This week's song is All I Do by Tammi Terrell. If you don't know who Tammi Terrell is (shame on you!), she was the female counterpart of Marvin Gaye in the mid to late 60s. They made songs like Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing, Precious Love, and If This World Were Mine, just to name a few. Despite the fact that Tammi died in 1970 at the age of 24, of a brain tumor and never really had the chance to have a career that expressed her true potential, she made a very big impact with her duets with Marvin. Many know the song "All I Do" as a Stevie Wonder classic, but he originally wrote this song for Tammi in the 1960s. While his version is obviously amazing, Tammi offers a sweeter and more vulnerable rendition that left me not only in love with her, but also this rendition of the song. So, the song of the week is All I Do by the late Tammi Terrell.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Really? Come on BET!
I rarely watch BET, unless The Game or Everybody Hate’s Chris is gracing the screen. In my opinion, black music isn’t what it used to be and offers me no real enjoyment except for maybe in the club on a late night. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate everything, Alicia Keys, Mary J., Monica, and a few others do satisfy my craving for good, honest, soul-quenching R&B, but most of the videos on 106&Park just leave me feeling empty and embarrassed. Let’s be honest, music is definitely lacking is some way and Nicki Minaj is no Salt-N-Pepa and Lil’ Wayne is no Tupac. Soul music is not just R&B, it’s any music that expresses true emotions where you can feel real passion from the artist. When Tupac made the song Dear Mama, I could feel his honesty and I believed that he really put his soul into his music, whether it was about poverty or sex, he had passion about the things he was saying and really cared about his craft. I’m on a rant, but what I’m really trying to say is that today’s music is missing something. The songs are about women or drugs or cars or money. What happened to music that expressed real love, not just sex or music that talked about what it’s like to live in the ghetto, not music that glorifies death and prison? This is the reason that I don’t listen to the radio, but depend on my collection of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Mary J., Sam Cooke Faith Evans, and many more to feed my soul. Hearing Lil’ Wayne rap about having sex with every girl in the world just doesn’t do anything for me personally, but that’s just my own opinion.
But I digress.
The real reason that I am writing this post is because of the recent banning of music videos by Teairra Mari(Sponsor) and Ciara(Ride) by BET. While neither song is doing much for women, this is the way that these two young ladies have chosen to express themselves. While Ciara song and video is filled with sexual innuendos and slightly suggestive dancing, does it really show anything worse than what we already see on BET. How can a channel that airs State Property, The Godfather, and Belly really ban anything. And many of the videos made by men on this same channel often exploit the bodies of women, so when a woman decides to use her own sexuality it is a problem. Let’s be serious here, Ciara’s video isn’t any worse than the other videos played on BET. As far as Teairra Mari, I just find the fact that her video has been banned absolutely ridiculous. Sponsor is basically about a woman who depends on a man to get her what she needs and wants financially. Some say it’s a gold-diggers anthem, but whatever the case, how is this song any different from what rappers say. When male rappers talk about spending money on women to get what they want, it’s not an issue. These decisions by BET seem to be sexist and utterly ridiculous. If we are going to ban these videos, why not ban 80%of the videos that come on 106&Park. Speaking of 106, am I the only one who thinks this show is not even half of what it used to be. Rocsi has none of the appeal and class of Free and Terrance has none of the poise and intelligence of AJ. Tell me what you think about everything I have said. This post is pretty scattered, but I had a lot to say today.
But I digress.
The real reason that I am writing this post is because of the recent banning of music videos by Teairra Mari(Sponsor) and Ciara(Ride) by BET. While neither song is doing much for women, this is the way that these two young ladies have chosen to express themselves. While Ciara song and video is filled with sexual innuendos and slightly suggestive dancing, does it really show anything worse than what we already see on BET. How can a channel that airs State Property, The Godfather, and Belly really ban anything. And many of the videos made by men on this same channel often exploit the bodies of women, so when a woman decides to use her own sexuality it is a problem. Let’s be serious here, Ciara’s video isn’t any worse than the other videos played on BET. As far as Teairra Mari, I just find the fact that her video has been banned absolutely ridiculous. Sponsor is basically about a woman who depends on a man to get her what she needs and wants financially. Some say it’s a gold-diggers anthem, but whatever the case, how is this song any different from what rappers say. When male rappers talk about spending money on women to get what they want, it’s not an issue. These decisions by BET seem to be sexist and utterly ridiculous. If we are going to ban these videos, why not ban 80%of the videos that come on 106&Park. Speaking of 106, am I the only one who thinks this show is not even half of what it used to be. Rocsi has none of the appeal and class of Free and Terrance has none of the poise and intelligence of AJ. Tell me what you think about everything I have said. This post is pretty scattered, but I had a lot to say today.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Phyllis Hyman: A Musical Gift
If I could sing, I would want to sound like Phyllis Hyman. I would want a voice that’s deep, sexy, strong, and filled with emotion. Phyllis Hyman embodies all those qualities. If you’ve ever heard a song by Phyllis Hyman you know exactly what I’m talking about. Her voice is like honey. So smooth, so wonderful, so different from anything we hear in the music business today. I can admit that I have some Rihanna on my IPod and I do dance to Beyoncé on occasion, but lately whenever I want to hear soul-touching music, Phyllis Hyman is the person I turn to.
I was born in 1988, so I didn’t get the chance to be a fan of her when she was alive, but I do remember hearing “Betcha By Golly Wow” during the ‘Quiet Storm’ on our local radio station. I remember being lulled to sleep in the backseat of my family’s Buick by her silky, smooth, haunting voice. Today I am able to appreciate her artistry a lot more and she is truly one of the best singers to have ever graced this music industry. Her voice is so perfect that it’s almost indescribable. It’s like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold, rainy day. It fully encompasses you and grabs your attention, leaving you dreading the end of the song. Phyllis Hyman is what we call a ‘Diva’ in every sense of the word. Not only did her velvety voice demand your attention, but her 6 foot 1 stature made it impossible to turn away. Phyllis Hyman’s voice is unlike anything I ever heard and her song, “I Refuse to be Lonely” is the story of my life right now. She was beautiful, talented, and very intelligent. If you go on YouTube, you can see videos of Phyllis being interviewed in 1987 by Ebony Magazine and she is so articulate. I love seeing Black women who can speak well and who really having something to say worth listening to. A woman like Phyllis Hyman only comes around once in a lifetime and the time that we were fortunate to have her talent on this earth should be treasured. To say her presence is missed in today’s music industry would be definite understatement.
Phyllis Hyman was born in 1949 in Philadelphia and raised in Pittsburgh and as a child knew she wanted to be a “rich, successful, single, childless, Afro-American woman” and eventually she became a notable songstress on the Norman Connors ballad, “Betcha By Golly Wow” in the mid-70s and later a Broadway star appearing on the stage in “Sophisticated Ladies” in 1981, which would land her a Tony Award nomination. During the 80s and early 90s, Phyllis would make a name for herself as a Jazz/R&B diva, with hits such as “Living All Alone”, “Don’t Want To Change the World”, and “Loving You/Losing You” just to name a few. She was well-respected by her peers in the music industry, but remained unhappy for a number of years because of life’s disappointments. Love, weight, and success were a few things that kept Phyllis depressed, but her Bi-Polar disorder was the biggest issue. Medicating her disorder with drugs and alcohol only left Phyllis more and more depressed and on June 30, 1995, she took her own life with pills and vodka before a gig at the Apollo Theatre with The Whispers. She died only a few days before her 46th birthday.
Phyllis Hyman was a gift to us all and despite her sad ending, she left a something wonderful for us all to remember her by. Her music was spectacular and her voice was unlike any other. She was a magnificent spirit and I am glad to have her music to help me cope with the pain that I may experience in my life. So I ask you all to turn off the latest pop princess of today and turn on a queen of music that was under appreciated, but an overwhelming talent. Peace.
Watch the Diva at work below
I was born in 1988, so I didn’t get the chance to be a fan of her when she was alive, but I do remember hearing “Betcha By Golly Wow” during the ‘Quiet Storm’ on our local radio station. I remember being lulled to sleep in the backseat of my family’s Buick by her silky, smooth, haunting voice. Today I am able to appreciate her artistry a lot more and she is truly one of the best singers to have ever graced this music industry. Her voice is so perfect that it’s almost indescribable. It’s like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold, rainy day. It fully encompasses you and grabs your attention, leaving you dreading the end of the song. Phyllis Hyman is what we call a ‘Diva’ in every sense of the word. Not only did her velvety voice demand your attention, but her 6 foot 1 stature made it impossible to turn away. Phyllis Hyman’s voice is unlike anything I ever heard and her song, “I Refuse to be Lonely” is the story of my life right now. She was beautiful, talented, and very intelligent. If you go on YouTube, you can see videos of Phyllis being interviewed in 1987 by Ebony Magazine and she is so articulate. I love seeing Black women who can speak well and who really having something to say worth listening to. A woman like Phyllis Hyman only comes around once in a lifetime and the time that we were fortunate to have her talent on this earth should be treasured. To say her presence is missed in today’s music industry would be definite understatement.
Phyllis Hyman was born in 1949 in Philadelphia and raised in Pittsburgh and as a child knew she wanted to be a “rich, successful, single, childless, Afro-American woman” and eventually she became a notable songstress on the Norman Connors ballad, “Betcha By Golly Wow” in the mid-70s and later a Broadway star appearing on the stage in “Sophisticated Ladies” in 1981, which would land her a Tony Award nomination. During the 80s and early 90s, Phyllis would make a name for herself as a Jazz/R&B diva, with hits such as “Living All Alone”, “Don’t Want To Change the World”, and “Loving You/Losing You” just to name a few. She was well-respected by her peers in the music industry, but remained unhappy for a number of years because of life’s disappointments. Love, weight, and success were a few things that kept Phyllis depressed, but her Bi-Polar disorder was the biggest issue. Medicating her disorder with drugs and alcohol only left Phyllis more and more depressed and on June 30, 1995, she took her own life with pills and vodka before a gig at the Apollo Theatre with The Whispers. She died only a few days before her 46th birthday.
Phyllis Hyman was a gift to us all and despite her sad ending, she left a something wonderful for us all to remember her by. Her music was spectacular and her voice was unlike any other. She was a magnificent spirit and I am glad to have her music to help me cope with the pain that I may experience in my life. So I ask you all to turn off the latest pop princess of today and turn on a queen of music that was under appreciated, but an overwhelming talent. Peace.
Watch the Diva at work below
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