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Pierre "Pee" Thomas, C.E.O. of Migos' label, Atlanta indie hip-hop outfit Quality Control Music, says "I had never heard a style like that ever." As former manager of Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy, Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee had major credibility on the Atlanta hip-hop scene. To that end, they signed Migos to a record deal almost immediately. "It stuck out like a sore thumb," Pee says of the group's distinctive sound and incomparable rap cadence. "And you could really hear the passion in their music. When you got somebody with style, creativity and passion you can't pass that by."

The group's success has not been without its challenges. In April 2015, all three members were arrested at Georgia Southern University after police allegedly found less than an ounce of marijuana, some codeine syrup and four handguns in the group's tour vans. Quavo and Takeoff posted bail after two nights in jail, but Offset, with burglary and theft convictions on his record, spent the better part of the following eight months in jail. He missed a large portion of the recording process and release of the group's debut album, that year's Yung Rich Nation, which had middling commercial returns.

Ask him now about his time away and Offset says it helped put things in perspective. He felt immensely "blessed" to be back in the fold when recording Culture. "We ain't doing no more negative vibes," he says. "It's all positive from here on."

"We ain't doing no more negative vibes... It's all positive from here on."

There's a feeling among Migos and their management that things are only ramping up. After years of no luck convincing late-night TV music bookers of their worth, they recently played Jimmy Kimmel Live! and are gunning for more TV appearances in the weeks to come. Their fame has also gone global in a major way: late last year Migos played a raucous show in Nigeria from which a clip went viral of the crowd singing practically every word of "Bad and Boujee" back to them. "I had chills during that show," Offset says. "It just put so much energy through my body."

"It was only right we went to the mother land and paid our respects," Quavo says. "We had to get that official stamp."

Quavo says he's also hoping to parlay the success of directing the "T-Shirt" video, as well as his standout guest role on Atlanta, into more diverse creative offerings. "My vision and my creative ability is just so broad," he says. "I'm just willing to try different things. But you gotta keep it all making sense."

Migos still feel there's much to prove, though. "We established in the game but I feel like we don't got what we want yet," Quavo says. He's vague on the specifics, but in talking to him one senses he and the other members of Migos are gunning for Drake-level ubiquity: platinum records, Grammys, legendary status. For a group who often speak in sports metaphors, it's the championships they say that remain elusive. "We still ain't got them rings," Quavo says. "We gotta go get them rings and win some championships."

Coach K, having watched the long arc of a hip-hop career many times over, is more even-keeled in his assessment. Ask him about the future prospects of Migos and he says if their career is a basketball game right now the ball is most certainly in their court.

"It's only the second quarter right now," he says with a satisfied chuckle, "and we up!"

Read the rest here:
How Migos Inspired Everyone From Hillary Clinton to Donald Glover - Esquire.com

Mr Galloway who was an MP for the Labour and later the Respect Party, said on Twitter: Obama deported more folks than ALL US presidents put together. If you were with Obama youve no moral standing."

The former politician is one of the few people to come out in defence of Donald Trump in the wake of his immigration ban, which has leaders across the world criticise him.

In a furious rant, he also said: Bill and Hillary Clinton and Obama until LAST WEEK murdered a million Muslims. Trump imposed a travel ban. And HE is the No1 villain?

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REUTERS

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Trump speaks briefly to reporters as he arrives aboard Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews

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Bill and Hillary Clinton and Obama until LAST WEEK murdered a million Muslims

George Galloway

Mr Galloway also claimed that liberals supported Hillary Clinton killing Muslims because she is a women.

His tweet claiming that liberals ignored Bush and Obama killing a million Muslims and Trump revokes visas. Liberals go bananas, was liked and retweeted hundreds of times.

Defending his move, Mr Trump early on Sunday tweeted: "Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW."

Trumps executive order has banned migrants from seven Muslim countries from coming to the US for the next 90 days.

GETTY

The immigration ban has sparked a backlash with thousands of people protesting at JFK airport.

Mr Galloway has condemned people for not marching and standing up for the Libyan women when Clinton and Obama were killing them through the Rebels.

The former MP also claimed Bill Clinton killed his friend with a cruise missile.

A US judge has temporarily halted deportations of those people stranded at US airports in a dramatic update last night.

Mr Galloway has not always backed the new president. Recently he slated Trumps inauguration speech saying the billionaire murdered the English language.

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'You have NO moral standing' Galloway blasts liberal Obama fans for criticising Trump ban - Express.co.uk

A random collection of Americans surveyed by Gallup selected Hillary Clinton as the most admired woman in the country at the end of 2015. The choice made sense. Clinton was the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, traversing battleground states to shore up voters and delegates and sell the exact kinds of qualities that would make someone among Americans most respected people. That this was the 20th time that Clinton topped the listsince 1993is a testament to the role she has played in the modern fabric of American politics. (Only Eleanor Roosevelt, with 13 years atop the list, and Margaret Thatcher, who bested the rest six times, come close to Clintons Gallup reign.)

To be sure, there are a good many Americans who do not feel such affection for Clinton. As First Lady for eight years, she forgave her husband, Bill, for cheating with an intern, covering up the affair, and being impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. After the Clintons left the White House for New York, she voted in favor of the Iraq wara decision that has since raised questions about her hawkish judgement. She lost her 2008 bid for the White House, which some assumed shed win handily, to a first-term community organizer turned senator from Chicago. And when that newcomer took office as the 44th president and named her secretary of state, she hosted her work e-mails on a private server and took responsibility for a 2012 security breach in Benghazi that led to the death of four Americans.

But the Wellesley- and Yale-educated lawyer, champion for womens rights, advocate for children, and well-regarded glass-ceiling smasher finally seems as though she is headed back to the Oval Office, on her own terms. After a drawn-out primary process with Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton appears to have locked up enough super-delegates to win the nomination.

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Hive: Hillary Clinton News, In-Depth Articles, Photos ...

With Donald Trump now resident-in-chief at the White House his own, high-class Embassy Suites between trips back to Trump Tower I cant help but wonder what Hillary Clinton is doing with herself. I imagine her at the familys Dutch Colonial in Chappaqua, stretched out on the couch binging on Home & Garden Televisions Love It or List It and Beachfront Bargain Hunt, favorites she recently described in Bloomberg as relaxing, entertaining and informative.

Im not sure about the relaxing part I find the shows unsettling. But if Clinton had watched more of the No. 3 cable channels house-buying and renovation shows, the story they tell about America might have helped her craft a winning campaign message, and shed be the one hanging new (not gold) drapes in the Oval Office.

The real-life people featured on HGTV say their priorities in choosing where to live are location, size and price, but invariably they settle on the place thats farther from their jobs or family than they wanted, and blow up their seemingly set-in-stone budget. They accept fewer bedrooms than they need for the perk of a swimming pool or a bigger kitchen.

People do these things because the human mind is not always rational. Its emotional, and our emotions can run so strong that we dont always recognize whats in our self-interest. Its apparently such a well-known phenomenon in real estate circles that realtors have a name for it: buyers lies.

I experienced this firsthand, 12 years ago. My husband, Ralph, and I sold the Washington, D.C., townhouse that we had renovated down to the studs for a ramshackle hundred-year-old, four-story affair with gold Formica countertops in the kitchen and a bathroom done in mauve tile from the 70s.

We did it because the replacement house was twice the size of our beloved original, and we wanted to live on a hill instead of in a gully. I can no longer remember why we thought our family of four needed six bedrooms or what advantage we thought the higher ground would offer. Maybe, as I used to joke back when we were making the decision to move, we just craved chaos, because why else were we uprooting ourselves to move three blocks up the street. The first night we slept there, I turned to Ralph in bed and asked, Will we ever get used to this house?

Now I know the answer.

We overthrew our comfy setup for the unknown, just as nearly 63 million voters scorned the opportunity on Election Day to stay the course, to take incremental steps, to tweak only what needed changing. That would have been a vote for Clinton. Instead, in electing Trump, the country chose the human equivalent of a McMansion a dismally proportioned mash-up of architectural styles, with a hodgepodge of windows and turrets, a six-car garage, a foyer designed for a giant, heated floors throughout, a kitchen with an island, peninsula, and umpteen dishwashers and sinks, and, it almost goes without saying, a lot of gold plate. Yes, the bells and whistles are enthralling, but they come with hidden, and not-so-hidden, costs the heating, the air-conditioning (think Carrier), the pool man, the gardener, the gold-plate refurbisher.

Thats what Ralph and I learned. Instead of a storybook ending, our house swap is an ongoing nightmare. It turns out that when we bought near the top of the market in 2005, just shy of the Great Recession, we were operating on an old set of assumptions.

We still believed that if bankers gave us a mortgage for our behemoth on the hill, it must be because they believed we could afford it. We didnt realize that they were more like con artists, trying to unload mortgages on anyone nave enough to bite, or that for two people in declining industries journalism and photography our earning potential had already topped out. Note: Its not just Trump supporters who lie to themselves. And its not only the rural working class that has unrealistic expectations and finds itself in precarious straits. Technology is displacing the urban professional class, too.Now the soaring Washington housing market has trapped us. We can sell what we have, but we cannot afford to downsize. Weve already tapped what little equity we had.

If home is supposed to be a refuge, ours is a jail cell. We long ago shelved our plans for a new kitchen, or any other upgrades or repairs. Were just trying to make our mortgage payments. And DIY is out of the question. My 85-year-old mother calls Ralph and me the least handy people shes ever met, and its true: we cant even nail a picture on the wall so that it hangs straight.

But as we try to hold onto what weve got, things arent going our way. The bathtub on the third floor the one in that hellish shade of purple is cracked, and unusable. And the second-floor bathroom has a story of its own. The earthquake that damaged the Washington Monument and National Cathedral five years ago also cracked our pipes. Soon the kitchen ceiling just below it was bubbling with moisture. But that wasnt as much trouble as what happened days after we moved in, when the same ceiling crashed in, and the second-floor bath had to be taken down to the joists. It turned out that the previous owners had neglected to put in a shower pan.

My sister-in-law, who specializes in historic preservation, assures us that it takes a long time for a house to fall down, and I hope to God shes right. One night last summer Ralph and I came home from dinner to find a section of the living rooms coffered plaster ceiling in a pile on the floor. Now we live with the exposed laths as if were a historic site trying to show visitors how early twentieth-century houses were built, and we pretend to overlook the bits of plaster dust that sift down every day. If Chicken Little lived in our house, he would be hiding under the table. Our next-door neighbor, a single woman in her seventies, who yelled at our son when he was 4 for hitting a baseball into her yard, and Ralph when he tried to rake her leaves, was dead to us for a long time before she died nearly three years ago. Now her house which was already severely testing my sister-in-laws theory is abandoned, and we have inherited her mice, which skitter across our gold Formica countertops.

In our quest for bigger and better, new and different, we didnt stop to weigh our lifelong values or long-term goals. We were caught up in the relentless need to consume, allowing ourselves to fall prey to the same cultural conditioning that has led Americans to choke down nearly $1 billion in credit card debt without thinking about what we really want: time with our kids to share experiences. We want to afford things that enrich their lives, like music lessons and camp, and prepare them to become grownups. This is just one price of our buy-now, pay-later mentality.

The more serious and persistent problem is the angst thats eating us up.What Ive learned over the past decade is that the unasked questions are the most important, and the consequences of some decisions are too grave to be tossed over for the next shiny object, as alluring as that can be.

The one thing HGTV never shows is that sometimes change for changes sake and giving into ones emotions ends in buyers remorse. But according to some sources, the home shows arent 100 percent real and the Trump presidency is.

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Buying lies: If Hillary Clinton had spent a little more time with HGTV before the election she'd know what America ... - Salon

Dana Aliya Levinson Actress, Composer, Trans Advocate, Graduate of the New School where she studied Global Studies with a focus on the Middle-East. This post is hosted on the Huffington Post's Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and post freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

I come from a highly political family. When I was a kid growing up in the 90s, my parents might as well have had a framed photograph of your husband hanging in our house. We didnt. But my parents love for him ran deep, especially my dad. I remember my one friend whose parents were Republicans told me during the 1996 election that his parents said that Bob Dole was going to win in your husbands battle for reelection. Being eight years old, and having none of my own opinions about politics, just a fear of change as your husband was the only President I ever really knew, I sought reassurance that indeed he would be reelected. My parents told me yes and I went on my merry way.

Over your husbands second term, I began to become politically aware on my own, and I found myself more taken with you than I was with your husband. My mom is a wonderful example of a strong woman, and at a young age, in real time, I saw someone challenge expectations of who she had to be, and also confront the challenges of trying to have a career as well as raise three kids. While I didnt know what being transgender was back then, in retrospect, I see that I was always hungering for strong female role-models. You immediately became one for me.

Many millennials dont remember, you were the feminist icon in politics. Again and again, you were forced to defend your right to pursue your own career while your husband was Governor of Arkansas. You were excoriated by the press for moving your office as First Lady to the West Wing. When you took on Health Care, people shouted how dare she. Never mind the fact that youre ivy league educated, worked on the Watergate trial, that you were the first ever female partner at the Rose Law Firm, and that you reformed education in Arkansas. To many back then, a wifes place was still standing behind her husband, not by his side or God forbid, in front. You knew this, and you didnt care. Even after the health care bill failed, you got right back up and ensured the passage of the CHIP program.

You blazed a path as a woman with power that no other in your position had done. Many millennials also dont remember that the building of the negative-perception of you began in, and was perpetuated by, sexism, misogyny and discomfort with the idea of a woman holding such a place of power during your husbands presidency. However, what I saw in you, as many women did in the 90s, was someone to aspire to be like. As we learned in this last election, nasty women get the job done, and back in the 90s, you were the nastiest. When your husbands second term began to draw to a close, and whispers began to grow that you may run for the Senate, I was particularly excited. I loved seeing this strong powerful woman claim her rightful place as a politician in her own right, and as my own Senator no less.

Around this time, bullying for me was really bad. Other kids noticed my femininity. I had few friends and being called faggot was a daily occurrence. I began to become aware that I was indeed getting crushes on boys in my grade rather than the girls. I didnt know at the time what trans meant, though my gender identity as a woman was becoming quite clear by then as well. I felt extremely unmoored socially. Then 9/11 happened. While that day was a loss of innocence for all Americans, being only twelve years old and being a New Yorker, I felt it particularly acutely. I became terrified in the aftermath as my mom went to work in Manhattan a few days a week during the ongoing anthrax scare. However, one of the primary things that made me feel safe, was you. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, you went to the mat demanding funding for the rebuilding effort. You were down at ground zero. You were personally paying visits to victims families and to those in hospitals. I know because I know some of those you helped personally. It felt like you had New Yorks back. During this loss of innocence, you were one of the anchors helping to make me feel safe.

I remember watching as you kept your nose to the grindstone, did the hard work, built your resume, and learned how to play the game as a woman in a mens space. I remember how in 2004, there were rumors that you were going to throw your hat in the ring for the Democratic nomination. I had hoped you would, but understood that you felt it wasnt the right time. When you threw your hat in the ring in 2008, I immediately signed up to volunteer. After that bruising primary, I licked my wounds and went to work for President Obama, never abandoning hope that one day I would get to call you Madam President. At the time, our international standing was in the gutter. Our economy was crashing. The past eight years had felt like utter chaos. When it was announced that you were President Obamas pick for Secretary of State, I was thrilled. I knew that you would take the strong steady leadership that you exhibited on behalf of the State of New York, and bring that to the State Department. I knew that you would help to restore the respect of our country around the world. I was also an International Relations student at the New School at the time and wrote many a paper on the goings on at the State Department, following your tenure with much joy.

I had come out as gay in high school, all the while knowing that it was not the whole story. It was around this time that I finally started to come to terms with being transgender. This was just barely before Laverne Cox exploded into the national consciousness and trans issues came front and center. After feeling personally attacked by the previous administration, who was openly hostile to my rights and my humanity, watching you go to Geneva, and echoing your Beijing speech, declare that human rights are LGBT rights and LGBT rights are human rights, was one of the most cathartic moments of my entire life. That meant more to me than you can ever know. Also thanks to changes you made at the State Department, I was able to change my name and gender marker on my passport with ease, making my travels in and out of the country free of discomfort and fear of constantly needing to explain to customs agents why my passport doesnt match my presentation. Once again, in a time where I was feeling unmoored, your compassion and dedication to perfecting our union as a country made me feel more secure.

I had hoped that you would make another run for the presidency in 2016, and when you did, I could not have been happier. People also forget that at the time you left the State Department, you had the highest approval rating of any politician in the entire country. People were openly musing that President Obama should replace Biden on the ticket in his reelection bid with you because having you on the ticket would help boost him enough to get him to victory in 2012. The Republicans were terrified of you mounting a bid for the Presidency again. They thought someone so beloved with an above 60% approval rating would be nearly impossible to beat. Then once you announced, they once again revved their propaganda machine into full gear. But this time the target wasnt just to drive hate on the Republican side, it was to foster division within the Democratic camp. I watched with great sadness as much of the thoroughly debunked stuff from the nineties began to have a resurgence on the left among Sanders supporters. I was saddened by the lack of awareness of all you had done for this country, and that much of the image that these young Sanders supporters were buying into was built by the other side.

I cant help but feel like we failed you. You did everything you were supposed to do. You played the long game. You fought for the little guy your entire career. You played by the rules of men and got ahead like no woman in politics before you had. I firmly believe that there would be no Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Tammy Duckworth, Amy Klobuchar etc. if you had not blazed a path for them. People dont remember that when you took the oath of office, there were only thirteen women in the Senate serving beside you, and even fewer as high profile as you were. You deserved to be our nations first female President. And even more than that, you deserved to be President, period. I still believe that you would have not only gone down in history as being the first, but that you would have been one of the greats to hold that office. Your attention to detail, your ability to see nuance, and your ability to synthesize vast amounts of knowledge into public policy would have proven to create one of the most effective administrations in our history. As a woman, seeing the trope of an extremely qualified woman being beaten out by a completely unqualified and uniquely misogynistic man played on a national stage was highly upsetting and highlighted how much work this country still has to do for greater gender equality.

Once again, the country is unmoored. Once again, as a young trans-woman, my place in this country is not secure, and for the first time, I do not have you to look to everyday as an anchor. But I now have that strength myself, in part because you provided an example for me for the past twenty years of my life. The day after the election, I felt unbearable fear. I am pursuing a public career in the arts. I also do LGBT advocacy. All I wanted to do was scrub all references to me being trans off of the internet, move somewhere where no one knew me, and disappear into some kind of safety. But then Id think of you and your resilience in the face of adversity. I had been planning on getting my first tattoo for quite some time but didnt know what to get. After the election I knew. On my arm, I tattooed the words Fear is always with us, but we just dont have time for it. Not now. Those words that you spoke all those decades ago still have such resonance today. One day I hope I can show it to you in person.

While I certainly understand laying low after this election, please know that for me, and I know many others, your voice still matters, your opinion still has weight, and you are still a political icon of immense stature. Your life and career still inspire women all over the globe. Your return to the stage in any form, when your ready, will be a sight for sore eyes. Thank you Hillary for everything you have done for this country and for me. Thank you for blazing a path for those who will come after you. Thank you for showing millions of women around the world that they have power and agency. It still hurts that I will never get to call you Madam President, but you will always hold a special place in my heart.

Original post:
100 Days of Resistance: Day 8 "An Open Letter to Hillary Clinton" - Huffington Post