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Lollapalooza 2024: SZA, Victoria Monét, Megan Thee Stallion and More Close Out Festival Stage – Essence

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Photo credit: Peyton Reich

Taking place in Chicago’s iconic Grant Park, Lollapalooza 2024 was full of great music, delicious food, and an environment befitting its fame as one in every of the largest and best festivals within the country. This yr’s lineup was eclectic, with some major players in dark entertainment amongst them.

During the festival’s opening night on August 1, audiences were treated to performances from FLO, Tyla, and Houston headliner Megan Thee Stallion. The “WAP” rapper opened her set with “HISS,” followed by popular tracks “Ungrateful” and “Thot Shit.” Despite torrential rain during her performance, the gang’s energy never wavered, especially when Meg took a moment to point out her support for presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the November election.

Lollapalooza 2024: SZA, Victoria Monét, Megan Thee Stallion and More Close Out Festival Stage
Photo credit: Anthony Vazquez

“Kamala said she supports women’s rights,” Megan told the big audience. “Kamala said she’s sick of these high gas prices. Kamala said she stands with the people — Hotties for Harris, God b***h.” After Chicago Sky winger and former LSU star Angel Reese got here on as a special guest, Megan closed out her electrifying performance with “BOA,” and the gang was begging for more as she left the stage.

On Friday, festivalgoers flocked to Grant Park for performances by artists like Sexxy Red, Victoria Monét, and SZA. Monét, who recently had an incredible run of performances at ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2024 and the BET Awards, lit up the T-Mobile Stage just before sunset. Victoria’s set featured hits from her album and a steamy medley along with her dancers.

Lollapalooza 2024: SZA, Victoria Monét, Megan Thee Stallion and More Close Out Festival Stage
Photo credit: Peyton Reich

SZA, the headliner of the evening, took the stage just after her scheduled 8:45 p.m. time on the T-Mobile Stage. She delivered an unforgettable performance that included songs like “Seek & Destroy,” “Broken Clocks,” “Ghost in the Machine,” “F2F,” “Drew Barrymore,” and “Blind.” The audience’s engagement during “Normal Girl” and “Nobody Gets Me” showed how deeply SZA’s music resonates with audiences from all walks of life. She closed out her set with a final-minute performance of “20 Somethings,” from her classic album, .

Lollapalooza featured some incredible activations from a few of the world’s biggest brands, together with offerings from food vendors each near and far. Bacardi, Red Bull, and Coca-Cola made their presence felt, while venues like Jack Daniel’s Karaoke Experience, Bud Light Backyard, Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge, and House of Dunkin’ kept things going strong all weekend long.

Lollapalooza 2024: SZA, Victoria Monét, Megan Thee Stallion and More Close Out Festival Stage
Courtesy of Liquid IV

Intravenous fluid had an unmissable activation, situated in the guts of the festival grounds. There, attendees could chill out within the shade while trying out the brand’s latest flavors, including Hydration Multiplier Popsicle Firecracker and Hydration Multiplier Cotton Candy. There was also a cool photo booth and a special DJ day-after-day at Hydration Haven, namely

Day three featured performances from Armani White, Killer Mike, and a highly anticipated set from Future and Metro Boomin. Closing out the night on the Bud Light stage just after 9:15 p.m., Future and Metro delivered a dynamic and energetic performance that wowed the gang. Songs like “All My Life,” “Stick Talk,” and “Like That” were sung word for word by the 1000’s in attendance.

Lollapalooza 2024: SZA, Victoria Monét, Megan Thee Stallion and More Close Out Festival Stage
Photo credit: Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere

The final day of the festival featured a various mixture of artists, including Vince Staples and SiR. Known for his charismatic presence, Vince Staples engaged the audience in conversation and invited young fans on stage to assist him recite lyrics, creating memorable moments for fans in addition to those watching from afar.

Chicago was bustling with tourists all weekend long with the festival and events just like the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Conference. As in previous years, Lollapalooza 2024 was an enormous success, showcasing a big selection of musical talent and creating an unforgettable experience for all attendees. The festival once more demonstrated why it stays a cornerstone of the worldwide music circuit.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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“The Honorable Shyne” is a hit. This is why I wanted to tell this story. — Andlandscape

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One of the primary reasons Andscape culture author Justin Tinsley and I were tapped to co-executive produce was our backgrounds as music journalists. The documentary chronicling Moses “Shyne” Barrow’s rise to fame, imprisonment, and re-emergence as a political leader suits firmly into our wheelhouse, as his best rap years got here within the early 2000s – right at the center of our hip-hop fandom. I donated my time helping with the documentary, which was a top ten show in its debut week on Huluas a likelihood to help tell the story of hip-hop. I got here away from the project with an understanding of a man in conflict, at odds with himself and his past, and wanting to forge a path forward.

Shyne’s story illustrates the American dream: a poor black immigrant comes to America and from nowhere becomes one in all the largest rap stars. It is also a story about how the American criminal justice system and music industry chew up and spit out so many young Black people. To carelessly follow Shyne’s story is to consider him as just one other young black man who fell into a bad situation and never recovered. After all, his rap profession was effectively derailed when in 2001 he was sentenced to ten years in prison for the 1999 shooting at Club New York in Manhattan. But what inspired me about Shyne’s story was his refusal to let this devastation define him.

In 2021, I hung out in New Orleans with former No Limit rapper McKinley “Mac” Phipps, who had just been released from prison after spending 21 years in prison for a murder he denied committing. As I listened to Shyne’s story, I considered Mac. Both were avatars of a system that tested rap as much because it tested individual men. Mac’s story was about how hip-hop lyrics may be used to accuse someone within the face of overwhelming evidence of their innocence. Similarly, Shyne’s trial created a sensation about hip-hop’s relationship to violence in a city hungry for head on a plate.

Both Shyne and Mac emerged from prison as completely different people than once they entered. In Mac’s case, it was the period of time he spent at home, during which he transformed from a teenage rapper into a man after 20 years spent in confinement. For Shyne, his transformation got here from faith when he converted to Orthodox Judaism in prison. When I have a look at people like Shyne and Mac, I wonder how they’ll survive being locked in a cage, and their answers are inspiring.

While Shyne’s rap stories are what drew me to this project, it’s his journey as a man that makes me proud to help tell his story. And we actually get to see that journey after he raps the ultimate bars of his rap profession.

Shyne got here to the film wanting to discuss his lowest moments – the time after his release from prison in 2009, when he lashed out, frustrated at seeing a latest crop of rap stars emerge within the void left by his absence. He was rudderless. As rudderless as anyone may be who has lost a decade to a prison system that wanted to destroy him. And much more, since it was closed when the superstar’s fame was on the tip of his fingers.

The raspy-voiced rapper could have let these mishaps define him, but that is where Shyne’s story resonates with everyone, whether or not they’re a rap fan or not. Shyne’s second act, the one through which he finds purpose in community and family, where he uses his innate charisma and true genius to turn out to be a political leader and motivational speaker.

I cannot discuss Shyne’s reappearance without mentioning Sean “Diddy” Combs. Combs, the disgraced hip-hop mogul who signed Shyne to his label Bad Boy Records and helped launch his profession, is the elephant within the room throughout the documentary and in Shyne’s life. So lots of the artists who emerged under Diddy – from G Depp and Mase to The Notorious BIG – suffered terrible consequences. Shyne’s name was all the time on the list because he spent ten years in prison. And yet, Shyne’s approach to healing and moving forward is as inspiring as his ability to overcome what he sees because the sabotage of his life and profession.

These are lessons I didn’t expect to learn from the stories in regards to the hip-hop star from my childhood. These are inspiring moments that can be of interest to those that haven’t yet turn out to be inquisitive about the Brooklyn, or somewhat Belizean, rapper featured within the documentary. These are the points that make me proud to be a a part of telling Shyne’s story.

DavidDennis Jr. is a senior author at Andscape and the creator 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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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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