FOR THE CULTURE. BY THE CULTURE.
OF THE CULTURE.
A look at events in NYC including concerts, comedy shows, sporting games, book signings and tours, music and film festivals, Broadway plays, movie screenings with cast Q&As, and so much more!
Here are some of the events I've been fortunate enough to attend, and some I managed! God's Plan! AMEN!
Ready or Not here I come, you can't hide...
Talk about a front row seat to Black Joy!!! Tony award-winning director Kenny Leon has done it again! Dare I say this may be his best work yet!
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Back at PAC NYC.
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Some albums shift the zeitgeist of the culture. The Age of Pleasure is one of those albums.
Baybeee, this week is WEEKING!
Nas. Wu-Tang. On a #WuWednesday. |
I realized Sunday night after the concert, while I was searching for my rental car in the vastness of NRG Stadium’s parking lot, that I forgot to set the DVR for Robin Roberts interview with Kerry Washington.
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Bad bitches to the left/ Money bitches to the right/ You can be both/ Meet in the middle/ Dance all night…
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So good I had to see it twice!
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Bending dimensions in the space-time continuum on a #SundayFunday!
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How do you describe something or someone that is indescribable? How can mere words give someone perspective of an experience that can only be truly understood by actually experiencing it?
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For Kings and Queens ONLY!!!! 30 YEARS! THIRTY! I mean it's really been like 31 years, 7 months, and 2 days. You know since Main Source dropped Breaking Atoms and Nas was on "Live at the Barbeque". But who's counting?!
I had to go see THE FIRST All-Black Production of American Ballet Theatre perform!
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This is my first time seeing the NYCB!
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Yahya in those boxer shorts, whew!
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So many great shows on Broadway this season, and I’m taking full advantage!
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The first time I heard about the March on Washington was from The Cosby Show. "The March" first aired when I was only 2 years old, and I obviously don't remember it then. It wasn't until I got older and the network aired reruns of the episode that I learned more about the significance of the event - it's where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of Lincoln Memorial.
The #BlackHistoryMonth celebrations continued on Sunday when I ventured to Harlem to pay tribute to the activist, the singer, the songwriter, the actor, the icon, the legend, the 93 years young "King of Calypso", Mr. Harry Belafonte!
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Last December, I read that Solange would be the first recipient of the Lena Horne Prize, the first major entertainment award to be named after a woman of color. When I learned that it would happen at The Town Hall, say less! First, because this is such an amazing honor for someone so deserving, ***pauses to cue up "Almeda", Hold Up...***
Pour more drank, drank Sip, sip, sip, sip, sip... |
Ladies' Night: R&B Super Jam returned to Barclays Center! I went in 2018, and I had an amazing time so I was amped to go this year, especially with the all-star lineup: En Vogue, The Dream, Jagged Edge, Musiq Soulchild, Carl Thomas, Mase, Rotimi, and my fave... MAXWELL!
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When Queen Oprah announced her "Oprah's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus" national tour last September, I was super excited! Like the rest of the world, I grew up watching The Oprah Winfrey Show. As a kid, I would be glued to the television listening to Oprah drop life gems to her studio audience, interview celebrity guests, and generously give away her favorite things! "You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!" Single-handedly that was, without question, THE COOLEST moment in television history!
I always wanted to see her in person, and now I finally had my chance! |
I saw the cast of In Living Color last April at the Tribeca Film Festival for the 25th Anniversary of the premiere episode. It was one of my favorite shows growing up, and I absolutely love The Wayans family! So when I heard that Tommy Davidson wrote a memoir and would be doing a book signing in the city, I was game to check it out.
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It's a first time for everything, and it's the first event of the decade...
Thanks to 1iota, I secured a ticket to see the Tamron Hall show! Got ABC Studios going up on a Tuesday... AYEEE! |
On a brisk Friday night, I ventured into the city on opening night previews to see A Soldier's Play at American Airlines Theatre on December 27, 2019. And what a treat it was!
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I don't believe in coincidences. I know my steps are divinely ordered, and life and death are TRULY in the power of the tongue. Let me tell y'all about how God WORKS...
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One Wednesday evening, two friends took the L train and traveled to East Williamsburg and a Wednesday night turned into a Thursday morning. We took a trip to 85 to Africa!
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We gon' party like it's your birthday!!! It was Ladies Night, Throwback Night, Friday Night Vibes at Apollo Theater! I took my BFF, Shirley, to the Apollo for her birthday to experience our R&B dreams!
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I feel like I’m living out an episode of Sex and the City with an urban twist. “Lights, Camera, Relationship” was Season 6 Episode 5, the episode when Samantha, who hates theatre, reluctantly dragged herself and her friends to Brooklyn to watch her boyfriend, Smith Jerrod, perform in a bad play where he does a full frontal scene and it winds up getting rave reviews. Well, that’s kinda my experience with Slave Play.
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What better way to kick off Indigenous Peoples' Day (the only Christopher we acknowledge is Wallace, fuck Columbus) weekend than with some laughs! You guys already know how much I LOVEEE the Wayans family, so I had to check out Damon's set at Carolines with Rick.
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The Royalty Tour...
How befitting! After a whirlwind 35th birthday-vacation trip to Accra, Ghana and a tour of the surrounding areas for The Year of Return and Chale Wote Street Art Festival, it was great to get back to the states to see two of my favorite artists at Barclays Center - Nasty Nas and The Queen of Hip Hop Soul and R&B! |
It's #LeoSeason Bitches!
35 and feeling fine! I feel so fortunate and blessed to celebrate another revolution around the sun! I'm only getting more refined, stepping into my own, and I'm feeling myself! |
Ok... like, so... where do I start?! First of all, I didn’t know I would get my ENTIRE life on a Tuesday night, but here we are! “Got the Apollo going up on a Tuesday...”
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About last night... after a long workweek and a late night surge of creative energy that had me spitting rhymes over instrumentals at 2am in the morning, going to the Ladies Night Out Comedy Tour at Kings Theatre was much needed!
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At 32 years young, Elaine has already accomplished what many young, ambitious hopefuls dream about... landing a dream job in their chosen profession in a leadership role. In 2012, she became the Beauty & Health Director at Teen Vogue. In April 2016 when she was just 29, Elaine was named Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue, the youngest person to hold an editor position in Condé Nast history, and the second person of African-American ancestry in the famous mass media company's 107 year history.
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When Tyler Perry announced he was retiring the hilarious character he's best known for portraying, Mabel Earlene "Madea" Simmons, I knew I had to see it live. The cast is set to play six sold out shows from the 16th-19th at Radio City, and I was able to snag a center Orchestra ticket for some Friday night fun!
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Attending this event was a no-brainer! When I saw the original lineup of Jaheim, Joe, Monica, Ashanti, Avant, and Donell Jones, I said let me hurry up and cop this ticket! I knew the artist lineup was subject to change per Barclays Center's website, but I didn't think it would. Raheem Devaughn replaced Donell Jones, and I was like FUCK, because hey... it's Donell Jones.
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Kaleta & Super Yamba Band first came on my radar when I attended Luvvie Ajayi and Yvonne Orji: Jesus and Jollof Live at the Apollo Theater last month. They did a set before Luvvie and Yvonne hit the stage. They performed "Mr. Diva", a song with a rift that reminded me of Aretha Franklin's "You’re All I Need To Get By" (at the :20 second mark)... one of my favorite songs by the Queen!
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David Ruffin:
I'm the one sellin' the records. They're comin' to see me. Otis Williams: They're comin' to see the Temptations. David Ruffin: Ain't nobody comin' to see you, Otis! |
Hey guys and hello spring! I'm living in the land of yes, and all things are possible! I don't think there is any other family in entertainment that I was completely obsessed with as a kid more than The Wayans...
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Do you listen to podcasts? If you do, then you should already be subscribed to Jesus & Jollof! Luvvie Ajayi (New York Times Best Seller of I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual) and Yvonne Orji (Molly Carter on Insecure) hilariously discuss all things Nigerian, their lives, their loves, and navigating the "the glow up" in the entertainment industry.
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After a long week, an interesting Valentine's Day, and disdainfully watching 45 declare a national emergency to fund a border wall, I decided to start the long holiday weekend off right and unwind with an art exhibit.
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About last night... Rick and I had the opportunity to visit BAM Rose Cinemas and watch Tongues Untied, a revolutionary documentary by Marlon Riggs that uniquely unpacks what it’s like to be a gay Black man in America, and how these facets of his identity are perceived by others and portrayed in the media.
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Work hard, play harder. All work and no play makes JDeezy a dull girl. Oh, who am I kiddin'... I could never be dull, but I definitely needed a night out!
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Whew chile!!! I had to fix my face after seeing the brilliant Broadway play American Son! The amazingly talented Kerry Washington (Kendra) was intense and raw and real, and I ran through the gamut of emotions as I sat on the first row, center stage hanging off of every word, every emotion, and every update (or lack thereof) of her missing 18 year old son.
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#FOREVERFLOTUS comes to Brooklyn!!!
Words can't describe how excited I was when the news reported that #FOREVERPOTUS AND #FOREVERFLOTUS inked a presidential record breaking book deal topping $60 million in the spring of 2017. I was even more amped when Michelle released a short video earlier this year discussing the title of her forthcoming book, BECOMING, and nationwide book tour dates produced by Live Nation. Due to overwhelming demand, they added a second date to Barclays Center, and Sarah Jessica Parker was slated to moderate. WHATTTT?! |
If Beale Street Could Talk is a stirring, revolutionary Black love story set in Harlem in the 1970s based off the book of the same name by the iconic writer James Baldwin. It’s hopelessly romantic, beautifully tragic, and poetically compelling.
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What's happenin', chief?
That was my introduction to Tracy Morgan better known at the time as "Hustle Man" on the hit TV show, Martin. "Pick Up the Pieces" will forever be one of the funniest moments he had on the show among many others - fast forward to the 4:22 mark to see him play the kazoo stuck to a saxophone! Yes, Tracy has come a long way. |
Got the club going up on a Tuesday... It went down in Brooklyn last night at the Tidal X concert! The roster was jam packed with artists plus a few special appearances and all for a vital cause - criminal justice reform efforts! #BlackLivesMatter
Now, for all those wondering...yes, Ms. Lauryn Hill showed up and was ON TIME. #LookatGod! |
Alright! Alright! Alrightttttt!!! You gon' learn today!
So y'all already know I had to go see Kevin Hart do his thang at The Garden. With the recent comments made by Katt Williams about Tiffany Haddish's comedic chops, her refined response, Kevin's come again homie clapback on The Breakfast Club, and Leslie Jones telling both Katt and Kevin's asses, "real talk both of them niggas need to keep my name out they mouth unless they using it to eat my pussy REAL TALK, none of those niggas put me on or any woman", and I ain't going back and forth with you niggas, I'm living my best SNL life weigh in, I just knew I was in for a treat! |
I was so excited when my job said they had extra tickets for a client event they were hosting, and sent out an email for us to request tickets. I've never seen the movie Frozen before, but I've heard "Let It Go" a million plus times!
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It's Official! This is Childish Gambino's farewell tour!
When "The Only Donald We Acknowledge Is Glover" said he would be retiring his Childish Gambino alter ego in June 2017, I knew I had to see him in concert! I've been down with CG since he released his second studio album, Because the Internet. When that "Crawl" beat drop though... |
DeRay Mckesson first came on my radar on April 28, 2015. I was glued to the TV watching coverage on CNN of the protesters in Baltimore, MD, and how the media portrayed them as thugs and criminals because some of them broke windows and caused damage to some stores in the area due to their frustration and anger over the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of crooked cops on April 12, 2015.
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When you combine an Atlanta hip hop trio that just tied the Beatles for most simultaneous Hot 100 entries among groups with 14 with a Toronto rapper that just broke the Beatles' 54 year old record for simultaneously charting seven singles in the top ten for one of the summer's hottest tour's of 2018... you get me, a fan who got to go to the concert twice because the first night I went, Monday, August 27th, was wayyyy too LITTTTYYYY!
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AfroPunk Day 2 had a completely different vibe from Day 1. I was NOT PREPARED! I thought I saw #LEWKS on Saturday, but babbbyyyy, the kids did not come to play with you hoes on #SundayFunday, they came to slay bitchhhhh!!!! And SLAY they did!
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Hello AfroPunk!!!!
This was my first time going, and of course I purchased the VIP weekend pass to get the full, two day experience! It was everything I pictured it would be and then some... well kind of, but we'll get to that in a second! |
What more can I say... you're now tuned into the mufucking greatest!
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For perspective... I was completely obsessed with The Wayans Bros. growing up. I loved everything about the Wayans family. I watched every TV show and movie they did, and I especially loved Marlon!
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Meet the Black Carrie Bradshaw and Stanford Blatch! We do Sex and the City in style!
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Spike Lee brought out all of Bed-Stuy and surrounding neighborhoods to celebrate the life and legacy (and shoot some upcoming scenes for "She's Gotta Have It") of the legend, Prince at Restoration Plaza.
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Dr. Dyson, activist Shaun King, and the "King of Calypso" Harry Belafonte gather at The New School for an engaging discussion regarding the pivotal meeting about race relations and policy that occurred in Spring 1963 between Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, Lena Horne, Lorraine Hansberry, and young activist Jerome Smith.
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There was no way I was going to miss this concert! Kendrick Lamar is one of my favorite hip hop artists, and to have ALL of Top Dawg there was just icing on the cake. THEY ROCKED OUT!
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Sunday night at The Bowery... I'll take it!
I'm sayin' though, have you heard BJ's version of Crucial Conflict's hit song, "Hay?!" |
Tami brought the laughs at Carolines on Broadway!
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I was pleasantly surprised how well the movie was remade into a stage play.
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I was too hype to go to two events during the closing week celebration at B.B. King in Times Square... this one for VIP free might I add! Yeah, I stay with the hook up! To bear witness to the Greatest Storyteller in hip hop history and The Human Beatbox was EPIC!
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Rozay, what can I say! The Maybach Music founder had an amazing show, even though he left his fans waiting almost two hours for him to perform… on a Monday night. Hey, I guess this is the city that never sleeps, but this chick has a 9 to 5, and the way my beauty sleep is set up - get it together, Pretty Ricky!
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I just came to see King James play.
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ALL HAIL! The LAWS is in the building! It's such a great feeling to go to any event on a Sunday night, hello #SundayFunday! It's even better when you're going to see your cousin perform at one of the most famous hotspots in Times Square, the iconic music venue, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.
The King Remembered in Time had Irving Plaza SO LIT... it was definitely #littyinthecity!
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If you don't follow Jess Hilarious on Instagram, then you're missing out! She definitely lives up to her name, and she does it unapologetically! She stay with the shits, and she can take a joke, too! Just look at the comments on the videos when she's snatched her own wig and her twig is out!
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This was a super LIT, super COLD weekend! #littyinthecityinthesnow
On February 16th, I saw Katt Williams at Barclays Center. On February 17th, I went to a VIP private showing of "The Black Panther" at the AMC Magic Johnson Theater in Harlem, and later that evening was the R&B Super Jam! |
On a cold, windy night in mid-February, two pimps traveled to Fort Greene to see another pimp perform his stand-up comedy routine to a sold-out crowd.
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All things Louis V! #NYCVVV
When my great friend and former co-worker, Shirley Baker, hit me up and said she had two guided tour tickets to the Louis Vuitton exhibit, I was more than beyond ecstatic to go!
When my great friend and former co-worker, Shirley Baker, hit me up and said she had two guided tour tickets to the Louis Vuitton exhibit, I was more than beyond ecstatic to go!
I was too excited when my sister bought us tickets to see JAY-Z's 4:44 concert as a present for my birthday. Granted, she bought them in September (my birthday is in August), and the concert would take place more than 3 months after my 33rd revolution around the sun, but I was so ready to see Hov perform in his hometown!
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Let me tell y'all about how God WORKS... I've been entering the Hamilton lottery since Summer '16 when I was a contract Event Manager at BNY Mellon - the banking organization that Alexander Hamilton established along with other founding shareholders. I couldn't get tickets through my job, and I kept getting the "Sorry, You're Not A Winner" notification on my iPhone from the HAM app for months.
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This was my first Broadway play, and I received two complimentary tickets while I was working at The Apollo. The seats were right down front! Gotta love company perks!
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From January through March, I worked at FOX as a contract consultant in the Event Marketing department. From the start, I knew the job would be a short stint so I made the most out of the experience. The highlight was working the 5th season premiere of the TV show “The Americans” on FX starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys at the Directors Guild Theater. I’ve followed Keri’s career since she was on All-New Mickey Mouse Club so seeing her in person was nostalgic.
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Working at BNY Mellon was a dream come true! In my role, I managed all of the client entertainment assets and the suite ambassador program which allowed me to host their suite at MetLife Stadium for NY Giants and Jets games as well as Beyoncé's Lemonade concert for VIP clients.
While working at BNY Mellon, I was invited to go to a private screening of the Walt Disney produced biographical film, "Queen of Katwe". The invitation came in partnership with The Council of Urban Professionals (CUP).
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Working in a career that involves event planning and managing client entertainment assets also comes with awesome company perks, especially when tickets go unused by a line of business.
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I'm in tennis heaven! What better way to spend my 6 year anniversary arriving (and officially staying) in New York City than to witness the G.O.A.T. play...
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When my boy, De'Andre, hit me on the text saying he had an extra floor ticket to see Rihanna's ANTI concert at Barclays Center on some last minute shit and invited me to come hang out, I was ecstatic! It was a Sunday evening, and I was at home chilling in some sweats with my hair wrapped and in a bonnet about to watch The Real Housewives of Atlanta...
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If you know anything about me and music, then you should know that my all-time, favorite artist is Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. bka Marvin Gaye.
I wholeheartedly believe I was conceived to a sensuous Marvin Gaye record. My mom can neither confirm nor deny my inherent belief. I play his discography more than I play any other artist's music. |
The art, the fashion, the colors, the designs and patterns...
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2014 was a great year for me! It was the end of an era and the beginning of a new one - another revolution around the sun. Goodbye 29... hello 30! I was still on a professional high having worked Super Bowl XLVIII six months earlier at MetLife Stadium, and had just finished working two dates of the On the Run Tour a month before. Couldn't NOBODY tell me SHIT, you hear me...
The anticipation. The presence. The production. The logistics. The stage. The lights. The sound. The dancers. The team. The fans. The artists.
Then there was me... I still remember the electricity surging through the stadium. Everyone felt it. We were prepared. I was READY! |
I still remember when the news came out that New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ won the bid to host Super Bowl XLVIII.
It was May 25, 2010. I found out a day later. I was sitting at the computer desk in the living room at my mom's house reading the article on ESPN. New York/New Jersey beat out Tampa and South Florida. I remember saying to myself..."I'm going to the Super Bowl. That Super Bowl. I don't know how, but I will be there." Little did I know that in three months I would be homeless for the third time in as many years. |