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Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant continues his Nike Producer Pack series with music producer Bink! — Andlandscape

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Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant has made the choice to have interaction the legendary music producer Bink! in the most recent Nike KD17 Producer Pack, he was shocked. Before their joint studio session within the winter of 2023, the basketball star and the rap beatmister had no skilled or personal relationship. After these sessions with Durant, Bink! by accident received a call from Nike informing him that he would receive his own sneakers.

Bink bonding quickly! and Durant may be attributed to their shared passion for music, especially hip-hop. Bink! is understood for his gorgeous, often soulful and powerful beats, regardless that he has remained largely under the radar after over 30 years in the sport. His biography and discography span waves and generations. He has recorded albums with Jay-Z (“1-900-Hustler”, “Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)”), Drake (“You Only Live Twice”), Rick Ross (“Santorini Greece”), Dr. Dre (“It’s All On Me”) and plenty of others.

Bink’s KD17 sneaker design! is a testament to the manufacturer’s underappreciated and understated legacy. It features subtle embellishments that, when unwrapped, reveal Easter eggs related to his profession, Virginia upbringing and private musical history. Before the shoe was launched, Bink! talked about what it’s prefer to design custom sneakers for certainly one of the most important basketball footwear brands.

Like Bink! KD17 being created?

It was entirely Durant’s idea. There was no pitch or anything like that. We recorded with 38 Spesh, Ransom, Durant and me for a number of days. It was an excellent session in an excellent atmosphere, but I didn’t think much about it. Just a few months later, Nike called me and told me that Durant wanted me to get entangled in a Nike campaign. So I believed, “Okay, great.” So I’m like, “I wonder what beat he wants in this ad.”

I texted KD and asked, “Hey, did someone scam me?” Nike says something about Nike promoting. KD said, “Yes, I’ll call you in a moment.” So before Durant called me, Nike called me back and I asked, “So what beat does Durant want?” They asked, “Beat?” I believed, “Yeah, what type of music? What’s the atmosphere like?

From left to right: Music producers The Alchemist, Bink! and Metro Boomin headline the most recent installment of Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant and the Nike KD17 manufacturer’s pack.

Nike

He said, “He doesn’t want a beat.” He gives you the shoe. He had to interrupt it down and tell me the story of the Producer Pack they’d written with before Cardo Got Wings, Boi-1da and ninth Wonder. A Nike representative told me that (The) Alchemist, Metro Boomin and I can be latest recipients this 12 months. It was each flattering and surprising.

How long have you ever known KD? How did you and Durant originally meet?

I have never known KD for very long. When we did the recording session, it was my first meeting with him.

Did he contact you or how did all of it come together?

38 words he contacted me. 38 Spesh and Durant are close, so that they arranged this together.

What was your response whenever you came upon they were sneakers?

I didn’t know what to think because I had never owned sneakers. So I ask, is that this real? What is that this? What’s happening now? So it took an extended time to get going, you recognize?

So he didn’t provide you with any warning. One day you simply called Nike and said, “Hey, we need you to make a sneaker.” KD selected you?

So I called and said, “Hey, is it true, are you all playing with me?” He didn’t even give me a heads up, so I believed, “What the hell is going on?”

Once you knew what you were doing, what were the following steps in the method?

We began making the arrangement in June last 12 months. We began doing a number of Zoom meetings and the prefer to help me design the shoe.

Did they let you know what shoes you can be making?

Yes, they told me that whatever the design of the KD17, we might have full creative control to create their very own custom pair.

How does it feel to see the KD sneakers coming out?

Look, man, I’m still attempting to process all of it. This really struck me through the photo shoot in Cali and it was a extremely great production. It was amazing.

Nike KD17 x Bink heel counter! includes an illustrated hand sign representing Virginia.

Nike

What elements did you add to your custom design? I noticed your signature on the side and an icon or logo on the back.

This is a Virginia thing. It’s two up, two down, or VA. This is what we throw to point out where we come from. I desired to make it right into a Virginia shoe.

But I selected all the pieces. The colours were a combination of the colours of the highschool I attended, Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia, after which Norfolk State, which has a marching band that I loved growing up. I loved listening to them during football games. My mother took me to parades and football games to listen to the band. And I’m just an earthy guy. It’s a combination of those three things. This is how the shoe design was created.

Very good. How about “Easy” on the heel?

Oh, he’s a sniper with easy money. This is the KD stamp.

“Humble Monsta” is that you simply?

It’s me. This is the name of my company on the underside of the shoe.

Are there another details we missed?

It has a beige sole with orange spots and the ankle collar has brown denim. A detail it’s possible you’ll not notice is the tattoo on the hands on the back of the shoe. It’s an identical to a tattoo I’ve had on my arm for years. I sent them a photograph (of my tattoo) they usually put it on the shoe.

Music producer Bink! appeared in promotional images of the manufacturer’s Nike KD17 pack.

Nike

And is the only transparent so you may see Humble Monsta? Does it have another meaning? I also noticed that the back looks almost like basketball leather.

Normal. And that is the point. It uses denim, leather after which almost like mesh. I really like most of these shoes because they’re hard to get dirty. Wipe it off and you have to be straight, you recognize? You can have this shoe for a very long time unless you might be that individual about it.

You’ve said you must create shoes that last and you have been involved in hip-hop for 31 years. Does the sturdiness of sneakers have anything to do with yours?

I absolutely represent keeping strong. It’s a blessing to be in something this long, still relevant, and never miss a step.

And because you’re associated with Metro and Alchemist, in some ways it’s like three different generations of producers.

The alchemist and I are in the identical class. We arrived around the identical time. The subway is latest blood, but I’m in great company, you recognize?

How do you’re feeling about being associated with KD after knowing him for such a short while? Apparently it’s from the DMV area too. Is this someone you were a fan of? With? When did it first appear in your radar?

When he first got here to the league, possibly a bit of earlier, being that tall and handling the ball such as you were 5’7 was phenomenal. This is crazy. I all the time thought he was an outstanding basketball player, so to be recognized for my artistry as much as I appreciated his was an honor.

How many pairs will you retain for yourself and your loved ones?

I ensure that I get a pair, but I only need two pairs, one to place down and one to place down so I never touch one another again.

It’s for the archives and the museum, right?

Yes, that part. It’ll be right next to my drum machine.

Dan Resnick is a suburban Philadelphia author who has written for First We Feast and Uproxx. His first Jordans were Black Infrared 6s, which he still has since 1991, regardless that the shoes are on the verge of destruction. Alvin Williams was certainly one of the primary people he admired for his or her sneakers.


This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Ice Cube Responds to Candace Owens’ Explosive ‘Gangsta Rap’ Accusations, Fans Are Divided

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Who created gangsta rap? According to conservative commentator Candace Owens, the federal government is behind the creation of gangsta rap, a genre born out of the tough realities of black and brown communities in California within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties. She believes it was a part of a deliberate effort by federal agents to undermine black culture and values. But one in every of its founders blames the industry and personal prisons.

Are any of the choices incorrect?

The debate heated up on Platform X on Friday, September 20, after Owens tweeted, “Gangster rap was never black culture. It was created by the FBI who pitched deals to gay black men in prison, then turned them into fake celebrities.”

She continued: “The goal was to create false idols to destroy the values ​​of black Americans. I will never change my mind on that.”

Owens’ controversial post quickly caught the eye of fans, one in every of whom tagged NWA founder Ice Cube, one of the outstanding pioneers of gangsta rap.

In response, Ice Cube, widely considered one in every of the founding fathers of the genre, explained the matter: “We called it Reality Rap. The industry called it Gangsta Rap. The fans wanted gangsta rap and that’s what they got. The FBI didn’t write any of my shit. I’m a real MC.”

His response led some observers to conclude that Cube didn’t completely reject Owens’ argument, leaving open the likelihood that it was true.

One commenter he wrote“So he’s not saying Candace is wrong, but Cube has always been cautious.”

Another pointed one outside“Cube mentioned industry, not federal government.”

The debate points to a bigger conspiracy theory that record labels and the prison-industrial complex are linked, which the rapper has been promoting.

Perhaps fans saw through Cube’s rigorously crafted statement that he, too, believes in a conspiracy that forces at work that allowed gangsta rap to dominate the music scene for a few decade between 1988 and 1998.

User X commented on Owens’ post and common a 2023 excerpt from the “Club Random with Bill Maher” podcast, through which he says that “the same people who are on the labels own the prisons.”

However, the clip doesn’t show your entire conversation, through which he later says, “They don’t really run the label, they have financial interests” in each the music industry and the prison-industrial complex.

Maher helped the “Friday” filmmaker expand on his theory, saying, “If they have a financial interest in prisons, and your theory, if I understand correctly, is that these types of rap lyrics act as a funnel through which people are inspired to do things that could get them sent to prison… like writing a lyric like ‘fuck the police,’ could get someone arrested and sent to prison.”

“This could get someone arrested and sent to jail,” the artist said, making it clear that the host was referring to his 1988 song “F-ck tha Police.” “That’s just one example, one album that the record company didn’t manipulate, you know. That’s pure artistry.”

Ice Cube attacks Candace Owens, saying FEDS created gangsta rap (Photos: Quinn Harris/Getty Images for BIG3; Candaceowens/YouTube)
Ice Cube attacks Candace Owens, saying FEDS created gangsta rap (Photos: Quinn Harris/Getty Images for BIG3; Candaceowens/YouTube)

When asked if he had ever been manipulated by a record label, he replied “no,” explaining that he had all the time been an independent artist and had never had an art director suggesting he create certain kinds of songs.

“I wouldn’t let an A&R come into my studio,” he said, adding, “I’ve never had anyone be an A&R except Dr. Dre.”

According to cultural critic Davey D and the activist group Hip-Hop For Change, three firms — Warner Records, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Group — control 90 percent hip-hop music. Meanwhile, private prison firms like CoreCivic and GEO Group control nearly all of private prison beds within the U.S. The writer and the organization claimed that the 2 sectors share common shareholders, similar to Vanguard and BlackRock.

But they were partly improper.

In 2019, CNN reported that Vanguard and BlackRock are amongst the most important investors in private prisons.

However, According to to Vanguard and BlackRock, although these firms have stakes in over 500 firms, including major entertainment players similar to Disney, Live Nation and Fox, they didn’t put money into any of the three largest music distribution and recording firms in 2021.

There isn’t any evidence that the FBI created “gangsta rap,” as Owens claims. But conspiracy theories about government involvement within the genre gained traction following an investigation into the CIA’s role in facilitating cocaine sales to Los Angeles street gangs within the late Nineteen Eighties.

The proceeds from these drug sales were allegedly used to fund the Latin American guerrilla army in Nicaragua, often called the Contras, through the Iran-Iraq War, reported by the Justice Department. The complex scheme also involved illegal U.S. arms sales to Iran during that country’s eight-year cooperation with Iraq within the Nineteen Eighties, sales from which the CIA used to finance the Contras’ fight against the Nicaraguan government. The theory was developed after the San Jose Mercury News published articles alleging that the federal government was deliberately smuggling crack cocaine into black neighborhoods.

While a later investigation found that these reports exaggerated the facts, it acknowledged the uncertainties within the case. The government report noted that suspicions would remain due to unanswered questions.

Gangsta rap, which emerged through the crack epidemic, became a type of expression that directly addressed the devastation that drugs and law enforcement were inflicting on black communities.

Many imagine that the event of gangsta rap was influenced by outside forces aimed toward glorifying crime and perpetuating the cycle of incarceration.

The query is, who’re these forces really, and is, because the “Good Day” rapper claims, gangsta rap (or reality rap) a mirrored image of the tough realities he has experienced or a creation of federal or industrial manipulation?


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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‘The Pivot’ Podcast Hosts Go to War Over Andrew Schulz’s Controversial ‘Racist Jokes’ About Black Women

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Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder of The Pivot podcast are amongst those criticizing comedian Andrew Schulz for his disgusting comments about black women.

Schulz, 40, got here under fire after making critical remarks during a discussion of the “Black Girl Effect” on a revived episode of his show “Glaring” podcast.

A clip of the July 17 edition of Flagrant recently went viral after its guests, British podcasters James Duncan, 33, and Fuhad Dawodu, 33, made their first visit to the US, which was met with outrage online.

Photo: The Pivot Podcast/YouTube; Flagrant/YouTube)

In the clip, James and Fuhad, hosts of the podcast “ShxtsnGigs,” discuss the favored trend of men claiming their appearance has improved after starting a relationship with or marrying a black woman. Schulz, it seems, was interested.

“So you see a guy who had a black girlfriend and suddenly he has short hair, a clean-cut figure,” Duncan told Schulz, trying to explain.

In response, Schulz said, “They’re shaving their hair because they’re starting to lose it, because they’re so stressed out that they’re complaining about a black girl all the time.”

James and Fuhad continued laughing, and Schulz added, “They grow beards because they need a cushion when someone beats them up.”

Social media users began criticizing James and Fuhad for failing to get up for black women.

“As a black woman, Andrew talking about the black girl effect as racist. He created this entirely based on the angry black woman stereotype. Can’t we just relax???” an offended YouTube user commented.

Another person directed their anger at Schulz, writing, “The fact that you spoke so casually in front of two black men makes me shudder to think of what you say when there are no black people present.”

A conversation between “ShxtsnGigs” hosts Fuhad Dawodu and James Duncan and “Flagrant” host Andrew Schulz sparked outrage over comments in regards to the so-called “black girl effect.” (Photo: Flagrant/YouTube)

The “Shxtsngigs” hosts began the most recent episode of their podcast by apologizing for the Schulz situation, with James stating, “Andrew made a joke… honestly, a racist joke, and we laughed at him.”

He then blamed the “fight or flight” response for not immediately responding to Schulz’s racist jokes. James said, “When you’re there, you’re in shock.” Fuhad added, “All you want to do is move on.”

The explanation sparked heated reactions within the YouTube comments section, with one person asking: “Did he actually say he fought or ran away because of a racist joke? You are grown men.”

The Pivot Podcast crew also talked in regards to the exchange between the blokes from ShxtsnGigs and Schulz.

Channing Crowder suggested that cultural differences between James and Fuhad and black Americans could have influenced their response to jokes about black women.

He said, “I like strong women. If some asshole can’t handle a strong woman and says it’s argumentative or comparative, then find yourself a weak woman.”

Ryan Clark added: “When you’re sitting across from Andrew Schulz and he’s talking about something he can’t understand because his wife isn’t black, you have no right to talk about it.”

Additionally, the Super Bowl champion stated that “Black women are not violent” and “Black women are on the front lines of everything that affects us.”

On Episode from September 18 On the “Flagrant” podcast, Schulz claimed that James and Fuhad’s producer asked that a part of their performance be cut from the podcast, apart from a discussion in regards to the “black girl effect.”

“They’re still worried about getting canceled. Comedians, we understand that being funny means saying the wrong things,” Schulz said of the U.K.-based content creators.

The former “Guy Code” regular also stated, “By apologizing, you’re just reinforcing it. The people who are upset about it, most of them don’t even listen to the podcast. A lot of them are probably unhappy with your success.”

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Janet Jackson Issues Statement After Her Outrageous Comments About Kamala Harris Spark Fan Fury

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Singer Janet Jackson regurgitates Trump’s talking point that Kamala Harris is not Black and has a White Father. (@JanetJackson/Instagram; AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

In a recent interview promoting her first European tour since 2011, Janet Jackson made controversial comments about US Vice President Kamala Harris that stunned fans. Now she is apologizing for the misunderstanding.

Janet Jackson has lived within the UK for eight years, near her ex-husband, billionaire Wissam Al Mana, with whom she shares their 7-year-old son, Eissa. But the gap from the US has kept her somewhat out of touch with American politics.

During an interview with The Guardian’s Nosheen Iqbal, Jackson repeated a standard Republican talking point, falsely claiming that Harris is “not black” and has a “white father.”

“You know what they supposedly said? She’s not black. That’s what I heard… she’s Indian” – Jackson he noticed.

Iqbal, who’s of Indian descent, quickly corrected her, saying, “Well, she’s both.”

Singer Janet Jackson echoes Trump's argument that Kamala Harris is not black and has a white father. (@JanetJackson/Instagram; AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
Singer Janet Jackson echoes Trump’s argument that Kamala Harris shouldn’t be black and has a white father. (@JanetJackson/Instagram; AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Undeterred, Jackson replied, “Her father is white. That’s what I was told. I mean, I haven’t watched the news in a few days. They told me they found out her father is white.”

Contrary to Jackson’s claims, Harris’ father shouldn’t be white.

Donald Harris, a Jamaican-born retired Stanford University economist, is black and of mixed descent, stemming from the Caribbean’s history of slavery and colonization.

How reported According to the Irish Times, one in every of his ancestors, and great-grandfather Hamilton Brown, was an Irish slave owner.

When corrected, Jackson responded, “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t want to answer that question because I really, honestly, I don’t know. I think it’s going to be chaos either way,” referring to the high-stakes election fallout.

Jackson’s comments sparked widespread criticism on X, formerly generally known as Twitter, with many fans expressing disappointment.

The “Rhythm Nation” singer, known for her anti-racism activism, has gone viral with users criticizing her for spreading misinformation.

One user X he said“We need to hold an internal family meeting!”

Other as well as“So she is loudly and proudly uninformed… what a shame.”

Third he commented“I miss the days before social media, when we didn’t know how stupid celebrities were.”

Another fan he tweeted“Janet Jacksonnnnnn! Whyyyyy!”

The criticism got even worse, with one person suggesting her late brother Michael Jackson could be upset together with her comments: “How embarrassing.”

Some consider her views could also be influenced by her brother, Randy Jackson.

Randy, who’s 4 years older and her partner in Rhythm Nation Records, is a staunch Trump supporter. In 2020, he tweeted: “My friend sent me this and I thought it was really important to watch – ‘I voted for Biden but this changed my mind about Trump.’”

Randy’s daughter, Stevanna Jackson, who starred within the Nickelodeon series “Zoey 101,” allegedly criticized her father’s political beliefs on her Instagram Story, stating, “You’ve always been on the wrong side of history. As a father, as an uncle, as a brother, as a husband, as a friend.”

She continued: “That’s the saddest thing about you… Even your legacy won’t remember you fondly.”

On the Jackson Family’s Timeline, a longtime Jackson fan who caught the story 4 years ago noted his disappointment with the singer’s song “Pleasure Principle” statement“I just wish Janet wouldn’t do any more interviews if it’s just going to be a repeat of Randy’s MAGA crap.”

After 1000’s of tweets about Jackson’s comments about Harris, the singer finally responded.

A press release was made Buzzfeed through her manager, Mo Elmasri.

“I deeply respect Vice President Kamala Harris and her accomplishments as a Black and Indian woman. Janet apologizes for any confusion and recognizes the importance of accurate representation in public discourse.”

The statement concluded: “We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter and remain committed to promoting unity.”


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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