Ashanti to Receive Lady of Soul Honor at This Month’s Soul Train Awards

Ashanti is the (Soul) Lady of the moment…

The 41-year-old half-Afro-Dominican singer/actress will receive the Lady of Soul honor at this year’s Soul Train Awards.

Ashanti

“I’m honored to be recognized as this year’s Lady of Soul honoree,” Ashanti said. “This is a full circle moment for me because I received the Aretha Franklin entertainer of the year award at the Lady of Soul Awards in 2002. As we commemorate 50 years of Soul Train, I’m proud to be a part of this legacy and to return to the Apollo to celebrate.”

Previous Lady of Soul honorees include Jill Scott (2015), Brandy (2016), SWV (2017), Faith Evans (2018), Yolanda Adams (2019) and Monica (2020).

Maxwell will receive the Legend award, which has gone in recent years to Babyface (2015), Teddy Riley (2016), Toni Braxton (2017), Erykah Badu (2018) and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (2019).

“It’s an honor to be presented with the Legend award by a community that’s been growing with me throughout my career,” said the half-Puerto Rican R&B singer in a statement. “I’m so grateful to be sharing this moment with everyone and returning to the Apollo for an evening of excellence.”

BET Soul plans to dedicate a full hour to music videos by Maxwell and Ashanti, starting Wednesday (Nov. 3) at 10:00 a.m. ET. Check local listings.

The Soul Train Awards, which recognizes the best in soul and R&B, will be taped at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem on November 20. It will premiere on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and BET Her. As previously announced, Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold will co-host the show for the fourth consecutive year.

Ashanti to Face Off Against Keyshia Cole in Next Verzuz Battle

Ashanti is preparing for a big musical battle…

The 39-year-old part-Dominican American Grammy-winning singer and actress will face off against Keyshia Cole in the next Verzuz battle on December 12.

Ashanti

“Yeah, it’s official! The paperwork is IN,” the official Verzuz Instagram teased the “legendary Ladies Night,” with a split image of the singers’ faces.

The matchup is no surprise for fans, who’ve been buzzing about the potential pairing since May, when Cole commented under a side-by-side comparison of the duo’s hits. “My fans sent me this @timbaland @therealswizz @ashanti @verzuztv,” she wrote at the time. “is this accurate?”

The matchup marks the fourth female-charged battle, following Erykah Badu and Jill ScottMonica and Brandy, and Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle.

Ashanti’s biggest hits include the chart-topping singles “Foolish” and “Always on Time,” with Ja Rule.

Don’t miss Cole and Ashanti’s Verzuz battle on Saturday, December 12 at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT on Verzuz’s Instagram page and on Apple Music.

Adriana Barraza to Star in the Feature Film “Monica”

Adriana Barraza has landed her next role…

The 64-year-old Oscar-nominated actress will star opposite Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson and Anna Paquin in the feature film Monica, from Italian filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro.

Adriana Barraza

The drama will chart the story of a transgender woman (Lysette) who returns home to the Midwest to care for her dying mother (Clarkson).

The tale of a fractured family is said to explore themes of abandonment, ageing, acceptance and redemption.

From an original screenplay by the director and Orlando Tirado, the film is scheduled to begin production at the end of the year.

Barraza earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Babel. She most recently appeared in Rambo: Last Blood, and starred in the series Penny Dreadful: City of Angels.

Mariah Carey Nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Mariah Carey has the write stuff, and could soon have the prize to prove it…

The 48-year-old half-Venezuelan American songstress is one of the 2019 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominees.

Mariah Carey

Carey, a five-time Grammy winner, has penned or co-written some of her biggest hits, including her insta-classic holiday song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “Fantasy,” “We Belong Together,” “Emotions,” and “Make It Happen.”

In all, Carey wrote or co-penned 17 of her 18 Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers:

Songs, Weeks at No. 1
“Vision of Love,” Four Weeks
“Love Takes Time,” Three Weeks
“Someday,” Two Weeks
“I Don’t Wanna Cry,” Two Weeks
“Emotions,” Three Weeks
“Dreamlover,” Eight Weeks
“Hero,” Four Weeks
“Fantasy,” Eight Weeks
“One Sweet Day,” Sixteen Weeks
“Always Be My Baby,” Two Weeks
“Honey,” Three Weeks
“My All,” One Week
“Heartbreaker,” Two Weeks
“Thank God I Found You,” One Week
“We Belong Together,” Fourteen Weeks
“Don’t Forget About Us,” Two Weeks
“Touch My Body,” Two Weeks

Joining Mariah Carey as performing nominees are Missy Elliott, Chrissie Hynde, Vince Gill, Mike Love, Jimmy Cliff, Jeff Lynne, Cat Stevens, John Prine, Lloyd Price, Tommy James and The Eurythmics (Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart).

Non-performing nominees are Jack Tempchin, Dean Dillon, Jerry Fuller, Tom T. Hall, Roger Nichols and Dallas Austin, who wrote hits for TLC, Madonna, Monica, Pink and Boyz II Men.

Nominated non-performing songwriting duos include P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, Russell Brown and the late Irwin Levine, musical theater writers Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, Bobby Hart and the late Tommy Boyce.

Songwriters are eligible for induction after writing hit songs for at least 20 years.

Six songwriters, or songwriting groups, will be officially inducted at the Hall’s 50th annual Induction & Awards Gala in New York on June 13, 2019. Eligible members can vote for three non-performing songwriters and three performing songwriters until December 17.

Pitbull to Visit the United Nations to Speak on the Global Water Crisis

Pitbull is headed to the United Nations

The 37-year-old Grammy-winning rapper is heading to the intergovernmental organization’s offices to discuss the global water crisis on World Water Day.

Pitbull

The organization Clean Water Here announced that the international pop star will be named Clean Water Here Ambassador on March 22, when he visits the U.N. in New York City.

Pitbull also will receive the 2018 World Water Champion Award for his global humanitarian efforts. He is leading the celebrity-driven social media campaign dubbed “Clean Water Here Cause Flash,” in hopes of raising awareness of the water crisis. Other participants include Bruno Mars, Pink, Maroon 5, Demi Lovato, Monica and Juanes.

On March 22, U.N. General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak will launch a 10-year plan focused on sustainable development of water resources.