So everyone is bugging about the casting of the late great Aaliyah in the new lifetime biopic. Zendaya Coleman has been cast as Aaliyah. Some of the controversy around this is 1. She's not black 2. She does not look like her 3. Who is she? etc. Honestly, at first I was like who the hell is she, she doesn't look like her and wth! Then I though to myself. This is loooooonnnnngggg over due. Aaliyah was a beautiful spirit, a talented signer, and a wonderful person. Beyond all of her external looks (Beyond Beautiful). I don't know Zendaya but she had better embody all of that. Make-up can get her to the visual portion. Getting back to the part when I said I don't know her, understand, I don't listen to a lot of this new stuff. I've seen her at NYFW and I've also listened to her song and her voice is not as mature but then again she's only 17-18 y.o. If I were in her shoes I would be honored as hell to play such a phenomenal star.
When I discussed this with friends they feel as though race and skin pigmentation should not even be a factor. Agreed, but, I really had my favorite pic as Teyana Taylor. I love her style, her voice, she's just great. Her friend, TyroneBee on IG, leaked some of her audition tapes (listed below). Teyana just embodies that Tomboy style Aaliyah had. I'm not so sure about the sweetheart and everything else Aaliyah was internally.
At the end of the day no one will ever be satisfied of someone trying to play the part of someone so great. The bottom line is someone is doing it and it needs to be done so whomever does it holds a great position and critics will be watching and jotting notes but know you did it for her.
After all of the rumors and all of the time we have had without him Mr. Dave Chapelle is back. I was/am a fan of the Chapelle Show. I still watch re-runs and Dave Chapelle Block Party was epic!!!!! I was doing my daily (watching youtube videos) and came across Jimmy Fallon and Dave Chapelle.
- Your Welcome
I'm not a Beyonce' fan but I can honestly say I love hit Lil Bobo transformed the visual perspective of her music.
How do you feel about this kickass woman right here. Rihanna. I have been following her since Pon De Replay in 2005 and to see her evolve into her own style of art is amazing. I love how she is Rihanna. She dominates and demands attention. She is a style icon, an ego icon and a woman icon. Love her. She has released the second video off of her 9th album "Unapologetic", What Now. Check it out and see what you think.
It has come. I am so excited to say that Robert Glasper Experiment Black Radio 2 is here! I first started listening to Robert Glasper when I ran across his cd in Streetside Records in Columbia, MO about 2 years ago. Now I meditate to him about twice a week. I am so excited to be listening to another one of his amazing works right now. His music, his sound, his beautiful collaborations are what I describe as the Evolution of Beautiful Sound. They do not sale the cd in Columbia but as soon as I get home to St.Louis I am running to Vintage Vinyl to cop this immediate classic.
Monday, October 21, 2013
If you know me then you know I meditate to Robert Glasper about 2x a day. Seriously. This album relieves every stress and is complete meditation along with my Nag Champa burning and a nice pen and a pad writing down every thought that commences with every melodic sound coming from my ipod player. Then to release this new track and to hear there is another album The Robert Glasper Experiement: Black Radio 2 just made my day. So to end on a good note here is the video to Calls, Robert Glasper ft Jill Scott.
O.k so we all know and have heard the talk about Miley Cyrus and big booty black women, her naked body, her exploiting black women's bodies and just the all around edgy Miley Cyrus. My personal opinion...I like Miley. Though, some of the things that she's doing are definitely controversial in a bad and good. There's bad press and there's good press though Miley is in between. My major problem is her objectification of black women at the VMA's. Black women's bodies are already exploited and objectified as it is. We don't need any other woman adding to the discussion. On the other hand people need to stop judging her and let her twerk wherever and however she desires lol. So I love the Roots. Like seriously. Mega Musical Geniuses. So it's only right for me to post this video and BeHeard.
So lately I've been trying to stay up on my St.Louis underground Mcee's. This at times does not work well trying to balance life, school, work, blogging and a myriad amount of other things that life throws at me but, this summer I took advantage of being home when I could. Over the summer I met so many artists back home and heard so many dope joints that I almost wrote some lyrics (poems that is). So I went to the play to be in St.Louis for dope Music which is "The Blank Space" off Cherokee for the ThisistheDope Launch Party. ThisistheDope is a collaboration of Hip Hop Artists Indiana Rome and Black Spade along with R&B singer TeresaJenee to give vibratious sounds for pure cool meditation. I got a chance to catch up with Indiana Rome after the show to ask him a couple of questions. He's a pretty O.D guy with a sick flo. Check him out.
1. Who is Indiana Rome?
Indiana rome is a rapper/producer. born and mostly raised in indianapolis, in. the other half running the streets of st louis, mo. i love old school r&b and soul music, i'm a movie fanatic and i enjoy long walks in fairground park. loll
2. Why did you choose the name Indiana Rome?
well i initially started in a group called "kmw"(kings of the midwest). i was going by rome. as you might know there is a 90's r&b singer named rome. so i had to change it. in the studio one day with tef poe and tech supreme, they said why dont you go by "indiana rome". kinda catchy because of the indiana jones similarity and i'm from indiana. so i ran with it.
3. When did you fall in love with Hip Hop?
whoa. when i was younger i didnt even listen to hip hop. my mom was only playing soul and r&b. freddie jackson, luther vandross, babyface, shirley murdock, marvin gaye, etc. i moved in with my dad for a few years, who was in the military. he didnt allow hip hop at all. none. only gospel. damn near no r&b either. strictly music that spoke of the word. i use to go to my best friends house and watch mtv and bet. and finally got exposed to what i was missing. at the time i was on the east coast. so it was wu tang, biggie, black moon. strictly tim boot wearing music is what everyone was listening to.my rebellion against my fathers music is what pushed me to hip hop. i moved back to indianapolis with my mom after a while. took a ride with my uncle in his cutlass. 15's in the trunk, tweeters, crossovers, everything to give you a headache while listening to music. he played UGK "pocket full of stones", 8ball mjg "lay it down", e-40 "wolf tickets". thats when i fell madly in love with hip hop. so there were levels of me falling in love with this chick...lol
4. Which element of Hip Hop do you mostly relate to, and why?
with me being a rapper and a producer im in love with both mc'ing and dj'ing. now i cant dj, but im in love with setting the soundscape that makes heads nod and motivates mc's to get creative. the mc'ing is power to me. holding that mic and being on that stage you have the ability to make people enjoy life for whatever amount of time you're on stage. they dont remember what the problems the day brought before they got there.making them put their hands up, screaming, sweating, reciting along, and i love creating believers. when i do a set. my few minutes allow me to speak to people who didnt know who the hell i was, and make them a believer
5. Who's you favorite artist and why?
my favorites artists? theres too many to name cause im a student of the game. i like jay z. he's the blueprint. dope dealer turned rapper, rapper turned pop icon, icon turned corporate guru.
kanye. his creative side is so crazy that people think he's crazy. lol. his rants are nothing but testimony to his passion for hip hop. production, arranging, rapping. cold.
ugk. the whole trill phenom is something i adopted since ive heard them. pimp c's swagger, pitch and soulful production. bun's delivery and cleverness. in a word, trill.
kurupt. dudes word play was so ill. he's been duplicated so many times and no real recognition for it.
6. What's you favorite bar/line from a Hip Hop artist?
"i remember when a rapper was a go getter...now all these rappers is some hoe niccas..." - pimp c.
7. If you could pick one of you songs to say it was your favorite which one would it be and why?
one of my own favorite songs is "dream" featuring the soulful theresa payne. it was my first solo single. i had no plans on doing a solo project for real and had issues with finding my voice. i didnt really like the way i sounded on tracks. we did the song, i threw it out there and the people enjoyed it. that song got me alot of recognition and gave me my first indication that people wanted to hear my voice.
8. What are your future aspirations, where can we contact you and do you have any upcoming shows?
i plan on making a dent, rapping or producing. my goal everyday is to gain new fans. and that has pretty much been the goal since day one.
i have a show today and oct 5 at harris stowe state university. got siue coming up. sxsw is around the corner. "this is the dope" is working on an over seas tour. alot is coming down the pipe line. im currently finishing up my new project. i got placements on various artists projects, im just living the blessed life.
Beautiful. Just Beautiful. I knew from the first day I heard her voice and her lyrics that she would be a force to be reckon with. Her love and her passion in her voice partnered with her vision for artistry only elevates her greatness. This video is definitely symbolic of a myriad amount of things but one in particular is the power of words. I definitely applaud and support Emeli Sande.
O.k so the anticipation is over! John Legend has dropped his album Love in the Future. We have been patiently waiting since the drop of his single "Made to Love" hit the air and filled us with the erotics of love, passion and ecstasy in one. Legend has never failed his fans with an album. He has always given the fans what the expected and more. This album has a different sound than any of his others. Legend has pressed the envelope with this album but in a good way. We knew from his album Get Lifted (2004) that this artist was one for our time. Actually, we knew after "Ordinary People" was loved and sung by the great Stevie Wonder that this artist was one of the greatest of our time. John Legend is a phenomenal artist and an even more phenomenal person with his philanthropy and love for others he will always be great. The album is now available on iTunes and in stores. Go get it now!
If you have not seen the video view the erotic sounds and movements of "Made to Love" This is art!
The musical meditation of a life-time. Franco-Hill is a duo-band composed of Jeffery Hill, a Kansas City native currently residing in St.Louis, MO and Michael Franco, a St.Louis MO native. These two individuals have begun to give St. Louis a sense of motion it has not had in a long time. With Hill on the drums he adds the rhythm and repetition accompanied by the soul of Franco's bass and/or electric guitar. The band is heavily influence by jazz, blues and soul. Most of the music speaks from an unheard generation of all of Franco's beat tapes. Though the both of them produce music for others and themselves they are both individually talented. Check out the massive amounts of elevated sound which is Franco-Hill.
Batman and the Black Bruce Wayne (Mixtape)
My favorites of this album:
Heart (<----in love with)
Cry (<----made me cry and want to love again)
Jack Napier (<---Sad that we lost Amy Winehouse but blessed to hear her sampled in greatness)
and everything else just download it!
Vibrate Higher (2013)
My Favorites:
This album is split into two sides. One side is Empathy and the other is Perception. You decide which one is your favorite. I journey between a land of both.
For the Love (Gorgeous erotic sounds)
Gooey Butter. Is dope.
Without You (lovely)
Dreamland (<---gives you a Caribbean feel very sexy)
and everything else!
You can download the mixtape and purchase the album at the following:
I will not write an essay to get all of my feelings out but I will say that Justice will be served and I will say that reactionary events are not what we need. What we need are revolutionary standards.
This semester in school I finally learned the term for two
individuals living together (dating) without being married, cohabitating. In
this course I was taking we talked about how many individuals live together
before marrying and in some states after you’ve been cohabitating for a certain
amount of years your legally entitled to half of the individuals belongings.
WHAT! Interesting. Then I began to think about how many individuals I know who
are or have cohabitated. I then began to wonder why. Is this because they feel
that close to one another, is it because they feel the need to live together
because they will once they get married? What if this is the plateau of their
relationship and they never marry and just cohabitate? Is cohabitating getting
the milk for free without actually having to milk the cow? How do you feel
about this? Be Heard
Ok ya’ll so my friends and me have been having a convo about
these interracial relationships. Some of the views are:
1.These white women stealing our black men.
2.These black men are not strong enough for our
black women so they go and find them a white woman.
3.These women just want these mixed curly hair
babies
4.These black women just want these rich white
men.
5.I don’t care love is love.
IKR, a mix of emotions.
I think too many times we allow our perception and our
beliefs to be more important than the actual situation at hand. Its important
to realize that questioning other people does not put you ahead on the totem
pole and neither does making someone else feel bad. Love is love. Love does not have a physical
being. Though we see hearts everywhere love is not a heart with a shade that
you can identify. If you can’t find love in your own race then your going find
it somewhere. Just be happy other people don’t matter its your life and your
decisions. How do you feel about this? Be Heard
So… I’ve been having some fairly interesting conversations
with some individuals about words such as nigga and bitch. Some of them use
the words, some don’t. Then the questions becomes why and why not?
Nigga
was a term used in reference to blacks pre and post slavery as a defamatory
term to show that slaves were inferior to their slave masters and to other
humans. Slaves were essential the equivalent to animals in the eyes of whites
during this particular time in history. Other terms such as Nigger, and Negro,
Monkey and many others were also used to dehumanize slaves and blacks. The
dehumanizing continued post slavery, then onto to the Harlem Renaissance and
during the Civil Rights Movement. Then we looked at the word bitch.
Bitch
was first used as a term in reference to a female dog but then used for a woman
in 1811 in male voice. Ever since then this word has been used to address women
negatively. Unlike the term Nigga being race-based bitch is a gender-based term
that shows the misogynistic connotations.
So some raise the question, how can a word with such a negative history
be reclaimed and where does this reclaiming come from? Some individuals look at
Hip Hop and point fingers.
In
Hip Hop, some MCee’s use these terms frequently. Some MCee’s such as Ice Cube
and many other rappers have discussed taking the power back, reclaiming of the
term nigga. They have discussed nigga being a term of endearment to other
blacks. Phrases such as “My Nigga” or “Me and my Niggas” show that the term is
more of a relationship-based term. Many individuals use the term nigga to
relate themselves to other blacks in their society. For example as we used to
say “My Sista or My Brotha” during the 60’s and 70’s from the 90’s until now
individuals are saying “My Nigga”. Also in Hip Hop MCee’s use the word bitch
frequently. Bitches and Hoes are the most common words used by MCee’s to
reference women. TRUTH! Male MCee’s talking about women in a misogynistic
manner that some women are ok with but the majority of women are against. It’s
ironic for a male to call a woman a bitch or a hoe and then turn around and say
“ But I have the utmost respect for my sistahs”. Interesting?
Though, some women reference themselves as a bitch. This became mind
bottling to some individuals because most women are raised to know that if
someone calls you a bitch it is automatically offensive. So, when someone calls a woman bitch such as
“Bitch you tripp’in” her nose flares, her eyes bulge and you probably need to
take cover. Lol. Though some individuals feel as though if a woman can call
herself a bitch then why can’t someone call her a bitch? Some women call each
other bitches all the time. Interesting? Though looking back the importance of WHO
can reclaim the word is important. How do you feel about this topic? Be Heard
So everyone is bugging about the casting of the late great Aaliyah in the new lifetime biopic. Zendaya Coleman has been cast as Aaliyah. Some of the controversy around this is 1. She's not black 2. She does not look like her 3. Who is she? etc. Honestly, at first I was like who the hell is she, she doesn't look like her and wth! Then I though to myself. This is loooooonnnnngggg over due. Aaliyah was a beautiful spirit, a talented signer, and a wonderful person. Beyond all of her external looks (Beyond Beautiful). I don't know Zendaya but she had better embody all of that. Make-up can get her to the visual portion. Getting back to the part when I said I don't know her, understand, I don't listen to a lot of this new stuff. I've seen her at NYFW and I've also listened to her song and her voice is not as mature but then again she's only 17-18 y.o. If I were in her shoes I would be honored as hell to play such a phenomenal star.
