Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

Los Angeles Sentinel

Tickets for the 2028 Olympic Games go on sale in August, but fans must register by July 22 to enter a random draw for access to purchase them. Selected participants will receive an email with a designated time slot to access the ticket sale when it opens in August.

The upcoming sale is the second ticket release, following an initial presale that ran April 2–6 for residents in the Greater Los Angeles area and Oklahoma City, with tickets then opening to the global market from April 9–16.

“The response to our initial on sale was nothing short of historic,” said Reynold Hoover, CEO of LA28. “Fans from near and far have spoken: the world wants to be part of the LA28 Games.”

Despite the early success, some residents raised concerns about pricing, fees and ticket availability. In response, LA28 officials said they are monitoring feedback and emphasized that nearly half of all Olympic tickets are priced under $200, with more than three-quarters under $400.

Organizers also noted that more than 1 million tickets will be available for $28, while only about 5% of tickets, primarily premium seats for marquee events, exceed $1,000.

Additional ticket releases are expected in the coming months. Registered users will also have future opportunities to purchase tickets for the Paralympic Games, with a separate draw scheduled to begin in 2027.

Officials said fans who do not find their preferred events in this round may have another chance in future releases, depending on availability and purchase limits.

To enter the ticket draw, fans must register by July 22 at tickets.LA28.org.

By Niele Anderson, BPUSA Contributor
Multimedia Journalist / Culture Curator

Black women are disproportionately impacted by healthcare due to systemic inequities, resulting in higher maternal mortality rates, disparities in accessing care, and negative experiences with providers.

This is why the California-based Black Women for Wellness Action Project (BWWAP) exists. The organization’s commitment to understanding and elevating the health needs of Black women has earned it a reputation as a policy expert in California.

Each year, they sponsor several pieces of state legislation and collaborate with activists and elected allies to secure the passage of these bills into law. They hold elected leaders accountable for addressing the health needs of Black women while also advocating for equity and representation.

The organization’s website states, “Systemic racism and sexism have deep roots, showing up in the policies that influence Black women’s health. BWWAP challenges these systems of oppression by shifting the power dynamics that routinely disadvantage women and Black people.”

BWWAP’s goal is simple, to use policy, electoral advocacy, and the power of narrative to reimagine a just new future where Black women and girls thrive.

This is why BWWAP supports California Governor Gavin Newsom’s endorsement of ‘yes’ on Prop 50. The proposition is a response to what the state claims is Donald Trump and Texas Republicans’ attempt at an unprecedented power grab to steal congressional seats and rig the 2026 election before voting even begins.

“California is acting in a moment of urgency,” according to BWWAP leadership. “A time when the rules of engagement have changed and our court systems are compromised by lawsuits that should never have been our only recourse. The United States is in a moment where the federal government is being dismantled from public health, education, and justice departments to experienced public servants being sidelined in favor of loyalists to a person who has not earned that loyalty.”

Prop 50 proposes new lines for many of California’s 52 congressional districts, which would negate the five Republican seats drawn by Texas. Democrats could gain up to five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives under the proposed lines. With a majority in the House, Democrats can effectively oppose Trump and the MAGA agenda of the Republicans.

The current government shutdown is a direct result of Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress. A major reason for the shutdown is the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Republicans aim to dismantle it, and Democrats seek to preserve what many affectionately call Obamacare.

The ACA is former President Obama’s historic legislation, and it helps Black women by expanding insurance coverage, increasing access to no-cost preventive services, and protecting against pre-existing conditions.

It has led to a significant decrease in the uninsured rate for Black women, a reduction in cost-related barriers to care, and improved access to essential services like cancer screenings and contraception. Between 2010 and 2014, the uninsured rate for Black women dropped by 36 percent.

This is why BWWAP says yes on Prop 50. Over the weekend, the organization is intensifying its efforts to educate and engage voters to ensure that California is fully informed about the measure and has a voting plan for Nov 4.

Black publishers from across the country, leaders and students at CSUDH, and celebrating Black History Month in L.A. Council Chambers were all part of the Senator’s visit to the Southland.

By Danny J. Bakewell, Jr., Executive Publisher | Los Angeles Sentinel

California U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler has moved with urgency to address constituent concerns since her appointment to the position in Oct. 2023 by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

In the past five months, she has conducted listening sessions across the state with people of all ages on topics including mental health, reproductive freedom, and the future of our democracy.

Los Angeles Councilmember Heather Hutt and Mayor Karen Bass hold breakfast honoring Senator Laphonza Butler in Mayor Conference Room. L-R: CM Curren Price Jr., CW Heather Hutt, Laphonza Butler, CW Imelda Padilla, CM Bob Blumenfield, Los Angeles City Council Meeting in Los Angeles City Hall, John Ferraro Council Chamber.

On Feb. 26, she visited Southern California to attend a meeting of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (Black Press of America) hosted by NNPA Chairman Emeritus and Sentinel Executive Publisher Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., to discuss issues and challenges Black media from across the country are having with doing business with the federal government.

“We are so appreciative that Senator Butler would take time out of her busy schedule to come and meet with Black Publishers from across the nation,” said Bakewell.

Sen. Butler reads the latest news in the L.A. Sentinel. (E. Mesiyah McGinnis/L.A. Sentinel)

“Laphonza Butler, even before her historic appointment, has always been an advocate of the Black press, and we are confident that she will take the concerns of publishers from across the country back to Washington, D.C. and advocate for the Black press that our voices and constituency should and will be included in national advertising throughout the country,” he added.

NNPA President Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr. also considered the meeting to be productive and laid the foundation for similar gatherings in the future.

“The National Newspaper Publishers Association was pleased to have an in-depth discussion with The Honorable U.S Senator LaPhonza Butler in Los Angeles.  We were graciously hosted by Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel,” said Dr. Chavis.

“Senator Butler is a freedom fighter, and the NNPA welcomes the opportunity to work with Senator Butler in the interests of freedom, justice, and equality.”

L.A. Sentinel staff pose with Sen. Butler and NNPA publishers. (E. Mesiyah McGinnis/L.A. Sentinel)

Other attendees at the NNPA meeting were NNPA Chairman Bobby R. Henry Sr., publisher of The Westside Gazette in Fort Lauderdale, FL; NNPA 2nd Vice Chair Jackie Hampton, publisher of Mississippi Link in Jackson, MS.; Paul Cob, publisher of Post News Group in Oakland, CA; NNPA Board Member Terri Sanders, publisher of The Omaha Star; and former NNPA Chairman Bob Bogle, publisher of The Philadelphia Tribune.

Following her visit to Crenshaw Blvd. and the Los Angeles Sentinel office, the Senator traveled to Carson to the campus of California State University – Dominguez Hills, where she met with Dr. Thomas Parham, president of CSUDH, and participated in a town hall on mental health hosted by the Born This Way Foundation.

Sen. Butler is briefed by Dr. Thomas Parham, president of CSUDH. (Matt Brown)

The event brought together youth mental health advocates, students, faculty, and administrators for a panel discussion on ways to better identify the mental health needs of young people and improve the quality and availability of services in the spaces where they’re most needed.

She partnered with BTW, Butler said, “because the most effective and lasting solutions to the challenges facing young people are the ones that are formed and invested in together. [These are the] solutions where we all feel heard and seen, and where we know that we are collectively trying to make a difference.”

Dr. Parham introduces Butler during the town hall at CSUDH. (Matt Brown)

The Senator added, “The Honorable Shirley Chisholm reminded us that ‘service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.’”

Reacting to Butler’s remarks, Dr. Parham said, “Senator Butler, in my opinion, continues to pay that rent by serving this nation, her state, and her community. She came to CSUDH to listen, understanding that it is difficult to design community interventions in absence of consultation with the people the interventions are designed to serve.”

More than 200 students listen as Butler speaks about her journey in life. (Matt Brown)

Parham noted that Butler is the first sitting U.S. Senator to visit the campus since 1977 when then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden stopped by the campus.

“We were proud to host Sen. Butler, knowing that your Cal State University Dominguez Hills should be the place where important issues like mental health become the topics of critical discourse and analysis,” stated Parham.

More than 200 students listen as Butler speaks about her journey in life. (Matt Brown)

Sen. Butler was also recognized by the Los Angeles City Council as part of the city’s 2024 Black History Month Celebration.  On Feb. 23, the Council saluted her contributions to the city of Los Angeles and the country as a whole.

Commending Butler’s ethics and integrity, Councilwoman Heather Hutt said, “This Black History Month, it’s important that the city recognizes the individuals who contribute to the Black community and Black History.

“Senator Laphonza Butler is a remarkable trailblazer who advocates for the American worker, equality, and the future that our next generation deserves. Her successful achievements have had a huge impact on the people of our City and State. I am honored to give her flowers.”

Echoing those sentiments, Councilman Curren Price insisted, “Sen. Laphonza Butler embodies a larger-than-life presence, leading with urgency, compassion, and great determination. She is a powerhouse for working families, a titan in the realm of labor and it is no surprise that her name is cemented in the history of labor issues, fighting tooth and nail to better the lives of our most vulnerable working–class families.

“Sen. Butler stood shoulder to shoulder with me and my team, championing the wage increase and paid sick leave. She was a driving force behind this change and many other great labor policies, and she continues to champion progress in the Senate, ensuring a brighter future for us all.”

Throughout her visit, Butler repeatedly committed to representing all California citizens to the best of her ability during her time in the U.S. Senate.

Vice President Kamala Harris made a last-minute trip Friday, April 7, to Tennessee where she called for tougher firearm laws and criticized the Republican-controlled state House, which a day earlier expelled two Black Democratic lawmakers for their role in a protest calling for more gun control following a school shooting in Nashville.

Harris received wild applause and several standing ovations as she told a crowd at Nashville’s historically Black Fisk University that the so-called Tennessee Three — ousted Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson and a third Democrat, Gloria Johnson, who avoided expulsion by a single vote — were being, in her words, silenced and stifled for standing up for the lives of schoolchildren.

“Let’s understand the underlying issue is about fighting for the safety of our children,” Harris said. “It’s been years now where they are taught to read and write and hide in a closet and be quiet if there’s a mass shooter at their school, where our children, who have God’s capacity to learn and lead, who go to school in fear.”

She called for background checks, red flag laws and restrictions on assault rifles.

“Let’s not fall for the false choice — either you’re in favor of the Second Amendment or you want reasonable gun safety laws,” Harris said. “We can and should do both.”

Harris met privately with Jones, Pearson and Johnson, as well as with other elected officials and young people advocating for tougher gun control laws.

From left, expelled Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, and expelled Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville raise their fists as they walk across Fisk University campus after hearing Vice President Kamala Harris speak, Friday, April 7, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Ahead of the event, students and others were lined up down the block, hoping to enter the school’s Memorial Chapel. Inside several young Black women wore sweaters with the initials for Alpha Kappa Alpha, a Black sorority that Harris belonged to.

“It’s exciting to see someone from my organization doing great and amazing things,” said one of them, Jasmyn Thrash.

Nashville Metro Councilperson Zulfat Suara addressed the crowd before Harris arrived, saying the expulsions “tell us exactly what we need to know about how the state views young Black men” standing up for what they believe. Evoking the city’s civil rights history, she said, “Just like John Lewis and Diane Nash did many years ago, we too will resist.”

Pearson, Johnson and Jones entered the packed chapel to a standing ovation.

President Joe Biden has called their expulsions “shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent.”

“Rather than debating the merits of the issue (of gun control), these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee,” Biden said in a Thursday statement.

The White House also said Friday afternoon that Biden spoke with Jones, Pearson and Johnson via conference call, thanking them “for their leadership in seeking to ban assault weapons and standing up for our democratic values.”

Former Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, raises his fist on the floor of the House chamber as he walks to his desk to collect his belongings after being expelled from the legislature on Thursday, April 6, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee Republicans are seeking to oust three House Democrats including Jones for using a bullhorn to shout support for pro-gun control protesters in the House chamber. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The oustings of Jones and Pearson drew accusations of racism. Johnson, who is white, was allowed to continue to serve in the chamber. Republican leadership denied that race was a factor.

GOP leaders said Thursday’s actions — used only a handful times since the Civil War — were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers’ disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated.

Republican state Rep. Gino Bulso said the three Democrats had “effectively conducted a mutiny.”

Most state legislatures retain the power to expel members, but it is generally a rarely used punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct.

The post Kamala Harris Leads Tennessee Rally, Backs Ousted Lawmakers appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.

By David Johnson, Contributing Writer | Los Angeles Sentienel

Classism, racism, war, and corporate greed are malicious outliers, which in their ways, plague the United States and global civilization abroad. Recollect back to 1955, Post World War, Two United States and these same outliers were a virus dividing and corrupting the United States and most of the world. In that year 1955, a 14-year-old Black male teenager from Chicago was sent by his mother to visit his family in Money, Mississippi. This innocent teenager was named Emmett Louis Till. Actually, Emmett was having a great time visiting his southern family, receiving all the love and attention and having care-free fun for three days into his visit before the horrid curse of violent, racist injustice struck Emmett Till, his family and the United States of America!

Emmett Till was born on July 25, 1941, and was murdered August 28, 1955. Emmett,as most Americans know, was violently tortured and murdered in Money, Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a married, White woman named Carolyn Bryant. This rule was a long held racial taboo in the Southern States. Black males were not allowed to even look at White women in their eyes in public let alone whistle at them or around them. Such racist, classist unjust social rules were a result of the terrible slavery system and were passed down as the Jim Crow racist injustice system of the South. Being born and raised in Chicago, Till wasn’t accustomed to such public social rules. Although racist outliers existed against Blacks in Chicago, they were not as rigid and as violently enforced as in the Southern States.

This case was indicative of the racial hatred perpetuated against Blacks or African Americans throughout all of the United States almost one hundred years after slavery supposedly, ended. This case was terrible and exposed how the entire society of Mississippi and the South was a prison and or torture chamber for Blacks. Contradicting these facts, the Whites of the South claimed to be the most civilized humans on Earth at the time. This clear permanence of racial hatred and systematic genocidal programming against one group, the Black Americans also contradicted the United States Declaration of Independence and the Constitution ratified Articles 13 and 14, developed after the end of the Civil War.

Young Emmett was tracked down the day after the so-called whistling incident. The White husband of the woman and his White male friends along with a Black man, came to the home where Till was staying. They barged in the home and grabbed Emmet, along with Emmett’s cousin, Simeon Wright. Simeon was with Emmett at the time of the whistling incident. After figuring out which of the boys was the one who supposedly whistled, the abductors bust the teeth out of Simeons mouth by throwing him off their truck then taking off with Emmett. Witnesses said in trial, they saw them drive up with Emmet and took him into a barn and tormented Emmett for hours. The witness said they heard Emmet screaming for hours and they could hear the whipping and beating blows they were hitting him so hard.

Roy Bryant, the husband of the woman who claimed she was whistled at and brother-in-law, J.W. Milam kidnapped and brutally murdered Emmett Till. They dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River. This murder shocked the nation by gaining global media coverage. In turn, this case infused a generation of Black Americans to create and join the Civil Rights movement. With nationwide media coverage, the funeral of Emmett Till was held in Chicago with an open casket where anyone could see the terrible swelling and mutilation from the beating put on Emmett by the murderers.

Outrage ensued throughout the nation and even world-wide for such racist brutality being allowed in the United States. Black media outlets and organizations went in with all resources exposing the tragedy by even putting Emmett Till’s funeral casket picture on their front pages. Jet Magazine even put the picture on the front of their magazine. Black politicians, the NAAACP and Black celebrities expressed their heart break and outrage at this ongoing continuing murder and rape of Blacks throughout the United States.

Then came the trial and attempt to get justice for Emmett’s family and for the Black community held in Sumner, Mississippi in September 1955. Emmett’s great-uncle testifying against the murderers marked the first time a Black human testified against a White human in the state of Mississippi. The problem was the defense was up against long held practices of allowing White people to murder, rape and torture Blacks in Mississippi. ​It was clear what the outcome would be when the judge threw out all the testimonies given by all witnesses to the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till, even after they testified in court. ​The murderers were acquitted of all charges including the murder charges. With all the media coverage, it was clear to the entire world the U.S. government was continuing the oppression of Black Americans although the U.S. was proclaiming itself to be the beacon of justice and freedom.

This case galvanized generations of Blacks and some non-Blacks to take up the cause of human rights and justice throughout the United States. With the likes of Paul Robeson and those generations of devotees who worked and lived for justice and freedom, African Americans as myself could get our education and I am free to write this article and you are free to read it. In 2007, a Federal Bill named ‘The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Right Crime Act” was created due to continual effort of noble citizenry. All of the Civil Rights work and successes make it clear that we have the ability and right to challenge laws and practices no matter how old and how cherished by the rich and or the government. With all this revealed, Misses Carolyn Bryant in her later age of 82, recanted her claim about Emmett Till whistling at her in an interview stating it wasn’t true and it did not happen.

Justice cannot only become a thing of the past, a memory of the noble generations who sacrificed for current generations liberties and rights. Justice has to be openly taught as a pillar of the African American Legacy! Does nobility matter any longer and to who? What are the current injustices being ignored and which type and class are perpetuating the injustices and which groups are the victims? The United States and world should be careful that the mirror of the past does not continue to reflect ugly faces.

Over the last decade, Blacks were being murdered on camera continually by police officers of the law even though White males continue to be the super majority of people who murder cops. Also, the all-White male police officers did this while there was an African American President of the United States. Clearly, this is an agenda. This is evidence that the agenda to torment and murder Blacks has and will continue in the United States if African Americans and immigrants and other underrepresented ethnic groups do not organize together and concentrate resources and effort on stopping the killings … not to mention the world’s biggest privately-owned prison system, holding the highest number of humans on Earth. This clearly is systematic strategy and not random.

Many, such as Dr. Cornell West, say that we live in a more Autocratic Authoritarian state in the U.S. than ever before. Thus, I ponder, was slavery transformed? Was Jim Crow and Apartheid implemented throughout the United States in covert methods to this day? Ku Klux Klan leader, Neo Nazi representative David Duke once said, and I paraphrase, “We, the Ku Klux Klan took off our hoods and put on suits and ties and filled the politician seats and board rooms and senator’s seats.” How about that?