Time Warp... 2020: Almeda | Solange x Playboi Carti x The Dream #BlackHistoryMonth

Brown liquor, brown liquor 

Brown skin, brown face 

Brown leather, brown sugar 

Brown leaves, brown keys 

Brown freckles, brown face 

Black skin, black braids 

Black waves, black days 

Black baes, black things 

These are black-owned things 

Black faith still can't be washed away...

As the 2024 Black History Month comes to an end, forget all the noise.  Just take a second to embrace... and be PROUD.

Related Post:  Time Warp...1979 : Ain't No Stopping Us Now | McFadden & Whitehead. #BlackHistoryMonth

Related Post:  10 Ways to Promote Black History All Year Long... #BlackHistoryMonth

{Watch} A$AP Rocky and Rihanna Release Short Fenty Film, "Born to Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours"

She was a classy dame

but she had odd ways of showing her affection...

Power couple A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have just released a short film, Born to Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours.  This supports their Fenty Skin Lux Balm collaboration.  The sleek and discreet balm is described as Barbados Cherry-powered with instant lip hydration.  The couple's love and chemistry is undeniable... even in an ad.  

Watch below:  

Meet Beatrice Gray: Organizer of the First Co-op Grocery Store in Washington D.C #BlackHistoryMonth

via Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum

In the 1960s, Beatrice Gray noticed her neighbors and residents in the Southeast (S.E) Washington D.C community lacked access to quality grocery food within their quarters.  She decided to make a change and take action.  Initially, Gray generated a food buyers' club of affordable quality fresh food for 18 months before becoming the main organizer of the first co-op grocery store in Washington D.C.

photo via Smithsonian

{Watch} Jeezy: Tiny Desk Concert

img via NPR

I've been excited for this one.  Tiny Desk' latest installment enlists no other than the Snowman himself, Jay "Jeezy" Jenkins.  He certainly has an extensive list of records to choose from for this set list.   I'm sure it was difficult, but decisions needed to be made.  Shoutout to the musicians.  They took these to a new height.  Check out the live performance after the jump!

- Standing Ovation

- Air Forces

- Bottom of the Map

- And Then What

- Go Crazy

- Everythang

{First Look} Louis Vuitton Presents their Latest Collection- Designed by Tyler, The Creator

Tyler has been my close friend and collaborator for years and we’ve always connected on music and design.  There are so many elements specific to Tyler built into these pieces and it’s been inspiring to see him hone in on his craft and collaborate with him for this Spring collection. 
-Pharrell Williams to GQ

Sprinkle some GOLF le FLEUR into Pharrell's Louis Vuitton creative state and out comes a compound of vibrant and identifiably stylish pieces.  From aviator jackets to pleated trousers, cable-knit jumpers to monogram headwear, and many many more, Tyler's first menswear collab with Louis Vuitton makes a commanding statement.  

Time Warp... 2003: Open Your Eyes, You Can Fly | Lizz Wright #BlackHistoryMonth

Cast away the chains of doubt

Have a courage to be free...

Don't cloud your eyes with other lies

See only what you want to see...

Open your eyes

you can FLY.

Related Post:  Time Warp...1984 : Black Butterfly | Deniece Williams #BlackHistoryMonth

Related Post:  Time Warp... 1973 : "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" | The Mad Lads ("Pirates" sample/ Rick Ross) #BlackHistoryMonth

APPLY NOW: Beyoncé Launches $500k Grants for Cosmetology Schools and Salons

Yesterday, following the launch of her highly anticipated hair care line, Cécred, Beyoncé announced a new financing opportunity available for the cosmetology world.  Cécred x BeyGOOD have partnered to fund $500,000 towards cosmetology school scholarships and salon business grants.  The Cécred x BeyGOOD Fund aims to celebrate the influence professional stylists have on hair health and the critical importance of advocating for the salon community.

Products officially became available worldwide on the Cécred website consisting of shampoo, conditioners, treatments, tools, accessories, and more.  The site, also, offers a hair quiz for consumers to determine which product would provide the best health care for their hair type.  

 Fostering talent, promoting professionalism, and supporting entrepreneurship within the hair industry is deeply important to us. 

Five specific cities were selected as scholarship and grant recipients for their largely diverse community of hair stylists.  Here are the details and how you can apply...

{Personal Post} PHOTOS: "New Balance Presents: Sounds of an Icon" Event

What 3 stacks say?  

DC got somethin to say.

-Dominick Adams/SOMEWHERE®  

- 

New Balance partnered with Hypebeast and Chela Mitchell Gallery to deliver a celebration for the craftsmanship of New Balance, within D.C, through an interactive event- 

"New Balance Presents: Sounds of an Icon"

It featured a gallery exhibition focused on Dominick "Dom" Adams of SOMEWHERE®  along with a panel discussion of D.C's style evolution between he, Ian Callender/entrepreneur- arts enthusiast, and sneaker collector- podcaster Abdul Fouzi.  It focused on what we all know, but some fail to admit, the dominancy of New Balance in its mecca Washington D.C, the rise of the 990 shoe, and importance of local entrepreneurship in preserving D.C’s identity.

  As an old classmate of mine mentioned there, "even homeless people wear new balances here".   New Balance has been a sneaker staple in Washington D.C since the 1970s... literally.  Let's dig into how the event in the capital city turned out through my lens.

{Watch} Designer LaQuan Smith Delivers a Cultured NYFW Show, featuring a Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Performance

Filippo Fior/GoRunway.com

Vogue: What is the Smith woman up to during the day? 

Smith: Well, she’s got shit to do.   She’s in charge, she’s going to work, she’s going to take you to court.   Where she’s going is up to her, but what Smith wants to make sure of is that “she looks damn good” doing it.

Bra-fxcking-vo, okay?

LaQuan Smith showcased his Fall 2024 NYFW collection in the heart of New York City's financial district.  The fashion show would enter a distinctive realm of 'Wall Street'.  Chic pinstripes, pencil skirts, plunging necklines, furs and so forth donned the runway leaving an impression on anyone with the pleasure of viewing.  The show began with ringing of the New York Stock Exchange Bell followed by a clip from Ronnie's infamous scene in The Players Club movie ... "All Eyes on Me... 

start the music".  It was at this moment, I knew I was in for a ride.  Now it's gets personal.

Busta Rhymes x Daughter Cacie

Available Now: Rapper YG's "Cherry Bomb" Natural Male Enhancement Supplements

Big bank take lil bank.  The 4HUNNID lifestyle brand, founded by YG, released a new supplement immediately following love day for male enhancement!  No chaser, Cherry Bomb was made to help increase the male performance in bed (without prescription).  Heightening pleasure and stimulating blood flow, this all natural supplement will intensify your desires.  

The NIKE x Megan Thee Stallion Collection is Here

It took a little while for me to understand what I wanted the collection to give.

...But it's giving and I'm excited to give it to the Hotties.

Their collaboration has been publicly brewing since 2021.  It's finally here.  Megan Thee Stallion's first Nike collection.  Sizes range from XS to 3X on the featured pieces of body suits, cropped t-shirts, biker shorts, non-padded sports bras, and bomber jacket.  What's a fit without shoes?  Supporters can customize their own Air Max 97 in three different Nike By You packs, curated by Thee Stallion herself.  

LeBron James and Maverick Carter Debut Men's Grooming Line, 'The Shop'

LA Business Journal

LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company have began the rollout for their upcoming men's grooming line.  The Shop, named after their Emmy-award winning show, collection was developed with Parlux and will feature hair, beard, and skincare products.  For specifics, products such as soothing shave cream, hydrating facial lotion, exfoliating face wash, styling pomade, moisturizers and more.  

WWD

Meet Dr. William Conan Davis: The Developer of Instant Mashed Potatoes and More #BlackHistoryMonth

Born in Waycross, GA on August 22, 1926, Dr. William Conan Davis served as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Korean War; receiving a Purple Heart in 1953.  In adolescent days, his father drove he and his brother Kenneth to the Tuskegee Institute to attend a workshop with thee George Washington Carver and Henry Ford.  It was here that his love for Chemistry blossomed.  Davis received a B.S. in Chemistry at Talladega College, a Masters of Science in Organic Chemistry at Tuskegee, and was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. at the University of Idaho.  Dr. William Conan Davis thesis research, contrary to irony, involved the potato.  He applied for the Industrial Research Dept. at Washington State to study the buildup of particles on saw blades in lumber mills.  He identified arabinogalactan, which at the time.. no one knew how to use.  Davis was able to isolate the substance within fried potato chips and added arabinogalactans to the potato mixtures.  There... Instant Mashed Potatoes was created.

Eve Gets Deep and Personal in Memoir, "Who's That Girl?"

They wanna know?!

Grammy Award winning, Multi-Platinum, Emmy nominated, rapper, singer, actress, songwriter, philanthropist, and entreprenuer... Eve.  The West Philadelphia native took her career by storm in 1999 and kept pushing forward with more accolades, more experiences, and now another title- Author.  

Written in collaboration with Kathy Landoli, Who's That Girl? will explore Eve's ups and downs with stardom and personal life, including reveals of behind the scene stories with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.  

I'm excited for people to get to know me on a deeper level.  This story is decades in the making.  

Dapper Dan x GAP Unveil Western-Inspired SS24 Campaign

You’ll see every single piece of this collection was created with love and intention down to the updated logo stitched inside each garment. We are in the present preparing for the future because this brand, this collaboration, is about bringing everybody together. We were some of the original cowboys. But we are also the faces of the world to come — we are the urban cowboys.

-Dapper Dan

The Spring 2024 Collection of DAP GAP has been unveiled and this time is full of western and denim inspired looks from head to toe.  Distinct in style, the capsule consists of 22 pieces including a new variation of the DAP GAP standard hoodie.  

At certain points in history, the hoodie had been used to represent the dark side of our culture, so this partnership with Gap presents it in a way that shows you can wear a hoodie and be fly, be international, and elegant.

Wu-Tang's RZA x Raekwon Announce Upcoming "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" w/ Live Symphony Show

via wireimage

It's been nearly 20 years since Raekwon released the classic and timeless, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.  Now, he and RZA have announced that fans will be able to enjoy the album through a different live experience.  Next week at Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver, CO, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra will back Raekwon and RZA for this unforgettable show.  

Last year, I was able to witness greatness at the Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) 30th Anniversary show, which was also backed by a live orchestra.

New Balance Launches "Reconsidered" Resale Program

With price gouging from resellers in all corners of the market including sneakers, New Balance has officially launched their own buy, sell, and trade program.  "Reconsidered" offers quality New Balance products that have been gently worn or unsellable as 'new'.

Before posting, each product is inspected by Tersus Solutions and cleaned, if needed.  Condition grades are assigned so the consumer will know the state of the product they're buying.  New Balance suggests "Reconsidered" is a small step with keeping products and materials in circulation longer.  

Time Warp... 2023: Golden Child (Jealous) | Cleo Sol #BlackHistoryMonth

img via LA Times

They're just jealous of your mind

They're just jealous cause you're kind

 ...They're just jealous of your soul

...Maybe it's because you glow

 ...'Cause you are a golden child 

God loves it when you smile.  

Related Post:  Time Warp... 1994: Brother Sister | Brand New Heavies #BlackHistoryMonth

Related Post:  Time Warp... 1975: Can't We Smile | Johnny Hammond ("Skybourne"/Currensy sample) #BlackHistoryMonth

Meet Marie Van Brittan Brown: The Inventor of the First Home Security System #BlackHistoryMonth

Marie Van Brittan Brown hails from Jamaica, Queens, NY.  Born in 1922, Brown started her career in nursing and married Albert Brown, an electronics technician.  Courtesy of the long work hours that come with that field, Brown would often return home late at night and/or was alone.  She contemplated on how she could figure out a way to see help increase safety within her home.

In 1966, Brown was assisted by her husband with inventing a home security system.  The system included a sliding camera, tv monitors, microphones, and peepholes.  In addition, she had a remote that allowed her to unlock the doors at a distance and an emergency button she could press to alert police or security.  

The Kennedy Center is Celebrating J Dilla and Duke Ellington With a Special One-Night-Only Show

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. will present a special one-night-only event celebrating Hip Hop and Jazz in lieu of the respective icons: J Dilla and Duke Ellington.  Led and conducted by Derrick Hodge, the Black Radio Orchestra and Grammy-Award winning Robert Glasper will hit the stage for the Duke x Dilla Celebration.  

Moncler Releases Roc Nation Collab Designed by Jay-Z

Their partnership premiered last year during London Fashion Week at The Art of Genius immersive event.  Pushing their theme that 'genius' is everywhere, the visual ad for the Moncler x Roc Nation collection (with narration by SAINt Jhn) features an inspiring story of the urban 'mountain climb' to convey their message.  

The pieces contained stick with a specific color palette and intricate details.  Catch the ad and more photos from the Mens collection after the jump!

{Trailer} PBS Highlights the Impact of Gospel Music in New Two Part Docu-Series

Just remember.  God's strength.  Is always around.

For decades and decades, Gospel music has been a driving force in the Black community.  You can find influence in not only the artists, but the Blues, Hip Hop, Jazz, and R&B genres as a whole.  

PBS takes us on the journey from the pulpit to the music waves; the story of Black spirituality.  Watch the extended trailer for "GOSPEL" below: