FreakNik To Return This Summer As 3-Day Festival Called Freak World

Get ready for it. FreakNik is returning. This summer. The legendary Black Spring Break event in Atlanta, Georgia, will return as a three-day festival called Freak World. It will feature more than 40 artists performing during the weekend.

Freak World will run June 19-21 at the Cascade Driving Range in southwest Atlanta.

Carlos Neal, of Atlanta-based promotion company After 9, decided last year to bring back the infamous Atlanta event “with a daylong concert at Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood. A lineup featuring Project Pat, Uncle Luke, Da Brat, Foxy Brown, and many more nearly sold out the venue and attracted an adult audience old enough to remember the rambunctious Freakniks of the past, but young enough to still party responsibly,” WSBTV reported.

“For everyone who said, ‘This isn’t the Freaknik of the ‘90s,’ I’m like, look, we’re older now and most people got that and still had fun,” Neal told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This year’s event will be for 18 years and older.

The 2020 festival has been expanded to three days.

“I wanted to do it in a community where people embraced this event. I chose the community where I grew up because I wanted the dollars to impact that community,” he said. “So I wanted to do it in a predominantly African-American neighborhood.”

Nealis also working with Atlanta festival promoter Eric Barnes and they also plan to feature more than 100 vendors and schedule about 40-50 acts. Nealis expects the three-day event to attract more than 10,000 fans per day.

Freaknik originally started in 1983 as a small gathering but by the ’90s, hundreds of thousands of people flocked to the event. It was during this time then-Mayor Bill Campbell’s staff decided to stop Freaknik, as the community thought it had gotten out of control. Freaknik was initially conceived at Spelman College by club president Skyla Goodson. And at first, attracted HBCU students on spring break, eventually, people from all over the country began attending.

By 2010, then-Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed banned any Freaknik-related activities.

There’s even a podcast reminiscing about the early days of Freaknik called “Freaknik: A Discourse on a Paradise.”

Some don’t seem happy to see Freaknik return in any form. While some people tweeted about the chaos and potential crime the event could bring to the area, others tweeted that the culture has changed too much to revisit the event. As one person tweeted: “As much as I love the effort… The social environment that made freaknik legendary doesn’t exist anymore tbh.”

As much as I love the effort… The social environment that made freaknik legendary doesn’t exist anymore tbh. https://t.co/TKWLRqxbuF

— Solar Return Mar7 (@DaddyShiva) February 15, 2020

This article was written by Ann Brown for The Moguldom Nation.

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Dr Nikki Bell, aka The Lip Doctor, Builds Two Cosmetic Practices in NYC

Long Island native Dr. Nikki Bell, also known as “The Lip Doctor” is not your traditional dentist. As a result of fusing dentistry and advanced esthetics, she has risen to great heights and is currently operating two medical practices.

Bell attended Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York, on a full academic scholarship and soon after her dental pursuits began with studies at Meharry Medical College. She received a degree as a doctor of dental surgery in 2001 and then went on to complete a dental graduate-level residency program. Shortly thereafter Bell began her quest to develop a private practice.

Currently, Bell shares two New York locations, in Freeport and downtown Brooklyn, where, as a cosmetic dentist she is certified to treat with lasers and performs most procedures without the use of a drill or anesthetic. This specialization makes her techniques cutting edge and in high demand. She treats all phases with specialized services in dental implants and facial esthetics.

Black Enterprise had the opportunity to speak with The Lip Doctor about her passion for cosmetic dentistry, the business of building a practice, and how healthcare providers can expand their practices and services.

How were you able to transition your cosmetic dental practice into a cosmetic dental medi/spa?  

As a doctor of dentistry, I traditionally deal with the head and neck so there was somewhat of a natural progression. I was specializing in reconstructive procedures but there were some things that I could not address when a patient had an asymmetry or deficiency. The lasers I invested in, along with fillers, Botox, and my injectables, provided me the ability to do more. I then incorporated skincare and the spa element for the health benefits.

What differentiates your personal brand and the brand of your practice from others?

My ability to incorporate many different services allows us to achieve the best results for my patients. I quickly became obsessed with being able to utilize my devices along with my skill level to help my patients. Once my patients saw the results, they began to trust me as more than just their doctor, and my patient base grew organically. I believe that this trust factor, along with having a high skill level with a wider spectrum of procedures, is what separates me from others in my field.

Is there a lack of representation of people of color in your profession?

I do not see a lot of people in my profession who look like me, and I emphasize that because there is a broad spectrum of people that I treat who may not receive the care they need. As a doctor, there is a lot of pride that I feel in my services and products because I truly want people to feel like their skin matters. I developed a product line about a year ago beginning with a lip plumper. The product line has now expanded into a makeup line, lipstick line, along with face care products.

What one piece of advice do you have for young women and men of color building their career in the esthetics industry?

It is critical that we understand the importance of us being in this field and to take it seriously. Studying and staying abreast of new technology as it comes out is important. There is neglect for those within our community. Just like we have limited resources in our community we also have limited services in respect to our health whether it is skincare or cosmetic dentistry.

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Birdman talks new Cash Money docuseries and squashing beef with Lil Wayne

Birdman dropped by Everyday Struggle to promote his upcoming Cash Money docuseries, New Cash Order.

The new Spotify docuseries recently premiered and it follows Cash Money from its beginning stages in New Orleans to how it grew to become one of the biggest rap labels to ever exist. The series includes never before seen interviews and also archival footage offering a behind the scenes look at the players behind the label, according to Complex.

READ MORE: Birdman says he’s finally ready to get his face tattoos removed

During the visit, Birdman also dished on his relationship with Drake, Lil Wayne, and Nicki Minaj, all of whom were once on the Cash Money Label.

“I got a great relationship with Drake, I got a great relationship with my son Wayne, always looked at Nicki as a little sister,” Birdman said in the interview, reported Complex. “Everybody in a good space, we put the past behind us and we’re moving forward.”

When probed deeper as to whether Birdman still worked with the three performers, he said: “Of course, I’m forever in business with them. As long as they in that building over there, I’m forever in business with them.” Nicki is still signed to Cash Money, however, Drake and Lil Wayne’s most recent albums came out on OVO/Republic and Young Money/Republic respectively, according to Complex.

Birdman and Wayne had beef in the past, but that’s been squashed according to Birdman.

“We happy as a motherf*cker, man, we came up,” Birdman said during the interview. “That sh*t forever behind us, I gave him whatever he want.”

Weezy performed at the recent All-Star game, after which Birdman said he spoke with him and he claims Wayne told him that he “couldn’t have done it” without him. Birdman said he responded to Wayne: “I’m really proud of you, bruh, like for real for real.”

Birdman said while things are good with Cash Money artists, he’s not sure where things stand with Rick Ross.

“I haven’t seen this man. I don’t put no energy into that,” he told Everyday Struggle. “I’m trying to get billions of dollars in this sh*t, I ain’t ever put no energy to no other n***a. I hear that sh*t and I keep it moving, but when we do see each other we’ll see how that turn out.”

In addition to the New Cash Order docuseries, Birdman said he’s also executive-producing She Ball, the new movie that Nick Cannon wrote, directed and is starring in.

READ MORE: New year, new break-up? Toni Braxton and Birdman reportedly call it quits

“That’s why we’re on the west coast now, we doing movies,” Birdman said, according to Complex. “I’m tapping into the movie side, but music is always first.”

The film is expected to drop in May and also features Chris Brown, Cedric the Entertainer, and Rebecca De Mornay.

The post Birdman talks new Cash Money docuseries and squashing beef with Lil Wayne appeared first on TheGrio.

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Rihanna’s NAACP Image Awards speech calls for unity in hopes to ‘fix this world’

Rihanna was honored with the NAACP Image Awards’ 2020 President’s Award, highlighting her efforts in philanthropy.

Over the years the Anti singer has created the Clara Lionel Foundation and supported Raising Malawi and UNICEF. The award was presented to her by NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson.

“Tonight is not really about me, because the purpose is bigger than me, right?” Rihanna said. “It’s not bigger than us together, but it’s bigger than me because my part is a very small part of the work that is being done in this world and the work that is yet to be done.” Rihanna added “I’m lucky I was able to start the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012. And if there’s anything that I’ve learned is that we can only fix this world together.”

READ MORE: Nike donates $5 million for athletic facility at Obama Presidential Center

The Clara Lionel Foundation is named after Rihanna’s grandmother with the aim of funding groundbreaking education and emergency preparedness and response programs around the world according to Rolling Stone.

Rihanna would go on to speak about uniting to fix the world and how one problem must relate to everyone. In addition, she encouraged diversity in opportunities.

“How many of us in this room have colleagues and partners and friends from other races, sexes, religions?” Rihanna said. “Well, they want to break bread with you, right? They like you? Well, then this is their problem, too.”

Rihanna’s moving acceptance speech ended with a rallying call to Black communities.

“So when we’re marching and protesting and posting about the Michael Brown juniors and Atatiana Jeffersons of the world. Tell your friends to pull up,”

The NAACP Image Awards happened just two days after Rihanna’s 32nd birthday. E! News reports the singer took off to Mexico to celebrate her birthday. Her celebration included friends and family enjoying mariachis and plenty of Tequila shots.

READ MORE: #SlayCentral: NAACP Image Awards ‘Best-Dressed’ List

“There were balloon arrangements, colorful flowers, and Mexican decor both indoors and outdoors,” the E! source detailed. “They had a long outdoor table set up for dinner and the mariachis continued to perform.”

Congratulations to Bad Girl RiRi.

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