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USA Today
16-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Miami Fades Celebrates 15 Years of Impact With Bold US Expansion
Atlanta, Georgia / Storyteller / Jul 16, 2025 / Dwight Murray, founder of Miami Fades (source: Miami Fades) Miami Fades, the pioneering barbershop brand built on excellence, community, and education, is marking a significant 15-year milestone this year. Founded in 2010 by Dwight Murray, a Trinidadian-born entrepreneur, the brand is celebrating not just its longevity but also a major expansion into the United States, starting with Atlanta, the barbering capital of the country. This is more than a business move. It's the next chapter in a mission-driven journey aimed at transforming the barbering industry. 'The U.S. expansion represents more than growth for Miami Fades, it's about expanding a way of thinking, a commitment to education, professionalism, and uplifting communities,' says Murray. The story of Miami Fades began with hardship. After immigrating to Canada from Trinidad with dreams of becoming a pilot, Murray found himself homeless and struggling when tuition costs outpaced his government grant. Desperate and down to his last $60, he turned to a skill he had nurtured since age 12, cutting hair. After buying a pair of clippers, Murray began offering $5 haircuts in a college dorm. His technical ability, entrepreneurial spirit, and mechanical mind led him to not only cut hair but also start repairing barber tools. Over time, he built a network of clients and developed a keen understanding of what the industry lacked: professionalism, customer service, health and safety standards, structure, and most importantly, mentorship & education. In 2010, Murray invested $9,000 he had painstakingly saved and opened the first Miami Fades in Richmond Hill, Ontario. That location was humble, a construction site with no electricity, chairs borrowed from a café, and haircuts done under construction lights, but it was the foundation of something much bigger. Since then, Miami Fades has grown into a staple in Canadian barbering, boasting eight active locations (and 17 total over its history). Its philosophy is centered around creating not just a haircut, but an experience, one where every client leaves feeling like the best version of themselves. As the brand expands into the U.S., beginning with a flagship location in Atlanta, it brings with it a reputation for excellence and a deep commitment to education. One of Murray's proudest achievements has been mentoring others. Many of their mentees have gone on to run their own businesses, but for Murray, two individuals truly stand out. The first two individuals he trained went on to run successful barbershop businesses of their own. ' It's never been just about haircuts, and my first two mentees showed me the impact I could have,' says Murray. 'It's about creating opportunity and building a path towards a stronger and more independent industry.' That philosophy is most evident in Miami Fades' educational arm, the Toronto Fade Masters Academy, an urban barbershop academy in Canada. At a time when barbering was marginalized in Canadian trade education, Murray championed a curriculum focused on all hair types and cultural traditions. With over 2,500 students enrolled over the years, the academy has become a pipeline for skilled, well-trained professionals and a beacon for aspiring barbers who once felt excluded by traditional hairstyling schools. Now, with the move into the United States, Murray plans to replicate and expand the academy model. 'We are not just opening shops. We're raising standards. We're training the next generation,' he says. 'But the best thing? We have created a blueprint that others can and are following, further spreading the impact of such innovation.' As Miami Fades enters this new phase, it carries a legacy rooted in resilience, innovation, and community impact. From a single pair of clippers in a dorm room to a multi-location brand with international ambitions, Miami Fades isn't just celebrating 15 years, it's celebrating a revolution. Media Contact Name: Miami Fades Teams Email: info@ Source published by Submit Press Release >> Miami Fades Celebrates 15 Years of Impact With Bold US Expansion
IOL News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
SZA's comments spark Nicki Minaj's fiery Twitter rant: a social media showdown
Another celebrity feud is making headlines on the internet and Nicki Minaj is at the center of it as she recently was going at it on social media with SZA. Image: Instagram American rapper Nicki Minaj is at it again with her X rants. The 42-year-old rapper shared how a rapper called Punch, who is signed under SZA's label, Top Dawg Entertainment, bullied her on X for absolutely no reason. The '30 for 30' singer then tweeted a short and cryptic message, which ultimately seemed not to be directed to anyone, as she did not include names. 'Mercury retrograde … don't take the bait lol silly goose,' the multi-award-winning singer wrote. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Mercury retrograde .. don't take the bait lol silly goose . — SZA (@sza) July 15, 2025 This one tweet opened a can of worms because the 'Super Freaky Girl' rapper went on an X rant claiming that the tweet was indirectly about her. Minaj went on to throw multiple online jabs at SZA, comparing their streaming sales, talking about her looks and claiming that the 'Snooze' singer is not an icon but she is. Minaj clapped back at SZA and said,' Wait. Does SZA think she's more successful than me? Lol y'all catch me up pls. SZA, if every song you've ever done vanished right now, the music business wouldn't even miss you.' In this lengthy tweet, the Trinidadian-born rapper went on to claim that other countries that she has been to have no clue who SZA is and the singer has not even headlined a concert that consists of 80 000 attendees. Wait. Does Sza think she's more successful than me? Lol yall catch me up pls. Sza if every song you've ever done vanished right now the music business wouldn't even miss you. I've been to countries that never heard of you. I know you're not THAT stupid are you? Stadiums? Did you… — Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 16, 2025 She added: 'Boo, I'm an icon. You're not.' While you would think that it was the end, you are wrong because Minaj followed up with a series of tweets calling SZA a weirdo after Minaj's fanbase shared screenshots of SZA bashing other women in the music industry, including Rihanna, Beyonce and even the rapper herself. 'Like do you know the level of inside HATE for yourself you had to have had to be this much of a cunt for no reason to the women you later worked with? Now you wanna act like a mthfckn tarot card, b***t quit. What an odd little weirdo,' she wrote. Like do you know the level of inside HATE for yourself you had to have had to be this much of a cunt for no reason to the women you later worked with? Now wanna act like you a mthfkn tarot card, bitch quit. What an odd little weirdo — Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) July 16, 2025 While Nicki did not stop there, SZA, on the other hand, subtly replied to Minaj's rants by wishing everyone a blessed night. 'Lmao lemme go back to being calm, shy and meek. Y'all have a blessed night! See you tomorrow for night 2 Paris!!' Lmao lemme go back to being calm shy and meek . Yall have blessed night ! See you tomorrow for night 2 Paris !! ❤️🫶🏾 — SZA (@sza) July 15, 2025 SZA is not the only artist who has experienced the wrath of Minaj's X rants. Just last week, Minaj sparked a feud with the Carters, as she claimed that Jay Z 'cheated' her out of a multi-million dollar deal with streaming service, TIDAL. While on her infamous rants, Beyoncé's fanbase, Beyhive, quickly defended their idol, who is currently on tour. Cardi B is also known to be one of the people that has beef with Minaj. Even though their feud dates back to 2018, to date, the rappers continue to throw jabs at each other on social media.
Sydney Morning Herald
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
June tunes: The best gigs to see in Sydney this month
Warren Ellis City Recital Hall, June 8 Yes, there will be a short solo set from the Dirty Three and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds member at this event (billed as 'An Evening With Warren Ellis'), but the real draw here will be a conversation with Ellis covering his life, music and work in animal conservation, all topics covered in the new documentary film Ellis Park, which will screen before this Q&A as part of the Sydney Film Festival (a separate ticketed event to this one, it should be noted). 10 Years of NLV Records Metro Theatre, June 8 Australian DJ and music producer Nina Las Vegas (born Nina Elizabeth Agzarian) started the electronic music label NLV Records in 2015 (on the same day she left her gig as a triple j presenter), with this mammoth anniversary show set to take over both rooms of the Metro. Acts set to appear include rising EDM star Ninajirachi, Trinidadian-born Australian singer and rapper Gold Fang, afro swing vocalist Big Skeez, Korean boyband 1300, South Florida ravers Jubilee, plus a host of others. Black Star C arriageworks, June 10 Yasiin Bey - the rapper, singer and actor formerly known as Mos Def - was at Carriageworks last year to perform both a solo show and a show covering the work of late rapper MF DOOM. He's back this year with Talib Kweli, his rhyme partner in hip-hop duo Black Star. They'll be performing music from across the decades, including the aptly titled 2022 album No Fear of Time, which arrived almost 25 years after the pair's classic 1998 debut, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. Supergrass Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, June 10 Although a champagne supernova's worth of hype has been directed at the upcoming Oasis reunion tour, more discerning Britpop fans will be excited to see Oxford quartet Supergrass back in action for their first headline Australian shows in 17 years. The band will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of debut album I Should Coco, featuring hit singles Caught by the Fuzz and Alright, by playing it in its entirety; expect bandmates and brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes to behave better than the Gallagher siblings. Mel Parsons The Vanguard, June 15 New Zealand singer-songwriter Mel Parsons has proved herself a master of indie-folk and alt-country over half a dozen celebrated albums, including last year's excellent Sabotage, which has been nominated for three Aotearoa Music Awards. A seasoned live performer with a spellbinding voice, Parsons will be playing old favourites and a few new tunes; if recent singles Brick by Brick and Post High Slide are anything to go by, her winning streak shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Cloud Control Enmore Theatre, June 20 2010 feels like a lifetime ago, but anyone paying attention to Australian music at the time would be familiar with Blue Mountains four-piece indie band Cloud Control. The recently reunited group will be touring to celebrate the 15th anniversary of debut album Bliss Release, which was everywhere in 2010: Five of its 10 songs were singles, it scored two ARIA Award nominations, took home the Australian Music Prize and, bizarrely, had a song that wound up in Channing Tatum stripper flick Magic Mike. Jimmy Barnes State Theatre, June 27 Fifteen solo number one albums in Australia - more than any other solo artist - and an induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame as both a solo performer and as part of Cold Chisel: at 69, Jimmy Barnes has nothing left to prove. It's a pleasant surprise, then, to discover his 21st solo album, Defiant (out June 6), is an absolute belter, featuring some of his strongest songs in decades. Head along to her Barnsey belt them out live, along with the classics. June is jam-packed with great gigs, including visitors from the US (indie rockers Soccer Mommy and DIIV, astronaut Katy Perry, hip-hop producer Knxwledge), the UK (septuagenarian rappers Bas & Dave, much younger rapper Central Cee, alternative rockers Palace), South Korea (rapper Sik-K, girl group Nmixx, rockers Boohwal) and Europe (James Vincent McMorrow and Inhaler, both from Ireland, and Germany's Tangerine Dream). Australian artists doing the rounds include indie pop band Spacey Jane, Ngaiire, debuting her new show PAIA (provocatively described as 'an eruption of rage, sex, ecstasy, ceremony, ancestry, and cleansing'), Skegss, Polish Club, Short Stack, The Superjesus, Straight Arrows, Parkway Drive, Chasing Ghosts, Eggy, Kisschasy, The Beautiful Girls, Ruby Fields, Party Dozen, The Ferguson Rogers Process, Bachelor Girl and Killing Heidi.
The Age
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
June tunes: The best gigs to see in Sydney this month
Warren Ellis City Recital Hall, June 8 Yes, there will be a short solo set from the Dirty Three and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds member at this event (billed as 'An Evening With Warren Ellis'), but the real draw here will be a conversation with Ellis covering his life, music and work in animal conservation, all topics covered in the new documentary film Ellis Park, which will screen before this Q&A as part of the Sydney Film Festival (a separate ticketed event to this one, it should be noted). 10 Years of NLV Records Metro Theatre, June 8 Australian DJ and music producer Nina Las Vegas (born Nina Elizabeth Agzarian) started the electronic music label NLV Records in 2015 (on the same day she left her gig as a triple j presenter), with this mammoth anniversary show set to take over both rooms of the Metro. Acts set to appear include rising EDM star Ninajirachi, Trinidadian-born Australian singer and rapper Gold Fang, afro swing vocalist Big Skeez, Korean boyband 1300, South Florida ravers Jubilee, plus a host of others. Black Star C arriageworks, June 10 Yasiin Bey - the rapper, singer and actor formerly known as Mos Def - was at Carriageworks last year to perform both a solo show and a show covering the work of late rapper MF DOOM. He's back this year with Talib Kweli, his rhyme partner in hip-hop duo Black Star. They'll be performing music from across the decades, including the aptly titled 2022 album No Fear of Time, which arrived almost 25 years after the pair's classic 1998 debut, Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. Supergrass Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, June 10 Although a champagne supernova's worth of hype has been directed at the upcoming Oasis reunion tour, more discerning Britpop fans will be excited to see Oxford quartet Supergrass back in action for their first headline Australian shows in 17 years. The band will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of debut album I Should Coco, featuring hit singles Caught by the Fuzz and Alright, by playing it in its entirety; expect bandmates and brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes to behave better than the Gallagher siblings. Mel Parsons The Vanguard, June 15 New Zealand singer-songwriter Mel Parsons has proved herself a master of indie-folk and alt-country over half a dozen celebrated albums, including last year's excellent Sabotage, which has been nominated for three Aotearoa Music Awards. A seasoned live performer with a spellbinding voice, Parsons will be playing old favourites and a few new tunes; if recent singles Brick by Brick and Post High Slide are anything to go by, her winning streak shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Cloud Control Enmore Theatre, June 20 2010 feels like a lifetime ago, but anyone paying attention to Australian music at the time would be familiar with Blue Mountains four-piece indie band Cloud Control. The recently reunited group will be touring to celebrate the 15th anniversary of debut album Bliss Release, which was everywhere in 2010: Five of its 10 songs were singles, it scored two ARIA Award nominations, took home the Australian Music Prize and, bizarrely, had a song that wound up in Channing Tatum stripper flick Magic Mike. Jimmy Barnes State Theatre, June 27 Fifteen solo number one albums in Australia - more than any other solo artist - and an induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame as both a solo performer and as part of Cold Chisel: at 69, Jimmy Barnes has nothing left to prove. It's a pleasant surprise, then, to discover his 21st solo album, Defiant (out June 6), is an absolute belter, featuring some of his strongest songs in decades. Head along to her Barnsey belt them out live, along with the classics. June is jam-packed with great gigs, including visitors from the US (indie rockers Soccer Mommy and DIIV, astronaut Katy Perry, hip-hop producer Knxwledge), the UK (septuagenarian rappers Bas & Dave, much younger rapper Central Cee, alternative rockers Palace), South Korea (rapper Sik-K, girl group Nmixx, rockers Boohwal) and Europe (James Vincent McMorrow and Inhaler, both from Ireland, and Germany's Tangerine Dream). Australian artists doing the rounds include indie pop band Spacey Jane, Ngaiire, debuting her new show PAIA (provocatively described as 'an eruption of rage, sex, ecstasy, ceremony, ancestry, and cleansing'), Skegss, Polish Club, Short Stack, The Superjesus, Straight Arrows, Parkway Drive, Chasing Ghosts, Eggy, Kisschasy, The Beautiful Girls, Ruby Fields, Party Dozen, The Ferguson Rogers Process, Bachelor Girl and Killing Heidi.
