If you’re a lover of literature and cocktails, you’re not going to want to miss this unique Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy. Coming to NYC for a limited time, the interactive show and cocktail experience will retell four of Poe’s most infamous works of literature in a captivating, spine-chilling manner. The experience will only be at J Loft in Brooklyn from September 21st to September 23rd, so be sure to grab tickets here before it vanishes!

Reserve your seats today for a hauntingly good time!

Signature cocktails, such as the “Pale Blue Eye” and “Edgar’s Twisted Brandy Milk Punch” will accompany each tale.

Edgar Allan Poe historians will bring Poe’s Gothic horror works to life through captivating retellings of The Raven, Masque of Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat — complete with libations, of course. Throughout the evening, a skilled mixologist will shake up four signature cocktails to pair with each tale, such as “The Raventini,” making sure that each drink is as deliciously decadent as the next.

The shows will be held at J Loft on 1055 East 45th Street in Brooklyn from September 21st to September 23rd, making it the perfect event to kick off spooky season. With 16-foot-tall ceilings and 5,000 square feet of event space, the venue provides the perfect backdrop for this pop-up Poe speakeasy. 

Let Poe historians guide you through four of Edgar Allan Poe’s iconic works at this sinister speakeasy. Save your spot here!

Attendees will enjoy four complimentary cocktails during the engaging 90-minute show. Ticket prices begin at $55 and are limited to guests age 21 and over.

Event details

Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy NYC

September 21-23, 2023

J Loft (1055 E 45th St, Brooklyn, NY 11203)

$55.00

Tickets

The post ​​This Pop-Up Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy Is Making Its Way To A Spacious Venue In NYC appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

The past 50 years have had their share of valley lows regarding hip-hop culture. As we celebrate, let’s also reflect on how and if we’ve grown. It’s fo’ sho’ needed, but are we moving in that direction? Is there a proverbial adult in the room? If someone had injected thought, hindsight, and vision into that volatile cocktail of ego, greed, wealth, and ignorance, maybe, just maybe, some of the biggest travesties for some of the biggest artists in hip-hop could have been averted. 

Fans still lament the senseless deaths of Scott La Rock, Freaky Tah, Jam Master Jay, Pac, Big, Nipsy, XXXTentacion, and Pop Smoke amongst an ever-expanding list whose passings are met with a huge question mark—mainly, what would they have gone on to do and how would artistry have been altered had they were still with us? 

Imagine what the night of August 11 at Yankee Stadium could have been. What if that date had been the second part of a bicoastal two-night affair that, with Dodger Stadium being the other host, saw a VS-type battle between the Deathrow Records crew and Bad Boy Records? Team Pac vs. Team Big, pitting music and swag against each other? How crazy would that have been? Topping of the night would be headliners D and Run, with Jay manning his spot behind the wheels of steel. 

The unfortunate fact is that the streets have no heart, and the beat goes on. Just a thought…now back on brand. 

This weekend—Friday, July 28 through Sunday, July 30—marks the inaugural presentation of the Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC). The lofty long-term goal of the three-day music festival, taking place on Randalls Island, is to become the premiere celebration of Black music and Black culture. It will be hosted in year one by hip-hop legend MC Lyte, celebrating the heritage and vibrant cultural mosaic of Harlem. The star-studded line-up will showcase live performances by musicians, artists, and performers hailing from the iconic neighborhood and beyond.

Thus far, the projected lineup is:

Day 1: Friday, July 28

Bell Biv DeVoe

Cam’ron

Doug E. Fresh

Ferg

MA$E

Estelle Presents “The LinkUp” featuring Patra, Lumidee, Max Glazer, Mr. Killa, Nadine Sutherland, Nina Sky, Rupee, Serani, Wayne Wonder

Day 2: Saturday, July 29

Jozzy

Major

Muni Long

Teyana Taylor

Tink 

Day 3: Sunday, July 30

Adam Blackstone

Coco Jones

Eric Bellinger

Fat Joe

Remy Ma

Ro James

Wyclef Jean

In addition to the music, the festival will include a curated food experience featuring the taste of Harlem and other cultural delights, and the Mart 125 experience, featuring local Harlem-owned businesses. On paper, it looks like we may have something else to bring to the world of Harlem. Team support is of the essence, however, so cop your tickets at Ticketmaster.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

The post Celebrating the Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC) appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

The long wait is over, as undefeated unified WBC, WBA, and IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence will take on undefeated WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be broadcast on Showtime PPV. Spence and Crawford have been on a collision course since Crawford moved up to 147 lbs in June 2018.

Spence, who has been the IBF welterweight champion since May 2017, said he would face Crawford when he captured the WBC and WBA titles, which he did by defeating Shawn Porter in September 2019 and Yordenis Ugás in April 2022..

Now, boxing fans have the most compelling fight in quite some time. The fight is a tossup; either boxer could emerge victorious. What would be unexpected, however, is an early knockout. The fight is likely to be as entertaining as the first Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury clash in December 2018 or the Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin bout last September. Both had boxing fans and media alike debating who won, with Wilder and Fury ending in a draw and Alvarez defeating Golovkin by a 12-round decision.

On Tuesday, Japanese pugilist Naoya Inoue handed Stephen Fulton the first loss of his career, capturing the WBC and WBO junior featherweight world titles. Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs) floored Funton (21-1, 8 KOs) in the eighth round, and finished the fight in front of his home crowd in Japan. What’s next for the man nicknamed ‘The Monster?’ We will have to wait and see, but if there were any doubts about his abilities, he answered them resoundingly.
   
There was controversy this past Saturday in Shawnee, Oklahoma, as former unified lightweight world champion George Kambosos Jr. avoided a three-fight losing streak by edging Maxi Hughes in a majority decision. Many boxing pundits and fans believed Hughes (26-6-2, 5 KOs) won and were dumbfounded by a 117-111 scorecard in favor of Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs). The other cards read 115-113 and 114-114.

“We won the fight by many rounds,” said Kambosos Jr.. “That’s no discredit to Maxi Hughes. He had a couple good rounds. But a couple good rounds don’t win you the fight. We won a majority of the rounds.

“That’s the reason we chose him,” the Australia native continued.  “He was a hard test. A lot of guys coming off losses wouldn’t want to take a test like him. This was a hard challenge.”

Hughes expressed his deep disappointment in the outcome. “I’m absolutely devastated,” he acknowledged. “Nobody thought I was supposed to be in George’s league. Tonight, I came and I showed that I should have had my hand raised.”

Hughes then pointed out why he thought he was victorious.

“I used my footwork,” he said. “I made him miss and pay. I landed the cleaner shots. I don’t want to sound like a sore loser, and I will watch it and assess it, but everyone here now knows who Maxi Hughes is.”

The post Errol Spence and Terence Crawford set for long awaited battle appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

The New York Liberty survived a valiant effort from the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night, defeating them 86-82 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The victory improved the Liberty to 17-5, keeping them tied with the Connecticut Sun for the WNBA’s second overall seed.

The Liberty and Sun, which lead the Eastern Conference, trail the No. 1 seed Las Vegas Aces of the Western Conference. The Aces have won six in a row and are 22-2 following their 107-95 win against the Chicago Sky on Tuesday. The 18-6 Sun took down the Dallas Wings on Tuesday 88-83.

The Liberty are 3-0 versus the Storm this season after guard Sabrina Ionescu had a dominant triple double of 12 points,12 rebounds, and 12 assists to lead New York back from an 18-point second-half deficit. They were behind 55-37 with 5:55 left in the third quarter. Afterwards, Ionescu noted she doesn’t have to put up high scoring numbers to help her team.  

“Just continuing to find my teammates. You know, the ball is not always going to go in but there are so many ways to impact the game,” said the All-Star on an evening which she shot just 2-14. “We have so many pieces that contributed [and were] huge tonight.

The Storm’s Jewell Loyd put her stamp on the game early, shooting a scorching 5-8 from 3-point  range on her way to 22 first half points, finishing with a game-high 32. Forward Breanna Stewart, one of the top candidates for the league MVP this season, and the Liberty’s leading scorer at 22.7 points per game, like Ionescu struggled in the first half against Seattle’s perimeter defense. The Storm had added size with the return to the lineup of forward Gabby Williams from an injury.

Stewart led six Liberty players that scored in double figures, including all five starters. She had 22 points while forward Betnijah Laney added 19. Storm center Ezi Magbegor proved to be a handful for the Liberty, contributing 22 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocked shots.

On July 19, the Liberty featured Camp Day in a 98-88 matinee win over the Dallas Wings. The arena was filled with cheering children in colorful camp tee-shirts.

“A lot of them don’t care what the score is but they watch how you react to losing, to winning, and that’s really important,” said Ionescu. “ If we can leave a good impression on one kid we’ve done our job.”

The Liberty will host the Atlanta Dream at home tonight and face the Minnesota Lynx at the Barclays tomorrow before two games against the Sparks in Los Angeles on Sunday and next Tuesday. 

The post The persistent Liberty battle to maintain the second overall seed appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here