Monthly Archives: July 2022

American Prodigal: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Alexander Hamilton – Desiring God

Posted: July 4, 2022 at 11:30 pm

Justice shall be done to the memory of my Hamilton.

According to her daughter, this was the compounding yearning of Eliza Hamilton in the fifty years she survived her husband, after his tragic, and dishonorable, death in an affair of honor. In the summer of 1804, he took a duel with Aaron Burr Jr., the sitting Vice President and grandson of Jonathan Edwards. Alexander Hamilton, citing Christian conviction, threw away his shot by not firing at his opponent. Burr, however, took aim and struck his political rival. Hamilton died 31 hours later on July 12, 1804.

Not only had the controversial circumstances of his death tarnished her Hamiltons reputation, but so too had an another affair made public in 1797. And after Hamiltons death in 1804, rivals John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both lived another 22 years to strengthen their own founding legacies, and bury Hamiltons.

Remarkably, Ron Chernows 800-page biography in 2004 some 150 years after Elizas death in 1854 began the work of doing justice to Hamiltons memory in the twenty-first century. More than a decade later, Lin-Manuel Mirandas musical, inspired by the biography, and with Chernow as historical consultant, sent Hamilton skyrocketing back into broader American awareness just in time to save his face on the ten-dollar bill.

Of Christian interest, Hamilton appeared to have experienced a remarkable conversion, under Reformed teaching, as a teen when the Great Awakening came to his native West Indies in the early 1770s. Presbyterian minister Hugh Knox, who had studied at the College of New Jersey (where Edwards had been president briefly in 1758) mentored the 17-year-old Hamilton. When a hurricane passed through the Caribbean in August of 1772, Hamilton wrote markedly Christian reflections on the event. Knox read them and, impressed with the teens ability, guided them to press in the local paper. Enough readers took notice of the words from a Youth of this Island that it became an occasion for Knox to raise money to send Hamilton to New Jersey to study.

Hamilton soon left the West Indies, never to return, and arrived in New Jersey as the revolutionary spirit was fomenting. With his unusually able brain and pen, he was swept up into the Revolution and found himself at the heart of American politics from 17751800, perhaps surpassed only by George Washington in that quarter century. His Christian interests, however, seemed to cool as they were eclipsed by political ambition and zeal for his work as Washingtons aide-de-camp, then in establishing a law practice in New York, and climactically as the nations first Secretary of the Treasury from 17891795. Alongside James Madison, Hamilton proved to be one of the great intellects of the founding generation. And while being every bit Madisons match in political thought (if not exceeding him), Hamilton far surpassed Madison, and the other leading founders, in economics.

Yet in his late forties, before dying in the infamous duel at age 49, Hamilton experienced a succession of great humblings, which appear to have prompted him, doubtless with the encouragement of his enduringly faithful evangelical wife, to blow again on the embers of the Christianity of his youth. Chernow, for one, recognizes that Hamiltons late-life preoccupation with spiritual matters . . . eliminates all doubt about the sincerity of his late-flowering religious interests (707).

As the United States celebrates 246 years of independence, and Americans newly remember the ten-dollar founding father, what might Christians learn from the rise and fall, and redemption, of the wandering and reticent Alexander Hamilton?

Politically speaking, we could identify many important insights from a recovery of Hamiltons legacy, but far more important, as Christians, whether American or not, is learning from his spiritual journey into the far country. And these are not the kind of lessons we might glean even from a man who professed, say, deism or atheism throughout his life. Rather, Hamilton, by all accounts, evidenced a vibrant Christian faith in his teens and gave clear affirmations of faith in Christ on his deathbed. However, sadly, he was a prodigal of sorts captured by politics and establishing himself in the world for much of his twenties and thirties. His meteoric rise to political power appears to have eclipsed the fires of his fledgling teenage faith. Yet he did, it seems, come to himself, once humbled, and eventually return home seeking the arms of a Father.

His 1772 published letter that proved to be his way out of the West Indies viewed the hurricane as a divine rebuke to human vanity and pomposity (Chernow, 37). The storm thundered, according to the 17-year-old Hamilton, Despise thyself and adore thy God. Yet Hamilton, in his faith, found safety.

See thy wretched helpless state, and learn to know thyself. Learn to know thy best support. Despise thyself, and adore thy God. . . . [W]hat have I to dread? My staff can never be broken in Omnipotence I trusted. . . . He who gave the winds to blow, and the lightnings to rage even him have I always loved and served. His precepts have I observed. His commandments have I obeyed and his perfections have I adored.

That same year, he wrote a Christian hymn, one that Eliza would come to prize and cling to during the half century she outlived him. There he confessed, O Lamb of God! thrice gracious Lord / Now, now I feel how true thy word.

However, his way with words was soon put to other purposes. Once in America, his wordsmithing would propel him into revolutionary leadership, then to Washingtons side, and eventually to the most powerful seat in the first executive administration from 1789 until 1795.

Hamiltons long-standing relationship with Washington proved to be a stabilizing force. In hindsight, his most productive (and least self-destructive) work came when he was most proximate to Washington, leading to the first of four lessons.

Chernow observes, After Alexander Hamilton left the Treasury Department [in 1795], he lost the strong, restraining hand of George Washington and the invaluable sense of tact and proportion that went with it. Washington was magnanimous. Few were willing to stomach such personal offenses as he endured without retaliating. The fatherless and insecure Hamilton badly needed this stabilizing presence. Hamilton had been forced, as Washingtons representative, to take on some of his decorum. Now that he was no longer subordinate to Washington, Hamilton was even quicker to perceive threats, issue challenges, and take a high-handed tone in controversies. Some vital layer of inhibition disappeared (Chernow, 488).

But it was not only Washington, whose guidance was political, but also Eliza, whose influence was gently but relentlessly spiritual. As a woman of deep spirituality, Eliza believed firmly in [Christian] instruction for her children, and it would prove to have effects on her husband as they raised them together, and particularly as his great humblings came in late 1799, throughout 1800, and into 1801. She endured his wandering and, in the end, it appears, won him with her life and conduct (1 Peter 3:1).

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells about seed sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful (Mark 4:1819).

Hamilton, admirably, was not undone by the deceitfulness of riches his financial integrity was sterling but the cares of the world and desires for other things haunted his extended season of spiritual reticence (from his seeming indifference to Christianity from 1777 to 1792, to his opportunist use of it for party purposes until 1801). Fatherless since age 10, and orphaned at 14, Hamilton seemed bent on proving himself in his new country. The flame and striking warmth of his teenage faith cooled as cares of this world began to energize him first the Revolution, then becoming a respected New York lawyer, then rescuing the fledgling nation from its inadequate Articles of Confederation, and finally trying to preserve his power once Washington left office.

Such a story is not his alone. Countless Christian youths, flames burning bright, have found themselves crashing on the hard rocks, and hard knocks, of adult life. How might it have been different? That leads to a third lesson.

Chernow notes that Hamilton had been devout when younger, but he seemed more skeptical about organized religion during the Revolution (132). Perhaps circumstances from his childhood, and particularly his mothers death, help to explain a mystifying ambivalence that Hamilton always felt about regular church attendance, despite a pronounced religious bent (25). Recently, historian and pastor Obbie Tyler Todd has written that Hamilton, from his arrival in America, was a man torn between two denominations (Presbyterian and Episcopal) while finding no real home in the communion of believers.

In Hamiltons case, the ominous absence of the church may be the clearest warning sign we can point to. At 17, Hamilton seemed to thrive under Hugh Knoxs pastoral influence. But without the strengthening and constraining influence of a local church, a faithful evangelical wife was not enough to keep him from wandering, even if she would be vital to his late-life renewal.

Hamiltons 1791 adulterous affair with Maria Reynolds showed how far he had wandered and reminds us of the delusion of power and success. There once was a great king in Israel who, as a prelude to infidelity, remained in the city when others went to war (2 Samuel 11:1). So too the 36-year-old Hamilton, at the height of his power and with so much work to do stayed in New York while his family summered upstate.

That summer a 23-year-old woman approached him telling of an abusive husband and asking for help. Later, in the notorious Reynolds Pamphlet, his extended public confession in 1797, written to vindicate his financial reputation, he would write that he came to her door with monetary assistance and, Some conversation ensued from which it was quickly apparent that other than pecuniary consolation would be acceptable. This is the first of several 1790s instances about which Chernow, even as the cool-headed biographer, appears stunned by Hamiltons folly:

Such stellar success might have bred an intoxicating sense of invincibility. But his vigorous reign had also made him the enfant terrible of the early republic, and a substantial minority of the country was mobilized against him. This should have made him especially watchful of his reputation. Instead, in one of historys most mystifying cases of bad judgment, he entered into a sordid affair with a married woman named Maria Reynolds that, if it did not blacken his name forever, certainly sullied it. From the lofty heights of statesmanship, Hamilton fell back into something reminiscent of the squalid world of his West Indian boyhood. (362)

For Christians, the stakes are far greater than political reputation. Hamilton knew better not only as a man and stateman, but as one who had professed faith in Christ. Perhaps he thought, for six years, that he had gotten away with it (politically speaking), with only the checks it took to pay off her husbands blackmail. But the whispers were proclaimed from rooftops in 1797 and threatened not only to undo his future prospects, but also his past work.

The late Adams administration held one humbling after another. Adams broke from his cabinet (and Hamilton) and sought peace with France in October of 1799. Two months later, Washington died suddenly. By February 1810, it became clear the Federalist party was turning from Hamilton to Adams. Then, by the end of April, Burr and his opposing coalition won control of New York. In a matter of months, Hamiltons political power and influence crumbled.

To top it all off, in the election of 1800, his old cabinet rival Jefferson won the presidency and with Burr as vice president. As Douglass Adair and Marvin Harvey wrote in 1955, Perhaps never in all American political history has there been a fall from power so rapid, so complete, so final as Hamiltons in the period from October, 1799 to November, 1800 (Was Alexander Hamilton a Christian Statesman? 322). Devasted, he began to consider again the God of his youth. Then it was in late November 1801 that he endured his greatest trial, when his 19-year-old son, Philip, was shot in a duel and died 14 hours later. Later he wrote to a friend that Philips death was beyond comparison the most afflicting of my life.

Yet by late 1801, as part of his late-flowering religious interests, Hamilton was taking solace in Christianity and Philips profession of faith. It was the will of heaven and [Philip] is now out of the reach of the seductions and calamities of a world full of folly, full of vice, full of danger, of least value in proportion as it is best known. I firmly trust also that he has safely reached the haven of eternal repose and felicity.

Hamiltons spiritual renewal is too pronounced to ignore, whether in a biography or on Broadway. His re-awakening appears to have preceded (and prepared him for) Philips death, even if Miranda captures it in the aftermath of his loss, in the culminating song Quiet Uptown:

I take the children to church on Sunday,A sign of the cross at the door,And I pray.That never used to happen before.

What may be a grace too powerful to name on Broadway is precisely the name we know as powerful, and we name: Jesus.

In July of 1804, on the night before his own deadly duel, he would write,

This letter, my very dear Eliza, will not be delivered to you unless I shall first have terminated my earthly career to begin, as I humbly hope from redeeming grace and divine mercy, a happy immortality. . . . The consolations of [Christianity], my beloved, can alone support you and these you have a right to enjoy. Fly to the bosom of your God and be comforted. With my last idea, I shall cherish the sweet hope of meeting you in a better world. Adieu best of wives and best of women.

Todds recent work focuses on those final 31 hours after the duel, and Hamiltons clear affirmations of (what Chernow calls) his late-flowering religious interests. Not only did Hamilton there confirm, in general, I am a sinner: I look to his mercy, but more specifically, I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.

His end-of-life confessions were as clear as his teenage faith was warm. But for those of us who grieve his long, tragic journey into the far country of seeming political success and pride, we redouble our resolve to live now for what matters eternally, and welcome Gods humbling hand if we realize ourselves to have cooled and wandered.

Lest Hamiltons late-life Christian faith contribute to a distorted impression of the nations founding, were wise to concede that this, meager as it is, may be one of the clearer affirmations of evangelical faith among the inner circle of the founders. You will not find such in Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, or Madison. (One exception, among others, is Hamiltons longtime friend and collaborator, and first Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Jay.) And this is not to make much of Hamiltons reticent and late-flowering faith, but to own how unevangelical was the nations founding.

On July 4, we remember a nation founded far more in step with the life Hamilton lived in his twenties and thirties, than his teenage profession and late-life renewal. However, from its dawning, the nation has not been able to shake its Puritan roots that grew up together with its deep Enlightenment influences. We do celebrate a nation that, however secular its founding, provided the soil in which the Second Great Awakening could grow and flourish in the first half of the nineteenth century and change the landscape, a nation still enduring under the worlds oldest active codified constitution, a nation we pray will again see future awakenings, even as it still today, with every new dawn, provides space for countless personal conversions to the true God, in Jesus Christ.

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American Prodigal: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of Alexander Hamilton - Desiring God

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Elrond is mentored by Gil-galad in The Rings of Power – The Digital Fix

Posted: at 11:30 pm

Amazon Primes upcoming Lord of the Rings series, The Rings of Power, will bring back some familiar Lord of the Ringscharacters from JRR Tolkiens literary epic, as it dives into the extended lore of Middle-earth. Any hardcore Lord of the Rings fan knows the name Gil-galad the elven king who both Sam Wise Gamgee andAragorn mention in the fantasy movie, The Fellowship of the Ring.

Now Benjamin Walker, who portrays Gil-galad in The Rings of Power, has revealed that fans will get to see the character in full action mentoring none other than fellow elf Elrond. Gil-galad is the High King of the Noldor who chose to remain in Middle-earth after the First Age rather than depart for the Undying Lands.

During the Second Age, in which Amazons series is set, he establishes a realm in Lindon with a young Elrond by his side. Elrond (portrayed by Hugo Weaving in Peter Jacksons trilogy) is the Lord of Rivendell, who both the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins meet on their adventures, and is a stable figure in the franchise.

We are used to seeing a wise and authoritative Elrond. However, in The Rings of Power, the character is only a few thousand years old ( thats nothing in elf immortality years) and will be looking to Gil-galad for guidance. Speaking with the Nerdist, Walker elaborated on what the dynamic between the two elves will be.

Gil-galad is going to encourage him to take the first steps and the journey towards his ultimate destiny, Walker explained. But he does it in the way a loving parent would, which is to allow them to make their own mistakes or to encourage them to do things and convince them that it was their idea in the first place.

We are excited to see an Elrond with some adolescent qualities in The Rings of Power. We are also excited to see Gil-galads story come to life. He is a major part in of the Dark Lord, Saurons defeat in the second age, and was one of the three Elves who first held rings of power.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to premiere on Prime Video on September 2, 2022.

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Republicans Flip Another Hispanic Texas House Seat

Posted: at 11:29 pm

Republican inroads into Texas Democratic Hispanic strongholds continue apace.

According to unofficial results, Republican Mayra Flores has won the special election to represent Texas 34th Congressional District, anchored in Cameron County.

The 34th is a sprawling district that includes a lot of rural southern Texas between San Antonio and the Gulf Coast. Cameron County is where the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico, and includes Brownsville, Harlingen and South Padre Island.

Its an 85% Hispanic district that went for Obama by 61% in 2012, but for Biden by only 51% in 2020, an indication of the steady erosion of Democratic support among Texas Hispanics. And its also a district that suffers greatly under the Biden Administrations continued refusal to deport illegal aliens.

Its also where Elon Musks SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica is located. A small house Boca Chica is also Musks legal residence, and Musk announced on Twitter that he voted for Flores.

Flores victory represents a major upset for the historically Democratic seat.

A Republican has not won the seat since the district was drawn in the last redistricting cycle 10 years ago. In fact, over the past forty years, a Republican has only won the seat once, in 2010.

Flores squeaked past the 50 percent mark just after 9 p.m. on Tuesday night. At the time, runner-up Dan Sanchez, a Democrat, had just over 43 percent of the vote.

Flores enjoyed a clear advantage over Sanchez in the election day vote count. Among early voters only, the gap between the two candidates was fewer than 300 votes. Election day voters preferred Flores to Sanchez by well over a thousand votes.

The special election pitted candidates from both parties in a four-way race on the same ballot. However, party leaders largely rallied behind Flores and Sanchez.

Flores, a respiratory care practitioner, had already won the Republican primary in March before the incumbent Filemon Vela (D-TX-34) announced his retirement. Flores enjoyed the endorsements of Governor Greg Abbott and Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi.

On the Democratic side, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15), who currently represents a neighboring congressional district in South Texas, won the Democratic nomination on March 1. However, Velas abrupt resignation announcement meant that Gonzalez would have had to leave his current seat to run for the 34th district instead of waiting for a regular transition in November.

Gonzalez decided not to leave his current seat, endorsing Sanchez in his stead.

Sanchez also nabbed Velas endorsement among other prominent Democrats, such as attorney general candidate Rochelle Garza.

However, theres a caveat:

Bolstered by ongoing political trends in South Texas, timing gave Republicans an advantage.

The voting population included in District 34 under the current map leans 54 percent Democratic based on data from the past two general elections. But the voting population of the newly adopted district map leans 63 percent Democratic.

In other words, if Vela had not retired and triggered a special election, his replacement would have been decided in November by a more Democratic voting population than what the district currently includes.

Flores may face a greater challenge in November when the regular election takes place under the new map with a more Democratic voting population.

Between the impact of the Biden Recession and the continued flight of Hispanics from the Democratic Party, if ever there were a year for Republicans to defend a marginal seat, 2022 is it. Expect Flores to get all the help she needs from the state and national party to hold the seat.

Can Republicans trust her to not go squishy on border security once in office? Since shes married to a border patrol agent, Im go to go with Yes

Tags: 2022 Election, Boca Chica, Cameron County, Dan Sanchez, Elon Musk, Filemon Vela, Harlingen, Mayra Flores, Rio Grande Valley, SpaceX, Texas, Texas 34th Congressional District

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 at 12:19 PM and is filed under Democrats, Elections, Republicans, Texas.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Republicans Flip Another Hispanic Texas House Seat

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Alibaba joins rivals in offering tool for those under pressure to reduce carbon emissions – The Register

Posted: at 11:29 pm

Alibaba is following in the footsteps of larger rivals by launching a tool that customers can use to measure and manage the carbon emissions of their business with the aim of lowering their environmental impact.

Energy Expert is a SaaS-based platform developed and operated by Alibaba Cloud, the computing services arm of China-based Alibaba Group. It is described as a sustainability platform to help organizations measure, analyse and manage the carbon emissions of their commercial activities.

Pricing details were not available, although Alibaba told us: "Energy Expert is a paid service, based on customers' specific requirements."

Although this is the global launch of the platform, Alibaba said it was operating in China since February and so far more than 2,000 customers have signed up. It is claimed to have delivered energy savings of in excess of 2 million kilowatt hours per day, or a reduction of 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions during this period.

According to Alibaba, Energy Expert enables users to put in place an automated carbon accounting and reporting process at both a corporate and product level. It is intended to give companies a way to identify the sources of carbon emissions from their daily business activities, as well as the full life cycle of their products, based on the internationally recognised ISO 14064 standard for carbon footprint verification and the PAS 2060 specifications for carbon neutrality.

Energy Expert gets its analytics on energy efficiency and emission forecasts through deep learning models that are hosted on Alibaba Cloud.

With Energy Expert, organizations can monitor the progress of their sustainability performance through visualisations on dashboards and online reports, designed to provide visibility into real-time carbon dioxide emission patterns.

The platform also features optimisation plans with recommendations to help balance business growth and environmental impacts, according to Alibaba. These may cover increasing the use of clean energy, reducing electricity consumption during peak times and ways of optimising an organizations supply chain.

Alibaba said that it used Energy Expert itself to implement sustainability measures at its Xixi campus in Hangzhou. It claims to have reduced power consumption at the site by 30 percent by following recommendations that included intelligent control of the air-conditioning system and the installation of roof-top solar energy panels.

Alibaba is not the only cloud giant offering to help customers monitor and reduce their carbon footprint. In October, Microsoft released the Emissions Impact Dashboard and Google rolled out a tool to measure the damage customers' compute workloads are doing to the world.

More recently, Amazon unveiled its Customer Carbon Footprint Tool, available to all AWS customers at no cost. In this case, however, the tool is designed to analyze the carbon dioxide emissions being generated by the infrastructure resources AWS is using, rather than those generated by the customer themselves.

Earlier this year, Alibaba joined a coalition of companies agreeing to open up access to energy efficient and green technologies by making relevant patents available as part of the Low Carbon Patent Pledge (LCPP). One such patent covers a liquid immersion cooling system developed in 2015 that Alibaba claims reduced its datacenter energy expenditure by 70 percent.

According to research by Greenpeace, the tech industry will use 20 percent of the world's electricity by 2025 up from 7 percent in 2020. The jump is is being attributed in part to the jump in cloud computing, where global revenues generated by use of public infrastructure clouds have grown by arounde a third each quarter since the pandemic.

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Tracing the Queer Roots of Dance Music and Club Culture – The Young Folks

Posted: at 11:27 pm

When we look at music history, many elements of each movement and subgenre, from visuals to sound, can usually be traced back to gay culture. Even long before LGBTQ+ was in the cultural zeitgeist, a lot of rocknroll pioneers were Black blues musicians who happened to be queer, like Little Richard and his forebearer Billy Wright as well as Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton. But one of the biggest subcultures involved in music with an extremely rich history was the underground club culture that paved the way for dance music, even though it is not afforded the same cultural reverence as rock or punk. Larry Levan was a gay black DJ who worked at the Paradise Garage in downtown New York and he is considered responsible for the ascendance of almost all genres of current electronic music as we know today.

The 80s was obviously a culturally complicated period. Fall of the Berlin Wall, Iran-Iraq War, Chernobyl, and especially the AIDS crisis which plagued the community and brought on unprecedented levels of tragedy. One of the ways that Queer people dealt with the trauma was by going to the clubs, but these clubs were more than just sites for dancing. In New York City at the beginning of the 70s, many queer people of color and allies came together with an intention to create safe spaces where they could be themselves and be with others in ways not permitted in the everyday world, rather than adapting to fit the heterosexual notions of nightlife. And music was obviously an essential part of these gatherings, and the sound of these events eventually developed into disco.

One of the descendants of disco was new wave, which also incorporated elements of post-punk and synth pop, and the genres ties to gay culture also go far and beyond. One of the most well known stars in this camp with many ties to gay culture is arguably Debbie Harry from Blondie whose ties to the New York club scene and Queer underground nightlife goes all the way back to Studio 54 and collaborating with Andy Warhol. Frankie Goes To Hollywood, who are often considered the butt of a joke when referring to the 80s, were also one of the pioneers in their own way. Their songs Relax, Rage Hard, and Welcome to the Pleasuredome were unabashedly gay with sexually hedonistic undertones.

Another new wave band that achieved their Queer icon status pretty quickly despite none of the members being Queer themselves was the British synth-pop and rock band Depeche Mode. One of their biggest hits People Are People quickly became a gay rights anthem and was largely played at a lot of the clubs in the 80s and 90s. Martin Gores iconic leather ensembles were, without question, was something he got from visiting queer leather bars and underground dungeons. And lets not forget The B-52s as well and their iconic ode to boys and bikinis: Rock Lobster. The B-52s were one of the earlier groups that were equally influential as Blondie, and they simply overlap with queer culture. A few of the members were also queer themselves. Front man Fred Schneider told Michael Martin of Out.com:

Rock Lobster got airplay on college and independent radio, but the bigger stations were told not to play us. Nobody was out then. I mean, our friends knew [we were gay], and we werent trying to be coy. Once, we were onstage and somebody yelled, Is this a queen band? I think they thought Kate [Pierson] and Cindy [Wilson] were drag queens. So I said, Yes, were a queen band! What really put us over was performing the song on Saturday Night Live in January 1980. After that, our album flew off the charts.

In time, queer culture and dance music largely became synonymous with one another. The genre was not only popularized and even produced by the community both behind the scenes and at the forefont, but the songs themselves resonated with the understanding of what it meant to be gay and reflected a burning desire to be seen. It inspired a movement of inclusivity and accessibility, and even though it is largely thought to be hidden by mainstream media, it is only hidden if you are not willing to look because it has always been there.

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Moonshine’s cathartic, club-ready single, and 6 more songs you need to hear this week – CBC.ca

Posted: at 11:27 pm

Here at CBC Music, we're always on high alert for new songs by Canadian artists.

This week, we're listening to new tracks from:

Scroll down to find out why you need to listen.

What new Canadian tunes are you currently obsessed with? Share them with us on Twitter@CBCMusic.

To hear more about these standout songs, tune in to CBC Music Mornings every Thursday and Toronto's Here and Now every Wednesday afternoon, both available viaCBC Listen.

After nabbing a Juno Award in 2021 for her debut album, Elegant Traveler, jazz guitarist Jocelyn Gould is back to outdo herself with Golden Hour, a stunning collection of six originals and four standards. Her solo rendition of "Sweet Lorraine" is beautifully timed and phrased, and saxophonist Jon Gordon is an eloquent guest on three tracks, but I'm singling out her quartet's take on "Lover Come Back to Me" as especially tidy and swinging. Following a pensive solo intro, Gould's guitar is joined by Will Bonness's piano, Rodney Whitacre's bass and Quincy Davis's drums for a breathless ride through this Sigmund Romberg classic. The guitar-piano interplay in the tune's head will put a smile on your face, and Gould, Bonness and Davis each take impressive solos that'll have you replaying the track to catch all the nuance and fun. Robert Rowat

"I'm a lone ranger in this lonely world," announces Julianna Riolino confidently on the chorus of her brand new single, which was accompanied by the announcement of the Toronto-based singer-songwriter's debut solo album this fall. Riolino, normally a member of Daniel Romano's backing band the Outfit, has flipped the script to take centre stage, as Romano becomes the guitarist for her songs this time. With finger-snapping backup singers, a honky-tonk piano and distinctive vocals, "Lone Ranger" is both a long, cool drink and a clarion call for Americana fans to listen up: Riolino is about to make her long-awaited solo mark. All Blue comes out Oct. 14 via You've Changed Records. Holly Gordon

Montreal's Moonshine collective is back with a new club-ready single. "Obomi Nga" is a teaser for what to expect on SMSfor Location Vol. 5, the much anticipated followup to their Juno-nominated compilation album,SMSfor Location Vol. 4. They enlisted the help of Brookyln's Uproot Andy, Kinshasa's MC Redbul and MC Azas and recorded the track among their three respective cities. Moonshine prides itself on having a truly global sound and incorporated some Amapiano flare into "Obomi Nga." The South African dance music genre has been gaining popularity outside of its home country and is set for a worldwide takeover. Amapiano is punctuated by simmering baselines that sound like they're on their way somewhere but they never quite reach their destination it's a genre that favours an even, consistent rhythm over prolonged buildups and extravagant, cathartic release. "Obomi Nga" follows suit, its catharsis lying in the steadiness of the percussive rhythm and the call-and-response chorus. It's the kind of song you could dance to all night. Kelsey Adams

There are too many arguments to make for or against Drake's surprise dance album, Honestly, Nevermind and for the most part, they're in direct conflict with each other. On one hand, he went a different way,delving further into a sound he's skirted around for years. On the other hand, underneath the glitzy guise of genre exploration, it's still the same old Drizzy his tame, sing-rap falsetto nursing an ego once again bruised by women, disloyalty and his overall indifference.

For me, any chapter in an artist's story is meant to be there so I don't think about it much deeper than that,thoughI find it intriguing that one of the album's most underrated songs is one of only two that his faithful producer Noah "40"Shebib touched.The Gen Z little cousin to classics like "Passionfruit" or "With You," "Down Hill" boasts an effortless pop sensibility that really shines, considering it's made up of just sparse finger snaps, atmospheric synth and choir chants. The storyline is nothing new, but tossing on a Drake dance album in the thick of a June heatwave is that really what we came for? A bottom line to consider: don't overthink it, or him. If you're ready to be annoyed by a new Drake album, you'll find a way to get there, no matter the format. But if you let yourself sink into the movement, the highlights, the zeitgeist, you might be surprised by how you feel about it down the road. Jess Huddleston

Halifax folk-pop duo Pillow Fite formed mid-pandemic with singer Art Ross arriving brand new to the scene and practiced guitarist Aaron Green stepping out from local bands Floodland and Hello Delaware and their genuine, lyrically sharp songs of sapphic love found a fanbase immediately. Their debut EP, Flutter, doesn't aspire to any one genre, which lets Ross and Green stretch and test their songwriting skills to see where they land. On "Cellar Door," that place is a dark-country corner, where Green balances his electric guitar and banjo to create a moody but expectant bed for Ross as they sing, "Your body feels like a landmine that I wanna stroke and kiss/ I need a map to see my path I hope there aren't paths that I've missed."

"'Cellar Door' was written in the first month with a new partner, when the romance is fresh and desire is intense," explained Ross via email. "This song is dear to my heart, it was written in a weird time of my life," they continued. "I was newly divorced, living on my own for the first time, and starting to build healthy connections." Flutter was released June 24, and I'd highly recommend listening well past this stellar opening song. HG

Mine, mine, your body is mineTo play with it, legislate it, honey, I'll decideI wanna care less(Careless, careless) I wanna care less

Tami Neilson's raucous, rousingresistance anthem was almost prescient. Neilson wrote the track, the third single from her forthcoming album,Kingmaker, as a response to a collection of sexist, misogynistic dating tips she came across in a 1938 issue of Parade Magazine. One of the tips read: "Careless women never appeal to gentlemen. Don't talk while dancing, for when a man dances, he wants to dance." Neilson's song has already been on repeat in my personal playlist for weeks. But since last Friday, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 50 years of Roe v. Wade and legal abortion, it's taken a new place in my head and my heart.

Neilson is one of countless musicians who took to social media to express dismay at the landmark ruling, writing: "Have spent the last week doing interviews for KINGMAKER, repeatedly answering the question of why there is so much 'anger' in the lyrics. This is why. It is righteous anger. It is personal." What's supremely powerful about "Careless Woman" is the space it makes for rage alongside its joyful expression of liberation. They are a shared rhythm, especially in the face of oppression, and Neilson conjures a perfect three minutes of soulful pop defiance. Andrea Warner

It was a surprise when Diplo dropped a remix of bbno$'s hit "Edamame" late last year, but it was also a stamp of approval from the superstar DJ. Fast forward six months and we now have the two artists dropping "Pogo" another unexpected release, and likely another hit from this relationship. (Surprises do seem to be bbno$'s M.O., whether it's through his fashion choices, his choice of collaborators or that he pops up everywhere, including the 2022 Juno Awards.) "Pogo" is deeply rooted in house music, and pushes the Vancouver-based rapper's sound into club anthem territory. The classic house groove will have your body moving from the first few bars, but it's at the two-minute mark where we hear that quintessential fresh bbno$ delivery, and when the track slides into the pocket of excellence. Ben Aylsworth

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Moonshine's cathartic, club-ready single, and 6 more songs you need to hear this week - CBC.ca

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Roll Into Summer With These Retro-Inspired Fashion Trends – 303 Magazine

Posted: at 11:26 pm

As the summer sun settles over Denver, this seasons trends have transpired in remembrance of retro styles. The 1970s is making a comeback, fused with Y2K nostalgia and contemporary designers.

Festival fashion is an insightful indicator of what styles will take shape for the upcoming season. Coachella 2022 gave fashionistas clear direction for what the summers fashion scene would have in store. As The New York Times and Grazia observed when reviewing Coachellas fashion scene, this years festival-goers dressed in on-trend outfits that blended elements of the 70s and Y2K. This comes as no surprise since vintage trends are always re-emerging into the popular zeitgeist.

Here at 303 Magazine, we curated looks according to trends predicted to break into the summer scene. Roller City Wests nostalgic atmosphere provided the perfect backdrop for a retro-inspired fashion editorial. This photoshoot plays around with vintage styles while also implementing a modern edge.

Lynea Donald is wearing the Sunny Jumpsuit from Hailee Grace, $112.

A commonality between 70s and Y2K fashion is that trends were heavily influenced by music and dance. Both eras favored styles that made a splash on the dance floor while also allowing freedom of movement. In 2022, fashion will be formed by our desire to dance into the summer with stylish musical artists like Harry Styles as the soundtrack.

Gabriela Melgar (left) is wearing black wide-leg pants from Dillards, $29 and the DIY Scarf Top from Hailee Grace, $35. Mya Valenzuela (middle) is wearing a corset top from Hott Pink Matter and wide-leg denim Free People pants from Dillards, $78.

70s silhouettes will call the shots in this summers pant trends. High-waisted bottoms are still dominating peoples closets, along with straight-leg and wide-leg pant styles. Bell bottoms and flare pants have made their way back into trends as statement pieces. Their reputation as disco-dancing attire tells us that fashion is leaning toward freeing styles that are inspired by the music scene.

Silk scarf tops, denim-on-denim and unexpected cutouts liken this summers trends to the Y2K era, which has steadily integrated into contemporary fashion since early last year. In the early 2000s party scene, the most popular fabrics were soft cotton, silk and linen. These fabrics will be the perfect airy materials for bracing hot weather and crowded dance floors this summer.

Valenzuela is wearing a jacket from local designer Mariah Hodges of Electric Bubblegum.

Denim is a staple in the Americana aesthetic, especially for westerners. Thankfully for denim-lovers, current trends call for an onrush of denim in every shape and shade. Denim two-piece sets, jumpsuits and jackets are the best way to get creative with a classic material.

To shop these looks, check out local brands like Hott Pink Matter,created by local designer Audra Stachnik, and Hailee Grace, who are raising the bar for designers and retailers with their modern takes on old-school fashion. Items like flamboyant corset tops and vintage-style jumpsuits prove that both brands know what Denver trendsetters are looking forward to wearing this summer.

Aislin Stewart is wearing a Free People denim jumpsuit from Dillards, $128 and a handbag from Electric Bubblegum.

Neons have circulated back into trends after a long reign of minimalist neutrals in modern fashion. Post-lockdown, shoppers are interested in brighter hues that will bring out their optimism and zest for life outside of quarantine. Joyfully saturated brights and cheery warm tones are expected to enliven summer looks.

Valenzuela is wearing a dress from Dillards and a handbag from Electric Bubblegum.

Candy-colored accessories will be the perfect way to add a pop of color to any outfit. Translucent or opaque, an exhilarating color palette makes accessories the most exciting way to give an outfit extra spunk. This summer, include a decorative bag or eclectic jewelry to create a more dynamic look. Kitsch has never been cooler, so be sure to embrace your youthful side with star, heart and butterfly motifs.

Electric Bubblegum, a local brand created by designer Mariah Hodges, champions unique liquid glitter accessories. Hodges rainbow confetti handbags and jewelry are the ideal way to enhance a summer look.

Melgar is wearing the Jade Floral dress from Dillards in 70s Color, $129.

Few things evoke the essence of a 70s flower child more than swirling floral prints and colorful crochet knits. The free-spirited mantra of the flower child has not only inspired lifestyles, but also fashion. As we break free from the pandemic, carefree florals and comfortable knit materials are a reflection of what we want to experience in 2022.

Donald (right) is wearing the Pop Pink Edie Crochet Set from Dillards, $139.

Vibrant floral designs are attracting attention as this seasons go-to print. Combining florals with a midi-dress, skirt or loose blouse can create a flowy, fresh and feminine look.

Meanwhile, colorful crochet knits continue to infiltrate summer fashion, proving that knitwear is not just for colder seasons. This trend borrows from the 70s obsession with crochet knit vests, halter tops and dresses. This summer, sport a matching knit set for a fashion-forward festival look or street style moment.

Stewart is wearing the Maya Ruched dress, $129 and green platform heels, both from Dillards.

Take a step into a more daring shoe style this summer as trends point towards strappy sandals and tall wedges. While platforms and strappy heels arent necessarily the easiest to dance in, they can brighten up the dance floor if they come in electrifying colors. When it comes to footwear, this summer is all about embracing a prismatic palette.

Futuristic platform heels have also returned, taking fashion to new heights. This footwear trend can be further elevated with the addition of dazzling embellishments, such as rhinestones. Shoe trends are also taking notes from the disco age and Y2K by involving shiny metallic and translucent materials.

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Photoshoot Credits

Photographed by Roxanna Carrasco

Location provided by Roller City West

Lead Stylist Ashleigh Perri

Clothing and accessories provided by: Dillards, Electric Bubblegum, Hott Pink Matterand Hailee Grace

Models Mya Valenzuela, Gabriela Melgar, Aislin Stewart and Lynea Donald

Hair by Jasmine Mills

Makeup by Mary Willis

Fashion Editor Abby Schirmacher

Fashion Writer Isabella Moses

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First-of-its-kind exhibit in Colorado Springs showcases custom car and motorcycle art – KRDO

Posted: at 11:26 pm

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- The Cottonwood Center of the Arts is hosting a new event called Cars and Stripes, which highlights 13 different artists across the nation that take part in "Kustom Kulture".

The Cottonwood Center for the Arts describes Kustom Kulture as "the zeitgeist of custom car and motorcycle culture that grew in popularityin the 1950s and continues today. Greasers, hot rodders, moonshiners, and psychobilly's are among the subcultures associated with this movement, and the style of artwork that developed alongside itis equally as diverse and iconic."

Those who attend the event can expect a wide variety of works ranging from pinstriping to portraiture, sign painting, illustration, and more.

The Director of Creation at the Cottonwood Center for the Arts, Jess Preble, said that she wanted to bring this type of art into a professional setting to showcase a style of art that many people don't usually see.

"I thought it would be an incredible experience for our community to see artwork that you would never expect to see in a formal gallery setting -- in a formal gallery setting," said Jess Preble.

Many of the artists at the event are pinstripers. Pinstriping is the application of a very thin line of paint or other material.

One of the local artists, Patrick Rau, is a local pinstriper. Rau said his dad built hot rods growing up, and he drew inspiration from seeing the artwork on cars. He said this is the first time he had his art displayed in a professional gallery setting.

"I was nervous at first, but it's pretty exciting, especially seeing how many people are interested. People had no idea that this type of art even existed," Rau said.

The Executive Director, Jon Khoury, says his goal is to give all artists a place to express their different art styles.

"A good part of the mission for Cottonwood Center for the Arts is helping identify artistic talent and giving people the opportunity to express themselves through their specific art, and in this case, it happens to be pinstriping and artistic visions for automobiles," Khoury said.

The Cars and Stripes event is happening for the whole month of July. The gallery will be open Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.

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Road movies and the myth of rural America – Far Out Magazine

Posted: at 11:26 pm

The myth of the perpetual American road is one of the oldest and most patriotic stories ever to be told in the United States, featuring lonely, wandering characters trying to find purpose in the wilderness of the countryside. Wide, endless and sprawling, these American back roads and highways represent a poetic landscape rife for self-discovery, led by the inspiring muffled vibrations of the music of the liberating car stereo.

Much like the classic American western, the road movie relies on an exploratory narrative where characters explore their own frontiers whilst pushing the physical borders of discovery. Such journeys take characters across the length and breadth of America, encountering hitchhikers, strange, desolate locations and surprising challenges, each weaving together to create one all-encompassing story of personal revelation.

Such stories are peppered throughout the history of American cinema, from the early tale of Bonnie and Clyde in 1967 to the same storys modern reimagining in 2019s Queen & Slim, with the core narrative of self-discovery in the context of cultural change being pertinent to the subgenre.

Indeed, back in the 1960s, the power of Americas mythical past was still fresh in the mind of the zeitgeist, as the western genre remained a significant genre of contemporary Hollywood. Built on the very constructs of American idealism, the genre is one that remains inextricably tied to the identity of the nation itself, representing the values of liberty, justice and courage that the country itself holds so dearly.

Despite holding a neo-noir crime identity, with a narrative based on the real-life crime spree of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, theres no doubt that the 1967 movie, directed by Arthur Penn, is also a contemporary evolution of western cinema. In pursuit of liberty and the freedom of the American dream, the pair robbed gas stations, restaurants, and small-town banks, operating in Texas and New Mexico, trading horses for a 1934 Ford Model 40 B Fordor Deluxe sedan.

Much like the road movie, ever since the genres inception in the early 1920s, Western cinema has changed with the winds of America, becoming one of the greatest cinematic signifiers for the social and political changes the country has undergone in the past century. This mythic genre was too based on an idea of a lawless rural America where the true essence of the country seeped blew with the momentum of the tumbleweed.

Penn wasnt the only one to notice this truth either, with Dennis Hoppers cult classic road movie, Easy Rider presenting a tale that closely resembled the daring exploration of a timeless western story. Creating one of cinemas most countercultural road trips, Hoppers 1969 film is a hippie romp that would become part of the fabric of the late 20th-century movement. Chronicling a modern American odyssey perpetuated by the ideals of the bohemian subculture, Easy Rider journeys through Arizona and New Mexico, chronicling an epic journey that takes in all the sights, smells and noises of 60s America.

Led by an equally counter-cultural team that included actors Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson, the film represents the change in American ideology that occurred throughout the middling decades of the late 20th century. Out on the open roads, such subversive ideas are explored through a haze of marijuana smoke, as the concepts of all-American freedom are discussed in the context of an increasingly commercial country that is slowly restricting the liberty of the wild west.

Such a sentiment crossed over into the 1970s, with Two-Lane Blacktop illustrating an American counterculture on the move. Burgeoning with the ongoing injustice of the Vietnam war, the youth of America found solace in the liberty of the open road.

The wide and wild endless roads of the American highways represented a poetic landscape in which self-discoveries were made for an energetic new generation, their expressive soundtracks of identity blasting out the windows of Ford Mustangs and Cadillac Coupe DeVilles. Such individuals explored their frontiers whilst pushing the borders of discovery, engaging in fleeting conversations with hitchhikers whilst fantasising about relationships and their place in Americas fluctuating identity.

Young and bohemian, the nameless lead friends, played by the singer-songwriter of Sweet Baby James, James Taylor and Dennis Wilson, the drummer for the Beach Boys engage in a relationship that exists solely for their love and endless facts about cars, the means by which every inch of the country can be discovered and claimed.

It is in the depths of these rural corners of the United States where the truth of the country lies, a truth that has been built by decades of myth-making that paints the essence of America to belong in the flourishing national parks, teeming wildlife and love for liberty above all. Though, this constructed truth is as genuine as the claim on a red MAGA hat, simply echoing back to a fictional idea of America that is poorly made out beyond the smog of capitalist constructs and corporate ventures that truly make up the backbone of the country.

Such representation of this broken idea of national identity was presented in Terrence Malicks extraordinary debut feature, Badlands, a film that follows two protagonists who reveal a dark truth about the country in the late 20th and 21st century as they engage in a ruthless killing spree.

Exploring how American commercial values poisoned the idea of the mythical wanderer in the countrys wilderness, Malicks film comments on the technological revolution that saw televisions find their place in households across the country and the status of the celebrity grow astronomically. Where the travelling myth-makers of the past found meaning on their own terms, the lead character of Badlands, Kit (Martin Sheen), self-consciously moulds himself on the famous rebel and youthful celebrity, James Dean.

Defining himself by the icons he admires and creating a fake image of himself based on others, Malick demonstrates how the ideology of the American countryside has been corrupted by a pervasive commercial force as his lead character finds identity in the ones manufactured by him by modern media. Is there indeed no meaning in the barren landscapes of rural America?

The horror movie craze that infested culture throughout the late 1970s and 1980s would certainly suggest that any national identity had been destroyed by a pervasive contemporary evil, with the likes of Tobe Hoopers 1974 movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre demonstrating this in abundance.

Taking place in the forgotten outback of Texas, where the land is littered with the fossils of cattle alongside rarely-used gasoline stations and forgotten graveyards, Hoopers film encapsulates the idea of rural America as a mass necropolis. Embodying the slowly defiled identity of the country itself, the film is driven by the villainous Leatherface and his cannibalistic family, representing the strange victims of such a change.

This land mocks liberty and toys with justice, with the dust of the Texas landscape totally devoid of any hope at all; such that its a wonder why any young people would want to walk its ground at all. Seeking out the resting place of their grandfather, Sally Hardesty, her brother Franklin and their three friends set on a road trip across the Texas wasteland whereupon they become the latest victims of the lands barren hope and lack of law.

Such law, order and justice are flouted and mocked in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a terrifying horror film that speaks to the insecurity of America that was suffering the bruises of the Watergate scandal as well as the ongoing Vietnam war. Damaging the legitimacy of the countrys political foundations, such events demonstrated that the law, order and liberty that the USA was built on, may no longer exist.

Battered by the events of the 20th century, by the final decade of the 1990s, America was battered and mutated, a far cry from the heroic myth of the country represented in ancient westerns. Society had been indelibly changed by the events of the previous decades and cinema responded as such, with the feminist masterpiece giving a brand new perspective on the American road movie.

Where often a male lead would grab the steering wheel of a road movie, here Ridley Scotts Thelma & Louise takes inspiration from Spielbergs Sugarland Express and reimagines the typical male-buddy film with female protagonists. Written and creatively masterminded by screenwriter Callie Khouri, who would win an Oscar for her debut piece of work, the film is a Western-inspired, venomously-spiked escape to Mexico, avoiding Texas at all costs.

A frenetic movie that prods and ridicules old stereotypes, Thelma and Louise would represent more modern attitudes to the idea of the American country, ideas of gender and social status that were reflected in the tender Kelly Reichardt movie Old Joy, released during the infancy of the 21st century. A pensive exploration of gender and individuality in modern America, Reichardts film represented a sign of things to come for the contemporary road movie.

Followed by Melina Matsoukas Queen and Slim in 2019, a road movie that casts an analytical light on contemporary issues and offers a sobering parable that forces reflection, Matsoukas play on Bonnie and Clyde would bring the genre full circle.

Finding meaning and solace on the American highways, the titular protagonists of Queen and Slim engage in fleeting conversations with strangers both friendly and hostile whilst fantasising about their relationship and their place in an ever-more volatile American society. Young, gifted and promising, their lives represent the reality of so many in contemporary life as Melina Matsoukass film yearns for a time and place where such injustices are finally put to bed.

Indeed, this demonstrates the transition to a brand new myth of the rural outback where new attitudes towards gender and sexuality force the traditional qualities of the American country to be reconsidered and re-evaluated. The sacred allure of the American road still invites personal myth-making, but in an informed modern society, awake to the injustices of the past, this new distant dream is a far cry from the one of old.

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Alternative youth culture finds a home at Google – TechCity

Posted: at 11:26 pm

The Alt Community is an emerging culture that is uniquely African and is increasing in popularity among the Gen Z demographic. Alt, short for Alternative, originated as an avenue for unconventional self-expression that transcends the traditional . At the centre of the Alt movement, is the desire to remain sincere to oneself regardless of existing traditions or cultural restrictions.

The Alt movement arguably has its origin in Nigeria, with musical Artists like Teezee, BOJ, Tems, Odunsi and Lady Donli driving the movement but the sub-culture is visible among young Africans across the continent. Sichangi, from Kenya and Amaarae from Ghana are among the musical artists from other parts of Africa who are propagating Alt sounds. Beyond music, Alt has grown as a lifestyle and its influence is also visible in fashion and the visual arts. Mowalola and Tse are some of the creative influencers that are driving the Alt movement in fashion and photography respectively.

There is also a growing number of creative entrepreneurs in the Alt community. These young individuals are running their own businesses and thriving within Africas creative ecosystem. By optimising the internet, they are carving their distinctive identity and propagating the growth of the Alt community in Africa.

Google, through the Alt Residency is spotlighting and contributing to Africas cultural zeitgeist by exposing Alt creatives and expressionists to skills that can be harnessed through the lens of YouTube, YouTubeShorts, Search and Google Arts & Culture and enable creatives to scale up in their businesses and career.

The Alt Residency is an exclusive residency hosted and curated by Google Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. The goal of the residency is to provide a platform for creatives in Africa who identify as alternative/ non-mainstream to engage with Google.

It will also be an opportunity to upskill African Alt creatives with relevant career skills by using specific online platforms (YouTube, YouTube Shorts, Search and Google Arts & Culture) to help them connect better with their audience and harness value as they move the Alt culture forward.

Globally, the creative economy is projected to reach a global valuation of $985 billion by 2023 and this represents 10 percent of global GDP before 2030. The creative economy in Africa has recorded massive growth as a result of the influence of the internet. Artists, musicians, creators and filmmakers now have the opportunity to connect with a global audience using digital platforms like YouTube, Search and YouTube Shorts.

Google is committed to helping these creatives thrive, and providing a platform for diverse voices and expressions.

In 2020, billions of people came to YouTube to share skills, launch businesses, and positively impact their communities.

YouTube has become a mainline for African artists to connect all over the globe, exporting African music to fans around the world and enabling collaborations within the global and regional music industry. Cultural movements grow and build on YouTube: African music is one example along with K-Pop, Latin music, and more. YouTube has played an essential role in the discovery and development of African sound, exporting African music to listeners worldwide. Of the 25 most watched Sub-Saharan-Africa artists on YouTube, more than 70% of their views come from outside Africa.

The Black Voices Fund, Class of 2023, is now open for applications. The fund created in 2020 recognizes and equips Black creators, artists, songwriters, and producers with the resources and support to enable them to thrive on YouTube.

As part of the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund Class of 2022, each of the 26 African YouTubers selected received seed funding alongside dedicated support to help them develop their channels. They also took part in bespoke and hands-on training, workshops, and networking programmes.

The 2021 BVF cohort included 133 grantees hailing from the United States, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, and Nigeria-with 26 creators and artists from Africa.

In May, YouTube commemorated Africa Day with a series of initiatives including sessions targeted at creators in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, and the popular Africa Day concert which is now in its 3rd edition. As with previous years, Africa Day was leveraged as a platform to showcase our ongoing commitment to the region through products and initiatives that empower people and businesses.

As with previous editions, the Africa day concert was also leveraged to reaffirm YouTubes ever-growing role in propagating Afrobeats globally. The 2022 Africa Day concert included an in-person recording session, and a virtual livestream to hold on back-to-back days, unlike previous editions which were only live streamed virtually on YouTube.

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Alternative youth culture finds a home at Google - TechCity

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