Dayna Hayman

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Norland and Amina James are used to taking people by surprise. "No one ever asks us if we're the owners. They always ask us if we're the managers. I know why though," Amina James said. As new owners of the Quality Inn Hotel in Raleigh, they join the small group of African Americans who make up 2% of hotel owners in the country. You may not believe it, but their partnership started from a botched blind date. "She was getting ready to kick me to the curb," Norland James said.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fans and loved ones of rap icon and music legend Gangsta Boo will remember her Friday with a Celebration of Life ceremony at Railgarten on Cooper-Young. Her death is still a tough reality to grasp and those closest to Gangsta Boo say she was not just a respected music giant who set the tone in the rap industry and broke barriers for those behind her, but she was passionate about seeing others, especially young Black women, grow.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fans and loved ones of rap icon and music legend Gangsta Boo will remember her Friday with a Celebration of Life ceremony at Railgarten on Cooper-Young. Her death is still a tough reality to grasp and those closest to Gangsta Boo say she was not just a respected music giant who set the tone in the rap industry and broke barriers for those behind her, but she was passionate about seeing others, especially young Black women, grow.