Entertainment
‘In Her Words’ Details Hip-Hop’s Triumphs and Failures Megan Thee Stallion – Andscape
As I watched documentary in regards to the profession of rapper Megan Thee Stallion, I could not help but consider Serena Williams.
When Williams retired in September 2022, she received unanimous praise from the tennis community, celebrating her Hall of Fame profession. But many of the favor seemed disingenuous to me because I remember what it was like when Williams’ profession took off. Those of us who were there when the Williams sisters were thriving remember the body shaming, racism, and micro- and macro-aggressions they experienced. We remember many within the tennis community trying their hardest to beat the Williams sisters at every turn.
At some point in the longer term, Megan Thee Stallion will retire as one of the crucial successful female rappers of our generation – she’s already first woman with three number-one hits in a single yr, he won three Grammy Awards and six nominations. And when her profession involves an end, many individuals within the hip-hop community will stand by her side to have fun her profession, and much of it is going to seem disingenuous because we’ve got a full two-hour documentary that shows exactly how much misogynoir there may be on this heart of hip-hop and what it takes for a lady to reach the face of such harassment.
Directed by Nneka Onuorah, the film takes us through the parallel worlds of Megan’s best public achievements and her deepest personal tragedies. The first half of the documentary shows Megan finding her footing as an MC and performer under the tutelage and direct guidance of her mother, Holly Thomas. In the documentary, viewers learn that it was Thomas who shot Megan’s guerrilla freestyle and twerk videos, and they get to see first-hand how close they were. Thomas’ death from a brain tumor in 2019 is a devastating moment within the documentary and a real crossroads moment for Megan, who spends the remainder of the film looking for the community, happiness and peace that her mother provided her.
The documentary shows Megan’s pursuit of fame and her rise to superstardom, in addition to the person attempting to cover her scars with thin plasters. What’s particularly telling is that Megan returned to the road three weeks after her mother’s death. The juxtaposition of Megan’s public success and personal sadness is heartbreaking. And all of it ended on a night in July 2020, when rapper Tory Lanez shot Megan within the foot.
The documentary tells Megan’s entire story from that evening – from her friendship with Lanez to the character of their argument. It also includes an animated reconstruction of the shooting. Megan also explained why, just months after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd, the police turned to a black woman, she refused to place the blame on a black man, even at her own physical risk. Meanwhile, the identical Black man she was attempting to protect began his own series of disgusting public attacks.
The shooting and fallout dominates much of the film’s second half and indicts Lanez, showing us the extensive trauma his act of violence has caused to Megan. But Lanez is merely a vehicle to debate the final hatred Megan has experienced by the hands of too many Black men.
The most damning moment of the documentary comes from a video montage of all the boys who defended Lanez after Megan admitted he shot her. Assembly features Joe Budden, DJ Akademik, 50 Cent, DaBaby AND Chris Brown. All the boys query, insult Megan and defend Lanez. Meanwhile, all of them had their very own accusations of molesting women. The clip ends ominously with Sean “Diddy” Combs supporting Lanez and admitting that he also has a dark side. Not to be lost in all this, there’s also a clip of LeBron James playing Lanez’s music on Instagram Live.
This also happens after the following montage through which essentially the most outstanding people in rap, including: Snoop Dogg, of all peoplecriticized Megan and other female rappers for showing their bodies and rapping about sex. While all of us could have assumed how deeply these moments would affect Megan, the documentary showed us moments of her crying, scrolling through social media, second-guessing herself, and being overly critical in moments where she might need previously been safer.
The media also bears a number of blame for this case, with bloggers and newspaper headlines being the important protagonists of this case. And, satirically, lots of these publications have learned nothing. Megan admitted within the documentary that she he lied to Gayle King the news that Tory Lanez has not had a sexual relationship has turn out to be the leading takeaway from the identical publications and social media accounts which have demonized her for the past half-decade. Headlines again appeared all around the Internet calling Megan a liar and using her revelations about her relationship with Lanez to disqualify her testimony about what happened the night of the shooting.
All the hate and trauma culminated in Megan having a mental breakdown and having to take a month off from a wellness camp. At the top of the documentary, he finds some semblance of peace in Lanez’s conviction. While this moment provided catharsis for the rapper, all of it made me sad. The notion that Megan needed to turn to the identical criminal justice system that so often oppresses black women to feel safest, and that she couldn’t find safety in a community that ought to have avoided Lanez and reclaimed her in the primary place. Unfortunately, she couldn’t depend on her community to guard her from trolls and harassment. Megan’s story is a direct rebuke to so many “fathers of girls” and toothless performative gestures of “protect black women” because lots of these men selected to side with the perpetrator somewhat than side with the lady he molested.
Megan Thee Stallion has survived and overcome a lot and that is an enormous a part of what makes her rise so special. But it’s hard to understand that perseverance without also acknowledging that she shouldn’t have been so resilient. There should not be a world where she needed to endure a lot abuse and public backlash for simply surviving an assault and telling her story, for being on the forefront of a revolution about women’s bodily autonomy in hip-hop, for being certainly one of the most important female stars rap in history.
doesn’t let anyone pass. It is an outline of all those that have found themselves on the unsuitable side of history and a pre-emptive rebuke to anyone who tries to pretend otherwise.
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.
Entertainment
Serena Williams is cutting short divorce talks for a second time after the couple reunited and put months of rumors to rest
Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian are still doing well despite months of unconfirmed divorce rumors.
On November 17, Williams and the Reddit co-founder took a walk down memory lane and tested one another by asking questions on themselves and their family in a recent promotional ad. The couple ate a few of their favorite meals and meanwhile checked their glucose levels using Hello Lingo, a glucose monitoring device.
Nearly five minutes into the recording, Williams tested her husband’s memory by asking, “Who said I love you first?”
Ohanian, who shares two daughters, Olimpia and Adira, with the tennis legend, responds quickly by saying, “Mmm,” before writing his answer on the board.
“It’s like ‘The Newlywed Game,'” Williams said, writing down her answer, referring to the mid-Nineteen Sixties show “The Newlywed Game,” which tested couples who had been married for lower than two years to see if how much they learn about their relationship. amplifier.
Both Williams and Ohanian turn the board over to reveal their answers and, quite shockingly, they received two different answers. Ohanian wrote that Williams said it first, but Williams claims it was Ohanian.
“Come now. Are you going to lie about this? he declared to Williams, who responded with a laugh: “I said I would be honest.”
“That’s not an honest answer,” Ohanian continued. “I still keep in mind that phone call. Oh, you realize I felt the same, but you certainly said it first.
Williams joked: “My glucose levels were high. I ate some ice cream, my glucose level was too high. Then I tell this guy and I feel like saying things I would not normally say. The moment ended with Williams replaying how she told Ohanian those three special words.
Of course, there was no shortage of reactions from fans who showed their love for the couple and how well they interact of their normal element.
One YouTube commenter he wrote“It’s great to see Serena and Alexis in this normal environment, they are so lovely and have great charisma. I love them even more now and I feel great chemistry between them.”
Someone else said: “I liked this part. They seem to really like each other.”
However, as rumors swirled about problems of their marriage, one fan was confused by the video shared on Instagram.
“I thought I read that they got divorced?” he wrote one person in Williams’ comment section.
Someone else also addressed the rumors, writing: “Where are the haters who said divorce was imminent? Sometimes people will be crazy. Seriously, how are you going to even start assuming things like that about people you have never met?
We got married here 7 years ago. Now we will take these two out for donuts. Happy anniversary 🎉 Thank you for giving me two of the best people we’ve got ever met. You are a tremendous mom. I’m very glad to have met you @serenawilliams @olympiaohanian @adiraohanian pic.twitter.com/5ntPujrYDh
— Alexis Ohanian 🇦🇲 (@alexisohanian) November 17, 2024
This summer, fans began speculating that Williams and her seven-year marriage to Ohanian were in trouble after they noticed she hadn’t posted from him on her social media pages in some time.
Moreover, Ohanian was noticeably absent from the June premiere of the documentary “In the Arena: Serena Williams” and was also absent from her side at the Met Gala in May.
But they got back together this summer after they attended the Paris Olympics with their daughter Olympia in July.
Among the many viral moments spent with the Ohanian family, she organizes: umbrella for his wife and the European commentator – who didn’t realize he was her husband – and called Ohanian Serena’s “umbrella holder”.
The tech guru reacted to the moment hilariously by snapping a photo of himself holding an umbrella over himself and his daughter.
Ohanian joked, “I am also a personal Olympia umbrella owner. Sidebar: You all set the bar too low for me and celebrity daddies only get flowers for *admitting* they have kids.”
The proud dad is probably also Adira’s personal umbrella holder.
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