Petition Urges Record Labels To ‘Stop Degradation Of Black People’

by: April D. Byrd

source

A petition has been circulating that has become very popular. The change.org document created by Kenneth Paulk is making big headlines around the web. The creator is serving notice to Artists and big record companies to end the disrespect of black culture, mostly through black artists. The petition is detail oriented and lists all the "dirty" companies clearly by name.

Time will tell if the petition will make a difference in the music and entertainment industry, but the writer is very direct on his intentions. He claims that companies and artists can stop valuing money over quality of content. Digital Media has definitely been given a new platform to Social Justice. The request may be a big leap of faith, but it might not be such a hard bargain. The mission holds good reason and merit, but will merit be enough? check out the details (below):

"This petition is for our future children and grandchildren. This petition is for our ancestors that sacrificed and died to make things better for us.

We have to let our ancestors know that we will not allow our legacy to be destroyed by corporate America, and we will not allow our legacy to be destroyed by a few greedy music artist that value money more than they value their own people.

When you see bad things happening and don't say anything it will continue forever. Bad things will only stop when good people take a stand against it.

Record companies the rappers are your EMPLOYEES and you would never allow your EMPLOYEES to make songs that disrespect or degrade the Jewish people, and you would never allow your employees to make songs that disrespect Gays, but you allow your employees to make songs that disrespect and degrade black people.

Record companies you make a profit by allowing rappers to call black people n!gger and n!gga in their songs. Record companies you would never allow rappers to make songs that glorify the killing of Jews or Gays, but you allow rappers to make songs that glorify the killing of blacks, and you profit from it.

The negative rappers value money and material things more than they value the betterment of their own people, they don't even care about the damage that their music is doing to us as a people. We would never allow whites or any other groups to make songs against us, and we shouldn't allow blacks to do it either.
    

People will only do what you allow them to do, and as black people we are at fault to a large degree because for the last 20 years we have allowed record companies and rappers to degrade us as a people and get a way with it.

Just like other groups of people would never allowed themselves to be disrespected it's time for black people to show the world that we love ourselves as well.

We must send a clear message to those that have exploited us and harmed us as a people. The best way is through legal action or class action lawsuit against any record company, record distributor or music artist that continues to put out those kind of songs.

Stevie Wonder has sold over 100 million records and he never called us n!ggers in his songs. He always called us brothers and sisters in his songs.

Black people we gave the world great music, we gave the world Soul music, Jazz and other forms of music. I refused to stand by and watch our great music legacy be trashed and destroyed before the whole world.

99% of rappers are signed to these record companies and distributors below, this petition is against these companies and their rap artist. These are the names of the executives that run these record companies that degrade blacks.":

Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Charles Grainge

Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug Morris

Warner Music Group CEO Stephen F Cooper

Island Def Jam CEO Barry Weiss

Island Def Jam President Steve Bartels

Interscope Geffen A&M Records President John Janick

RCA Records CEO Peter Edge

Virgin EMI Records President Ted Cockle

Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman

Young Money President, Dwayne Michael Carter Jr

Cash Money Records CEO'S,  Bryan and Ronald Williams

Capitol Music Group CEO Steve Barnett

The FCC is going to be asked to play a major role in this.

Federal Communication Commission (FCC) president, Tom Wheeler

  

Will you be signing the petition? Do you think it will make a difference? Leave a comment in the section below and continue the convo on  Trey Anthony's Facebook Fan Page.

T-Pain: "Rappers Won’t Work With Frank Ocean Because He’s Gay"

by: April D. Byrd

Hip-Hop Super Producer T-Pain is speaking out in defense of his assistant and against homophobia in Hip-Hop. As T-Pain begins to speak out more openly on the issue, he revealed that not only are people afraid to approach him because his assistant is an out gay man, but He also knows certain rappers who refuse to work with Frank Ocean because of Ocean’s sexuality.

Pain said in a statement: 
“I think the radio is getting more gay-friendly,” he said. “I don’t think urban music is getting more gay-friendly, because if that was the case, Frank Ocean would be on a lot more songs. He also went on to say that he feel's "No-Homo" jokes are unnecessary. The producer also took his rant to twitter:

Just see a lot of ppl lookin at my assistant like “oh no better not go that way. That guy wants my butt” don’t be an idiot. Ur still fugly
— T-Pain (@TPAIN) April 16, 2013

Attention all homophobic idiots: if you’re not attractive to straight women, you’re probably not attractive to gay men. You can unclench now
— T-Pain (@TPAIN) April 16, 2013

T-Pain is speaking his truth foul mouthed and all. Check out His exclusive interview with DJ Vlad in the (video below). Parental Warning:---- Explicit Language.


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What do you think of T-Pain's perspective? Do you Agree?...or is the rapper just using the N-word too much for you to tell?! Let Us know in the comments below and follow up on Trey Anthony's Facebook fan page. 

Let's Hear it!!

India.Arie Pens "Open Letter" On Grammy Awards & Racism

by: April D. Byrd

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards caused a big stir in the entertainment industry as usual. The residual buzz surrounding Beyonce's titillating thong and Kendrick Lamar's surprising snub is just a smidgen of the controversy that has kept the Award's show in the headlines.

Singer and Performing Artist India.Arie is standing out a bit more substantially and making her voice heard. The songstress wrote an open letter about the small amount of honor and support the Grammy's has shown to R&B and Hip Hop artists. India refused to let the awards show off the hook for behavior she refers to as racist.

The singer wrote these words (below) via her personal tumblr:

@Kendricklamar WAS robbed, BUT he was not the only one who was robbed. Personally, I was pleased he was able to perform and they KILLED! IT! One of the FEW moving moments of the night for ME.

Though it’s called “Music industries biggest night” the #Grammys are NOT about the music, it’s a popularity contest. The voting process allows people, to vote on name recognition alone - the music industry politics is a whole NUTHER conversation.  Too much to go into here.

The American Music Awards is a show that awards sales and popularity - the #Grammys are SAID to be about the music. If the hip hop community voted on hip hop -  r&b COMMUNITY the same -  same for each category - we’d see winners that reflect the MUSIC ITSELF. We all know that’s just not the way it goes. 

NOW the BIGGER losers, are ALL of black music. Where was the black music community represented in last nights #Grammy show? Performers and Winners (or not) … Where were the black artists?

And this isn’t the first time the #Grammy’s has had a show all but excluding young black America and black artists in general, although we set the worlds musical trends. Why NOT televise the lifetime achievement awards of the Isley Brothers? SURELY they deserved to be on televised stage LAST NIGHT! While other artists were on stage TWICE?

The truth is in a perfect world diversity would matter, and respect would be rampant, but the TRUTH is, The #Grammys is a television show, and in THAT world ratings reign supreme.  So, in general, bigger names take the stage, and sadly the biggest names often times ARE BIGGER drawn along racial lines from the release of an album. i.e. marketing dollars, and just general support.  It’s unfortunate.

I don’t even get surprised any more, but, it still hits my sense of fairness, because I KNOW many of the artists who are overlooked. I LIVE in that world. We keep showing up and subjecting ourselves to the game, hoping MAYBE we’ll win. I was so HAPPY to see @Kendricklamar take that stage - because it is a FORM of winning, at LEAST, he was SEEN.

Speaking of diversity, congratulations to my PERSONAL favorite albums of the year -  @I_GregoryPorter #LiquidSpirit @Realsnarkypuppy and @lalahhathaway on your win and THANK YOU! @pharrell for acting RIGHT in the presence of the greatness that is @Nilerodgers and #StevieWonder

Love to all #SoulBirdsWorldWide

@IndiaArie

P.S. No mention of Nelson Mandela at ALL? … and THIS is why we NEED the Image Awards AND the BET awards.

Does India.Arie have a point?  What did you think about the Grammy Awards this year?

Total Eclipse Of The Heart: (Parenting Style)

The other night Wife and I went to a birthday celebration for an old friend (as in long-time, not as in her age).  Anyway, it was a night of Karaoke in one of those awesome private rooms so that you and your friends can totally indulge and don’t have to share the Karaoke spotlight with anyone other than your group.  Brilliant!

So sitting with a friend, who I actually have not seen since she became a mama two years ago, she pointed out that Total Eclipse of the Heart by the much loved Bonnie Tyler, could ostensibly be a song about parenting.  Yes!  Of course.  To prove this, I have recorded my own version of Total Eclipse of the Heart.  Wife, has kindly agreed to make an appearance.  She’s amazing.  We both are.  You’ll be shocked that, despite our musical pasts, we now only sing at home and in private Karaoke rooms.




Are there any other songs out there that could serve as a parenting metaphor?  Share your submissions in the comments. 

Xo Ajike 

R. Kelly and The Culture Of Sex

By: April D. Byrd

The controversy surrounding singer R. Kelly is crazy. The internet has blown up with the concept, to support or not to support his career. The discussion can't be considered too late, because it's far from unwarranted. It's not shocking that he's under fire again for his background and the nature of his music. Even if we by-pass all the official allegations and charges, his mostly sexual discography speaks for itself. Seriously, this is Mr. My-Minds-Telling-Me-No-But-My-Body-Is-Telling-Me-Yes, because I want to Feel-On-Your-Booty and Ride-You-Like-My-Jeep. We can see how he thinks for the most part. Are we really surprised at the backlash or the allegations?

It doesn't help that his latest album is also explicit in nature, but again it shouldn't be too surprising. Since the discourse is now open. How do we let other artists with sexual and derogatory lyrics off the hook? Bumping along with beats and partly ignoring lyrics may be cosigning the use of women as tools or property to some extent. Incidentally Beyonce has also been catching hell  and making women question the true meaning of feminism and girl power around the world. In one of her most recent songs her husband Jay-Z actually compares himself to Ike Turner.


All this talk about the culture of sex in the music industry just takes us back to the question. Should artists with a platform be considered role models or not? Perhaps, its just up to us to censor what we ourselves listen to and which artists/media we support. The nature and inspiration of R.Kelly's perversion is openly exposed. How much more media are we being fed and eating up without question, or concern? How much does it affect our perception? or future generations?

What do you think of the whole ordeal? Do you support R. Kelly? or his demise? Listen to Sexually offensive content, because of the nice beat? or Do you think more Artists Should be held accountable and called out for their lyrics and lifestyle? Is freedom of speech truly freedom from responsibility?  Leave Your Comments Below.

Kanye West Debuts New Video with Kim Kardashian

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.  

What are your thoughts about it?

Check out the video below:

16 year old Producer, Wondagurl, Shows Us That Dreams Can Happen at Any Age

16 year old producer, Wondagurl proves that age ain't nothing but a number when it comes to chasing your dreams. Her story spread throughout the Internet this week with the release of Jay-Z's much hyped album release Magna Carta Holy Grail, as it was discovered that a 16 year old producer from Brampton produced a track on the album.

Talk about defying any limitations - she's a female (how many womyn producers can you think of?), she's young and she is North of the border farrrrr away from the life of Jay-Z. So how did she make this happen? She visualized what she wanted and then took action to get there.

In a Toronto Star article, she explained that she got started because she saw a video of Jay-Z and Timbaland in the studio working on beats and she wanted to do what they were doing, she wants to be one of the greats. So, fast forward a bit and she may still be working on establishing her name but her hard work landed her on the album of one of the very greats that she first visualized.

She is more proof that you can make whatever you want happen as long as you have a dream, a plan and are committed.

Happy Friday!

Lauryn Hill Pens Letter to Fans: The Battle Between Business and Artistry

Lauryn Hill’s name has stayed in the news and blogs in recent years for everything but the music that we all loved and appreciated. Her recent tax troubles have gone public as she was set to face jail time for owing almost $1 million to the government. Everyone has harshly criticized her decisions. From the outside looking in, she was the womyn who could have anything that she wanted yet continually made poor decisions in her absence from music to her relationships. While I can’t speak on what is happening in her personal life, I do think that we all need to give Ms.Hill a break when it comes to the struggle between artistry and the music business.

No matter what type of artist you are – singer, painter, comedian, etc.- there is always going to be a battle between being true to your art and getting the payment and business respect that you deserve. Especially in the music business, people see these artists flashing their money and fancy homes so we believe that their life and decisions are easy but really sometimes they have to sacrifice their art and what they truly want to do in order to remain financially successful. There are some artists that are just not willing to do this, Lauryn Hill being one of them and anyone remember Dave Chappell running away from his multi-million dollar deal because it felt like too much of a departure from what he originally thought he wanted?

Lauryn recently posted to her Tumblr account, a letter to her fans to explain her issues with her taxes and her new deal with Sony. I think that she brought up a lot of interesting points that echo that struggle between artistry and capital. Check out what she had to say here:

It has been reported that I signed a new record deal, and that I did this to pay taxes. Yes, I have recently entered into an agreement with Sony Worldwide Entertainment, to launch a new label, on which my new music will be released. And yes, I am working on new music.

I’ve remained silent, after an extensive healing process. This has been a 10+ year battle, for a long time played out behind closed doors, but now in front of the public eye. This is an old conflict between art and commerce… free minds, and minds that are perhaps overly tethered to structure. This is about inequity, and the resulting disenfranchisement caused by it. I’ve been fighting for existential and economic freedom, which means the freedom to create and live without someone threatening, controlling, and/or manipulating the art and the artist, by tying the purse strings.

It took years for me to get out of the ‘parasitic’ dynamic of my youth, and into a deal that better reflects my true contribution as an artist, and (purportedly) gives me the control necessary to create a paradigm suitable for my needs. I have been working towards this for a long time, not just because of my current legal situation, but because I am an artist, I love to create, and I need the proper platform to do so.

The nature of my new business venture, as well as the dollar amount reported, was inaccurate, only a portion of the overall deal. Keep in mind, my past recordings have sold over 50,000,000 units worldwide, earning the label a tremendous amount of money (a fraction of which actually came to me).

Only a completely complicated set of traps, manipulations, and inequitable business arrangements could put someone who has accomplished the things that I have, financially in need of anything. I am one artist who finds value in openly discussing the dynamics within this industry that force artists to compromise or distort themselves and what they do, rather than allowing them to make the music that people need. There are volumes that could (and will) be said.

MLH

  

Has Hip Hop Gone Too Far?

I first want to say that I've always been a fan of hip hop, there are a few lyrics that I cringe at but overall some of my favorite songs are made by rap artists. But with that said, there is a new generation of rap that I cannot get with! I believe in the old saying that, "if you don't stand for something, then you will fall for anything." I will not stand for some of the lyrics these days that promote "popping molly" (a pure form of ecstasy) or not too long ago Lil Wayne comparing performing a sexual act on a female to the terrible tragedy that happened years ago to Emmett Till who was beaten to death for allegedly whistling at a white womyn. The recent controversial lyric comes from rapper Rick Ross, who brags about slipping molly in a womyn's drink and having sex with her without her knowledge.

The lyrics that Ross used were:

 Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it
I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.

Is this where music is going? Thankfully there are a couple of radio stations in the states that are taking a stand against this type of negative and degrading music by banning these songs from being played. I'm very happy to hear this and hope that more radio and video stations follow suite. I believe in artistic and creative expression, but by promoting date rape as the norm and coming from a rapper, may be viewed as cool or enticing to young people, is completely irresponsible.

What do you all think, has rap culture gone too far to ignore or just a form of freedom of expression?

Is the Ban on Baring Skin at The Grammys Justified or a Restriction on Artistic Expression?

Who doesn't love watching what crazy outfits artists will show up in at the Grammys? For me, I remember the years of the Grammys by memorable outfits: the year of JLO's green dress with the navel grazing neckline, the year that Lady Gaga showed up in that crazy egg...That's what made the Grammys often ridiculous but at least fun to watch.

But yesterday, it was announced that they will be restricting their dress code and strictly enforcing it. The statement released referenced making sure that the, "buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered." They also banned sheer / see-through clothing that could perhaps expose the female nipple.

While I get that in the past years, artists would show up in less and less clothes seemingly playing a game of who can be the most risque and wear the least amount of clothes, I don't know if I am onboard with an actual ban of this. Out of all the red carpets that these people have to show up to, Grammys seemed like the most fun and freeing for them to express themselves and their individual style. But now the Grammy red carpet will be one, like the others, where everyone has to play it safe.

Will you be watching the Grammys this Sunday? And, what do you think about this year's dress code - a good idea or restricting artistic individuality?

Music is supposed to inspire…and Copperwire’s Starbound does that and so much more

Guest blog by Eden Hagos

Gabriel Teodros, Meklit Hadero  and Burntface aka Elias Fullmore are three artists whose careers prove that it is in fact possible to entertain while standing for something more than the superficiality that passes for (mainstream) music nowadays. But it is together, as music trio Copperwire, that they are rewriting the boundaries of music and storytelling.

As a diasporan I find a sense of comfort and belonging in Copperwire’s music that just can’t be matched in the physical world. Their songs touches on themes such as home and belonging that resonate with immigrants like myself, but that also speak to the human experience in general.

As a fundraiser I watched in awe as they kicked off a $25,000 Kickstarter campaign to fund Starbound – a sequel to Earthbound. And when they reached their goal I silently cheered them on, inspired by their success and excited to see the end result.

But it is as an artist that their work inspires me the most - not only to challenge myself to come up with new forms of expression but also to be more creative in my collaborations. Earthbound, which the group describes as a “hip-hop space opera”, transcends the physical and social barriers of nation and genre, and takes us to the outer limits of the universe. The album includes a sci-fi backstory with alter egos which can be found on their website.  

Starbound, which they are currently working on, will forever change the way audiences listen to albums. It will include a comic book, games and various remix apps, all of which will allow the listener to interact with and recreate the songs they’re listening to. They’re even working with NASA to incorporate the sound of real stars into their music!  

While December 21^st, 2012 did not mark the end of the world in the literal, physical way many feared, I can only hope that with Copperwire leading the way, 2013 will be the beginning of a new era – one that thrives on collaboration and revolution.

Through their music and innovation Copperwire is proving that there is still much that can be done in and through music if only we allow ourselves to believe it. By creating new ways of thinking about and listening to an album they have shown that art can be meaningful and entertaining at the same time and that every artist has the ability to make an impact on the world.

As we prepare for the 2^nd Millionaire Artist  Workshop, I hope you will challenge yourself to take your art to the next level. Join us at the workshop and find out how artists such as trey anthony are laying claim to their passion and creating new and exciting opportunities for themselves and others.

In the meantime, I encourage you to check out Copperwire’s work. To start you off here’s one of my favourite songs. Enjoy!

MONDAY MOTIVATION: The Soundtrack of My Life - Creating a Playlist to Set the Tone For Your Day

 

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!!

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Bitch Bad: Hip hop and the B word.

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)?

Check out the video and let me know what you think.

Chris Lighty's death: A Chance To Open Up About Suicide

WOW!  Chris Lighty was found dead yesterday (Sept 30, 2012.)  Unless you are a hip-hop head (like myself), you might not know who he is, but you have certainly heard of the artists he has managed over the years.  He has worked with Mariah Carey, Fantasia, LL Cool J, Missy Elliot and 50 Cent just to name a few.

He was a brilliant manager and a marketing guru who has shaped careers for many successful artists.  He was only 44 when he died.  It completely shocked the entire industry. 

Cause of death: suicide.

It seems as though suicides have been on the rise lately.  Maybe it's because the stigma regarding suicide among the African American community has lightened.  Or the current generation is a little more open to discussing a topic that has always been hush hush among the Black community.  (Suicide has often been regarded just one of those things that "Black people just don't do".)  But I've noticed higher numbers in suicides in the past year.

It's time that we start talking.  

I realize that this topic is not easy to talk about, but if a simple discussion could save the life of someone you cared about wouldn't you have it?

Suicide is rarely spontaneous.  There are often many warning signs that we can catch if we are in tune with the people around us.  But first we need to pay attention.  We need to reach out when someone spontaneously crosses our minds.  We need to spend more time with our friends and family getting to know them so that when something is wrong we are able to identify it.

There is no quick-fix answer. No text book can tell us how to prevent it.  All I know is that it is a problem and the only way to remedy it is to open our mouths and talk!

I wasn't planning to go that deep on you on a Friday before the last long weekend of the summer, but hearing of Lightly death really made me wonder WHY?  Why would anyone, regardless of race, age, gender or class consider ending it all as the only option.

I can only hope that his death sheds light on the subject and that somewhere around a dining room table someone is talking about suicide prevention.

Prays and positive vibes to his entire family, and to anyone who has recently lost someone.

RIP Chris Lighty

Aaliyah: It's Been 11 Years Already!

I can't believe that it's been almost 11 years since Aaliyah has passed away!  It's crazy how fast time passes. I still remember hearing the news for the first time.  I was excited about her new video, 'Rock The Boat' and I remember there being a buzz around the fact that she was filming in The Bahamas.  I remember hearing it and not believing that it was true. (Now this was before we depended on computers and wikipedia for all of our fact-checking) and waited for the news to confirm it! It really was a sad day!

She was such an incredible talent and a great actress who had a budding career ahead of her.  She had just started making movies, was engaged to Damon Dash, she literally was starting her life when it was cut short.

It makes me wonder what she would have been like at 33?  I wonder how her music would have evolved?  I wonder how her music career would have been?  She was only 22 when she passed away! She was so young!

I've been listening and reminiscing on her music and 90s hip hop and R&B in general and that was a great time for music!   The vibe was different.  The music had more depth and meaning. Videos had story lines and plots to follow. It's a little scary to look at what this generation has to look back on as 'old skool' when they grow up!

Here's a few Aaliyah tracks to remind you of the 'good old days!'

What's your favorite Aaliyah track?

Try Again:

Are You That Somebody:

Four Page Letter:

Rock The Boat:

Hot Like Fire:

Janelle Monae Is The Newest CoverGirl!

I'm sure some of you have seen this by now.  CoverGirl has recently announced it's newest spokesperson: Janelle Monae.

You probably haven't seen many of her videos, unless you are a fan. But I'm sure you've heard her song 'Tightrope' either on the radio or on TV (it was the soundtrack for one of Chevy's commercials).  She is a force to be reckoned with.  She is an incredibly talented artist who is vocally talented and ridiculously creative.  And she's only 26.

Her hit single 'Tightrope' was from her 2010 album called "ArchAndroid".  Take a listen:

I'm glad that CoverGirl decided to use Janelle as a representative of the brand as she isn't their 'usual' type.  She is usually donning her signature 50s hairdo, tuxedo, tie (either bow tie or regular tie) and saddle shoes and has a quirky wit about her.

I have also noticed that CoverGirl has been including different types of 'divas' in their recent campaigns (the ads and commercials with Ellen make me laugh) and that is to be celebrated.

I love these pictures and her style.  More girls need to see that you don't need to be half naked to get your point across.  Just be you!  Rock what you've got! and celebrate your personal style and sense of fashion!

Also check out the behind the scenes footage:

The Power of Music

This video really warms every inch of my heart.  I think we can all identify with the ultimate power that music has.  Just a few notes can take you back to your first love, first break up, that first dance with your crush at your 8th grade dance, Christmas, your favorite concert just to name a few.

The video below is a clip of the upcoming documentary "Alive Inside."  In this video, an elderly man who has been in a nursing home for about 10 years, and is generally unresponsive, springs to life in remarkable ways and even sings songs from his favorite artist, Cab Calloway when he hears his favorite music.

If you didn't believe in the power of music before...you should now.  There is no denying that music is inspiring.

Listen to your favorite track and have a powerful day!

What is your favorite 'go-to' track?


read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/alive-inside-documentary-explores-music-effect-on-elderly_n_1416053.html

Congrats Melanie!

Last night Melanie Amaro became the first contestant to win X-Factor USA and $5 million. I can't help but be happy for the island girl whose lifelong dream came true.

Does she have more growing to do? Of course! For starters she's only 19 and besides we all have room to grow. (In fact the only time you should stop growing is when you're dead!) But she worked hard and surmounted many obstacles along this journey. In fact, she heard the word 'no' almost every step of the way but persevered and came out victorious.

It just goes to show that you should never give up on your dreams; even when it seems like the only door of hope just closed right in front your face.

Keep pushing, keep striving and keep working...the world is watching!

Rihanna Called N-Word In Dutch Fashion Magazine 'Jackie'

A Dutch fashion magazine, Jackie, recently called Rihanna a "n***abitch" with a "ghetto ass" in an article describing her sense of style. Excerpt from the article below:

"She has street cred, she has a ghetto ass and she has a golden throat. Rihanna, the good girl gone bad, is the ultimate n***abitch and she displays that gladly--for her that means what's on can come off. If that means she'll be on stage half naked, then so be it. But Dutch winters aren't like Jamaican ones, so pick a clothing style in which your daughter can resist minus ten [temperatures]. No to the big sunglasses and the pornheels, and yes to the tiger print, pink 'shizzle,' and everything that glitters. Now let's hope she won't beat anybody up at daycare."

At first, the editor-in-chief, Eva Hoeke, took to Twitter and stated that the original intention for the choice of words was to be a 'joke' and apologized for potentially offending anyone. However, after realizing the error she tweeted: ‘1. Don’t publish bad jokes in the magazine 2. Don’t pretend bad jokes to be funny. Sorry guys. My bad.’

The backlash continued. Hoeke was harassed and threatened and by the end of the day she found it necessary to quit her job at Jackie after 8 long years.

This incident got me thinking about the state of North American popular culture. Step out of North America for a moment and take a look at what other countries see when they look at our culture. There are flashes of bitches and n***as littered all throughout our pop culture and we don't think twice about the effect it has on the rest of the world.

Is this a classic case of being lost in translation? Was the magazine being malicious? Should the Dutch have know better? Done their research? or were they reflecting what they see pouring out of North American media? Interested in hearing your thoughts. Let's start a discussion.


blessings,

t

Article in Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/20/rihanna-called-n-word-in-_n_1160181.html