Category: Lifestyle

African American Issues, Commentary, Cultural Events, Environment, Lifestyle

Gladys Knight, Ahead of Super Bowl Anthem Date, Criticizes Colin Kaepernick

The soul singer Gladys Knight, who will be singing the national anthem at this year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, seemed to criticize Colin Kaepernick in a statement published by Variety on Friday.

Kaepernick is the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback whose refusal to stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner” — and decision to kneel instead — to protest police brutality has made him a divisive figure nationwide, earning him praise from civil rights groups, but scorn from many conservatives, including President Trump.

“I understand that Mr. Kaepernick is protesting two things, and they are police violence and injustice,” Knight wrote to Variety. “It is unfortunate that our national anthem has been dragged into this debate when the distinctive senses of the national anthem and fighting for justice should each stand alone.”

The statement continued: “I am here today and on Sunday, Feb. 3, to give the anthem back its voice, to stand for that historic choice of words, the way it unites us when we hear it and to free it from the same prejudices and struggles I have fought long and hard for all my life.”

This is the latest twist at the intersection of politics, sports and music that has surrounded this year’s Super Bowl. Kaepernick is still in the middle of an ongoing arbitration case regarding a grievance he filed against the N.F.L. He has accused the league’s owners of colluding to keep him out of the league after not being signed last season.

His protests during the anthems became a cultural flash point, even though he wasn’t in the league. Other N.F.L. players began kneeling to support Kaepernick, as did celebrities off the field. Last fall, Nike made Kaepernick the face of a prominent advertising campaign.

This year’s Super Bowl became particularly fraught because of the halftime show. Some high-profile artists, including the rapper Cardi B, said they would not be willing to perform, in a show of solidarity with Kaepernick. Last year, Jay-Z rapped in one of his songs: “I said no to the Super Bowl, you need me, I don’t need you.”

Earlier this week, the N.F.L. announced the halftime acts would be Maroon 5 and the rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi. Scott’s decision to participate, in particular, received backlash, including from prominent African-Americans like Al Sharpton. Variety reported that Kaepernick and Scott spoke before the announcement and described the conversation as “cordial and respectful.” But on Wednesday, several posts critical of Scott appeared on Kaepernick’s Twitter account.

Perhaps anticipating the criticism, Scott announced on Sunday, in conjunction with the halftime billing, that he and the league were teaming up on a $500,000 donation to Dream Corps, a social justice group.

Culture, Fashion, Lifestyle

The Best Online Streetwear Stores

Over the last few years, streetwear has infiltrated mainstream fashion. What used to be a niche community has blossomed into a category that’s even been adopted by major fashion houses. Just look at the design language Virgil Abloh has brought to his debut collection with Louis Vuitton, or Kim Jones enlisting legendary street artist Kaws to help design his inaugural offering for Dior this past year.

The relationship is slightly ironic given the counterculture and rebelliousness enveloped into the streetwear timeline, but the pairing has become inevitable. A series of brands once championed almost exclusively by the skate and hip-hop communities has grown into a pocket of fashion that can be spotted on anyone, no matter where you happen to be on a given afternoon.

This blurring of the line between high fashion and streetwear has made the subgenre a little difficult to define. Stüssy is a streetwear OG that, at its core, offers graphic T-shirts, hoodies, and accessories at a rather affordable cost. However, brands like Fear of God and Off-White have also been placed under the streetwear umbrella albeit with a more premium quality and exorbitant price tag. Still, they offer all of the basics you would expect from the traditional streetwear outfit.

As a result of the copious amounts of brands on the market, there is also now more than enough solid shops carrying the goods. Long gone are the days of hitting up Karmaloop to grab the latest Diamond Supply Co. and Crooks and Castles releases. There are various stations all over the globe you can access to satisfy your streetwear craving. No matter what side of the streetwear spectrum your taste leans toward, we have rounded up the 10 best online streetwear shops you need to check out.

READ MORE: https://www.complex.com/style/best-online-streetwear-shops/haven

Cultural Events, DANCE, Lifestyle

The Physical and Spiritual Art of Capoeira

Mestre Lua Santana playing at Permangolinha, the three-day retreat run
by Mestre Cobra Mansa.

VALENÇA, Brazil — The white-bearded, dreadlocked master and his bushy-haired student face off in an open-sided compound set amid cacao trees and coffee bushes.

The two are in constant motion, swinging back and forth in what is called the ginga — the fundamental movement of the Brazilian combat game capoeira. At times, the way they feint and kick, and roll under and over and around each other, looks like choreographed dance.

But then one side does something the other is not expecting, and it becomes clear that this is a game of strategy, not a planned dance. Mestre Cobra Mansa’s ginga transforms into the movement of a staggering drunk, then a marionette whose puppeteer has suddenly let the string go slack. Then he’s in a handstand. From there, a leg strikes out like a lightning bolt, stopping just short of hitting his opponent’s face.

The circle of men and women surrounding the combatants are engaged in a hypnotic call-and-response song about an encounter with a dangerous snake. It’s intoned to the beat of Afro-Brazilian drums and the twang of single-stringed gourd instruments called berimbaus.

“Valha-me deus, Senhor São Bento,” the circle intones in Portuguese, beseeching Saint Benedict for protection.

The participants — Brazilians mostly, but also Uruguayans, Russians, Ethiopians and Puerto Ricans — have come to the 80-acre property of Mestre Cobra Mansa (or, Master Tame Snake) on the outskirts of Valença, a small coastal city in Bahia, for a three-day retreat called Permangolinha. Its name (and its purpose) are a mash-up of the sustainable farming system known as permaculture and Capoeira Angola, the capoeira style that Mestre Cobra Mansa, 58, teaches.

The event also attracts masters friendly with Mestre Cobra Mansa, including Mestre Lua Santana, from the interior of the state; and Mestra Gegê, a rare female master who also teaches in Valença.


Roberio Silva, 34, from Bahia, Brazil, at a daily capoeira practice.

READ MORE: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/arts/dance/capoeira-permangolinha-cobra-mansa.html?action=click&module=Features&pgtype=Homepage

Entertainment, Events, Lifestyle

Adam Levine & Maroon 5 Reacts: Rihanna Declines Super Bowl Performance

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Here’s what Adam Levine and the rest of Maroon 5 would ‘love’ to do at the Super Bowl LIII Halftime show, should Rihanna take up her reported offer to perform. HL has the EXCLUSIVE scoop!

Maroon 5 and its lead singer Adam Levine, 39, are hoping Rihanna, 30, has a change of heart. They don’t care the “Lemon” hit maker reportedly turned down the NFL’s offer to perform at the Super Bowl LIII Halftime show, even if that suggests she could’ve been the headliner…not them! “Adam and the band are not mad, sad or anything in between that Rihanna was asked to do the Super Bowl,” a source close to Adam EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife. Here’s why the band isn’t taking it personally.
“Adam knows that she has been probably asked for years,” our source reveals. With nine Grammys under RiRi’s belt, that’s not hard to believe! Our source continues, “And it doesn’t bruise his ego or the band’s ego because at the end of the day, they are going to put on a great show themselves!” This is also the band’s yearslong dream we’re talking about. Adam once admitted to Howard Stern in a 2015 interview that he and the band “very actively want to play the Super Bowl.” But with that said, they wouldn’t mind sharing the limelight.

“They also hope she has her chance down the line to do it,” our source spills. “And if she changes her stance this year, they would love her to join them to perform ‘If I Never See Your Face Again,’ the song they recorded together.” In case you forgot, Maroon 5 and Rihanna collaborated on a song in 2007! And if the reunion doesn’t happen, it’s not a big deal. Rihanna has her own respectable reason for not doing the show, according to the Us Weekly report. She supposedly opted out of the show to stand in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. He’s the San Francisco 49ers’ former quarterback who kick-started the movement of kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games as a protest against oppression of black people and minorities. Controversy ensued, and Rihanna has supposedly shown who she sides with amidst the free agent’s collusion lawsuit against the NFL.

While the NFL hasn’t made an official announcement about the headliner, multiple sources have confirmed to our sister site Variety that the band is set to rock out in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But with Rihanna most likely out (for now), who else is in the running to entertain the Super Bowl fans? As we’ve reported in September, the NFL told Maroon 5 they are “more than welcome” to invite a previous collaborator, according to what a source close to the band EXCLUSIVELY shared with us! Our insider went on to list Cardi B, Christina Aguilera, and Kendrick Lamar as possibilities, asides from Rihanna. “They want to have it have a feel like the Super Bowl halftime show with Aerosmith in 2001 where various acts were all a part of it and many fan bases could enjoy,” our source shared. We’ll keep you updated on who fills in Rihanna’s shoes!

Lifestyle, Men's Fashion, Style

CURLY HAIRSTYLES FOR BLACK MEN

This black men’s curly hairstyle is a high and tight haircut for men with curly hair. The hairstyle is very modern and represents the style of today. The hard part on one side is very similar to the normal parting and you will need the services of a good stylist who will be able to create one for you with his skills.

The 70’s Hairstyle

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The hipster trends have the foundation in borrowing the styling elements from other decades. This is one of the main reasons why we love this subculture, isn’t it. This black men’s curly hairstyle has got its inspiration from the afro, which was famous for the paisley shirts and bell-bottomed corduroys.

High and Tight Curly Hairstyle

This is a minimalist hairstyle. They will love this high and tight haircut as a solution to their curly hair problems. This haircut comes with a bald fade on the sides to keep you up to date with the latest trends in hairstyles.

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Bearded Curly Hairstyles

The bearded fade has taken over the fashion world by storm. The cool looking fades and the beard are a great combination that works just fine. This is a trendsetting and cool hairstyle that suits black men with curly hairstyle.

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Corkscrew Curly Hairstyles for Black Men

A corkscrew curl is the most beautiful looking hairstyle if they are cut to medium length. If you have natural curls and have this amazing looking style, then don’t hesitate to flaunt it with style.

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Blonde Tips

Blonde tips have been around for a longtime and this particular style is seeing a revival of sorts along with various other things from the 90s era. It is natural to see many fashion trends coming back after a few decades and people are happily embracing them with open arms and same is the case with the blonde tips for black men with curly hairstyles.

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Loose Curly Hairstyles for Black Men

Don’t have natural loose curls, but want to sport them? No need to worry, as loose curls can be styled or created if you don’t have them naturally. You can use a soft brush and a leave in conditioner that can be a creamy formula or either a spray and make your own tight curls to go with the trend.

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Short Curly Hairstyles for Black Men

If you have naturally curly hair, then this haircut is the easy way out to look cool. A short curly hairstyle is easy to manage and maintaining it every day won’t be a big task. You still have to condition your hair to maintain it in good shape and health.

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Long Curly Hairstyles for Black Men

Long hair is quite popular since a long time for men. Though a large portion of men don’t prefer it because of the maintenance issues, but if you want to join the long hair trend bandwagon, then be ready to accessorize it accordingly. Include some facial piercings, earrings and hair accessories to completely own the long curly hairstyle.

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Top Knot

The man bun and the top knot have ruled the trendiest men’s hairstyles last year. If you have curly hair, the top knot looks all the more attractive. Even though the top knot may look messy, it will surely make all the ladies swoon.

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Extra Long Curly Hairstyles for Black Men

There are medium, long and extra long hairstyles for curly hair black men. Though, you should be brave and bold enough to sport such a long and curly hair. You are sure to get some good comments on trying this brave hairstyle and don’t hesitate to show-off your pictures on various social media sites with style. People are sure to appreciate your effort.

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Fashion, LGBT Issues, Lifestyle, Today' News Headlines

‘Transgender’ Could Be Defined Out of Existence Under Trump Administration

Screen Shot 2018-10-21 at 6.25.10 PMWASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth, the most drastic move yet in a governmentwide effort to roll back recognition and protections of transgender people under federal civil rights law.
A series of decisions by the Obama administration loosened the legal concept of gender in federal programs, including in education and health care, recognizing gender largely as an individual’s choice and not determined by the sex assigned at birth. The policy prompted fights over bathrooms, dormitories, single-sex programs and other arenas where gender was once seen as a simple concept. Conservatives, especially evangelical Christians, were incensed.

Now the Department of Health and Human Services is spearheading an effort to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programs that receive government financial assistance, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times.
The department argued in its memo that key government agencies needed to adopt an explicit and uniform definition of gender as determined “on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable.” The agency’s proposed definition would define sex as either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with, according to a draft reviewed by The Times. Any dispute about one’s sex would have to be clarified using genetic testing.

“Sex means a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth,” the department proposed in the memo, which was drafted and has been circulating since last spring. “The sex listed on a person’s birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person’s sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence.”

The new definition would essentially eradicate federal recognition of the estimated 1.4 million Americans who have opted to recognize themselves — surgically or otherwise — as a gender other than the one they were born into.
“This takes a position that what the medical community understands about their patients — what people understand about themselves — is irrelevant because the government disagrees,” said Catherine E. Lhamon, who led the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights in the Obama administration and helped write transgender guidance that is being undone.

The move would be the most significant of a series of maneuvers, large and small, to exclude the population from civil rights protections and roll back the Obama administration’s more fluid recognition of gender identity. The Trump administration has sought to bar transgender people from serving in the military and has legally challenged civil rights protections for the group embedded in the nation’s health care law.

MORE ON THIS STORY: https://apple.news/AApI1C7vASruuUKqJyd5nEA