Latest news with #Roots'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Questlove Was ‘Shocked' by Kendrick Lamar's Homage to the Roots In ‘Squabble Up' Video
Questlove recently dropped by The Jennifer Hudson Show, sharing his reaction to finding out that Kendrick Lamar paid homage to the Roots in a music video for his monumental GNX album, which released last year. When discussing his influence on other artists, Hudson pointed out the scene from Lamar's 'Squabble Up' video that recreates the set for the Roots' 1999 track 'The Next Movement,' with both visuals sharing the same moss-green wall molding. More from Rolling Stone D'Angelo Cancels Roots Picnic Performance Over Medical Issue The Joey Bada$$ vs. Everyone Beef Is Fun, But What's It Really About? Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Announce Inaugural Future Ruins Fest Celebrating Film Music 'I was so shocked because the way that people told me — I woke up to 30 K. Dot texts,' Questlove recalled. 'I thought, 'Oh no.' He just dissed us. I thought it was something else. And they were like, 'No, he paid tribute to y'all in this video.'' The Roots drummer said that he was surprised because the Philly band is 'ubiquitous,' but 'not super mainstream, but we're niche, but we're not overexposed popular.' He continued, 'It's hard to tell where we fit in the scheme of things. It's an honor but it's also a surprise when you see people acknowledging you after all this time.' In reply, Hudson reminded the musician that his critically acclaimed band has been a 'blueprint to all artists and the music industry.' 'The Next Movement' featured on the Roots' breakthrough album, Things Fall Apart, a record that Rolling Stone listed as one of the 200 greatest hip-hop albums of all time. A review hailed the Nineties LP as 'a socially observant, profoundly musical thesis statement from the Philadelphia band that dared to play their own instruments,' while noting that the 'timeless' tracks 'are full of virtuosic verses from Black Thought and Malik B, along with fellow travelers like Mos Def and Common, and varied grooves from drummer Questlove, bassist Leonard Hubbard.' More than 25 years later, Lamar would release his sixth album, GNX, capping a historic year that packed in a cataclysmic feud with Drake, the announcement of Lamar's Super Bowl performance, and a swath of Number One singles including 'Not Like Us', SZA-collab 'Luther,' and 'Squabble Up.' In an Instagram post looking back at his work with the Roots and following the news of Lamar's homage, Questlove posted back in November an Instagram photo of a side-by-side screenshot from 'The Next Movement' and 'Squabble Up' videos. 'My number one love is the music I create in @TheRoots —that is the fuel to my fire & sometimes if you love something you must set it free. Then if it returns to you it's real,' Questlove wrote in the caption. 'That said I wanna thank @kendricklamar for acknowledging something I thought noone saw or cared about. Feeling seen is a great feeling and I dont take it for granted.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The most notable brand collaborations across the world of sport: From Jude Bellingham's lucrative deal with household name to Michael Jordan's influence on European football
The consumption of sport has changed remarkably over the previous two decades as more and more events become available to watch thanks to multi-million-pound deals from various avenues. This has not just allowed sports fans to consume more sport on TV, but also to access more products with elements such as brand deals and collaborations coming into play. That in turn has allowed sports stars to earn even more off the pitch in addition to salaries paid by their teams as brands seek to secure extra revenue stories. But which are the most eye-catching to have taken place over the last few years? Read on below for a list of some of the most eye-catching brand deals to have been struck by teams, brands and elite athletes. Kylian Mbappe x Nike Earlier this month, Real Madrid and France star Kylian Mbappe was confirmed as a partner of Nike for the release of a new range of boots that have only just been made available around the globe. A custom gold-lined logo on the heel serves as a nod to Kylian's first 'Rising Fire' player-edition boot, while graphic elements inside the logo recall his 2022 'Roots' model. A graphic on the lateral Swoosh is a nod both to his hometown and his 2019 'Bondy Dreams' boot, while the medial Swoosh sports the look of a lightning bolt, reminiscent of his 2020 'Rosa' model. Meanwhile, an inset flame graphic calls to mind his 'Flames' footwear from 2021. Mbappe said: 'I feel blessed to have my own design with this new Nike player-edition model, especially on a boot that's been with me for almost my entire career'. 'Having my own player edition means a lot to me and it gives me energy to go for the goals I want to achieve'. PSG x Jordan Being based in the French capital of Paris - which is one of the world's fashion hotspots - makes Paris Saint-Germain an ideal club to take advantage of the increasing overlap between fashion and football in recent years. The collaboration, which began in 2018, sees Michael Jordan's brand design and produce co-branded items that have included club kits and boots. In January, the club launched a partnership with Jordan Wings which 'challenges the status quo and brings forward the defiant attitude that's shaped their standing among the standard bearers of sport'. The collection was launched at an exclusive pop-up event during Paris Fashion Week earlier this year but some products are still available to purchase online. Raheem Sterling x Gillette While you might know it best in recent times for its catchy jingle The Best A Man Can Get by Tom Grennan, Gillette has partnered with a number of high-profile athletes to promote their products. They have arguably not had a more successful partnership than that with former Manchester City star Raheem Sterling. He has been affiliated with the world-renowned shaving and skincare brand since 2019. Since then, he has appeared in various adverts, including the promotion of the Gillette Labs range, which launched in 2022. Loop earplugs x McLaren In a slightly more unconventional collaboration, Formula One giant McLaren has partnered with Loop earplugs - a brand that creates the product for a range of situations including loud environments and for sleeping. Announcing the news on its website at the time, a statement from Loop read: 'The partnership introduces the McLaren Formula 1 Team x Loop Switch™ 2, designed to give team members precise control over their sound environment. 'With three distinct volume modes, these innovative earplugs help optimize focus and recovery during the demanding Formula 1 season. 'That's why McLaren has partnered with Loop as its first-ever official earplug partner – showing how precise sound control can be a vital tool for elite performance.' Jude Bellingham x Lucozade Jude Bellingham has cemented himself as a household name in world football, despite still only being 21 years of age. Along with being a star for England and Real Madrid, he is making waves for sports beverage drink brand Lucozade by launching its new Ice Kick flavour. Ice Kick, a blend of zesty and citrus flavours, features Jude's celebration on the front of the bottle, while its name is also a nod to his clutch performances at Euro 2024. Speaking on the partnership, Bellingham said: 'I'm so excited to launch Lucozade Ice Kick. I've loved being involved in creating this new drink – when my brother and I were younger, we would always grab a Lucozade from the shop before training and it's always the first drink I reach for today.
Washington Post
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Trump wants to limit U.S. history to the shiny parts. It won't work.
Developers reshape reality. They dress up the drab and market it as the unique. Donald Trump spent about half a century hawking condos, casinos and all sorts of middling products that he sold as spectacular, with some success (and plenty of failure, too). Now, he's taking a product with nearly 250 years' worth of blemishes and beauty spots and he's remarketing it in his usual style — as utter perfection, made possible exclusively by him. The product is the history of the United States, which earned its remarkable place in the cavalcade of nations expressly because its troubles and trials forged its strength and stability. But in the Trump catalogue, there are only shiny objects, and so the museums of the Smithsonian — home to Dorothy's ruby slippers but also to bills of sale for human enslaved people — are now in cover-up mode, under 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History' orders to remove anything the president might consider 'improper ideology.' The nation's attic, cluttered and messy like the country it reflects, is henceforth to display only 'the remarkable achievements of the United States.' There's a problem with Trump's impulsive orders, even beyond their legal, constitutional, moral and political flaws: They often stem from baseless assertions. Just as Trump, without having set foot in the place during his years in Washington, proposed to ransack the Kennedy Center because its programming was insufficiently middlebrow for his taste, now he's coming after the Smithsonian's presentation of U.S. history without knowing what the museums actually show. So, let's wander through the National Museum of American History, one of my favorite branches of the Smithsonian. It's the vast repository on the National Mall of the artifacts of our common past: former president Abraham Lincoln's top hat, the original Star-Spangled Banner, a baseball signed by Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron, but also the manacles that kept Kunta Kinte chained up in 'Roots' and Ku Klux Klan hoods, posters and sheet music. Had Trump actually visited, he might have seen that his vision of the country (to the extent that he has one) has been on view at the museum for decades. The culture police of the Trump administration pretend they are the first to correct excesses at the nation's great institutions, removing books at the Naval Academy, canceling shows at the Kennedy Center, squelching scholarship at the Wilson Center. But we have been here before: Every generation brings some effort to hide our misdeeds or deny our history. Under former presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, a drive to give corporate powers a louder voice changed how some museums tell the country's story. Today, the American History museum features the General Motors Hall of Transportation, the Mars (as in candy bars) Hall of American Business, a housing exhibit sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and exhibitions made possible by ExxonMobil and Monsanto. The history museum is an unintentional display of the culture wars over how to tell our story. Its offerings range from decades-old shows that celebrate U.S. presidents and train locomotives to newer exhibits that are thoroughly bilingual, brimming with left-wing jargon and liberal takes on the American past. An exhibit previewing the forthcoming National Museum of the American Latino — focusing 'on diverse stories of resistance' — presents Puerto Ricans' story as a tale of 'their colonial relationship with the United States,' without mentioning that Puerto Ricans have voted multiple times to endorse options including statehood or their current commonwealth status. Independence was never the top choice. The museum is also a celebration of an idealized America, one in which it's possible to mount a show about American enterprise that barely mentions slavery. Yet one floor up, an exhibit about American democracy puts the slavery debate center stage, connecting moral questions over human bondage with contemporary struggles over voting rights and the role of women. Text describing a Chicago Transit Authority streetcar from 1959 says nothing about racial division in that city, but a group of middle school kids from Ohio who ran into that car during my visit knew in their bones what the streetcar symbolized: 'Yo, get to the back of the bus!' one boy called out. 'You can't sit here!' another piped in. Rancor about race is so deeply ingrained in the American psyche that we go there even when the powers that be try to muffle reality. What Trump's culture warriors can't accept is that Americans have been fitfully but satisfyingly engaged in debate about the country's character from the very start. Even in its celebratory exhibit on American enterprise, the museum highlights the Founders' discord over how to shape the country, with Alexander Hamilton favoring a focus on manufacturing and Thomas Jefferson pushing for an agrarian society. Parts of the museum treat visitors like thinking adults and parts dismiss them as dimwits who need to be told how great their country is. Now, Trump seeks to homogenize the place. He has always believed that if he can control the messaging, he will shape reality. He believed it as a man who wanted to erect the tallest tower on Fifth Avenue, so he renumbered the floors in Trump Tower, turning the 58th story into the 68th floor. He has sued the authors of books about him, sacked underlings who brought him bad news, sought to strip licenses from those who broadcast chronicles of his misdeeds. Now, at the Smithsonian, he intends to rewrite history. To an extent, he can. Fear that he might do far worse often results in near-instant compliance. This power grab is not the overreach that will deliver the nation from its populist spasm. It will likely take a rough economic passage to nudge the pendulum back toward a more honest and trusting society. But enough Americans instinctively resent being told what to think that the cynical manipulation of the Smithsonian will produce some backlash. Our history, warts and all, teaches us that.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Roots sees strong Q4 DTC sales results drive FY24 sales growth
Canadian outdoor-lifestyle brand Roots recorded total sales of C$262.92m ($185.44m) in the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) - a marginal rise of 0.1% from the previous year's C$262.67m. Adjusted for the additional week in FY24 that accounted for C$2.2m, sales saw a more noticeable increase of 0.9%. The company's direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales edged up to C$223.26m in FY24, a 0.4% climb from C$222.48m in the previous fiscal year. Partner and other sales, which include wholesale activities, licensing and custom products, reached C$39.66m in FY24, down from C$40.20m in FY23. The company's gross profit for FY24 stood at C$157.13m - a 3.1% increase from the previous year. Gross margin improved to 59.8% - a rise of 180 basis points compared to 58.0% in FY23. Roots' selling, general and administrative expenses reached C$143.5m in FY24, a 2.3% increase from C$140.33m in FY23. The company reported net loss of C$33.44m during the fiscal year against net income of C$1.84m in FY23. This translates to loss per share of C$0.83 against earnings per share of C$0.05 in the previous year. The downturn was attributed to a non-cash impairment charge on intangible assets and subsequent deferred tax impacts. In the fourth quarter (Q4) of FY24, Roots posted total sales of C$110.81m, up 2.4% from C$108.23m in Q4 FY23. The gross profit for the quarter rose by 7.2% to C$67.59m with the gross margin reaching 61.3%, an improvement of 270 basis points over Q4 FY23's figure of 58.6%. Net loss for Q4 2024 stood at C$21.70m versus the previous year's income of C$14.62m. Its loss per share for the quarter was C$0.54 from earnings per share of C$0.36 in Q4 2023, again due to non-cash impairment charges and associated deferred tax impacts. As of 1 February 2025, Roots' net debt was reported at C$7.4m - a 56.7% decline from C$17m in FY23. Roots president and chief executive officer Meghan Roach said: 'Our strong performance reflects the impressive execution by the team across our strategic initiatives. Customers responded well to our holiday products, our enhanced brand engagement and our improved omnichannel customer experience.' "Roots sees strong Q4 DTC sales results drive FY24 sales growth" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Los Angeles Times
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
In ‘Suits LA,' John Amos gets his flowers — and a moving episode inspired by his legacy
NBC's 'Suits LA' has said its final farewell to John Amos, months after the screen legend died late last summer. The 'Suits' spinoff on Sunday paid tribute to the prolific 'Coming to America' and 'Roots' star with a moving episode inspired by and dedicated to his legacy. Amos, in the final role before his death in August, guest starred in 'Suits LA' as a version of himself. In the latest episode, titled 'Good Times' (a clear nod to Amos' popular 1970s sitcom), lawyers Ted (Stephen Amell) and Rick (Bryan Greenberg) reunite to celebrate the life of Amos, a longtime client and friend who died off-screen. 'He's gone and he's still putting us back together,' Ted tells Rick in his toast to Amos. 'America's father.' After several rounds of drinks at Musso & Frank Grill, Ted and Rick decide they want to secure a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Amos, who never received one in real life. The former partners meet with a contact who sits on the board of the Walk of Fame, hoping to expedite the process. Ted, upon learning it would take a least two years before the landmark becomes a reality, lashes out at the board member who was oblivious to Amos' career. 'The man's a legend. He's an icon,' Ted says. 'John Amos was the Sidney Poitier of television,' he continues. 'He broke new ground for Black America and he was a father figure for all of America. He should've had a star decades ago and if you can't recognize that you're in the wrong goddamned business.' After the fiery lunch meeting, Rick informs Ted that Amos will still get a star in Hollywood — but it still would be a couple of years until it happens. Ted, concerned about people forgetting Amos, opens up to Rick about the final conversation he had with the late 'Roots' star. Near the end of the episode, Ted and Rick separately find comfort in a more immediate manner of honoring Amos: watching him in an episode of 'Good Times.' Ted, private investigator Kevin (Troy Winbush), Rick and fellow lawyer Erica (Lex Scott Davis) watch the sitcom teary-eyed. They see Amos deliver a powerful performance as tough-loving James Evans in the 'Good Times' episode 'The Gang: Part 2.' Sunday's episode ended with a simple message: 'Dedicated to John Amos.' Amos died of natural causes Aug. 21, 2024 but his publicist announced his death in October. He was 84. The actor, former professional football player and TV writer was also known for his work on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' and 'The West Wing.'
