Image via Ava Majury/YouTube

Ava Majury first downloaded the TikTok app when she was only thirteen years old. There was no way to predict that she would one day become one of the platform’s breakout stars, nor was there any way for her to know that, just two years later, father would shoot and kill the 18-year-old stalker that had become obsessed with her on the lawn of their Naples, Florida, home according to the New York Times.

Majury, who is now 15, downloaded TikTok only two years ago in the beginning days of the pandemic. Her content was a fairly typical blend for the site. A mixture of dancing, lip-synching, and the requisite challenges that regularly arise throughout the apps shared videos soon amassed the teenager slightly over one million followers and amassed 57.5 million collective likes spread out amongst her posts. As is the case with many of the platforms’ young stars, Majury soon began to field endorsement offers from a variety of brands seeking to leverage her popularity. Unfortunately, she was also developing a more sinister type of attention from one user.

Majury had certainly received unwanted attention from other users before, accepting as part of the price she exchanged for her influence and success on TikTok. In 2020 however, she noticed that one of her “fans” who went by the user handle EricJustin111 was becoming unusually persistent, attempting to message and contact her across several different social media channels. She had initially engaged with the user, whose real name was Eric Rohan Justin, just as she had many other fans.

Majury noticed that Justin had purchased images of her from friends in her native New Jersey and that she had recently made upon her family’s move to Naples, Florida. She obtained permission from her parents to sell images of herself from her Snapchat account to Justin personally. “I wasn’t sending anything of my body,” she told The New York Times. “It was just pictures of my face, which is what I assume that he was paying for. My whole thing is my pretty smile — that’s my content.”

Justin then added her on Venmo and began pleading for more intimate content, after which Majury blocked him, believing that would be the end of it. Justin persisted in attempting to contact her, sending her a series of disturbing and threatening messages to the teenager even after her father, a 51-year-old retired police officer, personally contacted Justin telling him to desist. Justin then sent another series of messages describing his plans to assault Majury to one of her classmates.

On July 10, 2020, 18-year-old Justin arrived at the Majury home carrying a shotgun which he used to shoot open the front door. Majury’s father chased Justin away, after which he retrieved a handgun and waited in the doorway, awaiting the arrival of police. Justin returned before the police, still carrying the weapon, and Mr. Majury warned him that he would shoot if Justin did not put the shotgun down. When Justin pointed the weapon, Majury opened fire, shooting and killing him. The elder Majury was not charged with any crime as it was determined he had acted under Florida’s current “Stand Your Ground” law.

Despite the tragedy, Ava Majury has not abandoned her social media presence. According to the New York Times, the teenager has reflected upon the situation and decided that the benefits are worth it for her. At night, she stated, “I’d think, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore.’” But by morning, “I thought of all the benefits.” According to Majury, those benefits aren’t necessarily what some people might think. “It’s the experience. I got to go to L.A., the people that I met,” she told the Times. “Just being able to make other people smile is what I like, the enjoyment of seeing the impact I made on some people’s lives.”

As for her parents, they are fully supporting her decision. “Her creations, her contacts, her videos became such a big part of her that to take it away would have been hard,” Mr. Majury told The New York Times. Ava’s mother added that “we chose what’s best for our family. We know there are going to be two sides, and some people won’t understand.” In the end, she said, “Why should we allow them to stop her? Maybe she’s meant to bring awareness to all this.”

Photo via itsreefa/TikTok

A new sound is going viral on TikTok, creating works of art out of the simplest of deeds.

The “Picasso” TikTok sound has been all the rage on the platform of late, soundtracking hundreds of videos in the last few weeks alone. The simplicity of the sound is a big draw behind it, as people find ways to make it apply to pretty much every situation imaginable.

What is the Picasso sound?

Most everyone on TikTok has likely stumbled across at least one video asking “what’s this” before proclaiming, “Okay, I like it. Picasso.” The nature of these videos varies widely, however, as people find pretty much any excuse imaginable to use to the audio.

The sound originates from a mid-January video, in which TikToker @itsreefa happens upon an art project being constructed in the street. As he wanders past a pair of people covering a car in tin foil, he wonders aloud after what they’re working on. Their answer prompts his now-viral Picasso comparison. The original video has 37.2 million views and counting, along with millions of likes and comments.

As noted above, videos utilizing the Picasso sound alter significantly in tone. They are almost exclusively comedic, but the way the sound is being utilized is never the same twice.

There’s really no way to pin the Picasso trend down. It’s all over the place, but each new entry leans into the clear compliment that is delivered each time @itsreefa labels something “Picasso.”

A few of the uploads taking part in the Picasso trend actually lean into the art aspect of it all, detailing as creators delve into projects and showcase their final products.

Clever or weird workarounds to unexpected issues also feature prominently among the Picasso trend’s offerings.

As do fitness tips and tricks.

The man behind the viral sound, @itsreefa, is capitalizing on the unexpected popularity of his audio. He’s already launched a line of Picasso merchandise, which consists of t-shirts, stickers, water bottles, and tanks featuring the creator’s unique design. The majority of the products cost less than $30, so if you can’t get enough of the Picasso trend, you can rep it IRL.

A catchy new tune is going viral on TikTok.

Users are bopping to “Cmonnn” by 5Star ft Lay Bankz, a fresh track on the rise on the video sharing platform. Like so many audio uploads before it, it’s inspiring trends and providing the soundtrack for new dances.

On the TikTok page for the audio clip, the track is simply called “The Twin” by 5Star x Laybankz. The page is populated by hundreds of videos from a broad swathe of creators, many of whom are simply enjoying the song’s snappy tune.

In the vast majority of videos using the audio feature, creators attempt their own take on a simple, but entertaining, dance inspired by the track’s catchy beat. The resulting dance leans heavily on hip waggling, paired with some straightforward — but visually appealing — hand motions.

Not everyone is enjoying the track in the same way, of course. Even those specifically using the audio to dance have deviations in their final products, resulting in a wide array of versions of the same general movements.

The song’s strong tempo and vibrant beat allow for pretty much any version of dancing to look good. Even if all you do is swing your hips a bit.

Or focus the camera on your posterior and shake it for all you’re worth.

There are so many deviations using the “Come On, Hit It One Time” audio that it’s hard to pin down where, exactly, the trend started. Even early uploads using the audio typically feature a different take on the same general dance, as creators sway and pop their hips to 5Star and Lay Bankz’ upbeat tune.

The audio is currently sitting pretty with 155,900 views and rising. It’s been used in too many videos to count, with new uploads hitting the platform on a regular basis.

Honestly, if there’s a single thing that connects all these videos, it’s that every single person using the audio looks like they’re having an absolute blast. Whether they’re dancing their hearts out or literally standing in place, no single upload looks to be anything but a delightful time.

Even if you have absolutely no interest in using the TikTok audio for your next upload, the appeal behind “Cmonnn” is undeniable. It’s a bop, plain and simple, and its no wonder it quickly became popular enough to take over TikTok — for now at least. It’ll likely be replaced by TikTok’s next catchy number before the week is out.

As the heart-stopping conclusion to the epic Jurassic Park saga draws closer, the first official trailer for Jurassic World Dominion has been released, giving us several reasons to be invested.

The dramatic chapter is confirmed to take place four years after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, in which the human species must attempt to balance the existence of freely-roaming dinosaurs after they were released into the wild. Moreover, humans now coexist and adapt to the dangerous, scaly creatures and their unique way of life.

In the trailer, the newest installment to the decorated franchise includes several tributes to the original string of films, including Dr. Grant’s infamous sunglasses, and the nod to original director Stephen Spielberg’s unforgettable use of special effects and imperative CGI. The trailer outlines the aftermath of the dinosaurs’ roaming free on Earth — including fan-favorites Blue and Rexy. The closing seconds of the trailer provide the biggest homage of all, as the memorable “don’t move” scenario is recreated.

Jurassic World Dominion features an ensemble cast, including returning stars of the franchise Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, respectively. Joining the film’s two main stars are the iconic trio of the original Jurassic Park franchise — Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. BD Wong will also reprise his role as Dr. Henry Wu, along with Campbell Scott portraying Dr. Lewis Dodgson, whose character has not been seen since the original movie.

Jurassic World Dominion hits theaters on June 10, 2022.

Josh Neuman/YouTube

Josh Neuman, a popular American YouTuber, skateboarder, and social media influencer, died in a small plane crash in Iceland, according to a statement made by his family via Neuman’s Instagram on Monday.

Neuman had been on the sightseeing flight to develop content for his partner Suspicious Antwerp, a Belgian-based streetwear company. The company confirmed that Neuman had been on the plane alongside Suspicious Antwerp sponsorship manager Tim Ailings, 27, Nicole Bellavia, 32, a Belgian skydiver and media influencer, and the pilot, Haraldur Diego, 49. All of those on board the plane perished in the accident.

The plane, a four-seat Cessna 1172 Skyhawk, had been missing since Thursday. It had sent no distress signal and was only located after several days with the help of over 1,000 search and rescue personnel. They eventually found the empty aircraft on Saturday in Lake Thingvallavatn, approximately 30 miles from the capital, Reykjavik. The four bodies were located via sonar and submarine searches the following day; however, they have yet to be recovered due to harsh weather conditions. Retrieval efforts will continue once conditions have improved.

Suspicious Antwerp released a statement that thanked the Icelandic and international rescue workers and volunteers for their efforts in the search, according to NPR. “We are enormously distressed by the news and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends,” it read. “We are in close contact with them, as well as with the authorities, and we’re doing everything we can to assist them during these difficult times.”

A statement on the Suspicious Antwerp website read, “The loss of our close friends has left all of us at Suspicious Antwerp in a state of mourning. We want to express our immense gratitude to everyone for their support, condolences, and love. The same gratitude goes out to the emergency services, volunteers, and many others that have been and are still working selflessly day and night to help the loved ones find closure.”

Neuman, who had almost 1.2 million YouTube subscribers at the time of his death, came to prominence with his daredevil videos, racing down mountain switchbacks on his longboard, hiking volcanoes, and sky diving from helicopters. One video, entitled Raw Run: Race Against the Storm, has over 100 million views. He began filming videos for the site when he was 12-years-old.

Neuman Briefly attended college in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, before deciding to pursue his passion full time. He had traveled the world in his work as a content creator and filmed footage for a diverse portfolio of brands that included Prada, Lexus, and Go Pro.

According to his family’s Instagram statement, Neuman believed in living each day to its fullest while at the same time treating all he met with kindness, and that he “represents the side of humanity we all strive to achieve. The way he not just touched, but impacted lives was on a scale of its own. In his quest for adventure, thirst for creativity, and passion for a personal reflection, he truly impacted all those he touched.”

The family also noted that Neuman passed away living life as he wanted, adding, “As the world sheds a tear, we should know that he passed doing what he loved, having just experienced the Northern Lights in Iceland for the first time commenting, ‘This is the happiest day of my life.’”

The family has announced its intention to set up a charitable trust in Neuman’s name to honor his personal causes of “ending homelessness, protecting clean water, aiding animal preservation, and fighting deforestation.”  They noted that “Since he was a little boy, he has always taken a significant piece of each dollar earned and given back to charity.”

Image via Crypto Music Archive/YouTube

One might think that someone who has laundered over a billion dollars worth of cryptocurrency is as criminal as it gets. But one only has to take a look, and a painful listen, to accused Bitcoin criminal Heather Morgan’s TikTok account to realize that things can always be much, much worse.

Morgan, 31, and her husband, Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, were arrested Tuesday morning on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and to defraud the U.S. Government. The couple is alleged to have spent the last five years laundering 120,000 bitcoin stolen by hackers from the Bifinex currency exchange in 2016. So far, the investigation has seized over 90,000 bitcoin from a variety of virtual wallets owned by the pair. The estimated worth of the cryptocurrency is over three and a half-billion dollars.

But that wasn’t crime enough for Morgan, aka aspiring rapper, Razzlekhan. Sprinkled amid unboxing videos and deodorant reviews on Morgan’s YouTube Page are Morgan’s “rap” videos, including titles such as “Cutthroat Country” and “Versace Bedouin.”

“Always be a GOAT, not a god damn sheep,” she raps on the latter, “Spirit of a revolutionary, power of a dictator/love to be contrary, but I’m fly like a gator,” If you wince just reading it you’ll cringe to actually hear it. Morgan’s flow-when it can be said to exist at all is…well, “old school” would be the politest way to put it. “No school” would probably be more on the money. Razzlekhan makes Jean Ralphio from Parks & Rec sound like Jay-Z.

Morgan may also have hamhandedly implicated herself as a money launderer in one of her lyrics. “Spearfish your password / all your funds transferred,” she raps, in an apparent reference to Spearphishing, a technique used by hackers to “phish” confidential information via email.

Morgan’s TikTok page is a similar mess of rambling monologues and cripplingly painful freestyles. Morgan also freely dispensed business advice, including how to build a business without outside funding.

One would think that having a secret multi-billion dollar nest egg would help considerably in any business venture. Bu

As delicious as the irony might be, it isn’t enough to make up for the audible atrocities Morgan peppers in between dubious advice and bizarre rants. A freestyle about missing AirPods is a standout headache inducer. Morgan claims she experiences synesthesia, a sensory phenomenon that causes one to experience sensation in a secondary cognitive way. According to her website, this makes her art into something that “resembles something between an acid trip and a delightful nightmare.” 

It’s not really an accurate description of Razzlekhan’s style, which is more akin to flashing back to a 1992 open mic where a 13-year-old white kid is desperately trying to sound like Ad-Rock.

Morgan’s attempt to start a second career – or third, if one considers fake CEO and alleged crypto-launderer as two separate jobs – doesn’t seem to have gained much traction on TikTok. She’s only amassed a paltry 1,908 followers – and that’s presumably after any looky-loos joined post her arrest.

It may be a while before Morgan and her husband return to social media. The couple could face a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted.

Photos via Bruno Mars/YouTube and @meicrosoft/TikTok

A remix of Bruno Mars’ popular 2010 track “Talking to the Moon” has found a new home on TikTok, where it is soundtracking a wave of captivating videos.

The original song is a languid, emotional ballad paying tribute to lost nights spent “talking to the moon” after a former lover has moved on. The remix abandons most of the original song’s slow emotionality, layering stylized drums and quick, energetic beats over the simple piano of Mars’ original track. 

Mars barely features in the new song. He opens the remix with the same lines that open the original song, belting out “I know you’re somewhere out there/somewhere far away,” but as he begins the next line, proclaiming that “I want you back,” the remix cuts in, and Mars becomes a largely unimportant part of the background.

His voice is mostly replaced by that of Sickick, a DJ who’s absolutely thriving on TikTok as well as YouTube. The glitzed-out DJ uploaded his take on the song to TikTok in April 2021, and it has since exploded in popularity. The song became the unofficial soundtrack for the “inverted” TikTok trend and has been used in more than 2.5 million videos since hitting the platform.

It’s even more popular on YouTube, where the masked DJ uses his channel to share his songs with the world. The full video of the remixed song has more than 26 million views on the video-sharing platform, inching closer to the view count of the original on a daily basis. 

On TikTok, users are absolutely loving Sickick’s take on the popular track. His remix retains some of the angst of the original but keeps the beat moving with careful additions. It also adds in several lines, switching from Mars’ more dulcet tones to insert Sickick’s own voice, as he belts out some original lyrics.

The most popular part of the song, on TikTok at least, ends before Sickick ever starts singing, however. People latched onto the song’s opening moments, in particular, typically using no more than 15 seconds from Sickick’s remix. 

The resulting TikToks, most of which are trying out TikTok’s “inverted” filter, have an air of unusual, upbeat lethargy, as the song somehow manages to combine bop with ballad. It suits the “inverted” trend flawless, with the perfectly-timed beat providing a metronome for users to follow.

The ‘Inverted’ trend

Sickick’s remix is far from the only song to soundtrack the “inverted” trend, but it is one of the most popular. The song pairs flawlessly with the rhythmic requirements of the trend, and has since become one of the filter’s most popular accompaniments.

Due to the song’s almost ethereal vibes, it adds an air of stylishness to every video it accompanies. Even simple uploads get an upgrade when paired with Sickick’s “Talking to the Moon.”

While the majority of the uploads enjoying the use of the remix are leaning into the “inverted” trend, a number of videos deviate from any of TikTok’s popular trends. They instead use the song, and its trippy, almost Lo-fi sounds, to add a sense of surrealism to their videos.

Regardless of how it’s being used, Sickick’s take on Mars’ popular 2010 track is enduringly popular. It hit its popularity peak back in April and May 2021, when it was originally uploaded to the platform, but maintains its status as one of TikTok’s better remixes.

Photo by Dylan Buell for Getty Images

Rumble, a video website that’s a favorite among conservatives, is offering superstar podcaster Joe Rogan $100 million to jump ship from Spotify.

The offer comes just days after Rogan apologized for a recent video compilation of him using the N-word multiple times over the years on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, saying the video looked “terrible” and that the word was “not [his] word to use.”

The money would be paid out over four years and Rumble would feature all of Rogan’s shows, past and present.

“Dear Joe, we stand with you, your guests and your legion of fans in desire for real conversation,” Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski said in an email to Rogan.

“How about you bring all your shows to Rumble, both old and new, with no censorship, for 100 million bucks over four years? This is our chance to save the world. And yes, this is totally legit.”

In 2020, Rogan signed a landmark deal with Spotify, also worth $100 million, which gave the streaming giant exclusive rights to his hugely successful podcast.

In recent weeks, Spotify has come under pressure to condemn Rogan due to the repeated sharing of COVID-19 misinformation on the podcast. Several musicians, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, have removed their music from the platform in a boycott of Spotify due to the affiliation.

Addressing the controversy, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek revealed that content advisories would be added to any release that discusses COVID-19. Later, in a staff memo, Ek expressed that, while he “strongly condemns” some of Rogan’s actions, he believes “silencing” him isn’t the answer.

Rumble, however, was created by CEO Chris Pavlovski the in 2013, when it mostly featured viral videos and news content. However, in 2020, it gained notoriety when Republican politician Devin Nunes said YouTube was censoring his content and moved it to Rumble. Other prominent right-wing voices followed, like Simone Gold and Dan Bongino.

“We are for people with something to say and something to share, who believe in authentic expression, and want to control the value of their own creations. We create technologies that are immune to cancel culture,” Rumble’s about me page reads.

“Because everyone benefits when we have access to more ideas, diverse opinions, and dialogue. Join us. We are on a mission to protect a free and open internet.”

Once the shift happened, the nascent site bloomed in popularity and worth, currently sitting at an estimated value of around $500 million.