Apollo Nida looked like he’d turned his life around, starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta with his wife Phaedra Parks, with whom he’s had two sons. Although he’d spent time in jail, it didn’t appear that he’d ever do the things that led him there again. News flash – things don’t always look as they seem. Nida is now doing 8 years in federal prison for the very same thing that got him there before – fraud and ID theft. Phaedra is divorcing him. Well, at least he’ll still be relatively young, and so will his kids, when he gets out.
Writer/actress/poet/author/activist/mother Maya Angelou died this year. Given the state of race relations, the world, the economy and politics, it seems like some kindness and wisdom in the universe died with her. Still, she served her time here on earth with authenticity and grace and hopefully someone inspired by her words, will, if not replace her, than at least take up her mantle of of service. Thank you Maya, for selflessly sharing your many gifts.
T.I. and Tiny seemed to end 2014 on a good note, but it was touch and go there for a while. There was nothing quite as dramatic as an elevator fight but between the two sniping at each other via social media and Tip and boxer Floyd Mayweather getting into a brawl reportedly over Tiny, no one was sure what was going on. Then, Tiny sparked more rumors when she told appeared on The Wendy Williams Show without wedding ring and acknowledged the two were having their issues. Man, The Family Hustle was about the only VH1 reality show we could watch with the kids. Work it out, y’all.
Did you notice something…different about hip-hop and soul music this year? We did. When Iggy Azalea and Sam Smith are the hottest rapper and soul singer of the year, we wonder just what’s going on here. We love Sam, but his single, “Stay” was better than his album and in a soul sing-off, sorry, Anthony Hamilton blows him back over the pond. As for Iggy, well, at least T.I.’s getting paid. And let’s not even forget about Macklemore, who personally told Kendrick Lamar he didn’t deserve the Best Rap Album Grammy win over him. Is Iggy really the best that rap has to offer? Fancy that!
The year in Chris Brown – probation, jail, arrest, Instagram, Twitter, graffiti, Karruche, no Karruche. We’re sure Brown can’t wait to ring in 2015, if only to start with a fresh new slate. It looked like he was heading for a maturity breakthrough until he went in on ex-girlfriend Karruche via social media (of course) accusing her of dating Drake and participating in threesomes. Then, the next day, he said he was wrong and was sorry because “Everyone knows he loves that girl.” Karruche’s response? #Unbothered and moving on.
As we close out 2014, there’s a reminder that black history is always being made. That reminder came with the news that Ava DuVernay, a longtime entertainment publicist with a dream to direct, has become the first African-American women ever to be honored with a Golden Globe nomination for Selma. With the kind of critical acclaim Selma’s getting, an Oscar nod, which would also be a first, is probably on the way. It’s yet another reminder to follow your heart and your dreams because you never know where they will take you. DuVernay, on just her third film, and her first major studio film, is living proof.
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Year In Review: Top 10 Entertainment Stories Of 2014 [VIDEO] was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
