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Bill Withers’ music career offers business lessons to lean on in difficult times

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Bill Withers


When songwriter and musician Bill Withers died on April 32020 caused a wave of respect and admiration. And no wonder. Withers’ musical legacy features a string of hits which have resonated across generations, races, religions, genres and geographic boundaries, including 1972’s “Lean On Me,” whose director Tyler Perry and others clearly called out those difficult, socially distanced days .

Much less known than Withers’ beautiful music is the story of his career, which provided him with lifelong financial freedom and the flexibility to live on his own terms until his death on the age of 81.

Songs like “Lovely Day” and “Just the Two of Us” helped put Withers in the Rock and Roll Songwriters Hall of Fame. But the lessons learned from his music career are as timeless and relevant today as ever.

Luck favors exertions, the self-employed and the self-taught

You haven’t got to have access or the most effective education to get ahead. You have to be hungry and willing to work hard. Withers never had any formal musical training; he had a natural talent, a real passion, and a desire to learn whatever he could, in any way he could.

He grew up because the youngest of six children in Slab Fork, West Virginia, a poor mining town marked by Jim Crow racism and native music, mainly country and gospel. He was born with a stutter, which he fastidiously managed to eliminate while serving in the Navy. While working in a California aircraft parts factory, after getting back from the Vietnam War, Withers bought a used guitar at a pawn shop and taught himself how to play. He began writing songs between shifts on the factory. The goal wasn’t fame, he told journalist Andy Greene in a 2015 profile in . “It was about survival.”

Rejection is a component of the method. Just keep going.

By 1970, Withers had scraped together enough of his hourly wage to self-finance a crude demo and sell it to major labels without success. But meeting Clarence Avant, now generally known as the Black Godfather, modified the whole lot. Avant signed Withers to his newly formed independent label Sussex, teamed up with producer Booker T. Jones, and in just a couple of days they accomplished his 1971 debut album. They included two hits which have survived to at the present time – “Grandma’s Hands” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” performed by artists starting from Michael Jackson to Ladysmith Black Mambazo and heavy metal band Black Label Society. The song even has its own Wikipedia page. “There aren’t a few songs I’ve written in my short career, and there isn’t a genre in which someone hasn’t recorded them,” he said. “I’m not a virtuoso, but I managed to write songs that people could identify with.”

Stay humble. And keep your day job.

The photo for Withers’ first album cover was taken during his lunch break at work at Weber Aircraft. “Because I didn’t want to take time off,” he explained in an interview on CBS This Morning in 2015. “So I’m standing in the doorway with my real lunch box!” Withers never quit the job. He was fired just before the album’s release, and when the corporate tried to rehire him, he was also invited to perform.

Reinvest in your business and long-term financial stability.

Withers took a few of his earnings and purchased a piano. While he was learning to play a brand new instrument again, sooner or later he began tinkering with some easy chord progressions. The result was the hit “Lean on Me,” which became the centerpiece of his second album and stays a beloved anthem of friendship and unity in times of world crisis.

Stay true to yourself!

In the start, Withers all the time did his own thing and his own way. He never hired a manager, produced his own songs (music and lyrics), wrote his own notes and designed his own album covers. At Sussex he had full creative control over his music, but after Avant went bankrupt in 1975, Withers signed a five-album contract with Columbia, and the experience ruined him in business.

“I met my A&R guy, and the first thing he said to me was, ‘I don’t like your music or any black music, period,’” Withers recalled in a 2015 article. “I’m proud of myself for not hitting him.” When he fulfilled his obligations to Columbia in 1985, he left the corporate. And he could have, because he would go on to earn about half of each dollar he produced from his songs for the remaining of his life.

Never stop growing – or knowing who to trust.

Withers’ first marriage to Denise Nicholas was notoriously unhappy and rumored to be abusive, but Withers went on to marry Marcia Johnson, whom he met in 1976 at a Gil Scott Heron concert. Marcia Withers, married for 44 years until her death, managed her husband’s publishing for years and was instrumental in the lucrative placement of his songs in countless movies, television shows and other media. “We are a mom and pop store,” he said. “She is my only overseer. I’m lucky I married a woman with an MBA.”


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Why Denzel Washington quit drinking at 60

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Denzel Washington, alcohol use, sobriety, drug abuse, Gladiator II, Denzel Washington retiring, theGrio.com

Denzel Washington has been sober for nearly a decade, but he had one particular vice: wine.(*60*)

In a brand new profile, the 69-year-old actor talks about his history with wine, drugs like LSD and growing up in New York within the Seventies. Esquire magazine..(*60*)

“Wine is very difficult,” he warned. “It’s very slow… It’s not like boom.”(*60*)

He explained that, unlike harder substances, he had “the perfect idea for wine tasting and so on – and that’s how it was in the beginning.”(*60*)

“And this is a very subtle thing,” he added.(*60*)

Washington said his habit really took off in 1999, when he built a house with a ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar and “learned to drink the best of it.”(*60*)

He added: “My passion was wine, and now I was pouring $4,000 bottles just because it was left.”(*60*)

The “Gladiator II” star eventually developed an intake management system; he frequently ordered the 2 best bottles of wine available at his favorite liquor store.(*60*)

“And my wife says, ‘Why do you only order two?’ I said, “Because if I order more, I’ll drink more.” So I limited it to 2 bottles and drank each in the course of the day,” he told the publication.(*60*)

Even though she drinks wine day by day, the “Equalizer 3” star said she never drank alcohol while working or preparing for a task, even while filming “Flight,” which tells the story of an alcoholic pilot.(*60*)

“I would clean up and go back to work – I could do both,” he said. “Regardless of the months of shooting, bang, it is time to wrap up. And then boom. Three months of wine and time to get back to work.(*60*)

The actor admitted that when he was younger, it was easier to take care of this pattern.(*60*)

“Two months off and we’re going. But the drinking was a fifteen-year pattern. And truth be told, it didn’t start in 1999. It began earlier,” he explained.(*60*)

Washington, who was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, described what it was like growing up there within the late Seventies. Spending time on projects with individuals who exposed him to heroin, cocaine, hard alcohol and more, he admits that he experimented but personally “never got hooked on it.” (*60*)

In fact, much of those formative years experiences were passed on to a few of Washington’s best and most complex figures. Still, he said, “I am unable to consider a single role where I said, ‘Man, that is me.’ Completely me? No, no.(*60*)

Since he quit drinking, he appears like “everything is opening up to him.”(*60*)

Will one of Denzel Washington's last films be

“It’s like you’re seventy,” he said. “This is real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter – if I get one other thirty, what do I would like to do? My mother lived to be ninety-seven.(*60*)

The husband and father of 4 also pays more attention to fitness today, due to Lenny Kravitz, who introduced him to his trainer.(*60*)

“I’m doing everything I can,” he said.(*60*)

As he noted in the course of the “Gladiator II” press session, he’s also enthusiastic about upcoming projects which will become his last – and yes, they include two more “Equalizer” movies.(*60*)

“People love these daggone ‘Equalizers,'” he said. (*60*)

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Steph Curry is using the NBA Tunnel to showcase Black and Brown designers this season

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Steph Curry, Rakuten, Steph Curry Rakuten, Steph Curry Jason Bolden, Steph Curry NBA tunnel, Jason Bolden Rakuten, NBA tunnel, NBA tunnel fashion, NBA tunnel style, Steph Curry fashion, NBA fashion, Jason Bolden, theGrio.com

This NBA season, Steph Curry is bringing latest talent to his team with the help of a friend and stylist, Jason Bolden. As a part of the duo’s ongoing collaboration with Rakuten, Bolden styles the Golden State Warriors point guard and two-time league MVP in an array of black and brown designers for his walks through the NBA tunnels during the 2024-25 season.

“My mission at every opportunity I have is to upskill people who deserve it and spread awareness of very talented individuals, especially in the fashion industry where Black and brown communities don’t necessarily have the same resources and opportunities,” Curry explained , per Women’s on a regular basis clothing. “Using our tunnel walks, which have become a really big part of the NBA experience with cameras everywhere behind the scenes, you have that moment when you walk in, and it’s a great opportunity to express yourself through the clothes you wear.”

In recent years, the NBA tunnel has change into something of a runway for menswear designers, as the league’s most trendy players use their entrances and exits to showcase their personal style, drawing attention that sometimes rivals the games themselves.

“In my rookie season in 2009, there was one camera following me from the car to the locker room – our Golden State Warriors PR team,” Curry recalls. “How all of it became almost a runway show, because you get out of the automobile, the bus, and go into the locker room – the funny thing is that we dress, whether you are at home or in a hotel, and you are probably wearing outfit from half-hour to an hour, depending on how long the trip is. Then you go to the locker room, take it off and put it back on after the match, but that moment is special because you wish to look good,” he added.

While Curry typically opts for traditional styles, he admits his fashion sense has evolved “dramatically” over the course of his profession. According to WWD, this season his wardrobe will feature creations by each established and emerging designers, including Áwet and Saif Ud Deen, co-founder of Pharrell Williams Billionaire Boys Club.

“My goal is not to try to stand out too much… I never dress loudly just to dress loudly, and I think I have a very classic, modern, casual style,” Curry explained, later adding: “Any brand we wear , has a unique way of coping with or attacking this problem and it can be nice to see diversity inside the different outfits I wear.”

Fans who like Curry’s look can shop online at stores like Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Mr. Porter while also receiving money back through Rakuten.

“The saying ‘look good, feel good and have fun’ is true,” Curry said. “Have fun with what you wear in the tunnel and during the game – it helps you be present in the moment.”


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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An AI discrimination class action lawsuit has finally been settled

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AI racial discrimination lawsuit settled, theGrio.com

Mary Louis’ excitement about moving right into a Massachusetts apartment within the spring of 2021 turned to dismay when Louis, a Black woman, received an email informing her that a “third-party service” had denied her a lease.

This third-party service included an algorithm designed to judge rental applicants, which became the topic of a class-action lawsuit led by Louis that alleged the algorithm discriminated on the premise of race and income.

On Wednesday, a federal judge approved a settlement in that lawsuit, certainly one of the primary of its kind. The company behind the algorithm has agreed to pay greater than $2.2 million and to recall some parts of its monitoring products that the lawsuit said were discriminatory.

The settlement doesn’t include an admission of wrongdoing by SafeRent Solutions, which said in a press release that while it “continues to believe that SRS Scores complies with all applicable laws, litigation is time-consuming and expensive.”

While such lawsuits could also be relatively latest, using algorithms or artificial intelligence programs to screen and rate Americans is just not. For years, artificial intelligence has been secretly helping make essential decisions for US residents.

When an individual applies for a job, applies for a house loan, and even seeks specific medical care, there may be a risk that a man-made intelligence system or algorithm will judge or evaluate them as Louis did. These AI systems, nonetheless, are largely unregulated, although some have been found to cause discrimination.

“Management companies and property owners need to know that they have been warned that systems they believe are reliable and good will face challenges,” said Todd Kaplan, certainly one of Louis’ attorneys.

The lawsuit alleged that SafeRent’s algorithm didn’t bear in mind housing voucher advantages, which it said were a very important detail affecting a tenant’s ability to pay monthly bills, and due to this fact discriminated against low-income applicants who qualified for assistance.

The lawsuit also accused the SafeRent algorithm of over-reliance on credit information. They argued that it doesn’t provide an entire picture of an applicant’s ability to pay rent on time and unfairly awards housing voucher applicants to Black and Latino applicants, partly because they’ve lower average credit scores, which will be attributed to historical inequalities.

Christine Webber, certainly one of the plaintiff’s lawyers, argued that simply because the algorithm or artificial intelligence is just not programmed to discriminate, the info the algorithm uses or weights can have “the same effect as if you told it to intentionally discriminate.”

When Louis’ application was rejected, she tried to appeal the choice by sending two landlords references confirming that she had paid her rent early or on time for 16 years, despite the fact that she didn’t have a robust credit history.

Louis, who had a housing voucher, was floundering, having already notified her previous owner that she was moving out, and was facing custody charges against her granddaughter.

The response from a management company that used SafeRent’s tenant screening service was: “We do not accept appeals and cannot overrule a tenant screening result.”

Louis felt defeated; the algorithm didn’t know her, she said.

“It’s all about numbers. You can’t get individual empathy from them,” Louis said. “You can’t beat the system. The system will always beat us.”

While state lawmakers have proposed aggressive regulation of a majority of these AI systems, these proposals have largely modified them did not obtain sufficient support. This implies that lawsuits like Louis’ are beginning to lay the groundwork for AI liability.

SafeRent’s attorneys argued within the motion to dismiss that the corporate shouldn’t be chargeable for discrimination because SafeRent didn’t make the ultimate decision on whether to simply accept or deny a tenant. This service would screen applicants, evaluate them and supply a report, but leave it to the landlords or management firms to come to a decision whether to simply accept or reject the tenant.

Louis’ lawyers, together with the U.S. Department of Justice, which filed a press release of interest within the case, argued that the SafeRent algorithm could possibly be held liable since it still plays a job in housing access. The judge denied SafeRent’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit on these grounds.

The settlement stipulates that SafeRent cannot include its rating in tenant screening reports in certain cases, including if an applicant is on a housing voucher. It also requires that if SafeRent develops a distinct audit result that it plans to make use of, it have to be validated by a 3rd party, to which the plaintiffs agree.

Louis’ son found her an inexpensive apartment on Facebook Marketplace, which she moved into, even though it was $200 dearer and in a less desirable neighborhood.

“I’m not optimistic that I’ll be able to take a break, but I have to continue playing and that’s it,” Louis said. “I have too many people depending on me.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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