Trying to find out what you want to do with your life can be hard.  But it’s good when your family is in a certain business because it can open up doors for you or inspire you to follow in their footsteps.  This is definitely true for celebrities who had a talent and followed in their parents’ footsteps of performing. Here are a list of a few celebs who were influenced by their parents talent to pursue their dreams in acting and music.

Photo Credit: Judy Eddy/WENN.com

Kelis

Though her father was a pastor, he was also a Jazz musician who performed in clubs at night.  His talent for music rubbed off on his daughter who also performed in the church choir, and of course, sings and performs all over now.

iStockphoto

Just as African Americans have had influence through radio — with popular shows such as “The Tom Joyner Show” and Steve Harvey’s morning program — and television with Oprah Winfrey and BET, social media has become the new microphone for news, entertainment, and influence for the black community.

In a 2011 study from multicultural agency Burrell, 73 percent of white consumers and 67 percent of Hispanics said they believe that blacks influence mainstream American culture, and social media amplifies that. In 2012, LeBron James was the most influential athlete on social media during the London Olympics and the black community turned to social media to rally around the family of Trayvon Martin.

As of August 2011, 70 percent of US black Internet users ages 18 and up were on social networks, a higher percentage that whites (63 percent) and Hispanics (67 percent), according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

This number has only grown. In its “African-American Consumers: Still Vital, Still Growing” 2012 study, Nielsen reported that 72 percent of black consumers have more than one social networking profile.

With a younger population than other ethnic groups, it makes sense that African Americans are more likely to use social media, which has always skewed younger. As these younger consumers mature and become the main consumer segment in the US, their influence and preferences when it comes to social media will be critical for marketers.

“As we’ve seen over the past couple of years with the Honda Battle of the Bands, social media is definitely an effective and authentic way to connect with African-American consumers, said Gina Jorge, assistant manager of multicultural marketing for American Honda Motor Co., Inc., in an email with Madame Noire. (We covered this event here.) “We see a continued increase in engagement across emerging digital, social and mobile platforms.”

Pew also released data this year about how social networking impacts political activities. Blacks have shown how they leverage social media to influence and connect with others around political issues of importance to them. Among black US social network users, 42 percent said they think social networks are important for recruiting people to get involved with political issues that matter to them, and 38 percent said social networks are an important forum for political discussions or debates. These percentages were higher than those for whites or Hispanics.

“Social allows people to have a voice on a grassroots level and that’s one of the things that has been hard for the African-American community to do: get their voice heard and heard loudly,” Keisha Brown, senior vice president and general manager of multicultural agency Lagrant Communications, told Madame Noire. “With social, and the campaigns and election showed this as well, you are able to create groups for African Americans [and others].”

So as the black community leverages social media as a channel to build its cultural influence, what does the future hold?

Brown told Madame Noire that the opportunities for African-American entrepreneurs within social media and technology will grow: “For millennials and Gen Y, they are growing up with this medium and their thought process is different. They see the sky as the limit because social media brings in so many different aspects of business and you can reach so many different people.”

Verna Coleman-Hagler, a brand manager for Procter & Gamble, told Madame Noire via email that the future will also include more philanthropic and community initiatives that build a greater reach through social.

P&G and its My Black is Beautiful program turned to social when it launched “Imagine a Future” in 2012, which will “work to impact the lives of one million black girls over the next three years,” she said, and will partner with Black Girls Rock! and The United Negro College Fund.

As social media usage continues to rise overall, African-Americans will become more prominent players in the technology industry and as entrepreneurs, expanding the community’s influence even more.

Source: iStock

Most women have a girl crush (or two or three). This is basically a woman whom they may or may not know personally, but admire and who inspires them to do better or achieve certain things. That would be a healthy girl crush. On the other hand, there are women who have shallow admiration for other ladies, perhaps because of their physical beauty or material things, who let that fondness cause them to act all out of character in hopes of winning over their affection and being seen as valuable in their eyes. That, my friends, is not a good look.

I didn’t think about this until recently when a group of girls and I were hanging out again over a few days. Some of us are really close, others are more associates or distant friends, and some of us were meeting and chilling with each other for the first time. That right there is always an interesting dynamic, as bad things tend to happen when too many women get together. That sounds stereotypical, but any girl who has tried to hang out in a group of three or more for any extended period of time knows how much truth there is to that statement.

Anyway, as we were hanging, the conversation naturally turned to how is so-and-so and where is so-and-so, I began to notice that the way certain people talked about friends who weren’t out with us that night wasn’t much different from the disgusted tone used to describe other people we’re not even cool with. That’s when I started to notice there was a mean-girl element to the conversation. Because I wasn’t really up on all the perceived drama with certain people, I kept quiet and just observed the dynamic, which made my close friend ask me if everything was alright later that evening. I told her, frankly, I thought some people were being plain hateful and fake, and she reminded me that this tends to happen when some people in the crew get around select others and I thought back on other occasions where the same thing tended to happen. She was right, but what I still didn’t understand was how the mere presence of one friend would suddenly make you talk about another like a dog, yet when said influencer wasn’t around, your demeanor was totally different.

After a couple days passed and the behavior continued, in addition to more clique-like activity with different segments of friends breaking off from the larger group and even acting a little funny toward everyone else, I needed an explanation. That’s when one of my friends broke it down for me: Some of these girls were suffering from thirsty girl crushes. Initially, I laughed, but as she explained the coined statement I totally got it. Basically, the issue for some of the women is they had become friends with their girl crushes, which to them felt like some sort of honor. And in order to maintain that honor and sort of prove themselves to the crush, they felt like they always had to conform to certain behavior and even impress their crush in certain ways, which unfortunately was usually dogging other people, often other people who are some variation of a friend to them.

I know, it’s not totally mind-blowing, but more so scary. I’ve been known to have some jealous tendencies and I have a nasty habit of comparing myself to other people. But I realize that no matter how much of a crush I may have on another woman who has some qualities about her that I like, I’ve never allowed that to push me to do shady things that deep down I wasn’t comfortable with or that were disrespectful toward other people. Sure, I’ve gotten caught up in the peer pressure of gossip culture, but not to impress the next chick with the best joke or make someone like me more. I was usually just running my mouth way too much and letting emotions get the best of me.

What was most unfortunate about this realization was knowing that the reason my friend could pinpoint the issue with these girls was because she was a victim herself. Earlier this year, she’d told me about some behavior with the same ladies that really shocked me and was totally out of character for the person I’d known for seven years or so. And as she talked about these other girls I knew she was talking about herself as well and how easily she’d allowed herself to be influenced by negativity in order to fit in with these girls, some of which were the “popular” girls, or the cute girls, or the party girls, or whatever superficial label we can apply that causes people to want to be or at least be around these types of women. What was even more frustrating was that despite some women not even living in the same city as one another, just a few hours in the presence of these unworthy admirers caused them to become totally different people than they were in their respective environments. At some point, this could have been me, and it might have been in the past, but as I looked at some of the ugly behavior coming from some of these pretty women I just remember sitting and thinking, bottom line, I’m not impressed and I don’t understand why you are either.

Nothing’s wrong with a healthy girl crush and admiration is cool. But when the people you look up to have you doing things out of character and jeopardizing your real relationships, it’s time to pump the brakes.

Have you ever let your admiration for someone influence you to do things that were out of character?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Source: nahright.com

Nicki Minaj’s endorsement of Mitt Romney instigated some of the splashiest headlines following the Labor Day weekend. Head scratching and eye rolls accompanied readers’ mouse clicks, racking up traffic numbers for news and gossip websites. “I’m a Republican voting for Mitt Romney,” she said on her mentor Lil Wayne’s mixtape. “You lazy b***** are f****** up the economy.”

Later in the week, panicked tweets began to surface. Chicago is losing its mind. A sixteen-year-old rapper named JoJo was killed after being shot twice on Tuesday. The incident occurred hours after a video emerged of JoJo taunting a rival named Lil Reese, an associate of popular rapper Chief Keef, making the violent lifestyle Chicago’s drill music glorifies that much more real. Keef’s notoriety stems from “I Don’t Like,” a local anthem made popular nationwide when Kanye West remixed the song with his G.O.O.D. labelmates.

With her closet full of wigs and the wardrobe of a teen in Tokyo, Nicki Minaj doesn’t present herself as someone to be taken seriously for her political views. Perhaps that’s why she felt she could get away with an easy punch line that puts down others to illustrate her supremacy. Most of her fans aren’t old enough to vote. What harm could it do?

What harm could a remix do either? West repeatedly partners with rappers who have grittier followings (including G.O.O.D. signees 2 Chainz and Pusha T) to appropriate buzz in the streets that his “luxury rap” distances him from. Not only that, he was able to bring attention to emerging music in his hometown. Everybody wins, right?

Everybody except for the impressionable young fans that take Minaj’s demonization of poor people as gospel. Except for kids like JoJo, certainly not the last to get swept up in a scene that produces music videos with kids as young as thirteen brandishing automatic weapons and throwing up gang signs. A scene that the music industry had already started to monetize.

As an immigrant raised in Queens, I doubt Minaj believes the poor are to blame for the nation’s ills and that the wealthy are better than the class she was born into. As a native of Chicago, I doubt West wants to promote music that fuels the killing of black youth. But their endorsements, ironic or otherwise, send a different message.

Whether Minaj took herself seriously or not, she used her influence to champion an elitist mindset without offering the slightest critique. Whether West intended to or not, he validated and publicized art that encourages violence, without the critical thinking artists like Lupe Fiasco have brought to the table. These messages are now tied to their brand, whether they like it or not.

Minaj and West’s missteps are unfortunate, and reflect a lesson we all should learn. An endorsement is not something to be taken lightly. Up-and-coming artists and politicians clamor for the stamp of approval of popular artists and publications for a reason. An endorsement transfers over a portion of the co-signers resources, influence, and reputation without signing a single contract. It doesn’t take an official partnership to endorse something; your words and actions speak just as loudly.

Before you align yourself with an outside person, brand, cause, or organization, do your research. It is important to have a solid understanding of what you are supporting and why you are supporting it. Your co-sign should do more than bolster your ego; it should promote your values.

The public wants the people and organizations they support to stand for something of value. Eighty-three percent of Americans say they wish brands would support causes, and 41 percent have bought a product because it was associated with a cause. With success comes an increase in power and responsibility. Ask yourself, what are you using your influence to promote?

Cortney Cleveland is a freelance writer and content strategist in New York City. You can follow her on Twitter @CleveInTheCity and visit her personal column The Red Read.

Every February, in recognition of Black History Month, we’re reintroduced to influential people in our history who have left marks in their respective industries. These people were great. Their courage surpassed their fear and they held steadfast in their fight for justice and equality for the human race. Yet, while we’re constantly reminded of the Dr. Martin Luther Kings, Harriet Tubmans, Malcolms, and Rosa Parks of the past, there are many other black leaders that often go unrecognized. Their paths were just as difficult and their fights just as courageous.

So as Black History Month gets ready to come to a close, we would like to acknowledge seven of the least recognized women in black history. Some you may be familiar with by name, but not aware of their stories. Others you will be introduced to for the first time. These women paved the way for other women and blacks in general.

Check out our list of influential black women who may have missed the mainstream recognition, but nevertheless played a pivotal role in our history.

photo courtesy of zinnedproject.org

Ella Baker

While we’re constantly reminded of the civil rights leaders who worked in front, those who were behind the scenes often go unrecognized. Ella Baker is one of those people. An active civil rights leader in the 1930s, Ms. Baker fought for civil rights for five decades, working alongside W.E.B Dubois, Thurgood Marshall, and Martin Luther King, Jr. She even mentored well-known civil rights activist, Rosa Parks.

Ella Baker is quoted as saying, “You didn’t see me on television; you didn’t see news stories about me. The kind of role that I tried to play was to pick up pieces or put together pieces out of which I hoped organization might come. My theory is, strong people don’t need strong leaders.”

In celebration of Black History Month, instrumental leaders and trailblazers are often acknowledged in the realms of political and social change.  But just as there are many instrumental figures in these roles, there are also a variety of influential black leaders in style. These style icons have set trends, graced magazine covers and displayed personalized taste that still serve as inspiration for some of our fashion choices. Some made a conscious choice to be style blazers, while others did it effortlessly with no intention. We discussed our favorite hair mavens the other day, now it’s time to acknowledge the fashionistas.

From the style icons of the past to present day trendsetters making their marks for years to come, these women all share one commonality: they influence style.

Read the rest of this entry »

*Opening photo courtesy of alltheparties.com.

So, it’s the first of the month of February and you know what means don’t you? It’s Black History Month! Say it loud: “I’m black and I’m proud!” “Black is beautiful!”

You get it.

People who know me know that I love this month, love giving out daily black history facts and watching documentaries on black people; Everyone has their own way of celebrating the month, whether loud or subtly, and it always makes me smile. So after putting a post up on my social media about the fabulous Phylicia Rashad’s achievements at 12 a.m. on the dot, I was kind of confused to learn through the gossip mill 15 minutes later that Rihanna spent $160,000 on a Swarovski crystal-adorned portrait of Marilyn Monroe. Oh..that’s cool…I guess. But I’m saying, my niece could have drawn one for her and bedecked it in macaroni for the low low. But anyway…

Then, this morning while looking through my e-mail, I was asked to view a new music video by new FemmeC (female lyricist) Brianna Perry called of all things, “Marilyn Monroe.” In the video, the black female rapper has long a long blonde lace front, and in a few scenes has a fake Marilyn Monroe beauty mark above her lip and by her cheek. In the hook she refers to herself as Marilyn (“I’m Hollyhood, arrogant, don’t I look good? Marilyn…Monroe”). Sure, the tune was cute, but all I could think was—Marilyn, again? Creeeeeeepy.

No disrespect to Marilyn whatsoever. She was a beautiful woman who I’m sure brought a lot of light and joy to people’s lives and maybe even taught folks to be comfortable with their curves. Kudos, kudos. However, I don’t understand why so many black women seem to be enamored with her these days. It’s 2012, right? But psych my mind, because so many celebrities get dressed up like her on the cover of magazines and in music videos to try to emulate her sex appeal and aura (I’ve seen Nicki Minaj, Amber Rose, Rihanna, and Jennifer Lopez don the same wig that looks exactly like Monroe’s hair in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”), buy portraits of her face and shout her out in their tracks. Aside from being a bombshell though, in all honesty, she didn’t do all that much over-the-top honorable and monumental stuff for black women. In fact, she was said to have done some less than awe-inducing things in her time that I won’t bring out (because we’ve all heard the allegations before), but what exactly did she do that warrants adoration of her more than a Lena Horne, a Dorothy Dandridge, a Josephine Baker, a Dr. Mae Jemison, a Nina Simone, a Joyce Bryant (since folks love to call her the “black Marilyn Monroe”), a Judith Jamison, a Ruby Dee and the likes of such iconic black women gone and still amongst us? Yet and still, folks like Mariah Carey, Kelly Rowland, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and more have shouted her out and emulated her like she was Harriet Tubman setting us free or something. Maybe I just missed the memo?

Not to bring anybody down, but I’m sour about the idea that some of our sistas might know more about Monroe than they do a Rosa Parks or Lorraine Hansberry or any of the other black women I mentioned earlier who opened so many doors for us. I went to high school with creative chicks who had purses with Marilyn’s face emblazoned on it, and bought products with her likeness just to keep up with the oh-so popular jones: loving and acting like you personally knew celebrities who have been gone for years–decades sometimes. She’s cool and all, but I think that with all the wonderful and talented women we have in black culture from the past and the present, we need to jump off the Marilyn bandwagon and start giving love to and emulating the people who look like us (and stop trying to look like her) and gave so much so that we could freely sit wherever on buses, have the chance to be famous singers and actresses and walk through integrated halls pretending that Marilyn Monroe is the end-all, be-all. Just saying.

Am I the only one who has noticed this?

Dorothy Dandridge

Lena Horne

Josephine Baker

Dr. Mae Jemison

Joyce Bryant

Judith Jamison and Alvin Ailey

Ruby Dee

Look these beautiful women up, please!

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(News One) — Barack Obama took the oath of office as a United States senator on January 4, 2005, and promptly began running for president. Very quickly, he began using the peculiar kind of celebrity that comes with being a senator to introduce himself to Washington, to a new generation of political power brokers, and, more broadly, to the American people.”He was running for president even as he was still getting lost in the Capitol’s corridors,” the New York Times noted.

Read More…

(News One) — Barack Obama took the oath of office as a United States senator on January 4, 2005, and promptly began running for president. Very quickly, he began using the peculiar kind of celebrity that comes with being a senator to introduce himself to Washington, to a new generation of political power brokers, and, more broadly, to the American people.”He was running for president even as he was still getting lost in the Capitol’s corridors,” the New York Times noted.

Read More…