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Imani Ellis on Creativity, Her New Podcast, and CultureCon ’24 – Essence

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Imani Ellis. Photo credit: Maya Iman

Imani Ellis, the dynamic founder and CEO of CultureCon and The Creative Collective, pushes the boundaries of storytelling along with her recent video podcast. The show, which shines a light-weight on the creative journeys of Black cultural shapeshifters, offers everyone a primary-hand perspective on each the triumphs and challenges of their careers and personal lives.

As host, Ellis provides an area for guests to share their experiences, giving audiences the tools and learnings to grow of their fields. In this case, knowledge is something that isn’t the exclusive property of the listener. “I think I’ve learned something in every conversation because with , we’ve gone deeper than we’ve ever gone in those conversations,” she says. “That’s the joy of this series—being really unfiltered and raw.”

Each episode delves into the multifaceted nature of success, showing how creative people undergo different seasons of their lives. Ellis hopes listeners will see themselves in these stories, whether or not they’re in a season of stagnation or a season of abundance. “It’s not always a season of winning, it’s not always a season of conditioning,” she says. “We all go through these different seasons, so I think it’s going to be very encouraging for people.”

How CultureCon NYC is coming up in October, the show is the right introduction to the event. “It’s really a taste of what you’ll see in person at CultureCon,” the Vanderbilt alum notes. The podcast’s finale is timed to coincide with the conference, which will likely be full of programming, workshops, and celebrity appearances, and Ellis envisions the podcast as an extension of the CultureCon experience, helping to arrange the masses by offering intimate, weekly conversations.

Looking ahead, Imani is wanting to see growth. She envisions future episodes that proceed to push the boundaries of creative conversation. “The sky is the limit for us,” she says. With her signature optimism, Imani is poised to proceed to expand the impact of each the podcast and the broader platform, inspiring a brand new generation of creators to forge their very own paths, just as she has.

ESSENCE: What inspired you to begin in collaboration with Spotify?

Imani Ellis: CultureCon has develop into really known for telling really great stories where Black and Brown creatives get to indicate up of their full selves, each talking about triumphs and moments which are larger than life, but additionally sharing moments of vulnerability or once they’ve possibly encountered challenges. So we’re taking it a step further. We’re unfiltered, raw, uncensored, and just really talking to amazing people and talking about moments of incredible joy and moments where they weren’t sure what the subsequent step was.

So after we considered bringing these stories to the screen, Spotify and CultureCon have worked together in other ways through the years. It was just an excellent, seamless next step that we could take together, especially due to our shared values ​​and how well we work together.

How did you select the guests you desired to invite for the primary season of the podcast?

We just wanted individuals who really have something to say, especially concerning the struggles that they are facing. We have so many great conversations this season, we have now Rickey Thompson, who’s blowing up social media and doing it in his own way, and Fawn Weaver, who’s constructing a billion-dollar brand as an entrepreneur on Uncle Nearest. Elaine Welteroth, who obviously started off within the editorial space but is the definition of what it means to forge your personal path and change direction. Jay Ellis, who’s America’s favorite guy on Insecure, and then after all Jordyn Woods, really navigating what it’s prefer to grow up within the highlight and not be in it later in life. And so you may see it’s all very various kinds of conversations. We cover all the things from dating to waiting to the numerous joys and challenges of entrepreneurship. So there’s something for everybody.

You discuss with numerous people and interact with numerous people. When you discuss with a few of the guests, is there anything that surprised you about a number of of their journeys?

I believe one in every of the things that I actually liked was something that Fawn Weaver said in her episode. She really talks about reimagining challenges as an entrepreneur or should you’re not an entrepreneur. And so she calls herself a hurdler and she says, “Hurdlers expect obstacles.” And I really like that because I believe numerous times in entrepreneurship, when things get tough, we’re form of caught off guard and like, “Wait, this is tough.” But I believe she helped me understand that tough things are tough. So it isn’t that you simply don’t expect them, it’s, “How can I stay focused on my goal despite the obstacle, despite the obstacle?” And that actually stuck with me since it really broadened my horizons when it comes to living a life where there isn’t any obstacle, no obstacle. So knowing that, how can we prepare ourselves to face those challenges and not allow them to stress us out?

In addition to what you learned out of your guests, what lessons would you prefer to share with listeners concerning the creative journeys discussed on this podcast?

I believe one in every of the things that I hope listeners take away is de facto focusing on the seasonality of your life. I believe one in every of the things that we do is take these larger than life people, cultural transformers, and really show the duality and the seasonality of your life. So I believe that is going to be very encouraging for listeners who’re possibly in a waiting period and feel prefer it’s never going to vary, or possibly they’re in a slower period and feel just like the sun’s never going to come back up. I actually hope that they take away optimism and hope and can see themselves or pieces of themselves in all of those different conversations.

I really like this. I do know you are all excited because CultureCon NYC is just across the corner. How does this podcast function a prelude to that event?

We’re going to have the identical conversations that we have now live on our culture stage. And I believe that guests who’re really preparing themselves for what to anticipate or the sorts of sensitivities that they will expect can tune in every week to listen, and we have timed it perfectly in order that the finale happens right before CultureCon, in order that our community doesn’t must wait for much longer to experience the event of the conference.

You’ve been an inspiration as an entrepreneur, but additionally as a philanthropist. I desired to ask: What advice would you give to a creative who’s just starting out?

I believe the recommendation I’d give them is to pay as much attention to aesthetics as to operate. So I believe often creative individuals are so inspired and we’re very visually inspired people, so we are able to gravitate towards logos or brand colours or things which you could really feel and taste and touch. But I actually encourage creative people to also think concerning the within the pie, which is more functional. So what are you attempting to construct? Is there an actual audience for it? And is there any case studies or data that shows that it will be a viable business? Because one in every of the things that we are able to get away from is that not every idea needs to be monetized. Sometimes your ideas needs to be hobbies, and then while you attempt to monetize them, you discover that you simply don’t love them anymore.

I really like second-hand stores. I really like garage sales. For a second I believed I used to be going to begin a business where I used to be going to open an antique shop, but I discovered something that I loved as a hobby, and after I was attempting to sell tickets and earn cash doing that, I suddenly didn’t prefer it anymore. So I encourage creatives and entrepreneurs to essentially ask themselves, “Is this idea just for me, or is this an idea that I need to put out there in the world?” And once you have got that answer, you may just get all the way down to business.

“Not every idea has to be monetized.” See, I actually have to put in writing that down because that’s definitely a word, obviously.

We must break free.

As a fellow creative, you’re thinking that that whatever you do, you have got to have the opportunity to receives a commission for it. I absolutely love that advice and I’m going to take it. So how do you see CultureCon Uncut evolving in the longer term? Are there any topics or guests you would like to explore in future episodes?

I’m really enthusiastic about this chance. I believe the community, as we have seen, is de facto coming together and excited to see the sorts of conversations that we’re having that you simply really don’t see in numerous places. Of course, we’re focused on having a tremendous first season, but we would prefer to proceed to work together. [Spotify]I believe, as I said, we have now such amazing shared values, missions, and audiences that we’d like to proceed CultureCon Uncut and proceed to inform those stories.

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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