Posts made in March 2023

Crypto Queen Darcy Donavan

Listen to Darcy Donavan on 360 MAGAZINE podcast HERE.

Darcy Donavan, known for her roles in television shows Modern Family and Parks and Recreation, is innovating the world of cryptocurrency.

She dove into the crypto world almost seven years ago, and was instantly enamored with it. She began researching and investing in blockchains, like Bitcoin and Tron. Over the years she has been involved with numerous companies and projects in Web3, which have seen enormous growth. In 2021, Darcy was brought onboard the Decentralized Finance company Ecoin Finance as the CMO.

In 2022, she was brought on as a Co-Owner of the Cryptocurrency Company and Metaverse, Income Island.

Income Island is a new generation of blockchain-supported virtual reality games with mining capability for users to earn money while playing. The game is based on the Binance Smart Chain blockchain, and it supports the BEP20 standard for tokens. The island features a variety of mineable cryptocurrencies.

Whether it comes to business or her personal life, Darcy strives to be an “alpha female”. Crypto, as well as Film & Television, are majorly male-dominated industries. She encourages women to build each other up and become power players in their roles: “An alpha female [is not] afraid to speak her mind. [They are] intelligent, strong, and honest.”

One of Darcy’s major keys to success is being relatable. “I want somebody to tell it to me straight [and be] a straight shooter.” She also encourages those interested in cryptocurrency to do their own research.

To hear more about Darcy’s tips to success, read her book Darcy’s Daily Dose of Inspiration: A Page by Page Guide to a Better Life.

Find Darcy here:

Snipes × Adidas

RSVP

Step Up Your Sneaker Game with the adidas Forum Low Detroit: A Tribute to Motor City’s Culture.

Join SNIPES in Celebrating Detroit’s Culture and Community with a SNIPES Exclusive Sneaker and Dance Event on March 13th

SNIPES and adidas Originals are releasing a new sneaker in honor of Detroit, and it’s dropping on 313 Day! Introducing the adidas Forum Low “Detroit” is a snipes exclusive shoe that pays homage to the Motor City.

This sneaker is a must-have for any true sneakerhead. The classic adidas silhouette features a sleek black and gold colorway, with “I Am Detroit” emblazoned on the strap. The sneaker also features a tear-away option. Consumers who purchase a pair can tear off the white upper, which will unveil a secondary layer, which features the Detroit skyline.

But that’s not all – the shoe is also packed with high-quality features that make it a top-performing sneaker. The premium leather upper provides durability and support, while the EVA midsole and rubber outsole offer superior cushioning and traction. Whether you’re hitting the streets or hitting the dance floor, the adidas Forum Low “Detroit” has got you covered.

To celebrate the release of this sneaker, SNIPES is hosting a full day dance competition, including a 2v2 Jit & Breakin’ Competition, with $2,000 in prize money on the line. This competition will feature some of the best dancers from across the Midwest, showcasing their incredible skills and pushing the boundaries of the Jit and Breakin’ styles. Additionally, the event will include a Detroit Jit vs Chicago Footwork Exhibition Battle, featuring a reunion of these two homegrown dance styles of the Midwest after 15 years of separation.

The event will be hosted by the talented Kay Bae, with judging by renowned dance experts Man of God, Stringz, Queen Gabby, and Yaks. To keep the energy going, DJ Shane Treez will be spinning the latest hip-hop beats during the competition, and DJ Vader will take over for the official 313 Day After Party.

“We’re thrilled to bring this event to Detroit, the birthplace of these iconic dance styles,” said Paula Barbosa, VP of Marketing for SNIPES. “This event is all about celebrating the city’s unique cultural heritage and strong dance roots. We can’t wait to see what the talented dancers will bring to the competition, and we’re excited to share this experience with everyone who loves the Jit and Breakin’ dance culture.”

Doors open at 4:00 PM with prelim registrations closing at 4:30 PM, and the event will start at 5:00 PM sharp. The event is open to all ages, but the open bar is only available for attendees aged 21 and over.

Fun Facts

*Rapper Coi Leray Named Face of Snipes.

ArrDee × Cat Burns

Pre-Save HERE Watch Official Video HERE

Rising superstars ArrDee and Cat Burns duet for the first time on moving new single ‘Home From My Heart,’ out 9th March on Island Records.

A poignant affair revealing ArrDee’s more tender side, ‘Home From My Heart’ tells the story of a relationship on the rocks, with the rapper exploring the struggles of balancing his newfound success with his personal life. Alongside his own gifted lyricism, ArrDee utilises Cat Burns’ sensitive guitar work and elegant vocals to maximum effect for the track’s emotional core. “Please don’t give up on us,” sings Burns in a stirring chorus. “Where’s the home for a heart when you’re a mile high?” replies ArrDee. It’s a touching sentiment about the cost of success from two artists on meteoric rises since their respective breakthroughs last year.

The single is accompanied by a heartwarming video that pays tribute to the pair’s humble beginnings. Shot with creative camerawork by director Najeeb Tarazi, the UK MVA-nominated filmmaker who has previously worked with artists including AC/DC and Gaz Coombes, the video is an intimate look into the daily lives of a revolving cast of characters – including nurses, delivery drivers, and ArrDee and Cat Burns themselves – on Britain’s homely high streets and council estates. As the characters embrace at the video’s end, ‘Home From My Heart’’s message about the importance of human connection truly resonates.

After bursting onto the scene at the start of 2021, ArrDee continues to go from strength to strength. ‘Home From My Heart’ follows last month’s raucous ‘Loser,’ which is already fast approaching two million streams on Spotify, and last year’s debut mixtape ‘Pier Pressure’ which has been BPI gold–certified, peaked at #2 in the official charts and became the biggest breakthrough release as the highest selling debut album for a British solo artist in 2022. ArrDee amassed over 500 million streams with five UK ‘Top 10’ singles – ‘Oliver Twist,’ ‘Flowers (Say My Name),’ ‘War’ with Aitch, ‘Wasted’ with Digga D and the groundbreaking remix of Tion Wayne and Russ Millions’ ‘Body.’

Fellow young breakthrough artist Cat Burns is a multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter from South London. Defined by elegant, frank, conversational lyrics and instantly familiar melodies, Cat’s remarkable sound has skyrocketed her up the single charts, made her the biggest-selling female artist of 2022 in the UK, and earned her a string of coveted accolades. With three BRITs nominations – the most for a female artist at this year‘s ceremony – a BBC Sound Poll 2023 nod, and Spotify’s Global RADAR artist to her name, Burns has the world at her feet.

‘Home From My Heart’ is a gem that sees two trailblazers united in a moment of reflection. A collaboration you won’t want to miss.

Follow ArrDee:

Instagram | Tik Tok | Spotify

Follow Cat Burns:

Instagram | Tik Tok | Spotify

The Incredible Hulk

The AGE OF MONSTERS has begun, and the only being who can stop a legion of the world’s most depraved creatures from overtaking the Marvel Universe is the INCREDIBLE HULK! Enter this horror-fueled new era of the strongest there is when writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Nic Klein relaunch INCREDIBLE HULK this June!

Known for his acclaimed horror storytelling in titles like Alien and Marvel Zombies: Resurrection, Johnson will take Bruce Banner to sinister new depths when a war of monsters erupts with Hulk at its center. And following his explosive run on Thor with Donny Cates, Nic Klein’s skill at capturing the Hulk’s fearsome rage and his panache for body horror will make this the most terrifying book on stands! The pair will also explore Bruce Banner’s psychological state, left in shambles at the end of his latest run with Bruce and the Hulk’s relationship more fractured than ever. Fans will experience a vicious hunt as Hulk is made prey by brand-new monster characters as well as classic favorites, all united in a fiendish new scheme…

As an enraged Hulk tries to take control of Bruce Banner’s body permanently, a mysterious immortal turns every monster in the Marvel Universe against Banner in an attempt to free their creator, the primordial Mother of Horrors. With the help of an unlikely new friend, Banner and Hulk must try to stop the world from getting plunged into darkness!

“The significance that we’re finally bringing back the classic titleINCREDIBLE HULK is not lost on me. It’s a tremendous honor, and Nic and I have the clearest possible vision for what we want to do with this story,” Johnson explained. “Nic Klein is a genius, and working with him is pushing me to write a story worthy of his very best.”

“Phillip and I put a big serving of monsters, a bit of eldritch gods, a good dash of suspense, and some cool new characters into the cauldron,” Klein added. “We’re trying to serve up a Hulk the readers haven’t seen before. And if they like it half as much as I’m enjoying drawing it, they’re gonna love it.”

“The work that Al, Joe and the rest did with Immortal Hulk was so impactful and spoke so clearly to me personally, it was impossible to come up with an idea that wasn’t inspired by it,” Johnson continued. “We’re getting back to Stan Lee’s Frankenstein/Jekyll & Hyde inspirations for the character, and giving readers a proper monster book in the best, truest Hulk tradition. If you loved Immortal Hulk, if you love ghost stories, if you love Marvel monsters, if you loved old school ‘adventure of the month’ stories from books like Marvel Team-Up, and if you want the best, most timeless Hulk art you’ve ever seen, you DO NOT want to miss this return of INCREDIBLE HULK.”

Pick up HULK ANNUAL #1 on May 17 for a special preview for INCREDIBLE HULK #1 and be there when the monsters come for Hulk on June 17! For more information, visit Marvel.com.

ADAM WARLOCK’S LIVE-ACTION DEBUT

It’s an exciting year for fans of Marvel Comics’ greatest cosmic heroes! In addition to the launch of an all-new comics run of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Kev Walker this April, the team will also star in their latest Marvel Cinematic Universe outing, Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The highly-anticipated film will feature the live-action debut of ADAM WARLOCK. One of the most iconic Marvel Comics characters yet to make the leap to film, Adam Warlock will be played by actor Will Poulter, and fans can see him in action in an all-new variant cover for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1. This special, one-of-a-kind comic book cover uses a photo still from the upcoming film and will be available just before the movie hits theaters.

In Marvel comics, the character of Adam Warlock is among the most powerful and fascinating beings of the Marvel Universe. Created by scientists on earth to be the “perfect man,” he took to space where he became a protector of the Infinity Stones and played pivotal roles in classic sagas like Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity Watch. Fans everywhere are sure to fall in love with him all over again when he makes his way to the big screen later this year!

Pick up the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1 MOVIE VARIANT at your local comic shop on April 12 and see Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in theaters on May 5! For more information, visit Marvel.com.

Agostino Lacurci: Alien Horti Picti

Robert Grunenberg is delighted to announce “Alien Horti Picti”, a solo exhibition by Agostino Lacurci
A central theme in Agostino Lacurci’s work is metamorphosis. In his paintings, installations and monumental wall works, the Italian artist, born in 1986, breaks down ornamental and mythological motifs from the entire history of art and culture, from antiquity to modernity, into a colorful, luminous, geometric style. This reminds on the Italian postmodernism and magical realism – but also science fiction, horror, posthuman, speculative narratives.

The point of departure for Alien Horti Picti, Lacurci’s first solo exhibition at Robert Grunenberg, is his preoccupation with so-called “Invasive Alien Plants” – plants that have been introduced from other regions or climatic zones as a result of globalization, multiplying unchecked and destroying native ecosystems. To this end, in the paintings and murals of Alien Horti Picti, Lacurci creates fantastical hybrids of plant and human, with heads and limbs sprouting from symmetrically growing plants. Lacurci’s ornamental creations are meditations on strangeness, fear of the alien, the penetration of ecological, cultural, ideological systems, metamorphoses, the end of anthropocentric thinking, a new relationship between civilization and nature.

The idea of the “painted garden” is inspired by Lacurci’s fascination with the “grotesque” decor in Greco-Roman villas, rediscovered in the 15th century and extremely popular in the Renaissance and Mannerism. Lacurci transforms the ancient decor, in which flowers, fruits, vases, human bodies, chimeras and monsters merge and grow together, into the crisis-ridden 21st century – in which the anthropocentric hierarchy, in which man stands at the pinnacle of creation, must be abandoned.

The opening will be accompanied by a concert by Francesco Libetta and Giorgio Manni.

MARY J. BLIGE | STRENGTH OF A WOMAN FESTIVAL

Mary J. Blige and Pepsi proudly announce the second annual Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit in partnership with Live Nation Urban. The festival returns to the vibrant city of Atlanta, GA with four days devoted to music, comedy, female empowerment and community building between May 11th -14th, 2023. For tickets, visit: www.soawfestival.com.

Created and curated by Grammy-award-winning R&B songstress Mary J. Blige, Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit is the only festival experience in the market brought to you exclusively by an all-Black, female team and will return this spring to the hotbed for creativity and culture, Atlanta, GA. After selling out in less than 72 hours last year, the festival continues to bring what are sure to be iconic moments back to the State Farm Arena with two incredible nights of music; the #HipHop50 celebration featuring rarely-performed hits by Mary J. Blige and friends in a special MJB B-Sides set; and a special R&B night with performances by the legendary Lauryn Hill, Summer Walker, Lucky Daye, Muni Long, and more.

This year’s festival is a clear leveling-up; with an expanded footprint in the city and its programming, aiming to create even more opportunities for women and underrepresented groups to find community and joy. New to the festival this year is a special live music event with Grammy-Award winner Robert Glasper along with the Sunday night closing event, PURPOSE BALL, powered by Gilead, produced by Miss Lawrence and featuring a special performance from Saucy Santana. The PURPOSE BALL was created after connecting with friends and partners in the LGBTQAI community around how the festival could celebrate and honor their impact on popular culture especially in Atlanta. After an extremely successful launch in 2022, and the overwhelming feedback from attendees, the female-led team are set to deliver bigger, better and more impactful programming for 2023 with support from returning and new partners this year including Mielle Organics, CVS Health, and Twitch.

As a 9x Grammy Award-Winning Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Producer, Philanthropist & Global Superstar, Mary J. Blige has committed the majority of her career to amplify, empower, and give voice to BIPOC women through the art of music and truth-telling. This multi-touchpoint festival, which focuses on Music, Wellness, Tech, Beauty, and Financial Literacy is the evolution of her life’s mission and purpose.

“I’m so excited to bring our Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit back to Atlanta for its second year, ” said Mary J. Blige, Founder of Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit. “Having the opportunity to continue to uplift, inspire, and build amongst a community of women is the reason why we created this festival. I’m so grateful for all of the support from our performers and participants and of course Live Nation Urban, Pepsi and our additional partners who are committed to celebrating and creating community for Black women.”

The Strength of a Woman festival is engaging with women more than ever before and returns as the go-to destination for inspiring programming, pivotal panels, musical performances, workshops, and much more! Following the success of its debut last year, Blige, and her partners Nicole Jackson, Vice President of MJB Inc., and Marketing Maven Ashaunna Ayars of The Ayars Agency will return this May with initiatives that further empower women of the BIPOC community. The festival is dedicated to curating a safe haven for women, led and assembled by women from production to performances that sustain the festival’s inaugural blueprint.

Jackson, Mary’s long-time business partner, shared , “the popularity and impact of the inaugural Strength of a Woman Festival & Summit successfully showed how and why Black women are the blueprint for cultural relevancy and inclusion. Being able to look back and see the global reach the festival had through our livestream and billions of media impressions is confirmation that we are filling a void in the festival space. Mary, Ashaunna and myself are overjoyed to be back in Atlanta again and look forward to continued expansion in our programming and partnerships.”

Presented by Pepsi, the festival’s inaugural partner returns to support Blige and her impactful work on and off the stage in a shared mission to inspire the next generation of women. For the second annual festival, Pepsi will once again bring its powerful platform to the production and event experience as it activates throughout the festival grounds, including amplifying the musical experience for fans, elevating local women-led businesses, and more to engage the Atlanta community across the festival and summit.

“The Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit is a testament to the power of amplifying Black women and their voices starting with Mary, someone whose vision and presence has been instrumental in its success. As a brand and company rooted in celebrating culture and uplifting communities, we are thrilled to show our support and continue to provide new ways to elevate the festival experience for guests throughout the expanded weekend of activities, all while highlighting and supporting the remarkable women of the Atlanta community”, said Kent Montgomery, Senior Vice President, PepsiCo Industry Relations and Multicultural Development.

Blige and continued partners chose to return to Atlanta for the second annual event given its reputation as the mecca for young Black creatives and entrepreneurs. The festival is proud to partner with dozens of local, minority, and female-owned businesses and vendors to help cultivate the best experience for attendees. The love for Atlanta is reflected not only in the festival’s investment into the local entrepreneurial community but also in the performers and hosts for the various events taking place over the weekend.

Jordan Ward

On the heels of his buzzing debut album, FORWARD, R&B standout Jordan Ward unleashes the funk-influenced banger, “FAMJAM4000.” The song, named one of Rolling Stone’s “Songs You Need to Know,” evokes that classic 1970s R&B sound but adds a fresh contemporary feel courtesy of the track’s top-tier producers, Lido, Nascent, and Zach Ezzy. The carefree vibe translates to the song’s music video, featuring Jordan reveling in his Black boy joy in his hometown of St. Louis.

Keeping the momentum going, Jordan Ward also proudly announces his first headlining tour, The FORWARD Tour. The trek begins May 3 in Atlanta and includes shows in some of the biggest music markets, including Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles and his native St. Louis. Fans will also have many more chances to catch Jordan on the road this spring. He’s currently supporting JID and Smino on their Luv Is 4Ever Tour, which wraps March 29. Days later, he’ll take the stage at the legendary Dreamville Festival in North Carolina (April 2) on an all-star lineup featuring J. Cole, Drake, Summer Walker, Burna Boy and more.

The new announcements cap a milestone week for Jordan Ward and FORWARD, which has earned widespread acclaim. Okayplayer celebrated the album’s “refreshing” sound and highlighted Jordan’s “knack for unique sounds is also showcased on this well-produced compilation,” while Vibe praised, “the newcomer asserts himself as a force to reckon with.” Billboard called the album cut “PRICETAG/BEVERLYWOOD” the “Freshest Find” of the week as the No. 1 most exciting track among the newest R&B and hip-hop releases.

FORWARD delivers on the promise that has made Jordan Ward one of the most encouraging and anticipated breakthrough acts of 2023. Drawing influences ranging from old-school funk, alternative rock and hip-hop, FORWARD sees Jordan Ward elevate and expand the genre and all its potential. Album highlights include the Joony collaboration “IDC,” hailed as an “utterly relatable funky anthem,” “WHITE CROCS,” with rising rapper and fellow St. Louis native Ryan Trey and the flirtatious “CHERIMOYA,” which Complex spotlighted and acclaimed, “Bringing words to life through music is a special talent, which is why you should be paying attention to Ward.” The 14-track album is executive produced by Lido, whose credits include collaborations with Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Chance the Rapper, Ella Mai, Halsey, Smino and more.

FORWARD, too, holds layers of significance for its creator. “FORWARD, not only pushing our sound and creativity, but pushing to evolve and break cycles” Jordan says of his album’s name. “FOR WARD, a dedication to my family and our future. FOUR-WARD, my fourth project, but also a FOREWORD in my story being the debut album!”

THE MATTRESS FACTORY

The Mattress Factory announces the opening of three new distinct exhibitions in the Museum’s Monterey Annex from artists Lenka Clayton & Phillip Andrew Lewis, Lydia Rosenberg, and Katie Bullock.

These four artists – whose works form a cohesive yet unintentional connection – were selected by 2021 Regional Open Call Visiting Curator Denise Markonish, Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA.

Over the duration of collaborative duo Lenka Clayton and Phillip Andrew Lewis’s The Museum Collects Itself, the trash generated by the normal operations of the Mattress Factory Museum will be redirected – stored, catalogued and displayed within the Monterey Annex Gallery – instead of being thrown away. The gallery will begin as a blank white space and will slowly fill up with the discarded materials of all aspects of institutional activities, which may include production waste from art installations, administrative office debris, deinstalled artworks, educational workshop materials, museum visitor detritus, obsolete office technology, among other things.

By collecting 10-months of trash with involvement from the entire staff of the museum, Clayton and Lewis make cultural waste evident while aestheticizing the discarded – sorting, baling, and piling into the gallery, as visitors traverse the material via diminishing pathways. After dunes of garbage and rubbish pile up to manifest in a behind the scenes “self-portrait” of the museum’s functionality, the gallery ends as it started: empty.

In Do this while I wait, Lydia Rosenberg presents a series of sculptures initially described in her ongoing project of writing a novel-as-sculpture. The project concentrates on the character of Annette, an artist who spends as much time making objects as she does listening to guided meditations, that in turn creates a narrative in which domestic cleaning objects are the key to decluttering her mental landscape.

At the Mattress Factory, Rosenberg exhibits the objects that fictional Annette has been making. The objects are hybrids, much like Annette: shredded books or cast crow’s feet become broom bristles, a lamp becomes formless, a pillowcase becomes a bucket, and ceramic spaghetti turns into a mop. These transmutations get at the heart of how we tend to care for objects rather than ourselves or other humans and how this is further complicated when the imaginary becomes material and vice versa.

For As Seen From the Surface, Katie Bullock brings her ongoing archive to life – projecting small videos interspersed with diagrammatic drawings brought from books and her videos/photographs, all in a geometric pattern. These galleries function as both observatory and library, offering the opportunity for Bullock to tell us her stories and to merge the personal with the universal.

Together the elements form a new cabinet of curiosities for the infinitesimal. There is symmetry in seeing the videos and drawings together as they tell a story of experience followed by the sometimes fruitless need to understand what just occurred. The shimmering graphite of the drawings catch the light, while the vellum’s transparency and buoyancy allow them to flutter as we pass by. This collection will grow throughout the life of the show to include experiences from Bullock’s time living in Pittsburgh.

The exhibitions will be on view through December 30, 2023.

Biggie Mosaic Unveiling

There will be a mosaic unveiling event in recognition of the 26th Memorial date of the passing of Biggie Smalls. The event will also highlight the importance of the eradication of gun violence.

Biggie laid down the road work for the inclusion of R&B in rap to create smoother blends. Biggie, and more broadly the East Coast pushed forth the trope of authenticity and keeping it real. These aspects of his character showcased an incredible amount of authenticity. Biggie represented a person confident in their being as well as their craft.

In his songs, an example being “Big Poppa,” Biggie’s lyrics feature incredible amounts of not only place but his self-recognition as one the most notorious, and the biggest and baddest on the scene. His ability to be unapologetically himself in regards to his art influenced not only other artists, but rap as a whole. His patterns of self reference and the usage of Hip Hop culture would become huge as the late 90’s rolled around.

The release of ‘Notorious B.I.G’ following Biggie’s death utilized not only reference of Biggie lyrics, but in a spiritual way transcends death and living to bring back Biggie’s legacy, and celebrate his life through the republishing of his song. The ability for Hip Hop trends to circulate and repeat is wholly beautiful. The inspirations of Biggie that remain in the industry today, allow artists to appreciate the past and Biggie’s contributions to rap today.

Artists : CARLOS PINTO, JOHN SEAR, CURATOR OF CHRISTOPHER WALLACE WAY / BIG STREET ART GALLERY – LEROY MCCARTHY of HETERODOXX INC.

Heterodoxx Inc. has been working with Sen. Schumer, Rep. Jeffries, others in Washington D.C., and locally / nationally politicians over the years to formally honor Hip Hop.

When: THURSDAY, MARCH 9TH, 2023; 10 AM UNTIL 10:45 AM; RAIN OR SHINE

Where: KEY FOOD Supermarket, 991 Fulton Street, at St. James & Fulton, Christopher Wallace