Interview: Beyonce On "Super Bowl Live"

After belting out the National Anthem and answering several questions during her Super Bowl press conference, Beyonce sat down with Rich Eisen and Deion Sanders on "Super Bowl Live" and talked about what we can expect from her halftime performance, whose halftime performance she admires the most and so much more.

On why she decided to start her press conference with the National Anthem: “I figured it was the best way to address it and move on. I love my job. I love my country. I love that I’m able to do what I was born to do, so I’m proud.” 

 On what makes her happy: “Right now my family. My husband is incredible. He’s so supportive and my daughter… When I wake up in the morning, the best thing in the world is seeing her face. She’s starting to talk. It’s just such a beautiful time in my life to have a child and everyday see something new.” On motherhood: “It’s so much more fulfilling than anything else in the world.” 

 On her favorite past halftime performances: “My favorite probably was Prince. Of course I loved Madonna’s. I studied Michael’s—all my heroes, they were all great.”

Watch: Beyonce Singing The National Anthem At Super Bowl Press Conference

Beyonce kicked off her Super Bowl press conference with a beautiful live rendition of the National Anthem, before she took any questions related to her performance of the song at the inauguration.

Here`s what she had to say about what happened at the inauguration: "I am a perfectionist and one thing about me, I practice until my feet bleed, and I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. It was a live television show and a very, very important emotional show for me. One of my proudest moments. Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the inauguration and I wanted to make him and my country proud. So I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track, which is very common in the music industry, and I’m very proud of my performance,,,"

My Profound Phenomenon...

 By AfroerotiK

 My love for you feels so comfortable. I thought that when I finally found you, that a bright light would shine, that there’d be a symphony of violins playing marked by a clear and distinct sign that said, “Your forever soul mate.” Instead, I feel like I’ve known your love all my life and there’s a pounding of African drums to serenade my restless soul. I don’t have to question if you are thinking about me throughout the day, I don’t have to worry if you are looking at another woman. Your love fits me, surrounds me like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night. Your poetic heart leaves me speechless every single day and your beauty, oh your beauty, both inside and out, makes me weak in the knees. Your musical spirit sings to me, inspiring me to write the lyrics to our song of love.

In your arms is where I belong. I want to dream big with you. I want those dreams to come true as we learn to manipulate the magic that has brought us together. I want to find peace with you, redefined and radiating enlightenment. I want your baby inside me. I want to nurture and protect the life we create together and see your divine radiance reflected in the face of the perfect little human being that came from you and me.

You are my profound phenomenon. Your awareness and knowledge is testament to your intellect. I don’t think you truly comprehend what an inspiration you are, what a role model to those who hold on to offensive and oppressive beliefs. I don’t think you understand how unique your perspectives are. Your soul, your very being is African and strong, evidenced by your integrity, your compassion and empathy, and your worldly citizenship. To say that you are my king doesn’t begin to describe how I wish to reign by your side as your friend, your lover, your wife and supporter, your muse and yes, your queen.

Grow with me. Dream a world where we transform lives together, where we create a paradigmatic shift in consciousness that ushers forth a new dawn, a new day. Erase the lines of black and white and paint a world of vibrant colors of transformation. Make love to me. Caress my body with your strong hands and taste me with your mouth, delivering ecstasy over and over again. Penetrate me. Join with me, body and soul, thrusting deep inside me as we raise our vibration. Our love is a gift from God, a Divine present for which I will be eternally grateful.

Art: Antonio Lopez

Antonio Lopez was a fashion illustrator and photographer, born in Puerto Rico in 1943 and at the age of 8 years old he moved New York City. He was mostly known for being a large figure in the field of fashion illustration, because he explored a range of different art movements like Pop Art, surrealism, comic strips to name a few. He studied the High School of Art and Design and then attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. In the early 60’s he became a successful freelance illustrator for  famous magazines such as  Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, New York Times, GQ and Interview. He created most of his illustrations with various materials like pens, inks, pencils and watercolour – sometimes combining them together to create a very unique style of illustration that fully showcased his creativity.

In 1987 Lopez passed away from Aids at the age of 44, leaving behind a stunning legacy that  didn`t only change the fashion industry but inspired a whole new generation of upcoming fashion illustrators and fashion designers to think outside the box and express themselves fully. 

Here are some of my favorite illustrations from him that was clearly inspired by the 70`s and early 80`s, the outfits feature semi-bright colours that showcase the mood of the era which was all about having fun and being a rebel. And the models are posed in a very commanding but fun poses.

New Music: Tweet - "Enough"

Tweet has just premiered the first single off her upcoming EP "Simply Tweet EP", the song is titled "Enough" it`s a soulful ballad that showcases her sultry vocals and beautiful harmonies. She sangs about letting go of a bad relationship that completely drained her but she is making peace with it and not dwelling on it anymore : "You're good for nothing and I ain't gonna cry over you.You hurt me in ways but those days are through. Learn how to push from the pain, you didn't expect me to. With you always the same things and I've had enough,wasting my tears on you."

Music News: Tweet Is Releasing An EP On 26th February

The beautiful and talented songstress Tweet has just announced that she will be releasing her debut EP titled after her forthcoming third album "Simply Tweet", which will feature a live session of a few songs she performed with her band, due out on 26th February. In the meantime check out some of her songs lifted from  her #TweetTuesday series (Here).

New Music: Chrisette Michele – "A Couple Of Forevers"

Chrisette Michele has just premiered her new single titled "A Couple Of Forevers", which is the lead single lifted from her forthcoming album "Better" which is due out on 30th April. The solid mid-tempo track was produced by Pop &Oak and written Tiwa Savage and Wansel, it features a sample of one of my favorite songs "Stairway To Heaven" by the legendary soul band O’Jay. The track will be released on iTunes on 5th February and impact radio on 11th February. 
Listen to it below.
"This soulful bluesy jam gives me life in abundance. The harmonies and the blended instrumentation is what brings this track front and center. Her vocals are very heartfelt and raw. The track speaks about loving someone and all you can see is forever with them."-Vaughn 
 Rating: 4/5

"The track sees her showcasing her beautiful and heartfelt vocal range as she sings about everlasting love, the production and lyrics and the vocal arrangement are stunning, this track will surely be on rotation on R&B stations, especially on Valentines Day."-Zion
Rating: 4/5

New Video: Eve - "She Bad Bad"

Philly native rapper Eve is finally back with the music video for her new single "She Bad Bad",which is the lead single off her long awaited forth album "Lip Lock" which is due out on 14th May and will set to feature collaborations from Snoop Dogg and Chrisette Michele and production from her longtime friend Swizz Beatz and Claude Kelly. "Lip Lock is the album I’ve always wanted to make and it represents me coming back into the game—lyrically locking it down. But I also like the title because it can be a play on words"- Eve stated. 

When I first heard "She Bad Bad" I was not feeling it at all but after a couple of listens I fell in love with it and the music video is stunning, it sees her showing off her femininity in some haute couture clothing.

 Eve has released a remix to "She Bad Bad" that features rappers Juicy J and Pusha T, listen to it below and lookout for her new album when it`s released.

Interview: Fantasia On The Tom Joyner Morning Show

Grammy-award winning songstress Fantasia recently did an interview with The Tom Joyner Morning Show and talked about her new single "Lose To Win" explaining the concept behind the single and she also talked about her rock-soul inspired album titled "The Side Effects Of You" that will be released on 19th March via RCA. 

 Listen to the interview below.

New Music: Mateo - "Sing About Me"

Krucial Noise singer-songwriter Mateo has just released his new song titled "Sing About Me" that was heavily inspired by rapper Kendrick Lamar's original song of the same name, lifted from his album "good kid, m.A.A.d. city". Mateo reworks the song by firstly writing his own verses and borrows the chorus and has Kerry “Krucial” Brothers and Zeke MacUmber revamping the production, video directed by JL Brown. Mateo`s vocal delivery is so sincere and so heavenly, smooth and beautiful.

Amazing Cover: Ginette Claudette Covers Brandy`s "No Such Thing As Too Late"

The talented and beautiful singer-songwriter Ginette Claudette has recently uploaded her stunning acoustic cover of Brandy`s song "No Such Thing As Too Late" that is lifted from her current album "Two Eleven". Claudette actually recorded the song with Rico Love back in 2010, even through the song ended up on Brandy`s album, it still remains special to her. The song allows her to showcase her beautiful vocal range and sweet texture and display great vocal control. 

New Music: Eric Bellinger Feat. Amber Riley – "Never Be Lonely"

R&B singer-songwriter Eric Bellinger is gearing up to releasing his upcoming third mixtape titled "Born II Sing III" next month and has recently teamed with the talented and beautiful songstress-actress Amber Riley on his new track "Never Be Lonely", lifted from his "#InTheMeantime" series. The track is a solid mid-tempo that inspired by Janet Jackson’s hit single, "I Get Lonely". Amber sings about being feeling lonely while her man is out making his money, Eric tells her not to feel that way and spends money on her but he doesn`t realize Amber rather spend quality time with him than his money.  

Music Legend: Toni Braxton

            Drop dead gorgeous and with an equally attractive deep, rich voice, Toni Braxton seemingly came from nowhere to become one of the top R&B vocalists of the 90s. As the perfect interpreter of some of the great songs written and produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid during a several year stretch, Braxton became a star and has attained continued popularity with an adult soul audience ever since.

Born in 1968 in Severn, Maryland, the daughter of a minister and a singer, Braxton performed regularly in church with her talented sisters. The family act continued to grow in popularity as the girls hit their late teens and ultimately they were signed to Arista Records in the late 80s. The act, called The Braxtons, recorded without much success, but hot songwriters/producers Babyface and L.A. Reid fell in love with Toni’s contralto voice and called her out for a solo career -- a move that brought both conflict and guilt to Braxton, who didn't want to leave her family act.  Her solo recordings began with “Love Shoulda Brought You Home,” a single from the movie soundtrack Boomerang.  The song became a hit and led to a full length album in 2003 for Braxton that blew the doors off of R&B radio, spawning monster hits with “You Mean the World to Me,” “Another Sad Love Song” and the brilliant ballad, “Breathe Again.”

The album Toni Braxton catapulted Braxton to the A-List of R&B performers and began a string of hit albums and songs. Her sophomore album, Secrets, was just as big, topping the charts and yielding “You’re Makin’ Me High” and Braxton’s signature ballad, “Unbreak My Heart.”

Sadly, despite her great recording success, Braxton was broke by 1997, the unfortunate result of a "newcomer" contract with Arista Records. Legal wranglings kept Braxton on the sidelines for nearly 4 years after Secrets, but she returned in 2000 with The Heat and the hit “He Wasn’t Man Enough.” The album did well by most standards, but began a long, slow sales decline for Braxton than continued over her subsequent albums, 2002's More Than A Woman and 2005's Libra.

Braxton created a full-time Las Vegas show in the late 00s, and became a spokesperson for causes related to autism (her young son is autistic). However, tragedy struck in the form of a diagnosis of lupus, an illness that caused Braxton to cancel her Vegas show and caused a second bankruptcy filing by the star.

She competed on the television series Dancing With the Stars and, in 2009, signed with Atlantic Records and went back to the studio to record Pulse. A number of great tracks were recorded in the Pulse sessions, but were trimmed down to a rather tame final collection. Considering the five year absence since Libra, the album charted impressively and generally received positive reviews.

Braxton reunited with her sisters for the reality television show, Braxton Family Values on the WE channel, and in 2012 began working on her 7th studio album. The first single, “I Heart You,” was issued in March.

While Toni Braxton’s enviable career has had an abundance of starts and stops, she is undoubtedly one of the most physically magnetic and musically notable vocalists of her generation. And two decades into her public career, she is still an artist to watch.
(via)

Watch: TV One Unsung: Isaac Hayes

TV One recently premiered the latest episode of  the hit documentary show "Unsung", which kicks off with a look  the career of the late legendary singer-songwriter-producer and actor Isaac Hayes. Watch it below and get better understanding of Hayes and appreciate his hard work.

The Way You Should Love Someone....

By Ryan O’Connell 

Love someone the second you get out of bed because it’s the hardest time to do so. The spell you built together all morning is broken and now you can decide whether or not you hate them. They are so vulnerable laying there with their little naked body under the covers, giving you hopeful stares. You could destroy them with a single glance if you wanted to. Please don’t though. Please choose to love them.

Love someone when they’re drunk and it looks like their face is melting and they’re stuffing food in their mouth, sauce dripping down the sides. Your body will recoil because you’ll think for a split second that you fell in love with an animal instead of an actual human being. They are so unattractive in that moment, so pathetic, so lost, like a loveless ape, but I want you to love them regardless because you know this isn’t who they really are and because it only takes three glasses of wine for a beautiful person to become ugly and that shouldn’t be enough to leave you cold. When you carry their heavy lifeless body to bed, look at them when they fall asleep and try to remember the person you adore. Please choose to love them.

Love someone when they’re insufferable, when they hate their job and hate their friends and seem to hate everything in their life except for you. You might lose respect for them, you might look at them as if they’re weak and can’t stand on their own two feet, but I want you to try to push those thoughts out of your brain because the fact is that this happens. People get stuck in their life and they look around and only see one thing that makes sense to them. It doesn’t make them weak or co-dependent, it just makes them human. Don’t fault them for things that are largely out of their control, don’t have your attraction hinge on how great their life seems to be going. Choose to love them.

Choose to love them when they say your least favorite word, choose to love them when they have a day when they need you more than usual, choose to love them when they smell like shit, choose to love them when they aren’t well, when they aren’t the able-bodied picture of beauty they were when they met you because people never stay the way you want them to. You should know that.

Growing up, I thought falling in love was just something people did to distract themselves from dying. It was like getting a tattoo; having a boyfriend or a girlfriend was a way of branding yourself and letting people know that you were valued and that you were important. There was something inside of you that made you better than the average person.

Now I know that, in many ways, I was right from the very beginning. But the kind of love I understood when I was younger is not necessarily the “correct” kind of love. That kind of love is paper-thin and it will wash away. However, every time you choose to love someone despite the bullshit, you are making it stronger, you are painting a fuller picture. By choosing to love, you are accepting the flaws and ugliness that comes along with something beautiful. You are understanding just how life works.

(via)

New Music: Jozzy - "Tryna Wife"

Introducing Timbaland`s new artist Jozzy aka Dope By Accident, who is a talented singer-songwriter from Memphis, she has just released her track titled "Tryna Wife", that features production by Wizz Dumb and additional vocals from Tim himself. It`s a mid-tempo track that allows her to showcase her cool tone that reminds me of the 90`s, it flows beautifully on top the crazy production. I can`t wait to hear more from her.

Watch: American Idol – Season 12, Episode 4 – Auditions #4

Watch: American Idol - Season 12, Episode 3 - Auditions #3

New Video: Marsha Ambrosius - "Cold War"

Marsha Ambrosius has just premiered her music video for her new single titled "Cold War", lead single lifted from her forthcoming album titled "Friends And Lovers". The video features a very interesting concept that sees Marsha and her significant other going through hell in their relationship due to some of the obstacles that can cause major issues between two people. He loses his job and has been struggling to get back on his feet and turns to alcohol to deal with it. Marsha decides to take things into her own hands in order to keep her relationship and lifestyle in tact. This leads her to dealing drug dealers and starts selling coke herself, while things seem to be good for a moment, the cops come knocking and find the drugs.

"This video really depicts how far you will go for someone you care about, I went to extreme measures to save my love and I clearly did some very illegal things" explained Marsha.

New Music: Ester Dean Feat. Missy Elliott - "How You Love It"

Award-winning singer-songwriter Ester Dean has finally premiered her official debut single titled "How You Love It" featuring legendary artist-songwriter and producer Missy Elliott, it is the first single lifted from her upcoming debut album "Story Never Told" due out via Interscope Records."How You Love It" was produced by Benny Blanco and Stargate, it is a fierce club banger that features a very commanding-fun production that allows the ladies to showcase their unique sounds that totally compliment each other in such a bold and fierce way. Ester showcases her unique vocals as she sings to her man to make the move, Missy delivers a wicked verse that sounds like anything we’ve heard from her before. 
Rating: 4/5

Live Video: Beyonce Performs National Anthem At President Obama’s Inauguration

Beyonce gave a breath taking rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" for President Obama’s Inauguration, while she is no stranger to performing the song at major events, including the 2004 Super Bowl, this was definitely a musical moment that will go down in history, she delivered a stunning vocal performance while dealing with windy weather and touched the hearts of her fellow Americans.

America Is Too Racially Immature For A Movie Like Django

By Scottie Lowe

It was after much contemplation and serious debate that I made the decision to go see the Quentin Tarantino movie, Django Unchained, this past weekend.  Having majored in African and African American studies in grad school and having done more than my fair share of research and study about chattel slavery in the US and its effects on the collective consciousness of African Americans, I decided that I would go see the movie upon which so much controversy has been brewing and decide for myself if the movie had any merit beyond “entertainment”.  It is a movie, and by default, its purpose is to make people suspend reality for a couple of hours and get lost in a world of make believe, so, with that in mind, and having weighed the pros and cons, I set out to see for myself what all the hype was about.

Prior to seeing the movie, I was very much aligned with the Spike Lee camp of detractors who were pretty outraged that a white person would dare to tell the story of slavery.  Having only seen one movie by Mr. Tarantino previously, I was not impressed with his cultural sensitivity to the Asian people and wasn’t expecting much more than a gross/cartoonish depiction of the horrors my ancestors endured.  I can say without reservation that Django unchained offered THE most accurate depiction of slavery I’ve ever seen in a non-documentary film.  Hats off to Mr. Tarantino for not only doing his homework about what slaves had to endure but also kudos to him for grasping and interpreting the dynamics of race relations that very few people, white or black, seem to be able to comprehend.

Much has been made about his excessive use of the N word.  I, personally, don’t ever use the word unless it is in the most academic of discussions.  I do not think it has been morphed into some sort of term of endearment and I fully recognize its impact when said in front of white people.  My ancestors bled and died at the base of that word so I refuse to casually throw it around out of respect to them.  The Black people who do use it, especially those who feel comfortable using it in front of other races, are largely ignorant of the impact of the word or the origins and stigmas attached to it.  Black people today use it because, for centuries, that’s what we were called and that’s all we knew ourselves to be.  The messages passed down generationally haven’t changed one bit and its use today is almost exactly as it was intended to be used during slavery.  That being said, there was not one instance in the movie where the N word was used inappropriately.  It was used in the exact context and frequency that it was used during slavery.  The theater I went to see the movie at was predominantly white and movie goers laughed and chuckled at the use of the word, largely out of nervous discomfort and I suspect because that’s the way they use the word in private conversations and they were rattled by its free/uninhibited use.  One can only assume they felt a certain level of comfort being around other whites and confident that the Black movie goers more than likely use the word so frequently there was no fear of reprimand or riot.  What the movie did was create an atmosphere of acceptance of the word whereby whites could go home and discuss the movie and casually throw the word around without respect or reverence for its impact.

The gentleman who sat next to my boyfriend apparently thought EVERYTHING in the movie was funny.  He laughed incessantly throughout the entire film.  It took every ounce of strength in my body not to take my shoe off and beat his ass to a bloody pulp.  I was so outraged, so angry that I seethed and burned with hatred for him.  His insensitivity and callous disrespect made me see red.  My boyfriend, who is not of African descent, didn’t seem to take issue with him whatsoever.  He saw my discomfort and he ignored it.  He didn’t ask me if I was okay, he didn’t tell the guy to shut the FUCK up, he felt the white man had a right to respond in whatever what he wanted and that I just had to suck it up.  Had I been laughing throughout a Holocaust movie inappropriately, the usher, the manager, and a half a dozen movie goers would have insisted that I leave.  Had I been with a Black man, he would have insisted that the guy shut up and put the fear of God in him.  Again, I have no doubt in my mind that we would have asked to leave the theater, not the man who disrupted and ruined the experience for me.  It just proves that today, as in slavery, that if you’re white, you’re right, if you’re black, stay back.  Not much has changed since slavery.  The feelings, opinions, and personhood of Black people is insignificant to that of whites.

I do not watch violence as a rule so a great portion of the movie I spent with my eyes closed.  Tarantino made a shoot ‘em film with carnage galore.  I can’t imagine that the gun violence was any greater than most movies but the most chilling scenes were the ones where the violence was an accurate of what slave life was like.  The slave being ripped apart by dogs, the Mandingo fights to the death, and the brutal rape, whippings, torture, branding, and abuse of slaves was chilling and accurate.  Movie goers don’t get that.  To them, it was all a part of the entertainment, made up.

There is much that movies goers, both white and black, are too uninformed/ignorant to get.  Samuel L. Jackson’s role was one that depicted the relationship of the house nigger to the master.  Because our conversations about race in this country are so superficial and juvenile, the understanding of how a slave with the consciousness of a Stephen could exist.  Left to their own devices, moviegoers will assume that he was a self-serving, back-stabbing slave with an agenda to better himself and control/destroy all the other slaves.  In reality, house slaves were the creation of slave masters and their allegiance was part and parcel of the system of slavery that needed slaves pitted against one another for its survival.

With the exception of the white protagonist, white people in the movie were depicted as stupid, outrageously cruel, and one-dimensional.   They were lazy, treated slaves with despicable inhumane torture and were nonchalant and flippant about using their property, HUMAN BEINGS, for whatever deviant purpose their puny brains could conjure.  Slave owners were just that.

There are many more aspects of the movie that could be dissected, examined, and discussed but, unfortunately, America is too racially immature to have any such discussions.  White people are insistent upon inflecting the comment, “I’m not racist,” “Slavery was in the past, let it go,” or, “Can’t we all just get along,” into every conversation about race.  They control conversations about race with their ignorance and refusal to learn, accept a different point of view, and their thinly-veiled racist beliefs.  How many white people watched that movie and went home to watch interracial porn where the N word is thrown around like rice at a wedding?  How many white people who say the movie routinely refer to Obama as a nigger and go on rants online where they hide behind a computer screen to espouse racist beliefs?  If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times.  White people have to wear a sheet, burn a cross, and run around screaming, “I hate niggers,” before another white person will dare to imply that they MIGHT be racist.

Black people are just as misguided.  Black people think the movie represents some form of revenge, a win for Blacks as it were.  Bullshit!  That part was fiction.  The concept of a Black man being a gun-wielding bad-ass and able to ride off into the sunset with his lady love is more like science fiction.  But Black people are so willing to embrace that “feel good” dynamic of the movie because we don’t want to face our shame and humiliation at being connected to a slave past.  EVERYONE wants to assume that they would be the one slave in 10,000 who would revolt and kick ass and take names later.  The truth of the matter is, slaves were subservient and bred to be docile and millions upon millions of slaves conformed to the rules in order to live, to survive, because they didn’t know any other way.  Black people are terrified to acknowledge a connection to a slave past because they feel as if recognizing the impact of slavery on themselves means that they are by default inherently inferior.

New Music: Aaliyah - "Quit Hatin"

An unreleased track by the late songstress Aaliyah has made it`s way online, the track is called "Quit Hatin" that was produced by Knotch and Dre Sinatra, no word if the song will be featured on her forthcoming posthumous album that is being executive-produced by Drake and released via  Blackground Records. 

"Quit Hatin`" is a mid-tempo track that sees Aaliyah singing about falling in love with a bad boy despite what her friends are saying that she needs to leave him, because he is not good for her but she is not hearing it because she is deeply in love with her man : "They say you are a baller, he’s just a player.  All of my friends tell me I should’ve never dated  but now I’m in love with cha and now I have to tell them quit hatin’ on him, don’t be jealous.."

Even though the lyrics are dated, Aaliyah manages to delivery a nice vocal delivery that sounds so sincere but the production is overbearing and messy, doesn`t showcase the song  the way it was meant to be showcased, way too many stuttering hi-hats and stalking synths. And if she was alive today this is not the type of track that she would put out there, she was a perfectionist with her craft and always ahead of everyone with her sound, not degrading her sound to what`s out there today. 

Rating: 2.8/5

New Video: Tamar Braxton - "Love and War"

Tamar Braxton has finally premiered her music video for her hit single and title-track from her forthcoming sophomore album "Love And War", the black and white visual was filmed at Hollywood Hills. When I was watching the video it reminded me of Beyonce`s music video for her single "Broken Hearted Girl" but this video was poorly put together, it was all about her looking pretty and it didn`t relate to the song at all and it was quite boring. I was expecting a video that sees her fighting to keep things together between her and her man because she knows how powerful and deep their love is and overcome anything that comes their way. This video doesn’t do the song justice at all.

New Music: Kelly Rowland - "Kisses Down Low"

Ms.Kelly Rowland has just premiered her new single titled "Kisses Down Low", which is another Mike Will Made It produced track, it follows up her terrible lead single "Ice" lifted from her upcoming forth album "Year Of The Woman" due out later this year. It`s a nice mid-tempo track that features a strong production and a great vocal delivery-arrangement but honestly the subject of the song limits her from being a great artist, lately Kelly has been putting out sexually charged songs with very explicit lyrics that are so limiting and uninspiring. I had so much hope after hearing her previous song "Number One" but she sadly prefer to be an average R&B artist putting the same stuff over and over, that show zero growth and zero drive to push music forward.

Rating: 3/5 

The Taste Of You On My Lips...

By AfroerotiK

My dear, sweet, sensuous lover, I woke up in the middle of the night last night. I had the most incredible dream. It seemed so real, so lifelike; it took me a few minutes to pull myself together. I awoke last night with the taste of you on my lips. Even though you had not been there, I swear I could taste the salty skin of your neck, like when I kiss you there right after you play ball with the fellas. I could hear your gentle moans, like when I suck your fingers with every intention of letting you know that’s not what I want to be sucking.

I had dreams of tasting, licking, and sucking every inch of your smooth, cinnamon colored skin. I had to realize it was only a dream and not the reality of my mouth giving you indescribable pleasure, my soft tongue licking you all over and not the reality of my lips kissing you in places that drive you crazy. Like I know that it drives you wild when I suck and bite your nipples. I know for a fact that it’s sweet torture for you when I trace my tongue all the way down your back, to the base of your spine, and tease you with my mouth on that smooth, round, brown bottom of yours. It all felt so real.

I wonder if you could feel it too? Did you dream of me kissing you on the backs of your thighs, my tongue in your sexy little belly button, or maybe you felt the sensation of me tonguing you in naughty, unspeakable places. I sure as hell felt every luscious detail. I could feel you get as hard as a rock in my mouth. I felt the way you were at my mercy, going down on you, getting you wet with my mouth. Sliding my lips up and down you with precision and skill. I wonder if you could feel the heat and the slick sensation as my mouth swallowed you, sucked you, licked you, consumed your entire length and sucked on you some more.

Was it all a nightmare? To wake up and find that every rock solid inch of you was not throbbing in my mouth was devastating. I could hear you moaning, saying, “Ohhh, that’s it baby, take it, suck it, yessss, that feels so good.” I could have sworn I heard you screaming, “Don’t stop, oh damn. Please don’t stop. I’m going to cummmm.”

Then I awoke with the taste of you on my lips.

Dear Future Lover...

I’m gay, I’ve always been gay. I like men. I want to marry a man and be happy with him for the rest of my life and build a family with him and become a father to beautiful children that I will love with all my fucking heart. I want to own a house with him, cook for him and love him with my whole heart. Be HIS man and he be mine, I want to wear wedding rings with him because he and I would have made a commitment to stick with each other to the end. 

I want to go on dates with him, watch movies and cuddle, cry on his shoulder, hold him when he needs to be held, be his shoulder to cry on. To say these vows "…to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part". I want that. I want to not be afraid to love him. I want to be accepted and seen as equal in my family, not be talked badly about behind my back by family about how they think my "lifestyle" is wrong. I just want to be fucking happy.

To get the same marital benefits as heterosexual couples. To just be allowed to be a damn human, it means more to me than anything. To some people it’s nothing, for me it’s everything. To talk to my family openly about my boyfriend or husband and there be no judgment. To tell my mother that I love a man and her be happy about it because she knows that I’m happy, and I want my family to love my boyfriend or husband.

Dear Future Lover:  I want to be loved with the strength and charm of maturity. I don’t want to be smothered by the fear of jealousy and insecurities. I don’t want a relationship based solely upon shutting the world out and locking each other in. I want to be somewhere where I can breathe. I want you to be fearless with me, to grab my hand and walk through everything with me. I want to be loved with the confidence of the narcissistic, with the faith of unorthodox Christians.  

And our love will never be based on proving other people wrong, it’s about proving ourselves and all of the love and emotion between us and proving it to time, that no matter how much it may come between us, it can’t and will never beat us. Nothing can tear us apart. I won’t let it. You’ll always have someone to lean on, someone to tell your secrets to, a pair of arms to fall apart inside of. Someone to trust, I’ll always be your safe haven.  

My Beautiful Seeds...

To my future children: You could never be anything less to me than a wonderful blessing. I think about you enough, at times, to wish I already knew you. I think about you enough to already Love you and  I promise to be the best father that I can ever be, I will do many of the same things my mom did to and for me and I’ll promise to try not to make the same mistakes my mom did to me and my sister. I will make sure that you’re always safe and surrounded by love, I will kiss and hug you often. I will make you laugh and smile so you can feel joy. I will take as many baby pictures of you and record your every special moment. I will sing you to bed (even though I do not have the most amazing voice but I’ll try my best).

I will make every birthday you have special, so you’ll always know how special you are to me and your father.   And as you get older and you`ll start to go to school, I will always make sure to kiss you “goodbye” and tell you before you leave how much I love you. And as soon as you come home, I will be standing at the door all happy and ask you how your day was and what you’ve learned today.

We will make it a tradition to always travel at least once a year around the world. I want you guys to see the world so you will have a better understanding of how people can be so different from one and another. I will let you watch as many Disney movies as possible, since Disney has a big part of my childhood as well.

And as you become a teenager I promise I will try not to be so over protective of you, since I know this is the time you’re start wanting to have your own life. I will always tell you before you go anywhere that I love you and that you should be careful and I will call you on your phone to check up on you. But I promise I will try not to be annoying.

And when the world tells you how to be every single day – but just Be, in accordance with your view and your love and you will know a happiness that most that have walked on this Earth can’t even imagine. Never be afraid to grow or change or evolve but you and you alone will always have the greatest sense of who you are.

And you will sadly deal with racism and homophobia – I am sorry, but there is no way around this. I think that the first time I was ever called a “gay nigger” was in primary school. I remember it hurt for reasons I at that time did not understand.  I suspect that this could happen to you but never feed into it, that type of ignorance is such a waste of time and energy. Just stay strong. And I promise you that me and your father will always love you, no-matter how many times you mess up and I will always have your back. We will always be proud of you and tell you that you are indeed God’s gift to us.

Watch: Oprah’s Next Chapter : Lance Armstrong (Part 1 + 2)

Watch: American Idol - Season 12, Episode 2 - Auditions #2

Watch: American Idol – Season 12, Episode 1 – Auditions #1

15 Ways To Be Irresistibly Attractive...

Be true to your values.  Be honest.  Do your best.  Do things that bring you closer to your dreams.  Take care of yourself, your family, and your friends.  Treat people with respect.  Be the person that makes others feel special.  Be known for your kindness and honesty.

In other words, invest love into your life.  Because when you love life, life will love you back.  And there’s no attraction greater than love.  People will notice the goodness surrounding you, and they will be naturally attracted to you.

1.Do the right thing. – Never be afraid to do what you know in your heart is right, especially if the well being of another person’s feelings is at stake. There is no punishment in the world more severe than the wounds we inflict on our soul when we do what we know is wrong.

2.Stop the gossip and superficial judgments. – Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and small minds gossip about people.  Life is much too short to be lived talking about people, gossiping, and stirring up trouble that has no substance.  If you don’t understand someone, ask questions.  If you don’t agree with them, tell them.  But don’t judge them behind their back to everyone else.  

3.Lift others up. – If you want to lift yourself up, lift someone else up.  To be happy and free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the happiness and freedom of others.  When you put faith, hope, and love together, you can nurture positive ideas, relationships, and dreams in a negative world.

4.Give words of encouragement to those in need. – A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.  We all hit a time when we lose hope and need someone to put their arms around us and say, “I’ve got you right now.  You are not facing this alone.”  Be that person when you can.

5.Be positive. – Think positively; speak properly; apologize rapidly; forgive quickly.  Evolve your being and inspire yourself and others.  Say it out loud, “I am sorry negativity, I have no time for you.  I have far too many positive things to do.”

6.Embrace your uniqueness. – If you don’t embrace your uniqueness, you will spend your entire life striving to conform to the impossibility of being someone else.  By celebrating what makes you different, rather than wasting time trying to be the same, you will discover your unique gifts that nobody else in the world has.

7.Do things for fun and passion. – When you stop doing things for fun and passion, you stop living and you start merely existing.  If you truly want to change your life, you must first change your mind and your actions.  Once you are ready to truly devote your time and energy to what calls to your soul, you will find your life unimaginably enriched.

8.Be gentle. – When you least expect it, something great will come along – something better than you ever planned for.  Mother Nature opens millions of flowers every day without forcing the buds.  Let this be a reminder not to force anything, but to simply give beautiful things enough love and an opportunity to grow naturally.

9.Drop the need to always be right. – Someone else doesn’t have to be wrong for you to be right.  There are many roads to what’s right.  You cannot judge others by your own past.  They are living a different life than you.  Express your opinions freely and politely, remembering that if your purpose is to ridicule or prove others are wrong, it will only bring bitterness into the world.  Respecting the opinion of others, without judging, always carries more weight than simply being right.

10. Be loyal.  Be honest. – You can’t promise to love someone for the rest of their life, but you can sincerely love them for the rest of yours.  When it comes to relationships, remaining faithful is never an option, but a priority.  Loyalty and honest affection mean everything.

11. Be flexible and keep an open mind. – What looks like an obstacle or road block is oftentimes just life steering you in a better direction.  Be flexible and keep an open mind to all the changes that are forcing you to grow, and helping you better align yourself with your vibration and purpose.

12. Believe in yourself and all that you are. – Know in your heart that there is strength inside you that is greater than the challenges you face.  No one can do it for you – you have to choose to use your wings.

13. Believe in your dreams. – Who you hope to be someday is already a big part of who you are now.  Your dreams are real.  They do not exist in the past; they live in the present, and when you stay committed to doing what needs to be done, you carry them closer to reality as you walk through the gates of tomorrow.

14. Walk the talk. – You can make whatever you want out of your life, but first you have to not be afraid to try.  We all have to start with ourselves.  It is time to walk the talk.  Take the journey of making the difficult decisions and taking action.  Start removing things from your life that are taking away your happiness, and start adding things that bring joy in to your life. 

15. Embrace the possibilities of tomorrow. – Don’t let your past dictate who you are, but let it be part of who you will become.  No regrets.  No looking back.  Just hold onto life and move forward.  We have no way of knowing what lies ahead, but that’s what makes the journey even more exciting – that’s what makes life worth living.

(via)

New Video: Shareefa - "Should I Stay"

DTP songstress Shareefa returns with her music video for her single titled "Should I Stay", which is a R&B mid-tempo track that talks about infidelity and a deep situation of making a choice between leaving or staying in the relationship: "Ever been in love with somebody, had a baby with that somebody, then made love to somebody else. What if that first somebody wasn't as good as the last somebody,would you hide the way you felt. Well that`s my situation and it got me pacing back and forth cause I don`t know how to tell my man, I been creeping every weekend with somebody with a slow hand." 

 The Benny Boom directed video starts with Shareefa screaming as she gets robbed, her man comes in running and comforts her. The video plays out and sees her battling between staying in a home where she is not happy just to keep her daughter happy or leave to be with a person that really makes her happy and who is actually the real father of her daughter, while her current man thinks he is the father and doesn't know about her cheating. I love the video, it showcases the song in such an amazing way and also showcases her good acting skills. 

New Video: Ester Dean – "Bam Bam"

Ester Dean has returned with her second music video for her single "Bam Bam", the video sees Dean rocking big braids and gold chains as she sits at a bus stop watching an arguing couple and also sees her playing a baby doll sitting on the stoop with her teddy bear, licking a lollipop. In another scene she serves up plenty of attitude in the kitchen, all dressed up in gold chains. The colourful music video reminds me of some of Missy Elliott‘s earlier music videos, love it. Watch it below and look out for her upcoming mixtape, that will be followed up by her debut album "Story Never Told". 

New Music: Alexis Jordan Feat. J. Cole - "Acid Rain"

Alexis Jordan has just premiered her new song titled "Acid Rain" featuring J.Cole, it was written by one of my favorite singer-songwriters Sia and produced by Stargrate. The up-tempo dance track is the lead single lifted from her upcoming sophomore album, the track allows her to showcase her powerful vocals over a heavy production and J.Cole actually sounded great on this type of track but the way they switched up the production during this verses reminded me of Will.I. Am`s wack track "Scream And Shout" but overall it was good.

Rating:3/5

New Music: Frank Ocean Feat. Andre 3000 And Big Boi - "Pink Matter [Remix]"

Big Boi recently released his remix of Frank Ocean's track "Pink Matter" which features his former Outkast member Andre 3000, making it the first time the duo have reunited on the same track. The remix took the original to the next level, because Big Boi delivered a tight verse that complimented Andre`s verse which is freaking amazing. It feels good to hear them together again, listen to it below and if you don't have Ocean's album "channel ORANGE", go out and buy it, it`s one of the best albums to come out in the past 8 years and it`s worth the money.

Rating 5/5

New Music: Justin Timberlake Feat. Jay-Z - "Suit & Tie"

Justin Timberlake makes his return to music with his new single titled "Suit & Tie" featuring legendary rapper Jay-Z, which the lead single lifted from his highly anticipated forthcoming third album titled "The 20/20 Experience", due out later this year on RCA Records. The R&B mid-tempo track was produced by Timbaland, after the first listen it didn`t sound like a monster hit to me but after a few listens it grew on me, it’s has a hypnotic chorus, laced up in a very refreshing production that has 70`s inspired elements within it and Jay-Z delivered a great verse that blended perfectly with the track and  Justin`s vocal delivery was smooth and full of confidence and passion.

Rating: 4.5/5

Purchase the track on iTunes.

New Music: Brianna Perry Feat. Teyana Taylor – "Take My Breath Away"

Poe Boy Music Group/Atlantic Records recording artist Brianna Perry has just released the full version of her track "Take My Breath Away" featuring Teyana Taylor, lifted off her recent mixtape "Symphony No. 9". The track samples Berlin`s song of the same title, Taylor sounded beautiful singing the chorus, her vocals have such a nice tone to them and Perry showcased her tight flow and smooth personality.

 

Losing My Pretty Person Privilege

By Scottie Lowe

Attractiveness is subjective. For some, especially in the Black community, specifically when it comes to women, it means looking almost white. You have to have light skin, long hair, a narrow nose, and thin lips before you can be considered beautiful. That’s not the only definition of beauty but it’s certainly the pervasive one. I’ve never in my life looked like that. I have decidedly African features: very short hair, high cheekbones, a wide nose, full lips, and milk chocolate skin. For most of my adult life, however, I’ve been considered attractive by the general populous. That is not to say that I am gorgeous or I could have beauty pageant contestant but simply that I was closer to pretty than homely-looking. I’m 5’10” and I have been slender almost my entire adult life, thus, I rocked the hell out of anything I wore. In my lifetime, some have considered me beautiful, others not so much, but the general consensus was that I was pretty. There have been more than a few men who have looked past me and not looked back because I didn’t look like Beyonce: my hair was too short and I was too brown for their particular tastes. Conversely, I can say that there have been quite a few men who have fallen all over themselves to kick it with me just because I represented a look they thought was attractive.

Being considered attractive has perks. Perks I’ve always acknowledged, I’ve just never really wanted to exploit or give too much weight in my life because I am, or at least considered myself, a woman of substance, not at all superficial. Just as light skinned women have advantages in this society (ones it seems they NEVER want to acknowledge) and thinner women have advantages (at least in society at large even though the acceptance of BBWs in the Black community is greater) pretty people have advantages as well. Being a pretty woman means you will get doors opened for you, you can walk out in the street and cars will come to screeching halt to let you have the right of way. Being pretty, people treat you with more reverence, as if your opinion is more valid, as if you have more of a right to be heard than less attractive men and women. In addition to the amount of suitors one gets (which is not always a perk because some individuals ONLY want you for your looks) and the efforts they make to impress you. Dinners are more expensive for the pretty person, they get the offers for the weekend trips and the theater and the front row seats at the concert rather than the offers to rent a movie and order pizza at home.

When they say “beauty fades” they weren’t lying. I’ve lost my standing as a pretty person. While I was once considered a pretty person with all the advantages thereof, due to age, weight gain, a big ole brown tooth right in the front of my mouth, and mostly because of a condition called ptosis (drooping eyelids) I’m no longer seen as attractive. I’ve witnessed a shift in the last five years in how I’m treated by men and society as a whole. No longer do men rush to hold the door for me, they let the door slam in my face and don’t look back. When on dates, men don’t stare longingly at me and ply me with compliments, I usually have to fish for them. Men treat me as if I should be grateful for their attention, almost as if they are doing me a favor by dating me. When I look in the mirror, I see the same person I’ve always seen. I know that I’m not; I know that my eyes have drastically altered my appearance. I know that what society sees now isn’t a pretty woman. Today, I’m much closer to unattractive than I am to pretty.

Even though I’ve never based my self-worth on my appearance, I’ve never been vain, even though I have always valued my intellect as my most important asset, I must admit it’s a bitter pill to swallow having to give up my pretty person privilege. Everyone wants to see themselves as attractive. I think that’s a byproduct of biology. Women are told to base their self-worth on their attractiveness. My thought processes are different now. I react to situations differently now based on how I think people see me. I feel insecure when I’m in an intimate situation today, having once felt desired and coveted for my looks (and body) now, I feel almost ashamed of myself, like I’m less deserving of sexual pleasure than attractive women. It is a very unique situation, having been on both sides of the fence, having lived life as pretty and now not so pretty.

This isn’t just some random commentary on my low self-esteem or an attempt to garner people’s pity. It’s as much about me speaking my truth in order to empower myself as it is really about the shallow nature of humanity and how we treat more attractive people as if they have more value. I’m the same person inside as I was before. I have the same dreams, fears, desires, goals, and beliefs. I have the same sexual desires as well. I want to feel valuable, I want to feel attractive and desirable. I’ve convinced myself that I have less value simply because of the way society treats me. That’s as much my fault as it is society’s fault. I shouldn’t put weight on how others see me, I know this. I should see myself as beautiful, inside and out, and be happy with the package I come in, regardless of how it appears to others. The idolization of beauty is detrimental to our society and I’m only just seeing it now. I don’t know what it’s like to have never knows what it feels like to be considered attractive, I don’t know how my personality and choices would be different in life had I not been gifted with the genetics that allowed me to have pretty person privilege. I don’t have that privilege any more. I shouldn’t want it back but the sad truth is that I do.