From the styles we wear and the words we use, hip-hop culture affects our communities, our kids and our lives. For better or for worse, it is here to stay. That was the message at the second annual Northwest Hip-Hop Leadership Conference at the Seattle Vocational Institute

WASHINGTON (NNPA) -- Ky-Mani Marley, a son of the legendary Jamaican music artist Bob Marley, regrets ever putting his life on paper. His recently released memoir has become a brewing source of an increasingly ugly controversy between himself, his famous family and the book's publisher, Dr. Farrah Gray.

(NNPA) - There is much speculation in the news that retired NBA star and businessman extraordinaire, Earvin "Magic" Johnson is negotiating to purchase Johnson Publishing Company, the parent company of Ebony and Jet magazines. Sources close to the possible purchase said that the company's Chicago headquarters, a beacon of Black pride, on Chicago's South Michigan Avenue, would be included if the deal is consummated. Nothing was mentioned about the Ebony Fashion Show and the radio station that are also a part of the Johnson Empire.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Naomi Campbell called together her model, designer and celebrity friends to put on a fundraiser Friday night for the relief effort in Haiti, but the most poignant moments of this event, held as part of New York Fashion Week, was the finale tribute to Alexander McQueen.

MIAMI BEACH, Florida (AP) -- The contrasts are stark: As Haiti grapples with chaos, death and despair after last month's earthquake, celebrities party in luxurious fashion in preparation for a football game.  Wyclef Jean -- who has been an advocate for his native Haiti since the disaster -- was in Miami for those celebrations this week, and understands that the festivities won't stop because of Haiti's pain. But he said he's partying with a purpose.

The 4th Annual Youth Summit is all day on Feb. 6, starting at 11 a.m. at Portland State University Smith Memorial Union, with pizza social at 6 p.m. and talent showcase kicking off at 6:30 p.m.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The charity anthem "We Are the World" has been rerecorded by 80 artists who came together in the same Hollywood studio where the original was cut 25 years ago...

BERLIN (AP) -- Esther Bejarano says music helped keep her alive as a Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz and in the years that followed.
Now, 65 years after the liberation of the Nazi death camp, the 85-year-old has teamed up with the hip-hop band Microphone Mafia to spread her anti-racism message to German youth.

"Precisely how the system of mass incarceration works to trap African-Americans in a virtual (and literal) cage can best be understood by viewing the system as a whole… The first stage is the roundup [when] vast numbers of people are swept into the criminal justice system by the police, who conduct drug operations primarily in poor communities of color… "

ATLANTA (AP) -- Over the years, the Grammys have served as a backdrop for heart-tugging comeback stories. If Charlie Wilson should win either one of the awards he's up for on Sunday, it may mark one of the more unusual -- a successful resurgence after a series of setbacks, including spending two years homeless...