UrbanBridgez.com Celebrates 20th Anniversary

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- UrbanBridgez.com, one of the leading urban websites, is celebrating its 20-year anniversary.

In 2005, led by Aries Dendy Founder/CEO and President Jason Richards, Urban Bridgez Group (UBG) was launched with a vision to tackle multi-media, marketing & create a more lifestyle centered e-zine. The new entertainment website launched August 15th, 2005.

UrbanBridgez.com launched to over a million views. The launch broke all previous records of views for the previous website T M H, in a single day.

Setting up the e-zine for future success!

Since 2005 UBG (Urban Bridgez Group) has specialized in roll-out marketing, website design, logos, standard marketing promo, and the entertainment e-zine UrbanBridgez.com, has been responsible for breaking and exclusive news, talent interviews, contests, reviews and more.

"We always intended to branch out even more, as far as covering more areas of urban entertainment with UB," states Jason Richards, "But over the course of these last two decades, we never dreamed it would become what it has on the level it has."

UrbanBridgez.com is an urban/pop culture e-zine for Urban Lifestyle, originally specializing in R&B.

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of UrbanBridgez.com, the brand is launching UBPodcast on September 3rd, 2025. Hosted by UBG's Aries, Ivan Matias, Tishelle and Shai.

The podcast will discuss various entertainment and general life related topics, as well feature celebrity guest. However unlike the talent UB interviews, guest on the UBPodcast will be discussing the topic at hand.

The website will also get back to the essence of the brand, starting this coming Monday August 18th with a week of artists interviews.

Including interviews with legendary Meli'sa Morgan, Kevin Ross, American Idol's Gabby Samone, James Artissen formerly known as James Worthy and dance music legend CeCe Peniston, concludes the week with a new Soul Friday interview and spotlight.

Aries, first started T M H Entertainment after graduating at McNally & Smith College for Music Business in Minneapolis. A message board was born and in late 1998, and a full-fledged website was launched in 1999. In 2005 the name of the brand was changed to Urban Bridgez Group (UBG).

The name Urban Bridgez, comes from a mixtape collection, Aries use to make as a teen.

The site viewers have made UB one of the biggest urban lifestyle websites online and one of the top R&B sites for it's entire 20 year run.

UB has conducted interviews with entertainers in music, tv and film. As well showcase new artists, hosts free movie/TV advance screenings, provide the latest urban entertainment news and of course, premiere new music & spotlight R&B greats.

"The interviews I can honestly say, were not a main focus for us," states Aries Dendy. "The more we did them and with whom we began to do them with, began to make them a staple for our website."

Music of course is the core of UrbanBridgez.com and over the years, the e-zine has been honored to present its site viewers with First Listens.

Including Saweetie's remix with Jhené Aiko & City Girls for "My Type." The single broke the websites record of visits, when it garnered more than 2 million hits as the only place to stream the track.

Recent First Listen's have included singles from Ledisi, Jon B., Anthony Hamilton and M.C. Lyte.

UB became quickly known for their exclusive First Look's as well, for album cover-art, promo pics and track-listings.

Including releases from Rihanna, SWV, Mindless Behavior, Lil Wayne, Johnny Gill, and a host of others. With posthumously art work and tracklist for releases from Teena Marie and Vesta, for their final albums.

Now the e-zine is known for First Look's of film and television series, such as "Life After Lockup," "Found," "Wicked City," "Deb's House" and the holiday film "Nochebuena."

"It's a testament with how we present our content, with the level of support we've received over the years from tv and film viewers, states Jason Rickards. "With so many online options, we're grateful we have some faithful newsletter visitors, on top of a great Google SEO."

UBG Honors, originally T M H Honors was started in 2002 on the original e-zine. A yearly round-up of the best of the best in music and online fans vote!

Over the years since UrbanBridgez.com, the names changed to the UB honors and have expanded into more categories and have been supported by artists and fans alike. For instance, in 2009 Beyoncé's team posted her nominations on her official site. That year she was nominated for 5 honors, for her "I Am… Sasha Fierce" release.

Since then many artists & actors have shared their nominations on their official sites and social media, including: Toni Braxton, Maxwell, Malika Perkins Blessing, Charlie Wilson, and more.

UB has also covered many award shows live and music events including the first BET Hip Hop Awards, MTV Awards, Stellar Awards, and various years of Soundset and the BET Awards.

The special features have been a huge part of the success of UB. Starting with the Round Table Discussion, the first month UB launched in 2005.

The first was led by former president of BET Stephen Hill and RCA's Russ Jones. UB brought the highly popular feature back in 2019, with Round Table II that featured GRAMMY nominated songwriter/producer Ivan Matias and industry executive and entertainment journalist Billy Johnson Jr.

UB Special Features celebrating albums and legendary artists have been a big draw to the site for sometime now. R&B Bridgez has spotlighted albums by; Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Brandy, Rick James, Tevin Campbell, SWV, Nivea, Surface, LeVert, The Jets, and a Salute to The Teddy Bear, the late great Gerald LeVert.

This year after the airing of the Lisa Lisa biopic, UB's R&B Bridgez on Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam went live the following day. Voiced in the piece was the disappointment of the film focusing only on Lisa Velez.

After the R&B Bridgez went live, CultJam's team reached out to set up an interview, to set the record straight. As a huge fan of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, to help them share their message was an honor. The interview teaser alone received over 25k views, including on TikTok.

UB's post on incarcerated R&B Singer Suavé also went viral and was helpful to the fallen stars family when it reached them.

"The special features will always be a special part of our website, states Aries Dendy. "They're the core, at best of what the brand was built on. Celebrating R&B legends and future legends."

The honors don't go unnoticed, as in recent years such artist as Robert "Kool" Bell, Hammer, the late Wayne Lewis of Atlantic Starr and Kelly Price, have all voiced their appreciation to UB and shared the features on social media.

UB Soul Friday is the weekly spotlight feature, introduced to the website viewers in January of this year. Some artists that have been featured include; Rick James, Morris Day, Monica, Ray J, Tracie Spencer, Lyfe, Carl Thomas, and Kool & the Gang.

Twin Cities own RL gave an intimate and candid Soul Friday interview with UB this year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, video interviews began to take place more often. Quickly racking up views, such as with Cassi Davis, Loretta Devine, The Clark Sisters, Snoop Dogg, Coko, Nick Cannon, Mario Van Peebles, Kelly Price, Stokley, Kym Whitley & DeRay Davis, Ledisi, Shanola Hampton & Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Steve Wilkos, The Cast of BET Presents "The Encore," and a host of others since.

In recent years, UrbanBridgez.com has become one of the leading websites for urban television and films. Beginning when UB started posting weekly features on TV shows such as; BET's "American Soul: The Story of Soul Train," The Oval", "Sistas" and BET's "Ladies Night" with SWV & Salt-N-Pepa.

UB has also conducted interview with the cast of "Zatima," "Chucky," "The Oval," "Mathis Family Matters" "Wild 'N Out," "Ruthless," and "Love & Hip Hop: Miami."

Keshia Knight Pulliam spoke with UB this year in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Cosby Show, while UB also celebrated the 10th and final season of "black-ish." The website was there from the start, as they were invited to the screening party of the pilot episode hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross.

Throughout the series UB also did press with the cast and special features on various episodes.

UB has also featured recent interviews with actress Sheryl Lee Ralph in support of "The Real Red Tails," activist Nekima Levy Armstrong and Tarriona 'Tank' Ball and Brittany Bell-Surratt for Hip Hop Caucus.

UB press has been picked up by some of the biggest news and entertainment organizations in the world including; Billboard, The Source, Black Enterprise, MTV, HELLO! Magazine, Perez Hilton, B Scott, Power 105.1, eurweb, musicserver.cz, and The Inquisitr.

In 2022, UrbanBridgez.com was a proud sponsor of the "2nd Annual Benjamin Crump Equal Justice Now Awards."

Honorees were Mario Van Peebles, Roland Martin, Brandon "Stix" Salaam-Bailey, Gilbert Cedillo, Bakari Sellers, Angela Rye, Charlie Rocket, Kiesha Nix, Diane Watson, Joyce Beatty and Melvin Van Peebles posthumously. UB appreciated Rev. Jesse Jackson and Mario Van Peebles, for stating and pointing out multiple times.. how important Black Press is!

As a multi-media business Urban Bridgez Group, the brand has helped companies, talent and labels shine!

UB's team of web designers have created original, creative & professional websites and content for some of the biggest entertainers and brands in the business. Including Brandy, Ray J, Music World Entertainment, Nelbud, Paramount Pictures, Sony Music and more.

Aries began working with Sonja Norwood (mother of Brandy & Ray J) in 2002 and by the time UBG launched in 2005, Ray J was planning to release his first independent album "Raydiation." Through his brand Knockout, Ray J's team signed on for online multi-marketing.

"UBG! Man I'm speechless. I mean out here I just got moms, me and the Knockout crew, so it's like nine of us. But with y'all, we're beating them. It's more of us together!" – Ray J

UBG's work relationship continued with the family, when Aries was asked to help design and operate the official websites for Brandy, Ray J and Sonja Norwood. As the family geared up to start filming the VH1 reality series "A Family Business."

Over the course of the last two decades, UrbanBridgez.com's vision has become a reality.

UB has grown from a one leveled site about music, to an urban lifestyle website that has interviewed some of the world's biggest stars including; Denzel Washington, Kirk Franklin, Kimberly Elise, Ciara, Bobby Brown, Kevin Hart, Marlon Waynes, Charlamagne Tha God, T.I, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kelly Rowland, Issa Rae and the late greats Mtume, Dr. Roscoe Brown and Teena Marie.

To celebrate with the people who have made the brand a success, UBG will be hosting a 20 Year Anniversary Event in November.

With a documentary on T M H and UBG, being released Spring 2026.

For More on UBG: urbanbridgez.com | ubgweb.com | akilahdendy.com

ABOUT URBANBRIDGEZ

UrbanBridgez.com is an urban online lifestyle magazine. The site serves as an interface for urban-pop culture that includes exclusive interviews, news, contests, lifestyle trends.

Contact: Jason Richards, [email protected]

SOURCE Urban Bridgez Group