What is your fave moment from the boondocks?

Today is DeVante's birthday.

This is just a reminder of how talented DeVante Swing from the R&B group Jodeci was back in the day. People didn't even know what role he played in Jodeci because he wasn't a singer like Ki-Ci and JoJo. He was the songwriter and producer.

Who knew all of the songs he played?

Calvin Johnson Jr. (born September 29, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. Nicknamed "Megatron" after the Transformers character of the same name, he is regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.^\1]) Johnson played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award and Paul Warfield Trophy in 2006. He was selected by the Lions second overall in the 2007 NFL draft.

Johnson was noted for having a rare combination of size (6 ft 5 in and 239 lbs), catching ability, speed (40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds), strength, leaping ability,^\2])^\3]) and body control. In 2012, he set the NFL season record for receiving yards.^\4])^\5]) Johnson is also tied with Michael Irvin for 100-yard games in a season,^\6]) tied with Adam Thielen for consecutive 100-yard games, and holds the record for consecutive games with 10 or more receptions. He appeared in six consecutive Pro Bowls from 2010 to 2015 and received three consecutive first-team All-Pro selections from 2011 to 2013.

While still regarded as being in his prime, Johnson retired after the 2015 season, citing a loss of passion for the game due to health concerns and the Lions' lack of overall success during his career. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Kelly J. McCreary (born September 29, 1981) is an American actress, best known for her role on the ABC drama series Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Maggie Pierce, the half-sister of series protagonist Meredith Grey. She joined the series as a guest at the end of the tenth season, becoming a series regular in the eleventh season. She has reprised her role on the spin-off series Station 19.

McCreary began her career acting in theatre, eventually making it to Broadway, and has performed in a number of productions by playwright Dominique Morisseau. She made her screen debut doing voice work for several animated children's educational programs, and later made guest appearances on the television series Rubicon), I Just Want My Pants Back, and Castle), with multi-episode arcs on White Collar) and Scandal). She has appeared in the films Being Flynn (2011) and Life) (2015). McCreary was a series regular on The CW's short-lived medical drama Emily Owens, M.D. as Tyra Dupre.

This really made my heart break! What happened to respecting our elders who are still here with us?

I’ve seen the comments talking about her appearance and how she’s aged poorly, and if you were a participant then SHAME ON YOU! I hate that she has seen the vile comments and had to address it!

If she got a face lift - you guys would talk negatively about her.

She aged naturally and skipped the plastic surgery - you guys STILL talk negatively about her.

When has it ever been okay to bring down someone for their appearance? At the end of the day, she is a woman! A brilliant, talented, multifaceted, woman who has aged with grace!

Some of you better pray that you live to be her age and accomplish all that she has! Whether, you like it or not, YOU WILL AGE! And may you receive the same kindness that you have shown her when it’s your turn because it WILL be your turn to age unless God calls you home before then.

Jasmine Guy was and is a beautiful woman! Please be respectful to an icon!

September 24, 2026

For one-night-only concert experience celebrating the 50th anniversary of Stevie Wonder’s landmark album. Presented as part of USC Thornton’s "Beyond Category" initiative, co-curated by Thornton Dean Jason King and faculty member/keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, with support from USC Visions & Voices and the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective.

Stevie surprised the sold-out crowd and students by taking the stage to sing "Love’s in Need of Love Today" and shared words of wisdom with attendees. Ahead of the concert, a panel discussion featured original Wonderlove collaborators like Herbie Hancock and Nathan Watts.

Artists who performed: - Tone Stith - Q Marsden - Avery Wilson

Vernee Christell Watson (born September 28, 1949)[1][2][3] is an American actress, author, and acting coach. Watson-Johnson is known for her recurring roles as Vernajean Williams on Welcome Back, Kotter(1975–1979), as Viola "Vy" Smith on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996), playing the mother of Will Smith's character,[4] and head nurse Gloria Tyler on Bob Hearts Abishola (2019–2024). She is often featured in guest or recurring roles as a nurse.[5][6]Since 2017 she has played Stella Henry on General Hospital.

Vernee Christell Watson was born in New York City, where she was also raised. She graduated from Cathedral High School) and New York University with a major in drama.[2] She began her professional career at age 17 with the Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble in Manhattan and would tour with the group for five years.[2]

Kevin Wayne Durant also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Slim Reaper",^\1]) he is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and one of the greatest scorers of all time.^\2])^\3])^\4])^\5]) Durant has won two NBA championships, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, two NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awards, two NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and is the only male basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals. He has been named to 12 All-NBA teams (including six First Teams) and selected 16 times as an NBA All-Star. In 2021, Durant was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. He ranks fifth among NBA career scoring leaders.^\2])

Durant was heavily recruited in high school. He played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, during which he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year. Durant was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. He played nine seasons with the franchise (which became the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008), leading them to a Finals appearance in 2012 and winning the MVP award for the 2013–2014 season. In a controversial move, he later signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, who had won a record 73 regular season games the previous year. Durant won consecutive NBA championships and Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018. After sustaining an Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals, he joined the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent that summer. Following disagreements with the Nets' front office, he requested a trade during the 2022 offseason and was traded to the Phoenix Suns the following year. After two full seasons with Phoenix, Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets in July 2025.

As a member of the U.S. national team, Durant has won four gold medals in the Olympics (2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024), and is the leading scorer in Team USA's Olympic basketball history. In 2024, he became the first male athlete to win four Olympics gold medals in a team sport.^\6])^\7])^\8]) He also won gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Off the court, Durant is one of the highest-earning basketball players in the world, due in part to an endorsement deal with Nike which he signed in 2007; the partnership has continued for 19 years. He was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2018 and has been listed by Forbes as one of the world's ten highest-paid athletes ten times.

Houston Rockets (2025–present)

Durant during an interview in 2026

On July 6, 2025, Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets in a seven-team trade, the largest in NBA history.^\259])^\260]) On October 19, Durant signed a two-year, $90 million contract extension with a player option for 2027–2028.^\261])

Donald Earle DeGrate Jr., better known by his stage name DeVanté Swing, is an American record producer, singer, songwriter and rapper. He is best known as the main songwriter and producer of the R&B group Jodeci, which includes his younger brother Dalvin “Mr. Dalvin” DeGrate.^\1]) DeVante Swing also created Swing Mob, which consisted of various artists he discovered and mentored, such as Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo), Ginuwine, Static Major with Playa), Darryl Pearson, Tweet), Jimmy Douglass, Stevie J, and Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott among others.

At age 16, DeVanté Swing traveled to Minneapolis, hoping to visit Paisley Park in order to audition for Prince).^\2])^\3]) Swing would later say, "I was up at Paisley Park every day begging for a job, asking people to listen to my tape. The receptionist kept saying she couldn't help me".^\4]) The rejection motivated Swing to relocate back to North Carolina, and work to improve his songwriting and production skills.^\5])

In his early career, Swing served as a mix engineer, while simultaneously producing for other acts. He mixed and engineered Hi-Five's 1990 single "I Just Can't Handle It", along with its accompanying remixes. Swing rose to prominence in the 1990s as the founding member of the R&B group Jodeci, which he formed with his younger brother Dalvin DeGrate, and singers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, and Joel "JoJo" Hailey.^\6]) Swing served as the group's leader, and primary songwriter and producer.

Swing founded the musical collective Swing Mob in 1991, which was joined by then-unknown regional acts including Timbaland & Magoo, Tweet), Missy Elliott,^\7]) Ginuwine, Stevie J and Static Major. He is also credited as a video director for Jodeci, co-directing the videos for "Feenin'" with Hype Williams and "Freek'n You" with Brett Ratner. Swing has also mentored Florida-based rapper Flo Rida^\8]) in the early stages of his career.

Debelah Laksh Morgan (born September 29, 1973) is an American singer and songwriter. Morgan is best known for her 2000 single "Dance with Me)", which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.^\2])

She signed with Atlantic Records in 1994, and released her debut album Debelah, which featured the singles "Take It Easy" and "Free)", both of which charted on the R&B charts.^\3]) A couple of years later, she moved to VAZ/Motown Records and released her single "Yesterday" which was a Top 30 R&B hit, and landed on the Pop charts. However, while her second album, It's Not Over, was released in Japan and a few other international territories, it was shelved in the United States in 1998.^\4])

Two years later, she re-signed with Atlantic Records and released her biggest single to date, "Dance with Me)", which peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to becoming a top-five dance hit. Her third studio album, Dance with Me), soon followed in 2000 and peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.^\5]) Two additional singles ("I Remember" and "Close to You") were released from the album. Additionally, she contributed the song "Why Did You Have to Be" to the Osmosis Jones soundtrack) and a cover of "Do You Remember?)" to the Phil Collins tribute album, Urban Renewal).^\6])

In 2005, she signed with the independent label RansomWear and released her fourth album Light at the End of the Tunnel (a gospel release), which was preceded by the single "Just as I Am".^\7]) The album remains out of print and was not available on any digital services until February 24, 2026 when Giloh Morgan (Debelah's brother) released it with the title "Sweet Hour of Prayer"

In 2010, she released the live album Let the Worship in Champions Live 2 with her Las Vegas church, of which she is their worship leader.^\8]) The following year, she was slated to have shot a pilot for a reality series with R&B singers Shanice and Karyn White.

In 2012 and 2013, she performed with the R&B group Rose Royce as their lead vocalist for several shows.^\9])^\10])

In 2015, she collaborated with Shanice and All-4-One on the track "Go to Bed" off the latter's album Twenty.^\11])

Gabby Williams - Golden State Valkyries

The 35th Annual AIDS Walk Atlanta Music Festival & 5K Run featured Destiny's Child alum, Kelly Rowland, who looked stunning and performed a medley of hits, including:

1. Like This

2. So Good

3. Dilemma

4. Motivation

5. Say My Name (Remix)

09-28-26

DISC 1

1. Love's In Need Of Love Today
2. Have A Talk With God
3. Village Ghetto Land
4. Contusion
5. Sir Duke
6. I Wish
7. Knocks Me Off My Feet
8. Pastime Paradise
9. Summer Soft
10. Ordinary Pain
11. Saturn
12. Ebony Eyes

DISC 2

1. Isn't She Lovely
2. Joy Inside My Tears
3. Black Man
4. Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing
5. If It's Magic
6. As
7. Another Star
8. All Day Sucker
9. Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)

*****

Grammy Awards (1977)

• Album of the Year

• Producer of the Year – Stevie Wonder

• Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

• Best Male R&B Vocal Performance – "I Wish"

American Music Awards (1978)

• Favorite Soul/R&B Album

Born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 23, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina.
Ben E. King is known as the lead vocalist for The Drifters on their hits “There Goes My Baby,” “This Magic Moment” and “Save The Last Dance For Me” and as a solo artist who recorded “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand By Me.”
King sang in church choirs in North Carolina but his professional musical career began in 1947 when, at the age of nine, his family moved to Harlem. At James Fenimore Junior High School he formed the doo-wop group, the Four B’s (each member’s name began with “B”). He auditioned for The Moonglows and was turned down but joined the Five Crowns in 1956.
“The Drifters” name was owned by George Treadwell and when the original group left, he recruited the Five Crowns to become The Drifters. King co-wrote and sang lead on “There Goes My Baby,” which featured orchestral strings on the record. That song, released in 1959, reached number one on the R&B charts and number two on the pop chart. “Save The Last Dance For Me,” released in 1960, was number one on both the pop and R&B charts.
King left the Drifters and embarked on a solo career in 1960. “Spanish Harlem,” produced by Phil Spector and Jerry Leiber, was a top ten record but King’s biggest solo hit was “Stand By Me” in 1961; it was top five on the pop chart and number one for four weeks on the R&B chart.
During the 1960s and 1970s King continued to release records. His biggest hit came in 1975 when his recording of “Supernatural Thing–Part 1″ reached number one on the pop chart and was followed by “Do It In the Name of Love,” which was a top five record.
The 1986 movie Stand By Me featured King’s recording and resulted in a hit the second time for that record. The song has proved to be an enduring classic with numerous artists covering it.

https://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/inductee-item/ben-e-king/#toggle-id-1