pop culture
Batman has been an iconic character in comic books, TV and film for 85 years. On Thursday, Sept. 26, he’ll make history as the first superhero with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star will be at 6764 Hollywood Boulevard in front of The Hollywood Guinness World Records Museum. Michael Empric, an official Guiness World Records adjudicator, will be on hand to certify Batman’s history-making achievement.
“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to honor our first superhero on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! The one, the only, Batman!” stated Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Fans from around the world will be thrilled to know that Batman will have his star dedicated next to the stars of television’s Batman, Adam West, and the co-creator of Batman, Bob Kane.”
Jim Lee, DC Comics’ president, publisher, and chief creative officer, and Anne DePies, SVP & general manager, will be there, as will Steve Nissen, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president & CEO, who will emcee the event.
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Created for DC Comics by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, Batman first appeared in 1939’s Detective Comics #27. The Batman TV series, starring West and Burt Ward as Robin, debuted on ABC in January 1966. Neal Hefti’s memorable theme song to the series won a Grammy for best instrumental theme and sparked a cover battle on the Billboard Hot 100. Hefti’s original version reached No. 35, but a cover version by the sur-rock instrumental band The Marketts made No. 17.
With the help of director Tim Burton and actor Michael Keaton, Batman would usher in the age of the comic book movie in 1989. Danny Elfman composed and produced the score album, which reached No. 30 on the Billboard 200. Elfman’s “The Batman Theme” won a Grammy for best instrumental composition.
Prince composed and produced an album of songs “inspired by and featured in” that 1989 film, which did even better than the score album. This ushered in the era of pop soundtracks which were distinct from (and often more successful than) score albums. Prince’s album topped the Billboard 200 for six consecutive weeks and spawned a No. 1 single on the Hot 100, “Batdance.”
The soundtrack to Batman Forever in 1995 reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and spawned a No. 1 smash, Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose,” which won Grammys for both record and song of the year. Seal didn’t write the song for the film, so it wasn’t Oscar-eligible. The soundtrack also featured U2’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” which reached No. 16 on the Hot 100, as well as genre hits by Method Man and Offspring.
The soundtrack to Batman & Robin in 1997 also reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and featured hits by such diverse acts as Smashing Pumpkins, Jewel, R. Kelly, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Eric Benet.
Hans Zimmer composed and conducted the scores to The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), both of which reached the top 20 on the Billboard 200. Zimmer also composed and conducted the score to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which reached No. 25.
The Batman film franchise has grossed more than $6.8 billion at the global box office, making it the 10th highest-grossing film franchise of all time.
The star unveiling ceremony will be streamed live at www.walkoffame.com.
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St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red has never been one to leave much to the imagination. The 26-year-old is best known for her hit single, “Pound Town (featuring Tay Keith)” which featured lyrics describing some of her most intimate body parts.
Sexyy is bringing that same energy to her new lipgloss line with titles that are Not Safe For Work.
In an Instagram post announcing the launch, Sexxy Red posed in her usual sensual manner including one pic bent over with the box held up to her buttocks. She also posted a close-up of the glosses’ erotic names … which are “Coochie Juice,” “Bootyhole Brown,” “Nut,” “P***yhole Pink,” “Yellow Discharge,” “Gonorrhea,” “Blue Ballz,” and “Sex on the Beach” — which, according to TMZ, is fruit scented.
The comments on the post were plentiful with one user writing, simply, “Is she serious?”
Another comment referenced another social media trend noting that the names are “not very demure.”
The lipgloss will be the first product in Sexyy’s new business venture called Northside Princess.
On X (formerly Twitter) the reception to the product names wer also less than favorable.
The response wasn’t all bad. Some social media users pointed out that Sexxy has always sold lipgloss, by the same name, but that now she has a bigger platform.
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Social Media has the power to shift culture in just an instant. The latest example is the way that TikTok creator Jools Lebron catapulted the word “demure” into the online collective consciousness.
Lebron, who identifies as a transgender woman, created several videos where she talked about how she presents herself at work as “very demure, very mindful.” The initial video garnered more than 10 million views in the first week. Lebron went on to make more videos using the buzzword and how to achieve these qualities.
She recently told US Weekly that she was motivated to create the videos because there’s been a “lack of empathy and regard for people’s feelings” as well as how they “represent themselves” on social media.
The viral trend has done more than just make Lebron’s catchphrases a household name. According to Variety, she now has made enough money to complete her gender transition.
“One day, I was playing cashier and making videos on my break, and now I’m flying across countries to host events, and I’m gonna be able to finance the rest of my transition,” she said n a recent online post.
The trend jumped from TikTok to X (formerly Twitter) with millions making posts about being “demure.” Further, copycat videos from celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez made the trend explode even further.
“I grew up an influencer kid, like, I watched all YouTube and all kinds of stuff like that,” Lebron told US Weekly. “Seeing them do the trend, and just welcome in someone that has loved them, and follow me back and show me my flowers has been everything.”
The trend even made it to The White House.
“When I did start making TikToks, I found more girls like me. I found girls who are plus size who are trans, who are having the same experiences that come uniquely with that set of combinations,” she told CBS News.
Lebron said that she does receive some negative comments on her videos, saying, “I think that people get in survival mode and they forget how they’re also being perceived when they leave a nasty comment or when they’re being rude or whatever,” she noted. “Let’s be demure. Let’s be mindful of why we came. Let’s be mindful because we didn’t come to just be mean girls.”
She continued, “We didn’t come to be messy and this applies to everything: your appearance, your mindset. Be mindful of what you think. Be mindful of your actions, and be demure, modest and reserved. That doesn’t mean a race, a color, an ethnicity, a finance. ‘Demurity’ is being the most thoughtful, mindful version of yourself.”
Eddie Murphy recently sat down with The New York Times for an episode of its podcast The Interview. During the conversation, host David Marchese pointed out that, early in his career, Murphy was at the same level of white-hot fame as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Prince, all of whom died before their time and, in one way or another, from drug use.
“Those guys are all cautionary tales for me,” Murphy told Marchese. “I don’t drink. I smoked a joint for the first time when I was 30 years old — the extent of drugs is some weed. I remember I was 19, I went to the Blues Bar. It was me, [John] Belushi and Robin Williams. They start doing coke, and I was like, ‘No, I’m cool.’ I wasn’t taking some moral stance. I just wasn’t interested in it. To not have the desire or the curiosity, I’d say that’s providence. God was looking over me in that moment.”
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All four of these performers achieved superstardom at a young age. Jackson was just 11 in 1970 when The Jackson 5 landed their first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “I Want You Back.” He was only 14 in 1973 when he sang his solo hit “Ben” at the Academy Awards, where it was nominated for best original song. Presley was 21 in 1956 when he landed his first roof-rattling (and Billboard chart-topping) smash, “Heartbreak Hotel.” Prince was 21 in 1980 when he received his first platinum album for Prince and his first gold single for “I Wanna Be Your Lover.”
In similar fashion, Murphy was just 19 when he debuted on Saturday Night Live in December 1980. He was the standout cast member on a show that was rebuilding following the departure of the remaining original cast members at the end of the previous season.
Murphy’s fame quickly spread beyond the show. His first comedy album, Eddie Murphy, was released in August 1982. That December saw the release of his first film, 48 Hrs., in which he co-starred with Nick Nolte. Trading Places, in which he co-starred with SNL alum Dan Aykroyd, was released in June 1983. Beverly Hills Cop, which he carried by himself, was released in December 1984.
Murphy was just 21 in early 1983 when he received his first Grammy nominations – best comedy album for Eddie Murphy and best R&B instrumental performance for “Boogie in Your Butt,” a novelty track from the album. He won a Grammy the following year for his second album, Eddie Murphy: Comedian.
Murphy had turned 22 when, later in 1983, he received his first Primetime Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy, variety or music series for SNL. He received two more Primetime Emmy nods – for both performance and writing – the following year. He finally won his first Emmy in 2020 for returning to SNL as a guest host. He received his first Oscar nomination in 2006 for best supporting actor in Dreamgirls.
Murphy, 63, has already lived longer than Presley, Jackson and Prince — Presley died at age 42 in 1977; Jackson at age 50 in 2009; and Prince at age 57 in 2016.
In the podcast, Murphy explained that getting famous at a young age, especially as a Black artist, can be like living in a minefield. “Now, at this age, I can look back and be like, ‘Wow, I came through a minefield for 35 years.’ How do you make it through a minefield for 35, 40 years? Something has to be looking over you,” he said. “This business, it’s not set up for a Black artist. It was a new thing: I’m doing this stuff that no one’s ever done, and it’s in a business that’s not set up for me. It’s set up for some white dude. So, you don’t have people watching your back, and you don’t have support groups.”
Murphy also discussed how his enormous success impacted how comedy performers, and Black performers, are seen. “The comic used to be the sidekick, the comic was the opening act, and I changed it to where the comic can be the main attraction,” he said. “They thought of comics one way, and it was like, no, a comic could sell out the arena, and a comic could be in hundred-million-dollar movies. All of that changed. And with Black actors, it was, like, the Black guy could be the star of the movie, and it doesn’t have to be a Black exploitation movie. It could be a movie that’s accessible to everyone all around the world.”
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When Biggie Smalls asked, “What’s Beef?” he posed the question at the height of the East Coast/West Coast rap rivalry, which would ultimately result in the death of the Brooklyn MC—as well as Tupac Shakur.
But, does beef always have to end in death? Most Hip-Hop fans would hope not. The very nature of the culture is competitive, and rivalries can be thrilling and entertaining when they stay on wax.
The recent rivalry between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has been one of those quarrels that has reenergized the culture and entertained Hip-Hop fans in a way not seen in years.
SlotsUp online casino and Media Lab Insights recently prepared and shared statistics that detail the legacy of rap beef—by breaking the statistics and songs into eras which are marked by a major event.
“These timelines were used to better understand the development of conflicts, success, and the demand for performance in the hip-hop industry,” the report notes. “Their comparison is focused on three main points: the technical aspect (the average tempo of the tracks (which can be calculated by the amount of bars, and the length), the profitability (the amount of platinum albums), and the risks involved (death rate).”
Researchers at SlotsUp commented on the study. “Until our current era, the more beef was around, the more successful the artists were. Our current era is going against this pattern, with the same amount of deaths and diss tracks as the first era, but with more platinum albums. Over the years, Hip-Hop became less technically demanding, especially after 2004. This study shows that conflicts aren’t always profitable, and violence can be avoided.”
The first era was marked by what the researchers called “The Roxanne Wars” in the mid-1980s. Two of the most significant songs were “Roxanne, Roxanne” and “Roxanne’s Revenge.” However, cultural commentators say that there were up to 30 songs related to the beef. The only major death to come out of that era was Scott La Rock—whose murder has not been directly attributed to the beef. The clear winner of this battle was Roxanne Shante, who went on to a lengthy career and is credited as one of the foundational female MC’s.
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The second era was one of the most deadly. Lasting from 1992 to 1997, the beef sparked the true rise of the diss track. The research shows that diss tracks and deaths more than doubled while platinum albums skyrocketed to 35. The era saw 10 deaths, with three being the most prominent—Eazy E, 2Pac, and The Notorious B.I.G. The winner of this era could be seen as the recently disgraced Sean “Diddy” Combs as his Bad Boy imprint saw some of its biggest success following the death of B.I.G. This era also marked Hip-Hop’s biggest foray into the pop genre with an increase in record sales that would last for more than a decade—before the proliferation of streaming.
The third era, lasting from 1998-2004, featured the beef between Jay-Z and Nas. This era was also the most financially successful with more than 50 platinum albums. “Eminem was significant in this era,” as the study shows that the Detroit rapper released nine diss tracks. The winner of this era continues to be debated. However, the culture benefited from the end of the beef with Jay and Nas making several concert appearances together.
Source: Bethany Mollenkof / Getty
The fourth era: 2005-2008, is one largely of peace—kicked off by the end of the beef between Jay-Z and Nas—two New York rap titans. Also worth noting is the average length of rap songs would begin to get shorter with many getting under the 4-minute mark. The fifth era from 2009-2012, was marked by the release of Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. It would be the second era that Eminem would be involved in numerous beefs including with Benzino and Mariah Carey. It was during this era that beef would escalate in southern states with one significant death being that of Slim Dunkin.
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Era number six was from 2013 to 2019. The most significant beef was between Drake and Meek Mill. However, the two would eventually collaborate (again, since they were cool prior to Meek’s Twitter fingers) on “Going Bad.” This era is also marked by continued financial success with more than 40 platinum albums. The murder of Nipsey Hussle would mark the end of this era.
Our current era began with the coronavirus pandemic, which affected the entire world but also highlighted the significance of “beef,” with the good-natured but often tense musical battles as part of the Verzuz series. But without question, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” is thus far the most powerful diss song of the era—but whether or not it’s over is still up for debate, and Drake. Fortunately, K. Dot did his victory lap by bringing gang members together on one stage as a show of unity at the conclusion of his pop out concert on Juneteenth.
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Source: Variety / Getty
Kendrick Lamar has finally dropped his retort to Drake, and it’s a doozy. Called “Euphoria,” K. Dot went in on The Boy for over 6 minutes and seems to address just about every issue social media has been discussing ever since he dropped that verse on “Like That” and all the reactions it inspired (particularly “Push Ups”).
At 11:24am ET, Kendrick dropped a YouTube link with the worse “euphoria,” and heads have been analyzing the ensuing verbal beatdown ever since. The track opens on a cool jazz vibe with Kendrick using an almost spoken word delivery, saying, “Them super powers gettin’ neutralized, I can only watch in silence, Tthe famous actor we once knew is lookin’ paranoid, now it’s spiralling/You movin’ just like a degenerate, heavy antic, it’s feelin’ distasteful, why calculate you, not as calculated, I can even predict your angles.”
Alright then. Soon enough, K. Dot goes to a frantic flow loaded with barbs aimed at the 6 God’s dome. And there are plenty. Like, “I got a son to raise but I can see you don’t know nothing ’bout that.” Or, “When I see you stand by Sexyy Red, I believe you see two bad bitches, I believe you don’t like women, that’s real competition, you might pop ass with ’em.”
And if you really know, you caught the homage to DMX.
Listen to “Euphoria” below, and check out the reactions in the gallery. Yeah, Xitter is going to be talking about this one for days.
This story is developing.
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If social media has taught us anything in the last decade and more, it’s that there are a lot of creeps and weirdos out here on all sides. A woman on X had to protect her account after essentially cosigning sexual assault and homophobia in a two-for-one tweet, prompting others to call her She Diddy.
She Diddy began trending early Thursday (April 4) morning after X user @themdolll tweeted some thoughts that somehow got connected to some other recent happenings involving Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The tweet, which X user @ScamFisher screengrabbed, reads as follows:
once i reach fa that dic & you move my hand u can get tf on gay ass ngga
X user @FirstName_Alan quoted @themdolll’s tweet, writing in the quotes, “It’s called consent She Diddy” and all hell broke loose from there.
Since that exchange, She Diddy has gone viral, seeing Combs’ nickname repurposed once again in an unfortunate fashion. In recent times, the phrase “No Diddy” has cropped up which seemingly has a homophobic bent although it appears it isn’t dominating the conversations of late.
As it stands, fans and onlookers are more aware than ever of the specter of sexual assault in the wake of Diddy’s recent legal issues. Further, it’s revealed that some people have some zany views about consent, assault, sexuality, and conduct. Adding to this, Diddy has his fair share of defenders along with those who wish to see his downfall in connection to the mounting allegations he faces.
Perhaps not wanting that image on her jacket, @themdolll has since made her X page private so we don’t know if there have been any other statements or responses to her earlier quip.
Check out the reactions under the X trending topic She Diddy below.
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Photo: Prostock-Studio / Getty
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Source: Counsel Culture / Youtube
Recently, the self-proclaimed Prince of Pan-Africa, Dr. Umar Johnson, made an appearance on Nick Cannon‘s Counsel Culture so he could lecture Black America while continuing to spread his archaic and myopic views on masculinity, particularly, as it pertains to Black men.
During the episode, Johnson and Cannon discussed an aspect of Black entertainment that has long been discussed by Black people but has gotten renewed attention ever since Katt Williams brought it up during his internet-breaking interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay—Black men wearing dresses in Hollywood.
“If we will admit that entertainment is a weapon of indoctrination in an age where we see a war against not only the life of Black men but the survival of Black masculinity, how can a Black man putting on a dress not be a problem?” Umar began.
Umar didn’t bother offering any evidence that entertainment is intentionally used as “a weapon of indoctrination” or that there’s a war on “Black masculinity,” which is a common claim made by members of the Hotep-verse whenever they see images of effeminate Black men or anything they even perceive as such.
“I want us to make sure we draw a distinction between feminine energy and female sexuality,” Johnson continued. “For [Black] children, who consume more television per capita than any other ethnic group in America, so the messages you put in those movies are going to hit our children 50-times harder because they’re more dependent on television than anyone else and they’re less likely to have a father at home.”
While it is true that Black people, on average, consume more TV per capita than any other racial group (not by anything close to 50 times more, but whatever), Johnson, like many others, has just kind of decided that Black comedians and actors wearing dresses will affect a Black boy’s masculinity and that “feminine energy” is a detriment to Black boys and by extension, the Black community.
Even if this were true—and there are no non-hotep certified sociological studies that show it is—Umar’s logic completely ignores the fact that Black men in film and TV are shown not wearing clothing meant for women far more often than they’re shown in dresses. He appears to be ignoring other programming such as the world of sports, where football and basketball, especially, still serve as a popular mainstream source where Black masculinity can be witnessed in all its abundance.
Listen: Black people are going to feel however they’re going to feel about Black actors in dresses and feminine Black males in general, but what it all comes down to is a fear of the normalization of gender and/or sexual fluidity. Umar and his ilk suggest that these concepts will cause young Black boys to struggle with their identities, others will argue that the same concepts will aid in the development of Black children and all children who already live that struggle.
Anyway, you can watch the full interview between Johnson and Cannon below.
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Marvel is getting a brand new character added to its multiverse of madness — at least, for a limited time. On Tuesday (Nov. 22), hustl. revealed that Eminem will be joining your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man for a limited edition comic book cover variant in celebration of the The Amazing Spider-Man #1, which was released in stores in April.
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Eminem shared the first look at the cover via Twitter and Instagram on Monday, which features him in a hooded sweatshirt rap battling against the superhero with a crowd — including Venom in the front row — engaging in the moment.
“‘Like Spider-Man crawlin’ upside of a wall,’” the rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, captioned the post. “HONORED to be on the official variant of The Amazing Spider-Man (2022).” In an official press release announcing the news, the “Rap God” added, “I’ve always been a huge Spider-Man fan since I was a kid- he’s definitely in my top 5… so being on a cover battling Spider-Man is such a thrill and an honor.”
“It’s truly an honor to be able to bring Eminem and Spider-Man to fans slinging raps on this official Marvel variant cover. There is no doubt that fans lucky enough to find themselves holding one of these will possess a highly sought-after collectible,” said Keri Harris, COO hustl.
Fans looking to get their hand on a copy have to act fast — the limited-edition variant cover is limited to 5,000 copies and is available to purchase at Eminem’s official website, Eminem.com. On Nov. 29, 1,000 copies of a spotlight version of the variant comic cover will be available for purchase at TheHaul.com.
See Eminem battle it out on the cover of The Amazing Spider-Man below.
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