Cop a gander of the ‘Girls Trip’ cast!

Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett, Regina Hall, and Tiffany Haddish serve up a collective slay a-front of Essence Magazine‘s July 2017 issue.

The feature forms part of a clever synchronization, given that the movie chronicles the ladies hilarious journey to the 2017 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans – which takes place in “real life” next month.

Ahead of its big screen arrival, the film’s stars all posed it up for individual covers. Check them out below…

‘Girls Trip’ hits theaters July 21st.

Your thoughts?

Lady Gaga is consistently using her platform to promote good deeds and, for her latest, she’s teamed up with Starbucks.

The 31-year-old and her Born This Way Foundation have paired up with the omnipresent coffee chain to spread the simple message of kindness.

Christened the ‘Cups of Kindness’ campaign, its goal is to raise funds for youth programs that advocate kindness, create positive environments, and offer mental health resources.

“We’re healthier and happier when we live our lives with compassion and our communities are stronger when we treat one another with generosity and respect. Born This Way Foundation and I are so excited to partner with Starbucks to help inspire positivity and love through the Cups of Kindness collection.”

So how will it work?

Well, Starbucks will donate $0.25 cents from every ‘Cups of Kindness’ drink sold at participating stores in North America from today (June 13th) through to June 19th.

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Major props to Gaga for her continued desire to do good.

What started as a simple single [‘Born This Way’] has matured into a movement. Indeed, the Foundation has been notable for its activity in the LGBT, youth and mental health arenas.

Again, much respect to Gaga!

Your thoughts?

When told masterfully, movies fronted by black actors and characters spell nothing short of success for studios and this week, following ‘Get Out‘, ‘Hidden Figures’, ‘Fences’ and ‘Moonlight’, ‘Black Panther’ gears up to support this fact.

How so?

After watching the net celebrate the release of its trailer, its African-American/African cast has learned that said teaser has already been viewed 89 million times…within 24 hours.

19 million of those views came from eyes glued to last week’s NBA Finals where it nabbed one of its first looks while the rest, generated by the pandemonium its unveiling spark, were generated by video-sharing platforms like YouTube.

Said number rose over the 100 million when views from unofficial user-generated platforms are included.

So many brown people, in a movie, set in Africa, and not a hint of slavery. Thank you Marvel

— sanji (@EscoWilliams) June 12, 2017

‘The Hollywood Reporter’ adds:

Black Panther surpasses the views for teasers for top Marvel and Disney-released movies such as Captain America: Civil War (61 million), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (55 million) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (52 million).

Catch the movie when it claws its way into theatres on February 16th 2018.

Yet to see the trailer?

Hit this link.

Your thoughts?

Katy Perry‘s official response to Taylor Swift‘s supposed plot to ruin her career?

I love her.

The ‘Witness’ entertainer invited Access Hollywood into her home hours ago to discuss all things music and streaming and was forced to confront Swift’s decision to release her entire discography on streaming platforms on ‘Witness’‘ release date.

Though she tried, the vocalist was unable to get around addressing the matter when quizzed on it.

Watch below…

Your thoughts?

After a number of setbacks, pushbacks, and reschedules Halle Berry‘s serially delayed thriller, ‘Kidnap,’ finally has an official release date (we hope).

The film, originally set for release in late 2015 then moved to mid-2016 before being rescheduled for late 2016, can finally boast the release of promotional materials that specifically list August 4th as the date of its theatrical open in U.S. theaters.

An action thriller that sees Berry portray a mother go to dangerous lengths to rescue her son from kidnappers, ‘Kidnap’ has reportedly won favorable reviews by “test” audiences.  Now, after nearly two years of waiting, we’ve finally arrived to time to see if that reaction is shared by the general public.

Check out the refreshed trailer inside:

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Tinashe‘s narrative has been one of the more puzzling among artists who’ve had buzz over the last few years.

Her inaugural set, ‘Aquarius,’ made quite the splash on Urban charts in mid-2014 thanks to its DJ Mustard-produced hit, ‘2 On.’ Yet, despite nabbing one of that summer’s biggest anthems, the ‘Joyride’ singer turned left and since then has seemingly had her eyes set on seeing her name scribbled on pop charts.

The pursuit – which has seen the ‘All Hands on Deck’ singer try her hand at everything from EDM to emo-pop and collaborate with the likes of some of music’s biggest names (see:  Chris Brown, Britney Spears, and Nick Jonas) – has admittedly proven futile.  As such, even though she’s 3 years in the game, many still consider her a “new” or “buzzing” artist.

Tinashe believes she has the answer to that:  colorism and racism in the industry.  Recently taking to The Guardian, she discussed what she believes is the industry’s take on black women:

“There are hundreds of [male] rappers that all look the same, that sound the same, but if you’re a black woman, you’re either Beyoncé or Rihanna. It’s very, very strange.

[There was Ciara, but] it felt like they almost had to sacrifice someone because there wasn’t enough room, which isn’t true. Ciara’s an amazing artist, Beyoncé’s an amazing artist, Rihanna’s an amazing artist, and they’re all very different!”

“There’s colourism involved in the black community, which is very apparent,” she says carefully. “It’s about trying to find a balance where I’m a mixed woman, and sometimes I feel like I don’t fully fit into the black community; they don’t fully accept me, even though I see myself as a black woman. That disconnect is confusing sometimes.”

Tinashe says all the separation and setbacks with her music have been discouraging, but have never completely broken her spirit.

“It’s definitely been discouraging, and I have days where I’m less confident, but at the end I know that I’m going to get to where I need to go.”

“There’s doubt that seeps in, there’s self-deprecation, because you look to someone to blame and you can’t blame anyone but yourself, but I’ve never, ever thought, ‘I’m going to work in a mall.’”

Has Tinashe’s success narrative been impacted by the black community ‘not accepting’ her?

Weigh In!

The Xscape reunion will indeed be televised.

Rumors have been rampant that the R&B outfit would be assembling for a reality series and now said talk has been confirmed.

TMZ report that the group – comprised of Kandi Burruss, Tiny Harris, LaTocha and Tamika Scott – will star in a “docu-series” for Bravo.

Currently filming in Atlanta, the show will chronicle Xscape’s preparation for their first performance in 20 years – which takes place next month at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans.

Set to premiere in November, the as yet untitled series will interestingly air alongside Bravo smash as ‘The Real Housewives Of Atlanta.’ A move designed to maximize exposure – especially given the presence of Kandi on both shows.

Mona Scott-Young, creator of VH1’s ‘Love & Hip Hop’ franchise, will serve as executive producer.

We’ll most definitely be watching. Will you?

Your thoughts?

As the response to SZA‘s LP ‘CTRL‘ proves, today’s music lovers would sooner spend their money on alternative and artistic female artists than acts modelled on the Urban Pop showgirls of yesteryear.

With this in mind, the rising star upped her promotional ante this week by visiting several outlets to discuss the well-received set and her journey thus far.

Watch R&B’s new Queen in action below…

1. Supermodel
2. Love Galore (ft. Travis Scott)
3. Doves in the Wind (ft. Kendrick Lamar)
4. Drew Barrymore
5. Prom
6. The Weekend
7. Supermodel
7. Go Gina
8. Garden (Say It Like Dat)
9. Broken Clocks
10. Anything
11. Wavy (Interlude) (ft. James Fauntleroy)
12. Normal Girl
13. Pretty Little Birds (ft. Isaiah Rashad)
14. 20 Something

Your thoughts?

Katy Perry‘s ‘Witness’ live stream continues to birth fascinating content.

Today, she welcomed RuPaul to her home for a conversation after he came under fire by several music lovers who accused him of stealing Azealia Banks‘ sounds to create his own.

What he and Perry discussed?

Watch below…

Their conversation stands as the latest piece of her live stream’s puzzle which also delivered an intense conversation about racism with Caitlyn Jenner.

Watch here!

Your thoughts?

The accolades continue to accumulate for Beyonce.

Music’s reigning Queen Bey proves that her bank balance is losing none of its shine, even as she readies the arrival of twins.

Forbes have released their 2017 list of Highest Celebrity Earners – and Mrs Carter is sitting pretty at #2 with an annual estimated earning of $105 million.

In occupying said spot, the 36-year-old is the top placed female and is overall only bested by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs (whose savvy business moves earned him $122 million).

So what’s beefing up Bey’s pockets?

Per the report, coins are raining in from last year’s colossal ‘Formation World Tour’ and sales of the star’s premium-priced ‘Lemonade’ visual album are contributing too. Unsurprising given that the LP is nearing double platinum status.

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Beyonce remains at the forefront of what it means to truly achieve the American Dream. Indeed, few others in the Pop cultural sphere are as exemplary of the reality of working hard and yielding the rewards.

Ever about upping her own levels, it’ll be both intriguing and exciting to see her approach to dominating the musical and cultural landscape upon the birth of her babies.

Because, if one thing is a given about Bey, it’s that she won’t be letting her reign let up anytime soon.

Your thoughts?

June 5th brought with it the first day of filming for ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s tenth season.

When it’s set to premiere? November. However, you won’t have to wait until then to catch a meaty piece of what it is to come this time around.

That’s right…we have your very first look right here on TGJ!

A post shared by Real Housewives Of Atlanta ? (@realhousewivesatlanta) on Jun 11, 2017 at 4:29pm PDT

A post shared by Real Housewives Of Atlanta ? (@realhousewivesatlanta) on Jun 11, 2017 at 3:24pm PDT

Th snap and footage above was pulled from a party thrown by friend to the ‘Wives’ Shamea Morton whose wedding will feature in the season which is to welcome NeNe Leakes to the mix in the coming weeks.

Quite interestingly, there’s still no official word on Phaedra Parks‘ supposed dismissal.

Are you looking forward to the new season?

The wait for Tinashe‘s much delayed sophomore album has been anything but a ‘Joyride’ for fans of the singer.

Talk of the set’s arrival dates back to 2015. Yet, what has followed has been a succession of “lead” singles that have ultimately led to incessant push-backs. So much so that its current status is quite the conundrum.

However, in a new interview with The Guardian, the ‘Flame’ belter provided an update. One we’re not sure will be entirely thrilling for fans but is an update nonetheless.

She told the British publication:

“Things haven’t always gone according to my original plan, but that’s life, and things change.”

It’s not like it’s sitting in a vault locked up, it’s always getting better and improving. I plan on doing a solid few more months recording then hopefully getting it out this year.”

She also addressed rampant rumors that Rihanna had pouched the actual track ‘Joyride’ in the midst of the delays. Interestingly she verified the speculation. She said:

Yeah, that’s true. But I don’t know if it was personally Rihanna, like, ‘I’m taking that from Tinashe.’ I don’t think that’s how it worked. But it’s back now.”

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It’s unfortunate that there still seems to be so much uncertainty surrounding the set.

Without being privy to the specifics of the drama, our primary observation is the lack of consistency in the sound of the songs released thus far.

Indeed, when listening to tracks such as ‘Super Love’ and ‘Flame,’ it appears the “plan” is to birth music’s next big “Pop girl.”

Yet, when sandwiching edgier, left-leaning offerings such as ‘Party Favors’ and the ‘Nightride’ mixtape between her Pop-ier releases, it becomes quite confusing to ascertain what her core proposition is.

Sure she’s incredibly versatile, but at such an early stage of her career that can actually be problematic in that it makes it hard to package her in a way that is both consistent and palatable to her eventual audience.

And while some will argue about the unfairness of artists being “boxed” or confined to lanes, the harsh reality is that that is quite literally “how it is” for the vast majority. Unfortunately.

Hopefully, Tinashe and her team hone in on the best positioning for her, stick to it, and achieve the success her talent deserves.

Your thoughts?