This week Kanye West premiered his new music video exclusively on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He talked about his relationship with Kim Kardashian, his proposal, and baby North. So How exactly do we feel about "Kimye"? Is it a love/hate thing? They're the most talked about couple in the world and now they have a video. Kanye was heavily involved with the concept and editing of the video. The visual for his song "Bound 2" with vocals by singer R&B singer Charlie Wilson includes Kim happily riding topless on a motorbike. The new video is creating a lot of buzz. I must admit I wasn't that impressed with it and didn't like it all that much.
I have a ritual that I do every morning to create positive energy, feed my soul and start my day off GREAT. I really believe that you need to be protective of your space, time and energy. And also that the way you wake up and the things that you do first thing sets the precedent for the day. I wake up and do things like meditate, exercise, walk my dog, listen to motivational videos from John Maxwell, etc. I also listen to music. I have a playlist of songs that speak to my soul and make me want to get up and dance, sing/ rap along and more importantly songs that set me in the right mood to tackle my day.
Here are a few songs from myself and my team that we listen to every morning to inspire us. Feel free to steal a few of these ideas to add to your own motivational playlists.
My picks:
Notorious BIG - "Juicy" I listen to this song every single morning to start me off right!
Jill Scott - "Golden" This woman's voice is like butter. You can find me humming how I'm living my life like it's golden throughout the day.
Eden Hagos' Picks:
Chamillionaire - "This is my world" Make the world yours and claim your space in it!
Travis McCoy ft. Bruno Mars - "Billionaire" Who doesn't want some of that Oprah money?
Safia Bartholomew's Picks:
Goapele - "Closer" Each day make moves to bring you closer to your dreams. Re-read your list of goals to remind you and keep you focused.
Kanye West - "Can't tell me nothing"Wait 'til I get my money right/ then you can't tell me nothing right/excuse me, is you saying something? Love Kanye! 'Nuff said with that one.
Alright folks, we've shared our picks! What are some of your must-have songs to inspire and motivate you? Meet us in the comment section below and tell us what's on your list. I need more songs for my list!!
Can you believe Jada Pinkett Smith turned 41 yesterday? If
you have been following her career since the 90s, like I have, then you’ll
probably be just as amazed to realize how far the woman who first stole our hearts
as Jason’s Lyric has really come.
Aside from her acting career Jada is now a producer, director, author, business-woman and a
singer-songwriter for a metal band. And of course, she is one of the world’s most
famous wives and mothers. And it is the way that she and her husband Will have
managed to balance all of these roles that makes me admire her most.
This week, the
Smiths released a music video starring all 3 of their kids (Jaden, Willow and
Trey – Jada’s stepson). What blows my mind is that the video was produced by
mom Jada with support from dad Will. The last time a song came out with so many
family members involved may have been the Jacksons!
This isn’t the
first time that the Smiths have collaborated with their kids on a project.
Their son Jaden starred in the remake of the Karate Kid, which they produced,
and also starred alongside his dad in The Pursuit of Happyness. Willow has also
starred in movies with her parents – I am Legend and Madagascar 3.
The cool thing is
that you can see that Jada and Will have allowed their kids to create their own
paths. They don’t seem like stage parents who force their kids to follow in
their career paths but they have definitely given their children the
confidence, opportunities and space to express themselves in their own ways.
Whether it’s their music or their style, the Smith kids don’t conform to what
others may expect of them. And they and their parents have been criticized for it.
(When Willow posted a twitter picture showing off a tongue ring twitterverse
went crazy. Willow later said the tongue ring was a fake. ) But it seems like
their kids are enjoying themselves and from what we see so far, they are really
mature,respectful and well-spoken.
I for one think
Jada is a great example of a successful womyn who emulates strength, beauty and
love. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her and her family! Check
out their new video and let me know what you think. Are you a fan of the Smith
family, or Jada herself?
Have you guys seen Lupe Fiasco’s newest video, B**** Bad? Released
3 weeks ago and watched over a million times already, it’s also nominated for a
BET Award in a new category – Impact Awards. The song challenges the use of the
B word in hip hop. There’s been a lot of talk recently about the B word and the
way women are portrayed in hip hop, with Kanye West and Steve Harvey both
getting into the conversation, just to name a few examples.
But this video gets into other topics too, such as the mixed
messages that kids get from the media and their parents. I really like that he
looks at both sides of his argument. He acknowledges how hard it can be to
protect your kids from mass media. But he also calls out those parents who expose
their kids to dangerous messages without recognizing how it affects their kids.
And the way blackface is used in the video really brings his
whole point home and calls out the industry for its lack of authenticity. Not
only is Lupe reminding us that artists are playing into a role, but he also
asks artists to take a look at the roles they are playing. By the end of the
video, the characters seem to realize that they've been playing a role and decide
not to play along anymore.
B**** Bad asks hip hop artists and fans to question a number of
things about the music that is being created these days and the video uses some
really interesting story telling techniques that you don’t see often in rap
videos. But, some people are saying the video is irrelevant. What do you think –
does it deserve the attention (and the award)?
Willow Smith just dropped her newest video 'I Am Me." It is an unapologetic proclamation to everyone to be comfortable in their own skin. You can see and feel the passion oozing out of this video. It's refreshing to see such truth in music nowadays.
To think that an 11 year old has to defend herself to the media telling them that "your validation is just not that important to me." It's so heartfelt and is a 'much watch' and a 'must share' in my opinion. We all need to remember that we need to just be ourselves and “be honest, cuz ain’t nobody got time for that.”
I think that more parents need to allow their kids to be who they are not who the parents want them to be! Cheers to Will and Jada for allowing their daughter to express herself how she she feels fit.
"I am me, I am me. And that's all I can be"
Side Note: Willow Smith is Will Smith's mini me! haha I can't get over how much she looks like her father. I see a likkle glimpse of Jada in there, but that girl is all WILL! haha. She even has some of his nuances and it's crazy to watch.
