| No Images? Click here   The release of a Kanye West album has long been an event, a musical moment worthy of grabbing a snack and settling in to listen. I did just that in 2010 when “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” dropped. I remember scurrying away to my room so that I could immerse myself in the warped harmonizing of the album’s intro track, “Dark Fantasy,” as it evolved into a gospel-inspired, piano-driven, bass-laden beat. I remember nodding my head, drawn into the album’s wave, until the tide shifted with “Gorgeous.” Once again, I was forced to reckon with society’s mentally taxing mistreatment of black folks working to succeed. The lyrics let me know that I should do what I need to do to get where I want to go, regardless of what white folks say. Then the album threw me into “POWER,” reasserting that I should know my worth, that the world was mine, that I’m “so fucking gifted.” Kanye always said what he meant, and his candor boosted the self-esteem of me and many other black kids. I have friends who agree that his body of work — mainly his first two studio albums, “The College Dropout” and “Late Registration” — helped them navigate or mentally escape difficult times in their youth. His music was worth something. It meant something.  In case you missed it
 What's trending Nicki Minaj knows she doesn’t need a man to be successful.The rapper spoke with Elle for the magazine’s July cover issue, discussing her work ethic, her alleged beef with Cardi B and her upcoming album, “Queen,” due out in August.Minaj, 35, has already been widely praised for “Chun-Li” and “Barbie Tingz,” her first two singles off the highly anticipated album. She said much of her success and sound can be attributed to being single. London Breed will not be the first female mayor of San Francisco. (That was Democrat Dianne Feinstein, in 1978.) Nor will she be the first black mayor of the city. (Democrat Willie Brown claims that title.) After her victory on Wednesday ― after a full week of ballot counting ― Breed will be the first San Francisco mayor to combine those two identities. She will ascend to the mayor’s office at a precipitous time: Some of the city’s natives feel their historically diverse home becoming less and less so. For longtime black residents, a shortage of affordable housing and accessible jobs, combined with a skyrocketing cost of living driven by Silicon Valley’s affluent startup crowd, has put strain on the community. Many have left.
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