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...

Long live D’Angelo. The “king of neo-soul,” born Michael Eugene Archer in Virginia, was one of a kind, and this was clear in his upbringing in his father’s church. At age 16, he even had his own choir and formed a singing group with his cousins, according to his interview with Wax Poetics in 2020. He continued to nurture his craft and looked to the blueprint of pioneers such as Stevie Wonder. “When it comes to songwriting, I modeled myself after Stevie Wonder. Sometimes you put poetry to beautiful music, and other times you got to come direct,” D’Angelo said, according to Wax Poetics. D’Angelo knew he had talent, and others around him did, too. This recognition likely explains why he dropped out of school as a teenager to break into the music business, CBS News reports. The risk paid off. After being signed to EMI Records, he co-produced Black Men United’s 1994 single “U Will Know,” Variety reports. In 1995, he changed the industry with his debut album “Brown Sugar,” which is...

Decades after its release, Prince’s 1984 album and film soundtrack, “Purple Rain,” is seeing renewed momentum. According to Forbes, U.S. sales for the album more than doubled over a one-week period as it returned to multiple Billboard charts. Luminate, a leading entertainment data and analytics company providing trends, behaviors, and insights across music, film, and television, reported that “Purple Rain” sold just over 3,100 copies in the latest U.S. tracking week, up from about 1,400 the week before — a 119% increase, according to Forbes. The outlet reports that the surge helped the album return to Billboard’s Vinyl Albums chart at No. 13 and the Top Album Sales chart at No. 38. The increase suggests that many of the recent purchases came from vinyl sales. “Purple Rain” has remained a consistent favorite among fans of physical records and is often mentioned alongside albums such as “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd and “Legend” by Bob Marley & the Wailers as essential...

Jimmy Butler’s business portfolio is warming up. The Golden State Warriors player joined an investor group and is officially a minority investor in the National Women’s Soccer League’s San Diego Wave Fútbol Club (Wave FC), which was valued at $120 million in October 2024 after it was acquired by the Levine Leichtman family from Ron Burkle, according to The Athletic. Butler’s interest in soccer dates back to the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he attended the men’s final, The Athletic reports. He sees the investment in Wave FC as a chance to set a new standard in women’s sports. “Soccer has been a passion of mine for a long time, and being part of the game in a meaningful way has always been a dream,” Butler said in a press release. “San Diego has become a city close to my heart, and I’m proud to invest in a club that is pushing boundaries, building something lasting, and setting a new standard for what women’s sports can be both on and off the pitch,” he continued. View this post on...

Hit-Boy continues to embrace today’s technology. The producer, born Chauncey Hollis Jr., has been in the music industry for nearly two decades. He made his foray into music by releasing mixes on Myspace and selling burned CDs outside a mall for only $5, according to The New York Times. At age 19, he secured a $50,000 co-publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group, which he later learned had no end date, The Times notes. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he was in a vulnerable position, raised by a teenage single mother. His father spent most of his life in prison, so, at the time, Hit-Boy had little mentorship or knowledge of music contracts and how to navigate the business. Hit-Boy went on to experience great success, collaborating with industry titans such as Drake, Lil Wayne, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, and even Jay-Z, producing the song “N-ggas in Paris” in 2011. In an interview with AFROTECH™, Hit-Boy credited the song and partnership with Jay-Z with changing his earning...

Solange Knowles is bringing her experience as an artist and music curator to the classroom. Industry Journey Knowles was in the fourth grade when she recorded a song for a jingle competition for United Way, which she won, according to AnOther Magazine. That moment “instilled a lot of confidence in me regarding how I could communicate musically,” she told the outlet. At age 15, Knowles began writing songs more consistently after a knee injury. Her debut album, “Solo Star,” arrived a year later in 2002. She followed with “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams” (2008), “A Seat at the Table” (2016) — which earned her first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance for the single, “Cranes in the Sky”— and “When I Get Home” (2019). Saint Heron In 2013, Knowles furthered her imprint on the music industry and launched the digital platform , Saint Heron, to highlight Black pioneers in film, TV, music, and art, Essence reports . In September 2025, Knowles launched the digital Saint Heron Library,...

DeVon Franklin began building a relationship with Babyface a decade ago, and it has blossomed with the release of his latest movie. Success Of “Ruth & Boaz” The former Sony executive has added a new project to his portfolio: “Ruth & Boaz,” a modern twist on a Biblical story that premiered on Netflix Sept. 26 and features Serayah McNeill, Tyler Lepley, Phylicia Rashad, and others. Boardroom reports that it became the platform’s most-streamed movie during its release week, garnering 434.4 million minutes of watch time. Franklin also tag-teamed with Tyler Perry as a producer on the film. Together, they “proceeded to negotiate the best film deal” he’s done in his career, he said in a Facebook post. Reflecting On Hollywood Tenure Franklin now has nearly 20 years of experience creating inspirational projects and has been in Hollywood for nearly 10 years more, he reflected on the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas. This experience is part of what...