politics
Page: 56
A new documentary about the life and career of Moses Michael “Shyne” Levi Barrow is now in production. The Honorable: Shyne is the latest project in the works from Andscape, the Black-led multimedia platform affiliated with Disney and ESPN. Leading production on the documentary is ColorCreative, the Black-owned and female-led management and production firm whose principals are Issa Rae, Deniese Davis and Talitha Watkins.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The Honorable: Shyne will document Barrow’s trajectory from rapper to politician. Currently Leader of the Opposition in the Belize House of Representatives and leader of the Belize United Democratic Party, Barrow was launching his recording career with Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Bad Boy label when a shooting incident outside Club New York in 1999 led to his incarceration for nearly nine years. Released in 2009, Barrow is known for such hits as “Bad Boyz” and “Bonnie & Shyne.”
In an exclusive statement to Billboard about the upcoming documentary, Shyne said, “Immigrating from Belize to Brooklyn as a child left to survive and thrive in the concrete jungle of New York, hip-hop had a massive influence on my life, giving me the space and community to explore my creativity and amplify the voice of my pain and purpose. The difficult decisions of my life have shaped me into the person I am today, steadfast in my desire to build a better life for the people of Belize and humanity. By bringing my story to audiences, I hope to inspire them to find the indomitable spirit within so they can overcome all adversities and be the best version of themselves positively impacting their part of humanity with their unique footprint as I have done through music, faith and public service.”
The Honorable: Shyne is being directed by Marcus A. Clarke, whose credits include Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali and The WIZRD about Atlanta rap star Future. In a press release announcing the Barrow documentary, Clarke said, “I intend for this film to immerse audiences in Shyne’s remarkable journey of transformation, as he transitions from a Brooklyn rapper to a prominent diplomat in Belize. It captures his profound process of self-discovery, marked by redemption, ultimately guiding him toward a life dedicated to public service. The world has waited patiently to hear Shyne’s story, so it’s truly a privilege for me to collaborate with ColorCreative and Andscape to bring this film to life.”
Executive producers for The Honorable: Shyne include DJ Khaled, Talitha Watkins, Carolina Groppa, James Shani, Ameer Collier and Raina Kelley. Noted Watkins in the press announcement, “The Honorable: Shyne will capture the essence of Barrow’s journey, providing viewers with unprecedented access to his experiences. It paints a comprehensive picture of a man who has overcome immense challenges, to redefine his life, make a positive impact on his community and reconcile with his past.”
PETA is criticizing Staind‘s Aaron Lewis after the rocker posted a photo of 32 dead coyotes spelling out “Trump 24” on social media. “How vile and pathetic that a washed-up musician, desperate for relevance, terrorized and killed animals to get a brief taste of the attention he obviously craves,” Lisa Lange, PETA’s senior vice president, […]
While a herd of GOP candidates are trying to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to unseat Donald Trump as the Republican who will take on President Joe Biden in next year’s election, there is now at least one no-chance campaign you can scratch off the list.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Kanye West‘s personal attorney, Bruce Marks, told Rolling Stone on Thursday (Oct. 19) that the rapper who now goes by just Ye will not throw his hat in the ring a second time. “He’s not a candidate for office in 2024,” said Marks, who is reportedly working on winding down the rapper’s campaign, seemingly before it even got started.
An October Federal Election Commission filing by Ye’s Kanye 2020 political committee showed that the campaign had allocated zero dollars for primary expenditures in all 50 states and U.S. territories in the most recent reporting period from January to September of this year; it also appeared to show that the campaign raised zero dollars in the most recent reporting period and had less than $25,000 cash-on-hand.
At press time Marks had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on the winding-down of Ye’s presidential bid.
West’s once formidable music and fashion career melted down last year after the rapper went on a hateful string of antisemitic rants. He has kept a low profile since then and the news of his halted second bid for the White House is not surprising giving the anemic showing of his first run.
Ye announced the launch of his long-shot presidential campaign under the “Birthday Party” banner on July 4, 2020, so late in the game that he managed to get on the ballot in just 12 states. With only one campaign appearance and two 11th hour video ads, despite what could have been a major pop culture megaphone and built-in audience of millions, West’s vote totals in the election between one-term president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden resulted in a grand total of 60,000 votes after the rapper reportedly pumped $9 million of his own money into the failed bid.
The most recent Ye presidential campaign got off to a rocky start in May when British right-wing political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos proclaimed that he was the “director of political operations” for the “YE24” campaign; RS reported that Yiannopoulos — whom the Anti Defamation League has dubbed a “misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, transphobic troll” — is no longer on Ye’s political payroll. The magazine also reported that there were serious questions raised earlier this year about whether it was even legal to hire a foreign national to work in a decision-making role in an American political campaign.
An unnamed source also reportedly told the magazine that the unpredictable MC could change him mind, but that “there’s no plan to do that… there’s no campaign structure or anything along those lines in place,” dubbing chances of a possible reboot of the campaign as “beyond remote.”
At press time it did not appear as if Ye had commented on the report about his reportedly scotched bid.
The century-long conflict between Israel and Palestine reached a new level of conflict earlier this month after the horrific Oct. 7 terror attack on the Supernova Music Festival at Kibbutz Re’im by Hamas militants. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The assault by air and land by […]
“God Bless the U.S.A.” singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood has chimed in on Maren Morris’ recent revelation to The Los Angeles Times that she is leaving the country music industry behind, and is responding to Morris’ recent comments regarding patriotism in country music.
During a recent New York Times Popcast interview, Morris discussed songs that have recently topped the Billboard Hot 100, including Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” and Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond,” noting that the country music genre is “so steeped in, weirdly, like patriotism or quasi-patriotism, lots of like, overt hypermasculinity, Whiteness — that’s just like how it’s been from the jump.” Morris added, “After the [Donald] Trump years, people’s biases were on full display. It just revealed who people really were and that they were proud to be misogynistic and racist and homophobic and transphobic. All these things were being celebrated, and it was weirdly dovetailing with this hyper-masculine branch of country music.”
She also told the Los Angeles Times that she feels “very, very distanced” from the genre.
In an opinion piece for Fox News, Greenwood took issue with Morris’ comments, writing, “To suggest that country music is ‘too patriotic’ is to not understand country music at all. It’s in our very name: country music. Our music is written for love of our country, our heart for America.”
He continued, “Because country music is so closely tied to the heartbeat of America, it also happens to reflect what’s happening across the country at the very moment. As a result, it’s not that politics has infiltrated country music, it’s quite the opposite — music ends up reflecting the very conversations happening across the country today … Political trends will change with the winds, but the core of country music remains: love of country, love of freedom, love of America. There’s nothing wrong with that, and that’s not going to change any time soon.”
Greenwood stated that he felt it would be “wiser” for Morris to stay in country music, “where she could continue the conversation and present her interpretation of what it means to be American today.” He also wrote that that stating that country music artists — or the country music genre as a whole — should be canceled because of disagreements with a song’s lyrics “is a slippery slope to censorship, free expression, and is out of line with the values of hard work, freedom, and grit that have made country music so great to this day.”
Billboard has reached out to Morris’ rep for comment on Greenwood’s opinion piece.
Morris has been a strong and outspoken supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. Earlier this year, she performed as part of the Love Rising benefit concert in Nashville, which was held to protest Tennessee legislation that would negatively impact trans youths. Morris also appeared on a cover of Billboard‘s 2023 Pride Issue alongside drag luminaries Eureka O’Hara, Landon Cider, Sasha Colby and Symone.
Toronto musician Mustafa has posted an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pleading with him to support the people of Palestine and “defy this active genocide and imprisonment that is levelling Gaza.” This comes after Israel declared a state of war against Hamas on Oct. 9.
Mustafa, then going by Mustafa The Poet, met the prime minister at a Black liberation event and eventually served as the Ontario representative in Trudeau’s youth council 10 years ago. Calling Trudeau his “old acquaintance,” Mustafa asks him to fight for the lives of Palestinian civilians, in particular the women and children, affected by Israel’s offensive.
The artist highlights Canada’s own past with colonial oppression. Mustafa asks Trudeau to join past leaders like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu on “the right side of history in the liberation of Palestine.”
My (now) open letter to an old acquaintance; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau- on Palestine, genocide, & our indigenous population pic.twitter.com/7Nqhemf7Up
— Mustafa (@MustafaThePoet) October 16, 2023
Read Mustafa’s full letter below:
Justin Trudeau,
We met a decade ago, to jog your memory we participated in an event for black liberation together before you were the prime minister of Canada.
When you were appointed prime minister, I served on the first ever youth council as your Ontario rep., we travelled this endless country together in search of some semblance of democracy.. You have your flaws in leadership, but in our time together I sensed a heart in you.
I know you have a political & economic responsibility to Israel. I remember our time in Calgary was clipped because you had to immediately fly to Tel Aviv for the funeral of war criminal Ariel Sharon. I knew and you knew there was no say in the matter of your attendance for this man you did not know.
I’m asking you to use the same tongue that defended Israel & condemned Hamas to defy this active genocide and imprisonment that is levelling Gaza, that is burying & disfiguring children and women.
I’m asking you to use our people’s tax dollars that have been exhausted to support the most funded & violent state in the world to also protect the relentlessly tormented people of Palestine.
So much of our time together was about undoing the iniquities that were done to our Indigenous population, a hopeless pursuit for this already stolen land — for the decades and decades of ethnic cleansing that they’re still recovering from, how could we ever undo what can’t be forgiven or rectified?
A century from now, when they contemplate your legacy Prime Minister, will you be recalled as a custodian of this unforgivable genocide, this ethnic cleansing, this stolen land? Your battle here in Canada will have been for nothing.
Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, join these respected leaders on the right side of history in the liberation of Palestine.
Solidarity with the oppressed and the erased,
Mustafa Ahmed,
Regent Park, Toronto
Hours after Mustafa posted his letter on X, an air raid struck a Gaza hospital, killing at least 500 people. This prompted Trudeau to tweet about the tragedy, stating accountability must be held for those responsible.
I’m horrified by the loss of life at Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza. My thoughts are with those who lost loved ones. It is imperative that innocent civilians be protected and international law upheld. Together, we must determine what happened. There must be accountability.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 18, 2023
Mustafa has also released the first song, “Name of God” from of his upcoming full-length album debut. A devout Muslim himself, Mustafa reflects on the loss of his brother and his relationship with God.
[embedded content]
In true Mustafa fashion, this single also came with a heartfelt message in his own words:
I never felt like the Nubian prince my father seen in me through his tinted lens. I try their dance, their prayer- I always fall short.
& Gods name wasn’t always related to beauty for me, but to hopelessness, this Islam we share and Allah we call for while witnessing a constant violence that continues to
bind us, I don’t think I ever felt completely Muslim among other Muslims,
All these sub-beliefs like borders. My aunts in all their wisdom and narrowness-one Sufi spinning into remembrance, one refuting the taking of a photograph.
When my big brother was killed in what will always feel like yesterday, knowing the suspected murderer was someone he held as a friend, someone he prayed with- it led me to believe that maybe his love was his end? Maybe where there is no love, parting from love keeps us alive? Maybe ending in love is the only way to actually begin? I don’t know.
The only clear memory from the days of his death were my parents reciting in unison, “oh Allah, we accept his passing, we accept what you ordained.”
I’m desperate to love God like them.
Our faith and our hearts are too often our demise- I know a field of young niggas dreaming that can testify to this. For better or worse we’ll uncover every bone beneath our hollow laughter, our confused affection; maybe its revealed in our final gasp for meaning.
Until then.
Bismillah, In the Name of God, 10.17.23
Mustafa recently made an appearance during the Daniel Caesar Toronto show on Oct.13. Alongside Charlotte Day Wilson and Caesar, Mustafa performed “Old Man’ by Neil Young in an unconventional encore broadcast live from the green room at Scotiabank Arena.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.
Cher has never been shy about her feelings about Donald Trump. The pop icon spent much of Trump’s one-and-done White House term calling out the now four-times indicted former reality TV star for his divisive policies and pronouncements, at one point dubbing DT “President Troll.” But with Trump still holding a commanding lead over the […]
If Taylor Swift ever decides to run for president, Grimes is ready to join her on the campaign trail.
The Canadian musician recently took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to unofficially endorse Swift as the leader of the United States’ executive branch should the pop star ever choose to run for the job. “In many ways Taylor Swift is the only presidential candidate who can unite the country,” Grimes proclaimed Tuesday (Oct. 17).
It wouldn’t be the first time a celebrity with no prior political experience stepped into the Oval Office, as the “Oblivion” singer, who shares three children with X owner Elon Musk, pointed out. “Trump v Swift is totally occurring in a parallel universe rn,” she added.
As fun as it is to imagine a White House decorated with pictures of Swift’s cats Meredith, Olivia and Benjamin, or a fleet of Secret Service bodyguards wearing Eras Tour friendship bracelets, the “Anti-Hero” singer actually isn’t logistically able to run for the top job for the next presidential election. Besides her touring commitments planned throughout 2024, law states that the U.S. president must be at least 35 years old to hold office; Swift turns 34 in December.
Still, Grimes isn’t the first person to support a Swift presidential bid. Earlier this month, The View‘s Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former communications staffer of twice-impeached former president Donald Trump, made headlines for saying that the 12-time Grammy winner could feasibly sweep America if she ever ran for commander in chief.
“To be honest, if Donald Trump looks like he’s gonna win, she’s just gonna need to get in the race and defeat him once and for all, because she’s probably the only person who can!” Griffin said during an episode of The View: Behind the Table podcast. “This ends in one way; we are all Taylor Swift fans.”
If Swift’s ability to win over Chiefs nation and NFL fans in general recently is any indication, Griffin might just be right. Ever since seemingly striking up a romance with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, the musician’s attendance at games has been proven to boost female viewership for the football league, and she’s become a go-to topic of conversation in sports media as of late.
See Grimes’ tweet about Taylor Swift’s chances as a presidential candidate below:
In many ways Taylor Swift is the only presidential candidate who can unite the country. Trump v Swift is totally occurring in a parallel universe rn https://t.co/NMU1CVBFiw— Grimes (@Grimezsz) October 17, 2023
HipHopWired Featured Video
Rep. George Santos was hit with 10 new charges in addition to a series of charges he faced back in May. The new charges for the New York congressman are all felonies with statements regarding the matter going wide on Tuesday (October 10).
As reported by NPR, Rep. George Santos faces 10 charges that range from conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, and identity theft among other charges. Back in May, Santos faced a 13-count indictment. Just under a week ago, Santos’ campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to felony charges and faces up to five years in prison.
The new charges were unveiled by the office of the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York where prosecutors state that Santos orchestrated a credit card fraud ploy by using credit card information from his donors list.
“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign.” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace shared in a statement Tuesday.
More from the office of the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York:
“Santos allegedly led multiple additional fraudulent criminal schemes, lying to the American public in the process. The FBI is committed to upholding the laws of our electoral process. Anyone who attempts to violate the law as part of a political campaign will face punishment in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.
“The defendant – a Congressman – allegedly stole the identities of family members and used the credit card information of political contributors to fraudulently inflate his campaign coffers,” stated District Attorney Donnelly. “We thank our partners in the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI as we work together to root out public corruption on Long Island.”
Rep. George Santos still maintains his elected seat for now but is no longer assigned to any committees in the House chamber. He is due in court on October 27 after pleading not guilty previously back in May and intends to run for reelection.
—
Photo: Getty
Israel’s former prime minister Naftali Bennett offered an odd piece of advice to Israelis looking to uncover Hamas militants posing as soldiers in the Israel Defense Force. In a message shared with Channel 12 News Israel, Bennett advised viewers to be skeptical of soldiers saying they were with the IDF knocking on their door by […]