Break It Down...Rap Breakdowns in R&B

This morning, I was listening to the Tom Joyner Morning Show and he played Bobby Brown's monster hit from 1992, "Humpin' Around."  As I was getting out of the shower and humming along with Bobby, Stylz started to spit his flow in the breakdown of the song.  I then started to wonder, whatever happened to this guy?  I wonder what happened to his rap career?  I remember seeing him in the B Brown Posse video along with a bunch of other wanna be singers and rappers (one of which is now one of the stars of NBC's "Community," Yvette Nicole Brown), but I don't remember him dropping an album or single.  I then did a quick Google search and came up with nothing.  I wonder what happened to this guy?  It's as if he fell of of the earth!

As I continued to hum along with Bobby, I then started to think of other songs that featured rappers we either never heard from again or ever knew their name.  Immediately, "Lies" from En Vogue came to mind.  "Lies" was En Vogue's 2nd single from their debut album, "Born To Sing."  It featured a rapper by the name of Debbie T.  Now, I don't recall ever seeing Debbie T but once (I think it was the Arsenio Hall Show), the rest of the time, I remember Dawn Robinson doing the rap the rest of the time.   Well, I decided to do another quick Google search and all I could find is a wikipedia page of her high school,
Pinole Valley High School.  They list her as an alumni, but no other information was available.  

Another classic that came to mind was Tony Toni Tone''s "Feels Good" from 1990. First of all, I never really knew who did the rap on this song. After a little digging, I see that this guy is now known as Mopreme Shakur. His original name was Wycked and (supposedly) is the step brother of the one and only 2pac. I found this interview with him on YouTube and it is very interesting.

Thank God for Google.  I now know who did the breakdown on "Feels Good" and several others hit records of the 80s and 90s.  Until next time.

Military Extremist

This morning, I had a strange encounter at Tom Thumb.  Since today is the first day back at work after a long holiday weekend, I woke up later than I usually do.  I didn't have time to prepare my lunch or breakfast for today, so I decided to go by Tom Thumb before heading to the office.

After parking in the moderately filled parking lot, I headed into the store.  A tall, Caucasian gentleman pulled into the parking lot around the same time I did and walked in about the same time with me.  We leisurely made eye contact and I said a mellow "Good morning" and gave him a subtle head nod.  Well, his response wasn't "good morning" or "hello," he responded, "Nice truck."  Well, I was thrown off a little.  We continued to head on into the store and talked about how it is nice to have a short bed truck because they are versatile and functional.

The conversation turned from trucks to military drones and how they have been spotted in the Waco area and how the citizens of the are are shooting at them.  Now, I KNOW that I don't look anything like a military person.  However, he did.  His hair was cut in a flat top burr with a beard.  He appeared to be either a former military person or some type of military conspirator.

I tried my best to cut our conversation short (I was already late for work).  I then continued to walk through the store to grab a few items.  After checking out, I headed to the Starbucks counter in the store.  Guess who was there....conspirator guy.

After I got my coffee, he then comes back up to me and asked if I had heard of Pat Tillman.  I told him yes and I remember he was killed a few months ago in a gun accident.  Well, he then told me that it was not true and that the US Government had helped the guy fake his death and that he was "Deep in the heart of Texas" and living a normal life.  I just stood there  and nodded and smiled.

Well, the crazy guy walked out of the store the same time I did.  Well, he then started speaking to some of the other workers in the store.  I then hurried out of the store and into my truck.  As he was walking out, my engine was roaring and I pulled away.

I thought this was a pretty interesting way to start my week off.

What Michael Jackson's Death Has Taught Me

June 25th, 2013 marks the 4 year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death.  Since his untimely demise, many parts of the entertainers life has been brought to life and from what I've seen, MJ may not have been as off his rocker as we once thought.

MJ was always one of the world's biggest and best entertainers since he began singing with his brothers.  There was something special about him when we first heard "I Want You Back."  Watching him perform with his brothers on Ed Sullivan, you see a certain spark in this kid's eye.  You could see the determination and longing to be the best that anyone could be in their field.  His just happened to be music and entertainment.

Well, fast forward 40+ years later, we see a family that is sad, broken and bewildered.  The brothers don't appear to get along well.  There are reports that Janet is tired of footing the bills for her family and has cut them off.  MJ's kids don't appear to be happy and seem to be lost in the crazy world of Jacksons.

Since MJ's death, different family members have done reality shows.  The brothers' show, "Jackson Family Dynasty" showed the brothers doing nothing but bickering and Jermaine wanting to take the crown from MJ as the "King."  This guy really really thinks that he is a "star."  This is the same guy that released the "You Said" album and told MJ that he was jealous because he had the better album (than "Dangerous).  Come on, why would you make a record dissing your own brother?  No matter how much bad blood may have been between them, the one thing he didn't have to do was diss his own brother on record.

As for LaToya's new show, I really like it.  She is so likable and fun, but you still see a person with LOTS of issues.  Poor thing, she has been dictated to all of her life and doesn't seem to even know to navigate life on her own.  I really believe a lot of the things that she says.  Yes, she comes across as dingy and batty, but the girl is probably the most sane one that is in the public eye.

You know, I really feel sorry for his children.  These kids lost the only parent they have ever known.  Now they are just going from house to house because everyone wants a piece of their money.  Who wouldn't want to be the guardian of children that get $30K a month?

Now all of the allegations of Paris trying to commit suicide tells me that she is lost.  I pray for those children and those around them.  At the rate they are going, they will be the next Amanda Bynes if someone doesn't step in and help these children.

Sure, MJ was a great singer and entertainer; definitely one of the best to ever live.  It just goes to show you that no matter how much money a family/person has, the problems get magnified even more.

Celebrating Gospel....Really?

Today, I was riding home from work and I happened to tune into our local Gospel AM station,, KHVN.  I have grown to love KHVN over the years.  They are one of the few 24 hour Gospel stations in the country.  They are one of the oldest African American based stations in town, so I have much respect for KHVN and their format.

I love the community aspect of the station.  They are the only station left that actually seems to care about the community and focuses on the issues in the community.  They also tend to feature a few of the ministers in the area to give them a voice and spread the word of God during different talk segments.  Today's topic was discussing BET's Celebration of Gospel.  The host of the show and the minister there, kept bringing up how the program didn't really seem to focus on Gospel music, but more on the secular artists that participated in the show.

The subject was brought up whether BET should bring the secular artists on a show like this, especially since the artists they featured sing about worldly topics.  Tyrese Gibson and Tamar Braxton seemed to be the biggest subjects mentioned.  Several of the callers made the point that a person that sings secular music is not anointed.  That statement really got me to thinking.  Can a singer that is not a Gospel/Christian singer be anointed?

As I continued to drive and listen to the program, I started thinking about some of my favorite secular artists. Many of my favorite singers sing about God, spirituality, love, and sex, and I found myself asking if they could be anointed?  Personally, I would say yes.  To me, God anoints someone with a gift.  If that person has truly been blessed with a particular talent, I believe that the spirituality and love comes out in the vocals and production of the song.  That is why someone like Michael Jackson were gifted with song.  Were all of his songs about God or love?  No, however when he sang a song like "Man In The Mirror" or "Keep The Faith," you can't help but hear and feel that the song has been anointed.

To me, whether it's Michael Jackson or Kirk Franklin, great music is great music.  If music is anointed, it crosses cultural lines, it touches the soul in a way that nothing else can.

As for the Celebration of Gospel, many were upset that the secular artists even participated.  I don't get that at all.  If they don't see the big picture why someone like Steve Harvey, Tamar Braxton or Tyrese were asked to participate, then they don't know that BET is part of a media conglomerate.  They have to make money and pull in ratings.  Especially when they are competing with big shows like the Academy of Country  Music Awards, Celebrity Apprentice and The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Wake up people, the bottom line for these big corporations is making money and pulling in advertising dollars.  Just because it's a Celebration of Gospel, it still has to make money.

That's my rant for now.

My Review of SWV's "I Missed Us."

I haven't been excited about an album in a while. Usually if I am excited, once I hear the project, I toss it to the side or only listen to a few tracks. I think I tend to do this because a lot of music that is released now is so slow, drab and dull that I get bored easily.

On Monday, I saw a post from Centric TV that they were streaming SWV's new album, "I Missed Us." I thought at the time that the album would be another drab slow-jam project with a "neo-soul" feel. Well, THANKFULLY, it's not. Upon first listen, I thought it was a decent project. Well, I received my copy from Amazon yesterday when I got home and have listened to it constantly from the moment I got it.

This album is the much needed "breath of fresh air" that is needed in traditional r&b today. The songs remind you of the late 80s and early 90s (before hip-hop and trans-pop took over the airwaves). Do the songs sound dated? I would say no. The sound is definitely today, just with a 90s flair.

So far, my favorite tracks are "Co-Sign" (the lead single) and "Love Unconditionally." I like them because they are very reminiscent of a time gone by.

The only negative thing I can say about some of the album is that some of the lyrics tend to sound a tad juvenile for some damn-near 40 year olds to be singing. Though the songs don't have lyrics that sound like a child may be singing them, but some of them tend to be intended for 20 year olds vs 40 year olds.

That being said, I still think this is one of the best albums I've purchased so far this year. I hope this album performs well and encourages writers and producers to bring the tempo back to r&b radio.
Kelvin

One's Authentic Cyber Self

Yesterday, a Facebook friend of mine posted some "political" humor that I found to be very inappropiate. It wasn't the fact that the post was political that bothered me, but it was wishing for another person's death. I'm not going to repost the comment, however, it did make me realize how social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. tend to bring out one's authentic self.

People post anything and everything on their social networking profiles. Their favorite songs, news stories, movies, etc. are all key ponents that make up most of our profiles in social-cyberspace. Social sites are really good if they are used for what they were originally designed for. I don't think the creator of Facebook ever meant for anyone to post about the wishing death on someone.

This particular person tends to take a stand on many issues and makes many political comments. I love getting into spirited debates with people over issues. This is something that I have loved for years. My problem lies when there is no equal balance. If there is no balance in anything, that's when things tend to get out of hand.

I guess people are definitely products of their environments? Growing up in East Texas, my view on life was very one-sided also. It wasn't until I got to college and met other people from different walks of life that I learned to accept people for who they were and not for what they have. You learn that things like welfare and socio-economics don't define a person. Some people just have a little bad luck and don't overcome the obstacles at the same time. Now, I'm not saying that is the case for ALL people, but for a lot of people that I've come in contact with it is.

When I started socializing on social networks like Facebook, one of the first things I learned was that people grow and mature in different ways. Connecting with people from the past is not always good. Some things/people are better left in your past life.

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Texas Teen Forged $5 Bill, Cops Say

Texas Teen Forged $5 Bill, Cops Say