While two-thirds of rap’s short-lived Big Three – Kendrick Lamar and Drake – are respectively dropping albums and taking legal motion, the remaining one-third (J. Cole, whose commentary on the Big Three is somewhat liable for the direction 2024 has taken in hip-hop) went in a special direction. J. Cole recently released an audio series that details his history and position as one in every of hip-hop’s most iconic and well-known figures. And I have to say that should you are creative in any capability, this series is well definitely worth the price ($10) and listening. The hater in me would say this is the very best $10 I’ve ever spent on a J. Cole project; fall out.

Let me address the light-skinned elephant within the room: I actually have been quite critical of J. Cole throughout his profession. Some of this criticism was valid and a few was not. As a featured artist, I used to be critical of his musical work. I actually have often been unimpressed together with his albums, even though it has at all times been in regards to the production and never the lyrics. J. Cole is and can be one in every of the best possible rappers in the sport. Dot. I actually have been, perhaps unfairly, critical of the reception of J. Cole because the second coming of Nas. I kept joking that I showed up at J. Cole’s party every week later – and after I did, he was anointed the KOZZ and I spent his entire profession trying to hear that in his music. His fans are offended and delusional; an important combination that ensures that Cole will remain an necessary figure in hip-hop for so long as he chooses to participate.

I also want to make it clear that I’m willing to say it out loud: J. Cole is the very best feature artist I actually have ever heard in my life. When I see a song with the words “featuring J. Cole” in it, I do know I’m about to hear a verse so good that I’ll wonder how annoyed the singer of that song was when that verse got here back. His talent is unquestionable, and the introverted J. Cole is a cheat code. I actually consider it. My unfair criticism comes from his fans, but my fair criticism comes from his God-given talent.

Having said all this, I also admitted that J. Cole, as an individual, is one of the crucial interesting artists in hip-hop. I watch every documentary about or made by Cole and at all times come away from each project grateful that he is an artist we will listen to and connect with. I realize that I’m a bundle of contradictions; sue me, I’m human. (Just kidding, Drake; please don’t sue me.)

Cole’s latest attempt to show just how likable, relatable and interesting he is as a rapper and as an individual is his audio series, “Inevitable,” an audio journey that begins together with his beginnings as a rapper and leads through his albums. On the show’s website, the episodes only appear in “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” but I can not imagine him not continuing this on his other albums ultimately.

I remember early Kanye West being an artist that most of us college kids became attached to in hip-hop. Kanye’s highschool dropout formula encapsulated all of the hallmarks of our college experiences, but the reality is that it was J. Cole who truly embodied this ethos (as did Phonte and Pooh from Little Brother and a handful of other rappers and groups like Kids In The Hall). Early episodes feature J. Cole telling his story (together with longtime friend and manager Ibrahim Hamad and director Scott Lazer), including stories about applying to and stepping into college, what it took for his family to make it, financial problems, his early recordings and that famous story about waiting outside the studio to give Jay-Z a record. But it isn’t just the story Cole tells that makes this such an enchanting and galvanizing read; the purpose is that he shares emotions that, even in his stories, still seem as vivid and real as they did then.

Cole is not some industry-made artist given the keys to the dominion, but a child with talent, dreams, and enough delusions (he mentions his delusions early and infrequently) to consider he could make it – and has probably far exceeded even his wildest dreams . The stories behind the creation of his artistic endeavors are great, however the seriousness with which he tells them, sharing where he was in life, especially at first, is so believable. I used to be inspired by his journey and I’m only three episodes in. Not only do I need J. Cole to win (he clearly did and did), but I’m also invested in him winning. This is especially irritating because while listening, you possibly can almost forget that the person you are listening to is one in every of the largest and most successful musical artists in the sport. It’s not guarded or pretentious. He names individuals who helped him and shouts out to them. He keeps his feet firmly on the bottom.

This kinship makes Cole’s journey feel like a journey any of us can take. This doesn’t apply to the streets. This doesn’t mean having to overcome a life stuffed with struggles. It’s a couple of smart, talented kid from North Carolina who has a recognized talent, wants to achieve it, and meets the appropriate individuals who will help them on this journey that they’re all on together even today. Cole’s story could also be “inevitable,” but I feel every creator can and should hear it since it’s an inspirational journey. Above all, it makes you realize that sometimes you only have to keep going; you possibly can develop into the best person in your field.

Perhaps your story is inevitable too.

Tennis champion Serena Williams has once more come under fire on social media after a video surfaced online showing her with makeup and hair that many fans say make her look white.

Critics were quick to attack her husband, Alexis Ohanian, claiming he influenced her appearance.

The 15-second clip, which appeared on Platform X, shows the couple sitting next to one another during their daughter’s “Nutcracker” recital in Florida.

Alexis is wearing a red and black tuxedo from the production and is in the background of the music video, bent over and looking out drained. Serena is wearing a blonde wig, her hair in a bun, and a black leotard underneath her full dress.

The 23-time women’s Grand Slam singles champion poses and plays with her hair in the video, showing off her brilliant red-plum full lips, bushy dark brown eyebrows and seemingly too-light foundation.

There was an instantaneous buzz on social media, wondering if something was unsuitable with the Compton resident.

– No, what is going on on with Serena? He’s crazy,” wrote one in all the individuals who posted the video on Twitter.

No, what is going on on with Serena? This is a crazy man pic.twitter.com/HUiWzDgsqR

— Woodz 🇺🇸 (@Nibiru1000) November 26, 2024

Other he said“It looks like white chicks!”

Third comment he stated“Blue eye syndrome. In three years she will probably be as white as Michael Jackson.”

“She went from black to transient,” one person joked. Other he replied“She looks like she passed.”

The conversation then took a nasty turn, with people claiming that her seven-year-old husband was the explanation for all the things, calling it the “White Husband Effect.”

“I don’t think people understand that submissive women take on their husband’s traits. He literally has a white mind now,” one person he saidadding, “She’s lost, guys.”

Others got here to Alexis’ defense, tweeting“Don’t blame it on the colour of her husband’s skin, she is breadthe within one in this house and the GOAT at her job, in order that just tells me she felt that way the entire time, tbh.

SMH is crazy

— I woke up AF LikeYat. Some people call me JDub. (@TameDoe) November 26, 2024

This controversy isn’t recent; fans often speculate about Alexis’ influence on Serena’s life selections, accusing him of attempting to fit her image right into a Eurocentric one since their wedding in 2017.

These perceptions are reinforced each time Serena appears in campaigns or photos with lighter makeup and long blonde wings, sparking debates about her identity and self-perception.

Sometimes fans come to her defense and say that she can have lost weight over time because she doesn’t exit in the sun as often as she did when she was playing tennis.

Others claim that he simply changes his appearance to suit in with the people he’s most frequently around.

Still, when Serena recently appeared on the duvet of Essence magazine, it was clear that her skin was still brown.

While opposition continues to grow, Alexis’ role as a father paints a distinct picture of his intentions.

He was there recently we’re celebrating his “Papa Pancakes”, where he prepares little Black Ballerina pancakes for his eldest daughter Olympia. He also made some for his daughter Adira.

Movie about Serena Instagram shows that he helps girls learn their letters by making dollar pancakes for breakfast and spelling their names.

These gestures, combined with his vocal support for his wife’s profession and individuality, contrast sharply with allegations that he sought to downplay her identity. He talked about his marriage to an African-American woman and the way he sees his role because the spouse of the owner of WYN cosmetics.

“I had a front row seat to see how different it was and how much she had struggled not only as a woman but as a black woman,” he said. he said in an interview with CNN about how difficult it’s for her in business.

In the identical article, he also talked in regards to the harassment his wife experienced as a girl and a black person, noting the “damage it can cause,” in line with Don Riddell, the creator of the article.

Alexis says, “I don’t know how she does it.”

Serena herself said in: interview from Andscape that she was “scrutinized” from a “very young age” for being not only “black” but additionally “confident.” But that energy got here from her white commentators and reporters. Now the hostility comes from individuals who appear to be her.

Whether she lightened her skin or desires to be white due to a white husband is something the general public will likely never know. What won’t ever be questioned is that she lives on her own terms, that she is a black woman, and that as an athlete she is among the best of all time.

Issa Rae isn’t any stranger to breaking barriers and setting trends.

From redefining on-screen storytelling to constructing an empire spanning media, beauty and business, she has proven time and time again that her talents know no limits.

Now this multi-tasking powerhouse is adding “restaurateur” to her already impressive resume along with her debut a progressive American culinary experience that’s as vibrant and dynamic because the South Central Los Angeles community it celebrates.

Located in the center of View Park-Windsor Hills, the restaurant is a love letter to the wealthy cultural heritage of Los Angeles’ Black South Central, offering customers an elevated, yet approachable space through which to enjoy wonderful dining while absorbing the realm’s artistic and historic roots. is greater than only a restaurant – it’s a cultural center created with Rae’s signature authenticity and talent alongside her business partners Yonnie Hagos and Ajay Relan.

Rae announced the grand opening on Instagramexpressing his vision for the plant. She said, “I have always wanted a local salon to complement the unique community that is View Park-Windsor Hills. The genius of GVO Gentlemen said, how about a restaurant? @somerville.slauson – An ode to the classic artistic past of Black South Central Los Angeles? And of course the atmosphere will be fantastic, but the food and cocktails will keep you coming back.”