Connect with us

Television

LL Cool J Relearns “How to Rap” on His First Album in 11 Years, “The FORCE”

Published

on

NEW YORK (AP) — Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor and writer LL Cool J will release his first recent album in 11 years, “The FORCE,” in September — 40 years after launching his hip-hop profession.

Not that he wasn’t making music during that point. “I was always tinkering in the studio here and there,” he told The Associated Press via Zoom. But in the past two years, inspiration really struck. He began working with a producer and taking music more seriously.

Then he hit a snag. “I just felt like the songs this producer was giving me were better than the songs I was writing,” he says. Then the late Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest got here to him in a dream. “He said, ‘Hey, man, this new music you’re working on is great, man.’ But he had this Cheshire cat look on his face, like he was lying to me,” he says.

It was a wake-up call—and something told him to call A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip to work together. The move worked: Q-Tip produced every song and created all of the beats on “The FORCE,” out Sept. 6.

LL Cool J describes the strategy of creating his 14th studio album as “going back to the drawing board and learning how to rap again…making sure I’m really inspired by what I’m saying. That’s why there’s not a lot of bullshit on this album.”

“The LeBrons, the Stephs, the Jordans, the Kobes, they all go back to the drawing board, always trying to be better,” he continued. “I wasn’t trying to be trendy, and I wasn’t trying to recapture anything I had done before.”

The FORCE is an inventive rap album inspired by LL Cool J’s storied profession, touching on quite a lot of topics reminiscent of the facility of self-motivation (“Passion”), temperamental style (“Murdergram Deux,” the long-awaited collaboration with Eminem), dangerous sensuality at work (“Proclivities” featuring Saweetie) and cautionary tales, as seen in the lead single “Saturday Night Special” featuring Rick Ross and Fat Joe.

Featured Stories

Particularly effective is the one-two punch of “Huey in the Chair” — a nod to the famous photo of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton — which the rapper describes as “taking a stand for what you believe in,” and the funky, urban beats of “Basquiat Energy,” celebrating the modern spirit of the artist who named him. The rapper says the American icons are united by their ability to “express their personal truths,” which is what he set out to do on this album.

Thus, “The FORCE,” which stands for “the frequencies of true creative energy,” became the unofficial mantra of the label.

“That’s what we wanted to present to the world,” he said. (*11*)

And after hip-hop’s fiftieth anniversary last 12 months, LL Cool J says he “wanted to show people that artists who have had long, successful careers, so to speak, can make modern contributions to hip-hop that have a big impact. I’d never seen anything like that before. That was another challenge: Can I make something that sounds modern and fresh?”

There’s no trendiness here — expect to hear rappers rapping for real — but nobody should consider this as a nostalgia play. The album is jam-packed with guests, even beyond Ross, Fat Joe, Saweetie, and Eminem: Snoop Dogg, Sona Jobareth, Busta Rhymes, Nas, Mad Squablz, JS.AND, and Don Pablito are amongst them.

“One thing I wanted to do was meet people where I am now. I wasn’t trying to be a preacher,” he said. “I’m not trying to tell people how to live their lives necessarily. I wanted to express myself to people where I am artistically at this point in my life and give it to them. And then they can take it and do whatever they want with it.”

“The FORCE” album track list:

  1. “Spirit of Cyrus” (featuring Snoop Dogg)
  2. “Force”
  3. “Saturday Night Special” (feat. Rick Ross and Fat Joe)
  4. “Black Code Suite” (feat. Sona Jobarteh)
  5. “Passion”
  6. “Tendencies” (feat. Saweetie)
  7. “Postmodern”
  8. “December 30th”
  9. “Run back”
  10. “Huey In Da Chair” (featuring Busta Rhymes)
  11. “Basquiat’s Energy”
  12. “Praise Him” ​​(feat. Nas)
  13. “Murdergram Deux” (featuring Eminem)
  14. “The Vow” (featuring Mad Squablz, JS.AND and Don Pablito)

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Television

Why is Michelle Obama’s ‘Later Daters’ the most popular series on Netflix?

Published

on

By

The Later Daters, The Later Daters Netlfix, Michelle Obama The Later Daters, Michelle Obama Netflix, Higher Ground Netflix, Dating over 50, senior dating, theGrio.com

I hadn’t heard of The Later Daters on Netflix until I saw a post on Instagram stating that Michelle Obama was an executive producer. Naturally, if our everlasting first lady was involved, I had to examine it out and see what this show was all about. Much to my delight, “The Later Daters” turned out to be one in all the funniest, funniest, and most profound reality shows I even have seen in an extended time.

“The Later Daters” follows older singles in the “silver” years of their lives as they give the impression of being for an additional probability at love. Some of the daters are widows and widowers who lost their past loves. Others are divorcees (and in some cases, multiple divorcees) who try love again. It’s a various forged that features silver foxes of each shade and race, although the Black singles featured on the show give latest intending to the phrase “Black don’t crack.”

What I discovered the most entertaining storyline was the case of a later date named Anise. Not only does she have an exceptionally fit body and a lovely face, but Anise has endured incredible heartbreak, losing her first husband shortly after giving birth to her two children a long time ago. Anise became, in line with many, the prototype of the successful black woman. Educated and independent, she received her PhD, currently lives in a lovely house, her children are doing well, and in actual fact, the only thing she needs is the missing piece of affection in her life.

Unfortunately, regardless that she is 62 years old, so beautiful and smart, Anise has problems finding love. One of her dates on the show is an ideal example of what young women often undergo lately – and unfortunately, many older women apparently undergo it too. You know the drill: people objectify them, see their achievements and are intimidated into saying the stupidest things. In this case, adults. In one scene that went viral on social media, the silver fox, who is also an adult, divorced and has children, asks Anise if all three of her children have the same “little daddy.” He also tells her, without irony, that he likes his women who’ve a “little ghetto” in them. Yes, it really happened.

Now Anise, very uncomfortably, tries to navigate this awkward conversation gracefully, but rattling, at the age of 62, should she?! In that sense, “The Later Daters” is so relatable because even with the generation gap, if you happen to watch the show as a millennial like me, you see that there are particular features of dating which might be just universal. But what I actually like about this show is the way it shows that all of us have a universal desire for love, even later in life. Sometimes in society we speak about seniors – or anyone over the age of 55 – as if their best days were behind them. As in the event that they had no motivation to proceed to look good and feel good, be sexy or want sex and love. This series did an important job of further humanizing and complicating what it means to be an older American in the so-called “golden” stage of life.

Other great features of the show include watching the later daters with their children, arm in arm, being interviewed about every little thing from their first kiss to what they’ve learned about sex to what they give the impression of being for in a partner. Even with adult children, there is loads of sensitive giggling and facial covering once they hear about their parents’ love lives and future love lives. However, there is also a bond that happens when children provide perspective on their parents and what they think they need to learn about what they should offer and what they deserve of their next relationship.

“The Later Daters” is a must-watch show, especially in terms of intergenerational bonding. I used to be texting and kiki-kiing with my mom all week long, laughing at a few of the crazy scenes and funny conversations and who we thought would find yourself with who on the show. But it also made me smile to think that even at 38, when I’m beginning to feel many days older than my age, raising a small child, running around, maintaining a house and a relationship, there is still a lot to see in life and love.

Seeing a few of the love stories these Later Daters have been blessed with – and even the unlucky losses – reminds you that life is value living. Michelle Obama, the show’s executive producer, did an important job on this series and did society a service by not only allowing her and Barack’s love story to be the end of the story, but additionally speaking loudly and truthfully about the complexities of mature love. “The Later Daters” is very easy to look at and only has eight short episodes that you may watch over the course of an evening or every week if you happen to want. It’s an important reminder that we recover with age – and sometimes love does, too.

5 lessons from 'Wicked' that remind you of the message about the 2024 election – and America in general

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Television

Will Smith Says He Regrets Feud With ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Aunt Viv’s Janet Hubert

Published

on

By

Will Smith Janet Hubert, What happened to the original aunt viv?, who played dark skin aunt viv?, Janet Hubert Vivian Banks, Janet Hubert Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Why did the Vivian change in Fresh Prince?, Who was the original Aunt Vivian?, What happened with Will Smith and Janet Hubert? theGrio.com

Whether you watched it live or noticed the change while watching replays, the transformation of Vivian Banks, commonly often called Aunt Viv, into the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is a moment viewers will always remember.

For the primary three seasons of the hit series, Janet Hubert played Smith’s aunt, Vivian Banks. However, in 1993, the actress left the series, citing “creative differences”, and was eventually replaced by Daphne Maxwell Reid. For many years after her departure from the show, Hubert and Smith took jabs at one another, alluding to a deeper conflict outside the general public eye. At the time, Smith reportedly claimed that Hubert was on a mission to take over the show.

Now, in a brand new episode of “Black Comedy in America” ​​produced by Vice, Smith, who also served as an executive producer on the series, opened up more about his controversial relationship with the actress, whom fans first fell in love with as Aunt Viv.

“I made a terrible mistake and misjudged her worth, strength and beauty on the show,” Smith told host Chris Spencer for the complex. “I horribly underestimated what she was to me at that point in my life.”

In 2020, the feuding stars reconciled with one another during an emotional special episode of HBO Max celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the hit series. Meeting for the primary time in many years, Hubert and Smith shared a candid moment during which they reflected on their conflicts and the impact they’ve on their skilled and private relationships.

“I lost a lot… When I left this system, I had a baby and nobody. “My family disowned me, Hollywood disowned me, my family said you ruined our name, and I was unprofessional on set,” she told Smith during their meeting. “I just stopped talking to everyone because I didn’t know who to trust, I used to be exiled. They said it was you who banished me. Because you were Will, you were a toddler. It was difficult.

“You took it all away from me with your words. Words can kill. I lost everything. Reputation, everything, everything,” she continued. “I understand you managed to maneuver on, but you realize the words, calling a black woman difficult in Hollywood is the kiss of death. It’s hard enough when (you are) a dark-skinned black woman on this business.

Understanding the importance of healing and moving forward, Hubert apologized for a way she spoke about Smith within the media over time. Similarly, Smith admitted that he might have been more sensitive to the actress’ experience and vowed to guard her in the longer term.

Since clearing the air, Hubert and Smith say they’ve a superb relationship. In 2021, the previous “Fresh Prince” actress said. People Magazine“We text one another on a regular basis. I meant it with all my heart after I hugged him because I saw that little boy, that little 21-year-old boy. I believe that if we had had the chance to speak then, something like this might never have happened.

Janet Hubert Discusses Leaving 'Fresh Prince' With Will Smith: 'I Lost So Much'

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Television

Simone Biles will join Snoop Dogg as a guest mentor on an episode of NBC’s “The Voice.”

Published

on

By

Simone Biles, Snoop Dogg, Simone Biles Snoop Dogg, Simone Biles Snoop Dogg The Voice, Simone Biles Snoop Dogg Olympics, Simone Biles The Voice, Snoop Dogg The Voice, Snoop Dogg Olympics, The Voice, theGrio.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Snoop Dogg AND Simone Biles they swapped their Olympic ties from this summer Paris Games takes on a latest challenge: a tandem of superstars will join forces on NBC’s “The Voice.”

Biles will join Snoop on an episode of the fact competition show that airs Monday. As the show’s coach, the rap star hired Biles as a mentor within the playoffs to advise the five singers vying for a spot within the live shows.

For Snoop and Biles, their pair was a perfect combination of sports and music icons who effortlessly brought their chemistry from the Olympics to TV’s “The Voice.”

“We were able to get together and give the artists the best insight into the next round,” Biles told The Associated Press in a recent interview with Snoop as the 2 finished filming the episode in Los Angeles.

“It was pretty easy, simple,” added Biles, probably the most decorated gymnast of all time, who won 4 medals, including three gold, on the last Olympics. “We are each very gentle. But if we’d like to boost this energy, we will do it. For us it was about giving us confidence for the following week.

Biles can have been known for her athletic achievements, but she had the power to attach with musical competitors from one athlete to a different.

“These are the stages of learning: learn, process, come back and work,” she said. “They all have vocal talent. It’s about using it, knowing when to bring it out, what songs to sing and what genre you fit into. And what should your legacy be? It’s a truly unique show, as is the judging. They can’t see the physical appearance first. It’s all behind the ears, listening and putting your craft together.”

Despite their different profession paths, Snoop and Biles respect one another and are capable of shine on the most important stages.

“We have very diverse careers. But what we were coping with, they’re coping with now,” said Snoop, a remarkably fluid artist who has adopted as a special correspondent IN Record-breaking NBC coverage. He can also be a coach on “The Voice.” Michael Buble, Reba McEntire AND Gwen Stefaniand every of them tries to find and train one other singing phenomenon.

Snoop said he felt the necessity to instill wisdom and confidence in each contestant.

“We have the best experience and knowledge that we can pass on to these contractors,” he said. “She is a performer. I am a contractor. We performed in extreme conditions. We always do our best. But sometimes things happen behind closed doors that you don’t know about. This allows us to talk about these issues and really put them at ease.”

What do you know about Cynthia Erivo?

During the Olympics, Biles and Snoop had several viral moments. The two got here together to cheer on Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone during her 400-meter hurdles; gave Biles’ father, Ronald Biles, a Death Row Records gold necklace for his seventy fifth birthday; and was spotted dancing in the group through the women’s gymnastics qualifying round as Biles and her teammate Jordan Chiles joined.

On set, Biles smiled often as he watched Snoop in his charismatic element.

“I knew Snoop would stay true to himself and authentic on ‘The Voice,'” she said. “It’s nice not to have to adjust the form. There is room for everyone.”

Snoop said it made sense for each parties to work together on this episode.

“This is family. It feels good,” Snoop said. “(Biles) can do anything he wants. He picks and chooses what he desires to do. We are at this stage in our profession straight away. It should be a good feeling. You cannot force it or I do not do it. Dot, point, blank space.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending