UME Gives Old School R&B Fans Reason to Celebrate

Old school music fans have a reason to celebrate this weekend.

Friday, Universal Music Enterprises reissued five classics from the R&B era dominated by pop music fused together with elements of jazz, funk and rap.

Guy’s “The Future” (Expanded Edition), Heavy D & The Boyz’ “Big Tyme “(Expanded Edition), Jodeci’s “Forever My Lady,” Jodeci’s “Diary of a Mad Band” (Expanded Edition), and Christopher Williams' “Changes” (Expanded Edition) arrived at all digital service providers today.

The classic albums from Uptown Records include unreleased tracks, remixes and more.

“The Future,” which the label said in a statement embodies the spirit of the “New Jack Swing” music era, was the second full album released by New York R&B phenomenon Guy. Comprised of Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, and Damion Hall, the group’s soulful harmonies propelled the album to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart in 1990. It picks up 20 news tracks on the expanded edition.

Hits like “We Got Our Own Thang,” “Somebody For Me,” and “Gyrlz, They Love Me,” helped Heavy D & The Boyz “Big Time” reach platinum status when it was released in 1989. The expanded edition includes seven new tracks from the New York hip-hop powerhouse and its charismatic frontman — which were the first group signed to Uptown Records.

Jodeci’s debut album “Forever My Lady” soared to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top R&B Albums Chart upon its release in 1991, eventually going triple-platinum in the U.S. The reissued version adds 24 new tracks to the classic album.

Members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin and brothers K-Ci, and JoJo, who left behind their gospel past to release some of the raciest and replayed R&B of the time, followed up that effort with another classic in 1993’s “Diary of a Mad Band.”

On the strength of chart-topping hits like “Cry For You," “Feenin’” and “What About Us” it went quadruple-platinum in the United States and moved six million units worldwide. Fifteen new tracks are featured on the definitive version.

Crooner Christopher Williams’ second album “Changes” peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard Top 200 in 1992. Its lead single “I’m Dreamin’,” however, reached the top spot on the Billboard US R&B Songs Chart and was made even more popular by its inclusion in the end credits of the cultural movie phenomenon “New Jack City.” The expanded edition adds 11 tracks.

Find links to the expanded editions below for all DSPs:

Listen to Guy's The Future (Expanded Edition)—HERE.

Listen to Heavy D & The Boyz' Big Tyme (Expanded Edition)—HERE.

Listen to Jodeci's Forever My Lady (Expanded Edition)—HERE.

Listen to Jodeci's Diary of a Mad Band (Expanded Edition)—HERE.

Listen to Christopher Williams' Changes (Expanded Edition) —HERE.

Brett Hankison Found Not Guilty on All Charges Stemming From Deadly Police Raid That Killed Breonna Taylor

Breonna Taylor, 26, was killed on March 13, 2020

by officers executing a "no-knock" warrant.

Nearly two years after her death triggered protests across the country against police brutality and calls to
"arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor,” the only police officer charged in the fatal “no-knock” police raid that led to the death of the 26-year-old EMT, has been found not guilty of wanton endangerment.

A Kentucky jury cleared former police officer, Brett Hankison, on Thursday of charges he endangered neighbors when he fired shots into an apartment during a 2020 drug raid that saw officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department execute a search warrant at the wrong home and ended in Taylor’s death.

Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had been in bed when the plainclothes cops arrived just after midnight but got up when they heard banging at the door. In earlier court proceedings, Walker said they both called out for the intruders to identify themselves. When they received no answer, according to Walker, and the door was broken off its hinges, he fired a warning shot.

BREAKING: Brett Hankison, the only cop charged over the police raid that killed #BreonnaTaylor, was found not guilty.

He was charged for wanton endangerment — not for killing Taylor, but for firing shots into a neighbor's home. A grand jury cleared the officers who shot Taylor. pic.twitter.com/lTry8NRwY0

— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 3, 2022

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was struck in the thigh by that bullet. Mattingly, officer Myles Cosgrove and Hankison responded with 32 shots of their own in return. Taylor was struck six times. Cosgrove who was responsible for 16 of those rounds was determined to have fired the shot that killed Taylor.

Hankison, 45, admitted to firing 10-rounds blindly through Taylor's patio doors and bedroom window from outside at the trial, but he said he did it to save his fellow officers.

When asked if he did anything wrong during the raid, Hankison replied: “Absolutely not." He added, “She didn’t need to die that night.” Following the exchange, Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, stormed out of the courtroom.

POWERFUL words spoken by Breonna Taylor's mom Tamika Palmer today. And she's so right. This is now bigger than Breonna. This is about bring our communities together and creating the change we want in America. #SayHerName #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/wKsnSAvowr

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 13, 2020

Hankison was the only officer involved to face charges related to the botched raid. A grand jury found that the two other officers who fired on Taylor that night acted in self-defense after Mattingly was shot. That jury found that several bullets Hankison fired went into a neighboring unit where a pregnant woman, a man and a child were home.

While Taylor’s family has yet to get the justice it sought, led by Palmer and other activists some progress has been made in her name. After Kentucky Attorney General David Cameron’s office declined to seek charges against any of the officers in connection to Taylor’s death, protestors filled the streets for months. Eventually, a $12 million settlement was reached between the family and the city of Louisville, Kentucky. It included a major reform package that banned “no-knock” raids amongst other changes.

Serena Williams Rips 'New York Times' Coverage of Her Venture Fund's Success

Photo Courtesy of Serena Ventures

Her Venture Fund Raised $111 million, but 'NYT' Posted Picture of Williams' Sister With its Reporting on Serena Ventures Milestone

It’s been a big week for tennis icon Serena Williams.

Tuesday, the superstar’s venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, announced it has raised $111 million via its blog. It was a huge coup for the company that says it will “invest in founders who solve everyday problems through unconventional thinking and diverse points of view.”

Reaching the milestone drew high praise from 23andMe CEO and co-founder Anne Wojcicki, a limited partner in Serena Ventures who knows something about raising capital.

"I have been so impressed with Serena Ventures and the extraordinary mentorship and support they provide entrepreneurs,” she said. “Serena has built an exceptional team of diverse experts with branding expertise and strategic advice to help founders as they navigate building their companies.”

By Wednesday, however, Williams wasn’t focused on talking about the firm's portfolio of 60 angel investments or championing the companies it has invested in — including fintech companies Cointracker and Propel, and edtech Masterclass — amongst others. Instead, she was calling out the “New York Times” for its coverage of her landmark moment.

"No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it's not enough," Williams said on Twitter on Wednesday, pointing out the fact that the Old Gray Lady ran a picture of her sister, and fellow tennis legend, Venus Williams with the story. "This is why I raised $111M for @serenaventures. To support the founders who are overlooked by engrained systems woefully unaware of their biases. Because even I am overlooked."

This was our mistake. It was due to an error when selecting photos for the print edition, and it did not appear online. A correction will appear in tomorrow’s paper.

— NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) March 2, 2022

She ended her tweet by saying, "You can do better, @nytimes."

The Times took credit for the mistake in a response to the Twitter thread.

"It was due to an error when selecting photos for the print edition, and it did not appear online," the NYT Business account tweeted. "A correction will appear in tomorrow's paper."