Chuck D, Herbie Hancock, Jelly Roll, and more were named Global Music Ambassadors by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and YouTube Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen. They are part of the inaugural roster of U.S. Global Music Ambassadors as part of a U.S. Department of State-YouTube Global Music Diplomacy Partnership. Their job is to use music to promote world peace on behalf of the United States just like jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington did in the 1950s. The American artists chosen have a history of public service and have made significant strides in their creative work. The Department and YouTube will announce additional ambassadors in future months. Check out the video of Secretary Blinken’s launch of the U.S. Department of State and YouTube partnership with the artists in attendance earlier this week and the other video of each artist acknowledging their new role. Kane Brown, BRELAND, Grace Bowers, Lainey Wilson, Justin Tranter, Denyce Graves, and Armani White were also on the list of music ambassadors. 

Is Oprah Winfrey deliberating focusing on accused Black male predators only now that she has executive-produced a documentary about sexual allegations against Russell Simmons?

Why didn’t any of the Golden Globes voters show-up for the screening of Queen & Slim? 

How will YouTube change now that streams will be counted towards the Billboard 200 and album charts? 

[youtube id=”ezqupqFeOX0″]

Who are the two actors that Halle Berry has vowed to never work with again?

[youtube id=”q1xRKWUNHb0″]

Was Lord Jamar “clout chasing” when he critiqued Eminem’s acceptance and relevance in hip-hop? 

[youtube id=”Emn3TU8eLfU”]

Who knew that Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl performance with Justin Timberlake aka Nippelgate inspired the creation of YouTube? 

[youtube id=”7B78awTk4MU”]G-Funk is a ’90s genre of hip-hop influenced by P-Funk and R&B. Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg set the mold for the new style and made it famous around the world. G-Funk: The Untold Story Of Warren G and How Hip-Hop’s Most Iconic Sub-Genre Came To Be is a documentary about the movement that debuted on YouTube today. The film can only be streamed through YouTube’s Premium channel. There are interviews with The D.O.C., Chuck D, Ice Cube, Wiz Khalifa and more. Warren G says, 

“I really wanted people to experience the world of West Coast Hip Hop seen through my eyes, and also how it helped inspire and evolve the current music of today. We all knew we were creating something dope but didn’t realize it would have such a lasting effect on music indefinitely.”

The documentary is the first feature film from director Karam Gill.