New Serena Williams HP Commercial

~Thesis

Ja Rule ft. Ashley Joi- “Body” (vid)

New song and video off of Ja’s upcoming album, “Mirror,” due out November 13th. I like this song a lot. Ja’s swag on the track is effortless. He’s definitely back with a new Ashanti…errr…Ashley Joi. You might remember her from a track that was released some time ago entitled, “Free.” With the apparent demise of G-Unit, can Ja rise back to the top of the charts with songs like “Uh Oh,” “Free,” and now “Body?”

What’re your thoughts on the new video and Ja Rule’s persistence to stay relevant?

~Thesis

Talib Kweli- “Keep It In The Pocket”; Birdman- “100 Million Dollars”; Noreaga- “World is Getting Smaller”

*Talib Kweli- “Keep it In the Pocket” (listen)

I like the keys and the bass line on this track a lot. Talib flows well over this jazzy track and gets definitely shows off his versatility on beats. There’s a lot of energy in this song and Talib does the vibe and lean some due diligence. Brooklyn stand up!!!

Birdman ft. Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, DK Khaled & Dre- “100 Million Dollars” (listen)

1. DJ Khaled needs to shut the f* up…he’s annoyin and sounds like a herb..word up!

2. Birdman is like the South’s version of Puffy. He needs to give up rappin.

3. Dre who? he still has a career?

4. Ross kilt the track (yeah, i meant kilt). His swag and flow was untouchable. Raaaaaaaaaaaawse!

5. Weezy- expected a lil more from him on this track!

6. Production was crazy…..

Noreaga- “The World is Getting Smaller” (listen)

This is prolly the realest i’ve heard from Noreaga since “Body In a Trunk”…this track is real talk and Nore shows that he still got sommin relevant to say.  Good for you thun thun!!!

~Thesis

*props to ill roots

Video Leak: Jill Scott- My Love Plus 2 New Jill Scott Tracks Live

Jill Scott’s new album “The Real Thing” is in stores now, but unfortunately I never found a album preview to post. However, there are some performances of  Jill performing tracks from her new album, so I decided to bring that back to the top so people can get a taste of her music.

Jill Scott’s new unreleased video for “My Love” hit youtube. Jill looks great with her new look, and she sounds amazing on the song.  I think this song will be big with the adult contemporary and neo-soul crowd.

Jill performed a few songs for a VH1 Soul Concert recently. First up, she performed “Whenever You’re Around”. I’m loving this song…this is grown folks music for sure and she is sings the hell out of this song. The music scene is saturated with a bunch of marginally talented artists, so it’s nice to get back to the real soul music.

New Music Videos: Yung Joc- Gettin To The Money, Lupe Fiasco- Dumb It Down

Yung Joc has a new video for his song “Gettin To The Money”. My goodness it’s too early for me to listen to this song…I can’t take this kind of rap before 10AM. But anyways…this song moves in a different direction from his first single with a more street and dirty south sound. Yung Joc looks totally ridiculous with that huge chain on and three guys standing with their backs to each other rapping is pretty corny. Aside from the somewhat catchy chorus…I doubt this will be a hit anywhere other than the South. 

Lupe Fiasco has a new video for his song “Dumb It Down”. I actually really like the song and lyrically it is definitely on point. However, I think that Lupe is off the mark in thinking that his only problem is that he is too intelligent for people. I think Lupe’s problem is that he is just a little bland. Like this video for example….he could’ve stepped out of his laid back demeanor and done a parody video or something that was more visually interesting than just him standing there rapping. I’m not talking the “Read A Book” type parody…more along the lines of the parody The Roots did for “What They Do” which was smart and entertaining at the same time. Maybe he feels like he is above showing personality, but he needs more than hot lines to be major (ask Papoose).

What do you guys think of these videos? With Yung Joc’s album flopping on the charts…will this new single help him rebound? Is Lupe just too intelligent for his audience or is he missing a star power ingredient?

Posted by Reecie

O’Reilly- Black Restaurant Surprisingly Civilized

Source

In what some people are calling ignorant and racially intended, O’ Reilly recently made some controversial comments during a dinner in which he treated Al Sharpton to.  Recalling his dining experience at Harlem’s renown restaurant, Sylvia’s, on his radio show, O’ Reilly stated:

“It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun,” he said. “And there wasn’t any kind of craziness at all.”

O’ Reilly refuted the accusations that people are making by stating that he was simply trying to make a point that racial differences and tensions have improved to the fact that you can go in a “black” restaurant and expect the same service as if you were going to an Italian restaurant or some other “non-black” establishment.  O Reilly further stated that his recent experience at an Anita Baker concert depicted a very diverse and professional crowd of individuals and that many people who aren’t exposed to black people may only equate them to rap music and much of the negativities that have been surrounding it.

O’Reilly further stated that in the restaurant, there weren’t black folk screamin “Motherf***, I want more iced tea!” to show that some people’s perception of how black people act is skewed.  Some individuals are saying that O’Reilly’s comment(s) were racist and uncalled for while others, especially some in Sharpton’s camp, found no offense in his comments.

What are your thoughts? I know I had posted a topic a lil while ago regarding Nas’ “reckless” usage of the word “racist” when talking about O’Reilly.  Do you think O’Reilly’s comments were ignorant or real?

~Thesis

Jena 6 Update: Mychal Bell Free on Bail!

 

Update 9/27/07

CNN has the story:

Mychal Bell, a black teenager accused of beating a white classmate and who was the last of the “Jena 6″ behind bars, was released from custody Thursday after a juvenile court judge set his bail at $45,000.

Bell’s release followed an announcement from LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters, who said he would not appeal a higher court’s decision moving Bell’s case to juvenile court.

Bell’s attorney Lewis Scott said the teen was moved from jail to a juvenile facility earlier Thursday.

I’m very happy to hear that finally some sense of justice has been served. Mychal has sat in jail close to a year and now he is finally getting the taste of freedom. This is certainly proof that there is power in protest and activism. If we don’t stand for something, we will fall for anything. This time it was the Jena 6, the next time it could’ve been your husband, son, brother, nephew, cousin, neighbor…but hopefully with everything that has transpired it will make folks think twice about their actions…whether that means not putting their hands on someone to retaliate or not manipulating the law to serve racist motivations.

Smallville Season 7 Premiere Tonight on CW

*UPDATE*

It’s been about 4.5 months since the end of Season 6 and like many of the Smallville fans out there, we’re anxiously anticipating the return of Smallville this season.  We’re looking forward to Clark finally accepting his destiny and starting his training in the Fortress of Solitude and we’re also looking forward to new and defined relationships between the infamous triangle between Lana, Clark, and Lex.  We can’t wait to see Lex as evil as ever and well, some wish Lana to just die. lol.  But what we all can’t wait for is Clark to do some major ass-kickin’ compared to that of Season 6.

Well, for those who needed a fix on Smallville throughout the summer, I’m sure you made it a point to check back every so often at the Smallville Dedication site for updates.  One major update is the addition of a new character, Kara aka Supergirl, who is supposed to be Clark’s cousin from Krypton and who is the daughter of Zor-el, who is Jor-el’s brother.  Here are some other updates to definitely check out for:

1. Dean Cain (a la Lois & Clark) will be making an astounding cameo in an upcoming episode playin a villian.

2. Justin Hartley will definitely be back this season to reprise his role as the Green Arrow.

3. Martian Manhunter  and supposedly dead Chloe Sullivan, will be back this season.

4. Jimmy Olsen is back and grows some major cohones this season!!!

5. Lex finds religion?

6. Pete’s still not comin’ back…sorry folks!

So much more…….make sure you tune into “Bizarro” tonight.  To all the Smallville fans, let’s get ready for a great season.  Go pick up Season 6 on DVD if you haven’t yet. 

 To fans of the show, what are you expecting from Season 7? Do you think the show has lost its edge or do you think that things will be heating up now that Clark’s somewhat accepted his destiny? What do you think of the addition of “Kara?” What kind of relationship do you think each character should have with one another this season?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Hip-Hop vs. America on BET

Thanks to Stallion, an HM contributing commentor, for the heads up on BET’s special Hip-Hop vs. America. To be quite honest, the HM contributors did not get a chance to watch the series, even though it is a topic that is worthy of discussion. The BET special is available to watch at BET.com.

According to the Baltimore Sun Times, Hip-Hop vs. America is a town-hall style meeting addressing the negative impact of hip-hop music. Moderated by camera-friendly BET personalities Jeff Johnson and Toure, the series features different panels of cultural critics (Stanley Crouch, Nelson George, Michael Eric Dyson) and hip-hop stars past and present (MC Lyte, Master P, T.I. and Nelly). Among the topics discussed before a live studio audience: hip-hop’s relationship with criminality, the culture’s misogynistic images of black women and how blacks feel about hip-hop’s public airing of the community’s “dirty laundry.”

But the discussion is nothing new. It has been going on in the black community for at least a decade. Long before Imus insulted Rutgers’ women’s basketball team, activists such as the late C. Delores Tucker and hip-hop intellectuals (writers Joan Morgan, Kevin Powell and Farai Chideya) were debating the genre’s degrading imagery and lyrics. At the time, such concerns were largely ignored by mainstream media. And all the while, BET gladly served as an accomplice to black musical oppression by offering little counterbalance to the inanity and straight-up buffoonery glorified in mainstream rap.

Please read the entire article here.

I can’t wait to watch the BET special, which can viewed at BET.com, and comment on the issue and follow up with my fellow contributors and commentors. But I’d like to add Stallion’s input to help lead the discussion at HM:

“I think Nelly made a good point about his tip drill video. After hearing people complain about the video, you would think he made that video for the TRL and 106 & Park Audience… (and) more video like that. I remember when I first saw the video. I was surprise to see that Nelly made that kind of video, but at the time, the only way I could see it and other videos like that was to watch BET around two or three in the morning…They (also) made a good point about parenting. I like to think I’ve grown up to be a nice respectable man. I’m in college getting a degree, I work a part time job and so on and I credit my mom and dad for the man I am today. I also believe being surrounded by positive people who cared about an education played a part in it time. I do think growing up in the day we had more positive black role model like in sports like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Emmit Smith, Dieon Sanders and more positive black shows on television. I remember watching show like Family Matters, Fresh Prince, Hanging with Mr. Cooper (Yeah I said it) and so on. Even if these people were involve in shady stuff I never heard about it and Hip Hop back in the day had a better balance…”

Have you seen the BET Special Hip-Hop vs. America? Do you agree or disagree with the Baltimore Sun Times? Is BET too late on this issue? How can hip-hop continue to evolve without being blamed? Please let us know what you think!

Radio Interview Catfights: Usher clashes with Miss Jones, Karrine Steffans goes off on Rickey Smiley’s Show

Usher called into Miss Jones’ radio show to talk about his new fragrances and ONLY his new fragrances. Of course the always controversial Miss Jones had a different idea about what she wanted to talk about so the interview went a little haywire once she deviated from the script. Although sparks didn’t necessarily fly, it’s still pretty hilarious to listen to. It’s like getting two people who hate each other in a room together and waiting to see who will explode first. I think it was pretty unrealistic for Usher to not expect Miss Jones of all people to ask personal questions. Click here to listen 

Karrine Steffans aka Superhead (and I’m really sick of typing that everytime I bring her up but who really knows this chick by her first name?) called into Rickey Smiley’s radio show to discuss her new book the “Vixen Diaries”. Well the interview immediately got off to a rough start when she was asked about the most expensive car or present she has ever received from someone famous. Super didn’t appreciate the line of gold digger questioning and proceeded to go off! She talked about how Black people are more ignorant towards her than the white people she is interviewed by, and how her people don’t want to see her “grow”…they just want to keep talking to her like she is the same person she was when the first book came out. Ok…somebody break out the violins for Super! It’s funny that she says she doesn’t talk about what people give her when she was telling a newspaper that Shaq gave her money and slept with her while she was engaged to Shaunie after news of their divorce broke. Anyway…this chick is clearly living in a dream world if she expects people to not look at her as a gold digger or a hoe when she is making a career out of dishing on her sex life! If she wants to be known for more than that…she needs to DO something (not someone) redeemable. She is really the last person that needs to be talking about ignorant with all the dirt she has done. Click here to listen 

*Thanks to King of the Midwest…here is an even better interview- Click here to listen

What do you think about these interviews? Was Miss Jones wrong for questioning Usher about his personal life or does that just come with the territory of being a celebrity? Is there a big conspiracy by Black people to hold Karrine down by making her out to be a hoe or is she to blame for putting her ways on front street?

Posted by Reecie