Naomi Osaka stars in a new Beats by Dre ad aimed to empower Gen-Z talents. The Flex That campaign enlisted rising stars who use their platforms to take a stand against racial inequality, inspire youth, and challenge norms.
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“I’m grateful to be able to use my global platform to speak out against racial injustice. I do believe ‘silence is violence’ and we all have to do our part to help change the world for the better,” she said in a provided statement.
Walking to the court, in the ad, Osaka has the phrase ‘silence is violence’ beaded into her braids. The tennis star has stepped up in 2020 to speak out against social injustices. During her appearance at the U.S. Open which she won, the 23-year-old sported protective face masks that highlighted Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Philando Castile, Elijah McClain, and Trayvon Martin by name. theGrio reported that the superstar relayed being told to keep sports out of politics inspired her to win.
“As I grow more I will learn more things, but at the moment I can only hope I’m using my platform well,” she wrote on Instagram sharing the video.
Osaka also has a Nike collaboration where she debuted her new logo.
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Grammy nominated rapper, songwriter, activist and coincidentally Osaka’s current romantic partner Cordae also leads the campaign.
“It’s embedded within my DNA to speak on what’s right, and what I believe in. Once you have knowledge on the past, it’s easier to understand the present. It’s all a cycle. It’s our responsibility to help break that cycle,” he said in a press release. Cordae’s song “Parable”s is featured in his and her video.
Rising rapper Flo Milli also joined the campaign. 2020 served as her breakout year with the release of her debut mixtape Ho, why is you here? theGrio reported last month both she and Atlanta rapper Big Latto were the first two female artists to be nominated at the same time for the BET Hip Hop Awards best new artist category.
“As a female artist, you gotta come hard however, you gotta make sure people see where you’re coming from. I know my music will inspire the next generation of women,” the Alabama-bred rapper wrote on Instagram.
In her campaign video, Flo Milli stands boldly in front of a Confederate monument, laughing before breaking out in a dance routine to her song “May I.”
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