62.1 spartan echo

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: [email protected]

08.29.14Vol. 62, Issue 1

TopSTorieSi n S i d e

The U.S. Supreme Court placed a stay on the case of legalizing gay marriage. Photo from https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.123892961037680.27999.123892551037721&type=3

The same-sex marriage ban that has kept many people from being legally married in Virginia has been put on hold once again. During the week of Aug. 11,

the 4th Circuit Court of Ap-peals in Richmond rejected a motion that wanted to delay the implementation of their previous ruling that would remove Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban. The Supreme Court had until

5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20 to intervene and the appeals court ruling was to go into ef-fect on Thursday, Aug. 21 at 8 a.m.Attorney General Mark

Herring requested that the Supreme Court stay enforce-

Gay marriage still off the table for now

By Danielle Kirshment on the ban so they could have more time to make a de-cision. In Jan. Herring said that he

would not support any ban on same-sex marriage because it goes against what the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution says. Gov. Terry McAuliffe re-

leased a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision saying, “I applaud Attorney General Mark Herring for his continued efforts to see this case concluded as quickly as possible, and I hope the Su-preme Court takes immediate action to uphold the 4th Cir-cuit’s decision so that Virginia can finally take this next im-portant step in our history.”

Only 19 states currently have legal same-sex marriages, ten of which allowed it by a court decision or state legisla-ture following the fall of the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013.

“Today’s decision is a tem-porary delay to the inevitable conclusion that Virginians who love each other should have the opportunity to marry regardless of their sexual ori-entation,” said McAuliffe.

While the campus police have been concerned about the students being robbed, faculty and staff are targets as well.

NSU professor robbedDr. Carol Pretlow, who

works in the political science department, was the most recent victim of this local crime, which took place on July 24, 2014.On that sunny afternoon

at the light rail station on Brambleton Avenue, two Af-rican-American males who she thought were previous acquaintances of her’s ap-proached Dr. Pretlow. Unexpectedly, one of the

males made remarks to Dr. Pretlow that she thought were jokes, but turned out to have vicious intent.“What you going to do for

me?” one of the men asked Dr. Pretlow.

Shortly after, she was asked to give up the belongings from her purse, but when she didn’t comply quick enough, the sus-pects became aggressive.“You’re getting things out

too slowly, so I might have to smoke you anyway,” the sus-pect said.Luckily, Dr. Pretlow was not

harmed in the situation, but her purse was stolen. Short-ly after the robbery, both of the suspects were caught and taken into custody. Since they were both under the age of 18, the police were unable to re-lease their names to the public.One main objective of every

community is to make it a safe place to accommodate its visi-

tors and residents; and it’s the same for the NSU campus. Even though it’s nearly im-possible to completely rid the campus and communities of all crime, the best effort would be to extend all efforts to pre-vent it.“Walk with other people. If

you’re alone, stand near the alert system, spread the word, vote and make sure legislators know the problem,” said Dr. Pretlow.These were a few words of

advice from Pretlow in hopes of informing people on better ways to stay safe and possibly prevent the incident she faced from happening to anyone else.

By Richelle Hammiel

Dr. Carol J. Pretlow was robbed on July 24, 2014. Photo from http://www.nsu.edu

Are you tired of traffic? Tunnel traffic and toll woes for commuter students

...Page 3

Spartan prepare for sea-son opener on Augusr 30.

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Wear your green and gold on Friday,

Augusr 29.

208.29.14Spartan News


For the world, May 28, 2014 may have seemed like a tragic day in history, but to aspiring writers and innovators, it was beyond that. Tears may have been shed

and hearts may have been broken, but this day high-lighted both the life and death of a legendary wom-an. Maya Angelou graced us

with her poetry, films, nov-els and many other works that were once sought to be unattainable for African Americans, let alone Afri-can American women. For years, women have

been viewed as the minor-ity whose whole lives are defined by obstacles and stereotypes. One signifi-cant stereotype was en-lightened by the “Cult of Domesticity,” which states that women should stay at home and take care of the family while men should be out working in business and politics. In today’s culture, the

“Cult of Domesticity” is almost non-existent. Women have stepped into the business world side-by-side with men and have become prominent leaders that the next generation will be able to look to for inspiration. Angelou, a woman of

many talents, truly ex-hibited that there are no boundaries limiting how much one can achieve. Along with her notable

accomplishments, Ange-

lou served as a civil rights activist, which many peo-ple of this decade are clue-less about. She fought for freedom and rights that she took full advantage of. To many, Angelou was a

voice for those who’ve al-ways needed a little guid-ance. Through her words, she embodied power and strength that she saw nec-essary to empower people everywhere.In her poem, Still I Rise,

she stated:

You may shoot me with your words,You may cut me with your

eyes,You may kill me with

your hatefulness,But still, like air, I’ll rise.

This stanza exemplifies exactly how far African- Americans have come. Angelou’s message here is that despite the opin-ions of others and the hin-drances that may stand in the way, every individual can become who he or she wants to be. When children say that

they want to be lawyers or doctors when they grow up, oftentimes parents and friends laugh it off with the idea that that will nev-er happen because they’ve failed at that opportunity. However, with the right tools, that child could be-come whatever he or she wants. Confidence is by far the key to success.Entertaining negative in-

dividuals would be simi-lar to reliving slavery times. Many Caucasians told slaves that they would never be smart enough to amount to anything. De-spite all of the negativity, African Americans have overcome the discrimina-tion and, as people, still tend to rise. Maya Ange-lou, the woman behind the words, carries herself with a certain courage that says, “I will be forever strong.” Starring in Tyler Perry’s

film, Madea’s Family Re-union, Angelou was able to shine the spotlight on the concerns that many older people have with to-day’s generation including gambling, fighting and nu-dity. Overall, there’s nothing

wrong with having fun, but that fun should never cause a person to lose his or her morals and values. The brightness of the fu-

ture does rely on the deci-sions of the young people. In this movie, as well as her poem, “Phenomenal Woman,” she stressed what young women and men need to realize. A per-son’s appearance does not make who he or she is; neither does the loudness of his or her voice. Many people look at tele-

vision and magazines and want to embody what they see. Women believe that they have to be slim like the models that rip the runway to be noticed and to be considered beautiful.

Our phenomenal woman: The death of Maya Angelou

By Richelle Hammiel

They also feel like they have to be more revealing in their attire to gain atten-tion. Men feel the same pressure to fit into the molds of what women pre-fer, such as having fit and muscular bodies. In reality, every individ-

ual is beautiful/handsome in his or her own way. This society is too concerned with the need to fit in to the social trends. Triumphant people are

meant to stand out and for

The legendary Dr. Maya Angelou passed away in her home on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. “Her family is extremely grateful that her ascension was not belabored by a loss of acuity or compre-hension. She lived a life as a teacher, activist, artist and human being. She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace,” said Guy B. Johnson in a statement on behalf of her family. Photo from https://www.facebook.com/MayaAngelou/photos/

the right reasons. On the other hand, being outspo-ken isn’t always a great thing. Having a powerful voice

that is capable of present-ing a strong standpoint is ultimately more valu-able. Maya Angelou may not have created the term “phenomenal,” but she’s definitely responsible for showing us what phenom-enal is. Anyone can be phe-nomenal- man or woman.

308.29.14 Spartan News/Lifestyle


This year, there has been an extensive amount of roadwork in the Hampton Roads area that has led to the need for more routes traveling. The purpose of the roadwork

may have originally been to help the people, but it has ul-timately presented more of a hassle for those obligated to take the designated routes.“As for the roadwork, it is not

helping traffic. My solution is to build another road,” said Chester Gay III, a resident of Portsmouth and worker for the Tecnico Corporation, located in Chesapeake.Along with the reconstruction

comes the closing of many ex-its along the interstate, forcing people to abandon their famil-iar ways of travel and take the scenic route, which definitely

Reparation vs. revenueacquires the need for more gas that many people simply can-not afford. The scenic routes include tun-

nels and bridges that also have their downfalls, including tolls and inconvenient hours of op-eration. Gay expressed the impact tun-

nel tolls have on him as well as other people who have to pass through.“The tunnel as far as being

tolled is unfair because I have to use it everyday and it’s sin-gling me out as a working guy, student, and those who live on one side and work on the other. It’s sort of like a ‘hidden tax’ for the working class.”Because of the Midtown Tun-

nel and Downtown Tunnel tolls that recently came into affect Feb.1, drivers aren’t afforded

many reasonable options.Obtaining an E-ZPass is what

most people have been ad-vised to do, but there is a ma-jor loophole in that plan. With an E-ZPass, people have to put money on it and it’s deducted each time they pass through the tunnel. Whenever that amount of money runs out, they’ll have to add more.As well as working class

citizens, college students who have to commute to and from campus through the tunnel are suffering tremendously.Andre Powell Jr., a rising

sophomore of Old Dominion University, faces this problem when he has to attend class.“I don’t like the idea of the tolls

because last year I had morning and night classes and each time you go through the tunnel, it

As a part of the incoming fresh-man class, students are opening a new chapter in their lives. They have graduated from high school and are now beginning a new ca-reer with a clean slate and endless possibilities; however, the key to success is to start the year off with a focused mindset and goals.

"When I came to NSU my first thought was that I could do what-ever I wanted because I'm finally free from my parents and all of their rules, but it only took one se-mester for me to realize that col-lege is not a game," sophomore Adrienne Banks said.

Decisions that students make in their freshman year can have a tremendous impact on their entire college career or even life after graduating. Students should want to develop good habits early on, which means focusing on their classes and grades first and fore-

most. "Many students do things that

they regret in their freshman year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun," junior Silas Langely said.

Freshmen should make sure that they are attending all orien-tations and begin to network as soon as possible. One of the first major occasions in which the entire class comes together is the Freshman Convocation, which was held on freshman move-in day.

"My freshman convocation was fun, a little boring, but I kept getting excited because I was starting a new part of my life. I was a college student, finally," sophomore Ashley Martin said.

In the first few months of the transition, students will meet some of their professors and other students within their major. Many

Freshman Survival 101By Malaun House

By Richelle Hammiel

charges you. So that meant that you either find something to do on campus until the class start-ed, or go home and risk having to pay again.”With this being said, if a stu-

dent was to have both morn-ing and night classes, he or she should may have to pass through the tunnel at least three times a day, giving the tunnel even more of his or her money. With all of the things college

students have to pay for, includ-ing tuition, any other payments are considered extra and defi-nitely a hassle.The South Norfolk Jordan

Bridge (SNJB) is another route drivers may take. It cre-ates a route from Chesapeake to Portsmouth and vice versa. However, this bridge also has tolls. As soon as someone crosses this bridge, the camera flashes, signaling a bill to be sent to his or her home imme-

diately. As for free options to get

around, the Gilmerton Bridge, located on Military Highway in Chesapeake, may be a bet-ter fit. This bridge, however, has certain hours in which an individual can pass, which also inconveniences people.“I have to choose between

the Downtown Tunnel and the Gilmerton Bridge, which is 10 minutes out of the way,” Gay said.As said on cityofchesapeake.

net, “Bridge is closed overnight Sunday-Thursday 8 p.m. - 5 a.m. for continued construction through much of 2014.”With all of these costly op-

tions, it’s nearly impossible not to consider whether or not all of this roadwork is really neces-sary or whether it is a plan de-vised to rack up more revenue formed by the government.

call it being a "teacher's pet," but it is very important to develop a connection with your professors, advisors and colleagues. Those relationships may come in handy later on in the semester or life.

"A professor I had freshman year still writes all of my recom-mendation letters and we are just as close as family." senior Domo-nique Johnson said.

There are many opportuni-ties for freshmen to network and socialize within groups like the Spartan Generals, Sister Circle and The League of Extraordinary Men. Each group promotes lead-ership, participates in community service and provides an opportu-nity for students to bond with one another on campus.

"Sister Circle has been an out-let for me to network and meet women who have had lasting impressions on shaping my ex-

periences as an NSU student and a young woman," senior Brittany Tillman said.

Aside from getting to know the campus, freshmen should also keep in mind that there are many deadlines that need to be met. Be aware of class registration drop dates and the financial aid dates, which can be found in the student handbook.

“When I was a freshman I became familiar with my sur-roundings, my roommates, the

people I shared classes with and my teachers. My freshman year started and ended with a breeze,” alumnus Jerry Tenney said.

There is no specific remedy for having a successful college career; students just have to stay motivated and most importantly, remember why they’re in school in the first place. Many people attend college only to begin the journey, but the task is not getting into college; it is finishing with a degree.

Students moving back on to campus grounds to prepare for a new school year. Photo by Malaun House

408.29.14Spartan Sports


The Spartans are back in full effect. After a disap-pointing 3-9 season, the Spartans are looking to make this season a suc-cessful one. The first order of business is to declare a starting quarterback. Last season, redshirt ju-

nior Tyler Clark, redshirt junior Malik Stokes and redshirt junior Omari-Ali Timmons all saw playing time on a regular basis. Starters were named by game.Despite Clark going into

camp as the number one quarterback, the fight to start remains between him, Timmons and Stokes.Clark, standing at 6-foot-

4, played the most snaps last season completing 58.89% of his passes for 937 yards and seven touch-downs.Timmons played in six

games completing 54.17% of his passes for 291 yards and one touchdown. Stokes, a 6-foot transfer

from Bowling Green, com-pleted 37.89% of his pass-

es for 465 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a third.“I would say it’s a dead

heat between probably three guys right now for the quarterback position,” said quarterbacks coach Greg Gregory.With the emphasis be-

ing made on solidifying a quarterback, freshmen will be able to learn under the tutelage of the new coach and veteran qb's, making it easier to develop quarter-backs for the future.However, a freshman

could be the game changer and that is Terrance Ervin.The 6-3, Chesterfield na-

tive, is no stranger to lead-ing successful programs. He led his high school

team, L.C. Bird, to two straight state champion-ships. “He can run it and he can

throw it,” said head coach Pete Adrian. “It’s hard to win back-to-back state championships in Virgin-ia, so we’re very pleased about that.”

Trail looks forward to a successful final season

By Paige Jefferson

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The Spartans are eager to return to William “Dick” Price Sta-dium and beyond for another hard hitting football season. Pho-to by Mark W. Sutton

Quarterback competition heating up as season approaches

By Paige Jefferson6-foot-7, 265-pound senior

outside linebacker Lynden Trail gives a new meaning to the word leadership. The team captain is approaching his senior year with a ton of confidence and a bright fu-ture. Over the summer, Trail

was named to the preseason HBCU All-America team. He was also named to the Preseason Buchanan Award Watch List as well as being named the 2014 MEAC Pre-season Defensive Player of the Year.

The Florida native carries not only the defense, but also the entire team on his back. He also keeps in mind that his actions must match his words. “I’m actually showing up

everyday and I’m here put-ting in work instead of tak-ing breaks and going home to show my teammates that I work hard and I want ev-eryone else to work hard around me, so I try to push

people by showing them more than just telling them,” said Trail.He even does his own

workouts separate from the team.Trail finished last year with

94 tackles and five forced fumbles, tying for the lead in the entire nation at the Football Championship Subdivision level (FCS).His hard work would ap-

pear to be the makings of his NFL dream coming true. Trail’s philosophy of “be-ing around the ball” and “always wanting the ball” is evidence of just that. When it’s all said and done,

he hopes to be able to say that he has given this pro-gram the best years of his life as he pursues his foot-ball career at the next level.

Senior linebacker Lynden Trail is a two-time All-MEAC first-team pick for Defensive Player of the Year (2014), a Sheridan Broadcast Network (SBN) Black College All-Amer-ican (2013) and the only Spar-tan to make the BOXTOROW preseason HBCU All-America team. Photo from http://nsus-partans.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2276&path=football

508.29.14 Spartan Sports


Two former products of Morgan State University have been named assistant coaches for the Spartan foot-ball team.Donald Hill-Eley, the for-

mer head coach of the Mor-gan State Bears, will serve as the offensive coordinator (OC)/wide receivers coach. Hill-Eley is no stranger to the position as he was the OC at Morgan State before advanc-ing to the head coaching po-sition.With 13 years of coaching

experience, he plans to spark Norfolk State’s football pro-gram and take the offense to the next level.

“The prerequisites of our of-fense are going to be physi-cal, discipline, and explo-sive,” said Hill-Eley. He plans to use receivers

in a mixture of both the pro-style offense and read option.“We have to do what our

guys can do and with any of-fense that you have you’ve got to be able to run the foot-ball so we plan on being ef-fective running and passing, but being able to do what we would want to have an iden-tity for is running the foot-ball,” said Hill-Eley.Greg Gregory, the new

quarterbacks coach, brings over 30 years of experience

It’s August and that means that volleyball season is moving back into full gear.Though there are 12 re-

turning players, the Spar-tans lose two seniors, Coralie Jarema and Goda Jankauskaite. Both put up impressive numbers last season. Jarema finished with 1.92 kills per set, 0.55 blocks and .30 aces, while Jankauskaite finished with 3.10 kills per set and 0.47 blocks.The absence of these two

leaves some roles to be filled on the volleyball team. Head coach Brandon Duvall plans to solve this problem with some talent-ed new recruits.Meghan Peji, a Virginia

native and transfer student from Francis Marion will come in and compete as a

defensive specialist. Peji has experience play-

ing in both the front and back row, which makes her more valuable in the back-court. She is able to take advantage of angles, read-ing blocks and anticipat-ing the moves of the hitter. The two-time Letter Win-ner averaged 3.47 digs per set her sophomore season at Francis Marion. Standing at 5’11”, and

with a strong right arm, Texas native Hope For-sythe will add depth to the front row as an outside and opposite hitter. In high school, Forsythe played and competed for the Texas Tornadoes, a com-petitive AAU travel team. Forsythe led her volleyball team to two District Titles in high school.

Both will join 6’0”, mid-dle blocker/outside hitter, Clarke Tyler, of Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, Virginia, who signed in November.Of the 12 returning play-

ers, four of them are se-niors. There are an addi-tional two returnees that did not play last season.The Spartans will look to

two upperclassmen, both of which come in as statis-tical leaders approaching the new season, as leaders both offensively and de-fensively.Outside hitter junior Jes-

sica Johnson enters this season as one of the top hitters in the MEAC. She placed second last season averaging 2.14 kills per set.Defensively, senior Libe-

to the NSU football program. Gregory came in with much work to do after last season’s use of three different quarter-backs with no true, definite starter declared.“No one has elevated them-

selves to be our starting quar-terback. That is what our whole preseason was about; finding a quarterback…that is the number one priority on offense,” said Gregory.With the season rapidly ap-

proaching, the combined years of experience from both coaches are sure to add a new dimension to the Spar-tan football team.

New recruits to take season to new heights

By Paige Jefferson

Norfolk State football welcomes two new coaches

By Paige Jefferson

The new recruits for the Lady Spartans Volleyball team are ready for war on the court. Photo by Mark W. Sutton

ro Noelle Eagles finished the season with 381 digs and with 3.66 digs per set, where she placed sixth in the MEAC.The new recruiting class

looks to add a new spark to an experienced team.

The Spartans move forward in new directions with the co-leadership of new assistant coaches Donald Hill-Eley (Offen-sive Coordinator/Receivers Coach) on left, and Greg Gregory (Quarterbacks Coach), at right. Photos from http://nsuspar-tans.com/coaches.aspx?roster=115&path=football

608.29.14Spartan Lifestyle


SPARTAN ECHO | Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504 | NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: [email protected]

e d i t o r s

PaigeJeffersonSports Editor

Jason GillEditor-in-Chief

DanielleKirshOnline/Managing Editor

Tykhari ColesMulti-mediaEditor

TrentonFouche’Entertain-ment Editor

MalaunHouseLifestyle Editor

708.29.14 Spartan Lifestyle


Antonio GarlandNews Editor

It’s not too late to get involved with the Echo!

We meet every Tuesday and Thursday in room 344 at 12:30

pm. ALL majors welcome.

Kallie GouldGraphic Design/Layout Edi-tor

Norfolk State University’s New Lyceum Speaker se-ries recognizes the author and Pulitzer Prize Winner Isabel Wilkerson for her elaborate book titled, “The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration.” Students and staff listen as she breaks down her story and shares the different moments she

encountered while writing. “Its actually [the words of

Richard Wright] that gave this book it’s title. The Warmth of Other Suns is a phrase that came from his work. I was very influenced by him,” Wilkerson said. Wilkerson spent 15 years

researching and writing the story of three individu-als involved in the Great

Wilkerson shows the power of the individualBy Malaun House

Migration. Over the course of these years, she learned much about the people that she interviewed, while building relationships that allowed her story to become more personal and relative to her readers. “I interviewed over 1,200

people to narrow it down to these three main people that I focused in on and I came to know them very well. I spent many months and with some of them years...I love them all and felt a connection with them that allows others to have whatever relationship they want with any of [the char-acters],” Wilkerson said. Wilkerson interviewed

thousands of people; how-ever, she chose to only share the lives of three mi-grators. Wilkerson allows the audience to understand that though the novel does teach history, it is not solely about the Great Migration;

it is about the lives of these migrators. “The book is about free-

dom and how far people are willing to go to achieve it,” Wilkerson said. The book also teaches

readers that the Great Mi-gration is the epitome of many things that are es-tablished today, especially music. “There would be no Diana

Ross. Jazz as we know it would not exist if there was no Great Migration...there would be no Michael Jack-son or Jackson 5,” Wilker-son said. Wilkerson speaks on the

power of the individual and how one-by-one, peo-ple join together for a bet-ter opportunity for them-selves. She also speaks about the power of a dream and how people have the desire of freedom so much that they must sacrifice for a new beginning.

A common concern of stu-dents living on campus is whom they will be spending the next few months living with. Will they be organized, messy, loud, courteous or a good listener? Living with a complete stranger can be both a satisfying and stressful experience. Knowing how to deal with any scenario is im-portant when learning to live with a new person. "Being in college was my

first time having to share any-thing with anyone, let alone a room. I was an only child at home, so adjusting to another person and sharing a place as personal as a bedroom was

a task," junior Kristin Baker said. Students that live on campus

often worry about how they will like their new roommate or how the two will interact. "I got lucky because I knew

my roommate from middle school. We both happened to be in Honors College and when we realized that we were both living in Midrise, we made sure that we be-came roommates, and we've been roommates ever since," junior Khadijah Fuller said. There are many instances in

which roommates are paired and do not get along; they fight over sharing the bath-

room, refrigerator and what time the lights go off at night. Many students struggle with learning to adapt to someone so quickly. "Being flexible, keeping an

open stream of communica-tion during issues, keeping an open-mind [and] learning to adapt to different person-alities and varying life ex-periences may be stressful, but it is necessary when es-tablishing a respectful com-mon ground between two [individuals]. Overcoming your first dorm assignment is a maturing step into adult-hood," Kristi Sooknanan, a sophomore at Virginia Tech, recommended. Having a roommate can help

build relationships and bonds

among students that will last far beyond graduation. Often a person's first friend on cam-pus is their roommate be-cause there is an immediate comfort in knowing that the two people share something as private as a room. “One night when there was

nothing to do and nowhere to go, we just sat down and talked. We found out we had a lot more in common than we thought and still to this day, even though we are not roommates anymore, he's still my friend," senior Donte Miller said.So give your roommate a

chance before passing judg-ment. You may find out you’re a lot more alike than you originally thought.

Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson devoted 15 years to the research and writing of The Warmth of Other Suns. Photo by Tykhari Coles

Who are you sleeping with?By Malaun House

808.29.14Spartan Entertainment


Authorities are investigat-ing an alleged assault said to have taken place over a year ago involving hip-hop star A$AP Rocky. The rapper is accused of

assaulting a fan during a show in Philadelphia. Lisa-marie Wade, the alleged vic-tim, has filed a suit against the star and the organiz-ers in charge of the event. In a statement released by Wade’s camp, an explana-tion was given of the events

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced that it will debut an exhibit ex-clusively dedicated to Be-yonce’s clothing. The announcement comes

as a surprise to many as ex-hibits are usually reserved for artists who have been in-ducted into the Hall of Fame based on their musical con-tributions. Although the songstress

has had a longstanding ca-reer, both as a member of the group Destiny’s Child and as a solo artist, she is not eligible for induction until 2022. Many see the exhibit as an attempt to help bridge the gap between legendary and contemporary artists.“We felt that Beyoncé re-

ally needed to take her right-ful place alongside Aretha Franklin and the Supremes and Janis Joplin,” said Mer-edith Rutledge-Borger, the museum’s curator. “Rock and roll has an intergenera-tional appeal and we want to

Common is no stranger to the spotlight. After establishing himself as one of the most lyrically gifted rappers of the 90s, he has continued to tread forward. Now, with the release of his latest offer-ing, “Nobody’s Smiling”, he seems destined to con-tinue his legacy.The album has been

praised for its personal perspective, giving fans a glimpse into what he has endured growing up in his hometown of Chicago. In the album’s first single, “Kingdom”, he speaks on many of the dilemmas facing the youth in the in-ner-city. “My money ain’t straight,

my fam ain’t straight. Ain’t wanna push keys, heaven couldn’t wait,” he raps. “I was hurtin’, couldn’t get no work. You created me from dust, that’s why I did dirt. You said that the last shall be first now I’m in a hearse, what’s this cash really worth?” A$AP Rocky accused of

assaulting fan during concert

By Trenton Fouche’

Beyonce’s clothing gets an exhibit at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

By Trenton Fouche’

Outfits from Beyonce's 2003 "Dangerously in Love," 2012 "Met Gala" and 2011 "Run the World (Girls)" are shown in a new exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The Rock Hall announced Friday, July 18, 2014, that outfits from Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance and music videos will debut Tuesday in the Ahmet Ertegun Main Exhibit Hall in its Legends of Rock section next to iconic pieces from Michael Jackson, Da-vid Bowie and Bruce Springsteen. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)make sure we’re hitting all the right notes and keeping up with what’s happening today and what’s legendary today.”A staff member from Be-

yonce’s camp released a statement on how important the exhibit is to the singer.“For an artist to be able to

have a presence where all of her idols and mentors live, it is a big deal.”Some of the outfits that will

be displayed in the exhibit include her attire from the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show as well as her clothing from the “Single Ladies” music video.

Common’s “Nobody’s Smiling” gets positive reviews

Staying true to his social-ly conscious roots, Com-mon doesn’t shy away from what has made him one of the most unique artists in his genre. Al-though the album is a reflection of his own in-ner-thoughts, Common utilizes some guest ap-pearances as well. In the single “Blak Ma-

jik,” Jhené Aiko lends her vocals on the chorus. Fellow G.O.O.D. Music affiliate Big Sean also makes an appearance on the track titled “Dia-monds.”In an interview with

MTV, Common spoke on the inspiration behind the album. “I was just listen-ing to a lot of Biggie, I can see why people can say he was the greatest. I was learning a lot from listening to him.”Although this is Com-

mon’s tenth studio album, he sounds just as focused as he was earlier in his ca-reer. “Nobody’s Smiling” is now available in stores and on iTunes.

Common’s tenth studio album, “Nobody’s Smiling”, gets criti-cal acclaim. Photo from: https://www.facebook.com/thinkcom-mon/photos/

By Trenton Fouche’that allegedly transpired.“[A$AP Rocky] stopped in

front of Ms. Wade, turned around, drew back his arm, and struck Ms. Wade force-fully with an open hand on the left side of her face. [A$AP Rocky] struck Ms. Wade with such force that she was knocked to the ground and became momen-tarily disoriented,” the suit stated.Lisamarie Wade had at-

tempted to press criminal

charges last year, but faced difficulties because she was unable to provide an address for the rapper. A document filed by her attorney states that she has had difficulties “enjoying society with her minor child as a young, sin-gle mother.” According to a source at

TMZ, Wade is believed to be seeking close to $75,000 in compensation.A$AP Rocky has yet to re-

spond to the allegations.

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