So I know it has been quite a while since I’ve dropped some HOT TOPICS, but it’s never too late to share…especially when SO MUCH is happening in the world!! Day to day there is always something going on, particularly within pop culture.
And without further ado, check out this week’s Hot Topics!!
Ever wanted to know more about Black cowboy culture? With the Paramount+ series Lawmen: Bass Reeves and the Netflix film The Harder They Fall , I know my interest has been piqued. And as a fan of westerns and cowboy culture, this new photography book celebrating Black Rodeo Culture in the US will definitely be making its way to my coffee table!! Dropping in April of this year, Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture: Photographs by Ivan McClellan highlights decades of work capturing the many journeys of what it is like to be a part of contemporary Black rodeo culture in America.
Referring to the minimum amount of time a rider has to stay on a horse or other livestock in order to register a score during a competition, Eight Seconds provides a visual glance into world that is often forgotten!
New Beats Solo headphones campaign features some #BlackGirlMagic with WNBA star Angel Reese, track & field star Sha’Carri Richardson, and tennis champion Naomi Osaka!!
This all-new line of Beats Solo Buds can be purchased in four new colors including Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple and Transparent Red, retailing at $79.99. For the new Solo headphones, you can purchase them in Matte Black, Slate Blue and Cloud Pink ($199.99), which all three ladies are sporting in the campaign.
For all my P-Valley fans!! To tide us over until Season 3 comes back, fans can tune into the upcoming documentary series, Down in the Valley. Inspired by the hit series P-Valley from executive producers Katori Hall and Nicco Annan, Down in the Valley is a six-half-hour episode series hosted by Annan (also known as ‘Uncle Clifford’) where he takes viewers on a “tantalizing tour of the Deep South, where they will be “immersed in the people, sensuality, music, culture and stories of the South. From strip clubs to sex workshops, rap performances, and ancient hoodoo rituals.”
Down in the Valley will “pull back the curtain on the surprising but always intriguing people and places that make the Deep South a place where anything can happen and usually does.” The series is set to premiere on July 5th!! And I can’t wait!!
Now here is another documentary, that I AM DEFINITELY looking forward to watching, however with this one we will have to wait a little minute lol…On May 15th CNN announced that CNN Films, in partnership with OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, acquired the documentary feature Luther: Never Too Much, from award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter (CNN Films John Lewis: Good Trouble).
Luther: Never Too Much chronicles the story of a vocal genius. “Using a wealth of rarely seen archives, Vandross tells his own story with assistance from his closest friends and musical collaborators including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack.” Luther: Never Too Much premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January to raving reviews and a standing ovation!!
Here’s something to quench your thirst… Welch’s is set to jump on the wagon by releasing some tasty canned cocktails! As noted by Ryan Stump (Coop Beverage Works’ vice president of business operations), “We are extremely excited to partner with Welch’s to create this lineup of Craft Cocktails that will bring classic cocktail recipes to the market with the fruit juice flavors that Welch’s is known for.” These juicy adult drinks will come in four flavors (each made with real fruit juice and spirits, and come in at 5.9% ABV): Vodka Transfusion, Vodka Cranberry, Watermelon Mule, and Passion Fruit Mojito!!
The new canned cocktails are set to ship soon to retailers in select states. Makes me wonder whose gonna be next in the canned cocktail game?!!
And to get you ready to jam to some live music, check out these upcoming festivals:
TwoGether Land (May 25-26) [Dallas, TX]
Roots Picnic (June 1-2) [Philadelphia, PA]
Governors Ball (June 7-9) [Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, NY]
Capital Jazz Fest (June 7-9) [Columbia, MD]
Blavity House Party (June 14-15) [Nashville, TN]
Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival (June 15-16) [Hollywood, CA]
Summer Smash (June 21-23) [Bridgeview, IL]
Cincinnati Music Festival (July 25-27) [Cincinnati, OH]
Broccoli City (July 27-28) [Washington, DC]
Afro Nation Detroit (August 17-18) [Detroit, MI]
Fool In Love (August 31) [Hollywood, CA]
Music At The Intersection (September 14-15) [St. Louis, MO]
Rolling Loud Miami (December 13-15) [Miami, FL]
Black Future Feminist 