Patti LaBelle has struck a deal with Primary Wave. LaBelle, the independent publisher, has closed a deal with the legendary artist for the income stream from her royalties, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This will include LaBelle’s full catalog, which includes 18 studio albums and three live albums. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed, the outlet reported. “We are so honored to be in business with a legend such as Ms. LaBelle. She’s a true icon and trailblazer. We are looking forward to doing great things together,” Primary Wave’s Steven Greener said in a statement, according to The Hollywood Reporter. LaBelle’s hits over the years include “On My Own,” “New Attitude,” and “Lady Marmalade,” which regained momentum after it was covered by Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, and Lil’ Kim in the movie “Moulin Rouge!” (2001). “If Only You Knew,” which was released in 1983, is a personal favorite of LaBelle. “I enjoy ‘If Only You Knew.’ It’s a hard song to sing, but I can...

Jidenna has shared his thoughts on technology’s influence on the music industry. The artist, recognized for “Classic Man,” has personal ties to the tech sector, which traces to his father, Oliver Mobisson. During the AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 in Houston on Oct. 29, Jidenna referred to his father as “Nigeria’s Steve Jobs,” but he was underfunded . His father taught at Anambra State University of Science and Technology (Now, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University) and was a part of a group that created West Africa’s first commercially produced PC, CNN reports. “I didn’t come up as a billionaire trust fund baby because Nigeria was commissioning him, but didn’t necessarily see the full vision at the time for what PCs would become,” Jidenna said during a panel moderated by Senior Vice President of AFROTECH™ and Live Events at Blavity Inc. Simone Ashley Tyler. Photo Credit: Adrianna Hall Jidenna pursued studies at Stanford University, originally on track to earn an engineering degree, but...

Chance the Rapper comes from a family that understands the importance of self-determination . Family Influence During a conversation with AFROTECH™, the Chicago-born rapper — Chancelor Johnathan Bennett — said his mother, Lisa Bennett, informed his business mindset . According to NBC, she once owned a hair salon and barbershop on the city’s South Side called Touches. The community revered the shop, but she sold it after giving birth to Chance. “The community that she built through it and the pride that not only she had, but other people had in her business and still have to this day, like when I meet people and they’re like, ‘Your mom used to own Touches,’ I’m just proud of that, and that’s what I aspire to be. A person that could be, you know, useful in the community and also proud of something that they own and build,” Chance explained to AFROTECH™. Looking even further into his past, Chance’s roots in North Carolina were a major influence for the rapper . He recalled picking...

Stephanie Dinkins is merging AI and art for an exhibition in Brooklyn, NY. An “artist by birth,” Dinkins began with a display of her photography from a trip to Central America — a trip prompted by her interest in learning Spanish. This exhibit, held in Staten Island, would become her first. Fast forward to 2025, and she has launched an exhibit that is merging art and AI with the goal of creating a more equitable future. Dinkins told AFROTECH™ in an interview that she’s always been drawn to technology, and in 2014 a pivotal moment pushed her to deeply explore how the future is being shaped. She witnessed a humanoid robot on YouTube, called Bina48, being interviewed by reporters. The technology was launched by Hanson Robotics four years earlier based primarily on the personality and appearance of Bina Aspen Rothblatt, a Black woman, the company website mentioned. Dinkins reached out to the company, which permitted her to talk to the robot that was being trained through conversations...

Early in life, Afrobeats artist Davido learned to think on his own, a trait that unexpectedly led him to discover his passion for music. During an interview with AFROTECH™, Davido, who was born in Atlanta and raised in Lagos, Nigeria,  reflected on the formative years that shaped his path in the music industry. The youngest of five siblings, Davido lost his mother at 5 years old and was raised by his father, Adedeji Adeleke, a Nigerian billionaire who serves as CEO of Pacific Holdings Limited and President of Adeleke University. Despite his family’s wealth, Davido credits the freedom his father gave him as a key factor that allowed him to carve out his own lane in music. “He traveled a lot for business”. “He was a busy man…I think I had a lot of time to kinda find myself and know exactly what I wanted to do in life,” Davido said. “In the beginning, I didn’t really have him in my face, like, how he was with my siblings like, ‘Oh, dude. Go to school. I want you to be this.'” Davido...

David Banner is thanking T.I. for making it possible for him to have a lucrative career as a producer . On the “Club Shay Shay,” podcast, Banner reveals how important a tag in a song is for producers to ensure they receive full recognition. He also claims he is one of the first rappers to put his name before a beat in contemporary Rap and says the decision was inspired by Jay-Z, who would shout out producers on his songs. “I noticed Jay-Z would say ‘Kanye, you a fool fool fool. Just Blaze, you did it again,’ and every time he would say their name they could charge $10,000 extra right,” Banner told host Shannon Sharpe on the podcast. “Southern rappers hid their producers. It hurts me to this day. KLC from Beats By The Pound, as big as ‘No Limit’ was, don’t nobody know who they are. They’re some of my mentors… I really think Beats By The Pound is as big as Timbaland and Pharrell, because they changed music in the same way that those people do but we don’t know who they are.” He...

Memphis Bleek’s trust in Jay-Z led him to turn down a five-figure signing bonus. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Memphis Bleek splashed onto the music scene by being featured on the “Coming of Age” track of Jay-Z’s “Reasonable Doubt” album. He later became the first artist signed to Jay-Z’s label, Roc-A-Fella Records. The pair had also grown up together in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, NY. “He really grew up with me, on the third floor of the same building in the same project,” Jay-Z said recently on Power 105.1 with DJ Envy. During an interview with “The Breakfast Club,” Memphis Bleek was asked by co-host Jess Hilarious, born Jessica Robin Moore, about his dynamic with Jay-Z and if he believes his fate would have been different if he had signed with another label. Memphis Bleek eventually parted ways with Roc-A-Fella Records, and while Jay-Z went on to launch Roc Nation, Memphis Bleek admits he likely wouldn’t have become a bigger artist — or reached where he is today — even if...

Travis Scott has launched a new program that will fuel the design and creativity of students. In 2020, the rapper and songwriter extended his impact in his hometown of Houston, TX, by launching the Cactus Jack Foundation in November 2020, providing the next generation with educational and creative resources, Variety notes. One year after its inception, the foundation launched the 60,000-square-foot Cact.us Design Center at TXRX Labs, serving at-risk middle and high school students. It offers training, mentorship, and exposure to career paths in graphic design, fashion, and music, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. The foundation also provides $10,000 scholarships to college students in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund through the Design Ethos Program. It has awarded scholarships to two cohorts since 2024. Recipients include: Gerald Baano-Stewart II (Morehouse College, 2024) Amanda Kerr (Savannah College of Art and Design, 2024) Satchel Smith (Thomas...