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Common Salutes Ice Cube, Nina Simone At 2nd Annual Toast To The Arts

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The multi-award winning MC, Common, hosted his 2nd Annual Toast To The Arts on Friday, February 26, which was one of the inaugural parties to kick off the Oscars Weekend. Taking place at Ysabel, an elegant restaurant in West Hollywood, California, Common was honoring actor Idris Elba, hip-hop legend Ice Cube, the cast of Straight Outta Compton and Okayplayer’s new CEO, Jayson Jackson, who produced the documentary What Happened Miss Simone?

During Common’s spirited, yet pragmatic champagne toast, the theme he attempted to drive home was to appreciate the artists while they are still here with us. Recalling a touching remark from Malcolm X’s second daughter, Ambassador Quibilah Shabazz, she said during the documentary’s Q&A section, “I wish Nina Simone was here to see this. I wish she knew how much people loved her, how much people knew of her music and cared for her because it would’ve changed her life. It might have changed her perspective.”

The #OscarsSoWhite controversy ignited the Internet for the second time in a row, after no actors of color were nominated for an award. We all are wondering if the 2017 Oscar Awards will reflect the changing times? Will more films be written, directed and produced by people of color, starring actors and actresses of color and get the proper recognition that they deserve?

Throughout the night, we spoke with Kierna Mayo, the editor-in-chief, VP of Digital Content for Ebony Magazine about the changes in Hollywood diversity. “Basically, you’re looking at a new generation of black resistance, where a level of unapologetic blackness is taking center stage and people are no longer apologizing for the fact that we’ve noticed that you’ve excluded us. Black people are at the narrative center of the stories that change the world and no form of media can continuously ignore us.”

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Jayson Jackson, the producer behind the stellar documentary, What Happened Miss Simone? says, “I hope more people realize that stories about black people are just like stories about Irish people or Italian people or regular white people. That’s all I can hope for.” The Oscars and its reputation for deeming certain films as “other than the status quo” is starting to show itself as an improper measure of the hard work that directors, actors, producers and visionaries of color deserve.

With Chris Rock serving as the event’s host for the night, we’re not sure if the Academy knew what they were thinking. Rock’s appearance will be an honest and controversial chat with America and hopefully he won’t let the night slip by without acknowledging the lack of diversity. According to Kierna Mayo, she believes that Chris Rock will have his own version of a “Kendrick Lamar” moment. To us, she claimed excitedly, “I’m expecting that there is going to be a moment where everyone will be like, ‘Oh no, he didn’t!”

We here at Okayplayer along with those who are still planning on watching the festivities tonight hope that he does too.