OUTSTAGN's TOP 10 BLACK ENTERTAINMENT STORIES OF 2018

From power couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's surrogate giving birth their third child, the murder of rapper XXXTentatcion, rapper Drake owning the music charts with three back to back No. 1 singles on  Billboard's Hot 100 to allegations that talk show queen Wendy Williams may be divorcing her "husbandger" Kevin Hunter supposed mistress pregnancy, 2018 has seen its share of viral making stories, history making events and various celebs and personalities of African American descent who catapulted into the headlines for  their monumental moments.

Before OUTSTAGN reveals the Top 10  Black Entertainment Stories of  2018, below are the stories that made No 20 to No 11. 




20.ACTOR POOCH HALL GETS STOPPED BY BURBANK 
POLICE AND ARRESTED FOR DRIVING UNDER THE 
INFLUENCE AND CHILD ENDANGERMENT.

19. SINGER/SONGWRITER JOHN LEGEND WINS 
EMMY FOR JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE 
BECOMING THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE 
AND YOUNGEST ARTIST TO BECOME AN EGOT 
(EMMY, GRAMMY, OSCAR, TONY WINNER)



18. GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ARTIST JANET 
JACKSON IS ANNOUNCED TO BE INDUCTED INTO
THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 


17. MUSIC STREAM SERVICE SPOTIFY  REMOVES 
R KELLY'S MUSIC AFTER  REPORTS OF HIS 
ALLEGED ABUSIVE SEX CULTS  


16.ENTERTAINMENT MOGUL OPRAH WINFREY GOES 
DOOR TO DOOR IN ATLANTA TO CAMPAIGN FOR  
GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE STACY ABRAMS 

15.UP AND COMING RAPPER XXXTENTACION  WAS 
SHOT AND KILLED IN HIS VEHICLE IN FLORIDA; ALBUM 
RESURGE TO NO 1 ON THE BILLBOARD 200. 


14.FORMER FIRST LADY MICHELE OBAMA 'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
"BECOMING" BECOMES TO BIGGEST SELLING BOOK OF 2018 
SELLING 2 MILLION IN 15 DAYS ; GOES ON (INTER)NATIONAL 
TOUR TO PROMOTE IT. 



13.ACTOR/RAPPER DONALD GLOVER DEBUTS CONTROVERSIAL 
MUSIC VIDEO "THIS IS AMERICA" DURING HIS HOSTING DUTIES 
AT "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"  



12.COMEDIAN/ACTOR KEVIN HART STEPS DOWN FROM 
HOSTING THE 91ST OSCARS  AND APOLOGIZES
AFTER PAST HOMOPHOBIC  TWEETS RESURFACES
ON TWITTER



11.GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SINGER BEYONCE BECOMES 
THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALE TO HEADLINE 
COACHELLA DUBBING IT "BEYCHELLA."

HERE ARE THE TOP 10:

10.ACTOR GEOFFREY OWENS BECOMES A VIRAL SENSATION AFTER FOX NEWS  PUBLISHED PHOTOS OF HIM WORKING AT TRADER JOE'S. OWENS BECAME THE FACE OF JOB SHAMING. (SEPTEMBER)

9.TENNIS SUPERSTAR SERENA WILLIAMS GETS ACCUSED OF CHEATING; ARGUES WITH EMPIRE DURING U.S. OPEN FINAL FOR SEXISM; UPSTAGES  HISTORIC WIN BY NAOMI OSAKA'. (SEPTEMBER)

8.GRAMMY AWARD WINNING RAPPER KENDRICK LAMAR WINS  PULITZER  PRIZE IN MUSIC FOR HIS ALBUM. "DAMN."; BECOMES FIRST RAPPER AND NON CLASSICAL/JAZZ ARTIST TO WIN. (APRIL) 

7.THE TRIALS OF CARDI  B. AND OFFSET 

BREAKOUT RAPPER CARDI B AND HER HUSBAND, RAPPER OFFSET FROM THE RAP GROUP MIGOS MADE HEADLINES IN 2018: FROM REVEALING THEIR SECRET MARRIAGE, DISCLOSING HER PREGNANCY DURING A PERFORMANCE ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, GIVING BIRTH TO A GIRL, KULTURE, ANNOUNCING HER DIVORCE FROM OFFSET AND HIS PUBLIC OUTCRY TO WIN HER BACK WHILE ON STAGE AT ROLLING LOUD FESTIVAL.

6.KANYE WEST ARGUES SLAVERY WAS A CHOICE; VISITS TRUMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

KANYE WEST'S LATEST CD "YE" DIDN'T MAKE MUCH NEWS BUT HIS REMARKS AND APPEARANCES  DEFINITELY DID. IN MAY, WEST, WENT ON TMZ  LIVE AND GENERALIZED THAT 400 YEARS SLAVERY WAS A CHOICE CAUSING CONTROVERSY AND CONVERSATION. THEN, IN OCTOBER, HE VISITED PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AFTER THE PASSING OF THE MUSIC MODERNIZATION ACT AND CONCLUDED WITH A 10 MINUTE RANT ABOUT HIS LOVE FOR TRUMP WHILE WEARING A "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN: AND THEN FOLLOWED WITH  HUGGING TRUMP--THEN LATER DENOUNCING HIM.

5.CARDI B AND NIKKI MINAJ RIVALRY 

IN THE RAP WORLD,  NO OTHER DISSONANCE WAS PLAYED TO THE WORLD IN 2018  MORE THAN WITH CARDI B AN NIKKI MINAJ. AS CARDI STRUCK MULTIPLATINUM WITH HER DEBUT CD, "INVASION OF PRIVACY" ,  MINAJ'S  CD, "QUEEN' SOLD POORLY. MEANWHILE CONSTANT TWITTER RANTS ENSUED BETWEEN THEM AND NIKKI'S QUEEN PODCASTS CHIMING IN ON THE BEEF AND  DISPELLING IT... BUT ALL WAS BROKEN WHEN  IN OCTOBER, A MELEE OCCURS WITH CARDI'S TIRADE  TOWARD NIKKI AT THE ANNUAL HARPERS BAZAAR ICONS PARTY DURING  NEW YORK FASHION WEEK IN  RESULTING IN CARDI  GETTING A LUMP ON SIDE OF HER HEAD AND HER  EXIT FROM THE PARTY.  

4.BILL COSBY  GOES TO PRISON FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT 

AMERICA'S DAD BILL COSBY HAD HIS FINAL DAY IN COURT WHEN THE JUDGE SENTENCED HIM THREE TO 10 YEARS IN  MONTGOMERY COUNTY CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN PENNSYLVANIA  FOR DRUGGING AND SEXUALLY ASSAULTING ANDREA CONSTAND. AFTER A HUNG JURY IN 2017 AND BEING CONVICTED IN APRIL  ON THREE COUNTS OF AGGRAVATED INDECENT ASSAULT,  HE WAS PROSECUTED IN SEPTEMBER. COSBY BECAME THE FACE OF THE "ME TOO" MOVEMENT WHERE WOMEN CAME OUT TO SEXUAL ASSAULT FROM MEN, MORE SPECIFICALLY MEN OF POWER.  

3.BLACK PANTHER BREAKS BOX OFFICE RECORDS (INTERN)NATIONALLY.

"WAKANDA FOREVER" AND ITS CROSSED HAND TO CHEST GESTURE HAVE BECOME PART OF NOT JUST BLACK  CULTURE BUT GLOBAL  CULTURE THAT WILL BE ETCHED IN HISTORY FROM THE MARVEL FILM, "BLACK PANTHER."  IT HAS BECOME  A CULTURAL PHENOMENON  THAT HAS INFLUENCED THE WORLD AND HOW THEY SEE SUPER HEROES. THE MOVIE WHICH WAS RELEASED IN FEBRUARY WAS THE MOST ANTICIPATED FILM OF 2018 AND GROSSED OVER 700 MILLION DOMESTICALLY  BECOMING THE TOP FILM OF 2018  AND  OVER 1.3 BILLION IN INTERNATIONAL SALES. ITS POPULARITY  ALSO GARNERED  DISCUSSION IN THE BOARD ROOM OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS  OF CREATING A NEW CATEGORY "BEST POPULAR FILM " AT NEXT YEARS 91 ST ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS BUT WAS RESCINDED. 

2.THE QUEEN OF SOUL DIES.

THE WORLD GAVE ITS R-E-S-P-E-C-T WHEN GRAMMY AWARD WINNING AND ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMER SINGER ARETHA FRANKLIN DIED AUGUST 16 AT THE AGE OF 76 AFTER A LENGTHY BATTLE WITH CANCER.  A CAREER SPANNING OVER 50 YEARS, FRANKLIN WAS THE MOST DECORATED FEMALE SINGER OF ALL TIME  WINNING COUNTLESS AWARDS (INCLUDING 18 GRAMMY AWARDS). HER HOMEGOING SERVICE WAS HELD AUGUST 31 AT GREATER GRACE TEMPLE IN DETROIT,  AND WAS LIVESTREAMED AND TELEVISED BY VARIOUS NEWS OUTLETS. HER FUNERAL WAS ATTENDED BY HUNDREDS AND PERFORMERS INCLUDED ARIANA GRANDE, GLADYS KNIGHT, FANTASIA   AND  HER LONGTIME FRIEND SMOKEY ROBINSON TO NAME A FEW. IT LASTED WELL OVER 8 HOURS WHICH WAS HISTORIC IN ITSELF, BUT IT WAS SUITED PERFECTLY FOR THE WORLD'S QUEEN. 



AND 
THE NO. 1 
STORY OF 
2018 
WAS.............................................. 

1.THE ROYAL WEDDING OF PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE 

THE WEDDING OF PRINCE HARRY AND ACTRESS MEGHAN MARKLE WAS HELD  MAY 19,  IN ST  GEORGE'S CHAPEL AT WINDSOR CASTLE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. MARKLE, WHO BECAME A DUCHESS, MADE HEADLINES BECAUSE SHE WAS ONCE MARRIED AND  BIRACIAL (AFRICAN AMERICAN AND CAUCASIAN), A FIRST FOR BOTH INSTANCES WITHIN THE ROYAL FAMILY.  THE WEDDING ALSO WAS  DIVERSE IN ITS SELECTION OF PERFORMERS, SPEAKERS AND MUSICIANS (E.G.  THE KINGDOM CHOIR  SINGING "STAND BY ME.") GUESTS INCLUDED  OPRAH WINFREY, TV HOST JAMES CORDEN, SERENA WILLIAMS  AND SIR ELTON JOHN TO NAME A FEW.  IT WAS ESTIMATED ABOUT 18 MILLION SAW THE TELECAST OF THE WEDDING IN THE U.K. AND 29 MILLION IN THE UNITED STATES . THE GLOBAL AUDIENCE WAS ESTIMATED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS.