2024 in Review

By Maya Mackey and Veronica Mackey

This was a hell of a year folks! 2024 was equal parts messy, moving, and confusing.  Entirely too much took place to capture it all but, we feel we’ve captured the most notable events this year. So, enjoy your 2024 Rewind!

Music + Entertainment

Let’s start with the most obvious bit – errbody (e v e r y b o d y) and their momma decided this was the year to drop new music.We got so many album drops in 2024 that I’m not sure anyone is going to (or even needs to) put out anything in 2025. Beyonc͕e, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Future’nem, Kasey Musgraves, Shaboozey, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Charlie XCX, Chappel Roan, Tyla, Flo Millie, Latto, Megan thee Stallion, Glorilla, Doechii, Tyler the Creator, Cardi B, Sza and Justin Timberlake (and many others)!  This will all make for a competitive Grammy Awards come February. 

The heaviest hitters of Hip Hop and R&B though were Megan, Beyonce, Kendrick and Sabrina. Megan kicked off the year with a punch at Drake and Nicki Minaj, two opps that dismissed and degraded her after news broke out about Tory Lanez shooting Meg in the foot. On January 26th, HISS, the scathing single from thee Stallion, was released.  She called out Nicki Minaj’s husbands’ sex offender status and said Drake should forever shut his mouth about women since it’s been confirmed, he’s “walking around with the same (BBL) scars”. 

Future and Young Metro doubled down on embarrassing the Canadian by releasing a song, “BBL Drizzy,” releasing the beat for free and inviting random people on the Internet to freestyle to the track – it even has a Merengue version! Whew. This of course brings me to the pop culture story of the year and possibly the decade, Kendrick mollywhopping Drake in an epic year-long battle that started in March, ended in May and then resurfaced this November with the release of GNX and Drake attempting to sue Universal Music Group for “helping” boost Not Like Us to number 1. Universal brushed Drake off as ridiculous, further proving Kendrick to be King. 

Beyonce and Shaboozey took the country music industry by storm, ruffling feathers as they shot up to number one on the Billboard charts, defying the notion that Black people can’t make country music. We started this genre after all, ya know. Need I remind them  who invented the Blues? 

Justin Timberlake made a resurgence after a 6-year hiatus and the album, Everything I Thought It Was, was embraced with high favor by fans. Unfortunately, Timberlake decided to drink and drive this year which resulted in a DUI arrest that gave us one of the funniest quotes of the year, “This is going to ruin the tour.” The tour in fact was not ruined and has amassed over $140 million, and it’s still going through summer of next year. 

Lastly, when it come to tunes, Disney Darling Sabrina Carpenter became a pop diva seemingly overnight. Whilst she has put out several albums prior, this was her breakout year with the song you just could not escape, Espresso. Follow up single Please, Please, Please, gave us a chuckle with the iconic line “I pray you don’t embarrass me mother.  But it was Espresso who took the world by storm with signature lattes crafted after the singer and about a billion soundbites on TikTok using the chorus to flex or show good cheer. 

Speaking of TikTok, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the impending U.S. ban of the app, set to go into effect in mid January. If the ban is successful, well…pray for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. They might lose their ability to function IRL (in real life). 

On the other side of the entertainment world you have the people’s champ, Shannon Sharpe, host of Club Shay Shay. Comedian Katt Williams “opened a portal” as Sharpe’s first guest of the year. Katt Williams.  Admitting he has psychic abilities, Katt correctly predicted that, in his words, “deviants” like Diddy and T.D. Jakes would begin to fall from grace. He also said Steve Harvey was never homeless, and Harvey told the story to amplify how meaningful his success is.  The funny man generally exposed the pettiness that runs rampant in the stand-up comedy arena.   

The hot guest gossip didn’t stop there. Comedian Mo’nique came down to the fireplace and rehashed her grievances with Tyler Perry, Oprah, and Lee Daniels. Sharpe gave a public apology to Megan thee Stallion in person after taking shots at her getting shot, an enormous gesture that shows the path to healing the divide between Black women and men is possible with humility and accountability. Breakout Memphis rapper Glorilla, Meagan Good and Kel “loves orange soda” Mitchell were also top notch interviews. Give Shay Shay his flowers. He’s kept us entertained all year. 

Movies made a splash this year including Wicked, Moana 2 and Inside Out 2. However, one movie in particular made noise for all the wrong reasons. It Ends With Us, an adaptation of the novel by Colleen Hoover was picked apart for its horrific press tour and the allegations against each co-star, Blake Lively and  Justin Baldoni. Blake was called a diva by Justin and a smear campaign against her ran through the late summer but the tables have turned! Lively ordered a lawsuit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment, assault and defaming her character. This will be a story to follow next year as well as the impending allegations against Jay-Z for allegedly raping a 13 year-old girl. Whew. Somebody tell Katt Williams to close the damn portal to hell already.

SPORTS

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series in October, once again proving that L.A. will always reign supreme over New York! Yes, I said it!. And when the Rams win the superbowl again next year, LA Supremacy will reign again. You also may have already forgotten (as did I, no shame) that this was the year of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic games. 

We witnessed the truly inspiring (Rebecca Andrade winning gold for Brazil and the first all Black womens gymnastic podium)  Simone Biles made a resilient comeback after the disastrous Tokyo games in 2021, and Celine Dion made a triumphant return to the stage after battling severe illness. Also notable was the impact (and unfortunately drama) that surrounded the WNBA, namely the rivalry between players Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark can be resolved.  Former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson was defeated by Paul Logan, a man 30 years his junior,  in a boxing match sponsored by Netflix. His wife has forbidden him to enter the ring again.

POLITICS

Where do we even begin?  To say that 2024 was one c-a-r-a-z-y political year would be a major understatement, to say the least.  It was a literal smorgasbord of conflict, hope, hypocrisy, wokeness, violence, progression, regression and regret.

Election  

Vice President Kamala Harris’ fast tracked, meteoric run for the White House captured everyone’s attention.  With sitting President Joe Biden dropping out of the race, and just 107 days leading to the General Election, Harris made a valiant effort to secure the presidency as the first Black and South Asian female.  Kamala is a BRAT afterall, a Gen-Z slang term coined by singer Charli XCX, meaning someone who is confidently rebellious, unapologetically bold, and playfully defiant. While Kama Harris did not win the presidential campaign, she did win the hearts of young people and that’s honestly a step in the right direction for the Democratic party. 

She lost to former President Donald Trump, who won the popular and electoral vote, despite having 34 felony convictions, including rape and election interference, AND promising mass deportation of all undocumented immigrants.  About 45% of Latinos helped get him elected.  Now many are regretting their decisions.  

Before the ink had dried on the ballots, thousands of Trump voters began to realize they made a mistake. They believed Trump would actually improve the economy until he publicly walked back his promise to lower food and gas prices. 

The far right wing of Trumpers have been accused of resorting to below-the-belt tactics to win the election, including purging voter rolls and burning mail-iin ballot boxes Oregon and Washington State..

UK Royal, Kate Middleton went missing or so we thought! Turns out she was battling cancer but the Twitter conspiracists made up all types of stories as to why nobody had seen her in weeks. “She’s getting BBL surgery! She’s divorcing Prince William, and therefore has to lay low until they decide how to move forward!” and perhaps the most sinister of them all was that William had somehow unalived her because he didn’t want more bad press coming out about his affairs. The poor woman was simply fighting for her life.

Biden Pardons Son

All hell broke loose when President Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted on nonviolent gun and drug charges.  Trump called the pardon a “miscarriage of justice,” .despite him  promising to pardon those arrested for participating in political insurrection at the nation’s Capitol in 2021. Chaos and violence ensued over Trump losing the election to Joe Biden, ending in the deaths of 5 people.  Hundreds were injured

Trump Assassination Attempts

President-elect Trump almost got killed this year–not once,but twice.  He was shot during an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania.  Two months later, while playing golf at his own golf course in Florida, another would-be killer tried to end his life.  He pointed a shotgun toward Trump, but was quickly spotted by a Secret Service agent.  Conspiracy theorists believe the first attempt was fake and that what appeared to blood coming from Trump’s ear was actually paint from a paintball gun

New York Mayor Indicted

Mayor Eric Adams was charged with bribery and soliciting foreign funding to finance his campaign.  He has maintained his innocence and will stand trial in April 2025.

 BUSINESS

Store closures

Shoppers said goodbye to their beloved 99 Cents Only stores.  (Moment of silence)…The discount chain went out of business at all 287 locations across 4 states due to rising operating costs..

Big Lots almost experienced a similar fate.  After filing for bankruptcy in September, the discount chain announced on December 27, it would have to liquidate all stores after a deal fell through.  A day later, a deal was reached which will allow Big Lots to keep up to 400 stores open.  A Christmas miracle!  It is not clear which stores will remain open in Southern California.  

Other brick and mortar retailers who have closed stores in 2024 or will close in 2025 include Party City, CVS, Walgreens, Advanced Auto Parts, and Dollar General.  Wendy’s and Red Lobsters have closed some of their restaurants.

Hollywood Park 

While retail giants are closing their doors, Inglewood’s Hollywood Park is open for new business. Shops at Hollywood Park recently opened its 300-acre development to the public.  Nestled next door to Sofi Stadium and the YouTube Theater,  the newly built outdoor area includes retail, dining and entertainment establishments.

Amazon Strike

Thousands of Amazon workers went on strike at 8 facilities across 4 states in the thick of the holiday season.  Still, according to Amazon, strikers consist of slightly less than 1 percent of workers. Amazon also said none of the 7,000 workers represented by the Teamsters union are actual employees, despite them driving Amazon trucks, wearing Amazon vests and delivering Amazon packages. Company officials called the strike illegal.  

Opening of Intuit Dome

Inglewood’s Intuit Dome, home of the NBAs Los Angeles Clippers, officially opened in August with a 2-night sold out concert by Bruno Mars.  Despite facial recognition technology and other high tech systems designed to get visitors into their seats more quickly,  opening night at the billion-dollar-plus venue was marred by a two hour delayed start time due to technical glitches.

HEALTH

Ozempic

The weight loss wonder drug has swept the nation, thanks to endorsements from celebs like Oprah Winfrey, Fat Joe, Kathy Bates, James Corden, Elon Musk, Bella Thorne, Macy Gray and Kandi Burress.  Winfrey denied using Ozempic at first, but later came clean and admitted to taking the shot.  

The hormone-based medication was created for Type 2 diabetics or anyone who is dangerously overweight.  It targets the brain and affects satiety.  The average weight loss is around 5 pounds per month.  However, some users report losing around 15 pounds the first week–which is what gets most people to try it–because you lose water weight before you lose actual fat. 

Bird Flu

Strains of the influenza virus that primarily infects birds, but can also infect humans has resurfaced.  Most often contracted by contact with sick birds, it can also be passed from person to person.  The first confirmed case was found in Maricopa County, Arizona.  Like most other flus, the bird flu may cause fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath.  The disease carries a high mortality rate in humans.

People who work with poultry, waterfowl and dairy cows are most at risk.  As of late December, H5N1 had been confirmed in more than 900 dairy cattle herds in 16 states, including California, Texas, Utah, Michigan, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma. 

IN MEMORIAM

Whilst this year brought the drama of the living, we bid adieu to those who’ve joined the other side. Rest in peace to Liam Payne, my One Direction crush. His last days were drug riddled and rife with depression. They include OJ Simpson, one of the most polarizing figures in modern American history, passed away as well as TV and Film titans, Shannon Doherty aka Brenda from Beverly Hills 90210, Matthew Perry (Chandler from Friends), John Amos and James Earl Jones. Baseball legend Willie Mays, Music Titan Quincy Jones, world renowned poet Nikki Giovanni and most recently, President Jimmy Carter. They will be missed and their legacies cemented in history, for better or worse.