Entertainment
Voices of praise that shaped black gospel music
For generations, gospel music has been a significant source of strength and resilience for Black Americans, sustaining them through their deepest struggles. Since slavery, spiritual songs and hymns have provided a way of survival, offering hope, faith, and a shared sense of purpose. On this foundation is built a legacy of Black Gospel artists, continuing the tradition of music that uplifts and strengthens our communities in times of difficulty and triumph.
The wealthy history of black gospel music
Black gospel music whose roots return to slavery when enslaved people sang call-and-response songs equivalent to “Roll, Jordan, Roll” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” These early folk songs were as much about spirituality as they were about providing comfort and community in a shared fight for freedom. At the turn of the twentieth century, instruments were introduced to black gospel music, a major advance since enslaved people were often ban on the use of certain instruments.
Black composer and musician Thomas A. Dorseyhe became a highly influential figure in black gospel music from the Twenties and Thirties. He earned the title “Father of Gospel Music” for writing over 1,000 hymns, including classics equivalent to “Peace in the Valley” and “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.”
Eventually, black gospel music began to tackle a more modern sound with artists equivalent to Andrae Crouch and The Clark Sisters, who introduced the subgenre of contemporary urban gospel. Over the centuries, black gospel music has evolved into what it’s today: a various genre that tells the story of a faith that has been passed down from generation to generation.
Notable Black Gospel Music Artists and Their Contributions
Gospel music is what it’s today because of the countless black artists who handcrafted the genre.
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson she is one of the matriarchs of gospel music. Born into poverty in New Orleans in 1911, Jackson began singing in churches and funerals before attracting widespread attention together with her 1947 song “Move on Up a Little Higher,” which became a success in 1948. She brought gospel blues to the masses, crooning versions of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and “How I Got Over” to crowds world wide. She also raised her voice in support of the civil rights movement, becoming a private friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and acting at the March on Washington. Her contralto voice was enhanced with heavy vibrato. Jackson moved expressively on stage and was known for her ability to evoke strong emotions within the audience, often while becoming almost emotional herself.
CeCe Winans
Talking about CeCe Winans without BeBe Winans seems a bit sacrilegious, but she deserves flowers because she is one of essentially the most famous and successful black gospel singers of all time. CeCe Winans’ solo gospel profession yielded hits equivalent to “Well Alright,” “Pray” and “Goodness of God.” Her first solo album, “Alone in His Presence”, was released in 1995 and went double platinum, topping the gospel charts ten times. Winans followed this up in 1999 with the hugely successful album “Alabaster Box” on her own WellSpring Gospel label. Winans’ wealthy tone and incredible vocal control have remained consistent through the ages. In late October 2024, he’ll release More Than This, a widely praised contemporary gospel album that combines old and latest classics.
Kirk Franklin
Congregation favorite Kirk Franklin has been a mainstay within the church and charts because the early Nineteen Nineties. His first band was “The Family”, which included his friends and neighbors, and in 1993 he released “Kirk Franklin & The Family”. The album went platinum and remained on the gospel music charts for several years after its release. Franklin created many hits that expanded his appeal to a wider audience, including “Stomp” and “I Smile”. Fans comprehend it’s not Kirk Franklin making that joyful sound. His true talent lies less in his own vocal abilities and more in his divine talent for bringing out the wealthy, united voices of his choirs.
Kierra Sheard
Kierra Sheard made her gospel singing debut on the age of 9 on her mother’s album “Finally Karen” (referring to Karen Clark-Sheard of the Clark Sisters). So while the younger Sheard can have had a bonus early on, she has a voice all her own, which she uses on songs like “You Don’t Know,” “Why Me?” and “Something has to break.” Sheard, a mezzo-soprano, serves up delicious R&B grooves and riffs. In addition to music, Sheard also boasts acting, playing a mother on Lifetime’s “The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel.”
Whitney Houston in “The Preacher’s Wife”
The 1996 comedy-drama The Preacher’s Wife was a light-hearted story a few church and a wedding on the brink, and an angel sent to save lots of them. Whitney Houston gave it her all within the film after which blessed us again for the soundtrack. Her performance of “I Believe in You and Me” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. “Joy” was an original work by then-new gospel artist Kirk Franklin and the Georgia Mass Choir. At the time, Houston was a longtime artist, and “The Preacher’s Wife” is one of them best selling gospel albums of all time, and Houston gained recognition for her raw and real vocals.
The influence of Black Gospel artists on popular music
Black gospel artists span a range of genres. You can hear it almost each time you alter the radio station (or shuffle it on Spotify).
Cross-species collaboration that crossed boundaries
Nicki Minaj’s verse on a gospel song doesn’t sound likely, but Minaj appeared on “I’m Getting Ready” with Tasha Cobbs Leonard in 2017. Some criticized Leonard’s collaboration with Minaj, but Leonard stood his ground: saying“This is not a task given to me by a man. This is the task God has given me.”
People may act like controversial collaborations are something latest, but Salt-N-Pepa’s Kirk Franklin and Cheryl “Salt” James had some people in church dizzy in 1997 once they released “Stomp”.
The roots of gospel R&B, soul and hip-hop
The reach of gospel music extends beyond the church doors and into almost every other genre.
Gospel’s influence on R&B is sort of profound, considering many artists equivalent to Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin got their start singing in church. Similarly, gospel music was in some ways the predecessor of soul music, with the 2 types of music often sharing common lyrical structures, rhythms, and melodies (from Heaven). Hip-hop can be not resistant to gospel influences. Kirk Franklin was an enormous hip-hop OG within the ’90s, and artists like Lecrae and Tedashii carry that spirit today.
Honors and recognition for gospel legends
Some of essentially the most successful artists of all time are black gospel artists. Kirk Franklin is nineteen Grammys to his name, and CeCe Winans currently holds the record together with her for essentially the most Grammy Awards awarded to a gospel artist 15 trophies. The Dove Award is taken into account the equivalent of a Grammy in gospel music, and black artists equivalent to Lecrae, Jonathan McReynolds and Ricky Dillard are only a couple of contemporaries who’ve received awards for his or her work within the genre.
The continuing influence of Black Gospel artists
From church pews to concert halls, Black Gospel artists proceed to encourage and uplift through their timeless contributions to music. Their legacy, rooted in faith and resilience, will proceed to shape the soundtrack of our lives for generations to come back.
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Entertainment
Kim Kardashian’s thigh gap causes confusion as fans claim her ‘surgically created figure’ will cause future health problems
Kim Kardashian’s body has been a hot topic amongst fans currently. In October, the 44-year-old’s figure got here under fire when she wore tiny shorts to the 2024 Academy Museum gala. At the time, fans wondered if it was time for the star to think about selecting a more mature and fewer sexy style to enrich her aging figure.
Now Kim’s recent photo can also be facing criticism as a consequence of her very visible thigh gap. In September, the mother of 4 uploaded a carousel of photos offering a fun and on a regular basis look into her life. However, some fans had a tough time getting past the primary photo, which showed off Kardashian’s curvy figure.
In the photo, Kim wore no makeup and tied her hair in a messy ponytail while standing in what seemed to be her closet. She wore an olive bodysuit with no panties, revealing her hips, legs and thighs. Due to her awkward posture, a visual thigh gap caught critics’ attention.
The Daily Mail republished the photo with one person in it commented“I’m not being rude, I’m just stating what I see, and what I see is a completely surgically created figure. There is ZERO natural about it at all. An unhealthy role model for girls and women everywhere.”
Another person described Kim stated that he had “the thigh waist of a greyhound like a racehorse.”
Third commentator he said that Kardashian’s alleged enhancements could impact her health as she ages.
“She will have serious health problems as she ages,” they wrote. “Her hips are badly damaged and it affects the gate. She is totally disproportionate, her body looks unhealthy.
Another person suggested that Kardashian could have been feeling insecure about her ex-husband Kanye West’s recent wife, Bianca Censori.
“It has this weird shape that I hope is Photoshopped and never cosmetic surgery. He’s attempting to compete with Kayne’s recent wife, who’s about 20 years younger, or simply desperate for attention. It’s really sad,” they are saying he wrote.
Censori and West have often been under public scrutiny for the garments – or lack thereof – they wear during their outings. It’s unclear whether Censori, 29, has had any of the surgery Kardashian is suspected of getting, but she does have a certain physique.
Although her butt and hips aren’t as curvy as the SKIMS founders, she does appear to have a distinguished bust.
Despite long-standing assumptions that Kardashian and no less than two of her 4 sisters – Khloe and Kylie – had undergone some kind of butt augmentation, none of them have admitted to doing so.
The only thing she admitted to was Botox.
In a 2022 interview LureKim denied ever using filler on her lips or cheeks, but admitted that she “used a little bit of Botox.”
Some may ask why she does anything to her face or figure in any respect, and it’s because her appearance is helpful to her.
“I care. I actually care about looking good. I probably care about over 90 percent of the people on this planet. It’s challenging if you’re a mom and also you’re exhausted at the top of the day, otherwise you’re in school and I even have all of it prematurely. I normally perform beauty treatments late within the evening. When everyone goes to bed, I get laser treatments.”
Entertainment
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul’s ‘rigged’ fight sparks refund demands, but the real winner is Ring Girl’s ‘Baddie’
Netflix took the biggest sporting event of 2024 with the highly anticipated Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight and brought it straight to its streaming platform as a live event.
The fight took place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, home of the Dallas Cowboys, on Friday, November 15. At one point, people thought the fight wasn’t selling, but state promoters reported it drew an enormous crowd of 72,300 fans.
On one hand, there’s Paul, a 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer, fighting 58-year-old Tyson, a legendary heavyweight known for his brutal knockout power and impressive profession. Despite the huge age difference and contrast in experience, Paul managed to manage most of the match and won by unanimous decision.
judges, According to for ESPN, he scored the fight 80-72, 79-73 and 79-73 in favor of Paul, which caused a whole lot of controversy and conversation.
The event got off to a rocky start, with many Netflix subscribers complaining about poor video quality and extreme buffering that spoiled their viewing experience.
“Netflix is taking issue with poor video quality and buffering issues,” wrote one subscriber. “Then there is an exhibition called the problem of struggle…. I signed up for a fight and today I’m withdrawing…..I would like my money back on @netflix.”
Netflix takes it on the chin for poor video quality and buffering issues… then there is the exhibition which has been called a fighting problem…. I signed up for the fight, today I’m resigning… I would really like to get my a reimbursement @netflix https://t.co/yKucvTSGWz
— GREYWQLF – (100% MAGA) Vet. (@greywqlf) November 16, 2024
Another tweet To read“WTF Netflix is a MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY and can’t even broadcast the fight? I want my money back!!!!! @netflix #NetflixFight #PaulTyson Unwatchable.”
“So is Netflix going to run a ‘you didn’t get what you paid for’ refund campaign…. #Caching #NetflixFight,” one other person wrote on X.
So is Netflix going to run a ‘you didn’t get what you paid for’ refund campaign…. #Caching #NetflixFight pic.twitter.com/fXhBSLzs1w
— It’s Archie (@ItsArchieYo) November 16, 2024
After the buffering issues were resolved, the principal event presented its own set of problems. Many fans considered the fight to be staged, questioning its legitimacy and whether it was part of a bigger spectacle intended to extend the hype around these two extraordinary personalities.
Naive fans who expected a far more competitive principal event seemed disenchanted as Paul danced to wear down the elder Tyson in the early rounds while the Brownsville bully didn’t land as many punches.
One viewer complex“You do realize that the Tyson vs. Paul fight was rigged from the start, right? watching it and subscribing to Netflix is exactly what they want. it is a way to waste time, energy and money while fueling capitalism and promoting mindless entertainment.”
Other he said“Yes… should you had watched the Netflix documentary a number of months before this fight, you’d have seen Tyson training and looking like a beast. Just a few months later he cannot throw a punch and keeps biting his gloves? Strange to say the least.
There is even a campaign to unsubscribe from Netflix.
One person he tweeted“Netflix tricked everyone into subscribing to observe this fake fight and now everyone has canceled their subscription. This st slowed it back down #cancelnetflix.
“Everything is set up so that Tyson can win in the rematch” – one other X user he wrote. “It’s just a way to make money because so many people have canceled and boycotted Netflix.”
It seems the saving grace of the event wasn’t the fight itself, but the 4 girls in the ring – especially busty black beauty Lexi Williams.
“Fans say she stole the show during the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight,” one person wrote on Twitter on November 16, together with a compilation of photos and videos of Williams.
Fans say she stole the show during Jake Paul’s fight with Mike Tyson 😍 pic.twitter.com/zJuGHQPssH
— Raindrops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) November 16, 2024
Another person excellent“The only thing Netflix did right last night” like anyone else he stated obvious: “That ring girl is literally a black Barbie.”
Fourth comment cursed those that didn’t admire the melanated queen, “Why is everyone so obsessed with the white girl with the ring when the show has the wrong one.”
Lexi Williams is 31 years old. Her Instagram page is already popular on the web, boasting 1.4 million followers. Working as a fitness and swimwear model and Fashion Nova influencer, Williams hails from Los Angeles by the use of Franklin, Tennessee.
“What a time to be alive. Thank you for all your support! I love you all” – Williams he wrote in response to the overwhelming interest it has received from Netflix viewers.
Tyson, who reportedly earned $20 million from the fight, published a press release about his defeat on his X profile. He not only explained his opinion on the failure, but gave insight into the past yr and his health.
“It’s one in every of those situations where you lost but you continue to won. “I’m grateful for last night,” he wrote on Twitter. “I do not regret moving into the ring for the last time. I almost died in June. He had 8 blood transfusions. I lost half my blood and 25 kilos in the hospital and needed to fight to recuperate to fight, so I won.
It’s one in every of those situations where you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night. I do not regret entering the ring for the last time.
I almost died in June. He had 8 blood transfusions. I lost half my blood and 25 kilos in the hospital and needed to fight to recuperate to fight, so I won.
Down…
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) November 16, 2024
Adding: “My children seeing me stand shoulder to shoulder and finish 8 innings with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy Stadium is an experience no man could ever ask for. Thank you. #PaulTyson.”
Still, some people did jokes behind demands for a refund: “Elder abuse, Tyson walking like a zombie in the preview and limping from the first bell. I imagine #Netflix will make MikeTyson fight. #CancelNetflix and ask for a refund. #BLM on the move.”
Either way, it was a moment that got people talking, even in the event that they weren’t talking about the punches thrown in the ring.
Fans could also be furious, but one thing is certain: Tyson vs. Paul on Netflix has cemented its place in popular culture history, even when it was for reasons that transcend the sport of boxing itself.
Entertainment
Jessica Simpson’s ‘creepy’ new look outraged fans as Eric Johnson divorce rumors intensify
Singer Jessica Simpson has a new look and outlook on life that has fans calling her unrecognizable. The 2000s pop star and her husband of 10 years, Eric Johnson, are reportedly going through a marital crisis that has sparked rumors of an impending divorce.
Simpson and the retired NFL player have been married since 2014 three children: daughters Maxwell, 12, and Birdie, 5, and son Ace, 11.
Mr. and Mrs. spent a decade together experiencing the best of highs and the bottom of lows, which included the “I Wanna Love You Forever” artist’s battle with alcohol addiction and a dramatic 100-pound weight reduction.
This is her second marriage after her divorce from 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey.
She raved about it last yr People that “when I met Eric, I felt like it was more nurturing. Everything was more supported. Everything seemed so simple.” Now, new reports say that the couple has lost the spark they usually are at a crossroads regarding the longer term.
“Jessica’s goals are to stay married and repair a relationship that has gone stale,” the alleged source said Page six. An insider noted that “Eric was an amazing father. He was by her side on her sobriety journey and was able to handle all of her ups and downs. He was her rock.”
Despite the “difficult situation”, the couple is claimed to be on the identical page with regards to coping with their problems before the vacations. “He wants her kids to do well, and she still loves him and he loves her… They’re both aware that things have to change if they’re going to make this work.”
However, conflicting reports from TMZ they maintain that the split prompted a friend and member of Simpson’s team to contact two different divorce lawyers. The claims come days after she and Johnson were spotted individually in Los Angeles, without their wedding rings and the artist, who shared a post signaling a new starting.
“Interviews in my music room in Nashville where I discovered my special magic. “This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for enduring everything I didn’t deserve,” Simpson wrote in a Nov. 12 Instagram caption. post.
– Yes, I called it some time ago. We love you. Stay strong,” a fan commented. Another follower said: “I just hope she doesn’t have to pay child support, it’s killing me!!!!!!” Simpson is the founding father of an eponymous billion-dollar clothing and footwear brand that has helped her amass a $200 million fortune.
The same day, paparazzi caught Johnson walks around Los Angeles. However, the marriage ring on his finger was noticeably missing.
More than a couple of fans have expressed concern concerning the “scary” change in her appearance following the separation reports. “Jessica obviously had Botox, but she’s still beautiful! I bet he’ll get a divorce!” read one such comment.
Several he asked“What’s wrong with Jessica’s face?” “Jessica looks AMAZING. She should have let her natural beauty shine,” one person said. Some speculations about her facial changes include Botox, fillers, and Ozempic.
A viewer joked: “She doesn’t even look like her.” However, when fans zoomed in on a photograph of Simpson together with her sister, Ashlee Simpson Ross, they concluded that each women “have acquired completely new faces.”
Someone else speculated that her sobriety issues can also be an element. “Alcohol didn’t help her,” one person said. November 1 marked seven years of sobriety. Another user shared: “I noticed her mouth is so full she’s slurring her words a bit.”
On September 15, Johnson celebrated his forty fifth birthday – a day that his wife had publicly celebrated in previous years with a loving post. This yr, nevertheless, Simpson took the freedom of writing a sweet message. In fact, her husband was last praised on her Instagram page in a 2023 birthday tribute to him.
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