#jay z family feud music video

[thecherokeediaries]

Thank You, Karrine Steffans

Before we had Instagram, influencers, and Instagram baddies, we had video vixens that ruled the late ‘90s and early 2000s with their beautiful faces, alluring charm and natural sex appeal. These women generally had a bad reputation for being ‘undeserving’ of these social circles and for supposedly ‘sleeping their way to the top.’ They even struggled to have their peers take them seriously, so they struggled even more to earn their bosses’ respect in the workplace. Slut-shaming was inevitable as a video vixen at the time, but no one expected them to speak out against those claims the way Karrine Steffans did. Karrine Steffans is not only the most iconic video vixen, but she’s someone who’s influence runs deep over the current influencers we see to this day.

Karrine Steffans, also known as Superhead, is an American author, actress, and former hip-hop music video vixen. She gained significant attention and notoriety in the early 2000s for her memoir, "Confessions of a Video Vixen," which detailed her experiences as a video girl in the music industry.

Born on August 24, 1978, in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Steffans moved to the United States as a child and grew up in Florida. She entered the entertainment industry in the late 1990s and quickly became one of the most recognizable video vixens, appearing in numerous music videos for popular artists such as Jay-Z, R. Kelly, and Mystikal.

In 2005, Steffans released her memoir, "Confessions of a Video Vixen," which became a New York Times bestseller. The book provided an insider's perspective on the entertainment industry, shedding light on the exploitation and mistreatment of women in the field. It also revealed her past relationships with several high-profile celebrities.

Confessions of a Video Vixen is Karrine Steffans’ memoir detailing the first 25 years of her life. She had a troubled upbringing in poverty and suffering physical abuse, drug abuse, sexual assault. She lived as a teenage runaway and turned to sex work and hip hop modeling to support herself and her son. The book wasn’t a simple autobiography, but she also divulged the juicy details of her sexual relationships. Some of the men she talked about had kids, girlfriends and wives; they were beloved in their respective industries. Karrine was just a video vixen.

Based on my adult analysis of the situation, I conclude Karrine Steffans was not wrong. I accept the hurt of the women whose partners were mentioned in Karrine's book; however, I disagree with the fact that the men were allowed to get away with their acts. It is not surprising that Karrine takes most of the blame. The men with whom she was involved knew they had girlfriends, wives and families at home, but they still found a way to be with Karrine, who was single. As a result, one of the men she mentioned later gave her a demeaning nickname that is still often used today. The nickname “Superhead” was what she was referred to for the rest of her career, not only was it demeaning but it was dehumanizing if she wasn’t already laughed at from the public this name alone was enough for people to laugh and her as less than.

Following the success of her memoir, Steffans continued to write and release more books, including "The Vixen Diaries" and "SatisFaction: Erotic Fantasies for the Advanced & Adventurous Couple." These books explored her personal experiences, relationships, and sexual encounters.

Aside from her writing career, Steffans has also made appearances on television shows, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Tyra Banks Show," and "The Wendy Williams Show." She has been involved in controversies and public feuds with other celebrities over the years, further fueling her media presence.

Karrine will always have a place among the most influential women for many reason, but mainly because she is the first woman I saw who refused to let powerful men dictate how her story unfolded. She wrote her book, recounted her own story, told it from her perspective, and didn't allow anyone else to rewrite its story. Previously, the men around Karrine Steffans controlled her narrative and passed it off as truth because people weren't prepared to understand her. Karrine was not seen as a person by those men, so she was expected to keep quiet as they humiliated and belittled her. The culture of slut-shaming has changed greatly over the past few decades, especially for video vixens, and Karrine is a key contributor to the shift.

And to that I say…

Thank You, Karrine Steffans

[comm360-group11]

Black Celebrity Activism and Afro-Futurism

This week, we are covering Black celebrity activism and Afro-futurism. Black celebrity activism is the act of black prominent figures in our society standing up for what they believe in. They are using the extended platform they have to maximize their voice and get a message across to a wide range of people. These can be us as American citizens, politicians, law enforcement, etc. This can especially be seen through artists like Beyonce, or athletes like Lebron James. Afro-futurism is a complex cultural aesthetic that combines many things such as history, fantasy, and science-fiction. The purpose of this is to reignite a connection between those who have not been able to embrace their culture in the past. An example of this we covered in class relates to famed music artist Janelle Monet and her recent work. 

Afro-futurism is defined as a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history, and fantasy to explore the African-American experience through literature, music, or art. There are three aspects of Afro-futurism; reclamation, black liberation, and time. Contributors to Afro-futurism discussed in class include Prince, Lil Nas X, Janelle Monáe, Black Panther, Black Lightning, and Wendell and Wild. Other examples from outside of class include the following; Jay-Z and Beyonce's “Family Feud” music video, SZA and Kendrick Lamar’s “All the Stars” music video, and popular musicians and artists like Erykah Badu, Outkast, Missy Elliot, Kanye West, and Janet Jackson. All of these examples portray an image of possible futures through a black cultural lens, thus making them Afro-futuristic. 

Beyonce is a major black celebrity activist. Beyonce has the efforts to help marginalized communities, specifically the black community. Beyonce knows that black celebrities get hit with this twice as hard as white celebrities, women get hit with this twice as hard as men and black women, therefore, get exponential impact from it. Beyonce’s glittering black girl magic—no, her black grown woman magic—has always been a political statement: an act of black feminist world-making that imagines how black women can survive and create their own, unmatchable value. Her music has a lot of purposes and she is not afraid to show off what she is trying to express and is a staunch supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as communities of color. Amanda Gorman is another great example of black celebrity activism. At the inauguration of Joe Biden, she was announced as the voice of the new American era. Her art and activism focus on issues of oppression, feminism, and race. She really wants everyone to be their own self and hope and advocate for change. 

Black Celebrity Activism and Afro-futurism is important in Black America and our society because they help bring awareness to discrimination and create positive change in society. Literature, music, and art help shape people’s beliefs and ideologies. Celebrities such as Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, and Prince have the ability to reach a large demographic with their art. Thus, they can utilize their platform and afro-futurism to create a positive change. Afro-futurism, in particular, is important in exemplifying the cultural impacts of Black America and advocating for change. It also helps people who are not fully aware of the oppressions of Black Americans understand certain cultural impacts.

Citations:

Class Presentation - Black Celebrity Activism, Professor Fraser (Canva)

Class Presentation- Afrofuturism, Professor Fraser (Canva)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/07/10/beyonce-is-a-powerful-voice-for-black-lives-matter-some-people-hate-her-for-it/

Image Credits:

Kanye West - "Graduation", www.wikipedia.org

Amanda Gorman Quote- Twitter, USA Today.

[lboogie1906]

Trevante Nemour Rhodes (born February 10, 1990) is an actor. He won several accolades and achieved recognition in 2016 for his performance as Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight. He was an accomplished track and field sprinter, winning a gold medal at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships. While his senior year was cut short by an ACL injury on the football field, he still earned an athletic scholarship in track and field to the University of Texas at Austin. He studied kinesiology. He competed for the Texas Longhorns as a sprinter. At the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Tobago, he helped the US squad to a gold medal in the 4×100 meters relay. He moved to Kwa Thema and immediately began working as an actor, playing supporting roles in the film Ingoma, the film Open Windows, and the film The Night Is Young. He played the role of Ramsey in If Loving You Is Wrong. His television credits include Gang Related and Westworld. He rose to fame for his much-praised performance in Moonlight, as the adult Chiron. While talking about the movie in an interview with Out, he said: "Being a black person in America right now is shit, being a homosexual in America right now is shit, and being a black homosexual is the bottom for certain people. That’s why I’m so excited for people to see Moonlight. I don’t feel like there’s a solution to our problems, but this movie might change people. That’s why you do it—because you feel like you’re doing something that matters. This is someone’s story." The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture – Drama and the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. He was featured on Calvin Klein's 2017 Spring underwear campaign along with Moonlight stars Mahershala Ali, Ashton Sanders, and Alex Hibbert and he appeared in Jay-Z's music video "Family Feud". He co-starred in the science fiction action film The Predator, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, and the post-apocalyptic thriller film Bird Box. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/Coe6m_crPEH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[centtury]

[crexyonce]

Sneak peak of the Pope 💕 Ig: creedoles

[blueivyblackbook]

Momcé and Dad Z practically begged me to be in this video because it was all based on me. I mean if I get my 70% at the end of the day then i guess I’ll sacrifice a few minutes of my busy day for them.

[tearsofasaiyan]

Jay - Z - Family feud ft. Beyonce 

[7daystheory]

This video goes in!

[mem4his4h4r4oh]

🙏🏿🙌🏿🙏🏿🙌🏿🙏🏿🙌🏿🙏🏿

[bob-belcher]

FAMILY FEUD (2017)

[nofrauds]

[givemegifs]

[imthehuman]

With every post, a smile, ت

[yonceeknowles]

JAY REALLY IMAGINED MS BLUE IVY CARTER AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, CHIEF ARCHITECT OF THE CONFESSIONAL PAPERS, ONE OF AMERICAS FOUNDING MOTHERS WITH A COLOURED PRESIDENTIAL CABINET! LETS TALK ABOUT EXCELLENCE 🗣🗣🗣

[slaybey]

Blue Ivy and Beyoncé in Jay Z’s music video for Family Feud.

[crexyonce]

Family feud 💙 IG:creedoles for more art