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The year is finally coming to a close, and 2018 is well within our sights. The last 12 months have definitely delivered its fair share of monumental events in sports, music, politics, film and more. Here are just some of our fave noteworthy moments of 2017.
1 Serena Williams Wins Australian Open While Pregnant (January 16, 2017)
Serena Williams is the most dominant athlete on the planet. Any doubts of this claim were silenced when she won her record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam Singles title at the 2017 Australian Open in January 2017… while pregnant. After she beat her sister Venus in the final match, Williams took to Instagram while on vacation and captioned “20 Weeks,” alluding that she was 20 weeks pregnant. A little math reveals that Williams was around 9 weeks pregnant during the Grand Slam competition. Williams has since given birth to a beautiful baby girl Alexis Olympia—she also married Reddit owner Alexis Ohanian.
2 Beyoncé Announces She’s Having Twins (February 1, 2017)
Fans went bananas when Beyonce revealed, via a beautiful IG post, that she and Jay-Z were expecting two new additions to the Carter clan. Many speculated the genders of the twins. Rumi (a girl) and Sir (a boy) Carter were born on June 14, 2017.
3 Atlanta Falcons Blow Huge Lead to New England Patriots During Super Bowl LI (February 5, 2017)
With the Atlanta Falcons up by 25 points and 18 minutes to go in Super Bowl LI, most people assumed the game would end with Matt Ryan, Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the skies celebrating a win. They were wrong. ‘Teflon’ Tom Brady solidified his label as the greatest QB to ever play the game by bringing his team back with a performance of 16 of his 21 pass attempts for 196 yards and a touchdown in the 4th quarter alone. The Pats ended up winning the game in overtime, relegating the Falcons to the wrong end of one of the worst sports losses in history.
4 Get Out Blows Away Box Office Expectations (February 24, 2017)
Folks din’t have high expectations when comedic actor Jordan Peele announced he was directing a horror film about a Black man meeting his white girlfriend’s family. But we were all shocked and amazed by Get Out, which has been lauded for its nuanced depiction of racism in America. From coining phrases like “The Sunken Place” to showcasing modern day slave auctions, “Get Out” got everything right. The film, which had a $ 4million budget, did more than show up in the box office, it showed out, racking up over $252,434,250 worldwide.
5 Moonlight Wins ‘Best Picture’ At the 2017 Oscars (February 26, 2017)
Heading into the 89th Oscars Awards, the title of “Best Picture” was regarded by many as a two-horse race between La La Land and Moonlight. Moonlight was critically acclaimed for many reasons, including its standout performances by Mahershala Ali and Trevante Rhodes, but many saw the film as a huge underdog, particularly since “certain” types of films (read: those without minority leads ) tend to dominate the awards show. When it came time to announce the winner, Warren Beatty’s infamous mis-announcement that declared La La Land “Best Picture”—Moonlight actually won— is a loaded snafu that will go down in movie lore forever.
6 Kendrick Lamar Releases DAMN. (April 14, 2017)
Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. has been considered something of a masterpiece, complete with thought-provoking and entertaining lyricism/subject matter and fluid, layered production that seem to knock the wall mounts out at a moment’s notice. The TDE rapper’s fourth studio album was announced suddenly, with several loose tracks pointing to an upcoming release date of April 7, which is when the album was made available for pre-order. With singles such as “DNA,” “HUMBLE” and “LOYALTY” making waves in the streets as well as the charts, the album ensured that the crown of Hip-Hop still goes through Compton.
7 Rihanna Shuts Down the Met Gala (May 1, 2017)
The exhibition behind the 2017 Met Gala was to celebrate the Costume Institute’s activation of “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,” and red-carpet goers made sure to live out their greatest fashion fantasies. But none could do it like Rihanna. The pop star came fitted in a Rei Kawakubo Comme Des Garçons look from the Fall 2016 collection. Fashion heads expected a lot from the singer’s appearance, and she didn’t disappoint. Her sculptured piece was made up of floral fabrics and bore a resemblance to rose petals. Just another day in the life of Ri-Ri.
8 Kevin Durant Wins NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP (June 13, 2017)
Who would’ve thought that months after being defeated in the 2016 NBA Playoffs that we’d see one of, if not the best, player in the league join one of, if not the best, team in the league? That’s exactly what happened when Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder as a free agent and committed to the Golden State Warriors, teaming up with the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. Often the subject of criticism during the season, the Warriors battled through and ended up in the NBA Finals going up against their primetime foe, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Durant saved the best for last when he averaged 35.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the Finals, with a 55.6 field goal percentage, propelling the Warriors to win the championship and bringing home the Finals MVP award. Now we’ll wait to see if the Dubs can repeat this season, and if KD can stay off the burner accounts.
9 Louis Vuitton Collaborates with Supreme (June 30, 2017)
At the top of 2017, high-end luxury brand Louis Vuitton took a step into the world of streetwear by partnering with street fashion top dog Supreme in a never before seen collaboration. Many were surprised that Supreme would even partner with a brand such as LV, noting that it goes against its street and skateboarding cultural origins. Nonetheless, the collab, which was released at pop-up locations scattered across the globe in cities like Los Angeles, Tokyo and London, produced some of the most sought after pieces in recent history. This was clearly one of the biggest fashion moments of the year.
10 Girls Trip Makes Tiffany Haddish a Star (July 21, 2017)
Girls Trip showed the world what we already know – Black women have the most fun and run the world everywhere. The tales of the “Flossy Posse” made the film the highest-grossing live-action comedy film of 2017. It was also the most successful film in history to be produced, directed, written by and starring Black creatives. Last, the flick introduced the masses to Tiffany Haddish, who won our hearts with her raucous humor and heart-warming realness. We can’t wait to see what comes next in the franchise, and Haddish, in the future. Watch out for those grapefruits and that absinthe, though.
11 Issa Rae Takes Over Television (July 23, 2017)
Insecure lived up to its expectations and more, as we all found ourselves totally invested in the lives of Issa, Lawrence, Molly, and our favorite, Light Skin Chad. The project’s success was just another huge win for show creator and lead Issa Rae, who has become one of the front-runners in Hollywood. From Covergirl ads to her numerous other productions, the creative will have a full plate in 2018. At press time, her production company has been green-lit to lead two new shows on HBO. Him or Her is a half-hour show about the romantic life of a bisexual black man navigating through his unique dating world, and Sweet Life, focuses on a group of teenagers who reside Windsor Hills, a neighborhood referred to as “the Black Beverly Hills.” The new year is already looking bright for Issa Rae.
12 Colin Kaepernick Rocks Politics and Sports (August 12, 2017)
Colin Kaepernick was once considered one of the rising stars in the NFL, as the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback stymied NFL defenses and put the points on the board. But as soon as he took a stand (by kneeling) against the social injustices that people of color face at the hands of law enforcement and those in power, Kaepernick was ostracized by the league. Facing blowback throughout his time of protest, Kaepernick remained grounded in his beliefs, prompting the country to have a conversation it has eluded for such a long time. His actions are primed to have an impact for years to come.
13 The Entertainment World Shows Support for Hurricane Relief Efforts Around the World (August 17, 2017)
September and October 2017 brought ravaging hurricanes season to parts of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and several islands in the Caribbean. Homes, and in some cases, entire neighborhoods and towns, were destroyed. Several prominent figures came together to create benefit aid opportunities to help those affected. Houston Texans football player JJ Watt created a campaign that raised over $37 Million to help people affected by Hurricane Harvey, while famed manager Scooter Braun partnered with Bun B to orchestrate the Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief telethon — which ultimately raised over $55 million. The telethon featured Justin Bieber, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Nicki Minaj and many others. Jennifer Lopez created the One Voice: Somos Live! telethon with her boyfriend Marc Anthony, and their efforts raised $35 million for Puerto Rico.
14 Sexual Misconduct Allegations Rock Hollywood (October 7, 2017)
It all started with powerful Hollywood movie head Harvey Weinstein, who faced accusations of sexual misconduct from more than 66 women. But Weinstein wasn’t the last to be outed for his actions. Kevin Spacey, Matt Lauer, Jeremy Piven, Russell Simmons and more all faced allegations of sexual abuse. The mass outing has created a cultural shift around the blind acceptance of toxic masculinity that has permeated throughout the country.
15 The Rise of Joel Embiid, The NBA’s Next Big Superstar (October 17, 2017)
For years, the Philadelphia 76ers were the laughing stock of the NBA. As the team racked up loss after loss— acquiring the mantra of “tank mode” for putting out rec-league ringers against NBA athletes for a shot at high draft picks—analysts condemned the franchise for living out such a putrid rebuild strategy. Well out of the funk, a phoenix has risen. Joel Embiid has given Sixers fans, hell, basketball fans period, enough reason to “trust the process”. He dominates other big men around the league on a nightly basis (and will tell them about it in a follow-up Instagram post). With Ben Simmons doing things no NBA rookie has ever done before, one of the most respected coaches in the league in Brett Brown, and 2017 number one pick Markelle Fultz in the wings whenever his shoulder heals, we should be prepared to raise that cats in the name of Joel. That is, if the young center can stay healthy.
16 Stranger Things 2 Returns on Netflix, and We All Head to the Upside Down (October 27, 2017)
Stranger Things returned to televisions for a second season on Halloween weekend. This time around, Will made it out of the Upside Down, but it seems as if he didn’t come back alone. We see Mike, Lucas and Dustin try to figure exactly what is going on with their friend, and search for the long-lost Eleven. Season two was just as intense, if not more, than the first, and we can’t wait to see where the show goes next.
17 Designer Virgil Abloh Creates A Sneakerhead Moment (November 9th, 2017)
Known for his clothing line OFF-WHITE, DJ sets around the world, and constant creative projects, Virgil Abloh is much more than the “man of the moment”. The 36-year old Illinois native has gone global, becoming regarded as one of the most in-demand designers in the world. This year Abloh partnered with Nike to create renditions of 10 staple shoe models from the brand’s collection. Sneakerheads couldn’t get enough. ” THE TEN ” shut down stores and servers everywhere when they were released in November.
