Gwen Stefani & Anderson .Paak Pen An Anthem For The Olympics With “Hello World”

Gwen Stefani and Anderson .Paak received a high honor from the International Olympic Committee and Coca-Cola. Both major corporations tasked these two musical superstars with creating a theme song for this year’s Games and the one’s to come after them. Also in the mix is singer, songwriter, and producer, Ryan Tedder. He has been behind his fair share of mega radio hits throughout his career, so his selection was a no-brainer. Together, Gwen Stefani, .Paak, and Tedder have come up with “Hello World – Song of The Olympics”. According to Billboard, Josh Burke, the global head of music and culture marketing at the Coca-Cola Company, explained why Tedder is a part of this record and the idea that came to be.

“We wanted a song with broad appeal that would resonate worldwide, an uplifting and bright song that would inspire everyday greatness among athletes and music fans. It was also important to us that we wouldn’t try to create a ‘brand’ song or ‘jingle’, and we’d have to give up some control, which is very difficult to do!”. Tedder was totally game for the collaboration, saying “The Games are an important way for all of us to come together and celebrate each other globally, and we wrote this song with that in mind. I grew up watching every Olympics since childhood, so this is a lifelong dream. I hope this song inspires and uplifts”.

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“Hello World – Song Of The Olympics”- Gwen Stefani & Anderson .Paak

Quotable Lyrics:

Slide on the worldwide stage
Nothing can divide when we on one page
We can defy the odds and make way
When we link, it’s a bond that never can break
Electric, the motion
Connection, that’s the focus

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Hip-Hop Cookie Shop Draws Backlash For Menu Items & Marketing

Hip-hop culture is incredibly special, influential, powerful… and in the United States’ cultural marketplace susceptible to commercial exploitation, highly profitable. Moreover, controversies can pop up every once in a while concerning companies or brands either appreciating rap culture for the better or misusing its impact and pop culture ubiquity in insensitive ways. As such, many folks are split on which of these two categories Cookie Plug, a California-based multi-state bakery shop, falls into. The reason why is due to their Indianapolis franchise’s hip-hop-themed nomenclature for their items and the marketing behind them. But it’s not all that bad, at least with the information we have from a XXL report.

Furthermore, some menu items are very much innocuous, such as a “So So Icy” ice cream sandwich and packaging that boasts the message “Thank you for supporting your neighborhood doughp dealer.” However, other items such as the “Purple Drank” purple lemonade, referring to lean, rub customers the wrong way, including Indianapolis resident Feeray Phillips. “When the franchise is not aware of what the terminology they’re dealing with and, to be honest, tropes as gimmicks to sell people lemonade and children lemonade, that’s a problem,” they told the local news outlet WISHTV.

Still, the team behind Cookie Plug doesn’t really have any problem with how they’ve handled, promoted, or branded their products. Co-owner Doreen Walters recently pushed back against this negativity, seemingly suggesting that there isn’t a lot of overtly negative connotations with something like “Purple Drank.” “Those comments are hurtful so I’m not even watching it,” she expressed. “I grew up at this time and I’ve never done drugs. ‘Purple Drank’ is just that, ‘purple drank.’ It’s lemonade.”

Meanwhile, with these isolated examples in mind, it’s hard to call whether or not this cookie chop is engaging in cultural appropriation or if they’re just showing love. After all, there’s not a lot of accessible information at press time about the origins of Cookie Plug, the specific Indianapolis location’s ownership, and other important factors that could answer that question. If you’re in the city, keep an eye out and make that judgement for yourself. But supporting a business and supporting hip-hop, as much as they are two amazing initiatives, are hard to truly mix together.

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Nicki Minaj Rocks Eye-Catching Floral Gown To 2024 Met Gala

Nicki Minaj rocked an extravagant floral gown to the 2024 Met Gala to match the event’s theme, “The Garden of Time.” It’s far from the first time the rapper has turned heads at the iconic gala. She’s also attended in the years 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022.

When The Neighborhood Talk shared the outfit on Instagram, Minaj’s fans flocked to the comments section with praise. One user wrote: “Let’s not forget she on a sold out world tour. Stopped her tour to come show yall that these fashion houses would d i e for the chance to drape the queen. CLOTH TALK FR DONT PLAY WITH HER.” Other users compared her outfit to Cardi B’s. “So Nicki dressed the theme and people saying she can’t dress meanwhile cardi came dressed as the voodoo/ Santeria princess. People please let’s be open and honest in 2024 it’s ok to say she slayed,” one fan commented.

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Nicki Minaj Attends Met Gala In N.Y.C.

Nicki Minaj attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala 2024 in New York, USA. Picture date: Monday, May 6, 2024. (Photo by Matt Crossick/PA Images via Getty Images)

On her Instagram Story, Minaj shared a quote from Vogue describing her outfit for the night. The outlet wrote: “Nicki Minaj transformed into a floral sculpture at the 2024 #MetGala. The rapper chose an avant-garde @marni look for the Met that was perfectly on theme.” In response, Minaj added a yellow heart emoji. Check out the post she shared below.

Nicki Minaj Reacts To Met Gala Outfit Praise

Image via Instagram @nickiminaj

Minaj was one of countless celebrities in attendance at the event. Other attendees included Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Kendall Jenner, La La Anthony, Nicole Kidman, Lil Nas X, Lana Del Rey, and more. Be on the lookout for further updates on Nicki Minaj on HotNewHipHop.

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