We Miss You

Today is the five year anniversary of the death of one of my favorite singers. Aaliyah Dana Houghton was a beautiful young woman whom it was my pleasure to meet when she came to the city where I was living at the time. Her warmth was real... her smile infectious. Her grace and realness was not imaged nor was it a facade. What you saw with her was what you got. She loved her mother and respected what her opinions on everything from the clothes she wore to the dance routines she performed. And while Liyah may not have been the strongest dancer in the world, she had it, that star quality that is so difficult to define, but once seen, is seldom forgotten.
I have been on several blogs today where the owners have commented on her passing, and in perusing through the comments left by visitors, I have been at times shocked, and then saddened at the way some people feel the need to constantly put down everything about Baby Girl. I've seen everthing from "she couldn't sing" to "she was just a fake ass wannabe Beyonce!" Why is it that when someone dies, we have to automatically start comparing everyone else to them? Is it because we're trying to keep Liyah's spirit alive.... or just because it's so hard to say goodbye to someone who is certainly, at least in my mind, gone too soon?

Whatever it is, Aaliyah, I for one was a fan from the very first moment I hear "At Your Best" and I will continue to spin your music, because your voice touched something deep inside all of us that I hope would continue to inspire us to be better... RIP Baby Girl, and if you see my Grandma and Grandpa, tell them hello and I love you!

Harpo!!! What Dis Noise Is?!?!

I was over at my favorite guilty pleasure C&D a lil while ago and what do I happen to come across? A tiff is a'brewing between Monica and Ms. Jones from Hot97 in NY. Apparently Monica took offense at something Jonesy said and decided to try to call her out. Now, seeing as how I'm not in the NY area, I just had to run right chere to check out the audio, of Ms. Jones' response to what was said. Suffice it to say Mz Nikki was giggling her azz off when it was all over and done. I don't know Ms. Jonez or Monica, but Ms. J got a point. These damned artists are putting out trash for us to listen to, but still expecting respect and for niccas not to call them on that shit?!?!

*In my best Mya Wilkes' voice* Oh HELL no! If yo shit ain't right, I gots ta call you on that ish. Artists putting out cd's in 2 weeks (*ahem* BeNONsay), tearin' up ish that wasn't broke (Damn it Miss Janet!!!), and dumbing down their music to appease uneducated, unoriginal and just palin azz ignant fans (Monica, Bey, Ciara, Pon De Forehead... and the list goes on...) are becoming an epidemic. I don't give a damn who you think you are, but do you are not allowed to get pissy with me when I say your overhyped coochie poppin', hood rat soundtrack soundin' tripe sux a bowl of Flavor Flav nutz. I can't help it if I'm allergic to the shitty overprocessed, mumble moufed, ignance that passes for mursic now adays.

Ms. Jones got some serious points. What ever happened to the days when labels cared about the music their artists produced? What happened to heads of record companies hearing some mess their artists were getting ready to put out and saying, "Ummmmm I think you might need to rethink that option"? Is it just that they don't care, or is something more insidious going on? Have we arrived at a time and date where real musicians are being run out of the business in favor of pretty girls who can't carry a fuvkin' tune if their lives depended on it? As a fellow poster at C&D once said, "I remember when pretty girls modeled instead of singing... I guess them days are over." I guess they are indeed.

I dunno ya'll... see I came up during the era of Gamble & Huff, Motown, & Arista with Clive Davis at the helm. People like Aretha, Gladys, The Spinners, The Chi-Lites, The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, Patti, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan, Rufus, Prince, Michael Jackson, The Jacksons, Whitney, Boyz II Men, and a host of others were the required listening in my household. I was born into the 70's, became a child of the 80's and a woman of the 90's. Those were the decades when music was still music. You could put on an EW&F cd and play that bish from front to back and narry a song you skipped because that ish was fyah from beginning to end. Nuff said.

So ya'll gon have to excuse me if I think most of this crap they are putting out today sounds like two yaks fuvkin' to me, 'cause I know real music. Bey, Janet, Ciara, Cassie and nem just... ain't... it!

Rang the Dayum Alarm Already!!!

I just finished watching the video for "Ring the Alarm" and while I am no fan of SWSNBN, I must admit to having found a whole new respect for her after listening to/viewing this video. Ladies, how many of us have had those moments where we were wanting to ring the alarm after having given a man all of ourselves? Walk with me for a moment and soon you'll see what I mean.

A friend of mine (Sharice) recently got out of a 10 year relationship with a man I'll call "David". David was from the "wrong" side of the tracks, but my girl said fuck it, I'll take a chance on this man because he has potential and I want to love him. So Sharice made it her mission in life to introduce this man to the finer things. Reecey bought this man clothes, and not the cheap stuff either... I mean Bruno Magli, Versace, Sean John, Armani, D&G... you name it, David owns it. Sharice loved him so much she taught him how to groom himself, introduced him to caviar, patte, escargot and other exotic dishes. This sistah was his friend, lover, sister, mother, wife, confidante, cheerleader, sex machine, the butcher, baker AND candlestick maker all rolled into one!

Reecey sent this man to school, gave him 3 beautiful children, and she made this man the kind of brotha any woman would be proud to be seen with. She gave him back his self respect and dignity, all while letting him "be the man". And for over seven years all was right with the world...until Janet came along.

Now ladies, all of us have one of those female friends whose sole purpose in life is to make you want to kill her, and well, Janet is that friend for me. Janet is the group ho, and is one of the most self centered, egotistical, ignant bishes you ever want to meet. She makes me want to bash her face in every single time I see her, but that's neither here nor there. Seven and a half years into the relationship of my friend and David, he caught that infamous 7 year itch. Janet's skank shark smelling blood in the water ass moved in for the kill and moved my Reecey right on out the house on the hill, never to be heard from again.

Now, back to Beyonce's video. The enitre thing borrows heavily from the Sharon Stone/Michael Douglass movie "Basic Instinct", but I still couldn't help thinking about all the women who are probably thinking and feeling the exact same emotions Bey is conveying in this video. How many of us have given everything we have, are, will be to make a man everything he can be, I mean investing years, tears & all that good shit into loving, cheering for, praying for and with a man only to be tossed out like yesterday's garbage when a newer piece of azz comes along? Would that push you to the edge like the character in the RTA video, or would you be more likely to roll with the punches?

Personally, I'd be more likely to be that chick... you know, the one that makes you want to take yo azz to sleep with one eye open and a steak knife, some Holy Water and a crucifix unda ya pillow. It's true what they say you know: hell hath no fury like a Black woman scorned...

Hello Ya'll!!!

Well, I did it. I finally broke down and made the leap into blogging. I can't say as how I will be keeping up with this site all the time, but I will do what I can to keep it going for as long as I can. Hope you come, stay and enjoy!