Take a second and think about your goals in life: wealth, health, family and an Emmy nomination. Now with your next thought, think of your favorite Eddie Murphy movie or comedy special. Now mix that last life goal with your favorite Eddie Murphy moment, and you have perfectly described Melvin Jackson Jr. and  his web series, This Eddie Murphy Role is Mine Not Yours.

Melvin has had recent success playing the iconic Kurtis Blow in BET’s The New Edition Story. Using that as a launch pad, he then tapped into his writer/producer talent, carving out what he believes to be the perfect role for him — portraying his favorite actor Eddie Murphy. The aforementioned web series is a creative-yet-nostalgic view of life as an up-and-coming actor in Hollywood. Melvin’s homage to Eddie Murphy is genius; he himself describes it as “a funny take on taking out the competition for a role that you really want and making sure that nobody gets in your way, so that you’re the only one that’s left for them to chose [from], even if your just not right for the role.”

This creative take on the industry shows how Melvin earned his Emmy nomination (for Outstanding Acting in a Short Form Drama Series), making him one of the youngest African-American male to be nominated in the category,. To be nominated is as honor in itself, as he is 1 of 29 Black actors nominated alongside heavyweights like Jeffrey Wright, Donald Glover, Tiffany Haddish and Issa Rae (just to name a few).

If the Emmy nomination wasn’t enough for him, the ultimate added bonus — with a touch of history — came in the form of good news about his wife, Kelly Jenrette: she is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her role in “The Handmaid’s Tale” as “Annie.” This makes them the first Black married couple to be nominated in the same year! Either category would be a win for this couple, as Kelly helped co-write the web series along with Melvin.

Keep your eyes peeled as the winning of their categories will be announced at the Creative Arts Emmy’s on September 8th 2018, and for more big things that are to come from this power couple on the rise!

The post The Next Eddie Murphy: Meet Melvin Jackson Jr. appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Attorney Gloria Allred chats with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson about some of her biggest influences in Civil Right on Scoop B Radio. Photo Provided By: FourTwoNine

Attorney Gloria Allred is kind of a big deal. Bill Cosby, President Donald Trump, OJ Simpson, Eddie Murphy, Tiger Woods, Michael Jackson are names that the Philadelphia native and Los Angeles-based lawyer has taken to task in court.

Tabbed as a feminist lawyer, Allred was honored last year at the 2016 International Women’s Forum (IWF) World Leadership Conference with the 2016 IWF Women Who Make a Difference Award.

She’s cementing a legacy and for those tardy to the party, her daughter, Lisa Bloom, is representing Blac Chyna in her revenge porn cases against ex-beau Rob Kardashian.

But I digress.

In a recent chat with me on Scoop B Radio, Gloria Allred shared her wish list of activists that she wished that she could have worked with. “I can answer that question pretty quickly actually cause Susan B Anthony,” Allred told me in an appearance on Scoop B Radio. “And Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I would’ve loved to have met them. They are my heroes. They fought for the right to vote for women and Sojourner Truth, of course, as well they all did and at great sacrifice of themselves.”

Check out Gloria Allred and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson via Scoop B Radio

In 1997 Allred was honored with the Outstanding Member Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers. And in 1998 she was named one of The Most 50 Powerful Women in Los Angeles Law by the Los Angeles Business Journal and selected by the National Law Journal as one of The 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America.

She added more background to her who’s who of leading ladies she’d love to have worked with.

Voted one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in 1986, Allred earned her B.A. with honors in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her M.A. from New York University and her J.D. cum laude from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles. She was also awarded an honorary J.D. from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law.   “You know you don’t have to be a famous person to win change,” she told me on Scoop B Radio.

Allred added about Rosa Parks:

“She was not a famous person. So we can all have as I say in my book ‘A Rosa Parks moment every day.’ And we should have a Rosa Parks moment everyday where we’re not only a witness to what is wrong but we take action to right that wrong.”

Allred is a founding partner of the law firm Allred, Maroko & Goldberg. Her firm handles more women’s rights cases than any other private firm in the nation and has won hundreds of millions of dollars for victims. Ms. Allred also founded and is currently president of the Women’s Equal Rights Legal Defense and Education Fund (WERLDEF).

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The post Scoop B: Civil Rights Attorney In Bill Cosby Case, Gloria Allred Names Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks & Sojourner Truth As Civil Rights Heroes appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

“But I might” – Eddie Murphy

These are just the words fans needed to hear when comedian extraordinaire Eddie Murphy made a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Friday night. The comedian was asked if he had heard from Bill Cosby after he accepted the Mark Twain award for Humor at the Kennedy Center almost a year ago. Murphy, who was “mum” against impersonating Cosby at the SNL 40th Anniversary siting “He will not kick a man [Cosby] when he is down.” Cosby later applauded Murphy for his actions. I guess Murphy’s heart and mind changed last year when he decided to imitate Cosby after receiving his award:

Cosby was also a prior recipient of the Mark Twain award; but I assume Cosby didn’t think the incident was funny as Murphy told Kimmel, Cosby didn’t reach out to him after the remarks, “I’m not frightened of Bill” he told Kimmel.

According to media site The Daily Beast, Murphy stated that the speech did not count as stand-up, and if he were going to do it for real, it would require going back into clubs and really working out new material. Kimmel then said Murphy “wasn’t doing any of that” and that’s when the comedian stated the aforementioned quote. Murphy mentioned that stand up has changed in the past years.

Yes, Eddie, a lot has changed since the mid eighties – leather suits included; but that doesn’t mean that they can’t come back as the world is ever evolving and is bringing everything back from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. With more and more comedians on the rise, I guess it would be hard to come back and know what exactly is going on, or even what to talk about, but if we all know Eddie Murphy- he won’t have a problem coming up with good material.

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The post Eddie Murphy Says “I Might” to Stand-Up Comedy Return appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

If you remember the movie Coming to America— which starred Eddie Murphy and Vanessa Bell Calloway— then you remember her fabulous hair and that “OMGosh!!” jaw-dropping dress she wore when she was being presented to “Akeem.” I promised that when I got older, I would have a wedding dress made just like it and while I’m still waiting, there’s another young lady that didn’t have to wait. Why? Because her boyfriend Jimelle Levon made it for her for their 2016 prom.

According to YAHOO STYLE, Levon is an up and coming 18-year-old designer from Columbus, Ohio. Levon states that he’s never taken any sewing classes and claims to be a self-taught artist. On Levon’s website, koldkut.com, he states that he feel as if God blessed him with the talent and feels he should use it to bless others. Levon decided to make his prom date a dress to mimic the one Calloway wore in the 1988 movie. The dress featured large gold leaf cutouts, which were sown directly onto a sheer mesh yoke covering his dates body:

Not only did Levon do a great job but he killed the design! He even made the gold cone hairpiece for his date. Of course Levon couldn’t leave himself out of the mix. He created the same big leaf pattern on his  blazer in which he wore over a ripped white t-shirt with cropped khakis and a baseball cap.

You can check out Levon’s blazer design and some short videos chronicling him, his prom date and other dress designs created by him here: instagram.com/jimellelevon

Move over Jason Wu because Jimelle Levon is in the house.

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The post RESPECT. Inspires: Move out the Way Jason Wu, Here Comes Jimelle Levon appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Black Culture

Black culture is loved by everyone in the world. Historically its been the most creative and the most stolen. One may ask what do I mean by Black Culture? When a person refers to something as black culture we’re usually referring to the art forms and the way of life that was born by black people. These things for blacks have historically been born out of deprivation and necessity. For example, “Soul Food” was made from the scraps that black slaves were given by their masters. These slaves utilized the scraps they had to make something that would be cherished and passed down for centuries to come. Another example of black culture born out of deprivation would be the art forms of gospel and hip-hop. Early gospel is derived from old negro spirituals sung on the plantation. Slaves put passion into singing and  praising god because life was hell and all they had to look forward to was the afterlife. That emotion, that pain is what you receive when you hear gospel music. Hip-hop on the other hand was birthed from poor ghetto kids of the mid 70’s and early 80’s. On the cusp of Reaganomics  Reaganomics defined; when the poor was getting  poorer and the rich  was getting richer these kids with nothing found solace in creating the Hip-Hop movement. This art form also served as something that kept the youth from being criminals in these arduous environments.

Black culture manifests itself in society in many other ways. This includes language, art, fashion and much more. In regards to language Ebonics which at its literal level simply means black speech, is a significant part of black culture. This alteration in English owes part of its formation to the African diaspora. It also has ties to the lack of education blacks received in America which caused them to change words to their liking. In regards to Art, graffiti as well as art depicting the black struggle resonate with African-Americans. Fashion-wise, black culture helped to cultivate numerous trends that are followed worldwide. Trends like braids, Afros, the growth of sneaker culture, Streetwear, etc. have all had a cultural impact on the planet.

Culture for Profit

When an art form generated from black culture is first introduced it’s usually first met with restraint then taken away from the architects of the culture once the corporate world starts to see it’s marketability. For example, Rock and Roll was seen as more profitable if it was sung by an Elvis Presley rather than a Chuck Berry. Hip-hop music was said to be noise and for a long time it was thought to be a fad and not real music. In 1989, Rap acts had to boycott the Grammys because the award for best rapper wouldn’t be shown on television; a complete slap in the face to the genre 1989 Grammys Boycott. When executives were able to see hip-hop’s marketability to white audiences they took control of it and changed the overall essence of what the movement was supposed to represent. They utilized hip-hop as a marketing tool and absolutely maximized its popularity. In 2004,  Forbes Magazine  stated that hip-hop generated approximately 10 billion dollars per year. Hip-hop has thrown its hat in every sector of the entertainment industry. Rather it be in the mediums of film (Boyz N The Hood, Straight outta Compton, Creed), television (Martin, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Living Single etc.), theatre (Holla if ya hear me, Hamilton) or radio (Hot 97, Breakfast club, Power 106), hip-hop has seen financial success in it. During the era of rapper inspired clothing lines, hip-hop apparel was estimated to be a 2 billion dollar market. hip-hop in itself helped to cultivate what the 75 billion dollar streetwear industry is today.

In film it’s a bit different. Black culture had a tumultuous history in film. At first film was used to mock black culture and create narratives to the masses of what “the negro” is like. They type casted blacks and utilized stereotypes to build the narrative of blacks as lazy, violent, criminal, stupid, and just all the things you do not want to be. Black actors would be type casted for many years to come after the genesis of motion pictures. A few early actors broke through in respectable roles  and made their name by being absolutely prolific on-screen i.e.: Sidney Poitier. As time went on the amount of black actors on-screen was still minimal but the ones that were seen the most and given legit opportunities were very profitable. For example, Eddie Murphy and his run in the 80’s where his most profitable film generated approximately 234,760,478 million dollars at the box office. Will Smith in the 90’s where his most profitable film made 548,609,500 million dollars at the box office. It is not to say that there weren’t actors of color that had a great career during those times, it is to say that as far as the black superstar there usually isn’t more than one or two occupying the same space at the same time. The ones that do become superstars shatter records. It is similar to how right now it’s Kevin Hart’s time. In a lot of films of the past 20 years you could see parts of black culture within it. A lot of movies have rap music on their scores. The movies that are made with majority black casts are not given the same exposure as its counterparts but they do tend to receive cult following statuses.

Validation

It’s obvious that black culture is synonymous with American culture. So much of the pain and struggle of black voices have translated into beautiful works of art and that art has changed America. The only problem is black culture is still not really recognized in regards to getting the accolades and opportunities that are deserved. For example the #Oscarssowhite debacle that just occurred as well as the lack of jobs for black actors in Hollywood. Despite all of the great things that blacks have added to American  film and culture, they’re still being ostracized from film and not even being nominated for the most coveted award you could receive as an actor; an Oscar. Same could be said for the Grammys. The Grammys clearly does not care about hip-hop. It seems as if a lot of times they try to get it out-the-way. The list of great Rap albums that haven’t received Grammys is unacceptable. It seems as if they won’t even take the time to do their due diligence in regards to understanding hip-hop. Although black culture has changed American Culture from an artistic standpoint, black culture is still not seen as being of equal value to mainstream pop culture. It seems that black culture is only important when corporate executives can modify it and receive an outstanding ROI. They take black pain and turn it into profit. Black culture has been profitable but more for corporate entities and less for the black people it represents. Despite the financial success of black culture, black pain remains.

One must ask why we constantly need their validation. We are always enraged when they leave us out of the Grammy’s or The Oscars. I understand we want to receive the accolades we deserve, but if you look at it historically black culture has never received the praise it’s deserved. Black art forms have only been utilized for profit. Why do we seek acceptance from the entities that have exploited us, ostracized us, and won’t recognize our true value. Maybe if we recognize our true value we could reap the rewards from our own culture.

We don’t need their accolades to value our artistry.

PEACE!

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The post Black Culture and Its Need For Validation appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

This picture is great for two reasons: Juicy J does in fact take off his sunglasses (dude is always wearing sunglasses) and he kind of looks like Eddie Murphy.

The post Photo of the Day: Juicy J without His Sunglasses appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.