The Victor Brooks Show

TL Cross comes from a musical background that spans back to when his grandfather hosted his own radio show and further extends to his father, aunts and uncles, most of whom were major-label gospel artists and musicians.

Nowadays, the 25-year-old singer/songwriter/producer has successes of his own. His writing credits include "I'll Make It Right" (Usher), "Whereareyougoing" (Musiq Soulchild), "I'll Be Right There" (112) and "Get It On Tonite" (Montell Jordan), which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 2000. He's produced for such artists as Ghostface Killah ("Never B the Same Again," featuring Carl Thomas) and DMX ("Goodbye") while Yolanda Adams, Donnell Jones and Case are among those who have tapped him as a backing singer.

Today, Cross is co-CEO of Da Gutta Fam production/record company, an entity he and his partners hope will be picked up by a major label en bloc. They're currently working on projects with Nas, LeToya Luckett and Jamie Foxx.

"Da Gutta Fam is the umbrella and TL Cross is the trailblazer," Cross says. "We have solid producers and hitmakers. We've had A-list artists choose us to make music for them."

Cross has further dealt with majors as part of the quartet Morrison Slick, a group whose previous incarnations have released records via Island and Motown. Morrison Slick later signed a songwriting deal with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis before becoming part of Da Gutta Fam.

Maurice Harding (born 1967), better known by his stage name Mopreme Shakur or simply Mopreme, is an American rapper. He is the older step brother of Tupac Shakur, and was a member of Tupac's hip hop groups Thug Life and Outlawz. Thug Life was disassembled when Shakur ran into legal problems, and Mopreme left Outlawz due to a financial disagreement with Death Row Records.

Mopreme's first recorded appearance, under the alias Mocedes, was on Tony Toni Toné's hit single "Feels Good" in the year 1990. His first collaboration with his brother was on the single and video "Papaz Song", from the 1993 album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. under the name 'Wycked'. In 1993 Mopreme and his brother Tupac formed the group Thug Life with friends Big Syke, Macadoshis and Rated R. On September 26, 1994, the group released the only Album Thug Life: Volume 1 which went Gold. Mopreme has been credited as a writer for many significant tracks on this album. He was an original member of both his Thug Life group, as well as a premier member of Outlawz. Mopreme, as well as Big Syke dropped out of the group, but contrary to rumors, was never signed to Death Row Records.

In 2002, he was interviewed in the documentary Biggie & Tupac. In early 2007, Mopreme released the mixtape "Assassin & Mopreme Shakur Presents: Black & Brown Pride". Mopreme was featured on the soundtrack for the feature film Intoxicating, starring Kirk Harris, John Savage, and Eric Roberts.

In June 2008, Mopreme revealed that he had signed on as a consulting producer for the BET series, American Gangster, titled "Mutulu Shakur and The Republic of New Afrika." The show will feature his incarcerated father, Mutulu Shakur, a proponent of the Republic of New Afrika in the 1960s and '70s and member of the neo-Marxist/black nationalist group Black Liberation Army. Mopreme provided insight, direction, subject matter for interviews, and acted as a liaison between the show and his father.

Patti is diverse and delicious..... from being featured with the Tuscany Symphony to singing the national anthem at the Bill Pickens annual Rodeo, to performing as vocal accompaniment, for Roberta Flack, Micheal Bolton, Jerry Butler, Diana Ross, Tower Of Power, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Laura Branigan, Nancy Wilson, Della Reese, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Kenny G, and more. Her global travels have taken her on many World Tours as live backup, with Motown icon Smokey Robinson. Over 25 years she recorded several albums with him. including albums, “Smokey’s Family Robinson”, “Quiet Storm”, and paired with him in on stage duets. Patti is one third of a family gospel trio, the “Henleys”. Brothers Robert iii, Ronald, and she appear in concert throughout the country. The Henleys were featured vocalist at the Memorial Musical Celebration in honor of Coretta Scott King at Ebenezer Baptist church, in Atlanta Georgia

ACTRESS: Always captivating and spellbinding she breathes excitement, and credibility into each character. Patti currently tours with the Paul Morse Acting Company, Artist In Residence, at the Los Angeles Music Center. She stars in the role of Harriet Tubman, in Letters To Harriet. Patti sparkled with her one woman show Sing America...while entertaining the Chinese consulate. Other theatre credits include: Achieving the Dream, written and starring the late Yolanda King, Porgy & Bess with the Los Angeles Civic Opera. Mary, the mother of Jesus in the West Angeles Performing Arts production of Oh Mary Don't You Weep, Angela in the musical, Rejoice. The Message Is In The Music, written and directed by Touch By An Angel's Della Reese. Voices From The Past, Black People Who Knew, Cermonies In Dark Old Men, South Pacific, Lady Day in the Billie Holiday Story.....and more.

PRODUCER: Ms. Henley served as producer for the Hollywood Black Film Festival’s opening night Red Carpet Gala, at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, and the Closing Night Award Ceremony, “A Tribute To Black Cinema: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”. This event was hosted by Comedian J. Anthony Brown, and comedic actress Paula Jai Parker . Included were tributes to Barbershop director, Tim Story, Producer/Writer Saladin Patterson, of the Fighting Temptations, and the Bernie Mac Show. Also independent Filmmaker Charles Burnett. In subsequent years she returned Producing an opening night tribute to veteran photographer Bill Jones. The Closing Night Awards were hosted, by Corey Reynolds, and Gina Ravera, costars of TNT’s “The Closer”.

EDUCATOR: She has designed A unique music and drama program for youth. “I Am A Promise” is a fun way of learning the basics tri-love.weebly.com

PLAYWRITE: Ms Henley penned the new musical "We Were There", one woman shows Musiversal, and Sing America. Ms Henley has written produced several stage plays for children, and is currently Developing a web series “The Armants”

Patti attended Eureka College in Eureka Ill. In Los Angeles she studied voice with Nathan Lamb, at Simon Wiesenthal Academy, scene study and advanced theatre at the Kilpatric-Cambridge actors workshop at Warner Bros. Studios

We are so happy and proud to welcome back Ms. Shirley Jones Of The Jones Girls and her Multi Talented son Cam Jones, Producer, Songwriter, Performer, Businessman. We were able to pay tribute to Ms. Jones, shout out The Jones Girls upcoming UNSUNG feature and surprise performances from Singer - Songwriter Jeffery Mpondo (France), Bassist- Songwriter Fernando Rosa (Brazil) and Bassist Alex Hancox (London)

Javier Vargas, Spain’s biggest blues star, has released 27 albums since putting together the Vargas Blues Band in 1990. Eight of those records have sold platinum.

Javier has performed and/or recorded with so many artists… Prince, Carlos Santana, Alvin Lee, Roy Buchanan, Canned Heat, Larry Graham, Glenn Hughes, Jack Bruce, Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert and Devon Allman, to name a few amongst a looong list of major stars.

Carlos Santana plays Javier Vargas

Some of these stars appear as guest artists on Vargas Blues Band albums, while others have recorded versions of Javier’s music on their own albums. Carlos Santana’s version of Javier’s Blues Latino on the album Santana Brothers (1994) is a good example.

Performing with Prince

Many have asked Javier to perform with them on stage, marvelling his skills and musical style. Performing with Prince & The New Power Generation is one of highlights among those encounters.

We are very proud of this Mental Health Episode with Dr. H. Jean Wright ll, featuring special guests Dave and Marla Thomas. Dave and Marla have been major advocates within the mental illness community for many years. Through their campaign of erasing the stigmas that surround mental illness and partnering with the NAMI organization, Dave and Marla are truly soldiers in this arena.

Christopher Mann (born June 17, 1964) is an American actor who has appeared in various films written and/or directed by filmmaker Tony Gilroy. He has appeared in other films such as Ocean's 11, Emmett's Mark, The Mighty Macs, Cost of a Soul, Lebanon, Pa., The Big Year, Backwards, Deer Crossing, 1982, Myra's Angel, Jersey Justice, The North Star, and A Place in Hell.

He has had recurring roles on shows such as The Wire, The Underground Kings, and House of Cards in addition to portraying various characters on the Law & Order spin-offs Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent. In addition to those shows, he also guest-starred on Hack, Kidnapped (with Otto Sanchez and Jeremy Sisto), Heroes, Three Rivers, Blue Bloods, Made in Jersey, and Those Who Kill.

From the farm county of Lower Peachtree, North of Mobile Alabama, you might not expect a chart-topping musical powerhouse to emerge, and yet Brenda Lee Eager did just that. Beyond her original songs recorded by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Prince, Brenda has a heart and voice as big as the world - having performed with the most important artists in American music history: Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, Graham Nash and the inimitable Ray Charles.

Brenda started her singing career like so many other greats: in church. Having established a secure partnership between her music and her spiritual path, she moved to Chicago landing the coveted female lead with Jerry Butler's group (Motown), and was later co-featured with Jerry in his famous Billboard “Certified Gold” hits: “Ain't Understanding Mellow” and “(They Long To Be) Close To You.”

But these accolades are a small part of what makes Brenda such a powerful writer and lyricist. Brenda inherently understands the relationship between storytelling and the song. Every song she creates retains a compelling sense of narrative - never losing sight of a deep humanity encapsulated in the melody and lyric.

Having penned several one-woman and theatrical shows of her own, Brenda is no stranger to the theater and has joined forces with Catherine Kinsman and Ben Dowling to write the musical Spiral—a powerful story that addresses human civilization and its relationship with nature and indigenous cultures around the world.

“Music is central to my life. It's between God and music - and a lot of the time I consider those two words to be nearly interchangeable. My music is a reflection of the spiritual lessons that I practice in my life. I can't think of a better place to speak from, as we face profound issues, than through our collective voice and stories of magic, of vision and of love.”

CRYSTAL CHEATHAM, FOUNDER & CEO

Crystal Cheatham (she/hers) received her MFA from Antioch University. She is an LGBTQ rights activist with a focus on religious liberty. Since 2011 Crystal has worked simultaneously as a ghostwriter and queer rights activist with groups such as Soulforce and the Attic Youth Center. As an entrepreneur Crystal is the founder of two projects: Our Bible App and The IDentity Kit, both of which provided resources for marginalized communities of faith. As an outspoken activist she has written for The Huffington Post on the intersections of faith and sexual identity, a faith and spirituality column for the Philadelphia Gay Newspaper, sat on the steering committee of the HRC as the Faith & Spirituality chair, and partnered with Equality PA to influence clergy to support non-discrimination legislation. She is the host of Lord Have Mercy, a podcast about God, sex and the Bible, and has been featured in TeenVogue, Autostraddle, and LGBTQNation amongst others. Contact Crystal at [email protected].

The entertainment pioneer and vocalist extraordinaire; MELBA MOORE joins us again for more positive vibrations. In this episode, Julie, Wendi and I surprise Melba with a special guest, the House/Dance Producer Terry Hunter. Terry is also one of the producers and songwriters for Melba's new smash, International single; "Just Doin' Me". Watch and fall in love with Queen Melba even more.