Coming 2 America is the 2021 American comedy film that is the equal to the 1988 film of Coming to America movie. It starred Eddie Murphy. Eddie fulfilled his dream to create a sequel. For decades, Eddie Murphy has been one of the greatest comedians of all time. Now, he has been in numerous films. Coming 2 America was directed by Craig Brewer from a screenplay by Kenya Barris, Barry W. Blaustein, and David Sheffield. Eddie Murphy imagined many of the characters himself. It had many new actors and actresses plus some of the same actors including actresses from the original movie like Arsenio Hall, Eddie Murphy, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Jones, KiKi Layne, Shari Headley, Teyana Taylor, Wesley Snipes, and James Earl Jones. The film was released by Paramount Pictures. It was released digitally via Prime Video from Amazon on March 4, 2021. The story starts at the 30th year anniversary of Prince Akeem of Zamunda's wedding with Lisa McDowell. His father King Jaffe Joffer is dying. Akeem realizes from his shaman Babaa and Jaffe that he has a secret son in Queens, New York City. So, he had to go to NYC to find out who his son is as Zamundian tradition demands that only a male successor can inherit his throne (as Akeem only has daughters). Akeem also deals with the militaristic dictator General Izzi (the brother of Akeem's original arranged bride-to-be), has been pushing Akeem's eldest daughter Meeka into marrying his foppish son, Idi). Izzi wants to take over Zaumanda. King Jaffe had a funeral. So, Akeem and Semmi goes to met his secret song in Queens, NYC. Lavelle Junson is his son. Mary is Lavelle's mother. After an awkward reunion with his mother Mary, Akeem takes them back to Zamunda, much to his family's displeasure. When General Izzi learns of this, he drops by to introduce his daughter Bopoto to Lavelle as a last shot at laying claim to the throne of Zamunda, but in order to qualify as a royal prince, Lavelle first has to pass a series of traditional - and hazardous - tests.
Lavelle has a hard time at first to adjust to life at Zumunda. He allies with the royal groomer Mirembe. Mirembe tells Lavell of Akeem's quest to find his queen and encourages him to follow his own path. He then invites his uncle Reem (played by Tracy Morgan), Mary's streetwise brother, to Zamunda who coaches Lavelle on how to blend his urban upbringing with his new royal status. Lavelle gradually develops an understanding with Akeem's family and, using his wits and some forced courage, he passes and is made Prince of Zamunda. However, at his accession party, Lavelle overhears a conversation between Akeem and Izzi which makes him believe that Akeem is just exploiting him, and he, Mirembe, Mary and Reem go back to New York. Upset at losing Mary, whom she has befriended, Lisa locks Akeem out of their bedroom. After talking with Cleo, who reminds him of late Queen Aoleon's progressive mind, Akeem flies back to the States, while Semmi is left to stall Izzi, who intends to return the next day to either see Bopoto marry Lavelle or declare war.
Akeem finds Lavelle and Mirembe about to be married at Queens. Akeem gives his son his blessing and released Lavelle from his marriage to Bopoto. During this time, Semmi and the princesses fight off and subdue General Izzi, forcing him to try a more diplomatic approach. Upon his return home, Akeem changes the royal succession by allowing his daughter Meeka to ascend to the throne upon his death, while Lavelle is made an ambassador to the United States and General Izzi has opened Nexdoria for a peaceful political and trading relationship. The film concluded with a grand party at the royal palace, including Akeem's barbershop friends from Queens as special guests and a performance of the song "We Are Family" from Sexual Chocolate. Eddie Murphy plays many characters from singer, barber shop people, and Arsenio Hall plays the Reverend Brown (or pastor of the church). Teyana Taylor plays Bopoto Izzi. Bella Murphy plays Princess Omma Joffer. Kiki Layne plays Prince Meeka Joffer. Shari Headley plays Queen Lisa Joffer. James Earl Jones plays King Jaffe. Salt-N-Pepa, Gladys Knight, Dikembe Mutombo, Garcelle Beauvais, Michael Blackson, Rick Ross, John Legend, En Vogue, and other people are in the movie. The filming of the movie started on August 17, 2019 at Atlanta, Georgia. The original motion picture soundtrack was released through Def Jam Recordings on March 5, 2021. In February 2021, Bobby Sessions and Megan Thee Stallion released I'm a King as its lead single. Coming 2 America, being released in 2021, dealt with a new world of Metoo, BLM, and other political plus social realities. So, much of the film is PG-13. Eddie Murphy wanted to appeal to a younger generation. Some of the sequel quotes exactly word for word from the original. The movie tried to play it safe to not offend anyone. Also, the actress Leslie Jones used a lot of creative comedy in the film. The irony is that Eddie Murphy's critics complain about his controversial jokes during the 1980's, and many of these same critics complain about his film being too politically correct now. You can't please everyone. By and large, the film is from a 21st century perspective. The film gets better as time goes on. Also, women empowerment and leadership is shown in the film by the new ruler of Zamunda being a woman. I don't agree with one character braking like a dog, because to me that is inappropriate and has nothing to do with the plot of the film. The jokes about Akeem's manhood of not having a son harkens backs to old stereotypes that should be rejected. The movie didn't want to reinvent the wheel. It wanted to show old school imagery mixed with new school sensibilities. If the film became more revolutionary, then it could have been better, but it was not a totally terrible film, though not better than the original movie. It was a movie reflecting the times of the 2020s.
R&B Culture is diverse. It deals with music a lot. From the pianos, trumpets, base, and electronic devices, R&B Music has existed in the modern world since the 1940's. Also, the culture of R&B deals with soul. Soul is not something that is artificial. It is not something that is fake or generated via deception. Soul is a tangible part of the human soul that endorses creativity, originality, and the love of the audience. African American culture relates to R&B culture too, as black people invented R&B music, rock music, hip hop, and other genres. Today, the culture of modern day R&B is international. Singers of R&B are people of many nationalities and colors including ages. It has helped to shed a light on problems, to evaluate love in complex terms, and expand fashion profoundly. In terms of fashion, from shades, suits, dresses, shoes, and other clothes, R&B music had dealt with clothing for generations. Pentatonic scales and bass guitars are regularly utilized in R&B music. One example is how SZA used a guitar when Toni Braxton sang her classic song of "Gotta Move On." Snares, drums, and other beats are found in R&B like the song of Experience done by Victoria Monet, Khalid, and SG Lewis. R&B music is worldwide. Like other genres, the paradox of R&B is that there is a problem with many lyrics being anti-women, while an increase of women R&B singers have carried the genre forward. Tons of women R&B artists have great talent in the 2020s like: Victoria Monet, Chloe x Halle, Chloe x Halle, Ari Lennox, Jade Novah, Ruth B., Jhene Aiko, India Shawn, Normani, Teyana Taylor, Rochelle Jordan, Sza, Brandy, Monica, H.E.R., Keke Palmer, Justine Skye, Jessie Reyez, Kiana Lede, Sevyn Streeter, Summer Walker, Ella Mai, Mahalia, Ryan Destiny, Kehlani, Sudan Archives, Jenevieve, Jorja Smith, TeaMarrr & Tinashe. Yes, I listen to much of their music. Even though I am almost 40 years old, I know how the younger generation acts. Black culture is R&B music. We invented it, and it is a music at the same time meant for all people to listen to and express themselves in it. Music is never limited based on background. It's meant for everyone. Music changes over time, but greatness in music always remains potent forevermore.
Hip Hop culture is very powerful internationally. From DJs showing records to graffiti being part of art, hip hop has always been a powerful culture. The culture of hip hop is about rising from oppression to make a statement. Original hip hop was not about super materialism. It was about honestly showing the struggle of oppressed communities. Using the turntable in creative ways is common in the DJ culture. DJs are found in America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and in other places of the world. Some DJs use 2 or more phonograph turntables. The DJ mixer is plugged into a PA system. The founder of hip hop Kool Herc was a DJ. Grandmaster Flowers, Grandmaster Flash, Grand Wizzard Theodore, and Grandmaster Caz set a foundation of scratching and other methods in giving future DJs opportunities to express their views. Traditionally, a DJ will use two turntables simultaneously and mix between the two. These are connected to a DJ mixer, an amplifier, speakers, and various electronic music equipment such as a microphone and effects units. The DJ mixes the two albums currently in rotation and/or does "scratching" by moving one of the record platters while manipulating the crossfader on the mixer. The result of mixing two records is a unique sound created by the seemingly combined sound of two separate songs into one song. The culture of MCing has existed for a long time. Grafitti pioneers include people like Lady Pink, Seen, Blade, Fargo, Cholly Rock, Fuzz One, Phase 2, and Coco 144. Some deny that graffiti is related to hip hop, but others disagree. Many hip hop artists use tagging via logos. Break-dancing has been around among many cultures. It has elements of James Brown, Michael Jackson, etc. Production, beat-making, and language are all part of hip hop culture. Slang in hip hop has expanded greatly. Even mainstream culture knows about common hip hop slang words like diss, -izzie at the end of words, milli, guap, joint, Benzo, word up, etc.
Movies and Hip Hop go hand and hand. Hip hop expanded by the 1970's. Modern day hip hop movies existed in the 1980's. Wild Style from 1982 documented Djs, artists, and the culture in general. Wild Style was the first major hip hop movie. It has the Cold Crush Brothers, and other people trying to survive in the urban centers of America. Later, more films came about like Beat Street, Breakin, Krush Groove, Disorderlies, Colors, Do the Right Thing, and Tougher than Leather. The 1980's saw hip hop being shown as a refutation of its critics who viewed it as just a fad. The 1980's saw the start of hip hop's Golden Age where dancing, lyricism, parties, and other forms of fun were commonplace. The 1990's saw another golden age of African American movies and TV shows. So, hip hop movies reflected that time like House Party 1, 2, and 3, Belly, Juice, CB4, Boyz N the Hood, The Show, Menace II Society, Above the Rim, Friday, New Jack City, etc. By the 2000's, hip hop became the most dominant musical genre in the world. So, you had movies about love, rapping, and the streets. The Beef documentary series, produced by the Quincy Jones's family, outlined the long, complex history of rivalries in hip hop music. Brown Sugar shown 2 black lovers outlined their love for each other and hip hop. Bones was horror film featuring Snoop and Pam Grier. Other hip hop films of that time was Cradle 2 the Grave, ATL, Baby Boy, 8 Mile, Tupac: Resurrection, State Property 1 and 2, Honey, Paid in Full, Hood 2 Hood: The Blockumentary, Hustle and Flow, and Notorious. Hip hop movies of the 2010's dealt with biographies, love, and the music industry in general. The most famous film of that time was Straight Outta Compton from 2015 that detailed the lives of NWA. The 2016 TV series of the Breaks was about 1980's hip hop history. Dope form 2015 was about high school kids, bullies, music, and life. The Step Up movie series continued to celebrate b-boy and b-girl culture in the 2010's. Top Five was about debates on who is the greatest. In the 2020s, digital TV shows and movies are common. Hip hop related films in 2020 were also Bad Boys for Life, The Beastie Boys Story, Black is King, Da 5 Bloods, and Uncut Gems. 2021 will continue to have films and into the future too.
R&B Music is still here in 2020 and beyond. Boundaries with sounds were broken. One of the great songs in 2020 in dealing with R&B was Do It with the sister team of Chloe X Halle. SZA made a song with Hit Different ft. Ty Dolla $ign. New artists like Arizona Zervas, Kehlani, Roddy Ricch, Lizzo, Doja Cat, and other people released music. Ella Mai released Not Another Love Song. Giveon had Stuck on You. Summer Walker ft. Partynextdoor released My Affection. Also, Usher released Bad Habits. That song alluded to his real life drama. Inhale was a song released by Bryson Tiller. Summer 2020 was a song released by Jhene Aiko. Teyana Taylor ft. Davido released Killa. dvsn ft. Snoh Aalegra had Between Us. Snowchild was a song released by The Weeknd. Justin Beiber, JoJo, and other people have outlined their songs too. Kelly Rowland in 2020 released the song Coffeee to celebrate the beauty of black women. H.E.R., Khalid, Disclousre, and other people have outlined their music about love, romance, etc. Lianne La Havas is a very talented artist with songs like Bittersweet, etc. 3 am in London is a song by Ebenezer. Ari Lennox, Kiana Lede, Brent Faiyaz, Gashi, and other people of the new generation certainly have made R&B evolve further. By 2021, R&B had hits like Blinding Lights from The Weeknd. R&B music by now is heavily a hybrid with slow jams, quiet storm, electronic influences, and hip hop influences. Peaches is a song of Justin Bieber, Daniel Casesar, and Giveon. Leave the Door Open is a 2021 song by Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars in a duo called Silk Sonic. Hit Different is a song by SZA, The Neptunes with Pharrell Williams, and TY Dolla $ign. Girl Like Me is a song by Jazmine Sullian featuring H.E.R.. Caution is a song made by Kaytranada. Still Yours is found by Bryson Tiller and Big Sean. H.E.R. released Fight for You as part of the Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired album. Eden was released Brent Faiyaz. Mahalia ft. Rico Nasty made the song Jealous. 80/20 is a song released by Chloe X Halle. Justine Syke and Timbaland have the 2021 song of Intruded. Syd made the song of Missing Out. SZA released Good Days. Jazmine Sullivan, Ari Lennox, dvsn, Miguel, and other people have released music in 2021 too.
For almost 80 years now, R&B music has been in existence. From the Supremes and Stevie Wonder to SZA and H.E.R., R&B music has been through tons of changes over the decades. We have been through a lot. Even the recent event of a black man almost killed by the police in Windsor, Virginia shows us that we have a long way to go. Yet, excellence in music remains strong. We know that music is still here. Music inspires creativity. It can build up the souls of people in transcendent ways, and it can promote our minds to stand up against injustice. Back then when R&B was born, a lot of jazz and blues influences were found in R&B. Early artists like Dinah Washington tried to show their gifts to the world. The Motown era of R&B had legends like Tammi Terrell and Otis Redding during the 1960's. Disco of the 1970's and funk showed the world that R&B can expand into new heights. The 1980's was highly experimental songs with funk, the quiet storm, and ballads from the legendary Whitney Houston. The 1990's saw a huge golden Age of R&B music with people like Brandy, Aaliyah, Monica, Toni Braxton, Deborah Cox, and others. The 2000's saw both the start of new school singers and old school legends like Ashanti, Rihanna, Beyonce, Fantasia, and Melanie Fionna. The 2010's saw the growth of the new school almost neo-quiet storm types of artists like Bryson Tiller, H.E.R., Carolyn Malachi, SZA, and other artists. During the 2020's, we see the torch being passed to other artists like Chloe X Halle, Victoria Monet, Khalid, Justine Syke, Ari Lennox, Lucky Daye, and other human beings. The soul of R&B is still here albeit in a new time in the 2020s. Soon, it will be 2030, and the future will continue to exist along with the glorious legacy of R&B music.
Ghana has been shown everywhere recently. In the past years, many Ghana was the first Southern-Saharan African country to launch a cellular mobile network (1992). It was one of the first countries in Africa to be connected to the internet and to introduce ADSL broadband services. African Americans have moved into Ghana as Ghana is a country on the movie. Its motto is Freedom and Justice. Its national anthem is God Bless Our Homeland Ghana. Ghana has its capital city of Accra. Ivory Coast is the west of Ghana, Burkina Faso is in the north, Togo is in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea including the Atlantic Ocean is found on the south. Ghana has been home of the Kingdom of Dagbon and the Ashanti Empire. It is a nation that is mostly Christian, it has Muslims, and those who follow traditional religions too. The Akan people make up the majority of the people in Ghana along with other human beings. It has over 31 million people.
The mass media is a reality. We live in a different time than even in 2001. The paradox is that the corporate media is very powerful, while independent media voices struggle to allow their voices to be heard greatly. It is a historical fact that the corporate media is controlled by select mega-corporations. Much of the mainstream media has been infiltrated by CIA interests as proven by the CIA's Operation Mockingbird program. The CIA's MK-Ultra program used drugs in experiments in trying to promote mind control experiments among many Americans decades ago. That is why corporate media networks overtly promoted not only the Iraq War initially. Today, they endorse Western imperialism worldwide, omit the Yemen crisis, and refuse to talk about more controversial topics (like Secret Societies, Hollywood propaganda, torture, the real events of imperialism, and Gulf on Tonkin deception that led to more American military involvement in the Vietnam War).Edward Louis Bernays was an Austrian-American pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda, referred to in his obituary as "the father of public relations." He made forms of tactics in order to get people to buy products. His methods are still used today in getting people to follow agendas. The common lie among numerous skeptics is that no conspiracy ever existed in history. History teaches us that conspiracies do exist like the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Operation Paperclip, and the Tuskegee Experiment. The deal is that not everything is a conspiracy though, and we make that distinction clear. The oil industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and other industries fund large media institutions constantly for decades. The mass media culture should be placed into context. That means that when a media figure lies, that person should be called out with evidence. If a media person is telling the truth, then that is fine. The Capitol insurrection by racist, far right terrorist on January 6, 2021 document once again that white racist nationalists are the biggest terrorist threat in America now. The overall point is that we have long way in having justice for all, so we have to do all that we can to promote free speech, independent thought, inquiry, and imagination in order to see true liberation.
By Timothy
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