It’s been a great season of fundraising.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Texas Hip Hop artist Johnny Cocoa to discuss his journey in music as he released one of his latest singles “Free Bird.” Produced by Tago, the track imagines a liberated world where folks fully embrace free-spirited nature to go after what’s theirs for the taking. Through his smooth lyricism and captivating flow, Johnny emphasizes the power in breaking free from the confinements of our mind and a hustle hard mentality. The single serves as a follow up to the Beaumont artist’s recently released spiritual single, “On God” which has accumulated over 1.9M views to date. As we discussed his career, Johnny gave us an inside look on how his music has transformed him, where he draws inspiration and how he hopes to influence as he progresses in his career.
Q: Describe the transition in your music from when you first began to now.
Johnny: The most prevalent change was through my spiritual journey. I took my spiritual journey to new heights and that played a major role in my transition. On “Thuggin’ By My Lonely” I was coming from a place of pain and up until now I am more wise and clear of mind.
Q: Who are some artists that have inspired the work you have created and will create moving forward?
Johnny: RUSS, Smino, James Brown, Ray Charles, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Drake, SZA, Schoolboy Q, the list goes on.
Q: What impact do you hope to have on the culture of music?
Johnny: I definitely hope to have persuasive power to create more unity and love within the culture. Personally, as a black man, I hope to inspire love within the black community.
Q: What is one thing you wish someone had told you prior to pursuing a career in this industry?
Johnny: I wish somebody would have told me about politics and how important relationships are because I am naturally introverted. Breaking out of my shell was tricky in the beginning but it was fun and it was part of the journey. I took it head on like I do everything. I would tell them just to be present in the journey because every step is very important, every relationship is invaluable. Everything about the journey is imperative. It’s very important to stay present because without the present there is no future.
The southern artist has caught the attention and public support of music and pop culture icons such as Drake and Kanye West who have recognized his adept cross-genre fusion of hip-hop, R&B and tones of reggae. Beyond the recognition, Johnny is driven by his passion to tell stories through his music and positively influence those around him through his artistry.
Johnny’s continuous stream of singles and projects over the years culminated in his debut project To The World in 2021. Throughout the project, he showcases his versatility as an artist, delivering bars and fan favorites “Thuggin’ By My Lonely” and “Man in the Mirror.” The project also features the popular song, “Letters from Itachi” – inspired by one of the recording artist’s favorite anime shows, Naruto. Be sure to follow the works of Johnny Cocoa as his latest album “I AM WHO I AM” is out now on all streaming platforms!
“The English” is an action Western, with meaningful, historical context, and conversations within the story.
Following the screening was a live Q&A with actress Anna Diol and director Nikyatu Jusu.
On Monday, November 7, Old Parr and Sebastian Lletget hosted an intimate dinner at the historic DAMA Fashion District. Guests had the chance to enjoy perfectly curated cocktails from Old Parr, such as The “Off the Pitch” cocktail, a delicious blend of Sebastian’s favorite fruit flavors, mango, and lime, with the clean and gentle finish of Old Parr’s perfectly balanced scotch whisky.
The dinner consisted of a 4 course meal with popular menu items such as Seafood Tostada, Rib Eye Steak, Crispy Squash Flowers, and my personal favorite Churros. Grand Old Parr Aged 12 Years is the perfect cocktail to enjoy while watching the FIFA World Cup this year starting November 20th. In the words of Sebastian Lletget “Life is all about celebrating golden moments! @oldparr_us brought my closest friends and loved ones together to celebrate the start of a new season and the next 3 years in Dallas. With the world’s biggest tournament around the corner, the celebration is just getting started. Here’s to #MoreGoldenMoments on and off the field – salud!” Be sure to grab a bottle of Old Parr and please drink responsibly.
Independent, multi-faceted artist QUIN offers a preview of her new project, “SCORPIA” (feat. 6LACK) at a listening party!
Joseph DeCristofaro, Ann Dexter Jones (Photo credit: Nicolette Richards/Ambassador Images)
Manhattan, New York, October 19, 2022 – If you’re in search of a great restaurant to host your next mixer or looking for a night of dining for two, I know just the place! The iconic Hamptons classic Steakhouse, The Old Stove Pub, has made its mark by opening its new location at 1076 First Avenue at 59th street in Manhattan, New York!
The staple, Old Stove Pub, has set itself apart, as the new local go to hotspot for dining and cocktails after having established itself in the Hamptons since its opening in 1967. As an already successful eatery, this famed culinary gem has attracted a regular clientele of high society, A-list celebrities, CEOs, Athletes and wrung in the support of its local communities and their families.
Owner Joseph De Cristofaro has reintroduced the Old Stove Pub back to dining in the heart of New York City. With a clear goal in mind, Joseph aims to be a part of the culinary renaissance that reinstates the Big Apple as the dining Mecca of all the East Coast!
The opening event was held on October 19th, 2022, with a room decorated with culture makers, media personalities, photographers, designers and more! Of the many in attendance these notable names were present to celebrate the grand opening of the East End Classic at the Old Stove Pub. The guestlist included owner Joseph DeCristofaro, Maria Helena DeCristofaro, Patrick McMullen, George Rush, Joanna Molloy, Philip Delouvrier, Carole Delouvrier, Walter Thomas, Justine Harari, Angela Janklow, Pam Taylor Yates, Carmen D’Alessio, Ann Dexter Jones, Claire Mercuri, Minnie Osmena, Ben Widdicombe, Karen Peterson, Leesa Rowland, Larry Wohl, and Jean Shafiroff.
Samplings of Lamb, Steak and Shrimp were the highlight at Old Stove Pub’s grand opening on Oct 19, 2022
As we mingled around a low-lit open floor, the guests delighted themselves with tasty appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, an open bar and deliciously chilled champagne. To entice our palates, we were introduced to a sample of the entrees offered at the Old Stove Pub which included portions of tender, juicy prime steaks, succulent rack of lamb, and mouth-watering roasted chicken. Not to be outdone, fresh seafood samplings of salmon, and scallops were presented for samplings as a highlight of the a raw bar that features fresh plump oysters, jumbo shrimp; and generous sides of roasted cauliflower and creamed spinach.
Joseph DeCristofaro, Maria Helena DeCristofaro and friends (photo credit: Patrick McMullen/PMC
Are you ready to indulge in the amazing cuisine and drinks offered at The Old Stove Pub? Perfect. Old Stove Pub is open for dinner from 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday
Alternative dining hours on Friday and Saturday run from 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm both offerings have a full bar and dinner menu. Enjoy!
To celebrate its 26th year, the Urban World Festival opened with the film “Devotion” which stars the festival’s official ambassador this year—Jonathan Majors.
After finding great success with his hit Starz crime drama series Power and BMF, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson is exploring real-life homicides within the hip hop industry in a new docuseries for WeTV and AllBLK called Hip Hop Homicides. Jackson serves as executive producer of the series along with Mona Scott Young and Vanessa Satten. Van Lathan hosts each episode during the eight-episode first season. “Hip Hop Homicides” explores the murders of popular hip-hop artists.
On Thursday (November 10th), The Knockturnal attended a screening for the upcoming third episode of the docuseries which focuses on the murder of Magnolia Shorty. Prior to episode three the first two episodes explored the murders of Pop Smoke and King Von. Jackson, Young, and Satten were in attendance at the screening which took place at New York City’s Crosby Hotel.
During a panel discussion following the screening, Jackson, Young and Satten spoke about developing the series. Young stated about the mission of the series was, “To find a way to not only maybe uncover new leads or provide some measure of answers, if not closure for family, friends, and fans, but also find a way to keep those memories and to get to know them as 50 cent in different ways.” “I love hearing everyone laughing along because I felt like you guys kind of got to know her [Magnolia Shorty] in a different way. Right? And so a big part of our commitment was one keeping their legacies alive, preserving it and also allowing their fans and their loved ones to express themselves. We also heard at some points from moms that their voices were silenced. And everyone knew the headline, they knew the marquee name, but they didn’t know the person. They didn’t know who they were. And so all of those things went into our thinking and our crafting as we put the show together. But it was very important for him to be told by us, right and because I think we care in a much different way. And we wanted to do something that would again be a legacy project.” Young added
“We don’t really want to have a bunch more seasons because it means more deaths, but at the same time, you want to be able to shine a light on it and talk about the artists that were lost and their legacies. The biggest thing was the families were excited that we were able to tell the stories that they thought hadn’t been told or that people hadn’t been celebrating accurately. Unfortunately, working in hip hop media we are watching these cases over and over happen synchronously. We just saw PNB Rock and TakeOff [gunned down]. We actually had this show premiere the week that Takeoff passed, which was a very hard thing to figure out how to celebrate when you’re dealing with that tragedy at the same time. So it really is an odd situation because you don’t want to keep covering these stories. Some will be focused on some of the older ones I don’t know. But at the same time without these stories, you don’t have a show like this existing,” Satten commented.
Jackson pointed out that there are over 600 homicides connected to hip hop. “And each one of those stories is interesting as going into this, it’s someone’s entire life at that point and them putting their energy and everything into music and some of them have one foot in the street one foot is in the music [industry]. But it happen and it’s interesting to see the aftermath of it and how people handled it”, Jackson explained.
“Hip Hop Homicides” airs on WeTV on Thursdays and streams on ALLBLK on Mondays. The episode focused on Magnolia Shorty will air on November 18th.
Photo Credit: WeTV/ AMC Networks
Of course, I am in no way, shape or form trying to disparage Lon Chaney’s work as the wolf man, but a lot of the old-timey have not seemed to age well over time. They obviously didn’t have computers to render the finalized werewolf believable instead of laughable, which is where the Alfonso Cauron 2004 film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban comes in.
This third film in the Wizarding World franchise sees Harry Potter being haunted by a newly-escaped prisoner named Sirius Black, who has been said to have aided Lord Voldemort in the killing of Potter’s parents.
The main plot of the film isn’t what I’m here to talk about, though. I’m here to talk about one scene, in particular, where the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin turns into a werewolf after forgetting to take his potion to prevent the incident from occurring.
In the course of the scene, Lupin is ready to attack and kill Harry, his friends and Professor Snape, until Black transforms into his dog disguise and takes on the hairy brute.
This is all to say that this is one of the most intense sequences in the Harry Potter series. It takes the series into a darker turn for fans and audiences. It is also a milestone in the horror genre and, more specifically, a werewolf movie.
I have never seen a werewolf film honor its horror roots with such amazing CGI and a sympathetic character. This third entry in the series is something that many werewolf films don’t truly understand. It harbors a sympathetic victim of this werewolf curse. Other films before and after it have given generic characters to their horror pictures. They fail to connect with audiences and the characters come across as flaccid and lifeless that fail to resonate anything with audiences.
Harry Potter’s third movie combines the dark macabre with a touch of comedy that is sorely missed from previous wolf movies. I am so happy that I grew up with this gem.