Last night, the 4th Annual “Black Girls Rock!” Awards ceremony went down in NYC. The fundraising event brought out a star stellar group of black girls and black boys that truly rock!. The list of attendees included Mary J. Blige, Naomi Campbell, Janelle Monae, Queen Latifah, Tracy Ellis Ross and much more. On Friday, honoree Mary J. Blige chopped it up with MTV and explained why ‘Black Girls Rock!’. She says,

“Why ‘Black Girls Rock’? Black girls rock because we have it the hardest. We have it the hardest because our testimonies are stronger probably than anybody on the earth.”

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There’s absolutely no doubt that Queen of Hip-hop Soul Mary J. Blige and supermodel Naomi Campbell are Black Girls That Rock! The officials over at Black Girls Rock! seem to think so too, which is why these two ladies will be honored for their career achievements at the Black Girls Rock! Awards in New York on October 17th at the Times Center. However, MJB and Naomi aren’t the only ladies being recognized for their success, actress Raven Symone and singer Janelle Monae and a slew of other outstanding black women will also be acknowledged at the ceremony which celebrates women of color. Previous Black Girls That Rock! include Missy Elliott, Jennifer Hudson, Iman and Erykah Badu.

Mr. College Dropout, Kanye West gave a special treat to deserving students in his hometown of Chicago, IL. Kanye performed for free yesterday at The Chicago Theatre for 3,000 Chicago Public School students who improved their grades and attendance. The event was sponsored by The Kanye West Foundation, an organization created by his late mother Donda West, whose goal is to decrease dropout rates and improve literacy. Although Kanye was there to encourage kids to stay in school, he kept it real by telling students that in today’s “recession world” college isn’t necessarily for everyone. His message to students:

“Take every opportunity you have to make your life as successful as possible.” Adding, “If you have the opportunity to skip that step…maybe you know someone who works in the business you want to work in, not necessarily music and you can actually get in and start making money in this real word, recession world…I’m going to sit up here at this convention and tell you go and get the job.”

I commend Kanye for working on keeping his mother’s vision alive, but at the same token it’s pretty sad that today’s generation seems to only focus on their education if they’re receiving some form of compensation. What ever happened to getting good grades because it’s expected of you?!

Pop the top for pics of Kanye and friends after the cut…