Entertainment
Is GloRilla gospel? Tye Tribbett, Melech Thomas, and the Art of Creating an Appropriate Ministry
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Is it just us, or has the entertainment industry apparently recently gone on a truth-telling tour? The last stop was viral interview in the “Breakfast Club”, where the Grammy Award-winning gospel artist and Pastor Tye Tribbett he made a revealing admission: the current system and structure of the “(black) church sucks.” Tribbett’s assessment that “church” is losing relevance was in response to questions on the perceived decline of celebrity pastors in popular culture. It echoes the warning in his song “Sinking,” Tribbett went on to say, “The church should be about the people, but the church creates people around the church… They don’t serve the people and don’t love the people.”
While there may be undoubtedly some truth in his comments, as one might expect, Tribbett has faced a backlash from such ministers Pastor Mike McClure, Jr., who took to social media to say that the musician must have kept his criticism secret and could have also identified spiritual colleagues working to share the ministry.
However, the query stays: How do most preachers live and preach the gospel in an accessible way?
While many “saints” may reject the concept that the Church is crazy, Tribbett’s words weren’t lost ON Pastor Melech E. M. Thomaswho entered collective chat through footage of one of his sermons showing how he redefines gospel music; music that lifts his spirit. Last Sunday at Payne Memorial AME Church in West BaltimorePastor Thomas preached a sermon it has since gone viral, precisely because he spoke in an idiom and language that strange people recognize, and surprisingly, using the lyrics of someone he proposed, he’s GloRilla’s “new gospel artist” “Tomorrow.”
“I love good gospel music and there is this new gospel artist,” Thomas proclaimed. “Some of you may know her, some of you may not. … She’s from Memphis. Her name is Gloria Hallelujah Woods. Some of you may know her as GloRilla – yes, GloRilla… Well, GloRilla has a song titled “Tomorrow” and makes the following statement that blesses me. He says, “Every day the sun doesn’t shine, but that’s why I love tomorrow.” And I seek advice from some those that life hasn’t been the smoothest for you. But you understand that what Big Mama kept saying was right: “May the weeping last one night, but joy come in the morning.” That every single day just isn’t good. But if I live to see tomorrow, something might change. Well, have a look at your neighbor and say, “Yes, Glo.”
To be clear, this is not only about Thomas quoting a rapper – most black churchgoers know it might probably occur any Sunday. No, the fact is that unlike some of his Baltimore pastoral cohorts who took low cost shots at black women, prostitutes and those around them – even using lyrics like “These Hoes ain’t Loyal” – Thomas handled it and offered it up as holy a piece of art by an artist that many would consider blasphemous attributable to its sexually explicit and adult content.
Speaking with Father Thomas, a colleague and friend, he explained to us why and how he uses hip-hop as a lens to interpret Scripture. “We need to listen to the music our young people listen to,” he said. Like those of us who grew up with hip-hop and other forms of urban youth music – equivalent to go-go, house music, trap and other styles – there’s something to be said for recognizing and repurposing the same styles, expressions and storytelling , which popular artists use to convey messages that could be heard and understood.
As scholars and clergy, we understand that there have at all times been tensions in the community of faith over the use of “world music” to talk to the times. Thomas says he’s inspired by preachers like the Brethren and go-go pastors Tony’s turns AND Bill Lee Communities of Hope, who often are praised for his unconventional approach to ministry. Like Reverend Thomas, Fr. Tony and Bill Lee come from an AME tradition full of preachers in the Black prophetic tradition. From remixing go-go music to starting a church strip club (yes, really), these two brothers in blood and service show that God can use anyone and anything to bring hope, transformation and empowerment – to individuals and communities.
However, Thomas didn’t at all times agree with their culturally appropriate technique. In fact, he confessed that when he was 13, he didn’t like the Lee brothers’ references to hip-hop and go-go music of their sermons. He found their style problematic enough that he spoke to the Reverend Tony Lee to challenge his methodology. At a key point in his mentoring, Lee explained to Thomas that he was preaching in a language people recognized, and Thomas soon began to note the solid ethics and results that resulted.
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If a community of faith desires to stay relevant and forward-looking, there are three elements around which we must always all be open to listening and searching for understanding:
Authenticity and transparency: A community of faith can dare to be authentic and transparent about the real challenges of people’s faith. You can authentically connect along with your community without sacrificing your values. Combating the discomfort of sharing shortcomings could be each enlightening and lasting for audiences seeking to connect.
Adaptability and innovation: As society evolves, the Church should be open to adapting its approach to stay culturally appropriate and effective in meeting the needs of local communities. Tye Tribbett’s critique suggests that the church should embrace innovation and explore a brand new approach to ministry that privileges the well-being and empowerment of individuals over tradition, so-called holiness, and institutional behavior.
Empowerment and service: The faith community should prioritize enabling individuals to actively take part in the work of the Church and serve others in meaningful ways. Tye Tribbett’s emphasis on the essence of the church emphasizes the importance of shifting attention from institutional problems to the overall development and empowerment of its members.
In short, may those of us in spiritual leadership anticipate and be open to more conversations about learn how to engage our communities with messages of hope and learn how to use language and style that stretches us. Let’s attempt to consciously experience moments of introspection and have a good time the moments after we challenge ourselves to grow. We are higher equipped to succeed in latest heights and greater depths after we are willing to listen to from others who use language or share criticism that we may not hear from our inner circles. When we put our egos aside, we are able to trust that the Creator of the Universe will use whoever, each time and whatever is required, regardless of how essential. May we remain open to all ways in which lead us to holistically perfect our theology.
The Rev. Dr. Alisha Lola Jones is a faith leader helping people navigate a dynamic world, as a consultant to varied arts and faith-based organizations and as Professor of Music in Contemporary Societies at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. She is an award-winning creator (Oxford University Press). For more information please visit DrAlisha.com.
Rev. Calvin Taylor Skinner is committed to strengthening frontline communities in Knoxville, Tennessee and the UK. He uses faith and politics to handle energy justice, criminal justice reform, voter education/mobilization, electoral politics, and global issues. He and his wife, Reverend Dr. Alisha Lola Jones, run InSight Initiative, a consulting firm focused on capability constructing and live event production.
Entertainment
More proof that you’re old: Mary J. Blige’s “My Life” album debuted 30 years ago
I actually remember November 1994. I used to be a sophomore in highschool and was still very clumsy and goofy. I hadn’t yet experienced what anyone would call a growth spurt, as evidenced by the very fact that my younger sister (three years younger) was taller than me. At this point in my life, I assumed I used to be destined to be certain I had a terrific personality that would give me a romantic future. I used to be told about one young student who was in love with me, but being 15 and never big, I didn’t really trust in my ability to pursue a dating life. In 1994, I saw myself because the Steve Urkel with no unreachable neighbor.
In 1994, I had a real love: music. I kept buying cassettes and compact discs; there was at all times music around me. Listening to the newest music from anyone and everybody was my hobby. Mary J. Blige was one in every of those artists that I used to be an enormous fan of. I mean, everyone really was. Her album “What’s the 411?” was released in July 1992, so when school began in August, it was one in every of those albums that everyone was talking about. “True Love” and him one other hip-hop remix the most popular songs were on fire and you can start an impromptu jam session in my middle school dining room by simply saying “true love” out loud.
To say that the anticipation for Mary’s second album was enormous can be the understatement of the yr. I still remember being blown away by the music video for the primary single “Be Happy” on MTV and BET’s “Video Soul”. I remember this mainly because I used to be so frightened about Mary’s life standing on those rocks. Of course she survived the video session, but I used to be very concerned for her safety. I could not imagine life without Mary. I purchased this single and mainly burned a hole in it.
Then got here the monster single “I’m Goin’ Down.” The remake of Rose Royce’s single from the movie “Car Wash” (titled “I’m Going Down”) had all of the black girls in my highschool able to break up with their boyfriends so that they too could sing about it lost love – teenage hormones cause strange problems. Let me just say this for the record: Mary’s version of this song is totally amazing. Her performance on the album is known; you can hear all the experience through her vocals.
If Mary stopped making music at this point, she would already be a legend, I actually consider that. But this whole album is a radiator from start to complete. Even today, once I hearken to “My Life”, my search ends in failure; “My Life” is largely a consolation at this point in my life. From “You Bring Me Joy” to the title track to the ultimate minute of “I Never Wanna Live Without You,” this album is a portal back in time to a version of me that was interested by what life had to supply. I used to be given the vocal type of Mary J. Blige to soundtrack this journey.
It’s also crazy to think about it this manner: “My Life” got here out at a time in my life once I was already driving a automotive. Sure, I used to be 15, but my father also let me drive himself, my siblings, and my friends wherever we would have liked to go because he got bored with running errands. We just agreed that if I got pulled over, he would not know I used to be taking the automotive. Coincidentally, although I used to be in a position to use the automotive at no cost for a solid yr before I could even apply for a driving license, I failed my driving test the primary time I took it on my sixteenth birthday. You’ve never seen a father more lost and upset in his son than my father was that day. We now call my father’s facial expressions “core memory.”
If you’re reading this because you’ve got seen the words of Mary J. Blige and “My Life,” you then, like me, are in a phase of life where you’re continually reminded that you’re not only getting old, but you might actually be old. I will not be old as hell, but I’m too old to be within the club, you realize?
Fortunately, nonetheless, my journey so far in my life includes a number of the best works of musical art in existence, similar to Mary J. Blige’s 1994 album “My Life.” This album – just like the profession of its lead voice, Mary J. Blige – brings me joy.
Entertainment
Daughter of Trump supporter Hulk Hogan distances herself from family years later following racist tirade from her dad who called her then-black boyfriend the N-word
Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke have never had any problems in public.
The former “Hogan Knows Best” singer and reality star remained by her father’s side even after making a career-ruining sex tape that captured her father cheating on her mother, Linda Hogan, and in addition included a racist tirade a few black man Brooke was dating at the time time.
However, it looks like the “Brooke Knows Best” star has had enough and now decides that overall, it is best for her to maintain a ways between her and her family.
Her Instagram name is MizzHogan. However, she is currently known on the Internet under the surname Oleksy, the surname of her husband, former NHL player Steven Oleksy, and she or he doesn’t follow anyone from her family on web sites, including her father, mother and brother Nick Hogan. Instagram. But her father follows her brother.
While neither party has publicly revealed any details, there appears to have been something of a rift between Brooke and her family when many individuals noticed she was absent from her father’s wedding to his third wife, Sky Daily, in September 2023.
Immediately after the wedding, she wrote a message to followers on her website: “As many of you realize, I value my privacy, but unfortunately many media are guessing why I didn’t attend my father’s third wedding. Rather than leave it to speculation, I made a decision it could be higher to wrap all of it up here.
Brooke admitted that “the dynamics of the family unit constantly change over the years.”
“That being said, my family has experienced A LOT of change,” she continued. “With all of this happening in the public eye, I had to learn how to best cope with the changes that were coming, which was difficult to say the least.”
“In my own journey towards healing and happiness, I have chosen to create some distance between myself and my family and focus on the people and things that heal my heart and are consistent with my personal beliefs, goals and values,” she concluded, before finally wishing her dad “healthily”.
Hogan is suing Gawker Media LLC for releasing a 2012 sex tape that appears to feature him and the wife of radio host Bubba the Love Sponge. In the same video, Hogan used the N-word in reference to his daughter Brooke’s then-black boyfriend while admitting he was a “racist.”
“I don’t know if Brooke fucked a black man’s son,” Hulk said in a report published by Radar on the Internet in 2012. “I mean, I haven’t got double standards. I mean, I’m a racist to some extent, motherfucking n-rs. But in terms of nice people and shit and whatever.
He allegedly continued, “I mean, I’d moderately she was going to fuck some n***a than if she was going to marry a 6-foot n***a value 100 million dollars! Like a basketball player! I assume we’re all a bit racist. The fucking king of n—r.
Renewed interest in Hulk and Brooke’s relationship he resurfaced because of Wrestling Inc’s report on the father and daughter, which fans reacted to in the comments of the article.
One person said: “For her to really distance herself from him, maybe more was said and not on the video. Why would you be so strong to defend him only to distance yourself later? It seems there’s more to it. What’s even sadder is that if you say something that’s outside of your personal norm, you’re screwed. People will never just give up. As long as people remember it, it’s always there. Hogan said some stupid things about it and people may not have forgotten by the time this article came out, but now they’re reminded of it again.”
The person continued: “I ponder how much dirt the people writing these articles have and the way they might feel if the public was continually reminded of this?
Coming to Brooke’s defense, a second person added: “Looks like Brooke is getting old. She just decided to live her life and check out to achieve success. Easy to say. Well, she would not have develop into famous if it weren’t for her father. Of course, good point. But most individuals are on this position. Especially when he’s younger, he tries various things. How it’s. He seems to generally enjoy being out of the highlight. Good for her.
A 3rd added: “I hope they will heal the rift that exists between them. “I wouldn’t want to be separated from my son or daughter when they become adults.”
During 2015 sit down on “Entertainment Tonight,” Brooke defended the former skilled wrestler, assuring viewers that her father “wasn’t a racist.”
“I do not support what he said. But he’s my dad. I really like him,” she said in the video. “When you’re angry, when you’re at the worst point in your life and you’re angry at someone, you just choose words that don’t fit the situation just to air out your shorts and that’s all. Because I looked at the transcripts and thought, “Yeah, he’s pissed.” But it’s not him. He’s not a racist.”
Brooke continued, “I feel sorry for the dad, but I also feel sorry for the African-American fans and stuff because they do not know that he didn’t mean it. He takes responsibility for it and knows that he thinks, “I fucked up.” These are the consequences of what is going on.
But this wasn’t her father’s first racist tirade or his first utterance of something that shocked the world. Hogan’s biopic was cut short days after he threatened Vice President Kamala Harris in August at an event in Ohio promoting his “Real American Beer” brand.
Hulk Hogan got drunk at Thirsty Cowboys in Medina, Ohio and asked the crowd, “Is Kamala Harris a chameleon? Is she Indian?” He also asked the audience in the event that they wanted him to punch Kamala Harris.
(🎥 @TMZ ) pic.twitter.com/QTBv1zUlR3
— Art of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) August 20, 2024
“Do you want me to hit someone? Do you want me to punch Kamala Harris? I said, “Do you want me to punch Kamala Harris?” Hogan said to the large audience before mentioning one of his signature wrestling moves. “Do you want me to let go of Kamala’s leg?”
The longtime Donald Trump supporter continued to mock her heritage with hand gestures and mispronounced Harris’ name.
Entertainment
Boyz II Men brings their untold story to the big screen – Essence
Denise Truscello/Getty Images
Boyz II Men, the Philadelphia-born vocal group that defined an era with wealthy harmonies and timeless ballads like “End of the Road” and “On Bended Knee,” are finally ready to tell their story on their own terms. The 4-time Grammy Award winner is working on a biographical film that can chronicle their thirty-yr profession, a journey stuffed with chart success, brotherhood and the behind-the-scenes struggles that shaped their music.
He announced the project for the first time can be produced in association with Compelling Pictures and Primary Wave and executive produced by Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men. Compelling Pictures also releases an in-depth documentary about the group’s unparalleled dominance in the Nineties and 2000s and its continued relevance today.
“We have been waiting to find the right partners who understand our story and are willing to tell the story,” Nathan Morris shared in a press release. “Denis and Jeff at Compelling Pictures understood us from day one.”
Denis O’Sullivan () and Jeff Kalligheri (), who will produce the biopic, are in preliminary talks with screenwriters and directors to speed up the implementation of the project. The film, containing a wealthy catalog of Boyz II Men’s hits, shows the group’s path from their debut album (1991) to their current status as music icons.
“I grew up a huge Boyz II Men fan and have spent the last few years getting to know and become friends with the boys, and it’s a huge honor to help bring their unique and untold story to the big screen,” said O’Sullivan and Kalligheri. “We are thrilled to showcase the brotherhood and camaraderie, as well as the challenges and conflict, the humor and heartbreak, that accompanied the unparalleled success that Nate, Shawn, Wanya and Mike worked so hard to achieve. We think audiences everywhere will want to sing along to a sexy, fun, aspirational and uplifting celebration of friendship and artistic partnership that has stood the test of time.”
The film’s production team consists of heavyweights. O’Sullivan and Kalligheri were joined by Larry Mestel of Primary Wave, Joe Mulvihill of The Mulvi Group and Jeremy M. Rosen of Roxwell Films. Mulvihill, who has managed the group for greater than 20 years, added: “Having been with them for over 22 years, I have seen the ups and downs and all the deep emotional turmoil among people. I think people will be pleasantly surprised when they see something behind the curtain.”
More than thirty years after their debut, they continue to be the best-selling R&B group of all time, with over 60 million albums sold worldwide. The group recently celebrated one other milestone by headlining a sold-out, three-night run at the Hollywood Bowl – a triumphant return to the venue where they once performed as openers early in their profession. Thanks to hits comparable to “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” and the record-breaking collaboration with Mariah Carey “One Sweet Day”, the group can be remembered by fans for a very long time.
“Boyz II Men are one of the most influential bands of their generation. They are one of the few who transcend genre and format,” Mestel said.
As the production ramps up, fans can expect a soulful and celebratory take a look at the group’s meteoric rise and the bond that united them. As O’Sullivan and Kalligheri joked, it is a story stuffed with “doom-doom-doom-da-da” moments which are each excruciating and uplifting.
From daytime to sold-out arena nights, Boyz II Men’s journey to the big screen can be an eventful one.
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