Movies

The end is here.

11 years and 22 films later, the end of an era in cinema has arrived. Marvel Studios released the anticipated conclusion to The Avengers saga with Avengers:Endgame last Friday. Not since Avengers: Infinity War being released almost a year ago has a movie engaged fans on such an epic scale.

As both a nerd and a movie fan, this was an experience that I would not cheapen through firesticks and YouTube videos. I was able to score tickets in Indianapolis as my attempts to do so while in Atlanta this weekend were unsuccessful.

To say that Avengers: Endgame did well on opening night is gross understatement as within six hours of it’s release, the box office hit made $1.5 billion! Fans came out in droves as they have had almost a calendar year to collect themselves post “The Snap” and find out what the Avengers will do to reverse what Thanos did in Infinity War.

Endgame is a film that will cap over two decades of some of the best storytelling that you will ever witness in cinema. To be able to weave a tapestry of both captivating characters and diverse story lines is a feat that The Russo Brothers have down to a science. While three hours seems like an eternity in a theater, true fans of Marvel will appreciate the time spent as they will dazzle us like only Marvel can.

Avengers:Endgame

Movie Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Run Time: 3 hours, 1 minute

Lee Kimbrough

Blackkklansman hit theaters on Friday August 10th. This film directed by Spike Lee, yes this was a Spike Lee Joint, was inspired by the true story of Ron Stallworth, the first black detective of the Colorado Springs Police Department, played by Ballers actor, J.D. Washington (Denzel Washington son). The film was phenomenal, and I wondered why it did not receive as much attention as the Marvel comic film Black Panther. Perhaps people are tired of seeing black? Either way, the film started out with the Stallworth story of being a rookie on the Colorado Springs Police Department. Opening up with all things black, including the stereotypical afro and fist in the air and patting of the afro. There are even some moments of the comic relief with  puns about “CP time” or colored people time, poking fun at black people always being late for said events. I even enjoyed some of the light-hearted humor and some of the serious topics regarding race relations in the 70s.

Spike Lee does a wonderful job at encapturing the experience of black college students and how important it is for young black educated professionals to use their education and influence to help develop the thought of the masses. That has always been something Spike Lee seem to be adamant about in most of his films, the influence of young black educated people. If you look closely there also historical references to David Duke, Stokely Carmichael, and many other historical figures both of the Black Power movement and of the white power movement. I more specifically enjoyed how the relationship between the president of the black student union and Stallworth was not overdone. Meaning, that the love scenes were a kept to a minimum and stayed true to the story of Ron Stallworth and his infiltration of the KKK and its ranks including David Duke.

I  highly encourage people to come out and see this film because although it is light-hearted humor there is also a message to be heard. Realizing that we are only a few generations removed that it seems history is repeating itself. Towards the end of the film, there are current events related to Trump and the race riots happening all over America regarding black lives matter and white lives matter. So if you haven’t, make sure you go out and support this film in theaters now.

This week Zaytoven had the movie screening for the sequal to his movie Birds of a Feather. Check out the star studded event at the Atlantic Station Regal movie theater this week. Your boy FreddyO was on the scene; you can check out reactions from the cast and others invited to the exclusive premeire.

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“….so where’s he from?” …”Delaware”…”The State?” ….”haha nah bro the city, right there from your state Ohio” This is how Capital P was presented to me via a constant DM on IG through his business partners. I must admit that for a few months, I didn’t follow up as well as I could have. Being a music critic and state manager for all of Ohio with The Fleet DJ’s, I tend to get a lot of submissions regularly. However, after I had a phone conversation with Byrd and Jamezz Bonn (Divine Engineering), I instantly felt a connection. They insisted that Capital P was the one that was going to make noise from Ohio. So I invited him up to the studio to kick it wit us just to see how he vibed with my crew. So one Wednesday, he came up to the WTMH Studio and right there on the spot, we said we were going to premier his single on our live Workout Wednesday broadcast just to see how our audience felt about his work. The single they submitted was El Hombre. I will testify, from the very first note we heard from that song, we were believers in this man’s music.

Being in this business for a while, a DJ hears a lot of music, so it really takes something special to keep an artist’s body of work from going in the pile and moving on. If you listen to Capital P’s / El Hombre first, you will be fooled into thinking he’s just another trap rapper no matter how great the song is. But when you play his entire album of Capital P/I Look Up  you’ll bear witness to artistry coming from the Delaware city. It will actually blindside you of how good Capital P really is. One of my favorite songs of the project Tuck It In takes you into the mind of a person that has seen a lot of ups and downs and of someone just trying to make sense of the world. The live guitar on this songs helps the listener drift from a stressful day into a bliss of funkdefied melody. It may actually be one of my most favorable tracks on the project.

Throughout the album you can hear the pain in the rapper’s voice. It’s a beautiful pain like that of a Bob Marley meets the rap-from-the gut-flow like Tupac Shakur. Not to even try to compare the Delaware rapper to these Legendary figures, it’s just that you can hear the same determination to change the minds in his songs. The song Good is a perfect example of that determination. As he says in the song…“I’m a get it till I’m good” the listener can truly understand Capital P will not stop until he sees some success for his labor. Once again I have to go back to the erie guitar riffs that wail, to paint the picture of a rapper with a big gift trying to push this sound out of his small city.

State of Mind you can hear Cap P making a statement. He is getting the listener to understand that the happening that go on in big cities happen right there in the city of Delaware. He wants the audience to not underestimate the crime and violence that happen where he is proud to be from. As the heroin epidemic continues to stay on the rise in Ohio, he is sounding the horn the same way Grandmaster Flash did with “The Message” when he said, “It’s like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from going under” State Of Mind takes you on a day in Delaware where anything can and will happen.

Tell You What… I’m predicting will be a “ladies” summer song for 2018 in the Midwest. It’s a melodic song where the rapper tries on his vocal skills for size and delivers nicely. It’s always been a formula for rappers to come out with the radio song right before the summer. This is that song. When Cap P actually played that song for me on my radio show, I asked him “So when do you come in on the song?” they all laugh and he says “That is me through the whole song” I’m like “That you singing?”….and he grins . That was another time when I became a believer in his music.

Overall, I give this album a high rating because of the production and arrangement of all the songs. It’s a solid project! You can tell time was taken on the mixing and mastering of all the songs. When I listened to this entire album, it’s like reading a book. The content has to be just as exciting as the title. I Look Up is just that exciting to listen to.

****

Out of 5 stars I would give it 4 based on production and lyrical content….5’s are given for classic albums and only the rest of the world can give him that. Let’s see if I Look Up is a game changer for OHIO.

-@DJLAYNELUV

Baby! Let me tell you, Birdman came thru with this “Before Anything” movie. Being that Louisana is home for me you know I had to listen and understand how you can grow up in an area that’s really for staying in the streets to this big time Producer/Mogul/ rapper. Now a lot of people have there said so about Bryan but after watching “Before Anything” you get a better understanding of him and his way of thinking. It’s amazing how his story unfolds at such a young age matter of fact at birth because he didn’t have a name for awhile so the only thing they called him was Baby. Now no one is perfect by any means but if you have that family connection like most down south people say if you stay in my neighborhood or grow up with me then we are family and I must say throughout the entire documentary it shows that he was about family! His father was a man of many talents and his mother was a lovely woman, having multiple brothers and sisters and seeing how his father provided I must say to me was a definite A -1 quality story! So thank you Bryan Baby Williams, Job well done! If you haven’t watched it go to apple music and pull it up I promise you it is good.

How massive is ‘Black Panther’ at the box office? A record-shattering $235 million
‘Black Panther’ shatters records during opening weekend

The King of Wakanda reigned supreme this holiday weekend as Disney’s “Black Panther” proved to be a pop cultural phenomenon, shattering box office records with an estimated $235 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales for the four-day holiday weekend.
The Marvel Entertainment release, the first global superhero blockbuster with an African American director and a mostly black cast, exceeded expectations and set records for a February opening and for a Presidents Day weekend debut. The previous record holder was “Deadpool,” which made $152 million domestically over the four-day holiday in 2016.
“Black Panther” is the fifth highest domestic opening weekend of all time, behind only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015), “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017), “Jurassic World” (2012) and “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012). Critics and audiences pointed two thumbs straight up.
“Black Panther” landed an A-plus audience rating from CinemaScore, and a 97 percent “fresh” rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. That makes “Black Panther” — directed and co-written by 31-year-old Ryan Coogler (“Creed”) with co-writer Joe Robert Cole and starring Chadwick Boseman — the most well-received superhero film ever, Marvel or otherwise.
“Results like this go beyond anything anyone ever could have hoped for,” said Dave Hollis, president of global distribution at Disney. “The momentum that the film has, has left us unable, even, to keep up with projections. It’s unbelievable.”

This image released by Disney -Marvel Studios shows, from left, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o and Florence Kasumba in a scene from “Black Panther.” Gurira says the representation of women in “Black Panther” is important for young girls to see. The film features a number of powerful female leads, including Gurira as the head of a special forces unit, Lupita Nyong’o as a spy, Angela Bassett as the Queen Mother and newcomer Letitia Wright as a scientist and inventor. (Matt Kennedy/Disney/Marvel Studios via AP)
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This image released by Disney -Marvel Studios shows, from left, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o and Florence Kasumba in a scene from “Black Panther.” Gurira says the representation of women in “Black Panther” is important for young girls to see. The film features a number of powerful female leads, including Gurira as the head of a special forces unit, Lupita Nyong’o as a spy, Angela Bassett as the Queen Mother and newcomer Letitia Wright as a scientist and inventor. (Matt Kennedy/Disney/Marvel Studios via AP)
“Black Panther” is set in the mythical kingdom of Wakanda, which is rich with the miracle metal vibranium and is the most technologically advanced nation on the planet. The Afrocentric movie touches on ideas of colonialism and the reverberations of slavery.
A prevailing belief among some in Hollywood has been that movies with mostly black casts don’t do well at the foreign box office, but Disney reported $169 million in international ticket sales — a figure expected to climb dramatically when “Black Panther” opens in major markets including China, Japan and Russia.
With Hollywood criticized for not putting diverse voices behind the camera or enough people of color in starring roles, the box office numbers for “Black Panther” are telling, Hollis said.
“It’s a testament to an extraordinarily made film,” Hollis said. “But also, a big part of it too says very clearly that inclusion and representation matter. It’s a powerful thing for people to see themselves and know that they’re seen in the films we put up in a movie theater. Audiences deserve to see themselves on screen. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but it makes for better, richer storytelling.”
An ethnically diverse audience pool gave “Black Panther” five out of five stars on a comScore/Screen Engine PostTrak audience survey. The moviegoers were 37 percent African American, 35 percent white, 18 percent Latino, 5 percent Asian and 5 percent other.
Hollis added that more “Black Panther” ticket buyers were in the 18-24 and 25-39 age brackets than is typical for a Marvel superhero movie.
“Black Panther” had Imax’s biggest weekend ever, bringing in $35 million globally from 676 screens.
“The film represents taking a movie and turning it into an event, and that’s what Marvel, Imax and Ryan Coogler have accomplished with these results in our network,” Imax Chief Executive Greg Foster said.
“It absolutely opened up the film for a new audience,” Foster said. “There were people who don’t go to the movies as frequently as we’d like, and this was a movie that was top of mind. People had to be there.”

Napoleon Hill goes on record with his book Think And Grow Rich telling the reader the very day he was sent on a mission to seek out the most successful people in the nation at that time, and develop a formula for how they became that way. The proposition was set by steel giant Andrew Carnegie. The two things I took from that fateful encounter is that successful men act quickly and change their minds slowly. 2nd, is belief,  will take you further than you can ever imagine. My point is, had Napoleon Hill let the knock of opportunity pass him by, by not recognizing a jewel (opportunity) handed to him from greatness, he might have robbed the world of some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time inspired by his book. In July of 2017, in a conference room in Raleigh North Carolina, filled with DJ’s and radio personalities, I also felt the knock of opportunity when I heard the story of Duane DaRock…as told by Duane DaRock, and my journey has not been the same since. When he told the story of being homeless, I was at the time on the verge of being homeless and I didn’t know how I was going to get to North Carolina, let alone eat while I was down there. But one week before his breaking point…his life changed. One chance meeting with a legendary rapper solidified his place in music history. Ladies and Gentleman… Legendary Producer Duane DaRock.

SO: Mr. DaRock, so glad you could join Straight Official today. When you spoke at the Fleet Music Conference this past summer, you had something different to say vs, just talking about the music business itself, you wanted to drive home positive energy and vibrations. What made those things the forefront of your message?

DD: Well I’ve known about the power of vibration since I was 4 years old and the gift that came with that was being in tune with the vibrations of the universe and whatever you think about you bring about. The game changer for me was when my grandfather died when I was 12, that’s when I jumped in the music business which makes 32 years being in the music game. I will solely accredit the things I’ve accomplished in this business based on it being all about positive energy, good vibrations.

SO: So where did determination play a factor in your will to make it in the music business?

DD: Like I said I knew at the age of 12 what I wanted to do, so I let nothing or no one take me off of that path. So in 93′ I started producing records with the help of a man by the name of Steven Brown. He was a jazz musician. What happened was, I couldn’t find anyone to make beats for me being that I was from the Boston area. So I learned what I could until eventually I became self contained until the fateful day I met Big Daddy Kane. From there I started producing beats for Digable Planets, Kool Moe Dee, Rakim, LL Cool J and the list goes on.

SO: I know the story , but for those that need to hear this, tell the inspiring story of how you met Big Daddy Kane.

DD: Ok so I was homeless. My girl kicked me out and I was bouncing from place to place and I was starving. I was starving to the point my homie said I needed to go get some food assistance. I got all the way there and something came over me and I said NO! I’m dope…I’m dope. I went home to make some rice because it’s all I had to eat….as I’m pouring the rice in the pot, a jar from the cabinet falls and breaks into the pot of rice. I pick out the big pieces but mind you the little pieces are still in there, I literally ate glass that night. This sparked not only a fire but a fearlessness in me. About a week later, I went to the Big Daddy Kane concert on a mission to let Kane hear my beats. I tell the security that I’m one of Kane’s dancers. Security wasn’t having it. So as fate would have it, a fight broke out distracting security and so I ran. I didn’t know where I was running to, but I ran right into the back of Big Daddy Kane. I told him what I did and he listened to the beats. While he’s doing this, I can see security coming to get me. And in true Kane cool fashion. He gives this look to say, “Can’t you see he’s with me?” The very next day I’m in the studio with Kane and I’m officially in the music business. But let’s be clear…I’ve been homeless even two other times after that. I’ve made money, lost it, made it again. It was a clear lesson from God to stay humble. The Lord giveth and he taketh away.

SO: You and Jadakiss seem to have a trusting working relationship. How did that come about?

DD: I met Jadakiss through the actor Duane Martin. I did a song for a movie called Hustle and Heat. Duane Martin and Jadakiss both played in that movie, so through working together, we just kept building until eventually we ended up doing the song Letter To Big with Faith Evans which ended being the main song on the Biggie movie. But let me backtrack. I met Faith one night because I was hungry and I listened to my craving and went to Fat Burger. What I thought was a craving, was in fact that I was being guided by the vibrations. When I saw her, I told her about my studio, she came back and heard a couple tracks and that night I penned the hook to Letter To Big.

SO: What do you say to the theory that people sell their souls to get into the music industry?

DD: First of all, your soul is not for sale, so you can’t literally sell your soul. But I will say that when you go against who you are to gain some sort of stardom or unearned favor, you are then going against who you are morally and that’s why you see the heavy drugs and heavy drinking because some people in the industry have made deals that compromise who they were, so they drink to escape their now reality. You can be in this business without succumbing to the tricks of people trying to tap into your inner core of who you are. But thats why you have to operate on a high vibration so you can recognize and avoid that trap.

“When you link with demonic forces for superficial gain, you go against the will of God and that’s what selling your soul means to me.” -Duane DaRock

SO: Who’s responsible for how you ethically move throughout the music business and keep your integrity?

DD: HAHAHAHA make sure you put this in there. And put my laugh in big bold letter too. There so many artists today that wouldn’t have gotten where they are without the people they shitted on, pimped and played. A lot of ghost writers and ghost producers will never see the light of day. They receive no credit and are getting robbed regularly. But these are they same people responsible for the success you see in today’s artists. A lot of people at the top…stole their way to the top. There are a lot of wolves in this industry, but I consider myself a lion. A Lion moves gracefully and knows it rules that land. A Lion commands and takes what he wants when he is hungry. A wolf plots, plans and preys on anything weaker. A wolf is constantly looking to devour, a Lion attacks only when necessary .

SO: What’s your final word for today’s up and coming musicians?

DD: When you’re tapped in to your inner guidance, it will tell you what you need to do. Stop saying “I’m chasing my dreams.” If someone tells you to “Chase your dreams” smack the shit out of em. Anything you are chasing is obviously running away from you. The words you want to use is that I’m attracting my reality…I am manifesting my dreams. You’re talking about the guy that was homeless three times yet Kevin Hart used my song about struggle to be the main song for his movie. It can happen for you if you believe in yourself. I’m Duane DaRock and I stand by what I’ve said.

@DJLAYNELUV

@DuaneDaRock

@StraightOfficialMag

@StateOfHip_Hop

@FleetDJs

Hey have you seen it yet??? The first black super hero movie “Black Panther”, Chadwick Boseman is Black Panther. Michael B Jordan is trying to be the next Black Panther. More of the all black cast members are;  Lupita Nyongo, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Sterling K. Brown, and Danai Gurira. Check out the official movie trailer here. The movie is set to debut in theaters February 16, 2018.

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Sept 27th 2017, Jackson Mississippi rapper David Banner calls up 106.7fm The Beat in Columbus Ohio and receives some disturbing news. He was told that a rumor circulating the city was that he would more than likely not show up to the lecture event Speak Your Truth Summit. Shortly after the interview Mr. Banner went right to Instagram to confirm that he indeed was coming to our city and that he was proud to come to our town. Within that one minute video, you saw integrity, compassion and a deep rooted southern pride to always keep your word no matter what it costs. All qualities of being a real man.

If you have grown with David Banner like I have since the hit song Like A Pimp ft Lil Flip or major production credit on T.I.’s monumental album Trap Muzik (2003), then you know that the 2017 David Banner is not the same one we know from 2003. Of course David Banner always told well rounded stories, such as Cadillacs on 22’s referencing the death of Emmett Till and other misfortunes in his home state, but after 2006, we started to see a change and conviction in his approach to music. Maybe it was those Katrina waters of 2005 that destroyed his beloved state that brought about the enlightenment. Go back in time and remember how pissed he was when the world witnessed with it’s own eyes that the President of the United States George W. Bush didn’t give a damn about the poor and disfranchised in Florida, Mississippi, Texas and of course the city hit the worst New Orleans. This was his family that was suffering and he was the only voice fit to sound the alarm in the time period to speak about his state of emergency. (pun intended)

The Great Malcolm X said in his autobiography…once the light is turned on inside you cannot turn it off. Well Mr. Banner’s light continues to shine brighter and brighter as he brings awareness to the plight of being Black In America especially in the southern states. When Straight Official caught up with Banner…I had a lot on my mind. I was extremely perplexed. I witnessed and reposted the murder of Patrick Harmon of Salt Lake City Utah on my Uptown Weekly Instagram page. Not to mention being close to the case of Timothy Davis in Columbus Ohio. In that particular situation, by all means, we are grateful that young man is still alive. However, with strain and intensity in my eyes, I told Mr. Banner…”Sir, there’s a lot of people that don’t know….but I know you know….Please shed some light on how long we have to endure these horrendous acts in front of our face as we standby appearing to be helpless.”

“Understand I come to piss people off and make them uncomfortable. Because pain brings about attention quickly. Listen, a warrant, smoking weed, running, none of that is justifiable in killing someone. I’m not just talking about black people. Whatever color they are, if they are not directly posing a threat to a police officer and they’re just running away, my friend there is no reason for anyone to get shot. See, white people have gotten black people to think like them, so when we see someone jammed up by the police, the first thing we think in the back of our mind is ..damn what that n***a do? Now unless that man (Harmon) was wanted for murder, then shooting him doesn’t make any sense. You see, we also have to stop echoing their bullshit media commentary, just like in the Kaepernick situation. They wanna say kneeling is a disrespect to our troops. Well, the last time I checked, America treats it’s troops like shit. So as I’ve said on many stages, the only way to get “the power’s” attention is either by the loss of money or the loss of life.”

I spoke with David Banner for about 15 more minutes, and then it was time for him to get whisked away to the stage for his lecture. As he stood before the crowd he commanded everyone to turn off their cell phones from going live at his show. His reasoning is that he feels African Americans already give away too much for free. “We have to start getting paid for our talents and gifts” he states. He also said in front a semi-light audience “If folks wanted the experience, they should have brought their ass to the show.”

He then passed out his CD #Godbox to the entire audience, and then had enough time to play snippets from two songs for the appreciative crowd. He proceeded to break down why conscious music may not sell the way mainstream music does. “One reason muh fuchas may not buy ya shit is cuz it ain’t jammin. Just because your music has a message in it doesn’t mean it should suck.” As he states that Godbox is one of the most important albums to hip hop in the history of it, only the keepers of this culture and art form can co-sign that prediction. And just as we saw of 4:44, #Godbox did not have the nightclubs in mind this go round, but instead another project to wake up the minds.

After the show, David Banner showed true southern hospitality and shook as many hands and took as many pictures as he could with those that had to wait patiently almost two hours for the rapper/producer to take the stage. And he also gave many kudos to the organizer of the event Ms. Tomiqua Perry for her hard work and determination. 

Lastly at David Banner’s request he wanted me to quote him saying “This is the first time I’m saying this to Black America on your article brother. Don’t be afraid, they are killing us anyway so continue to stand and speak out against injustice. They’ll kill you for obeying the law, (Philando Castile) so don’t be afraid. We have been so conditioned to be afraid of white people. I’ll say this for the first time too, most black people praise white people more than they’re own religion. They’ll cheat on their wife, kill another brother, lie, steal, do everything that bible told them not to do, but will not take a stand against wrong-doing white folks. Use that, don’t take that out, quote quote mutha fucha hahahaha. Because we have to address our conditioned mentality for change to  happen as well.”

Thank you Mr. Banner for coming to our city and opening up the minds to Speak Their Truth. And be sure to pick up #GodBox on all streaming outlets (iTunes Tidal, Spotify etc)

@DJLAYNELUV

@StraightOfficialMag

@DavidBannerLikesPictures

@Stateofhip_hop

@FleetDJs

SUPER HEROES, are they real or fictional? Well to the defense, SUPER HEROES are real based on our personal beliefs and imagination. From the history of Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Marvel Comics days, SUPER HEROES ARE STILL TAKEN OVER. During the times of Ferguson, and Police killings within the past years alot of super hereos revailed themselves to the world. This article is a sure addition to the fight to justice for the unjustly performed crimes on the citizens of any race.

BO DEAN TEAMED UP WITH BeastUp Films and UPCOMING ACTORS AND ACTRESSES WITHIN THE BOARDERS OF ST. LOUIS, MO, to create a amazing masterpiece. This work of art is the official kick off to yet another dope visual  for his highly respected song [TGIB] This visual is one of the many ideas based off of BO DEAN unique imagination. Very polictical and educational, THANK IM BLACK (Black-Man & Super Sister Episode1) The Movie has taken over the social media world strongly.

Being a personal fan of his, I am so proud to see that all his hard work is panning out for him. Check out the movie here first below. #getpreciousonem

Follow today

@bovemberdean