Culture
Is Hip Hop Black Owned?
So there is this grand debate that Hip Hop belongs to black people. And though I am certainly not racist I have to agree
So there is this grand debate that Hip Hop belongs to black people. And though I am certainly not racist I have to agree.
Not in the physical sense but certainly in the emotional sense. It was created as a way for people of color, primarily Black people, to voice the injustices that were happening in their communities.
It was the one way for Black people to be certain that they were heard. But what are we, Black people, really doing with it now?
We stopped using it as a vehicle to be heard and began using it as a get rich quick scheme. It seems like we lost sight of what “Fight The Power” really was intended to mean. We gave up on understanding of who we are. We stopped finding importance in using it with a purpose.
What happen to the days when Hip Hop was heavily influenced by politics? Was that all washed down the drain when being a crack baby became a popular thing to be? Did we really allow ourselves to be washed away with a influx of government implemented crack into our communities? Did our self worth and self interest get washed away forever in crack pipes and cocaine baggies? Because you have got to see that that was our distraction!
But here is the irony… After drugs were used to distract us we now glorify it!!!!!
How can we be so fixated on how it belongs to US when we no longer respect it? It seems as if somewhere along the line it has been forgotten that Hip Hop was a culture with a purpose. People have decided to make a disgusting mess of it. Everyone wants to be a Bobby Shmurda and forgot all about Public Enemy! We were suppose to be voicing our opinions and views. We were suppose to be showing people the truths of our lives and why we are the resilient people that we are. People gave up on the culture, hip hop, and happily became rappers. And please, can we stop confusing hip hop artist’s and rappers!? People choose to rap about b*tches, selling crack, f–king and a host of other things that only further the stigmas of the Black community. And after feeding into the ignorance they for some odd reason find themselves angry at the fact that people believe us to be all of these ignorant things! But you can’t be angry at what you so happily perpetuate.
So after we do all we can to ruin what hip hop was intended to be, we get mad at people who are not Black for loving it and embracing the true culture the way that we should. We say that they are trying to be Black but we clearly don’t give a sh*t about being Black. How can you? We diminish everything that is so great about being who we are and have the balls to get made at others for picking up the toys we broke and threw to the side. One mans garbage is another mans treasure.
If you want to keep Hip Hop it wouldn’t hurt to love it a little bit and bring it back to what it originally was. I for one am certainly tired of this sad sack of sh*t you artist are happy to keep producing!!!!
Black Excellence
Inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood® Awards
Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Get a look inside the 17th Annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
Hosted by Clifford “Method Man” Smith, the star studded event premiered March 15, exclusively on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
About ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood honors women who are making their undeniable mark in film and television and amplifies their strides in defining what it means to be a Black woman in Hollywood.
Honorees
This year’s honorees and entertainment industry trailblazers include Academy Award nominated actress & Grammy Award winner, Danielle Brooks, six-time Grammy nominated singer and leading-actress Halle Bailey, acclaimed screenwriter and showrunner of All American, All American: Homecoming and Found, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and industry powerhouse & President of Original Programming for STARZ, Kathryn Busby.
Check out some photo highlights inside the 17th ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards
For more, please visit http://www.essence.com/bwih2024
Culture
U.S. Virgin Islands Announces the Performance Line-up for St. Thomas Carnival Village Featuring Shaggy, Sizzla, Patrice Roberts, and Machel Montano
The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.
The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and Division of Festivals has announced the performance line-up for the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village.
72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village
The Village will be headlined by Caribbean superstars Shaggy, Patrice Roberts, Sizzla Kalonji, Kes, and Machel Montano, who will kick off the six-night free Village concerts on Monday, April 29.
“The anticipation around this year’s St. Thomas Carnival is at an all-time high, and the Village night performers reflect the continued influence and growth of our territory’s three carnivals,” exclaims USVI Department of Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte.
Center Stage
Adam O, Rudy Live, Temisha, Karnage, Blind Earz, VIO International, and Spectrum Band are among the performers who will take center stage to represent the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Every year, our goal is to pay homage to the vast Virgin Islands and Caribbean culture that is at the cornerstone of these annual celebrations for natives and visitors alike,” added USVI Division of Festivals Director Ian Turnbull.
Haitian kompa band VAYB and Dominican salsa orchestra Chiquito Team Band will provide a cross-cultural immersion of sound, highlighting the diverse musical interests of Virgin Islands residents.
First-time performers
Rounding out the village are a few first-time performers in the territory, including TeeJay, Jada Kingdom, and Kollision Band, and returning favorites Edwin Yearwood and Krosfyah, and Grandmasters.
Kids Night Out Village Night
This year, the Division of Festivals will host its first Kids Night Out Village Night, with activities including the Toddlers Derby, Best Dressed Doll, and performances by TMK and OTB.
More information on 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival Village
For up-to-date information about the 72nd Annual St. Thomas Carnival, visit https://www.instagram.com/usvifestivals/.
Culture
Online romances get a dose of reality in OWN’S all-new love & relationship series ‘The Never Ever Mets’
Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person.
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has announced an all-new relationship series that takes online dating into the real world, The Never Ever Mets.
About The Never Ever Mets Series
Hosted by Ta’Rhonda Jones, this 10-episode series features seven couples who have been virtually dating for some time and believe they may have found lasting love – only they have never met each other in person! Now, they’re meeting face-to-face for the very first time and sharing a house together for three weeks to see if their internet love can survive off the screen and in real life.
Synopsis
As all seven couples convene under the same roof, dating in person rather than through their computers or phones quickly proves to be the biggest challenge yet.
While many couples have been years in the making, some quickly find the in-person relationship is not what they anticipated.
To test the strength of their love connections, the group participates in a series of fun and flirty relationship activities, couples therapy and for some, a trip to the “boom boom room.” But visits from discerning loved ones, meddling opinions and tension from others in the house challenge their bonds even further. At the end of their stay, some will go home together…and some will be signing off for good.
Premiere
The series premieres on Friday, April 19 at 8pm ET/PT, on the OWN Network.
Check out the trailer below:
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