mental-health
[WATCH] Twitter Roasts Chris Rock After Old Videos Resurface Of Him Shading Black Women
Last week Chris Rock’s brother Tony Rock came to Chris’s defense after he was slapped by Will Smith at the Academy Awards for disrespecting Jada Pinkett-Smith.
After watching the world go through a phase of ‘protect the black woman’ it was interesting to see the response after a man well…protected his black woman.
The feelings and history behind black hair is way deeper than poor comedic jokes. From alopecia to being told our hair is ‘bad’— black women have endured years of embarrassment at the expense of a few laughs. From being called nappy-headed, bald-headed and worse, it’s expected that men with black moms, aunts and relatives understand the pain behind black hair. Acceptance, convenience, time-management and lack of hair knowledge have all contributed to black women’s hair journey. While it can be as personal to many as personal hygiene, it’s always baffling when men speak on issues that pertain to women.
Tony Rock tweeted that everyone should watch his brother’s movie ‘Good Hair’ to prove Chris has nothing against ‘women of color’. This quickly turned bad when he was reminded how badly Chris portrayed Black women in ‘Good Hair’ a movie he allegedly stole from another Black woman.
From explaining to White America how and why Michelle Obama wears weaves to turning his nose up at women who relax their hair Chris Rock’s disdain for black women’s hair choices were inevitable. His film Good Hair was supposed to teach others about our hair journey. Reminiscent of the kid that goes to school and tells all his family’s business. While celebrities supported the film and women in the film laughed nervously—most black women cringed through his movie. From questioning a child about her perm to trying to sell black hair no one wanted, it was just another slap in the face to the women we are supposed to protect. While Chris Rock’s own relationships have seemed to fail in spite of him choosing women with awesome hair choices, the question remains…is it a man’s business to discuss what a woman does with her hair?
Watch these clips below and Twitter’s response.
The post [WATCH] Twitter Roasts Chris Rock After Old Videos Resurface Of Him Shading Black Women appeared first on The Source.
[WATCH] Graphic Video: Ohio Officer Cleared In Shooting Of Teenager Ma’Khia Bryant
The Columbus police officer who shot and killed 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant last year has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, Ohio prosecutors announced Friday.
Bryant was killed in April by Columbus police officer Nicholas Reardon as she swung a knife at a young woman, just seconds after pushing another woman to the ground. Police were responding to a 911 call made from Bryant’s foster home about a group of girls threatening to stab members of the household.
The killing led to a Justice Department review of the police department in Ohio’s capital city.
Officer Nicholas Reardon arrived on the scene and shot Bryant four times who died from her injuries. The coroner listed the cause of death as a homicide — a medical determination used in cases where someone has died at someone else’s hand, but not a legal finding. It doesn’t imply criminal intent.
I shared my own experience as a young black girl in Harlem, NYC and the horror associated with protecting yourself in a hostile environment. Mediators and prevention are a necessary conversation to assist young girls with no influential guidance.
Watch the graphic officer cam footage below.
Was the officer justified?
The post [WATCH] Graphic Video: Ohio Officer Cleared In Shooting Of Teenager Ma’Khia Bryant appeared first on The Source.
Former NBA Player Royce White Announced He Is Running For Congress
Former NBA baller Royce White is running for Congress, he announced Tuesday. White is running for Minnesota’s fifth congressional U.S. representative seat, currently held by Democrat Ilhan Omar. The former Iowa State player is running as a Republican, one of three vying to square off against her.
“Ten years ago, I took on the NBA and the establishment,” he said in his video monologue. “I said that mental health was one of the greatest issues we face. And I was willing to give up my dream to fight for people I have never met. I took the lead when others wouldn’t.
White gained national notoriety for his stances on mental health and those stances ultimately prevented him from having a real shot at an NBA career despite being selected No. 16 overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft. He played in only three NBA games for the Sacramento Kings during the 2013-14 season.
In the years since, White has played professional basketball in several different leagues, including being the No. 1 overall pick in Ice Cube’s Big 3’s 2019 draft. He has also spent the past several years training for a mixed martial arts career.
Share your thoughts with us on social media.
The post Former NBA Player Royce White Announced He Is Running For Congress appeared first on The Source.
Kel Mitchell From Good Burger Displays His Devotion with New Song “Blessed Mode”
Kel Mitchell has taken on a new role since starring in Nickelodeon’s iconic movie Good Burger. The two-time Emmy Award-nominated actor, producer, and comedian has now dedicated his life to God and has become a minister and an author. Now he’s taking on a new role as a gospel Hip Hop artist.
In an effort to display his devotion to the Lord, Kel is releasing a new single “Blessed Mode,” in follow up to his book BLESSED MODE: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith.
This won’t be Kel’s first stab at music. Kel grew up in Chicago where he participated in rap battles as a kid with the likes of Common, had a cameo in music videos like Kanye West’s All Falls Down.
Kel shared exclusively with The Source, “My sister worked at Metro Music, a popular music store on the south side of Chicago. One day Common came to the store and I was able to battle him, but I rapped like Kriss Kross at the time.”
The All That actor added, “I love Hip Hop. Before I did theater, Hip Hop saved my life. I loved graffiti, I was on a break dance crew, and I’m so excited to be back representing God in music.”
“Blessed Mode” will be available on all music streaming platforms on March 11.
Kel released BLESSED MODE: 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith on December 14, 2021 and the book focuses on his ability to use his faith to push through his eternal struggles such as depression and addiction.
As you read through the pages of Blessed Mode, you will learn that in every emotional wall there is a blessed way out! You will be breaking through these walls widening that crack of light a little bit, day by day, so you can discover God’s blessings on you.”
“I hope this book can inspire others to embrace their blessings and find strength spiritually, mentally and physically! Life is a beautiful blessing giving to us by God! I cannot wait to show the world this side of me and how to activate BLESSED MODE!!
“Blessed Mode,” will be a great continuation of Kel’s evangelism. Kel went from starring in Kenan & Kel, All That, to sharing his personal relationship with the Lord and inspiring others through faith.
Be on the lookout for his new single on March 11.
Check out one of Kel’s early rap days when he made the Billboard Charts with Immature for “Watch Me Do My Thing.”
Share your thoughts with us on social media.
The post Kel Mitchell From Good Burger Displays His Devotion with New Song “Blessed Mode” appeared first on The Source.
Believe It or Not, Rappers Struggle Too
“I think I’ve attempted to shield the public or whoever from seeing parts of myself that I felt were not consistent with whatever I was trying to put forward.”
“That experience was brand new to me. Historically, I actually haven’t been as forthcoming,” Jones tells Complex. “I think I’ve attempted to shield the public or whoever from seeing parts of myself that I felt were not consistent with whatever I was trying to put forward. That really led me to a place where I felt very misunderstood. I think I realized I was creating a box for myself, rather than just expressing [myself] openly.”
As previously mentioned, choosing to put yourself out there opens the floodgates for trolls, judgment, and unnecessary chatter that could throw even the most confident human off their game. However, once the musical storyteller learned to accept himself—flaws and all—he had an epiphany that not using his talents to share his story (musically or visually) would be nothing less than “hypocritical.”
“After writing an album that was specifically about this radical self-acceptance and nurturing that inner-child to heal [my] past traumas and experiences, it would be hypocritical for me to hold back in the same way when it came to the visual aspect of it,” says Jones.
“[My team] pushing me to really be more open and give more of myself … was sort of an act of faith and of belief in the gospel that I was preaching: not hold back as much and be more honest and forthcoming and authentic.”
But don’t get it twisted, bearing his soul via his latest sonic declaration was “scary.”
“I did have to mentally prepare for people who watched this film to get to know a lot more about me than I was immediately comfortable with,” he explains. In fact, releasing the first project was a bit nail-biting for the rapper as well.
“I just felt a lack of control. I wanted to control. I was so concerned about controlling my image and people’s understanding of me and trying to make sure that everything I did explained me in the most perfect way,” the rapper explains.
While living up to the perfect projected persona may seem like nothing, it’s almost always impossible to maintain such a pristine facade forever.
“The idea of every major decision you have to look at [is] are you being guided by fear of love?,” Jones shares. “It’s been a long five [or] six year process of me trying to slide myself toward the scale of doing as much as I can out of love and as little as I can out of fear.”
“The idea of every major decision you have to look at [is] are you being guided by fear of love?”
To keep a mental and emotional balance, Jones has embarked on several self-care routines over the years, the most recent including daily yoga, “which is pretty new to me,” he tells us.
“I’ve been through a lot of different routines …[but I’m] three to four months in on a new one. It feels like the most concrete thing I’ve done,” the East Coast lyricist explains. “I’m waking up, I’m working out, and doing yoga every day. [I’m] also getting out of bed earlier.”
According to Jones, boundaries and focus are the keys to survival.
“I’m creating limitations on when and for how long I write. I’m trying to read a little bit every day,” Jones says. “I’m not necessarily successful at these things one-hundred percent of the time. In entertainment, opportunities will come up [and] different curve balls will be thrown at you.”
He continues, “You’ll be in a session and it’ll go [until] four in the morning unexpectedly because you’re chasing that feeling. I rebelled against technology in the beginning of trying to find a routine, but now I’ve incorporated an app that tracks how on top of things I am. I try [to] walk a decent amount every day, about 8,000 steps and that’s probably where I do some of my best thinking. It’s sort of like walking meditation.”
Of all his self-care routine tactics, the New Jersey emcee says yoga is the most vital part of his day-to-day life, because he wants to take care of his mind and body from a holistic point of view—something Jones believes allows him to “make better art.”
“I just have not been as active, especially in the last couple years due to the pandemic, as I’ve wanted to be. Part of that is I was so focused on creating something sustainable in my career and finding this solid ground,” Jones says. “But I realized in the lead up to making the album that I was neglecting a lot of the other parts of myself. I’m now coming into the understanding that focusing on myself more holistically allows me to make better art, allow[ing] me to be a more thoughtful and reflective person that’s able to make the things I want to make. In the past, I was just burning myself out almost as a badge of honor, but it wasn’t really getting me anywhere.”
“I’m now coming into the understanding that focusing on myself more holistically allows me to make better art.”
Aside from yoga and other daily rituals, Jones says therapy is another method he wants to tap into (once he finds the right person for the job).
“I [went to] some therapy when I was much younger, [but] it didn’t last for very long. That’s one of the things that I’ve kind of been lagging on,” Jones shares. “I do this thing where I go on online and have all these tabs open of therapists, but I haven’t quite found the person yet. That’s on the top of the list of things I need to accomplish this year: find the person I’m going to talk to and start to open up more in that way.”
While Jones may not have the right therapist just yet, he does have a support squad, better known as The Summit. The Summit consists of Jones and two of his closest friends. They’re a come-as-you-are, no-questions-asked, we-always-have-your-back pack who keep each other afloat through life’s challenges. And yes, entertainers do have challenges.
“When one of us is going through something, we float it to the group chat and try to drop what we’re doing and hop on a call [or] FaceTime [or] meet in person and just discuss those things.” Jones explains, “it’s a little bit different from therapy because it’s not this sort of unbiased, opinionless figure that you’re talking to, but it is very helpful to just speak out some of your frustrations … out loud and have it resonate and have people be there to support you.” And let’s be honest, support is hard to find when people assume you always have it together, especially in entertainment.
“We’re not always encouraged to go to those places,” Jones says. “[There’s] a lot of partying and a lot of talking about the victories and successes, but not the struggles.”
So no matter who you are, always remember, the struggle is real, for everyone—rappers included.
*The information contained in this program is not intended to dispense medical advice, and is not intended for self diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, and/or before starting or stopping any treatment or acting upon any information contained in this program, you should contact your own medical physician, or health-care provider.