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My Favorite Projects From 2017

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Some albums are good for a few days, but they are later easily forgettable. Then, there are those records that make such an impression on you that you couldn’t imagine your life without it. This past year, there were many wonderful projects my ears had the pleasure of listening to, but for me none were more impactful than these.

Here are five albums from 2017 that are still in heavy rotation for me today and will continue to be played well into 2018 and beyond:

 

5. Cellus Hamilton, We Are & We Shall

Cellus campaigned his project as the #AlbumOfTheYear and people undoubtedly paid attention.  He thankfully backed it up with one of the most creative projects of 2017.  The lyrical imagery on songs like “First Amendment” and “Law & Order” grab your attention and take you back to a time when the rapper, not the beat, was the most important part of a song.  Cellus isn’t afraid to push the envelope with both his content and visuals, for that reason We Are & We Shall will be in rotation for years to come.

 

4. Hector Dominguez, Misunderstood EP     

From the album cover, to the beats and to the lyrics, the Misunderstood EP is top notch.  With bars like “I refuse to drown in the waters He walked over” and “I want God to know me but low key I’m Loki” this project is unforgettable.  Hector delivers his best work to date and one of my favorite albums of the past year.

 

3. Jered Sanders, Nobody Famous

Jered Sanders has been one of my favorites for a couple of years and since signing to Bizzle’s God Over Money imprint, his music output has only intensified.  Nobody Famous is an incredible body of work that aims at putting hope in hip hop.  Jered’s voice commands attention and is an instrument of itself.  This is probably most evident on one of my favorite tracks from the album, “Upside Down (Water).”  The bars and flawless flows are plentiful on Nobody Famous,  so it had to make my list.

 

2. Mali Music, The Transition of Mali

One of the most creative artists in music today is Mali Music and The Transition of Mali album does not disappoint.  Touching on subjects like love, faith and hope, Mali delivers much of what we’ve come to expect from him, but in a way only he can.  With features from mainstream artists like Jhene Aiko and Jazmine Sullivan, it’s clear that Mali isn’t preaching to the choir with this one, but every song resonates.  On any given day, the soulful ballad “Still” is on repeat in my headphones and I’m still in awe of how beautiful the record is.

 

 

1. KB, Today We Rebel

My favorite project from 2017 is Today We Rebel because it hits the mark in every way possible.  From the first track, “DNOU”(Don’t Nobody Own Us) the tone is set and KB doesn’t slow down one bit.  The realness on the “Art of Drifting” is inescapable and shows the importance of the constant pursuit of God no matter how “famous” or how big your platform becomes.  Today We Rebel is incredible and if I didn’t take anything else away from the past year it’s to “bet the bag on myself.”

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Entertainment

“Praise This” Original Movie Available Now on Peacock

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In the new gospel comedy, Bailey plays Sam, a rebellious non-believing teen forced to move to Atlanta and join a praise team.

The film is in the vein of the “Pitch Perfect” movies and for 24-year-old Bailey, the fact it was set and shot in Atlanta was a big deal. She grew up in Mableton until her early teen years.

“We shot this in Atlanta and I got to move back to my hometown for three months,” she said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It was so nostalgic and exciting at the same time. I got to see some of my favorite spots growing up. I got to pass churches I knew and we even shot in some churches I had visited before.”

She said she relates to her character Sam’s journey. “It’s definitely the music for both of us and how we strive to be at the top of our careers,” she said. “She’s an aspiring musician and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make her dreams possible.”

Watch the Praise This trailer here.

In the movie, Chole’s character Sam reluctantly joins the praise team with her much more chipper cousin Jess, played by Anjelika Washington. Despite being polar opposites, Sam’s character accepts her cousin because they have known each other since they were tiny, Bailey said.

“She loves Jess,” Bailey said. “That’s family. It’s love and the power of God. Jess opened Sam’s mind up to God.”

Bailey also got to work with Migos star Quavo, who plays Ty, a popular rap star who takes a professional interest in Sam.

“There was a scene that brought back so many memories of me meeting producers hoping they’d work with me,” Bailey said. “And it was great to pull from his own experiences.”

The movie was produced by Atlanta’s Will Packer, who is known for films such as “Ride Along” and “Girls Trip.” He was excited to have Bailey as the lead and spoke highly of her performance.

“She reminds me of Beyoncé with her work ethic,” he said. “She is relentless. Mark my words. She’s destined for greatness.”

Chloe’s role in Praise this is a unique full circle for her! In 2003, she appeared in “Fighting Temptations” a movie with a similar theme featuring Beyonce and Cuba Gooding Jr. as the two main leads. Chloe was only 3 years old at the time and played the role of Beyonce’s character “Lilly” as a child alongside the younger version of Cuba Gooding Jr. character.

Praise This largely seems to be a film about faith, community, remembering the good things in life and finding your tribe and a space where you can be yourself. It also features a lot of music! Featuring additional singing co-stars like Jekalyn Carr, Koryn Hawthorne, Quavo, Crystal Renee Hayslett (of BET’s Fatima), Tristan Mack Wilds (from HBO’s “The Wire” and the CW teen drama 90210), Birgundi Baker (of HBO’s “The Chi”), Drew ‘Druski’ Desbordes, Anjelika Washington and many more.

The film brings out of a new side of many of these actors as we get to see and hear them sing in addition to acting which is also new for a few of the listed stars. Take it from us, their skills are top notch! You’ll hear a few Gospel favorites in this film along with a host of new songs as Chloe and others put a new spin on Gospel favorites while also flipping a few mainstream favorites.


“Praise This” is available now on Peacock. Sign up to watch today!

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Culture

Michael B. Jordan Trolls Red Carpet Reporter Who Called Him Corny In High School: “I Was The Corny Kid Right?”

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Lore’l of The Morning Hustle recently had a moment with  Jordan at the movie premiere of his latest project, Creed III in Atlanta. During the start of the interview, she reminded him that they attended high school together in Newark, New Jersey. She introduces him to the camera saying, “And you know we know each other. We go way back, all the way back to Chad Science in Newark.”

JORDAN LOOKS HER STRAIGHT IN THE EYES WITH A SMILE AND SAID, “I WAS THE CORNY KID, RIGHT?”

Lore’l, likely uncomfortable responded with a laugh while quickly defending herself with another smile saying “I did not say that! I was misquoted, for sure.”

But Jordan didn’t let up and he briefly reminded her that the “corny kid” statement had been burned into his memory. There was still good energy present showing that he clearly had forgiven her, but he made it known he didn’t forget.

The interviewer briefly stayed in defense mode replying, “I said we used to make fun of the name.” She turns to the camera and says, “But yeah, he is obviously killing things out here.”

She quickly keeps the interview moving while remaining positive and continued to speak to Jordan about directing the latest movie and even brings up the expected union of him and Will Smith working together in the future. As the interview is over, she seemingly admits to calling him corny when she says, “Well, you’re not corny anymore,” Jordan walked away with a slight smirk as he moved on to the next interview.

According to other news sources, Lore’l had previously stated that, as schoolmates, she and her friends would tease The Wire alum as he was pursuing his dream of becoming an actor.

Lore’l stated, “You know what’s so crazy? I went to school with Michael B. Jordan at a point in life. We went to Chad Science [Academy] together in Newark, and to be honest with you, we teased him all the damn time because his name was Michael Jordan. Let’s start there, and he was no Michael Jordan. And he also would come to school with a headshot. We lived in Newark; that’s the ’hood. We would make fun of him like, ‘What you gonna do with your stupid headshot!?’ And now look at him!”

The moral of this story is simple! But be careful who you bully!

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Entertainment

DOE Releases New Docu-Series To Accompany Up & Coming Album – Watch Here!

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Doe Jones is back with new music! But this time, she’s taking her fans behind the scenes to learn more about her story, her creative process and more.

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Doe Jones is back with new music! But this time, she’s taking her fans behind the scenes to learn more about her story, her creative process and more. DOE is known for being very down to earth and relatable. These are truths that are especially heard in her music. Her two recent releases from the coming album, “When I Pray” and “So Good” each carry the transparency and authenticity that we love to hear from DOE. It’s also a style that seems to be a leading characteristic from any music released from the LifeRoom Music Label so far!

DOE made the first announcement of her new DocU Series on instagram where thousands of fans immediately showed their excitement!

Since the announcement, DOE has released two episodes of the series giving us all a sneak peek into parts of her world that we have never seen or heard before. The first episode features stories from her Parents, LifeRoom Music Label owner Jonathan McReynolds and Pastor Michael Todd of Transformation Church. DOE dives right in sharing stories about her upbringing, her creative writing style, her musical journey and much more. DOE’s coming album releases February 18th! So, pre-order today and get caught up on the docu-series now! Trust us. You’ll be glad you did.

If you missed the release of the first two episodes of DOE’s docu-series, we’ve got you covered! Scroll down to watch both episodes below:

EPISODE ONE

EPISODE TWO

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