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February 24th, 2010 | By ESSENCE.com
Trey Songz talks about the highlight of his career, ‘Inventing Sex’ with Stevie Wonder and what it’s like to tour with Jay-Z
Trey Songz is a busy man. At 26, he just began the nationwide BP3 Tour 2010 opening for Jay-Z, his third album “Ready” was just certified Goldexceeding sales of 500,000, and he just participated in the remake of the classic “We Are The World” benefiting Haitian earthquake relief. During a break on his touring schedule in Dallas, Songz chatted with ESSENCE.com about the messages in his music, what it’s like to work with superstars like Jay, Stevie Wonder and Barbra Streisand, and why he’s excited about performing at the ESSENCE Music Festival.
ESSENCE.com: Congratulations on going Gold, how do you feel about that?
SONGZ: I am proud. It’s an achievement to say the least. It’s my third album and it’s the first one to go Gold. But I don’t want to be stuck in that moment, I want to make sure that I strive to do whatever is next. I am excited that the album is doing very well, you know, but I’m chasing Platinum now.
ESSENCE.com: I hear that for sure, so talk to me about your music. It really resonates in the clubs and particularly with the ladies.
SONGZ: Musically, I want to make good music that people can feel. Music sets a tone like a soundtrack for your life. And, with the music I make, I know that I am making you laugh, making you feel sexy, making you wanna dance, make you wanna make love, whatever it is. I am trying to make good music that people can feel and people can relate to. The ladies just happen to relate to it a little more, and I appreciate that.
ESSENCE.com: At the BET Honors you got to perform with Stevie Wonder and sing “That Girl.” What was it like for you to perform with Stevie?
SONGZ: That was like a highlight of my career right there. That’s Stevie Wonder , he is beyond a legend in my eyes. He is iconic, he was playing drums for Motown 50 years ago, before he got any credit. I know a lot about Stevie, I studied his music. Being able to do that means that I am at a certain place in my career where I can stand next to those people and have conversations with them and be respected by them. As a man, that’s a beautiful feeling. As an artist, it’s even more fulfilling.
(more…)
December 8th, 2009 | By ESSENCE.com
The social dilemma of tolerating violence against women for musical appreciation.
By: Michaela Angela Davis
I remember being mad about “Mad At Miles,” Pearl Cleage’s brave and brilliant account of Miles Davis’s brutalities towards women. I wish it was simple, that I was simply mad at Miles for whooping Cicely Tyson’s behind, our Cicely our queen, no I was mad at the conflict and the confusion it caused me. You see, I had to contend with “Kind of Blue” and “Sketches of Spain.” Miles made music of the Gods, not to mention he was the hippest, sharpest dressed, defiant, hypnotically striking, dangerously sexy man to ever put his mouth to metal. Miles was a giant, a Black mans hero, a genius and a monster.
Now, I am mad again. Mad at Chris Brown. Chris Brown, the bright smiling young Black boy who when he danced, you dare not turn away. Happy Chris, who shined through all the sludge of thug glamour. Chris has that star thing and a sick work ethic. Chris Brown heir apparent to Michael Jackson, who couldn’t perform at his memorial because the swollen, black and blue, face of Rihanna was still too bloody fresh in our minds. Our new pop prince beat down the princess and all the kings horses and all the kings men didn’t come to put anything back together again. (more…)
October 5th, 2009 | By Alejandro Ford
I’ve never entered the Pearly Gates nor do I know anyone with a pulse whose ever rocked a Halo, but I wouldn’t be surprised if The Holy Trinity (…with the Holy Spirit being the Tie-Breaker) voted to revoke Mary Mary’s coveted *Gospel Card* after finding the POP-dabbling Auto-Tunistas GUILTY of impersonating an anointed gospel group.
Now to be clear, ME = Mary Mary FAN who actually copped Thankful and Mary Mary featuring the smashes “Shackles” and “Heaven” (…and “The Real Party”) when the uber-talented twosome masterfully bridged the gap between the club and the pulpit with POP-glossed gospel records (…without crossing THE LINE) that were embraced by both the tambourine-tapping traditionalists and dressed-down new-agers of the Church.
However, after experiencing mega-crossover success as the gorgeous new faces of contemporary gospel music, the Christ-kissed chanteuses slithered out of their wholesome ‘Church Girl’ images into matching bustiers before re-launching themselves into the mainstream as EX-Jesus groupies desperately seeking worldly recognition (…and the almighty secular dollar) with their fifth studio release The Sound.
But then again, who am I to GO IN on the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling publicity-fiends who feature the chest-thumping bar spitter David Banner — whose best known for his smut-soaked club anthem “Play” … *Cue The Hook* … “Cum girl, I’m tryna get your p*ssy wet…” *PAUSE* — on their dreadful (T.I. & Rihanna) “Live Your Life” rip-off “Super Friend” and foolishly sprinkle their heavily Auto-Tuned, 808-riddled club bangers like “God In Me” with just enough ‘Jesuses’ here and ‘I heart Gods’ there to certify them as a gospel group?!’
…Well, to be honest, I’m nothing more than a reality-bitten bloggist ballsy enough to publicly denounce Mary Mary’s ME-first, God-second approach to gospel music and expose the genre bending sex symbols for what they really are: A Holier Than Thou Changing Faces re-boot specializing in R&B head-nodders with a Christian/Inspirational twist.
Face it, “God In Me” is “Buy You A Drank” + “Blame It” splashed with Holy Water and certainly doesn’t uplift God or minister to any of these church-ditching Hip-Hoppers devoid of any tangible relationship with God while having everything to do with spiritually conflicted artists looking to stay relevant (relevant = cater to skinny jeans-rockers, club boppers and trendy album coppers) in a recession-ravaged recording industry.
…Don’t agree?! … then I suggest you cut the T-Painish trunk rattler’s bass down and listen closely to its message that encourages the flaunting of possessions to others as a way to convey that it’s not just you, but the God in you that allows you to posses these material things…
…Err, and YES, that would be a form of ‘prosperity’ teaching (Prosperity Teaching = Pastor: ‘Look at what I have … you can have it too if you accept God into your life … and tithe regularly) usually reserved for mega-church Pastors (…like the Creflo Dollars or Bishop Eddie Longs) and NOT secularized gospel anthems.
Seriously people, instead of wasting your lives away condemning this blog because I questioned your favorite gospel duo’s *Gospel Card* holder’s status, I highly recommend you stop two-stepping to the “God In Me” (Right Hand of Fellowship Remix) during Sunday service and understand that you’re being spiritually bamboozled by wanna-be starlets who obviously care more about adding zeros to their bank account balances than making quality gospel music.
Believe me, if Erica and Tina were really as ‘genuine’ as their legions of defendists claim they are then they never would’ve pretended to be Destiny’s Child by demanding more food (…along with a Bible-thick pamphlet of outrageous requests) than Jesus served the Disciples during ALL of the suppers combined from my alma mater’s radio station in exchange for a Homecoming performance and a few interviews. (Hampton U. to Mary Mary = Stay Home).
…And if that’s ‘acceptable’ for gospel artists, then I suppose Tina’s ultra-tight liquid leggings that she rocked during the duo’s nationally televised BET Awards performance were Jesus-approved along with their LL Cool J collab “We’re Gonna Make It” and the contribution of their vintage hip-twister “The Sound” to the Cadillac Records Soundtrack.
…Pssh, at this point, I’m willing to bet ANY gospel enthusiast a tithe envelope stuffed with freshly minted ‘Geoffrey Dollars’ that the Heavens frown on Mary Mary’s brand of Hip-Pop-infused gospel and I truly believe that their music confuses struggling Christians by blurring the lines between the gospel and secular worlds while also dividing the church.
(‘Half of the church’ = Understand that gospel can be packaged in any musical form; “God In Me”/“Get Up” are wonderful ways to minister to the youth who aren’t regularly exposed to traditional gospel Vs. ‘The Other Half’ = We’re dressing, acting and speaking like the world yet still professing our love for Christ. We’re supposed to stand out not blend in… Either you’re on Team Christ or you’re not …)
*And, uh, I’m no Pastor but the following scriptures support ‘The Other Half’s point: A) James 1:8 = “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” B) Revelation 3:15 = “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!”*
To me, Erica and Tina (…along with Erica’s husband/Talented beatmaker Warryn Campbell = Kanye’s “We Major/Homecoming” …Snoop “Ups & Downs” …Mos Def “Sex, Love & Money) sold their souls with The Sound, which to date, is their lowest selling album (The Sound = 287K records sold) and crossed the (gospel) LINE that even Kirk Franklin managed to respect as a fellow platinum-selling ‘Holy-Hip-Hoppist.’
Even though Kirk jiggled and jammed through the pues during his boundary-pushing days as the face of “The Family”/“God’s Property,” his music was still ‘churchy,’ contained three-part harmonies and was always an uptempo favorite in every Church I’ve ever visited.
But don’t get it twisted, this is not a personal attack on Mary Mary or any other artists (Me = Canton Jones FAN) currently incorporating Hip-Hop into their gospel music, but rather me being honest (…and fair) about the duo’s blatant attempt to reach a broader audience by ‘doing as the sinners do’ while continuing to market their music as ‘Contemporary Gospel.’
At the end of the day, if strippers can pop to it, clubbers can grind to it and the church band can barely crank out a decipherable version of it on Sundays, then it’s probably NOT a gospel record. In fact, the only Mary Mary jam that I’ve ever heard choirs sing consistently is “Shackles” and that was their first and biggest smash.
Think about it, there’s a reason why “God In Me” is played more on Urban/Adult Contemporary radio than gospel stations and smashed between Drake’s “Best I Ever Had,” the “Stanky Leg” and Young Money’s “Every Girl” all day, every day. If you like the banger, rock to it, but don’t be naïve and add it to your ‘gospel mix’ or attempt to convince people like me to look past the Auto-Tune/bass-heavy synth-claps and embrace the message because, at that point, it won’t be about the “God In Me” but rather the “Fool In You.”
This has been another Alejandro presentation.
“For those of you that think gospel music has gone too far; You think we’ve gotten too radical with our message; Well I got news for ya’… You ain’t heard nothin’ yet… And if you don’t know, now ya’ know … Glory Glory! — Kirk Franklin, ’97
Debut Album. Wholesomest…
… Yessss… rock those hips … for the Lord …
…When I say Holy … you say Ghost!
Liquid Leggings = Jesus approved?! …
Couldn’t forget about David Banner …
Contemporary Gospel 2009 … Canton is my dude…but this album cover embodies everything that’s WRONG with Hip-Hop …
Popular Holy-Hip-Hoppist …
… by now, I’m sure you get the ‘point’
Familiar? … I mean, I’m just sayin’ …
… Tonex ‘gospel innovator’
Has gospel gone too far? … You be the judge …
October 4th, 2009 | By EMQ Network Contributor
By KeJuana Stanley — Black College Wire
Whitney Houston is no longer shouting out her love for the infamous Bobby Brown in courtrooms; instead, she’s blowing out lyrical melodies on her much-anticipated album, “I Look to You.”
Do not call it a comeback because she’s been here for years. Since her last album six years ago, Houston’s personal tragedies have flooded  headlines and now she’s reclaiming her throne as an untouched talented songstress. ImageThe album, which is half good, half forgettable, but never lame, hit stores yesterday. All 11 tracks are streaming live on whitneyhouston.com. Although the singer looks tired on the album’s cover, she sings of tackling her demons with a refreshing clarity.
Her highs aren’t quite as high anymore and that famous throaty low is now an awkward drag queen husky.
On the first single, “Million Dollar Bill,” produced by Swizz Beatz, Houston lets it all hang out without overbearing digital trickery. It is a surprising moment that reminds the listener that in spite all of her tabloid trappings; she’s still a fabulous singer with stellar control and phrasing.
The up-tempo, joyful track about love is arguably one of the most energetic songs Houston has ever done. “Million Dollar Bill” has an amazing bass line and almost recalls the late Michael Jackson in “Off The Wall” with catchy hook, “you make me feel like a million dollar bill.” Her vocals are strong and it doesn’t appear as if she’s trying to compete with teenagers.
Although the album’s second half loses its catch, there are nice singles to be discovered. Stargate, the Norwegian producers that made Beyonce’s, “Irreplaceable” a smash, produced the mid-tempo, “Call You Tonight.” This track is fun and mature and a song everyone can relate to.
Heavily produced, it was sometimes difficult to adjust to hearing a pure vocalist like Houston sing on top of such a heavily produced track. “Call You Tonight” is reminiscent of one of the better tracks from 2002’s, “Just Whitney.”
In the R. Kelly produced, “Salute,” Houston is saying goodbye to a former lover who has done her wrong, and she’s letting go with no anger. She confidently and bolds serenades, “I salute you” in this strictly R&B track. Could Houston be referring to the troublesome Bobby Brown? Who’s to say?
Houston delivers meaningful lyrics and worked with the best in the music industry to produce a fresh album that will make her a positive household name.
Houston tried a few comeback albums during her troubled times, but there was always a level of insincerity and false confidence to each. Something was wrong, and fans knew it. This album is far more humble and confident.
Compared to all of the modern-day studio singers that need to be digitally enhanced to sell a record, it is nice to have a “real” singer re-surface.
Comment on this article
KeJuana Stanley writes for The Famuan, the Florida A&M University student newspaper, which originally published this article.
September 28th, 2009 | By EMQ Network Contributor
While growing up, I have always hidden something from my parents; something that I fell in love with ever since my older brother introduced me to it when I was in grade school. Unlike some teens, which may hide dirty magazines, alcohol, or cigarettes, my vice was hip-hop music.
The Famuan
Matthew Richardson
“Why hide music from your parents?” some may ask. Well, my family is deeply rooted in Christianity.
My father is a pastor of a church in Tallahassee named Jesus Apostolic, not to mention the slew of uncles and aunts who are pastors, deacons, or evangelists. So, while some other parents might not find problems with listening to secular music, I was told not to, or else. As a result, hip-hop music became my alcohol.
I remember the first hip-hop song I heard that I couldn’t get enough of: Fabolous’s “Young’n (Holla Back)”. The single from his first album was back in 2001, so you know how sheltered I was.
I would jam out in my brother’s red Honda CR-X because that was the only place I could get my buzz without being caught. After that, I wanted more. I loved the beats, the rhymes, and the style. Everything about hip-hop I loved. But come Sunday morning, it was back to the choir and back to traditional praise and worship songs—nothing wrong with that—but I guess you could call my thoughts being more focused on hip-hop while in church, a “hangover.” (more…)
September 5th, 2009 | By EMQ Network Contributor
Where should I begin about the Chris Brown interview on Larry King Live? Let’s begin with Chris Brown wearing a baby blue sweater and bowtie looking like the Twitter mascot.
Seriously though, Brown looked nervous and uncomfortable, but more importantly he portrayed himself as an illiterate celebrity in desperate need of good public relations.
As Brown sat between his mother and lawyer, he continuously looked down as he answered, or didn’t answer, Larry King’s questions. This was Brown’s chance to gain some redemption for his atrocious acts, but instead he seemed as if he was putting on a façade to be apologetic.
When King asked about the incidents that occurred, Brown’s repeated responses were, “I don’t know” or “Out of respect for her [Rihanna] and
 Marlon Williams. Photo Credit: The Famuan myself, I don’t want to discuss that.” But the response that tickled my feather the most was, “I don’t remember.” Really? You don’t remember beating Rihanna to oblivion, while you were driving? You don’t remember busting her upside the head and threatening to kill her? When did you get amnesia? If you can’t remember that, either you were high on Rick James’ cocaine or you’re bipolar.
King was very amiable, but took no pity on Brown. He asked the hard questions and Brown refused to answer. King continuously referred to the police affidavit to jog Brown’s memory, but Brown couldn’t answer anything because he had a case of amnesia. King asked Brown about controlling his anger. Brown said he is young and learning. He also said, “Nobody wrote a book on how to control our anger and emotions.” So, you need a book to tell you how to do that? No, you need some home training. By the way, there are many books about anger management, but by listening to him speak, I don’t think he does much reading. Eventually, Brown seemed to get frustrated with King’s questions, and I’m sure King felt Brown was wasting his time.
Brown reminded me of a fourth-grader at a parent-teacher conference because he barely spoke for himself. Brown’s lawyer and mother, who was dressed as if she just left Wednesday night church service, constantly spoke up for him. If he was prepped on anything, it was to not say much, which from a PR perspective is a bad move; silence will only hurt you.
Honestly, I think Chris should make a deal to have a reality show about anger management counseling on Vh1. What better way to boost his career back into gear?
He should do a reality show or a sex tape. That seems to be the trend anyway.
What may be over is Chris Brown’s career. That interview was simply wretched. This was his time to shine, but instead he sank deeper into the abyss of shame. I’m not saying that people should forgive him or hate him for his hideous act, but I do know he should work on his interviewing skills. I really wish Brown the best in recovery of his amnesia.
Thanks, Chris, for the best time I ever had on Twitter.
Marlon Williams writes for The Famuan, the Florida A&M University student newspaper, which originally published this article. Article courtesy of the Black College Wire.
July 1st, 2009 | By Aaron P. Taylor
I hate going to funerals.
The last person close to me that died was my Granddad on my Mom’s side. I was living with my uncle in Pennsylvania at the time, and we drove aaaaall the way down to Alabama for the funeral (which was a LONG over-night drive). We got there early the next morning and went straight to the church, where the rest of our family was waiting.
Once inside the church, we all got a chance to walk up to my Granddad’s casket. I got to look at him one last time, and… well, I don’t really cry at these things anymore, but I looked at him and automatically thought to myself:
“Wow – they did a LOUSY job embalming him!”
Later on during the funeral, as people went up and started talking about my Granddad, I became more and more angry with how the service was going. Every time somebody would say something, I would analyze it, pick it apart, and find fault with what they were saying.
“Hey, they didn’t mention this thing about him!”
“Wait a minute – why are they only talking about his LAST job as a Wal-mart greeter?? Where is the personal stuff??”
Even the choir that sang at the thing was pissing me off – “Why did they pick THAT song?? Why is it so darn off-key??” The happiest part for me was when the funeral part was finally over, and we were allowed to eat in the church’s cafeteria.
—
In looking back on it now, there wasn’t anything particularly wrong with my Granddad’s funeral per se. Sure, there were things here and there that I wished would have happened, but ultimately, most people probably have similar feelings at funerals. Why?
BECAUSE WHEN YOU’VE KNOWN SOMEONE FOR THE MAJORITY OF YOUR LIFE, IT’S HARD TO SEE SOMEONE ELSE TAKE THAT PERSON AND TRY TO CELEBRATE THEIR LIFE WITHOUT HAVING SOME KIND OF OPINION ABOUT IT.
In looking at the B.E.T. awards yesterday, I actually ENJOYED the program. At the same time, though, I know there are many others that thought B.E.T. either (a) didn’t do enough to remember MJ, (b) didn’t remember him in the right way, or (c) felt it was too much of a rush job and not classy enough.
I understand where these feelings come from. The ENTIRE WORLD from the 1960s ’til now grew up on Michael Jackson. He was in the ENTIRE WORLD’S lives for 45 years. That’s BILLIONS of people.
What does that mean? It means that BILLIONS of people are going to have various opinions about how his life should be celebrated.
For the opinions of the (comparatively smaller) MILLIONS of people who watched the award show on Sunday, you have to take into account the fact that, when an event like this happens where many feeling of sadness abound, ANYTHING DONE WRONG AT THE SHOW COULD MAKE THEM AUTOMATICALLY HATE HOW THEY CHOSE TO HONOR HIM.
For example: you might have watched the show and loved every bit of it until near the end, when Lil’ Wayne and Drake got up on stage and dedicated “F–k Every Girl” to the Gloved one. That one act of so-called “disrespect” could automatically make you think they did a snow job on MJ’s memory, even if you liked the rest of the show up to that point. (more…)
June 16th, 2009 | By Alejandro Ford
I used to believe Hip-Hop was the love of my life before I caught her creepin’ with a Ring-tone-deafened Anti-Genre seething with sacklets of venereal VOCO-puss and S(wag)TDs. At that moment, my once warm blooded cardio beat box shriveled into a splinter infested heart shaped holding cell forcing my love for beats, rhymes and life to fade to into an unsightly shade of black.
There didn’t seem to be any hope for my severely fractured relationship with Hip-Hop, who after inspiring so many people, developed a deadly obsession with college credited mini-goons, delusional rappers turned tone-less vocalists and major artists who routinely fed the public overhyped drivel stamped as freshly baked greatness.
Damn this Hip-Hop! She was so amazing, yet so unbelievably slutty, unfocused and two faced. Even when I attempted to replace her with Pop, Reggae or Rock, I realized nothing could ever give me butterflies like she did.
So I vowed to save her from her doom — even if she didn’t want to be saved — by reuniting with Doc Brown and Marty McFly to travel back through time in the DeLorean and save Hip-Hop from the diabolical clutches of the Anti-Genre aka Urban Music.
After finalizing our master plan, Doc set the date to Sept. 7, 1996 and location to Vegas where we helped Pac slip away from his assailants after the Tyson/Sheldon fight before landing in L.A. on March 9, 1997 — after the infamous VIBE party — and saving Biggie from being swiss-cheesed in his vehicle. (more…)
June 14th, 2009 | By Alejandro Ford
Diary of an Angry Hip-Hop Junkie
In yet another blatant display of editorial bitchASSness by a popular urban lifestyle publication, the now-defunct flesh-rag known as King magazine recently unveiled its highly-anticipated ‘Unpopular Rap Facts’ in its final cootch-juiced issue before joining Radar, Blender, Scratch, Vibe Vixen and nearly 600 other recession-rocked mags on the midnight train the Foldsville.
While examining these blasphemous revelations — which should’ve been called ‘8 gun shots to Hip-Hop’s dome’ — my eyes smoldered with crimson fury like ‘Lance’ in ‘The Best Man’ until the following ‘rap fact’ repudiaHATEsions spilled from my beautifully diseased thoughts into this blog for your reading enjoyment. Let’s get to it.
8. Ice Cube Had The Greatest Five-Year Run In Hip-Hop.
King: “From 1988 to 1992, he made N.W.A the world’s most dangerous group with “F*ck The Police,” and then slaughtered them on “No Vaseline.” He recorded “Jackin’ For Beats,” a template for the upcoming mixtape era, as well as radio hits like “It Was a Good Day.” He foresaw the L.A. riots on Death Certificate and then described their aftermath on The Predator.”
Alejandro: This debatable doozie clearly crip-walked into the mag-staff’s blunted brainage during a purp-induced viewing of Are We There Yet? …Err, so ‘Jheri curl Cube’ and not Hov, Em or DMX had the GREATEST five-year run in the HISTORY of Hip-Hop?!? …Uhh YES, according to these Almighty Hip-Hop Know-It-Alls who cited Em’s lack of classic material and Hov’s ‘dog’ albums (In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 & The Blueprint 2) as ‘valid reasons’ why the greats were 8-6’ed from the ‘best five-year run’ sweepstakes.
However, there are many rap purists who agree with this distinction even if Cube ditched his Raiders fitted and F@#$-whitey mentality years before re-emerging as the lovable ‘family-friendly Cube,’ which is why I’m siding with DMX’s ’97-’02 campaign where he barked legendary bars on Mase’s “24 Hours To Live,” The LOX’s “Money, Power & Respect,” and LL’s “4,3,2,1,” before dropping two multi-platinum classics (It’s Dark… and Flesh of My Flesh…) and possibly the illest Hip-Hop themed soundtrack/crew compilation ever (Belly and Ryde or Die, Vol. 1). Dark Man X also starred in four feature films during this run highlighted by the cult classic Belly and certified guilty pleasure Romeo Must Die.
7. Famous Common Is Less Than Common Sense. (more…)
June 12th, 2009 | By EMQ Network Contributor
 How well do you know Essence Music Festival’s performing artists? Test your knowledge play EMQ Networks’ Txt Trivia-Essence Music Festival Edition and win a chance to attend the 15th Anniversary of the ESSENCE Music Festival!
How To Enter and Participate:
Starting June 7th, you can enter for a chance to win an a win to for you and you and a guest to the 2009 ESSENCE Music Festival. Simply register at emqtv.com/emf09 and navigate to the right side bar with your name, cell phone number and provider between now and June 24th. On June 25th between 2:00pm and 4:00pm EMQ Networks will send out a series of 5 special Essence Music Festival trivia questions.
When all 5 trivia questions have been sent, login back on to emqtv.com/emf09 to complete the your official entry form with your answers. You will have been 4:00pm – 9:00PM EST to submit your entry, so that means you have 5 hours! The contest stops at 9:00pm EST. If your entry is not in by then you will not qualify for the drawing. (more…)
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