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Watch Latin American Music Awards Doja Cat isn’t here to run a day-care center or host your family outings. The Scarlet rapper discussed the explicit nature of her music on X Friday (April 26), and pointed out that the lyrics she writes aren’t necessarily for children’s ears. “idk what the f–k you think this is […]
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Source: Schomburg Center / Schomburg Center
The Schomburg Center is buzzing as its annual Black Comic Book Festival takes place this weekend featuring some of the best of the industry.
Harlem is once again playing host to The Black Comic Book Festival this weekend, which will be held at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This year marks the 12th time that the festival that celebrates comics, anime, films, and more will be held at the venerable institution. The two-day festival which begins Friday (April 26) will feature panel discussions, workshops, a marketplace for attendees to purchase items from established and independent Black creators, and a cosplay showcase to close out the festival that’s held across two floors of the center.
“Our creators are telling remarkable stories you often don’t see on TV or get to read when you’re in the classroom,” said Kadiatou Tubman, the curator and executive producer of the event at the Schomburg. “The event is critical because it provides representation, it provides the liberation of imagination.” She also stressed that promoting literacy among the young is the key goal. “The event was really founded to encourage young people to read, to see themselves in the books and enjoy literature,” she said in an interview with Gothamist. “It’s a great entry point for young people and for all types of readers.”
The “SchomCom” panel discussions include a look at the upcoming IYANU animated series based on the “Iyanu: Child of Wonder” graphic novel series set in West Africa. The team behind the series will share details about it ahead of its upcoming premiere on Cartoon Network and Max. Another discussion will focus on Black women creators who are making strides in the resurgence of Black horror and fantasy. Attendance for the Black Comic Book Festival is free, but pre-registration is highly recommended – last year, the Schomburg reported that the festival had 8,000 in attendance. More details and registration can be found on their website.
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Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
After years of playing the sideline of the Hip-Hop game, Eminem seems ready to return with a brand new album, but judging from the title of it, this just might be the last time the rap icon releases an LP in his illustrious career.
Yesterday (April 25), Eminem dropped by the NFL Draft which was being held in his hometown of Detroit. While he was there he took the time to announce the news that he’d be releasing his latest album, The Death of Slim Shady, this summer. To get the album buzzing he released a trailer for the project, which featured clips of some of Em’s most popular songs released over the last two decades. (Feel old yet?)
Playing off of Unsolved Mysteries, the trailer asks the question of “who killed Slim Shady” and comedically features a cameo from 50 Cent who says, “He’s not a friend. He’s a psychopath.”
Though no new songs were featured in the trailer to give us an idea of what the album would sound like, it’s a pretty safe bet that fans will tune in regardless as this man has had a loyal following since breaking into the game in 1999.
Check out the trailer to Eminem’s forthcoming album, The Death of Slim Shady, and let us know if you have any expectations for it in the comments section below.
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Source: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty
NBA All-Star center Joel Embiid revealed that he’s been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, which is the reason for his recent eye trouble.
On Thursday night (April 25), Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid finally cleared up the speculation concerning his eyesight at a post-game press conference, informing the media that he’s suffering from Bell’s palsy. Bell’s palsy is a form of facial paralysis that causes sudden muscular weakness on one side of the face, making the eye on that side hard to close. Embiid said that he’d started dealing with the effects before the Sixers’ play-in tournament game with the Miami Heat at the outset of this year’s playoffs.
“I think it started a day or two before the Miami game [in the play-in tournament], and I had bad migraines and thought it was nothing,” Embiid said after the Sixers’ win over the New York Knicks. “It’s pretty annoying, you know, with the left side of my face, my mouth and my eye. So yeah, it’s been tough. But I’m not a quitter, so gotta keep fighting. But yeah, it’s unfortunate. That’s the way I look at it. But it’s not an excuse. Gotta keep pushing.” He also said that he was informed that the condition could last weeks or months.
He also spoke about how the condition is yet another addition to the list of ailments that he’s endured throughout his playing career, including a knee injury he’s still recovering from after surgery in February. “It is unfortunate,” he began. “Every single year, you start asking yourself questions like, ‘Why?’ Every single year it’s … very annoying. Yeah. Maybe it’s just meant to be. Just gotta take it as it is. But the one thing I’m not going to do is give up no matter what happens.”
The news comes after Embiid put up a historical 50 points on fewer than 20 shot attempts, making 19 of 21 free throws and five three-pointers, all playoff records for the 30-year-old. The effort gained Philadelphia their first victory in the first-round series against the surging second-seeded Knicks, who they’ll play against at home on Sunday (April 29) as the Knicks hold a two games to one lead.
Watch Latin American Music Awards Jelly Roll adds his fourth top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Halfway to Hell” rides 11-9 on the list dated May 4. The song increased by 11% to 20.3 million audience impressions in the April 19-25 tracking week, according to Luminate. Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]
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Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty
Drake may be willing to go to war with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross and whoever else may have a problem with him, but he doesn’t want any smoke with Tupac Shakur’s estate.
Less than a week after releasing his “Taylor Made Freestyle” which featured an AI version of the late-great Makaveli, Tupac Shakur’s estate threatened Drizzy with a lawsuit for using Pac’s “vocals” on his Kendrick Lamar diss record. They gave him 24 hours to take the song down or face the legal consequences. Sho’nuff, the song has now been removed from Drizzy’s Instagram page with no explanation (not that one was needed).
Last weekend, Drake shocked the Hip-Hop world when he released the aforementioned song, which not only featured an AI generated verse from Tupac, but also Snoop Dogg who’s alive and well. With many fans bemoaning the artificially created verse from one of the biggest Hip-Hop icons of all-time, others praised Drake for the surprise move and crowned him the GOAT for taking rap battles into the digital age.
Needless to say, Snoop Dogg was shocked that he somehow ended up on a new record without his knowledge. Tupac Shakur’s estate wasn’t amused at all and slapped Drake with a cease-and-desist letter, which threatened him with a lawsuit if he didn’t take the song down from his page.
According to USA Today, the message was received and the song is now as ghost as the spirit of the man who was featured on it.
Per USA Today:
In a letter obtained by USA TODAY Wednesday, the estate of Tupac and his mother, Afeni Shakur, says it’s “deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality in the ‘Taylor Made (Freestyle)’ record.”
The letter continues, “We demand that you immediately cease and desist from any further publication and exploitation of the Record, and that you immediately take ALL NECESSARY steps to remove it from all platforms where it is publicly available.”
The release is “a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the Estate’s legal rights. … The Estate would never have given its approval for this use,” the letter states. “The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac’s voice against Kendrick Lamar, a good friend to the Estate who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult.”
And with that, the King of the North had to bow down to the rap legend’s representatives as he had no desire to take this battle to the courts.
Meanwhile, the Hip-Hop world continues to await a response from Kendrick Lamar. His silence has fans wondering if he’ll even continue to participate in the battle that he set off with his verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” just last month.
We’re starting to lose faith that he will, but to each his own.
What do y’all think of this situation? Did y’all even like the song? Let us know in the comments section below.
Watch Latin American Music Awards With April coming to an end, music is still in full swing with a bunch of new releases. It’s a big day for hip-hop and R&B, as Normani teamed up with Gunna for the sultry “1:59,” which is set to be featured on the former Fifth Harmony singer’s long-awaited solo […]
Victims of the Astroworld music festival want their looming trial against Travis Scott, Live Nation and other organizers to be livestreamed to the public, citing a public demand for “transparency and accountability.”
After more than two years of litigation over the 2021 crowd crush at the Astroworld — a disaster that left 10 dead and hundreds injured — the first jury trial is set to kick off early next month. It will be a pivotal first test for hundreds of other lawsuits filed by alleged victims that claim the organizers were legally negligent in how they planned and operated the festival.
In a motion on Thursday (April 25), lawyers for the plaintiffs in the upcoming trial argued that it should be broadcast live on the internet, saying such a step was needed to “ensure that all those affected by the Astroworld tragedy can observe the proceedings and stay informed of the trial’s progress.”
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“The devastating scale of the events at Astroworld, combined with the involvement of high-profile defendants, has generated significant national attention and a legitimate public demand for transparency and accountability,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers write. “By livestreaming the trial, the Court will demonstrate its commitment to open and accessible proceedings, fostering public trust and confidence in the judicial system’s handling of this consequential matter.”
A ruling opening up her courtroom to cameras would be a major shift for the judge overseeing the Astroworld litigation. Back in 2022, citing the risk that potential jurors might become biased, Judge Kristen Hawkins imposed an unusually strong gag order that has severely limited public knowledge about the status of the case.
Media outlets like ABC challenged Judge Hawkins’ gag order, arguing that it was depriving the public of information about important judicial proceedings over a newsworthy event. But a Texas appeals court upheld the media ban last year without explanation.
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed over the deadly crowd crush during Scott’s Nov. 5, 2021, headlining set at Astroworld. The cases, collectively seeking billions in damages, claim that organizers bear legal responsibility for the disaster because of poor safety planning and failure to stop the show after problems had been reported.
The lawsuits have spent much of the last two years in discovery, as the two sides exchanged information and took depositions of key figures. But now the first trial in the massive litigation — over a wrongful death case filed by the family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old who died at Astroworld — is set to start on May 6.
In seeking to have that trial aired live, attorneys for Dubiski’s family argued that it was “impractical” for everyone involved in the litigation to attend the proceedings physically: “There are hundreds of plaintiffs and their family members, numerous defendants, and a multitude of counsel to account for.”
But they also hinted that they think the judge might have doubts about broadcasting the trial. The recording would be “conducted unobtrusively, with minimal disruption to the trial process,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers said, and the judge will have the ability to “pause or terminate the broadcast if necessary to preserve order or to protect sensitive information.” And witnesses would be sequestered and required not to watch the stream “to safeguard the fairness and impartiality of the proceedings.”
The judge will presumably rule on the motion in the next week before the trial gets underway.
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Are you a Stanley cup fan? If you take your Stanley everywhere you go, you might want to consider accessorizing it and making the most out of it. There are different accessories you can pick up for yourself and as gifts (it’s a great time to shop for items that can double as Mother’s Day presents, including ones that elevate your Mother’s Day Collection Stanley cup). Stanley Cups go beyond just holding your water, and there are gadgets that can really up what you can do with your tumblers.
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Here are some ways fun items to help you accessorize your Stanley and get the most out of its versatile capabilities.
Amazon
Dabria Water Bottle Carrier Bag with Phone Pocket for Stanley 40/30 oz Tumbler
$19.95
$29.95
33% off
To start off, we have this water-bottle carrier bag for your Stanley 40/30 oz tumbler with phone pocket. (According to Amazon, the large pocket fits most phones.) With its adjustable straps and zippered pockets, you can go completely hands-free. It is also machine washable, making it easy to throw in with the rest of your laundry. Along with these notable features, you’ll get bonus accessories such as a straw cap and a carabiner clip. With this Stanley carrier bag, you won’t even need an additional bag because it can carry all your essentials. Be sure to get an extra 20 percent off with Amazon’s instant coupon.
Amazon
Insefocc Stanley Cup 30 oz Snack Bowl
Why take two trips when you can make just one for both water and snacks? Consider this snack bowl for the top of your tumbler. Whether you’re snacking or watching a movie, you won’t have to get up for tasty little bites with this accessory, because it fits at the top of your water bottle. With its four different food compartments, you’ll have spots for all your various favorite snacks. Plus, it’s cute and super convenient.
Walmart
Set of 7 DIY Straw Covers
Personalize your Stanley cup with this set of seven DIY straw covers, which gives you the freedom to make it your own and switch things up to keep your Stanley cup fresh and new. According to Walmart, it’s dust-proof and prevents bacteria from getting into your drink. Major plus: It’s also BPA free, meaning it does not contain bisphenol A. (Bisphenol A may be linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other health issues, according to the Mayo Clinic.) So, stay on the safe side and get yourself this BPA-free accessory.
Walmart
Letter Charm for 30/40 oz Stanley Cup Handle
Add some pizzazz to your Stanley cup with this letter charm, which comes in gold and silver. It’s simple and stylish — all you need to do is order one with the initial you want. Plus, this charm works for all of your favorite items, from bags to cups. Why add big labels your essentials when you can just add this lightweight charm?
Amazon
Neoprene Insulator Sleeve for Stanley Quencher Adventure 40oz Tumbler
Who knew you could also dress up and style your Stanley? This water-bottle sleeve cover is perfect for your 40z tumbler, which will also help prevent your cup from getting dinged or scratched should it fall. Use this sleeve to take care of your water bottle with style.
For more product recommendations, check out the Mother’s Day Stanley Cup collection, the neon Stanley Cup Spring Fling collection, and more gift ideas for mom.
Watch Latin American Music Awards One thing you cannot say about the 2024 Latin AMAs, which aired live last night on the Univision network, is that they lacked guts. Beyond its 21 performances on the evening, the awards featured many up and coming acts, as well as a group of hosts that included two music […]
