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Essence Festival is celebrating 50 years of hip hop this year and Juvenile was confused about why his name wasn’t on the original lineup.

After blasting the initial lineup for Essence Fest, Juvenile was proud to announce his inclusion in this year’s roster of live performances. The Cash Money rapper sent out a tweet on Wednesday, June 7, confirming his set.

“Hip-Hop 50 without Juvie? Not a chance. June 30th, NOLA we live!” Juvenile tweeted.

Hip-Hop 50 without Juvie? Not a chance. June 30th, NOLA we live! #ESSENCEFEST #ESSENCEFEST2023 #EFOC2023

Tickets available at https://t.co/8tlIbi9StE pic.twitter.com/d2GaeGgX2X

— JUVENILE (@juviethegreat) June 7, 2023

The announcement comes one week after Juvie spoke out about the initial Essence Festival of Culture lineup which included a number of A-list performers but only one New Orleans native.

“How is essence doing 50 years of hip hop in New Orleans without me???” Juvenile wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “F that Donna Fest July 2nd me w my live band +Mannie Fresh +Rebirth & more.”

Mia X was the only New Orleans native included on the initial bill. Headliners include Ms. Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, and Megan Thee Stallion, with a celebration of hip hop’s 50th anniversary from pioneers like Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, EPMD, Gucci Mane, Big Boi, Jermaine Dupri, KRS-One and more. There’s a West Coast set featuring Ice Cube, E-40, Ice T, and more.

 

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There is also a “South Got Something to Say” set where prominent Atlanta natives will perform including Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri, and Gucci Mane, among many more. When a fan brought this up to Juvie last week, he shamed the festival for acknowledging the south but not natives from the city where the festival is hosted each year.

“They have a segment called ‘the south has something to say’ with all Atl rappers,” the fan wrote.

“They did not understand the assignment,” Juve replied.

Essence took to Instagram to address the matter and announce Juvenile’s inclusion in the coveted show, Okay Player reports.

“As we prepared to celebrate the cultural commemoration of 50 years of Hip-Hop at this year’s festival, we planned with intention around the integration of New Orleans & Louisiana artists and the musical heritage across several experiences,” they wrote.

“Whether it be the celebration of Hip-Hop femcees like New Orleans native, Mia X, who has previously been announced, or special surprise performances from local Hip-Hop artists that should not be missed, along with our all Crescent City musical line-up during our Family Day celebration, the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana will be well represented including Hip-Hop artist, Juvenile.”

It looks like Essence Festival of Culture has a jam-packed lineup for 2023 that will have the culture talking.

The long-awaited International African American Museum will finally open its doors later this month, and the city of Charleston, South Carolina, is preparing for an emotional week.

After having to push back its plans for its grand opening to coincide with the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the IAAM will open to the public on Tuesday, June 27. The $120 million project has been in the works for more than two decades and required unwavering support from leaders in the city of Charleston.

The location of the museum is central to the story of enslaved Africans who crossed the Atlantic to Gadsden’s Wharf, overlooking Charleston Harbor, where many Black ancestors first encountered America. Before the museum’s official opening, the city’s residents can take part in a worship ceremony on June 22 and a dedication ceremony community gathering on June 24.

“As this magnificent new museum demonstrates, Charleston isn’t just a city where history happened — it’s a city where history is still being made every day,” John Tecklenburg, the mayor of Charleston, said in a statement. “I couldn’t be prouder of this extraordinary achievement.” For the museum, Henry N. Cobb, Walter Hood, and Ralph Appelbaum designed 100,000 square feet of space including nine galleries, a genealogy center, and a memorial garden, according to The New York Times.

Visitors can also expect to see work by the Malian photographer Seydou Keïta, local artist Fletcher Williams III, and a short project by legendary Daughters of the Dust filmmaker Julie Dash entitled Seeking. The video “re-interprets the coming-of-age traditions of the Gullah Geechee, the descendants of West Africans brought to the American Southeastern coast, into a narrative of resilience,” according to The New York Times. The museum will also be home to pottery by the enslaved artist David Drake.

The following is less a spoiler for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and more a spoiler for future movies.

Early on in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, we learn Noah Diaz—the lead human character, played by Anthony Ramos—is a former soldier. Though just a private, we learn how highly decorated he was. He was forced to leave the Army because of his sick little brother. I wondered if this was just because of the rampant military propaganda present in the Transformers movies. It never seemed to matter too much in the movie; he definitely didn’t need to be a soldier to be brave enough to save the day. However, the end of the movie explained things a bit.

The final scene finds Noah going to another job interview for a security job. This one takes him to a seemingly normal shipping and/or laundry business. He goes into the back room for the interview, where he meets a character played by Michael Kelly (House of Cards). This character asks him about his thin resume and gets Noah to describe the work he recently did in South America. This guy reveals he knows all about Noah teaming up with the Transformers in Peru. He’s impressed.

So this guy, it turns out, works for a secret government agency and wants Noah to join. The normal-looking conference room then opens up and we see a massive hangar full of high-tech vehicles. The man hands Noah his card. On the front we see the name “Duke,” and when Noah flips it over we see the very familiar brand logo of G.I. Joe.

Now this is both surprising and not at all surprising. Hasbro and Paramount have long desired to create a proper cinematic universe for its many toy properties. While three live-action G.I. Joe movies have come out in the past 14 years, none of them have even approached the success of the Transformers. So, establishing that G.I. Joe not only exists in the Transformers universe, but is the S.H.I.E.L.D.-esque agency which investigates the weirder entities makes a lot of sense. Talk for years has speculated that MASK, ROM, and Visionaries would join Transformers and Joe in a cinematic universe.

So, we now have not only a new G.I. Joe organization but evidently a new, more senior Duke leading the team. In the ’90s, too, since Rise of the Beasts takes place in 1994. We shall see where all of this goes!

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

The post The Surprising Ending of TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

NBA Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his wife, Cookie, took to social media to wish their son, EJ Johnson, a happy birthday and to show continued support for him.

On Magic’s Instagram account, he posted a picture of himself with EJ and offered the 31-year-old encouragement as he told him to “keep living your truth.”

“Happy Birthday to my son, EJ!! I love your pure heart and creativity! Keep living your truth, it’s what I love about you most! Have a great day”

 

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A post shared by Earvin “Magic” Johnson (@magicjohnson)

Another beautiful Instagram birthday tribute, from EJ’s mother, garnered nearly 16,000 likes and hundreds of comments.

“Happy birthday, my @ejjohnson_! You are my great love! I pray that the Lord will have favor on you and bless you abundantly in your 31st year.

Love you sweetheart,

Mom”

 

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A post shared by Cookie Johnson (@thecookiej)

In 2022, Magic discussed his relationship with his son in the Apple TV+ docuseries “They Call Me Magic.” He admitted that he struggled with accepting that EJ was gay. Although close friends of EJ knew of his sexual preference, his parents were unaware. Magic recalled that Cookie knew before him and had to convince him to speak to EJ about it before he departed to attend college in New York at NYU.

In an interview with Variety, the Los Angles Laker legend said, “I had to accept who he was and who he wanted to be. He actually helped me get there. Because he was so proud. Cookie said, ‘Look in the mirror.’ I said, ‘You’re right.’ Because I’m proud of who I am. And he got it from me.”

“He changed me,” Magic stated. “He was so proud. This dude here is just so proud of who he is.”