SHABOOZEY STUNS AT RECENT PERFORMANCE IN ATLANTIC CITY

Shaboozey was the banner highlight for a recent weekend in Atlantic City as the Beyoncé collaborator continues to rise as a major up-and-comer in the music industry.

For those of us who call the East Coast home, during the long grey and dreary days of winter, we often long for nothing more than warmer months filled with sunny days, summer Fridays and outdoor activities. Unfortunately, amid our longings, we usually forget how sticky, humid and insufferable cities like New York City can be during the summer. Oppressive heat waves often make being outside exhausting, and with only a handful of pools and long subway rides to the beach, finding an escape in the city isn’t always feasible. Moreover, weather delays and the chaos of the airline industry can make vacation plans more stressful than they need to be. With so much happening in the world, taking breaks and indulging in rest and play whenever possible is vital. Many of us often think of tropical getaways, which can require a lot of planning, funds and airport fiascos.

So when you have the chance to hop to Ocean Casino Resort for the weekend hit Atlantic City boardwalk — why not do it?

Unsurprisingly, when many of us think of vacation, locations like Miami, Jamaica or even Las Vegas usually come to mind. Atlantic City doesn’t exactly invoke the same kind of glitz and glamour (it’s in New Jersey, after all). However, as Ocean proved, an oasis can be found just about anywhere.

Ocean is also home to the massive but comfortable Ovation Hall, which will host headliners like musicians The Black Eyed Peas, Lenny Kravitz and comedian Trevor Noah in the coming weeks.

It is also home to the HQ2 Beachclub. While it is convenient for Ocean guests, HQ2 has a separate entrance, which allows those coming in for performances and parties to do so without disrupting the flow of the guests and families. 

A crowd of enthusiastic fans stood in and around the massive pool as DJs hyped the crowd with various musical tracks from current country to early 2000s hip-hop.  About an hour into the set, genre-bending singer Shaboozey regaled the crowd with his high-energy hits. A crowd of enthusiastic fans stood in and around the massive pool as DJs hyped the crowd with various musical tracks from current country to early 2000s hip-hop.  About an hour into the set, genre-bending singer Shaboozey regaled the crowd with his high-energy hits. 

The 29-year-old skyrocketed to the spotlight when Beyoncé featured him on two songs from her country album, Cowboy Carter. Fans can hear the Virginia native crooning on the queen’s tracks, “Spaghettii” and “Sweet*Honey*Buckiin’.” The perfect blend of country and hip-hop, Shaboozey has used his time in the spotlight alongside Bey to his advantage. His hit song, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” from his album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going has been a smash hit. The song has since topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. He is the first Black male artist to reach the number-one spot on both charts.

Shaboozey performed his top hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” to an ecstatic crowd four times. Rapper T.I. and his songstress wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris” were also present. Performances will continue at HQ2 Beachclub until it closes for the season in September. 

CHAMPIONING MINORITY-LED BUSINESSES, A CO-WORKING SPACE IN NEWARK HAS A TRAP ART RETAIL SHOP, A MUSIC STUDIO AND MORE

“Welcome Home.” These are the first words that Equal Space co-founder and CEO Citi Medina says as he invites folks into the sprawling 19,000-square-foot campus located in downtown Newark. On a bright May morning, as the city comes alive outside, this feels like a homecoming. A transplant from Brooklyn, Medina landed in Newark almost a decade and a half ago and never looked back. Though the city has transformed before his eyes in the past ten years, when Medina first began navigating the city, he realized that despite the wealth of talent, there was no safe co-working space for people of color. He and his co-founder and COO, Ralphie Roman, dared to change that. 

Equal Space is much more than a co-working space. In addition to more traditional office-type spaces and desks, between both campuses, there is everything from Trap Art’s retail shop, owned by founder Moustapha Sylla, to a luxe music studio, a podcasting studio, a gym and countless creative spaces. Additional members include Newark’s LGBTQ+ Center, The Bessie Mae Women and Family Health Center and Fitnescity.  

Continue reading at Blavity.com.

Exclusive: A Screenwriter's Paradise — ScreenCraft’s 2017 Retreat in Jamaica

"Nothing is good unless other people say it's good," Creed scribe Aaron Covington explained — his voice ringing out in a room full of screenwriters at various stages in their careers. Covington had flown down from Los Angeles to mentor a select group of writers over the course of five days for ScreenCraft's inaugural retreat at Jakes Treasure Beach in Jamaica. Notebooks and computers were pulled from satchels and handbags as the writers sat together riveted -- taking in the retreat's first keynote address from Covington. In the warm sun with the Caribbean Sea at their feet, the writers received notes and pointers on their feature and television spec scripts, soaking up every piece of information the industry elites offered them while asking questions and suggesting ideas that had been ceaselessly churning in their brains.

Conceived by John Rhodes and Cameron Cubbison, ScreenCraft's mission is to bring writers to the industry. “I loved reading scripts, and I love the development process,“ Rhodes told me as we sat at the hotel bar overlooking the saltwater pool and the beach. “I hated the gatekeeper process. I hated just having to say yes no to a script rather than, 'Hey, you know there's a lot here, but you're clearly a baby writer. You need to grow. Here's some career advice, here's some development advice for this project.'”

Five years later, Rhodes and Cubbison’s vision to educate screenwriters about the business has blossomed into a haven for writers looking to hone their craft while learning the ins and outs of the entertainment industry.  The inspiration for a retreat – especially in a place like the lush and rustic oasis that is Jakes, was an idea that John ran with when Dominique Holmes, an award-winning screenwriter and a native Jamaican introduced him to Jakes' owner and Calabash Literary Festival producer, Justine Henzell. “She's been more than just a hotel partner,” Rhodes spoke adamantly.  “She's been a real cultural ambassador. She's helped bring in the local Jamaican filmmaking community. She got the Jamaican tourism board involved. She got the film commissioner here. She brought in some local filmmakers. She helped promote." After looping in his Events Manager, B-Girl director Emily Dell to help bring the event to life, ScreenCraft’s 2017 Screenwriters Residency Program was born.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.