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Essence cakes: Seems “Essence: is still betting on black…even though some ladies had their panties in a bunch about the publication hiring a white fashion editor, we don’t have to worry about the magazine having a shortage of fine black men to grace their covers. The new issue features Blair Underwood, Boris Kodjoe and Lance Gross talking about “What Makes Black Men Happy.”

Nicki Minaj, here taking promotional shots for MTV, has been added to the music channel’s Video Music Awards performance pre-show performance lineup. They saved the main event for the big boys including Usher, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Drake and, yes, Kanye West. The show airs live September 12.