Entertainment
The documentary “Freaknik” tells the untold story of an Atlanta street party
LOS ANGELES (AP) – If you have ever attended Atlanta’s wildest gathering called Freaknik, be careful: You may appear in a brand new Hulu documentary about the legendary street party that became popular because of folkloric tales of traffic jams, public nudity and highway debauchery.
Many of these photos will undoubtedly be featured in “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told.” But the documentary doesn’t solely give attention to the hypersexual environment and public safety concerns surrounding the festival that began 4 many years ago. It also tells the story of how this iconic event began as an easy black college cookout that eventually attracted 1000’s of people from across the United States, defining Atlanta as the cradle of culture and music.
“It’s more a question of culture. “This is the Atlanta version of ‘Beat Street,’” said Jermaine Dupri, who executive produced the project together with several others, including Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell and 21 Savage. The documentary premiered Tuesday night at SXSW in Austin, Texas. It will stream on Hulu on March 21.
“This is our story about our contribution to culture,” Dupri continued. “Through the music and the parties that happened during Freaknik. It’s much more than just people standing on top of cars and playing music outside.”
“Freaknik” will feature perspectives from Killer Mike, Jalen Rose, CeeLo Green, Rasheeda and Too $hort. The project features Freaknik founders Emma Horton, Amadi Boone, Monique Tolliver and Sharon Toomer, who discuss the origins of the festival and the name Freaknik – a mixture of picnic and freak. The inspiration for the song was the 1978 song “Le Freak” by R&B group Chic.
Dupri initially questioned whether the documentary would focus solely on the sexual nature of the festival. But the music mogul believed otherwise after meeting with Swirl Films producers Jay Allen and Nikki Byles, who told him the documentary would give attention to the full story.
“We want people who haven’t experienced Freaknik to relive the good, the bad and the ugly,” Allen said. “The people who were there will be able to tell their stories and their truth.”
Dupri wants viewers to see how Freaknik has elevated Atlanta’s now thriving hip-hop music scene and helped it turn out to be a destination for Black entrepreneurship and empowerment. He heard criticism about the documentary “putting Black people backwards.” There were also reports that some women would take legal motion to dam the documentary’s release for fear of potential exposure in the flashback clips. It is unclear whether a lawsuit was ever filed.
“It’s all educational. For me personally, it is Black history,” said Dupri, who attended Freaknik. “For those who need that reassurance, I would never allow my name to be associated with anything that would take a shine to Atlanta or do anything that I felt would undo that culture.”
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Uncle Luke called these critics “hypocrites” for participating in Freaknik’s lewd activities, after which criticized this generation for admiring hip-hop artists corresponding to Cardi B, Ice Spice and Sexyy Red, who’re known for his or her suggestive performances.
“They’ll get a taste of their own medicine,” said Luke, who was considered the godfather of Freaknik for bringing his provocative nature to the festival. The footage was mostly crowdsourced, with some of his VHS tapes converted to digital format.
Byles secured other recordings by reaching out on social media and knocking on the doors of former Freaknik participants, who passed on what they were comfortable communicating.
“It’s easy to point fingers at someone else’s children and say they’re living the life they actually lived as parents,” said Uncle Luke. “I wanted to show this perspective. But there’s also this great myth about Freaknik. Many people on the West Coast have heard about it. Some people have heard these stories. It was this story that was never really told. We wanted to tell this story of where it really came from.”
Freaknik was an extensive street party throughout Atlanta from 1983 to 1999. The three-day event, held in April, was organized by black students (Morehouse and Spelman colleges) from the DC Metro Club who were stuck on campus during spring break and decided to assemble in a park to beat the boredom with boom boxes, coolers, and food.
Over the years, Freaknik has turn out to be a grassroots spring break destination, attracting roughly 250,000 partygoers from across the country. The event was so massive that it spread throughout the city center and concrete areas.
However, as Freaknik’s popularity grew, the uncontrollable crowds brought so much of problems. By the mid-Nineteen Nineties, the fun-filled event turned unruly and eventually faded into oblivion after sporadic looting, massive traffic jams, and lewd activities. City authorities shut down the event after tensions continued to escalate between festival-goers, law enforcement and native residents.
Toomer, one of the original organizers, stated that she was impressed by the way the documentary presented the full history of Freaknik. Toomer is upset that the festival has ended, but she hopes that viewers will understand the true essence of their work.
“I think people will have that moment of, ‘I didn’t know that,’ and they will kind of appreciate it,” she said. “I’m excited about it. It was truly – in its best and worst years – a special event. Over the years, having to start a conversation with a word has been frustrating, unlike the experience that so many young black people have had.”
Director P. Frank Williams said the documentary shows the convergence of politics, media, music and culture. He said that it will also affect those that tried to resurrect Freaknik, but to no avail.
“I know people on the Internet and they’re all looking for candy, fun, girls, turnout and cars,” Williams said. “We gave it to you in case you watch the video. But there are also vegetables, which is black culture. Black identity. I’m attempting to go against a system that was preparing for the (1996) Olympics and didn’t necessarily want these kids on the streets. It’s a much deeper story.
“Everyone is worried about their aunts and all these memes,” he said. “But I hope that when you watch, you will see that we did much more than just party.”
Entertainment
Taraji P. Henson’s ‘Annoyed’ Appearance Has Fans Speculating She’s Having a Feud With Samuel L. Jackson and Terrence Howard
Taraji P. Henson’s behavior during a recent interview left viewers suspecting there have been tensions brewing between her and her “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” castmates Samuel L. Jackson and Terrence Howard.
On September 6, Extra released a video clip of an interview with Henson, Jackson, Howard, Kevin Hart, and Don Cheadle in regards to the film “Fight Night.”
Additional correspondent Mona Kosar noted that Henson had worked with other actors on the show before, aside from Jackson.
While the lads talked about their shared experiences, Taraji remained silent.
“It’s always a collaborative space. It’s not a space where the actors aren’t talking and are trying to surprise you with some shit,” Jackson, 75, said as his colleagues nodded in agreement.
Henson and Howard played lead roles in the tv series Empire as Loretha “Cookie” Lyon and Lucious Lyon, respectively, from 2015 to 2020. They have also appeared within the movies Hustle & Flow, Four Brothers and Term Life.
He and Hart starred within the movies Not Easily Broken, Think Like a Man and its sequel.
Despite talk of unity and harmony, many social media users believed Henson was uncomfortable or annoyed. BFA Collective shared a clip of the conversation on Instagram.
A commenter wrote, “I’ve never seen Taraji have this much energy in an interview. I wonder what’s going on.” Another person added, “Taraji is withdrawn as an actress.”
Several people online speculated about a possible rift between Henson and Jackson. For example, one commented, “Taraji looks like she didn’t fuck Sam.”
However, the respondent wrote, “I said the same thing, but she looks annoyed when Terrence talks.” A like-minded person assumed, “I think it’s Terrence.”
In an interview with Extra, Kosar brought up photos of Howard’s hair from the film “Fight Night,” which went viral in April 2024. The query in regards to the wardrobe from the film led to Henson teasing Howard and Jackson.
“The one thing Terrence is going to compete with you on is hair,” the Oscar-nominated actress said. Henson turned to Jackson and said, “I wonder where he got that. … I’d like to see your wig closet,” and then laughed.
When asked about reuniting with Howard for Fight Night after their previous projects together, Henson replied, “It was very different because we didn’t have many scenes together. I barely saw him.”
Howard also claimed that they mostly kept their distance from one another during filming because their characters had “totally different natures,” which affected their real-life relationship. He said he desired to hug Henson when he saw her on set, but decided against it.
Jackson recalled that Henson didn’t interact with Howard until the top of filming: “And one time they took you down to the basement and everyone was there. But you didn’t look at anyone that day.”
Henson checked out Howard and said bluntly, “I really had to pretend your butt wasn’t there.”
Despite the apparent awkwardness, a YouTube commenter found the solid’s interactions in the course of the interview to be light-hearted, writing, “I love the chemistry… it’s like a black family reunion in the backyard.”
Peacock’s Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist premiered on the streaming service on September 5. The final episode of the Shaye Ogbonna-created limited series will air on October 10.
Entertainment
Tisha Campbell’s Candid Post About Her Son Backfires as Outraged Troll Blames Her for ‘Martin’ Show’s Downfall
Actress Tisha Campbell faced a wave of backlash while celebrating her son’s fifteenth birthday regarding her influence on the ending of the series Martin.
On September 11, the “Little Shop of Horrors” actress, who has two sons, Xen and Ezekiel “Zeke” Martin, and Duane Martin, took to Instagram to have fun her son’s birthday.
Campbell posted a video of Zeke along with his hair down and in braids, days after his original birthday date of September 8. signatureed clip, “My baby is 15!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZEKE! Mommy loves you so much!”
While many fans joined in on the celebration for Zeke (and commented on his mature appearance), one person took the chance to criticize Campbell. In addition to the birthday wishes, some commenters identified Zeke’s resemblance to his father, Duane Martin.
“Happy birthday, you look just like your dad,” one person commented, while one other added, “Definitely Duane’s face. Happy birthday, young king.”
“Hair and mustache!!!” said another person.
However, the celebrations took an unpleasant turn when one person expressed displeasure on the “Martin” show being taken off the air.
“Your mother falsely accused Martin Lawrence,” they wrote.
Martin aired on Fox for five seasons until its end in 1997 following Campbell’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Martin Lawrence.
She claimed that the Maryland resident inappropriately touched her during love scenes while filming the series and repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances on her. Campbell also claimed that Lawrence was verbally abusive towards her and the remaining of the solid, accusing him of “repeated and escalating sexual harassment, sexual assault, verbal abuse, and related threats.”
Lawrence vehemently denied the accusations and the case was eventually settled out of court.
Despite the legal battle, Campbell and Lawrence reconciled with the surviving solid years later and reunited in 2022 to have fun Martin’s thirtieth anniversary.
IN interview on People that very same 12 months, Campbell said, “I wasn’t nervous about meeting the cast because we’re still friends,” referring to their bond even after 25 years and the death of castmate Thomas Michael Ford.
Lawrence echoed these sentiments, stating, “It’s nothing but love between me and her. It’s nothing but love.”
Although they managed to resolve their differences, they’ve not worked together professionally since then.
But each spent the summer performing stand-up. Lawrence toured with comedians like Adele Givens, B. Simone, DC Youngfly, Desi Banks, Loni Love, and more on the Y’all Know What It Is! tour. In between, Campbell played a handful of shows with Finesse Mitchell.
Entertainment
Hulk Hogan humiliated yet again at beer party after responding to Kamala Harris’ bodyslam threats
MAGA fan Hulk Hogan continues to find himself at the middle of controversy after threatening to throw Kamala Harris to the bottom while promoting his latest enterprise, Real American Beer, and campaigning for former President Donald J. Trump.
Once a towering figure on the planet of skilled wrestling, Hogan, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea, is not any stranger to public criticism. But he can have been shocked when someone crossed his path and mocked him for his cartoonish behavior and conservative politics for the second time in as many weeks.
His latest encounter took place in Medford, Massachusetts, where comedian Robby Roadsteamer accosted the previous WWE star for the second time.
The comedian, dressed as a bear, sang a remixed version of Hogan’s song “Real American,” replacing the lyrics with a song that poked fun at Trump and his political beliefs.
Roadsteamer posted a video of the encounter on his X profile. He began, “I met Hulk Hogan (again!). I dressed up as a bear and sang his own theme song to him (again!) with lyrics about MAGA, Trump, and immigrants eating cats!! Then the cops and his henchmen took me away (again!) Get creative fam… Here comes the big blue wave #TrumpIsACowardlyWeirdo #MAGAIsWeird #HulkHogan.”
I met Hulk Hogan (again!). I dressed up as a bear and sang his own theme song (again!)🐻 with lyrics about MAGA, Trump and immigrants eating cats!! Then the cops and his henchmen took me away (again!) Get creative, fam… Here comes the Big Blue Wave 🌊#TrumpIsACowardlyFreak… photo: twitter.com/D0fdvp3mkJ
— Robby Roadsteamer (@RobbyRoadsteame) September 13, 2024
While the retired wrestler, who rose to fame within the Eighties as WWE’s hottest wrestler, stood and posed in front of an AI-generated poster of his own muscles and far younger face, the comedian debuted his own remix.
“Trump is the real criminal,” he sang. “He thinks immigrants eat cats. Trump is the real criminal. Fight for the alt-right. Fight our alt-right.”
As he was led away by security, he shouted, “Did you miss me? No political violence. No political violence here. I feel strong about martial law.”
Fans began to chime in and criticize Trump.
“I used to think Hogan was cool until Trump came along. He needs to go back to selling unlicensed games,” one person said he tweeted.
“I wonder if he knows or cares how many black fans he had,” one other said. he said“When I used to be a child I loved Hulk Hogan, as did all my peers, but he rejected his heritage.
Third person he wrote“The characters even appear in plush costumes.”
Someone else he said“@RobbyRoadsteame had the nerve to diss racist MAGA supporter Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea oh… and yet one more thing.”
This isn’t the primary time the “Rocky III” star has been streamed by Roadsteamer. Just a couple of weeks earlier, in August, the social media star appeared with the wrestler during one other promotional event.
This time, Roadsteamer donned a “MAGA Powers” T-shirt and asked, “Whatcha gonna do when we drop the big boot on the trans and everything. Does it work, bro?”
Hogan, a loud and proud Trump supporter who spoke at the Republican National Convention, still makes headlines promoting his beer and campaigning for the fact star-turned-politician. The athlete’s comments remind people of his bigoted past and why so many fans have given up their yellow T-shirts and red bandanas.
A very egregious incident occurred on August 19 at a bar in Medina, Ohio, when Hogan grabbed a microphone and launched right into a tirade about Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to a video recorded by witnesses, while intoxicated and egged on by the well-wishers, Hogan made racially offensive comments to Harris, mockingly asking if she was an “Indian.”
He even threatened to “body-throw” her, comparing his wrestler persona to political violence.
Hulk Hogan just threatened and racially attacked Kamala Harris. photo:twitter.com/8nimJjmTeO
— 𝐑𝐨𝐝 ☝🏽🩸 (@316JABRONIDRIVE) August 20, 2024
The tirade didn’t go unnoticed. When the video hit the web, it quickly went viral, with TMZ posting the video.
The critical response was immediate, with many individuals once again starting to query Hogan’s character and his standing within the entertainment industry.
Among those that responded was filmmaker Todd Phillips, who was working on a biopic about Hogan’s life starring Chris Hemsworth. The Hollywood executive announced the project had been shelved due to his actions.
“I like what we were trying to do, but it’s not going to work for me,” Phillips told Variety.
Hogan’s history of racist behavior is well-documented. In 2015, WWE severed all ties with the previous wrestling icon after a leaked audio recording revealed he had repeatedly used the N-word in reference to his daughter’s relationships. The brand, despite its long history with the star, removed him from its Hall of Fame and removed his name from its platform.
Although Hogan later apologized and was reinstated by WWE in 2018, his public image suffered significantly, and he never fully recovered from it.
As Hogan continues his promotional tour and campaigns for Trump, the incidents function a stark reminder of how his beliefs impact his legacy.
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