J. Cole Talks About His Visit to Ferguson and Shares His Thoughts on the Michael Brown Shooting (Video)

Published

8 years ago

August 18, 2014

IT'S BEEN A LITTLE OVER A WEEK. In the days since Michael Brown’s death at the hands of a local police officer on August 9, a suburb of St. Louis has undergone a dramatic reconfiguration. For one thing, Ferguson, Missouri has been crackling with confrontation nearly nonstop, in a series of actions that alternate wildly between nonviolent protest and violent skirmishes between local authorities and civilians.

For another, it's no longer just a suburb of St. Louis.

The death of Michael Brown and the subsequent fallout of trust between citizens, press, and law enforcement has drawn attention to Ferguson from people all over the world. One of those individuals is J.Cole, who recorded a tribute to Michael Brown not long after learning of his death. Cole took things a step further by making his way down to the Ferguson, bringing his Dreamville crew along for the trip. As soon as he entered the area along W. Florissant, Cole was surrounded by hundreds of people, who were elated to see that someone of note made time for them. This, of course, is at a time when the president is only now just announcing that the attorney general will be visiting Ferguson. It was before the governor could make it down, too.

During his visit, J. Cole spent hours walking among throngs of protestors, listening and sharing his thoughts. He made it very clear to us that he wasn’t there to do press, and refused to be interviewed before sparing a few minutes to speak candidly with Complex News about his thoughts on what’s taken place in Ferguson, as well as similar issues he’s long been aware of.

Check out the interview above, and keep it locked to Complex News for all the latest from the front lines of Ferguson.

Music

Ariana Grande – 34+35 (Remix) feat. Doja Cat & Megan Thee Stallion

Published

2 years ago

January 15, 2021

Tina French

Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion, and Doja Cat have teamed up for a new remix of Grande’s Positions track 34+35.

Film & Television

Why Did Michaela Coel Walk Away From a $1 Million Dollar Deal with Netflix?

Published

2 years ago

July 6, 2020

Tina French

Michaela Coel, the star of HBO’s hit series I May Destroy You had to decline Netflix’s $1 million offer after the streaming giant refused to allow her to retain “at least 5 percent of her rights” for the show.

Coel’s success in the U.S. is largely credited to Netflix. The streamer was the U.S. distributor of Coel’s acclaimed comedy series Chewing Gum. Netflix also housed a feature musical titled Been So Long in which Coel was the lead, as well as the drama series Black Earth Rising. Coel also starred in an Emmy-winning episode of Black Mirror, also distributed by Netflix. So, naturally, Coel’s history with the streaming platform made it the premier destination for her new project. After a short negotiation with a Netflix executive, however, Coel had to find a different home for I May Destroy You in order to maintain ownership of the series.

According to Vulture, Coel recalled that Netflix made her a $1 million offer for I May Destroy You in spring 2017 but she turned it down. Why? The streamer wouldn’t allow her to retain any percentage of the copyright. Coel even discontinued her relationship with CAA after it “tried to push her to take the deal”.

I May Destry You is based on Coel’s personal experience of being sexually assaulted during the making of Chewing Gum. At the age of 32, Coel is in full creative control of the series as its showrunner, director, star, and writer. She wrote all 12 episodes and co-directed nine, stars as a young writer Arabella struggling to come to terms and process a recent assault.

The series is now streaming on HBO.

Film & Television

Ava DuVernay and Whoopi Goldberg Elected to The Academy’s Board of Governors

Published

2 years ago

June 11, 2020

Tina French

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has just elected members to its 2020-2021 Board of Governors. Among the six newly elected governors are director Ava DuVernay. EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg has been re-elected for a second three-year term.

For those not familiar with the work of the Board of Governors, here is a breakdown of how it works and what it does.

Per Oscars official website, The Board of Governors directs the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health and assures the fulfillment of its mission.

Governors attend 6-8 board meetings annually (in person or by video). Each Governor also serves on one board oversight committee and their branch’s executive committee, and they are expected to represent their branch at numerous Academy events through the year.

The Academy has a total of 18 branches, including the actors branch and directors branch, where Goldberg and DuVernay will serve. Each branch is represented by three governors who are elected for three-year terms.

Since the #OscarSoWhite campaign in 2015, the Academy has been making efforts to increase diversity across the board. After the most recent election, out of 54 governors, the number of female Academy governors increased from 25 to 26, and people of color increased from 11 to 12.