SMB Music Group

08/18/2026

08/10/2026

Cardi B makes history as the first female rapper with four RIAA Diamond-certified singles: WAP," "Bodak Yellow," "I Like It" and "Girls Like You" 💎

07/28/2026

BREAKING...

07/26/2026

How did she stay so calm?!

In the summer of 1954, Ella Fitzgerald was flying to Australia for one of the biggest tours of her career, alongside Buddy Rich and Artie Shaw. The tour, promoted by Lee Gordon, was meant to introduce modern jazz to huge new audiences.

Ella, her pianist John Lewis, and her assistant Georgiana Henry were travelling first class on a PanAm flight from San Francisco to Sydney, with a scheduled stop in Honolulu.

They boarded without issue.

But when the plane landed in Hawaii and prepared to continue, airline staff suddenly refused to let them back on.

No clear explanation was given. Their luggage remained on board. Their seats were reassigned. And despite holding valid tickets, they were left behind.

Pan Am later blamed a booking error. Ella and her team believed something else was at work.

All three were Black. Other passengers were allowed to continue.

They ended up stranded in Honolulu for three days, missing the opening concerts of the Australian tour and throwing the schedule into chaos.

Later that year, Ella — supported by her manager Norman Granz — took the airline to court under federal aviation law. The case argued that she had been treated differently because of her race.

In 1956, an appeals court agreed.

The ruling went in her favour, and she received compensation.

Years later, Ella spoke about the case quietly, without bitterness. She simply said it had ended in “a nice settlement.”

What mattered more was the precedent: one of the world’s greatest artists had refused to accept being treated as disposable.

[📸 CBC interview, via YouTube - link to video below]

07/06/2026

🕊️ Hip-hop is mourning the loss of pioneering MC Sparky D, who has died at 61. A standout voice during the legendary Roxanne Wars, she earned respect for her sharp battle rhymes and helped prove that women belonged at the forefront of rap during the genre’s early years. Her impact continues to be felt through the countless artists she inspired and the path she helped create.

RIP Doreen C. Broadnax