Miss Diddy Kicks Off BET Awards Weekend With 'A Toast To Black Hollywood'
It’s the BET Awards weekend, and L.A. is the place to be, according to power-house entertainment marketer and entrepreneur Miss Diddy. “It’s always been a time when people come from all major markets and they want to be in the city and everything like that,” the LA Native tells xoNecole.
That’s why every year, Miss Diddy kicks off BET Awards weekend by hosting her annual LA event, A Toast to Black Hollywood. Founded in 2014 initially as A Toast to Young Hollywood, the event was born from Miss Diddy’s desire to celebrate people who typically don’t get the recognition they deserve for their impact on the culture. “Years ago …it really started for me to really give an ode to the people that were moving the culture forward,” she says. “So the executives, the people behind the scenes, the people who had a big effect on my career as well.”
In the event’s first year, the honorees included Meagan Good, Baron Davis, Eric Bellinger, and Steve Rifkind. This year’s honorees include Valeisha Jones, Nina Parker, Cynthia Bailey, and Shayla Cowan, among other movers and shakers in the industry.
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Miss Diddy is relaunching the event under its new name, A Toast to Black Hollywood – a shift that came in response to everything that happened post-2020, including the protests against police brutality. “As soon as everything kinda changed in the world during the time of the pandemic, and everything that happened as a culture and as a community, I wanted to make sure to change the name to A Toast to Black Hollywood,” Miss Diddy tells xoNecole. “We’re being really intentional about our messaging moving forward and what’s important to us as a community.”
Alongside the new name for the event, Miss Diddy also prides herself in the charity work she does for the community. “I’ve partnered with the mayor of Compton, Asia Brown, to do many community initiatives,” she says. “Whether it’s Thanksgiving, making sure we’re feeding families, handing out turkeys, serving the elderly. Whether it’s Christmastime and I’ve partnered with Champion for them to give us so much clothes for the community. Mattel is one of my partners that come and give our kids in Compton so many toys.”
Since the beginning of her career as an entertainment marketer, Miss Diddy has had a front row seat to culture defining moments. “When Kanye started Good Music, I started over in the promotion department with [West’s Co-manager] John Monopoly and just built my career from there.” It wouldn’t be long before Miss Diddy would begin facilitating her own legendary moments.
When reflecting on what moment from over the years at The Toast to Black Hollywood event stands out to her, Miss Diddy points to 2018 when the event honored Lauren London who was attended by her partner, the late rapper Nipsey Hussle. “Nipsey was there and just having a great time with us. He was so proud of Lauren and so proud of me.”
Miss Diddy credits her drive and tenacity to her Los Angeles rearing. “It’s a place I was born in, grew up in, raised in, and became successful in – extremely successful,” she says. “This is where people come to make their dreams come true. They come here to be in the city that we built with our hands. Everything about Los Angeles has shaped who I am.” With the forthcoming Toast to Black Hollywood event and all the work she continues to do in her career, Miss Diddy is certain to always put on for her city.
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ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Kierra Sheard-Kelly Talks Being A New Mom And How Her Children's Book Is Based On A True Story
Kierra Sheard-Kelly is a Grammy award-winning artist who has been a force in gospel music for almost two decades. Although she comes from the legendary musical family, The Clark Sisters (her mom being Karen Clark Sheard), she has managed to make a name for herself in gospel with hits like "Hang On" and "It Keeps Happening," as well as being a judge on the popular BET gospel singing competition show, Sunday's Best.
Besides music, Kierra has also ventured into fashion with her clothing line Eleven60 and is an author, penning her latest book, Kiki Finds Her Voice, which is a children's book based on a childhood memory. With so much success in her career, the singer has now started on a new journey, motherhood. In a xoNecole exclusive, Kierra opens up about becoming a children's book author, a new mom, and much more.
While Kierra already has two books under her belt, the Line Sisters star chose to make her third book, Kiki Finds Her Voice, a children's book. The story is about Kiki deciding to sing about God in a school talent show after her parents told her she couldn't sing a love song with her friends. Kierra says the story is based on a moment in her childhood.
"I was auditioning with some girls from school, and I think we all kind of go through this where we're discovering if we are extroverts or introverts, or even if we're in between, ambiverts and then sometimes we feel like it sometimes we don't," she tells us. "Children still have that space as well. But at this moment, I was trying to make friends. I was trying to fit in. I wanted to be popular and cool and be accepted. And I think every child goes through this at some point in their lives, and I auditioned for a talent show."
Kierra explains that they sang an R&B song during the audition, and when her mom caught wind of it, she made her change her song. "My mother was being my mother and being the protective adult that she was in that space, and she was like, 'This is not an appropriate song for you to sing as a child.' So, she bust into that talent show audition, and she made sure that I switched my song," she reveals.
"Of course, the girls, they dropped off, and they weren't interested, and they were like, we don't want to do your churchy song swap out kind of thing. And I had to learn the lesson my parents were saying, 'Hey, everybody's not gonna agree with your choices, and that's even now. Even when you become an adult, but don't let that define you."
Kiki Finds Her Voice was influenced by Kierra becoming a mother herself. The "Miracles" singer is a new mom to Khloé-Drew Valencia Kelly, who she shares with her husband, Jordan Kelly. The couple tied the knot in December 2020, and Kierra has been candid about their pregnancy journey. The gospel singer experienced several miscarriages before welcoming little Khloé in November 2023, and after a few months in, she is opening up about motherhood, calling it "great," "beautiful," and even "tricky."
"It's almost like motherhood has strengthened me to be more bold with what I know God has told me and to not question or doubt it. It's like you don't have too much time to second guess that because literally, someone else is dependent on your relationship with God, you know?" She explains.
"So it has me diving in. My prayer points are different. My prayers are more precise. Even with who's around me, I'm very careful now. I'm always looking around my shoulder, not, you know, out of fear, but just to make sure. And I read something the other day, and it said, not only is the baby born, but the mother is born also. So this new being that is a part of myself has been awakened, and it's beautiful. I'm writing and singing different. I don't worry about the little stuff, you know, the minutiae. I let stuff go. It's like I got other things to worry about. Like I feel grown grown now. If you know what I mean?"
Kierra calls Khloé-Drew her "miracle baby," and she hopes to build a relationship similar to the one she has with her parents. The "Something Has To Break" artist says her parents, Karen Clark Sheard and John Drew Sheard Sr., are her best friends, and fostering a relationship with her daughter is what's most important to her.
Keep up with Kierra and her family on Instagram and check out her children's book Kiki Finds Her Voice.
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Feature image by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Lifetime