The 44 Percent: hip-hop flowers, new database for bad cops & Brittney Griner
In hip-hop, flowers aren’t given nearly enough. More often than not, only in death do many artists get their due.
Which brings me to Rolling Loud, an event where many a flower was given over the weekend in Miami Gardens.
There was Lil Durk bringing out Kanye West, which, aside from the confusion of Ye pulling out of the festival just days prior, was the ultimate stamp of approval from the OG to a rising star.
Then there was Kendrick Lamar bringing out Kodak Black, a rather poignant moment. Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers,” on which Black was a ubiquitous presence, explored themes of redemption and here the Compton MC was practicing what he preaches by sharing the stage with a rapper whose legal issues are well-documented. (Black had only just bonded out of jail on a trafficking charge the previous week).
Finally, there was Travis Scott’s surprise guest appearance during Future’s set, one of my favorite moments of the weekend.
“You might be the realest man,” Scott told Future over the intro of “March Madness.”
“No, you’re the realest,” Future replied.
These moments don’t happen enough. So any time they do, it’s important to acknowledge with the hope that one day, we won’t have to wait until an artist is gone to truly recognize their greatness.
INSIDE THE 305
Florida debuts new database on cops with bad records. It has holes, reform advocates say:
The Florida Officer’s Discipline Database is a new way to check whether cops have bad records. All you have to do is type in the officer’s name and guess their start date. While this is a start, police reform advocates already see many issues with the system:
It doesn’t include citizen complaints, only goes back a decade, and for an officer to make the list, he or she must have a felony criminal conviction or have been found guilty of a moral character violation.
“I’m glad there is a move towards transparency and accountability. But it’s far short of what we’re all looking for,” said former Miami-Dade prosecutor and civil rights attorney Melba Pearson. She noted that Derek Chauvin, convicted in the murder of George Floyd, had more than 20 complaints against him over his career. “That’s one of the key components that people have been calling for — not only convictions, but complaints.”
Face paint. Fan love. Fire outfits. Here’s a look at Rolling Loud Miami:
Speaking of Rolling Loud, I wanted to share the photo essay we did on the festival. The essay features photos of everything from Travis Scott to the City Girls to some of the weekend’s best outfits. Danny Varela and Sydney Walsh really snapped (no pun intended) so be sure to check it out.
OUTSIDE THE 305
The 50th Anniversary of AP exposing the Tuskegee experiments:
Monday was the 50th anniversary of The Associated Press’ report that the federal government was using Black men in rural Alabama to study the effects of syphilis. Even more horrendous, it had been going on for more than 40 years. Roughly four months after the AP’s story published, the study ended and a many repercussions soon followed:
The men in the study filed a lawsuit that resulted in a $10 million settlement, Congress passed laws governing how subjects in research studies were treated, and more than two decades later President Bill Clinton formally apologized for the study, calling it “shameful.”
Today, the effects of the study still linger — it is often blamed for the unwillingness of some African Americans to participate in medical research.
The AP observed the anniversary by republishing Jean Heller’s original report as well as a recent interview with her and others about putting the story together.
How America really feels about Black Female Athletes:
Huffpost opinion editor Stephen A. Crockett Jr.’s piece about why Brittney Griner still remains in a Russian prison was rather riveting. His answer was quite simple:
Having Griner in a Russian jail served a purpose: It took a two-time Olympian and made her into a possible bargaining chip. Per The Associated Press: “Russian news media have repeatedly speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed ‘the Merchant of Death,’ who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. on conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.”
But there were a couple of things Russia didn’t account for: America hates Black people, and America hates female athletes. Put them together and you have Black women who excel in sports, a community that America finds it very easy to hate.
Griner has been behind bars for more than 160 days. Crockett says her detention hits on different issues, including the gender pay gap, misogynoir and homophobia.
HIGH CULTURE
Fans boo Kid Cudi off the stage at Rolling Loud. Meanwhile, Kanye West shows up next door:
The first day of Rolling Loud was certainly one for the books.
After agreeing to be a last minute replacement for Ye, Kid Cudi was met with wanton disrespect on the part of some fans who threw items at him. He eventually walked off stage, causing many fans to walk across the Hard Rock Stadium parking lot to see Lil Durk.
And just who did Durk bring out? Ye, a.k.a. the very same man who, in a perfect world, would’ve been on the stage that Cudi just left. Looking back, it was an amazing moment but also one that made me feel bad for Cudi.
Whoever threw that bottle, you are the worst type of fan.
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.
