EryKah Badu graces the cover of Vogue, Lojay is Apple Music’s latest Africa Rising recipient, LeBron James breaks NBA scoring record. Stay in the know with our Rave News Digest which summarizes five of the hottest global news you need to catch up on, saving you time and energy. Consider it your daily news fix.
1. EryKah Badu graces the cover of Vogue
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Vogue just announced the cover star of their March 2023 issue, and it’s none other than the queen of new soul, Erykah Badu. The story of the musician’s second coming was published on Wednesday along with breathtaking pictures from a LA beach photoshoot. She was interviewed in her South Dallas childhood home—a nearly century-old home that her mother still lives in. Badu was raised by an all-women crew: her mother, grandmothers, and godmother. She said that same home was where she found her love for music, with inspiration from Chaka Khan, Pink Floyd, Rick James, and more.
As Erykah Badu dove into her experience with Vogue, the star revealed her pride in all that she has accomplished and noted much more potential for the future. Other than her 25-year career and the things she’s learned in life, the 51-year-old also spoke about her love for bringing in new life as a doula.
You can check out Erykah Badu’s many stories on Vogue now.
2. Afro-pop sensation Lojay is Apple Music’s latest Africa Rising recipient
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Apple Music, yesterday, announced the latest featured artist in its Africa Rising artist development program is Nigerian-born singer-songwriter Lojay (real name Lekan Osifeso Junior). “Thank you Apple Music for putting a spotlight on my sound. It’s a huge honor I don’t take for granted, especially with all the amazing artists the continent has on display. It’s amazing to see how far my music is able to travel and how well it’s been received,” he tells Apple Music.
Developing an affinity for music from an early age, which evolved into a form of escapism for him during his adolescent years, it was the release of his collaborative EP with renowned producer Sarz, called “LV N ATTN” (2021), that allowed Lojay’s creative mastery to shine, with the Afrobeats EP shooting to No. 1 on Nigeria’s Apple Music Album Chart. The EP was anchored by the hit single “Monalisa” which held its third-highest position on the Apple Music Charts in July 2021. The subsequent remix of “Monalisa” (2022) featuring Chris Brown allowed Lojay’s star to shine even brighter.
3. South Africa: Costa Titch signs to Akon’s label and announces ‘Big Flexa’ remix
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South African amapiano star Costa Titch has announced that he’s signed a global deal with Senegalese-American star Akon’s record label, Konvict Kulture. The “Nkalakhatha” hitmaker also announced that he’d be teaming up with Akon for the “Big Flexa” remix, which comes out on Friday.
This announcement comes after Costa brought Akon out as a surprise guest during this weekend’s Cotton Fest, which was once again back at its historical home at The Station, Newtown.
4. Nigeria’s naira crisis: Supreme Court suspends banknote deadline
JUST IN: Supreme Court halt banning of old naira notes
— The ICIR (@TheICIR) February 8, 2023
The Supreme Court has temporarily halted the move by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ban the use of the old naira notes from February 10, 2023.@SupremeCourtNg @cenbank #BanningofOldNairaNote #SupremeCourt pic.twitter.com/lvQiWn6fGR
Nigeria’s Supreme Court has temporarily suspended Friday’s deadline to stop using old banknotes, which had caused a cash crisis in the country. Banks have not been releasing enough of the new naira notes, leading to desperate and chaotic scenes as people tried to get their hands on them. There were fights at ATMs, protests, and mob attacks on commercial banks. The chaos led to concern that it could affect this month’s elections.
The head of the election commission said some election service providers will need to be paid in cash, and that could prove to be difficult. Some observers have pointed out that the lack of access to cash might make it more difficult for candidates to bribe voters, which has occurred in previous elections. There was relief in the metropolitan city of Lagos at the Supreme Court’s decision.
5. LeBron James breaks the NBA scoring record
38,388 POINTS
— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2023
LeBron James hits the fadeaway jumper to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer! #ScoringKing pic.twitter.com/P5LyTZAZn3
LeBron James has confirmed his status as one of the most dominant NBA players in history after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. The 38-year-old passed Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 38,387 points with a step-back fadeaway jumper from the foul line over the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kenrich Williams with 10.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter on Tuesday night. But while Abdul-Jabbar took 1,560 games to record his total, James set his record in just over 1,400 appearances.
Michael Jordan has the most points per game in NBA history with 30.1; James is fifth on that list with 27.1, just behind another active player, Kevin Durant (27.3). The game was paused after James’ record-breaking shot for an on-court ceremony with Abdul-Jabbar and NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Featured image: @voguemagazine/Instagram
Our Weekday News Digest brings you a summary of five of the hottest news topics across the world––including celebrity news from Hollywood to Nollywood, the latest trending global headlines from American reports to top African news today, and the best sports stories in 2023.
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