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jj-rps · 6 years

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Angelina Esposito

(a) a farewell to arms

The only book Angie has read more than once (seven times). Probably her favorite, though she doesn’t often admit it because of Hemingway’s misogyny.

(b) boston university

Where Angie went on to earn her Master of Science in Television. She is now studying there part-time as a PhD student in the Emerging Media Studies program, as well as working as an Assistant Professor in the undergraduate Film & Television Studies department.

What Angie practically lives on because she can’t find the time--or ability--to cook meals (something her husband had done most of the time).

(d) divorce

Angie had never been allowed to date in high school. Even went to college without having had her first kiss. And she continued to be self-focused in the beginning, but her second semester she met a graduate student and fell deeply and madly in love for the first time. They married after knowing each other just six months. Shockingly, the marriage lasted four and a half years. The two are now in the middle of a nasty divorce, following his infidelity, which he blamed on her obsession with her career and education.

(e) elephants

Angie’s favorite animal. Gentle, Matriarchal, Majestic. In their own way.

(f) family

Angie was raised primarily by her maternal grandparents, having thought her mother was her sister until she was in her early teens--as her own mother was only fifteen when she was born. Though she respects her family for all they did for her in her upbringing, she has never quite gotten over all the lies she was told growing up or the very high expectations that had always been set for her.

(g) ghosts

Though Angie hates to admit it, she is very superstitious and believes in the paranormal. To this day she swears she met a ghost on her trip to New Orleans the summer after she graduated high school.

(h) harvard university

Harvard was Angie’s dream for as long as she could remember. It was also her escape from the crazy, strict household she had grown up in. Though, she did not become wild by any means. Still, she did go in as a double major in Journalism and Political Science, before switching to Film and Visual Studies in her second semester, with a minor in Women’s Studies. She realized what she was truly interested in was the history and theory of television and media.

(i) imperfection

Something Angie fears more than just about anything else in the world. She does everything in her power to keep imperfections from being part of her life, and the failure to do so is likely the cause of her anxiety.

(j) jokes

Despite her often serious nature, Angie loves to crack jokes. She has a unique and dark sense of humor, which can be offensive at times. Though she definitely gauges herself for the current crowd she is part of.

(k) klondike bars

Angie would truly do just about anything for one of these.

(l) lavender

Angie’s favorite scent and favorite color. She always has a candle in her bedroom to reflect this love in her life.

(m) mack driscoll

The teacher of a first year Communications class at Harvard whose teaching style and passion for television criticism and history inspired her to change majors. She now considers him both a friend and mentor in her field.

(n) new jersey

Angie was born and raised in Hazlet, a small town on the Jersey Shore. Though she misses summer nights by the water, there is little else she looks back on fondly about where she came from and the people she left behind there.

(o) ocean

The place where Angie used to go to think in her teenage years.

(p) pregnancy

Angie hasn’t realized it yet, but she is four weeks pregnant. The result of the only one night stand the woman has ever had.

(q) queen

The greatest band of all time, if you ask Angie.

(r) reality television

Angie’s guilty pleasure. Real Housewives, Jersey Shore, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she watches them all and claims it’s for her work and research.

(s) spring

Angie’s favorite time of the year.

(t) track and field

The sport Angie participated in during her high school years. She still goes for runs four days a week both to keep in shape and relieve stress.

(u) ur

Angie’s biggest pet peeve, in text message, the use of ur instead of your or you’re.

(v) virgo

Her zodiac sign and almost perfect description of her personality.

(w) wine

The only type of alcohol Angie really finds herself drinking. Especially when she is cleaning, reading, or settling down at night for a few episodes to research.

(x) X-Mas Lights

Something that, if up to Angie, would be left hanging up all year long.

(y) yellow

A color Angie can’t stand. Though she isn’t sure why.

(z) zesty

A word Angie uses way too frequently in casual conversation. Seriously, it doesn’t even always fit the context perfectly sometimes.

#angie esposito #gravityrp #development #abcs

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orbemnews · 3 years

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He was freed with the help of the judge who sentenced him. Now he's fighting for prison reform That rare shot became a reality January 20, when Young, now 32, was granted executive clemency In the final hours of Donald Trump’s presidency. Getting off his flight back home to Tennessee, Young had a long embrace with an unlikely supporter and someone he hadn’t seen since the day he was sentenced — the judge who ordered him to serve life behind bars. “This is Judge (Kevin) Sharp. This is the man that had to give me two life sentences,” Young told CNN. “But I knew it was not something that he wanted to do. He wasn’t choosing for me to have two life sentences. America and its judicial systems chose that. … It’s called a mandatory minimum and it means exactly that — it is mandatory. So I knew he had no choice.” The two men first met in 2014, when Young wore an orange jumpsuit in Sharp’s courtroom. Though Sharp was in a position of authority, in reality the judge had no authority to decide Young’s fate. Young was arrested when he was 22 and was one of dozens prosecuted in a 2010 drug trafficking investigation in Clarksville, Tennessee. Unlike most of the other defendants, Young didn’t take a deal; he said he requested a trial and pleaded not guilty in federal court because, in his mind, he was a “low-level” participant. But with two minor drug convictions on his record from his teenage years, this was his third strike — triggering federal mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines, a result of a knee-jerk reaction by Congress to deal with the so-called crack epidemic of the 1980s. It meant that instead of the five- or six-year sentence Sharp said he would have handed down, Young was set to spend the rest of his life in prison. “There’s no justice happening here today,” Sharp recalled thinking about the sentencing. “I’m doing what they tell me to do. But in no way shape or form is this justice.” Young wasn’t the first person Sharp had sentenced under mandatory minimum guidelines, or the last. But Young’s case was the one he couldn’t shake. “It wasn’t just Chris’s case, although Chris’s case … became the poster child for everything that I thought was wrong with the criminal justice system. And if they wanted a messenger, then someone else could do that,” explained Sharp. Sharp didn’t have a choice when it came to Young’s future, but he did have one when it came to his own. “I had to decide, am I more valuable on the bench or off the bench,” Sharp said. A new path Sharp stepped down from his lifetime appointment as a US district court judge in 2017. Nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2011, Sharp noted the frustration of jumping through hoops just to get on the bench, only to have the powerful tools of a judge stymied by the system. “The White House has done their work to decide whether or not I have those qualities to perform this job. The FBI investigates you, it goes to the Senate, they do their own investigations. You have a confirmation hearing, then it goes to the Senate floor. All of this to do one thing, and that’s to make sure that you have the temperament, the judgment, the intellect, all of these qualities to be a judge,” Sharp said. “And now I’m there, and I’ve got a lifetime appointment, and then they say, except for the most important thing, which is someone’s liberty as it relates to a mandatory sentence. We’re going to take that from you. And you’re going to be an errand boy, sent by the grocer to collect the bill.” News of Sharp’s retirement made its way to Young’s prison email inbox. Young said he never blamed the judge for his sentence, understanding the legal handcuffs imposed by mandatory minimums, but he was blown away by Sharp’s reasons for stepping down. “He chose a courageous act of leaving the stage and said, ‘I don’t want to play in this play anymore. This theater, this act that y’all have going on, it’s inhumane, and it’s wrong.’ And I always will respect and admire him for that,” said Young. Sharp joined a law firm that gave him the chance to tackle civil rights cases. But it was an interview with The Tennessean newspaper about his retirement in April 2017 that put him on the other end of that hug from Young in the airport last month. In the interview, Sharp denounced mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines and discussed Young’s case — the one that tore at his conscience the most. “I don’t realize really what to even do about Chris until I hear from Brittany,” Kevin says of Young’s lawyer, Brittany K. Barnett, who called him after reading the article and told him she was going to be taking on Young’s case. A former corporate lawyer who is now a powerhouse civil rights attorney, Barnett is the co-founder of the Buried Alive Project, a group of lawyers and criminal justice advocates that works to get people released from prison who are serving sentences under outdated federal drug laws. “She flew to town and we sat down at a coffee shop around here and she just kind of laid it out,” Sharp said. They found nothing to warrant an appeal of Young’s case. So Barnett — who had successfully represented defendants serving life in prison for nonviolent offenses who then received a presidential clemency or commutation — knew the last avenue for Young’s freedom was through executive action by the President. But his chances were slim. “He would go in line behind 14,000 other people who filed clemency petitions,” Sharp said. ‘I focused on changing their perspective’ While Barnett and Sharp pored over paperwork and dwindling opportunities, Young said he never lost hope. He spent his days working out his body and mind, learning to code and helping other prisoners with their cases in the law library. Young’s determination to learn from his mistakes and forge a positive future was evident even during his pre-sentencing allocution to the court, even though he knew at the time his fate was sealed. An allocution is a courtroom formality usually reserved for a defendant’s apologies or continued declarations of innocence, but Sharp said he still remembers Young’s impassioned, nearly hourlong speech in which he took responsibility for his actions, displaying his potential to be a productive member of society if given another chance at freedom. Said Young: “I didn’t focus on the life sentence, I focused on changing their perspective, changing their feelings of me, hoping I could touch into their heart and change their mentality and make them see me as a human being. I didn’t know at the time that I had accomplished that.” Sharp said Young’s hope for the future made the fact he couldn’t take anything about his past or potential into consideration even more difficult. The former judge noted these types of sentences impact Black and brown communities at a disproportionate rate. “The system is set up to see certain groups as ‘less than.’ Some people would say it’s less than human, but at the very least, it’s less than White. And so they are treated differently,” Sharp said. “And that has got to change. Until we start seeing each other as human beings and recognizing that Chris has the same worth as me or anybody else who was in that courtroom, we’re going to have this problem.” Adding a little star power Barnett said she knew from experience that getting a client’s case before President Trump was possible, but it often required a little something extra to grab his attention: star power. Her previous client, Alice Johnson, had her sentence commuted by Trump after reality star and criminal justice advocate Kim Kardashian West lobbied the President. Still, Sharp said he was surprised when he received a call from Barnett asking whether he would speak with West about the case. And in September 2018, he attended a White House meeting with West, Barnett and others in which he pushed for Young’s release. Though grateful for the advocacy of West and other high-profile supporters, Barnett said a person’s freedom shouldn’t depend on a celebrity’s influence. She said she believes the clemency system itself is broken there should be another way to draw attention to unjust prison sentences. “You should not have to have a celebrity to get your name to the president. I am grateful that people like Kim Kardashian West and many other celebrities use their platform to raise awareness about this crucial issue. But it shouldn’t take a celebrity,” Barnett said. Under the Biden administration, Barnett said, she intends to push for systemic change in the pardon, clemency and commutation process, specifically what she calls out as the “obvious” conflict of interest rooted in the core of the process. “Typically, the way it works is the clemency petition goes through multiple levels of review within the Department of Justice before it gets to the White House, before it lands on the president’s desk. And that part should just be completely transformed,” Barnett said. “There should be no way under the universe that clemency petition should go through the Department of Justice at all (because) you are asking career prosecutors to overturn their own decisions. And so there’s a way to make the clemency process much more efficient than it is now.” ‘And then, nothing’ After the White House meeting, Sharp said he was invigorated. He said President Trump appeared to listen to Young’s case. They waited. “It was all very exciting. There was a great lineup. And then, nothing. There was nothing. Occasionally, I would check on it. And anytime I had the opportunity, I would speak about it. But I’m not hearing anything back from the White House on that,” recalled Sharp. He admitted he thought it was over for Young. Barnett said she was frustrated, but not discouraged. She chipped away at all other avenues, eventually winning Young a sentence reduction in September 2020. Because Young was no longer serving a life sentence, but still had years left behind bars for a nonviolent conviction, he was set to be transferred out of the maximum security prison he’d been living in for six years. But Young said he never got to celebrate. In order to stop the spread of Covid-19, the Bureau of Prisons paused most inmate transfers in March. Since Young couldn’t be moved to a new location, but needed to be transferred out of maximum security, he was instead tossed “the hole” and put in solitary confinement. “It’s called the hole for reason. It’s like a dungeon. You can’t see outside, you have no radios, no TVs, no emails, no nothing. And I did four months there,” Young explained, before a smile crept over his face. “So the morning that they came and got me and told me I was getting released, it was unbelievable.” A second chance Young was one of 143 people to receive last-minute clemency from President Trump on January 20. In the statement from the White House about Young’s commutation, Sharp’s support is mentioned first. “Mr. Young’s many supporters describe him as an intelligent, positive person who takes full responsibility for his actions and who lacked a meaningful first chance in life due to what another Federal judge called an ‘undeniably tragic childhood,'” the statement says. But for Young — and Sharp — it’s the last sentence in the statement that means the most. “With this commutation, President Trump provides Mr. Young with a second chance.” Barnett said she is hopeful thousands more will one day get to read similar life-changing words. She admitted Young’s case was special for her and she’s letting others in her organization handle new cases for a little while. Barnett said she plans to focus on freedom for the remainder of her clients and turn toward improving the support system for people in their lives after incarceration. “There are still people serving life sentences today under yesterday’s drug laws, and so we have a lot more work to do,” she said. Meanwhile, Young said he is ready to take full advantage of his second chance, using the computer science and coding skills he learned in prison. “I want to bridge the gap between the streets and innovative technology,” Young said. “So hopefully you can see more faces like me in Silicon Valley and Wall Street.” He also plans to bring those skills with him to work with the Buried Alive Project, so he can pay it forward and help those who are in the position he was in. “Unfortunately, it’s hundreds of thousands of Chris Youngs and Alice Johnsons still sitting in cages and we need to get them free some kind of way,” he said. Freeing them would take monumental changes to our criminal justice system, but Young and Sharp note they have already beaten the odds once — and are committed to continue fighting for reform together. “As for me and him,” Young said, “he will always be in my life. This is a surrogate uncle, surrogate father, business partner, business adviser. You will see more of Judge Sharp and Chris Young.” Responded Sharp, “However we are moving forward, I’m sticking close to this guy because he’s going to do much more important things than I ever did.” Source link Orbem News #ChrisYoungwasfreedwiththehelpofKevinSharp #fighting #freed #hes #judge #Prison #Reform #sentenced #thejudgewhosentencedhim.Nowhe'sfightingforprisonreform-CNN #us

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womenofcolor15 · 4 years

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Master P Seems High Key Annoyed With Monica After She Called Kim K About C-Murder’s Case, Implies Singer Is Only Around Due To Divorce + Monica Responds, C-Murder Rides For Her

Master P and Monica are feuding on social media over who has C-Murder’s best interest at heart. All hell broke loose after Monica called up Kim K to help get her ex released from prison. P def felt a way about it and spoke out about it. And Monica made sure to respond. Get it all inside….

Everyone’s yelling #FreeCoreyMiller!

No one could have made us believe that Master P and Monica would be going at it via Instagram, yet, here we are. 2020 has def been a doozy and isn’t showing any signs of slowing up.

No Limit Honcho Master P and R&B songbird Monica both want the same thing. They both want rapper C-Murder – P’s brother & Monica’s ex-boyfriend – to be released from prison. They – along with a lot of other people – believe C-Murder (real name Corey Miller) was wrongfully convicted for murder and sentenced to life behind bars. However, they can’t seem to come together as an unified force to help get him out of prison.

If you didn’t know, C-Murder is currently sitting behind bars after he was arrested in 2002 for the death of 16-year-old Steve Thomas, who was shot to death in New Orleans. A jury voted 10-2 in favor of sentencing the rapper to life in prison.

Last week, Kim Kardashian West announced that she was teaming up with singer Monica, along with Jay-Z & Meek Mill’s REFORM Alliance, to get C-Murder out of prison.

C-Murder hopped on Instagram to thank Monica, Kim K (and the team that does the actual work) for using their platforms and resources to raise awareness about his case. He said Monica connected him with Kim K seven months ago and after their conversation, it was the first time he actually rested while behind bars.

View this post on Instagram

7 months ago I called @monicadenise & she conferenced in @kimkardashian ! I did not know Moses had been working to reach Kim. After our call for the first time in 19 years, I slept!! You can rest behind these walls but never do you actually sleep! My case had been stagnant for years! So I published multiple books to help feed my kids & pay lawyers bare minimum! I am a man so it was no one’s responsibility to save me & no one attempted to! But when you trust God he will send his angels! This message is To any man or woman fighting the injustices of the system , DONT EVER GIVE UP!!! And do as I am. Focus on the Blessings, Not the Betrayals! #TruStory #FREECoreyMiller

A post shared by Corey Miller (@cmurder) on Aug 17, 2020 at 3:23pm PDT

”7 months ago I called @monicadenise & she conferenced in @kimkardashian ! I did not know Moses [Monica] had been working to reach Kim,” C-Murder wrote in an Instagram post. “After our call for the first time in 19 years, I slept!! You can rest behind these walls but never do you actually sleep! My case had been stagnant for years! So I published multiple books to help feed my kids & pay lawyers bare minimum! I am a man so it was no one’s responsibility to save me & no one attempted to! But when you trust God he will send his angels! This message is To any man or woman fighting the injustices of the system , DONT EVER GIVE UP!!! And do as I am. Focus on the Blessings, Not the Betrayals! #TruStory #FREECoreyMiller”

The 49-year-old rapper also praised the 39-year-old singer for always staying loyal and sticking by his side:

View this post on Instagram

Moses when they took me I told you go live your life because you didn’t deserve what the system was about to do to me. You still stood for me, without me asking created a team that could change the outcome of a very unfair fate! You been Forever Tru , One in a Lifetime!! @monicadenise got em saying #FreeCoreyMiller

A post shared by Corey Miller (@cmurder) on Aug 16, 2020 at 1:56pm PDT

The “For You, I Will” singer – who dated C-Murder around the late 90s to early 2000s - also hopped on social media to share her involvement with attempting to get C-Murder out of prison:

View this post on Instagram

@cmurder & I are bonded by truth, honesty & Loyalty ! There’s never been a promise broken & I vowed to seek help! After a tearful conversation with @lala she and I spoke to @kimkardashian & I explained why I KNEW Corey was innocent... I shared that There are lots of issues in Corey’s case that speak to his innocence including witnesses recanting their testimony, dna not matching & a 10-2 jury! Corey deserves to come home to his girls and be the father they need, be the artist & leader he’s always been as well as spread hope to those who have also experienced this.. I’ve locked arms with @kimkardashian, @jessicajackson, @edyhaney and all those who believe in Corey and are ready to fight to #FreeCoreyMiller #FreeCoreyMiller #FreeCoreyMiller

A post shared by Monica (@monicadenise) on Aug 16, 2020 at 12:41pm PDT

”@cmurder & I are bonded by truth, honesty & Loyalty ! There’s never been a promise broken & I vowed to seek help!,” Monica wrote in a caption. “After a tearful conversation with @lala she and I spoke to @kimkardashian & I explained why I KNEW Corey was innocent... I shared that There are lots of issues in Corey’s case that speak to his innocence including witnesses recanting their testimony, dna not matching & a 10-2 jury"

”Corey deserves to come home to his girls and be the father they need, be the artist & leader he’s always been as well as spread hope to those who have also experienced this.. I’ve locked arms with @kimkardashian, @jessicajackson, @edyhaney and all those who believe in Corey and are ready to fight to #FreeCoreyMiller #FreeCoreyMiller #FreeCoreyMiller," she continued.

View this post on Instagram

You’ve always been the most thorough & reliable human ever ! So many believe in you & stand with you !! You sacrificed it all for those you love! Let’s see it come back to you!!!!! @cmurder #FreeCoreyMiller

A post shared by Monica (@monicadenise) on Aug 16, 2020 at 5:00pm PDT

”You’ve always been the most thorough & reliable human ever ! So many believe in you & stand with you !! You sacrificed it all for those you love! Let’s see it come back to you!!!!! @cmurder #FreeCoreyMiller,” Monica caption a collage of throwback pictures of herself and C-Murder.

View this post on Instagram

IT'S BEEN A LONG JOURNEY FIGHTING FOR MY BROTHER COREY MILLER'S INNOCENCE AND I APPLAUD THE CELEBRITIES THAT ARE JOINING THE MOVEMENT. His case has recently received renewed interest due to the No Limit Chronicles. The key witness in the trial revealed that the police forced him to lie. The incident happened in 2002, although several witnesses have recanted their stories my brother has been denied a new trial after multiple times. An innocent man is still incarcerated. He was sentenced to life in prison at the Louisiana State Penitentiary even though there are no forensic evidence tying him to the homicide. #FreeCoreyMiller @silkktheshocker @romeomiller @snoopdogg @monicadenise @kimkardashian #Godisreal #GodGotTheLastSay

A post shared by Master P (@masterp) on Aug 16, 2020 at 8:55pm PDT

Master P got word about Monica and Kim K deciding to help get his younger brother out of prison, so he chopped it up with TMZ about it. He said he welcomed all the help he could get since he has been pouring in money almost two decades ago to get his brother released. Although, you can sense a mild undertone of shade…specifically about Monica stepping up after getting divorced from NBA player Shannon Brown.

Check it:

youtube

You can tell he definitely felt a way about it.

P also seemed disturbed that C-Murder would call Kim K one of his "angels." The music mogul put up a post about who the original angel was in C-Murder’s life:

View this post on Instagram

I put my trust in God, this is my angel. The lady that put the house up for my brother the first time he went to jail. RIP Big Mama you will never be forgotten #FreeCoreyMiller We work so hard to change his name back to Corey Miller, then these fake people use Cmurder again. The system convinced him on his name and lyrics. The only way to get back in front of the board is to show change and growth. The truth always prevails. No weapon formed against us shall prosper, every lying tongue that rises against us, Father God You shall condemn.

A post shared by Master P (@masterp) on Aug 20, 2020 at 9:57pm PDT

In an IG TV clip (that has been deleted), Master P addressed his brother writing books about their family. He didn’t like how C-Murder made it seem like their mother and father wasn’t there for them and he didn’t like how his brother spoke bad about their family. He’s annoyed C-Murder spoke on their family, but never said anything negative about the people who allegedly helped put him in prison. P is frustrated with “ungrateful family members” and made sure to let it be known.

Peep the video he posted (then deleted) below:

In the caption, P wrote:

"There’s nothing more important to me than family And when a family member is incarcerated or hurt, the whole family is affected. But if you truly believe in God, you know that every man is accountable for their own actions. We also have family members that make poor decisions that result in painful consequences but put the blame on others to avoid taking responsibility themselves. It’s time for me to be truthful with my own family. None of us are perfect but we are not going to grow if we don’t face the truth with each other. We need to stop being afraid to speak up, tell the truth, confront and correct each other in love. Everything is not about money. I’m tired of family members looking at me like an ATM. The Bible says: “Owe no man nothing but to love him.” I have went above and beyond for all of my family members whether they deserve it or not and most of them are ungrateful. My brother is innocent. We have been fighting this case since 2002 and I know that he is frustrated. But he can’t continue to blame his family for his predicament when he has constantly put his trust in his friends. All his co-defendants aka friends, the ones that were in the club with him on the day of the incident, testified against Corey and stated that he was the one that committed the crime so that they could save themselves and get out of jail. He never said anything negative about those friends, wrote any songs about them, talked about them in interviews or wrote any books about them. But he did speak negatively against our family, even against his own mother and father. And WE STILL LOVE HIM and will CONTINUE to fight for him. Whoever wrote the Instagram post that the bloggers and the media are talking about, doesn’t even sound like my brother or something that he would say. And the only reason I am addressing this is because I will not allow him or his friends to make a mockery out of our family that has been dedicated, committed and continue to be here for him even when the fakers and publicity goes away. I’m tired of family members thinking I’m supposed to fix all of their problems. I’m not God. I love my brother and I’m praying for the best for him. God knows the Truth @cmurder @silkktheshocker @monicadenise @kimkardashian "

After that video, Master P posted a picture of himself with C-Murder and their brother Silkk the Shocker with a direct response to Monica. He basically blasted her for being “married twice” while his brother was doing time in prison. He feels like she’s only stepping up now because she’s divorced. Oop.

Peep the IG post he put up then deleted:

The "So Gone" singer isn't one to hold her tongue, so she clapped back at P:

Master P must have saw the error in his ways and decided to apologize to the "Boy Is Mine" singer:

View this post on Instagram

We’re doing too much positive to have to deal with the negative. I have no beef with @monicadenise She got caught up into some family drama that we have to fix and I am man enough to admit that. No family is perfect, we all go through turmoil but with God all things are possible. I love my brother and can’t wait till he get home. We can’t allow the devil to steal our joy. We are bigger than this! @silkktheshocker @cmurder #RIPBigMama

A post shared by Master P (@masterp) on Aug 21, 2020 at 9:22pm PDT

"Family over everything," P captioned.

"We’re doing too much positive to have to deal with the negative. I have no beef with @monicadenise She got caught up into some family drama that we have to fix and I am man enough to admit that. No family is perfect, we all go through turmoil but with God all things are possible. I love my brother and can’t wait till he get home. We can’t allow the devil to steal our joy. We are bigger than this! @silkktheshocker @cmurder #RIPBigMama"

The privilege that is constantly displayed in our prison system is surely frustrating. Black people can present every single piece of evidence and money to free an innocent prisoner, but all a white person like Kim Kardashian has to do is send a tweet and the powers that be act like she cured cancer and suddenly listen. The system is unfair, and it's frustrating. And it's also unfair to credit white people who didn't do half the work with beig a savior, especially when they are not addressing or calling out the root of the problem - racism. She could have amplified the work and voices of those already doing the work as well, so black people don't have to continue to rely on white saviors for the rest of our lives.

With all that said, hopefully the "beef" is squashed so they can put their energy into the same goal they both want: C-Murder's release!

Photos: Master P's IG/@cyndiibee_

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/08/22/master-p-seems-high-key-annoyed-with-monica-after-she-called-kim-k-about-c-murder%E2%80%99s-case-

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amazingviralinfo · 7 years

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Wests life and music have combined into an ongoing piece of performance art one that appears unsustainable at this pitch

In an era when the likes of Beyoncé can release perfectly formed records without warning, the saga of Kanye Wests seventh album has been comically messy. He first announced it a year ago, under the name So Help Me God, but postponed its release by several months while renaming it Swish, Waves and, finally, The Life of Pablo.

In the weeks prior to its grandiloquent live-streamed launch at Madison Square Garden on Thursday an album playback featuring celebrity guests and an army of black models debuting Wests latest Yeezy fashion line he posted a series of perplexingly self-destructive tweets on topics including his ex-girlfriend Amber Rose and Bill Cosby. Even for a man who clearly subscribes to Oscar Wildes dictum, There is only thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about, it was a bizarre display.

West, 38, is arguably the most important pop artist of his era and certainly the most compelling, for good or ill. He speaks, and indeed acts, in superlatives. In recent years he has described himself, not always entirely seriously, as the greatest living rock star on the planet, the new Steve Jobs, a potential US president and, simply, the nucleus. Inevitably, he inspires extreme reactions.

When he was booked for last years Glastonbury festival, more than 130,000 people signed a petition calling for an insult to music fans all over the world to be dropped. The vehemence of such attacks on an apologetically outspoken black man doubtless had a racist dimension but that alone does not explain why the rapper is such a uniquely polarising figure.

West was brought up to achieve great things. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, but raised in Chicago by his mother, Donda, an academic, he was given the name Kanye meaning only one Omari wise man and she taught him above all to love himself. In her memoir Raising Kanye, Donda wrote that West inherited from his father Ray, a former member of the Black Panther party, little patience for what he thinks is unjust. Wests kindergarten teacher said to Donda: Kanye certainly doesnt have any problem with self-esteem, does he?

That dude was focused since he was a shorty because he knew what he wanted to do and he had a mother who supported the shit out of him, his friend and fellow rapper GLC once told Complex magazine.

Kanye West in 2004. Photograph: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

After enrolling at art college in 1997, West dropped out to pursue production work for the likes of Jay Z, with a signature sound based on accelerated soul samples, and then fought doggedly to be taken seriously as a rapper.

I realised that he was going to make it happen and he didnt mind being an asshole, Damon Dash, Jay Zs partner in Roc-A-Fella Records, told Complex. If you dont mind being an asshole, youre not going to lose. He wasnt scared, he had gall. A decade later, West told the New York Times: I knew I was going to make it this far; I knew that this was going to happen.

In October 2002, West was involved in a car crash that shattered his jaw and changed his life. He was convinced that God had saved his life and that he needed to write more profound lyrics. He described this epiphany in his 2003 single Through the Wire: a superheros origin story in which he emerges from a life-threatening accident stronger than ever. I knew I was dealing with a different human being after the accident, his managerGee Roberson told Complex. From that day forth, it was game on.

Unlike his mentor Jay Z, the middle-class West couldnt draw on a violent, hardscrabble youth for credibility so he had to create his own drama, trumpeting his talent and ambition to a degree that was unusual even by hip-hops self-aggrandising standards.

Im the closest that hip-hop is getting to God, he told journalists at an album playback in 2005. Talking to the Guardian afterwards, he described his florid braggadocio as both a form of self-motivation and a theatrical performance. Its like Im walking on this tightrope. Its like, damn, what if he falls? And if I do make it, its like, damn, he made it! But either way youre saying damn. Everybody else is just walking on the ground.

West backed up his rhetoric by constantly redefining what hip-hop could be. The College Dropout (2004) bridged the gulf between mainstream rappers and socially conscious underground MCs. The lavish Late Registration (2005) was co-produced by thefilm score composer Jon Brion. The Daft Punk-sampling, Nietzsche-quoting hit Stronger, from Graduation (2007), began hip-hops lucrative liaison with EDM. Most of its current stars, including Drake and Kendrick Lamar, walked through doors that West opened.

West is a tireless enthusiast with constantly expanding tastes and an ear for whats next. He has been adept at choosing collaborators, from big names such as Rihanna and Daft Punk to up-and-comers such as Arca and Kid Cudi, and taking inspiration from fashion, cinema, architecture and visual art. He is a famous perfectionist who claimed to have mixed his single Stronger 75 times before he was satisfied.

Logic would seemingly state that an album with so many people working on it would sound disjointed, but what Kanye manages to do is get the best out of everyone working towards one sound, the producer Evian Christ told Pitchfork in 2013. You cant really overstate how difficult it is to do that.

West is also an unpredictable lyricist who is equally capable of self-aware jokes, crass, misogynist punchlines and eloquent examinations of race and class. Early in his career, he spoke out against homophobia in hip-hop and blurted out George Bush doesnt care about black people during a telethon for victims of Hurricane Katrina, although he has only sporadically engaged with politics since. He is often at his best when he is being inappropriate. (Five years later, Bush called the incident the all-time low of his presidency.)

Wests behaviour changed dramatically after Donda Wests death in November 2007, from heart disease. He rarely talks about the loss but last year told Q that he blamed himself: If I had never moved to LA shed be alive. West became a more haunted and guarded figure, returning to music with 808s & Heartbreak (2008), a brave, introspective album that featured more Auto-Tuned singing than rapping and paved the way for Drake and The Weeknd.

Kanye West takes the microphone from Taylor Swift as she accepts her award during the MTV VMAs in 2009. Photograph: Jason DeCrow/Associated Press

The loss of his mother invited sympathy but the next turning point in Wests life inspired fury and derision. In 2009, he interrupted Taylor Swifts acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, bringing to the boil a long-simmering backlash. (West ungallantly references the incident on his new song Famous.) He retreated to his bunker if Hawaii can be called a bunker and made his decadent epic My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) with a legion of collaborators including Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver and Elton John. He later described it as a long backhanded apology.

In recent years, Wests ambition has become both grander and more diffuse. During interviews and concerts to promote Yeezus (2013), an audaciously abrasive electro-punk primal scream that he called a protest to music, he delivered long, furious monologues about his struggle to break into the fashion industry.

He increasingly seems more interested in clothes than in music Right now, over 70% of my focus is on apparel, he told Paper magazine and much more besides. He has compared himself to such world-changing figures as Picasso and Walt Disney, befriended the tech stargazer Elon Musk, and talked about his ambition to inspire an army of risk-taking cultural soldiers. You can see the growth from Im gonna be this great artist to I wanna do something that ignites a fire in peoples souls, he told Q.

However much credit West gets, it is never enough. In a 2013 interview he compared his critics to the eight-grade basketball coach who would not include him in the team even though he hit every shot. The next year, he made the team. West is driven by the desire to prove his doubters wrong, and fired up by his previous ability to do so.

While most high-profile artists accept that they cannot please everybody, West craves approval from establishment institutions that he appears to hate, from the Grammy awards to European fashion houses, as a point of principle. I dont care about the Grammys, he told the New York Times. I just would like for the statistics to be more accurate.

It is unclear what will happen when West can no longer hit every shot. The singles he released last year, including collaborations with Paul McCartney, were coolly received. His Glastonbury performance promised to be either a triumph or a disaster but, most reviewers agreed, fell somewhere in-between. Pitchforks Jayson Greene wrote: He is responsible for the current zeitgeist, but listening to his slightly confused new material, you get the distinct sense that hes struggling to find his current footing in it.

Reading Wests recent tweets, it is impossible to work out exactly what he is trying to achieve. He is clearly a more volatile and erratic character than he used to be. Marriage and fatherhood are often stabilising influences but marrying Kim Kardashian in 2014 has pitched West into a tabloid world with an endless appetite for gossip. It is unlikely that he could retreat from the spotlight, as he did in 2009, even if he wanted to.

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Kanye West releases album and fashion collection at Madison Square Garden

His life and music have combined into an ongoing piece of performance art which is unsustainable at this pitch. No artist can remain the nucleus of pop culture indefinitely. One day, this extraordinarily successful figure will face the new challenge of learning to cope with no longer being the man everyone is talking about.

Potted profile

Born: Kanye Omari West, on 8 June 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia

Career: Began producing music for local Chicago rappers in his teens and landed his first high-profile job in 1999. Launched his solo career with The College Dropout in 2004. Has released six platinum albums, won 21 Grammy awards, designed several clothing lines, and featured twice on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Runs the record label Good Music and the creative content company Donda.

High point: Bouncing back with his magnum opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010 after his snafu at the Video Music Awards temporarily derailed his career: even Barack Obama called him a jackass. In December 2014, Pitchfork named it the best album of the decade so far.

Low point: The death of his mother in 2007, soon followed by his split from fiancee Alexis Phifer.

What he says: I will die for the art, for what I believe in, and the art aint always going to be polite.

What they say: Hes a brilliant madman. He cant help himself. Like, he doesnt have the same filters other people have. He has to blurt things out hes always saying inappropriate stuff. But he also has brilliant ideas, if you can get him to pay attention long enough Madonna.

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