Insane Clown Posse comes in at #2 with “Marvelous Missing Link (Lost)”

In ESSENCE’s groundbreaking February 2015 ‘Black Lives Matter’ issue, ESSENCE editors and a myriad of esteemed contributors focused attention on the daring modern-day civil rights movement unfolding across the nation and set the agenda for ‘What We Must Do Now’ with a bold dialogue in the pages of the magazine. Today, Essence is announcing a slate of empowerment programming and a ‘Peace, Prayer & Purpose Rally’ to bring that conversation to life during the daytime Empowerment Experience at the 2015 ESSENCE Festival, July 2-5 in New Orleans.

“Communities across the country are rallying for justice, as Black Americans face systemic inequalities and troubling disparities with respect to police brutality, employment, education, earning power, health and upward socio-economic mobility,” said Essence President Michelle Ebanks. “In an effort to shed light on the issues, address the pain, explore solutions and advance the movement in these critical times, Essence is unveiling a series of powerful keynotes and in-depth conversations that will culminate in the ‘Peace, Prayer & Purpose Rally’.”

The ESSENCE Empowerment Experience programming will extend the conversation on race relations; addressing where we are now and where we go from here with a wide range of the nation’s foremost leaders, activists and influencers—including Deepak Chopra, Rev. Al Sharpton, Steve Harvey, Iyanla Vanzant, Donna Brazile and many more.

In addition, prominent mayors, including Karen Freeman-Wilson (Gary, IN) and Mitch Landrieu (New Orleans, LA), will join a Mayor’s Panel for a deep-dive conversation on the critical issues and best-practices in communities around the country; Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, will deliver a keynote address entitled Moms on a Mission: Mothers Turning Tragedy Into Triumphant Change; and leading experts, including Senator Karen Carter Peterson, Dr. Steve Perry, Nicole Paultre Bell and more will weigh in on the educational, policy and social issues impacting our communities for a discussion on Where Do We Go From Here: Black Lives Matter. The Empowerment Experience Sunday Prayer Vigil and All-Star Gospel Tribute round out the weekend programs with poignant moments of reflection, rededication and inspiration.

For more information about schedules, ticket sales, accommodations and the latest news about the ESSENCE Festival, visit ESSENCE Festival www.essencefestival.com, join the Festival community: follow us on Twitter @essencefest #EssenceFest and become a fan of 2015 ESSENCE Festival on Facebook.

The 2015 ESSENCE Festival™ is executive produced by ESSENCE Festivals LLC, a division of ESSENCE Communications Inc. (ECI), and produced by Solomon Group. GeChar is the executive producer of the 2015 ESSENCE Empowerment Experience and Empower U.

Sponsors of the 2015 ESSENCE Festival include presenting sponsor Coca-Cola and major sponsors Ford, McDonald’s, My Black Is Beautiful, Samsung Galaxy, State Farm, Verizon, Walmart and official media partner MSNBC. Superlounge sponsors include Coca-Cola, Ford, Verizon and Walmart. The All-Star Gospel Tribute is sponsored by Walmart.

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.:
ESSENCE Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events and online. The company’s flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the ESSENCE Festival, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, the ESSENCE Book Club, ESSENCE.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 45 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of 13.4 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions relating to every area of African-American women’s lives. Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at www.essence.com.

SOURCE ESSENCE magazine

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LEONA LEWIS JOINS ISLAND RECORDS UK AND DEF JAM RECORDINGS U.S.

NEW TRACK AND VIDEO, “FIRE UNDER MY FEET,” DEBUTS WORLDWIDE ON VEVO

SPECIAL SHOWCASE AT THE HOSPITAL CLUB IN LONDON PREVIEWS SONGS FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM I AM TO RAVE REVIEWS

Multi-platinum, award-winning, world-class British singer Leona Lewis becomes the newest artist to join the Def Jam Recordings roster in the U.S. – via Island Records in the UK. Island released her new track and video, “Fire Under My Feet.” http://www.vevo.com/watch/leona-lewis/Fire-Under-My-Feet/GBUV71500226

“Fire Under My Feet,” co-written by Leona and Toby Gad is the first advance single from I AM, Leona’s eagerly anticipated fifth album, set for a fall release worldwide. The album was produced by hit­maker Toby Gad (credits: John Legend, One Direction, Fergie, Alicia Keys). Leona recently released an exclusive trailer for her Facebook and Twitter followers: http://po.st/FIRETeaserFB

At a special late-April showcase at the Hospital Club in London, Leona previewed five songs from I AM to ecstatic reviews. In addition to “Fire Under My Feet,” she sang “I Got You,” “Ladders,” “Thank You,” and the album title track, “I Am.” “At last, Leona Lewis is who she wants to be – and it is truly wonderful to behold,” raved the Daily Express. “’Ladders’ and ‘I Am’ are instant crowd-pleasers with thumping basslines and euphoric choruses, which see Lewis grabbing a tambourine and pounding out a hook on the piano.” Echoed MTV.com, “The singer has made her highly anticipated comeback and we can’t wait for more.”

“This is clearly going to be Leona’s statement album,” declared The Independent. “From what we’ve heard so far it’s full of passion, heartache and struggle, but it’s lined with hope and a general sense that this is the happiest she has ever been with what she is performing. Every man and his dog knows that Leona has an incredibly strong vocal, but now she finally has an equally strong voice to go with it.”

Leona Lewis exploded onto the scene in 2007, when she won the UK’s prestigious Ivor Novello Award, and her RIAA platinum debut album Spirit (10x-platinum in the UK) hit #1 on charts around the world, including the U.S., UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. The album, which sold over 8 million copies worldwide, was buoyed by a quintet of hit singles, including the RIAA quadruple-platinum “Bleeding Love” (#1 in over 35 countries, with 7 weeks at #1 on the UK chart), followed by “Better In Time,” “Footprints in the Sand,” “Forgive Me,” and “Run.” This set a new record for a British female artist with the highest number of singles reaching Top 5.

In the U.S., “Bleeding Love” was #1 for 4 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, the biggest-selling single of 2008, which earned Leona the Billboard Music Award for Top New Artist of the Year. She received three Grammy Award® nominations, and went on to record “I See You (theme from Avatar)” at producer-director James Cameron’s personal request.

Spirit made UK history as the top-selling debut album by a female artist; and Leona became the first UK solo artist to hit #1-bullet on the Hot 100 in the U.S. (with “Bleeding Love”) since 1982, and the first UK solo artist to hit #1 with a debut album. Her double-platinum Echo followed in 2009 (featuring “Happy”), then Glassheart in 2012 (with “Trouble” featuring Childish Gambino), and Christmas, With Love in 2013.

In addition to the Ivor Novello Award and the MTV VMA for Best UK Video (for “Bleeding Love”), Leona has won two MOBO Awards in the UK, and more than 20 music awards in countries around the world.

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HBO announces the May 18th premiere of Southern Rites, an insightful and thought-provoking documentary that tells the story of two neighboring towns in Southeast Georgia entrenched in racial tension. Directed by acclaimed photographer Gillian Laub and executive produced by musician John Legend, Troy Carter and Mike Jackson, the 90-minute film examines race relations, a segregated prom, politics and the killing of an unarmed young black man that will forever bind the residents of these two small towns together.

On May 11^th, John Legend and Gillian Laub will host an invite-only event screening in New York City. The screening will be followed by an interactive panel discussion, where participants will share their thoughts and perspectives on the story and the film itself.

“With a film as provocative as Southern Rites, creating a platform that inspires dialogue is integral to our promotion of the film,” said Lucinda Martinez, SVP of Multicultural Marketing. “The film is not only the story of the residents in Southeast Georgia but in many towns all over the country. Laub is a compelling storyteller and we’re proud to support her work.”

Montgomery County, GA first gained notoriety when Laub visited the small town of 9,000 residents in 2009 to document its proms, which remained segregated despite the integration of schools in 1971. Laub’s story went on to run in the New York Times, garnering national attention (ref: A Prom Divided, New York Times). A year later, Laub returned after the town combined its proms, to document the shift and also highlight an historic election campaign that may lead to its first African-American sheriff.

While Laub was in town filming, a white resident was charged with the murder of a young black man in Montgomery County’s neighboring town, Toombs County. As the case wears on, it divides locals in both towns along their well-worn racial lines, while the ensuing plea bargain and sentencing uncover complex truths and produce emotional revelations.

“This is a story that needs to be told,” said Director Gillian Laub. “This film is about giving a voice to the people of Montgomery and Toombs counties. This is their narrative. I’m grateful to HBO for their support and the opportunity.”

The film debuts the week of the Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision 61 years ago.

Southern Rites airs on HBO on May 18 at 9 PM. For additional information about Southern Rites, visit: http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/southern-rites#/.

About Home Box Office®
Home Box Office, Inc. is the premium television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. and the world’s most successful pay TV service, providing two television services – HBO® and Cinemax® – to approximately 127 million subscribers worldwide. HBO Documentary Films offers a full spectrum of stellar, non-fiction programming by acclaimed documentary filmmakers. The network’s steadfast commitment to timely and engaging documentary filmmaking has earned it virtually every major programming award, including dozens of Primetime Emmys®, News & Documentary Emmys®, and Peabody® and Academy Awards®.

Storming onto the music scene with over 1.5 Million Youtube views on her “Brooklyn (Chiraq Freestyle)”, Young M.A, the 23-year old MC from Brooklyn, NY has announced a marketing and distribution partnership with Duck Down Music. The deal will be set in motion with the release of Young M.A’s upcoming Mixtape, ‘Sleepwalking’ (Summer, 2015), followed by her debut project ‘Herstory.’

Jay Z is going to give a live performance in New York City now on May 16th…

The set will be made up of songs he’s either never performed before or has not done so for a decade.