Solange Knowles recently took over NYC’s traditional landmark, the famous Radio City Music Hall for two sold-out nights of her official tour Orion’s Rise.
Covering her hits from the current project A Seat At The Table, Solo dived right into everyone’s favorite tracks like, “Don’t Touch My Hair”, “F.U.B.U.”, “Cranes In The Sky” and more. She even tapped into a few of her old music material like, “T.O.N.Y.”, “Crush” plus more.
During her performance, Solange hopped off the stage right into the crowd as she serenading the concert attendees right up close and personal.
It was a great night and we thank Solange for having SFPL in the building!
On the heels of its inaugural “Culture Vultures” digital cover, CASSIUS — the latest brand from iONE Digital (formerly Interactive One) and the definitive digital destination for urban millennials – has announced its June 2017 cover: The First Supper.
‘The First Supper,’ a graphic illustration featuring 30 of the most talked-about, controversial figures in pop culture and American history, is divided into four covers featuring distinct groups of ‘Unapologetics’-cultural disruptors as they are known in the CASSIUS world. The series features critical essays penned by CASSIUS top editors and on video, extended conversation about the covers’ ultimate message and the sheer power of its many subjects.
The June cover is in keeping with CASSIUS’ mission to cut through today’s headlines with stories and critical commentary that are relevant to millennials and directly address the global impact of Black culture. Each month, CASSIUS will create original covers underscoring their unique point of view on themes such as power, identity, and race. Video content will accompany each cover.
“This month, we wanted to nod to ‘The Unapologetics’ of then and now,” says CASSIUS creator Kierna Mayo, SVP, Content and Brands at iONE Digital. “We determined that people throughout time who change the world and never apologize for it, fall into fascinating sub-categories worthy of exploration. Deciding which ‘disciples’ should have a seat at the ‘First Supper’ table was hotly debated in our office. The truth is, the world is filled with ‘Unapologetics’ -fearless individuals who push us to think differently and for everyone depicted, there was also the case for someone else. We hope our audience has the same endless discussion we did. Who really moves culture forward?”
The June cover art was illustrated by Mark Hammermeister.
At a time when mainstream media is dominated by political theater and extreme narratives, CASSIUS provides readers with a rare lens that positions Black culture as central to the world’s key issues.
CadillacĀ andĀ The Coca-Cola Company are the proud launch partners of CASSIUS.
Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and Maroon 5 member PJ Morton released his single “Claustrophobic” via exclusive premiere on Solange Knowles‘Ā SAINT HERON this week.
The single, which is off of Morton’s upcoming album, Gumbo, was inspired by his frustration with people in the music industry wanting to limit his artistry.
Morton told SAINT HERON:
Iām an artist who has chosen, outside of being a part of Maroon 5, to follow a path that is not necessarily the most popular one. Those in positions of power are usually trying to adjust you and tailor you to fit what they would like to sell to the masses. This was at a time where I was going around to different labels, kind of letting them listen to my music, and it was at that point where I realized what was most important to me. Yes ā I want a lot of people to hear my music. Yes ā I want to play huge venues. But I donāt want to do it at the expense of not being who I am or at the expense of not saying what I want to say. That is basically where this song came from. For me, it became the anthem for the dreamer and a message to all of the doubters.
PJ Morton’s album, ‘Gumbo,’ will be released this April.
Admitting that she wasn’t quite prepared for the interview at the hand, Solange Knowles realized that she had a special connection with Amandla Stenberg, although never meeting her at all but realized that preparation wasn’t needed, as she recognized her so deeply.
Solange said:
Thereās a secret language shared among black girls who are destined to climb mountains and cross rivers in a world that tells us to belong to the valleys that surround us. You learn it very young, and although it has no words, you hear it clearly. You sense it when you walk into rooms with your hair in full bloom, each coil glorious, your sway swift and your stance proud. You feel it like a rhythm you canāt shake if you even dared to quiet the sounds around you.
Covering Teen Vogue‘s February issue entitled Power Girls: The New Faces of Feminism, Amandla stands firm as she’s learned to love her blackness. What better way to seal the deal of this self-empowerment issue and marking Black History Month, then to have our favorite fashionista of them all and someone who stands in what she believes, Solange.
Solo sits with Amandla during their bonding moment, discussing being different from other black girls, hair textures, skin tones, having a voice, empowerment, going viral after her YouTube video titled Don’t Cash Crop On My Conrows and so much more.
So here we are, connecting as two nonconforming black girls. Connecting as two trailblazers who recognize the borders that have been built around us as we steadily tear them down, dancing through life while coloring outside every line. Connecting as two lovers of music, art, and the color orange. Connecting as two chicks who are over talking about our hair ā although we know itās badass! Connecting as two descendants of powerful queens who made the journey before us and whom we hold in the highest regard. I may not have prepared, but I sure as hell felt inspired by our honesty with each other and ready to take on the world ā sprinkling black girl magic in every crevice of the universe. Listen inā¦āSOLANGE KNOWLES
ON GOING VIRAL
SOLANGE: I feel like my introduction to you was probably like that of a lot of people ā or at least people who might not have seen The Hunger Games ā via your video on cultural appropriation, āDonāt Cash Crop My Cornrows,ā which was so brilliant! I know that you made it for a class assignment, but in terms of sharing it with the world was there ever a moment of fear before hitting the āpublishā button?
AMANDLA: I really didnāt think it was going to be so controversial. And then to have the label of ārevolutionaryā pinned on you afterward felt really daunting. I kind of had a moment with myself, like, āOK. Is this what you want to do? Do you actually want to talk about issues? Is it worth it?ā There are still moments now where Iām like, āWhoa, this is a lot of pressure.ā But itās worth it because when people come to me and say, āIām more comfortable in my identity because of you,ā or āI feel like youāve given me a voice,ā thatās the most powerful thing ever.
ON HAIR
SOLANGE: Does it feel like sometimes youāre just exhausted talking about it?
AMANDLA: Yo ā yes! Itās so funny. I have many white friends who come up to me and theyāre like, āAmandla, so this weekend Iām going to go out, and I was wondering if itās OK if I could wear cornrows just on Saturday?ā [Laughs] Iām tired of talking about who can have whichever style. Because Iāve said my thing.
SOLANGE: Yeah,you made it clear in your video. It was so articulate and perfectly put!
ON GIRL POWER
SOLANGE: What things do you do to just shut off your brain and let go of all of the intellect and spirituality and yada, yada, yada? For me, I am on Shopbop or watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta or trolling Snapchat videos of me dancing around, which all my friends are so annoyed by…. [Laughs]
AMANDLA: Oh, my God. I take a lot of really dumb Snapchat videos, too! Really bad, like double-chin selfies. Or I am in my bed watching Leonardo DiCaprio in ā90s movies, because I have an obsession with him right now. I also love going to really crappy diners with my friends just to get pancakes and drink sh*tty coffee at, like, midnight. We do that all the time.
SOLANGE: Speaking of friends, you are basically living squad goals. Youāre close with Kiernan Shipka, Willow Smith, Tavi Gevinson, Lorde….
AMANDLA:Oh, man. Well, Kiernan has been by my side since the beginning. Willow is amazing. I feel like we were just meant to be friends. We were kind of vibing off each other from afar, and then she hit me up and was like, āLetās hang out!ā She has the most magnetic, radiant energy ever. Whenever we hang out we just laugh and we sing and we dance and we go hiking. And then TaviāI was the biggest Rookie fan since forever. I checked it daily, hourly. Then Rookie asked me to do an interview, and now Tavi is one of my closest friends. We talk about everything and bounce ideas off each other; I send her some of my scripts, and she sends them back. I have a friend who has this thing called āshine theory,ā which basically says that when you become friends with otherō°powerful,like-minded people, you all just shine brighter.
This year’s Essence Music Festival was definitely one to remember!
Nearly a half million attendees converged upon New Orleans this 4thĀ of July weekend for the 2015 ESSENCE Festival, one of the countryās largest live events.Ā The annual 4-day Festival, which took place July 2-5, features entertainment, empowerment, and cultural experiences during the day and the worldās best performers each night.Ā In addition, for the first time this year, the Festival touched tens of thousands of fans around the world via 100 hours of produced live-stream content.
Missy Elliot hit the EMF stage on Saturday night, which was the most anticipated performance of the entire weekend, along with Kendrick Lamar. Serving up a plethora of hits that we all from the hitmaker; “Work It”, “Get Your Freak On”, “Pass That Dutch”, “Hot Boyz” and so much more. The crowd was loosing their minds!
Team SFPL was on-hand to get exclusive coverage of the entire weekend just inches away from the stage:
Towards the bitter end of Elliot’s set, it seems as her time was up, once her mic was completely turned off following the lights on stage. Leaving, singer Monica behind the curtains as she was about to step out, as the surprise guest.
Missy then proceeded to pull the singer by her hand, as she waved to crowd in the dark. It’s unfortunate that it happened so prematurely, but eventually Missy was brought back on-stage after Usher‘s set with the Essence crew giving a public apology for the mishap.
Josh Brasted/Getty Images
Later, ME attended the Wind And Grind afterparty presented by Saint Heron & Ciroc, hosted by Solange KnowlesĀ featuring theĀ Missy Appreciation Hour with a special surprise tribute performance. Kelly Rowland, Beyonce and Jay Z were in the building for the festivities.
Josh Brasted/Getty Images
Singer Tweet was on-hand to take the party-goers down memory lane! It was such a great time!
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Kendrick Lamar closed out this year’s Essence Fest in a major way! Covering his hit songs like; “Alright”, “King Kunta”, “The Blacker the Berry” and more. Lamar gave attendees a real live visual of his latest chart-topping album To Pimp A Butterfly.
A video posted by Stuff Fly People Like (@thesfpl) on Jul 6, 2015 at 2:45pm PDT
From the beginning to end, KL keep the audience intrigue and wanting more!
Chris Mitchell
Singer Trey Songz also graced the stage keeping the women on “everything Trigga”! Clad in a white button-down, ripped jeans, and a pair of white leather Buscemi sneakers, Songz was quite Fly!
Gabriel Williams of SFPL
Trey also paid a visit to Press backstage in the Media Room to answer a few questions after his EMF performance.
Gabriel Williams of SFPL
Christian Rapper Lecrae hit the Media Room after just leaving the stage, giving the audience a reason why his album was #1 in the country! The talented artist discussed Hurrican Katrina [10th Anniversary], coming to New Orleans as a kid to visit family, how he likes to study culture being a Social Anthropologist, and working on a new album after a few more show dates.
Gabriel Williams of SFPL
As he entered, you couldn’t help but see his new pair of the Yeezy Boost 350‘s!
Bennett Raglin/WireImage
The incomparable Mary J. Blige put on one HELL of a performance! Dip in red and later changing into all black jumpsuit, Mary delivered her music catalog of hits, and it was a site to see! Surprise guest, Method Man hit the stage as he and Mary reminisced the crowd with the classic hit song “You’re All I Need.”
A few hours before her concert appearance, Mary stopped by the Samsung Milk Music LoungeĀ at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for a brief interview, and to test out a few products.
Josh Brasted/FilmMagic
Usher takes over the Essence Fest stage just after Missy’s timeless performance, taking us back the My Way day! Too many songs, Ursh touched on just about every song her has ever recorded.
A video posted by Stuff Fly People Like (@thesfpl) on Jul 4, 2015 at 10:24pm PDT
Great job Usher!
Erika Goldring/Getty Images
Erykah Badu took the stage giving her BADU’isms, as she took the Essence crowd on a journey through her classics! From “Tyrone” to “On & On”, there was no stopping the audience from singing every lyrics attached to Erykah’s songs.
More coverage about the 2015 Essence Festival coming up soon!
This week has been quite the #VictoryWeek all across America. First, the removal of the Confederate Flag, then the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Obamacare, and now Same-Sex Marriage becomes a Right nationwide. This is why the hastags #SCOTUS + #LoveWins have been trending all day.
President Obama is doing a great job tackling different tasks before his exit out of the presidential seat in 2017.
Below, celebs like Solange Knowles, Questlove, Gabrielle Union, Jussie Smollett, Kelly Rowland, Katy Perry and moreĀ give their reaction on the worldwide decision, celebrating equality on this good Friday.
Thursday night marked the end ofĀ Bessieās 81 Theatre Tour, which kicked off April 28 in NYC. The tour celebrates HBOās new filmĀ Bessie,Ā which chronicles the life of late blues singer BessieĀ Smith. The film airs on 5/16 on HBO; Bessie will be played by Queen Latifah. Following its three-day New York takeover (which ended with a surprise performance from Janelle Monae), the tour headed West to Los Angeles for a second set of events.
Ā
May 12th marked the launch of the 81 Theatre Tourās LA leg. The West Coast portion kicked off with a media-only brunch on the 12th, and concluded with a surprise performance on May 14th from none other than singer and Saint Records founderĀ Solange. As Solo hit the stage, the vibrant star performed a series of her past cuts from 2012 EP, True, her hit track”Losing You,”Ā and debuted a new song in honor of Ferguson, Baltimore, Missouri and Maryland entitled “Rise.”
And now Beyonce’s younger sister has broken the internets with the release of her wedding pictures which took the internet by STORM, flooding timelines on all major social media platforms.Ā Yes, SolangeĀ Knowles is now Solange Knowles-Ferguson, as the feisty songstress wed her long time boyfriend Alan FergusonĀ yesterday in New Orleans.
It was a glamourous night in NYC, during the Met Gala festivities where all of Hollywood came together showing off their pricey threads and big smiles. Unfortunately, after one of the exclusive after parties, it all went downhill. Randomly, secret footage has leaked from an elevator mishap/altercation between Solange Knowles and rapper/mogul Jay Z. Check it out below…
