In a recent memoir, titled “I Am Debra Lee,” former BET CEO, Debra Lee, opens up about a relationship with BET billionaire founder, Bob Johnson, that had more twists and turns than a binge-worthy drama series. Debra candidly shares the challenges she faced when she tried to end their years-long affair, revealing shocking details about how her job and career were allegedly held hostage.

In an interview, with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts, Debra initially referred to Bob as a “mentor” who played a significant role in her success. However, as the conversation unfolded, Lee revealed the truth behind their relationship, which began while both were married to other people.

Details Of Their Affair

Debra Lee confesses that she and Bob Johnson had a straight up affair, leading to the dissolution of their respective marriages. Gradually, she says their relationship became public knowledge, with the company, the public, and even the media taking notice. The couple started attending events together, further fueling speculation.

Lee’s Claims Of Threats From Johnson

But as Debra Lee began to see their relationship as fleeting and wanted to end it, she says she found herself facing unexpected consequences. According to Debra, Bob Johnson held her job and career over her head, making it mad difficult for her to break free from their intimate relationship:

“The downfall of a relationship like that is if you want to get out of it,” she added. “I wanted to break up, I saw that it wasn’t a longterm relationship, and my job and my career was held over my head.”

One can only imagine the intense pressure she experienced at that time. With two decades at BET under her belt at that time, Lee would have risked losing everything.

Debra Lee: ‘A Different Kind of Sexual Harassment’

In a separate interview, with The Washington Post, Lee firmly stood by her claims of Johnson threatening her career if she dared to leave. She explained how this form of power, imbalance, and control can lead to a toxic and abusive environment. Lee hoped that by speaking out, she could shed light on the reality faced by young women in similar unequal relationships.

The Aftermath

After years of navigating this alleged tumultuous affair, Johnson ultimately stepped down from BET in 2005, leaving Lee to assume the mantle as Chairman and CEO. Meanwhile, Johnson would go on to marry a then 36-year-old grad student, Lauren Wooden, in 2016…but their marriage ended in divorce just four years later. Debra hasn’t remarried as of yet.

Lessons Learned

Debra Lee’s memoir peels back the curtain, offering us a glimpse into the complexities of her reported relationship with BET founder, Bob Johnson. Her story serves as a reminder that power dynamics within relationships can sometimes lead to abuse of power and deeply affect one’s professional life. By sharing her experiences, Lee hopes to empower young women and encourage them to recognize when the balance of power becomes skewed.

The post BET CEO Debra Lee: ‘Founder Bob Johnson Threatened My Job When I Tried To Break Up With Him’ appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Sing it with me now: “Chante’s got a man, at home Chante’s got a man at home/ It hurts me your man’s leaving you all alone/ I can’t help it that your baby’s bad/ Creeping out, cheating on ya, beating on ya/ Chante’s got a man at home/ And he’s sure good to me.”

Yep…those are the song lyrics Chante Moore is likely at home singing right about now. Why? Because it’s official…ol’ girl has “got a man” and he’s all good to her. So, who is the lucky brotha, you ask? He’s a highly successful celeb’ whom many of us will recognize. Get your scroll-on to check him out..

Meet Chante Moore’s New Fiance’…Former BET Exec,’ Stephen Hill

If you’ve ever watched BET’s shows at some point, chances are you’ve either seen or heard of the network’s former executive, Stephen Hill. He was Head of Programming at the BET Network for many years, and he resigned in 2017.

How They Shared The News With Fans

Many fans were caught off guard when Chante Moore first took to Instagram on Wednesday, October 27, 2021, to reveal that she’s now officially engaged to Stephen. Most of us had no clue the two were even dating.

Chante shared a photo of she and Stephen Hill on a boat, celebrating his 60th birthday. In her post, she wrote a touching message about their love:

I’m happier than the morning sun
and that’s the way you said that it would be… If I should ever bring you inside my life…

All my life I was alone,
Didn’t think I’d find my part,
Now I see my joy’s inside your arms.

Every day I searched for the star,
that never was in the sky,
and now I see my star is on earth.

She continued:

… and I’m happier than the morning sun… and that’s the way you said that I would be… so glad I gave you a chance to come inside my life… 🎼 I couldn’t think of a better way to say~ what love, peace and joy I feel~ because of you @stephengranthill There are mountains, valleys and hidden coves, full of treasures I’ve never seen before … that are pouring out of your heart! Thank you for showering me with more than I ever expected!! Happy Birthday and I love you! Who knew 30 years ago~ through many chance meetings… we would end up H E R E!?!? 🥰 But, here we are…. WE will enjoy OUR gift of the “PRESENT!” 💜💞💜

Awww…that was beautiful, right?

Well, the public display of affection didn’t stop there. Over on Stephen’s Instagram page he went public with their engagement news as well, in a cozied-up video of Chante and himself dancing to Junior’s ’80s hit, “Mama Used To Say.”
He captioned the video with, “A lil’ loopin with my fiancé.” Check them out below…

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Stephen Hill (@stephengranthill)

Celebs Congratulate the Son-To-Be-Married Couple

Soon as their posts went up, several celebs chimed in with their congrats filled comments online:

“Video Soul” founder, Donnie Simpson wrote, “Two of my favorite people on earth are getting married. Congratulations @stephengranthill @iamchantemoore. Two of the coolest people I know. 🤗 😍”

India Arie commented, “HIS IS OFF THE CHARTS LIFE CHANGING VIBES!😂😂😂😂”

Sheila E said, “happy birthday … And congratulations.”

Kathy Sledge wrote, “Congratulations!!🎉🍾🎊🥂🍾!!”

Former “106th & Park” host, AJ Calloway, commented, “Congratulations again my brother!!!!!!!!!!!!”

And the list goes on and on.

As y’all can see from their IG posts, Chante Moore and Stephen Hill are hella happy…and we couldn’t be more happy for them. Congrats to them both.

The post Chante’s Got A Man: Announces Recent Engagement To Her Celebrity Fiance’ appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

ILOSM family, no matter which era you came up in- the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or 90’s- you probably know 90’s dancehall reggae artist, Shabba Ranks a.k.a. “Mr. Loverman.” He was one of the few reggae artists who was able to successfully crossover and have huge success in the United States, selling millions of records internationally. It’s also difficult to forget the man who was screaming “Shabba!” on record and made it cool to brag about your own name, while gyrating and dry humping the air every chance you got.

Although he hasn’t been seen in mainstream media in the past few decades, in 2013 Shabba let BET have a piece of his mind, when he publicly blasted them for what he says was the utmost disrespect.

Why Shabba Was Outraged With BET

According to Shabba, he was offered an opportunity, by BET, to be exposed to a younger generation in 2013. He says he was invited to do a rare dancehall music performance on the 2013 BET Awards Show, but he gave them a resounding ‘Hell naw!’…well, not exactly in those words, but he sure felt disrespected about it and he let them know. The reason being, is because Shabba felt that  the network does not treat dancehall reggae artists in the same manner as they do hip hop, R&B and gospel artists. Here’s what Shabba said about that via The Herald:

Shabba Ranks: “For years dem have wi music a put it in a little corner and tek it out when dem feel like, and I am not for that. I am here to stand up so dancehall can be rated and respected as every other people music. It doesn’t take five and six of us to show dancehall to the world in one forum – Shabba Ranks could do it, Shakka Demus and Pliers can do it.

None a dem nuh faster dan Usain Bolt all now, none a dem nuh badda dan Shabba all now, none a dem nuh badda dan Bob Marley all now . . . we as Jamaican must stand up for our ting in a strong way and nuh mek dem feel like dem wah kip wi een. Nuh hide mi behind nuh little corner and den bring mi up pon stage for four little second . . . dat a nuh weh Shabba want fi dancehall.”

Translation: Shabba was not going to allow BET to allegedly treat him and fellow reggae artists like little peons, by ‘hiding them in a little corner,’ not allowing them to walk the red carpet just like any other artists. Thus, bringing them on stage for a short segment of the show, which he referred to as a ‘4-second’ set. All of those things are things that Shabba claims BET does not ask artists of other genres to do and until they give him the same respect, he will not degrade himself and accept the perceived disrespect.

Wow, we give Shabba major props for standing up for what he felt was right. It’s always great learning about these artists and their true personalities. Shabba’s refusal to perform, based on his personal beliefs, shows us that he’s not a man who is ever willing to sell out for a check or for publicity, he’s the real deal.

Technically speaking, Shabba should be crowned the King of being ‘turned up,’ like the youngins say nowadays, because every single time he performed he got the crowd hype and even if there was no crowd, he was still hyped up.

Shabba didn’t let that stop his grind though because if you didn’t know, he’s still crushin’ a whole lotta these new artists out here! He still performs regularly to sold out crowds and at 54 years old, he’s still performing like it’s 1992. Don’t believe us? Check out this concert clip from one of his more recent performances. He had the crowd on their feet as he was doing his signature moves in the video up top. Do your thang Shabba!

The post Remember Shabba Ranks? Here’s Why He Put BET On Blast For ‘Disrespecting’ Him appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Many of us remember Ananda Lewis from her days as a TV host. We were first introduced to her by BET, as the co-host of “Teen Summit.” Then she made the switch to MTV’s “TRL” music video show. Following that, she moved to her own daytime talk show, “The Ananda Lewis Show.” Then all of a sudden, she pulled the disappearing act on us, never to be seen, nor heard for many years. We previously told y’all that we discovered who Ananda’s husband is and his very famous, rich brother. Well ILOSM fam,’ she’s now resurfaced to let folks know what she does for a living now and what she revealed is what most fans least expected.

Ananda Lewis’ New Career

Ananda Lewis (46) has proven that she is not the type of chick who’s afraid of getting her hands dirty. In fact, she’s swapped the glam, stilettos, ad designer dresses of entertainment, for a hard hat and hammer instead. Yep, she’s a carpenter now, with her very own renovation company and she is extremely happy with her career in the construction biz.’

In a recent interview with ShondaLand, Ananda explained what made her decide to pick up the power drill and nails:

Ananda Lewis: “For me, this is the only work I’ll ever do in my life,” said Ananda. My grandmother was the first person to put a drill in my hand. It was because she said, ‘When you broke something in the house, then you fix it.’ There wasn’t some man fixing stuff, it was my mom and grandmother. When I saw things fixed, I saw things fixed by women, and that was the norm. These women of that generation were badasses, and that’s who raised me.

After my grandma passed, I came back to work because I needed to. I was trying to build a shoe rack and I just could not get this board to fit. I was so frustrated, so I said, “I need to take a class.” I started to search and I ended up on Los Angeles Trade Technical College’s website and felt this swelling in my heart. I don’t know how to describe it, my heart filled up with gold. I started registering for classes and before I knew it, I was on my way to getting a degree in carpentry. I graduated two years later with an Associate in Science degree with a 4.0 GPA.”

(Video) She’s Back On TV With Construction Renovation Show

In February 2018, Ananda announced that she is “Thrilled to be coming back to tv doing what I love on a network YOU love” as a carpenter on her new HGTV show, “Change My Space,” Watch her do her thing in the video below:

https://www.facebook.com/HGTV/videos/10155709394394213/

Her Most Fulfilling Projects For Lewis

In that same interview, Ananda stated that the construction projects she gets the most fulfillment out of are the ones that help those in need in some way.

Ananda Lewis: “My number one favorite project [was] doing a small kitchen renovation with my grandmother, because it felt so good. She laid on her back at 85 years old and held up the sink while I caulked around underneath. She couldn’t even walk, but she sat in a chair and painted. Since then, my favorite is my mom’s house, because I had to do the entire thing. It was a labor of love and I was partially raised in this house. The scale of the job was pretty big. I’m so proud of it.

I’m in the middle of getting my nonprofit off the ground. It’s a nonprofit that does renovations for free for single moms and the elderly. Single moms need help — and there is a lot of help out there for single moms in many ways, but when it comes to the place where they come home with their kids, that’s where I want to have the biggest impact. When your environment is beautiful, it’s like you can thrive in your environment. When moms are better, kids benefit.” -via SL

I tell ya,’ we learn something new everyday ’round these parts!

The post Ex BET Host Ananda Lewis Now Has ‘Normal’ Construction Job Most Women Would Never Do appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Whenever two very outspoken artists’ opinions collide, it typically makes for a helluva display. As it pertains to “Can We Talk” crooner, Tevin Campbell, if the general consensus about what he recently re-shared from Nicki Minaj is correct, then get ya’ popcorn ready.

If you caught our prior report about the 2019 BET Awards, then you also caught that Mary J. Blige’s tribute performances to herself was a BEAST, but other than that, the other musical acts were mostly a snooze fest. That’s not because BET was necessarily slippin’ (the show itself was produced at the same high quality it always has been), but because the caliber of new aged artists they have to choose from are…well, talent-less, just sayin.’ Also, as a result, this year’s award show was reportedly the lowest ratings in BET’s history.

Nicki Minaj’s Rant About BET…

Embed from Getty Images

The aforementioned facts didn’t go unnoticed by many viewers who watched the show, including Nicki Minaj, who seems to think her exclusion from the 2019 BET Awards is partly why the ratings plummeted…but that is highly debatable. At any rate, check out the rant Minaj posted about the show, which sent Twitter into a tizzy and sparked Tevin Campbell’s reaction:

“When u go out of ur way to b spiteful & hurt artists who have always supported ur show… when you fire great ppl who have put their heart & soul into the show… when you’d rather be a messy reality show than a prestigious award show… when ur still being dragged by that lace.”

When u go out of ur way to b spiteful & hurt artists who have always supported ur show… when you fire great ppl who have put their heart & soul into the show… when you’d rather be a messy reality show than a prestigious award show… when ur still being dragged by that lace https://t.co/DOYKmgAlyr

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) June 27, 2019

Is Tevin Backing Her On This?
Tevin Campbell typically speaks his mind, but when it came to a corporation like BET, he chose to remain silent…sorta. In a seemingly silent show of support for Nicki’s rage against BET, Tevin appears to be backing her BET diss on the low. He  retweeted the raptress’ Twitter rant against the network that helped support her career in the beginning:

Not sure if Tevin Campbell is ready to speak his mind about the downfall of today’s music, nor the support that corporate giants, like Viacom owned BET Network, supports. For now though,  he seems to have made his stance clear. Are y’all ridin’ with him on this, or nah?

The post Tevin Campbell Backing Nicki Minaj’s Tirade Against BET? appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Last year BET network revealed that En Vogue, Salt, Pepa, Spinderella and SWV have landed a new docu-series titled ‘Ladies Night’. The new docu-series follows the personal and professional drama of the iconic 90’s girl groups as they embark on a national tour.

Fast forward to the current promos launched today, one group, in particular, is absent from the promotions–En Vogue.

Here’s the original synopsis from The Hollywood Reporter

The 10-episode docu-series follows the personal and professional drama of the iconic 1990s girl groups En Vogue, Salt-n-Pepa, Spinderella and SWV as they embark on a national tour. With a run of shows across the U.S., these iconic artists must create, choreograph and execute a night featuring all of their famous hits. With major money on the line, the OGs will need to put their pride to the side in order to launch something truly memorable. Produced by Entertainment One’s Tara Long; Mark Herwick and Madison Merritt serve as executive producers.

Here’s the current synopsis:

Rap and R&B royalty holds court with the BET premiere of “LADIES NIGHT,” starring Salt-N-Pepa (SNP), DJ Spinderella and SWV. With a legacy spanning over three decades, Salt-N-Pepa has landed their biggest career accomplishment to-date, a Las Vegas residency. While simultaneously preparing for their opportunity of a lifetime, the trio has made the ambitious decision to launch the “Ladies Night” national tour in collaboration with SWV.

The stakes are high and reputations are on the line as everyone scrambles to meet expectations and deadlines. We follow along as individual personalities, group egos, personal conflicts and professional obligations all take center stage to discover whether or not the ladies can push it to greatness together.

Watch the promo excluding En Vogue next >>>

The post En Vogue Gets Removed from BET “Ladies Night” Docu-series with Salt-N-Pepa & SWV, Promo Video Drops appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

If you know anything about 90’s era BET, then you know all about former host, Rachel Stuart. Okay, well, due to the fact that she pretty much now lives life under the radar, you may not know all about her, but you probably do in fact know her as the sexy host of BET’s music video shows, Caribbean Rythms and Planet Groove. She is the Jamaican bred former pageant queen who had the fellas going crazy over her back in the day. Hell, most fans didn’t really give a damn about the videos she was introducing…at least not as much as they cared about tuning in just to get a glimpse of Rachel and that sultry Jamaican accent of her’s.

After her shows faded a few years later, seemingly, so did her superstardom. Rachel didn’t really appear on much else after her BET TV gigs and we think we may have just uncovered why that is. Turns out, our girl Rachel didn’t completely fade into the land of oblivion. In fact, she’s far from irrelevant in the lives of her children Also, when you see who she married, you’ll understand why she probably has the luxury to sit back and become the devoted mommy to her twins and other children that she is today. Even still she’s now doing something that we had no clue she was doing and she’s still lookin’ good while at it!

Get The Scoop On What’s Up With Rachel & Her Fam’ In 10 Quick Swipes>>>

The post We Found Former BET Host Rachel And Her Successful Husband & Twin Kids appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Why Him Again?

Deadline reported on Monday that McClain has signed on for the two-part television movie written by Abdul Williams and executive produced by Jesse Collins. Williams and Collins, who both served in the same capacities on the New Edition biopic, are hoping that lightning will strike twice as that three-part series set BET all-time records in viewership.

The project will tell Brown’s story starting from his controversial split with New Edition, through his time as a street hustler in Roxbury, to his rise as a solo artist. “The Bobby Brown Story” will cover some 30 years of the wildly successful singer’s life.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbKxflrhpDK/

Relationships With The Many Women In His Life

Brown’s relationships with women will be explored in the movie as well. The storyline will include his short-lived affair with Janet Jackson and his passionate-yet-tumultuous relationship with ex-wife Whitney Houston. Brown wrestled with Houston’s death in 2012 only to be blindsided by the loss of their only child Bobbi Kristina some three years later in 2015.

The singer’s story will be told right up until the present day as Brown has fought through his battles with addictions to drugs and alcohol, reunited with the members of New Edition after years of estrangement, remarried in 2012, and returned to the stage as a performer. Deadline said that this will be a hopeful story about Brown’s quest for redemption.

What About The Cast?

So, look for the cast to include characters who played pivotal roles in Brown’s life. The search is on for talented actors to portray Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina, Teddy Riley, Babyface, Janet Jackson, L.A. Reid, and many others. With a lineup like this, “The Bobby Brown Story” will certainly not disappoint. we’ll be watching. Will you?

The post ‘The Bobby Brown Story’ Is Coming Soon, Here’s Why Woody McClain Will Play Bobby Again appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

BET founder, Bob Johnson, is probably gonna get some Black people real heated after they read what he said about those who have some type of criticism about actress, Zoe Saldana, playing Nina Simone in the upcoming biopic about Simone’s life. Then there will be others who might actually agree with him.

Bob Johnson’s company, RJL Entertainment is distributing this new Nina Simone biopic, starring Zoe Saldana.

Johnson is weighing in on the backlash, outrage, and/or genuine confusion as to why the filmmakers cast a light skin Black-Latina woman and made her over with darker body paint and a prosthetic nose, instead of simply casting one of the many currently out-of-work Black actresses who are far more closer in physical traits to Ms. Simone with acting chops that are just as good as Zoe’s.

Tell us which side of the fence you’re on about what Johnson has just said about this. Here are the details via TheHollywoodReporter:

Critics of Nina, a biopic from U.K.-based Ealing Studios Entertainment, have protested the casting of Saldana, a light-skinned actress of Afro-Latina descent, to portray the legendary high priestess of soul, claiming that Simone’s physical appearance as a dark-skinned black woman had a major impact on her life and career.

“It’s unfortunate that African-Americans are talking about this in a way that hearkens back to how we were treated when we were slaves,” says RLJ Entertainment founder and chair Robert L. Johnson, who also founded BET. “The slave masters separated light-skinned blacks from dark-skinned blacks, and some of that social DNA still exists today among many black people.”

Johnson went on to say this:

Johnson cites arguments against Saldana’s skin tone as akin to in-group discriminatory practices like the brown paper bag test, wherein certain black community gatherings would only admit individuals whose skin was lighter than the bag. “That’s where some of this comes from, when you hear people saying that a light-skinned woman can’t play a dark-skinned woman when they’re both clearly of African descent,” he says. “To say that if I’m gonna cast a movie, I’ve gotta hold a brown paper bag up to the actresses and say, ‘Oh sorry, you can’t play her.’ Who’s to decide when you’re black enough?”

Johnson clearly is passionate about the subject and had plenty more to say regarding the backlash. “As an African-American, I will gladly engage anyone on this question of should we be talking about how light or how dark you should be to play a role,” he says. “Many people who are talking about it don’t even realize what they’re getting into. Imagine if I were to do a biopic about Lena Horne, who’s obviously light-skinned, or Dorothy Dandridge. Would it be fair if I put up a sign that said ‘No black women apply’? That would be ridiculous. Black Americans should know better than to have this discussion over a creative project. We’re not talking about white against black. We’re talking about black against black.”

Is Bob making some good points, or is he missing the whole reason as to why many in the African American community are outraged over the casting of Nina Simone a.k.a. ‘The high priestess of soul?’

The post See Why BET Founder Says Blacks Are Like SLAVES Over Nina Simone Film appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Bob revealed to the Washington Post that he spent some major bread to propose to his 36 year old girlfriend of 5 years, Laura Wooden. I mean the brother did way more than just get on one knee, he went ALL out! Check out how he got his woman, who is less than half his age to say ‘yes’:

BET founder Bob Johnson popped the question to his girlfriend of five years, Lauren Wooden, in the City of Light last month.

Her answer? Well, what else does one say to 7.5 carats (nestled on a giant ice sculpture in the shape of the Eiffel Tower, natch), a shower of rose petals and a bottle of Dom Perignon, following a private after-hours tour and dinner at the Musee Rodin? And you’re standing in front of the sculptor’s romantic “The Kiss”?

Wooden, a 36 year-old student pursuing an international business-management doctorate in Paris, said mais oui, of course.

The over-the-top proposal was a bit better orchestrated than the first time Johnson, 69, asked her to marry him — on their first date, five years ago. The mogul recalls first clapping his eyes on Wooden, who was then a concierge at the Los Angeles Four Seasons. Love at first sight? “For me absolutely,” he says. But Wooden was more cautious. She said yes to dinner but turned down his proposal that night.
So for his second attempt, Johnson knew he needed a bit more of a ‘wow’ factor and enlisted his pal, Franco Nuschese, the owner of Cafe Milano. “I told Franco, ‘I’ve got to have something memorable — a restaurant won’t do.’”

“I’ve found the absolute, unequivocally right person for me,” Johnson says. “Happiness only begins to describe how I feel.”

Ditto for the bride-to-be: “I’m over-the-moon, madly, deeply, proudly in love with Bob.”

This is the second marriage for both of them and hopefully this will be their last.

BOB JOHNSON’S EXPENSIVE DIVORCE TO EX-WIFE OF 32 YEARS…
Bob married his first wife, Sheila, in 1969 and they divorced in 2001. Bob’s divorce is one…

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