New changes are underway at Roc Nation to empower independent artists. According to a news release, Jay-Z’s label has merged its Roc Nation Label and Equity Distribution (EQ) divisions to form ROC Nation distribution, with plans for it to bolster artists by giving them greater freedoms across technology and the music business. “The formation of ROC Nation distribution is a natural transition in the music space,” the press release states. “The mission is to support and empower independent artists while providing them the tools and services to distribute their music. All artists signed to Roc Nation Label will join and benefit from the new ROC Nation distribution structure.” Variety reports the distribution segment was established in 2019 and is being led by President Krystian Santini. The segment allowed artists to maintain ownership of their masters, and it will continue with an artist services division that includes marketing, publishing administration, and data analytics available...

Tink released her debut mixtape “Winter’s Diary” at age 16. Eleven years later, the R&B artist is still in the game and on the road, expressing her gratitude for her fans and the journey with her “Thanks 4 Everything Tour.”

After working for the late Michael Jackson, Faheem Muhammad and Michael Amir’s acquired knowledge over the years served as a launching pad to help underserved communities. “Mr. Jackson was always mission-driven. Everything he did had a purpose, which was to do what he could to make the world a better place,” Amir told AfroTech in an email interview. In the past, Muhammad worked for Jackson as head of security and Amir worked as the icon’s chief of staff. Now, the duo has found their contribution to fostering a more improved society by forging a business partnership alongside other close friends to create Oasis, a real estate investment , and development company. Oasis has a focus on the South Side of Chicago, as they saw a clear pathway to revisit the demographics they often saw in dire need during their upbringing.

Rejection can be masked as redirection, and Tyler Perry can attest to this.

Dame Dash is turning up his mic to encourage the Black community to take ownership.

Rick Ross is still aiming to accomplish his goal of becoming an owner of a pro sports team. Just a few weeks ago, Rozay expressed interest in purchasing a five percent stake in the Miami Dolphins. Should @MiamiDolphins sell me 5% stake in the organization? If so,what would the upside be for both sides or vice versa?? — Yung Rénzél 👑 (@RickRoss) June 6, 2022 Now, Ross has made it known that he wants dibs on purchasing a ten percent ownership stake in the Philadelphia 76ers in a comment via Instagram that read, “I’ll buy his 10% lol.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by 2Cool2Blog (@2cool2bl0g)

All hands on deck! Ice Cube has announced big plans for his basketball league. According to a press release, the rapper turned entrepreneur’s BIG3 basketball league plans to introduce decentralized team ownership backed by Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). This means fans from across the world will have a chance to own a stake in the league’s 12 teams. “This is team ownership in the 21st century,” said BIG3 co-founder, Ice Cube, according to a press release. “We’ve created a special bond with our fans since our first game in 2017 and this is the natural next step. We want fans to feel even more invested in their favorite squad, more connected to their favorite player, and provide them with the opportunity to grow with us. While other leagues are flirting with fan ownership, none of them have more meat on the bone than BIG3 team owners.”

Whether we realize it or not, Black creativity is one of the world’s most lucrative assets and it’s time we take back control over our superpower – the power to shift the world’s dynamic and how it connects with our culture. Through platforms like DNABLOCK, all Black creatives, and even non-creatives, have the opportunity to access and utilize the art of animation to personify our cultural experiences for the world to behold. DNABLOCK — a 3-D animation platform that enables the world’s greatest creative minds to take their narratives from concept to creation — was founded by tech specialist Anthony Kelani, who had a vision to democratize a technical form of creative expression for Black and people of color. The startup, which is loosely referred to as “ Pixar for the people,” removes the barriers between tech and creativity to bridge the gap and empower these groups to take charge of their own narratives. By offering a unique platform to visualize and build our creations from...