The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Jay Z

  • Google, Accel and Jay Z invest in life insurance start-up Ethos valued over $100m

    Ethos has raised $35 million in a funding round led by Accel and backed by Google Ventures.

    That investment has been valued at more than $100 million, a CNBC report said..

    Ethos has seen a more than 400 per cent jump in revenue, customers and applications in the last four months.

    It is a start-up, which can process life insurance applications in a matter of minutes, and  has raised $35 million in a funding round led by Accel and backed by Google’s venture capital arm.

    The latest investment raises the San Francisco-based firm’s total funding to over $46 million, and  the firm is now valued at more than $100 million.

    The deal, which marks Ethos’ second major round of investment, saw Accel’s partner, Nate Niparko, join the firm’s board of directors, while Google Ventures General partner, Tyson Clark, will act as an advisor to the board.

    Existing investors, Sequoia Capital and Arrive, the venture fund of United States’ rapper Jay Z’s entertainment firm, Roc Nation, also  participated in the funding round.

    Accel’s Niparko said the insurance sector is a $1 trillion industry that is still largely dependent on pen and paper, pushy salespeople, doctor office visits, and legacy systems.

    He said this is why “we believe there is a tremendous opportunity to simplify the process through technology and that’s exactly what Ethos has built”.

    He highlighted other bets the firm has made on insurance technology start-ups like Shift Technology, which uses artificial intelligence to detect fraudulent insurance claims, and The Zebra, a car insurance marketplace.

    “We believe that Ethos is the first player in the life insurance space that’s truly poised to make a difference in how Americans purchase and interact with their insurance provider,” Niparko added.

    Ethos, which uses data analytics to predict a person’s life expectancy, said it is able to cut the time normally taken to apply for life insurance policies from 10 weeks to just 10 minutes, and that insurance claims are paid out “within weeks.” It also claims that more than 99 per cent of its customers do not require a medical examination or blood test in order to get a policy.

  • Landmark victory for Chris Aire

    After eight years of litigation between Chris Aire’s company, Solid 21 Inc., and Hublot, a subsidiary of LVMH, regarding Solid 21’s RED GOLD® trademark in the United States, and less than one month from a highly anticipated trial, the parties announced they have resolved the disputes between them in a joint press release. Additionally, Hublot stated that it “recognizes that Solid 21 has a registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the use the phrase ‘Red Gold’ as a trademark in connection with watches and jewelry and that such registration has become incontestable under Section 15 of the Lanham Act.” Neither side would offer additional comment.
    According to court records, Nigerian-born Chris Aire, world-renowned jewelry and watch-maker, began using the mark RED GOLD® in association with the sales of or watches and jewelry in 1989.  In 2002, he registered the mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
    The success of the brand demonstrated Aire’s marketing ingenuity in coining an identifier that signifies masculinity. His RED GOLD® collection of jewelry and watches was highly successful and exponentially expanded his business, while instigating massive media buzz that helped propel sales to new heights. It also broadened his celebrity base, which today includes such high-profile and eminently loyal followers as Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, Liam Helmsworth, Shaggy, Dr. Dre, Ellen DeGeneres and many more.
    “You couldn’t give rose gold away before we started branding it,” the Nigerian-born designer told Bloomberg.
    A slew of other watch manufacturers were sued by Aire in 2010 over their unauthorized use of the RED GOLD® mark in association with sales of watches, including the Richemont Group, Swatch, and Movado. Most of those suits were tolled pending the resolution of the Hublot case. Following the settlement announcement, Aire has indicated that “everything is on the table” and he will be vigorously pursuing any infringers of the RED GOLD® mark.
    It bears mentioning that Aire built his company Solid 21, Inc. from the ground up, with what he describes as “equal amounts of heart and talent.” Aire moved to California from Africa while still a teen to continue his education and discover his destiny, miles away from the family oil haulage business his father assumed he would join.
    He seeded the company with his own hard-earned investment of just $5,000 he’d saved from his salary as a jewelry apprentice, after brief forays into acting and music. Aire’s first big break was the result of a fortuitous encounter with NBA superstar Gary Payton, who helped secure a substantial order that literally allowed Aire to pay for his return ticket to California after the meeting.
    Another major break came in 2004, when Aire made history as the first jeweler to stage a runway show of his jewelry in New York City during fashion week, showcasing diamonds as fashion. Supermodel Naomi Campbell headlined the event wearing one of Aire’s over-the-top creations that helped earn him the nickname “King of Bling”: a diamond halter worth 10 million USD.
    But there’s more to Aire than just “bling.” With a focus on sourcing and selling conflict-free gems, many from mines in which he is personally invested, and a goal of eliminating child labor in the mining industry in his home continent, Aire says that he built his business on his “own conscience.” He also is involved in numerous charitable organizations both in the U.S. and abroad.
    “We are a very socially conscious company,” he says. And more as a grateful aside than a pat on the back for a smart marketing maneuver, he continues, “A lot of our high-profile clients have taken notice. And you know what happens when they take notice? The rest of the world does, too.”
    Many are inspired by Aire’s hard work and commitment to protecting his trademark and intellectual property.
    Although he would not comment on the settlement, Aire said: “I am very grateful to everyone who has supported us over the past eight years, but all the glory must be return to Yahweh, Our Elohim, in whom all things are possible”.
  • 60th Grammys: Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar win big; Jay-Z shut out

    60th Grammys: Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar win big; Jay-Z shut out

    Bruno Mars pulled off a clean sweep of album, record and song of the year categories at the 2018 Grammy awards on Sunday night, upsetting odds-favourites Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z to take home the evening’s three most prestigious awards.

    The 24K Magic singer won all six awards he was nominated for, while Lamar went home with five and Jay-Z, who had the most nominations of any performer with eight, was left empty-handed.

    The night reached a towering emotional summit when Kesha, joined by Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Andra Day, Julia Michaels and members of the Resistance Revival Chorus, performed her ballad ‘Praying.’

    The performance was the culmination of a years-long comeback for the singer, who accused the producer Dr Luke of sustained emotional abuse and rape and was involved in a protracted defamation suit with him. Kesha was introduced to the stage by Janelle Monáe, who gave a rousing call for the music industry to do its part in ending sexual abuse: “Just as we have the power to shape culture, we also have the power to undue the culture that does not do us well.”

    Lamar, the second most nominated artist of the night, kicked off the ceremony with a medley of songs from his album ‘Damn’. Lamar, who has nabbed a nomination in at least one category for six consecutive Grammys, was joined by Dave Chappelle and Bono, who features on Lamar’s song ‘XXX.’

    “The only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America,” said Chappelle, who returned to present Lamar with the award for best rap album, in a preamble to the rapper’s performance.

    The ceremony was not without its gimmicks, too, most notably a recorded segment that featured the host James Corden auditioning various celebrities to narrate the audio version of Michael Wolff’s bombshell book ‘Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.’ John Legend, DJ Khaled, Cardi B and Cher all made cameos, but none were more surprising than that of Hillary Clinton, who read a line from the bestselling exposé aloud, much to the chagrin of the UN ambassador, Nikki Haley.

    Former presidential candidate and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, read alongside Cardi B, DJ Khaled, Snoop Dogg, Cher and John Legend, all took jabs at President Trump.

    The comedy skit was set around Grammy host James Corden having the stars audition for a role reading the book in order to win next year’s award for Best Spoken Word Album.

    In the pre-taped bit, Clinton’s face was masked at first by the controversial book, but after she lowered it, she was met with a ton of applause.

    For Clinton’s excerpt, she read about Trump’s fast food fetish saying, “He had a longtime fear of being poisoned. One reason why he liked to eat at McDonalds. No one knew he was coming and the food was safely pre-made.”

    Many of those attending walked the red carpet with white roses to honour the victims of sexual abuse, a piggyback off the Time’s Up pin badges celebrities wore to the Golden Globe awards this month. A group called ‘Voices in Entertainment’, led by Meg Harkins of Roc Nation and Karen Rait of Interscope Records, spear headed the initiative.

    “As we are inspired by the #TimesUp campaign, we are encouraging the artists that we work with and our colleagues attending the 60th annual Grammy awards in New York City to wear a white rose to the ceremony,” wrote the women in an email. “We choose the white rose because historically it stands for hope, peace, sympathy and resistance.”

    Bringing to an end an evening sprinkled with moments of protest was a powerful performance by Logic and Alessia Cara, who dedicated their song ‘1-800-273-8255’ to those who had attempted or lost their lives because of suicide.

  • Bruno Mars sweeps top Grammy prizes

    Bruno Mars sweeps top Grammy prizes

    R&B artist Bruno Mars won the top prize at the Grammy Awards on Sunday in another victory for pop-driven music over rap, now the most popular genre in the U.S.

    Mars won six Grammys including song of the year for his hit single “That’s What I Like,” and both record and album of the year for “24K Magic.”

    His win denied rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z the honor of becoming the first hip-hop artist in 14 years to win the coveted album of the year award.

    “These songs were written with nothing but joy, with love, and that’s all I wanted to bring with this album, seeing everybody dancing,” Mars, 32, said.

    He also paid tribute to his album of the year rivals – Jay-Z, Lamar, Childish Gambino and Lorde – saying:

    ““Thank you, guys, for blessing the world with your music.”

    Lamar, 30, regarded as one of the most innovative rappers of his generation, won five prizes mostly in rap categories for his album “DAMN.” and single “Humble.”

    Rap became the biggest music genre in the United States in 2017, Nielsen Music reported.

    Veteran Jay-Z, whose soul-baring album “4:44” had gone into the show with a leading eight nominations, won nothing and chose not to perform at the three-hour show.

    The losses by Lamar and Jay-Z in the top categories marked another year when pop music won over more socially incisive work. Adele beat Beyonce in 2017, and in 2016 Lamar lost album of the year to Taylor Swift.

    Lamar opened Sunday’s show at New York’s Madison Square Garden with a medley of his hits, accompanied by dancers in military fatigues and later dressed in red hoodies as they mimicked being shot.

    Other notable winners included American singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Stapleton for Best Country Album; the HBO documentary “The Defiant Ones” about the lives and intertwining careers of producer/record executive Jimmy Iovine and hip-hop legend Dr. Dre, Iovine for Best Music Film; 2016 holdover “La La Land” won Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.

    American stand-up comedian and actor Dave Chappelle won Best Comedy Album and American singer-songwriter, producer Lisa Loeb was also a first-time Grammy winner for Best Children’s Album. Her “Feel What U Feel” was funded and released by Amazon.

    American singer-songwriter and guitarist Jason Isbell picked up Best American Roots Song for “If We Were Vampires” and Best Americana Album for “The Nashville Sound,” while American rock singer-songwriter Aimee Mann took home Best Folk Album for “Mental Illness.”

    Best Dance Recording went to American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, LCD Soundsytem for the track “Tonite,” while the Best Dance/Electronic Album prize went to the German band Kraftwerk collection “3-D The Catalogue.”

    Winners in the rock category included late Canadian poet, songwriter, singer Leonard Cohen for “You Want It Darker,” his 14th and final album, which was released a month before his death.

    Best Metal Performance went to American heavy metal band Mastodon for “Sultan’s Curse” and American music group Foo Fighters took home Best Rock Song for “Run.”

    Less expected was a win by Philadelphia band The War On Drugs for “A Deeper Understanding,” released in August 2017.

    The Grammys awarded artists in 84 categories in multiple genres including classical, jazz, opera, gospel, new age, Christian and Latin music.

    Sunday’s event marks the Grammy Awards’ first return to New York City in 15 years.

    The 40th annual ceremony were held at Madison Square Garden in 1998 and the 39th Annual Grammy Awards, also held in New York, were held at Radio City Music Hall.

    The 14 years in between were held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

  • Kola Aluko’s $50.9m New York penthouse to be auctioned

    Kola Aluko’s $50.9m New York penthouse to be auctioned

    Nigerian energy businessman Kola Aluko, declared wanted by the EFCC, has been identified as the owner of Apartment 79, a penthouse apartment in One57, one of New York City’s most expensive residential buildings.

    However, the apartment would be sold to the highest bidder by a Luxembourg based Banque Havilland, in a foreclosure auction in July, the New York Post reported.

    The penthouse sale is seen as the most expensive foreclosure in New York City.

    Aluko, 48, is believed to be hiding out on his yacht, which he rented to Jay Z and Beyoncé in 2015 for 900,000 dollars a week.

    The energy businessman, who is a friend of stars such as Jay Z and Jamie Foxx, has not been seen for a while, which has sparked rumours that he is hiding away on his yacht, which was last registered in the Bahamas in May.

    Aluko was reportedly last seen in Hong Kong in May and his yacht is currently in the Bahamas, according to the report.

    His bank has also listed the yacht, the Galactica Star, as collateral in the foreclosure, but the yacht is ‘out of range’ at the moment.

    Aluko rented the Galactica Star to Jay Z and Beyoncé in 2015 for 900,000 dollars a week and allegedly showed up at the Ja Rule Fyre Festival in the Bahamas in late April with his yacht.

    The businessman is also close friends with Leonardo DiCaprio and made a large donation to DiCaprio’s environmental charity as well as attended the actor’s birthday party in New York City in 2013.

    The energy tycoon sold a 2.4-acre estate in Montecito, California, to Gwyneth Paltrow for an undermarket 4.9million dollars.

    In 2012, he bought an 11,478-square-foot house in Bel Air for 24.5 million dollars, then sold the property in 2016 for 21.5 million dollars.

    He also owns a home in Beverly Hills that was also purchased in 2012 for 14.7 million dollars.

    Aluko is also avoiding Nigerian authorities who tried to freeze his assets in February as part of a money-laundering probe.

    Apartment 79 was sold to a Aluko in December 2014 for 50.9million dollars, making it the eighth most expensive unit in the building, according to New York City property records.

    Less than a year later however, he took out a 35.5million dollars mortgage from Banque Havilland in Luxembourg to help pay for the apartment.

    When Aluko failed to pay the loan back a year later, the bank took possession of the 6,420-square-foot apartment, according to court documents.

    Now the bank is planning to auction off the four-bedroom apartment on July 19 to regain the mortgage plus interest.

    “It’s probably the most-expensive foreclosure we’ve ever seen in luxury development. I don’t know of a foreclosure that’s larger than that,” Donna Olshan, president of high-end Manhattan brokerage Olshan Realty Inc., told newsmen.

    One57 was built by Extell Development Co. and was the tallest residential building in Manhattan until 432 Park Ave was completed a few months later.

    Construction started on the building in 2009 and finished in 2014, creating a trend of similar ultra-luxury high-rises on 57th street, which has now been coined ‘Billionaire’s Row’.

    Amenities in the building include a 24-hour doorman and concierge, fitness center, yoga studio, private dining room, catering kitchen, library, valet service and on-site parking.

  • Beyoncé delivers twins

    Beyoncé delivers twins

    U.S. singer, Beyonce, has given birth to twins in Los Angeles, several celebrity news websites reported on Saturday, citing unidentified sources.

    Beyonce, 35, and rapper and music producer Jay Z, already have a five-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.

    E! News, citing multiple unidentified sources, reported the birth and that Jay Z and Blue Ivy were seen at a Los Angeles area hospital on Thursday.

    U.S. Weekly, also citing multiple unidentified sources, reported that the couple welcomed twins earlier this week.

    “Bey and Jay are thrilled and have started sharing the news with their family and closest friends,” one unidentified source told PEOPLE.

    Reuters could not verify the reports. A representative for Beyonce did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

    The celebrity news websites did not provide additional details, such as the date and time the twins were born or the sex of the infants.

    The “Lemonade” singer, one of the most powerful women in the music business, announced the pregnancy on her Instagram account in February along with an image of her posed in lingerie and caressing a noticeable baby bump.

    The announcement got more than 8 million “likes” in the first 24 hours to become the “most-liked” Instagram ever.

    The R&B singer performed live at the Grammy awards in Los Angeles two weeks later, proudly displaying her swelling belly in a motherhood-themed show.

    She has since posted numerous pictures of her bare baby bump on her social media accounts.

    The birth of Blue Ivy caused a paparazzi storm in 2012, with New York’s Lenox Hill hospital shutting down part of its maternity wing to accommodate music’s royal couple.

    News of the pregnancy came less than a year after the release of Beyonce’s 2016 album “Lemonade,” in which she appeared to address long-standing rumors of trouble in her eight-year marriage.

    The lyrics of several songs spoke about being cheated on, and regretting being married.

    But Beyonce made clear in the final tracks of the album and in music videos featuring Jay-Z that she had decided to stay in the relationship.

    The couple have never addressed the rumors publicly. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Beyonce holds African themed baby shower

    Beyonce holds African themed baby shower

    Grammy award singer Beyonce, 35, who is expecting twins with husband Jay-Z, had an African themed baby shower to celebrate her upcoming bundles of joy with friends and family.

    The “Carter push party” which held on Saturday In Los Angeles, had African drummers, people dressed in African outfits and Afrobeats music blasting in one of the make shift huts.

    Celebrities in attendance included Jay Z, Mum, Tina Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Solange, Michelle Williams and a host of others.

    Beyonce and Jay Z, officially became billionaires according to Forbes which has placed their joint wealth at $1.16 billion.

  • Jay Z is Songwriters’ Hall of Fame’s first rapper

    Jay Z is Songwriters’ Hall of Fame’s first rapper

    The international news network is buzzing with the announcement of Jay Z as the first rapper to be inducted into Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.

    The award-winning artiste who was nominated alongside some top musicians has continued to top his game in the entertainment scene.

    Already listed as the rapper with the most number 1 albums in history, he is now the first to be inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame class of 2017.

    The announcement of the 2017 inductees was made by legendary musician Nile Rodgers on CBS This Morning show.

    The Songwriters Hall of Fame honors musicians whose work represents a spectrum of the most loved songs from the world’s popular music songbook. British rock band, Queen was the first band to be inducted in 2003.

    While making the announcement, Nile Rodgers also talked about how Hov is a deserving candidate for the award.

    Other inductees of 2017 include Babyface, Berry Gordy, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Robert Lamm, James Pankow & Peter Cetera (Chicago) and Max Martin.

  • Tiwa Savage, debuts collaboration with American rapper Remy Ma

    Tiwa Savage, debuts collaboration with American rapper Remy Ma

    Mavin Records ‘first lady’, Tiwa Savage has debut her international campaign with a ‘single’ collaboration with Grammy-nominated American rapper Remy Ma of Fat Joe’s rap crew, Terror Squad.

    Tiwa Savage collaboration would be on the Remy Ma and Fat Joe joint album entitled “Plata o Plomo”, currently on the works.

    “She is huge, she is like the African Rihanna type, you know,” Fat Joe said referring to Tiwa Savage.

    The Nigerian singer in 2016 signed a major management and distribution deal with Jay Z’s label Roc Nation in the USA.

    A move that made her joined the likes of Rihanna, J. Cole, Big Sean, Emeli Sande, Shakira and other American top singers who are currently signed to the entertainment company.

    The “African Rihanna”, as she was popularly called by her American fans, was then tipped by industry watchers to begin the international phase of her career.

    She recently attended the annual Roc Nation Brunch, and was pictured with Diddy, Jay Z, DJ Khaled, Remy Ma, Fat Joe, Kelly Rowland and others in the U.S.

    The “Eminado” crooner released her sophomore album in December 2015, and a deluxe version went live in 2017.

    She was nominated for the Best Video award at the 2016 Headies for ‘Bad’, her song with Wizkid.

     

  • TIWA SAVAGE MEETS JAY Z IN NEW YORK

    SULTRY singer Tiwa Savage who recently parted ways with her husband of less than two years seems to be on the roll again. This time, in line with her musical career, Tiwa was spotted in New York taking pictures with international rap act and producer Jay-Z of Roc Nation.

    Tiwa who flaunted the pictures on her Twitter and Instagram accounts, was in New York with helmsman of her record label, Supreme Mavin Dynasty, Don Jazzy.

    While Tiwa was seemingly shaken by her marriage break-up with husband Tee Billz, the Pepsi ambassador seems to have moved on with her life.

    On Sunday, a documentary on Tiwa Savage will air on E! by 9pm CAT on Sunday on DSTv Channel 124. ‘I watch E! all the time and now I’ll be watching my own mini documentary,” said an excited Tiwa who is still promoting her recently released album, Red.

    ‘When God says YES nobody can say no.’