Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are officially parents of two. According to TMZ, Rihanna gave birth on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles. A name is currently unknown, but it does start with an R and is a boy.
A source close to Rihanna confirmed the birth to PEOPLE, stating Rihanna now feels her family is complete. “Rihanna feels her family is now complete” and “it’s something she’s always wanted.”
“She loves being a mom, so this is where her mind is at the moment,” the source added.
In July, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky continued to give parenting goals. The two were in Barbados, and Rihanna shared an image of Rocky holding their son, RZA.
In the picture, Rocky lifts RZA in the sky. She captioned the post “my Bajan boyz.”
Rihanna revealed her second pregnancy while performing for the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show. A baby bump poked through Rihanna’s red jumpsuit as she performed classics like “Umbrella,” “Diamonds,” and more. A rep for Rihanna confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that she is pregnant. Speaking with NFL Network analyst Nate Burleson, Rihanna teased a surprise appearance during her performance. That appearance was her new baby.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are officially parents of two. According to TMZ, Rihanna gave birth on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles. A name is currently unknown, but it does start with an R and is a boy.
Earlier this month, Rihanna and her first son RZA starred in the new maternity capsule campaign for Savage X Fenty. The collection includes the Savage Not Sorry Lace Maternity Bralette, the Savage X Cotton Maternity Bralette, and the Floral Lace Maternity Bralette. Additionally, there is a “MAKE MORE BABIES” t-shirt.
Rihanna also strolled down memory lane, dropping a collection of images from her first pregnancy, which she calls “Rub on ya titties.”
in honor of my first pregnancy, embracing motherhood like a g, and the magic that this body made! Baby RZA… he in there not having a clue how nuts his mama is, or how obsessed he was bout to make me #maternityshoot2022 #tobecontinued
In July, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky continued to give parenting goals. The two were in Barbados, and Rihanna shared an image of Rocky holding their son, RZA.
In the picture, Rocky lifts RZA in the sky. She captioned the post “my Bajan boyz.”
Rihanna revealed her second pregnancy while performing for the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show. A baby bump poked through Rihanna’s red jumpsuit as she performed classics like “Umbrella,” “Diamonds,” and more. A rep for Rihanna confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that she is pregnant. Speaking with NFL Network analyst Nate Burleson, Rihanna teased a surprise appearance during her performance. That appearance was her new baby.
Aoki Lee Simmons, the youngest daughter of Russell Simmons has had a tumultuous relationship with her dad just cropped him outof a photo he posted on Instagram.
Aoki just turned 21 years old and shared a series of pictures on Instagram marking her milestone birthday.In a post dedicated to Aoki, Russell shared one of the pictures his daughter shared, except he was in the picture posted on his own page, but not on the one posted on Aoki’s. Swipe below.
Fans noticed the cropped photo and wondered if the father/daughter duo is still on bad terms after their public spat. Aoki’s mother Kimora Lee jumped in to defend her children on Instagram live.
In his tribute posted on instagram, Russell wrote:
Dearest @aokileesimmons
on the eve of your 21st birthday …i want to send u all of my love ..This morning i was reflecting on all of the mornings that we meditated together and then went to school i thought of how i would catch u with your eyes open .:and how u mother would come in and give u a stern look after which u would sit stiller and go deeper this was a team effort what an amazing job she did .:for sure you are greater and more perfect then i could have hoped for You are smart thoughtful ,grown and very ready to face this next chapter of your life im so proud of you and Iam amazed at all you do and have become .:Remember to remember this .:im here .|iam always here and i will tell you this again .:/you are safe, and you have nothing to prove or live up to ALL is in perfect order so rest in Gods perfection and make your happiness your priority IM ALWAYS HERE UNCONDITIONALLY YOUR LOVING DAD
A Georgia teacher was fired for reading a book about gender identity to her fifth-grade class.
The Cobb County School Board voted 4-3 on Thursday night to fire fifth-grade teacher Katie Rinderle over the book “My Shadow is Purple” which she purchased at the school’s book fair.
Rinderle had been on paid leave until the school board made its decision. Her dismissal is effective immediately, 11 Alive News reported.
Rinderle read the book to her fifth-grade students, ages 9 and 10, at Due West Elementary school in March.
She said her students chose the book from several options for her to read – even though they are old enough to read.
“My Shadow is Purple” features a non-binary boy character whose “shadow” wears a dress. The book focuses on challenging society’s gender norms.
After reading to her class, Rinderle and the students discussed the book’s subject.
“That’s what our conversation was really focusing on … the power of not only embracing your unique differences and abilities, but then valuing those in others and learning from those,” Rinderle said in a video from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Less than a month after giving her students an assignment on gender identity, a parent complained to the Cobb County School District.
The school district said her choice of book violated Georgia’s Divisive Concepts Law, which was passed in 2022. The law gives parents more control over what’s taught in the classroom.
Rinderle’s attorney, Craig Goodmark, said teachers statewide don’t know what’s legal under the new law.
“The legislature has teachers in fear for their jobs, they don’t know what they can say and what they can’t say,” he told 11 Alive News.
“It’s impossible for a teacher to know what’s in the minds of parents when she starts her lesson,” he added.
“And for parents to be able, with a political agenda from outside the classroom, to come in and have a teacher fired, is simply unfair, it’s not right, and it’s terrible for Georgia’s education system.”
Rinderle’s termination hearing was held on Aug. 10. A disciplinary panel recommended that she keep her job. But the Cobb County School District rejected their recommendation, according to Fox 5 News.
Goodmark said he and a teacher’s union will consider appealing the termination and/or filing a wrongful termination lawsuit.
He added that Rinderle’s teacher’s license is not affected and she could go to work for another school district.
At the intersection of Black August and Hip Hip 50, The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), in partnership with the Friends of Art Park Alliance (FAPA) hosted its 5th Annual AFRIBEMBÉ FESTIVAL: Black to the Future!last weekend.
A celebration of music, culture, and Black liberation, the daylong festival of Pan-African artistry, expression, and intergenerational exchange, was held at the Harlem Art Park and on E 120th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues.
CCCADI’s 5th annual AFRIBEMBÉ FESTIVAL harnessed the power of its theme, Black to the Future, to elevate Afrofuturism from a global Diasporic lens with Africa at the center with more than 1000 community members in attendance.
This AFRIBEMBÉ made a special call to remember that our ancestors consistently pushed toward creating a future that stretched beyond the reality of their present.
AFRIBEMBÉ’s featured artists and DJ lineup utilized global Diasporic rhythms and sounds to move festivalgoers through statements of Black identity, agency, and freedom. Featured artists that graced the Bembé Stage included Grammy-nominated Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez (presented in partnership with National Jazz Museum in Harlem), Combo Chimbita, Chimurenga Renaissance, Imani Uzuri, Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble, Chief Awosánmí Sékou Alájé, and DJ Bembona. Rasu Jilani served as the event’s MC.
Through artivism activities in the Family Village, the SoulFull Food Plaza, and the Ujamaa Marketplace, AFRIBEMBÉ’s intention was to inspire the community to envision and create a liberated future for the entire African Diaspora.
Bembé is an African word carried throughout the Diaspora with various meanings. From drumming to rhythm to party, we use the word Bembé as one of the terms that connect our Diaspora together in music, joy, and community.
Last month, several of pop star Lizzo’s former dancers filed a lawsuit against her claiming they were sexually harassed and working under hostile conditions. Explicit stories of events had fans wondering if the rumors were true. Now, Lizzo’s current dancers speak up in support. In a heartwarming letter posted on Instagram they wrote:
“We have been so honored to share the stage with such amazing talent. The commitment to character and culture taking precedence over every movement and moment has been one of the Greatest lessons and Blessings that we could possibly ask for,” the post said.
“THANK YOU to Lizzo for shattering limitations and kicking in the door way for the Big Grrrl & Big Boiii Dancers to do what we love! You have created a platform where we have been able to parallel our Passion with a purpose!” it continued.
Ron Zambrano, the attorney representing the former dancers who filed the lawsuit, responded in a statement Friday saying it was “understandable that current employees would gush about her. They want to keep their jobs and maintain access to her global celebrity. But the comments change nothing about the allegations in the lawsuit.”
Zambrano said his firm has heard from at least 10 former Lizzo employees who’ve come forward with similar stories of abuse and harassment about the singer since the suit was filed Aug. 1.
“Some of them will certainly be actionable,” he said. “Lizzo’s job now is to try to do everything she can to limit the damage to her brand and save her career. Our job is to vigorously litigate this case on behalf of the plaintiffs based on the facts and we’re confident the truth will prevail over the spin.”
Journalist-turned-filmmaker dream Hampton joined the Source as a 19-year-old photo editor, and he first opinion piece she wrote for the publication in 1991 covered N.W.A.’s Dr. Dre alleged assault against journalist Dee Barnes. Now she serves as the executive producer to Netflix’s ‘Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip Hop’.
Fast forward to in 2019, Hampton served as executive producer of the record-breaking Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly.” Hampton’s work sparked national interest in Kelly’s crimes against young women. Kelly is now serving nearly 30 years in prison for child sex abuse, sex trafficking and racketeering.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Hampton who has always been a voice for women spoke on the change for women in hip hop.
“I will say that there’s never been a more exciting time for women in hip-hop than right now. That whole one at a time thing, the idea that you had to be embedded in a crew or had to be co-signed by a man? All of that is gone. I have no idea who co-signed Cardi B. If Lil Wayne and them co-signed Nicki, it is so far in the rearview of her story, I can barely remember it. Let alone all these other rappers, like Latto, Ice Spice, Chika. I don’t know who they belong to.“
“It’s a classic feminist question. You have to be claimed in the public space in order to be safe. And particularly when you’re talking about some hypermasculine arena like hip-hop. These women belong to themselves in this moment, which is so beautiful to me. Back then, when that kind of stuff mattered, Ms. Melodie belonged to KRS-One. Sister Souljah belonged to Public Enemy. Yo-Yo belonged to Ice Cube. And I know they would not like to be described that way, but in the public imagination, that’s absolutely what it was.“
Last week social media had a field day with the Montgomery brawl in Alabama which resulted in several arrests and even more memes. The crew from the Harriott II Riverboat in Montgomery, Alabama famously came to the defense of dock captain Damien Pickett after he was jumped by a group of thugs who refused to abide by the rules.
Now singer Stephanie Mills has vowed to help with their legal fees.
She went on Twitter to share:
Wow!!! @ampharris this is super cool. You surprised me with this post. “Let’s do the right thing” is a song I recorded back in 2021. Something about our people and motivating us to support each other. Love for #MontgomeryAlabama
Wow!!! @ampharris this is super cool. You surprised me with this post. “Let’s do the right thing” is a song I recorded back in 2021. Something about our people and motivating us to support each other. Love for #MontgomeryAlabamapic.twitter.com/ib0NrJvNGZ
A brawl took place at Riverfront Park in Montgomery, Alabama.
Reportedly, a group of white men attacked a black dock worker after he asked them to move their boat. In response, a group of black men intervened to defend the worker.
Queen Beyoncé is having the best year ever. So far, we’ve witnessed everyone from Oprah to Madonna sing praise to what is arguably one of the greatest shows ever. After 33 shows, box office data shows, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour has become the high-grossing tour of her career, with $295,676,504 in sales.
This becomes the highest-grossing tour of all time by a black artist, breaking the record set by her own Formation World Tour. Set to make $500,000,000 in ticket sales, I can’t help but to think about the adversity she overcame back when she silently fought through senseless rumors. If we learn anything from this ray of light we learned that naysayers and opinions don’t mean a thing when you stay disciplined and focused.
This tour tells a story with so many hidden gems that calling it a show doesn’t even do it justice—it’s an experience. One that you don’t want to miss. Creative thinkers, movers and shakers have been showing up by the boatloads to get a glimpse of this epic performance. Lenny Kravitz, Naomi Campbell, Pharrell Williams, Kelly Rowland, Salma Hayek, Kris and Kylie Jenner, Kandi, Megan Thee Stallion, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Amy Schumer, Ashley Graham and more have made this a priority in their schedule much like the rest of us.
I remember a time when they couldn’t pronounce her name correctly.
Now my 7-year-old daughter Felicity is envisioning her own future after we went to see Beyonce perform at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. We both sang and danced through tears amazed at the legend my daughter (and myself) look up to. For three hours straight we watched her consistency, perfection, stamina and creativity in a way the world has never seen before. After growing up with every image but my own in the spotlight, it’s breathtaking to witness this greatness from Beyonce (and Blue Ivy) with my own black princess.
It’s safe to say this generation has a new Michael Jackson in town…and her name is Beyoncé.
The birth of Hip-Hop infused a flavor element into the world that not everyone was prepared for. As hip hop turns 50 years old today, huge corporations, giant companies, and everyone in between is celebrating a genre of music that once was deemed a fad. No one could anticipate the soul-filled, compassionate talent that would soon become a force to be reckoned.
As a self-certified hip-hop head myself, I personally feel a sense of gratitude for the music that raised me. As a troubled child abandoned by my parents and raised by my granny, I always searched for something to love. My grandma, her mother, and my aunt raised me in the church, hoping to keep me from falling to the streets and setting a solid foundation that would one day come in handy. Hip-Hop wasn’t played in my home, and the first glimpse I received was from my older brother, who was seven years my senior and brought my first Janet Jackson Control tape from the mall. One day in 1986, when I was just seven years old, I went to my father’s side of the family, which was a lot more colorful, to say the least. My cousin Sharon ushered me to her grandma’s old wooden record player and played ‘La Di Da Di’ by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh. We played the record the entire day. I was sad to go home because none of that was cooking in my house, and I wanted more. I found my aunt Mildred’s electric can opener, which had a radio attached to it, and discovered DJ Red Alert, and it was over. I was addicted to hip-hop. My big brother, who was way cooler than me, would tell me what was ‘real’ and who was biting, and I listened. For the next few years, I soaked up every snare, R&B remix, and lyric hip hop had to offer. I’d race home to adjust the hanger on the TV to watch Video Music Box on that in-between channel, and that was the highlight of my day. But when I fixed my brother’s broken cassette tape and popped his NWA Niggaz4Life in my headphones—I couldn’t believe the nasty filth that came out of their mouths. And I loved it. I would rap all the lyrics in school and church to my friends and indefinitely get into trouble after.
Hip-Hop kept me busy and somewhat out of trouble. I waited for the hottest releases and saved up money for what are now considered classics. For me, it was Queen Latifah who inserted a pride into me I never had before. MC Lyte’s style and flow let me know it was OK to be different. I even listened to everyone from Snow Informer to Lil Vicious Freaks against my older brother’s advice because I listened to it all.
When my mother resurfaced back into my life seven years later, and I moved to New York City, and could never fathom how far hip-hop would carry me. From working at the Mart 125 on 125th Street at 14 years old doing nails for Dr. Khalid Muhammad and Bobby Brown to meeting Monifah and Marquee there, who introduced Kelis and I to a new producer named Pharrell. From working at Rawkus Records and traveling the world with Talib Kweli, Slaughterhouse, Kelis, and MF DOOM to hosting a hit show on XM radio with one of my favorite journalists, Bonz Malone, called Spitkickers where we had classic rappers freestyle live on air to now writing at the magazine I once hoarded.
As hip-hop turns 50 years old, I want to thank ALL the hip-hop artists who spent countless hours in the studio and away from their families creating music that we connected to….music that made us feel, love, and gave many of us a reason to live.
From The Notorious B.I.G., Salt N Pepa, J.J. Fad, Public Enemy, Nas, Black Sheep, Wu-Tang, Lil Kim, DMX to Royce Da 5’9”, The Roots, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, 2pac, M.O.P., The Lox,—-too many to name.
We Salute and love you, and we give a huge Happy Bornday to HIP HOP!
Check out some of the hip-hop songs below that changed my life.
• Bingo! https://t.co/drBTSdyFop
(@aokileesimmons)
