Page 30 - aruba-today-20190119

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 19 January 2019
Celebs, athletes give 'Dragon Ball' pop culture super status

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. It's a big deal."
LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Drag- Its crossover appeal was
on Ball" may be a Japa- evident during the Macy's
nese-born anime, but the Thanksgiving parade ,
series has become a ma- when a 56-foot-tall, 70-foot-
jor pop culture influencer long Goku balloon floated
for years. Rappers sprinkle above Manhattan, making
references in their rhymes, the front page of The New
athletes channel the char- York Times.
acter's super powers when Many have followed "Drag-
making big plays and the on Ball" since they were
franchise's star even made kids, and the more famous
a towering appearance at fans incorporated it into
November's Macy's Thanks- their work, too.
giving Day Parade. Chris Brown posted an im-
That influence stateside is age on social media of a
likely to grow Wednesday Dragon Ball tattooed on
with the theatrical release his leg and Goku's face
of "Dragon Ball Super: Broly painted on a red Lambo-
," the 20th film in the "Drag- rghini. Chance the Rapper
on Ball" franchise that spans has mentioned the anime
video games, six animated in two songs. Before a wres-
spinoffs and more than 500 tling match, Ronda Rousey
television episodes. It all In this Nov. 22, 2018 file photo, a balloon depicting Goku, from the "Dragon Ball" manga series, wore a shirt with her favor-
makes its way down Sixth Avenue during the 92nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in
started in 1984 when Akira New York. ite character and "cartoon
Toriyama created the best- Associated Press crush" Vegeta, the prince
selling comic book series, of the Saiyans who is an ally
known as a manga in Ja- Markkanen and Golden globe to find seven orbs, SPIKEY hair blonde. of Goku.
pan. State Warriors player Jor- known as Dragon Balls. He "'Dragon Ball' really made The Super Saiyan form is
"'I've been a fan for so long, dan Bell are also fans of the and other human-looking an imprint on the world, popular in the hip-hop
and I know a lot of others anime who have worn cus- aliens, known as Saiyans, particularly in entertain- community. Los Angeles
are too. It's like a cult fol- tom Dragon Ball-themed occasionally transform into ment," Fox said. "You hear Lakers guard Lonzo Ball
lowing," said De'Aaron Fox, shoes in games. Super Saiyans with enor- so many references in along with Big Sean, Lil
the 21-year-old Sacramen- The franchise stars Goku, mous power that unleash- songs, mostly from hip-hop Uzi Vert, The Weeknd and
to Kings guard who owns an alien who lands on Earth es a glowing aura and and rap. Athletes are com- Childish Gambino has
a pair of Dragon Ball Z- as a child and trains in mar- random arcs of electricity ing out as fans as well. Like rapped about achieving
themed basketball shoes . tial arts through his adult- around them. The transfor- People are saying they Super Saiyan status in their
Chicago Bulls forward Lauri hood, venturing across the mation turns their black want to become like Goku. songs.q
Maggie Rogers, excitingly,

delivers on early promise

tingly aided Rogers' devel-
opment but she has chart-
ed her own course and the
singer-songwriter emerges
this month with her eagerly
anticipated — and aston-
ishingly good — debut full-
length album, "Heard It in a
Past Life."
Over 12 tracks, Rogers ex-
plores the curiously fertile
melding of folk and dance,
with her distinctive and
warm voice floating amid
harmonies or a relentless,
industrial beat.
This cover image released by Capitol Records shows "Heard It In Rogers gained attention in
A Past Life," by Maggie Rogers. 2016 when Williams helped
Associated Press critique students in her New
York University music mas-
By MARK KENNEDY eo clip wasn't quite finished ter class. In a video of that
Maggie Rogers, "Heard It but the promise — the session , Pharrell's stunned
in a Past Life" (Capitol Re- sheer talent on offer — was response to the innovative
cords) starkly apparent. No less beauty of Rogers' "Alaska"
The moment most people a respected musical influ- is as pleasurable as listen-
first heard Maggie Rogers encer than Pharrell Williams ing to Rogers' low-key, mat-
was likely memorable. The apparently agreed. ter-of-fact confident musi-
song she sang in a viral vid- Williams may have unwit- cal vision.q