Tribute Archives - Rolling Out

The late great rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Little Richard was much more than just a musical innovator and electrifying entertainer. Even though he was already a legend in the game, his unexpected kindness to a struggling college student has not been forgotten. Award-winning movie and television director Ava DuVernay, who once waited tables as a…

Lauren London continues to honor and mourn her king, the legendary Nipsey Hussle, on the one-year anniversary of his passing. London’s commemoration came late on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, exactly one year after Hussle, 33, who was born Ermias Asghedom, died in the parking lot in front of The Marathon Clothing store he owned with…

Common probably had the best NBA All-Star weekend ever. A few days after winning the MVP award at this year’s celebrity game, he opened the official game on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, with a moving and soul-stirring tribute to Kobe Bryant and his Chicago hometown. The Grammy and Academy Award winner painted a picture of…

Lebron James stood in the middle of the Staple Center and delivered an emotional tribute to the late Kobe Bryant on Jan. 31, 2019. This past week has been a somber one as the world mourns the lives of those lost in the helicopter crash. The parallels between Bryant’s and James’ career are many. Both…

Nipsey Hussle was among those remembered during the Grammy Awards’ “In Memoriam” segment. Hussle — who was shot dead last March — was honored with a wider tribute from Meek Mill, Roddy Ricch, DJ Khaled, John Legend, YG, and Kirk Franklin, who performed a number of his songs, including “Higher.” During the performance, videos of…

John Legend was on the set of Nipsey Hussle’s final music video, just days before the rap icon lost his life in front of the Marathon Clothing store he owned on March 31, 2019. Therefore, this will be a particularly poignant moment for Legend to be able to pay homage to Hussle at the 2020…

Today, Thursday, Aug. 15, is the birthday of slain rapper, activist and community leader Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom. Hussle, who was gunned down on March 31, 2019, in Los Angeles outside of his Marathon Clothing store, would have been 34 years old. He was remembered across social media on his posthumous birthday. His longtime girlfriend,…

By Renita Ward It is an honor to offer words about the impact that Chloe Anthony Wofford, popularly known as Toni Morrison, had on my life. I share as a gift just as she so generously and boldly shared her creative genius with the world. I was initially introduced to this first Black woman to…

In a stroke of serendipity, the same weekend that Nipsey Hussle received a king’s sendoff during the BET Awards in Los Angeles, his 10-year-old daughter also paid tribute to her late father at her recent elementary school graduation. Emani Asghedom paid homage to her father, who was born Ermias Asghedom, as well as her mother…

Nipsey Hussle’s surviving girlfriend and mother of his child, Lauren London, has made rare public pronouncements since her beloved soulmate passed away nearly two months ago. As she continues to mourn the transcendent artist who was born Ermias Asghedom, London also occasionally pays homage to the businessman, philanthropist and civic leader that was her boyfriend.…

Spike Lee, Halle Berry and Viola Davis are among the stars to have paid tribute to the late John Singleton. The 51-year-old filmmaker — who made history as the first African-American and youngest person to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar in 1992 for Boyz n the Hood — had his life support turned off on…

Jay-Z paid tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle while on stage in New York. The 33-year-old rapper was shot and killed last month outside his Marathon clothing store in Los Angeles, and during an intimate hometown show at New York’s iconic Webster Hall on Friday, April 26, 2019, Jay-Z honored Nipsey in a touching tribute.…

On Easter weekend, actress Lauren London shared her feelings for her beloved boyfriend Nipsey Hussle, who was killed on March 31, 2019. The star of the classic film ATL made a brief return to social media with a message for Hussle on Instagram. She shared a photo of the two being interviewed together on the red carpet of…

Kim Porter‘s family has paid tribute to their “special angel” following her sudden death last week. The 47-year-old model was found dead at her Los Angeles home on Nov. 15, 2018, after suffering from “flu-like” symptoms for weeks and her family has released a tribute to her ahead of her funeral this weekend. The Porter, Goodwin…

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is said to be devastated by the premature and inexplicable death of ex-girlfriend Kim Porter, the mother of three of his children. But he finally gathered the strength to speak about her publicly. While he is in the midst of grieving and healing, the Bad Boy Records CEO is trying…

The line outside of Chene Park stretched down the block of Atwater Street hours before doors would eventually open at the outdoor arena in downtown Detroit. A multitude of people in line wore T-shirts featuring images of Aretha Franklin. Several cars that drove by blasted hits from her massive catalog, the ultimate sign of putting…

The Fresh Produce Music Series is wrapping up its last concert of the summer with a tribute to Gil Scott-Heron on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017, at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Midtown Detroit. Scott-Heron gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s for his work as a spoken-word performer, as well…

On Monday, June 13, pop music icon Prince Rogers Nelson, who passed away on April 21, 2016, was inducted into the Apollo Walk of Fame at their 11th Annual Spring Gala. The Walk of Fame ceremony took place under the Apollo’s famed marquee. For this year’s gala, the Apollo Theater honored Viacom with the annual…

Kern Brantley and Eric Rain Man Gaston at Anthony Tolson’s tribute concert Anthony Tolson was a phenomenal musician who played bass for the likes of Jeezy, Neyo, Eric Roberson and gospel recording artist J. Moss. His life was tragically taken on Christmas eve as he was carjacked and killed on Detroit’s eastside. The Detroit music community came…

Photo credit: Eric Gaston/Central Institutional Missionary Baptist Church On Dec. 27 a candlelight vigil was held and a music tribute concert was organized in honor of Detroit-based bassist Anthony Tolson. Tolson was carjacked and killed on Christmas eve while on his way to deliver Christmas gifts to his three children on the eastside of Detroit. The music…