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‘Homecoming’ Star Weaves Real HBCU Experience Into Character — Andscape

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actor Gefry Maja found her character, Simone Hicks, caught up in a love triangle at the top of the CW series’ second season, sparking heated debate on social media. Now, viewers know her answer, and her decision is a central storyline throughout the show’s third and final season, which premiered Monday night.

Maya, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, got her start as a recurring character on the CW sister series before starring in its own spinoff, which is about at Bridston University, a fictional historically black college in Atlanta. The campus serves because the backdrop for the show as Maya’s character navigates young maturity as a mother and student-athlete, and Maya’s time as an HBCU student helped her portrayal, she said.

On Friday, Andscape spoke with the Los Angeles native in regards to the show’s final season, Simone’s love triangle, and the impact of a TV series set at an HBCU.

What is it like being an HBCU student in real life and playing one on the show?

It’s very coincidental. … In this life that all of us undergo, there are specific things that we do with none expectation that they are actually going to occur. So I feel that having the ability to play an HBCU student from LA was just my thing. It was all the time a part of my goal, and I’m grateful that I had a showrunner like Little Carrollwho saw that in me and gave me the chance to play that role in a way that was reflective of little girls who appear like me, come from similar backgrounds, and just allowed me to honor the undeniable fact that these stories really do matter. … I consider that is my purpose, which is to inform stories.

To what extent is your personality reflected in Simone?

The humanity aspect of acting, basically, is to bring just a little little bit of yourself to the role, regardless of what it’s. I feel most of (Simone’s) personality, by way of the silliness and the little South Central LA moments, though she’s from Beverly Hills. It just would not feel right to not play her that way. Because, again, do not get me incorrect: black is black. So you possibly can be from Beverly Hills, but you could have aunts and cousins ​​who live in Crenshaw or somewhere – it doesn’t matter. I just knew I desired to bring just a little little bit of my L.A. upbringing to the character and really to any character I play. … I just need to be authentic, so I needed to bring my South Central roots to this little Beverly Hills girl.

Season two ends on a cliffhanger, with Simone deciding between two suitors. Will the love triangle be resolved this season?

Absolutely, and I feel it resolves in a way that is more for Simone than for anyone else. And I feel like I’m not saying much because there’s a lot happening for her this season. But I feel by way of love, I feel it resolves for her. That’s a very powerful a part of this puzzle, her and her decision for herself.

What’s it wish to play a task in a love triangle?

Simone had more suitors than I ever had in my life and I’m not mad at her for that. I feel especially with girls, allow them to live, allow them to have their alternative. In retrospect, at my age and at this stage in life, I feel you should not put all of your eggs in a single basket because truthfully, you only do not know. Whether it is a man or a job, life is about living and experiencing, so I all the time encourage women to explore life in all the pieces it has to supply.

What can viewers expect from Simone this season?

I might say resilience because I feel like while you’re younger and also you undergo so lots of the trials and tribulations of life, we do not take a look at it as something that happens to us, but relatively it happens to us. … When you are capable of change your perspective … and you are able to have a look at it through the lens of growth and maturation and evolution, and really give up to life and all the pieces that it has to give you, whether it’s good and higher and different, I feel you only have a unique perspective on coming out of the hearth.

I feel Simone will certainly experience numerous things that may help her grow as an individual, as a girl, as a mom, as an athlete. Simone has so many roles to play. But I feel numerous it’s her resilience within the face of adversity, and it was really beautiful to play this season. … I do know individuals are so invested in Simone and this love triangle since it’s a lot fun. We want the women to win, but at the identical time, life happens, and when life hits you, it changes you. It changes you. … It was really refreshing to play a more nuanced, grounded version of her this season.

What do you think that How will the image of HBCUs impact future generations of scholars?

I feel the impact will just be more visibility and more opportunity to see yourself. One thing I’ll say is just being in business so long as I even have my purpose, that is starting to vary. I consider that this wasn’t a chance that was only for me and my dreams and my purpose and my work. It was really a chance for generations of youngsters who need to go to a historically black college or university, who need to learn more in regards to the legacy, who need to act, who need to play tennis, who need to be a featured character or who need to tell stories. So I feel that chance is incredibly necessary. But I feel the impact is a blessing. … I’m grateful that I can take a look at my art, in all the pieces that I create, as something that is just beyond me. I’m glad that I can serve a generation in that way, so I hope that it inspires people to simply do what they need to do and pursue what they need to pursue.

How necessary was it for the show to portray the problems that took place on HBCU campuses?

As Black people, we’ve a responsibility that we do not necessarily ask for, but we’ve a responsibility to reflect truth, authenticity, resilience, elevation, art, culture, and history. … It’s just too necessary due to how we impact other people, not only our own people, but literally the world. Black culture is all over the place on the planet. … That’s why it is so necessary that history is taken out of colleges. You cannot erase history after which sit here and have fun other cultures and histories because, again, all of that’s in the material of this world, of this country. … We have to offer credit to who deserves credit. And you understand, Black people, that is how we move, that is how we work. So it deserves that quantity of visibility and time and education because … we’re real individuals with real impact and we matter.

This will likely be the last season What was your initial response to the news of the series’ cancellation?

I’m really happy with this season, and though our fate is what it’s, I discussed it before: it’s about quality, not quantity. And I feel the standard of the work that we have done over the course of three seasons has affected people.

My character, being a recurring guest (on ), I didn’t know in the event that they would get attached to that version of that world, especially coming down from the heights that they still are. He’s still doing an astronomical job of celebrating the culture and giving back to the youngsters and families that actually love the show. I didn’t know what we were going to do, and it exceeded my expectations. So I feel how we began and definitely how we ended is rooted in something much greater than how long we have been on the show.

Mia Berry is a senior HBCU author at Andscape who covers all the pieces from sports to student protests. She’s a Detroit native (What up Doe!), a long-suffering Detroit sports fan, and a Notre Dame grad who occasionally shouts, “Go Irish.”

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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Kendrick Lamar Releases Surprise Album ‘GNX’; group chats are going crazy

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Kendrick Lamar, Kendrick Lamar GNX, GNX, GNX album, K-Dot, K-Dot GNX, theGrio.com

There are few things more exciting than receiving an infinite barrage of text messages at the very same time in numerous group chats. This normally implies that something vital has happened in popular culture. Well, the exact same thing happened about noon on November 22, within the yr of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, higher often called Kendrick Lamar, released the album “GNX”, nod towards Buick Grand National Regal GNXa rare muscle automobile released in 1987 – which also happens to be the yr Kendrick was born.

“GNX” is coming to the tip of what has been a banner yr for Kendrick Lamar. From epic diss records geared toward Drake, to creating the largest song of his profession (and a Drake diss track) on “Not Like Us”, to the “Pop Out” concert streaming live to tell the tale Amazon Prime, Kendrick won this yr. He even received seven Grammy nominations, mostly for “Not Like Us.” And this victory will proceed in the brand new yr. In September, it was announced that Kendrick would stay Super Bowl 2025 headliner will happen in New Orleans. This announcement sparked some controversy and comments from several New Orleans legends similar to Juvenile and most notably Lil Wayne, who felt disrespected; Kendrick immediately refers to this topic within the opening song of the album (all stylized in lower case), “wacced out murals”.

The thing is, Kendrick didn’t sleep for many of 2024. And then, while the remaining of us were minding our own business, listening to other albums that had just dropped, like Ice Cube’s “Man Down,” I began receiving text after text… and I knew that would only mean that something vital happened.

At this point in my life (and possibly even yours), Kendrick Lamar releases are a drop-everything-and-listen event. I immediately went to the streaming service, launched “GNX” and pressed “Play”.

I need to admit that the primary time I heard the album I used to be a bit confused. Kendrick has probably never been more popular or famous; if there was ever a time to drag a Kanye West and release his own version of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” – an album largely produced as Kanye’s best and most representative of Kanye’s greatness – now could be the time. “GNX” has a far more modern West Coast vibe and is certainly more for his die-hard fans than anyone who just began gaining attention due to his beef with Drake. Maybe that was the purpose; possibly not.

Kendrick Lamar, Kendrick Lamar GNX, GNX, GNX album, K-Dot, K-Dot GNX, theGrio.com
Photo: Dave Free

Either way, I can imagine that folks whose favorite lines are “OV-Ho” won’t be immediately thrilled. I wasn’t immediately blown away (though very amused by how sensitive Kendrick is to what people say about him on social media, well, everyone), but as is all the time the case with Kendrick albums, repeated listens are likely to correct any immediate monotony that I even have about his projects. For example, now that I’ve listened to it just a few times, I can not wait to listen to black college bands playing “tv off” style, which seems like a cousin of “Not Like Us.” The Shoot, Bayou Classic, which also takes place yearly in New Orleans on Thanksgiving Day, stands out as the first time we hear a band playing “TV off.”

Since the album didn’t come out long enough to be reviewed, group chats and social media were abuzz with immediate reactions. This is the a part of music releases I really like, where everyone seems to be listening to the identical thing, offering premature takes that will not even delay the following day. I’m not different; I’m sure I’ll say something about this album that can sound silly by Monday. Shoot, I can have already done it. But that is what happens when great artists release music. We spend time with others after which we refer to them, analyze them, criticize them, praise them, destroy them and let all our prejudices fly free. Love it.

It’s value noting that certainly one of Drake’s diss tracks that did not appear during last summer’s fracas was titled “The Heart Part 6,” and was an apparent try to usurp Kendrick’s pre-album practice of removing a non-album song titled “The Heart.” Well, Kendrick has a song on his recent album called, you guessed it, “The Heart, Pt. 6,” which I feel will probably be released soon Drake. Good job, Kenny.

Argue.


Panama Jackson theGrio.com

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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New music this week: Tyla, Lola Brooke, Coco Jones and more – Essence

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Happy Friday, people! Whether you are drinking a warm beverage or preparing for a fun-filled weekend, this week’s latest music releases set the tone. From sensual R&B melodies to powerful hip-hop anthems, these songs have something for everybody.

Coco Jones leads the pack along with her seasonal album, and Tyla offers a heartfelt change of tone with “Tears.” Miguel’s smooth “Always Time” and Jorja Smith’s tender “Stay Another Day” showcase R&B at its finest, while Lola Brooke and Killer Mike turn up the warmth on “Go To Yo Head” and “Warryn’s Groove,” respectively. Today’s list also includes music from Eric Bellinger, Coi Leray, Blxst and more.

Below you possibly can read our list of latest products.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Serena Williams is cutting short divorce talks for a second time after the couple reunited and put months of rumors to rest

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Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian are still doing well despite months of unconfirmed divorce rumors.

On November 17, Williams and the Reddit co-founder took a walk down memory lane and tested one another by asking questions on themselves and their family in a recent promotional ad. The couple ate a few of their favorite meals and meanwhile checked their glucose levels using Hello Lingo, a glucose monitoring device.

Nearly five minutes into the recording, Williams tested her husband’s memory by asking, “Who said I love you first?”

Ohanian, who shares two daughters, Olimpia and Adira, with the tennis legend, responds quickly by saying, “Mmm,” before writing his answer on the board.

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian recall who said “I love you” first amid divorce rumors. (Photo: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

“It’s like ‘The Newlywed Game,'” Williams said, writing down her answer, referring to the mid-Nineteen Sixties show “The Newlywed Game,” which tested couples who had been married for lower than two years to see if how much they learn about their relationship. amplifier.

Both Williams and Ohanian turn the board over to reveal their answers and, quite shockingly, they received two different answers. Ohanian wrote that Williams said it first, but Williams claims it was Ohanian.

“Come now. Are you going to lie about this? he declared to Williams, who responded with a laugh: “I said I would be honest.”

“That’s not an honest answer,” Ohanian continued. “I still keep in mind that phone call. Oh, you realize I felt the same, but you certainly said it first.

Williams joked: “My glucose levels were high. I ate some ice cream, my glucose level was too high. Then I tell this guy and I feel like saying things I would not normally say. The moment ended with Williams replaying how she told Ohanian those three special words.

Of course, there was no shortage of reactions from fans who showed their love for the couple and how well they interact of their normal element.

One YouTube commenter he wrote“It’s great to see Serena and Alexis in this normal environment, they are so lovely and have great charisma. I love them even more now and I feel great chemistry between them.”

Someone else said: “I liked this part. They seem to really like each other.”

However, as rumors swirled about problems of their marriage, one fan was confused by the video shared on Instagram.

“I thought I read that they got divorced?” he wrote one person in Williams’ comment section.

Someone else also addressed the rumors, writing: “Where are the haters who said divorce was imminent? Sometimes people will be crazy. Seriously, how are you going to even start assuming things like that about people you have never met?

This summer, fans began speculating that Williams and her seven-year marriage to Ohanian were in trouble after they noticed she hadn’t posted from him on her social media pages in some time.

Moreover, Ohanian was noticeably absent from the June premiere of the documentary “In the Arena: Serena Williams” and was also absent from her side at the Met Gala in May.

But they got back together this summer after they attended the Paris Olympics with their daughter Olympia in July.

Among the many viral moments spent with the Ohanian family, she organizes: umbrella for his wife and the European commentator – who didn’t realize he was her husband – and called Ohanian Serena’s “umbrella holder”.

The tech guru reacted to the moment hilariously by snapping a photo of himself holding an umbrella over himself and his daughter.

Ohanian joked, “I am also a personal Olympia umbrella owner. Sidebar: You all set the bar too low for me and celebrity daddies only get flowers for *admitting* they have kids.”

The proud dad is probably also Adira’s personal umbrella holder.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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