Usher to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at BET Awards; Monét Honored by ASCAP

Usher will receive the Voice of the Culture Award, while Monét, the 2024 Grammy winner for Best New Artist, will be presented with the Vanguard Award at the June 27th ceremony in Los Angeles. (Photo Credit: Bellamy Brewster)

Music industry titan Usher and rising star Victoria Monét are set to be celebrated at upcoming award ceremonies. Usher's enduring impact on music and culture will be recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards on June 30th.

Meanwhile, both artists will be honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers on June 27th. Usher will receive the Voice of the Culture Award, while Monét will be presented with the Vanguard Award.

"Usher's artistry has transcended generations," said Connie Orlando, BET EVP, Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, in a statement. "From his chart-topping hits and electrifying performances to his signature sound and dance moves, he continues to be a force in the industry and a champion of Black excellence. We look forward to celebrating his remarkable career with a truly unforgettable tribute."

He is also nominated for four additional BET Awards this year, including Album of the Year for "Coming Home," Best Collaboration and Video of the Year for "Good Good" with Summer Walker and 21 Savage and Best Male R&B/Pop Artist (an award he shared with Chris Brown last year).

Usher's influence extends beyond the stage. As the founding chairman of the New Look Foundation, he has positively impacted over 55,000 youths globally through education and mentorship programs. This dedication earned him recognitions like the NAACP's 2010 Ford Freedom Award Scholar and Morehouse College's 2014 Candle Award.

The artist's recent achievements solidify his enduring legacy. His ninth studio album, "Coming Home," debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and his collaboration "Good Good" remains a chart fixture. He also won Outstanding Male Artist at the NAACP Image Awards in March.

Presented to ASCAP members who have had a major influence on music and culture, the Voice of the Culture Award recognizes Usher's lasting impact.

“Artistic development is a lifelong journey of experimentation that requires risk for reward, embracing unknowns, trusting your intuition, and believing in your creative vision and God given talent. It means the world to me that my peers, this community of passionate and distinguished songwriters, composers, and authors are inspired by my execution of the craft,” Usher said in a statement.

This is your moment, @VictoriaMonet! ❤️

Victoria Monét won her first-ever GRAMMY at the 66th #GRAMMYs, as well as two others:

🏆 Best New Artist
🏆 Best R&B Album
🏆 Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical pic.twitter.com/spkiW23JK7

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 9, 2024

Monét, a rising star with a voice that's both powerful and intimate, is a three-time Grammy winner this year, including the prestigious Song of the Year award. She is being recognized by ASCAP for her innovative spirit and influence on the future of music. Her artistry extends beyond her own performances, as she's also a talented songwriter who has contributed to the success of other artists.

"Victoria Monét has proven herself not only as a luminous songwriter but also as a flourishing artist who consistently pushes boundaries," said Paul Williams, chairman of the board and president at ASCAP, in a statement.

The 2024 BET Awards will air live on the East Coast on Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Rare Wu-Tang Clan Album 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' to be Exhibited in Australia

Once Upon a Time in Shaolin in 2015, photo by Luke Fenstemaker and courtesy of Luke Fenstemaker, Pleasr, and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)

The enigmatic Wu-Tang Clan album "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" will be displayed for public listening at the Museum of Old and New Art on the Australian island of Tasmania from June 15 to 24, offering a rare opportunity for fans to experience this exclusive piece of hip-hop history.

Recorded secretly over six years, only one physical copy of the album exists, and it has been heard in its entirety by only a few individuals. The album's display is part of Mona’s "Namedropping" exhibition, which explores rare objects believed to possess mystical properties transcending their material circumstances.

“'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin' is more than just an album,” said Jarrod Rawlins, Mona's director of curatorial affairs. “When I was considering status and what a transcendent namedrop could be, I knew I had to include it in this exhibition.”

The album is bound by a legal agreement preventing its commercial exploitation until 2103, though it can be played at private listening parties. Free tickets for curated private listening sessions will be available for a limited number of visitors.

An Album Shrouded in Mystery
Wu-Tang Clan announced in March 2014 that they would produce a single copy of "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," to be sold to the highest bidder. The album, housed in a hand-carved box with a leather-bound book of lyrics and its backstory, was a protest against the devaluation of music in the digital age, said Wu-Tang member Robert “RZA” Diggs in a 2014 interview with Forbes.

In 2015, Martin Shkreli, the notorious "Pharma Bro," purchased the album for approximately $2 million, making it the world's most expensive music album at the time. However, U.S. federal authorities seized the album when Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud and conspiracy in 2017.

From Shkreli to Cryptocurrency Collective
In 2021, the U.S. Justice Department sold the album to an undisclosed buyer to satisfy part of Shkreli's $7.4 million forfeiture order. Later that year, digital art collective PleasrDAO confirmed they had acquired the album, reportedly for the equivalent of $4 million, using cryptocurrency. PleasrDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization and early adopter of NFT digital art, announced their intent to make the album more accessible to fans.

“This beautiful piece of art, this ultimate protest against middlemen and rent-seekers of musicians and artists, went south by going into the hands of Martin Shkreli, the ultimate internet villain,” said Jamis Johnson, PleasrDAO’s Chief Pleasing Officer, in an interview with Rolling Stone. "We want this to be us bringing this back to the people. We want fans to participate in this album at some level."

Wu-Tang Clan's Legacy
The Wu-Tang Clan, originating in Staten Island, New York, in the 1990s, has a storied history in hip-hop. The group's influence extends beyond music, as they have become cultural icons. Their decision to produce a single-copy album was a bold statement about the value of music as an art form.

As the album makes its way to Mona, fans and art enthusiasts alike have a unique chance to engage with a piece of modern music history, even if only for a brief moment. The limited exhibition underscores the album's status as both a rare artifact and a significant cultural statement.

Double Trouble: Sean Kingston and Mom Arrested in Fraud Case

Sean Kingston and his mother Janice (left). Photo Credit: Instagram/seankigston

Broward Sheriff's deputies raided a Southwest Ranches property linked to singer Sean Kingston in Florida on Thursday. The raid resulted in the arrest of Kingston's mother, Janice Turner, 61, on multiple fraud and theft charges.

The months-long investigation, led by BSO's Dania Beach District deputies in collaboration with other units, targeted Kingston's alleged failure to pay for a $150,000 entertainment system, including a 232-inch television, from Ver Ver Entertainment. The company filed a lawsuit against Kingston in February for non-payment.

They raided Sean Kingston's crib and took his mama good lord pic.twitter.com/SFlWUE3ocF https://t.co/5EhDFzkrzo

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) May 23, 2024

Attorney Dennis Card, representing Ver Ver Entertainment, alleged outside the raided property that Kingston used his celebrity status to acquire goods and services without paying. "He lures people using his celebrity into having them release things without having him pay for it, and then he simply never pays," Card said.

Sean Kingston told everyone that everything was going to be fine after his lawyer got shit straight amid his mother being arrested on fraud charges, but how bout Sean Kingston den got ARRESTED his damn self for the same shit?????

Sean Kingston was arrested in San Bernardino… pic.twitter.com/o5cAYCYD3W

— Mílagro (@MobzWorld) May 24, 2024

Kingston, 34, known for hits like "Beautiful Girls" and "Fire Burning," has a history of legal troubles, including previous allegations of assault and theft. In 2011, he sustained critical injuries in a personal watercraft accident in Miami Beach, requiring emergency heart surgery.

Authorities apprehended Kingston later that same day in Fort Irwin, California. According to a news report, he cooperated during the arrest and is expected to be booked into the San Bernardino County Jail.

In an Instagram statement seemingly brushing off the incident, Kingston reassured his followers, saying, "People love negative energy! I am good and so is my mother!.. my lawyers are handling everything as we speak."