Jennifer Hudson in for tribute to Kobe Bryant at NBA 2020 All-Star Game

Admin l Friday, February 14, 2020

NEW YORK, United States of America – The National Basketball Association (NBA)  announced today that GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist and Academy Award-winning actress and Chicago native Jennifer Hudson will perform a special tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and their seven friends that tragically passed away on Jan. 26. 

Hudson’s performance will open the night ahead of player introductions for the 69^th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 16 at the United Center, airing live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT. 

The league also unveiled an All-Star lineup of performers that will join previously announced three-time GRAMMY winner and Chicago native Chance The Rapper, Golden Globe, Emmy, Oscar and three-time GRAMMY winner and Chicago native Common, and Chance’s brother and fellow rap artist Taylor Bennett, throughout the weekend. 

Before All-Star team introductions, Common will welcome fans to Chicago with a moving narrative about what basketball means to the city.  Prior to tip-off, Chicagoan and 10-time GRAMMY winner Chaka Khan will sing the U.S. national anthem and country music singer-songwriter Tenille Arts will sing the Canadian national anthem.  At halftime, Chance The Rapper will take the stage with five-time GRAMMY winner Lil Wayne, 2020 GRAMMY winner DJ Khaled and GRAMMY-nominated Migos rapper Quavo for a star-studded performance of their chart-topping hits.

During State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 15, Golden Globe-, GRAMMY- and Primetime Emmy Award-winning rapper, singer and actress Queen Latifah will be joined by Chicago youth for a special performance of Stevie Wonder’s classic song “Love’s in Need of Love Today.”  The evening will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.

On Friday, Feb. 14, the Chicago Children’s Choir will sing the U.S. national anthem in advance of NBA Rising Stars, which begins at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.  As previously announced, Taylor Bennett will perform at halftime.

Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan is one of the world’s most gifted and celebrated music icons.  A singer, songwriter, actor, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur and activist, Chaka Khan has influenced generations of music creators during her four decades as an artist.  A 10-time GRAMMY Award winner, she has the rare ability to sing in a number of musical genres, including R&B, pop, rock, gospel, country, world music and classical.  During her legendary career, Chaka has released 22 albums and racked up 10 No. 1 songs on the Billboard charts, seven RIAA-certified gold singles and 10 RIA-certified gold and platinum albums.  Chaka’s recordings have resulted in more than 2,000 catalog song placements.

Chicago Children’s Choir 
Chicago Children’s Choir (Josephine Lee, President and Artistic Director) is a non-profit organization that inspires and unites youth from diverse backgrounds to become global citizens through music.  Founded in Hyde Park in direct response to the Civil Rights Movement in 1956, CCC has grown from one choir into a vast network of in-school and after-school programs serving 5,200 students across the city of Chicago.  Learn more at ccchoir.org.

DJ Khaled
Since launching his career two decades ago, GRAMMY winner, multiplatinum artist, music industry visionary, innovative influencer, mogul and mega-producer DJ Khaled has sold 18 million singles and 5 million albums and generated more than 3 billion streams.  His discography encompasses eight gold singles, five platinum singles and two double-platinum singles. 

He landed back-to-back No. 1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with the gold-selling “Major Key” in 2016 and platinum-certified GRAMMY Award-nominated “Grateful” in 2017.  The latter boasted the sextuple-platinum Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “I’m The One” (feat. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, & Lil Wayne) and quadruple-platinum “Wild Thoughts” (feat. Rihanna & Bryson Tiller).  His 12^th full-length album, “Father of Asahd,” was the “No. 1 Most-Streamed Record” upon release in 2019, achieved a gold certification from the RIAA and marked his third straight Top 2 debut on the Billboard Top 200.  He also runs We the Best Music Group, is a New York Times bestselling author and served as a judge on Fox’s top-rated 2018 smash “The Four.”

Jennifer Hudson
A two-time GRAMMY winning recording artist, Academy Award-winning actress and best-selling author, Jennifer Hudson is an extraordinary talent.  From humble beginnings, Hudson began singing in a small Chicago church where, week after week, she brought the congregation to its feet.  From there, she’s gone on to worldwide acclaim. 

Hudson is currently in the final days of production on Liesl Tommy’s film, RESPECT, in which she stars as Aretha Franklin alongside Forrest Whitaker, Mary J. Blige and Marlon Wayans.  The film for which Hudson was handpicked by the late Ms. Franklin will hit theatres Oct. 9, 2020. 

Prior to that, she returned for her second season on NBC’s “The Voice” alongside Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Kelly Clarkson and for her third season of “The Voice UK” alongside coaches Tom Jones, will.i.am (http://bit.ly/2HopK56), and Olly Murs. Hudson’s song, “I’ll Fight,” written by Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren for the critically acclaimed documentary, “RBG,” was nominated for a 2019 Academy Award, where Hudson performed. 

In 2007, Hudson won an Academy Award for her role as Effie in the smash hit “Dreamgirls,” an adaptation of the Broadway musical.  Her breakout film performance also garnered a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA and an NAACP Image Award.  A five-time nominee, Hudson won her first Grammy in 2009 for Best R&B Album and again for Best Musical Theatre Album in 2017.

Lil Wayne

The five-time GRAMMY-winning multiplatinum rap icon, Young Money Entertainment founder, acclaimed author, skater, philanthropist, and history-making superstar has left an indelible tattoo on the culture.  By 2020, he cemented his legacy forever as “one of the best-selling artists of all time,” tallying sales in excess of 100 million records worldwide with 15 million albums and 37 million digital tracks sold in the U.S. alone. 

Not to mention, he garnered 11 BET Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, two MTV VMAs, and eight NCAAP Image Awards.  He emerged as “the first male artist to surpass Elvis Presley with the most entries on the Billboard Hot 100,” logging a staggering 109 entries. 

With a discography highlighted by two consecutive No. 1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with 2008’s triple-platinum three-time GRAMMY-winning opus “Tha Carter III” and its double-platinum 2011 successor “Tha Carter IV,” he completed the series with “Tha Carter V” in 2018.  Not only did it clinch No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, but it also achieved “the second-largest streaming week for an album in history.” 

Every song on the tracklisting charted on the Billboard Hot 100 as he became “the first artist two debut songs in the top 5.”  It all bulldozed the way for his thirteenth full-length, Funeral, a year later.  Simultaneously, Wayne owns and operates Young Money Entertainment, which ignited the careers of two of the most successful artists ever, Drake and Nicki Minaj.  The committed philanthropist also founded The One Family Foundation too.

Quavo
Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, producer, director and ‘HUNCHO’ of the GRAMMY-nominated group Migos, Quavo is one of the singular voices of hip hop’s new generation.  His debut solo album, “Quavo Huncho,” on Quality Control Music / Motown / Capitol and with breakout singles “Workin Me” and “Bubblegum,” came on the heels of Migos’ “Culture II,” their monumental album and second consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. 

In 2020, Quavo continues to deliver on the promise that Migos are the culture of this generation.  With his songwriting prowess, Quavo has contributed to two No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, including DJ Khaled’s “I’m The One” featuring Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper and Lil Wayne, nine Top 10 hits and 46 songs on the chart in total.  His collaborative album “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho” with Travis Scott debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 in December 2017. 

Quavo has also collaborated with high-profile artists like Beyoncé and Jay-Z on their smash “Ape Shit,” as well as Kanye West and others across the spectrum including Liam Payne, Halsey, Calvin Harris, Camilla Cabello, Bebe Rexha and many more.  In 2018, Quavo toured across the country with Migos and Drake on the sold-out “Aubrey and the Three Migos Tour.”  He also appeared on Fox’s TV show “Star” and played in the 2018 and 2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Games, winning MVP in 2018.  2020 marks his third consecutive year on the court.

Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah, a musician, television and film actress, label president, author and entrepreneur, became the first hip hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Jan. 4, 2006, and is one of music’s most well-respected rappers.  From her groundbreaking 1989 debut, “All Hail the Queen,” to her bold foray into R&B, Latifah continues to define what a woman in the music industry should be.  She has earned six GRAMMY nominations as well as a GRAMMY Award for Best Solo Rap Performance. 

She has earned numerous accolades for her work as an actress in both film and television, including a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nomination for her portrayal of Mama Morton in the feature musical “Chicago”; an Emmy Award nomination, a Golden Globe award and a SAG Award for her role in the cable film “Life Support”; and an Emmy Award nomination, Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award for her role in the cable film “Bessie,” which she also produced.  In addition, Queen Latifah and her business partner Shakim Compere formed the production company Flavor Unit Entertainment, which has produced numerous projects since its inception.

Tenille Arts

Born and raised in the small prairie town of Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Tenille Arts picked up the guitar and penned her first song at age 13 and has been performing across the U.S. and Canada ever since.  She made her first appearance on “The Bachelor” in January 2018 singing her original song “Moment of Weakness.” 

The performance resulted in a record deal with powerhouse indie label Reviver Records.  She made her second appearance on the show in January of 2019 performing “I Hate This.”  The song hit No. 1 on both the U.S. and Canadian iTunes Country Charts and No. 9 U.S. iTunes all-genre following the episode. 

Her third appearance on “The Bachelor” preceded the release of her new album “Love, Heartbreak, & Everything In Between” in January of 2020.  Tenille’s music has tallied over 51 million lifetime streams.  Streaming giant Pandora named her one of their new artists to watch, and CMT included her in their “Ten Must-See Indies You Need to Know,” a video discovery program that spotlights rising independent artists and established artists from independent labels.

 Rolling Stone named Tenille one of their “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know,” calling her “An edgy, Fearless-era Taylor Swift with crystalline vocals; ideal for hopeless romantics who are fire signs,” and PopCulture named her one of their “Country Artists to Watch in 2018.” 

Tenille made her Grand Ole Opry debut on Sept. 21, 2019 and performed at the Grand Ole Opry at the historic Ryman Auditorium on Jan. 3, 2020.  National television appearances include the TODAY Show, the Radio Disney Music Awards and singing the Canadian National Anthem at Game 3 of the 2019 NBA finals.