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She was already popular but it looks like Skylar Diggins might be taking her fame to another level.

On Thursday, Diggins, former Notre Dame baller and newest member of the Tusla Shock, tweeted that she’s signed on to be managed by Jay-z latest venture, Roc Nation Sports:

Twitter

It looks like Roc Nation Sports is quickly building their roster, having already signed football player Victor Cruz and baseball player Robinson Cano.  Diggins can now add “first lady of Roc Nation Sports” to her growing profile. If RNS can do a better job managing their athletes than Roc Nation has done with their artists (minus Rihanna), this might be a huge company.

Diggins is already a big favorite among young girls who look up to her as a role model as well as men who want to date her so it shouldn’t be any problem getting all those in between to become fans too.  She’s a very pretty young woman so don’t be surprised if we see her doing some modeling and/or makeup ads, sports endorsements and a host of other things.

I wonder what Jay and his team of agents (I can’t imagine he’s managing these major athletes on his own) are up to next!

Instagram

When will people learn that Deb Antney is something like a gangster when it comes to managing rappers. If you do business behind her back and she doesn’t get her cut, you will pay.

According to TMZ, Antney is suing rapper French Montana for securing deals without her knowledge or consent. Subsequently, she was also cut out of her 20 percent management cut.

Deb is suing French for at least $50,000 in damages. The icing on the cake? He was served papers at an Atlanta concert earlier this week.

The suit, likely filed in Atlanta, states that French signed into an exclusive management deal with Deb’s company, Mizay Entertainment, in November 2010.  She was to be responsible for all his deals and apparently French was pleased because he was quoted as saying she has the management thing “down pat.”

Unfortunately it didn’t work out at all. In fact, French has been managed by Gaby Acevedo since at least 2012 and often gets the credit for most deals involving French.

Antney, who is also rapper Waka Flocka’s mother, has been revered for years as a great manager, especially for hot, upcoming talent. Not only did she have a deal with French, but she also managed acts such as Gucci Mane and Nicki Minaj at the early points in their careers (some would argue that Gucci is still in the early point of his career but he’s had a fair amount of success in the south). She even tried to help jumpstart Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta co-star Rasheeda’s career but she chose to stick with her husband.

No word on how French or his team plans to respond.

French must not have heard about Deb: she will work hard for you but don’t cross her!

Photo Credit: Rich Alan/WENN.com

From ESSENCE

Stevie Wonder is not impressed with Lil’ Wayne’s controversial new verse equating a sexual act to the beating (and eventual murder) of Emmett Till.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, the legendary musician let it be known he thought the verse was distasteful. “You can’t equate that to Emmett Till,” he said. “You just cannot do that. … I think you got to have someone around you that — even if they are the same age or older — is wiser to say, ‘Yo, that’s not happening. Don’t do that.’”

On a remix to rapper Future’s song “Karate Chop,” Wayne boasts that he’ll “Beat that p–sy up like Emmett Till,” referencing Till’s brutal beating for allegedly whistling at a White woman in 1955. Future’s record label has apologized to Till’s relatives and promised to pull the verse. Wayne has not.

You can read the rest over at Essence.  Wayne doesn’t appear to take a lot of things seriously so you have to wonder if he even cares that the Till family and many others were offended.

Do you think he should apologize for his lyrics?

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The basics of financial planning are pretty simple. Spend less than you make, save for the future, and make smart investment choices. Still, once our wallet gets to a certain level of fatness (or deteriorates into shambles) we often feel the need to turn to an expert for advice.

Unfortunately, a good financial advisor can be hard to come by. Most of the time they aren’t trying to waste their precious billable hours on folks making less than six figures. Plus, it can feel hypocritical to fork over thousands of dollars for advice that you could be using to improve your financial standing.

Cue the internet to the rescue! Just like the travel industry and tax preparation services before it, financial advice is being streamlined by technology. Instead of a human advisor charging up to $150 an hour to ask you hundreds of questions about your financial standing, monetary goals, and openness to risk in order to develop a unique plan, a computer program does the job for a flat rate.

Web alternatives can be easier to use than going to a person. Many allow you to electronically pull information from your financial institutions, saving you the chore of compiling the information manually. An action plan is then generated specifically for you, based on the principles financial advisors follow. Some services, like NestWise, will follow up via e-mail or video chat with a human being for an additional fee.

For some people, visiting a firm may still be ideal. In his defense of financial advisors for Forbes, Mike Alfred refers to top advisors as “a quarterback in their client’s financial life [to] help coordinate estate planning, tax planning, insurance coverage, as well as providing a comprehensive process to help the client understand their funding needs and life goals.”

But, that logic is based on the theory that everyone’s financial situation is unique, and requires a plan specific to her financial position. The truth is, most of us are in the same boat. We eat out too much. We need to pay off debt. We’re saving for retirement or a big purchase.

If your finances have quirks that the average person doesn’t deal with, by all means turn to a professional for their opinion. But, if you’re an Average Jill looking to manage her money better, the web may be an effective, cost-friendly alternative. Here are a few options to consider, depending on the level of guidance you need to whip your wallet into shape:

Basic

Basic budgeting sites are perfect if you need help managing your money day-to-day. These free sites give you tools to track what you’re spending, what you’re saving, and how your investments are doing. Most will automatically pull your financial information from all your accounts into one place.

• Mint.com
• Yodlee.com
• Buxfer.com

Advanced

If you want the full financial advisor experience, without that pesky human being charging you by the hour, there are a few options available to you. These services are not free, but they are substantially lower compared to traditional planners’ prices. For an additional fee, you can speak with a person via chat or e-mail to talk through your financial plan.

• NestWise.com
• LearnVest.com
• PersonalCapital.com
• FutureAdvisor.com

C. Cleveland is a freelance writer and content strategist in New York City, perfecting living the fierce life at The Red Read. She is at your service on Twitter (@CleveInTheCity) and Facebook (/MyReadIsRed).

Joseph Marzullo/WENN.com

Mellody Hobson is not famous because she’s an entertainer (because she isn’t). She’s not famous because she’s pretty (even though she is).  She’s not even famous because she in a relationship with film legend George Lucas (they’ve been together since 2006).

No, Mellody Hobson is famous because she is a smart and savvy businesswoman and it was announced on Thursday by the CEO of Dreamworks Animation, Jeffrey Katzenberg, that effective immediately, she would step in as Chairman of Dreamworks Animation. This comes as former chairman Roger Enrico steps down with no explanation given.

This is just the latest addition to the already long list of success Mellody has attained.  She is the Preisdent of one of the largest African-American money management and mutual funds companies in the United States, Ariel Investments, based out of Chicago.  The company manages over $3 billion  in assets.  She is also a regular financial contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America and hosted a show on the same network called Unbroke: What You Need To Know About Money, which was meant to give people advice on how to save an invest your money using layman’s terms.

Mellody also serves on the board for the Chicago Public Library and The Chicago Public Education Fund. In her spare time, which clearly isn’t much, Mellody takes her role as a mentor very serious.

When we have someone like this representing women and particularly, black women, we have to make sure we give them continuous props and lift them up.  She is a shining example of where hard work and dedication can get you! Congrats!

Source

The warning signs that your job is probably not for you could come as a subtle whisper or a loud, boisterous roar. It might be difficult to admit, even to yourself, when your well-paying, stable job just might not meet your needs as a professional. There is no need to be ashamed of leaving a job for one that will utilize your skills, have opportunities for advancement and reflect your professional and personal beliefs.

If you have been questioning the relationship between you and your career lately and feel like the spark may finally be gone, these signs might assure you that it’s probably that time to tell that current job, “I’m just not that into you.”

Brittany Rose

By Makula Dunbar

If you’re a recent college grad, you probably know that the job market isn’t in the least what it was promised to be just a few years ago.  Establishing an ideal career for many can be tough, overwhelming and seemingly undefined in terms of time.

For Brittany Rose, founder of More Than Cheer — a recreational sports management company — taking the chance of being whisked into the unemployment madness wasn’t an option. In 2008, while she was a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University she launched More Than Cheer,which was her sole business then.

The Cheerleading Business Formation

“Personally I really enjoy helping people and working with youth. I wanted to create a lifestyle where I could have financial freedom and time to spend with my family — when I have one,” said Rose. “I found entrepreneurship was the only way that I could provide that for others and myself.”

More Than Cheer offers classes and training in the areas of dance, cheerleading, tumbling and gymnastics. Personal development is also one of the company’s specialties.

At just 23, Rose says running a business at times is very stressful. However for her, getting it off the ground was the easy part.

A fun part of having hair for black women is changing it up and trying new things. A lot of the inspiration folks get from the styles they dare to try come from the celebrities we see on television, in magazines, and on and on and on. While I personally love my own bountiful mane of hair, there are a number of celebrities out there with natural and relaxed hair that I always find myself being impressed by. My hair idols don’t do the absolute most with their styles (well, not all of ‘em at least), but what they do manage to do all the time is keep their hair looking healthy, strong and beautiful. I don’t know about you, but the women on this list have a good head of hair. Which celebrities hair do you love?

(BET) — For years now, people have been working at how best to defeat the Black unemployment problem in the United States, which has grown to epidemic proportions amid America’s latest longstanding recession. African-American joblessness is now at about 17 percent, almost eight points higher than general unemployment. While economists and politicians debate about how best to solve the jobs crisis, and people like Cornel West and Tavis Smiley demand satisfaction for the Black community, BET founder Robert L. Johnson has a theory of his own. (Johnson sold BET to Viacom in 2000).  It would make sense that Johnson, the world’s first African-American billionaire, would look to business leaders to help develop jobs. But would you think the NFL could help, too? According to Johnson, one answer to Black unemployment may lie in the NFL’s so-called “Rooney Rule.” Established in 2003, the Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior operations positions — because the key to a diverse operation is a diverse candidate pool from which to draw employees. This is the basis for Johnson’s new idea, “the RLJ Rule.”

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(Entrepreneur) — There are two basic management formats. One is the pyramid organization, where the head of the company, typically the owner, makes all the decisions and managers simply implement the company’s mandates.  Alternatively, there is the flat organization, where managers make operational decisions, with the management team and owner only reviewing results or discussing issues and problems. Managers resolve daily operation issues, while reporting on a regular timely basis such as in a weekly managers’ meeting. Of course, the owner can always review critical issues as required, but the company is run by the managers in this flat format.  There is a huge difference in these styles. The pyramid organization concentrates all power and decision-making typically in the owner’s hands. The owner micromanages every aspect of the business with a constant flow of managers asking him or her for immediate short-term consideration and response to whatever is happening at the moment.

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