Chicks In Kicks - We Love Em Too!

I love shoes. That’s not really surprising, given that I’m a woman. Everyone knows that women tend to have a thing for shoes. And my Kyndafly cohort, Ms. Renee also loves shoes, again, probably not brand new information. But when we say we love shoes, we’re equal opportunity shoe lovers. We covet the sexiest of stilettos just as much as we covet the freshest pair of sneakers, and that is NOT something every woman can say.

I have always loved sneakers too. I can remember being in the third grade getting this pair of Reebok’s that I really liked or when I had to have a fresh pair of white gym shoes for the summer somewhere around seventh grade. Then there were my prized purple and white L.A. Gear’s and the Fila’s too. And I also remember having this super cute pair of suede brown ankle boots in the sixth grade, so yeah, I’ve pretty much always been into fashion and shoes.

A part of where Kyndafly comes from is our love of fashion, but also our love of all types of fashion, including all types of shoes. Our friendship has included just as many shopping trips hunting down the perfect pair of pumps as it has searching for the most unique pair of sneakers we could find.

To us, being Kyndafly means, being confident no matter what you are wearing. So don’t be surprised if you catch us out in a sexy dress with our legs out in a fierce pair of heels or more casual on our “regular girl” steeze in some skinny jeans, a tank and a dope pair of Jordan’s.

Sometimes a sneaker is the better option, and thankfully we have a decent selection to choose from. And ladies, trust us, there are some great guys that appreciate, “Chicks In Kicks” like us. Regularly, KicksOnFire.com(@kicksonfire) kicks (no pun intended) off a #ChicksInKicks Twitter topic. Lots of ladies submit pictures of themselves in their favorite sneakers, and it was great to see other chicks that love sneakers as much as we do!

Frank Ocean's Bi - Why We Shouldn't Care

Frank Ocean is a dope artist. And before he came out as bisexual I bet you thought the same thing as you rocked out to Nostalgia/Ultra, his first official mixtape. I mean who didn’t love “Novacane” last summer. “I met her at Coachella…but girl I can’t feel my face, what are we smoking anyway, she said don’t let the high go to waste”, the song has a great beat and tells a story. We loved it. And we shouldn’t feel any different towards him as an artist, a creator of great music, who happens to prefer both men and women.

While his lifestyle may not be the preference of the masses, it has nothing to do with the quality of music he makes and it’s really none of our business. I think all the discourse about sexuality is a sincere case of everyone being way too concerned about other people’s personal business.

It’s 2012, and we are aware of people having different sexual orientations. Therefore we should be able to accept a person for who they are and not whom they date. I have no doubt that Frank Ocean will continue to make great music. I just hope that people use this as an opportunity to explore being more open-minded and appreciate others for being themselves.

Because in reality, it makes no sense to be so concerned about what someone else is doing privately, especially if it doesn’t concern you. And now I will patiently await the release of Channel Orange and I hope you do the same.

Gwyneth Paltrow and her Ni**as in Paris

Hip-hop is totally mainstream in 2012. But it wasn’t always that way. In it’s early days, the entire genre of hip-hop music was considered underground and made primarily by and for black Americans. Fast forward twenty years or so and people of all races and ethnicities are fans and performers of this form of self-expression.

It’s amazing to see how hip-hop has transitioned into its place in the mainstream and to see so many different people embrace it. It has exposed people to a different America, complete with slang many people were not familiar with. And it is often comical to see non-blacks reciting hip-hop songs and incorporating these slang words into their everyday lives.

However, there is one word that will always be fraught with controversy, especially when someone other than a black person uses it in any way or form, the N-word. In recent years there has been so much discussion amongst blacks as to whether this word should be forever removed from our vocabulary. Bill Cosby is against the use of the word, and the NAACP “buried” it in 2007, with a funeral and everything.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are people that believe that in using the word, we take away the power the word has when used by non-blacks, turning a negative into a positive. The debate about the word will likely continue, especially as hip-hop artists continue to use the word in their music and hip-hop music remains in the forefront of the music industry.

And the latest person to find themselves thrown into the mix is Gwyneth Paltrow, who tweeted “Ni**as in Paris for real @mrteriusnash (the dream) tyty, beehigh” with a photo of her on stage with Jay and Ye. Here’s the tweet. When artists make songs like Ni**as in Paris, their non-black fans worldwide have a decision to make about whether they will say it or not, which is well depicted in this Grantland article.

The thing is, she tweeted the song as it is listed on the album. So, really, is there anything wrong with that? If we’re being picky, she called them “ni**as” when she said “ni**as in Paris for real”, but I think it’s safe to assume that is not what she meant. Our society today is extra sensitive about everything, and this instance is no different. Gwyneth has never shown any indication of being racist, and I don’t think this tweet is reason enough to drag her character through the mud.

I think if we are living in a time where hip-hop is now mainstream music, then we have to be somewhat lenient with people and their use of the N-word. I do not condone the use of the word by non-blacks, but in this situation, Gwyneth Paltrow used the word as it’s displayed on the album. Kanye West and Jay-Z just made the lines that much more blurred, and we have to somehow find a way to navigate through this. Perhaps in the future, the N-word will be removed from all people’s vocabularies, but for now, we must remember this is a sensitive subject and tread carefully.

Rabid Fan Groups vs. Everyone Else

Not everyone gets along with each other, and really, there’s nothing wrong with that. The world would be a lot less interesting if everyone was best friends with each other. If there were never any conflicting opinions and viewpoints, we might not experience new things. And perhaps, that is no more evident than in the world of celebrity.

It seems like a new celeb beef rears its ugly, yet entertaining head everyday. There are so many it’s hard to keep up at times. Pusha T vs. Lil Wayne, Lupe vs. Pete Rock, Chris Brown vs. Meek Mill, and then there’s Team Breezy vs. anyone talking negatively about Chris Brown. Yeah, celebrity fan groups are now instigating celeb beefs, a trend that is all too familiar these days.

Chris Brown was a performer at the recent Billboard Music Awards show and many people commented on his choice to lip-synch, tweeting their critiques. Immediately Team Breezy ganged up on Chris’ detractors, spewing unwarranted hatred to one person in particular Chrissy Teigen, fiancé of John Legend.

Despite their best disrespectful efforts, Chrissy held her own. Yet, being the stand up guy he is, John Legend stood up for her as well. Chris even encouraged his fans stop sending out death threats, however that tweet has since disappeared from his timeline.

Stans (stalker fans) have become quite the phenomenon in celebrity culture. They blindly defend their favorite celeb from any type of negative comments, ganging up on whoever disagrees with them. And like any gang, the various Stan groups have names, like Beyhive (Beyoncé), Beliebers (Justin Bieber) or the Rihanna Navy.

But, the issue with aggressive fan groups going after people, be they celebrities or not, for simply stating a differing opinion is a problem. Both Roseanne Barr and Kelly Osborne were targeted for commenting about Beyoncé, and there are plenty more examples like that.

In fact, just over the holiday weekend, The Beyhive went after Dream Hampton’s daughter, who attended the comeback concert at Revel with her mother. Somehow a picture of Hampton’s daughter with Beyoncé surfaced and the Beyhive started in on her daughter, calling her ugly and wishing she was not in the picture at all.

No one is safe from Stans, not even people’s children. And what is worse is that the behavior of Stans brings negative attention to the celebrity they claim to love.

It’s quite telling and sad that people (Stans) choose to put so much negative effort into defending someone they don’t actually know. Stans should take a step back and let their fave celebs handle their own drama. That way we can just enjoy celebs beefing with each other, which is always more entertaining anyway! I mean who didn’t get some sort of entertainment value out of that whole Common vs. Drake fiasco?!!