Janelle Monáe for Shape - September 2020!
Janelle Monáe, the boundary-bending singer, songwriter and actor remains unstoppable, even during a standstill. For the September cover of SHAPE, she talks to Farai Chideya, a writer and broadcaster on pop and politics, moving forward, starring in the timely film Antebellum¸ and why she’s taking on a new role as a social activist.
On her goal to help her community through activism: “Being Black, especially during this time, for me, is heavy. It’s traumatic, and all I want to do is figure out how I can be of help to my community. So I’ve been spending a lot of time organizing behind the scenes with peers, with my Wondaland Arts Society [Monae’s company] family. We hosted a Zoom where everybody had an opportunity to get on and just vent and cry and talk about how we’re feeling. These were white folks, Asian folks, Black folks, straight, gay—like a full spectrum of people and perspectives.”
On her new film Antebellum that shines a light on racial injustice: “I’ve made it a thing to face discomfort. I think discomfort is part of everyone’s reality right now. White people are feeling discomfort in one way, Black people are feeling discomfort in one way, and I didn’t want to shy away from that. It’s time for us to get uncomfortable, because the real change requires an upsetting and a rerouting and a real commitment to look at ourselves. In this instance, I hope that more white people see this film and fix the systems that their ancestors created that continue to oppress.”
On finding empowerment by sorting through her mental health: “I realized that I was dealing with abandonment issues, and just last year, I started to really deal with it. My dad was in and out of my life growing up, and other instances where I felt abandoned were coming up to the surface. I started to write these things down, and I remember just crying like a baby. I will say that it is so freeing when you can identify your trauma. Knowing why you feel a certain way or why these feelings of being upset or angry or sad—why they’re happening, what the root of it is. It’s just so empowering.”
On knowing her power and path from an early age: “Early on, I realized that I had something to write. I had my own musical instead of trying to be in musical theater or on Broadway. There was an artist in me that was looking to be developed. And only I could develop that artist.”
The September issue is available for purchase on August 14.
#RHOA: Kenya Moore’s Daughter Brooklyn Is One "Like Her Mommy"!
Kenya Moore’s baby girl, Brooklyn Daly, is tough just like her mom. The Real Housewives of Atlanta (RHOA) star recently uploaded a video clip that showed her daughter get up after a rather hard fall during a playtime session at home.
Brooklyn was running around the house in an effort to escape her mom in the video clip. The youngster ran around the same fixtures about three times before growing tired and slowing down. Determined to get away from her mom, though, Brooklyn decided to push herself one last time. The result was the little one running into a furniture piece, which knocked her to the floor.
Unlike some children who would have cried after such a nasty fall, Brooklyn shook off the incident and got up to continue the game. “Tough like her mommy,” one fan noted after seeing the footage.
Kenya Moore has the ability to spend more time with her daughter, thanks to quarantine life. In fact, the RHOA star recently told the press that she considered giving up her full-time nanny because she was having so much fun as her daughter’s sole caregiver throughout the day.
“It is the best upside,” Kenya told PEOPLE exclusively. “Obviously I work on Real Housewives — I have a full-time job half of the year — and I run my businesses [like Kenya Moore Haircare] basically from home right now,” Moore shared.
The celebrity mom went on to talk about her daughter’s personality, which is filled with confidence. “She’s extremely determined,” Kenya revealed to the press. “She is very demanding but she’s also very sweet,” the RHOA star added. “So those are her main personality traits, and it’s just funny to see how she communicates and how she charms you.”
Brooklyn Daly is Kenya Moore’s daughter with business owner Marc Daly. She celebrates her second birthday later this year.
#NewMusic from Trey Songz ‘Circles’!
Trey Songz drops off his new single, an ode to love that endures through time. “If you’re looking for closure, don’t take your clothes off / No matter how hard we try, we can’t say it’s over / We going in circles,” he sings. “We just gon’ do this over and over again.”
The video is a celebration of Black love at different stages in life, while also paying homage to the Black Lives Matter movement. In one intense scene, a young Black couple is pulled over by a white police officer.
WATCH HERE
“Circles” arrives ahead of Trey’s 8th studio album, Back Home, his first full-length release in over three years.\
#HipHopNews: Lil Wayne Confirms 'Tha Carter Vi' & 'No Ceilings 3' Are On The Way!
Lil Wayne‘s follow-up to Funeral is reportedly coming sooner than we think.
On Saturday (August 15), Wayne did a hit with ESPN discussing UFC’s upcoming heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. Just before the interview wrapped, Wayne gave fans a small hint of his newest work.
“Carter 6 coming soon, but I got No Ceilings coming first,” Wayne told ESPN’s Michael Eaves. “No Ceilings 3.”
The sixth edition of Tha Carter series would be the first since the oft-delayed Carter V released in 2018. The album was a return to form for Wayne as it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 480,000 equivalent album units earned.
The Young Money leader previously discussed the C5 follow-up with Variety, declaring that his favorite of the series “is the next one.”
In 2009, Wayne dropped the first No Ceilings days after he pled guilty to a 2007 gun charge in New York. The tape featured freestyles over F.L.Y.’s “Swag Surf,” Dorrough’s “Ice Cream Paint Job” and is considered among Wayne’s best mixtapes. No Ceilings 2, released in 2015, featured Wayne rapping on top of classics such as Eminem’s “My Name Is,” plus original production from Metro Boomin, The Beat Bully, Beewirks and more.
Wayne’s kept a busy schedule throughout quarantine. Even while taking a break to root for the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s helmed a full season of Young Money Radio on Apple Music with guests such as Dr. Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent. He also celebrated the fifth anniversary of his Free Weezy Album and teased two future collaborative projects, one with Mannie Fresh and the follow-up to his 2016 ColleGrove joint album with 2 Chainz.
“I’m dropping ColleGrove 2 this year,” 2 Chainz said during an Instagram Live session in March.
Lizzo Wins Legal Battle Over ‘Truth Hurts’ Lawsuit!
Grammy-Award winning singer Lizzo might be feeling extra good. A lawsuit concerning her “Truth Hurts” breakout single has ended in her favor in the U.S. District Court Central District of California, according to new reports.
Lizo initially sued brothers Justin Raisen and Jeremiah Raisen, along with Yves Rothman in 2019, asking the court for a “judicial declaration” that the trio “did not co-author ‘Truth Hurts’ and have no right to co-own that work or to share in its profits.”
Her lawsuit was in response to the brothers calling her out on social media for not giving them credit on the song they alleged they helped her write. The Raisen brothers and Rothman responded to Lizzo’s lawsuit with a countersuit in February, stating that “Truth Hurts” was from a song “Healthy” that they co-wrote with her.
But their claims were tossed out as U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee sided with Lizzo and ruled that,
“a joint author of one copyrightable work does not automatically gain ownership of a derivative work in which the joint author had no hand in creating.”
She pointed out that the Raisen brothers admitted “Healthy” was its own song and wasn’t a demo for “Truth Hurts.”
But Lizzo’s legal woes might not be over yet. The judge gave the Raisens and Rothman permission to change their complaint with new and different facts by Sept. 4.
Justin Raisen’s lawyer Larry Iser said in a statement:
“The court’s decision to dismiss just one of our five counterclaims is only a temporary setback, as Judge Gee has granted us leave to amend our pleading. We will be submitting amended counterclaims, which will address the court’s concerns with our original pleading. We know the truth may hurt, but Lizzo will not be able to continue denying our clients’ substantial contributions to the Grammy winning song for much longer.
What do you think about the judge’s decision?
Lauryn Hill Defends Her Discipline Methods After Daughter Aired Her Out!
Lauryn Hilll’s daughter Selah opened up about her family earlier this week.
Selah revealed she had daddy issues from an absent father. In the two-hour Live she said,
“Honestly guys, I’m just hurting. I can’t even front that I’m not,” she said. “I’ve been hurting for so much of my life and so much of my life has been me avoiding how much I’m really hurting just from the circumstances.”
She also revealed shocking information about her mom’s discipline methods. The 21-year-old said her mom was an “amazing woman” but she was “angry.” Selah spoke on how her mom spanked them with a belt, made threats, and wasn’t easy to talk to. Most of the time Selah and her siblings lived with their grandparents.
“And then the threats, the constant threats… That belt man. That’s that slave sht. That was some slavery sht. All Black parents were on that sh*t.”
Lauryn wrote a long detailed letter addressing her daughter’s statements The Jasmine Brand reports. According to the singer, she said her daughter has a right to express herself but says “back then” we were held to a different standard (referring to getting disciplined). She said that she was dealing with a lot of pressure and was protecting her children. “My children are strong-willed and powerful, better I discipline them at home than have them shot down in the streets or locked up.”
Take a look at the full statement;
“Selah has every right to express herself, I encourage it, but she also got the discipline that black children get because we are held to a different standard. The discipline was seen through the lens of a young child who also had no place to reconcile me as mom, and me as a larger than life public figure. It took me a while to realize that my children, and probably everyone who knew me saw me in this duality. To me, I am just me. If I am guilty of anything it is disciplining in anger, not in disciplining. The toxic venom I ingested for standing on principle, and confronting systemic racism far BEFORE it was the thing to say or do (everything you NOW celebrate everyone for!)—the people who called me CRAZY and have yet to apologize and say ‘oh yeah, we were wrong’, OF COURSE that seeped into my home, it was intended to. An entire operation trying to break an artist with a voice and knowledge of herself—way ahead of her time—was in motion. I was affected, my family was affected, my children were affected.” She goes on to say,
“When I realized that the pressure on me was so incredibly hypocritical and unfair, criminal even, that even my children weren’t allowed to be children, I stepped away. I wasn’t removed, I STEPPED AWAY. Weening myself and my family from the addictions that systems of control attempt to use through fame and celebrity is no joke. It’s painful and people were not above using my children to keep exploiting me. Keeping a child sober-minded in the midst of everyone trying to seduce and bribe and coerce is an incredibly challenging thing to do. Sell a few million copies of a recording and see the wolves and sharks for yourself before you determine what’s appropriate and what’s not. The danger was REAL! And this danger I faced alone, unsupported as I should have been, and dumped on by the same people who only a few years before built a fortune off the same gifts they later tried to deny and then COPY. My life has been about protecting my children from all kinds of danger, and that’s only possible when you protect yourself from the danger as well.” She continues,
“As my children mature they see the state of the world, before that, ALL they saw was me seemingly blocking the fun, not me aggressively blocking the trap. Selah and I speak often and she knows we are both working through our stuff—the exploitation, the abandonment, the mistreatment and the muzzling of our own gifts and intelligence to make it more comfortable for others, which is a big mistake to do, it can ONLY lead to implosion or explosion. We’re both learning and healing, and each of my children has a similar story and journey. My children are strong-willed and powerful, better I discipline them at home than have them shot down in the streets or locked up. They are not necessarily passive people, and they’re also learning how to navigate a world full of beauty but also full of danger. This was in no way easy to do as a single parent battling a public attack for not conforming, and single-handedly financially responsible for so many.”
“Sometimes fame and money amplify not only problems but can magnify the darkest and most cruel and selfish qualities in humans. Greed, jealousy, envy, covetousness, violence, fear. People see someone who they think is powerful or has something they want and scan for the slightest vulnerability to exploit. Sometimes being successful at something is like walking around with a bullseye on your back and your children’s backs. Raising children and attempting to preserve their youth while also preparing them for such complicated circumstances is nothing short of walking a tight rope. It requires an impeccable balance. Now, why would anyone benefiting from exploiting instability want to see me master that balance? They wouldn’t. Could you imagine what the world would look like if someone said ‘hey, this or that artist has an addiction problem, or this one is being taken advantage of, how can we help?’ rather than turning it into the news. I wonder who’d still be here today?
Ellen DeGeneres & Kevin Hart Meet Up for Lunch in Santa Monica!
Ellen DeGeneres is getting out of the house to meet up with Kevin Hart.
The 62-year-old talk show host and the 41-year-old actor enjoyed lunch outside at a beachfront restaurant on Saturday afternoon (August 15) in Santa Monica, Calif.
While Ellen and Kevin ate lunch, Kevin‘s very pregnant wife Eniko showed off her baby bump in a bikini while hanging out at the beach.
Earlier this month, Kevin defended Ellen amid her toxic work environment allegations.
“I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that she’s one of the dopest people on the f–king planet,” Kevin wrote. “She has treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1.”
Anthony Anderson is Celebrating His Star on the Walk of Fame!
Anthony Anderson is celebrating his 50th birthday in a big way! The black-ish star was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday (August 14), the day before his 50th birthday.
“Today was a GREAT day! Dreams do come true!” Anthony wrote on Instagram along with photos from his ceremony. “Those dreams are made possible thru faith, hard work, patience and sacrifice! I want to thank everyone that’s been a part of my journey thus far.”
Joining Anthony at his ceremony were family and friends, including George Lopez and Don Cheadle.
“Tighten your seatbelts cause we are about to take a wild ride!” Anthony continued. “Thank you to my family, friends and fans for this is just as much yours as it is mine! #justakidfromcompton #walkoffame #NWMI”
Anthony was inducted into the Walk of Fame Class of 2018, but decided to wait to celebrate the honor until his 50th birthday, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Congrats, Anthony!
Michael B Jordan Was ‘Allegedly’ Outed by Former Assistant!
A former personal assistant for actor Michael B. Jordan claims Michael constantly flirted with him and propositioned him in a closet ...
The big mouth former PA made the shocking revelations on the Juicy Scoop podcast claiming its haunted him for years that he turned Michael down.
LISTEN HERE!
Thoughts?
Tyra Banks Is Reportedly Not Happy With Jay Manuel’s ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Satire Novel!
According to Page Six, the narrative of former “America’s Next Top Model” creative director Jay Manuel’s satire novel, “The Wig, the Bitch & the Meltdown,” is not a laughing matter to Tyra Banks.
Sources of Page Six reportedly say that when Banks found out about the release of the satirical book, which came out last week, she reportedly tried to influence their former “ANTM” colleagues not to help promote it.
“Tyra is not happy about the book,” allegedly said a source. “There was some kind of meeting with Tyra [and] some sort of message was sent out regarding the book coming out. A couple of months ago, she asked a lot of the ‘America’s Next Top Model’ family to not interact with Jay and to not support the book.”
Chrissy Teigen Reveals How She Found Out About Surprise Pregnancy!
A day after Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend announced they were expecting a third child, Teigen revealed in a series of tweets how she found out about the surprise pregnancy.
When one of her more than 13 million Twitter followers asked if she knew she was pregnant during her breast implant removal surgery in June, the model tweeted Friday that “It’s quite a story.”
“I did the routine pregnancy test you do before surgery. It said negative. It was not negative,” the Cravings author wrote, adding she took another test after the June 19 surgery.
“I was scared s–tless … was pretty positive you shouldn’t get your boobs out while pregnant.”
The tweets came a day after Teigen and Legend announced the pregnancy in his new music video, “Wild.” The video includes a close-up shot on her growing baby bump.
Teigen said she was surprised and “didn’t think” she could get pregnant naturally, without the aid of fertility treatments. The couple’s other children — Luna, four, and Miles, two — were conceived after undergoing IVF treatments.
“Luna is very, very excited. Miles, not so much. Jealous!,” Teigen wrote after admitting she was nervous about the pregnancy.
“Part of me misses the safety of my perfect embryos, created in their little dish. They felt untouchable and safe. Now I feel a bit…eggshelly,” she tweeted.
AMC is reopening its theaters next week with 15-cent tickets!
AMC is finally reopening its theaters, and guests will need to spend just 15 cents to get in.
The world's largest movie theater chain will reopen more than 100 US theaters on August 20, the company said on Thursday. In order to commemorate its centennial, AMC is offering "movies in 2020 at 1920 prices" on opening day. That's 15 cents a ticket.
AMC closed all of its theaters in the US in March as the pandemic took hold, and the reopening has been delayed several times. (Track how box-office sales have been hit on our recovery dashboard.)
AMC (AMC) added that it expects to open two-thirds of its more than 600 US theater locations by the time Christopher Nolan's thriller "Tenet" hits theaters on September 3. AMC's other US theaters will open "only after authorized to do so by state and local officials," according to the company.
AMC said that it's implementing new safety and health measures to help keep moviegoers safe and curb the spread of coronavirus. That includes requiring all guests to wear masks, lowering theater capacity and upgrading ventilation systems.
After opening day, tickets will still be available for cheaper than usual. Tickets for films like "Inception," "Black Panther," "Back to the Future" and "The Empire Strikes Back" will cost $5. AMC is bringing back old films since the North American box office has been essentially at a standstill with so many new movies have been delayed this year because of the outbreak.
The company, which was founded in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1920, is also offering discounts on concessions like popcorn for $5 through the end of October. "We are thrilled to once again open our doors to American moviegoers who are looking for an opportunity to get out of their houses and apartments and escape into the magic of the movies," Adam Aron, AMC's CEO, said in a statement on Thursday.
The theater chain announced in June that it was set to reopen on July 15, but was delayed to July 30 due to a lack of movies being offered by studios. It was delayed again last month to mid-to-late August.
But now it appears that AMC will finally reopen since some new films like Disney's "New Mutants" on August 28 and "Tenet" on September 3 are set, at least for now, to be released.
One notable absence from AMC's reopening lineup of films is Disney's "Mulan." Disney announced earlier this month that the remake of the 1998 animated classic would hit theaters and Disney+ on September 4.
Three Mississippi Officers Charged With Second-Degree Murder For Dragging A Black Man Out Of His Car, Body-Slamming, and Brutally Beating Him In The Head and Body!
Three Mississippi police officers have been charged with second-degree murder over the death of a Black man who they brutally pulled from his car, body-slammed on the ground, and repeatedly hit in the head.
Back in January 2019, Desmond Barney, Lincoln Lampley, and Anthony Fox claimed they were looking for suspects connected to the fatal shooting of Rev. Anthony Longino, a pastor who had been shot in a robbery that happened in front of his church. But instead, they brutally attacked 62-year-old George Robinson. The two other men who were actually involved in the shooting were later arrested and charged with Longino’s murder, The Daily Mail reports.
A witness who saw the incident said Robinson was sitting in his car in front of his house when three officers approached him. The witness said the officers struck Robinson in the head with a flashlight, body-slammed onto the ground, and then stomped on his chest and stomach several times. Multiple sources said Robinson recently suffered a stroke, which made his movements slow, the outlet reports. “They just snatched him. They were brutal,” one of Robinson’s neighbors said. Robinson was intensive care for two days before he died from bleeding on the brain, which was caused by the officers’ blunt force trauma to the head.
The officers were indicted by a grand jury in the death of Robinson. The Daily Mail reports that the indictment was passed down by a Hinds County grand jury on August 5 and accuses the officers of “willfully, unlawfully and feloniously” causing Robinson’s death, the outlet reports. On Thursday, all three officers posted bond after turning themselves in. According to Jackson Police Chief James Davis, the officers arrested Robinson on misdemeanor charges of failing to obey a police officer and resisting arrest. Initially, the officers were placed on administrative leave during an investigation that the department and the FBI launched. Afterward, the officers were later reinstated, however, Fox and Barney moved on to work for the Clinton Police Department.
The officers’ lawyers claim “evidence will show that the officers are not guilty.” Their lawyer, Francis Springer, said, “These officers did exactly what they are trained to do and used an appropriate level of force,” Springer said. Robinson’s family has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the officers. In response to the officers’ charges, Robinson’s family says they just want the policemen to tell the truth. “All they need to do is own up to what they did,” said Robinson’s sister Bettersten Wade. “We’re just asking them to just be honest. Don’t put it on nobody else, or don’t say this, or don’t say that. We are just trying to find out the truth.”
NBA Photographer Fired For Using Derogatory Term About Kamala Harris!
An NBA photographer was fired for a racial attack against Kamala Harris on social media. Bill Baptiste, who had served as an NBA photographer for over 30 years, posted a meme on Facebook that disparaged Harris, who is the Democratic vice presidential candidate, according to ESPN.
WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes blew the whistle on the photographer with a tweet. “So this guy works for the NBA but covers the Houston Rockets. Has been around for a while. Even worked for the Houston Comets. It’s amazing how people will smile in your face but eventually, their true colors will how. @NBA and Houston Rockets he needs to GO!!! So disrespectful. Bill Baptiste [sic] shame on You,” Swoopes tweeted.
Baptist reportedly posted a meme on Facebook that referred to Biden and Harris as “Joe and the H–.” The photographer had been in Orlando, Florida covering the NBA as the league resumes its season in a bubble to protect players from the pandemic.
The NBA immediately fired Baptist following Swoopes tweet. An NBA spokesperson told KPRC 2 that Baptist is an “independent contractor, and his services are no longer being used in Orlando.”
Baptist issued an apology, but the damage has already been done.
“I deeply regret posting on my Facebook page a phrase that I saw and copied from others as a sample of some people’s reactions to Biden’s selection of Senator Harris as his choice for VP,” Baptist wrote in a statement. “The phrase I posted does not reflect my personal views at all. I should not have been so insensitive to post the statements by others. I sincerely apologize to all of those who have rightfully been offended.”
Harris could make history in November by becoming the first Black Vice President in America.
Donald Trump's Younger Brother Robert Dies at 71!
President Donald Trump is mourning the death of his younger brother Robert Trump.
The 74-year-old president shared a statement announcing that his brother had at died at a New York hospital on Saturday (August 15) at the age of 71.
“It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House. “He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace.”
Trump had traveled to New York the day before to visit his ailing brother. Robert died just 11 days before what would have been his 72nd birthday.
Robert served as an executive vice president of the Trump Organization. Part of his job was overseeing Trump‘s casinos in Atlantic City.
Details of Robert‘s illness have not yet been released. Robert reportedly spent a week in the ICU at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, earlier this summer.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘BURN IT TO THE GROUND’
Hate running into my ex in public. So awkward.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!!!
EFREM
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