Lena Waithe, Issa Rae and Kenya Barris Define a New Golden Age of Black Music With Major-Label Deals

Luke Bryan has a close-knit family and his home in Nashville pays tributes to those closest to him.MORE: Luke Bryan receives outpour of love as he shares bittersweet messageThe American Idol star has suffered some heartbreaking losses in his immediate family, with his brother Chris and sister Kelly both passing away suddenly.The country music star opened up about the unexpected deaths of his siblings in an interview with Billboard in 2018, and at the time was applauded by fans for his bravery and approach to life.VIDEO: Luke Bryan celebrates special anniversary with wife Caroline"I'm a pretty happy person," he said. "The loss we've dealt with has given me an appreciation of how precious and fragile life is.

Lara Spencer is no stranger to the bittersweet experience of watching her children grow up and regularly shares her journey of motherhood with her fans.But as we kickstart 2022, the Good Morning America host is gearing up for a heart wrenching moment which is sure to be one of her toughest yet. MORE: Lara Spencer's bikini-clad selfie will transport you back to summer The star bid farewell to her oldest child, Duff, over the summer as he headed off to college. WATCH: Lara Spencer and daughter perform jaw-dropping stunt together Now, it's just a few months away until she'll be doing the same with daughter, Katharine, leaving her and husband, Richard McVey as empty-nesters.Lara hinted at the 17-year-old's future plans with a proud-mom post at the end of 2021. DISCOVER: Lara Spencer's immaculate kitchen inside Connecticut home is truly astoundingMORE: Lara Spencer teases adorable addition to her family - see photos Katharine has already signed up and gotten into the lacrosse team, prompting Lara to share a celebratory message.  Lara has a close bond with her daughter The TV star posted a flyer on her social media which confirmed the news that Kate Heffenreffer would be playing with the team when term starts."SO proud of my girl Kate on her verbal commitment to play lacrosse at Vanderbilt University!!" the Good Morning America host wrote. "Kate-You dreamed it.

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has vowed she will never perform again following the tragic death of her son, Shane, earlier this year. The 55 year old Nothing Compares 2 U singer revealed her son "decided to end his earthly struggle" at age 17 on Friday 7 January in a series of heartbreaking tweets. She has now taken to the social media platform again to reveal she doesn’t plan to perform again following the family tragedy.

Not every actor likes to see themselves on the big screen – but some don’t even like to remember that they participated in a production altogether.

Aaron Donald is the star Defensive Tackle of the Los Angeles Rams and is expected to have a huge game tonight at the 2022 Super Bowl.

Dane DeHaan and Sophie Turner are taking on new roles together!

Drew Carey is sharing something very personal.

Rihanna has confessed it was "harder" to keep her pregnancy a secret from her friends than the public.The singer, 33, recently announced that she’s expecting her first child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky via a paparazzi photoshoot after speculation from fans that she was pregnant. But the star has now admitted it was actually harder to keep the news from her friends as they know her “habits”.

A mum has been left horrified after a group of youths shouted a number of vile sexual threats to her and other mums and children outside of a primary school.

KANYE West may no longer be with Kim Kardashian, but that apparently doesn't mean he can't date a Kim clone. The rapper, who was married to the reality star for seven years, certainly has a type when it comes to dating.

Scotland is under a wind weather warning from the Met Office due to very strong winds to come on February 16 and 17.

The Scottish Government has confirmed 5,301 new cases of coronavirus have been identified overnight.

Killing Joke have announced the release of a new EP, ‘Lord Of Chaos’ – you can listen to its title track below.The London post-punk stalwarts’ upcoming release will be their first new material in seven years, following their most recent album, 2015’s ‘Pylon’.In addition to announcing the new LP, the band – comprising Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Geordie Walker, and Youth – shared the title track, which continues in a similar vein to their last full-length: a heavy, industrial sound, with haunting vocals and driving guitar and bass.“Flash points everywhere/ And everybody’s scared/ Complex systems failure/ And the lord of chaos is in,” Coleman sings on the song’s fiery chorus.You can check out the new track below:‘Lord Of Chaos’ arrives on March 25. You can pre-order/pre-save it here – see the tracklisting below.1. ‘Lord Of Chaos’2. ‘Total’3. ‘Big Buzz’ (Motorcade Mix)4. ‘Delete In Dub’ (Youth’s Disco 45 Dystopian Dub)Killing Joke are also gearing up to head out on their ‘Honour The Fire Tour’ this spring, marking their first UK tour in over three years.The band will visit Nottingham, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, London and more.

Kanye West has announced details of a new listening party in Miami for his forthcoming new album ‘DONDA 2’ on the album’s prospective release date.Earlier this week (February 9), it was reported that West, who is now legally known as Ye, had held a private listening party for the ‘DONDA’ sequel in Los Angeles. The likes of Drake, Travis Scott and Yung Lean were also said to have been in attendance on the night, with Ye sharing an image overnight taken by Samuel Alemayhu which showed him with the three aforementioned artists and Baby Keem.Taking to Instagram last night (February 12), West shared a photo of a house on stilts wreathed in flames, seemingly related to the structure resembling the house he grew up in that he built inside Chicago’s Soldier Field stadium ahead of his planned ‘DONDA’ listening party last summer, while he also set himself ablaze in a recent music video.According to the post, the ‘DONDA 2’ listening party will take place at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida on February 22 (2/2/22), the prospective release date for the new album.

John Legend has joined Insecure stars Jay Ellis and Issa Rae for a new podcast created to showcase young authors who have completed prison terms. In each of the 13 episodes of Written Off, the brainchild of Ellis, host and former New York Times reporter Walter Thompson-Hernandez will talk to one former inmate about their creative journey, before a celebrity reads the aspiring writer's work aloud.

Anna Tingley All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.Converse’s classic Chuck 70s just got a major makeover with the help of award-winning actress, producer and writer Issa Rae.The “Insecure” star teamed up with young artist, Nick Fulcher, for Rae’s first-ever customizable collection with Converse by You, as part of the ongoing Converse All Stars Program.

EXCLUSIVE: Insecure star Jay Ellis is behind a new podcast series that will aim to give voice to formerly incarcerated young authors.

BET Awards was The Year of Black Women, recognizing our domination on stage, on screen, and behind the scenes. Because none of us succeeds in a vacuum, we asked celebs on the red carpet about the Black women in the industry who’ve helped open doors for them as singers, actors, rappers, and entertainers, and, unsurprisingly, there was no shortage of names called.Black-ish star Marsai Martin shouted out Little co-star Issa Rae for her ingenuity and authenticity.

The stars are stepping out for the Rhude fashion show!

Heaux Tales she continues to channel her pain and anger into a fiery brand of vocal magic.“I don’t want to believe that I’m my best when I’m heartbroken, but a lot of inspiration does come from heartbreak. And it hits a different way if you are going through things personally.

Michael Appler The question of work — who gets it and who doesn’t — has driven the Hollywood zeitgeist for years, from #MeToo to recent reckonings over race and equity. At the Tribeca Festival in New York City on Wednesday, Emmy winner Lena Waithe, her production company Hillman Grad and an unexpected financial partner, the global HR conglomerate Indeed, took a step toward innovating new ways of affording work in Hollywood. Waithe, alongside Hillman Grad’s president of film and television Rishi Rajani, presented “Rising Voices,” a collection of 10 films written and directed by up-and-coming BIPOC filmmakers.