Jay-Z Wants You To "Answer The Call"

Jay-Z will perform at Madison Square Garden on the 8th anniversary of the 2001 World Trade Center attack. 9/11/09 is also the day "The Blueprint 3" will be released.

In honor of the fallen on 9/11 (and, his new CD, I guess), Jay is holding a charity concert at MSG where 100% of the proceeds from ticket sales and concert merchandise will go directly to “New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund.”

That's what's up, Shawn!

For more information about the charity, click here.

Brew Music: Dead Prez "Summertime"

Check out the new video from Dead Prez. It's called "Summertime" and was directed by Tao Ruspoli.

I love these dudes! The whole vibe of this song and video makes me wanna shave and put on a sundress!

Meantime...in other DP news, the dynamic duo wants you to go green. They've embarked on a campaign to encourage health awareness and environmental justice. Here are a few tidbits:

• Going Green Means Economic Development. The opportunity and the necessity to serve the needs of our people are here. We can serve the needs of our communities with holistic, fair priced, life-affirming products. We need to be more than just consumers, contributing to the Green Revolution as producers, suppliers and distributors.

• We Ain’t Gotta’ Be Sick. The hood suffers from allergies, asthma and other preventable sicknesses that can be controlled and often times eliminated with education, access to healthy food choices, economic development and conscious effort.

• It Costs More To Be Unhealthy Than It Does To Be Healthy. In our communities, complaints over the high prices of organic and natural products are completely warranted. This is a fight that must be won through our participation, advocating a Greener lifestyle.

• Self Love is Taking Care of Ya’ Self. Curly or wavy, nappy or knotty, full or free. Natural hair is beautiful, strong and expresses the vibrancy of your internal being and wellness. Stop trying to meet the false physical standards imposed by society.

• Drug addiction, Drug Abuse and Just Plain, Old Over-Doing It. Alcohol abuse and other recreational toxic substances rob our community of much of its potential.

Word to your motha, Dead Prez! It's time to paint the hood green! But, I will be holding onto my perm. I'm just sayin'...

Things Negroes Like: Blue-Eyed Edition

I was at a party the other day, with all the shades of the rainbow in attendance (you know, a sista likes to expand her horizons), and the deejay spun a few throwback jams. Jams that some Negroes might be a little embarrassed to admit they know all the words to…stuff like Journey (yeah, you know the words to "Don't Stop Believing"…you ain't gotta lie Craig!). So that got me to thinking, who are the other blue-eyed performers that we have in our iPods that our more thugged out friends might not understand?

Run it…

Hall & Oates

There's something creepily odd about this tall-short duo. But they have some of the most memorable hits that shaped our lives in the '70s and '80s. I mean, what girl doesn't wanna be a "Maneater?" Reowr!

Tom Jones

If you're over 30, chances are your mother once tossed her panny-drawz at this man in the '70s so he could ask what's new with her pussycat. Or, she wanted to! What is it about those foreign white folks who can sing and never let on that they have accents? Is it something in the water over there?

Justin Timberlake

The Negroes have a love-hate relationship with this one. Liking him early on in his career probably means you've got to admit to an N'Sync album purchase. And that may not be the best thing for retaining your Black Card. But then he went all nutso and exposed Janet's booby then didn't back her up publicly. Many of the Negro kind banished him from pseudo-Negrodom because of that. But then this fool went and brought sexy back…how could you not love that jam?

Teena Marie

I was so sure she was just real light-skinndeded for the first 10 years of my life. But, alas, Mary Christine Brockert is not of the Negroid persuasion. Dangit, Lady T, you had me fooled! I won't hold that against you though. Some of your wardrobe choices though, yeah, I've got to hold you under the spotlight for those.

Robin Thicke

Mmmmm, tasty! I remember when you were all long-haired and grungy and just wanted to be called Thicke. Now, you're all cleaned up and married to a sista.
Hats off to any man who can go from this to this . That's all I'm sayin.

Michael Bolton

Sure he got the hair-memo and he's all cleaned up now. But I loved him most when he had that Beauty & the Beast mullet and sang the hell outta those songs black people had already made famous. His jams are played in dental offices worldwide. Something about that dude just soothes you to sleep while you're having that mercury filling put in your mouth.

John Mayer

Can we take this guy in the racial draft in a multi-player trade for Lil Wayne, Plies, Lil Boosie, Hurricane Chris, Soulja Boy and Gucci Mane? We don't care who takes them and don't worry, we don't need any replacements for those six. Mayer is enough. In fact, we'll pay you to take them. Thanks!

Kenny G

The decaf of jazz with uncontrollably kinky hair, much like the Negro. Is he related to us?

Vanilla Ice

Oh, don't even fake. You had this CD when you were 12, just like everybody else. If "Ice Ice Baby" came on right now, your ass would be the first to jump up and shout "Alright stop, collaborate and listen"...
It's okay…so would I.

R. Kelly Wants The Vagicat To Cry!

41 year old pedophile producer, songwriter, singer extraordinaire R. Kelly is back with a new project. The new Gangsta Grillz mixtape features R-ah with DJ Skee & DJ Drama. It’s called The "Demo" Tape.

R-ah covers some of the more (ahem) popular songs currently playing on the radio: Jeremih’s “Birthday Sex”, Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” and he even does a little ditty to Young Money’s “Every Girl.” There are a few new tracks and some heavy auto-tunin’ on the new mixtape. Of course, there is what’s sure to become a pole establishment banger: “P.U.S.S.Y. Cry.” Yeah, I didn’t stutter. But I think I’m gonna puke though.

The folks over at AV Club have a hilarious (yet, sad) rundown of the 24 things R-ah wants to do on this new mixtape.

Here are the first 5:
1. To make the p-u-s-s-y cry (“P.U.S.S.Y. Cry”) – we’ve covered that
2. To give you a backrub, followed by a trip to the hot tub (“Birthday Sex”)
3. For people not to disrespect his shorty, since he likes her sex (“Disrespect My Shorty”)
4. To hit that big old [ass], even though his girl similarly has a big old [ass] (“Disrespect My Shorty”)
5. To have you scream “It hurts, it hurts!” then have you concede that his lovemaking quenches your thirst, your thirst (“Birthday Sex”)

It’s sad that the man who gave us Maxwell’s “Fortunate” and the King of Pop’s “You Are Not Alone,” now can only recite lines like “I’ma have her screaming ’til they call the security”? Shaking my head.

Apparently you can download this little gem of creation by clicking here, if you dare.

Brew Culture: Old Men In The Club, Hip Hop Edition

Wednesday 8/12/2009 De La Soul at Ram's Head Live in Bmore,--On their grind with their Twenty Years High and Rising Tour, they will also be in DC the 9:30 Club on 8/11.

20 years- Damn, I was a freshman in college with a crush on a boy with bad skin who hated me! Aww Good times! (click the hyperlinks for tix)

Brew Culture: Laura Izibor

We've already covered how much we love this Irish woman!

She's got a soulful, actual singing, non whispery non- irritating voice that is sadly few and far between in music these days. Seriously, how hard is it for people who cut CD's to be 'singers' (I'm looking at you pastie cakes)?

Laura will be in the DMV at Ram's Head on Stage Annapolis: Tickets Here

(From the Ram's Head Website)

Laura Izibor
Wednesday, July 29
8pm
$22.50

Artist's Website: Laura's MySpace
Why She's Worth Watching:
“The foundation begins with soul,” explains 20-year-old "Rolling Stone, Artist To Watch" Laura Izibor of her passionate, piano-guided songs. On her forthcoming debut album, Izibor continues the lineage set out by artists like Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott; artists who combine a reverence for the traditions of early R&B with a thoroughly modern sensibility. After one listen to her powerful, honey-tinged vocals and one thing is for sure...for Laura Izibor, it’s got to be real.
For Fans Of: Joss Stone, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu

Check out her website: http://www.lauraizibor.com/

Brew Bits: Maxy's Back!

Finally, finallly.... FINALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY!

My sweet baby has come home. Let us rejoice!

Purchase, bitches....

or at iTunes

Jill Scott Now A Single Mom?

So, I’m trolling the Internetz at work as I often do (hey, don’t judge, I work hard) and I stumbled upon this article on the Essence website and nearly gasped. Ok, so I did gasp. Jill Scott is now a single mother! What? After all that hullabaloo about getting it on with her drummer after the her first failed marriage to that Lyzel in E Flat dude?

My favorite musical diva (and TV detective) tells Essence that being a mother to her 2 month old son, Jett, has been an exciting new experience for the 37 year old. Jill says she loved being pregnant (despite 36 hours of labor) and would even have another one.

Then, she drops the bomb… she and fiancé Lil' John Roberts are no longer together. Jill says she dealt with a lot of emotions, as expected when you’re hormonal and preggers, and thus, the relationship is over. Although she doesn't outright blame the break-up on the pregnancy. She says the two are co-parenting and working on being friends.

Mind you, Jill announced her engagement to Lil’ John (no, not the “What… Yeah” Lil’ John) during a concert in June of last year. John is/was her drummer. So she went from engaged in June ’08 to a mother in April ’09 and now single. Whew! I can’t keep up. Can anyone keep a man anymore? I sure can’t!

This proves life takes its twist and turns no matter how famous or how rich you are. Now, I don’t judge (I think we covered that already), but even though Jill can afford to raise this baby as a single mother, was this a well-thought-out move on her part? Did she just want to have a baby that bad and this guy was a means to that? Is it fair to the baby? So many questions, but what’s your call?

Perhaps, they’ll be re-thinking these matching tattoos?


On an up note, Jill says we may get a new CD this year.

Another One Bites The Dust

I guess sneaking off to have surgery with his money is no way to keep yo’ man. After just 2 years of marriage, word is Usher is divorcing Tameka Foster Raymond, the mother of his two sons. The couple reportedly hasn’t lived together in nearly a year (but the youngest son is 6 months…hmmm). Is Usher packin’ it so well that it can reach across town, or was some undercover nookie going on?

One of the alleged reasons for the divorce filing is Tameka’s decision to jet down to Brazil in February for a little nip tuck, a near fatal nip tuck. Usher didn’t know his wife was to undergo the procedure, just two months after giving birth.

Rumors of a break-up have been flying around for months. Tameka took some virtual jabs over the weekend via Twitter:

Tameka Raymond exchanged words with an Atlanta based blogger over the weekend. Said blogger, attacked the mother of Usher's two boys, tweeting (twitter) "checking to see if a married man can't creep with his product manager while his wife sits on Twitter."Addressing a woman, that has now been confirmed to be a product manager at Def Jam working with Usher for business purposes (that was spotted and photographed alone with Usher) the blogger went on to say "So what if that girl is a product manager. Weren't you Usher's stylist? And weren't you married at the time?"Foster, after ignoring the blogger for some time, responded "She is ugly, mad 'cuz she has no man, can't find a good woman, sh--'s all bad!!! I'd be salty nuts too...ya'll sing Kum by Ya for her....lol."

A clear sign that things are over? Usher’s momma is back in the picture. You’ll recall that when Tameka hit the scene, his mother fell back. Is it me or when the momma doesn’t like the wife, that union never works out? Discuss?

Death of Auto-Tune

Jay-Z is back! And he's ready to kill... auto-tune, that is.

The Jiggaman dropped his new single "D.O.A." (Death of Auto-Tune) over the weekend. And in typical Shawn Corey Carter fashion, the streets are buzzing about it.

Let's back up a sec for those who may be under a rock. Auto-tune is the software that turns shower singers into recording singers (and I use that term loosely). Real music fans remember when Roger Troutman (may he R.I.P) used the technology on hits like Computer Love and Slow & Easy. Teddy Riley also used it back when Guy was making hits.

So, fast forward to today... the auto-tune sound is everywhere, from gospel to hip-hop. T-Pain, the so-called "King of Auto-Tune" has made millions off the sound. And Jay-Z wants to bury it.

"This ain't a number one record... This is practically assault with a
deadly weapon."
"Y'all n****s singing too much... Get back to rap, you T-Painin' too much!"

Ouch!

But, Jay says the song isn't really aimed at his auto-tunin' friends in rap (i.e.: Kanye, T-Pain and Lil Wayne). So, who is he taking shots at? The music overall? Or average hip-hop fans who soak up this stuff instead of demanding real music?

Anyway, take a listen for yourself.



Is it a hit or a miss? What's your call?

Oh and, "The Blueprint 3" drops in September.

Entertainment: Damn You Stefani Germanotta

Lady Gaga
Dar Constitution HallWashington, DCTue, Sep 29, 2009 08:00 PM
Onsale to General Public
Start: Fri, 06/05/09 10:00 AM EDT

The first time I saw Lady Gaga was on MTV, and I thought I was watching Logo. ''Aw, who's this tranny?'' I realized I wasn't watching 'RuPauls' DragRace' and turned the channel.

But dammit if this heffa hasn't grown on me. I spend a lot of time with 'kids' wayyy younger than me, and have had to endure the fruits of their generations ''musical'' selections ...on constant rotation. Not only is CD not bad.. but... IT'S GOOD! Who knew!?

Anyway....tranny lady is coming to town.

While Perusing YouTube for videos I came across this gem. lmao!

“Pretty Wings”

Maxwell is back! Let’s all exhale in unison. The crooner is releasing his first album in 8 years. The new work, "BLACKsummer'snight," is due out in July. Maxwell is touring this summer to promote the new project, including headlining a night at the Essence Music Festival.

The first single, “Pretty Wings,” debuted yesterday. Click below and relish in the moment…

Shady Face

Eminem graces the cover of the latest issue of Vibe Magazine. It's the Second Annual Real Rap Issue, and uh, Eminem, I appreciate that you're trying your lil comeback and whatnot.

But, how do I ask this nicely, WHAT HAPPENED TO YO' FACE?

Here's the old Em, in case you forgot.

When The Checks Stop Coming In... Reunite!

Times must be tough.  Teddy Riley is digging in the crates and reuniting with both Guy and Blackstreet.

Riley told an Atlanta audience that both groups are preparing new material.  

This will be the first time in nearly a decade that the two groups have come together.

Aww...now all I'm waiting on is a bald headed Chauncey sighting!

SOURCE

I’m sorry I killed your Career:Res

Dear Res,

I loved your music, plus you gave me some kind of a lady woody, with your hotness. I am afraid however that I ruined your career. See, I am not a huge fan of whiny grindy R& B music. It annoys me. ( Seriously, these people get paid to and find some other way to say ‘I love you, girl lemme put it in”, must they be so obvious? Get a fucking thesaurus, yo!) Anyhoo...it seems like every time I get excited by a band or new artist, their careers plummet straight into the shitter. So I feel like I owe you an apology. And a shout out.

I’m sorry, boo... I’m sorry.

Check her out on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/res

Culture: Supportin' live Music that does not suck.

Dear Santo-sorry SantIgold... I don't know that this name spelling change was a wise one. In fact it's pissing me off, as I don't like to be wrong!  Not to mention the spelling now makes me think of Sanitary Napkins in gold....don't ask, I'm a very imaginative person.  Anyways, I'm happy to see you'll be at my fave local spot the 9:30 club because you fucking rawk!

Info below (Tip: get on the 9:30 club list, for pre sale info).

Songs I love to love: "Ephiphany" - Chrisette Michele

Nevermind that I love this chick, this song is awesome, awesome, awesome and unlike with Pleasure Penile Dysfunction I'm not ashamed to say it!

Culture: Supportin' live Music that does not suck.

Ram's Head  Tavern 

Upcoming Concerts  in the DMV (DC, Murland, Virginia ...yea corny, we know. We don't care though.) check out the Ram's Head in Annapolis, MD.

03/23--Raphael Saadiq (he's on a touring frenzy! plus he looks like he has a pretty decent package in that pic above...we're into that at the Witches' Brew).

04/24---Jazzy Soul Collective featuring Erin Roberson, Anthony David, Angela Johnson

04/26---Chrisette Michele **JUST ANNOUNCED** She'll undoubtedly be hitting the crowd with some new material, for her new cd to be released in May. Check out new material at her myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/chrisettemichele

05/07---Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings **JUST ANNOUNCED** If you have not made their acquaintance, Introduce yourself to the amazing Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings somehow they sound like classic soul, yet something brand spanking new all in one. Their site: http://www.daptonerecords.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings.html

05/13---B-52's, if you didn't love the Love Shack, you are lyin'... plus they're not getting any younger, catch em while you can! (I'm just sayin'...)

Culture: Music for Colored Girls, when Radio Ready R & B isn't enough...(a Friday playlist)

The Mars Volta- Goliath






Ethero- If the Mood




Sy Smith- Aquarius Rising



TV On The Radio- Province



Janelle Monet - Let It Go



Vikter Duplaix- Sensuality