In need of a getaway at a destination where Black joy, legacy, and pride are celebrated this summer? Look no further than Oak Bluffs. 

For generations, this Martha’s Vineyard enclave has been a treasured summertime retreat for Black families where beach days stretch long, traditions run deep, and joy moves freely. From the early 1900s, when Oak Bluffs stood out as one of the few coastal towns that welcomed Black vacationers and homeowners, to today’s buzzy mix of legacy homeowners, visiting celebrities, and first-timers discovering the magic, the town has held onto its charm while expanding its cultural footprint. 

It’s appeared in shows like “Bel-Air” and Netflix’s “Forever,” had its own franchise on Bravo’s “Summer House,” and inspired a Ralph Lauren campaign. Through it all, it remains the kind of place where you might see the Obamas at the beach in the morning and catch a block party by nightfall.

Whether you’re looking for a slow-paced getaway by the beach, a girls’ trip, or planning a family vacation, we break down everything you need to know, from when to visit, where to stay, what to do, and more.

When is the best time to travel to Oak Bluffs?

Peak season is typically during summer, with a real uptick from mid-July through Labor Day, when the island is buzzing with energy. That’s when the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival hits (early to mid-August), and when the beaches are packed with familiar faces and impromptu porch parties. For a quieter vibe, early June and post-Labor Day September can still offer gorgeous weather with fewer crowds.

Where should you stay?

Oak Bluffs is known for its picturesque coastal beach houses and historic gingerbread cottages. Many families book their vacation homes and cottages up to a year in advance, while others have been passed down for generations. There are also several boutique inns, like the historic Oak Bluffs Inn, Summer Camp Hotel, and the Pequot Hotel.

What is there to do?

The island offers plenty of easy-living summer activities. You could kick your day off with a morning at Inkwell Beach or take a walk or bike ride through the Campground, a neighborhood with stunning, vibrant, and colorful preserved Victorian cottages. The African American Heritage Trail, where you can learn about the island’s deep-rooted Black history, is a must. Other activities include browsing the art galleries in Edgartown and shopping at Black-owned businesses around Circuit Avenue.

For families, the Flying Horses Carousel, which has the bragging rights as the nation’s oldest, is another island must. The island also has kayaking, sailing, and miles of hiking trails to discover.

Major events and weekends

The Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, currently underway, is the crown jewel of Black summer on the island. Founded in 2002, the festival brings filmmakers, celebrities, and storytellers alike from across the country to the island for a week of premieres, talks, and celebration. It also involves the legendary White Party.

Other major weekends include Fourth of July and the Oak Bluffs Fireworks in late August.

Food and entertainment

Foodies can rejoice. The island offers many options for coastal cuisine, including Mocha Mott’s for coffee and pastries; Nancy’s, where locals and celebrities alike like to dine for lunch; the Lookout Tavern, with its ocean views; or Back Door Donuts for a midnight snack. Other haunts include Red Cat Kitchen for dinner and the iconic dive bar The Ritz.

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Mia Khalifa is adding more sparkle to summer, and it’s not coming from the usual fashion suspects. The media personality and entrepreneur took to Instagram this week to unveil the latest release from her jewelry and lifestyle brand Sheytan: an ultra luxe line of body chains designed to dazzle, seduce, and empower.

In a sultry series of photos and videos that quickly went viral, Khalifa modeled the “BODYCHAIN’D” the brand’s newest addition. Wearing the cushion cut Italian crystal chain, handmade in Florence, she captioned the post:

“New belly chains now available at @sheytan.world. I’m wearing the cushion cut Italian crystal chain handmade in Florence.”

The post has since racked up over 750,000 likes, 8,000 comments, and a staggering 175,000 shares, with fans and fashion aficionados alike praising the blend of elegance and sensuality that Sheytan has fast become known for.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DM0S-luxXMh/?igsh=c2pkaWI3dG8zeXgz

The New Drops: Luxe Meets Liberation

The Sheytan website now features two new designs as part of its BODYCHAIN’D collection:

• Marquise Crystal Waist Chain $160
  Made in Firenze, Italy, featuring Marquise cut Italian crystals set on an 18ct Gold Vermeil chain
  Swim proof, Sweat proof, F** proof*






• Cushion Crystal Waist Chain $160
  Also crafted in Florence with Cushion cut Italian stones and 18ct Gold Vermeil
  Swim proof, Sweat proof, F** proof*

The bold tagline isn’t just for marketing. It’s a manifesto. These pieces are designed to move with the body, endure the elements, and make a statement: confidence is the new luxury.

The Story Behind Sheytan

Co-founded by Sarah Joe, better known to the world as Mia Khalifa, and creative partner Sara Burn, Sheytan is more than just a jewelry label. Described as a “universe, a vehicle for creativity and collaboration,” the brand is an homage to the body, to feminine mystique, and to unapologetic self-expression.

“Sheytan” the name itself a reference to the Arabic word for “devil” plays with contradiction: temptation and beauty, secrecy and empowerment. The brand leans into what it calls “Shh! Pieces” subtle, statement making accessories designed to be worn with intention and mystery. The smaller “Shh” logo that appears in the brand’s visual identity hints at something intimate a knowing glance between wearers, a secret power shared in plain sight.

Made with Meaning: The Sheytan Standard

Far from fast fashion, Sheytan’s pieces are produced in carefully selected factories in Florence and the UK, many of which are women owned or family run enterprises. Every step of the manufacturing process is personal, artisanal, and intentional.

“We know the human hands who are touching each product we’ve made,” reads Sheytan’s brand manifesto. “It’s not faceless. We know who’s making this. We know who’s packing it.”

The result is a product not just beautiful in appearance, but rich in craftsmanship and integrity. The founders make regular visits to their workshops, ensuring sustainable practices and quality that aligns with their vision of jewelry made “for forever.”

A Movement, Not Just a Brand

From the outset, Sheytan has positioned itself as a lifestyle concept, not simply a purveyor of chains and crystals, but a feminist, sensual, and highly curated design house. Khalifa and Burn treat jewelry like lingerie: personal, powerful, made to delight the self first.

With their newest BODYCHAIN’D collection, they remind women (and anyone who wants to feel divine in their skin) that adornment is a form of agency.

As Khalifa continues to redefine her career through entrepreneurship, Sheytan stands as a bold chapter in her evolution, one rooted in sensuality, substance, and storytelling.

And with pieces this captivating, it’s safe to say: the secret’s out.

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After being violently detained in Israel during a humanitarian aid mission, labor activist Chris Smalls is finally back home in New York. 

On Friday morning, when Smalls touched down at JFK International Airport, proudly wearing a keffiyeh, he was greeted with a warm reception, Palestinian flags waving, tears, cheers, and a drum circle. 

In footage of his arrival uploaded to Instagram by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the crowd rushes to embrace him, chanting “Gaza,” and cheering in support after he endured brutality at the hands of Israeli forces while attempting to bring aid to the region. 

“Chris Smalls is back in the U.S. after being illegally detained and beat by IOF,” the text over the video reads.  

Smalls first gained national attention in 2022 after organizing the first successful union at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island. This time, he joined the Freedom Flotilla Coalition aboard the humanitarian aid ship, Handala, bringing essential supplies like food, medicine, and baby formula meant for Palestinians in Gaza. 

The ship was intercepted in international waters on Saturday, July 26, by Israeli naval forces, who detained all 21 on board. Smalls, the only Black activist in the group, was reportedly the only one subjected to physical violence.

Held under what advocates have called inhumane conditions, Smalls endured extreme heat, overcrowding, and a lack of hygiene supplies. The coalition shared in an update on Instagram that he and another activist from the ship, Hatem Aouini, launched a hunger strike during their detainment in protest of their conditions. 

Supporters online grew increasingly alarmed after reports emerged that Smalls had been choked, kicked, and surrounded by special security units during legal meetings—treatment many believe was racially motivated.

He was released on Thursday, July 31, per the coalition, and crossed into Jordan before making his way back to the U.S. The coalition also confirmed all 21 members of this particular mission are no longer detained. 

In a video update shortly after his release, Smalls thanked his many supporters and said his resolve remains unchanged: “Thank you all for the love and solidarity. They didn’t break my spirit. I’m on my way home safely with my comrades. Handala, Handala, Handala, Hey! We’ll be back, Free Palestine!”

17

“Album of the year. No notes. No skips.”
That’s just one of the countless glowing reactions flooding social media following the release of Reneé Rapp’s highly anticipated sophomore album BITE ME, out now via Interscope Records. Released August 1, the project finds the Sex Lives of College Girls breakout star shedding the heartbreak-heavy balladry of Snow Angel and plunging headfirst into a 12-track, 33-minute thrill ride of unfiltered pop rebellion.

But while the sound is bolder, louder, and angrier, the feelings underneath remain raw.

A No-Holds-Barred Pop Punch

BITE ME reteams Rapp with Snow Angel executive producer Alexander 23, but she also expands her creative circle to include heavy-hitters like Omer Fedi, Ryan Tedder, Julian Bunetta, and Carter Lang. The result is a high-octane blend of ‘90s alt-rock grit, early 2000s pop-punk attitude, and glossy synth-pop drama with Rapp’s powerhouse vocals driving the chaos.

From the snarling guitar-driven opener “I Can’t Have You Around Me” to the disco flirtation of “At Least I’m Hot” (featuring her real-life partner, Towa Bird), BITE ME is equal parts vulnerable diary and middle finger to conformity. The lead single “Leave Me Alone” signaled this shift in May with its searing honesty and punchy hooks, followed by “Mad” and “Why Is She Still Here?” which thread between obsession, jealousy, and self-destruction, but with wit and defiance.

While her debut explored emotional collapse, BITE ME lives in the messy aftermath, unbothered, unfiltered, and unapologetically loud.

Reneé’s Notes: Brutal Honesty and Proud Contradictions

To mark the album’s release, Rapp shared intimate behind-the-scenes content on social media including three deeply personal handwritten notes to fans. In one, she confessed:

“The whole time making this I felt equal parts confident and equal parts embarrassed. I wanted to be brutally honest but I didn’t want to be judged too hard… Sometimes, I think I’m a walking contradiction but regardless I’m going to talk my shit.”

In a second message, she added:

“There are stark differences in this record from my first. I have people in my life who actually love me. I started calling my friends. I found friends I don’t have to watch my back around. I fell into the most amazing relationship. I started trusting my gut. I got rid of people that didn’t serve me. I started fucking partying god forbid. (!!) And most importantly I set out to impress myself — not anyone else. Point is this shit was written for me and was made for you.”

In the last message, Rapp added:

“This music is a time capsule of the last two to three years of my life. Every part. The good, bad and the ugly. But I’ve never been so proud of myself… Whether you like it or not, I love it… Idk take it or leave it I’m drunk. Ur everything to me xxxxxxxx.”

Rapp’s openness only fueled fans’ emotional connection to the project, with many echoing similar sentiments of catharsis and admiration.

Social Media Reacts: From Crying to Crowning Her Mother

The internet wasted no time turning BITE ME into a full-blown cultural moment.

“This album is now my personality trait for the next 5 months,” one fan declared.

“She’s done it again!!! That’s my mother,” another screamed on X (formerly Twitter).

“Reneé this is possibly the greatest most beautiful album my ears have ever heard. Literally still crying at how powerful and touching it is ❤️❤️❤️”

Other responses were equally emotional. “How much more could I cry over this,” wrote one fan. Another called it simply:

“Album of the year. No notes. No skips. I have no words for Reneé Rapp other than wtf.”

Not all reactions were glowing. A few listeners admitted the album didn’t quite land for them:

“New Renee Rapp album was… just OK.”

“I can’t get into Renee Rapp’s new album which sucks bc I really like her voice and I LOVED Snow Angel😭”

Still, the overall sentiment was clear. BITE ME is a swing-for-the-fences pop moment, and Reneé Rapp isn’t interested in playing it safe.

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Kyrie Irving is many things: an NBA star, former flat-earther, partner, father, and a millennial. But he is not a “YN.”

During a recent livestream, the 33-year-old Dallas Mavericks point guard rejected the viral term, which is shorthand for “young n—,” that has become popular among Black youth online to describe young Black males and expressed his reservations with its popularity. 

“I don’t support that YN generation y’all,” he said in a clip circulating online. “I’m apologizing a head of time if you’re a YN and you love that name bro, but that YN … I’m good bro, I’m good bro. I love God too much.” 

He added, “I love God too much to be a YN. I’mma just put it at that bro. Like I love myself too much to be a YN.”

Instead, he said you could call him an “Unc” or an “OG,” but miss him with the YN label. 

“We have a common enemy and ya’ll wanna kill our own people,” he said. 

In recent months, the term has become a very common occurrence online. In most cases, individuals are playfully calling out the antics of the younger generation when they use the term. However, Irving is among Black individuals who object to using the term in any capacity.

While heavy in pop culture from music to film and TV, and social media, there are still many who find the n-word term derogatory, even when used among Black people, especially as it’s still used by non-Black people against Black people.

Irving went on to say he supports the OGs who are “putting the morals and principles into these youngins and putting their best foot forward and being family men.” 

“But yeah that generation, this Young N, I’m good, bro,” he continued. “Y’all can have that name. Y’all can have that sh—. I don’t want nothing, I don’t want anything to do with it.”

No stranger to hot takes that send the internet into shambles, Irving’s position this time seems to have struck a chord. Since the clip began circulating, many in the comments have agreed with his stance.

“Kyrie said nothing but facts,” a user on X replied. 

Another on the same platform added, “I feel this all day long. Nothing but negative, everything comes with that word.”

Although there are still plenty who disagree, noting the term was initially just playful, and that even OG, which could mean “original” or “original gangsta” depending on who you ask, works the same way.

And there are nearly just as many who simply just don’t think it’s that serious.

“It’s not that deep,” wrote another user on X. 

9

Saweetie is not here to play nice. She’s here to apply pressure, hella pressure, and her brand-new EP proves she’s doing exactly that. Dropped today (Aug. 1) via Warner Records, the five-track project titled Hella Pressure feels like both a flex and a spiritual cleanse. This is not a rebrand. This is a reminder. Saweetie may have taken her sweet time getting here, but when she shows up, she shows out.

From Pretty to Powerful

The EP opens with the confident, cocky bounce of “Boffum,” produced by longtime hitmaker J White Did It, who also gave us “My Type.” It’s exactly what we expect from Saweetie: a blend of sass, floss, and bars that beg to be shouted over the beat in your car with the windows down. But the real magic happens when you dive deeper into tracks like “I Need Some Inspo” and “Pressure” cuts that feel raw, unfiltered, and honestly, kind of underrated. She’s not just rapping about luxury. She’s rapping about legacy.

“They say pressure makes diamonds. Baby, I was born one. The name is Diamonté for a reason,” she said in a press release. “The pressure never crushed me. It crowned me.”

Crowned, indeed. This is Saweetie in her grown woman era. You can hear the experience in her voice. You can feel the evolution.

“Superstars” Shines with TWICE

Let’s talk about the wild card of the EP: “Superstars” featuring TWICE. Yes, TWICE, the K-pop powerhouse group. On paper, it sounds like a strange pairing. But in execution? It works. It’s a sugar-rush anthem that sparkles in all the right places. Saweetie’s icy bars float seamlessly alongside TWICE’s candy-coated harmonies. It’s giving international glam squad takeover and honestly, I’m not mad at it.

Black Twitter Reacts with Mixed Emotions

As with anything Saweetie drops, Twitter had thoughts. The timeline was lit up with equal parts praise, pride, shade, and pure comedic chaos.

“Superstars is that track fr but ngl ‘I Need Some Inspo’ and ‘Pressure’ been on loop too 😮‍💨 thank you queen for the amazing collab !!!!!!!!!”

“I was only going to listen to Superstars, but I got encouraged and damn what a good EP, I’ll definitely put all of this in my playlist”

“This is so random but also so Saweetie. I luv her 🤣”

“SHE IN HER BAG WITH THIS ONE! 😮‍💨”

Then there were the haters because of course.

“This…sounds a mess. Can she retire or be an Instagram model already? Because music is not for her.”

“Imagine if this was your legacy, and you wrote lyrics that were vacuous and meaningless that no one remembered. And keep ‘hella’ out your mouth. That’s a Bay word.”

“Hella” is a Bay Area birthright, and if anyone has a right to use it, it’s Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper. The Icy Queen herself reps the 510 with every syllable from her slang to her style to her refusal to shrink herself.

The Pre-Game Before the Main Course

Hella Pressure is being billed as a warm-up to Saweetie’s long-awaited debut album, Pretty Bitch Music, which she promises is dropping before the end of 2025. And if this EP is the appetizer, I can’t wait to hear the entrée.

She explained the delay last year in Allure, saying, “To me, music is sacred. It’s coming from your spirit. You can’t just go finish an album in a week. That’s why it’s taking me so long.” Say what you will, but that kind of intentionality shows. She’s not rushing to fill space. She’s trying to build something that lasts.

Touring and Tapping In

Saweetie is already taking this new energy global. She kicked off her debut headlining Australian tour this week in Perth (July 30) and she’s keeping it lit across Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney through August 4. If there was ever a time to bet on Saweetie, it’s now. The Icy Girl is outside, in full glitter and grit.

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