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Arts & Entertainment
Little Richard: I Am Everything
by Dwight Brown film critic for DwightBrownInk.com and NNPA News Wire
Shut up!!! Before Elvis, David Bowie, Prince, Harry Styles and Lil Nas X there was Little Richard. The bright, shiny North star of rock and roll.
Richard Penniman, a pioneer rock ‘n roller, was the third of 12 children in 1930s Macon, GA. His brash personality got him the attention he desired. Banging piano keys like a percussive instrument, wearing flamboyant attire and singing provocative songs (“Tutti Frutti’) arguably made him the music industry’s first true glam rock star. His DNA is everywhere.
Director Lisa Cortes (codirector All In: The Fight For Democracy; producer The Apollo, exec producer Precious) astutely assembles an impressive group of legends who attests to Penniman’s showmanship and musical prowess: Tom Jones, Nona Hendryx, John Waters, Billy Porter and even Mick Jagger proclaims: “He did it first!”
If legends are defined by how they changed the world, Little Richard deserves his flowers. He blended gospel, blues and boogie woogie music. Encouraged black and white kids to dance together in concert halls that had been segregated forever. Gave fledgling bands (Beatles and Rolling Stones) the opportunity to open on the road for him. He left a scent. We can trace his influence. There are plenty of Little Richard imitators performing today who have no idea who blazed a path so they could be creative, outrageous and accepted. But it was him. They’re following him.
This perceptive doc also tackles the originator’s up and down, rags to riches to rags career. Rich king one day, foreclosures the next. Watching Pat Boone and Elvis cover his songs and make more money than he would ever see is disturbing. Equally troubling is the anguish he felt not owning the rights to his music. It’s a cautionary tale worth telling again and again.
Also on view are his ambivalent feelings regarding his sexuality. Proud gay man cavorting in underground Black drag clubs in the late ‘40s. A Seventh Day Adventist pilgrim in the ‘70s, pious and ashamed of his old ways. Retrospective elder recounting the orgies he threw and sermons he preached—as if it all works together in a preordained way. Through it all, he is never in doubt about his self-worth. Afterall, it isn’t hubris when you have the goods. It’s just the truth: “I am the emancipator the architect. The one who started it all.”
Cortes perceptively retraces both the glamorous side and the private life. Some of the most poignant testimonies are from his former back-up band. Glimpses into his childhood, short-lived marriage and arrest add to his allure. Also learning that he worked the same chitlin circuit as Ma Rainey and was influenced by Rosetta Tharpe ties a lot of musical history together.
Penniman’s life journey and spirit are captured by Keith Walker and Graham Willoughby’s cameras, caressed by Tamar-kali’s musical score and artfully assembled by editors Jake Hostetter and Nyneve Laura Minnear. All the archival footage, photos and interviews are neatly clipped together in 1h 41m of revealing and entertaining footage.
If you pick the right subject, a documentary sells itself. In that way, Little Richard’s legacy is a magnet and music fans will be drawn to this enlightening doc. An astute, loving bio that catalogues the gigantic and well-deserved ego of the originator who knew he was everything: “I’m not conceited. I’m convinced.” Shut up!!!
In theaters April 21st.
Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.
Arts@Large: A vibrant community gem!
Arts aArts @ Large is a gem comgem of a community programmunity program quietly tuckedquietly tucked away theaway in the Walker’s PointWalker’s Point neighborhood, inneighborhood, in an Patrickan historic Patrick Cudahy structureCudahy structure that inthat was built in 1890.
Newly renovated, Arts @ Large is located in the building that contains a art gallery, café and office/Studio spaces that includes conference rooms, training center, and office space for nonprofit organizations.
Symphony Swan, whose name strikes an artistic chord, is the Senior Director of Programs at Arts @ Large.
The Arts @ Large staff boasts a slate of team members whose backgrounds as artists and educators serve students and participants well as they pursue equitable access to the arts.
Arts @ Large provides a variety of FREE programs that give students, teachers, and the community opportunities to interact with and explore visual, performing, literary, and multimedia art.
Designed to meet the needs of individuals of every age and ability, participants use a variety of art forms to express themselves and share their individual stories, while examining ways to make the community an inclusive, arts-rich place to live.
Phillip Salat, Program Manager at Arts @ Large works as a conduit between clients and artists.
He enjoys his role of connecting directly with artists while serving the needs of potential students and the arts community.
“This is a dream job. I previously worked as a talent agent in Chicago, then had an opportunity to be an educator.
Working at Arts @ Large, I have a unique opportunity to merge my experiences into one career, working with the artists and developing educational programming,” said Salat.
Unique to the Arts @ Large is that corporate and government collaborations enable them to provide all their programming at no cost to the community.
“Our programming is free to the community and, at the same time, we fairly compensate every artist who leads a program.
“We have an ‘artist-first’ mentality in that we always ask and pay artists their standard fee for their time.
“This allows artists to pour into the people more freely while being compensated for their time,” said Salat.
At least two instructional designers on staff with Arts @ Large regularly visit schools that have artists placed there in residencies.
They support classroom teachers and artists with curriculum design and other arts integration strategies.
A.I.R Academy, an Artists In Residents free Summer Camp, was created for third through eighth graders. It is a five-week, interdisciplinary, youth-focused program.
A.I.R Academy has the capacity for 40 students each session. Students attend the camp from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and work with lead artists developing and honing their interests in various artistic disciplines.
This year’s Arts @ Large Arts summer camp centers will collaborate with a professional musician and his team to provide in depth experiences in different art forms.
Participants will explore how a variety of art forms can serve as a bridge between conflict and resolution.
The Arts @ Large program provides an opportunity to encourage self-respect, respect of differences, and how art can be a tool for social responsibility, while also providing skills and processes that help peacefully manage conflicts and create innovative solutions to social challenges.
“We encourage all students to find creativity in whatever they aspire to do—whether it is in science, history, or English. Through creativity you can see the beauty in the world around us,” said Salat.
For more information or to download a copy of events and programs, visit www.artsatlargeinc.org/, visit at 1100 South 5th Street, or call (414)763-7379.
Drillbit Taylor
by Joshua Jackson
“Drillbit Taylor” is a movie about two kids who are best friends going into highschool. They are insecure about how they look and get bullied by these two kids at school. To resolve their issue they hire a bodyguard and the guy they end up hiring to be a bodyguard ends up being someone who lived on the street.
In the movie they decide that their bodyguard drillbit should sneak into their school as a teacher to protect the kids from the bullies and succeeds in doing this and makes the bullies pay by making them do rope climbing in PE while everyone watched and would give a detention so the bullies wouldn’t bother them after school. Drillbit their body guard makes a love interest with one of their teachers who taught English. Later on the kids find out that Drillbit isn’t who he really is whenever Drillbit’s friends break into Wade’s house to steal things. Wade is a nerdy person who wears glasses who is one of the kids that is protected by Drillbit.
They found out that Drillbit was going to steal all of their stuff and scam them. The kids felt close to Drillbit to even call him a friend and were furious and disappointed to call him a friend after figuring out that he was planning to steal Wade’s things and scam him out of his money. He makes it up by taking the stuff back that his friends stole from the kid Wade, and decides to do the right thing and tells his love interest the truth about who he really is.
The bullies later find out that their teacher is really just a homeless person who lives on the street and try reporting him to the principal. Wade, one of the kids who was getting bullied, was asking his crush to be his girlfriend and then the bullies came back and shook up some soda cans and the soda got all over them.
He eventually gets tired of being bullied and stands up for himself, shaking realizing what he’s done realizing what he’s started. A crowd of people from school come to the bullies house and get beat down but his friend Drillbit comes to the rescue and fights off the bully after realizing he is 18.
Well, I hope you enjoyed stay positive and most of all stay safe.
April Events at the Lynden Sculpture Garden
HOURS
EXHIBITIONS
Through April 30, 2023
More information: https://www.
If you were the messenger of healing, what would you want to do or say?
What does it mean to learn about healing from each other?
Although Call & Response artist Arianne King Comer has been physically absent from Lynden for the past two pandemic years, she has been everywhere in our work: sitting on the HOME Refugee Steering Committee, collaborating with Daniel Minter, and working with local refugees, steering committee members, Call & Response artists, and friends and colleagues from across the country on an exhibition of wearable art. Community engagement specialist Kim Khaira has been coordinating the project on the ground in Milwaukee, procuring sewing machines, pairing designers with seamstresses, staffing translators for virtual meetings with King Comer, and taking refugees to the fabric store for supplies. The “healing coats” produced through this process incorporate cultural and personal symbols of healing. By bringing the coats together in the gallery this summer, we bring together “many voices that speak freely to one another.” This is a Call & Response/HOME event.
WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
Saturday, April 8, 2023 – 8-9:30 pm
Fee: $10 per session/$5 per session for Lynden members. Children under 6 are free.
More information and to register: https://www.
Come walk Lynden’s grounds with educator Claudia Orjuela, who will introduce you to the mysteries and unique features of outdoor life after dark. Discover the sights and sounds of the night in Lynden’s back acres and observe our monumental sculptures beneath the light of the full pink moon. A bonfire and treats await at the end.
Saturday, April 15, 2023 – 10 am-4 pm
FREE.
More information: https://www.
Bring your canine friends for an outdoor romp. Dogs must be leashed and considerate of other visitors, canine and human.
Sunday, April 16, 2023 – 8:30-10 am
Fee: $10/$5 members.
More information and to register: https://www.
Join artist-in-residence and birder Chuck Stebelton each month for a small-group, socially distanced bird walk on the grounds. Keeping to the perimeter of the garden, we’ll watch for seasonal migrants and resident bird species and seek out the best bird habitats to identify as many species as we can. Please dress for the weather and plan to walk in varied terrain. Bring your binoculars if you have them; no previous birding experience required.
Thursday, April 20, 2023 – 7-8:30 pm
VIRTUAL
FREE.
More information and to register:
https://www.
The Lynden/HOME Refugee Steering Committee book discussion group, moderated by Lynden’s Kim Khaira, is for those interested in firsthand accounts of displacement. We consider works of non-fiction and fiction, including autobiographical and semi-autobiographical works, by writers who have faced or are facing forced displacement as refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. Where stories of persecution, historical trauma, and loss of livelihood are effortlessly conveyed by storytellers, journalists, and humanitarians who search out or stumble upon the lives of refugees, we seek out the words of those to whom these stories belong: the narrators who are the closest to their own stories, and the stories of their people, friends, family and, of course, refugees. In April, we begin a new book—newcomers welcome!
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – 10 am-12 pm
More information and to register: https://www.
Join the Lynden land team—Kyle Welna, Alyx Christenson, and Annalesa Albright–for a volunteer work day on the grounds. The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight the natural beauty inherent in them. The Lynden’s goal is to steward healthy habitats for an array of native plants and wildlife while adding a vibrant mosaic of color and texture to this sculptural landscape through every season.
Thursday, April 27, 2023 – 10 am-12 pm
More information and to register: https://www.
Join the Lynden land team—Kyle Welna, Alyx Christenson, and Annalesa Albright–for a volunteer work day on the grounds. The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight the natural beauty inherent in them. The Lynden’s goal is to steward healthy habitats for an array of native plants and wildlife while adding a vibrant mosaic of color and texture to this sculptural landscape through every season.
Saturday, April 29, 2023
More information: https://www.
We will celebrate International Sculpture Day on April 29. Details to follow.
PROGRAMS FOR THE YOUNG AND VERY YOUNG
Tuesdays, April 4, 11, 18 & 25, 2023 – 10:30 am-11:30 am
Fee: $16/$12 members for one adult and one child.
More information and to register:
https://www.
Join art educators Claudia Orjuela and Denice Niebuhr for hands-on art making and all-senses-engaged exploration of the outdoor world at Lynden. Tuesdays in the Garden, designed for children aged 1-3, provides a nurturing environment where children’s curiosity and wonder are extended through play and exploration, and children and their caregivers learn and discover side-by-side. We’ll consider different themes, each designed to connect Lynden’s environment with children’s interests. We will encourage experimentation and the manipulation of art and natural materials to tell stories, solve problems, and develop relationships. The themes for April are Fairy Gardens, Colorful Eggs, Nature Meets Sculpture, and Flower Friends.
Wednesday, April 19, 2023– 10:30-11 am
VIRTUAL
For more information and to watch: https://www.
HOME Multilingual Story Time features children’s books written or illustrated by authors, illustrators, and artists who have faced forced displacement as refugees, asylum seekers, or immigrants, and come from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Designed for children aged 4-8, we believe that reading picture books is a way to share and discuss big ideas with young children. We end each virtual session with an art activity from Lynden art educator Claudia Orjuela. Follow-up activities will be available for download. Scheduled to screen every third Wednesday of the month, HOME Story Time is a collaboration with Wisconsin for Ukraine, the Milwaukee Public Library, the Islamic Resource Center, Hanan Refugee Relief Group, Alliance Française de Milwaukee, and Milwaukee African Women’s Association. Videos remain on view once they are posted. In April, our book is Sirenas/Julian is a Mermaid, written and illustrated by Jessica Love, read in Spanish and English.
SUMMER CAMPS AT THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND NATURE—TIME TO REGISTER!
Ages 4-15 years
Fees vary.
More information and to register: https://www.
Lynden’s art and nature camps for children aged 4 to 15 years integrate our collection of monumental outdoor sculpture and temporary installations with the natural ecology of our hidden landscapes and unique habitats. Led by artists, naturalists, and art educators, the camps explore the intersection of art and nature through collaborative inquiry and hands-on artmaking, using all of Lynden’s 40 acres to create a joyful, all-senses-engaged outdoor experience.
ABOUT THE LYNDEN
Chuck D’s New Culture Media App Brings the Noise for Users
The new app dropped this month and is about “less of what they want where you can create more of what you want,” Chuck declared.
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
With beta testing completed, Bring the Noise is now in full effect.
Public Enemy, founder and legendary MC Chuck D, has fronted the release of a new culture media app called Bring the Noise.
“It’s a flow in its usage like a billion other apps,” Chuck promised in an impromptu 45-minute interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s live morning show, Let It Be Known.
“This is just dedicated to culture. To the F.A.M. – Film, Art, and Music.”
As noted by HipHopDx.com, Chuck D’s app should come as no surprise, considering how adamantly he has pushed for Hip Hop to have a board dedicated to sorting out the needs of the culture.
The website noted that, in July 2022, Chuck D, KRS-One, Kurtis Blow, and Doug E. Fresh teamed up to establish the Hip Hop Alliance.
In January, the alliance issued a statement in response to Bow Wow claiming Hip Hop needs a “board” to discuss cultural happenings.
“Like every other aspect of society’s workforce, the artists and creators of hip-hop need protection, support, and advocacy,” read the statement.
“From label disputes to intellectual property retrieval and the need for an overall governing body, the Hip Hop Alliance was established.
“Recent comments this weekend created a unique opportunity to bring forth a conversation that many in hip-hop & R&B have been addressing for a long time.
“The need for a governing body for hip-hop. H.H.A. aims to empower artists to make informed decisions about their career and ensure that their rights are respected and protected.”
A Long Island, New York native, Chuck D counts among hip-hop’s trailblazers. Born Carlton Douglas Ridenour, Chuck D attended Adelphi University in New York.
That’s where he met his would-be Public Enemy co-star, Flavor Flav. The group’s hit albums included “Yo! Bum Rush the Show,” “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back,” and “Fear of a Black Planet.”
Public Enemy also contributed to the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” and “He Got Game,” which starred Denzel Washington.
The new app dropped this month and is about “less of what they want where you can create more of what you want,” Chuck declared.
“History will be made for culture media being greater than social media,” he asserted.
While all ages are welcome and encouraged, the targeted demographic remains those 35 and older.
“With ‘Bring the Noise,’ we’re not telling anyone to leave social media,” Chuck exclaimed. “This is culture media. You might not know me, but you definitely don’t know those people you checked ‘I accept’ to.”
The hip-hop legend added that social media has “everybody in a sandbox.”
“Not saying people can’t say or do whatever,” Chuck explained.
“One thing that culture media does is the music, the craft, and the art, and it’s not uninviting to 35 and under if you want to give it a name, figure, or number. It engages a conversation in a room that just keeps it to the art and culture, and that’s what it is.”
Chuck concluded:
“I just think social media’s all over the place. Everybody feels like they have a mic and a camera and are a superstar, so I’m just like, ‘Cool, stay there if you want to,’ but you could go to BringTheNoiseApp.com.”
Re-Fueling Jet Magazine Where Everyone Can Be ‘Beauty of the Week’
Like Ebony, founded six years earlier, Jet chronicled Black life in America and provided a lens into the African American community that mainstream media either ignored or misrepresented.
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Remember “Beauty of the Week,” Jet magazine’s famous page 43, which featured Black women college students, actors, nurses, and everyday girls in swimsuits?
Now, anyone can be a beauty of the week or even grace the cover as the iconic publication re-sets digitally and where readers and fans can go to myjetstory.com and upload their photos and create a personalized Jet cover.
“Everybody has a Jet story,” Daylon Goff, the president of Jet, said during a 30-minute interview on the National Newspaper Publishers Association daily show, Let It Be Known.
“I’m always rocking Jet merchandise, and when someone finds out what I do for a living, they immediately give me their Jet story. Unprompted.”
For Goff, that’s all the fuel he needed to help in what he calls the re-set of Jet.
“It’s super exciting for me to be able to take this on,” Goff insisted.
“When you hear ‘Beauty of the Week,’ you don’t have to even say Jet beauty of the week. It’s synonymous. I get those conversations from both men and women at least three times a week.”
Founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson, Jet proved a mainstay in primarily Black households across America.
Like Ebony, founded six years earlier, Jet chronicled Black life in America and provided a lens into the African American community that mainstream media either ignored or misrepresented.
Goff recalled the disturbing but necessary images Jet published in 1955 of Emmett Till’s body after he was lynched and tortured.
“We had to be bold because you have that full ownership and understanding of the significance of that story,” Goff related.
“Jet was to the Emmett Till story what Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook live was to George Floyd. It started a movement. It wasn’t like little Black boys and men weren’t getting killed in Mississippi in 1955, but when you saw it on those pages, you felt you had to do something.
“The same way when you saw on social media George Floyd’s murder, you had to do something about it because it wasn’t as if before that moment, Black men weren’t getting killed by the police.”
While Jet told real stories about real people, most readers began with page 43.
With the re-set, Goff said one shouldn’t expect an immediate return of the Beauty of the Week.
“It was relatable and owned by our community,” Goff explained.
“The Beauty of the Week was a college student at Fayetteville, a nurse, secretary, or actress. Relatable people that we all thought were attainable. But how can we be relevant to our audience in a world that’s different and the way we consume information and get information?”
For instance, Goff wondered what would happen if Rihanna were chosen as the first beauty.
“Then Lizzo fans could say, what about her? And if we choose Lizzo, RuPaul could say, what about me?” Goff stated.
“People would have every right to say that Jet is saying ‘I’m not beautiful.’”
Indeed, Jet was social media before Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Going viral in pre-social media days meant being on the cover of Jet.
Goff, whose background is brand marketing, understands that the Jet re-set is a challenging assignment.
But he’s thrilled to take it on.
“I call this being re-fueled by Jet. We can be relevant to our audience in a world that’s different, and the way we consume information and get information is different,” he stated.
“I also have to be relevant to an audience in a way that Ebony isn’t cannibalized. And we can do that. If we compare Ebony and Jet to iconic television characters, Ebony is Claire Huxtable, and Jet is Martin [Lawrence]. They both speak to the Black experience but in a different way.”
The key, Goff said, is figuring out how to keep Jet around for the next 70 or so years.
Basketball legend Charles Barkley still refers to Jet as the Black ‘bible,” Goff said, but the challenge is to ensure that a younger generation connects with the publication.
“Talking to 20 and 25-year-olds, I’m sometimes surprised that they are familiar with Jet,” Goff said.
“People never threw away Jet. They put them in boxes, and I’m sure there’s a ton in someone’s attic. You just had to hold on to them. There’s a spark from the younger generation; for me, it’s about igniting that spark.
“The great part about the next generation is that they also grew up with this computer in their pocket and can find and search for knowledge. So, we need to ensure that our iconic brands remain for years.”
Final weekend to see Acacia’s “powerful and poignant production” of We Will Not Be Silent!
A production photo of Giovanna Greco and Jason Will was featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sunday, March 19th.
“…this production is definitely worth the trip.”, says Anne Siegel (reviewing for TotalTheater.com). “In this cat-and-mouse game between Sophie and her interrogator, Grunwald uses various techniques in an attempt to get at the truth. As Grunwald, the formidable-looking Jason Will commands the audience’s attention. Grunwald is a key figure in determining the path this play will take, and Will’s performance keeps the audience glued to their seats.
As Sophie, actor Giovanna Greco is completely convincing. Greco perfectly encapsulates this 19-year-old girl, who clings to the edges of her pink sweater as if trying to fortify herself against an attacker.
Read the entire review here.
Remaining Performances:
Friday, March 24th at 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 25th at 4:00 PM
Sunday, March 26th at 3:00 PM (There are limited seats remaining for this performance, so please reserve your tickets in advance!)
All performances are being held at:
The Norvell Commons at St. Christopher’s Church
7845 North River Road
Milwaukee, WI 53217
Tickets are available on our website, by calling the office at 414-744-5995, or at the door. All tickets are Pay-What-You-Can.
***COVID INFORMATION***
Masking is currently optional due to transmission rates, but trends are updated weekly (every Friday), and masks will be required during HIGH transmission periods! Thankfully, we have not reached HIGH transmission during our 2022-2023 season, and we don’t anticipate that changing. Please call the office or visit the website for the most updated information. We are praying for the health and wellness of all, but we are taking necessary precautions in case circumstances change.
Summerfest Announces CYPRESS HILL at BMO Pavilion during Summerfest on June 29
Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance is excited to announce Cypress Hill as the headliner for the BMO Pavilion with Miller Lite on Thursday, June 29, 2023. This is the seventh of nine headlining artists to be announced at the BMO Pavilion during Summerfest.
Summerfest, produced by the nonprofit organization Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., is an independent and premier national music festival, celebrating it’s 55thanniversary in 2023.
Tickets for reserved seating will go on sale this Friday, March 17 at 10:00 a.m. via Summerfest.com, Ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Summerfest Box Office, and includes admission to Summerfest the day of the performance.
During Summerfest, concerts at the BMO Pavilion will once again offer seating options for all evening headlining performances, giving fans the choice of reserved seats available for purchase or free general admission seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information visit Summerfest.com
About Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill shifts culture. The South Gate, California rap group championed cannabis before it before fashionable, ushered in a genre-shifting sonic tapestry, performed thousands of shows at a time when rappers were having a hard time getting booked for live gigs, and helped pave the way for rappers to use Spanish in their rhymes. Along the way, Cypress Hill earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, sold more than 9 million albums, and were nominated for three Grammy Awards.
During a time increasingly defined by singles of the moment, rappers B-Real and Sen Dog wanted to make a statement by releasing an album. Back in Black, the group’s forthcoming tenth studio project, finds the group flexing its musical muscles and pushing itself creatively. With a mesmerizing mix of celebratory, confrontational, inspirational, reflective, and rugged songs, Cypress Hill shines throughout Back in Black. Entirely produced by Black Milk (Slum Village, Lloyd Banks, Pharoahe Monch), the LP is an homage to Cypress Hill’s return and its collaboration with Black Milk.
Since releasing its eponymous debut album 1991, Cypress Hill has regularly revolutionized rap. B-Real and Sen Dog’s innovative lyrics, distinctive voices and poignant street-centered subject matter catapulted the group to superstar status. Cypress Hill ushered in a dusted sound thanks to primary producer DJ Muggs, introducing a distinctive West Coast aesthetic and presence. Its first LP sold more than 2 million units and its second album, 1993’s Black Sunday, pushed another 3 million units thanks to the Grammy-nominated singles “Insane In The Brain” and “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That.” As its music captivated millions of listeners, Cypress Hill earned fans around the world thanks to its riveting stage show, which features phenomenal percussionist Bobo bringing additional sonic wrinkles to such songs as “Rock Superstar,” “How I Could Just Kill A Man,” “Lick A Shot,” and “Real Estate.”
About Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance
Located in downtown Milwaukee, Summerfest presented by American Family Insurance is one of the most iconic celebrations of music in America, hosting the industry’s biggest acts for an unforgettable live music experience. Since its inception in 1968, Summerfest continues to distinguish itself as a premier national music festival and has developed an unrivaled reputation, consistently featuring hundreds of performances across 12 stages, throughout the 75-acre festival grounds along Lake Michigan. The 2023 edition consists of three weekends (Thursdays – Saturdays) June 22-24, June 29-July 1, and July 6-8, 2023. For the latest information, visit Summerfest.com, or Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @Summerfest.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., producer of Summerfest, continues to fulfill its nonprofit mission of bringing the community together and providing a showcase for performing arts, activities, and recreation to the public, through music and special events.
About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider – the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $1.14 trillion as of October 31, 2022, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.
Note: All performers and show times are subject to change.
The 3 X Grammy Award Winning Sounds of Blackness #URGONNAWIN is an optimistic letter of perseverance, hope, self-love, empathy and praise for the generations of the early 21st century.
About #URGONNAWIN
“The isolation we all experienced during the pandemic quarantine, combined with the horror of gun violence, and the police killings of our brothers and sisters has forever changed our world” say’s Jamecia Bennett who penned and produced #URGONNAWIN, “Schools and workplaces are experiencing chronic absenteeism across the nation as both children and adults struggle to cope with PTSD, and the loss of faith in our leaders. People need to know, especially the young people, that their voices matter and that they are capable of greatness.”
#URGONNAWINN is a return to the sound of Optimistic, Sounds of Blackness most enduring hit. To this very day Gospel, AAA, and Urban radio stations keep Optimistic in active rotation, cementing the song as a modern day civil rights anthem and voice for the work of transformation and change.
The accompanying #URGONNAWIN music video is an uptempo ride through a multi-themed world of generational motifs and culturally relevant icons, making it one of the groups most creative and visually entertaining music videos to date.
“People are weary with the state of our world, and it can seem like the next nightmare is always waiting around the corner, what Sounds of Blackness is saying in #URGONNAWIN is opportunity is at hand”, states Sounds of Blackness founder and artistic visionary Brother Gary Hines, “This is the time to seize the moment and build a movement that creates systemic equity and unified inclusive communities”
#URGONNAWIN is simply that, seize the moment at hand, believe in yourself and others, work with good intent, with self-love and respect for others, build the world you want to see, with the next generations in mind and….#URGONNAWIN!
#URGONNAWIN is available worldwide 3/21/23 on all digital platforms via Sounds of Blackness in association with Atomic K Records, Rock the Cause Records and The Orchard.
Connect with Sounds of Blackness:
Radio and Media Servicing
Scott Herold
Worldwide Management of Booking
Brent Harris
About Sounds of Blackness:
Since 1971, Sounds of Blackness has taken audiences all over the world on a musical journey through the history of African-American music via tours, stage productions, music workshops, recordings, and concerts. Over the years they have received 3 Grammys, SoulTrain, NAACP Image, Stellar and International Time for Peace Awards, and, an Emmy Nomination. Sounds of Blackness also appear on Film Soundtracks and so much more. Their soulful music spans Jazz, Blues, R&B, Spirituals, Rock & Roll, Gospel, Hip-Hop, Worldbeat, and Soul. It has left an indelible imprint and inspired audiences worldwide. Learn more at https://www.soundsofblackness.org/
#URGONNAWIN Credits:
Director & Producer : Jamecia Bennett
Videographer: Nagashia Jackson
Choreography: Jamecia Bennett
Production House: The Selfie Museum
Song Writer : Jamecia Bennett
Producer : Darnel Davis & Jamecia Bennett
Mixing, Editing and Engineering – Karl Demer Atomic K
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