A year after the attack at Pulse Nightclub, Orlando prepares to remember the 49 lives that were lost in one of the worst massacres in U.S. history.

Saturday morning saw the “CommUNITY Rainbow Run” at Wadeview Park, where Barbara Poma, the owner of Pulse, was there holding a sign stating that “we will not let hate win,” echoing the sentiments of many of those in Orlando as they look back at the tragedy that happened a year ago. Within the city, there will be 4 services held for family, friends, and members of the community to mourn those who were lost, according to CBS.   The first service will be closed to the public, held only for survivors, employees, and local officials at the same time and place that the deaths occurred. The rest appear open for the public to join in their remembrance.

Throughout the weekend, the onePulse Foundation honored the 49 men and women of the LGBT+ community who had died, releasing photos on their social media that also had the phrase “we will not let hate win” on them. Many of the victims belonged to the Latin American community, prompting the creation of a more Spanish-speaking friendly organization such as Proyectos Somos Orlando, according to Ricardo Negrón.

Buddy Dyer, the mayor of Orlando, has also signed a proclamation declaring June 12 to be “Orlando United Day – A Day of Love and Kindness.”

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Kash Doll. Photo Provided By: Divine PR

Pretty, classy, and glamorous is how you could describe Envy Labels Boutique’s Pop Up Shop on Mother’s Day, May 14th, at Muse Complex, 8803 Futures Drive, Ste. 3, Orlando Florida. The stylish soirée sponsored by Envy Labels by Keyshia Love, Muse Complex by Brittany Usher, and Divine Influence PR took place in the colorful city of Orlando, FL. This amazing shop and sip event was hosted by Hip Hop MC, KASH DOLL, and gave consumers an exclusive shopping experience of the latest stylish threads compliments of Envy Labels.

Guests were also treated to fabulous door prizes, tasty hors d’oeuvres, top shelf drinks, and sweet treats provided by Cakes By Virgo.

Keyshia Love is a style & beauty maven, model, entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a loving wife. She is the owner and CEO of Envy Labels, a trendy online boutique of eclectic stylish wears with a touch of sass. Founded in 2017, Envy Labels is a conglomerate of all things glam—offering the hottest trends at the fraction of the cost, along with a variety of luscious custom wigs in bold and exotic colors, and 100% mink lashes. Envy Labels embodies the essence of a powerful woman who is sexy, strong, bold, brave, and unapologetic; and not afraid to boss up by any means necessary. The brainchild of Jacksonville based serial entrepreneur, Keyshia Love, is the true embodiment of her brand. Growing up in Jacksonville, she is more than ready to show her hometown her growth and her business on another level. Expansion is the name of the game, and Keyshia is more than ready to play it. As an unapologetic boss and owner of several businesses—such as Infinity Home Care, a residential service agency that serves the elderly with compassion, and now Envy Labels, Keyshia shows that not only is fashion a statement, but service is the most fashionable statement of them all. Keyshia is a living testimony that with faith, hard work and perseverance all things are possible. With an innate eye for all things beautiful, this visionary is equipped with an arsenal of style, and the fearless resilience of a true entrepreneur. Hailed as one of the most stylish women in Duval County, Keyshia Love is a millennial on the rise to definitely keep on your radar.

The beautiful floral décor provided by Festejos Party Rentals, illuminated the room and served as the perfect backdrop as KASH DOLL gave shoppers a surprise impromptu performance of her hit single, “For Everybody.”KASH DOLL graciously mingled with guests as they explored the Envy Labels brand, with tunes spun by DJ H. Dot in the background. Envy Labels’ Pop Up Shop screamed beauty, fashion, and elegance; and served as a foretaste that Envy Labels is here to take over and dominate the fashion scene.

“KASH DOLL represents everything that the Envy Labels woman is–powerful, provocative, and unapologetic,” says Envy Labels’ founder, Keyshia Love. “Having her host my first pop up shop is

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Shaquille O’Neal and his mother, Lucille O’Neal. Photo Credit: City of Newark, New Jersey

Retired NBA All Star and TNT’s Inside The NBA studio analyst Shaquille O’Neal has been running through headlines the last couple of days. People Magazine reports that Shaq will make a run at becoming a police sheriff in 2020. Earlier this week, the iconic NBA center announced that he’ll be the cover athlete for next season’s NBA 2K18.

Dude is blessed, dude is talented and The Big Aristotle has always been ahead of his time!

All homage goes to the man upstairs and also to great parenting. His late step-father, Army Sergeant Philip Harrison and his living mother, Lucille O’Neal raised him and his three other siblings: Latifah, Ayesha and Jamal.

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, this Sunday, Lucille O’Neal joined me on episode #56 of Scoop B Radio.

On the show, Momma O’Neal, an author and a motivational speaker, described her most memorable Mother’s Day gift; a cutting board, that Shaq made with the inscription that reads, ‘Lu’s Kitchen.’

“I still have that cutting board,” she said. “And the reason I love it is because when we get in the kitchen together and I cook fried chicken and macaroni and cheese, that cutting board always comes to my mind. It was one of my first Mother’s Day gifts.”

Check Out Lucille O’Neal & Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson On The Mother’s Day Episode Of Scoop B Radio

Momma O’Neal was a hard-working mom when her kids were growing up. She discusses being a strong black woman and the sacrifices she made as a responsible parent:

“Biggest sacrifice was maybe not having the money to pay a bill or having money to pay a bill and used it when my children had a need for it. I made many sacrifices but those are some of the ones where I would just put them first, I always put them first. Still do sometimes. But I don’t look at it as a sacrifice, I just am happy I’m able to do it. You know when you become a mother it’s no longer me first, it’s family first.”

She even detailed her Odessa Chambliss Quality of Life Fund, a fund in honor of her mother who passed away April 2, 1996:

“She had a great legacy, she loved people; a strong woman of faith and she just had, I mean tremendous love for everybody. So we put our heads together and came up with the Odessa Chambliss quality of life fund and we’re raising money for nursing scholarships out of the resources and the money that we have raised since 1996 we were able to get a building named in her honor on the campus of the great Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach.”

The next generation of O’Neal’s are entering the basketball world. Lucille O’Neal is a grandmother of fifteen grandchildren. `Her grandson, Shareef O’Neal, Shaq’s son, recently committed to the University of Arizona. When asked whether Shaq was as talented as Shareef was at that age, Momma O’Neal replied: “I have to say yes.”

She furthered that assertion by stating: “Because I’ve watched the development and it’s something that I’ve seen before. The world is seeing it because of the way that information gets out. But I’ve seen the progress, it’s in his genes he has a special gift. And he and Shaquille, I believe will be playing different positions. Shaquille was a power player in the middle of the paint, but Shareef is a finesse player and he can also play in the paint, so he’s good and his dad was good too.”

 Momma O’Neal shared something that was a shocker: she played basketball herself. Everybody talks about how great of a hooper her son was, but apparently, she checked the rock at the center position, also. “Because I’m tall so I played the middle,” she said.

She said her game wasn’t bad. “Nice defensive game not concentrating too much on the offense, but played defense because we were only able to go half court. The game is much different for women today.”

She added: “When I played basketball it was so quiet because we were only able to play half court. Now they have the WNBA where the women play as well as the men and they dominate the game at every position. I never played that level.”

It takes a village to raise a child and an even bigger village to help maintain an athlete’s success once they have arrived, the O’Neal family is basking in plenty of success these days. This past year, Shaq was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, had his jersey retired by the Miami Heat and a statue of Shaq was erected outside of Staples Center in Los Angeles.  The Staples Center Statue is a second in his honor; his first was built at his college alma mater, LSU. When asked about which recent accolades stood out the most, she paused for a minute and marveled.

“When we leave this earth we want to leave a legacy and those two statues are reminders of the legacy of Shaquille O’Neal,” she said.

She admitted to being impressed with the statue at Staples Center:

“The couple that made that statue they did a phenomenal job. It’s beautiful, it is detailed all the way down to the tattoos. And I really am I amazed at that one because it’s not the final but to end a career after so many years and have that monument it’s something special about that. The ultimate gift that every basketball player wants is to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but to get a statue oh my it’s something. I don’t have a word for that, so out of all of that I guess it’s those two, the one at LSU, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it but it’s beautiful as well.”

Lastly, Momma O’Neal is fair, but she’s also honest. That’s what mothers are supposed to do. Earlier this season, the Golden State Warriors’ JaVale McGee, (who by the way has been playing inspired basketball this season) and Shaq got into a war of words that found their way via Twitter and on the set of TNT’s Inside The NBA’s Shaqtin’ A Fool segment.

As per Rolling Stone Magazine:  While many believed O’Neal had finally taken it too far – The Mercury News’ Marcus Thompson II wrote about the reasons O’Neal was out of line – it wasn’t until Momma O’Neal, stepped in that he realized it was time to put an end to their long-standing feud.

“I have orders from the top to leave it alone,” Shaq told ESPN’s The Undefeated. “No, [not NBA commissioner Adam Silver]. My mama. Just say Shaq’s mom, called him, told him, ‘Stop this silliness. Leave him alone.’ So that’s the end of the beef”

What in the world did she say? “Well the conversations that my son and I have, I really want to keep confidential,” Lucille O’Neal told me on Scoop B Radio.

“But what I encouraged him to do was let it go because a war of words can go on forever. I mean it can go on a long time and some things are better left unsaid. So there had to be a cutoff point and I knew it was time so I encouraged him to just let it go. Brandon when I was growing up we used to say sticks and stones can break your bones but words will never hurt you that is really not true, because words can hurt you. So with the war of words going on both of them were hurt so it was just time to let that go.”

Sounds like wise counsel. 

Shifting gears: it’s holiday time. Mother’s Day is on Sunday. What are holiday dinners like in the O’Neal household?

Take us on home, Momma O’Neal:

“Okay for Christmas we have a lot of fruit and nuts because we love fruit and nuts,” she said. 

“Turkey, collard greens, potato salad , sweet potato pie , rice , macaroni and cheese, cake, all of those things that we really don’t need but we enjoy because Christmas and Easter those are special days. So we just eat what we like. We put aside whether or not it’s good for us. We just have what we like and if we can get something a little different if you come to visit we ask you to bring one of your favorite family dishes. But for the most part we sit back we eat, we laugh, and we get to know one another all over again. Hopefully a day will come when I can be in one place with all of my grandchildren and their parents and we can just take a nice family photo, because we’re scattered. I got grandkids in Texas, grandkids in California, and Grandkids here but my dream is to be in one place with all of them so I can take a nice family portrait.”

Sounds like a plan to me! Lucille O’Neal is about family. As the matriarch of her family, she genuinely embodies that. Good food, good advice and great conversation; who can beat that?

Happy Mother’s Day, Momma Lucille O’Neal! 

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The post Lucille O’Neal, Mother of Shaq Talks Mother’s Day, Legacy & Grandson, Shareef O’Neal’s Talent appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In the midst of overnight stardom and trendy waves we real hip-hop fans yearn for a refreshing, authentic sound that offers longevity, and most importantly trust. Niko Is may just have what you’re looking for. Though born in Rio de Janeiro and currently grounded in Orlando, Florida, pin pointing his sound is impossible. Respectable [versatility] is an understatement when discussing his music, which we’ve been able to observe for the past few years since he hit the scene.

2012’s Chill Cosby release was seemingly Niko’s take off, with an acclaimed response and help from Talib Kweli‘s Javotti Media. Action Bronson made a guest appearance on “Steffi Graf”, which certainly excelled our attention to the forefront. This release was absolutely album quality. Multiple renowned media platforms took notice, and soon after it was merely impossible not to see something about Niko Is featured with online hip-hop publications. With that being said, he was just dipping his feet in the water, and nationwide fans would begin to flock.

It’s only right that we highlight Niko Is’ producer-of-choice, and friend, Thanks Joey. They’ve been rocking records together since their early high-school years, and the chemistry is undeniably bold. There really is no arguing that they compliment one another. Close, consistent work as an emcee-producer duo, or a few man production team, is something that we don’t see enough of in 2015. This is not to put him in a box with just his Colours Of The Culture team, because Niko has done records with a handful of other producers and the quality is just as dope.

During the recording of Chill Cosby and Good Blood, Niko Is was simultaneously working on his long awaited, acclaimed Brutus album. Keeping it brief, the Lp is released alongside Javotti Media and some of the features include Talib Kweli and Kool A.D. Production credit goes to Thanks Joey, who definitely destroyed the boards and gave his all to this collection. Despite his loose, free spirited approach on the mic, a track like “Nobody’s Watching” reminds you he can display much deeper content, where staying honest and true to yourself surrounds the message. Other tracks like “Vamoose” and “We Know” pull you back to the feel-good, left to right head swaying side, while still offering relevant content. Niko Is solely reflects his everyday life in a poetic, loose and energetic manner. In an interview with Straight Fresh, Niko states:

My name, being called NIKO IS, is pretty much an ongoing invitation to discover who I am.

Talib Kweli took notice a while back and it has been a wrap since, with Niko now being Javotti Media’s staple artist more or less. Kweli’s vision and inspiration for Javotti is amazingly, “A platform for independent thinkers and doers. A home for those who are driven by passion and vision. A place for us and those like us.” He continues to give back to this culture any way he can, and this movement is one to be reckoned with. You get nothing but quality from Javotti Media, with a roster also consisting of Res and Corymo. Keep up with everything they’re putting out and be sure to support such a beautiful movement. This is much deeper than music, and very necessary.

Okay, so we got the point across and hopefully opened you up a bit to Niko Is and his music. But what about live performances? How’s his stage presence? Do know he does not come up short for the crowd. The reviews from his live performance are beautiful, as he is currently on tour with Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, Constant Flow and Hasan Salaam. The tour will end mid-April, but be sure to catch them in a city near you if you live on the east coast as they head north from now til then.

Be sure to visit the official Niko Is website for purchase links and more album information. Peace and love.

The post Niko Is: Gaining Hip-Hop’s Trust Alongside Talib Kweli’s Promising Javotti Media appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.