Do you remember where you were on September 11th? I do. I think most of us do. Today we remember the victims. But we also remember that America isn’t immune to atrocities that are carried out by mankind. Where is America now? More divided than ever. September 11 pulled the nation together, for a while at least, while the pandemic has ripped apart the nation. Just the date 9/11 has a ring. It’s like a date that has a divine significance that’s etched in time.

Henry Hudson discovered NYC via the Half Moon Ship on September 11, 1609.

Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his speech on September 11, 1941 that would plant America as a global economic and military superpower.

The US Military Defense The Pentagon started construction on September 11, 1941.
The Towers (which mean greatness) and the Pentagon were attacked on September 11th, 2001.
The replica of Henry Hudson’s Ship called the Half Moon took its first voyage with tourists on September 11, 2001. The ship that discovered NYC on 9/11 sailed past the crumbling towers nearly 400 years later on the same day.
‘So 9/11 was the day NYC was planted. So it became the day of uprooting. And on the day that began its building.. . . came the day of the breaking down.’

Have you been following the twitter war between Cardi B and Candace Owens? It’s viscous. If you haven’t see the Twitter battle, then you’re hiding in a basement. Cardi B has a #1 song with WAP and Candace is closing in on a #1 book titled Blackout. Both have been on the attack since Saturday night with Cardi B dedicating several instagram posts to Candace. Both are on the opposite side of the political sphere while Cardi is on the left side while Candace is on the right. Both are accusing each other of pandering and clout chasing. While many artists are becoming more politically engaged, they’re venturing into a world that is unfamiliar territory. Candace said to Cardi, “You’re coming into my world”. Although art and politics were always relational, artists must be aware that it’s a rocky road. While artists are working harder than ever to build and keep an attentive fanbase, and as far as art and activism favorably benefiting an artist, well, this year will be a true test.

Ariana Grande was the highest paid female musician in 2020 according to Forbes which isn’t bad for a girl that started her career in musical theatre. Ariana was eager to start a career in music and began posting covers on YouTube. She had powerful voice that caught the attention of execs, the word got out and Republic signed the singer in the early stages of her career in 2010. The 27 year old singer went to release 5 albums and has become one of the hottest pop stars. Grande also has stayed out of any major controversy. Success and hard work runs in the Grande family. Her mother, Joan Grande is the CEO of Hose-McCann Communications. Forbes has Ariana raking in 72 million.

I love movements. I love activism. I love BLM. I love the Animal rights movement, I love the Feminist movement, I love Health freedom movement, I love the Counterculture movement, and I love the Earth First! movement. What I don’t like is bad people hijacking movements. It’s terrible because it undermines the movement and the cause.

What’s the point of defacing Elvis Presley’s Graceland? Absolutely nothing. I really do believe that most people are good but it’s a few that create havoc.
Fans of Elvis were outraged to see the landmark defaced and I can see why.
Bill Stanley, Elvis’ stepbrother said:‘This is totally uncalled for,’ said Stanley. ‘One of the saddest days of my life. I mean, besides the day that Elvis passed away, this right here is right up next to it.’

For the last several years, MTV’s Video Music Awards (now the mask awards) has been trying to bolster its viewership and recapture the glory it once had over the public. The execs were hoping they would announce a spike in audience viewership, instead they walked away with a 5% drop. In fact, only 1.3 million watched on the MTV channel. To put this in perspective, America has a population of 330+ million people. The other channels (MTV2, Country Music TV) that broadcasted the award show averaged around 222,000 viewers.
The show was very predictable with no surprises. It barely made headlines, not uncommon for the times we are in now. The acts that performed got the trophies which makes sense. I can’t blame them, I would want a trophy, if I’m going to rehearse, hire some choreographers, a stylist, and a makeup artist. Lastly, the show had no effect on the music charts, but that’s not to say the artists didn’t benefit. Just the fact that some parts of the show with Gaga wearing a mask was a Twitter trending topic makes it all worth it. I suppose…