Rudolph Isley, founding member of the legendary soul group The Isley Brothers, has passed away at the age of 84. Alongside his brothers, Rudolph helped create timeless hits such as "Who's That Lady?" and "Shout." After leaving the band in the late 1980s, he pursued a life in the ministry. The Isley Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year.
The Isley Brothers, Kid Capri, and Tamar Braxton performed at Baltimore's Druid Hill Park for the AFRAM festival, celebrating Black culture on Juneteenth weekend. The festival featured music, food, exhibits, crafts, and more, drawing an estimated 75,000 people on the first day alone. Festival-goers praised AFRAM for highlighting Black history and spreading positivity in Baltimore.
The AFRAM Festival, one of the largest African-American cultural arts fairs on the East Coast, is returning to Baltimore in June with WJZ as the media sponsor. The event will feature legendary musical group The Isley Brothers and rapper Ty Dolla $ign as headliners, along with other renowned artists such as Kid Capri, Spinderella, Tamar Braxton, and Eric Bellinger. The festival will be held on June 17 and 18 at Druid Hill Park and will celebrate the anniversary of Baltimore Club music and 50 years of hip hop. The city is accepting applications for talent, sponsorship opportunities, volunteers, and vendors.
Rudolph Isley is suing his younger brother Ronald Isley over the rights to "The Isley Brothers" trademark, claiming Ronald applied and got approval for the trademark in his own name and is taking all the profits. Rudolph claims they've each had 50% ownership in the band since their brother O'Kelly died in 1986, but Ronald recently went rogue. Rudolph wants the court to declare the trademark is jointly owned by him and his brother and wants Ronald to cough up half of any money he's been making off their band's good name since getting the trademark.
