Entertainment
Oprah Winfrey Faces Storm Over Controversial South African School Over DNC Appearance
Oprah Winfrey was a special guest on the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which took place on August 21 in her hometown of Chicago. Her speech was met with mixed reactions.
The former talk show host took the stage on the United Center before a raucous Democratic crowd to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Winfrey delivered a 15-minute speech that included shots at Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance.
Oprah Winfrey mocked the Ohio senator’s controversial comments about “childless cat women” during her appearance. In 2021, JD Vance slammed Kamala Harris and other Democratic politicians for not having biological children.
“Contrary to what some people would have you believe, we are not all that different from our neighbors. When a house is burning down, we don’t ask about the race or religion of the homeowner, we don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do everything we can to save it,” Winfrey said on the DNC.
The 70-year-old billionaire continued: “And if that place belongs to a childless cat lady, well, we’re trying to get rid of that cat too.” The blatant reference to JD Vance was met with applause from the live audience but was met with criticism online.
Daily Mail Instagram Account posted a clip of Oprah Winfrey’s speech. The post focused on a camera panning to an unknown viewer as Winfrey delivered her “childless cat lady” line.
Clearly, right-wing critics took the chance to criticize the Tennessee State University graduate within the comments section. For example, one person on Instagram accused her of selling out for fame and fortune.
“Where are the kids, Oprah??? You sold your soul (devil emoji),” one person wrote. A Winfrey supporter replied, “And you built wealth, but you sold (yours) and got nothing in return.”
Several commenters referred to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. The boarding school was embroiled in allegations of physical and sexual abuse within the late 2000s.
“Oprah, is abuse still going on at Oprah’s girls’ school in Africa?” the critic asked. Another non-fan of the so-called “Queen of All Media” wondered: “Where are the girls from your school in South Africa?”
On June 17, Oprah Winfrey celebrated the graduation of one among her Leadership Academy “daughters” with a doctorate of drugs from Stanford University. The Color Purple star attended Bongeka Zuma’s graduation within the United States.
“One of the greatest joys of my life was seeing her walk across the stage! Knowing where she came from, from a small community in KwaZulu-Natal, and how strongly she believed in becoming a doctor,” Winfrey said in an Instagram caption.
The Oscar-nominated “The Color Purple” actress continued, “She never gave up, and with a support team of good friends, OWLAG sisters, and professors, we all celebrated her achievement with great pride. Congratulations, Dr. Zuma. Well done! Well done!”
Although Bongeka Zuma could also be seen because the success story of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, the sexual abuse scandal stays a subject of conversation. Although the previous dorm nurse Tiny Makopo was acquitted Out of all 14 allegations related to harassment accusations, many social media users consistently bring up the subject.
Winfrey also faced widespread criticism for her DNC appearance. One Daily Mail fan admitted, “I used to love Oprah, but she’s not the same anymore.” Another commented, “Oprah… so redundant. Try to stay relevant.”
Contrary to comments made in responses to the conservative tabloid’s Instagram post, Winfrey also received praise for her presentation on the convention. User X shouted“A stunning speech from a global icon! Oprah’s extraordinary impact on Chicago is one of the most important in the city’s history.”
Republican Party Pollster Frank Lutz wrote on Twitter“I was wrong – I thought Michelle Obama’s speech would be the most resonant speech at this convention. Instead, it was (Oprah). She really touched a nerve in values.”
Former first lady Michelle Obama and her husband, former President Barack Obama, addressed Trump’s “dark jobs” remarks before a Democratic rally in Chicago on Aug. 20. The following evening, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz delivered a speech accepting the vice presidential nomination.
Vice President Kamala Harris will close the DNC with a proper acceptance speech on the evening of Aug. 22. The recent Democratic Party leader will face former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump within the 2024 general election on Nov. 5.
In addition to Winfrey, other celebrities who attended the televised 2024 Democratic National Convention included Steve Kerr, Lil Jon, Spike Lee, Patti LaBelle, Mindy Kaling, Kenan Thompson, Eva Longoria, Common, John Legend and Stevie Wonder.
Entertainment
“The Honorable Shyne” is a hit. This is why I wanted to tell this story. — Andlandscape
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.
Entertainment
Kendrick Lamar Releases Surprise Album ‘GNX’; group chats are going crazy
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.
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.
Entertainment
New music this week: Tyla, Lola Brooke, Coco Jones and more – Essence
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.
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