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United Airlines Issued An Apology And Twitter Wasn’t Having It

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United Airlines Issued An Apology And Twitter Wasn’t Having It

It hasn’t been a very good week for United Airlines. If you are behind on the latest airline controversy, it all started on Sunday night on a flight from Chicago to Louisville, Ky. Since the flight was overbooked, United Airlines offered $1000 to passengers to volunteer their seats to make room for their employees. Nobody volunteered, which lead United to follow procedure and pick four random people to exit the aircraft.

Three left, but one refused to. The fourth passenger claimed to be a doctor who had patients he needed to see in Louisville. United called security officers, who violently yanked the passenger from his seat and dragged him off the plane, leaving him bloodied. The horrifying incident was caught on tape and posted online. As expected, the footage went viral.

The passenger was identified to be 69-year-old David Dao, an Elizabethtown doctor. He never made it home. It was reported that he is recovering from his injuries in a Chicago hospital.

People took to social media sites to vocalize their disgust and outrage with United Airlines in the best way they know how: memes. Twitter users mocked the major American airline for how they handled the situation and even called for boycott using the hashtags: #UnitedAirlines and #BoycottUnitedAirlines.

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz issued a statement on United’s Twitter account in attempt to explain why the passenger was removed from the flight. Emphasis on attempt.

Re-accommodate? Really, United Airlines? The statement only served as more material Twitter users could make fun of.

Twitter is more powerful than you think. After seeing Twitter calling out his bullsh*t, Munoz issued a second apology yesterday, one with a little more effort and better choice of words:

Statement from United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz on United Express Flight 3411

The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened. Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way.

I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right.

It’s never too late to do the right thing. I have committed to our customers and our employees that we are going to fix what’s broken so this never happens again. This will include a thorough review of crew movement, our policies for incentivizing volunteers in these situations, how we handle oversold situations and an examination of how we partner with airport authorities and local law enforcement. We’ll communicate the results of our review by April 30th.

I promise you we will do better.

Sincerely,

Oscar

Changing a Narrative: A Book About Black Beauty

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Changing a Narrative: A Book About Black Beauty

From music to movies to everyday life, Black Women are mistreated and misrepresented on a pretty high level. There’s a certain narrative that revolves around Black Women and beauty standards that needs to be addressed and changed immediately. Lawrence Lindell is helping push that conversation; his new book, “From Black Boy, With Love” centers around changing the narrative Black boys are taught through their communities and society, so they can express love for Black girls and women.

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The book is filled with 24 pages of illustrations, all drawn by Lindell, all of which depict a Black boy stating different quotes of love and admiration for the beauty and other amazing qualities that Black girls and women behold. Lindell, who was born and raised in Compton, stated that the book was a way to help himself as well as his community think and speak of Black women in better terms. He added, “I’m black and my community is full of black and brown women who I love dearly and I wanted to make something for them… we as men have a huge problem with how we talk, treat and think about women.” Lindell works as an art educator for youth and sees first hand how cruel some of the teasing can be. He states that, “the first thing they go for when teasing each other is hair, body shape and skin tone”, and then added an example, “’You ol’ nappy-headed, black-ass charcoal looking girl, with yo ugly fat ass’”. This is exactly the narrative Lindell is working to diminish. Even in good fun at a young age, some of these boys grow up believing that dark skin is ugly or dirty. Change in mindset and perception has to start at a young age and Lindell understands the importance of awareness.

While Lindell states his primary goals were to change the way Black boys and men view Black women and girls, he sees an opportunity for anyone of any nationality to learn from the book. It’s about having respect for all women and not perpetuating a narrative which makes them feel like anything less than the incredible, multitalented individuals that they are.

Here Are The YEEZY Boost Samples We Wish Were Real

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Here Are The YEEZY Boost Samples We Wish Were Real

How Does Jay Z Leaving Spotify Impact Tidal?

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How Does Jay Z Leaving Spotify Impact Tidal?

Hov is about his business, and his latest move proves he’ll do whatever it takes to keep Tidal going. Jay Z removed his solo work from the streaming platform Spotify, leaving only songs he’s done in collaboration with other artists. This comes after removing both his debut, ‘Reasonable Doubt‘, as well as the, ‘Blueprint‘ series from everywhere except Tidal, making those albums essentially exclusives to the service. He’s cornering the market on himself, his music, and his streaming service. Along with two dozen other artists, Jay Z owns the only artist controlled music platform that has been able to seriously rival the major music streaming/distribution services. Pulling his music from another streaming service is an aggressive but necessary step for Jay Z to take in order to further legitimize Tidal and attract as many potential customers and partners as possible.

2017 isn’t even halfway over but Tidal has been making some serious moves; back in January Sprint agreed to purchase a third of the streaming platform for $200 Million. The deal provides a way for the artist owners to deliver exclusive content to Sprint users on top of further stabilizing the company financial. Jay Z is essentially changing the rules of the music industry, and he’s created a platform where some of the biggest names in the game are backing him up. Artist owners include Rihanna, Beyonce, Kanye, Daft Punk, T.I., Coldplay, and about 18 others. Beyonce’s last album, Lemonade, is a Tidal streaming exclusive, which is a move that ma artists have since followed. So even if an artist isn’t signed to Tidal, they’re following a precedent that they set in this new streaming era; artists taking back control of the way their music is handled.

Kathy Shorr: Photographer Sheds Light On America’s Gun Problem

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Kathy Shorr: Photographer Sheds Light On America’s Gun Problem

The United States homicide rate is rising at its fastest rate since the early 1970s. According to the statistics examined by the Economist, the murder rate grew 11 percent from 2014 to 2015. About 65 to 85 percent of all murders are a result of gun violence. This information supports the ongoing claim of this country having a serious gun problem. Photographer Kathy Shorr became passionate about the subject after a terrifying experience of her own.

“A number of years ago I was robbed; today they call it home invasion.” She told Fader in an interview. “Armed intruders came into my house and pointed a gun at me and my daughter, who had just started to walk. That feeling of helplessness – someone else controlling your destiny – is something you never want to experience again.”

The Photographer Shedding Light On America’s Gun Problem

Shorr had already been teaching photography and art classes at an inner city school in New York. She remembers seeing young kids coming into school with memorabilia of their loved ones who were killed due to senseless violence and began thinking about the victims who were fortunate to survive similar situations. This inspired Shorr to begin a two-year, self-funded journey of chronicling survivors of gun violence through her photography.

She documented a wide range of people across the United States between the ages of 8 to 80 years old from all walks of life, along with their own opinions on the gun rights issue. Each and every individual had a unique story that added to the overall narrative Shorr was trying to convey in her book, SHOT: 101 Survivors of Gun Violence.

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“I felt that the country had become very polarized. Gun issues are clearly not black-and-white; there are many shades of grey. I thought that if I could do a project where the abstraction of gun violence was taken away — so it could become something human with faces — that people would be able to confront this issue more easily.”

Hip Hop Shines at the Rock H.O.F.

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Hip Hop Shines at the Rock H.O.F.

Over the weekend, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had their 37th annual ceremony to honor legendary inductees with the prestigious award.

The list of inductees is filled with amazing people, musicians that went out of their way to use the platform they have for change. Tupac, Joan Baez, Pearl Jam, Yes, Journey, and the Electric Light Orchestra were all honored. All of them are outstanding musicians, and if you haven’t heard of anyone listed do yourself a favor and look them up. The fact that the class of 2017 included Rap Legend Tupac, who posthumously received the honor via Snoop Dogg, is worth noting.

Tupac, who was shot and killed 21 years ago, has sold over 75 million albums worldwide. His music has affected much of contemporary artists and and music across multiple genres but more specifically, Hip Hop. The honor didn’t just stop at Tupac and his family, it extended throughout the Hip Hop community and offered more validation for the genre as a whole. The Rock Hall has been more and more inclusionary, inducting NWA last year, honoring Chuck Berry and Prince this year, and not turning artists away based on race. They are acknowledging the legitimacy and staying power that people who love Hip Hop knew it had all along.

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Alicia Keys put together a medley of Tupac’s songs and talked about her love for him and his music. Then Snoop Dogg and YG did ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted‘, Treach from Naughty by Nature did ‘Hail Mary‘, and T.I. closed it with a powerful version of ‘Keep Ya Head Up‘. All the guests were surprises to the public, and I can only imagine what the crowd looked like during the performances, but it’s sounded like a great night for the culture.

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It’s not often that you get a shoutout from a legend of Eddie Vedder’s status, but for Chance that seems to be the norm these days. Vedder took time out of his own induction speech to tell Chance he applauded “all the work you’re doing in Chicago” and added, “If you’re somehow watching, my daughter Olivia loves you.” It nice to have fans in high places. This further shows just how beneficial the work that Chance is doing is; he’s using his platform to change a negative narrative in his city, and also about black males.

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Pharrell introduced Nile Rodgers during the ceremony to present the guitarist/producer with the “Award for Musical Excellence”. Rogers is considered one of the pioneers of Disco, and has worked with artists such as Madonna and Skateboard P himself. Pharrell went as far as to say that Rogers has, “been in the studio with him in spirit for about 25 years”, so it’s only fitting that he got to introduce a man who’s influenced so much of his music. This isn’t the first time the two super producers linked up however; the two linked on the insanely popular Daft Punk song ‘Get Lucky’, it was Rogers playing guitar on the track and Pharrell’s vocals.

You can catch the full Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on April 29 on HBO!

Smino: The “blkswn” of Hip-Hop

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Smino: The “blkswn” of Hip-Hop
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25 year old Chris Smith Jr. – better known by his stage name Smino – is making serious strides to establish himself as the next big visionary in rap. The Chicago-via-St. Louis rapper’s debut studio album blkswn is a beautifully-crafted assortment of soulful upbeat tunes with syncopated riffs, reminiscent of Andre 3000 and Chance the Rapper.

Smino was born into a musically-gifted family: his grandfather was a Blues Hall of Fame bass player, his father played keys, and his mother and older cousin Drea Smith of the indie rock collective PYYRAMIDS are singers. Growing up in the church, Smino drew a lot of his musical inspiration from the vocal harmonies ever-present in gospel music. By the age of seven, he had ventured into writing his own rhymes and even began producing at 13.

He first became familiar with Chicago after briefly attending the illustrious Columbia College to study media management in 2010. However, after dropping out, Smino found himself living in between St. Louis and Milwuakee to jump-start his music career. He found himself first performing using his birth name before adopting the moniker Smeezy and YDOC (Young Dumb and Out of Control) – a rap duo that he formed with St. Louis rapper Bari Allen. However, he finally settled on the name Smino as a homage to the Nino Brown character from the film New Jack City and later moved back to Chicago to establish it as his musical home.

Since then, Smino has formed the Zero Fatigue collective (alongside his producer Monte Booker and frequent collaborator and vocalist Ravyn Lenae) and released two noteworthy EPs S!Ck S!Ck S!Ck and blkjuptr before dropping his enigmatic blkswn project. The jam-packed, 18 track album – which features guest appearances from the Zero Fatigue family, Noname, Bari, Via Rose, and his cousin Drea Smith among others – possesses an instant classic feel. From the endearing ode to black women “Anita,” to the date night tune “Netflix & Dusse,” and the respectfully boastful title track, or the smooth outro “Amphetamine,” blkswn is a funky and soulful sonic experience.

Check out Smino’s debut album here.

The Sound, The Look, The Vision: Chris Scholar Has it All

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The Sound, The Look, The Vision: Chris Scholar Has it All

Richmond native Chris Scholar is the definition of a modern day creative – he refuses to be confined to one box. Scholar sings, raps, dances, writes, and directs, fusing R&B, soul, pop, jazz and Hip Hop, with smooth dance moves and trippy, unconventional imagery. As he continues to build a name for himself as an artist, his self-directed visuals have led to opportunities with big names such as Nico & Vinz, BJ the Chicago Kid and French Montana, to name a few.

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HYPEFRESH was able to speak with the emerging artist and director about his start, his upcoming album Director’s Cut, and everything in between.

Q: You hail from Virginia, the home of R&B and soul big names like D’Angelo, Trey Songz, and Chris Brown. How has your hometown influenced your artistry?

A: I’m from Richmond, Virginia, which is in the South, but it also has a Northern influence because it’s right where the South begins. I feel like I have a mixed style that resonates with more than just one group of people; I guess with the Southern influences and Northern influences, and me moving to the West Coast. My sound is very diverse.

Q: Speaking of the West Coast, one of your latest singles is called “Moved to LA” – what one moment or event made you feel it was time to pursue your music full time?

A: When I was about 16, I did this video that Jermaine Dupri saw. When I woke up the next day, he had posted the video on his blog site, it had a whole bunch of views, and he gave me a big shout out. From then on I kept running into situations where tastemakers within the industry would reach out. I knew I was headed in the right direction because I was never stagnant, every couple months or so something would happen that says I’m getting closer, so I might as well keep going.

Q: You sing, rap, dance, write, direct – have you ever felt like you had to choose one? What is your advice to others creatives that have multiple interests?

A: I think all of my talents that I have and that I’m pursuing coexist. So I’m not necessarily taking too much away from the other, because they all compliment each other.

But I would say sometimes one passion might be more demanding. Like, directing took over for a little bit and I had to focus on it more. It’s all in God’s hands, which way he’s going to take you, so you just have to go with the flow.

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Q: When did you get into visual art, and how has that interest led to work with the likes of BJ the Chicago Kid and French Montana?

A: I did a few videos around Richmond, party videos, rap videos, that started catching a wave and then once I moved to L.A. I started getting bigger gigs and more people were respecting the artistry on the directing side.

Q: Your upcoming EP is called Directors Cut, what can we expect from this album?

A: Directors Cut is from my point of view, no labels, no third person trying to alter the vision. You can expect the real me, some stories that describe my growth, my move to L.A., and what I’ve been through in the music industry. There are some songs that really speak to the women, overall just a good cohesive project with, sonically, some new sounds.

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Q: Shifting gears a bit – describe your style in 3 words.

A: Sporty. Chill. Fly. That’s the main look, but you know sometimes you have to switch it up.

Q: Where is the coolest place you’ve traveled to perform or shoot a video?

A: Memphis. I loved performing in Memphis. I shot a video and performed out there, and it was dope because that culture was a little bit different from mine. There’s a dance called juking. I really went out there to study that art form.

Q: What’s next?

A: What’s next for me is I’m about to put out this Directors Cut album, go crazy with it, do shows, and in the meantime I’m writing my first movie. Hopefully it all pops at the same time.

Fore more Chris Scholar, visit here.

Adidas Invites Rising Creatives To Join Their Design Academy

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Adidas Invites Rising Creatives To Join Their Design Academy
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With Nike as a competitor, Adidas is finding unique ways to stay ahead of the curve while also providing opportunities for rising talent. And one way they are doing that is with its Design Academy. The program is now accepting applications from creative individuals all over.

The 24-month experience is looking for creatives who specialize in apparel, footwear, graphics, colors and materials to work alongside Adidas design team to “create, invent and break new ground.”

The Academy will take place at the brand’s design headquarters, Portland, Oregon, and Herzogenaurach, Germany.

Applicants must have a maximum of two years of experience, which includes freelance work and internships. The applications will be received until April 15, 2017, and the program starts on October 1, 2017.

Apply for the academy here.

You Can Live-Stream Coachella for Free via YouTube

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You Can Live-Stream Coachella for Free via YouTube

Great news for those of you who would rather sit at home than get caught in a grueling sweat fest in a California desert: for the seventh year in a row, viewers will be able stream the first weekend of Coachella live on YouTube.

Kicking off next weekend on April 14, the world-renowned music festival will see performances by Kendrick Lamar, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Gucci Mane, DJ Khaled, and Lady Gaga (who replaced Beyoncé as the Saturday headliner who opted out due to her pregnancy) among countless others. Unfortunately, not every performance will be streamed although the more popular performers are usually included in the streaming schedule.

Some new features of the YouTube streaming coverage include a personalized scheduling tool that automatically switches the stream when a pre-selected artist hits the stage, a 360-degree live stream for select performances, and a sneak peak into the underground music Yuma Tent.

5 Ways Pepsi’s Latest Ad Proves Corp. America is Out of Touch

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5 Ways Pepsi’s Latest Ad Proves Corp. America is Out of Touch

In case you haven’t heard, Pepsi released a new commercial featuring Kendall Jenner; sounds innocent enough right? WRONG. From start to finish, which is about two and a half minutes, the ad is so tone deaf to the reality that it might as well be Mariah Carey on NYE. Honestly, though, this train wreck may have been worse. Here are five ways Pepsi’s ad all but confirms just how out of touch corporate America is with us.

1. They released the “civil rights” themed ad with a nonperson of color portraying the protagonist

Admittedly, when the ad started it had the potential to be something positive…like maybe for five seconds. From there it starts going in this weird direction and depicts Kendall Jenner as a model doing a shoot by the street as a protest is occurring. Kendall at first is unaware of the literally massive movement of people, but as the shoot goes on she is increasingly more and more distracted by the crowd. If I didn’t know any better I’d infer that she doesn’t actually know what the protest is about, because for real though who becomes social conscious in like 2 minutes? She’s actually shown leaving the photo shoot for the “protest” only after a guy looks at her with that classic cheesy ass “come with me” face. Ultimately Kendall saves the day by leading the protest to the cops and handing one of them a Pepsi. There’s a lot wrong with this picture but my biggest question is why oh why would they choose Kendall Jenner??? Pepsi could have found any person of color, and social leader, maybe even a politician, man go find Obama, ANYONE other than Kendall Jenner. L.

2. They released the ad on the 49th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination

Now I don’t know if this was a coincidence or if it was a marketing strategy, but the ad debuted on the 49th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. Like many black leaders and activists during his time, Dr. King was harassed, terrorized and ultimately killed simply because he believed in fairness and equality. At the time of Dr. King’s assassination, he was considered to be enemy #1 by the FBI; yep, a pastor protesting and leading people in peace were once considered the most dangerous man in the world. Why bring this up? Because you won’t find any mention of that, true activism, or quite an honesty much factual truth in Pepsi’s ad. Of all the times to drop a commercial capitalizing off of the various social movements happening around the country/world, Y’all couldn’t have picked any other day? L.

3. The backlash from Twitter that they clearly were not expecting.

The backlash from Twitter was swift, unforgiving, and at times pretty hilarious, which gave some levity to the situation.

But, of course not everyone understood the outrage over the ad.

At the end of the day, I don’t want people to focus on the ad itself, because it’s pretty insignificant compared to some of the atrocities being committed across the globe. It’s the institutional racism, corporate greed, and misrepresentation of a narrative for personal gain that I’m trying to point. Honestly, I’d rather people dismiss Pepsi like they’re dismissing us. Pepsi does, however, need to be called out on their BS for trying to sell us a narrative, and for their weak/out of touch social commentary. L.

4. The ad romanticized the different social movements going on around the world

The way Pepsi lumped all the protesters together gives off the impression that they don’t see individual causes. Also, the representation of certain groups and the roles they play seemed pretty off; the last protest I saw didn’t really look like that Pepsi ad. That’s not to say that any individual social issue is necessarily more important than the next, but I think it’s crucial to at least try to acknowledge the differences and work to move forward from there. Pepsi’s ad almost feels like America trying to sweep our voice under the rug, but in the most “politically correct” way possible while still making money. If Pepsi had taken the time to donate to some of the causes that it was pseudo supporting, then maybe the backlash wouldn’t be so severe. Instead, this major corporation played off of what they saw as a trend to promote their brand. L.

5. The use of their product as the solution to the worlds problems and the blatant ways they’re trying to profit off of the social commentary “trend”

So I’ve been noticing more and more companies doing these commercials in “support” of or to “bring awareness” to a certain cause. Some of them, like Nike’s latest ad, sit well and don’t overly push their product. Pepsi, on the other hand, tried to “unite” the world with a soda that people don’t even really like. Their use of “resistance culture” and the purely capitalist motives behind their latest campaign are sickening and disturbing. Women are being abused, people of color are being abused, LGBTQ people are being abused, or the environment is being abused, our MFing legal system is being abused every single day! Here, have a Pepsi, just forget about it

Here’s Everything We Know About KDot’s New Album

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Here’s Everything We Know About KDot’s New Album

In all likelihood, Kendrick Lamar will drop his fourth LP on April the 7th. Seriously, this is real. I mean he said it himself in his first single of 2017, “The Heart Pt. 4,” produced by DJ Dahi, Syk Sense, The Alchemist, and Axlfolie, which he released in late March.

Since, he’s released another single, “Humble,” produced by super producer Mike-Will-Made-It with a co-produced visual to match which he co-directed, this is a slight diversion from what Kendrick did for his last album To Pimp a Butterfly.

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Well Kendrick has been pretty outspoken about the themes that he worked into the album and how they differ from TPAB. I think he wanted a visual representation of “i” because it offered a much different view than we were accustomed to getting from KDot. It was a declaration that he loved himself and his community. Even though it received mixed reviews, it honestly set the tone for the album (we just didn’t know it at the time). It also served an interesting role in the album, as it ended up sounding different and included a different perspective. Kendrick’s video for “Humble,” had a multitude of images and themes like body positivity, that also have received mixed reviews but the majority of people have praised him for his views and fresh perspective. The song also serves as a warning shot to any rapper cough cough Big Sean, Drake* that he is the best rapper in the game. In an interview with T Magazine, he spoke about his focus for the new album.

“I think now, how wayward things have gone within the past few months, my focus is ultimately going back to my community and the other communities around the world where they’re doing the groundwork,”

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Besides that, I think he’s certainly going to focus on the election, and how he feels we can move forward as a community. Both singles, present timely topics but sound wise, they differ from the avant-garde jazz and funk vibes TPAB gave off. Still both tracks were straight heat, but even with that said, I think the best is yet to come. Kendrick has always been innovative and worked with extremely creative producers and engineers so I definitely expect the production to be forward-thinking and creative. In an interview after the release of “The Heart Pt. 4,” Syk Sense stated that the instrumental selection for the project is of a different wave and style than what we’re used to.

Maybe his features from 2016 are a clue into where he’s headed?

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In 2016 Kendrick collaborated on Danny Brown’s Really Doe, DJ Khaled‘s Holy Key which ironically enough featured Big Sean as well, Sia’s The Greatest, BJ the Chicago Kid‘s The New Cupid, and Beyoncé‘s Freedom from her magnum opus, ‘Lemonade’. This year we’ve heard his verses on Thundercat‘s Walk On By as well as Mike-Will-Made-It’s Perfect Pint which also featured Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane. The Holy Key part is particularly important because pretty much the whole world thinks these two have been dissing each other ever since they shared that track. Recently Big Sean was on the record saying that Kendrick didn’t kill him on Control (even just writing that made me make a “Conceited Meme” face) hinting that there was some bad blood between the two. Whatever Big Sean may have started, it looks like Kendrick is ready to end it and possibly drag Big Sean’s career too, “Oh God!”

Sometime after the release of The Heart Pt. 4, someone leaked a track list for the album, which is still untitled btw. The fourteen song listing is honestly so good, it feels too good to be true…and it probably is. Now being reported as fake, the songs include many collaborators from TPAB as well as dream collabs such as D’Angelo and Andre 3K. Check out the full list below, and watch out for Kendrick Lamar’s fourth LP scheduled to drop April 7th!

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Tracklisting:

1. “Purple Hibiscus” (produced by Sounwave and Terrace Martin)

2. “Counterfeit” (produced by Rahki and Taz Arnold)

3. “Trust Everyone” (produced by DJ Dahi, Terrace Martin, and Thundercat)

4. “Delusional (Like You Haven’t)” ft. Anderson .Paak and Anna Wise (produced by Sounwave)

5. “Product” ft. Andre Benjamin (produced by Kanye West and Taz Arnold)

6. “Richard Nixon” (produced by LoveDragon)

7. “None of Your Business” ft. Anna Wise, Kanye West and Q-Tip (produced by DJ Dahi, Kanye West & Sounwave)

8. “Double Standards” (produced by LoveDragon & Rahki)

9. “If You Had Me, You Lost Me (Interlude)” (produced by Flying Lotus and Mono/Poly)

10. “Commercialized, Failed Experiments” (produced by Alchemist, Cardo, and Swizz Beatz)

11. “Ten Steps” ft. Bilal, D’Angelo, & Thundercat (produced by Sounwave and Terrace Martin)

12. “Paranoia, Is Love Stronger Than Death?” (produced by K.L. and LoveDragon)

13. “Rest in Paradise (Interlude)” (produced by Terrace Martin)

14. “Swim with the Fishes (God Said)” (produced by Sounwave and Terrace Martin)

Chewing Gum: Season 2 Is Back!

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Chewing Gum: Season 2 Is Back!

The wait is finally over, Chewing Gum fans! The British comedy is making its way back to Netflix…As. Of. Today. Yes, today!

If you aren’t familiar with the series, don’t you even think about diving into Season 2 just yet. The week has only just begun and there’s a good chance you don’t have a single lick of time on your hands to binge-watch the first season. But never fear, I am here to give you a quick lowdown; one that you can successfully squeeze in during your next lunch break.

Chewing Gum (previously known as Chewing Gum Dreams) was originally a one-woman show by writer and comedian Michaela Coel for her senior project at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The story initially focused on a 14-year-old named Tracey, but once UK-wide television channel Channel 4 picked the series, the narrative changed its protagonist to a 24-year-old virgin in East London trying to break away from the restraints of her religion, explore and experience all the things life has to offer her.

The first season was a huge hit on British TV in 2015 and eventually blessed American entertainment with its presence when the series cut a deal with Netflix and premiered in October of last year. I think the major reason for its success is because people naturally fell in love with Tracey and her story.

Chewing Gum has this edge to it, unapologetically unafraid to touch on subjects that are often unrepresented in mainstream television, such as: the importance of women exploring their sexuality and colorism.

We haven’t seen a show yet that truly gave black women variety in roles. Black women are often painted in the same light: promiscuous, unfriendly, and only desirable when they have lighter skin and European features.

Tracey is a virgin. She’s down-to-earth. She’s dark-skinned with a wider nose and fuller lips. She doesn’t fit the typical mold set by society and that only makes her even more stunning.

You may not be a woman, nor a virgin, but here’s the special thing about Chewing Gum. The storyline has many layers to it, which allows any viewer to resonate and relate to it in some way, whether it’s to a specific person or situation. The show addresses it all: stereotypes of living in the projects, interracial dating, experiences growing up in a West African-Christian household, rivalry between siblings…you name it. Chewing Gum is changing the game right now and we are here for it.

For those who didn’t ignore Netflix when they suggested Chewing Gum to them last year, Season 2 looks like it won’t disappoint. If you haven’t already, check out the trailer for it below:

Start your binge now! 

Producer Essentials: 5 Kits That’ll Create Instant Fire

Hype Admin
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Producer Essentials: 5 Kits That’ll Create Instant Fire

Every producer goes through those rough patches where it seems like nothing you make sounds good enough or your instrumentals just kinda sound the same. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at it for a while, “beat block” is natural and actually a really helpful thing to encounter. It means your ears are ready for a new sound; these five sample packs and drum kits are everything you need and more!

Drums That Knock Vol. 4 is the perfect kit for people who want to stand out and sound different. Decap is known for his crisp drums, and this pack is everything we’d expect from him. It comes with 13 Analog 808s, 23 Kicks,19 Snares, 8 Hihats, 9 Clap Loops, 19 Melodic Loops, 16 Percussion Loops, 14 Percussion One Shots, 22 Shouts, and 14 Textures. The fourth installment in a series of drum kits, I’d definitely recommend this one for those people that know what they’re doing. If you’re starting out however, and you’re overwhelmed by the amount of drum packs out there, Decap’s Drums That Knock Vol. 4 is an essential.

I know y’all heard ‘Zoom’ off of Future’s (second to) last album. The dope ass melody you hear can be traced to this sample pack. !lmind’s “The Shaolin Story” sample pack is full of creative loops that you can chop or use as is to cook up as much heat as your heart desires. It comes with 20 loops, and costs about $30, but it’s worth every penny. Check out the whole catalog of Blapkits while you’re at it, sometimes just looking through kits can give you a better understanding of what you want your sound to be.

Cardiak is super producer with a signature sound all his own, but his new Cold Air Vol. VII can get you close. I’d recommend this one for those producers looking to vibe out and create the waviest beats possible. This pack comes with over 80 audio files and 20 complete ideas made by the man himself. Samples include BPMs (thats’s a life + time saver) as well as all the  stems. Something that young producers make the mistake of doing is buying drum kits that aren’t compatible with all DAW systems, luckily this one is so no worries. Check out the demo below and go to Flatline Kits to see everything this guy has to offer.

The Zaytoven Drumkit is an essential for any young producer looking to break into the trap scene. Crafted by the trap sound master, this kit is loaded with 81 awesome drums, loops, 808’s, and samples that’ll have your monitors/speakers (hopefully are using monitors and not headphones) boomin’. Check it out here

Producer Essentials 5 Kits That’ll Create

Bless Jazzfeezy! You may not have heard of him but you’ve most definitely heard his work on More Life. The Jazzfeezy Drum Kit Vol. 1 is honestly one of the most complete drum kits that I’ve come across. This behemoth comes filled with 101 sounds, you read that right, 101 sounds! In it you’ll find 19 snares, 9 Claps, 8 808s, 7 HiHats (Open), 4 Vox / Chants, 2 Beatbox, 2 Tambourines, 1 Crash, 1 Shaker, 17 Custom Loops, 9 Kicks, 8 HiHats (Closed), 7 Percussion sounds, 2 Live Snares, 2 Snaps, 2 Tom, 1 FX sound. I’d recommend this to those producers who are just starting to put their sound together, this kit will certainly provide you with all the tools you could possibly need.

All these kits are dope, and there’s certainly a million more that I could’ve included but these are one’s that will for sure spark ideas and creativity. The music game, and especially producer scene is getting increasingly diluted everyday so it’s paramount that you stand out in any way possible. Make dope music, don’t rely on the kit, believe in your own ideas and do everything you can to be original!

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