It can take a lot to get me to come outside these days… but Jesse Collins may be one of the few who can.
I had a wonderful experience working with him and his team on the Grammy tribute to our legends, Roberta Flack and D’Angelo. When he asked me to do this, I had to say yes.
Before I say anything else, forgive me for being late with this post. I’m in Morocco today after a performance in the Canary Islands last night and have been fully occupied, but I could not let more time pass without expressing my gratitude.
To Jesse Collins, BET, and the entire team, thank you for creating a space for artistry, legacy, love, and celebration.
And now…
To the Kings and Queens who celebrated and serenaded me at yesterday’s tribute:
Wyclef Jean
The War and Treaty — Tanya Blount Trotter & Michael Trotter Jr.
Doechii
SZA
Tems
Tierra Whack
Selah
Doja Cat
Nas
YG Marley
Lizzo
Rapsody
Zion Marley
Alexia Jayy
Queen Latifah
Common
Adam Blackstone & Band
Eric Gales
The MLH Band
I am deeply honored.
THANK YOU.
Each of you is remarkable. You represent far more than yourselves. You carry the hopes of families, the strength of communities, and the stories of generations. Your gifts are rooted in legacy, and your presence was deeply felt.
Thank you for acknowledging me.
Thank you for celebrating me.
The love I felt in that room is something I will carry with me for a very long time.
My desire is that each of you experiences that same love returned to you abundantly by all the people, families, and communities that you pour into, and that you feel as celebrated, as appreciated, and as cherished as you made me feel.
To God be the glory. Always.
🚨 DAMN.
Ruby Bridges said the moment she finally understood what was happening during school integration was when a little white boy told her:
“My mom said I can’t play with you because you’re a nigger.”
She was SIX.
And she said hearing that felt like “a huge weight lifted,” because suddenly everything made sense.
Why the classrooms were empty.
Why adults were screaming.
Why U.S. Marshals had to escort her to school.
Not because of anything she did.
Just because of the color of her skin.
A six-year-old child realizing an entire country was angry at her for existing.
Jay-Z addresses Drake’s obsession with him in a freestyle at the Roots picnic.
“The Jig is up, I’m up 10, wrong chart champ, gotta look up again. N only look up to Hov, I never looked up to them. Crackaz got your publishing go talk tough to them”
👤JAY-Z👤
💿NEW FREESTYLE💿
🚨LIVE AT THE ROOTS PICNIC🚨
“I ain’t much for meetings no how, canceled the brunches, I remember the hunger pains…the price of the bricks is going up, it’s gonna cost a B to ‘Say My Name’
There's a major civil rights protest taking place in Selma, Alabama, right now in response to the SCOTUS decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act and the ongoing attack on Black Americans’ political power
(video: defiancedispatch/IG)