Hey,
Just as a cute reminder, we are over half way done with 2021. Not to pressure you but to pressure you… if you've been wanting to make a change or try something new this year, do it now!
Stop waiting for tomorrow….whatever it is, just do that shit. If it doesn’t work at least you can say you tried? If you don’t try…it’ll never work.
Anyway yes, back to the newsletter… ✏️
LATE
9) RIP FRANKIE LONS
Singer Keyshia Cole’s mother, Frankie Lons passed away this week. Many of us came to know and love her via the family’s reality TV shows on BET. Frankie was open about her battles with addiction, but it was her vivacious spirit that was the most prevalent to me.
It has been reported that Frankie died over an overdose on her 61st birthday. I started thinking about what that could mean…to die on your birthday? The first thing that I found is that you’re more likely to die on your day of birth…it’s called “The Birthday Effect.”
Then, I discovered something a bit more beautiful: in Judaism apparently it is good luck/positive to die on your birthday. The Talmud teaches that Moses died on his 120th birthday, a sign that his life’s mission came to a “perfect end” on the same day it began. That’s low key fire. RIP Frankie!
8) KANYE WEST
If you’re one of those people who has cancelled Kanye and wish to not read or think about him you can skip this section and go to #7. But in the words of Britney Spears, “may the Lord wrap your mean ass up in joy.”
Kanye’s new album named after his iconic mom who passed away, DONDA, was supposed to come out on Friday and it has not so he’s literally late.
Not going to hold you I’m super thirsty to hear it because…
Kanye is definitely a stunt queen and is known to have delayed releases or re-releases because he continues to edit songs after they come out. It’s the dedication to perfection for me.
He had a listening event at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz stadium for the album, where he didn’t utter a single word, nor did he move too much. I heard he’s sleeping in the stadium until the album is done. Jermaine Dupri had a good perspective:
I appreciated Kanye looking out for the HBCU’s in the Atlanta area:
At the event, Kanye played a brand new Jay-Z verse that legendary engineer Young Guru said was recorded earlier that day. Most people were happy that they were friends again, Hov talks about getting rid of the red hat in that verse…do click it^
I just can’t front on Kanye’s genius because he did and said stupid things. I’ve done and said stupid things before. The person he hurt the most is himself/his family and his legacy. But his music helps me.
I watched the entire first quarter of the Game 6 basketball game and I don’t do sports…just see his commercial with Beats By Dre and Sha’Carri Richardson. I see him as sometimes misguided, but quite obviously anointed.
7) SHA’CARRI’S WEED VS. RAPINOE’S CBD
Speaking of Sha’Carri…let’s get into the most heinous crime of the week.
Forbes Magazine wrote some article about alleged ally Megan Rapinoe and her CBD usage and company…and how cannabis has helped her prepare for the Olympics.
You’ll remember in Volume 12 we discussed extensively how Sha’Carri Richardson was banned from the Olympics for testing positive for marijuana.
What in the actual fuck. I know CBD and THC have different effects but they’re both compounds from the same plant.
The main difference is that CBD doesn’t work and it’s a fucking scam, that privileged people get to make money off of it and THC legally… while black and brown people are still incarcerated for THC to this very day.
This reminds me of when the press said that white New Orleans Katrina survivors were “finding” food while the black ones were “looting” it.
Even more so, it reminds me of how cocaine usage and sale has been glamorized by whites/Hollywood…while it’s cousin, crack’s sale and usage has been criminalized for black people. Ruining generations of families. Hence the title of this email.
This is dusty as fuck and that’s why America didn’t win any awards on the first day of the Olympics
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE
6) OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY
Although I should’ve boycotted it because of Sha’Carri I did catch most of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics because I love to watch the outfits, but that’s it.
I was not surprised to see Black culture all over the place:
The dancers were also tap-dancing which has American (but really African, British and Irish) slave/indentured servant origins, being popularized in minstrel shows.
As far as the outfits my favorites were Liberia by Telfar, as we announced in Volume 11
and Zambia
5) ROLLING LOUD DAYS 1+2
I don’t know why anyone would ever go to a festival again when they’ve all been streaming online for the past few years. I always make it my mission to watch every festival because I love live music…but I hate crowds.
Today is day 3 of the festival but I have watched a few of the best sets the past 2 days, as I said I would way back in Volume 2.
This event looks like a petri dish of Delta just swarming around, it was even giving Fyre Festival teas the night before it started:
I have been enjoying the performances though! The City Girls looked and did great, and so did Jamaican artist Shenseea who entered the stage from a jerk chicken grill coz she’s hot:
A lot of the audio on the Youtube streams sounds like the microphone is buried underneath the rubble of that Miami building that collapsed recently, respectfully.
Don Toliver had a great set and performance, probably my favorite so far… 🍄
4) JOEL OSTEEN IS RICH
A lot of people were mad this week about how rich the preacher Joel Osteen is and how many cars he has…
I don’t think God likes haters so I won’t hate. I totally understand the outrage and I remember when he locked the doors of his church during that storm but… I really don’t think people would listen to a broke preacher.
How are we supposed to follow you..and you ain’t getting to the bag? You coming to the sermon in the same suit from last week? I don’t know about all that.
GREAT
3) SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS WOKE
Sports Illustrated went super sexy woke this year for their Swimsuit edition by targeting every group that everyone has only recently in the last year and a half started to publicly care about…asian women, black women, trans women!
All of these ladies look absolutely gorgeous and are motivating me to continue with my diet and exercise regimen. Don’t you just love how media works hard to make us all feel great about ourselves? Lol.
2) LIL NAS X IS A MARKETING GENIUS
Lil Nas X deserves a Clio for his marketing prowess… I’ll be getting one soon as well. This man came out the gate bussin’. Trolling us all every step of the way, using real life as a roll out plan. This past Monday he went to court for his Nike lawsuit over those Devil Shoes. Early that morning he released this genius court promo skit for his new song. He channels Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy and general black genius:
Then on Friday he released the full music video: jail themed featuring lots of men in hot pink twerking naked behind bars.
Whether you like him or not doesn’t matter. He knows how to control the narrative. I’m the contrarian type of chick that likes to lean into the taboo…when you can laugh at whatever’s meant to hurt you… it no longer can.
I’m about to get “control the narrative,” tattooed on my throat, that’s how strongly I feel about it.
1) HBIC’S OF THE WEEK
This week’s HBIC are Jayla + Emani, the first ever black girl duo to win Harvard’s debate competition. Which makes no sense to me because as a fellow black girl…nobody can win a debate against us. It’s not even wise to try it.
Let us congratulate and uplift these young queens who will hopefully soon take over the world…because Lord knows the people in charge need an overhaul.
I am done here! PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE, WE ARE OFF NEXT WEEKEND TO ENJOY LIFE…
Sunday August 1st ~ Ya gets NOTHING, we are off to do hoodrat shit with our friends
Sunday August 8th~ We return with Volume 16 !!!!!!
Ya’ll be good now…ya hear?
XO
Baddie5000