Rapper Kanye West and singer/rapper Drake have had a 12-year feud that surprisingly ended last night at a benefit concert for former “Gangster Disciple’s” leader Larry Hoover. Hoover is currently serving a lifetime sentence in federal prison where he spends most of his time in solitary confinement.

Organized by rap executive Prince J the concert was ended to free Hoover and raise money for non-profits focusing on prison reform. Although it’s unlikely Hoover will be released, the concert’s primary goal was to expose the injustice that occurs within the prison system.

Prince J comments, “This system for sentencing, this prison system rooted in racism, it’s time for change”. It’s not just to shine a light on Larry Hoover, but other victims of this system. We feel strongly that it’s time for redemption.”

Hoover’s case is complex and unique. Hoover is in prison for murder and running a criminal enterprise in Chicago. These are state and federal charges and unfortunately, Hoover has exhausted all his appeals. With the narrow parameters of the First Step Act, Hoover’s only chance for freedom is through state or presidential pardon which are both extremely rare.

Prosecutors and judges believe releasing Hoover would be unjust and claim his leadership was responsible for the high murder rate during the 70s and 80s in Chicago. This claim could be true but many people believe Hoover’s appeals have been denied due to his high level of influence.

In 1987, Hoover rebranded the former “Gangster Disciples” as “GD” for “Growth and Development. He declared the new organization would focus on community empowerment. He even founded another organization called, “21st Century Vote” which quickly earned Hoover political recognition and power. Hoover’s only chance for freedom is through state or presidential pardon which are both extremely rare.

Hoover hopes this concert will build enough awareness and momentum for a pardon. The concert had roughly 70,000 attendees and was talked about all night on social media. I respect Drake and Kanye for putting their beef aside to highlight an important cause.

You can rewatch the concert with Amazon Prime, however, you must have an account!

Sources:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/12/why-drake-and-kanyes-free-larry-hoover-benefit-concert-wont-work.html

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-12-09/j-prince-kanye-west-drake-concert-larry-hoover

TikTok has been the app to watch since its increased popularity in 2018. Earlier this week App Annie released its annual review of the top-performing acts measured by downloads and revenue. The results placed TikTok in the first place, confirming the app’s dominance in the social media world. In the picture below you can see data from last year’s review placed TikTok in second place in terms of breakout downloads. You can view the full report here.

From the data above it’s clear that TikToks competitors were CapCut, YouTube, and Telegram.

The App Ann review from this year told a different story. Below is the performance review with TikTok as number one in terms of overall spending.

This data proves that TikTok is in a strong position for growth specifically towards the apps eCommerce ambitions, however, this growth will rely on TikTok’s ability to pay its content creators. This payment is what will motivate the content creators to keep posting on TikTok and not another platform. Brand deals with content creators are in high demand. Content creators know this which is why they won’t hesitate to use a different platform if the pay is better.

TikTok has become a threat to many social media apps. With the potential to surpass 1.5 billion users in 2022 they could easily become the biggest social media platform. I believe brands, media companies, and content creators should all be paying attention to the company’s rise.

Brands that haven’t yet incorporated the use of TikTok should start learning how to now. TikTok has a large audience reach. Brands’ failure to adapt will cause them to lose out on money and risk them being left out of or playing catch-up to the latest trends. This could open up more jobs for those who specialize in everything TikTok.

Sources:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-leads-the-way-in-app-annies-2021-app-performance-report/611223/

https://backlinko.com/tiktok-users

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/new-report-suggests-tiktok-will-surpass-15-billion-users-in-2022/610018/

California singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo shook things up performing for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series at the Department for Motor Vehicles(DMV). The setting seemed fit due to the singer’s breakout hit “Drivers License”. Rodrigo performed the stripped-down version of four songs off her debut album Sour.

The 18-year-old singer opened with a moving solo act of “Drivers Licence”. Backed by her band, Rodrigo performed an acoustic version of “Good 4 U” next. She then slowed things down with a warm-hearted rendition of “Traitor”. Rodrigo ended her performance with a captivating performance of “Deja Vu”.

Rodrigo’s NPR appearance occurred just one day after her Sour Tour announcement. The Sour Tour is set for April 2, 2022, to July 7, 2022, including stops in North America and Europe. Concert tickets can be purchased on her official website: https://www.oliviarodrigo.com/tour. With seven Grammy nominations and her recent tour announcement, it’s safe to say that this is only the beginning for the budding star.

This story stood out to me because of NPR’s acceptance of Rodrigo’s unique performance setting. I’m sure it couldn’t have been convenient to use the DMV and yet NPR made it happen in an effort to support her creative vision.

Sources:

rollingstone.com/music/music-news/olivia/rodrigo-sour-tiny-desk-concert-dmv-1268150/

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/olivia-rodrigo-npr-tiny-desk-concert-video-48638187?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=post&utm_campaign=frontdoor

Facebook and Google have sharply restricted the ways that advertisers can tailor messages to minors on their sites. In a video from The New York Times Opinion section, journalists made the case that Congress should copy the British regulations. Children’s advocates are mostly over the moon about it. lawmakers are debating updated laws to protect kids online and scolding the head of Instagram, as they did on Wednesday, the horse has partly left the barn. “I think they can see the writing on the wall,” Sonia Livingstone, a professor at the London School of Economics who studies children’s digital rights, told Wired this year. law for comprehensive online child protection, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. “Why not here?” Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, asked at Wednesday’s hearing Involving the head of Instagram Adam Mosseri in his and Meta’s plan to create Instagram for Kids while referencing the British code. Some of the guidelines are vague, partly by design, and that’s one reason the technology industry said it fought the British code. To comply with the British code, Facebook, Google and other companies could have changed features only for kids who live in that country. The British regulations are effectively here already, but without the force of U.S. Among other guidelines, the code requires websites and apps to turn on the highest possible privacy settings by default for people under 18, and to turn off features that track children’s locations. The idea behind the Children’s Code is that companies must build products with the best interests of children in mind, and it makes companies accountable to protect them. The regulations don’t take all control and responsibility from parents and caregivers, but they are a backstop for families. As in the examples above, the British regulations – formally called the Age-Appropriate Design Code or the Children’s Code – are also changing the internet experience for kids and families in the U.S. Although the breaking up tech companies seems to still be a far-off hope to protect children from damaging internet structure seems to be picking up momentum

If you thought the flat earth conspiracy was outlandish, you might want to sit down while I break down the very real group who is trying to bring down the “bird-geoisie.” “The Bird aren’t Real” movement was created by Peter McIndoe a college dropout in Memphis in 2017 for media performance reasons. The movement believes that birds are no longer real bird organisms rather drone-like machines mimicking this particular life form, for government surveillance use. Birds are Real, has seen a significant rise over the last few years on platforms like Instagram Twitter and Tik Tok, possibly due to the normalization of misinformation and citizen reporting. Just last month the group organized in protest outside Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, in order to get the company to change their logo andmascott. What truly baffled me about researching this topic is the statements from key members of the movement stating they know the message is a joke but still fervently believe in the spreading of their message. Some members describe this phenomenon as a parody social movement, knowing that their particular claim is false but there overarching distrust in the government’s ability to handle survivance equipment to be the underlying and border issue. However, the contextualization to make this conspiracy theory real is anything but a joke. Leader Peter McIndoe, hired an actor to portray a former C.I.A. agent who confessed to working on bird drone surveillance. Although a lie the video has more than 20 million views on TikTok.He also hired multiple actors to play “adult bird truthers” in videos to boost support over Instagram. McIndoe, has gone as far as to create merch for the movement which he projects off over in order to pay for living expenses.

Although the idea of birds we see every day being mini gadgets to supply the government sounds like a laughable youtube video, this movement has proved the virality of misinformation. It will be interesting to see if they clout-chasing cults will become a new modern phenomenon or die off with the advancements of healthier news cycles.

According to CNN, “the US will provide new funding to protect reporters targeted because of their work and support independent international journalism.”

Announced at the Summit for Democracy on December 8, 2021, Secretary of State Blinken explained that the US government wanted to support journalists and their work through funding, more than any other government.

Fox News argues that Biden is using taxpayer dollars to fund journalism, which has caused a stir within the Republican Party.

According to The Guardian, the newly announced Trump Media & Technology Group, or TMTG, has been in collaboration with a company called Digital World Acquisition Corporation, which is a blank-check acquisition firm. But what is a blank-check acquisition firm?

“Blank-check companies like Digital World, also called special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, sell their shares to investors first and then go looking for a business to merge with. They aren’t supposed to have a deal lined up before selling shares,” says The New York Times.

Regulators from the SEC are now investigating documents related to TMTG, but have stated that this investigation has not been prompted by a violation of the law.

Want to watch performances from Carnegie Hall in the comfort of your own home? You’re in luck!

Carnegie Hall is launching a new on-demand video platform to share recorded content from the performances that take place in the legendary theatre.

According to Voice of Alexandria, “Carnegie Hall+, created in a partnership Unitel, was to launch Wednesday night. It costs $7.99 monthly and is available through the Apple TV app and smart televisions, Roku, Amazon Fire and other devices.”

Performances available via Carnegie Hall+ feature operas, ballets, and concerts.

The iconic designer not only worked for Louis Vuitton, but also founded his own brand, Off White. Breaking barriers and being an innovator is what Virgil was known for, adored by his family, friends, and fans. According to The New York Times, “Mr. Abloh transformed not just what consumers wanted to wear, bridging hypebeast culture and the luxury world, but what brands wanted in a designer — and the meaning of “fashion” itself.”

His work was prominent in the media industry, especially through his collaboration and friendship with Kanye West. Many wonder who will replace Virgil Abloh as Creative Director of Louis Vuitton, and some have even rumored that Kanye West will step in his place.

As the fashion industry mourns the loss of a genius, Virgil’s creations and memory will never leave us. His impact on fashion, the media industry, and the world will never be forgotten.