Everything You Missed At Usher's Lovers & Friends Music Festival
The second-annual Lovers and Friends festival was the ultimate trip down memory lane for music lovers of the “'99 & the 2000”- era. Reminiscent millennials and Gen-Z packed the Las Vegas Festival Grounds for the highly anticipated A-list lineup, and although it was hard to catch all the viral moments happening all at once—it was the talk of the weekend and for great reason.
From Usher proving once again why Las Vegas is slowly becoming his city to Mariah Carey reuniting with Boyz II Men to perform their 1995 no. 1 hit “One Sweet Day,” —the top-tier acts at Lovers and Friends are making it one of the hottest festivals on the rise. The chatter happening all weekend following the alleged birthday party altercation between Chris Brown and Usher only added to the hype of the one-day revival of one of the golden eras in hip hop and R&B.
Here are some of the unforgettable moments from the second-annual Lovers and Friends festival…
1.Usher Shut It Down
@xonecole @Usher Raymond performing at #loversandfriends! 🔥 #fyp #loversandfriendsfest
Las Vegas is becoming Usher’s second home, and it is further solidified each time he unveils yet another epic performance in Sin City. The 2023 Lovers and Friends festival was no different. The headliner brought out Muni Long to debut an unreleased version of “Hrs & Hrs” along with Ari Lennox, whose impressive vocals nearly stole the show. Summer Walker also hit the stage with the eight-time Grammy winner before her own set, and Jermaine Dupri, the man behind some of Usher’s most iconic hits, made an appearance too.
Da Brat later joined them and didn’t miss a beat, performing for the second time in one day during her third trimester of pregnancy. Lastly, if an altercation did happen at Chris Brown’s 34th birthday party, there was not one shred of evidence in this performance. It was immaculate.
2.Chris Brown Put On a Performance To Remember
The controversial superstar may be the subject of many puzzling headlines, but that didn’t stop Chris Brown from putting forth a showstopping performance. He took festival-goers back in time, belting many of his career-defining classics like “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” and “With You.” Additionally, his special guests included longtime friends Tyga and Bow Wow —performing “Ayo” and the Y2K classic “Shawty Like Mine.” Chris kept the performance strictly about the music, pairing the stellar vocals with a positive attitude amidst rumors of the birthday altercation.
3.Jhené Aiko’s Return to the Stage
@xonecole This moment with @Big Sean and @jheneaiko at #loversansfriends = EVERYTHING! 🔥#loversandfriendsfest #fyp
The 2023 Lovers & Friends Festival marked Jhené Aiko’s return to the stage after giving birth to her first child with Big Sean, their son Noah. With a late afternoon performance, the sultry songbird was the perfect calm before the storm. Her melodic tunes swept through the crowd like a trance and were the perfect midday reset within the action-packed day of A-List performances. Saweetie graced the stage to mark her fellow California native’s big occasion, and Big Sean joined Jhené for a rendition of their “Twenty88” classics. Her longtime lover ended his time on stage singing her praises and showering her with love for taking great care of their son. The impromptu gesture left the crowd in awe of their romance, and the viral moment was 10x more intimate in person.
4.Mariah Carey Reunites with Boyz II Men
Mariah Carey took the stage at the 2023 Lovers and Friends Festival in true diva fashion, making the crowd chant her name following a nearly 30-minute delay. Once she arrived, she looked amazing and didn’t miss a beat per usual. Not to mention, she wrapped up the night with one of the best reunions at the festival. Boyz II Men, who also had their own festival headlining set, joined her to perform their 1995 hit song “One Sweet Day.” The “Queen of Christmas” did not disappoint, further treating fans to renditions of her classics like “Obsessed” and “We Belong Together.”
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Featured image by Candice Ward/Getty Images
Miranda J. is a producer, social media expert, writer, and on-air talent. With nearly 10 years of media-related work, her background includes extensive experience in journalism as well as TV production, print, and digital media. She has worked for Walt Disney Television, ABC News, Essence, MTV News and XXL.
This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."