It’s hard to believe that the end of 2018 has finally come. This year has been pretty tough on the whole world. There were deaths, natural world disasters, and a psycho running the country. Through it all, we did have many beautiful moments throughout the year. We decided to share our 10 memorable highlights of 2018.

10. King James Joins The Lakers!

Our number 10 biggest moment of 2018 is our boy Lebron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers. James is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $153.3 million contract. He’s trying to bring another championship. It just feels so good that he’s right HERE in our neck of the woods.

2. The Wall-Scaling Raccoons!

Our 9th biggest moment in 2018 come from a rather small lil creature. A Minnesota raccoon held us captivated back in June when he successfully scaled a 25 story skyscraper. Twitter was ablaze for most of the night, until it reached the top of the roof at 2:45 in the morning. The animal showed up at the office building at 3 in the afternoon. After the nail-biting journey, our lil furry friend was released into the wild.

8. The Parkland Movement!

Our 8th biggest moment of 2018 was followed by the biggest tragedy of 2018. Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida fell under attack when a student ran in the school with a firearm and unloaded killing 17 people. Since the shooting, several rallies were planned to take place with the focus on legislative action. The Women’s March Network organized a 17-minute school walkout that took place on March 14. A series of demonstrations called “March For Our Lives” on March 24 included a march in Washington, D.C. On April 20, the anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre, all-day walkouts were planned for teacher groups by educators as well as student groups. Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg are the most noted advocates from the tragedy.

7. Gabrielle Union Finally Gets Her Baby!

It’s no secret that Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade have struggled with starting a family of their own. Gabby had spoken candidly about miscarriages in the past, but she successfully became a Mother for the first time this year. Through surrogacy, Gabby and Dwyane became parents of a beautiful baby girl name Kaavia James.

6. Prince Harry Gets A Bride!

After years and years of seeing Prince William and Princess Kate marry and grow their family, it was now time to see baby brother start his life. Prince Harry chose American actress Meghan Markle to be his partner for life. Markle, who is biracial, will be giving birth to the couple’s first child next year.

5. Snoop Dogg Gets A Star!

If you live here in Los Angeles, you know that getting your own star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame is a super big deal. That’s why we were blown away when we learned that rapper/actor Snoop Dogg was one of the celebrities chosen to get his very own star. We still can’t get over it.

4. The Thailand Boys Are Rescued From A Cave.

These boys worked our nerves for weeks! You all remember the Thailand football team that was trapped in the cave? After a football practice on Saturday 23 June, 12 young players and their “Wild Boars” team coach entered the 10km (6 mile) Tham Luang cave complex in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand. When they failed to return home, a huge search operation was launched, with rescuers facing a race against time to find them as heavy rain battered the region and flooded parts of the cave. After 10 days, they were found weak but alive. 7 days later, they were rescued by some brave divers.

3. Aretha Franklin’s Homegoing Service….

One of the saddest things we had to do in 2018 was say goodbye to a legend. Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16th after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. The third biggest moment of 2018 was the Queen of Soul’s 6-hour homegoing service which was televised. It was like an over-the-top concert going on at the same time as a revival. Everyone from The Williams Brothers to Chaka Khan, Jenifer Lewis, Jennifer Holliday, Stevie Wonder, Whoopi Goldberg, Tyler Perry, Gladys Knight, Isiah Thomas, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, Cicely Tyson, and Fantasia was there. They sent Mrs. Franklin away in style and class…..which is exactly the way she lived here on Earth.

2. Jacquees Crowns Himself As The King Of R&B…

The number two biggest moment of 2018 has got to be the “king of R&B” debate. Singer Jacquees caused all of this commotion when he posted a video declaring himself the new king of R&B. Of course this had all of the older soul singers bent. How can you crown yourself the king without putting in the work?? Everyone was weighing in on the discussion, placing R&B music at the forefront again. Thank you Jacquees for stirring the pot.

1. The Wakanda Movement 

And now! Drum roll please……….

The number one movement of 2018 is the Black Panther movement. Black Panther  is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The entire cast (except for a few actors) were black and proud. Black Panther premiered in February of this year to African Americans who were ready to show off our heritages. We were entering the movie theaters with our most beautiful African attire and just bursting with pride. Black Panther went on to earn a whopping $1.347 billion worldwide, with a budget of $210 million. We are so proud of everyone involved, and can not WAIT to see the sequel.