspective of a young woman finding the confidence to dump her cheating boyfriend recalls the impassioned pleas of Dolores O'Riordan in The Cranberries' 'Linger." More than just a simple break-up song, it's a fiery and touching tribute to the rollercoaster ride that is the adolescent experience. It doesn't matter whether you're trying to stop a snowplow driver from clearing the roads in order to get an extra day off from school, or working up the confidence to tell someone how you feel about them. 'Another Dumb Blonde' somehow recalls those formative experiences, beautifully capturing the highs and lows of growing up. 'Ultimately, it's a really empowering song, which never goes out of fashion,' the artist agrees. 'I think it did really resonate with people at the time. It had this sassy thing that lent to my image and that carefree kind of summer feeling. That's timeless and something everyone goes through. The feeling of, 'I'm not being appreciated, you're dismissing me, you're minimizing my value.' So as long as that is a thing, I feel like 'Another Dumb Blonde' will have relevance." A little over a year later, Hoku saw the release of a second hit single, 'Perfect Day,' which played as the main theme for Legally Blonde. As fans have pointed out many times over the years, Snow Day should have swapped its main song with the Reese Witherspoon classic. 'It's so funny because I literally said that to my label when this was all happening back in the day,' Hoku reveals. 'And they were like, 'Oh no, no. It's fine. No one will even notice.' Literally, almost every single person who interviews me or talks to me about this asks about that. I wasn't in charge of any of that stuff back then, but I would have flipped them, for sure.'" The carefree millennial illusion was shattered just two months after Legally Blonde in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center. For many who had come of age in the quietly prosperous '90s, that terrible day marked the death of childhood innocence. There was no coming back. 'It's sad to think of that,' says Hoku, who was actually in New York at the time for the Disney Channel in Concert tour. 'Things really did change. There's just this layer of disillusionment and cynicism that couldn't help but settle across everything. Pop culture is, in a lot of ways, a reflection of where we are as a society. Not perfectly, but it's an art-form. It's art reflecting back the world as artists see it. So you can't help but have some of that cynicism make its way into it … It was definitely a big before and after moment for everything, including pop culture.' With the passage of time, however, 'Another Dumb Blonde" (along with its contemporaries) has become a comfortingly nostalgic time capsule with the power to transport the listener back to a simpler time. A time when kids were the masters of their own destiny with the entire world laid out before them. 'It was a short period of my life and there were a lot of ups and downs at that time. But it's these conversations, just hearing from people who connected with and have these beautiful memories attached to my music, [that I love]," finishes Hoku. 'I've moved on with my life. I have a whole family and a whole life beyond that now … but it's really moving and touching for me. It's been a blessing to see how it's unfurled as time has moved on.' Hoku Courtesy of Matthew Morgan
Bahrain News Gazette
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Bahrain News Gazette
New Evidence Emerges in Marc Mysterio's Shadowban Lawsuit Against Amazon, Calls on ‘Anti-Hero'
NEW YORK, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Marc Mysterio, a Billboard-charting artist and undefeated professional boxer—IBA Boxing has issued a letter sanctioning Marc Mysterio vs. Jake Paul for their vacant 220 lbs title—has introduced new evidence in his lawsuit against Amazon Music (Case No. 1:25-cv-01705, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York), alleging the platform used an 'IF/THEN' filter to cripple his music's viability. The Irish-Canadian artist, who logged 80 million streams from September 2023 to August 2024 as a voluntary Amazon Exclusive Artist, claims Amazon's filter replaced artist-level metadata with a '-' white-out symbol—rendering songs artist-less—preventing fan alerts and stations' streams. Court filings include a letter of preservation requesting 17 items, such as Amazon's logs identifying when the alleged filter was activated, who authorized it, user error reports, and the implementing programmer's user-ID. Mysterio music appeared on Taylor Swift's station—generating 3.7 million streams in 2024 before bottoming out in September—asserts the shadowban handcuffed his reach. Marc Mysterio Streams & Listeners on Amazon Music's Taylor Swift Station; Overall Streams & Listeners Marc Mysterio Streams & Listeners on Amazon Music's Taylor Swift Station; Overall Streams & Listeners on Amazon Music from September 1, 2023-August 31, 2024'Amazon profits from creators whilst blacklisting artists through shadow-banning,' said Mysterio. Mysterio has urged Taylor Swift to remove her catalog from Amazon due to the shadowban, given Swift's legacy of advocating for artists' rights—from her Spotify boycott to supporting Kesha—her voice would be a game-changer. The two also share a mutual friend, All Elite Wrestling's Jeff Jarrett. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift 'I've posted video evidence on —a 3-Part Series—I'm calling on Taylor to stand with me in unity against shadow-banning. When she pulls her catalog from Amazon, it solidifies her as The Anti-Hero. Jeff has my contact details—let's talk,' Mysterio states. Swift's partner, Travis Kelce, was also co-featured in a Billboard article with Mysterio for new chart entries. Mysterio's lawsuit—seeking millions in lost and unpaid royalties— follows recent Billboard-Hit 'The Dancefloor' and collaborations with Flo Rida, David Guetta, Crash Test Dummies, Samantha Fox, Netflix's 'Trailer Park Boys', and Avicii (according to Billboard). Marc Mysterio Marc Mysterio Press Photo A three-part video series detailing the alleged shadow-banning is available on YouTube at For More Information: Key Facts You Need To Know: View Marc Mysterio Amazon Streaming/Listener Stats View Letter of Preservation of Evidence View Marc Mysterio/Travis Kelce Billboard Article @marc_mysterio on X – Career Bio View IBA Boxing Chairman's Letter Marc Mysterio & Bubbles on Trailer Park Boys (TikTok) View Marc Mysterio Press-Photo Press Contact: Ralph Bennett [email protected] Legal Contact: Michael H. Joseph, Esq. [email protected] Photos accompanying this announcement are available at A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at A video accompanying this announcement is available at GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1001080375
Globe and Mail
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
New Evidence Emerges in Marc Mysterio's Shadowban Lawsuit Against Amazon, Calls on ‘Anti-Hero'
NEW YORK, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marc Mysterio, a Billboard-charting artist and undefeated professional boxer—IBA Boxing has issued a letter sanctioning Marc Mysterio vs. Jake Paul for their vacant 220 lbs title—has introduced new evidence in his lawsuit against Amazon Music (Case No. 1:25-cv-01705, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York), alleging the platform used an 'IF/THEN' filter to cripple his music's viability. The Irish-Canadian artist, who logged 80 million streams from September 2023 to August 2024 as a voluntary Amazon Exclusive Artist, claims Amazon's filter replaced artist-level metadata with a '-' white-out symbol—rendering songs artist-less—preventing fan alerts and stations' streams. Court filings include a letter of preservation requesting 17 items, such as Amazon's logs identifying when the alleged filter was activated, who authorized it, user error reports, and the implementing programmer's user-ID. Mysterio music appeared on Taylor Swift's station—generating 3.7 million streams in 2024 before bottoming out in September—asserts the shadowban handcuffed his reach. 'Amazon profits from creators whilst blacklisting artists through shadow-banning,' said Mysterio. Mysterio has urged Taylor Swift to remove her catalog from Amazon due to the shadowban, given Swift's legacy of advocating for artists' rights—from her Spotify boycott to supporting Kesha—her voice would be a game-changer. The two also share a mutual friend, All Elite Wrestling's Jeff Jarrett. 'I've posted video evidence on —a 3-Part Series—I'm calling on Taylor to stand with me in unity against shadow-banning. When she pulls her catalog from Amazon, it solidifies her as The Anti-Hero. Jeff has my contact details—let's talk,' Mysterio states. Swift's partner, Travis Kelce, was also co-featured in a Billboard article with Mysterio for new chart entries. Mysterio's lawsuit—seeking millions in lost and unpaid royalties— follows recent Billboard-Hit 'The Dancefloor' and collaborations with Flo Rida, David Guetta, Crash Test Dummies, Samantha Fox, Netflix's 'Trailer Park Boys', and Avicii (according to Billboard). A three-part video series detailing the alleged shadow-banning is available on YouTube at For More Information: Key Facts You Need To Know: View Marc Mysterio Amazon Streaming/Listener Stats View Letter of Preservation of Evidence View Marc Mysterio/Travis Kelce Billboard Article @marc_mysterio on X - Career Bio View IBA Boxing Chairman's Letter Marc Mysterio & Bubbles on Trailer Park Boys (TikTok) View Marc Mysterio Press-Photo Press Contact: Ralph Bennett pr@ Legal Contact: Michael H. Joseph, Esq. michael@ Photos accompanying this announcement are available at A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at A video accompanying this announcement is available at
Bahrain News Gazette
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Bahrain News Gazette
Marc Mysterio Calls on Taylor Swift to Pull Catalog From Amazon Music Over Unpaid Streams, Shadow-Ban Controversy
Electronic Music Star Cites 80 Million Streams, Including 4 Million From Swift's Station, in Urgent Plea to Pop Icon Marc Mysterio Streams & Listeners on Amazon Music's Taylor Swift Station Marc Mysterio Streams & Listeners on Amazon Music's Taylor Swift Station from September 27th, 2023-September 26th, 2024amounting to nearly 3,700,000 streams from over 740,000 unique listeners. NEW YORK, April 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Billboard-charting artist Marc Mysterio today issued a public call to Taylor Swift, urging the global superstar to withdraw her entire music catalog from Amazon Music until the platform addresses what he alleges is a deliberate campaign of unpaid royalties and digital suppression. Mysterio, currently suing Amazon Music and DistroKid in federal court (Case No. 1:25-cv-01705), claims he's owed millions for over 80 million streams—nearly 4 million of which came from Swift's own Amazon Music artist station—while facing an ongoing shadow-ban that has severed his 1.25 million fans from his work. Marc Mysterio in 2025 IBA Boxing Mandatory Challenger for (Vacant) Super Cruiserweight Intercontinental Championship vs. Jake Paul and Internationally Acclaimed Billboard Charting Artist Marc Mysterio Mysterio's appeal hinges on a personal connection: their mutual friend, WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Jeff Jarrett. Swift, who babysat for Jarrett's family during her early Nashville days, once shared a close-knit community with Mysterio, whose music rang out millions of times on her station. Now, he's asking her to leverage her pro-artist legacy—highlighted by her funding of Kesha's legal battle against Sony Music and Dr. Luke—to stand with him against Amazon's alleged exploitation. 'Taylor Swift has always fought for artists to get what's theirs—she helped Kesha take on Sony, and she's threatened to yank her catalog from streamers over unfair pay,' Mysterio said in a statement. 'Now, her name, image, and likeness are being used on Amazon Music's Taylor Swift Station to unjustly enrich a company that's stiffed me on 80 million streams, including 3.7 million from her own fans. She'd be distraught to know this, and I'm asking her to pull her music until Amazon pays me, lifts this shadow-ban, and lets justice play out.' Mysterio's demands are threefold: Full payment for all streaming activity tied to his ASIN 'B0041A1P4U,' including the nearly 4 million streams from Swift's station, which plummeted to zero alongside his own station's 225,463 plays after an alleged 'IF/THEN' filter hit on September 10, 2024. Immediate removal of the shadow-ban, which he claims Amazon partially acknowledged by restoring his 'Related Artists' section in March 2025—after his lawsuit—but left in place elsewhere, costing him chart positions and fan access. A direct line of communication, asking Swift to obtain his personal email from Jarrett to arrange a phone call or meeting to discuss the crisis and rally support. The artist, known for collaborations with Flo Rida, Samantha Fox, and Crash Test Dummies, points to Swift's history of pulling her music from Spotify in 2014 over royalty disputes as precedent. 'Taylor's a titan because she stands up,' he said. 'Amazon's using her station to profit while I'm ghosted—80 million streams, millions in losses, and they won't even fix it. She can get Jeff Jarrett to give her my email. Let's talk, Taylor—this is our fight.' Mysterio's legal team, led by Michael H. Joseph, served Amazon with a 17-category preservation letter on April 8, 2025, demanding metadata, snapshots, and logs tied to his ASIN. He alleges Amazon's refusal to pay and partial fix—restoring only 'Related Artists' after his February 27 filing—prove intent to suppress, whereas Amazon could have simultaneously removed the shadow-ban, but did not. 'They've got the data to pay me and lift the ban,' he added. 'If Taylor pulls out, they'll feel the heat,' Mysterio concludes. Swift, whose catalog drives billions of streams, has not yet responded. Jarrett could not be reached for comment. Contact: Michael H. Joseph, Esq. Law Office of Michael H. Joseph, PLLC [email protected] (212) 858-0503 About Marc Mysterio: Marc Mysterio is an Irish-Canadian artist, Billboard-charting producer, and boxer with over a decade of hits and a potential IBA Super Cruiserweight Intercontinental title fight against Jake Paul. His lawsuit against Amazon Music and DistroKid seeks millions in damages for unpaid royalties and shadow-ban losses. Photos accompanying this announcement are available at A video accompanying this announcement is available at GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1001079184
