Solange to Evening Standard Magazine: “Don’t Touch My Hair”
Solange appears on the cover of the latest issue of Evening Standard Magazine, part of the U.K. paper the London Evening Standard. The magazine’s photoshoot features Solange with her hair bleached, braided, and arranged in a elegant, halo-like circle over her head. In an accompanying interview, Solange discussed the significance hair braiding holds for black women, calling it an “art form,” and “act of beauty, an act of convenience and an act of tradition.”
The print cover of the magazine, however, pictures Solange sans halo. Yesterday, she responded to the change by posting an unedited shot to Instagram. She captioned the photo “dtmh,” as in “Don’t Touch My Hair”—her song about pride, respect, and black hair, which itself is referenced in ES Magazine’s story.
Evening Standard Magazine has not yet offered a public response to the controversy. You can read the digital version of the disputed story, which doesn’t include the altered photo of Solange, here.
#RHoA: Monica Explains Why She Refuses to Join ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’
"What my children see me do is important to me."
Monica may be hitting the road with good friends Tiny Harris and Kandi Burruss, but she’s leaving the reality show drama completely up to them.
The Atlanta songstress will be performing during Xscape’s upcoming reunion tour, and is focused on just that – her music. Even while Bravo TV head honcho Andy Cohen suggested she join the ever so popular Real Housewives of Atlanta, the mother of three puts her kids first, meaning they’ll never see her degrade herself for a check, according to People.
“I would only join a show that I could also be executive producer of because what my children see me do is important to me,” said the “Just Right for Me” singer. “I would only be on a show where I could see everything before it airs and be a full participant in what it means.”
“And my goal if I ever were to do a televise show, would be to help girls like myself or people from the communities that are similar to the world that I’m from.”
Television could also take too much time away from sons Rocko, 12, Romelo, 9 and daughter Laiyah, 4.
“Me being away from my children too long is non-negotiable. It’s not an option, and anytime I work, I make that clear up front.”
#EMPIRE: The Evolution of Gabby Sidibe!
From Refinery 29: There’s no one in Hollywood quite like Gabourey Sidibe. At the age of 26, Sidibe was cast in Lee Daniels’ film Precious with no acting credits to her name. Previously, she'd had parts
in college productions of The Wiz and The Vagina Monologues, and that's it. Still, Daniels immediately knew he wanted to cast Sidibe. After seeing her moving Precious, we all knew why.
Though she began her career as a newcomer, Sidibe has lasting power. Since Precious, she’s gone on to star in Empire, American Horror Story, and Difficult People. She’s written a memoir. Most recently, she made her directorial debut. Her short film, The Tale of Four, is now available to stream.
Sidibe is also a delight. Her off-screen presence as much a part of her legacy as her acting, writing, and directorial work are. Sidibe proud of who she is, and her outspokenness has rendered her a pioneer in the body positivity movement. Her hard work and determination is how she became the powerhouse she is today.
#NEWMUSIC from Chrisette Michele – ‘Strong Black Woman’
Chrisette Michele returns with her brand new single “Strong Black Woman.”
Co-written by Michele and produced by Dee Hill and longtime collaborators Four Kings Productions, the song will be featured on Michele’s sixth studio album, Out of Control. Set for release on April 13, 2018, the 12-track project will be issued on Michele’s Rich Hipster label and distributed via Rich Hipster/Four Kings.
LISTEN HERE
“Strong Black Woman” signals Chrisette’s return to music after issuing a series of poems for free on social media, beginning with “No Political Genius.” Talking with Billboard the songstress expressed: “It’s an exciting and challenging time to be a creative, because it’s important to not be afraid to talk about what’s happening, to talk about being woke vs. being authentic. I just wanted to write a song in which I’m simply celebrating being strong at a time like this. The truth is that if we don’t lift each other up, nobody else will.”
Before sharing more details about Out of Control and her post-inaugural outlook, Michele noted, “People assumed I lost work, stopped performing and wouldn’t see the light of day again. That’s the reason why I chose ‘Strong Black Woman’ as the first single.”
#HIPHOPNEWS: 2 Chainz have a new CD on the way!
It's only been four months since 2 Chainz last dropped an album, but it appears the Atlanta rapper is already gearing up for a new project.
On Tuesday (Oct. 24), the "It's a Vibe" rapper announced he was working on a follow up to Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. "New album on the way, I'm farther than I thought I was," he wrote on Instagram. "Naw I'm lying I knew had some shit brewing #nocap #drenchGOD."
While the rapper didn't reveal any further details about the album, if it's anything like his previous projects, it's sure to be heavy on the features. Tity Boi's last album included features from Gucci Mane, Drake, Travis Scott, Migos, Nicki Minaj and Pharrell. The LP recently went gold, as singles like "4AM," "It's a Vibe" and "Good Drank" helped the project move over 500,000 units.
Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton Are Focused on ‘Getting Pregnant’
Of all Blake Shelton’s roles, there are few he relishes more than Oklahoma tourist guide. Introducing girlfriend Gwen Stefani and her boys — Kingston, 11, Zuma, 9, and Apollo, 3 — to his home state is thrilling, he recently told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s been a lot of fun for me to be the one to get to expose them to this,” he said of bringing everyone to the September 30 opening of his Tishomingo eatery, Ole Red. “They love it so much, her entire family.”
Everyone from her sons to her parents are enamored with the country life, insists Shelton: “There’s times when we’ve had holiday gatherings, and I’m talking about 30-plus family members from her side, from my side.”
Come Christmas 2018, they’re hoping to make room for one more. Blissful two years into their surprising romance, the country music sensation, 41, and the 48-year-old rocker turned fashion mogul are eager to expand their family, multiple sources reveal.
RIP: ‘Benson’ Star Robert Guillaume Passes Away At 89
Another legend has left us. Robert Guillaume, best known for his role as Benson DuBois on “Soap” and the spinoff “Benson,” died at his Los Angeles home after battling prostate cancer. He was 89.
Via Rolling Stone:
In 1977, Guillaume took on the role of DuBois, a butler to the wealthy Tate family, on ABC’s soap-opera parody sitcom Soap. The role was such a hit with viewers that the network created Benson in 1979, where it remained on the air through 1986.
On the spinoff, DuBois was promoted to managing the governor’s mansion, eventually running for political office himself. In 2015, the show ranked among Rolling Stone’s 20 Best TV Spin-offs. “To me, Benson was the revenge for all those stereotyped guys who looked like Benson in the Forties and Fifties [movies] and had to keep their mouths shut,” Guillaume said in 2001, according to the AP.
Rest in Peace, Robert.
Legendary Jazz Musician Fats Domino Dead at 89
Fats Domino — the iconic New Orleans musician behind songs like “Blueberry Hill” and “I’m Walkin” — has passed away. He was 89.
Mark Bone — the chief investigator with the coroner’s office in Jefferson Parish — tells The Blast that Domino passed away of natural causes at a private residence at 3:30 AM on Tuesday.
His daughter told WWL-TV in New Orleans that he was surrounded by family and friends and died peacefully. Domino’s wife Tracie also confirmed his passing to CBS News.
Domino was born and raised in New Orleans and famously stayed in his home when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. He was presumed dead before it was learned he had been rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter.
In October 2012, he appeared as himself on the HBO show “Treme,” which was set in New Orleans and featured several local musicians.
Chris Brown Says He became ‘Stiffened Up’ Around Jennifer Lopez
After speaking with Hot 97’s “Ebro in the Morning” about his upcoming double album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon, Chris Brown stopped by Power 105’s Angie Martinez for a candid conversation, where he opened up about his love for his collaborator Jennifer Lopez.
Speaking of the TIDAL X: Brooklyn concert, where he performed on the bill alongside J.Lo and JAY-Z, Breezy shared his appreciation for the “On the Floor” singer.
“J.Lo bad, man,” he said. “I’m just letting her know, look, I might have stiffened up a little bit when I was back at the little show, because there was a lot of people back there and I was nervous. My palms were sweaty. I said hi. But I like you and I want you.”
When reminded of Lopez’s relationship with former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez, Brown offered an apology. “Oh, you know what, playboy?” he said. “My bad.” But, he didn’t stop sharing his devotion for the singer-actress. “She can get it anytime,” he added. “70 years old, I don’t even care. All the way.”
Brown said that his gratitude for Lopez grew even more after she participated in his documentary, Welcome to My Life. “I had a lot more appreciation for her because you could have been like, ‘Nah, I’m busy right now.’ What she said was from the heart. So, I respect her a lot more.”
Later in the interview, Brown also spoke about why he would turn down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl. “Colin Kaepernick is like my brother,” he said. “I’m gonna ride with him. I don’t get into politics because you already know it’s bullshit. It’s worse than ‘Love & Hip Hop.’ For Congress and whoever that can really impeach people that are really fucking up this country, for them not to do anything, then you know they’re agreeing with it. So the politics behind that, I probably would just say no because they’re not fucking with Kaepernick. I’d tell them no.”
Tomorrow, Breezy is set to host a pop-up show at a secret New York location in anticipation of his 45-song double album Heartbreak on a Full Moon, which is set to drop on Halloween.
DEVELOPING NOW! Tamar Braxton Files For Divorce
Tamar Braxton has reportedly filed for divorce from Vincent Herbert after nearly 9 years of marriage.
Via TMZ: Tamar filed divorce docs Tuesday in L.A. County. She and Vincent have been married for nearly 9 years — they’re one month shy of their anniversary. Tamar and the record exec have one child together — their 4-year-old son, Logan Vincent.
It’s the end of a long relationship — Tamar and Vincent started dating in 2003. Her sister, Toni Braxton, had been working with him and introduced them.
The couple had a domestic dispute in August, 2016 in an Atlanta hotel. Police were called after he allegedly bit her hand during the argument.
Although they stayed together after that … sources connected to the couple tell us it’s been a rollercoaster relationship, and Tamar recently moved out of the family home.
I certainly hope she and Vince are able to pull a T.I. and Tiny to save their marriage before it’s dissolved.
Better yet – maybe this is just some tomfoolery to build ratings around their reality series before it premieres.
Your thoughts?
#OOOPS! Tina Campbell Postpones Concert Tour: ‘The Saints aren’t interested!
Guess those other folks who voted for #45 forgot to show up for the gospel singer in her time of need.
Oh the irony of it all! Y’all’s favorite Trump supporter may be SERIOUSLY feeling the fire from telling the world that she voted for #45! Early Tuesday morning, Tina Campbell announced on Instagram that her “It’s Still Personal Tour” has been postponed due to lack of “support.”
The Mary Mary singer and reality star posted a picture of herself that said: “We are grateful for those who were planning to attend but our overall ticket sales haven’t shown that we have the support that we need to continue to tour at this time. We’re convinced that that many more would love the opportunity to attend this praise filled, faith filled, entertaining, worship experience.”
CHILE……. she had to have seen this coming ever since she recently admitted in an interview that she voted for Donald Trump. Campbell said that her faith is what led her to vote for him.
“I was faced with two presidential candidates that I really did not approve of,” she said.
“And so I had to find something, a commonality with one of them, that would make me feel like if I have to vote, I should utilize my right to vote. Since I don’t prefer either of them, what can I find that would make me vote? And some of Donald Trump’s views on Christianity, honestly, is what caused me to vote for him.”
(Be clear: This is the same “Christian” man that recently called a Gold Star widow a liar, bragged about grabbing women by their pu—-s without their consent and called Black athletes “son of a bitch” for exercising their First Amendment right to take a knee during the National Anthem.)
After she initially got blasted, she continued to defend her vote telling The Real earlier this month, “What I said is, if during your campaign, if what you said appealed to me and appealed to my Christian values more than the other candidate, when it came down to it, I chose based on my faith.”
Campbell also remained adamant about her right to vote for whoever she wants.
“I didn’t like either candidate if I can be perfectly honest,” she continued. “I’m a Christian, I’m supposed to pray for the leaders. Stand with, doesn’t mean I agree with everything.”
Well…either way it looks like Tina better hope that by next Spring Black folks have forgotten who she voted for OR rely on those good ole Christian value Trump voters to have her back!
Kelly Clarkson Clarifies Remarks About Being Skinny: 'I've Never Contemplated Suicide Because of My Weight'
Clarkson has since clarified via her Twitter that she has never been suicidal because of her weight. Changes have been made to the text below to reflect this.
Kelly Clarkson has spoke very candidly about her fluctuating body image -- including her struggles with bulimia in high school -- throughout this second stage of her career. In a recent interview with the U.K. magazine Attitude, she detailed a "very dark time" she went through around the release of her 2004 sophomore album, Breakaway, when she felt an immense pressure to fit the industry-approved look of a pop star.
"When I was really skinny, I wanted to kill myself. I was miserable, like inside and out, for four years of my life," she told the magazine. "But no one cared, because aesthetically you make sense."
Clarkson continued, "It was a very dark time for me. I thought the only way out was quitting. I like wrecked my knees and my feet because all I would do is put in headphones and run. I was at the gym all the time."
Once the article was published, fans became concerned that Clarkson was once suicidal and clarified her statements on Twitter. "Just to clear something up. I wasn’t ever miserable because I had to be thin. I said I was miserable & as a result I became thin," she wrote Tuesday morning (Oct. 24). And in response to a tweet that correlated her skinniness with suicide, she tweeted, "NOT TRUE I’ve never contemplated suicide because of my weight.I said people had no idea I was unhappy oddly enough because I appeared healthy."
As Clarkson later pointed out in the Attitude interview, she has since taken hold of her career and her happiness by keeping positive people around, referring to a lyric from her My December track "Sober." "There’s this line ‘picked the weeds but kept the flowers’ and I just live my life by that because you are who you surround yourself with," she told Attitude. "I was around some really negative people, and I got out of it because I had a lot of great people there, too. It was a case of turning around, facing them and walking toward the light."
Now married to her manager, Brandon Blackstock (with whom she has two children, 3-year-old daughter River, 3, and 1-year-old son, Remington) Clarkson is much happier than the Breakaway days -- even shutting down a body shamer in July by declaring she's "still fucking awesome." Her eighth studio album, Meaning of Life, is out Oct. 27.
See her tweets below.
Just to clear something up. I wasn’t ever miserable because I had to be thin. I said I was miserable & as a result I became thin. https://t.co/N1uhyOWqMb
— Kelly Clarkson (@kelly_clarkson) October 24, 2017
NOT TRUEI’ve never contemplated suicide because of my weight.I said people had no idea I was unhappy oddly enough because I appeared healthy https://t.co/Ddvumlrk5b
— Kelly Clarkson (@kelly_clarkson) October 24, 2017
AND FINALLY FROM THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART FILES
‘Swampy Susan’
Not what they meant when you heard them on TV talking about “Draining the Swamp”.
EGGPLANT NATION: Meet Ron Cub
Meet Rob Cub ! You know what to do to see them goods. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PICS and remember they’re NSFW!
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