Issa Rae is on the cover of Ebony Magazine‘s September 2018 issue and she’s gorgeous!
The 33-year-old actress and producer talks to the magazine about empowering a new generation of creatives using stories of black experience, sisterhood, and racial issues.
See her editorial spread from the shoot of the Fashion Issue below.
Credits:
Photography: Brian Bowen Smith
Creative Direction: Courtney Walter
Photo Production: Bianca Grey
Styling: Shiona Turini
Makeup: Joanna Simpkin
Hair: Felicia Featherwood
Nigerian singer Korede Bello recently explained why he left Mavin Records. Don Jazzy is the renowned producer who founded this record label. Signed to Mavin in 2014, Korede exited the label in 2021.
The artist told Hip TV that he felt like a “product” designed and marketed only for profit. He talked about the constant pressure to chase hit songs. Also, staying relevant in the industry made him lose focus on what truly mattered to him.
What’s more, this feeling prompted him to take a break from music. During the break, he had to reflect and reconnect with his deeper purpose in life. Korede emphasized the importance of this hiatus in helping him realign his career with his values.
Korede Bello said,
“I was at a season in my life where I needed to metamorphose from a caterpillar to a butterfly. To explore my inner worth, to do introspection, to understand myself, understand meaning more, and reconnect to my why. Because I was at a stage where I started to feel like a product, I started to feel like something that was just being sold, something that is just there to make money.”
“You lose sight of what matters when you chase after the next song, after the next hit, and after the next whatever it is that can get you into conversations. So a lot of artistes are addicted to that circle, and that is why they will do anything to just stay relevant. And I know that music is not my destination, music is not my endpoint, it’s a means of communicating who I am and why I am. So I needed to reconnect to why I am and why music is an important tool for communicating what I’m about.”
Chidimma Adetshina, the current Miss Universe Nigeria, has publicly explained why she chose to delete her Twitter account. She faced intense criticism and negative comments following a controversy about her nationality and her win as Miss Universe Nigeria.
During an interview on Arise 360, the Nigerian-South African beauty queen shared that the decision to leave Twitter was motivated by the excessive and often harmful feedback she received.
“I’m not on Twitter,” Adetshina confessed.
She emphasized that deleting the app provided her solace because its toxicity negatively impacted her mental health.
“I had to delete it because I felt like it was too much for me. I’m a comment reader so I read each and every comment; that’s the thing. So for me, I could spend 80% of my day reading comments. I’d read the comments and all and it became toxic for me. I use Instagram but I did limit my comment section one time,” Adetshina explained.
Why Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina deleted her Twitter account. pic.twitter.com/Xc5BQIaQ5z
The beauty queen thanked her fans for their support. She also warned of potential risks. Supporting her could pose dangers to her fans.
“Sometimes there are people in the comment section saying, ‘I really like you but I don’t want to put my feelings out there,’ and it’s valid because when people support me, they get dragged. I don’t want people to go through something like that for supporting me,” she said.
Chidimma’s mother faced allegations of fraud and identity theft from the South African Home Office. These accusations led to a prima facie case against her. As a result, Chidimma withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant.
South Africans had already strongly criticized Chidimma’s participation when organizers first announced her as a contestant. The controversy surrounding her candidacy intensified with these new allegations.
After Chidimma’s withdrawal, the Silverbird Group, which organizes the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant, saw an opportunity. They extended an invitation to Chidimma to participate in their contest. Chidimma accepted this offer.
Chidimma Adetshina then competed in the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant and emerged victorious. However, her win sparked further controversy. Some critics argued that the organizers had awarded her the title out of pity, rather than merit. This perception led to another wave of backlash against Chidimma.
Nigerian media personality Toke Makinwa has shared a heartwarming story about her encounter with singer D’banj. She revealed that he is the only Nigerian man who has given her money without asking for anything in return.
A viral video on social media captured a recent interaction between Toke Makinwa and D’banj. She recounted his generous act during a time before her fame. This selfless gesture left a lasting impression on Makinwa.
“I was at a party one time and someone said this is D’banj and I was like, ‘Hi,’ and he goes, ‘I’m going to be the biggest thing out of Africa.’ That’s the kind of confidence this nigga had,” she recalled.
Makinwa recounted how D’banj pledged to give her a substantial sum of ₦10 million. Then, she emphasized that this he followed through on the commitment completely. She noted that the donor carried out this act of generosity without any expectation of receiving anything in return from her.
She said, “Then I was in banking and he entertained us all night. Then, many years later, I started my career and I wrote a book, He came to my book launch and pledged 10 million naira. He paid it the next morning and never asked for anything in return.”
“He is the only Nigerian man I know who has given me free money and didn’t ask, ‘What are you doing later?’ Or can I call you later?’ He is the only Nigerian man! Gave me 10 fucking million naira and this was many years ago. I fuck with him!” she concluded, praising him.
“D’banj gave me N10million at my book launch and he never asked for anything in return. The only Nigerian man I know that has given me free money.”
The singer, chuckling as he spoke, admitted that he had made the generous donation so many years ago that the memory of the act had completely faded from his mind.