December 26, 2019 

By Jay Reeves 

Associated Press 

Racially segregated movie theaters and whites-only water fountains disappeared decades ago after court rulings struck down the legal framework of Jim Crow America, but another element of the era just won't die: Walt Disney's 1946 movie “Song of the South.”

With racist stereotypes and Old South tropes, the film isn't available to the millions of subscribers of the company's new Disney Plus streaming service, and it hasn't been released in theaters in decades. Yet the movie, still beloved by many, lives on.

“Song of the South” is easily viewed on the internet either in whole or in pieces, and numerous websites offer versions of the movie or memorabilia for sale. Animatronic characters and music from the movie are even featured in a ride at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, minus the racist context.

The movie – a mix of live action, cartoons and music featuring an old black plantation laborer  named Uncle Remus who enchants a white city boy with fables of talking animals – is like a zombie that keeps popping up seven decades after it was first released. While many find it racist and offensive, others see it as endearing.

“Yay! Have been looking for a good copy for years, kids really enjoyed it! Thank you,'' a reviewer wrote recently on the online marketplace Etsy, where multiple versions of the movie are for sale.

Groups including the NAACP protested the film's initial release, and arts professor Sheril Antonio said the continuing problem with “Song of the South” is that some just don't see anything wrong with it.

“Most of the harm of all of this is not acknowledging our shared history, all the good and bad of it. The harm comes from ignoring it and not talking about it truthfully and fully,'' Antonio, a senior associate dean of arts at New York University, said in an interview conducted by email.

Released the year after World War II ended, “Song of the South” premiered in Atlanta, where the Civil War epic “Gone With the Wind” made its debut a few years earlier. Set in post-Civil War Georgia, the Disney film featured stories that white newspaper writer Joel Chandler Harris heard from one-time slaves and published starting in 1876, according to The Wren's Nest, Harris' one-time home and now a museum in Atlanta.

Actor James Baskett was presented an honorary Academy Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, but the movie was perhaps best known for its Oscar-winning song “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.” The tune is part of the soundtrack at Disney World's Splash Mountain ride, which also features Remus characters including Br'er Rabbit.

Yet while Disney Plus added a disclaimer to “Peter Pan,” “Dumbo” and other vintage movies because they depict racist stereotypes, the company kept “Song of the South” locked away in its vault.

Disney last screened the movie in 1986, its 40th anniversary, despite years of complaints that it showed blacks as subservient to whites, and it never released ``Song of the South'' for home video sales in the United States. Foreign versions of the movie are among the editions available for sale on the internet.

“To be honest, I've lost track of how many people sell DVD bootlegs now,'' said Christian Willis, who has run a website dedicated to the movie for about two decades.

Jason Sperb, who wrote a book about the movie and its legacy, said “Song of the South” received a lukewarm reception when it first opened but was a ``huge hit'' financially when it was released in the 1970s and ‘80s.

“Disney had become more of a cultural institution by then. All the old films, whether successful or not upon its original release, were now being rebranded as ‘classics,’” said Sperb, author of “Disney's Most Notorious Film: Race, Convergence, and the Hidden Histories of Song of the South.''

The continuing fascination that some have with the movie is likely more about the fact that Disney made it than its actual contents, he said in an email interview.

“I think if anyone else in Hollywood had made that movie it would have been almost completely forgotten about by today except for only the most hardcore animation history buffs who would note in passing its role in helping to shape the possibilities of hybrid animation,'' said Sperb.

Willis, who runs the “Song of the South” website, said he was enamored with the movie after seeing it as a child in 1986 at age 6. He hopes the movie is released to the public again someday, and in the meantime he plans to keep adding to his online repository about the film.

“I think burying history is the wrong approach,'' he said.

Some have reinterpreted old, racist films in a new way rather than simply screening them in their original format. Antonio, the NYU professor, cited DJ Spooky's remix  of the 1915 movie “Birth of a Nation,” which glorified the early Ku Klux Klan.

In “Rebirth of a Nation,” DJ Spooky (whose birth name is Paul D. Miller) trimmed the original film and applied new graphics and music he composed. In a live performance during the 2016 presidential campaign, he spliced together the original film with scenes from the civil rights movement and post-9/11 wars.

Antonio said she was “forever changed” by watching “Rebirth.”

“As you can see I am an educator, and in these cultural artifacts there is always value,'' she said.

December 26, 2019 

By Bertram Keller 

Contributing Writer 

Heavy hitting record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) celebrated Christmas early at the Nickerson Gardens 6th annual Toy Drive & Giveaway. The complimentary two-day event congregated at the Nickerson Gardens’ Boys & Girls club located in the Watts district of Los Angeles.

Supporters of all ages lined up as early as 9:00 a.m. with the assurance of free entry, under the condition that each person in attendance bring at least one unwrapped toy to donate for local families.

The lines upon entry extended blocks around the corner; all carrying toys in hand, queuing up to deposit their donation. Attendees brought sizeable actions figures, clothes, or cash donations placed in disposable hefty bags that were later gifted to families the next day.

A massive stage with the distinct TDE logo stood in the center of a grassy field, encircled by multiple family-owned food trucks that were neatly parked along a fenced-off area; as well as, promotional booths concerning light medical training, flu shots, and a plethora of merchandise giveaways.

Grammy Award-winning artist and Nickerson Gardens native, Jay Rock hosted day one of the two-day event, in which kicked off around 4:00 PM. With 10,000+ in attendance, Los Angeles city councilmember Joe Buscaino introduced Jay Rock, and praised him for “never forgetting where he came from," and acknowledged him for “doing right for the community.”  

The main show commenced with Jay Rock introducing TDE artist, singer and songwriter, Zacari whom opened the show with contemporary songs like “Don’t Trip” and his acclaimed Kendrick Lamar collaboration “Love.” Next on the card, Nickerson Gardens’ very own Ambjaay rocked the stage by jumping in and out of the crowd while he performed his summer smash “Uno.”

Soulful lyrists like Reason, Lance Skiiwalker, Isaiah Rasshad and SIR continued to boost the energy. Reason delivered traditional hip-hop tone, along with an aggressive dynamism to hype the crowd. Lance Skiiwalker and Isaiah Rasshad touched the heart of many by simmering alternative and soulful vibrations, which created a harmonic peace throughout the audience.

Inglewood native, SiR, showcased his alternate-universe by providing amazing stylistic shifts all the while rooted to the traditional R&B genre; accordingly, creating an intoxicating atmosphere of poetic love sounds for the crowd.

Ab-Soul blessed the stage with effortless exuberance, and wowed the audience with firecracker rap lyrics spilling over raw boom bap instrumentals. And provided a juxtapose spiritual introspective accompanied with baffling punch lines.

 The first of several guest performances was rap artist Swae Lee, who performed smash hits like “No Type” and “Black Beatles.” Swae’s energetic nature was evident as he flared around the stage, submerging the microphone in a sea of fans to jointly perform. Tyga swiftly cycled in to rap popular anthems; such as, “Go Loko,” “Taste” and his latest single “Macarena.”

The prodigal Black Hippie representative, Schoolboy Q, arrived in the midst of the special guest appearances, and gave a standout performance of acclaimed single “Floating" off his latest album “Crash Talk.” Soon after, Compton native, Roddy Ricch was introduced; fresh off his No. 1 debut album on the Billboard 200, whom performed hit singles “Ballin” and “The Box.”

Chris Brown concluded the special guest segment of the show by arranging steadfast dance moves while electrifying the crowd with chart-topping songs like “Heat” and “No Guidance.” Not to mention, Brown produced a standout dance sequence that showed athleticism and an everlasting style notably resembling Michael Jackson’s classic routine.

Finally, the day’s main attraction: a hooded, Kendrick Lamar inconspicuously walked on the stage, dressed in leather black boots, baggy denim jeans, and a casual blue hooded sweatshirt. K-Dot has relatively been quiet since his Grammy Award-winning album “Damn.”

In kind, the crowd erupted given this rare appearance by the current ‘God MC’ to perform the cult classic song “B---h Don’t Kill My Vibe.” Soon after, Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar shared the stage to perform their celebrated collaborations; such as, “Rotation 112th” and “King’s Dead.”

Jay Rock closed the show with the hit single “Win,” a bold statement of Black excellence that hints at Black power and militant ideals through victory.

December 19, 2019—day two consisted of the Toy Drive & Giveaway, hosted by TDE management and financial representative Big B. Local families lined up to receive brand new shoes, clothes, toys, and an assortment of TDE merchandise.

The grassy field was transformed into a carnival styled play area equipped with video game truck, snow machine for sledding, free food, merchandise giveaways, and even free eye cares services for those who need examination. Families left the event with carts full of toys and some food for the week. It was successful two-day event, special thanks to the TDE family.

December 26, 2019 

By Gary Gerard Hamilton 

Associated Press 

Megan Thee Stallion's schedule has become so frenetic that she can spend days, or even longer, away from home, in a different city every night. While the grueling schedule may wear down some, she's unbothered by it, and not because she's as strong as her name suggests.

“I won't complain because I remember I used to be at home wishing I was leaving and going to do shows,'' said Megan, who was named one of AP's 2019 Breakthrough Entertainers of the Year. “I'm just grateful for everything that happened this year, and the opportunities that a lot of people have given me.''

The rapper from Houston burst onto the music scene this year with her album, “Fever,” and instantly became a sensation. She racked up singles such as “Big Ole Freak,” “Cash (expletive)” with DaBaby, and her first No. 1 on Billboard's Rhythmic Songs chart, “Hot Girl Summer.” The song, featuring Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, stemmed from a phrase Megan coined that became the hot phrase of the season.

Endorsements also blasted her way, including Coach, Puma and a management deal with the Jay-Z-founded Roc Nation. She also won an MTV Video Music Award, and just this month received the Powerhouse Award at Billboard's Women in Music Awards.

“Every day, they tell me, ‘Megan you're doing a good job,’” the 24-year-old said, referring to her team. “I'm like ‘Thank you,’ but I gotta work harder. I know I'm not where I want to be at yet, so I'm still trying to grind.''

The year of peaks was not without valleys, none lower than the loss of her mother in March. While she doesn't talk about that in detail, Megan acknowledged: “This year has definitely been super crazy: a lot of ups, some downs.”

Some may consider her omission from the recent slate of Grammy nominees another disappointment, but Megan brushes it off.

“You're not rapping because you want to win a Grammy. You're rapping because you want to rap,'' she said. “I don't think you should have it in your mind when you're in a studio like, ‘I'm going to write these bars because I'm going to win these Grammys.’ No! You're writing these bars because you have a fan base.”

Focusing on awards or being No. 1 means “you lose the love and the passion for what you even started doing this for,'' she said.

Currently enrolled at Houston's Texas Southern, a historically black college and university, Megan also has married overt, unapologetic sex appeal with education, a combination rarely if ever seen in hip-hop. She's put #HotGirlSummer on pause for #HotNerdFall and #HotGirlSemester.

“I really am kind of a little nerd, but I am very confident in myself and in my body,'' she said, adding that she wasn't trying to be a role model. “This is my regular life. But I'm really happy that it is inspiring girls, and it is making people want to further their education.''

Megan Thee Stallion also signed on to star in the new season of NBC's “Good Girls,” and says she'd eventually like to write her own horror film. But her focus is on her debut album, which she says will go beyond the sexual imagery she's known for.

“My album, the songs that I've been recording for it so far, have been way more soft than my usual music – a little soft in my opinion. It's been a little more vulnerable,” she said. “I feel like that's what my fans want to know at this point, so I'm giving y'all a little more insight on why I am the way I am.”