Academy Award, Grammy and Emmy-winning artist Common takes fans behind the scenes of the official music video for “The Light,” in the latest installment of Vevo Footnotes, premiering today. The exclusive content is part of Vevo’s celebration to honor the historic 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop – more details here.
“Thank you Vevo for always supporting my work, this is dope to be a part of Vevo Footnotes. This is the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, and man…hip-hop has changed my life in ways that I can’t even fathom. I thank God for hip-hop, and thank y’all for celebrating ‘The Light’ and including it in Footnotes for the celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. Peace.” – Common
In the episode, Common pays tribute to J Dilla, delves into how Erykah Badu influenced the song’s message about the different dimensions of love and shares how, as a Southside Chicago dude, he initially felt uncomfortable about not wearing socks during the music video shoot. Additionally, Common discusses “The Light” being one of his greatest videos, his favorite line in the song and how proud he is that so many people have told him they’ve played the song at their weddings.
According to reports, Sonovah Hillman Jr., the daughter of late rap legend DMX, is slated to drop a four-part docu-series to bring awareness to drug addiction and the deadly substance fentanyl, which has caused countless overdose deaths in the U.S. over the past decade.
The video used to promote Hillman’s series on GoFundMe was rooted in a 10-week D.A.R.E. program, where she discussed the people in her family that she lost due to addiction, saying, “I lost my aunt and uncle to a fentanyl overdose and my dad to drug addiction. Fentanyl is affecting every gender, race, class, and age group.”
In another part of the video, the 10-year-old Hillman explained why she chose to share her experiences with other children, saying, “I wanted to talk to other kids whose parents had died from an overdose or are still currently using,” said Hillman. She went on to say, “I came up with the idea to do a four-part docuseries on fentanyl and drug addiction. I wanted to talk to people about their experience, trauma, feelings and come up with a solution to healing.”
Bad Boys 4 is on the way! Will Smith hit social media and revealed he has linked back up with Martin Lawrence, and pre-production on their fourth film is underway.
The film is in pre-production at Sony Pictures, returning Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to the director chair.
Bad Boys for Life hit theaters in a pre-pandemic world, bringing in over $400 million at the worldwide box office. According to Deadline, the film had a four-day opening of $73 million.
Back producing are Jerry Bruckheimer, Doug Belgrad, Smith for Westbrook, and Chad Oman; executive producing are Martin Lawrence, James Lassiter, Mike Stenson, Barry Waldman, and Jon Mone.
You People is a Netflix smash. The new movie starring Eddie Murphy, Jonah Hill, Lauren London, and Nia Long was watched by 2.8 million households from Friday, Jan. 27 to Sunday, Jan. 29.
The movie is now the second biggest movie premier of the past six months for the streaming service.
The approximately 3 million households attraction for You People was second only to The Gray Man, which launched in summer 2022. According to Samba TV, You People even outperformed the current Oscar candidate Glass Onion in its opening weekend.
Philadelphia, PA over-indexed the most (+60%) of the top 25 largest DMAs, followed by Atlanta, GA (+35%) and Detroit, MI (+20%). You People outperformed Gen Z (A20-24) and millennial (A25-34) households by 8% and 3%, respectively. It was significantly over-indexed with Black households (59%), and somewhat with Hispanic households (2%).
“Netflix’s latest star-packed rom-com ‘You People’ struck gold with audiences this weekend, blowing past the opening audience numbers of ‘Glass Onion’ to become the second biggest movie premiere for the streamer in the past six months in initial two-day viewership. Led by legendary comedian Eddie Murphy, ‘You People’ drew nearly 3 million households in its first weekend on Netflix, the most viewers for any recent Netflix original movie since this summer’s ‘The Gray Man.’
“Helmed by Black-ish creator Kenya Barris, the movie particularly resonated with Black households, who were overwhelmingly more likely to watch the movie than the national average – 59% more likely in fact, with The City of Brotherly Love, Atlanta, and Detroit all significantly over-indexing the national average viewership by strong double digits. Younger audiences were also drawn into the rom-com, including Gen Z and millennial households who also over-indexed in viewership.
“Recognizing the cross generational and diverse appeal of Eddie Murphy, Netflix leaned in and heavily-promoted the movie with prime placements during the Eagles vs. 49ers football game which no doubt helped lift overall discovery and drive tune in this weekend.”
The infamous stories of Rick James and the Murphy brothers, Eddie and Charlie, will forever be intertwined with The Dave Chappelle Show and his “Real Hollywood Stories”, but the living legend appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to explain how the 80s disco hit “Party All The Time” by Eddie Murphy feat. Rick James even came to fruition.
The Trading Places actor detailed how he ended up staying at James’ house in Buffalo past the time allotted to record the track due to a huge snowstorm.
“We were snowed in for two weeks,” Murphy explained. “We were supposed to go up for the weekend. I went up there to record ‘Party All The Time’ …maybe the most fun I ever had…one of my fondest memories.”
T.I. is undoubtedly the King of the South and a Hip-Hop legend. If you were to ask him who he is a combination of, his answer would be four titans of our genre: JAY-Z, 2Pac, Diddy and Snoop Dogg.
During an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, T.I. revealed that he sees his legends in his composition.
“I see myself as a hybrid kind of between, I guess, Jay, ‘Pac, Puff and like a Snoop, you know what I’m saying?” T.I. said. “I kind of hop in and out and take pages out of the book of legends, and I’ve been fortunate enough and blessed enough to be able to have these relationships where I could sit and engage and soak up game.”
T.I. would give more love to people like E-40, Master P, Jay Prince, and more in the conversation.
In the same conversation, T.I. recalled the year 2007, when he found himself alongside Denzel Washington in the film classic American Gangster.
T.I. played the nephew of Washington’s character, Frank Lucas, who was ditching a promising baseball future aside to join the family drug business.
T.I. recalls the moment Washington coached him through a scene and helped him combat his nerves.
“As we’re rehearsing I’m pacing back and forth,” T.I. said. “And he said, ‘What’s up, n-gga, You nervous?’ I’m like, ‘Man, I’m just making sure I don’t mess it up.’
“He said, ‘Here man, listen. They could have had anybody in here doing what you’re doing right now. They could have anybody in the world, they could have called anybody right here to do what you’re doing.’”
You can check out the full conversation below.
Flash forward to today, T.I. is still in his acting bag. Hitting theaters this weekend, T.I. will star alongside Power’s Joseph Sikora in the psychological horror film, Fear.
This psychological horror film follows a group of friends who gather for that typical friends weekend getaway at a remote and historic hotel. Their celebration takes a terrifying quick and sudden turn as each one of the guests has to face their own worst fear one by one thanks to a powerful force inside the hotel. The trailer shows the group sharing their biggest fears—some of which we can all relate to.
T.I. has done a bit of everything in his storied career. In 2007, he found himself alongside Denzel Washington in the film classic American Gangster.
T.I. played the nephew of Washington’s character, Frank Lucas, who was ditching a promising baseball future aside to join the family drug business.
Appearing on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, T.I. recalls the moment Washington coached him through a scene and helped him combat his nerves.
“As we’re rehearsing I’m pacing back and forth,” T.I. said. “And he said, ‘What’s up, n-gga, You nervous?’ I’m like, ‘Man, I’m just making sure I don’t mess it up.’
“He said, ‘Here man, listen. They could have had anybody in here doing what you’re doing right now. They could have anybody in the world, they could have called anybody right here to do what you’re doing.’”
Flash forward to today, T.I. is still in his acting bag. Hitting theaters this weekend, T.I. will star alongside Power’s Joseph Sikora in the psychological horror film, Fear.
This psychological horror film follows a group of friends who gather for that typical friends weekend getaway at a remote and historic hotel. Their celebration takes a terrifying quick and sudden turn as each one of the guests has to face their own worst fear one by one thanks to a powerful force inside the hotel. The trailer shows the group sharing their biggest fears—some of which we can all relate to.
The girls are going to Ghana. The ultimate friend group of Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall, and Tiffany Haddish will reunite for a sequel to Girl Trip, this time sending the leading ladies to Ghana.
During Sundance Festival, Writer-director-producer Tracy Oliver pulled up on Variety Studio to talk about the second season of Harlem but let out an update on Girls Trip 2. Oliver stated she had a “definitive ‘Girls Trip 2’ update. That it’s officially happening. I can say that.”
Oliver would then add the film would be set in Ghana, and producer Will Packer may not be happy about the leak.
The original Girls Trip premiered in 2017 and grossed $140 million worldwide.
Montana Tucker is here to use her platform for the greater good, and she’s just released her most vulnerable piece of art to date. On January 18th, the same date as her 30th birthday, she unveiled her new series titled How To: Never Forget, with a mission to educate the masses on the Holocaust and how detrimental it was to humanity.
With both her grandparents being Holocaust survivors, Tucker takes viewers with her as she travels to Poland for the first time to learn about her family’s history and the horrific reality of how the Jews were treated. The name How To: Never Forget derives from her grandparents’ mission to always “NEVER FORGET and “NEVER AGAIN.”
Tucker’s mission? To end hate for ALL people.
For those who may not be familiar, Tucker is an Award-winning singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, social media personality, and philanthropist who’s here to empower from every angle. Having entered the entertainment industry at age eight, her breakout moment arrived as she took home the trophy at the World Hip Hop Championships, competing against dancers from all over the globe. To date, she’s backup danced for Ashanti, Remy Ma, and Ashlee Simpson.
Tucker is currently signed to Pitbull’s Mr. 305 record label as a recording artist. She’s had the pleasure of opening up for legendary acts such as Lil Wayne and Ciara, and her collaborative single “Turn it Up” featuring Flo Rida remains a fan favorite.
Boasting 2.8 million followers on Instagram and 8.8 million followers on TikTok, Tucker is usually known for her fun, happy dance videos, dancing in the middle of the road on Hollywood Blvd., or something crazy. However, her own experiences online as a Jewish person has been met with much hate and backlash, ironically arriving amidst the recent rise of anti-Semitism.
We were all shocked when Kanye West publicly professed his love for Adolf Hitler. NBA player Kyrie Irving was even suspended for supporting a documentary containing anti-Semitism remarks (he has since apologized).
Just one day prior, Youtube hosted an exclusive screening of How To: Never Forget at the Youtube offices in Los Angeles, paired with a Q&A with Montana Tucker.
“I didn’t know what the impact was by posting it,” Tucker shares. “I had no idea what it was going to do. I’ve had people unfollow me for posting that I’m Jewish before. I posted lighthearted pictures of my grandparents and I’ve had literally thousands of unfollows and people saying, ‘Of course, you’re making this about you, you Jew.’ Or ‘the Holocaust never existed.’ So I didn’t know what to expect.”
One thing to note is this film has been in production for over a year and was certainly not planned with the recent turn of events.
“The anti-semitism has always been here, but this is before the recent public rise in anti-semitism we decided to do this,” Montana explains. “It was basically a year of planning to go on this trip. We went back to Poland in June, and we had no script. I don’t know if any of you in the audience have seen Holocaust documentaries, you’ve heard the stories, you hear them from survivors, but nothing can prepare you for that moment of physically going there and being there.”
How To: Never Forget is broken into ten parts, with each clip only a few minutes long. With Tucker’s primary audience being Gen Z, she intentionally created bite-size pieces of content for her viewers to connect and resonate with, given the emotional heaviness of the subject matter.
The video begins with a photo of Tucker alongside her grandparents and a staggering statistic: “During the Holocaust, the Nazis and their collaborators executed the largest genocide in history, killing more than 6 million Jews during World War 2.”
“Both my grandparents are Holocaust survivors, and anyone that knows me knows I’ve always been extremely attached to my grandparents,” Tucker states. “Obsessed with them. I wear my grandpa’s jewelry; this is his ring. This is his bracelet, his jewelry I never take off. My grandpa Zadie is always with me. He passed away three years ago at 97, and my grandma is still alive at 94 with Alzheimer’s for a little over 14 years.”
Tucker also admitted this was “the hardest trip of her life, but the most important thing she’s ever done.” How To: Never Forget is solely for Youtube, releasing one episode a day leading up to Holocaust Remembrance Day at the end of this month.
Montana closes, “This is an extremely, extremely important series and I really thank you all for being here. This series is not only what happened to the Jewish people, this is something that is really resonating with all ethnicities, all religions, all people of different sexual preferences. Something I always stand for is no hate for any human being. You judge a person if they’re a good person or a bad person, not because of the color of their skin, their ethnicity, their race, their sexual preference.”
And while the series focuses on Tucker’s family history, her intent is for everyone to come together and unite for peace. Tucker has been actively speaking her truth at various public schools and will continue to stand for what’s right.
How To: Never Forget costars her mother, Michelle Tucker, who was also in the front row for the screening. She also greatly thanks Tiffany Matloob, Global Head of Creator Community for YouTube Shorts, for making this collaboration happen.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will get released in China after the nation has lifted a ban on Marvel Movies. Citizens of China will also get to see Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania once it releases next month.
According to Variety, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will hit theaters in China on Feb. 7, with the latest edition of Ant-Man coming to theaters on Feb. 17, the same day as it opens worldwide. The films will be the first Marvel features to show in the nation since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame and the first installment of the post-Blip world in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Endgame made $632 million in China alone.
Marvel films are not the only Disney products that have been soft-banned in the nation. An actual reason as to why has not been revealed but is likely in response to increased tensions between China and the United States.
You can see the trailer for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania below.
