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

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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*)

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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:

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  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

Television

Why the star “White Lotus” by Natasha Rothwell is “obsessed” with a luxury black journey

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Natasha Rothwell, the star of the third season of the hit HBO Black-Coldy “The White Lotus”, understands first hand how powerful it may be in a luxurious travel space.

Talking with NPR Recently, a 44-year-old actress said that her obsession with black travels began long before her character Belinda ever reached “White Lotus”.

“I’m obsessed with a black journey. I remember how I traveled after I was a real, real rinsed and saw a black person sitting in first grade after I was on my approach to training. And subconsciously, let me know that I should do it, that I can do it, that I belonged to this space – noted Rothwell.

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The character of Rothwell, Belinda, has its own experience in the program this season. One evening he eats in Thailand when he sees the black couple at one other table.

“When I talked to (Mike White, the creator of the series) about this moment and throwing him, I was simply, I want Belinda to have an interaction in which she sees the potential of what could be” – explained the star “How to die alone.” “You know, she flirts with being a guest anyway, because she does her workshops and, you know, classes during the day, but she really campsplay what it is like to be in this space, and nobody asks why it is there.”

She added: “That’s why I’m excited when I see black people travel, especially luxurious journeys, because I think it’s something that is not displayed on television … So much for what I sought and do, is a consequence of representation.”

Rothwell quoted the deceased actress Nell Carter in the series “Gimmie A Break!” as certainly one of her inspiration.

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“I was like, oh, she is a greasy baddie. It is in this program and runs S-. I want to do it – she said. “I would not know to aspire (to) if I didn’t see her. And I feel that the journey does the same in real life. “

Considering this, Rothwell said that although the scene was initially longer, she was “satisfied” that her scene with the black couple was in the series.

“I had a longer scene with them, so it was definitely just cut at the look, because – and this is Mike’s genius – this look more than ever the scene” – she noted.

Rothwell, which also performed in the first season, returned for the third season of Anthology Show, which follows the events, each good and never excellent, guests and staff in a fictitious luxury hotel chain. This time the program takes place in White Lotus Resort in Thailand. The character of Rothwell, Belinda, includes, amongst others, some essential character of Energy.

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“For the first time he will be a guest, although he participates in classes and it is a journey to work,” said Rothwell in an interview before the premiere of the season. “She stops at the hotel, which she did not do before, so we see how she really dipped her fingers on the other side of her life on the top/bottom of the white lotus.”

Like Ciara and Russell Wilson, they first introduced Normani to their new fiance DK Metcalf

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Meghan Markle drops the new Netflix series “With Love, Meghan” and as always brands on the same day as the first interview in years

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After longer expectations, a Return to Instagramdeferment and a bit unfavorable disclosure at the vanity fairThe new series Meghan Markle finally fell on Netflix.

On Tuesday, after he was pushed out due to fires that spread in Los Angeles in January, “from Love, Meghan”, a new series of life in reality with Princess Sussex, made her in a streamer.

In eight episodes of the series, it presents Meghan, which provides advice on lifestyle, chefs with guests stars, gardens and craftsmanship from a picturesque country house. Despite what it sounds, she said People magazine (In its first interview in years) that this is just not a “Stand and Mix” program.

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Her many years of makeup and friend, Daniel Martin, appears in the first episode that may help her make pasta for a pan and cake. Later in the Mindy Kaling series, he arrives to grate about the jam of Guru Lifestyle. Both guests also delve into how they know the duchess and notice how this whole brand of life began with their website lifestyle, The Tig.

“With love Meghan” is a return to meghan control. He puts in a way of life guru hat and does it in his own style. A couple of hours after the series landing, its new offer of lifestyle products, As alwaysIt began online, although nothing is accessible for purchase.

“There are plenty of twists and turns – even with a name,” said Meghan Magazine about the means of launching your lifestyle brand, initially called American Riviera Orchard.

“I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and provide you with it, and forgive myself. This is a learning curve – she added.

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“With love, Meghan” and its implementation can seek advice from the constant curiosity of who this iteration of Meghan is. Both in the series, as I always, Meghan doesn’t say so subtly that she has always been: gala in a fantastic kitchen with a creative idea for a guest at the last minute. At least she tries.

Early reviews were mixed. . Ordinary critics AND criticsSimilarly, I implied the same thing: the program has an issue of authenticity. Meghan, in all his domestic bliss and cashmere, seems like some like her turn on Tradwife or “traditional wife.”

Meghan responded to those claims, telling people: “I see myself as an entrepreneur and founder.”

Considering that he’s on Instagram and I’m burning with my path in a way of life – similar to influential – he added: “If the brand ends with influence, it’s great.”

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Is there a bonus of the argument that it lacks authenticity or not later polo document and the splashed docus “Harry & Meghan”, which she and Harry’s Ershewell Productions released on Netflix in 2022, tries to introduce us again. And as she pointed to people, she got here up with it quite.

During the first few episodes we get F-Bombs (not from it, though not shudder), he mentions Beyoncé, and even the disclosure that he’s wearing Zara’s pants. While Prince Harry appears (in the last episode), there is no such thing as a mention of the royal aspect of their lives. Intimate details are sent all the time, like the taste of her wedding cake, a meal that she cooks with children, and her mother.

“The series is about doing what you can,” she told people, adding: “And doing it with love.”

As children say: “Let her cook!”

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Star Guerdy Abrair

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“Lifting Kanan” season 4, episode 1: The streets had a body

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Welcome to Southside Jamaica, Queens, New York.

When we last left our heroes – Villains; They are all villains – Det. Howard (Omar EPPS) and Ronnie (Grantham Coleman) just met their creator in a warehouse during which Raquel (Patina Miller) thought she and Marvin (London Brown) paid Ronnie $ 500,000 to regain the son of Kanan (Mekai Curtis), who was kidnapped behind the ransom. It seems that he didn’t do it, and Okey Dok was in the course of Kanan, and when the Thomas family (Raquel, Mavin and Kanan) left the premises, we see a unique (Joey researches $$) standing over the body of their brother.

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This is barely necessary because we saw a few episodes earlier how Ronnie defeated the unique death (or at the very least we expect so) and throws his body within the forest somewhere in New York. We were all caught for shreds and we had all of the questions. I wrote down a few of them in my season summarizing season 3 (which you’ll be able to read here – I did so).

The premiere of the episode of season 4 tries to reply among the questions that arose when he appeared within the warehouse. Questions corresponding to: where was it special all this time? How much time has time to walk? Who knew

So let’s jump on it. Unique, as we all know, was not dead. Finally he got here and enlisted to a working phone paid on the summary gas station. Now I actually have to point to the story’s purposes. Where Ronnie abandoned a unique place, they had to be their place “drop your dead bodies”, because how else it might be unique he knew where he was when he called his Homeboy to come back. That night, Domboy appeared in the best place. So it wasn’t to date and a familiar place. Either this or one chart of the ratio of Tyler Perry. I admit this being the primary, but I used to be … recessed.

In any case, he is exclusive to a vet to evaluate his condition, during which his homie, who really worries that he’ll receive payment for services to bring him to the vet with the intention to assess, it is alleged that it have to be unique in hospital and that individuals with this sort of injury develop personality disorders and such. I imagine we call this announcement. Ziomek (whose name escapes me, but Chris Redd plays, forgive me Gawds) brings unique back to his place in order that he can wait for his healing. Does he do it because he’s a good friend? Not in any respect; He desires to ensure that he’ll get money. I’m really curious how much money he paid to the vet to say: “He is mostly dead, it would be beneficial to everyone if he received professional help not related to animals.” But what do I do know?

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Although his healing undergoes unique, and thus the attempt to search out out, who else but Ronna could take his place (the best query), we’re caught for the events of the Thomas family. At the moment of the story, which lasts about three months (answered the query) before Ronna and Det. Howard catches these missiles within the warehouse, Raquel and Kanan are still not in good space resulting from problems with Raquel’s control. Lou-Lou (second brother of Raquel and Marvin, played by Malcolm Mays) remains to be drunk and at the start of what is going to occur to his journey to sobriety. He works on the club and we receive the origin of the stage, which we saw within the last season, during which Lou-Lou prepares a musical presentation for the famous (Antonio Ortiz), whose song “The Streets Need a Body” kills her.

Raquel isn’t on Showcase (Kanan’s cousin, Jukebox, played by Hailey Kilgore), who was drawn by the FBI for interrogation related to her drug surgery. The FBI has nothing but their nesting. We also learn that Raquel is pregnant with a unique child. He has an abortion that seems to reflect on Kanan, I feel someone can be. In any case, when he’s within the doctor’s office, asked where the daddy is (unique), he informs the doctor (and the ultimate social employee) that his father is dead. Answers to the query. Everyone thinks he’s a spirit.

Marvin is pulled into the world of Stefano (Tony Danza), separate from Raquel-Stefano is now a supplier of Raquel-Ay drugs to perform an indefinite attitude, adapting to her daughter’s husband. It seems to me that this has “bad” potential, but for now Marvin, all the time a perfect skilled, is coping with this business.

Jukebox, which is an element of the developing R&B group, butt, still (in the intervening time) tries to get answers about joining the military, which we learn in the ultimate of the last season, she joined.

In essentially the most interesting scenes of the Kanana episode he has a task during which he must do a research article about someone in his family. He chooses his grandfather (deceased) Elijah Thomas. It was fascinating to see about him various people he asked for (his grandmother, Marvin and Lou-Lou). The perspective of everyone seems to be so different, but we have now learned a lot about Marvin. Marvin is the oldest siblings and the one who has essentially the most memories and the one who wounded through their grandfather essentially the most, leaving them. Marvin said that he hurts essentially the most because he loved their father essentially the most because he saw essentially the most sides of his. Definitely a scene value watching.

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Interestingly, Kanan asks Det. Howard (whom he learned in earlier seasons, he was his real father), if he manages to make a research document about his family and quickly reminds him that although they’re a father and son, everyone on the road thinks that his father is a former drug Kingpin and Raquel, Defcon, and that nobody has to know that Kanan’s father was clay. I believed it was quite interesting for Kanan to go this manner. Of course Det. Howard dies at the tip of season 3, however it was nice that Kanan was reaching. As sad because it turned out.

Raquel also killed him in front of Kanan, mainly because Howard wanted Raquel to activate Marvin in favor of Kanan. If you retain the result: Raquel first tried to make Kanan kill Det. Howard. Then he kills Det. Howard, because he tries to guard her and Kanan, and in addition because he still wants a relationship with Kanan. Kanan has passed through some things.

The episode ends, because the last season begins, apart from Ronnie’s body, whom he persecuted and sees Ronnie moves weight and the way Raquel took over the reference to medicines. Unique is pissed off, ready for revenge and intention to select up his place. This season, a drama and violence were written on it. Can’t wait.

Southside.

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(Tagstranslate) Power Book III: lifting Kanan

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