We're all that we've got: Sing, Jaheim

I was always pretty meh when it came to Jaheim. Yeah, I definitely recognized that his voice was far more mature than his contemporaries, harkening that grown and sexy era when people relied on their voice more than gymnastics and pyrotechnics.
But still, was never really feeling him.

But yesterday, as I was chilling and listening to Midnight Love's Sultry Slowjam edition, Jaheim's "Fabulous" appeared on the screen (aside: Curse rap artist Fabolous for causing a whole generation to always second guess the correct spelling).
Now I had seen this video several times before, as it was played ad nauseum back in 2002 when it was hot, but I had never really listened so closely nor watched the video so intently.

Portraits of concrete-colored Black life grace the screen as Jaheim aurally paints vignettes of our cousins, friends, and people from around the corner.

Young cat, got back, did a little bid
Now he hard, he buff, he tough -- doo rag and timbs
Kinda hard to get a job back out on the block
Charge that to the game

Young girl, she grew up in a rush
Had it bad, no dad, she don't know who to trust
Every man she ever loved only wanna crush.
Charge that to the game

So simply stated, yet speaking volumes, the lyrics give color to conditions permeating Black life. With an unapologetic "tell it like it is" tone, Jaheim shares a story. Yeah we may used prepaid cell phones for local calls and "name our kids them funny names", but "don't hate on us [because] we're fabulous".

The video ends with children clad in white t-shirts, beaded braids a-swinging, chirping along as Jaheim sings, "Never G-I-V-E U-P and keep your H-E-A-D U-P, cuz U-N-I-T-Y is all we need to get our R-E-S-P-E-C-T."

What an uplifting message that speaks the truth with simplicity, authenticity, and soul.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EnDm-67WhCg

A Loving Dayyyyy

June 12th marks the celebration of the 1967 Loving vs. Virginia case which made the union of interracial couples legal. In celebration of this historic feat, Loving Day was created, a holiday where couples all over the United States celebrate their right to love a person who does not share their ethnicity.

Aptly titled, Loving Day is a time for showing love while negating prejudice and discrimination through education and exposure. And what better means of exposure than a celebration? Participants are encouraged to attend or throw a Loving Day celebration that can range in size from block party to table for two.

Check out the website, download the Celebration Kit and have a happy Loving Day!
http://lovingday.org/

The Unification of Fruits

There's nothing more pleasing to the African American palette than a cold, fruity, and RED beverage. I know, I know. Not all Black people love them some Tahitian Treat, but yes they do. Ok, to say that all Black people like drink without discussing the broader social conditions that make this an accurate statement, would be unfair. Due to the historical relationship between poverty and nutrition,the sad but true reality is generations were brought up on that packet with a picture with a pitcher smiling thoughtfully (probably about to indulge in a cool beverage as well; it's not cannibalism if you drink yourself).

To quote classic Chappelle, "What the f*ck is juice?"

That being said, to the right are some of my favorites:

Tahitian Treat- The ultimate carbonated fruit punch beverage that leaves you so thirsty you'll wish you had a Tahitian Treat. Dyes your entire mouth red.

Quarter Waters/Little Hugs- Ah, if only actual H20 was sold for a quarter instead of this melted Popsicle juice in a plastic grenade (with that impossible to penetrate foil lid that cuts your mouth with every delightful swallow). Note: Must drink at least one of every color to satiate thirst.

Kool-Aid- The one and only. Now I know there are staunch believers in there only being one flavor of Kool Aid, but this simply isn't true. There's not even one flavor of RED. And I prefer the light, refreshing strawberry over fruit punch, anyway.

PEACH HI-C- My personal most absolute favoritest drink in the world. Forget that gross coconut ridden dessert that sits out at cookouts being the nectar of the gods. This was it. RIP.

I'm thirsty.

Fallen Heroes Pt. I: Yo MTV Raps why dost thou bring back so many memories?

Sigh. Memories of that golden era where socially conscious black-pride ankh and kufi wearing street poets ruled the concrete coated land. When an acid-washed jean jacket, sideways-cap and infamous clock necklace wearing (lookin-boy) card-carrying member of Public Enemy taught a post-Civil Rights generation to stand up. Though my age consisted of a single digit back then, I still remember.

But what of this generation? Them babies don't remember when the current Flavor of Love/Under One Roof star was once 1/2 of a dynamic duo dedicated to having the urban black experience heard. How could they know when the star known for donning a clock around his neck, has forgotten to ask himself what time it is? I mean, I guess it's easy to get distracted by all the Goddess Yaki tracks weaved atop heads that probably couldn't recite the chorus to "Fight the Power". But the more important question is, does he remember?

It seems a refresher is in order for William Drayton because my man has officially bought into the very hype he told us not to believe. To allow one's hip-hop legend status to be reduced to a legacy that includes three seasons of a reality show involving several women vying for your affections (record deals, screen time, cover of "King" magazine) is insult enough. But to be part of the more injurious half-hour atrocity that is the sitcom "Under One Roof"? To become the star of a sitcom in which you play a jovially ignorant ex-con and deliver EVERY LINE LIKE THIS, ending with "Yeah Boyyyyeee", is just saddening. And watching the nearly half a century old Flavor Flav become a mere caricature of himself is depressing.

It's time to reevaluate, boyyyee.

Summer Nail Polishes for darker skin tones

I used to be really into nail polish; glitters, blue blacks, florescents...you name it, I had it. But clearly my priorities have changed as I reached for my bag of polishes and found them all either dried up or transformed into that weird two toned state where the color sinks to the bottom.

So it's time to go nail polish shopping again and what perfect timing since summer is just around the corner and it's time for those toes to breath (and nobody wants to be called an unsightly breathing toes lookin-boy)!

Summer is time for all the darker burgundies and chocolates to go into hibernation and the pastels and bold bright colors come out to play and contrary to popular belief dark colors aren't the only shades that complement dark skin tones.
As pictured above, bright, bold magentas and dark pinks look great on darker skin tones, as well as the classic fire-engine red.

Since darker skinned individuals tend to have red/orange undertones in the skin, polishes with oranges/reds will always be comoplementary.

Ever notice on TV when there's a Black person in the room, 8.75 times outta 10, they're usually clad in a citrus-hued color (i.e. lime, lemon, orange, peach)? Though I may be the only one who notices and even gets annoyed by The Citrus Phenomenon (we can look good in Turquoise too, and striking in white) these shades of polishes look good against, as Ms. Arie describes, "skin that's been kissed by the sun.

Try these (the above) on for size (I mean, as much as you can from your computer).

Come Uppance: Jazmine Sullivan

While browsing Youtube, I stumbled upon this striking vocalist who, at the tender age of 11, had the notorious Apollo Theatre audience catching the Holy Ghost with her rendition of "Accept What God Allows" (her vocals do more than make up for the 90s fashion faux pas).


Hailing from that city where brothers show each other love, Ms. Jazmine Sullivan has gained a sizable audience in her hometown with her chocolate colored contralto neo-soul, a blend of soul, jazz, and hip-hop that could be dubbed the new "Philly Sound" thanks to Philly predecessors like Bilal (when is his new joint gonna drop, btw), Musiq Soulchild, and Jill Scott.

Take a track like "Braid Your Hair", (not to be confused with Mario's "Braid My Hair" still a hot one, I'll guiltily admit), an ode to the bond experienced between a woman and man during the act. Combing and greasing has never sounded more sacred. "I can feel you/ I can feel you everywhere/ Can you feel me when I braid your hair? When I braid your hair it's such a great experience/ I try to take such care and make you look like a prince"



And take her rendition of the jazz standard "Round Midnight" as she invokes gospel artist Kim Burrell, and jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson with her melisma filled, husky version of Monk's classic.


Definitely an artist on the come up!

For Whom the Bell Tolls: Fear and Black Vilification Revisited in the Sean Bell Verdict

And it happened again. The same AmadouDialloOusmaneZongo black nightmare, simply in 2008 form, occurred on April 25 when Gescard Isnora, Michael Oliver, and Marc Cooper, three of the five officers involved in the 2006 Sean Bell shooting, were acquitted of all “wrist slap” charges held against them: manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and assault.

Joseph Guzman, Trent Benefied, and Sean Bell, three unarmed black men, were shot and one killed as the result of fifty bullets escaping from the weapons of officers who believed that one of the victim’s companions had a gun. Yet no gun was found, a man is dead, and the end result: the officers involved get paid leave and no more guns, guys. And yet another man is dead as the result of societal indoctrination to fear the black male.

Yet the same question always erupts: was it race related, decidedly more loaded since officers of color were involved in the shooting of the projected black villain. But is this even a question worth asking when both blacks and whites have been brought up in a society that believes in the inherent violence, savagery, and criminal urges of the black male?

The answer is no according to a little online test from The University of Chicago that suggests this very idea: that both blacks and whites can be equally affected by Black vilification. The test features a series of 100 images of both black and white men holding either guns or cell phones/wallets. It is up to you to quickly discriminate between the two and either shoot or holster based on your perception. And discrimination is exactly the result as on the whole, both blacks and whites who’ve taken the test have shot at blacks fractions of seconds quicker than at whites. Now if a simulated experience can have these results, is it so shocking that these real-life situations occur so often? http://backhand.uchicago.edu/Center/ShooterEffect/

Maybe shocking to some but old and sad news to the rest of us who clearly see the effects of the black viewed as despised/feared in members of our very own community (think McGruder’s “Uncle Ruckus”). The alleged actions of Sean Bell: accelerating the car while intoxicated and crashing into an unmarked police vehicle, in no way shape or form can be used to justify such actions taken against him. Nor can the larger issue of white fear ( created by whites and subsequently projected onto all members of American society), excuse its devastating results. But it explains why the bell will continue to toll for black males in American society. And why until this bigger problem is addressed, Tills Zongos Diallos and Bells will continue to occur in new forms.

Wright you know you ain't right

So apparently the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is what's really hot in the political streets right now. At least he thinks so. And with the media giving him so high a platform, I'm inclined to agree But this sudden quest to make the most out of his fifteen minutes by spouting hyper-Afrocentric, borderline pseudoscientific speeches is getting out of hand.

The racially charged ideas Wright suggests are nothing new to members of the black community yet make mainstream society want to run faster than a a Grand Wizard at the Million Man March. Yes, conspiracy theories that existed before Wright that are now being voiced by Wright suggest US government influence on September 11th attacks. Yes some believe in the OPV AIDS hypothesis stating that Africans were (either purposely or mistakenly depending on who you talk to) inflicted with the virus that causes AIDS. But hey y'all, what does this have to do with the man running for office? It is not the former Senior Pastor of Trinity United Christian Church who's campaigning, though the media would suggest it.

But let's not save all our blame for the media, as this display of ego-tripping could not have been brought to you without the pastor himself. For someone who grow up during a tumultuous time period, who experienced first hand the effects of systemic oppression on the black individual, why continue to stir up controversy, adding fuel to a centuries-old, fear-driven fire raised towards blackness? Why not pass your own torch to a member of the next generation of people dedicated to the black community's well-being? But the spotlight must be too bright for him to focus.