Ice Cube Raises 25K For Charity, Finally Gets Love From Goodyear Blimp

With the year coming to an end, stimulus payments slowly trickling in and unemployment benefits delayed, Diddy offered some financial relief to hundreds of Miami residents facing economic hardship due to the global pandemic. The Grammy winner handed out $50 bills to a crowd of hundreds in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood on Tuesday (Dec. 29).

Besides cash, Diddy gifted residents with $50 gifts cards to Publix supermarket, and hygiene bags containing toiletries and other essentials.

Additionally, Diddy and his charity are partnering with the nonprofit, Teens Exercising Extraordinary Success , and Miami nightlife promoter and music festival organizer, Michael Gardner, to pay rent for 175 families.

The music mogul isn’t the only celebrity helping those in need amid a financially and emotionally trying year. After providing grants for Black-owned businesses and COVID-19 relief for Houstonians, Beyoncé’s charity announced that it will be providing $5,000 grants for 100 families facing foreclosure or eviction.

Other celebs who flexed their charity arm this year include Teyana Taylor who gave fans $500 each to put towards Christmas gifts, and Birdman and SNL’s Michael Che both of whom paid rent for several residents in New Orleans and New York.

Joe Louis Clark, the retired New Jersey principal whose story inspired the 1989 film, Lean on Me, has died. Clark, who retired in Gainesville, Fl. was surrounded by family when he passed away on Tuesday (Dec. 29) following a long illness.

He was 82.

A former baseball bat-wielding disciplinarian who worked in education for more than 30 years, Clark was born in Rochelle, Ga. in 1938. His family moved to Newark, N.J. when he was six years old.

After graduating from Newark Central High School, Clark went on to receive his bachelors from William Peterson University. He earned a master’s degree from Seton Hall University, and an honorary doctorate from the U.S. Sports Academy.

Clark's work as an U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant and Drill instructor inspired his career in education. He started out as a grade school teacher in Paterson, prior to becoming the Director of Camps and Playgrounds in Essex County N.J.

A strict but passionate administrator, Clark turned the once failing P.S. 6 Grammar School into the “Miracle of Carroll Street.”

But Eastside High School was where Clark found his calling. Upon taking over as principal, Clark expelled 300 students in one day for fighting, vandalism, abusing teachers, and drug possession. Though he would roam the hallways with a bat or bullhorn in hand, his unorthodox methods lifted the school’s reputation and changed student morale.

Clark’s story caught the attention of the likes of 60 Minutes, The Aresnio Hall Show and Time Magazine, before Morgan Freeman portrayed him on the big screen.

After Clark retired from Eastside in 1989, he worked as director of a juvenile detention center in Newark for six years. Clark was also author of the book, Laying Down thee Law: Joe Clark’s Strategy for Saving Our Schools.

Apart from making a name for himself in education, Clark’s legacy extends to his children: Olympian and businesswoman Joetta Clark, Olympic Athlete and Director of Sports Business Development for the Bermuda Tourism Authority Hazel Clark, and his son Joe “JJ” Clark Jr., an accomplished athlete and Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Stanford University.

Preceded in death by his wife, Gloria, Clark is survived by his  children, Joetta, Hazel and JJ, and grandchildren Talitha, Jorell, and Hazel.

Master P is in reported talks to expand his empire. The No Limit Records founder and former NBA player, Baron Davis, are negotiating an acquisition of Reebok, in what could be a multi-billion dollar deal.

“These companies have been benefitting off us, this could be history for this company going Black-owned,” P told ESPN according to a tweet from reporter Eric Woodyard on Monday (Dec. 28).

Percy "Master P" Miller confirms to ESPN that he's in negotiations to acquire Reebok with ex-NBA guard Baron Davis.

"These companies have been benefiting off us, this could be history for this company going Black-owned," Miller tells ESPN.

— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) December 28, 2020

If the deal goes through Reebok would become the first Black-owned major sneaker company.  Adding Reebok to his portfolio could end up being a power move for P who has been a vocal proponent of Black ownership. Besides launching his own record label in 1991, P has ventured into apparel and sneakers, sports management, film, and launched his own line of food and cleaning products.

Davis, who played 13 seasons with the NBA, was an early investor in Vitaminwater, and recently invested in Kit Super Coffee, founded by fellow former basketball player, Jordan DeCicco.

Reebok, which is owned by Adidas and valued at $2.4 billion, has failed to consistently turn a profit over the last several years.

Earlier in the month, Adidas announced plans to “assess strategic alternatives for Reebok,” which includes “a potential sale.” Adidas hasn’t ruled out keeping the company, but will announce a decision on March 10, 2021.

Adidas acquired Reebok for $3.8 billion in 2005. Despite implementing a a successful “turnaround plan” that “significantly” improved Reebok’s profits (thanks in part to celebrity partnerships with Cardi B, Khalid, and Ariana Grande), the brand has struggled with revenue. Reebok saw a 42% dip in profits in the second quarter of 2020, according to Footwear News. Meanwhile, Adidas' overall Q2 loss totaled more than $300 million.