Source: Amazon Music / Amazon Music As the 25th anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G. ‘s debut album Ready To Die looms, a new documentary takes a look early days of the late Brooklyn rapper’s career. Amazon Music’s T he Birth Of Biggie: 25 Years of Ready To Die gives viewers an inside look at the creation of this classic piece of music. Featured in the mini-documentary are biographer Cheo Hodari Coker, album producers Easy Mo Bee, DJ Mister Cee, and former Arista/Bad Boy executive, Rob Stone. The featurette also displays photos from Chi Modu, Hawkins and others. The mini-documentary plays partner to a long-form audio documentary that shares the same name and is exclusively featured on Amazon Music by way of Amazon Prime. The audio documentary dives deep into the early days of Biggie Smalls as he was still forming his style, image and firming up his legacy. Check out The Birth of Biggie: 25 Years of Ready To Die below. — Photo: Amazon
Source: Sean Drakes / Getty When I found out that I was going to Kerby Jean-Raymond’s Pyer Moss show, I couldn’t feel my legs for a minute and it felt like the room was spinning around me at 100 mph. Granted, I had been to one of the designer’s shows a few seasons ago and had loved every single second of it, but this time, it was extremely different. In just two short years, Kerby has gone from a Black designer to watch to the designer of the moment, and dare I say, a designer of the century. He’s the type of public figure that urban kids can quickly identify, among the Off-Whites and Balenciagas splattered on every streetwear roundup. He’s the fashion designer whose clothing is clean and respectable — he’s not really gimmicky or peacocky just for the sake of show, but his clothes pack a bunch and are well-tailored. He’s the Black designer who straddles this fence between resources and talent, one minute discussing in magazine spreads how he received death threats for his Spring ‘16 show, and then the next minute taking out Kings Theater to well over a thousand spectators as the entire fashion world stopped for a moment in time. Attempting to write about the Pyer Moss S/S 2020 Collection feels like trying to explain what water tastes like to the malnourished, or what love feels like to one who has only known trauma. I suppose I should also point out that other than the extraordinary rise in Kerby’s career over the past few years, the other reason why the invitation to his show was downright unbelievable to me was because I wasn’t being asked to attend as press. I was simply being asked to attend on my own accord. Working press during NYFW is a marathon, indeed, but it’s also exhausting as hell. Fighting to get quotes, to snap photos, to ensure you’ve received all the assets you need before jet-setting off to the next show or to your laptop to sit down and write, write, write, can feel emotionally and spiritually draining. There were moments throughout the season I had to work press for shows, and that was totally fine: Building TheBlondeMisfit.com has been the act and labor of love that I have sought to create space in, but being Black media and press is also a who’s who game. Sometimes you don’t get the quote, or you don’t get the angle. Sometimes the larger outlet does steal your material and you’re not acknowledged, or everyone else’s team of five has the same responsibilities as your team of one. So to know that for one night, the show of my dreams only asked for me to sit back and enjoy without the added responsibility of work afterwards? I was moved, and after seeing the show, I was thankful. Source: Sean Drakes / Getty There are a lot of show reviews on Pyer Moss’s latest collection, and honestly, I stand by them all. There’s interviews, backstage looks, features, and so much more. This third collection focused on the contributions of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, also known as the Black woman who invented Rock’N’Roll. With jewelry done by Johnny Nelson, an entire choir named “The Pyer Moss Tabernacle Drip Choir Drenched in The Blood,” parts of design by Christopher John Rogers, and more, the show was not just Black. It was undeniably Black. The choir sang hits from influential Black women in music, from Lil’ Kim to Tina Turner, as beautifully dripped clothing walked the runway. We saw tailored suits, pleated asymmetric skirting, plunging necklines, and evening wear ready for the red carpet. We saw the color block moto jackets in partnership with Sean John, and the iconic “Vote or Die” T-shirt re-emerge in today’s troubling political climate. But throughout the show, I couldn’t help but find myself putting the phone down in an attempt to just enjoy this moment — it wasn’t the Black models, or the Black clothing, or the Black choir, or the thousand people filled into this theater for this Black man and his team. It was the message of what fashion can be and what it should be. View this post on Instagram At @pyermoss last night. I never thought I could belong in fashion, and I still don't think that I do. I'm hypercritical of myself and my talents, and I oftentimes wonder if I'm taking on too much and if I will fumble the bag. But I have had so many people, family, friends, and you all, who have loved me from near and far, who have poured into me and have affirmed me in this space. To know that wherever I plant my seed, it blossoms. Whatever I touch, it gets to grow. That the work I've put in hasn't gone unseen, and that I have little angels all around me working those overtime hours. This is because I have given God all of my gifts, and have asked Him to order my steps and my anointing. I've asked Him to show people that TheBlondeMisfit isn't on man's timing, but on God's. HE will put you in the presence of great men and women, and to be in the presence of the impact that @kerbito brought to fashion literally made me cry. It is divine orchestration that proves I was meant to be there. That I am doing fine and that God is making a way. I may not always know what's on the other side of fear, but I know who holds the keys. It was an honor to wear THREE black designers last night to the most undeniably groundbreaking, thought-provoking, memorizing, and Blackest show I have ever seen. Thank You Kerby for letting God use you as a vessel for the people, and for reminding me how powerful purpose truly is. A post shared by Jamé Jackson (@theblondemisfit) on Sep 9, 2019 at 11:13am PDT Friends and family know I believe I’m a fashion ‘outsider’, thus the ‘misfit’ misnomer. Even as I learn and meet more people, take up more space, and fill more rooms, I learn that the collective thought of fashion has changed over the years, and that there are still misunderstood misfits in fashion. There are still people who are thinking in colors, and shapes, and hues, whereas the majority are still thinking about what they had for breakfast that morning. As the models did their final walk and the choir belted out a gospel song that’s lyrics sought for God to make one over again, tears streamed my face as I realized I was sitting in on a moment of history. A reclamation of Black women and our bodies and our narratives, not just in fashion, but in history, was taking place right on the stage in the presence of a multicultural and multidimensional crowd. I felt the spirit in the theater, the same spirit I feel on Sunday mornings when I head to church and reconcile that God’s gotten me through another week, or the same spirit I feel when I give honor and praise in the wee hours in the morning when I know I am spiritually under attack. It’s the same spirit I know my mommy and grandmommy felt walking the floorboards as they prayed to a Creator to make a way out of no way, and surely, He always did. I felt God’s face shine upon us and confirm that we, as a people, would be alright. But more importantly, I saw what divine manifestation can look like for another when you walk in purpose. That is what is missing from these show reviews I’ve been reading, who have accurately discussed the beauty of the clothing, or the choir, or the resounding speech that started the show. The show reviews that probably gave you the backstory of how droves of people were standing outside the Theater for blocks and blocks, hundreds, if not thousands of people there just to see if they could buy a ticket. I’m sure you’ve read the reviews of people discussing the power and the magnitude of Kerby’s show, some even calling it his “church” and what’s next in fashion. But walking away, I saw the purpose of something so much more than clothing or a review. Sunday night is a hope for anyone out there with a dream and a prayer, with faith the size of a mustard seed, that if it’s of God, He can truly change the game with your gifts. He can change the industry with your talents. The clothes and the music and celebrity sightings are all gravy to the entré, which brings us back to center and makes us question for the rest of our lives are we operating in purpose or are we solely skating by. I want to thank Kerby for relighting a fire within me and all who attended. For honoring the Black women who have come before, and will undoubtedly come after us. And for all of those who understand now more than ever we can reclaim that power and use it to channel true change in the industry. I never want that feeling I felt to die, nor the feeling that being an ‘outsider’ is wrong when God is using your vision for a larger purpose. The world stopped for Kerby, they can stop for us as well. DON’T MISS: #NYFWNOIR: Studio One Eighty Nine Brought The Motherland To New York Fashion Week #NYFWNOIR: Maki Oh Continues To Define Afromodernism To The West #NYFWNOIR: Here’s How This Black Designer Got Beyoncé To Wear Her Shoes [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”3058068″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Scott Dudelson / Getty SiR Featuring Sabrina Claudio “That’s Why I Love You” Music Video If you haven’t listened to TDE artist SiR ‘s album Chasing Summer yet, you’re doing yourself a great disservice and you should rectify it immediately. The TDE singer is giving you soulful realness that will have you nodding your head like a G and feeling feels like just left your therapist. His new single features Sabrina Claudio and it’s called “That’s Why I Love You”. Press play down bottom to check it out. Don’t sleep this project is a BANGER.
Source: Trinette Reed / Getty When Tina Lewis went to Rose Nails Salon in Houston all she wanted was to be pampered with a much-needed pedicure. Instead, she claims she was met with fatphobia and denied services because of her weight. According to KTRK , Lewis accused the salon of telling her they couldn’t help her because she was “too big” to fit in their pedicure chairs. Lewis was shocked. “She was like, ‘What did she just say?’…I said, ‘Yes, mama, she just said that to me,’” she told the KTRK. “I was like, ‘Can I get a pedicure? And what chair do I sit in?’ And (the employee) was like, the chairs were not big enough for me to sit in. And I was like, ‘Are you serious?’” Marie Bui , an employee of the salon, told the news station that it was not her intention to hurt or offend Lewis. “I said, ‘I’m sorry I cannot serve you because my spa chair is very small,’” she said, adding that a prior customer had damaged a chair because of her weight. Apparently, the salon alleges that they cannot afford to replace these chairs if they continue to get broken. Meanwhile, Lewis ain’t trying to hear that noise. “It was, like, very disrespectful. To me, I felt like it was discrimination.” Lews is also clear: She won’t be going back there again…and honestly, we don’t blame her. This isn’t the first time a woman has spoken out about this type of treatment at a nail salon. Last September, a South Carolina woman claimed that she was turned away from getting her nails done because she weighed 250 pounds, PEOPLE reported . Listen, it’s 2019 and the majority of folks are not a size 6. A recent study found that the average size of women in America is between 16-18. So it’s time for the beauty industry to get with the picture and adapt to reality. RELATED NEWS: Walmart Accused Of Racism For Locking Black Haircare Products Behind Glass 89-Year-Old Grandmother Forced To Use Restroom On Side Of Road After Being Denied At Nearby Gas Station #ItsAboveMe: Hotel Employee Refuses Room To White Woman Who Called Him A ‘F***ing N***er’ [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”3054377″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Annie Chen / A. Chen It’s been more than a decade and chance since Jay-Z and Nas battled for rap supremacy when they dropped some scathing diss tracks in “The Takeover” and “Ether,” and though they’ve since squashed the drama and moved on with their lives, OG rap aficionados still argue on who had the better record. Jay-Z for his part has no problem with fans concluding that Nas got the best of him when he called him a “tae-bo h*e” amongst other things on the rap battle classic “Ether.” Def Jam published an oral history about the making of the classic Jay-Z album, The Blueprint , and in it former Roc-A-Fella A&R Lenny “Lenny S” Santiago explained his frustration over how Hip-Hoppers were declaring Nas’ “Ether” the victor over Jay’s “Takeover.” From venting to Roc-A-Fella co-founder Kareem “Biggs” Burke to cursing out New York’s Hot 97 radio station, Lenny S had a hard time with fans leaning more towards the Queensbridge King than Hova the Gawd. It wasn’t until he got on the phone with Jay that Lenny S was able to see the bigger picture behind what had happened and accepted the end results. “So I literally call him from a pay phone. And here we are, Jay’s on the phone with me, convincing me that this has to happen in life. We have to go through ups and downs. We have take losses in order to get greater wins. We have to fall in order to get up. He just spent 15 minutes convincing me why this was necessary and that it’s alright. This man just took a loss. A public loss to a rival rapper. And he’s convincing me, a young A&R, and obviously his friend and his brother, of like why I need to be okay with this and let it go and not take it to heart. It just taught me as a man how to be a more mature adult. And to look at the glass as half full instead of half empty. Jay took the time when he could have been selfish, or pissed off, and took the time to school me. And that’s from The Blueprint.” To be fair, at the time Hot 97 held a contest for listeners to decide who had the better diss track between Nas’ “Ether” and Jay-Z’s “Super Ugly” in which Jay spit over Nas’ “Got Urself” instrumental and then revealed his relationship with Nas’ babymother over Dr. Dre ‘s “Bad Intentions” track. Apparently Jay didn’t go hard enough over Nas’ beat but went over the line on Dr. Dre’s joint. If we remember correctly, even Jay-Z’s family told him he didn’t have to bring Nas’ baby’s mother into the drama on the diss track. Either way New York listeners decided “Ether” was a better song than “Super Ugly.” It was. Had they actually pitted “Ether” against the original Nas diss cut “Takeover” then the results might’ve been different. Luckily both men were able to hash out their differences and are now continuing to cash in on life outside of rap. Gotta love Hip-Hop, b.
Source: Tony J. Davis / @atl_gemini ONE Musicfest 2019 Photos We’ve more melanin magic to share from the southeast’s largest annual urban progressive music festival that went down over the weekend. As previously reported ONE Musicfest brought out some of the biggest names in music for a two-day one of a kind experience with performances from Ari Lennox, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Tory Lanez, Three 6 Mafia, Gucci Mane, Rae Sremmurd, Raphael Saadiq, Teyana Taylor, DMX and more. In addition to those artists, Lloyd rocked the BMI stage and performed tracks from his classic albums “Street Love” and “Southside.” Source: Tony J. Davis / @atl_gemini Source: Tony J. Davis / @atl_gemini Lloyd wasn’t alone however, he rocked the crowd by bringing out surprise guests Roscoe Dash and Bobby Valentino who serenaded the crowd with “Slow Down” and “Mrs. Officer.” Source: Tony J. Davis / @atl_gemini Source: Tony J. Davis / @atl_gemini We’ve got more exclusive photos from all the One Musicfest fun you missed, hit the flip.
Source: ImagesByKecia LLC. Andrea Buera, The Woman that accused Trey Songs of assaulting her during All-Star Weekend is now dropping her Lawsuit. Andrea sued Trey Last year after she claims trey became upset and assaulted her at a party in Hollywood. Trey says, he “reasonably believed Plaintiff was going to harm him and any force he used was only the amount reasonably necessary to protect himself.” To read more click here
Source: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / Getty A lot of debate was sparked this past week over a high school swimming decision in Alaska. According to Anchorage Daily News , a Dimond High School swimmer was stripped of her victory last Friday after she was disqualified for a “uniform violation.” The National Federation of High Schools rule says that boys must cover their buttocks while girls must cover their buttocks and breasts with their suits. An official who oversaw Friday’s meet said the referee who disqualified the girl said she could see “butt cheek touching butt cheek.” This was the teen’s one disqualification out of the four races she competed in. Annette Rohde, an official who was present at the dual meet between Dimond and Chugiak, said she “froze in disbelief” when she witnessed the disqualification decision by the referee. “I told her, ‘I need to know how you’re defining this, because this is going to blow up,’” Rohde said. South High swim coach Cliff Murray explained that Anchorage High School coaches were told “that as far as the buttocks region goes, you should not be showing any part of the intergluteal cleft.” He continued, “If you’re in a situation where your suit creeps up, somebody comes over to a coach and says ‘hey, you’ve got an athlete who needs to adjust his or her suit,’ and they have that opportunity to fix it. And if they don’t, there are ramifications.” The school district explained that the disqualified swimmer “ was wearing the approved, school-issued suit during the race.” When news of the disqualification hit the swimming community, West High coach Lauren Langford slammed the decision in a Medium post, saying the girls’ bodies are being “policed.” She continued, “These young swimmers aren’t being punished for wearing their suits in scandalous or provocative ways, but rather, because their ample hips, full chests, and dark complexions look different than their willowy, thin, and mostly pallid teammates. Some will argue this scandal has nothing to do with race. But the issue becomes glaring when officials are overheard acknowledging that white athletes are baring too much skin as well, yet they’ve never been disqualified for a similar violation.” According to KTUU, the disqualified swimmer in question, 17-year-old Breckynn Willis, is of mixed race and is considered one of the school’s most promising athletes. “She’s one of three girls on the Dimond team who look like her,” said Langford . “Everybody else is in same suit, sized to fit, and yet on a team of however many girls she was the only one that got singled out?” Luckily, people in power took into account the backlash and according to Anchorage Daily News , Willis’ disqualification was overturned on Tuesday by the Alaska School Activities Association, the group that oversees Alaska high school sports. They made their decision based on the rule that says when an official finds a uniform violation, they must notify the swimmer’s coach. The ASAA said in a statement, “All evidence gathered, including the statement provided by the official, indicated the official did not notify the coach prior to disqualifying the student.” The Anchorage School District also called the decision to disqualify Willis “heavy-handed and unnecessary” and was “based solely on how a standard, school-issued uniform happened to fit the shape of her body.” They continued, “We cannot tolerate discrimination of any kind, and certainly not based on body shape.” The district said they’re seeking to have the ASAA decertify the official who disqualified Willis and they want revisions to the uniform rule, saying the National Federation of High Schools swimsuit coverage rule “is ambiguous and allows the potential for bias to influence officials’ decisions.”
Source: PYMCA / Getty Tekashi 6ix9ine is singing to anyone who is willing to listen. The Brooklyn rapper who found himself indicted by the Feds on racketeering charges has been snitching liberally , per the prosecution, and he’s critical to their case. Prosecutors filed a letter detailing their case, which basically has Tekashi detailing all the crimes he was involved in. Reports TMZ : According to prosecutors, Tekashi is expected to testify and name names in various alleged crimes, including the July 2018 robbery and kidnapping of Tekashi himself. The big thing … he will identify which Nine Trey Blood members are attached to various aliases used in incriminating texts, social media posts, DMs, and other communications. This is critical evidence for prosecutors, since they have to prove the messages were sent by the various defendants. Things get even spicier as Tekashi will detail his crew’s intentions of lining up Brooklyn rapper Casanova. According to the letter, Tekashi will implicate himself and other gang members in a conspiracy to harm a rapper — Casanova — who wrote lyrics they felt were critical of 6ix9ine. He will also testify … another member of Nine Trey — SEQO — sent out a message if any rival bloods were to come across Tekashi they were to “fire on him.” What’s also interesting … the letter essentially says Tekashi was the bank for the gang … one of his roles was to make money for the gang and then distribute it among members. Our sources say lots of friction was created when Tekashi turned off the cash spigot. Our sources say that’s why the kidnapping/robbery went down … as retaliation. Tekashi was never about that life and is facing up to 47 years behind bars if convicted. With his cooperation, he may be out in a matter of years. But that rap career is certainly a wrap. And if you feel bad for him, consider he has also copped to years of domestic violence .
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Though Def Jam, Death Row and Bad Boy were considered the 90’s biggest and baddest Hip-Hop record labels, real heads know that LOUD Records was responsible for dropping just as much classic material (if not more) as the aforementioned companies. To celebrate its 25th Anniversary, LOUD Records will be throwing a OG star-studded concert on October 11 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ dubbed LOUD Twenty-Five . Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Big Pun, and Xzibit are just a few names that the house that Steve Rifkind and Rich Issacson built. They helped push the rap game forward and the sounds that they created still reverberate in the culture to this day. Slated to feature performances from LOUD alumni such as the Wu-Tang Clan, Three 6 Mafia, Mobb Deep (R.I.P. Prodigy), dead prez, Pete Rock, and a Big Pun tribute courtesy of Fat Joe and Remy Ma, the concert event is poised to become a night to remember for the heads who lived Hip-Hop’s golden era. Steve Rifkind perfectly summed up why this concert means so much to him. “This celebration means the world to me,” said Rifkind via a press statement. “LOUD was born out of a love for hip hop and a childhood fantasy. To see it grow into one of the most iconic and storied hip hop labels in history and having the opportunity to celebrate with our amazing artists 25 years later leaves me speechless about our journey.” Get tickets to the OG Hip-Hop concert of 2019 at Ticketmaster and let us know if you’re looking forward to partying like it’s nineteen ninety-something once again come October 11. View this post on Instagram Go get your tickets now special surprise guests you definitely don’t want to miss this A post shared by Steven J. Rifkind (@steverifkind) on Sep 6, 2019 at 9:52am PDT
