2019 Super Bowl (Atlanta) Half Time act is...Maroon 5 Update: WTF Kaepernick dedication?

Travis Scott said Ferguson’s Mike Brown ‘probably deserved consequences’

https://www.bgol.us/forum/threads/travis-scott-said-ferguson’s-mike-brown-‘probably-deserved-consequences’.1032522/#post-19619948

https://rollingout.com/2018/12/23/t...ns-mike-brown-probably-deserved-consequences/

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People were surprised when Houston-based rapper Travis Scott bucked popular sentiment and accepted the NFL’s offer to perform during their halftime show when other Black artists turned them down.



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But if you listen to Travis Scott’s interview from 2014 and his stance on Mike Brown, who was gunned down by police in Ferguson, Missouri, sparking nationwide protests, you can probably get clued into his mindset.

Twitter users uncovered Scott’s 2014 Hot97 interview in which he discussed his views on the Mike Brown situation and Black people in general.


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Scott, 26, the boyfriend of Kylie Jenner, 21, and the father of her child, told radio host Ebro how he felt about how Ferguson jumped off and how hip-hop affects youth culture.

“I’m kind of angry; so many Black people are acting like fake activists … I’m not saying [Mike Brown] deserved to get killed. But I’m not saying that he didn’t deserve to pay for consequences he probably inflicted,” Scott said.

Scott added that “the problem with Black people” is there always has to be a “disruption” when something like the Ferguson situation happens.

“And I know we’re like ‘fed up’ quote/un-quote, with whatever is going on in culture…but at the same time, you gotta just stop putting yourself in positions where you’re continuously having this situation go down,” said Scott.

Scott also discussed the impact rappers are having on kids and how Kanye West has tried to “tailor” Black people and revolutionize young people’s dress codes. Scott went on to say that hip-hop artists such as Kid Cudi, Tyler The Creator and Young Thug are using their craft to teach the younger generation, unlike the majority of older artist he says “front” and use kids as profit sources to “fund their lives.”

In regards to West, Scott said, “Let’s get people out of baggy pants and put them in fitted clothes…let’s tailor Black people up, so we don’t look all hood.”

Now that you understand his mindset from four years ago, does it surprise you anymore that Scott chose to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show — despite major opposition from superstar musicians?

What do you make of Scott’s mindset? Listen on the next page to see where he really stands. He begins discussing Mike Brown and Black political protests at about the 15-minute mark:

 
WARRICK DUNNNFL's Travis Scott Pick??... DISAPPOINTING
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12/31/2018 12:40 AM PST

Warrick Dunn Disappointed In NFL's Travis Scott Pick, Shoulda Been An Atlanta Artist!
EXCLUSIVE
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OPPORTUNITY MISSEDTMZSports.com


Warrick Dunn says the NFL missed a huge opportunity by picking Travis Scott for its Super Bowl halftime show ... saying it shoulda been an Atlanta artist instead.

The former Falcons RB tells TMZ Sports he's got no issues with the "SICKO MODE" rapper ... but says an ATL legend could have had a much bigger impact during the SB show.

"Atlanta has its own unique feel," Dunn says.

Warrick tells us the plan from the start shoulda been to have Outkast be the headliner -- with other ATL music legends like T.I. and Jermaine Dupri joining them on stage.

"You show them the flavor of the history of all the great music that was produced that helped propel young careers today."

Dunn added that show could have "Showed America what really good music could be."

As for Travis Scott ... Dunn says he doesn't blame the guy for accepting the NFL's offer in the wake of the the Colin Kaepernick drama -- saying it was a good business move for the rapper.
 
MICHAEL B. JORDANNOT HAPPY WITH TRAVIS SCOTT NEWS... Say it Ain't So, Bro!!!
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12/22/2018 1:40 PM PST

Michael B. Jordan Hopes Travis Scott's Not Really Performing at SB Halftime Show
EXCLUSIVE
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GOTTA STICK TOGETHERTMZ.com


Michael B. Jordan really doesn't want to believe Travis Scott's joining Maroon 5 for the Super Bowl 53 Halftime Show ... because he thinks it goes against what Trav should be standing for.

Much like Al Sharpton -- who flat out called Scott a hypocrite when we talked to him -- Jordan implies Travis is betraying the boycott against the NFL for how it's treated Colin Kaepernick and its handling of the kneeling controversy.

MBJ says, "We're still trying to stand behind something right now," and suggests by taking the Super Bowl gig ... the rapper's setting the cause back.

The 'Creed' star's still holding out hope it's just a rumor, though ... but as far as we know, it's totally legit.

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So were we mad at the NFL for not booking Atlanta Hip Hop acts or did we not want hip hop acts at all to perform in solidarity with Kap? This seemed like a no win for anyone in hip hop.

And are we mad at the Bud Light Superbowl Concert Series going on across the street from the stadium? That includes Cardi B, Bruno Mars, Ludacris etc. They are supporting the NFL by providing entertainment for those coming into town for the game. They may be getting paid but that shouldn't mean more than the cause and standing with Kap. This doesn't even include JD's events.

https://www.superbowlmusicfest.com

Either way, to someone else's point, this will be a lower ratings year for the Superbowl this year unless its really a premium game like Saints and Patriots. If the Colts or Chargers slide in there, the rating will take a beating off that alone
 
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It's all white people at Travis Scot concerts he doesn't give a shit about black folks. He will get his wake up call once the kardashians are done with him
 
Travis Scott and NFL to Donate $500,000 to Non-Profit Ahead of Super Bowl Performance
By JEM ASWAD

Jem Aswad
Senior Music Editor@jemaswadFOLLOW
Jem's Most Recent Stories
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UPDATED: Travis Scott today announced that in partnership with the National Football League, he will make a $500,000 donation to the non-profit organization Dream Corps, among “other initiatives that he will work with the League on.” The move is clearly designed to counter criticism over his appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show with Maroon 5 — which was finally confirmed, after weeks of speculation, precisely 30 minutes after Scott announced the donation on Sunday. Sources tell Variety that Black Lives Matter and other nonprofits may be receiving donations as well, although reps for those organizations either said they had not heard from Scott’s team or did not respond to requests for comment.

Both acts, particularly Scott, have come under fierce criticism in recent weeks because performing during the game — which is the biggest global stage for a musician, with an estimated 100 million viewers —is effectively an endorsement of the NFL’s treatment of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The league’s stance toward the athlete, who has not played professionally since his controversial stance to “take a knee” during the National Anthem before games, has polarized audiences and significantly complicated this year’s halftime performance, among many other issues. Sources tell Variety that Maroon 5 spent weeks trying to confirm an act of color to perform with them.

Scott nodded to this situation in a statement announcing the donation. “I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” he said. “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”

Dream Corps, founded by founded by CNN commentator Van Jones in 2014, has a broadly defined mission “to help cutting-edge initiatives grow big enough to impact millions of lives. Our slogan is ‘21st-century jobs, not jails.’ We support economic, environmental and criminal justice innovators – all under one roof. Our shared platform helps leaders create synergies, leapfrog obstacles and maximize impact. Every day, we are reshaping “what’s possible” in the field of social justice.”
 
Travis Scott and NFL to Donate $500,000 to Non-Profit Ahead of Super Bowl Performance
By JEM ASWAD

Jem Aswad
Senior Music Editor@jemaswadFOLLOW
Jem's Most Recent Stories
VIEW ALL
travis-scott-2018.jpg

UPDATED: Travis Scott today announced that in partnership with the National Football League, he will make a $500,000 donation to the non-profit organization Dream Corps, among “other initiatives that he will work with the League on.” The move is clearly designed to counter criticism over his appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show with Maroon 5 — which was finally confirmed, after weeks of speculation, precisely 30 minutes after Scott announced the donation on Sunday. Sources tell Variety that Black Lives Matter and other nonprofits may be receiving donations as well, although reps for those organizations either said they had not heard from Scott’s team or did not respond to requests for comment.

Both acts, particularly Scott, have come under fierce criticism in recent weeks because performing during the game — which is the biggest global stage for a musician, with an estimated 100 million viewers —is effectively an endorsement of the NFL’s treatment of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The league’s stance toward the athlete, who has not played professionally since his controversial stance to “take a knee” during the National Anthem before games, has polarized audiences and significantly complicated this year’s halftime performance, among many other issues. Sources tell Variety that Maroon 5 spent weeks trying to confirm an act of color to perform with them.

Scott nodded to this situation in a statement announcing the donation. “I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” he said. “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”

Dream Corps, founded by founded by CNN commentator Van Jones in 2014, has a broadly defined mission “to help cutting-edge initiatives grow big enough to impact millions of lives. Our slogan is ‘21st-century jobs, not jails.’ We support economic, environmental and criminal justice innovators – all under one roof. Our shared platform helps leaders create synergies, leapfrog obstacles and maximize impact. Every day, we are reshaping “what’s possible” in the field of social justice.”

WTF?!???!

ONLY #500K?????
 
Travis Scott Consulted With Colin Kaepernick Before Confirming Super Bowl Appearance (EXCLUSIVE)
By JEM ASWAD

Jem Aswad
Senior Music Editor@jemaswadFOLLOW
Jem's Most Recent Stories
VIEW ALL
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CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK
News that Travis Scott would be performing with Maroon 5 at the Super Bowl first leaked out in December, but three weeks passed before the performance was officially announced. That announcement only came after Scott announced that he and the NFL would donate $500,000 to the non-profit social-justice organization Dream Corps. The move was clearly intended to blunt the criticism Maroon 5 and particularly Scott had received for performing at the game, due largely to the league’s treatment of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has essentially been banished from professional football for taking a knee during the pre-game performances of the national anthem, a move many feel is based in racism.

Scott and Kaepernick had at least one phone conversation before the rapper confirmed his Super Bowl appearance, sources tell Variety. A source close to Scott said that while the two did not necessarily agree, they emerged from the conversation with mutual respect and understanding, with the rapper taking the stance that everyone makes a statement in their own way and he felt that the money going toward Dream Corps, combined with the platform provided by the Super Bowl, will do some good. The source also said that Scott would not confirm his performance until the donation was locked in

Reps for Kaepernick and Scott declined Variety‘s requests for comment.

The comments were similar to the ones Scott made in his statement announcing the donation. “I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” he said. “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”

After the three performers were confirmed, a petition helmed by Change.org demanding that Maroon 5 cancel their performance, which had collected nearly 85,000 signatures, was updated to request that all three take a knee during the halftime performance. “It appears these artists aren’t backing out at this point. So now what?,” the petition reads. “There’s one way they can still redeem their reputation with their fans. Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi: take a knee during your set.”

Scott came under intense criticism almost immediately after word of his halftime-show appearance leaked: Sources said Jay-Z was attempting to talk him out of it, and both rapper Meek Mill and the Rev. Al Sharpton publicly criticized him for it. “I think anyone that goes into the halftime show is in effect directly violating those that want to raise the question that the NFL should come to terms with what they have done and continue to do to Colin Kaepernick and those that protest on criminal justice issues,” Sharpton said.

Dream Corps, founded by founded by CNN commentator Van Jones in 2014, has a broadly defined mission “to help cutting-edge initiatives grow big enough to impact millions of lives. Our slogan is ‘21st-century jobs, not jails.’ We support economic, environmental and criminal justice innovators – all under one roof. Our shared platform helps leaders create synergies, leapfrog obstacles and maximize impact. Every day, we are reshaping “what’s possible” in the field of social justice.”


The organization has a close affiliation with Kim Kardashian West, sister of Kylie Jenner with whom Scott shares a daughter. Contributing to Variety last fall, Kardashian West hailed Jones for “[creating] opportunities for people who have been wronged by our flawed justice system.” The two traveled together with Dream Corps to the White House last fall to speak to President Donald Trump, a meeting that resulted in clemency being granted to 63-year-old Alice Marie Johnson, who had served 22 years of a life sentence for a non-violent drug offense. Kardashian had cited Johnson’s case in her advocacy for sentencing reform.

As for the Super Bowl, former Outkast member Big Boi, an Atlanta native who was long reported to be in talks for the performance, will also appear following weeks of outreach to various acts of color to perform with Maroon 5, and it is perhaps no coincidence that all three artists appearing on the halftime show are affiliated with the same management company, Full Stop.
 
NFL and Maroon 5 cancel press conference ahead of Super Bowl halftime show

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Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
BRIANNE TRACY

January 30, 2019 at 12:29 PM EST
Unlike years past, the NFL will forego holding a press conference with their 2019 Super Bowl halftime show headliners Maroon 5 ahead of the big show.

A representative for the NFL told PEOPLE in a statement on Tuesday, “Maroon 5 has been working hard on a Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show that will meet and exceed the standards of this event. As it is about music, the artists will let their show do the talking as they prepare to take the stage this Sunday.”

“Starting with the Pepsi Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show announcement, we began a cross-platform rollout of behind-the-scenes footage and content from each of the halftime performers,” the statement continued. “Instead of hosting a press conference, this social and digital media rollout will continue through Sunday across our owned and operated media assets as well as through the platforms of the artists.”

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In years past, former headlining acts like Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Katy Perry have all participated in the customary press conference before the show.

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On Tuesday morning, Maroon 5, the NFL and Interscope Records announced their decision to make a $500,000 contribution to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America ahead of the halftime performance, which will take place on Feb. 3 this year.

“Playing the Super Bowl has been a dream of our band for a long time,” frontman Adam Levine said in a statement. “We thank the NFL for the opportunity and also to them, along with Interscope Records, for making this donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, which will have a major impact for children across the country.”

As part of the NFL’s #InspireChange social justice initiative, their commitment will help to create positive social changes for youth in communities across the country.

Maroon 5’s decision to donate comes two weeks after fellow halftime act Travis Scott revealed that he had agreed to sign on for the high-profile event on the condition that the NFL would join him in a joint donation to a charitable cause. In partnership with the league, the “Sicko Mode” rapper will make a $500,000 contribution to Dream Corps, a non-profit organization that champions social justice.

“I back anyone who takes a stand for what they believe in,” Scott previously said in a statement. “I know being an artist that it’s in my power to inspire. So before confirming the Super Bowl Halftime performance, I made sure to partner with the NFL on this important donation. I am proud to support Dream Corps and the work they do that will hopefully inspire and promote change.”

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This year, the halftime show has ignited a cultural firestorm as many fans asked would-be performers to back out of the event to support Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who started the #TakeAKnee movement to protest racial injustices.

Rapper Big Boi will also join Maroon 5 — which, along with Levine, consists of band members PJ Morton, James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, Matt Flynn and Sam Farrar — and Scott for the halftime performance.

Maroon 5’s 2019 Super Bowl LIII Pepsi Halftime Show airs Feb. 3 on CBS, and the 61st Grammy Awards will take place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 10. The telecast will be broadcast live on CBS at 8 p.m. EST
 
Cardi B Says She Declined ‘a Lot of Money’ to Perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show
By Devon Ivie@devonsaysrelax
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Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Sunday evening will bring forth the strange sonic medley of Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, a decision that didn’t come lightly for all of the musicians. Confirming she was offered to make that Halftime trio a quartet, Cardi B explained during a new Associated Press interview that she, after some reflection, declined the opportunity to perform, owing to the “mixed feelings” she still harbors to the NFL after the Colin Kaepernick controversy. “My husband [Offset], he loves football. His kids play football. It’s really hard for him,” she explained. “He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can’t go to the Super Bowl, because he’s got to stand for something. You have to sacrifice that. You got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there’s a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him.”

However, Cardi is planning on hosting a Super Bowl soirée in Atlanta, and doesn’t give a shit if you think it’s a hypercritical decision. “I hear people saying, Oh, y’all are saying all this stuff about the Super Bowl, but you’re doing all these parties. And it’s like, well, if the NFL could benefit off from us, then I’m going to benefit off y’all,” she said. “Y’all make the most money off our people. Why am I not going to take advantage of y’all and take money from y’all too? Because of y’all, we are getting these parties. Okay, thank you.” Perhaps the most strategic money move of them all is … revenge.
 
Maroon 5’s Super Bowl Performance Was Safe and Cloying
By Craig Jenkins@CraigSJ
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Adam Levine. Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images

It’s weird to hear the Super Bowl halftime show refer to itself as one of the biggest nights in music. The NFL doesn’t carry the same luster that it used to. Years of mishandling moral quandaries about players’ mental health and wellness, domestic-violence policy, and players’ right to protest have, at times, turned American football into a political battleground, more a representation of irreconcilable differences than an opportunity for a country to come together as a united front. People are souring on the game as it refuses to adapt to changing times. As viewers’ allegiances divide, it increasingly falls to the halftime special to award the night a measure of togetherness. Every year, the NFL offers up access to one of the largest television viewing audiences of the year in exchange for a moment’s alignment with A-list pop-star savvy. For a while, there was value in using the space as a bully pulpit, as Beyoncé did when she marched her dancers out onto the field in Black Panther gear and rankled a portion of the country just by being loudly, proudly black on television, and as Lady Gaga did in her disruptively LGBTQ-friendly performance of “Born This Way.” The more tenuous the league’s grasp on politics gets, the harder it is to find good talent willing to align itself with a brand that seems tarnished. This is how we get a Maroon 5 halftime show.

Now, give a hardworking SoCal rock band its flowers. Maroon 5 outstripped and outlasted nearly every other act in the sentimental adult-contemporary bro-pop wave it washed in on. Cruise the shelves of any college dorm room in 2004, and you were likely to find a copy of Room for Squares, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, or Songs About Jane, epochal slabs of note-perfect Ken doll soul that nudged a certain brand of 20th-century stoic into greater command of its emotions (or at least the appearance of it). While their contemporaries followed their muses off the beaten path, Maroon 5 stuck it out in the middle of the road, coasting on singer Adam Levine’s beautiful voice and face for television and the band’s knack for a sun-kissed melody and a dab of funk and disco. In 2019, Maroon 5 is a mercenary, almost infernally effective singles band whose successes stick with the gory determination music critics forget about when they call a song an “earworm.” The misses sound like made-for-television rom-com soundtrack music, like bad parodies of the real thing. Maroon 5 is like salted peanuts. You get a taste for ‘em sometimes, and then you get enough in your system to remember the blandness of the aftertaste.

clever fan tweet). The marching band and gospel choir that came out during “Girl Like You” — because Cardi B declined an invitation to do her verse from the remix — blew Levine out on his own stage. Big Boi and Sleepy Brown’s brief run through OutKast’s “The Way You Move” made the marquee act’s funk feel light in the britches. The hometown hero crashing a hokey laser light rehash of “She Will Be Loved” to the tune of “Kryptonite (I’m on It)” was the coolest moment in the 15-minute spectacle.

The guests felt like saves, but they also punctuated how safe and frankly cloying of a choice Maroon 5 was for this moment. In a showcase for a league haggled by the sense that it does not value its players’ issues off the field, Maroon 5 gave the NFL the one thing it wants the most: razzle-dazzle without politics. The peace-and-love display overhead during “She Will Be Loved” was pat. The most controversial flourish was Big Boi getting an “ATL, hoe!” chant past censors. It’s fine for this band to not have a prickly political bone in its body. It’s not okay to cross a picket line and act like no one’s fighting. Maroon 5 took a gig several performers have expressed reasonable reservations about and opted to “move on from it and speak through the music.” But the music didn’t say much. The “moves” didn’t hold a candle to Jagger. Thing is, in divided times, “no comment” is a comment. Playing this show as dryly and safely as Maroon 5 did was a scab gesture. One hopes the exposure they were paid in is worth the respect they stand to lose.
 
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AP
Cardi B waded into the cola wars, A-Rod worked for peanuts, and half of Hollywood got hosed by Amazon in this year’s star-studded Super Bowl ad crop.

The highly anticipated commercials also included Jeff Bridges and Sarah Jessica Parker reprising their roles as The Dude and Carrie Bradshaw, crooner Michael Bublé embracing his inner vandal, Michael C. Hall jumping to Broadway, and rock icon Bob Dylan lending his music to a beer ad.

And the message was clear, according to a team of top ad execs assembled by The Post: Star power is front and center in Madison Avenue’s playbook these days.

“Borrowed equity is still the go-to this year, from Bublé to insert-any-celeb-who-fit-into-the-budget-range,” quipped Decoded Advertising chief creative officer David Weinstock.

“It seems like the only answer to ‘How can we make this big?’ is the Screen Actors Guild.”

1

Pepsi
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When a customer is bummed to learn a diner serves Pepsi and not Coke, Steve Carell tries to remind her Pepsi is “more than OK.”

The always awkward “Office” star struggles to convince her, then gets a big assist from Lil Jon, known for turning “Okaaaay” into a catchphrase, and Cardi B, who perfects it with her infectious “Okurr.”

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the outrageous Cardi is toting around a gem-studded Pepsi can.

The “More than OK” ad “was superb, featuring an impressive, star-studded lineup with some fan favorites,” said Refinery29 head of advertising Ashley Miles.

It even converted the haters.

“Let’s be clear: I hate Pepsi,” said ARGONAUT Inc. chief creative officer Hunter Hindman. “But this ad is really good. And it will remind me the next time I’m disappointed when a place doesn’t have Coke that I’ll be kind of excited to be reluctantly drinking the Pepsi.”

RATING: 4/4

2

Coke
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Coke’s animated spot depicts people from all walks of life sipping the soda while reminding us that the cola’s time-honored recipe is a constant in a world where “different is beautiful.”

“Beautiful message wrapped in one of the most artfully forgettable wrappers,” Hindman said. “As someone who worked on Coca-Cola for years, it saddens me to see the brand lose its way — especially when their competition [Pepsi] just slayed them.”

RATING: 2/4

3

Bubly
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The Pepsi-owned seltzer brand Bubly proves a little twist adds a lot of flavor with its ad featuring crooner Michael Bublé, who gets busted by a shopkeeper for changing the “y” on cans of Bubly so they say “Bublé.”

“While this isn’t my cup of tea, I could see this being a big hit in the American Super Bowl. It might be the perfect intersection between brand name and celebrity endorsement,” Hindman said.

RATING: 2/4

4

Amazon
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Amazon pokes fun at its global ubiquity with its “Makes the Cut” ad, which depicts fantastical Alexa-equipped technology backfiring with big-name actors and two NASA astronauts.

The ad starts innocently enough, with Forest Whitaker’s Alexa-enabled electric toothbrush playing muffled podcasts, and escalates when Harrison Ford’s Boston terrier starts using its Alexa dog collar to order pallets of pet food.

Soon, “Broad City” comedians Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson are getting ejected from an Alexa-equipped hot tub — while NASA twins Mark and Scott Kelly cause worldwide blackouts when they try to use Alexa on the International Space Station.

“It’s an interesting Jetson-esque strategy: ‘You know that ridiculous thing you don’t need that we’re trying to sell you? Well, it could have been waaaaay worse,’ ” Weinstock said.

Leeann Leahy, CEO of The Via Agency, added, “This is a great piece of work. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and yet it manages to clearly communicate the constant innovation and increasing ubiquity of the product.’’

A second Amazon spot, titled “Beta System,” ramps up the hype for the company’s forthcoming “beta testing program” by taking a page from “Pulp Fiction.” The ad — shot from the perspective inside an attaché case — shows Whitaker, Ford and crew opening the case and being bathed in a mysterious blue glow as Alexa greets them by name and says, “Welcome to the Amazon beta testing program.”

RATING: 4/4

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Planters
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Apparently, the $410 million that retired Yankee Alex Rodriguez raked in during his career wasn’t enough — so now, he’s shilling for shells in Planter’s Peanuts’ “Mr. Peanut Is Always There in Crunch Time.”

The spot opens on the anthropomorphic legume racing down the street in a peanut-shaped van.

The monocled mascot screeches to a halt in A-Rod’s driveway and slo-mo dives into the living room — just in time to replace a bowl of kale chips with a can of mixed nuts as the ex-slugger goes in for a bite.

RATING: 3/4

6

Skittles
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Skittles scored an unexpected win with TV’s “Dexter,” Michael C. Hall, kvetching to his therapist about how he doesn’t want to be in “Skittles the Musical” — until the big reveal, when the house lights come up, an audience starts cheering, and it becomes evident the whole scene was part of a Broadway performance.

“It’s audaciously interesting. The first truly original and surprising twist on a Super Bowl ad,” Hindman said.

A second spot, purporting to be a music video for the “full cast recording” of “Advertising Ruins Everything” from “Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical,” features a montage of Hall and a theater troupe working out their parts for the faux musical.

“The meta-ness of this Skittles ad is on point,” Weinstock said. “They say write what you know. So I appreciate that this non-apology-letter mash-up of inside baseball and audience sentiment is scripted to music. It’s worth the minute forty-one.”

RATING: 4/4

7

Stella Artois
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Sarah Jessica Parker and Jeff Bridges show that long-ago roles are still marketable when they returned to the screen as their beloved characters from TV’s “Sex and the City” and the flick “The Big Lebowski” for Stella Artois’ ad “Change Up The Usual.”

They saunter into a fancy restaurant, but they forswear their signature cosmopolitans and white Russians in favor of a Stell, as the string quartet plays the themes from “Sex and the City” and Bob Dylan’s “The Man in Me” from Bridges’ Coen Brothers flick.

The pair shares a knowing glance as they offer cheers to the Belgian Pilsner.

“Similar to the guilty pleasure of an epically produced pop song, this ad is a shamelessly fun romp down pop-culture memory lane. The Dude abides,” Hindman said.

RATING: 2/4

8

Budweiser
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Swedish drink conglomerate InBev shoots for Norman Rockwell levels of American sentimentality in its environmentally focused Budweiser ad, “Wind Never Felt Better.”

The sepia-tinged spot opens with a Dalmatian with ears flapping in the breeze as Bob Dylan’s seminal protest song “Blowin’ in the Wind” swirls in the background. The camera pans out to reveal an old-timey, Clydesdale-drawn carriage ferrying cases of Bud through a wind-tousled wheat field.

The final reveal: The field is actually a wind farm, as Budweiser touts its use of wind power “for a better tomorrow.”

Ad execs lauded Budweiser, a mainstay of Super Bowl TV, for focusing on stewardship rather than the product itself.

“It was great to see an iconic beer brand show up so strongly as a mission-based brand while staying true to the heritage of Budweiser. Nice choice of music, too,” said Refinery29 Chief Client Officer Ashley Miles.

RATING: 3/4

9

Devour
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The experts threw red flags on frozen food maker Devour’s “Food Porn” spot — in which a woman complains her husband is addicted to “frozen food porn.”

The scurrilous hubby scarfs down microwave mac and cheese as his wife finds food magazines with stuck-together pages and discarded napkins under the couple’s bed.

“This is literally one of the most tasteless ads I’ve seen in a long time,” Hindman said. “But I guiltily laughed out loud, horrified by the innuendo, and that doesn’t happen often.”

RATING: 1/4
 
you definitely heard their music on a commercial or elevator or mall...

they have a following..

I know of them just cause...I know of them.

They a take it or leave it type of group

but they got a very loyal fan base.

They hit that sweet spot on pop radio. Not good enough to enjoy, but not bad enough to change the station.
 
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001021425/article/nfl-big-boi-contribute-100000-to-king-center




https://www.complex.com/music/2019/03/big-boi-nfl-donate-to-martin-luther-jr-center




https://thehollywoodunlocked.com/big-boi-nfl-donate-100k-mlk-center/










  • National Football League
  • Published: March 7, 2019 at 01:22 p.m.





As part of the NFL's #InspireChange social justice initiative, the NFL and Big Boi's commitment of $100,000 to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change will further the education and training principles, philosophy and methods of Dr. King's nonviolence movement.

The King Center has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over 50 years. The King Center is dedicated to ensuring that the King legacy not only remains relevant and viable but is effectively leveraged for positive social impact.

The entire NFL family is committed to conversations and actions that move us towards a more equal and just tomorrow. Inspire Change showcases how NFL players, clubs, and the league are joining together to create positive change in communities across America, helping ensure that equal opportunity becomes a reality for all.
 
Cardi B Says She Declined ‘a Lot of Money’ to Perform the Super Bowl Halftime Show
By Devon Ivie@devonsaysrelax
23-cardi-b.w330.h330.jpg

Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for iHeartMedia

Sunday evening will bring forth the strange sonic medley of Maroon 5, Travis Scott, and Big Boi at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, a decision that didn’t come lightly for all of the musicians. Confirming she was offered to make that Halftime trio a quartet, Cardi B explained during a new Associated Press interview that she, after some reflection, declined the opportunity to perform, owing to the “mixed feelings” she still harbors to the NFL after the Colin Kaepernick controversy. “My husband [Offset], he loves football. His kids play football. It’s really hard for him,” she explained. “He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can’t go to the Super Bowl, because he’s got to stand for something. You have to sacrifice that. You got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there’s a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him.”

However, Cardi is planning on hosting a Super Bowl soirée in Atlanta, and doesn’t give a shit if you think it’s a hypercritical decision. “I hear people saying, Oh, y’all are saying all this stuff about the Super Bowl, but you’re doing all these parties. And it’s like, well, if the NFL could benefit off from us, then I’m going to benefit off y’all,” she said. “Y’all make the most money off our people. Why am I not going to take advantage of y’all and take money from y’all too? Because of y’all, we are getting these parties. Okay, thank you.” Perhaps the most strategic money move of them all is … revenge.
:lol: She didnt perform at the super bowl, just the super bowl party the night before.
 
'I couldn’t be a sellout': Rihanna says she turned down Super Bowl over Kaepernick
  • Star was approached about February’s halftime show
  • Rihanna also attacks Donald Trump in Vogue interview
Guardian sport
Wed 9 Oct 2019 12.30 EDTLast modified on Wed 9 Oct 2019 12.48 EDT
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Rihanna: ‘I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people’. Photograph: Steve Cho/Penta Press/REX/Shutterstock

Rihanna has confirmed she turned down the chance to headline February’s Super Bowl halftime show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.
In 2016, quarterback Kaepernick started to kneel for the pre-game national anthem in protest at racial injustice in the United States. He has been out of the NFL since leaving the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, and he later settled a case with the league in which he alleged he had been blackballed by team owners for his protests.


In an interview with Vogue published online on Wednesday, Rihanna was asked whether she had turned down the Super Bowl in solidarity with Kaepernick. “Absolutely,” she said. “I couldn’t dare do that. For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”
February’s show was instead headlined by Maroon 5, who garnered underwhelming reviews for their performance. Cardi B was also approached to headline the show but turned down the chance as a show of support for Kaepernick.

In the interview with Vogue, Rihanna also addressed the treatment of mass shootings in the US. “It is devastating,” she told the magazine. “People are being murdered by war weapons that they legally purchase. This is just not normal. That should never, ever be normal. And the fact that it’s classified as something different because of the color of their skin? It’s a slap in the face. It’s completely racist.” She added: “Put an Arab man with that same weapon in that same Walmart and there is no way that Trump would sit there and address it publicly as a mental health problem. The most mentally ill human being in America right now seems to be the president.”
 
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