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Donald Glover, and Janine Nabers, have a hit on their hands with Swarm. Ever since the Priime Video series—a psychological thriller that takes an unadulterated, unhinged and murderous lens to Stan culture—started streaming, the Internets and Black Twitter have been littered with hot-takes, reactions and theories.
As soon the series was announced, it was clear that Beyoncé’s “Beyhive” of superfans was the inspiration. To keep things extra spicy, the writers used real-life events to propel that story that follows Dre, portrayed by Dominique Fishback, an obsessed fan of a singer called Ni’jah who is clearly inspired by Bey (her husband’s name is Caché).
Sometimes playing things too on the nose can be a problem, but in the case of Swarm it makes for a wild ride that will have you saying “WTF?” to thinking “Ooh, I remember that!” on to pondering “How exactly is she getting away with all of this?”
As a crib sheet for viewers dissecting the series, we pulled some of the real-life incidents, which spawned some epic moments on Black Twitter reactions, that inspired some of the episodes. There are spoilers below, so tread lightly if you haven’t yet watched Swarm. What are you waiting for, though?
1. The Bite: Tiffany Haddish Said What Now?
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In 2018, Tiffany Haddish told GQ that she witnessed some bit Beyoncé in the face at a party. The gossip spread like wildfire, with Black Twitter detectives trying to figure who dared to put their teeth on the Queen. Eventually, the culprit was revealed to allegedly be Sanaa Lathan (hence the Love & Basketball reference in Swarm). However, Haddish has said she never confirmed it was Lathan who took a chomp at Beyoncé. What a time.
2. The Elevator Fade
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Back in 2014, footage leaked of Solange Knowles blessing Jay-Z with the hand while in an elevator at The Standard Hotel in Manhattan. Swarm recreated the clip shot for shot, and also steadily mentions Ni’jah’s sister throughout the series. Black Twitter had a field day when that clip dropped, with many speculating that Jay-Z had done something dastardly. Which was all but confirmed by Beyoncé’s Lemonade album, which wouldn’t drop until 2016.
3. Rumors
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Speaking of Lemonade…
Let’s be clear, Dre is a fictional character. However, Janine Nabers has confirmed that the pilot episode was inspired by a rumor that a Houston woman named Marissa Jackson (portrayed in Swarm by Chloe Bailey) had killed herself after listening to Lemonade and being distraught about someone cheating on Beyoncé. Twitter trolls were even in going in on the poor child. But the kicker is that the rumor was based on a story from a satire site. So it was fake news.
4. Exit Stage Right – On The Run II Tour Stage Rusher
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Dueing the last stop of Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s On The Run II Tour in 2018, an overzealous fan had the audacity to run up on stage during the Atlanta show. While in the series Dre, or Tony, actually got to kick it with their hero, the real-life Stan was escorted swiftly and efficiently out the paint.
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Big Gipp feels a way about the recent GOAT rappers list. So much so that he thinks 2Pac would have landed Beyoncé if he were alive.
As spotted on AllHipHop.com the Goodie Mob member recently conducted an interview with Art Of Dialogue. In it he took serious umbrage with Billboard Magazine’s and Vibe Magazine’s “Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time” list. Their rankings had some very interesting surprises which naturally caused a stir online. The “Dirty South” MC expressed his frustration with Jay-Z taking the top slot and championed that 2Pac was more deserving of the honors.
“The only reason why you inching Jay past 2Pac is because he got God damn Beyoncé,” Gipp reasoned. “You take Beyoncé away then sh*t, bar for bar, yeah, he might rap better than ‘Pac. But ‘Pac came with the heart. That’s different, that’s just different. You can never beat the heart, bro. Some people can be technical, just like the difference between Jordan and LeBron.”
And he went on to further explain his position and also said Shakur would have bagged Queen B if he were still with us.
“If ‘Pac was here, who you think the girl would have been with? Hold up … you still can’t act. You can’t do no movies you can’t do what ‘Pac was doing” he said. “C’mon, how can you be better than ‘Pac? … that boy was a triple threat. He did groups that was successful, solo albums that was successful and movies that was successful, hands down partner. If he had lived he would have smoked everything walking.”
You can see Big Gipp discuss 2Pac in more detail below.
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Lizzo is an OG Destiny’s Child fan. So much so, the star saw the trio perform at Walmart back when she was just in the fifth grade.
The “Good as Hell” four-time Grammy winner sat down with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up crew this week, where she discussed her mission to tell Beyoncé, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland about her attendance at the throwback retail gig. “It has been a goal of mine to tell every single member of Destiny’s Child that I saw them perform at Walmart in the fifth grade,” Lizzo revealed. “I told Michelle Williams years ago at Bonnaroo and I was like, ‘OK, one member down, two to go.’”
Lizzo went on to share that she told Bey the news at the 2023 Grammys, and then saw Rowland at dinner later that night. “Beyoncé was like [to Rowland], ‘Do you know she was at the show at the Walmart? I tell people we performed at Walmart all the time and they do not believe me,’” Lizzo recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, y’all performed at a Walmart on Dunvale and Westheimer in Houston, Texas.’ […] Kelly was like, [gasps] ‘You were there?’”
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Both Lizzo and Beyoncé had big nights at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, with “About Damn Time” winning record of the year.
Bey, meanwhile, made history at the ceremony, becoming the artist with the most awards in Grammy history. This year, the superstar won four awards, including two in the dance/electronic category.
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Adidas has released information that estimates the company could lose over one billion dollars after parting ways with Ye aka Kanye West, citing issues with moving previously manufactured stock as a cause.
On Thursday (Feb. 9), the athletic brand released a statement on its website concerning its estimated financial outlook for this year. It opened by addressing the company’s decision to end its partnership with the rapper last October, stating that it could lose $1.3 billion due to being unable to move the rapper and designer’s Yeezy clothing and footwear.
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“The numbers speak for themselves. We are currently not performing the way we should,” said adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden in the statement. “2023 will be a year of transition to set the base to again be a growing and profitable company.” The full report discloses that $534 million alone could be lost in operating costs for the year and “accounts for the significant adverse impact from not selling the existing stock.”
Adidas had previously expressed plans to sell the remaining Yeezy sneakers under its own name at a discount, which would save them $300 million in marketing fees and royalty payments. That option does come with some challenges. “All of this work is extremely labor intensive and it can only be done one shoe at a time,” said Matt Powell, a footwear retail expert. “So, it’s very costly to go through this process.” Destroying the goods is another option, but industry experts have advised against such a move.
The news comes after the company decided to sever its ties with Ye after the “Father Stretch My Hands” rapper made a series of antisemitic remarks in interviews and online. Initially putting the “partnership under review” after Ye wore a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt. Adidas made the decision to drop him after he appeared on the Drink Champs podcast and said, “I can say antisemitic s*** and adidas cannot drop me.” It follows behind the news that their IVY PARK collaboration with Beyoncé failed to match sales expectations last year, with sales dropping by 50%, according to reports.
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Sales for Beyoncé’s Adidas x Ivy Park clothing line might be down 50%, but that isn’t going to stop Queen B from dropping a new collection. In fact, she’s hyping up the latest drop.
Yesterday, the most winningest artist in Grammy Awards history took to Instagram to announce not only that brand new collection for Ivy Park is on the way, but it’s her “favorite drop to date.” Christened the “Park Trail” collection, the new line will be hitting the shelves Feb. 9. In her post, Queen Bey rocks some of the pieces set to release such as some blue cargo pants that apparently gives its wearers the mean grill. Coming with a matching sports bra and jacket to boot. We totally expect to see hella women looking like they straight out the ’90s come this spring.
According to Page Six, the collection will also be including “outdoor-ready styles featuring plenty of Ivy Park’s signature pops of color — in addition to a variety of camo-printed pieces.”
Real talk, it’s hard to go wrong with camo. Just sayin.’
Sizes will be available from XXXS to XXXXL and prices will range from $30 to $600. We’re curious to see what’s going to be costing $600. It better come with some tickets to her concert or something.
Will you be copping pieces from the “Park Trail” Ivy Park collection? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: ADIDAS / Ivy Park
Sales of Beyoncé’s Ivy Park clothing line, which is in partnership with adidas, are reportedly down 50%. The news certainly raises eyebrows since anything affiliated with Queen Bey is easy money, right?
While Ivy Park certainly sells, it seems like it didn’t live up to adidas’ projections, which are being described as “weak sales.”
Reports the Wall Street Journal:
Beyoncé’s fashion partnership with Adidas has produced weak sales of her Ivy Park clothing brand, according to documents and people familiar with the matter, leaving a roughly $200 million hole in the company’s annual projections.
Sales of Ivy Park tumbled by more than 50% to about $40 million in 2022—coming in below internal Adidas projections for $250 million in sales that year, documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show. The documents show Ivy Park has been losing money for Adidas and Beyoncé gets about $20 million in annual compensation.
The contract between the pop star, whose full name is Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, and the German sneaker giant is set to end after 2023, and Adidas executives have discussed either ending or revamping the arrangement, the people said.
This news draws a contrast to the sales of Beyoncé’s forthcoming world tour. With tickets going for hundreds of dollars they’ve nevertheless been selling out shortly after availability. However, Ivy Park product has reportedly been sitting.
Adidas executives expected hundreds of millions of dollars in Ivy Park sales and promised Beyoncé guaranteed annual fees and creative control, the people familiar with the matter said. But it soon became clear that Ivy Park collections weren’t gaining the traction that Yeezy products did.
Ivy Park features inclusive sizing and gender-neutral styles. Along with neon-colored sweatsuits and sneakers, it also has dresses and accessories. Many of the Ivy Park products have failed to sell, the documents show. In five of the last six Ivy Park releases, roughly half of the merchandise that was produced went unsold, the documents show.
Ivy Park debuted back in 2016, and at the time was in partnership with the Topshop brand. She then acquired full ownership of the brand in 2018, before partnering with adidas a year later.
The issue could be that despite “weak” sales, Bey is still going to get her coins regardless.
Ivy Park sales were on track to hit about $40 million at the end of last year, down from $93 million in 2021, according to the documents. For 2023, the documents show Ivy Park sales are projected to reach $65 million, compared with an earlier Adidas target of reaching $335 million.
Adidas was on track to lose at least $10 million on the partnership in 2022, according to the documents. Meanwhile, Beyoncé was slated to receive about $20 million in compensation, the same as previous years, the documents show.
If Ivy Park and adidas do eventually go their separate ways, where will Bey go next? You can bet brands like a Nike or Lululemon or doing the Birdman handr ub.
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Even though her star is rising GloRilla is still living in the moment. She recently met Beyoncé and it was a fangirl moment of the ages.
As spotted on Madame Noire the Memphis, Tennessee native attended the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Throughout the evening she was seen meeting and greeting her peers and idols for the first time. In a chance occasion she met Queen B and it was clear any of her ego was immediately dropped. The two quickly hugged and Glo told her “I love you so much.” She videotaped the brief interaction with her phone and posted the clip to her social media channels. “I met Beyoncé bye !!!!!!! My life is COMPLETE” her caption read.
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Obviously meeting the legendary songstress was a big deal to her. She later went on Facebook to further express her excitement regarding the chance meeting. “I’m finna get my 15 second conversation with Beyoncé tatted !!!!!!ahhhhhhh I’m still not over it” she wrote. She also changed her profile picture to a photo of the two ladies.
Gushing over Beyoncé should not be a surprise to Glo’s core fanbase. In the past she has made it clear the Destiny’s Child member would be a dream collaboration for her. “There’s a lot of people I want to do songs with that I’m a fan of,” she said in an interview with Grammy.com. “But my top two that I’m extremely obsessed with is Beyoncé and Chief Keef. I want to work with Drake and Lil Wayne, too.”
You can view the meet up below.
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Beyoncé made history at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 5), becoming the artist with the most awards in Grammy history. This year, the star won four awards, including two in the dance/electronic category.
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Diplo, who was also up for best dance/electronic recording and best dance/electronic music album at the ceremony, took to Instagram on Tuesday (Feb. 7) to reflect on dance music and Bey’s wins.
The DJ thanked the dance music community for “being my purpose in this life and shaping my career,” adding that the genre “has and will be the most Inclusive music of our generation,” with fans of different races, sexualities, socioeconomic backgrounds and ages all over the world. “You don’t need to be a savant or a great musician to be part of dance music u just have to love to move and have confidence,” he added.
As for the Grammys, Diplo celebrated the dance/electronic music categories being televised for the first time. “Beyoncé album was legendary (i’m a beyonce a stan remember I produced some classic dance songs for her like ’til the end of time’ and ‘girls run the world,’” he wrote. “What’s important to understand was that her intention was 100%. she did the work found the real producers and she made classics .. so she deserves her flowers . and when she won i was just proud to see my nomination on the screen in the huge arena..”
The post comes amid speculation that Diplo said “they bought that” when the camera panned to him at the Grammys after Beyoncé won the award. On Instagram, however, the producer revealed that he actually said, “I’m glad to be part of that.”
See his post below.
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It was a history-making night for Beyoncé at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
Beyoncé’s husband, JAY-Z, once rapped, “tell the Grammy’s fuck that 0 for eight shit,” but that feeling was swept under the rug as the couple returned to the awards show to see if Queen Bey could walk away a big winner.
The Houston native arrived fashionably late and took home four awards for her critically acclaimed album Renaissance. Earlier in the broadcast, her viral hit “Cuff It” won Best R&B Song while she was stuck in traffic. Her collaborators on the song, The-Dream, and Niles Rogers were on hand to accept the award on her behalf.
Beyoncé Was Thankful
Beyonce’s latest project also won Best Dance/Electronic Music Album award. The lead single, “Break My Soul,” won Best Dance/Electronic Recording, and “Plastic Off the Sofa” won Best Traditional R&B performance, cementing her as the greatest winner of all time at the Grammys.
“I am trying not to be too emotional, and I am trying to just receive this night,” she said while fighting tears.
“I want to thank God for protecting me. Thank you God. I’d like to thank my uncle Johnny, who is not here but he’s here in spirit,” of course her parents got love too, “I’d like to thank my parents — my father, my mother — for loving me and pushing me,” she said during her speech.
“I’d like to thank my beautiful husband and my beautiful three children,” was the punctuation on her acceptance speech.
But she didn’t take home two of the night’s biggest honors. Song of The Year went to Lizzo’s retail store anthem, “About Damn Time,” and dedicated her win to the late legend Prince. She also gave Beyoncé her flowers during her speech.
Album of The Year, which always seems to elude Queen Bey, landed on Harry Style’s lap for his album “Harry’s House.” Of course, the BeyHive, who was happy for their queen making history, felt she was more deserving of Album of The Year.
Other Notable Grammy Moments
Other moments we care to talk about include Kendrick Lamar winning three Grammy Awards for his album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. He received the Rap Album award from Cardi B and, in his acceptance speech, thanked his family for giving him “courage and vulnerability” to share his truth on the album. He said his latest project was tough to make, and he “found imperfection.”
Lamar also won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for his song “The Heart Part 5.”
23-year-old Bronx Native Jazz singer Samara Joy took home Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocal Album.
You can peep more reactions to all things Beyoncé in the gallery below.
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Photo: Timothy Norris / Getty
1. Heard You!
3. HOV Knew
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Source: Momodu Mansaray / Getty
It was Grammy Weekend in Los Angeles, which in some circles means an event even more anticipated than the actual Grammy Awards, the Roc Nation Brunch. The annual event went down at a private residence in Bel Air on Saturday, February 4, and once again it featured a who’s who of industry movers and shakers, and the occasional clout chasers who finessed their way in.
Some of the A-listers in attendance, besides Beyonce and Jay-Z, of course, included Lil’ Kim, DJ Khaled, Lil Uzi Vert, Tyler the Creator, Benny The Butcher, Victor Cruz, Kelly Rowland and many, many more
Scoring an invite to The Brunch also means stepping out in your best attire because everyone is going to be watching, snapping photos and taking footage for the ‘Gram. That is, if you’re allowed to.
And from the looks of the pics, there are some dastardly stylists out in these Hip-Hop streets, respectfully.
Also, where is the food, bruv?
As for the brunch itself, peep some of the yays and occasional nays from the 2023 Roc Nation Brunch in the gallery.
2. Lil’ Kim and some guys.
3. We call Earl the legend E-40 around here.
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Tracy Stevens and Earl Stevens attend 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
4. We’re not sure what 2 Chainz’s direction here is, but just run with it.
5. Journalism royalty, Elliott Wilson and Danyel Smith
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Elliott Wilson and Danyel Smith attend 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
6. Push A Ton and Tyler understood the assignment.
7. Earn Your Leisure ‘Dem.
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Rashad Bilaland Troy Millings attend 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
8. Ari Lennox, period.
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: Ari Lennox attends 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation) vertical,photography,people,one person,arts culture and entertainment,usa,looking at camera,music,smiling,california,three quarter length,bel air,brunch,residential building,ari lennox
9. Bleek!
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Memphis Bleek and Ashley Cox attend 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation) vertical,photography,people,arts culture and entertainment,usa,music,california,two people,three quarter length,bel air,brunch,memphis bleek,residential building
11. Teyana Taylor stays invited.
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Teyana Taylor and guest attend 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation) photography,people,arts culture and entertainment,horizontal,usa,waist up,music,california,two people,bel air,brunch,teyana taylor,residential building
12. Kelly Rowland, period.
13. June Ambrose is a style legend despite the big cap.
15. The Butcher coming!
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: (L-R) Guest and Benny the Butcher attend 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation) vertical,photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,usa,music,california,guest,bel air,brunch,butcher,residential building
17. TEMS getting a lot of praise.
18. 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch – Arrivals
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: JID attends 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
19. 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch – Arrivals
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BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 04: Offset attends 2023 Roc Nation The Brunch at Private Residence on February 04, 2023 in Bel Air, California. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images for Roc Nation)