Feb 15, 2024 4 min read

Thursday Notes for February 15th, 2024

This is an edition of Uristocrat Notes, a newsletter that explores the most significant cultural stories of the day.

Culture

Shallipopi’s Incandescent Takeover of Afrobeats The Colorful, Incendiary Message of Shallipopi

The dynamic Benin-born artist has been the great revelation of the musical year in Nigerian music. His slang-heavy songs are indicative of young people’s cultural significance but he’s so much more.

Shallipopi, who may well be the biggest revelation of Nigerian music in 2023, moved to Lagos in March, earlier the same year. Before then, he resided in Benin City, where he was born and also where he grew up. The city’s lore is established for its ancient kingdom which was renowned around the world and especially by the visiting Portuguese traders in the 15th century. Now it’s one of the most culturally-diverse and spiritually aware areas in Nigeria and that has translated into local pride, inspiring the city’s creatives who have emerged over the years, of which Shallipopi is presently the most transcendental.

https://republic.com.ng/february-march-2024/shallipopi-afrobeats/

Fashion

Robotic Minds Primetime Tee

Sports

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone shares her life’s journey in new book

At just 24 years old, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, born and raised in New Jersey, is already an icon in the making with her accomplishments on the world’s biggest track and field stages.

She was a world youth champion at only 15. A year later, McLaughlin-Levrone competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she set a world record on her way to winning gold in the 400-meter hurdles. McLaughlin-Levrone broke her world record in the same event a year later at the World Championships.

The Amsterdam News spoke exclusively to the champion hurdler about her new book “Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith.”

“Shattered Glass” takes a revealing look at the lives of WNBA players

Earlier this month, the documentary film “Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story,” premiered in New York and is now free on Tubi, a streaming platform.It not only provides insight into the lives of WNBA stars Breanna Stewart, Nneka Ogwumike, and Jonquel Jones but also into the vital role the WNBPA (Women’s National Basketball Players Association) plays in advocating for compensation, benefits, and accommodations.