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The documentary “Freaknik” tells the untold story of an Atlanta street party

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LOS ANGELES (AP) – If you have ever attended Atlanta’s wildest gathering called Freaknik, be careful: You may appear in a brand new Hulu documentary about the legendary street party that became popular because of folkloric tales of traffic jams, public nudity and highway debauchery.

Many of these photos will undoubtedly be featured in “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told.” But the documentary doesn’t solely give attention to the hypersexual environment and public safety concerns surrounding the festival that began 4 many years ago. It also tells the story of how this iconic event began as an easy black college cookout that eventually attracted 1000’s of people from across the United States, defining Atlanta as the cradle of culture and music.

“It’s more a question of culture. “This is the Atlanta version of ‘Beat Street,’” said Jermaine Dupri, who executive produced the project together with several others, including Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell and 21 Savage. The documentary premiered Tuesday night at SXSW in Austin, Texas. It will stream on Hulu on March 21.

Crowds of people crowd Marietta Street for Freaknik near the intersection of Peachtree Street in Atlanta on April 19, 1996. (Philip McCollum/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, file)

“This is our story about our contribution to culture,” Dupri continued. “Through the music and the parties that happened during Freaknik. It’s much more than just people standing on top of cars and playing music outside.”

“Freaknik” will feature perspectives from Killer Mike, Jalen Rose, CeeLo Green, Rasheeda and Too $hort. The project features Freaknik founders Emma Horton, Amadi Boone, Monique Tolliver and Sharon Toomer, who discuss the origins of the festival and the name Freaknik – a mixture of picnic and freak. The inspiration for the song was the 1978 song “Le Freak” by R&B group Chic.

Dupri initially questioned whether the documentary would focus solely on the sexual nature of the festival. But the music mogul believed otherwise after meeting with Swirl Films producers Jay Allen and Nikki Byles, who told him the documentary would give attention to the full story.

“We want people who haven’t experienced Freaknik to relive the good, the bad and the ugly,” Allen said. “The people who were there will be able to tell their stories and their truth.”

Dupri wants viewers to see how Freaknik has elevated Atlanta’s now thriving hip-hop music scene and helped it turn out to be a destination for Black entrepreneurship and empowerment. He heard criticism about the documentary “putting Black people backwards.” There were also reports that some women would take legal motion to dam the documentary’s release for fear of potential exposure in the flashback clips. It is unclear whether a lawsuit was ever filed.

“It’s all educational. For me personally, it is Black history,” said Dupri, who attended Freaknik. “For those who need that reassurance, I would never allow my name to be associated with anything that would take a shine to Atlanta or do anything that I felt would undo that culture.”

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Uncle Luke called these critics “hypocrites” for participating in Freaknik’s lewd activities, after which criticized this generation for admiring hip-hop artists corresponding to Cardi B, Ice Spice and Sexyy Red, who’re known for his or her suggestive performances.

“They’ll get a taste of their own medicine,” said Luke, who was considered the godfather of Freaknik for bringing his provocative nature to the festival. The footage was mostly crowdsourced, with some of his VHS tapes converted to digital format.

Byles secured other recordings by reaching out on social media and knocking on the doors of former Freaknik participants, who passed on what they were comfortable communicating.

“It’s easy to point fingers at someone else’s children and say they’re living the life they actually lived as parents,” said Uncle Luke. “I wanted to show this perspective. But there’s also this great myth about Freaknik. Many people on the West Coast have heard about it. Some people have heard these stories. It was this story that was never really told. We wanted to tell this story of where it really came from.”

Overall views of the atmosphere at Freaknik21 – Celebrating Savage’s twenty first Birthday at Underground Atlanta on October 23, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Freaknik was an extensive street party throughout Atlanta from 1983 to 1999. The three-day event, held in April, was organized by black students (Morehouse and Spelman colleges) from the DC Metro Club who were stuck on campus during spring break and decided to assemble in a park to beat the boredom with boom boxes, coolers, and food.

Over the years, Freaknik has turn out to be a grassroots spring break destination, attracting roughly 250,000 partygoers from across the country. The event was so massive that it spread throughout the city center and concrete areas.

However, as Freaknik’s popularity grew, the uncontrollable crowds brought so much of problems. By the mid-Nineteen Nineties, the fun-filled event turned unruly and eventually faded into oblivion after sporadic looting, massive traffic jams, and lewd activities. City authorities shut down the event after tensions continued to escalate between festival-goers, law enforcement and native residents.

Toomer, one of the original organizers, stated that she was impressed by the way the documentary presented the full history of Freaknik. Toomer is upset that the festival has ended, but she hopes that viewers will understand the true essence of their work.

“I think people will have that moment of, ‘I didn’t know that,’ and they will kind of appreciate it,” she said. “I’m excited about it. It was truly – in its best and worst years – a special event. Over the years, having to start a conversation with a word has been frustrating, unlike the experience that so many young black people have had.”

Director P. Frank Williams said the documentary shows the convergence of politics, media, music and culture. He said that it will also affect those that tried to resurrect Freaknik, but to no avail.

“I know people on the Internet and they’re all looking for candy, fun, girls, turnout and cars,” Williams said. “We gave it to you in case you watch the video. But there are also vegetables, which is black culture. Black identity. I’m attempting to go against a system that was preparing for the (1996) Olympics and didn’t necessarily want these kids on the streets. It’s a much deeper story.

“Everyone is worried about their aunts and all these memes,” he said. “But I hope that when you watch, you will see that we did much more than just party.”


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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The art collector left his mark on TheGrio’s Masters of the Game

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In the next episode of Masters of the Game, hosted by Touré, we introduce you to Shirley and Bernard Kinsey, an influence couple who’ve dedicated their lives to preserving African American history through art and artifacts. Through greater than 50 years of marriage and a shared passion for education and history, the Kinseys have built one of the largest and most influential private collections of African American history in the world.Kinsey collection— making them true champions of history, art and cultural preservation.

Art collectors

The Kinseys have long believed in the transformative power of education. For them, educating others means sharing the wealthy history of African-American culture through art and historical artifacts. Their collection includes works by iconic artists corresponding to Ernie Barnes, Charles Alston and Beauford Delaney, nevertheless it is their collection of rare historical documents that really stands out. Among their treasures is a heartbreaking nineteenth century letter delivered by an enslaved girl who couldn’t read – she was sent from one plantation to a different under false pretenses. The next work of their collection is Zora Neale Hurston’s brave and hilarious letter to her ex-husband, through which she asks him to remain out of her life endlessly.

From humble beginnings to becoming one of the most influential black couples of our time, Toure’s conversation with the Kinsey family takes us on a journey through the depth, resilience and radiance of African-American culture. Their collection not only preserves history, but in addition inspires future generations to inform their very own powerful stories, making the Kinseys true masters of the game. Don’t miss this episode of “Masters of the Game” at 8 p.m. ET on Friday and 1 p.m. ET on Saturday on TheGrio Cable Network.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Simone Biles torn apart after giving George Strait’s wife a ‘vulgar look’ while fans came to her defense

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Did Olympic gymnast Simone Biles cut George Strait’s wife’s eyes on the Country Music Awards?

Some people think so after a viral video of Biles, 27, showing her frustration within the audience on the 58th annual CMA Awards on November 20.

In several clips circulating online, the 27-year-old gave Strait’s wife, Norma Strait, a “dirty look” on the annual awards show where her husband was honored with the John Paul II Lifetime Achievement Award. Willie Nelson.

The seven-time Olympic gold medalist asked viewers if she had glanced out of the corner of her eye on the Lifetime Achievement Award winner’s wife through the 2024 CMA Awards. (Photo: @simonebiles/Instagram)

“Does anyone know if there is a dispute between Simone Biles and George Strait’s wife?” – one in all the X users asked on the evening of this system.

X’s post included a clip of Biles looking nervous as Norma and other attendees danced in the gang on the Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony tribute performance.

The tribute to the “King of Country Music” featured country stars Lainey Wilson, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum. Additionally, Chris Stapleton joined Strait on stage to walk through the “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame” to conclude the segment.

Speculation about Biles’ possible disdain shown on the CMA Awards has turn into a topic of debate online, with fans and critics taking sides in the controversy.

“I watched it live and wondered the same thing, and then death looked up and down, she definitely hated!” answer on X platform he stated.

Original X poster he replied“As long as I’m not the only one who saw it.”

However, the legendary gymnast had her defenders. For example, user X sent“He’s probably just watching her reaction (honestly) without thinking about the cameras.”

“Nothing happened” – another person he argued. “George Strait’s wife doesn’t care about messy things like that. It looks like Simone could have a resting face. She wasn’t the one black person either. There are many Black people in country music, from singers to musicians.

Similar entry To read“I saw it and cringed, it’s just her face, but she should politely decline if she doesn’t like country music.”

Another fan he wrote“She probably saw the camera give attention to George Strait’s wife and just looked around curiously. I do not think she’s giving a mischievous have a look at all, she just looks like she’s noticed that the camera is specializing in the people next to her.

Despite questions on Biles’ on-screen response, the multiple-time world champion expressed her excitement to attend the 2024 CMA Awards on the day of the event.

Biles reposted photos from the evening on her Instagram Story. In one photo, shared by hairstylist Justin Revenge, the Olympic gold medalist showed off the short red dress she wore to the red carpet, in addition to the silver off-the-shoulder dress she wore to the CMA Gala.

The star of the Netflix docuseries “Simone Biles Rising” appeared at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville to present the Female Vocalist of the Year award to country singer Lainey Wilson.

Lainey Wilson won the Female Vocalist of the Year category, beating out fellow nominees Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney and Kacey Musgraves.

Biles herself had a successful 12 months as an athlete. The Texas native won 4 medals on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, bringing her profession total to a record 11 victories for an American gymnast.

However, Vice President Kamala Harris couldn’t replicate Biles’ success because the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024. Harris lost to former President Donald Trump within the nationwide election.

Biles publicly called on current Democratic President Joe Biden to take a stand on behalf of American women before Republican MAGA leader Trump enters the White House on January 20, 2025.

“Mr. Biden, you need to stand up, straighten your back and shake some things up before you go… xoxo women of America,” the Olympian wrote on Twitter on November 6 in response to the election results.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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What do you know about Cynthia Erivo?

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Cynthia Erivo, Wicked, Cynthia Erivo controversy, Black Hollywood, theGrio.com

With the discharge of Wicked fast approaching, it’s protected to say that Cynthia Erivo is on fire straight away.

The film adaptation of the Broadway musical (which is an adaptation of a best-selling novel based on one other novel) is about to open to over $175 million worldwide this weekend, and Erivo has just landed a significant deal.

Universal Pictures has struck a first-look cope with its production company Edith’s Daughter, Deadline reported.

“Having spent the last three years working with Donna Langley, Peter Cramer and the Universal team on Wicked, I have experienced first-hand the love and fearlessness with which they tell stories and uplift narrators,” said Erivo. “I am absolutely delighted to take the next step in our cooperation under our first-look agreement. This is not only a milestone for my production company, but also a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of diverse voices in film. I can’t wait to bring our visions to life and share them with the world!”

However, some could also be just discovering the 37-year-old from Stockwell, London (where she was born right into a family of Nigerian immigrants) or may don’t know about her background and profession to this point. There’s quite a bit to like about the Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner – and much more to grasp beneath the surface. Below we have gathered some things you have to know about Erivo, including some very necessary ones.

He is a Broadway sensation

Before Erivo became a star of the silver screen, she made a reputation for herself on the stage. The actress’ breakthrough role was the role of Celie within the musical adaptation of “The Color Purple” on Broadway. From 2015 to 2017, she delivered critically acclaimed, groundbreaking performances, winning the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

She has played several iconic black characters

Aretha Franklin, Harriet Tubman and Recy Taylor are black American historical figures immortalized on screen by Erivo, who has played all of them in movies. Shortly after her Broadway run in 2017, Erivo played Taylor in “The Rape of Recy Taylor.” She then starred as Tubman within the 2019 film “Harriet.”

In 2021, Erivo played Franklin within the National Geographic anthology “Genius: Aretha”. While critics praised her performance, Franklin’s family had a special tackle the project, claiming she was never consulted and even felt “disrespected” by the production team.

He is a queer icon

Earlier this yr, Erivo received the Schrader Award from the Los Angeles LGBT Center as a self-proclaimed member for her talent and support of the queer community.

“Acknowledging that I am queer publicly – especially in the public eye – means taking a risk to claim my freedom,” she said in her speech through which she agreed to return out as queer later in life. “It seems we prefer to see the world in black and white rather than accept the difficult (but beautiful) complexities of our humanity.”

Although it has never been explicitly confirmed, Erivo has long been considered one half of a fairly powerful Black Hollywood power couple, as she is commonly seen at red carpet events alongside fellow industry heavyweight Lena Waithe.

He has a novel sense of fashion

From shaving her eyebrows to her signature long and ornamental nails, Erivo is understood for her daring sense of fashion. Her uniqueness was even incorporated into her makeup for “Wicked.” The makeup artist used stencils to attract eyebrows and add freckles. Meanwhile, a special shade of green face and body makeup was developed to make Erivo’s melaninated skin appear “clearly” on screen, and the shade was named “Cynthia Green,” the film’s makeup artist said People Magazine. It’s value noting that despite the hours-long application process required day by day for months of filming, she also said that Erivo “never, ever, ever complained.”

She doesn’t suffer fools

Social media was abuzz this week with response to actor/podcast host Dax Shepard’s invasive query about Erivo’s signature elaborate manicure, specifically how he moves through it while using the lavatory. When footage of her interview with Shepard hit the Internet, many individuals were quick to sentence its inappropriateness, asking her how she wipes herself while having very long, jeweled nails.

“My answer is that no one wipes their ass with just their fingers. You use wipes, right? And you wipe it off,” she replied calmly.

Erivo further expressed her annoyance with this query; the one she had exhibited before.

“I understand, it annoys me. Come on, guys,” she said. “I understand, but I’m a functioning adult and I’ve never walked around smelling like… you know.”

People participating within the discussion found this query rude, disgusting and invasive. It can also be, as Erivo identified, unoriginal. In response to this viral exchange, some have responded by demonstrating how they adapt these very human processes to long fingernails – and shockingly, it’s just about the identical process we have all been doing since potty training. It’s really not that complicated.

Cynthia Erivo Recalls Her Reaction to Fan-Made 'Wicked' Poster: 'I Probably Should have Called My Friends'

He has some questionable tweets in his search history

When it was announced in 2018 that Erivo would play Harriet Tubman within the biopic “Harriet,” the British actress’s seemingly problematic comments made years earlier about the language of Black Americans inevitably resurfaced. As previously reported by theGrio, this compounded existing questions about the choice to forged British-born Erivo because the historical African-American hero, given what some perceived as a disdain for African-American culture.

“As for the tweets, they were taken out of context, giving me no room to explain what they meant – and they weren’t actually mocking anyone,” she explained on the time: Complex reported. “It was not intended to be (offensive) at all. It was to celebrate a song I (wrote) when I was 16.”

Speaking further about the controversy during an event on the Toronto International Film Festival, she said: “I actually have never… never spoken negatively about people because I don’t desire to; I don’t desire this energy to be passed on to others.”

She continued: “I do not think it’s good for us in any respect; I do not think it serves any purpose apart from to bring negativity into my life and yours, and I just don’t desire that.

Perhaps he has some tension with the band in “The Color Purple.”

For unknown reasons, Erivo claims she was not invited to a special screening of the musical “The Color Purple” for family and friends, which was also attended by other members of her Broadway forged. It’s a bit strange that the Tony-winning revival star wasn’t on the guest list. When asked about her apparent rejection in the course of the interview and whether it reflected her initial considerations for Celie’s role within the film adaptation, Erivo suggested she couldn’t talk about it.

Despite every little thing, he’s capable of admit his mistake

Erivo can have had mixed emotions previously as a result of questionable comments or her unwavering passion for her craft, but she is ultimately capable of admit when she was incorrect. In the lead-up to Wicked’s premiere, fan-made art got here to light that edited the film’s poster to look more like the unique Broadway Playbill, obscuring Erivo’s direct gaze with the brim of her witch hat. The actress was initially very offended, but later admitted that she can have overreacted.

“I think for me it was a human moment…” she later explained. “I probably should have called my friends, but I’m fine.”

Cynthia Erivo accepts Los Angeles LGBT Center award for speech on freedom to 'be different'

After all, she is an expert

Say what you want, but Cynthia Erivo is robust and talented. He can also be a one that is alleged to place the nice of the team ahead of his personal glory. During a recent appearance on “Cutting room floor” podcast, she described her technique of coming into harmony together with her “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande and the way the 2 worked together to create a unified sound fairly than resorting to diva-like behavior in an try and outshine one another.

For example, although she and Grande have very different voices, Erivo noted that what they’ve in common is way more necessary.

“I think what connects us is the way we hear music, so we can hear each other,” she explained. “And the beauty of singing with someone who can also hear is that you follow each other back and forth. We can find ways to make our textures and sounds make sense, and that’s really hard with humans.”

Erivo added: “It also signifies that you found someone completely selfless because they care about working with you, and being an element of that’s essentially the most amazing thing. When you find someone who’s committed to creating sound together, (there may be) no ego.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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