The Influence of Hip Hop Culture: Exploring Its Elements
Hip hop culture has made an undeniable impact on the world, seeping into every corner of society and transcending its humble beginnings. With its powerful elements of MCing, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art, hip hop culture has become a driving force in mainstream culture. It has the power to inspire, provoke thought, and spark conversation on critical social issues, making it more than just…
The critically acclaimed couple Viola Davis and Julius Tennon - producers of film, television and theater, with visionary author and publisher Lavaille Lavette announced the launch of JVL Media. This trailblazing company is set to enhance the publishing landscape as a comprehensive independent publisher, while also forging strategic alliances with leading book publishing houses to deliver uniquely curated titles to a global readership.
On This Day in New York City History February 10, 1927: Lyric Soprano Mary Violet Leontyne Price is born in Laurel, Mississippi. Heavily influenced by Marion Anderson, Price studied at the Juilliard School of Music and made her debut on Broadway in 1952. Price would take her style of singing to opera houses around the world.
After making her first performance at the San Francisco Opera House in 1957, Price would make her debut at the Metropolitan Opera's performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Il Trovatore on January 21, 1961. The performance was punctuated with a 40 minute ovation. Price made history as the first African American in the Metropolitan Opera to be a leading performer.
Her final operatic performance came in 1985, Price gave her final performance at New when she performed the title role of Verdi’s Aida at Lincoln Center at the age of fifty-seven years old. In all Price has won eighteen Grammy Awards and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 among the many awards she has earned.
The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.
This was my first time having the pleasure of sitting down to watch “The Color Purple,” directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg. This is a director who has never been afraid to tackle any type of film project. When watching this film, his trademark heart is clearly on display. What makes it stand out and be…
BUY NOW: Ebony: Covering Black America (Amazon USA)
In 1945, Ebony's legendary founder John H. Johnson set out to create a magazine for Black America much like that of the trailblazing Life Magazine, and that he did. For the African American community, Ebony has been a breath of fresh air, speaking on issues and events from the Black perspective, celebrating Black standards of beauty and elevating heroes of Black America—athletes, entertainers, activists, elected officials, or some combination thereof. Ebony: Covering Black America, by Lavaille Lavette, is a celebration of the treasure trove of the magazine's rich history, glamorous covers, groundbreaking cultural impact, and authentic coverage of Black American life from the magazine's inception to the present.
i do think succession and mad men both take a similar approach to portraying race, in that the main storyline is consciously restricted to a segregated, economically advantaged realm of society where the problem of racism casts a shadow but doesn’t play a real role in the way that, say, sexism does (one person said racism was ‘the tell-tale heart’ rhythm of mad men). my thoughts on that are...complicated, i can at least see the logic behind it, although i do think mad men handles it with a little more awareness and intentionality than succession. of course, being a period drama, the writers/creators had the advantage of retrospection, with a significant body of academic literature and social theory to draw from. whereas the succession team is obviously very limited in their perspective on the current events that the show is based on not just by a lack of hindsight but by their own social privilege and, for many (not all!), their whiteness.
well what’s the point of all this so um basically. i think if you really want a nuanced portrayal of racism in america you need to go to a writer(s) who has first-hand experience. that’s not to say that white writers should get a free pass for handling racism clumsily or (worse, imo) completely neglecting racism in what purports to be sociological storytelling. what we need, and have always needed, is to include and promote nonwhite stories and storytellers within the wider cultural lexicon + to acknowledge these themes as a vital component of any modern story About classism, patriarchy, abuse of power, etc.
The Woman King starring Viola Davis opens this Friday and is expected to open #1 at the boxoffice, but only with a $15 million opening per Variety.
That is simply not good enough if we wish to see different African American or Black stories told on the big screen. Black people we need to show up at the theater this weekend and support this movie!