Chris Brown, Rihanna.....

Everyone has either exclusive reports, an opinion or fresh news about the Chris Brown/Rihanna assault incident from major web sites, bloggers and your favorite blogger's blogger. It is interesting to follow. Mostly because no one expected something like this from these two and it seemed completely random. I first saw it as someone's status on facebook Sunday night and quickly thought it was a contrived rumor. Anyway, I'll save my thoughts on it for the most part, but except to talk about how this will affect the energetic singer/dancer we've affectionately come to know and love as one of the princes of r&b.

Already the 19 year-old has been dropped (suspended) from Wrigley's Doublemint commercials (that song was super catchy) and a Clevland radio stations refuses to play any of his music. Now, what is known is that he was arrested and he did assault her, but still no one knows the full story. Rihanna has made some statements, but until I see an official statement or an exclusive interview from either one it's still up in the air. Oftentimes, the hype seems to swallow a story as we assume who is the victim and who is the aggressor only later to have the truth come out.

Will his career suffer? A bit, but honestly I think he's young enough that in a few years it won't even be relevant. Not to say that hitting your girlfriend is to be taken lightly, but if we had a list for the major celebrities/athletes/ etc. who had been involved in domestic violence incidents I'd be listing all day.

Some people still bumped R.Kelly songs, supported him, and cried they were trying to bring him down and he was accused of statutory rape. If R.Kelly put out a hot single right now, he'd have no problem climbing up the charts. Not to say his image isn't tarnished, but we easily forget sometimes. My opinion on R.Kelly was that he seemed to have a history of lusting after young girls, I never saw the tape myself, but definitely thought and still think he was guilty.

But as hard as the hardcore fan of anyone may have to admit we don't know these artists. So, we can't really be surprised at anything they do unless it goes against something they previously condemned or against their entire image. Should we just keep it to the music? As much as I wish we could, people's behaviors and statements do impact how we view them. When last July rapper Yung Berg referred to dark skinned women as "dark butts" and added his two cents about why he didn't date them he offended many. Now, think of all the teen girls out there, light and dark who probably though this guy was cute and liked his music who now no longer support him. That was like shooting your career in the foot to alienate a group of people who are your fans. That's like a popular NFLer who plays for a west coast team saying he hates the entire east coast when we know sports spans the entire nation and there are fans all over no matter what city you play for. That'd be a dumb and insensitive move.

It's a fine line sometimes whether to write an artist or a celebrity off for personal things or just listen to the music. In this case, it all depends how Chris Brown plays it. He obviously did what he was accused of, despite any rumors as if it was started by Rihanna or whatever is floating around out there. But as I always say it's all about ownership; you must own what you do including your successes and your mistakes. If he really wants to show the world he's not a bad guy and people should still give a damn about him he should after it's all said and done explain to his fans and the public what went down or at least issue an apology.

At Last....Someone Doesn't Like Beyoncé.

Brief timeline: Beyoncé sings "At Last" at the inaugural ball for Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's first dance. Everyone loves it and buzzes about how great Beyoncé was (much to the rumored dismay of fellow songstresses Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey who also performed but didn't seem to get as much attention). Approximately two weeks later comes Etta James' rather spontaneous and bitter comments regarding President Obama, Beyoncé and the inauguration neighborhood ball during her recent concert.

Here's what Etta James said:

"You guys know your president, right? You know the one with the big ears?". "Wait a minute, he ain't my president. He might be yours; he ain't my president. But I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song, she's going to get her a** whipped.

The great Beyoncé. Like I said, she ain't mine. ... I can't stand Beyoncé. She has no business up there, singing up there on a big ol' president day, gonna be singing my song that I've been singing forever."

Apparently though, she made positive statements months prior about Miss Knowles for her portrayl of her in Cadillac Records, but now is in a tizzy over "her" song being sung at the inaugural celebration. I also read that when interviewed about Beyoncé playing her in the movie she was all for it but said, "well I don't think she looks like me". No, Etta she doesn't, she actually looks a lot better than you did back in the day, sorry.

I'm not a ride or die Beyoncé fan in the least bit, yet I'm no hater. (The title was purely out of play on words) I do think she's talented, but a bit overpublicized and overrated at times, but that's the celebrity/appearance obssessed society we live in. I'm not drawn to her music initially, but always end getting engaged in her songs and then getting on the bandwagon to like more.


I think Etta's comments were funny, but very ill-stated, especially saying Beyoncé was going to get her a** whipped. She was performing at concert, so I can't even give her some slack as if it was a slip of the tongue during an interview; she wanted to say what she said. Some people are saying if he wanted the song sung President Obama should have gotten Etta James, but I'm not even sure that he knew what song Beyonce was singing or perhaps he did requested it; as I'm sure a memo went out to her that "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)", or "Ring the Alarm" was not appropriate for the occasion. At the same time, Obama is not a record executive, he's the president, he doesn't need to worry about appeasing the sensitivities of 71 year-old who obviously has no respect for him since he's not her president. He can have who he wants there. I don't know if is she really just anti-Obama, or is she more mad he didn't invite her to sing?

I can understand Etta feeling slighted that Beyoncé received admiration very nationally and publically for a song she's known for, but apparently that song isn't even hers and had been recorded twice before Etta James made it popular. I know it's difficult for older singers who put their time in and probably had to work harder at success than the instant success that seems to be granted to artists these days to feel that something they made successful is being linked to someone else but for all intents, purposes, and reputations please keep it classy.
As always, at the end of the day, it's not always what you say but how you say it.

Pop Lockdown

Traditionally, pop stars have rarely made themselves. If you go back in the time, record labels, anxious parents who wanted their children to be stars, or the demand of the fans made the pop star. But today, people have the Internet, MySpace, independent labels, and every outlet imaginable to define their own image and make it on their own.

Infrequently, do artists design their road to becoming a pop star as methodically as Kanye West has. In the past hip-hop artists have crossed over that threshold into the mainstream mostly by a classic radio hit that wasn't expected to cross over and sometimes by a conscious effort by the record label to make a big hit.

Kanye doesn't care. To him, he's bigger than hip-hop. 808s & Heartbreak (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) isn't Kanye the MC, but more like Kanye the "superstar". He's not testing limits, he's breaking limits. Hate it, or love it, it's pretty darn creative. It may seem random, but it's not, he has a plan. He's driven himself into a lane where he can be more than a rapper and people are falling for it. New sound, new look, new book, and new ambitions. Some still scream for the old Kanye though. I do too.

I'm still a bigger fan of the rapper in Kanye, still was utterly confused by "Love Lockdown", then grew to love it as a good song when I realized had anyone else did it I would of automatically liked it so there was no point in resisting, still think it's hard to top College Dropout (in my mind), and don't agree with Kanye's statement that his latest is the best he's every done, but I respect the craft. He's the pop on lockdown.


Kanye West's and Louis Vuitton sci-fi inspired kicks:
The verdict's still out on this one but I may need Damon Wayons and David Alan Grier's soundcue of "hated it" from Men on Film"

Gangstas Don't Ask Questions

You know you're someone special when Katie Couric interviews you! I've always liked Katie's style and approach, but she certainly brought it home for me a few months ago when she grilled Sarah Palin, and basically proved furthermore to America why this woman was not right for the position as VP of the United States.

Expecting the worst, from this clip from Katie Couric's All Access Grammy Special Lil' Wayne actually came across as mellow and down to earth speaking to her about music and why he dropped the 'D' from his name.

However, I guess to remind the world he's a "rapper"and "hood", when asked a legitimate question by Katie Couric regarding what he'd ask Former President Bush if he had a chance to about how Hurricane Katrina was handled he responded, " I'm gangsta and gangstas don't ask questions".

What Lil' Wayne? There's no Styrofoam cup in your hand nor are you slurring any words, so I'm assuming your sober when you're giving this interview, so what kind of answer was that? He made an interesting comparison in the beginning when he told her music is a another form of the news and journalism and with his music he reports on the new president, his take on money, the economy, etc. I just feel he could of had a better response than that. At least explained why gangstas don't ask questions!



But I just find it hard being that Lil' Wayne can come off intelligent when he chooses to, and hard seeming as he's a New Orleans native who has spoken out about Hurrican Katrina's aftermath and someone who looks to get teary-eyed in the interview when she brings up the subject retorts by claiming "gangstas don't ask questions". No hate, no hate, I actually like Lil' Wayne, I just feel that comment a.) made no sense and b.) just wasn't the right forum to say that. But I guess he was just keepin' it gangsta.

My DVD's Out

An interview I did with Sanaa Lathan, mostly centered on the DVD release of Tyler Perrys' The Family That Preys.

http://www.vibe.com/news/online_exclusives/2009/01/my_dvd_out_sanaa_lathan/

BIG Screen

I'm always so late when it comes to blogging, but what else is new. I saw Notorious last week. What kind of hip-hop fan would I be if I didn't see a film based on the life of one of the most iconic figures in hip-hop culture?



The hype surrounding the movie was everywhere and I couldn't deny the bait. The TV commercials, articles and interviews I read combined with curiosity drew me in. But what sparked real interest is how much attention was made to the movie. It wasn't just some sloppy attempt to tell the Notorious B.I.G's story without the real input from those who were closest to him.

Any movie, no matter how much it's based on someone's life is going to cut corners and glamorize or exaggerate certain situations to make it appeal to a movie-going audience and Notorious really didn't differ much in that aspect. I liked the movie and I think that it showed different aspects of his life from being the artist we all know and loved, but it also captured some vulnerabilities in his life such as his relationship with his mother and children, and romantic relationships. It was very nostalgic if you were around at the time or just remember the music scene during the mid-late 90s'. Yes, I was a youngin', but I always had a predisposition for good music.

The character choice was good in my opinion, even though I'm still not sold though on Derek Luke as Diddy. But Lil' Kim's reaction to the film I didn't quite get until I saw it. Despite her somewhat delusional preferences of who would play her (Christina Milian to or as I've heard also, an Asian), she did have a point as to how she was portrayed.

Obviously, Faith Evans was Big's wife. Although they had a rocky relationship at some points it's always been an understanding of their relationship as husband and wife. Whereas, Lil' Kim's relationship with Biggie has always been kind of reduced to her being the mistress/sidepiece. Of course, no one ever truly knows or can comprehend the relationship between two people except for those involved, so I'm sure there's lots we don't know.

Naturi Naughton, (as Lil Kim) did a phenomenal job of the role as the rough street girl with raw talent we saw when Kim first emerged on the scene. However, in the movie she gets naked more than once in some pretty racy scenes. Now, the first time she's au natural is the scene where her and Big flirt for awhile and he invites her to eat and the next scene is them having sex. I was like what? Already? Not sure if that' s fact or fiction. Lil' Kim's always been known for brash sexual lyrics and for dressing scantily, so they got that right. But what struck me as odd she was the only character to bare anything in the film. There are no shots of any groupies or anyone else showing off body parts. Just Lil' Kim.


On another note, I'm glad they portrayed Tupac in Notorious. Of course I am a Tupac fan until the end. I like Bigge's music and understand his influence and legacy, but I always felt I connected more with Tupac, musically. Anthony Mackie was a nice fit for the role. I think he channeled the charisma, spontaneous, and overall appeal Tupac had in the few scenes he was in. I realize the film was about Biggie and Tupac did play a small role in his early career at some point but the complexity of him was not really touched on except for one scene where Biggie talks about the different sides of Tupac. Again, understood. This was not a biopic of Tupac's life (although I'd be interested to see a film of it, no offense to Tupac Ressurection, but a non-documentary would be interesting as well.)

All in all, it's what I expected and I think most people who like it, unless they're bent on being super critical about the specifics. On another note, if Lil' Kim really does want to release some tell all book to set her record straight as is rumored, I'd be interested to see her side of the story. I'm also interested to see where this exposure takes Jamal "Gravy" Woolard in his future.

A B1tch Please Moment 1

From time to time, my seemingly monotonous life has a few funny, random, and ridiculous scenarios. Many of which I'm simply a casualty of while MMODB (minding my own damn business). A b1tch please moment is when someone offends, annoys, or antagonizes me or just stuns me by their excess stupidity or audacity.



Today on my way from work, I hear a guy say to this woman, "oh you're going on the train".
(he tries to help her out saying he'd heard her mention something about getting on the train)
Old woman with roll along bag in toe: "No I didn't say anything about the train. I'm on my way to Jersey, I've got unfinished business". She acts as if she's offended he even bothered speaking to her and looks all spastic.

Already, I'm chuckling silently at unfinished business. What does someone owe her 30Gs for some kilos of cocaine?

The guy: Jersey? (note: we're already in Jersey).

He stays quiet. I assume he feels he's done his civic duty by trying to be nice, but notices she's off her rocker.

She repeats, "I've got unfinished business".

Then goes on to say how her house was torn down/torn up, and the cops did it. She also says, "I'm going to have a warrant put out for John Corzine's arrest", and blabs about how he is letting them do what they want and she sat in his office all day at some point. Yah, okay.

She rants about how her house along the Jersey shore was ran through by cops. (yes, alert me if this makes sense by now because I didn't get it).

The guy is just nodding quietly I guess cursing himself out for even trying to be nice.

Then she says, "there's going to be a civil war. With the whites. All whites". (note she's white, and note half the people around her were probably minorities of some sort

"They all come over here and get things for free". (I guess she means foreigners).

It's funny though. I snicker as I walk behind them and feel bad for the poor guy who has no response (he's white as well...I think or she thought he was).

Sheer ridiculousness. Any lessons from this: 1. Don't try to be nice to everyone because crazy people can look just like you and I and 2. old people get away with saying anything (unless no one else heard her but me)

And another b1tch please moment....(drumroll)
I get a MySpace friend request from some 20 year old kid with a message tagged in it, "Can i be ya groupie since your my SUPERSTARRR********"...........I have no words. Just none.