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She’s long stood accused of cultural appropriation, but that hasn’t stopped Gwen Stefani’s career. The singer entered the music scene as the lead singer of Rock group No Doubt in the 1990s and after the band reached mega-success, Stefani ventured off as a solo artist where she dominated the Pop scene. She borrowed looks and mannerisms from Hip Hop and had an entire movement with her band of Japanese “Harajuku Girls” who traveled with her from coast to coast. Stefani donned traditional Japanese attire and changed her makeup to fit the style, but not everyone was thrilled about the look.

For decades, Stefani has faced backlash and criticism, even as recently as her music video for “Slow Clap” featuring Saweetie, but the Pop star sat down with Paper Magazine to address the controversy, citing her “deep fascination” with Japan and being “inspired” by the culture.

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“If you read the actual lyrics [in ‘What You Waiting For?’], it talks about being a fan of Japan and how if I do good, I get to go back there,” she told the publication. “I never got to have dancers with No Doubt. I never got to change costumes. I never got to do all of those fun girl things that I always love to do. So I had this idea that I would have a posse of girls — because I never got to hang with girls — and they would be Japanese, Harajuku girls, because those are the girls that I love. Those are my homies. That’s where I would be if I had my dream come true, I could go live there and I could go hang out in Harajuku.”

Paper noted that years ago actress and comedian Margaret Cho compared the Harajuku Girls with Stefani to a minstrel show. “If we didn’t buy and sell and trade our cultures in, we wouldn’t have so much beauty, you know?” Stefani said. “We learn from each other, we share from each other, we grow from each other. And all these rules are just dividing us more and more… I think that we grew up in a time where we didn’t have so many rules. We didn’t have to follow a narrative that was being edited for us through social media, we just had so much more freedom.”

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She recently came forward to defend her real estate purchases, it’s being reported that Patrice Cullors is leaving her position with the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. We previously reported on the controversy surrounding information that Cullors purchased multiple properties in Georgia and California to the tune of $3 million and soon, anti-Black Lives Matter advocates accused the activist of skimming funds from the foundation. However, Cullors bit back and stated she didn’t take money from the organization, citing her work as an artist, best-selling author, and various other ventures.

Even after the finances for BLMGNF were broken down for the public, the scandal remained. On Thursday (May 27), Cullors made the official announcement of her departure from the organization on Instagram where she shared in a video that she would now be focusing her time on a television deal as well as a new book.

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“For over seven and a half years, I was in the day-to-day of that organization, working with our chapters, working alongside elected officials, challenging the police,” said Cullors. “At the end of 2019, many of don’t know this, I actually stepped back. I didn’t make a public announcement. I really wanted to see the next generation of leadership lead. And when the uprising happened last year, folks inside of Black Lives Matter asked me to come back and I had to really think about it.”

“It’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of responsibility, I love the work and so yes, I came back,” she continued. “It was always supposed to be interim and so, now is my time… I’ve created the infrastructure and the support, and the necessary bones and foundation, so that I can leave,” Cullors said. “It feels like the time is right.” Cullors assured viewers that there are “amazing, competent” folks at the helm of BLMGNF and she looks forward to what’s to come. Check out her video below.

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A post shared by Patrisse Cullors-Brignac (@osopepatrisse)

Destiny’s Child members, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, reunited this week to discuss the release of Williams’ new book Checking In: How Getting Real About Depression Saved My Life And Can Save Yours, and visit with Rowland’s new son Noah. In the Instagram posts revealing their mini reunion, which include pictures of the trio as well as audio clips from their hangout, they discuss the impact of Williams’ book as well as the member’s battle with depression during her run with the group.

When asked by fellow member Beyoncé what she hopes people learn from the book, Williams states: “It’s okay to not be okay and it’s okay to tell somebody you’re not okay.” She also admits to wishing she would have opened up to the other members about her mental health earlier: “Because I obviously — I should have done that with y’all. I’ve been open about a lot of things but I never was really truthful with how I really was. Even though y’all have proven to be safe — friends, safe sisters. Sometimes people have to know that you’re not going to be looked at differently if you say, ‘Y’all I’ve been sad too long.’ It amplifies one’s bravery and gives them courage. Like oh it’s okay.” 

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Knowles then responds with “I just know Kelly and I feel so honored that we are now your safe place where you can express any and everything. And we know that you are that for us and you’ve always been that for us.” The audio ends touchingly with the singers reminiscing about the cherished friendship and experience they have with each other, with Williams offering: “I’m thankful, so thankful for connection. This is 20 years, y’all of relationship.”

Despite the mental health focus of the link up, Beyoncé fans will be happy to know that the singer has new music in the works while jokingly freestyling.

Check out the Instagram posts below.

Will you be reading Williams’ new book?

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There has been increased awareness regarding mental health and many rappers are lending their voices to the cause. Discussions were already being had about taking care of one’s emotional and mental health, but after enduring a global pandemic and subsequent yearlong quarantine, people are becoming much more vocal. Joey Badass recently sat down with journalist Kim Taylor Bennett for the Best Advice Podcast, and the rapper spoke about the “taboo” topic and how he’s approaching taking care of himself.

“Well Emotional Intelligence 2.0 like it changed me, right,” Joey said of the acclaimed book by Jean Greaves and Travis Bradberry. “I feel like every day, even just with the topic of mental health, is such a taboo topic, it’s such an invisible thing.”

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“It’s such a hard thing to just grasp, and pinpoint,” he added. “Like, there’s people that we talk to every day that we would never even know are going through extreme mental pitfalls with the Emotional Intelligence book I feel like it really brought in my awareness on just picking up on, on nonverbal cues and stuff like that from the people that are in my life every day. Even understanding my own emotions and, and you know, how to deal with that.”

“And you know, just the ties to it as being a young Black man in America and how like… We grew up feeling like we had to throw off our emotions or ignore them. It gave me just a new perspective on embracing those feelings and embracing and those thoughts and understanding like, why I was feeling certain ways that I feel or why other people who feel the certain way they feel or why they might even say things and it be like, really covering up things that are way under the surface, that they really are trying to get out.”

Check out the episode below and listen to what else Joey Badass had to say about balancing fatherhood and his career, ditching an Obama movie gig to perform at Coachella, and much more.