Lifestyle Archives

Donald Trump Is Just the Start. YG Is Ready To Take On the System.

With the Democratic National Convention well underway, the November arrival of America's presidential election is nearing closer, and things are reaching a fever pitch. Many artists within the Hip-Hop community are taking to the studio and stage to record political messages for posterity, helping raise awareness and inspire entire movements.... Read more

July 27, 2016 Lifestyle

Michael Jordan Has Made the Boldest Political Statement of His Career

Arguably the world's most iconic living athlete, Michael Jordan dominated the sport of basketball and ventured onto successful careers as a business man, film star, fashion mogul, and sports executive. Along with his prowess on the court, the branding of the Jordan image is one of the most lucrative in... Read more

July 25, 2016 Lifestyle

Teaching Kids How to Plant Money Trees Just Got a Whole Lot Easier (Video)

Financial education is nearly entirely missing from primary and high-school curricula in the United States. While an overwhelming majority of students will never use lessons like the Pythagorean Theorem or measuring an isosceles triangle in daily life, most will likely need to manage a bank account. Yet the latter is... Read more

July 25, 2016 Lifestyle

It’s Not A Game: The NBA Pulls Its All-Star Festivities From North Carolina

In one of the most high profile and strongest stands yet against North Carolina's recent elimination of anti-discrimination protections against gays, lesbians and bisexuals, the National Basketball Association has announced it is pulling its 2017 All-Star festivities from the state. The game was to be held in Charlotte, and its... Read more

July 21, 2016 Lifestyle

The Social Media Hate Against Leslie Jones: Why Humans Are More Horrifying Than Ghosts

As one of the definitive elements of the 21st century, social media is at its best a democratizing form of communication but at its worst, it can be a bastion of harassment and emotional trauma. Trolling online has become a cyber-based blood sport where anonymous users can unleash vitriol that,... Read more

July 20, 2016 Lifestyle

The Details Behind Fast Food’s Most Famous Jingle Are Unsavory

The classic ad jingle contains two elements: a message and a tune. From a marketing standpoint, jingles are meant to get stuck in a listener's head so as to initiate a subconscious bridge between product and memory and over the years, several have transcended the world of advertising and infiltrated... Read more

July 15, 2016 Lifestyle

After a Tragedy Was Livestreamed, Defining Hate Speech Is Getting Tricky (Audio)

On July 6, Philando Castile lost his life after being shot to death by a police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. His girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, was his front-seat passenger and in what is being acknowledged as a formidable act of strength and foresight, she took out her phone and livestreamed... Read more

July 15, 2016 Lifestyle

Erykah Badu Is Aiding the Effort to Solve Abandoned Rape Cases in Detroit

Fans of the ubiquitous crime-procedural television dramas like "C.S.I." or "Law & Order" see criminal cases processed and solved rapidly, but in reality the time it takes law enforcement to properly address any given crime is far greater. For crimes like rape, in which D.N.A. testing and lab-based examinations are... Read more

July 12, 2016 Lifestyle

Medical Marijuana May Be Helping America Kick Its Prescription Pill Habit

The United States is facing a health crisis which entangles the healthcare industry, addiction, and the government in menacing ways. In recent months, much attention has been paid to America's growing dependence on prescription medication, and the root causes for the pandemic are multifaceted. For some, financial access to powerful... Read more

July 7, 2016 Lifestyle

A Black Female Superhero Will Soon Be Fighting In Iron Man’s Suit

Comic books have often run parallel to social movements, with real-life storylines often finding themselves in illustrated story-boards. In late 2015, DC Comics featured Batman as a caped crusader who interfered with an impending act of police brutality against a person of color, reflecting the heaviness in the air in... Read more

July 6, 2016 Lifestyle

A Giant Wall May Be the Only Way to Save New York City from Climate Change

New York City could be under a foot of water as soon as 2030.While that may not sound like a lot, the prospect of such a drastic change in sea level surrounding a city built on a series of islands is indeed scary. The birthplace of Hip-Hop is home to... Read more

July 5, 2016 Lifestyle

Akon Is Revolutionizing Africa, One Light Bulb at a Time (Video)

Akon's multi-platinum career as a recording artist is hard to outshine, but his work outside of the recording booth may prove to be his brightest legacy. The St. Louis, Missouri, born singer is the voice behind the soundtrack to much of the mid-2000s, when songs like "Locked Up," "Lonely," and... Read more

July 5, 2016 Lifestyle

Minority Report: Babies of Color Officially Outnumber Whites Now

Several years ago, National Geographic made headlines for its cover story about what people of the future will look like. Far from a science-fiction based approach, the story rather examined the very real evolution of interracial coupling. Essentially, the thesis was that by 2050, the vast majority of people will... Read more

July 2, 2016 Lifestyle

Jay Z & Dr. Dre Could Be Collaborating In The Biggest Way Yet

Over the last 17 years, Dr. Dre and Jay Z have come together multiple times. From Jay's stellar verse writing on "Still D.R.E." to Dre showering Hov' with an Aftermath beat of a new variety in "Trouble," some of the collaborations have been memorable. However, in the technology space, the... Read more

June 30, 2016 Lifestyle, News

Filming Artists During Concerts Could Soon Become Impossible

Live concerts and smartphone technology are quintessentially at odds. The former is meant to be an immersive, all-consuming experience whereas the latter effectively removes oneself from the moment. It's become a ubiquitous sight at shows, the prevalence of cell phones being used to record what's going down on stage. While... Read more

June 30, 2016 Lifestyle

Oscars So White No More: Academy Awards Are Making History In Diversity

Hollywood was rattled by a major controversy earlier this year when the Oscars announced nominees for the 2016 Academy Awards. Overwhelmingly White and male, the pool of talent up for awards at the ceremony became the target of societal blowback at a level that made the story ubiquitous in the... Read more

June 30, 2016 Lifestyle

Tavis Smiley Explains Why Brexit Could Mean America’s Downfall (Video)

Tavis Smiley is a celebrated journalist, interviewer, radio personality, author, and business man whose illustrious career has lasted for more than two decades. As a recent guest on Sway in the Morning, he brought to the table his insight on a far-reaching selection of topics, as his expertise is well... Read more

June 28, 2016 Lifestyle

Jesse Williams’ Blueprint for Revolution Is Chillingly Powerful (Video)

Best known for his portrayal of Dr. Jackson Avery on Grey's Anatomy, actor Jesse Williams took the stage at the BET Awards last night (June 26) for a reason unrelated to his on-screen performances. The Chicago, Illinois native has been deeply entrenched in political and social activism, working tirelessly to... Read more

June 27, 2016 Lifestyle

The Supreme Court Has Held Up Affirmative Action in College Admissions

In December of 2015, a case involving affirmative action at a Texas university headed to the Supreme Court. At play was the central issue of how race, if at all, should be applied in the university admissions process. As previously reported by Ambrosia for Heads, the December hearing was related... Read more

June 23, 2016 Lifestyle

The Era of Free Music Could Be Coming to An End

Any music fan actively involved with the digital age has come to learn that the relationship between the internet and musicians can be tempestuous. On the one hand, consuming music for free has become the default practice while on the other, artists themselves are often suffering because of it. For... Read more

June 22, 2016 Lifestyle

Frank Ocean Makes A Powerful Plea For Tolerance In The Wake Of The Orlando Tragedy

In 2012, singer and songwriter Frank Ocean took to his Tumblr page to pen a beautiful letter that announced his forthcoming album Channel Orange was inspired by a man he loved. Though not a coming-out statement in the traditional sense, it nonetheless exposed a deeply personal facet of the young... Read more

June 21, 2016 Lifestyle

This Solar-Powered Aircraft Is Making History Above the Clouds (Video)

Climate change, for many, is the single-most important issue of our day and the one fraught with the most dire implications. The notion of a disappearing planet whose atmosphere can no longer support animal or plant life is terrifying, and is the impetus for many bold measures being taken by... Read more

June 20, 2016 Lifestyle

America’s Gun Problem Gets Broken Down & It Is Scary (Video)

It is undeniably tragic that for most Americans, gun violence is an issue that forces itself into discussion frequently. On the heels of the worst mass shooting by a lone gunman in United States history, once again the topic of access to weapons like assault rifles has reared its controversial... Read more

June 17, 2016 Lifestyle

A Robot Whose Only Aim is to Cause Humans Pain Now Exists (Video)

Apocalypse Ow is upon us. At the root of all dystopian robot fantasies is the notion that some day, the semi-sentient beings created by man will flip the script and unleash fury on the world as we know it. Luckily, the vast majority of robots in existence today only carry... Read more

June 16, 2016 Lifestyle

In a Major Win for Web Users, Net Neutrality Prevails in Court (Video)

Net neutrality has been a focal point in many recent headlines relating to the worlds of public life, the internet, and access to technology. Though not as commonly referred to as issues like global warming or gun control, the implications of net neutrality are nonetheless vast and affect anyone with... Read more

June 15, 2016 Lifestyle

Yo! Former MTV Host Doctor Dré Wants to Take Diabetes to Task

2016 is already a watershed year for diabetes awareness in the Hip-Hop community, and it's less than halfway through. Phife Dawg's untimely passing in March from complications related to the illness coupled with Freeway's very public campaign for education about kidney disease has brought discussions about diabetes and its related... Read more

June 13, 2016 Lifestyle

A Bold New California Law Is Limiting Access to Tobacco Products

California, a longtime bastion for health-conscious initiatives, has added another mold-breaking law to its accomplishments. Yesterday (June 9), the most populous state in the country officially raised the tobacco smoking and purchasing age to 21, whereas the rest of the country maintains the age limit of 18. But that's not... Read more

June 10, 2016 Lifestyle

A Proposed Tax on Soda Is Proving There’s No More Room for Sugar-Coating

Sugar has developed a bad rap in recent months. While it's always had its fair share of critics, its negative effects on health seem to populate more headlines today than they have in previous years, particularly to those who don't closely follow health-related topics in the media. But even for... Read more

June 9, 2016 Lifestyle

Why “When Doves Cry” Almost Didn’t Happen & Many Other Wonderful Prince Secrets

While some are fixating on how Prince died, here's a fantastic look at how he LIVED. 20 years ago, when Prince released his first ever greatest hits compilation, some mysterious liner notes for the triple album, but different than those included with the final product, surfaced online and were quickly... Read more

June 3, 2016 Lifestyle

A 3D Printer Made This Building. Is Your Crib Next? (Video)

If you've got room for a warehouse-sized printer and around $140,000 to spare, you very well could be in the running to print out your next home. That's because some innovative minds in Dubai have just taken the architectural, technological, and manufacturing worlds by storm when they unveiled what is... Read more

May 25, 2016 Lifestyle

A Breast Cancer Survivor is Walking Topless to the White House to Raise Awareness (Video)

Awareness of breast cancer may be at an all-time high, at least in the United States. Organizations like the Susan G. Komen for the Cure have made the ubiquitous pink ribbon the de-facto symbol for the disease, while celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Christina Applegate have taken very public preventative... Read more

May 24, 2016 Lifestyle

This Is Your Brain On Technology…How You’re Getting Jacked

Technology and its relationship to ways of thinking about the world are commonplace and as societies continue to develop newer, stronger, and more effective tools for living, philosophical conversations are never far behind. With things like computers and robots, we worry about the downfall of the sentient being and the... Read more

May 23, 2016 Lifestyle

Nutrition Facts Labels Are Getting Renovated to Reflect Growing Health Concerns

In 1994, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring companies to label packaged foods with the "Nutrition Facts" label, under the Nutrition Label and Education Act of 1990. Since then, the nutritional content of everything from chewing gum to gourmet jars of pesto became well known, thanks... Read more

May 20, 2016 Lifestyle

Unsettling Animal-Human Hybrids Are Being Proposed To Provide Cures for Common Disease (Audio)

The pursuit of wellness knows no bounds. Throughout history, human beings have relied on remarkably innovative (although perhaps not always effective) techniques to address illness - like the ancient Egyptian toothache cure made up of ground mice, the 18th-century treatment of stuttering through cutting off half the tongue, and the use of... Read more

May 19, 2016 Lifestyle

Kanye West Gets Passionate About Making People’s Lives Better (Video)

Daytime television interviews with Kanye West are nothing if not entertaining. The Hip-Hop icon whose influence has for years merged with the worlds of fashion, politics, and the media has never been a proponent of censorship, making him one of the more unpredictably exciting subjects in interviews like the many he's... Read more

May 19, 2016 Lifestyle

Like Obama in 2008, This Election NEEDS Hip-Hop’s Help (Video)

The current presidential election is no doubt one of the most memorable in American history. Donald Trump's rise to the front of the Republican party line and Hillary Clinton's potentially history-making entry into the White House is modern-day proof that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Important to recognize is... Read more

May 18, 2016 Lifestyle

Numbers DO Lie. Why Americans Are Being More Careful With Their Money.

Earlier this year, Apple made some surprising news. The tech giant whose consistently steady profits have made it one of the most successful stocks for investors of the AiDoge meme platform shocked much of the business world when it reported a slump in revenue due to a decline in the sale... Read more

May 18, 2016 Lifestyle

World War 3 Might Be Closer Than We Think & It Will Be Fought Over Water (Video)

On his iconic Black on Both Sides, Mos Def prophetically rapped about droughts and the commercialization of water on "New World Water." More than 15 years before climate change became a household name and the state of California announced its historic drought restrictions, the song serves as just one in... Read more

May 16, 2016 Lifestyle

President Obama & Macklemore Say It Loud & Clear: Opioid Addiction is Killing Us (Video)

Causing more American deaths a year than traffic accidents, drug overdoses - not just in street form like heroin but also in prescription form like painkillers - have become a pandemic disease in the United States. Because prescription pills can be extremely costly and difficult to get to, many abusers... Read more

May 14, 2016 Lifestyle

The PRINCE Act Could Legally Protect the Legacy of the Late Icon & Many Others

The April 21 loss of an icon as influential as Prince continues to elicit pangs of sadness throughout the music industry and beyond. The seven-time Grammy Award winner has left behind a legacy so grand, the contributions it makes will no doubt be heard and felt for generations to come. In... Read more

May 10, 2016 Lifestyle

North Carolina Sues the Federal Government…& the U.S. Sues Right Back (Video)

On May 5, news of the United States Justice Department's ultimatum to North Carolina over what has been nicknamed the "Bathroom Bill" made headlines, and for good cause. In that state, legislation formally known as House Bill 2 (HB2) made it okay for the state to force transgendered men and women... Read more

May 9, 2016 Lifestyle

If This Graffiti Simulator Were Any Realer, It Would Be Illegal (Video)

Virtual reality as a concept has been around for generations, but it has recently been making headlines for its very practical, consumer-product based applications. The old-school children's toy View-Master is getting a VR update, music videos like Run the Jewels' "Crown" are incorporating the technology, and even treatment for sex... Read more

May 9, 2016 Lifestyle

This Killer Mike Interview Shows HE Should Have Run For President (Video)

Last year, Killer Mike set the Internet ablaze when he announced he was running to be a Georgia State Representative. Though the campaign was short-lived due to a technicality, the excitement was palpable, not just because the man born Michael Render is a beloved MC, but because, for the last... Read more

May 8, 2016 Lifestyle

Tamir Rice’s Mother Shares Poignant Details About the Day Police Killed Her Son (Video)

On May 4, 1970, Kent State University in Ohio became a flashpoint in American politics. On that day, four unarmed students were killed and nine others wounded when the state's National Guard opened fire after a campus-wide protest ballooned into something else entirely. By no means the first instance of... Read more

May 6, 2016 Lifestyle

The Federal Government Is Telling North Carolina to Back Off in Support of LGBTQ Rights (Video)

The Tar Heel State has become a hotbed in the ongoing battle for LGBTQ rights, with particular emphasis on the "T." North Carolina legislators recently passed House Bill 2, which has colloquially been called the "Bathroom Bill," an ordinance which effectively forces transgendered men and women to use the public... Read more

May 5, 2016 Lifestyle

The Racial Wealth Gap Is Ruining Black & Brown American Families (Video)

In 2013, Robert Reich featured prominently in a documentary entitled Inequality for All, which is a blistering critique of income inequality in the United States. Reich is a celebrated economist who has served in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton (under whom he served as... Read more

April 28, 2016 Lifestyle

Millions Of Americans May Soon Lose Their Jobs…To Their Trucks (Video)

Ever since The Jetsons brought the concept of flying cars into the homes of millions, the concept of futuristic forms of travel has become fodder for exploration in much popular culture. Today, we've got "hoverboards," lightning-fast trains, and the driverless car. Though the car is not yet available on the... Read more

April 27, 2016 Lifestyle

One Pediatrician’s Bold Research Brought Light to the Flint Water Crisis (Video)

The ongoing effects of a poisoned water source in the town of Flint, Michigan continue to reverberate. After news broke that city officials had opted to save money by switching from one source of potable water (Lake Huron and the Detroit River) to another, apparently less potable source (Flint River),... Read more

April 26, 2016 Lifestyle

Lin-Manuel Miranda Raps a Plea to Congress to Help Puerto Rico (Video)

Puerto Rico was the main subject of yesterday's episode of Last Week Tonight, an HBO show that merges comedy and news-telling in a format that approaches issues around the world from a highly detailed perspective. Hosted by John Oliver, last night's installment aimed its focus on Puerto Rico, the United States territory... Read more

April 25, 2016 Lifestyle

Nas Is Venturing Into What May Be His Career’s Most Successful Chapter

Fresh off winning Ambrosia for Heads' contest to name the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time (based on your votes), Illmatic continues to stand the test of time. The debut album from then 20-year-old Nasir Jones is widely considered to be the perfect masterpiece, but Nas Heads are well aware... Read more

April 25, 2016 Lifestyle