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ATLANTA (BAMM Network) — Labor Day weekend is becoming one of the South’s biggest annual showcases of Black LGBTQ+ culture, with major celebrations unfolding simultaneously in Atlanta and New Orleans — and generating business far beyond the official event stages. An attendee celebrates Atlanta Black Pride at Piedmont Park in 2025. Atlanta Black Pride marks its 20th anniversary this Labor Day weekend with parties, community events and Sunday’s Pure Heat Community Festival. (Th

NEW YORK (BAMM Network) — From mixtapes to museums, hip-hop’s legacy era has arrived. The music Millennials grew up with is increasingly being treated not just as nostalgia, but as canon — honored by major institutions, reissued for milestone anniversaries, performed with orchestras and celebrated as part of American music history. The signs are everywhere. Nas is honored with the BMI Icon Award at the 2026 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 26. The Queens, New Yor

NEW YORK (BAMM Network) — Twenty-five years after Aaliyah died at age 22 in a plane crash in the Bahamas, her influence remains visible across R&B, fashion and visual culture — including among fans and artists too young to remember her life. Aaliyah died Aug. 25, 2001, after filming the music video for “Rock the Boat” in the Bahamas. The small plane carrying her and eight others crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour. A quarter-century later, what stands out is not

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (BAMM Network) — Shannon Sharpe is taking Nightcap out of the studio and onto HBCU campuses, joining a growing wave of media, entertainment and consumer brands seeking direct access to Black college students. Shannon Sharpe and members of the “Nightcap” team appear during a live show. The sports podcast is launching an HBCU campus tour beginning Sept. 4 at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. (Getty Images / The Volume) The popular sports podcast announce

NEW ORLEANS (BAMM Network) — New Orleans police are solving homicides at a rate the department has not seen in years, with NOPD reporting a 98% homicide clearance rate as of Aug. 12 — up from 43% in 2022, when the city recorded 266 killings. Investigators work behind police tape at a New Orleans crime scene. NOPD’s homicide unit is clearing cases at a much higher rate this year than during the city’s 2022 violence surge. (WWL-TV) The turnaround comes as New Orleans is also ex

BATON ROUGE, La. (BAMM Network) — Southern University System Board Chairman Tony Clayton wants the university system to consider a broader student dress code, arguing that students should present themselves in a way that reflects the professional preparation expected from a college education. Southern University students gather on the Baton Rouge campus. A proposed systemwide dress code is raising broader questions about professionalism, personal expression and how HBCUs shou

NEW ORLEANS (BAMM Network) — Jerome “Big Duck” Smith, a legendary New Orleans civil rights activist, Freedom Rider, educator and community leader whose work helped shape the city’s role in the national civil rights movement, has died. He was 87. Smith’s death was confirmed Friday. WDSU reported that the longtime activist and culture bearer had died, marking the loss of one of the city’s most enduring voices for racial justice and community empowerment. A lifelong New Orleania

BATON ROUGE, La. — Southern University’s famed Human Jukebox Marching Band has landed a collaboration with Gap, becoming the latest HBCU band to take its sound, style and cultural influence into a national fashion campaign. The Human Jukebox stars in Gap’s new “Denim On Your Own” campaign, performing its own arrangement of Robyn’s 2010 hit “Dancing on My Own.” Images from the campaign show band members wearing customized Gap denim featuring Southern University branding. T

ATLANTA — Historically Black colleges and universities are experiencing renewed interest from students, including a surge in applications at some of Georgia’s best-known institutions. But behind that growth is a troubling national trend: Black men are becoming a smaller presence in higher education. Students gather outside Graves Hall at Morehouse College in Atlanta. While Georgia’s HBCUs continue attracting students, national data show Black men make up a shrinking share of

SEOUL, South Korea — Louisiana-born rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again says he has relocated to South Korea and has no intention of moving back to the United States, revealing the major life change during a rare interview with comedian Funny Marco. The Baton Rouge native, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, discussed his new home during an episode of Marco’s “Open Thoughts” released Tuesday. The interview itself was filmed in South Korea, where YoungBoy said he is now living.

A potentially deadly bacterium found naturally in warm coastal waters is raising renewed concerns across the Gulf Coast, with Louisiana and Florida reporting infections and deaths as summer temperatures keep millions of residents and tourists near beaches and other waterways. Vibrio vulnificus, commonly described as a “flesh-eating” bacterium because severe infections can rapidly destroy tissue, is naturally present in warm salt and brackish water. Infections are relatively r

MANILA, Ark. (BAMM Network) — An 18-year-old Arkansas woman has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against a state trooper after dashcam video showed him taking her to the ground and punching her in the face during a traffic stop, an encounter now drawing calls for an investigation from civil rights leaders and state lawmakers. Alisa N. Hackett of Osceola was stopped by Arkansas State Police Trooper Moisses Arellano shortly before 11 p.m. Aug. 1 near Manila, in northeastern

Five Black candidates will carry the Democratic Party’s banner in gubernatorial races across the country this November, creating a notable moment for Black political representation in the 2026 midterm elections. The five pictured are Wes Moore of Maryland, Jermaine Johnson of South Carolina, Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia, Aaron Ford of Nevada and David Crowley of Wisconsin. The group includes Wes Moore in Maryland, Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Jermaine Johnson in South

LOS ANGELES (BAMM Network) — Nearly 30 years after Martin ended its original run, one of the sitcom's most memorable guest characters is getting his own series. L-R: Martin Lawrence, Tommy Davidson in 'The Varnell Hill Show' _ Paramount+ Paramount+ this week released the first official images from The Varnell Hill Show, an eight-episode comedy starring Tommy Davidson as the flamboyant late-night television host he first portrayed on Martin in 1993. The workplace comedy follow

Atlanta's hip hop story isn't just about the artists who made the charts—it's also about the visionaries who built the culture behind the scenes. In this video companion to an interview originally recorded for BAMM Network's audio platforms, Brandon Armant sits down with Kevin "Fresh" Shands, founder of Beatnik Fest, and Terry "Tetris" Francis, CEO of CAN I KICK IT, to discuss the inspiration behind Atlanta's newest cultural tradition honoring the life and legacy of D.R.E.S.

LOS ANGELES (BAMM Network) — Rihanna fans may finally have reason to believe that new music is on the way. During a recent appearance on BET's The Jason Lee Show, rapper A$AP Rocky revealed that the Grammy-winning singer is actively recording, offering one of the clearest public updates yet on Rihanna's long-awaited follow-up to her 2016 album Anti. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have three children together When asked about Rihanna's long-rumored ninth studio album, Rocky didn't hes

NEW ORLEANS (BAMM Network) — Every summer, thousands of people across the South trade bright colors for crisp white linen, filling streets lined with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants and live music. White Linen Night 2026_Photo from @Alexx_Robinson Instagram Page What began more than three decades ago as a neighborhood arts promotion in New Orleans has grown into a cultural tradition embraced by cities hundreds of miles apart—and one that reflects the South's growing inf

WASHINGTON (BAMM Network) — President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of NBA superstar LeBron James on Friday, suggesting the basketball icon may be “a racist” while declaring Michael Jordan the greatest player in league history. Trump made the comments in the Oval Office after Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked whether James should be considered the greatest NBA player of all time following his decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers. While sitting in the Oval Office dur

TAMPA, Fla. (BAMM Network) — Could the Southeastern Conference eventually break away from the NCAA? SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey isn't predicting it—but he isn't dismissing the possibility either. Jul 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Speaking Wednesday during SEC Media Days in Tampa, Sankey acknowledged that conference leader

BATON ROUGE, La. (BAMM Network) — U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection after Louisiana lawmakers redrew his congressional district following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's previous map. Rep. Cleo Fields, D-La., center, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) Instead, the veteran Democrat said he plans to run for the Louisiana State Senate, where he pr