Sipps T Terrence J Johnson

Hip-Hop and Rap royalty, DMX, is on life support after being hospitalized for suffering a heart-attack in White Plains, New York. According to Hot97.com, the heart attack was brought on by a drug overdose. Earl Simmons, known to most as DMX, had his first 5 albums debut at number one on the Billboard charts. He is a three-time Grammy nominee, father to multiple children, and respected MC.

Think back to a time where you felt justified in something you’ve done by saying, “oh - it’s just a habit.” We’re confident that almost everyone can relate and that this response in itself can be considered .. Just that - a habit. We make allowances for situations and actions in an effort to not only appease the best and worst parts of ourselves, but also the environments and people that surround us. Habits are essentially the things we do and why we do them.

Throughout all of our lives, we’ve shared experiences with people that pushed us to continuously work towards being our best selves. Whether that be loved ones who raised us, friends we met in middle school or college, or celebrities that we have never met-- something about these people connected us to one another and gave us the fuel to not only be ourselves but also follow our dreams-- thus leading up to this moment in our lives right now.

Every year seems to fly by at whatever speed it wants.

Now that we’re almost halfway through ‘Melanin March’, surely this isn’t the first time you’ve heard that phrase as it follows the world-wide celebration of Black History Month in February. This growing celebratory culture of blackness speaks to a larger truth - we, as Black people, often take matters in our hands to create our space in this world - to feel secure and be seen in a way that isn’t limited to only a few weeks out of the year. After former Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, shared her truth about her lived experiences after marrying Prince Harry David in an exclusive CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey, we saw how vital feeling secure in this world is.... But more specifically, in a space that you’ve intended to make your own.

More than half a million lives have already been lost under the Trump administration due to the Coronavirus. The pandemic ravaged families, businesses, and communities a like… taking loved ones at every corner. This past week, Gov. Tate Reeves removed the mask mandate for the state of Mississippi—making it the second state to do so following Texas. These changes allow businesses to operate at full capacity with no masks required. Although vaccine distribution is increasing, many are weary of the long-term effects of the changes in the Magnolia state.

With the coronavirus taking away so many livelihoods over the past year… a lot of people found new and risqué ways to reinvent themselves by ‘using what they got to get what they want’. The social media platform ‘OnlyFans’ opened the floodgates to bring a once ostracized content creator to the forefront… normalizing and idealizing sex work. Even celebrities like Trey Songz, Mario, Cardi B, and Bella Thorne all have accounts. With huge stars using the platform, has the stigma surrounding sex work has gone away? Or are sex workers still ‘othered’ and harmed at alarming rates?