Happy Sunday! Whether you're a new subscriber or an existing subscriber, welcome back. Here are a few articles you should check out from this week!
Girl groups at some point were synonymous with Black music. Hearing a group sing together, watching the choreography for the performances, and seeing the coordinated outfits was a common affair. From TLC, to SWV, to Destiny’s child, we were spoiled in the 90s and early 2000s by elite singing and songwriting. Now in 2024, FLO aims to bring back the energy that some of us have missed so much. The harmonies. The bridges. The lush production. FLO has it all. The London based R&B group recently released their debut album “Access All Areas” and we’re excited to see where their career will go as well as if this will inspire the resurgence of the girl group era.
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This week we attended the 3rd Annual African Animation Film Festival at The Africa Center in New York. We know how much Africa's influence is perforating around the world when it comes to music, art, and fashion. One of the things that isn't talked about enough is animation. Even with Nigeria producing over 2500 films annually, and having the crown as the second most productive country for films behind India, there isn't much emphasis on animation.
This festival featured several films, but we want to highlight the standouts. The first one is called "Twaano" which is produced by Mutanga Katongo and animated by Tabitha Mwale. The initial part of this film that stood out was the music. Twaano features all original music by Tabproduction Studios, which is an animation studio based in Zambia. You can find the soundtrack below.
The next thing that stuck out about this was the themes. This film has 3 separate stories with unique themes across all 3 stories. The main theme of the 3rd story in the film was dealing with loss, anxiety, and grief. In the Black community both in America and globally, mental health is one of the topics that isn't always dealt with. This is a topic that we discussed in our interview with Dr. Banjoko. The way that this film tackled a complex topic like anxiety is highly effective and accurate. In the animation format, there are creative things that can be done that live-action may not always be as effective for. Animation forces us to suspend our belief for a few and accept to see the world in a different way. You can see the short film below.
The other film that stood out was Enkai by Kenyan director and writer Ng’endo Mukii. This film revolves around a relationship between a mother and a daugher while living in a tumultuous earth. This short film was animated by Triggerfish Studios, a South African and Irish based animation studio. This short film was released by Disney and is availabe to watch on Disney+. You can view the trailer below.
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The Smithsonian National African Museum of Art appointed seven new members to its advisory board.
16 year old basketball Kaleena Smith became the first women’s basketball player to sign an NIL deal with Adidas.
Pusha T launched coffee brand Grindin’. The brand is set to be released in 2025.
Giannis Antetokounmpo started Build Your Legacy Ventures. The focus of this venture capital firm will be sports and entertainment.
Team Roc, the social justice division of Roc Nation, has filed a lawsuit against Kansas City, Kansas. The suit claims they withheld documents pertaining to police misconduct.
Kai Cenat breaks Twitch record with 500k subscribers.
Conversations From This Week:
The Museum of Modern Art spoke with Jamel Shabazz.
Malcolm and John David Washington speak with GQ about their new film, The Piano Lesson.
Denzel Washington speaks to Esquire about Gladiator 2.
Emma Grede sits with Maverick Carter on Mavericks.
Song of the Week: “Awuke” by Davido and YG Marley (Nigeria/U.S.A.)
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