What's New & Black AF On Netflix This July
The West Coast is having a Heat Wave. While the East Coast is gearing up for a tropical storm. Cities like Boston and Minneapolis have experienced the hottest month of June to date; and the South is set to break records for the summer heat. Yet, it's still like Christmas this July. Between new music, shows, and movies, July seems to be the best time to go out and return home to rest up in front of the screen.
Luckily for us, those moments of rest can be just as entertaining as having a night out on the town. And with the help of Netflix and their upcoming originals, there's no chance of their being a dull moment. Fresh off the sleigh, Netflix has delivered ten new pieces to add to their New Black Netflix lineup. From the emotional short documentary, Audible, to the action-packed Gunpowder Milkshake, Netflix has something for everyone this upcoming month.
Check out what's new and Black on Netflix this July, while avoiding unnecessary summer sweats.
Audible: July 1st
This original Netflix documentary follows The Orioles, a football team from Maryland School for the Deaf, who haven't lost a game in 16 seasons. Although, that quickly changes when they are defeated by a local football team. Now, in hopes to return to their original standing, The Orioles head on a journey to earn their title once more, while refusing to allow their deafness to be a hinderance.
Born to Play: July 1st
Low on funds, but full of passion comes the Boston Renegades on their road to redemption. After losing their championship match the previous year, Born to Play highlights a women's football team which consists of unpaid athletes of various ages, 19-49. With relentless determination and motivation, the women of Boston Renegades dedicate their time, bodies, and salaries to their dream of being professional football players.
The Best of Enemies: July 1st
Based on the book The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson, comes The Bestof Enemies. This film focuses on the rivalry between the radical civil rights activist Ann Atwater and the leader of the Ku Klux Klan, C. P. Ellis. Ann Atwater is known for her involvement in the betterment of African-American communities, while focusing on reducing school violence and ensuring the peaceful desegregation of schools.
The film stars Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell as Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis, respectively.
Why Do Fools Fall In Love: July 1st
Why Do Fools Fall in Love follows the life of Frankie Lymon until his death at the tender age of 25. Particularly, the movie follows Frankie Lymon and the three women who claim to have been married to Frankie upon his death and want to lay claim to his estate. The film gives a playful, charismatic, and entertaining take on a tragic story about show-business and loyalty. This Gregory Nava picture features Black icons, Larenz Tate, Vivica A. Fox, Halle Berry, Lela Rochon, and Little Richard.
We The People: July 4th
We The People is a new Netflix series that combines civic sessions with catchy musical tunes. A 10-episode series created by Chris Nee, executive produced by the Obamas, We The People sets out to teach viewers about the rights and duties of being an American Citizen. Nee states that, "The entire project was about finding ways to talk about things that have become very partisan and not take sides." With hope, this mini-series will inspire younger viewers to become more interested in politics and their civic duty.
Gunpowder Milkshake: July 14th
Two words: Angela. Bassett.
According to Netflix, this upcoming film is the "mother of all action films." Gunpowder Milkshake is an action-filled story about a mother-daughter assassin team and their friends, as they revolt against the group of men who fight to take everything from them. The Netflix original also stars Game of Thrones legend Lena Headey, Haunting of Hill House/BlyManor queen Carla Gugino, Doctor Who alum Karen Gillan, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon alum Michelle Yeoh.
Naomi Osaka: July 16th
Up until 2017, the name Osaka was barely uttered beyond the tennis community. Now, just four years later, Naomi Osaka has become a household name and she has a story to tell. In this three-part mini series, we get a glimpse of tennis-player and Grand Slam winner, Naomi Osaka's life and career as she overtakes the world of women's professional tennis.
Django Unchained: July 24th
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, returns Django (Jamie Foxx) accompanied by dentist-German bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to Netflix's streaming service. Django Unchained follows Django, a freed slave, two years before the Civil War. On a mission to hunt the South's most-wanted criminals, Django discovers that his long-lost wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), remains a slave and sets out on a mission to free her.
All American: Season Three: July 27th
After announcing his return to South Crenshaw High at the end of season two, season three of All American picks up with the festering of grievances and rivalries. With Spencer and Coach Baker changing teams, the stakes between Beverly High and Crenshaw has now reached the all-time heights with father pitted against son and friend pitted against friend. Tune in to figure out who will win the rivalry and what will become of Spencer and friends their final year of high school.
Resort to Love: July 29th
Resort to Love/Netflix
In the early 2000s, romantic comedies were like the air you breathe: all around and all encompassing. Now, finding a romantic comedy is like finding a musical strictly made for the big-screen, rare and often underwhelming. Though, that might be set to change. Netflix's new romantic comedy Resort to Love, produced by Alicia Keys, tells of an inspiring singer who obtains a resident job at the island resort and spa. Meanwhile, she discovers her ex-fiancee and his current finance plan to get married at the venue. It stars Christina Milian, Jay Pharoah, and Sinqua Walls.
Featured image via Resort to Love/Netflix
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Taysha Robinson is a writer and high school English teacher, based in metro-Atlanta. A self described philomath, you can find her reading books and articles of every genre, attending educational conferences, and hiking wherever the terrain will allow.
This Black Woman-Owned Creative Agency Shows Us The Art Of Rebranding
Rebranding is an intricate process and very important to the success of businesses that want to change. However, before a business owner makes this decision, they should determine whether it's a rebrand or an evolution.
That's where people like Lola Adewuya come in. Lola is the founder and CEO of The Brand Doula, a brand development studio with a multidisciplinary approach to branding, social media, marketing, and design.
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
Feature image courtesy
The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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Exclusive: After Focusing On His Career For So Long, David Banner Is Now Ready To Find A Wife
During the Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heistpremiere, David Banner, who stars in the film, opened up about his weight loss and his desire to get married and start a family. At 50, David has accomplished many feats, from rapping, producing, and acting, and now he's ready for the next phase of his life. "I want to get married," he tells xoNecole.
"I'm tired. I want to find my wife, have some kids. We chase all of these esoteric goals, and sometimes we look back, and we left the things that really matter. I looked up one day, I had all of them, the music accolades, the film accolades, not all the ones that I want, but a lot of them. I had accomplished my goal, had chased my goal so long that when I looked up, I saw that I ran off and left everything else."
He also shares how working in the entertainment industry can sometimes affect his life and relationships with others. "We forget to be human beings, and people don't allow us to be human beings," he continues. "So, that's the reason why I said what I said, because I know what y'all platform means, and I want people to know that there are still some human beings that's up on that camera, and sometimes we hurt too."
Back in 2016, the "Like a Pimp" artist released the single "Marry Me" and shared in an exclusive interview with us how he is working on becoming his best self for his future wife.
"I just want to be the man that most Black women want to marry. I want to be a Black man that stands strong," he said. "I'm not perfect, but [I want to be the man] women want to marry and that kids want to be their father. I want to be that man. [When I die] I want people to say that that's a strong African man, I am proud that he's a part of my culture."
During our most recent interview with the "Get Like Me" rapper, he also revealed that he lost 35 lbs and dished on how important it is to take care of your body. "I have this thing that I want to be our children's superhero on the screen and off, and people always talk about mental health, but part of your mental health is what you put in your body," he says.
"People always talk about God. People always talk about the church, but the real church is your body, your temple. So I am treating my body and my temple as if God is in there."
Fight Night is out now on Peacock.
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