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If the summer had a playlist, this is it. Singer-songwriter Annabel Gutherz recently released a diamond of a single, and it’s all your summer playlist needed. Dubbed “Summer’s Here,” this ethereal song is officially available on all streaming sites, and we are swooning.

With dreamy guitar strums, easygoing rhythm, and a light, oh so breezy voice from Annabel, “Summer’s Here” is a long, sun-drenched afternoon unfolding into dusk. It’s that magic sound time capsule that captures the exact sensation of salt on your skin, wind in your hair, and a summer love that has you spinning in slow motion. You know the mood.

“It’s a little sonic postcard, if you will,” Annabel shares, radiating poetic sunshine. “A keepsake for summer love and freckles, for salt kissed skin and windblown days on the beach, for the tender, aching sweetness of experiences that linger well beyond the moment!”

We’re not weeping, you are.

Annabel, brought up in Montreal’s ever-thriving music scene, wrote the song first in what she calls the “sun dappled days of June.” (Can we condense that sentence and atomize it like perfume?) The songwriting session had started innocently enough, just a melody pattern and a circular chord progression, but was reworked into pure magic when she took it to her band.

“I asked them to just play whatever the moment made them feel,” she says. “And we captured the whole thing in one live take.”

Yeah, you heard that correctly. One take. That hairs-on-your-arms rawness and intensity? Yeah, it’s true. What we’re hearing now is that same session, straight up, no editing, no overthinking. Just pure, untainted summer goodness.

And trust us, Annabel knows the craft of the good ol’ soulful hook. Since her 2021 debut album Loose Ends dropped, she’s been making waves with her introspective lyrics, honey-toned melodies, and collaborations with industry heavy hitters including Bleu McAuley (Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato) and Bonnie Hayes (Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler). Her vocals? Florence Welch meets Joni Mitchell with a sprinkle of indie pop sparkle.

With millions of streams to her name and buzz from the likes of Melodic Magazine and Luna Collective, it’s obvious Annabel Gutherz isn’t a passing figure in this industry, but is here to stay, with bare feet in the sand and picking straight into our hearts

So what are you waiting for? Put on your fluffiest frock, slide on your favorite sunnies, and have “Summer’s Here” be the sunbeam to guide your day. Because when Annabel is singing about the magic of the moment, it feels like she is singing particularly to you.

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We are more than halfway into July, and that means kids will be going back to school soon. At the beginning of every academic year, many Black boys and girls will walk into classrooms across the country having spent all summer doing what most of them likely want to be doing: Anything that’s the opposite of academic learning.

While it is understandable why kids do that, it results in what researchers call summer learning loss. Or, to put it plainly, kids forget much of what they learned the year before. Ask any teacher, and they spend the first two weeks of every school year just getting their students out of ‘summer mode.’

Well, this learning loss hits our kids harder. On every academic metric, Black students lag behind their white and Asian classmates. And it’s clear why.

Before the integration of public schools, activists fought hard to change things because yes, it was morally wrong to have segregated schools, but they had practical things in mind as well.

There were glaring problems with our schools. The educational institutions we were forced to attend were underfunded and the textbooks they gave us were often outdated.

As a result of integration, some Black kids were able to go to school with white students and take advantage of the quality education they were getting. But guess what happened to most of those kids?

They continued to attend schools that were underfunded. And those textbooks? They remained outdated. In other words, not much changed.

That is how we got where we are, with Black students having lower test scores than their white counterparts. But things are not helped when these kids, already at a disadvantage, turn their brains off for the summer.

This is not to say that all Black kids are guilty of this. (Really, it is their parents who should be taken to task for this. Kids are going to be kids. Parents must take responsibility for their children’s education.) There are many summer programs that try to combat the learning loss that happens during the summer, but there are not nearly enough of them. So, what to do?

Well, we need create more summer programs for Black kids to attend. These programs should teach reading and math, but they must also emphasize a bit of our history and culture.  However, it will be impossible to create enough of these programs to make sure every kid who needs it can attend. So, that still will not solve the problem. This leads us into the uncomfortable part of this discussion. It is time for straight talk.

Black parents, it’s on us. (I’m a father, so I am including myself in this.) We must keep track of what our kids are learning in school, and during the summer months ensure that they keep up with it. That means making little people who would rather be playing video games or running around outside, read when the warmer months arrive.

This is not to say that our kids cannot have fun from mid-May to August. Nor does it mean they cannot go on vacation. But it does mean that when you pack for that vacation, a book will be in the suitcase along with their clothes.

Our ancestors fought for us to get a quality education. All we must do is not let the summer rob them of what they have learned. That a way to honor our ancestor’s sacrifice.

“I can change the way Black women are seen,” Viola Davis declared in a 2022 interview with The Guardian. Since the actress, known for her powerful and emotionally driven performances on both the big and small screens, came onto the scene, she has made it her business not only to deliver convincing, relatable portrayals but also to break open the box that Black actresses are often confined to.

Throughout her several decades-long career, Davis has managed to do that and more. 

A star in the making: early career and TV beginnings

Viola Davis was born on August 11, 1965, in St. Matthews, South Carolina. Not long after Davis was born, her family moved to Central Falls, Rhode Island. There, Davis began acting, first by performing skits at the park — one skit, she clarifies, that was written and performed by her sisters and her for a contest — then by participating in plays at her alma mater, Central Falls High School. 

A self-proclaimed “theater geek,” Davis was all in on performing arts. She often frequented the arts programs at community centers in neighboring cities and immersed herself in her high school’s program, including representing it at the Rhode Island State Drama Festival.

Post-high school acting experience

Given Davis spent so much of her time throughout her childhood and teenage years immersed in the performing arts world, it’s unsurprising that she continued down this path after graduating high school. 

Davis attended the Young People’s School for the Performing Arts and Rhode Island College. She graduated with a theater degree in 1988. Her next stop was the Juilliard School in New York City. While many romanticize their time at the prestigious institution, Davis keeps it real, telling The AV Club that her experience there was mixed.

“It’s like any great medicine that works,” Davis shared. “It tastes absolutely lousy going down, but ultimately helps and heals you. And that’s what Juilliard was. Juilliard is classical training. They don’t really want to focus on what you do well — that’s what got you into the school. They’re training you to do other stuff well, which may not come easily to you. And when you focus on that a lot, it’s just like therapy — when you focus on all your inadequacies, you start feeling inadequate. You start noticing your inadequacies, and that’s what Juilliard does. And it doesn’t help that there are no windows at the school. (laughs)”

From school to stage: Making her Broadway debut

Davis graduated from Juilliard in 1994, and the next year, she made her Broadway debut in “Seven Guitars.” The play, written by August Wilson and set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1948, centers on the life and struggles of the Black community. Davis starred as Vera, the romantic partner of the recently deceased character Floyd Barton.

Davis’s “Seven Guitars” performance was impressive enough to earn her a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play at the 1996 Tony Awards. However, she wouldn’t take home the win; Audra McDonald’s performance in “Master Class” won the award in the category. The same role also got Davis an Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play nomination at the 1996 Drama Desk Awards. 

What series did Viola Davis star in?

Like many of her peers, Davis took her talents from the stage to the screen. She made her film debut in 1996 with an appearance in “The Substance of Fire,” and then went on to have small roles in several films. Some of Davis’s film credits are “Out of Sight,” “Traffic” and “Solaris,” all of which were directed by Steven Soderbergh. 

Davis spent the 1990s using her acting chops not only on film sets and theater stages but on television sets. The Rhode Island native managed to land several one-time guest spots on television series like “NYPD Blue” and “Judging Amy” before earning a more prominent recurring role on the CBS medical drama “City of Angels.” 

For 24 episodes, Davis played a nurse, Lynnette Peeler. The show, which goes down in history as TV’s first medical drama with a predominantly Black cast, had Davis acting alongside names like Blair Underwood, Vivica A. Fox and Julius Tennon, the latter of whom she would marry years later.

‘How to Get Away with Murder:’ The role that made history

Of all of her roles — the ones Viola Davis had in plays, movies and TV shows — the most iconic is Annalise Keating in ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder.” Screenwriter and producer Shonda Rhimes — if her name sounds familiar, it’s because she’s the mastermind behind the long-running television drama “Grey’s Anatomy,” as well as its spin-off, “Private Practice” and “Scandal,” starring Kerry Washington — served as executive producer of “How to Get Away with Murder.” 

Rhimes has built a reputation for creating and producing series centered around sharp-minded, strong women and has, therefore, resculpted the image of a female television lead. Davis’s Keating is no exception. 

Where others aim to create uplifting role model types, Rhimes portrays women in authoritative, powerful and sometimes scary lights. To quote a 2014 New York Times article, Rhimes’s characters, specifically Keating, take the stereotypical Angry Black Woman trope and mold it into something “enviable.” 

Besides the fact that it brought her into Rhimes’s efforts to redefine the typical female television lead, Davis’s “How to Get Away with Murder” role was significant because it went against the beauty standards many Black actresses are subjected to. When the show premiered, Davis was 49 and dark-skinned, a clear departure from the younger, lighter faces typically cast.

Praise for Annalise Keating

Davis has said portraying Keating is her proudest professional accomplishment because the role required her to be brave. Her bravery led her to work with the writers to make Keating as human as possible — that involved having Keating take off her wig onscreen, exploring the why behind her sexual nature and making the character walk awkwardly in heels.

The awards and acclaim Davis received for her work on HTGAWM probably don’t hurt, either. In 2015, she received an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. This made her the first Black woman to take home the award. 

Breaking through on the big screen

Davis’s performances in award-garnering productions have helped make her one of the most influential people in the entertainment industry and a name that many aspiring actors cite as their hero. 

Scene-stealing in ‘Doubt’

Though not her first movie role, Davis’s performance in “Doubt,” a 2008 film adaptation of the stage play starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, is the one that earned her scene-stealer status. 

Davis played Mrs. Miller, the mother of a young man who might have been molested by a Catholic priest. She only appeared in a few minutes of the film, but those — the eight-minute scene she shines in puts her head-to-toe with Streep — show off her undeniable acting chops. Her time in the film was brief but impactful, not only taking her career to new heights but earning her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Academy and Golden Globe Awards in 2009. 

Davis told NPR she was drawn to the character’s complexity and added, 

“I was attracted to the fact that this is a fully realized human being. That’s what you’re trained to do in acting school, is to play a three-dimensional human being, and it was very attractive to me.”

What movie did Viola Davis win an Oscar for? 

“Doubt” set Davis’s career on an upward path, taking her from a relatively unknown performer to star status. A few of her film credits that came after “Doubt” include “Madea Goes to Jail” in 2009, “The Help” in 2011, “Get On Up” in 2014 and “Fences” in 2016. 

“Fences” was another breakout moment for Davis. The film is an adaptation of a play written by August Wilson — that’s a full-circle moment for Davis, as her Broadway debut was a Wilson work — that put Davis opposite Denzel Washington. For her portrayal of Rose Maxson in the film, Davis earned her first Academy and Golden Globe Awards, both for Best Supporting Actress. 

Her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards was an attention-grabber, both positively and negatively. Davis declared,

“I became an artist, and thank God I did, because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.” 

Some took offense at the statement, interpreting Davis’s words as a belief that only actors celebrate what it means to live a life. However, others praised the speech, using her thoughts to dub her an actor who truly understands and respects their craft.

The EGOT milestone: Reaching the pinnacle of performance

Davis’s career, which spans close to 30 years, has been quite varied. Her acting talents have taken her from stage to TV to film and back again, and her emotional performances have made her the recipient of some of those industries’ most prestigious awards, including an Emmy for “How to Get Away with Murder” (2015), two Tony Awards for “King Hedley” (2001) and “Fences” (2010) and an Oscar for the “Fences” film adaptation in 2017. 

Her acting endeavors put her three-fourths of the way to an EGOT, an acronym used to describe a small number of entertainers who have managed to earn Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards throughout their careers. In 2023, Davis achieved EGOT status when she picked up her first Grammy Award at that year’s award ceremony.

Though most Grammys are reserved for singers, songwriters and bands, the award show also honors spoken word and narration of written works. Davis’s Grammy win fell into that category, as she was honored with a Best Spoken Word Album award for her narration of her memoir, “Finding Me.” 

Davis became the third Black woman to achieve EGOT status, after Whoopi Goldberg in 2002 and Jennifer Hudson in 2022. She was the 18th person to receive the honor overall.

More award milestones: The Oscars’ most-nominated Black actress

Reaching EGOT status was no doubt a milestone in Viola Davis’s career. However, getting an EGOT won’t be the only award show-related accomplishment the Juilliard graduate will be known for. 

Davis is a Guinness World Record holder as the Oscars’ most-nominated Black actress, as of March 15, 2021.

Another notch on Davis’s belt is the Cecil B. DeMille Award, presented to her at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards ceremony. Named after famed director Cecil B. DeMille, the award is presented to Hollywood’s best and brightest, performers with deep dedication to their craft who have made an undeniable impact on the industry. 

According to Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne, Davis fits that description to a T, saying, 

“Viola Davis is a luminary whose profound talent has continuously shifted the lens through which we see and understand film…Viola’s courage in portraying complex, powerful characters has broken barriers and paved new paths, making her an emblem of excellence and an ideal recipient of this prestigious award.” 

More than an actress: Viola Davis as advocate and entrepreneur

There’s no question that Davis is an impressive performer — her lengthy, diverse résumé proves how talented she is. But she’s more than just an actor. She’s an advocate for diversity and truth in storytelling, and she uses the production company she and her husband, Julius Tennon, created to fight for them.

JuVee Productions: Shaping the narrative

Davis and Tennon saw a need for more fully realized roles for Black actors, including themselves. So, in 2011, the pair founded JuVee Productions, hoping to find projects in which Black performers could not only showcase their talents but also push back against harmful stereotypes about their communities. 

Since its establishment, JuVee Productions has produced titles like “The Woman King” and “The First Lady,” both of which starred Davis and were released in 2022. These projects, plus the others on the JuVee Productions roster, do what Davis and Tennon set out to do: expand the stories told by and about Black communities.

Expanding the legacy

Davis has done plenty throughout her career, and she’s not finished yet. Her list of accomplishments and acting credits is steadily growing. 

Author, producer and empowerer

Davis’s childhood was far from a walk in the park. Because of the difficulties she faced as a child and young adult, Davis has committed herself to creating opportunities for kids who might find themselves in situations similar to the ones she faced. 

That’s why she and her husband created the Davis Tennon Foundation, an organization that hones in on her hometown and its children, working with local leaders to meet the community’s specific needs. She hopes to create some sort of lifeline for the children, offering them a chance to do everything they dream of.

“I see a lot of 6-year-old Violas there, and they’re dreamers, and they’re waiting to see what and who they can become,” she said at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth’s Global Inclusive Growth Summit. “And with the tide of uncertainty, I know that I can use my golden lasso, per se, to keep them afloat.” 

Through her work with the foundation and the production company, not to mention sharing her story in her 2022 memoir, “Finding Me,” Davis empowers and inspires generations. 

Still at the forefront: Recent projects and impact

In addition to acting as JuVee Productions CEO and her work with the Davis Tennon Foundation, Davis is, of course, still adding to her long list of performance credits. Most recently, she starred in the 2025 Amazon Prime action thriller “G20,” portraying a U.S. President navigating a hostage crisis during the G20 Summit. 

Viola Davis’s new movie, “Children of Blood and Bone,” will premiere in 2027. Audiences don’t have to wait that long to catch her on their screens, though. In August 2025, she’ll return to season two of “Peacemaker,” resuming her role as government official Amanda Waller.

Viola Davis’s cultural legacy

That her career is still soaring upward after years in the business is proof that the South Carolina-born, Rhode Island-raised actress and her voice remain necessary in Hollywood. Her life and career choices inspire actors of all races and backgrounds, shatter the unfair stereotypes that often follow Black performers and further cement the legacy she has already created. 

Check out TheGrio’s archives for more Viola Davis news. 

Love Island USA Season 7 finalist Chelley is back online, and sis came with grace, gratitude, and a whole lot of love. After weeks of silence following the show’s finale, Chelley broke her social media hiatus with a raw and emotional letter aimed straight at the people who held her down — especially Black women who saw themselves in her.

“To the women who look like me, who saw parts of themselves in me… I see you, I feel you, and I love you,” Chelley wrote.

🖤 FOR BLACK WOMEN, BY A BLACK WOMAN

Chelley didn’t just acknowledge her supporters — she uplifted them. In her statement, she gave flowers to the creators and platforms that didn’t just report on the show, but dug deeper, using their voices to highlight the truths and struggles Black women face on and off-screen.

“You reminded the world that we are layered, emotional, complex, worthy and real.”

🔥 SHE ADDRESSES THE HATE WITH NOTHING BUT GRACE

Chelley also took a moment to reflect on the negativity that came her way — and responded with nothing but grace.

“A lot occurred and went unseen… you’re only seeing a glimpse, maybe 10 minutes out of my 24-hour day in Fiji.”

She made it clear: no amount of judgment could rob her of her peace.

💘 LOVE WON — AND SO DID CHELLEY

Through all the ups, downs, and edited storylines, Chelley reminded everyone that she walked away with exactly what she needed.

“At the end of the day… I won. I have my man. I have my circle. I have my peace. And I have YOU.”

🌍 A CALL TO ACTION: CHOOSE LOVE, NOT HATE

Chelley closed out her message with one final ask to her fanbase turned family: keep leading with compassion and empathy.

“Keep lifting each other up. Keep choosing compassion. That’s how we change the world.”

💫 A MOMENT OF HEALING & TRUTH

Chelley’s return isn’t a clapback to social media users that threw shade her way — it’s a healing moment for Black women in the reality TV space and beyond. Her message is a reminder that even when the world tries to dim your light, your people will always remind you who you are.

👇🏾 Noir Nation, did Chelley’s words speak to YOU? Drop a 🩷 in the comments if you felt seen!

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Okay listen, summer just got a lot hotter because our icy sis Saweetie is back, and she did not come to play. On Friday (July 18), she slid back into the game like, “Y’all missed me? Good. Here’s a bop to remind you who the baddest is.”

Enter: “Boffum.”

Now I know what you’re thinking. “Boffum”? Yes girl. As in, why settle for one when you can have boffum? A rapper and an athlete? Boffum. Money and peace of mind? Boffum. Tacos and margaritas? BOFFUM. It’s a lifestyle baby.

Produced by J. White Did It (aka the beat whisperer behind Cardi B’s “I Like It”), this track is a full body twerk warm up. It’s slinky, it’s bold, and it’s hella fun. Saweetie is out here reminding all the Icy Girls to keep your standards high, your edges laid, and your options open.

Let’s break down a few iconic bars real quick:

“Rapper, athlete I need ‘boffum’ / Don’t you ask me just get ‘boffum’ / How many on me? Like four of ’em.”

I mean… I’m hollerin’. She really said “Don’t ask me no questions, just get in line.”

This is Saweetie’s first solo drop of 2025, and baby, she’s stepping on necks. Quiet? Maybe. Slippin’? Absolutely not. Because she also announced that her new EP, HELLA PRESSURE, is coming August 1 via Warner Records. And we’re not ready.

She teased it earlier this year saying, “I feel like it will really encompass who I’ve grown into over these past couple of years. Lots of stories to tell.” Translation: She’s grown, she’s glowed up, and she’s got receipts.

And she ain’t just releasing music. She’s collecting checks. Sis became a brand ambassador for Paris Hilton’s NYX Professional Makeup line (because of course the face card never declines), and she performed at the NBA All Star Halftime Show in February with E40, Too Short, and En Vogue. A true Bay Area princess move.

Oh, and did I mention she’s going on a four date Australia tour? That’s right. She’s taking the icy vibes global. Somebody get her a boomerang and a kangaroo because she’s ‘bout to shut it down under.

At 32, Saweetie is living proof that growth and glow can coexist. The nails are still long, the edges still sharp, and the lyrics? Still savage.

So go ahead and stream “Boffum.” Twerk a little. Manifest a rapper and an athlete. And remember: Life’s too short to choose. Get boffum.

Period.

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Looks like Skai Jackson’s ex, Deondre “Yerkky Yerkky” Burgin, just can’t stay out of trouble!

According to court documents and reports from TMZ, Burgin was snatched up by police in Kentucky—again—this time during a casual trip to the car wash.

🚔 Let’s Break This Down:

While posted up at a Kenton County gas station on July 14th, police ran Burgin’s tags and discovered he had an active warrant out of Hamilton County, Ohio. Officers didn’t hesitate—they moved in and cuffed him on the spot.

The warrant? 👇

A missed court appearance tied to a traffic ticket from March 6th, which cited him for a suspended license and improper plates. He was supposed to show up in court on May 5th, but clearly had other plans.

🕳️ And This Ain’t His First Rodeo

If the location sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Burgin was arrested at the same exact spot back in April 2025—also due to an unresolved warrant from Ohio. This repeat behavior makes it clear: Kentucky might be for lovers, but it’s also where Deondre keeps catching felony flashbacks.

👶🏽 Where’s Skai in All This?

Earlier this year, the 23-year-old actress made headlines after revealing that Burgin is the father of her son, Kasai—and things haven’t been sweet since.

In May, Skai filed for a restraining order, claiming that Burgin had been violent throughout their relationship, even while she was pregnant. In her filing, she detailed a string of terrifying incidents, including:

Allegedly forcing her to drink bleach Choking her during arguments Punching her in the head while she held their newborn And threatening her with a knife.

📝 Timeline Recap:

Jan 2025: Burgin in jail during Kasai’s birth for parole violation

Mar 6: Cited for driving without license + improper plates

May 5: Missed court appearance, warrant issued May 7

May 2025: Skai files for restraining order

Jul 14: Arrested at gas station car wash (again)

📢 Noir Nation, Let’s Talk:

At this point, Deondre is racking up charges and chaos like it’s a mixtape. Meanwhile, Skai is fighting for peace, motherhood, and protection.

Do you think she’s done for good, or is there still unfinished business between them? Sound off below.👇🏾

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Jamal Bryant is advocating for more than just the rehabilitation of DEI initiatives at Target. During a recent panel discussion with Symone Sanders at the NAACP’s 116th national convention, Pastor Bryant stressed to audiences that the Trump administration’s rapid changes to immigration policies impact Black communities just as much as they can impact Hispanic communities. 

“We have been deluded into believing that immigration is a Latino and Mexican issue,” he said. “There are 500,000 Haitians [who] are unprotected, 250,000 Jamaicans who are about to be on the watch list. And they want to hear, will the nation’s largest, biggest, strongest civil rights organization [say] anything about immigration?”

Since his return to the Oval Office, President Trump has accelerated deportation efforts, giving ICE agents full authority to defend themselves by “whatever means necessary” against the communities he refers to as “thugs.” Immigration is only one of the plethora of points in the Trump administration’s agenda, and every day since he has gotten into office it feels as though new changes are being made. 

With a continuous influx of headlines noting budget cuts, government agency layoffs, and legislation stripping citizens of health care and more, many Americans, especially those in the Black community, have taken a step back from the fight for our civil rights. And while the socio-political fatigue is understandable, Bryant emphasized the need for Black communities to unite. 

Unfortunately, many social media users disagreed with the religious leader’s push for all Black communities from across the diaspora to join the fight against Trump’s immigration policies. 

“Many in the diaspora don’t even like black Americans,” one user noted. 

“Sorry but the civil rights orgs were for Blk Americans. Why do Blk Americans have to be the mouthpiece for every other group? We do we owe them our advocacy and political capital? WE DONT!!!! The Democrats have already put immigrants before Blk Americans,” another skeptic commented. 

Conversely, some social media users applauded Bryant for his statements, noting how prominent Black civil rights leaders in the US came from immigrant backgrounds, like Malcom X, whose mother was Grenadian, Shirley Chisholm, whose parents immigrated from Barbabos and Guyana, Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican-born Black nationalist, and more.  

“How quickly many of you will learn that most of your idols, co-workers, and community members are Black from the diaspora, and not American-born. Many of us [are] only second-generation Americans. SMH,” another user highlighted. “What is happening to one of us can quickly become all of us. Understand liberation.” 

However, for Bryant, the fight goes beyond the fight against immigration. 

“There is no way we would have this many Jews in a room and Israel not being on the agenda. 

So we gotta have an agenda for the diaspora that speaks to advocacy and how do we do trade,” Bryant added. “This economy is about to topple, but there are three stock markets in Africa, and we’re saying nothing about it.” 

“It requires of us a strategy. The only way we’re going to make money in America is real estate and entrepreneurship. If we are not doing something around entrepreneurship for our young people and doing something about land ownership, we will perpetually be renters,” he concluded.

For months, the Cowboy Carter World Tour has captivated the Beyhive and beyond, establishing itself as the largest live music event of the summer. While Queen Bey brought her Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit across the United States and the U.K., it has become clear to many of her fans that she may have some cities she loves more than others, or at the very least, cities where she chose to show up and show out for a bit more.

Los Angeles and New York

While Bey’s Renaissance Tour kicked off in Europe back in 2022, this time, Beyoncé chose to start her tour stateside. Her first dates were extended sit downs in Los Angeles and New York, with a handful of Chicago shows in-between.

Don’t get us wrong, these were still excellent shows (this is Beyoncé after all). But as the tour moved past these major U.S. cities, it became clear that Beyoncé had plenty of tricks up her sleeve that she was saving for other cities.

What is it About Paris?

As we reported, it was when the Cowboy Carter Tour went international that fans started to wonder how Beyoncé feels about certain cities. In Paris, the show clearly leveled up in many ways, from out of this world custom looks and surprise performances from Jay-Z.

To say that fans began to feel “FOMO” would be an understatement, as Bey also debuted performances of “Drunk in Love” and “Partition,” fan-favorite tracks off her self-titled album. In short, Paris was spoiled, and the U.S. fans were certainly feeling upset about that. At that time, it seemed like the tour would hit its peak in the city of lights…that was, of course, until Atlanta.

All Eyes on Atlanta

When the Cowboy Carter tour returned stateside, it seemed the shows continued to be business as usual. Outside of the Houston car mishap, the show was standard … until these Atlanta shows. Beyoncé went all out for the ATL-set shows, even more than in her hometown of Houston, where she usually saves her surprises.

The Carters performing Crazy In Love, Public Service Announcement and Drunk In Love for the third night of the COWBOY CARTER TOUR in Atlanta (FULL PERFORMANCE) pic.twitter.com/wdQankygmm

— BEYONCÉ DISCORD (@discordbeyonce) July 14, 2025

COWBOY CARTER TOUR in Atlanta gave us:

– return of 16 CARRIAGES
– gold mechanical horse debut
– jay-z (x2)
– drunk in love x partition (x2)
– iconic celebrity guests
– 6 NEW outfits
– THE LOUDEST CROWD
– “The best shows of my life.” – Beyoncé

what a LEGENDARY run of shows. 💙 https://t.co/YvfanTXtiz pic.twitter.com/9PYDCrdZ78

— ★ ON TOUR! (@aliensgroove) July 15, 2025

For one, Jay-Z made his return to the stage, performing “Public Service Announcement,” “Drunk in Love” and “Crazy in Love.” Beyoncé also brought back her Grammy Award-winning track “16 Carriages,” after cutting it in Houston after the car malfunction seen around the world.

In Atlanta, Beyoncé glided over the audience riding a golden horse, and even more impressive showing than the car she used to ride in. And to top it off, it seems Atlanta won in the outfits department as well! The BeyHive showed up with the most impressive outfits yet for the tour, proving just how dedicated they are to a good theme and a good time.

Not even a robbery (as we reported, Bey’s unreleased music and setlists were stolen from a rental van two days before ATL performances began) could stop Beyoncé from giving Atlanta the show of the century. She even referred to the run as, “the best shows of my life,” while on stage.

While she very well may have some suprirses up her sleeve for Las Vegas coming up, its clear that Atlanta and Paris are her favorite cities, and we’d just like to know why, and if for the long-rumored ACT III we should be dusting off our passports or traveling to Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium to see her do her thing.

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Look, I’m not saying I would sell my soul for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey tickets in 70mm IMAX… but I am saying I’d loan it out at a high interest rate if it means seeing Matt Damon fight a Cyclops with 18K resolution and THX bass that slaps harder than your mama’s cooking.

So when Mia Khalifa, yes, that Mia Khalifa, took to X (formerly Twitter forever petty) and dropped the nerdiest flex of 2025, my entire timeline came to a screeching halt.

“Survived war (secured tickets to The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm a year in advance)” she posted like a true cine soldier in Nolan’s cult of visual devotion.

Girl, what?!

This isn’t just securing tickets. This is securing bragging rights for LIFE. This is cinematic clout on god mode. This is the type of move that makes Film Twitter collectively fall to its knees like it just found the Holy Grail at the back of the Dolby Theatre.

And like clockwork, another user jumped in with:

“Yes I did get Odyssey tickets. No I’m not happy about this whole ordeal.”

Relatable. Because scoring these tickets ain’t just about fandom, it’s trial by fire. It’s a multiversal battle where you’re fighting bots, boomers, and bandwidth issues while praying your credit card doesn’t decline in front of God and Christopher Nolan.

But Khalifa, now a certified 70mm evangelist, clapped back with facts only:

“It’s so Nolan can prove demand early on before other studios book the IMAX theaters for their releases. Previously he’s negotiated a certain amount of weeks for the theatrical but other films also have contracts with the IMAX theaters. If they sell out this early he can beat them to it and extend the theatrical release for longer rather than bringing it back for a week or two at a time.”

Translation? This ain’t just about us. It’s about cinema. She didn’t just buy a ticket, she joined a damn revolution.

One Year Out, All Seats Gone. Nolan Really Said “Plan Ahead Peasants”

On Thursday at midnight (or what we really call “prime geek hour”), IMAX quietly dropped an announcement like Beyoncé in the Lemonade era: tickets were now on sale for the 70mm IMAX release of Nolan’s The Odyssey. The catch? The movie don’t come out till July 2026.

That’s 365 days of anticipation. A full zodiac cycle. Four seasons and a leap year’s worth of hype. And within ONE HOUR, 95 percent of those sacred seats were gone like Thanos just snapped them out of existence.

We’re talking 25 or 26 handpicked IMAX theaters across the globe. NYC’s Lincoln Square IMAX? Gone. Universal CityWalk in LA? Ghost town. Orange County? Dublin, San Francisco, and Fort Lauderdale? All vanished into cinematic nirvana.

And then the resale prices hit.

$300 to $400 a seat. I could’ve bought a PS5 and still had money for popcorn. But instead, somebody out there is flipping Odyssey tickets like it’s the Super Bowl of storytelling. Which… it kind of is?

The Odyssey Nolan’s Most Expensive Flex Yet

Oppenheimer was just the warm-up act. This time Nolan’s turning all the dials to extra with The Odyssey, a $250 million adaptation of Homer’s mythic road trip from hell.

And it’s shot entirely in IMAX film cameras. Not “some scenes.” Not “for select sequences.” No, the whole damn thing. That’s like filming your grandma’s BBQ with a RED camera and a drone team.

Matt Damon leads as Odysseus (because apparently, if Nolan is making a movie about anything, Damon will find a way to be in it). Then you’ve got Zendaya as maybe Athena, Anne Hathaway as Penelope (twice confirmed in the cast list because once ain’t enough), Tom Holland, Jon Bernthal, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Mia Goth, and Robert Pattinson rounding out the most elite ensemble this side of Mount Olympus.

It’s not a cast. It’s an Avengers team made up entirely of award season powerhouses.

Why We Do This: The Gospel of 70mm

Let me say this from the pulpit of Black cinephilia ain’t nothing like seeing a Nolan film in 70mm IMAX.

You don’t just watch a Nolan movie, you ascend. The chairs rumble. The aspect ratio breathes. The screen swallows you whole like Scylla and spits you out in emotional ruin by the credits. And if you were lucky enough to catch Oppenheimer in 70mm? You know what I mean. We walked out of that theater dazed, blessed, and needing therapy.

Now imagine that experience turned up to mythic. Imagine Sirens in full frame. A cyclops towering over you in ultra crisp detail. Imagine Nolan rendering Hades with the kind of scale usually reserved for natural disasters and Kanye West album rollouts.

Related

Nick Cannon might already be dad of the decade—literally—but that’s not stopping his dreams of adding more little ones to his already decked out-growing family tree!

In a candid new interview with Vulture, Cannon looked back at 2022—aka his most fertile year on record—when he welcomed five children with five different women, calling it a moment of reflection and recklessness:

“It was also a little bit of, like, Okay, God, how did I have five kids in one year? Probably careless activity.”

👶🏽 A Look Back at Nick Cannon’s Record-Breaking Baby Boom:

In 2022 alone, Cannon expanded his legacy with:

•Bre Tiesi – Legendary Love

• LaNisha Cole – Onyx Ice

•Brittany Bell – Rise Messiah

•Abby De La Rosa – Beautiful Zeppelin

•Alyssa Scott – Halo Marie

That brought his count to 12 children with six different women, and he’s still not closing the baby gate just yet.

🗣️ “Never Say Never…”

Although he insists he’s not actively trying to have more children, Cannon left the door cracked open when asked if his family expansion era was officially over:

“I never say never!”

That’s right—Mr. Wild ‘N Out could be Back In Baby Mode at any moment.

🍼 The Internet Reacts: Mixed Emotions & Memes

While some fans joked about Nick needing his own zip code for tax dependents, others pointed to the deeper emotional impact of raising multiple children across different households.

Still, one thing’s for sure: Nick’s fatherhood journey has become a cultural moment, full of debate, curiosity, and viral memes.

📌 Final Thoughts

Whether it’s “careless activity” or a personal legacy-building mission, Nick Cannon has changed the conversation around celebrity fatherhood. And if you thought baby #12 was the finale? He just told y’all—not quite.

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