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Les McCann, jazz pioneer sampled by Diddy, Nas, dies at 88

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Les McCann, the trailblazing US pianist and singer who helped found the soul-jazz genre, has passed on at the age of 88.

Alan Abrahams, McCann’s manager, announced his demise on Monday.

Abrahams told NBC News that McCann died on Friday at a hospital in Los Angeles where he had been admitted with pneumonia.

McCann was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1935 and grew up in a family of musicians.

His career dates back to the 1950s, when he won a singing contest while serving in the US navy. During his stint in the navy, he also performed on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show,’ the top variety program of its time.

After he was discharged, McCann formed a trio — with saxophonist Eddie Harris and trumpeter Benny Bailey — in Los Angeles. He signed with the Pacific Jazz label and first rose to fame with his 1960 albums ‘Les McCann Plays the Truth’ and ‘The Shout.’

The musician later signed to Atlantic in 1968 and dropped a cover of Gene McDaniels’ ‘Compared to What’ in 1969, marking one of the biggest releases of his career.

The song condemned war, greed, and injustice.

McCann released more than 60 albums from 1960 to 2018. Some of his albums included ‘Swiss Movement’ (1969), ‘Talk to the People’ (1972), ‘Layers’ (1973) and ‘Another Beginning’ (1974). The most recent being a deluxe reissue of his ‘Never a Dull Moment! Coast to Coast Live 1966-67’ album last month.

McCann was a pioneer in merging jazz with soul and funk.

His music has been sampled by hip-hop artistes such as Eric B. & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, Cypress Hill, Nas, De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, the Notorious B.I.G., and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Entertainment

Chris Brown opens up on dating multiple ladies

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Chris Brown, the American singer, has revealed that he is in a polygamous relationship.

Brown, in a YouTube live with Kai Cenat, the US content creator, addressed questions about his personal life.

When asked if he was in a relationship, the 35-year-old Virginia-born artiste replied, “I am in multiple”.

Cenat sought clarification, asking, “Like more than one girlfriend?” Brown responded, “Something like that”.

The award-winning singer also emphasized the importance of transparency and honesty in maintaining his polygamous relationships.

“Just keep it a hundred. Be honest,” he added.

This is not the first time Brown would be addressing polygamy.

In an interview with Hot 97, the singer opened up about the challenges of maintaining a monogamous relationship due to his celebrity status and constant exposure to women.

“The hardest part is trying to keep a monogamous relationship, but still wanting to be the 25-year-old sex symbol,” he said.

“You go to shows. You might walk by somebody’s room, and you might see about six or seven of them thangs. And you’re like, dang, I just want to slide in there and have a couple drinks real quick and I’ll tell my girl about it later.”

Born Christopher Maurice Brown, the songwriter is often referred to by his contemporaries as the “king of R&B”.

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Bimpe Akintunde warns Nigerians against scammers impersonating her on WhatsApp

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Bimpe Akintunde, the Nollywood actress, has raised an alarm over a fake WhatsApp account created in her name to scam unsuspecting individuals.

The film star took to her Instagram story to share screenshots of the impersonator, posing as her to solicit money from her followers.

Akintunde expressed her frustration and disappointment, cursing the scammer for attempting to profit from her hard work. She warned the public to be cautious of the impersonator on any media platform.

The actress urged her fans to help report the scammer’s WhatsApp and bank accounts.

She also prayed that God should keep such fraudulent individuals away from her and her loved ones.

“What a morning. Tell me how this country wants to be great, when a lot of people are struggling, working hard to build a name and brand, and boom, one person will take their pictures and name only to be defrauding people up and down,” she wrote.

“Who gave birth to such a child? Useless children, may God keep them away from us.

“Please disregard any message from anyone, either in your DM or WhatsApp, asking you to send money.

“Please, it not me. I do not own this above number. I would appreciate it if we could find a way to report both the WhatsApp and the Opay account.”

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Davido advises black Americans not to relocate to Nigeria, says ‘the economy is in shambles’

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Davido, the Afrobeats star, has advised black Americans against relocating to Nigeria, citing the country’s economic challenges.

In an appearance on The Big Homies House podcast, the singer shared his thoughts on the struggles bedeviling Nigeria, stating, “It is not cool back home. The economy is in shambles”.

Davido also mentioned Nigeria’s struggles with bad leadership, a high exchange rate, and skyrocketing oil prices, which are negatively impacting the country.

“It is not cool back home. The economy is in shambles. I do my part, I am an ambassador. When I go home and I am filming, I am no going to show the bad parts,” he said.

“I am talking about the situation in the country. Now the exchange rate is messed up, a lot of stuffs are not going well.

“The economy is just not good enough. The oil price is too high. Imagine the country that produces oil, paying more for it than a country importing oil.”

Despite the challenges, Davido emphasised the entertainment industry’s positive impact on Africa’s global image.

“Regardless, entertainment is one of the thing that has made Africa look good. We do not have the best leader, that is a fact,” he said.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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