Music Throwback Sunday

I'm gonna start this throwback session with a shameless family plug. That's right; it's my blog and I'll do what I wanna!!!! This is a cut my sister recorded back in '86 and some cat in England posted on You Tube. It was a regional hit that was jammed in Brooklyn back around that time. There are lots of singers, dancers, actors and choreographers in my family (more of that in later posts), and Kim was pretty much the star amongst my brothers and sisters.

She'd much prefer I post this version though.....


Easier Said Than Done - Shakatak

Fish Ain't Bitin' - Lamont Dozier

Cross Your Mind - Evelyn "Champagne" King. This is the original version of this quiet storm classic. From her much underappreciated 1989 release Girl Next Door.

Come On Dance, Dance - Saturday Night Band

Do It Any Way You Wanna - Cashmere

Request Line - Rockmaster Scott & The Dynamic 3

Thighs High - Tom Browne

You Wear It Well - El DeBarge

Change - Barry White

Are You A Beyoncé Stan?

First off, let's define the term "stan" for the uninitiated. A stan, derived from the Eminem song of the same name, is slang for an obsessed fan. I first heard it a few years back in the comments section of a Beyoncé post on
Crunk+Disorderly, which is well-known in the black blogosphere for its hilarious and often devastating critique on the cult of celebrity. No one is spared. She is also the one celebrity who incites the most heated debate, bar none. From Crunk to Concrete Loop, to just about every black entertainment blog, small and large, a Beyonce item is almost guaranteed to ignite a frenzy of comments, unlike no other subject or performer, politician or otherwise. The most interesting thing is that some of her supporters seem to have a love for her that borders on a type of psychosis. The same can be said about Michael Jackson fans, so Bey is in very good company indeed. The item could just be a simple photo of her out at an event or some promotional photo op, and the sparks will fly. The comments generally start out with a simple, "Bey looks hot", or "Make that paper, girl!", until one commenter weighs in with, "I'm so tired of seeing her face. OVEREXPOSED!" to which yet another will follow with, "You done did it now, look out for the stans in 3, 2, 1..........", at which point it'll be off to the races.

What strikes me as odd though, is that her detractors almost always point out that they find her to be a transparent, not very bright robot who seems to speak from a script in the matter of an adult stuck in a state of arrested development, doesn't appear to have any discernible or valid opinions of her own without the aid of her parents, as witnessed here, while acknowledging her obvious talents and gifts. Hell, some are even mad because during a recent appearance on Oprah, when asked if she'd reached out to Jennifer Hudson since her recent family tragedy, she replied, "No, but I'm Praying for her". Is that reason to "hate" on her? Any positive acknowledgements are not nearly enough for her fans who vehemently declare them as haters, mostly in CAPS, and will not accept any form or criticism, no matter how balanced or nuanced it may be. At all. They can't offer any further analysis other than to list her accomplishments and say that she's rich and you're not, so there! The so-called stans' favorite line of defense is basically, if you don't like her, you're "just jealous", like pouty children who are ready to peel the skin off your face at the mere mention of your doubt of Bey's formidable power. And for the record, I'm one of those who feels that while Beyonce is indeed very talented, I don't consider myself an avid fan. I'd love to see her relax, and sing a song with some depth and real emotion as opposed to all the unnecessary vocal acrobatics, an issue I used to have with Mariah Carey before she resorted to merely whisper-singing over trite Hip Pop beats. To date, I don't think she's reached the vocal maturity of singers like Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson or Keyshia Cole, who manage to bring raw feelings to the surface of a song and make me feel the pain of their struggles and the joy of their momentary happiness, which is always in danger of slipping away by the time the next track queues up. I know that in time, she will hone her skills and perhaps earn the respect of those who share my opinion. However, I get the feeling that she seems determined to convince us that she can sing, she can dance, she's so hot, while simultaneously asking us to believe that she's really a good girl who would rather kick back with a bucket of Popeye's hot wings, and that it's her alter-ego, Sasha, who takes over when she hits the stage and does all the dirty work. That, in itself is fine; this is entertainment after all, and although I think that artists like David Bowie and even Mariah Carey to some extent have utilized their alter-egos to greater effect, I think it would be okay if it didn't seem so - calculated. New York magazine has also touched on the whole Beyasha phenomenom. Uh-oh. Haters. Much like the comparisons of her to Diana Ross, her detractors liken her fast ascent and the dropping of group members to Ms. Ross's alleged unapologetic backstage machinations to become the breakout star of The Supremes.
And what about her star turn in Dreamgirls? Coincidence? The Machiavellian-like tactics of her father, Mathew Knowles, whose unrelenting determination to ensure her success could also be compared to Ross' connection to Motown head Berry Gordy, though of course, the personal relationship of star and mentor greatly differ. It could also be said that Ross is nothing if not original, which Bey non-supporters seem to all agree, but her fans believe is okay - as long as she does it better than her predecessors and that she is not aware of any shyster-like doings behind the scenes or of any copycatting on her part. Case in point, one complaint that's been made against her is that her Sasha character seemed to surface soon after Mariah affected one. And that leads me to the biggest charges that have been made against her; first, the charge that she sometimes takes credit for the work of other singers and songwriters by making slight alterations to lyrics and harmonies, and then taking a writers credit. There was some controversy over statements made she allegedly made about writing "Irreplaceable", which was, in fact, written by Ne Yo & "If I Were A Boy", which was after she replaced a few key lyrics, claimed a writer's credit. The song was originally recorded and co-written by singer BC Jean & Toby Gad, and became the basis of a lawsuit.










There have also been unsubstantiated claims that Mathew Knowles used strong-arm tactics to secure the rights for the song from Ms Jean, unlike the previous case involving British singer Des'ree, who had a mid-nineties hit with "You Gotta Be". She sued Beyonce for altering the lyrics to her song, Kissing You and then tried to include it as a song entitled "(Still In Love) Kissing You" on the "B'Day" cd. She won. As for Ne Yo, he seems to have taken it all in stride and Bey has made statements to the fact that he was indeed the writer. These claims and rumors have dogged Beyonce since her days with Destiny's Child. She allegedly made changes in harmonies and added a word here and there in order to secure a song credits, but isn't this also an unspoken practice in the music biz? The question is to what extent does one stretch their professional ethics, if that should apply to these cases?

And check out this You Tube clips which purports that she "borrows" from other male & female acts, in some cases right down to their wardrobe:


The comments to this clip provide the perfect testimony to the vociferousness of both sides. Here's more:


First two clips are the work of SweetXxyCh3Ck on You Tube


Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I know that there is a such thing as paying homage to the works of others, but for her sake, if this is at all intentional, I wish she would wait until the proper time has passed before she does this. It's okay to recreate a piece of work that you admire but it should be noted that one should probably wait for several years before doing so. Preferably a generation or so, anyway.

Lastly, I took the opportunity of taking a survey of the opinions of various relatives during a Thanksgiving gathering. One 20-ish younger cousin, which is the age group indicative of her admirers, to whom I spoke with via phone and who upon being told that I was planning to write this piece, became somewhat "hot" and defended her devotion to Beyoncé in no uncertain terms. "Jealousy" and "hater" were the terms I believed she used to describe her feelings toward those who don't care much about her idol. Hmmm, I've heard that one before....does that make her a stan? I hope not, cuz! Others supported her as well, citing her beauty and dance skills. Most were not aware of the controversies, alleged or otherwise, that surround her. Older relatives didn't seem to care about her one way or the other, but those who had an opinion stated that she seemed dense and artificial. And my cousin Nicole, who is much younger by the way, agreed with the latter.

All of that said, we need artists like Beyoncé. Like her or not, she inspires and is a role model to countless young people, conveys a strong sense of business acumen, and can and will continue without a doubt to make a huge impact in the lives of her fans. She's work extremely hard for what she's achieved. Whether or not her work will stand the test of time remains to be seen, though. I will, however, enjoy watching her grow and hope to get a glimpse beyond the curtain, no matter how brief. Perhaps it doesn't matter who likes or dislikes her for whatever reason, she's a star. And a damned big one.

But it's all good. This is just my opinion, stans. No hate.

Gossip Re-Up

President-elect Obama ain't feelin' no poodles. HuffPo

Al B. Sure returns. To TV One. Eurweb

T.I. and Shawty LO serve beats to each other at awards show. 24Hour Hip Hop

You heard that right. Carly Simon urged President Bush to free John Forte. Gawker

Props

I've been meaning to get around to this since I first began Beezo. A VERY big thanks to Antoinette Celes, who has served, at times, as my music muse, therapist and kindred spirit, responsible for encouraging me to write for the first time, and published my first ever music reviews on her blog Adventures In Bahn Mi back in 2005. Madonna would not be pleased with my scathing review of Confessions On A Dance Floor, but I didn't start out so being so angry, though, as you can tell by this first entry, but it didn't take long for the snark to settle in, and by the time I was hired by Radar Online it was off to the races. Radar was definitely the high point for me, as they took a chance on a novice writer and gave me the opportunity of lifetime for which I will always be grateful; thank you Tyler Gray, Maer Roshan, Leigh Ann Boutwell, Alex Balk, Rachel Syme, and especially Adam Raymond for all your help, and for making my rough writing style look so good!

I mostly wrote the Daily Video feature, along with the occasional gossip and daily news items. I was also extremely lucky to have worked with a group of highly talented people who were cool in every sense of the word, and was never made to feel as if my opinion didn't matter, or that whatever rough talent I had wasn't nurtured. Although Radar has since folded, I was also lucky enough to have been featured in the last issue pictured above. Yes, I've still a very long way to go in terms of figuring out the nuts and bolts of managing a blog; hell, I can't even get my music streams to stay put, but that's okay for now. I'm just enjoying having a place where I can express myself, as incoherent as it might seem from time to time.

And thanks to anyone who might happen to "click by" and give me a read.

Martin Sprouse Furniture

Leave it to me to fall in love with a table called Jealous Again. Clever name aside, the table itself is a marvel. I particularly like how Solid Jatoba, anodized aluminum, sand blasted acrylic are coalesced into a cohesive design unit. I also love what appears to be a sliding panel or paddle, if you will, which protrudes from the bottom section. Might that be used to inconspicuously display a coffee table book? Or to place discreet cocktails for a brief afternoon assignation? Possibilities.......

Another great thing about Mr. Sporuse's designs is that some of them are large enough to embody large spaces, while some pieces add an instant element of tasteful, modern elegance to smaller spaces, all the while retaining an earthy, clean sensibility.

Bay Area based author/designer Martin Sprouse is also known as triple threat for his keen eye for interior design and cool, calm demeanor. More stuff you should buy right now:

2008 American Music Awards: Some Of It Was Ill, Some Of It Made Me Ill

Sigh. I guess I'm not all that impressed with awards shows nowadays, considering there are so many of them, but The 2008 American Music Awards, in particular, has further weakened my already shaken faith as far as the credibility of these shows go. Then again, we're talking about the AMAs, which is sort of akin to watching the MTV Video Awards, in that awards are given based on popularity, and, I suspect in some cases, ratings, but I still want to rant about it, alright? I mean, I like Chris Brown and all; he's a very talented dancer, does okay in the acting department, and can sing just as well as any of the other young jacks that saturate the Power-pop stations, but the guy won Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist, Pop or Rock, AND, this is the one that I find particularly insulting, Favorite Male Artist, Soul/Rhthym & Blues Music. Just yesterday, I posted a bunch of throwbacks and bemoaned the current state of Soul/R&B, but I also pointed out that there are some younger and not-so-young artists that still carry the flame, so to speak. Some that come to mind are: Raheem DeVaughn, Erykah Badu, Dwele, Jazmine Sullivan, Musiq Soulchild, Raphael Saadiq, Solange, Leela James, Liv Warfield and Algebra, to name a few.

Granted, perhaps some of those I've listed did not have an album out at the time of consideration, but come on, now, they barely get any radio play to begin with. The real travesty is that Chris won over Ne Yo, who wasn't even nominated, and lost at last year's AMAs to T Pain(!), who's best known for collaborating with everyone from L'il Wayne to fucking Liza Minelli. That said, I have tremendous respect for Ne Yo as an all-around entertainer. He writes, sings, dances and acts. Like John Legend, his music and lyrics also tend to be a bit more layered, and at least manages to communicate something other than the usual insipid sex-u-sex-me-canned-computer studio slop that's mistaken for R&B today (at least bring real handclaps back into the mix, please!). Perhaps the Grammys, which sometimes manage to get it right, will reward those who I feel rightly represent a dying genre. Right. As Homer Simpson would say, I was being sarcastic.

Sometimes, I feel as if maybe I just refuse to embrace the inevitable changes that have sucked the soul out of Soul music. It's all about the visuals and the spectacle of watching someone perform a superhumanly complex feat of Cirque Du Soleil type sexually acrobatic dance moves structured to distract me from the fact that they cannot sing well at all. Well, consider me not fooled, Pussycat Dolls. Although the Rihanna, who won for Favorite Female Soul/R&B and Chris Brown (PR Coup ALERT!) might have passable chops, I wonder how good they would sound accompanied by a simple piano, sans dancers? Live? I know that my rant will not likely change anything, so I might as well deal with it and find some of the good things about this show. And there were some. Can't post You Tube clips cuz they've been removed, though:

Alicia Keys sang Superwoman with Queen Latifah and Kathleen Battle

Bey-sasha wiggled her thickness, as per usual, but nobody does it like she does.

Christina Aguilera, drenched in female drag, reeled in the gayz with her performance.

Kanye kept things focused on the future

Ne Yo solidified the new template

And Annie Lennox should seriously consider a duet with Ms. Keys. For real.

As for me, I'll try to Keep Hope Alive.

Music Throwback Sunday

I figured that Sunday was as good a time as any to post and comment on some throwback jams that are special to me. For me, these songs symbolize a time when urban (née black) radio used to offer a more diverse playlist, and not just 5 or 10 songs in an infinite loop. In most cases, these songs consisted of actual musicians playing real instruments along with the occasional strings and orchestra backing. You could indeed find artists who still adhere to this standard today, but it's totally lost on the younger generation, which is a shame. I don't think that any real emphasis had been made on this generation to truly appreciate the music of previous decades,save for the occasional sample here and there, much as it was when I was a kid. And most of them still wouldn't know from where the sample originated, but maybe that's asking too much for now.

What's really sad about this is that they're now growing up with zero knowledge and patience for anything that's considered to be "too old". At times I just want to call them idiots, and keep it moving, but then I have to remember that things and trends tend to be cyclical, so perhaps when they're older and a bit more mature, they'll reach back past their own youth for more a substantive meaning in the music they listen to. Hopefully, they'll come across a few of these. Some of these selections I feel require no comment, as they stand on their own, in my opinion. I'd also like to hear about some of your own. I'll start off with a few slow jams, then I'll speed it up a bit.
Love To Share - Unlimited Touch
Dreaming - Bill Summers and Summers Heat

Now I Know You Know - Debbie Harry
Produced by Nile Rodgers. from Koo Koo.

Lets Start Over - Miles Jaye

Everlasting Love - Rufus

I Cant Say No (Digitally Remastered 02) - Natalie Cole

Remember What I Told You To Forget - Tavares


The System - Promises Can Break. Beautiful.

Mighty Fine - Peter Jacques Band
Considered an early two-step classic. Produced by Jacques Fred Petrus & Mauro Mavalasi. They formed Change two years before this release.


Serge Ponsar - Out In The Night. The production on this one reminds me of the works of Petrus/Mavalasi/Slade to some degree. Particularly their more funkier productions for the BB&Q Band.


Ullanda McCullough - Bad Company Produced by Ashford & Simpson. I remember reading the liner notes to some of A&S's late 70's production work for Diana Ross (The Boss and Gladys Knight & The Pips, to name a few), and noticed that Ullanda's name kept popping up as a backup singer. This, her second album, was one I played until the grooves were worn out! Love the strings.


Watson Beasley - Don't Let Your Chance Go Bye. I always thought this sounded like another Ashford & Simpson production.


The Emotions - All Things Come In Time. From their underappreciated gem from 1985, Sincerely. from Chicago imprint, Red Label.


Philippe Wynne - Wait Til Tomorrow/Bye Bye Love. This posthumous 1983 Fantasy release by the former lead singer from The Spinners was always one of my favorites.


The Blackbyrds - Love Don't Strike Twice. I remember hearing this for the first time on San Francisco's KBLX back in '81.


Tom Browne - Mr. Business from 1983's Rockin' Radio.


Stephanie Mills - Policy of Love from 1992's underrated Something Real.


Cheryl Lynn - Everytime I Try To Say Goodbye. Always loved the bass and keyboard work on this one.



Lee Ritenour - Countdown.
'BLS used to work this one back in '81-82.


El Coco - Love To The World. Downtempo Disco. Great bassline.


Chic - So Fine. from Take It Off.


David Oliver - Friends and Strangers


Temper - No Favors. Club '84, y'all.


Bryan Adams - Let Me Take You Dancin' . Yeah, let's get all cheezy 'n shyt. You know you liked this jam. What's interesting about this version is that this is the original take before it was sped up to make him sound like a 10 year old.


Break Machine - Street Dance


NY Community Choir - Express Yourself
I'll end things with the ultimate Brooklyn block party jam from 1977. The extended beat-break on this mix has not been surpassed since. Trust. For true hedz only.

Michael Jackson, the Muslim: Yes His Ass Did

I knew that Michael wouldn't let us down. In full freak-mode, he now professes to be Muslim. And just in time for a courtroom spectacle that's sure to vie with any holiday football games which are sure to dominate the tube next week.

Pardon Me, Please

ProPublica reports that there will be a mad dash for available applications for pardons at the Justice Department before Bushie leaves office. The word is that he's pretty stingy with approvals, so if you're currently serving bids for gang bangin', slangin' rock, or simply guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time (I know, I know, this happens to many, many, people), so please try not to inundate him with any useless requests. This is purely for people who have committed newsworthy crimes on a national level. Preferably high profile, federal white collar/celebrity or crooked politician type of shit, okey-doke? Cool. Now if you feel that you fit in either of those categories, fill out the proper petition and submit it to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. Oh, and you must wait a least five years from your release before you can apply. The article goes on to rate the chances of those who might apply, and among those who don't have a snowball's chance are (surprise!) three disgraced black sports figures:

Marion Jones
Barry Bonds
and from the You Should Have Seen This One Coming File, Michael Vick

But yeah, that's alright though, because in five years, y'all could take this up with Prez B.O. He might be down for some good lookin' out. Maybe. And how about those who have a good to excellent chance? Again, no surprises:

Scooter Libby
The Enron Boyz
Michael Milken

Ah, sweet justice.

Celebrity Prostitutes: You Might Want To Turn Off Your TV

It pays to be a prostitute nowadays, I guess. But you knew that already, right? If you didn't, well, you should get out more. Or turn on your tv. Divine Brown and Ashley Dupre's

assignations with a famous actor and politician respectively, has brought them both a great deal of wealth for the former, and attention, for the latter. The jury's still out on any projected earning's for Ashley, as for Divine, according to her Wiki page, she's delcared herself a "millionairess" and has, allegedly, made enough money to put her kids through college and bought herself a four bedroom house. Ashley might go her one better if her upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer does anything to improve her brand status. Not bad work, if you can get it. And it's not surprising considering the glut of glorified hos, male and female, starring in "reality" shows like VH1's Flavor of Love, I Love New York, I Love Money, and one called Tila Tequila Sunrise or something like that, which I never had the chance to view. These shows definitely have their appeal, and I like to watch people act the fool and get down and dirty at times (like a lot people, I suppose it makes me feel better about myself, but that's between me and my therapist), but are your kids watching as well?

Some of the young 'uns in my family are well aware of shows like BET's College Hill, MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen and The Hills, and I have to wonder how they're putting it all into context. I hardly ever see them cracking a book like I used to when I was a kid, so what kind of adults will they turn out to be? I try to mentor them and talk about how reading a book transports me to places far more interesting and richly layered places than I could ever image some of the stuff I see on tv could ever take me, but their eyes just gloss over and they stare at me like I'm an alien from Planet Oblivion, which is actually how I'm viewing them.

I grew up in the late 60's & 70's and, of course, these same arguments were bandied about by the parents of my generation, and I'm sure that they, too were told that that's how it is, things were different and changing, and that The Kids Are Alright. I was young, wild and did my share of walking on the wild side, to boot.

And I ain't about to turn off my tv yet, either.

Fuzzy News: Snoop Dogg Does Martha Stewart

This makes me feel all warm inside! Snoop Dogg made a stop by The Martha Stewart Show to share his recipe for Drive-by Blazin' Mashed Potaytaz. Martha wrote in her blog that she was pleased to have had the chance to catch up on some street code wordz, because as you know, homebuscuit makes it emphatically clear to her audience that one simply must be prepared to accommodate the likes and dislikes of all types of guests, should the occasion arise. Bless her. Personally, I'd be more interested if Snoop had gotten all weeded and then told her, "Yo, but first, I'ma show you how to make some Fo'Shillzlin' Breaded Blunt Fingaz....." But I digress. Here's an example of Martha being blinded by ghetto scientifics:

"He and his posse add ‘izzles’ onto the ends of words. It’s kind of a code, or a way of communicating so that others won’t know what they’re talking about. Example: fo shizzle is how they say, for sure. Snoop Dogg also shared –

Crack-a-lackin – means get something poppin
Chuuuch – means take God everywhere you go and everything will be all right
All hood – means goodBall til ya fall – get as much money as you can before you die"

Deep!

All right, Buscuit, just by having the Dogg as a guest, you proved to me that you wasn't just weaving wire baskets when you did that bid. And that was probably some sh_t you already got from your cellies, anyhow, but the true essense of power is ac'kin like you don't know. Point check. You true gully. And your Ghetto Pass is being printed up as we speak.

Read more here.

Snoop pic credit: Dave Allocca/Startraks

Corto Moltedo Bag

Shiny Black Thing.

Use your card here

Givenchy High Top Trainers

More Shiny Black Stuff:

I'm gonna be upfront about this; if I jump into these, it won't be to go jogging, alright?

available @ the corner

President Obama in GQ

I don't quite know how I feel about this President Obama cover. I suppose that the decision to let his gray show more prominently was an attempt to make him appear more "mature" or presidential, eh? Or maybe I'm just feeling a little defensive because I, myself, have a touch of the ol' grey....

In any event, brother president is looking okay, and as for me, I best be grateful that grey is the flava right now.

Sweetback w/Amel Larrieux - You Will Rise

Damn, I miss this cut!!

Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod

Bzzzzzzt! Classic.

Lessons in House: Soul Heaven with Louie Vega @ Ministry of Sound

Don't call him "l'il", a'ight?

Lessons in House: Tony Humphries 50th Birthday @ Southport Weekender

The gran'Daddy. Take notes, kidz.

Rare Party Flyers

Check out these classic club flyers from back in the days when going to the club was like going to a house of worship! DeepHousePage.com

November 18, 2008 DVD Releases

MOVIE GEEK ALERT
The following selected DVDs are being released today:

Encounters at the End of the World
Garden Party
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Tropic Thunder
WALL-E

Bones: Season Three
Doctor Who: Season Four
Hannah Montana: Season One
Hawaii Five-O: Season Five
Night Gallery: Season Two
The Odd Couple: Complete Series
The Odd Couple: Final Season
Star Trek - The Original Series: Season Three

300: Limited Collector's Edition
The Clique
Columbia Best Pictures Collection
Heathers: Limited Edition
Monty Python Holy Trinity
Priceless
The Zombie Diaries

Source: Dark Horizons

Michael Jackson Sued By A Prince, Prince Also Sued

Timing is everything. Two members of music royalty are being sued, one by a member of royalty, and one by a fragrance company.

Michael Jackson is facing a 7 million lawsuit brought by Bahrain prince Sheikh Abdulla Bin Isa Al-Khalifa as the result of an alleged deal he made with the pop icon. According to the suit, MJ was supposed to deliver a recording, book and musical package, including the much-hyped Hurricane Katrina charity single, which never materialized. Michael fled to Bahrain after his acquittal of molestation charges, and much has been made of his stint in the Arab country before his return to the US shores last year. The prince has also alleged that he paid off a substantial amount of delinquent bills on behalf of the star, including monies owed on the much-beleaguered Neverland Ranch, which is now in foreclosure.

Prince, the purple one, is also being sued. Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics has filed a suit against him for $100,000, alleging that he reneged on a deal to promote a frangrance which was tied in to the album 3121. Now I'm not one for conspiracy theories, especially of the PR kind, but don't you find it rather interesting that three of the biggest icons of the 80's, including Madonna, are embroiled in high profile legal matters? What's next? Ike's children suing Tina Turner for leaving him?

Now that one would be more like it.

MJ photo source

UPDATE: Looks like we can expect more courtroom hijinks from MJ. He says he's too sick to travel for impending lawsuit.

The Roots Skip Vegas, Settles for Tonight Show Gig

Nah Right reports that my favorite hip hop band The Roots is retiring in order to gig as the house band for the upcoming Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
All I can say is, whatever will be, will be.

Benguin Spins the Classics On WNYU Radio

BK's Benguin aka DJ Ben Manzone served up a steaming hot plate of old school funk, soul and house essentials at WNYU Radio Saturday night. Go here to listen to the podcast and get your throwback on with Ashford & Simpson, Freeway, Ecstasy, Gwen Guthrie, Eastside Connection and more.

Music Throwback: Dexter Wansel

Keyboardist Dexter Wansel was responsible for some the best-known hits from Philadelphia International Records' heyday back in the 7o's, a label known for funky, yet lushly produced soul standards such as Back Stabbers, For The Love of Money, Bad Luck, The Love I Lost, I'll Always Love My Mama, Love Train, Me & Mrs. Jones, Love Is The Message, If Only You Knew, You Gonna Make Love Somebody Else, Wake Up Everybody, I Love Music, When Will I See You Again, Used To Be My Girl, You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, Don't Leave Me This Way and Ain't No Stopping Us Now, among many others. The label, created by principal songwriter/producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and distributed by CBS Records, was dedicated to bringing what was known as The Sound of Philadelphia to the bedrooms and dancefloors of the masses. Backed by the house band MFSB, it also left an indelible mark on the pop and R&B charts along with Philly soundmates Thom Bell & Linda Creed, and most notably, Vince Montana Jr., a member of MFSB and the founder of The Salsoul Orchestra.

Dexter and main songwriting partner Cynthia Biggs, along with Kenny Gamble, made his mark on the label's signature sound with his distinctively complex orchestral arrangements, which varied from the high drama of Jean Carn's I'm In Love Once Again, to the classical leanings of MFSB's Mysteries of the World, to the crisp funk of The Jacksons' Jump For Joy, to the plaintive, soulful cry of Patti Labelle's If Only You Knew, to the Jones Girls' eerily beautiful classic, Nights Over Egypt, and The Stylistics' 1980 comeback, Hurry Up This Way Again. Mr. Wansel's solo albums are also well-regarded by turntablists and jazz purists alike, and are must-haves for those who are serious collectors of soul, disco and jazz, and include the classics, Life On Mars and What The World Is Coming To.

So here's a shout to an artist that exemplifies the term, "they don't make 'em like they used to", and whose songs still continue to haunt my dreams.

Check these out:

Q-Tip - Gettin' Up

The return of the abstract. Tip is back with the new release, The Renaissance.

Wanda Sykes Is Proud To Be Gay

This past Saturday, comedienne/actor Wanda Sykes came out of the closet. The co-star of The New Adventures of the Old Christine has also announced that she married her girlfriend on October 25. Citing the recent controversy over California's Proposition 8, and it's failure to pass, she felt it was time to make a definitive stand against the opposition:

“I got pissed off,” she continued. “They pissed me off. I said, 'You know what? Now I gotta get in your face.' And that’s what we all have to do now. They pissed off the wrong group of people. They have galvanized a community...Instead of having gay marriage in California, we’re going to get it across the country.”

Diddy Say: Trim and Clean Your Peen Area

Diddy keeps his d_ck garden trimmed and presentation- perfect. I was gonna mention something about if he serves it on a plate or in a box, but...oh, I did mention it after all, didn't I? And ladies, he also prefers that you keep your personal area V.I.P.-tight in a Brazilian way. Just so you know.

Alicia Keys - Diary (Quentin Harris Remix)

Nice, sexy Saturday nite jam.

Peven Everett - Stuck

Peven brings down the house.

POP'AFRICANA

I gotta love my great friend, San Francisco based graphic artist/designer Antoinette Celes, for keeping me up on the latest fashion trends! She recently emailed me about a fashion & art magazine called Pop'Africana, which is the brainchild of Oroma Elewa, who aside from being the founder and editor, also happens to be a stylist and photographer. With the recent wobbly state of print magazines nowadays, I can't help but feel a bit nervous about her chances at success with this endeavor, but I will say that this project perhaps has a built-in niche market to tap into as I've alluded to in a previous article I wrote recently for Radar Magazine Online.

Here's a sample of what's inside:

The above pages feature the fashions of Francis Stallings (lace trimmed suit), Kiki de Montparnesse (panty with bows), Yves Saint Laurent, and the art of MECURA (eyewear). For more detailed pix, go here.

It's clear that this sister knows her stuff, so let's wish her all the best!

Obama Gives Ebony an Exclusive

President-elect Obama has granted his first post-election interview to Ebony magazine. Here's brief snippet from the article:

"I'm very humbled by the fact that I stand on the shoulders of all the people who made these incredible contributions to lift this country up."

The commemorative issue hits the stands on Tuesday, December 9th. The top cover picture is from a past issue. But I'm sure that the upcoming one won't look like the one on the bottom, from 23/6, which takes a dig at what is probably every Republican's worst nightmare.

Gossip Re-Up

I want nothing more than to sit with Kanye West and pick his feverish brain for 5 hours. And I mean that as a compliment. Who else would encourage porn pokers to stand proud? Necole Bitchie.
And sorry, but I'm having a hard time believing the woman who claims that Tyler Perry stole her idea for Madea. That was my Aunt Lula he was referencing. He's being sued for copyright infringement. Eurweb
You'll also never convince me that designers pull crap like this. Never.
Huffington Post

Dan Savage Eats His Shorts

Dan Savage has invoked the ire of an increasingly vocal group of African American gays, which began with an article he'd written and was posted on The Stranger the day after the election:


"African American voters in California voted overwhelmingly for Prop 8, writing anti-gay discrimination into California’s constitution and banning same-sex marriage in that state. Seventy percent of African American voters approved Prop 8, according to exit polls, compared to 53% of Latino voters, 49% of white voters, 49% of Asian voters.

I’m not sure what to do with this. I’m thrilled that we’ve just elected our first African-American president. I wept last night. I wept reading the papers this morning. But I can’t help but feeling hurt that the love and support aren’t mutual.

I do know this, though: I’m done pretending that the handful of racist gay white men out there—and they’re out there, and I think they’re scum—are a bigger problem for African Americans, gay and straight, than the huge numbers of homophobic African Americans are for gay Americans, whatever their color.

This will get my name scratched of the invite list of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which is famous for its anti-racist-training seminars, but whatever.

Finally, I’m searching for some exit poll data from California. I’ll eat my shorts if gay and lesbian voters went for McCain at anything approaching the rate that black voters went for Prop 8."

First off, as I've previously written, the statistics on the AA vote on the measure has been wildly overstated. And secondly, gays and lesbians voted 27% for McCain vs the Bilerico Project's projected stat of the black vote against Prop 8. In a appearance on The Colbert Report, Dan back-pedalled, blaming the failure of the measure on the overlap of black and "old" voters. I'm sure that he meant the "elderly", though. He also answered Colbert's initial query about the matter by stating, "a few black have kept me down in the past". Funny? Or The Mandingo Syndrome in full effect? Here's the clip:



While he did go on to acknowledge the existence of AA gays and the effects of the proposition's failure on that segment of the gay community, many members of AA gay community are taking offense against the sexual and seemingly exploitative remark, which seemed to set the tone and negate anything he'd said afterwards, short of an official apology. Also, as stated before, there is and always has been an unspoken disconnection between the two communities, which is unbeknownst to the MSM. There is also a feeling in the community that black men are to be sexed, but not heard to some degree. And while the MSM has been quick to pick up on the rift,




there has been little effort by the MSM to offer a platform to the AA gay community to give their take. Interestingly though, ertswhile Star Search alum Sam Harris did offer his own ineteresting opinion.




The discussion, of course is going full force on several black gay blogs like
Ernest Hardy and racialicious, for instance. And if Jena 6 has taught us anything, it's that the internet is just the place to start a revolution.

Let's just hope that this one serves to bring everyone together. And hows about a more comprehensive outreach plan to boot?

Naked Music ft. Tabitha Fair - This Time Around

A sexy downtempo house cut from the much-anticipated new release from Naked Music.

Music Throwback: Annabel Lamb - Riders On The Storm (1983)

I've been listening to Annabel since 1984. Her classic release from that year, The Flame, has been on my heavy rotation list ever since.

Keeping It Unreal: Supa Whitney is Strictly Fantasy

Just as I suspected, Bossip reports that the album cover featuring a MILFy, 'roided up Whitney Houston is indeed a fake. At post time, there have been no further reports of ass-whippings or cell phone embeddings on behalf of Naomi Campbell. Darn it.

A Black President? A Cure for AIDS? Elvis Is Not The King?

What the fuck?

I don't know what's going on around here, but in the last couple of days, there have been some pretty earth-rattling occurances which leads me to believe that this whole Obama thing might be the beginning of some major shifts in the way we look at the world. I mean really. Aside from white gays planning covert attacks on African American church ladies over the defeat of Proposition 8 (Incidentally, I hear that the plan is they're gonna get 'em while they're in their Sunday Best, because really, what self-respecting woman would fight back and ruin a fly dress and dope hat, but they never saw my Aunt Lula slip out of her spikes and grease up her face!), to a potential cure for AIDS. According to the Wall Street Journal, a doctor replaced a luekemia patient's bone marrow cells with those from a donor who was naturally resistant to HIV. Hey, put that condom back on!!! The medical community is choosing to remain cautiously optimistic, at best. But what about the latest Rolling Stone Poll citing Aretha Franklin, as the greatest singer of the rock era and not Elvis Presley, as previously believed? Okay, I know, tell you something you didn't already know (sorry, MJ).

And I'm not gonna break out a 40, hop on the subway, flex my chest and yell, "Move, Whitey, we running this shit now", nor will I run down to American Express and tell them, "Fuck a bailout, gimme some reparations and some goddamn CARDS!" Well, I might reconsider that last one.

Nevertheless, I'll just take all of this as a good sign. For now.

Those Headphones

Oh, by the way, those headphones in the pic from the previous post are from Swarovski. I came across them via Hypebeast. Encrusted in Amethyst Crystals, they run about 1670 Euros, which amounts to $2,404.00 in US coinz. Phab if you got it like that and want to listen to music lovely.

Pirahnahead: Come 2gether A Tribute to Obama

Brooklyn's own DJ Ben Manzone passed this choice house cut over to me, which intrapolates Obama's election night speech with a deep, sexy beat and a spare melody. This is definitely required listening. Check it out here

Marc Evans - Reach Out For Love ( Muthafunkaz 12"Remix )

Sick-ass bass. This is the truth. Catch the sample of The Jacksons' "Show You the Way to Go". Thanks to Bronx DJ Dominoe, who never fails to turn it with the fresh hot beats straight from tha oven.

Akabu ft. Linda Clifford Ride on the Storm

Linda breaks it down for you.

Gossip Re-Up

Crack Follies - Amy Winehouse makes me wanna do dope. Dlisted

It worked for Kim Kardshian, anyway. Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon takes the sex-pressway to fame. Eurweb

Speaking of nude cheetas, Mrs. First Lady, please don't let your babies do this. Bossip

Jennifer Aniston & Angelina Jolie: If I ever run into you in a dark alley... Jezebel

Will's son Jaden Smith is set to star in a remake of The Karate Kid bringing the Smith Family's quest for world domination closer to fruition. No hate, though. AllHipHop

Get your Beyasha on. Now. Concrete Loop gives you full listening access to the new album from Sasha Fierce.

Rihanna: I'm Back

A true head-nodding booty banga.

Music Throwback: Jane Child Don't Wanna Fall In Love

This remix by Teddy Riley is an example of how to enhance a jam while retaining the essence of the original

Craig David: Greatest Hits

Craig is still bringing the U.K. Garage beats for those who can keep up the pace. His Greatest Hits album is dropping on November 24. Program your iPod and work this shit out at the gym. "Where Is The Love" is sure to melt off all dose yams, hams, taytas and turkey you're sure to pack in this holiday season.

Supa Whitney: Beyonce Better Fall Back

Um, someone's been working out

Yes, she did! Whitney Houston is back on the scene after what looks like an advanced training session in body sculpting and bionics at the Pussycat Doll Stripper Bootcamp. Either that or Photoshop strikes again. from Crunk + Disorderly.

Jennifer Hudson ft. Ludacris: Pocketbook Video Spoof

The power of Christ repels you. Thanks Antonio!

Ice-T by Kehinde Wiley

Digging this portrait. Thinking about having one commissioned. Soon as I hit the lottery. Peep more of Mr. Wiley's work here.

Tortured Soul - Fall In Love (DJ Spinna Mix)

Have you experienced a "missed connection" today?