Today (May 4) marks “May the Fourth be with you,” the official “holiday” honoring George Lucas and Star Wars.
According to ABC News, the pun was first used back in 1979 with Britain’s Conservative Party congratulating Margret Thatcher in print for taking the prime minister spot that day.
Take the time today to watch a Stars movie today, and be prepared for the next film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is set to release Dec. 15.
Futuristic innovations just keep coming and coming. Flying cars are starting to become a thing, Google and Facebook have brought up the use of virtual reality and augmented reality.
Now, we may be seeing a newly shaped concept for buildings: A U-shaped skyscraper. Crazy huh?! But, where will this new building be? Well, no other than New York City. The city of big dreams.
This new 4,000 foot long building concept was created by Oiio studio; this is truly history in the making.
How is this even possible?! https://t.co/dn1SNm1mj9
— Mashable (@mashable) May 4, 2017
Yup, an IKEA FRAKTA dad cap now exists and it’s all thanks to who else but Los Angeles-based labels Pleasures and Chinatown Market. Not long ago, Balenciaga reimagined the iconic 99-cent bag as a $2,145 USD luxury tote. The Swedish furniture giant responded to the copycat iteration with a humorous ad detailing how to spot an original IKEA FRAKTA bag. Twitter caught wind immediately and called out Balenciaga for the expensive rip off of the IKEA Frankta bag that retails for $0.99 and the best college freshman move-in bag to carry all of your school necessities to your dorms.
Now, after introducing a Moroccan footstool-inspired design earlier this year, Demna Gvasalia and Balenciaga have turned their attentions to the aforementioned FRAKTA. This isn’t just any tote, however. As you might expect, Gvasalia has put a luxurious spin on the original, retaining its signature blue look while ditching the polypropylene in favor of premium leather and Italian construction. Gvasalia has also added a couple of functional details, including black fabric lining, an interior pocket, a key ring lanyard, and a zippered closure at the top.
If that price is too high for you there is a reasonable price IKEA item that you may want to get your hands on. The streetwear duo have transformed the bright-blue polypropylene accessory into a $38 USD hat for the 2017 spring/summer season. I know what you’re thinking, the concept is such a strange idea but it’s executed pretty damn well, to say the least. The hat looks pretty comfortabl ;there are holes on top so that we can keep calm and vent off the steam when being mind-blown. It even has a ‘IKEA’ written on it!
Do you think that if they were to make more products such as shirts, pants, sneaker, etc. would you want to cop just for the fashion part of it? It’s always fun to be different.
Check out the photos above and view an accompanying ad below. Stay tuned for more details and expect the cap to drop at Pleasures and Chinatown Market’s official websites.
According to Recode, Musical.ly has partnered with Apple music for its music catalog.
What’s Musical.ly? Well, it is an application that allows users to create and share their own music videos, using snippets of songs.
In this new deal, Musical.ly will promote Apple’s paid service to its users and will allow paying Apple Music subscribers to listen to full songs on the app.
This new situation however did not replace the application’s current music distributor 7digital.
In the Apple community there have been rumors circulating on what Apple’s latest phone will look like, when it will be released and what new features we should expect. While some of the iPhone fanatics may be disappointed in some of the updates, there’s a reason behind it all.
One of the biggest changes we should expect according to Ming-Chi Kuo, a reputable Apple prediction analyst, is the change in the entire hardware display of the phone. Instead of an LCD display screen, apple is expected to change to a 5.8” OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) display screen which essentially guarantees the elimination of the home button. Imagine the entire iPhone being touch glass screen?
Aside from the all glass body and frame, the camera quality is expected to be exceedingly greater than it has and lastly the next revolution of iPhone is anticipated to be completely wireless.
However, with good news also comes bad news. Due to this new feature, the release date is also expected to be pushed back, becoming more of a winter (November) release as opposed to their standard Fall (August/September) release. In addition to a later release date, there may also be some concerns with the phone being solely wireless. Some iPhone 7 owners have complained that the wireless headphone feature was already a hassle, limiting their ability to listen to music and charge the phone at the same time or having to buy an additional attachment piece allowing them to do both or even use regular, non-iPhone 7 headphones. So imagine what it would be for both the headphone and wireless port to be eliminated?
Watch the video below as a predicted preview of what the new iPhone release may look like.
Nonetheless, these are all expected rumors, nothing for sure set in stone, so we’ll just have to patiently wait for what innovative ideas and features Apple will incorporate in their next radical apple iPhone prodigy design.
For the Nigerian – American photographer Chidu Modu, imagery and illustration goes beyond showing a lifestyle; it is about telling a unique story that brings the viewer closer to the truth. From photographing legendary artist like Tupac, Biggie and Nas to exploring the world and documenting the daily life of Yemen and India, Chi has undoubtedly created a unique lane for himself with a body of work that posits him in the highly sought after legendary lane.
It all began at The Source where Chi maneuvered his way through the hip-hop scene as the photo director in the 90’s. Chi explained, “I started with Source in 1990 when it was really starting to bubble up and get bigger. I went to the office on a tip that they were looking for people to work for them. When I got to the office, it was a really nice energy and buzz. For me, they were really doing something important for that time and I wanted in.”
Contrary to the “normal” career paths of a first generation American growing up in a Nigerian household, Chi’s unorthodox and nontraditional career choice was indeed a risk well taken. “I had a very American experience, but I was still raised in a Nigerian house. When I was younger, the pressure for first generation American kids with Nigerian parents was even more. There was no artist to look up to and show your parents as an example because these guys did not exist yet. It was really on us to break what our parents know.“
“People ask me all the time what is the difference between then and now. For me, things were a little more fun then because we were groundbreaking. Now the ground has been broken and you’re not really going to impress me with a fancy car or a private jet, because I have already seen it. Back then; even getting a Mercedes was a big deal. We appreciated it more because it was harder on the come up. The music is reflective of that too.”
But this is also why Chi feels that the landscape surrounding hip-hop affects how photographers capture the artist. While Chi is known mostly for capturing Nas in his bedroom at the age of 17 in Queens bridge and Method Man getting his hair braided at his girlfriend’s house in Staten Island, photographers are not gravitating towards the idea of capturing artist in intimate settings. Chi explained, “People are best in photographs when they are really true to who they are. These days, some artists are more about their brand than who they are. But, brands don’t live. People live. Even within your brand you have to let some of who you are out. Look at Tupac, he is vulnerability and strength. That’s why he stays. It can’t just be every picture at the after party tossing money and opening a bottle. That’s actually boring. You have to give more to keep your audience’s attention.”
Chi saw a void of authenticity and visual collateral early in the game. While he understood the importance of documenting the history of hip-hop, he didn’t realize just how impactful his images would be. “It’s crazy because at the time we were perceived as the bad kids, so it is amazing to see hip-hop be able to impact the world and be apart of pop culture. And I travel and see it first hand, so that is definitely one of the more shocking things. Because when you work, you work in a bubble so you don’t really know how it’s affecting the world until you move.”
After decades of using his craft as a way to keep moments alive, relevant and nostalgic, Chi reminds people of the importance of visual documentation. “I knew that 20 years later, that is when my work would really matter to people. I knew that I could shoot it for a magazine but it would eventually become old and after old comes iconic.”
For more on Chi and his book Tupac Shakur Uncategorized make sure you visit his website.
It seems like Pepsi isn’t the only company that has released some ill-advised ads this year. Shea Moisture released a new ad yesterday that sparked outrage in the natural hair community.
The commercial, which you can see above, shows three women with non-kinky hair textures (two of whom are white) speak on the topic of learning to love their hair. The controversy comes from the fact that the ad focused the majority of its time on several white women, including a blonde woman who doesn’t “know what to do” with her hair.
This raised several questions to the black-owned natural hair and beauty line, on their loyalty to their long time kinky-haired consumers
Shea Moisture is a company started by Liberians and inspired by a woman from Sierra Leone. Shea butter, itself has long been used for hair-related products, particularly among Africans and African-Americans.
Earlier this month, Shea Moisture launched their #BreakTheWalls campaign, which was geared towards dismantling the segregation of beauty aisles. Products made specifically for black hair are often pushed into the “Ethnic” section of department stores, isolated from mainstream products that are used for contrasting hair textures. In the commercial for Shea’s new movement, a black woman asks: “Is ethnic, not beautiful?”
So, imagine the anger that their consumers now have when they see an ad that excludes them. As a black woman with thick kinky curls, learning to embrace your hair for what it is, takes time. Everything about society’s beauty standards forces women with hair like mine to get looser curls or straighten their hair. Brands like Shea Moisture have become the go-to for black women who wanted to embrace their natural kinks and coils because not many products accommodated “black hair.”
After the uproar that took social media yesterday, Shea Moisture within hours issued an apology.
“Wow, okay – so guys, listen, we really f-ed this one up. Please know that our intention was not – and would never be – to disrespect our community, and as such, we are pulling this piece immediately because it does not represent what we intended to communicate. You guys know that we have always stood for inclusion in beauty and have always fought for our community and given them credit for not just building our business but for shifting the beauty landscape. So, the feedback we are seeing here brings to light a very important point. While this campaign included several different videos showing different ethnicities and hair types to demonstrate the breadth and depth of each individual’s hair journey, we must absolutely ensure moving forward that our community is well-represented in each one so that the women who have led this movement never feel that their hair journey is minimized in any way. We are keenly aware of the journey that WOC face – and our work will continue to serve as the inspiration for work like the Perception Institute’s Good Hair Study/Implicit Association Test that suggests that a majority of people, regardless of race and gender, hold some bias towards women of color based on their textured or natural hair. So, you’re right. We are different – and we should know better”
Shea Moisture released another ad that featured black women who spoke on the topic. The second ad features models and influencers with natural styles like dreadlocks, coils, and afros. Check it out below:
.@SheaMoisture helped me break free from hair hate and taught me how to love my #naturalhair. #EverybodyGetsLove pic.twitter.com/FDWxis3tFu
— KinkyCurlyCoilyMe (@BlakIzBeautyful) April 24, 2017
If you love music but also love to gamble then you should know that there are slot games out there with musical themes. These little pieces of tech can allow you to rock out while you win some cash. Here are our top picks for musical slots.
Undoubtedly one of the legends of rock out there, Jimi Hendrix takes the starring role in this slot game. We’re surprised that this is an officially licensed product, as his family are notorious for knocking back deals to protect his image.
Developers NetEnt have done an amazing job in creating this slot, as it’s the kind of high quality creation that we expect from them. The bonus rounds are all based on Hendrix songs and there’s a hippy quality to the graphics. It’s a bit psychedelic, just like the deceased singer.
While we don’t admit it that often, everyone loves a bop along to an Elton John song. This game mirrors his classic sense of style and puts it onto the reels. It’s flamboyant, colourful and everything else that you would expect from a game based on him.
There are some spiffy bonus features in there to keep players winning big too. Playing slots online is an anonymous pursuit, so you don’t need to worry about others finding out about your secret penchant for his music.
Another one of the most popular rock slots is Guns N Roses Slot, which is another of the online casinos creations from NetEnt. The music that features in this game comes from their catalogue of greatest hits and you control the setlist too.
There are a squad of bonus features in this game too, the wild symbols will be sure to help you out with a bunch of big wins. Cross your fingers and you might even make your way into the bonus round! This game isn’t just aesthetically awesome, it’s super rewarding too.
Whatever your thoughts are on Elvis, you can’t dispute that he was one of the most influential figures in recent history. It’s only natural that veteran developers IGT would seek to immortalize him in this slot game, which is packed with musical goodies.
The bonus features are all based on his songs, one of the best is the Jailhouse Rock feature. The game really embodies the bad boy spirit of this artist and shows him in a new light. Even if you’re not a big Elvis fan, you can appreciate the potential jackpots that this game can bring.
While this band may not be known for that many of their singles, they do have a very distinct style. The ZZ Top slot has a lot of flair and embodies the style that the band are best known for. They still tour to this day, so you can use this jackpot game to help you to win some cash for your next ticket to their concerts.
There we have it! These are our current favourite musical slots but we could see new ones coming along to knock them off the top spot. Who would you like to see in the next musical themed slot? We can think of more than a few artists that we’d love to see coming along in this format.
In Freeform’s upcoming Life-Size 2, Tyra Banks will continue her role as Eve. In fact, she was jokingly reported with saying,
“There is no one else that can play Eve but me, thank you very much! I’m just joking with you, but yes, I am going to be Eve.
As of now, Tyra is the only returning character and we could only imagine what to expect. The last movie end with Eve returning back into a doll, to return to her life in Sunny Ville. In Life Size 2, will Eve return back into human form, who will her owner be, Lindsay Lohan or another actress? Tyra tells E! News,
“I would love for Lindsay to do something, like, Lindsay, the last time I saw you was, I don’t know how many years ago—Every time I see her she gives me a hug like it was back in the day, like she’s 10 years old again—I would love for you to come back and do something for Life-Size, will you? Will you?”
There’s an array of possibilities that could happen in the sequel of an original movie of this caliber. It taught children how to use their imagination and that with enough faith, their imagination could be brought into a reality. Life Size began as an inspirational movie which magically came to life to help teach a young girl how to live and love again after the passing of her mother. While Eve helps Kelsey, Kelsey also helps Eve with adapting to the real world.
Hopefully the reincarnation of this movie will also encourage young children to utilize their unique imaginations to create their own fantasy world as opposed to living through someone else’s via games and the over intense use of social media apps.
So we will wait to see what Christmas gift Freeform has in store for us with the new Life Size 2 movie!
Kendrick Lamar seems to not only be the most critically applauded rapper of his generation, but of all time. Due to his fiery wordplay, immaculate storytelling, and sociopolitical commentary, the rapper has garnered a considerable amount of respect for his work.
Lamar’s most recent offering DAMN. continues a tradition set by his previous studio albums – Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City and To Pimp A Butterfly – by achieving a rare 90+ score on the esteemed review aggregating site Metacritic. In fact, DAMN. (which is still accumulating reviews as we speak) has so far tied To Pimp A Butterfly in being the highest-rated hip-hop albums ever in Metacritic history. His indie debut Section.80 did not fare as highly but still achieved an impressive average score of 80. Even untitled unmastered. – a compilation album comprised of Lamar’s unreleased demos – earned glowing reviews and an 86 on Metacritic.
The only other rappers to come remotely close to Kendrick’s level of industry praise (according to Metacritic) are Outkast and Kanye West. Outkast’s otherworldy Stankonia and certified diamond Speakerboxx/The Love Below achieved scores of 95 and 91 respectively while My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy surprisingly marks Kanye’s only 90+ rated album with a score of 94. Each of the aforementioned albums are considered to be the some of the greatest rap albums (or greatest albums of any genre for that matter); yet, Kendrick seemingly usurps them and every other rapper in levels of acclaim.
Sure, this claim is based from only one review aggregator but it’s not too far-fetched to declare that Kendrick is slowly but surely entering the “greatest of all-time” conversation in terms of rappers.
What are your thoughts?
Since the release of of his 2016 albums Endless and Blonde, Frank Ocean has been releasing a steady stream of music. With the inception of his beats 1 show, he has already shared two new songs “Chanel” and “Biking,” with Tyler the Creator and Jay Z, in addition to “Lens.” He also featured together with Migos on Calvin Harris’ “Slide.”
Last night, Frank Ocean debuted a new song dubbed ‘Lens’ on his Blonded Radio show. The singer played two versions of the track, one with his own vocal and another featuring Travis Scott. The episode was hosted by Vegyn and Roof Access, who regularly host the show, which included tracks from Playboi Carti, Babyfather, Burna Boy and more.
Listen to the episode here, and check out the full tracklist below.
After initially releasing XO’s Spring/Summer ’17 collection earlier this year, The Weeknd is back with the second drop of his staple merch line.
The mostly monochromatic collection features graphic tees with grim yet seductive prints as well as “XO” branded hoodies, sweat shorts, and beanies. Standout pieces include the Camouflage Woodland Coach Jacket and the Alpha Bomber Jacket. Prices range anywhere from a modest $28 to a hefty $220.
Check out the full lookbook above and the complete collection on XO’s online shop.
Charlamagne Tha God recently released a book called “Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It”. It details his rise into the media personality he is today, and talks about some of his most famous interviews. The book is written essentially exactly how Charlamagne talks; genuine, bold and outrageously hilarious. For anyone who enjoys listening to him on air or watching him on TV, I’d highly recommend the book, it’s filled with stories that will inspire and motivate. Charlamagne also made an appearance on ABC’s long running daytime talk show, The View, in promotion for the book that aired today.
https://twitter.com/Ameriie/status/854328648609955841
https://twitter.com/cthagod/status/841736251728355329
Despite all this, the term “black privilege” has caused a lot of uproar on Twitter, even if it isn’t directly related to Charlamange’s book. Some users were confused and generally dismissive of the term.
https://twitter.com/Jalon_Stapes97/status/854363296723554304
So #blackpriviledge is a book.. why is it named after something that DOES NOT EXIST?
— bay.volina (@BayleighD_) April 18, 2017
Recently there have been a number of users, particularly White Twitter users, who’ve been using the term as hate speech.
https://twitter.com/Shoah_Addict/status/852734757284700161
All these A-holes talking about white priviledge. Sounds like a lot of black BS.
— Louis Wheeler (@louiswheeler_8) April 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/trump2016fan/status/848410299397013505
Luckily Black Twitter came to save the day by throwing some not so subtle shade at the aforementioned users and reclaim the term.
https://twitter.com/MsElectLadyKim/status/854374641976184832
Overall, much of the hype is surrounded by positive reviews of Charlamagne’s book and how uplifting it is. Many users were excited and gave expressed their support for Charlemagne, showing how much joy one person can bring by just being true to their intrinsic nature.
