Tierra Whack Archives – CULTURE MIX

Review: ‘Him’ (2025), starring Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker and Jim Jefferies

September 18, 2025

by Carla Hay

Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers in “Him” (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

“Him” (2025)

Directed by Justin Tipping

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed U.S. state, the horror film “Him” features a racially diverse cast of characters (African American, white and a few Latin people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: An aspiring pro football player is mentored by his longtime idol (a celebrity quarterback), but the protégé finds out there’s something sinister about this football star and the people around him.

Culture Audience: “Him” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and horror movies with a sports angle, but “Him’s” weak narrative and tangled plot add up to a bunch of jumbled nonsense, most of which isn’t scary at all.

Maurice Greene and Tyriq Withers in “Him” (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)

Watching the atrocious horror movie “Him” is like being forced to watch someone’s wretched psychedelic fever dreams about making American professional football look demonic. This incoherent mess is embarrassing for all involved. If “Him” were a football team in a game, the team’s final score would be zero because of all of the team’s incompetent fumbles.

Directed by Justin Tipping, “Him” was written by Tipping, Skip Bronkie and Zack Akers. The movie seems to want to make a statement about people selling their souls to the devil for fame and fortune. The problem is that the story is told in a boring and witless manner. There is absolutely no suspense, but the irritation level from viewers who watch this dreck will increase as the movie lurches and stumbles to its terrible end.

“Him” begins by showing a boy named Cameron “Cam” Cade (played by Austin Pulliam), who’s about 9 or 10 years old, as he enthusiastically watches the LXVII Championship football game on TV. The real team names and logos for the National Football League (NFL) and the Super Bowl are not in the movie, presumably for legal reasons. However, “Him” depicts this story in the world of the “big leagues” of American professional football. It’s supposed to be the NFL without the movie actually saying it out loud or showing the words.

Cam is excited because his football hero Isaiah White (played by Marlon Wayans), the star quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors, is playing in the game. Cam’s father Cam Cade Sr. (played by Don Benjamin) is also cheering on Isaiah. Cam Sr. encourages Cam Jr. to admire Isaiah so much, Cam Sr. tells Cam Jr. that he expects Cam Jr. to be just like Isaiah.

The movie gets the title “Him” from a scene early in the movie where Cam Sr. and Cam Jr. are watching Isaiah on TV. Cam Sr. asks Cam Jr. who Cam Jr. wants to be like. Cam Jr. responds by looking at Isaiah on TV and shouting: “Him!”

While watching this championship game, superfan Cam Jr.’s elation turns to dismay when Isaiah gets seriously injured. However, Isaiah is able to recover. Cam Sr. comments to Cam Jr. about this injury that could’ve ended Isaiah’s career: “See that, Cam? That’s what real men do. They make sacrifices. No guts, no glory.”

“Him” then fast-forwards 14 years later. Cam Sr. is dead (the movie never says how he died), but Cam Jr. (played by Tyriq Withers) is a rising star quarterback who’s being hailed as “the next Isaiah White.” Cam is predicted to be a top pick for the upcoming Scouting Combine for the football league that shall not be named in the movie. But before that happens, one of Isaiah’s fanatical fans (played by Maurice Greene), who’s wearing in a ghoulish ram’s head as mask, attacks Cam with an axe while Cam is alone at night on a football field. This so-called fan is never caught.

Cam doesn’t die, but he has to get surgery that leaves noticeable stitches on his head. Cam is self-conscious about the injury and scar, but it doesn’t stop him from pursuing his longtime dream of being a star quarterback on a professional football team in America’s biggest football league. And that’s why Cam is extremely flattered and jumps at the chance when Isaiah personally invites Cam to train with Isaiah at Isaiah’s remote compound somewhere in a desert area. (“Him” was actually filmed in New Mexico.)

Cam has several people who also encourage Cam to go to this compound: his widowed mother Yvette (played by Indira G. Wilson), who’s also a football fanatic; his supportive girlfriend Jasmine (played by Heather Lynn Harris), who’s been his sweetheart since they were in high school; his older brother Drew (played by Geron McKinley); and Cam’s opportunistic agent Tom (played by Tim Heidecker), whose annoying personality is supposed to be the movie’s comic relief.

It should come as no surprise that Cam and his supporters expect him to be a quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors. Isaiah is still the star quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors, but he’s at an age when most professional football players retire or are very close to retiring. Isaiah’s invitation to train Cam seems to be a clear indication that Isaiah wants to groom Cam to be Isaiah’s successor.

Jasmine is a little possessive of Cam and says that she would be okay with him not playing professional football. But it’s a statement that’s hard to believe because Jasmine does things like tag along with Cam when he does interviews to make sure that the coverage mentions that Cam has a girlfriend. Jasmine already seems to be imagining her share of the fortune that she expects Cam to make as a pro football player.

“Him” repeatedly shows that Isaiah has a bizarre cult following of people who dress like they got lost on the way to an occult Halloween party. They wear masks that look like ram heads, or they wear garish clown makeup that would fit right in at an Insane Clown Posse concert. Isaiah’s most fanatical followers don’t want him to be replaced, which is an unrealistic belief because all professional football players eventually leave their leagues (voluntarily or not) and are replaced.

One fan in particular named Marjorie (played by Naomi Grossman) takes things to extreme: When Cam arrives by car at the compound, Marjorie and some other obsessed fans are standing on the side of the road that leads to the compound. Marjorie spits at the car window where Cam is and yells at him, “We don’t want you!” Marjorie is seen again later in a violent and degrading scene.

Even though “Him” is told in six chapters, it doesn’t make the movie more cohesive or interesting. Each chapter is just a series of dull, repetitive and/or nonsensical scenes. At the compound, Isaiah is hard-driving but also insecure about being an aging athlete. Does Isaiah really have an interest in helping Cam? Or is it a case of the old saying, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”?

As soon as Cam arrives at the compound, Isaiah tells Cam that Cam will be experiencing a “mini-boot camp” that has “radical detachment” from electronic devices. Cam’s phone gets taken away, and he’s told he can’t use any computers. However, Cam doesn’t really have a “radical detachment” from electronic devices because during his time at the compound, Cam uses other phones to call his loved ones. It’s one of many inconsistencies in the movie.

Cam eventually meets some creepy people in Isaiah’s inner circle, including Isaiah’s vixenish wife Elsie (played by Julia Fox), who’s a social media influencer with a vacant stare and an evil smirk. Elsie flirts with Cam in a way where you know it will eventually lead. She does things such as show up in the compound’s gym while she’s wearing a skin-tight metallic evening gown, just so she can lean over Cam as he’s lifting weights and he can get a good look at her body.

Also in Isaiah’s entourage is Isaiah’s sports doctor Marco (played by Jim Jefferies), who does something weird when Cam is taking an ice bath: Marco injects Cam with Isaiah’s blood without Cam’s consent. Marco tells a shocked Cam as Marco walks away: “Many religions would consider his blood holy.” This movie is not subtle at all.

Isaiah and Elsie have the same publicist, whose name is Adrienne (played by Tierra Whack), a vapid sycophant who doesn’t do much in the movie but tag along with Elsie. Other supporting characters are Isaiah’s trainer Malek (also played by Greene) and Cam’s close friend Murph (played by Akeem “Guapdad 4000” Hayes), who is also star-struck by Isaiah.

“Him” can’t even be clever when it comes to the movie’s cliché scenarios. There are scenes of Cam going through brutal athletic training, with Isaiah shouting at him like a tough coach. There are multiple scenes of Cam injecting steroids, as he feels pressure to be a better athlete than Isaiah. There’s the inevitable scene of Cam partying in a nightclub, as he’s surrounded by female strippers and other women who are ready to seduce him. And there are many scenes of Cam having nightmares and hallucinations, which are jump scares that go nowhere.

Oscar-winning “Get Out” screenwriter Jordan Peele is one of the producers of “Him.” Peele’s name is being prominently used in the marketing for “Him,” which is more proof that slapping Peele’s name on a project won’t guarantee that the project will be any good. Peele was once hyped as the next great horror filmmaker, but he hasn’t made a horror movie yet that is as Oscar-worthy as 2017’s “Get Out,” which was Peele’s feature-film directorial debut. Somewhere, M. Night Shyamalan is nodding in agreement.

Although there is some effort from Withers to make his Cam character more complex than Cam really is, the rest of the cast members in “Him” just coast by on the superficiality of how their characters were written. “Him” tries to make a grand statement about how wealthy owners of American football teams buy and sell athletes like prize horses, and the athletes are complicit in how they are dehumanized in these transactional deals. But this dreadful dud of a movie can’t even get that messaging right when it’s thrown in toward the end, where a final showdown is more “bloody bore” than “terrifying gore.”

Universal Pictures will release “Him” in U.S. cinemas on September 19, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on October 7, 2025. “Him” will be released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray on November 11, 2025.

Review: ‘Cypher’ (2023), starring Tierra Whack

June 17, 2023

by Carla Hay

“Cypher” (2023)

Directed by Chris Moukarbel

Culture Representation: Taking place from 2019 to 2021, in various parts of the U.S., the comedy mockumentary film “Cypher” features a predominantly African American cast of characters (with some white people, Asians and Latinos) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: Real-life rapper Tierra Whack becomes the target of a conspiracy-theory cult.

Culture Audience: “Cypher” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of Tierra Whack, hip-hop culture and movies that poke fun at how social media plays a role in how celebrities are perceived and how they interact with fans.

“Cypher” is an inconsistent but mildly interesting mockumentary starring real-life rapper Tierra Whack as herself. The movie could have done more with its conspiracy cult storyline, but what’s there is fairly amusing. “Cypher” had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, where became the first mockumentary to win the festival’s Founders Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature. It’s the top prize at the Tribeca Festival. And this top prize might lead viewers to believe that “Cypher” is a prestigious film. It’s not.

“Cypher” (written and directed by Chris Moukarbel) is nowhere near the level of an Oscar-worthy film. It’s not even the type of movie that will win any MTV Awards. It’s a moderately entertaining mockumentary to watch for people who like or have tolerance for hip-hop culture. Everyone else will be bored or turned off by this hit-and-miss comedy. As far as music-industry mockumentaries go, if 1984’s “This Is Spinal Tap” is the gold standard, then “Cypher” is like imitation bronze. Imitation bronze has a purpose, but just don’t expect it to be gold.

As many music celebrity mockumentaries tend to do, a great deal of “Cypher” shows the artist on tour. The movie’s title is explained by an on-screen caption saying that the definition of “cypher” is “a gathering of rappers freestyling together in a circle.” The beginning of “Cypher” has the obligatory backstory on Tierra Whack (yes, that’s her real name), who was born in 1995. For the purposes of this review, the Tierra Whack character in the movie will be referred to as Tierra. The real-life Tierra Whack will be referred to as Whack.

From an early age, as Tierra says in an “interview” for the movie, she was introduced to hip-hop by her mother. She also started writing poetry while still in elementary school, which led to her being a freestyle battle rapper in her hometown of Philadelphia. At age 15, one of her rap videos went viral, and she became an Internet sensation. (Nyla Naveah has the role of teenage Tierra.) Tierra got a record deal as a direct result of her Internet fame.

Just as in real life, “Cypher” shows that Tierra’s debut album “Whack World” (released in 2018) became a hit, and she became a fan fave of other music celebrities. The movie has snippets of artists such as Rihanna, Cardi B and Billie Eilish praising Tierra Whack. “Cypher” is supposed to take place from 2019 to 2021, but some of the timeline looks off in the movie.

Tierra’s entourage consists mostly of people under the age of 35. They include her co-managers Kenete Sims and Johnny Montina; hair stylist Jamilah Curry; makeup artist Camille Lawrence; and photographer Nick Canonica. A few music producers who are “interviewed” in the film include Warren “Oak” Felder and Jay Melodic. All of them play versions of themselves in “Cypher” and say the usual sycophantic things about Tierra that people would say about celebrities who are paying their salaries.

“Cypher” director Moukarbel can occasionally be heard (but is never seen) on screen talking to the people he’s interviewing for the movie. “This Is Spinal Tap” director Rob Reiner played mockumentary director Marty DiBergi in “This Is Spinal Tap.” Moukarbel does not make his presence in “Cypher” compelling or amusing. In other words, there is no Marty DiBergi-type director character in “Cypher.”

However, film producer Natalia-Leigh Brown portrays herself as a producer of this mockumentary. (In real life, Brown is not a producer of “Cypher.”) The Natalia-Leigh character is intensely driven and, in many ways, seems more in charge of the movie than the director. Viewers will either find her kind of hilarious or really annoying.

“Cypher” wastes some time with repetitive “goofing off on tour” footage from 2019. After a concert in Philadelphia, Tierra falls off the stage and mildly injures herself. She’s mostly embarrassed instead of hurt by anything physical from this tumble. After the concert, she and her entourage are hanging out at a diner when Tierra meets a 58-year-old woman named Tina Johnson Banner (played by Chris Anthony), who claims to be a devoted fan of Tierra.

Tina seems shy and hesitant at first when she approaches Tierra, who invites Tina to sit next to her at the table. This scene cuts back and forth between the conversation that Tina and Tierra are having by themselves and the innocuous conversation that members of Tierra’s entourage are having at a nearby separate table. It isn’t long before Tina starts to get weird and makes Tierra feel uncomfortable.

Tina gives a rambling monologue about sounds influencing people’s thoughts. She says there’s a video that explains everything. At this point, Tierra is done with the conversation and politely but firmly tells Tina that it was nice meeting her, but Tina needs to leave Tierra alone now. Tina is reluctant to leave, but before she does, Tina makes these cryptic comments to Tierra: “Watch the video” and “Don’t let them use you.”

At first, Tierra thinks this was just a harmless encounter with an offbeat fan. But then, Tina sends Tierra a bizarre video about belonging to a group called Warren, which has worked for years to decipher a document called the True Vision Manuscript that they discovered in the early 20th century. The True Vision Manuscript was supposed to be written by a secret society in Europe called Oculus, an offshoot of the Freemasons. Part of the True Vision Manuscript translation says that there’s a “chosen one” who has to pluck an eyebrow hair to gain true powers.

It’s at this point in “Cypher” that viewers will be turned off from or intrigued by finding out more about this mystery. And things get weirder. Tierra finds out that Tina has gone missing. Tina’s young adult daughter Marigold Johnson (played by Bionca Bradley) has been going on social media blaming Tierra for Tina’s disappearance, because Tierra was the last-known person to have seen Tina. Police start to investigate.

Tierra wants to find out the truth too, partly to clear her name, and partly out of curiosity. During this investigation, Tierra and her entourage find videos online or elsewhere, showing that Tierra and her entourage have been filmed with hidden video cameras by an unknown stalker or stalkers. The rest of the movie then becomes a tangled web of solving the mystery of not only Tina’s disappearance but also the translation of the True Vision Manuscript.

It should come as no surprise that Warren is a cult-like group that’s obsessed with the True Vision Manuscript, which is believed to hold the answers to a conspiracy. Tierra says she doesn’t believe in conspiracy theories. Where “Cypher” falters a little bit is that it can’t quite keep the momentum of the mystery going in a consistent way, resulting in a shift in the movie’s tone that’s sometimes awkward. One minute, Tierra is acting like a hip-hop Nancy Drew. The next minute, she’s preoccupied with recording her next album.

Luckily for “Cypher,” Whack is a natural actress who often holds scenes together when other people in the scene are acting a little too fake and corny. It might seem easy to play a version of yourself in a movie, but it’s actually much harder to do this type of performance in a mockumentary. Except for the over-the-top conspiracy cult part of the plot, much of this mockumentary could pass for a real documentary.

The choppy editing and shaky camera work in “Cypher” is intended to make the movie look hastily compiled, as if the information in the movie is too urgent to wait for more polished editing. “Cypher” is not a must-see film for mockumentary enthusiasts. However, it’s worth checking out for viewers who are up for a fairly bizarre ride that mixes music-industry shenanigans with conspiracy-theory investigations.

UPDATE: Hulu will premiere “Cypher” on November 24, 2023, the same date that the movie will premiere in select U.S. cinemas.

2020 BET Hip-Hop Awards: Cardi B, Megan The Stallion are the top winners

October 5, 2021

Tyler, the Creator at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta on October 1, 2021 (Photo by Leon Bennett/2021 BET Hip Hop Awards/Getty Images)

The following is a press release from BET:

The 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards brought the hottest names in Hip Hop back to Atlanta, for the annual taping. Comedy supergroup 85 South (Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly, and Chico Bean) hosted this year’s awards from The Cobb Energy Centre which premiered on Tuesday, October 5 on BET, BET Her, MTV2 and VH1. Watch an encore airing of the award show Tuesday, October 7 at 9 PM ET/PT on BET. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion ruled the night by jointly snagging three wins each including Song of the Year, Best Hip Hop Video and Best Collaboration for their smash hit “WAP.” [Editor’s note: Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion did not attend the ceremony.] Tyler, The Creator took home two wins for Hip Hop Album of the Year and Best Live Performer in addition to his Rock the Bells Cultural Influence Award presented by LL Cool J. Jay Z scored double wins in the Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse and Impact Track [cagtegories] for his Nipsey Hussle collaboration “What It Feels Like.” Newcomer Yung Bleu was crowned Best New Hip Hop Artist while rap sensation Saweetie took home Hustler of the Year. Music icon Missy Elliott was voted Video Director of the Year and Lyricist of the Year went to J. Cole. UK rapper Little Simz took home the Best International Flow award.

Young Thug kicked off the night with an explosive performance of “Tick Tock” followed by Gunna with “Too Easy” before coming together with their hit collaboration “Ski.” Hot new rapper Bia performed her smash single “Whole Lotta Money,” then brought out Atlanta icon Lil Jon for “Bia Bia” to close it out. Baby Keem made his award show debut with “Family Ties.” Hip Hop sensation Latto brought the house down with a sparkling, high energy performance of “SoufSide” and new song “Big Energy” while Tobe Nwigwe made it a family affair with Fat and Nell on their song “Fye Fye.” Isaiah Rashad performed alongside Doechii and Kal Banx for “Wat U Sed” before ending the set with his solo single “From the Garden.” The hotly anticipated cyphers were hosted by DJ Hed and featured a bevy of emcees dropping hot sixteens including Grip, D Smoke, Smino, Tierra Whack, Rico Nasty, Sleepy Hallow, Erica Banks, Fivio Foreign, Toosii, Lakeyah, Kidd Kenn and Symba. Presenters for the evening included a trio of Hip Hop powerhouses Trina, Remy Ma, and Rapsody. “I Am Hip Hop Award” recipient Nelly closed out the show with a performance of his greatest hits including “Country Grammar,” “Hot In Herre,” “Air Force Ones,” “Dilemma,” “Grillz” with an appearance by Paul Wall and more.

The following is the complete list of nominees and winners of the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards:

*=winner

HIP HOP ALBUM OF THE YEAR

A GANGSTA’S PAIN MONEYBAGG YO

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST TYLER, THE CREATOR*

CULTURE III MIGOS

GOOD NEWS MEGAN THEE STALLION

KHALED KHALED DJ KHALED

SAVAGE MODE II 21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN

THE OFF-SEASON J. COLE

SONG OF THE YEAR

BACK IN BLOOD PRODUCED BY YC (POOH SHIESTY FEAT. LIL DURK)

LATE AT NIGHT PRODUCED BY MUSTARD (RODDY RICCH)

LAUGH NOW CRY LATER. PRODUCED BY G. RY, CARDOGOTWINGS, ROGET CHAHAYED & YUNG EXCLUSIVE (DRAKE FEAT. LIL DURK)

UP PRODUCED BY YUNG DZA, SEAN ISLAND, DJ SWANQO (CARDI B)

WAP PRODUCED BY AYO & KEYZ (CARDI B FEAT. MEGAN THEE STALLION)*

WHOLE LOTTA MONEY (REMIX) PRODUCED BY LONDON JAE, BEATGODZ, TEE ROMANO (BIA FEAT. NICKI MINAJ)

HIP HOP ARTIST OF THE YEAR

CARDI B

DRAKE

J. COLE

LIL BABY*

MEGAN THEE STALLION

TYLER, THE CREATOR

BEST HIP HOP VIDEO

CARDI B UP

CARDI B FEAT. MEGAN THEE STALLION WAP*

CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG GO CRAZY

DRAKE FEAT. LIL DURK LAUGH NOW CRY LATER

LIL NAS X MONTERO (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME)

SAWEETIE FEAT. DOJA CAT BEST FRIEND

BEST NEW HIP HOP ARTIST

BLXST

COI LERAY

DON TOLIVER

MORRAY

POOH SHIESTY

YUNG BLEU*

BEST COLLABORATION

21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN FEAT. DRAKE MR. RIGHT NOW

BIA FEAT. NICKI MINAJ WHOLE LOTTA MONEY (REMIX)

CARDI B FEAT. MEGAN THEE STALLION WAP*

DJ KHALED FEAT. LIL BABY & LIL DURK EVERY CHANCE I GET

DRAKE FEAT. LIL DURK LAUGH NOW CRY LATER

POOH SHIESTY FEAT. LIL DURK BACK IN BLOOD

BEST DUO OR GROUP

21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN

CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG

CITY GIRLS

FUTURE & LIL UZI VERT

LIL BABY & LIL DURK*

MIGOS

BEST LIVE PERFORMER

BUSTA RHYMES

CARDI B

DABABY

DOJA CAT

MEGAN THEE STALLION

TYLER, THE CREATOR*

LYRICIST OF THE YEAR

BENNY THE BUTCHER

DRAKE

J. COLE*

LIL BABY

MEGAN THEE STALLION

NAS

BEST INTERNATIONAL FLOW

LADIPOE (NIGERIA)

NASTY C (SOUTH AFRICA)

XAMÃ (BRAZIL)

LAYLOW (FRANCE)

GAZO (FRANCE)

LITTLE SIMZ (UK)*

DAVE (UK)

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

COLE BENNETT

COLIN TILLEY

DAVE MEYERS

DIRECTOR X

HYPE WILLIAMS

MISSY ELLIOTT*

DJ OF THE YEAR

CHASE B

D NICE

DJ CASSIDY

DJ DRAMA

DJ ENVY

DJ JAZZY JEFF

DJ SCHEME*

KAYTRANADA

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

DJ KHALED

HIT-BOY*

METRO BOOMIN

MUSTARD

THE ALCHEMIST

TYLER, THE CREATOR

HUSTLER OF THE YEAR

CARDI B

DRAKE

LIL BABY

MEGAN THEE STALLION

SAWEETIE*

YUNG BLEU

BEST HIP HOP PLATFORM

COMPLEX

GENIUS*

HIP HOP DX

HOT NEW HIPHOP

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

THE SHADE ROOM

WORLDSTAR HIPHOP

XXL

SWEET 16: BEST FEATURED VERSE

CARDI B TYPE SHIT (MIGOS FEAT. CARDI B)

DRAKE HAVIN’ OUR WAY (MIGOS FEAT. DRAKE)

JAY-Z WHAT IT FEELS LIKE (NIPSEY HUSSLE FEAT. JAY-Z)*

LIL DURK BACK IN BLOOD (POOH SHIESTY FT. LIL DURK)

MEGAN THE STALLION ON ME (REMIX) (LIL BABY FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION)

RODDY RICCH LEMONADE (REMIX) (INTERNET MONEY FEAT. DON TOLIVER & RODDY RICCH)

IMPACT TRACK

BLACK THOUGHT THOUGHT VS EVERYBODY

LIL NAS X MONTERO (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME)

LIL BABY & KIRK FRANKLIN WE WIN

MEEK MILL FEAT. LIL DURK PAIN AWAY

NIPSEY HUSSLE FEAT. JAY-Z WHAT IT FEELS LIKE*

RAPSODY 12 PROBLEMS

Relive the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards digital red carpet livestream powered by Bulldog DM, at https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1lDGLLvMqpbGm.

For more information about the BET Hip Hop Awards, including the digital red carpet livestream powered by Bulldog DM, the latest news and updates, visit bet.com/hiphopawards and follow the conversation @BETAwards

Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy will oversee the annual show, with Jamal Noisette, VP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy serving as Co-Executive Producer for BET. Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, to serve as Executive Producer of the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards along with Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Jeannae Rouzan–Clay and Dionne Harmon.

Review: ‘Black Is King,’ starring Beyoncé

July 31, 2020

by Carla Hay

“Black Is King”

Directed by Beyoncé, Kwasi Fordjour, Emmanuel Adjei, Blitz Bazawule, Pierre Debusschere, Jenn Nkiru, Ibra Ake, Dikayl Rimmasch and Jake Nava

Culture Representation: This visual album of Beyoncé’s original songs for the 2019 “The Lion King: The Gift” soundtrack features a predominantly black cast (with a few white people, Asians and Latinos) primarily representing life in Africa in a musical format.

Culture Clash: Many of the songs’ lyrics and the movie’s narration are about pushing back against fear, bigotry and self-doubt.

Culture Audience: Beyoncé fans are the obvious target audience for this movie, but “Black Is King” should also appeal to people who like to see visually stunning musical numbers set to contemporary R&B music.

Beyoncé (center) in “Black Is King” (Photo courtesy of Disney+/Parkwood Entertainment)

People already know that Beyoncé is capable of making a collection of memorable an impactful music videos, so it’s not too much a surprise that she has done it again with “Black Is King,” a visually intoxicating and emotionally empowering movie that celebrates self-confidence and Afro-centric culture.

Whereas Beyoncé’s visual collection for her critically acclaimed 2016 album “Lemonade” was her feminist response to issues going on in her personal life at the time, “Black Is King” is more of a rousing anthem directed at generations of people, especially those whose ethnic roots are in Africa. There are no conversations in “Black Is King,” but the messages are loud and clear.

Because “Black Is King” is a visual representation of Beyoncé’s 2019 soundtrack album “The Lion King: The Gift,” the songs themselves (and some of the music videos) were made available a year before the full “Black Is King” movie was released. But seeing all of these songs together as musical numbers in “Black Is King” puts the soundtrack in a whole new light.

“Black Is King” is not a traditional movie, since there is no real plot. Rather, it’s an atmospheric journey of eye-catching sights, sounds and philosophical thoughts. The choreography? Spectacular. The hair and makeup? Gorgeous. The costumes? Unforgettable.

Folajomi “FJ” Akinmurele portrays Beyoncé’s fictional son Little Simba throughout “Black Is King.” At the end of the film, this dedication appears on screen: “Dedicated to my son Sir Carter. And to all our sons and daughters, the sun and the moon bow for you. You are the keys to the kingdom.”

The movie has narration that includes lines from the 2019 “The Lion King” movie, which had Beyoncé as the voice of warrior lioness Nala. But the most intriguing narration comes from a script whose credited writers are Beyoncé, Yrsa Daley-Ward, Clover Hope and Andrew Morrow, featuring poetry by Warsan Shire.

James Earl Jones provides the opening voice narration as he intones in “Balance (Mufasa Interlude)”: “Everything that you see exists together in a delicate balance. You need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling creatures to the leaping antelope. We are all connected in the circle of life.”

Beyoncé also voices several messages of Afro-centric pride, including “Black is the color of my true love’s skin” and “Let black be synonymous with glory” and “Black is king. We were beauty before they knew what beauty was.”

There are also calls of empowerment, such as “Life is a set of choices. Lead or be led astray. Follow your light or lose it.” And she also speaks about the importance of representation: “To live without reflection for so long might make you wonder if you even truly exist.”

It wouldn’t be a Beyoncé visual album without cameos. They include members of her immediate family: husband Jay-Z (real name: Shawn Carter); their children Blue Ivy, Sir and Rumi; and Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles Lawson. “Brown Skin Girl,” with Saint Jhn and Wizkid featuring Blue Ivy Carter, celebrates inner and outer beauty and includes visual appearances by Naomi Campbell, Lupita Nyong’o and Kelly Rowland, who is one of the original members of Destiny’s Child with Beyoncé. Jay-Z, Knowles Lawson and Rowland can also be seen in “Mood 4 Eva.”

And several artists on the audio soundtrack can be seen in “Black Is King,” including Jessie Reyez (“Scar)”; Nija, Busiswa, Yemi Alade, Tierra Whack and Moonchild Sanelly (“My Power” ); Shatta Wale (“Already”); Tiwa Savage and Mr Eazi (“Keys to the Kingdom”); and Salatiel and Pharrell Williams (“Water”). Meanwhile, Beyoncé hands over the spotlight to Lord Afrixana, Yemi Alade and Mr Eazi, who perform “Don’t Jealous Me.”

Noticeably absent from “Black Is King” are Kendrick Lamar, Major Lazer and Childish Gambino (also known as Donald Glover, the voice of adult Simba in 2019’s “The Lion King”), who are featured artists on the audio soundtrack’s songs but don’t make visual appearances in the “Black Is King” movie. Lamar can be heard on the duet track “Nile,” while Major Lazer is featured on “Already.” Childish Gambino/Glover is a featured artist on “Mood 4 Eva.”

Speaking of “Mood 4 Eva,” it’s one of the highlights of “Black Is King” and it has explosion of beauty that’s both raw and luxurious. (And there’s also a scene of Beyoncé and Jay-Z holding hands that’s reminiscent of their famous 2018 “Apeshit” video that was filmed in the Louvre Museum.) “Don’t Jealous Me,” another standout segment, conjures up African tribal imageries that includes giant yellow python around the neck of certain people, including Beyoncé. “Water” is pure glam, with Beyoncé in outfits ranging from a stunning magenta gown to flared ’70s-styled denim with Rapunzel-length hair.

Although “The Lion King” takes place in Africa, and “Black Is King” is very Afro-centric, “Black Is King” was actually filmed around the world: Africa, New York, Los Angeles, London and Belgium. However, the movie prominently several African actors in the story segments, including Folajomi Akinmurele, Connie Chiume, Nyaniso Ntsikelelo Dzedze, Nandi Madida, Warren Masemola, Sibusiso Mbeje, Fumi Odede, Stephen Ojo and Mary Twala.

Not everyone likes Beyoncé’s music. Not everyone likes the 2019 movie version of “The Lion King.” However, “Black Is King” is a perfect example of why Beyoncé is a superb entertainer who’s a major influence on pop culture while speaking out on issues that are important to her.

Disney+ premiered “Black Is King” on July 31, 2020.