Rappers in Movies

Are they better at rapping or acting.  You be the judge.  

Me.  Not especially impressed with either.

From Buzzfeed - 

A Definitive Ranking Of Rappers Acting In Movies

Who got the Juice?

posted on Jul. 2, 2015, at 4:09 a.m.

Pedro Fequiere

BuzzFeed Staff

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16. Raekwon in Coalition

Image Entertainment

Why it’s great: Raekwon makes his on screen debut in 2004’s gangsters-meets-construction-workers b-movie, Coalition. His epic fail of a performance — specifically his version of “dying” — is probably the only reason to watch this thing.

15. Beanie Sigel in State Property

Lionsgate Films

Why it’s great: The self proclaimed Broad Street Bully plays Beans, coining the term, “Get down or lay down.” He even shoots his “friend” in the hand for refusing to roll up his weed. These are the violent, classic scenes viewers get to experience when you give rappers creative freedom. We need more of it.

14. The RZA in The Man With The Iron Fists

WARNING

This image is graphic

Click to reveal

Universal Pictures

Why it’s great: Like he did for Wu-Tang Clan, RZA was at heart of everything here, starring, scoring, directing, and writing the screenplay for The Man With The Iron Fists. He brings his over the top, “Turn the other cheek and I’ll break your fucking chin” line on “Protect Ya Neck” to life in a couple fight scenes, even popping a guy’s eye out.

13. Kid ‘n Play in House Party

New Line Cinema

Why it’s great: Kid ‘n Play’s dance sequences in House Party alone are enough reason to keep rewinding it back. Without the fun these two brought on screen it may not have received its critical acclaim, and with the success of the first House Party they were able to make two sequels. It also opened the door for other rap duos to star in their own comedies.

12. Redman and Method Man in How High

Universal Pictures

Why it’s great: Redman and Method Man take their talents to the big screen to star in the stoner comedy How High as Jamal and Silas, which has developed a cult following since its release. Their chemistry in hip-hop transfers over effortlessly on film. The phrase “get em” is now constantly used when playing a game of the dozens at any nearby high school.

11. T.I. in ATL

Warner Bros. Pictures

Why it’s great: T.I. plays Rashad, a talented artist and teenager living in Atlanta with his uncle. Those who are fans of T.I. are familiar with his tougher, street-oriented demeanor but in ATL, he showcases his softer, vulnerable side. It’s safe to say T.I. won the fight against T.I.P. for this film.

10. 50 Cent in Get Rich Or Die Tryin’

Paramount Pictures

Why it’s great: 50 Cent stars as “Marcus,” but let’s be real, he’s just being Curtis here. The climax of the movie shows “Marcus” being shot nine times at point blank range — sound familiar?

9. DMX in Belly

Warner Bros. Pictures

Why it’s great: Starring alongside Nas in Belly as Tommy “Buns” Bundy — a New York gangster that has a spiritual awakening — DMX was the rapper who really shone here. His performance feels like one big rap concert which is over the top but you wouldn’t want him any other way. He also coined the phrase “Get money, fuck a book” which are words we all should live by.

8. Snoop Dogg in Baby Boy

Columbia Pictures

Why it’s great: Snoop plays Rodney, an ex-convict who was recently released from prison. He interrupts his ex-girlfriend’s happy home and commandeers her couch all while making life a living hell for their son. The phrase “fuck your fort” is now useable in any situation when you DGAF.

7. Ice T in New Jack City

Warner Bros. Pictures

Why it’s great: In New Jack City Ice T plays Scotty Appleton, a NYPD Cop with a vendetta against drug kingpin Nino Brown for killing his mother. He is the originator of the of anti-authority rapper turned movie cop, the formula later to be followed by gangster rappers everywhere.

6. Queen Latifah in Set It Off

Miramax Films

Why it’s great: Queen Latifah made her transition from being a rapper who acts to an actress who raps because of her role in Set It Off. She plays Cleo, the die hard member of her group of friends who decides they should all rob a bank. Being the leader of the heist, Latifah definitely tapped into her hardcore hip-hop roots for her portrayal of Cleo. You have to respect the way she went out in a blaze of glory.

5. Eminem in 8 Mile

Universal Pictures

Why it’s great: Eminem plays Jimmy in the semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile. He was the actor with the least experience but he brought the most to the table, all while showcasing battle rap to a mainstream audience. His last verse won him the battle against Papa Doc and would be forever ingrained in the minds of rap fans everywhere. Not to mention it was a box office smash and it won him an Oscar for best original song (Lose Yourself.)

4. Cam’ron in Paid In Full

Miramax

Why it’s great: Paid In Full is a crime flick based on drug dealers Alpo Martinez, Rich Porter and Azie “AZ” Faison. Cam’ron steals the show as the character Rico — based on Alpo — a wild street hustler whose brash attitude you can’t help but admire. All while coining phrases like “N***as die everyday B” and “No rice, no ribs, no champagne,” Cam is the reason it’s a certified cult classic.

3. Tupac in Juice

Paramount Pictures

Why it’s great: 1992’s Juice showcased Tupac’s talents as an actor and his portrayal of good friend-turned-psycho killer, Bishop, plays a large part in why the film has gained a cult-like following. Tupac fans everywhere know his monologue in the hallway with Q word for word.

2. Ice Cube in Boyz n the Hood

Columbia Pictures

Why it’s great: It was the first movie Ice Cube appeared in and was a great start to his lengthy movie career. It also coined the famous phrase “Either they don’t know, don’t show, or don’t care about what’s goin’ on in the hood.” Cube got off to an early start showing his range as an actor and it paid off in the long run.”We gotta problem here?” Well, Cube don’t ‘cuz today was a good day.

1. Will Smith in Independence Day

20th Century Fox

Why it’s great: Will Smith is the epitome of the rapper-turned-actor, and his starring role in Independence Day was the catalyst to his meteoric rise in film. It was the proof that he was no longer a sitcom actor or bubblegum rapper. The Fresh Prince did preeetttty well for a rapper that came out of West Philly.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/pedrofequiere/a-definitive-ranking-of-rappers-acting-in-movies#.gfX458r69

Henna

Henna is very popular here.  You see it often on women's hands.  It's especially used in celebrations.  Engaged women are known to get elaborate tattoos in places only their husbands are allowed to see.

I've had it done a couple of times, but I'm allergic to the henna.  It's very much like a mud paste and is applied heavily with a small stick like thing.  Once complete, you're supposed to let it dry for the pattern to set.  That's the part I have trouble with.  As soon as it's applied, I start to itch horribly, thereby scratching, destroying the tattoo.

Many of the teachers at my school get the tattoos, often completely covering their fingertips with henna.  That posed a problem when they tried to fingerprint scan, which is how we sign in and out.

Another interesting way henna is used here is as a hair dye.  You see men with bright red hair and beards, but it's usually not like a real dye job, but it's like a dusting of henna with their natural hair cover peeping through.

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From The Huffington Post -

What Henna Is, And Where These Beautiful Tattoos Originated

There is no arguing that henna tattoos are beautiful. But what is henna exactly, and where did it come from? We found out everything you need to know.

What is henna?

Henna is a small flowering shrub that has many uses. The fragrant flowers are used to create perfume, and the leaves are dried and then turned into a fine powder that's used for dying clothes, hair and temporarily dying the skin -- hence henna tattooing. The plant has even been known to treat skin conditions.

Where did henna tattooing come from?

The exact origins of henna tattooing aren't clear, however the tradition dates back as far as Ancient Egypt. It was said that Cleopatra used henna to adorn her body and Egyptians used the dye to paint the nails of mummies before they were buried.

How is it used today?

The art of applying henna to the hands and feet is known as Mehndi, and is traditionally used for celebrations and rites of passage. Every culture and region of the world uses henna tattoos in its own unique way. For Hindu weddings, henna is painted on the bride to symbolize joy, beauty, spiritual awakening and offering, while Moroccans often paint doors with henna to bring prosperity and chase away evil. Depending on where you get henna tattoos, they will look different. Indian tattoos feature fine lines and floral patterns, while Arabic henna designs tend to be larger in scale and African henna patterns are more bold and geometric.

How long does a henna tattoo last?

This depends on a few factors like skin type, lifestyle and body part, but generally speaking, the stain will last somewhere between one and three weeks.

Where can you get henna tattoos?

Depending on where you live, it differs. In New York City, for example, a few spas offer henna tattoos and there are a couple shops that are dedicated to henna specifically, but a quick Google search should help you find your nearest shop.

What does it look like?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/01/what-is-henna-tattoos-history-where-to-get_n_7698546.html

A Comic on Gun Control

Understanding the Symbolism of That Flag

An excerpt from the New Republic - (Bold is mine)

The Confederate Flag Is a Racist Symbol. Just Ask the KKK.

According to both Cunningham and Hague, in the ’50s and ’60s the flag began to fly over statehouses and city halls in the south, and was embedded in state flags and other official state symbols. But the flag also began to appear in far more disturbing places: Klan rallies. At the time of the murder of civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo, who was killed just after the Selma to Montgomery march, there were Klan rallies of anywhere from 500 to 5,000 people happening somewhere in the South almost every single night, says David Cunningham. In a small town in North Carolina, the Klan celebrated three of Liuzzo’s murderers; there’s footage. Cunningham describes the rally as even “mainstream white southerners wildly cheering this murder… [And] very front and center is the waving of Confederate flags.” He continues. “It would be difficult to find any public presence of the Klan during that period that didn’t feature multiple Confederate flags.”

“There is a particular brand of southern life where the flag is used most pronouncedly,” says Cunningham. “We see the remobilization of the flag during the most pronounced defiance to civil rights... It gets brought out most strongly in times when white supremacy is attacked most directly.”

It shouldn’t surprise us, then, that a bitter battle over the Confederate flag has followed a year of scrutiny of police violence against unarmed black men, a fresh wave of civil rights activism and legislation, and the rise of #BlackLivesMatter and the movement it symbolizes. And it’s just as predictable that the KKK would rally around the Confederate flag on the South Carolina Statehouse grounds in the midst of a push to take it down. This isn’t about rallying for the Confederate flag, it's about rallying for what the flag represents for the Klan, which is what it represented for Charleston shooter Dylan Roof. In rallying around the flag, the Ku Klux Klan will be rallying around Roof, a man who murdered nine black Americans for being black. He committed exactly the kind of senseless, racist violence the group has always celebrated. The Confederate flag just happens to be one of their symbols. 

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/122216/confederate-flag-still-flying-today-because-kkk

Black Like Me

From The New York Times -

Joy of a Black Planet

In 2011, Zim Ugochukwu was traveling on the Jagriti Yatra, a 15-day train trip through India for aspiring entrepreneurs. Her time in India wound up sparking an idea for a start-up, though perhaps not in the way the trip’s organizers intended. Ugochukwu was struck by the fact that, out of a group of about 500, she was one of just three African-Americans. She thought about how mainstream travel publications, even those online, weren’t speaking to them or their experiences. ‘‘When I searched ‘black travel’ on Google, I saw a black suitcase,’’ she said. ‘‘That’s not what I meant.’’

In September 2013, Ugochukwu created Travel Noire, a resource for black globe-trotters, continuing in a long online tradition of pulling together otherwise diffuse groups of like-minded people: tattoo artists on Pinterest, gamers on Reddit, and so on. In keeping with the times, Travel Noire is more of a brand than a publication, taking on many incarnations: a website, a vivid Instagram account and private forums. ‘‘I wanted to create a place for people to dream about a destination and read about how another person did it,’’ Ugochukwu said.

What she understood was that black travelers had to be able to picture themselves in entirely new territory, beyond the comfort of a cruise or weekend trip to Miami. Ugochukwu tapped into her generation’s most popular mood board (and envy-stoking machine), Instagram, flooding it with images of young, hip, black travelers hiking in Thailand, sky-diving in the United Kingdom and rafting in China, images perfectly crafted to provoke wanderlust. In July, Ugochukwu plans to introduce group packages called Travel Noire Experiences that include locales with black histories, like the Afro-Brazilian communities of Bahia or a tour of black-owned wineries in South Africa.

There is also a more somber, practical purpose to the site. Some Travel Noire readers may also use the site to avoid potentially unfriendly destinations. Much of Travel Noire’s approach, however, involves debunking the notion that certain places might be unwelcoming. Take, for example, Greece, which has a reputation for discrimination and harassment against dark-skinned people. But when one of Ugochukwu’s writers visited the country, she ended up having an amazing time.

‘‘That really changed the narrative,’’ Ugochukwu said, ‘‘just by showcasing it for our audience.’’

A Short Story

With a quiz at the end.

Captivating.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/06/reading-comprehension-text-no-1

Not a Boxing Fan, But . . .

This looks good.