While many of us gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving, music industry pioneer Berry Gordy will likely proceed to bask within the glow of his family members celebrating. The Motown founder celebrates his ninety fifth birthday on November 28, a milestone commemorated this weekend with a star-studded gathering honoring the music mogul.

“95 where?!” – wrote Tracee Ellis Ross together with a number of visuals from the evening. The carousel included a video of a particularly perky Gordy, whom she lovingly calls “Uncle BB,” dancing and beaming from ear to ear.

Of course, Gordy is not simply the mastermind behind the label that catapulted Ellis Ross’s mother, Diana Ross, to stardom together with many other now-iconic bands. He can also be the daddy of Ross’ first-born daughter, singer Rhonda Ross Kendrick, who marked Gordy’s big day along with her own tribute.

“95 years of LOVE!!! What an amazing life, so well lived!!!” – wrote w Instagram post. “We love you, Dad!”

Calling Gordy’s life amazing is nearly an understatement. Born November 28, 1929 in Detroit, Gordy was a 28-year-old former boxer and Korean War veteran armed with a GED when he co-wrote Jackie Wilson’s “Reet Petite,” the primary in a string of hits that will follow. Investing his profits back into his profession as a producer, he founded his first record label, Tamla, in 1959 using a family loan of $800. In 1960, he merged the corporate together with his Motown label to form the Motown Record Corporation, which included flagship artists corresponding to singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson and his group The Miracles, singer Mary Wells and girl group The Marvelettes.

Over the subsequent decade, Motown became an industrial powerhouse and cultural phenomenon, introducing the world to Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Jackson 5, The Commodores, Rick James and of course The Supremes featuring Diana Ross, to call a number of.

In 1988, Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2013, he became the primary living artist to receive the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Pioneer Award. President Barack Obama honored Gordy with the National Medal of Arts in 2016, recognizing him for “helping create a pioneering new sound in American music… (and) launching the musical careers of countless legendary artists.”

“His unique sound helped shape our nation’s history,” Obama said. as NPR reports.

“I’ve come full circle,” he said onstage at Motown’s sixtieth anniversary party, one of several held this yr to honor the corporate. “It feels right (to announce this) being here in Detroit, the city where my fairy tale happened with all of you.” That same yr, Gordy’s adopted home in Los Angeles marked the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Argyle, the previous location of the Motown offices, Berry Gordy Square. Gordy was honored on the Kennedy Center in 2021.

In addition to longtime friends and former collaborators like Wonder, legendary Motown executive Suzanne DePasse and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., on the festival last weekend was actor Billy Dee Williams, who has appeared alongside Ross in quite a few Motown movies. celebrations honoring Gordy and his lasting legacy.

“Berry, your genius gave the world a soundtrack that transcended generations, a beat that brought people together, and stories that touched every corner of the globe,” Williams, 87, wrote in Instagram. “Your passion for music, your eye for talent and your pursuit of excellence have shaped not only an industry, but also a legacy of love and unity.

“I am honored to call you a treasured friend,” he continued. “Your wisdom, kindness and tenacious spirit inspire me and many others every day.”

This week, country artist Shaboozey reached a brand new milestone. The breakout star’s song “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” enjoys its nineteenth week at No. 1 for probably the most weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. Shaboozey has now broken the record set by Lil Nas X, whose song “Old Town Road” featured on topping the charts, it was the preferred song within the country for 19 weeks in a row in 2019.

“The universe really does work in mysterious ways” – Shaboozey he wrote on Twitter in response to the news. “You never know how a story will unfold unless you follow through and trust the author; Thank you always.”

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song,” which samples J-Kwon’s 2004 hip-hop hit “Tipsy,” also dominated Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for 23 weeks. This country-rap medley earned the artist three Grammy Award nominations within the categories of Song of the Year, Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. Shaboozey also earned Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Melodic Rap Performance for his appearance on Beyoncé’s song “Spaghetti.”

The 29-year-old genre-bending artist’s performance on “Cowboy Carter” took his profession to recent heights, and his social media and streaming following skyrocketed after the discharge of his single in March. So much in order that Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” replaced Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” to No. 1 on the Hot Country chart in July, marking the primary time in Billboard history that two consecutive black artists topped the charts. 1 position and led the chart one after the other.

“It was really great for (Beyoncé) to place lots of eyes on me at the identical time. The indisputable fact that she was capable of make clear me during that point helped me grow. She helped amplify what I used to be already doing on this space, and that is really amazing (coming from) someone who’s a extremely influential (and) historical figure,” Shaboozey said (*1*)Hollywood reporter. “It’s cool to see how far country music has come since Beyoncé created her project. It’s cool to see music reaching the world.”

Although Shaboozey continues to interrupt records along with his country-rap music, the country music scene has not accepted him as much. During the 2024 Country Music Awards, the name of the New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year nominees was repeatedly mentioned in offhand and restrained offensive remarks throughout the ceremony.

When Cody Johnson won Album of the Year for “Leather,” producer Trent Willmon joined him on stage and joked, “I gotta tell you, it’s for that cowboy who’s been kicking Shaboozey for years,” seemingly offering a variation on the phrase “kicking ass.” The Grammy-nominated performer’s name also became a source of comedy for hosts Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, with Manning declaring, “Holy Shaboozey!” in the course of the performance.

While social media fans were outraged by the insolent comment throughout the show, Shaboozey offered: class slap on X, under a photograph of him smiling and shrugging: “No one kicks me!”

Although Shaboozey left the awards show empty-handed, the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer expressed gratitude for the experience as a debut nominee and performer.

“(I) never imagined in my wildest dreams that I could be here. “I am grateful for all of this,” he wrote in a series of tweets. “Win or lose, I am blessed by something or someone that has power beyond my understanding.”

When I used to be a child within the ’80s and ’90s – you realize, the ’00s – while you did something amazing, someone would all the time say, “He must have eaten his Wheaties today!” referring to breakfast cereals which have long been advertised as “breakfast of champions” Famous athletes often got here across boxes of Wheaties, a lot in order that the physical, unopened boxes became collectors’ items in their very own right.

Kendrick Lamar ate his Wheaties. It’s not only the e-streets which have decided that 2024 can be the 12 months of Kendrick Lamar; apparently Kendrick has taken up the mantle and has been on our necks since March. On Friday, November 22, he dropped his album “GNX,” which has literally been the talk of the world because it hit the web. And then, to proceed his wave of artistic domination, he dropped the album’s first visual, “Squabble Up,” a song that was first teased at the start of the music video for the undisputed song of the 12 months 2024, “Not like us.”

“Squabble Up” continues where “Not Like Us” left off; the music video is full of West Coast – mainly Los Angeles – imagery and popular culture references, culture and homages, and Kendrick Lamar doing that little Kendrick Lamar dance. Seriously, as of this writing, I’ve watched this movie no less than 10 times because I used to be attempting to put some of the references within the background.

I imagine the people of Los Angeles have been feeling extra cool recently considering the way in which Kendrick has been gaining a lot weight for Los Angeles. This video takes some of them to the following level. For example, it is a nod to Ice-T’s “Power” album cover where a lady in a showering suit may be seen holding a sawed-off shotgun. On the Big Wheel is a child wearing the identical outfit as Anthony, Ronnie’s son, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s character in Menace II Society final scenes of the filmright before Caine was shot by the one person missing on this movie, Samuel Monroe, Jr.a villain so thorough that if I met him in real life today, I’d cross the road. There is a bow cover of Isaac Hayes’ 1971 work “Black Moses.” Is “Soul Train” game board. scene i David Hammons African American Flag. Rest in peace Nate Dogg.

And truthfully, “Squabble Up” has so much of references to things I do not even find out about because I’m not conversant in all of the cultural hotspots of Los Angeles and California. The most vital thing is the book Kendrick is reading called “How to Be Kendrick Lamar for Dummies” and I swear I hope it gets published, at the same time as a joke. I’m sure some enterprising soul will print some of these joints and sell them before the shutdown comes; that is how I got my Snoop-On-A-Stoop doll!

I’m sure some enterprising soul will create a TikTok that points out every reference utilized in the video, which I am unable to wait to see. For now, though, I’m still impressed by Kendrick Lamar’s mission. While his feud over being related to Drake has been the catalyst for the last nine months of Kendrickpalooza, it’s admirable to see how his focus seems to have shifted to uplifting and (to the extent it really works) uniting the West Coast. Kendrick could be very introverted, and this music video for “Squabble Up” is further proof of that. Similarly, it makes me interested in what is going to occur next; this sort of unpredictability from an artist hasn’t existed in hip-hop for an extended time. I’m glad we’re here now.

West, west, everyone.