Gerrick D. Kennedy is an award-winning journalist currently covering pop music for the Los Angeles Times, where he’s profiled music's biggest players including Ice Cube, Nas, Sean Combs, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, Nicki Minaj, and the Weeknd. His reporting has led to guest spots on "The Today Show," "Dateline," "20/20," "Entertainment Tonight," "The Michael Eric Dyson Show" as well as appearances on NBC, CNN, MSNBC, TVOne, Revolt TV and Fuse. An Ohio native, he earned a Bachelor's Degree of Arts in Journalism from The Ohio State University, where he was a founding member of the campus chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. In 2012, Kennedy was named Emerging Journalist of the Year by the National Association of Black Journalists and in 2014 the Advocate featured him in its annual 40 Under 40 list. He currently lives in Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter @GerrickKennedy