As anticipation continues to build for “Grand Theft Auto 6” (“GTA 6” or “GTA VI” ), one of the most anticipated video game releases in recent memory, new reports suggest that fans will have to wait a bit longer. Rockstar Games’ ‘GTA’ 6 Release Date Announced According to Reuters, publisher Take-Two Interactive has pushed the release date for Rockstar Games’ next major title, “GTA 6,” to Nov. 19, 2026. The announcement represents the second public delay, postponing the launch from May 2026, the outlet reports. Take-Two’s stock dipped about 6% following the news, but industry analysts told Reuters the delay could actually strengthen the game’s commercial potential. Releasing during the holiday season could align “GTA 6″ with peak consumer spending and major console promotions. “Releasing it closer to the holiday season allows for more opportunities to bundle with the tail end of current-gen consoles, making it more valuable to Take-Two because of the marketing dollars the console...

Filmmaker and philanthropist Tyler Perry has donated nearly $1.4 million to several nonprofit organizations supporting families affected by the loss of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. According to People, the funds are directed to groups that serve children, seniors, and low-income working households. Perry, 56, distributed the donation across multiple organizations, including Atlanta Community Food Bank, Baby2Baby, Meals on Wheels Atlanta, Caring for Others, All for Lunch, Ron Clark Academy, and Goodr. In a statement shared with People, Perry spoke about the impact of reduced food assistance on families. “If you’ve never been poor then you may not fully understand the life-changing impact SNAP benefits mean to hard-working people, to our seniors and to our children,” he said. “For millions of people, it could mean extreme hunger. For newborns, it could mean a lack of access to formula.” Perry described...

Artificial intelligence is increasingly entering the music world, with AI-generated artists gaining attention on charts and in media coverage. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Telisha “Nikki” Jones, a poet and entrepreneur from Mississippi, has made headlines for her AI creation, Xania Monet. The artist’s debut single, “How Was I Supposed to Know?,” has already secured Jones a multi-million-dollar recording contract with Hallwood Media following a competitive bidding process that reached $3 million. In an interview with “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King, Jones discussed her approach to creating Xania Monet.   The 31-year-old emphasized that she writes all of the lyrics herself, often drawing from poems she has been composing since she was 24. “There’s real emotions and soul put into those lyrics,” Jones said. She added that “How Was I Supposed to Know?” was inspired by the death of her father when she was 8 years old. After writing the lyrics, Jones uses the AI platform Suno to...

Dance Theatre of Harlem, the professional ballet company and school based in New York City, has named Jaime Wynn, president of Jimmy Choo Americas, to its board of directors, the company announced. According to a press release, Wynn brings more than 25 years of experience in luxury fashion, business transformation, and brand growth. She has held senior roles at LVMH, leading global planning at Marc Jacobs, and at The Jones Group, where she helped scale Ralph Lauren’s licensed business and launched a $550 million private-label brand. Since 2021, Wynn has served as president of Jimmy Choo, per LinkedIn, guiding the brand’s evolution into a lifestyle fashion house with a focus on market leadership, omnichannel expansion, and operational innovation. She first joined the company in 2016 as vice president of sales & planning. Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Dance Theatre of Harlem, as the company, led by executive director Anna Glass and artistic director Robert Garland,...

Spelman College is expanding its partnership with the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON), formerly known as the National Education Equity Lab. The collaboration provides high school students from Title I schools — those serving large numbers of low-income families — with access to college-level courses for credit, according to a university press release. Since launching in spring 2023, the partnership has grown significantly, from one course with 50 students to nearly 300 students enrolled across two Spelman-led classes in 2025. To date, the initiative has reached more than 767 high school scholars from 47 schools in 19 cities, including New York City; Nashville, TN; Jackson, MS; Charleston, SC; and Washington, DC. The first course, “The Education of Black Girls,” was developed and taught by Andrea Lewis, Ph.D., director of Spelman’s Student Success Program and associate professor of education. The class allows high school students to explore identity, race, gender, and...

At 21 years old, Brooklyn Frost brings her creativity to her streams, social media, and music, engaging millions of fans across Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube with her voice, energy, and perspective. Streaming Success Brooklyn Frost has built an audience that spans 1.3 million Instagram followers, 2.2 million TikTok followers, over 600,000 Twitch followers, and more than 1 million YouTube subscribers. Per Essence Girls United, watching her brother create content first, she said she was drawn to the energy, creativity, and connection that streaming offered. Stepping in front of the camera herself, she realized she could tell her own story. “Streaming gave me a space to be myself in real time, to laugh, to talk, and to build a genuine community that grew with me,” Frost told AFROTECH™. Her first Twitch subathon in December 2024 was a milestone, earning her 10,000 new subscribers and averaging 13,000 views per stream, according to Complex. Frost celebrated the achievement with...

For anyone hoping that new IRS direct deposit relief payments would arrive this November, the IRS and federal officials say no new stimulus or relief payments have been approved for 2025. IRS Direct Deposit Relief Payment The claims follow months of online discussion about potential federal aid programs. According to USA Today, payments have been referred to under labels such as “direct deposit relief,” “tariff rebate,” or “DOGE dividend.” The IRS says no new federal stimulus payments or rebates have been authorized, per the outlet. The only proposal under consideration is the American Worker Rebate Act of 2025, introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), which would provide payments ranging from $600 to $2,400 to qualifying taxpayers if enacted. As of November, the bill has not moved through Congress, and no payments are currently authorized. USA Today also noted that the last round of federal stimulus payments was distributed in response to the pandemic. Individuals who did not...

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has put its Talent x Opportunity (TxO) program on hold, marking an unexpected shift in the firm’s efforts to support founders from underserved communities, TechCrunch reports. Launched in 2020, as AFROTECH™ previously reported, the program aimed to bridge gaps in venture capital access for entrepreneurs, particularly women and minority founders, by offering mentorship, funding, and industry connections. The a16z TxO fund pause comes after five years of operations, during which the program supported more than 60 companies, per TechCrunch, including Brown Girl Magazine, food tech startup Myles Comfort Foods, and maternity tech company Villie. Participants benefitted from a 16-week training program, access to a professional network, and $175,000 in investments via a donor-advised fund managed by the nonprofit Tides Foundation. In 2024, TxO expanded to include grants of $50,000 each for three nonprofits focused on tech entrepreneurship in underserved...

From financial uncertainty to high-fashion success, Salehe Bembury has shaped modern sneaker culture with creativity and vision. Salehe Bembury On Landing Versace In a conversation with “The Cutting Room Floor” podcast host Recho Omondi, Bembury shared how he secured opportunities with luxury brands like Versace, an experience that established him in the world of high-fashion sneakers. Bembury recalled a moment of financial uncertainty. “I’m out of money. I’m getting scared. I look like the image of unemployment. I’m in my underwear eating cereal on my couch,” he said in a clip from the Patreon podcast.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by OMONDI (@omndi) At that low point, he reached out to Dean Quinn, a design director at Versace, through LinkedIn. “Forever grateful for him replying,” Bembury said, adding that he pitched a project for Versace’s sneaker line. He suggested that Versace could create sneakers incorporating the brand’s signature elements, including the...

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy addressed the company’s recent layoffs during its quarterly earnings call on Oct. 30, saying the decision to cut 14,000 corporate positions was based on cultural factors rather than financial or AI-related reasons, Fortune reports. “The announcement that we made a few days ago was not really financially driven, and it’s not even really AI-driven, not right now at least,” he said during the call. “It’s culture.” The Amazon layoffs, which largely affected middle management, followed a June 2025 memo, according to a previous Fortune report. In it, Jassy said that advancements in AI have increased efficiency across the company. In a separate internal communication, Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, described the restructuring as an effort to adjust to the “transformative technology” of AI. Amazon’s workforce has grown significantly in recent years. The company currently employs about 1.55 million people worldwide,...

Even successful entrepreneurs face investments that don’t work out. Kevin Hart, known for his comedy and film career, has shared one of his most difficult business experiences: investing in his friends’ ventures. Kevin Hart On His Worst Investment In a clip from an episode of “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in August 2022, Hart discussed his various business ventures and revealed, midway through the interview, that his worst business decision came from supporting friends’ ideas. “The worst business investment that I’m currently involved in is the business of investing in your friends,” he said to Corden at the time. “You never want your friends to feel like their ideas are not good ideas, but thus far, these ideas have been an endless pit of bankruptcy,” he also added on the show. On the 2022 episode, Hart highlighted one particular venture as the most regrettable: a friend’s company that designed headphones that could open up into speakers. The concept was intended to allow...

Hip-Hop artist Nas and Resorts World New York City have announced a combined $2 million donation to support the construction of The Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, according to a press release. The announcement was made during the museum’s second annual benefit gala and reflects Resorts World’s 15-year record of supporting cultural institutions across New York City’s five boroughs. The contribution will support the museum’s ongoing capital campaign as it moves toward a 2026 opening. Located at 585 Exterior St. within the Bronx Point complex — a mixed-use building that includes affordable housing, public spaces, and cultural facilities, per the Bronx Times — The Hip Hop Museum is intended to serve as a center for community, education, and the preservation of hip-hop’s global legacy. “Hip Hop has always reflected the culture of New York City, from its emergence in the Bronx to Queens’ own, Nas,” said Kevin Jones, chief legal and chief strategy officer at Resorts World New York City, in...

Citibank has lowered its base lending rate by 0.25% on Oct. 30, 2025, from 7.25% to 7.00%, according to a Citibank news release. This follows a similar reduction in September, the bank announced, and comes a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered its policy rate to a 3.75%–4.00% range, the lowest in three years, CNN reports. Borrowers with floating-rate loans tied to Citibank’s base rate may see lower interest payments, potentially saving hundreds of dollars annually, according to The Economic Times. The cut aligns the bank’s lending rate with the U.S. prime rate, standardizing borrowing costs for individuals and businesses. Loans such as mortgages, auto financing, and business credit lines tied to the base rate will see immediate changes in monthly payments. Citigroup, Citibank’s parent company, operates in more than 180 countries, offering personal banking, wealth management, and capital markets services, the outlet notes. Citi has a market capitalization of $177.36 billion,...

Tech company Bending Spoons is set to acquire one of the internet’s early pioneers, AOL. Based in Milan, Italy, Bending Spoons, known for apps such as Evernote, a note-taking platform, and Remini, a photo-enhancement application, is purchasing AOL from private-equity firm Apollo Global Management, The Wall Street Journal reports. The deal comes after Bending Spoons’ recent expansion, which included securing $2.8 billion in debt financing for AOL and other investments. As part of the deal, AOL could be valued at $1.5 billion. Bending Spoons said it plans to maintain and develop AOL’s operations over the long term, according to the outlet. The company also owns Brightcove, a video distribution and analytics platform, and recently announced plans to acquire video platform Vimeo for $1.38 billion, TechCrunch reports. In a statement, per The Wall Street Journal, Bending Spoons described AOL as an “important and beloved business with a brand that has stood the test of time.” The outlet...

Paramount has launched a new round of layoffs affecting staff across CBS Entertainment, MTV, BET, and other divisions, The Wrap reports. The cuts, which began Oct. 29, are part of the company’s restructuring under new CEO David Ellison following its merger with Skydance Media, which officially closed in August, according to a Paramount press release. The first phase will impact about 1,000 employees, with an additional 1,000 to 2,000 expected to be let go in the coming months, per The Wrap. Those affected include several longtime television executives, among them Paramount Global Content Distribution head of marketing Teri Fleming; CBS Entertainment senior vice presidents of current programming Pamela Soper and Amanda Palley; BET senior vice president of scripted programming and development Rose Catherine Pinkney; MTV head of music and celebrity talent Wendy Plaut; MTV/Paramount+ vice president of music program development and documentaries Amanda Culkowski; and CMT senior vice...