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Black America Web
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Black Music Month: TikTok Brought These Classics Back
Source: KiddNation / Kidd Nation TikTok is doing a wonderful job of bridging the gap of music and culture between generations. As we continue our Black Music Month celebration, we recall the countless classic songs by Black artists that have had a sudden resurgence thanks to TikTok. There are numerous viral dances or unexpected, relatable trends that have come from the popular social media platform. It is remarkable to witness the power and influence of TikTok's community as they are drawn to the Black songs that have had a significant impact on music and pop culture. The beautiful part about these classic songs regaining popularity is that a new generation of people are learning of their greatness. Surely, the Black artists experiencing an influx of streams and follows are just as happy about the recent discovery. Fans and social media users remember when Brandy and Monica's 'The Boy Is Mine' began to trend on TikTok or when Guy's 'I Like' came about with a fun, new dance. TikTok trends are almost comparable to the way new artists sample classic records. You don't know why you like it, but you innately do. It's a wondrous full circle experience for the artist, the fan and the art itself. TikTok continues to explore the origins, triumphs, and complexities of genres popular in the app today throughout Black Music Month. They aim to shine a light on the artists and creators who entertain and inspire the TikTok community and continue to shift the culture with innovations of their own. With special programming including Diddy, Doechii, Baby Tate, Tai Verdes, Fousheé, and more, TikTok has many more exciting things on the way to continue celebrating this month. Read more about TikTok's Black Music Month initiatives and programming here. While we await the next classic song to resurface thanks to TikTok's many trends, we compiled a list of classic Black tracks that have had a resurgence on the platform in the past year. Take a look at the list below and comment your favorite trend. Black Music Month: TikTok Brought These Classics Back was originally published on Source:cnsamuel What a classic! Even Brandy & Monica had to hop in on the fun. See their video here. Source:melsonpnelson A massive hit had Gen-Z in a trance. Shout out to this classic! Source:shxkiraa This trend in itself is so nostalgic as TikTok users share old photos and videos of their parents to this hit song. Source:officialteddyriley Teddy Riley and the youth are embracing this classic with a popular dance trend. Source:fernandez_fam Go, go, go! These TikTokers are creative with the classics. Source:blesiv A certified hit that will always resonate! Source:blueverything_ The kids are alright, paying homage to classic records and timeless fashion. Source:snoopdogg There's no denying a hit. Even Snoop Dogg's is active on TikTok spreading the Hip Hop Gospel. Source:mariahcarey A forever classic. The celebs are just as excited as the fans, including the hitmaker herself. Source:gabbygonta I mean this song is everything, and so is Michael Bae Jordan. We feel you, Gabby.
Black America Web
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
TikTok Brought These Classics Back
Source: KiddNation / Kidd Nation TikTok is doing a wonderful job of bridging the gap of music and culture between generations. As we continue our Black Music Month celebration, we recall the countless classic songs by Black artists that have had a sudden resurgence thanks to TikTok. There are numerous viral dances or unexpected, relatable trends that have come from the popular social media platform. It is remarkable to witness the power and influence of TikTok's community as they are drawn to the Black songs that have had a significant impact on music and pop culture. The beautiful part about these classic songs regaining popularity is that a new generation of people are learning of their greatness. Surely, the Black artists experiencing an influx of streams and follows are just as happy about the recent discovery. Fans and social media users remember when Brandy and Monica's 'The Boy Is Mine' began to trend on TikTok or when Guy's 'I Like' came about with a fun, new dance. TikTok trends are almost comparable to the way new artists sample classic records. You don't know why you like it, but you innately do. It's a wondrous full circle experience for the artist, the fan and the art itself. TikTok continues to explore the origins, triumphs, and complexities of genres popular in the app today throughout Black Music Month. They aim to shine a light on the artists and creators who entertain and inspire the TikTok community and continue to shift the culture with innovations of their own. With special programming including Diddy, Doechii, Baby Tate, Tai Verdes, Fousheé, and more, TikTok has many more exciting things on the way to continue celebrating this month. Read more about TikTok's Black Music Month initiatives and programming here. While we await the next classic song to resurface thanks to TikTok's many trends, we compiled a list of classic Black tracks that have had a resurgence on the platform in the past year. Take a look at the list below and comment your favorite trend. Black Music Month: TikTok Brought These Classics Back was originally published on Source:cnsamuel What a classic! Even Brandy & Monica had to hop in on the fun. See their video here. Source:melsonpnelson A massive hit had Gen-Z in a trance. Shout out to this classic! Source:shxkiraa This trend in itself is so nostalgic as TikTok users share old photos and videos of their parents to this hit song. Source:officialteddyriley Teddy Riley and the youth are embracing this classic with a popular dance trend. Source:fernandez_fam Go, go, go! These TikTokers are creative with the classics. Source:blesiv A certified hit that will always resonate! Source:blueverything_ The kids are alright, paying homage to classic records and timeless fashion. Source:snoopdogg There's no denying a hit. Even Snoop Dogg's is active on TikTok spreading the Hip Hop Gospel. Source:mariahcarey A forever classic. The celebs are just as excited as the fans, including the hitmaker herself. Source:gabbygonta I mean this song is everything, and so is Michael Bae Jordan. We feel you, Gabby.
New York Times
14-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
MLS Moves I Like: Cincinnati's star swap, LA Galaxy's for-now striker solution
Ready or not, the 2025 MLS season kicks off in about a week. As teams undergo the final stages of their preseason preparations, their sporting brass are still making moves as the window doesn't close until Apr. 23. That fact, and a flock of suitors from abroad poaching many clubs' top players this winter, leaves a lot of rosters looking incomplete heading into the first matchweek. Advertisement This winter's maneuvers have seen a somewhat lean crop of imports from other leagues, especially for players with a profile that screams '28 starts or more on a title hopeful.' That's becoming increasingly common as MLS's offseason coincides with the middle of most league's seasons, but there are always a handful of standouts coming from outside the league. Last winter saw Luis Suarez join Inter Miami, the LA Galaxy hit big on Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil and Charlotte FC pry Liel Abada from Celtic. Still, interleague moves are a bedrock of title-contending teams. Columbus' inspired run in 2023 was largely made on the backs of MLS veterans expertly executing their roles. Moves within the league will always be a vital part of squad building given the league's strict rules. With that in mind, here a few that I think will help a trio of playoff teams from 2024 either keep stride or improve on last year's showing. GO DEEPER MLS Moves I Like: Berhalter's first big swing, two USMNT switches It's on the tin, folks: these are Moves I Like. This could be the shortest entry in series history: a team missed the playoffs, acquired a guy who won MLS MVP two years ago and will be better for it. As always with Acosta, it's a bit more complicated than that. The Argentine overshadowed his own team's playoff elimination in a post-game press conference, telling reporters confidently: 'Today, I played a game I may remember as my last one with the club.' Acosta has a growing reputation for being difficult to whelm, from his heartbreak after a move to Paris Saint-Germain fell apart in early 2019 to his displeasure at 2024's first-round exit. Of course, even the most cantankerous player can have his suitors when his play is of a certain standard, and Acosta is among the best No. 10s in one of the few leagues that caters to the specialized role. Bear in mind: the plot above is from a season that didn't even see him finish in the top five of MVP voting. Acosta was left with fewer options in the final third than at any point of his four-year stay in Ohio, as the club was unable to adequately replace Brandon Vazquez and Brenner with developmental loanee Kevin Kelsy. Advertisement Despite this, he averaged 0.87 goal contributions per 90 minutes, logged 28 combined goals and assists and kept Cincinnati above the chasing pack below the three Eastern heavyweights. We still don't know the full reason for his acrimony toward the team that helped him play the best soccer of his career but the page has now officially turned. I like this move for Dallas, because they got one of MLS's best players in a game-changing position before he's exited his prime years. Acosta is a better fit for the 10 spot in Eric Quill's preferred 4-2-3-1 than Jesús Ferreira, whose move to the Seattle Sounders was covered in the last installment. Ferreira missed a lot of time in 2024, but his fit with Dallas' big signing from last winter — striker Petar Musa — was imperfect, especially if a traditional strike partnership wasn't going to be in the cards. They also replaced outgoing young playmaker Alan Velasco (who never quite lived up to his potential in Dallas) with a far more polished alternative. Musa quietly had a very good first MLS season. He scored on his debut in early March, scored in a dead-rubber Decision Day tie against Sporting KC, and bagged a total of 16 goals in league play altogether. Notably, however, not a single one of his 16 goals was assisted by Ferreira during the USMNT forward's 1,323 minutes. Instead of trying to refine an imperfect partnership, Dallas flipped Ferreira for $1.5 million of GAM (and up to an additional $800,000 pending performance benchmarks), brought in the 2023 MVP for $5 million of actual cash (plus up to $1 million of add-ons), and can use the GAM from the Ferreira deal and the remaining cash from the Velasco sale to bolster their roster around Acosta and Musa. That's just good business in a league with as many roster mechanisms as MLS. I also like this move for Cincinnati. Once Acosta voiced his displeasure, any number of offseason moves was unlikely to win back the prickly playmaker's good graces. They got a good transfer fee for a dynamic player who turns 31 in May, which they can immediately put to use to sign Acosta's successor — someone who can quickly form a new partnership with… The Orange and Blue's current situation immediately validates their (brief) record-setting expenditure. Going into the 2024 playoffs, I ranked the first-round matchups and gave a predicted outcome for each series. I failed to foresee Inter Miami and the Columbus Crew's spectacular crashes, but I went out on a limb and said Cincinnati would lose in three games to New York City FC on account of their poor finishing. The comments section took issue, with one reader telling me that '(t)he disrespect for FCC is astounding.' Advertisement You know what came next: a bounty of chances went uncashed, NYCFC brought Cincinnati to a decisive penalty shootout, and Matt Freese sent Cincinnati home before the bracket's business end. Cincinnati spent a lot of 2024 without a clear MLS starting-caliber center forward. The Aaron Boupendza experiment never yielded much fruit, and the club hoped its staunch defending and well-curated system could overcome deficiencies up front. That worked fine during the regular season, but as the stakes increased, the team's results suffered for its lack of a dependable scorer. Worse yet, this wasn't a new need: striker was an area of concern as soon as FCC shipped Brenner to Udinese in April 2023, and a downright positional crisis when Vazquez left for Monterrey that ensuing winter. The gamble to trust the system to elevate lower-caliber strikers backfired, and Cincinnati was unable to keep stride with Miami and Columbus at the top of the Eastern Conference. Cincinnati had consistent chance creation across the last three seasons, but a rolling plot of their goalscoring compared to their expected goal ledger shows a lot of wasted opportunities. Before NYCFC even played its next postseason match, Cincinnati announced it broke MLS's inbound transfer record by signing Kévin Denkey from Cercle Brugge. While Atlanta United set a new benchmark two months later with Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough — I'm skeptical he can validate that $22 million fee, but that's for a different piece — the fit between Denkey and Cincinnati seems far clearer than their peers from Georgia. Denkey won the Pro League's Golden Boot in 2023-24, bagging 22 goals from 119 shots (44 on target, a 37% accuracy rate) and helping the often-mid-table side finish fourth in Belgium's first division. He remained in fine form this fall, scoring 10 goals from 50 shots while increasing his accuracy (46%) despite increased defensive pressure. The 24-year-old Togo international is a natural at finding space in the box and took some direct free kicks for Cercle to boot. I like this move for Cincinnati, even at the tail-end of Acosta's acrimonious breakup with the club. Sporting director Chris Albright has had ample time to prepare for life without Acosta, but Denkey is a vital insurance policy as the final offseason moves are made. Luca Orellano, Pavel Bucha and Yuya Kubo will have to up their chance creation, but Denkey will make those efforts worthwhile from the moment he debuts. Advertisement The Galaxy were the unbilled stars of the previous installment, with 'Move I Like' status thrust upon trade partners CF Montréal (for acquiring Jalen Neal) and Nashville SC (Gaston Brugman). Their biggest departure stayed within the Western Conference, as Dejan Joveljic became the first interleague cash trade in MLS history. Sporting KC spent $4 million for the Serbian striker, and I expect him to fare far better than Alan Pulido usually did. While Neal and Brugman were deemed expendable between cap considerations and alternatives at their positions, Joveljic seemed the trickiest to replace. The Serb checked a lot of boxes, but these three seemed most vital to nail with his successor. The Galaxy didn't have to look far for a solution, bringing in a player who was born 28 miles from Dignity Health Sports Park. I'm not sure anyone has watched more Christian Ramirez tape than I have, dating back to his breakthrough with Minnesota United in 2014. While he remained a hallmark of the Loons from their final NASL seasons through their early breach into MLS, he's continued to consistently score on teams where he was often the trusted backup. That didn't mute his impact in Columbus, where he became a close friend of Cucho Hernandez in part due to their on-field chemistry. Still, his profile should plug and play nicely with Greg Vanney's system, and he's a good bet to sustain his scoring rate with far more than the 1,500 minutes the Crew gave him last year. Ramirez isn't a traditional back-to-goal striker, but he's improved his hold-up game over the years and has an expert eye to play a through-ball into the channels for his teammates. 'It fits well into my game,' Ramirez told me of his interplay in 2018. 'The years I've been most successful have been when I'm that central focal point up-top, with guys running off of me. Doing little flicks (to create chances) — to a fault sometimes. I feel so comfortable with these moves and maneuvering my way through defenses.' I like this move for the Galaxy. For a GAM package between $250,000 and $500,000, Vanney has a player who already has 51 MLS goals and an MLS Cup title to his name. He'll turn 34, so this is a win-now move that keeps their options open after a couple of years. Considering Puig's continued recovery from his ACL tear and Paintsil's quad injury that'll keep him out until late March or early April, Ramirez can focus on building initial chemistry with Pec to keep the Galaxy competitive as the other DPs return. Advertisement We now go from two MLS Cup hopefuls adding starting strikers to one of the league's savviest inter-league operators. Like Montréal, Colorado is a club whose biggest moves often come from within MLS. Their owners aren't shelling out the same eight-figure transfer fees as some rivals, and they've gotten very good at identifying players who can take on bigger roles with a change of scenery. The Rapids were among 2024's biggest breakouts in Chris Armas' first season, but were woefully overwhelmed by the Galaxy in a first-round blowout. The path to improve from that 9-1 aggregate laugher was bound to require reinforcement from within the league. While Zack Steffen played poorly in his first year, there's little reason to think his status atop the Rapids goalkeeper depth chart is under threat. The defense has its work cut out, too, but another glaring weakness was Colorado's output from the wings. Ku-DiPietro made 65 MLS appearances for his boyhood D.C. United but never seemed to find solid footing under Troy Lesesne and predecessor Wayne Rooney. He's a versatile — baseball writers would call him 'toolsy' — and nimble player who ended up playing a lot of different roles with youthful vigor. D.C.'s entire attacking model depended on goalkeeper Tyler Miller thumping long balls onto Christian Benteke's forehead, but seldom did that get the Belgian into the box. That two-man attacking midfield line was asked to collect those won headers and operate until Benteke was ready in the box. Unfortunately, that just isn't Ku-DiPietro's game, as he created 1.29 chances per 90 minutes. Although 18.5% of his chances registered as 'big chances,' that's bang-average among regular MLS forwards and midfielders. Luckily, he's joining a team with a greater number of confident on-ball operators. Between Cole Bassett, Connor Ronan and Djordje Mihailovic, Ku-DiPietro shouldn't need to facilitate in low-octane sequences as often and can instead provide a vital outlet for those three to reward his savvy off-ball movement. He'll still need to work on his pass selection, but hopefully a downtick in volume can help refine his eye. Ku-DiPietro passed with a lowly 67.7% accuracy, with that figure dropping further to a hellish 66.6% in the attacking half and 62.6% in the final third. While one expects that rate to trend downward as you progress upfield into better-defended territory, a player with that rate isn't one you want to hand a bounty of attempts. Advertisement I like this move for Colorado. There's been talk that Armas may be switching from a base 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-2-1, which would allow Ku-DiPietro to stay primarily in the half-spaces rather than on the flank. It's easy to see him developing more akin to Nashville winger and Canada international Jacob Shaffelburg, a menace off the ball who creates space in the final third and makes a box-score impact as defenses focus on higher-usage teammates.
