Jamie Foxx Emotionally Accepts Ultimate Icon Honor At 2025 BET Awards
'I cannot even begin to express the love that I feel from everybody out there,' expressed the comedian to a standing ovation. 'I gotta be honest, when I saw the In Memoriam, I was like, man, it could have been me. I don't know why I went through what I went through, but I know my second chance, I'm not gonna turn down.'
He continued, 'And I promised, 'whatever reason you put this on me, I promise imma do right and imma do right in front of y'all. I know a lot of times when we get on, we forget about where we come from. When I did my special, it was in front of Black people. Black people was the one who said, 'I got you.''
The 'Unpredictable' singer continued to elaborate on his love for his Black audience and the BET network.
'I say this all the time, thank you to Black people and the Black award, because this is what really counts. A lot of people think like the Oscars is the biggest thing, and we got to quit thinking like that. And that's coming from a person who won an Oscar, I was nominated twice, but the Icon Award is the most important award because it comes from us.'
Ahead of the emotional acceptance speech, Foxx's musical collaborators, peers, and more united to honor him on stage with a medley of his fan-favorite records. Craig Robinson, Teddy Riley, Babyface, Ludacris, Jennifer Hudson, Tank, and others delivered 'Unpredictable,' 'Gold Digger,' and more.
Watch Jamie Foxx accept the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2025 BET Awards above, and watch his musical tribute below.
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Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
Gen Z employees are using more casual language around the office. Here's a guide to the jargon.
It can be challenging to keep up with all of the slang your Gen Z coworkers use. Employees who are part of Generation Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — are introducing coworkers to a variety of new phrases in the workplace. The new generation of workers is bringing their personalities into the office, and thus, their jargon. "We now take our work home readily and easily, basically in our pockets with our phones," Carrie Bulger, an industrial-organizational psychologist at Quinnipiac University, told Business Insider's Emily Stewart in June. "The lines are blurred no matter what. Why wouldn't they blur in the other direction as well?" Ultimately, Gen Z wants to be understood in the office. Four out of 10 Gen Zers say their primary job is central to their identities, coming in second to their friends and family, according to a 2025 Deloitte survey of more than 14,000 adult-aged Gen Z professionals. The same survey found that clear communication is important to them. As more young people come into the working world, one Gen Z worker suggested that they use some caution. Kevon Martin, a 25-year-old human resources coordinator, told BI there's a time and a place for slang. "Older colleagues can benefit from being more adaptable and relatable to their younger coworkers, so they know how to appeal to a younger consumer base," Martin said. "However, Gen Z must also recognize you can't come to work and use whatever slang words you'd use with each other because it's not the same environment." Below is a list of phrases a Gen Z colleague might use and what they (usually) mean. While some of these phrases originated from Black and LGBTQ+ creators, they are wide-ranging in their origins and references. Chokehold When you can't get enough of an item, person, or idea, one might say that it has you "in a chokehold." For example, the restaurant you frequent for lunch could have you in a chokehold if you visit every day. Im not even going to lie Love Island has me in a chokehold right now — Carlacia Grant (@carlaciagrant) June 22, 2025 Crash out or crashout "Crash out," as a verb, essentially means to respond dramatically to something. When a person is at their wits' end or a stressful event occurs, they may crash out by yelling, crying, or some other over-the-top response. For example, getting in trouble at work may prompt your coworker to crash out by being really upset about it. If they respond to such events with that sort of behavior often, they can be labeled a "crashout." how it feels to be in your healing era but also your crashout era at the same time — anna .ᐟ (@skeletvl) July 2, 2025 IJBOL Think of "IJBOL" as a more intense acronym than "LOL" that's more work-appropriate than "LMAO." It stands for, "I just burst out laughing," and it's the way a Gen Zer might let you know they found something funny or cringe. It's unclear who coined the acronym, but it can be used sincerely to express that you're laughing or ironically to demonstrate how chronically online you are. Rizz It's short for charisma. Someone with "rizz" is a smooth talker who knows how to navigate conversations like a pro. Those with "zero rizz" are awkward or have poor conversation skills. Aura In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, aura is defined as "an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being," and Gen Zers on TikTok have not transformed that meaning much. Everyone has aura, but the kind your young coworker might be referring to represents someone's swagger, cool points, or some undefinable X-factor that makes them intriguing. Someone who demonstrates an impressive skill or unmatched "rizz" might gain aura points. Meanwhile, someone who does something embarrassing might lose them. If you're constantly in awkward situations, you might be labeled as someone with negative aura points. Roman Empire The "Roman Empire" trend began online when someone asked, "How often do men think about the Roman Empire?" Cue viral videos of women asking their dads, husbands, and brothers how often the ancient society crosses their minds. The answer: more than you'd think. As sayings do, the phrase "Roman Empire" has transformed to mean a topic or scenario that someone can't stop thinking about. In one TikTok, a Garage Clothing employee said that Taylor Swift and football player Travis Kelce's relationship is their Roman Empire. Ick The term "ick" has long been used to describe something gross or unpleasant, but it has taken on a new meaning thanks to a current trend on TikTok. At first, "give me the ick" was used by Gen Zers to refer to traits or habits that turned them off from a person they're dating, but now many are sharing "icks" in all aspects of life. In December, a group of Atlanta-based nurses was publicly ridiculed for sharing their "icks" about patients in a TikTok video. The caption read "Icks, Labor & Delivery (Edition)," and the video featured multiple nurses sharing things they didn't like about patients. The employees appear to have since lost their jobs, based on an apology posted to Facebook by Emory Healthcare, which referred to them as "former employees." Stories, like those of the hospital workers, may give young people pause when considering more casual behavior around the office. But Martin told BI it can work if executed appropriately — and not disparagingly — in an environment of open communication between colleagues of multiple generations. Naur Simply put, "naur" means no or know. It is a more dramatic way of saying "no" or "know" and sounds like "no" with an Australian accent. Slay To "slay" anything means someone is doing an exceptional job at their work or a task at hand. Understood the assignment If a coworker says this, they mean a task has been completed exactly as it was meant to be done. Say less A shortened version of "say no more." It's used when you completely agree or understand what someone has just said. —Ace Boogie (@NewStripeCity) December 12, 2022 Unserious This is a more fun way of saying that something or someone is ridiculous or cannot be taken seriously. —Gibson Johns (@gibsonoma) December 12, 2022 L or W Although referring to wins and losses as "Ws" or "Ls" probably didn't start with Gen Z, the youngsters do like to use it to describe a positive or negative experience.


Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Biblioracle: Dana A. Williams tells the tale of the indomitable Toni Morrison in ‘Toni at Random'
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Williams, a professor of African American literature and graduate school dean at Howard University, has crafted a book that manages to satisfy as narrative, literary analysis and cultural criticism, offering multiple points of entry for different readers in search of different things. The acknowledgements reveal that the book is 20 years or more in the making and it shows in a book written with great knowledge, deep feeling and a sense of purpose. In this way, Williams mimics the work of her subject. At its heart, 'Toni at Random' feels like the tale of the 'indomitable Ms. Morrison,' as Williams draws on correspondence and interviews with Morrison to unfurl the tale of a Black woman trying to make space for Black writers in an overwhelmingly white industry. Random House is portrayed as open, even eager to publish Black writers in the immediate wake of the Civil Rights Movement and the rise of the Black Arts Movement of poets like Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni. But Morrison is also swimming against the realities of business and culture, where sales and profit are paramount, and many believe there isn't a sufficient audience for books by Black authors that don't have obvious appeal to white readers. Carefully, tactically, inexorably, Morrison seeks to challenge this notion while championing writers she sees as unimpeachable in terms of originality and artistry. This included writers like Toni Cade Bambara (who became Morrison's lifelong friend), Gayl Jones (of whose talent Morrison was envious) and Leon Forrest (legendary Chicago writer and longtime professor at Northwestern). Williams shows how savvy and even calculating Morrison was as she positioned these books for the best chance of success in the marketplace, pursuing blurbs from luminaries like James Baldwin, and horse-trading for pre-publication publicity and review attention. Her attention to detail extended even to a book's interior design. We learn how Morrison would alternately massage the egos of authors or challenge them to step up the diligence and quality of their work. When she felt her acuity as an editor was being questioned, she would respond with sly barbs asserting her authority. Williams ingeniously structures the book around different threads of Morrison's editorial work, non-fiction, fiction, a whole chapter on Ali, another on Davis, and others. The chronology weaves back and forth, but we're never lost. Periodically, we're reminded that while all this is happening, Morrison is also writing and publishing 'The Bluest Eye,' 'Sula,' and 'Song of Solomon,' establishing herself as a major literary figure in her own right. As Williams reveals the inside story of the publishing of some of these books, I kept underlining titles, thinking my next step is to find copies so I can read them and see what Morrison saw. John Warner is the author of books including 'More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI.' You can find him at Book recommendations from the Biblioracle John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you've read. 1. 'Spooky Great Lakes' retold by S.E. Schlosser 2. 'Howard's End' by E.M. Forster 3. 'Disappearing Earth' by Julia Phillips 4. 'Bastard Out of Carolina' by Dorothy Allison 5. 'Forward Progress: Confessions from a Rookie College Football Official' by Todd SkaggsFor Tom, I'm going to recommend a highly entertaining tale of adventure and revenge by a writer like no other, 'True Grit' by Charles Portis. 1. 'The Tsar of Love and Techno' by Anthony Marra 2. 'Cosmicomics' by Italo Calvino 3. 'In the Distance' by Hernán Díaz 4. 'The Sympathizer' by Viet Thanh Nguyen 5. 'The Orphan Master's Son' by Adam JohnsonLyle doesn't seem to mind a book with some quirks. 'May We Be Forgiven' by A.M. Homes is near the top of my list of books where you're never on totally solid ground. A wonderful sensation if you're in the right headspace for it. 1. 'I Heard Her Call My Name' by Lucy Sante 2. 'A Field Guide for Getting Lost' by Rebecca Solnit 3. 'Ongoingness: The End of a Diary' by Sarah Manguso 4. 'Miracles' by C.S. Lewis 5. 'Bluets' by Maggie NelsonSome searching writing about life and identity in this list. This brings to mind a favorite of mine, even though the beliefs and life of this author are entirely different from my own: 'The Seven Storey Mountain' by Thomas Merton. Get a reading from the Biblioracle Send a list of the last five books you've read and your hometown to biblioracle@


Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Artists to paint under pressure at Art Gallery of Hamilton
Nine artists of colour will sit in downtown's Art Gallery of Hamilton, painting anything they want for a live crowd. Dozens of attendees will peruse the competition floor, looking at each masterpiece and voting on their favourite. They will then get a chance to buy the acrylic paintings. This will be the scene on Thursday, July 10 from 6 to 9 p.m., when Melanin and Masterpieces will run its first live painting competition. 'Finding ways to come together, to appreciate art in the Hamilton way that we do so well is ultimately the goal for Melanin and Masterpieces,' said the founder, Khadija Hamidu. Only five finalists of the seven artists will go on to the second of two rounds before the winner is crowned. Every ticket holder will vote in the competition and be able to buy the paintings after the awarding. 'Be ready to observe some art and make some tough decisions,' said Celia Vernal, the art gallery's lead of public programming. The competing artists are Justine Agada, Amani Omar, Seromo Okoro, Vanessa Hill, Clairandean Humphrey, Chris Perez, Sakina Ali, Makhdoom Khan and Emmanuel Akolo. The winner will get a consultation with art gallery staff on marketing their art, a one-year membership to the gallery and a spot at an upcoming exhibition. 'Widening the art community, it's something that we're proud of,' said Vernal. Melanin and Masterpieces is a spinoff of Melanin Market, which Hamidu created in 2021. Its inception was inspired by the death of George Floyd the previous year, she said. 'I want to be able to talk about the art and culture in our city and represent all the amazing artists and entrepreneurs,' said Hamidu. She started out by running vendor markets featuring Black-owned businesses and artists. She has since ventured into Melanin Mermaids, a eight-week program to teach Black women how to swim. The live painting competition is part of Hamidu's effort to offer more, inspired by attending art battles in Toronto. Hamidu moved to Hamilton 10 years ago to attend McMaster University and she has never left. 'The beautiful thing about Hamilton is that it's such a huge city, but has such a small-town mentality where everybody can connect with everybody,' said Hamidu, who was born and raised in Toronto. In her time living in Hamilton, Hamidu has made a mark on the city. In 2024, the City of Hamilton awarded Hamidu an 'Arts Champion Award,' one of four awarded that year. Once she connected with the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamidu picked the seven artists from her arsenal of contacts. The live painting competition is not the end of Melanin Market's expansion, said Hamidu. She hopes to run a Black wellness group, hosting yoga classes, and reopen Melanin Mermaids in the fall. 'I created Melanin Market to find ways to champion, cultivate space and create a cultural experience for people of colour to come together,' said Hamidu. General admission tickets to the painting competition are $25, or $20 for gallery members. Go to to buy. Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator. cbholla@