Filed under: Cool ppl, Jamz | Tags: coolness, i heart, lionhearted, music videos, teedra moses
Lionhearted. That’s the name of Teedra Moses’s new mixtape and it’s a fitting description. She is truly a beast, with immense vocal talent, stunning looks and a musical style that is both beautiful and viscious. She can broken-heartedly plead for a man to take her back to the day when he stole her heart and in the next breath command that he gets that bitch he got on the side told, and she better never, never ever hear bout it again. Yes, yes Ms. Moses is my girl.
I first came into contact with her music by falling in love with “Be Your Girl”, from there, through the magnificence of limewire, I stumbled onto the jewel “You Better Tell Her”. Me and the roomates played that one out and I’ve been sold ever since. Ms. Moses is a threat, not just because she’s one of my favorite vocalists, but because girl got talent and lyrics for days. I believe she transmutes the feminine experience to music in a way that no one has since Mary hipped us to her life and Lauryn gave us a little re-education, she does not have to toot that thang up to get her point across. I’m waiting for the day when she has these lackluster females populating the industry running back to the lab to get they weight up. Go head girl………..
Wonderful interview by the homie over at forthelatestonline.com
rocks the stage like a true diva…
this is on my myspace right now….
classic vid
Filed under: Dopeness, Life....I wonder... | Tags: i heart, kelis, kelis and nas, music videos, nas
Nas and Kelis Fashion Rocks spread 2007
AGHHHHHHH! That’s my moan of discontent. The whole internet is buzzing about it so I figured I’d put my two cents. Let me just say that these two were my ideal power couple. On thier own, they land among the top of my “Dopest with tha Mostest” list. Nas is one of the reasons I fell in love with hip hop music. I loved hip hop, I grew up on it. But because of Nas I fell head over heels. It was this verse in ”I Can” that did it.
“Be, be, ‘fore we came to this country
we were kings and queens, never porch monkeys
There were empires in Africa called Kush
Timbuktu, where every race came to get books
To learn from black teachers who taught Greeks and Romans
Asian Arabs and gave them gold when
Gold was converted to money it all changed
Money them became empowerment for Europeans
The Persian military invaded
They heard about the gold, the teachings, and everything sacred
Africa was almost robbed naked
Slavery was money, so they began making slave ships
Egypt was the place where Alexander The Great went
He was so shocked at the mountains with black faces
Shot up they nose to impose what basically
Still goes on today, you see
If the truth is told, the youth can grow
Then learn to survive until they gain control
Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes
Read more learn more change the globe……”
In all of 1 minute Nas summed up thousands of years of history. He force fed us the most difficult truth we as a whole have yet to acknowledge in a small painless bite. Them jewels were not lost on me. It was at this precise moment in my life I was coming into my own as a young black woman trying to understand why it was so hard to be black and feel like a thing of worth, a thing of beauty. Nas knew why. It was then that I realized the value of hip-hop in the black experience. It is a passing down of history, my unveiled truth, my survival guide. Now Kelis, is just fresh from head to foot. She is the original, before Fergie became the dutchess and Rihanna went bad, Kelis was all over it. Ever since she hit the scene with “Caught Out There” she was giving people the newness, and I loved it. They said real black girls didn’t dye their hair blue in my hood, Kelis did though. Blue, pink, purple and green. She had a flavor like no other and heads just weren’t ready, but now all the chicks is jockin that whole ” My swag is so different it can’t even be called different” aura. I peeped you Cassie. Kelis is definately in my top 3 favorite female artists of all time. She is the only female artist whose entire discography I own, downloaded and store bought.
Beyonce and Jay-Z didn’t have shit on them. If they are the football captain and the head cheerleader, then Nas and Kelis were the brooding loner and the class ditching wild child. That couple that was so mismatched, it was perfect. Now I can only speculate, seeing as how I don’ t know them, but they seemed to me to be the perfect representation of masucline and feminine energies within a union. You have this sexy, intelligent, cool-calm-and-collected ass, rhyme spitting street prophet, and this stunning, rainbow haired, enchanting, intergalactic pop diva. They are individuals whose creative genius was ahead of thier time and even though they enjoy substantial success and fame I still don’t think they get due credit. There should be no argument about the fact that he’s a better lyricist than Jay Z, no contest, and Kelis is so underappreciated in this game it makes me sick. I got nothing but love for them and thanks for the contributions they’ve given us musically.You can tell I had a crush on them, and I’m truly sad to see this is the end. I’m hoping these crazy kids will get it together and keep love alive but it ain’t my life and I don’t run the show, I just watch it……..
Filed under: Life....I wonder... | Tags: friday, i heart, life, may 2009, music videos
It’s a new month, now you’ve got a chance to do all the things you said you were gonna do in April, or do the things you can do now after you did what you was supposed to do. Enjoy the weather, buy yourself something nice, take a walk, but please do not waste the first on some bs…….besides going to work….
Filed under: Dopeness, Uncategorized | Tags: aaliyah, coolness, i heart, music videos
My latest post got me inspired. I’m a junkie for visual art and music videos are just the shit to me. I think my obsession with them comes from childhood. My favorite Disney movie of all time is Fantasia. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a surrealist piece of work in which several animated shorts provide visualizations for classical compositions from greats like Bach and Tchaikovsky. That is the only movie that ever mesmerized me as a child, I even had the video game on Sega Genesis. Yup way old school.
What I love most about music videos is they are visual interpretations of mood and emotions. Where films are mostly character driven, the video is all about the ambience. It is the visual interpretation of lyrics and harmonies, of grooves and feelings. Creativity is allowed to roam completely free, it’s like visual poetry. This young lady right here, to me, was the definition of an artist. Her style was so sick, so unique that almost 8 years after her death her music and videos still puts the majority of these rnb chicks to shame. Her legacy leaves us with some of the most bangin, ethereal, hypnotic grooves ever created and some tight ass videos too. She was an aesthetically brilliant pioneer and a musical ingenue, enjoy………
5. One of my favorite songs, she looks gorgeous
4. Str8 G
3. Round the way girl fantasticness
2. Classic
1. Taking sex appeal to another level, abstract lovliness
There are several dope directors out there, but Hype has a special place in my heart. 70% of the reason Belly is one of my favorite movies is beacause of the imagery. His style, vision, and creativity is bananas, and he has graced up with some of the most visually stunning videos of all time.
Like most 80′s babies, I love me some music videos. There are some that you can watch a couple times before the novelty wears off, then there are some that stand the test of time. Hype’s videos are always a treat for my eyes. I have a secret wish to direct myself one day and he is one of the main people who inspired my desire to be a visual alchemist. I salute you Hype, and without further ado……………..
10. 1 of the sexiest vids of all time. Easily coulda been a good flick
9. Like one fonky ass acid trip
8. str8 coolness i don’t know what else to say, RIP LEFT EYE
7. This joint is just fun to watch, kaleidoscopic
6. Classically hood, innovatively sexy
5. A conceptual masterpiece[
4. A new school twist on a classic film. Flawless
3. Big ups American Pop, another homage to a dope film
2. Strange lookin women never looked so good. Genius
1. Originally the number one spot on this countdown was going to “Sock It To Me” by Missy. That video is such random genius,they don’t make em like that no more. The only full length version of that song I couldn’t download though. Still this video was going to recieve an honorable mention after I went back and forth for about an hour deciding if it would be this or the Missy vid for the top spot. This is breathtaking farewell from an equally breathtaking woman. Aaliyah was one of the best who ever did it. RIP
Update: found it
HONORABLE MENTION
Dj Quik is my dude. He’s the only man i’ve ever found attractive in a press n curl, was, and still is one of the dopest producers and lyricists in the game. If my life had a soundtrack, i’d probably ask him to score it……
Let me start out by saying I am a horror movie FREAK. If I could, I would watch them all day every day. I love movies in general but if I had to choose a genre, it would be horror hands down. Ask my pops. One of my earliest horror memories is watching Pet Semetary 2 with my little brother. I was like 8 at the time so that puts my brother at about 3. It was on some scene where dude’s face was melting off and my dad walks in the living room, takes one look at the screen and asks, “What is wrong with yall?” That still makes me smile till this day. I digress though. It takes a certain type of humor to appreciate the cinematic gems known as the Sleepaway Camp trilogy. I was channel surfing late one night and ended up on Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland. I though the description sounded alright so I figured I’d give it a shot. I came in on this scene right here and I damn near peed my pants.
I stayed up until 3 just to see the end, and I own all the movies. It’s like the perfect blend of comedy and horror. It’s creeps you out, it’s kinda grotesque but it’s funny as hell. I also think Angela, the killer, is one of the most memorable slasher goons ever brought to film.The original Sleepaway Camp is hailed as a cult classic but, I didn’t think it was all that. It’s a creepy little story where we are first introduced to Angela. We are shown how she becomes a killer and given her motives for doing so. To look at the film from a critics perspective, the plotline, and character developments aren’t too bad. The camera direction also does an on par job providing genuinely eerie images. The film looses me mostly with it’s slowness, all these special effects and camera tricks nowadays have me a little spoiled. While the first film has a heavier tone, the second and third installments were created distinctly to rival the flicks on the 80′s slasher movie scene. If you’re a horror fan, like to smoke bud, a movie junkie, or just someone who appreciates odd humor you can probably dig this. For you’re viewing pleasure; one of the nastiest ways you could possibly be put to death, by outhouse.
***UPDATE: READ THIS POST IF YOU LIKE, IT’S ALL GOOD, BUT CHECK OUT AFRO PUNK 2009 POST, FOR SOME REASON ALL SEARCHES FOR AFRO PUNK ARE DIRECTED TO THIS POST BUT THE NEWER ONE HAS BETTER VIDS****PEACE
Aight so I ,might be a little late, but I heart Afro Punk. Big time. More than big time. The Afro punk movement embodies the spirit of my youthly rebellion. My disrobing of all the cloaks society forced me to wear. It gives it a voice, and better yet a face. A face, that for once, resembles my own. I’m not one for pity parties, so don’t expect one here, but i’ll just say growing up in North Carolina was no cakewalk. Bigotry and racist ideology exists everywhere, but it was perfected in the south .
I was heavy into the grunge, skate punk ,whateva-u wanna-call it scene for a hot minute during my early adolescence and teenage years; Nirvana, Korn, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, Our Lady Peace, Nine Inch Nails, Limp Bizkit, Incubus, The Donnas, Veruca Salt, A Perfect Circle….these was my dawgs. I try not to label myself ,and as you come to know me you will see that my personal tastes are a mash up a myriad of influences. The only generalization I can give myself is I like it funky…nuff said. I grew up in Fayetteville, NC , the gateway of the south. If you know about the south, then you already know we tend to lag behind our northern and western counterparts when it comes to thinking progressively. Nowadays it’s cool to be black and “different”, but in my neck of the woods black people didn’t just do anything. Growing up I heard the following statements like they were actually factual; black people don’t listen to that, black people don’t wear that , black people don’t talk like that, black people don’t skateboard, black people don’t wear blue eye shadow, black people don’t hang out with that many white people, and the list ,unfortunately, goes on. I was picked on mercilessly by peers and told by my parents that I needed to get some more black friends so I could act normally. I was called a race traitor, ostracized from my ethnic group because I did not fit the perception of what a young black girl should be. The shit sucked, and I developed quite an identity crisis from the fall out of being misunderstood and emotionally crucified for something as simple as the music you choose to jam to. But big girls don’t cry, they get even by growing up to be educated and fantabulous. I’m grown enough to know now that despite you’re color or ethnic affiliation, there’s just some things that move the soul. If you’re true to yourself, you let it move you. I’m grown enough to know that at one time in this country white radio stations wouldn’t play rock n roll. I’m educated enought to know that rock n roll is rooted in the rhythym and blues, black music. Being a black woman who is proud of her heritage has taken time. Those who sought to break me down in my youth, had me under the false impression that I was the wrong color for my soul. I’m not trying to be elitist in any way, but black people possess a creative, innovative, unique,and wonderfully complex culture. We are no better than any other group of people on GOD’S green earth, but when we do something, we got a flair that’s hard to ignore. We have a style that has permeated the core of mainstream America since the days of the minstrel show. Music has always played a large part in my life; in my home, the church choir, school chorus , birthdays, funeral’s, cookouts, family get togethers ,whatever, whenever, music was there. Even though I’m a a writer I can’t conjure the exact phrase to express the value of music in my life. For every scene of my earthly journey, there’s a song. Every crush, every love affair, every moment of joy, every moment of sorrow, every party, when i go to sleep, and when i wake up in the morining, a song is there. Black music is all music. Black music is deep, soulful, fast as furious, soft and sweet, electronic, organic, funky, jazzy, classy and country. Black music is turntables, banjos, steel drums,electric guitars and synthesizers. Black music is my music and I love it all. Nothing makes me more proud of my people than when I see us being the creative forces we are, despite what people tell us we’re not supposed to be or do. Afro Punk you make the little girl inside me that was broken feel whole again. You make me want to stand up on a rooftop and shout like i’ve caught the holy ghost. I heart you.
