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“Just Mercy” Movie Will Bring You to Tears

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020Danii Gold

Over the weekend, the story of Walter “Johnny D” McMillian was told in theaters starring Jamie Foxx and Michael B Jordan. Based on a true story, Johnny D was wrongfully accused and charged with killing an 18 year old white woman in 1986 in Monroeville, Alabama. The judge urged the death penalty on Johnny before a jury of white people urged a life sentence. A judge overrode the jury’s sentence and sentenced Johnny to the death penalty.

Johnny’s lawyer, the incredible Bryan Stevenson, was determined to not only prove that Johnny was innocent but other inmates as well. With Bryan being a fresh Harvard graduate, he had a lot of knowledge and determination. He quickly learned that the south was nothing to play with. They threatened him and tried to scare him away but he was bent on proving Johnny’s innocence, as well as Herbert Richardson.

Herbert was a Vietnam veteran who fought for his country but he was discharged due to psychological issues. He was from Brooklyn but eventually moved to Alabama and was still suffering trauma from the war. Due to his trauma and mental issues, he placed a bomb on a front porch that killed a young girl. He was charged with capital murder. Bryan tried to stop Herbert’s execution due to the fact that his previous lawyer did not attempt to appeal his case due to his psychological issues during and after the war. The jury failed to acknowledge that, not only was he an army vet but he suffered a mental illness and that should’ve been considered when they gave him the death penalty. He should’ve been placed in a mental ward for life versus getting the death penalty. One of the saddest scenes is the moments leading up to his execution. Herbert stated that more people had asked him if he needed any help in his last 14 hours of living, than they did his entire years that he battled with his mental illness and trauma. A tearful moment is when Johnny and the other inmates said goodbye to Herbert, told him that he wasn’t alone and that they were all there with him in spirit. They rattled their pans as the execution was going on, so Herbert could hear them and know that they were present with him.

Image result for just mercy herbert richardson — USAToday.com

Bryan took initiative to meet Johnny’s family to learn more about him and the day the young woman was murdered. Johnny was at home that day cooking fish for a fish fry that his family was hosting at his house. So, how was he miles away at a murder scene if he was truly at home? I’ll tell you how…bribery. The sheriff bribed a white felon named Ralph Myers to say that he was with Johnny when he committed the crime. The sheriff had bribed him by taking him off death row. As time went on and after further investigation, Bryan not only got the truth out of Myers but he found recordings of his initial statement saying he didn’t want to lie on an innocent man.

Image result for just mercy — fastcompany.com

Image result for just mercy meyers — Ralph Myers, played by Tim Blake Nelson- icantunseenthatmovie.com

The case was told on 60 minutes and they even took the case to the supreme court to overturn Johnny’s conviction and exonerate him. The district attorney, who initially wasn’t for Johnny getting released, went in favor of getting his charges being dismissed. It was definitely a cheerful moment for the Johnny, his family and Bryan. Walter Johnny D McMillian went from being on death row for 6 years to being one of the first people in the state of Alabama to be released from death row.

This was definitely a miracle story but it still brings sadness due to the fact that…this happened in the late 1980’s to early 90’s. Racial injustice should have never been a thing in the first place but it was and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr fought for equality and much more in the 60’s so there shouldn’t have been any reason that this unjustness was still happening. A few takeaways from this film:

Shit like this still happens…as of 2020
We should reconsider giving army vets who have trauma psychological help instead of the death penalty
I hope white people really dissect the film and see that black people aren’t making this shit up when we say that we are wrongfully accused for crimes.
Bryan Stevenson did all this work for pro bono
GO SEE IT!!

IF you’ve seen the film already. What are your thoughts?

Walter Johnny D McMillian & Bryan Stevenson–eji.org

Movie “Hustlers” Teaches Consistency, Motivation and New Strategies While Running A Business

October 3, 2019October 9, 2019Danii Gold

The movie Hustlers, which is based on a true story, is more than women robbing men blind. It’s about being about your money and having motivation behind your purpose. One of the main characters Destiny, played by Constance Wu, needed money to help her grandmother so she was dancing at the strip club. She wasn’t the best so she got help from Ramona, played by Jennifer Lopez. Ramona gets her hip on the kind of guys to scout and from there, she starts making good money.

Image result for hustlers movie — cosmopolitan.com

Sidebar: The ladies went after guys who worked on Wall St since they had money and there was a wide range of them.

With the mindset of needing more money, Destiny was motivated to learn new business tips in order to support her family. In the midst of meeting new guys, Destiny meets a guy, who becomes her boyfriend; they have a daughter together. During that time, she stops dancing to raise her daughter. After two years, her boyfriend decides to leave. At this point, she has two people to take care of so she decided to go back to dancing.

Once Destiny returns, the club is different and she has to try harder to make her money. She reunites with Ramona and to up their game, they think of a strategic way to make more money. They come up with the idea to meet guys at bars, slip some “happy powder” into their drinks, lure them into the strip club, take their credit card, and charge it at the bar and have the bartender eventually cash them out or they’ll take the card to the ATM.

YES, all the scamming they did sounds CRAZY; they were dedicated to making money because they had families to feed. Destiny and Ramona looked at this scam as a business and when operating a business, you think of new way to better your business, new strategies. The ladies were consistent with their strategies and did whatever it takes to get to the top. Ramona didn’t care about scamming the Wall St guys because they screwed over America and crashed the stock market, so in her eyes, why should they sympathize with them.

Of course they were caught; Destiny took a plea deal and Ramona had to serve little time but more than anything, they did what it took to have a successful business. They were motivated by making money, which made them consistent in finding the right men to get money from, which made them find better strategies to get money from them. As crazy as it sounds, the more scheming they did, the more money they made. Was it worth it in the end? Yes, because they grew a great business mindset. Men can over sexualize and even skeet women but when women get their extra moneys worth out of men, then we are forced to go overboard at times. Was it right what they did? No, but as Ramona said ..

“This country is a strip club. You got people throwing the money and people doing the dance”

And that tailors more to life and politics than just dancing.

What are your thoughts on the movie/real life depiction?

[Exclusive Interview] Miami Artist Teenear Opens Up About Her Fame, Influences, Collaborations & More

August 14, 2019August 23, 2019Danii Gold

Miami native Teenear has groomed herself for the moments she’s living in right now. She’s been singing since she was a toddler, singing covers on YouTube since she was 15, and she is signed to Slip N Slide Records. Teenear has a single with Sage The Gemini, which went global, gracing the presence of Japanese dancer Kahonna. She’s living in her moment and making Miami proud. Check her interview below as she talks about her influences, experiences and much more.

Danii Gold: Being from a musically inclined city such as Miami, what influence did you have growing up?

Teenear: Miami is such a melting pot of genres and sounds. There’s the Miami Sound Machine, disco, R&B and hip-hop in our music history. That inspired me to want to break barriers with my music. Betty Wright was one of my early vocal coaches and is a hometown legend who I can still reach out to at any time.

Danii Gold: Back in 2015 you had a single with Sage the Gemini titled “Friday Night”, and it went global after a well-known Japanese dancer, Kahonna used it in a dance video. What was it like getting such exposure, especially with “Friday night” being your first single?

Teenear To be honest, at that moment it was 100% surreal because I had just started and for somebody, all the way from Japan to recognize a song and do so much with it for me was appreciated to the fullest.

Danii Gold: What was it like to collaborate with Lil Baby on your latest single “I Like It”? And having your video play on BET Jams? Congratulations on that. How are you feeling?

Teenear: Thank you so much! Collaborating with Lil Baby was amazing! I’m genuinely so grateful that I was able to get him on “I Like It”. He did an amazing job on his verse and I am really appreciative of BET; they’re always super supportive towards me and my team!

Danii Gold: What was the process like, when you signed with Slip N Slide Records?

Teenear: I had a conversation about if being an artist is something that I really wanted to do. From there, I started putting myself out there doing a lot of covers, and during that time I was doing a lot of recording to a lot of records that people sent in. It wasn’t until I met with a producer from Atlanta named Anthony, and he played me a beat he had and that’s when we created “Friday Night” ft Sage the Gemini and from there I just kept growing with Slip N Slide.

Danii Gold: Do you have any plans on collaborating with any of your label mates such as Trina, Plies, Trick Daddy, Sebastian Mikael, etc.?

Teenear: I’ve already collaborated with Trina on one of my earlier records named “Streetlights”. In the future, I definitely see myself collaborating with my newer label mates F$O Dinero, Mike Smiff and Sebastian.

Danii Gold: What other artists would you like to work with now or in the future?

Teenear: I am a big fan of so many artists right now but at this moment I would love to be able to collaborate with H.E.R, Ella Mai, Megan Thee Stallion, Saweetie, Bruno Mars and honestly, the list can just continue. There are so many talented artists out right now that I can’t wait to be able to work with!

Danii Gold: If you weren’t doing music, what would you be doing?

Teenear: Growing up I’ve always been a big fan of not only music but also acting and I have a really big passion for musical theater exclamation! So if I wasn’t doing what I’m doing now I most likely would be pursuing a career in musical theater.

Danii Gold: Any upcoming projects in the works?

Teenear: I definitely have quite a few projects coming out really soon that I’m really excited about! I’ve been working with a lot a new and extremely talented people that have been helping me create some amazing records so make sure you’re following me on my socials so you can stay updated on when I’m dropping them!

Danii Gold: Of course! What message do you want to send in your music?

Teenear: To be honest I just want my music to be able to reflect me as much as possible. A young girl growing up, finding herself and just having fun in every moment that life is giving her.

Make sure y’all check out her new single “I Like It” featuring Lil Baby along with multiple videos she has for the song.

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Check out her website: https://teenear.com

Instagram: @TeenearR

DNA vs No DNA: OJ Case Compared to the Exonerated 5

June 26, 2019August 1, 2019Danii Gold

Over the past two weeks, I finished watching When They See Us and The People vs. O.J on Netflix. I watched part 1 of When They See Us and took a week break because, well, it’s sad. In that week, I watched The OJ series and I know I’m late on it but it was really shocking how much evidence they had and he was proven innocent.

All The Evidence In The World and No Conviction

OJ was known to be abusive to his ex-wife Nicole Brown, according to police calls ad documents. He was also known as being a charming professional football player. He wasn’t caught at the scene of the crime, but his blood was there. A glove was found at the scene at the crime, but it didn’t fit his hand. When he got the call about Nicole being dead, he didn’t ask how she died. OJ was on a whole speed chase with his friend Aj Cowlings driving him because he was threatening to kill himself. Why would he threaten to kill himself if he didn’t kill Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman? There were too many red flags. Of course Black people wanted him to be innocent because there have been several instances where black people were wrongfully convicted and it was probably time for a black person to get away with something. An instance when black people were wrongfully convicted were the Central Park 5, also known as the Exonerated 5, also known as Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Kevin Richardson.

Image result for oj case 95 — todayshow.com

The story about the exonerated 5 is this; five young boys [Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Kevin Richardson] were accused of raping a white woman jogging in Central Park on April 19, 1989. They were coerced into admitting to the crime so they would get less time. No DNA placed them at the scene of crime. Yes, they were in the park around the time of the incident but they were on a totally different side. Some fight broke out at the park and as some of them were trying to leave, they got picked up by the police. The next day, the police picked up the others and one in particular, Korey, came along with his friend Yusef just so he wouldn’t be alone.

Image result for exonerated 5 — nydailynews.com

The police accused these young boys because they were black and they so happened to be at the park at the wrong time. They manipulated them so bad they made Korey, Yusef, Kevin, Antron and Raymond make up stories and pin stories against each other just so they could leave the police station. Some of the boys were questioned without a parent present. This was a sad story to watch because the boys were so young and didn’t know how corrupt the system was. Between the 5 of them, they spent between 6 years to 13 years behind bars. Even though the real rapist admitted to the crime, the men had already did their time. Korey was still doing time when Matias Reyes admitted to the crime and he was even in prison with him.

The exonerated 5 sued the City of New York and got a large settlement, but no amount of money could give these men back the time they spend in prison and the time they lost. They will forever be mentally scarred from this traumatic life event.

My Analysis

It’s crazy how the system doesn’t properly serve justice but it’s a reality. In New York, Korey, Yusef, Antron, Kevin and Raymond were young boys, kids in a sense and they were 100% innocent but the way Linda Fairstein saw it, they were black, young and guilty. Innocent kids were forced into a juvenile detention and even prison all over the rape of a woman (in which they didn’t do). The prosecution placed judgement on them and wanted to so desperately solve this case, even if it meant wrongfully convicting someone. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, during their sentence, O.J is found not guilty of murdering Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. As I stated above, black people have been wrongfully convicted for years and it was time for a black person to get away with something but murder tho? With plain site DNA? What if some of jurors (the many that were selected) knew that OJ was guilty and they paid attention to the Central Park 5 case that happened in ’89 and figured “Those boys were innocent, OJ isn’t but we’re gonna vote not guilty anyway.” It’s sounds crazy but it’s a thought. The justice system has still come a ways, but they have a long way to go, especially with police brutality and them being proven innocent.

What are your thoughts on the two cases? Comment below and let me know.

Danii Gold out

Aladdin Review

May 29, 2019July 20, 2019Danii Gold

If you’re a 90’s baby like myself, then you truly loved and enjoyed Disney movies, one in particular Aladdin. During that time, Princess Jasmine was the closest thing to a Disney brown skin princess besides Pocahontas, which was nice to see, me being a woman of color. This movie would make you feel like a kid again.

The intro starts off pretty similar to the original movie, except Disney added the genie, played by Will Smith, telling the story of Aladdin in the beginning. Genie also was telling the story to his two children which will be a significance at the end of the film. Of course the real life action movie couldn’t be an exact replicate of the original but that’s what made it so great! The fact that the story line was still in tact plus Disney showcased the Arabian culture with their clothing and dancing style which was good because it’s nice to see the lifestyle of other cultures.

Image result for aladdin 2019 culture — fastcompany.com

Image result for aladdin 2019 dance — youtube.com

Disney addressed women’s right in a sense. When Jafar wanted to take over and be the Sultan, Jasmine brought up the fact that she could be the Sultan. Of course the idea was shot down but towards the end of the film she got the respect she deserved as the female Sultan.

Will Smith is dope! Of course that is obvious but I had to say it. He didn’t try to be like Robin but instead, he acted like his normal goofy self. Will is usually a great big ball of in energy, especially when his character as Fresh Prince. He played a sentimental role and honestly, the film wouldn’t have been comedic or as relevant without him.

The actor and actress who played Aladdin and Jasmine perfected A Whole New World. Them singing the song brought back so many childhood memories. Besides that song, all the other songs were brought to life and were sang to perfection. Will Smith even threw his own twang and beat boxing to the songs.

Image result for aladdin 2019 whole new world — etcanada.com

Of course the creation of the movie wouldn’t be visually appeasing without CGI (computer-generated imagery), from the genie’s appearance, to Abu’s appearance, to EVERYTHING else in between. God bless CGI because it truly made the cartoon film come to life.

As a whole, the film was dope! I do wish that the characters were more brown skin but they weren’t too far off. The music was on point and so was the culture depiction. I tried not to give too many spoilers so others can still go see the movie and still read this beforehand.

I encourage everyone to go see the movie, especially if you were a 90’s baby. I give them movie 5 stars!

Danii Gold out!

KV The Writer Talks Being An Artist and Laughing Through Heartbreak

April 23, 2019June 2, 2019Danii Gold

I got the chance to interview a very talented artist from St. Louis with DELUX Magazine, whom I write for. Check out the interview below.

St. Louis artist KV Thompson, also known as KV The Writer, is more than just that. She sings, raps, writes her own music, and she’s even a published author. KV been writing since she was a kid and with that she’s perfected the skill.

KV’s recent project is about a guy breaking up with her at an ice cream shop. With her getting her heart broke, she channeled her hurt into her music, a full blown EP titled Love Sucks. DELUX was able to talk to her about her transparency, her talents and being an artist here in St. Louis.

DELUX: Being an artist comes with practice or it’s a natural thing. How do you start out singing?

KV: I honestly don’t consider myself a singer (lol.) I think of myself as a songwriter that tries to deliver songs the way I think they should be delivered. Sometimes that requires me to sing. Other times rap. I just try to bring songs to life the best way I can. My producer/engineer is the one that makes me into a singer.

DELUX: Were you hesitant on being so transparent about getting your heart broke?

KV: Not at all. I laugh at myself a lot, including when I get my heart broken. Of course, at the time, it wasn’t very funny, but after a while I would look back and laugh at myself about all the weird and ridiculous situations I found myself in.

DELUX: When dealing with getting your heart broke, did it change your perception on dating during these times versus 10 years ago?

KV: I can say 10 years ago I knew nothing about dating or what it meant to be your full self while in a partnership. 10 years from now I’m sure I’ll still be learning about how to form a romantic partnership with another person. I would say getting my heartbroken was a much needed lesson on love and attachment. It made me realize that we don’t own people, even the ones we love. People are free to walk out of your life for whatever reason. We have to appreciate the moments and seasons they are in our life, and don’t try to hold on to something past its time.

DELUX: How long have you been singing and who is the inspiration behind your sound?

KV: I started really developing the sound I have now about 2 years ago. I pushed my pen by writing songs every day for a whole year. During this time, I experimented a lot. I played around by writing songs for different genres, started practicing making melodies, and played with my voice a lot. I guess what inspires my sound is just being true to me. Whatever I feel like should come out, I do that.

DELUX: Your song “Crazy” is dope with you rapping and singing? There are only so many female artist that does that such as Nicki Minaj and even Lauryn Hill. With you having talent in both, would you consider yourself a singer, rapper or an artist overall?

Check out her response and the rest of the interview HERE

Make sure you follow her on IG @KVTheWriter

I Wasn’t A Fan, But It Makes Me Sad: RIP Nipsey Hussle

April 5, 2019April 5, 2019Danii Gold

A week ago today, I was scrolling through YouTube and I came across a GQ video that featured Lauren London & Nipsey Hussle, a couple’s quiz. Since I like Lauren as an actress and Nipsey is a well-respected rapper, I decided to watch it. It was so cute, Lauren was her sassy self and Nipsey was so cool and calm and answered damn near every question correct, all but one six at least lol.

To be honest, I’ve only listened to one Nipsey song, “Last Time That I Checc’d” and I like it, but I never listened to his whole album unfortunately. I do know that his first album Victory Lap was nominated for a Grammy this year. I do know that Nipsey was a man of the community. He’s from Crenshaw and Slauson, and he used to hustled so he could get money for his music. It worked and when he got the money, he gave back to the community that helped mold him. He invested into programs for children and even helped reconstruct a playground in his neighborhood of Crenshaw. He opened a clothing store, The Marathon Clothing, selling apparel with the city Crenshaw on it. On top of that, he bought out some of the other businesses in the plaza that his business is in. It’s been told that he even hired local artists and others in the community to work at his store.

Image result for nipsey hussle marathon clothing — billboard.com

Image result for nipsey hussle community 2019 — lamag.com

As far and his relationship goes, Nipsey and Lauren London kept their love life semi private. We would see the pictures and happy captions but never the negative, which is how it should be. They had a baby boy and kept him out of the spotlight. They recently gave us a glimpse of their relationship through GQ.

So with little or just enough information I have on this guy, why am I sad that he passed away? Why do I get teary-eyed when reading other artists’ post on social media mourning him? Why do I shed a tear for his lady Lauren London and his kids even tho I’ve never met them? Why do I sit and read all the stories people told about him? The answer to all that is because…it’s sad to see a young man who was praised and respected by many, get killed by his own kind. It’s sad to see a young man who was giving back to his community get killed in front of his business that he worked hard for. It’s sad to see a young man grow from the streets and flourish into a well-rounded individual.

Image result for nipsey hussle gq — daltondr.com

I’ve lost someone close to me at a young age. He was 21 and my cousin; we grew up like siblings because that’s just how it was. I remember him from when he was in diapers and watched him grow and go off to college with me. He was killed by his own kind, some say it was someone that he knew. That was a hard time for me and it took me a year to stop crying about it whenever I brought his name up. It changed me, made me more paranoid. I couldn’t watch movies where people were violently killed and young. If I did, I would get emotional and cry. I’m better now, but I’m still a simp when it comes to those scenes lol. But he was into music and was a well-rounded cool, calm dude but sometimes your own people will hate on you. Maybe that’s why Nipsey’s death hit so close to home for me.

All in all, I’m not going to act like I was a big Nipsey fan. I’m not going to fake it. Yes, I shoulda gave this man his flowers while he was here, but I didn’t. But…what I will do is respect his legacy. I am sad for his death because he didn’t deserve it. I will continue to pray for his family and hope that his killer gets that life sentence in prison.

What are your thoughts on Nipsey’s death? Comment below and let me know.

Danii Gold out!