People are saying all kinds of different things about this month’s cyberattack on Colonial Pipeline’s operations, but one thing is for sure, this attack made every American aware of their extreme dependence on a company they’ve never even heard of. Many things need to be talked about this cyberattack, but the name of the company “Colonial” pipeline became a hot debate across the country.
Of all the things that are wrong with the company and it’s name, the branding of the company and its logo is the most disturbing. It is safe to say that the company didn’t bother to do anything about it’s logo and branding since the days of the Kennedy administration while the world kept moving on and kept spending on their branding and advertisement.
Let’s talk a little bit more about the history of this company and try to scratch the reason behind the boring and outdated logo of the company and why they didn’t care about the branding of their company at all.
Shall we?
Nine oil companies in the year 1961 started a joint venture and created a pipeline. The basic purpose of this pipeline was to deliver fuel from Houston to New York without any hurdle. That was the time when marketing was not the utmost priority for companies that were not in the eyes of the public and silently doing their important work for the citizens. Therefore, the branding and naming of the company were considered irrelevant to the public.
However, there was a small private concern that the name of the company should have some relevance and hint of American gravitas, and they thought that the word “Colonial” will do the trick, and somehow it actually did. Therefore, the original and more bulky name “Suwannee Pipe Line Company” was replaced with “Colonial Pipeline” in 1962, and it’s still the same in 2021.
You might already know that back in the day, terms like “National” and “Federal” were used to express the gravity of any company or institute. So, with that logic, the word “Colonial” did just the trick as two of the states that this pipeline was going to connect are the original of the thirteen colonies. However, at the start of the sixties, “Colonial” started to sound like an outdated term, and no one was quite very happy with the name of the companies that had this word in them. It is the reason that trademark office record shows a decline of usage of the word from 0.027% to 0.007% in logos of companies.
In today’s world, this word sounds straight away bad and geriatric. People have long realized the negative connotations attached to this word, and they start to see through the strategy of the great empires to colonize the weak and oppress them, and they are calling them out in 2021. Therefore, when the cyberattack happened, and the name of the pipeline company started to make headlines, Americans were not really happy with it.
But, let’s just forget about the name of the company for a while for argument’s sake and have a look at the logo of the company. The logo of the company is its initials “CP” within a cross-sectional view of the pipeline. Given the logo trends in the sixties, it is a pretty clean and clever logo. However, if you see it now, you’ll find it strangely odd and outdated. On the contrary, different companies that had direct customer dealing or are directly relevant with the life of consumers made a lot of effort in improving their logos through their branding campaigns like that of Coca-Cola and General Electric.
So, the real question is why “Colonial Pipeline” didn’t bother to invest in the branding of the company and work on its logo or name, for that matter, until it became a controversy? The answer is simple. The company was silently doing its work, and there was no direct relation of the consumer with the company in their everyday life. Therefore, they never really cared about the need for time and changing their name or logo according to modern standards. It is safe to say that if they had to deal directly with their consumers or if they had a direct customer base, they would have changed it for good a long time ago.
If the past few weeks have revealed anything about the company, it’s that it has failed to meet the modern standards, and it’s pretty outdated. Had it been the center of the public eye, they would have worked on its name and logo and took the branding of the company more seriously.
So, if this cyberattack revealed one thing, its that the branding, especially the name and the logo of company holds a significant importance that is quite often overshadowed by window dressings.
Therefore, from now on, let’s not forget that name and the logo of any brand is the biggest representative of nature and ideology that a company represents. Let this crisis be a lesson for all of us, and may we always be able to stand on the right side of history.
This article was penned by Jonathan P. Wright. Jonathan is a freelance writer for multiple mainstream publications and CVO of RADIOPUSHERS. You can read more of his work by clicking here.
In March, President Biden issues a relief package for African American farmers, but three large banking organizations have decided to fight against the package arguing that this initiative, which is helping African American farmers, may cut into profits and hurt investors.
The $4 billion debt relief package is part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package. This relief package was proposed to compensate for the long history of discrimination experienced by African American farmers.
Although, none of the money has reached any minority farmers. In April, the USDA was sued by white farmers who were complaining of reverse discrimination. Now three of the nation’s largest banking groups have joined in on the fight.
The banks are reportedly fighting the package because paying off the debt of these farmers early would cause banks to lose out on future interest payments. The banks have argued that the government should pay beyond the loan amounts to make up for the lost interest payments. The banks also mentioned that banks will likely be more hesitant to expand credit in the future if the loans are paid back sooner through President Joe Biden’s relief package.
The bank groups stated that if the debts are not properly paid of the USDA’s actions could seriously damage the market by creating an unreliable environment with unpredictable pricing. As a result, there would be a notable loss of capital for future lending. Although, the USDA has not shown any indication of reversing the plan. Government officials are reportedly to begin the debt relief procedure in the near future.
This article was penned by Jonathan P. Wright. Jonathan is a freelance writer for multiple mainstream publications and CVO of RADIOPUSHERS. You can read more of his work by clicking here.
Apple crushed wall street projections amid a global pandemic. Wall Street analysts predicted that Apple’s revenues would fall around $77 million, but the tech giant raked in almost $90 billion in revenues from January until March of 2021 ($89.6 billion).
Apple also experienced stellar performance during this same quarter last year, with sales increasing by 54%, with most of the increase occurring before the pandemic hit the United States.
CEO Tim Cook expressed his enthusiasm in an earnings press release saying that the recent quarter reflected the ways apple products have helped its customers during these unprecedented times and also the optimism that customers hold for apple.
This tremendous growth in Apple revenues can be attributed to gains in services, iPhone revenues, and iPad revenues, with services revenues increasing by around 26%, iPhone revenue increasing by 66%, and iPad revenue increasing by 78%.
Despite the large growth in several areas, Apple’s big player turned out to be the iPhone 12, which showed an incredible demand. During the March quarter of 2020, iPhone revenues grew 66% reaching an incredible $48 billion. Apple revenues for the iPhone during the previous quarter were only about $29 billion.
According to Apple, more users upgraded to iPhones this quarter than any other in Apple’s history. This switch can be attributed to the new iPhone 12, which proved to be high in demand.
Apple showed dominance across the board with the top five best-selling smartphones in the U.S all being iPhones during the quarter. Apple also experienced a large demand internationally. The two best-selling smartphones in China were both iPhones, four of the top six best-selling smartphones in Japan were iPhones, the four most popular smartphones in the U.K were iPhones, and the top six most sold smartphones in Australia were all iPhones.
Cook also revealed that Apple faced virtually no material supply chain restraints. Cook credits this factor as one of the reasons for Apple’s success during the March quarter as many other tech companies have struggled to access a sufficient number of chips.
This article was penned by Jonathan P. Wright. Jonathan is a freelance writer for multiple mainstream publications and CVO of RADIOPUSHERS. You can read more of his work by clicking here.
Certain people really inspire my soul and enable me to strive harder for the things I want most out of life. On a cool, brisk Thursday night in Miami, I’m standing on the balcony of my Trésor Ocean View Junior Suite with Lil’ Kim’s “Slippin” track blaring through my SMS Audio wireless speakers. As I transcribe her lyrics in my mind, I gently nod and cosign the truth within the context of her pinpoint delivery. Trust is the most dangerous and valuable commodity in the world. Kimberly Jones has never had a problem speaking the truth and dealing with the aftermath. Before the Grammys, platinum plaques, diva/icon status, Kimberly Denise Jones was expelled from home and running the heartless streets of Brooklyn.
Jones was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the second child of Linwood Jones and Ruby Jones (now Ruby Jones-Mitchell). She has one older brother named Christopher.
As a child, Jones attended Queen of All Saints Elementary School in Brooklyn. At the age of nine, her parents separated, and Jones was raised by her father, with whom she had a tumultuous relationship.
After being kicked out of her house by her dad, Jones dropped out of high school and alternated between crashing with friends and living on the street.
I changed the track selection to “Quiet” from her Naked Truth album. The beat is pulsating throughout my suite, and I can visualize Lil’ Kim staring into the eyes of her judge without blinking. No fear. Straight Brooklyn! In the early stages of her life, Kim would freestyle with ease and fantasize about having her moment.
I change the track selection again to the song “Durty” and Lil’ Kim starts off saying:
Lil’ Kim stay hot pull up with my nigga in the 80-foot yacht man this hatin’ don’t stop
Real recognize real you studio gangstas kill me
I know my vet’s in the game got to feel me
‘Cause from the gate I brrrr-raaa down the door
Like Eddy Murphy, I gave it to you raw
Two-piece bikini, Fendi mink draggin’ on the floor
Kim been the first lady since I dropped Hard Core
A lot of these hoes livin’ vicariously through me
‘Stead a doin’ them, they’d rather do me
Watchin’ them is like a Broadway play
Sittin’ next to the Queen is the closest they’ll ever get to Brooklyn
Why y’all frontin’ you know who the best be?
I’m the reason why the game so sexy
The originator, the trend creator
Bitch, you dun know you haffa respect me
I’m so lit right now from that intro verse! How can you not treasure the words and unapologetic flow of the real Queen Bee? Purely undeniable.
Jones attended Sarah J. Hale Vocational High School for two and a half years. Many of her friends also went there, and she would often skip school to hang out with them.
Since her schoolwork wasn’t being completed, the decision was made to transfer to Brooklyn College Academy to finish her remaining year and a half of school. It was the same school that fellow rappers Nas and Foxy Brown also attended.
While struggling through her personal life, Jones met The Notorious B.I.G. (real name Christopher Wallace), a key figure in both her personal and artistic life, mainly once Wallace had gained popularity and influence relationship with Bad Boy Records.
In 1994, B.I.G. was instrumental in introducing and promoting the Brooklyn-based group Junior M.A.F.I.A., which included Jones, who was only nineteen. The group’s first and only album, Conspiracy, was released on August 29, 1995, and debuted at number eight on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 69,000 copies in its first week of release. Three hit singles came from Conspiracy: “Player’s Anthem” (peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart), “I Need You Tonight” (No. 43 R&B, No. 12 Rap), and “Get Money” (No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 R&B, No. 2 Rap). The R.I.A.A. certified Conspiracy gold on December 6, 1995. “Player’s Anthem” and “Get Money” were certified gold and platinum easily.
In the middle of the wolf pack, Lil’ Kim was still the lone wolf, and the world was now taking notice of her gift. After a year with Junior M.A.F.I.A., Jones began a solo career by making guest performances on R&B albums and recording her debut album, Hard Core, released in November 1996. The album debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, the highest debut for a female rap album at that time, and No. 3 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums, selling 78,000 copies in its first week of release.
Hard Core was certified double platinum by the R.I.A.A. on March 14, 2001, after being certified gold on January 6, 1997, and platinum on June 3, 1997. The album’s lead single, “No Time,” a duet with Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart and was certified gold by the R.I.A.A.
The next single, “Crush on You,” reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the rap chart. A remix of the album’s track “Not Tonight” saw Jones team up with Missy Elliott, Angie Martinez, Da Brat, and Left Eye of T.L.C. The song was part of the soundtrack to the Martin Lawrence movie Nothing to Lose, nominated for a Grammy Award, and certified platinum. Lil’ Kim is the definition of self-made. On June 27, 2000, she released her second album The Notorious K.I.M. The album marked a new image and revamped look for the rapper.
It debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, selling 229,000 copies in its first week. It was certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. four weeks after its release. Kimberly Jones survived the sophomore jinx, and her success continued to exceed all public expectations. In 2001, she teamed up with Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Mýa to remake “Lady Marmalade,” which was initially written about a bordello in New Orleans and performed by the group Labelle (which included diva Patti LaBelle) twenty-five years earlier.
The song was recorded for the Moulin Rouge! film soundtrack, released in April 2001, and stayed No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. The song also went to No. 1 in fifty countries around the world.
This was a significant accomplishment for female rap and Jones, who scored her first No. 1 Hot 100 hit and became the second solo female rapper in history to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. “Lady Marmalade” also garnered Jones her first Grammy Award.
Caliente, blazing, and scorching are just a few adjectives that detail the level of demand and attention Lil’ Kim garnered during the early 2000s. She created an entirely new path for today’s MCs, both female and male, to follow: the freedom of expression in sex and music. Lil’ Kim never allowed anyone or anything to control her visual presentation or audio message to the world. She forced the hand of millions during the Grammys to accept her now-infamous purple pasty, diva/icon Diana Ross issued a physical cosign at that moment on stage.
Givenchy, Versace, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and more have acknowledged the feisty, fearless, and sexy Brooklynite as the Queen of Hip Hop Fashion Culture.
The sheer influence of her persona is as infectious as the melody in the Dr. Dre track “Nuthin But a G Thang.” Lil’ Kim forced mainstream America to realize that black women can be portrayed as sexy, be sexual role models, run an empire, and not be labeled as shameless or a “hoe.”
I change the track selection for the last time to “Last Day.” An emotional, prophetic, and lyrical masterpiece. Legendary epic rhymes read like this:
Besides God, what the fuck should I fear?
The only one could stop me is that chick in the mirror
I built my career on blood, sweat and tears
And I’m still here, gettin’ stronger each year
‘Cause what don’t kill me could only help build me
I guess all that dirt just made me more filthy
If being loyal’s a crime, then I’m so guilty
If you was missin’ a spine you’d still have to feel me
Some came and went but your girl is everlasting
‘Til the day I’m gasping
And niggaz droppin’ tears on my Versace casket
And I’m reunited with Big like, “Nigga, what happened?”
Shit, got drastic, I missed you with a passion
By now they should realize, I’m not the average rap chick
Ain’t nuttin’ they could do now to stop my shine
This is God’s plan, homey, it ain’t mine
When it’s my last day, then it’s my last day
But until that day you can’t take away
How they scream my name, how I pimp this game
Critically acclaimed until my last day
Kimberly Denise Jones is pop and hip-hop royalty in every aspect. The “GHOST” of Notorious B.I.G. she is and will always be. Even during her twelve-month incarceration, her rainbow of influence beamed through the walls of the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, and even the Brooklyn Bridge smiled at one point. Her infamous G status is certified in every borough in N.Y.C. and the streets are always on standby if anyone wants to rumble with the Bee!
I named this article “The Endless Royal Reign of Lil’ Kim” because on June 9, 2014, at 9:58 a.m., she gave birth to Royal Reign, and the dynasty continues. With her legacy and star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame impending, the birth of Royal Reign ensures the next generation will forever know and understand the Naked Truth of Kimberly Denise Jones.
E-Ness says “I’m a battle rapper first”, K. Walker states “I’m not a battle rapper, I’m an artist” in the recent face off with the Battle Academy. Who has the advantage the veteran E-Ness or the new rap battle sensation K. Walker? Some say K. Walker’s relaxed approach may be detremental being as though E-Ness has had his chin tested on a higher level. K. Walker being an active artist was blessed with the ability to do both battle rap and create dope records. Having multiple singles in rotation with fm stations K. Walker see’s battle rap as a recreational sport he just happened to be great at. E-Ness being known for his accomplishments in and out of battle rap, feels his love for battle rap gives him a higher advantage being as though he is still a student of the game.
K. Walker coming off a few wins as E-Ness a lot of fans are considering this the battle for the face of Philadelphia Battle Rap. E-Ness first states he would battle K. Walker for the love of the sport but feels K. Walker should quit if he isn’t ready to be competitive. K. Walker feels he doesn’t need to “WWE” the situation or hype it up more that what it is, saying he isn’t into selling a character. K. Walker discrediting Stizz the host on a few statements and rumors of information that will be revealed during the battle. E-Ness stats he is not worried he is well prepared he has his weaknesses, strengths and strategies down to a science. K. Walker keeps his cool for the most part of the face off but could tell he was easily annoyed by the favoritism that was shown.
E. Ness being the first battle rapper to be paid from Philly says March 28th, he will earn his flowers and respect because Walker doesn’t know the business and lacks the drive to go the extra mile. K. Walker feels as though he has nothing to worry about and he will deliver no matter the circumstance.
“I’m one person” Walker stats firmly as he explains how he does more for others being a genuine person. He is tired of others asking him to change his character to fit the usual narrative and will continue to be himself. Ness continues to mock K. Walker by stating he will die in battle rap March 28th, at 11:22 mmg studios. A one in a life time opportunity to see 2 of the cities top battle rappers face each other for 3 rounds toe to toe. As a fan of both competitors I will be tuned in live to witness rap battle history and I wish both opponents luck.
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