Entertainment
Tichina Arnold Ignites Heated Debate With Bold Claims About Martin Lawrence As Downfall of ‘Martin’
Martin Lawrence’s run because the titular character within the ’90s sitcom “Martin” ended on a sour note, with the favored Fox show limping through its final fifth season following a feud between castmates.
“Martin” aired for five seasons from 1992 to 1997. In addition to Martin Lawrence, the essential solid included Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II, and the late Thomas Mikal Ford.
Arnold played Pamela “Pam” James on the show. In a remastered clip from a 2018 episode of TV One’s “Uncensored” docuseries, she opened up about life behind the scenes and the drama that went down.
“We had this amazing thing on ‘Martin,’” she began. “We came to work to laugh every day. Like, Martin’s comedic genius was, you know, intoxicating.”
She added: “Unfortunately… Martin… you get to a certain point in stardom where you’re no longer part of the cast, but you’re an executive producer, so there’s a distance between them. The network has a lot to do with that. They look after the star, and everyone else is a piece of shit. That’s just the way it is. You accept being a piece of shit.”
Arnold suggested that show business had “exploited” Martin Lawrence.
“Martin, unfortunately, you know, at some point in his life, show business got the better of him,” he says. “And when it happens, you see it happening and you can’t do anything about it. You just pray for that person. It’s almost like watching a car crash that you can’t stop.”
Arnold then addressed her friend Campbell’s departure, describing it as something she felt the actress “had to do.”
A clip from Arnold’s “Uncensored” segment has resurfaced on the channel Stories of the Golden Age Instagram account. The film has sparked mixed reactions from “Martin” fans, with some agreeing that Martin Lawrence’s ego caused the classic TV series to finish in an unsatisfying way.
“When the intro to ‘Martin’ changed to him having a ‘huge head’ and saying ‘I’m that guy’ we all knew he was starting to feel like himself. Lol. I’m not surprised by anything she said,” one Instagram user commented, referring to Arnold.
Another wrote, “His co-stars shouldn’t be treated this way. Yes he was the star but all the characters brought so much to the show. The network should have done better.” And a Martin Lawrence supporter wrote, “Martin is our guy. Y’all need to forget about this old stuff. I still watch Martin. Bless you.”
Another person said, “No, her best friend was the reason the show ended.”
Arnold has been long-time friends along with his “Martin” co-star Campbell, who played Gina Waters-Payne.
Campbell left Martin in November 1996 and filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Lawrence and other producers of the show two months later. Campbell cited “unbearable” working conditions, including alleged unwanted sexual advances, in addition to verbal abuse from Lawrence. He has denied the allegations.
After reaching a settlement, Campbell returned to “Martin” for the ultimate two episodes of the series. However, she didn’t appear on screen with Lawrence through the final showings. They reconciled in 2022 for a special “Martin: The Reunion” on BET alongside Arnold and Payne.
“I love Tisha,” Lawrence said. GQ in January 2020. “I saw her then and now, from time to time, always with nothing but love. I have nothing but love for her and I always have.” That same month, Lawrence also posted on Instagram“I have nothing but love for Tisha then and now. We are good and always will be!”
Campbell addressed the reconnection with Lawrence during an interview with “CBS Mornings” in 2022 to advertise “Martin: The Reunion.” Host Gayle King asked Campbell about resolving past issues with the slapstick comedian.
“We’ve worked really hard to come together, to forgive, and this reunion is a celebration of everything we’ve done, everything we’ve accomplished, and our growth as human beings. And so that’s what we focused on,” Campbell replied.
Lawrence recently reunited with Will Smith within the 2024 film “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth installment within the “Bad Boys” film series. Campbell stars within the Bounce TV sitcom “Act Your Age.” Arnold will return to voice Rochelle within the upcoming animated reboot “Everybody Still Hates Chris.”
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.
Below you possibly can read our list of latest products.
-
Press Release8 months ago
CEO of 360WiSE Launches Mentorship Program in Overtown Miami FL
-
Business and Finance6 months ago
The Importance of Owning Your Distribution Media Platform
-
Press Release7 months ago
U.S.-Africa Chamber of Commerce Appoints Robert Alexander of 360WiseMedia as Board Director
-
Business and Finance8 months ago
360Wise Media and McDonald’s NY Tri-State Owner Operators Celebrate Success of “Faces of Black History” Campaign with Over 2 Million Event Visits
-
Ben Crump7 months ago
Another lawsuit accuses Google of bias against Black minority employees
-
Fitness7 months ago
Black sportswear brands for your 2024 fitness journey
-
Theater8 months ago
Applications open for the 2020-2021 Soul Producing National Black Theater residency – Black Theater Matters
-
Ben Crump8 months ago
Henrietta Lacks’ family members reach an agreement after her cells undergo advanced medical tests