The 44 Percent: Brownsville works to become city, Daymond John offers advice in Miami, Katt Williams
One of the advantages of the Black experience is the ability to balance our vulnerability with the need to persevere. When FUBU founder Daymond John gave out free merchandise to any hip-hop artist who would wear it in the 1990s, he wasn’t the multimillionaire he is today. That same resolve connects him to the entrepreneurs he interacts with now and it was on full display this past Tuesday night. It was fascinating to see him give advice to local entrepreneurs as if he wasn’t famous to generations of Shark Tank fans.
As adverse as circumstances may be for Black people in America, we still manage to keep pushing through and finding success. Like John, when comedian Katt Williams pushed through Hollywood in the early parts of his career, he wasn’t as heralded as his peers. By sticking to his own methods—he will admit he’s far from perfect—he has been able to lift others up and admonish what he believes is wrong with Hollywood.
We may be that much different than the status quo in America, but as Black people, that is why we are so often emulated and imitated.
INSIDE THE 305:
Four local entrepreneurs pitched ideas in front of a ‘Shark Tank’ judge. Here’s who won
I wrote about how four entrepreneurs had the chance of a lifetime Tuesday night when they pitched their businesses to three judges and Shark Tank panelist Daymond John in front of nearly 200 people in downtown Miami.
Multimillionaire entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” panelist Daymond John was at the center of an intense pitch competition in downtown Miami on Tuesday night. But no TV cameras were present for the contest, where four participants had five minutes to make their pitch to John and three judges.
With assistance from her sister Kelly, Naples real estate broker and entrepreneur Heather Caine showed off poster board-sized cards explaining how her business, Style to Design, helps real estate professionals sell properties by enhancing the design elements of rooms in homes. Caine said she realized that many clients, mostly men, struggle to design spaces.
After dodging Hialeah annexation, this historically Black neighborhood wants to be a city
Herald reporter Raisa Habersham wrote about how the historically Black Brownsville community is taking steps to become a city more than a year after failed attempts to annex it into Hialeah.
More than a year after efforts to annex parts of Brownsville into Hialeah failed, the historically Black community and three other neighborhoods are taking steps to become a city.
Brownsville Civic Association president Kenneth Kilpatrick said the Hialeah annexation was a “wake up call” for residents living in the unincorporated north central area of Miami-Dade County. Organizations for neighborhoods that are adjacent to Brownsville, the Gladeview Homeowners & Civic Association, the Twin Lakes/North Shore Gardens Association and the Gratigny Homeowners Association, are joining Brownsville to explore the possibility of incorporating.
OUTSIDE THE 305:
Billboard reporter Heran Mamo recapped Tyler The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw musical festival and discussed how featured performers as varied as rappers Sexxy Red and Vince Staples shared Tyler’s genre-bending creative energy at the music event.
Camp Flog Gnaw, originally known as OFWGKTA Carnival, was held in a parking lot outside of Los Angeles’ The Novo (which was called Club Nokia at the time) back in 2012. The same could be said for its 10th edition this weekend, but it’s a much bigger deal since it’s the parking lot of Dodger Stadium, the home of this year’s World Series Champions and, since 2018, the home of Tyler, the Creator‘s personal playground and musical paradise.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and T’s fans dressed like him to a T, from plush pink fur trapper hats and preppy red and floral cardigans to even his IGOR-themed baby blue suit and Chromakopia-inspired green military suit. “I wanted to build a place where n—as could just come and just be, and it’s beautiful to see that y’all have been rocking with me for real,” he said during his headlining set Saturday night (Nov. 16).
Katt Williams: The Man Who Opened the Portal
Almost a year after comedian Katt Williams’ appearance on sportscaster Shannon Sharpe’s podcast set the entertainment world on fire to the tune of 83 million views, GQ Magazine’s Matthew Trammell talked to Williams about his work, his penchant for being blunt about his industry peers and more.
Williams—the 53-year-old stand-up comedian and actor who has carved out an acclaimed and lucrative lane on the edge of the mainstream—plays regularly, he says. Despite being famously short in stature, he shows an ability to dart to the basket, scoop layups under the defense, and at least attempt an off-balance right hook shot pretty consistently. And while I love playing the game, I possess little natural intelligence for it. So, as Williams takes a 6-4 lead, I start using my size advantage in the paint—doing what I call in my head “making space.”
Afterward, as we sip Liquid Deaths, he warmly explains that what I call making space is, in fact, fouling. I apologize, and he stops me. “No, no, no,” he says. “That’s not how we apologize in basketball. That’s not how that works. You go, ‘Oh, I fouled you? My bad. I’m not allowed to push you, whether I got the ball or not.’ But if a guy pushes and thinks that’s making a play, I’m not gon’ be the one to tutor this guy.”
HIGH CULTURE:
‘Rhythm + Flow’ returns Nov. 20: Meet the judges and catch the first 4 episodes
Five years after the first season of what one contestant considered American Idol for rappers, Netflix’s music competition show Rhythm + Flow is back on the air for a second season.
Celebrity judges Ludacris, Latto and DJ Khaled travel around the country to see which rappers can go the distance and be the last rapper standing. With $250,000 and an opportunity to record at a Spotify studio on the line, there’s never a dull moment.
Next week The 44 Percent will be on Thanksgiving break, but we will be back the following week.
Where does “The 44 Percent” name come from? Click here to find out how Miami history influenced the newsletter’s title.