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What Kendrick Lamar taught me about facing enemies – Andscape

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6 months ago

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Kendrick Lamar has spent the previous couple of months displaying greater than a decade of mounting tension and ailing will towards his rap rival, Drake. Since late March, Lamar has broken five diss records, three of them in quick succession over the weekend. He channeled all his aggression and resentment into the tactical assassination of rap’s biggest star in probably the most embarrassing, public way possible. Lamar had 4 diss records on the Billboard Hot 100 (three in the highest ten), calling Drake a cheater, a liar, a master manipulator, a person who has issues along with his blackness, a loser, a father with a gambling addiction and someone who hid his 11-12 months-old daughter . Much of the rap world crowned Lamar as the person who rules the genre and defeated his nemesis by publicly humiliating the person he had hated for years.

Through all of it, I’ve wavered between wanting to be like Kendrick Lamar and envying him for the way in which he punished the person he felt so strongly about. I had dreams that I desired to cause this type of embarrassment and harm to people I despise, but seeing the fallout from the Great Rap Feud made me reconsider.

Let me explain.

There are a handful of individuals on the earth I actually hate.

They were friends. There were members of the family. People I once trusted. And individuals who have felt the comfort of cold silence and passive aggression for years. They share a standard ability to gaslight to such an extent that they will pretend that any act of revenge will probably be unexpected. But I do know what they did to me. And I do know what they deserve.

If you are reading this, I’m sure you’ve got been here too. The problem with cold wars is that the one that finally pushes the button to heat things up looks just like the unmentioned aggressor. So we wait. We wait for the moment when the enemy stumbles and proves that he deserves our anger. But if you wait too long, the urge to attack begins to devour you. Until that anger becomes an element of you.

I often create fictional interactions where I’m forced to take it out on people I despise. Where I can finally tell them – and, truthfully, the world – how I feel and why these people deserve the evil that my particular anger has brought into their lives.

“Euphoria” felt like Lamar finally set free something that had been in his lungs for ten years, burning to get out.

DavidDennis Jr.

When I take a shower, I let the water wash over my face and silently mouth what I might say to my enemies if the moment got here when their plausible denial disappeared and so they did what allowed me to be my most brutal self towards them.

I dreamed about it. Very.

But I’ve also spent the previous couple of weeks pondering about Drake’s retreat and where Kendrick Lamar awaits. Professionally, Lamar will likely enjoy his victory – rumors are circulating:Not like us” the video will probably be released soon – after which he’ll return to his quiet life between albums. He will still should endure a number of the rumors related to the feud, namely Drake’s allegations that Lamar abused his partner. Though admittedly, the burden of responsibility to disclaim is not that heavy for Lamar considering Drake is the one source of the rumors. Still, some fans will all the time demand answers from the Compton MC. Lamar may also should reckon along with his own musical contradictions, namely his tendency to interact in gossip, mudslinging and moralizing about the treatment of girls with a purpose to destroy Drake, despite the fact that Lamar featured Kodak Black, who to confess guilt to first-degree assault and battery on a highschool student in 2021, on his latest album entitled

This controversy will mostly fade away as Lamar presumably becomes rap’s recent top dog. It will probably be interesting to see how the rapper who told Drake “Only you like being famous” on the diss album “Euphoria” has now develop into as famous as Drake, or possibly as famous as any rapper ever, due to the meat that has develop into the popular culture story of 2024. Lamar’s next album will probably be as highly anticipated as any album in rap history. It’ll probably be sensible because he hasn’t given us any reason to expect otherwise.

These predictions are good material for hairdressing debates and discussions about the condition of hip-hop.

I’m fascinated by what’s in Kendrick Lamar’s heart and the way he cares for it.

It’s clear that Lamar has harbored a deep disdain for Drake since their Cold War began a decade ago. While the 2 traded subliminal jabs, there all the time appeared to be a deeper venom in Lamar’s that warned that if/when he and Drake butted heads, it will be a no-holds-barred fight. While Drake was telling his rival, “Your shit ain’t that inspiring,” Lamar was growling over the beats and throwing out lines like, “They can bury him, they appointed six to carry him,” referring to Toronto, referred to as “The Six,” where Drake resides, and the thought that someday he’ll die due to their feud.

Lamar has been like this for years. Each project – from albums just like the signature freestyle “Heart” to the soundtrack – included several arguments and warnings directed at Drake. But it wasn’t clear what resentment Lamar had built up through the years until he released his first full-throated diss track:Euphoria”, just a few weeks after Drake’s first direct salvo, the push-up count dropped. While Drake rapped about Lamar’s shoe size and his record label’s earnings, Lamar said things like, “I hate the way you walk, the way you talk, I hate the way you dress,” within the song, which angered Drake wanting to appropriate black American culture and for his feuds with black women. “Euphoria” felt like Lamar finally set free something that had been in his lungs for ten years, burning to get out.

ON “Not like us”, the latest song from the barbarian Lamar, raps that he has five more songs recorded to discredit Drake. But a few days later its historical edition, Drake apparently backed out of the fight. “That was good practice,” he rapped in “Heart, part 6”, his last song within the feud.

I’m wondering how Lamar reacted to his opponent withdrawing and the way he feels now that he’s only released half the songs he recorded to let the world understand how he feels about Drake. Two of the unreleased songs are rumored to be particularly devastating, but Lamar has already said enough about Drake — enough to all but extinguish his superstardom, or not less than dim his shine. However, knowing that he still has twice as many songs within the vault makes me wonder if Kendrick Lamar is pleased along with his victory, or if the heads of the last nails in Drake’s coffin are still digging into his body. Does he still write lyrics about Drake in his notebook? Is there a closure?

It wasn’t until I began pondering about the aftermath of Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s feud, and particularly the previous’s response to his victory, that I started to think beyond revenge fantasies for those to whom I desired to direct my very own “diss records.” I began pondering about what would occur to me if I said what I needed to say. When I actually have confronted, fought, embarrassed, humiliated and even ruined people, I consider I deserve it. I do not know if I’ll stop having future fights within the shower. I do not know if I might have hoped they’d ask for it again so I could offload any recent injuries or deeper cuts. I do not know what victory would feel like in cases of emotional abuse.

I all the time thought that blowing up my enemies would free me from things I carried deep inside me. But when I feel about Kendrick Lamar and what he still holds inside and what he should feel for Drake, I’m wondering if the sweetness of his victory comes with freedom from bad feelings. I won’t lie: despite what therapists, friends and confidants tell me, I still wish to hit individuals with my very own version of “Euphoria.” But I also know that it won’t bring me the peace I assumed it will. I actually have to release it myself. I not envy Kendrick Lamar. I envy those that know methods to find release without dropping bombs first.

I actually have to want something greater than applause, disses and aggression. I actually have to want the identical thing I need for Kendrick, Drake, and everybody else carrying the burden of contempt for the enemy.

I have to wish to free myself from the burden that weighs us down and sinks us knee-deep in mud. My freedom relies on it.

DavidDennis Jr. is a senior author at Andscape and the writer of the award-winning book “The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride.” David is a graduate of Davidson College.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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An attempt to save the image of Jeff Bezos’ future wife backfired after weeks of outrage and ridicule over her skimpy outfit

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9 mins ago

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December 9, 2024

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Lauren Sánchez has apparently gained a popularity for her fashion hits and misses as social media users began following her every move.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos’ current fiancée stepped into the highlight long before she met the Amazon co-founder, after years spent as co-host of “Good Day LA,” a reporter for “Extra” and host of “So You Think You Can Dance,” and he even starred in a number of movies like “Ted 2.”

She faced criticism for posting a sultry selfie in November in a negligee-inspired gown by designer Laura Basca. In October, the 54-year-old again faced backlash when she showed off her latex Halloween costume as Catwoman.

Now, weeks after being deemed “cheap” and tasteless, the founder of Black Ops Aviation has turn out to be a subject of discussion.

Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez shows off a “winter white” look, weeks after critics slammed her busty latex outfit. (Photos: @laurenwsanchez/Instagram, Theimagedirect.com via Page Six)

On December 5, Sánchez and the business mogul attended The New York Times’ DealBook event in New York City. For the occasion, she wore a white Alexander McQueen suit and a white lace corset. The beaming bride-to-be sent two mirror selfies of her outfit, which she signed: “winter white.”

One follower particularly was stunned by the whole look he ejaculated that she was “very attractive and beautiful, gorgeous and stunning, charming and fantastic young lady, sexy, charming, charming and elegant” in the photos that Sánchez took.

Two other people swooned over the photos and wrote: “So chic and elegant!” and “You look great.” But as you would possibly expect from online viewers, not everyone was impressed.

When Page six published paparazzi photos from the trip, the critic commented: “It’s 30 degrees in New York and she gets out of the limo in a white Miami smock, her bra visible to everyone. No taste. Nothing. A cashmere turtleneck, flannel trousers and a wool jacket can be classy.

Someone else sharply asked: “Who can be the first to tell her that she looks tacky and not elegant and refined? Does she even know what sophistication means? A 3rd person noted: “She looks more like she’s wearing a bathrobe.”

Another person wrote in a comment from a licensed pilot: “White means…” possibly referring to rumors that Sánchez and Bezos are scheduled to exchange vows over Christmas. At least one person doubted the couple would have the opportunity to say “I do.” This person said: “This will be the longest engagement ever. They will NEVER get married and we all know why!!!!”

Sánchez told the “Today” show hosts that she was in the process of planning the big day last month. She didn’t comment on speculation about exchanging Christmas vows.

Renewed interest and scrutiny of Sánchez has increased as the pair have been spotted in various locations in recent months. The couple reportedly began dating in 2018. Their engagement was announced five years later, in May 2023. Their upcoming wedding can be a second journey for each of them.

Sánchez was previously married to celebrity agent Patric Whitesell, with whom she has two children. She can be the mother of a son, whom she shares with Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. Bezos was married to the mother of his three children, Mackenzie Scott, for 25 years once they divorced in 2019.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Apart from the song with singer-songwriter India Shawn – Andscape

Published

3 hours ago

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December 9, 2024

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India Shawn is a contemporary muse with a chilled nature, crafting love stories and heartfelt tales in smooth, charming songs. With over a decade of experience in the music industry as a singer-songwriter, Shawn has incredible strength. She was born in Los Angeles, and her musical roots reach throughout the country. Beginning her profession in her hometown, Shawn eventually found herself in Atlanta, where she immersed herself in the city’s deep-rooted R&B scene, further shaping her artistry.

“I transferred to ATL, I was in 10th grade, and that’s when my music journey really started,” Shawn told Andscape. “I met people who were trying to get by, so I ended up recording and learned what songwriting was really early on.”

Before releasing her debut EP in 2012, Shawn wrote songs and collaborated with artists similar to Chris Brown, El DeBarge, Keri Hilson and Monica. In 2013, she gained much more notoriety when Solange Knowles published her song “I’m Alive” on the Saint Heron compilationmarking her as an artist value watching.

Following the release of the single “There Must Be a God” from the Andscape soundtrack, she caught up with Shawn to learn more about the muse behind the vibes.

Singer India Shawn grew up singing in church with her family. “I feel like most of us R&B kids have that experience,” she said.

India Shawn

Name:
India Shawn

Hometown:

Los Angeles

Artistic soundscape

Airy, soft, telling a story, multidimensional, soft, mysterious, atmospheric

The oldest musical memory

Shawn’s soulful sound is deeply rooted in her upbringing, with influences drawn from her childhood memories and the musical culture of her church. “I sing with my sister all the time, and I also grew up singing behind my mom in church. She was the leader of praise and worship. So I feel like most of us R&B kids have that experience,” Shawn said. “I had these little solos in church, and I believe what made me consider in it was that after the service people got here as much as me with tears of their eyes and said, ‘You really moved me while you sang.’ “These early moments of connection with music and audiences laid the foundation for conveying depth and sensitivity through her music.

Influences

For Shawn, music, especially R&B, has all the time held a special place in her life. “Me and my sister are harmonizing in the living room, just picking some of our favorite songs, including for me Mariah Carey, Babyface, Boyz II Men and (and) Brandy,” she said of her early music memories.

Creative process

Shawn often draws inspiration from real-life experiences and relationships that influence her music. She weaves this into the authenticity and atmosphere of her songs, but she didn’t immediately recognize where her inspiration got here from. “It’s funny that it took me so long to make that connection, but I realized that I was telling my whole story and presenting my business through my music,” she said. “It took me two albums to realize, wait a minute, I’m giving people a lot to understand here… these aren’t just songs. This is truly the life I live.”

Challenges and development

As Shawn’s profession grows, so do his moments of appreciation and reflection. “I literally just thought about a very gradual progression of my career. It’s like step by step, but there are more breakthrough moments. My first tour, which was so beautiful, I just knew I could pack a room and people knew my lyrics and sang my songs to me. Those moments that make the waiting not in vain.”

Shawn has plenty of recommendation for up-and-coming singer-songwriters. Her biggest sacrifice? Collaboration is essential. “I think (cooperation) is really why I’m still here. So find your people… you’ll know when it feels right, you’ll have that freedom and fluidity, and you’ll be able to really create things and create without having to think too much.” He also shares the importance of patience. “Just be patient during the journey. This has been a theme throughout my profession. Let it develop. I feel like more things come from being in that flow and being present reasonably than forcing all of it.

Current project

“There should be a God”, the lead single from Andscape , now streaming on Hulu, also serves as a teaser for Shawn’s solo album. “(This song) is such a manifestation of God’s love,” she said. “I think when you find yourself in a place of waiting, you can feel very hopeless. So when you see glimpses of God’s love again, or the fact that you know there is a higher power, there is a source that is thinking about you, has you in mind, has a perfect plan for you, it’s just like the clouds parting. And this is the moment, I understand. I understand that I had to go through all this to get here. And that’s exactly what I felt in the studio that day.”

Sheila Matthews is a digital producer at Andscape and a proud HBCU graduate. She believes “Return of the Mack” must have won a Grammy, and her Twitter mentions are open to all debate.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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ICYMI: Tessa Thompson’s Mocha Lip, Danielle Brooks’ Updo and More – Essence

Published

3 hours ago

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December 9, 2024

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With just a number of weeks left until the tip of 2024, the celebrities are setting the tone for the brand new 12 months this week. And although mocha mousse is anticipated to be fashionable in 2025, neutral shades in darker tones have gotten more and more popular. Paired with an array of beauty eras – from elegant Twenties updos to 2000s-style round pink, the brand new Hollywood showcases its best 12 months-end beauty moments.

Tessa Thompson and Issa Rae are the newest to debut mocha lips holiday shade near the season, and Coco Jones’ lipstick was cranberry red. Doechii’s perforated suggestions and signature face-lift tape made it probably the most avant-garde look of the week, and within the sweetest moment, Chloe and Halle Bailey’s round pink cheeks made pink cheeks a winter styling staple.

From makeup to hairstyles, Sabrina Elba and Alva Claire opted for light, coffee colours, and Jourdan Dunn’s short hairstyle proved relevant at any time of the 12 months. Meanwhile, Lupita N’yongo, Danielle Brooks and Venus Williams’ braided buns showed just how classic this style may be.

In case you missed it, take a take a look at 17 of the very best celebrity beauty moments from the week below.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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